by Sir Keir Starmer’s government has promised to let Britain’s mayors “take back control” as Sadiq Khan pushes for more power over commuter rail services in London and a £2.2 billion boost to tackle the capital’s housing crisis.
The Mayor of London is arguing that Transport for London should oversee services operated by Southeastern into Victoria, Charing Cross and Cannon Street stations, and Great Northern services between Hertfordshire and Moorgate.
Mr Khan has raised hopes that the Labor government, which is committed to “re-nationalising” the railways within the next five years, will be more willing to transfer control once the Department for Transport’s contracts with the private rail firms expire. expiring
The Great Northern contract runs until next March but can be extended by the DfT until 2028, while the South East contract is due to run until 2027.
Sir Keir, who has promised to end the “bashing” of London that previous administrations have been accused of taking part in, was with Levelling-up Secretary Angela Rayner meeting civic chiefs on Tuesday morning.
They include London Mayor Mr Khan, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, West Midlands Metro Mayor Richard Parker, West England Mayor (including Bristol and Bath) Dan Norris, and Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen.
In his first speech in Downing Street on Saturday, Sir Keir hinted that more powers could be devolved to Mr Khan and other mayors.
Ahead of the meeting, Ms Rayner said: “For too long the Westminster government has held back control and held back opportunities and potential for towns, cities and villages across the UK.
“It means misguided decisions that destroy the lives of working people, and our local elected leaders are forced to pander to the whims of Whitehall.
“It’s time to take back control, and this new government is focused on unleashing that potential, and completely resetting our relationship with local government.
“This all starts with proper, grown-up conversations with our regional Mayors, to make changes that will help them deliver local economic growth with better housing, education and jobs for local people.”
Mr Khan has been lobbying in recent months for a £2.2 billion “emergency stimulus” package to boost house building.
He believes there should be a “large scale” of the 1.5m homes the Labor government wants to build in the first term in London.
However, London has consistently fallen well short of the 52,000 new homes Mr Khan’s London Plan says are needed each year – although the mayor has met targets for the number of affordable homes started.
According to the London Assembly, just 35,300 homes were delivered in the capital in 2022-23 – a 10 per cent drop on the previous year.
In the latest financial year, 2023/24, only 2,358 affordable homes were started in London – and not a single council home.
But 10,949 affordable homes were completed, of which 8,259 were council homes. Mr. Khan is considered a starter rather than a finisher.
The previous year, 2022/23, saw 25,658 affordable housing starts and 13,954 affordable housing completions, including 2,362 council homes.
Last month the UK Statistics Authority said Mr Khan’s claim that he had “delivered” 25,000 affordable homes could be “misconstrued” by the public as being about starts rather than completions.
Another area that needs help from the Government is Mr Khan’s key manifesto pledge to “end” rough sleeping by 2030.
This was further challenged in figures published last month, which revealed that the number of people sleeping rough in the capital had risen by almost 20 per cent to 11,993 in 2023/24 – the highest level in a decade.
Mr Khan also wants more power for City Hall and TfL. Here he is supported by the Center for London think tank, which supports more control over skills, behavior and local taxes such as a “tourism tax”.
Mr Khan complains that he has little power to raise tax except to impose a precept on council tax bills and a supplementary rate on business rates.
One of Mr. Khan’s frequent requests is to keep the £500m per year paid by the capital to drivers in vehicle excise duty in London. It would be a great surprise if his wish was granted.
He told the Standard last Friday: “I expect Keir Starmer to meet with us in the coming days to discuss the powers and resources that can be devolved. It doesn’t mean a blank check from Rachel Reeves. It means an open, honest relationship.”
