MD3408 GLA Community Engagement and Participation programmes 2025-28

1.1.    This Mayoral Decision (MD) seeks approval to spend £2,427,000 in financial years 2025-26 to 2027-28 for activity under the Mayor’s proposed Reducing Inequality programme and the related proposed delivery plan. As detailed in Annex 1, these programmes contribute towards the following London outcomes:

•    Londoners are treated fairly and with dignity 
•    Londoners can have a say in the running of the city
•    Londoners live in a city that supports their mental and physical health.

1.2.    This MD seeks approval for specific allocation for key programmes before the overarching programme MD is approved, as work needs to be delivered on key Mayoral priorities and to fund key external partners. Where programmes need multi-year funding agreements to enable delivery, approval is sought for the years 2025-26 to 2027-28, subject to annual approval of the GLA’s budgets. For other programmes approval is sought for the financial year 2025-26, to enable delivery within the current financial year. Approval for subsequent years of funding for these programmes will be sought through the MD establishing the overall Reducing Inequality programme. 

1.3.    The GLA’s Community Engagement and Participation programmes aim to bridge the gap between the Greater London Authority (GLA) and London’s diverse communities. This is achieved through the following interrelated workstreams: 

•    removing barriers to civic and democratic participation
•    improving engagement practice at the GLA to ensure historically underserved communities are involved in decision making
•    applying community-centred approaches to involve Londoners and civil society organisations in the journey towards better maternal health outcomes and improved social cohesion. 

1.4.    In each of these workstreams, the GLA’s Community Engagement Team (CET) provides a platform for communities to be seen, heard, resourced and more actively engaged in City Hall decision-making.  The programmes and projects sit under the proposed Reducing Inequalities programme, for which community engagement is a cross-cutting principle.

1.5.    The decisions sought in this Mayoral Decision (MD) build on those made under:

•    MD3119 (Community Engagement and Civil Society 2023-25 Programme)
•    DD2720 (LVRW 2025 and wider civic and democratic participation - community engagement).

Improving Engagement Practice, foundations of engagement and Civil Society programmes

1.6.    The GLA’s community engagement work is based on the principle that those who are most affected by an issue are likely to have the most valuable insights into how to respond to it. The communities and individuals most affected by key issues should therefore be involved in decision-making on how to tackle and address those issues. This is because policy that is developed collaboratively with communities is more effective and delivers better outcomes. 

1.7.    This mission is achieved by working with teams across the GLA to improve community engagement practice and deliver programme and policy interventions that are co-designed with London’s communities to achieve greater impact. CET has carried out extensive engagement with policy teams across the GLA to establish levels of knowledge and confidence in community engagement and participation, any gaps in practice and current support offer, advice and training needs. CET’s offer to teams across the GLA to support engagement practice have been accordingly. 

1.8.    Expenditure of up to £60,000 in financial year 2025-26 as part of the Foundations of Engagement programme will support direct engagement with London’s communities from the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice, including support for visits, community events and the commissioning of research and resources to support London’s communities. In turn, this work strengthens the community insight and engagement in GLA programmes and increases understanding and trust in the GLA.

1.9.    Expenditure of up to £60,000 in financial year 2025-26 part of the Improving Engagement Practice programmes will build the capacity and expertise of GLA teams through:

•    updating existing guidance which is out-of-date
•    delivering new resources including further content for the GLA’s community insights hub to ensure it reflects the breadth of activity across the Mayor’s priorities and further resources that have emerged from consultation with GLA policy teams about their engagement needs
•    delivering training and peer learning groups as established ways to improve engagement skills within the GLA and create centres of expertise
•    providing expert advice at every stage of design, delivery and evaluation, and having the resource for any emergency engagement in key Mayoral priority areas. 

1.10.    The GLA as a city-wide, strategic authority works in collaboration with civil society to have the reach and impact at scale needed to deliver key mayoral priorities and address structural inequalities. To support this, expenditure of up to £60,000 in financial year 2025-26 as part of the GLA’s Civil Society programme will support the following activity in relation to Mayoral priorities:

•    work in partnership with communities disproportionally impacted, and strategic partners, including the London Anti-Racism Collaboration for Health (LARCH), to improve Black maternal health. Work will include activity to support engagement activity by partner organisations and activity to support improvements in practice across the health system
•    resources for accessible and representative engagement by civil society in the development and delivery of Mayoral priorities, including in the Mayor’s Loved and Wanted Community programme and wider communications campaign. 

1.11.    London is one of the most diverse cities in the world, with more than 300 languages spoken every day. Yet its statues, plaques and street names don't reflect our city's stories. The Mayor is committed to ensuring that the capital’s population and history are celebrated and commemorated. This work is delivered through the Diversity in the Public Realm programme. It includes work on the Memorial to victims of transatlantic slavery to honour the sacrifices, contributions, lives and descendants of those enslaved during the transatlantic slave trade through a permanent artwork, satellite sites and a learning and community engagement programmes. This MD seeks approval for expenditure of £88,000 (£43,000 in 2025-26 and £45,000 in 2026-27) for a fixed-term post (lasting two years) to deliver this work, which will also be approved in parallel through the Establishment Control Process.

