Category: Press Releases

• Applications for second round of the Green and Resilient Spaces Fund are now open
• Sadiq has committed a further £3.8m to projects that will improve climate resilience in green spaces
• £3m is available for ambitious, large-scale greening and resilience projects, with £800,000 available specifically for tree planting projects
• Funding will support Mayor’s mission to ensure that every Londoner lives within a 10-minute walk of green space

Funding to boost public green spaces and plant more trees in London is being made available by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan to future-proof the capital against the climate crisis as the COP15 summit is putting biodiversity firmly in the global spotlight this week.

The second round of the Green and Resilient Spaces Fund is now open for applications from councils and other organisations, with £3m available for projects to create or improve green spaces and an additional £800,000 for large scale tree planting to boost London’s climate resilience.

The fund will prioritise projects in areas of the capital that are particularly vulnerable to climate change, areas with low tree canopy cover, or areas where Londoners live more than a 10-minute walk away from green space. The tree planting grants will focus on creating publicly accessible, species-rich woodland and planting large trees to provide shade, cool London’s streets, combat heatwaves and tackle flooding.

The extreme temperatures and devastating fires that destroyed homes and businesses across the city during the summer laid bare just how vulnerable London is to the consequences of climate change. The flash floods of summer 2021, which also caused damage and disruption to homes, schools and the transport network showed that no city can escape the effects of man-made global warming.

Increasing green spaces and the number of trees in London will help to protect and future-proof the capital, cooling the city and providing shade to Londoners, and will also make London more resilient to flooding.

Access to green space and nature is not just an environmental issue, but a matter of health inequality and social justice, and Sadiq is determined that all Londoners live within a 10-minute walk of green space.

The first round of the Green and Resilient Spaces Fund confirmed this year is supporting six projects which will be completed by March 2024, which together are expected to plant over 2,000 new trees and improve over 57 hectares of green space.

The Green and Resilient Spaces fund is just one of the many ways the Mayor is supporting improvement of green and blue spaces. Since 2016 the Mayor has invested over £26m in greening the city in all 32 boroughs and the City of London, including £4 million through Grow Back Greener grants to over 130 community green space projects.

In March 2021, to help City Hall target support to communities with the highest climate risks, Bloomberg Associates produced a series of citywide climate risk maps to identify areas within London that are most exposed to climate impacts with high concentrations of vulnerable populations. These maps have now been updated to include greater geographical detail, meaning support for communities can be even more targeted and tailored.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “The climate emergency and loss of our biodiversity are two of the biggest global threats we face. In the past few years, we’ve seen some of the devastating effects of climate change, with flash flooding and extreme temperatures destroying homes, schools, and businesses. Sadly, these kinds of events will only become more frequent and, as the COP15 conference is making clear this week, biodiversity is crucial to climate resilience.

“Trees and green spaces have a vital role to play in tackling the impacts of climate change and we are already seeing some great work happening thanks to the funding invested in round one, which is helping to increase biodiversity and protect nature in our city. That is why I am pleased to be inviting bids for more exemplary greening and tree planting projects. Together we can build a better, greener and fairer London for everyone.”

Cllr Nesil Caliskan, Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, and previous grant recipient said:

“With the help of a generous grant from the Mayor, Albany Park has been completely transformed with the river opened up and meandering through the park, creating a beautiful wetland landscape that brings people in contact with nature whilst protecting hundreds of homes from flooding”

Richard Pearce, Partnerships & Expertise Manager:  London, Thames and Chilterns, Forestry Commission said:

“Increasing tree cover across London is really important to help the city adapt to climate change and to support biodiversity. This new grant funding for large scale tree planting in woodlands and in streets and public spaces will really help support the aims of the London Urban Forest Plan in growing and expanding London’s urban forest”

Round one of the Green and Resilient Spaces Fund supported six projects which will be completed in March 2024. An additional 13 projects were awarded development funding of £40k each to create a pipeline of fundable projects.

