Local news, what's on and the information you need for Marylebone, Pimlico and the rest of Westminster.
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Westminster Local Information

Practical local information for Westminster: bin collection days, parking, council tax bands and planning, each one linked back to the official source.

Top story Westminster Temporary Accommodation: Half Is Out of Borough Westminster temporary accommodation: half of it is outside the borough and waits are long. Where you can be placed, your repairs and how to challenge it. · 8 min read

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Local Info Westminster Council House Transfer and the 42-Day Swap Westminster council housing transfer: a transfer needs overcrowding or a medical need and no arrears; a mutual exchange gets a decision within 42 days. · 7 min read Local Info Disabled Facilities Grant Westminster: Up to £30,000 Disabled Facilities Grant in Westminster: up to £30,000, no means test for children, a top-up that cuts your contribution, and a 6-month decision deadline. · 7 min read Local Info Westminster Handyperson Service: Free Jobs for Over-60s Westminster's handyperson service is free for over-60s and disability benefit claimants: two half-day visits a year, £50 of materials each. What it fixes. · 5 min read Covent Garden Covent Garden Roadworks: Road Closures and Traffic Orders Near Covent Garden Covent Garden roadworks: 201-203 City Road (notice of 29 Oct) and every other traffic order within 3 km, checked each morning with the council's notice... Marylebone Marylebone Roadworks: Road Closures and Traffic Orders Near Marylebone Marylebone roadworks: 54 James Street (notice of 28 Oct) and every other traffic order within 3 km, checked each morning with the council's notice linked. Paddington Paddington Roadworks: Road Closures and Traffic Orders Near Paddington Paddington roadworks: Paddington Underground Station Praed Street London (notice of 28 Oct) and every other traffic order within 3 km, checked each... Soho Soho Roadworks: Road Closures and Traffic Orders Near Soho Soho roadworks: no temporary traffic orders in force within 3 km of Soho right now. Checked every morning from the council's notices. Victoria Victoria Roadworks: Road Closures and Traffic Orders Near Victoria Victoria roadworks: no temporary traffic orders in force within 3 km of Victoria right now. Checked every morning from the council's notices. Covent Garden Covent Garden Weather: 7-Day Forecast and Today's Hourly Outlook Covent Garden weather today: light drizzle, 11°C by day and 8°C overnight, with a 35% chance of rain and winds up to 4 mph. Marylebone Marylebone Weather: 7-Day Forecast and Today's Hourly Outlook Marylebone weather today: light drizzle, 11°C by day and 8°C overnight, with a 63% chance of rain and winds up to 4 mph. Paddington Paddington Weather: 7-Day Forecast and Today's Hourly Outlook Paddington weather today: light drizzle, 11°C by day and 8°C overnight, with a 63% chance of rain and winds up to 4 mph. Soho Soho Weather: 7-Day Forecast and Today's Hourly Outlook Soho weather today: light drizzle, 11°C by day and 8°C overnight, with a 63% chance of rain and winds up to 4 mph. Seven-day forecast, updated every morning. Victoria Victoria Weather: 7-Day Forecast and Today's Hourly Outlook Victoria weather today: light drizzle, 11°C by day and 8°C overnight, with a 63% chance of rain and winds up to 4 mph. Local Info Westminster Major Works Leaseholders: Now 13 Years to Pay Westminster major works bills: resident leaseholders owing £30,000 or more can now take 8 years interest free, or 13 years. Every payment option. · 9 min read Local Info Westminster Petrol Prices: Cheapest Unleaded and Diesel Today Cheapest petrol in Westminster today: unleaded from 136.8p and diesel from 142.8p a litre, across 57 forecourts within 8 miles. Updated every morning from... Weather Westminster Weather: 7-Day Forecast and Today's Hourly Outlook Westminster weather today: light drizzle, 11°C by day and 8°C overnight, with a 63% chance of rain and winds up to 4 mph. Local Info Westminster Gas Safety Check: Miss It and the Council Can Sue Westminster's council gas safety check is yearly and a tenancy condition: refuse access and the council can seek an injunction. CO alarms, leaseholders. · 7 min read Local Info Free Childcare Westminster: Apply by 31 Dec for January Free childcare in Westminster: 30 hours from 9 months for working parents, 15 for every 3 and 4 year old, Busy2s for 2s. Apply by 31 December for January. · 8 min read Local Info Westminster Roadworks: Piccadilly Lanes Shut to 13 Nov Two of three eastbound lanes on Piccadilly at Berkeley Street are shut until 13 November. Bayswater Road has three-way lights at Lancaster Terrace to 11 November. · 17 min read Local Info Westminster Primary School Admissions: Apply by 15 Jan Westminster primary school admissions close on 15 January 2027. 