Police Funding

Unmesh Desai AM proposed, and Len Duvall AM seconded, the following motion:

“The total investment from City Hall in police funding was £686m in 2015/16. By 2019/20 this had risen to £1,083m. This is a record level of mayoral investment in policing in London.

Despite this, Government cuts have meant that the Metropolitan Police Service has been forced to make £850m of savings since 2010.

Londoners do not deserve to risk losing further police officers because the Government does not reimburse local authorities for a loss of business rates and council tax income caused by dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The current best estimate sets out a loss of £493m over the next two years.

We call on the Mayor and Chair of the London Assembly, to write jointly to the Home Secretary to ensure that the Government keeps its promise to do whatever is necessary to support public services to deal with the impact of COVID-19 and commits to a full reimbursement of any lost income arising from lower than expected council tax or business rates intake as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Following debate, and upon being put to the vote, the motion was agreed unanimously.