June 2010

The Mayor of ’s Proposals for Devolution

Foreword

London is more than just our capital city; it is a global powerhouse. Its population is as large as Wales and Scotland combined, and it has an economy larger than Denmark and Portugal combined. The city is home to more people than many EU member states, and is one of the few genuine ‘world cities’. Despite this, London’s devolution settlement remains weak and there is much room for improvement, particularly in ensuring that we see decisions taken by the local communities that they will affect. A new government has come in to power pledging further devolution; so now is the time to act. Authority (GLA) remains highly dependent on national government. The current The office of the , in place London settlement falls well short of the city since 2000, has worked well. It has enabled government arrangements in place in other more public services to be devolved from world cities, such as New York and Tokyo. Whitehall and delivered closer to Londoners. Through democratic debate and a clear electoral This will no longer do. With a new coalition mandate, it has given the UK’s premier city the government strongly supportive of the leadership it needs in key policy areas such as principles of devolution, we should grasp the transport infrastructure, policing, affordable opportunity to develop further the London housing, opportunities for children and young settlement. I welcome the Conservative Party’s people, and environmental improvements. ‘New Settlement for London’ publication and I also applaud the coalition Goverment’s Ten years, two and a half Mayoral terms and two decision to dismantle the Government Office for incumbents later, the office of Mayor has proved London (GoL) immediately. Building on these itself to be a mature, democratically legitimate developments, I am proposing a new chapter in institution. As my election victory in 2008 the devolution of Whitehall functions to London. showed, the Mayoralty has proved itself to be directly accountable to Londoners. My key asks are that the London region of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) However, while the Mayoralty may have be devolved to the GLA, and that the GLA substantial informal powers, outside transport group should be reorganised so as to make it and policing, its formal powers are minimal. as streamlined and fit for purpose as possible, When the Mayoralty was created in 1999, the including folding in the functions of the London vision was bold but the devolution package Development Agency (LDA) into the GLA. Other was lacking in some crucial respects. The proposals include giving London a greater say in 4

the Royal Parks, suburban rail lines, policing, the and the declarations of interest and of gifts and Thames and the Olympic legacy. hospitality of my team. I would of course expect the same standards of openness to apply to the Of course, London government does not consist new elements of the reshaped GLA group. solely of the Mayoralty. Greater devolution from Whitehall to the Mayor of London should Statutory powers are not, of course, the be all be accompanied by greater devolution to the and end all for the Mayoralty. The officeholder London boroughs, in line with the principles will always rely on the profile and the influence of “double devolution.” I have already made that the role brings. But statute must enable progress in giving boroughs greater discretion rather than hinder the Mayor; free up rather in a number of areas including local transport than restrict. The reforms outlined below form plans, and I am sure that we could go further in part of a truly localist approach to public service other areas such as housing and skills. delivery in which real and meaningful discretion is exercised democratically at the appropriate Greater power for the Mayor should also be tier of government. matched by greater power for the to hold the Mayor to account. Any functions transferred to the GLA should be subject to strong Assembly scrutiny, and consideration should be given to whether the Assembly should be made fully independent of the GLA, and whether it should have an Boris Johnson enhanced role in strategy development. Mayor of London 15 June 2010 Transparency will be another key principle in the next tranche of devolution. I have led the way in publishing GLA payments over £1,000 Summary of proposals

