AGENDA
Meeting London Assembly (Mayor's Question Time) Date Thursday 25 February 2021 Time 10.00 am Place Virtual Meeting
Copies of the reports and any attachments may be found at www.london.gov.uk/mayor-assembly/london-assembly/whole-assembly
Most meetings of the London Assembly and its Committees are webcast live at www.london.gov.uk/about-us/london-assembly/youtube and/or www.london.gov.uk/media-centre/london-assembly where you can also view past meetings.
[Note: This meeting has been called in accordance with the Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020. These regulations permit formal London Assembly meetings to be held on a virtual basis, with Assembly Members participating remotely, subject to certain conditions. The regulations apply notwithstanding any other legislation, current or pre-existing Standing Orders or any other rules of the Authority governing Assembly meetings, and remain valid until 7 May 2021. The meeting will be broadcast live via the web-link set out above. The regulations may be viewed here.]
A meeting of the Assembly will be held to deal with the business listed below.
Navin Shah AM Tony Arbour AM Chair of the London Assembly Deputy Chairman Wednesday 17 February 2021
Further Information If you have questions, would like further information about the meeting or require special facilities please contact: Fiona Bywaters, Committee Services Manager; Telephone: 0207 983 4425; Email: [email protected]
For media enquiries please contact Aoife Nolan; External Communications Officer; Telephone: 020 7983 4067; Email: [email protected]. If you have any questions about individual items please contact the author whose details are at the end of the report.
This meeting will be open to the public, except for where exempt information is being discussed as noted on the agenda.
Proper Officer: Ed Williams, Executive Director of Secretariat
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If you, or someone you know, needs a copy of the agenda, minutes or reports in large print or Braille, audio, or in another language, then please call us on 020 7983 4100 or email [email protected].
Certificate Number: FS 80233
Agenda London Assembly (Mayor's Question Time) Thursday 25 February 2021
1 Apologies for Absence and Chair's Announcements
To receive any apologies for absence and any announcements from the Chair.
2 Declarations of Interests (Pages 1 - 4)
Report of the Executive Director of Secretariat Contact: Fiona Bywaters; [email protected]; 020 7983 4425
The Assembly is recommended to:
(a) Note the list of offices held by Assembly Members, as set out in the table at Agenda Item 2, as disclosable pecuniary interests;
(b) Note the declaration by any Member(s) of any disclosable pecuniary interests in specific items listed on the agenda and the necessary action taken by the Member(s) regarding withdrawal following such declaration(s); and
(c) Note the declaration by any Member(s) of any other interests deemed to be relevant (including any interests arising from gifts and hospitality received which are not at the time of the meeting reflected on the Authority’s register of gifts and hospitality, and noting also the advice from the GLA’s Monitoring Officer set out at Agenda Item 2) and to note any necessary action taken by the Member(s) following such declaration(s).
3 Minutes (Pages 5 - 14)
The Assembly is recommended to confirm the minutes of the London Assembly (Mayor’s Question Time) meeting held on 21 January 2021 and the London Assembly (Plenary) meeting held on 27 January 2021 to be signed by the Chair as correct records.
The appendices to the minutes of the London Assembly (Mayor’s Question Time) meeting on 21 January 2021 and the London Assembly (Plenary) meeting on 27 January 2021 (including the transcripts of the question and answer session held at those meetings) have been circulated to Assembly Members separately. Transcripts and written answers for past meetings can be downloaded from:
www.london.gov.uk/mayor-assembly/london-assembly/whole-assembly
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4 Final Draft Consolidated Budget 2021/22 a Report of the Mayor
(Circulated separately)
The Final Draft Consolidated Budget 2021/22 is circulated for the Assembly’s consideration.
The Mayor will present the Final Draft Consolidated Budget 2021/22.
b Questions to the Mayor
Assembly Members will put questions to the Mayor on the Final Draft Consolidated Budget document.
c Consideration by the Assembly of the Mayor of London's Final Draft Consolidated Budget Proposals 2021/22
The Assembly is under a duty to consider the Mayor’s Final Draft Consolidated Budget and to approve it, with or without amendment, in accordance with paragraphs 8(3) and (7) of Schedule 6 of the GLA Act 1999 (as amended).
In accordance with Standing Order 6.8 the following substantive motion will be before the Assembly:
“To approve the Final Draft Consolidated Budget for 2021/22 with or without amendment.”
[Note: In accordance with GLA Standing Order 6.12(B), the motion set out above shall be considered without being proposed or seconded by a Member. The motion may be amended by a Budget Amendment, in accordance with the procedures described in Standing Orders 6.10, 6.12 and 6.16. The Assembly will consider amendments to the Final Draft Consolidated Budget, and budget-related motions (if any).
If a Budget Amendment is carried by the requisite majority (a two-thirds majority of Members present and voting in favour) then the Substantive Motion shall fall and the Final Draft Consolidated Budget shall be deemed agreed as amended.
If no amendment is agreed, or if the Substantive Motion is not passed (whether put to the vote or not) then the Assembly is deemed by law (Paragraph 8(5) of Schedule 6 to the GLA Act 1999) to have approved the Final Draft Consolidated Budget without amendment.]
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5 Mayor's Report (Pages 15 - 60)
The Assembly is recommended to note the Mayor’s Report covering the period from 8 January to 11 February 2021.
A list of all the decisions taken during the same period is attached on pages 45 to 60, as a background complementary paper to the Mayor’s Report (and as previously published). This document can also be downloaded at:
www.london.gov.uk/mayor-assembly/london-assembly/whole-assembly
6 Questions to the Mayor
(Circulated separately)
The Assembly is recommended to note that written answers to questions submitted to this meeting under the Mayor’s Question Time procedure will be provided on 2 March 2021.
[Note: the Assembly agreed at its meeting on 17 December 2020 to accept written answers to all questions submitted to this meeting under the Mayor’s Question Time procedure, in order to devote time to the discussion of the Mayor’s Final Draft Consolidated Budget under Item 4.]
(The list of questions to be put to the Mayor can also be downloaded at www.london.gov.uk/mayor-assembly/london-assembly/whole-assembly)
7 Date of Next Meeting
The next scheduled meeting of the London Assembly will be the Plenary meeting which will take place at 10.00am on Thursday 4 March 2021 as a virtual meeting.
8 Any Other Business the Chair Considers Urgent
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This page is intentionally left blank Agenda Item 2
Subject: Declarations of Interests
Report to: London Assembly (Mayor’s Question Time)
Report of: Executive Director of Secretariat Date: 25 February 2021
This report will be considered in public
1. Summary
1.1 This report sets out details of offices held by Assembly Members for noting as disclosable pecuniary interests and requires additional relevant declarations relating to disclosable pecuniary interests, and gifts and hospitality to be made.
2. Recommendations
2.1 That the list of offices held by Assembly Members, as set out in the table below, be noted as disclosable pecuniary interests1;
2.2 That the declaration by any Member(s) of any disclosable pecuniary interests in specific items listed on the agenda and the necessary action taken by the Member(s) regarding withdrawal following such declaration(s) be noted; and
2.3 That the declaration by any Member(s) of any other interests deemed to be relevant (including any interests arising from gifts and hospitality received which are not at the time of the meeting reflected on the Authority’s register of gifts and hospitality, and noting also the advice from the GLA’s Monitoring Officer set out at below) and any necessary action taken by the Member(s) following such declaration(s) be noted.
3. Issues for Consideration
3.1 Relevant offices held by Assembly Members are listed in the table overleaf:
1 The Monitoring Officer advises that: Paragraph 10 of the Code of Conduct will only preclude a Member from participating in any matter to be considered or being considered at, for example, a meeting of the Assembly, where the Member has a direct Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in that particular matter. The effect of this is that the ‘matter to be considered, or being considered’ must be about the Member’s interest. So, by way of example, if an Assembly Member is also a councillor of London Borough X, that Assembly Member will be precluded from participating in an Assembly meeting where the Assembly is to consider a matter about the Member’s role / employment as a councillor of London Borough X; the Member will not be precluded from participating in a meeting where the Assembly is to consider a matter about an activity or decision of London Borough X.
City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2AA Enquiries: 020 7983 4100 minicom: 020 7983 4458 www.london.gov.uk v3/2020 Page 1
Member Interest Tony Arbour AM Jennette Arnold OBE AM Gareth Bacon AM MP Member of Parliament, Orpington; Member, LB Bexley Shaun Bailey AM Siân Berry AM Member, LB Camden Andrew Boff AM Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (Council of Europe) Léonie Cooper AM Member, LB Wandsworth Unmesh Desai AM Tony Devenish AM Member, City of Westminster Andrew Dismore AM Len Duvall AM Florence Eshalomi AM MP Member of Parliament, Vauxhall Nicky Gavron AM Susan Hall AM Member, LB Harrow David Kurten AM Joanne McCartney AM Deputy Mayor Dr Alison Moore AM Member, LB Barnet Steve O’Connell AM Member, LB Croydon Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM Keith Prince AM Murad Qureshi AM Caroline Russell AM Member, LB Islington Dr Onkar Sahota AM Navin Shah AM Peter Whittle AM
[Note: LB - London Borough]
3.2 Paragraph 10 of the GLA’s Code of Conduct, which reflects the relevant provisions of the Localism Act 2011, provides that:
- where an Assembly Member has a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in any matter to be considered or being considered or at
(i) a meeting of the Assembly and any of its committees or sub-committees; or
(ii) any formal meeting held by the Mayor in connection with the exercise of the Authority’s functions
- they must disclose that interest to the meeting (or, if it is a sensitive interest, disclose the fact that they have a sensitive interest to the meeting); and
- must not (i) participate, or participate any further, in any discussion of the matter at the meeting; or (ii) participate in any vote, or further vote, taken on the matter at the meeting
UNLESS
- they have obtained a dispensation from the GLA’s Monitoring Officer (in accordance with section 2 of the Procedure for registration and declarations of interests, gifts and hospitality – Appendix 5 to the Code).
3.3 Failure to comply with the above requirements, without reasonable excuse, is a criminal offence; as is knowingly or recklessly providing information about your interests that is false or misleading.
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3.4 In addition, the Monitoring Officer has advised Assembly Members to continue to apply the test that was previously applied to help determine whether a pecuniary / prejudicial interest was arising - namely, that Members rely on a reasonable estimation of whether a member of the public, with knowledge of the relevant facts, could, with justification, regard the matter as so significant that it would be likely to prejudice the Member’s judgement of the public interest.
3.5 Members should then exercise their judgement as to whether or not, in view of their interests and the interests of others close to them, they should participate in any given discussions and/or decisions business of within and by the GLA. It remains the responsibility of individual Members to make further declarations about their actual or apparent interests at formal meetings noting also that a Member’s failure to disclose relevant interest(s) has become a potential criminal offence.
3.6 Members are also required, where considering a matter which relates to or is likely to affect a person from whom they have received a gift or hospitality with an estimated value of at least £50 within the previous three years or from the date of election to the London Assembly, whichever is the later, to disclose the existence and nature of that interest at any meeting of the Authority which they attend at which that business is considered.
3.7 The obligation to declare any gift or hospitality at a meeting is discharged, subject to the proviso set out below, by registering gifts and hospitality received on the Authority’s on-line database. The on- line database may be viewed here: https://www.london.gov.uk/mayor-assembly/gifts-and-hospitality.
3.8 If any gift or hospitality received by a Member is not set out on the on-line database at the time of the meeting, and under consideration is a matter which relates to or is likely to affect a person from whom a Member has received a gift or hospitality with an estimated value of at least £50, Members are asked to disclose these at the meeting, either at the declarations of interest agenda item or when the interest becomes apparent.
3.9 It is for Members to decide, in light of the particular circumstances, whether their receipt of a gift or hospitality, could, on a reasonable estimation of a member of the public with knowledge of the relevant facts, with justification, be regarded as so significant that it would be likely to prejudice the Member’s judgement of the public interest. Where receipt of a gift or hospitality could be so regarded, the Member must exercise their judgement as to whether or not, they should participate in any given discussions and/or decisions business of within and by the GLA.
4. Legal Implications
4.1 The legal implications are as set out in the body of this report.
5. Financial Implications
5.1 There are no financial implications arising directly from this report.
Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985 List of Background Papers: None Contact Officer: Fiona Bywaters, Committee Services Manager Telephone: 020 7 983 4425 E-mail: [email protected]
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Page 4 Agenda Item 3
MINUTES
Meeting: London Assembly (Mayor's Question Time) Date: Thursday 21 January 2021 Time: 10.00 am Place: Virtual Meeting
Copies of the minutes may be found at: www.london.gov.uk/mayor-assembly/london-assembly/whole-assembly
Present:
Navin Shah AM (Chair) Nicky Gavron AM
Tony Arbour AM (Deputy Chairman) Susan Hall AM
Jennette Arnold OBE AM David Kurten AM
Shaun Bailey AM Joanne McCartney AM
Siân Berry AM Dr Alison Moore AM
Andrew Boff AM Steve O'Connell AM
Léonie Cooper AM Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM
Unmesh Desai AM Keith Prince AM
Tony Devenish AM Murad Qureshi AM
Andrew Dismore AM Caroline Russell AM
Len Duvall AM Dr Onkar Sahota AM
Florence Eshalomi AM MP Peter Whittle AM
City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2AA Enquiries: 020 7983 4100 minicom: 020 7983 4458 www.london.gov.uk v1 2015 Page 5 Greater London Authority London Assembly (Mayor's Question Time) Thursday 21 January 2021
1 Apologies for Absence and Chair's Announcements (Item 1)
1.1 The Chair explained that the meeting was being held on a virtual basis, in accordance with Government regulations, and Assembly Members were participating remotely.
