Search

Crime in Westminster has risen under Labour's watch and local people are suffering the consequences. We spoke with the Conservative Leader of Westminster City Council, Cllr Paul Swaddle, to find out more. Paul explained, "Westminster Labour and Sadiq Khan's record on our streets is clear: phone snatching, robbery, shoplifting, public disorder and criminal damage are all up. Enforcement is nowhere to be seen. The Labour-led Council has just stood by as Sadiq Khan slashes police officers and staff across London: 1,700 Met officers and staff cut. Royal Parks Police: dismantled. School officers: removed. Local officers removed to cover demonstrations."

Residents are being kicked out so that their landlord can sell their homes to a London council which intends to use them as temporary accommodation.

Leader of Westminster Conservatives, Cllr Paul Swaddle OBE, is demanding urgent answers after concerns were raised with him by residents that Westminster City Council has purchased a block of flats in Kew and eviction notices have since been served on the majority of existing tenants, including elde

This article originally appeared on BBC News on 17 March. A Westminster councillor has accused the local authority of failing to protect residents and visitors from dangerous illegal car meets. Councillor Rachael Robathan, a Conservative representing Knightsbridge and Belgravia, said she has pressed the Labour administration for more than a year to introduce tougher measures. She is calling for the roundabout at the top of Exhibition Road to be resurfaced with a high‑friction material to deter racing and drifting, along with an injunction that would give police stronger enforcement powers. She said she organised a meeting at City Hall in January 2025 with cabinet support officers to push forward the resurfacing, where a quote was obtained for the work but no progress has followed. She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "It is really disappointing that this administration, despite my repeated calls over the last 15 months, has completely failed to implement measures which would keep our residents and visitors safe."

The numbers are stark. Homelessness and rough sleeping in Westminster are at record highs and is the highest of any council in the UK. The Labour-led council has allowed this crisis to get worse, with near year-on-year increases, without proper support to help people off the streets. This is the reality of life under this Labour-led Council: distracted by pet projects and headlines instead of helping vulnerable people who really need it.

At Labour’s Westminster City Council budget last week, I made Westminster Labour answer for their reckless spending and weak action on rising crime and declining street standards. Westminster Labour has wasted £27 million on a failed housing contractor, self-awarded senior Labour councillors pay rises of up to 62 per cent and are projected to hike your Council Tax by 75 per cent over the next four years.

Following reports of petrol-like contamination in the Morgan House water supply last April, serious concerns remain about the handling of the investigation.We've written to Labour’s leadership demanding an urgent public meeting with residents, Housing Services, Environmental Health, and Thames Water

Last night, Westminster Conservative Group Leader, Cllr Paul Swaddle, and the Conservative team condemned Labour's financial recklessness and set their record of failure straight, offering local people a Conservative alternative with a plan to deliver safe streets, a clean city and real value for mo

Let’s look back at Labour’s time in office and set the record straight: £27 million wasted after the Geoffrey Osborne housing contractor failure 57 per cent self awarded pay rises for senior Labour councillors Up to 75 per cent council tax hikes projected over the next four years Backing the Labour Government’s Family Home Tax, targeting ordinary households Surrendering Oxford Street to London Mayor Sadiq Khan

This article originally appeared in The Standard on 23 March. The part-pedestrianisation of Oxford Street has been formally approved by Sir Sadiq Khan – with traffic due to be banned from this summer. The London mayor authorised the changes on Thursday morning, paving the way for Transport for London to make the nation’s most famous high street traffic-free between Selfridges and Ikea. Sir Sadiq decided not to make any changes to the draft plans that went out to public consultation last November, despite hundreds of respondents opposing the changes, which will increase congestion on side roads and require 15 bus routes to be curtailed or diverted.