Event Archive

The Future of the CAZ is a study undertaken by Arup, Gerald Eve and the London School of Economics for the Mayor of London on the economic future of the Central Activities Zone.

An ongoing events series (currently virtual) to discuss key skills issues, for members to promote their good practice, and to foster better collaboration between business and education. The monthly sessions showcase data/​evidence to frame the discussion, members present on what they are doing to tackle the challenge in their organisation and network; followed by discussion and questions on how this good practice could apply to other organisations. This group is open to all, so if you would like to get involved please contact

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 and our CEO Jasmine Whitbread.

This virtual meeting will examine the case for attracting further private investment into the affordable housing sector, as well as the public policy changes that are required to facilitate this. You will gain access to exclusive market insights and hear expert analysis from investors and key public sector stakeholders, including the Regulator of Social Housing. There will also be an opportunity to give your views on this subject during the breakout sessions towards the end of the meeting.

Councillor Simon Miller will lead a roundtable discussion with members regarding the work that Waltham Forest is doing to increase house building in the borough. Members will be able to put their questions to him after the discussion via the Q&A session. 

Robert Peston, ITV’s Political Editor will join us for the next event in our exclusive Partner Series, taking part in an in-depth discussion.

The pandemic has broken TfL’s funding model and the traditional levers are unlikely to be sufficient to fill the gap. Arup and London First have proposed four new ideas to help: a London Vehicle Ownership Duty to replace VED; smart road user charging; a London Mobility Service; and a fully integrated fares system.

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. 

London’s roads were strained before the pandemic with behavioural change fuelling congestion and new technologies from electric vehicles to ride hailing apps challenging long-held approaches. Covid has accelerated many of these trends and led to a reassessment of how we allocate road space in the capital.

London First’s Business Advisory Group is made up of 20 leaders from cross-sector businesses to look at the big picture questions the capital needs to answer to secure London’s recovery from the COVID-19 and stay competitive into the future. The group is chaired by our Chairman Paul Drechsler and connects the business voice with government at all levels.

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.

As part of our series of events with the leaders of London’s most vibrant boroughs, please join us for a virtual briefing with Councillor Jack Hopkins, Leader of Lambeth Council. 

This event will be an excellent opportunity to hear the Leader discuss both his priorities for Lambeth and the key challenges and opportunities for growth in the borough.
 

London’s roads were strained before the pandemic with behavioural change fuelling congestion and new technologies from electric vehicles to ride hailing apps challenging long-held approaches. Covid has accelerated many of these trends and led to a reassessment of how we allocate road space in the capital.

Join us for a briefing and discussion with Rickardo Hyatt, Interim Deputy Executive Director of Housing and Land at the GLA. As part of our regular engagement with key decision makers in London, Rickardo will discuss the main housing issues currently confronting City Hall including: the current state of the housing market in London; the latest steps being taken to support housebuilding in the capital; and the Mayor’s new affordable housing programme. 

The formal business of our AGM will commence at 8.30am, with the Manifesto session running from 8.50am for a 10.30am close.

Universities started the Autumn semester with an understandable lack of clarity on student occupancy and finished it undertaking the mammoth task of mass student testing to return them safely home. As we enter the start of a new term, this roundtable will explore the emerging picture of how HE estates are being used.

This event will see the formal launch of the ​‘Who lives in Build-to-Rent’ report.

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. 

London’s roads were strained before the pandemic with behavioural change fuelling congestion and new technologies from electric vehicles to ride hailing apps challenging long-held approaches. Covid has accelerated many of these trends and led to a reassessment of how we allocate road space in the capital.

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Join us for a discussion on how to secure the best possible recovery for the capital. 

Over the last few months, we’ve brought together your CEOs and Chairs, as well as our Business Advisory Group, to support us in creating a vision for a 21^st Century London and to feed in their perspectives on how to get there. We’d now like to get your take on what these plans mean for your business, what’s missing and what you’d like to see us championing to secure a rapid and robust recovery in the year ahead.

London First’s Business Advisory Group is made up of 20 leaders from cross-sector businesses to look at the big picture questions the capital needs to answer to secure London’s recovery from the COVID-19 and stay competitive into the future. The group is chaired by our Chairman Paul Drechsler and connects the business voice with government at all levels.

