Khan urges government to tackle spiralling cost of living

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has called on the government to take urgent steps to tackle the spiralling cost of living amid rising poverty levels in the capital.

Increasing food, energy and fuel costs are hitting people hard with a new poll showing that the cost of living has increased over the last six months for nearly 80 per cent of Londoners.

Before the pandemic, 2.4 million Londoners were deemed to be living in poverty. Increasing costs are hitting the poorest households the hardest and the government’s upcoming changes to tax and benefits are set to drive an estimated 130,000 more into poverty.

A new report from City Hall has found that nearly 80 per cent of Londoners have seen an increase in their cost of living over the last six months, with food and energy bills leading the rise in costs. Furthermore, more than a third of Londoners have struggled to pay their household bills in the last six months, with 13 per cent struggling to make ends meet, going without essentials or relying on credit.

More than 70 per cent of Londoners are worried about future increases to living costs over the next year, with those whose household income is less than £20,000 per year, are renting from local authorities and housing associations, or have a health problem or disability most likely to be concerned.

The Mayor of London is calling for the government to do more to tackle these rising costs of living and to help those most in need. He believes that cutting Universal Credit by £20 was a mistake and that Ministers must find ways to increase support, including extending eligibility for the Warm Home Discount, investing in multi-year energy efficiency programmes to help low-income households receive support to reduce their energy use, and extending the Household Support Fund that enables councils to provide hardship support.

Khan said: “I am hugely concerned about the impact that the spiralling cost of living is having on Londoners. Rising food and energy prices are hitting Londoners hard and the government’s ill-judged changes to benefits and tax are only set to make things worse.  

“It cannot be right that millions are living in poverty and that so many people are struggling to get by each month. As Mayor, I’m doing all I can to support Londoners, but this is a national problem and the government needs to urgently step up and support people through this cost of living crisis.”