About the London Assembly Lib Dems

WHAT IS THE LONDON ASSEMBLY?

Elected by the people of London, the Assembly consists of 25 members. There are three Liberal Democrat members: Dee Doocey, Caroline Pidgeon and Mike Tuffrey. You can find out more information here: http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/assembly_about.jsp

Read more about:

• Dee Doocey

• Caroline Pidgeon

• Mike Tuffrey

The current Assembly was elected in May 2008; the next elections will take place in 2012.

AND WHAT DOES IT DO?

Keeping a check on the Mayor

The members examine the Mayor's activities, questioning him about his decisions and scrutinising his policies.

Reviewing the Mayor's strategies for London

The Mayor is obliged to produce strategies on transport, buildings and land use, economic development and regeneration, culture and the environment.

A consultation draft strategy is produced for the Assembly to scrutinise, and to which members can suggest changes.

Currently, members are investigating issues such as:

* the state of London's economy

* transport fares

* the poor performance of Dial-a-Ride

A balance on the Mayor's budget

• The Mayor's budget covers the core GLA and the four major functional bodies in the GLA family: the Metropolitan Police Authority, the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, the London Development Agency and Transport for London.

• After members scrutinise the budget, the Assembly has powers to amend it subject to a two-thirds majority decision.

London Assembly meetings

The Assembly has regular meetings throughout the year at City Hall.

The Mayor must attend ten question time sessions each year at which members question him about his policies and actions.

There are also Assembly committee meetings and scrutinies of the Mayor's policies. The Mayor, his advisors, chairs of the GLA Group organisations and other invitees sometimes also appear in front of the Assembly to answer questions.

The GLA Group

The Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) is responsible for maintaining an effective and efficient police service for London.

Both Dee Doocey and Caroline Pidgeon serve on the MPA.

The Assembly provides members to serve on the Metropolitan Police Authority, the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority and the London Development Agency.

The London Fire & Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) oversees the running of the London Fire Brigade and is responsible for community fire safety programmes. LFEPA is also responsible for emergency planning, and it works with the boroughs to ensure that plans and procedures are in place to deal with an emergency anywhere in London.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on LFEPA is Councillor Ed Butcher from Haringey. Caroline Pidgeon also serves on LFEPA.

The London Development Agency co-ordinates economic development and regeneration across the capital. Peter Truesdale, the Liberal Democrat Councillor for Bishops Ward in Lambeth, serves on the LDA Board.

The Group also includes Transport for London (TfL), which is responsible for the day-to-day running of almost all modes of transport in London.