Boroughs are asking residents to play their part in helping local high streets and businesses get back on their feet, boosting the local economy and potentially creating jobs and services for London’s communities.

Cllr Clare Coghill, London Councils Executive Member for Business, Europe and Good Growth said: “As boroughs cautiously look to reopen London’s diverse high streets with safety as a top priority, Londoners now have a real opportunity to support and celebrate their local traders.

“The phased reopening of non-essential retail businesses from 15 June will bring some more normalcy to the lives of Londoners. While we are all spending more time at home, now is the perfect time to explore local shops that we may not have had the chance to before and to support much-loved businesses we know well.

“If we stick to social distancing and follow the robust safety systems shops have worked hard to implement, we can safely make a conscious choice to shop locally, protecting local businesses and even supporting growth in these challenging times.”

This weekend saw buildings across the capital illuminated green to commemorate the 72 people who lost their lives in a fire at Grenfell Tower on 14 June 2017.

Last week the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee reported that there are still 2,000 high-risk residential buildings with some form of dangerous cladding. The MPs said that the money the government had made available so far would only cover the cost of removing cladding from around a third of the buildings in need of remediation.

Responding to the select committee report, London Councils’ Executive Member for Housing & Planning, Cllr Darren Rodwell, said: “We can’t afford any penny pinching when it comes to fire safety.

“While we certainly welcome the government grants made available to councils so far, they only pay for the remediation of ACM cladding. The £1 billion Building Safety Fund for remediation of non-ACM external wall systems largely excludes social landlords such as councils, which is hugely frustrating.

“Boroughs’ finances are already under immense pressure due to years of funding reductions and now the impact of Covid-19. It’s unsustainable to expect local government and the wider social housing sector to absorb the vast majority of these costs themselves, which would only scale back spending in other vital areas - like investment in desperately needed new housing.”

This week (15-19 June) marks the fourth annual Loneliness Awareness Week. At a time when the coronavirus pandemic has entrenched isolation for many people, London's mental health partnership Thrive LDN has published a blog highlighting a number of virtual ways to connect.

From Monday 15 June, passengers are required to wear a face covering over their nose and mouth when travelling on public transport. People who have trouble breathing, children under 3 years-old and anyone who finds it difficult to manage them correctly are exempt.

You can find full guidance on the rules as well as advice on making your own face covering here.