Frequently Asked Questions

What does London Councils do?

London Councils speaks up for Londoners, and their local councils. Our work falls into four main areas:

• We make the case for London, fighting for adequate resources and powers so that our member councils can do the best job they can
• We lead the debate on key issues, developing policies and influencing government thinking to benefit Londoners
• We spread good practice and generally help boroughs to improve the services they deliver
• And we provide excellent services ourselves, on behalf of the boroughs.

What services do London Councils run?

We run the Freedom Pass scheme, the most generous concessionary fares scheme anywhere in Europe.   Boroughs pay £270 million a year to give a million older and disabled Londoners free travel on buses, tubes and trains.

And for the 45,000 Londoners whose disabilities are too severe for them to use ordinary public transport, we run Taxicard. This allows them door-to-door travel in black cabs at susbsidised rates.

We distribute grants totalling some £28 million a year to more than 400 voluntary organisations.