ADD2624 London Anchor Institutions Network Annual Conference

1.1 The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated long standing inequalities within London, with those already familiar with unequal living standards hardest hit. It also highlighted the growing urgency of the climate emergency and the need to secure a green recovery.​​ In response, the Mayor of London and Chair of London Councils convened some of London's leading organisations across the public sector, business, trade unions and community groups to lead London's recovery and mitigate the worst effects for those hardest hit. ​​A number of organisations from this 'London Recovery Board' came together to form the London Anchor Institutions' Network (LAIN) in March 2021.​

1.2 Almost two years on, the Network consists of a growing membership of organisations across the public, private, faith-based, education and cultural sectors​​ who are leveraging the power of their ​ procurement, recruitment and estate management capacity to help Londoners from underrepresented groups into good work; help young people most in need to flourish; support local small businesses to grow; and accelerate delivery of a cleaner, greener London.

1.3 The central premise of the Network is that by working together towards shared goals - tackling inequalities, supporting economic growth and taking action in the face of climate change - organisations can make a bigger and more positive change than by working alone. ​The programme builds on anchor institution work in various cities and towns in the US and UK, where large, locally rooted organisations are working together to address inequality, boost their local economies and move towards net zero.​

1.4 Through the Network, individual 'anchor institutions' are:  ​

i. setting public targets in relation to their own recruitment, procurement and estate management practices (for example about what proportion of their procurement spend will go to small and medium-sized enterprises or what proportion of new recruits will be from groups underrepresented in the labour market)

ii. ​sharing learning and best practice about how to baseline, define and then deliver against these targets

iii. collaborating on joint projects such as supplier databases or training.

1.5 The programme reports to the London Recovery Board, co-chaired by the Mayor of London and Chair of London Councils.  ​

1.6 A Steering Committee, co-chaired by the Vice Chancellor of University of London and London NHS Executive Director of Performance meets quarterly, to inform the Network’s strategic priorities and oversee their execution.​

1.7 Representatives from the Network’s member organisations sit on and chair thematic working groups which are driving progress and sharing practice, with an initial focus on:

i. responsible procurement: Buying a greater share of goods and services from London-based micro, small, medium-sized and/or diverse businesses  

ii. hiring and skills: Maximising good work and progression opportunities for Londoners underrepresented in the labour market 

iii. mentoring young people: Increasing quality mentoring opportunities for young Londoners most in need

iv. green new deal: Contributing to the capital’s net-zero carbon goals through decarbonisation of members’ estates and developing green skills

v. place-based: Convening and sharing best practice on effective place-based partnerships.

1.8 Examples of actions and achievements of the Network to date including:

i. In March 2022, the NHS, GLA, Metropolitan Police Service, University of London and Transport for London pledged to spend up to 30 per cent of their annual procurement budget on small and diverse businesses based in the capital, amounting to a total spend of £1.3bn over the next 3-5 years.

ii. Members of the Network also hosted a joint webinar on ‘Accessing Public Sector Contracts’ to support London-based micro and small businesses to access their contracts.  

iii. Members have committed to various measures as part of taking steps to ensure their workforce is fully representative of the communities they serve. This includes increasing the number of London Living Wage apprenticeships and work placements they offer to Londoners from underrepresented groups, as seeking to close gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps.

iv. For example, the NHS has pledged that 100% of its employers in London will have committed to paying their staff the London Living Wage (LLW) by March 2023, with 75% of Trusts in London becoming LLW accredited or on the path to accreditation by that time. 14 Trusts have so far achieved LLW accreditation.  

v. Members have also been working towards the Mayor’s Good Work Standard accreditation, with Waltham Forest College recently becoming the first FE College to achieve the accreditation.

vi. Members have also been setting decarbonisation targets. To name a few, New City College has committed to reducing its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 20 per cent by 2024 compared to its 2019/20 baseline, the Church of England has committed to a 50 per cent reduction by 2025 compared with 2005, and the University of London has committed to a 75 per cent reduction by 2025 and 86 per cent reduction in scopes 1 and 2 emissions by 2030.

