LDN Weekly – Issue 183 – 28 July 2021
LONDON AT SEA?
As LDN’s regular readers know, LCA tends to let the stories speak for themselves, rarely if ever making too much of ourselves in this must-read weekly news bulletin. But this week, we have news that is simply too exciting to bury. We are really delighted to announce that Paddy Hennessy, Sadiq Khan’s former Director of Communications...
| No images? Click here  LONDON AT SEA?As LDN’s regular readers know, LCA tends to let the stories speak for themselves, rarely if ever making too much of ourselves in this must-read weekly news bulletin. But this week, we have news that is simply too exciting to bury. We are really delighted to announce that Paddy Hennessy, Sadiq Khan’s former Director of Communications, will be starting with us in a full time Senior Advisor role from 31 August. Paddy is a strategic hire, following a strong performance over the last 18 months with no staff cuts or furlough and growth in key sectors including social and digital, corporate communications and graphic design. You can read more about Paddy here but with his background in journalism and politics he is going to bring enormous value to us and our clients and we can’t wait for him to start! Meanwhile, below we’ve got the splashback from the recent flooding, the backlash from levelling up and the payback for leaseholders affected by cladding and fire safety issues. And finally, the latest blog from our Chairman, Robert Gordon Clark and our friend, Professor Tony Travers of the LSE, is now online. It examines the sheer scale of change at the top of London’s boroughs in recent years and what this may mean for next May’s local elections. As ever we hope you enjoy this edition and if you don't already, follow us on Twitter and Instagram and feel free to visit our website for more information on LCA’s team, services, and clients. Oh and 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.  FLOODS (CONT'D)A second set of flash floods in as many weeks has put the issue at the top of the agenda for the Mayor, water companies and others in charge of keeping the city dry and moving. This past Sunday again saw unseasonal rain overwhelm drains and sewers and in turn infrastructure and private property across multiple locations, from Hackney and Newham at one end of the city to Wandsworth and Sutton at the other. Three hospitals run by the Barts NHS Trust in East London were affected, of which Whipps Cross was hit the worst. Tube and rail stations from Covent Garden to Pudding Mill Lane were also forced to close. Then came the soul-searching, with the Mayor convening a meeting ‘to ensure everything possible is being done to prevent and reduce the impact of flooding in the capital.’ But as pointed out by the mainstream media and trade press alike, the flood risks faced by the city should not be a surprise to anyone – and as observed by local MPs in some of the worst-hit areas, the Government has not exactly showered local authorities with the resources needed to mitigate these risks. Clearly, London needs more of the foresight – and political will – that brought us the Thames Barrier and will bring us (in the fullness of time) the new Tideway Tunnel. But for now, if you find yourself waterlogged and looking for the high ground in, let’s say… the West End, your best bet might be the much-maligned Marble Arch Mound, which opened to the public this week. CITY HALL PLANNING AND HOUSING
OTHER LONDON PLANNING NEWS
RETURN OF THE BLAIRITES?The Labour Party’s London region held its conference over the weekend, heralding a major change of personnel in key posts. At the last such conference in March 2019, pro-Corbyn Momentum-backed candidates had snapped up almost all the regional board, or Regional Executive Committee (REC), positions up for election, including those of Chair and Vice-Chair. Fast forward to 2021 and the exact opposite has occurred. As covered in detail by LabourList, OnLondon and the Evening Standard, candidates backed by the ‘centrist’ pro-Starmer “Labour to Win” campaign swept up 18 of 23 positions up for grabs, with only five won by Momentum-backed candidates. UNISON’s Maggi Ferncombe has been elected Chair, with Brent councillor Shama Tatler and Harrow councillor Dean Gilligan elected as vice-chairs. The REC has influence over campaigns, selections and trigger ballots, as well as disciplinary procedures. The conference was also, however, a reminder that London Labour’s internal dynamics are far more complex than a simple ‘right versus left’; while Sadiq Khan will probably be pleased at the REC’s change in leadership, he'll have been dismayed that delegates approved a motion urging him to ‘cancel’ the Silvertown Tunnel project. PEOPLE NEWS
