London Councils

Meet Sam Nair, Principal Social Worker and Head of London Borough of Tower Hamlets' Learning Academy. Sam is one of London’s biggest advocates for international recruitment and a champion of investing in social workers through innovative learning and development programmes. 💫 In this video, Sam shares his experience of working in London as an international social worker, the importance of learning from lived experience, and how workplace learning has evolved. His passion for his role, and developing the careers of social workers is clear. Watch now to hear his thoughts! 📽️ #SocialWorkWeek2025

Today is World Social Work Day! #WSWD2025 💫 To celebrate, we asked social workers from across London to share their thoughts on professional identity, one of the key themes of #SocialWorkWeek2025. In this video, they answer: "What does being a social worker mean to you?" 🤝 Their responses highlight the passion, commitment, and impact of social work in supporting children and families. 🧑🧑🧒🧒 Watch now and join the conversation: tell us what being a social worker means to you! 💬

"Innovation for us isn’t just about science, technology, business or entrepreneurship. Innovation has to be alive and well in public services. It has got to be about the everyday economy, and the way in which we can unlock ideas. So if we want innovation, we should reframe it." kellie beirne, Chief Executive, Cardiff Capital Region , said alongside Stephen Jones, Director, Core Cities UK , Paul Honeyben, Strategy Director – Local Government Finance and Improvement, London Councils, Andrew Carter, Chief Executive, Centre for Cities #CPSummit25 #Cities #Transport #BuiltEnvironment #Technology #Innovation

🚨 Surge in Right to Buy Applications in London: Key Insights and Implications 🚨 In response to the government's October 2024 Budget announcement reducing Right to Buy (RtB) discounts, the London Housing Directors’ Group (LHDG) has assessed the significant impact this has had across the capital. The result? A remarkable surge in RtB applications. Key Stats: 💥From the Budget announcement on 30 October to the discount deadline on 21 November, 23 boroughs reported a total of 15,335 RtB applications had been received   💥 In just 23 days, boroughs received 12,040  RtB applications – a massive jump compared to the annual total of 3,566 RtB applications in 2023/24 (based on 18 boroughs). What Does This Mean for London’s Housing Landscape? The rise in RtB applications brings both opportunities and challenges over the next five years: 🔴 Financial Strain: An increase in RtB completions will reduce projected rental income, creating financial instability for Housing Revenue Accounts (HRAs), unless additional resources are allocated. 🏠 Social Housing Shortage: The loss of social housing units could cause delays in permanent rehousing for those in temporary accommodation, driving up costs as households stay longer in TA. 🔻 Long-Term Projections: Some boroughs foresee a dramatic decrease in RtB sales in the coming years due to the steep reduction in discounts, making it unaffordable for many to purchase. 💸 Short-Term projections: There will be a short term increase in receipts, providing additional resources for reinvestment. ⚖️ Workload & Financial Pressure: Boroughs are grappling with a surge in applications, which poses a significant workload challenge. Despite securing extra resources, there are concerns about meeting statutory timeframes and covering unexpected financial costs, including valuations, legal fees, and administrative expenses. In parallel, London Councils and the LHDG have been actively engaging with the government’s broader Right to Buy reform. In January, the LHDG supported London Councils in submitting a response to the consultation, advocating for the devolution of RtB policy. We believe that local authorities, rather than central government, should have the power to make decisions on eligibility, exemptions, and discount rates, enabling the scheme to better meet the specific housing needs of local communities. Jamie Carswell Joanne Drew Sue Hannah Chloe Martin-Daplyn #RightToBuy #LondonHousing #LHDG #AffordableHousing #HousingCrisis #HousingPolicy

Huge thanks to everyone who participated in our London lunch at MIPIM yesterday, and special thanks to our host Misa von Tunzelman FCIM of Lendlease. Our speakers included Claire Holland of London Councils, who stressed the importance of collaboration across the public and private sectors to enable housebuilding across the capital, highlighting the aim of boroughs to be "drivers of growth". We also heard from Deputy Mayor Jules Pipe about how the Greater London Authority is seeking to streamline the London Plan in support of the capital's new target to deliver 88,000 homes a year. Plenty of wider discussion too of reforms needed to get more shovels in the ground across the city, as well as the support London requires to continue competing on the world stage as the best place in the world in which to do business.

Read the latest Climate Blog - What can London learn from Denmark? — LB Merton officers visit Copenhagen’s heat networks: https://lnkd.in/eKEXmt_N Laura Keay Tom Ardron London Borough of Merton Rasmus Leth Traberg Denmark in the UK

We're Hiring! We are looking for a new Retrofit Data and Insight Manager to support London’s Social Housing Fund Strategic Partnership. Are you a skilled data scientist with a strong background in data analysis and visualisation, problem-solving, and project management, alongside knowledge of the housing/built environment sectors? Do you also want to join and shape a brand-new organisation, right at the start of our critical journey towards delivering warmer homes in London, that are cheaper to heat and more energy efficient for the environment? The partnership will be managed and co-ordinated from within Warmer Homes London, this new joint endeavour of the GLA and London Councils has been established to accelerate the pace and scale of quality retrofit across the capital. Apply or find out more here: https://lnkd.in/eHTjGneg 

Around 22,000 homes across the capital with poor insulation and high energy bills are set to benefit from over £230m of funding secured from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero by London Councils, social housing providers and the Mayor of London. The majority of these funding agreements (£130m) will be co-ordinated by Warmer Homes London (WHL), which was launched earlier this year by London Councils and the Mayor of London. WHL will work with social landlords to accelerate Londoners’ access to free measures to improve their homes, lower household heating bills, and reduce carbon emissions 🏙️ ⚡ 🌿 💷 Read all about it here: https://lnkd.in/eyywB4_R

Our Deputy Chair Cllr Grace Williams represented London Councils this morning at Parliament's Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee, where she presented MPs with the 'Chart of Doom', showing how borough budgets are being broken by #homelessness pressures. #London boroughs are facing a perfect storm of finance pressures - the result of a decade of underfunding & skyrocketing demand for services - pushing boroughs towards effective bankruptcy. At this #SpendingReview, we're calling on Government to restore real-terms local government funding to the same level as 2010 by 2028, to keep up with demand for services.

The Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) has today published its latest report on the state of #localgov finances in England. It makes grim reading and highlights the continuing crisis facing councils across the country. The LGIU found that fewer than one in 10 senior council figures are confident in the sustainability of local government finance, with surging service demand causing the greatest pressure. Read our media statement here: https://lnkd.in/epBj9KjW