1. Housing and regeneration The HCA in 6. Authority (PLA) The London should be devolved to the GLA PLA should be devolved to the GLA group group, so that the Mayor has a full set of given the critical importance of the Thames powers to deliver his housing policies. to London’s prosperity and the need to integrate its role with the Mayor’s Transport 2. Olympic legacy The Olympic Park Legacy Strategy and . The Mayor Company should be reconstituted as a should appoint the PLA Board with and Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC), also given the right of representation. reporting directly to the Mayor, and democratically accountable to Londoners 7. Traffic control The Mayor should be given through the Mayor. greater flexibility over traffic control on (TfL) roads so that he 3. Royal Parks Agency (RPA) Responsibility can develop more effective solutions to get for the Royal Parks should be devolved traffic in London flowing more smoothly. from Whitehall to the Mayor, to ensure clear democratic accountability to Londoners. Its 8. Policing The Authority’s funding should be transferred in full from (MPA) functions should be divided between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport the Mayor and the Assembly with the Mayor (DCMS) to the GLA. taking on executive functions and the Assembly taking on the scrutiny function. 4. Skills The Mayor, and the London Skills This would create a policing board for and Employment Board (LSEB) which he London under the Mayor’s control. The chairs, should get the power to approve the Home Secretary and the Mayor would jointly allocation of the adult skills budget in London. appoint the Metropolitan Police Service Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) (MPS) Commissioner, who would in turn and Job Centre Plus (JCP) expenditure on appoint the senior team in the MPS. skills and employment in London should have regard to the LSEB strategy. 9. A reconstituted GLA group The GLA group should be reorganised to improve its 5. Rail franchises The Mayor and Secretary of efficiency and effectiveness. The London State for Transport should jointly award the rail region of the HCA, the RPA and the PLA franchises for those suburban rail lines which should be devolved to the GLA. The LDA’s are largely contained within the boundaries of functions should be folded into the GLA greater London, to ensure a more integrated with the LDA ceasing to exist; and the MPA’s transport system. The Mayor should have a functions should be revamped and divided formal role in monitoring the franchises. between the Mayor and the Assembly. 6 The Mayor of London’s Proposals for Devolution

10. Resilience Responsibility for resilience issues Other issues for discussion in London should be devolved from GoL, which is being abolished, to the Mayor, given 14. The London Assembly The greater powers his lead on city-wide operations. for the Mayor should be matched by greater powers for the London Assembly to hold 11. Statutory strategies The Mayor should him to account. Consideration should be be given a freer hand to produce the plans given to granting the Assembly an enhanced and strategies of his choice, rather than role in strategy development, and also to being required to produce a dozen statutory separating the London Assembly from the strategies, over half of which lack any real GLA so that it is seen as an independent implementation powers. The unnecessary scrutiny body. double consultation process should be replaced by a single consultation period. 15. Waste The government should look at options for strengthening the role of the 12. General power of competence In line London Waste and Recycling Board (LWaRB) with the government’s plans to introduce in delivering efficient and effective waste a general power of competence for local management for London. authorities, the Mayor should have greater freedom to deliver public services provided 16. Energy and Climate Change in the capital. Consideration should be given to mechanisms that can drive a more efficient, 13. Financial flexibility The detailed ring- co-ordinated approach to the delivery of fencing of central government grants within climate change and alternative energy areas such as policing detracts from the programmes in London. principles of devolution, and hinders the Mayor’s ability to allocate resources according 17. Health Building on his existing role, the to his priorities. It should be discontinued. Mayor should have a role in allocating financial resources for public health in London (excluding clinical services). Background

