Greater London, which includes the former county of Middlesex and parts of what were Surrey, Kent, Essex and Hertfordshire, is governed by 32 local authorities – boroughs – as well as the City of London itself.

Overarching these is the Greater London Authority, which consists of two branches – the Mayor of London (currently Sadiq Khan), who has executive powers, and the 25 member London Assembly who, as well as the mayor, are elected.

The Greater London Authority is now headquartered at City Hall in Newham, having moved there from City Hall in Southwark at the end of 2021.

The London boroughs, which were all created on 1st April, 1965, include three “Royal boroughs” – that of Greenwich, Kensington and Chelsea, and, Kingston upon Thames (more on them in a future post).

The boroughs are administered by councils who are elected every four years.