The boroughs

The boroughs (and the City of London) run most of the day-to-day services that keep London ticking. Together they spend more than £12 billion a year, including about £7 billion on children's services, including education, and £2 billion on adult social services.

They own and maintain nearly half a million homes (one in seven of all homes in London), run the libraries, deal with planning applications, and are responsible for waste collection and licensing the capital's pubs, clubs and restaurants. They repair and maintain 95 per cent of London's roads, deal with parking enforcement, and pay £260 million a year to allow a million older and disabled Londoners free travel on buses, tubes and trains. They also deliver environmental services, including consumer protection, and many arts and leisure services.

Council structure

Each of the 32 London boroughs* are divided into wards. Each ward is usually represented by three elected councillors. Elections are held every four years – the next one is due in 2014. 

Unlike officers, who are paid employees of the council, councillors are not paid a salary. Councillors do, however, receive an allowance designed to recompense them for the work which they undertake.

Under the Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, each council (and its residents) must choose and implement one of two possible models it wants to use for its political structure.

These are:

A leader and cabinet or executive. The council leader is elected by full council for four years. The council may include a provision allowing it to remove the leader during that term by resolution. The leader decides on the deputy leader, size of the cabinet and appoints cabinet members. The cabinet can be either single-party or a coalition. The mayoral function in these councils is a ceremonial role. This is the structure used by the majority of councils in London. 

A directly-elected mayor and cabinet or executive. The mayor is directly elected by voters in the borough to serve for four years. He or she would then choose a cabinet of no more than 10 councillors. The cabinet members need not all be from the same political party. A directly-elected mayor has much more power than traditional, largely ceremonial, mayors. Only three of London’s councils currently have this structure: Hackney, Lewisham and Newham.

* The City of London has a unique structure, visit www.cityoflondon.gov.uk for more information