• • Organisations can apply for new funding from today – but Sadiq says fund should be doubled in size
  • London receiving £76 per person of Levelling Up funds compared to the England average of £384 per person
  • Latest census reveals parts of the capital amongst most deprived in UK

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has warned that the capital is losing out on hundreds of millions of pounds of Government funding to boost disadvantaged communities.

From today, organisations in London can apply for a share of £30m targeted to support small businesses, in the first phase of the Government’s new UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) – but Sadiq believes this national fund should be doubled in size.

The UKSPF is a central part of the Government’s ‘Levelling Up’ agenda which aims to spread opportunity more equally across the whole UK. It replaces crucial funding that London used to receive from the European Union before Brexit.

But, despite being home to some of the most deprived parts of the UK, London is only eligible to receive a total of £144m from the UKSPF over three years, including today’s £30m, out of a national total pot of £2.6bn. This equates to less than half the size of the European Union (EU) funding it was intended to replace.

In fact, of the 11 major Government regional funding initiatives designed to support levelling up, London receives by far the lowest amount – just £76 per person – a fraction of the England average of £384 per person.*

According to the latest census, Barking and Dagenham, Newham and Brent are amongst the most deprived boroughs in the country. In addition, London has the highest child poverty rate in the country.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I am pleased that organisations in London will today be able to apply for funding – but the reality is that the capital’s needs far exceed what it is receiving from Government.

“I am determined that London plays its part in helping to level up parts of the country that have been left behind for too long.

“But if the Government really wants to level up, it needs to recognise that London has some of the most deprived communities in the country and also needs robust support and investment to deliver a more equal society.

“London is the driver of the UK economy – but the funding allocated to the capital does not reflect the high levels of unemployment and child poverty that continue to exist in many areas here.

“All we want is a fair share of funding for London, so we can continue to reduce the capital’s own substantial inequalities and in turn boost prosperity across the country.”

The Greater London Authority is the designated lead authority to manage UKSPF in London, working closely with partners including London Councils.

Organisations across London can now bid for UKSPF grants to deliver projects that support businesses.

Applicant organisations must be legally constituted bodies. Individuals cannot apply for themselves. Potential applicant organisations can include local authorities, public funded organisations, Higher and Further Education institutions, voluntary and community organisations and registered charities.

Projects should support businesses based within the boundaries of Greater London.  The GLA intends to award grants of £500,000 UKSPF or more to successful projects.

For further information on how to bid, visit https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/funding-and-innovation/uk-shared-prosperity-fund

• Latest available figures show 43 per cent of London’s social housing – approximately 343,000 social homes – do not meet the current Decent Homes Standard and an energy efficiency rating of EPC band C.
• This is on top of severe problems in the private rented sector.
• Government funding to bring social housing up to the Decent Homes Standard was entirely withdrawn in 2016.
• Following the tragic death of toddler Awaab Ishak, the Mayor says there is urgent need for the Government to act and provide social landlords with funds to ensure homes meet minimum standards.
• Data reveals the cost of addressing non-decent homes and improving energy efficiency to keep social housing warm across the capital is approximately £4 billion. [1]
• Mayor warns that we risk more tragic deaths and illnesses if standards are not improved and the Government fails to invest and provide greater clarity on regulatory standards.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today issued a stark warning about the consequences of the Government failing to provide emergency investment to bring homes up to higher standards, and penalise failing social housing landlords.

The call to make all social housing warm and safe follows the tragic case of two-year old Awaab Ishak, who died following exposure to mould in his social housing flat in Rochdale. The Mayor is fearful we could see such terrible cases in London if the Government does not act.

City Hall analysis shows that around 43 per cent of London’s social housing – approximately 343,000 homes – needed improvements to meet the current Decent Homes Standard [2] and reach energy efficiency compliance (Band C EPC). [3]

Homes that fail to meet the Decent Homes Standard include any home with the most serious hazards to health. These are known as ‘Category 1 HHSRS hazards’ and can include damp and mould, excess cold, or severe infestations of pests and vermin. [4]

While significant headway was made between 2004 and 2014 to improve homes under the Decent Homes Standard, progress has stalled since Government funding was entirely withdrawn in 2016 and the target of 100 per cent compliance with the Decent Homes Standard has never been met.

