The meeting was dominated by a debate about the council's proposed budget for 2025-26. The budget, which includes a 4.99% increase in council tax, was approved despite opposition amendments calling for a smaller council tax increase.

Council Tax

The council approved a 4.99% increase in council tax, which will result in an annual increase of £25.04 or 48p per week for a Band D property. This increase is necessary to fund a number of key services, including support for the cost of living crisis, adult social care, and tackling antisocial behaviour.

The Conservative opposition proposed an amendment to reduce the council tax increase to 3.99%. They argued that the Labour administration had failed to make sufficient efficiency savings and had wasted money on pet projects . The amendment also called for a number of additional spending commitments, including £250,000 for a dockless bike enforcement task force and a further £250,000 for a judicial review, if needed of the Mayor of London's plans for Oxford Street. The Conservative councillors argued that the Mayor's plans would lead to a loss of income for the council and would damage the character of the area. They also called for the council to rework the rules on ward budgets to prevent its abuse to ensure that ward budgets are not used for direct distribution to residents .

The Labour administration rejected the Conservative amendment, arguing that it would lead to cuts in frontline services. They also defended their record on efficiency savings, pointing out that they had identified £30 million in savings in the current budget. Labour argued that the Conservative proposals were a gamble, not a plan and lacked clarity on where the savings would be made. The Conservatives' proposed reduction of 1% to the council tax increase, which equates to £5 per person, would be insufficient to maintain council services or lobby the government for better support for the deep inequalities in the city, they argued.

The debate on council tax was particularly heated, with both sides accusing each other of playing politics. Ultimately, the Labour administration's budget was approved, with the Conservative amendment being defeated.

Housing

The council's housing services were recently awarded the highest possible rating by the Social Housing Regulator. This was welcomed by the Labour administration, who argued that it was evidence of the progress they had made in improving housing services since they came to power in 2022.

The regulator was clear that our top grade was for the strength of our improvement, our strength of our plans, and the leadership of the work being done at the moment to turn the service around. Not that every problem had been solved.

The Conservatives, however, argued that the C1 rating was only a basic pass and that there was still much more to do to improve housing services.

C1 is basic. It's a basic pass ... we have to be honest about that. There are no extraordinaries given, no exceptions, no goods. It's a pass.

Councillor Judith Southern also criticised the lack of resident involvement in the council's housing plans. She argued that the council needed to do more to listen to residents and to involve them in decision-making. She cited several examples of residents who had been let down by the council's housing services, including leaseholders being charged inflated prices for fire safety light bulbs and tenants having to endure antisocial behaviour from their neighbours.

Councillor Noble, the Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Renters, defended the Labour administration's record on housing, pointing to the opening of Ebury Bridge Phase 1, the single largest delivery of new council housing in South Westminster for 50 years. He also highlighted the council's plans to build more council homes at Church Street, Westmead and 291 Harrow Road and to introduce a city-wide selective licensing scheme for private landlords.

Antisocial Behaviour

The council also approved a package of measures to tackle antisocial behaviour, including a £2 million investment in CCTV cameras and the recruitment of eight new city inspectors. The Conservatives welcomed the investment in CCTV, but questioned how effective it would be. They also raised concerns about the council's ability to recruit enough staff to monitor the new cameras.

Lots of cameras without operators to monitor them or police and teams to use the footage are going to be pretty useless.

Councillor Aisha Less, the Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Protection, defended the council's plans, arguing that they were a deliberate, targeted approach to tackling crime backed up with tangible investment . She highlighted examples of how CCTV footage had already been used to assist the police in making arrests.

Climate Change

Councillor Paul Fisher, Cabinet Member for Climate Action, spoke about the council's progress in tackling climate change. He highlighted the council's investment in the Greening Westminster Fund, the Sustainable City Charter and the Greening and Biodiversity Strategy. He also spoke about the council's commitment to becoming a net-zero council by 2030 and a net-zero city by 2040.

Councillor Ed Pitt-Ford, the Conservative opposition spokesperson for finance, welcomed the council's commitment to tackling climate change, but warned that the council was not on track to meet its net-zero targets. He argued that the council needed to do more to decarbonise its buildings and to reduce energy bills.

Climate is no longer a footnote to the budget. It is going to make funding temporary accommodation feel as easy as funding the increase in cabinet member allowances.

He also argued that the council should be doing more to make sure that e-bike operators are paying for proper enforcement of parking restrictions.

Community Hubs

The council's plans to spend £10 million on community hubs were criticised by the Conservatives, who argued that the money would be better spent on other services, such as a new day care centre for adults with learning disabilities. Councillor Dean said:

These hubs are just a duplication of many of the services that we already provide.

She argued that the council should invest in a new, state-of-the-art day care centre instead.

Councillor Barraclough, Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Development, defended the council's plans, arguing that the community hubs would provide residents with a range of services, including access to council support services. He said:

These will be inclusive spaces where residents can come together for coffee mornings, cultural activities, community health activities, and perhaps most importantly, to access council support services face-to-face in their communities.

Other Issues

A number of other issues were discussed during the meeting, including the recent by-election victory for the Conservatives in Vincent Square, the performance of the council's children's services, and the council's plans to improve waste collection services.

Conclusion

The meeting was a lively and at times heated affair, with a number of key issues being debated. The Labour administration's budget was ultimately approved, but the Conservatives made it clear that they would continue to challenge the council's policies and spending priorities.

The meeting concluded with the Lord Mayor issuing a health and safety warning after a little bit of an accident in the front here with a glass . He urged members to be careful if you're passing the minorities' tables .