Highlights of some of the ground-breaking work to tackle climate change taking place in London’s boroughs was shared at London Councils’ Climate Programmes Showcase event on 1 July.

If you missed it you can view a recording of the event and the slide presentations here.

Our seven climate change programmes are focused on all aspects of reducing carbon emissions and adapting to our future climate. Each is led by one or two boroughs in London who are responsible for overseeing the implementation of a pan-London action plan. You can read the action plans for each of the seven programmes below:

Retrofit London

Low Carbon Development

Low Carbon Transport

Renewable Power for London

One World Living

Building the Green Economy

Creating a Resilient and Green London

One of the seven climate change programmes highlighted above was singled out for praise at the MJ Awards when Enfield and Waltham Forest, the lead boroughs for the collaborative Retrofit London programme, along with London Councils, were declared winners in the: Leadership in responding to the climate emergency category at the MJ awards on 24 June.

Judges described Retrofit London – which has seen the 33 local authorities in the capital agree a pan-London plan for improving energy efficiency and radically reducing emissions – as: “Genuinely ground-breaking and providing potential solutions for a much wider range of councils.”

There was more success for London boroughs at the awards with winners in a number of categories, including: Best Council Services Team (LB Redbridge); Place Based Approach to Health Equity (LB Newham); Delivering Better Outcomes (LB Enfield); and Workforce Transformation (LB Sutton and RB Kingston upon Thames).

Kensington and Chelsea Chief Executive Dr Barry Quirk's 45 year career in London local government was recognised with a special Lifetime Achievement Award.

You can read more about all of this year's winners in the brochure here.

The third annual London Modern Slavery Leads Annual Report has been published and includes information provided by each London council on how they’re responding to modern slavery, along with data insights from the Metropolitan Police for each borough.

The London Modern Slavery Leads Network was created to bring local authorities together to share best practice in responding to modern slavery, raise trends and challenges and address these collectively.

The annual report's unique picture can help identify areas where boroughs can work together to strengthen the response to modern slavery.

You can read the London Modern Slavery Leads Annual Report here (NB info-graphics in the report should be used as a starting point, but do not necessarily provide a complete picture, please refer to the data limitations on page 13.)

Are you a Londoner working to serve your community and interested in exploring how we build towards an alternative future for our city? The Civic Futures Fellowship is now open for nominations and expressions of interest from local authority staff and Civic Leaders from across London.

The 15-month programme is a growing Fellowship facilitated by Koreo, Dark Matter Labs and The Young Foundation, in partnership with the GLA. Now in its third year, the Fellowship will convene a group of up to 30 people from across London’s civil society, local government and activist spaces to facilitate a collective learning and discovery experience.      

Running from September 2022 - May 2023, the programme will focus on peer connection, exploration and inquiry, systems thinking, and collaboration.

If you would like to apply, or know someone who might be good for the programme, you can find more information here. Applications close on Wednesday 20 July.

London Pride returned to the capital on Saturday (02 July) for its first in-person parade since 2019.

The London HIV Prevention Programme (LHPP) sexual health promotion service, Do It London, was among those taking part in the parade and setting up a health promotion stand, where HIV testing, condoms, and sexual health advice was on offer.

London Councils’ Executive Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care, Cllr Nesil Caliskan, said: "It is fantastic for the borough’s public health work to be part of Pride’s 50th anniversary and its post-pandemic return to the capital. Taking sexual health promotion to key populations at events like London Pride is vital.

“Covid-19 has had a huge impact on the way people interact and socialise and Do It London is working hard to reflect this and ensure vital sexual health messages continue to reach communities most affected by HIV.

“London Councils, through the London HIV Prevention Programme, is determined for London to reach the ambitious target of zero new HIV infections by 2030 and to eliminate HIV-related stigma. ”

Following a by-election in the London Borough of Croydon on 30 June, Danielle Denton (Con) was elected to represent the South Croydon ward. Full results here.