Local government in London Facts for Kids

Greater London shown within England.

City Hall, where the GLA works.

Local government in London is how the city is run and managed. It's split into two main parts: a big, city-wide team and many smaller, local teams. The big team helps with things that affect all of London, like transport. The smaller teams look after things in your local area, like schools and rubbish collection.

How London is Run (City-Wide)

The main group that runs London as a whole is called the Greater London Authority (GLA). It has two important parts:

The Mayor of London: This person is like the boss of London. They make big decisions for the whole city.
The London Assembly: This group of people checks what the Mayor is doing. They can say yes or no to the Mayor's plans and budget.

The GLA handles many important jobs for London. These include planning for the city's future, managing the police, running the fire service, and looking after most of London's transport. They also help with economic development, which means helping businesses and jobs grow.

The GLA started in the year 2000. Its main office is at City Hall. The current Mayor of London is Sadiq Khan, who was first elected in 2016.

Health services in London are managed by the national government. This is done through the National Health Service (NHS). In London, a special group called NHS London helps to run these services.

Your Local Area (Local Councils)

London also has 33 local authorities. These are the 32 London borough councils and the City of London Corporation. They are in charge of local services that the GLA doesn't handle.

These local services include:

Local planning (deciding what can be built in your area)
Running schools
Providing social services (help for families and people in need)
Looking after local roads
Collecting rubbish

Each London borough has a council. This council is made up of people chosen by local residents every four years. These people usually belong to political parties.

The City of London is a very old part of London. It has a special way of being governed by the City of London Corporation. This group has been around for a very long time, since the Middle Ages. People who live and work in the City of London vote for this Corporation.

The head of the City of London Corporation is called the Lord Mayor of the City of London. This is a different job from the Mayor of London, who runs the whole city. The City of London also has its own police force, called the City of London Police. This police force is separate from the Metropolitan Police Service, which covers the rest of London.

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Local government in London facts for kids

How London is Run (City-Wide)

Your Local Area (Local Councils)