Greater London Authority

Territory and remit

The GLA covers the whole of Greater London, an area of approximately 1,579 km² (610 sq mi), which comprises 32 London boroughs and the separate financial and historic district of the City of London. It operates within the constitutional framework of England and its responsibilities are distinct from those of the individual borough councils across Greater London.

Structure and membership

The authority is made up of two parts: an executive Mayor and a 25-member elected London Assembly. The Mayor sets the strategic direction, produces a statutory spatial development plan and proposes budgets and policies. The Assembly scrutinises the Mayor's decisions, examines budgets and can investigate matters of public concern.

Main powers and activities

• Transport policy and oversight of the capital's transport services and infrastructure planning.
• Strategic planning including a London Plan that guides development and land use across borough boundaries.
• Economic development, skills initiatives and support for jobs and investment at a city scale.
• Environmental programmes, including air quality, climate adaptation and green space strategies.
• Coordination for emergency preparedness, major events and cross-borough services such as certain policing and cultural investments.

The GLA works with local borough councils, national government departments and a range of agencies to deliver policies that require metropolitan coordination.

Origins, elections and accountability

The modern GLA was established at the turn of the 21st century to restore a citywide strategic authority following earlier changes in local government. The Mayor is directly elected by Londoners and the Assembly members are elected to provide checks and balances. Funding for GLA activities comes from a mix of local taxation, central government grants and business rate retention arrangements, and the Assembly publicly scrutinises expenditure and policy outcomes. The current incumbent serving as Mayor is linked here: Mayor of London.

The GLA plays a distinctive role: it does not replace borough councils but supplements local democracy by handling matters that benefit from a single, strategic voice for the capital.

Further official information and resources can be consulted via the authority's published plans and reports, which outline detailed programmes, budgets and performance assessments. For broader context and documents, see relevant citywide resources and governance guides: city footprint data, administrative map, national framework, City of London relationship, mayoral powers, Assembly information, current mayor profile.