22 of 30 schools took every applicant in 2026; the tightest cut-off was 0.202 miles. · 8 min read Local Info Westminster Secondary School Admissions: Apply by 31 Oct Westminster secondary school admissions close at 11.59pm on 31 October 2026. Six of the ten schools offered every applicant a place last year. · 10 min read Local Info Westminster Housing Register: 6,482 Waiting, 700 Homes Westminster housing register: 6,482 applicants by April 2025, up 21.4% in a year, against about 700 lettings. The bands, the bidding week and the real odds. · 9 min read Local Info Westminster Planning Permission: The 10 Article 4 Directions Westminster planning permission and Article 4: every basement needs it, most shops cannot become flats without it, and seven streets have extra rules. · 10 min read Local Info Westminster Congestion Charge Discount: the 2027 Deadline Westminster residents inside the zone pay £1.80 instead of £18. From 1 March 2027 new applicants need an electric vehicle, so registering now locks in 90%. · 9 min read Local Info Westminster School Term Dates 2026/27: A 2-Week October Westminster school term dates for 2026/27 in full, plus the borough secondaries that break for two weeks in October when the council's calendar says one. · 8 min read Local Info Westminster Recycling Centre: There Is None in the Borough Westminster has no recycling centre. Residents use Smugglers Way in Wandsworth, car visits must be booked, and you need ID showing a Westminster address. · 9 min read Local Info Westminster Bulky Waste Collection: £36 for Six Items Westminster bulky waste collection: £36 for up to six items, £6.40 each after, free on Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support, plus the free Saturday route. · 9 min read Local Info Westminster Council Tax Discounts: 25% Is £261.96 Living alone in a band D Westminster home takes £261.96 off the 2026/27 bill. Every discount and exemption, plus the two-year review that removes one. · 10 min read Local Info Westminster Bin Collection Days: It's a Time, Not a Day Westminster bin collection days work differently: each street gets a time window, not a weekday. How to find yours, and the 30-minute rule that loses bags. · 17 min read Local Info Westminster Resident Parking Permit Cost: £40 to £353 The 2026 emissions bands in full, from £40 to £353.10, plus the £60 diesel surcharge and the battery-size rule that doubles the price for a big EV. · 12 min read Local Info Westminster house prices: £836,331, down 22.8% The average Westminster home sold for £836,331 in May 2026, down 22.8% in a year. The typical sale was £805,000 and 86% were flats. Postcode by postcode. · 13 min read Local Info Westminster Tube times: £3.10 a trip, £8.90 a day A Zone 1 Tube trip costs £3.10 at peak and the day is capped at £8.90. Journey times from Maida Vale, Pimlico and Paddington, plus Heathrow and Gatwick fares. · 9 min read Local Info Things to do in Westminster: the Abbey is £27 to 1 Sept Westminster Abbey is £27.13 until 1 September, then £31. Buckingham Palace is £33 in advance, and three of the best things here cost nothing. Prices checked. · 11 min read Local Info Westminster planning: council loses Oxford Street 10 Aug From 10 August the Oxford Street Development Corporation, not Westminster, decides planning there. Plus the new City Plan consultation, open until 11 December. · 10 min read Local Info Westminster Parking Zones: Hours End at 6.30pm, Not 9pm Westminster parking zones A to G by sub-zone: pay-to-park and resident bay hours, the ten sub-zones enforced 24 hours, plus Sunday and bank holiday rules. 11 min read Local Info Westminster Council Tax Bands 2026/27: Band G Is Wrong Westminster council tax bands for 2026/27, A to H with the GLA split. The council's own web page swaps band G and mistypes band B. Here are the right figures. 8 min read Local Info Westminster Blue Badge: You Also Need a White Badge A Westminster Blue Badge does not give you the three hours on a single yellow you get elsewhere in England. What Blue covers, what White adds, and the fees. 9 min read Local Info Westminster Licensing: Cumulative Impact Means No by Default Westminster refuses new West End pubs and bars by default, yet granted 52 of 55 in 2026. Core hours, the six buffer zones, and what changes on 1 October. 12 min read Local Info Westminster EV Charging: 2,500 Points, 44p to 66p a kWh Westminster has over 2,500 on-street EV charge points. Ubitricity's April 2026 rates run 44p to 66p a kWh, and idle fees start after an hour. 9 min read Local Info Westminster Parking Fine Appeal: £160 PCN in 4 Stages A Westminster parking fine appeal runs in four stages, and a rejected informal challenge often keeps the £80 discount. The deadlines and grounds that win. 7 min read Local Info Westminster Noise Complaint: Who Comes Out Within an Hour A Westminster noise complaint about a party, pub or out-of-hours building work is reviewed within an hour, 24/7. Neighbour noise takes 4 working days. 8 min read Local Info Westminster HMO Licence: 3 Sharers Need One, £1,540 Fee A Westminster HMO licence is needed for any flat share of three or more people from two households. The £1,540 fee, the renewed scheme, and tenants' rights. 