Mayor’s plan to aid economic recovery after Covid
SADIQ KHAN HAS ANNOUNCED A £544 MILLION INVESTMENT IN JOBS, HIGH STREETS AND A GREENER CITY
THANKS to the rise of online retail, the British high street has been under threat for years.
The coronavirus pandemic, subsequent lockdowns and restrictions on ‘non-essential’ businesses have all taken a further toll on high street retail, including on the employment of those who work in the sector.
As we cautiously edge towards an easing of lockdown restrictions, focus is rightly being placed on the recovery of British high streets, and London’s are no exception.
Today (Tuesday, March 16), the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced a package of measures worth more than £544 million to kickstart London’s recovery from the pandemic at his inaugural Recovery Summit.
The measures place an emphasis on the employment of young Londoners and those from BAME backgrounds, as well as making London a “fairer, cleaner and greener city with a better long-term future for Londoners.”
Khan said: “I am hosting the Recovery Summit to bring together London’s leaders and communities and kickstart this great city’s recovery from the devastating Covid-19 pandemic.
“We owe it to everyone who has lost their lives, to the key workers who have done so much to keep us safe, and to all those who have suffered to ensure that we build an even better London after the pandemic. “This is the moment to tackle the deep-seated structural inequalities that have long scarred our city and to rebuild London as a fairer, greener and more prosperous city. “Jobs and investment are crucial to getting our city going again, which is why today I’m unveiling a package of measures worth hundreds of millions of pounds that will create jobs and improve the places where we live and work.
“We are also working with some of the biggest employers in the capital to target job opportunities to where they are needed the most. “It is unacceptable that despite the capital being a massive generator of wealth for this country, London also has some of the most deprived communities of anywhere in the country, with stark inequalities, made even worse by the pandemic.
“So I’m calling on the government to match my ambitious plans as a starting point. By failing to fund and support the capital, the government faces the real risk of undermining a national recovery.”
Investment in high streets and communities
■ £4 million investment into ideas for future of high streets
The High Streets for All Challenge will invite Londoners and boroughs to come up with ideas for how high streets could change to meet the needs of a post-Covid world.
■ £500,000 to improve public spaces and use vacant shops
Half a million pounds will be on offer from the Make London programme, and will be used to matchfund projects led by communities to help improve public spaces, promote grass-roots culture and bring people together.
The Mayor of London has said this includes securing new uses for vacant high street shops and creating new walking routes, for example.
■ £1 million for London Community Response Fund
The fifth tranche of the London Community Response Fund, totalling £1 million, will provide grants of up to £50,000 for voluntary and community sector organisations, supporting the recovery and renewal of London’s communities over a year from April 2021.
■ £3 million for neighbourhoods to transform local environments
This money will be allocated for Future Neighbourhoods 2030, a project that will support two to four neighbourhoods to transform their local environments. This includes tackling climate change and air pollution, preparing them for a zerocarbon future.
The neighbourhoods will be located in London’s most disadvantaged or climate vulnerable areas, or areas where residents are most severely affected by the pandemic.
■ £150,000 for grassroots community organisations reimagine London
The Community Led Recovery Programme will give 35 small, grassroots community organisations across London the chance to collaborate with decision makers to reimagine London – making it fairer, greener and more resilient. to
Investment opportunities
■ £499 million of investment into utility company jobs
As part of an ongoing programme working with City Hall, London’s utility companies will bring forward an extra £499 million investment (on top of £1.5 billion announced last year), creating over 1,400 jobs.
Additionally, there will be programmes to support jobs for younger Londoners and those from BAME backgrounds.
In a statement, the Mayor of London added: “City Hall are also supporting companies in their endeavour to unlock a further £346million worth of green recovery proposals from regulators, with a potential additional 250 jobs.”
■ £32 million skills investment The Good Work Fund will support Londoners from the next academic year to gain the skills they need to support London’s recovery, such as skills for jobs in the green, health and social care, creative and digital sectors.
This £32 million investment is in
in
employment addition to the £318 million Adult Education Budget available for the 2021/22 academic year, which will help to support London’s recovery programme.
■ £5 million unemployment support investment
This £5 million investment from the European Social Fund is set to support unemployed people into work and to help upskill those already employed.
■ £90,000 for community partnerships
The Advice in Community Settings grant programme supports the development of up to 10 schoolbased partnerships and five community food-based partnerships.
■ Exploration of current challenges in London’s communities
The Civic Futures programme will work with 30 London leaders from civil society and local government to explore challenges facing communities and to help develop strategies for the city’s recovery.
■ Toolkit for empowering communities
The Mayor of London has announced a ‘toolkit’ for civil society organisations to help empower communities and support stronger relationships in local areas as London recovers from the pandemic.
■ Open call for ideas
There will also be an open call for innovations, via ChallengeLDN, which will help address London’s recovery challenges.
This is the moment to tackle the deep-seated structural inequalities that have long scarred our city.
Sadiq Khan