London has long suffered from levels of poverty higher than most parts of the country. More than a quarter of London’s population – and almost 40% of its children – live in poverty. Many groups experience particularly high risks of living in poverty – more than half of single-parent families, and almost 40% of non-white households and households with a disabled person, live in relative poverty.

The pandemic brought these stark socio-economic inequalities and high levels of poverty into sharp relief – with levels of mortality and serious illness strongly correlated with deprivation, and experiences of lockdown shaped by it. However, whilst the pandemic made life harder for Londoners living in poverty, it also highlighted the ability of political action to make a difference as levels of poverty nationally fell during the pandemic.

The Robust Safety Net mission was established to bring together London boroughs, civil society, the advice sector and the GLA to strengthen and coordinate the support available for Londoners experiencing financial hardship in the wake of the pandemic. This is achieved by promoting a more consistent approach to local welfare provision,

addressing low and uneven awareness of rights and entitlements, tackling an over-reliance on informal crisis support such as food aid, and making the case, where appropriate, for changes in national policy and practice.

The negative economic effects of the pandemic on individual households have been compounded in recent months by a rapid increase in the cost of essential goods like energy, food, and fuel. These rising costs have meant that a far greater number of Londoners are experiencing financial hardship than would otherwise have been the case. Action to support households struggling to meet rising living costs most closely aligns with the Robust Safety Net (RSN) mission and subsequently led to this mission being at the forefront of the Recovery Programme’s response. A set of new/adapted workstreams were set up to support Londoners, such as:

• Improving the usability, accessibility, and awareness of the Cost-of-Living Hub on London.gov.uk and developing additional digital tools/resources
• Increasing the capacity in the advice sector to meet rising demand, fill cold-spots or gaps in provision, and support the development of partnerships between advice services and grass roots/community partners   
• Improving access to energy advice and other long-term support for households in fuel poverty.

The mission has added a more immediate focus on supporting the co-ordination of initiatives between boroughs, the GLA and the voluntary and community sector to help Londoners mitigate the worst effects of the cost-of-living crisis.