Join us for a discussion on how to secure the best possible recovery for the capital. 

Over the last few months, we’ve brought together your CEOs and Chairs, as well as our Business Advisory Group, to support us in creating a vision for a 21^st Century London and to feed in their perspectives on how to get there. We’d now like to get your take on what these plans mean for your business, what’s missing and what you’d like to see us championing to secure a rapid and robust recovery in the year ahead.

Join us to hear insights from Nick Smallwood, CEO of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, into how the Covid-19 crisis will affect the delivery of the UK’s infrastructure pipeline. What are the actions being taken by the Infrastructure Projects Authority, which sits inside HM Treasury, to help improve the way infrastructure and major projects are delivered?

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. 

The Government’s National Infrastructure Strategy is expected to be published alongside the spending round in late November. This webinar on Wednesday, 16^th December will give London First members a chance to hear reflections on this Strategy from the Chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission, who oversaw the publication of the first National Infrastructure Assessment.

Following a speech by Sir John, the rest of the session will be devoted to a Q&A. 

Please join me for a special leadership event with Dame Cressida Dick DBE, Commissioner, Metropolitan Police Service, in conversation with Sarah Sands, who recently joined the London First Board and formerly was editor of the London Evening Standard and the Today programme on Radio 4 .

London First’s Business Advisory Group is made up of 20 leaders from cross-sector businesses to look at the big picture questions the capital needs to answer to secure London’s recovery from the COVID-19 and stay competitive into the future. The group is chaired by our Chairman Paul Drechsler and connects the business voice with government at all levels.

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.

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. 

Join us for London First’s Virtual Skills London debate 2020, where we will be bringing together educational experts, business leaders, London Government and young people to debate the questions: with fewer than ever opportunities available due to Covid-19, what can business, education, government and the third sector do to help? How can we ensure boosting diversity and inclusion in London’s workforce is key in this process?

In early 2019 we convened a group of experts to discuss the Government’s plans to deliver one million new homes between Oxford and Cambridge by 2050 to boost it as a ​‘world-leading economic place’, and to ask what this could mean for London. 

As part of our series of events with the leaders of London’s most vibrant boroughs, please join us for a webinar briefing with Councillor Mark Allison, Leader of Merton Council. 

This event will be an excellent opportunity to hear the Leader discuss both his priorities for Merton and the key challenges and opportunities for growth in the borough.
 

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. 

London is now 8 months on from initial lockdown and all parts of industry have been affected by the pandemic. Working within the constraints of a Covid-19 world, what are the opportunities for London to build back better and cement its role as being the best city in the world to do business?

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Join us for a briefing with LocatED, an arms-length body to the Department for Education. It is responsible for buying and developing sites in England to help deliver new school places for thousands of children.

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.

Join us in conversation with Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development at the GLA. 

London First webinar with the Department for Education kindly hosted by Grant Thornton 

Join us for our annual London First and Planning Officers Society London planning discussion, rescheduled from March. 

This virtual roundtable discussion will largely focus on the Planning White Paper. We look forward to a lively cross-sector debate about what the Government’s proposals could mean for London.
 

One of the most important lessons of Covid19 is that Education & Skills really matter. They are the only way to ensure future generations can deal with the challenges of global development, health and Climate Change. I am delighted to be hosting a roundtable discussion on this theme.

The RTPI ​‘State of the Profession’ research last year found that 40% of planners are female. However, a report by Women in Planning, also in 2019, highlighted that only 17% of women fill director and above roles in private planning consultancy.

As part of our series of events with the leaders of London’s most vibrant boroughs, please join us for a webinar briefing with Councillor Rachael Robathan, Leader of Westminster City Council.

This event will be an excellent opportunity to hear the Leader discuss both her priorities for Westminster and the key challenges and opportunities for growth in the borough.

Join us for a personal briefing from Simon Gallagher, Planning Director at MHCLG to hear more about the Government’s thinking behind the Planning White Paper and their proposed reforms.

Due to the forthcoming Devolution White Paper, it was not possible to provide any detail on London specifically, but this will be a chance to pose questions to Simon on what the reforms could mean for London. 

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.