MD3384 Delivery Plan – Delivering a Greener, More Climate-Resilient London

Background
1.1.    The Greater London Authority (GLA) has been establishing refreshed delivery and governance arrangements over the last few months. 
1.2.    In undertaking these changes, we have:
•    defined a set of London-level, long-term outcomes which reflect Londoners’ aspirations for the city and towards which the GLA and the GLA Group are working, in partnership with others
•    agreed a small set of strategic, high-level, programmes which the Mayor will commission the GLA Group to deliver in order that the GLA and the GLA Group make the appropriate contributions towards the London-level outcomes.
1.3.    MD3274 ‘Updates to GLA Governance Documents’, published on 13 June 2024, marked the first formal step in implementing new portfolio and governance arrangements and set out approved revisions to the arrangements through which the Mayor exercises and, where appropriate, delegates his powers. It also laid out some changes to the way the GLA’s senior leadership works to ensure that the GLA is successful in exercising its strategic role and in securing delivery.
1.4.    The GLA is now bringing forward for approval delivery plans for the 14 strategic, high-level, programmes which are led by the GLA and involve functional bodies as appropriate. These are numbered 1-14 and set out below, along with delivery plans 15-21, where the relevant GLA Group organisation is taking a leadership role: 
1.    Building more homes
2.    Making best use of land
3.    Improving London’s housing stock
4.    Reducing inequalities
5.    Accommodation and wider support for those who need it most
6.    Reducing non-residential emissions
7.    Delivering a greener, more climate-resilient London
8.    Cleaning London’s air
9.    Supporting Londoners to benefit from growth
10.    Supporting and inspiring young London
11.    Boosting London’s growth sectors
12.    Helping local economies to thrive
13.    Upgrading London’s infrastructure
14.    Celebrating London
15.    Reducing violence and exploitation
16.    Building safer, more confident communities
17.    Supporting and overseeing reform of the Metropolitan Police Service
18.    Improving the Criminal Justice System and supporting victims
19.    Healthy streets
20.    Decarbonising transport
21.    Providing more effective, accessible and affordable public transport.
1.5.    The Mayor has been issuing mandates for these proposed programmes to prospective Senior Responsible Owners (SROs). Mayoral mandates define what the Mayor wants to see from each of the programmes, including their scope, objectives, and cross-cutting priorities. Programmes and their associated delivery plans have been developed by the proposed programme SROs, working with the relevant Deputy Mayors, Mayoral Directors and others in response to the Mayor’s mandates. They have been developed to strike the right balance between setting out plans and retaining flexibility to respond to events and learning, as delivery progresses, recognising that agility is important in the context of a changing landscape.
1.6.    Delivery plans lay out the London-level outcomes to which each programme contributes. In considering the GLA’s specific role in contributing to the London-level outcomes, programme SRO’s have focused on the role of the GLA as London’s strategic regional authority. This has meant looking carefully at where activities most effectively sit within the London system and how the GLA can work with partners to unlock and drive progress. In some cases that will be through direct delivery or through funding. In others it will be through more indirect mechanisms such as system reconfiguration, coalition formation, technical support or capacity building.
1.7.    Resource allocations to each programme are based on the allocations contained in the GLA: Mayor Budget 2025-26. Changes required to delivery plans over time will be agreed by the Mayoral Delivery Board (MDB), or the Mayor, in line with our revised governance arrangements.
1.8.    Delivery plans lay out how each programme makes a positive difference to the relevant London-level outcomes. Key programme outputs are also detailed and will be reported quarterly to MDB, which is responsible for monitoring the performance and delivery of each programme’s delivery plans. 
Overview of the Delivering a Greener, More Climate-Resilient London delivery plan
1.9.    The Mayoral mandate for the Delivering a Greener, More Climate-Resilient London programme is appended to this decision form at Appendix 1. The proposed delivery plan is appended at Appendix 2 and presented by the Assistant Director, Environment and Energy, as the proposed SRO, for the Mayor’s approval. 
1.10.    By approving the plan, and the resources allocated to it, the Mayor is enabling the GLA, working with partners, to contribute to the core London-level outcomes: 
•    Londoners can enjoy green and wild spaces across the capital 
•    London is resilient to extreme weather and the impacts of climate change. 
1.11.    While green and blue spaces make up 52 per cent of London’s surface area, too many communities still lack access to high-quality green spaces. At the same time, London's climate is changing: floods, droughts, heatwaves, and fires have cost the city’s businesses and residents millions of pounds, in recent years; and harmed the health of many Londoners, particularly those living in the most vulnerable communities. This delivery plan will focus efforts where they are needed most: achieving more equitable access to nature; and supporting those Londoners who have contributed relatively little to climate change but are often the most affected.
1.12.    The Delivering a Greener, More Climate-Resilient London delivery plan aims to improve access to nature and drive climate adaptation, while ensuring the benefits are felt equitably across the city. It has two strands:
•    Accelerating delivery. This will involve building partnerships and providing GLA funding to produce tangible, positive outcomes in Londoners’ access to nature and reducing impacts of climate change, particularly for some of our most vulnerable communities.
