The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2024/25, confirmed by the Government last week, will leave a funding shortfall of at least £400 million in the capital, London Councils has warned.

London Councils' analysis highlights that, despite a 5.5% real-terms increase in their core spending power in the settlement, boroughs will continue to grapple with an “enormous” funding gap due to service pressures and costs - as outlined in London Councils' consultation response to the Local Government Finance Settlement here.

Deputy Chair of London Councils, Cllr Claire Holland, said: “Boroughs will continue to face a bleak financial outlook for the foreseeable future.

“Massive pressures on local services, skyrocketing costs, and years of inadequate funding have left town hall finances teetering on a cliff edge.

“It is in no one’s interests for a council to find itself in a Section 114 situation. Londoners want stability for their local services. We will continue to urge ministers to increase funding support and to work with us in making the local government finance system fairer and more sustainable.” 

London Councils is calling for the Spring Budget on 6 March to address the financial pressures facing boroughs, including: the continuation of the Household Support Fund (currently due to end in March); housing and homelessness funding; and reforming the broken local government finance system, so funding better reflects local need, boroughs have greater certainty through longer-term funding settlements, and more devolved funding to reduce reliance on council tax.

London Councils has responded to the government’s proposed changes to planning rules, including a ‘brownfield presumption’.

London Councils’ Executive Member for
Regeneration, Housing and Planning, Cllr Darren Rodwell, said: “Boroughs are strongly pro-housing growth and doing everything they can to turbocharge building the new homes Londoners desperately need.

“Although the planning system certainly needs to support building as much as possible, the system itself is not the core problem. London has a pipeline of 289,000 potential new homes that have received planning permission but have not yet been built due to other reasons.

“There are several key factors holding back housebuilding in London, including insufficient capital funding and infrastructure investment, as well as construction skills shortages.

“We remain as committed as ever to working in partnership with all levels of government on increasing housebuilding in the capital."

The London Inspire Programme wil host a summit on 25 March exploring collaboration to improving the health of Black Londoners. Speakers will include: Health Adviser to the Mayor of London, Professor Kevin Fenton CBE; Director of the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme at NHS England, Professor Bola Owa; and NHS Race and Health Observatory Professor Habib Naqvi. 

The Summit will take place at the Royal Society of Medicine and registrations are open now.

The London Inspire Programme is a  co-designed programme developed from public consultation following the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and its disproportionate impact on the Black people. The programme seeks to raise awareness and promote targeted health interventions aimed at health inequalities faced by Black people in London.

Some Freedom Pass holders whose passes are due to expire on 31 March will have received a letter asking them to renew their pass. If you or someone you know has received a letter, they can renew now online here.

Anyone else whose pass expires on 31 March, but has not received a letter, will have their pass automatically renewed, so don’t need to do anything.

You can find more information on the Freedom Pass, including how to apply for a pass, eligibility, and what to do if your pass is lost or stolen, on London Councils' website here.

People with broken electronics or electricals (mobile phone, computer, ear buds, toaster etc) are invited to take part in a short survey to share their experiences.

The survey is being conducted by Imperial College London, as part of a project being run by the London Office of Technology and Innovation (LOTI) in conjunction with LB Barnet Re:London, to find out more about how Londoners use or consider using repair services for electrical goods.

The survey is anonymous and will take around 8 minutes to complete. Please note that you need to be 18+ years-old to take part. Once you have completed the survey, you will be invited to enter a raffle to win one of four £25 IKEA vouchers. Full details here.