North Paddington youth plan revealed by Westminster

Fahad Redha

January 7, 2026
3 min read

North Paddington youth plan revealed by Westminster

Westminster Council has responded to recommendations of the North Paddington Serious Violence Taskforce in a step to reduce serious violence in the area which includes Harrow Road, Westbourne, and Queens Park.

The decision made at a Cabinet meeting in November, the council said, will see it taking a “public health approach to serious violence.” This means bringing together the NHS, police, schools, and voluntary organisations to bring about long-term improvements.

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The North Paddington Serious Violence Taskforce was established following a series of violent incidents in 2024. This included the murder of 28-year-old Tikquaan Stephenson-Walters, which the council says “deeply affected the North Paddington community.” It has “pledged to deliver a series of coordinated actions to address the systemic causes of violence, including poverty, school exclusion, unemployment, and mental health.

Under the new plans, the Council will:

Pilot a radical place-based leadership model in North Paddington to strengthen joint working between the Council, police, NHS and voluntary organisations
Expand trauma-informed mental health support for families and communities affected by violence
Work with schools to assess viability of a 7am–7pm model to support structured activity and minimise after-school risks
Work with the Metropolitan Police to improve community safety, increase visible policing, and develop new pathways for youth engagement and prevention

This comes after months of community engagement, including ‘Community Conversations’ across Westbourne, Harrow Road and Queen’s Park, where residents called for stronger collaboration between public services and local people. The taskforce was shaped by community input and brought together key partners from across the borough, including the NHS, schools, the police, the GLA Violence Reduction Unit, faith leaders, and voluntary, and community sector organisations.

The North Paddington area, home to some of Westminster’s “most vibrant communities,” faces “long-standing inequalities, with higher rates of deprivation, youth unemployment, and school exclusions than elsewhere in the city,” the council said. It will now work with its partners to implement the 21 recommendations set out in the report, with progress to be monitored through the North Paddington Programme, a £20 million investment in tackling deprivation in the area.

The report can be viewed here.

Image: Stacey Harris

For more updates on Westminster, visit EyeOnLondon Westminster.