London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Sadiq Khan ‘absolutely regrets’ biggest transport and council tax rises in a decade

Sadiq Khan ‘absolutely regrets’ biggest transport and council tax rises in a decade

The Mayor said he was being “effectively forced” to make the increases by the Government

London mayor Sadiq Khan has said he “absolutely regrets” his planned hikes in transport fares and council tax - which are both set to be the highest in at least a decade.

Mr Khan added however that failing to raise the charges would mean cuts to public services - and that the government was “effectively forcing” him to make the increases.

The Mayor announced in January that from March 5, Tube and bus fares will be going up by 5.9 per cent - the same as regulated rail fare rises across England, which will also take effect on that date. It will be the highest rise in more than a decade.

Mr Khan is also expected to increase City Hall’s share of council tax bills by 9.7 per cent, the biggest rise for 20 years.

Asked about the planned increases on Thursday, Mr Khan said: “I absolutely regret having to raise fares, because the Government’s forcing us to do so. I absolutely regret having to increase council tax because the Government’s effectively forcing us to do so.

Sadiq Khan said he would be forced to cut bus routes without the planned fare increase

“If we didn’t raise fares by the amount mandated by the government, we’d be losing money, which means buses being cut and public services being cut.

“If we didn’t increase council tax by the amount the Government’s making us do, it would mean fewer police officers, it would mean our fire services not being able to make the changes that Grenfell requires them to do so - but also it would mean that we’d be punished in future years as well.

“One of the conditions of the deal with the Government was [that] we raise council tax to pay for Transport for London (TfL).

“So my political opponents may criticise us having to increase fares and council tax.

“What they’ve got to accept though, is it’s the Government that’s forcing us to do this.”

A spokesperson at the Department for Transport said: “TfL fare increases remain, as always, a decision for the Mayor, and it is incorrect to say otherwise.”

The Government has previously said that TfL support packages “must be fair to all taxpayers” across the country.

Neil Garratt, Conservative London Assembly member for Croydon and Sutton, said: “[The Mayor] likes to talk about what the Government is or isn’t doing, or should or shouldn’t be doing and I think what we’ve seen is that the Mayor himself really ought to focus on what he is doing, or could be doing.”

Mr Khan had been speaking earlier on Thursday at a Q&A event with money saving expert Martin Lewis about the cost of living crisis.

Sadiq Khan speaking at a Q&A event with money saving expert Martin Lewis about the cost of living crisis

Mr Lewis declined to give his opinion on whether the Mr Khan’s planned council tax and TfL fare increases were reasonable, but he did offer advice on how Londoners can save on the first of those costs.

“There are more routes to saving money on council tax than people are aware of,” he said, adding that 400,000 people in the UK are on too high a band.

He suggested people first check whether their council tax band is higher than their neighbours’, if their neighbours live in similar or equivalent properties to them.

Having done that, people should try using online calculators to re-work the valuation of their home back to 1991 prices.

“If both of those checks go through, you may want to appeal what council tax band you’re in,” he said.

“There are also many people who are not getting the discounts that are available. So, single-person discount, or if you’re only living with under-18s.

“There’s a severe mental impairment council tax discount that applies to many people with Alzheimers and dementia, which effectively means they’re discounted for council tax, for people living in there - so if you’re living with one other, you can get a 25 per cent reduction.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
×