Planning for Political Transition in May 2021: a 2Nd Guide for Mayoral and Assembly Candidates

Planning for political transition in May 2021: A 2nd guide for Mayoral and Assembly candidates

April 2021

Introduction ...... 2

Part 1: Events and decisions ...... 3

Part 2: Appointments ...... 7

Part 3: The Mayor’s powers ...... 13

Part 4: Mayoral accountability ...... 22

Part 5: Organisation Structure ...... 23

Part 6: London Resilience and Incident Response ...... 25

Introduction

1. This is the Second Transition Guide briefing for candidates standing to be elected Mayor of London. The First Transition Guide briefing was issued in January 2021 is available on our website for reference here. 2. This second document provides updates to some of the information provided and, importantly, includes new information regarding the appointments which the new Mayor is able to make on taking office. 3. This document does not attempt to cover the full field of GLA activities, but rather provides an overview of the GLA’s work areas and highlights issues that need to be addressed over the first few days and weeks of the new Mayoral term. 4. A further briefing will be provided to the new Mayor once elected. 5. This briefing includes some information about the two Mayoral Development Corporations and actions and decisions pertaining to other functional bodies, for example appointing the Transport for London Board. The functional bodies will also provide separate briefings on the issues they face.

Part 1: Events and decisions

Key events / decisions for the first 3 months 6. The tables in this section set out notable key events and GLA-related decisions over the first three months of the new Mayoral term. The lists are not exhaustive. Rather they focus on those things that are of relative importance. Some of the events and decisions could be attended or made by a Mayoral representative (e.g. a Mayoral Advisor) once appointed. 7. Events that are fixed and/or especially important are highlighted in yellow. Similarly, the most important decisions are highlighted in yellow. Italics indicate something that is for information only.

May 2021 - Week 1 & 2 after the election (10 - 21 May) Events Date Detail 9 Signing Declaration of Acceptance of Office; and possible press conference GLA staff on hand to arrange City Hall office accommodation and IT access; senior staff available or on call for any meetings required 11 All staff virtual briefing 11 Submit the Mayor’s Report to the Assembly ahead of Mayor’s Question Time (NB this will be drafted by GLA staff and presented for your approval.) 11 Provisional meetings booked with the Transport Commissioner & the Metropolitan Police Commissioner (tbc) 13 Sign-off the marketing campaign creative for the State of London Debate (SOLD) by 13 May. 13 Review the proposals for People’s Question Time before the deadline for the Oversight Committee in June 14 Agree scheduling of meetings with the Chief Officer of the GLA and the Chief Executives of MOPAC, OPDC, LLDC and LFB. 18 TfL’s current funding agreement with Government comes to an end on 18/5 18 Regular planning decisions meeting (if required) 18 London Legacy Development Corporation Board meeting (see Part 4 – Appointments)

Weekly Regular weekly planning decisions meeting

Fortnightly Regular fortnightly meetings with the Police Commissioner

Fortnightly Regular fortnightly meeting with the Transport Commissioner

Decisions

Make preliminary decisions on the roles and composition of the Mayor’s team of “11+2” (see Part 2 – Appointments)

May 2021- Remainder of month (22-31 May) Events Date Detail 26 Ceremonial Opening of London Blossom Garden commemorating Londoners who lost their lives due to Covid 27 Mayor’s Question Time (tbc) Weekly Regular weekly planning decisions meeting Fortnightly Regular fortnightly meetings with the Police Commissioner

Fortnightly Regular fortnightly meeting with the Transport Commissioner

Decisions Agree by 28 May 2021, the content of the TfL Statement of Accounts which will be published and available for public inspection on 1 June 2021.

Decide whether or not to publish an overarching pre-cursor strategy document setting out the intended direction of travel and coordinated messaging across the key policy areas (e.g. ‘Towards a Vision for all Londoners‘) (see Part 2 - The Mayor’s Powers) Decide whether or not to continue with the monthly email called ‘Mail from the Mayor’ (approximate reach is 84,000 subscribers) and agree key stories Decide when to publish The Mayor’s Annual Equality Report (MAER 2019/2020) which is a statutory document. Comment on the detail or, the nature of the delay (due to change of focus in response to CV19)

June 2021 Events Date Detail 3 4th Anniversary of the London Bridge terror attack 3 London Recovery Board meeting (14:00-16:00) 8 Submit the Mayor’s Report to the Assembly ahead of Mayor’s Question Time 9 Transport for London Board meeting (10:00) 10 London Assembly Plenary (10:00 - 13:00). 14 4th Anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire 15 Homes for Londoners board meeting (10:00) 15/16 Statutory deadline for publishing the Mayor’s Annual Report (one week before the State of London Debate) 16 LEAP Board meeting (10:00) 17 Representation hearing 19 4th Anniversary of the Finsbury Park Mosque terror attack 21 Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation Board meeting (14:00-16:30) 21 Global Cities Alliance Conference of Mayors 21 Armed Forces Day Flag Raising ceremony (10:00) 24 Mayor’s Question Time 29 London Health Board meeting (10:00) 29/30 State of London Debate (19:30-21:00) (29 or 30 June tbc) Weekly Regular weekly planning decisions meeting Fortnightly Regular fortnightly meetings with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner

Fortnightly Regular fortnightly meeting with the Transport Commissioner

Decisions Approve the content of the Mayor’s Annual Report ahead of the statutory publication deadline (1 week before SOLD) Decide dates and format of People’s Question Time (PQT) meetings for the new mayoral term in consultation with London Assembly. Events are usually held in November and March each year. Decide which events to attend for the UEFA Euro 2020. Tournament Dates 11 June - 11 July 2021

