Feeling safe on your own street is the foundation of a well-run city.
It is the top concern people across Westminster raise the most often and most urgently. The Council's own City Survey confirms it: 52% of residents want the Council to prioritise tackling antisocial behaviour, and drug dealing remains the single most reported concern. People should not have to change their route home, hide their phone or worry about their children walking to and from school.
A council cannot control the police. But it can use every power it has to champion safe streets, and it should demand better from the Mayor of London who does control policing. That is exactly what we will do.
A Dedicated Cabinet Member for Enforcement
We will create a new Cabinet Member for Enforcement, placing safety and accountability at the heart of the Council's work. One named politician responsible for coordinating and driving results across every enforcement function the Council controls: City Inspectors, licensing enforcement, street trading, environmental enforcement and championing community priorities with the police.
Tackling Phone Theft
Over 34,000 phones are reported stolen in Westminster every year, one every 15 minutes, with many more thefts going unreported. Foreign governments now warn their citizens about phone-snatching in London.
We will use our enforcement powers to crack down on the dockless bike chaos that enables phone theft by being used as getaway vehicles. We will work with the Met and transport partners to target known hotspots and demand tougher action on the organised gangs behind this epidemic.
Knife Crime and Youth Violence
Residents across Westminster tell us they are alarmed by young people carrying weapons, and many link this to the closure of youth centres and the lack of structured activities for teenagers. We will support the delivery of youth diversion programmes: youth clubs, sports, breakfast clubs and mentoring that give young people alternatives to petty crime and antisocial behaviour. Prevention and enforcement go hand-in-hand.
Visible Policing
The single most common request from people living or working in Westminster is simple: more visible police on our streets. The Metropolitan Police has lost 1,700 officers and staff under Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan. We will hold the Metropolitan Police to their commitment to prioritise neighbourhood policing, call for community-focussed officers in Westminster's highest-pressure locations and build on the My Local Bobby initiative and other [ti1] BID-funded uniformed patrols we have launched in opposition.
Real Enforcement on Dockless Bikes
Dockless bikes are a great way to get around our city. Many of us use them as a practical way to get around Westminster. But when dumped on the pavement, they are a hazard to wheelchair users, parents with buggies and older residents, and harm the look and feel of our streets. We forced the Council to introduce fines after three years of sustained pressure, but enforcement has been a failure: over £1 million in revenue was promised, barely £5,000 collected.
We will convene a summit with operators to agree binding parking standards, geofenced no-go zones and a credible penalty regime. Bikes that are parked badly will be removed and impounded, tougher fines, and action against non-compliant operators to make sure accessibility comes first.
Drug Use and Street Drinking
Open drug use and dealing are a widespread concern in parts of our city, including in some of our most prominent public spaces and residential areas. The Council’s own City Survey shows more than one in three of residents consider drug dealing or use a problem, making it the single most cited issue. We will tackle open drug use with firm enforcement while working with expert service providers to support those struggling with addiction.
Working with Local Police
We will strengthen partnership working with Safer Neighbourhood Teams and ensure coordinated responses in areas where crime and antisocial behaviour pressures are highest. Working with residents, businesses and Westminster's Business Improvement Districts, we will identify gaps in police presence and ensure community-led initiatives fill them.
Using the Full Range of Enforcement Powers
We will put in place and enforce Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs), Community Protection Notices (CPNs) and use licensing powers to target persistent antisocial behaviour hotspots across Westminster's estates, high streets and visitor areas.
Proactive CCTV
We will ensure CCTV camera networks in the Council's control are proactively monitored. We will explore the use of AI and facial recognition technology on Council-owned cameras and work with partners, including the police and property owners, to ensure all camera networks are focussed on fighting crime.
Protecting Our Parks
Following the disbandment of the Royal Parks Police, we will champion robust enforcement of Park Regulations in Regent's Park, St James's Park & The Green Park, Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens. These spaces must remain safe and welcoming for everyone.
Expanding City Inspectors
We will increase City Inspector deployment across Westminster's streets, markets and public spaces, particularly during late afternoons, evenings and weekends when problems are worst.
Tackling Illegal Short-Term Lets
Illegal short-term lets drive up housing pressures and cause misery through dumped rubbish, late-night parties and constant noise. The proportion of residents who see short-term letting as a problem in their area has risen in the last year alone. We will make enforcement a priority, press the Government to deliver the promised national registration scheme and hold platforms like Airbnb to account.
Addressing Homelessness with Compassion and Grip
Westminster rough sleeping has hit record highs, currently the highest number in the UK, and the Mayor of London is ignoring entrenched encampments on TfL land. We will expand personalised outreach, strengthen collaboration with local charities and the Westminster Homelessness Partnership, and increase access to transitional accommodation. Our approach: compassion for vulnerable people, firm action against organised exploitation, and a determination to help rough sleepers into sustainable housing with wraparound support.
Night Stars
We will maintain and strengthen the Night Stars programme, launched by the last Conservative Council as part of our strategy to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). Volunteers play a vital role supporting vulnerable individuals during busy night-time hours in the West End, reducing harm and helping keep people safe.
Pedicabs and Noisy Vehicles
We will continue to press for swift implementation of the Pedicab Licensing scheme enacted using powers from the Conservative Government and continue to fund acoustic camera operations against illegal car clubs that plague Pall Mall, Piccadilly and Knightsbridge.
Our pledge: A Cabinet Member for Enforcement from day one. Use every council power to deliver safe streets. Crack down on the gangs behind many phone thefts. Youth programmes to tackle knife crime. End dockless bike chaos. Real enforcement on illegal lets.
Safe Streets. Clean City. Real Action.
Your vote on 7 May is the difference between a Labour Council that takes you for granted, or a Conservative Council that will deliver value for money, safe streets and a clean city.
Only the Conservatives can beat Labour in Westminster.
Vote Conservative on Thursday, 7 May.