 LEVELLING DOWN CONT'D?There are days when we feel a bit self-conscious banging on about ‘levelling up’ being a threat to London – and then there are days when our fears are, sadly, confirmed. The capital is clearly being penalised by a decision from the Department for Education (via the Office for Students) to remove the ‘London weighting’ for grants to universities and higher education colleges in the capital (a topic we also covered back in February). This is in addition to cuts affecting arts courses, which will also impact many higher education institutions in London. The Government argues that these cuts are no big deal, accounting for ‘less than one per cent’ of affected institutions’ estimated total income and that this ‘reprioritisation of grant funding is designed to align with the needs and priorities of the nation at this time.’ But articles in The Guardian, the Evening Standard and the Financial Times suggest that universities, unions, arts organisations and many London MPs beg to differ. Higher education funding aside, even the London Conservatives are starting to come out of the woodwork to argue that London-bashing will get the Government nowhere – see for example a recent article by the Tory leader of Kensington & Chelsea Council and chair of Central London Forward, Elizabeth Campbell, bluntly arguing that ‘London needs levelling up too’. TROUBLE IN TORY-LAND?The Government’s planning reforms meanwhile also continue to cause trouble among the party’s foot soldiers. The Telegraph has reported that Conservative councillors are now gearing up to openly ‘revolt’ against the plans, with Tory opposition councillors in Richmond having supported a motion warning that the reforms would ‘curtail residents’ rights to influence development where they live’ and a similar move is being planned by the Conservative leadership of Medway Council in Kent. These moves to revolt come after Labour’s Shadow Local Government Secretary, Steve Reed, actively called on Conservative rebels to put ‘your money where your mouth is’ and show the Government the ‘strength of feeling’ against the proposals. Meanwhile, a Local Government Association survey indicates that it’s not just Conservatives who might be concerned about key elements of the Government’s still-nebulous planning reforms, which would (as outlined at present) shift the weight of community consultation to the Local Plan-making stage and away from individual schemes. It found that 82% of respondents in a survey of about 1,000 Brits ‘felt it was important to be able to comment on individual plans for all housing developments in their local area’. Whilst not a massive sample, 82% is high. CROYDON TRAM INQUESTAlmost five-years on from the tragic Croydon tram crash, a jury has found that the deaths of seven passengers were accidental. After an eight-week inquest, followed by nine days of deliberations, the jury’s verdict said a contributing factor was that the tram driver became disorientated, causing a loss of awareness in his surroundings and failure to brake in time. The verdict also acknowledged the tram operator’s failure to adequately account for the risk of high-speed derailment and lack of a ‘just culture’ where drivers felt able to report health and safety concerns. The verdict has left the victims’ families understandably upset and they have said they will now write to the attorney general and apply to the high court for a judicial review of the coroner’s decision not to admit numerous witnesses from Trams Operation Ltd (TOL), the operating company. Since the crash TOL owner First Group has said it has introduced safety measures including improved speed monitoring, in-cab safety devices, better rosters and more training on the risk of fatigue. Separate to the coroner’s inquest, TfL and TOL “began” to admit liability for the purpose of settling some civil claims brought forward by victims and their families in 2017 and a relevant BBC report from last week suggested that it has now “paid compensation to the families”. BUILDING SAFETY BOMBSHELLS?Following expert advice, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has announced (more details here) a series of moves aimed at supporting leaseholders affected by the cladding crisis. The announcement particularly emphasises a commitment to withdraw guidance which made the dreaded EWS1 form a prerequisite for selling or remortgaging flats in blocks of flats up to 18 metres tall. This has been cautiously welcomed by the National Fire Chiefs Council, though others – from Inside Housing Deputy Editor Peter Apps, to Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary Lucy Powell MP – are more sceptical. While the above dominated media coverage, the Government’s controversial Building Safety Bill was also going through its Second Reading stage on that very day. After a long debate, the Commons waved the Bill through to Committee stage, commencing 9 September. Even less attention was paid by the media to a new, directly relevant consultation also launched on the same day, on the proposed ‘levy on developers who seek regulatory permission to build certain high rise residential buildings – ‘Gateway 2’. 
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