Khan Hosts £300k Beach Party After Claiming ‘No Money’ To Fight Knife Crime
The £300,000 event will last for five weeks during the summer holidays
© press
London Mayor Sadiq Khan faced backlash for bankrolling a £300,000 summer beach party in the capital while claiming just months ago he couldn't tackle knife crime due to a shortage of funds.
'Liberal' Khan came under fire from politicians after they learned about the Royal Docks event in East London which received financial help from the Mayor’s office.
The £300,000 event will last for five weeks during the summer holidays.
Khan's office claimed the money is ring-fenced and can only be spent in the local area as part of a deal to devolve business rates to local authorities.
© press
[RELATED] London Mayor Khan Blasted for Shaming the UK Over Anti-Trump Comments
But critics said that taxpayers’ money could be better spent on tackling the city's exploding knife crime and save lives.
Conservative London Assembly Member Susan Hall said:
“Sadiq Khan’s Beach Party may have been re-branded a Splash Party, but that doesn’t change the fact that this event represents a shocking waste of taxpayers’ money.
“With knife crime in Newham surging by 12 percent on Sadiq Khan’s watch, young east Londoners need protection rather than a taxpayer-subsidized paddling pool.
“The Mayor should scrap this £300,000 event and use the money instead to keep Newham residents safe.
© press
“This absurd situation would be funny if it wasn’t such a shocking indictment of this Mayor’s skewed priorities.
Last year, Khan announced plans to slash the number of police in the UK capital.
In March, he said 'I've done all I can' as he was grilled over his complete failure of tackling London's violent knife crime epidemic in an interview with Sky News.
The London Mayor claimed he had done 'as much as I am allowed to do under the law' by raising taxes and using business rates funds to invest in policing.
A spokesman for the Mayor of London said:
“The Royal Docks is set to become a major new district for London with up to 60,000 jobs and 25,500 new affordable homes. It is set to attract more than £8 billion of investment by 2037/38.
“This summer we will be launching the Join The Docks festival with a range of activities for the local community, including a new Kids Summer Splash event.
“This community festival is funded entirely from local business rates, which must be used for the regeneration of the Royal Docks.
“It is a small but crucial part of the wider £212.5million investment program and is key to supporting the local community in the Royal Docks.”
