Local elections 2024: Mayor of London
Who are the candidates for the May 2024 London mayoral election?
Incumbent Labour mayor Sadiq Khan is standing for a third time. His main opponent is Conservative candidate, Susan Hall, who led the Conservative group on the London Assembly between 2019 and May 2023.
Other candidates include the Green party’s Zoe Garbett, a local councillor in Dalston, the Liberal Democrats’ Rob Blackie, who has previously stood for the London Assembly, and Reform’s Howard Cox.
At least eight further candidates have declared that they are standing, including the Social Democratic Party’s Amy Gallagher, the Libertarian party’s Tony Brown, as well as independent candidates Shyam Batra, Natalie Campbell, Tarun Ghulati, Rayhan Haque, Andreas Michli and satirical candidate Count Binface.
In December 2023, George Galloway announced he would be standing for mayor of London, however since winning the Rochdale by-election in February 2024 it is unclear if this is still his intention.
A final list of candidates will be published by noon on 12 April 2024.
How is the mayor of London elected?
Following the Elections Act 2022, the 2024 election will take place using the first-past-the-post system. 45 Elections Act 2022, www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/37/contents/enacted Previous elections were decided by the ‘supplementary vote’ where voters could express a first and second preference. No mayoral candidate has ever won over 50% of first preferences, but the leading candidate in the first round was always elected mayor after second preferences were considered, meaning that the winner would have been the same under first-past-the-post.
Turnout in London elections has broadly risen over time, from a low of 34% at the first vote in 2000 to a record 46% in 2016. In 2021, this dropped to 42% - in part caused by a substantial rise in the number of spoilt ballots.
What are the powers of the mayor of London?
The mayor acts as the strategic authority for London and sets the budget for the GLA (subject to assembly approval). The mayor has defined powers over certain policy areas and general powers of competence for promoting the improvement of the environment, economic development and social development.
These general powers cannot be used to deliver functions such as education or social services that are the responsibility of local government. Unlike the mayoral combined authority model in other parts of England, London’s 33 local authorities do not form part of the GLA, although the mayor works closely with them.
The mayor is responsible for setting the strategic direction and priorities for the Metropolitan Police through the mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime. Operational decisions remain the responsibility of the Met commissioner, who is appointed by the home secretary following consultation with the mayor. The mayor also sets the Met’s budget in consultation with the commissioner.
The mayor has similar powers over the London Fire Brigade, setting its budget, approving the London Safety Plan, and appointing the fire commissioner.
The mayor has to produce strategies for transport, economic development, health, housing, planning, environment, and culture. But the mayor only has executive responsibilities over transport, economic development and housing: in other policy areas the mayor delivers their strategies by convening partnerships and providing funding.
A central function of the mayor is to oversee Transport for London (TfL). Alongside public transport functions, TfL is responsible for London’s strategic road network, road user charging schemes (such as the Ultra Low Emissions Zone), regulating taxis and private hire vehicles, and programmes to encourage active and sustainable travel. TfL also provides funding for local authorities to enact the mayor’s Transport Strategy, through the submission of Local Implementation Plans (LIPs).
Another important mayoral responsibility is to produce the London Plan – a spatial development strategy which sets out a vision for how London will develop over a 20-25 year period. The most recent plan was developed in 2021. The mayor also allocates funding from central government’s affordable homes programme. 46 Greater London Authority, Homes for Londoners: Affordable Homes Programmes, www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/housing-and-land/homes-londoners-affordable-homes-programmes
The mayor has the power to establish mayoral development corporations (MDCs) to drive urban regeneration in specific areas. There are currently two MDCs: the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), which covers the Olympic Park, and the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC), introduced to promote development around an interchange station between the Elizabeth Line and HS2.
The mayor also acts as ‘spokesperson for London’, both in public debate and in negotiations with central government, for instance to secure additional funding. 47 Bogdanor, Vernon, Beyond Brexit: Britain’s Unprotected Constitution, 2019
Successive mayors have asked central government to devolve more powers to the GLA. In particular, reports published in 2013 and 2017 by the London Finance Commission – a group of experts assembled by the mayor – made the case for the devolution of fiscal powers including council tax, business rates, and stamp duty. 48 London Finance Commission, Raising the Capital, May 2013, www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/gla_migrate_files_destination/Raising%20the%20capital_0.pdf 49 London Finance Commission, Devolution: a capital idea, January 2017, www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/devolution_-_a_capital_idea_lfc_2017.pdf These proposals have not been accepted by the UK government, with the partial exception of the capital participating in the pilots for business rates retention. 50 London Councils, Business Rates Update 2021, www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/members-area/member-briefings/local-government-finance/business-rates-update
What is the size of the Greater London Authority budget – and where is the money spent?
The GLA has an annual budget for day-to-day spending of £17.5bn. In the 2024/25 budget, over half (£9.6bn) was allocated to TfL. The second largest spending area is policing, with £4.8bn allocated. Other areas of mayoral spending include £580m on Communities and Skills projects, £140m on Good Growth (including a fund for regeneration projects) and £78m on Housing and Land. 51 Greater London Authority, Consolidated Budget and Component Budgets 2024-25, www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-03/Mayors-Final-Consolidated-Budget-for-2024-25.pdf
The mayor is required by law to prepare a capital spending plan alongside the budget. Latest plans indicate that the GLA expects to spend an average of £4bn a year on capital projects until 2028. 52 Greater London Authority, The Mayor of London’s Capital Spending Plan 2024-25, www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-02/Mayor%20Capital%20Spending%20Plan%202024-25.pdf Major projects include Crossrail and delivering the government’s Affordable Homes Programme.
The Greater London Authority employs 1,300 people, with staffing costs accounting for £106m in 2024/25.
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