Paul Swaddle: Why Westminster needs a Conservative reset
Confidence requires clarity.
Cllr Paul Swaddle OBE is the Leader of the Conservative Group on Westminster City Council
With less than 100 days to go until election day, Westminster faces a clear choice about the direction of our city.
Labour has failed to keep our streets safe and our city clean. It has wasted £27 million on a failed housing contractor. It has ignored local people on the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, surrendering to Sadiq Khan’s vanity project. And it has backed Labour in government as they pursue a politics of envy by threatening ordinary family homes in Westminster with a Family Home Tax.
But there is an alternative. A Conservative reset that will listen and stand up for residents, crack down on crime, clean up our city and restore proper financial management.
When I speak to local people about what has changed since Labour came to office at Westminster City Council in 2022, a clear pattern emerges: they feel less safe as crime spirals.
Phone thefts, public disorder and shoplifting have got worse while robbery, drug use and violence are frequent occurrences. People want to feel confident walking home at night, safe using their phone in public and able to enjoy local parks and high streets without intimidation or persistent nuisance.
This is the clearest evidence of Same Old Labour’s failure to keep people safe. Plenty of slogans, but no leadership or grip of residents’ concerns and a Labour council comfortable with decline.
Labour runs Westminster the same way Sadiq Khan runs London: slow to act, weak on enforcement and quick to blame everyone but themselves.
Anti-social behaviour hotspots are allowed to fester, theft feels normalised, and a lack of enforcement sends a message that rules no longer matter. Labour is managing decline rather than tackling it.
Westminster deserves leadership that acts with urgency. That is why Westminster Conservatives are putting safe streets at the centre of our plan. I have already announced a dedicated Cabinet Member for Enforcement to restore grip and accountability. This is just the start of a tougher, more focused approach to keeping our streets safe.
Strong policing is vital, but so is enforcement that shapes the public realm.
The chaos of dangerous and obstructive dockless bikes blocking pavements is one example. Residents and families should not have to navigate a jungle of bikes left without consequence.
The only action Westminster Labour has taken is to bend to Conservative calls to begin fining dockless bike operators. But even this is not enforced. Labour promised over £1 million of fine revenue but has barely generated £5,000. This is the reality of a weak Labour council that cannot deliver on its promises as unpaid fines pile up and dockless bikes remain littered on our streets.
The same …
Confidence requires clarity.
Cllr Paul Swaddle OBE is the Leader of the Conservative Group on Westminster City Council
With less than 100 days to go until election day, Westminster faces a clear choice about the direction of our city.
Labour has failed to keep our streets safe and our city clean. It has wasted £27 million on a failed housing contractor. It has ignored local people on the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, surrendering to Sadiq Khan’s vanity project. And it has backed Labour in government as they pursue a politics of envy by threatening ordinary family homes in Westminster with a Family Home Tax.
But there is an alternative. A Conservative reset that will listen and stand up for residents, crack down on crime, clean up our city and restore proper financial management.
When I speak to local people about what has changed since Labour came to office at Westminster City Council in 2022, a clear pattern emerges: they feel less safe as crime spirals.
Phone thefts, public disorder and shoplifting have got worse while robbery, drug use and violence are frequent occurrences. People want to feel confident walking home at night, safe using their phone in public and able to enjoy local parks and high streets without intimidation or persistent nuisance.
This is the clearest evidence of Same Old Labour’s failure to keep people safe. Plenty of slogans, but no leadership or grip of residents’ concerns and a Labour council comfortable with decline.
Labour runs Westminster the same way Sadiq Khan runs London: slow to act, weak on enforcement and quick to blame everyone but themselves.
Anti-social behaviour hotspots are allowed to fester, theft feels normalised, and a lack of enforcement sends a message that rules no longer matter. Labour is managing decline rather than tackling it.
Westminster deserves leadership that acts with urgency. That is why Westminster Conservatives are putting safe streets at the centre of our plan. I have already announced a dedicated Cabinet Member for Enforcement to restore grip and accountability. This is just the start of a tougher, more focused approach to keeping our streets safe.
Strong policing is vital, but so is enforcement that shapes the public realm.
The chaos of dangerous and obstructive dockless bikes blocking pavements is one example. Residents and families should not have to navigate a jungle of bikes left without consequence.
The only action Westminster Labour has taken is to bend to Conservative calls to begin fining dockless bike operators. But even this is not enforced. Labour promised over £1 million of fine revenue but has barely generated £5,000. This is the reality of a weak Labour council that cannot deliver on its promises as unpaid fines pile up and dockless bikes remain littered on our streets.
The same …
Paul Swaddle: Why Westminster needs a Conservative reset
Confidence requires clarity.
Cllr Paul Swaddle OBE is the Leader of the Conservative Group on Westminster City Council
With less than 100 days to go until election day, Westminster faces a clear choice about the direction of our city.
Labour has failed to keep our streets safe and our city clean. It has wasted £27 million on a failed housing contractor. It has ignored local people on the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, surrendering to Sadiq Khan’s vanity project. And it has backed Labour in government as they pursue a politics of envy by threatening ordinary family homes in Westminster with a Family Home Tax.
But there is an alternative. A Conservative reset that will listen and stand up for residents, crack down on crime, clean up our city and restore proper financial management.
When I speak to local people about what has changed since Labour came to office at Westminster City Council in 2022, a clear pattern emerges: they feel less safe as crime spirals.
Phone thefts, public disorder and shoplifting have got worse while robbery, drug use and violence are frequent occurrences. People want to feel confident walking home at night, safe using their phone in public and able to enjoy local parks and high streets without intimidation or persistent nuisance.
This is the clearest evidence of Same Old Labour’s failure to keep people safe. Plenty of slogans, but no leadership or grip of residents’ concerns and a Labour council comfortable with decline.
Labour runs Westminster the same way Sadiq Khan runs London: slow to act, weak on enforcement and quick to blame everyone but themselves.
Anti-social behaviour hotspots are allowed to fester, theft feels normalised, and a lack of enforcement sends a message that rules no longer matter. Labour is managing decline rather than tackling it.
Westminster deserves leadership that acts with urgency. That is why Westminster Conservatives are putting safe streets at the centre of our plan. I have already announced a dedicated Cabinet Member for Enforcement to restore grip and accountability. This is just the start of a tougher, more focused approach to keeping our streets safe.
Strong policing is vital, but so is enforcement that shapes the public realm.
The chaos of dangerous and obstructive dockless bikes blocking pavements is one example. Residents and families should not have to navigate a jungle of bikes left without consequence.
The only action Westminster Labour has taken is to bend to Conservative calls to begin fining dockless bike operators. But even this is not enforced. Labour promised over £1 million of fine revenue but has barely generated £5,000. This is the reality of a weak Labour council that cannot deliver on its promises as unpaid fines pile up and dockless bikes remain littered on our streets.
The same …
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