Here’s our Autumn Action Report. We hope you find it useful and informative.
GET IN TOUCH if there’s something in your street or block that needs action or an issue we can assist with. We will always do our best to help.
- Councillor Angela Piddock: apiddock@westminster.gov.uk
- Councillor Adam Hug: leader@westminster.gov.uk
- Councillor David Boothroyd: dboothroyd@westminster.gov.uk
- Phone: 020 7641 5377 – leave a message and we will get back to you.
ADVICE SURGERIES
Maida Vale Library, corner of Shirland Road and Sutherland Ave, London W9 2QT on Saturdays between 11am-12noon (we no longer hold surgeries at the Stowe Centre). This is a joint surgery with Harrow Road Councillors on a rota.
REPORT IT
You can help to get problems sorted quickly via Report It Use it to report dumped rubbish, overflowing bins, broken street lights, wonky pavements, potholes, animal welfare concerns, anti-social behaviour, noise nuisance and much more.
NEWS | UPDATES | ACTION
New CCTV For Westbourne
As your local Councillors, we’ve pushed hard to get key sites in our area covered by the Council’s new 200-camera CCTV system. A camera has been installed on Alfred Road to cover the area around the footbridge. The Council has also agreed to install a further two cameras: one on Harrow Road outside Westminster Academy and the other on Bourne Terrace near the entrance to Westbourne Green.
The Housing Department has also taken action to improve the housing CCTV cameras at four key locations across the Amberley Estate.
Westbourne Summer Festival
It was great to be joined by the Lord Mayor of Westminster at the Westbourne Summer Festival in June, celebrating Windrush Day. The Lord Mayor thanked the Windrush Generation and their families, whose enduring contributions have helped shape Westminster into the vibrant, diverse and welcoming city it is today.
Brunel Community Hub
We are delighted that, from December, the former Family Centre on the Brunel Estate will open as a new Community hub (initially for 3 years) run by Happy Lizzy Event Planning.
There will be two more co-design sessions to help shape the look and feel of the new hub (Saturday 8th November 2-4 pm and 15th November 2-4pm) before it opens. The hub will bring together a programme of activities for residents, including health and wellbeing, as well as face-to-face Council services, into the heart of the community, working in partnership with lots of local voluntary sector organisations. The hub will also include a community cafe.
Breaking News: Traffic Light Scheme Withdrawn – Great Western Road/Westbourne Park Road
Many residents were opposed to the highways department plan to add traffic lights to the junction of Great Western Road with Westbourne Park Road, because it could cause traffic jams and more air pollution from exhaust fumes. After local consultation and internal discussions, the Council has decided to withdraw the scheme, so will not be installing the lights.
We’d like to thank the many local people who put in their views and worked with ward councillors on this issue.
Brunel Estate
We were pleased that over the summer, the ‘DLO’ (the Council’s new directly employed handyperson service) worked with residents to undertake improvement work across the estate. Projects included the painting of the lift lobby areas of 6 blocks on the estate – Mickleton House (floors 2-6), Buckshead House, Culham House, Dainton House, Riverford House and Keyham House.
They also cleared and cleaned blocked drains, repaired the kick and push plates on communal doors, and repaired fencing to the allotments. More work on the communal redecorations is due to commence next year.
We’ve also been working with residents on the excessive number of pigeons (caused by one person feeding the birds). Whilst action is underway to attempt to prevent the feeding, the Pest Control Team is taking action to try and reduce the number of birds – there should be a significant change for the better by December.
Wessex Gardens – Rebates And Bin Lorries
Following requests from Councillors and residents, the Major Works Team reviewed the contract costs and highlighted the costs associated with the HIUs and meters that were poorly installed in the 2015 major works and which had never worked. As a result 123 leasehold flats will receive an average rebate £2900.
Veolia bin lorries generally begin their rounds at 7am, but the bin store in Wessex Gardens is very close to residents’ bedrooms. So in December 2024 the Council and Veolia agreed to reschedule the route so collections only happened after 8am.
It was working well, but recently one substitute driver was unaware of later start and woke residents up. We’ve made sure Veolia management has re-briefed all crew members so they all know about the 8am restriction, and we’ve not had any repeat since September. Please let us know if there are any further issues.
Lights On Great Western Road
Residents of the Great Western Road side of Brunel Estate have contacted us about problems with the streetlights: some don’t work, others are on 24/7, and most are very dim – but when they are bright they seem to shine directly into their bedrooms. The Council’s Highways Team has raised a job to get them all fixed. We’re trying to get a shield put on so that the light is directed down to the street not into bedrooms.