1.2 The Clerk read the roll-call of Assembly Members. Apologies for absence were received from Gareth Bacon AM MP.
1.3 The Chair provided an update on recent Assembly activity, including: an Extraordinary Plenary meeting held on 12 January 2021 to discuss urgent issues relating to the impact of COVID-19 on London and Londoners; the Budget and Performance Committee’s publication of reports on the Mayor’s Budget plans for 2021/22 which made several recommendations regarding Transport for London, the Mayor's Office for Policing And Crime and London Fire Brigade among others; the Fire, Resilience and Emergency Planning Committee’s publication of a report on the cladding crisis which called on the Mayor to provide legal and mental health support to Londoners impacted by cladding and fire safety issues; and the Police and Crime Committee’s questioning of the Deputy Mayor for Policing & Crime and the Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service on the Mayor’s action plan.
2 Declarations of Interests (Item 2)
2.1 Resolved:
That the list of offices held by Assembly Members, as set out in the table at Agenda Item 2, be noted as disclosable pecuniary interests.
3 M inutes (Item 3)
3.1 Resolved:
That the minutes from the London Assembly (Plenary) meeting held on 11 December 2020 and the London Assembly (Mayor’s Question Time) meeting held on 17 December 2020 be signed by the Chair as correct records.
4 Mayor's Report (Item 4)
4.1 The Assembly noted the Mayor’s Report covering the period from 4 December 2020 to 7 January 2021.
4.2 In accordance with Standing Order 5.4A, the Mayor gave an oral update on matters occurring since the publication of his report. The record of the oral update is attached at Appendix 1.
Page 6 Greater London Authority London Assembly (Mayor's Question Time) Thursday 21 January 2021
4.3 Resolved:
That the Mayor’s Report covering the period from 4 December 2020 to 7 January 2021 be noted.
5 Questions to the Mayor (Item 5)
5.1 The record of the discussion with the Mayor, including oral answers given by the Mayor to Members’ questions, is attached as Appendix 2.
5.2 The written answers to those questions not asked or unanswered during the meeting is attached as Appendix 3.
5.3 The Deputy Chairman assumed the Chair from 12.13pm to 12.18pm for the duration of question 2021/0376.
5.4 During the course of the question and answer session the Chair proposed, and it was agreed, that Standing Order 2.9B be suspended to extend the meeting in order to allow the remaining questions on the priority order paper to be put to the Mayor and for the remaining items of business on the agenda to be considered.
5.5 At the conclusion of the question and answer session, the Assembly agreed the motion set out on the agenda in the name of the Chair, namely:
“That the Assembly notes the answers to the questions asked.”
6 Date of Next Meeting (Item 6)
6.1 The next meeting of the London Assembly was the Plenary (Draft Budget) meeting which was scheduled to take place at 10.00am on Wednesday 27 January 2021 as a virtual meeting.
7 Any Other Business the Chair Considers Urgent (Item 7)
7.1 There were no items of urgent business.
Page 7 Greater London Authority London Assembly (Mayor's Question Time) Thursday 21 January 2021
8 Close of Meeting
8.1 The meeting ended at 12.55pm.
Chair Date
Contact Officer: Fiona Bywaters Committee Services Manager GLA Secretariat, City Hall The Queen’s Walk, London, SE1 2AA Telephone: 020 7983 4425 Email: [email protected]
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MINUTES
Meeting: London Assembly (Plenary) Date: Wednesday 27 January 2021 Time: 10.00 am Place: Virtual Meeting
Copies of the minutes may be found at: http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor-assembly/london- assembly/whole-assembly
Present:
Navin Shah AM (Chair) Nicky Gavron AM
Tony Arbour AM (Deputy Chairman) Susan Hall AM
Jennette Arnold OBE AM David Kurten AM
Gareth Bacon AM MP Joanne McCartney AM
Shaun Bailey AM Dr Alison Moore AM
Siân Berry AM Steve O'Connell AM
Andrew Boff AM Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM
Léonie Cooper AM Keith Prince AM
Unmesh Desai AM Murad Qureshi AM
Tony Devenish AM Caroline Russell AM
Andrew Dismore AM Dr Onkar Sahota AM
Len Duvall AM Peter Whittle AM
Florence Eshalomi AM MP
City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2AA Enquiries: 020 7983 4100 minicom: 020 7983 4458 www.london.gov.uk v1 2015 Page 9 Greater London Authority London Assembly (Plenary) Wednesday 27 January 2021
1 Apologies for Absence and Chair's Announcements (Item 1)
1.1 The Chair explained that the meeting was being held on a virtual basis, in accordance with Government regulations, and Assembly Members were participating remotely.
1.2 The Clerk read the roll-call of Assembly Members who were participating remotely. No apologies for absence were received.
1.3 A minute’s silence was observed in memory of all those who had lost their lives across the capital since the pandemic had began. The Chair paid tribute to Metropolitan Police Officers, PC Michael Warren and PC John Fabrizi, who had recently died, and to the 63 TfL employees who had also lost their lives.
1.4 The Chair provided an update on some recent Assembly activity, including: the Police and Crime Committee’s letters to the Minister for Vaccination Deployment, Nadhim Zahawi MP, and the Mayor of London regarding vaccinations for frontline police officers; and the Economy Committee’s letter to the Mayor of London highlighting what he can do, with the help of the Government, to address the big economic issues facing the capital in light of COVID-19 and support unemployed Londoners.
1.5 The Chair reminded Assembly Members and the Mayor of the need to conduct themselves appropriately in Assembly Meetings in accordance with the GLA Code of Conduct, and ensure that the Authority’s resources are used appropriately and not for party political purposes.
2 Declarations of Interests (Item 2)
2.1 The Assembly received the report of the Executive Director of Secretariat.
2.2 Resolved:
That the list of offices held by Assembly Members, as set out in the table at Item 2, be noted as disclosable pecuniary interests.
3 Draft Consolidated Budget 2021-22 (Item 3)
Report of the Mayor (Item 3a)
3.1 The Assembly received an oral statement from the Mayor on his draft 2021-22 Consolidated Budget document.
3.2 A copy of the Mayor’s statement is attached at Appendix 1.
Page 10 Greater London Authority London Assembly (Plenary) Wednesday 27 January 2021
Response by the London Assembly's Budget and Performance Committee to the Mayor of London's GLA Group Budget Proposals and Precepts 2021-22 Consultation Document (Item 3b)
3.3 The Chairman of the London Assembly’s Budget and Performance Committee, Susan Hall AM, presented the Committee’s response to the Mayor of London’s GLA Group Budget Proposals and Precepts 2021-22 Consultation Document.
3.4 A copy of the statement by the Chairman of the London Assembly’s Budget and Performance Committee is attached at Appendix 2.
Questions to the Mayor on his Draft 2021-22 Consolidated Budget Proposals (Item 3c)
3.5 Assembly Members put questions to the Mayor on each of the seven component budgets set out within the draft Consolidated Budget proposals.
3.6 David Bellamy, Chief of Staff, and David Gallie, Executive Director of Resources, GLA, were also in attendance for the duration of the question and answer session.
3.7 The record of the questions put by Members, together with the Mayor’s answers, is attached at Appendix 3.
3.8 A minute’s silence was observed to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day and commemorate the victims of the Holocaust.
3.9 During the course of the discussion the Mayor undertook to: Inform the Assembly of when the Zero Carbon Pathways Tools would be updated; Confirm the figure of expected revenue loss to Transport for London (TfL) due to problems collecting the Congestion Charge, the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and penalty charge notices from some motorists; Respond with the reasons for the £30 gap between the upper rate Congestion Charge and penalty charge for red route illegal parking and detail what work was taking place in conjunction with the Secretary of State for Transport to increase the penalty charge for red route illegal parking; and Facilitate a briefing for Members of the Transport Committee from TfL regarding the recent Streetspace court judgement and consequences for TfL, noting, however, that an appeal against the judgement has been lodged.
Page 11 Greater London Authority London Assembly (Plenary) Wednesday 27 January 2021
3.10 The Mayor offered to arrange a presentation for the Transport Committee from officers regarding plans for TfL’s sustainable funding and lessons learned regarding charges for drivers linked to congestion and pollution.
3.11 The Mayor’s Chief of Staff agreed to confirm the total reduction to the Mayor’s Office budget, and of that figure the amount of expenditure moving to other departments and the percentage it represented of the total reduction.
3.12 At 12.40pm, the Chair adjourned the meeting until 1.45pm. The meeting reconvened at 1.47pm.
4 Consideration by the London Assembly of the Mayor of London's Draft Consolidated Budget Proposals 2021-22 (Item 4)
4.1 The substantive motion before the Assembly was: ”To approve the draft Consolidated Budget for 2021-22, together with the draft component budgets comprised within it, with or without amendment.”
4.2 A formal budget amendment was moved by Caroline Russell AM and seconded by Siân Berry AM (and is attached at Appendix 4).
4.3 A budget related motion was moved by Susan Hall AM and seconded by Andrew Boff AM (and is attached at Appendix 5).
4.4 The Assembly then turned to debate the Mayor’s draft Consolidated Budget 2021-22, the formal budget amendment, and the budget related motion.
4.5 Following debate, a named vote was taken on the Budget Amendment in the name of Caroline Russell AM. The votes were cast as follows:
For the amendment: Siân Berry AM and Caroline Russell AM.
Against the amendment: Jennette Arnold OBE AM; Gareth Bacon AM MP; Shaun Bailey AM, Andrew Boff AM, Léonie Cooper AM, Unmesh Desai AM, Tony Devenish AM, Andrew Dismore AM, Len Duvall AM, Nicky Gavron AM, Susan Hall AM, David Kurten AM, Joanne McCartney AM, Dr Alison Moore AM; Steve O’Connell AM, Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM; Keith Prince AM, Murad Qureshi AM; Dr Onkar Sahota AM, Peter Whittle AM; Tony Arbour AM (Deputy Chairman), and Navin Shah AM (Chair).
The formal budget amendment proposed by Caroline Russell AM was declared lost (with 2 votes being cast in favour and 22 votes being cast against).
Page 12 Greater London Authority London Assembly (Plenary) Wednesday 27 January 2021
4.6 A named vote was taken on the budget related motion in the name of Susan Hall AM. The votes were cast as follows:
For the motion: Gareth Bacon AM MP, Shaun Bailey AM, Andrew Boff AM, Tony Devenish AM, Susan Hall AM, Steve O’Connell AM, Keith Prince AM, Peter Whittle AM and Tony Arbour AM (Deputy Chairman).
Against the motion: Jennette Arnold OBE AM, Siân Berry AM, Léonie Cooper AM, Unmesh Desai AM, Andrew Dismore AM, Len Duvall AM, Nicky Gavron AM, Joanne McCartney AM, Dr Alison Moore AM, Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM, Murad Qureshi AM, Caroline Russell AM, Dr Onkar Sahota AM and Navin Shah AM (Chair).
Abstentions: David Kurten AM.
The budget related motion proposed by Susan Hall AM was declared lost (with 9 votes being cast in favour, 14 votes being cast against and 1 abstention).
4.7 The Chair then moved the substantive motion, namely: “That the Assembly approves the draft Consolidated Budget for 2021-22 together with the draft component budgets comprised within it without amendment”.
4.8 The votes were cast as follows:
For the motion: Jennette Arnold OBE AM, Léonie Cooper AM, Unmesh Desai AM, Andrew Dismore AM, Len Duvall AM, Nicky Gavron AM, Joanne McCartney AM, Dr Alison Moore AM, Murad Qureshi AM, Dr Onkar Sahota AM and Navin Shah AM (Chair).
Against the motion: Gareth Bacon AM MP, Shaun Bailey AM, Siân Berry AM, Andrew Boff AM, Tony Devenish AM, Susan Hall AM, David Kurten AM, Steve O’Connell AM, Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM, Keith Prince AM, Caroline Russell AM, Peter Whittle AM and Tony Arbour AM (Deputy Chairman).
Upon being put to the vote, the substantive motion was lost (with 11 votes being cast in favour and 13 votes being cast against).
4.9 It was explained that as no amendments to the Budget had been agreed by a simple majority, in accordance with Paragraph 5(5) of Schedule 6 to the GLA Act 1999 (as amended) the Assembly was deemed to have approved, without amendment, the Draft Consolidated Budget for 2021-22.
4.10 The Chair stated that this concluded the Assembly’s consideration of the draft Consolidated Budget for 2021-22.
Page 13 Greater London Authority London Assembly (Plenary) Wednesday 27 January 2021
5 Date of Next Meeting (Item 5)
5.1 The next scheduled meeting of the London Assembly was the Plenary meeting which would take place virtually at 10.00 am on Thursday 4 February 2021.
