Ukip pledges to save £800,000 by axeing deputies

Ukip’s candidate for Mayor today pledged to immediately save £1 million for Londoners by scrapping unelected deputies at City Hall.

Peter Whittle said he would save even more cash by freezing pay for senior executives at TfL and Crossrail, so that no employee would be paid more than the Prime Minister.

He promised to scrap all six deputy mayor posts created by Boris Johnson, including those responsible for the Met, housing and transport. It is claimed this could save some £800,000 in salaries every year and more in expenses. Mr Whittle said: “I don’t think you need these positions. It’s got to be streamlined.”

Sir Edward Lister, deputy mayor for policy and planning is paid £153,300, according to Greater London Authority records. Housing deputy Richard Blakeway, transport’s Isabel Dedring and education and culture’s Munira Mirza are all paid £131,901.

Stephen Greenhalgh, who holds the policing and crime portfolio gets £127,784 and Matthew Pencharz, with the environment brief, gets £115,000. Ukip’s Parliamentary Resource Unit produced a report today highlighting other salaries paid at City Hall and linked organisations.

In particular it pointed to Crossrail chief executive Andrew Wolstenholme, who in 2014/15 earned almost £900,000, including almost £360,000 in “performance related pay”, and TfL Commissioner Sir Peter Hendy who earned almost £500,000, including £145,000 in bonuses.