A ROYAL commission should consider the future of London's housing, transport, environment, economy and population, Harrow West MP's Gareth Thomas said.

The opposition Parliamentarian presented to the House of Commons yesterday a bill to set up a public inquiry to investigate, during the course of the next 18 months, the problems facing the capital.

Royal Commissions are appointed by the Queen and are used to examine non-party political issues. Unlike other forms of inquiry, they cannot be stopped by a Government but then ministers do not have to take their conclusions on board.

Introduching his bill, Mr Thomas said: "London faces a series of major economic and social challenges to its economy and environment, and through the increase in its population, that will have profound consequences for housing in London, for our transport and energy needs, for businesses, potentially for Londoners' quality of life, and for levels of inequality in London.

"If those challenges and their consequences are thought through now - not just by one or two analysts, but by a wider cross section of Londoners - these challenges will also offer a series of major opportunities for our great city.

"However, if the long-term consequences of those challenges are ignored or left ill-considered because more short-term needs dominate, businesses, civil society and ordinary Londoners will lose out."

Mr Thomas added: "Royal commissions have, it is true, been out of fashion in recent years, but in the past they have considered difficult and politically tricky questions, helping to build a consensus for action."

Mark Field, the Conservative MP for Cities of London and Westminster, the only other MP to comment on the bill, said: "I support a great deal of the thrust of the argument that Mr Thomas has advanced today.

"He is right to say that London faces significant challenges, but I am not sure that a royal commission, as set out in the bill, would be the right way to achieve our goals."

The Royal Commissions (London) bill will be read for a second time in Parliament on June 17 2011.