Council Tax guide

The Mayor of London's budget for 2025-26 sets out how he will fund his plans to continue building a fairer, safer, and greener London for everyone and provides resources to improve key public services in the capital. The budget ensures investment to tackle crime, build more affordable homes, reduce street homelessness, improve our transport network, and ensure London remains a world-leader in tackling air pollution and the climate crisis.

The budget prioritises resources for the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and London Fire Brigade (LFB) to keep Londoners safe. This includes resources for violence reduction initiatives, support for victims of crime, additional funding for frontline police officers, continued reform of the MPS and the delivery of projects to divert vulnerable young people away from gangs and violence. It also confirms funding to continue Universal Free School Meals in London’s state primary schools for a further academic year until July 2026.

Council Tax for GLA services

The GLA's share of the council tax for a typical Band D property has been increased by £18.98 (or 37p per week) to £490.38. The additional income from this increase in council tax will fund the MPS and the LFB. Council taxpayers in the City of London, which has its own police force, will pay £171.25. 

Investing in frontline services

This budget will enable the Mayor to continue fulfilling his key priorities for London. This includes:

• Working with London boroughs to maintain existing concessionary travel and assisted door to door transport schemes. This includes, for example, maintaining free bus and tram travel for under 18s as well as free off-peak travel across the network for older Londoners, the disabled, armed forces personnel in uniform and eligible armed services veterans and protecting the Taxi card and Dial-a-Ride schemes
   
• Providing £147.5 million to continue to fund universal free school meals for London’s estimated 287,000 state primary school children for a third academic year. By July 2026 it is estimated that this programme will have saved London families up to £1,500 per child since its introduction in September 2023
   
• Ensuring the MPS has the resources it needs to tackle violent crime by investing additional resources in front line policing and crime prevention. The Mayor has doubled investment in policing to help tackle crime, including recurring funding for 1,300 additional police officers funded from council tax and business rates income. While the Mayor provides MOPAC and the MPS with as much funding as possible, the impact of significant real-terms national government cuts over the last 14 years has left the MPS in a difficult financial position
   
• Tackling the underlying causes of crime through the rollout of funding to support disadvantaged young Londoners to access positive opportunities and constructive activities that allow them to make the most of their potential, as well as resources for new violence reduction initiatives. The Mayor has funded more than 500,000 positive opportunities to help divert vulnerable young Londoners away from crime – including through London’s Violence Reduction Unit
   
• Providing resources to roll out a transformation programme to support the LFB in implementing the recommendations of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and other key improvements. The LFB now responds to emergencies faster and is rated as outstanding in how it responds to major and multi-agency incidents
   
• Freezing bus and tram fares in 2025 and retaining the one-hour Hopper fare thus making transport more affordable for millions of Londoners. The Superloop network will also be expanded
   
• Building on the success of delivering the Elizabeth line on its full timetable and route. The Elizabeth line has increased central London’s rail capacity by ten per cent and saw over 500,000 passenger journeys between its opening date in 2022 and early 2025. This has made it the busiest rail line in the UK. This follows on from the opening of the Northern line extension to Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station in September 2021
   
• Rolling out new trains on the Piccadilly line, with the first new trains serving customers from 2025 and upgrading the signalling on the District and Metropolitan lines
   
• Continuing to improve accessibility across TfL’s network, increasing the availability of step-free access and toilets. In 2025-26, TfL will increase investment in step-free schemes to make progress towards its goal of halving step-free journey times across the network, as well as its target of making 50 per cent of London Underground stations fully accessible. All 41 Elizabeth line stations are now step-free
   
• Continuing to tackle London’s housing crisis, by investing £1.5 billion in 2025-26 to increase the number of Londoners who have a safe, decent and affordable home. The Mayor will also allocate resources to tackle homelessness and reduce rough sleeping
   
• Investing in schemes designed to make walking, cycling and public transport safer, cleaner and more appealing in partnership with London boroughs.

Summary of GLA Group budget

The following tables compare the GLA Group's planned spending for 2025-26 with last year and sets out why it has changed.

The GLA's planned gross expenditure is higher this year. This reflects the additional resources the Mayor is investing in policing and the fire brigade. Overall, the council tax requirement has also increased for this reason. There has been a 2 per cent increase in London’s residential property taxbase.

Find out more about [the GLA] budget at: www.london.gov.uk/budget.