A capital conundrum: how to govern London
Researcher
Last week London Councils — the body representing all 33 local authorities in the capital — called for London to shift towards something akin to the combined authority governance model.
They proposed creating a board, comprising the Mayor of London and the London Council’s Executive Committee, to make decisions on devolved powers and funding. This joint decision-making approach is roughly the same as that of combined authorities outside of London, for example Greater Manchester, West Midlands and Tees Valley.
There are certainly upsides to this approach. As we discussed in our report last month, London local authorities lack the formalised role in city and regional governance that their counterparts in combined authorities have. This can increase the disconnect between the Mayor of London and council leaders, resulting in fraught relations which undermine policymaking and delivery. Giving council leaders a ‘seat at the table’ could allow for better-informed and more collaborative decisions.
Furthermore, some of the criticisms of this proposal have been unjust. The combined authority model certainly needs improving. But it is not true to claim that, outside of Manchester, it has worked poorly.
Nor is it fair to characterise this as the London boroughs taking part in “mischiefmaking” and trying to “muscle their way into city hall”. London should be seeking greater devolved powers and funding. However, these levers would be ineffective if governance structures are not set up appropriately. In the 25th year of the Greater London Authority (GLA) — an institution no one would label an unqualified success — it is eminently sensible for London Councils to be considering other options.
This, however, gets to the nub of the problem. London is an entirely different beast compared to the places where the combined authority model is proliferating. It is one of the only truly global cities, with an economy, population and culture more comparable to New York and Paris than Birmingham and Manchester.
Maybe some variation of the combined authority model could work. But given London’s uniqueness, rushing into this risks exacerbating, rather than addressing, current frustrations with London governance.
London Councils’ proposals are a welcome intervention. Yet more work is needed exploring other options. What can we learn from other global cities (something which the GLA and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government are investigating)? Are there too many London boroughs? Is London the right size? Can sub-regional partnerships play a role? How would an Integrated Settlement in 2026-27 work?
London is (arguably) the best city in the world. How it is governed is crucial to its success and, by extension, the UK’s success. We cannot afford to get it wrong.