The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced that the Greater London Authority (GLA) will occupy the permanent new City Hall in the Royal Docks from January
2022. The first formal meeting at the new City Hall will be the set-piece Mayor’s Question Time, involving all members of the Authority on Thursday, January 20. At the request of the London Assembly, the final Mayor’s Question Time of the year will be held at the GLA’s Union Street offices on Thursday December 16.
The GLA is leaving its expensive rented base near London Bridge imminently and moving to The Crystal building – one of the world’s most sustainable buildings, which it owns outright – in the coming weeks. The move will save the GLA Group £61m over five years.
The GLA will move out of its current base over the next two weeks with the final meeting in the Chamber taking place on Thursday December 2.
The GLA will then move temporarily to its Union Street offices while the final work is completed at The Crystal building.
Despite global supply chain issues caused by the pandemic and planning permission being secured less than a year ago, the relocation programme has made swift progress. The works to transform the new City Hall uncovered long-term water damage to the building’s floor, which has added to the work being carried out ahead of the building’s occupation.
The first public meeting at the new home of London’s government will be the first Mayor’s Question Time of the year. It will take place in the newly-constructed Chamber on Thursday, January 20. The GLA looks forward to welcoming Londoners to this meeting; they will of course be able to attend meetings held at Union Street in the interim. All meetings are also broadcast online.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “ City Hall’s move to The Crystal building will usher in a new era for the Greater London Authority (GLA) and this flourishing part of East London.
“The move will save £61m over five years which will be used to help protect vital front-line services including in policing, the London Fire Brigade, and our transport network. It will also enable me to invest further in London’s economic recovery from the pandemic.”
The Mayor believes that the move to The Crystal will act as a catalyst for the regeneration of Royal Docks which is set to lead to 25,000 new homes and the creation of 60,000 new jobs within the next 20 years. This will be supported by the arrival of the Elizabeth line in the first half of 2022 which will provide rapid access to City Hall from across London. Photo Matt Buck, Wikimedia commons.