11 minute read
Up Front
Mayor calls for urgent support to protect businesses
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has met with firms to highlight the urgent action needed to protect their future in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. With current estimates indicating that one • Increased investment in NHS Test and Trace third of the retail and hospitality workforce and more support for hospitality businesses could potentially be made redundant by the end of this year, the mayor has written to the Prime Minister with eight proposals that • to implement systems Other measures which might increase public would help secure firms’ future survival. confidence, such as making face coverings These include: • An extension to the business rates holiday, which is due to end in March, or a discount for compulsory in the busiest public spaces (as has been done in Paris), and further scientific research into the efficacy of such measures businesses in the central London area for the Sadiq Khan said: “For decades, central London next year, guaranteed now has been the economic engine of the UK, a cultural • A direct financial aid scheme for hospitality, retail, powerhouse, and a gateway for global tourism to leisure and cultural businesses in central London the UK. It now faces a real existential threat from • Targeted support for jobs and the extension to the COVID-19 pandemic. the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for retail, hospitality, leisure, and creative businesses “In the face of a perfect economic storm, our businesses need urgent and sustained support • Extended support for freelancers and the from government to ensure they can survive self-employed this pandemic. This must include extending the • Overhaul of business rates business rates holiday beyond next March, • A support scheme for SMEs that are struggling in addition to a comprehensive package of new to meet their rent bills due to coronavirus financial support.”
Funding gives skills boost to 15,000 young Londoners
More than 15,000 young Londoners benefited from an additional £2.1million investment by the mayor Sadiq Khan in activities and projects over the summer, to boost skills, improve mental health and steer young people away from becoming involved in violence. The funding helped 85 youth worst effects of the recession. “The mayor’s funding is organisations across the The research also reveals supporting some of the city’s capital at a crucial time, evidence of a link between poor most vulnerable young people, as London emerged from lockdown and ahead of the new school year. City Hall research, backed up by a UK Youth report on the impact of COVID-19, shows that lockdown has had a significant impact on young people’s mental health, wellbeing, loneliness, activity levels and future opportunities, and continues to have a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable, those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and those from black, Asian and mental health, poverty and deprivation, and young people becoming involved in or becoming victims of serious violence. The Mayor of London and London’s Violence Reduction Unit invested an extra £2.1 million to support projects which are dedicated to improving the wellbeing and opportunities of young people aged up to 25 across London, including some of the most vulnerable young people and their families. providing crucial activities – sports and creative programmes – that help build skills, relationships and resilience. They also provide early-intervention opportunities to prevent young people from being involved in or a victim of crime.” Since the launch of the mayor’s Young Londoners Fund in May 2018, it has supported more than 300 projects that will help more than 110,000 young people fulfil their potential, particularly those minority ethnic backgrounds, Sophie Linden, deputy mayor who are at risk of getting caught who are likely to suffer the for policing and crime, said: up in crime.
Council calls on businesses to help stamp out racism
Southwark Council has written to local businesses to ask them to join the council in standing together against racism and injustice, and to work with the council to take positive action to ensure equality of opportunity and a fairer future for all.
Cllr Johnson Situ, cabinet member for growth and planning, is leading a new, proactive approach in this area of work under the Southwark Stands Together initiative. The initiative forms a clear, threepart focus on ways in which the community can identify, listen, learn, and tackle racism and inequality in the borough. It includes an anti-racist audit of the borough to identify statues and street names that do not reflect the borough’s diversity, especially anything with links to slavery or the country’s colonial past, and to identify positive opportunities for the celebration of more diverse figures which truly reflect the foundation on which Southwark stands. Running parallel is a listening exercise with communities across the borough, partner organisations, and council staff, to hear their concerns. The aim is to explore the plethora of ways racism creates barriers to BAME people achieving true equality, from jobs and prospects, to housing, safety and health. With this increased knowledge, the council hopes to identify solutions to address entrenched and persistent racism and injustice. It has now written to businesses and organisations in the borough, inviting them to get involved in the initiative. Councillor Situ said: “Nobody should ever feel that society has placed a glass ceiling on their ambition. Our promise of a fairer future for all is committed to ensuring no person in Southwark should feel that there is no hope, and that nothing will change. In the borough, and as a society, we must actively do better to address the structural inequalities that still hold black people back.”
Celebrating 20 years of IT support and solutions to business
September 2020 marks the start of Labyrinth’s 20th year providing proactive and efficient IT Support & Solutions to businesses in the London area.
Our business has changed significantly and continuously over the last two decades- as has the technology that we supply and support. Voice over IP (VoIP) telephony, online storage services and cloud-based software were simply not available only ten years ago in the way that they are now- and how different the current year would have been without them! The diversity of solutions available now have, however, made IT for businesses of all sizes far more complex, and even the smallest business should have expert advice on IT strategy and security. Twenty years ago, IT support was very reactive: when a problem was reported to us, we fixed it. Now, when a single, successful cyber-attack could put an unprepared company out of business it is imperative that a proactive approach is taken to planning IT strategy. Labyrinth Technology focuses heavily on a Partnership Based approach to IT outsourcing. We recognised very early on that to build a relationship of trust where our advice had weight, we had to be completely ethical in our approach to sales and only work on the principle of “Best Advice”. To be clear: I can honestly say that I am not aware of one case in the last twenty years where we have sold a product that a customer did not need. That dogmatic position might impact short term profitability but our professional, considered advice helps our clients get the most from their IT-saving them money and most importantly time- and we benefit long-term from a rewarding, ongoing business relationship. Some of our clients have been with us for our entire journey. We look forward to working with many more up to and beyond our milestone anniversary next year.
