Baroness Casey's independent review into the standards of behaviour and internal culture of the Metropolitan Police Service, published yesterday, has found the force to be institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic.

The year-long review, commissioned in response to grave levels of public concern following the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Met officer and other troubling incidents, is described by Baroness Casey as: "Rigorous, stark and unsparing."

"Its findings are tough and for many will be difficult to take", she says. "But it should leave no one in any doubt about the scale of the challenge."

Responding to the review's findings, London Councils Executive Member for Community Safety and
Violence Against Women and Girls, Cllr Jas Athwal, said: “The Casey Report is bleak, and it sets out in black and white the Metropolitan Police Service's failings that unfortunately will resonate with too many Londoners' experiences of the Met. It highlights the concerning experiences of women, young people and people from ethnic minorities in particular.

"A city as diverse as London needs a police force which reflects the communities it serves, and a police service which all Londoners feel they will be treated fairly by, irrespective of their gender, ethnicity, religion, sexuality or any other characteristic which is part of your identity.

“The swift and decisive action that Sir Mark Rowley has taken to cut out the rot within the service since he took office in the autumn must continue at pace. Local borough leaders met Sir Mark yesterday to discuss the impact of the Casey Report on the Metropolitan Police’s Turnaround Plan.

"London leaders have a unique insight into the range of issues facing local communities, and we stand ready to work with the Met as it implements the significant changes needed to rebuild trust and confidence amongst London’s diverse communities.”

London needs 'more ambitious action' to tackle its homelessness crisis - that was the verdict of London Councils following the Budget proposals set out by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt last Wednesday.

Chair of London Councils, Cllr Georgia Gould, said: “We had hoped to see the Chancellor announce a rise in the Local Housing Allowance, which would go a long way to making housing more affordable for low-income Londoners. We also need much more support for building the affordable homes that our communities desperately need.

“Further devolution to the capital is vital. Boroughs would be in a much better position to tackle many of London’s longstanding challenges if we could take the lead on policy decisions and direct resources for investing in services.

“Boroughs remain as committed as ever to working with the government on these issues and in securing a fairer, more prosperous, and more sustainable future for London that delivers for our residents and for the UK economy.”

Highlighting the worsening homelessness crisis in the capital, new figures published by London Councils have revealed that, on average, at least one child in every classroom in the capital is homeless.

A briefing summarising all the key policy announcements relating to public spending and local government finance announced in the Spring Budget was sent to London Councils members last week. You can read the briefing on our website here.

The London Office of Technology and Innovation (LOTI) has said it is evolving to extend beyond technology and data to work with boroughs, the GLA and other partners on wider innovations.

In a blog post announcing the plans, LOTI Director Eddie Copeland says: "Tech and data are extremely powerful. They will play a key role in the responses to most big challenges. But they are rarely enough alone.

"It’s therefore self-limiting for LOTI to deal only with those innovation methods associated with tech and data.

"If we’re really to address London’s big challenges, we must also embrace a wider set of non-digital innovation tools and methods that have huge potential in their own right and which can also augment what can be done with tech and data."

LOTI was founded as a membership organisation in July 2019 and is hosted by London Councils.

The London Housing Directors' Group is hosting an online event introducing the 'Delivering for tenants - The Foundations of an Effective Local Authority Landlord Service’ report alongside a discussion between a panel of social housing providers and housing experts who will take questions from the live audience. The online event will be held on Teams on Thursday 13 April, 3.30pm to 5.00pm. The report sets out the foundations that, collectively, London local authorities agree should underpin a high-performing council landlord service.

The event will include a presentation on the Local Government Association’s Social Housing Management Peer Challenge – a companion piece in the drive to achieve the high-quality landlord services that tenants deserve.

The event is open to all. You can register online here.