The resignation of another key aide to Mayor Boris Johnson has sparked renewed questions over the Mayor of London’s leadership, with opposition leaders at City Hall charging that the “wheels are coming off” his new administration.

Tim Parker , the First Deputy Mayor and Chairman of Transport for London (TfL), has stepped down from both jobs, saying it was inappropriate for him to hold them as an unelected official. His resignation is the third of a key aide in the four months of Johnson’s mayorship.

Despite having a rather big job to do already in running the capital, Johnson will now chair TfL himself. In his usual combative style he announced: “Over the last few weeks, it has become increasingly apparent to both of us that the nature of the decisions that need to be taken are highly political and there is no substitute for me, as the directly elected Mayor, being in charge.There are limits, therefore, to what can be delegated.”

It begs the question why Parker was installed in both roles in the first place - the running of London’s transport system has always been a politically charged issue.

More important for the future though is whether Johnson is biting off more than he can chew by chairing TfL. Even in times of crisis, delegation to top aides will be crucial for the mayor’s success. One of the key arguments against voting for Johnson as mayor was his perceived lack of managing a large organisation, and judging by the rate at which senior aides are disappearing, he looks set for a rough ride, not least as yet another strike is looming on the London Underground.

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Hundreds of thousands of council workers are striking over pay in the biggest bout of industrial unrest in years.

Members of Unite and Unison are protesting over deals to increase their pay by 2.45 per cent, which is below the rate of inflation and which they say means an effective pay cut.

How are you affected by the strike? Is the council workers’ action justified?

Thousands of schools are closing on Thursday as teachers hold their first national strike in more than two decades.

The members of the NUT, as many as 200,000 teachers, say the action is to teach the government a lesson for offering them an unacceptable, below-inflation three-year pay deal.

They say it will deter young graduates from joining their ranks in the future while sapping the morale of current staff.

But it is not only the government which disagrees with them. Other teaching unions, such as the NASUWT and ATL have, albeit reluctantly accepted the pay deal, which was recommended by an independent organisation, the School Teachers’ Review Body. They point out that teachers have fared better than other public sector workers such as the police.

So while the NUT says enough is enough, the government argues that it will be children who suffer in the run-up to the summer exams.

Do you think teachers are right to strike on principle or are they being selfish? Send us your comments