London calling

9:41am Thursday 3rd April 2008

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10,000 people from north Essex commute daily to the capital and will be affected by whoever wins the election for one of the most highly-prized and high-profile jobs in English politics. IRIS CLAPP reports.

When Londoners go to the polls on May 1 to elect their mayor, they will be choosing the candidate for a coveted post at the head of an internationally-renowned, sprawling and dynamic metropolis.

The Greater London Authority (GLA), consisting of the mayor and assembly, was first elected in 2000, with the mayor elected for a single constituency of Greater London, an area with 7.5 million people.

The mayor's powers are considerable. They cover, to varying degrees, transport, planning and land use, and responsibilities for economic development, the police and the fire and emergency services.

The transport brief is by far the most powerful, with policies such as the congestion charge and Oyster cards just two of a series of innovations implemented by current mayor Ken Livingstone.

The mayor has "significant" powers over new building and land use through the London Plan, which has the force of law and with which London boroughs must comply, and the post also carries responsibilities for promoting economic development through the London Development Agency.

The mayor sets the budgets of Transport for London, the Metropolitan Police Authority and the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority. He appoints some members of the police and the fire authorities and the boards of Transport for London and the London Development Agency, and controls the management of two of London's most important public spaces, Trafalgar and Parliament Squares.

Tony Travers, a local government expert at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), said the Mayor of London is powerful in relation to certain areas. In transport, he said, the post is more powerful than that of Mayor of New York or Paris.

The Mayor of London is, said Mr Travers, "pretty powerful" once in office. He/she is a directly-elected executive with responsibility for making executive decisions, and is subject to scrutiny by the 25-member London Assembly.

The most powerful intervention open to the Assembly is a once-a-year chance to overturn the mayor's budget, and then only if there is a two-thirds majority in favour of an alternative budget.

"The London mayoral system is analogous to George Bush, with no Congress. That is why the mayor is pretty powerful once he is in office," said Mr Travers.

THE CANDIDATES

Ten people will stand for Mayor of London in the election on May 1.

• Ken Livingstone (Labour)
• Boris Johnson (Conservative)
• Brian Paddick (Liberal Democrat)
• Sian Berry (Green)
• Richard Barnbrook (BNP)
• Alan Craig (Christian Peoples Alliance, The Christian Party)
• Matt O'Connor (English Democrats)
• Winston McKenzie (Independent)
• Lindsey German (Left List)
• Gerard Batten (United Kingdom Independence Party)
  
  THE FRONTRUNNERS
  
  
• KEN LIVINGSTONE, 62. LABOUR.

In the 1980s was a left-wing firebrand who was almost as much of a thorn in the side of Labour's leadership as he was for Margaret Thatcher.

Two decades later, defied Tony Blair's New Labour to win the newly-created position of London mayor.

Born in Lambeth, South London.

Joined the Labour Party in 1969 and become a Labour councillor in Lambeth.

Led the Greater London Council during the early 1980s.

After the Tories abolished the GLC in 1986, he crossed the Thames, becoming MP for Brent East a year later.

Praised for the way he stood up for London after the July, 2005 suicide bombings.

Can also boast of the introduction of the congestion charge, increases in bus services, the 2012 Olympics and getting the organisers of the Tour de France to start last year's race in London.

• BORIS JOHNSON, 43.CONSERVATIVE.

Described variously as a "clown" and a "formidable opponent" by his two main adversaries, Brian Paddick and Ken Livingstone.

Forced to apologise after an editorial in The Spectator magazine said the city of Liverpool "wallowed in victim status" in the wake of the killing of Iraq hostage Ken Bigley.

Also said sorry to Papua New Guinea after linking it with "cannibalism and chief-killing".

Fired from his front-bench job by former boss Michael Howard for denying an extra-marital affair.

Won a cult following among students and the respect of many university and school leaders after becoming Tory higher education spokesman.

He has made transport one of his key policy areas, launching a ferocious assault on the capital's bendy buses and praising the old Routemasters.

Has been MP for the Tory safe seat of Henley since 2001.

• BRIAN PADDICK, 49. LIBERAL DEMOCRAT.

Was the UK's highest-ranking openly gay policeman before he quit as a Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner last year.

Joined the Met in 1976 at 18.

Was a sergeant on the frontline in the 1981 Brixton riots, returning when he became the Met's Commander in Lambeth in 2000.

In 2001, ordered officers in Brixton not to arrest or charge people found with cannabis.

In 2004, said his decision to be open about his sexuality when serving as an inspector was so "gay and lesbian staff in the Met knew there was someone at a senior level that they could come to". Same year promoted to a "desk job" as Deputy Assistant Commissioner.

In 2006, was moved away from role as second-in-command of Met's Territorial Policing division to position setting up new information system after row with Met Commissioner Sir Ian Blair.