St James's Conservatives

🌳 A community page for St James's Ward Conservatives 💙 Follow for our local initiatives and councillor updates 📢 Report local issues via #StJamesMatters

[St James's Conservatives @StJamesMatters]

Three great reasons to Vote Conservative in St James's ward!
1️⃣ San Abishev
2️⃣ Tim Mitchell
3️⃣ Mark Shearer,
The strong local champions for St James's 💙 Vote all three on Thursday 7 May! 👉 https://t.co/H8DyozOGWI

[St James's Conservatives @StJamesMatters]

"Better services at lower cost are what residents deserve. I will use technology and digital transformation to modernise how this council works and make every interaction with Westminster City Council simpler and faster," says Cllr Mark Shearer. More at: https://t.co/nqSDYJ9uOx

[Westminster City Council Leader @Leader_WCC]

Meet Cllr Mark Shearer, our new cabinet member for innovation. In the middle of a wired Westminster, we need to make sure our services are digitally cutting edge but also accessible to all. Mark explains his role here https://t.co/NaRhpPQNRT

[St James's Conservatives @StJamesMatters]

"A clean city is not a luxury. It is the basic standard Westminster deserves. I will make sure waste is collected reliably, graffiti is removed quickly, and our city is managed to the high standards residents expect", says Cllr Tim Mitchell. More at https://t.co/GsxY0sycpC

[Westminster Matters @westminstertory]

"Better services at lower cost are what residents deserve. I will use technology and digital transformation to modernise how this council works and make every interaction with Westminster City Council simpler and faster," says Cllr Mark Shearer, Westminster's new Cabinet Member for Innovation.

Find out more about Mark here: https://t.co/m9PLx4iNaA

[Cllr San Abishev @SanAbishev]

It is not often that political campaigning results in a life saved.

Whilst delivering pledge letters, I heard a cry for help from inside an apartment in a local social housing estate. With the help of a neighbour, I gained access to the flat, where a 79-year-old resident was lying face down. Severely dehydrated and weak, he had fallen and remained undiscovered for days. As his neighbour gave him water, I called an ambulance and watched over him until it arrived.

It is a sombre reminder of the importance of nurturing a close-knit community and watching over one another – especially our elderly and vulnerable. If you have a neighbour who lives alone and could use some extra care or just a friendly chat, take 10 minutes out of your day to knock on their door. It could save a life.

[St James's Conservatives @StJamesMatters]

A striking new artwork has appeared on Waterloo Place, adding to the character and conversation of St James’s. Westminster never stays still — and neither does its cultural life!

[Cllr San Abishev @SanAbishev]

With just 9️⃣ days to go to polling day, I spent the afternoon calling the people of St James's to set out our stall and ask for their support.

The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with many voters feeling betrayed by the ineffective, inept Labour triumvirate of Westminster Council, London Mayor and the Government. This is their local record, over the past 4 years:

📉 £27m of taxpayers' money lost to the insolvent contractor, Geoffrey Osborne Ltd.

🚲 Rental e-bikes block pavements and roads, with no real enforcement or accountability.

📝 Oxford Street signed over to the Mayor, ignoring the will of the local people.

⛺️ Rough sleeping at record levels with tent cities erected across the city.

🛠 Council housing repairs satisfaction at a meagre 63%; lower than Hackney and Kingston.

🤑 All whilst raising their cabinet member salaries by 62% during a cost of living crisis.

Westminster deserves better!

On May 7th, vote for Safe Streets, Clean City and Real Action under a new @conservatives administration! 🗳

[St James's Conservatives @StJamesMatters]

🚲 Dockless bikes are a great way to get around London. But when dumped irresponsibly, they are a hazard to pedestrians and drivers alike.

If elected, we will convene a summit with operators to agree binding parking standards, geofenced no-go zones and a credible penalty regime.

[Paul Swaddle @paulswaddle]

📣 Today, I am launching Our Plan for Westminster 📣 

✅ To the people of Westminster: we have listened.  

🤝 Thousands of doorstep conversations and our Listening to Westminster campaign have shaped every page of this plan. Your priorities are our priorities. 

💥 Safe Streets: A dedicated Cabinet Member for Enforcement from day one. Targeting phone theft, cracking down on anti-social behaviour, ending the dockless bike chaos and using every council power to make Westminster safe again.  

🧹 A Clean City: Zero tolerance on graffiti. Reliable waste collections. Binding standards for dockless bike operators. Restoring the benchmark Westminster set under Conservative leadership.  

💷 Value for Money: Reviewing every major contract. Cutting unjustifiable spending. Fighting the Family Home Tax. Keeping council tax as low as possible.  

🚌 Transport for All: Fighting for an accessible Oxford Street informed by local people, protect bus routes and expand EV charging.  

🤝 Caring for the Vulnerable: Protecting our Outstanding rated children's services. Tackling record rough sleeping with compassion and grip.  

🥀 Westminster has had enough of Same Old Labour's slogans and excuses.  

📊 On 7 May, the choice is clear: four more years of Labour, or a Conservative council that puts local people first.  

🔷 Only the Conservatives can beat Labour in Westminster. Vote Conservative on 7th of May. 

👉 Read Our Plan for Westminster here: https://t.co/g60OcjqHvc

[St James's Conservatives @StJamesMatters]

We thank cllr Louise Hyams, for 28 years of service to St James's ward, as she announces that she will not be re-standing.

