A late-night youth club will be provided in every London borough in a bid to prevent a repeat of the youth rioting that caused mayhem in Clapham last week.
London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has announced £30m of funding for a “Youth Lates” programme that will aim to provide “positive opportunities” after school, at weekends and during the holidays in all 32 boroughs.
The announcement comes in the wake of two nights of serious disorder in Clapham as hundreds of young people descended upon Clapham High Street and Clapham Common.
Sir Sadiq said: “We saw the unacceptable scenes in Clapham on two nights last week where groups of young people thought it was acceptable to break the law and spread fear in the local community.
“Tougher police enforcement is one part of the solution. We also need to use all the resources at our disposal to ensure that no young Londoner is left behind.
“That’s why I’m investing a record £30 million to deliver at least one high-quality late-night youth club in every single London community.
“It will give young Londoners somewhere safe to go, opportunities to help them fulfil their potential, and give them the support of teams of trusted adults.”
It comes as the Government launched a strategy to halve knife crime across England and Wales within a decade, by providing 50 “Young Futures Hubs” to serve as “safe spaces” by the end of the parliament in areas impacted by knife crime.
The mayor hopes the new youth clubs will begin being rolled out this year. They are being funded from £50m earmarked in this year’s budget published earlier in the year for supporting young people in the capital.
City Hall says it is the biggest ever investment in youth clubs by a mayor will keep young Londoners safe and tackle the causes of crime.
According to City Hall, Government cuts between 2010 and 2024 were to blame for the closure of 81 youth centres and the loss of at least 800 youth workers.
However, Susan Hall, leader of the City Hall Conservatives, said the money would have been better spent on police officers to "keep Londoners safe". She told BBC London that youth clubs did "not tackle criminality".
There were 97 homicides in London in 2025, an 11 per cent reduction on the 109 recorded in 2024. Teenage homicide has fallen to its joint lowest level in almost three decades in the capital – matching the record set in 2012.
But a 14-year-old boy, Eghosa Ogbebor, was shot dead in Woolwich last Thursday. Three teenagers aged 14, 16 and 18 have been arrested on suspicion of murder.
On Tuesday night, a 21-year-old man died from stab wounds in Primrose Hill.
The latest police data shows that 50,430 knife-enabled crimes were recorded in the year to September 2025, 4,229 offences fewer than in the year to June 2024.
A total 29 per cent of knife crime happens in London but it is down seven per cent in the year to September 2025, compared with the “baseline” year to June 2024.
According to the Government strategy, “enforcement alone is not enough” and prevention, whether through early intervention or stop and search, “remains the most powerful tool we have”.
Sarah Jones, the policing and crime minister, said: “We know this crucial time after school or at weekends is a vital time in ensuring young people have positive things to do and don’t get drawn into crime and anti-social behaviour.”
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