Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

London mayor Sadiq Khan announces £2.3m for advice services to aid Londoners deal with cost of living crisis

The mayor is spending more than £80 million this year to help Londoners struggling with the rising cost of living.

London mayor Sadiq Khan announces £2.3m for advice services to aid Londoners deal with cost of living crisis

LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan on Friday (8) announced that he will be investing £2.3 million in vital advice services across the capital to help Londoners cope with the spiralling cost of living.

He also launched a partnership with London Citizens Advice and London Legal Support Trust (LLST) to help reach more Londoners who are struggling to access help and support, a release from the mayor’s press office said.


The demand for financial hardship advice outstrips supply across London and this funding will allow the organisations to increase the capacity of their work, enabling 35,000 more Londoners to get support and help nearly 4,500 people working in grassroots organisations to access advice training to better support their communities.

It will also allow London Citizens Advice to increase the number of advisers across its 28 London citizens advising charities and expand support to community organisations helping those in need, and enable LLST to increase capacity across its network of centres of excellence by recruiting and training more specialist advisers in areas of high demand.

It comes as new polling shows that the number of Londoners who are struggling with the cost of living continue to increase. A total of 30 per cent of Londoners are ‘just about managing’ and 17 per cent are ‘financially struggling’.

The funding is part of £5 million the mayor is spending this year on helping Londoners access welfare advice.

Earlier this year, he launched a Cost of Living Hub to help Londoners access a wide range of information and advice including how to claim benefits that they are entitled to, help dealing with debt, financial management and mental health support.

In total, Khan is spending more than £80 million this year to help Londoners struggling with the rising cost of living. This includes more than £50 million to tackle fuel poverty; more than £20 million to improve security for private renters and house Londoners who are rough sleeping or homeless; more than £5 million to connect Londoners with welfare advice; and £400,000 to tackle food insecurity.

He is also spending £400 million this year on skills and employment programmes to support Londoners to find more secure and better paid work.

“I’m hugely concerned about the impact of the spiralling cost of living on Londoners, with increasing numbers struggling to get by each month. I’m determined to do all I can to support Londoners which is why I am providing this funding to boost the vital work of London Citizens Advice and the London Legal Support Trust. By helping Londoners to access help and support they are entitled to, we can prevent more people falling into poverty and instead build a more prosperous city for all Londoners,” Khan said.

Dr Debbie Weekes Bernard, deputy mayor for communities and social justice, said, “The pandemic has exacerbated long-standing social inequalities in London, and many of those who have been hit hardest are now contending with further stresses as a result of the rising cost of living. This investment will help to provide support to Londoners most in need by increasing access to a wide range of advice services across the capital. The Mayor and I are committed to working in partnership with communities to ensure we build back a better London for everyone.”

Chair of the London Citizens Advice Steering Group (and chief executive officer of Merton and Lambeth Citizens Advice) Suzanne Hudson said, “At a time when demand in London Citizens Advice charities is soaring, we are delighted that the Mayor of London is supporting this important partnership to help Londoners cope with the cost- of-living crisis. In difficult times, accessing information and advice can prevent problems from becoming crises. Our services are here to provide support for people when they need it and this funding will enable us to help more Londoners. "

LLST CEO Nezahat Cihan said, “Specialist advice is vitally important in helping empower people to tackle issues including debt, rent arrears, housing problems, Universal Credit errors, and more. Our centres of excellence will be able to increase their specialist advisor capacity to support more vulnerable Londoners so they don’t have to face these issues alone, and risk them spiralling.”

More For You

Norman Tebbit
Following Thatcher’s third general election victory in 1987, Tebbit stepped back from frontline politics to care for his wife. (Photo: Getty Images)

What was the Tebbit Test and why was it controversial?

LORD NORMAN TEBBIT, the former cabinet minister who introduced the controversial “cricket test” to question the loyalty of migrants, has died at the age of 94. The test, later known as the “Tebbit Test,” suggested that immigrants who supported cricket teams from their countries of origin instead of England were not fully integrated into British society. His death was confirmed on Monday by his son, William, who asked for privacy for the family.

Tebbit first spoke about the test in 1990 as a Conservative MP. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he said, “A large proportion of Britain's Asian population fail to pass the cricket test. Which side do they cheer for? It’s an interesting test. Are you still harking back to where you came from or where you are?”

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Air India crash probe finds fuel to engines was cut off before impact

Highlights

 
     
  • Fuel to both engines of the Air India flight was cut off seconds before the crash
  •  
  • A pilot was heard questioning the other over the cut-off; both denied initiating it.
  •  
  • The Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people.
  •  
  • Investigators are focusing on fuel switch movement; full analysis may take months.

FUEL control switches to both engines of the Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff were moved from the "run" to the "cutoff" position seconds before the crash, according to a preliminary investigation report released early Saturday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chinese vessel tracked in Bay of Bengal after disabling identification system

The Indian Navy and Coast Guard have consistently reported Chinese research vessel presence. (Representational image: Getty Images)

Chinese vessel tracked in Bay of Bengal after disabling identification system

A Chinese research vessel was detected operating in the Bay of Bengal near Indian waters while attempting to conceal its presence by disabling its Automatic Identification System (AIS), according to a report by The Economic Times, citing French maritime intelligence firm Unseenlabs.

The French company conducted a 16-day satellite-based survey tracking ships through radio frequency emissions. It monitored 1,897 vessels, with 9.6 per cent showing no AIS activity, indicating attempts to avoid detection. The survey raised concerns amid increased Chinese activity in the region.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian-inspired garden earns
five awards at Hampton Court

(From left) Malcolm Anderson (RHS, head of sustainability) Clare Matterson (RHS director general), Lorraine Bishton (Subaru UK and Ireland, managing director) Andrew Ball (director, Big Fish Landscapes) Mike McMahon and Jewlsy Mathews with the medals

Asian-inspired garden earns five awards at Hampton Court

BRITISH Asians are being encouraged to take up gardening by a couple who have won a record five medals at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.

“It’s a contemporary reimagining of a traditional walled garden, highlighting the British and Irish rainforests,” said Jewlsy Mathews, who was born in Britain of parents from Kerala, a southern Indian state known for its lush vegetation.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk weather

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England

iStock

England faces widespread heat alerts and hosepipe bans amid rising temperatures

Highlights:

  • Amber heat health alerts in place for large parts of England
  • Hosepipe bans announced in Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex
  • Temperatures could reach 33°C over the weekend
  • Health risks rise, especially for elderly and vulnerable groups

Heat warnings in effect as UK braces for another hot weekend

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England, with temperatures expected to climb to 33°C in some areas over the weekend. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) activated the warning at 12 pm on Friday, with it set to remain in place until 9 am on Monday.

The alerts cover the East Midlands, West Midlands, south-east, south-west, East of England, and London. Additional yellow alerts were issued for the north-east, north-west, and Yorkshire and the Humber, starting from midday Friday.

Keep ReadingShow less