Overview
- Reports this week say Wandsworth Council is internally discussing a rise of up to 160% in the council’s share of council tax from April 2027, which would add roughly £800–£814 a year to a typical Band D household if enacted.
- The rise would apply only to the local council element of the bill; the separate Greater London Authority charge would not change so the total household increase would be substantially smaller than 160%.
- The council is one of six local authorities given time-limited government permission to exceed the usual 5% cap after central ‘fair funding’ reforms that shift money toward more deprived areas and cut Wandsworth’s grant by about 40%.
- No final decision has been taken and Wandsworth and the local Conservatives have declined to comment, while the dispute has become highly political with Conservatives blaming Labour and Labour accusing the new Tory-run council of manufacturing a crisis.
- London Councils and local leaders warn that the funding shock risks cuts to adult social care, homelessness and other frontline services, and the move could pressure neighbouring boroughs and national debates on how to balance need-based funding with sudden transition losses.