LDN Weekly – Issue 296 – 13 December 2023 – Plain Sailing
PLAIN SAILING
"If we were to use festive film titles to describe the political landscape, then Rishi Sunak’s last ten days or so would definitely be The Nightmare Before Christmas."
| No images? Click here  PLAIN SAILING"If we were to use festive film titles to describe the political landscape, then Rishi Sunak’s last ten days or so would definitely be The Nightmare Before Christmas. While the Government saw off a threat to the second reading of the Rwanda Bill, it feels like this has merely prolonged the misery into the New Year. An exhausted Prime Minister might well consider Trading Places for an easier life. As we head towards 2024, the focus will increasingly be on the year of elections ahead. If the polls remain broadly unchanged, this time next year London could have a majority of Labour councils, a Labour Mayor, and a Labour Government – the first time this trinity has aligned since 2006. I’ve heard some people remarking that a Labour Government and a Labour Mayor could be the solution to London’s problems. With Sadiq Khan in City Hall and Keir Starmer in Number 10, major policy decisions which have been ignored for many years could finally be unblocked in London’s favour. Rachel Reeves might just turn on the spending taps for affordable housing, major transport projects and funding stretched local councils. Perhaps this will be the case, but I would counsel some caution. First, the next government will inherit public finances which will be in a miserable state – money will be very tight, with many competing calls on it. I’m not sure London’s priorities will be national Labour’s priorities. Second, if Labour is to win the General Election, it must regain the so-called Red Wall seats lost to the Tories in 2019. To do so will mean a policy focus on the issues that matter in those areas, and downplaying some of the concerns that motivate Labour voters in the capital. Don’t expect to see a commitment to build the Bakerloo Line Extension or double the city’s affordable housing budget in Labour’s manifesto. Third, there are divergences in policy within Labour between London and the party nationally. Further down in today’s LDN we touch on one of these – building on the Green Belt where Khan opposes while Starmer is open to it. There are other areas where Khan and Starmer aren’t on the same page – on ULEZ, attitudes towards Brexit and rejoining the European Union, devolution of more powers to London, and on social policy like London taking a more liberal attitude towards drugs. It may well be that any disagreements will be more cordial, often managed or dealt with behind the scenes. But the fact remains that it won’t all be plain sailing, and London should be prepared to not get all that it wants. LCA’s Insight Team will be revisiting this whole topic in more detail in the New Year." Nick Bowes, Managing Director, Insight We hope you enjoy this edition and if you don't already, do follow us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. You can also visit our website for more information on LCA’s team, services, and clients. And finally, a technical note: If you like hearing from us, make sure to add ldn@londoncommunications.co.uk to your contacts or ‘safe sender’ list – this will help ensure our news bulletin lands in your inbox. If you love LDN and are looking for a weekly update on the social housing sector, sign up for our Social Housing Weekly newsletter. Compiled by our client team, it provides a tour of the week's major news out of the social and council housing sectors, including commentary from LCA Director, Harriet Shone. Click here and sign up today!  LONDON LATESTOH COME ALL YE FAITHFUL: The Mayor of London made an impassioned plea to ‘progressive voters’ who are thinking of voting for anyone other than him at the May 2024 mayoral election, warning that the Conservative Party is becoming ‘increasingly right wing’. The plea comes as an Opinium poll shows that only 30% of respondents were aware that the next Mayoral election will take place under the First Past the Post (FPTP) voting system, after the Government switched it from first and second preference system. Good will to all: Khan has also launched the city’s first Rough Sleeping Charter, co-designed by businesses, charities and service providers to provide a vision and shared purpose for tackling rough sleeping. Everyday challenges: The Charter has launched amid new analysis showing that one in ten under-18s in London are ‘effectively homeless.’ Over 10% of those under the age of 18 in Westminster, Newham and Kensington & Chelsea are currently housed in temporary accommodation. Kids-free zone: Hackney Council has announced that four primary schools in the borough will close next September due to decreasing numbers of children, a trend that has been seen across inner London. Proud in town: Following the Mayor’s commitment to provide £130,000 in grant funding for a new HIV/AIDS memorial in Camden, Khan has reaffirmed the importance of having LGBTQ+ friendly venues in London, saying that he will work to support venues at risk of closure. Bexley blows: A camera installed to enforce the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in Sidcup was destroyed with an improvised explosive device (IED) last Wednesday. Counterterrorism police are leading the investigation though it is not being considered as a terrorist act, with the suspect remaining at large. Fed up of waiting: According to the Times, a group of TfL bus drivers are considering strike action over the impact of delays caused by Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) and removed bus lanes. Stuck: Further problems for the Elizabeth line, with passengers trapped on trains for