It has been a whirlwind first year since becoming Leader of the Council. With the King’s Coronation on home soil last weekend, Westminster was on show. It is a real privilege to lead a council with services that did us very proud on such a momentous occasion.
The heart of our ambition is to transform Westminster into a council that combines effective services with a commitment to social justice. More than a quarter of Westminster households are classed as vulnerable. It was hugely important to us to make sure our residents were supported through the cost-of-living crisis.
Our £14m package of support means we have funded:
- more holiday activities for school aged children
- food banks and energy vouchers
- topped up welfare budgets over the winter
We’ve also created a £1m rent support fund for tenants and frozen the Westminster rate of Council Tax.
With extra support from the Mayor of London, we’ve also delivered a wide-ranging free school meals programme across our primary schools. This will roll out in early years and secondary schools this September. It will help family finances and boost children’s wellbeing and life chances.
Looking ahead to the next year, the provision of truly affordable housing remains a top priority:
- Building over 300 more council homes for social rent than the previous administration planned by 2026, over 1000 in total.
- Regeneration schemes backed by resident ballots have unlocked over £60m in additional funding from the Greater London Authority.
- Our investment in temporary accommodation will provide 270 homes in or near the borough over the next few years.
- More than 500 existing social homes will benefit from energy efficiency improvements over the next two years.
Underpinning everything we do is our Fairer Westminster plan. A commitment to build a fairer economy, communities, housing, environment, and a more accessible council. We're working to put residents front and centre, seeking to involve you more in our decision-making. Fairer Westminster is ambitious – but it’s driven by a feeling that things have felt unfair for too many, for too long.
We’ve done a lot in our first year in office, but there’s a lot more to do to secure a better future for our people, our environment, and our City.
Published: 12 May 2023