Following recent reports of huge council tax hikes, Mayor Ken Livingstone, announced that he was freezing the Olympic element of the Council tax precept at 38 pence a week for the average London council tax payer. 

The Mayor also announced a proposed maximum increase of 29 pence a week in the GLA precept for next year to pay for additional police, but said he had asked for the whole GLA Group to look for additional savings and measures to reduce the final call on Council Tax payers.

Ken Livingstone said “I have given a guarantee to Londoners that they will not have to pay more than 38 pence a week towards the cost of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games.  Today’s confirmation that there will be no increase in the Olympics section of the council tax demonstrates that the recent scare stories about escalating council tax bills were incorrect.

Today is the first instalment of the guarantee that we will keep to our commitments on the council tax.  Next year there will be no increase in the 38 pence payment and my commitment is that it will remain the same the year after that and in every succeeding year.”

He went onto state that “Polls have shown Londoners are willing to pay a modest additional price for the extra security more police bring to their neighbourhoods.  I am committing that the maximum increase in the Council tax precept this year will be 29p a week at Band D, but I have asked all the GLA Group to look for additional savings to reduce that cost still further.”

January 6, 2007