Westminster City Council plans to cut 520 posts from its workforce of 3,720, about 14 per cent of staff, as it responds to a funding gap it expects to reach £160 million by 2029. Staff were told the news at a council-wide meeting at City Hall on 20 October 2026.

The council says the highest proportion of the cuts will fall on managerial bands, including senior posts, and that the focus is on management roles rather than front-line posts. Cutting the posts is expected to save £29 million over the coming year, with a further £16 million from changes to how the council leases or rents buildings and from contract savings.

A proposal, not yet final

The announcement is a plan for consultation, not a completed round of redundancies. Further consultation with affected staff will follow, and those affected are set to leave the organisation between April and December 2027. The final shape of the cuts may change through that process.

The council links its financial outlook to the Government's Fairer Funding programme, which reshapes how money is distributed to councils. It says the programme will cost it £100 million in grant funding over four years, inside the wider projected shortfall of £160 million by 2029.

What happens next

The council has already warned that a rise in Council Tax for 2027/28 is inevitable, although no rate has been set, and it expects to give further detail on savings by department in an update next month. It also says it will use technology and commercial opportunities to run a leaner organisation.

For council workers elsewhere, the Westminster plan is a sign of the pressure facing town halls as funding formulas change. Staff in similar restructures should check their council's consultation documents and speak to their union representative.