Sir Simon Milton appointed deputy mayor

Sir Simon Milton has been promoted to deputy mayor of London, following the resignation of Ray Lewis.

Sir Simon Milton has been promoted to deputy mayor of London, following the resignation of Ray Lewis.

The former planning advisor to London mayor Boris Johnson has been appointed deputy mayor after proving himself both as planning advisor and a Westminster councillor.

Sir Simon, who also chaired the Local Government Association (LGA), will now be the deputy mayor in charge of policy and planning.

The newly appointed deputy mayor was in the spotlight last week as he was tasked with revealing the mayor's latest "Blueprint for London".

Many were disappointed to find that Mr Johnson had dropped former mayor Ken Livingstone's commitment to 50 per cent of all new builds being affordable homes, as well as Mr Livingstone's housing space standards.

Announcing his decision to take the job, Sir Simon will stand down from his position as councillor as well as chair of the LGA.

The position of deputy mayor, despite Mr Johnson's selection, is subject to an interview panel led by Greater London Authority chief executive Anthony Mayer, and could be subject to further scrutiny by the London Assembly.