With the May local elections fast approaching, we held our final Borough Leader event ahead of polling day with Cllr Adam Hug, Leader of Westminster City Council. This engaging session was particularly fitting as we started the series in this political cycle with Cllr Hug in 2022 after he led Labour to a historic victory, a first since the council was formed in 1964.
The polls look challenging to put it mildly for the Government nationally, so Labour incumbents across London face a challenge of encouraging voters in the May election to place their ballot on the basis of their local record and achievements rather than the broader political mood.
Cllr Hug set out a wide-ranging overview of the work that Westminster is undertaking to ensure the borough keeps humming as an engine of national growth, while also addressing some of disparities in income across local communities. He highlighted their Fairer Economy Plan, which aims to support inclusive growth by making high streets more vibrant and resilient, investing in the public realm to boost footfall, and promote green skills. He also pointed to the council’s crackdown on rogue American candy shops that undermined the look and feel of Westminster’s high streets and a partial review of the City Plan, which encourages a retrofit first policy to tackle embodied carbon but allows for redevelopment where there are significant benefits.
Housing was a major theme of the discussion, with Cllr Hug highlighting how Westminster is stepping up as a developer with over 2,000 homes due to be complete by 2035. More announcements on housing sites are expected to follow soon. He also highlighted that Westminster is prioritising homes that people actually live in as a primary residence rather than those that have historically been purchased as an asset or fourth of fifth residence.
Another issued raised included the overnight visitor levy, which is currently being consulted on by the Government. Cllr Hug welcomed the levy as a hugely important tool to drive growth in London and said that Westminster – as part of Central London Forward partnership of the 12 central London local authorities – is calling for a minimum of 50% of the income raised to be retained by boroughs. He highlighted that Westminster spends around £150 million on services that support the visitor economy – such as street cleansing and enforcement – and made the case for the levy mechanism to recognise that, while also working in partnership with the Mayor on strategic priorities for London.
Collaboration with the Mayor also came up with regards to the future of Oxford Street. Following the inaugural meeting of the Oxford Street Mayoral Development Corporation last week, Cllr Hug made clear that while this approach was not one favoured by Westminster – which had set out its own plans for the area – the borough would work pragmatically to ensure local voices from residents and businesses are heard during this process. He also highlighted Westminster is keen to see freight consolidation to take out unnecessary vehicle movements in the area and tackle congestion.
Our Borough Leader series will now pause and recommence swiftly after the polls close in May. In the meantime, we will be running a programme on what the local elections mean for business with events and activity before and after 7 May.