London boroughs have launched a Housing Development Academy with backing from the Mayor of London to boost council housebuilding and help tackle the capital’s homelessness crisis.

The academy, believed to be the first collaboration of its kind between local authorities in the UK, will help ensure London has the skills required to deliver council-built homes in even larger numbers.

London Councils’ Executive Member for Regeneration, Housing & Planning, Cllr Darren Rodwell, said: “Boroughs are proud to be building the next generation of council homes across the capital.

“We’re determined to give more Londoners the opportunity to live in affordable, high-quality homes. That means building more council housing, as boroughs were able to do in previous decades. This is vital for our vision of London as a fair, economically dynamic and environmentally sustainable city.

“The Housing Development Academy will play a pivotal role in making sure London has the skills required to deliver the council-built homes our communities are crying out for.”

Set up by the London Housing Directors’ Group with the support of London Councils and grant funding from the Greater London Authority, the academy’s training programmes are delivered by Future of London, the capital’s leadership and networking organisation for the built environment.

The agreement of more than £63 million in Transport for London (TfL) funding for the Local Implementation Plans (LIPS) programme has been welcomed by London Councils as "a hugely welcome starting point".

Between them, London's 32 boroughs and the City of London are responsible for around 95 per cent of streets across the capital and are vital partners in making them safe, accessible and reliable for all.

The funding will support the boroughs to deliver new cycle routes, school streets schemes, new or upgraded pedestrian crossings, bus priority schemes and 20mph speed limits on borough roads.

Following the announcement on Monday (27 March), London Councils' Executive Member for Climate Change, Transport and Environment, Mayor Philip Glanville, said: "London boroughs are championing active travel solutions for Londoners and are already making changes on the ground to increase healthier and greener travel options across the capital. It is essential that all of London's diverse communities can benefit from the projects that each borough's Local Implementation Plan programme will deliver.

"We are committed to a strong partnership with TfL to deliver on this ambition, recognising that 95 per cent of London's streets are managed by the boroughs and City of London.   

"This funding is hugely welcome as a starting point, but we will continue to work with government to address the funding backlog to improve London's highways infrastructure, including cycle routes, footpaths, lighting, trees, gullies, bridges and tunnels. Our soon to be launched State of the City Report has revealed this backlog now surpasses £1.5 billion.   

"We look forward to working alongside TfL and government to make sure active travel is a sustainable and viable option for all Londoners wanting to make greener choices for themselves and for London's green future."

London Councils has launched a new blogspace for boroughs to share experiences as they collectively work to address the challenges of climate change.

In November 2019, the London Environment Directors Network (LEDNet) and London Councils' Transport and Environment Committee (TEC) agreed an ambitious Joint Statement on Climate Change, that sets out seven major programmes for cross-borough working - and London borough leaders have made delivering the programmes and achieving net zero one of London Councils key shared ambitions.

The new blog is a collaborative space for knowledge-sharing between London borough officers and London Councils' climate programmes. It will cover various topics and projects related to net zero and adaptation and will enable open conversation in the space. You can read the blog posts here.