London government comprises a directly proposals should they not fit with the Mayor’s elected Mayor and a 25-strong directly elected planning policies as set out in the statutory London Assembly. London Plan, and in some cases take over planning applications from the boroughs and The Mayor’s role is to provide leadership for grant approval. London and co-ordinate public service delivery • Community safety – the Mayor appoints the in certain key areas of physical and social chairs of the MPA and LFEPA, and sets both infrastructure. The Assembly’s role is to act as bodies’ budgets. the scrutiny body for the GLA group, and to hold the Mayoralty accountable for its performance. Indirect influence The GLA group comprises five organisations. The GLA is at the centre and is home to the • Skills and employment – the Mayor has Mayor and Assembly. It produces the Mayor’s limited oversight of the work of Skills Funding 12 statutory strategies, and oversees the annual Agency (SFA) but the SFA does not have a budget-setting process for the Group and its London region, is not part of the GLA group four functional bodies. The four functional and primarily answers to BIS. bodies are: TfL, LDA, MPA whose role is to • Housing and regeneration – as a result of oversee the work of the MPS; and the London setting a statutory Housing Strategy and Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA). chairing the London HCA Board, the Mayor has some oversight of the London HCA. Currently the Mayor’s principal functions can be But it is not part of the GLA group, and divided between those activities that are under primarily answers to Communities and Local the Mayoralty’s direct influence, and those Government (CLG). under its indirect influence. • Waste – the Mayor produces a waste strategy and appoints the chair, and one independent representative, of LWaRB which has £84m to Direct influence invest in major waste infrastructure projects in London over a three-year period. The Board • Transport – the GLA Act places TfL under the has to ‘act in accordance with the Mayor’s Mayor’s direct control. municipal waste strategy’ and this gives the • Economic development – as with TfL, the GLA Mayor some scope for influencing the future Act places the LDA under the Mayor’s direct development of London’s waste infrastructure. influence, although it is also answerable to All waste contracts are reviewed by the GLA the Department for Business, Innovation and for alignment with the waste strategy, and Skills (BIS). waste facilities are reviewed through the • Planning decisions – for strategic planning Mayor’s planning powers. decisions in London, the Mayor can veto 8 Proposals

1. Housing and regeneration that this would be an area in which the boroughs can play an enhanced role. The London HCA invests £1.1bn annually in housing and regeneration programmes in It is envisaged that a London housing and the capital. The split responsibilities between regeneration body would be an executive arm of national and London government are sub- the GLA. This proposal would involve reviewing optimal for control over the Agency: Section 31 of the GLA Act 1999, which prevents the GLA incurring expenditure in the areas of • The Mayor must by law produce the London housing, education services, social services or Housing Strategy and is accountable in the health services. eyes of the public for the delivery of the HCA programme in London. But he lacks the ultimate responsibility for its budget or day- 2. Olympic legacy to-day decision-making. The HCA is required only to have regard to the Mayor’s policies. The Mayor strongly supports proposals to create • The Mayor’s ability to make joined up strategic the MDC to drive the Olympic legacy and related decisions about the major infrastructure for regeneration in the Lower Lea Valley. This would which he is responsible – on social housing, be based on the standard Urban Development transport and economic development – is Corporation (UDC) model, but reporting solely restricted, as the Mayor cannot wrap housing to the Mayor rather than to government investment decisions into the GLA group’s like current UDCs. There are currently up to budget and planning processes. This limits the seven public sector bodies contributing to the scope for the Mayor to devolve investment regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley, each with powers through to boroughs. slightly differing remits, powers, land ownerships • The Assembly is not able to play a full and and geographical scopes. effective role in scrutinising the delivery of housing on behalf of Londoners. This proliferation causes unnecessary duplication and confusion, as well as the serious risk of The London HCA should therefore be misaligned priorities and work programmes, all incorporated into the GLA group, being under of which reduces value for public money and the the Mayor’s direct influence and subject to effectiveness of efforts to deliver much-needed scrutiny by the London Assembly. This will give regeneration in the area. Plans for an Olympic the Mayor greater freedom on how he funds legacy and the regeneration of the Lower Lea his priorities, and will mean that he has greater Valley would gain from the establishment of flexibility to respond to the needs of Londoners the MDC, which would be well placed to co- and to improve further the key services for which ordinate action in east London, and would have he has responsibility, like the provision of new democratic accountability through the Mayor. affordable housing. The Mayor also envisages 9

