An extra £78m in the mayor’s budget could ‘rescue’ almost 1,000 officer roles, a City Hall committee has found.
Potential cuts to Metropolitan Police officer numbers may not be as severe as initially feared, according to an analysis by the London Assembly. This development comes after Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley warned in December of a looming £450m funding shortfall that could force the reduction of 2,300 officers in the upcoming financial year.
The London Assembly’s budget and performance committee has identified an additional £78m earmarked for police officer pay in the latest version of Mayor Sadiq Khan’s budget. This extra funding, the committee suggests, could significantly alleviate the impact of potential staff reductions.
In a letter to the mayor, Neil Garratt, the Conservative chair of the committee, highlighted the implications of the newly allocated funds. He explained, “For example, we were told that the budget assumption of the average cost of a police officer [in a single year] was £77,000. The additional £78m proposed funding for police officer pay could therefore fund around a thousand police officers, and reduce the previous planned reduction of 2,300 to 1,300, depending on the timescales involved.”
However, Mr Garratt acknowledged that these figures are provisional and based on the limited data currently available. He urged the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) to provide an official account of its planned officer reductions as soon as possible.
Limited clarity on officer numbers
Dan Worsley, the Met’s chief finance officer, told the committee earlier this month that Scotland Yard is still determining the implications of additional police grant monies provided by the Government. “We’re working through what the additional funding means for us, and what conditions are attached, in terms of our net recruitment plans. I don’t yet have an end-point [for officer numbers] for the 2025/26 financial year,” Mr Worsley said.
The uncertainty has fuelled calls for greater transparency. Mr Garratt’s letter underscores the need for clarity, noting that public confidence in policing depends heavily on reliable information about frontline resources.
Response from city hall
A spokesman for Mayor Sadiq Khan responded to the committee’s analysis, emphasising that no final decisions have been made regarding officer cuts. The spokesperson said, “The mayor is working closely with the new Government and the Commissioner, with ongoing constructive talks with ministers about the funding the Met needs to ensure we can continue building a safer London for everyone.”
The mayor’s office also highlighted that neighbourhood and frontline policing remain a top priority. In setting out worst-case scenarios, the Met has made clear that it does not plan to make savings in areas with direct public interaction, such as emergency response units or neighbourhood policing teams. “Neighbourhood and frontline policing remain a key priority, and the Met will continue to invest in reforming how they fight crime locally,” the spokesperson added.
Balancing the budget
The budget and performance committee’s findings offer a glimmer of hope for retaining more police officers than initially feared. The prospect of saving nearly 1,000 roles could play a vital role in maintaining public safety and addressing concerns about crime in London.
Still, questions remain about how the additional funding will be distributed and what it will mean for the Met’s operational capabilities. Mr Garratt and his colleagues have called on MOPAC and the mayor to outline their plans in more detail to ensure accountability and to reassure Londoners about the future of policing in the capital.
The potential to mitigate officer cuts could also be a critical factor in ongoing negotiations between the mayor’s office, the Commissioner, and the Labour Government. As talks continue, all eyes will be on City Hall and Scotland Yard to deliver a balanced approach that safeguards both public safety and fiscal responsibility.
The final decision on the budget and its impact on police numbers will become clearer in the coming months, as City Hall and the Met finalise their plans for the 2025/26 financial year. For now, the additional £78m offers hope that the worst-case scenario of 2,300 officer cuts might be avoided.
