Greater London Authority

The Greater London Authority (GLA) administers the Greater London region, i.e. the sui generis central borough of City of London and 32 London Boroughs, which include the central borough of City of Westminster. The new administrative authority began its work on 3 July 2000 and consists of the directly elected Mayor of London (Lord Mayor) and the London Assembly (the City Parliament) with 25 members. The GLA is housed in the newly built City Hall on the south bank of the Thames, next to Tower Bridge. The current Mayor of London is Sadiq Khan.

The basis for this authority is the Greater London Authority Act 1999, which was passed by the UK Parliament following a referendum held in the future area of application on 7 May 1998 (with a low turnout of 34,1 % and an approval rate of 72 %).

The new organisation largely replaces its predecessor, the Greater London Council (GLC). The GLC was abolished by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1986, ostensibly because of inefficiency, but probably also because the Labour Party mostly held a majority. Some of the GLC's powers were devolved to boroughs, some directly to central government. The decision was probably triggered by the then GLC chairman Ken Livingstone (later also Mayor from 4 May 2000 to 4 May 2008), who annoyed them with populist issues and spending on social programmes. The GLA was created to restore coordination between the various boroughs. The office of Mayor of London was created to have one representative for the whole city. The Mayor sets the day-to-day political business, prepares the budget and gives advice to the capital's transport and planning authorities. The London Assembly's main duties are to oversee the Mayor, conduct inquiries, amend the budget and put forward proposals. Although the GLA has less power than its predecessor the GLC, it has powers that the GLC never had. For example, it can appoint the members of the Metropolitan Police Inspectorate.

The GLA is not to be confused with the City of London Corporation and the Lord Mayor of London. These merely control the City of London as a borough council. While the GLA has a modern constitution, the structure of the City's political authorities has remained unchanged since the Middle Ages, giving this borough powers that are unique to the UK as a whole, such as tax exemption, theoretically untouchable by the UK Parliament, and the City of London Police, independent of Greater London.