What is the London Assembly?

The London Assembly was established in 2000 as part of the Greater London Authority (GLA). It is a 25-member elected body that is responsible for scrutinising the plans and decisions of the Mayor of London. Assembly Member (AM) seats are subject to elections every four years at the same time as the Mayor. Fourteen AMs are elected to represent specific constituencies (covering two or more London boroughs) on a first-past-the-post basis, while the other eleven AMs are elected on a London-wide ticket via proportional representation.

The most recent election was held in 2024, three years after the previous election in 2021 (which was delayed by a year due to Covid). This resulted in Labour remaining the largest party with eleven AMs. The Conservatives lost a seat, with eight members elected, the Greens maintained their three members elected and the Liberal Democrats retained two elected members.The final seat went to Reform UK – their first member of the London Assembly. There are no Assembly seats up for election this year.

The Assembly is able to overrule the Mayor’s decisions, including the annual budget, and their strategic plans – though only with a two thirds majority. The Assembly has established twelve committees to scrutinise the decisions and plans of the Mayor, covering GLA responsibilities such as: Housing; Planning and Regeneration; Environment; Transport; Policing and Crime; Health; Fire and Emergency Planning.

The Assembly elects a Chair and Deputy Chair each year. Andrew Boff (Conservative) is the current Chair and Len Duvall (Labour) is the current Deputy Chair.