LDN Weekly – Issue 328 – 07 August 2024 – End of the Honeymoon?

END OF THE HONEYMOON?

Dear Reader,

It’s a mark of our political system that Keir Starmer was swept into 10 Downing Street with such ruthless speed, and the past month has flown by with little let up in the pace for the new government. New governments crave a ‘honeymoon period’ as it makes the exhaustion from the election and the pace of change more bearable – but how long such a honeymoon lasts is never known in advance. This last week may well have heralded an abrupt end to the new Government’s honeymoon.

As a quick reminder, Starmer’s first act after crossing the threshold is signing the four letters of last resort. Meeting Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, Larry the Cat, probably comes next. The subsequent job of signing off ministerial appointments for the King to confirm is perhaps a little less harrowing than matters of nuclear war, but crucial for putting the new Government in place and getting on and delivering the party’s manifesto.

But as the past week’s events across the country have shown, urgent problems and emergency meetings should prompt us to remember how much we take the stability of government for granted. The speed in which new governments take up office is really a blessing. Protests and violent disorder are a reminder of how thin the line is between stability and insecurity – with Muslim and ethnic minority communities fearing for the consequences of this more than others. If these disturbances had taken place during a 72-hour vacuum between changes of government, we would be asking ourselves why we don’t have immediate transfers of power to avoid such situations.

Starmer’s first few weeks have been marked by movement on some of Labour’s priorities, namely, reforms to the housing and planning system, and taking steps to restore economic stability. Policy drives these changes forward, reflective of stakeholders and interest groups along with voters and financial markets. Early signs suggest that this Government is taking the long-term, strategic approach seriously.

Launching the consultation on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) less than month after the General Election was symbolic as much as it was literal, angering several leafy green, mostly Conservative suburban shires in the commuter belt with ramped up housing targets and relaxations on building on Green Belt.

With 40 Bills in the Government’s first King’s Speech, the new regime is banking on their 174-seat majority to deliver radical change. All this while repeating the narrative that the legacy of their predecessors is the cause of all problems.

Labour is showing signs that it is determined to drive change. But as evidenced by the shocking scenes from the past week, Labour will be quickly realising it takes more than determination and a solid message of growth to heal a nation. Building foundations for positive, lasting change is a much harder job.

PS - A reminder that there’s no LDN next week, and from the week after we switch to our new day of Thursday. So look out for the next edition in your inbox on Thursday 22nd August!

Daniel Reast
Account Executive, Insight

Tailor Your Experience

At LCA, we believe in catering our insights to your specific interests. Choose the content that aligns with your needs and stay informed about the areas that matter most to you.

LONDON POLITICS LATEST

Worrying times: As we go to press, tensions are high across London with protests planned at several specific targets in the city by the far right. With over a week of violence and protests across the country, London has so far avoided the worse but the seriousness with which the threats are being treated is seen in the statements issued by the Mayor, and borough leaders and local MPs – particularly in four areas named: Hounslow, Finchley, Harrow and Walthamstow. The authorities will be praying for rain to dampen down tensions in the coming days.

Get London Building: The new Labour Government’s focus on building is coinciding with some thorny challenges in London. First up, the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea railing against a 209% increase in their housing target. While true that the new method of calculating targets would see a large increase, borough targets are yet to be officially decided, with the Mayor of London continuing to hold this responsibility. Second, UNESCO are to probe the impact of skyscrapers in the Square Mile on the Tower of London World Heritage Site, building on concerns with the City of London Corporation’s draft local plan previously raised by Historic England. And third, Southwark Council - who’ve halted building council homes due to financial pressures.

East Bank-rupt: Warning lights on the state of council finances continue to flash red across the city, with Newham the latest council reported to be facing financial difficulties, rising costs associated with temporary accommodation contributing to a budget deficit of £22m.

East River: Newham also in the news after a difference of opinion with fellow riparian borough Greenwich over the costs of repairing the century-old Woolwich Foot tunnel. Separately, Greenwich has raised concerns that the council’s contribution towards the cost of the proposed Thamesmead extension of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) might no longer be affordable. This comes after TfL published the consultation response on the proposals, revealing overwhelming support. Extending the DLR south of the river has the potential to unlock 30,000 new homes but for the project to proceed, government support towards the potential £1.7bn cost will be vital. 

