Agenda and minutes
London Assembly (Plenary) - Wednesday 28 January 2015 10.00 am

To receive any apologies for absence and any announcements from the Chairman.

1.1  There were no apologies for absence.

The Assembly is recommended to:

(a)  Note the list of offices held by Assembly Members, as set out in the table at Agenda Item 2, as disclosable pecuniary interests;

(b)   Note the declaration by any Member(s) of any disclosable pecuniary interests in specific items listed on the agenda and the necessary action taken by the Member(s) regarding withdrawal following such declaration(s); and

(c)   Note the declaration by any Member(s) of any other interests deemed to be relevant (including any interests arising from gifts and hospitality received which are not at the time of the meeting reflected on the Authority’s register of gifts and hospitality, and noting also the advice from the GLA’s Monitoring Officer set out at Agenda Item 2) and to note any necessary action taken by the Member(s) following such declaration(s).

2.1  Resolved:

That the list of Assembly Members’ offices, as set out in the tables at Agenda Item 2, be noted as disclosable pecuniary interests.

(Circulated separately)

The Draft Consolidated Budget 2015-16 has been circulated for the Assembly’s consideration.

The Mayor will present his Report to the Assembly at the meeting.

3.1  The Assembly received an oral statement from the Mayor on his Draft 2015/16 Consolidated Budget for the GLA group proposals and received the Mayor’s Draft 2015/16 Consolidated Budget document.

3.2  A copy of the Mayor’s statement is attached at Appendix 1.

The document sets out the Assembly’s Budget and Performance Committee’s response to the Mayor’s budget proposals for 2015-16, based on evidence taken from the functional bodies and the GLA during the budget development and consultation processes. It highlights the key issues raised during the Committee’s deliberations and offers comments to the Mayor on his consultation budget.

The Budget and Performance Committee’s comments relate to the Mayor’s proposals that were published for consultation on 19 December 2014 and not on the Draft Consolidated Budget published with this agenda.

The Assembly is recommended to note the response by the London Assembly’s Budget and Performance Committee to the Mayor’s Draft Consultation Budget for 2015-16.

3.3  The Chairman of the Assembly’s Budget and Performance Committee, John Biggs AM, presented that Committee’s response to the Mayor of London’s GLA Group Budget Proposals and Precepts 2015/16 Consultation Document.

3.4  A copy of the statement by the Chairman of the Assembly’s Budget and Performance Committee is attached as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3b

Assembly Members will put questions to the Mayor on the six sections of the Draft Consolidated Budget document.

3.6  Assembly Members put questions to the Mayor on each of the six component budgets set out within his Draft Consolidated Budget proposals. 

3.7  Sir Edward Lister, Chief of Staff and Deputy Mayor for Planning, and Martin Clarke, Executive Director of Resources, were also in attendance for the duration of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3c

The Assembly is under a duty to consider the Mayor’s Draft Consolidated Budget and to approve it, with or without amendment (paragraph 5(3) of Schedule 6 of the GLA Act 1999 (as amended)).

The following substantive motion is before the Assembly:

“To approve the Draft Consolidated Budget for 2015-16, together with the draft component budgets comprised within it, with or without amendment.”

[Note: In accordance with GLA Standing Order 6.12 B, the motion set out above shall be considered without being proposed or seconded by a Member. The motion may be amended by a Budget Amendment, in accordance with the procedures described in Standing Orders 6.10, 6.12 and 6.16. The Assembly will consider amendments to the Draft Consolidated Budget, and budget-related motions (if any).

If a Budget Amendment is carried by the requisite majority (at this stage, a simple majority of votes cast) then the substantive motion shall fall and the Draft Consolidated Budget shall be deemed agreed as amended. The Mayor is under a duty to respond to any amendments passed when he presents his Final Budget.

If no amendment is agreed, or if the substantive motion is not passed (whether put to the vote or not) then the  ...  view the full agenda text for item 3d

3.9  At 12.23pm, the Chairman adjourned the meeting until 1.25pm. The meeting reconvened at 1.25pm, to conclude the question and answer session with the Mayor and to then proceed to debate the budget proposals

3.10  The substantive motion before the Assembly was: “To approve the Draft Consolidated Budget for 2015/16,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3d

Report of the Head of Paid Service

Contact: Patrick Alleyne, [email protected], 020 7983 4140

The Assembly is recommended to:

(a)  Confirm (noting that it is a joint decision with Mayor) that the pay award made to GLA staff should also be made to the Statutory Officers and agree that the pay of one of the Statutory Officers should be  corrected, as set out in paragraph 4.7 of the report; 

(b)  Note that, in accordance with the Senior Salaries Review Body recommendation (agreed in 2009) to apply future local government awards to the pay of the Mayor and Assembly, the local government pay settlement of 2.2% (from 1 January 2015) will be applied to the pay of Assembly Members and the Mayor; and

(c)  Agree (noting it is a joint decision with the Mayor) the minor changes to the Statutory Officers’ protocol.

4.1  The Assembly received the report of the Head of Paid Service.

4.2  Resolved:

(a)  That (noting that it is a joint decision with Mayor) the pay award made to GLA staff be made to the Statutory Officers and that the pay of one of the Statutory Officers be corrected,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The next meeting of the London Assembly is currently scheduled to be the London Assembly (Plenary) meeting due to take place at 10.00am on Wednesday 11 February 2015 in the Chamber, City Hall.

However, at the London Assembly (Mayor's Question Time) meeting on Wednesday 21 January 2015, the Assembly will be asked to consider delegating authority to the Chairman of the Assembly to reschedule the existing February London Assembly (Plenary) meeting if/as necessary to an appropriate time and date so that that meeting may be used formally to consider and debate the draft further alterations to the London Plan, once received, and to agree the arrangements for any rescheduled meeting.

5.1  The next meeting of London Assembly had been scheduled to be the Plenary meeting due to take place at 10.00 am on Wednesday 11 February 2015. However, as the Chairman had, during the course of the meeting, formally received the Draft Further Alterations to the London Plan for the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.1  There were no items of urgent business.

7.1  The meeting ended at 4:30pm.