The funding will focus on tackling building and transport emissions and supporting new green businesses, according to City Hall
A host of green projects in London are set to benefit from £10m in funding announced yesteday as part of the capital's 'Green New Deal Fund', which the Mayor of London claims could create up to 1,000 new jobs.
Announced yesterday, Sadiq Khan said the first tranche of £10m in funding would be invested in green projects such as solar panel installations and home energy efficiency improvements, targeting inequalities exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic such as fuel poverty by helping to improve energy efficiency, cut energy bills, and improve living conditions.
Overall, the investment will be directed towards three main areas, according to the GLA: reducing emissions from heating and powering London's buildings; reducing transport emissions by encouraging walking, cycling, and electric vehicles; and supporting the growth of new and existing businesses in the green economy, particularly cleantech businesses developing technological solutions to environmental challenges.
It also aims to drive progress towards the London Recovery Board's goal of doubling the size of the capital's green economy to £100bn by 2030. New government data cited by the GLA shows that the green economy is now worth £48bn and supports five per cent of jobs in the city.
"The funding will directly help those most likely to experience cold and damp homes, and also support Londoners with limited access to green space," said Khan. "With just under a year to go until the UK hosts COP26, the government this week set out its ambition for meeting its climate targets, but this can only be achieved if the government gives cities the power and funding they need to deliver. We have a proven track record that shows when cities are empowered to deliver, they are given the ability to deliver the transformation that we need to our economy and society."
The new funding builds on an array of climate commitments made by the GLA under Sadiq Khan's leadership, including a goal to make London a zero carbon city by 2030 and to develop a climate plan compatible with the highest ambition of the Paris Agreement. The GLA expects projects from the first £10m fund to save up to 20,000 tonnes of CO2 per year directly and support the ability to rapidly scale up further carbon savings across London.
The new funding came as Transport for London (TfL) announced a plan to trial rental e-scooters in the capital, working with local councils and London boroughs to enable people to use the greener transport option while developing a better understanding of how it can be effectively integrated into the city's built environment. A competition was launched on Tuesday, open to all e-scooter operators, and up to three will be selected to take part in the 12-month trial, which is due to start in spring 2021, TfL said.
The move follows guidance issued by the Department for Transport in summer 2020 allowing UK local authorities to trial e-scooters as part of a rental scheme. It forms part of broader efforts both in London and nationally to enable people to use greener forms of transport and avoid a car-led recovery from coronavirus that would drive up air pollution and congestion.
Around a third of London's boroughs have expressed interest in joining the trial initially, according to TfL. Participating operators will be required to provide data to TfL and local authorities to help them understand the impact of scooters on London's transport goals, including zero emission targets and encouraging more walking, cycling, and public transport use.
TfL director of transport innovation Michael Hurwitz said the trial would be "critical to providing us the data and insights we need to determine whether e-scooters are a viable part of a greener and healthier future for London".
As well as developing plans for greener forms of transport, TfL is working on hundreds of 'Streetspace' schemes to encourage people to walk and cycle more often. These have generated almost 90km of new or upgraded cycle infrastructure, more than 22,500 square metres of extra pavement, and 1,540 extra cycle parking spaces, it said.