London Mayor warns of police, fire and transport cuts

London's mayoral elections were postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic

The mayor of London has warned of potential cuts to transport, policing and the fire brigade due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Sadiq Khan said City Hall is expected to lose £493m of income as business rates plummet.

Council tax revenue is also set to fall as Londoners lose their jobs and fall into arrears, the mayor said.

Earlier this week Mr Khan suggested City Hall could move to east London to save £11.1m a year in rent and charges.

Potential cuts of almost £110m in policing and £290m at Transport for London (TfL) were outlined in proposals by Mr Khan.

There is a proposal to leave City Hall to cut property costs

"The scale of the challenge is far beyond anything that any local or regional authority could have prepared for," Mr Khan said.

"My first priority is to protect front-line emergency services, which is why we have outlined proportionately smaller savings for the police and fire brigade."

It is not yet clear how many jobs are at risk.

The London Fire Brigade has been asked to look for savings by November

But, London's fire commissioner Andy Roe said the proposals were "concerning" as the brigade still needs to implement changes - including those demanded following the Grenfell Tower fire.

He said: "I need to ensure that I can continue to improve training, equipment and make other changes to the way that London's fire and rescue service operates in relation to a range of key matters, from improving fire safety in all buildings, including high rise property, and preparing for major incidents, such as acts of terrorism."

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As part of an emergency bailout deal of TfL, the Government ordered Tube and bus fares to rise above inflation from next January in a bid to improve TfL's finances, which had also been hit during the coronavirus pandemic.