London mayor Boris Johnson has called on councils to join him in a fight against ‘pointless' regulations. Speaking at the LGA conference in Bournemouth last week, Mr Johnson said he wanted to work with other local authorities to fight against unnecessary regulations from both central and international government. ‘I want to be a mayor who resists pointless regulations,' he told delegates. ‘I believe we can serve our people better if we work together. ‘We can put up a joint defence in local government against a common foe.' Mr Johnson also said he was ‘in favour of regional government' but warned against unelected quangos. ‘If we are going to have any sort of regionalism than we should make sure that there will be a strong elected dimension,' he said. He also reiterated his pledge to build a close working relationship with the London boroughs. ‘I do believe in the power of local government to make a huge difference to the lives of people, and a huge difference to make lives better, but only if we all work together,' he said.
