Council - Wednesday 4 March 2026, 10:00pm - Wandsworth Council Webcasting

Council
Wednesday, 4th March 2026 at 10:00pm 

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Welcome back, councillors, to this special meeting of the council.
Apologies have been received from Councillor Cooper, Govindia, Stutters, Brathorage, Dobres
and Worrall. Are there any other apologies? I'm looking at the whips. Any other apologies?
Whips. Councillor French.
Councillor French. And Councillor Anan.
and Councillor Humphries, any other?
Councillor Paul.
And Councillor Paul.
Item one is mayor's announcements.
Members, it's been a long meeting
and I realise there are strong feelings
on all sides of the debate.
Please can we try to show mutual respect.
We are elected as representatives of all the residents
of this wonderful borough.
I expect better behaviour please.
With that said, let us commence the business
of the special meeting.
I also want to say I'm disappointed at the late production
of the minority party's leader's paper.
While I understand the pressures on members
and that we do have late reports usually
or on controversial matters such as committee allocations,
this item has been scheduled for this meeting for some weeks.
Production of the paper today will have impacted
on the ability of members to read,
let alone digest the 27 -page report plus appendixes.
I would hope future reports are produced in good time.
No, I'm not taking a point of order.
In the -
Well, we just assumed that the Labour administration
would be keeping track of the number of promises
that have broken and wouldn't need to be told.
No, no, no, I'm not taking a point of order, Councillor.
Will you sit down?
As a reminder, please could all speakers keep to time
and wind up your speeches when the red light comes on.
When the roll -out comes on, you have 30 seconds remaining to wind up.
This is to allow as many members as possible to participate.
Thank you.
We're going on to item two.
Are there any members who have declarations of disposable pecuniary interests, other registral
interests or any non -negotiable interests relevant to any matters considered at this
meeting?
No declarations of interest.
Okay, thank you.
Item 3, members, please raise your hand
to indicate you have a petition to hand in.
Once I have called your name,
please announce the subject to the title of the petition.
You are presenting it on behalf of.
Please send forward and hand to Mr. Kelly.
Are there any petitions?
No, I think we've dealt with them all at the earlier meeting.
Item 4 is leaders' questions.
Before we begin questions, may I remind all members
that the overall period of members' questions to the Leader is 20 minutes.
Question 1, how to deliver affordable housing from Councillor Richard's Jones.
Thank you, Mr Mayor. I'll be very brief, but you didn't give me warning about your opening
remarks. My report was published by the Council around the same time as the questions to the
Leader and cabinet members. They had a week to answer. The preparation of the report was
delayed by the receipt of information from members' inquiries which me and my spokesperson
supported in good time.
Question 1 to the Leader.
I am sorry, you and I are not going to continue this debate.
Would you sit down, please?
Question 1 to the Leader.
Thank you, Councillor Hogg.
Thank you, Mr Mayor.
thanks for the question.
Wandsworth Labour is delivering housing for all
because we believe every resident should have access
to a warm, safe, affordable home.
We committed to build 1 ,000 new council homes in Wandsworth,
an ambitious project, but we're already halfway there
with more than 500 new council homes completed
and housing local residents.
It's wonderful to knock on their doors
and listen to their storeys, real lives transformed by labour
And we're well on track to complete 500 more over the coming four years.
And these are such a valuable asset and we have to make sure we protect them.
So we know last time the Wandsworth Tories took over they sold off whole estates, they
sold off fully half of the affordable housing in the borough.
So when it is next his turn, if the opposition leader could confirm that he will complete
those thousand council homes, that they won't be flipped and sold off to the highest bidder,
matter of the utmost interest to the residents affected. And to deliver at
bulk, we obviously it requires support from every new build project in the
borough, which brings us to the local plan. It was fantastic to adopt, bless you,
the local plan changes at the recent cabinet meeting and this has been the
result of years of hard work to deliver pragmatic change, not ideologically driven.
The evidence shows that 23 ,000 affordable homes are needed in Wandsworth by 2038 and
17 ,000 of these will need to be socially rented.
We're delighted that the Inspector found most of our changes to the Local Plan acceptable
and we will be adopting several changes which bring fairness to the system.
The Independent Inspector accepted that Wandsworth has a much more resilient housing development market than the wider London market.
In fact, our affordable contributions have been consistent at 34%, 36 % and 32 % in the last three years.
The agreement to most of our proposals is verification of what Wandsworth Labour already knew.
There is a huge need for affordable housing for local people.
Mr. Mayor, we will continue to do everything we can to deliver genuinely
affordable homes for local people.
First supplementary, Councillor Richard Jones.
Thank you Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor, under this administration, house building has fallen by 43 % a year,
every year since Labour got into office, so that's fewer homes of all tenures
under Labour. That's fewer social homes and that's fewer market sale homes too.
The administration's flagship policy of wanting a minimum of 50 % affordable
homes now lies in tatters. It was criticised in strong terms by Sadiq Khan,
the Mayor of London and his Deputy Leader and it was refused by the
Planning Inspectorate. Nevertheless the administration has done profound damage
to home building in this borough as the statistics show.
And I want to ask the leader this,
which factor does he think was the biggest,
that caused the biggest damage
to home building in the borough?
Was it the Labour government's mismanagement of the economy
or was it his own cabinet members' ideological hatred
of home building which created a chilling effect
for development in this borough?
The leader to respond please.
Thank you Mr. Mayor and thank you for the question.
Wandsworth is one of the last boroughs building and our ambitious growth plan identifies the
opportunity for 12 ,000 new homes.
We continue to receive the highest new homes bonus in recognition of this.
I fully support the cabinet member for housing and his missions deliver the right level of
affordable housing.
No one across London is doing it better at the moment.