1.9 The Network is supported by a core team at the GLA who provide strategy and policy expertise, programme management, communications and project support. Pro bono support is also provided by Bloomberg Associates.  ​

1.10 In January 2023, the Network is holding its first in-person conference for current and prospective members. This follows a virtual conference held online in December 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions.

1.11 Expenditure of up to £17,500 is required to cover the costs of the conference, including:

i. catering

ii. AV and other equipment hire

iii. branding and printing

iv. security

v. speaker fees and expenses

vi. contingency.

1.12 The University of London, one of the members of the Network, is providing free use of the venue (Senate House) for the conference.  Considerable in-kind support is also being provided by Bloomberg Associates in the form of graphic design, videography, photography and other comms support.

2.1 The aims of the conference are to:

i. build stronger connections across the Network through bringing people together in person for the first time and facilitating specific networking opportunities and moments of interaction throughout the sessions

ii. celebrate and amplify progress of the Network to date, sharing videos and in-person testimonials as well as overviews of achievements, galvanising further action from existing members

iii. equip members with the tools to make this happen, including through expert-led, skills-based workshops on how to generate and measure social value, how to communicate for impact, how to advocate for and embed culture change, and now to nurture place-based links

iv. inspire prospective members to join the Network

2.2. As a result of the conference, we expect to increase engagement of our existing members in the work of the Network, facilitate more peer-to-peer support and knowledge sharing within and across working groups, stimulate further pledges and delivery against the key aims of the network, and motivate new members to join.

3.1 Section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010 provides that, in the exercise of their functions, public authorities – of which the GLA is one – must have due regard to the need to:

i. eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act 2010;

ii. advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it; and

iii. foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

3.2 Relevant protected characteristics are age, disability, gender re-assignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

3.3 A key objective of LAIN is to tackle structural inequalities including supporting more Londoners from underrepresented groups – many of whom have one or more protected characteristics – to find and progress in good work; be matched with a mentor; or – in the case of small business owners – access new contracts with anchor institutions.

3.4 In terms of the conference itself, all attendees (including speakers) have been asked to detail any accessibility requirements they may have so that these can be accommodated. This is to ensure that no persons with protected characteristics are discriminated against, and everyone can engage fully in the event.  

Key risks and issues

4.1 Key risks associated with the conference are as follows:

i. Low attendance: To mitigate this risk, targeted and personalised invitations have been issued to existing and prospective members using a range of different channels, with member institutions also asked to share invitations within their own organisations and with relevant partners. A certain amount of drop out on the day is also being accounted for in the planning.

ii. Drop out of speakers: Back up plans have been put in place should speakers or expert facilitators not be available on the day due to illness, injury or other unforeseen circumstances.

iii. Content quality: To ensure that the content of the conference is relevant and of sufficient quality for the intended audience, proposals have been tested multiple times with representatives from our member organisations. All speakers and facilitators have also been interviewed and shared drafts of their proposed input with the LAIN programme team for feedback.

iv. Enduring impact: To maximise the value of the conference, various products are being produced, such as blogs, videos and slide decks, to share input and learnings from the day with attendees and additional members and supporters who cannot attend on the day.

Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities

4.2 LAIN aligns with and supports a number of Mayoral priorities and London Recovery Programme missions including Helping Londoners into Good Work; A New Deal for Young People; and A Green New Deal; as well as the business pillar of London’s Economic Recovery Framework.

Conflicts of interest

4.3 No GLA officer involved in the drafting or clearance of this ADD is aware of any conflicts of interest with the proposals set out in this form.

5.1 Approval is being sought for expenditure of up to £17,500 for expenditure on the London Anchor Institutions Network conference.

5.2 This expenditure is to be funded from the GLA’s Economic Fairness budget held within the Economic Development Unit. The overall Economic Fairness Budget for 2022-23 is £697,000 and to date £225,000 has been spent (up to the end of Quarter 3) and therefore this request is affordable within the budget set.

5.3 All expenditure will be incurred by the 31 March 2023.

6.1 The LAIN conference is being organised by the core programme team at the GLA with pro bono support from Bloomberg Associates and members across the Network.