Council tax bills in Wandsworth could nearly double, with the proposed charge for a Band D home increasing by £958.
Households across the south London borough face the steep rise after the Conservative-run council said the Labour Government had reduced its annual funding by £84 million.
Wandsworth Council said the funding reduction was greater than its entire budget for parks, libraries, leisure centres, waste collection and street cleaning combined.
The borough has long been associated with Margaret Thatcher, who reportedly regarded it as her “favourite” council. After more than four decades of Conservative control, Wandsworth became known for pioneering outsourced services and maintaining exceptionally low council tax rates.
The Conservatives lost control of Wandsworth to Labour in 2022. They returned to power earlier this year, forming a minority administration after the May elections.
The borough’s three Labour MPs have declined to back the Conservative-run council’s campaign against the Government’s funding cuts. The reductions stem from Labour’s changes to the formula used to allocate money to local authorities, as residents prepare for the proposed tax increase.
Wandsworth council tax bills could almost double, with the proposed Band D charge rising by £958
Wandsworth Council leader Robert Morritt, a Conservative, wrote to MPs representing constituencies in the borough to ask whether they would support its appeal to the Government.
However, Tooting MP Rosena Allin-Khan, Putney MP Fleur Anderson and Battersea MP Marsha de Cordova refused to endorse the appeal in their written response.
In a letter seen by PoliticsHome, the MPs said they “continue to express our concerns about local authority funding challenges”. However, they added that they “cannot support a narrative that seeks to rewrite the recent financial history of Wandsworth Council or shift responsibility for damaging choices that are being made by the current Conservative administration”.
The Labour MPs wrote: “When Labour left office in May 2026, Wandsworth Council was in a strong financial position.”
They continued: “The Council had some of the highest reserves in London and no external debt.”
“Labour maintained balanced budgets, delivered Britain’s lowest council tax and carefully managed public finances, while continuing to invest in local services and communities,” they added.
The MPs said residents were entitled to ask why an authority that inherited such a strong financial position had already cut services, while threatening further reductions alongside a council tax increase.
A spokesperson for Putney Conservative Association said: “It is deeply disappointing that Wandsworth’s three Labour MPs will not support the Council’s challenge to the Government’s 40 per cent cut to Wandsworth’s funding.”
‘Putney MP Fleur Anderson and Tooting MP Rosena Allin-Khan both voted for the Local Government Finance Report that implemented the new funding settlement, while Battersea MP Marsha de Cordova had no vote recorded.
‘For them to refuse even to acknowledge the consequences of the settlement for residents, let alone support residents, is extremely disappointing.
‘Whatever their party, our MPs should be putting Wandsworth residents first and joining us in fighting for a fairer deal.’
Labour’s ‘Fair Funding Review 2.0’ will see money redistributed from some council areas to others and is aimed at pushing funding ‘towards areas with high deprivation and need’.
Plans to increase council tax in Wandsworth were heard at an extraordinary council meeting on Tuesday, although a final decision will not be made until early next year.
The council said, unless the Government rethinks its cuts to funding, council tax will need to rise by £958 for a Band D property – a 94 per cent increase.
Peter Graham, the council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, said: ‘We promised that we’d be honest with residents.
‘Council tax will need to rise unless Government thinks again. And it must think again.
‘We do not want to do this, and we do not take this decision lightly, but the scale of the financial pressure facing Wandsworth means additional income is now needed to protect the services people rely on.
‘Residents should not be left to carry the cost of an unfair funding system. That is why we are fighting hard at the heart of Government for a fairer deal for Wandsworth, and why we have made a clear case ahead of the Autumn Budget that our borough should not be punished for running efficient services and keeping council tax low.
‘Our message to residents is clear: we are on your side, we are making your case, and we will keep fighting for the funding Wandsworth deserves.’
A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: ‘Local authorities decide the level of council tax they wish to set, but we are clear that in doing so they should put taxpayers first.
‘We’ve made over £78 billion available for council finances next year, with the majority of money unringfenced so local leaders can decide how best to spend on their local priorities.
‘And we’re fixing an outdated funding system so funding goes where need is greatest, while protecting councils through the transition and ensuring no area faces a cliff edge.’
