London has been the most important city in Great Britain since the 9th century when King Alfred made the city the capital of his kingdom.
GLVCC has compiled some useful information to guide you through your virtual tour of this fascinating city.
Location, Structure and
Demography
London is located in South East England, at the head of the Thames River
Estuary,
in the direction of the North Sea. It is one of Europe's largest seaports.
It is also an equally important air route with most of the world's major
airlines having a presence at Heathrow International Airport to the west,
Gatwick International Airport to the south, or at London Luton and Stansfield
to the north. The opening of the Eurotunnel linking London with continental
Europe by high-speed rail has added to the city's accessibility, and to its
status as a major transport link.
The 1991 census (prelim.) recorded the population at: 6,378,600. The inner
urban areas contain a significant settlement of ethnic minorities from Asia,
Africa, the Caribbean, Ireland and the Mediterranean, making London one of
the most cosmopolitan cities in the world.
The city is one of the world's most important financial and cultural centers.
It is renowned for its exchange and commodity markets, insurance and
banking functions, museums, performing arts, as well as a multitude of
specialized
services.
Traditionally the term 'City of London' or 'The City' is applied only to
a small area that was the original settlement (ancient Londinium) and is now
part of the business and financial district of the surrounding metropolis.
The City of London and 32 surrounding boroughs form Greater London
which has an area of 1579 sq km (610 sq miles).
The 13 inner boroughs are Camden, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey,
Islington, Kensington and Chelsea,
Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth, and the
City of Westminster.
The 19 outer boroughs are Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent,
Bromley, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon,
Hounslow, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames,
Sutton, and Waltham Forest.
Government in London
The London Government Act (1963) authorized the creation of a two-tier
government, consisting of 32 borough councils and the Greater London Council
(GLC). The GLC was abolished in 1986 but has since been replaced by the
Greater London Assembly (GLA) and a directly elected Executive Mayor as
per the Greater London Authority Act 1999.
Each borough council contains a number of wards, and each ward is represented
by a locally elected Councillor. The local head of the political party with the
largest number of elected Councillors automatically becomes Council Leader with
prime responsibility for implementing manifesto policies.
Council chambers as a whole also appoint a ceremonial Mayor to represent the
borough at social functions. Borough councils are responsible for local
services and some, or part of, statutory functions such as Collection
of Local Taxes, Education, Social Services, Housing, Public Libraries,
and Waste Disposal.
The historic Corporation of the City of London is equivalent
in function to a borough council. Since the reign of King John, in the 13th
century, citizens of the 'City of London' have had the right to elect
their own mayor. The corporation government is composed of the Lord
Mayor (a largely ceremonial position that differs from London's Executive
Mayor), who is elected annually by members of the livery companies (guilds);
25 aldermen, who are elected for life; and 153 council members, who are
elected annually from 25 wards.
London's Executive Mayor, assisted by the GLA, is responsible for broad
functions across Greater London as a whole, developing and administering
statutory strategies on transport, spatial development, economic development
and the environment. There is a clear separation of powers between the Mayor,
who has an executive role, and the Assembly, which has a scrutiny role and is
responsible for appointing GLA staff. The Mayor's office makes functional
decisions - setting budgets for the GLA, Transport for London, the London
Development Agency, the Metropolitan Police and London's fire services.
The Assembly scrutinises Mayoral activities, questions the Mayor in open
assembly and committees, investigates issues of importance to Londoners,
publishes its findings and recommendations, and makes proposals to the Mayor.
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