The One London Party, which currently has two members on the London Assembly, is seeking to place Mayoral accountability at the heart of their election campaign.
According to party leader Damian Hockney over the past four years the other parties on the Assembly have failed to properly hold the Mayor to account.
“Labour members of the London Assembly are effectively part of the current Mayor’s team, so it is absurd to suggest that they can hold the Mayor to account” says Hockney who also warns that “with Tory Assembly Members’ recent failure to correct their candidate’s wild claims about how much it would cost to re-introduce Routemaster buses, it is clear what would happen under a Tory Mayor. More of the same.”
“The need for independent voices at the Assembly to hold the Mayor to account is becoming increasingly clear. The One London Party has four years on the London Assembly and is the only independent party, putting London first, with the experience to ensure this happens under the new Mayor.”
“At the recent Mayoral debate shown on the BBC, an audience member asked if the Mayor should have an oversight committee holding him accountable and keeping watch on his actions. Ken Livingstone rightly said that there already is an elected oversight committee called the London Assembly. The fact that the audience didn’t realise this is a serious indictment of the lack of scrutiny by the Assembly, and the unwillingness of the main parties to really hold the Mayor to account.
The party is keen to position itself as the supporter of London business and are stressing their support for Heathrow expansion and opposition for the Congestion Charge.
They are expected to try and capitalise on their status as the only party on Assembly to vote for every attempt to rein in council tax.
