Andrew Dismore

At today’s Assembly Plenary discussing the Mayor’s proposed 2018/19 budget, Labour London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden Andrew Dismore AM asked London Mayor Sadiq Khan about his planned increase in Council Tax. (watch video here)

Since 2010-11 the Met.’s general grant funding from the Government has fallen by more than £700 million or nearly 40 per cent in real terms. In recent years the Metropolitan Police have had to find more than £600m of cuts with another £400 million over the Mayor’s current four-year term. This has led to the loss of a third of police staff posts – down from 14,330 to 9,985, two-thirds of police community support officer posts – down from 4,607 to 1,591, as well as 114 police station front counters and 120 police buildings.

The Mayor has taken the difficult decision to propose an increase in the policing precept and the general level of Council Tax to provide extra funds for the police and fire services. The combined effect of the police precept and Council Tax increase amounts to a 27p per week increase at band D. In 2018/19 the extra money would provide £15million on knife crime, £20.1million on police officer pay and £13.9million for officer numbers.

Mr Dismore asked:

‘Many people have said to me that they are prepared to pay a little more if it is for the emergency services and it is important that you’ve announced the entire precept and Council Tax increase is going to the police and fire services. How will the proposed increased precept maintain and improve policing in London?

‘It is disgraceful though, isn’t it, that despite their smoke and mirrors attempt to dissemble otherwise, the Conservative Government are not providing a penny more in the cash settlement for policing, not even to fund the well-deserved pay rise for police officers they themselves approved which will eat up nearly half of the tax rise.

‘Do you think they don’t understand the real impact their cuts are having on policing and community safety; or they do understand and don’t care?

‘Whilst you will be able to maintain officer numbers in 2018 at an average of30,000 with this increase and the other hard choices that have been made, will you be able to do so in future years if the Conservative Government does not increase central Government support?’

The Mayor said that he wanted to be honest with Londoners. The increase won’t lead to more officers as before the cuts. The pay rise won’t be seen by the public, though they will see more spending on knife crime and officer numbers sustained. In 2018/19, we will have an average of 30,000 officers, it may dip below or go above.

The ONS crime figures are due today, and he would be astonished if they didn’t go up across the country because of the effect of Government cuts on police numbers.

It is difficult to plan 2-3 years ahead, but he couldn’t see how we can keep 30,000 officers. The Met has had huge savings over 7 years. They’ve lost significant numbers of PCSOs and staff, 2,000 fewer officers and many fewer buildings and front counters. There is not more to cut. The biggest element, 70%, of the police budget is staff. The only other place if cuts are required is in fewer officers.