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Wandsworth London Borough Council
Coat of arms or logo
Coat of Arms
Logo
Council logo used since 2025
Type
Type
HousesUnicameral
Leadership
Emmeline Owens,
Conservative
since 27 May 2026[1]
Robert Morritt,
Conservative
since 22 July 2026
Ana Popovici
since July 2026[2]
Structure
Seats58 councillors
Graph of the party split among 58 seats.
Political groups
Minority administration (29)
    Conservative (29)
Confidence and supply (1)
    Independent (1)
Opposition (28)
    Labour (28)
Length of term
Whole council elected every four years
Elections
Plurality at-large (FPTP)
Last election
7 May 2026
Next election
2 May 2030
Meeting place
Town Hall, Wandsworth High Street, London, SW18 2PU
Website
www.wandsworth.gov.uk

Wandsworth London Borough Council, also known as Wandsworth Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Wandsworth in Greater London, England. The council is responsible for the provision of certain services in the borough. The council has been under no overall control since the 2026 election, being run by a Conservative minority administration. It is based at Wandsworth Town Hall in the centre of Wandsworth.

History

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Early history

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There has been a Wandsworth local authority since 1856 when the Wandsworth District was created, governed by an elected board. It was one of the lower tier authorities within the area of the Metropolitan Board of Works, which was established to provide services across the metropolis of London.[3] In 1889 the Metropolitan Board of Works' area was made the County of London. In 1900 the lower tier was reorganised into metropolitan boroughs, each with a borough council, two of which were called Wandsworth (corresponding to the former Wandsworth District) and Battersea.[4]

Creation and 20th century

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The London Borough of Wandsworth and its council were created under the London Government Act 1963, with the first election held in 1964.[5] For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's outgoing authorities, being the councils of the two metropolitan boroughs of Battersea and Wandsworth.[6] The new council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1965, at which point the old boroughs and their councils were abolished.[7] The council's full legal name is "The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Wandsworth", but it styles itself Wandsworth Council.[8]

From 1965 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the Greater London Council. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention, and refuse disposal; with the boroughs (including Wandsworth) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the London Boroughs, with some services provided through joint committees.[9] Wandsworth became a local education authority in 1990 when the Inner London Education Authority was dissolved.[10]

21st century

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Since 2000 the Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions.[11]

From 1992 to 2011, under the leadership of Conservative councillor Edward Lister, Wandsworth was an early adopter of Thatcherite policies of privatisation of street cleaning and refuse collection, and sale of council housing.[12][13][14][15] Between 2007 and 2010 11% of the "affordable" homes built in Wandsworth were for social rent – the lowest in the whole of London.[16] Many ex-council homes became owned by private landlords.[17][18][19]

Since 2016 the council has shared a chief executive and other staff with neighbouring Richmond upon Thames Council.[20]

Powers and functions

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The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as a billing authority it also collects precepts for Greater London Authority functions and business rates.[21] It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly.[22] It is also the local education authority.[23]

Political control

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At the 2026 election the council went under no overall control, with the Conservatives being the largest party but falling one seat short of a majority. They subsequently formed a minority administration to run the council with the support of the one independent councillor.[24]

The first election was held in 1964, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1965. Political control of the council since 1965 has been as follows:[25]

Party in controlYears
Labour1965–1968
Conservative1968–1971
Labour1971–1978
Conservative1978–2022
Labour[26]2022–2026
No overall control2026–present

Leadership

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The role of Mayor of Wandsworth is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1965 have been:[27]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Sidney WellbeloveLabour19641966
Sidney SporleLabour19661968
Ronald AshConservative19681971
Ian McGarryLabour1971May 1972
Frank SimsLabourMay 1972Dec 1972
Ian McGarryLabourDec 19721976
John TilleyLabour19761978
Dennis MallamConservative19781979
Christopher ChopeConservative19791983
Paul BeresfordConservative19831992
Edward Lister[28]Conservative199218 May 2011
Ravi Govindia[29][30]Conservative18 May 201125 May 2022
Simon Hogg[31][32]Labour25 May 2022May 2026
Aled Richards-Jones[24][33]Conservative27 May 202622 Jul 2026
Robert Morritt[34]Conservative22 Jul 2026

Composition

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Following the 2026 election, the composition of the council is:[35]

Party Councillors
Conservative29
Labour28
Independent1
Total 58

The next election is due in 2030.[36]

Elections

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Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the council has comprised 58 councillors representing 22 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[37]

Wards

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The wards of Wandsworth and number of seats:[38]

