PRESS RELEASE : Mayor demands immediate help in Autumn Statement as new poll reveals stark impact of cost of living crisis [November 2022]

The press release issued by the Mayor of London on 11 November 2022.

• Sadiq calls for urgent and decisive action from Chancellor next week
• Nearly half of Londoners using less water or energy
• Half of Londoners are ‘financially struggling’ or ‘just about managing’
• Black Londoners and disabled Londoners twice as likely to fall behind on bills

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is demanding immediate help for the least well off in next week’s Autumn Statement as he today revealed that half of Londoners are using less water, energy or fuel and are ‘financially struggling’* or ‘just about managing’ financially.

Sadiq says the shocking new findings increase the need for the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, to take urgent and decisive action when he delivers his crucial Autumn Statement next Thursday.

The Mayor has today published a new representative YouGov poll commissioned by City Hall that reveals what life is really like in London as the cost of living crisis continues to bite.

The polling also reveals the disproportionate impact that the squeeze on finances is having on Black and disabled Londoners.

City Hall polling reveals that:

• Almost half of Londoners (49 per cent) are using less water, energy or fuel
• Half of Londoners are either ‘financially struggling’* (18 per cent) or ‘just about managing’ financially (32 per cent).
• Half of Londoners (51 per cent) have cut back on non-essentials.
• 14 per cent of Londoners say they have regularly or occasionally been unable to buy food or essential items or relied on outside support in the last six months.
• 44 per cent of Londoners say they will either definitely (15 per cent) or probably  (29 per cent) struggle with their energy bills.
• 80 per cent are worried about increases to energy costs and 79 per cent about increases to living costs in the next 12 months.
• Black Londoners (14 per cent) and disabled Londoners (17 per cent) are twice as likely to have fallen behind on their bills.

The Mayor is once again urging the Chancellor to help those who need the most support during the worst cost-of-living crisis we have seen in decades. He wants the Chancellor to provide free school meals to all primary school children, introduce a ‘Lifeline Tariff’ which will allow a minimum floor of domestic energy use before charges begin for the most vulnerable people in London, and grant City Hall the power to freeze private rents in London, which would save people £3,000 over two years.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “This shocking new polling highlights the realities of the worst cost of living crisis in generations.

“With spiralling inflation and soaring interest rates meaning many Londoners are struggling to make ends meet – a situation made worse by the Government’s failed Mini Budget – the Chancellor has a duty to take decisive action on Thursday to support vulnerable Londoners. This must include increasing benefits in-line with inflation to protect living standards.

“The Chancellor must also introduce a genuine windfall tax on energy companies to help pay for exorbitant energy bills, rather than placing a further burden on the public.”

The Mayor also wants to see the Chancellor to announce support for businesses next week, particularly those in sectors still recovering from the pandemic, including the hospitality and cultural sectors, which are particularly at risk as households cut spending to cope with the cost-of-living crisis.

In addition, he is calling on the Government to commit to driving economic growth in the capital and across the country by bringing forward investment for transport schemes, such as the Bakerloo line extension.