Going bussed: A headache for TfL, with Sullivan buses, a key provider of services in North London, going out of business. Other providers have stepped in to fill the gaps, but with the Labour government’s new Better Buses Bill due to abolish the restriction on the setting up of publicly controlled bus companies, might the son-of-a-bus-driver Mayor fancy being one of the first to make the most of the new freedoms?

Last Train to London: Better news for City Hall in that a potential point of conflict with the new Government over public ownership of the railways looks to have been averted. Transport Minister Simon Lightwood MP said it would be a “matter for local leaders” to decide how best train services in their areas are run and managed, thus avoiding awkwardness over TfL’s franchising of the Elizabeth Line and London Overground to private companies. Khan’s recent manifesto included a commitment to the further devolution of commuter rail services, so he’ll be hoping this paves the way for TfL taking over south London’s much-maligned train services. And more devolution to London is top of the list for umbrella-body London Councils, who are reportedly eyeing a ‘revised’ settlement for the city.

En-yield:  News from Enfield, where newly-elected MP for Barking Nesil Caliskan looks set to continue as council leader until at least September. Her two fellow council leaders also recently elected to Parliament - Georgia Gould and Jas Athwal – have both now relinquished their local government roles to concentrate on being MPs. Gould’s replacement as leader of Camden, Cllr Richard Olszewski, has also now unveiled his new front bench team. 

Two Jobs to Two Cities: One by-election now confirmed is in Tower Hamlets where Rachel Blake has resigned as a councillor in order to focus on her new role as MP for Cities of London & Westminster.  Over the river in Lambeth, former council CEO Bayo Dosunmu has pleaded guilty to drink-driving, failing to stop after a car crash and driving without insurance. Along with the departure of joint Richmond/Wandsworth Chief Executive Mike Jackson, this leaves three boroughs seeking new leadership.

Aground and Vision: With Labour still revelling in the recent Mayoral and General Election successes in the city, elsewhere the Conservative fightback sees a new addition to the mix. Former prospective Mayoral candidate Alex Challoner has launched the London Vision Network which aims to rejuvenate the party in London. Given the party’s representation at almost all levels of government in London is at record lows, the only way really is up.

Brand on the run: Hot on the heels of the Museum of London morphing into The London Museum (whose new logo of a pigeon defaecating continues to cause a flutter), the Metropolitan London Archives will now be known as…..*drum role*… the London Archives.

It’s My Party: Labour’s attempts to kickstart economic growth showed early signs of success - favoured Westminster politicos haunt the Red Lion revealed record takings in the period after 4 July.

• Hackney and Tower Hamlets councils have opposed Ballymore and Hammerson’s redevelopment of Bishopsgate Goodsyard, with Tower Hamlets criticising the developers’ approach to design, while Hackney have decried the ‘missed opportunity’ to reuse materials from the 11-acre site’s existing buildings. This most recent development is the latest in the long history of the site, with the former Mayor of London Boris Johnson calling in plans in 2015 and Sadiq Khan granting full outline consent in March 2022. The plans include the partial demolition of the existing buildings to deliver a 130,000 sqm office and commercial development, 1,600 sqm of retail space and 500 new homes (50% affordable) in buildings of up to 29 storeys in height. The Mayor of London will determine the outcome of the reserved matters application, although a decision date has not yet been announced.
  
  
• Related Argent and Barnet Council have partnered with co-living developer Halcyon Development Partners to deliver the first co-living scheme at Brent Cross Town, providing more than 300 co-living units with indoor and outdoor communal space. The £100m building, set to be located close to the new high street and Brent Cross West mainline station, is funded by DTZ Investors and will operate under the fund’s Folk Co-living brand.
  