6 Any Other Business the Chair Considers Urgent (Item 6)
6.1 There were no items of urgent business.
7 Close of Meeting
7.1 The meeting ended at 2.58 pm.
Chair Date
Contact Officer: Davena Toyinbo, Principal Committee Manager; Telephone: 0208 039 1285; Email: [email protected]
Page 14 Agenda Item 5
49th Mayor’s Report to the Assembly – 11th February 2021
This is my forty-ninth report to the Assembly, fulfilling my duty under Section 45 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999. It covers the period from 8th January 2021 – 11th February 2021.
Please note that the information in the Mayor’s Report is accurate at the time of publishing.
Executive Summary
Covid-19 Update
Londoners continue to make huge sacrifices to tackle the virus, from the heroic frontline workers who keep us safe, to the vast majority of Londoners who are staying at home to protect themselves, their loved ones, and the NHS.
Our dedication and commitment is paying off, with case rates and hospital admissions coming down. But London is still in the grip of the virus, and there is no room for complacency.
We are now in week two of the Government surge testing scheme known as Project Eagle, which is designed to track down cases of the South African variant now being detected in several parts of the UK, including some parts of London. This week I visited a testing site in Ealing to see first-hand the work being carried out by our local partners.
I have lobbied the Government over its control of our borders and we finally learnt this month that hotel quarantine will be introduced from the 15th February. While the Government’s belated action is welcome, the approach they are taking – with only arrivals from a limited list of countries being required to quarantine – makes no sense when future strains could come from anywhere and when existing ones have already spread globally, and I remain concerned that only a fraction of the number of rooms it was estimated would be required are currently ready to use. Londoners need a safe, clear system to protect us from future spread of the virus, and I will continue to call on the Government to provide this.
With the Government’s end date for the business rates freeze and VAT relief scheme now in sight, the Government have yet to respond to my calls for support to be extended. They also remain silent on support for the night-time economy businesses that haven’t been able to open since last March. No further support has been provided to those self-isolating either, even though it has been shown that the self-employed are less likely to self-isolate due to financial concerns. I will continue to advocate for Londoners and will remind the Chancellor that London’s recovery will be a vital part of the national recovery.
As we fight to support Londoners through the pandemic, there is now light at the end of the tunnel in the form of the vaccine roll out. Over 1.2 million Londoners have now received their first dose, which is a huge achievement and a real source of hope for the coming months.
This month I had a positive meeting with the Minister for COVID Vaccine Deployment, in which he assured me that London will receive its fair share of the vaccine, proportionate to the size
Page 15
and density of our population and the level of need. I have also written to seek assurance from both the Minister for COVID Vaccine Deployment and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care that there will be no disruption to supplies from the EU for the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
I have continued to make clear my support for front line workers to be included in phase 2 of the roll out. This should include teachers, TfL staff and the Metropolitan Police, who might be more vulnerable to infection due to the public-facing nature of their work and because they cannot work from home. I, and all London leaders, are ready to work with the Government now to ensure this phase of the roll-out happens smoothly and quickly.
I also continue to do everything I can do tackle vaccine hesitancy, which we know remains high in London’s Black, Asian and Minority ethnic communities. This month I visited vaccine centres in Tottenham, Network House in Brent and at Kingsbury Mandir to showcase the importance and safety of getting the vaccine. It is essential we counter disinformation people might be hearing. That is why I am also continuing to work with community stakeholders, faith groups, unions, businesses, London Councils and the media to promote the uptake of the vaccine and ally any concerns.
I am pleased that the Government have listened to my calls and will be collecting and publishing ethnicity data on vaccines, however it’s important this is comprehensive and published as quickly as possible so we can help ensure everyone who needs the vaccine is receiving it.
My mum has received her first dose of the vaccine, and I will be taking it when it’s my turn to do so. My message to all Londoners is clear – the vaccine is safe and effective, and I would strongly urge all Londoner to take it when their time comes. Vaccines save lives.
London’s economic recovery
On 20 January, my Deputy Mayor for Business and I convened a meeting with the London Covid Business Forum, bringing together industry leaders, to oversee progress of the ‘roadmap to a safe reopening of our economy’. The Forum continues to focus on the priorities facing businesses, including grants and funding opportunities, support available for employees and communication on vaccines and testing.
On 1 February, I published a new interim report into the future challenges and opportunities facing central London, which has been severely impacted by a large decline in footfall due to COVID-19. This new research, commissioned from Arup with Gerald Eve and the London School of Economics, shows that the pandemic has had a profound impact on the Central Activities Zone (CAZ). Many businesses and jobs are facing enormous challenges due to the growth in home, need to socially distance, unprecedented restrictions on hospitality and cultural venues and events, and the collapse in tourism.
In the long term, however, the report concludes that, if the right action is taken, central London’s ecosystem will be well placed to recover strongly. The next phase of the work, to be published in the Spring, will model future scenarios and develop policy recommendation to ensure a quick, resilient and sustainable recovery for the economy of the CAZ and across London.
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I continue to call on the Government to improve and extend their support for businesses in retail, hospitality, leisure and culture, and once the vaccine has been widely administered and restrictions lifted, the UK will require the biggest tourism campaign the country has ever seen, with a particular focus on the capital – one of the biggest draws to the UK for international travellers.
You can read more here: https://www.london.gov.uk/business-and-economy- publications/central-activities-zone-caz-economic-futures-research
London buses now meet ULEZ emissions standards across the city
On 14 January Transport for London (TfL) announced that all buses in its 9,000-strong core bus fleet now meet or exceed the cleanest Euro VI emissions standards, an important milestone on the path to delivering tighter London-wide Low Emission Zone standards from 1 March 2021. This has significantly reduced the proportion of transport-related NOx emissions from TfL buses from 15 per cent to just 4 per cent. Since 2017, TfL has worked to phase out polluting diesel buses and to retrofit older buses with cleaner engines. Now completed, this will see harmful NOx emissions from buses fall by an average of 90%. To date, more than 400 all- electric buses have been introduced – including the UK’s first full routes of electric double decker buses – and around 300 additional zero-emission buses are expected to join the fleet by the end of this year.
Community-Led Recovery Programme launch
On 11 January, I launched my Community-Led Recovery Programme to support communities to get involved in London’s recovery. The programme offers two grant streams:
Community-Led Action Grant: offers grants of up to £9,000 to initiate social action projects which gather new insights.
London Community Story Grant: this strand will offer grants of up to £1,500 to organisations with existing projects which capture Londoners’ experiences of Covid-19, supporting them to be presented and shared with a wider audience.
The Community-Led Recovery Programme will support the London Recovery Board’s nine Recovery Missions, with grantees working to share insights that relate to one or more of the nine missions.
Commission for Diversity in Public Realm Appointments and Community Engagement
On 9 February, I announced the members of my Commission for Diversity in Public Realm. The Commission brings together 15 inspiring leaders from the arts, architecture, community engagement and business sectors, bringing a range insight and knowledge that will help to improve the representation of our public landscape and ensure the complete story of our history is celebrated and commemorated in our city. Members will work closely with the Borough working group and the Partners Board, which includes ActionSpace, Art Fund, Arts Council England, BCA, English Heritage, Historic England, Iniva, Museum of London, National Heritage Lottery Fund, Proud Places, Paradigm Network, Queer Britain, Shape Arts.
On 21 January, my teams partnered with the East End Women's Museum to host an evening of community-led discussion on representation of women’s histories across London's public realm.
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This meeting forms part of a series of community discussions on the topic and insights will inform the first meeting of the Commission for Diversity in Public Realm.
You can read more here: https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/mayor- announces-members-of-landmark-commission
London Plan
On 29 January, the Secretary of State wrote to me confirming that he is content for the Mayor’s new London Plan to be formally published, with no further changes.
I will now progress to formally publish the new London Plan. This will take a few weeks, to allow for statutory notifications to be issued alongside other administrative tasks.
This marks a big milestone for the city, allowing us to finally progress with an ambitious spatial development plan that will help make London safer, healthier, greener, fairer, after over a year’s delay from the Government in approving it. I’m looking forward to working with Londoners to realising our vision for the city.
Holocaust Memorial Day Ceremony 2021
On Monday 25 January I was pleased to be able to mark Holocaust Memorial Day in a joint ceremony with the London Assembly. The ceremony was pre-recorded to ensure the safety of all contributors and shared via social channels, including the GLA’s YouTube channel.
City Hall worked closed with the Holocaust Educational Trust and the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust to create a ceremony that reflected this year’s theme to “be the light in the darkness”. It commemorated victims of the Holocaust and provided a time for reflection for those affected by more recent genocides.
I was able to reflect on my visit to Poland in 2020 for the 75th anniversary commemorations where I was privileged to meet Holocaust survivor Renee Salt, who was also another key contributor to the ceremony this year. We also heard testimony from Abdul Musa Adam, a survivor of genocide from Darfur and a moving address from Rabbi Barry Marcus MBE.
I’m proud that we were able to unite in our commitment to stand against racism, discrimination and persecution, and reminding us of our duty to stand up and speak out against prejudice, oppression and injustice wherever they may be found.
Further progress on reviewing the MPS Gangs Violence Matrix
On 3rd February I published an update on the progress made by the MPS in fulfilling the recommendations I made in my 2017 Review of the Gangs Violence Matrix. As a direct result of these recommendations to make the Matrix database more transparent, effective and more evidence based than ever before, more than 1,000 young black Londoners who should not have been on it have now been removed. At the same time detection rates have improved.
We know that gang-related violence still accounts for a significant proportion of the most serious violence in London and the Matrix is a necessary enforcement tool as well as a means to support and intervention, but it’s vitally important that the police continue to evaluate, improve
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and communicate how it is used to address concerns from communities about the disproportionate number of black Londoners and young men on the Matrix.
Keeping Londoners safe remains my top priority and while Ministers are refusing to fully refund City Hall and the MPS for the money spent tackling the pandemic in London, I am committed to doing everything I can to help tackle crime – including investing £6m in the capital’s first- ever London Gang Exit Programme which is helping hundreds of young people at significant risk of harm from criminal gang activity to turn their lives around and look to a more positive future.
Policing, Crime and Security
Improving transparency, accountability and trust in policing
On 8th January I welcomed the publication of the MPS review of handcuffing, their engagement with black communities and their acknowledgment of the concerns there are about disproportionality and a lack of transparency in the way handcuffs are being used by police on young black men in the capital. The Review will lead to better training and clearer guidance for officers, particularly around the requirement to justify and record any use of handcuffs before arrest.
On 18th January I welcomed the launch of the MPS pilot which will see ethnicity data collated for vehicle stops conducted by roads policing officers. This was a key commitment in my Action Plan to improve transparency, accountability and trust in policing. We listened and responded to the continued frustrations of black Londoners, who are rightly concerned that they are six times more likely to be stopped in a car than a white person, and this pilot will help us to begin to assess and address concerns about racial profiling and disproportionality in our city. I have also written to the Home Secretary to ask her to make it compulsory for the police to collect and publish data on ethnicity for Road Traffic Stops because it is absolutely vital that our police service retains the trust and confidence of all the communities it serves.
Violence Reduction Unit Partnership Reference Group meeting on 26th January
I chaired the Violence Reduction Unit’s (VRU) Partnership Reference Group, which provides strategic direction, support, and challenge to the Unit’s work and comprises leading figures in the public sector, alongside representatives from voluntary, community, and youth groups. One of the key aims of the meeting was to consider the wider impacts of violence and how prevention and engagement play crucial roles in reducing violence with this meeting focusing on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). The group discussed the opportunities to be considered for the VRU to help advance the VAWG agenda. We also heard from two members of the VRU’s Young Person’s Action Group (YPAG) who to date have aided the VRU develop interventions, supported partnership networks and gained their personal and professional development plans.
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Transport
TfL launches online data platform to raise awareness of road collisions in London
On 11 January TfL unveiled its new Vision Zero Dashboard tool, which will enable organisations and members of the public to more easily access and interpret London's collision data which is recorded by the police.
The Vision Zero Dashboard - located on the TfL website - visualises TfL's published collision statistics, complementing the data TfL has already made publicly available. Users can now easily filter the raw data based on key fields such as injury severity, location, date/time and by mode.
The new dashboard shows collision data from 2017 to 2019. Data from future years will be added in due course, with plans for further analysis capability including being able to identify casualty rates by kilometre travelled.
TfL investment creates up to 2,000 new cycle parking spaces across London
TfL has announced the awarded funding of more than £1million to create up to 2,000 much- needed new cycle parking spaces across the capital, providing a further boost to measures to boost walking and cycling.
Enabling more Londoners to cycle safely is more important than ever. While the current coronavirus rules state that people must stay at home unless there is a reasonable excuse, it is vital that as many of these journeys as possible are made by walking, cycling and public transport rather than by car.
This will help to cut congestion and pollution in the capital and reduce the risk of a car-led recovery, while also improving people's health and activity levels and making extra space on public transport for those who need to use it.
Transformation of Old Street roundabout moves to next stage as road changes to final layout
TfL's transformation of Old Street station and roundabout has reached its next milestone as roads have now been switched to their final layout, which will allow construction work on this vital project to move into its next phase.
This layout is the same as the permanent, final layout of the completed roundabout, though not all traffic and cycle lanes will be available straight away. TfL is working closely with its contractors and Islington Council to complete the transformation work as quickly as possible, with plans to finish work by autumn 2022.
It's more important than ever that roads are safe for people walking and cycling to avoid a car- led recovery from the pandemic
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London freight should apply for a Direct Vision Standard safety permit as enforcement begins
TfL has been reminding heavy goods vehicle (HGV) operators to apply for a free safety permit as soon as possible, with less than two months to go until the introduction of London's pioneering Direct Vision Standard.
