Miscellaneous
Section 50: The Mayor’s culture strategy: consultation
125.Section 376 of the GLA Act 1999 requires the Mayor of London to prepare and publish a culture strategy. A draft of the strategy is to be prepared by the Cultural Strategy Group for London. The Mayor is also required to consult certain bodies in revising the Cultural Strategy (section 42), but not where he considers that the revision will not materially alter the strategy in question (section 42(6)).
126.This section amends section 376. As amended, that section will require:
the Cultural Strategy Group for London to consult the bodies listed in the new subsection (10) (see subsection (5) of section 50) when proposing revisions to the Cultural Strategy, and
the Cultural Strategy Group for London to consult these bodies when consulted by the Mayor if he makes revisions other than those proposed by the Group
The section also gives the Secretary of State a power to amend the list of bodies to be consulted.
Section 51: The Mayor’s duty to exercise certain powers of appointment
127.The Mayor is expected to gain certain rights of appointment of board members of the London Regional Council of Arts Council England; English Sports Council London Regional Sports Board; and Archives, Libraries & Museums London (which uses the trading name “MLA London”). It is expected that these new appointment powers will be given to the Mayor by amendment of the Royal Charters of the Arts Council England and the English Sports Council and of the Articles of Association of Archives, Libraries and Museums London and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.
128.Section 51 inserts a new section 377A into the GLA Act 1999. This new section imposes a duty on the Mayor to exercise appointment rights he has been granted as soon as reasonably practicable after he has received a request in writing from bodies prescribed by the Secretary of State. Prescribed bodies must have functions relating to sport, culture or the arts. Section 377A also gives the Secretary of State a power to amend the list of prescribed bodies.
