Khan to hike Londoners council tax bills by £31 in bid to save TfL from ‘collapse’
Council tax could be hiked by £31.93 next year under London mayor Sadiq Khan’s plans to save the capital’s transport system from collapse.
In his budget proposal today, Khan set out that £20 of the council tax increase will be pumped into Transport for London (TfL) after battling with a funding blackhole.
The transport network earlier this month announced it had reached another short-term stop-gap funding deal with central government to fund the capital’s transport network until early February.
TfL had warned it would have to potentially close an entire Tube line if a funding deal couldn’t be reached.
However, the proposed tax increase will be subject to consultation by the London Assembly, with a final decision being taken on 24 February.
Police and Fire Brigade
Meanwhile, £10 will go towards policing, which includes funding frontline officers, tackling serious violent crime and violence against women and girls.
The extra cash should also see more crime prevention programmes available.
The city’s Fire Brigade will account for a yearly increase of £1.93, despite its severe staffing shortage.
Rising Covid-19 cases has left London’s fire and rescue with “unprecedented” staff shortages, the Fire Brigades Union said last week, with shortages meaning that up to almost a third of London’s fire engines have been out of action at some points in the latest wave.
“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,” the London mayor said in a statement today.
“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.”