£14.5 million in funding to address violence announced by Mayor Of London
The funding will be used to expand the Violence Reduction Unit's MyEnds Programme.
The Mayor Of London has announced an additional £14.5 million worth of funding, which will go towards expanding his Violence Reduction Unit’s (VRU) flagship prevention programme to tackle violence.
The VRU’s MyEnds programme and its neighbourhood-focused approach is being expanded to every borough in London for the first time ever.
Over the next two years, targeted investment from City Hall will support local MyEnds groups to tackle violence through prevention in neighbourhoods and estates in Barking and Dagenham, Brent, Croydon, Haringey, Islington, Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark and Tower Hamlets.
Funding will also help two existing consortiums, in Newham and Hackney, to continue their community-led approach. Every other borough will receive a share of a £6.7m funding pot for their own local preventative activities.
It is Sadiq Khan's first major individual announcement since being elected for a third term last week. He met young people in Brent, and was accompanied by the director of the Violence Reduction Unit Lib Peck.
Mr Khan said: "What I'm announcing today is a record £14.5 million of additional funding towards young people, youth work, after school clubs, mentoring.
"I think crime is not inevitable, it's preventable, and by investing in young people they'll flourish and thrive, but also not get involved in criminality."