The Greater London Authority (GLA) will collect £16.7m from Greenwich taxpayers and £18.9m from Lewisham taxpayers this year through a portion of Londoners’ council tax that is called the “precept”. Around 70 per cent of the money goes toward the police, 18 per cent towards the fire brigade and nine per cent towards Transport for London. Just more than three per cent goes towards the running of the GLA and the maintenance of its building City Hall; that is £530,000 from Greenwich taxpayers and £600,000 from Lewisham taxpayers. ADRIAN KWINTNER and NATALIE GEE took to the streets of Eltham to find out what you think about this …

WHAT WE ASKED YOU

Do you think this contribution to City Hall is worth it?

What has the GLA done for you?

What is the difference between the GLA and the London Assembly?

Should the whole thing be scrapped?

And we showed you a picture of Len Duvall and asked do you know who he is?

This is what you said ...

Full-time carer Elaine Jenkins, 41, of Eltham Green Road, Eltham, said: “I recognise him vaguely, is he an MP?

I have never thought about the difference between the GLA and the London Assembly. I thought they were the same thing.

I didn’t know we paid that amount of money and I definitely don’t think it is worth it.

My brother has Down’s Syndrome and we have to pay for his respite care ourselves, with no help from the Government.

Why can’t some of the money we pay to the running of City Hall help with respite care?”

Retired Austin Morley, 80, of Riefield Road, Eltham, said: “He looks like a millionaire. I’ve no idea who he is.

The London Assembly comes under the Mayor, although I’m not sure what the GLA is. Perhaps, it covers a wider area of London.

Ken Livngstone has shown himself to be pretty good with the congestion charge and cutting down traffic.

And the money for City Hall is worth it because it’s a big building and London is run fairly well. It’s one of the best cities in the world.”

Actress Susanna Lloyd, 22, of Greenvale Road, Eltham, said: “I’m not really interested in politics.

I know the Mayor is responsible for the congestion charge but it would be better to just pedestrianise more areas.

And what’s City Hall?

If I don’t know about the building then it can’t be very well established, so what’s the money paying for?”

Supermarket cashier Buki Sobanjo, 26, Restons Crescent, Eltham, said: “I think the GLA represents the bits outside London, like Eltham, while the London Assembly is the assembly for central London.

As I don’t really know the details I couldn’t say whether they should be scrapped.”

Student Paul Greeves, 17, of Greenvale Road, Eltham, said: “I haven’t got a clue who this man is.

The money for City Hall is a waste. It would be better to spend the money on health care. The whole GLA should be scrapped.”

Responding to the findings, Len Duvall, who is the London Assembly member for Lewisham and Greenwich, said: “It’s not surprising people don’t know me.

“The problem in the UK is we are obsessed with national politics and you are only known if your face is constantly in the newspapers and on the TV.

“I have a number of roles. I am deputy chairman of the budget committee which scrutinises the Mayor’s budget and recommends any changes.

“I also sit on the sports and cultural select committee, which has carried out reviews into what football stadiums can do for their localities, the Olympics bid and the state of cinemas in London.

“And I am chairman of the London Health Commission, a coalition of organisations from local Government and the Department of Health which looks at inequalities in health and promotes dietary issues. City Hall is the cost of democracy. People in City Hall are looking at efficiencies and savings.

“There are only 500 staff at City Hall. It is not a vast bureaucracy. Without the GLA we would not have extra buses, bus routes and policing.

“The GLA has supported a number of regeneration projects in Thamesmead and Greenwich.

“It also supported the security initiatives around vandalism on buses on the Middle Park Estate, sorted out the hole along the A2 in Blackheath, is helping to improve Convoys Wharf in Lewisham and called for more housing in the Thames Gateway.

“The GLA is supporting practical transport projects such as Crossrail and the DLR coming to Woolwich. The GLA is a strategic authority but does have an impact on everyday lives.”

What the GLA does

The Greater London Authority (GLA) is run by Mayor Ken Livingstone, who is in turn held to account by the London Assembly.

The GLA has executive powers and includes a group of officers/employees while the London Assembly is a body of 25 elected representatives who also have executive roles but whose main duty is to provide accountability of the Mayor. An easy way to think about the two is to see the GLA as akin to Whitehall and the London Assembly to select committees.