Peter Fortune is the MP for Bromley and Biggin Hill
As the dust settles after the local elections in London, the political landscape has changed drastically from 2022. There is a record number of parties controlling councils and the highest number of councils under no overall control that we have ever seen in the capital.
These changes underline one key point; London’s political system is not working. This is not a call to change the way our councillors are elected, but a call for a reinvigoration of the devolution settlement, that puts more power in the hands of our local council leaders to hold the Mayor of London to account and challenge unpopular decision making in city hall.
There are two simple changes that can help to repair the growing distrust in London-wide government. I laid amendments to the Government’s flagship English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill to bring about these changes, but unfortunately the Government chose to ignore them, they may live to regret that decision looking at the new political map of London.
As a result of the current system, the mayor does not need to seek consensus, negotiate or even listen to opposing views. In a city the size of London, that effectively alienates and disenfranchises millions of people, leading to disengagement and distrust of London-wide government.
The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill establishes simple majority voting in combined authorities as the default decision-making process but does nothing to bring other authorities in line with this new standard. The London Assembly retains its two-thirds majority requirement. A two-thirds majority has proved impossible to achieve in the London Assembly, which is why no budget or strategy has been amended in 25 years.
We must abolish the two-thirds majority requirement to amend budgets and strategies in London. By allowing a simple majority, it would give London Assembly members the opportunity to debate changes realistically, bringing mayors back to the table and ensuring proper accountability.
Secondly, we must give the Assembly the power to direct that the mayor not take proposed decisions while they are under the Assembly’s review and scrutiny. We should also give the Assembly the power to recommend that the mayor reconsider a proposed decision. These powers should be standard for any devolved authority and would ensure that the views of all Londoners are heard loud and clear by the mayor. Before the local elections the leaders of the 32 London boroughs made a united cross-party call for a seat at the table as part of the devolution settlement for the capital, I fully agreed with them, and I feel certain the incoming leaders of the 32 boroughs share this view too.
It is right that power is returned to our cities, regions and communities, but this must come with effective scrutiny and accountability of those who hold devolved power. There is a glaring democratic and accountability deficit in London, and anyone who is serious about the success of devolution in London will see that my proposals are sensible first steps to rectifying that deficit. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill was a missed opportunity for the Labour Government to show they care about the views of everyone in the capital, but it is not too late for them to act.
This is not political, the very make-up of the GLA means that these changes would return power to Assembly members of all parties, as well as empowering London boroughs and local councillors to do the job they were elected to do. Labour received a serious rebuke in the local elections in London, they may seriously regret not delivering real accountability in city hall when the votes have been counted in the Mayoral election in 2028.
Peter Fortune is the MP for Bromley and Biggin Hill
As the dust settles after the local elections in London, the political landscape has changed drastically from 2022. There is a record number of parties controlling councils and the highest number of councils under no overall control that we have ever seen in the capital.
These changes underline one key point; London’s political system is not working. This is not a call to change the way our councillors are elected, but a call for a reinvigoration of the devolution settlement, that puts more power in the hands of our local council leaders to hold the Mayor of London to account and challenge unpopular decision making in city hall.
There are two simple changes that can help to repair the growing distrust in London-wide government. I laid amendments to the Government’s flagship English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill to bring about these changes, but unfortunately the Government chose to ignore them, they may live to regret that decision looking at the new political map of London.
As a result of the current system, the mayor does not need to seek consensus, negotiate or even listen to opposing views. In a city the size of London, that effectively alienates and disenfranchises millions of people, leading to disengagement and distrust of London-wide government.
The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill establishes simple majority voting in combined authorities as the default decision-making process but does nothing to bring other authorities in line with this new standard. The London Assembly retains its two-thirds majority requirement. A two-thirds majority has proved impossible to achieve in the London Assembly, which is why no budget or strategy has been amended in 25 years.
We must abolish the two-thirds majority requirement to amend budgets and strategies in London. By allowing a simple majority, it would give London Assembly members the opportunity to debate changes realistically, bringing mayors back to the table and ensuring proper accountability.
Secondly, we must give the Assembly the power to direct that the mayor not take proposed decisions while they are under the Assembly’s review and scrutiny. We should also give the Assembly the power to recommend that the mayor reconsider a proposed decision. These powers should be standard for any devolved authority and would ensure that the views of all Londoners are heard loud and clear by the mayor. Before the local elections the leaders of the 32 London boroughs made a united cross-party call for a seat at the table as part of the devolution settlement for the capital, I fully agreed with them, and I feel certain the incoming leaders of the 32 boroughs share this view too.
It is right that power is returned to our cities, regions and communities, but this must come with effective scrutiny and accountability of those who hold devolved power. There is a glaring democratic and accountability deficit in London, and anyone who is serious about the success of devolution in London will see that my proposals are sensible first steps to rectifying that deficit. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill was a missed opportunity for the Labour Government to show they care about the views of everyone in the capital, but it is not too late for them to act.
This is not political, the very make-up of the GLA means that these changes would return power to Assembly members of all parties, as well as empowering London boroughs and local councillors to do the job they were elected to do. Labour received a serious rebuke in the local elections in London, they may seriously regret not delivering real accountability in city hall when the votes have been counted in the Mayoral election in 2028.