1.12.    Ultimately, these programmes aim to ensure that the work of the GLA has a bigger, more positive impact on Londoners’ quality of life, especially those who are most underserved. For this to be achieved, Londoners need to feel seen, heard and respected by the GLA; and GLA teams need to better involve Londoners in the development and delivery of their policy and programmes, reflecting their needs, lives and concerns, especially those most impacted by those policies and programmes.

Loved and Wanted Community programme

1.13.    The GLA has statutory powers to carry out work to further the promotion of social development in Greater London. To continue building a fairer, more socially just and cohesive London, we will establish the Loved and Wanted Community programme. 

1.14.    It is a Mayoral priority to continue to build a city in which everyone feels they belong. Amidst this backdrop, the Mayor launched a Loved and Wanted in London campaign to mobilise support for London’s diverse communities around shared values of respect, unity and togetherness. 

1.15.    The proposed Loved and Wanted Community programme builds on evidence from the Mayor’s Social Integration strategy and recent reports following the 2024 riots, including a report commissioned by the London Resilience Unit. Together they refer to relationships (promoting shared experiences), participation (supporting Londoners have a say in decision making) and equality (tackling barriers and inequalities) as key aspects of building better trust within communities and institutions. The reports also highlight the key role faith groups play as trusted local institutions, especially in minority ethnic and migrant communities.

1.16.    Expenditure of £1,210,000 in financial years 2025-26 to 2027-28 (comprising of £395,000 in 2025-26, £405,000 in 2026-27, £410,000 in 2027-28) part of the Loved and Wanted Community programme will help deliver activity that will promote greater levels of social cohesion by bringing communities together across difference and addressing the barriers Londoners face to participating fully in community life. This programme will be delivered through support for a London-wide network of medium- to large-scale, venue-based community organisations, rooted in their neighbourhoods and well placed to work in ways aligned to the values of Loved and Wanted in London campaign. Organisations will be supported in their cohesion work through three-year grant funding and a training and networking programme. In return, they will deliver a range of activities that strengthen relationships between communities locally and improve Londoners’ access to services and Mayoral programmes. 

1.17.    Faith-led organisations play a key role in supporting Londoners, bringing diverse communities together, and mobilising quickly to address local needs. The ability of faith groups to act on local knowledge and support public-sector crisis response was pivotal across the COVID-19 pandemic, in subsequent resilience efforts, and again amidst last summer’s disorder. In London, there is significant appetite amongst faith leaders and those in the public sector to further support such cooperation and strengthen the role of faith organisations in supporting Londoners and in policymaking. Funding will also be used to support City-wide interfaith activity and convening, including in support of the development and delivery of the Loved and Wanted Communities programme and any research and tools needed to support this aim. 

Civic and Democratic Participation programme

1.18.    The GLA has statutory powers to further the promotion of social development in Greater London. It is considered that supporting civic and democratic participation furthers the promotion of social development and fits within the GLA remit and is delivered via the impartial Civic and Democratic Participation programme. 

1.19.    Research from the Electoral Commission into the state of the December 2022 electoral registers  shows that London has one of the lowest voter-registration rates in England. Not registering to vote has significant consequences for representation and inclusion in London, including exclusion from selection for jury service and increased difficulties in gaining a credit rating. The GLA, with a coalition of support, has delivered London Voter Registration Week (LVRW) every year since 2019, engaging with under-registered and under-represented Londoners to support their democratic participation.  

1.20.    The Elections Act 2022 (“the 2022 Act”) introduced a requirement, from May 2023, for voters to show an accepted form of photographic identification (photo ID) to vote in UK Parliamentary, local and other elections, including elections for the Mayor of London and London Assembly. Any voter who does not have an accepted form of identification can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate from their local authority. The 2022 Act also made changes to postal and proxy voting from October 2023 and changed the voting rights of EU Londoners from May 2024.

1.21.    The government has made commitments to further changes to electoral law, including the introduction of votes at 16, a review of accepted forms of photo Voter IDs, improvements to the voter registration process and more. Alongside confirmation of future budget, the focus of this project, and the resource required, will therefore be subject to further review based on the progress of an Elections Bill, with the intention of working towards a system which includes automated voter registration. 

1.22.    The GLA continues to develop and coordinate impartial civic and democratic participation activity with the London Voter Registration Strategic Partnership (LVRSP), which is made up of representatives from professional and statutory bodies (the Association of Electoral Administrators and the Electoral Commission), and civil society organisations. 