3. Royal Parks Agency retaining reserve powers as in other areas of GLA activity. The RPA looks after London’s most important and well-loved open spaces, not only for Londoners but also for the millions of tourists 4. Skills who visit London every year. Parks like St James’s Park, Regent’s Park, Hyde Park and In London, further devolution of skills and Richmond Park are an integral part of daily employment to the Mayor is needed. Currently life in the capital. For many residents it is their the LSEB, chaired by the Mayor, sets the main chance to enjoy open space close to their strategy to which the London adult skills budget homes, and the Royal Parks also have an impact of BIS is supposed to conform. There is currently on policies including transport, environment, no link to DWP and JCP investment in welfare tourism and sport. to work programmes. LDA programmes which focus more on tackling worklessness are already The RPA currently answers to the Secretary of devolved to the Mayor. State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, and represents a very small part of the overall There needs to be a more streamlined and budget of the DCMS. As such, it is completely strategic approach to skills and employment unaccountable either to the Mayor or to investment in London designed to activate and Londoners. Decisions such as whether to hold support a demand led system. The Mayor’s an event in Hyde Park, to charge parking fees in powers in relation to adult skills funding should Richmond Park or to restore sporting facilities in be strengthened through a power to approve Regent’s Park are made by central government the allocation of the London adult skills budget, rather than at a local level. This disconnection thus ensuring that budget and investment from London government means that the full decisions are fully aligned to the Mayor’s and benefits of the parks, environmentally and as an the LSEB’s Employment and Skills Strategy. amenity for Londoners, are not being delivered. DWP and JCP expenditure on skills and In line with the principle of decentralisation, the employment in London should be made with Agency needs to be accountable to Londoners. regard to the LSEB’s Strategy. The London Skills The Mayor therefore proposes that it should be and Employment Strategy would then set the devolved to the GLA, along with the allocated direction for employment and skills in London budget from DCMS. The Agency would become comprising the adult skills budget for London, an executive arm of the GLA and subject to DWP investment, and other programmes the scrutiny of the London Assembly. The developed in London. The Mayor also envisages Mayor would appoint the chair and other board that this would be an area in which the boroughs members of the RPA, with the government can play an enhanced role. 10 The Mayor of London’s Proposals for Devolution

5. Rail franchises To improve the level of service, to increase public transport usage, and to connect Railways are vital to London. Seventy per cent different parts of the city better, the award of all National Rail journeys start or finish in of franchises on suburban rail lines which are London and Londoners make more rail trips substantially in London should be made jointly per capita than any other region. Rail and by the Mayor and the Secretary of State for underground account for 77% of all commuter Transport. The Mayor should also have a formal journeys to central London and 44% of rail role in the monitoring of rail franchises. journeys in London involve transfers to or from the underground or the Docklands Light The suburban rail services which are substantially Railway. based in the GLA geographical area are:

However, at present, the two different transport London / Kent systems – Network Rail and TfL – too often lead • Charing Cross, Victoria or Cannon Street, to/ to disjointed journeys, with variable services and from Dartford; prices. It is in the interests of public transport • Blackfriars or Victoria, to/from Sevenoaks, via users in London, particularly in south London, Swanley; to have greater integration between surface rail, • Charing Cross, Cannon Street or Victoria, to/ and underground and buses. from at Sevenoaks, via Orpington;

Without a move to a more co-ordinated system London / Surrey of public transport across the capital, and with • Victoria or , to/from Caterham; it a greater Mayoral say in surface rail services, • Victoria or London Bridge, to/from Tattenham the current imbalance whereby 5% less travel in Corner; south London is by public transport than north • Victoria or London Bridge, to/from at Epsom London – and there is 10% more car usage in or Epsom Downs; south London as a consequence – will continue. • Waterloo, to/from at Hampton Court; • Waterloo, to/from Shepperton; There are benefits to be gained from a closer • Waterloo, to/from Epsom; working relationship between the Department for Transport (DfT) and TfL in relation to those London / Berkshire franchises, particularly with regard to efforts • Waterloo, to/from Windsor and Eton to improve co-ordination of rail services with Riverside; underground, bus, cycling and other modes of • Paddington, to/from Maidenhead ( transport. At present, neither the Mayor nor TfL service start point); have any formal role in either the awarding or monitoring of those rail franchises. London / Hertfordshire The lack of democratic accountability of the PLA, • Kings Cross , to/from Luton; and its emphasis on harbour services, severely • Kings Cross or Moorgate, to/from Welwyn hinders development of the Thames for other Garden City; uses. In particular, it can make it difficult for the • Kings Cross or Moorgate, to/from Hertford Mayor to deliver policies on promoting the use of North; the river by boats, encouraging attractive riverside • Liverpool Street, to/from Hertford East; developments, and building bridges.

