London Assembly elections, May 2020 All you need to know.

by AM

Once the process for selecting our Mayoral candidate has been completed, the party will be selecting candidates to contest the elections which are held on the same day as the Mayoral election.

What is the GLA and the London Assembly?

The (GLA) consists of the and the London Assembly. The Assembly is an elected body, which holds the Mayor and Mayoral advisers to account for their policies and programmes. The Assembly consists of 25 London Assembly Members, elected at the same time as the Mayor – 14 represent constituencies and 11 represent the whole city (London-wide).

As a London Assembly Member, you’ll have specific duties and responsibilities:

• Membership of cross-party Committees to scrutinise the Mayor’s policies and programmes and lead investigations into issues affecting Londoners; • Scrutinising the Mayor directly at Mayor’s Question Time; • Analysing and voting on the Mayor’s statutory strategies and multi-billion pound budget; • Submission of motions and petitions on matters affecting Londoners.

Who are the GLA Conservatives?

The GLA Conservative Group currently consists of 8 London Assembly Members.

There are five constituency members:

Tony Devenish AM, West Central (Covering the boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea and )

Gareth Bacon AM, Bexley and Bromley

Tony Arbour AM, South West (Covering the boroughs of Hounslow, Kingston-upon-Thames and Richmond-upon-Thames)

Keith Prince AM, Havering and Redbridge

Steve O’Connell, AM Croydon and Sutton

There are three London-wide members – AM, Shaun Bailey AM and AM. London Assembly elections, May 2020 All you need to know.

What do the GLA Conservatives do?

Since May 2016, the Conservative Group has been working to hold to account, to ensure his policies are working for Londoners and that he is delivering value for money. The Group does this via questions to the Mayor and Committees, but also produces policy papers each month on subjects affecting London and issues several press releases per week to both local and national news.

Recent work of the Group includes:

• Publishing a series of policy reports in 2018, including on the ‘Cost of Khan’ and the Mayor’s broken promises, the use of artificial intelligence in the Metropolitan police, reversing the rise in knife crime, and improving London’s air quality.

• Highlighting the Mayor’s failing policies in Mayor’s Question Time, including ‘cooking the books’ over his housing figures, his ill-considered Ultra Low Emission Zone policy, and removing the exemption of the Congestion Charge for private hire vehicles.

• Exposing the Mayor’s lack of commitment to his Night Time Commission, including that he has only met its Head once for a photo-shoot.

• National press and broadcast media coverage on the Mayor’s poor record on solving violent crime and London’s crime epidemic, housing failures, the state of Transport for London finances, and extra taxes for working people and small businesses.

What we are seeking in a candidate

We need candidates with strong leadership and communication skills, a passion for London, and a desire to make a difference. Our Assembly Members come from all walks of life, with different backgrounds and experiences.

If you are interested in applying but would appreciate a confidential discussion on life at City Hall or the challenges of being a GLA candidate, then please contact me at [email protected]

Gareth Bacon AM Leader, GLA Conservatives