The Mayor’s Budget for 2025-26

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691 Londoners have responded | 04/12/2024 - 03/01/2025

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Discussion | Most important priorities for London

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The Mayor’s draft Budget sets out his financial plan to deliver his priorities for the year ahead.

Join the conversation 

  • What do you think are the most important priorities for London this coming year, and why? 
  • How should any additional support or money from central government be used for Londoners, and why? 

Help inform the Budget and tell us your views in the comments below.

About the draft Budget  

All feedback from stakeholders and Londoners will be considered for the final draft Budget. This will be scrutinised by the London Assembly on 25 February 2025. 

Read more about the draft Budget, what it covers and how it’s set. 

The discussion ran from 04 December 2024 - 03 January 2025

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Comments (202)

Avatar for -

The work which was started on cycle super highways should be continued and expanded to ensure that it is easier and safer to cycle in London.  This should include enforcing action against illegal use, especially by scooters and parking...

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The work which was started on cycle super highways should be continued and expanded to ensure that it is easier and safer to cycle in London.  This should include enforcing action against illegal use, especially by scooters and parking which blocks cycle routes.

 

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Avatar for - Staghorn coral

Totally agree - cycling in London - and commuting to the boroughs should have more support. Cycling with proper safe cycleways and not just a line of paint, is how the city will grow as a more attractive place to visit and work.

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I am fully in support of improving air quality in London and support the cycle and scooter hire schemes and the use of cycles etc generally in our city. However at the moment there are no controls on this. I would like to see control on...

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I am fully in support of improving air quality in London and support the cycle and scooter hire schemes and the use of cycles etc generally in our city. However at the moment there are no controls on this. I would like to see control on illegal and dangerous scooter and cycle use to prevent riders ignoring red lights, pedestrian crossings, one way streets  and riding on the pavement. I would like all riders to have to be identifiable by registering and wearing a vest with their ID on it so that if they break the law they can be caught and prosecuted. This would  deter them from causing a danger to others. I would also like controls to be introduced on the parking of  hire scheme scooters and  bikes. At the moment these are abandoned on pavements and parking bays where they are a hazard to pedestrians particularly people with disabilities and/or pushing prams etc and also of course just plain unattractive. Please do something to improve the lot of pedestrians who often appear to be low down the list of priorities if not completely disregarded. 

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I agree, Louise although I would add taking action against those illegally using scooters which are often home developed and ridden dangerously.  If we see arrests, confiscations and fines this will act as a deterrent.

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I agree, Louise although I would add taking action against those illegally using scooters which are often home developed and ridden dangerously.  If we see arrests, confiscations and fines this will act as a deterrent.

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Louise, you fully support cycling, but say nothing about the nature of that support. Restrictions on cycling will increase motor vehicle use. That will lead to worse air quality and other serious problems. What are your recommendations for...

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Louise, you fully support cycling, but say nothing about the nature of that support. Restrictions on cycling will increase motor vehicle use. That will lead to worse air quality and other serious problems. What are your recommendations for avoiding that outcome?

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Avatar for - Vaquita

Lime and other dockless bikes MUST be regulated they are left blocking pavements and so many illegally used by children

Avatar for - Sumatran elephant

Repairing the roads and improving them not picking on the motorists 

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Repairing the roads and improving them not picking on the motorists 

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Avatar for - Vaquita

road and pavements are damaged by vechicles, so they should pay to repair them and be fined for parking on pavements

Avatar for - Sumatran elephant

That’s why cars pay road tax or whatever it is now called I bet it’s not all spent on the roads and how stupid that some cars don’t pay it and some areas parking on pavement is allowed and normal 

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That’s why cars pay road tax or whatever it is now called I bet it’s not all spent on the roads and how stupid that some cars don’t pay it and some areas parking on pavement is allowed and normal 

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Avatar for - Staghorn coral

The roads are for the public, not just for motorists. We all pay for them. But as driving kills people every day, pollutes the air and damages roads and pavements we need urgent action. I'd start with parking - cars left unattended on...

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The roads are for the public, not just for motorists. We all pay for them. But as driving kills people every day, pollutes the air and damages roads and pavements we need urgent action. I'd start with parking - cars left unattended on public property, anywhere, is a potential revenue stream to bolster the public purse. Money that should go towards improving public transport.

