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Your weekly London local government update

16 July 25

English Devolution Bill

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill ( [link removed] ) was presented to Parliament last week, a move described by London Councils Chair, Cllr Claire Holland as "an important moment in the UK's devolution journey, demonstrating that the government wants to put power back into the hands of local leaders who know their communities best."

“London boroughs fully support these aims", she added. "We will be looking closely at the bill and ensuring we bring our experience and expertise to the table as this legislation progresses through Parliament.

“We will continue to make the case for London to receive the powers and funding it needs to succeed, alongside governance arrangements that ensure boroughs have a seat at the regional table, in line with other parts of the country.

“Boroughs firmly believe that we can get better outcomes for Londoners by hard-wiring collaboration between the Mayor and boroughs into London government through formal structures for joint decision-making over relevant powers and funding.

“In the coming months, we’ll be working with the Mayor and national government on the design and implementation of London’s integrated settlement, as well as continuing to explore long-term solutions that would modernise our devolution deal and build resilience into the system.”

Day of memory for victims of honour-based violence

Monday marked the Day of Memory for Victims of Honour-Based Violence. London Councils' Grants Programme funds the Ascent Ending Harmful Practices Partnership ( [link removed] ) project, which is run by the Asian Women's Resource Centre (AWRC).  This project aims to improve services for those affected by sexual and domestic abuse, specifically, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), honour-based abuse, forced marriage and other harmful practices through the provision of high-quality frontline services as well as support services to voluntary organisations.

The partnership also aims to improve safety and reduce risks for BME women experiencing harmful practices and present them with options so that they are in a stronger position physically, mentally and emotionally. The intended impact of the combined activities they participate in will help them achieve greater social and economic independence, enabling them to integrate into and contribute towards their local communities and wider society.

This week, our Grants Committee will be considering further decisions and recommendations for our next Grants Programme for 2026-30.  

Southwark elects new Leader

Cllr Sarah King was elected as the new Leader of Southwark Council at Council Assembly on Wednesday 9 July. 

She has been a councillor since 2010 and is a ward councillor for Champion Hill. Her election as Leader comes after Cllr Kieron Williams announced last month he would stand down after five years as Leader.

London Councils and Core Cities UK celebrate shared milestone

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London Councils and Core Cities UK (the alliance of 12 cities - Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield) are both marking their 30th anniversaries this year. 

Both organisations came together for a joint celebration event at County Hall on Monday, sponsored by Metro Dynamics. At the event they reflected on three decades of successful collaboration and achievement. Speeches covered the vital importance of maximising the potential of the UK's largest cities and delivering for residents.

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In the news this week...

London funding share reduction

Politics London (iPlayer) ( [link removed] )
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Inside London’s school closures crisis as more than 30 primaries set to shut or merge within weeks
The Standard ( [link removed] )
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Londoners’ second preference mayoral elections vote set to return
OnLondon ( [link removed] )
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Child asylum seekers need more support, study says
BBC London News ( [link removed] )
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Rise of the good landlords: Inside the movement to make the private rental sector tackle homelessness
Big Issue ( [link removed] )
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What topics are you interested in? Click here to let us know ( [link removed] )

Case studies in prevention

To celebrate 60 years of the London boroughs, each week, London Councils is sharing prevention case studies highlighting how preventative action by London boroughs is helping to save money and improve the lives of their residents.

This week, our case study is from LB Haringey, whose series of data-led targeted campaigns has helped its residents increase their uptake in unclaimed benefits, improving incomes and reducing rent arrears.

You can read Haringey's case study in full on our LinkedIn pages 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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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.
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