The End of Board of Control
The upcoming election will be unique for Londoners. This is not only because of the challenges we are facing amidst the economic slowdown, but also because there will be a change in how the city is governed. After coming into being in 1914, the Board of Control (BOC) will cease to exist after the upcoming election.
The BOC served as an executive body largely responsible for financial and administrative matters. It carried out functions such as reporting to council on matters regarding the Chief Administrative Office, Financial and Administrative Services, as well as appointments to boards and committees, tax appeals, and boundary adjustments. The BOC also played an additional role, giving citizens who lived in outlying/annexed areas of the City another voice at City Hall as BOC members were elected city-wide.
While at it’s inception the BOC was effective in carrying out it’s duties, it had come under increased criticism in recent years. Both citizens and councillors saw it as a relic of old governance that became outdated as municipal governments adapted throughout the decades. Accordingly, in early 2009, London city council voted to scrap the BOC for the upcoming election.
The end of the BOC means the city must decide how to delegate these responsibilities to other city officials. London City Council has decided to replace the BOC with a Finance and Executive Committee. Essentially, onus will now fall on councillors more than ever to act not only with the best interests of their direct constituents in mind, but also with a ‘whole of London’ approach.
Councillors will be challenged to think more innovatively, communicate more effectively, and give more appropriate deliberation to matters. Council members will need to research further into any matter the BOC would have reported on, so that they may have a broader knowledge base when making decisions. This new reality raises the bar for what is expected and demanded of councillors, and as your candidate to move forward with, I hope to have the honour of rising to that challenge.
Excellent summary Jared. We need clear thinkers like you running this city!