London / Essex Given the critical importance of the Thames • Liverpool Street, to/from at Shenfield; and to London’s prosperity, and to improve the • Fenchurch Street, to/from Grays, via Rainham. democratic accountability of the PLA to Londoners, the PLA should be devolved to the GLA group and its funding transferred to the 6. Port of London Authority Mayor. It should also be required to implement the Mayor’s Transport Strategy and the London The Thames is a central part of London, but the Plan and the Mayor should have the right to Mayor has no control over it. Rather, it is under appoint its board, with Kent and Essex also the control of the PLA, which has responsibilities given the right of representation. for the entire tidal Thames from Teddington in the west to the in the east, and owns much of the riverbed and foreshore up to 7. Traffic control the mean high water mark. London has unique traffic issues because of the Its principal powers and duties are to: high levels of congestion on its roads. Yet the Mayor’s power to respond to these problems is • Provide, maintain, operate and improve port limited by the tight control the DfT exercises and harbour services and facilities in, or in the over traffic schemes and signage. vicinity of, the Thames • Take such action as the PLA considers The Mayor should be given greater flexibility necessary or desirable for, the improvement over traffic control on TfL roads, so that he can and conservancy of the Thames. develop more effective solutions to London’s transport problems, and get traffic flowing more The PLA’s Board comprises up to 13 members, smoothly. Greater flexibility should also be given of which five are currently appointed by the to City Hall and London boroughs in relation Secretary of State for Transport and up to a to traffic signs, though the safety benefits of further eight by the Board itself. The Mayor has national consistency will place certain limits on no right to appoint anyone to the board. the degree of decentralisation that is feasible in this context. 12 The Mayor of London’s Proposals for Devolution

It is also vitally important that the DfT works with The Mayor should be, or should be given the the Mayor to speed up the approval process for power to appoint, the chair of a new Policing changes to traffic sign regulations and for piloting Board based in the GLA. The Mayor would also innovative schemes to improve traffic flow. appoint the other Board members. Under the Examples of these schemes include the following: Mayor’s leadership, the Policing Board would set overall policing policy and strategic priorities, • Allowing cyclists to turn left at a red signal; and ensure an efficient and effective police • Pedestrian countdown on traffic lights; and service for London. The Mayor would retain • Signage on cycle lanes. responsibility for monitoring and managing the police budget, and for monitoring performance on crime and the Policing Plan targets. 8. Policing The Home Secretary and the Mayor would jointly The Mayor, having been democratically elected appoint the Commissioner of the Metropolitan with a mandate over policing, remains the direct Police. The Commissioner would then appoint the line of accountability between the MPS and Deputy Commissioner and other members of the the people of London. The Mayor, just like the MPS’s senior management team. proposed directly elected Police Commissioners across the country, is responsible for making policing accountable to the public. 9. A reconstituted GLA group

