Background to London Heritage Retrofit Guide
The retrofit of London's existing building stock is a key priority in reducing carbon emissions, energy bills, fuel poverty, creating healthier buildings and delivering clean energy for a just transition. Retrofitting is a significant challenge in itself and through the additional barriers created in the planning system, these challenges are even greater for heritage buildings that are in conservation areas and/or listed. This is creating caution and confusion around making and approving retrofit measures in heritage buildings.
Project aims
1. The primary aim of this project is to facilitate and accelerate retrofit of heritage buildings (focussed on domestic housing stock) across London balancing the historic and architectural interest of these heritage assets. Inconsistency in the planning system often results in delayed implementation, increased costs, and missed opportunities for carbon reduction in the retrofit of heritage buildings. By addressing these challenges systematically, the aim is to create a more streamlined, consistent, and transparent approach across London boroughs by establishing a framework of guidance and recommendations for four key retrofit measures: Solar PV, Air Source Heat Pumps, External Wall Insulation, and Windows.
2. The long-term aim is to create lasting positive change in how heritage retrofitting is approached across London, streamline the planning process for retrofit measures to reduce the burden on planning departments, creating more predictable outcomes for applicants, and improving consistency in decision-making across different boroughs. This will be achieved by developing standardised approaches where appropriate, sharing best practices, and creating clear pathways for both planning and heritage officers and property owners to follow.
The research is expected to meet the following objectives:
1. Enable local authorities to streamline the planning process for retrofit in heritage contexts with Solar PV, Air Source Heat Pumps, External Wall Insulation, and Windows by identifying common challenges and solutions across London boroughs.
2. Facilitate collaboration between heritage conservation officers, wider planning teams and industry to ensure that targets for energy efficiency upgrades in listed and conservation buildings are met while balancing heritage value.
3. Demystify the planning and regulatory processes surrounding the retrofitting of heritage buildings, making it easier for stakeholders to understand and navigate the complexities of implementing retrofit measures. Including taking into consideration health considerations, such as the potential unintended consequences related to damp, mould and condensation.
4. Build confidence among stakeholders, including local authorities, heritage organisations, and property owners, in adopting sustainable retrofit measures for heritage buildings by providing clear guidance and case studies demonstrating successful implementations
The aims of this project are:
- To enable London boroughs to scale and accelerate their support for the community energy sector in London by supporting them to overcome the procedural barriers to delivery.
- To make the case for community energy to officers within local authorities and to Government officials.
- To provide officers with a practical set of tools, resources and evidence that support their work on community energy. This will form the London Councils Community Energy Toolkit (LCCET).
This research aims to develop evidence to support London Councils' lobbying objective of closing the Temporary Accommodation (TA) subsidy gap. By quantifying the scale of the TA subsidy gap and its negative consequences, this research will provide evidence to advocate for a more sustainable funding model. It supports London Councils' shared ambition of improving the standard of homeless accommodation, as well as linking into wider public service reform.
The research would develop a model to estimate the TA subsidy gap. It would also quantify the negative consequences resulting from the subsidy gap, such as wider financial impacts on boroughs, including, cuts to services and reduced ability to provide homelessness prevention. Moreover, it would demonstrate the implications of the TA subsidy gap for homeless households (e.g. the standard and suitability of accommodation) and move on options.
We require a suitably qualified consultancy to conduct research into the Children, Young People and Family Services funding formula. The research is expected to meet the aims, outputs and outcomes below.
Key aims of the research:
-Articulating the potential implications for London local authorities of the proposed Children, Young People and Family Services relative needs formula
-Gathering robust evidence to support London Councils' priorities for the new formula - building on, and adding to, our initial critique of the proposals
-Identifying alternative national datasets that government could use that would better reflect demand for CYPF services in London boroughs and/or support long-term gains through prevention and early intervention
-Identifying drivers, variables and indicators that better represent demand for CYPF services in London boroughs - with particular regard to preventative services in children's social care.
We require a suitably qualified consultancy to support the refresh of our Values and Behaviours. The support is expected to meet the aims, outputs and outcomes below.
Key aims:
-To engage London Councils staff in reflecting on London Councils values and reviewing these together in the light of both the experience of the values to date and the changing environment London Councils operates in
-To co-design with staff a new refreshed set of values
-To co-design with staff behaviours that might flow from these values
-To develop options for how London Councils might best embed the behaviours that flow from those values.
We are looking to build capability and capacity around the missions-based approach, reflecting London's context, with the aim of deepening partnerships and enhancing systems leadership, working through a common understanding of the approach and common tools and operating methods.
The key objectives for the provider to consider are:
• Understand and develop the principles, values and behaviours underpinning London's missions-based approach.
• Support the mission London team to embed these across the missions, supporting teams to create clear and tangible action plans.
• Build capacity and systems leadership capabilities amongst the leadership of London's missions.
• Support partners across all six missions and beyond to develop new ways of working across the city.
Research and Consultancy Services to deliver a Retrofit Social Value Model
In collaboration with Warmer Homes London and London's 27-member Social Housing Fund (SHF) Wave 3.0 Strategic Partnership (SP), the Pan-London Green Jobs & Skills Working Group are taking forward an innovative proposal to establish a pan-London Retrofit Skills Social Value Service. Warmer Homes London was launched in February 2025 by London Councils and the Mayor of London, with a mission to make Londoners' homes greener, healthier and more affordable to heat by being more energy efficient.
The aim of the Retrofit Skills Social Value service is to address systemic barriers by leveraging social value funds generated from London's 27-member Strategic Social Housing Fund Partnership through a systematic approach that coordinates borough and other levers to drive green jobs and skills.
The project team would like to receive advice in relation to the project described above. The advice should consider, and where appropriate challenge, legal advice being provided to the project and should be aimed at end delivery/implementation stage of the project but any requirement dependencies flowing from earlier phases should be clearly highlighted. The advice should be sufficient to support the following uses:
To determine the optimal service delivery model for the new provision in terms of accounting treatment, taxation and company structure/governance. This would look to maximise benefits but mitigate any risks both of which should be clearly identified. Any potential alternative service delivery models should be highlighted.
For the inclusion within project's financial modelling and therefore should provide an indication of scale and timing of areas of risk identified
This ITQ seeks consultancy support to work alongside the Strategic Lead, the Programme Lead for SEND Resources and Commissioning, and LIIA staff to advance the programme's aim of driving innovation and improvement in London children's services.
As part of a 2025-26 workplan responding to Department for Education priorities, London Councils is commissioning a research and consultancy project to explore and improve how children and young people with additional needs experience the transition into adulthood, with a particular focus on the role of further education colleges, sixth form colleges, 16 to 19 academies and independent specialist colleges approved under section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Using a Preparation for Adulthood (PfA) lens, the work will identify where practice is working well across London, highlight barriers and gaps, and provide practical, evidence-informed recommendations to support sustainable service improvement.