Street Cleaning – Aldridge Road Villas, Leamington Road Villas & Westbourne Park Road
Westbourne Labour Councillors are working with the Street Cleaning Team to have greasy stains removed from the pavement and to clean up sticky leaf fall from lime trees.
Harford House
We visited residents recently and heard about the renewed anti-social behaviour at the back of the block. We have raised this with Council Officers and asked them to try to improve the quality of the CCTV monitoring the back and to deal with the broken gate, though we know it is a repeated issue. We’re also taking up issues with street cleaning on the walkway in front of the block and the dumping of rubbish out of the window into people’s gardens.
Westmead
We are really pleased to hear that after years of development work, the Council’s new Westmead development is opening in January. Since Labour took over the scheme in 2022 we’ve made a number of key changes, such as replacing the 41 previously planned private units with 100% affordable housing comprising 34 mostly family-sized social homes (70% of the floor area) and 31% London Living rent for local key workers.
Graffiti
Carnival time seemed to be linked to a big outbreak of graffiti this year, with the Harrow Road bridge over the canal and the nearby wall opposite 300 Harrow Road being covered. The Council always does a post-carnival graffiti survey and managed to get it removed. Since then Labour Councillors have reported graffiti on bus stops and around Westbourne Park Station.
Labour Commits To Scrap Underperforming 10-year Tory Housing Contracts
Labour Westminster Council has committed to scrapping the failing 10-year long contracts that have led to the housing repairs contractors underperforming since 2017.
We have drawn up plans to make permanent and expand the in-house handyperson service (the DLO) and create more competition and local control over the performance of contractors – on much shorter contracts that will only be renewed if they improve on current performance.
Residents’ Parking Yard On Harrow Road
Ward Councillors are working with a group of residents who have had issues with people coming into an open yard and causing problems at their communal front door. Plans for an electric gate for vehicles and pedestrians need to be approved by the Council. We are seeking agreement for a design that the Highways Team are content with.
Windsor Gardens and Ascot House
We alerted the Neighbourhood Team to drug taking and dealing around the bin area as well as threatening behaviour towards cleaners. The situation has now been resolved but will be monitored.
New Social And Affordable Homes At 291 Harrow Road
In July the Council’s Planning Committee approved plans for the redevelopment of the plot of land next to Elmfield Way known as 291 Harrow Road.
The previous Conservative administration purchased the land from the NHS who failed to deliver new housing they consulted on in 2014. Labour Westminster Council has now come up with a plan that delivers more truly affordable homes on the site than the Tories had envisaged. There will be 51 new social rent homes (27 for general needs and 24 for those receiving adult social care) and 21 key worker homes, along with private flats that fund the cost of the affordable homes.
Under the new plans a new all-weather Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) will be incorporated into the new building, new shops and commercial units on the Harrow Road frontage and new publicly accessible greening – rather than the current closed off area around the existing MUGA.
Sutherland Avenue
We reported and got fixed a broken give-way sign at the junction of Sutherland Avenue with Harrow Road, and reported rubbish dumping from an illegal Airbnb. We are also trying to address the longstanding issues with illegally parked cars on the cross-hatching in the middle of the road which can block the exit from Foscote Mews when turning right.
Masjid Al Khalil
We are working with the management of the local mosque around some of the security concerns they are facing.
Supporting Westminster Academy
We have continued to support one of our local secondary schools which is concerned about an increase in anti-social and potentially criminal behaviour outside the school by helping to improve its links with the local Safer Neighbourhood Team.
Shipping Container In Brindley Car Park
For several years there’s been a shipping container occupying one of the parking places in the Brindley Estate car park on Alfred Road. It doesn’t seem to be in daily use. We are trying to get an explanation. It doesn’t appear to be connected with the Axis works on fire safety, which has stored material in shipping containers next to Brinklow House.
Flyposting On Hoardings Next To Brinklow House
Talking of Brinklow House, the hoardings between it and Westminster Academy have tended to attract flyposting. We have alerted the team to remove the posters – although they seem to return soon after – but there is a good chance the hoarding can be removed quite soon.
Warwick Estate
Westbourne Labour Councillors helped residents get the Council to remove a damaged motorbike without registration plates which had been dumped on Desborough Close, Delamere Terrace. Following resident complaints, we got the container removed from Gaydon House which had been left there following previous major works. We also got the Council to take swift action on fly tipping from a van which had dumped its load outside the Gaydon garages.
Westbourne Green Park
Over the summer, bollards were put on the Blomfield Villas access to Westbourne Green after some problems with cars and vans driving through.
