The summer statement 'A plan for jobs' by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak last week has been welcomed as "a good start" by London Councils.

Speaking after the speech last Wednesday, London Councils Deputy Chair and Executive Member for Skills and Employment, Cllr Georgia Gould, said: “Investment in meaningful measures to support jobs, businesses and local economies is crucial to enable us to continue to manage Covid-19 in our communities and move toward recovery. The statement from the Chancellor was a good start with initiatives to help businesses, support those out of work back into the jobs market and investment that acknowledges the need for a green-led economic recovery.

“We will need to go further and faster and empower local government if we are to truly mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on our economies. We need a far more comprehensive plan for green capital investment with a focus on making the way we live, work, and travel more sustainable, and supporting London’s ambition to be carbon neutral by 2030.

“Despite a decade of austerity, councils have been at the heart of our national response to this crisis, working with the voluntary sector to protect the most vulnerable and our communities. We need a place-based recovery that puts councils and local communities at its heart – connecting people to learning and jobs, and making sure investment in industries, sectors and businesses transforms local economies. London boroughs stand ready to work with the Chancellor and the government to support our citizens, our businesses and our communities."

“The Covid-19 pandemic has put unprecedented strain on boroughs – but this has also made it clear that technology and innovation in public services are more important than ever". That's according to Philip Glanville, Mayor of Hackney and London Councils’ Digital Champion, speaking on the first anniversary of the London Office of Technology and Innovation (LOTI), launched in 2019 as a collaboration between the London boroughs, with a mission of bringing the best of digital, data and innovation to benefit London residents, communities and businesses.

Hosted by London Councils, LOTI is also supported by the Mayor of London as part of his commitment to the digital transformation of public services across the capital.

Celebrating it's first successful year, Theo Blackwell MBE, London’s Chief Digital Officer, said: "LOTI is making it easier for London and its 33 local authorities to harness the power of tech and data to improve Londoners’ lives.

“By acting as an incubator for the adoption of new ideas and working closely with councils, City Hall and Transport for London, it has been able to tackle complex city-wide problems during the pandemic. I have no doubt that in the years to come LOTI will continue to drive city-wide change with solutions designed to meet Londoners’ needs."

Read more about LOTI and what they've been up to in the past year on their Medium pages here.

London's council leaders held a remote Leaders' Committee meeting on 7 July. The meeting was live streamed. Items on the agenda included the Covid-19 pandemic recovery and renewal; an update on local government finance; NHS collaboration and a protocol for future virtual committee meetings.

You can read the full agenda and individual reports here.