Adam Bienkov, aka the Tory Troll, has an intriguing story about GLA chief executive Leo Boland:
A leaked document sent to Tory Troll reveals that he is pushing for the rights to monitor and review all official scrutiny reports produced by the Assembly. According to the proposals, Boland would be able to: "Review draft scrutiny reports before their publication for the purposes of providing quality control and oversight of the written output from the Authority. This opportunity for review would be personal to the Chief Executive and would not be delegated to any other officer."
Adam reckons this would "massively blur the separation of powers between the GLA executive and the body that is elected to scrutinise it." Read the whole thing, which has other attractions too. I'm seeking comment from Assembly members. Will update as and when.
Update, 11:59: For the Greens Assembly chair Darren Johnson said:
The reality is that legally the Chief Executive has responsibilities both to the Mayor and to the Assembly. Political groups are having discussions with Leo about how best to manage that dual role. Nothing has been decided yet.
Update, 12:20: Some thoughts from Lib Dem group leader Mike Tuffrey:
The ambiguities in the chief executive's role were ordained by Parliament. Labour set up a model with a weak Assembly, where democratic control of the "elected dictator" mayor is sadly lacking. The chief executive is the Authority's senior officer and works for both Assembly and Mayor, making sure everything happens smoothly. People perceive him as working for the mayor because the GLA is 90% mayor, 10% assembly in terms of staffing, influence, public profile and so forth.
To ensure the Assembly is as effective as it can be, we need maximum input into planning our scrutiny work and in making sure our recommendations are acted on by the executive side. Discussions have been going on since earlier this year about how to improve the way we work. Obviously the sensitive part is what role, if any, the chief executive should have in the middle part of that process, when we draw our conclusions and make recommendations. Rest assured, Lib Dems won't agree to any changes without effective checks and balances to maintain the assembly's independence.
See also Andrew Boff AM's comment below.
