New Clause 46
Greater London Authority Bill
12:45 pm
Andrew Pelling (Croydon Central, Conservative)
I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
The new clause is very important for the operation of the London assembly. Analysing the overall performance and the budgetary performance of the GLA family and its functional bodies should be at the very heart of the scrutiny role.
One criticism of the GLA budgetary process made by academics—most notably by Tony Travers—is its tremendous weakness in not providing a separate and independent office with the ability to provide advice to the GLA and to Londoners on the performance and the financial activities of the GLA. It is difficult to progress a budgetary process when one relies on officials who are intimately involved in the production of the Mayor’s budget, and are required to maintain complete secrecy about what is enclosed within that budget, while at the same time giving advice to the London assembly on the construction of an alternative budget.