London Mayor accused of hiding increase in Council Tax
The Mayor of London has been accused of hiding the real increase in his Council Tax precept – costing Richmond residents around £700k.
In 2006 the Mayor of London added an Olympic Precept to his element of the Council Tax, with Londoners paying an additional percentage to cover the cost of delivering the Tournament.
It was always scheduled to end in 2016, with residents paying the final instalment of £8 in March 2017.
However, in documents released by the GLA, from 1 April the Olympic Precept has not been removed. Instead, it has now been absorbed into the overall GLA monthly contribution.
Lord True, Leader of Richmond Council, demands Sadiq Khan ‘come clean’ and admit that his proposed 1.46% increase in the GLA Council Tax contribution is in fact a rise of 4.3%.
He said:
“Mr Khan should come clean and acknowledge he is being disingenuous by saying he is only increasing his part of the Council Tax by 1.46%
“If the precept around the Olympics is due to end – then the Tax Payer shouldn’t have to continue paying an extra £8. This additional money will cost Richmond taxpayers around £700k a year.
“I urge the Mayor to explain to Londoners why this rise being hidden. In the current economic climate, we all need to review our finances and in some cases, increases are necessary. However, all politicians must be open and honest and not hide charges from those that pay the bills!”
