Londoners have endured the toughest year in our collective memory. The global pandemic — and its social and economic impacts — have been far-reaching and have deeply affected us all

People have lost loved ones, suffered serious illness, been made redundant and had their mental health tested like never before. And, as we know, the fallout from this virus is not being felt equally. Ethnic minorities, women and young Londoners continue to be hit disproportionately hard. Nevertheless, amid all the adversity, there have also been grounds for hope. The way in which we have come together while remaining physically apart has been truly inspiring. Londoners haven’t turned their backs on one another or walked by on the other side, but have instead looked out for each other, demonstrating the caring and compassionate character of our amazing city.

The pandemic has also had huge repercussions for London’s development and way of life. Daily patterns and behaviours have been upended, with many Londoners now working from home for example. This has challenged assumptions about the nature of London’s growth and our approach to delivery, while accelerating other trends and changes, such as our adoption and use of new technologies. It has also led to new ways of working together — I’ve worked with London’s businesses, community groups, the city’s leading public bodies from the NHS to the Metropolitan Police and London Boroughs to formulate nine ‘missions’. These missions provide a route to recovery for sectors in our city to work towards a greener, fairer and safer London.

Our road to recovery must prioritise restoring business and consumer confidence, it must minimise the longterm impacts on our communities and it must build back better. And my administration remains firmly committed to the principle of Good Growth — growth that is fair, sustainable and whose benefits are evenly shared and enjoyed by all of our communities, rather than just a privileged few.

It is vital that in the aftermath of this pandemic we seek to tackle with renewed urgency the underlying socio-economic problems that have been exposed and exacerbated by this crisis. The development sector will be central to this effort. Our recovery should be a vehicle for progress propelling us towards greater inclusion, resilience, environmental sustainability, and physical accessibility. Despite the enormous challenges, this moment does present us with an historic opportunity to reimagine our city and define our aspirations and priorities for the future. London can be a city where we build on the fantastic community spirit displayed during these tough times, harnessing the expertise, ingenuity and resources of our diverse organisations to meet our shared goals of a fairer, greener city. A London where we have economic opportunity, thriving neighbourhoods and improved wellbeing for all.