Mayor calls for a pandemic-style package of welfare support to help lower-income Londoners through cost of living crisis – London Business News

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has at present known as for assist for lower-income Londoners by way of the spiralling value of dwelling by bringing in focused assist on the same scale to the measures that helped the nation by way of the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Mayor has known as on the Authorities to introduce welfare assist to assist the Londoners most in want by way of the present disaster. New information reveals that whereas the emergency measures launched in 2020 and 2021 helped stop a rise in monetary hardship in London, monetary inequalities throughout the capital have been exacerbated.

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With inflation at 10.1 per cent and the quickly rising vitality worth cap set to hit the poorest Londoners the toughest this winter, Sadiq is urging Ministers to take steps that can assist lower-income Londoners.

This contains introducing a Lifeline Tariff to make sure essentially the most weak folks obtain a fundamental quantity of free vitality every single day, giving the Mayor the facility to freeze personal rents within the capital for 2 years, offering free college meals to all main college youngsters and uplifting Common Credit score in step with inflation.

It comes as the primary information from Metropolis Corridor’s Survey of Londoners confirmed:

• The variety of lower-income Londoners dwelling with meals insecurity remained at 44 per cent from 2018-2019 and 2021-2022.
• The proportion of higher-income Londoners with unsecured debt fell from 40 per cent to 31 per cent, whereas for lower-income Londoners it remained largely unchanged from 42 per cent to 40 per cent.
• The proportion of Londoners incomes greater than £37,900 with out £1,500 in financial savings fell from 15 per cent to eight per cent, whereas for lower-income Londoners it remained largely unchanged from 66 per cent to 61 per cent. This helps findings from the Financial institution of England that discovered higher-income households and retirees have been extra more likely to have elevated their financial savings through the pandemic.
• Disabled Londoners, single-parents and Black Londoners are a number of the teams least more likely to have financial savings of no less than £1,500 that means an absence of assist would hit these teams hardest.
• 13 per cent of Londoners stated they weren’t in a position to preserve their residence heat sufficient in winter in 2021-2022 when the survey was carried out forward of the numerous vitality worth cap will increase, in comparison with 12 per cent in 2018-2019.

The Survey of Londoners passed off between November 2021 and February 2022 earlier than the total results of the cost-of-living disaster started to hit. Since then, polling from Metropolis Corridor has proven that 20 per cent of lower-income Londoners have commonly or sometimes gone with out meals or important gadgets or relied on exterior assist within the final six months emphasising the very important want for Ministers to make sure assist is given to the individuals who want it essentially the most.

The Mayor continues to do all he can to assist Londoners, together with spending greater than £80m this yr to assist these combating the rising value of dwelling. That features greater than £50m to deal with gas poverty by way of the Mayor’s Hotter Houses programme and vitality recommendation providers, greater than £20m to enhance safety for personal renters and home Londoners who’re tough sleeping or homeless, greater than £5m to attach Londoners with welfare recommendation, and £400,000 to deal with meals insecurity.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, stated, “The final two years have been extremely onerous for our nation and our metropolis and I’m massively involved by the truth that, in London, current monetary inequalities have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

“With the spiralling value of dwelling already hitting these on decrease incomes the toughest, it’s important that the Authorities take pressing motion to assist make ends meet.

“Which means instantly introducing a pandemic-style bundle of welfare assist focused straight at these on decrease incomes to assist them survive this winter, stop inequalities rising additional and guarantee we are able to construct a greater and extra affluent metropolis for all Londoners.”