Wandsworth Council says it is legal to pay for 25 police officers with money from developers. It won’t say why.
It made the claim at the only public meeting on the plan before its Cabinet decides at 6pm on Monday. It cited no legal advice, and when asked for an explanation, promised none. The legal section of the paper Cabinet will vote on does not mention the developer levy.
The council says it will direct the officers. Its own paper says they “would remain under Metropolitan Police command”. Officers can be pulled out of the borough on so-called “red days”, although the same paper calls them “25 dedicated Wandsworth police officers”. The contract that settles who is in charge has not been published.
The council set up a new committee whose first job is “overseeing arrangements for additional dedicated officers”. That committee was told that where the money comes from “is not necessarily a matter for this committee”. It was not told whose matter it is.
The neighbourhood share of that developer levy, which is charged on new building, raised £2.27m across the borough in the year to March 2025. The police plan will cost up to £4.9m a year, more than twice as much. The council had £13.8m of the levy not allocated to any project at the end of March 2025, that £2.27m included.
The committee made no recommendation to Cabinet. Under the council’s own rules, a decision cannot be called in once a scrutiny committee has looked at it in advance, so councillors will not be able to send Monday’s decision back for a second look.
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1 Is it legal?Said at the meeting
“We’re confident that this is a relevant and lawful spend.”
Jon Evans, assistant chief executive
In its own papersThe paper’s Legal Implications section is one paragraph, about the police grant. It does not mention the levy.
Paper 26-243, paragraph 29
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2 Who is in charge?Said at the meeting
“We’re buying them to be deployed as we need them to be deployed.”
Neil Thurlow, director of public protection
In its own papersThe officers “would remain under Metropolitan Police command”.
Paper 26-243, equality assessment. The contract that settles it has not been published.
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3 Who checks the money?Said at the meeting
“What underpins that money is not necessarily a matter for this committee.”
Jon Evans, assistant chief executive
In its own papersThe committee’s first job: “negotiating and overseeing arrangements for additional dedicated officers”.
Wandsworth Council constitution, committee terms of reference
Legal, says the council, but not why
Cllr Graeme Henderson, Labour’s opposition speaker, asked for “a legal explanation of how CIL money, particularly NCIL money, can be used to finance this”, outside the meeting.
Jon Evans, the council’s assistant chief executive, answered on the spot. He set out the broad wording of what the neighbourhood levy can pay for, said using it for “law enforcement and wardens and things like that is a fairly common thing, I think, through London”, and said the council knew of “some London boroughs that do similar”. He did not name them.
“So I think that legal test has been established and passed really from our perspective, and we’re confident that this is a relevant and lawful spend,” he said.
He did not say how paying 25 police officers fits that wording. He cited no legal advice and did not offer the explanation Cllr Henderson asked for. The paper Cabinet will vote on has one paragraph headed Legal Implications. It is about the police grant, and does not mention the levy.
Members can read what the council’s levy-funded Balham wardens achieved, and how Mr Thurlow says control of the officers will be split with the Met. They can also read what happened when Labour asked for a closer look at the deal.
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What happens next
Cabinet decides at 6pm on Monday 12 October in Room 123, Wandsworth Town Hall. The meeting is open to the public and is shown live on the council’s webcast.
The council’s paper says the committee’s views “will be reported to Cabinet”. Item 19 on the agenda, “Recommendations from Overview and Scrutiny Committees”, is the slot for them.
Contact details for every Cabinet member are on the council’s Cabinet page.
