Crime, housing costs and growing pressure on parking are the most pressing issues for voters in a crucial part of Wandsworth as by-election campaigning intensifies.
Trinity ward, which sits between Wandsworth Common at one end and the Tooting and Balham tube stations at the other, will go to the polls on 27 August, and the result could decide Wandsworth’s future for the next four years.
Having only been created in 2022, this cosy part of the borough holds the key to power inside Wandsworth Council thanks to the May election results where 29 Conservatives councillors were put alongside 28 representing Labour and Independent Malcolm Grimston serving as the kingmaker.
So with all the candidates now confirmed, and residents increasingly aware that they are in the political spotlight, Putney.news headed over to Trinity to find out what was on locals’ minds.
Crime and community safety
Just like any area of the capital, crime and community safety continues to be a dominant concern for residents.
According to police data, there were 84 offences reported in Trinity ward in June of this year. Interestingly, the highest category was listed as anti-social behaviour at 26 offences, above violent and sexual offences (20), shoplifting (9) and public order incidents (5).
The area currently has three Policing Priorities:
- Tackling robberies involving schoolchildren.
- Reducing daytime residential burglaries.
- Preventing theft of high-value motor vehicles, particularly around Trinity Road, Hendham Road and Wandsworth Common Station.
These numbers, over 12 months, do not show sustained progress in reducing crime but continual fluctuation. Despite Trinity itself making up around 3% of Wandsworth’s crime, community safety still feels on edge.
There’s a recognition that petty crime in the area has increased, leading to the police operating in “targeted plain clothes” as well as “high visibility” patrols in the afternoon and early evening on the main stretch of Balham High Road between Balham and Tooting Bec Stations as well as Upper Tooting Park. This is aimed at making young people, especially schoolchildren, feel safer and to reassure them.
Oliver Mowbray, 27, said that while he had noticed a more “visible” policing presence, the varying crime had not deterred him “that much.”
“I feel fairly safe living here, but people are definitely more aware and conscious of phone thefts and bike robberies than they were a couple of years ago.
He went on: “While I do generally feel safe and OK around here, I guess having an event happen to you, like your phone getting nicked, would really hurt your confidence and that feeling of protection.”
Asked about the upcoming election, he emphasises the need to put crime at the top of the agenda. “I did hear that there will be more funding for police, which is a positive. Hopefully they [councillors] who are in different parties can work together and create a plan that will keep the area safe and secure.”
Housing
Housing affordability, and whether the younger generation will have any opportunity to own their own home, has been at the centre of national politics for five years now. It’s a hot topic in this increasingly expensive part of London. According to the council, the average house price in Wandsworth exceeds £700,000, nearly two-and-a-half times the £292,000 national average.
Median private rents in the borough are being forecast at around £2,000 per month for “newly let properties,” making Wandsworth one of London’s least affordable boroughs for renters. Wandsworth ranks 7th for most expensive area of London. This can also be linked back to the continued pressure that the cost-of-living crisis is putting on residents.
Florence Hickson, 34, a renter, explained her situation.
“I really like the area. It’s in London, but it’s not as if you’re bang in the middle. It has good transport links. “But buying a home here, right now, feels impossible – it would be a dream, but it’s unimaginable.
“Rent is so high — even for this part of London. I’m still doing uni-type budgeting when I’m in my 30s.”
“Disillusioned” with national politics, she’s downbeat about the upcoming election. “Like most people, I don’t really listen to a word politicians say. I mean, hopefully this new local council or government would come together and offer some kind of support for renters and others.
“But I don’t know – nationally they all seem so stuck to their parties – I assume it’s the same locally. I doubt they’ll come together.”
Parking and congestion
Speaking and standing outside Tooting Bec station, it’s fitting that the conversation should move onto transport. Having walked along, up to Balham station and down to Tooting Bec, the busyness of this part of London is immediately noticeable. As is the complete lack of parking spaces.
Wandsworth has over 40 Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) across the borough, reflecting high demand for on-street parking and the need to manage commuter parking. The roads around Trinity are covered by the Clapham South & Balham and Wandsworth Common & Tooting Bec Controlled Parking Zones, put in place to protect locals from commuter parking.
A Conservative voter for his whole life, Alistair Binks, 54, vents his frustration around traffic.
“The traffic around here was always temporary, but it’s become really bad. I know it’s London, and of course it will be busy and solid sometimes. But it’s become gridlock. Parking is now quite difficult. You can spend up to half an hour trying to get a spot.”
He also shares his thoughts on the current iteration of the council.
“I do have hope for this election. I like the candidate (Otto Jacobsson). I hope he will listen to people like me!
“Frankly, I’ll vote for whoever the Conservatives put up. A bit like the national party, I believe Labour really damaged Wandsworth and left its finances in the gutter. These measures that the Council announced the other day will affect and inconvenience people, but hopefully in the long term they will benefit us all.”
Green Spaces
One of Trinity’s charms is that most of its residents are within walking distance of several green spaces, including Wandsworth Common and Tooting Bec Common.
The cleanliness, quality and sustainability of local green spaces are clearly important to residents. The council’s Biodiversity Duty Report – which laid out how the Council met its environmental obligations between 2021 and 2026 – revealed that 195 registered volunteers have contributed over 1,500 volunteer hours since 2022.
This involved doing physically demanding conservation work – hay collecting, building dead hedges, constructing stag beetle loggeries, pond maintenance – across Wandsworth and Tooting Commons.
In an interview with Putney.news, the Liberal Democrat candidate Dylan Henderson made green spaces one of his key areas of focus:
“It’s one of the things that makes our community so special. As a councillor, I would push for more frequent cleaning and make sure dog bags are available via bins to ensure Wandsworth Common is a place we can all enjoy.”
