Ahead of the United Nations COP26 Climate Change Conference starting in Glasgow on Sunday, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and leader of London Councils,

Cllr Georgia Gould, will today welcome London’s leaders, businesses and communities to the London Climate Summit.

The inaugural summit is showcasing action to tackle the climate and ecological emergencies and improve air quality by doubling the size of London's green economy by 2030 to accelerate job creation for all. 

The Climate Summit - London’s launchpad to COP26 - will see the Mayor, London Councils and London boroughs discuss their shared vision for transforming London into a cleaner, greener, fairer and more equal city, as well as exploring how residents, businesses and communities are contributing to climate solutions and supporting a green recovery for London.  

In order for the UK to meet its national net zero targets and safeguard the future of our environment, London must play a leading role in transitioning to a low carbon way of life. Collaboration across all sectors, all communities and all corners of the city will be essential to delivering meaningful change.  

Minister for London Paul Scully will address the summit to share how national government is approaching the climate emergency and how they want to work with regional and local governments to support this vital agenda.

The event will hear the perspectives of young people in London on climate issues and explore the role they can play in reducing our city’s carbon emissions, as well discussions with representatives from London’s boroughs, communities and businesses on how collaboration can accelerate progress, including the ambition of the business community around retrofitting their owned and managed buildings.

The Summit will also see the launch of the Mayor’s £7.5m Future Neighbourhoods 2030 programme, which aims to tackle some of London’s defining environmental challenges - including the climate emergency and air quality - whilst creating jobs, developing skills and supporting a just transition to a low carbon circular economy.

Sadiq will announce that Somers Town in the London Borough of Camden and Notting Dale in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea have today received £1.42m each, which will be match-funded by each borough. A further £4.5m will be made available to support further projects across these two neighbourhoods in the coming years*. Somers Town and Notting Dale will use the funding to deliver more than 40 projects across the two neighbourhoods. Projects include: 

·        A home energy efficiency project, leading to 50 retrofits and training and employment for local residents. 

·        Creating at least five green mobility hubs enabling active travel and a new network of healthy climate safe streets. 

·        A schools air quality programme including installation of new monitoring equipment, educational campaign around air quality and mitigation measures.  

·        The first community owned solar project on a low rise, medium density housing estate. 

·        The retrofit of bio-solar roofs and a pilot zero carbon heat network. 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Climate action is about building a greener, healthier, fairer and more resilient city and ensuring future generations can thrive. Making positive changes to our homes and streets will benefit everyone, particularly those Londoners who experience the worst effects of toxic air and climate change. We’ve already made great progress - from cleaning the air with the recently extended Ultra Low Emission Zone, to ensuring all new developments are net-zero carbon through the London Plan.   

“Future Neighbourhoods is about communities and local government working together to accelerate ambitious climate action and to lower emissions, clean up their air and transform their homes, showing what a net zero carbon London will look and feel like now.” 

Cllr Georgia Gould, Chair of London Councils, said: “The climate crisis is not a future threat, it is impacting our communities now and urgent action is needed. London boroughs are determined to play our part in achieving a Net Zero that works across the capital. From insulating homes to new cycle lanes, we are working alongside our communities to create real change from the ground up that will put us on the path to achieving Net Zero. 

“Today’s Summit highlights that we will only be able to deliver on our ambitious climate goals if we collaborate as partners with other cities, regions, with national government and with international partners. We look forward to championing London’s Net Zero ambitions at COP26 next week and showcasing the pioneering action taken by London government.

“We want all Londoners to live in warm homes without paying huge energy bills, to see our city powered by renewable energy and our children breathing clean air. Across London, councils are working with communities to create change as we come together to take on the challenge of a lifetime.”

Councillor Adam Harrison, Cabinet member for a sustainable Camden said: “Somers Town is a fantastic neighbourhood that has strong existing community energy combined with a real will to go further on the challenge of becoming more sustainable.   

“Future Neighbourhoods will make a real difference here – as early as this winter, the new funding will allow us get going on projects that make a difference to Somers Town. We want the area to have cleaner and greener estates, low-emission transport, radically improved air quality, new energy efficiency measures, and low carbon energy sources and new ways of creating the ‘circular economy’. All this supports the urgent need to make Camden a more sustainable place and respond to the climate emergency. 

“I would like to thank council officers for their work to develop the bid and wider projects together with residents, community groups and local organisations in Somers Town.”  

Cllr Elizabeth Campbell, leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, said: “Our ambition is for Notting Dale to be the UK’s largest eco-neighbourhood and an inspiration for the rest of London. From upskilling young people to do the green jobs of tomorrow to providing renewable energy for residents’ homes, this Future Neighbourhoods funding will help us get there. 

“We want to protect the environment for future generations, becoming a carbon neutral council by 2030 and a carbon neutral borough by 2040.” 

Abbas Dadou, Chair of Lancaster West Residents' Association (LWRA), said: “We’re delighted that the existing investment in Lancaster West Estate will be built on, and that the Mayor of London will work with residents to transform the whole of Notting Dale to become a sustainable neighbourhood of the future.” 

Mrs S Elie MBE, Executive Director Somers Town Community Association and Executive Lead for The St Pancras and Somers Town Living Centre, said: "I recall the first meeting we pulled together for the Neighbourhood 2030 application. A simple email had been sent out to our partners to see who might be interested in working with us on this project, at most we thought we would get 7 or possibly 10 partners respond to the call; we had over 20  partners respond and attend the first meeting. 
 
"The call had gone out and quite literally Somers Town had responded, We all knew that it would not be easy, but right from the start the passion and commitment to achieve were clear for all to see and there was a genuine belief in what we were all trying to do and the key word was ALL." Photo by Lewis Clarke, Wikimedia commons.