Event Archive

London First is intending to respond to the GBRTT whole industry strategic plan consultation that closes on 4 February. This short working session will be an opportunity to review and feed into London First’s submission.

Further details to follow in the new year.

The more we get used to a mix of Zoom and face to face meetings, and regularly switching between home, office and coffee shop working, the more we wonder how this is affecting us, our employers and our workplaces. Will the nature and character of work continue to be in flux for the foreseeable future, is change permanent and if so how do we make it work for us? 
 

These virtual roundtables and dinners provide senior business leaders — chairs and CEOs — in membership with the opportunity to discuss the future of business, the capital and the economy with a specific focus on what is needed to support the capital’s recovery from Covid-19. All discussions take place under the Chatham House rule. 

As part of our series of events with the leaders of London’s most vibrant boroughs, join us for a virtual briefing with John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets.

This event will be an excellent opportunity to hear the Mayor discuss his priorities for Tower Hamlets, his perspective on the key issues facing London business and the role that local government can play as we move into the next stage of recovery. 

London First are planning to step up our campaigning on London’s international connections in 2022. We are therefore looking to launch a new campaign group seeking to raise the voice of the business community — and specifically, the businesses in London and the South East that most rely on international connectivity to thrive — in the public debate.

As part of our series of events with the leaders of London’s most vibrant boroughs, join us for a virtual briefing with Councillor Peter Mason, Leader of Ealing Council.

This webinar will be an excellent opportunity to hear the Leader discuss his priorities for Ealing, his perspective on the key issues facing London business and the role that local government can play as we move into the next stage of recovery. 

These virtual roundtables and dinners provide senior business leaders — chairs and CEOs — in membership with the opportunity to discuss the future of business, the capital and the economy with a specific focus on what is needed to support the capital’s recovery from Covid-19. All discussions take place under the Chatham House rule. 

This virtual event will assess the affordable housing and S106 market in London and the appetite from registered providers for them. It will be an all rounded view as assessed from across the industry and will also look at partnerships and how new JVs/​other types of partnership are faring.

This event will host a small group of political stakeholders providing them with a presentation and site tour of a member’s development to allow them to see not only the types of properties that BTR delivers, but also the wider opportunities for the community and place.

The annual London First and Planning Officers Society London get together is back and we’re delighted to be holding it in person.

Limited spaces are available for the joint roundtable discussion and we will be joined by the Government’s Chief Planner, Joanna Averley.

By joining this roundtable, you will be able to hear the core strands we see as central in a future competitive London post-pandemic, and have your say in how we can best articulate this vision.

The session will be introduced and chaired by Laura Osborne, our Managing Director, Corporate Affairs. It will be a discussion format, chaired by Laura, with contributions from our pro-bono agency supporters Seven Hills and our host (tbc).

These informal roundtables provide senior business leaders — Chairs and CEOs — in membership with the opportunity to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on business, the capital and the economy and to look ahead to what business and the government will need to focus on to support the capital’s recovery. All discussions take place under the Chatham House rule. 

The November Chair and CEO roundtable will take place in person as a private dinner.

Councillor David Harvey will lead a roundtable discussion with members regarding the work that Westminster City Council is doing to increase house building in the borough. Members will be able to put their questions to him during the discussion.

London First’s Business Advisory Group comprises leaders from cross-sector businesses, who examine the big questions the capital must answer in order to promote a positive recovery and remain competitive into the future. The group is chaired by London First Chairman Paul Drechsler and connects the business voice with government at all levels.

As part of our series of events with the leaders of London’s most vibrant boroughs, join us for an in-person briefing with Catherine McGuinness, Policy Chair of the City of London Corporation.
 
This event will be an excellent opportunity to hear Catherine discuss her priorities for the City, her perspective on the key issues facing London business and the role that local government can play as we move into the next stage of recovery. 
 
 

Join London First, Compass Group UK, JLL & Ireland and London & Partners, as we bring COP26 to London. 

This virtual roundtable will provide members with an opportunity to engage directly with DLUHC’s London Housing team. Following a short introduction, the team will provide their perspectives on three key issues that are affecting the industry; supply chain and labour shortages, affordable housing delivery against the new grant regime and the current progress of the First Homes policy.

These virtual roundtables and dinners provide senior business leaders — chairs and CEOs — in membership with the opportunity to discuss the future of business, the capital and the economy with a specific focus on what is needed to support the capital’s recovery from Covid-19. All discussions take place under the Chatham House rule. 

These virtual roundtables and dinners provide senior business leaders — chairs and CEOs — in membership with the opportunity to discuss the future of business, the capital and the economy with a specific focus on what is needed to support the capital’s recovery from Covid-19. All discussions take place under the Chatham House rule. 

The pandemic interrupted many of the regular and valuable interactions between London and the wider south-east. Commuting slowed to a trickle and international visitors stopped arriving at airports. This led to serious economic disruption, especially in areas reliant on these activities. It also raised questions about the long-term economic geography of Greater London and the wider South East. 

Ian King, Business Editor, Sky News will join us for the next event in our exclusive Partner Series, taking part in an in-depth discussion over dinner.

The term ​‘social value’ is one that is growing in prominence in the planning system. Some local authorities are introducing policies that require an appraisal of social value as part of the planning application process and are increasingly referencing it in their deliberations over schemes. This goes much further than the usual planning balance of public benefit versus development impact, but the policy requirements are not yet clear.

Join us at our annual London reception, to kick off the Conservative Party conference.

Paul Scully, Minister for London, has been invited to speak and we look forward to welcoming politicians and opinion formers from across the capital alongside London First members for short speeches and networking.