[Paul Swaddle @paulswaddle]

As nominations open for this year's local elections in Westminster, I want to thank three Councillors who will not be restanding for their service. Cllrs Hyams (St James's Ward), Wilkinson (Pimlico North Ward) and Hayes (Vincent Square Ward) will all be missed by the Conservative Group at Westminster. Between them, they have decades of public service. They will be missed, but I wish them all the best for the future.

[St James's Conservatives @StJamesMatters]

Are you tired of seeing the streets in your community defaced with graffiti? So are we!

If you see a tag locally, you can:

#️⃣ Post online using #GripOnGraffiti

OR

🔗 Get in touch via https://t.co/BotQ8Pnob0

Join our campaign, so that together, we can clean up our streets!

[Paul Swaddle @paulswaddle]

🚨 Westminster Labour is putting your safety at risk. 

🕵️‍♂️ Phone snatching, robbery, shoplifting, public disorder and criminal damage are all up under Labour's watch. Enforcement is missing.

🥀 Sadiq Khan has been responsible for policing London for nearly a decade. This is the result: 

❌ 1,700 Met officers and staff cut  
❌ Royal Parks Police dismantled  
❌ School officers removed  
❌ Local officers pulled to cover demonstrations

🤡 Westminster Labour has just stood by and let it happen. 

💙 Westminster Conservatives have a plan to make our streets safe again: 

✅ A Cabinet Member for Enforcement from day one  
✅ Target crime hotspots with the Met  
✅ More uniformed patrols across Westminster  
✅ More City Inspectors in evenings and weekends  
✅ Youth diversion programmes to tackle antisocial behaviour  
✅ Crack down on illegal short-term lets  
✅ Impound dockless bikes blocking our pavements 

💙 Westminster deserves better. Vote Conservative on Thursday 7th of May. 

👉 Back our plan for Safe Streets: https://t.co/i2Sl0r9UtY

[City of London Matters #TwoCities @LdnMatters]

City of London canvassing for @StJamesMatters #47daystogo

[St James's Conservatives @StJamesMatters]

We are getting a #GripOnGraffiti

This graffiti on Victoria Street was not only unsightly, but also diminished the attractiveness of this empty retail space.

We reported and removed it within 48 hours, ensuring that the location is clean and ready for Victoria's next shopfront.

[St James's Conservatives @StJamesMatters]

We are getting a #GripOnGraffiti 🧼

Tackling the growing levels of crime and ASB can start with investing in clean, welcoming streets.

That's why we're deploying council offers to remove graffiti across St James's within days of reporting.

Have graffiti near you? Get in touch!

[Cllr San Abishev @SanAbishev]

Today I spoke to Hernan Sanchez - a Strutton Ground legend and owner of ECCO Pizza. Despite operating in the area for over 20 years, he now faces a prospect of shutting up shop for good.

Why? An eye-watering 35% hike in his business rates, as a direct consequence of Labour's rates revaluation. Paired with the National Insurance rates increase, the Chancellor is taxing family businesses, like Hernan's, out of existence. Neighbourhoods across the country are losing their much-loved pubs, cafes and restaurants, eroding community cohesion and social bonds.

On May 7th, vote for the party that continues to represent the interest of family pubs, cafes and restaurants near you - vote @conservatives 🗳

[Cllr. Ed Pitt Ford @pitt_ford]

Conservatives demand urgent transparency over Pimlico water contamination incident | City of Westminster https://t.co/D3AiSiPVmn

[Paul Swaddle @paulswaddle]

❗On Wednesday at Westminster City Council's budget meeting, Westminster Conservatives exposed Labour's record of failure and set out our plan for our city.

🥀 Labour's record of failure:

💸 Raiding £19 million of emergency reserves as a pre-election stunt, while council tax is still set to rise by up to 75% over four years.
🚨 A £27 million clean-up bill after appointing failing housing contractor Geoffrey Osborne.
🤑 A 61% pay rise for senior Labour cabinet members over four years.
📉 Crime rising. Streets dirtier.

💙 Westminster Conservatives we set out an alternative:

✅ Safe streets and real enforcement
✅ Value for money and no more wasteful spending
✅ Standing up for local people against Labour's pet projects
✅ A city that works for the people who live and work here

🔷 Westminster deserves better. Westminster Conservatives have a plan to deliver it.

👉 Find out more: https://t.co/X63GsHDrgm

[Cllr San Abishev @SanAbishev]

Today, I knocked on 80 doors in the Peabody Horseferry estate, to listen to its residents.

Many have complained about rough sleepers, on drugs, blocking doorways and harassing women and children. Since Labour disbanded the Integrated Street Engagement Unit in 2022, rough sleeping has shot up to record levels, whilst drug-related offences are also on the rise, due to the Mayor's police cuts.

Labour has failed on crime and homelessness, in Westminster. We plan on putting things right! For safer, cleaner streets - vote @conservatives on May 7th. 🗳

[Paul Swaddle @paulswaddle]

🚨 Westminster Labour are complicit in the Mayor's stripping back of neighbourhood policing in Westminster.

🚓 Westminster relies on strong policing in our schools, parks and on our streets to keep people safe. 

🥀 But Westminster Labour’s and Sadiq Khan have allowed the Met to be hollowed out. 

✂️ The reality across London: 

👮 1,700 roles cut 
🏫 371 specialist school officer posts removed 
🌳 Royal Parks policing dismantled 

📈 The result in Westminster is evident: fewer officers = more crime. 

✅ If elected in May, I will appoint a Cabinet Member for Enforcement to restore focus, grip and back stronger policing in Westminster. 

💙 Support Safe Streets and neighbourhood policing: https://t.co/oas7HOdWJb