Mayor says Council Tax bills set to increase

Rise will let him fund the annual budget of his violence reduction unit by £3.2 million

INCREASE: Mayor Khan

LONDONERS DID not receive too much Christmas cheer with the news that they will have to fork out more money in 2020.

Council Tax bills are to rise next year partly to provide more funds for a “public health” approach to tackling violent crime, Mayor Sadiq Khan reported the Evening Standard.

He has proposed a 1.99 per cent rise, increasing his share of average bills by £6.41 to £326.92 from April. Total average council tax bills across the capital are likely to increase by about £40 once boroughs add their share.

The proposed increase is the second lowest of the four successive rises since Mr Khan came to power in 2016. He increased his Band D precept by £4 in his first year, followed by £14 in his second year and £26.28 last year. 

The Greater London Authority budget is due to be approved in February, before the mayoral elections in May.

Mr Khan said the rise would let him increase the annual budget of his violence reduction unit by £3.2 million, to £5 million, as it  seeks long-term solutions to the underlying causes of knife and gun crime.

The remaining £1.56 is for the fire brigade, facing extra costs for safety recommendations after Grenfell Tower.

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