Wandsworth Council cuts free sport, youth bus and homes – 2026

Key Points

• Wandsworth Council’s new Conservative administration has announced initial outcomes of a spending review aimed at tackling a projected 40 per cent cut in core government funding by 2030.
• The Access for All scheme, which provides free gym and leisure centre memberships and discounted sports pitches, will be ended and replaced with a new concessions scheme in September.
• The Borough of Sanctuary programme and accreditation, agreed in 2022, will be cancelled, with a new refugee support policy to be presented in September.
• Five new-build council home schemes (Lennox estate, Ashburton estate, Tyneham Close, Lavender Hill, Fitzhugh Estate) are being axed, avoiding roughly £77m in future borrowing and £5m a year in debt costs.
• The youth bus serving the Alton Estate in Roehampton will be axed, with equipment transferred to a youth centre, saving an estimated £90,000 a year.
• The leader’s office of six full-time staff, set up by the previous Labour administration, will be disbanded, saving more than £1m a year.
• The council will sell the Bradstow School site in Kent to save on maintenance costs.
• Labour accused the Conservatives of painting a misleading picture of the borough’s finances.
• Final decisions on the initial outcomes will be made in due course, with the full spending review to be presented in September.

Wandsworth (South London News) July 29, 2026 – The new Conservative administration at Wandsworth Council has announced a series of cuts to local services and schemes, including free sport sessions, a youth bus, and plans for new council homes, as part of an ongoing spending review. The measures were outlined at a full council meeting on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, with the council’s leadership citing a “financial crisis” driven by major central funding cuts and high levels of planned borrowing under the previous Labour administration.

As reported by Charlotte Lillywhite of MyLondon, Conservative councillor Peter Graham, Cabinet Member for Finance, told the meeting the authority aimed to cut wasteful spending, find savings, limit impact on residents’ bills and protect services that mattered most. Councillor Graham said:

“This spending review is about facing the facts, making hard but necessary choices, and ensuring limited resources are focused on the services that matter most to residents, clean streets, community safety, and core neighbourhood services, while protecting the council’s financial resilience for the future.”

What is the Access for All scheme and why is it being ended?

The Access for All scheme, introduced by the previous Labour administration, provides free gym and leisure centre memberships, free tickets to Tooting Beck Lido, and discounted hiring of sports pitches to help residents with the cost of living.

Under the spending review, the council will end this specific scheme and instead design a new concessions scheme to be brought forward in September.

Councillor Graham said the council would de-ringfend funds allocated to the Access for All, cost of living and Borough of Sanctuary programmes and return remaining balances to general reserves, pending a review of these programmes.

The council is also set to overhaul cost-of-living help it provides to residents, with support measures to be brought under the Government’s new Crisis and Resilience Fund.

What is the Borough of Sanctuary programme and what will replace it?

The Borough of Sanctuary programme and accreditation, agreed in 2022, was designed to strengthen the council’s commitment to support refugees and asylum seekers.

The programme included measures such as more support for asylum seekers to access housing, encouraging local GPs to sign up for the Safe Surgeries initiative, greater support for families with children and unaccompanied children, and dedicated employment and skills events.

The council has announced it will cancel the Borough of Sanctuary programme and accreditation, and provide information on how it would support refugees going forward with a “generous and supportive policy” in September.

As reported by MyLondon, the council is set to cut specific schemes to help people with the cost of living and support refugees, with redesigned support measures to be brought forward in September.

Which council home schemes are being axed and why?

The council is axing plans to build new council homes on the Lennox estate in Roehampton and Ashburton estate in Putney due to opposition from residents. It is also cancelling three smaller schemes, on Tyneham Close, Lavender Hill and the Fitzhugh Estate, as Councillor Graham said officers had advised they were not viable.

He said cancelling these five schemes would avoid roughly £77m in future borrowing costs and £5m a year in debt. In the case of Tyneham Close, Lavender Hill and Fitzhugh Estate, clear technical advice from officers concluded that the schemes were not viable and should not proceed.

Ashburton Estate and Lennox Estate will not be taken forward because the proposals attracted significant opposition from local residents.

What other savings are being made?

The authority is set to axe the youth bus serving the Alton Estate in Roehampton, transferring the equipment into a youth centre, to save an estimated £90,000 a year.

Councillor Graham said the council would disband the leader’s office of six full-time staff, set up by Labour, which would save taxpayers more than £1m a year.

The council is also set to sell the Bradstow School site, in Kent, which shut in December, to save on maintenance costs. Councillor Graham said the authority would move from “waste to value for money” by focussing on residents’ priorities – including improved pressure washing, graffiti removal, waste disposal and enforcement in busy areas – along with aiming to fund 24 extra police officers to patrol the borough.

What is the council’s financial position?

A report on the spending review said the council is expecting a 40 per cent cut to its core funding from the Government, or £84m a year, by 2030. It has been given the power to raise council tax by more than 4.99 per cent from next year without the usual requirement to hold a referendum due to the local authority funding reforms, which aim to shift more cash towards areas with higher deprivation.

The review responds to a projected 40 per cent reduction in government funding, the highest planned borrowing levels in the Council’s history, and reserves that are forecast to run out within three years if urgent action is not taken. The full outcome of the spending review will be presented in September.

What has Labour said about the spending review?

Labour accused the Conservatives of painting a misleading picture of the borough’s finances. The council’s new Conservative leadership is conducting a spending review but Labour accused them of painting a misleading picture of the borough’s finances.

Background: How did Wandsworth Council reach this point?

Wandsworth Council has long been known for setting low council tax bills, with the previous Conservative administration under Rishi Madhok freezing the main element of council tax and investing £15 million in cost-of-living support since 2022.

However, the council now faces a projected 40 per cent reduction in government funding by 2030, the highest planned borrowing levels in its history, and reserves forecast to run out within three years if urgent action is not taken.

The new Conservative administration, which took office in May 2026, carried out a spending review aimed at finding savings to tackle these financial challenges.

The council has been given the power to raise council tax by more than 4.99 per cent from next year without the usual requirement to hold a referendum due to local authority funding reforms.

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Prediction: How will these cuts affect Wandsworth residents?

The initial outcomes of the spending review are likely to have a significant impact on Wandsworth residents, particularly those who rely on the Access for All scheme for free or discounted leisure services, and asylum seekers and refugees who benefit from the Borough of Sanctuary programme.

The cancellation of five new-build council home schemes may also affect the availability of affordable housing in the borough, particularly in Roehampton and Putney.

However, the council has said it will bring forward new concessions and refugee support schemes in September, and has committed to refocusing resources on resident priorities, including enhanced street cleaning, graffiti removal, waste services and enforcement in high-footfall areas, and additional police officers.

The full impact of these changes will depend on the details of the new schemes and the council’s ability to protect core services while making savings.