July 2021 Events Date Detail 1 London Assembly Plenary (10:00 – 13:00) 6 London Land Commission meeting (14:00) 6 Submit the Mayor’s Report to the Assembly ahead of Mayor’s Question Time 6 London Crime Reduction Board meeting (12 noon) 7 Wreath laying 7/7 London Bombings memorial – Hyde Park (08:50) 7 Violence Reduction Unit Partnership Reference Group Meeting 8 Royal Docks Cultural Placemaking Strategy Launch 15 Mayor’s Question Time 20 London Legacy Development Corporation Board meeting (14:00 – 16:30) 21 London Recovery Board meeting (15:00) 28 Transport for London Board Meeting (10:00) Weekly Regular weekly planning decisions meeting Fortnightly Regular fortnightly meetings with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner

Fortnightly Regular fortnightly meeting with the Transport Commissioner

Decisions In June/July (before end of July), decide budget strategy and process and issue guidance to the GLA and the functional bodies for preparing their budget submissions for 2022-23.

Review by 27 July 2021 the draft GLA Statement of Accounts and the draft Annual Governance Statement prior to publication on 30 July 2021. Approve by 30 September 2021 the final audited accounts and final Annual Governance Statement prior to publication.

Part 2: Appointments

Summary

Mayoral appointments requiring consideration prior to election

8. The Mayor has powers under the GLA Act to appoint a team of advisors and to make appointments to the boards of the GLA’s functional bodies and of other statutory and non-statutory bodies. Appointments are subject to the Mayoral Appointments Protocol.

9. Many Mayoral appointments end when the Mayoral term ends so there are a significant number of appointments to be made by an incoming Mayor. As noted below, some are subject to the Assembly binding confirmation procedures before the appointment can be made. It is important Mayoral candidates give thought to the appointments which need to be made most urgently before taking power, and particularly to:

• The ‘11+2’ – the Mayor may appoint up to 13 members of GLA staff personally: two as political advisors and up to 11 other advisors which must include a Deputy Mayor for Fire & Resilience if all 11 positions are utilised. The appointment term for these 13 posts cannot by law extend beyond the Mayoral term. The legislation underpinning the two and the 11 is different and there are statutory restrictions to varying degrees on the ability of people appointed to these posts to be involved in political activities in both their public posts and their private time. It also has potential implications for the appointment of, for example, people who already hold elected public office in other public authorities. The rules are complicated, and candidates are encouraged to take advice before announcing prospective appointments to avoid situations where the rules prevent the appointment. • Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience 1 – the Mayor will need to determine whether to appoint a Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience and the extent of authority to be delegated to that individual. If the person appointed is not an Assembly member then the post of Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience is classed as one of the Mayor’s 11 advisors above. • Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime2 – the Mayor is the sole occupant of the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) in legal terms but will need to determine whether to appoint a Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime and the extent of authority to be delegated to that individual. If the person appointed is not an Assembly member then the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is classed as a member of MOPAC’s rather than the GLA’s staff and therefore not one of the Mayor’s 13 appointments. • Statutory Deputy Mayor – the Mayor must appoint a Statutory Deputy Mayor from among Assembly Members. The Mayor defines the scope of the Statutory Deputy Mayor role by

1 Subject to Confirmation Hearing by London Assembly Fire, Resilience and Emergency Planning Committee 2 Subject to Confirmation Hearing by London Assembly Police and Crime Committee 7

delegating responsibilities and duties to the post. The Statutory Deputy Mayor becomes “Acting Mayor” in the event the Mayor is temporarily unable to act in office. • Chairs 3 /Boards of Transport for London and the Mayoral Development Corporations – on coming to power, the Mayor will need to decide whether to chair the boards of Transport for London and of the two Mayoral Development Corporations (the London Legacy Development Corporation and the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation) personally or to appoint others to do so and/or retain current postholders. The Mayor may also wish to review the membership of each of these boards.

10. Beyond these most urgent appointments, the Mayor will need to consider quickly a number of other statutory and formal appointments. Officers will advise the main Mayoral candidates which appointments need to be made by when.

11. The Mayor will also need to consider whether to keep or change arrangements put in place by previous Mayors for various boards. Officers will advise the main Mayoral candidates about existing arrangements. In addition to the TfL and Development Corporation boards, the following boards are currently constituted:

• Statutory boards:

o Mayor’s Cultural Leadership board o The Royal Parks board o London Economic Action partnership o London Resilience Forum o Museum of London o London Waste and Recycling Board (ReLondon) • Non-Statutory Boards

o London & Partners o Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Group o Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) Partnership Reference Group o London Recovery Board o London Health Board o London Sustainable Development Commission o Business Advisory Board o London Markets Board o London Food Board o Skills for Londoners Board

3 Subject to non-binding Confirmation Hearings conducted by the London Assembly 8

o Skills for Londoners Business Partnerships o Smart London Board o Homes for Londoners Board o London Child Obesity Taskforce (appointments end Nov 21) o Workspace Advisory Group (appointments end Nov 21)

After the election results have been declared

12. The elected Mayor and Assembly Members all take office at the start of the second day following the declaration of the last of the Mayoral and Assembly results from the GLA election. As a result of Covid related restrictions this year the counting of votes will take place over two days: Friday 7 and Saturday 8 May. The winners are therefore expected to assume their term of office as Mayor and Assembly Members at the start (00:00:01 hours) of Monday 10 May at the earliest. They cannot undertake any actions in post until they have made their Declarations of Acceptance of Office.

Office accommodation and IT facilities

13. Temporary office space and essential IT facilities will be provided to the elected Mayor and Assembly Members as soon as the election results are declared if they are required.

