Generated by All in One SEO Pro v4.9.6.2, this is an llms-full.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site.

# Putney.news

Your local news source for Putney, Southfields, Roehampton and Wandsworth Town

## Posts

### [287 Lennox Estate objections, zero support: what residents said about the tower](https://putney.news/2026/01/24/287-lennox-estate-objections-zero-support-what-residents-said-about-the-tower/)

**Published:** January 24, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Fire survivor called plans 'insanity', residents revealed green serves as air ambulance site.

**Content:**

Two hundred and eighty-seven people submitted comments on Wandsworth Council’s plan to build 81 homes on the Lennox Estate in Roehampton. Every single one objected to the proposal. Not one supports it.

The public consultation for planning application 2025/4170 closed on 19 January 2026, giving residents their only formal opportunity to respond to the proposed 14-storey tower and six-storey block on the estate’s green space.

The Lennox Estate objections included 70 individual submissions and a 217-signature petition, revealing deep concerns about losing green space, worsening parking problems, and emergency vehicle access. They also reveal something else: residents who have lived on the estate for decades, some for their entire lives, who feel their home is being transformed without their consent.

#### The numbers

The [consultation](https://planning2.wandsworth.gov.uk/planningcase/comments.aspx?case=2025/4170) produced 307 total responses: 83 individual objections, 217 petition signatures, four general observations about the consultation process, and three responses from statutory consultees (HSE, Historic England, Thames Water).

Of the 70 individual commenters, 46 live on the Lennox Estate itself, 17 live nearby in SW15, and three live further afield. The 217 petition signatories all identify as Lennox Estate residents.

The overwhelming concern, raised by 76% of individual commenters, was the loss of green space.

![Lennox Estate Green](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/lennox-estate-plot-grass-1024x768.png)#### Green space: “Central to the identity of this estate”

More than three-quarters of everyone who commented mentioned the green space. For many, this isn’t abstract. It’s where they grew up, where their children play, where the community gathers.

“I have lived on this estate for my entire life, 31 years, and the green space, football pitch, and youth club have been an integral part of my upbringing,” wrote Emily Calcott, who lives in Louisa House. “These spaces were vital in allowing children and young people to play safely, build friendships, develop social skills, and feel part of a community. They are not unused land; they are central to the identity and wellbeing of this estate.”

The Treloggan family has lived on Arabella Drive even longer. “Having lived on Arabella Drive for 53 years, my family can confirm that this space has always been actively used,” wrote John Treloggan from Arabella Drive.

For families without gardens, the green space isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity.

> “Children on this estate are already extremely limited with space to play as many of the flats do not have balconies or gardens and the green space is the only area they can play or escape to,” wrote Kerry White from Esme House.

And for those with limited mobility, it’s irreplaceable. “The green area is needed for children and for us who can’t walk far away from flat, people with arthritis,” wrote Jasminka Kovacevic from Arabella Drive.

The estate’s green space is not just cherished by residents. It’s [protected by planning policy](https://putney.news/2026/01/02/how-residents-saved-the-lennox-estate-green-from-six-development-attempts/). Residents successfully defended this land from development six times between 1989 and 1994, culminating in a Planning Inspector’s ruling that the estate was deficient in accessible open space and that housing need could not override that protection.

#### Parking and traffic: “Where will people park?”

The second most common concern, raised by 68% of commenters, was parking. The development proposes zero parking spaces for 81 new homes, relying instead on a “car-free” policy enforced by new parking controls across the entire estate.

“There is no parking at present here at the moment for the residents that live here, where will the people who live here park, while this construction is going on?” wrote Barry Work from Esme House.

One resident directly challenged the council’s figures. “With your application you state that 33 car spaces are affected. If you count cars on the proposed for closure stretch of Arabella, there are more than 60 cars parked on a random morning,” wrote Mira Kostadinova from Arabella Drive. “I believe your estimate for the loss of parking is largely understated.”

> [Fire crews fought blocked roads to reach Roehampton blaze – now council plans to close more routes](https://putney.news/2026/01/07/fire-crews-fought-blocked-roads-to-reach-roehampton-blaze-now-council-plans-to-close-more-routes/)

#### Safety and emergency access: “Insanity in its finest form”

More than half of commenters (52%) raised concerns about safety, particularly emergency vehicle access. These concerns are not hypothetical.