1.23.    Subject to further review for 2026-27 and 2027-28, expenditure of £455,000 in financial years 2025-26 to 2027-28 (comprising of £85,000 in 2025-26, £185,000 in 2026-27, and £185,000 in 2027-28) will continue to build on the good practice of the current co-design and co-delivery model with borough councils and the broad civil society coalition of support to deliver:

•    the annual London Voter Registration Week (in September)
•    the annual London Democracy Week (in March)
•    upcoming changes to electoral law and wider reforms announced by government. 

1.24.    Across the programme and through each strand of work, impartiality will continue to be maintained in the messaging, design and delivery of resources and activity. Hence, this MD requests a delegation to the Executive Director for Communities and Skills to vary the breakdown in paragraph 1.33 of relevant expenditure pertaining to the Civic and Democratic Participation programme, for which they remain the Senior Responsible Officer, to respond to any legislative change (for example, introduction of votes at 16, changes to accepted forms of photo Voter ID, potential changes to the voter registration process). 

London Plus funding

1.25.    London Plus is the infrastructure organisation for London’s civil society. With unique networks, on the ground sector knowledge, and access to the sector intelligence that is invaluable in informing policymaking, the organisation plays a key and otherwise unfulfilled role in London’s civil society work. The work undertaken by London Plus seeks to reduce inequalities in London and strengthen the civil society sector, which aligns with GLA priorities. Accordingly, it is proposed that the GLA award grant funding (from its Civil Society and Sport unit (CSS) and the Health team budgets) as a contribution to London Plus’s costs in that regard. London Plus played a key role during the COVID-19 pandemic; was a core partner in the Building Strong Communities mission; and continues to work with volunteer centres and councils for voluntary services (VCSs) in London. It provides the support needed in London to convene the voluntary and community, and community resilience sectors; lead debate; and shape change. A grant to London Plus of up to £290,000 (consisting of CSS £25,000 and Health £65,000 in 2025-26, CSS £35,000 and Health £65,000 in 2026-27, CSS £35,000 and Health £65,000 in 2027-28) enables the ongoing activity of London Plus’s work to support London’s civil society.

1.26.    The priorities of London Plus and the GLA are closely aligned, with both organisations aiming to strengthen civil society in London by convening the sector, supporting organisations to share practice and support each other, by distributing grant funding, and sharing insights and intelligence from the sector with decision-makers. London Plus is a key partner in working to reduce inequalities, including those in health and volunteering. London Plus has a long track record of work to improve equality of access to volunteering, which in and of itself is both a way of directly delivering a reduction in health inequalities and is an enabler - providing services around the reduction of health inequalities.

1.27.    Funding for London Plus seeks to support the following broad objectives:

•    strengthen the VCS’s sector’s relationships with public sector bodies to enable greater opportunities to support civil society and reduce inequality
•    make more readily available intelligence and evidence from London’s VCS sector to shape activity and policies in key areas of this work
•    help to identify opportunities and develop and deliver appropriate and evidence-based interventions to reduce inequalities, including inequalities in volunteering and health.

London Funders membership

1.28.    London Funders is the sole membership network for London’s funders and social investors. Membership provides access to a wide portfolio of expertise and resources, including vital opportunities to network and collaborate with 170+ London-based funders across the public, private and social sectors. London Funders oversaw the coordination of the London Community Response (LCR) and is currently convening the work on Propel. This decision seeks permission for expenditure of up to £114,000 in financial years 2025-26 to 2027-28 (comprising of £38,000 per annum across 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28) to fund the corporate GLA membership, and allows engagement by teams across the GLA and GLA Group including Culture, Children and Young Londoners, Health, Communities and Social Policy, MOPAC and Civil Society and Sport. London Funders are the only organisation of their type, therefore this Decision requests a three-year extension to the exemption from the GLA’s Contracts and Funding for 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28, noting a one-year exemption (for 2024-25) was approved via DD2698. This would enable London Funders membership to be directly procured on the basis that there remains a complete absence of competition for services of this nature. 

1.29.    The GLA is one of the largest funders in London and as such holds a strong and ongoing understanding of the various networks and mechanisms available to achieve organisational priorities in this area. As part of considering the routes to reducing inequalities in London, officers have again researched, sought input from sector specialists, and remain assured that London Funders remain the sole organisation who can fulfil GLA requirements. Whilst organisations exist that support various elements of funding, or of civil society in London, there are no other organisations that bring together a City-wide network of funders in the sector (and with the specific shared priorities) and has established networks with and connected delivery of work to sector beneficiary organisations, and provides the additional benefits and opportunities referenced here through membership. The expertise, resource and opportunities gained through membership are vital for the GLA to work towards many of its objectives.

