Lord Mayor Nick Anstee calls on the UK Government to support
London in 2010
Speaking at last night's London Government Dinner at Mansion
House, the Lord Mayor of the City of London called for a new
compact to be established between London’s various governing bodies
and the UK government.
The London Government Dinner is an annual event that brings
together local government leaders from across London - The Mayor of
London, Boris Johnson, and the Leader of London Councils, Merrick
Cockell also spoke at the event.
The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Nick Anstee, said:
“London is a world class centre for business, culture, education
and finance - when London succeeds, so too does the rest of the
UK.
“2010/11 is going to be a very difficult year for London’s
councils – we must work together in order to safeguard our future
prosperity in the face of difficult economic circumstances and a
massively depleted public purse.
“I know that borough leaders across London are working hard to
increase efficiency and to deliver services in a way that keeps a
lid on expenditure but does not sacrifice quality. In return, I am
calling on all the major political parties to provide guarantees
that London will receive all of the support it needs to thrive in
the years to come, particularly with regards to large-scale
infrastructure projects such as Crossrail.
“By working together across parties, boroughs and tiers of
government and across the public, private and voluntary sectors, I
am confident that London will be well placed not only to drive
forward the UK’s economic recovery but to help safeguard our future
prosperity.”
London is home to 12% of Britain’s population and yet it
contributes 18% of the nation’s total tax revenue, raising a tax
surplus of more than £15 billion which is then spent across the
rest of the UK.
Some estimates have predicted that London’s councils are facing
real cuts, outside of education, of 15% over four years.
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