The Mayor believes that without a long-term investment strategy to address the social housing crisis, the Government will even fail to meet its own target of halving the number of non-decent homes by 2030, prolonging the time that tenants are forced to live in dangerous conditions which could potentially lead to more awful deaths like Awaab’s.

City Hall analysis shows that investment to remove serious health and safety hazards from London’s homes pays for itself after 10 years, as reducing illness and disability caused by poor housing creates savings in NHS expenditure. [5]

The Mayor is calling for the Government to match the regulatory measures in the Social Housing Regulation Bill, which is currently before Parliament, by introducing reforms that will rapidly improve standards in the sector. This includes investing alongside social landlords to improve the quality and energy efficiency of homes and providing greater clarity on the regulatory standards which housing providers must meet. Doing so will accelerate upgrades for Londoners, saving tenants on average 20 per cent on their energy bills. [6]

The Mayor’s new £4bn 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme already requires higher standards on design, safety and environmental performance for new homes than those funded outside London.

Sadiq has warned London’s affordable housing providers that they could lose access to funding if they fail to maintain their properties at high standards, an example since followed by Government nationally. [7]

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “The heart-breaking case of Awaab Ishak shows the real-life consequences of unacceptably substandard housing.

“I am determined that we must not see more tragic cases like this, which is why I’m calling on the Government to take responsibility.

“I’m pleased to see the Government is following my lead in restricting funding to underperforming social landlords, but much more needs to be done to ensure no child or family has to live in social housing that is cold or unsafe.

“That is why we need to see emergency action from ministers to deliver higher standards, which must include providing additional funding for social landlords.

“The Government needs to put a system in place that ensures people’s homes are proactively inspected so that problems are spotted before they become serious or even, as we’ve seen, deadly.

“Proper investment by the Government to improve the standard of social housing will be vital to ensuring we can continue to build a better, fairer and safer London for everyone.”

Darren Hartley, Chief Executive of TAROE Trust, said: “Whilst we welcome the legislative reforms that are being pushed through Parliament to improve standards, introduce proactive regulation and increase landlord accountability, it’s a travesty of social justice that children in London and across England in 2022 continue to live in damp, cold and unhealthy homes. Standards need to be raised further and landlords need to be held to account for failure to meet those standards. Additional funding from Government is also needed to ensure landlords can deliver on meeting even those minimum standards, accelerate investment programmes and ensure more lives are not unnecessarily lost.”

• Sadiq joined an outreach team in central London this morning as they worked to support people sleeping rough
• City Hall has activated the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) due to freezing temperatures
• SWEP is activated when temperatures fall below 0°C and ensures councils open additional emergency accommodation for people sleeping rough
• Mayor’s rough sleeping services are helping more people than ever before, with more than 13,500 rough sleepers supported off the streets since 2016
• Mayor’s annual winter rough sleeping fundraising campaign is supporting young homeless Londoners

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, joined outreach workers in central London early this morning, helping rough sleepers off the streets and into emergency temporary accommodation.

As temperatures plummeted well below freezing last night, the Mayor triggered his Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) for the first time this winter to protect homeless people. The activation of SWEP ensures that councils across London (alongside homelessness charities) open additional emergency accommodation for people who are sleeping rough during weather conditions that could pose a threat to life.

Sadiq joined an outreach team, commissioned by the City of London and provided by Thames Reach, which responds to referrals about people sleeping rough in the square mile.

Last week, the Mayor launched his annual winter rough sleeping fundraising campaign, working with charity partner TAP London to raise money for four charities that work with young homeless Londoners: akt, Centrepoint, Depaul UK, and New Horizon Youth Centre. The donations help to support the Youth Homelessness Hub, which recently reopened at a new location in north London.

Londoners can donate to the campaign in a number of ways, including at one of the TAP points or using this link. There are 35 TAP points across London, including at Waterloo, Victoria, London Bridge and Liverpool Street stations.

Londoners can also use the StreetLink app or website to connect people they see sleeping rough with local support services.