Enforcement will begin on 1 March, by which time all owners of HGVs over 12 tonnes - including those rated between one-star and five-star - will need to display a valid permit to continue operating the capital.
TfL's Direct Vision Standard will play a vital role in eliminating death and serious injuries from London's streets. Introduced with the support of London Councils, it is set to reduce lethal blind spots by introducing a permit system for HGVs, assigning vehicles a star rating based on how much the driver can see directly through their cab window.
The latest data shows that HGVs continue to be disproportionately involved in fatal collisions. Between 2018 and 2020, HGVs were involved in 41% of collisions where people cycling were killed and 19% of collisions where a pedestrian was killed.
From 1 March 2021, the Direct Vision Standard will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and will be enforced on all roads in London. HGVs will need to meet a minimum one-star rating to enable them to operate in the capital or will need to fit Safe System measures to improve the vehicle's safety.
Transformation of Streatham Hill for walking and cycling progress
TfL is moving forward with permanent measures to make roads in Streatham much safer and less intimidating for people walking and cycling, following a public consultation that showed strong support for TfL's plans for the area.
This vital new scheme is in addition to wider measures TfL and Lambeth Council are taking across the borough to enable safer walking and cycling during the coronavirus pandemic.
The results of TfL's consultation into the scheme have been published and show that 83% of respondents agreed that the proposals would make people feel safer cycling through the area, with 70% saying the same about walking.
TfL has listened to feedback from people responding to the consultation and made changes to the scheme to improve it, including increasing the amount of tree planting and making other changes to side road access to further reduce rat running in the area.
TfL will now work to finalise its designs for these changes to local roads and will look to start construction work early next year.
Outer London sees 22 per cent rise in cycling as new data shows vital role in active travel
Transport for London has published new cycle count data that shows increased levels of cycling in both inner and outer London last autumn, as people across the capital continued to use active travel as a vital way of getting around during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Despite a huge drop in the number of journeys being made overall as more people work from home and people only travel for legally permitted reasons, Londoners have been increasingly cycling to make essential trips and for exercise.
Since 2015, TfL has carried out annual cycle counts in both inner and outer London, usually in the spring. These count the numbers of people cycling past fixed points on the capital's cycling network over the course of a day. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, cycle counts in 2020 were instead carried out in the autumn, with results showing a seven per cent increase in cycling in inner London and a 22 per cent increase in outer London, compared to the previous count in spring 2019.
Significant increases in outer London also suggest that the types of journeys may be changing, as people increasingly use bikes to get around their local area, to access their local high streets and for exercise.
TfL gets go-ahead for 852 new homes in Acton
A new development by Bollo Lane in Acton has been given the go-ahead by Ealing Council, and will provide hundreds of new high-quality and affordable homes in the local area.
The masterplan was designed in collaboration with architects HOK and East and engineers Mott MacDonald covering a 3.6 hectare site and spans from Acton Town station in the north to the level crossing towards Chiswick.
The development is TfL's largest to date and will provide 852 new homes spread over nine buildings and will be a mixture of one, two and three-bedroom properties, suited to all types of households, including first time buyers, families and downsizers.
The affordable homes will consist of a combination of homes available at a range of affordable rents, such as discounted market rent and London Affordable Rent, and shared ownership properties.
The proximity of the site to Acton Town, Chiswick Park and South Acton stations means new residents will have easy links to central London with the Piccadilly, District and London Overground lines.
This access to the rail network combined with a number of bus routes serving the area enables new residents to travel sustainably with ease.
The area around the new homes has been designed to deliver long-term positive change and sustainability for the local community. As well as looking to incorporate renewable energy systems, such as solar panels, the designs include multiple gardens and new play spaces that the local community as well as residents can enjoy.
TfL takes hard line against minority flouting face covering regulations
An expanding team of TfL enforcement officers are cracking down on the non-complying minority who are not exempt, with 128,000 people stopped by officers, and 1,700 fines issued.
TfL has stepped up its enforcement of face coverings seven months after the measure became mandatory on public transport.
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Public support remains high for the use of face coverings on the network and around 90 per cent compliance at the busiest times of the day, with only a selfish minority who are not exempt continuing to ignore the regulation and putting themselves and their fellow passengers at risk.
A new cohort of TfL enforcement officers completed training in December. This boosts TfL's enforcement team to around 500 officers who are ensuring compliance of coronavirus safety regulations, as well as tackling aggression, fare evasion and providing greater visibility and reassurance.
The new recruits are now in operation on the transport network, working alongside police officers from the Metropolitan Police Service (Met) and British Transport Police (BTP) and carrying out enforcement operations on the transport network every day across the capital. Operations are regularly carried out at stations with low compliance, and bus stops at Victoria, Brixton and Stratford have been targeted.
New extensions to Cycleway 4 route set to enable safer essential cycle journeys during pandemic
Transport for London (TfL) has set out plans to make a series of trial changes to Tooley Street and Duke Street Hill in central London, which will extend the new Cycleway 4 route to enable safer essential journeys between London Bridge, Rotherhithe and beyond.
The changes are a vital part of TfL’s emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic and TfL is asking people for their initial feedback on the plans ahead of construction work starting in early March. This follows the recent start of construction work on a further trial extension to the route in southeast London, between Angerstein Roundabout and Charlton.
Construction work on Cycleway 4 started in July 2019 and the first section of the route, completed in September 2020, is already connecting neighbourhoods in southeast London to central London via a fully protected cycle route between Tower Bridge Road and Rotherhithe. TfL is working to build trial schemes which enable more people to walk and cycle and help to maintain space on public transport for those who need it.
Health
Roundtable with charities representing clinically vulnerable groups to discuss their experiences and support needs during Covid-19 On 28 January 2021 I convened a roundtable, chaired by my Deputy Mayor, Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard, with thirteen charities representing a range of groups of Londoners recognised as clinically vulnerable to Covid-19, including disabled people and older people. We discussed their experiences during the pandemic and the issues they face in terms of access to support, particularly for those shielding. The discussion covered a wide range of issues including employee rights; COVID-secure workplaces; communications in multiple languages and formats; access to affordable food; access to treatments, diagnostics and vaccinations; do not resuscitate orders; digital exclusion; social isolation; physical activity; and social care reform. I will now be writing to the participating charities outlining the actions I will take in response to the issues raised at the meeting. In addition, I am convening a second roundtable for the same group of charities, with Sir David Sloman, Regional Director of NHS England and NHS
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Improvement, to discuss the specific concerns the charities raised related to access to healthcare and vaccination roll-out. This roundtable will be chaired by my Mayoral Advisor, Dr Tom Coffey. Mental health interview for GQ Magazine This month I used the opportunity of an interview with Alastair Campbell for GQ Magazine to have an open conversation about mental health and challenging the stigma that surrounds it. The interview was published in print, online and on YouTube, to a largely male readership in the hundreds of thousands. I discussed my own struggles during the pandemic, mental resilience, and the importance of being honest about our feelings. We also talked about the stigma that is still attached to speaking up or seeking support, particularly amongst men. Through the discussion I raised my concerns about the mental trauma the pandemic will leave in its wake, especially for young Londoners and those working on the frontline – whether that be for the NHS or in other key worker roles. I called on central government to ensure the mental health services that are desperately needed are suitably resourced. Pandemic Response
I have continued to meet weekly with the Regional Directors of Public Health England (PHE) and NHS London to discuss important aspects of the Covid-19 response and recovery in London. In these meetings I have been provided with the most recent public health data and intelligence on the pandemic in London and an assessment of current NHS capacity to support Londoners with Covid-19 and other health needs. During this period key topics discussed have also included the extreme pressures on NHS bed capacity and challenges for staff, the declaration of a major incident in London, roll out of the vaccine, the importance of tackling vaccine hesitancy among our most vulnerable communities, and the impact of Covid-19 on mental health and action being taken in London.
Fire and Resilience
COVID-19 Assembly Member Leaders updates
My Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience, Dr Fiona Twycross, continued to hold regular virtual meetings to update Leaders of the London Assembly political groups on London’s response to COVID-19.
London MPs call
My Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience, Dr Fiona Twycross, continued to chair regular virtual meetings to update and consult London MPs on London’s response to COVID-19.
London COVID-19 Leaders Committee
I, alongside my Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience, Dr Fiona Twycross and my Chief of Staff David Bellamy, continued to attend regular virtual meetings with London Councils Leaders and representatives of London’s Strategic Coordinating Outbreak Control Group to consider London’s response to COVID-19 throughout the month.
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London Strategic Coordinating Group
My Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience, Dr Fiona Twycross, continued to attend regular virtual meetings of the London Strategic Coordinating Group to discuss London’s response to COVID-19.
PHE/NHS conference call
I alongside my Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience, Dr Fiona Twycross, continued to attend virtual meetings with Regional Directors of PHE and NHS London to receive an update on London’s response to COVID-19.
Trade Union Councils meeting
On 12th January, I alongside my Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience, Dr Fiona Twycross, attended a virtual meeting with representatives from Trade Union Councils (London, East and South East) to discuss a range of issues affecting London Fire Brigade staff.
Meeting with Nadhim Zahawi MP, Minister for COVID Vaccine Deployment
On 14th January, I alongside my Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience, Dr Fiona Twycross, attended a meeting with Vaccine Deployment Minister, Nadhim Zahawi MP to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine supply and rollout; prioritisation and take-up.
Meeting with PFCCs and Deputy Mayors for Fire
On 14th January, my Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience, Dr Fiona Twycross, attended a virtual meeting with Lord Greenhalgh, Minister of State for Building, Safety, Fire and Communities, alongside other Deputy Mayors and Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners (PFCCs) to discuss challenges in the fire sector.
Resilience Brexit Contingency Planning Group
On 18th January, my Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience, Dr Fiona Twycross, chaired a virtual Brexit Contingency Planning Group meeting as Chair of the London Resilience Forum.
Meeting with Major General C J Ghika CBE
On 26th January, my Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience, Dr Fiona Twycross, spoke with Major General C J Ghika to discuss London’s response to COVID-19.
London Fire Commissioner meetin
On 1st February, I alongside my Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience, Dr Fiona Twycross, met with London Fire Commissioner, Andy Roe, for an update on the work of the London Fire Brigade.
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Growth, Skills and Regeneration
Mayor’s ESF - Creative Enterprise Zone - Lewisham
On 8 January I launched a new £500,000 funding opportunity for the Mayor’s European Sector Funds (ESF) Creative Enterprise Zone (CEZ) in Lewisham. This project will help people living in Lewisham gain skills and experience to find jobs in the creative sector. It will also seek to diversify the creative workforce. It is funded by ESF, the GLA and the London Borough of Lewisham.
This project contributes to my recovery plans from the coronavirus crisis by providing targeted skills development and employment support to Londoners who are disadvantaged in the labour market, and likely to be further disadvantaged by the impact of COVID-19 on London’s economy.
You can find out more about this at this link: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we- do/funding/european-social-fund/funding-opportunities
Skills for Londoners Board and Business Partnership
My Skills for Londoners Board and Skills for Londoners Business Partnership are currently holding joint meetings until the Mayoral election in May 2021, to enable a joined-up focus on London’s COVID-19 recovery work.
The two boards recently met on 26 January 2021. Members discussed the FE White Paper, the impact of COVID-19 on their businesses/sectors and what we can do to support them during this time. Discussions focussed on the Good Work for All and Digital Access for All recovery missions; and plans for the Adult Education Roadmap.
They also received updates on London’s first Local Skills Report due to be published in March 2021, the upcoming London Learner Survey and the Adult Education Budget (AEB) programme. In addition, representatives from RCU presented their findings on the provision of, participation in and demand for education and skills at Levels 4/5 in London. The findings of the report will be published shortly.
One more meeting is planned to take place before the pre-election period, on 9 March 2021, so that members have further opportunities to feed in their views, especially on the relevant parts of the London Recovery Programme before the Mayoral and Assembly Election.
Launch of AEB Good Work for All Fund
On 8 February I launched the Adult Education Budget (AEB) Good Work for All Fund. The Fund is open to all skills providers located in London and the ‘London Fringe’ to apply to deliver adult education and training services to Londoners. This new provision will support the London Recovery Programme in response to the Covid-19 pandemic
The Fund will use part of London’s AEB explicitly to support the London Recovery programme, with a particular focus on the sectors outlined in the Helping Londoners into Good Work and Digital Access for All missions, although this is not exclusive. The funding will be used to deliver
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training, education, and employability support that helps Londoners to gain relevant skills, retrain, and move into good work in sectors key to London’s recovery.
The sectors outlined in these missions – Digital, Health and Social Care, Green Economy, and Creative Industries – have current and long-term economic growth and job creation potential or, in the case of health and social care, play a critical role in supporting London’s recovery. Providers can make a case to deliver provision aligned with other sectors where they can demonstrate why that sector should be considered a priority in the context of London’s Recovery
Applications will close on 19 March.
The Economy, Business and Enterprise
Letter to Chancellor on Budget
On 19 January, I wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak MP, outlining the needs of the capital from March’s Budget. My Budget submission focused on the huge financial pressures the pandemic has placed on Londoners, businesses, communities, and the capital’s vital public services. I urged Government not to take London for granted. For London’s success to continue, the city needs careful consideration, a recognition of the unique challenges we face, and investment to support businesses, organisations, and people to succeed.
