Labour to bring `City Hall' chief to London
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Your support makes all the difference.Labour leaders yesterday said they were keeping alive the idea of an American-style elected mayor for London as part of plans to create a directly elected strategic authority for the capital.
Tony Blair recently put forward the idea of an elected mayor for London. But there were anxieties that if the mayor's role was too powerful - like that portrayed by Al Pacino in the film City Hall - it would nullify the purpose of the new elected authority for London.
Doubts about Labour's commitment to an elected mayor were raised by the equivocal tone of a policy document for London published yesterday, which highlighted some of the disadvantages. "Such an approach would be quite new in Britain, changing the role of the elected assembly and its individual members and leaving one person in a much more powerful position than has been customary," it said.
Rather than proposing the elected mayor, the paper - A voice for London - invited comments before coming to a firm conclusion. But Frank Dobson, the shadow Environment Secretary, denied Labour had backtracked on the idea. He said the proposal for an elected mayor "was put forward by the leader of the Labour Party with my full knowledge and agreement".
Party sources indicated that Labour remains keen on the idea of an elected mayor. The idea was first raised by Michael Heseltine as Secretary of State for the Environment but he was forced to drop it when Tory MPs complained that Labour mayors would usurp their powers in Tory constituencies.
Labour strategists believe Baroness Thatcher's destruction of the former GLC has left a need for a strategic authority for London, which the public recognise. That would make the idea of a directly elected Greater London Authority popular, in spite of any misgivings about the former GLC.
Mr Dobson made it clear that Labour would not try to recreate the former GLC, with its massive headquarters on the south bank of the Thames.
The new authority would be smaller, possibly only having 74 elected members - one from each parliamentary constituency - a limited staff of officials, and would not take responsibility for day-to-day functions, such as housing and parks and gardens, that it did when Ken Livingstone was leader. It would have no powers to levy direct taxes, but would take finance from the boroughs and central Government.
The Greater London Authority would take over strategic powers from the London boroughs for transport planning, the environment, fire and civil emergencies, and economic development. It may be given oversight of the London ambulance service, described by Nick Raynsford, the Labour spokesman on London, as "a disgrace".
It would also have authority over the Metropolitan Police, taking away that function from the Home Secretary.
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