We're very proud of him.
It is a difficult situation at the moment, as you say,
across London, but we are determined, as I say,
to build genuinely affordable homes for local people,
not investment opportunities for overseas investors.
Nine Elms can't be towers in the sky
for those overseas investors, while we have thousands
of local children waking up homeless every morning.
Homes shouldn't be left empty by speculative buyers
or half -built to maximise market revenue.
This is not something we'll allow to continue.
We have doubled council tax on empty homes
and we've doubled council tax on second homes.
So this is a serious topic,
but I do want to thank the opposition leader
for at least giving us some laughs tonight.
a debate about honesty in council tax where he won't actually tell us his council tax position and
Now a question from Wandsworth Tories entitled how to deliver affordable housing
Second supplementary council in the cloud second supplementary
Okay
What is it?
To the leader.
Second supplementary to the leader, thank you.
No, can you let the leader respond?
How would I?
Oh, sorry, sorry, yeah, it's late.
Maurice, carry on, carry on.
Second supplementary.
Eight years, I still have no idea what's going on in this place.
Thank you.
A supplementary to the mayor is it feels like the party opposite, obviously trying to make
divides between us and the mayor, and as a sort of two tin council tenant, I consider
Sadiq as one of our own, and I'm really proud of everything he's done.
I think it's worth pointing out that in the two terms before he was mayor, we managed
to build 3 ,250 council properties for all of London
under a guy called Boris Johnson.
Under Sadiq in his two terms, it's been 32 ,000.
Now, I don't think that's enough,
and the mayor doesn't think that's enough.
But it's a damn sight better, and I'm really proud of that.
Does the leader think that, does the leader accept,
though, democracy, we're sent here,
we're representatives of Wandsworth residents,
and we're sent here to stand up for Wandsworth.
And if that means sometimes disagreeing with the mayor or with the government, that's fine
because our job is to stand up for Wandsworth residents.
And I'm really proud that we do that.
Thank you.
Yes, Councillor Hogg.
Absolutely.
I thank Councillor McLeod for that question.
Yeah, Sadiq Khan is one of our own.
You know, for a boy from the Henry Prince Estate to be a Councillor in this chamber,
an MP, and then Mayor of London is a fantastic thing.
and you know he didn't come up the easy way and he's faced a lot of prejudice on the way
but he's also been a huge support to this council not just making us London's borough
of culture but the city hall has made contributions that have completely made the difference on
housing schemes from the fantastic extra 200 council homes in Battersea Power Station across
the borough.
But Councillor McLeod is right as well, we are always on the side of local people, we
will always stand up to powerful interests, whether they're property
developers, whether it's our own government. We find Thames Water half a
million pounds when they weren't respecting local people. We will fine
individuals who don't respect our public spaces as well. We are always on the side
of local people and we will always fight vested interests.
Question 2, Councillor Richards -Jones again. Wandsworth Council's usable
reserves. Thank you. That Ode to Sadiq Khan was a naked pitch for a job post May in City
Hall if I'd ever heard one. Question number two.
Councillor Hogg. Thank you for the question. Our administration
was elected on a commitment to deliver better services for the same low council tax and
we've delivered just that. This term we've delivered four consecutive freezes to Wandsworth's
main council tax and we've delivered four balanced budgets.
My congratulations and admiration as always for Councillor Ireland for the incredible
work she's done over those four years.
We've maintained some of the highest reserves and lowest debt of any council in London and
we've made sure that Wandsworth residents pay the lowest council tax in the country.
This record of delivering better services for the same low tax is achieved because we
practise sound financial management.
During this term, we've responsibly managed our reserves for the benefit of people in
Wandsworth.
It was they who contributed to these reserves over the years.
It's their money and it's they who should benefit.
So since taking office in 2022, our balance has gone from £206 million of reserves to
£167 million today, with this administration putting that £39 million back into our community
to make sure everyone benefits.
Reserves are not burned through or wasted.
This is real money spent for the benefit of local people.
Making opportunities more accessible,
helping struggling households get additional funds,
and ensuring those who come here seeking a better life
are well supported.
I mean the Conservatives talk about reserves
as if they are a good in themselves.
They left hundreds of millions of pounds
sitting in the housing revenue account reserves.
While residents' lifts were broken, while their lifts were unrepaired,
while the repairs service was not respectful or responsive,
we are investing that money into better housing for residents.
First supplementary, Councillor Richards -Jones.
Thanks, Mr Mayor.
I mean, it's his administration that's had a C3 rating
from the regulator of social housing, so we won't take any lessons
about housing management from him.
But on the topic of the reserves, he started off with 206 million in reserves and had inherited
from the last Conservative administration.
By 2027, he'll end up with 116 million, so he'll have spent nearly half of them.
The following year, there's a budget black hole of 137 million.
Now just to take this slowly for Councillor Hogg, 137 million is larger than the reserves
left of 116 million.
So in two years the council will be bankrupt unless under his budget he raises council tax
He cut services or he does a combination of both. So can you just be honest with us?
I mean we haven't got all night, but it's late in the hour
Will he be honest with us and tell us what's he actually going to do if he clings on in May?
councillor
Thanks, mr. Mayor and we're here at this late hour because he's pompously insisted on having a whole second meeting
so we have to listen to him again.
I bring him back to the fact that a lot of these programmes that he refuses to support,
such as Access for All, such as the Borough of Sanctuary for Refugees, such as our Cost
of Living Fund, are supported by their own reserves.
So again, I ask the Leader of the Opposition, if he will, finally take a stand on a policy
issue and support the future of Access for All, Borough of Sanctuary and the Cost of
living schemes because these are incredibly popular schemes with local people.
