Member Article

Major digital rollout revealed as Westminster City Council’s latest Smart City for All initiative

Residents in the London Borough of Westminster are to be offered a digital card to access a range of local services, marking one of the first multiservice digital cards to be rolled out by a local authority, it was announced today.

The card, which is used in conjunction with the new MyWestminster portal, can be downloaded to both Apple Wallet and Google Pay. It will enable residents to seamlessly access services run by Westminster City Council without needing to remember a physical card or repeatedly prove eligibility.

Initially, the digital card will provide access across Westminster’s library services. It will also be compatible with the free-to-use City Save scheme, which offers residents impressive discounts and savings on everything from galleries including Tate Modern, to discounted food and drink.

The MyWestminster portal is designed as a single digital space where residents can access the Council’s services, rooted in the desire to maximise convenience, while saving time. It should take less than 10 minutes to sign up to access the digital card, after which it allows a speedy and highly secure log-in experience.

Feedback from residents will be invited, including which services residents would like to see added next and how these can be best improved to help drive innovation.

Accessibility is also fundamental to the MyWestminster rollout and so workshops will be made available, in partnership with library teams, for those residents who are less confident with laptops or mobile phones.

Other services such as leisure centres will be added to MyWestminster in the coming months.

MyWestminster is the most recent element of Westminster City Council’s Smart City for All initiative, which aims to utilise technology to empower people, drive innovation, help achieve net zero carbon targets and provide extraordinary experiences.

Councillor Paul Swaddle, Cabinet Member for Finance and Smart City at Westminster City Council commented: “The new MyWestminster portal is a key example of how we plan to make Westminster a world-leading smart city with people at its heart and marks a key first step in our digital journey.

“The portal makes accessing services simpler and more intuitive, and our digital card will offer a technology-driven, environmentally-friendly experience sitting alongside other cards in your Apple or Google Pay wallet”.

“London is the fintech capital of the world and so it’s absolutely right that residents in the city centre are able to harness technology to navigate Westminster with ease. We look forward to opening up access to a range of services, from local swimming pools to gyms – watch this space.”

Aruj Haider, Chief Digital and Innovation Officer said: “For us, a truly smart city puts the needs of its residents at the heart of how services are designed – the launch of the MyWestminster portal and card puts this strategy into action. As we add services to our digital card, we hope our city will become even be more accessible for the benefit of all.

“We are excited to open up the portal to our residents, as a vital part of our Smart City for All ambition. Intuitive and easy-to-use, it will enable residents to navigate a range of services with confidence and ease.”

Sarah Williams, Head of Customer Experience and Digital at Westminster City Council added: “We’re delighted to offer new experiences through the MyWestminster portal, which aims to make the lives of Westminster’s residents easier and better connected.

“Local services are at the heart of Westminster City Council and, by improving digital access across our Borough, we expect more people to benefit. We are passionate about tackling digital exclusion and want to reassure those who are less confident with the internet that we will be providing workshops to help them adjust.

“MyWestminster is just the start of our digital journey and I look forward to working with our teams to make further services accessible for all.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Westminster City Council .