At the very heart of the capital, Westminster City Council has always been a flagship authority for the Conservative party. Low tax and high profile, it is the council that is home to the UK Government and some of the country's most prominent tourist attractions.

Flagship or not, like all local authorities it has had its issues. When chief executive Charlie Parker arrived four years ago he says of the council: ‘It was probably still trading on its reputation going back a few years. The culture and its people wasn't where it needed to be.'