| City of Westminster | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — London borough, City — | |||
| Palace of Westminster | |||
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| Westminster shown within Greater London | |||
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom | ||
| Constituent country | England | ||
| Region | London | ||
| Ceremonial county | Greater London | ||
| Status | London borough, City | ||
| Admin HQ | City Hall, Victoria Street | ||
| Incorporated | 1 April 1965 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | London borough council | ||
| • Body | Westminster City Council | ||
| • Leadership | Leader & Cabinet (Conservative) | ||
| • Lord Mayor | Cllr Susie Burbridge | ||
| • MPs | Karen Buck (Lab) Mark Field (Con) |
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| • London Assembly | Kit Malthouse (Con) AM for West Central | ||
| • EU Parliament | London | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 8.3 sq mi (21.48 km2) | ||
| Area rank | 318th (of 326) | ||
| Population (2010 est.) | |||
| • Total | 253,100 | ||
| • Rank | 51st (of 326) | ||
| • Density | 30,518/sq mi (11,783.1/km2) | ||
| • Ethnicity[1] | 49.0% White British 2.8% White Irish 19.4% Other White 0.8% White & Black Caribbean 0.7% White & Black African 1.5% White & Asian 1.4% Other Mixed 4.8% Indian 1.4% Pakistani 2.3% Bangladeshi 2.1% Other Asian 2.5% Black Caribbean 3.4% Black African 0.7% Other Black 3.2% Chinese 4.1% Other |
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| Time zone | GMT (UTC0) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | BST (UTC+1) | ||
| Postcodes | NW
, SW , WC |
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| Area code(s) | 020 | ||
| Police force | Metropolitan Police | ||
| Website | www.westminster.gov.uk | ||
The City of Westminster i/ˈwɛstmɪnstər/ is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary is the River Thames. It is an Inner London borough and was created in 1965 when Greater London was established. At its creation Westminster was awarded city status, which had been previously held by the smaller Metropolitan Borough of Westminster. Aside from a number of large parks and open spaces, the population density of the district is high. Many sites commonly associated with London are located in the borough, including Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, and 10 Downing Street. The city is divided into a number of localities including the ancient political district of Westminster around the Palace of Westminster; the shopping areas around Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Bond Street; and the night time entertainment district of Soho. Much of the city is residential, and in 2008 it was estimated to have a population of 236,000. The local authority is Westminster City Council.
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In 1965 the City of Westminster was created from the former area of the metropolitan boroughs of St Marylebone, Paddington, and the smaller Metropolitan Borough of Westminster. The earlier Westminster metropolitan borough was itself the result of an amalgamation in 1900.
According to the 2001 census, the city had a population of 181,279. Westminster City Council undertook several studies, supported by both political parties on the council, that indicated that this figure was too low. The Office for National Statistics eventually added 17,500 people to Westminster's population, increasing its grant from the United Kingdom Government. The official population is now 198,779, but some estimates put it at 220,000. Approximately 71% of the population is White (British: 49.0%, Irish: 2.0%, and Other White: 19.0%), 16% are of any Asian ethnicity, 7% Black, 6% Mixed, and 4% belong to other racial groups. About 35% of households are occupied by their owners.
The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing 3 councillors. Westminster City Council is currently composed of 48 Conservative Party members and 12 Labour Party members.[2][3]
| Evolution of Parliamentary representation | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | 1950 | 1974 | 1979 | 1997 | 2010 |
| St Marylebone | Westminster North | Regent's Park and Kensington North | Westminster North | ||
| Paddington North | Paddington | ||||
| Paddington South | Cities of London and Westminster | ||||
| Westminster St George's | Cities of London and Westminster | Cities of London and Westminster | |||
| Westminster Abbey | |||||
| City of London | |||||
The City of Westminster covers all or part of the following areas of London:
The City of Westminster is home to a large number of companies. Many leading global corporations have chosen to locate their global or European headquarters in the City of Westminster. Mayfair and St. James's within the City of Westminster also have a large concentration of hedge fund and private equity funds. The West End is known as the Theatre District and is home to many of the leading performing arts businesses. Soho and its adjoining areas house a concentration of media and creative companies. Oxford Street is one of the leading shopping destinations in the world. The list of companies includes
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London is located in Westminster.[9][31]
Companies that previously had their head offices in the City of Westminster include British Aircraft Corporation,[9][32] British Midland (Portland House),[33] British United Airways,[34] British Mediterranean Airways,[35] Cadbury,[36] Diageo,[37] BAA Limited,[9][38][39] Lloyd International Airways,[40] and P&O Princess Cruises.[41]
Westminster contains many of the most famous sites in London. Some of the popular tourist sites are Buckingham Palace, Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) and Big Ben and nearby Westminster Abbey.
These include Green Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Regent's Park and St. James's Park. In addition to parks and open spaces within the borough, the City owns and maintains East Finchley Cemetery and crematorium in the London Borough of Barnet.
These include Chelsea Bridge, Hungerford Bridge, Grosvenor Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Vauxhall Bridge, Waterloo Bridge and Westminster Bridge.
Stations include: London Charing Cross, London Marylebone, London Paddington and London Victoria these are all main London termini stations.
The City of Westminster is served by 27 tube stations, and 10 of the 11 Underground lines (the Waterloo and City line is the exception).
Westminster City Council now has electric vehicle charging points in 15 locations through the city (13 car parks and two on-street points). Users pay an annual fee to cover administration costs to register and use the points.[42]
Westminster Children's Services operates many community primary and secondary schools. In addition, several voluntary-aided Church of England (CE), Roman Catholic (RC), and Christian non-denominational (ND) schools are in the city.[43]
The London Library, an independent lending library, is located at 14 St. James Square in the City of Westminster.[9][44]
The city operates one reference library, the Westminster Reference Library.[45] City-operated public lending libraries in Westminster include the Charing Cross Library,[46] the Church Street Library,[47] the Maida Vale Library,[48] the Marylebone Library,[49] the Mayfair Library,[50] the Paddington Library,[51] the Pimlico Library,[52] the Queen's Park Library,[53] St. James's Library,[54] St. John's Wood Library,[55] and the Victoria Library.[56] In addition the city has two specialist libraries, the Westminster Music Library, the largest music library in the United Kingdom,[57] and the Westminster Chinese Library in the Charing Cross Library.[58]
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