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Greater London Authority Act 1999

  • Explanatory Notes Table of contents

Please note:

All reference to 'Parts' and 'sections' are from the Greater London Authority Act 1999. For other versions of these Explanatory Notes, see More Resources.

  1. Introduction

  2. Summary

  3. Background

    1. The Greater London Authority

      1. The Mayor of London

      2. The London Assembly

      3. Public Accountability

      4. Elections to the GLA

    2. GLA Financial Systems

    3. Functions of the GLA

      1. Transport

      2. Economic Development

      3. Police

      4. Fire and Emergency Planning

      5. Planning

      6. Environment

      7. Culture

  4. The Act

  5. Commentary on Sections

    1. Part I: the Greater London Authority

      1. Section 1: The Authority and Section 2: Membership

      2. Sections 3 and 4: Ordinary elections

      3. The Mayoral Poll

      4. Worked example of Mayoral poll

      5. Voting for the Assembly

      6. Sections 5 to 11: Vacancies in the Assembly

      7. Sections 12 to 16: Vacancy in the office of the Mayor

      8. Section 17: Franchise, conduct of elections etc.

      9. Sections 18 and 19: Cost of holding the first ordinary elections

      10. Sections 20 to 23: Qualifications and disqualifications

      11. Sections 24 to 26: Salaries, expenses and pensions

      12. Section 28: Declaration of acceptance of office

    2. Part Ii: General Functions and Procedure

      1. Sections 30 to 34: The general and subsidiary powers of the Authority

      2. Sections 35 to 37: Exercise of functions: general principles

      3. Sections 38 to 40: Functions exercisable by the Mayor

      4. Sections 41 to 44: The Mayor's strategies

      5. Sections 45 to 48: Public accountability

      6. Section 49: The Deputy Mayor

      7. Sections 50 and 51: Chair and Deputy Chair of the Assembly

      8. Sections 52 to 60: Meetings and procedure of the Assembly

      9. Sections 59 and 60: General functions of the Assembly

      10. Sections 61 to 65: Attendance of witnesses and production of documents

      11. Section 66: Ethical standards

      12. Sections 67 to 73: Staff

      13. Sections 74 to 76: General local authority provisions

      14. Sections 77 to 79: Local Bills

      15. Section 80: Contracts

    3. Part Iii: Financial Provisions

      1. Chapter I: Council Tax

      2. Chapter Ii: Grants and Redistributed Non-Domestic Rates

        1. Sections 100 and 101: Grants

        2. Sections 102 and 103: Distribution of grants etc.

      3. Chapter Iii: Emergency Financial Assistance, Funds and Miscellaneous Matters

        1. Section 104: Emergency Financial Assistance

        2. Section 105: Component budgets: anticipation of certain levies

        3. Section 106: The Authority's general fund

        4. Section 107: Judicial review

        5. Section 108: Functions to be discharged only by certain authorities

        6. Section 109: Information

        7. Section 110: Provision of information by functional bodies to Mayor or Assembly

      4. Chapter Iv: Revenue Accounts and Capital Finance

        1. Section 111: Application of Part IV of Local Government and Housing Act 1989

        2. Sections 112 to 118: Credit approvals

        3. Section 119 to 121: Capital receipts and mutual grants

        4. Sections 122 and 123: The Mayor's capital spending plan

        5. Sections 124 to 126: Supplementary provisions

      5. Chapter V: Financial Administration, Accounts and Audit

        1. Section 127 to 133: Financial administration

        2. Sections 133 to 135: Accounts and audit

      6. Chapter Vi: Miscellaneous and Supplementary Provisions

        1. Section 136: Amendment of cross references to the Local Government Act 1999

        2. Section 137: Council tax: no crown exemption for Authority or functional bodies

        3. Section 138: No discretionary rate relief for functional bodies

        4. Section 139: Local Loans

    4. Part Iv: Transport

      1. Chapter I: Transport Functions of the Authority

        1. Section 141: The general transport duty

        2. Sections 142 to 144: The transport strategy

        3. Sections 145 to 153: Local implementation plans

      2.  Chapter Ii: Transport for London

        1. Sections 154 to 168: Transport for London

      3. Chapter Iii: London Regional Transport

        1. Sections 170 to 172

      4. Chapter Iv: Public Passenger Transport

        1. Sections 173 to 178

      5. Chapter V: Regulation of Bus Services in Greater London

        1. Sections 179 and 180: Introductory

        2. Sections 181 to 184: The London bus network

        3. Sections 185 to 190: Bus services outside the network

        4. Section 191 and 192: Guidance document

      6. Chapter Vi - Railways

        1. Sections 196 and 197: The Authority and the Franchising Director

        2. Sections 203 to 204: Closures

        3. Sections 205 to 207: Miscellaneous

        4. Section 208 : Docklands Light Railway

        5. Section 209 : Croydon Tramlink

      7. Chapter Vii: Public-Private Partnership Agreements

        1. Sections 210 to 212: Introductory

        2. Sections 213 to 217: Key system assets

        3. Sections 218 and 219: Land

        4. Sections 220 to 224: Insolvency

        5. Sections 225 to 237: The PPP Arbiter

        6. Sections 238 and 239: Miscellaneous and supplementary

      8. Chapter Viii: Travel Concessions

        1. Sections 240 to 244: Travel Concessions

      9. Chapter Ix: Penalty Fares

      10. Chapter X: London Transport Users' Committee

      11. Chapter Xi: Hackney Carriages and Private Hire Vehicles

        1. Section 253 and Schedule 20

        2. Section 254 and Schedule 21

        3. Section 255

      12. Chapter Xii: Water Transport

      13. Chapter Xiii: Highways

        1. Sections 259 to 263: GLA Roads

        2. Sections 264 and 265: Transfers of property and liabilities upon a road becoming or ceasing to be a GLA Road

        3. Section 266: London borough councils

        4. Sections 267 to 270: Miscellaneous and supplementary

      14. Chapter Xiv: Road Traffic

