Wandsworth takes fight for fair funding to Government

On Thursday morning, Wandsworth, Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, and Richmond Councils formally submitted proposals under the Sustainable Communities Act, calling on Government to rethink.

Government funding cuts would reduce Wandsworth’s funding by £84 million a year by 2029, equivalent to a 40% cut. That amount is more than all of our spending on parks, libraries, leisure centres, bin collection and street cleaning.

If Government doesn't change its mind, the resulting financial pressure would mean Council Tax having to rise substantially to maintain essential services.

Residents back the fight for a fair deal

The submission was supported by residents who took part in our borough-wide engagement exercise. Over 15,000 residents took part, giving us powerful evidence of the services local people value and want to protect. 92% of participants supported us taking action under the Sustainable Communities Act.

From the outset, we committed to pursuing every available route to secure a better outcome for residents. The Sustainable Communities Act proposal follows representations directly to the Prime Minister, a submission ahead of the Autumn Budget and joint action with other London borough leaders.

Councillor Robert Morritt, Leader of Wandsworth Council, said: “Residents have given us an overwhelming message: they want us to stand up for Wandsworth and fight these cuts. That is exactly what we are doing.

“We have already been through our own spending line by line, identified £79 million in savings and efficiencies and taken difficult decisions to make sure every pound delivers value for residents. But funding cuts on this scale simply cannot be covered by efficiencies alone without severe consequences for local services and Council Tax.

“Residents should not have to pick up the bill for changes imposed by Whitehall. This proposal takes our case directly to Government.

"We are using every route available to fight for a fairer deal and protect Wandsworth taxpayers.”

The Council has already completed a comprehensive Spending Review, examining how services are funded and identifying savings, service changes, tighter financial controls and reductions in planned borrowing.

The Sustainable Communities Act gives councils a formal route to ask central Government to remove policies or other barriers which prevent them from improving the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of their communities.

Our proposal calls on Government to rethink its approach and give Wandsworth residents a fairer deal. That approach is about restoring Wandsworth as a high-performing council with strong finances, while protecting the everyday services residents rely on.