Council tax rise will fund police, mayor says

Council tax across London will rise from April to help fund policing and crime prevention, under City Hall budget proposals.

About a quarter of the total council tax bill for a London household is currently allocated to City Hall - the Greater London Authority (GLA) precept - which largely funds the Metropolitan Police.

The precept for an average Band D property in the capital will increase by £20.13 (about 4%), from £490.38 to £510.51 in 2026-27, under the mayor of London's plans.

Council tax bills across London boroughs are to increase overall by as much as 4.9% for Band D homes.

Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan said more than £100m extra - compared with 2025-26 - was to be invested in fighting and preventing crime in the capital.

This is to include extra money for combating phone thefts, helping victims of child sexual exploitation, fighting violence against women and girls and project to steer young people away from gangs.

The GLA's final draft budget is due to be voted on and approved by the London Assembly in the coming weeks.

Sir Sadiq said, as mayor, tackling crime was his "top priority".

"I'll continue to use all the levers at my disposal to fund the police, tackle violence against women and girls and provide positive opportunities for young Londoners."

In recent years, the Met Police has warned it faced a large funding gap due to government cuts, and that it would have to reduce its workforce.

The mayor told the BBC he believed funding for the Met was "not enough" and said he was lobbying the government for more money.

A spokesperson for the force said discussions about about specific details of police funding were ongoing.

Neil Garratt, budget spokesperson for the London Conservatives said he believed Sir Sadiq did not have the spending power he hoped for as he did not have enough central government funding.

"This isn't the budget that Londoners or the mayor were expecting when voting for a Labour government 18 months ago," Garratt told the BBC.

"The mayor of course is still asking for more money because he's got even less than he thought.

"So what the mayor is doing is cherry-picking individual little examples of a bit of money here and a bit of money there."

The government has been approached for comment.

Under the GLA's plans, there will also be an additional £8m to tackle rough sleeping and £20m to improve AI skills in the workforce.

The mayor of London's budget also partly funds London Fire Brigade, Transport for London, some transport schemes, large infrastructure projects, house building, net zero schemes and economic growth projects.

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