MD3430 Delivery Plan – Boosting London’s Growth Sectors

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.    Boosting London’s growth sectors
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.     Supporting community, cultural and sporting events in London
15.    Reducing violence and exploitation
16.    Building safer, more confident communities
17.    Supporting and overseeing reform of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)
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 SROs 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. 

Overview of the Boosting London’s Growth Sectors delivery plan

1.9.    The Mayoral mandate for the Boosting London’s Growth Sectors programme is appended to this Decision form at Appendix 1. The proposed delivery plan is appended at Appendix 2 and is presented by the Assistant Director for Economic Development and Programmes as the proposed SRO, for the Mayor’s approval. The Mayor is invited to approve the plan, and the resources allocated to it. This would enable the GLA, working with partners, to contribute to the core London-level outcome that stable, long-term growth benefits all of London’s communities through the delivery of the projects detailed in the plan.

1.10.    London’s productivity has declined by 2.6 per cent since 2008, in contrast to the 30 per cent growth achieved in the preceding decade. Reversing this trend is imperative to achieving the London Growth Plan’s (LGP’s) targets of two per cent average annual productivity growth between 2025 and 2035, an increase in London’s services exports of at least six per cent per year and raising real household weekly incomes for the lowest earning quintile by 20 per cent by 2035. It is also critical to the Mayor’s parallel commitment to create 150,000 high quality jobs by 2028. 

1.11.    The Boosting London’s Growth Sectors delivery plan aims to help secure stable, long-term economic growth that works for our communities. The strength of the economy is critical to Londoners’ quality of life and to the wider prosperity of London and the UK. The programme has four strands: 

·    supporting innovative businesses to grow: ensuring that entrepreneurs and business owners of all backgrounds in innovative, high-growth sectors can access the advice and support they need to grow

·    creating the conditions for growth sectors to thrive: working with partners to identify the sectoral clusters that are most critical to London’s economy, addressing barriers to growth in key locations across London; and securing investment in London’s built environment, including key growth projects

·    supporting city-wide coordination, including for specific sectors: building consensus around the goals of the LGP; helping businesses navigate the city’s decision-making structures; raising awareness of London’s position as a place of choice for growth-sector companies to invest and scale; and addressing specific sector needs, including in the visitor economy

·    Oxford Street Transformation: transforming Oxford Street into a world-class destination with the aim of addressing the untapped economic potential of the street, creating an attractive environment for shoppers, residents, workers and tourists, and driving economic growth.

1.12.    The Boosting London’s Growth Sectors delivery plan sets out the budget for each project within the programme.

1.13.    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 (MD) or Director Decision (DD)
·    projects for which this Mayoral Decision seeks a Mayoral delegation to the SRO to take expenditure decisions
·    projects which will require separate Mayoral Decisions.

1.14.    The projects with Mayoral Decisions and/or other relevant approvals already in place are: 

·    continued delivery of the existing UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2025-26 – approved under MD3364
·    continued grant funding to London and Partners in 2025-26 to promote London as a destination, attract inward investment and support Opportunity London – approved under MD3367
·    establishment of a London technology and inclusive growth fund – approved under MD3362
·    continued delivery of the Creative Economy Growth Programme until 2027-28 – approved under MD3342
·    delivering UEFA EURO 2028 UK and Ireland – approved under MD 3101; ; Table Tennis World Championships - approved under DD2641; EuroHockey – approved under DD2717
·    consultation on the proposal for a Mayoral Development Corporation for Oxford Street – approved under MD3327.

1.15.    Projects for which this Mayoral Decision seeks a Mayoral delegation to the SRO to take expenditure decisions are: 

·    promoting London as a destination, attract inward investment and support the objectives of Opportunity London via a grant to London and Partners (£11.559m in 2026-27; £11.559m 2027-28), as per MD3367 
·    delivery of the Inclusive Talent project within the Creative Economy Growth Programme (£210,000 in 2025-26; £210,000 in 2026-27; £210,000 2027-28) linked to MD2963 and MD3342 
·    contributing to the staging of the Tour de France Femmes Grand Départ stage three time-trial in London (up to £1.5m in 2026-27).

1.16.    The Assistant Director for Economic Development and Programmes 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. 

1.17.    Some projects will require separate Mayoral Decisions because they are introducing new large-scale funding schemes or because the scheme parameters or the quantum of funding for these projects has yet to be agreed; meaning more detailed work is required before Mayoral approval is sought. These projects are:

·    a local growth programme, essential to support London’s growth sectors and deliver on the London Growth Plan’s ambitions, considered as part of the Integrated Settlement
·    production of a City Innovation Strategy and associated plans (including for the deployment of Local Innovation Partnerships Funding in London) 
·    plans for the redevelopment of the Euston life sciences, technology and frontier innovation cluster (as set out in section 2.1 in Appendix 2)
·    proposals for Oxford Street Pedestrianisation (as set out in section 4.1 in Appendix 2) – subject to consultation outcome and impact assessment, further Decision Forms will be required
·    major events hosted in London – subject to successful bidding campaigns for events currently under development: Decision Forms will be brought forward in due course (as set out in section 3.5 in Appendix 2).

