Wandsworth Council’s claim that it has frozen council tax in 2025 has been slammed as “ridiculous” and “untrue” by its only independent councillor in an excoriating address at Town Hall.
Independent councillor for West Hill, Malcolm Grimston, not only criticised the council’s “misleading” claim, but also the £20,000 of taxpayers’ money it had spent printing it on a leaflet that was then sent to every resident’s house in the borough.
Speaking at the full council meeting last week, Cllr Grimston did not mince his words: “It is entirely and absolutely indefensible to say that the council tax is being frozen.” He pointed out that the official budget report makes it clear that Band D charges in Wandsworth are increasing by £9.95 per month.
The leaflet, sent to all residents, claims Wandsworth has frozen its proportion of the council tax. However, Grimston highlighted that the council had discretion to truly freeze its portion of the bill but instead chose to raise it by 2 per cent. The increase is attributed to the social care precept, a charge local authorities can apply to fund adult social care services.
Dismissing the justification for separating the precept from the core council tax, Grimston used an analogy to illustrate his point:
“It’s rather like someone going into a Starbucks and asking for a black coffee and being told, ‘Well, we put milk in at the bottom, but most of it is black coffee.’”
While acknowledging that Wandsworth’s council tax remains relatively low compared to other authorities, he expressed frustration that the council had not been transparent about the increase. “It’s actually a very good message that the increase is below inflation. I don’t see why you can’t go out and sell that story in a truthful way,” he said.
Grimston was also highly critical of the council’s decision to spend £20,000 of taxpayers’ money on a leaflet containing what he described as an “untrue statement.” He warned that such actions could erode public trust in the local authority.
“It doesn’t look serious. It doesn’t look like you’re actually trying to level with the residents of the borough. And ultimately, the damage that will do to relations between the council and the residents will much outweigh any short-term benefit from this fiction,” he said.
Mounting debt
Just prior to Grimston’s comments, leader of the council Simon Hogg proudly repeated the same claim about freezing council tax: “I’m very proud of this Council’s record of sound financial management. Wandsworth Labour is freezing your Council tax this year for the third year in a row. You will continue to pay the lowest Council tax in the country and sound financial management is at the heart of everything we do.”
That claim came despite councillors, and others, warning that the council has created a “ticking timebomb” by loading it up with £1.9 billion in debt, including an additional £140m this month, while at the same time digging into reserves to fund day-to-day expenses.
Grimston’s comments were followed by an opposition councillor who highlighted the increasing debt burden and pointed to a number of recent cases where Labour-run councils had gone bankrupt:
“Nottingham City Council, for instance, recently issued a section 114 notice effectively declaring itself bankrupt. This is not an isolated incident.
Other Labour councils such as Croydon bankrupted by Labour three times for toxic financial mistakes. Liverpool City Council has faced significant financial challenges. Sloughborough Council issued a section 114 notice as a result of of financial mismanagement, which led to a significant budget deficit.
Birmingham City Council bankrupted by Labour’s financial mismanagement. These Labour-run councils have all faced similar financial crises.
The root cause of these financial woes lie not in the lack of funding, but in poor governance and financial mismanagement.”
The council did not respond to Grimston’s comments. However, his and others’ remarks raise pressing questions about how public money is being spent and whether local authorities should be more transparent in their communications with residents.