What donations could provide:

£5 could cover the cost of sanitary products for a young person fleeing domestic abuse.

£20 could help a young person to stay connected to friends and family with a smartphone.

£50 could cover one night’s accommodation at an LGBTQ+ friendly hostel, plus food and travel vouchers.

£100 could cover the cost of counselling for up to 10 young people experiencing homelessness.

£500 could pay for two street outreach sessions per week, to locate and support young people who are sleeping rough.

Sadiq’s winter rough sleeping campaign has raised more than £600,000 since 2017.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “Since becoming Mayor, I’ve made it a personal priority to tackle rough sleeping in London and we’ve managed to help a record 13,500 people through our support services since 2016. However, it’s clear that the cost of living crisis is forcing more and more people to sleep rough in our city.

“I’ve been out in central London early this morning with an outreach team and it’s heart-breaking to see Londoners without a roof over their head in these freezing temperatures. We have a moral responsibility to tackle rough sleeping and never to turn a blind eye. So across our city, I’m working with others to ensure we’re doing everything we can to prevent anyone sleeping rough in these freezing conditions and to help them off the streets for good as we continue to build a fairer and safer London for everyone. I am also encouraging Londoners to help us by downloading the Streetlink app or using the Streetlink website to connect people they see sleeping rough with local support services.

“London’s councils and charities will be working even harder this week to support some of the most vulnerable people in our city. On behalf of all Londoners, I thank them for their tireless efforts.”

• Report shows life-long dangers of air pollution and the need to act
• NO2 concentrations alongside roads are estimated to be 20% lower in inner London and 44% lower in central London than they would have been without
  the ULEZ and its expansion
• The projected reduction in PM2.5 exhaust emissions from the expansion of the ULEZ to include inner London is 35%
• The number of state primary and secondary schools in London in areas exceeding the legal limit for NO2 fell from 455 in 2016 to just 20 in 2019
• London’s air quality policies have narrowed the inequality gap in exposure to air pollution, with a reduction in the difference in exposure to toxic air between and most and least socio-deprived economic groups of up to 50% between 2013 and 2019
• Mayor echoes CMO’s conclusion that “the path to bringing down air pollution is clear, we just need to follow it”.

The success of the Mayor’s policies in tackling air pollution in London have been highlighted by the Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty in a major national report urging faster action to improve air quality and tackle all sources of air pollution across the country.

Today the Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty published his annual report which this year focused on air quality and the dangers of air pollution throughout our lives – from affecting foetuses in the womb to links with dementia in old age.

The report highlighted the successes of the Mayor’s air quality policies in improving air quality in London and shone a spotlight on the work still to be done in tackling air pollution regionally and nationally.

In the report, although he noted there was still work to be done in reducing London’s air pollution, he cited London as a case study for tackling toxic air by reducing air pollution in public spaces through policies such as the ULEZ, School Streets and investing in better walking and cycling routes.

Thanks to the ULEZ and its expansion, harmful NO₂ concentrations alongside roads are estimated to be 44 per cent lower in central London and 20 per cent lower in inner London than they would have been without it. Reductions in air pollution in London have helped contribute to reduced childhood asthma hospital admissions.

Expanding ULEZ London-wide will mean 5 million more people breathing cleaner air, and will save 27,000 tonnes of CO2 in outer London, nearly double that which the central London ULEZ achieved in its first year of operation. Amongst other improvements, the expansion is forecast to make further progress to reduce air pollution, by reducing nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions from cars and vans in outer London by 10 and 7 percent respectively, and reducing PM2.5 car exhaust emissions in outer London by nearly 16 per cent, benefitting five million outer London residents.

Since 2016 the network of protected cycle space across the city increased fivefold, 250 new or improved pedestrian crossings have been installed and 25 of the capital’s most dangerous and intimidating junctions have been changed to make them safer for walking and cycling. The report highlights that in 2020 the proportion of journeys taken by bike increased by 48 per cent from 2019, and the proportion of journeys on foot increased by 22 percentage points[1]. Although this behaviour was partially driven by the pandemic, it shows the potential for behaviour change and the wider adoption of active travel.

