Labour promised a “Fairer” Westminster. But the reality has been increasing crime, declining standards, reckless waste and higher costs for local people, writes Cllr Paul Swaddle for LBC. View Paul's article on LBC here, or read the text below.
Let’s be clear on Westminster Labour's record of poor financial oversight: £27 million in clean-up costs after the Geoffrey Osborne housing contractor failure.
Self-awarded pay rises of up to 57 per cent for senior Labour councillors. And vanity projects pushed through via empty consultations that shut out local voices and fail to deliver on the priorities residents actually care about.
The consequence of same old Labour’s financial mismanagement is simple. Residents are left to foot the bill, with council tax projected to rise by up to 75 per cent over the next four years.
Labour’s version of ‘fairness’ leaves Westminster paying more and getting less.
That starts at the top with the national Labour Government’s so-called Fairer Funding Review, which would take £700 million from councils across London and cut more than 10 per cent from Westminster’s real terms funding. Westminster Labour has stood idly by while their friends in government strip resources that fund essential services local people rely on.
But this is not just a funding issue. It is a competence issue. Labour’s poor judgment and weak oversight have wasted public money and taken residents for granted.
Westminster Labour signed off on a multi-million-pound contract with Geoffrey Osborne when warning signs about the company’s finances were already there. They failed to do proper due diligence. The result of their failure was a £27 million bill for clean-up costs, with residents forced to pick up the tab.
That is not value for money. It is waste on an industrial scale.
But the real punchline is that senior Westminster Labour councillors rewarded their incompetence with pay rises of up to 57%. Westminster Labour’s recklessness with residents’ money as they line their own pockets after eye-watering waste is an insult to the hard-working taxpayers of our city.
Who is paying for Westminster Labour’s reckless spending?
Local people.
Westminster Labour’s waste and neglect does not just show up in rising crime, dirtier streets, and weaker day-to-day services. It shows up in your bills. Council tax is projected to rise by up to 75% over the next four years alongside two cash grabs of £150.
You read that right: 75%.
It does not stop there. Labour in government is pushing a Family Home Tax through a new High Value Council Tax Surcharge which will put thousands of ordinary Westminster households in the firing line simply for living in the city they call home. Westminster Labour’s silence is an endorsement of this attack on local people. They do not stand up for our city.
This is the record of Same Old Labour in Westminster: You pay more. You get less. And Labour waste the difference.
A Conservative Plan for Westminster
Westminster Conservatives are building a Plan for Westminster 2026 shaped by listening to the views of local people. It starts with a simple rule: restore value for money and deliver on the priorities local people care about.
Waste must stop, and financial discipline will return. Stronger due diligence, tougher scrutiny of major contracts and transparent reporting that shows residents how their money is spent and what it is delivering. Vanity projects will not come ahead of the basics, and spending will be judged on outcomes instead of empty headlines.
Real action on everyday local issues will be prioritised. Championing visible neighbourhood policing and firmer enforcement to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour. Higher standards in street cleaning to make Westminster look and feel well-run again. A place we are proud to call home.
Standing up for Westminster means doing it at every level:
We will continue to challenge the Labour government’s Fairer Funding Review and Family Home Tax that will punish local families and do not reflect the real cost of life in Westminster.
At City Hall, we will continue to pressure London Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan to take tougher action on crime and listen to local people on projects like Oxford Street pedestrianisation.
And at Westminster City Council, we have a plan to modernise how services are delivered, cut waste and restore competence so residents get value for money and real action instead of excuses and playground politics.
