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Your weekly update of London local government issues

11 March 2020

Budget must prioritise the environment

A coalition of local government and green groups is urging the new Chancellor to use today’s Budget to help councils reduce carbon emissions at scale.

In a joint letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak the groups, including London Councils, Ashden, the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Transport and Planning, Friends of the Earth, Green Alliance, Greenpeace UK, London Environment Directors’ Network and UK100, welcome the promise to protect the environment outlined in the Queen’s Speech last year and say that councils are uniquely well placed to help the government meet its carbon emissions reduction targets.

( [link removed] )Cllr Julian Bell, Chair of London Councils’ Transport and Environment Committee, said ( [link removed] ) ( [link removed] ): “This is a critical point in the global fight to reduce harmful carbon emissions and protect our environment for future generations. We hope to see recognition of local government’s critical role in climate action in the Budget, along with the support and resources we need to have a real impact in our communities.”

Budget must boost funding for homelessness

Responding to a new report from the charity Crisis ( [link removed] ) on the impact of the Homelessness Reduction Act, Cllr Darren Rodwell, London Councils’ Executive Member for Housing & Planning, has urged the government to address unsustainable pressures on hard-pressed homelessness services.

“The government must use the Budget to boost funding for local homelessness services”, he said. “We’re also calling on ministers to support the measures desperately needed to prevent homelessness occurring in the first place – including restoring housing benefit to levels that will improve affordability and giving councils the powers we need to build social housing at significant scale.”

£8 million for EU Settlement Scheme

The Home Office has announced a further £8 million of funding to help vulnerable EU citizens apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.

Charities and local authorities will bid for further funding to provide face-to-face, online and telephone support to vulnerable people across the UK. This may include legal support, caseworker services or general advice as either individual or group sessions.

The applications will open soon, more details can be found ( [link removed] )here. ( [link removed] ) ( [link removed] )

Last chance for Grants consultation 

London Councils Leaders' Committee has agreed that a new four-year pan-London Grants programme should be established from April 2021, with an indicative budget of £26.7million.

This is the last week to ( [link removed] )submit responses ( [link removed] ) ( [link removed] ) to the consultation, asking for views about the programme, which closes Friday 13 March at 5pm.

The new programme will be based on the current programme priorities ( [link removed] ).

Responses to the consultation will help London Councils shape recommendations for the new programme to the Grants Committee.

Levelling up needed within regions

London Councils has responded to a report from the think-tank Onward on the government’s 'levelling up' policy programme.''

Cllr Peter John OBE, Chair of London Councils, said: ( [link removed] ) “We want to see levelling up within regions as well as between them. It’s crucial to reduce inequality and promote prosperity everywhere – and making Londoners poorer does nothing to achieve this.”

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