Number of City Hall and TfL officials on more than £100,000 doubles under Sadiq Khan

The number of City Hall and Transport for London (TfL) officials receiving more than £100,000 has almost doubled under Sadiq Khan.

The TaxPayers’ Alliance found that the Greater London Assembly and its subsidiaries employed 1,146 people who took home six-figure payments across 2022-23 – up from 655 in 2018-19 – as Mr Khan was accused of turning his office into a “gravy train”.

Two-thirds (772) of the employees who received more than £100,000 work for TfL, while a further 301 are in the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime.

It comes as Mr Khan is set to increase his council tax share by an average of almost £40 for a second year in a row, blaming a lack of government funding.

The Labour Mayor of London received £171,587 in total remuneration across 2022-23, marking an increase of almost £21,000 during the past four years.

Jim Crawford, the chief programme officer at Crossrail, topped the City Hall Rich List drawn up by TaxPayers’ Alliance at £499,44, of which £306,900 included his salary, fees and allowances.

Howard Smith, the chief operating officer for the Elizabeth Line, was remunerated with the most bonuses and benefits in kind as he received more than £71,000.

Louisa Rolfe, the Assistant Commissioner of the Met, was among four members of staff who received more than £250,000.

Susan Hall, the Tory candidate for the London mayoralty who hopes to oust Mr Khan in May, said: “Under Sadiq Khan, City Hall has turned into one big gravy train, with hundreds of staff receiving salaries greater than the top four per cent of earners in the country.

“Many of the staff directly responsible for bringing in the Ulez expansion are earning over £100,000, paid for by the poorest Londoners through his £12.50 daily tax.

“Sadiq Khan won’t listen to Londoners, but I am listening. Under my mayoralty, City Hall will be leaner and focused on serving Londoners, not wasting money or taxing the poorest through the Ulez expansion.”

Mrs Hall has vowed a wider crackdown on waste that would also see her remove floating stops, which she called a “virtue-signalling waste of money”.

Elliot Keck, the head of campaigns at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said Mr Khan’s administration was now “bursting at the seams with the growing number of officials bringing in big bucks”.

He said: “From transport to police and the Mayor’s Office, the number of fat cats has surged, all paid for by Londoners who have seen their council tax bills balloon.

“Sadiq Khan should give taxpayers a break and keep a lid on these senior salaries, particularly when services have been so poorly managed.”

Mr Khan bowed to rail unions in January as he offered them a bumper pay deal to prevent London Underground strikes in an intervention that appeared to catch TfL by surprise.

A recent report by the Conservatives accused Mr Khan of wasting £123 million of taxpayer cash on “misplaced priorities” during his eight years in City Hall, pointing to examples including a £10 million training course to determine the “colour” of police officers.

Amy Lamé, Mr Khan’s Night Czar, is on a salary of £117,000 and came under fire earlier this month for claiming that she had helped the capital “thrive as a 24-hour city” despite growing criticisms of London’s nightlife.

A spokesman for Mr Khan said: “As Mayor of one of the largest cities in the world, Sadiq makes no apology for offering competitive salaries to attract the experienced staff needed to help him deliver on the issues that matter most to Londoners.

“The Mayor wants to ensure London’s public transport system and reformed police service are the very best in the world, and this means attracting the very best talent and expertise.”

Sources close to Mr Khan insisted he was “standing up for London” and accused the Government of refusing to adequately fund public services, claiming that the Mayor had no viable alternative to increasing council tax.