The Lord Mayor of the City of London is the head of the City of
London Corporation. He is also the ambassador for the UK based
financial services industry which is headquartered in the City, but
includes the regional financial centres such as Edinburgh, Glasgow,
Leeds, Manchester and Bristol. This task necessitates much time
overseas in promoting the services of the City. During these visits
the Lord Mayor will obviously take the opportunity to promote
London as a whole. As part of his ambassadorial role for financial
services he also receives visiting Heads of State and Governments
on behalf of the British government and the City. He hosts
seminars, conferences and banquets for them, as well as other
entertainment for overseas ministers and business leaders.
Boris Johnson, on the other hand, is the
Mayor of London covering the City of London and the 32 boroughs. He
was elected on 2 May 2008. Along with the London Assembly of
25 members he is accountable for the strategic government of
Greater London. This entails responsibility for transport – through
Transport for London; economic development through the London
Development Agency; police, civil defence and fire services;
planning; the environment; as well as the championing and
coordination of London-wide events such as major sporting
competitions – and the recent successful bid for the Olympics in
2005. The Mayor has no revenue raising powers other than possible
congestion charges for road traffic and work-place parking charges.
The Mayors and Councils of the 32 London Boroughs stay and these
authorities continue to be involved in and responsible for the
delivery of local services. These include education, social
services, non strategic planning, consumer protection and services
such as parks and gardens.
The City of London Corporation provides its own local government
services. It remains responsible for its open spaces (Epping
Forest, Burnham Beeches, Hampstead Heath, West Ham Park and the
Kent and Surrey Commons), its five bridges over the Thames
(including the Millennium Bridge), the Barbican Centre and the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the quarantine station at
Heathrow Airport and Port Health for the Port of London. The
substantial partnership work with neighbouring Boroughs in
alleviating deprivation and unemployment in its adjacent areas
continues as a priority issue for the City of London.
Despite the similarity in titles, the two posts of Lord Mayor of
the City of London and the Mayor of London do not conflict. They
work together and complement each other. In summary, the City
corporation plays the specialised, flagship role of promoting
London's financial and business services, with the City's Policy
and Resources Committee Chairman working with government and
Brussels on policy issues, and the Lord Mayor a worldwide
ambassador for the UK-based financial-services industry. The Mayor
of London's job is to get in place the transport infrastructure and
planning frameworks, make sure the capital as a whole benefits from
this growth, and promote London as the world's most international
city.
The Mayor and Greater London Assembly can be
contacted at City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London SE1 2AA. Tel 020
7983 4000. For further information
visit
the GLA website or the Mayor's website .