The Mayor and TfL have supported London Boroughs to deliver more than 500 school streets, and the number of state primary and secondary schools in London in areas exceeding the legal limit for NO2 fell from 455 in 2016 to just 20 in 2019.

Communities with higher levels of deprivation, or a higher proportion of people from a non-white ethnic background, are more likely to be exposed to higher levels of air pollution. However, London’s air quality policies have helped to narrow this gap by up to 50 per cent since 2013.[2]

Part of this success is due to the Mayor’s flagship ‘health in all policies’ approach, putting improving the health of Londoners and tackling health inequalities at the heart of all policies from TfL to the Violence Reduction Unit.

The Mayor’s work has shown the potential to improve air quality in the rest of the UK as he has done in London, and he welcomes the recommendations in the report to improve both outdoor and indoor air pollution.

The CMO report makes 15 recommendations – many of which London is also leading the way on, from making air quality central to local urban planning, through requiring developers to work to enhance air quality, to looking at ways to reduce indoor pollution and raising awareness about the effects of open fires.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “This report shows London is a world leader when it comes to tackling toxic air. I’m proud that we’ve managed to reduce air pollution by almost half in central London due to the success of our Ultra Low Emission Zone, but thousands of lives are still being lost prematurely due to poor air quality. There is still much work to do, particularly in outer London where we have the greatest number of premature deaths due to the poisonous air people are breathing. That’s why I am expanding the Ultra Low Emission Zone London-wide, which will ensure five million more Londoners are able to breathe cleaner air.

“I am doing all I can to reduce air pollution and create a greener, healthier city for all, but our efforts alone will not be enough. I welcome the recommendations in the Chief Medical Officer’s annual report. We need to all work together – the Government, regional government, public bodies and health organisations – and use our collective strength to go further and faster than ever to tackle the scourge of toxic air.”

Professor Kevin Fenton, London regional director for public health said:

“Improvements in air quality have already led to better health in Londoners – we’ve recently seen reduced childhood asthma admissions, and further action will undoubtedly lead to a fall in coronary heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and many more serious illnesses.

“There’s still plenty to be done – air pollution harms our health throughout our entire lifespan, and will affect some communities more than others. It’s vital that we continue to improve the quality of the air we breathe and help all Londoners to live longer, healthier lives.”

Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer said: “Everyone is affected by air pollution, and it is everyone’s problem.

“Air pollution has improved and will continue improving provided we are active in tackling it. We can and should go further – and it is technically possible to do so.”

Louise Krupski, Cabinet Member for Climate and Environment, Lewisham Council said: “Tackling air pollution goes hand in hand with addressing climate change, which is vital to improve our health and reduce health inequalities. It’s clear that great progress, has been made to bring down air pollution ,including by introducing the Ultra Low Emissions Zone.  London is a fantastic example that other cities in the UK can follow of how to reduce it at a local level. We must now all work together and recognise the recommendations in the report so we can reduce the harm caused by toxic air both to our health and our planet.

• A new report released today has illustrated the air quality issues Londoners faced in 1952, the year of the Great Smog.
• Great London Smog of 1952 led to an estimated 4,000 deaths.
• The first Clean Air Act was introduced in 1956 and was a significant milestone in the development of the legal framework to protect public health.
• Without the Clean Air Act an estimated 1,600 additional Londoners would have died prematurely each year from issues associated with air pollution.
• Mayor says more bold action is needed today as air pollution in London is leading to thousands of premature deaths each year.

Seventy years ago today, London was hit by one of the worst air quality disasters ever experienced in the UK. The Great Smog of 1952 lasted five days and was responsible for more than 4,000 deaths with 100,000 people made ill, leading to life-long conditions for many. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has warned that air pollution is still a matter of life and death in London and that bold action – like expanding the Ultra-Low Emission zone – is needed to save lives and protect the health of millions of Londoners.