14. The Mayor’s formal City Hall office space and the full range of IT facilities will be available when the Mayor assumes office.

15. Office accommodation in City Hall and IT facilities will be available to new Assembly Members when they formally assume office.

16. The Mayor, the Assembly and the Greater London Authority will be moving out of City Hall in the autumn of 2021 and relocating to The Crystal at The Royal Docks in the London Borough of Newham.

Further briefings for the Mayor-elect prior to taking office

17. On Sunday 9 May, the GLA Chief Officer and other relevant senior GLA staff will, at the convenience of the Mayor-elect and their team, meet to provide further detailed briefings on immediate priorities and issues and on statutory requirements including registration of interests, and to take direction on Mayoral appointments and other urgent actions. The proposed phased programme of induction and ongoing briefings, developed in advance by senior officers, will also be discussed in order to agree with the new Mayor and their team how and when this will be delivered.

Briefings for Assembly Members-elect prior to taking office

18. On Sunday 9 May, the Chief Officer and other relevant senior GLA staff will be available to brief Assembly Members (within party groups and/or individually), to explain the implications of different

structures and operational arrangements and to provide information and assessments at the groups’ or individuals’ request.

19. The proposed phased programme of induction and ongoing briefings, developed in advance by senior officers, will also be discussed with Assembly Members. Where a new Member joins a political group already represented on the Assembly, responsibility for induction will be shared with the head of office for that group.

Preparation for the first statutory meeting of the Assembly

20. Between the declaration of the results of the elections and the Assembly’s Annual Meeting, currently scheduled to take place on 14 May 2021, the political groups represented on the new Assembly will need to discuss options for the Assembly’s committee structure and related matters. Assembly Secretariat officers will be on hand to respond to queries and provide information on options available.

21. At the Annual Meeting, Assembly Members will need to appoint the Assembly’s Chair and Deputy Chair for the year, agree a committee structure, and appoint Members to those committees.

Initial staffing questions requiring consideration

Support for the Mayor

22. A new Mayor is likely to need the support of individuals, from within or outside their campaign team, immediately following an election and before normal recruitment processes have run their course. The Chief Officer will be able to provide information about the permanent non-political GLA staff likely to be available to support the Mayor’s Office directly from the outset and the options available for employing temporary staff.

23. Senior managers will, as necessary, discuss with the new administration the scope and potential for short-term, temporary redeployment of staff to support delivery of the administration’s programme, pending longer-term changes to staffing that may be required.

24. Apart from the Mayor’s 13 advisors and the Authority’s three statutory officers 4, GLA staff are appointed by or under delegation from the Chief Officer. Staffing changes, including the termination of contracts, are subject to employment law and GLA policies, and all appointments must be made on merit following a recruitment process.

25. MOPAC staff are appointed by or under delegation from the MOPAC CEO, and are subject to employment law, MOPAC policies, political restrictions and security vetting. All appointments are made on merit (apart from the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime), following a recruitment

4 The Head of Paid Service (Chief Officer), Chief Finance Officer and Monitoring Officer are appointed jointly by the Mayor and Assembly. 10

process. If not an Assembly Member, the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is regarded a member of MOPAC staff.

Support for Assembly Members

26. All Assembly Members benefit from the support of the Secretariat and its Scrutiny, Committee and Communications functions. Each Assembly Member also receives a staffing budget. Where Assembly Members are organised into a political group, these budgets are commonly pooled and used to fund a political group’s support staff such as a head of office, researchers and assistants.

27. The support budget available to a political group may well be different to the budget available in the previous Assembly term by virtue of the number of Members in the group going up or down. Displaced support staff will be managed in accordance with the GLA’s management of change process. Where additional support staff are required, temporary staff can be brought in very speedily (subject to recruitment agency procedures and processes) pending permanent recruitment.

28. Where a new Assembly Member is not joining an existing political group on the Assembly and will therefore have no existing support staff in place, job profiles and options for recruitment will be prepared for them to consider. Again, temporary staff can be brought in speedily, pending permanent recruitment.

Acceptance of office on Sunday 9 May

29. It is expected that the Mayor and all Assembly Members will sign the Declaration of Acceptance of Office on Sunday 9 May. Specific arrangements for the Mayor’s signing will be discussed with the teams of the main Mayoral candidates as appropriate.

30. The GLA has a Code of Conduct for Members of the GLA. The current Code of Conduct has been jointly approved by the Mayor and the Assembly (subsequently amended) and has been in effect since March 2018. The Code and its Appendices are enclosed and can also be found here. As part of the statutory Declaration of Acceptance of Office, elected members undertake to observe the Code including future revisions.

Confirmation hearings

31. Appointments to the Deputy Mayor for Policing & Crime, Deputy Mayor Fire & Resilience and Chair/Deputy Chair of a number of boards including TfL, OPDC and LLDC require confirmation hearings. The process of confirmation hearings can take in excess of three weeks to complete and is as follows: • The Mayor writes to the Assembly to inform them of the proposed appointment (and includes the name, address, role and credentials of the person appointed). Proposed appointees are usually asked to provide a CV and supporting statement. • The Assembly then has three weeks to consider the appointment and hold a confirmation hearing meeting (essentially interviewing the individual candidate) should they so choose.

• The Assembly submit their considered response to the Mayor within the three-week deadline. • The Mayor considers their response. The Mayor may choose to accept or reject the Assembly’s recommendation and must notify the Assembly of their decision. The only exceptions to this are nominations for London Fire Commissioner, Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience and Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, which can be rejected by a two-thirds majority of the relevant Assembly committee in certain circumstances. • The appointments cannot be made until the end of the Hearings process has been reached.

