"We understand that street homelessness is complex and that every individual's circumstances are different. Rough sleeping is a national challenge, but Westminster faces unique pressure as people are often drawn to major city centres when they lose their homes" explains Cllr David Harvey.
Westminster City Council has published a revised licensing policy following a high-profile debate over what it called "vertical drinking," BBC News has reported. The council must update its current policy, drawn up in 2021, by 1 October.
"People struggle to get home from a night out when late-night bus routes have been cut and overnight Tube services are non-existent during the week... we need the mayor's team to fund the services which make London a 24-hour city" said Cllr Tim Barnes
Rushing pedestrianisation to meet the Mayor’s arbitrary deadline risks creating serious problems for local people. The Mayor’s own submission acknowledged increases in both noise and air pollution. Yet important questions about accessibility, traffic displacement, bus operations, servicing and deliveries, and the impact on surrounding communities all remain unanswered...
Cllr Tim Barnes has accused the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, of trying to grab further powers over Oxford Street, licensing and planning in Westminster, while failing to deliver on the core responsibilities of his own office.
"The Mayor's own submission to MHCLG showed air pollution and noise rising. We need to know how much, and how far, those problems will spread. Important questions on managing traffic, noise and impact on air quality all sit unanswered" says Cllr Tim Barnes
Cllr Paul Swaddle OBE has hit back after Prime Minister Andy Burnham said in an interview with the Evening Standard that he wants to increase "fairness" by introducing additional property taxes on top of those already proposed for London.
