The Climate Action, Environment and Highways Policy and Scrutiny Committee were scheduled to discuss the sustainable transport strategy, the waste and cleansing service contract procurement, and the committee's work programme.

Sustainable Transport Strategy

The committee was scheduled to receive a report on the development of the sustainable transport strategy ahead of further consultation and publication.

The Sustainable Transport Strategy (STS) is a ten-year strategy that sets the long-term direction for how Westminster thinks about, and changes, how road, pavement and public realm space is used. It is intended to deliver economic, health, social and environmental benefits.

The report pack notes that the STS has evolved substantially since the previous round of scrutiny, and that the document has undergone substantial redrafting and consideration as to mechanisms for measuring successful outcomes.

The main policies and actions are organised under six themes:

• Road Danger Reduction: Westminster supports the Mayor of London's Vision Zero plan to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries on our streets.
• Access & Inclusion: Everyone in Westminster will be able to safely and easily access sustainable transport that meets their needs.
• Health & Physical Activity: Streets and roads will have a positive impact on public health, supporting people to walk, wheel or cycle as a mode of transport.
• Air Quality: Westminster will meet World Health Organisation guideline levels for air pollution by 2040, with the help of cleaner transport.
• Climate Change: Westminster's transport network will decarbonise to reach Net Zero by 2040, and the streets will become more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
• Sustainable Economy: Westminster will support economic activity and growth through sustainable transport measures, and encourage more sustainable freight, servicing and delivery.

The report pack also says that the STS incorporates targets and actions from other policies such as the Climate Emergency Action Plan and the Air Quality Action Plan.

The STS introduces a kerbside hierarchy to inform future transport-led decision making. In priority order, the groupings within the hierarchy are: 1. Safety & accessibility, 2. Active transport, 3. Sustainable infrastructure, 4. Shared mobility, 5. Private motor vehicles.

The report pack also refers to four Street Types:

• Liveable Streets - Typically residential streets where there is a dense mix of homes as well as local small shops and other community amenities, for example Vincent Square, Belgravia, Bayswater, Queen's Park, Maida Vale, St John's Wood.
• High Streets and Local Centres - Areas that provide services for local residents, often with their own existing character, for example Warwick Way, St John's Wood High Street, Queensway, Marylebone High Street.
• Major destinations - Destinations that serve very different purposes for Westminster, London and the UK as a whole, for example Strand/Aldwych, the Oxford Street District, Regent Street.
• Strategic Roads - Prioritises the safe and expeditious movement of essential goods vehicles, Coaches, Taxis and private vehicles, for example Victoria Street, Piccadilly, the A5 in Maida Vale.

The STS also sets out the key issues where the council will need to develop and deepen its relationship with Transport for London (TfL). Primarily these relate to safety on TfL roads and junctions (including shared junctions) and improvements to public transport (including improving the reliability of the bus network and accelerating step free access to the tube).

Waste and Cleansing Service Contract Procurement

The committee was scheduled to receive a report on the procurement timeline for the Waste and Cleansing Contract and some of the strategic challenges and opportunities for the future service.

The current Waste and Cleansing Contract is due to expire on 15 September 2027 and cannot be extended beyond this date. In order to meet the procurement schedule and have a new contract in place by September 2027, the council will need to issue the Invitation to Tender (ITT) by October 2025.

The Greater London Authority (GLA) must review and approve any waste contract procurement documentation before it is released in a 108-day review process. The council submitted the necessary specification documentation to GLA on 19 June, 2025 for their review to ensure that submitted documents meet the conformity requirements for the Mayor's Environment Plan.

The report pack notes that the specification sets out in some detail the scope of service operations as it operates today and the high service levels and standards we continue to expect. The Specification Introduction summarises the nature of waste management in Westminster, explains the Council's priorities and long-term vision for the service, the challenges and opportunities for increasing recycling, and potential changes that could occur over the duration of the awarded contract requiring a need for flexibility.

The council is considering its long-term vision for Westminster's Waste and Cleansing Service, focusing on addressing the future financial, environmental, and legal challenges the council faces in operating the service while ensuring exceptionally high standards of service and street cleanliness for residents, businesses and visitors. The procurement is an opportunity for the council to cement its long-term strategic priorities, working with their delivery partner to develop and deliver them. WCC has identified the following long-term priorities to meet its strategic imperatives:

• Increasing recycling, food waste and other diverted streams to reduce the volumes of waste generated across the city
• Street cleanliness standards maintained at current high levels
• Meeting the needs of all our communities in a manner that reflects the dynamic, complex, and diverse characteristics of Westminster and the challenges of its dense urban fabric, compact living conditions, and limited outdoor space for waste storage.

The report pack also notes that a principle strategic focus for the future service will be: How do we increase recycling across the city while maintaining first-in-class service standards and clean streets?

Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to review and approve the committee work programme for forthcoming meetings.

The report pack notes that the committee met on Wednesday 7th May 2025 to discuss items for its work programme after the Cabinet Member Updates held in April 2025.

The committee was asked to discuss and propose any new topics of interest for the Committee's work programme for the remainder of 2025/26.

The committee was also asked to consider whether they would like to establish a Task Group or commission a Single Member Study to examine key issues in more detail.

The recommendations, information requests and actions arising from each meeting are recorded in the Committee Tracker. Members were invited to review the work undertaken in response to those recommendations, information requests and actions.

The report pack also notes that since the previous meeting of the committee on the 6th March 2025, the committee has received the following:

• All outstanding information requests and responses to recommendations made at the previous Committees, with the exception of one outstanding information request which has required an audit.
• A summary of A&P performance and finance monitor for Q3 (24.03.25) and Q4 (01.07.25)
• Relevant updates from the forward plan of issues relating to this Committee.
• A briefing note on parking service charges (05.06.25)
• A briefing note on carbon offset funding (23.06.25)

Four Members of the Committee visited the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), where mixed recycling is processed (13.06.25) and three Members of the Committee attended a trial freight consolidation hub underneath Waterloo Station (25.06.25) in advance of the items coming to July's meeting.