Accountability lies at heart of my administration - Mayor
The State of London Debate is an annual event where Londoners have the opportunity to talk to the Mayor and other senior figures and decision-makers in London about the issues that matter to them about their city, say what their priorities are, make their voices heard and highlight issues of concern to them.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, today ( Saturday 9 May ) reaffirmed his commitment to put accountability and openness at the heart of his administration, during the annual State of London Debate.
The State of London Debate is an annual event where Londoners have the opportunity to talk to the Mayor and other senior figures and decision-makers in London about the issues that matter to them about their city, say what their priorities are, make their voices heard and highlight issues of concern to them.
Since being elected, the Mayoralty has introduced a series of measures so that Londoners know what is going on in City Hall and how their money is being spent.
Measures include publishing the job description and salary of every Deputy Mayor and adviser on the GLA website. For the first time, Mayoral advisers also have their interests published on the website and are therefore accountable and visible to the electorate. As pledged in the Mayor’s manifesto, the GLA now publishes the details of all payments it makes over £1000.
The Mayor also highlighted how the Greater London Authority has cut costs and delivered better value for money for Londoners by finding savings across the GLA Group. By focusing on doing fewer things better, the Mayor has found £104.4m worth of savings in this year’s GLA Group budget without impacting on front line services, such as the delivery of 440 uniformed officers to make public transport safer. Thanks to these savings, we have been able to freeze the GLA’s portion of the council tax for the first time in the history of the GLA - benefiting millions of households in London.
Boris Johnson said:
‘During the election campaign, I promised that I would open City Hall and the Mayoralty up to scrutiny by the people of London and that is exactly what I have done. By holding regular public meetings such as the State of London Debate and increasing the number of People’s Question Time events, my administration has given Londoners across the capital the opportunity to come and directly quiz me and my team and some of the senior decision makers in London on the burning issues for the capital, such as the economy, policing, housing, transport and the environment.
‘Over the last year, my administration has brought in a £3bn economic recovery action plan to help get London through the financial downturn. To make London safer, we have brought in an extra 440 Transport Police to improve safety on the capital’s buses. We have launched ‘Time for Action’ to address the complex long-term causes of youth crime and violence. To increase the number of affordable homes I have launched a £5bn housing strategy to deliver 50,000 affordable homes. There is a fresh focus to the Met Police, with the appointment of Sir Paul Stephenson as Commissioner. ‘However, we cannot rest on our laurels as there is still much to do. One of my top priorities for the coming year is to ensure the capital emerges strong and resilient from the economic downturn. Tackling crime and youth crime in particular is another focus so that Londoners and visitors to the capital feel safer. On transport, I will continue to lobby for Crossrail to be delivered on time and budget, ensure Tube upgrades take place and this financial year we will spend £111 million to kick-start a cycling revolution in the capital with schemes such as the Velib bike hire scheme. One of the biggest jobs in hand is to ensure the London Olympics is a huge success and is delivered on time and sticks to the £9.3bn budget so that Londoners do not pay a penny more.’
Ends
Notes to Editors
The Mayor recently published his Annual Report which coincides with the State of London Debate as a statutory obligation. A full copy of the Mayor’s Annual Report is available on the GLA website. Go to: http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/publications/ This is the second State of London Debate to be hosted by the Mayor since being elected in May 2008. Over 2000 Londoners attended the State of London Debate on youth crime held by the Mayor on 25th June 2008 at Central Hall, Westminster. The State of London Debate is a FREE event for Londoners. The State of London Debate 2009 is being held on Saturday 9th May at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Broad Sanctuary, Westminster, London SW1P 3EE. The event takes place from 10.00am – 3.00pm, doors open from 9am. Registration has now closed for this event, however Londoners who wish to come along can turn up on the day. Priority will be given to ticket holders with any places left after that being allocated on a first come first served basis, so get down there early if you want to be involved in one of the biggest debates in the capital. For more information about the event, programme and speakers please go to: www.london.gov.uk/stateoflondon
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