London Communities Emergencies Partnership grant

1.30.    This decision seeks permission to grant funding of up to £90,000 in financial years 2025-26 to 2027-28 (£30,000 per year), for the next three years, to the London Communities Emergencies Partnership (LCEP). The national Voluntary and Communities Sector (VCS) Emergencies Partnership was created in 2018, in response to a series of major incidents. London Plus (leveraging its unique role as the infrastructure organisation for London’s civil society) and the VCS Emergencies Partnership together convened LCEP. This is London’s mobilising mechanism; it brings together organisations across the VCS, enabling collaboration and coordination of London emergency relief efforts. LCEP works alongside partners in local and national government to create a more coordinated and community-centred preparation for, and response to, emergencies.

1.31.    Since its inception in 2021, LCEP has become a core part of the London Resilience Partnership, which brings together over 170 organisations who each have specific responsibilities for preparing for and responding to emergencies. LCEP has done much to enhance the voluntary, community and faith sector contribution to resilience. It directly supports the national Resilience Framework’s ambition for a whole-of-society contribution to resilience.

1.32.    The funding outlined in this decision will enable LCEP to continue strengthening the coordination and preparedness of London’s voluntary, community and faith sectors in response to emergencies. Key outputs will include the development of shared protocols, coordination tools, and mechanisms for mobilising and connecting community organisations during crisis. Outcomes will include improved collaboration across sectors, greater inclusion of community voices in emergency planning, and increased local capacity to support vulnerable Londoners during disruptions. This will result in a more resilient, connected, and responsive city that is better prepared to meet the needs of all communities during emergencies.

Expenditure across Community Engagement and Participation programmes

1.33.    Based on the background information and track record of these community engagement and participation programmes, this MD is requesting approval for expenditure of up to £2,427,000 in financial years 2025-26 to 2027-28 comprising of:

•    £120,000 in financial year 2025-26 to deliver the Improving Engagement Practices and Foundations of Engagement programmes, potentially with support from contracted service provider(s) 
o    £60,000 for Foundations of Engagement programme to deliver
    community visits and wider engagement for the Mayor of London and the Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice
    accessibility support costs for Londoners to participate in our programmes
    reactive engagement to respond to national and international events
o    £60,000 for Improving Engagement Practice programme to deliver:
    an updated Community Engagement Handbook (currently undergoing user testing), that will address out-of-date information, include new case studies and a clear diagram mapping methodologies onto the different levels of engagement across GLA policy teams
    new resources on community engagement to improve GLA-wide practice and address demand, including a revised Payment Guidance, new engagement e-modules, a new Evaluation toolkit, a new Relational Practice toolkit
    external and internal facilitation of peer support and wider learning sessions, aligned to Mayoral delivery priorities, including regular drop-in sessions, the relaunch of the Engagement Working Group, the relaunch of the Lunch and Learn sessions
    improvements to the Community Insights Hub, including the commissioning of new content to showcase the breath of GLA activity and address Londoner’s barriers to engagement and participation in GLA decision making
    wrap-around advice and support for policy teams delivering key mayoral priorities, including resources to address any emergency gaps in engagement at any point in design, delivery or evaluation and a new singular engagement support commissioning process
•    £60,000 in financial year 2025 –26 to deliver engagement with Civil Society part of:
o    delivery and communications materials for the Mayor's Loved and Wanted campaign, including engagement in and promotion of the Loved and Wanted Community programme 
o    engagement to improve maternal health outcomes through the Black maternal health programme, potentially with support from contracted service provider(s) or through provision of grant funding, depending on the specific support required 
•    £1,210,000 in financial years 2025-26 to 2027-28 for the Loved and Wanted Community programme, potentially with support from contracted service provider(s) or through provision of grant funding, depending on the specific support required:
o    grant funding for up to 15 civil society organisations to deliver community and cultural events, advice and other relevant 1:1 support, build local partnerships and networks
o    training and other support in line with Mayor’s Loved and Wanted campaign
o    support for inter-faith activity
o    evaluation and communication around reach and impact
•    £88,000 in financial years 2025-26 and 2026-27 to fund a fixed–term post (lasting two-years) to deliver the programme of work on Diversity in the Public Realm programme.
•    £290,000 funding in financial years 2025-26 to 2027-28 for London Plus as a contribution towards its costs of undertaking its activity which makes London a fairer city by tackling long-standing inequalities in London in partnership with the VCS sector, including work on inequalities in volunteering and health
•    £114,000 in financial years 2025-26 to 2027-28 for membership of London Funders. London Funders is the sole membership network for London’s funders and social investors. The expenditure funds corporate GLA membership and allows engagement by teams across the GLA and GLA Group
•    £90,000 funding in financial years 2025-26 to 2027-28 to the London Communities Emergencies Partnership to continue strengthening the coordination and preparedness of London’s voluntary, community and faith sectors in response to emergencies
•    up to £455,000 in financial years 2025-26 to 2027-28 to deliver the wider GLA Civic and Democratic Participation Programme: 
o    £165,000 for the maintenance of the GLA Democracy Hub and year-round civic and democratic participation activity, including in reaction to any changes to electoral law
o    £290,000 to assign a delivery partner to undertake community engagement during the annual London Voter Registration Weeks, and throughout the year, during 2026-27, and 2027-28.
 

