The annual levy charged on anyone living within three-quarters of a mile of Putney Heath, Lower Common and Wimbledon Common will increase by 8.9 per cent starting next month: the maximum currently allowed.
The increase was approved by the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators (WPCC) at their last meeting before newly elected members take over. It will raise an additional £132,076 bringing the organisation’s tax revenue to £1,622,642. The WPCC says it will spent the increase on conservation of the 1,140 acres it oversees.
The majority of the houses paying the levy – spread across the boroughs of Wandsworth, Merton and Kingston – are listed as Council Tax Band D and will pay an increase of £3.20, resulting in a total annual levy of £39.15. The increase matches the rate of inflation in September 2023.
The WPCC claims the increase received “substantial support” from a consultation document it posted to all affected 65,000 households. The increase was however opposed by Merton and Wandsworth councils, who add it as a separate line item onto their council tax bills.
The increase are likely going to keep coming however, and grow larger. The WPCC claims that a consultation it carried out on rebasing the levy allows it to increase the charge by above the rate of inflation.
In its consultation document send to households in 2023, the organisation originally argued for an increase nearly three times higher, which would have raised an additional £375,000 and seen an increase of £9.05 for Tax Band D (£18.10 for Tax Band H).
It has also developed a ten-year land management plan for Putney Commons based on what it says is its mandate for higher rises.
Chair of the WPCC Diane Neil Mills said of the increase: “The Conservators remain steadfast in their mission to protect and enhance these invaluable green spaces for the benefit of current and future generations. The continued support from the levy ensures that we can sustainably manage and conserve Wimbledon Common, Putney Heath, and Putney Lower Common for the enjoyment of all.”
Whether the WPCC is actually allowed to increase levies at higher than the rate of inflation will depend on what the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has to say. It may also depend on what the three new conservators who was elected earlier this month and who take their seats next month, on 3 April 2024, think about the extra costs to residents.
