Funding London’s priorities

Thank you for taking part in our survey and discussion on Funding a better London in December 2025. 

Your feedback was reviewed by the Mayor and his team in producing the Budget documents.

London Assembly members also used your feedback to help inform their scrutiny sessions on the Budget.

On 26 February 2026, the London Assembly approved the final GLA Group Budget for 2026-27 without amendment. 

The Mayor’s portion of council tax will increase by £20.13 (the equivalent of 39p per week for a Band D property) to fund the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the London Fire Brigade (LFB).

Overwhelmingly, you said the most important area for the Mayor to put money towards is Crime and Safety. The Mayor agrees and all the increase in the council tax precept is being spent in this area.

Crime and Safety 

The Mayor has invested a record-breaking £1.26 billion from City Hall for policing and crime prevention measures in 2026-27.

The Final Budget includes:

The Mayor’s Final Budget also provides more funding to support the London Fire Commissioner to:

• Support and maintain LFB’s operational capabilities and response times
• Deliver a Modern Firefighter Training Strategy
• Invest in LFB’s estate and infrastructure.  

Affordable and energy-efficient housing   

The Final Budget includes £2.25 billion to help build new homes for Londoners.

It also includes:

Transport 

The Mayor has frozen bus and tram fares until July 2026, to protect Londoners on the lowest incomes. The price of Travelcards will be frozen until March 2027.

Following the government’s £2.2 billion funding deal for TfL, the Final Budget includes:

• The continuation of building the Superloop network
• New rolling stock on the Piccadilly line
• Increasing the number of zero-emission buses on London’s roads
• Expanding the school streets and cycle network
• Making more stations step-free.  

The Mayor has also provided a further £20 million to trial further fares innovation to help grow passenger numbers and boost London's economy.

London’s economic growth and culture

The Final Budget ensures that primary school children in state-funded schools in London will continue to get free school meals.  

The Final Budget also includes a £53 million funding pot to: 

• Encourage greater levels of visitors to and investment in London
• Secure more major events in London
• Implement AI taskforce recommendations
• Provide further support for our high streets and the hospitality sector. 

The Mayor’s Budget also includes funding for the newly established Oxford Street Development Corporation (OSDC) to support the development of Oxford Street’s retail and leisure offer and provide a world-leading visitor experience on a pedestrianised Oxford Street. OSDC will also develop and implement sustainable commercial and financial strategies to support the long-term development of the area.

Addressing the climate emergency 

As well as protecting and investing in vital public services, the Mayor’s budget also invests in green projects to reduce air pollution and help with the climate crisis.

The individual bodies which make up the GLA Group will publish their final 2026-27 budget plans in soon.

As always, we will keep you posted on any new opportunities to help shape plans and policies at City Hall.    

Thank you for taking the time to engage with us.