On 3rd November Tuesday, the Mayor of London confirmed that the mayoralty and devolved assembly are to move from their current base near Tower Bridge to the Crystal building in the Royal Docks in the east of the city as part of a cost-cutting exercise.
Sadiq Khan believes that the move would save £126m over 10 years, and help make up a shortfall in funding due to Covid-19. The proposal was first propped up in June especially considering how the Kuwaiti site near the Tower Bridge is expected to witness a £9.6mn increase in its annual rent. The lease has a break clause in December 2021, with formal notice needed to be given this year.
In a statement, Sadiq Khan said, “Given our huge budget shortfall, and without the support we should be getting from the government, I simply cannot justify remaining at our current expensive office when I could be investing that money into public transport, the Met police and the London fire brigade.”
