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.”
