Building a Living City

Building a Living City is our way of making a visible difference to the lives of all the people we serve. Where the council supports you with responsive services, leads the renewal of the city and encourages a sense of responsibility within our communities.

On 2nd March 2011, the council budget for 2011/12 was set. On 3rd March 2011, the Leader of the council, Councillor Colin Barrow, set out the Living City Programme for 2011-12.

Living city is a series of projects that will gradually build the best city in which to live and work.

It’s about small government making a big difference to central London and its one million citizens. Helping those who live and work here make the most of being in the heart of London.  Building a place where families can thrive, businesses are successful and visitors enjoy the best on offer in London because local government is too busy for bureaucracy, utterly focused on delivering efficient and effective services and devolving power whenever it can.

The Living City programme is about never forgetting we are here to serve real people: the mum using the sports centre, the pupil at the school; the senior citizen who goes to our libraries and the family finding it hard to cope.

The council has produced a number of publications outlining how we aim to continue building a Living City, all of which you can access below.

• Living City 2011/12, March 2011

Read about the council's Living City priorities for the year ahead, in one of the most challenging periods the council has ever faced.

• Living City 2010/11, March 2010

Read about five bills setting out how central government can give local government the tools to manage local services and communities better.

• Living City Manifesto, March 2010

Find out about public spending in Westminster and how we hope to start unifying public services. 

• Mapping the money - Public spending in Westminster, February 2010

Read more about our ideas to devolve power and improve local quality of life.

• Local power, better results for people - 10 ideas to devolve power and improve local quality of life, October 2009

Download the 'Building a Living City' publication with articles from community leaders, businesses and public service representatives.  

• Building a Living City, September 2009 

If you have any questions about Living City, please email us as livingcity@westminster.gov.uk