Londoners ‘don’t know what Assembly does’

Many people in the capital have no idea what the London Assembly does, the body’s new chair has admitted.

Tory Assembly member Roger Evans said even most MPs were “ignorant” about the body’s purpose despite having set it up.

Mr Evans said the Assembly, which scrutinises the Mayor, Metropolitan Police and Transport for London, had to do better at telling Londoners about its work Giving his inaugural speech as chair he said: “All too often people up the river in Parliament seem to be ill-informed about what this Assembly does and about the value that we add in London.

“I think that’s astounding given that they are the people that created the Assembly and voted for us to have our powers. That’s something we see all too often from them, and far too many Londoners don’t know what we do either.”

Mr Evans was addressing other members at City Hall as he was sworn in to his new role overseeing the Assembly’s meetings.

It is the first time a member of the same party as the sitting Mayor has been chosen as Assembly chair.

Mr Evans, a member since the Assembly was created, said: “Big London-wide organisations like Transport for London, the Metropolitan Police and the Mayor’s Office, they need robust, well-informed, fearless scrutiny.

“That’s what this Assembly does.”