•    Providing leadership. The GLA will utilise the Mayor’s platform to convene and influence action across the city, alongside offering necessary strategy and evidence. This leadership will drive meaningful city-wide change towards a greener, more climate-resilient London.
1.13.    The proposed delivery plan sets out the budget for each project within the programme. 
1.14.     Projects detailed in the delivery plan fall into one of three categories: 
•    projects which are already set out in detail in an existing Mayoral Decision or Director Decision 
•    projects for which this Mayoral Decision seeks Mayoral delegation to the SRO to take expenditure decisions
•    projects which will require separate Mayoral Decisions.
1.15.    The projects with Mayoral Decisions and/or other relevant approvals already in place are:
•    the Urban Tree Challenge Fund under the project named ‘increasing London’s tree canopy through partnership action’ – approved under MD2567 and MD2909
•    remaining work from the existing Trees for London initiative now delivered under the project named ‘increasing London’s tree canopy through partnership action’ – approved under MD3032 and MD3238
•    the receipt of funding for the Pathways to Resilience initiative under the project named ‘convening partnership action on climate resilience’ – approved under DD2714
•    the receipt of funding for the Maximising UK Adaptation to Climate Change initiative under the project named ‘convening partnership action on climate resilience’ – approved under MD3291
•    the evidence commissioned under the project named ‘ensuring London’s planning policies maintain environmental protections whilst supporting housing delivery and economic growth’ – approved under MD3185
•    the London Green Infrastructure Framework under the project named ‘providing delivery partners with the tools and information to take effective action’ – approved under MD3185
•    the Local Nature Recovery Strategy under the project named ‘providing delivery partners with the tools and information to take effective action’ – approved under MD3185 
•    the project named ‘supporting local projects through the Green Roots Programme’ – approved under MD3374.
1.16.    Projects for which this Mayoral Decision seeks Mayoral delegation to the SRO to take expenditure decisions are: 
•    delivering clean and healthy waterways (£200,000 in 2025-26; £200,000 in 2026-27)
•    increasing London’s tree canopy through partnership action (£100,000 in 2025-26; £150,000 in 2026-27; £150,000 in 2027-28) 
•    convening partnership action on climate resilience (£525,000 in 2025-26; £300,000 in 2026-27; £50,000 in 2027-28) 
•    ensuring London’s planning policies maintain environmental protections while supporting housing delivery and economic growth (£200,000 in 2025-26, £25,000 in 2026-27; £25,000 in 2027-28)
•    providing delivery partners with the tools and information to take effective action (£360,000 in 2025-26; £120,000 in 2026-27; £20,000 in 2027-28). 
1.17.    One project will require a separate Mayoral Decision because it is introducing new large-scale funding programmes. It is: 
•    investing in strategic projects focused on climate adaptation and greening. 
1.18.    The Assistant Director, Environment and Energy, will ensure compliance with the obligations set out in The Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014 which describe when written records of decisions and their content need to be published. Director Decisions and Assistant Director Decisions will be required, where appropriate, to meet these transparency requirements, including in instances where GLA funds are paid to external organisations.
Securing additional funding for projects in the delivery plan
1.19.    Key to meeting the objectives and expected outcomes of the Delivering a Greener, More Climate-Resilient London delivery plan is securing funding to support the delivery of both new and existing projects. This funding may come from central government, but may also come from other sources including agencies, utilities providers, philanthropic funders and the private sector. 
1.20.    Where funding is secured in the future, to support the delivery of projects with legacy approvals in place, this decision form seeks approval to agree the receipt of such funding by the GLA without the need for a further Mayoral Decision. This would be for any funding secured to deliver projects that are already approved, and which contribute to the Delivering a Greener, More Climate-Resilient London delivery plan. 
1.21.    Where additional funding from government (or other sources) is secured in the future to expand, or extend, existing approved projects contained in the Delivering a Greener, More Climate-Resilient London delivery plan, and the parameters remain the same, or similar, as originally agreed with government (or the relevant body), this Decision form seeks approval to delegate to the Assistant Director, Environment and Energy to agree the receipt of such funding after consulting with legal advisors and the GLA’s Chief Finance Officer and subsequently having secured agreement from the MDB. For the purposes of considering whether the parameters are similar as originally agreed with government (or the relevant body), the Assistant Director, Environment and Energy will have regard to whether the outcomes to be delivered have changed significantly or there is a significant change in attendant risks of the original scheme. If the outcomes to be delivered have changed significantly, there is a significant change in attendant risks, or the decision is viewed as novel, contentious or repercussive, a Mayoral Decision will be required.
1.22.    Any decisions to accept additional funding will need to comply with the obligations set out in The Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014 as highlighted in paragraph 1.18 above. Any decisions to accept additional funding that do not require a formal decision form must be documented via a Record in Writing, as defined in MD3274 'Updates to GLA Governance Documents’, signed in June 2024, and will be reported, publicly, quarterly.

