The Deputy Mayor of London is a member of the London Assembly appointed by the Mayor of London to serve as his or her second-in-command. The deputy mayor has few real duties. The deputy mayor received a salary of £67,150 in 2002/03 (http://www.london.gov.uk/gla/assembly.jsp).

In the 2000 London mayoral election, the independent candidate Ken Livingstone won. He announced that he would rotate the position of deputy mayor equally between the four parties represented in the London Assembly (Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green). He offered the role to Nicky Gavron of the Labour Party for the first year. After some political maneuvering, she accepted.

However in 2001, Ken Livingstone decided not to offer the role to the Conservatives, claiming it would be disruptive, so Nicky Gavron retained the post. In 2002 the Liberal Democrats were asked to nominate a candidate but declined, saying that it would be better to scruntinise the mayor from an independent position. Again Nicky Gavron remained. In 2003, the Greens accepted an offer to nominate a deputy mayor and selected Jenny Jones, who became London's second deputy mayor.

Nicky Gavron was originally chosen as the Labour candidate for the 2004 London mayoral election but she stepped aside when Ken Livingstone was invited to rejoin the party. They then ran on a joint ticket as Labour's candidates for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor. She is expected to serve as Ken Livingstone's deputy for the duration of his second term.

In his first term, Ken Livingstone came under fire for delegating his powers to his Chief of Staff Simon Fletcher rather than the deputy mayor on several occasions.

External links

Appointment of Deputy Mayors

• Guardian article about the Greens selecting Jenny Jones to be deputy mayor in 2003 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,3605,898597,00.html) (also includes background on Ken Livingstone's deputy mayor rotation system)
• BBC News article about Nicky Gavron being appointed deputy mayor in 2000 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/743555.stm)
• Newspaper column by Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member Lynne Featherstone that includes an explanation of why her party turned down the deputy mayor post (http://www.lynnefeatherstone.org/column22.htm)

Delegation of Executive Powers Controversy

• London Assembly Press Release: Mayor leaves London in hands of adviser (http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release_a.jsp?releaseid=1189)