Mayor Khan faces scrutiny over £1.35m advertising spend

Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan has been accused of spending £1.35 million of taxpayer money on self-promotion rather than on information that Londoners need. The Greater London Authority (GLA) has a central marketing budget for communications and engagement campaigns, including advertising space on the Transport for London (TfL) network.

Concerns over budget allocation

City Hall officials informed the London Assembly’s GLA oversight committee on Wednesday (2nd) that GLA communications have assisted people in accessing support for homelessness, health, renters’ rights, and Brexit-related queries. They also noted positive impacts from behavioural campaigns, such as encouraging men to challenge misogyny.

However, assembly members raised concerns that the £1.35 million budget and complimentary TfL advertising space were used to promote the mayor’s achievements. This included a recent campaign featuring 1,533 public transport posters, online advertisements, a print advert in Metro, and 53 digital screens to mark ten years of the mayor's time in office.

“The mayor is sitting on an advertising goldmine across the TfL network, one capable of reaching millions of Londoners, yet there is barely any transparency over how he chooses to use it, and almost no opportunity for the assembly to make the case for important public information campaigns.”

Hina Bokhari, Liberal Democrat member of the committee

Hina Bokhari, a Liberal Democrat member of the committee, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the TfL network offers a significant advertising opportunity with limited transparency regarding its use. She suggested the space should be used for essential messages, such as the health risks of wood-burning stoves or safe e-bike charging, rather than the mayor's own accomplishments.

Emma Best, the Conservative assembly member chairing the committee, questioned the GLA's assertion that Londoners support spending on a 'ten years together' celebration. She suggested that the funds could be better allocated to front-line services, especially during TfL service delays.

GLA defends marketing strategy

GLA officials stated that City Hall prefers to act as a partner on certain issues, such as health, rather than taking the lead. David Bellamy, the mayor’s chief of staff, expressed scepticism towards pure information campaigns, arguing that effective communication should focus on what people want to hear rather than what organisations wish to convey.

Nicole Valentinuzzi, director of external relations at the GLA, defended the City Hall's marketing and communications efforts. She highlighted that recent campaigns have helped over 61,000 people access homelessness support, connected 1.3 million Londoners with Brexit-related advice, and provided critical health guidance during Covid. She also noted that 70% of Londoners are aware of mayoral policies, with renters' rights communications reaching 1.7 million people and driving 35,000 to a rogue landlord checker.

Valentinuzzi pointed to campaigns encouraging men to challenge misogyny as examples of successful behaviour change, with 85% of those who saw the campaign indicating they would intervene in instances of misogyny. She also confirmed that a £350,000 marketing budget uplift, agreed in April, was justified to communicate City Hall policies and decisions more effectively to voters.

She added that maintaining an effective presence across new platforms like TikTok, Threads, and WhatsApp requires increased capacity for content creation and optimisation. The mayor's social media audience has reportedly grown from 5.3 million in February 2024 to over 7 million across all platforms, with post engagement tripling since 2020.