2.1.    The delivery plan for the Delivering a Greener, More Climate-Resilience London programme describes how the GLA will work with partners to increase Londoners’ access to nature and adapt our city to climate change, ensuring that these benefits are felt equitably. It includes activity towards meeting the Mayor’s commitments around clean and healthy waterways and the establishment of a new Green Roots Fund.
2.2.    The objectives and expected outcomes of the programme are set out in the Delivering a Greener, More Climate-Resilient London delivery plan which is appended as Appendix 2.

2.3.    The core London-level outcomes to which this programme will contribute are: Londoners can enjoy green and wild spaces across the capital; and London is resilient to extreme weather and the impacts of climate change. This reflects the importance of access to nature for Londoners’ wellbeing; and the growing impacts of climate change on the health and safety of Londoners and our city. 
2.4.    The Delivering a Greener, More Climate-Resilient London programme will also make a substantive contribution to the London-level outcomes: Londoners live in neighbourhoods that are well-planned and designed; London is a world-leading global city; and Londoners live in a city that supports their mental and physical health.
 

3.1.    Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, the Mayor and GLA must comply with the public sector equality duty (PSED) and must have due regard to the need to:
•    eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act
•    advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not
•    foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not.
3.2.    The ‘protected characteristics’ are: age, disability, gender re-assignment, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership (but only in respect of the requirements to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination), race (ethnic or national origins, colour or nationality), religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex, and sexual orientation. 
3.3.    Consideration of the PSED is not a one-off task. The duty must be fulfilled before taking a decision, at the time of taking a decision, and after the decision has been taken, to ensure that equalities impacts are kept under ongoing review.
3.4.    The Delivering a Greener, More Climate-Resilience London delivery plan is aligned with the policies and proposals in the London Environment Strategy, which has been informed by a full integrated impact assessment, including consideration of equalities. The Equalities Assessment Report for the London Environment Strategy noted that exposure to poor environmental conditions is much higher among Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Londoners.   
3.5.    Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Londoners, and lower-income Londoners, are more likely to live in areas of deficiency of access to green space, or in areas where green space quality is poor. GLA research has found that women, adult Londoners aged 25 and under, lower-income Londoners and social renters visit parks less often. National research has found that Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people are least likely to visit green spaces. Similarly, 21 per cent of households in London lack access to a private or shared garden; across England, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people are less likely to have access to a garden than White people.  
3.6.    Climate impacts are felt unequally across London, with poorer, disadvantaged communities often living in conditions that magnify the impact of climate change. Climate impacts can also be felt disproportionately amongst people with protected characteristics, and there is a high level of intersection across impacts.   
3.7.    This delivery plan specifically responds to and aims to tackle these disparities. Some elements of the programme will focus on inclusion and involvement, implementing particular green and blue infrastructure interventions to improve access to and the benefits from it, particularly for groups currently underrepresented. The equality impacts of the Delivering a Greener, More Climate-Resilient London programme will be kept under review as appropriate to ensure that the PSED is complied with on an ongoing basis.
3.8.    One project in the Delivering a Greener, More Climate-Resilient London delivery plan requires a further Mayoral Decision, through which equality considerations will be considered in more detail. 
 

