BOTH Westminster’s residents and politicians can take a brief pause for breath now that the London mayoral and GLA elections have passed.

From a Labour perspective I am delighted that we will be able to continue to work for a third term with Sadiq Khan on investing in delivering more social housing and sustainable transport in our city and that for the first time our constituency of West Central has elected a Labour London Assembly Member, my council colleague and friend James Small-Edwards.

All that excitement meant that we passed a landmark unremarked on the day.

This administration has been in office for exactly two years, so we have another two years until this local authority goes to the polls in May 2026.

I am proud of what the city council has achieved. We came into office with a remit to be more accessible, open, more like the people we serve and more responsive to their needs. And it is a remit we will strive to achieve over the weeks and months ahead.

The cost of living crisis is not going away any time soon.

That’s why I’m pleased to confirm now the next phase of our cost of living plan that has already seen over £21million be delivered in support for local families.

The council is spending more than £600,000 on more help for residents who are struggling.

Of that sum, £100,000 is going towards food banks and charities. While better weather has at last arrived we also need to plan now for the winter, and we’ve earmarked £130,000 for when the temperatures drop and for some it becomes a choice between heating and eating.

Working with community organisations and charities is vital to ensure help gets where it needs to go, and I am particularly pleased we are continuing to work with the Salvation Army in a scheme called “Community Wardrobes”.

This provides clothing for adults and children, including school uniforms, for either no cost or a donation of £5.

It remains a disgrace that in the heart of a world capital with some of the most expensive postcodes on Earth, this kind of support is desperately needed, but that is the reality.

It’s why the council was an early adopter in providing more free school meals – to all the 14,000 children aged three to 14 in Westminster’s state schools and council or voluntary nurseries (and we will have more to say on help for the cost of meals for local children soon).

Providing social and truly affordable housing remains a top priority. We are going to deliver a further 227 affordable homes through the city council’s house-building programme, developing new housing and care for older people at Carlton Dene while adapting the homes of others to support independent living.

For the large numbers of our residents who are renting, rising rents are forcing people from their homes and preventing them from being able to stay in Westminster.

There are many problems with our private rented sector but they are exacerbated by the ongoing drain of properties to become short-term lets (STLs).

I have this week written to the secretary of state for housing warning that the government’s proposed new rules on short-term lets will allow STL landlords to keep more than 10,000 properties off the rental market in Westminster, homes we desperately need for our residents.

I took over as leader promising a “Fairer Westminster”, and this administration will keep on doing that, whether it’s a fairer economy with upcoming high street plans for areas like Queensway or Praed Street, or a fairer environment with more EV, electric vehicle, charging points and a renewed push to make our city safer and more accessible for walkers and cyclists.

That’s the half-time summary from Westminster’s City Hall, a lot done but a lot still to do.

• Adam Hug is city council leader.