GLA is the short name for the Greater London Authority. It is the official group that runs Greater London as a whole: the Mayor of London, plus an assembly of 25 members. They sit above the 32 London boroughs and the City of London. Though actually each borough still has its own council for local streets, schools and bins; the GLA does the city-wide jobs, like transport, police, fire, and a plan for how the city should grow. People often say “London” as if it were one simple town with one boss. It is not. The City of London is only the tiny old financial square mile; Greater London is the huge area most visitors mean. The GLA works from City Hall, on the south side of the Thames. In the news you will see GLA, City Hall, and the Mayor of London used almost as if they were the same thing; they are close, but the Mayor is one person inside this larger group.