Decision

Summary of decision 
 
The Leader of Council approves the allocation of £1m for
projects to address the ongoing cost-of-living crisis for the year
of 2025.   
 
The Leader of the Council delegates authority to the Executive
Director of Finance and Resources, in agreement with the Leader of
the Council, to make any necessary changes to the allocation of
this £1m.     
 
Reason for decision  
 
In July 2022, the Council launched a Cost-of-Living Strategy,
setting out a plan to help tackle the crisis. As identified in the
Strategy, an estimated 31,000 households in Westminster are
particularly exposed to rises in living costs.  
 
So far, the Council has delivered support through national grants
of £13.7m (exclusive of the Household Support Fund for
2025/2026) and has invested over £11.1m (exclusive of this
proposal of £1m Cost-of-Living Fund for the year 2025/2026)
from its own resources to tackle the
crisis.   
 
A further £1m of Council investment was announced in March
2025 for projects starting in 2025/2026. This decision will
allocate this funding.