Greater London Authority Act 1999

Chapter I Culture Strategy and tourism

375 The Cultural Strategy Group for London

(1) There shall be a body corporate to be known as the Cultural Strategy Group for London.

(2) The Cultural Strategy Group for London shall have—

(a) the function of providing advice to the Mayor on the contents and implementation of the culture strategy under section 376 below; and

(b) such other functions as may be conferred or imposed on, or made exercisable by, them by or under any other enactment, whenever passed or made.

(3) Schedule 30 to this Act shall have effect with respect to the Cultural Strategy Group for London.

376 The Mayor’s culture strategy

(1) The Cultural Strategy Group for London shall formulate and submit to the Mayor a draft strategy containing proposed policies with respect to culture, media and sport in Greater London.

(2) As soon as reasonably practicable after the draft strategy has been submitted to the Mayor, the Mayor shall prepare and publish a document to be known as the “culture strategy”.

(3) The culture strategy published under subsection (2) above shall be the draft strategy submitted to the Mayor under subsection (1) above, with such modifications (if any) as the Mayor considers appropriate.

(4) The Cultural Strategy Group for London shall keep the culture strategy under review and may submit proposed revisions of it to the Mayor.

(5) The policies that may be contained in the culture strategy include policies with respect to each of the following matters—

(a) the arts, tourism and sport;

(b) ancient monuments and sites;

(c) buildings and other structures which are of historical or architectural interest or which otherwise form part of the heritage of Greater London;

(d) museums and galleries;

(e) library services;

(f) archives;

(g) treasure, and antiquities of a movable nature;

(h) broadcasting, film production and other media of communication.

(6) The Mayor may give the Cultural Strategy Group for London directions requiring the draft strategy to be formulated and submitted under subsection (1) above not later than such date as may be specified in the directions.

(7) The Cultural Strategy Group for London shall comply with any directions under subsection (6) above.

(8) Where the Mayor revises the culture strategy otherwise than in response to proposed revisions submitted by the Cultural Strategy Group for London under subsection (4) above, then, in the case of that revision—

(a) the bodies and persons required to be consulted under subsection (1) of section 42 above shall include the Cultural Strategy Group for London; and

(b) the reference in subsection (5) of that section to the Assembly and the functional bodies shall be taken to include a reference to the Cultural Strategy Group for London.

(9) In this Act, references to the culture strategy include, except where the context otherwise requires, a reference to the culture strategy as revised.

377 Assistance by the Mayor for museums, galleries etc

(1) The Authority may provide financial or other assistance for the purposes of any museum, gallery, library, archive or other cultural institution in Greater London.

(2) Any assistance under this section may be provided subject to conditions.

(3) The conditions that may be imposed under subsection (2) above include in particular—

(a) conditions with respect to the keeping, and production for inspection, of accounts and records; and

(b) conditions requiring the making of repayments in respect of financial assistance in whole or in part.

378 Duty of the Authority to promote tourism

(1) The functions of the Authority shall include the duty—

(a) to encourage people to visit Greater London;

(b) to encourage people from outside the United Kingdom to visit the United Kingdom by way of Greater London; and

(c) to encourage the provision and improvement of tourist amenities and facilities in Greater London.

(2) The Authority shall have power to do anything—

(a) for the purpose of discharging the functions conferred on it by this section; or

(b) which is incidental or conducive to the discharge of those functions.

(3) For the purpose of discharging the functions conferred on it by this section, the powers of the Authority shall (in particular) include power—

(a) to undertake publicity or other promotional activities in any form;

(b) to provide advisory and information services;

(c) to promote or undertake research;

(d) to enter into arrangements with any other person or organisation for or in connection with the carrying on by that person or organisation of any activity which the Authority has power to carry on under this section.

(4) The Authority shall have power by virtue of subsections (2) and (3) above to carry on any activities outside the United Kingdom for the purpose of encouraging people—

(a) to visit Greater London or any part of it, or

(b) to visit the United Kingdom by way of Greater London.

(5) In discharging its functions under subsections (1) to (4) above, the Authority shall have regard to the desirability of undertaking appropriate consultation and, in appropriate cases, co-operating with—

(a) the Secretary of State;

(b) any Tourist Board; or

(c) any other persons who, or organisations which, have knowledge of, or are interested in, matters affecting the discharge of those functions.

(6) The Authority shall have power to provide financial or other assistance—

(a) to persons or organisations discharging in relation to Greater London or any part of Greater London functions corresponding to those of the Authority under this section; or

(b) to any other person or organisation, for the purpose of discharging any of the Authority’s functions under subsections (1) to (4) above.

(7) Where the Authority provides assistance under subsection (6) above, it may do so subject to conditions.

(8) The conditions that may be imposed under subsection (7) above include in particular—

(a) conditions with respect to the keeping, and production for inspection, of accounts and records; and

(b) conditions requiring the making of repayments in respect of financial assistance in whole or in part.

(9) The Authority may charge for its services and receive contributions towards its expenses in carrying out any of its functions under this section.

(10) Nothing in this section authorises the Authority to borrow money otherwise than as provided by the other provisions of this Act.

