Peter Fortune MP called for the London Assembly and London's boroughs to be awarded greater powers to hold the Mayor of London to account, during the English Devolution Bill debate today in Parliament.
He warned that: "There is a glaring democratic and accountability deficit in London, which is why so many of my constituents are now questioning the place of the London borough of Bromley in the Greater London Authority. They have never paid more to City Hall, yet people feel that they are ignored on every issue.
"Anyone who wants to see devolution in London succeed must support measures to make the Mayor of London more accountable.
"First, this Bill introduces simple majority voting in combined authorities as the default decision-making process, but it stops short of doing that in the London Assembly. That is a mistake. It should abolish the two-thirds majority requirement to amend budgets and strategies, allowing a simple majority of Assembly members to force changes. That alone would transform London’s politics and force mayors to the table.
"Secondly, this Government should consult on a new model to give the 32 boroughs a voice and a vote in London, so that Bromley can no longer be ignored.
"Finally, this Bill should give the London Assembly the power to call in mayoral decisions.
"My constituents in Bromley and Biggin Hill have had enough of being ignored by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. If the Government want to maintain the support of Londoners for devolution, the London Mayor must be made accountable."
