The London Assembly is making a bid to widen its powers and wrestle control away from quangos and the Government.

Members of the Assembly's Commission on London Governance are set to ask over seven million residents if they want things to change.

Darren Johnson, a member of the Assembly and the Commission, said concern about how much say the government has in the running of London was at the heart of the problem.

"We are in a ridiculous situation where we are supposed to have devolution but the budget and power of the Government Office for London is growing and growing and growing," he said.

"It should be the directly elected London authority that is actually making decisions about London."

A draft consultation paper has been written which will be distributed to all London's boroughs after the Christmas holidays.

Residents are expected to be given a six week period to make their feelings on the subject known.

The Commission insisted it was not about to change any boundaries or interfere with the way any of the capital's councils are run.

Its targets, Government Office for London aside, are, among others, the Housing Corporation, the Environment Agency and English Heritage.

Mr Johnson claims the influence these organizations have in London should be in the hands of the London Assembly.

The Comission wants people to take part in the massive consultation exercise, which it hopes can then be presented to Government.

Mr Johnson added: "Everyone on the committee feels there is something wrong with the way things are. The introduction of the London Assembly was a great step forward in terms of providing direction for London on big issues but there are so many other responsibilities that are not the responsibility of the Assembly and are done by government and quangos.

"I think if people could see things weren't working as well as they could do or their voice isn't being heard as best it could; they would be prepared to tell us about it.

"If we get a general consensus back from the people of London there will be a very powerful argument for taking that to central government and asking them to make amendments namely reducing the size of the Government Office for London or abolishing it altogether."