2.1.     This MD seeks approval to design, deliver and evaluate community engagement and participation programmes and projects as part of the proposed Reducing Inequalities programme. The below objectives and expected outcomes relate to the programmes included in this MD.

Objectives

2.2.     The objectives are to:

Improving Engagement Practice, Foundations of Engagement and Civil Society programmes

•    build the capacity, skills and confidence of GLA officers to engage with London’s diverse communities 
•    ensure London’s communities benefit from better GLA programmes, thanks to improved mechanisms that enable Londoners and stakeholders to participate more effectively in the GLA’s programme development and decision-making process
•    embed community insight in the GLA, informing officers’ and teams’ understanding of the aspirations and needs of London’s communities 
•    London’s communities are better resourced to support Londoners to have a voice in decision-making at the GLA. 

Loved and Wanted Community programme 

•    improve mechanisms by which Londoners access the services and support they need to participate fully in community life
•    increase opportunities for Londoners to connect across different communities to promote cross-cultural understanding and stronger local area cohesion
•    strengthen information-sharing between civil society and faith organisations working at a neighbourhood level and statutory bodies, such as the GLA and local authorities, so that Londoners’ needs–and any potential challenges to social cohesion—are better understood and addressed
•    strengthen the coordination and preparedness of London’s voluntary, community and faith organisations to respond to community tensions and promote places where all Londoners feel loved and wanted
•    strengthen regional inter-faith cooperation and engagement with the GLA. 

Civic and Democratic Participation programme

•    raise awareness about civic and democratic rights and recent changes to these rights among eligible Londoners, but especially under-registered and under-represented communities
•    increase levels of democratic education among Londoners, but especially disenfranchised communities 
•    increase coordination and collaboration among statutory bodies, London councils and civil society on accessible, inclusive and representative civic and democratic participation.
Supporting the Civil Society Sector
•    strengthen the relationship between the VCS sectors and the GLA to enable more effective partnership working
•    provide input, intelligence and evidence from London’s VCS sector to inform GLA priorities in key policy areas
•    help to identify opportunities and develop and deliver appropriate and evidence-based interventions to reduce inequalities, including in health and volunteering in London
•    continue strengthening the coordination and preparedness of London’s voluntary, community and faith sectors in response to emergencies.

Expected outcomes

2.3.     The expected outcomes include:

Improving Engagement Practice, Foundations of Engagement and Civil Society programmes

•    improved mechanisms in place for GLA teams to incorporate co-production within the decision-making process
•    improved knowledge, skills, motivation and expertise among GLA staff to continue involving communities appropriately in their work
•    an increased focus on engaging Londoners using a more intersectional approach – one that is more inclusive and considerate of the many types of inequalities people experience in the city 
•    community views are fully embedded across the GLA decision-making process
•    better understanding about the needs and capacity of London’s civic society sector so it can deliver Mayoral priorities in collaboration with the GLA
•    an increased trust in the GLA and renewed legitimacy as a strategic partner and convener.
Loved and Wanted Community programme 
•    stronger connections between communities and increase in the number of opportunities for Londoners to connect across different communities
•    an increase in the number of referrals to local services (e.g. to Family Hubs, centres providing debt relief advice, to housing agencies) through the work of grant-funded Loved and Wanted venues
•    increased awareness and coordination of GLA-supported and local authority-provided services among Londoners where organisations operate as Loved and Wanted venues
•    an increase in the number of civil society organisations amplifying the messages of the Loved and Wanted in London campaign, both as grant-funded Loved and Wanted venues and through local partnerships and networks
•    greater social connectedness and appreciation of other Londoners’ backgrounds as well as our collective shared values, through the work of Loved and Wanted venues
•    improved community relations and sense of belonging in the neighbourhoods reached by Loved and Wanted venues 
•    an increased trust in the office of the Mayor and the GLA among both civil society partners and Londoners reached through Loved and Wanted in London
•    improved connections and stronger working relationships among major faith groups in London
•    increased trust among faith leaders in the work of the GLA and increased sense that their voices matter in regional policymaking.

Civic and Democratic Participation programme

•    an increase in applications to access civic and democratic rights
•    an increase in political literacy uptake among education partners 
•    an increase in the number of organisations in the civic society sector engaged in GLA civic and democratic participation activity and in London’s democracy.
Supporting the Civil Society Sector
•    improved connections between VCSE and pan-London infrastructure 
•    increased focus on equitable and accessible volunteering and development of appropriate interventions to support inclusion across the sector 
•    improved collaboration across sectors, greater inclusion of community voices in emergency planning, and increased local capacity to support vulnerable Londoners during disruptions.
 

3.1.    Under the Public Sector Equality Duty in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the Mayor and the GLA must, in the exercise of its functions, have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the 2010 Act; and to advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations, between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. Protected characteristics under the Equality Act are age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, and marriage or civil partnership status (the duty in respect of this last characteristic is to eliminate unlawful discrimination only).  