To find out how we can assist with your workplace requirements contact: Enquiries@LabyrinthIT.com Tel: 020 3790 7500
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced a £1m fund to help London’s small businesses and community groups recover from the coronavirus crisis, improve their resilience and ensure they’re better prepared for future emergencies.
Businesses, social enterprises and community groups will be matched with innovators who will help them find new ways of delivering their products and services in these new circumstances. Grants of up to £50,000 will be available to support the design and testing of these innovations.
Examples of innovations that could receive support include new forms of data capture and digital infrastructure, and ways of using data and technology to identify and address vulnerabilities in supply chains, or local food or energy production.
With special measures in place to protect builders and local residents from spreading the virus, work has continued on a number of sites to keep Southwark Council’s building programme on track.
Councillor Leo Pollak, cabinet member for social regeneration, great estates and new council homes, and councillor Kieron Williams, cabinet member for housing management and modernisation, visited one of the council homes construction sites at Daniel’s Road, Southwark. Leo Pollak said: “I was excited to see the progress made on this development which will be exclusively council housing to meet the urgent need in the Organisations which make the best use of data and technology have been shown to have greater sustainability during times of crisis. Supported by the London Enterprise Action Partnership, the London Resilience Fund is the latest part of the mayor’s plan to help London’s small businesses and local communities survive and thrive after the pandemic. He said he would use £1m to match-fund money spent by the public through his Pay It Forward London crowdfunding initiative, with around 200 of the capital’s small businesses expected to benefit. borough. I was impressed by Osborne’s health and safety practices and their commitment to meeting the planned timescales of the project despite the disruption caused by COVID-19.” The Daniel’s Road site forms part of Southwark’s New Homes Delivery Programme to create 11,000 new council homes across the borough by 2043. The site has been contracted to Osborne to build 19 new council homes, including five terraced houses and 14 flats in a separate block. The new site will also feature new open areas, play spaces, landscape improvements and new pedestrian connections between Barset and Howbury Road to Daniel’s Road.
Sadiq Khan said: “The last few months have tested the resilience of London and Londoners as never before. As the capital’s businesses and communities adapt to a postCOVID future, it is essential we learn the lessons the pandemic taught us and ensure we are prepared for the future. This fund will help our small firms and our local community groups to be better prepared for that future. “Our small businesses and voluntary organisations are the lifeblood of our high streets and communities. Many of them are now struggling to survive and I’m determined to give them all
COVID-19 fails to stop Southwark regeneration Work is continuing on regeneration schemes that will provide hundreds of new council homes across Southwark.
the support I can.” The site was originally identified by the current Daniel’s Road residents as unused space that had the potential to be developed for new council homes. The residents approached the council with the suggestion of developing the existing car park, children’s play area and garages into new homes. To meet the urgent need for new council homes, Osborne has continued working on the site as much as possible throughout the coronavirus pandemic, and has implemented rigorous health and safety regulations to make this viable. The development is expected to be completed by February, 2021.
WELCOME TO CASTLE SQUARE
Discover 25 local traders with warm and welcoming smiles and years of experience providing a wide range of products and services.
Castle Square sits at the heart of a wider retail and leisure offer and includes Ash Avenue and Elephant Park. It’s home to fashion, textiles, electrical products and services and some of the most delicious cafés and restaurants available locally. Easily accessible, Castle Square is located just 5 minutes walk from Elephant and Castle tube station and directly opposite Elephant and Castle train station. Be sure to pop by and find out what our local traders with bags of spirit have in store.
OPENING SATURDAY 26 TH SEPTEMBER
castlesquarelondon.com
1Elephant Arcade London Road St George’s Road 6 M I N U T E W A L K Newington Causeway
1Elephant Arcade London Road St George’s Road 6 M I N U T E W A L K Newington Causeway 3 M I N U T E W A L K 2 Elephant & Castle Elephant Road Newington Butts Former Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre 4 3 5 Elephant Park Castle Square Ash Avenue Castle Square Restaurants Elephant Central 7 6 Elephant Park Neighbourhood New Kent Road KEY St Mary’s Churchyard St Mary’s Churchyard Newington Butts 3 M I N U T E W A L K 2 Elephant & Castle Elephant Road Former Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre 3 M I N U T E W A L K 4 7 3 5 6 6 Elephant Park Elephant Park Neighbourhood Elephant Park Neighbourhood Elephant Park Neighbourhood Castle Square Heygate Street New Kent Road Ash Avenue Castle Square Restaurants Elephant Central 3 M I N U T E W A L K 6 M I N U T E W A L K 6 6 Elephant Park Neighbourhood Elephant Park Neighbourhood Heygate Street Walworth Road Underground Station Bus Stop Cycle Hire Rail Station Walworth Road 6 M I N U T E W A L K 6 9 M I N U T E W A L K 68 East Street Market
