The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today published a consultation document on budget proposals for the Greater London Authority (GLA) Group, which focuses

investment on building a safer, greener and fairer city.

However, the Mayor has warned Londoners that the ongoing impact of the pandemic and the lack of funding from the Government to support key public services is causing serious financial repercussions for the GLA Group and its functional bodies, particularly Transport for London (TfL), the Met police and the London Fire Brigade.  

The Mayor’s top priority remains making London safer and he has already invested a record amount from City Hall over the last five years to support the police. But the Government continues to underfund London’s police force, confirming last week that it will only fund 4,557 of the 6,000 additional police officers Sadiq and the Met Commissioner, Cressida Dick, believe London needs. In addition, the Home Office is still refusing to award London the extra £159m National and International Capital Cities grant that its own independent review said London is due.

This lack of national funding is why the Mayor is proposing a £10 increase to the policing precept in London next year. This will raise an additional £38.5 million for the Mayor to fund the most critical priorities in the Mayor’s new Police and Crime Plan, including funding frontline policing, tackling serious violent crime and violence against women and girls, and supporting crime prevention programmes. The Mayor is also proposing a £1.93 a year increase in his precept to support the London Fire Brigade to ensure it can quickly respond to major fires.  

As announced last week, the Mayor is planning to increase council tax by £20 next year after being forced to do so by the Government in order to help prevent London’s transport network from collapsing. This means that the Mayor is proposing to increase his share of council tax by £31.93 a year on average – or £2.66 per month.

Overall, the Mayor has ensured that the 2022-23 GLA Group draft budget is focused on his core priorities and the issues that matter most to Londoners. This includes:

• Keeping London safe, by being tough on crime and the causes of crime and ensuring the Met and London Fire Brigade both have the resources they need to serve Londoners effectively.

• Kick-starting London’s economy and getting it firing on all cylinders again. 

• Delivering a Green New Deal, which will help to decarbonise our city, tackle injustice and inequality, and support the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs as well as continuing to clean-up London’s toxic air and tackle climate change.

• Building the affordable housing and infrastructure our city needs. 

• Implementing a New Deal for Young People, who are among the hardest hit by this crisis, giving opportunities and support to ensure every young person can get on and make the most of their talents. 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: 

“This budget is about focusing on the issues that matter most to Londoners, working to build a safer, greener, fairer city. This means investing more in the police and tackling crime, building more genuinely affordable homes for Londoners, supporting businesses during this difficult time, skilling up Londoners for well-paid jobs, tackling air pollution and the climate emergency, and providing more opportunities for young Londoners to reach their potential.     

“The pandemic is continuing to have a serious impact on London’s finances and the Government is still refusing to properly fund our public services, particularly the Met police, Transport for London and the London Fire Brigade. Raising council tax by £2.66 per month is not something I want to do, but the Government is leaving us with no choice if we are to help prevent the collapse of TfL and ensure our police officers and firefighters have the resources they need.  

“Despite the difficult financial situation we face in London, I’m excited about the incredible programmes this budget will help us to fund next year, targeting our resources where they can make the biggest difference to Londoners. This includes: offering free training to anyone who is unemployed or low paid, providing a mentor to young Londoners in need, building more homes Londoners can actually afford, and investing millions on green projects so that we can continue to lead the way on tackling air pollution and climate change.  

“I’ll never forget that London gave me the opportunities to go from a council estate to being Mayor of the greatest city on earth. As we seek to navigate and recover from this terrible pandemic, I’m determined to use this budget to help build London back as safer, greener, fairer and more prosperous city – putting the dark days of the pandemic behind us and building the better and brighter future all Londoners want and deserve.” Photo by DAVID HOLT, Wikimedia commons.