‘Making Music Matter: Music Education Strategy for London 2010-2012′

The fund will offer seed money for partnerships between local authority music services and orchestras in the capital, so that more young Londoners, irrespective of background, can learn to play orchestral instruments, experience working with professional musicians and have access to a wider range of musical traditions, including classical, jazz, folk and world music.

The Mayor said: ‘The ability to play an instrument is one of the most wonderful things in life, whether for pleasure or because you have professional ambitions. In a country that has given so much great talent to the world, we want to ensure a future Lloyd-Webber, the next Elton John, or nascent Lily Allen do not miss their chance to add to the illustrious musical canon that we have produced.’

The Mayor believes that there are too many short-term, one off initiatives in schools and music is often squeezed off the curriculum. And whilst early and free access to music is generally quite good in the capital, access to ongoing and affordable tuition is much more patchy. This means that if parents cannot afford to pay, their children cannot develop their talent. Local authorities are under increasing financial pressures too.

The Mayor continued: ‘This two year-programme is about celebrating and strengthening music education in London. We will encourage long-term, sustainable partnerships and a focus on excellence.’

Ayanna Witter-Johnson is a 24 year old composer, jazz vocalist, cellist and pianist, who took part in the London Symphony Orchestra’s Panufnik Young Composers Scheme and has been Emerging Artist in Residence (EAR) at London’s Southbank Centre, already has a reputation as a musician to watch. In September 2009 she commenced further studies in composition at the Manhattan School of Music and will be working with Serious this summer when she will lead a participation week at Wigmore Hall for 8-13 year old aspiring songwriters, composers, instrumentalists and singers.

Ayanna said: ‘Learning to play an instrument is for me is a daily discovery of my creativity, emotions and my relationship with my environment and others around me. It is a journey that provides me with the discipline to explore ideas and experience the satisfaction of working towards and achieving my goals.

‘Everyone should be given the opportunity to learn an instrument so that they too may imagine a better world and acquire the skills to create and contribute to it. It is also a lifelong journey that can grow according to your pace and participation. There is no right or wrong way to do it. It gives a freedom of expression that reflects our unique qualities and serves to provide a place where we are all welcome. ‘

The Mayor’s Music Education Strategy encompasses several programmes introduced by the Mayor. This includes encouraging people to donate unused instruments under a musical instrument amnesty scheme in 2009, Rhythm of London, which saw over 100 participatory musical events throughout the city in 2009 and the Rhythm of London busking scheme, which involved young musicians playing at Tube stations to win musical instruments and a year’s licence for a coveted TfL busking slot. Details of this year’s Rhythm of London (17-24 April) and the busking scheme will be announced shortly.

The plan also includes the Rhythm of London Handbook and website, first launched in 2009, which will be updated on a regular basis, offering information about musical opportunities for young people, teachers, and the general public. In the longer term, the aim is to integrate with other websites and advisory services, to ensure teachers and schools have clearer, more comprehensive information.

The GLA will be working in partnership with other organisations to develop events and publications for teachers throughout 2010-2012 to support teacher development. The plan will also see an audit of music education provision, analysing trends and gaps across boroughs, age profiles, demographics, and types of funding that are available.

Mark Pemberton, Director, Association of British Orchestras said: ‘The ABO is delighted to support the scheme. Orchestras already work in partnership with schools across the capital, and we look forward to working with the Mayor to extend the reach to every child served by a local music service that wants to grasp the opportunity of working with our finest musicians.’

The GLA’s Music Education Programme is steered by a board comprising representatives and experts from the music education sector and chaired by Karen Brock, Head of Tower Hamlets Arts and Music Education Service and Music Education Council, who said: ‘We welcome the initiatives being proposed and are delighted that the Mayor’s Music Education Fund is seeking to strengthen and deepen the partnerships between music services in the London boroughs and the orchestral and professional sector whilst inspiring more young musicians to make and enjoy their music making across the capital.’

Sir Nicholas Kenyon, Managing Director, Barbican Centre said: ‘The GLA’s initiative in coordinating, highlighting and enhancing London’s great music education offer is really welcome. Our work across the Barbican, Guildhall School and London Symphony Orchestra in partnership with Music Services is enabling young people to realise their talent, and develop a lifelong love of all kinds of music.’

