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Your weekly London local government update

24 July 24

London Councils' new Chair elected

London Councils' AGM (Wednesday 17 July) saw Lambeth Leader Cllr Claire Holland ( [link removed] ) elected as the new Chair of the cross-party organisation, succeeding Georgia Gould, who recently resigned from the role after being elected as MP for Queen’s Park and Maida Vale.

Cllr Holland said: “I’m delighted to have been elected to lead London Councils as we enter a new political era and to be working with a fantastic group of political leaders from across the capital.

“London boroughs are a force to be reckoned with - when we collaborate cross-party to champion and serve our city and its 9 million residents, we can achieve so much. We are ready to work with the new government to address the urgent challenges facing our city and country and help support a new mission-driven approach to government, working alongside the Mayor of London and our partners.

“In particular, we are determined to drive growth and bring London’s housing crisis to an end – that means building more homes, investing in infrastructure and ensuring local authorities have the powers and funding we need to deliver on our ambitions for the capital.

“I want to thank Georgia for her inspiring and accomplished leadership over the past four years, and our other outgoing Executive members for their service. With Georgia, Nesil and Jas being elected as MPs ( [link removed] ), I look forward to working with them as they continue to be a voice for Londoners and local government in Parliament.”

London Councils confirms its new political leadership team 

London Councils' new Executive was also confirmed at the AGM. Our Executive team and portfolios are listed below:

Chair: Cllr Claire Holland, Leader of Lambeth Council
Deputy Chair and Executive Member for Housing and Regeneration: Cllr Grace Williams, Leader of Waltham Forest Council
Vice Chair, Conservative Group: Cllr Elizabeth Campbell, Leader of  the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Vice Chair, Liberal Democrat Group: Cllr Gareth Roberts, Leader of Richmond Council
Vice Chair, Independent: Chris Hayward, Policy Chair, City of London Corporation
Executive Member for Health: Cllr Kaya Comer-Schwartz, Leader of Islington Council
Executive Member for London’s Future: Mayor Jason Perry, Croydon Council
Executive Member for Children and Young People: Cllr Ian Edwards, Leader of Hillingdon Council
Executive Member for Transport and Environment: Cllr Kieron Williams, Leader of Southwark Council
Executive Member for Community Safety: Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council
Executive Member for Communities: Cllr Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich
Executive Member for Planning and Skills: Cllr Peter Mason, Leader of Ealing Council

The AGM saw Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz, (LB Newham) appointed as Data and Innovation Lead for London Councils. Cllr Kieron Williams (LB Southwark) was elected Chair of the Transport and Environment Committee (TEC) at its AGM on Thursday 18 July. Cllr Peray Ahmet (LB Haringey) was elected Chair of the Grants Committee at its AGM on the same day.

King's Speech 

The new government’s legislative agenda, as revealed in the King’s Speech ( [link removed] ), will have major implications for Londoners and London local government.

London Council is encouraged by the English Devolution Bill, which promises more powers for mayors and councils over areas including energy, transport, skills and employment support and planning. We'll be making the case for a revised devolution settlement that makes a positive difference to our communities. Further devolution is vital for ensuring boroughs the Mayor of London are fully equipped to work in partnership with the government to boost economic growth.

The focus on delivering more homes and infrastructure is also welcome and boroughs are ready to significanly boost housebuilding in the capital, which will be crucial for securing economic growth and tackling London’s worsening homelessness situation; as is planned legislation to abolish section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions and to give private renters more housing security.

We look forward to engaging with the government and London MPs in the months and years ahead to promote boroughs’ collective voice and work together to create a fairer, greener, and more prosperous city for all Londoners.

By-election results

Two by-elections took place in LB Newham last week (Thursday 18 July). The by-election in the borough's Beckton ward was won by Blossom Young (Lab). The by-election in the Little Ilford ward was won by Aktharul Alam (Lab). Full results here. ( [link removed] )

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In the news this week...

Claire Holland: London boroughs need more powers to tackle housing crisis
LGC ( [link removed] )

How to tackle London’s housing crisis
LocalGov ( [link removed] )

King's Speech: Devolution takes centre stage
The MJ ( [link removed] )

What topics are you interested in? Click here to let us know ( [link removed] )

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Housing accounts for a third of London's carbon emissions. Improving the energy efficiency of older housing stock (known as 'Retrofitting') will not only allow us to reach our net zero targets, but also save Londoners money on energy bills. This blog by London Councils Retrofit Policy Officer Isabelle Nest-Coleman ( [link removed] ) explores some of the challenges boroughs face and how strategic partnerships could help overcome them.

The Centre for Ageing Better will host an online webinar on Wednesady 21 August (10-11am) exploring the need for 'age -friendly' communities with practical examples from the UK newtork.

An Age-friendly Community is a place where people of all ages are able to live healthy and active later lives. They make it possible for people to stay living in their homes, participate in the activities that they value, and contribute to their communities, for as long as possible.

You can find out more about the webinar and register to attend here. ( [link removed] )

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] )

We've recently been sharing examples of 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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