3.2.    Compliance with the duty may involve, in particular, removing or minimising any disadvantage suffered by those who share a relevant protected characteristic, taking steps to meet the needs of such people; and encouraging them to participate in public life, or in any other activity where their participation is disproportionately low, including tackling prejudice and promoting understanding. In limited circumstances this may require treating people with a protected characteristic more favourably than those without one.  

3.3.    The Community Engagement Team’s programmes on Improving Engagement Practice, Foundations of Engagement and Civil Society have a particular emphasis on those who would not usually be reached through mass engagement, because they face barriers such as limited access support, racism, digital exclusion, language, insecure immigration status and mistrust of public institutions. They aim to gain deeper insight into the lived experiences of communities across London that are often hidden or excluded from policymaking in the capital. 

3.4.    The LARCH programme supports action to tackle structural racism and reduce health inequalities. The report ‘Structural Racism, Ethnicity and Health Inequalities in London’  is the evidence base bringing together research and data on the drivers that shape structural inequalities. The LARCH work programme recognises race as a key factor for shaping health outcomes whilst recognising that this intersects with other protected characteristics. The Black maternal health programme will work under this framework and collaborate with the LARCH.

3.5.    The Loved and Wanted Community Programme will provide support to communities experiencing social cohesion risks and wider inequalities. In doing so it will seek to improve access to support to address inequalities faced by London’s Communities. Work with faith communities as part of the programme will seek to strengthen understanding of the needs of London’s faith communities and inter-faith relationships addressing discrimination, harassment and victimisation. 

3.6.    The Civic and Democratic Participation programme has a focus on tackling inequalities and barriers to civic and democratic participation among: Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Londoners; migrant Londoners, including EU and Commonwealth Londoners; young Londoners; Deaf and disabled Londoners; LGBTQIA+ Londoners; homeless, social and private renting Londoners; older Londoners; and those from a low socio-economic background. These are the Londoners currently less likely to be registered or represented in the democratic system, or to possess an approved photo ID to vote. Many of these Londoners share protected characteristics, have been disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. To address these inequities, the GLA will be working with Londoners that have protected characteristics to design and deliver impartial public-awareness information and activity that is accessible, inclusive and impactful. It is considered that the proposals contained in this MD, and in previous related decisions documents, will help many of these Londoners to better understand the voting system changes, and their wider civic and democratic rights – thus removing or minimising disadvantage that could otherwise arise, and encouraging participation in civic life and the democratic system.

3.7.    The support London Plus provides to the sector and the projects in respect of which funding is awarded aligns with the fulfilment of equalities legislation obligations. The organisational aims of London Plus are around sector support, cohesion and resilience. Much of the work of the supporting the civil society sector programme seeks to reduce inequalities and promote equality of opportunity. London Plus also plays a key role in GLA programmes that aim to reduce inequalities, such as their role in coordinating the London Volunteering Strategy Group which aims to increase diversity, equity and accessibility in the sector. More broadly, membership of London Funders supports work to increase the GLA’s aims of ensuring that funding in London supports those experiencing inequality and support for the London Communities Emergencies Partnership ensures that VCS partners can play a critical role in emergency response which we know is important to ensuring that the needs of London’s communities are met effectively. 

3.8.    In line with existing data sharing agreements between the GLA and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, information on the impact of LVRW and thus relevant voter registration rates will be shared publicly via an annual evaluation report, and with the London Assembly, via established channels, by the SRO of the Civic and Democratic Participation programme.   

3.9.    All these programmes will sit within the proposed Reducing Inequalities programme and contribute to London level outcomes: Londoners are treated fairly and with dignity; Londoners can have a say in the running of the city; Londoners live in a city that supports their mental and physical health.  
 

Improving Engagement Practice, Foundations of Engagement and Civil Society programmes – key risks and issues  

Loved and Wanted Community programme – key risks and issues  

Faith Engagement – key risks and issues

Civic and Democratic Participation programme – key risks and issues

Supporting the Civil Society Sector – key risks and issues

Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities

4.1.     These programmes build on the commitments set out in the proposed Reducing Inequalities programme and contribute to London level outcomes: Londoners are treated fairly and with dignity; Londoners can have a say in the running of the city; Londoners live in a city that supports their mental and physical health. They are focused on addressing the inequalities that are particularly detrimental to community engagement and participation barriers with the GLA and across London, but especially faced by under-registered and under-represented Londoners.

 
Consultation and impact assessments

4.2.     Since 2017, the GLA has been running extensive engagement on its Civic and Democratic Participation programme of work and advocacy, with a diverse range of statutory and civil society stakeholders. 

4.3.     From 2021, and prior to seeking the approval of this MD (and all other relevant decision documents), the GLA consulted with all bodies and persons that it considered appropriate. These included statutory bodies and civil society organisations. 

