General Purpose Authorities

Chairmen of the Metropolitan Board of Works

• Sir John Thwaites (December 22, 1855 - August 8, 1870) (died in office)
• James Macnaghten Hogg (November 18, 1870 - March 21, 1889)

Leaders of the London County Council

The post of Leader was only officially recognised in 1933. This table gives the Leaders of the majority parties on the council before this time, although in the first term this had little relevance in terms of the leadership of the Council.

• Sir Thomas Farrer (1889 - 1890)
• James Stuart (1890 - 1892)
• Charles Harrison (1892 - 1898)
• Thomas McKinnon Wood (1898 - 1907)
• Richard Robinson (1907 - 1908)
• Hon. William Wellesley Peel (1908 - 1910)
• Cyril Jackson (1910 - 1915)
• Ronald Collett Norman (1915 - 1917)
• Sir George Hume (1917 - March 11, 1925)
• Sir William Ray (March 11, 1925 - March 9, 1933)
• Herbert Morrison (March 9, 1933 - May 27, 1940)
• Lord Latham (May 27, 1940 - July 29, 1947)
• Sir Isaac Hayward (July 29, 1947 - March 31, 1965)

Leaders of the Greater London Council

• Bill Fiske (April 11, 1964 - April 14, 1967)
• Desmond Plummer (April 14, 1967 - April 13, 1973)
• Sir Reg Goodwin (April 13, 1973 - May 6, 1977)
• Sir Horace Cutler (May 6, 1977 - May 8, 1981)
• Ken Livingstone (May 8, 1981 - August 2, 1984)
• John Wilson (August 2, 1984 - September 21, 1984)
• Ken Livingstone (September 21, 1984 - March 31, 1986)

Chairman of the London Residuary Body

• Sir Godfrey 'Tag' Taylor (July 26, 1985 - June 30, 1996)

Mayor of London

• Ken Livingstone (May 4, 2000 - )

Special Purpose Authorities

Chairmen of the London School Board

• Lord Lawrence (December 15, 1870 - December 10, 1873)
• Sir Charles Reed (December 10, 1873 - March 25, 1881) (Died in office)
• Edward North Buxton (April 5, 1881 - December 3, 1885)
• Rev. Joseph Diggle (December 3, 1885 - December 6, 1894)
• Lord George Hamilton (December 6, 1894 - October 3, 1895)
• Marquess of Londonderry (October 31, 1895 - December 2, 1897)
• Lord Reay (December 2, 1897 - April 30, 1904)

Leaders of the Inner London Education Authority

Although ILEA was created in 1964 and came into its powers in 1965, the post of Leader did not exist until April 1967. For the period 1964-67 the de facto Leadership was shared between the Chairman of the Education Committee, James Young, and the Chairmen of the Authority, Harold Shearman (from 1964-1965) and Ashley Bramall (1965-1967).

• Christopher Chataway (April 19, 1967 - March 20, 1969)
• Lena Townsend (March 20, 1969 - April 10, 1970)
• Ashley Bramall (April 10, 1970 - May 8, 1981)
• Bryn Davies (May 8, 1981 - April 19, 1983)
• Frances Morrell (April 19, 1983 - May 5, 1987)
• Neil Fletcher (May 5, 1987 - March 31, 1990)