Business engagement
On 13 January, I chaired a meeting with my Business Advisory Board alongside my Deputy Mayor for Business. I introduced the ‘roadmap to a safe reopening of our economy’ and we discussed the role businesses can play in the vaccine roll-out in London and the impact Brexit is having on members’ sectors.
On 20 January, my Deputy Mayor for Business gave a keynote address at the virtual ‘Global Digital Transformation – Digital Lenders Association of India (DLAI) Conclave 2021’, one of India’s largest digital lending conferences. He highlighted London’s strength in fintech and Indian Foreign Direct Investment and unique global status as a capital of finance, business, government and technology.
On 27 January, I participated in a panel as part of the World Economic Forum’s virtual Davos Summit. The topic of discussion was around delivering social justice in recovery and the objective was to generate insights into how to advance social justice in the Covid-19 recovery. I covered how the Covid19 pandemic has affected London, the London Recovery Programme and how its missions have been shaped to create a fairer and more sustainable city.
On 4 February, my Deputy Mayor for Business gave the keynote opening speech as part of London & Partners' EdTech Virtual Trade Mission to India. He spoke about the strength of the education and digital education sectors in London and the opportunities for London companies to explore the Indian market, as well as for Indian companies to consider expanding to London.
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The London Business Hub
From the beginning of January 2021, the London Business Hub has grown to include additional resources to support businesses following the end of the EU Transition Period. The support include help on subjects such as employment, trade, Intellectual Property and data and travelling to and from the EU. Businesses will be able to access dedicated advisers with up to three hours of one to one support and a panel of ‘Brexit Expert Advisers’ that London based SMEs can access free of charge
Flexible workspace
On 27 January, my Workspace Advisory Group hosted its quarterly meeting and discussed the planned surveying of the flexible workspace sector every five months over the next 15 months. The survey seeks to understand how the sector is changing and adapting as a result of the pandemic.
Mayor’s Entrepreneur competition
In January 2021, 36 student interns began their part time placements to support my 2021 Mayor’s Entrepreneur competition. Alongside their studies they will work to encourage their fellow students from across London’s Universities to take part in the competition and consider entrepreneurship as a career path. This year, five winning business ideas will be selected from those submitted by London’s students and recent graduates and each will be awarded £20,000 start-up funding to develop their ideas for market.
Promoting good work and high-quality placements for young people
My teams worked with London Councils and boroughs to produce a short guide for promoting good work and high-quality placements through the government’s Kickstart programme, as part of their efforts to support recovery.
You can find out more here: https://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/what-makes-a-good- kickstart-placement.
The guide follows the structure of my Good Work Standard and promotes fair pay and conditions, diversity and recruitment, workplace wellbeing and skills and progression.
Pay it Forward London
So far, more than 480 small businesses have raised over £1.7 million through my Pay It Forward London platform, thanks to the generosity of over 23,000 Londoners who have contributed.
The scheme is still open, including the opportunity to receive up to £5,000 in match funding for eligible businesses through my Back to Business Fund. I urge any small business which has not yet taken advantage of this support to do so.
Meeting with G.network on connectivity
On 9 February, I met with the CEO of G.network, Sasho Veselinski to hear about their £1bn full fibre investment for London. The investment aims to bring full fibre connectivity to around 1.4m premises across 13 London boroughs. I welcomed this much needed investment for the
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future facing broadband connectivity that Londoners need to meet our growing demand. This investment supports our London recovery work, specifically the Digital Access Mission for all, where good connectivity for all Londoners by 2025 is a key objective for the mission’s success. My Connected London team and Head of Digital Communications & Data Innovation were also in attendance and will continue to work with G.network and other providers in London to support with coordination between boroughs and share best practice. I also invited G.network to work with my infrastructure team to work collaboratively on street work projects with other utility providers in particular on TfL routes, in a bid to help reduce their capital costs associated with Lane Rental Charges so that their investment can stretch further and London’s environmental impact for streets being dug up repeatedly are reduced.
Launch of Digital Exclusion Taskforce
On 2 February, I launched the Digital Exclusion Taskforce chaired by my Chief Digital Officer. The group is made up of experts from industry and the third sector and will support the wider work of the Digital Access Mission. Many Londoners still don’t have the devices, skills or connectivity to get online. The taskforce will work to understand the scale of this problem, and then identify and tackle the barriers stopping Londoners getting online.
Environment
Rapid charge point milestone
On 21 January, I achieved a major milestone in my ambition to tackle London’s toxic air pollution and prepare for the expanding Ultra Low Emission Zone, the successful delivery of 300 more electric vehicle rapid charging points across the capital before the end of 2020. This includes the first rapid charging hub in London at Stratford International car park with six charging points, and contributes to the now more than 500 rapid charge points and 5,500 residential charge points across the capital. This success is testament to our partners in the boroughs and the private sector who have stepped up and shown real ambition to help London lead the electric vehicle revolution.
Impact of air quality policies
On 25 January, I published the results of a study commissioned from Imperial College London’s Environmental Research Group which found that my air quality policies and wider improvements in air pollution will increase the average life expectancy of a child born in London in 2013 by six months. Despite these significant improvements, levels of air pollution in London are still too high for most Londoners and the study found that in 2019 toxic air contributed to the deaths of more than 4,000 Londoners. This shows that there is still vital work to do to improve London’s air quality which is why I am committed to expanding the Ultra Low Emission Zone in October this year.
UK100 Letter to government on air pollution
On 27 January, I joined a cross-party group of UK mayors in calling on Government to adopt World Health Organization (WHO) targets for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) as legally binding
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air quality limits in the Environment Bill to be met no later than 2030. The letter also urged the Government to provide at least £1.5 billion in additional funding for local and combined authorities to effectively tackle air pollution. The letter was featured in the Guardian on the same day.
You can find the article at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/27/uk-mayors-boris-johnson- tougher-air-pollution-targets?CMP=twt_a-environment_b-gdneco
Meeting with Jack Dromey MP and Liam Byrne MP
On 27 January, my Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Shirley Rodrigues met with Jack Dromey MP and Liam Byrne MP. Both represent West Midlands constituencies, where LEVC has a large manufacturing presence, particularly LEVC’s new zero emission capable VN5 van. The van can potentially play a role in supporting the transition to a zero emission transport system. Both MPs were supportive of working together to secure additional funding from Government from van scrappage and wider support for the switch to electric vehicles.
Meeting with the Confederation of British Industry
On 29 January, my Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Shirley Rodrigues had a meeting with Tony Danker the new Director-General of the CBI. The meeting was to discuss our plans for COP26 and London’s transition to net-zero and the opportunities these represent for working with the CBI and their members. They discussed potential shared workstreams for engaging businesses in tackling the climate and ecological emergencies and supporting London’s drive for a green and equitable recovery.
Green New Deal Advisory Group meeting
On 2 February, my Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Shirley Rodrigues, co-chaired the first formal meeting of the Green New Deal Advisory Group. The group, co-chaired with Mayor of Hackney Philip Glanville, has been set to provide strategic advice, review and guidance on the implementation of the Green New Deal as well as ensuring sustainability is embedded across of London’s recovery work. At the meeting, group members reviewed activity to date and the approach to developing the recovery missions’ action plans, and they discussed what the external environment will look like in the coming months.
Water Advisory Group
On 3 February, my Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Shirley Rodrigues chaired my Water Advisory Group, which includes senior representatives from London’s water companies, the water regulators, environmental NGOs and consumer champions. Group members updated on their organisations’ resilience and preparedness in the context of Covid-19, Brexit and forthcoming bad weather. The group discussed opportunities for the water infrastructure sector to work together with the GLA and other London stakeholders to deliver the Green New Deal mission; The group also heard from the Environment Agency on the process on updating the Thames Estuary 2100 plan to ensure London’s continued protection from tidal flooding.
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Meeting with Joerg Hofmann, Chief Executive LEVC
On 5 February my Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Shirley Rodrigues met with Joerg Hofmann, Chief Executive of LEVC, to discuss the role that LEVC’s new zero emission capable VN5 van could play in supporting the transition to a zero-emission transport system.
Education and Youth
Letter to Secretary of State for Education
On 21 January, I wrote to the Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson MP, calling on him to take action on a number of key issues to better support nurseries and schools in London as the COVID-19 crisis continues.
Nurseries and childminders provide a crucial service, especially during this lockdown. It’s encouraging that asymptomatic early years staff can get Covid-19 tests in community testing centres, but the Government should make regular testing available for early years practitioners in the same way as it is for teachers. Further financial support from the Government is also essential to ensuring the sustainability of the early years sector through this crisis. I urged the Secretary of State to provide this, including continuing to pay for funded early years places based on pre-Covid attendance levels. I have made the same call to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
For older children, I recognise that it was the right decision (albeit a difficult one) to cancel this summer’s exams; however, I urged the Secretary of State to learn from last year’s mistakes and to provide clarity over GCSE, A-Level and BTEC assessments. The time between now and the summer must be used to ensure that chosen assessment methods do not unfairly disadvantage any student. What’s more, the Government must take a consistent, national approach to BTEC examinations, and provide clarity to university admissions teams as early as possible regarding how grades will be awarded.
Unfortunately, digital poverty is still impacting children and families. I urged the Secretary of State to quickly provide a laptop and internet access to every child or young person that needs one. Wrap around support must also be provided to ensure that users and parents have the necessary skills to use this technology effectively. This issue clearly overlaps with class, race and immigration status. The Secretary of State must also rethink the allocation formula for the Government’s catch-up funding, so that it truly reflects current inequalities and support is targeted at areas with the highest need.
I welcomed the Government’s announcement of the Covid Winter Grant Scheme and its commitment to extend the Holiday Food and Activities programme and increase the value of Healthy Start vouchers. However, I know that this doesn’t go far enough and that hundreds of thousands of children living in poverty are still falling through the gaps. In my letter, I urged the Government to take further action by fully implementing the National Food Strategy’s recommendations and expanding the eligibility of Free School Meals and Healthy Start vouchers to include every child from a household in receipt of Universal Credit or equivalent benefits, and those with no recourse to public funds. The Government must also ensure that food parcels delivered to families are to the high standard they deserve.
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Finally, along with London Councils, I called on the Government to ensure that clear plans are established for widespread and regular testing to facilitate the safe return of all students to schools and colleges. I also support the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommendation for the second phase of vaccination to include those at increased risk of exposure to Covid-19 due to their occupation. This should include early years practitioners and teachers.
Celebrating the Early Years Leaders Programme
On 21 January, Joanne McCartney, my Deputy Mayor for Education and Childcare, had the pleasure of welcoming guests to an online celebration event, marking the end of my Early Years Leaders Programme.
Early Years Leaders was run by National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) and aimed to further develop the management, leadership and business skills of early years practitioners in London. Since June 2019, it has supported 88 participants, across 27 London boroughs, giving them access to one-to-one sessions with a development coach, as well as group coaching and networking opportunities.
Joanne was delighted to hear from some of these participants about their achievements on the programme, including the invaluable coaching relationships and blossoming peer-to-peer support networks that have been built. In taking part in the programme - and in sticking with it through the unprecedented challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic - these practitioners have shown extraordinary dedication to their professional development and to the local families that they work with.
The importance of high quality early education, especially for London’s most vulnerable families, has been brought into even sharper focus by the pandemic. I was very pleased to write to all participants and coaches involved in the programme to congratulate them and thank them for their involvement.
Schools for Success webinar
On 28 January, my Deputy Mayor for Education and Childcare, Joanne McCartney, opened our latest Schools for Success webinar, focusing on methods schools are using to help narrow the attainment gap. Leaders from Chase Bridge Primary School, Winterbourne Junior Girls School and Salusbury Primary School discussed the importance of access to digital devices, empowering students to making decisions about their school, and an innovative approach to reading as key strategies used to support their pupils at this difficult time. In addition, Sue John and Roisin Killick from Challenge Partners presented findings from their recent research into the characteristics of top performing schools.
My Schools for Success programme brings together educational leaders to share knowledge and experience through a series of webinars and published school profiles. Schools were invited to attend our next event, LondonEd 2021, a research conference held in the week commencing 1 March focusing on the challenge of inequality in the education system.
Devices roundtable
On 2 February, I held a roundtable with the Chair of London Councils to hear first-hand how pupils across London are digitally excluded and need urgent support. I was joined by young
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Londoners, Headteachers, London Grid for Learning, the Deputy Mayor for Education and Childcare and the Assistant General Secretary of the National Education Union. We shared information on how our new Digital Exclusion Taskforce will support the London Recovery’s Digital Access for All mission to ensure that every Londoner has access to good connectivity, basic digital skills and the device or support they need to be online by 2025.
Housing
Protecting London’s renters
On 7 January, I co-signed a letter to the editor of the Guardian as a supporter of the Renters Reform Coalition, urging Government to extend the ban on bailiff action to enforce private rented sector evictions, and to introduce another full ban on possessions proceedings like the one imposed during the first national lockdown last year. Although this would not address the underlying problem which is leading many private landlords to seek possession, namely the increase in rent arrears due to the pandemic, it would help to keep renters safe from homelessness at this critical time.
