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Your weekly London local government update

17 July  24

London Councils' new Chair and 
Executive to be announced today

Georgia Gould, who has led Camden Council since 2017 and chaired London Councils since 2020, has stepped down from both roles following her election as an MP in the General Election.

Announcing her decision to step down as Chair of London Councils, she said: "Leaders of councils know our communities, we are leaders of place bringing together the public, private and voluntary sector to deliver for our residents. We have moved quickly to respond to every challenge, to make sure our residents were protected during covid, to welcome refugees to London, to rebuild our economy post Covid. We have done this under a time of extreme pressure for local government and I will always be a champion for our work."

Following her election as MP for Queen's Park and Maida Vale, she was subsequently appointed as a Cabinet Office Minister.  

Two other London borough Leaders and members of London Councils' Executive will also be stepping down from their roles following their election as MPs in the General Eelection.

Cllr Nesil Caliskan, Leader of Enfield Council and London Councils’ Executive Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Care, was elected as MP for Barking.

Cllr Jas Athwal, Leader of Redbridge Council and London Councils’ Executive Member for Community Safety and Violence Against Women and Girls, was elected as MP for Ilford South.

London Councils will announce a new Chair and full Executive following its AGM ( [link removed] ), which will take place later today. The Transport and Environment (TEC) Committee ( [link removed] ) and Grants Committee ( [link removed] ) will both will hold their AGMs tomorrow (Thursday 18 July).

You can follow us on X/Twitter ( [link removed] ) for updates as announcements are made today and tomorrow.

King's Speech will set out the new government's legislative agenda

Today the new government will set out its legislative agenda for this session of Parliament in the King’s Speech. The speech is expected contain more than 30 bills, many of which will affect Londoners and London local government.

It is encouraging to see a proposed ‘Take Back Control’ bill that is set to devolve more powers over energy, transport, skills and planning to mayors and councils. Measures to kickstart a national housebuilding programme and planning reform will also be of interest, as will plans to abolish Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, create a new National Wealth Fund, introduce a neighbourhood policing guarantee and achieve clean power by 2030.

London Councils will be analysing the implications of new legislation and working with MPs and Peers of all parties to ensure London local government’s voice is heard as bills pass through Parliament.

Community Engagement

The final report from the Supporting London Boroughs
Engagement Project ( [link removed] ) has been launched this week.

The project, which was funded by the Greater London Authority and led by London Councils, enabled the boroughs who took part to carry out innovative community engagement projects including:

The establishment of Kingston Disability NetworkImproving access to councils services for those who are deaf or hard of hearingThe use of human libraries to record individuals experiences in WestminsterEmpowering two estates in Islington to vote for the community projects of their choice – using participatory budgeting.

This report and Impact Gallery were produced by the project's learning partner, Neighbourly Lab, who supported the 13 boroughs. The report will be invaluable reading for those who are keen to find out the practical learnings from the projects and the ingredients for successful community engagement. You can download the report (PDF) here. ( [link removed] )

By-election correction

The summary table in last week's Key Issues contained an error in one of the wards. The member elected for Lewisham Blackheath is Pauline Dall. Full result available here ( [link removed] )

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In the news this week...

New Cabinet Office Minister Says There Is "Massive Waste" In How Local Councils Are Funded
Politics Homes ( [link removed] )

Barking & Dagenham Council leader to stand down after ten years
OnLondon ( [link removed] )

Leaders stand down after becoming MPs
LGC ( [link removed] )

Community engagement innovation report launched
PSE ( [link removed] )

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London Local Government 
Directory

You can find contact details for every councillor in London in our London Government Directory here ( [link removed] )

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General Election map

You can view the results in all 75 London constituencies in our interactive map here ( [link removed] )

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( [link removed] )You can now also follow London Councils  ( [link removed] )
on Instagram ( [link removed] )

Recently we've been sharing examples of the the great work boroughs do to improve neighbourhoods and support the individuals, communities and businesses that make London a better place to live, work and visit:
#boroughsmakelondon ( [link removed] )

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Comments or queries? Email the editor ( [email protected]?subject=Key%20Issues%3A )

visit londoncouncils.gov.uk ( [link removed] )

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London Councils is the collective of local government in London, the 32 boroughs and the City of London.We also run pan-London services like Freedom Pass and Taxicard. 59½ Southwark Street, London SE1 0AL | [email protected] ( [email protected] )

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