Cllr Paul Fisher, Cabinet Member for Value for Money and Finance, has told the Standard that the 520 job cuts announced by Westminster City Council will fall on management roles, not front-line posts, as the council responds to an unprecedented £100 million drop in government funding under Labour’s Fair Funding Review.
The council will lose around 15 per cent of its 3,720-strong workforce to save £29 million. Staff were told at a meeting led by chief executive Stuart Love, and a consultation will follow, with those affected leaving between April and December 2027.
Cllr Fisher said: “While today’s announcement on job cuts is difficult, we believe setting the right course now will pay dividends in the years ahead.
“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.”
Westminster is one of five central London authorities hit hardest by Labour’s funding formula, alongside Kensington and Chelsea, Wandsworth, Hammersmith and Fulham and the City of London. The council faces a £160 million shortfall by 2029, and has warned that council tax would need to rise by 200 per cent to fill the gap if nothing were done. Westminster currently sets the second lowest council tax in the country.
