Last month, the Mayor of London revealed his draft budget. With policing remaining a priority, I scrutinised this and supported his judicious use of business rates and the police precept to ensure that police officer numbers remain stable.

However, this comes against the backdrop of reckless government cuts to the Met Police, which continue to put the safety of Londoners at risk.

I also recently met with the Police Federation and will work with them as part of my ongoing campaign over pay cuts, resources and pensions for the force, based on previous motions that I have proposed to the London Assembly.

As a local priority, I will continue to lobby the mayor for the retention of the S92 officer scheme, where councils can ‘buy’ an officer and get another funded through City Hall, to work on their local crime priorities.

I know this scheme is particularly valued in Tower Hamlets in terms of helping to combat anti-social behaviour.

• For more information about Unmesh Desai visit london.gov.uk/people/assembly/unmesh-desai