Agenda and minutes
London Recovery Board - Tuesday 28 July 2020 2.00 pm

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, including Andy Byford, London’s new Transport Commissioner, and outlined protocols for the virtual meeting. Apologies had been received from Laura Citron, for whom Allen Simpson would substitute; the Minister for London, for whom Robyn Thackara would substitute; Beccy Speight, for whom Shaun Spiers would substitute; and Jasmine Whitbread, for whom John Dickie would substitute.

1.3    The Chair reminded members of the high-level principles and outcomes agreed at the Board’s first meeting and highlighted the outstanding collaborative work being undertaken between the GLA and London Councils, among others, to develop these. He also outlined some of the economic impacts of Covid-19 already being felt by Londoners, noting that these would be impacting already-disadvantaged areas and communities the hardest.

1.4  Councillor Peter John, Co-Chair of the Board, also emphasised the close collaborative working and the opportunities this presented to deliver real change. Without significant central Government investment, however, it was possible that the opportunity created by this collective drive and goodwill may be lost, and with it London’s ability to continue generating surplus income for the rest of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.

2.1  Councillor Teresa O’Neill declared an interest in Item 7 as a Board member of Homes England. The interest was non-pecuniary and noted only in the interests of transparency.[1]

For approval

3.1  DECISION:

  That the minutes of the meeting held on 4 June 2020 be agreed as a correct record.

For approval

4.1  DECISION:

  That the Terms of Reference of the London Recovery Taskforce be approved.

For noting

Slides will be presented at the meeting and published shortly thereafter.

[Rowena Howie joined the meeting during this item]

5.1  Jeanette Bain-Burnett, GLA Head of Community Engagement, shared a presentation on the work undertaken to date to consult with Londoners on the city’s recovery from Covid-19 and the ambition for London’s diverse communities and individuals to influence, shape and participate fully through a far-reaching and inclusive engagement process. The collaborative approach would extend beyond consultation into genuine co-design of London’s recovery, ensuring that London’s less-heard voices, and those disproportionately affected by Covid-19, were brought to the fore. Recommendations from the ongoing work would help shape the Board’s final missions, to be developed for the next meeting, where an action plan for collaborative engagement would also be presented. The presentation is attached to these minutes at Appendix 1.

5.2  Members were extremely supportive of the proposed approach and of the level of ambition, offering to use their networks to promote and extend the planned engagement work to inform the draft missions. It was agreed that having multiple points of entry into the conversation would be important, as would linking with separate but relevant work such as the Centre for London’s London 2050 project.

5.3  To ensure Londoners felt the recovery process was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

For feedback and endorsement

Slides will be presented at the meeting and published shortly thereafter. The Board will be asked to endorse progress toward the economic and social recovery missions, including agreement of themes, and to provide feedback and further suggestions, including for specific projects.

6.1    Dr Nick Bowes, Chair of the London Recovery Taskforce, introduced the item and speakers, thanking all who had been involved in the development of the proposals to date and in particular the Chairs and co-Chairs of the two workstrands. The missions-based approach was introduced. The draft missions were not exhaustive and would work across different timescales. To succeed, Board members’ organisations would need to participate in their delivery, both via direct commitments and via other levers, as well as advising on their development. Not all outcomes sought would require direct investment; some would be achievable by redoubling efforts to better coordinate organisations’ respective activities; or by advocacy to encourage changes to law or regulatory frameworks. Members were asked to put forward their thoughts on how to refine the draft missions, and what the tangible outcomes might be.

  [Shaun Spiers left the meeting during this item]

6a  Social Recovery

6.2  Councillor Ruth Dombey, co-Chair of the social recovery workstrand, outlined the draft missions proposed to aid London’s social recovery from Covid-19. The crisis had further exposed the deep-seated inequalities from which many of London’s communities suffered and it would be crucial to articulate clearly what the recovery  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

For noting

The full report of the Covid-19 Housing Delivery Taskforce can be viewed on the GLA’s website. An executive summary is provided in these papers.

  [Sir David Sloman left the meeting during this item]

7.1  David Lunts, GLA Executive Director for Housing and Land, outlined the work undertaken by the Covid-19 London Housing Delivery Taskforce (HDT), that had recently published its final report on supporting the housing sector to recover from Covid-19. A collaborative exercise across the London housing sector, the HDT had identified actions that could be taken by the parties involved and others which would need Government intervention. Its recommendations included: actions to de-risk development and build the pipeline of projects; co-ordination of training and the establishment of a workforce visa system; promotion of precisions manufacturing; land assembly reforms; and flexibilities in the planning system. The full report would be recirculated to members. [Action: Secretariat]

7.2  DECISION:

  That the report of the Covid-19 Housing Delivery Taskforce be noted.

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<AI8>

Forward Look: the following standing items will be included on each Board agenda.

-  Missions update

-  A mission deep dive (in consultation with Board members)

-  London engagement update

Further meetings of the London Recovery Board have been scheduled for the following dates.

-  Tuesday 15 September at 10:00

-  Tuesday 10 November at 15:00

8.1  Dr Nick Bowes thanked members for their input and explained that their comments would be taken forward in the period before the next Board meeting on 15 September, alongside feedback from the public engagement exercise, and used to refine and prioritise the draft missions for approval.

8.2  The Board featured many powerful voices, representing a range of London’s anchor institutions, and it had been acknowledged that the role of those organisations in the recovery could be better defined. It was proposed that ahead of the Board’s next meeting, thought would be given to proposals for a set of short-, medium- and longer-term actions that Board members’ organisations may be able to commit to in support of the agreed missions.

8.3  Councillor Peter John closed the meeting by thanking those present for the discussion and reiterating that to achieve the Board’s ambitions, public funds would need to work harder than ever before and institutions would need to integrate their work in new ways. It had been suggested that to move forward with many of the issues discussed at the meeting, London needed a clear vision of how it would look when the Covid-19 crisis was over. This, alongside the major  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

9.1  There was no other business.  The meeting closed at 3:58pm.

Appendices:

Appendix 1 – Public and stakeholder engagement update

Appendix 2 – Social and economic recovery: draft missions