Sadiq Khan coughed up £19k for project encouraging Londoners to ‘listen like bats’ as violent crime spirals
SADIQ Khan splashed out a massive £19,000 on a project encouraging Londoners to 'listen like bats'- despite soaring violent crime.
The London Mayor used taxpayers money for a series of culture projects at a time knife crime offences have soared.
Culture program ‘We’re all Bats’ invited people to “rediscover and reimage what it means to listen and hear the world around you.”
The pricey programme included an event called ‘Wet Sounds’ where guests could listen to music underwater in a swimming pool.
Taxpayers also forked out for ‘Audio Massage Stations’ and a ‘Bats lecture’.
Another project was ‘Becoming the forest’, which cost a massive £3,030.
A sound installation on the edge of Epping Forest, it invited Londoners to “celebrate the oncoming winter.”
Both events formed part of the London Borough of Culture award programme set up by the Mayor.
London Borough of Culture this year cost Londoners £1,350,000 – the equivalent of 22 police officers.
Mr Khan has previously sparked fury over spending, splashing £11 million on festivals earlier this year.
Now Tories have accused the the Mayor of wasting cash while people are being stabbed on the streets.
They say knife crime offences have reached a record high of 15,485 in the last twelve months, an increase of 41.6 per cent over four years.
Susan Hall, GLA Conservatives’ Leader, said: “Londoners will seriously question whether bankrolling these ridiculous events should be the Mayor’s priority when violent crime has reached a record high in London.
“London is a culture powerhouse regardless of what Khan does in City Hall. It’s simply wrong to spend millions more on unnecessary cultural festivals when Londoners are crying out for their Mayor to do more to keep them safe.
“The Mayor should be prioritising policing above all else, but instead he continues to vainly fund any PR opportunity he can find.”
A city hall spokesperson said: “In the face of huge government cuts to policing and youth services, Sadiq has prioritised tackling violent crime.
“Cultural projects are crucial to the capital’s success - generating £52bn a year for our city - and can give young Londoners the training, inspiration and opportunity to fulfil their potential and engage in constructive activities.”
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