Section 127 to 133: Financial administration
228.Sections 127 to 133 require the GLA and each of the functional bodies to make arrangements for the proper administration of its financial affairs and secure that one of its officers has responsibility for the administration of these affairs (its "chief finance officer"). In most cases, the chief finance officer will be a member of staff with a professional qualification and a member of an approved accountancy body but, in the case of Transport for London and the London Development Agency, provision is made enabling the chief finance officer to be a member of the body rather than a member of staff. A Mayor who chooses to chair TfL must not also be its chief finance officer. The GLA's chief finance officer will be appointed by the Assembly rather than the Mayor. No person may be the chief finance officer of the GLA and a functional body, or of two functional bodies.
229.A chief finance officer of the GLA or a functional body ("relevant authority") will carry out the functions of the post in accordance with the provisions of section 114 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988. He is required to make a report to the relevant authority in respect of decisions involving unlawful expenditure or unlawful actions or unlawful items of account. In preparing the report, the chief finance officer of the GLA, the Metropolitan Police Authority or the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority should consult the head of paid service and the monitoring officer. The chief finance officer of the London Development Agency should consult its chief executive and the chief finance officer of Transport for London should consult a designated member of the body or of its staff. A chief finance officer will copy reports to each member of the relevant authority (which, in the case of the GLA itself means the Mayor and each member of the Assembly) and, where the report concerns a functional body, to the Mayor and the Chair of the Assembly as well.
230.Section 131 sets out the duties of a relevant authority as regards a chief finance officer's report. A functional body and, in the case of the GLA, the Assembly must consider it at a meeting within a period of 21 days beginning from the day on which copies of the report are sent. The public access provisions of Part VA of the Local Government Act 1972 will apply to such a meeting (and provision is made to apply that Part to Transport for London and the London Development Agency). Where a report is made by the chief finance officer of the GLA, the Assembly will consider it at a meeting which the Mayor must attend. After the meeting, and taking account of the views of the Assembly, the Mayor will decide whether he agrees with the views contained in the report and what, if any, action he proposes to take.