Camden London Borough Council

Twenty one areas in London are to get mass testing for coronavirus.

The kits, which can deliver results within 15 minutes, are being rolled out to select areas across the country.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the tests would help to detect asymptomatic cases.

The areas in London getting the kits are:

Barking and Dagenham, Bexley, Brent, Camden, City of London, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and Wandsworth.

Demand for emergency financial support from London boroughs almost tripled during the first three months of lockdown, figures reveal.

Umbrella group London Councils said Covid-19 had led to “unprecedented demand” from residents.

Boroughs have turned to online crowdfunding campaigns and elaborate volunteer networks to see their poorest residents through the pandemic.

Collectively they paid out almost £2.3 million in local welfare assistance between March and June.

Last year the figure was £857,500.

Most requests came from families for small one-off payments for essentials such as gas and electric bills or travel expenses for vulnerable individuals returning home from hospital, councils said.

Local authority leaders warned further tier restrictions or a second lockdown would lead to an unprecedented spike for more welfare support.

They have asked the Government to reduce its five-week wait for a first benefit payment under Universal Credit and introduce “starter payments” to ensure those in need have enough money to pay for food and heating during the pandemic.

London Councils’ executive member for welfare Muhammed Butt said: “The crisis has brought severe financial hardship to many Londoners and an enormous surge in people approaching their local borough for help.

“A second wave of the virus means that economic pressures are bound to get worse. London boroughs will continue helping our residents as best we can.

"Even a modest amount of financial aid provided by a council can help a resident avoid spiralling debts, homelessness, and other situations likely to lead to larger costs to the public purse.”

BBCCopyright: BBC

Some of the largest UK councils say they may have to declare themselves effectively bankrupt unless the government agrees to further support.

Five councils - including Barnet - said emergency spending controls - so-called section 114 notices - could be needed due to the impact of Covid-19.

Nearly 150 authorities have forecast a combined budget shortfall of at least £3.2bn, the BBC found.

The government said it was working on a "comprehensive plan" for councils.

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Camden CouncilCopyright: Camden Council

The next phase of the King’s Cross Central development is to come before Camden Council’s planning committee on Thursday.

The third building on the Triangle Site on York Way, or W3, is envisaged as three storeys, with a gym in the basement, a cafe and retail units.

The building, which is up for outline planning permission, and its two partners W1 and W2, are to be set in a triangular arrangement around a central podium garden on the 1.1 hectare plot of former railway land.

If approved, W3 will replace the temporary King’s Cross Construction Skills Centre, which is to be relocated within King’s Cross Central.

Camden Council said: “King’s Cross Central, or ‘King’s Cross Opportunity Area’, is one of the most significant sites of development and regeneration in central London.

“The site is delivering 2,000 new homes, office space and a variety of community facilities including a new primary school, a new home for Frank Barnes school, sports facilities and a community meeting facility along with new parks and open spaces.”

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A committee set up to hear the conclusions of a full external audit of Camden Council's finances ended after just an hour yesterday, with one councillor complaining that it was "too hot".

The Audit and Corporate Governance Committee was sitting yesterday to hear the findings of the audit of the Council's 2017/18 Statement of Accounts, Pension Fund and the value-for-money conclusion for the year.

However, after a short period of questioning by Cllr Abdul Quadir (Lab, Haverstock), representatives from accountancy firm KPMG, who were presenting the report, were excused from the meeting after half an hour without being quizzed by any other committee members.

Other councillors present, including Cllr Richard Olszewski (Lab & Co-op, Fortune Green), Cabinet Member for Finance and Transformation, Cllr Oliver Cooper (Con, Hampstead Town), Leader of the Opposition, and Cllr Alison Kelly (Lab, Haverstock), Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, were given a chance to ask questions of the auditors, but did not do so.

Cllr Cooper was heard to complain: "It's too hot."

Cllr Quadir, who chaired the meeting, remarked on its conclusion: "That is the shortest auditing committee meeting I've ever attended."

Camden Council's finance chief says he is not holding his breath for a "funding bonanza" as he announced gloomy prospects for the borough's cashflow.

Cllr Richard Olszewski (Lab & Co-op, Fortune Green) said a "depressing" drop in government funding will leave the council with a budget deficit of £23 million in 2019/20 - rising to £40 million by 2021/22.

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Transformation also raised fears about the impact that Britain leaving the EU will have on the budget, saying Brexit has been added to the council's auditing risk register.

Outlining Camden's medium-term financial strategy (MTFS) at Cabinet meeting yesterday, Cllr Olszewski said: "The background as ever remains depressing.

"We've had a massive £118m reduction in like-for-like funding since 2010.

"Central government support should be down by 59% by next year by present indicators. I'm not holding my breath for any bonanza for funding for Camden coming up.

"The more we cut, the higher the burden of cuts ends up being."

Labour holds Camden, increasing its majority from 24 to 28.