The Westminster City Council meeting included a tribute to former Councillor Nikki Aiken, presentations from the public, questions to the cabinet, and debates on housing and private renters. Councillors voted to approve constitutional changes and amend the members' allowance scheme.

Honorary Alderman

The meeting began with a motion to appoint Nikki Aiken as an honorary alderman of the council. Councillor Rachael Robathan spoke of Nikki Aiken's service to the council, including her leadership during the Triborough collapse¹, the London Bridge attack, and the Grenfell fire. Councillor Adam Hug seconded the motion, highlighting her work on youth violence, air pollution, and planning reform. The motion was carried.

Public Participation

Members of the public presented a petition and asked questions of the cabinet.

• Yasmin Patel presented a petition on behalf of parents and local residents concerned about the merger of schools in St Johnswood, which they said would reduce school places. They felt that there had not been enough time, information or resources to fully understand the consultation, and that their feedback had not been taken into consideration. Councillor Aicha Less responded that pupil numbers in St Johnswood were falling, and schools are funded by the government on a per pupil basis, so if pupil numbers keep going down, they are not sustainable.
• Joe Fernandez asked if service charges had doubled since Labour took control of the council. Councillor Liza Begum responded that service charges can vary significantly between buildings depending on the specific repair and maintenance needs identified each financial year, and there has been a substantial rise in the cost of building insurance and energy.
• Perpetua Manjana asked for consideration to be made to either increase adult social care funding or to bring back supporting people funding for older people within social housing. Councillor Nafsika Butler-Thalassis responded that funding for adult social care has been reduced over the last 15 years, but in Westminster, adult social care services are very good.
• Simon Webb asked for safer cycling routes to schools, particularly under the by-borough arrangements where many children have to travel between Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. He mentioned that his son was pushed into the canal while on his bike. Councillor Max Sullivan responded that Cycleway 27 is not really fit for modern standards, and he would raise the issue with the cabinet member at RBKC.
• Pooja Gopta asked if there are any preferences in new housing developments happening in the council for residents who have been working and staying in the council for a long time and would like to buy a house but are not necessarily eligible for any common schemes like affordable housing or shared ownership. Councillor Ellie Ormsby responded that the council has very limited powers when it comes to new market sales, but they do everything they can to ensure Westminster residents get access to these opportunities first.

Questions

Councillors then asked questions of the cabinet.

• Councillor Paul Swaddle OBE asked Councillor Max Sullivan what he had specifically done since being appointed to tackle the problem with dockless hire bikes in the borough. Councillor Max Sullivan responded that he had signed new collaboration agreements with both Lyme and Forest, which hold them to higher standards, and they are getting the operators to pay for more staff.
• Councillor Paul Swaddle OBE asked Councillor Adam Hug when he last met the Mayor face-to-face to discuss Oxford Street, and if he would now back calls for Westminster to look at using a judicial review to fight the Mayor. Councillor Adam Hug responded that he had spoken with the Mayor on a number of occasions and is in active conversations with his team, but legal advice is that there are no obvious grounds for judicial review.
• Councillor Paul Swaddle OBE asked Councillor Adam Hug if he understood that residents and members of the Soho Society are furious that the Society has been put into financial peril due to the political ambitions of one of his candidates. Councillor Adam Hug responded that his belief is that all appropriate manners have been followed, and this is not a matter he has been involved in.
• Councillor Lorraine Dean asked Councillor Aicha Less about an elderly disabled man in Little Venice who has been waiting nearly two years for an automatic front door. Councillor Aicha Less responded that she was unaware of this particular case, but agreed it is unacceptable for an elderly man to be waiting two years for a basic adaption.
• Councillor Iman Less asked Councillor Aicha Less about two stabbings in Paddington Rec, and if there is any more information that can be shared. Councillor Aicha Less responded that she was deeply saddened to hear about the stabbings, and they have 50 cameras in Paddington Rec, which were fully operational at the time of the incident.
• Councillor Selina Short asked Councillor Max Sullivan about dumping around the communal recycling bins near the Millbank Estate and on Horsefairy Road, which she said is happening because recycling bins are now locked. Councillor Max Sullivan responded that the reason that the big black bins for recycling are locked is to reduce contamination, but he is happy to review that practice and see how it's working.
• Councillor Robert Eagleton asked Councillor Adam Hug if he could reassure residents that if a councillor on his side of the chamber did anything like a councillor in the minority group who has become increasingly disengaged, missing meetings, turning up late and stepping back from local responsibilities, they'd be swiftly suspended by himself from the group. Councillor Adam Hug responded that they would take swift action to make sure that any member is living up to their duties to represent the residents of Westminster.
• Councillor Melvyn Caplan asked Councillor Liza Begum when the council approved the new housing allocation system, did she have officers undertake an analysis of who would benefit from the new system, and more importantly, who would lose under the new system. Councillor Liza Begum responded that they did an equalities impact assessment as they do with all of their reviews.
• Councillor Hamza Taouzzale asked Councillor David Boothroyd what progress has been made to consider in-source solutions for council services. Councillor David Boothroyd responded that the insourcing framework that they introduced in January 2023 ensures that in-house delivery model is considered when it may improve services and or save money, and they have agreed to in-source the IT services help desk contract from BC.
• Councillor Alan Mendoza asked Councillor David Boothroyd what assessment he has made regarding the impact of his government's plans to impose business rates reform here in Westminster. Councillor David Boothroyd responded that the council has recently responded to the consultation on the resetting of business rates, but the timing may not be ideal because the final data won't be known until late 2025-26 for the next financial year, so they will have to rely on estimates.
• Councillor Sara Hassan asked Councillor Geoff Barraclough what the Council is doing to prevent flooding. Councillor Geoff Barraclough responded that there is no single large-scale engineering solution to the challenge of flooding, instead, they need a layered approach, and they have created a new digital flood map of Westminster, so they know where to put investment.
• Councillor Tim Barnes asked Councillor Liza Begum how many times the Housing Outreach Team has visited the temporary Westminster residents in the illegal tents on Park Lane, and whether they joined the Met officers recently sent by Labour's Mayor to inquire about their welfare. Councillor Liza Begum responded that their outreach services are always at the Park Lane encampment, and from the last update she had, we had at least 13 people that had taken up the outreach services.
• Councillor Patrick Lilley asked Councillor Ryan Jude about West End Live. Councillor Ryan Jude responded that it went incredibly well, with almost 70,000 attendees, over 50 shows, and they did a lot more work to improve the accessibility to the events.
• Councillor Ed Pitt Ford asked Councillor Adam Hug about tap water in Morgan House that had tested positive for hydrocarbons considered harmful to human health. Councillor Adam Hug responded that he has been talking actively to officers about this case, and they have received fulsome responses from them in detail about this case, and a lot of work has been done by the Council to try and respond to those concerns working with Thames Water.