Chief Executive of Southbank Centre, Alan Bishop said: ‘Last year, 60,000 people flocked to the Royal Festival Hall to hear the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, including 4,000 school children who were thrilled by their extraordinary demonstration of what music education can be.

‘We believe in the power of music to give opportunity, and through initiatives such as In Harmony, which brings the joy of learning an instrument to young people in some of the most deprived areas of Lambeth, Southbank Centre tried to help bring music to everyone.’

Moira Sinclair, Executive Director London, Arts Council England added: ‘Arts Council England believes that every child and young person should have high quality music in their life and we are delighted to share the Mayor’s commitment to making this happen. Many of the arts organisations we fund are doing extraordinary work in this area, and we look forward to helping to link their work to that of other partners and for the benefit of young audiences and musicians across the capital.’

London Metropolitan University

The Mayor of London and London Metropolitan University have joined forces to host an event and launch a report which look at methods used in New York and London to fight childhood obesity.

The event will draw on research in ‘ObesCities’ a new report by the London Metropolitan University and City University of New York, which details flab fighting initiatives used in both cities. Guests will also discuss ways the Mayor’s Health Inequalities Strategy can promote healthier lifestyles and make it easier for children and families in London to make better choices.

The seminar will open with a presentation from the authors of the report and an expert panel will offer their thoughts on what more London can do. Guest speakers will include Rosie Boycott, Chair of London Food, who will discuss the need for more sustainable food growth to promote healthy food choices and local food growing projects. Pamela Chesters, the Mayoral adviser on Health and Youth Opportunities will discuss ways the Mayor’s office can challenge food providers to offer a better range of appetising menus.

Soon markets will be stocked with veg from local gardens

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, today launched a £150,000 fund to help Londoners grow their own food in under-used areas of the capital.

He also welcomed Transport for London to the Capital Growth scheme, which is run by London Food Link and has a target to create 2,012 growing spaces by 2012 in discarded patches of London, tended by enthusiastic community gardeners.

The Mayor has provided £150,000 so green fingered community groups can apply for small grants. This is in addition to the practical support being offered to communities to help them to identify plots and join Capital Growth. More than 150 plots have already been signed up across the city including canal banks, schools, roofs, private gardens open to the community and parks.

TfL is the latest sign up to Capital Growth, having provided a brownfield site above Southwark Tube station which will be leased to local people living nearby to grow a range of fruit and vegetables in this busy part of London. As part of their commitment to greening the capital, London Underground also announced today that a new ‘fruit and vegetables’ category will be created in their annual staff gardening competition – Underground in Bloom.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: ‘Lush patches of fruit and veg are springing up around the city thanks to Capital Growth. This helps to make our urban environment far more pleasant and provides a cheap, fun way to grow food. Transport for London is setting a fine example by joining and I hope other landowners jump on board, freeing up more underused plots of land.’

Rosie Boycott, Chair of London Food said: ‘ It is welcome news that Londoners can now apply for small pots of funding as well as receive practical advice to get their veg plot up and running, helping us to meet our target of 2012 spaces by 2012. More and more people are recognising the pleasure of growing your own, and we are providing a package of support to help them do so.’

The land at Southwark, while remaining in TfL’s ownership, will be tended by green-fingered residents from a nearby block of flats. The fruit and vegetables grown will not be sold for profit but will be used to create delicious food for the local community.

London Underground Chief Operating Officer, Howard Collins, said “Capital Growth, like Underground in Bloom, is another example of Transport for London’s commitment to help make London a greener and more pleasant place to live in. We support the scheme as we believe that it is a perfect way to improve Londoners access to nutritious food while maintaining and enhancing London’s green spaces. With more and more people keen to get their hands dirty we hope that plenty of other organisations in London will join us and get growing.”

Ben Reynolds, London Food Link, said: ‘We have been amazed at the great response so far to Capital Growth, and delighted that we have 150 new food growing spaces. We have had great feedback from these spaces on what they have been growing over the last season, and it’s clear these spaces are making a real difference to people’s lives.’

