Westminster News
The latest Westminster news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
Blue Note London Opens on St Martin's Lane After a Two-Hearing Licence Fight
Blue Note London is open at 42-49 St Martin's Lane, licensed to 1am and bound to stay a jazz venue. Its first licence was cut to earlier hours; a second bid won the later close.
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North Paddington
Lydford Community Hall Reopens in North Paddington After Refit
Lydford Community Hall on Fernhead Road has reopened after a refit budgeted at £602,889. It holds 80 people and can be booked from £20 an hour, three working days ahead.
Westminster Abbey
Tolkien Memorial Coming to Westminster Abbey's Poets' Corner
A 2.5-metre memorial to J.R.R. Tolkien will be inlaid into a pillar in the Abbey's south transept from spring 2027, built partly from his favourite Oxford pine.
Soho
Angelica Kauffman Green Plaque Proposed for 16 Golden Square
Westminster decides on 28 September whether 16 Golden Square gets a green plaque for Angelica Kauffman. Seven sponsors pay the £3,500 fee, not the council.
Food hygiene
Westminster's Overdue Food Inspections Rose from 117 to 646
Overdue food hygiene inspections in Westminster rose more than fivefold in a year, to 646, after staff vacancies. Seventeen venues currently hold a zero rating.
House prices
Westminster House Prices Fall 20.7%, Steepest in London
Westminster's average home lost £229,558 in a year, to £876,788, the steepest fall of all 33 London boroughs. But prices have risen for three months.
Paddington
Paddington Shopfront Scheme Scrapped After £408,000 Spent
Westminster has cancelled the second phase of its Paddington and Bayswater shopfront scheme after the contractor collapsed. Thirteen shops are dropped.
Crime
Westminster phone snatching crackdown: 187 arrests
A Met operation against e-bike and moped thieves in Westminster made 187 arrests from February to July. Theft from the person here fell 46% in those months.
Theatre
Tartuffe Remixed at Marylebone Theatre: £20 front row seats
Four £20 front row seats are drawn by lottery each Wednesday, and 2,250 seats across the run are £30 or less. Mark Rylance plays Park Road to 24 October.
Planning
Westminster planning: objections won't force a committee
From 31 October, objection numbers and ward councillor requests can no longer send a Westminster planning application to committee. Councillors vote Wednesday.
Transport
Westminster e-scooters: 216 bays, trial runs to May 2028
Westminster's legal authority to take part in the London e-scooter trial has lapsed. A cabinet member signs up again to May 2028 on 21 September, with no public consultation.
Licensing
Westminster licensing policy: West End zone to shrink
The West End cumulative impact zone loses parts of Covent Garden and streets north of Oxford Street. Councillors vote on 16 September, policy starts 1 October.
Parking
Westminster parking fines: 3 bailiff firms from 1 Nov
Westminster issued 650,100 parking tickets last year and about 11% reach a bailiff. From 1 November three firms replace Marston alone. The fees that get added.
Oxford Street
Oxford Street: government rejects council's EIA demand
Westminster says ministers ignored its concerns and cleared Oxford Street without a full environmental assessment. Its lawyers said a challenge would fail.
Trading Standards
Fake squishy toys: 200 seized from a Victoria candy store
Westminster trading standards took nearly 200 fakes off one Victoria shop after a mother reported a chemical smell. What to check before you buy a squishy toy.
Transport
Oxford Street pedestrianisation misses its summer deadline
The Mayor's target was traffic-free by the end of summer. On 1 September buses 94, 139 and 390 still stop at Selfridges, and the council wants a full EIA.
Westminster City Council
Westminster waste depot in Southwark needs £7.97m more
Westminster approved £7.97m extra on 26 August, taking its Mandela Way depot to £13.5m. Ground conditions drove the rise, and the site is in Southwark.
Licensing
Mistress of Mayfair licence suspended: decision by 10 Sept
Westminster suspended the St James's Street venue's licence on 17 August after a police expedited review. It must decide by 10 September whether to revoke it.
Housing
Westminster loses 16 Marylebone affordable flats on appeal
Sixteen Marylebone flats, ten at social rent, are no longer tied to affordable housing. A clause written to reassure lenders freed them, and Westminster pays.
Schools
Westminster GCSE results 2026: 78% beats London 75.5%
Westminster reports 78% of GCSE entries at grade 4 or above, clearing England's 67% and London's tougher 16-year-old rate of 75.5%. One claim cannot be checked.
Schools
Westminster free school meals: 600 pupils lose lunch
Westminster has scrapped its free lunch for Years 7 to 9 from September. Of 967 pupils, about 367 are covered by the new national rules. The other 600 are not.
Queen's Park
Queen's Park Family Hub: £3.7m rebuild, open in 2027
Westminster has awarded a £3.69m contract to rebuild 17-23 Third Avenue as the Queen's Park Family Hub, £916,000 under estimate. It opens in autumn 2027.
Schools
Westminster A level results 2026: 86% at A*-C, above England
Westminster's 86% at A to C beat the 78.1% England figure. Harris Westminster hit 92%, Westminster City School held its record, and re-marks close on 20 August.
Council Tax
Westminster Council Tax: £160m gap, survey shuts 30 Sept
Government cuts leave Westminster a £160m gap, and a Band D bill of £1,048 could rise by £537 a year. What the survey asks, and the 30 September deadline.
Licensing
Westminster pub standing ban: what the council proposes
The council calls a pub standing ban '100 percent untrue'. What its closed licensing consultation proposes, and why the Mayor of London is now involved.
Transport
Dockless bikes in Westminster: operators agree clean-up
Lime, Voi, Forest and Bolt will share live data and clear badly parked bikes after a council summit. Fines are up nearly 200 per cent since May.