Welfare Reforms

This Assembly condemns the Government’s decision to reduce the income tax rate for people earning more than £150,000 while also reducing payments to those many Londoners – the vast majority of whom are in work, disabled, or retired – who are supported by the benefits system.

We therefore reject the Mayor’s call for the top rate of tax to be cut further. We urge him to campaign as enthusiastically in the interest of those lower-income Londoners supported by welfare as he does for the interests of, for example, the banking sector.

This Assembly recognises the Mayor gained minor concessions to the Government’s welfare reforms. However, we believe that none of these concessions acknowledged the unique circumstances of London, in particular the higher cost of living in the capital.

This Assembly is appalled that the Mayor has said he will seek no further concessions to the welfare reforms. Given the likely impact of these reforms, this Assembly believes that the Mayor’s position is unacceptable. We urge the Mayor to re-enter into negotiation with the Government, in order to seek to improve measures in the act set to damage the lives of Londoners. In particular, we call on the Mayor to negotiate a benefit cap that recognises the cost of living in London compared to the rest of the country.