Khan on the defensive over biggest rise in council tax bills of his mayoralty

SADIQ KHAN was today forced to defend plans to impose his biggest increase in council tax bills since becoming Mayor.

- Ross Lydall

This includes £20 a year for the next three years to help ease the financial crisis at Transport for London — even though the first year’s money will be held in City Hall’s coffers and not spent for 12 months.

Susan Hall, leader of the GLA Conservatives, said it was surprising that Mr Khan was asking Londoners to pay extra from April for TfL yet was holding the money in reserves “though it’s needed now”.

Mr Khan wants to increase benchmark Band D bills by £31.93, which will mean an average London household will pay almost £400 a year for services run by City Hall — up 8.8 per cent on current levels.