Questions to the Mayor of London – answered at on 18 September 2020.
Could the Mayor confirm how much of the £50 million announced in February 2020 to support the Green New Deal has been spent and what on?
I announced £50million over the next three years for a Green New Deal in February. The Green New Deal remains a priority of my administration. As you are aware, we have undergone budget reviews across all programme budgets in light of the pandemic crisis, which has delayed the deployment of the Green New Deal Fund. Plans are in development as part of my Green New Deal mission for committing the first £10 million allocation of funding in 2020/21.
When my Green New Deal Fund was announced I was clear it would be used to support action to tackle the climate emergency, create jobs and support a just transition. This is even more relevant today as we plan London’s post-coronavirus economic recovery. While we have to take into account the financial challenges presented by Covid-19, a cleaner, greener recovery for London needs to support the transition of the economy to one that is inclusive, resilient, low carbon and circular, and my Green New Deal Fund is an important way to drive this.