6 min read Local Info Westminster Library Opening Hours: 6 Open Sundays Westminster library opening hours for all 16 libraries: six open on Sundays, one until 10.30pm. Christmas closures, joining free, and the 25p print charge. 9 min read Local Info Westminster Leisure Centres: Pools, Hours and Free Swims Westminster leisure centres: which of the eight open sites have a pool, opening hours, the free resident card that gives free swims, and when Seymour reopens. 8 min read Local Info Westminster Selective Licensing: 15 Wards, £995 Licence Fee Westminster selective licensing covers rented homes in 15 of 18 wards: the ward list, who needs a licence, the £995 fee, discounts and the £40,000 penalty. 7 min read Local Info 90 Day Rule Airbnb Westminster: Register Due March 2027 Westminster's 90-night short-let limit counts every platform and every previous owner. Who may host, how to report a breach, and the March 2027 register. 8 min read Local Info Westminster Pavement Licence: £500, 6 Months Max, 2m Clear A Westminster pavement licence costs £500 new or £350 to renew, lasts 3 to 6 months, and needs a 2m clear footway. How to apply, and how residents can object. 7 min read Local Info Westminster Pest Control: Free for Council Tenants Only Westminster pest control is free for council tenants and in the service charge for leaseholders. The council takes no new private work. Who to call instead. 7 min read Local Info Westminster Street Trading Licence: £96 to Apply, £22 Daily A Westminster street trading licence costs £96 to £260 to apply for, then £22 a day for a market pitch. Which markets have vacancies and how to apply. 8 min read Local Info Westminster Freedom Pass: Apply at State Pension Age Westminster Freedom Pass: free from State Pension age, or any age with an eligible disability. The 60+ Oyster no longer converts; apply yourself. 7 min read Local Info Westminster Discretionary Housing Payment: Now Called CRF Westminster's Discretionary Housing Payment is now the CRF Housing Payment. Who can claim, the usual 26-week award, the evidence needed and how to appeal. 8 min read Local Info Westminster Cost of Living Support: Crisis Payments 2026 Westminster cost of living support in 2026: Crisis Payments through North Paddington Foodbank, the £11m fund behind them, food pantries and who to call first. 6 min read Local Info Fly Tipping in Westminster: £600 Fine, How to Report It Fly tipping in Westminster carries a £600 fine, £400 if paid within 10 days. How to report it, and how a cheap clearance firm can cost you £500. 6 min read Local Info Register With a GP in Westminster: No ID or Address Needed Register with a GP in Westminster without ID, proof of address or immigration papers. The online route, the 35 local practices, and what to do if refused. 7 min read Local Info Private Renting Rights in Westminster: What Changed in 2026 Private renting rights in Westminster since 1 May 2026: no Section 21, rent rises once a year, and landlords in 15 of 18 wards now need a council licence. 6 min read Local Info Westminster Parking Charges: New Rates From 13 July 2026 Westminster parking charges by zone and CO2 band, current from 13 July 2026. Zone C starts at £1.51 an hour; a pre-2015 diesel in zone G pays £15.87. 11 min read Local Info Westminster Food Waste Collection: Free Liners, 4 Services Westminster food waste collection: which of four services your building gets, where to pick up free liners, and the bag that gets your bin skipped. 8 min read Local Info Westminster Visitor Parking Permits: There Is No Scheme Westminster has no visitor parking permit scheme. What a guest pays per hour, why a library Parking Card can beat the app, and the QR sticker scam. 9 min read Christmas Westminster Christmas travel: no trains or Tube on 25 Dec No trains on 25 December, and no GWR trains at Paddington from 27 December to 3 January. The Congestion Charge pauses to 1 Jan; parking free on Christmas Day. 7 min read Half term Westminster October half term: 26 to 30 Oct, what's on Westminster's October half term is 26 to 30 October 2026, and two weeks at some secondaries. Free swimming, National Gallery workshops and The Big Draw. 6 min read Local Info Westminster Council Repairs: 0800 358 3783 and the Deadlines Westminster council repairs: call 0800 358 3783 while the portal is down. Emergency, urgent and routine deadlines, Awaab's Law rules and complaints. 10 min read Local Info Westminster Council Tax Support 2026/27: Up to 100% Off Westminster Council Tax Support pays up to 100% of the bill in 2026/27 if your income is low and savings under £16,000. Who qualifies, how to claim, backdating. 7 min read Local Info NHS Dentist Westminster: 27 Practices Taking New Patients NHS dentist Westminster: 23 practices say they are taking new adult NHS patients and 27 are taking children. The list, the 2026 charges and urgent care. 8 min read