The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has laid out plans to increase council tax for the upcoming 2025-26 financial year. In Sadiq Khan’s proposed budget, the Mayor has recommended that council tax goes up by £18.98 in the upcoming tax year.
The uplift means that for a household in Band D will be paying £490 into the Mayor’s budget, this is an increase of 4%.
The majority of the council tax increase will go to the Metropolitan Police Service. The remainder of the uplift going to the London Fire Brigade.
The Mayor is hoping that this measure will raise £54 million.
This announcement will come as a small welcome relief to the Metropolitan Police. Last month the Met set out plans to plug a £450 million funding hole.
Speaking to the London Greater Authority’s London Policing Board on the 10th December, the Commissioner of the Met, Sir Mark Rowley set out some harsh cuts for the UK’s biggest police forces; 2,300 police officers and 400 staff will be let go due to the funding pressures which the Met finds itself in.
The cuts are going ahead despite the Westminster Government agreeing a £255.2 million in 2025-26 which is £65 million more than the current financial year.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is responsible for the governance of the Metropolitan Police Service (Victoria Jones/Pool Photo via AP)
The proposal to increase council tax is one part of a set of plans laid out in the draft budget. Among the other proposals is to continue the universal free school meals for all primary schools across London.
The Labour Mayor put the blame on the previous Conservative government, “….the Met is still facing a budget shortfall due to over a decade of damaging real terms cuts by the previous government. That’s why I’m stepping in to provide an additional £54m, which will help to keep neighbourhood police officers on the streets and bear down on violent crime and robbery.”
The cost of living is still here
This increase in council tax will not come as welcome news to some Londoners. The cost of living is still biting in the Capital, with the cost of housing high and inflation increasing, although it has slowed down in the past few months.
According to Expatistan London is the second most expensive city to live in the world and the most expensive in Western Europe.
Kate, who is an actor in London told City News that she is broadly supportive of the council tax increase. When asked her if she is in support of the move she said she is “in favour of paying tax to fund services, so I’d say yes”.
The draft budget will be put before the London Assembly for consideration on Thursday (23 January), where it will be scrutinised and amended. The final draft budget is due to be published on 15th February.
Police form a line to in front of protesters. Source: AP.
The opposition’s opinion
In a statement the Leader of the Opposition and Conservative member of the London Assembly for Cockfosters said, “The Mayor’s budget has hit the ground running with an inflation-busting council tax rise, passing the cost of Labour’s disastrous budget onto Londoners. When potentially up to 2,300 Met Officers are at risk of getting cut but the Mayor finds money for other frivolous projects, it couldn’t be clearer where his priorities lie. We will be fighting for every penny with amendments to get real value for Londoners.”
Met Police declined to comment to City News.
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HeadlineMayor of London proposes an uplift in council tax in order to pay for police
Short HeadlineMayor set to put up council tax by 4%
StandfirstThe Mayor is hoping to raise £54 million which will go to the Metropolitan Police and the Fire Brigade.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has laid out plans to increase council tax for the upcoming 2025-26 financial year. In Sadiq Khan’s proposed budget, the Mayor has recommended that council tax goes up by £18.98 in the upcoming tax year.
The uplift means that for a household in Band D will be paying £490 into the Mayor’s budget, this is an increase of 4%.
The majority of the council tax increase will go to the Metropolitan Police Service. The remainder of the uplift going to the London Fire Brigade.
The Mayor is hoping that this measure will raise £54 million.
This announcement will come as a small welcome relief to the Metropolitan Police. Last month the Met set out plans to plug a £450 million funding hole.
Speaking to the London Greater Authority’s London Policing Board on the 10th December, the Commissioner of the Met, Sir Mark Rowley set out some harsh cuts for the UK’s biggest police forces; 2,300 police officers and 400 staff will be let go due to the funding pressures which the Met finds itself in.
The cuts are going ahead despite the Westminster Government agreeing a £255.2 million in 2025-26 which is £65 million more than the current financial year.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is responsible for the governance of the Metropolitan Police Service (Victoria Jones/Pool Photo via AP)
The proposal to increase council tax is one part of a set of plans laid out in the draft budget. Among the other proposals is to continue the universal free school meals for all primary schools across London.
The Labour Mayor put the blame on the previous Conservative government, “….the Met is still facing a budget shortfall due to over a decade of damaging real terms cuts by the previous government. That’s why I’m stepping in to provide an additional £54m, which will help to keep neighbourhood police officers on the streets and bear down on violent crime and robbery.”
The cost of living is still here
This increase in council tax will not come as welcome news to some Londoners. The cost of living is still biting in the Capital, with the cost of housing high and inflation increasing, although it has slowed down in the past few months.
According to Expatistan London is the second most expensive city to live in the world and the most expensive in Western Europe.
Kate, who is an actor in London told City News that she is broadly supportive of the council tax increase. When asked her if she is in support of the move she said she is “in favour of paying tax to fund services, so I’d say yes”.
The draft budget will be put before the London Assembly for consideration on Thursday (23 January), where it will be scrutinised and amended. The final draft budget is due to be published on 15th February.
Police form a line to in front of protesters. Source: AP.
The opposition’s opinion
In a statement the Leader of the Opposition and Conservative member of the London Assembly for Cockfosters said, “The Mayor’s budget has hit the ground running with an inflation-busting council tax rise, passing the cost of Labour’s disastrous budget onto Londoners. When potentially up to 2,300 Met Officers are at risk of getting cut but the Mayor finds money for other frivolous projects, it couldn’t be clearer where his priorities lie. We will be fighting for every penny with amendments to get real value for Londoners.”
