KNIGHTSBRIDGE & BELGRAVIA WARD LABOUR ACTION REPORT – March 2026
News from your Knightsbridge & Belgravia Labour Action Team
Dear Resident,
We hope you find our latest Action Report of interest and help.
Every week we go door-knocking to ask residents if there are any local issues on which we can help. Please let us know if we can be of help or assistance at labour4knights.belgr@gmail.com
Please let us know how we are doing by completing our residents’ survey https://bit.ly/Residents-survey-25-2
NEWS AND ACTION
Exhibition Road car meets
The Council is taking action against the Exhibition Road car meets and says,
“Partnering with the police and neighbouring boroughs has seen significant enforcement, including 356 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for nuisance driving this financial year, with 54 FPNs on Exhibition Road specifically. We are also gathering evidence for a borough‑wide injunction to increase our powers, and a new anti-skid treatment due to be installed on Exhibition Road in April will act as a long‑term deterrent. There have been fewer reported car meets so far this year, but we will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to clamp down on this menace and keep the city’s roads safe.”
New Affordable Council Homes
The Council has announced new affordable housing projects as part of its 2026/27 Budget. The Council is allocating £160 million to the new projects. The council has plans to deliver 1,500 affordable family sized homes across Westminster between 2025-2035. This is in addition to the 500 affordable homes – 449 at social rent and 84 intermediate homes – already delivered since 2022 under the Council’s Truly Affordable Housing Strategy. https://www.westminster.gov.uk/news/westminster-council-unveils-new-affordable-housing-plans-part-budget
Bringing empty properties back into use
The Council has successfully brought long-term empty homes back into use through a combination of enforcement action and direct investment, helping increase housing supply for local residents. https://www.westminster.gov.uk/news/council-action-brings-long-term-empty-westminster-homes-back-use
Council to Freeze the main Westminster element of Council Tax for 2026/27
Westminster City Council is to Freeze the main Westminster element of Council Tax for 2026/27 to help residents deal with cost-of-living pressures. The adult social care precept that funds care for the elderly and disabled will see a below-inflation rise of just two percent, meaning the Westminster share of the bill that Band D payers receive will increase by just 20p a week and maintain the second lowest Council Tax in the country. https://www.westminster.gov.uk/news/keeping-council-tax-low-while-investing-our-communities
Energy price reduction
The energy regulator Ofgem has announced a 7% (or £117) reduction of the energy price cap for the period covering 1 April to 30 June 2026. This change amounts to a reduction of around £10 a month for the average household using both electricity and gas. https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/press-release/energy-price-cap-will-fall-7-april
More action on environmental standards
Westminster’s Labour Council has adopted a revised and expanded Environment Supplementary Planning Document which gives much greater weight to environmental standards for new development including new guidance on air quality, energy, biodiversity, flood risk, noise, overheating and, crucially, retrofit.
Tacking the climate emergency is now central to how we manage development in Westminster. The new guidance supports both the City Plan and Westminster’s commitment to becoming a net zero city by 2040. Read more at https://www.westminsterlabour.org.uk/issues/environment/2026/02/24/a-step-change-for-the-environment-westminster-adopts-strengthened-planning-guidance/
E-bikes
The Council has now issued over 1,000 on-the-spot fines of £100 to Lime and Forest for badly parked e-bikes, which the companies are paying. Council staff report seeing more e-bike company staff on the ground to remove badly parked bikes. The approach has been welcomed by the charity for the visually impaired, Guide Dogs, and is being replicated by Islington Council. The Council is planning more dedicated e-bike parking bays, with a focus on adding or extending bays where overcrowding exists and relocating or removing some bays.
Simplifying planning and licensing
The Council has announced plans to simplify and better align its planning and licensing systems, making it easier for residents and businesses to navigate local rules and get decisions more quickly. The Council published two “Direction of Travel” documents setting out the future approach for its City Plan and its Statement of Licensing Policy – the first time the two frameworks have been updated in tandem. https://www.westminster.gov.uk/news/westminster-simplify-planning-and-licensing
Construction Code of Conduct
The Council has published a refreshed and updated Code of Construction Practice planning document which sets out the framework that developers must follow to manage and reduce their impact on the environment, as well as on the highway and footway network, during construction and demolition activities. https://www.westminster.gov.uk/news/westminster-publishes-code-construction-practice
Delivering opportunities for the local community
The Westminster Anchor Alliance shows what can be achieved when public institutions and private partners unite around a shared mission: delivering tangible opportunities for local people across Westminster.
The Alliance brings together employers from healthcare, education, tech and property to make sure economic growth reaches all our communities. Featuring British Land, Grosvenor, Crown Estate, Microsoft, Kings College, London Zoo, Imperial NHS, Octavia and Westminster Council itself, the Anchor Alliance is starting to make a real impact. Read more at https://www.westminsterlabour.org.uk/issues/community/2026/02/24/anchor-alliance-turning-partnership-into-opportunity-this-winter/
Pension Fund Conflict and Human Rights Policy
Westminster City Council’s Pension Fund Committee has adopted a new Conflict and Human Rights Policy, further strengthening the £2 billion Fund’s approach to ethical and responsible investment. https://www.westminster.gov.uk/news/westminster-council-strengthens-pension-fund-approach-ethical-investing