The Capital Growth small grants fund offers between £200-£1,500 to anyone who wants to create a new community food growing space. The grants will be on offer London-wide until March 2010 to any group that has been growing food on a plot started from January 1 this year. The grants are also on offer to anyone wanting to expand an existing food growing space. For more information visit: www.capitalgrowth.org

Capital Growth is funded by the Mayor of London and by Local Food, part of the Big Lottery Fund’s Local Food Scheme. This grant round follows £50,000 offered during the pilot phase of Capital Growth funded by the London Development Agency earlier this year.

Maida Vale Tube station has won a National Railway Heritage award for the modernisation of the station which was built in 1915. The prize was presented by Lord Andrew Adonis, Secretary of State for Transport at the Merchant Taylor’s Hall in London on 2 December 2009.

The Grade II listed building came top in the London Regional Category at the National Awards for modernisation of a heritage station. The award recognises the work London Underground has done to restore the many original heritage features such as the large attractive mosaics of the famous Tube logo or ‘roundel’, red terracotta facade and the extensive tiled wall finishes.

Richard Parry, Managing Director for London Underground, said: “This award highlights the hard work by our staff to maintain the history of the station at the same time as modernising it to a high standard for the thousands of people that use the Tube everyday.”

Mike Ashworth, Design and Heritage Manger for London Underground, said:

“Heritage is a huge part of London Underground’s identity and keeping historical features, while introducing modern requirements that improve our stations, is very important to us and to our customers.”

New CCTV, an improved public address system and tactile strips on platforms have also been installed at Maida Vale, which is on the Bakerloo line, as part of Transport for London’s multibillion-pound Investment Programme.

White City Tube station and Earl’s Court Tube station were also shortlisted at the Awards and both received certificates of merit in respect of the modernisation works undertaken at these historic stations.

Camden, City of London, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston-upon-Thames, Lewisham, Richmond-upon-Thames, Tower Hamlets, and Wandsworth have all been judged as performing excellently under the new annual ratings of the services and support provided to children.

The ratings look at the performance of England’s 152 local authorities and provide a wide-ranging assessment of all the children’s services a council is responsible for, either alone or in partnership with other agencies, and the differences they are making to children’s lives.

London Councils’ lead member for Children and Young People, Cllr Nick Stanton, said: “Despite some of the negative headlines children’s services have received over the last year these figures are testament to the great strides being made across the capital.

“Local authorities look after some of the capital’s most vulnerable children who need careful and often specialised help and support at a very delicate time of their lives.

“The figures released by Ofsted today show that London has some of the best performing children’s services anywhere in the country – and that is something we should be proud of.

“However, Londoners should be assured that councils will not be resting on their laurels and will continue to provide the best possible services to the capital’s children.”

Hospitals, colleges and councils will be helped to cut energy use and save millions off their fuel bills under a major expansion of a climate change programme announced today by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. Just days before the start of the Copenhagen climate change summit, the Mayor visited a London fire station in Ilford, one of 42 buildings in the GLA family to have benefited from a green makeover started earlier this year.

Ilford fire station's energy overhaul has enabled it to slash more than 40 per cent of its carbon emissions

Ilford fire station’s energy overhaul has enabled it to slash more than 40 per cent of its carbon emissions. A further nine fire stations, 10 Metropolitan Police Service and 22 Transport for London buildings have between them achieved on average a 27 per cent reduction in carbon emissions and have saved £1 million off the annual fuel bills of London. The Mayor has pledged another 58 Greater London Authority Group buildings will follow.

With the support of the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) – part of the William J Clinton Foundation – London is the first city in the world to have launched a framework of approved energy service companies, which cuts through red tape by creating a clever financial model enabling public sector organisations to retrofit their buildings with energy efficiency measures more easily.
The London Development Agency-led scheme is now set to be adopted by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Barking and Dagenham Council and University College London. NHS London has expressed support for the scheme and will be working with the London Development Agency to allow NHS organisations across the capital to benefit from the framework. It is estimated if all the public sector buildings in London used this model, they could save around £500million off bills and the model can be replicated across the UK.

Eight per cent of London’s carbon emissions – 3.5 million tonnes annually – come from public sector buildings, so there is huge potential for delivering massive cuts through this programme.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: ‘As expectant eyes around the globe turn to Copenhagen to see whether world leaders will take action on climate change, here in London we are making a difference right now.

