City Hall makes 'contingency plans' for change of government

Boris Johnson's City Hall administration is making "contingency plans" in readiness for a new government, it has emerged. In comments that suggest anticipation of a Tory victory at the general election, Leo Boland, the chief executive of the Greater London authority, has told staff in an internal newsletter that he has set up a working group to consider "radical proposals being debated in the run-up to the general election". Boland, previously chief executive of Tory-led Barnet borough council prior to joining Johnson's administration in 2008, has invited the Conservative mayor's advisers to join the new group. In a newsletter foreword published online yesterday, Boland wrote: "It is an open secret that there are radical proposals being debated in the run-up to the general election that would fundamentally change the governance of London and hence potentially the nature of the GLA. "I have learnt that there are never any foregone conclusions when it comes to the result of elections and their aftermath. Nevertheless I think it prudent to undertake contingency planning for the various possible scenarios. I am leading a cross-group team that is thinking about these scenarios and what they might mean in organisational terms so that we are not caught flat-footed. "When times are hard the job of those who rule us is more critical than ever. For those like us who serve elected politicians it means that our efforts also matter more than ever. I am convinced that we have the talent, the energy and the commitment to rise to this challenge." The general election, widely expected to take place in May, will be the third since the London mayoralty was established in 2000. But this is the first time that such detailed preparations have taken place, as a battery poll findings suggest the Tories are on course to electoral victory after 13 years in opposition. Tony Travers, an expert on London government, said: "There is no doubt this does sound like a preparation for potential radical change in London government. It also sounds as if this is anticipating change from a Conservative government." A spokeswoman for City Hall insisted that the working group, made up of senior managers and mayoral advisers, was internal and "not political" and did not involve talks with any of the political parties outside the GLA. It will consider a range of scenarios, including the knock-on effects of coalition government, before Boland reports back to the mayor and London assembly. "It is looking at every possible outcome," the spokeswoman added. The GLA is made up of four functional bodies alongside City Hall: Transport for London, the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, and the London Development Agency. Johnson has been in talks with the Conservatives to secure extra powers if the party comes to power this year. David Cameron promised in the new year that within months of a Conservative victory "there would start the most radical decentralisation of power this country has seen for generations". Among the Tory proposals are plans to axe swaths of quangos, such as regional development agencies, and hand over their functions to elected local authorities, and the abolition of the MPA, which could strengthen Johnson's role on policing. The Conservatives have also floated plans to roll into one the posts of mayor and chief executives in town halls. It is unclear at this stage if such a model would be applied to the London mayoralty. Under the proposals, 12 cities across the country would hold referendums to get rid of their council chief executives and hand over the powers to an "executive mayor", who would take over the role of hiring and firing staff, determining council operations, and directing spending, as well as offering political leadership. Among other suggestions mooted in blue-sky thinking within Conservative ranks is the abolition of the 25-strong London assembly , which scrutinises the London mayoralty, though this proposal has received no endorsement from the party to date.