Risks and issues
4.1.    The following programme-level risks to the delivery of the Delivering a Greener, More Climate-Resilient London programme have been identified:

4.2.    The Assistant Director for Environment and Energy as the SRO for the programme will be responsible for implementing and overseeing a risk framework for the programme.  Project risks and mitigations will be managed as currently at a project level and reported periodically to the Programme Board. The Programme Board will also review the above programme-level risks and mitigations, reporting to the Mayoral Delivery Board alongside progress against programme objectives as part of the GLA's quarterly reporting regime. 

Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities
4.3.    The programmes outlined in this decision support the following Mayoral strategies:
•    The delivery plan sets out details of interventions that will support the Mayor’s commitments and policies. The delivery plan will contribute towards policies 5.1.1, 8.2.1 and 8.2.3, and objectives 5.1 and 12 of the London Environment Strategy. In developing this delivery plan, the continued relevance of the London Environment Strategy has been kept under review.
•    The delivery plan will also operate in line with other strategies, plans and report recommendations, such as the London Climate Resilience Review, London Urban Forest Plan and the London Rewilding Taskforce’s recommendations. 
•    It will also contribute towards a number of other policies focused on improving London’s environment and access to and engagement with green space, including chapters 1, 3, 5, 8, 9 and 10 of the London Plan, objective 3.3 of the London Health Inequalities Strategy, Inclusive London Strategic Objective 12, London Transport Strategy policies 2, 8 and 10 and the aims and outcomes of the New Deal for Young People.  
Consultations
4.4.    For projects which already have a formal decision form in place, the consultation undertaken for these projects is set out in the relevant decision forms.
4.5.    The level and timing of consultation will vary for those projects not requiring a subsequent formal decision form. This will be a mixture of informal consultation with key stakeholders, as well as formal consultation.  
4.6.    Where further Mayoral Decision forms will be required to progress the projects in the Delivering a Greener, More Climate-Resilient London delivery plan, consultation will be undertaken where appropriate; this will be shaped through engagement with relevant stakeholders such as delivery partners, community stakeholders and advisory groups.
4.7.    There are no conflicts of interest arising from those involved in the drafting and clearance of this decision form. As and when individual conflicts of interest arise during the delivery of initiatives contained in the Delivering a Greener, More Climate-Resilient London delivery plan, they will be handled in line with the GLA policy on registering and declaring interests.
 

5.1.    The programme budget is set out in the delivery plan and summarised in the table below:

5.2.    The budget allocated to this delivery plan is presented in the GLA: Mayor budget 2025-26, approved on 31 March 2025 under MD3330, as below:

5.3.    Budget will be transferred from this programme’s delivery plan to other programmes’ delivery plans in accordance with our governance processes, subject to Mayoral approval of this decision, as follows:

5.4.    The budget set out at paragraph 5.1 reflects the net effect of these budget transfers as well as other amendments such as anticipated income.
5.5.    Any budget commitments for future years are subject to the annual budget setting process.
5.6.    Any future transfers and movements within the budget for this programme, or between this and other programmes, will be handled in accordance with the GLA’s governance processes. 
 