City Hall has published a report today which looks at the air quality issues Londoners faced in 1952 and illustrates what air quality could have looked like if the Clean Air Acts of Parliament had not been introduced. The report looks at a hypothetical scenario to estimate what the present-day concentrations of air pollutants, like nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), could have been without the Clean Air Acts.

Results from the calculation show that without the legislation, there would be:

·       an additional 1,633 additional deaths per year – an increase of 22 per cent from the present day.

·       an estimated additional 2,979 cardiovascular hospital admissions per year attributable to PM₁₀ emissions in the Greater London area – an increase of 235% from present-day admissions associated with air pollution.

·       an estimated additional 3,392 respiratory hospital admissions per year attributable to PM₁₀ emissions in the Greater London area – which also represents an increase of 235% from present-day admissions associated with air pollution.

The report also shows the evolution of air pollution sources in London. Seventy years ago, the main causes of concern were smoke and sulphur dioxide arising from coal combustion from domestic fireplaces, power stations and industrial furnaces. Levels of air pollution have steadily declined since then due to the clean air Acts of Parliament, other legislation and interventions. Now the principal source of pollution in London is road traffic, contributing 44 per cent of all nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions and 31 per cent of all PM_2.5 emissions in London.

Studies show that air pollution is still causing thousands of Londoners to die prematurely each year and over 500,000 Londoners live with asthma, with more than half of these people living in outer London boroughs. Toxic air also contributes to children growing up with stunted lungs and causes adults to suffer a range of illnesses, including lung and heart disease and dementia in older people.

Sadiq Khan has made cleaning London’s air one of his key mayoral priorities. He introduced the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone in 2019, which has already helped to reduce roadside pollution levels by 44 per cent in central London and 20 per cent in inner London, leading to cleaner air for four million Londoners. Last month, the Mayor confirmed plans to expand the ULEZ London-wide in August 2023 to ensure five million more Londoners can breathe cleaner air.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said:

“Four thousand Londoners died in the immediate aftermath of the Great Smog in 1952. The politicians of the day showed leadership by standing up to the vested interests and making the politically tough, but right choice to introduce the Clean Air Act, which ended up saving thousands of lives.

“Air pollution in London today is still a matter of life and death. But unlike the toxic pollution of the past, which could be seen, the air pollution today is an invisible killer. It’s making people sick from cradle to grave – from stunted lungs in young children to adult onset asthma, lung disease and dementia.

“The politicians in the 1950s led the way in how they tackled air pollution – now it’s our duty to take the action necessary to save lives so that we can continue building a greener, fairer and healthier London for everyone. That’s why we will be expanding the ULEZ London-wide. The ULEZ is our generation’s Clean Air Act. It’s already cut pollution levels by almost a half in central London, but thousands of Londoners are still dying prematurely each year due to poisonous air, with the greatest number of deaths in outer London boroughs. Expanding the ULEZ will mean five million more people will be able to breathe cleaner air.

“Every penny raised from expanding ULEZ will be reinvested back into delivering public transport, including the biggest ever expansion of bus routes in outer London. And we have announced the most generous vehicle scrappage scheme ever to help charities, small businesses and those on the lowest incomes.”

Jemima Hartshorn, Founder of Mums for Lungs, said: “Three things are clear: London’s air is toxic to children, stunting their lungs and exacerbating and causing asthma and many more; the Mayor’s initiatives have been crucial in cleaning up the air and lastly, much more needs to be done to ensure that breathing doesn’t make Londoners sick. We need a massive reduction of driving around our wonderful capital, and we need national government to sort out woodburning which is back on the rise, to the detriment of everyone’s health.”

• Mayor and Met unveil bold new action to improve trust and confidence in the Metropolitan Police including development of new partnership panel for Safer Schools officers and commitment to publish innovative Body Worn Video analysis in 2023
• Continued investment from City Hall and the Met’s continued focus on increasing the number of Black police officers has helped the Met workforce to become more diverse than it has ever been – with challenging targets set by Mayor to increase the diversity of officers at every rank
• Mayor and Met Commissioner determined to work with communities to build on achievements of Action Plan to ensure all Londoners have trust in the use of police powers

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today unveiled bold new action to improve trust and confidence in the Metropolitan Police and to address community concerns about the disproportionality in the use of certain police powers affecting Black Londoners.

