London's councils were targeted by a coalition of charities in the run up to the May local elections. The charities planned to gain the councils' commitment to protecting the future of London's children from problems such as poverty and homelessness.
Barnardo's, Coram Family, London Play, London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC), NCH, NSPCC, Save the Children and The Children's Society produced Towards an Inclusive and Child-Friendly London - A Children and Young People's Manifesto for London Local Government. The Manifesto called on councillors to make sure that children in London have the same opportunities to grow and succeed as those in the rest of the UK.
The Manifesto pointed out some of the stark realities that children in London currently face:
Delroy Pomell, director at Barnardo's and coalition member, said: "Children in London are still missing out, they are short changed in so many ways - childhood obesity, poverty, homelessness, overcrowding, and higher school exclusion rates.
"This is simply not acceptable and we as a coalition must ensure that all council candidates put the protection, health and welfare of children higher on their agendas.
"We must all invest in the future generation of Londoners, including members of the public, who should be aware of how individuals and communities can also contribute in protecting children from harm.
"London must do more to protect the physical and emotional well-being of its children and young people. This will help to reduce the number of young people suffering in adverse circumstances from developing more serious mental and physical illnesses. We must ensure that London's children are protected - and given the future they deserve."
Hammersmith & Fulham Council's in-house building maintenance wing, Borough Construction, made a profit in excess of £1 million in the 2005/06 financial year. The profit will be ploughed back into additional services for tenants.
The impact of living close to London was an issue under discussion when a Norwegian delegation paid a visit to the Sevenoaks district. A group of 25 mayors and council chief executives from the county of Akershus were shown around by Sevenoaks District Council.
The group was most interested to hear about the impact of living on the edge of London, one of the globe's largest cities. The Norwegian visitors also heard about local democracy, and the relationship between local government and the European Union. They also took a tour of the district.
Councillor Ian Bosley, Sevenoaks District Council's Chairman, said: "Despite being 1,000 miles apart, we found that we had much in common with our northern European counterparts. The visit was a fantastic opportunity to discuss with our Norwegian guests the advantages and disadvantages of living next to a large metropolitan city and to exchange ideas about how we can make life better for our residents."
Westminster Council sacked an employee for failing to follow procedures. An audit by external accountants also resulted in a change to procedures, namely a 75% reduction in the delegated spending authority of the Council's Corporate Property Department. Reports suggest the audit looked at work in issuing contracts and the maintenance of council properties. The report points to failures in following procedures. It is understood that fraud was not a consideration.
Sheffield Council was given £700,000 to help tackle debt in some of its most deprived areas. The award was taken from the Government's £45 million Inclusion Fund and will be used to recruit eight advisers, who will provide financial advice to those living in areas of high poverty across the City. A further appointment will be made of an adviser, who will work with people with mental and physical disabilities.
