MAYOR of London, Boris Johnson has announced plans to freeze the Greater London Authority (GLA) precept – his share of total council tax bills – for the fourth year running.

The proposal will see Londoners getting a £30m windfall from the Government and takes the total awarded in recognition of financial prudence shown by the GLA during Mr Johnson's four year term, to £120.5m.

During that time savings of nearly £2bn have been made in the authority's budget.

The Mayor's draft 2012 budget now goes out for consultation but he says the aim is to protect Londoners from tax increases, while maintaining public services and investing in the future.

Funding has been ploughed into delivering the Mayor's key priorities including delivering the Mayor's target of 50,000 affordable homes by the end of 2012; helping to boost London's economy through the Rebuilding London Fund; increasing the opportunities for young people, including delivering 100,000 apprenticeships by the end of 2012 and increasing participation in sport.

The budget will also allow for significant investment to be made to help regenerate London, in particular those areas, like Croydon, affected by the August riots and will also protect the capital's police numbers.

It will also ensure that Crossrail and the Tube upgrades will be delivered and fares held down as much as is possible.

The Mayor said: "At a time when we are all feeling the squeeze and as the guardian of this great city, I must do all I can to protect Londoners from too heavy a tax burden, but maintain vital investment in infrastructure and front line services.

"When elected, I promised to put an end to the outrageous increases in GLA's share of the council tax and I am pleased that we are now all reaping the benefits of having strong financial controls in place."