Mayor proposes to increase council tax to invest in neighbourhood policing and crack down on phone theft

 

• Mayor plans to increase council tax to support neighbourhood policing, tackle phone theft and ensure we can build on the progress being made to reduce homicides, knife crime, burglary and gun crime
• The Mayor’s draft Budget proposes a record-breaking £1.22bn investment from City Hall in policing, more than double the amount under the previous Mayor
• Mayor commits £400,000 to progress development for West London Orbital
• The proposed increase in council tax is £20.13 a year - for an average Band D household
• The Mayor’s Draft Budget also confirms £100m will be used to deliver free school meals for all London’s state primary school children in 2026-27

 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced his plans to increase council tax to provide crucial funding for the Metropolitan Police. The Mayor's record funding will help the Met to support neighbourhood policing, double down on phone theft and ensure we can continue reducing knife crime and homicides.  

 

There has been significant progress recently in reducing key crimes across London. This includes knife crime and personal robbery, which are both down by 15 per cent in the 12 months to November 2025 compared to the same periods the previous year, and homicides, which have fallen to the lowest rate per capita since records began.  However, phone theft has risen over recent years fuelled by an international criminal trade in handsets.   

 

The Mayor is taking the difficult decision to increase council tax to support the Met in conducting Met a major crack down on phone theft, with targeted action to dismantle phone theft gangs on our streets, as well as to ensure we can build on the important progress being made to reduce homicides, knife crime, burglary, gun crime and many other crimes.   

 

As part of the ongoing Budget process, Sadiq has asked the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and the Metropolitan Police to work together on a package of measures to further tackle phone theft including more enforcement blitzes, pro-active targeting of known offenders, and the use of drones and new specialist police trained to use e-bikes to pursue suspects in the West End where 40 per cent of all mobile phone thefts occur and work with London’s Violence Reduction Unit to reduce the risk to young people.

  

The enhanced support would allow the Met to build on the progress achieved tackling crime and violence in the capital with London last year recording the lowest number of homicides per capita since records began, and the fewest number of young people being killed this century. Across London, record investment from City Hall has helped neighbourhood crime reduce by 14.6 per cent this financial year – with 16,000 fewer offences – driven by a reduction in personal robbery, theft person and vehicle crime.

 

Hundreds of extra police officers are now on patrol after dark at busy hotspots working closely with retailers, restaurants clubs, bars and local councils to keep London safe. The Draft Budget also includes the new £2.4m package of support for victims and survivors of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) announced late last year, as the Mayor continues to strengthen protection of children from exploitation and harm in all its forms.

 

The Mayor plans to increase the policing precept part of council tax by £15 per year – the equivalent of £1.25 a month (for an average Band D household). This is expected to raise an additional £60m. Overall, the Mayor’s draft Budget for the next financial year proposes investing a record £1.22 billion in funding for policing in in 2026-27 – more than double the previous Mayor’s final budget.     

 

The Government has provided a bigger increase in funding for the Met than over the course of the whole of the previous government (2010-2024), and the Mayor welcomes the Government's additional neighbourhood police funding, which will mean 150 more officers and 100 more PSCOs working in neighbourhood policing teams in London subject to the final, total Home Office allocation being confirmed. But more national funding is needed and the Mayor will continue to make the case for the investment the Met needs.

 

As part of his Budget, the Mayor is also planning to increase the non-police council tax precept by £5.13 per year and to allocate all this increase to the London Fire Brigade (LFB). This is the equivalent of a 43p a month increase for an average Band D household, and slightly below the current rate of inflation. The LFB is the UK’s largest fire and rescue service, operating in an extremely complex environment in London. The Mayor believes that additional, sustainable investment is necessary to ensure it can continue to carry out prevention and protection work to keep Londoners safe. 

 

In total, the Mayor is proposing that council tax increases by an additional £20.13 a year for an average Band D household – the equivalent of £1.68 a month.

 

Today’s Budget also confirms that Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) will contribute £400,000 alongside other partners to progress the business case for the West London Orbital - a proposed new rail service on existing, underused rail from Hounslow towards Hendon that would become part of the London Overground network.

 

This stage of work will significantly progress the design of new stations, track upgrades and other infrastructure, and build evidence around the strong case for the scheme to inform discussions with the government and other partners on funding.

 

The West London Orbital rail link could create thousands of jobs and homes for people in Hounslow, Harlesden and Hendon – and it’s expected to deliver approximately £300 million in economic growth in the first 10 years of operation. 

 

The Mayor’s Draft Budget also confirms £100m of funding to deliver free school meals for all London’s state primary school children in the 2026-27 academic year – the fourth year of the historic scheme. The Mayor has committed to deliver free school meals for primary school children for as long as he’s in office.

 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: 

 

“Bearing down on crime and keeping Londoners safe is my top priority as Mayor. That’s why I’m taking the difficult decision to increase council tax to provide crucial funding for the police.  

“This will help to implement a major crack down on phone theft – with more resources to smash the phone theft gangs – as well as to ensure we can build on the significant progress we’re making to reduce knife crime, gun crime, homicides and burglary in the capital.  

“In total, I plan to invest a record-breaking £1.22bn from City Hall on policing so that we can continue building a safer London for everyone.

“I am also delighted that we are moving forward with our plans for the West London Orbital that will improve public transport and deliver economic growth.”