Labour Councillors Slam Mayor’s 6 Per Cent Tube And Bus Fare Increases

Labour Councillors have slammed the Conservative Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who has increased fares on the underground and on buses by six per cent, way above the rate of inflation. Some fares will rise even further. The price of a single bus journey by Oyster will rise by eleven per cent from 90p to £1. Labour say that these fare increases will hit Westminster residents hard, especially the poorest, at a time of economic difficulties and make a mockery of Conservative claims to be helping residents through these testing times.

Westminster Tories spend £250,000 buying back flats they sold for just £25,000

Shirley Porter’s “Homes for Votes” scandal returns to haunt Westminster Conservatives

Westminster Conservatives have spent over £14 million buying back nearly 60 former Council flats sold by the Council in the 1980’s, including 8 flats sold by former Conservative Leader, Shirley Porter, as part of the Council’s illegal Designated Sales “Homes for Votes” policy. The former Council flats, which have cost Council Tax payers an average of £250,000 each, will be used to house families currently living in temporary accommodation. The Council aims to spend over £25 million buying back former Council flats over the next 12 months in an attempt to increase the number of affordable flats for rent in Westminster.

Westminster children to benefit from £1 million Labour government funding

Westminster City Council has just been awarded a grant of £1m from the Department of Children, Schools and Families. This money will be used to upgrade existing playgrounds and to develop new ones. This is a tremendous boost for families who often find their children’s play areas are badly maintained. Many areas in Westminster have no local play facilities at all.

Westminster Conservatives force up Church Street shop rents by 25%

Council refuses to freeze rents for hard-pressed shopkeepers despite claiming to have an ‘economic recovery plan’.

Labour’s Church Street Councillors Barbara Grahame and Aziz Toki have condemned Conservative-controlled Westminster City Council for increasing shop rents by 25% at a time of tough economic conditions. The Council has rejected a petition from Church Street traders to freeze rents, handed to the Council in July by Councillor Toki and will now only help those tenants who can prove they are suffering hardship by producing accounts and other financial evidence.

Tory Westminster’s motorbike parking tax equivalent to 22% council tax rise

Westminster Conservatives’ new Motorbike parking tax is equivalent to a 22% Council Tax rise for Westminster’s motorbike-owning residents, say Labour Councillors.

Labour say that the annual £150 motorbike parking charge introduced earlier this year represents a 22% increase on the Band D Council Tax charge of £687 for motor-bike owning residents. And for low income residents who cannot afford the £150 annual payment, the weekly, monthly and quarterly payments represent even bigger increases…

Westminster Labour calls for review of Abbey Road CCTV camera

Labour Councillors have called for a review of the CCTV camera in Abbey Road, at the corner of Springfield Road, following the tragic death of 10 year old Jack Duvall in November and after complaints from shopkeepers that the camera is driving away trade from shoppers arriving by car.

Traders and residents say that the CCTV camera should be used to deter crime and catch criminals and not be used simply as a cash-raising device for the Council. Apparently, the City Council says that the CCTV camera did not record the incident in which Jack Duvall was involved as it was not switched on at the time…

Labour’s Church Street councillors support Poynter House residents over new homes plan

Labour Church Street Councillors Barbara Grahame and Aziz Toki are supporting residents of Poynter House in Aberden Place who are unhappy about CityWest Homes’ proposals to build a development of one-bedroom 2-storey shared ownership houses in the garden of Poynter House.

Councillor Barbara Grahame, Labour Councillor for Church Street, said that Poynter House residents who responded to CityWest Homes’ initial consultation were not happy about this proposal. She said:

“The proposed development would reduce the amount of open space around Poynter House, and the benefit of some improved storage sheds was not particularly welcomed as not everyone finds a shed useful…

Independent report blasts Conservative Westminster over £450 million investment strategy

An independent report by top accountants KPMG into Westminster City Council’s £450 million Investment strategy, following the Council’s investment of £17 million in now-failed Icelandic banks, has identified a series of weaknesses in the Council’s performance.

KPMG identified the following flaws in the way in which the Council manages its investments:

“inconsistent counterparty limits, e.g a A/F1 rated clearing bank has a limit of £75 million whereas a counterparty rated AA/F1+ (which is of higher investment quality) has a limit of £25 million”;
“there is no audit trail maintained for the changes made to the counterparty list such as additions, deletions and changes to credit ratings and limits”…

Westminster Labour unveils £5.5 million Council savings plan

Labour Councillors have unveiled a £5.5 million savings plan which will cut out waste at City Hall and redirect the extra money to helping residents and the local economy. The savings are:

halving the Council’s communications and public relations budget - saving £1.5 million a year;

a 20% reduction in the amount spent on temporary agency admin/clerical staff - saving £600,000 a year;

a 20% reduction in the amount spent on temporary agency professional staff - saving £2.4 million a year;

shelving plans to hire 4 new Group Directors - saving £800,000 a year;

a 50% reduction in the amount spent on taxis and hire cars by the Council - saving £100,000;

reducing the amount spent on food and refreshments for Councillors and Senior Officers at Council and Committee meetings - saving £30,000 a year;

halving the amount spent by the Lord Mayor on hospitality - saving £20,000 a year;

reducing the amount spent on the Civic Dinner - saving £20,000 a year.

Total Savings - £5,470,000 a year.

Labour councillors demand a review of motorbike parking tax

Westminster’s Labour Councillors have demanded a review of the City Council’s £1.50p a day motorbike tax which users say is unjustified as it has not resulted in any improvements in parking facilities or bike security. Motorbike riders say that the new motorbike parking charge is operating as a tax on users and is simply another way of raising money for the City Council.

Motorbike users point out that they should be encouraged, not penalised, because motorbikes:

are low polluters; do not cause congestion; do not require a large parking space; keep traffic moving; and relieve pressure on the buses and tubes.

Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Leader of the Labour Group, said:

“Motorbike oweners in Westminster are angry that they are having to pay a new tax to the Council for which they are getting absolutely no benefits.