This article originally appeared in The Telegraph on 25 March.
The buskers on the Tube, who might get my money if they gently plucked, now amplify their contribution. Perhaps they are competing. This racket has spread to the streets. But far from central authorities trying to police any of this, it is becoming clear that the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, wants more.
This article originally appeared in BBC News on 25 March.
"We've not found many rented properties in the current climate... if we cannot manage, we will be homeless," says Garden Court resident Su Su Myat.
She is one of a number of private tenants living at the block of flats situated opposite Kew Gardens who have been served soon-to-be abolished Section 21 eviction notices by their landlord Dorrington as it finalises a £16m purchase by Westminster City Council.
This article originally appeared in The Fitzrovia News on 23 March.
For better or worse, the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street is set to be one of Sir Sadiq Khan’s lasting legacies in City Hall.
The Mayor of London gave final approval to Transport for London (TfL) in February to remove traffic between Great Portland Street and Orchard Street in a bid to make the road a “global leader for shopping, leisure and outdoor events”, and to divert buses, taxis and pedal cycles through Marylebone and part of Fitzrovia.
This article originally appeared on GB News on 23 March.
Sir Sadiq Khan and Transport for London are being urged to take action to prevent the dwindling number of taxi drivers from falling further.
New data show that over the last 12 months, licensed taxi drivers have fallen from 14,450 to 13,784, as experts have issued a stark warning.
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."
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.