6.1.    Under section 30(1) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (the GLA Act), the Mayor acting on behalf of the GLA has the power to do anything that he considers will further any one or more of the GLA’s principal purposes, which are:
•    promoting economic development and wealth creation in Greater London
•    promoting social development in Greater London
•    promoting the improvement of the environment in Greater London. 
6.2.    In deciding whether or how to exercise the general power in section 30(1), section 30 (4) of the GLA Act requires the GLA to have regard to the effect which the proposed exercise of the power would have on:
•    the health of persons in Greater London
•    health inequalities between persons living in Greater London
•    the achievement of sustainable development in the UK
•    climate change, and the consequences of climate change. 
6.3.    Where the GLA exercises the power under section 30(1), pursuant to section 30(5) it must do so in the way which it considers best calculated to:
•    promote improvements in the health of persons in Greater London
•    promote the reduction of health inequalities between persons living in Greater London
•    contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom
•    contribute towards the mitigation of, or adaptation to, climate change, in the United Kingdom.
6.4.    The GLA must also make arrangements with a view to securing that in the exercise of the power in section 30(1) there is due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people in accordance with section 33 of the GLA Act and consult with such bodies or persons as the GLA may consider appropriate in this particular case in accordance with section 32 of the GLA Act.
6.5.    Under section 34 of the GLA Act, the GLA, acting by the Mayor, the Assembly, or both jointly, may do anything that is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of any functions of the GLA exercisable by the Mayor; or, as the case may be, by the Assembly, or by both acting jointly. The foregoing sections of this report indicate that the decisions requested of the Mayor concern the exercise of the GLA’s powers under section 30 and section 34 of the GLA Act. 
6.6.    Under section 38 of the GLA Act, any function exercisable by the Mayor on behalf of the GLA may also be exercised by a member of the GLA’s staff – albeit subject to any conditions that the Mayor sees fit to impose. To this end, the Mayor may make the requested delegations to the Assistant Director, Environment and Energy, subject to the conditions and requirements set out in this Mayoral Decision. 
6.7.    Section 31 of the GLA Act places limits on the general power and prohibits the GLA from incurring expenditure on anything which may be done by TfL, MOPAC or the LFC.
6.8.    In taking the decisions requested of him, the Mayor must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) contained in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. To this end, the Mayor should have particular regard to section three (above) of this report.
6.9.    If the Mayor makes the decisions sought, officers must also ensure that:
•    no reliance is placed on, nor commitments made in reliance of:
-    third party funding until legally binding commitments are secured for it and officers are satisfied that their proposed use of the same aligns with any conditions of award
-    future budgets remaining subject to the outcome of the budget setting process for future financial years, until those budget setting exercises are completed
-    “returned funding” without confirmation that it can be used as proposed and, where applicable, liaising with third party funders and varying current GLA funding agreements to reflect the reallocation of funding
•    where applicable, the Subsidy Control Act 2022 is observed
•    where expenditure concerns: 
-    purchase of services: they are procured in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code (the “Code”) and where applicable the Procurement Act 2023 (the “Act”); officers liaise with Transport for London’s procurement and supply chain team, which will determine the detail of the procurement strategy to be adopted in accordance with the Code and the Act; and put in place appropriate contractual documentation and ensure it is executed by the chosen service provider and GLA before the commencement of those services 
-    the award of grant funding, such awards are made fairly, transparently, in accordance with the GLA’s equalities requirements and with the requirements of GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code and funding agreements are put in place between and executed by the GLA and recipients before any commitment to fund is made.
6.10.    If the Mayor makes the decisions sought, the Assistant Director, Environment and Energy must comply with the obligations set out in The Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014 when taking decisions in accordance with the delegations set out in this decision form. In particular regulation 7 which provides that where a decision has been delegated to an officer either (a) under a specific express authorisation or (b) under a general authorisation and the effect of the decision is to award a contract or incur expenditure which, in either case, materially affects the GLA’s financial position, the officer to whom the delegation has been made must produce a written record of the decision (regulation 7(1) and (2)).  Regulation 7(3) provides that the written record must be produced as soon as reasonably practicable after the decision has been taken and must contain the date the decision was taken, a record of the decision taken with reasons, details of options considered and rejected, if any, and where a decision is delegated under a specific express authorisation, any conflicts of interest. Regulation 8 requires the written record, together with any background papers, must as soon as reasonably practicable after the record is made, be made available for inspection by members of the public including on the GLA’s website.
 

7.1.    Timelines are as set out in the delivery plan appended as Appendix 2. 

Appendix 1 – Delivering a Greener and More Climate-Resilient London mandate
Appendix 2 – Delivering a Greener and More Climate-Resilient London delivery plan