Although Government has extended the ban on bailiff action until 22 February, they have declined to introduce a new possession ban, or to introduce further targeted financial support to help keep renters in their homes. In addition, an increase in illegal evictions throughout the pandemic, as well as a spike in rent arrears is now being reported by a wide range of organisations, from Citizens Advice to the National Residential Landlords Association. In January I announced that the number of Londoners reporting concerns about their landlord or letting agent through my ‘Report-a-rogue’ tool more than doubled during the pandemic compared to the period March-December 2019. One in five of those complaints relates to an unfair eviction. I continue to call on Government to act now to support renters to pay their rents and clear arrears built up during the pandemic, in order to avoid more illegal evictions and a huge increase in homelessness later in the year.
Increasing vaccination of rough sleepers
On 27 January, my Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development and Senior Advisor for Health Policy wrote to the Chair of Covid-19 Immunisation at the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, making the case for prioritising rough sleepers in emergency accommodation for the Covid-19 vaccine through the flexibility that JCVI guidance provides. The letter highlights the current window of opportunity, with several thousand rough sleepers currently accommodated. It outlines how this course of action would both protect public health and ensure clinical time is used efficiently in administration of the vaccine.
Domestic Abuse Bill
On 1 February, my Deputy Mayors for Housing and Residential Development and for Policing and Crime, and the London Councils Executive Member for Crime and Public Protection jointly wrote to the Parliamentary Under Secretaries of State for the Home Office and for Rough Sleeping and Housing welcoming the intention of Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Bill. This will place new duties on Tier 1 authorities (the GLA in London) and Tier 2 authorities for the provision of support for victims of domestic abuse and their children in safe accommodation, with the potential to improve outcomes.
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The letter urged the Government to address three important immediate issues, to help ensure that this aim is achieved. First, to ensure that the level of funding devolved to Tier 1 authorities to commission support is sufficient to achieve the necessary step-change in provision. Second, to take urgent steps to protect the services being funded by the Government this year, which are at risk of closure because of delays in the roll out of the new arrangements. Third, to allocate sufficient funding to the GLA so that it can properly administer the new duty, taking into account London’s size and complexity compared with other Tier 1 authorities.
Communities and Social Policy
Civic Futures Programme launch
On 11 January, I launched my second iteration of the Civic Futures Programme, a fellowship programme to support London’s recovery.
From March 2021, the Programme will work with up to 30 people from across London’s civil society and local government (including GLA colleagues) for 12 months to facilitate collective learning and discovery focused on collaboration, exploration and inquiry and systems thinking.
Roundtable with East and Southeast Asian communities
After I met with East and Southeast Asian communities in November 2020, I promised follow- up on a range of issues with the Deputy Mayors. On Tuesday 12 January, Deputy Mayor Sophie Linden held an online roundtable with East and Southeast Asian communities on their experiences of Sinophobia, racism and hate crime during the pandemic. The meeting was attended by a community representative of the Met Police. Work is continuing to support these communities.
Faith Sector Panel meeting
A part of London’s Resilience is the important Faith Sector Panel, co-chaired by Deputy Mayor Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard and Father Luke Miller, Archdeacon of London. With Covid-19 escalating in early 2021, the panel met again on Tuesday 12 January to discuss my advice on restricting communal worship. The panel responded positively, and I want to wholeheartedly thank faith communities across the city for their support on this and their continued work with Londoners.
Public Health Communities Briefings on Covid-19
On Tuesday 12 January and Tuesday 02 February my Community Engagement team held virtual Public Health Communities Briefings on Covid-19 with Public Health England and the NHS. Over 160 people representing communities across London attended each meeting. The meetings gave updates on the levels of the Covid-19 pandemic in the city, as well as on the vaccine roll-out
WIN Design lab launch
On 26 January, my Workforce Integration Network team formally launched the Design lab for the Construction sector. The WIN Design lab is a year-long programme co-hosted by City Hall and the Equal group which will support 11 of the leading construction and infrastructure
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businesses to break down structural barriers to employment for young Black men. The long- term aspiration of the programme is to create sector-wide change in building more diverse and inclusive workplaces.
The launch was attended by the 11 participating companies, including: SGN, J Murphy & Sons Ltd, Wates Ltd, UK Power Networks, Balfour Beatty, Mott MacDonald, Ferrovial Construction UK, Laing O'Rourke, Hyperoptic, Thames Water Limited and Balfour Beatty Vinci Systra JV - HS2 OOC Station Partner. It included speeches from some of the sector leading industry bodies and marked an important commitment from these businesses to address the persistent inequalities faced by certain groups in accessing London’s labour market. My Deputy Mayor Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard was in attendance, alongside the GLA WIN team.
Black Majority Church leaders meeting
On 28 January, I virtually hosted my regular Black Majority Church leaders meeting, alongside Deputy Mayor Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard. At the meeting we were joined by representatives from the NHS and Public Health England, and I discussed with the church leaders the importance of tackling vaccine hesitancy. There was agreement on working together to support communities, including on vaccine roll-out. We also had an update from MOPAC on the policing action plan, which several of the church leaders directly input into.
Team London, Sports and Volunteering
Vaccination volunteers
Team London has been supporting the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccinations across London by contributing to the huge mobilisation of volunteers. We are contributing in several ways: Deploying my Team London volunteers to provide support in Marshal roles at the vaccination centres in London, including the Excel centre. Supporting NHS leads to set-up volunteering management and deployment at mass vaccination sites across London. Working with the wider voluntary and community sector in London to develop tools and processes for the co-ordination of requests for volunteers. Team London Young Ambassadors
In January, I awarded 24 grants to schools across London to enable student-led projects supporting local communities with issues exacerbated during the pandemic. The projects address prominent, wide ranging issues including mental health and wellbeing, anti-racism and inclusion, environment and sustainability, food poverty and inequality, and isolation and social connections.
The schools receiving funding include secondary, primary, SEND Schools and Pupil Referral Units. These projects engage 2,800 young people in their communities. A total of 59 per cent of participants were deemed ‘at-risk’.
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Culture, Events and External Relations
Meeting of the OECD Ambassadors on Culture
On 12 January, my Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries, Justine Simons OBE, gave a keynote speech at the Meeting of OECD Ambassadors (Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development) on ways to support culture through the pandemic crisis. On behalf of the World Cities Culture Forum, she also gave an overview of the emerging approaches to supporting culture across 40 global cities in response to Covid-19. The event was attended by the OECD Secretary General and 26 OECD Ambassadors from across 10 countries who all committed to continuing to support culture and the creative industries.
Mayor’s Cultural Leadership Board
On 2 February, my Cultural Leadership Board chaired by Ben Evans CBE met for the final meeting of this administration. Items on the agenda included the current issues facing cultural organisations which remain closed because of the pandemic and the plight of creative freelance workers, many of whom are not eligible to claim Government financial support. The Board’s specialist expertise and insight continues to inform the work of my Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, Justine Simons OBE and her policy Unit during this crisis.
Boroughs Culture Roundtable
On 13 January, my Culture and Creative Industries Unit hosted the sixth borough culture roundtable with officers representing 25 boroughs across London in attendance. The theme of the event was ‘Delivering cultural activities in 2021 and beyond’. There were updates and presentations from Arts Council England, Newham Council on their ‘Unlimited’ digital programme; Hammersmith and Fulham on their Mayor’s Cultural Impact Award and from the Society of London Theatre, which outlined the impact of the pandemic on theatre in London.
People’s Question Time Online
Thursday 11 February saw the second online version of People’s Question Time, where Londoners were given the opportunity to put live questions to myself and the London Assembly. The event was chaired by Chair of the London Assembly and Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow, Navin Shah.
Registered audience members used the online live chat to put their questions to the panel, which were asked by the Chair. There was also an opportunity for Londoners to ask questions directly to the panel, live on the night, via video link up.
London Legacy Development Corporation
London Stadium
Despite being closed to the public in line with national lockdown restrictions, the action has continued at London Stadium with four matches played behind closed doors during this period. Homes matches against Burnley (16 January), West Brom (19 January), and Doncaster (23
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January – FA Cup Fourth Round) provided three successive wins for West Ham United, followed by defeat to Liverpool FC on 31 January.
On 27 January London Stadium’s external screen was used to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, joining iconic landmarks across the UK in displaying a message for ‘Be the Light in the Darkness’.
Good Growth Hub
LLDC has appointed A New Direction to run an employment and skills hub for young people on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Opening in April 2021, the hub will offer a range of high-quality career programmes for local young people including London Living Wage-paid internships, support for freelancers, apprenticeships, careers advice and coaching.
The hub will be a beacon of best-practice for inclusive growth by encouraging and supporting employers to deliver fair and inclusive work practices in line with my Good Work Standard.
LLDC Board Appointment
On 8 January, the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) announced the appointment of Jamie Kerr to its Board. Jamie is a Chartered Surveyor with more than 30 years’ experience in property development and finance. He previously held the role of MD Strategic Partnerships at LCR Property focusing on major projects such as the Waterloo Retail and International Quarter in Stratford which borders Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
East Careers Week
The LLDC has launched applications for teachers and pupils to sign up to East Careers Week. Delivered in collaboration with East Bank partners BBC, University College London, UAL’s London College of Fashion, V&A and Sadler’s Wells as well as other local partners, the East Education initiative will offer local Year 1-13 students an exciting online programme as part of National Careers Week. Running from 1-5 March, the sessions will engage young east Londoners with creative, digital and STEM careers and provide transferable employability skills needed for future jobs in any industry.
The programme will also link young people, schools and parents to the exciting institutions, universities and sectors that are coming to the Park, including at the ambitious culture and education district at East Bank.
Neighbourhood Priorities Fund
LLDC has awarded over £1,840,000 to 25 local community projects funding from the 2020 Neighbourhood Priorities Fund.
The Neighbourhood Priorities Fund was set up to administer the Neighbourhood Portion of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), ensuring that local groups can benefit from the money that LLDC collects from developers building in the area.
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Events
On 3 February it was announced that a Super League Triathlon (SLT) Arena Games Powered by Zwift event will be held behind closed doors at the London Aquatics Centre on 27 March. The event is a mix of swimming, as well as virtual racing on a treadmill.
It has also been announced that every match of the Vitality Netball Superleague 2021 season (April-June) will be broadcast across Sky Sports and England Netball platforms. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 global pandemic, the season will be played behind closed doors across two venues - one of which is the Copper Box Arena. Games will also feature the venue’s resident netball team London Pulse.
I’m pleased that although venues such as the London Aquatics Centre are closed to the public under current lockdown restrictions, they are able to host events such as these which support our events industry.
Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation
North Kensington Gate, planning approval
On Thursday 14 January, OPDC’s planning committee resolved to grant planning permission to City and Docklands for 208 new homes (35% affordable) and ground floor commercial floorspace. £1.4m in the Section 106 agreement will go towards local transport and infrastructure improvements, public realm improvements, and education and healthcare facilities.
Planning
Planning Decisions (Stage 2 referrals)
Wembley High Road, LB Brent
I have written to the London Borough of Brent stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.
Northwick Park Hospital, LB Brent
I have written to the London Borough of Brent stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.
3 Turnberry Quay Site, LB Tower Hamlets
The Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration & Skills, acting under delegated authority, wrote to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets stating that he is content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.
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Ujima House, LB Brent
I have written to the London Borough of Brent stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.
Former Dairy Crest Site, Hammersmith and Fulham
I have written to the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.
Morrison’s Supermarket, LB Hounslow
I have written to the London Borough of Hounslow stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.
Lilly’s Farm, LB Bromley
I have written to the London Borough of Bromley stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.
72-76 Broadway, LB Ealing
I have written to the London Borough of Ealing stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.
Land to the north of Central Middlesex Hospital, OPDC
I have written to the Old Oak & Park Royal Development Corporation stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.
Holiday Inn London West, OPDC
The Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration & Skills, acting under delegated authority, wrote to the Old Oak & Park Royal Development Corporation stating that he is content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.
University Playing Fields Brunel University, LB Hillingdon
I have written to the London Borough of Hillingdon stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.
Site at Palmerston Court, LB Wandsworth
The Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration & Skills, acting under delegated authority, wrote to the London Borough of Wandsworth stating that he is content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.
1,2,3 and 9 Watkin Road, LB Brent
I have written to the London Borough of Brent stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.
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St Augustines Priory School, LB Ealing
I have written to the London Borough of Ealing stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.
Planning Decisions (Stage I referrals)
I have asked officers to send letters giving comments about the following stage one referrals:
70 Gracechurch Street, City of London
Project Oriel, St Pancras Hospital, Camden
2-3 Finsbury Avenue, City of London
250 Kennington Lane and 2-10 Dolland Street, Lambeth
922-930 Purley Way, Croydon
29-39 Stirling Road and 2-10 Roslin Road, Ealing
Prospects House, Bromley
The Glamorgan, Croydon
Access Self Storage, 248-250 York Road, Wandsworth
Stanford House, Hillingdon
3 Millharbour and 6,7 and 8 South Quay, Tower Hamlets
Brethren Meeting Hall Building, Lewisham
Vaughan Road Car Park, Harrow
56-58 Stanley Gardens, Ealing
Times Square Shopping Centre, Sutton
Crown Honda, Hyde Estate Road, Barnet
19 Great Eastern Street and 9 Hewett Street, Hackney
Bellerive House, 3 Muirfield Crescent, Tower Hamlets
Leisure Centre, 36 Bromyard Avenue, Ealing
Fels Farm, Barking and Dagenham
30 Marsh Wall, Tower Hamlets
Heston Sports Ground, Crane Lodge Road, Hounslow
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Mapother House, Maudsley Hospital, Southwark
Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital Grays Inn Road, Camden Key Engagements
Among my additional engagements since my last report were the following:
I hosted my regular conference call with NHS London & Public Health England on 11 January to discuss the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on London.
