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Your weekly London local government update

09 Apr 25

Borough leaders make united call for ‘seat at the table’ in new devolution settlement

The leaders of the 32 London boroughs have made a united cross-party call for “a seat at the table” as part of a new devolution settlement for the capital.

In a joint public statement, the 32 leaders say that establishing joint decision-making arrangements between the Mayor and the boroughs over relevant powers and funding is critical for enabling London to deliver more quickly and build long-term resilience into the capital’s devolution arrangements.

Chair of London Councils, Cllr Claire Holland ( [link removed] ), said: “The prospect of more devolved powers and funding to the capital is an exciting one – but we must ensure London’s devolution settlement works as effectively and efficiently as possible.

"Giving boroughs a seat at the table and a proper say in regional decision-making will put us in a far stronger position to tackle the challenges we face as a city and drive growth in London.

“We have worked hard to build cross-party consensus across the 32 boroughs for a pragmatic solution that enables joint decision-making. We must seize this opportunity to hardwire collaboration between the Mayor and boroughs into our devolution deal so that we can all deliver better outcomes for Londoners.”

You can read London borough leaders' joint letter in full here. ( [link removed] )

Crisis in temporary accommodation: Undeniable need for urgent action

A new report ( [link removed] ) by the cross party Housing, Communities and Local Government select committee into the 'crisis in temporary accommodation' in England has highlighted the “undeniable need for urgent action", according to London Councils Executive Member for Housing Cllr Grace Williams. ( [link removed] )

“This report lays bare the dire circumstance facing many families living in temporary accommodation", she said.

“In the face of a worsening shortage of affordable accommodation, boroughs increasingly find ourselves forced to use the least-worst options in order to keep a roof over the heads of homeless families. We are determined to raise standards in temporary accommodation – and to reduce the number of families reliant on it – but we need the resources and support to make this happen faster."

London Councils is calling on the government to: Better fund councils for the cost of temporary accommodation; Make the increase in Local Housing Allowance rates a permanent measure; Bring forward a cross-departmental strategy to reduce homelessness; and boost long-term grant funding for affordable housing. The chronic and longstanding shortage of affordable housing is the key factor driving London’s homelessness emergency.  You can find more detail on all of London Councils key asks here. ( [link removed] )

Care Leavers Ministerial meeting

Members of the London Care Leavers Trust Board last week met with Janet Daby, the government Minister for Children and Families, to discuss the Pan London Care Leavers Compact and the government's national ambition for care leavers.  

The Compact is a partnership programme to build a high quality regional offer for London's care leavers. It brings together young leaders from the London Children in Care Council with Local Authorities, the NHS, the Greater London Authority, the Care Leavers Covenant and others to improve the experiences of our care leaver community.   

The work is facilitated by the London Innovation & Improvement Alliance ( [link removed] ) (LIIA) and Partnership for Young London and chaired by members of the Association of London Directors of Children’s Services. You can find out more about the work programme here. ( [link removed] )

Freedom Pass renewals 

Around 500,000 Freedom Passes expired on 31 March. So far around 92% of these passes have been renewed and users have received their new pass.

Customers who have not yet renewed their expired pass can continue using their existing pass until 1 May as we have arrangements with TfL to accept 2025 expiry passes upon visual inspection.

If you, or someone you know, have moved but not told us, or have not used the pass in the past two years, please ask them to check their email inbox and junk mail as we may have tried to contact them with instructions about how to renew their Freedom Pass using our online portal ( [link removed] ), which will remain open until 30 May.

If you have not received an email or letter, please contact [email protected] ( [email protected]?subject=Freedom%20Pass%20renewal%20(31%20March%20expiry) ) to discuss your next steps.

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In the news this week...

Councils call for urgent shake-up in the 'outdated' way London is run
ITV News ( [link removed] )

Boroughs make call for joint decision making with the Mayor

LondonCentric ( [link removed] )

Should London start taxing tourists?
The Londoner ( [link removed] )

Call for council inspections of temporary accommodation
LGC ( [link removed] )

Low-income Londoners between 25 and 29 spending 77% of wages on housing
Inside Housing ( [link removed] )

London primary school consults on closure after 150 years amid dwindling birthrates and financial struggles
The Standard ( [link removed] )

Early intervention spending down 40%
The MJ ( [link removed] )

London Councils Pan-London Grants Programme 
2026-2030

London Councils is inviting proposals for the 2026-2030 Pan-London Grants Programme, a four-year initiative which will deliver vital services from April 2026 to March 2030, across the capital. The programme aims to tackle homelessness and domestic and sexual abuse, ensuring London’s most vulnerable residents receive the support they need.

London Councils is offering workshops and grant application drop-in sessions to support applicants throughout the process on the following dates (click on link to register):

Wednesday 9 April 2025 ( [link removed] )
Wednesday 16 April 2025 ( [link removed] )
Wednesday 23 April 2025 ( [link removed] )
Wednesday 30 April 2025 ( [link removed] )

You can read more about the 2026-2030 Grants Programme and application process here. ( [link removed] )

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You can find contact details for every councillor across all 32 London boroughs and the City of London in our London Government Directory ( [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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