One resident, Sylvia, told us that she's less worried about things like utility bills and
food because our LIFT campaign successfully signed her up to attendance allowance.
Or take Jan, who attends one of our community spaces.
She goes several times a week saying it's not just because she feels warm every time
she walks through the doors, but because of the social experience.
They deserve our support.
Opposition is about sniping from the sidelines.
To govern is to choose.
Second supplementary please members.
Councillor Rigby.
Yeah, Councillor Belton mentioned some leaflets that he'd got.
I mean some of the ones that I'm getting, they're so badly written.
What kind of chat GPT are you guys using?
Anyway, so I think we need to get some like proper answers.
Can the leader outline how reserves are actually being used
and how this administration is putting them to the benefit of our residents?
The leader, thank you.
Thank you for that question.
Mr Mayor, these reserves belong to the people of Wandsworth.
It's right that they are used to support the residents priorities.
We often use reserves to set aside funds for special projects and one such project is something
I'm immensely popular of and proud of.
I know it's very popular.
Hundreds of people in your own ward have Ballum take part in it, which is Access for All.
This means over 11 ,000 people in total, half of them children, have signed up for this
scheme over the past year.
It's fantastically popular.
over 50 ,000 sessions at Wandsworth gym and leisure centres, free gym and swim.
Just think of the health benefits. Many of those sessions just weren't happening before.
2 ,800 £3 tickets to borough of culture events.
Again, the sort of top class events that people simply weren't having access to before.
This is a lovely one. 231 baby boxes.
So parents of newborns are getting that box with the essentials they need.
1 ,000 play packs for children eligible for free school meals.
282 additional families supported through the school uniform grant scheme, and that's
the most generous school uniform grant scheme in London.
24 school trips funded through Access for All Busses, again, children who might not have
got to go on those school trips without our subsidy.
2 ,700 half -price tickets to Battersea Park fireworks, and 480 more secondary school pupils
receiving free school meals every day.
And from the look of some of the Conservative councillors, I don't think you've quite
realised this is what you've allowed the guys you've handed your party over to say
you're no longer going to support.
So residents will be finding out about this over the coming days and weeks.
Because this scheme was very, very warmly welcomed by residents.
I get emails most days, people talking to me about it.
I use mine every day, access for all cards.
I love it, it's a brilliant scheme.
I've been taking advantage of opportunities
that otherwise would have been beyond my means
at this tricky time.
So putting reserves to use to help our residents
is what being a council that is ambitious is all about.
And it should be noted that the management of our reserves
has been professionally recognised.
We're significantly outperforming other local authorities in terms of our investment strategy.
So just to finish, I would bring us back to those children, to those parents, finally
having access to all of the incredible opportunities that our borough provides.
If you vote Labour, that scheme will remain in place for the next four years.
If you vote Conservative, it will not.
Thank you.
Question number three.
Ambitions for all.
Councillor Boswell.
Thank you, Mr Mayor.
Question number three to the Leader.
I thank Councillor Boswell for this question.
Wandsworth Labour.
We were elected in 2022 with an ambitious manifesto which is focused on all of our residents.
We're ambitious for all.
And we have four years of delivering this promise.
And that ambition, which I think I was just talking about, is that everyone should have access to the opportunities that are generated in our fantastic borough.
And as I said earlier to Councillor McLeod, we will always stand up to powerful interest.
Too many people, I hear this from renters all the time, feel the system is rigged against them, they're paying half their money to pay off someone else's mortgage.
But it's not just that, it's the energy companies, insurance companies and so on.
So just a reminder that we did amend our local plan
to make property development work for local people.
We have changed our council home building scheme
to be 100 % council homes guaranteed for local families.
Again, something that Conservatives
would obviously reverse.
We did stand up to Thames Water
and other utility companies and fine them
when they disrespected our neighbourhood.
We have introduced landlord licencing
to crack down on rogue landlords.
We have doubled council tax for empty homes.
And of course we don't accept any gifts or hospitality or donations from property developers
or other people who are looking to profit from the council.
And as I say we come down hard on fly tippers, fly posters, people who crack up pavements
by driving on them.
We want everyone to have pride in your streets because we're on your side.
We believe Wandsworth is a fantastic place to live.
If the other party would have you believe that this is a dreadful place with an awful
council that no one trusts, residents aren't buying that.
They know this is a fantastic place to live.
Let's keep it special.
Vote Labour.
First supplementary.
Councillor Boswell.
First supplementary.
Thank you, Mr Mayor.
According to the Metro last week, Wandsworth is now the most popular London borough and
place to live.
With one resident saying,
Wandsworth is a place that feels full of possibilities.
Quite different to the picture that's been painted
by some people on the other side tonight.
Can the leader give us a flavour of these possibilities
and how this administration is ensuring
that they are available to everyone?
Councillor Hogg.
Well thank you for that fantastic question
and yeah, I think we agree.
People don't like people who talk down the area.
They don't like people, you know,
Wandsworth is a fantastic place to live
and it has a trusted council.
So I think people with a different starting point
are not gonna find a great audience.
And yeah, we look forward to bringing forward our manifesto.
Obviously the opposition leader could produce
a voluminous obsessive critique of our former manifesto.
Let's see if he can actually produce
any political positions or ideas of his own.
But looking at what we promised
and what we've achieved for local people,
we did promise to build 1 ,000 council homes.
That was a flagship promise.
As we've said, 500 households are going to bed tonight
with a warm, safe, affordable home,
and 250 more currently under construction.
We did commit to pay the London living wage,
and now everyone who does a day's work
for Wandsworth Council, whether on staff or on a contract,
is paid that living wage.
Real pay rise for people doing those frontline jobs.
We committed to being carbon neutral by 2030.
When you see Conservative Party and Conservative councils
moving away from those environmental commitments,
we will be redoubling them.
