Powers and Responsibilities of the GLA and the Mayor - Essay Example

Powers and Responsibilities of the GLA and the Mayor London is one of the largest cities in the world, and as such, the welfare of those within it should be protected. This responsibility has been given to the Greater London Authority, whose duty is to ensure that everything in the city functions efficiently for the benefit of the people of London. The chairperson of the Greater London Authority (GLA) is the Mayor of London, and under his leadership, the GLA has the responsibility of making sure that the various divisions of the local authorities within its jurisdiction are well coordinated. The powers over the local authorities of Greater London are similar or equal to those given to the City of London Corporation, and the same as those of the local authorities in the boroughs of London. The Mayor of London has the power to create or influence policies and strategies that deal directly with the improvement of the services within the entire city (Tewdwr-Jones 2011, p.57). This power can be said to carry five principal responsibilities, which the Mayor has to carry out as part of his duties. The first of these is that he has to come up with strategies, which are aimed at ensuring that the entire city is moving in the right direction and that these strategies have been implemented correctly. The second responsibility, which he has, is to look at all the needs of the city within a given financial year, and formulating a budget for these needs, which he must present to the Assembly where it will further be discussed. The third responsibility of the mayor is to be the ambassador of the city, not only within the country, but also abroad, and as such, he must present the best image of the city. As the ambassador of the city, he must ensure that London is presented as a city full of diversity as well as welcoming to all those who wish to invest within it. The fourth responsibility is to coordinate with the other bodies of GLA in order to ensure that all the strategies, which have been proposed for the city, are put in place so that the city can run smoothly. The final prime responsibility of the Mayor of London is to make appointments to those bodies, which he chairs, as well as to other bodies, which function for the good of London. Policies Introduced by the Office of the Mayor about Environment The Mayor of London has wide powers ranging from defining the programs that the employees of the GLA are going to be working on, to making policies, which relate to the environment of the city of London. In addition, the Mayor has power over those programs, which have been included in the budget, and in this capacity, he can be considered the most influential person when it comes to the day-to-day activities of the GLA. The vision of the Mayor is extremely valuable, and it has been suggested by some that if all of his visions for the city are put in place, then London will become the largest city in the world within a few years. With these visions in mind, policies have been suggested, and some of them have already been put in place in order to achieve them. These policies focus mainly on the increase of biodiversity, how to deal with the changing climate, the improvement of the quality of air, and the improvement of the mechanisms used to dispose waste within the city. The policies aimed at combating climate change as well as those dealing with energy all aim at the reduction of the contribution the city is making to the problem of global warming. For the success of these policies, there would be a requirement for the use of those technologies that had low carbon emission levels. These technologies would include the use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energy, which have no emissions at all. The Mayor set out to address the issue of fuel shortages within the city, which were becoming problematic. Some proposals were brought forward which suggested ways that would ensure that London would significantly reduce its contribution to global warming. These proposals included the total elimination of carbon emissions not only in all public places, but also in residential buildings. The addressing of the proposals made was to be done in an ascending order, with the most prominent ones being given priority over the others. The implementation of these proposals was to be done in the following order: the reduction of the amount of energy being used, increasing the efficiency in the supply of energy so that none of it is wasted, and lastly, the encouragement of the use of green energy (Keirstead 2010, p.6). In relation to the use of green energy, the Mayor proposed policies that would make use of green transport in London the norm. The diverse transport network in London could be thoroughly transformed so that there would be zero emission rates because of the use of green energy. Once implemented, the policies would ensure that those modes of transport that emitted little or no carbon to the atmosphere would be the preferred modes. The modes of transport proposed in these policies included the use of hybrid and electric vehicles, and hydrogen buses. Moreover, it was proposed that instead of using private means of transport, people in the city should be encouraged to use public transport, as well as cycling and walking. This would ensure that the large numbers of vehicles, which emit carbon, were removed from use, hence a cleaner environment and less contribution to global warming. Among the initiatives which the Mayor of London wanted put in place, was the proper