Westminster City Council Leader Cllr Paul Swaddle OBE has launched a public consultation asking Westminster residents to help decide which local services to prioritise, as Labour's Government imposes £100 million in cuts to the council's funding, forcing difficult choices about the services the council can afford to provide.
Labour's own Government is imposing deep cuts to local services, taking £100 million in funding from Westminster City Council. That comes on top of the reckless financial legacy left by the previous Labour administration: £27 million wasted on the Geoffrey Osborne contractor failure, £3 million overspent on a Church Street demolition contract awarded to a firm fined for bid rigging, signed off by now-Labour leader Cllr Ormsby, and a £19 million council tax freeze election gimmick that stored up pain for residents.
It is Same Old Labour in government and locally in Westminster that has brought us to this point.
Westminster Conservatives believe in keeping council tax low and delivering the services residents rely on. But we cannot do both without making difficult decisions about where to focus our resources. We will not make those decisions behind closed doors.
We want to hear from you directly: which services matter most to you?
Cllr Paul Swaddle OBE, Leader of Westminster City Council, said:
“When we took office, we were straight with residents about the financial situation we were inheriting. The reality has proved even worse than we feared. Labour's Government is cutting £100 million from Westminster while their own administration left behind a trail of waste and reckless mismanagement. We cannot keep council tax low and still fund all these services without making difficult decisions. Westminster Conservatives will always put local people and their priorities first. That is why we are asking residents to help us decide what we protect.”
Cllr Paul Fisher, Cabinet Member for Value for Money, said:
“Labour's financial legacy at Westminster City Council is one of reckless waste and misplaced priorities. Our major contract review confirmed Labour wasted £27 million on Geoffrey Osborne, found £3 million wasted on dodgy contractor Keltbray, signed off by Cllr Ormsby, and blew £19 million on a council tax freeze election gimmick that stored up pain for residents. Now their own Government is cutting £100 million from our budget. This Conservative administration will judge every pound against one test: value for money. We are asking residents to help us set those priorities. Their answers will shape our decisions.”
