Good evening everyone, and thank you for joining us tonight.
Thank you Leader Elect – I think we’re officially allowed to call you Leader from tomorrow following the meeting of Full Council?
Paul, congratulations again on your election victory. We look forward to working with you and your colleagues in the months ahead.
We appreciated your engagement prior to the elections and your interest in many of the themes we at WPA raised in our own Manifesto for Westminster.
At the heart of that is delivering economic and social prosperity across the city, and they are mutually dependent goals. We need growth to unlock the opportunities our industry is able to open up to local people.
We want to ensure Westminster continues to work – not just as an economic centre, but as a place that supports communities and everyday life.
Achieving our shared priorities will depend on close collaboration.
Last year, I spoke about the opportunity ahead and the potential for the coming years to be transformative for Westminster.
What has become clearer over the past year is just how important it is that we continue to make the case for our sector. Clearly, confidently, and based on evidence.
Because, put simply: the built environment is not just a sector in Westminster’s economy – it is the platform on which that economy depends.
And that is the central message of the report we are launching tomorrow, a Platform for Prosperity.
This report sets out the scale of WPA members’ contribution to Westminster.
- WPA members own around 40% of all floorspace in the borough.
- They directly support around 20,000 jobs, and indirectly support over 300,000 more.
- And each year, that activity generates around £42 billion in economic value.
But beyond the numbers, the message is simple.
The spaces we create – offices, high streets, public realm – are what enable Westminster to function.
They support businesses, they create opportunities, and they underpin the funding of public services and infrastructure.
And that is why the work we do together matters.
Over the next year, the final year of my term as Chair, our priorities remain clear:
- a thriving and prosperous Westminster
- a sustainable future Westminster
- and a more inclusive and equitable Westminster
We, both the public and private sector, also need to better communicate the social and economic contribution of development.
As I said last year – and it remains true: we do so much as a sector, but too often that story is not well understood. Ignoring the jobs created, skills developed and taxes generated…our CIIL S106 contributions alone have provided funding for either 10 new schools or 45 new GP health centres over the last 5 years.
We need to champion the role our sector plays in supporting communities, funding services and creating opportunity.
We will also continue to advocate for Westminster’s unique place in London as a global city, and research later in the year will set out the key role HQs have in our great capital.
Offices underpin not just the capital, but as a service sector based economy, the entire nation. They are not just places of work, but part of our country’s critical economic infrastructure – supporting jobs, productivity, and long-term resilience. It is interesting to my mind how Government is quick to label data centres as critical infrastructure, overlooking the traditional sectors which remain as vital as ever.
And at the heart of our work is our continued commitment to sustainable development.
Our analysis, including our recent Embodied Carbon in Central London report, is providing the data and insight the industry and policymakers need to help support and set out pathways to a low carbon built environment. Setting arbitrary targets detached from commercial reality will only deter investment and slow progress.
All of our work is underpinned by partnership.
Whether that is sustainability, skills, or inclusion – the strength of the WPA lies in its ability to bring together the public, private and voluntary sectors to deliver real outcomes.
And finally, talking of bringing people together…..
I am deeply grateful to Paul Williams for hosting our AGM reception in such a fantastic space – a great example of the workplaces our sector continues to deliver across Westminster.
And, more than that, Paul, thank you for the contribution you have made to the WPA, to Westminster and to the wider sector during your long and successful career at Derwent. It has been hugely valued.
I also want to recognise the contribution of colleagues who will also be stepping down from the WPA Board this year.
Simon Loomes and Marcus Geddes, our Immediate Past Chair, thank you for your significant contribution over many years. It has made a real difference to the Association and to our work.
Finally, my thanks to all here today for your continued support of the WPA. I look forward to working with all of you in the months ahead.
Do enjoy the rest of the evening.
Thank you.
Further reading:
Business Priorities: 2026/27
Report: WPA Annual Report 2025/26
Report: Manifesto for Westminster
Report: Delivering Good Growth in Westminster
Report: Space for Change: Westminster Deep Dive