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Avatar for - Sumatran elephant

No town or city can survive without the motorists and making roads smaller only makes the matter worse nobody wants deaths but not all road users have a license or common sense 

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No town or city can survive without the motorists and making roads smaller only makes the matter worse nobody wants deaths but not all road users have a license or common sense 

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Avatar for - Tiger

Regarding transport could we please have additional buses to service St Ann's Hospital in Haringey as there is literally only ONE bus (67) that goes directly to the hospital which is ludicrous considering how many people need access to the...

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Regarding transport could we please have additional buses to service St Ann's Hospital in Haringey as there is literally only ONE bus (67) that goes directly to the hospital which is ludicrous considering how many people need access to the hospital which is now part of The North London NHS Foundation Trust with a total of 6000 employees. This is vital to reduce the use of cars as there is very little parking facilities and to create a cleaner environment.

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The Mayor has wasted a great deal of tax-payers' money giving the Overvround lines new names. This was totally unnecessary and does nothing to help the efficiency of London Transport. That money would be better spent on employing gate-line...

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The Mayor has wasted a great deal of tax-payers' money giving the Overvround lines new names. This was totally unnecessary and does nothing to help the efficiency of London Transport. That money would be better spent on employing gate-line staff to stop fare dodging. 

Why does the Mayor need to spend tax-payers' money on a luxury Range Rover for himself?  When he's threatening to take away pensioners' Freedom Passes?

Bicycle lanes need to be replanned, they've created massive traffic jams in narrow roads, adding to the polution he says he wants to reduce.

Where, in London, does he plan to build all the thousands of extra houses? Does he plan to cover the important and necessary Green Belt with concrete, while at the same time saying he'll plant more trees?

 

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The pensioners Freedom Passes (i.e. for people over 66) are paid for by the local council where you live and not the GLA or TfL so the Mayor has no control over that. On several occasions over the years I can recall some local authorities...

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The pensioners Freedom Passes (i.e. for people over 66) are paid for by the local council where you live and not the GLA or TfL so the Mayor has no control over that. On several occasions over the years I can recall some local authorities discussing the option  to stop funding the passes but none have gone ahead. 

 

The planning and building of new homes is the responsibility of local councils, private developers and the GLA and my understanding is that the plan for London still puts priority on only bulding on green belt land in exceptional circumstances.  We certainly need more homes to respond to demand for decent affordable homes and to keep the London economy growing. 

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Avatar for - Tiger

I want the police to be more visible and concentrate resources on knife crime, drug crime, murders, rape, robbery, burglary and thefts, not on silly tweets and have their concerns on policing events (like Notting Hill Carrnival) taken...

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I want the police to be more visible and concentrate resources on knife crime, drug crime, murders, rape, robbery, burglary and thefts, not on silly tweets and have their concerns on policing events (like Notting Hill Carrnival) taken seriously. I want the sale of machetes and other similar lethal weapons to be banned and anyone caught selling or posessing these should be jailed. The safety of women and girls, including preserving single sex safe spaces, is important.

I want more affordable housing for single young people and families, my son has a decent job but he cannot afford to buy or rent. Why not do up abandoned properties or provide grants to let the public do them up instead of building new ugly high tower blocks. I also want landlords,  social or private, to be made to maintain their properties to good standards, they often take the rent but don't do the repairs! 

Stop squeezing vehicles into reduced lanes/routes causing longer jams and more pollution. Have residents only parking enforced near schools to decrease accidents to children and encourage walking to school. During the school holidays traffic where I live disappears! 

Plant more trees and plants - they breathe in CO2 and produce O2 - great for the environment, far better and cheaper than many other climate change measures. Preserve free, safe green spaces for all to enjoy, not every one has a garden. 

If we could deal with homelessness on our streets during Covid then why not now? I do not want to see London turn into tent city as it will put off tourists and business investment. 

Transport in London is miles better than other parts of country but brilliant Lizzy Line is still hit and miss weekends (will those HS2 works in Acton ever end?!) and more cross borough bus routes could be introduced, one direct bus route instead of having to take 2-3 buses would help. The 60+ Oyster Card is magnificent, must continue and definitely encourages older residents to use public transport.