‘Cutting energy consumption in public buildings may not sound glamorous, but it could help us save the world from the threat of irreversible climate change. With a third of carbon emissions coming from our buildings, giving them a green makeover, is supremely good for the planet and for the public purse.

‘This innovative financing and procurement model has cut out all the time delays and hassles for public sector organisations. We have tested it on our own fire stations, police stations and Transport for London buildings, so we know it delivers the goods in cutting carbon but also in making substantial cost savings and stimulating the demand for low carbon skills and technologies. We are willing and ready to share our solution with the rest of the UK and other world cities attempting to tread the same path and I am thrilled to see a clutch of foresighted organisations have already done so.’

President Clinton, said: ‘Buildings contribute a significant portion of the carbon emissions released by the world’s largest cities. I am pleased the Clinton Climate Initiative has been working with London to expand its building retrofit programme, which will reduce the city’s emissions and energy costs. London’s leadership is showing what can be done to protect our planet and create jobs in cities around the world.’

Peter Bishop, London Development Agency Group Director for Design, Development and Environment. said: ‘We need to act to mitigate the impact of climate change. By investing in the energy efficiency of London’s public sector buildings, the London Development Agency will help get major reductions in London’s carbon dioxide emissions. As this programme grows across the capital, it will make a measurable difference on climate change.’

Brian Coleman, Assembly Member, FRSA, Chairman of London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, said: ‘This project is a good example of the work London Fire Brigade is doing to cut carbon emissions, and Ilford is the first station to benefit from this programme and another nine are nearing completion. This Authority has approved for another 20 to be part of this scheme which enhances the Brigade’s commitment to the Mayor’s green vision. The fire service may be best known for helping Londoners in an emergency, but the range of sustainability projects we are involved in is another important way we can protect our city.’

Kit Malthouse, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Vice Chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority, said ‘Earlier this year the Wembley Police Station became the first building within the GLA family to start implementing a range of energy saving initiatives. Since then we have been making excellent progress with the other police buildings which are part of this programme. Work has now started on three more Metropolitan Police sites and we hope to have all ten projects off the ground in the coming months. It is our ambition to make the Metropolitan Police estate across London more sustainable, and we are very proud to be leading the way for this exciting and important scheme. We will continue working to make our buildings more sustainable and become an example of a modern public service that fully meets today’s high environmental standards.’

Charles Stafford, TfL Director of Group Property and Facilities, said: ‘Transport for London is committed to helping the Mayor meet his target to cut carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2025. BEEP is another example of how London is leading the way to tackle climate change. As the nation’s capital London is home to a multitude of public sector buildings: with eight per cent of London’s carbon emissions coming from them hopefully others will follow our model and retrofit their buildings to be more sustainable.’

The framework is available for use by any public sector organisation in the UK. The University of Cambridge and the Core Cities group (Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield) have today signed up to benefit from the same deal. The Higher Education Funding Council for England is also pleased that the scheme has been made available to universities, with a number already expressing an interest. In addition, the South East England Development Agency will be introducing the programme to local authorities across the South East region. For London-based public sector organisations, the London Development Agency will provide support in the use of the framework. The programme is cost-neutral for organisations as the money recouped through guaranteed energy cost savings over a set period which will fund the investment in improvements.

The Mayor has a target to cut London’s carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2025, and is implementing a raft of programmes to combat climate change and improve Londoners’ quality of life. These include: the launch of a public bike hire scheme and cycle superhighways in 2010; a programme to help at least 200,000 homes get a free carbon makeover by 2012; converting London’s bus fleet to hybrid; and a comprehensive plan to support the mainstream introduction of electric vehicles in the capital.

The CCI – the action arm of the C40 association of large cities around the world that have pledged to accelerate their efforts to reduce carbon emissions – has assisted London in establishing the building retrofit programme and signing up organisations to the framework.

Currently, the process organisations have to go through to retrofit buildings is complex and lengthy. This scheme involves an OJEU compliant framework of suppliers for public sector organisations to use, doing all the hard work for them.

