Sadiq Khan must cut his waste, not London's police

Sadiq Khan has been slammed for planning to cut London's emergency services and told to instead find savings by slashing the million of pounds extra he has spent on TfL perks and City Hall waste for the past four years.

The Mayor's plan to fix City Hall's finances could cut £45.4 million in 2020/21 and £63.8 million in 2021/22 from the Metropolitan Police, and £10 million in 2020/21 and £15 million in 2021/22 from the London Fire Brigade.

Unless ministers step in to bail City Hall out again, Khan has threatened to cut London's emergency services. Susan Hall AM has told the Mayor to put Londoners' priorities first, slash his waste, and protect these vital services using the £113 million of savings we identified earlier this year.

Susan Hall AM, Leader of the GLA Conservatives, commented:  “Sadiq Khan is excellent at spending money, but terrible at saving it. In the past four years, he has irresponsibly splashed hundreds of millions on fripperies and frivolous vanity projects. London can’t afford any more of Khan’s extravagant PR-first approach to City Hall’s finances; the Mayor must take responsibility and put Londoners’ priorities first. “The Mayor’s plan claims to protect London’s emergency services but also threatens to slash millions of pounds from our city’s police and fire budgets. Londoners will see straight through Khan’s spin and bluster to the hard truth: the Mayor doesn’t have their priorities at heart. “In the Mayor’s current budget, we identified £113 million worth of savings Khan could make to deliver for Londoners, but he refused to listen. It’s time Sadiq Khan put Londoners first and slashed his PR budget, TfL perks, and wasteful culture projects, to safeguard the vital police and fire services which keep Londoners safe.

“Every household, business, and council in London is looking at their finances because of this unprecedented crisis; the Greater London Authority is by no means immune. If the Mayor wants yet another bailout from taxpayers, he cannot continue to waste millions of pounds on press officers, bicycle ballets, and perks for TfL staff.”