What do the Mayor of London and the London Assembly do?

London has one Mayor and 25 Assembly Members – who are elected by you.

They work with London’s councils, central government and many others on different aspects of London life.

The Mayor of London

The Mayor’s job is to make London a better place for everyone who visits, lives or works in the city.

This ranges from developing policies to setting budgets, from overseeing major programmes to championing London around the world – all in line with the Mayor’s vision and in the interests of London and Londoners.

The London Assembly

The London Assembly is made up of 25 Members - 11 represent the whole capital and 14 are elected by London’s constituencies. The 14 constituencies are made up of two or more local authorities, for example; Barnet and Camden make up one constituency. You can see all the Assembly constituencies on this map.

The Assembly acts as the eyes and ears of Londoners at City Hall. Members hold the Mayor to account by examining Mayoral strategies, decisions and actions to make sure they are in the public interest. They champion Londoners’ concerns by investigating important issues and pressing for changes to national, Mayoral or local policy.

They also have the power to reject strategies and make changes to budgets when two-thirds of Assembly Members agree. The Mayor is questioned by the Assembly 10 times a year at Mayor’s Question Time.

What are the Mayor and London Assembly responsible for?

There are many areas of London life that are affected by the work of the Mayor of London and the London Assembly, such as policing, transport, housing, planning and the environment. You can find out more about these policy areas below. 

The Mayor plays a key role by putting together plans and policies, and running and funding projects.

But before finalising major strategies, the Mayor must consult with Londoners and their elected representatives on the London Assembly.

The budget

• the Mayor of London’s £20.4bn annual budget is used, among other things, to run public transport, police and fire services, and develop London’s economy and infrastructure
• the London Assembly can amend the Mayor’s budget when two-thirds of the 25 Members agree

What are the Mayor and London Assembly not responsible for?

London’s councils, rather than the Mayor or London Assembly, are directly responsible for many of the services Londoners experience day-to-day like council housing, schools, social services, rubbish collection, street cleaning, parking permits, council tax collection and birth, death and marriage certificates.

Central government leads on the NHS, welfare and most forms of taxation.