II International Congress on Citizen Participation in Large Cities: ‘CITIZEN PARTICIPATION INITIATIVES AND MODELS IN LARGE CITIES’ Wednesday, 16 - Thursday 17 of November 2005 PALACIO MUNICIPAL DE CONGRESOS – CAMPO DE LAS NACIONES, MADRID Paper title: Citizen Participation in English Local Government: Is London Leading the Way? Dr Colin Copus Senior Lecturer in Local Politics The Institute of Local Government Studies School of Public Policy The University of Birmingham 0121.414.4988
[email protected] CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN ENGLISH LOCAL GOVERNMENT: IS LONDON LEADING THE WAY? Introduction The task of devising a system of government for London has had to balance two conflicting objectives. First, providing the capital with a system of government that recognises, and can direct, the unique political, economic, social and spatial power that the city has in England and Britain as a whole. Secondly, limiting and constraining the political power of London and its governing arrangements, to ensure neither could un- dermine the power of the national government, based as it is in London. Added to this dynamic has been the need to recognise that London is extremely difficult to contain within geographical boundaries drawn for political and administrative convenience, as the city’s economic and political power will spill over any artificially drawn boarders (Travers, 2004).1 Moreover, there remains the vexed question of balancing the needs of governing London as a whole and governing the communities within in it. The power and responsibilities of London-wide government has to be shared with smaller units of political authority grouped in such a way as to represent some common communities and interests – in this case the London Boroughs (Barlow, 1991).2 The current governing arrangements for London were introduced by the Greater London Authority Act 1999, which established a directly elected mayor for London and a Greater London Assembly of 25 elected members, which together constitute the Greater London Authority.