        1. Sections 271 to 274: Transport for London as a traffic authority

        2. Sections 275 to 278: Traffic control systems in Greater London

        3. Sections 279 and 280: Road safety and traffic reduction

        4. Sections 281 to 287: Parking

        5. Sections 288  to 290: School crossing patrols and parking attendants

        6. Sections 291 to 294: Miscellaneous and supplementary provisions

      15. Chapter Xv - New Charges and Levies

        1. Section 295: Road user charging

        2. Section 296: Workplace parking levy

      16. Chapter Xvi: Transition from London Regional Transport to Transport for London

    5. Part V: the London Development Agency

      1. Section 304: Appointment of members of the Agency by the Mayor

      2. Section 305: Delegation of functions by Ministers to the Mayor

      3. Sections 306 and 307: The London Development Agency strategy

      4. Section 308: Audit

      5. Section 309: Further amendments to the RDA Act

    6. Part Vi: Police and Probation Services

      1. Sections 310 and 312 and Schedule 26: Establishment, membership and duty to maintain police force

      2. Section 311: Assimilation of general functions to those of other police authorities

      3. Section 313: Openness

      4. Sections 314 to 322: Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, Assistant Commissioners, Commanders and other members of the metropolitan police force

      5. Sections 323 and 324: Alteration of the metropolitan police district

      6. Section 325 and Schedule 27: Further amendments relating to metropolitan police etc

      7. Section 326: The probation service

      8. Section 327: Abolition of office of Receiver

    7. Part Vii – the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority

      1. Section 328: Reconstitution of the Fire etc. Authority

      2. Section 329: Role as the fire authority for Greater London

      3. Section 330: Civil Defence

      4. Sections 331 to 333: Openness, discharge of functions and miscellaneous powers and duties

    8. Part Viii: Planning

      1. Sections 334 to 338: The Mayor's spatial development strategy

      2. Sections 339 to 341: Review, alteration and replacement

      3. Sections 342: Matters to which the Mayor is to have regard

      4. Sections 344 and 345: Amendments to the Town and Country Planning Act 1990

      5. Section 346: Monitoring and data collection

      6. Sections 348 and 349: The Mayor’s functions in relation to planning around Greater London and abolition of joint planning committee for Greater London and.

    9. Part Ix: Environmental Functions

      1. Section 351: The Mayor's environmental report

      2. Section 352: The Mayor's Biodiversity Action Plan

      3. Sections 353 to 361: Municipal waste management

      4. Section 361: waste recycling plans

      5. Sections 362 to 369: Air Quality

      6. Section 363: Directions by the Secretary of State

      7. Section 364: Duty of local authorities in Greater London

      8. Section 365: Directions by the Mayor

      9. Section 367: Directions under the Environment Act 1995

      10. Sections 368 and 369: Consultation

      11. Section 370: The ambient noise strategy

      12. Sections 371 and 372: Consultation about aviation noise

    10. Part X: Culture, Media and Sport

      1. Section 375: The Cultural Strategy Group for London

      2. Section 376: The Mayor's culture strategy

      3. Section 377: Assistance by the Mayor for museums, galleries, etc.

      4. Sections 378 to 379 and 381 to 382: The Mayor's tourism functions

      5. Section 380 Powers of delegation under Part X

      6. Chapter II

        1. Sections 383 and 384: Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square

        2. Section 385: Byelaws

        3. Section 386 Guidance

    11. Part Xi: Miscellaneous and General Provisions

      1. Section 387: The Trustee Investments Act 1961

      2. Section 388 : The Local Authorities (Goods and Services) Act 1970

      3. Section 389: The Superannuation Act 1972

      4. Section 390: The Superannuation Act 1972: delegation of functions

      5. Section 391: The Race Relations Act 1976

      6. Section 392: The Stock Transfer Act 1982

      7. Section 393: Companies in which local authorities have interests

      8. Section 394: Investigation by the Commission for Local Administration

      9. Section 395: Provision of information, advice and assistance by functional bodies

      10. Sections 396 to 399: Research and collection of information; information schemes; London Research Centre etc.

      11. Section 400: Overseas Assistance

      12. Section 401: Accommodation for Authority and functional bodies

      13. Section 402 and 403: London Pensions Fund Authority

      14. Section 404: Discrimination

    12. Part Xii: Supplementary Provisions

      1. Section 405:  Power to amend Acts and subordinate legislation

      2. Section 406: Transitional and consequential provision

      3. Section 407:  Appointments by the Secretary of State

      4. Sections 408 and 409:  Transfers of property, rights or liabilities and transfer schemes

      5. Schedule 31: Transfer Schemes

      6. Section 410:   Contracts of employment etc

      7. Section 411:   Pensions

      8. Schedule 32: London Regional Transport pension etc schemes

      9. Section 412:   Transfer and pension instruments:  common provisions

      10. Section 413:   Modification of transfer or pension instruments

      11. Section 414:  Foreign property, rights or liabilities: perfection of vesting

      12. Section 415 and 416:  Continuity

      13. Sections 417 to 419 and Schedule 33: Taxation

  6. COMMENCEMENT:  Section 425

  7. Hansard References

  • Explanatory Notes Table of contents

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Explanatory Notes

Text created by the government department responsible for the subject matter of the Act to explain what the Act sets out to achieve and to make the Act accessible to readers who are not legally qualified. Explanatory Notes were introduced in 1999 and accompany all Public Acts except Appropriation, Consolidated Fund, Finance and Consolidation Acts.

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