Black Londoners are more than three times more likely to be stopped and searched by police than white Londoners,¹ and the Mayor is clear that there is still a lot more work to be done to ensure all communities in London have trust in the use of police powers as the Met goes about the vital work of tackling crime.

That’s why Sadiq and the Commissioner have today announced that:

• A new partnership panel will be developed with communities, headteachers, teaching leads, youth justice services, MOPAC and the Met to oversee and inform the work of Safer Schools officers – to address community concerns that some young Black Londoners are being overpoliced.
• Body Worn Video research conducted jointly with the Met will be published to help improve the police’s understanding of the points of escalation and de-escalation in stop and search interactions to reduce its disproportionate impact on Black Londoners.
• New data from Black communities will be collected by Black Thrive and PSi on the lived experiences and interaction Black Londoners have with police officers will be used to improve existing local community oversight of policing in the capital
• Continued support from the Mayor and ongoing focus from the Met’s recruitment and outreach work will accelerate the transformation of the Met’s workforce so that it becomes more representative of the city it serves with increased diversity of officers at every rank.

These new steps, which will be delivered by the Met and City Hall, follow a series of scandals which have shaken public confidence in the police – from the pictures taken by serving officers of Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman in Wembley to the hate-filled Whatsapp chat groups exposed by Operation Hotton and the strip search of Child Q.

A clear opportunity for positive change has started with appointment of a reforming Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, who has vowed to raise standards in the police, rebuild trust with those whom the Met have let down and increase the confidence of all Londoners in the service.

The Mayor’s Action Plan was created in 2020 in consultation with more than 400 individuals and groups that either work with or within Black communities. It has focused on increasing transparency in police actions, transforming the Met to better reflect the city it serves and strengthening community involvement in reviewing the disproportionate use of police powers and complaints. Acting on the concerns raised by Londoners, the Mayor’s Action Plan has worked in partnership with the Met to:

• Introduce stricter oversight of the use of stop and search in London – through the London Disproportionality Board and the Met’s creation of 12 Public Encounter Panels (PEPs), restoration of Community Monitoring Groups’ access to BWV footage to enhance their oversight of stops. The Met has specifically sought to recruit Public Encounter Panel membership with high representation from minority ethnic communities and young people.
• Complete a review of the use of handcuffs by officers before arrest – with a new policy on handcuffing developed and implemented by the Met. This has led to a 20 per cent drop in the use of handcuffs in non-arrest scenarios – like stop and search.²
• Carry out a pilot to identify any disproportionality relating to the ethnicity of drivers stopped by the police, which has led to changes being adopted nationally.³
• Roll out new community involvement in the training received by new police recruits at several points but specifically around stop and search. This also includes a familiarisation in boroughs where recruits have the opportunity to meet local community members.
• Set up an External Reference Group to help ensure that the voices of London’s communities are at the heart of the Mayor’s and Commissioner’s Action Plan work and they are directly involved in the oversight of the work to improve transparency, trust and confidence in the Met.⁴
• Invest £900,000 from City Hall on outreach recruitment events across London to increase the number of Black recruits and help increase the diversity of officers at every rank. This and the continued focus of the Met in its recruitment approach  has led to the Met becoming more diverse than it has ever been – with challenging targets set – and the Met workforce now has more women police officers than at any other time in London’s history.⁵
• Produce a quarterly race equality report of the Met’s use of its powers – this includes publishing a breakdown of the Met’s use of tasers, stop and search, strip-searching and use of force in general.
• A significant amount of work has been undertaken to better understand the needs and experience of Black women who have been victims of violence. This includes roundtable discussions with organisations supporting Black women and workshops on how best to support Black victims of violence against women and girls. The findings of which informed the development of the Mayor’s refreshed VAWG strategy.
• Improve transparency through the publication of data on police custody and the use of more thorough and intimate searches. A series of policy changes regarding strip searches of children are also being implemented by the Met as a matter of urgency and the recommendations from a London Policing Ethics Panel report on the conduct of searches that expose intimate parts has also been accepted by the Met.
• Remove more than 1,000 young Black Londoners – with little or no evidence of a link to criminal gangs – from the Met’s Gangs Violence Matrix. And worked with community groups to overhaul its use by police to ensure the Matrix database is now more effective and more evidence-based than ever before.