  
• Southwark Council has approved Mount Anvil’s plans to deliver a part-nine, part 22-storey residential development on the South Bank providing 149 homes (42.5% affordable) and flexible community space. The affordable homes will be managed by Riverside Housing Association. The plans include the demolition of an existing four-storey building containing 24 social homes, 22 of which will be moving into the new development.
  
  
• Derwent and Lazari Investments have secured planning consent from Westminster City Council to demolish and redevelop five buildings on Baker Street to deliver a new 240,000 sq ft office development. The plans will see the delivery of a single seven-storey building with ground floor cultural space alongside 17 homes, with 20 affordable homes to be delivered offsite at Castle Lane. The approval is considered significant for future development in the borough due to the proposed demolition, which Westminster City Council has previously signalled concerns about in favour of retrofit schemes.
  
  
• A decision on the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s proposed expansion of Wimbledon has been delayed until September ‘at the earliest’, as further review of the plans by City Hall officials continues. The club submitted amendments to the 73-acre scheme in May 2024 to remove parts of the boundary fences between the site and neighbouring Wimbledon Park, along with further landscaping improvements, to improve connectivity and increase the amount publicly accessibly green space. The scheme was called in by Deputy Mayor of London for Planning Jules Pipe in October 2023, with Pipe set to issue the final decision in the autumn.
  
  
• Pegasi Management Company has been granted planning consent by the City of London Corporation for a retrofit of the nine-storey, 135,000 sq ft office building, St Magnus House. The plans include transforming two lower office floors to provide a restaurant, improving ground floor accessibility and refurbishing the upper office floors to ‘best-in-class’ environmental standards.
  
  
• Arsenal FC is reported to be ‘considering’ potential expansion and upgrade plans for the 60,500-seat Emirates Stadium in Holloway. Speaking to ESPN, the football club’s co-Chair, Josh Kroenke, said that ‘internal conversations are starting to occur’ about the possibilities for the stadium’s future.
  
  
• Bromley Council has approved plans for a £17.75m renewal of Crystal Palace Park in a highly lauded regeneration masterplan created by HTA Design. The plans include the restoration of the park’s Grade-I listed Geological Court and famous dinosaur sculptures, as well as redeveloping the Grade-II listed Italian Terraces and grounds, creating a new information centre and enhanced green spaces.
  
  
• NEAT Developments and Royal London have submitted plans to Brent Council to deliver a new 230,000 sq ft, two-storey stacked industrial development in Colindale. The proposals would replace an existing single-storey warehouse on site with flexible units for lease, delivered to BREEAM and EPC A energy standards with new electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

• Liz Peace is to step down as Chair of the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) in November after seven years in the role. Peace was appointed in 2017 and has overseen the delivery of the OPDC’s 20-year planning framework while enabling the delivery of plans for 9,000 homes in the heart of Old Oak Common. A new chair will be recruited in due course. Peace begins her new role as Chair of government QUANGO Nuclear Waste Services in September, succeeding Adrienne Kelbie.
  
  
• Chief Financial Officer and interim CEO of Abrdn, Jason Windsor, is set to become the firm’s permanent Chief Executive following Stephen Bird’s departure in May this year. Windsor first joined Abrdn in October 2023 from Persimmon where he led in the same role.
  
  
• Stantec has appointed David Hutt as its new Regional Director for London and the South East, joining after nearly eight years with Gleeds as Director of Business Development and Origination.
  
  
• Matthew Bonning-Stock has officially begun his role as Chief Executive of Helical, following the departure of Gerald Kaye. Bonning-Stock was promoted to the role and confirmed at the firm’s annual general meeting.
  
  
• The City of London Corporation has appointed Greg Moore as new Deputy Town Clerk, leading on coordinating political and policy advice to the Corporation’s elected members. He first joined the Corporation in 2009 as an administrative assistant.
  
  
• Former Operational Finance Director at Battersea Power Station, Harry Sumner, has joined Untold Living as its new Chief Financial Officer.
  
  
• Accent Group has named Nick Apetroaie as its new Chief Executive, joining from Habinteg Housing Association where he led as CEO since 2021.
  
