On Tuesday evening, the people who want to represent Southfields on Wandsworth Council will stand in a room and answer your questions. Not a press release. Not a leaflet through the door. Your question, in front of everyone.
This is the third and final hustings before the 7 May local elections, and the only one for Southfields ward. All five parties standing in Southfields have been invited. No party spokespeople: candidates only. If any fail to show up, their chair stays empty.
When: Tuesday 21 April, 7:30pm
Where: St Barnabas Church, Pirbright Road, SW18
Entry: Free. Just turn up.
Organised by: Southfields Grid Residents’ Association (SGRA)
Submit your question before Monday
Questions should be in by end of Monday 20 April. Send to info@southfieldsgrid.org.uk
If you miss the deadline, questions can also be submitted before the event starts on the night. If conditions allow, the SGRA will invite you to ask in person.
One sentence is enough. The shorter and more specific the question, the harder it is to dodge.
Charles Runcie, who organises the Southfields hustings for the SGRA, told Putney.news what’s so great about these exercises in democracy and why residents should attend:
“They allow Grid residents to face candidates in person, to find out what they promise to do. They’re lively, they’re fun, and touch on many issues residents feel strongly about.”
What to ask
The SGRA’s rule is that questions must be about local issues: things councillors actually control. That means your street, your park, your bins, your council tax, your housing. It rules out government policy, foreign affairs, and Westminster politics. It is a good rule.
Three questions are ready to send in one tap via the form above. Nine more are below, most grounded in a Putney.news investigation. Tap through and find yours.
The Wimbledon Park amendment passed in the Lords last Tuesday by 162 votes to 55. It creates a new power to remove legal protections from public open spaces. MPs vote on it tonight. Save Wimbledon Park presented alternative plans for the golf course at St Barnabas just five days ago. Candidates should know about both.
The District Line collapsed to 69 per cent reliability at Southfields during last year’s Wimbledon tournament, the worst performance in over a decade. The 2026 tournament starts in ten weeks.
The Southfields parking consultation closed on 1 March. The outcome goes to the council for a decision in June. Whoever wins on 7 May will be able to directly influence it.
For the full evidence behind these and more, see our Ten Questions piece.
Monday is busier than it looks
This is the last of three hustings. East Putney and Thamesfield met on 13 April. Roehampton and West Putney on 15 April. Tuesday is Southfields.
Monday 20 April carries more weight than usual. Postal votes go out that day. If you are voting by post, Tuesday night may be your last chance to hear candidates before your ballot lands. And if you are not yet registered to vote, the deadline is also Monday. Register here.
Photo ID is required at the polling station on 7 May. Check what’s accepted.
See who’s standing in Southfields and everything you need to know about voting on 7 May.
