City of Westminster

The City of Westminster is a borough of London with city status. It is located west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, and forms part of Inner London and the bulk of London's central area.

The city contains most of London's West End and is the seat of the United Kingdom's government, with the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, Whitehall, and the Royal Courts of Justice.

In 1965 the London borough was created from the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone, the Metropolitan Borough of Paddington and the smaller City of Westminster. It covers a far greater area than the original settlement of Westminster.

Demography
According to the 2001 census, the borough 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. 71% of the population are white, 16% Any Asian ethnicity, 7% Black, 6% Mixed, 4% Other. 35% of households are owner-occupiers.

Politics
The city is divided into 20 wards. The council is composed of 49 Conservative Party members and 11 Labour Party members.

The council is known for its infamous "homes for votes" scandal. Shirley Porter was involved in the illegal "Building stable communities" exercise of the 1980s.

Districts
The City of Westminster covers all or part of the following areas of London:
 * Bayswater
 * Belgravia
 * Covent Garden
 * Fitzrovia
 * Holborn
 * Hyde Park
 * Knightsbridge
 * Lisson Grove
 * Maida Vale
 * Mayfair
 * Marylebone
 * Millbank
 * Paddington
 * Pimlico
 * Queen's Park
 * St James's
 * St John's Wood
 * Soho, including Chinatown
 * Theatreland
 * Westbourne Green
 * West End
 * Westminster City Centre

Landmarks
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.

Parks and open spaces

 * See also article Westminster parks and open spaces

These include Green Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Regent's Park and St James's Park,

Bridges
These include Chelsea Bridge, Cathedral Bridge, Hungerford Bridge, Grosvenor Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Vauxhall Bridge, Waterloo Bridge and Westminster Bridge.

Main line stations
These are Charing Cross, Marylebone, Paddington and Victoria.

London Underground
The City of Westminster is served by 27 tube stations, and 10 of the 12 Underground lines (the East London line and Waterloo and City line are the exceptions).

Juice points
Westminster City Council now has 12 juice points, which have been installed outside homes, offices and prime locations. Users will pay an annual £75 fee to cover administration costs to register and use the on-street recharging posts.

Education
Westminster Education Department 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.

Primary schools
There are 41 primary schools, within the state sector in the City of Westminster. In addition there are also many fee-paying independent schools.

Secondary schools
There are nine secondary schools in the City of Westminster. There are also fee-paying, independent schools in Westminster. Westminster School, Southbank International School and The American School in London, in St John's Wood, are notable examples.

Universities and colleges

 * The Strand campus of King's College.
 * The London Business School is located in Regent's Park.
 * The London School of Economics is located near Aldwych.
 * The Royal Academy of Music is located on Marylebone Road.
 * The University of the Arts London has constituent colleges in Holborn (CSM) and Millbank (Chelsea).
 * The University of Westminster is located on three campuses in the borough.
 * The Brigham Young University London Centre is located on Palace Court.
 * The northern half of Imperial College London's main South Kensington campus lies within the borough.