management of the waste found in the city. This initiative would not only improve the quality of life of the people in the city, but it would also set London on the right path towards becoming a green city, with no pollution of the environment. Programs were embarked on to ensure that there was a reduction of pollution levels and these were to be done through the recycling of waste materials, the reduction of the levels of rubbish, and most of all, the efficient use of energy. Once these policies were implemented to the fullest, then London would not only have low levels of carbon emissions to the atmosphere, they would also help in the efficient use of the resources available, contributing in saving money which could be used in other significant projects. One of the policies that were to be considered by the Mayor was the restoration of the inner part of the city (East London). This ensured a living and working environment was provided for those people who were involved in that area. It would help the people of London a vast deal because it would ensure that they lived in a clean environment, which could be sustained in that state. The boroughs, in this part of London, were provided funding and resources that were to be used in their transformation into clean environments. The Mayor also focused on the improvement of the available public spaces, as well as the creation of new ones, and an initiative was placed to make sure that this was made possible. Policies were to be placed in order to ensure that an economy, based on low carbon initiatives, was created so that jobs could be created for the people of London. This would be of immense benefit for Londoners, who would be able to gain, through living in a clean environment as well as doing business that was environmentally friendly. Areas were to be set aside where people, who were making investments in businesses involving low carbon emissions, would be given preference over all the others. The Gap between Development of Policy and Implementation While some of the policies introduced by the Mayor have been implemented, their effects are yet to be seen, as there seems to be a wide breach between these policies and the way they are handled by the public. One of the most fundamental reasons why the effects of these policies have yet to be felt is because, of the massive funding, which they require. It has been stated that, for the levels of carbon emissions to be reduced by sixty percent by the year 2025, nearly sixty billion pounds would be required to implement the policies needed to achieve such a reduction (McHugh 2006, p.9). In fact, the GLA cannot achieve the full implementation of these policies without the financial assistance of the government. The prospects of gaining funding for these policies from the central government are terribly slim indeed, and it is because of this lack of additional funding that some of the GLA policies have yet to be fully implemented. The lack of additional funding is perhaps one of the main reasons why the effects of these policies have yet to be felt. One of the reasons why the GLA has encountered a lot of difficulty in implementing the proposed policies is because of the lack of public awareness when it comes to the environment. This means that the GLA has a lot of work to do to ensure that the public is made aware of the environmental issues, as well as gaining its support in the implementation of the policies. This will require the Mayor and his team to embark on public campaigns in order to create awareness for the environment, among London people. He will have to state the GLA’s intentions concerning the environment, and try to gain public support through encouraging people to take responsibility in their actions towards the environment. Thus, if these campaigns are carried out successfully, GLA will find it easier to implement these policies. While London is one of the most technologically developed cities in the world, a lot more technology is needed to ensure that the policies are implemented within the city. It has been suggested by the Mayor that all the new residences, which are to be built within the city, have to be efficient in both energy and water (Croci, Melandri and Molteni, 2010). Moreover, electric vehicles are to be introduced, in the city, to diminish the level of carbon release to the environment. While these initiatives are truly noble in principle, they are extremely difficult to implement because the needed technology is terribly expensive. Studies have to be conducted to find ways through which the technology that exists today can be best used to implement the policies proposed by the GLA. This would help a fantastic deal in the cutting of implementation costs, which would be incurred if new technology were to be introduced. It is a fact that there has been an improvement in the standard of living of the people of London in the last few years, and this trend is set to continue. However, inequalities can still be seen in many parts of the city, and possibly some of the policies will have a positive impact on some groups while having an opposite impact on others. Although a cleaner environment will be gained through the implementation of these policies, some groups will end up losing. For example, if the policy of improving water efficiency in the city is implemented through the introduction of meters, then those people from low-income groups will receive higher water bills than they already are, and this will do them more harm than good. Survey of Gsom Students Opinions Relating To the Implementation of Environmental