I chaired my regular planning decisions meeting on 11 January.
I joined a conference call of the London Leaders COVID-19 Committee on 11 January to discuss the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on London.
I joined a conference call hosted by Nadhim Zahawi MP, Minister for COVID Vaccine Deployment, Department of Health and Social Care, with the M9 Mayors on 12 January to discuss vaccine deployment.
I had my regular meeting with representatives of the TUC LESE (TUC London East and South East) on 12 January.
I met with Microsoft UK senior executives on 12 January to discuss how Microsoft can support London’s COVID-19 recovery.
I chaired the Mayor’s Business Advisory Group meeting on 13 January.
I had my regular meeting with Sir Stephen House, the Deputy Police Commissioner, on 13 January.
I chaired the London Recovery Board Meeting on 14 January.
I joined a conference call with Nadhim Zahawi MP, Minister for COVID Vaccine Deployment, Department of Health and Social Care, on 14 January to discuss vaccine deployment.
I hosted my regular conference call with NHS London & Public Health England on 14 January to discuss the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on London.
I joined a conference call of the London Leaders COVID-19 Committee on 14 January to discuss the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on London.
I visited the new NHS COVID-19 Vaccination Centre at the Olympic Office Centre in Wembley on 18 January to see the second large vaccination site to go live in London.
I joined a conference call of the London Leaders COVID-19 Committee on 18 January to discuss the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on London.
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I had my regular meeting with Laura Citron, Chief Executive, London & Partners, on 19 January.
I hosted my regular conference call with Transport for London on 19 January.
I chaired the London COVID Business Forum on 20 January.
I attended Mayor's Question Time on 21 January.
I hosted my regular conference call with NHS London & Public Health England on 21 January to discuss the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on London.
I joined a conference call of the London Leaders COVID-19 Committee on 21 January to discuss the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on London.
I attended my monthly Speak to Sadiq radio phone-in with LBC on 22 January.
I visited the London Ambulance Service (LAS) HQ in Waterloo on 22 January to meet the emergency services to thank them for their hard work throughout the pandemic.
I chaired my regular planning decisions meeting on 25 January.
I joined a conference call of the London Leaders COVID-19 Committee on 25 January to discuss the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on London.
I chaired the VRU Partnership Reference Group on 26 January.
I attended the Draft Budget Assembly Plenary on 27 January.
I joined the “Delivering Social Justice in the Recovery” panel session as part of the World Economic Forum virtual Davos Summit on 27 January.
I had my regular meeting with Dame Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, on 27 January.
I hosted my regular meeting with representatives of the Black Majority Churches on 28 January.
I hosted a roundtable on 28 January with leaders from 13 charities representing groups recognised as clinically vulnerable to COVID-19.
I hosted my regular conference call with NHS London & Public Health England on 28 January to discuss the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on London.
I visited the Morris House Group Practice in Haringey on 29 January to see the work the GP surgery is doing to give out the COVID-19 vaccine.
I met with Sarah Hope MBE on 1 February to discuss her ongoing work with TfL through the Sarah Hope Line.
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I chaired my regular planning decisions meeting on 1 February.
I joined a conference call of the London Leaders COVID-19 Committee on 1 February to discuss the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on London.
I hosted my regular conference call with Andy Roe, the London Fire Commissioner, on 1 February.
I hosted my regular conference call with Transport for London on 2 February.
I chaired the London Crime Reduction Board Meeting on 2 February.
I hosted a roundtable on 2 February with headteachers from three London Schools at which significant numbers of pupils are struggling to complete their schoolwork remotely during lockdown due to digital exclusion.
I joined a conference call hosted by Nadhim Zahawi MP, Minister for COVID Vaccine Deployment, Department of Health and Social Care, with the M9 Mayors on 2 February to discuss vaccine deployment.
I chaired the Transport for London Board Meeting on 3 February.
I met with London Councils Labour group on 3 February to discuss digital access.
I visited the Kingsbury Temple, one of the new NHS vaccination centres in London and the first Hindu temple in Europe to be part of the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, on 4 February. I hosted my regular conference call with NHS London & Public Health England on 4 February to discuss the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on London.
I joined a conference call of the London Leaders COVID-19 Committee on 4 February to discuss the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on London.
I visited a mobile testing unit at Ealing on 8 February.
I chaired my regular planning decisions meeting on 8 February.
I joined a conference call hosted by the Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP on 8 February with Regional Mayors to discuss devolution.
I had an introductory meeting with Tony Danker, the new Director General of the CBI, on 9 February.
I met with Sasho Veselinski, CEO and Co-Founder of G.network and David Sangster, COO and Co-Founder of G.network, on 9 February to discuss their £1bn investment across 13 London boroughs, which will create an additional 1250 new jobs.
I had my regular meeting with Dame Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, on 10 February.
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I hosted my regular conference call with NHS London & Public Health England on 11 February to discuss the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on London.
I attended People’s Question Time on 11 February.
I hosted a roundtable with senior leaders from London’s financial services sector on 11 February in partnership with TheCityUK and UK Finance
Ends
Page 44 Appendix 1 Mayor’s Report to the Assembly Background Document – List of decisions published between 8 January 2021 and 11 February 2021.
The Part 1 of Mayoral Decisions (from 6 April 2009), Executive Director Decisions (from 1 November 2010), Assistant Director Decisions (from 18 April 2013) and the non-confidential facts and advice supporting those decisions, are published on the GLA website within one working day of approval, unless deferred. * = previously deferred publication. Page 45 Page Ref Decision Date Approved by/ Financial Implications (summarised Signed Mayoral where long) Advisor
MD2544* AEB Audit Services and AEB-ESF Compliance Checks 09/12/19 Sadiq Khan/ All costs will be funded from within the Approved: Jules Pipe annual AEB grant, including any costs 1. Proposals for carrying out required AEB Programme (Grant that transpire from additional audits / and Procured) audit visits by procuring auditors under the investigation work over and above the Crown Commercial Service framework; agreed base contract. The AEB grant is expected to be in the region of £311m 2. Expenditure of up to £688,000 on audit services required from 2020-21. for the delivery of the AEB Programme’s five-year audit
approach; and
3. A cap of 15 learner/participant files per quarter (60 per year) on the 10% sample size for GLA Provider Manager compliance checks on the Mayor’s ESF 2019-23 and AEB Procured programmes.
Page 46 Page
Ref Decision Date Approved by/ Financial Implications (summarised Signed Mayoral where long) Advisor
MD2555* Scoping study for the London Learner Survey and 09/12/19 Sadiq Khan/ Approval is being sought for expenditure revised structure of the Adult Education Budget delivery Jules Pipe of up to £100,000 to commission a and impact evaluation feasibility study for a potential new survey of AEB learners in London. This Approved: expenditure will be funded by the 2019- 1. Expenditure of up to £100,000 on commissioning a 20 AEB Management and Administration feasibility study for a potential new survey of AEB learners Budget. in London, to be funded from the Adult Education Budget Management and Administration Budget; and 2. The revised structure of the AEB evaluation services procurement as follows: Evaluation 1. A smaller qualitative evaluation of Page 47 Page academic year 2019/20 delivery arrangements, to be procured in winter 2019/20; Evaluation 2. An evaluation of the projects funded through the Skills for Londoners Innovation Fund, to be procured in spring 2020; and 3. Evaluation 3. The main mixed-methods impact evaluation contract, which will identify and measure the impact of AEB provision, and the value-added from the AEB being administered locally in London, to be procured later in 2020. This will now include provision for the analysis of London Learner Survey data (if the Mayor decides to proceed with commissioning such a survey) and will be fully aligned with the GLA’s new agreed approach to measuring outcomes and impact. Ref Decision Date Approved by/ Financial Implications (summarised Signed Mayoral where long) Advisor
MD2521* Local Energy Accelerator 10/03/20 Sadiq Khan/ The programme will be funded by a Shirley contribution of £3.0m ERDF grant and Approved: Rodrigues matched by GLA budget of £3.0m (which i) expenditure of up to £6.0m from October 2020 to July will come from the London Green Fund, 2023 (using £3.0m of GLA funding and £3.0m of ERDF via returns on investments). Based upon funding), comprising: expected forecasts, it is anticipated the £0.52m GLA staffing costs for three fixed term posts latter will materialise by the end of the (a full-time Programme Officer, a full-time Technical 2019/20 financial year which diminishes Lead for Distributed Energy and a part-time ERDF the investment risk to the scheme. Compliance Officer). The Programme Officer and Technical Lead for Distributed Energy posts will be fixed term from October 2020 to July 2023 and the EDRF Compliance Officer post will be fixed term from
Page 48 Page as soon as possible to July 2023; £1.53m for PDU services (to be procured competitively); Up to £3.65m funding to recipients, who will use the funding to call off services via mini-competitions from the GLA’s Decentralised Energy Framework; £0.30m, for other programme costs (planning and design tools, communications, training, travel & subsistence, overheads). ii) entry into: a grant with the GLA acting on behalf of MHCLG as an Intermediate Body for the ERDF programme, for the receipt of, and claims for, ERDF match funding noted at decision (i) above; contracts for services in relation to the project delivery unit services; and funding agreements with recipients relating to the £3.56m funding set out in decision i) above. Ref Decision Date Approved by/ Financial Implications (summarised Signed Mayoral where long) Advisor
MD2590* GLA Digital & Technology Estate Rebuild 18/03/20 Sadiq Khan/ Expenditure will be incurred David Bellamy approximately £1.3m in 2020-21 and The Mayor: £0.7m in 2021-22 and funded from 1. approves expenditure of up to £2 million in financial years Development Reserve. This work and 2020/21 and 2021/22 on the specialist professional budget will be manged by the Digital support needed to support, scope and build the GLA’s team part of External Affairs and within website, as set out in this decision form; and Strategy and Communication’s 2. delegates authority to the Executive Director of Strategy Directorate. and Communications to approve proposals for the specifics of such expenditure.
MD2681* Appointment of a Development Partner for St Ann’s 17/09/20 Sadiq Khan/ The financial implications of appointing
Page 49 Page Hospital Tom Copley Catalyst Housing Limited as the development partner are set out in 2.8 Approved: and 2.9 of Part 2 to this decision. The selection of Catalyst Housing Limited as the preferred development partner for St Ann’s Hospital and entry into the Development Agreement for disposal of the land, which will signal the closure of the procurement process. MD2737* London & Partners – GLA Licence Guarantee for Union 23/12/20 Sadiq Khan/ The GLA has agreed to guarantee Street David Bellamy payment of the licence fee in the event that L&P defaults. Subject to each year’s Approved: budget setting process, this will be met by The GLA becoming a guarantor of the 169 Union Street licence GLA revenue budget made available to between London & Partners and London Fire Brigade. L&P in the year which the default occurs or from base budget provision for L&P in the following year. Due to the sensitivity of the commercial arrangements regarding the lease agreements, the licence fee is disclosed in part 2 of this decision which remains confidential.
Ref Decision Date Approved by/ Financial Implications (summarised Signed Mayoral where long) Advisor
MD2730 March 2021 fares changes 14/01/21 Sadiq Khan/ TfL will manage the income from Heidi Alexander fares. Table 5.1 summarises the revenue The Mayor: yields for TfL based on 2019 demand 1. Approves the proposed revisions to fares to be assuming that all fares and prices rise by implemented from 1 March 2021 as set out in the 2.6 per cent overall and taking into decision; and account the impact this increase will have on demand. This gives an annualised 2. Signs the attached Direction to TfL issued pursuant to the total revenue yield of £123m. power in section 155 (1)(c) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 to implement these fares on 1 March 2021. MD2741 London Borough of Ealing penalty charge notice changes 18/01/21 Sadiq Khan/ No financial implications for the GLA Heidi Alexander The Mayor: Page 50 Page 1. approves the proposed change to a Band A penalty charge level across the London Borough of Ealing; and 2. writes to the Secretary of State for Transport notifying him of the proposed change. Ref Decision Date Approved by/ Financial Implications (summarised Signed Mayoral where long) Advisor
MD2720 Talk London Website Development 18/01/21 Sadiq Khan / Approval is sought for expenditure of up Nick Bowes to £190,000 (profiled £60,000 in That the Mayor: 2020/21 and £130,000 in 2021/22). 1. approves expenditure of up to £190,000 across financial Some development agency commitments years 2020/21 and 2021/22 to complete the delivery of and spend profiled to 2020/21 may fall the Talk London design and development; and within 2021/22. This will be funded via 2. delegates authority to the Executive Director, Strategy and budget reprofile/carry forward from Communications and the Assistant Director, Strategy, 2020/21, subject to approval. Intelligence and Analysis, acting jointly or separately, to The expenditure will be funded from the approve expenditure of the budget that is the subject of 2020/21 and 2021/22 Talk London decision 1 above in relation to the Talk London project Budgets held within the City Intelligence including without limitation via the execution of all Unit after allowing for the anticipated required legal documents. Page 51 Page reductions to Talk London’s budget in 2021-22.
