Money given to London’s local authorities by the Government has fallen by nearly £4 billion over the past eight years.

These figures come as part of a report from the Centre for Cities think tank, which revealed that between 2009 and 2018 local authorities in London have been hit the hardest out of any city in the UK, with a £3.9 fall in government funding.

This accounts for 30 per cent of all cuts to local councils in Britain, despite London only accounting for 16 per cent of the population – local government expenditure in London fell by 21.1 per cent as a result of this during the same period.

Andrew Dismore, London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden, said: “This report is no surprise to anyone who lives in London and has seen the consequences of the cuts to local authorities.

“Libraries are closing, the work of local authorities has been cut, as has the police budget.”

The report said a combination of cuts to budgets and an increase in demand for social care means that more local authorities have stopped spending on services that they are not required to provide.

Instead local authorities are spending more on social care and increasingly becoming the only providers of social care.

In London from 2009 to 2018 there has been an increase in social care spending by 6.5 per cent.

Mr Dismore said: “I think one of the biggest consequences that you don’t see are the impact of these cuts on social services.

“There has been cutback after cutback so that only the most vulnerable are receiving the support they need and people who didn’t need it quite as much just don’t get it.”

The main driver of the cuts to local government spending has been cuts to the grant councils receive, said the report.

But despite these cuts, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has come under fire for the way he manages his budget.

Last week the Greater London Authority Conservative Group proposed Mr Khan make a number of changes to his budget, including cutting his staff by 37 per cent, which they said would fund 1,400 police in the capital.

But Mr Dismore said these proposals were “nonsense” and Mr Khan is doing the “best he can” with the money he has from the Government.

He said: “The mayor has to balance a lot of different demands in London and that isn’t easy.”

The Government has cut a number of funds to the Greater London Authority.

This includes withdrawing Transport for London’s (TfL) £700 million operating grant.

London is also unable to access the government’s Clean Air Fund.

James Brokenshire, the Communities Secretary, said: “We are investing in Britain’s future by providing local authorities with £91.5 billion over the next two years to meet the needs of their residents.

“This coming year local government is getting £1 billion extra in funding – a real terms increase – to strengthen services and support local communities.

“On top of this, we are delivering on our vision for a strong Northern Powerhouse economy with wide-ranging support including a historic £13 billion investment to improve journeys for commuters and motorists and over £5 billion for Devolution and Growth Deals.”