Cllr Paul Fisher, Cabinet Member for Value for Money and Finance, has told the Telegraph that Westminster City Council wants to show residents it has done everything it can before any talk of cuts to services or council tax, as it announced 520 job losses in response to Labour’s “fair funding” programme.
Most of the 520 posts, from a workforce of 3,720, are managerial, including senior staff. The cuts will save £29 million, with a further £16 million coming from changes to the way the council leases and rents buildings. The council faces a £160 million funding gap by 2029.
Telegraph analysis found that Conservative and Liberal Democrat councils will lose £487 million in government-controlled grants and funding during this Parliament under the changes, while Labour councils gain £1.6 billion.
Cllr Fisher said: “Before we get onto a discussion of cuts to service provision and council taxes, I want to be able to go to the public to say we’ve done everything we can.” He added: “The focus for these reductions is on management roles and not front-line posts. Westminster needs to protect taxpayer money, become leaner and look to more commercial opportunities to generate revenue.”
“By increased use of technology like AI and embracing more commercial opportunities, we can become more efficient while maintaining the services residents value. There are inevitably going to be further significant savings ahead, but today’s restructure announcement is an important step in ensuring we have the right kind of organisation to serve our communities.”
In August, Council Leader Cllr Paul Swaddle wrote to the Prime Minister with the leaders of Wandsworth and Kensington and Chelsea, warning that the funding formula “punishes low-tax councils”. They wrote: “This is fiddled funding, cooked up in Whitehall but leaving town halls to carry the blame.”
