Raising incomes in London

Questions to the Mayor of London – answered at on 22 November 2022.

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Photo of Marina Ahmad Marina Ahmad Labour

Can you outline what actions you have taken to lobby the Government to take immediate action to tackle the cost of living crisis by raising incomes substantially and providing immediate monetary support to low income families?

Photo of Sadiq Khan Sadiq Khan Mayor of London

I have recently written to the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to set out actions that need to be taken to support Londoners, and request a meeting.

The Government refuse to take the basic steps needed to help those least well-off such as providing free school meals to all primary school children, uplifting benefits by inflation, and ensuring that the most vulnerable receive a basic amount of free energy.

They should also grant City Hall the power to freeze private rents in London, which could save Londoners who are privately renting £3,000 over two years.

I will continue to call on the Government to take action, as well as commissioning research to support my calls, for example a cost-benefit analysis on abolishing No Recourse to Public Funds conditions, and research in 2021 highlighting the impact of abolishing the £20 uplift to Universal Credit.