Cllr Paul Fisher, Cabinet Member for Value for Money and Finance, has told MyLondon that Westminster City Council’s restructure, which will see 520 of its 3,720 roles made redundant, is an important step in building the right organisation to serve residents as the Government’s Fair Funding reforms take £100 million out of its grant.
The reductions will save £29 million in 2026/27, with a further £16 million coming from contract savings and changes to how the council leases and rents buildings. Cllr Fisher said the focus was on management roles, not front-line posts.
He said: “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.”
The reforms move money away from inner London to other councils. Westminster has said it would need to raise council tax by 200 per cent to avoid cuts to spending, and asked residents this summer which services they most want protected. Westminster, Wandsworth and Kensington and Chelsea are formally challenging the Government’s reforms under the Sustainable Communities Act.
