Council commits to ambitious long-term Cost of Living support

Ambitious action to ease pressures from the cost of living crisis on Wandsworth residents will be taken by the council, for years to come.

Recently, at a meeting of the council’s Finance Committee, the council responded to recommendations set out last year by the independent Cost of Living Commission.

The recommendations focused on the key elements of the cost of living (housing, food, energy and transport) as well as other aspects such as household income, access to childcare and impact on health and wellbeing. The recommendations demanded strong action by the council to respond to the financial burden people in Wandsworth are facing.

In response, the council moved quickly to address immediate, acute issues, while also shifting to a more preventative approach of easing cost of living pressures.

The response to all recommendations from the Commission reflects the commitment to being a listening council and shows the willingness to engage with partners to get the best results for residents and communities.

The council's responses came at the same time Leader of the Council, Simon Hogg, announced the package of Cost of Living support for residents is increasing from £10m to £15m, making it the most generous scheme of its kind in London.

On top of this, Councillor Hogg announced the Council would be freezing the main element of Council Tax in the borough and ensuring residents in Wandsworth will pay the lowest Council Tax in the country.

Deputy Leader of Wandsworth Council, Kemi Akinola, said: “The recommendations showed us how we as a council needed to shift the way in which we were thinking about the cost of living crisis, to a more preventative approach. We are now looking at how to implement the 35 recommendations set out by the commission.

“The commission is an example of how we are transforming into a listening council - one that works with our partners and residents by involving them in the decision-making process, to make sure we become a fairer, more compassionate borough.

“We’re committed to fixing the long-term systemic issues faced by our people every day to avoid the same issues during the next economic downturn. We also know that if we were to put a plaster over the problem, we wouldn’t stop it from happening again, so we are working to implement strategies that will bring about lasting change."

Work by the commission included speaking with residents, local businesses, community groups, charities, professionals, and academics through focus groups and online submissions.

Joint Chair of the Independent Commission, Dorian Leatham, said: “We welcome the comprehensive and considered response to the recommendations in the final report from the Independent Wandsworth Cost of Living Commission. It is great to see the commitment from the council to make real change moving forward.

“While many of the recommendations are to fix long term issues, we must get started on them now. People every day are having to make hard or competing decisions they shouldn’t have to due to the pressures faced from the cost of living.

“The council has made it clear that they want Wandsworth to be a fairer borough, and we remain committed to working in partnership to follow through with this promise.”

Joint Chair of the Independent Commission, Ian Tattum, said: “The response to the recommendations shows the council and partners are demonstrating the commitment, effort, planning, and understanding needed to make real change in the borough.

“We are confident this council can and will address the systemic challenges we have identified and provide Wandsworth residents with necessary support and guidance to survive the ongoing cost of living crisis and future system shocks. As an independent commission, we were able to identify plenty of areas in which this council could improve the response and make real change.

“This response is a step in the right direction, and we look forward to seeing action over the coming weeks, months, and years.”

Read the full paper including Wandsworth Council's response,

Find out more about the work of the Commission and its recommendations in the final Commission report.