By May 2022 I will have served for 33 years as a Westminster City Councillor, including 14 years as Leader of the Opposition. Time to hand the torch to a new generation. A privilege to be a Labour Councillor for Queen's Park who I will continue to represent for the next 12 months
To mark the first anniversary of Labour's historic Westminster City Council victory, I have written 'Winning Westminster - How Labour turned Westminster Council Red'. You can buy the book at
All royalties will be donated to Westminster foodbanks
Very sad news about David Amess MP. He successfully campaigned for the Raoul Wallenberg Memorial outside Western Marble Arch synagogue. Wallenberg was Swedish envoy in Budapest and rescued thousands of Jews who lived in Hungary under the Nazis by issuing them protective passports
The flags are out in Regent Street to celebrate
@pancho_lewis
great Labour victory in becoming the first Labour Councillor in Soho, Mayfair and Fitzrovia
@twocitiesnickie
@TfL
Wrong again, Nickie. The palm tree is being replanted on the Churchill Gardens estate so that the most dangerous junction for cyclists in London can be made safe.
Wonderful to hear that my dear friend, mentor and (until a few weeks ago) world’s hardest working MP is to be made a Dame. Huge congratulations to
@KarenPBuckQP
x
So sad to hear the news about Barrie. For 24 years he was ‘Mr Queen’s Park’, fighting for local residents and holding Westminster Council to account. The Labour 2022 victory was built on his tireless efforts and those of
@KarenPBuckMP
to whom we send our love.
For all those who knew him, Barrie Taylor died peacefully this morning after a long illness. Father to 3 beloved children and 3 equally beloved grandchildren, Westminster councillor, alderman, a dedicated public servant with a lifetime of service in the NHS. Loved and missed.
Delighted to have been selected alongside Judith Southern & Md Shamsed Chowdhury to fight the Hyde Park Ward for Labour in May. We have been campaigning hard since last March. Time to redouble our efforts. ..... Again!
Very saddened to hear that
@KarenPBuckMP
has decided to stand down at the next election. An inspirational politician who is truly loved by so many of her constituents. Always a joy canvassing for her. So many say, "Of course I am voting for my friend Karen"
Westminster Council Leader admits Tories were wrong and reverses youth services cuts and announces £500k funding for youth services from September. Another great victory for Labour’s campaign!!!
25 years after becoming our MP it was an honour to be pounding the Bayswater streets today with the one and only
@KarenPBuckMP
🌹
It’s impossible to walk 100 yards with Karen without someone stopping to thank her for an issue she’s helped them with
#inspiration
75 years ago today, the 1945 General Election campaign was in full swing. There were 203 Labour gains. You can read all about the 1945 General Election in ‘Cheer Churchill. Vote Labour’ available at . All proceeds to Westminster foodbanks
Our first Hyde Park Ward Labour Action Report as Councillors! Thank you for all your support and we pledge to continue to take up local issues and get things done for residents
History was made when Westminster council went Labour for the first time ever, and we're working hard to make history again by getting
@RNBlake
elected as the first Labour MP for Cities of London & Westminster.
Good to see so much local support here on the
#LabourDoorstep
!🌹
@Tony_Devenish
@CityWestminster
@twocitiesnickie
Wrong again, Tony. EV parking charges for residents and visitors remain the lowest in inner London. We have the most EV chargers in London and half our refuse fleet are zero emission vehicles. All the income is spent on transport improvements and paying for the Freedom Pass.
The Prime Minister can look forward to a Green New Deal, new homes, protections for renters, resident-led development, estate repairs and a council tax freeze - but sadly he'll miss out on future Mounds.
Come on down to 2 Foley Street between 3.00-7.30pm today to give your views on the Westminster/Camden Cleveland Street Cycleway proposals. Great to launch the event with
@AdamDKHarrison
At the grand opening of the Joe Strummer rain gardens transformed from a derelict underpass to gardens and sustainable urban drainage at the Edgware Road/Marylebone Flyover junction. Thanks to Christchurch Bentinck pupils for the planting
According to Crisis, it costs £1,426 to successfully help a homeless person off the streets. For £6 million, Westminster Council could helped 4,207 people off the streets.
We got this instead.
Westminster Conservatives would rather waste £6 million on a useless Mound at Marble Arch than fix their tenants' housing problems. Absolutely appalling.
🚨Yesterday, I was called by a Westminster Council tenant. Central Heating hot water pipe exploded flooding their flat at 4am. Mum sustained burns trying to escape. This is the elderly tenants house below who woke to boiling hot water pouring on her in bed
BBC tonight at 6:30pm🤦🏽♂️
Delighted that work is starting on this long-awaited project that will improve the local environment in Paddington, benefitting residents in Church Street, Little Venice and Hyde Park Wards.