217 Harrow Road
Together with Westbourne Forum members and Councillors have contributed to consultations concerning the proposed private redevelopment development at 217 Harrow Road to make the case for more social and affordable housing and to improve design.
Warwick Crescent Anti-Social Behaviour
Disturbing problems of anti-social behaviour were raised with ward Councillors in August. The Council’s City Inspectors have visited to make sure action has been taken, and the surrounding area has also been cleaned – some dog waste was removed.
Westbourne Terrace Road – New Zebra Crossing
After working with residents for many years your Labour Councillors are delighted that finally the new parallel zebra crossing on Westbourne Terrace Road junction with Warwick Crescent has opened. This brings together footway buildouts on the four corners of the junction and a new dropped crossing on Delamere Terrace and Warwick Crescent in addition to the new zebra crossing.
Amberley Estate
Your Labour Councillors identified building rubble and other waste in some of the garages that was forcing the door to be propped open. This was cleaned up by Council Officers. Following complaints raised in the late spring and early summer, a new door was installed in Charfield Court along with repairs to a number of different locks. Similar work on the door locks was taken on Aldsworth Close and graffiti, wall, ceiling and window damage was addressed across the estate, particularly in Clearwell and Downfield. Work is moving forward on the roof renewal project on Aldsworth and Barnwood, as is an upcoming project to help with windows, internal and external decorations, access control, walkways and balcony finishes. As set out above the housing department has taken action to improve the housing CCTV cameras at four key locations across the estate.
Canalside
In September, the Council curated the North Paddington Canalside Festival underneath the Westway. This was a series of themed events each Saturday combining water-based sports with towpath-based cultural and educational activities, bringing together residents, businesses and partner organisations to offer free, inclusive activities including the creation of new public art. We have also been raising issues with the Canal and Rivers Trust about boats overstaying on their moorings.
USEFUL INFORMATION
Pension Credit
If you’re over State Pension Age and on a low income you may be entitled to Pension Credit to help with living costs. It is separate from the State Pension. Pension Credit can also help with housing costs such as service charges and you may get extra help if you’re a carer, severely disabled, or responsible for a child or young person. You may be able to get Pension Credit even if you have other income, savings or own your own home. Find out more here: https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit
Rent Help For Council Tenants
To help Council tenants who do not qualify for Housing Benefit or Universal Credit, the Council is continuing the Rent Support Fund to help those in financial difficulties. Click here.
Refuse and Recycling Collection
Click the links below for more information about refuse and recycling services.
The Council delivers clear recycling bags twice a year to residents who receive a kerbside mixed recycling collection service. It is quick and easy to order more if you need them. You can also visit your local library to pick-up recycling bags.
Bulky Waste Collections
You can book a bulky waste collection service with the Council for £36 for up to 6 items for collection within 3 working days. If you do not have 6 items for collection, why not ask your neighbours if they have any and then share the cost. Click here for more details here.
If you receive Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support, the service is free. This is limited to one collection of up to 6 items, every 90 days.
Request secure bicycle storage hangars, cycle stands and electric vehicle charging points
If you’ve got a suggestion for a bicycle hangar or stand in your area or for an electric vehicle charging point, send in your request by clicking this link or email David, Angela or Adam
Handyperson Service
Westminster residents aged over 60, or anyone in receipt of disability benefit, can request free help from a handyperson. The service covers minor works to a home such as replacing light bulbs and other small DIY jobs. It does not cover gardening, plumbing or decorating. Please note this is not an emergency service. You can book online using the above link or call 020 7641 8959
Free Cycling Lessons
Free cycle training is open to anyone who lives, works or studies in Westminster. Over 4,000 people have benefitted from this over the past two years. https://www.cycleconfident.com/sponsors/city-of-westminster
Walking
Discover a whole new side of Westminster with Footways. The new interactive walking map reveals quiet streets for walking, with intriguing features to discover on the way. https://footways.london/westminster
Trade Parking Permits
If you are having work to your home or business you can apply for a trade parking permit. Click here for more details
Street Link
If you see anyone sleeping rough, please contact Street Link who are able offer help and assistance. You can contact Street Link 24 hours a day at https://thestreetlink.org.uk/
Register To Vote
If you’ve moved recently or are approaching your 18th birthday, don’t forget to register to vote. It takes just 5 minutes to register online by clicking here You’ll need your National Insurance number to hand.
Pest Control
If you are a Westminster tenant or leaseholder and have issues with pests in your home or in a public area, the Council’s new Pest Control Service is now live. You can book an appointment online by clicking this link. You will need your 8-digit reference number to hand. Telephone booking is still available via the Customer Contact Centre