London mayor to take 10% pay cut

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he will take an "immediate" 10 percent pay cut to his $191,574 (£152,734) salary because London's public finances "are facing unprecedented challenges" due to the "devastating impact" of Covid-19.

"In these extremely difficult times, I promise to do all I can to protect our city's frontline services. This includes taking an immediate pay cut," Khan tweeted Wednesday.

The Greater London Authority (GLA) - the devolved regional governing body of London, which Khan is in charge of - faces a forecast £493 million ($618 million) budget shortfall over the next two years "as a result of an unprecedented loss of business rates and council tax income, caused by Covid-19, that is hitting every local authority in the country," according to a press release, reports the CNN.

He urged the UK government to support local and regional authorities across the UK, warning that London's Metropolitan Police, London Fire Brigade, Transport for London and the GLA will otherwise face "significant cuts" at the "worst possible time."

"Londoners did the right thing to tackle Covid-19 by following the rules, staying at home and helping to save lives. But now the government is punishing them with a new era of austerity," Khan said in a statement.

"Unless ministers act, the current number of police officers will need to be reduced and it will be impossible to tackle youth violence or make the changes to the London Fire Brigade that are desperately needed after the awful Grenfell Tower tragedy."

The salaries of Khan's 15 direct political appointments will also be frozen as part of the cost-saving measures.