At a meeting of London council leaders scheduled to take place on 14 November, London Councils has said that it will confirm its plans to recommend that the budget should remain fixed at £28 million.

The announcement will come as a relief after fears of cuts to the budget earlier in the year. “There has been concern within the voluntary sector that we are planning to cut a large chunk of our grants budget for pan-London schemes. However, I want to reassure these groups that there is nothing further from the truth,” said Merrick Cockell, chair of London Councils.

Cockell added that London Councils recognises the important role that the third sector plays in the provision of services across London and it is because of this that the Council will recommend the current level of funding to remain the same.

The Executive also plans to recommend future priority funding areas at the 14 November meeting. These areas will predominantly focus on child welfare and crime reduction. The final decision on the grants budget and priority areas for funding will be taken by the Leaders’ Committee.