BBC Weather

Mainly dry this evening and for a time tonight with clear spells. It is then expected to cloud over after midnight with spells of rain pushing up from the south. A windy and mild night.

Minimum temperature: 10 to 13°C (50 to 55°F).

Image source, London Assembly

London deputy mayor of housing has told the London Assembly the annual target for the number of new social and affordable homes being built in the capital will be met this year.

James Murray said there were 12,555 starts of genuinely affordable homes in 2017/18, more than in any year since devolution, while figures suggested they were "ahead of the curve" for reaching the target this year.

In a report, the Housing Committee had accused the mayor of being off target on affordable housing and Chair Sian Berry accused the mayor of "letting down Londoners" and not fulfilling his pledges.

The committee's paper found last year 25,000 fewer homes were built last year than were needed.

However, a spokesperson for the mayor called the report "nonsense", adding that it was "the exact opposite of the truth".

When asked how to meet the current demand for housing in the capital, Mr Murray told the committee "we need the government to wake up and to properly fund and to properly give us the powers so we can deliver those homes."

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Image source, Alice Richardson

A Commonwealth gold medallist has opened a new leisure centre in Goodmayes.

Swimmer James Silby (pictured) joined council leader Cllr Jas Athwal and Redbridge mayor Cllr Debbie Kaur-Thiara to cut the ribbon at Mayfield Leisure Centre next to Mayfield School.

The champion breaststroker brought along his two world championship medals, those he said “mean the most” to him, and dived into the pool to show off his skills.

The new complex in Kinsfaun Road features a gym, a six-lane swimming pool and studio and cost Redbridge Council just £5.25 million to build.

Alice Evans
BBC News London

The Metropolitan Police have revealed officers will be subject to investigations every time they purposefully drive into crime suspects.

Last week the Met released footage of officers using a new tactic to drive into suspects to ram them off their would-be getaway mopeds, as the police watchdog announced it was investigating three such crashes.

This prompted calls for officers to be given more protection for doing their job because, at the moment, they can be prosecuted for careless or dangerous driving in the same way members of the public are.

Now the Met have said the Independent Office for Police Conduct - the body responsible for investigating when someone is hurt or killed during police contact - has been busy gaining "insight" into the use of new special methods to stop suspects.

In addition, a spokesman said the Met will conduct its own internal probe every time "tactical contact" is made.

Image source, PA

"A highly-trained specialist police driver has available a number of options to prevent and detect vehicle-enabled crime," a Met spokesman said.

"Once such option is that of tactical contact between the police vehicle and suspected moped rider.

"Officers undertaking such tactics will have gone through extensive selection and training to ensure that the intervention occurs in the safest possible manner to prevent any injuries from occurring.

"In the occurrence of an intentional collision and no injury occurs, an internal independent investigation will take place to examine the circumstances and standard of police driving."

Under proposals made by the Home Office in May, police drivers would get more legal protection when involved in a crash.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Calls have been made to scrap a school admissions rule in Bexley which prioritises grammar students with high selection test scores even if they live outside the borough.

Opposition councillors are asking for the “180 rule” to be dropped after new figures showed 50.1% of grammar school pupils live outside Bexley.

The rule means places are prioritised for children living outside the borough if they are one of the 180 highest scorers in selection tests. Admission criteria also favour pupils who have siblings in schools or staff children above children living in the borough.

Councillor Wendy Perfect, shadow spokeswoman for education, said Bexley parents are being offered a false promise.

Cllr Perfect said: “They are being told that grammar schools are provided in Bexley to allow their children to fulfil their potential, but last year Bexley’s four grammar schools’ admission criteria resulted in less than 30% of those students deemed selective at the test living in Bexley.”

A spokesman for Bexley Council said: “The four grammar schools in Bexley are all academies and as such they set their own admissions criteria.

“This includes the guarantee that any child, regardless of where they live, will be offered the grammar school place they want as long they are one of the highest 180 scorers.

“The policy was introduced to ensure that all children from all across the borough had an equal chance of a grammar school place.

Katie Hope
BBC business reporter

Image source, HARRIET GORDON

Harriet Gordon, a recruitment consultant in London, reckons she only keeps around half of the clothes she buys online. She spends about £400 each month, but then returns £200 worth of items.

Mainly it's because the clothes don't fit in the way she expected, but often the colour or fabric disappoint, bearing little relation to the online images.

