News Articles Archive - Cross River Partnership

The Mayor of London and London Councils have launched a £147.2 million Inclusive Talent Strategy to address skills shortages and unlock the capital’s diverse talent.

The strategy aims to support 150,000 Londoners into good jobs by aligning training with employer needs and focusing on inclusive growth. It prioritises those facing barriers to employment, including disabled people, ethnic minorities, and older workers. Key initiatives include new Sector Talent Boards, expanded Skills Bootcamps, and better integration of employment and health services. The strategy also supports emerging sectors such as AI, green industries, and creative tech, ensuring Londoners are equipped for the future economy.

Developed in partnership with employers, training providers, and local authorities, the strategy is a core part of the London Growth Plan. It reflects a city-wide commitment to building a fairer, more resilient labour market that benefits all communities and drives long-term economic prosperity.

Find out more: London leaders launch Inclusive Talent Strategy to kickstart a skills revolution and support more Londoners into work | London City Hall

Thousands of London pupils will soon enjoy fresher air in their classrooms, thanks to a new £2.7 million project from the Mayor of London. The scheme will bring special air filters to at least 200 schools across the city, helping protect children from harmful pollution.

Air pollution can affect children’s lungs, health, and even how well they learn. Research from City Hall found that classrooms using these filters had up to 68% less pollution than those without – meaning pupils and teachers will be breathing much cleaner air every day.

The filters will be rolled out first in schools in areas with the poorest air quality. They’re energy efficient and come with classroom activities to help pupils understand why clean air matters. Cleaner air doesn’t just mean healthier lungs; it can also mean better attendance and improved focus in lessons.

This project is part of a wider effort to make London a greener, healthier city for everyone. Read more about the Mayor’s announcement here.

As the festive season approaches in London, it’s the perfect time to reflect on some of our partners Christmas events.

Here are just a few of the exciting activities on offer!

Harley Street BID Christmas Advent Calendar

This online Advent Calendar is running from the 1st to the 24th of December 2025 and offers daily luxury prizes donated by local businesses. Why not enter?

Team London Bridge Christmas Lantern Parade

On the 4th of December join local primary schools and the London Bridge community for a magical evening of festive singing and a beautiful lantern parade along the Thames. The parade will begin at Potters Fields Park with school choir performances and then lead a procession along the river!

The Iconic Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree Returns!

Once again, the City of Oslo is sending a Christmas tree to London in gratitude for Britain’s support for Norway during the Second World War. The tree will be on display from the 4th of December to the 5th of January!

Christmas in London is an amazing time of year so be sure to enjoy the season and explore the fantastic events hosted by our partners across the city. Make sure to watch our socials as we share more exciting events!

CRP’s accountable body, Westminster City Council is working on a new plan to make getting around the city better for everyone, and they want to hear what you think.

Whether you walk, cycle, drive, or take the bus, this is your chance to help improve travel in Westminster. The Council’s plan is all about making streets cleaner, safer, and easier to use.

They want to:

Make walking and cycling more enjoyable.

Cut down on pollution and traffic.

Make roads safer, especially near schools.

Help people with disabilities get around more easily.

Support local businesses and workers.

This could mean things like more bike parking, better lighting, quieter streets, and buses that run later for night-shift workers.

You don’t need to be an expert. Just share what works for you, what doesn’t, and what you’d like to see.

So complete the survey by Monday, 8 December 2025, and help make the City of Westminster a place where getting around is easy, safe, and sustainable for everyone.

Last week, the CRP team stepped away from the usual routine to take part in a Team Away Day. This acted as an opportunity to reflect, recharge, and reimagine how we work together.

The day was designed to spark fresh thinking and foster deeper collaboration and together we explored:

Innovating Communications: From storytelling to strategy, we brainstormed bold new ways to connect with our audiences.
Reviewing Ways of Working: Honest conversations helped us identify what’s working, and what could work better!
Reflecting on Individual Skills and Qualities: Each person brings something unique and together, we’re stronger, more innovative, and ready to take on new challenges.
Embracing AI: We explored how emerging tools impact in our day-to-day roles.

And to round things off, we got creative with a fun wellbeing activity: painting plant pots inspired by what we love about our local green spaces.

A brilliant day spent connecting, collaborating, and reflecting!

London Borough of Camden has expanded its OurBike network from four to twelve, becoming currently the largest fleet in a London Borough!

This is a fantastic achievement by our Healthy Streets Everyday II project partner, and we are delighted to be supporting this sustainable active travel project through our Mayor of London funded programme.

OurBike, a scheme provided by Peddle My Wheels, provides an affordable and accessible cargo bike hire solution for residents and businesses. The scheme helps more individuals to experience the benefits of this mode of transport over polluting motor vehicles for carrying out deliveries and transporting large or bulky items.

OurBike cargos are parked on street, near a ‘host’ business – a full list of existing and new locations are provided below!

New hire locations

Alfred Place, Fitzrovia

Cleveland Street, Fitzrovia

Coal Drops Yard, Kings Cross

Goldington Crescent, Kings Cross

Camden Road, Camden Town

Regents Park Road, Primrose Hill

Weedington Road, Gospel Oak

Winchester Road, Swiss Cottage

Existing hire locations

Lamb’s Conduit Street, Holborn

Kentish Town Road, Kentish Town

Albany Street, Regent’s Park

Haverstock Hill, Haverstock

This expansion marks a major step forward in making active, low-carbon transport more accessible across Camden. Whether you’re a local business or a resident, OurBike makes it easier to move goods sustainably, and we’re excited to see even more people pedalling positive change.

