Agenda and minutes
London Recovery Board - Thursday 4 June 2020 10.00 am
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Welcome and introductions Minutes: 1.1 The meeting was chaired by Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London and Co-Chair of the London Recovery Board.
1.2 The Chair welcomed those present and outlined protocols for the virtual meeting. A membership list had been circulated with the agenda. Apologies had been received from Sir Bob Neill MP, Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on London.
1.3 The Chair outlined the context within which the Board had been convened, emphasising the unprecedented challenge posed to society and the economy by the impacts of Covid-19 but stressing also that London’s recovery would present opportunities to improve the city, and with it the lives of Londoners. The collective effort and creativity of those present, their organisations and networks, and of all Londoners, would be needed in this endeavour. The Board would develop the broad vision and framework for London’s medium to long-term recovery from Covid-19, while working closely with the London Transition Board, co-chaired by the Mayor of London and Secretary of State for Homes, Communities and Local Government, which would consider more immediate challenges.
1.4 Councillor Peter John, Chair of London Councils and Co-Chair of the Board, noted that as well as highlighting London’s resilience and the ability of ... view the full minutes text for item 1. |
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Declarations of interest Minutes: 2.1 There were no declarations of interest. Members would shortly be asked to register any interests as part of the formal appointment process.
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The new economic and social context to 2021 PDF 212 KB Presentation by Professor Tony Travers, Director of LSE London.
Background data will be circulated prior to the meeting. Minutes: 3.1 Professor Tony Travers, Director, LSE London, presented an independent view of the challenges facing London as a result of Covid-19, setting out firstly the potential impacts on London’s economy, employment and demographics as well as the expected differential effects across economic sectors and geographical zones. The presentation explored the potential decisions to be taken by each tier of government during the recovery period. Possible actions spanned a spectrum from a flexible and reactive approach through to proactive management which would seek to achieve new outcomes for the city. These would be influenced by whether or not the path toward recovery featured an effective vaccine against Covid-19.
3.2 Slides are appended to these minutes at Appendix 1
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How does this relate to boroughs' experience on the ground? Verbal updates from borough leaders. Minutes: 4.1 Councillor Peter John invited London Councils representatives to share their boroughs’ experiences of the pandemic, alongside their key future priorities.
4.2 Local authorities had been the bedrock of London’s local Covid-19 response systems, working rapidly and innovatively to establish community hubs and support residents in new ways. The pandemic had underlined the importance of local knowledge and highlighted the need to examine relationships between various spheres of government as London emerged from the crisis.
4.3 The recovery period was viewed as a crucial opportunity to remodel the city with a focus on Londoners’ quality of life and wellbeing. Members touched upon the possible need for changes to the planning and transport systems in response to an anticipated desire for people to work and spend more leisure time nearer their homes. The value to residents of London’s open spaces during the crisis could not be overemphasised and there was a strong desire to protect and enhance these, as well as expanding the space accessible for exercise and non-motorised transport. The attention afforded to mental health and resilience brought about by the lockdown must not be lost.
4.4 It would also be a rare chance to address the entrenched inequalities laid ... view the full minutes text for item 4. |
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Outline mission, objectives and principles, and ways of working PDF 53 KB Presentation by Niran Mothada, GLA Executive Director, Strategy and Communications. Additional documents: Minutes: 5.1 Niran Mothada, GLA Executive Director, Strategy and Communications, presented a high-level overview of the proposed mission, principles, outcomes and ways of working for the Board. The Board would oversee a Taskforce that would coordinate activity and agree priorities to deliver the Board’s objectives, with two working groups, to develop detailed strategies and activities to support social and economic recovery.
5.2 All proposed work would seek to create healthier, greener, fairer and more equal city with the involvement of all London’s diverse communities. The desired outcome was a London which worked more sustainably and was resilient to future shocks, taking advantage of new innovations and ensuring the measures taken were affordable. The slides are appended to these minutes at Appendix 2.
5.3 The Board was reminded that its work would take place within the context of a climate and ecological crisis and that all indicators suggested overwhelming public support for a green recovery. To inspire and engage Londoners, the vision for recovery would need to focus directly on their health and happiness. Any investments made must be held to sustainable principles. Similar ambitions to ‘build back better’ and focus on resilience were being expressed worldwide and there was an extensive ... view the full minutes text for item 5. |
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Economic recovery Discussion item. Minutes: 6.1 The Chair invited representatives of London’s business community to highlight the issues they felt would be most important to securing a successful recovery. Businesses felt strongly that they would be supporters and enablers of London’s Covid-19 recovery and would seek to engage with all levels of government to achieve this. It would be important for the Board to develop a clear set of objectives for businesses to engage with, to be clear how these would be monitored and to communicate clearly how London’s businesses could support the Board to achieve them.
6.2 The Board discussed London’s transport needs and recognised that despite strong support for a shift toward cycling and walking, the city was, in the UK, uniquely dependent on its mass transit system. Only around half of London households owned cars and effective public transport was fundamental to inclusiveness. Applying current social distancing requirements, a full London Underground service could support only 675,000 journeys daily in comparison to a previous four million (<17%). Businesses had expressed their commitment to working with Transport for London to manage and spread transport demand in the short-term and beyond this to lobby for its stable, realistic and long-term financing.
6.3 There ... view the full minutes text for item 6. |
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Social recovery Discussion item.
Minutes: 7.1 Leaders of London’s civil society organisations shared their views on the impacts of Covid-19 and the work that lay ahead. Those involved in London’s Strategic Coordinating Group emphasised the value of working across sectors and tiers of government. Creative approaches would be needed to engage Londoners in the Board’s work and to harness the energy of its diverse communities.
7.2 The Board heard how the community and voluntary sector (CVS) had responded to the pandemic, moving quickly to establish support systems for vulnerable Londoners and mobilising large number of volunteers. It was suggested that the CVS was too often viewed as a crisis-response mechanism and approached too late to form effective partnerships and co-design strategies with public bodies. CVS organisations were now considering local recovery plans and these would be fed into the Board’s working group structures as well as being brought to a future Board meeting.
7.3 Many CVS bodies would be involved in contact tracing operations. The Board discussed how to overcome the challenges of mistrust and fear of surveillance from some of those communities worst affected by the virus. It was hoped that partnering with faith organisations and other community champions, as well as a focus ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
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London Recovery Board Terms of Reference PDF 37 KB A paper for approval presented by Niran Mothada, GLA Executive Director, Strategy and Communications. Additional documents:
Minutes: 8.1 The Board considered a paper setting out its proposed Terms of Reference, alongside a series of possible arrangements for organising its meeting papers and ensuring transparency in its work.
8.2 DECISIONS That: a) It be agreed that the Board’s meeting papers and minutes would be published and future meetings recorded for live or subsequent webcast in line with Option 3 as set out in the report; and b) Subject to the inclusion of agreed arrangements to ensure its proceedings were transparent, as noted above, the Board’s draft Terms of Reference be approved.
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Next steps and conclusion To cover the following topics: - Meeting frequency - Board forward plan / work programme – suggestions for future agenda items Minutes: 9.1 The Co-Chairs thanked members for their rich and varied contributions. Both had been struck by the unanimity of views on many topics and they looked forward to developing the conversation further. The discussion had highlighted many of London’s most serious problems and there must be no sense of self-congratulation or complacency in the Board’s discussions.
9.2 Much work would take place between Board meetings and officers would make contact with members as may be needed to take this forward. The next meeting would consider in more detail the work of the Recovery Taskforce and its working groups and how these could create the conditions for future growth and social recovery.
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Any other business Minutes: 10.1 There was no other business. The meeting closed 11:46am. |