4.4.     All the activities and materials co-designed and co-delivered with under-registered and under-represented London communities will be amplified via appropriate GLA channels and hosted on the GLA Democracy Hub (registertovote.london).

4.5.    In early 2026, the relevant contracted delivery partner and the GLA, in consultation with appropriate statutory bodies and civil society partners, will: review reach and impact; produce an evaluation brief; and use this brief to inform activity in the financial year 2026-27 that will build on, but not be limited to, the GLA Civic and Democratic Participation programme's best practice and lessons learned, public awareness activity and other relevant activity delivered in the previous financial years in response to further changes to civic and democratic rights.

 
4.6.    Community Engagement officers have consulted with colleagues across the GLA to review and update the Improving Engagement Practice offer. The same approach will continue to be taken with civil society stakeholders across London.

Subsidy control

4.7.    The funding proposed within this programme has been considered by GLA officers in line with the GLA’s obligations under the Subsidy Control Act 2022. 

4.8.    It is not considered that the proposed award of up to:

•    £290,000 to London Plus in relation to its Reducing inequalities in partnership with VCSE sector project as described in paragraphs 1.25 – 1.27 
•    £90,000 to London Plus in relation to LCEP as described in paragraphs 1.30 -1.32, 
constitute a subsidy. This is because neither award meets all four limbs of the subsidy test set out in the Subsidy Control Act 2022. Specifically, each of the proposed awards fail to satisfy Limb 2 of that test (providing an enterprise with an economic advantage), because:
•    The funding is ringfenced for non-economic purposes, with the benefit of the funding accruing to end-recipients rather than meeting general costs for core operational function.   
•    London Plus is the sole infrastructure organisation for London’s civil society. No other organisation works across the sector in this way or has access to the same networks as London Plus. London Plus therefore do not operate in a commercial marketplace on which there is competition.  

 
4.9.     The reducing inequalities in partnership with VCSE sector project funding will allow London Plus to use its unique position to deliver work to grow support for civil society groups and support particular areas of need – such as food poverty and the cost-of-living crisis, which are most impacting London’s under-served communities (which aligns with the priorities of the GLA and the wider sector).  

4.10.     The LCEP funding granted to London Plus, due to its LCEP role, will create a more coordinated and community-centred preparation for and response to emergencies. It will ensure the sustainability of LCEP in the short term, whilst longer-term and sustainable funding options are identified.

 
4.11    All other expenditure falling within remit of this MD will also be considered taking account of the GLA’s obligations under and to ensure compliance with the Subsidy Control Act 2022 as applicable.   

Conflicts of interest 

4.12.    Tunde Olayinka, Executive Director of Communities and Skills, is a trustee of London Funders. He has thus recused himself from decision making with regards to the GLA’s payment of London Funders membership fees; and delegated this to Alice Wilcock, Assistant Director Civil Society and Sport. The Executive Director of Communities and Skills will continue to remove himself from decision making (both in his roles as a GLA Executive Director and Trustee of London Funders) and put appropriate mitigations in place, where a potential conflict of interest is identified. Alice Wilcock is being appointed as a Director of a subsidiary of London Funders, the Collaboration Circle. However, this subsidiary receives no allocation of funding from the London Funders membership fees and is not connected with the day-to-day delivery of London Funders activities. Therefore, there is not considered to be a conflict of interest.  

4.13. Due consideration has been given to further potential conflicts of interest within this project. However, none have been found, including from those drafting, reviewing or clearing this Decision Form. During the delivery of work contained within this Decision, declarations of interest will be made where relevant (such as during procurement exercises and/or when considering the award of grant funding), and any conflicts of interest will be managed accordingly. 
 

5.1.    Approval is being sought for expenditure of up to £2,431,000 in financial years 2025-26 to 2027-28 to deliver community engagement and participation activity.

5.2.    This is separate from the £100,000 already approved via DD2720.

5.3.    The expenditure of up to £2,427,000 will be funded from the programme budgets listed above in the Communities and Social Policy Unit, and the Civil Society and sport and Health Units. 

5.4.    Any contracts that commit the GLA in future years, including those pertaining to the Civic and Democratic Participation programme and the Loved and Wanted Community programme will be subject to appropriate break clauses.

5.5.    Funding for future financial years will be subject to the annual budget-setting process and is subject to change.  
 

6.1.    Under section 30 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (GLA Act), the GLA has a general power to do anything that it considers will further the promotion of social development in Greater London and promote economic development in Greater London (as well as to promote the improvement of the environment in Greater London). As noted above, it is considered that increasing awareness of, and participation by the electorate in, elections generally (the decisions requested under the GLA Civic and Democratic Participation programme) – including through increased voter registration rates, particularly among under-registered and under-represented communities, and raising awareness of the voting system changes, particularly among under-registered and under-represented communities – will promote and support democratic participation and further social cohesion. On this basis, the activity proposed in this MD falls within the GLA’s general power. It is also considered that the proposed decisions on the other programmes, namely Improving Engagement Practices, Foundations of Engagement, Civil Society sector programme, Loved and Wanted Community programme, London Plus programme, and the London Funders membership, also fall within the GLA’s general power. Pursuant to section 32(1) of the GLA Act, the general power is exercisable only after consultation with such bodies or persons as the GLA may consider appropriate in the particular case. Consultation and engagement which has taken place is referred to at section 4.

