London Councils has welcomed a new parliamentary report on reforming the private rented sector, reiterating boroughs’ support for stronger tenant protections and more affordable housing.

The report from the Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities Committee points to the precarious state of local government finances, the shortage of qualified enforcement staff, and a lack of reliable data. The report also highlights the need for more affordable housing to tackle the rocketing rental costs many tenants face.

London Councils, which gave evidence to the committee’s inquiry, is urging ministers to prioritise the report’s recommendations.

London Councils’ Executive Member for Regeneration, Housing & Planning, Cllr Darren Rodwell, said: “Two million Londoners live in private rented sector homes and they all deserve stronger protection. In the face of an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, this issue is as urgent as ever.

“As the report makes clear, councils will also need strong enforcement powers and new resources to help ensure any changes in the law succeed in helping tenants and improving standards in the private rented sector.

“There remains a chronic shortage of affordable housing in the capital. Ultimately, we need a massive expansion in the delivery of new affordable homes to relieve the pressures across the entire housing system.”

The Association of London Directors of Children's Services and their sector-led improvement partnership LIIA (London Innovation and Improvement Alliance) hosted their annual children’s summit at The Guildhall in the City of London last week.

The summit, chaired by London Councils Executive Lead for Schools and Children’s Services  Cllr Ian Edwards, was attended by over 160 delegates comprising a wide variety of London-wide senior figures from children and young people’s services. Also in attendance was the Permanent Secretary from the Department for Education Susan Acland-Hood who, in addition to a pre-recorded address from Claire Coutinho Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing, shared some of the findings from the recently published Care Review Implementation Consultation.

You can read more about the Summit and the work of LIIA on their website here.

London Councils Chair Cllr Georgia Gould delivered the 2023 Bannister Fletcher lecture at The London Society on Monday evening.

Building on London's response to the cost of living crisis and Covid-19, Cllr Gould set out how democratic renewal, a new era of collaboration, social solidarity and collective imagination will help London meet its potential as a net zero city, where everyone has a stake in economic growth and a future London shaped by Imagination Activism.

"Imagination Activism", she said "Is different to an activism of protest and sees people making change by coming together to imagine new, more optimistic, futures as a basis for doing the hard work to re-design our economy and public services."

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Organisations across London share personal data daily to deliver their statutory obligations, prevent crime or harm, and improve the wellbeing of residents. There are many Data Sharing Agreements (DSAs) across London boroughs, the Metropolitan Police, health trusts, the Probation and London Ambulance Services, voluntary sector groups, and more.

The Pan-London Data Sharing Agreements Project, led by the London Office of Technology and Innovation (LOTI), aims to tackle barriers to effective data sharing, to provide clarity to professionals and promote a shared understanding of when and how information should be shared.

You can find out more about LOTI’s Pan-London Data Sharing Agreements Project on their website here