The London Assembly has agreed a motion[1] criticising the Mayor of London’s Draft Consolidated Budget for 2015/16, which details his spending plans for the Greater London Authority and its functional bodies – the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, Transport for London, the London Fire & Emergency Planning Authority and the London Legacy Development Corporation. He presents his final budget to the Assembly for its consideration on 23 February.
John Biggs AM, who proposed the motion, said:
“My colleagues and I put forward an ambitious set of proposals to cut fares, freeze council tax and fund 1,000 additional police officers for London.
It is clear the Mayor’s Budget does nothing to address the serious concerns Londoners have about rising transport costs and a diminished police force – two of the most serious issues facing the capital today. What Londoners want is a Budget which tackles these concerns head on, that is what our proposals sought to do.
Funding an extra 1,000 police officers and cutting fares back to 2014 levels would both help Londoners struggling to cope with the cost of commuting and provide much needed reassurance to those concerned about the impact of cuts to the police force.”
The full text of the motion is here:
Notes to editors:
The motion was agreed 12 votes for to 9 against.
John Biggs AM, Chair of the Budget & Performance Committee is available for interview. See contact details below.
As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For more details, please contact Alison Bell in the Assembly Media Office on 020 7983 4228. For out of hours media enquiries please call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit, Greater London Authority, on 020 7983 4100.