32. The Assembly will often aim to have several confirmation hearings at once.

Part 3: The Mayor’s powers

The GLA

33. The Mayor’s three principal purposes in law are the promotion in Greater London of economic development and wealth creation, its social development and the improvement of its environment. Section 30 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (“GLA Act”, as amended) gives a general power to the Greater London Authority, exercisable by the Mayor, to do anything which it considers will further any one or more of these purposes. To do this, the Mayor’s statutory powers and duties include: • acting as the Greater London Authority’s (GLA’s) executive. • appointing the 13-strong Mayoral team in the GLA. • making appointments to senior roles in the GLA’s five ‘functional bodies’ which, with the GLA, make up the GLA Group. • setting the GLA Group budget and the GLA council tax precept. • setting London’s transport fares on an annual basis. • making planning decisions in respect of significant applications. • through the Mayor’s Office for Policing & Crime, holding the Metropolitan Police Commissioner to account and producing a Policing and Crime Plan which sets the direction for the Metropolitan Police Service. • publishing seven statutory strategies: London Plan; Transport Strategy; Housing Strategy; Environment Strategy; Economic Development Strategy; Health Inequalities Strategy; and Culture Strategy.

34. The Mayor’s general power is subject to a number of limits and conditions. For example, GLA expenditure generally cannot replicate things Transport for London, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, or the London Fire Commissioner can do. Nor can the Mayor fund education, social or health services, although certain aspects such as academy schools and public health can be GLA- funded. The Mayor’s general power cannot be used to legislate or regulate or compel third parties to do things without there being a pre-existing specific legal power to do so. Additionally, certain decisions require the Mayor to consult the London Assembly or obtain the Assembly’s consent or are subject to its veto.

35. Beyond the requirements of the GLA Act, much of the Mayor's activity is discretionary and relies on the office’s electoral mandate, status and influence. A central aspect of the Mayor’s role is leadership, bringing together stakeholders – including London boroughs, national government, other public sector organisations, businesses and civic society – to deliver policies, initiatives and programmes which benefit London and Londoners.

The GLA Group

36. The GLA has five ‘functional bodies’ which, with the GLA, make up the GLA Group. Three are permanently constituted:

• Transport for London (TfL) is responsible for much of London’s transport network, including the Underground, buses, Overground services, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), certain rail routes, the ‘red routes’ of significant roads, the inner London Congestion Charge zone and the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ);

• The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) sets the strategic direction for the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) - this is the London equivalent of an elected Police and Crime Commissioner elsewhere; and • The London Fire Commissioner (LFC) runs the London Fire Brigade (LFB) – the fire and rescue service for the capital.

37. Two are Mayoral Development Corporations (MDCs) which are charged with the development and regeneration of specific sites. The Mayor must keep their existence under review. They are designated for this purpose by the Mayor and are funded by the GLA – no general government grant funding is available. They are: • The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) in east London, centred on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park; and • The Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) in west London.

38. The Mayor retains a power of direction (i.e. the power to compel them to exercise their functions in a particular way) over TfL, the LFC, LLDC and OPDC subject to statutory conditions.

39. The Mayor is also the sole member of MOPAC, which is a legal body separate from the GLA with its own chief executive officer and staff. The Mayor can appoint and delegate MOPAC functions to a Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime.

The GLA and Group Financial Position

40. The 2021/2022 budgets for the GLA and the five functional bodies have been updated since the Transition Guide was published in January 2021 with links to the draft budgets. The final Group budget including MOPAC, approved on 25 February 2021, is available here. Final versions of the individual component budgets (where more detail is provided) are available separately at these links:

• GLA • TfL - please note that TfL's budget is subject to change as funding negotiations with Government are ongoing. • LFC • LLDC • OPDC

The Mayor’s principal statutory duties and powers 41. This section sets out background information on the Mayor’s principal statutory powers, duties and strategies, which must be kept under review.

Culture and sport 42. The Mayor has a statutory duty to publish a Culture Strategy which contains their policies related to culture, media and sport and which is delivered through a range of policies and programmes to improve social and economic outcomes for Londoners. The current Culture Strategy is here and the current Sports strategy is here. 43. Under the GLA Act the Mayor is required to convene the Cultural Strategy Group for London (known as the Mayor’s Cultural Leadership Board). This Board is required to keep the Culture Strategy under review and may submit proposed revisions of it to the Mayor. 44. Under the Museum of London Act 1965 (as subsequently amended) and the GLA Act, the Mayor has a statutory duty to provide revenue and capital funding to the Museum of London. This was devolved from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in 2008. The Mayor also appoints nine trustees to the Museum of London Board. 45. The Mayor also has powers to appoint the Chair and three members to Arts Council England’s London Area Council. The Chair sits on Arts Council England’s non-executive board, the National Council.

Spatial development and planning 46. The Mayor has a statutory duty to publish a spatial development strategy known as the London Plan – a strategic plan, setting out an economic, transport, environmental and social framework for development in London. The Mayor also has a duty to monitor this Plan and to ensure that the Local Plans of London boroughs are in general conformity with it. In December 2020, the Mayor formally approved a new London Plan, the ‘Publication London Plan’. It can be found here. 47. The Mayor has powers to intervene in applications of ‘potential strategic importance’ that are made to boroughs as local planning authorities. These applications are defined in the Town and Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008 and include: developments of 150 units or more; those over 30 storeys high; and those on Green Belt/Metropolitan Open Land. The Mayor can either: allow the local planning authority to determine the application; direct them to refuse it; or ‘call in’ the application for the Mayor’s own determination. 48. For the Mayor to ‘call in’ applications they must have a significant impact on the London Plan, significant effects on more than one London borough, and there must be sound planning reasons for intervention.