Currently, the MPS is overseen by the MPA, The current structure of the GLA group , which which has a dual role both as an executive board was enshrined in legislation in 1999 when the and a public scrutiny body for the police. This GLA was set up, is rigid and leads to unnecessary has led to confusion between its two functions, duplication between different bodies, with some Members publicly criticising decisions particularly the GLA and the LDA. Yet the Mayor they themselves helped make. is unable to restructure the GLA group to make it more efficient and effective. The Mayor should retain political accountability for the policing of the capital, and greater clarity Despite these constraints, much has been should be given to the distinct roles of executive achieved and the Boards and staff of the governance and democratic scrutiny. functional bodies within the GLA group are to be congratulated on their successes. As a result, the executive functions of the MPA should transfer to the Mayor and its scrutiny However, after ten years’ experience the Mayor function should transfer to the Assembly. believes it is time to move on. We need an organisational structure which is equipped to take on the various functions discussed 13

elsewhere in this document; which enables more 11. Statutory strategies streamlined decision-making by the Mayor; which improves accountability and transparency; There are currently 12 statutory Mayoral and which is more cost effective given the strategies, which the Mayor is required to increasing pressure on resources. produce. In doing so, he is required to go through a two stage consultation process, first The London region of the HCA, the RPA and the with the Assembly and the functional bodies and PLA should be devolved to the GLA. The LDA’s then with others. The strategies cover spatial functions should be folded into the GLA with development (known as the London Plan), the result that the LDA would cease to exist; and transport, economic development, housing, the MPA’s functions should be revamped and culture, health inequalities and the environment divided between the Mayor and the Assembly. (the remaining six). There is a thirteenth strategy on skills and employment issues which is set by the LSEB and so, strictly speaking, is not a 10. Resilience statutory Mayoral strategy, although it is often regarded as such. Responsibility for London Resilience currently rests with GoL, which the government is The current system of statutory strategies is currently abolishing. unnecessarily burdensome for the Mayor, taking up time and resources, and committing him to It is of course essential that central government protracted bureaucratic processes. For example, – through its national resilience planning and following the procedures set down in statute, COBRA processes – maintains vigilance over the it takes the Mayor more than a year and a half security of key national functions and facilities in to revise his economic development strategy. the capital city. But the vast majority of resilience Especially at a time of economic problems, this operations relate to London as a locality rather has the effect of delaying action to address the than to major national issues arising from the real issues for Londoners. status of London as the capital city. While some strategies are absolutely central It is therefore proposed that the Mayor should to what any Mayoralty would look to achieve, not only take over the responsibilities currently particularly the London Plan, the resources exercised by GoL in relation to resilience, but freed up as a result of a simplified process should also be invited to COBRA meetings could be used to develop programmes aimed at dealing with London-based incidents as a matter delivering practical improvements to the quality of course. GoL’s Resilience team should transfer of life of Londoners. to the GLA so as to improve co-ordination of Resilience issues across the three tiers of It is therefore proposed that unnecessary government in the capital. statutory requirements for Mayoral strategies 14 The Mayor of London’s Proposals for Devolution

should be abolished, and the two stage in the interests of Londoners should be ended consultation process be replaced by a single by giving him a general power of competence. consultation period. The Mayor welcomes the government’s proposal The important role the Assembly has to play to provide local authorities with a general power in strategy development should be carefully of competence, and this should be extended to considered as part of any government review of him. This would enable the Mayor to take any the GLA. action to further London’s interests in a way that is not specifically prohibited by law – though without his wishing to encroach on mainstream 12. General power of competence services carried out by boroughs and other public authorities. Certain statutory limitations are currently in place on the Mayor’s activities at the GLA by virtue of Section 31 of the GLA Act 1999. Essentially 13. Financial flexibility they mean that the Mayoralty cannot incur expenditure on functions carried out elsewhere in The current GLA group incurs expenditure of the GLA group (transport, police and fire) or on roughly £15bn annually, comprising £12bn of functions carried out by other tiers of government revenue and £3bn of capital. Of the revenue (housing, education, and social services, which expenditure, around half is met by grants from are undertaken by local authorities, and health Whitehall coming from the DfT to fund TfL, BIS which is run from Whitehall). to fund the LDA, the Home Office to fund the MPA, and CLG to fund the GLA. The restrictions in place are unnecessarily restrictive and detract from the principles of In addition, each department can further ring devolution and localism. To deliver Mayoral fence the money it gives to a GLA body for priorities, it is essential that the Mayor works particular, often quite specific, uses. Examples with London boroughs and central government of ring-fenced grants include Neighbourhood agencies. It should be up to the Mayor’s Policing and the Crime Fighting Fund. judgement to decide when, as part of such partnerships, it is sensible for him to provide As a consequence, in total, the GLA group additional services which complement those receives about 100 distinct payments a year offered by other public bodies, including London from central government for different purposes. boroughs, and he should be held accountable This makes it difficult for the Mayor to allocate for that by Londoners. his budget according to the priorities he was elected on, and to plan ahead with certainty. It is therefore proposed that unnecessary limitations on the Mayor’s general power to act 15