The list of suppliers on the framework (known as the framework agreement panel) are: Balfour Beatty, COFELY (GDF SUEZ), Dalkia FM (MITIE), EDF Energy, E.ON Sustainable Energy Business, Hoare Lea Consulting Engineers, Honeywell, hurleypalmerflatt, Interserve, Johnson Controls, Schneider Electric’s Buildings Business, Willmott Dixon Ltd

The measures being installed by this programme in the first trial buildings are being managed by leading energy services companies, Honeywell and Dalkia FM (MITIE). These include insulation, double glazing, building fabric and draft proofing, building management systems, lighting, heating, more efficient air conditioning, solar panels and Combined Heat and Power energy generation systems.

The model of procurement behind today’s announcement is unique as it combines all the usual stages of planning, tendering and implementing improvements (such as assessing which buildings to improve, understanding the changes required, producing specifications, then undertaking various procurement activities) into a single procurement process. This significantly simplifies the approach for both suppliers and the Greater London Authority. The GLA has set carbon reduction and financial targets that must be achieved which will encourage the suppliers to maximise energy reductions whilst ensuring a financial payback for the project. This approach considerably reduces the financial risk for the Greater London Authority or for future participants. If targets cannot be achieved on a particular building there is no cost for the initial auditing work, and where work does progress, suppliers are incentivised to deliver the energy savings and the financial payback is guaranteed.

Ilford fire station is the first building to be completed under this London Development Agency-led scheme – the fire station has been installed with a range of energy efficiency measures which will save more than 125,000kW of gas, and 55,000kW of electricity, and nearly 50 tonnes of carbon equalling more than a 40 per cent cut in carbon. Measures installed include: lighting upgrades (replacement of inefficient fittings with T5 units, including appropriate controls), boiler replacement, voltage optimisation, thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs), drying room timer, draught proofing, photovoltaic installation (9kW output system, to be located on the appliance bay roof), cavity wall insulation.

Projects to retrofit public sector buildings, would usually fall within the scope of the EU procurement regulations, requiring that the intention to contract is advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). This framework allows public sector organisations to procure energy services quickly and in the knowledge that European procurement obligations have been met.

London’s programme is part of a global Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit Programme which brings together many of the world’s largest cities, energy service firms and financial institutions to reduce energy consumption in existing buildings. CCI works with industry, financial, government and building partners to overcome market barriers and develop financially sound solutions that accelerate the growth of the global building efficiency market. CCI has helped initiate more than 250 retrofit projects encompassing over 500 million sq ft of building space in more than 20 cities around the world. These include municipal buildings across five cities such as Houston; more than 20 schools and universities; and the largest public housing stock in North America.

Working with governments and businesses around the world to tailor local solutions that are economically and environmentally sustainable, CCI focuses on three strategic programme areas: increasing energy efficiency in cities, catalyzing the large-scale supply of clean energy, and working to measure and value the carbon absorbed by forests. CCI serves as the action arm of the C40, an association of large cities around the world that have pledged to accelerate their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To learn more about the work of the Clinton Climate Initiative and the William J. Clinton Foundation, please visit www.clintonfoundation.org

For more information on the C40, visit: www.c40cities.org

London’s commercial and public sector buildings alone produce around 15 million tonnes of carbon per year and accounts for 33 per cent of total London emissions. The premises which are part of the Greater London Authority Group produce 0.18 million tonnes of carbon each year, which is one per cent of London’s commercial sector emissions

GLA group buildings included in the pilot stage of the programme will be competed by end of March 2010

The buildings are 1) Honeywell – 22 TfL head office buildings including: 55 Broadway, Windsor House, Griffith House, Ashfield House, 200 Buckingham Palace Rd, London Transport Museum Collection Centre, 172 Buckingham Palace Rd, 13 Allsop Place, Pelham Street, Wing-Over-Station, Victoria Station House, Faith Lawson House, 100 Petty France, 20 Cranbourn Street, Townsend House, Lost Property Office, Selbie House, Western House, 15-17Allsop Place, 210-212 Baker Street, 216 Baker Street, Baker Street: Revenue Control. 2) Dalkia FM (MITIE): 10 LFEPA (London Fire Brigade) Fire Stations including: Greenwich, Heston, Holloway, Homerton, Ilford, Norbury, North Kensington, Romford, Westminster and Woodford fire stations and 10 Metropolitan Police buildings including: Forest Gate Police Station, Southwark Park Police Station, Islington Police Station, Bexleyheath Police Station, Edmonton Police Station, Wembley Police Station, Chadwell Heath Traffic Unit, Croydon Police Station, Hertford House (office building), Edinburgh House (office building)

Freedom Pass under threat by Rail Companies

London Councils has reacted angrily to plans by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) to increase the cost of transporting Freedom Pass holders by 25 per cent.