We committed to getting more apprenticeships
and Wandsworth continues to provide huge number
of new jobs for our residents,
and you'll see a new offer on this coming through.
We heard earlier that we committed to double the support for victims of domestic violence,
tackling this scourge on our community.
We did it.
And we committed to deliver all of this and deliver better services with the same low council tax.
So we were ambitious, we have made huge strides, but there is a lot done, but there is also a lot to do,
because this is 44 years of neglect we're trying to undo.
we do have a decade of renewal and of course in the many questions piling up
in the opposition leaders inboxes would you continue that decade of renewal?
Wandsworth Tories left a hundred million pounds of property developer taxes tied
up in Nine Elms. We unringfenced that and are currently spending it in every
single street in the neighbourhood. Would they go back to how it was before? Would
they end that investment in roads and pavements, end that investment in bridges
and tunnels, end that investment in playgrounds which we're seeing all over the borough.
So I look forward to sharing our plans for the next four years in our manifesto.
Let's not risk going backwards with the Tories.
Let's keep Wandsworth special with Wandsworth Labour.
I'm sorry, Councillor Hamilton, we've gone over the 20 minutes, so the time for leaders'
questions is now finished.
We are going on to item 5, which is the impact of the provisional local government financial
settlement on Wandsworth.
I move reception of that report and after we have heard from the speakers I will ask
the council whether they agree to note the report.
Councillor Peter Graham.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
I don't think we need to move reception of the report, so I presume you are just asking
me to speak.
Is that correct?
Very good.
I'm asking you to speak, but I move reception of the report.
OK.
Well, if you wish to do it that way, Mr. Mayor,
that is your prerogative.
So Council Hogg just implied that it
was quite pompous for us to insist on debating
this report tonight.
We weren't pompous about it.
What we requested when we discovered,
quite unusually, that the special meeting back in January
was not going to discuss the financial position
at the Council, despite the single biggest change
to this Council finances in its history,
with the government withdrawing $85 million per year,
we thought it might be a good idea to actually discuss
that at that Council meeting that had always previously
been used to discuss the financial position.
And so we requested that it be placed on the agenda.
And that request was denied, at which point
we said, in that case, this is so important
that we think it ought to be put in a special meeting and discussed now.
The request to discuss it then was also denied.
And in fact, Councillor Hogg personally took the decision
to place the meeting tonight after the meeting before.
So all of you on that side can thank your leader
for his decision to have you here right now,
which was not our request whatsoever.
One item on the last agenda, which has been flushed out now anyway,
was all that was necessary to avoid this meeting all together.
And this report has now been published as going to the Cabinet.
That was, again, an attempt to suggest
that it wasn't being forced out of you.
But the report was produced in January.
You met after that. That report didn't come to you.
This is clearly a report
that has only been put in the public domain
because of opposition councillors insisting that it do so.
And the report makes pretty staggering reading.
On the government's own assessment of Wandsworth's financial position,
just to replace the money they're taking away,
before we get to the spending gap that you have,
just to replace the money that's been taken away,
council tax would have to increase after the election by more than 80%.
On the budget that you passed tonight,
Assuming, quite heroically, that you make £45 million worth of savings in a timeframe
that no one has ever made them before, you would still have to increase council tax by
more than 130 % to meet the gap.
And if you fail to meet the gap, that's 178%.
And then there's another couple of million of government cuts to hereafter.
So it would actually be over 180 % increase in council tax if you fail.
So that is the position where we're looking at a situation where your own government says
over 80%, your numbers say over 130%, and on your past performance it's more likely
to be over 180%.
And yet you turn around and suggest to residents in this borough that it's all fine, we've
frozen your council tax for four years.
Councillor Hogg's four -fingered salute to the borough.
I believe Councillor Hogg is using four figures to signal that he thinks residents in this
borough have four brain cells.
Because the reality is I have never seen anything more contemptuous, cynical and dishonest than
the approach being taken by the administration.
You know that things can't go on as they are.
You know that if you are there, left there, which frankly I don't think the government
is going to leave you, the public is going to leave you there, but if you are left there,
you would have to take decisions that you will not begin to admit to the public that
you're going to do. You go around bragging about reserves that you're spending, you're
bragging about debt being low when you want to make it high, bragging about council tax
being frozen when it's not frozen, and you have no plan apart from having to increase
it or take a section 114 notice and declare formal bankruptcy of the council. Those are
your choices. We will commit to only what we know we can deliver. And you will see our
commitments as the public will see our commitments. I wait to see, I wait to see a single Wandsworth
Labour leaflet that explains the mess you've created, the scale of the debt you're creating,
the scale of the hole you have created, or anything that you will do to fill it. This
This is thoroughly cynical, contemptuous stuff.
A budget balanced on reserves, a strategy of denial,
an attempt to take the public for falls,
and they're not going to believe it.
They won't believe it.
They are more intelligent than you give them credit for.
We are being honest with the public
about the scale of a challenge.
You are lying to them, and you will and deserve to lose.
Councillor Dicodem.
Yeah, I got a, come on, I got a, your procedural motion about the idea that this hasn't been
discussed, that's why we have to have a second meeting.
I've just got deja vu from the last two hours.
You've had every ample opportunity to talk about the funding gap, as you should.
Correct, it's an important issue, and we spoke about it like six, seven, eight times in the
last meeting.
But here we are having the second meeting.
There's a total kind of, I mean it's just ludicrous.
You just called us contemptual, cynical for making these grand mystical things to pull
out the wall over the eyes of our residents.
Meanwhile, we're getting leaflets through the door saying that we're borrowing, you
know, what is it, we've started at 1 billion, now it's 2 billion because you're deliberately
mixing the HRA with the general funds.