Business and economy 49. The Mayor has a statutory duty to publish an Economic Development Strategy, which includes an assessment of the economic conditions of Greater London, and policies and proposals for economic development and regeneration, specifically including: promoting business investment, efficiency and competitiveness; promoting employment; and promoting the development of skills relevant to employment. The current Economic Development Strategy is here.

50. The Mayor under the Localism Act 2011 has the power to set up Mayoral Development Corporations (MDCs) for regeneration purposes, covering a specified area or areas of land. The Mayor may make an MDC the planning authority for its area, and it may provide infrastructure, widely defined to include roads, utilities, health and educational facilities, and community and recreational facilities. An MDC can acquire land and do so by compulsory purchase if authorised by the Secretary of State. To date two MDCs have been established: London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) and Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC). The Mayor appoints their Chairs and board members to reflect specific stakeholders. 51. The Mayor chairs the London Enterprise and Action Partnership (LEAP), which provides strategic oversight and support in developing and realising a long-term vision for economic development and job creation in London. Working in partnership with the LEAP, the Mayor directs investments, secured via London’s Growth Deal with central government, in a variety of economic growth, regeneration and place shaping programmes across London.

Skills 52. In line with the GLA’s general duty to promote economic and social development, the Mayor can take a strategic view over adult skills in London. The Mayor can also convene stakeholders (e.g. through the current Skills for Londoners Board) and aim to influence national policymakers. The Mayor can use GLA budgets, including EU funding, to deliver bespoke London projects. 53. The Adult Education Budget (AEB) supports a range of non-apprenticeship adult skills provision. Control over London’s share of the AEB was delegated to the Mayor in 2019. This represents the Mayor’s only direct delivery lever in skills and the GLA’s single largest revenue budget. As a result of the delegation conditions, all decisions relating to AEB policy and processes in London must be signed off by the Mayor.

Fire and Resilience 54. The Mayor is responsible for overseeing the work of the London Fire Commissioner (LFC) who leads the London Fire Brigade. The Mayor appoints the London Fire Commissioner directly, and significant strategic documents such as the London Safety Plan and spending decisions are signed off by the Mayor or the Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience (who is appointed by the Mayor and to whom the Mayor can delegate powers). 55. The LFB is undergoing a period of significant change in response to the Grenfell Tower fire, the recommendations of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry (GTI) phase 1 report, and the conclusions of the inspection in 2020 by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). 56. The Mayor also has a key role in London’s wider resilience work as convenor of the London Resilience Forum. This forum brings together key representatives from the wider London Resilience Partnership, which includes over 170 organisations which each have specific responsibilities for preparing for and responding to emergencies.

Environment 57. The Mayor has a statutory duty to publish an Environment Strategy. This sets out the Mayor’s policies and proposals in relation to: biodiversity: municipal waste management: climate change mitigation and energy; adaptation to climate change; air quality and ambient noise; and any other pertinent environmental matters. It must also include a general assessment of London’s environment, as relevant to the Mayor’s and the GLA’s functions. The current London Environment Strategy is here. 58. Under the Environment Act 1995 the Mayor has supervision in the Greater London area of the Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) process, which requires London boroughs to monitor and review pollution. Exceedances of air quality standards require boroughs to declare an Air Quality Management Area and have an associated action plan. Boroughs must have regard to the air quality provisions in the Mayor’s Environment Strategy when exercising their LAQM functions and the Mayor has the power to issue directions to require boroughs to take action. 59. The Mayor also has the power to require local authorities to act in general conformity with the provisions of the Environment Strategy on municipal waste. Powers held by the Mayor to guide London’s spatial development through the London Plan and to manage London’s transport through TfL are also directly relevant to the Mayor’s powers around the environment.

Health 60. The Mayor has a statutory duty to publish a Health Inequalities Strategy to improve the health and wellbeing of Londoners and to address the root causes of ill health and health inequalities. The current Health Inequalities Strategy is here. 61. The Mayor has no direct control or responsibility over the NHS or over local authorities for delivery of social care, but some of the Mayor’s other powers and duties can have a significant effect on the determinants of Londoners’ health. In addition, the Mayor is able to work alongside the NHS in London, the London regional team of Public Health England, and with local councils, to improve the health and wellbeing of Londoners. 62. The Mayor chairs the London Health Board and is a signatory and contributor to the delivery of the Health and Care Vision for London. This sets out the priorities for joint and shared action for health and care in London. These include some specific health issues such as suicide prevention and mental health, childhood obesity and sexual health; a range of social policy issues such as violence reduction, homelessness and improving air quality; and some structural issues including securing the right workforce for health and care in London.

Housing 63. The Mayor has a statutory duty to prepare a Housing Strategy. This must set out an assessment of housing conditions in London and the need for further housing provision, the Mayor’s policies and proposals to meet needs and improve housing conditions and a statement of measures that other bodies are to be encouraged to take to do so. The current Housing Strategy is here. 64. The Mayor’s direct housing delivery powers were greatly expanded under the Greater London Authority Act 2007 and the Localism Act 2011. The Mayor inherited powers from central

government in terms of affordable housing investment programmes as well as land and property assets to support the building of affordable homes, job creation and regeneration. Such powers include the power to acquire land by compulsory purchase; and the ability to receive grants from central Government. 65. In the Housing Strategy, the Mayor must set out a statement of spending proposals for each Government spending round, which include proposals as to how the GLA will provide financial assistance for housing, the amount of housing financial assistance to be given for different activities or purposes and the number, type and location of houses to be provided as a result; this statement also includes an estimate of how much should be allocated to boroughs and the Mayor’s expectations as to how they will use this money.

