Westminster news, what's on and local information

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All The events
  1. On now to 1 Nov Frieze Sculpture 2026 English Gardens, The Regent's Park · Free
  2. On now to 17 Oct Flowers-in-the-Fields flower festival St Martin-in-the-Fields · Free
  3. On now to 17 Oct Flowers in the Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields · Free
  4. On now to 17 Oct Flowers-in-the-Fields flower-arranging demonstrations St Martin-in-the-Fields, Gallery in the Crypt · From £15
  5. On now to 18 Oct Frieze London and Frieze Masters Frieze London, The Regent's Park · From £48

Latest Westminster news

Green plaques Charles Amherst Villiers Green Plaque Unveiled in Mayfair A green plaque now marks 22 Farm Street, Mayfair, home in the 1930s of Charles Amherst Villiers, who supercharged the Blower Bentley and helped inspire Bond. · 3 min read Council Tax Westminster Council Tax Support Cut Plan: Up to £314 a Year Westminster may end 100% Council Tax Support for 9,437 working-age claimants from April 2027, costing band D homes up to £314 a year. Respond by 12 November. · 5 min read Health St Mary's Hospital Rebuild: 30-Storey, 800-Bed Tower Plans A 185m, 800-bed tower would replace St Mary's 40 buildings in Paddington, opening 2031 to 2035 if funded. The survey closes 31 October; exhibition dates inside. · 5 min read Charity Caxton Youth Art Auction: Free Tickets for 19 November Free tickets for Caxton Youth's first art auction on 19 November, 6pm to 9pm at 80 Victoria Street: work by learning disabled and autistic young people. · 3 min read Halloween Westminster Halloween: free Hyde Park trail 27 to 29 Oct Free Halloween days in Hyde Park 27 to 29 October, Hamleys' spooky shows from 24 October and an over-18s silent disco on 31 October, with times and prices. · 5 min read Ice skating Westminster ice rinks: three open from 31 October Westminster's three outdoor rinks open on 31 October, 11 November and 19 November. Winter Wonderland skating from £12.65, Somerset House from £13. · 5 min read Christmas Hamleys Santa's grotto 2026: 14 Nov to 24 Dec, from £75 Hamleys' Regent Street grotto opens 14 November at £75 for three, rising to £120 in the last 11 days. London Zoo's Meet Santa is on sale at £19.50 a child. · 5 min read Hyde Park Veteran Car Run 2026: Hyde Park start 1 Nov, from 6.56am Over 400 veteran cars leave Hyde Park from 6.56am on Sunday 1 November and pass Whitehall and Westminster Bridge before 8.45am. Free; Pall Mall show 31 Oct. · 5 min read Christmas Covent Garden Christmas lights: switch-on Thursday 12 Nov Covent Garden switches on its Christmas lights on Thursday 12 November, with 300,000 lights and the West Piazza tree. Free; the start time is not out yet. · 3 min read Christmas Somerset House ice rink: opens 11 Nov, skating from £13 Skate at Somerset House runs 11 November 2026 to 10 January 2027. Adults £13 to £28.50, children from £11, plus a £1.50 fee. Closed Christmas Day. · 4 min read Libraries Westminster Libraries Survey: Closes 16 Nov, 13 Forums Westminster's first libraries and archives survey closes 16 November, with free forums at 13 venues. The council cites financial pressures. Dates and times. · 3 min read Transport Oxford Street Traffic Free 26 Oct: Bus Routes That Change Routes 7, 94 and N137 end at Marble Arch from 24 October and the 98, 139 and 390 leave Oxford Street on the 25th, before it goes traffic free on the 26th. · 7 min read

Almost nobody says they live in Westminster. They say Marylebone, Pimlico, Bayswater, Paddington, St John’s Wood, Belgravia, Soho or Queen’s Park. The word means Parliament and the Abbey to the rest of the country, and a council to the people who live under it.

That council is worth paying attention to. It runs controlled parking zones and permits across nearly the whole borough, licenses the West End, and works through a planning caseload in which most buildings are listed or in a conservation area. All of it is published. We read it and write down what it says, with a link to the document on every fact.

The pages people use most

  • Westminster planning: from 10 August the Oxford Street Development Corporation, not the council, decides planning applications on Oxford Street, and the new City Plan consultation is open until 11 December.
  • Westminster house prices: the borough average fell 22.8% in a year, but the typical sale was £805,000 and 86% of them were flats. Postcode by postcode.
  • Roadworks and travel: what is dug up now, the carnival closures, the £18 congestion charge and what an hour of parking costs in each of the seven zones.
  • Tube and train times: £3.10 a trip in Zone 1, £8.90 a day, and journey times from Maida Vale, Pimlico and Paddington.
  • Things to do in Westminster: verified prices, including the Abbey at £27.13 until 1 September and three of the best things here for nothing.

More in Local Info, News and What’s On.

Every fact is linked to the official source it came from.