The CRP Team is continuing apace with an extensive range of fundraising activities. We are applying to familiar sources as well as targeting completely new sources as well, including:

Carbon Offset Funding

UK Research and Innovation

Active Spaces Fund

Road Safety Trust

Active Travel England

Driving Urban Transitions

HORIZON Europe

London Universities

Consultancy Opportunities

We will let CRP Partners know fundraising results as soon as they become available.

In the meantime, we are ensuring ongoing successful delivery of CRP’s existing programmes, including Healthy Streets Everyday II, Just Streets, Micro Logistics Hubs and Data Analysis and Monitoring.

For queries and ideas please contact CRP Director Susannah Wilks.

Cross River Partnership were delighted to be invited to present at the recent ALICE Innovation Summit, held in Brussels from 23rd and 24th October.

The Summit brought together leading experts, companies, and policymakers from across Europe to explore how innovation can accelerate the green and digital transition in logistics. Key themes included:

Physical Internet, AI, and digitalisation

Road and corridor electrification

Urban logistics and sustainable mobility

Resilient and multimodal supply chains

CRP’s Sustainable Transport Manager, Ross Phillips, presented on the Waterloo Freight Hub as part of the “Shared cities: Unlocking space for sustainable Urban Logistics“.

This helped to share knowledge with European partners on the potential to transform underutilised space across their cities, and how the Waterloo Freight Hub is a trailblazing example of utilising existing assets to create innovative, competitive and sustainable freight transport in Europe.

It was exciting to hear of all the innovative logistics projects happening in Europe and connecting with many people throughout the 2 days. Thank you to all those that attended Ross’s session!

For more information on the Waterloo Freight Hub or the ALICE Innovation Summit, please email Ross Phillips.

Earlier this month CRP partnered with Transport for London (TfL) to host a site visit to key projects as part of TfL’s International Air Quality workshops.

CRP welcomed delegates from Berlin, Barcelona and Brussels, as well as organisations including EIT Urban Mobility, C40 cities and the Greater London Authority. The group had a fantastic day touring two flagship initiatives delivered through CRP’s Healthy Streets Everyday II (HSE II) programme and funded by the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund.

Hercules Road

To kick off delegates visited Hercules Road, where CRP supported We Are Waterloo and South Bank BID to convert a car-dominated street into a vibrant public space. Visitors were able to see first-hand how Hercules Road is now home to new green spaces, seating and cycle parking.

School Streets

The group then explored two School Streets sites in the Kennington Oval area, where London Borough of Lambeth is building on its School Streets scheme under HSE II, creating safer, healthier environments around schools by restricting traffic during peak times.

Both visits showcased to delegates how CRP works with partners, including BID’s, local authorities and the Mayor of London, to address the issue of over-dependence on private vehicles, and associated issues of poor Air Quality, Environment, Safety, Health, and Wellbeing.

The visit also generated some great international knowledge exchange, highlighting London’s leadership in sustainable urban design and community-led air quality improvements.

CRP is proud to continue working with TfL and local partners to deliver impactful solutions that support healthier streets and cleaner air for all. CRP would also like to thank our partners, including We Are Waterloo, South Bank BID and London Borough of Lambeth, for their support throughout the event.

Last month CRP was delighted to attend the latest Central London Freight Quality Partnership (CLFQP) Meeting.

CLFQP is a partnership between the freight industry, local government, local businesses, the local community, environmental groups and others with an interest in freight.

During the meeting, partners discussed topics including:

Using Virtual Loading Bays (VLBs) to support pedestrianisation schemes

Enabling more river freight to central London

Ensuring that public realm schemes consider freight and loading activity, rather than treating it separately.

Using data to support public realm schemes and identify opportunities and recommendations.

CRP has a wealth of reports, expertise and learnings that support these discussions.

For example, our ‘Kerbside Management Trial’ Report shares learnings associated with CRP’s VLB trial which provided local authorities, businesses and operators with the opportunity to test VLBs as a kerbside management technology, and understand the operational, congestion and air quality impacts.

Similarly, our ‘Meaningful Monitoring: Providing the Path to Positive Change’ Guidance aims to support Local Authorities, Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), Landowners and Policy Makers with the implementation of successful monitoring schemes that can improve the evidence base for future policy making and public realm schemes.

To find out more about CRP’s sustainable freight projects and how we could support you, contact CRP Programme Manager Fiona Coull.

Archives: News Articles

Mayor of London Launches Inclusive Talent Strategy

Cleaner Classrooms, Healthier Futures: £2.7 Million Boost to Improve Air Quality in London Schools

Celebrating the Season: CRP Partners Christmas Events

Getting Around Westminster: Your Voice Matters!

CRP Team Away Day

Camden Rolls Ahead – OurBike Network Triples in Size!

CRP Fundraising

CRP at the ALICE Innovation Summit in Brussels

Healthy Streets Everyday II Hosts European Visitors

Central London Freight Quality Partnership (CLFQP) Round Up