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Avatar for - Staghorn coral

All the items in the last list are important but money is not in infinite supply, difficult choices have to be made, we cannot be ambitious beyond our means.

Avatar for - Gorilla

Get TFL to build over the Woolwich DLR station, that's something you can do, Khan spent about 10 years fighting the tory government but not doing things he has complete control over.

Avatar for - Gorilla

Given Blackwall and Silvertown will be tolled I think the same should happen to Hammersmith, I'd be pro tolling all river crossings and using the income to improve cross river connections across the city, bridges for bikes and foot in east...

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Given Blackwall and Silvertown will be tolled I think the same should happen to Hammersmith, I'd be pro tolling all river crossings and using the income to improve cross river connections across the city, bridges for bikes and foot in east london, surrey quays to cannary wharf, cannary wharf to North Greenwich, beside the thames barrier, gallions reach to beckton, you could transform the city. And 15 minute cities would be awesome. I may be the only tory pro pay per mile too, it would transform the city.

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as soon as EV's prevail, we'll need to move into road pricing to compensate for the loss of fuel duty....so the bridge can become a toll bridge then

Till then, I have no objection to raising a toll if that makes it happen.....but there's no...

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as soon as EV's prevail, we'll need to move into road pricing to compensate for the loss of fuel duty....so the bridge can become a toll bridge then

Till then, I have no objection to raising a toll if that makes it happen.....but there's no good reason in principle why Hammersmith Bridge should be treated differently from other bridges.....and it will change behaviour, not necessarily in optimal ways

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Avatar for - Staghorn coral

It's clear that work needs to be done to deliver your existing core services, before skipping off to more half completed ventures. Do less and do it well.

  • This was promised for a couple of years now: Due to an ongoing cyber security incident...
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It's clear that work needs to be done to deliver your existing core services, before skipping off to more half completed ventures. Do less and do it well.

  • This was promised for a couple of years now: Due to an ongoing cyber security incident at TfL, pay as you go with contactless will no longer launch at 47 stations on 22 September. These include the 12 SWR stations previously announced as part of the expansion. We are working with TfL to reschedule the launch, and an update will be provided in due course.
     
  • Promised public transport around outer London are nothing more than either speedy busses that stop in few town centres or the other extreme that stop everywhere zigzagging endlessly. Even the proposed subsidised private buses simply opted out and charged more. We can watch the same bus route appear 4 times in a row, but the one we want 40 minutes apart instead of 15.
     
  • Just looking at the number of EV chargers in central London, good coverage, but for those in outer London they are scarce.
     
  • We see an ever increasing amount of street furniture (signs, bollards, concrete road features, abandoned posts, cameras, etc). Do we really need 20MPH signs every 50M? Is there no consideration for the environmental impact of all this? What is the carbon cost? Consider removing redundant equipment, recycling them and returning sites to green.
     
  • Its unclear how current vehicle charging and policies will help electrify the car market, which appears to be falling apart. It seems disingenuous to talk of green whilst ignoring the obvious over taxation issues.

In outer London we have a raw deal, we pay the same as inner London and have fewer benefits.

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Avatar for - Sumatran elephant

The Mayor shold ban the pro Palestine,anti semitic marches. He shoul  tell The comissioner of the Met to start policing London without fear or favour and to start clamping down on knife crime.

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The Mayor shold ban the pro Palestine,anti semitic marches. He shoul  tell The comissioner of the Met to start policing London without fear or favour and to start clamping down on knife crime.

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Avatar for - Gorilla

Absolutley

Avatar for -

The marches are not anti semitic, they're anti Netanyahu and the atrocities committed in Gaza and Palestine, now Lebanon. If you join one you'll see how many Jewish people are there because they don't like what's happening in their name.

I...

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The marches are not anti semitic, they're anti Netanyahu and the atrocities committed in Gaza and Palestine, now Lebanon. If you join one you'll see how many Jewish people are there because they don't like what's happening in their name.

I agree with your point about the Met police which seems ineffectual and does nothing to keep our streets safe. He's closed the Police Stations so I'm not sure where all the extra police personnel are going to be employed, or are they all going to ride around in cars?

