London Councils, which speaks for the 32 boroughs and the City of London Corporation, is calling on the government to use the Autumn Budget to deliver a fully devolved, multi-year funding settlement for employment and skills services.

It says London has the highest youth unemployment rate of any UK region, with nearly a quarter of 16- to 24-year-olds unemployed between November 2025 and January 2026, around 135,000 young Londoners.

Short term funding and fragmented services make it hard for boroughs to plan, and London accounts for one in six NEETs in England.

London boroughs supported more than 58,000 residents through local employment services in the year to April 2026, providing help with CVs, job applications, interview preparation and careers advice.

Cllr Kam Rai, Deputy Chair of London Councils, said: “We simply cannot afford to let a generation of Londoners get left behind.” London Councils argues that longer-term funding would help boroughs plan ahead, coordinate support with City Hall and employers, and protect successful employment programmes from funding cuts