Residents of a London borough renowned for its low council tax could have to pay more than twice as much next year.
Households in Wandsworth are set to be hit by a massive 160 per cent increase in the amount they pay to the local Tory-run town hall, which would represent the biggest rise ever imposed in England.
It would mean the average amount for a Band D property charged by the authority itself soaring from just £509 for the current financial year to £1,323 next year.
However the share charged by Wandsworth only accounts for half of total bills, with the rest set by the Greater London Authority – so the overall amount paid by each family would not increase by as much as 160 per cent.
Benjamin Elks, grassroots campaign manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: ‘Wandsworth residents will be horrified by the prospect of the biggest council tax hike in English history.
‘A 160 per cent rise would be an extraordinary raid on households, even if the borough has historically kept bills low.
Residents in Wandsworth, south London, are facing the biggest ever hike in council tax
‘Councillors must exhaust every possible saving, cut waste and protect frontline services before asking residents to swallow a tax shock of this scale.’
But the Conservatives, who seized back control of the authority from Labour in May, say they are being forced to hike the lowest council tax bills in the country because of a funding shake-up imposed by Angela Rayner that is more generous to Labour-voting areas.
Under the Communities Secretary’s so-called ‘fair funding’ plans, more money is being funnelled to place with higher deprivation – but it means grants to Wandsworth are projected to fall by 40 per cent.
Shadow Communities Secretary Sir James Cleverly said: ‘Labour has taken £85 million a year from Wandsworth Council. They are punishing the people who voted Conservative in May.
‘Under decades of sound Conservative management Wandsworth maintained one of lowest council tax levels in the country. Labour don’t like that, so they are slashing funding and forcing councillors to cut services or raise charges.
‘Andy Burnham clearly sees London taxpayers as little more than cash cows. Conservatives will fight this blatant attempt to prop up inefficient Labour-run councils by taking money from well-run Conservative councils.’
A spokesman for umbrella group London Councils told the PoliticsHome website, which first revealed the potential record rise in bills, that ‘it is now almost impossible’ for councillors to protect frontline services in the capital.
‘Funding from central government remains wholly insufficient to meet these growing demands,’ the spokesman said.
Wandsworth Labour leader Simon Hogg, who ran the council until May 2026, said: ‘It beggars belief that Wandsworth Conservatives are planning Britain’s biggest ever council tax increase.
‘The Conservatives are pretending the council has run out of money so they can bring in austerity policies.
‘They’ve already cut domestic abuse services, scrapped the youth bus and axed new council homes for 400 local people.’
Wandsworth Council did not respond to requests to comment.
