LAIN celebrates five years of impact for London and Londoners

Today (4 February 2026) London’s anchor institutions – some of the city’s biggest and most influential organisations - met at City Hall to celebrate and reflect on five years of collective effort to build a fairer, greener, more prosperous London.  

Five years ago, the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, convened the London Anchor Institutions’ Network (LAIN) during one of the most challenging periods in London’s recent history. Formed at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the network brought together organisations across different sectors with a shared drive to lead the city’s recovery by tackling inequalities and taking action on climate change.  

Fast forward five years and LAIN’s scale and impact are unrivalled by any other anchor network in the world.  

More than a hundred senior leaders involved with delivering anchor work attended the anniversary event, run in partnership with the NHS, to connect, be inspired and commit to go deeper and further in the next five years.  

Dame Caroline Clarke, Regional Director for the NHS in London addressed the room, citing the NHS as a critical and founding anchor partner. She was joined by fellow guest speakers, Richard Watts, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Mayor of London, and Rob Anderson, Research Director at Centre for London.   

In convening the network back in 2021, the Mayor had called on the founding members to adopt a ‘anchor mindset’ and work collaboratively in a way they had never done before.  Today, he’s proud of what London’s anchor institutions have achieved and remains steadfast in his belief that anchor-ways-of-working are key to London’s long-term success.  

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “I am proud that in the last five years, the London Anchor Institutions’ Network has opened doors for small businesses, driven down carbon emissions and helped make fair pay available to over 11,000 more Londoners. Helping businesses thrive is one of my top priorities and through the network we’ve diverted £3.4 billion to small and medium sized businesses, often run by Londoners from diverse backgrounds. By working together, we will continue to drive inclusive economic growth, tackle health inequalities, protect our natural environment and give every Londoner the opportunity to thrive, with the common goal of continuing to build a greener, fairer and more prosperous city for everyone.”

In just five years, LAIN has proven it can deliver change at scale and at pace. It has:  

·        Opened up new opportunities for small and diverse-led businesses, awarding them more than £3.4bn worth of contracts – creating new jobs for local people and strengthening supply chains.  

·        Driven down carbon emissions, saving more than 310,000 tonnes of CO2e – critical to the city’s ambitions to achieve net zero 

·        Transformed lives through fair pay, uplifting the salaries of more than 11,000 Londoners through new London Living Wage accreditations – helping more Londoners to thrive   

·        Taken steps to make workforces as rich and diverse as London itself - narrowing pay gaps, creating thousands of apprenticeships and offering hundreds of supported internships for those with learning difficulties.          

LAIN boasts a growing membership spanning the public, private and faith-based, education and cultural sectors. Each member has significant presence and influence in the city and has committed to working in partnership to tackle inequalities and the growing climate emergency. They do this by using their procurement, workforce and estate management capacity to create the social and economic conditions Londoners need to thrive – such as making changes to the way they hire people, buy goods and services, and manage their facilities. 

Liz Hutchinson, Co-Chair of LAIN and CEO of London Higher added: “It’s hard not to be in awe of the wealth of knowledge, skills and expertise around the table when LAIN comes together. But what is most inspiring, is the network’s commitment to London and to the communities we serve.  Tackling London’s complex challenges requires everyone pulling in the same direction, leaning into partnership working, to achieve something greater than the sum of our parts. LAIN is a testament to that.”   

Lizzie Smith, also Co-Chair of LAIN and Director of Workforce, Training and Education for the NHS in London reflected: “We may come from different sectors, but we’re united by a shared purpose – to use our collective resources to effect positive social, economic and environmental change – never has this been more important for the NHS specifically to tackle the wider determinants of health.  

“Today, we’re heartened to see that so many of London’s senior leaders share that conviction, as new organisations join our network, new initiatives come forward, and our impact continues to grow. We’re excited for what the future holds and what impact we can deliver over the next five years.”    

You can view photos from the day here