London City Government
London is governed as a region by the Greater London Authority under the appointment of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The City of London itself has a city government called the City of London Corporation. The Parliament of the United Kingdom serves as the federal government for the country and union.
Greater London Authority
The Greater London Authority (GLA), headed by Mayor Boris Johnson (accurate as of Jan. 2011), is the regional government for London. Under the auspices of the GLA are the fire & emergency services, police, transport and development departments. It is funded both by local taxpayers and the parliament. The region of London is awarded 25 seats in parliaments that filled by assembly members representing London. They are responsible for conveying the ideals and decisions of people in London when the parliament meets to discuss national issues at the country-wide level. The current mayor is a member of the Conservative party with the Chair of the London Assembly as a member of the Liberal Democrats. While GLA does not directly provide services to the region, they are employed to plan, supervise and oversee the day-to-day functions of the 4 divisions under its control. Country-wide decisions and laws are decided at the parliament instead of the regional assembly meetings.
City of London Corporation
The City of London Corporation (CLC), headed by Lord Mayor Michael Bear (accurate as of Jan. 2011), is the city government of the City of London. The CLC is entitled to make decisions and oversee the day-to-day functions of the City of London itself (the central core which is approximately a square mile
in area). It has three main aims: to promote the city as the world’s leading international financial and business centre; to provide local government services; and to provide a range of additional services for the benefit of London, Londoners and the nation. This unique small government makes London to be distinct from other cities in the United Kingdom as London is the only region with a city government for its central core. With the founding of the GLA, many consider the CLC to be redundant and even criticized the ways CLC has governed the City of London.