The
London Assembly is an elected body, part of the
Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the
Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the Mayor's annual budget. The Assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at
City Hall on the south side of the
River Thames close to
Tower Bridge. The Assembly is also able to investigate other issues of importance to Londoners, publish its findings and recommendations, and make proposals to the Mayor.
Although the Assembly's powers are fairly limited,[clarification needed] the body is increasingly seen as a stepping stone to Parliament. In the time since its creation in 2000, six Assembly members have been elected to the House of Commons David Lammy, Meg Hillier and Diana Johnson for Labour; Andrew Pelling and Bob Neill for the Conservatives; and Lynne Featherstone for the Liberal Democrats. In addition, Angie Bray and Bob Blackman have been selected as the Conservative parliamentary candidates for the marginal seats of Ealing Central and Acton and Harrow East at the next general election.
The London Assembly comprises 25 members elected using the Additional Member System. Elections take place every four years - at the same time as for the Mayor. There are 14 constituencies each electing one member, with a further 11 members elected from a party list to make the total members from each party proportional to the votes cast for that party across the whole of London. Parties must win at least 5% of the party list vote in order to win any seats. Members of the Assembly have the postnomial title 'AM.'
In 2009/10 the Chair of the London Assembly is Darren Johnson. His predecessor was Jennette Arnold.
