Council creating a fairer more compassionate borough

Since the elections last May the council has:

• Taken action to promote equalities and reduce inequalities
• Supported residents impacted by the Cost of Living crisis
• Worked towards ensuring all local people have a genuinely affordable place to call home
• Committed to ensure that every resident who lives in Wandsworth can share in the opportunities and prosperity that the borough offers

The report, which was due to go before the council’s finance committee last night, (Wednesday, January 25), sets out the council’s determination to make Wandsworth fairer for everyone and a more compassionate borough that looks after those who need the most support.

In the last eight months a whole series of actions of policies have been introduced to put Wandsworth on this road including:

• Taking steps to make Wandsworth a borough of sanctuary to support Ukrainian and other refugees fleeing war and persecution
• Providing additional help for victims of domestic abuse
• Building on the council’s work on marking Black History Month including visits to the borough by Frank Bruno and Idris Elba.
• Reducing health inequalities through public health initiatives including more mental health support for children and families
• Introducing Cost of Living initiatives such as free school uniforms, a support hub and investment to support charities and the voluntary sector.

Simon Hogg, Leader of the Council, said: “I’m proud of what the council has already achieved in such a short space of time but this is just the start. Our ambition is to make this council fairer and more compassionate, making sure all local people have a genuinely affordable place to call home and supporting our residents who are struggling with this awful Cost of Living crisis.

“This report not only sets out what we have done to make Wandsworth a more inclusive borough - with opportunity for all - by being a council who listens and then acts on what our communities want, but also making sure we narrow socio-economic gaps and inequalities. This should be the duty of any forward-thinking council that wants to put its residents first.”

To embed this approach into all everything it does the report proposes the council includes analysis of socio-economic impact in its Equalities Impacts Needs Assessments. This will result in narrowing gaps and getting help to those who need it.

Councillor Hogg added: “This takes our commitment to reduce inequalities to the next stage and our goal of making sure that everyone in Wandsworth can share in what the borough has to offer as we make this a fairer and more compassionate place to live.