Boris Johnson and the leaders of London’s local authorities met at City Hall this morning to launch a new ‘City Charter’, a voluntary agreement setting out areas of co-operation between the capital’s various forms of Government.
The Mayor and the borough leaders claim the document will help in delivering key services and initiatives, and sets out the goal of involving councils in the recruitment of local police commanders.
The document, which follows an earlier agreement of co-operation between the Mayor and boroughs as well as accusations of Johnson being prepared to surrender too much power to the boroughs, also commits the partners to campaign for a “fairer share” of central Government funding.
Speaking this morning Johnson said the charter would “address the most pressing issues for the capital, ensuring we emerge stronger from the current economic downturn, cut crime and violence and improve our transport system. This will mean looking at how we deliver 5000 new apprenticeships over 3 years, support the development of town centres and ensure we get a fairer share of funding for London from Government.”
Merrick Cockell, Chair of London Councils which represents the borough’s local authorities , said the charter “is not an end in itself but a means by which London Councils and the Mayor can better work together to deliver improved services and better value for money for Londoners.”
The charter can be downloaded from the GLA website: london.gov.uk/mayor/priorities/local-government.jsp
