Boris vows to freeze his share of council tax as he cuts 100 jobs

The Mayor also said he wanted to streamline the Greater London Authority with around 100 job losses and savings of about £7.5 million next year.

He promised to cut "middle management" and focus on political priorities. Mr Johnson also pointed out the Mayor's council tax share, known as the precept, had risen from £122.98 in 2001/2002 to £309.92 currently.

Speaking to the London Assembly today Mr Johnson said: "The people of this city are feeling a serious financial squeeze. It is our job to deliver taxpayer value.

"It is our job to restore trust in the way we spend their money. That is why my budget guidance is that we work towards freezing the precept next year."

Mr Johnson also outlined a new structure for City Hall which will cut its departments from six to four.

They will be headed by two of his four deputy mayors, the director of communications and his chief of staff. The new "pillars" of City Hall will be finance and operations, communities and development, corporate affairs and environment.

Mr Johnson told assembly members he will focus on delivering a sporting legacy for the Olympics, cutting knife crime and reducing carbon emissions.

City Hall's current budget is £80 million, but Mr Johnson claims to have saved £2 million since he came into power in May.

Cuts already implemented include axing the free Londoner paper and slashing the £4.6 million cost of the Beijing trip by £1million.

He has also decided to cut costly schemes such as the redevelopment of Parliament Square and is likely to abolish plans for a cross-river tram.

Mr Johnson said: "Over the past eight years the Greater London Authority has achieved a great deal.

"But it has also doubled in size so it has lost sight of its key priorities. This reorganisation will envisage the GLA as more coherent and focused and will deliver better value for the hard-pressed London tax payer."

Mr Johnson said that City Hall originally employed less than 400 staff when the position of Mayor was created in 2000. This has been expanded to 800 posts although not all are filled.

He aims to cut the number to less than 700, although some of the posts that will go are already vacant.

A spokesman said the Mayor would cut "at least a layer of management". But he added the cuts would not come as a mass cull.

Instead, short-term contracts will not be renewed and with a staff turnover of 20 per cent, many people would not be replaced.

The main cuts will be made among administration staff including payroll and 20 per cent in the press and communications office. There will be some areas such as sport which are expected to grow. But Labour assembly members criticised the cuts as "nothing more than an act of smoke and mirrors". Group leader John Biggs said: "This is nothing more than a wellspun re-launch of a failed mayoralty."