Nearly £4m awarded to support young Londoners at risk of homelessness
Nearly £4m of funding from London boroughs has been awarded to New Horizon Youth Centre (NHYC) through the Pan-London Grants Programme (PLGP) for 2026-30 under its Combatting Homelessness priority.
NHYC will lead the London Youth Gateway (LYG), a pan-London partnership that aims to prevent youth homelessness wherever possible and ensure that, when it does occur, it is brief and non-recurring.
The project brings together specialist organisations including Depaul UK, Stonewall Housing, AKT, Praxis, Centrepoint, Coram Voice and Settle Support to provide tailored support for 18- to 25-year-olds experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. It will focus on young people facing additional barriers to securing and sustaining accommodation, including care leavers, LGBTQ+ young people, refugees and asylum seekers, disabled young people, young women, and those with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) or insecure immigration status.
NHYC will act as a central referral hub, connecting young people with specialist services delivered by partner organisations. An upgraded website and Centrepoint’s freephone service will improve access to support across London, offering housing advice, tenancy sustainment, advocacy, financial and benefits guidance, mental health and wellbeing services, employment and training opportunities, and specialist support for refugees, asylum seekers and care leavers. By complementing statutory services, the project aims to reduce pressure on public services while helping vulnerable young Londoners secure stable housing and build independent futures.
See here for more information on the PLGP and the NHYC.
London households buying almost twice as many electricals as they're getting rid of
A new report from ReLondon – a partnership between the boroughs and the Mayor of London to improve waste and resource management in the capital – and the University of Oxford has found that the average London household buys around 58kg of new electrical and electronic items a year but only disposes of around 30kg, meaning London's homes are increasingly becoming stockpiles of gadgets and appliances.
The research, published last week, maps for the first time the full flow of electrical and electronic equipment across the capital – from purchase through to disposal. It found that 134,500 tonnes of electrical and electronic items were discarded across London in 2024 by households, businesses, and institutions, around a quarter of which could have been reused or repaired. If rescued, those items could meet close to 10% of London's total demand for new electricals.
The environmental impact is significant: the production and disposal of electricals from London households alone generated 5.9 million tonnes of CO2e in 2024 – equivalent to powering around 2.1 million homes for a year.
London Councils supported the production of the report, with Hannah Jameson, Corporate Director for Delivery, Innovation, and Climate, saying: "This report provides a valuable evidence base for understanding how London can reduce waste, recover more value from electricals, and build a more resilient circular economy. It highlights the importance of working together across boroughs, businesses, and communities to increase repair, reuse, and proper collection of electrical and electronic equipment."
Byelections watch
Following the recent local elections, several byelections have been scheduled across London boroughs. Byelections occur when a council seat becomes vacant between full election cycles, typically due to resignation, disqualification, or a councillor taking up another elected role.
Byelections took place in three London boroughs last week:
- Ealing (Labour): North Acton (Green hold)
- Hackney (Green): Dalston, Hackney Central (both Green holds)
- Haringey (Green): Northumberland Park (Labour gain), Woodside (Green gain)
Byelections will also be held next week in Camden and Lambeth (two wards). Details are set out below:
- Camden (Labour): Regent's Park (Green defending), 9 July
- Lambeth (Green): Clapham Park, Streatham St Leonard's (Green defending both seats), 9 July
|
|
In the media...
Burnham unveils No10 North as ‘nerve-centre’ for devo plans
LGC
Burnham pledges biggest council housebuilding programme since post-war period
Inside Housing
Cost to rewire Great Britain’s electricity network could reach £90bn in 2030s
The Guardian
London schoolchildren rebuild broken toys to cut waste
BBC News
|
