London Councils Executive Member for Transport and Environment Mayor Philip Glanville has called on government to provide a "better and more stable" funding solution to ensure London's roads are properly maintained.

Speaking on BBC Politics London on Sunday, Mayor Glanville said: "The problem is that potholes are the acute end of the problem. We've seen funding cuts for councils across the board and especially more recently a funding cut to road maintenance. We were seeing around £20m going to London for road maintenance in 2016, that is now down to £2.6m.

"Without routine and regular maintenance for our roads we are just patching."

London Councils estimates the cost of the maintenance backlog for London's roads at around £1.6 billion. "That is completely unaffordable without a proper settlement from government", said Mayor Glanville.

You can watch the BBC Politics item in full on the BBC iPlayer here (from 1 min)

The APPG for London held its AGM on Monday.

The AGM saw seven of the eight current officers re-elected, including the two co-chairs Bob Neill MP and Florence Eshalomi MP, and three new vice chairs were welcomed to the group: Dawn Butler MP, Marsha de Cordova MP and Munira Wilson MP.

MPs and Peers attending also heard from guest speaker Martin Machray, Executive Director of Performance for NHS London, who gave an update on health issues across the capital that was well received by attendees, with questions on a wide range of topics, including screening, mental health among young people, recruitment, sexual health/gender identity services and GP waiting times.

The APPG for London is a forum for MPs and Peers to work together on a cross-party basis to strengthen the capital's voice in Parliament. The group’s purpose is to promote the capital in the interests of all Londoners.

London Councils provides the secretariat to the group on behalf of London government, including the Mayor of London and the London Assembly. 

APPG meetings are open to MPs, Peers and representatives of organisations interested in and affected by the issues being discussed.

The 2023 London Homelessness Awards (LHA) opened for applications this week.

With a prize fund of £60,000, the LHA recognise the significant achievements and excellent work of teams and projects across London working with people who are, or are at risk of becoming, homeless.

The awards are open to all projects in London working in the field of homelessness, this includes registered social landlords, local councils, NHS and health-related organisations, voluntary organisations, or a partnership of any of these. The only stipulation is that the project must have been operating and delivering services for a minimum of six months.

Now in their 22nd year, the awards were originally set up in memory of Andy Ludlow, director of housing and social services at Haringey Council. He was a pioneer in developing a holistic approach to housing and social services. After he died, at the age of just 51, London’s housing directors set up the Andy Ludlow Homelessness Awards as a lasting legacy and testament to his tireless work in the sector.

Find out more about the London Homelessness Awards, including how to enter, here.

A by-election took place in the Bullsmoor ward (LB Enfield) last week (Thursday 20 April). The by-election was won by Destiny Karakus (Labour). You can the full result here.