Transfers to/from other programmes

1.18.    Development of the delivery plan has prompted refinements to the published GLA 2025-26 budget. As a consequence, Mayoral approval is sought for budget transfers between Boosting London’s Growth Sectors and other programmes, in accordance with governance processes. These transfers are listed in paragraphs 1.19-1.21, and totals for each year are outlined within the financial comments in section 5 below.

1.19.    Funding to support UK Shared Prosperity Fund programmes was included within the Boosting London’s Growth Sectors programme when the GLA 2025-26 budget was approved in March 2025. It is proposed that it is more appropriate for this programme to be included within the Helping Local Economies to Thrive programme. This MD seeks Mayoral approval to transfer this funding accordingly.

1.20.    Support for the Oxford Street Transformation programme, which includes the establishment of the Mayoral Development Corporation and public consultation, was included within the Helping Local Economies to Thrive budget when the GLA 2025-26 budget was approved in March 2025. It is proposed that it is more appropriate for this programme to be included within the Boosting London’s Growth Sectors programme. This MD seeks Mayoral approval to transfer this funding accordingly.

1.21.    Budget to support city-wide coordination across specific sectors, including implementing the London Growth Plan and funding the Creative Economy programme was originally included within the from Celebrating London, Reducing Inequalities and Supporting & Inspiring Young London budgets when the GLA 2025-26 budget was approved in March 2025. It is proposed that it is more appropriate for this programme to be included within the Boosting London’s Growth Sectors programme. This MD seeks Mayoral approval to transfer this funding accordingly.

Securing additional funding for projects in the delivery plan

1.22.    Key to meeting the objectives and expected outcomes of the Boosting London’s Growth Sectors 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. 

1.23.    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 MD. This would be for any funding secured to deliver projects that are already approved, and which contribute to the Boosting London’s Growth Sectors delivery plan.

1.24.    Where additional funding from government (or other sources) is secured in the future to expand, or extend, existing approved projects contained in the Boosting London’s Growth Sectors delivery plan, and the parameters remain the same, or similar, as originally agreed with government (or the relevant body), this Decision form seeks a delegation to the Assistant Director for Economic Development and Programmes 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 Mayoral Delivery Board. For the purposes of considering whether the parameters are similar as originally agreed with government (or the relevant body), the Assistant Director for Economic Development and Programmes 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.

1.25.    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 1.16 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 Boosting London’s Growth Sectors programme describes how the GLA will work to support the implementation of the LGP in close collaboration with London local authorities and central government to understand and overcome the barriers to boosting London’s lagging productivity growth. It includes activity towards helping create 150,000 high quality jobs by 2028.

2.2.    The objectives and expected outcomes of the programme are set out in the Boosting London’s Growth Sectors delivery plan which is at Appendix 2.

2.3.    The core London-level outcome to which this programme will contribute is: stable, long-term growth benefits all of London’s communities. This reflects the importance of Boosting London’s Growth Sectors in London, particularly in clusters and growth corridors, boosting productivity and creating jobs.

2.4.    The Boosting London’s Growth Sectors programme will also make a substantive contribution to the following wider London-level outcomes: Londoners have access to good work; London’s economy has the skills it needs to thrive; London is an attractive and high-quality destination for visitors; London is a world-leading global city and London is a net zero carbon city.
 

3.1.    Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the Mayor and GLA must comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) when exercising GLA functions. The PSED is a duty to 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’ as defined in the Equality Act 2010 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 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 Boosting London’s Growth Sectors delivery plan helps achieve a number of the Mayor’s statutory equality objectives, and progress on delivery of these objectives is reported on each year in the Mayor’s Annual Equality Report.

3.5.    These objectives include reaching lower income Londoners, women, people from minoritised backgrounds and disabled Londoners, who face barriers to growing their businesses. This is because the mainstream support ecosystem does not provide adequate assistance or products for accessing finance, effective business support or business networks. These are evidenced as important elements to boosting business productivity. 

3.6.    Projects delivered through the Boosting London’s Growth Sectors programme such as Grow London, the Create Economy Growth Programme: Inclusive Talent programme and the new technology and inclusive growth fund will be designed to address these barriers. They will help people with protected characteristics, and founders and employees of businesses, access the support they need. These groups will be prioritised through dedicated engagement, outreach and marketing via the projects in this plan.