(11) In this section “Tourist Board” means—

(a) the British Tourist Authority;

(b) the English Tourist Board;

(c) the Northern Ireland Tourist Board;

(d) the Scottish Tourist Board; or

(e) the Wales Tourist Board.

379 Authority’s duty to provide advice on tourism

It shall be the duty of the Authority to advise—

(a) any Minister of the Crown,

(b) the British Tourist Authority, or

(c) the English Tourist Board,

on such matters relating to tourism in Greater London as the Minister or, as the case may be, that Authority or Board may refer to it or as the Authority thinks fit.

380 Delegation of Authority’s functions

(1) Any function exercisable on behalf of the Authority by the Mayor under or by virtue of this Part shall also be exercisable on behalf of the Authority by any of the bodies or persons specified in subsection (2) below, if or to the extent that the Mayor so authorises, whether generally or specially, and subject to any conditions imposed by the Mayor.

(2) Those bodies and persons are—

(a) the Deputy Mayor;

(b) any member of staff of the Authority;

(c) the Cultural Strategy Group for London;

(d) the London Development Agency;

(e) the Common Council;

(f) any local authority.

(3) In the case of the Common Council or a local authority, an authorisation under this section—

(a) may only be granted or varied with its written consent; and

(b) shall cease to have effect if notice of the withdrawal of that consent is given to the Mayor.

(4) Where, by virtue of an authorisation under subsection (1) above, a duty is exercisable by any of the bodies or persons specified in subsection (2) above, that body or person shall discharge the duty in accordance with the authorisation and any conditions imposed by the Mayor under subsection (1) above.

(5) Subsection (4) above is without prejudice to the exercise by the body or person concerned of any power to arrange for the discharge of functions by—

(a) a committee or sub-committee, or a member, officer or employee, of the body or person, or

(b) a joint committee on which the person or body is represented,

except to the extent that the terms of the authorisation or any conditions imposed by the Mayor under subsection (1) above otherwise provide.

(6) Subsection (1) above does not apply—

(a) in relation to functions under this section; or

(b) in relation to any function of making byelaws under section 385(1) below.

(7) An authorisation under subsection (1) above which relates to—

(a) any function under section 376 above, or

(b) the exercise of any function under or by virtue of section 383(1) or 384(3) below to the extent that it involves a determination as to whether to permit a public demonstration to take place in Trafalgar Square or Parliament Square Garden,

may only be given to the Deputy Mayor or a member of staff of the Authority.

(8) An authorisation under subsection (1) above which relates to any function of enforcing any byelaws made under section 385(1) below may only be given—

(a) to the Deputy Mayor,

(b) to any member of staff of the Authority,

(c) to the Common Council,

(d) to any local authority.

(9) Each of the following bodies, namely—

(a) the Cultural Strategy Group for London,

(b) the London Development Agency,

(c) the Common Council,

(d) any local authority,

shall have power to exercise functions on behalf of the Authority in accordance with this section, whether or not they would have power to do so apart from this subsection and irrespective of the nature of the function.

(10) Subsections (3) and (4) of section 101 of the [1972 c. 70.] Local Government Act 1972 (delegation of functions to committees, officers etc, and continued exercise by local authority concerned) shall apply in relation to any authorisation under subsection (1) above given by the Mayor—

(a) to a local authority,

(b) to the Cultural Strategy Group for London, or

(c) to the London Development Agency,

as they apply to arrangements under that section between one local authority and another.

(11) An authorisation under this section may be varied or revoked at any time by the Mayor.

(12) Any authorisation under this section, and any variation or revocation of such an authorisation, must be in writing.

(13) In this section—

• “Trafalgar Square” has the same meaning as in the [1844 c. 60.] Trafalgar Square Act 1844;

• “Parliament Square Garden” means the central garden of Parliament Square, within the meaning of section 384 below.

381 Grants to the Authority for its tourism functions

(1) The Secretary of State may pay to the Authority grants of such amounts in respect of expenditure incurred or to be incurred by the Authority in the exercise, or in any particular exercise, of any of the Authority’s tourism functions as he may with the consent of the Treasury determine.

(2) A grant under subsection (1) above may be made subject to such conditions as the Secretary of State may, with the consent of the Treasury, determine.

(3) The conditions that may be imposed by virtue of subsection (2) above include in particular—

(a) conditions with respect to the keeping, and production for inspection, of accounts and records;

(b) conditions relating to the level of performance to be achieved by the Authority in respect of any of its tourism functions and the consequences of failure to achieve that level; and

(c) conditions requiring repayment of the grant in whole or in part.

382 Interpretation of Chapter I

(1) In this Chapter—

• “tourism functions”, in relation to the Authority, means the Authority’s functions under section 378 above;

• “tourist amenities and facilities” means, in relation to any area, amenities and facilities that might be used—

  (a)

  by visitors to that area, or

  (b)

  by other people travelling within that area for the purposes of business or leisure.

(2) The functions conferred or imposed on the Authority under or by virtue of this Chapter shall be functions of the Authority which are exercisable by the Mayor acting on behalf of the Authority.

(3) Subsection (2) above does not apply in relation to any function expressly conferred or imposed on the Assembly.