Westminster Labour’s weak enforcement leaves dockless bike chaos unchecked
At Westminster’s latest Council meeting, Conservative Group Leader Cllr Paul Swaddle pressed Labour over its claim that new fines on dockless bike operators would generate £1 million a year.
In reality, Labour’s scheme has issued fewer than 700 fines, with just £7,600 collected. This is a fraction of the promised sum, and no payments from at least one major bike operator.
Cllr Swaddle challenged Labour’s failure to deliver and called again for the Conservative proposal to remove badly-parked bikes from local streets, a plan the Labour-run council has refused to adopt.
Watch Cllr Swaddle hold Labour to account and read the transcript below.
Cllr Paul Swaddle (Conservative):
At the last council meeting, Labour announced with great fanfare that they were fining dockless bike operators for badly parked bikes, claiming it could generate over £1 million a year in fines. In reality, fewer than 700 fines have been issued across November, December, and January — and only in a few wards. Of these, only £7,600 has actually been paid, with one major operator not paying anything at all. A long way off the £1 million promised.
Can the Leader confirm if all Labour policy announcements will be so successful?
Cllr Adam Hug (Labour, Leader of the Council):
We’ve been very clear that this proposal is about changing behaviour. Councillor Sullivan, as the responsible Cabinet Member, can provide detailed figures. We’re putting pressure on the operators, and this fining system — the first of its kind from a local authority — is already showing changes in behaviour.
Not all fines come in immediately, but Councillor Sullivan and his officers are working to ensure they’re paid. The £1 million was the potential maximum; our main goal is to change behaviour, not to generate income. Through the introduction of additional bike bays, fines, and other measures, we’re encouraging better compliance.
And that’s only possible because this government has given local authorities the powers to regulate e-bikes through the new devolution bill — powers the previous government failed to deliver for at least a decade, much like with pedicabs. The current government acted quickly to make these changes.
Cllr Paul Swaddle (Conservative):
I somehow doubt I’ll get a positive answer, but will the Leader admit they got it wrong — and that Westminster should adopt our Conservative policy of removing badly parked bikes from the streets, as we’ve been calling for over the past three years?
Cllr Adam Hug (Labour):
As Councillor Swaddle has been told repeatedly, we already have provisions for operators to remove bikes themselves, and the Council retains the ability to step in when necessary. We used that power early on to bring operators to the table.
However, Westminster lacks spare depot space, and large-scale removals are legally complex, expensive, and operationally challenging — which is why no other London borough has done this at scale.
Cllr Paul Swaddle (Conservative):
Other boroughs are doing it — and you aren’t even fining at scale! Only 700 fines issued.
Cllr Adam Hug (Labour):
The reality is no other London borough has fined at the scale we have. While we and others have done some removals, our fine system operates far more widely and is changing behaviour alongside the other measures we’ve introduced.
This is the Same Old Labour story of Westminster Labour: headline grabbing announcements followed by weak delivery.
Westminster Conservatives are focused on practical action that makes a difference to keep Westminster’s streets safe, clean, and accessible for everyone.
