The phase 1 report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry is being laid before Parliament today.

The report, which is expected to run to more than 1,000 pages, will set out a number of recommendations to the Prime Minister and include a detailed description of the events of the night of 14 June 2017, as well as Sir Martin Moore-Bick's findings about the nature of the building, the origins of the fire, its subsequent development, the response of the London Fire Brigade and the steps taken by the other emergency services.

The phase 1 report and further details of the ongoing inquiry can be found on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry website here.

Business and London local government leaders are meeting today to discuss the findings of the latest LCCI and London Councils survey of 1,000 London businesses.

This is the third year the jointly commissioned survey has been published. Among the key findings flagged up in the 2019 report is a decline in the number of London businesses employing an apprentice.

Cllr Clare Coghill, London Councils' Executive member for Business, Europe and Good Growth, said: “This year’s survey continues to show that the apprenticeship levy is not working for London and that businesses overwhelmingly back boroughs having more freedom, which would enable local government and business to work together via a London Apprenticeship Service.”

A “wholesale redesign of the national framework for local welfare” is needed to help London boroughs tackle poverty and support low-income residents, according to a new report by London Councils.

Supporting Low-Income Londoners: The Future of Local Welfare makes the case for giving boroughs a leading role in locally administered support as the most effective means of responding to residents’ welfare needs and moving from crisis management to prevention. 

Cllr Muhammed Butt, London Councils’ Executive member for Welfare, Empowerment and Inclusion, said: “The capital is home to some of the most deprived people in the country and the government’s welfare reforms have hit many Londoners hard. Empowering boroughs to innovate locally and provide properly resourced welfare solutions would make a huge difference to the lives of many Londoners.”

You can read more and download the full report here.