over three hours after overhead power cable damage. This is the latest in a string of recent performance problems with the new rail line, leading to the Mayor telling the TfL Board that the line has ‘not met the consistently high standards’ which Londoners expect. THE BUSINESS OF CHRISTMASBOARDROOM TALK: The seventh annual London Business 1000 survey of the capital’s businesses has been published by London Councils and the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Affordable housing, tackling climate change, and public transport came top of the list of corporate concerns. The local and global: The City of London Corporation is to open new offices in New York and Washington DC to act as embassies for trade, finance and ‘constant dialogue’ between the UK and US. Recruitment crisis: The Mayor, Sadiq Khan, has warned that the government’s plans to cut migration will exacerbate shortages of workers faced by the city’s businesses and lead to a ‘full-blown recruitment crisis’. Cheeky upstart: Outernet’s The Now Building, found next to Tottenham Court Road Tube station, has reported an annual average of over 6.25m people visiting its free immersive exhibition hall featuring 23,000 sq ft of screens in a booming soundscape, claiming that this makes it the UK’s most visited attraction. Winter wander-land: Figures from TfL on transport ridership over the current festive period has shown a ‘significant’ uptick in passenger numbers. Events in places such as Kew Gardens saw nearby Tube station traffic increase by 56% compared to the previous four weeks, Battersea Park’s November fireworks led to more than double the regular numbers at Battersea Power Station, while entries and exits at Oxford Circus on Black Friday were up by 27%. At the same time, reports suggest that young professionals are ditching working from home and returning to the office. Taps running dry: Thames Water has warned that as things stand it is unable to repay a £190m loan due in April, fuelling fears the company could go bust. Terminal velocity? The Saudi Arabian Royal Investment Fund and investor Ardian has launched a deal to snap up Ferrovial’s 25% stake in London Heathrow Airport, in a deal which could lead to Saudi Arabia owning as much as 60% of the busiest airport in the UK. Hard hats required: MPs and parliamentary staff are at risk of glass falling into their cups in the atrium of Portcullis House, where architects Purcell have recommended the installation of netting to prevent ‘severe structural failings’. The late Michael Hopkins-designed building needs a ‘complete overhaul’ according to Purcell’s report. Men in hats: Elsewhere in Parliament, historian Sir Anthony Seldon is opening a new exhibition to mark 300 years of prime ministers, while at the same time launching the search for a permanent home. Meanwhile, a bronze statue of Lord Byron stranded since the 1960s in the middle of a roundabout on Park Lane is earmarked for a return to a more accessible location in Hyde Park. LONDON PLANNING ROUNDUP
PEOPLE NEWS
Candidate watch
 GREEN BELT BUILDING?BUILD BUILD BUILD: Earlier this week, Centre for London published a new report, Homes fit for Londoners: Solving London’s housing crisis which includes a series of recommendations designed to increase the delivery of homes in the capital. Green day: One solution recommends the Mayor and the Government set up Development Corporations to build homes on parts of the Green Belt. Hole in one: Chief Executive of Open City Phineas Harper has also been advocating for the delivery of homes on the Green Belt, arguing that golf courses, of which there are almost 100 in the capital, provide ample space for new homes, while also ‘reinvigorating’ the sport. Spanner in the works: Today, The Times reported that the Government is to announce changes to the planning system which would mean that local authorities are able to reduce their housing targets if the delivery of new homes would impact local character and the Green Belt. The article also states that the changes are designed to prioritise development on brownfield land, while it will also be ‘harder’ for planning committees to reject planning permission for applications that have been recommended for approval by officers. Keir vs Sadiq: The Labour Party nationally is prepared to review rules about building on the Green Belt in order to achieve its goal of building 1.5m over five years. However, the Mayor of London has said that he is ‘committed to protecting’ the Green Belt. Perhaps the view that a Labour Mayor and Labour Government will inherently be in sync on all issues doesn’t quite cut it… Local leadership: Meanwhile, some London boroughs look set to develop their Green Belt regardless. Last week, Enfield Council published an updated version of its Local Plan which includes plans to deliver a total of 9,651 homes on the Green Belt, with 7,151 of those to be built in the plan period up to 2041. Green or brown? Meanwhile, Chief Executive of Berkeley Rob Perrins has called for a ‘brownfield first’ approach in the planning system in a bid to cut the amount of time it takes for applications to be granted permission. What the polls say: So that’s what the politicians think, but what’s the public’s take? Polling by JL Partners commissioned by the Adam Smith Institute found that only one in four people support the delivery of new housing on Green Belt land, while research by Ipsos has shown that 60% of those polled would retain the Green Belt as it is. Separate polling of 1,000 Londoners commissioned by Pocket Living found that two thirds of young people (aged between 25 and 45) would support building on the Green Belt if it would provide more affordable housing. WE RECOMMEND
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