Pre-Budget Report 2013

Our Pre-Budget 2013 report states that pressure to make savings over the next few years may hamper the Met’s attempts to improve the service it provides to Londoners.

The report, by our Budget and Performance Committee, outlines the key issues facing the Mayor as he puts the finishing touches to his 2014/15 budget and calls for more information about how budget cuts will affect services.

It highlights how between 2003 and 2013 crime fell by 38 per cent across England and Wales. In the same period it fell by only 27 per cent in London and the report questions how continued spending cuts will affect the ability of the Mayor to hit his three main policing pledges; to reduce crime and increase public confidence by 20 per cent over the 4 years to 2016, while reducing costs by 20 per cent.

The report acknowledges that, while the Met looks on track to hit its savings targets and crime is falling, only 78 per cent of victims felt satisfied by the service they received in comparison to an average of 85 per cent across England and Wales.

The Committee goes on to question whether replacing older and more experienced officers with cheaper new recruits will affect the service Londoners receive from the police and calls for a detailed breakdown of how the Met intends to find the remainder of it £500m savings target.

The report also makes recommendations about other spending areas, including housing, transport and funding for growth and economic development.

Read the report in full below