Sadiq Khan doubles increase in council tax to fight violent crime

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks to the media at Seven Kings in Ilford
PA
Ross Lydall @RossLydall24 January 2020

Sadiq Khan is to almost double his proposed increase in council tax to fund the police fight against violent crime.

The Mayor is to increase his share of bills by £11.56, meaning the average London household will pay £332.07 to City Hall from next April, including an extra £10 to the Met.

The 3.6 per cent increase comes after he dismissed a £200 million increase in government funding for the Met — the highest in a decade — as not enough. Originally, he had proposed a £6.51 increase in benchmark band-D bills.

Mr Khan, who last night faced criticism for the increase in violent crime at a public meeting in Wood Green, said reducing attacks was “personal” after a teenager was stabbed to death near his home in Tooting.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan at Seven Kings in Ilford
PA

He said: “A stone’s throw from my house, a teenager lost his life. It’s personal to me. Of all the issues I deal with as Mayor, this is by far the hardest, both in terms of the toll on our community and how difficult it is to tackle.

“The truth is there is no easy fix. I will always be honest with Londoners. This is a problem you can’t solve overnight.”

The Mayor was referring to the fatal stabbing of Lewis Elwin, 20, in April 2016. Mr Khan attended his funeral soon after being elected.

Knife crime in London is at a record high, with 15,080 offences recorded in the 12 months to the end of last September. But it is rising at a lower rate to the rest of the country and fatal stabbings were down 18 per cent.

The extra funds from council tax will generate £15.7 million for City Hall, enough to fund 224 officers.

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