Policies in London Varying opinions have been given concerning the Mayor of London’s main concerns about the city, with some arguing that he has his priorities right in trying to protect the environment of the city. Others, however, believe that his priorities are not in the right direction and that his attention should be more focused on issues that are of more importance than the environment. Some have said that because of the global economic recession, the Mayor should give more attention to the creation of more jobs for unemployed people. In addition, it is claimed that more employment opportunities are needed in order to maintain the current Londons improved standards of living. However, there are those who fully support the Mayor’s initiatives concerning the environment, stating that saving the environment should be given a priority so that future generations can have a safe place to live. They argue that the environment is the most valuable thing in the world today, more important than fighting unemployment because with global warming, perhaps life as we know it will come to end. In addition, most people agree that there has been a colossal air pollution problem in the city of London; therefore, it is the high time it was tackled in order to ensure the city is a clean environment. Consequently, because of this, they support the Mayor’s policies concerning the environment, especially those dealing with air pollution, with the hope that once implemented, these policies will be able to help deal with health problems, which are related to unclean air (Rydin, et al 2012, p.2082). Those who support the Mayor’s green initiative state that he has taken the right step to combat the production of carbon emissions to the environment. They believe that the reduction of such emissions in the city will not only have a significant impact on the reduction of the global emissions, but it will also give other cities in the world a model to use for their environmental policies. They, further, have hope that the Mayor’s policies will come to be successful because, of the fact that, each of them has a fixed timeline within which to be implemented. This will ensure that adequate funding for such initiatives is provided for in the budget of the GLA, making them a success. Mechanisms have been placed in order to measure the impact of these policies on the environment of London, and this is to make sure that they are turned into reality. Moreover, other people have mixed reactions towards the Mayor’s focus environmental policies, believing that while cleaning up the environment is a praiseworthy thing to do, he should ensure that these policies are balanced with others that are based on development. They feel that some of the environmental policies being initiated by the Mayor are not based on the reality of the situation. Some have said that the initiatives are excessively ambitious, and it will be impossible to achieve them within the time allocated. These people may be right because the ambition of making London an emission free city by 2025 is indeed an uphill task, which will require extraordinary efforts to achieve. Some would say that thirteen years is too short a time, within which to achieve such a colossal task, especially when one considers the fact that, at present, London is still heavily dependent on the use of fossil fuels. In addition, there needs to be more sensitization initiatives to be done by GLA in order to make sure that London people are more receptive to greener fuels. Conclusion The Mayor and the Greater London Authority have come up with proposals and policies whose main aim has been to transform London into a green city. One of the main reasons why such ambitious policies were initiated was because of the anticipated Olympic Games that were to be hosted by the city (Digby 2008, p.42). The cleaning up of the environment of the city, therefore, became a priority and the initiatives proposed included ensuring the lowering of air pollution levels, proper management of waste, finding ways of dealing with global warming, among many other considerations. Cleaning up the environment of London, as well as the carbon emission reduction initiatives, were aimed at lessening the contribution of the city to global warming. One of the greatest benefits this initiative will have is ensuring that the city has a clean environment, which its people will enjoy living in for a long time in the future. References Croci, E., Melandri, S. & Molteni, T. 2010, A Comparative Analysis of Global City Policies in Climate Change Mitigation: London, New York, Milan, Mexico City and Bangkok, Rochester, Rochester. Digby, B. 2008, "This Changing World: The London 2012 Olympics", Geography, vol. 93, no. 1, pp. 40-47. Keirstead, J. 2010, "Applying service niche indicators to Londons energy system", Management of Environmental Quality, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 6-19. McHugh, J. 2006, "Mayor sets London carbon target", Public Finance, pp. 9-9. Rydin, Y., Bleahu, A., Davies, M., Dávila, J.,D., Friel, S., De Grandis, G., Groce, N., Hallal, P.C., Hamilton, I., Howden-Chapman, P., Lai, K., Lim, C.J., Martins, J., Osrin, D., Ridley, I., Scott, I., Taylor, M., Wilkinson, P. & Wilson, J. 2012, "Shaping cities for health: complexity and the planning of urban environments in the 21st century", The Lancet, vol. 379, no. 9831, pp. 2079-108. Tewdwr-Jones, M. 2011, "Governing London and Sustainability: Power and Contestation in a World City", Carbon & Climate Law Review: CCLR, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 57-69. Read More