Kingston’s Executive Member for Health and Adult Community Services has condemned the announcement that the Mayor of London will break his election manifesto promise to spend £744,000 on new ‘Rape Crisis’ centres across the capital.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Rolson Davies said: “The Conservative Mayor has dropped his electoral pledge to spend almost £75k a year to help victims of rape in London.

“He has cut £832,000 from a budget which would have set up three community centres providing care and support for women and girls who had survived traumatic sexual attacks - and which were expected to improve the rates at which rapists are brought to justice in the capital.

“The future of new Rape Crisis Centres are now in danger. I am hugely disappointed that the Mayor of London has made such an appalling budgetary decision. A pledge to help victims of rape has been betrayed in order to pay for Tory tax cuts.”