It's, you know what you're doing, two separate legal, financially separate pots and you purpose
you purposefully blend them and you blend them on purpose to try and make it
look scary. It's like comparing someone's mortgage to their credit card.
It makes no sense and you do it to scare residents and that's totally fine.
It's politics. It's what we expect. Now on the point of the
financial settlement, once it's been given, you know, we've got to be frank.
It's a massive challenge, right? Earlier in this meeting and every single
time that we come out and we take a strong stand against either a Labour
or a Labour mayor or another Labour politician,
on behalf of Wandsworth residents,
you always kind of, you know, you go nuts.
You say, oh look, division, division, division.
Absolutely not.
There is no division here.
This is a Wandsworth Labour council
that will stand up for Wandsworth residents
and will fight and will defend our position
and will stand up.
And I know that's been happening
and you know that's been happening.
And there's absolutely,
I think absolutely no contradiction
between when you're literally months ago handed
a massive, massive set of decisions to make, that you think about it seriously, that you
think about it properly, that you don't just make a knee -jerk reaction. And the reason
why you want a knee -jerk reaction from us is because of everything that I said in my
last speech, which is you want to distract from the fact that we have actually done what
you thought was impossible. We have kept the council tax low for the last four years. But
we've also delivered an incredibly progressive agenda, an agenda that covers a whole range
of things that working class residents in Wandsworth who have been feeling the pinch
for years are really, really benefiting from. Now, there are a series of very quick savings
that we know that you can easily make and you will probably make, right, and they're
things that you are refusing to commit to. On the thousand homes, you're against the
borrowing on the thousand homes, just come out and be open and say that the other 500
you're going to sell because that's exactly what we know we're going to do. You have opposed
all of our building of council housing up until now, we know you've flipped them. Be
Be open and honest about the access for all programme.
These are things that you have opposed in the past.
So if you want us to come out and start setting budgets years before the actual budget can
be set, then you can be honest about what decisions you're going to make come the election.
Now on stewardship, to anyone who's watching and who is worried about the financial position
of Wandsworth, what would you rather have with a Labour government, a Labour council
or a Conservative council that knows how to do austerity and did austerity to drastic
effect limiting the life chances and outcomes of ones of residents? Do you want a Labour
council that is on your side that has stood up for you in the past and that can do negotiations
with the Labour government or do you want to give it over to the opposition that will
just completely cut, that will just completely cut to the bone? It's what they know and it's
what the party is famous for. Now you have asked us...
Will you give way?
Just give me one second because I did that a lot on my last speech you have asked us over and over again
What the position is regarding?
The power to you know, you put the leaflets out your 80 % It's very clear. It's in the public
We have been given that gift to raise council tax above 5 % and we have said no
That is the position of one's flavour. We have committed to it publicly, you know it
You know that that's the position of one's of labour and you're going to continue to try and undermine that position because council tax is
is, as I said before, the one policy that you have brought forward other than North
Road pedestrianisation. Council tax is the thing that you lived and died on and it allowed
you to cut back on one o 'clock clubs. It allowed you to under -invest and not do any stock conditions
on our council housing. It allowed you to try and privatise and marketise public land.
It allowed you to let developers just open door policy. You're against our local plan
changes. I mean, I genuinely didn't think you would vote against that because some of
changes are so in your own interest if you were to take over the council because it's delivering
a pipeline of social housing that otherwise we wouldn't get but all you know how to do is
austerity and what you want us to do is in this meeting somehow sign up to that agenda. We never
will. This is a progressive Labour council that has delivered an incredible record over the last
four years. This meeting was a waste of everyone's time but we're happy to confirm to the residents
of Wandsworth that your money is safe with us. We're going to keep your council tax low and we're
keep our services running and services that are directly helping some of those at the sharpest end.
Thank you.
I'm sorry you didn't get the second supplementary earlier, but you have got the last speech in this debate.
Councillor Hamilton.
Thank you, Mr Mayor.
It's disappointing, I think, to hear some of the rhetoric we're hearing about why we're here this evening.
This isn't an act of pomposity.
This meeting's not needless.
We're not wasting our time.
we're here to do the job of work that we were elected to do, which is look at
budgets, understand how money is being spent and look at the long -term impact
on our residents. And nothing could be more important than examining the details
of the fairer funding review and the impact it's going to have on this borough.
So let's look actually at a few of the aspects of this deal on how it's going
to negatively impact upon our finances and the types of services that this
council will be able to provide going forward. Now the first thing I would
raise is to look at the independent analysis of the fairer funding review provided by the
IFS. Now the IFS did a calculation all the way across the country at all of the funding
settlements provided to councils across the land and saw that on average it was about
7 .4 % of an increase over three years that councils would receive. Of course we understand
in Wandsworth that our funding here will be cut by about two -fifths over the same time
period. Now we often hear comments from Labour councillors about Sadiq Khan, the Labour government,
your proximity to power, and we've even had a claim from the leader this evening that
somehow the fairer funding review settlement was a triumph for Wandsworth. It was an example
of good negotiation. Well I would ask what went wrong, because if we look on the other
side of London and we look at Enfield for example, and just reference the figures here,
Their settlement for 26 to 29 is going up by more than 200 million pounds.
Why do they gain so much and we suffer so much as well?
The reality is to pick up a line directly from the paper.
The paper provided by officers says that councils that are most disadvantages are those with
the lowest council tax.
