Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.-(1) This Order may be cited as the Greater London Authority (Elections and Acceptance of Office) Order 2000 and shall come into force on 7th March 2000.

(2) In this Order "the 1999 Act" means the Greater London Authority Act 1999.

Designation of returning officer

2. As respects the first ordinary election of the Authority, Robert Valentine Hughes CBE of 10th Floor, Riverwalk House, 157-�161 Millbank, London SW1P 4RR is hereby designated as the returning officer at the election of the Mayor and the election of the London members, instead of the person specified in section 35(2C) of the Representation of the People Act 1983(2).

Consequential modification

3. As respects the first ordinary election of the Authority, section 29 of the 1999 Act shall have effect as if for the definition of "Greater London returning officer" there were substituted-�

""Greater London returning officer" means the person designated as the returning officer at the election of the Mayor and the election of the London members by the Greater London Authority (Elections and Acceptance of Office) Order 2000;"

Form of declaration of acceptance of office

4. Subject to regulation 5(3), the declaration of acceptance of the office of-�

(a)Mayor;

(b)Assembly member; and

(c)acting Mayor by virtue of being Deputy Mayor,

shall be in the form in the Schedule to this Order or a form to the like effect.

Acceptance of office in relation to the first ordinary election

5.-(1) In this article-�

"declarations" means declarations of acceptance of the office of Mayor and of Assembly member, and

"the specified person" means the person for the time being appointed under section 407 of the 1999 Act as head of the Authority's paid service.

(2) As respects the first ordinary election of the Authority-�

(a)declarations may be made before the specified person;

(b)the specified person may take declarations;

(c)declarations shall be delivered to the specified person instead of the proper officer of the Authority; and

(d)declarations so delivered shall be transmitted by the specified person to the proper officer of the Authority when one has been appointed.

(3) As respects the first ordinary election of the Authority, in the form of declaration of acceptance of office prescribed by article 4 for the words " Proper officer of the Greater London Authority" there shall be substituted " Authorised by the Greater London Authority (Elections and Acceptance of Office) Order 2000 to take this declaration".

Returns and declarations as to election expenses

6. As respects the first ordinary election of the Authority, for the purposes of sections 81 and 82 of the Representation of the People Act 1983(3) the appropriate officer is-�

(a)in relation to the Mayor and to each London member, the person for the time being appointed under section 407 of the 1999 Act as head of the Authority's paid service, and

(b)in relation to each constituency member, the returning officer specified in relation to the constituency in question by the Greater London Authority (Assembly Constituencies and Returning Officers) Order 1999(4).

SCHEDULE

Articles 4 and 5(3)

FORM OF DECLARATION OF ACCEPTANCE OF OFFICE

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order makes provision in relation to elections for the Greater London Authority.

Article 2 designates the person who is to be the returning officer at the first ordinary election of the Mayor and the London members of the Assembly, and article 3 makes a consequential modification to the definition of " Greater London returning officer" in section 29 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999.

Article 4 prescribes the form of declaration of acceptance of office to be made by the Mayor or acting Mayor, and by members of the Assembly, and article 5 makes provision as to the making and delivery of such declarations in relation to the first ordinary election. Article 6 designates, for the purposes of the first ordinary election, the officer who is to receive returns and declarations as to election expenses.