City of Westminster

Westminster City Council is the local authority serving the heart of London. The City of Westminster stretches from Pimlico and Victoria in the south through the West End, Marylebone and Bayswater to Paddington and Queen's Park in the north-west. It includes the capital's principal areas of government, shopping, entertainment and tourism and the headquarters of innumerable commercial and professional organisations together with extensive residential areas of all types.

The resident population now stands at approximately 234,000 but it is estimated that about 1 million people set foot in Westminster at some time during the day. There are also tens of thousands of people who live in the City for short-periods or on a part-time basis who are not included in the resident population.

The City Council has 60 Members which, since the election in May 2010, comprise:

• 48 Conservative
• 12 Labour

The Lord Mayor is elected annually and carries out a large programme of civic duties, including attending many state occasions.

The City Council employs about 4,800 staff who work flexibly over a large number of locations, almost all of them within the City boundaries. The main building for the Council is City Hall located on Victoria Street, near Victoria Station.

Our values

We recognise the diversity of our population and workforce as a strength, and value the way that differences can contribute to a richer, creative and more productive work environment.

We value the individual contribution of people irrespective of sex or gender, pregnancy/maternity, transgender status, marital/civil partnership status, sexual orientation, age, disability, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief.

Our commitment

• to create an environment in which individual differences and the contributions of all our staff are recognised and valued
• to create a working environment for every employee that promotes dignity and respect to all - no form of bullying, victimisation, discrimination or harassment will be tolerated
• to make training, development, and progression opportunities equally available to all 
• to demonstrate that equality in the workplace is good management practice and makes sound business sense
• to develop, monitor and review appropriate employment practices which will help to avoid direct and indirect discrimination and make available annual workforce statistics 
• to monitor the Equality in Employment Policy periodically in order to judge its effectiveness and make updates in accordance with changes in the law

Breaches of our Equality in Employment Policy will be taken seriously and may be considered as misconduct/gross misconduct within the council’s disciplinary procedures.  In certain circumstances, an employee may also be personally liable in the civil courts for unlawful acts of discrimination.

Positive about disability

The council is committed to the principles of the disability Two Ticks accreditation and encourages disabled people to apply for jobs at Westminster. This means that if you have a disability, provided you meet the minimum requirements for the post, you will be guaranteed an interview.

As an employer, we are aware of our obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and are committed to offering support and making reasonable adjustments to allow full participation in the recruitment process. It is important that you let the Recruiting Manager know of any requirements. The council will consider making adjustments that are reasonable. Examples include changing the timing of interview, giving extra time for tests, providing equipment or assistance throughout the process (eg a reader or scribe).