Therefore councils that have been best run, as they were under the Conservative Party,
built up the best reserves for rainy days like this council did under the Conservative Party are now being attacked by a
Labour central government
This is actually a centrally attacks and an attack on the decades of good governance that the Conservative Party
Put in place and that you have benefited from over the last few years with your generous and often unfunded handouts
Now, let's also have a look wait
We take an intervention where the gut not yet where the budget gap actually lies
If we look for example at the way in which this budget is likely to go with the cuts that are projected,
the IFS estimates that the increases in council tax that be required over the next few years are 5%, 34%, 26 % and a further 5%,
but also would necessitate the use of reserves just to keep services running as they were before.
But as Councillor Richard -Jones and others have mentioned this evening,
When we actually look at the budget gap and the deficit that the Labour Council are running
up, by 2027, the Council's reserves will be down to $116 million, but the budget gap will
stand at $137 million.
Essentially, this Council will be bankrupt.
Now it's all well and good for you to come forward with grand promises to try and pull
the wool over the eyes of residents by talking about Council tax freezes.
We take an intervention?
By talking about splurges, one second, but it's simply not credible.
Please.
You talk a lot about democracy and the point of this meeting being so that we can have scrutiny.
All we've heard so far is analysis that we can read in the reports and we can read in the IFRS at our own pleasure.
You have, Peter, just be quiet for one second.
Just be quiet, thank you.
You have an opportunity now in a democratic environment to stand up and say what's your solution to the problems that you're proposing?
So very clearly, very simply, on the record, say what you would do differently and if we're putting the wall over residents eyes, what is your offer to those residents?
Without Bluster, without the Pomposity, straight answers.
Well, Councillor Malloy, I'm delighted to answer your question. It's a good political one which of course would be asked at a meeting like this.
The reality is the Conservative Party's manifesto, which is detailed, which is specific on policies,
which talks about the areas that we are going to fund, the areas that we are going to review,
will be published very soon.
And you will have absolute clarity on all of those policies.
But the reality is, the reality is, we're not here to discuss our spending plans.
We're here to discuss the financial asteroid that's going to hit this council because of
your government's policies and the core administration of this council.
We have outlined not our opinion but facts from the IFS.
We've outlined the officer's report, the officer's projections, which show that this council is going bankrupt.
Now one thing that we do promise tonight, and it's funny to hear the leader criticise this report,
which has meticulously gone through each of the broken promises of this administration,
I can guarantee you, having worked with Councillor Richard Jones and this team over the last few years,
This is the kind of meticulous approach that our group will take to opening the books,
finding out where waste exists, and making sure that we can protect frontline services
in a way that your budget simply won't.
Under Labour, this council is going bankrupt.
Under the Conservatives, we will get things back on track.
Thank you, Members.
members, now, can we now note the report
that we've been discussing?
Are people in agreement?
Agreed?
Are there any against?
Any abstentions?
So the report has been noted unanimously.
We're on to item six, which is the leader
of the opposition's paper on the manifesto
promises of the administration.
Again, I move reception of that report and after we have heard from the speakers, I will
ask the council whether they agree to the recommendation contained within the report.
First speaker is Councillor Locher.
Councillor Locher, I'm glad we've made it to you.
Thank you, Mr Mayor, and thank you to Councillor Cornyn for swapping with me to make sure we
got through it.
Mr Mayor, this will be my last council speech, so I'd like to thank all of the officers and
colleagues I've worked with over the past 16 years, plus of course the residents whom
it has been an honour to serve. I shall greatly miss you all. I don't know what I'll do
with my evenings without this entertainment. And I do plan to return to the borough in
the future. I wish the best to my colleagues standing for re -election. May you achieve
the results you deserve. However, I don't envy you on the doorstep in the current political
climate. As last week's by -election showed, British politics is an uncharted territory.
Labour, coming third in Gorton and Denton, proves there are no longer any safe seats.
So how have we reached this point? How have we reached this point? And as we head to the
polls in Wandsworth, what are the implications? Well, based on my time as a councillor, I
that voters are desperate to see from their elected representatives is vision, delivery
and most importantly honesty about the challenges we face.
As I reflect on my years here in Wandsworth, there is much we can take pride in, but like
the UK as a whole, there is also a growing list of issues to be addressed.
One of the greatest successes in Wandsworth I've witnessed has been the redevelopment
of Nine Elms and the Long Derelict Battersea Power Station.
For that, I would like to recognise the leadership
displayed by my colleague, Councillor Govindia.
It was his vision and genuine ambition
that saw the transformation of this iconic site
into an exciting new commercial and cultural hub,
providing thousands of homes and jobs
underpinned by the Northern Line extension.
And under his leadership, it wasn't just Nine Elms
that we committed to change for the better.
The Winstanley Estate regeneration
has the potential to transform the quality of life for thousands of residents.
However, that brings us on to the importance of delivery.
Whilst there was an aspirational vision and the initial stages were encouraging,
it is concerning to see the pace of change languish in recent years.
There will always be difficulties with complex projects,
but I hope in the next term the Council will regain its ambition and fulfil the promises made.
I'm afraid there are other examples of where the council is failing to deliver for residents.
Fixing the Wandsworth one -way system was a clear manifesto pledge from the current administration.
The previous cabinet here marked millions of pounds to help achieve it,
yet barely a word has been said about it over the last four years, and not even a traffic bollard has changed.
There will be excuses about TfL problems and rising costs, but where's the ambition?
No administration can expect everything to go smoothly.
Unforeseen challenges emerge, and we've seen plenty of those nationally as well as locally over the last couple of decades.
By far the most daunting was responding to COVID, probably the scariest and most surreal period in our lifetimes.
Yet for me personally, that's when I was proudest of Wandsworth.
We worked tirelessly to ensure key services were maintained, doing our utmost to protect our residents from the ravages of the disease.
Let's not forget how we provided essentials to vulnerable people, kept weekly rubbish collections, flipped our libraries to mobile lending, supported remote learning with power to connect laptops, and worked with the NHS to set up mass vaccination centres.
We even preserved the democratic business of this council by shifting online. In many ways, it was local government's finest hour.
During that period, it was imperative to provide people with clear and honest communications.
There was no sugar coating the gravity of the situation.
So it's regrettable that in more recent times that candour has been lost from the Council's messaging,
whilst the opportunity for backbenchers to ask questions and scrutinise has been consciously eroded.
Take for instance this evening's debate, the future of the borough's finances and Council tax.
The leadership may think it's terribly clever to defer the debate until after the election,
pretending there's nothing to see here.
However, such a strategy is not slick political marketing.
It's simply dishonest and craven.
Surely the experience of the Stama government
shows the futility of empty slogans
and broken manifesto promises.
Please don't follow his example.
So as you head into the election campaign,
I don't begrudge you, but based on my experience,
if you really want to succeed,
if you sincerely want to make a positive difference
to our borough, then have a vision, deliver on your promises and above all be honest with
the electorate. Thank you and good luck.
Councillor Yates. Thank you, Mr Mayor. I first spoke in a council
meeting just over three years ago. I talked then of a resident in Roehampton who'd asked
me for help. This was a mum of five young boys living with her partner in a two -bed
flat on the 11th floor. One of her sons has complex needs and kept trying to jump out
of the windows. They had bad mould in the flat due to overcrowding. I inquired about
the family's place in the housing queue and was told they had no foreseeable chance of
being rehoused. But in 2024, under this Labour Council's local lettings policy, the family
were moved into a brand new council home, right next door to their old flat. Talking
to the mum, she told me it's been life -changing for her family. Her son, with special needs,
is no longer frightened to go to school.
Now he doesn't have to use the lifts
and he has enough space with his own room and a garden.
In our 2022 Labour Manifesto,
new homes was a key pledge
because a decent home is the foundation of a good life.
We pledged to build a thousand new council homes
guaranteed for local people and their sons and daughters.
and I am so proud that we're delivering on that promise.
In October last year, the 500th new home was completed
and we're on track to deliver over 1 ,000 by 2029.
We promised a fair deal for renters,
a better deal for leaseholders,
and no, I won't give way.
We promised a fair deal for renters,
a better deal for leaseholders,
and action on rough sleeping.
and we've delivered with new landlord licencing scheme that's driving up standards in private
rented homes, better payment terms for leaseholders and a new homelessness hub.
And I am so proud of our record of delivery across all our manifesto commitments over
the last four years.
We pledged to keep council tax low and that's exactly what we've done, freezing the main
element of council tax four years in a row.
So ones with residents pay the lowest council tax
in the country, and under Labour, they'll continue to do so.
We pledge to be ambitious for everyone,
and to deliver on sustainability, prosperity, security,
and opportunity for all, and that's what we've done.
On sustainability, recycling up by 25%,
and food waste recycling started across the borough.
monthly mega skips, free bulky waste collections, new rubbish bins.
Walking and cycling made easier, with more school streets, cycle lanes,
zebra crossings and the biggest bike hanger roll -out in London.
Record numbers of trees planted, new pocket parks created.
On prosperity, the London living wage now being paid to all council staff
and to contractors because a hard day's work deserves a fair day's pay.
The biggest cost of living fund in the country.
Our brilliant Access for All scheme, making key council services and local activities more affordable,
with 50 % off weddings for example, and free gym and swim.
Free school breakfast for over 5 ,000 children and free school uniforms for those that need them.
On security, more CCTV, new CCTV cars, helping keep Wandsworth the safest borough in inner London.
Support for domestic abuse services doubled and safe havens created.
Once was now a borough of sanctuary for refugees.
The biggest road and pavement renewals programme in London
to make our streets safer and better for everyone.
On opportunity, our brilliant work match scheme expanded
to help local people get local jobs.
Family hubs created and over 200 more places for young people
with complex needs because every child deserves the best start in life.
We promised to be a council at Listens and we've delivered on that with our seven days,
seven rings, seven days guarantee the key services launched last year to make it easier
for residents to get in touch and ensure faster repairs across the borough.
Now residents can contact us on WhatsApp too.
We've involved and consulted residents in our Citizens' Assembly on Air Quality through
our Cost of Living Commission and we've acted on the recommendations.
Now we're listening to residents through the Ballum Forum.
I could go on and on and on,
because this Labour Council has delivered
and delivered and delivered.
But unlike the party opposite,
we don't want to stay here all night.
We want to get home and get some sleep,
so tomorrow we can get up and go on working hard
for our residents for a fairer, more compassionate,
and more sustainable Wandsworth.
Thank you and excellent speech.
Thank you, Councillor Yates.
Understanding Order 26.
I put that the question now be put.
Do you have a seconder, Councillor Apps?
Seconded.
Okay.
We'll take a vote on that immediately.
Pardon question B. Port.
Mr. Mayor.
Mr Mayor, I understand we don't have to put it to the vote, it's at your discretion,
so you could let the last few speakers speak.
It's at your discretion.
Standing Order 26 is at the Mayor's discretion.
So do you want to refuse the last couple of people to speak Mr Mayor?
I'm deciding to put it to a vote as I have done previously.
Mr Mayor, you're refusing the last two Councillors to speak.
This is not for debate, I understand it's forthwith.
Mr Mayor, could you at least give us your reasons for the curtailing debate,
because it is now your personal choice to allow the administration to shut down debate,
as they have done successively over their entire time in office.
No, I'm not going to give reasons.
My decision is going for a vote.
I say, Mr Mayor, I think it's a very sad way to end the year.
This is quite outrageous that the majority power can use their majority to close down
all debate, because if there is a change of control and an incoming administration decides
to close every debate down after two speeches, it will not improve life in this chamber.
I do think Mr. Mayor you have a duty to...
you have a duty to protect against an elective dictatorship and I'm not convinced that you've
done that.
All those in favour that the motion be put.
What a dreadful end to your mayoralty Mr Mayor, that's shocking.
What a partisan way to end your mayoralty Mr Mayor.
That is absolutely outrageous.
Bit of order please.
What a partisan way to end your mayoralty.
That is absolutely shocking.
Are there any abstentions?
That is passed.
The motion now be put is 25 votes to 21 with no abstentions.
Please, we are not getting into the debate with the chair.
Now I'm advised that the, just quiet,
the proposer of this particular report
has the right of reply or he can nominate
Councillor Sweet, Horner or Brooks to reply.
One of you has the right of reply having put the report.
And I do want to decide who has the right to reply.
I thought it was me, didn't I put it?
I was thinking I had a moment of power before I left.
How to choose?
How to choose?
I'll defer to the leaders who to choose.
I'm sorry, this is an appalling...
You're taking the right of reply yourself.
This is an appalling decision, Mr. Mayor,
but you're saying I can nominate one of my colleagues?
Do you want to exercise the right of reply?
Yes, please.
Yeah, OK.
Mr. Met, Mr. Met, go on.
Councillor Sweet, Cornup, Brooks or Riches -Jones?
Who's going to do that?
You're down to speak.
As Councillor Apps has cut him off, I'll nominate Councillor Corner.
Councillor Corner, please. Thank you.
Thank you Mr. Mayor.
This is a really important matter because we've just come to the end of four years of
Labour control at this town hall and it is only right democratically, transparently for
us to look at how this council has performed over the last four years, how promises made
in the last election have been adhered to or abandoned, as is the case with so many of them,
and we actually are able to say to residents what this council has achieved and what it has not.
This administration came to this council this evening to both meetings with no actual analysis
of what it's achieved whatsoever. It came up with a...
I did, but there was a motion earlier which ran to about two pages.
It provided no evidence, only rhetoric.
Wandsworth Conservatives have painstakingly compiled a 30 -page report documenting no fewer
than 41 broken pledges that you made at the last election and that you failed to keep.
And I think it is only fair democratically in the good traditions of transparency that
we're able to discuss those and get answers for residents on why they have not been achieved.
Now fundamentally, my analysis is that the Wandsworth Labour manifesto in 2022 was full
of unrealistic, undesirable, and undeliverable promises
that were typed out in order to win votes,
but which you had no intention
or ability to deliver whatsoever.
Now, let's, let's, let's, let's, let's.
Absolutely.
Look, you could vote to have like 30 minutes
of quiet reading time for your guys to actually go out and read your manifesto and the report
and people could make up their own mind.
But you have decided to curtail the debate tonight so I'm being forced unfairly I think
and I absolutely agree with Councillor Grimson's points about the motives behind that decision.
Now, Councillor Yates, you spoke about a thousand new homes.
Of course, the Thousand Homes Programme was started under Conservative administration.
Your manifesto said that your first act would be to build 1000 new council homes.
How many have been actually built four years later?
500.
No.
Counting Fs.
The housing authority monitoring report says that on completions you've only built or started building
366 just over a third of your target that is an example of where you have said something that sounds impressive to
to win votes
But you haven't delivered it. I will take your point of information. Absolutely
We've had this discussion over and over again in this town hall
We were very clear that when we inherited the thousand homes programme
the difference between us was flipping the 600 units that were going to be for sale products
into council tenancies. That's been absolutely clear and honest and I've said it at this
meeting you can get clips of it and you can share it with the public because I'm absolutely
not ashamed of it whatsoever.
Look, absolutely he did say that I think at committee meetings but fundamentally in the
election campaign, in the public document that you published on what you would deliver
in administration, you said you would build a thousand new council homes, you failed to
even complete a third of them.
And Councillor Yates had the nerve to say that, to use that example and then say this
was an example of how Wandsworth Labour delivered on all their commitments.
You know, there are at least 41 pledges that have been broken that have had to be detailed
in this report because you haven't been honest enough, transparent enough and opened the
books for residents to otherwise see where promises have been made and where promises
have been broken.
Let's look at another broken pledge, the 50 % affordable housing pledge.
Now look, an affordable housing, there you go, he said he tried but he didn't deliver.
He pledged to deliver 50 % affordable housing on new schemes.
He was then forced to backtrack
because they were undeliverable.
We took it to the very final line.
You've been forced to backtrack.
And then you were forced to backtrack.
Why did we take the fights to the end?
And lose it.
And lose it.
And lose it.
Yeah.
You know, look, I will.
Can I just say,
I actually have a lot of respect for that.
We've got an admission from the cabinet member of housing
that he set an ambitious policy and failed to deliver it.
You know, that's a real shame because it meant
that people were led to vote Labour on false pretences.
But at least he's honest enough to admit to his failures.
I would urge all members to read this report in full
and make the apology that Wandsworth residents deserve
so that people can understand what was promised
and why it wasn't delivered and see you take some responsibility for once at the
end of this poorly delivered administration.
Thank you, Councillor Corner.
APPLAUSE
Members, we're now going to vote on the recommendation in the report and I want
to read out the recommendation so it's clear because it may not be clear to
It's on page one, number five.
The council is recommended to instruct the executive that any paid -for communications delivered to households
before the pre -election period of heightened sensitivity must be submitted to the full council in final draught form for prior approval.
That's the recommendation that we're voting on.
All those in favour of the recommendation?
Okay, great.
Thank you.
All those against the recommendation?
Any abstentions?
So the recommendation is lost.
There were 20 votes for 26 against with no abstentions.
Thank you, members.
That concludes the business of the special meeting this evening.
Thank you very much.