Simon Hogg will remain leader of Wandsworth Council after surviving a leadership challenge from fellow Labour councillor Kate Stock at a tense party group meeting last night. The result—21 votes for Hogg to 13 for Stock—secures his position for now, but the tight margin and recent controversies suggest a growing rift within the borough’s ruling party.
Hogg, who represents Falconbrook ward alongside Stock, led Labour to a historic win in Wandsworth in 2022, ending over four decades of Conservative rule. But his leadership has come under sustained fire in recent months, culminating in this challenge at the Labour group’s annual general meeting.
Tooting Broadway councillor Rex Osborn, who had also been tipped as a contender, stood aside ahead of the vote and is understood to have instead sought the deputy leadership.
Failure to address issues
While Hogg has held onto power, cracks within his administration are becoming increasingly visible. His recent cabinet meeting was criticised as superficial and self-congratulatory, failing to address major issues such as the council’s failing housing safety record, legal missteps, and the unpopular draft Events Policy. Two senior cabinet members—Kate Stock and Judi Gasser—were notably absent from that meeting, adding fuel to speculation of discontent behind the scenes.
Further undermining the council’s credibility was a recent revelation that it misled the public about freezing council tax. A BBC investigation found that the average Band D bill had, in fact, gone up—despite repeated claims by Hogg’s administration that council tax was frozen.
Adding to the troubles, the council was recently forced to issue a formal apology and retract a press release after wrongly naming a private landlord as a rogue operator, prompting legal threats.
Political opposition in pursuit
These stumbles have not gone unnoticed by Labour’s political opposition. The Conservative Party hopes to regain control of the council at the next local elections in May 2026 but it has also been dealing with internal disputes between councillors, with one rumoured to have been suspended.
And the Liberal Democrats are increasingly visible and vocal in Wandsworth, running several campaigns against unpopular council policies and looking to capitalise on what is an increasingly Lib Dem-led South West London.
As things stand, Labour currently holds 34 seats on Wandsworth Council, with the Conservatives on 23 and one Independent. With internal tensions rising and public confidence shaken, Hogg’s challenge may be over for now—but the battle for Wandsworth has only just begun.
