Delivering a Fairer Westminster

In 2022, we launched our Fairer Westminster Strategy, aiming to create a fairer city for our residents. The five-year strategy described how we are putting you at the heart of our decision-making so that together, we could shape our city’s future.

Three years on, we are proud to share what we have achieved so far by working together. We thank everyone for working with us to help us achieve this. Whether completing a consultation, joining engagement sessions with officers, or attending one of our Westminster Together or other public involvement events, your input is helping to create a Westminster that builds, supports and offers tangible opportunities for your communities.

Fairer Communities

Since 2022, we’ve been creating a safer Westminster where everyone feels welcome, where anti-social behaviour (ASB) is tackled, and where discrimination isn’t tolerated. We’ve doubled the number of CCTV cameras in the city to 200, targeting locations that are most prone to ASB-related issues. In addition, a newly-created street-based intervention team is working on the frontline to keep people safe and fight noise nuisance.

Fairer Housing

Affordable housing is essential in giving our residents, families and social care users safe and secure places to call home. Over the past three years, we’ve built over 300 new homes, including community-supported accommodation for those aged 60 and over. In addition, we’ve secured £21.5m in grant funding to deliver life-changing services that get people sleeping rough off the street. Finally, our housing services have been awarded a C1 rating, meaning we continue to meet regulatory standards and respond as swiftly as possible to resolve residents' problems.

Fairer Economy

Creating opportunities, investment and success for businesses of all sizes – from local start-ups to global brands – is vital for building a thriving economy. It also benefits our residents through well-paid, career-building jobs. Over the past three years, we’ve been maximising our relationships with partners across the private, education and public sectors, giving young people tangible opportunities to take their first steps into the working world. From Westminster Anchor Alliance to Digital Dash, we’ve been opening doors to the worlds of technology, finance, climate and culture, preparing the workforce of the future.

Fairer Environment

Maintaining clean streets is always a priority. In 2022, we stated our intention for Westminster’s streets to be cleaner and safer, making use of green technology throughout our services. Since then, we’ve launched a new AI reporting tool that makes it easier to report dumped rubbish. We continue to upkeep 15,000 gullies and drains to prevent flooding and keep the city moving. We’ve increased the deep cleaning of our pavements, and thanks to our ‘Graffiti Truck’ we can remove offensive graffiti within 12 hours of it being reported.

Fairer Council

We’ve always wanted to make it easier and more accessible for our residents to find the information and services you need to improve your lives. Our Community Charter does just that with more than 150 residents and staff from every council department engaging with each other to inform all our services. We also introduced public participation at Full Council so that our residents could pose questions about local issues or the council itself in-person, directly to councillors. To date, we’ve hosted four Westminster Together events, with more than 300 residents physically attending and more than 1,000 watching online.