Sadiq Khan announces community funding to tackle environmental injustice in London

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan and environmental charity Hubbub have today launched Grow Together, a community-led programme to help tackle climate and social injustice in the capital.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said, “the climate emergency is one of the biggest global threats we face today and we know that it doesn’t impact all Londoners equally, with communities suffering poverty, deprivation and health inequalities more likely to experience the worst effects of flooding or overheating.

Grow Together is the Mayor’s response to data revealing that lower income, Black, Asian and minority ethnic Londoners are disproportionately affected by environmental issues such as flooding and overheating caused by climate change, as well as poor air quality and a lack of access to green space.

The Mayor added, “programmes like Grow Back Greener have shown that stronger, more cohesive communities are more resilient and more able to create positive, lasting changes to their environment. This project is part of a range of investment in green spaces and programmes to help tackle the climate crisis and build a fairer, greener London for everyone.”

This is largely due to systemic issues around where different communities live. However, these Londoners are also underrepresented in environmental decision-making, leading to their experiences frequently going unheard.

Boroughs and housing associations can apply for the fund which will award five neighbourhoods £18,000 each for community-led projects to address environmental inequalities. The successful groups will also receive a year-long series of bespoke workshops and guidance from expert mentors.

The programme builds on a community-led pilot project on Alma Street in Newham which sought to tackle social issues, such as a lack of community cohesion, anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping, with green solutions.

The community created new green spaces, grew food, organised community litter picks, created safer and more accessible spaces for play and exercise, and gave residents new skills and employment opportunities.

The Mayor has also announced £1.2m of funding for the next round of his Grow Back Greener Fund, which supports communities to create and enhance green space and increase resilience to the impacts of climate change, prioritising projects in areas of the city with the poorest access to green space, at high climate risk and in areas of deprivation.

The previous two rounds of Grow Back Greener have awarded more than £2m in funding to almost 80 community-led projects. These include community gardens, river restoration, new wetlands, greener school playgrounds and housing estates.

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