Full Breakdown
Wandsworth Council Proposes 94% Council-Tax Rise Amid Funding Cuts
By Drooid · · How we work
Proposed Tax Surge
Wandsworth Council has outlined a plan to raise the Band D council-tax bill by £958 – a 94% increase – for the 2027-28 financial year. The rise would lift the average Band D charge from £1,020.35 (split roughly equally between the council’s own rate of £509.84 and the Greater London Authority precept of £510.51) to just over £1,978.
Funding Cuts and Rationale
The council says it faces a loss of £84 million a year in central-government funding under the Fair Funding Review 2.0, amounting to roughly a 40% reduction in its grant. The shortfall is described as exceeding the total current spending on parks, libraries, leisure centres, bin collection and street cleaning. The funding formula changes, driven by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, will redistribute money from affluent London boroughs, including Wandsworth, to other regions.
Council Response
Wandsworth’s leadership frames the proposal as a last resort to protect essential services. The council is submitting a proposal under the Sustainable Communities Act, alongside Westminster, Richmond upon Thames and Kensington & Chelsea, and is lobbying ahead of the government’s Autumn Budget.
What’s Next
The council’s tax-rise proposal will be considered at an extraordinary council meeting, with a final decision expected early next year. If approved, the increase would be permitted under a temporary exemption that allows certain London boroughs to exceed the usual 5% cap for two years.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Residents should not be left to carry the cost of an unfair funding system,” — Peter Graham, Deputy Leader of Wandsworth Council.