Lib Peck, the former Lambeth Council leader who has headed up the mayor’s VRU since 2019, said the lack of “belonging and identity” that comes with being homeless is causing young Londoners to disengage from school and “drop out of the system”.

An October 2024 report by London Councils estimated 183,000 Londoners are homeless and in temporary accommodation, with social housing waiting lists exceeding 336,000—the highest since 2013.

Ms Peck suggested that an improvement in the housing crisis across the capital could play some role in contributing to a reduced level of youth violence in the city, saying: “I’m not sure there’d be a direct correlation, but it is absolutely a long-term driver.”

She also emphasised that even for those young people who are not homeless, and whose parents may be renting a property, “the lack of permanency, the stresses of being able to rent somewhere, the difficulty in the system” are “absolutely” felt by those young Londoners.

Asked what support she wants to see from the Labour Government, she urged the Labour Government to prioritise long-term investment in violence prevention, questioning the £3m daily spend on tackling violence and advocating for preventative measures.