"You see models wearing things and it looks fantastic on them," she laughs, saying they don't look the same on her.

Serial returners, people who buy items and then return them, are on the rise, putting already struggling shops under pressure. But why do people do it and how should shops handle them?

Read the full story here.

The World Chess Championship is being decided in a series of fast tie-breakers.

Sajid Javid has backed police over controversial new tactics for stopping moped-riding criminals.

The Home Secretary rejected criticism from Labour, saying "risk-assessed tactical contact" is "exactly what we need".

Scotland Yard last week released dramatic footage showing police vehicles knocking suspects off their scooters.

Senior officers defended the use of "tactical contact", saying it was needed to stop dangerous chases and has helped reduce moped-enabled crime in London by over a third.

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott raised concerns about the approach.

She said: "Knocking people off bikes is potentially very dangerous. It shouldn't be legal for anyone. Police are not above the law."

But Mr Javid, who revealed in June that his phone was taken in a moped mugging before he became Home Secretary, disputed Ms Abbott's assessment.

He wrote on Twitter: "Risk-assessed tactical contact is exactly what we need. Criminals are not above the law."

Latest figures show 12,419 moped offences were recorded across the capital from January to October - a 36% fall compared with the equivalent period of 2017.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan says the new payment points will encourage people to "do their part".

Tim Donovan
BBC London, Political Editor

Image source, Getty Images

London will be the region which will be most affected by a Brexit deal based on the Chequers plan, according to analysis from the Treasury.

However, it will be the place that is least affected if there was no deal, the government found.

The Treasury found that the capital is affected most by a "modelled white paper" deal because of a "larger increase in trade costs in financial services and business services relative to goods sectors compared to today's arrangements."

The Treasury also found that the UK as a whole will be poorer economically under any form of Brexit, compared with staying in the EU.

BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Republic of Ireland striker Robbie Keane has announced his retirement from professional football.

Keane, 38, scored a record 68 goals in 146 international appearances and was recently named as part of new Republic manager Mick McCarthy's backroom team.

The former Republic captain scored 325 goals in 737 appearances for 10 clubs during a 23-year playing career.

In a tweet, Spurs thanked their former player "for the memories".

BBC London News

Image source, PA

We used this wonderful photo of the Gherkin and Canary Wharf as our banner, but we want a new picture every day to show off the capital.

Have you taken a photo of your part of London which you think would be suitable? If so, email it in high resolution (2048 x 1152 or 1680 x 945) to london.locallive@bbc.co.uk.

Urban Massage left thousands of customer records exposed, including complaints about its clients.

Reece Williams killed Marcel Campbell following an argument inside a van in Islington, north London.

BBC Weather

The rest of the day will be mostly cloudy with patchy light rain, and an area of more persistent rain is likely to move in from the west later this afternoon. A windy and mild afternoon.

Maximum temperature: 12 to 15°C (54 to 59°F).

Teenager Joshua Gardner was filmed attacking a car with the weapon while the was driver inside.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Almost 60 babies have been taken into care through court orders in Greenwich in the past decade.

A freedom of information request has revealed that, since 2008, 59 babies have been subject to a section 31 care proceeding within a week of their birth.

A S31 is a court order allowing children to be taken from their parents and placed into the care of the local authority – Greenwich Council. Responsibility is split between the council and the baby’s family.

Orders such as these are only made if a court is satisfied the baby could come into harm or potential harm if the child remained solely with its parents.

In the last year there has been an increase in the number of these orders being carried out, with 10 in total made in 2017/18, the highest annual number in the past decade.

Inside Croydon

Croydon Council is offering a £30,000 budget to commission the design and creation of a public artwork for Purley which should commemorate the Surrey Iron Railway, thought to be the world’s first railway., external

Volunteers in London are making cider using discarded apples as a way to to restore the city's orchards.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Image source, Labour Party

Residents will decide whether to scrap the directly elected mayoral system used in the borough where the Olympics was held.

Newham council will hold a referendum on whether to revert back to a leader and cabinet model on 7 May 2020 – the same day as the London Mayor elections.

Elected mayors hold more power than traditional council leaders because they can approve major plans without the support of a majority of councillors.

Newham is one of four in London with an elected mayor and will be the first council in the capital to vote on scrapping them.

Sir Robin Wales became Newham’s first elected Labour mayor in 2002.

He was ousted by Rokhsana Fiaz earlier this year and she won a landslide victory at the local elections in May.