Budget Choices
Westminster is facing a £100 million cut in central government funding over the next four years. Combined with an expected rise in costs, demand for services and inflation, these unprecedented cuts leave a £160m budget gap.
About the project
The UK Government has cut funding to Westminster from £219m to £119m over the next four years. This is a result of a wider change in how funding is distributed nationally, which means money is being moved away from areas like Westminster to other parts of the country.
Combined with an expected rise in costs, demand and inflation, this cut to government funding currently leaves us with an estimated £160m budget gap.
The council needs to identify savings and tax rises to help plug this gap. If Westminster did nothing to its spending, Council Tax would need to increase by 200%.
We have been asking residents across Westminster to tell us what matters most to them and what trade-offs they think should be made.
This feedback will help inform the council’s budget decisions for 2027/28.
Read more on the Council's Budget choices webpage and register for updates.
Have your say
Fairer funding for Westminster: do you support the case to government?
Budget Choices is our engagement exercise asking residents about local priorities and the difficult choices facing Westminster. Alongside this, Westminster is working with other councils to make a formal national request to government through the Sustainable Communities Act for more and fairer funding to support the needs of our residents.
News
Meet the team
Westminster City Council is responsible for running this engagement activity, analysing its results and presenting them to stakeholders and the public.
Team
Let's introduce you to the team
Commonplace facilitates this conversation on behalf of the team made up of the organisations listed here. The information you provide will only be used for the purposes stated in each organisation’s privacy policy.
Westminster City Council is responsible for running this engagement activity, analysing its results and presenting them to stakeholders and the public.