By Jessica Frank-Keyes
Sadiq Khan has unveiled plans to hike London council tax bills by almost £40 as he prepares to stand for a record reelection to a third term in office.
The mayor said the increase – which amounts to £37.26 a year average Band D properties for 2024-25 – was due to a lack of government funding for the emergency services.
It comes as part of his budget proposals for the next financial year, the second hike in a row, and the above inflation Band D rise of 8.6 per cent would equate to an extra £3.10 a month.
Raising bills sees him add money to the City Hall ‘precept’ which goes towards funding the Met Police, Transport for London (TfL) and the London Fire Brigade (LFB).
The CPI rate of inflation in London in October was 4.6 per cent.
Khan said: “The last thing I want to do is increase council tax. But against the backdrop of the government’s refusal to provide enough support for London’s essential public services, I have no viable alternative but to use all the levers at my disposal to provide urgent funding from City Hall, particularly for the police.”
Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall criticised the move, claiming Khan was “treating Londoners like walking cash machines, wasting money on spin doctors and PR stunts”.
She added: “He’s already fleecing Londoners with his unfair ULEZ expansion, raking in millions off the backs of the lowest earners. We cannot afford another four years of Khan.”
Conservative London Assembly member Keith Prince added: “The mayor has a £21bn annual budget. In case he hasn’t noticed, we’re living through a cost of living crisis.
“If Khan managed London’s finances better, he would not need to increase his share of council tax. He has shown he is incapable of managing London’s finances.”
City Hall argues due to an increase in the Met’s national policing responsibilities, including an increase in protests and national events such as the King’s Coronation, the force is dealing with the greatest sustained pressure it has faced since the 2012 Olympics.
But central government has granted half the percentage increase in funding compared to the rest of the UK – 3.5 per cent compared to six per cent nationwide.
Khan added: “How can this be right when the Met has had to undertake a huge amount of national policing activities in recent months without any additional funding from government?
“This is putting an enormous strain on an already stretched police service.”
