Wandsworth Council in London plans to nearly double council tax bills, citing funding cuts. According to the Evening Standard and BBC, the council tax for a Band D property in Wandsworth will increase by £958, a 94% rise. The council agreed on the planned rise on Tuesday night following what it called a "comprehensive" spending review.
Peter Graham, Deputy Leader of Wandsworth Council, stated, “We promised that we'd be honest with residents.” The council stands to lose £84m annually in funding by the end of the next three years, which is equivalent to the borough’s total combined annual spending on parks, libraries, leisure centres, bin collection, and street cleaning. Graham added, “Council tax will need to rise unless Government thinks again. And it must think again.”
The current council tax on an average Band D property in Wandsworth is £1,020.35. The council tax on a Band D property in Wandsworth is currently the lowest in the country, but the planned increase will bring it to around average levels. Peter Graham explained, “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.”
Wandsworth Council is a Tory minority-run borough. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is involved in the council funding changes, stating the changes are needed to reform the "outdated" council funding system. The council is consulting on plans to use the Sustainable Communities Act to challenge the government proposals that would see its central government funding reduced.