3.7.    An Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) was undertaken on the LGP. Central to the EqIA is the conviction that economic growth means little if people from lower income households cannot feel the benefit in their pockets or see the positive change it brings to their area. The LGP’s goal is to stimulate inclusive and sustainable economic growth in every borough and every corner of the city, helping to raise living standards and create better places where people want to live, work, and invest. Currently, many Londoners are denied the opportunity to contribute to or benefit from growth. Not only does this prevent people from lower-income households from improving their economic circumstances, it also reduces the capital’s productive potential and holds us back as a city. The LGP is intended to break this cycle; and to continue building a fairer, safer, greener, and more prosperous London for everyone. The EqIA has been developed using a robust evidence base and stakeholder input to identify equality impacts and mitigatory actions for the LGP. 

3.8.    Driving equitable and sustainable growth in London can only be done in partnership. Some of the mitigations of the LGP’s EqIA fall directly within the ambit of the GLA and the boroughs. Others relate to responsibilities of national government, the private sector, education institutions, trade unions and civil society. The LGP commits to establishing a Growth Mission Board that will oversee the delivery of the LGP, including mobilising stakeholders to contribute to its ambitions around inclusion.

3.9.    Well-targeted action through the projects set out in this delivery plan, evidencing compliance with the PSED via the Decisions process can help many businesses led by and employing people with protected characteristics. 

3.10.    Where projects in the Boosting London’s Growth Sectors delivery plan require further Mayoral Decisions or other formal approvals, equalities considerations will be finalised through these decisions, including a full EqIA where appropriate.
 

Risks and issues

4.1.    The following programme-level risks to the delivery of the Boosting London’s Growth Sectors programme have been identified:

4.2.    The Assistant Director for Economic Development and Programmes as the proposed 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 quarterly, reporting to Mayoral Delivery Board on progress against programme objectives as part of the GLA's quarterly reporting process. 

Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities

4.3.    The delivery plan sets out details of interventions that will support the Mayor’s commitments and policies. It will also support delivery of the LGP, including the key aim to increase annual productivity growth rate by an average of two per cent by 2035.

4.4.    The Mayor’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy sets out an aspiration to ensure Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Londoners, women and disabled Londoners can access support to develop flourishing businesses. Grow London Global, the suite of projects funded under UKSPF and the soon to be established London technology and inclusive investment fund will all continue to support diverse-led businesses.

4.5.    The Mayor’s statutory Economic Development Strategy (2018) and the LGP (2025) set out the blueprint for London’s future growth, specifically in the LGP sections Backing our Business and Investment and Promotion sections. Many of the one-year and longer-term ambitions of the LGP are being driven through projects set out in this delivery plan. 

4.6.    The Mayor’s Culture Strategy, Culture for All Londoners, partly aims to support creative production and export through the Creative Economy Growth Programme, to continue bidding for major sporting and world-class events and boost tourism through work undertaken by London & Partners, all of these are included in this delivery plan. 

4.7.    The Mayor is required to publish a Spatial Development Strategy for London (the London Plan). The current and forthcoming London Plan will shape the environment for supporting clusters and growth corridors and will be instrumental to the success of this delivery plan.

Consultations and impact assessments

4.8.    For projects that already have a formal decision form in place, the consultation or underlying evidence of need undertaken for these projects is set out in the relevant decision forms.

4.9.    For other projects, the type and timing of engagement and consultation will vary. This may include engagement with relevant stakeholders such as delivery partners, community stakeholders and advisory groups as well as consultation, where appropriate. 

4.10.    There are no conflicts of interest arising from those involved in the drafting and clearance of this decision form. Should individual conflicts of interest arise during the delivery of initiatives contained in the Boosting London’s Growth Sectors delivery plan, they will be addressed in line with the GLA policy on registering and handling 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 as below:

5.3.    It is proposed that budget is transferred between this programme and others in accordance with our governance processes, and will be updated to reflect other funding streams as set out in the table below, 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 and additional income.

5.5.    The budget commitments for future years are subject to the annual budget setting process.

5.6.    Any further transfers and movements within the budget for this delivery plan will be handled in accordance with GLA 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 by the Mayor concern the exercise of the GLA’s general 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 delegation to the Assistant Director of Economic Development and Programmes, 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 Transport for London, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime or the London Fire Commissioner.

6.8.    In taking the decisions requested of him, the Mayor must comply with the 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 complied with
·    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”); there is appropriate engagement 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 appropriate contractual documentation is put in place and 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.    The extent to which decisions are sought which involve the making of commitments which extend beyond the current Mayoral term, officers must ensure that the terms of all agreements entered into concerning such commitments do not have the effect of fettering the discretion of any successor administration, considering in particular the London elections taking place in May 2028. Accordingly, officers must ensure that all agreements which involve making such commitments include a GLA right to terminate at any point for convenience (at no cost to the GLA) and are managed in such a manner, and any services, supplies, works deliverables, milestones and/or output requirements are structured so as to mitigate risks of the GLA incurring abortive expenditure (which might be reasonably be taken to fetter, practically, the exercise of such discretion).

6.11.    If the Mayor makes the decisions sought, the Assistant Director for Economic Development and Programmes 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 or any other delegations in existing Mayoral Decisions. 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 provides that 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.