A senior Greater London Authority politician has announced her resignation after more than 15 years with the London assembly.

Val Shawcross, London’s Deputy Mayor for Transport will retire in summer this year.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan thanked Ms Shawcross for her “exceptional service” to the London assembly.

He said: “Val is hugely respected by politicians from all parties and her deep expertise on transport in London has made life better for millions of Londoners.

“This includes whether making our public transport network more accessible and affordable, delivering huge projects such as the Elizabeth Line, or improving TfL as an organisation.”

Ms Shawcross was a London assembly member for 16 years which included eight years at the chair of the London fire and emergency planning authority as well as being the deputy Mayor for transport since 2016.

Commenting on her time with the Greater London Authority, Ms Shawcross said: “It’s been a huge honour to work as Deputy Mayor for Transport under Sadiq’s leadership, working with colleagues at the GLA and TfL to make our city a better and fairer place for every Londoner.

“Working as an Assembly Member and then Deputy Mayor, I hope I’ve played my part ensuring our city has a high-quality, affordable and accessible transport network that serves the needs of every Londoner, whatever their background.”

Mr Khan is appointing Heidi Alexander to succeed Ms Shawcross as deputy major for transport.

Ms Alexander has been an MP for Lewisham East since 2010 and a member of London council’s transport and environment committee.