Policing 66. The Mayor is responsible for: setting the strategic direction for policing in London; agreeing the annual police budget; overseeing the performance of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on behalf of Londoners; appointing the Commissioner with the Home Secretary; and commissioning key crime reduction projects and services for victims of crime. 67. Established in 2012, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) supports the Mayor in delivering these responsibilities, providing specialist expertise on commissioning, community engagement, professional standards and police complaints, governance and oversight, finance, audit, statistics and research, and policy and communications. The Mayor can appoint a Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC), to whom the Mayor can delegate many of their powers. 68. The Violence Reduction Unit builds on existing partnerships to bring together specialists to work together to reduce violence in the capital by taking a public health approach.

Transport 69. The Mayor has a statutory duty to publish a Transport Strategy. TfL plans, delivers and is responsible for the operation of most of London’s transport services within the framework set out in this Transport Strategy. TfL’s annual Business Plan sets out a five- year programme of spending to achieve the goals set out in the Transport Strategy. The current Mayor’s Transport Strategy is here. The Mayor can decide to chair the board of TfL personally and appoints its board members to reflect specific stakeholders as set out above.

Covid-19 and other key responsibilities

70. The Mayor’s principal purposes under section 30 of the GLA Act enable the postholder to carry out a wide range of activities to improve health, economic and social outcomes in the capital - including currently supporting London’s reopening and recovery from Covid-19. The Mayor co- chairs, with the chair of London Councils, the London Recovery Board, a non-statutory body of leaders covering all the key sectors in the capital. The Board oversees the London Recovery Programme on which more information can be found here.

Other established bodies 71. London & Partners (L&P), is a company charged with promoting London and attracting businesses, events, congresses, students and visitors to the capital. L&P aims to build London’s international reputation and to attract investment and visitor spend. The Mayor is responsible for appointing a Chair and non-Executive Director for London and Partners. The Mayor can also choose to appoint three Observers to the Board. The Mayor is required to approve the appointment by the board of the Chief Executive and the executive with responsibility for the financial affairs of the Company.

72. The London Pensions Fund Authority (LPFA) is the biggest local government pension scheme (LGPS) provider in London. It serves over 92,000 members from around 170 different public or third sector employing organisations and manages assets in excess of £5.9bn. The Mayor is responsible for appointing the LPFA Board and its Chair and setting their remuneration. The Mayor has no power of direction over the LPFA but can exercise his influence over the Board as he must be consulted over the LPFA’s Strategic Plan and Budget. In 2014, the LPFA created the Local Pensions Partnership (LPP) with Lancashire County Council, pooling assets and administrative services. LPP now collects pensions contributions, pays the pensions manages all the LPFA’s assets (except for cash, which is managed through the GLA’s treasury shared service); this means the Board’s focus is now on strategy and holding LPP to account, supported by a small senior executive team. Agreements are in place to ensure that the LPFA consults the Mayor and GLA in respect of major decisions in its capacity as a shareholder of LPP. 73. ReLondon, formerly the London Waste and Recycling Board (LWARB), is a partnership of the Mayor of London and London’s boroughs to improve waste and resource management in the capital and accelerate London’s transition to a low carbon circular city. It aims to make London a global leader in sustainable ways to live, work and prosper by revolutionising our relationship with stuff and helping London waste less and reuse, repair, share and recycle more. The Mayor appoints a representative to its board. 74. SME Wholesale Finance Ltd (trading as Funding London) is an arms-length subsidiary of the GLA established in 2004 by the then Mayor of London under the name SME Wholesale Finance, with the specific long-term mandate to support the Economic Development Strategy for London through its SME funding activities. Since its founding, Funding London continues to channel funding from Europe and the UK, through appointed fund managers to sustainable and ambitious London SMEs caught in the funding gap.

75. The Royal Docks Management Authority (RoDMA) is a largely public-owned subsidiary and limited company operating under a 225-year Management Lease which was granted in 1990 under statute by the Secretary of State for Rural Affairs. RoDMA is required to provide estate management of the Royal Docks, including the upkeep and maintenance of the dock water and associated property under direction of the RoDMA Board. GLA Land & Property Ltd holds the majority freehold interest in the jointly owned property and is represented on the RoDMA board of directors as a shareholder alongside other shareholders who collectively contribute toward a service charge proportionate to the land interest of each. These working arrangements ensure all organisations, landowners and occupiers are able to meet their respective estate management

obligations and GLAP is able to manage future development sites that will achieve the overall regeneration objectives of the GLA and the Mayor. 76. The Royal Docks is designated as an Enterprise Zone and the Mayor of London chairs the London Enterprise Action Partnership (LEAP) that provides strategic direction for the economic regeneration and development of the Royal Docks, as delivered by the Royal Docks Team, in accordance with the Royal Docks Delivery Plan – RoDMA is a separate organisation that works closely with the Royal Docks Team.

Companies / Holdings

77. There are seven GLA Subsidiary Companies. More information on these subsidiary companies can be found in the Mayor’s scheme of delegation document ‘Mayoral Decision-Making in the Greater London Authority’ in Part F which can be found here. Three of these companies are GLA- managed companies, which are fully integrated into GLA business:

• GLA Land and Property Limited (GLAP)

• London Power Co. Ltd

• Greater London Authority Holdings Limited (GLA Holdings)

78. The Localism Act requires the GLA to channel all its commercial activities through a subsidiary trading company so as to create a level playing field with the private sector in terms of taxation. GLA Land and Property Limited (known as GLAP) was established to meet this requirement in respect of land and property holdings and transactions, initially inherited from precursor bodies, chiefly the London Development Agency.