During negotiations over the cost of the Freedom Pass, ATOC has demanded London boroughs pay 25 per cent more for the train part of the Freedom Pass next year.

This would mean that the amount London’s boroughs pay to the train operating companies would jump from £12 million in 2009/10 to at least £15 million in 2010/11.

The Freedom Pass costs the boroughs £270 million a year in total, the vast majority going to Transport for London. The pass allows Londoners aged 60 and over, plus eligible disabled residents to travel free on the capital’s buses, trains, London Underground, trams, and the Docklands Light Railway.

London Overground services are run by Transport for London and separate train operating companies (working through ATOC) provide all other train services.

“We will not allow some of the most vulnerable travellers in the capital to be exploited in this way.” Mike Fisher

ATOC sent London Councils an initial proposal on 26 November but no supporting evidence was produced until Monday (30 November), little more than a week before a deal on the cost of the Freedom Pass was due to be agreed by London Councils’ Transport and Environment Committee at a meeting on 10 December. ATOC has not given London Councils access to detailed data on which it has based its current, ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ demand.

Councillor Mike Fisher said: “It is totally unacceptable that at this late stage, the Association of Train Operating Companies announces it wants to charge boroughs 25 per cent more than last year to provide the same train services.

“This is outrageous considering that the current rate of inflation is 1 per cent and the average increase in train fares for passengers in 2010 will be 1.1 per cent.

“We have serious doubts about whether the evidence the Association of Train Operating Companies has produced to support their claim is valid. We urge them to use a more realistic figure as the basis for negotiations.

“We will not allow some of the most vulnerable travellers in the capital to be exploited in this way.”

Published today, Investing for Recovery – a new deal for London, is a joint report by the GLA Group and London Councils, working in the interests of all 33 London authorities. The report makes clear London’s dominant economic role; heralding the capital as the engine room, driving the UK into recovery, and makes the claim for fairer funding.

The report bids for a fairer funding model that takes into consideration London’s high turnover of population, resulting strains on public services, and the capital’s intractable social problems, including poverty levels and insufficient housing.

As part of a joint lobbying campaign, conducted at official and ministerial level, the Mayor wrote to Liam Byrne, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, on 30th October requesting a meeting to discuss the capital’s financial future, but has yet to receive a reply.

Already punching above its weight, with just 12 per cent of the country’s population, London contributes more to the Treasury than any other region; its economy is greater than that of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and the East Midlands combined. To maintain its position, the capital needs continued investment, but with greater freedom for the boroughs to decide how money is spent.

Boris Johnson said: “I am disappointed that Liam Byrne has not taken up my offer of a meeting. There is no denying that London is the economic engine room of the nation and we need a strong economic alliance between City Hall and Westminster.

“Londoners already do more than their fair share. We pay much more in tax than we get back in public expenditure. We are driving the economy into recovery. Londoners are, on average, 30% more productive than the rest of the UK, plus those who leave take their skills and experiences with them, honed in the world’s business capital.

“London has consistently replenished the Treasury coffers over the last twenty years. What we want is a fair deal, only a fair deal, and will give a great deal back to the nation.”

Chairman of London Councils, Councillor Merrick Cockell said: “London is unique. Not just because of its importance as the country’s capital but because of the mix of challenges our public services face on a daily basis – including an overstretched transport system, overcrowded homes, the dire lack of affordable houses, and large pockets of deprivation.

“This is not a case of us simply calling on the government to give more money to London. It is about investing in the leadership and innovative thinking from boroughs and their partners, including the Mayor, in tackling the problems this city faces head on.

“It is supporting this work with a fair share of funding that will help us support our communities on the long road to recovering from the recession and build for the future. This in turn will have major benefits for the rest of the country.”

