Sadiq Khan has been criticised after it emerged that London’s government is set to be ‘temporarily homeless’ for at least two weeks this autumn.
The Greater London Assembly (GLA) meets in City Hall near Tower Bridge but the lease runs out in November. Mayor Khan announced a move to the Crystal Building in the Royal Docks in east London last year as a cost-cutting measure, saying the new offices would be ready by October.
But the new offices will now not be ready until Christmas at the earliest. Business in the first week of December will still take place at City Hall but it is unclear where GLA business scheduled for the rest of the month will take place.
Susan Hall, the leader of the Conservatives in the London Assembly, said: “We warned the mayor that his plan to move to the Crystal building was half-baked.
“It’s becoming clearer by the day that Sadiq Khan’s decision to abandon a custom built home for City Hall is a catastrophic mistake for London’s government.
“It is hugely disappointing that the London Assembly will be temporarily homeless.”
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City Hall was finished in 2002 and has been occupied by the GLA ever since. The building is owned by a Kuwaiti company and the GLA pays £11m in rent each year. The move to east London is set to save millions of pounds, according to the mayor.
A spokesperson for the mayor said: “The GLA is on track to move to The Crystal building in the Royal Docks by Christmas, saving taxpayers £61m over five years.
“As part of the relocation, the GLA will leave its current home near London Bridge on November 26. Assembly meetings scheduled for the first week of December will still take place at the current City Hall and arrangements will be put in place to hold Assembly meetings due for later in the month at a suitable alternative location.”
Sadiq Khan, rent capping needs serious consideration. Postcode and number of bedrooms gives a maximum rental of ?
Regulation – urgent. Increase in disposable income as a result of this, leading to spending and protecting jobs.
Nige