 

 

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Avatar for -

I think that providing clean public toilets at every station and on every high street should be a priority.

Avatar for - Tiger

Good idea, certainly all main interchange stations, over or under ground

Avatar for -

I see nothing about Hammersmith Bridge. This is a disgrace - it is making us a laughing stock

Avatar for - Gorilla

So long as it's paid for with a toll like the east london crossings.

Avatar for - Sea turtle

Transport is a major concern. It’s well beyond the time that Hammersmith Bridge should be reopened to cars and buses. This is an important bridge, carrying one of the major arteries into west London. Traffic calming measures imposed by...

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Transport is a major concern. It’s well beyond the time that Hammersmith Bridge should be reopened to cars and buses. This is an important bridge, carrying one of the major arteries into west London. Traffic calming measures imposed by Chiswick Council and others adjoining the Bridge on both sides have done quite the opposite.  Queues to go over Chiswick Bridge and at the Hogarth roundabout make the journey now 40 mins or more by car and bus. Barnes is often gridlocked in Both directions with resulting pollution not just in the Terrace but in White Hart Lane and Midtlake at the two level crossings. 
The proposed alterations to the Hogarth roundabout are a joke, cutting off access to residents’ houses in Chiswick Mall, adding pedestrian walkways when there is a perfectly good underpass for walkers and bikes. I gather the brain box who came up with this ridiculous scheme did not bother to visit the site, nor to do local research among residents and businesses. What a ridiculously expensive shambles. 
Please do something about Hammersmith. There are elderly and disabled people in cars who need to use it. Plus many schoolchildren coming in both directions. 
The way this matter has been shelved is a complete travesty. 

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Avatar for - Polar bear

Vastly improve our green spaces. Mend the rodds and tidy things up so people can visoble see a change for the better. This way hope rises and people deel more confident and relaxed.

 

Find places for the homeless to safely   stay. Convert...

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Vastly improve our green spaces. Mend the rodds and tidy things up so people can visoble see a change for the better. This way hope rises and people deel more confident and relaxed.

 

Find places for the homeless to safely   stay. Convert empty property into youth activity centres.

 

 

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Avatar for - Polar bear

Instead of allowing shops to remain vacant why not open them up to communities such as local artists so they can create simple studio spaces and galleries to sell their work? You could encourag  this by reducing or withdrawing rates where a...

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Instead of allowing shops to remain vacant why not open them up to communities such as local artists so they can create simple studio spaces and galleries to sell their work? You could encourag  this by reducing or withdrawing rates where a shop owner is prepared to allow such a development?

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Avatar for - Vaquita

Start by giving back the tents to the homeless people who were punished by the tories.

Open a new youth club in every area of concentrated housing.

Take back control of providing clean water.

Avatar for - Vaquita

I believe that taking the opportunity to improve transport infrastructure and housing, something that will leave a lasting legacy, whilst there is a sympathetic government in place. Making London a better place to live and get about will...

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I believe that taking the opportunity to improve transport infrastructure and housing, something that will leave a lasting legacy, whilst there is a sympathetic government in place. Making London a better place to live and get about will lead to growth and aid in all the other aspirations.

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Avatar for -

I was surprised that Education wasn’t mentioned as a priority. 

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I was surprised that Education wasn’t mentioned as a priority. 

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Avatar for - Gorilla

It's a borough responsibility, he has negligible control.

Avatar for - Rhino

He doesnt want inteligent londoners, as he wouldnt be able to manipulate them.

And carry on destroying London.


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STAGE: City Hall challenge

Mayor publishes his Budget Guidance for 2025-26

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Mayor publishes his Consultation Budget for the GLA group

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STAGE: Evidence gathering

Your priorities for the Mayor’s 2025-26 Budget

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Londoners have responded 687 times

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STAGE: Policy design

Mayor publishes his Draft Consolidated Budget

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London Assembly to scrutinise Draft Consolidated Budget at plenary meeting

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Mayor publishes his Final Draft Consolidated Budget

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STAGE: Policy published

Mayor publishes his Budget for the year ahead

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See and download the Final Consolidated Budget for 2025-26