Today, new restrictions came into effect to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Businesses across England closed their doors yesterday and will not reopen until 2 December 2020.
Before the national lockdown was announced, London was already on course to lose £10.9bn from tourism in 2020 and between £1.9 billion – £1.4 billion from commuters not travelling into the city on a daily basis.
The London Assembly has today called on the Mayor of London to set a date to publish an Economic Recovery Strategy for London so that businesses across the city can better plan for the future.
Tony Devenish AM, who proposed the motion, said:
“London’s economy is on its knees with thousands of jobs and businesses on the brink. Sadiq Khan cannot delay publishing his economic recovery strategy any longer. Without a plan, City Hall won’t be ready to fire up London’s economy once the virus is under control.
“City Hall has a vital role to play in the capital’s recovery. Once it is safe to do so, Khan needs to get our city moving, get Londoners back into the office and ramp up housebuilding to help kickstart London’s recovery.
“The Mayor’s had months to come up with a recovery strategy, and it’s frankly irresponsible that he hasn’t published one yet. As England heads into another lockdown, Londoners will want to know their Mayor has a plan to rebuild.”
The full text of the motion is:
“This Assembly calls on the Mayor to set a date to publish an Economic Recovery Strategy for London as soon as possible, in order to support businesses across London in planning for their futures.”
Notes to editors
- Watch the full webcast.
- The motion was agreed unanimously.
- Tony Devenish AM, who proposed the motion, is available for interviews.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Aoife Nolan on 07849 303 897. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.