£500m pre-election giveaway by Khan

AS MAYOR'S SHARE OF YOUR COUNCIL TAX INCREASES TO £4 71 A YEAR...

- Ross Lydall

SADIQ KHAN is to boost his pre-election spending by an additional £500 million, with more cash for the police, Tube staff and motorists seeking to scrap Ulez non-compliant vehicles.

But critics said the "surprise money" had clearly been "hoarded" for an election year- and criticised the Mayor for embarking on a spending spree rather than limiting council tax bills.

Mr Khan confirmed his share of council tax would rise by 8.6 per cent - adding £37.26 to benchmark Band D bills and meaning the average London household will pay £471.40 a year to City Hall from April. This is almost £200 more than when Mr Khan, who is seeking a historic third term on May 2, first came to power in 2016. It means the average bill in about half of London's 33 boroughs will exceed £2,000 once the council share is added.