Greater London Authority Act 1999 Explanatory Notes

Sections 67 to 73: Staff

136.Section 67 provides for the appointment of three categories of employees of the Authority, and also provides for them to be appointed to the Authority in different ways.

137.Under the provisions of section 67(1)(a), the Mayor will be able to appoint two political advisers. They will be personal appointments made by the Mayor alone, and the jobs will not need to be advertised or be subject to competition. The Mayor will be required to report to the Assembly the terms and conditions of the appointments, including their duration. No appointment in this category can extend beyond the term of office for which the Mayor is elected.

138.The Mayor will also be able to appoint not more than 10 other members of staff - section 67(1)(b). These posts will be advertised and open to competition, and appointments will be made on merit in line with the provisions of section 7 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. The Mayor will be required to report to the Assembly who has been appointed to each of the posts, and the terms and conditions under which the appointment has been made. No appointment in this category can extend beyond the term of office for which the Mayor is elected.

139.Under the provisions of section 67(2), the Assembly, or a committee or individual member of the Assembly, or a member of staff of the Authority, appointed under the provisions of section 67(2), to whom the function has been delegated, will appoint all other employees of the Authority.

140.Appointments under section 67 will be made subject to the restrictions and terms and conditions set out in sections 68 to 71 of the Act which reflect provisions in local government legislation for the appointment of local authority officers.

141.Section 72 requires the Authority to appoint a Head of Paid Service who will have the same duties as those imposed by section 4 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 on the Head of Paid Service in local authorities, and who will, in addition, have other responsibilities which reflect the separation of powers between the Mayor and Assembly. The appointment of the Head of Paid Service will be made by the Assembly following consultation with the Mayor.

142.Section 73 requires the Authority to appoint a Monitoring Officer. The Monitoring Officer will have the same duties as those imposed by section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 in relation to local authorities, and additional powers to reflect the separation of powers between the Mayor and the Assembly. The Monitoring Officer will act as monitoring Officer to Transport for London and the London Development Agency where they are exercising any function delegated to them by the Mayor under section 38 of the Act. This section also sets out the procedures to be followed when the Monitoring Officer submits a report to the Mayor and Assembly

Back to top