London Councils
Temporary accommodation spending costs councils £1bn a year
Councils spent £1.1bn on temporary accommodation for homeless households between April 2018 and March 2019, new Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government figures have shown.
Welfare provision ‘overly centralised’ London council chiefs say
A new report from the cross-party organisation London Councils has criticised the current approach to welfare provision, describing it as ‘overly centralised’.
Ending London’s homeless capital status
On World Homelessness Day, and ahead of next month's London Councils Summit, Cllr Darren Rodwell says boroughs are determined and ambitious about tackling one of the capital’s most pressing challenges.
Pledging to make air pollution a national priority
Ahead of next month's London Councils Summit, Cllr Julian Bell explains how the capital's local government is leading the way by raising awareness of air pollution, and tackling it with innovative projects.
Success starts with the community
Ahead of the London Councils Summit, Cllr Catherine Faulks explains that local government leaders have signed up to developing a pan-London Charter for Business with the aim of better supporting the city's economy while driving inclusive growth.
Patel pledges £20m to 'roll up' County Lines
The home secretary’s announcement of a £20m package to tackle County Lines drugs gangs has received a mixed reaction.
Croydon facing £9m asylum funding shortfall
Croydon LBC is heading for another financial hit this year as a result of a funding shortfall to support unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC).
London Boroughs adept at SEND, but with some disparity
London’s councils are generally adept at managing pupils with special educational needs (SEND), but there is significant disparity between the performance of some schools, a study has concluded.
Spend 2.5% of UK’s GDP on tackling climate change and air quality, say London’s environment and public health directors
This Sunday, 22 September, is car free day. Stephen Evans and Dr Tamara Djuretic highlight London’s focus on policy solutions such as restricted and emissions-based parking, low emissions zones and better walking and cycling infrastructure.
London in skills devolution call
The capital has called on the Government to further devolve powers over skills funding.
Pilots testing 75% business rates retention to come to an end
Pilots testing 75% business rates retention will come to an end, with no new pilots planned for 2020/21.
Re-engaging business and boroughs
The Charter for Business sets out London boroughs’ commitment to growing the city’s economy for the benefit of all who live there. Cllr Clare Coghill looks at how to enable the dialogue between business and boroughs required to make this happen.
Fixing social care is a crucial mission for all of us
A new analysis by London Councils shows the capital’s adult social care funding situation is ‘simply unsustainable’, with a shortfall of £540m expected by 2025, says Cllr Ray Puddifoot.
Improved efficiency saves hundreds of millions
London boroughs have saved almost half a billion pounds in adult social care by improving efficiency, a report has revealed.
He’s going by the book
Based on years of reading council reports, Diary never previously associated local government with creative writing.
No time to waste in boosting early intervention
Cllr Nickie Aiken says early intervention programmes across London are creating higher quality, responsive provisions that prevent needs from escalating, and helping to manage costs.
Financial risk for children's services across London is 'unsustainable'
Children’s services across London are facing an unsustainable level of financial risk, a new report commissioned by London Councils has warned.
London boroughs face £32m asylum funding gap
Boroughs in the capital face a funding gap of £32m to support children seeking asylum, according to new research by London Councils.
Spending Review must meet costs of refugee resettlement
Local government has cautiously welcomed the Government’s commitment to continue resettling refugees after a flagship scheme ends next year.
EXCLUSIVE: New protocol to ease council tensions
A protocol encouraging best practice between councils will be drawn up by the Local Government Association (LGA) as tensions grow around increasing out of area placements, The MJ understands.