Charles II ordered that a national fast take place on Sunday 10 October 1666, during which money would be collected for destitute Londoners at churches across the country. The collection raised about £12,000 for the relief effort - a tiny sum compared to the estimated £10 million that had been lost in the fire. Londoners could petition the Lord Mayor for money from this fund if they were in particularly dire straits. Unfortunately the Lord Mayor, Sir William Bolton, reduced the fund by embezzling large sums from it.
The public building programme was financed by a coal tax. This paid for buildings such as churches, the City gates, the Guildhall, Customs House and jails. The tax was set at one shilling per ton until June 1677, though in 1670 it was increased to three shillings and the term extended to 1687. After 1687 it was reduced to one shilling and six pence and continued for another 200 years.