London council tax rise below 2%

Mr Livingstone said public confidence in policing was increasing

Council tax rises will remain below the rate of inflation in London, after the London Assembly approved mayor Ken Livingstone's £11bn budget.

The Assembly also unanimously voted in favour of allocating an additional £1.2m to Metropolitan Police.

The Greater London Authority's (GLA) precept on council tax will be held at less than 2%, equivalent to a weekly 11p rise for a Band D home.

More than £100m will be used for environmental schemes.

The mayor was questioned on the budget by Assembly members before the vote on Wednesday.

'Far from satisfied'

Critics then narrowly failed to achieve the two-thirds majority needed to amend it. The budget received 9 votes in favour and 14 against.

Chairperson of the Assembly, Sally Hamwee, said: "While the majority of Assembly Members are far from satisfied with the Mayor's budget as a whole, today's vote was a clear indication of our support for the valuable work of London's police and fire services."

In a statement released before the speech, Mr Livingstone said: "I have been able to hold the precept increase below the rate of inflation while still funding an additional 1,000 police officers in the coming year.

An additional £1.2m will be given to Metropolitan Police

"The 10,000 additional uniformed officers we have recruited have had a decisive impact on crime which has now fallen for the fifth consecutive year."

The extra spending is in addition to his proposals last month of £1.2m for the police budget and another £3m for fire services, he added.

The budget also emphasised environmental issues, with a £25m climate change mitigation fund, £62m towards walking and cycling routes, and £18m set aside for new waste and recycling facilities.

'Tired and miserable'

London Assembly Conservatives also announced their alternative budget proposals and claimed it involved no tax rises.

They said that even without rises their plans would see an extra 500 warranted police officers, 350 more British Transport Police, an additional 300 Safer Transport Officers and an automated number plate recognition unit for each London borough.

Richard Barnes, London Assembly Conservative leader, said: "It's just the same old tired, miserable old-fashioned budget from the same old tired, miserable old-fashioned mayor."

Lib Dem mayoral candidate Brian Paddick said the mayor's pledges were "damn lies and statistics".

"Ken Livingstone is hiding the fact most of these new 'officers' are in fact police community support officers.

"When it comes to tackling gun and knife crime, many of them are as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike."