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Chair and Deputy Chair of the Assembly |
| Functions. |
42. - (1) There shall be-
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(a) an office of Chair of the London Assembly ("the Chair of the Assembly"); and |
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(b) an office of Deputy Chair of the London Assembly ("the Deputy Chair of the Assembly"). |
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(2) The Chair of the Assembly shall have-
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(a) the function of chairing meetings of the Assembly; and |
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(b) such other functions as may be conferred or imposed upon him by or under this Act or any other enactment, whenever passed or made. |
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(3) Subsection (2)(a) above is subject to any provision made by or under this Act or any other enactment, whenever passed or made, or by the standing orders of the Authority.
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(4) The Deputy Chair of the Assembly shall have-
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(a) the function of chairing meetings of the Assembly when authorised or required to do so by or under this Act or any other enactment, whenever passed or made, or in accordance with the standing orders of the Authority; and |
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(b) such other functions as may be conferred or imposed upon him by or under this Act or any other enactment, whenever passed or made. |
| Appointment. |
43. - (1) The Chair of the Assembly and the Deputy Chair of the Assembly shall each be elected at a meeting of the Assembly.
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(2) The Chair of the Assembly and the Deputy Chair of the Assembly must be elected from among the members of the Assembly.
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(3) A person must not hold the offices of Chair of the Assembly and Deputy Chair of the Assembly at the same time.
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(4) The Deputy Mayor is not eligible to be the Chair of the Assembly or the Deputy Chair of the Assembly.
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(5) If the Deputy Chair of the Assembly is elected to fill a vacancy in the office of Chair of the Assembly, a vacancy shall arise in the office of Deputy Chair of the Assembly.
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(6) If a vacancy arises in the office of Chair of the Assembly or Deputy Chair of the Assembly, the first business at the next meeting of the Assembly shall be to fill the vacancy.
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(7) A person elected Chair of the Assembly or Deputy Chair of the Assembly shall not act in that office unless or until he has satisfied in respect of his office as an Assembly member the requirements of section 23(1) above.
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Meetings and procedure of the Assembly |
| Meetings of the whole Assembly. |
44. - (1) Before the expiration of the period of ten days following the day of the poll at an ordinary election, there shall be a meeting of the Assembly to elect-
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(a) the Chair of the Assembly; and |
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(b) the Deputy Chair of the Assembly. |
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(2) Not later than 15 days after the day of the poll at the first ordinary election, and thereafter at intervals of not more than one month, there shall be a meeting of the Assembly-
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(a) to consider the Mayor's monthly written report under section 37 above, and |
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(b) to enable Assembly members to question the Mayor or any employees of the Authority who are required to attend such meetings and answer questions put to them by Assembly members. |
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(3) Notice of the time and place of any meeting to be held pursuant to subsection (2) above shall be given to the Mayor at least fourteen days prior to the date of the meeting.
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(4) An extraordinary meeting of the Assembly may be called at any time by the Chair of the Assembly.
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(5) If-
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(a) the Chair of the Assembly refuses to call an extraordinary meeting of the Assembly after a requisition for that purpose, signed by five Assembly members, has been presented to him, or |
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(b) if, without so refusing, the Chair of the Assembly does not call an extraordinary meeting within seven days after such a requisition has been presented to him, |
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any five Assembly members may forthwith call an extraordinary meeting of the Assembly.
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(6) Section 46 below shall not apply in relation to any function of the Assembly under this section.
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| Assembly procedure. |
45. - (1) The Assembly may determine its own procedure and that of its committees (including quorum).
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(2) Subsection (1) above is subject to-
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(a) sections 42 to 44 above; |
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(b) Schedules 5 and 6 to this Act; and |
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(c) any other provision made by or under this Act or any other Act (whenever passed) which regulates, or provides for the regulation of, the procedure of the Assembly or committees of the Assembly. |
| Discharge of functions by committees or single members. |
46. - (1) Subject to any express provision contained in this Act or any Act passed after this Act, the Assembly may arrange for any of the functions exercisable by it to be discharged on its behalf-
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(a) by a committee of the Assembly; or |
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(b) by a single member of the Assembly. |
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(2) Any arrangements made by the Assembly under this section for the discharge of functions by a committee or by a member of the Assembly shall not prevent the Assembly from exercising those functions.
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(3) Subsection (1)(b) above does not apply in relation to functions under or by virtue of section 20A of the Police Act 1996 (questions by Assembly members to representatives of the Metropolitan Police Authority).
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| Political composition of Assembly committees. |
47. - (1) Sections 15 to 17 of, and Schedule 1 to, the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (political balance on committees etc) shall have effect in relation to the Assembly, so far as relating to the appointment of members of its committees, as if the Assembly were a relevant authority and its committees were ordinary committees within the meaning of those provisions (and accordingly bodies to which section 15 of that Act applies).
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(2) In the case of any committee of the Assembly, the first appointment of members of the committee shall be an occasion on which the duty imposed by subsection (1) of section 15 of that Act arises in relation to the committee.
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| Openness. |
48. - (1) Part VA of the Local Government Act 1972 (access to meetings and documents of certain authorities, committees and sub-committees) shall have effect as if the Assembly were a principal council, but with the following modifications.
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(2) In the application of Part VA of that Act by subsection (1) above-
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(a) any information furnished to the Authority and available to the Assembly shall be treated as information furnished to the Assembly; |
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(b) any offices of, or belonging to, the Authority shall be treated as also being offices of or belonging to the Assembly; and |
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(c) the proper officer of the Authority shall be taken to be the proper officer in relation to the Assembly. |
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(3) For the purposes of section 100F of that Act (additional rights of access to documents for members of principal councils) any document which is in the possession or under the control of the Authority and which is available to the Assembly shall be treated as a document which is in the possession or under the control of the Assembly.
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(4) In the case of the Assembly, the register of members required to be maintained under section 100G(1) of that Act shall, instead of stating the ward or division which a member represents, state-
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(a) whether the member is a London member or a constituency member; and |
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(b) if he is a constituency member, the Assembly constituency for which he is the member. |
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(5) For the purposes of section 100H(3) of that Act (acts which infringe copyright) the Authority shall be treated as a principal council.
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(6) In the application in relation to the Assembly of Schedule 12A to that Act (access to information: exempt information) any reference to "the authority" includes a reference to the Authority.
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