To give the Mayor more financial freedom, and the scrutiny to which they are subjected by in line with other policy movements away from parliamentary Select Committees. the ring-fencing of grants to local government, ring-fencing of grants should be ended, giving Consideration should be given to the Assembly the Mayor greater flexibility to invest in key becoming a separate, free-standing and London priorities. independent scrutiny body with its functions and staffing clearly distinguishable from the Mayoralty. This need not preclude preserving the current 14. Enhancing the role of the London shared support services so as to be cost effective. Assembly

The Mayor would expect the role of the London 15. Waste Assembly to expand in line with the additional and altered responsibilities of the Mayor and London faces both a large waste challenge, GLA. He strongly supports such a move: it is given its recycling rates and rising landfill costs, right that he should be fully accountable in as well as a big economic opportunity from a public and for the Assembly to subject the move to seeing waste as a resource. The Mayor’s Mayor to close scrutiny for his performance. Waste Strategy and London Plan highlight these challenges and opportunities and provide a In addition, the role the Assembly plays in the tool to influence waste contracts and planning development of Mayoral strategies needs to applications in London. be reviewed. Within what we would expect to be a smaller number of statutory strategies The creation of LWaRB has been a positive and a more streamlined consultation process, step towards ensuring the Mayor and London’s consideration should be given to an enhanced boroughs take a co-ordinated approach to waste strategy development role for the Assembly. in London. Its funding of £84m comes partly from government grant from the Department of As the Assembly’s functions expand, it raises the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) question as to whether the current institutional and partly from LDA investment. In discharging arrangements are still fit for purpose. The its duties, it has the most comprehensive view Assembly is part of the GLA. So the executive of the waste pipeline in London. A government function of the Mayor and the scrutiny review of the GLA should also look at options for function of the Assembly are internalised strengthening LWaRB’s role in delivering efficient within the Authority. This is confusing for the and effective waste management for London. public and blurs accountability. It contrasts with, for example, the clear separation which exists between Ministers in government and 16 The Mayor of London’s Proposals for Devolution

16. Energy and Climate Change boroughs and the NHS, would be best placed to assume responsibility for the allocation of funds The UK and London have committed to necessary for a pan London approach to taking

aggressive CO2 targets. In parallel, there are forward this work (excluding clinical services). pressures on the energy supply side due to the need to build significant amounts of new energy On the wider NHS agenda, the establishment of infrastructure. Yet delivery of climate change the NHS Board with responsibility for allocating and alternative energy programmes in London is resource and providing commissioning guidelines highly fragmented, thereby impeding delivery at and the change in governance arrangements of scale. A more regional approach to these issues Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) to provide for directly should be considered which would benefit both elected and authority nominated members gives local authorities and London as a whole. rise to the question as to the appropriate role for the Mayor within these new arrangements. At this stage it is premature to reach any firm 17. Health conclusions. However the GLA would expect to be involved in discussions about how these new Although the Mayoralty has been granted a role arrangements would work in London, in order to in public health issues in London, it has no role be assured that the health needs of the capital in resource allocation on public health issues. as a whole are appropriately addressed. The GLA, working in partnership with London