18 July 2008
Sir Simon Milton has announced that he will stand down as chair of the Local Government Association — less than a fortnight after being re-elected — following the offer of a post as a deputy to Mayor of London Boris Johnson.
Labour members of the London Assembly said Milton's 'enforced double resignation' from the LGA post and his Westminster Council seat on July 14 had arisen because his appointment as Johnson's senior adviser for planning in May fell foul of the political restrictions set out in law, known as the Widdicombe rules.
But Milton said his resignation was prompted by the offer of a new full-time role as deputy mayor for policy and planning. 'As the law prevents a councillor from being employed by the mayor, I will be resigning my membership of Westminster City Council and with it, my eligibility to continue to chair the LGA,' he said.
Milton was appointed as senior adviser for planning within days of Johnson's election in May, a post he held as an unpaid consultant. He stepped down as leader of Westminster Council but retained his council seat and his role as LGA chair.
The announcement of Milton's new job at City Hall follows the resignation of Ray Lewis as Johnson's deputy mayor for young people earlier this month. On July 9, the London Assembly voted unanimously to investigate the mayor's appointment of senior staff and consultants at City Hall following a series of questions raised by the business management and administration committee. The probe is set to look at how Johnson picked his senior advisers and whether proper recruitment procedures were followed.
A spokesman for the mayor's office said: 'Our legal advice was clear. [Milton's] appointment as an informal adviser did not breach the Widdicombe rules as he was not being paid.' In a statement, the mayor's office said Milton's new appointment would be 'subject to the appropriate procedures' with an interview panel and, if required, a confirmation hearing by the London Assembly. He is expected to be paid £124,000 a year.
The LGA Conservative Group was set to meet on July 17 to discuss the process for replacing Milton as LGA chair, to which the party has nomination rights as the LGA's largest political group.
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