Wandsworth Council announced on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, that it plans to increase council tax rates by 94 percent following an £84 million reduction in government funding. The Conservative-run authority stated the tax for Band D properties would rise by £958 to compensate for what it described as a loss of 40 percent of its spending on public services.
The south London borough has historically maintained low tax rates, but officials said the planned increase is necessary due to the government’s Fair Funding reforms. The council stated these reforms redistribute local government grants from London to other regions. Wandsworth is one of six councils, including Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea, that received government authorization to implement tax hikes above the standard 4.99 percent limit for two years without a local referendum.
Council deputy leader Peter Graham stated the authority does "not want to do this" and called on the government to rethink its funding cuts. Graham noted that the scale of financial pressure necessitates additional income to maintain parks, libraries, leisure centers, bin collection, and street cleaning. In response, Fleur Anderson, the Labour MP for Putney, characterized the increase as a result of choices made by the Conservative administration and urged the council to reverse the decision.
The council tied the scale of the shift to the central government's Fair Funding reforms, which the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said is intended to restore "pride and opportunity" in other regions. This policy change reallocates £84 million away from Wandsworth. The government's decision to waive the usual referendum requirement for Wandsworth and five other councils—Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, the City of London, and Windsor and Maidenhead—allows these local authorities to bypass direct voter approval for these specific increases.
Wandsworth is joining Westminster, Richmond upon Thames, and Kensington and Chelsea to submit a proposal under the Sustainable Communities Act. The council has also submitted a proposal for the upcoming Autumn Budget. The new tax rates are scheduled to take effect in April 2027, though council leadership indicated they would reconsider the hike if the central government restores the funding.
What happens next: The council has submitted its proposal for the government’s Autumn Budget. If funding levels are not adjusted, the new tax rates are scheduled to be implemented in April 2027. Further developments are expected as the council pursues its joint proposal with other London boroughs under the Sustainable Communities Act.