Councillor Issue

Councillor Paul Fisher spoke on Council Priorities in the West End, Oxford Street Tents and Crime. Councillor Aicha Less replied.

Party Business

The opposition party selected to debate the topic of 'Housing for Westminster'.

Councillor David Harvey opened the debate, saying that the party's manifesto was on the cusp of failure, and ward member evidence from across the city isn't good. He said that three years into this administration, we have bad results, starting with a lost opportunity to realign and novate contracts in 2022.

Councillor Martin Hayes spoke about housing and crime and safety, saying that the Labour Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has created a situation where crime and disorder on our streets is no longer punished, and that reality is taking root in other areas, like here on our estates.

Councillor Hamza Taouzzale said that growing up in Westminster, he is unfortunately far too familiar with the inadequacies and issues that plagued our Westminster homes, and this is unfortunately the legacy of the Conservative Council.

Councillor Robert Rigby said that the desire for more housing, most notably affordable, is something on both sides of the chamber, but the question becomes what should this affordable housing look like? He said that Labour's revised affordable housing policy as part of the city plan partial review proposes to shift the split of affordable housing units in new developments, thereby restricting the supply of genuine affordable homes.

Councillor Mark Shearer said that of all the promises where Labour has likely fallen short in these three years, their failure to add a material number of affordable homes to Westminster's pipeline is debatably their biggest failure.

Councillor Liza Begum responded that her top priority as Cabinet Member for Housing Services is to make life easier for residents, and they have just been rated C1 by the social housing regulator, and are the first council in London to reach this milestone.

Notice of Motion

Councillor Ellie Ormsby moved a motion on supporting private renters, which was seconded by Councillor Matt Noble. Councillor Paul Swaddle moved a procedural motion that the question be now put which was not carried. Following a debate, the motion was carried. The council resolved to:

• Actively publicise and promote the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Tenants' Charter to both tenants and landlords across Westminster, as a key tool in empowering renters with the knowledge they need to secure safe and decent housing.
• Publicise and promote the Selective Licensing Scheme to both tenants and landlords, and ensure that landlords have the information, guidance, and support they need to register for the scheme and meet the required standards. They are investing in increased numbers of Environmental Health Officers to enforce standards, work with landlords and protect renters using the income to be raised by this scheme.
• Support the Labour Government's reforms to the private rented sector and work with tenants and landlords to ensure any new powers brought about by the Renters' Rights Bill are enforced.

The Private Rented Sector (PRS) Tenants' Charter outlines the key standards that should be maintained in privately rented homes, and is designed to help renters better understand their rights and responsibilities. The Selective Licensing Scheme covers fifteen of Westminster's eighteen wards and aims to raise housing standards by requiring all landlords, except those already covered by the mandatory or additional licensing scheme, in these areas to hold a licence, committing them to specific enforceable standards.

Constitutional Changes

The council voted to approve the recommendations of the Constitutional Changes report. This included approving amendments to the Member Officer Protocol, amendments to the Financial Regulations, summarised in Section 5 and as displayed within the Financial Regulations, and changes to the Officer Scheme of Delegations as a consequence of the amendments made to the Financial Regulations.

Member Allowances Scheme 2025-2026: Amendment

The council voted to approve the recommendations of the Member Allowances Scheme 2025-2026 Amendment report. This included approving the proposal to change the number of SRAs payable to the Discretionary Housing Payments Panel from four to five, and the proposal to change the number of SRAs payable to the Rating Advisory Panel from four to five, with the effective date of 1 July 2025.