Ahead of the Pre-Budget Report (9th December) and in anticipation of future spending reviews and public finance constraints, this report outlines why strong economic growth in the capital benefits the whole country and argues the case for:

- Funding to be maintained by central government for key investments that will help the country as well as the capital, especially Crossrail, the rebuilding of the Underground and skilling our population to compete in a globalised economy.

- Fairer revenue funding to enable London’s leaders to tackle persistent social problems – where London’s needs remain high relative to the country as a whole. London’s population is growing, and will hit 8.1 million by 2016; and the costs of its public services remain higher than the rest of the country by around 20-30 per cent.

- And, in certain areas, changes to the distribution of national funding where London’s social and other needs remain more challenging than in the rest of the country.

A copy of the report can be found here

Investing for Recovery – a new deal for London is a deliverable of the City Charter – a voluntary agreement between the Mayor of London and London Councils. An agreed area for joint action in the City Charter is to campaign for a fairer share of funding and investment in London from central government.

The 2010-2011 Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement was announced on Thursday 26 November, which again saw London boroughs receiving the lowest government grant increase of any region.

The government provides local authorities with an annual grant through the Local Government Finance Settlement. This allocation has a significant impact on the services local authorities provide, council budgets, and council tax levels.

The fire, involving a people carrier, happened at around 17.45 on Sunday 29 November 100 metres from the tunnel exit. Emergency services attended and the fire was quickly extinguished.

Transport for London engineers have been working in the tunnel throughout the night and will we working 24 hours a day to repair the damage as quickly as possible.

We understand two people were taken to hospital one due to smoke inhalation and one with an ankle injury.

Garrett Emmerson, Chief Operating Officer, London Streets said: “We are working flat out to repair the damage caused by the fire as quickly as possible. I would like to thank the emergency services and our staff who did a fantastic job dealing with the fire and evacuating the tunnel so quickly.

“The closure of the northbound tunnel will cause traffic problems in the area. We are advising people to use alternative river crossings and allow extra time for their journey. We would also urge people to consider using the Tube or the DLR while the tunnel is closed.”

The southbound tunnel was closed for several hours on Sunday evening to allow access for emergency service vehicles.

DLR services are available from Greenwich and Cutty Sark stations south of the Thames and Blackwall DLR station north of the Thames. Jubilee line services operate from North Greenwich station with connections to the DLR from Canning Town. Some bus routes are on diversion and London Underground will be accepting tickets from customers travelling in the area.

Motorists needing to cross the Thames are advised to use the Dartford river crossing, Rotherhithe Tunnel, Woolwich Ferry or Tower Bridge

The Bill will make councils responsible for providing free home care to older and disabled people considered to have ‘critical’ needs and also require significant help with four or more ‘activities of daily living’, such as dressing or getting out of bed.

The government estimates that around 450,000 people will be eligible for these services nationally. It will make £420m funding available in the first full year the Bill is introduced but also expects local authorities to generate another £250m in efficiency savings to provide the scheme.

Adult social services departments have already been making efficiency savings to ensure they can maintain a high standard of service despite the current economic climate. But they are now being told to use these savings to help fund the government’s new initiative.

London Councils fears this will further strain social services budgets in London, which have been hit by a series of below-inflation finance settlements and a huge loss of funding thanks to changes to the adult personal social services funding formula.

With social care services set to face even greater pressure due to the increasingly ageing population this new burden could push them closer to breaking point.

London Councils is also concerned that the new measure could cause tensions between councils and families when deciding the best care needed for a relative.

Families will likely resist a local authority’s suggestion that their relative’s needs would be better provided in a care home when they can receive care, although limited, at home for free.

London Councils’ Executive Member for Health and Adult Services Councillor Mike Freer said:

“It is perverse that the Department for Health is ordering local authorities to generate yet more efficiency savings to pay for central government initiatives. It’s their scheme – they should fund it.

”This is an enormously emotive issue and we have deep concerns that this will cause arguments between families and local authorities in deciding the most appropriate level of care needed by a relative. This could cause major problems at the most delicate of times.

“Planning and paying for the care of the most vulnerable members of society is one of the most pressing issues facing local authorities today. London’s older and disabled people deserve the very best care we can provide, but heaping new burdens on local authorities like this is lunacy.”