The reception will be an excellent opportunity to discuss the priorities for London business, whilst strengthening relationships, as we meet in person once again.

We hope you can make it.

The Net Zero Carbon (NZC) working group brings together 50+ leading London businesses to help shape our response to climate action. Last year we published a Business Manifesto for Delivering Net Zero Carbon in London, which sets out the required action by business and the Mayor to deliver against London’s ambitious climate reduction targets by 2050.

These virtual roundtables and dinners provide senior business leaders — chairs and CEOs — in membership with the opportunity to discuss the future of business, the capital and the economy with a specific focus on what is needed to support the capital’s recovery from Covid-19. All discussions take place under the Chatham House rule. 

Join us at our annual London reception, to kick off the Labour Party conference.

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, has been invited to speak and we look forward to welcoming politicians and opinion formers from across the capital alongside London First members for short speeches and networking.

The reception will be an excellent opportunity to discuss the priorities for London business, whilst strengthening relationships, as we meet in person once again.

We hope you can make it.

After more than a year of Streetspace interventions in response to the pandemic, and three months of the London e‑scooter trial, what is the future of micromobility and active travel in the capital? Is the increase in walking and cycling sticking now that the city is out of lockdown? What is the role of cycle and e‑scooter hire schemes in the economic recovery of the capital?

The UK has set a target to reduce emissions to net-zero carbon by 2050. To achieve this ambitious target, we as a country will need to think carefully about the wide range of carbon emissions sources, and how best to reduce these. Electric vehicles are not the silver bullet, but they are an important weapon in the fight against poor air quality and climate change. It is necessary for London to act to enable the transition to electric vehicles.

Sustaining TfL’s operations has dominated discussions around funding for London’s transport network, but delivering new transport projects will be critical for the capital’s future.

Covid-19 has challenged fundamental assumptions about the world’s largest cities. Cities across the world have seen an unprecedented level of change: initially this was in response to massive, enforced, changes to behaviour, but as Covid recedes, cities across the world have become creative in their recoveries. Urban life is coming back with innovations in transport pricing, new designs for street usage, and fundamental questions about long-term demand for all forms of urban infrastructure.

London First’s Business Advisory Group was established in response to the pandemic to connect the business voice with government at all levels, articulating London’s recovery needs and harnessing the power and collective insight of London’s business leaders to help shape a vision for London’s recovery. The meetings are hosted by our Chairman Paul Drechsler.

The Data for London (D4L) Working Group continues the momentum created by the London Data Commission, and works closely with the GLA and the boroughs, lending a strong business voice for data-collaboration to solve city challenges. Our aim is to encourage purposeful data collaborations amongst public sector agencies across London and between the public and private sector to solve civic challenges and make a positive impact on the lives of Londoners.

We’re delighted to announce that the August Chair and CEO roundtable will take place in person.

These informal roundtables provide senior business leaders — Chairs and CEOs — in membership with the opportunity to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on business, the capital and the economy and to look ahead to what business and the government will need to focus on to support the capital’s recovery. All discussions take place under the Chatham House rule. 

Join us for a discussion of the priorities London First should pursue in 2021 – 22

Following the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, London First’s annual event on the River Thames will seek to highlight how the river played an important part in supporting the UK through the immediate crisis and how policymakers should be thinking about the role it can play in delivering a sustainable recovery.

London First’s Business Advisory Group was established in response to the pandemic to connect the business voice with government at all levels, articulating London’s recovery needs and harnessing the power and collective insight of London’s business leaders to help shape a vision for London’s recovery. The meetings are hosted by our Chairman Paul Drechsler.

When we published our Planning Manifesto for High Streets and Town Centr

These informal virtual roundtables provide senior business leaders — chairs and CEOs — in membership with the opportunity to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on business, the capital and the economy and to look ahead to what business and the government will need to focus on to support the capital’s recovery. All discussions take place under the Chatham House rule. 

As part of our series of events with the leaders of London’s most vibrant boroughs, join us for a briefing with Councillor Elizabeth Campbell, Leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 

This webinar will be an excellent opportunity to hear the Leader discuss her priorities for Kensington & Chelsea, her perspective on the key issues facing London business and the role that local government can play as we move into recovery. 

Join us for the second in a series of two briefings with TfL about their property development programme.

TfL owns a 5,700 acre estate that includes land and properties with huge potential for creating the homes and jobs that London needs. TfL landholdings can play a vital role in meeting the Mayor’s priorities to build affordable homes, while generating revenue to invest the capital’s transport network. 

The Gigabit Connectivity Network for London brings together London’s leading fibre and mobile operators, and key representatives from the GLA, London Councils, London’s sub-regions and Local Authorities. The purpose of the Network is to facilitate better collaboration between the key private and public sector stakeholders with an interest in accelerating the rollout of full fibre and 5G technologies across the capital.

London First working in partnership with AECOM have produced a publication which considers the delivery of homes through local authorities collaborating with the private sector. During the briefing looking specifically at the Joint Venture model, members will have the opportunity to hear from both London borough representatives and private developers on their view to such partnerships and the benefits of partnership working. 

As part of our series of events with the leaders of London’s most vibrant boroughs, join us for a briefing with Councillor Georgia Gould, Leader of Camden Council.

This webinar will be an excellent opportunity to hear the Leader discuss her priorities for Camden, her perspective on the key issues facing London business and the role that local government can play as we move into recovery. Councillor Gould is also Chair of London Councils and the Recovery Board Growth Lead, so will share insights from those perspectives too.