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Your weekly London local government update

30 Oct 24

Housing announcement is 'hugely 
welcome news' 

Government plans to boost the supply of new affordable housing through a package of measures that includes: £500m in new funding for the Affordable Homes Programme; a five-year social housing rent settlement;  and allowing local authorities to keep 100% of the receipts generated by a Right to Buy sale, have been welcomed by London Councils as "hugely welcome news".

Responding to the measures announced on Monday, London Councils’ Executive Member for Housing &
Regeneration, Cllr Grace Williams ( [link removed] ), said: "Increasing investment in the Affordable Homes Programme and allowing councils to retain 100% of Right to Buy receipts will help boost the construction of much-needed social and affordable homes. Reducing the Right to Buy discounts will also better protect existing and newly-built council homes – a crucial resource in boroughs' efforts to support families at the sharp end of the housing crisis.

"The government is right to recognise the importance of putting social housing finances on a sustainable footing and the proposal for a new five-year rent settlement is a positive step. London boroughs face a black hole of £700m in their social housing budgets over the next four years as the costs of maintenance, repairs, and vital safety improvements outpace boroughs’ rental income.

“We will be making the case for a 10-year settlement in the forthcoming consultation, alongside a review of the existing debt settlement for Housing Revenue Accounts. These further support measures would ensure long-term stability and maximise boroughs’ ability to drive up housebuilding, which is so crucial to the government’s missions."

Budget priorities

Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver her first budget ( [link removed] ) later today.

Earlier this year London Councils' Budget submission set out London local government's priorities to stabilise local authorities’ finances and position them to support the government’s missions. You can read more about those priorities here ( [link removed] ); and read our full submission to the Treasury here ( [link removed] ).

Following the Budget, London Councils will be sending and on the day briefing for borough Treasurers and a briefing for all members will follow

Food sustainability in London

The One World Living programme, one of the key strands of London Councils' Climate Programme, ( [link removed] ) recently invited boroughs to the Felix Project and Hackney School of Food to learn more about their work to promote sustainability in food, reducing food waste, food consumption emissions and promoting sustainable diets.

The Felix Project ( [link removed] ) rescues surplus fresh and nutritious food from the food industry and direct from farms and deliver it to charities, schools, and community organizations across London. From their kitchen they also cook and deliver over 5,000 meals a day to those in need.

The Hackney School of Food ( [link removed] ) is a cookery school and garden which offers a range of cookery courses aimed at teaching children and their families how to cook nutritious food from scratch.

We encourage all boroughs to sign up to the London Food Purchasing Commitment – a commitment designed for London’s local authorities by ReLondon and London Councils’ Climate Programme to help London boroughs improve the environmental impacts of the food they buy and serve across their operations. You can read more about Circular food procurement here. ( [link removed] )

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In the news this week...

'The Standard View: Rachel Reeves must not forget London's homelessness crisis
The Standard ( [link removed] )

Cost of housing homeless people in London £4m a day
BBC News ( [link removed] )

London boroughs fear the consequences of the homelessness emergency
Inside Housing ( [link removed] )

London councils spending £90m on 'often leaky' temporary accommodation
My London ( [link removed] )

'The market is broken': Just 5% of private rentals in London are affordable to low-income earners
Big Issue ( [link removed] )

Senior officers’ call for ‘urgent action’ ahead of Budget
LGC ( [link removed] )

Government to allow councils to stage hybrid meetings
UK Authority ( [link removed] )

Local authorities must improve engagement with voluntary organisations, report finds
Third Sector ( [link removed] )

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What topics are you interested in? Click here to let us know ( [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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Designing the LOTI Sandbox

Colleagues are invited to join LOTI for an online Lunch & Learn session to discover more about the process of designing the LOTI Sandbox—a first-of-its-kind immersive event exploring the real-life challenges of navigating health and social care systems in London. You can register to attend here. ( [link removed] )

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London Councils has moved. We are now based at: Fourth Floor, 12 Arthur Street, London EC4R 9AB.

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. 
London Councils, 4th Floor, 12 Arthur Street, London, EC4R 9AB

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