  1. Balham (3)
  2. Battersea Park (3)
  3. East Putney (3)
  4. Falconbrook (2)
  5. Furzedown (3)
  6. Lavender (2)
  7. Nine Elms (2)
  8. Northcote (2)
  9. Roehampton (3)
  10. Shaftesbury & Queenstown (3)
  11. South Balham (2)
  12. Southfields (2)
  13. St Mary's (3)
  14. Thamesfield (3)
  15. Tooting Bec (3)
  16. Tooting Broadway (3)
  17. Trinity (2)
  18. Wandle (2)
  19. Wandsworth Common (3)
  20. Wandsworth Town (3)
  21. West Hill (3)
  22. West Putney (3)

Premises

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The council is based at Wandsworth Town Hall on Wandsworth High Street.[39] The first town hall on the site was completed in 1882 for the old Wandsworth District Board of Works. A red-brick extension to the east was added in 1927, now known as the civic suite. It was followed by a much larger stone-fronted building further again to the east, on the corner with Fairfield Street, which was completed in 1937. The 1882 building was badly damaged during the Blitz and was eventually demolished to make way for a large modern office extension to the Town Hall complex, which was completed in 1975.[40]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "New Mayor of Wandsworth to raise funds for local charities". London Borough of Wandsworth. 29 May 2026. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  2. ↑ Topham, Elliot (23 July 2026). "Boroughs appoint joint chief". Local Government Chronicle. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  3. ↑ Metropolis Management Act 1855 (18 & 19 Vict. c. 120)
  4. ↑ London Government Act 1899 (62 & 63 Vict. c. 14)
  5. ↑ "London Government Act 1963", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1978 c. 33, retrieved 16 May 2024
  6. ↑ Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Vol. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0901050679.
  7. ↑ Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Vol. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0901050679.
  8. ↑ "London Borough of Wandsworth: Local Government Act 1972". South West Farmer. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  9. ↑ "Local Government Act 1985", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1985 c. 51, retrieved 5 April 2024
  10. ↑ Education Reform Act 1988 (c. 40)
  11. ↑ Leach, Steve (1998). Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN 978-0714648590.
  12. ↑ "Boris Johnson's key advisers". The Times. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  13. ↑ "Putney's Local Web site". Putneysw15.com. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  14. ↑ Hill, Dave (8 June 2011). "Edward Lister: Boris's Thatcherite?". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  15. ↑ "Lister joins Boris as Deputy Mayor". Wandsworth Council. 18 April 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2019.[permanent dead link]
  16. ↑ Dave Hill (19 May 2011). "Edward Lister: why Wandsworth is wonderful | Politics". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  17. ↑ "GMB - Monument to Mrs Thatcher's legacy". Archive.gmb.org.uk. 15 April 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  18. ↑ "WANDSWORTH: Council tax going up | Wandsworth Times". Wandsworthguardian.co.uk. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  19. ↑ "Conservative London borough council with one of lowest tax rates in country 'exploiting' low-paid workers, union claims". The Independent. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  20. ↑ "Wandsworth and Richmond Councils choose new Chief Executive". Wandsworth Council. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  21. ↑ "Council Tax and Business Rates Billing Authorities". Council Tax Rates. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  22. ↑ "Local Plan Responses – within and outside London". Mayor of London. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  23. ↑ "Directory". Schools web. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  24. 1 2 Knott, Jonathan (28 May 2026). "Labour shut out of power at two London boroughs". Local Government Chronicle. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  25. ↑ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 21 May 2025. (Put "Wandsworth" in search box to see specific results.)
  26. ↑ "Wandsworth election result". BBC News. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  27. ↑ "London Boroughs Political Almanac: London Borough of Wandsworth". London Councils. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  28. ↑ Trueman, James (4 May 2011). "Longest serving council leader 'proud' to have served Wandsworth". Your Local Guardian. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  29. ↑ "Council minutes, 25 May 2011". Wandsworth Council. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  30. ↑ Blake, Elly (6 May 2022). "London elections 2022: Wandsworth Council goes to Labour for first time in 44 years". The Standard. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  31. ↑ "Council minutes, 25 May 2022" (PDF). Wandsworth Council. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  32. ↑ Lillywhite, Charlotte (8 May 2026). "Local elections 2026: Labour lose in Wandsworth". Wandsworth Times. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  33. ↑ Lillywhite, Charlotte (10 July 2026). "Wandsworth Council 'in chaos' as Tory leader resigns after just 44 days in charge". My London. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  34. ↑ McCarthy, Kieren (23 July 2026). "Wandsworth pledges 24 extra police officers under new leader". Putney News. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  35. ↑ Lillywhite, Charlotte (8 May 2026). "London local elections: What are the results in Wandsworth?". The Standard.
  36. ↑ "Wandsworth". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  37. ↑ "The London Borough of Wandsworth (Electoral Changes) Order 2021", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2021/418, retrieved 29 April 2024
  38. ↑ "The London Borough of Wandsworth (Electoral Changes) Order 2021". gov.uk. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  39. ↑ "Visiting the Customer Centre". Wandsworth Council. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  40. ↑ London's Town Halls. London: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1998. pp. 201–204. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
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