⛈️🌿London's biggest SuDS Scheme?🌧️💚
@tfl
&
@MayorofLondon
are transforming the old Joe Strummer subway into a massive 260sqm Sustainable Drainage Scheme - preventing local flooding, reducing water pollution/runoff and putting in 1000s & 1000s of new plants. 🌊💚🌿🌹🌧️⛈️🌳🌴
@Alison_McGovern
@dryocopus
@stellacreasy
At one of Harold Wilson’s election meetings in 1964 a mother got up to leave after her baby son started to cry. Wilson interrupted his speech and told her not to leave, “This election is about his future”. It was widely reported the following day.
Great to be out with
@RNBlake
, Judith and Shamsed at St John’s, Hyde Park Crescent all hoping for a Labour victory and the start of a new future of hope and aspiration for all
After WW2 Britain built 1 million new homes. We can do it again. Read how Aneurin Bevan tackled the post-war challenge in 'Building the New Jerusalem: How Attlee’s Government Built 1 Million New Homes' All royalties to Foodbanks in Westminster.
Big respect to
@CityWestminster
Street cleaners and bin men. I'm working in W1 and the streets are spotless and bins all empty.
They must have been working all night
The scale of
@CityWestminster
failure on the £6m Marble Arch Mound fiasco is now being revealed. Time for Conservative Councillors to take responsibility for wasting so much money
Some points from last night's Marble Arch Mound meeting
- The mound opened despite no one checking if it was ready on day one
- Its manager spoke daily to senior council staff but did not raise any issues (it was £4m over budget)
- Manager was responsible for all of Oxford Street
A great green ‘win-win’
innovation to reduce carbon, reduce noise for residents and refuse truck drivers, reduce fuel costs and keep Westminster streets clean
We are so pleased that this initiative has worked so well and brought life and colour to many of our parks and open spaces, as well as tackling pollution and improving biodiversity
As the end of May approaches our selected green spaces are flourishing with long grasses and wild flowers, giving bees and butterflies a joyful place to land 🦋 🐝
Allowing grass to grow longer for this time benefits wildlife and helps tackle pollution:
Time to end the financial madness of the £6m Marble Arch Mound which is costing Westminster Council Tax payers £150k a month while youth clubs remain closed because of a “lack of cash”
Won one of the raffle prizes at the SEBRA AGM - a great Waitrose Christmas hamper - and have donated it to the North Paddington Foodbank - Thanks Waitrose!!
The Homes for Votes scandal has left an indelible scar on Westminster Council the reputation of local government and these Cabinet minutes show how the Conservative Government tried to minimise the serious wrongdoing that took place.
The Westminster 'homes for votes' scandal was discussed in Cabinet in January 1994 - here are the (just released) minutes from
@UkNatArchives
CAB 128/109
Great to see
@RNBlake
selected as Labour's candidate for 2 Cities and immediately out knocking on doors to meet residents and to hear their concerns. Start of a winning campaign!
Really happy to be selected as
@UKLabour
candidate for Cities of London and Westminster. We are getting to work right away knocking on doors - because together Labour can win here🌹
At the Community Mobile Recycling Day in Dart Street, Queen’s Park where residents can drop off unwanted items all day until 4pm. Lots of people and activity. Well done
@CityWestminster
and
@VeoliaUK
Delighted to be able to commit to keeping our free school expansion (supporting children from ages 3-14) for the longterm, matching
@SadiqKhan
‘s commitment to support our primary school children. This saves families money and helps transform their life chances.
The Council Officer responsible for the £6 million Marble Arch Mound fiasco was Westminster Council’s highest paid employee at £220,000 a year - Westminster Labour
Labour call for Tenants’ and Residents’ Associations to be recognised as part of the consultations on the future of Westminster Council’s housing stock - Westminster Labour
The last West End Labour leaflet safely delivered! What a great and enjoyable campaign over the last 2 years. All the very best to Pancho, Patrick and Caroline - you deserve to win!
@WestEndLabourW1
@pancho_lewis
@patricklilley
A big Happy 10th cheesy 🧀 Birthday to Buchanan’s cheesemongers, celebrating in
@ConnaughtVil
today. A pop-up parklet 🌱 🪴 🌷 🐝 organised by HyPER in Porchester Place provides the perfect spot to pause. Once it has stopped raining. ☔️
Delighted to see the new pedestrian crossing on Grosvenor Place is now open - providing a safe place for people to cross these busy main roads.
Massive thanks to the
@tfl
team