79. The London Power Co. was established in partnership with a licensed energy supplier, to provide an alternative green source of energy for Londoners at an affordable price, further to the Mayor’s commitments in the Environment Strategy for London.

80. Greater London Authority Holdings Limited (known as GLA Holdings) serves as an umbrella company, providing scope for a tax group for accounting purposes for GLAP and London Power and any other trading companies that may be established in the future.

81. These companies do not act independently of the Mayor and the decision-making framework provided by the Mayor’s scheme of delegation provides for the Mayor to implement decisions through a GLA Subsidiary Company. The legal framework applies equally to its subsidiaries.

82. GLAP currently has five company directors (two Mayoral appointees and three senior GLA Officers), London Power has four company directors (two Mayoral appointees and two senior GLA officers) and GLA Holdings has three directors (one Mayoral appointee, two senior GLA officers). New appointments to the companies, should they be required, would follow on from the election and would be administratively straightforward as they are internal GLA appointments.

Pending any new appointments, there would still be sufficient corporate directors for each company to be quorate in the meantime.

83. In making appointments it is important to avoid creating potential or perceived conflicts of interest that could arise, this is particularly the case in planning decisions concerning GLAP owned land and property. The extent of any potential or perceived conflicts of interest will depend on how the Mayor decides to exercise and/or delegate planning powers and specific advice will be provided.

84. These managed companies typically meet annually to approve their accounts and other company governance matters as required by statute. The governance of the matters for which they are responsible is handled through the general GLA mechanisms and GLA’s schemes of authorities and other standing instructions apply to the companies.

85. There are four arms-length companies which operate with greater independence and include non- GLA company Directors. To date GLA appointments as directors have been senior officers with a functional specialism. The GLA’s involvement is limited to specific matters referred to in their Articles. They are as follows:

• SME Wholesale Finance London Limited (SMEWFL)- to invest in and provide support to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in London to enable them to grow and develop, in accordance with the Mayor’s Economic Development Strategy.

• GLIF Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SMEWFL, that provides investment finance to SMEs.

• London Treasury Limited (LTL), acquired by GLA Holdings in 2018, which provides certain services relating to the Group Investment Syndicate (GIS) and treasury management services to be provided by the GLA to London boroughs.

• LSR GP Ltd, a subsidiary of LTL, which acts as the General Partner for the London Strategic Reserve (a pooled investment arrangement).

Charities

86. The Mayor’s Fund for London and the London Music Fund are registered charities with the Mayor as founder and patron of both have established boards of trustees. The Mayor’s Fund focuses on providing disadvantaged young Londoners the skills and opportunities to gain future employment. The London Music Fund provides young Londoners the chance to develop their musical potential. The Mayor will need to decide whether or not to be patron of the charities.

Part 4: Mayoral accountability

Scrutiny by the public and the London Assembly

87. The Mayor is accountable to the public and must: • attend London Assembly Mayor’s Question Time meetings ten times a year to answer questions from Assembly Members; • hold a State of London Debate in April, May or June each year and a People’s Question Time twice a year;

• publish an annual report in the run-up to the State of London Debate; • publish an annual equalities report; and • follow transparency arrangements set out by the Government.

88. The role of the London Assembly is to hold the Mayor to account and raise issues of importance to Londoners. Under the statutory requirements set out in the GLA Act 1999 (as amended) the Mayor must: • submit budget proposals to the London Assembly annually, which the Assembly can amend at the final stage with a two-thirds majority. • submit drafts of the seven statutory strategies to the Assembly which the Assembly can reject with a two-thirds majority.

• submit nominations for certain appointments to the Assembly, for which the Assembly can hold confirmation hearings and make recommendations (and, in the case of the nominations for London Fire Commissioner, Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience and Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, can reject by a two-thirds majority in certain circumstances). • report significant decisions to the Assembly in the run-up to each of the ten Mayor’s Question Times (MQTs) held every year and attend all ten sessions and answer questions posed at these. • attend scrutiny sessions if summoned by the Assembly.

89. The Assembly scrutinises the work of the Mayor through several topic-specific committees, as well as via Plenary meetings and Mayor’s Question Time. Further information about these committees can be found here.

90. The Mayor must comply with the Code of Conduct for Members of the GLA which can be found here. In their MOPAC capacity, the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime are subject to additional obligations where complaints about their conduct can be referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). This is set out in more detail in appendix 4 of the Code of Conduct.

Part 5: Organisation Structure

91. The GLA is organised into seven Directorates.

92. The Housing & Land Directorate is organised and staffed to deliver the five priority areas set out in the Mayor’s London Housing Strategy:

• Building homes for Londoners; • Delivering genuinely affordable homes; • High quality homes and inclusive neighbourhoods; • A fairer deal for private renters and leaseholders; and • Tackling homelessness and helping rough sleepers.

93. The Good Growth Directorate supports the Mayor’s vision of good growth. Units in the Directorate deliver this in two ways:

• Firstly, through policies to improve the built and wider environment. This includes programmes around: air quality; green spaces; the climate and ecological emergency; improved local places and high streets; cultural and creative opportunities; public realm; and infrastructure to support a better functioning city. • Secondly, through interventions to support and drive London’s future economy to ensure it is fairer and more inclusive. This includes programmes, policies and strategies around: London’s business environment: attracting and supporting businesses; and making London the best place to work for all employees.

