A Deputy Mayor is a member of the London Mayoral cabinet, in the executive arm of the Greater London Authority. They serve as political advisors with responsibilities and powers corresponding to portfolios delegated by the Mayor. One of them must be designated as the Statutory Deputy Mayor, a member of the London Assembly who serves as the temporary Mayor during a vacancy or temporary incapacity of the Mayor.[1]
However, in 2001, Ken Livingstone decided not to offer the role to the Conservatives, claiming it would be disruptive,[2] so Nicky Gavron retained the post. In 2002 the Liberal Democrats were asked to nominate a candidate but declined, saying that it would be better to scrutinise the mayor from an independent position.[2][4] Again Nicky Gavron remained. In 2003, the Greens accepted an offer to nominate a deputy mayor and selected Jenny Jones, who became London's second deputy mayor.[2]
Nicky Gavron was originally chosen as the Labour candidate for the 2004 London mayoral election but she stepped aside when Ken Livingstone was invited to rejoin the party. They then ran on a joint ticket as Labour's candidates for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor. She served as Ken Livingstone's deputy for the duration of his second term.
In his first term, Ken Livingstone came under fire for delegating his powers to his chief of staff, Simon Fletcher, rather than the deputy mayor on several occasions.[5]
After Boris Johnson became Mayor of London in May 2008, he appointed Richard Barnes[6] as his statutory Deputy Mayor, with the specific responsibility for community cohesion and regeneration. However, he also gave the title of Deputy Mayor to several other people, each with a specific role: Ian Clement (Government Relations); Kit Malthouse (Policing); and Ray Lewis (Young People).[7]
Sir Simon Milton, a former councillor, served as Deputy Mayor of Policy and Planning and Chief of Staff to Johnson until his death in office in 2011. In May 2011, Sir Edward Lister was then appointed as his successor. Richard Barnes ceased to be Deputy Mayor on 4 May 2012, when he lost his seat in the Assembly. Victoria Borwick succeeded him in the post.[8][9] Borwick resigned in May 2015, following her election as Member of Parliament for Kensington, being succeeded by Roger Evans.[10]
Johnson mayoral cabinet
Portfolio
Deputy Mayor
Term
First Johnson mayoralty
Statutory Deputy Mayor Communities, Cohesion and Regeneration
The 2016 London mayoral election was won by Sadiq Khan for London Labour.[11] Following the election, he appointed Joanne McCartney Statutory Deputy Mayor, along with nine additional deputy mayors, making Khan the first mayor to use all ten available Deputy Mayor spots.
^Featherstone, Lynne (16 May 2002). "All change for the Tories". lynnefeatherstone.org. Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 26 July 2014. Other hot news – the Liberal Democrat group has turned down the Mayor's offer of the deputy mayor post. Our job is to keep an eye on him – and that is better done from an independent position. It would have been nice – but just not practicable.
