Its final report, London 2030 and Beyond, was launched at an event with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, in March 2018.
The Commission was established in 2016 by the Policy Institute at King’s and was co-chaired by former Cabinet Minister Lord Adonis and Professor Tony Travers, Director of LSE London. It examined three vital – but often neglected – issues for London’s long-term future: its health policy needs, new arrangements for skills training and its economic prospects.
The Commission’s report warns that London’s health, further education and skills systems are fragmented and unnecessarily complex. It supports the devolution of adult education funding to the Mayor of London, improved access to higher level non-university study and a significant uplift in the provision of apprenticeships, warning that without these changes London’s economy will be damaged. It also calls for a portion of the unspent apprenticeship levy to be allocated to the Mayor of London for city-wide skills training.
The report recommends that the Mayor of London’s powers be extended across health to ensure the capital remains a leading global city.
It suggests that the Mayor and London’s boroughs establish a city-wide strategic body for NHS and social care that has the power to manage clinical networks and joint planning of services. It also calls for the reintroduction of deprivation funding to improve primary healthcare across the capital.
Exploring the capital’s wider economic status, London 2030 and Beyond provides an in-depth analysis of the implications of Brexit on the capital and recommends that London should aim to be an international ‘super city’ to achieve its greatest potential. This scenario – one of four presented – sees the city continue to grow, assisted by increased devolution of tax and spending powers, with major transport and infrastructure projects implemented.
‘We cannot be complacent about London’s economy going through to 2030 and beyond, especially in the light of Brexit,’ said Professor Tony Travers, co-chair of the Commission.
‘It is clear that the best option involves the most open, international economy and labour market. Anything else will hold London back.’
In bringing together King’s academics with leading thinkers from across London’s policy, business and higher education sectors, the Commission demonstrates the university’s commitment to working in partnership to have a tangible and transformative impact on London and its communities.