Last week, providers of London’s key public services, including the NHS, local authorities and the police and fire services, as well as universities and other public bodies, gathered at City Hall to reflect on five years of the London Anchor Institutions Network (LAIN) whose members employ tens of thousands of people and make a huge contribution to London’s civic, social and economic life.
I co-chaired one of the Mayor’s “recovery missions” during the pandemic at the outset of the LAIN, so it was good to look back with enthusiasm at its achievements: significant employment opportunities for young people; raising living standards through collectively committing to paying the London Living Wage; embracing climate adaptation; and, most of all, creating a positive momentum across the city in partnership with the Mayor and the boroughs.
Conversations similar to those at the anniversary event took place at Monday’s London Funders conference, where the broad and stimulating agenda aimed to grapple – amid national political uncertainty – with the significant, multi-level challenges communities face, including in the context of devolution. Again, there was a view that embracing the potential of long-term partnerships for systemic change, particularly for young people, could make a major difference.
There has definitely already been positive progress from taking this approach. In January, the London crime figures showed that over time a major reduction in violence had been achieved. The leadership of the Mayor and his Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) were key in this, but so were anchors such as the police and NHS as well as charities like the Mayor’s Fund for London – of which I am chief executive – and hundreds of partner community organisations.
The result of this sustained, collective effort is that London is now safer than many other cities. Young people can live their lives less fearfully and more able to take advantage of the city’s many positive opportunities. We can build on this.
The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill will soon become law. Over the last year, I’ve worked closely with charities in other regions and civil servants looking at the opportunities it might open up. It is clear to us that the Bill sets a higher expectation that Mayors and regional partnerships should be the engines of growth and positive change.
Of course, what governments say about regional power and what they do may be different things – particularly at a time when Westminster is striving to reset and stabilise. And often in London there’s a risk that devolution is seen as something that affects “the north” and not us. However, the ambitions of the government’s new strategies for addressing child poverty and supporting young people anticipate a greater role for regional leadership in all parts of the country.
If we in the capital are to take this opportunity and make progress with tackling other deep challenges that young people face – being excluded from the jobs market, of the affordability and availability of good quality housing options, the crisis of wellbeing and the broader cost of living – we need to four things to happen:
- Let regions lead: the government must be true to its devolution ambitions. It’s so obvious that a region’s challenges can be better solved by the people and communities within that region. Yes, there should be a national framework and ambition. But let the power to change rest locally and regionally.
- Engage young people and communities: at the LAIN event, anchor institutions in Barnet showed how they had actively engaged young people and communities in setting their net zero strategy. And youth engagement has been a key feature of how the VRU has led progress in London around safety for young people. This should be central to policy development and implementation.
- Align funding: government-led initiatives should explicitly be aligned with regional priorities and even channelled through Mayors or Mayor-led partnerships. Any future releases of dormant assets, or the new £10 billion Better Futures Fund could be good starting points. Building on initiatives such as the London Funders-inspired Collaboration Circle, Trust and Foundation funders could also continue to be better aligned with regional and mayoral agendas. We can’t afford resources to be not as well joined up as they should be.
- Unlock new resources: and finally related to this, we need urgently to find new sources of investment. This is where London has a genuine advantage and can lead. There is great wealth in London and a shared interest in making the capital an even greater place to live for young people and everyone else. The Mayor’s Fund for London is actively working with stakeholders to help unlock new investment for Londoners, and his call for future investment needs to be part of a wider public narrative.
From the anchors celebration and the London Funders discussions and beyond, it feels as if there is a strong appetite for change, and that it is essential to use London’s assets and advantages better. Let’s take the opportunity of devolution and the openings offered by the new government strategies to really make the long-term change that young people and communities need.
Jim Minton is chief executive of the Mayor’s Fund for London, which you can follow on Bluesky. Photo from Mayor’s Fund for London website.
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