Sadiq Khan’s latest council tax increase will see Londoners paying nearly £500 a year, with funds directed to policing and free school meals.
London: Sir Sadiq Khan has just announced his lowest council tax hike in five years. But even so, the average household in London will still be shelling out nearly £500 a year to the mayor.
Starting in April, he plans to raise his average “precept” by four percent. This means an extra £18.98 on a typical band D bill, pushing the mayor’s share from £471.40 to £490.38.
While this is the smallest increase since 2020/21, it’s still a significant amount. The last couple of years saw hikes of about £38 each time, so this is a bit of a relief for Londoners.
Most of the extra cash, around £14, is earmarked for the Metropolitan Police. This funding will help keep 1,300 neighborhood officers on the streets, tackling crime and keeping communities safe.
The remaining £4.98 will go to the London Fire Brigade. It’s good to see some of this money going to essential services.
In his new budget, Sadiq has also set aside £147.5 million for free school meals, which he’s been providing to all primary school kids in London state schools since September 2023. This was initially a one-year plan to help families during the cost-of-living crisis.
But now, it’s a key part of his 2024 election manifesto, and he’s promised to keep it going for his full term if he gets re-elected. The funding for these meals will come from business rates, not council tax.
City Hall says this new budget will give a £151 million boost to policing, with the extra £14 from the precept generating £54 million for the Met. However, no extra funds will go to the core Greater London Authority, which includes the mayor’s team and the London Assembly.
Speaking of the Assembly, they’ll be debating the budget next week before it gets voted on next month. It’s worth noting that any changes to the budget need a two-thirds majority, which is tough since Labour holds 10 of the 25 seats.
Currently, the band D amount for the Greater London Authority is £471.40. When you add in what councils charge, many London boroughs are now issuing bills over £2,000 a year.
Most boroughs are expected to raise their council tax by five percent, with some, like Newham, looking at a whopping 10 percent increase to avoid financial trouble.
Since taking office in 2016, Sadiq has raised the mayoral precept every year. It’s gone up by more than £200 since he started, which is quite a jump.
The council tax precept brings in about £1.5 billion a year for the GLA. Most of Sadiq’s £21 billion budget comes from the government or business rates, but a good chunk goes to the police.
In light of recent violent incidents, including the tragic death of a 14-year-old, there’s been pressure on Sadiq to boost funding for frontline policing. The Met’s commissioner is worried about losing officers due to budget cuts, but Sadiq is hopeful that things won’t be as bad as they seem.
He’s been lobbying the government for more funds and insists that since he became mayor, police funding has more than doubled. He’s committed to supporting the police as much as possible.
On a brighter note, Sadiq spends around £140 million a year on free school meals for primary school kids, funded through business rates. This is a great initiative that helps families in need.
Since 2021, there’s also been a levy to help fund Transport for London, which has increased over the years. Before the pandemic, TfL relied heavily on fares and other income, but now they’re getting some council tax money to help keep things running smoothly.