94. The Communities and Skills Directorate brings together a broad suite of activity which is focused on London’s people. It covers a mixture of policy, programme delivery and service delivery areas related to social policy, health, education and youth, volunteering, community sport and skills and employment.

95. The Strategy and Communications Directorate brings together a broad suite of activity focused on strategic coordination, research, providing data and analysis, engagement with Londoners, events, response to incidents, and oversight of the London Fire Brigade. It also includes government relations and information governance.

96. The Resources Directorate is responsible for a range of corporate functions including IT, facilities and finance and governance.

97. The Chief Officer’s Directorate is responsible for Human Resources and includes the team leading the move of City Hall to the Royal Docks.

98. Officers in the Assembly Secretariat support the work of both individual Assembly Members and of the Assembly in the administration of the meetings of the Assembly and its Committees, in research and other activity to support the Assembly’s scrutiny of the Mayor, and in engaging with and communicating to Londoners.

99. The Mayor, the Assembly and most GLA officers are currently based at City Hall, with some teams in Union Street at the LFC headquarters and at The Crystal at The Royal Docks. However, in the second half of 2021 the Mayor and the London Assembly will be leaving City Hall and moving to The Crystal which will become the new City Hall. Some GLA officers will continue to be based at Union Street.

Summary of GLA Organisation structure

100. The Mayor can, by law, appoint a team of 13 staff (“11+2”), two as political advisors and up to 11 other advisors. These 13 appointees are all GLA members of staff as set out in Part 2.

101. In addition to the above, the Mayor has an office of support staff, made up of GLA employees, and comprised of such staff as the Mayor decides best supports their requirements.

102. The GLA’s Head of Paid Service is responsible for the wider corporate organisational structure and staffing. The current senior management structure can be found here.

103. As set out in the GLA: Mayor Budget, 2021-22, as of 31 March 2021, the GLA establishment (excluding the Assembly Secretariat) is a total of 1,214 full-time equivalent posts. Of these, 874 full-time equivalent posts are funded by the GLA and 340 full-time equivalent posts are funded externally.

Workforce reports

104. Workforce reports are published every six months. These reports contain detail on the numbers of established posts which are GLA and externally funded, workforce diversity data, salary data, staff turnover, sickness and other key performance indicators that relate to the workforce. These reports are scrutinised by the London Assembly Oversight Committee. The most recent workforce report is on the GLA website.

Changes to staffing structure

105. With the exception of the GLA’s statutory officers and the 13 staff appointed by the Mayor under the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (as amended) s67(1), the GLA’s legal powers concerning staff are vested in the Head of Paid Service (HOPS). The GLA’s Chief Officer is the HOPS.

106. The HOPS is responsible for creating and deleting posts, making staff appointments and determining terms and conditions of employment. Some of these functions have been delegated to other officers in the GLA and are set out in the HOPS Staffing Protocol and Scheme of Delegation. HOPS approval is not required for recruiting to established staff posts (but such recruitment must comply with the HOPS Scheme of Delegations – Staffing. The HOPS consults the Mayor and the Assembly, through the Oversight Committee when creating or deleting more than five posts. Full details of the process are set out in the HOPS Staffing Protocol and Scheme of Delegation.

Part 6: London Resilience and Incident Response

Civil Contingencies Act 2004

107. The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (CCA 2004) provides a framework for managing civil protection activity and gives specific duties to agencies involved in the response to an incident or emergency.

108. There are statutory duties associated with being a category 1 responder include both preparatory duties, and duties relating to the response to, and recovery from, an incident. As per the CCA 2004, these are to conduct risk assessment, emergency planning, business continuity planning, and warn and inform as well as to cooperate and share information.

109. Government guidance on Emergency Preparedness states that in particular:

• the Mayor/GLA is closely engaged in high-level discussions and decisions relating to the management of emergencies in London; • the Mayor (or an appointed deputy) is currently Chair of the London Resilience Forum (LRF); • the Mayor/GLA contributes as necessary to the pre-informing of Londoners about the content of emergency plans, the correct behaviour in an emergency and good practice in terms of preparedness in the home, as part of initiatives organised both locally and at the UK level; • the Mayor prepares to play a key role in warning and informing the public during an emergency in London; and • the Mayor/GLA takes responsibility for civil protection issues in connection with the management of Parliament and Trafalgar Squares.

110. The GLA is a Category 1 responder under the Act and as such has the same responsibilities as other Category 1 responders. However, there are a number of duties that the GLA currently takes on in relation to London that are additional to other Category 1 responders. In particular, the GLA is responsible for:

• the secretariat of the LRF; • producing and maintaining a pan-London risk assessment; and publishing all or part of it in line with regulations; and • the planning and exercising of pan-London emergency plans.

London Resilience

111. London Resilience Partnership is a collaborative body of organisations with a role in preparing, responding and recovering from emergencies in London, which comes together as the London Resilience Forum. The Forum and the Partnership is supported by a team known as the London Resilience Group based at London Fire Brigade. The London Resilience Forum is responsible for planning and preparation and is a quarterly meeting of relevant partners to ensure the effective implementation of the CCA 2004 and acts improve the preparedness of the capital.

Incident response

112. As a Category 1 responder, and a public body with a role in incident response, the GLA itself has internal plans and arrangements in place. Incident response is about the tactical planning, the activities and the procedure for responding to incidents or emergencies. The GLA Major Incident and Civil Contingencies Response Protocol is the current framework that outlines what action needs to be taken within the Authority to respond to emergencies. The City Operations Unit within the Strategy & Communications directorate leads the GLA’s coordination to major incidents in the capital. The Protocol outlines how the Mayor, the Mayor’s team and the GLA’s senior corporate officers are activated and work together to respond to a major incident.