Additional grants for hospitality, accommodation and leisure sector businesses in Tier 2 areas, alongside changes to the Job Support Scheme and additional support for self-employed people announced by the Chancellor last week have been welcomed by London Councils.

London Councils Executive member for Business, Europe and Good Growth, Cllr Danny Thorpe, said: “London boroughs are pleased that the government has recognised the collateral damage High alert level restrictions are doing to many businesses, especially those in affected sectors such as leisure and hospitality.

“London boroughs will be working with their local businesses to deliver grant funding and publicise additional support as quickly as possible. More than 96 per cent of existing grants have been given to London businesses to date, around 7 per cent more than the national average. We will also tailor discretionary grants to ensure we are helping as many businesses in need as we can.”

Following the government's announcement that its upcoming spending review will only cover a single year rather than a three-year period, London Councils' Chair Cllr Georgia Gould, said: “This is a hugely disappointing development which misses an opportunity to provide councils with much-needed financial certainty and to help us deliver the services our communities rely on. It is vital that the government urgently addresses the growing crisis in local government budgets.

“Boroughs are at the forefront of London’s response to the ongoing pandemic, with council services playing a crucial role in caring for older and more vulnerable residents, housing the homeless, supporting businesses, and keeping Londoners safe. These services are essential for helping London recover and for addressing the stark inequalities the last few months have made clear.

"However, boroughs are facing enormous pressures after a decade of government funding reductions and months of lost income and increased spending to support our communities through the pandemic. Even with the government’s interventions we’ve seen so far, boroughs are still expecting a £1 billion funding shortfall this year.

“The government should use the spending review to stabilise council finances and deliver a sustainable solution for social care funding. We will continue highlighting the key finance pressures facing boroughs and making the case for long-term investment in London’s local services.”  

Following a call for evidence from the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, the London Office of Technology and Innovation (LOTI) has been compiling specific concerns and challenges facing London borough data teams in their efforts to support public health and frontline colleagues during the coronavirus pandemic.

There are three different pools of data that play a role in this work: the Public Health England (PHE) line list data for the latest infection and outbreak details in their area; NHS Test and Trace data; and Shielding Patients Lists published by the NHS.

LOTI’s network of data analysts and managers have reported a number of serious challenges when trying to access and interpret these important data sets. LOTI has collated all these concerns into a document which they have shared with PHE and NHS Digital.

London Fire Brigade is urging people to report fly tipping, abandoned vehicles and derelict buildings to their local council to help prevent deliberate fires on Halloween this year.

On average there are around 40 per cent more deliberate fires on Halloween in comparison to the days either side.

Dan Jones, Chair of London Environment Directors Network (LEDNet), said: “With coronavirus cases increasing across the capital, Londoners are looking to celebrate Halloween festivities at home with their families this year. The pandemic has laid huge financial strain across London and we are asking Londoners to pull together to ensure there is no additional strain on the emergency and public services this Halloween season.

“Please try and minimise the amount of waste your household produces and properly dispose of any waste to help reduce the number of deliberate fires in your local community. By thinking twice and working together, we can make sure that public safety is a priority and Halloween remains a fun time for all Londoners.”