  
• The Urban Land Institute has appointed Theodora Beckett as Chair of its UK Young Leaders Group. Serving a two-year term, Beckett currently leads on community wealth building and placemaking as Head of London at RealWorth.
  
  
• Former Member of the Greater London Council (GLC), later Leader of Hounslow Council and Deputy Chair of Transport for London, Dave Wetzel, has died aged 82. Wetzel was a key architect of the GLC’s infamous flagship ‘Fares Fair’ policy in 1981 which introduced a zonal fare system to simplify London’s transport system.
  
  
• Former Mayor of Camden and ward councillor Roger Robinson has died. Robinson represented St John’s ward in 1964-78 before being re-elected in 1998 as ward councillor for St Pancras, later St Pancras and Somers Town. One of the borough’s longest serving local councillors, and an Honorary Alderman, Robinson was awarded an OBE in 2000 for his charity and community work.

WHAT'S ON

It’s easy to forget just how lucky we are to live and work in a city with so much going on. To help you wade through the noise, we’ve put together a list of things to do in London over the next few weeks:

• Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (GDIF) (23 Aug- 8 Sep), with highlights including: Life Lines at Greenwich Peninsula, Dancing City in Stratford, A Ballad of Thamesmead and opening event Silence!
  
  
• Wembley Park is the unrivalled home of Taylor Swift this summer with the global megastar returning to the world-famous stadium for eight concerts from 15th August. As well as the free open-air photo exhibition and two brand new, large-scale murals added to the Wembley Park Art Trail, there’s also an open air string quartet concert on 14th August to hear Taylor Swift like you’ve never heard before.
  
  
• The Globe’s bilingual English and British Sign Language (BSL) production of Antony and Cleopatra.
  
  
• There’s no need to travel up to Edinburgh, London has its very own fringe in Camden.
  
  
• Battersea Park in Concert over the August Bank Holiday weekend, as is annual London fixture Notting Hill Carnival.
  
  
• If the weather holds up, Londoners can enjoy one of the many outdoor cinemas that have popped up across the capital, whether it be at the Barbican, on the Thames or on rooftop locations across the city.
  
  
• For those rainy days, why not visit one of London’s world-class galleries? Tate Britain has a new installation by artist Alvaro Barrington, photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection are on display at the V&A and Yinka Shonibare’s free exhibition is on at the Serpentine until 1 September.
  
  
• For some public art, we recommend heading down to Liverpool Street station to see Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s enormous new public installation, while Banksy artworks have been making appearances in the capital over the past few days.

WE RECOMMEND

• Where chefs eat in London.
• Which Tube line is the hottest.
• Why alcohol-free venues are struggling to survive.
• With eyes on Paris, the Evening Standard look back at the legacies from the London 2012 games.
• Lewisham’s world-famous Allodi Accordions to close.

WEEK ONE AT THE PARIS OLYMPICS

WilkinsonEyre is featured in the Architects’ Journal, where Director Sebastien Ricard shares his on the ground experience at the Paris Olympics. Sebastien gives his thoughts on the city’s temporary venues, with existing Parisian landmarks used as backdrops for the events, and for the first time, an opening ceremony outside of a stadium.

LDN CONTRIBUTORS 

LCA prides itself on its intelligence-led approach to PR and communications and our dedicated insight team monitors London politics, news and issues as it happens.

If you would like to know more about LCA or anything in this edition of LDN – London in short please get in touch. 

Nick Bowes

Managing Director, Insight

Robert Gordon Clark

Senior Advisor and Partner

Emily Clinton

Account Manager, Insight 

 Daniel Reast

Insight Executive

Design:  Aroa Maquedano Pulido:

We strive for balance and accuracy at all times; however, if you feel we have made a mistake, omission or have misrepresented a story or issue please alert the team by contacting the LDN team by using the details above.

Follow Us for More 

We hope you enjoy this edition and if you don't already, do follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram. You can also visit our website for more information on LCA’s team, services, and clients.

And finally, a technical note: If you like hearing from us, make sure to add ldn@londoncommunications.co.uk to your contacts or ‘safe sender’ list – this will help ensure LDN lands in your inbox.