Westminster City Council's Cabinet has adopted a new housing strategy for 2026-2031, aiming to improve housing quality, prevent homelessness, and ensure well-managed homes for all residents.
The Westminster Housing Strategy 2026-2031, approved at a Cabinet meeting on Monday, March 16, 2026, outlines five key priorities: supplying needed homes and increasing social rent homes; preventing homelessness and rough sleeping; providing good quality and well-managed homes for tenants and leaseholders; ensuring a well-run private rented sector; and working collaboratively to make homes and housing services fit for the future.
Supplying Needed Homes and Increasing Social Rent Homes
The council has set a target to deliver a council-led development programme of nearly 1,200 new homes between 2025 and 2030, with a strong emphasis on social housing. Specifically, 688 homes will be for social rent and 106 will be intermediate housing. Furthermore, planning policies have been updated to increase the social rent requirement for new affordable homes from 40% to 70%.
Preventing Homelessness and Rough Sleeping
Concrete measures are in place to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. The council has strengthened its prevention work, successfully preventing 937 cases of homelessness last year, a 36% increase from the previous year. The Floating Support Service assists approximately 750 individuals annually at risk of homelessness, helping them sustain tenancies, maximise income, and improve health and wellbeing.
Significant funding has been secured for these efforts, including £21.5m in grant funding for 2025/2026 through the government's Rough Sleeping Initiative, alongside an additional £1.2m in council funding. The council is also increasing its provision of council-managed temporary accommodation, investing over £170m between 2026-2029 to reduce reliance on costly short-term placements. This includes purchasing properties like Hopkinson House for refurbishment and repurposing vacant properties.
Additional initiatives include insourcing elements of the Housing Solutions Service to improve resident experience and early prevention, supporting rough sleepers with complex needs through revised outreach contracts, and continuing participation in the London Ending Homelessness Accelerator Programme. The North Paddington Programme, a place-based initiative developed in partnership with local communities, and a plan to tackle poverty with a focus on financial advice are also key components.
Providing Good Quality and Well-Managed Homes
The strategy defines 'good quality' and 'well-managed' homes through several key areas. Building safety is a priority, acknowledging the evolving regulatory landscape. The repairs service is being improved, with residents involved in developing a new policy and recruiting staff. Council tenants will be given security of tenure after a one-year trial period, moving away from fixed-term tenancies.
Access to face-to-face support and advice will be enhanced with four new housing offices, and a monthly Residents' Forum will provide a space for engagement and influence. The council will continue its robust partnership approach to anti-social behaviour, focusing on prevention and tackling root causes.
Progress is being made on stock condition surveys through the Behind Every Door
programme to inform investment plans. Ensuring value for money, extending asset life, and supporting safe, high-quality homes are paramount. A Rent Support Fund is in place to assist tenants struggling with rent increases. The Customer Advocacy Team has managed over 9,000 cases, and a new Leasehold Charter aims to improve transparency and accountability for leaseholders, offering extended repayment options for works.
Ensuring a Well-Run Private Rented Sector
To ensure a well-run, well managed and good quality private rented sector,
the council will develop a new Private Rented Sector Action Plan in 2026. This plan will focus on driving up standards, ensuring safe and secure homes, reducing anti-social behaviour, promoting energy efficiency, and supporting landlords. The Additional Licensing Scheme for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) is also subject to renewal following consultation.
Policies will be updated to enforce the Renters' Rights Act, and landlords will be supported in understanding new responsibilities, including energy efficiency improvements. The Tenants' Charter will continue to be rolled out, with regular engagement with landlords and tenants. The council will also advocate for Local Housing Allowance (LHA) increases and explore ways to make private rents more affordable.
Working Collaboratively for Future-Fit Services
The strategy envisions 'future-fit' housing services under Priority 5, aiming for every household in Westminster has a safe, healthy and sustainable home that meets their needs and adapts to changing lifestyles for future generations.
This will be achieved by improving home quality across all tenures to reduce health inequalities, climate impact, and fuel poverty.
Technological and innovative approaches include driving strategic retrofit initiatives through the Retrofit Taskforce and Local Area Energy Plan, prioritising refurbishment over demolition, and providing a Home Energy Advice Service. Energy efficiency improvements in council homes, including solar panel installations, will continue. The 291 Harrow Road site will serve as a test bed for low-carbon construction. The Building Safety Programme will engage residents, and digital transformation will improve access to services for council tenants.
Resident and Stakeholder Engagement
The strategy was developed following extensive resident and stakeholder engagement, including a six-week public consultation from November 10 to December 21, 2025. This involved an online survey, meetings, drop-in sessions, leaflets, posters, and council newsletters. Around 400 individuals and organisations provided feedback.
Key concerns raised during consultations included social housing prioritisation, fairness of allocation, the council's development approach, and the balance between maintaining existing stock and new development. Regarding homelessness prevention, participants questioned the strategy's acknowledgement of the challenge's scale and complexity, safety issues, and the feasibility of housing all homeless households. For good quality homes, concerns focused on the quality and management of homes, slow repair response times, and the council's performance as a landlord. In the private rented sector, some felt the council's focus should be elsewhere. For future-fit services, challenges related to capacity and delivery were highlighted.
Measuring Success
The success of the housing strategy will be measured and reported on through regular monitoring of progress against actions and the development of metrics to evaluate overall success, as recommended by the Housing and Regeneration Policy and Scrutiny Committee. The full Cabinet Report can be found here. The decisions made at the Cabinet meeting are available here.
