Key Points
- Wandsworth Council’s Cabinet has officially approved a proposal to nearly double its portion of council tax starting in April, which would result in an increase of approximately £18 per week for a Band D household.
- A Band D bill under Wandsworth’s share is set to increase from £510 to £1,468, bringing the overall yearly Band D bill—including the London Mayor’s precept—to approximately £1,978 (up from £1,020).
- The final decision on the council tax increase will be taken during a Full Council vote scheduled for March.
- The Cabinet voted to terminate the Access for All free gym and swim scheme for low-income residents, replacing it with a discounted model that excludes Universal Credit recipients.
- A new £30 charge has been introduced for bulky waste collections, reversing the free service that had been in place since January 2025.
- Funding for local charities and community groups under the Wandsworth Grants Fund has been suspended for four years.
- The local authority ended its Borough of Sanctuary programme for refugees and agreed to consult on ending full council tax support for 7,102 low-income households.
- The closure of KITE, the internal home recovery care team, prompted the GMB union to threaten a strike ballot across both Wandsworth and Richmond councils.
- Council Leader Cllr Robert Morritt agreed to meet union officials regarding the closure of KITE following representations made during the meeting.
- Additional resources were allocated to fund 25 extra police officers and enhance street cleaning services across the borough.
- Cabinet Member for Transport Cllr Nick Austin announced a pause to the Weiss Road one-way scheme in Putney to allow for broader public consultation.
Wandsworth (South London News) October 13, 2026 – Wandsworth Council’s Cabinet has formally passed a major financial plan to significantly increase local council tax rates from next April, alongside approving substantial spending cuts to local community services and free access schemes. During a tense meeting where the single voice raised in opposition held no voting power, executive members approved measures that will see Wandsworth’s share of a Band D bill rise from £510 to £1,468. When combined with the Greater London Authority Mayor’s precept, the total Band D household bill in the borough will escalate from £1,020 to approximately £1,978 annually. This represents an absolute increase of £958 per year, or roughly £18 per week for local ratepayers. While the Cabinet has passed the proposals, the final decision remains subject to a vote by the Full Council, which is scheduled to take place in March.
What Other Major Service Cuts Were Approved During the Cabinet Meeting?
In addition to the council tax adjustment, the Cabinet authorized several significant reductions to public services and social support programmes across the borough. Executive members voted to close Access for All, a free gym and swim initiative currently utilised by over 10,000 low-income residents. Under the approved schedule, Access for All will stop accepting new member applications after 31 October and will cease operations completely on 31 December. Its replacement will only provide a 20 to 40 per cent discount on leisure activities for specific cohorts, including individuals receiving Carer’s Allowance, full-time students, children in care, and care leavers; residents receiving Universal Credit will no longer qualify for the discounted leisure scheme.
The local authority also voted to introduce a £30 fee for bulky waste collections, effectively ending the free collection service that had been operational since January 2025. Furthermore, the Wandsworth Grants Fund, which offers financial assistance to local charities and voluntary community organisations, has been suspended for a four-year period. The Cabinet also voted to end the local Borough of Sanctuary programme targeted at supporting refugees, and agreed to launch a public consultation regarding the potential termination of full council tax support for 7,102 low-income households within Wandsworth.
Why Is the Council Facing Potential Industrial Action Over Home Care Closures?
The meeting involved notable friction over the decision to dismantle KITE, Wandsworth Council’s internal specialized team that assists patients recovering at home following hospital discharges. A representative from the GMB trade union addressed the Cabinet directly, warning that the organization would move to ballot its members across both Wandsworth and Richmond councils for industrial action unless the local authority altered its plan regarding KITE. Following the union’s representation, Council Leader Cllr Robert Morritt agreed to hold a formal meeting with union delegates to discuss the team’s future.
Amidst the broader cutbacks, the Cabinet did approve localized investment increases in select front-line operational areas. Members voted to allocate funding for 25 additional police officers to serve within the borough, alongside securing additional expenditure dedicated to expanded street cleaning services. The papers submitted before the Cabinet formed the basis of the decisions made, with no written amendments added during the proceedings. The single late modification to the agenda came from Cabinet Member for Transport Cllr Nick Austin, who announced a pause to the proposed Weiss Road one-way traffic scheme in Putney to allow for a more comprehensive public consultation.
Background of the Wandsworth Financial Development
Wandsworth Council has historically maintained one of the lowest Band D council tax rates in the United Kingdom, a reputation built over several decades of conservative fiscal policy and outsourcing models designed to keep direct local taxation low. For many years, low council tax was positioned as a core element of the borough’s administrative identity, distinguishing it from neighboring Inner London local authorities that levied significantly higher baseline rates on residential properties.
However, local authorities across Greater London have faced compounding budget pressures driven by rising inflation, elevated costs for social care provision, temporary accommodation expenditures, and real-terms reductions in direct central government funding allocations. To mitigate these pressures while trying to maintain low baseline tax rates, Wandsworth previously introduced targeted free municipal services—such as free bulky waste collections in early 2025 and subsidized leisure access for low-income families—alongside maintaining internal social care teams like KITE. The latest decision by the Cabinet marks a significant shift in the council’s structural approach to local taxation and service delivery, transitioning away from low baseline property taxation toward higher revenue generation coupled with direct fees for specialized municipal services.
Prediction: How This Development Can Affect Wandsworth Residents and Local Stakeholders
The implementation of the Cabinet’s financial plan will directly impact several distinct segments of the Wandsworth population if formally ratified by the Full Council in March.
Financial Pressure on Ratepayers
For residential property owners and tenants liable for council tax, an increase of £958 per year on a Band D property represents a noticeable rise in fixed household expenditure. Adding approximately £18 per week to standing household outgoings will disproportionately affect middle-income households who do not qualify for hardship relief but remain sensitive to cost-of-living fluctuations across Greater London.
Impact on Low-Income Households and Vulnerable Groups
Low-income residents face a compound effect from the simultaneous alteration of support systems. The restriction of council tax support, which currently assists over 7,000 households, combined with the end of Universal Credit eligibility for leisure discounts under the replacement to Access for All, reduces discretionary support for vulnerable demographics. Additionally, the introduction of a £30 fee for bulky waste collections adds a direct cost barrier for residents seeking to dispose of large household items legally.
Community Sector and Public Services
Local voluntary organizations, charities, and community groups will experience constrained operational budgets following the four-year suspension of the Wandsworth Grants Fund. Concurrently, the proposed closure of the KITE service may alter hospital discharge workflows across local health trusts, shifting support duties onto wider social care providers or NHS community teams while the potential for GMB union strike action creates uncertainty around administrative and support operations across Wandsworth and Richmond councils. Conversely, local neighborhoods may observe a visual increase in uniformed policing presence and improved street sanitation as a result of the targeted funding additions in those specific sectors.
