London Councils

London Councils is the local government association for London, bringing together representatives of the 32 London Boroughs and the City of London Corporation. In October 2006 it changed its name from the Association of London Government ('ALG') in order to refocus its role and avoid confusion with the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the Local Government Association (LGA). London Councils is based on Southwark Street.

London Councils represents London local government to national government, European institutions, business and other bodies, lobbying for investment and funding. It also provides some direct services on behalf of the boroughs, including the Freedom Pass providing more than a million older, disabled and blind people free travel on London’s buses, tubes and trains, and the parking appeals service. The grants committee provides over £27 million in funding for many local groups who work across London boroughs on issues such as conservation, advocacy and arts.

The ALG came out of a merger between the London Boroughs Association and the Association of London Authorities in 1995. The ALA consisted of many, mainly Labour, councils which had left the LBA in the 1980s. The ALG itself merged with several other small organisations upon the creation of the Greater London Authority in 2000. The GLA was a member of the ALG for a period, before Mayor Ken Livingstone fell out with leading councillors and withdrew. The two organisations do coordinate their work however.

The Chair of the ALG, since the Conservative Party gained control in 2006, is Councillor Merrick Cockell of the Kensington and Chelsea, with Stephen Carr of the Bromley as his deputy chair. Previously Labour's Lord Toby Harris (of Haringey) was Chair from 1995 to 2000 and Sir Robin Wales, directly-elected Labour Mayor of Newham, was chair from 2000 to 2006.

ee also

*Local Government Association

External links

* [http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/ London Councils]