Greater London Authority [Archive]

Election of London Mayor

Ken Livingstone is elected Mayor of London, 4th May 2000

Candidate	Party	1st Preference	%	2nd Preference	%
Ken Livingstone	Independent	667,877	38.96	776,427	57.92
Steven Norris	Conservative	464,434	27.09	564,137	42.08
Frank Dobson	Labour	223,884	13.06
Susan Kramer	Liberal Democrat	203,452	11.87
Ram Gidoomal	Christian Peoples Alliance	42,060	2.45
Darren Johnson	Green Party	38,121	2.22
Michael Newlands	British National Party	33,569	1.96
Damian Hockney	UK Independence Party	16,324	0.95
Geoffrey Ben-Nathan	Pro-Motorist and Small Shop	9,956	0.58
Ashwin Tanna	Independent	9,015	0.53
Geoffrey Clements	Natural Law Party	5,470	0.32

Turnout: 33.6%

Other relevant sites:

List of all candidates for the GLA compiled by David Boothroyd
Online opinion poll
Fantasymayor.com claims to find the mayoral candidate closest to your policy preferences
GLA Conservatives
Greater London Labour Party
London Socialist Alliance
The BBC seems to have several pages on the election including Battle for London, Mayor News, and London Mayor contest online
Guardian Unlimited has a mayoral site.
The Times has an election page.
London Net News
Map of the constituencies for the GLA

In the Labour Party selection process, Frank Dobson received 49.57%, Ken Livingstone 46.01%, and Glenda Jackson 4.42%. After redistributing Glenda Jackson's vote the final result was:

Frank Dobson: 51.53%
Ken Livingstone: 48.47%

The preferences in each section of the electoral college was as follows:

	Members	Unions	MPs, MEPs, & GLA cand.
First Preferences
Dobson	35.3%	26.9%	86.5%
Jackson	9.8%	2.1%	1.3%
Livingstone	54.9%	71.0%	12.2%
After Redistribution
Dobson	40.1%	28.0%	86.5%
Livingstone	59.9%	72.0%	13.5%

Source: The Times

Background

A Referendum to determine whether a Greater London Authority should be set up was held on 7th May 1998. The question was:

Are you in favour of the government's proposals for a Greater London Authority, made up of an elected Mayor and a separately elected assembly?

Voters could answer YES or NO.

The result was:
YES: 1,230,715 (72%)
NO: 478,413 (28%)
Total voters = 1,735,499

GLA FAQ

The Mayor of London, elected every four years by the supplementary vote system, will have a budget of some £3.3 billion but no special new tax-raising powers, and a staff of roughly 250. Some money may be raised through traffic charges in London. Up to £20 million will be spent on setting up the new authority, while running costs will be split between central government (80%, including some tied grants) and council tax (20%). The Mayor's salary will be around £90,000 pa and he/she is expected to be in post by March 2,000.

There will be a London Assembly of 25 members, elected every four years by the additional member system (14 FPTP, 11 from party lists). It will be able to put the Mayor's proposals and performance through a process of public scrutiny via a monthly questioning and an annual state of London debate, and will have some powers in respect of the budget. There will also be a 6-monthly opportunity for voters to question the Mayor directly.

The white paper says the Mayor will be responsible for

Transport: a new body, Transport for London, appointed by the Mayor, will run the Undergound, buses, and taxis, etc., and will oversee the road network. The Secretary of State will have a reserve power to direct the GLA to amend its integrated transport strategy if it thinks it is necessary.
Planning: the Mayor will produce a strategic plan for London, and will have a power to direct refusal on major planning applications of strategic importance.
Economic development and regeneration: a new body the London Development Agency will be created, which the Mayor will appoint. The Mayor will set the economic development and tourism strategies for London.
The environment: the Mayor will promote biodiversity and sustainable development, and develop an environmental strategy
Policing: a new Metropolitan Police Authority of 23 members will be set up, of which the Mayor will appoint 11 members from the Assembly. The budget will bt set by the Mayor and approved by the Assembly.
Fire and emergency planning: a new Fire Emergency Planning Authority will be created; the Mayor will appoint its 17 members and Chair, and set the budget.
Culture, media, and sport: the Mayor will produce a strategy, and will nominate members of a number of Boards; a lot remains to be worked out in this sector. The Mayor will promote London as a major capital.
Health: The GLA will not have any executive function in relation to health, nor is it responsible for the London Ambulance Service. It is hard to see why this is listed as one of the responsibilities.

Notes on the Budget

It is required that the budget be set by 1st March. The Mayor is required to consult the Assembly before presenting a final budget. The Assembly cannot simply reject a budget without amendment. A vote to reject the budget would require 66% of those voting to agree an alternative budget. In the face of opposition that cannot command a 66% majority for an alternative, the Mayor's budget is adopted.

Greater London Authority (Referendum) Act 1998

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Last Modified: 17 Nov 10