The Government has been urged to make urgent reforms to the 'flawed' apprenticeship levy by a coalition by local government and major employers in London.

Proposed changes include temporarily extending the amount of time employers have to spend their levy from two to three years and allowing some funding to be used for pre-employment training.

London Councils' executive member for skills and employment, Cllr Clare Coghill, said: 'Apprenticeship levy reform is the best way of maximising the potential of apprenticeships to equip people with the skills they need to thrive in the labour market, move into different industries or roles and ultimately support our recovery from the pandemic.'