• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

MayorWatch

London News and Comment

  • NEWS
  • Twitter

Boris names Greenhalgh as new policing Deputy

May 10, 2012 - Martin Hoscik@MayorWatch

Boris Johnson has named Hammersmith and Fulham Councillor Stephen Greenhalgh as his nominee for Deputy Mayor for Policing.

In the role Greenhalgh will head the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPC) which replaced the Metropolitan Police Authority earlier this year.

The role can be held by an Assembly Member or other Mayoral appointee. Where the nominee is not an AM the appointment is subject to approval by the London Assembly which can block it on a two-thirds vote.

Greenhalgh’s appointment was reported in Tuesday’s Evening Standard but was not confirmed by City Hall until today. The delay was apparently caused by confusion about whether the position could be held by a councillor.

It has since been confirmed that where the post-holder is not an AM they are considered to be “a member of staff of the MOPC” and subject to rules restricting elected politicians holding paid jobs with local authorities.

Mr Greenhalgh says he will stand down as a councillor subject to his new role being confirmed by the Assembly.

Announcing the appointment Mayor Johnson, said: “Stephen is a big beast of local London politics who has proven time and again he can deliver more for less – cutting council tax in Hammersmith & Fulham while also helping to drive down crime making neighbourhoods safer.

“He has a wealth of experience in uniting communities and pulling together the work of agencies to not only crackdown on crime but also continue our work in breaking the cycle of crime.”

Greenhalgh said Londoners could “expect to see us tackling crime with more targeted police initiatives like the Met’s 1,000 strong gangs task force”.

He added: “I’ll be overseeing a major boost to neighbourhood policing in every borough, resulting in more police on the street and for a longer time. The eyes of the world will be on the capital in this Olympic year and I relish the challenge of working closely with the Met police to drive down crime and to build stronger, safer neighbourhoods throughout the city.”

On Wednesday Labour London Assembly Member Val Shawcross described the confusion around the appointment as “a complete shambles” and accused the Mayor of making “a serious mistake” in trying to appoint a serving Councillor.

Shawcross added: “These rules are very clear and everybody working in and around local government is aware of them, the mayor even made this mistake in 2008 with another appointment, you would have thought they’d have got it right this time round.”

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

RECENT UPDATES

Tube and rail users to benefit from Oyster weekly fares cap

Mayor and TfL call on ministers to help plug funding gap

Tube to get full mobile phone coverage from 2024

TfL says Direct Vision Standard is already making HGVs safer for London road users




POPULAR

City Hall to move to Docklands as Mayor seeks to raise £55m for frontline services

‘Concern’ over TfL’s ability to deliver major projects in wake of Crossrail cost overruns

City Hall halts London Overground ticket office closures but many will still see opening hours reduced

Transport for London confirms bus cuts will go ahead despite passenger opposition

GOT A STORY?

As the original London news and scrutiny site we've been casting an eye over the capital's public services and politicians since 1999.

 

Many of our top stories started with a tip-off from a reader - if you've got something you'd like us to cover get in touch and we'll do the rest.

Stay In Touch

  • E-mail
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2022 · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.