How we’re performing so far
This year we have distributed 67 SIM cards from the National Databank to residents referred by services such as Family Navigation and Unfold. These SIM cards provide six months of 40GB data with unlimited calls and texts, crucial for residents struggling amid the cost-of-living crisis. They help users access applications, communicate, search for jobs, and participate in online training.
Additionally, the recruitment of 70 new Digital Ambassadors, far surpassing the initial goal of 15, has allowed for expanded digital literacy sessions across four new libraries in Westminster. We hosted an event during National Volunteers' Week to appreciate these volunteers, with over 40 attendees.
We have also awarded a contract to Unity Works, a social enterprise supporting people with learning disabilities, for services at City Hall and Lisson Grove. Furthermore, we published our Modern Slavery Statement, showcasing our leadership in preventing slavery in supply chains, scoring 314/400 on a Home Office tool.
In other initiatives, we are focusing on air quality and sustainable transport, and have mapped clean air walking routes and conducted community workshops, with over 630 survey responses and 1,200 interactions on the Commonplace platform, marking it as a highly engaging consultation.
Below we have highlighted some of the other ways we have delivered throughout the 2023/24 financial year. Although progress continues to be made, we know there is still work to do as we deliver our Fairer Westminster strategy.
Resident involvement
Our aim is to improve how we listen to residents and incorporate their views into our decision making...
We measure customer satisfaction levels to understand how happy customers are with the service they received when calling our corporate contact centre. Customers are asked to rate their satisfaction after a call. Feedback is shared with the contact centre team and services. We take all feedback seriously and encourage callers to complete a survey and leave their feedback after they call. In the first three months of the year the customer satisfaction result was 85.6% (out of a potential 100%).
Staying informed
Our aim is to make sure residents are not only listened to but kept up to date with the actions we’re taking...
To boost our local economy, we are committed to increasing our spending with SMEs and voluntary sector organisations, which include smaller, local, mission-led and diverse-led businesses. We have launched a 'Supplier Readiness' programme which involves engaging with businesses in relevant sectors, identifying gaps in their knowledge or skills, and providing tailored advice, training, mentoring and networking opportunities. Our goal is to enhance their chances of winning contracts with the council and our larger contractors. Additionally, our new Buying Team, which focuses on smaller contracts, is dedicated to ensuring that at least one in every three quotes for contracts under £100,000 comes from target organisation.
We have integrated the Fairer Westminster Strategy into our supplier requirements to ensure that public service and works contract investments are spent responsibly. This is outlined in our Responsible Procurement and Commissioning Strategy. We expect all contracts to include specific commitments from contractors to reduce environmental impacts, uphold labour rights and increase opportunities and benefits for our local communities.
We are committed to being open and transparent and making information on our progress more accessible to everyone. This way you can always see how we’re doing on delivering a Fairer Westminster. The above is just one of the ways we’re measuring how we’re building a Fairer Council. You can also find out more at our Open Data page and by reading our Fairer Westminster Delivery Plan:
