Council - Wednesday 16 July 2025, 7:30pm - Wandsworth Council Webcasting

Council
Wednesday, 16th July 2025 at 7:30pm

Agenda

Slides

Transcript

Map

Resources

Twitter

Forums

Speakers

Feedback

Votes

Speaking:

Start of webcast

Share this agenda point

Select an agenda point

Scroll with video

Disclaimer: This transcript was automatically generated, so it may contain errors. Please view the webcast to confirm whether the content is accurate.

Good evening councillors, officers and members of the public. Welcome to the council meeting.

I'm delighted to warmly welcome the new Anglican Archdeacon of Wandsworth, Bridget Sheppard.

Thank you Archdeacon Bridget for agreeing to address us with some words and thoughts

that I hope will inspire councillors and get the meeting off to a good start.

Good evening everybody.

It's fantastic to be with you.

For those who are unfamiliar with what an archdeacon does, I support and oversee 55

parishes in the boroughs of Wandsworth, Kingston and Richmond, south of the River Thames.

In political terms, being an archdeacon is most like being a party whip, so you can probably

get a sense of the kind of person I am.

I spent the last 10 years in the borough of Lewisham and then moved to Battersea two months

ago to take up this post.

As I was thinking about what to say this evening, I took my inspiration not from the Bible,

but from the world of sport.

And I would like to offer you two sporting images to think about.

The first comes from the Wimbledon finals.

Probably like many of us, I spent a happy few hours on Sunday afternoon watching Yannick

Sinner defeat Carlos Alcaraz to win the men's title.

And of course the aim of the game is to score points against your opponent in order to be

the victor.

And I was quite pleased with the outcome of the game.

By contrast, I have recently signed up to do a learn to row course in Putney.

I figure if you live by the River Thames when in Rome, you might as well make the most of

it.

So at 7am this morning, I was with two other novice rowers grappling with oars as we attempted

tempted to manoeuvre our boat on the river. Unlike tennis, we weren't seeking to score

points against one another, we were working together for a shared goal.

As you think about your role as a local counsellor, I wonder what your experience of politics

is like. Is it more like point -scoring tennis, or is it like amateur rowers working together

for a shared goal, or is it maybe a bit of both,

depending on what the prize is?

My guess is that many of us in this room,

whatever our political persuasion,

or in fact whatever our faith position,

probably have quite a number of shared goals.

But working together for a shared goal

is easier said than done.

On the basis of my performance on the river this morning,

I will not be representing our country

at the next Olympics. And it strikes me that my fellow rowers were very patient and gracious

as they watched me get to grips with what I was doing. And it shows that learning to

row is not simply about learning to row, it is also about learning to work with others.

One of the things that I enjoy most about being part of the Christian Church is that

I am part of a body of people

from vastly different backgrounds,

and we share a goal in that we follow the person of Jesus.

But the very diversity that makes the church

such a joyful place can also make it a place

of incredible tension and frustration,

shock, horror, Christians fighting and falling out.

It's not always easy to work together,

even if you have a shared goal.

But I think the way I think about it is that actually the shared goal is just as important

as the things you learn when you are working together.

The things you learn about yourself, the things you learn about your fellow humans, and the

things you learn about the world of which we are part.

So whether we're talking about politics or the church, we don't build community by scoring

points.

we build community by pulling together and by learning to work as one.

That's my little offering for the start of this evening.

Thank you very much for having me along

and thank you for allowing me to stick my oar in, as it were.

APPLAUSE

Thank you very much.

Apologies have been received from Councillor Caddy, Councillor Govindia, Councillor Locher,

Councillor McLeod, Councillor Lawless and Councillor Dobres.

Are there any other apologies?

No?

Thank you very much.

We're on to item one.

The minutes of the meeting held on the 21st of May have been circulated.

Are there any objections or abstentions to me signing the minutes as a correct record?

Agreed? Thank you very much. I'll take that as agreed.

Item 2 is Mayor's Announcements.

Members may be aware it's my sad duty to inform you that former Councillor Len Harris has

passed away.

Can I ask members to stand for a minute's silence before Councillor Hunt for his and

Councillor Belton pay tribute to former Councillor Harris.

you

retain WhatsApp and

Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa,

Len Harris grew up on a farm before moving to London in 1961.

The family, having escaped the horrors of the apartheid regime,

moved to a small house on Granville Road in Southfields.

Len attended a local school, Clark's College,

where he achieved O -level results so extraordinary

that it appeared in a story in the Wandsworth Press.

I don't know what they actually were,

but it must have been pretty extraordinary.

Len himself said he became politically active

in very precisely October 1963, aged 17 and a half when he joined the Putney Conservative

Association. He became involved in student politics at LSE where he drew in speakers

such as Mrs Thatcher. He served as a Conservative Councillor for West Hill Ward from 1974 to

1978 with fellow colleagues whose names probably would also be familiar to members in this

chamber of Chris Chope and Terry Wolf. Only one term on the Council but he had a much

bigger impact on the party and the borough that that might suggest.

He was a part of the team that laid the foundations for the 1978 Conservative victory and was

a great support to the 78 -82 administration.

I think perhaps Councillor Belton may remember those times somewhat less fondly as the building

blocks were, shall we say, rearranged from those of his regime to those which became

known as the brighter borough.

Len went on to be the GLC member for the area from 1977 to 1981, where he sparred with the

likes of Ken Livingston.

In strange circumstances, in his final year, there was another election for one year only

extra while the GLC was being phased out.

The Labour Party tried a little sneaky trick by putting somebody up against him, also called

Harris.

But you'll be glad to know that Len won out and was victorious once again.

From 1981, Len developed groundbreaking computer software to manage the full electoral role,

which he installed as a first in the Putney Conservative Association and actually ended

up being used widely, including in Mrs. Satcher's seat in Finchley and John Maider's in Huntingdon.

By 1992, nearly 125 Conservative associations across the country were using his system.

More recently, Len had the difficult task of juggling his care for his elderly mother

with a demanding full -time job as an auditor for a large insurance and pensions company.

But from 2010, he managed to revitalise his interest in politics,

where his stance took him into the surely grateful arms of UKIP,

where his hard work ethic was appreciated by perhaps a slightly different audience.

Len Harris sadly died on the 4th of July this year,

and is survived by his son Julian and his granddaughter Ophelia.

Heartfelt sympathies to them.

Councillor Belton.

For anyone who's read every single one

of the council minutes that this council has ever had

since 1964, like I am fool enough to have done,

you'd know that in the 1960s, I think,

there was not one division.

You know when we name votes, not one division.

It wasn't then a legal necessity to do it for the budget.

And the council meeting was usually ended

about nine o 'clock or even earlier.

It's not that things weren't contentious,

because they were.

Major council estates were being built

in Northern Battersea for example,

which caused a lot of controversy.

But interestingly enough, one of the major controversies

was who was gonna build more houses more successfully,

Councilor Mallum or Councilor who was on our side.

And that changed very markedly in 1971.

There was a new brood of labor members

who raised the political stakes a little bit,

but only a little bit, I think.

Most people here will not know them,

but Martin Linton, my other half, Penny Caulfield,

called me, perhaps a couple of others.

1974, West Hill, Christopher Chope,

Len Harris, and Terrence Walsh, as you've just said.

They joined a group of,

should I say kind of Christian Democrat conservatives

who'd been used to operating in the post -war consensus.

As I said, no divisions, nothing happened like that.

As soon as Len Harris and Chris Chope got here,

you'll see the minutes change completely.

From council meetings ending at nine, 10,

we were pushing it a bit later, 11,

they suddenly became three, four, five,

at least one occasion, I recall,

we adjourned until the next day,

which for most of us were then working,

as you can imagine was quite difficult.

Len Harris and Chris Chope upped the ante

in political terms immensely.

I didn't know that he had written some software,

but that seems to fit absolutely with the model.

To use the Archdeacon's terms,

Len Harris and Chris Chope,

Chris Chope, I love to think of as the,

the Brexiteer upskirting and legislation on FGM,

all sorts of things.

Wonderful politics of the man.

And then Harris, completely upped the ante

and changed the nature of politics in this borough.

And I think it's always been, I must say I played a part,

I can't deny I played a part.

but I must say they, and Len in particular,

was a worthy competitor in the point scoring, actually.

I don't think he was terribly interested in making sure

that things worked and were achieved.

He was only interested in making sure that the Tory version

of things worked and were achieved.

And on that basis, I've always valued the contribution

of everyone on the scouts, so however I politically agree

or disagree, I have to note that he was a major, major force in the Tory party, not

generally recognized, but it was only one term.

I'm sure he would have gone down well with some of the younger men on the Tory side now,

perhaps not some of the others, but there we go.

Len Harris, a part of my background, a part of this council's background, and a noteworthy

person.

Thank you Councillor Belton and Councillor Humphreys.

We're still on Mayor's announcement, I am too.

First I want to welcome Andrew Travers, our new Chief Executive.

Of course we have high expectations of you in your crucial leadership role and I think

the whole Council will wish you well in leading our strong management teams and staff teams

forward over the next period of time.

Congratulations to officers and to Councillors for obtaining A grade from the International

Carbon Disclosure Project for the Council in relation to climate change action leadership.

We are just one of five authorities in London to get an A rating.

I hope that gives us a good start to achieve a carbon net zero borough by 2043.

And congratulations go to Rashid Pendry, the Director of Practice for Children's and Families

Social Care on receiving the OBE in the King's Honours List.

Rashid, thank you for making a positive difference for many children and families in Wandsworth.

The Deputy Mayor and I have made numerous visits to all manner of voluntary and community

groups to understand and applaud what goes on often unrecognized and in many corners

of our communities.

These community visits range from dog show competitions, opening shops, celebrating new

blue plaques to commemorate the lives of notable people living in Wandsworth,

attending VE Day street parties, festivals of greening and street fun days,

Young People's Awards, the opening with Queen Camilla this week of a Century dog

garden at Battersea Dogs Home, Pride celebrations, Fostering Care reception

and the Chamber of Commerce Awards,

and the Battersea Pagoda Peace Ceremony,

and many other things too.

It's been a great pleasure to join in the celebrations

involved in Wandsworth year

of London Borough of Calture 2025.

These events have included several art exhibitions,

street theater, many types of music,

reopening of historic drinking fountain in Coronation Garden

with the sculpture of the first woman

professional garden designer, Wilkinson.

The celebration events for Windrush,

the enhanced Wandsworth Arts Fringe,

and Wandsworth Heritage Festival have been a great success.

So the London Borough Culture events

will go on all year round all this year,

and I'm sure all Councillors will want to support

and get involved in enjoying and celebrating

the huge range of cultures

and different cultural activities.

Many thanks particularly go to Sara O 'Donnell,

head of arts and culture,

and her team for the work they are putting in

over and above one could expect.

I keep meeting them during the week,

and also during the Saturdays and Sundays as well,

seven days a week.

A little bit on charities and fundraising,

I have a meeting with the three Merrill charities tomorrow morning,

Wandsworth Welcome Refugees, Mindworks UK and Wandsworth Oasis.

Any ideas and help for fundraising from councillors would be much appreciated.

Councillor Caroline de la Sejour is helping me organise the fun Merrill tennis competition.

For Councillors, Officers and others, really all standards of tennis are welcome.

Please let me know if you would like to play.

If you can't play but want to support the Mayoral Charities by coming along for tea

and cake and watching the tennis, it's much cheaper than Wimbledon.

Tickets are available from the Mayor's Office.

The date Caroline and I have set for your Diaries is Sunday the afternoon the 14th of

September from 3 p .m. to 5 p .m.

I know we are taking a new approach

to work on overview and scrutiny committees

as advised by the Center for Governance and Scrutiny.

I observed quite a few of the recent OSC meetings

and I'd like to congratulate all counselors

for their work in making these meetings

more meaningful and productive.

and less political point scoring.

Officers are also helping with these changes

to improve the work of our committees.

So they actually lead to better services

for Wandsworth residents.

I realize it will take a while to develop our approach

and hopefully develop a more positive culture

and styles of working.

But I want to say well done so far.

Just a bit about council meetings.

As I said at the mayor making meeting,

I hope we can have robust debates in our council meetings while treating each other with courtesy and respect.

I will do my best to chair council meetings fairly and get through the council business in an efficient and effective way.

I am sure all my rulings at council meetings will not have universal support though.

My experience from last time I was mayor was I got it about right when I was criticized by all sides of the chamber.

I request for all councillors, please ask to speak through the chair. You indicate you

want to speak, but please only speak when I call you. In this, the last year of the

electoral term, I know that all members will have a great deal to say. I hope that you

will show respect for each other and allow space for as many people as possible to have

their say. On tonight's agenda, can members please note that a number of supplementary

items have been circulated and these are required to be considered as a matter of urgency. The

reason is set out in full at the top of these items. Is that agreed, Council? Thank you.

Please could all speakers keep to time and wind up your speeches when the red light comes

on. When the red light comes on, you have just 30 seconds remaining to wind up.

This is to allow as many people as possible to participate. Thank you very

much. That's mayor's announcements.

So we're on to item three. Are there any members who have any declarations of

disposable, capunary interests, other registrable interests or non -registrable interests relevant

to any matter which should be considered at this meeting.

Councillor Cooper.

Oh, I don't seem to have a microphone.

Can I borrow yours, Councillor Majorchas?

I'd like to make a declaration of being Director of CREW Energy, Community Renewable Energy

Wandsworth, which has some contracts with the council.

I'm not remunerated in this role, so this is merely for transparency and also that I

am the London Assembly Member for Merton and Wandsworth and there are a number of items

on the agenda that refer to various parts of the Greater London Authority TFL, just

to name but one.

Again, transparency, non -pecuniary.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Cooper.

any. Councillor White.

Thank you very much. Someone's coming to help you.

I'm also a member of Community Renewable Energy Wandsworth

by draw no financial benefit from my involvement.

Any other declarations?

Thank you, members.

We're on to item four.

Members, please raise your hand to indicate

if you have a petition to hand in.

Yeah, yeah.

Once I've called your name,

please announce the subject title of the petition

and you're presenting it on behalf of and please then come forward and hand

your petition to Mr Kelly. Yes, Councillor Critchard. Thank you. I have a petition

from 124 residents of the section of Derrington Road between Church Lane and

Blakenham Road asking the council to investigate traffic calming measures on

that stretch of road.

Councillor Goshe. I am presenting a petition on behalf of the

Partner residents who call on the Wantsworth Council to urge Transport for London to improve

and maintain the West Hill subway under the A3 road. This decay and underpass lacks weekly

cleaning and is blighted by graffiti, broken lights and tiles and poor drainage which results

and flooding when it rains.

TfL must urgently upgrade this crossing.

Thank you.

Councillor de la Sejour.

Thank you.

I would like to present a petition

on behalf of 452 residents in St. Mary's

about the nest proposals asking to stop

this far too tall, inappropriate 34 tower block.

Councillor Stutters. No, no, sorry it's not Councillor Stutters.

Okay, Mrs. Graham, sorry.

Thank you Mr. Mayor. I've got a petition from Openview in Montas Common.

They're pretty upset because the council has not consulted them on School Street with the lack of consultation,

proposal of seating, which is there, where they didn't even know about

it. The orange planters, the proposed raised pavement, the

crossing and the knock -on effect to other parts of the open view and

neighbouring roads. I have 60 signatures for this petition. Thank

you, Mr Mayor. Thank you, Councillor Graham.

Councillor Cravelli.

Thank you, Mr Mayor. I have a petition on behalf of 81 residents from the Longstaff

estate in East Putney. They are calling for improvements to the Longstaff estate, including

maintenance and outstanding repairs, which are urgently required on the Longstaff estate.

Thank you.

Councillor Pridham.

Thank you Mr Mayor. I've got a petition from residents on the lavender section of

Bolingbroke Grove asking the council to review parking measures on that stretch

of the road. Thank you. Is that it or have I missed anyone? No. Thank you. Each of

these petitions will be dealt with in accordance with the council's petition

Scheme. We're now on to item five, which is leaders' questions. Before we begin, may I

remind all members that the overall period for members' questions to the leader and the

cabinet members is 45 minutes, with 20 minutes for the leaders' questions and 25 minutes

for the cabinet members' questions. However, if the leaders' questions overrun, this time

is taken off the cabinet members questions.

So we're on to question one,

traffic grid lot following Labour's road changes

from Councillor Richard's Jones.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

It's really nice to see you back in the mayor's chair.

And also delightful to see an archdeacon

speak once again in this chamber.

Although how an archdeacon can make jokes

about tennis and Wimbledon,

without referring to the fact that this year

sinner won. I'm sure you serve up better in your sermons. Can you

put the question number to the leader please? 15 love. Mr. Mayor, the

leaders changes to the road layout around Putney Bridge have brought

congestion, chaos and gridlock to that area. So what measures will the leader

urgently introduced to resolve that issue.

Councillor Hogg.

Thank you for that question.

As a council, we are absolutely committed to our ambitious walking and cycling strategy.

This supports more sustainable modes of transport and obviously improving the safety of all

road users at busy junctions like the one he refers to as part of this agenda.

works were completed at that junction of Lower Richmond Road and Putney High

Street at the end of last year ahead of schedule and to be fair it's a scheme

initiated approved and supported by the party opposite. It's not working as well

as it could. We are actively looking into options to solve this and we're

exploring a number of ideas to improve the situation so just to outline that we

We will modify the sequencing of traffic lights on junctions on Putney High Street to improve

the flow of traffic.

TfL have agreed to tweak the staging of the green light signals to improve the left -hand

turns up off Lower Richmond Road.

We're extending the two approach lanes to Putney Bridge on Lower Richmond Road and new

double yellow lines are being introduced on Putney High Street and Putney Bridge Road

to improve the flow of traffic. We will keep listening to local people on this issue and

we will keep going with these improvements until we see progress.

First supplementary to Councillor Richard Jones.

The mayor referred to the fact that this was developed under the last administration. That

is right, but it would not have been implemented without up -to -date traffic data and modelling.

Where the administration went wrong is that they did not put the latest data into their

plan before the implementer did. I welcome some of the measures that the leader has outlined

today but why has it taken months and months of chaos before basic measures are now being

brought to bear? Can I ask this for my supplementary? In his written answer he alludes to other

parts of the road network that are contributing to the chaos as well as his changes around

Putnam Bridge. One of them is the consistent failure of Labour -run Hammersmith and Fulham

Council to reopen Hammersmith Bridge. During the last Conservative

Government, the leader said it was the Government's job to bring that

bridge back into usage. Can I ask the leader for an update on his

progress in persuading the current Labour Government to commit the

funds to bring that bridge back into use?

Thank you for that supplementary question. I know we have a debate on

this issue later, so we will be able to get more into the topics there.

It's definitely fair to acknowledge there are other influencing factors here closure of Hammersmith Bridge. What is it five years now since 2019?

That's causing issues traffic levels generally are almost back to pre pre pandemic levels in London

Certainly in our part of London that means increased northbound

Traffic demand trying to go over Putney Bridge and there are major road works around as well TFL's Battersea Bridge Road

Highway improvement works to name just one so

Of course, I and the Putney MP, Fleur Anderson, will make representations to City Hall, to

central government, to anyone we think can help to get Hammersmith Bridge back open again.

It's causing not just traffic issues, other economic issues.

I know it's been very difficult for people across Putney.

And I know these new, more recent traffic delays are frustrating too.

And as I say, we will continue to work hard with all partners until we have a solution.

Seconded by the Member of the Council.

Councillor Cole Cooy.

Thank you. Even taking into account hot spots such as Partner High Street,

air quality still has dramatically improved in every part of Wandsworth.

Can the Leader please highlight recent steps that the Council has taken to try and drive air pollution down even further?

Well thank you very much for your question and obviously first pay tribute to your groundbreaking work in our Citizens' Assembly on air quality.

a whole load of recommendations we're still working through there.

As I say, we remain absolutely committed to our ambitious walking and cycling strategy,

which does improve air quality.

Every journey matters in Wandsworth, and we remember the hard work of Councillor Fraser

and Councillor Mallorquez and others who fed into that strategy.

To focus on a few areas, I'd say the main thing is Wandsworth is doubling investment

in our roads and pavements.

We're delivering the biggest resurfacing program of any borough in London.

That's part of our Decade of Renewal funded by property developer contributions.

This investment will make it safer and easier for residents to walk and cycle.

We've already achieved our target of 50 % of schools having school streets.

Makes it easier for students to walk and scoot and cycle into school, also improving air

quality.

We've added 1 ,000 extra secure bike parking spaces.

You know, in the bike hangers, that's more than 160 bike hangers we're adding.

We're adding another 120 this year alone, and that is the biggest bike hanger roll -out

program we're aware of anywhere in the country.

And I'll finish just by saying there are now millions of journeys each year done by e -bikes

in Wandsworth.

and we want e -bikes to work for everyone. We want them to be safe and

fair and affordable. So today I'm delighted to say that Lime and Voi and

Human Forest have all joined the Council's Access for All scheme and will

offer low -income residents 50 % off. And worth saying this is being launched

alongside higher safety standards, more parking bays and extra enforcement

because e -bikes are here to stay and we're going to make sure the system

works for everyone. Safe, fair and affordable.

On to question 2. Labour's failure to get the basics right and listen to residents.

Councillor Richard Jones.

When will the administration get a grip on basic services like street cleaning and bin

collection? When will they sort out their Thomas Cromwell from their Oliver Cromwell

and when will they restore the Northcote Road summer weekend pedestrianization scheme?

Councillor Hogg. Thank you Mr Mayor. Wandsworth is a fantastic place to live. On this side of the

Chamber we love Wandsworth and we do not talk it down. Someone was telling me today actually like

residents have noticed that Wandsworth Tories are relentlessly negative about how they see

our community. Our fantastic parks and green spaces, our bustling high streets and our

outstanding schools make Wandsworth a brilliant place to live for people of all ages.

This administration understands how pedestrianised spaces can bring people together, can support

local trading and create lovely places.

Look at our investments in Battersea High Street, in Totterdown Street and Old York

Road all bringing new life to those great areas.

This includes Northcote Road where our investment in Abyssinia Close has created a hugely popular

new public square and it was great to see so many people out on Northcote Road watching

the Wimbledon finals this weekend.

In terms of the scheme you mentioned, this was settled years ago. It was a successful

scheme to support jobs and businesses through the pandemic, but it's sadly not viable anymore.

It cost £20 ,000 per weekend. The local businesses involved did not want the scheme continued.

continued, we are not going to force it on them. We will continue to

invest in our public spaces and we will keep Wandsworth special.

That was gaslighting of the highest order. The leader said that the

businesses did not support the Northcote Road pedestrianisation

scheme. The network had several meetings with his deputy,

came back in the year. 74 % of businesses supported the scheme.

Can you get to the supplementary? I will. I do have to set out some of

the facts before I get to the supplementary. I will be brief.

Yerquote is going to be £20 ,000 to bring it back. Nobody knows where

this sum comes from. I spoke to the Northcott Road business network

this evening when the questions were published, they think that figure is from thin air. It

refers to the security that you'd put on during the pedestrian's weekend, which the businesses

pay for. They think it wouldn't be anywhere near £20 ,000 and they gladly pay for it because

they get that many times over out of the scheme. So my supplementary is this. The leader was

right in saying that he does in some areas recognise the benefit of pedestrianisation

and they've carried on our schemes in Battersea High Street, in Old York Road, in Abyssinia

Close and in Totterdown Street.

But why is it that they carried on our schemes in wards with Labour councillors but in wards

that had the nerve to vote Conservative councillors they scrapped the pedestrianisation schemes?

Councillor Hogg.

Thanks for his question.

It's obviously untrue to say that we looked at the results of the election or that that's

a factor in where this was.

The Northcote Road decision was made years ago.

This is a settled issue.

It's only come back as Councillor Richard Jones, I think despairing of his prospects

locally has been making these national videos to try and get extra prominence.

Again, I don't want to help him out or give him any comms advice, but he's sort of known

– well, he's not known for his convictions.

He is a sort of middle -of -the -road politician who is known for being a bit pompous sometimes.

Filming a video of yourself in the middle of the road where you force one of your councillors

to dress up as a butler and serve you is not going to change your reputation, I am afraid.

Second supplementary, Councillor Grimstone.

Thank you, Mr Mayor.

I noticed the leader didn't refer to the first part of the opposition leader's question about

information, and it's perfect if that's a confusing Oliver and Thomas Cromwell may be

no more serious than confusing the former chair of the Conservative Association, Lord

Hailsham, Quinton Hogg, with anybody else who happened to have the same surname.

Nonetheless, there have been several occasions recently, or occasions recently, we had an

exchange over him telling the Council that the food waste recycling would cut back on

landfill and this Council hasn't used landfill for many years.

At the West Hill drop -in meeting recently, he told people that the joint staffing arrangements

between Wandsworth and Richmond were unique when actually there are 45 councils in this

country which are part of that scheme, many of those going back many years before Wandsworth

joined that.

I would ask him firstly, does he think details of that matter at all?

If they do, is he confident that the quality of information he is being given is high enough

and that the fact -checking is effective enough?

Councillor Hogg.

Thanks very much for those questions.

Accuracy matters.

We try and get through a lot of facts.

We try and check them all.

Absolutely stand by the facts we have said on this.

This Northcote Road issue has been settled for several years.

Three times we've covered the issue of the word incineration accidentally being put in

there.

We actually set that straight in the meeting within about five minutes of it happening.

I'm afraid if we've misspoken once and officers in the hundreds of questions they've answered

in the last three years have made one inadvertent mistake, I think we're really doing quite

well as a council.

I've regularly seen the shared staffing arrangement described as unique.

I'm not aware of other councils integrated as fully in that way, certainly not in London.

And I think an interesting topic for the future is how many other councils are now looking

at that arrangement because I'm not sure it will remain unique, which in many ways it

is for that much longer.

We're on to question three, family fun this summer.

Councillor Jaffray.

Question number three to the leader, please.

Thank you.

This is about opportunities for family fun this summer.

I think the first thing to say is London Borough of Culture,

so well stewarded by Councillor Ekinola and her teams,

has given us a brilliant chance to put on events

catering for all of the family.

I know many people here got to go to country on the Common

a couple of weekends ago.

It was a huge success.

9 ,000 attendees across the two days.

Cowboys and cowgirls, young and old, enjoying the day.

Just last week, I went to Battersea Arts Centre,

with Councillor Gasser saw hundreds of children showcase the work they've been doing with Apple throughout the summer.

We were delighted to announce Apple's additional

340 ,000 pound investment coming this September with more schools, more send resources added to the program and that will take the tech

firm's contribution to the borough well past a million pounds in our schools.

But we're not neglecting old school analogue fun either.

Our upcoming year of play, which I know Councillor Davies has been watching very closely and

closely involved in, includes £15 million of investment in refurbishing dozens of playgrounds.

I know 15 of those will be completed in the next year.

And we've got more parks and green spaces than any other inner London borough for everyone

to enjoy.

Just last week, Sadiq, Rosenna and I opened Springfield Park, a 32 -acre park.

it looks fantastic. That's the biggest park opened in London since the 2012 Olympic Games

in the heart of Tooting. So more playgrounds, more green spaces, wonderful support from Apple,

London Borough of Culture events, there's family fun for everyone.

First supplementary, Councillor Jaffray. Oh I don't have a supplementary.

No, okay, I'll offer a first supplementary

Mr. Mayor, yeah

So councillor Hogg says he opened the park. I mean it has been open for some time

I think the last element opened several days before he even got there

But that is a park that this council had the opportunity to buy for one pound

The safe garden for residents for the future instead

He has chosen to leave it in the hands of a consortium of property developers

Admittedly with the NHS involved but the same NHS that wanted the receipts from the previous council Graham

Can we have the supplementary question? Yes, please

Why is he still refusing to seek to secure that park for the public benefit for the long term?

Thank you.

Councillor Hall.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

We love Springfield Park.

It has got a fantastic café, incredible play areas.

There are going to be more sports opportunities there as well.

I think we are doing a bit of Back to the Future tonight.

This is another issue that was settled years ago.

You know there is no way that decision can be changed.

We chose to save local council taxpayers hundreds of thousands of pounds while retaining control

over that park.

I know that Councillor White is in constant discussions with the NHS Trust and our other

partners and we are very happy with the stewardship of that park.

Second supplementary, Councillor Belson.

Thank you.

Can I ask the leader whether he finds it mildly hypocritical, only mildly, shall we say, mildly

hypocritical that a party that is accusing us of every opportunity of increasing debt

that we're trying to spend,

we are spending on affordable housing,

thanks to my friend in front of me,

Councillor Dickerton,

criticising us for not spending money elsewhere

when they're so concerned about it.

A pound, yes, but then there are the maintenance costs

and you know everything else.

Councillor Hogg.

Yeah, no, I'm gonna be good.

I'm gonna be good.

I'm gonna pass up the opportunity

to call them opportunistic hypocrites.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

On to question number four, reduction of affordable housing.

Councillor Hamilton.

Question for the Leader.

Thank you.

Leader.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

I'll start by saying we welcome growth.

The London Growth Plan recognises us here in Wandsworth as having a creative industry

hub being an international visitor destination plus having a life sciences cluster, an innovation

hub and a strategic housing area with three sites recognized totaling more than 10 ,000

homes in total.

We welcome growth, but our job is to make sure it's inclusive and it can benefit all

of our residents.

And truly affordable housing for local people has always been a priority for this administration.

We're committed to safe, affordable housing for all Wandsworth residents, and I'm delighted

to say our Homes for Wandsworth program is closing in on its 500th completion and its

1000th planning application, planning permission.

As part of the local plan review, as he notes, we want developer contributions of 50 % affordable

units when they're building in the borough.

That's an uplift on the current 35%.

We've also introduced stronger landlord licensing across the whole borough and we started phased

introduction of further licences in keywords to ensure that tenants have the quality and

the security that they deserve, because everyone deserves a safe and secure home. That security

is the foundation of a good life, but it is also the prerequisite for that growth.

The Convener.

Thank you, Mr Mayor. In his written answer, the Leader makes reference to the fact that

new local plan or local plan review process has been evidence -led. In his answer he also

makes reference to the new target of 50 % affordable. But what's not mentioned in this answer is

the introduction of a 70 -30 split inside that 50 % of social rent properties. Now given that

the leader claims that this plan has been evidence -led, could he possibly tell us where

a 70 -30 social rent split has been tried before and what the impact was on house building?

Councillor Hogg.

Sorry, what I forgot to mention was that as well as welcoming firms to come here and invest

and create growth, they also welcome our new approach as well.

Increasingly investors are seeing our place -based approach to growth centred on housing.

Sorry, what I meant to plug was the Wandsworth Growth Plan, which I will share with all councillors.

You'll find a copy in your pigeonhole when it's been printed out.

But just to note endorsements from Higgins,

themselves a property developer,

saying they're proud of the strong

and collaborative relationship they have with us,

and that they value our open dialogue, shared values,

and focus on community benefit,

and Landsack, a long -term investor and developer,

expressed that Wandsworth is rightly identified

by the mayor of London as a key location

for growth and investment.

So other endorsements from the RCA,

from Network Rail, from Roehampton University.

As I say, we do support house building in our borough and we get it done.

We are consistently in the top five of people who build.

I think we had the biggest single new homes bonus in the country last year.

We are in favour of growth and development.

Our plan that you reference is based on evidence and the responsibility to address affordable housing need.

It is supported by viability assessments, which suggests that there is capacity to accommodate

greater amounts of affordable housing.

As Councillor De Kedem is chuntering to you, 70 -30 is not weird, it's the new mainstream,

you know, get with it.

Developers have already shown capacity and ability to meet these new hire requirements.

Our planning applications committee recently approved the gasholders site at 40 % affordable

with 620 dwellings, including 182 units for social rent.

Our proposals will be independently inspected,

and we look forward to working with the planning inspector

in the coming months to make the need for our proposed

approach clear.

Good.

20 minutes of questions to the leader is now up.

I'm pleased that we've got through four questions tonight.

So the whips have agreed that item 16,

The motion on Putney traffic chaos and congestion will be taken next

Can I ask for councillor Brooks to move and councillor Jefferies to second the motion in their names?

Yeah, I've moved the motion

Seconded. Thank you

Okay, first speaker is council books

Thank you very much mr. Mayor and welcome back to the chair

We've brought this motion tonight because Putney needs hope.

Hope that the traffic situation will improve, that we might hear people's worry, and that

the choking congestion is not the future we're being consigned to.

What's happening in Putney cannot be allowed to go on.

And I'm afraid nothing the leader said in his earlier speech has persuaded me that the

current plans will improve things.

The only solution is to reverse the changes to the road layout.

Now it's not only affecting people's health by likely damaging air quality, it's hitting people's daily lives.

We all see the queue stretching back to Erpingham Road and beyond down Lower Richmond Road,

and all the way back along Wandsworth Park down Putney Bridge Road.

Putney Hill is jammed and the high street a car park.

Even the side streets aren't spared, with cars darting down Deardar,

Felsham, Werther and Oxford roads just to keep moving, choking those roads too.

This can't be the new normal.

And while people are stuck in their cars trying to get to work or school or to a kid's sports fixture,

they could be forgiven that Labour are somehow punishing them,

as though the council wants them to suffer for needing to drive as part of some wider anti -driver agenda.

Their frustration with delayed buses is deemed irrelevant and the impact of traffic on their

safety ignored if they try and get on a bike.

But here's the thing I want to make clear.

No one is thinking about political tribes here.

They don't care.

They want you to care about what you're doing to them.

They want the problem fixed and they want to be heard.

This isn't what we got when we raised the alarm back in September.

We brought you over a thousand signatures in just a few days.

And what was the response?

Scorn.

Like it didn't matter, because it came from Putney.

And as Councillor Richard Jones intimated,

because they dared elect Conservative councillors.

And that made them beneath your attention.

And then, silence. No urgency.

We were told the problems would all be temporary.

But as soon as the works ended, months late,

with all the self -congratulation we've come to expect from this administration,

we could all see the truth. That the new layout had left us worse off,

one lane in either direction onto the bridge, traffic worse than ever.

This was a mistake. Everybody knows it and I believe many of you even know it.

We saw it again at the public meeting organized by Fleur Anderson, the Putney MP.

Residents came in good faith,

but the councilors did everything they could to avoid the issue, trying to run out the clock by giving lengthy long presentations.

The room was sourced straight through the cynical tactic and the unfortunate officer left defending the new layout as a positive was met with derision because residents were finally hearing the truth.

Sticking with the changes was still the policy.

And now we're told to wait until October for the review, to wait for the council to catch up with what everyone knows, that these needs be reversed.

And if all we hear in response today is what aboutism that these changes were drafted long ago,

then let me remind you the previous administration didn't sign them off.

They rightly had concerns and when you did bring them forward,

you failed to model the impact of the Hammersmith Bridge closure on what would happen.

That was careless and it rings of contempt, contempt for Putney and everyone that lives there.

You won't stand up to the Mayor, you won't challenge your friends across the river

And putney's paying the price

Putney deserves better and they've had enough and because hope hope that this can change is the very least they deserve. Thank you

Councillor Yates, please

Thank you, mr. Mayor

Let me start by saying that I do understand the frustration of residents at the at the congestion in and around

Putney High Street. I'm working closely with officers, with TfL, with Claire Anderson MP

to do everything we can to reduce this. This is an absolute top priority.

We've already taken a number of measures, for example at the junction by the bridge,

updating the lane layout on Putney High Street and Lower Richmond Road to encourage the use of

two lanes of traffic and we've been increasing enforcement on the High Street to stop unauthorised

loading that blocks the traffic. We've identified important additional measures

to improve traffic flows through the junction and we're working hard with TfL

to get these implemented as soon as possible. We will be extending the two

approach lanes to Putney Bridge on Lower Richmond Road and putting in new double

yellow lines on Putney High Street and Putney Bridge Road. TfL has agreed to

modify the sequencing of the lights to allow more green time for vehicles on

Richmond Road and more room on Putney High Street to receive vehicles from

Putney Bridge Road. These changes are key. This is our priority, making changes to

improve the situation for residents. But I do need to put the record straight

here. The changes made to the junction last year are a Tory legacy scheme and

this Labour administration inherited it. Putney High Street has been congested

for many, many years. Work to try and improve it was begun by your administration in 2017.

You approved the detailed traffic modelling for the scheme in 2021, nearly two years after

Hammersmith Bridge closed to vehicles in 2019. We were assured in papers for the Transport

Committee in 2022 and again in 2023 that the displacement of traffic from Hammersmith Bridge

was considered in the junction design.

At its meeting in September 2023,

the Transport Committee unanimously supported the final design

for the junction that was then implemented last year.

Yes, that means you, the Opposition, voted for this scheme.

We were all acting with good intentions, in good faith.

You, us and our good council officers, who worked hard with TfL

to try and design a better layout to this complicated junction that would

improve it for pedestrians and cyclists without adversely impacting traffic

blows. And I ask you to act in good faith now rather than peddling misinformation.

On air pollution I really do understand resident concerns but the good news is

that air quality has improved significantly on Putney High Street. The

area is now compliant with UK standards, please help get that message out. You asked for data,

Councillor Jeffries, on nitrogen dioxide levels. Live and historic NO2 data is available from

our Putney monitoring station. This is published by the London Air Quality Network. It's open

access and can be viewed online by anyone, anytime. I was looking at it this morning

and it showed that nitrogen dioxide levels and PM10 particulate levels were low on Putney

High Street. There's also NO2 data publicly available from the two air quality sensors

located on Putney High Street, which can be seen on the Breathe London Community's website.

So there really is a wealth of data, live and historic, on NO2 levels. Please do have

a look and please encourage residents to do so as well. Detailed air quality data was

also reported in the Council's annual air quality status report that will be published

soon. And of course we'll continue to monitor air quality in Putney and across

the borough. A major cause of the decrease in pollution levels is the

introduction of cleaner buses. Back in 2017 our fantastic Mayor of London,

Sadiq Khan, made Putney High Street the first low -emission bus zone. So many

buses using the high street now are now fully electric and all buses meet high

emission standards. The expansion of the ultra low -emission zone or the ULEZ is

also contributing to the fall in pollution,

a measure bravely pioneered by Sir Sadiq,

but opposed by your Tory government.

Finally, of course, there are a number of reasons

for the congestion in Putney, as the leader said.

There's the ongoing closure of Hammersmith Bridge,

about which your government did nothing.

The data shows that traffic volumes across the new bridge

are now nearly back to pre -pandemic levels,

and contributing now are the major roadworks

going on on Battersea Bridge Road.

They're due to finish in October,

and that should help ease the situation in Putney. But as I said at the outset, we will continue to

work hard with TfL on changes that can be made to help traffic flow through the junction and to do

everything we can to ease congestion and address residents concerns. Thank you councilor Yates.

Councilor Owens. Thank you Mr Mayor. I speak today not just as a councillor but as a mother of

children who have had asthma, who see firsthand the effect that traffic and air pollution

are having on families, on children, and on the quality of life in Putney and across Wandsworth.

Let's be clear. The closure of Hammersmith Bridge back in 2019 by Labour -run Hammersmith

and Fulham was always going to hit Putney hard. Years of careful progress made on air

in Wandsworth under Conservative leadership were at risk from that moment onwards.

And what have we seen since? Over 4 ,000 extra vehicles now cross Putney Bridge every day,

with an additional 2 ,000 on Wandsworth Bridge and another 1 ,000 on Battersea.

That's thousands of vehicles, extra vehicles, choking our roads.

Lower Richmond Road, Putney Bridge Road, Upper Richmond Road,

and even before they reach the gridlock of the one -way system,

another area where Mayor Sadiq Khan broke his commitment to this borough

by pulling out of the funding deal.

Anyone who's tried to get their children to school, to sports fixtures,

or elderly parents to hospital appointments knows the reality.

It is now a daily struggle just to cross Putney,

whether you're on a bus or in a car.

Since the roadworks began last September,

and even after their completion, traffic has become enormously worse.

The administration has tried to deny it.

They told residents to wait.

They said a traffic study would give us answers in October, and perhaps something might be

reviewed next February.

This is not government governance, it's delay.

It's deflection.

It's an insult to those living through this every single day.

Can we actually believe they'll do anything when in public meetings like the one held

by the MP, Flora Anderson, Labour councillors still hide behind officers who defend and

praise the changes?

We don't need a traffic study to know that pollution has soared. People feel it in their

lungs. We see it in the coughing fits of children. Air pollution is not some abstract killer

or abstract statistic, it is a killer.

In London it contributes to premature deaths,

to asthma and bronchitis in children,

to heart attacks and strokes in the elderly.

Particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide are silent dangers,

but they are no less real for being invisible.

Putney is full of young families doing everything right,

walking their children to school, taking the bus,

making sacrifices for the environment,

changing their cars before the U -Lays came in,

we ordered it. But now those buses are stuck in crawling traffic and those children are

walking through toxic air. Putney is full of older people too, many of them waiting

for delayed buses at clogged junctions, breathing in harmful fumes day in and day out. And what

does the council actually say about where this fits in its priorities? That Putney is

low risk. This February the council's climate adaptation and resilience strategy included

map showing Putney is the lowest risk area for overall air pollution, but turn the page

and the very same document shows that the Putney high street monitoring stations had

the highest nitrogen dioxide readings in the borough in 2021 and 22, the latest they had

been brave enough to publish the data for. The highest. How can the council publish such

contradictory claims and expect to be taken seriously? Labour talked a big game when they

in opposition about how air quality was a moral issue, about how it was a priority.

They launched a citizens assembly on the subject with great fanfare and quietly shelved its

recommendations.

This is governance by press release, not by action, and their record in Putney makes a

mockery of these past promises.

It is time to admit that the junction changes haven't worked.

The council must reverse these changes.

They must challenge their Labour colleagues in Hammersmith and Fulham, who have behaved

like bad neighbours throughout. They must stand up for families, for children, for pensioners,

because there is nowhere left to hide. Thank you.

Councillor Belton. Thank you, Mr Mayor. Sometimes people say

you've been on the council for a long time, you must have seen everything. I sometimes

think I have, but then occasionally I'm just staggered

by the novelty and the newness of some of the issues.

Puntney High Street was first mentioned in my acquaintance

as a councillor in this chamber.

I would think in about June 1971,

certainly within a week or two of me being elected,

which is a bit back nowadays, and since then I've,

It's always been a disaster, by the way,

Putney High Street.

And from a Battersea point of view,

you know, I'm root and sell Battersea,

God, the amount of stuff we've heard about

Putney High Street.

And every administration comes up with something.

I remember one conservative plan, I think,

was a two -way version, where the north version

was up Putney High Street, and south version,

admittedly a bit of demolition and so forth

is required for this one.

But the south version was roughly along Oxford Road.

So you see nice fast two way, no problems,

traffic solved, no pedestrians of course,

no shopping of course.

But that wasn't tried for a bit.

Then there was Councillor Margaret Williams.

Margaret Williams whose great idea for solving London traffic

was to put a motorway all down the Thames,

you know winding around all the bends

and with all ups and off streams at every bridge.

You can imagine what that did

for a sort of spaghetti highway junction.

And every combination has tried it.

And then we hear from Councillor Owens today

about the problems as we see them today.

Well of course Hammersmith's Bridge was a problem

but I bet Wandsworth Council was darn pleased

that it became Hammersmith's problem

to sort out a 19th century bridge

are not wands worths.

The fact that it happened to be in their area,

an ex GLC problem was pretty tough on them.

No particular compassion for them of course,

it's always easy to be nasty to everyone else's problems.

Here we have, Councillor Allen said something about asthma.

If everyone here knows the Mayor of London

is the son of a taxi driver, bus driver, thank you.

Sorry, not everyone, I do really.

But also we all know, we all know that he's suffered from asthma relatively recently and

he's passionately concerned.

So he brings in Ulez, whether it's your favorite scheme or not, one thing I think we can always

say was it's something to do with killing up the air and I think we can all say it's

been proven the correct and which is the party that fights against the mayor and in favor

of someone else it precisely on Ullas claims that Uxbridge was an anti -Ullas victory.

They have always, gosh almighty, I just trying to take notes how pro -car this operation has

been over here all the time.

Now I don't want to be anti -car, people need cars etc etc.

But the Tory party has consistently opposed fairs fare.

A magnificently successful GLC program opposed by this borough and Westminster and Bromley

and one other Ken Chelsea.

But the media has been brought back now and it's incredibly successful and popular.

Now I happen to be a beneficiary, cards on the table.

Everyone over the age of some kids age like 50 or 60 or something gets the benefit of

this and I happen to be a beneficiary but would you want me driving around in a polluting

car that I had without any eyesight messing the place up that's what you've got to pay

is the price and we've actually tried to control the level of traffic.

Now if you've got a problem and you certainly have in Putney High Street then something

that you devised as a plan and can I appeal to you in a really heartfelt fashion if it's

not quite working, who in this chamber would you most rely on to put in the hard work to

sort it out but Councillor Yates?

I mean there's no one more likely to sort out the difficulties on it than Councillor

Yates as indeed one or two Tories, I won't embarrass them, have admitted to me in their,

across the road actually, in their time.

So council it's good for you and you try and make it work especially

Councillor Jeffries

Thank you. Mr. Mayor when my wife and I moved to Putney almost ten years ago that we couldn't believe our luck

Not only that we had managed to get a foot on the property lateral

25 % to be precise, but also that we would have the magnificent Wandsworth Park on our doorstep

Fantastic schools for our children to learn in.

Shops and cafes are plenty and crucially calm, safe,

quiet streets.

Just some of the many things that make Putney so special.

But as we have heard from Councillors Brooks and Owens,

almost every aspect of life in Putney is being made

increasingly difficult, unsafe and unhealthy by the traffic

chaos that has befallen our streets in recent months.

The parents, wracked with guilt, having to walk their children to school every morning

alongside the vehicles and fumes stretching almost the entire length of Putney Bridge

Road, but of course it's all fine according to the cabinet member.

The residents of Vice Road and Werther Road, for example, who were often stuck in their

cars physically unable to leave their streets, unable to get to work, to get to hospital

appointments or to simply go about their lives as they should be able to.

The rising tension that is pitting neighbour against neighbour, road user against road

user and which is leaving many people asking whether the daily hassle in Putney is worth

it.

Now the people of Putney are patient and reasonable people.

They know that the council didn't cause the closure of Hammersmith Bridge and they know

the council can't solve every problem by itself.

Over the last nine months, residents have calmly,

patiently raised their concerns about the traffic chaos,

simply asking the administration here in Wandsworth

to make the case to Hammersmith and Fulham,

Transport for London, and to national government

to take steps to ease the pressure in Putney

and to rectify the changes it introduced

around Putney Bridge.

Even tonight, the tweaks that have been mentioned have no timeframe, could have been introduced months ago, and won't touch the sides.

And that patience is running thin. To have been told in the face of the obvious catastrophe before us, that it'll be October before even the prospects of any changes, is frankly a kick in the teeth.

to hear nothing but vague stakeholder engagement platitudes

about their lobbying on behalf of residents, beggars belief.

And let's be clear, there's something that every one

of the stakeholders I've mentioned have in common.

This council, Labour.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council, Labour.

Transport for London, Labour Mayor.

National Government, Labour.

And given that fact, residents are now quite rightly

asking what on earth is stopping this council from getting this one situation

sorted for the people of Putney. Is it because the Labour administration has

fewer councillors in Putney and so it's not worth the political capital to sort?

Perhaps we are seeing the first electoral strategy in history to rely on

actively making traffic worse as an inducement to voters. Is it because the

The Labour Mayor of London, himself a former member of this council and a resident of this

borough still, just doesn't care.

If there was one benefit to having Labour in control of every lever of government here

in south -west London, then surely it would be to get problems like this resolved.

What more do people in Putney need to say or do to convince their council to get on

the phone, knock some heads together and get it sorted?

Wandsworth Labour can ignore us and our motion and that's fine but I hope they

won't ignore the people of Putney. They are listening tonight hoping the council

will help. It is not much to ask.

Thank you members. There are no amendments to this motion so we can move

straight to a vote by a show of hands or by division,

if necessary.

So all those in favor of the substantive motion, please.

I think we need to ring the bell for a vote.

No, we haven't been asked for a show of hands.

All those in favor of the substantive motion,

please raise your hands.

All those against?

Are there any abstentions?

So that motion is lost 21 votes for and 27 votes against.

Thank you members for that debate and for the very sensible tone of the debate.

We now move to questions for cabinet members which will now be taken.

Question 12, Labour's planned council tax increase.

Councillor Peter Graham.

Question 12 on whether residents will pay the same low council tax will be a corporate

plan action to the cabinet member.

Councillor Ireland.

Thank you.

Thank you for your question.

Wandsworth is a well -run, low -cost council.

Sound financial management is at the heart of everything we do.

Wandsworth has one of the lowest levels of debt and some of the highest financial reserves

in London, allowing us to have the lowest council tax in the country and invest in what

matters most to our residents.

Sound financial management means making informed decisions once we have all the available information,

including the final local government finance settlement.

Decisions about council tax levels are made by the council, not the government.

The council tax will be decided by us, set by the council in accordance with the constitution.

As we are only three months into the financial year, I'm sure you will agree it's a little

premature to decide on the level of next year's council tax just yet.

Please show a little bit of patience.

Thank you.

The first supplementary.

Councillor Graham.

Thank you, Mr Mayor.

The corporate plan actions, as we heard at the committee only a week or two ago, will

be decided in the autumn.

Not next year, not as part of the council tax -setting process, but in the autumn.

It is already being drawn up.

We should have had an answer to that.

I have not had an answer twice now.

I am not going to ask clearly what is such a difficult question.

Instead, I'm going to ask what she means in her answer by tireless in advocating for a

fair outcome.

You can only advocate for something if you know what it is.

So what is a fair outcome of this process?

Councillor Ireland.

We do support the government's aim of fairer funding nationally, which is more than your

previous Tory government managed to do.

This is a shifting landscape and the reforms are complex. Their detailed allocations are

yet to be finalised. We are working with the Ministry and with our MPs to make sure that

our residents are fully represented. There is a lot of careful analysis and models that

we are looking at. Rather than speculating about what this means for Wandsworth, we are

working on making sure we get the best possible deal for Wandsworth and we are committed to

securing a fair outcome that supports the needs of our residents. That includes securing

transitional protection. Thank you.

The second supplementary.

Thank you. I am proud that we have in Wandsworth one of the most generous council tax reduction

schemes, can the cabinet member tell me what else we are doing to help our most vulnerable

and low -income families?

Thank you very much for your question. Our council tax reduction scheme and our cost

of living fund are among the most generous in London. We are very proud of our new council

tax scheme which we reformed last year, helping our lowest income households. Up to 50 % of

15 ,000 ones with households now pay zero council tax.

Now, this administration will always support our low income and vulnerable households.

Our aim is to help them maximize their household income to improve their financial resilience

and reduce poverty.

We have run three money hub sessions across the borough.

The most successful one I had the pleasure to attend was at St. Mark's Food Bank last

month where the financial inclusion team met our residents, helping them to make sure that

they find out what their entitlement is and that they claim it, making it easier for themselves.

Also, because a lot of our residents are reluctant to come to the town hall and sometimes they

find our advice sessions a bit daunting, the team go out and meet people in their homes,

or even in the local café if the residents prefer that, and they are committed to ensuring

that we use the data and the programmes available to us and anybody on the

Entitled To website, on the Cost of Living pages, on the Council's website, so

that you can put information, you can do it anonymously, you can put information

into the website and it will tell you what you're entitled to. And our

officers are also working with policy and practice on a new set of programmes

which is called better off.

So you put in what you're getting

and it'll tell you if you could be better off

applying for another benefit.

So, I mean, I really welcome the work

of the financial inclusion team.

I think it's so important and yes,

I'd like to pay tribute to them.

Thank you.

Question 13 on Homes for Wandsworth.

Councillor Davies.

Yes, so we're three years into delivering Labour's 1000 Homes for Social Rent programme.

Can you just put the question to the cabinet member?

Of course, it's about the differences it will make.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Davies.

Yeah, so this is a really exciting summer.

So we're at 431 homes built.

We'll be opening our 500th in the autumn.

We've got three brand new estates coming online this summer.

The Home Swansers program is about making sure that those families who are overcrowded

or in conditions that are overcrowded or possibly even wanting to downsize, that we have direct

delivery council housing available for them.

Crucial to that is also improvements to our wider estates because we know that development

is challenging.

we know that there's disruption,

and our local lettings plan gives first dibs

to those families that live on the estates affected.

But those wider improvements are really amazing.

I went down to Randall Close on the Surrey Lane

and saw, we've repaved the entire car park and walkways,

we've got a brand new Mooga which we've put in,

we've got a beautiful tiled artwork

in the pathways that lead through the estate.

This is stunning stuff,

and part of it is also the capacity building

within our own authority, whereby we now have expertise and excellence in

council housing delivery, to also step in whenever there are private sites

coming forward that want to work with us and develop high quality

social housing. An amazing summer for council housing in Wandsworth.

Councillor Davies first supplementary.

Thank you for explaining all those improvements. I would like to know

What happens to this housing stock should the Tories win in the election?

Very

Very good question. Very good question

Because what I would love to have on record is that you regardless of what happens politically will keep the thousand homes program as a hundred

Percent counts for housing program and not sell it off for the last three years. You will have seen the housing waiting list you will have seen

What's going on with our temporary accommodation crisis and you will have seen that this is a financially viable plan

that keeps our HRA viable.

So it'd be good to get commitment so that residents know

that their vote next year,

does it mean the selling off of council assets

that have been designed in -house and delivered in -house?

Is there a second?

Councillor Hamilton.

Yeah, second supplementary.

Second supplementary, thank you very much, Mr Mayor.

Councillor Dickerson spoke about commitments,

but looking at the Labour manifesto for the last election,

ambitious for all,

it referred to a commitment to build 1 ,000 homes.

Now, you mentioned this answer to say

that 431 have been built with 500 coming online.

We only have 294 days left until the council elections.

Are we to assume that you are going to miss

that manifest commitments and not deliver the 1000 homes

that you did promise?

Councilor Dickerton.

I don't think you read it because I've been very clear

because I remember having this question on my first day

in the role and the plan was always to do with building out

over that 10 year period.

I mean, it was your program we inherited,

it was the same timeframes.

The difference was, rather than selling off public land for private cell units, we were

flipping it all to council housing.

We never shied away from the timelines on this.

Some things have changed.

If you look at the Higgins site, where we stepped in on a joint venture that was going

under, that's a kind of new site.

There's a dynamism here, but our thousandth planning application will nicely be sent in

this year.

Hopefully, we get permission on that.

and then the build -out period is the next administration

and that's why I would love to get a commitment from you

that you are going to make sure that these remain

council rent properties for local families.

We're on to question 14, housing association failures

in Nine Elms from Councillor Corner.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor, yes.

Question 14 on the quite scandalous management of,

mismanagement of properties by housing associations

in Nine Elms and indeed across the borough.

Councillor Dickerton.

Yeah, Council Cornyn, a good question and you know I've had a hands -on

hands -on kind of role in trying to sort this out. It's right on the border of my ward,

but it used to be in my old ward.

I know some of the tenants who have moved there, I actually know some of them from previous estates who got those moves.

There's kind of three areas, there's the physical

kind of physical dimensions of the building.

It's really important to work out from those transfers that we need to make sure that housing

associations, particularly new build properties, are showing residents how the new features

work.

Because you'll remember in those early days, there were things about water coming through

the windows because they weren't closed properly and things like that.

But the one that is the most pernicious at the moment is antisocial behavior.

And that's why we have had multiple meetings with Peabody.

At the CIAG meetings, which I'm aware that you haven't attended, we have been meeting

with the RA.

I'm in the WhatsApp group.

I get regular updates from residents.

That antisocial behaviour is really pernicious and we think we're getting close to identifying

which residents are responsible for that.

Housing associations, it's an interesting one.

When we took over the council, there didn't seem to be any system framework for how they

were held to account, so we built one.

We meet with the major stock providers twice a year.

We've had open forums with them.

There have been, I think it was within my first couple of weeks of the administration,

We managed to save tenants who were being evicted by Peabody on the St John's site,

and managed to secure them the affordable housing that they needed.

Then in my own ward, there was a similar, and we stepped in, and we've had the chief

executive in numerous times.

So we've built a system through which we respond to housing associations, but there's more

to do.

And your intervention at Housing Committee, whereby we use the Housing Committee and the

new work plans to strengthen some of that, is welcome.

The Conservatives have put forward a strong plan on housing associations, but we have

to make sure that they are held to account and we use our soft power for that.

First supplementary, Councillor Corner.

Thank you, Mr Mayor.

I welcome the cabinet members' pledge to begin taking action on housing associations

that are completely failing in their duties.

But actions do speak louder than words.

Earlier this meeting, the council leader

said that, quote, everyone deserves

a safe and secure home.

It's just not good enough that residents in housing

associations are constantly, just this evening,

messaging me about crime that's happening on the estate,

the same people over and over again,

residents in these blocks run by Peabody,

or badly run by Peabody,

basically permanently having their lifts flooded with urine.

It's a real disgrace, and the council does have to do better.

And I don't think it's acceptable for the council

to keep saying that it doesn't really have powers,

and it's all up to the social housing regulator.

The council does have powers, and it can use them.

This council has brought in measures to hold landlords

to account in the private rented sector.

Why can't residents in housing associations count on the same level of support?

So with land -law licensing there's statutory rules and so there are statutory rules with

housing associations but when you say actions speak louder than words like I'm the one who

physically went to meet where the site where the cars were with residents in your ward

and then we got the yellow lines put in to make sure that that doesn't happen again.

I'm the one who's at the CIAG meetings which you are invited to and the residents come

to and they speak about anti -social behaviour. The things that you're raising are particularly

around the lifts. I think the challenge here, and I'll be frank and honest on the record,

is there has been a bad handling of allocations. I think there are some vulnerable residents

who were placed in those blocks without people being quite aware of the vulnerabilities of

those residents. We have to house people regardless of their circumstances, but we also have to

ensure that tenancies and the agreements that people sign when they join those tenancies

are upheld.

And that's the stage we are at with Peabody.

Now, we have taken tough positions with housing associations.

You can Google Peabody and my name and you will see the positions I have taken since

being in this role in the national press on issues when they cross us.

But we also want to work with them collaboratively because we can just have a massive barney

with them and then they will drag their feet.

We found that actually bringing them in, having a conversation, hearing their side of things

and then going and setting up direct events with residence works.

My officers went down to the Rose Community Centre two weeks ago to sit in on the Residence

Association meeting there to get feedback that we could pass on directly.

Peabody officials were there.

I think we're getting close to the model that you want, but I would say to not say that

this is a party political thing because I think we are taking quite strong action.

Second supplementary Councillor of the Rafa Raj.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Loehr.

There is a fine line between collaboration and accountability when working with organisations

like housing associations.

Can you outline how we navigate organisations that rely on soft power approach rather than

legislation?

Thank you.

Yeah, I think the key here is going to be strategy, right?

The thing that holds housing associations to account is there's a balance between trying

to kind of shame them and trying to also powers that the council have around like, you know,

in Section 106 agreements, which housing associations do we want to be purchasing into those. So

we do have levers that we use, but then also the collaborative approach has been very successful

on occasions. When you bring in managing directors, when you bring in the chief executive to have

a conversation, you actually learn things about their position. You learn about what's

not working up through the chain and you can make the intervention. And that's what worked

at St. John's Hill. It's what's worked at Shaftesbury and hoping it's what works at

mansion square. The challenge when you mansion square is a difficult one because it's to

do with upholding tenancies. Now we as a local authority struggle with that as well, right?

When a vulnerable tenant who might have significant mental health issues is doing things on the

state that is causing people distress, that is a complicated situation. So we are working

closely with Peabody to try and solve that. But there are some things that are just red

lines for us and you'll know the drug dealing, absolute red line. Police have to be involved,

Peabody are involved, we need to take action.

Question 15 major improvements for Tooting Broadway and Amen Corner.

Councillor Osborne. Thank you Mr. Mayor. Yes question 15 as you say on the

improvements from Tooting Broadway to Amen Corner to the cabinet member for

Transport please. Councillor Yates. Yes thank you very much

Councillor Osborne. So as part of our Decade of Renewal we are working hard to

to make the area streets and public spaces greener, safer and better

for everyone living in and visiting the area. I am grateful to all the

Tooting Broadway Councillors and to the Fersdown Councillors and to our

MP for tooting, Rosanna Allen -Khan, for all the inputs they have made to

the scheme. We are grateful to all our work with local businesses,

residents and groups such as the Tooting History Group that have

shaped what we're doing down there.

So, pavements are being repaired,

the drainage is being improved.

We've got new and refurbished tree pits,

more street greening, jet washing and decluttering,

tooting Broadway and Amen Corner,

upgrading lighting to improve safety,

the introduction of signs to celebrate

the area's local history,

collaboration with some shop owners

to upgrade the shop fronts,

increasing bins and cycle parking provision,

and increased planting around Tooting Broadway.

And I'm really looking forward to the next stage

of the scheme getting underway.

Thank you.

First supplementary, Councillor Osborne.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Yes, first of all, great for the shout out

for the Tooting History Group.

I'm sure they'll appreciate it.

But can I ask, does the cabinet member consider any

of the work that's being done in that section

from Tooting Broadway to Amen Corner?

Any of those improvements, a model for the kind

of improvements we could be making across the borough in our town

centres and communities? Yes, Councillor Osborne, thank you for that.

I think what this really demonstrates is the need for more public

investment which we are doing through our Decade of Renewal to put

right that woeful lack of sufficient public investment under the 44

years of this Tory Council, previous to our administration, and under

the 14 years of the Tory government and we see the failures and problems that that has

caused all over the UK today.

Because when we started looking at that area around Tooting Broadway station, I was so

shocked.

You know, cracked pavements, gullies that hadn't been cleaned, drains that hadn't been

made to work so that every time it rained, bits of the pavement flooded, cracked pavements,

really dirty area around that incredibly busy area at Tooting Broadway station.

Now it's quite painstaking to put these things right and our officers have been

working really hard on that but they're not difficult things to do. They're not

even particularly expensive, they just require some care and attention, yes some

investment and that's what we want to see across the borough and that's what

we're doing with our Decade of Renewal. So as I think was mentioned earlier we

have the biggest program of road and pavement resurfacing in the whole of

London because we are fortunate in this borough that we do have income from

levies on property developers due to all the development going on in Wandsworth

that we can use for this type of capital investment but we need it to be spread

everywhere. That is such a busy area Tooting Town Centre. You know thousands of

people using that station every day and going down Mitcham Road. Why was it

neglected like that. That is shocking, that is disgraceful. We're putting that

right and we're doing that across the borough, we're refreshing our street

signs and lines, we're renewing the broken and faded street nameplates, we're

doing a whole review of lighting. Lighting wasn't good enough on Tooting

around Tooting Broadway and down Mitcham Road but so important for resident

safety at night. So we're going to crack on with that and it really does

demonstrate the need to pay attention to all parts of our

borough. Is there a second supplementary? Yes, Councillor

Richard Jones. Thank you, Mr Mayor. A second supplementary to the

cabinet member. Councillor Osborne pledged at the Tooting Broadway

by -election a renewal for Tooting to be delivered within 100 days. It

are wondering where this plan is. Can I ask the cabinet member, did Councillor Osborne

give her a copy of his plan? If so, when did he do that? And what did she do with the plan?

I'm going to have a point of personal explanation.

Personal explanation, Councillor Osborne.

If I may.

Yeah.

During the by -election, it is true that we produced a leaflet promising a plan within

a hundred days for Tooting Broadway. It was somewhat interrupted by some events publicly,

which made it physically impossible. The council was in suspension immediately after the by -election

for a period of some weeks, so it was never going to be possible to make any kind of plan

within 100 days, because the 100 days was used up. Instead, we began to argue internally

for those improvements in tooting, and the result is the plan which is being put into

operation at the moment. I apologise that it could not be done in 100 days, but it was

done eventually and it is operating now and the people of tooting are benefiting from

it.

Thank you very much.

Thank you for the personal explanation.

Councillor Yates, the question was directed to you.

Do you want to answer anything further?

Thank you, Mr Mayor.

I would just like to thank Councillor Osborne again for all his excellent inputs and his

advocacy for his area, which has been really important in shaping what we are doing down

there in a very positive way.

Thank you.

we're on to question 16 Labour Parks U -turn, Councillor Brooks.

Question 16 to the cabinet member. Councillor White.

Thank you for your question I'd like to congratulate you again for your

and to him and his team as well and for our brilliant team for their constructive approach

to the OSC committee which was very interesting and in depth and where I think we set a precedent

for how this new scrutiny system might work.

As for us allowing any events, I'm not sure you might understand that in fact it was your

predecessors on that side of the chamber that was in charge of the decision to allow category

B and C events on Wandsworth or any other Commons and Parks from 2014.

We are just updating that policy and making sure we listen to the views of our residents

and make sure the views are reflected in our policies in the way, as you state very quite

clearly, in 2014 they weren't.

We did listen and ensure the policy reflected concern, for instance, around sports pitch

damage, minimum space between an event site and important ecological sites and pre and post

inspection by biodiversity and ecological teams. So we have an almost party wall type agreement

in place to ensure our improving green spaces. Five more green flags for our open spaces,

including King George's Park and Fishpond's playing fields in my own ward, are adequately

protected. All improvements to that 2014 policy and a reflection of how we listen

and we respond. And of course now that we have updated this policy we can say

that both Tooting Beck Common and King George's Park where residents face the

risk of over commercialization, noise and ecological damage can now be much more

reassured that the setting up of that policy at 2014 and the knowledge around

by diversity, lasting damage to green spaces and legal noise levels can be reflected in

that policy. As for over -commercialisation, I can guarantee here now that I will not allow

Formula E anywhere near to, in better common, King George's Park or Battersea Park for that

matter.

Thank you.

The Convener – Councillor Brooks

First supplementary. Councillor Brooks.

Thank you very much for your kind words. I agree that the environment OSC has been

a great example of working together.

And I appreciate that the policy you inherited

was a bit of a hospital pass,

and thank you for the thoughtful way

which you responded to parts of the consultation.

I'm sure the residents around Wandsworth Common

are very, very grateful for protecting them

from the CAT B and C events.

But there were 833 responses to that consultation,

and we're still in the situation

where people living around King George's Park and people around Tootingbeck, are exposed

to those large events. Are we going to see more protections for them? I'd also be keen

to know why we ever thought the CATS -C events would work in the first place. Thank you.

Thank you for the secondary question.

There were 900 responses, there were also about 66 emails.

10 % called for lower impacts on one of those comments.

That is the segmentation of that comment, makes it difficult to see where large events

could be held anyway.

Whereas three called for the same one to embed comment.

Given the huge response from local people to the country on the common event, there

appears to be more demand there, but we will ensure there is not overuse of any commons

or park.

Talking of U -turns, there were quite a few at Battersea Park a few years back.

For five years, with Formula E cars flying around for a four -day annual event.

consultation then included ignoring free local amenity groups and the

heritage lottery fund. You installed double concrete walls, tarmac

overgrass, removed planting, allowed 800 HGV in -park movements and

heavy machinery. You closed the park for 19 days in June and July 2015

and when it did open the carriageway was closed to walkers, runners and

cyclists, all for 200 ,000 pounds a year, a council tax saving of 5p monthly,

divided equally for each one of our residents. I wonder if that side of the

chamber are still proud of that. Good. Second's up. The time is up for cabinet

members questions. Can I say to the questioners and to the cabinet members

asking. Thanks for keeping on topic and we covered five questions. Thank you very

much. We're on to item eight matters of local or topical interests. We've

received notice of two matters to consider this evening.

Councillor Worrall will have the first three minutes to speak on matters raised

from the Labour group. Wandsworth Council's sexual and reproductive

strategy. Councillor Warrell, thank you. Thank you Mr Mayor. Talking about sex and

reproduction brings many embarrassed smile and raised eyebrows amongst us. It

brings up religious concerns, differing cultural and societal views and often

misinformation about sexual health itself. Ongoing surveys have shown a lack

of public awareness, poor staff training, lack of confidence of health care

especially those in primary care and long waiting times to clinic appointments.

And here in Wandsworth we know STI rates continue to rise,

with 16 % of men with gonorrhea being reinfected within the first year of treatment.

Of those diagnosed with HIV, 30 % are diagnosed at the late stage.

Or people living in areas of high deprivation may be less likely to seek support for fertility issues.

And there has been a steady decline in the uptake of cervical cancer screening and low

diagnosis of other reproductive related cancers in black and Asian communities.

But these are not new issues.

They have been around for a long time.

Our sexual and reproductive health strategy is an ambitious and comprehensive plan.

It is to improve the outcomes for all, particularly those who face the greatest barriers to care,

including marginalized communities and those with poor health outcomes.

Core to it is reducing health inequalities, equality, equitable access to services, choice,

and challenging stigma and discrimination through comprehensive education.

But good sexual and reproductive health is not just about condoms.

It's not about long -acting contraception, the morning -after pill, or STI and HIV screening and treatment, important as they are.

It is all about how we as a council and society engage within difficult issues.

These issues are things such as consent and coercion, disabilities, misogynistic attitudes

and gender -based violence, fertility and childbirth, sexual functioning and sexual pleasure, period

poverty, sex work and gender and sexual identity.

Good sexual health doesn't just rest with the health departments or the health sector,

but actually runs through all the work we do in the Council,

whether it is from children's services and children in care,

to community safety, education,

or where we actually place our services.

By coming together and working with our communities and organisations,

we have developed a policy and a strategy that is a way forward

and is fit for purpose for all our communities.

It is not afraid to engage with those difficult topics

and provides a vision of what a different Wandsworth can look like.

This motion is not about policy and strategy, it's about ourselves, what we and our families

and friends and communities want and need and deserve.

Good sexual health should not be an exception, but core to us all.

The choice we have is where we put our energies, is it into fear, shame, stigma, ignorance

and blame, or set information, access, equality and support for all.

And finally I would like to ask you all to also support the Mayor's charity, Wandsworth

Oasis who does great work in this particular area. Thank you.

Councillor Henderson would you like to respond within three minutes? Thank you

Mr. Mayor. First can I congratulate Councillor Worrall on his well deserved appointment as Deputy Cabinet Member and in

strategy, and a really important advice that you have actually given me as cabinet member,

I think, has been an excellent example of how a deputy cabinet member can actually work

with the full cabinet member.

This is an issue of some considerable importance to Wandsworth.

We have a young demographic.

We also have a very vibrant nighttime economy.

So it's important that we do actually address these issues.

This is a five year strategy.

It is based upon a needs assessment which we undertook in 2023.

So we can actually focus on the needs of different demographic groups within Wandsworth.

It is also very highly informed by the World Health Organization's framework on reproductive

and sexual health.

The strategy was co -produced with health partners,

the whole of the NHS,

voluntary and community organizations,

and most importantly, people with a lived experience.

It was launched in a very successful seminar

just two weeks ago.

It was great to see the energy and the passion

around actually putting into place this strategy.

The strategy prioritised those most affected by poor outcomes.

We know that the most deprived members of our community are likely to suffer the worst

sexual reproductive health outcomes.

This strategy fits very well into what the council is trying to do in terms of tackling

health inequalities.

This is about extending opportunity to people, about improving better anti -natal and post -natal

care, increase access to contraception, to support survivors of gender -based violence

and improve SEI HIV prevention.

But it is an holistic life course approach.

It includes gender -based violence prevention support and care.

Just a word about reproductive health, which is rightly important as well.

Particularly at a time when maternity units are under pressure and under scrutiny.

We need to provide good reproductive health for the residents of this borough.

I believe this strategy will go a very long way to doing that, and in particular, to tackle

the cruel health inequalities which actually result from poor sexual and reproductive

health. Thank you.

Councillor Cooper, did you want to declare an interest? Mr. Mayor, great

apologies. I should have mentioned it earlier because obviously you ran

through your list of charities at the beginning and mentioned Wandsworth

Oasis then, but when Councillor Worrall just mentioned them, I would like to just

make it clear that I am a trustee of Oasis and it is a non -pecuniary,

non -remunerated role, but just for transparency and apologies for not

Declaring it earlier. Thank you. Thank you

For the second matter of local or topical interest

Could I ask councillor Pridham to speak on the issues raised by the conservative group?

Which is the failure of Wandsworth Council and the mayor of London to properly address anti -social behavior in the borough councillor Pridham

So you've got three minutes. Thank you very much. Mr. Mayor anti -social behavior and crime has a huge impact on the quality of life

residents. I know I am not the only Councillor to have seen

increasing numbers of people expressing concerns about these

issues in recent months. I think this reflects a trend across the

whole of London where many offences are simply ignored,

theft goes largely unpunished and it takes an intervention from the

shadow Justice Secretary to get the Mayor of London to act against

fair dodgers. We are very lucky in Wandsworth overall that despite an

increase in crime, Wandsworth remains safer than many other areas

of inner London, however we are starting to see the trend going very much in the wrong direction.

The area around Clapham Junction has been particularly badly affected. Last year it was

the borough's hotspot with 600 crime incidents and 828 antisocial behaviour incidents reported.

And now Clapham Junction is not the only area that's badly affected. Tooting, Putney High Street

and Ballam all experience similar issues. In Nine Elms I know there's been a real surge in

reduction in visible law enforcement. In the case of Wandsworth High Street, not only are

there regular instances of antisocial behaviour and crime, but Wandsworth Town will now have

no dedicated officers on the beat whatsoever. There is now, I think, a sense among many

residents, certainly the ones that I speak to, that certain crimes of crime will simply

just not be investigated. This is leading to a breakdown of trust and confidence with

people regrettably but entirely understandably feeling that there is little point in reporting

crime at all. And that means the figures we see are only really part of the picture. There's

one couple in my ward who live very close to Clapham Junction who have daily incidents

of anti -social behaviour right outside their door and they've given up reporting it because

nothing happens and they've instead used the time to clear up the mess that's left outside

their home. Now in opposition Wandsworth Labour made much of their commitment to tackle crime,

They released a video a few months before the election saying that they were going to put extra law enforcement officers on the streets

using developers levies

I know the administration has made much of its CCTV strategy that certainly has a part to play but surely

The thing we need to do in order to get a grip is to make sure we get more law enforcement officers on the streets

Just like the Labour Party promised now

I know it's difficult

much of the responsibility for this lies beyond the Town Hall,

particularly when the Mayor is failing so badly to tackle crime on our streets.

But I do think it's important that we demonstrate to our residents that we take these issues very seriously.

And the first thing the Council can do is confirm when it will be delivering on their promise

to bring forward extra law enforcement officers in Wandsworth.

Thank you very much.

Back to you, Councillor Henderson again.

Thank you, Mr Mayor.

Let's be quite clear about this.

The last set of national crime statistics

and antisocial behavior statistics

were the worst in history,

representing the last year of the Conservative government.

Now, unfortunately, Wandsworth isn't immune to that.

We are impacted, but I do believe

that we have made considerable improvements

into how we actually tackle some of those particular issues.

Councillor Pridland referred to what we've done in relation to CCTV, but rather washed over it.

Let us remind ourselves that when we took over,

one's with Council, one's with Tory Council,

one person monitoring 13 to 1400 cameras employed 9 to 5, Monday to Friday.

It is now a 24 -7 operation and that has resulted in the police getting immediate and contemporaneous

information which they can act on.

So just in the last few weeks, and I have an enormous number of other examples over

a much longer period, just in the last few weeks a conviction has been secured for murder

in relation to an incident on the Safarna Estate in 2023

due substantially to our CCTV coverage.

We managed to track a man spotted carrying a submachine gun

in a bag in a bus,

enabling the police to arrest that person.

And we can now send six separate images

to the police at the same time.

A shoplifter has recently been arrested in Ballon on the basis of our CCTV cameras, and

we have certainly prevented at least one suicide where the individual was monitored for 15

minutes before help arrived.

And of course we have also prosecuted and identified a flight setter in Ballon, and

we will continue to do that.

Councillor Pridham most usually paints this rather appalling situation in terms of crime

rates going in the wrong direction.

Knife crime was down 16 per cent in the last year and remarkably 73 per cent in the last

three months.

When Councillor Pridham and your colleagues, when are you going to actually print some

things like that to reassure people?

Now we know you're not going to do that because you are harbingers of doom and gloom and misery

and despair.

That is the reality of the situation.

They do not want to hear good news.

They don't want to hear about the three CCTV cameras which we are going to employ in the

streets to be delivered in the next year.

They don't want to hear about the additional community safety officers for fantasy.

They don't want to hear about the deployable cameras which we have extended, including

giving councillors a say in this.

They don't want to hear about them as some initiative to try to reduce anti -social behaviour

and crime.

Mr Mayor, I have three minutes to cover the whole breadth of community safety.

It is impossible.

The bottom line is we've done more in three years than the party opposite ever managed

Okay.

The previous 44.

Can you wind up?

Thank you, Councillor Henderson.

I gave him a little bit of leeway

because I have been briefed before the meeting

that his major three score years

and 10 birthdays next week.

So congratulations, Councillor Henderson,

on that coming up.

The whips have agreed that under item 17

will be taken next.

Item 17 is the motion on celebrating our Summer of Fun in Wandsworth.

Can I ask Councillor Akinola to move and Councillor Davies to second the motion in their names

please.

I move.

Seconded.

Thank you.

Councillor White, you lead off.

Thank you Mayor and I must pay tribute to my predecessor in this role who with great

officer support made a big impact and reflects her own calm and intelligent approach.

With this weather increasingly high -rise living, post -COVID anxiety and well -being poverty,

it is important to have places that allow everyone to get away from their daily worries,

stresses and cares, to get outside and enjoy the benefit of living in a borough with so many great

open spaces. But everyone is distinctive with different ideas of tranquility. Some may want

to sit in a main road at dawn, having waiters at their beck and call. Others will enjoy

our commons and parks, the open spaces and nature, the creatures and their habitats.

The longevity and beauty of our trees, the many meadows, many forests with new ones emerging

are increasing biodiversity, especially now we have added five green flag open spaces

to make 12 in total. A new pocket park with many more to come plus new park and playground

investment. At a more civil time I will enjoy seeing Totterdown Street, green and planted,

joining investments in Abyssinia Road, Old York Road and Batsy High Street, bringing

in a more Brexit -defying continental dining experience.

Some like to enjoy music in our open spaces, which we see at Batsy Park and recently at

Tooting Beck Common, maybe meeting people, making new friends, inspired by the magic

that these events produce.

Indeed, in Wandsworth, a quick search of local fairs, with a Y, will tell you of traditional

gatherings of huge crowds playing central social role in the last centuries in Wandsworth.

We have a rich heritage and legacy of sport in our commons and parks that saw 1 .4 million

pound pitch investment resulting in much better playing surfaces and fewer weekend pitch postponements.

I used to use the floodlit midweek all weather facilities at Tooting Triangle when I used

to coach football, another space that would enjoy new investment, instilling good habits

in young people, three of whom went on to play premiership or international football,

while others, including my own children, earn a living coaching and mentoring the next generation.

Last week, the London Mayor officially opened Springfield Park, the first new park in London

since 2012, a beautiful addition to our green scene, aiding mental health and wellbeing

central to the NH Trust Park stewardship.

I once also played football there too, and my children played golf.

Bats and balls and culture too, listening to and including all, are balance central

to our parks and commons vision.

Because unequal resources divide and socially impoverish, destroying a sense of community

and fostering distrust and anxiety.

So it is great to see access for all being used by so many people, including 8 % of total

who attended Country on the Common, where over 60 % of the 8 ,500 people attending over

two days were from the wards closest to the common.

Access for All also allows free swimming at Lido, free membership of our gyms, and half -price

access to most of our sports facilities, which will benefit from over 25 million investment

over the next four years in the much -needed overhaul of our sometimes dilapidated, under -invested -in

sports and leisure centres and Lido, allowing all our residents to share modern facilities,

improve their health and save the NHS money.

We must narrow the 10 point gap between females and males enjoying sport participation and

it was great to see at the last environment committee our women and girls in sports strategy

examining those barriers.

Not for us then an exclusive riverside stoking higher housing costs and more anxiety but

balanced, shared, landscape, mixed neighbourhoods with healthier, cheaper to run homes, linking

the Wandle to the river's Thames with green corridors, repurposing our industrial heritage

as is planned at Wandsworth Town and our estate renewals.

Our Parks and Commons are for all of our residents.

We'll work for a balance of recreation and beauty, respecting heritage and legacy, and

and helping to give people shared social spaces where they can find their own unique contentment.

Thank you very much.

Councillor Peter Graham.

Thank you, Mr Mayor, and I'm glad to see you back.

When I first read the title tonight, celebrating our Summer of Fun in Wandsworth, I thought

that the Labour group's internal dramas might be playing out on too wide a stage.

But it seems that this motion is instead all about how vital it is that Wandsworth residents can work, rest and play,

presumably to fulfill a destiny prophesied in 1980s Mars Bar commercials.

The motion tells us that will be healthy and without consulting our public health officers on my limited experience of Mars Bars, I'm not yet convinced.

For the benefit of those born after the 1980s,

and there are some in the chamber,

a Mars a day helps you work, rest, and play.

That was the slogan anyway.

This summer it's more a case of labor each day

means you get taxed and pay.

Well, tax up, jobs down, inflation up, investment down,

borrowing up, house building not just down

but collapsed in London.

A government whose mission is growth

now finds itself one month's data away from a full -blown recession.

But we aren't here to blame the Labour administration for their government.

We know they aren't on speaking terms.

I mean, the leader's barely on speaking terms with Sadiq Khan, and he lives here.

Angela Rayner has written you off.

Come December, as we heard earlier, Wandsworth will receive an integrated settlement,

which, you assured us, repeatedly would be good news.

This winter, the prospect instead is a huge hike in council tax.

But we're told tonight not to be gloomy.

It's still the summer of fun.

The last chance saloon for the first choice of saloonist chances.

Mr Mayor, I have to say if they're so cheerful, you'd hope at least for some optimism in this motion.

For some important policy perhaps, for some substance.

Instead, we get emotions so vacuous that we're left with the inanity of a year of play.

Play, inclusive play, the freedom of play.

If I can command any authority as a parent, can I implore the council, leave our poor

children alone?

About the only thing less appealing than organized fun is municipally organized fun.

And from what's appeared so far on various social media feeds, it seems to involve the

deputy leader prancing about in a cowboy hat.

I guess she was celebrating.

She was on the winning side, after all.

And we should spare a thought for the losers in the summer's labor psychodrama.

There's nothing quite like the back of the back benches for realizing that your colleagues

are priced at 9 ,000 pounds per conscience.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm sure that all of Labour's new Deputy Cabinet members feel

they uniquely deserve pay at the top of the ones at scale, while everyone else is paid

less and committee chairs like poor Councillor Stock are paid below the bottom of the recommended

rate.

And, you know, being fair, if there was an SRA for stopping motions like tonight's, then

I'd happily pay that person double.

This motion is so lame it doesn't even have a resolution.

I mean you can almost picture the administration hands hovering above a keyboard

as their minds search for a topic and turn from their governments borrowing debt and overspending on the one hand

to the councils borrowing debt and overspending on the other.

And so we get this, a motion for nothing and resulting in nothing.

just a desperate attempt to cheer themselves up.

It's the procedural equivalent of comfort food.

Well, Mr. Mayor, I can sometimes do empathy

and I can go one better than mere procedure.

And so I have bought them a Mars bar.

There you go.

Never say I'm not nice to you.

And I'm sure.

Well, I've given it to Councillor Dickard

because I'm sure that he can find some socialist way

of dividing it up into incredibly small pieces

that no one will actually appreciate.

But if I could end on a cautionary note,

when it comes to Chockcliffe -inspired slogans,

I'm afraid the electorate may be thinking

not in terms of Mars, but Kit Kats.

Have a break.

Yay!

That was good.

Thank you.

Councillor Davies, please.

I'm not going to do doom and gloom and I did think that could be slightly disparaging to

children and families who have had a marvellous time in the Fountain courtyard.

So the year of play has landed.

The Fountain of Fun kicked off this joyous year with hookah duck and BMXing for local

schools in the Hartvai Town Hall.

So next up, the big play out on 28 July.

Across our wonderful borough we've got a host of fun -filled activities that are happening

for cradle, aged 25. This starts with baby boxes for all new parents on universal credit,

helping with the high cost of essential kit, promoting child development and play, and

putting people in touch with navigators for more bespoke support as required. One mum

said, the box included things we'd never have bought ourselves, like the room thermometer,

which made us feel more reassured.

We were thinking all we could afford in the early weeks would be second -hand stuff.

To see the beautiful things in the box,

it made us feel like our baby would have the best start in life.

So, so far, thanks to the desire and the professionalism of the children's officers,

who I do want to very much congratulate,

We've got 4 ,600 families attending over 49 ,000 sessions at Best Start Children's

Centres, a year -on -year increase.

27 ,500 young people are attending children's centres, up 3 ,000 since 2022.

88 % of those eligible are taking up the two -year -old early years offer.

That's a 50 % increase in take -up for vulnerable two -year -olds as well.

The Holiday Activities Fund programme is seeing very good updates.

We've got a funded youth participation board,

a significantly expanded and much more diverse youth council.

Next up, new initiatives, new policy, including playkits, playrangers,

revamped and enhanced playgrounds, including the wonderful Lady Allen Adventure playground

for young children with special educational needs and disabilities. In fact, there are

15 new play spaces to be introduced this year across the borough in all areas. An extra

layer in the very special London Borough of Culture offer with music and messy play, art

and storytelling, work experience and internships. All these initiatives are developed after

listening to children, young people, and their families.

It's not just about creating memories,

bringing families, communities together,

however important that is.

Play, activity, art, and culture are essential

for babies, children, young people,

to grow their cognitive development,

for their physical and mental health development,

to thrive and reach their full potential,

and that's what we're about.

Children and young people with SENDs are being actively catered for.

One parent said about the HAF programme, as a mum of a child with additional needs, I

know how important it is to feel welcome and included.

The fact that Wandsworth is making play accessible for every child, regardless of ability or

income is life changing.

It's exciting for all with concerted efforts to ensure activities are accessible to all

regardless of income, regardless of special needs. We act against barriers and restrictions.

No space in your flat? Offer it elsewhere with Activity Pats 2. Parents worried about

antisocial behaviour have play ranges to supervise and inspire. Can't afford to go swimming

or to the LIDO, create access for all.

Need to cut back on enrichment activities due to rising costs?

Create a 10 by 10 activity program.

Nowhere to go?

Up the youth provision, instigate that funded youth

participation board.

So is Wandsworth the best place to grow up?

Well, against the background of sustained closures, cutbacks,

restrictions, the activity levels, I think,

is stupendous.

The passionate and committed officers are more than matching our vision to do the very

best for our young people, regardless of income, regardless of special educational needs or

disabilities.

And that's the attitude of this administration, listening to you, resolving to surmount obstacles

and doing our very best to create parity and equity.

It's fun and it's a political choice.

Is there more to do?

Yeah.

And long may we continue searching to make ways to make our borough child and young people

friendly in every area, parks, schools, family hubs, public space, estates, building developments.

Do we want the best start for all?

Yeah, here in Wandsworth we really do.

Thank you.

Councillor Hamilton.

Thank you very much, Mr Mayor.

In the three or so years that I've been a Councillor,

I don't think it's been any particularly hidden thing

that I'm more than willing to engage in debate

and to be party political in terms of the remarks

that I make in this chamber.

But one of the things that I dislike most

about the way that we run this debate

is the incredibly scripted way

that we go through a list of people.

And as a result of that, there's very little spontaneity

in what we're able to discuss

and very little real debate that we're able to have.

And I think when it comes to a motion like this, where we have a set list of speakers

for the Conservatives and a set list of speakers for Labour, we often try and make political

points when actually we can be positive.

And there are positive things in this motion and things that, of course, that we can welcome.

And I think if we look at some of the events that we've seen over the last few months,

the example of the country event, which I know many residents enjoyed, there's a lot

of things that we can all get behind.

But I also think this motion does pose an opportunity for us to, I think, debate some

very real questions which are impacting the summer of fun, as the motion does call it.

The first that I would mention is picking out the example of the Old York Road development.

And I think that is a scheme that's looking great.

It's one that both parties have championed, including Councillor Sweet as a ward member,

and one that all parties have a stake in seeing brought together.

And I think it's one that really is working.

But one thing that I do feel I have to mention, I know it's already been raised by Councillor

Richard Jones this evening, is the fact that whilst we are seeing schemes like the totter

down street pedestrianisation moving ahead, whilst we saw for one day only the Northcote

Road scheme come back, we are also seeing an administration which is ignoring the very

clear view of residents that wish to see the Northcote Road summer pedestrianisation reinstated.

Now, the leader mentioned a few statistics earlier this evening saying it was unpopular

amongst business owners, that it would cost 20 ,000 pounds each time it was held.

But I have to just point him to independent information from 2021 and 22, which showed

that 88 % of residents love the scheme.

And that's why it was intended it would run every single summer with funding dedicated

to the scheme to make it long term.

Now I along with Councillors Pridham, Richards -Jones and others went to the one -off festival on

Sunday on Northcote Road and we were met with a wall of comments from residents, from businesses

who were telling us they'd had to take on staff for the day because of the increased

demand.

Residents saying how much they love to see the scheme and saying how much they thought

Wandsworth should use the Northcote Road scheme as an example of successful pedestrianisation

that's good for families, something everyone can enjoy, and takes what is a

busy road and instead turns it into a shared space. Bringing back the

Northcote Road pedestrianization would truly be an encapsulation of what a

summer of fun should be. Now the next thing that I need to mention when it

comes to a summer of fun is the fact that having fun in the summer also

requires a climate of safety. And we've heard many many complaints over the last

few weeks from residents about the issue of abstraction, where members of the police who

are supposed to be policing areas around our commons are being taken away to police protests

in central London or large -scale carnivals taking place in other parts of London.

We absolutely would urge this administration, who often talk about their proximity to the

mayor of London as a positive, to put pressure on him to end that policy of abstraction and

make sure that our public spaces do have the police that they need

during these critical summer months.

The next thing I would mention is in relation to our parks and open

spaces.

They are some of the finest inheritance that those who live here

now have, but also that future generations will have.

And we all have a duty to keep those safe, clean and green.

But one of the biggest concerns we have is in relation to litter.

I know in particular when it comes to Clapham Common that that's

managed by Lambeth Council.

but I would also say there is a dotted line between Lambeth and Wandsworth here

in terms of making sure that rubbish is cleaned up in an expedient manner,

that overflowing bins by the sides of the Commons are cleared on a regular basis

rather than being left for the whole weekend to fester.

And that isn't only a problem in Clapham Common,

but also in Tooting Common and Wandsworth Common as well.

So I'll end on a positive note.

I think there is much in this resolution that is good.

We have much to celebrate as a borough.

But as we celebrate, let's not forget to ask ourselves difficult questions about how we

can make this an even better place to work and to live.

Thank you.

Councillor Akinola.

Thank you, Mr Mayor.

As my colleagues have said, this summer we're not just hosting events.

We're not hosting parties even.

We're shaping a future filled with creativity, connection and community because we believe

that everybody, and that means everyone, deserves to have the right to work, rest and play.

And for your information, DCMS in 2020 produced a report connecting health, wellbeing with

arts and culture.

So that's one piece of evidence.

In addition, as part of our borough of culture, we're working with our four hospitals, Springfield,

Queen Mary's, the Royal Hospital for Neurodisability and St. George's to produce a report which

also will evidence that arts and culture have very positive outcomes on health.

So I hope you'll read it and maybe you'll have some questions next year about how wonderful

and how useful the borough of culture was in improving the health and wellbeing of our residents.

Under this council, under this Labour leadership, we've delivered access for all, as my colleagues have already said,

which has given our residents free and reduced access to sport and cultural activities across the borough.

Because we believe, unlike what our opposition has said, that access to culture should not depend on your postcode or your paycheque.

And it's not a coincidence because it reflects our national vision.

Last September at Labour Conference, they brought together Creativity Unleashed, which

brought together 40 creative organisations to discuss the relationship between culture

driving inclusive economy and growth.

And the conclusion was that it's not just enrichment, it is empowerment.

And as my colleague has said just a moment ago, part of our borough of culture is about

empowering our young people, providing them with opportunities to learn and grow in the

creative sector whilst upskilling them as well.

So yeah, we are going to do a bit of congratulating ourselves because actually it has been pretty

good.

We started off the year with the Partly Boat Race, that was brilliant.

I don't recall seeing any or many of the opposition there, strictly Wandsworth.

I had a great time with quite a few of you.

It was really good fun and I think we really delivered as a borough.

We've just finished the annual Wandsworth Arts Fringe which has been supercharged with

the Heritage Festival with over 180 different events across the borough in regular and unexpected

places.

And we had families who filled the streets for Happy Streets Festival in our neighbourhoods.

And yes, I was wearing a cowboy hat at Country in the Festival because I enjoyed it and it

was good fun. And some of you were there, and you also had good fun. We all did line

dancing. Dancing is good for your health. I'm sure you all left feeling very, like,

happy in short from it. So please stop complaining. So across London, Leda Leadership is also

delivering. Our mayor, Sadiq, has committed over £10 million to boost creative industries,

which will bring something around 2 .5 billion into London's economy.

And that's another example of real investment in jobs, opportunity and creative talent.

And our residents, not even paying your attention, residents and young people here in Wandsworth

will benefit from that as well.

Because for Labour and for this administration, creativity is not a side note, it is a strategy

It is a solution.

What's coming up next?

We have, oh, tomorrow starts the first day of South Asian History Month where we funded

eight different organizations to deliver music, drama, theater, food, and block printing.

So I hope everyone will take part and go and enjoy some of that.

We've got Battersea Parking in concert.

We've got the Grand's 125th birthday party and we also have in September the Liberty

Festival where we'll be celebrating neurodiverse and disabled creatives.

So I hope you will all attend that.

And I hope you will all come together and join us with this because when we unite and

we work together, like the priest said earlier, we're all on that boat rowing, everybody wins.

Thank you very much.

Thank you all for that debate.

As there are no amendments to the motion, we can move straight to a vote.

All those in favor.

Are there any against?

Any abstentions?

So it's unanimously passed.

Thank you.

We now turn to the report for information from the Cabinet.

I ask Councillor Hogg to move reception of the report and that of the supplementary report.

Moved.

Is that accepted?

Thank you. Item 11. We now turn to report for information from the Health

Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Can I ask Councillor Lee to move? Moved. Is that

report accepted, Council? Item 12 is from the Planning Committee. I ask

Councillor Belton to move reception of the report.

Is that agreed, Council?

Yes.

Item 13 is from the Licensing Committee.

I ask Councillor French to move reception of the report and the supplementary paper.

Licensing report moved.

Agreed Council.

Thank you.

Item 14 is from the Health and Wellbeing Board.

I ask Councillor Henderson to move reception of the report.

Move acceptance of the report.

That agreed, Council.

Thank you.

Item 15, revision of committees to committee membership and outside bodies paper number

25271.

Are the recommendations approved?

We move to item 18, it's the motion on significant concerns over the local plan.

Can I ask Councillor Hamilton to move and Councillor Corner to second the motion in their names happy to move

Okay

Councillor Hamilton for the first speaker and thank you very much. Mr

Mayor, it's a pleasure to be asked to speak on the third motion of the evening

And I also welcome you back to the chair

I think you've handled this evening's meeting an exemplary manner and we all look forward on the conservative benches to

Working with you in the months ahead

I understand that the motion which I put forward this evening, which has been seconded by my

colleague, Councillor Corner, is slightly tongue -in -cheek, but I think it is one that

we believe makes a serious point.

As I mentioned in my previous contribution, the administration, the Labour Party and Wandsworth

in general, do like to champion their association with Sadiq Khan, who of course is a former

member of this Authority.

When it comes to the concerns that he has raised about what is proposed

in the local plan revision, we have heard silence from the

administration and I do very much look forward to hearing some of the

remarks from Councillor Dickerton in response to what we say this

evening. As a result of the update we received from the transport

committee meeting previously, we understand that we are now only weeks

away from the local plan review being brought to examination in public.

It could happen later this summer.

It could happen early in the autumn.

That, of course, will be an opportunity for councillors, for members of the public, for

businesses to make their voices clear in terms of what is proposed in that document.

Let me remind the council of three very key points in LP 23 that are proposed to be changed

in the scope of the local plan.

The first is an introduction from 35 % to 50 % affordable housing.

The second is the 70 -30 social rent split, which we discussed in questions earlier this

evening.

And the third part, which I also think is significantly damaging, is a new requirement

for all developments of over 10 dwellings to have a charge of £50 ,000 per property

levelled upon them.

Now I don't want to quote other publications.

I want to make my own comments this evening.

But I do think it is important to talk about some of the reaction from outside the Chamber

to what the administration is proposing.

Let's take the example of Dave Hill, a former journalist for The Guardian, which described

the problems with this local plan revision and what's proposed as ideology meeting mathematics.

We also heard a contribution from Sam De Mitrieu at Britain Remade, who described the policy

being proposed by Councillor Dickard and the administration as forcing developers to sell

half the homes they build at a massive discount and that is something that will harm the viability

of housing being built in Wandsworth.

Now I want to touch on the issue of viability because I put the question to the leader of

the council earlier this evening about exactly what studies have been done to back up his

assertion that this has been evidence -based in terms of these proposed revisions.

Because we cannot find any other successful models anywhere in this country or in the

world, where a movement from where you have 70 % social rent has been effective.

When you look at an area like Wandsworth where there is significant lack of housing development

space, to make property and development unviable is something which will rob a whole generation

of people the chance not only to rent homes, but to buy their own home, which is the business

that I believe we should absolutely be in.

We shouldn't be encouraging people into an endless spiral where they can only rent,

but they have no ability to buy a home in this borough.

We should be prioritizing the needs of people who want to buy and who want to get on the

housing ladder.

And I would urge Councillor Dickardem and his response later this evening to explain

that evidence base and how he intends to stand that up during the public examination of the

local plan.

Now, I will end on a comment which I think really sums up exactly where we are, and this

This is one again that comes right from the heart of the Labour Party, from an individual

called Chris Worrell, who chairs the Fabian Society's housing committee, but also sits

on the executive of the National Labour Housing Group.

He described this as bad policy that will result in fewer houses being delivered.

Take those comments from senior respected Labour Party organs like the Fabian Society

and like the Labour Housing Group, and lay them alongside detailed criticisms put forward

by the Mayor of London, one of your own former members, and you will see how little sense

these plans make.

I will finish with one comment from Chris Worrell, which was included in an article

he wrote a few weeks ago.

Perhaps it is a question directed to Councillor Dickard.

He asked, why do Marxists not understand maths?

Councillor Dicodem.

You know, sometimes you just get a debate that you can really relish, right?

So the first thing to outline is that given where we are in a legal process of trying

to achieve more affordable housing for the borough, which I think is a really important

goal, I don't want to prejudice the outcome of that in this forum ahead of the official

inspection.

But what I will say is that we have published comprehensive evidence base, which has been

informed and justified the approach that we have taken.

And the fact that you haven't managed to get hold of that before doing this blows my mind.

Your motion does not present any evidence and in fact relies upon a very partial and

misleading understanding of how the GLA responds to these kinds of consultations without engaging

at all with the Council's evidence base because it's very clear that you haven't read it.

From a written question submitted, it is also clear, and from the individual you just mentioned,

that you have based this motion on a blog post.

The blog post is by someone, and it's the individual you just mentioned, whose full -time

job it is, is working at an investment company set up to acquire land and then change the

planning permission on that land to extract value.

So it is completely unsurprising that such an individual would want less affordable housing

on private sites.

And frankly, parroting clip -bait media articles is a pretty embarrassing way to communicate

with residents and it's a direct conflict of interest. I'm just absolutely absurd that you

just read out a developer lobby arguing against more affordable housing in this borough. I could

not have written better satire for what the ones with Conservatives represent. This is fantastic.

I cannot wait for the clip. Okay, the council has prepared...

Okay, okay. Please members let Councillor Dickerton. I think it's worth pointing out that of the 350

submissions, no Conservative councillors responded to the consultation and

therefore you won't even be able to participate in the formal examination

process. So you bring this motion but you don't submit an actual response. It's

indicative of the total gesture politics of ones of Tories. Labour is doing the

work of trying to get much -needed affordable housing and you can't even

submit your opposition to it to do it publicly because this is all just

ridiculous. The council has prepared viability evidence which is

considered and demonstrates strong local capacity to deliver more affordable

housing.

Recent examples that have come through our own planning process, some of you sit on that

committee, you have seen that developers are going above and beyond the current policy.

Not only that, but we can evidence...

That's just not true.

We've just passed huge major schemes.

I think it's also galling about this motion is that the ones of Tories would dare try

and lecture us on what good affordable housing negotiation looks like.

In the last decade, you were in charge and oversaw one of the most pathetic records on meeting your own targets, your own local plan.

You were meant to get 35 % affordable, like the rest of London, and you got 19%.

You were meant to have a 60 -40 social housing to intermediate housing split.

You got 5 % social housing. 5%.

In 10 years, you negotiated around 150 social homes.

ones with Labour will open double that number just this summer from our own council bills.

So I just want to say, like, if you had just stuck to your local plan, let's say nothing

fancy, just 35%, not even 70 -30, which you obviously don't know anything about this topic,

that is the absolute norm now across London, so the idea that it's unviable is ludicrous,

but let's say you just stuck, let's say you just stuck to your 60 -40 and your 35 % which

was in your local plan, then you would have delivered 3 ,294 homes over the last decade.

But because you failed so categorically, that's almost the exact number of social homes that

we need to get our temporary accommodation figure back down to 2010.

So instead, we are now paying 60 million in public money every year to plug the lost homes

that you just let slip through the system just so developers could get more profits.

That is your obscene legacy.

your obscene legacy to Wandsworth residents and your obscene legacy to the thousands of

families in temporary accommodation.

The London plan should be seen as the floor of ambition, given it covers boroughs from

Bexley to Westminster.

Wandsworth is a Zone 1 and 2 riverside borough with more homes worth over a million pounds

than anywhere else in the country.

Wandsworth Labour wants to use the planning levers it has to make housing more affordable

whilst remaining viable.

That is what the evidence outlines.

It is what we will make the case at committee.

Any decent person would support this proposal.

You talk to me about housing associations and getting tough with them,

and yet you want to parrot the lines of literal developers in this chamber

to argue against more affordable housing.

You don't even understand how the GLA consultation works

because you're using a blog post.

Thank you so much for bringing this to this chamber.

Thank you for exposing yourselves as the shills that you are.

I look forward to the testimonies later in the summer.

Mr Mayor, the Council having sat now for more than two and a half hours, I

move that the remaining business of the Council on the agenda is disposed of

under procedure in standing order 32.

Is the motion to move?

The guillotine has been moved.

All those in favour of the guillotine coming down?

you

As we have a recorded vote, as the Councillor has sat for more than two and a half hours,

this is moved and seconded that the remaining items of business and agenda be disposed of

in accordance with the provisions of Standing Order 32, which means that the necessary motions

to deal with reports for decisions shall be formally moved and seconded and immediately

voted on without debate. Is the motion to deal with the remaining business agreed in

this way? And our new chief executive has got a role in calling out the names of members.

Yes, Mr Travers, thank you.

Thank you Mr Mayor. I'm going to read out the name of each Councillor in turn and then

you should say whether you're for or against the motion or abstaining.

Councillor Akinola. Yes, please.

Councillor Anan. Yes.

Councillor Apps. Yes.

Councillor Austin. No.

Councillor Ayers. Yes.

Councillor Belton. No.

Councillor Burchill. Against.

against councillor Boswell for councillor Brooks against

councillor Caddy is absent councillor Cole Klee for councillor cook

not not here

Councillor Cooper.

Councillor Corner.

Councillor Critchard.

Councillor Crivelli.

Councillor Davies.

Councillor de la Sejour.

against

Councillor Dickerton

For

Councillor Dobres is absent councillor French

Not here councillor gasser

Councillor gussein

against

councillor Govindia is not here

Councillor Mrs. Graham. Against. Councillor Graham. Against.

Councillor Grimston. Against. Councillor Hamilton. Against.

Councillor Hedges. Against. Councillor Henderson. For.

Councillor Hogg. For.

Councillor Humphreys. Against.

Councillor Ireland.

Councillor Jeffrey.

For.

Councillor Jefferies.

Against.

Councillor Justin.

Against.

Councillor Lawless is absent.

Councillor Lee.

Not here.

Councillor Locher is absent.

Councillor Marshall.

Not here.

Councillor Mayorkas.

For.

Councillor McLeod was absent.

Councillor Osbourne.

For.

Councillor Owens.

Against.

Councillor Paul.

For.

Councillor Pridham.

Against.

Councillor Richard Jones.

Against.

Councillor Rigby.

for councillor stock for councillor Suttas

against councillor sweet against councillor tiller or councillor

Varifaraj, Councillor White, 4, Councillor Worrall, 4, Councillor Yates, 4. Apologies I

missed Councillor Fraser. I do apologise.

So just to remind you, that vote was on the application of the guillotine.

and it was passed by 26 votes to 20 with no abstentions.

So the guillotine falls, so we move straight to the vote

on the substantive motion.

There were no amendments to this motion,

so we move straight to a vote.

All those in favor of the substantive motion.

Item 18.

All those against the motion?

Are there any abstentions?

Okay, that is lost. 19 votes for and 29 votes against.

Thank you, councillors. That concludes the business for this evening.

Thank you for your cooperation. It's good that we got through the three debates.

Do enjoy yourselves over the summer, whether it's play or joining in the borough of Calture.

Thank you very much. Good evening.

We welcome your comments

Required field

Name

Comments

Need an accessible hCaptcha?
Check available options.
Sign up to hCaptcha or Log in to hChaptcha.

By clicking Send feedback, you agree that Wandsworth Borough Council and Public-i can use the information above to review your feedback and contact you about it. See our Privacy Policy for more details.

Council - Wednesday 16 July 2025, 7:30pm - Wandsworth Council Webcasting

CouncilWednesday, 16th July 2025 at 7:30pm

Agenda

Slides

Transcript

Map

Resources

Twitter

Forums

Speakers

Feedback

Votes

Council
Wednesday, 16th July 2025 at 7:30pm