Wandsworth Council Gives Notice of Record Breaking Tax Rises

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Says bills will nearly double unless government rethinks funding cuts

Next year's bills could deliver an unpleasant surprise for residents. Picture: AI generated

September 18, 2026

Wandsworth Council has confirmed that council tax will need to rise by £958 for a Band D property unless the Government rethinks its funding reforms, in what would be one of the largest increases ever seen for any local authority in the country.

At an Extraordinary Meeting on Tuesday evening (15 September), councillors said the scale of financial pressure facing the borough—driven by Government funding reform, rising costs and increasing demand for services—means “tough choices” are now unavoidable. The proposed rise, due from April 2027, represents a 94% increase.

The council says the Government’s Fair Funding Review will reduce Wandsworth’s annual funding by £84 million, equivalent to the borough’s entire combined spend on parks, libraries, leisure centres, bin collection and street cleaning. The cuts amount to a 40% reduction in core funding.

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Peter Graham, said the council had promised to be honest with residents about the scale of the challenge.

“Council tax will need to rise unless Government thinks again. And it must think again,” he said. “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.”

He added that residents “should not be left to carry the cost of an unfair funding system,” insisting the council is fighting for a fairer settlement and has made a clear case ahead of the Autumn Budget that Wandsworth should not be “punished for running efficient services and keeping council tax low.”

The council is working with Westminster, Richmond and Kensington & Chelsea to submit a joint proposal under the Sustainable Communities Act, calling for a fair funding deal. A separate submission has also been made to the Government’s Autumn Budget.

Council Leader Robert Morritt, who took office in July, said the decision was “not one I ever wanted us to have to make,” blaming “savage cuts from central government” and a dramatic reduction in reserves.

He said the council’s comprehensive Spending Review had set out a plan to protect essential services while confronting the financial challenges ahead. “There are difficult choices in this report, but there are also clear priorities: cleaner streets, safer communities, stronger housing services, support for vulnerable residents and action to put the council back on a sustainable financial footing.”

Labour Opposition Leader Simon Hogg accused the administration of hiding its intention to nearly double council tax by failing to include this in its manifesto for the local elections in May. He said residents now faced “Britain’s biggest-ever council tax increase” and “much worse services for much higher cost”.

Councillor Hogg said, “This increase is unfair, it’s unnecessary and we oppose it, and as soon as we can Labour will scrap it. This is your choice, it’s your decision, and you need to own it. This is a cruel and selfish and very political decision, and you’re seeking to blame everyone but yourselves.”

He added Labour would have stuck to its manifesto pledge of not increasing council tax above five per cent a year and closed the budget gap while protecting frontline services, largely through budget reductions totalling £45m without service cuts – including by modernising how the council operates.

He said Labour would have used reserves to “smooth the journey” while streamlining services over three years “to be a more effective digital council”.

Councillor Hogg said: “The Tory plan is to cover this loss with massive immediate tax increases… we would do pretty much the opposite. We would take several years to adjust the council to its new funding without hitting local people with large tax increases.”

Councillor Graham countered, “We are not doing this from cruelty. We are doing things that we do not wish to do because we have to try to close the gap and limit that council tax increase.”

Wandsworth Labour has launched a petition opposing the hike.

Residents are being urged to take part in a borough-wide engagement exercise to help shape future priorities and inform decisions about spending and services. Feedback will be used to refine the council’s proposal to Government and guide decisions on which services matter most to residents.

Final details on council tax levels and budget proposals will be published as part of the council’s formal decision-making process in February 2027.

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