MD2740 Next Steps Accommodation Programme and Protect 29/01/21 Sadiq Khan/ This decision requests approval to receive Programme for rough sleepers Tom Copley funding of £14.81m from the Ministry of Approved: Housing, Communities and Local Government – £10m from the Next Steps 1. receipt of £14.81m from the Ministry of Housing, Accommodation Programme (NSAP), Communities and Local Government - £10m from the Next £4.2m from the Protect Programme (PP), Steps Accommodation Programme (NSAP), £4.2m from £0.47m from the Suspension of the the Protect Programme (PP), £0.47m from the Suspension Derogation (SotD) and £0.14m from the of the Derogation fund (SotD), and £0.14m from the Cold Cold Weather Fund (CWF). Weather Fund (CWF); Funding for the SotD and CWF are 2. a grant of up to £0.09m to Stonewall Housing for the claimed in arrears once expenditure is Outside Project to provide a 10-bed night LGBTQI+ incurred. COVID-compliant shelter; and
3. a delegation to the Executive Director of Housing and Land to approve the allocation of monies within this £14.81m. Ref Decision Date Approved by/ Financial Implications (summarised Signed Mayoral where long) Advisor
MD2748 Additional funding for the Warmer Homes Advice Service 02/02/21 Sadiq Khan/ The additional expenditure of £100,000 Shirley will be funded from the 2020-21 Approved: Rodrigues Environment Programme budget, Allocation and expenditure of £100,000 in the form of grant specifically the ‘Energy Efficiency’ budget funding to the boroughs currently delivering the Mayor’s line held within the Environment Unit. All Warmer Homes Advice Service. This funding is additional to the appropriate budget adjustments will be £450,000 funding allocated to the service through MD2412. made.
DD2496* Climate Change Adaptation Delivery 07/10/20 Philip Graham All expenditure will be accounted for within the current financial year and Approved: funded from the 2020-21 Climate Change 1. Expenditure of £125,000 in 2020-21 to fund sustainable Adaptation Delivery budget held within drainage projects, comprising: the Environment Unit. Page 52 Page £60,000 for hydraulic modelling to demonstrate the benefits and unlock future funding opportunities for dispersed SuDS; £30,000 on improving industry’s SuDS skills; £20,000 on SuDS in cycling guidance; £15,000 on research relating to SuDS and their additional climate change adaptation benefits; and 2. A related exemption from the GLA Contracts and Funding Code to seek technical input directly from the authors of related guidance on training materials. Ref Decision Date Approved by/ Financial Implications (summarised Signed Mayoral where long) Advisor
DD2505* Delivery of Workforce Integration Skills Funding 26/11/20 Sarah Mulley The expenditure will be funded from the 2020/21 Mayor’s Construction Academy Approved: programme budget within the Skills and Expenditure of £220,000 from the GLA Employment & Skills Employment Unit and allocated to The budget in 2020/21 for WIN to deliver: Workforce Integration Network (WIN), a) construction-focused employability interventions that will part of the Social Integration Workstream provide employability support to underrepresented young budget within the Communities and Social people, particularly young Black men, seeking Policy Unit. employment in the construction sector; b) employability support to experienced job seekers from BAME background recently made unemployed s to find new opportunities in the construction sector and; Page 53 Page c) a series of workshops and interventions supporting construction employers to implement the WIN Inclusive Employer Toolkit. This budget will be transferred from the GLA Employment & Skills Mayors Construction Academy budget to Communities and Social Policy. Ref Decision Date Approved by/ Financial Implications (summarised Signed Mayoral where long) Advisor
DD2510 Digitisation of GLA staff paper files 28/01/21 Mary Harpley Up to £82,000 of expenditure will be funded from the Chief Officer’s Approved: Transformation Programme’s 2020-21 1. expenditure of up to £82,000 in respect of a contract with and 2021-22 budget. Current forecast is MHR for the project to carry out the digitisation of the that the expenditure will span two existing GLA, MOPAC and OPDC staff records, and; financial years as follows; 2. an exemption from the requirements of the Contracts and 2020/21 - £61,000 (hosting, software, Funding Code to allow for the direct award of the contract document scanning, etc); and to MHR. 2021/22 - £21,000 (licensing costs). It should be noted that the budget for 2021-22 is subject to budget setting
Page 54 Page process for 2021-22.
DD2518 Developing a post construction monitoring platform by 28/01/21 Philip Graham The funding for this programme will come extending the GLA’s London Building Stock Model: from the Climate Change Mitigation additional work Team’s 2020-21 budget. Payment is to be made in arrears, following evidence of Approved: achievement in milestones. The indicative 1. expenditure of a further £15,914 on consultancy services profile of expenditure is expected to take to be provided by UCL to support the development of a place in February and March 2021. post construction monitoring platform using an existing GLA tool (LBSM), thereby supporting planning applicants to meet the new London Plan’s ‘be seen’ requirement, taking the total cost of this contract to £55,664; and 2. a related exemption from the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code so as to appoint UCL, in respect of the above expenditure, without a competitive tender. Ref Decision Date Approved by/ Financial Implications (summarised Signed Mayoral where long) Advisor
DD2519 Affordable housing legal fees budget 08/02/21 Rickardo Hyatt This expenditure is to be funded from a reallocation of £138,000 from the H&L Approved: Management and Consultancy budget to 1. Creation of a revenue budget of £138,000, and expenditure a new Affordable Housing Legal fees of up to this amount, to support legal work required to budget. The expenditure is forecast to be implement the Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26; and spent over 2020-21 (approx. £100,000) and 2021-22 (£38,000). 2. Reallocation of £138,000 from the H&L Management and Consultancy budget to a new Affordable Housing Legal Fees budget. DD2521 Funding and extension of the contract for the IT 08/02/21 Rickardo Hyatt The above expenditure will be funded hosting, IT support and development of the Mayor’s from external mobility scheme income. mobility schemes
Page 55 Page Funding in future years will be subject to Approved: the annual budget setting process. 1. expenditure of up to £44,000 for the period from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, comprising up to £34,000 for IT hosting and support and up to £10,000 for development services - for the Mayor’s housing mobility schemes. This will come from external mobility scheme income; and 2. the exercise of an existing contractual option for the first of two 12-month extensions available under the Authority’s contract with Probrand Ltd for continued IT hosting, support and development for the schemes. Ref Decision Date Approved by/ Financial Implications (summarised Signed Mayoral where long) Advisor
ADD2488 Roofs Designed to Cool’ Programme 18/01/21 Peter Daw The estimated cost of £20,000 for this consultancy project will be funded from Approved: the 2020-21 Climate Change Adaptation The procurement of a consultancy service of up to £20,000 to budget held within the Environment Unit. carry out the activities associated with the programme titled, Officers are advised to ensure that the ‘Roofs Designed to Cool’. conditions relating to the procurement of consultancy services as detailed within the This work will develop the evidence base for increasing Authority’s Financial Regulations and the coverage of ‘roofs designed to cool’, and setting out a three- Expenses & Benefits Framework are phased approach to: 1) make London’s existing homes and adhered to. buildings resilient to climate impacts; 2) make London’s public realm greener and cooler; and, 3) reduce the intensification of This consultancy project is expected to be the Urban Heat Island. The work will take account of completed by the 31 March 2021.
Page 56 Page opportunities to support jobs and the potential to develop a ‘Roofs Designed to Cool’ retrofit programme.
Ref Decision Date Approved by/ Financial Implications (summarised Signed Mayoral where long) Advisor
ADD2492 Social Prescribing and Mental Health 25/01/21 Jazz Bhogal This expenditure of £45,000 will be funded from the Health Team Programme Approved: budget for 2020/21. Expenditure of £45,000 from the 2020-2021 Health Team budget for activity to support: Social Prescribing 1. £15,000 to commission an overview of GLA group social prescribing activity so far; demonstrating the success of activity to date and learning from challenges and barriers. 2. £6,000 to commission Bromley by Bow Centre to undertake dissemination of research and engage with partners to enhance social welfare legal advice provision in Page 57 Page health settings. 3. £7,000 to commission materials for social prescribing link workers and other frontline staff to build knowledge on non-GP registered migrants' rights, entitlements and access to healthcare. Mental Health - Children 4. £17,000 to commission the Mayor’s Early Years Hubs to roll-out early years well-being pedagogy and develop online support for parents to enhance well-being and mental health for families.
ADD2489 GLA grant funding of the London’s Futures Review 01/02/21 Jeremy Skinner The expenditure will be funded from the 2020-21 Strategy Team’s budget held Approved: within the City Intelligence Unit. A GLA financial contribution of £20,000 from its Strategy Team budget in 2020/2021 towards Phase 2 of the London Futures Review to be undertaken by the Centre for London. Ref Decision Date Approved by/ Financial Implications (summarised Signed Mayoral where long) Advisor
ADD2494 British Library Planning Performance Agreement 01/02/21 Lucinda Turner Approval is sought for expenditure of £30,000 for a Planning Performance Approved: Agreement and the receipt of £30,000 on 1. the Planning Performance Agreement for expenditure of a cost recovery basis from the developer £30,000 in respect of the British Library scheme; and SMBL and British Library. 2. the receipt of £30,000 on a cost recovery basis from the developer SMBL and British Library. ADD2496 Debt Free London helpline 02/02/21 Tom Rahilly The expenditure will be funded from the 2020/21 ‘Recovery Fund’ [approved by Approved: MD2666] and allocated to the CSP Unit Expenditure of £32,000 in grant funding to Toynbee Hall to Budget. allow the Debt Free London partnership to continue its debt
Page 58 Page advice hotline on a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week basis throughout February 2021. ADD2497 Funding for Kitchen Social to support local authorities 02/02/21 Tom Rahilly The expenditure will be funded from the deliver the HAF Programme 2020/21 ‘Recovery Fund’ [approved by MD2666] and allocated to the CSP Unit Approved: Budget. Expenditure of £49,000 grant funding to the Mayor’s Fund for London to support London’s local authorities to deliver the The future years budget is indicative and HAF programme in the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays subject to the GLA budget setting of 2021. process.
ADD2478 Uplands Waltham Forest Planning Performance 08/02/21 Lucinda Turner Approval is sought for expenditure of Agreement £55,000 for a Planning Performance Agreement and the receipt of £55,000 on Approved: a cost recovery basis from the developer 1. The Planning Performance Agreement for expenditure of NEAT Developments Ltd. £55,000 in respect of the Orchard Wharf scheme; and 2. The receipt of £55,000 on a cost recovery basis from the developer NEAT Developments Ltd. Ref Decision Date Approved by/ Financial Implications (summarised Signed Mayoral where long) Advisor
ADD2479 Ford Stamping Plant Barking & Dagenham Planning 08/02/21 Lucinda Turner Approval is sought for expenditure of Performance Agreement £45,000 for a Planning Performance Agreement and the receipt of £45,000 on Approved: a cost recovery basis from the developer 1. The Planning Performance Agreement for expenditure of Peabody/Dagenham Dock Ltd. £45,000 in respect of the Orchard Wharf scheme; and 2. The receipt of £45,000 on a cost recovery basis from the developer Peabody/Dagenham Dock Ltd. ADD2499 London Urban Forest Plan – partnership delivery grants 10/02/21 Elliot Treharne The funding source for this project will come from the available resources Approved: contained within the 20-21 Urban Expenditure of £30,000 in financial year 2020-21 on small Greening budget, held in the Environment Page 59 Page grants (under £10k) to support delivery of London Urban unit. Payment will be made in arrears Forest Plan actions. based on the milestones agreed and managed according to the existing GLA grant funding protocol.
DMFD67* Statutory Compliance and Audit Provision for Building 12/06/20 Fiona Twycross The cost be funded through the existing Maintenance Services LFB revenue budgets related to this capability of £281,000 per annum for Authorised: services provided by KBR and condition The London Fire Commissioner to commit expenditure of up to surveys of £80,000 per annum. £1,837,968 whole-life value for statutory compliance and audit provision for building maintenance services across the London Fire Brigade estate. DMFD83* Safety Event Reporting and Investigation Management 08/10/20 Fiona Twycross There are no additional financial Software Solution implications for the GLA.
Approved: Expenditure up to £460,000 to develop, implement, and maintain a safety event reporting e-solution over five years. Ref Decision Date Approved by/ Financial Implications (summarised Signed Mayoral where long) Advisor
DMFD85* Replacement of Audio-visual Equipment at Fire Stations 23/10/20 Fiona Twycross There are no additional financial implications for the GLA. Authorised:
Expenditure up to the value of £735,000 for the replacement and ongoing maintenance of AV equipment at fire stations. DMFD91* LFB Ladder Life Replacement Programme 2020-2022 02/12/20 Fiona Twycross The cost of the works included in the current budget (£640,000) will incur Authorised: capital financing costs of £62,000: The London Fire Commissioner to incur capital expenditure up £43,000 for the provision to repay debt to the value of £704,000 for the replacement ladder projects (minimum revenue provision), based on a during 2020/21 to 2022/23. 15 year asset life, and £19,000 for interest per annum, at a rate of 3%. The capital financing costs for the current Page 60 Page capital budget of £640,000 have already been included in the approved revenue budgets.