London Local Government

London has a two-tier system of local and regional government. The 32 boroughs and the City of London (often referred to as the 33rd borough) deliver most of the day-to-day services that keep the capital ticking, while the Greater London Authority plays a strategic role, setting out an overall vision on a range of issues including air quality, development, transport and waste.

The boroughs together spend more than £7 billion a year on children's services, and another £2 billion on adult social services. They own and maintain 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 also repair and maintain 95 per cent of London's roads, deal with parking enforcement, and pay more than £260 million a year for the Freedom Pass, which allows a million older and disabled Londoners to travel free on buses, tubes and trains. The boroughs also deliver environment services, including consumer protection, and many arts and leisure services.

The 32 boroughs were established in 1965, replacing the old metropolitan boroughs that had governed London since Victorian times. The GLA was set up in 2000.