Sadiq Khan must slash waste to fix City Hall’s finances

Sadiq Khan needs to cut the millions extra he has spent on TfL perks, City Hall waste, and staff to protect London’s police and fire services as the Greater London Authority faces a considerable loss of income due to the coronavirus crisis.

GLA Conservatives’ Leader Susan Hall AM told the Mayor to safeguard the budgets of the Metropolitan Police Service and London Fire Brigade after Khan warned he would be forced cut these vital services unless the government stepped in.

Susan Hall AM, Leader of the GLA Conservatives, commented:

“For the past four years, Sadiq Khan has shamelessly chosen to spend taxpayers’ cash on City Hall waste and frivolous vanity projects instead of keeping our city safe. Now, in the face of this unprecedented crisis, the first thing the Mayor does is threaten to cut London’s police and fire service unless the Government bails him out.

“The Mayor needs to get his house in order first, and that means looking at his spending on public relations, TfL staff perks, and questionable culture programmes. When he proposed his budget in February, we found £113 million in waste and flab he could use to safeguard the vital police and fire services which keep Londoners safe, but the Mayor refused to listen.

“The Greater London Authority is not alone in facing huge financial difficulties due to the coronavirus crisis, but simply by reversing his own decisions the Mayor could save millions to protect the vital services London needs. Sadiq Khan needs to do his job, stop shirking responsibility and put Londoners’ priorities first!”