6.2.    As highlighted in MD3205 and other relevant decision documents, and reaffirmed in this MD, the GLA has the legal remit to carry out the activity under the Civic and Democratic Participation programme in collaboration and coordination with statutory and public bodies.  

6.3.    The GLA’s activities under the Civic and Democratic Participation programme must at all times be apolitical and must not be perceived to be associated with the promotion of any political party or individual politician, including the Mayor of London, or potential candidate. They must also be kept distinct from the functions of the GLRO, who must maintain both actual and perceived impartiality.  

6.4.    Legal (and other necessary specialist) advice should be taken, as appropriate, throughout the design and delivery phases of the Civic and Democratic Participation programme to ensure all proposed activities constitute cooperation and coordination with the activities of relevant public bodies. Similarly, it will be prudent for the GLA to continue working with the LVRSP to provide guidance and advice; and to ensure that any activities facilitate, or coordinate or cooperate with, the activities of the Electoral Commission and borough electoral services.  

6.5.    Importantly, and in any event, the GLA’s activities and published materials (including those published by grantees or other service providers) in this area must at all times be apolitical, objective, factual and neutral. They must not seek, or be capable of being perceived to seek, to affect public support for, or opposition to, the voting system changes, provisions of the Elections Act or any other such related matters. They must not be capable of being perceived as designed to affect public support (positively or negatively) for a political party or a candidate in an election; and they must comply with the GLA’s Use of Resources Guidance and the Code of Practice on Local Government Publicity. Any materials produced should be reviewed to ensure compliance with the above, carry the GLA logo in the legal and digital imprint, and be hosted on the GLA Democracy Hub.  

6.6.    Officers should ensure, in the purchase of works, services or supplies, that: those works, services or supplies are procured by Transport for London’s Procurement and Commercial team in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code (“Code”) and, where applicable, the Procurement Act 2023; and appropriate contracts (containing termination for convenience provisions exercisable at sole discretion of the GLA) are entered into or varied as required, and executed, by the GLA and counterparties before their commencement.

6.7.    The procurement of the services by way of London Funders membership is valued at £120,000.  Section 9 of the Code requires that the GLA undertake a tender process or make a call off from an accessible framework for procurements of this value. However, section 10 of the Code also provides that an exemption from this requirement may be justified where there is a complete absence of competition for the services in question. Officers have set out at paragraph 1.29 that this is the case and reasons why the procurement of the services falls within the said exemption. Accordingly, the Mayor may approve the exemption if they wish.

6.8.    Paragraph 1.33 above indicates that some proposed expenditure to deliver engagement with civil society provision may be delivered in part through grant funding arrangements and not payment for services. In that event, officers must ensure that the funding be distributed fairly, transparently, in accordance with the GLA’s equalities duties and with the requirements of section 12 of the Code.

6.9.    Furthermore, officers must ensure that appropriate funding agreements (including termination for convenience provisions exercisable at sole discretion of the GLA) be put in place between and executed by the GLA and the recipients before any (a) commitment to fund is made; and (b) funding is paid to the recipient. Officers must also ensure compliance with the requirements of the Subsidy Control Act 2022 (including the subsidy control principles) if any of the funding may be characterised as a subsidy under that legislation.

6.10.    The Subsidy Control Act 2022 requires that proposed award of grant funding to London Plus be assessed in relation to its requirements. Officers have made this assessment and have set out at paragraphs 4.7 and 4.8 above and have a concluded that the funding proposed does not amount to an unlawful subsidy.

6.11.    Care should be taken by officers not to commit to expenditure which relies upon future years budgets until they have been approved. Termination for convenience rights (as those noted above) assist in this regard, but contract and funding agreement milestones and outputs should be formulated so that such contracts and agreements may be terminated, if needed, in as an efficient manner as possible.  

6.12.    The above indicates that one fixed term post will be created to deliver the programme of work on Diversity in the Public Realm. Under the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (as amended), the Head of Paid Service (the “HoPS”) may, after consultation with the Mayor and the Assembly and having regard to the resources available and priorities of the Authority: 

•    appoint such staff as the HoPS considers necessary for the proper discharge of the functions of the Authority (section 67(2))
•    make such appointments on such terms and conditions as the HoPS thinks fit (section 70(2)).

6.13.    Therefore, should this budget be approved, the matter should be referred to the HoPS under the Establishment Control Process in order that the HoPS may consider creating the post referred to above.