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Sadiq Khan and London Assembly to be left ‘homeless’ as Crystal not ready for City Hall move

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London's Mayor Says Moving City Hall From Central London Would Save £55 Million
Sadiq Khan has announced that the City Hall offices will move from the current location near Tower Bridge to the Docklands area of East London, saving around £55m in rental fees over the next five years. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Sadiq Khan and the 25-member London Assembly will be left temporarily “homeless”, after it was confirmed the Crystal will not be ready to become the new City Hall when the current lease runs out.

Greater London Authority staff were today told they will have their offices moved to Union Street in November when the lease at the current City Hall building in Southwark runs out in November.

It is understood that some meetings, like Mayor’s Question Time, will still be able to take place in the current City Hall building.

Khan decided last year to move City Hall to the Crystal building on Royal Victoria Dock to save money as the Covid crisis shrunk revenues, however the venue will not be ready until January at the earliest.

The mayor said at the time that the move would save City hall more than £60m in rent.

Susan Hall, leader of London Assembly’s Tory caucus, said the development was “hugely disappointing” and would leave the London Assembly “temporarily homeless”.

“Far from saving taxpayers’ money, the mayor’s plan is proving to be a costly distraction from City Hall’s important work. We’ve already seen the moving costs soar by 70 per cent to £13.6 million and it’s likely the final bill will be even higher,” she said.

“We warned the mayor that his plan to move to the Crystal building was half-baked. It’s becoming clearer by the day that Sadiq Khan’s decision to abandon a custom built home for City Hall is a catastrophic mistake for London’s government.”

The mayor’s office insist the move will happen by Christmas, however one London Assembly source said the planned Christmas party at the Crystal had been cancelled.

A mayor of London spokesperson said: “The Greater London Authority (GLA) is on track to move to The Crystal building in the Royal Docks by Christmas, saving taxpayers £61m over five years.

“As part of the relocation, the GLA will leave its current home near London Bridge on November 26. Assembly meetings scheduled for the first week of December will still take place at the current City Hall and arrangements will be put in place to hold Assembly meetings due for later in the month at a suitable alternative location.”