This is in addition to the Met also delivering a range of refreshed learning and training that gives officers more understanding of public perspectives, ranging from how interactions can be de-escalated and regular community input through recruit training on various issues including experiences of stop and search, with a new cultural awareness portal to support officers and a Learning and Development Community Reference Group set up to ensure that we design by default community perspectives into training.

To ensure there is no room for racists in the Met, the Commissioner has set out clear expectation on standards and launched the new Anti-Corruption and Abuse Command and the Metropolitan Police Service Anti-Corruption and Abuse Hotline, run by Crimestoppers, to identify those whose behaviours have no place in the Met. 

Building on these achievements, both the Mayor and Commissioner believe more can and must be done to increase confidence and trust in the police for all Londoners – particularly Black Londoners – as part of their joint effort to build a safer and fairer city for everyone.

The Mayor, Sir Mark Rowley and Deputy Mayor of Policing and Crime Sophie Linden will today meet with community representatives at City Hall as part the ongoing community-led approach to tackling disproportionately in policing in the capital.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “It’s simply not right that Black Londoners have less trust and confidence in our police service and it’s something the new Met Commissioner and I are determined to improve together.

“My Action Plan is already working to improve trust and confidence in the Met and to address community concerns about the disproportionality in the use of certain police powers affecting Black Londoners.

But we need to do more and that starts with listening to and acting on the concerns and experiences of Black Londoners. That’s why today with the Commissioner I’ve announced a raft of new actions based on those concerns that cover everything from police tactics and recruitment to community oversight and engagement so we can build a better, safer and fairer London for everyone.”

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, said: “I have been candid in saying that I know the Met has let people down – especially Black Londoners. Baroness Casey’s interim report demonstrated that there is evidence of systemic bias in the Met. It is appalling that prejudices such as racism have impacted the public during police interactions. I am uncompromising in my determination to root out those that corrupt our integrity.

“Policing depends on public trust and this applies most of all to police and Black communities. Tragically, not only do these communities have some of the lowest levels of trust in the police but they also suffer some of the highest levels of crime – especially the twelve times’ disproportionality of the murder of young black men we were discussing with the GLA last week. We will only succeed with trust and joint action between police and black communities.

“This makes it all the more important for the Met to continue to keep driving changes to increase the trust and confidence Black Londoners have in their police service. We have made many improvements such to how we use our powers, how we recruit and train and how we are more open, transparent and accountable to Black Londoners. This has been as a result of our own determination to improve; the feedback of communities; and the challenge, scrutiny and investment from the Mayor including through the Action Plan.

“Under my leadership, I am determined to root out those who corrupt our integrity and rebuild community confidence in policing once more so we can work with Black communities to reduce the disproportionate crime they experience.”

Dr Jacqui Dyer, Director of Black Thrive Global (Chair of Black Thrive Lambeth), said: “Consultations with Black Londoners about local community oversight of the police show that these structures need to be changed urgently. This can only be done together with MOPAC, the MPS and Black communities so that local oversight responds to the Black experience of policing, can make it better and prioritises building trust.”

Headteacher and community leader Paul Mundy-Castle, chair of the Action Plan External Reference Group said: “As a Londoner, I am honoured to chair the external reference group and thank the mayor and the deputy mayor for the opportunity to support their oversight of the Met. I want to encourage all Londoners to have a voice and to challenge inequalities.

“Sadly, I have always had a negative view of the police stemming from my own teenage experiences and interactions. But I feel that if we truly want change and a police force that represents us then we have to become part of the solution. I want to use this position to ensure all Londoners better understand that there is accountability and that the ERG will ask the uncomfortable questions if it leads to better policing for all.’