Morshead Mansions residents are fortunate to live within the City of Westminster, one of the best maintained and probably the best-known boroughs in London. As well as being blessed with some of the most famous residences and landmarks, it’s also a very green borough, being home to the Royal Parks of Hyde Park, Green Park, St. James’s Park, Kensington Gardens and part of Regent’s Park.
Westminster offers a host of resources, including transport, shopping, dining, entertainment, leisure, sport, fitness, culture and history. Most of what people living within the borough might need can be found relatively easily and usually not too far from where they live. So all in all, Westminster, with its abundance of tree lined avenues, conservation areas and amenities, is a pretty nice place to live.
Something that Morshead Mansions residents may not know is that the City of Westminster website is a very useful place to find even more resources. If you need to organise a parking permit, pay a council tax bill, take part in local consultations or find out about rubbish or recycling collections, it has a wealth of information.
Once on the site, if you navigate to ‘All council services’ you’ll find all kinds of useful links. The first section is all about the council and their policies of operation, including the ‘Residents research panel’, which was set up so that residents could provide feedback on ways to improve services, projects and policies.
If you’re planning on getting married in the borough, everything you’ll need to know is here, from choosing a venue, booking registrars, the different types of ceremonies and what certificates you’ll need. They also have planning guides, sample scripts and feature their ‘Venue of the Month’ to give you some inspiration.
For those in business, there is a section on ‘Business support and guidance’, including information on improvements happening in the borough and growth initiatives, plus resources for grants and sources of funding, You can also sign up for the Westminster Business Newsletter, which will keep you up to date with what’s happening.
If you’re looking to do some filming or hold an event in the borough, you’ll find everything you need to know here too, along with information on business rates, parking, planning, commercial waste services, food safety for businesses, trading standards, business information points, health & safety at work and support schemes for businesses.
For those residents with children, there is The Family Information Hub, information on education, school holiday events, activities and support, plus parenting groups and courses. The City Lions initiative gives children from 13 to 16 interested in the creative industry the chance to boost their CV’s by taking part in talks, workshops and work placements.
Perhaps surprisingly, the site also showcases job vacancies, so if you’re looking for a new job or perhaps considering volunteering for a worthwhile cause, why not take a look! In this day and age, most people find resources they’re looking for online, there are still libraries in Westminster though and as well as vast selections of books they also offer club activities, such as craft sessions, podcasts and music events.
If you’re thinking about becoming a little more active, you’ll find info on leisure centres and cycling, including everything you’ll need to know about cycle hire, cycle parking, what to keep in your toolkit, road safety and cycling events. For those who like to walk, there’s an interactive map which shows suggested routes and where to find Westminster’s history, architecture, culture and green spaces.
If there’s something you need to report, such as illegal waste dumping, noise issues, graffiti or potholes, you’ll find all the resources on the site too.
So if there’s pretty much anything you need to know about living in Westminster, take a look at the City of Westminster website where you’ll likely find the answer!