Westminster Council's Conservative Group Leader, Cllr Paul Swaddle, calls on Labour-run Westminster Council to stop wasting public money.
At a time when local government across inner London is concerned about the impact of a “Fair Funding Review” that experts reckon will see tens of millions of pounds stripped from Westminster City Council’s budget by the Labour Government, you might think that our Labour Council would be watching every penny.
If so, you would be mistaken.
For the story of the last three years of Labour rule in Westminster has been one of an unremitting waste of public money.
Taxpayers' money. Your money.
Examples abound, a few large and small being:
- The extraordinary fact that only 40% of the Council's major contracts are determined on best financial value, meaning that the Council is paying millions of pounds more than it needs to because of social engineering and political priorities mattering more than the best price and most effective outcome.
- The failure of the Council to be aware of warning signs that Geoffrey Osborne Ltd – a construction company responsible for delivery of a number of very large schemes for WCC – was likely to fall into administration, which it did in 2024. A recent renegotiation for three of the schemes Geoffrey Osborne was responsible for with a replacement contractor has seen £5.67 million added to the cost of the contracts, as well as delays in construction time.
- Spending over £700k on consultants for Pimlico's PDHU replacement scheme, who were unable to answer basic questions about the report they had produced in a meeting of residents arranged by Conservative councillors, and who were then re-hired by WCC for the next phase of that project.
- £1 million being earmarked for “tree buildouts” where parking bays are closed off to be replaced by engineered pavement buildouts, rather than planting trees on the existing pavements themselves.
- £115,000 being lavished on public artwork along the North Paddington canal while frontline services are being cut.
We could go on and on. But every ward in the City has its own examples, and whether you realise it or not, Westminster Labour are playing hard and fast with your money, relying on the reserves carefully built up by the last Conservative administration to cover their profligacy.
It is quite clear that hard times are approaching and that the Council will have to undergo an exercise in belt-tightening to deal with the financial mess that the national Labour Government has created.
Can you have any faith that Westminster Labour will be up to the challenge when you can see their record to date?
Only a Conservative Westminster can be relied upon to ensure that local people receive the best value for money, at the highest quality and the lowest cost.
That’s why cutting wasteful spending will be at the core of our local campaign next year. And with your help, we will be able to restore Westminster’s finances, efficiency and effectiveness to the levels that you should expect.
