On Wednesday 17th June, the Mayor of London announced that he has taken a 10% pay cut while urging Boris Johnson to bail out local authorities facing funding black holes because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sadiq Khan warned that shortfall of almost £500 million in funds in the capital could result in cuts to the Metropolitan Police, London Fire Brigade (LFB), Transport for London (TfL) and the Greater London Authority (GLA).
The annual salary of the Mayor of London is designated at £152,734 and a 10% reduction will result in Khan taking a cut by almost £15,300. Additionally, Khan has also announced that owing to coronavirus pay for senior appointments at City Hall has also been frozen.
The announcement follows after reports indicate that TfL's fares income had "dropped by more than 90%" and that local business rates and council tax income had "fallen off a cliff", making this "the worst possible time for a return to austerity". In a statement to the Sky News, he said,
"Unless ministers act, the current number of police officers will need to be reduced and it will be impossible to tackle youth violence or make the changes to the London Fire Brigade that are desperately needed after the awful Grenfell tragedy."
In May, the government provided TfL with a £1.6bn bailout after revenue from fares - the bulk of its income - fell by 90%.
In the wake of the bailout, it was announced that from 22 June the congestion charge will increase by 30% and be enforced seven days a week.
