Greater London Authority Bill

moved Amendment No. 40: 40: After Clause 16, insert the following new Clause— After section 16 of the GLA Act 1999 (filling a vacancy) insert— ““16A Vacation of office following petition (1) The Secretary of State may by regulations make provision for or in connection with requiring the Mayor on receipt of a petition which complies with the provisions of the regulations to vacate office, in such circumstances as may be prescribed in the regulations. (2) The provision which may be made by regulations under subsection (1) includes the provision— (a) as to the form and content of petitions (including provision for petitions in electronic form); (b) as to the minimum number of electors entitled to vote for the Mayor under this Act who must support any petition presented to the Mayor during any period specified in the regulations; (c) for or in connection with requiring an officer of the GLA to publish the number of electors who must support any petition presented to the authority; (d) as to the way in which electors are to support a petition (including provision enabling electors to support petitions by telephone or by electronic means); (e) as to the action which may, or may not or must be taken by the Authority in connection with any petition; (f) as to the manner in which a petition is to be presented; (g) as to the verification of any petition; (h) as to the date on which, or the time by which, the Mayor must vacate office; (i) for or in connection with enabling the Secretary of State, in the event of any failure by the Authority to take any action permitted or required by virtue of the regulations, to take that action. (3) The number of electors mentioned in subsection (2)(b) is to be calculated at such times as may be provided by regulations under this section and (unless such regulations otherwise provide) is to be 10 per cent of the number of electors who voted for the Mayor at the election preceding the date of any petition. (4) Nothing in subsection (2) or (3) affects the generality of the power under subsection (1).””.”” The noble Baroness said: The amendment would introduce a new clause to provide for the vacation of the office of Mayor following a petition. Earlier, we moved an amendment to limit the number of terms for the Mayor, but we are now moving on a bit. It is not an alternative to, but another of the ways of trying to ensure that the mayoral system in London has all the checks and balances that should be there. Our rationale for limiting the time in office in the earlier amendment was founded on the lack of accountability that the Mayor faces in the four intervening years between each election, coupled with the powers that the Bill gives to this office. The system we propose would lead to the vacation of the office if 10 per cent of the electorate signed a petition. Members of the Committee will be aware that there is an existing precedent for that mechanism in the United States. It was a power used most notably in California when the former Governor Gray Davis was recalled, thus allowing Arnold Schwarzenegger to be elected.