Local Conservatives have criticised Labour’s record at City Hall after new figures revealed the Mayor of London has hiked Council Tax by 57% since he was elected in 2016, compared to Boris Johnsons record of cutting Council Tax during his term.
The figure was revealed as the Mayor announced his latest increase in City Hall’s Council Tax precept, a rise of 9.7%. Members of the London Assembly have legally summonsed the Mayor to appear before London Assembly next month to justify the decision after declining a previous invitation.
The Council Tax hike is the latest cash-grab from the Mayor, after he announced he is moving forward with his plans to introduce a new tax on drivers, small businesses and charities by extending the so-called Ultra Low Emissions Zone to all of Outer London – despite over 60% of consultation responses opposing the move.
London Assembly Member for Bexley & Bromley, Peter Fortune, said:
“Despite cost-of-living pressures, the mayor is hiking his portion of Council Tax and introducing a new tax on drivers. As Chairman of the Assembly's Budget committee, I asked Sadiq Khan to talk to us and explain why he was forcing these extra, crippling financial burdens upon residents. Sadly, he refused our offer leaving us no choice but to issue him with another summons. It is the third time he has had to be summonsed to answer questions this year.
Once again, the Sadiq Khan refuses to show any leadership or take responsibility for his decisions. Even though the mayor has a £20 Billion budget he is still making Beckenham residents pay for the extra cost of Khan."
Member of Parliament for Beckenham, Bob Stewart, added:
“The Mayor is once again claiming he has no money so needs to hike tax, but in reality he is wasting £200 million on introducing an ineffective and unwanted new drivers tax. The trust is that tax-payers in places such as Beckenham are paying more for less with an increasingly distracted Mayor of London.”