On 27 March 2025, a gas explosion and fire occurred at Burke Close, within the Lennox Estate. One survivor submitted a comment about the Lennox Estate objections process.

“On the 27th of March, 2025 our house suffered a fire and gas explosion. My daughter and I were home at the time when the fire started and witnessed the gas explosion along with the fire fighter being blown backwards from our house when the explosion happened,” wrote Fiona McCarthy from Burke Close. “I have been diagnosed with complex PTSD as a result of the explosion and fire and events of that day.

> “The fire services could barely get into the estate, getting a fire hose into the house to extinguish the blaze took the fire team longer than necessary as they were unable to get onto our road. The notion to build further in this estate is insanity in its finest form.”

Other residents referenced the same incident. “Earlier this year, during a fire at Burke Close, a fire engine struggled to gain access due to restricted space,” wrote Dr Windy Grendele from Arabella Drive.

“After a fire has already happened here, it is disgusting that fire safety and emergency access are still being ignored,” wrote Izabella Darkazalli from Arabella Drive.

*Putney.news* [previously reported](https://putney.news/2026/01/07/fire-crews-fought-blocked-roads-to-reach-roehampton-blaze-now-council-plans-to-close-more-routes/) that six fire engines attended the Burke Close incident, with crews reporting difficulty navigating the estate’s narrow roads. The council’s current proposal would close part of Arabella Drive to through traffic.

One objection revealed another emergency function of The Green: it serves as a helicopter landing site. “The use of the green for air ambulances to land that have, whilst not frequently, been able to attend serious collisions on the Upper Richmond Road and other emergencies,” wrote Lea Heron from Ludovick Walk.

The London Fire Brigade, which would need to assess both ground access and helicopter landing capability, did not respond to the consultation.

#### They’ve fought this battle before

Between 1989 and 1994, Lennox Estate residents defeated six planning applications from a private developer who had purchased The Green for £419,000.

More than 880 residents signed petitions. Wandsworth Council refused permission repeatedly.

In February 1992, a Planning Inspector ruled the estate was “deficient in accessible open space” and that housing need could not override protection where there was “demonstrable local deficiency.”

The developer went into receivership. The Green was formally listed as protected open space in 2016.

The irony: In 1988, Wandsworth Council fought to protect The Green, urging authorities not to sell it to developers. Now the council is the developer, proposing to build on land its own officers once defended.

[Read the full story: How residents saved the Lennox Estate Green from six development attempts](https://putney.news/2026/01/02/how-residents-saved-the-lennox-estate-green-from-six-development-attempts/)

#### The 14-storey tower: “Ridiculous”

The proposed tower height drew strong opposition from 38% of commenters.

“The height of 14 storeys is ridiculous; the design is not sympathetic to the existing building,” wrote Sean Normoyle from Rockingham Close.

The Putney Society, which has objected to this scheme three times since March 2024, put it in policy terms. “14 storeys is still eight more than the policy the council would expect any other developer to comply with.”

The council’s own [heritage advisors](https://putney.news/2026/01/09/council-advisors-say-no-to-lennox-estate-tower-block/) unanimously recommended refusing the application, citing policy breaches on building height and protected open space.

#### The consultation process: “Truly unfair”

Nearly a quarter of commenters (23%) raised concerns about the consultation itself, which [ran through Christmas and New Year](https://putney.news/2025/12/14/happy-holidays-now-read-these-1000-pages-about-demolishing-your-community-buildings/).

“It is truly unfair that this proposal is being done during the busy period of Christmas and new year. There is a lot of information to read. This should be conducted at a more suitable time for fairness. It is our community and our future. We should not be treated in this manner at all,” wrote Antony Arthur from Sarah House.

Arthur also raised accessibility concerns. “The information within some of the documents are far too small to read. This proposal does not meet or consider those with disabilities within the consultation process.”

#### The fear

One comment captured something the statistics don’t show.

> “Everybody in the estate is against the proposal but too scared to raise their voice,” wrote Valentina Martinez from Arabella Drive.

#### The experts who didn’t reply

While 287 residents found time to object, several statutory consultees did not respond at all.

The Health and Safety Executive sent a procedural response directing the council to their web app. Historic England said it wasn’t necessary to notify them. Thames Water raised no objection but requested conditions about piling near their infrastructure.

The London Fire Brigade’s absence is particularly notable given residents’ concerns about emergency access, a fire on the estate nine months earlier, and The Green’s use as an air ambulance landing site.

#### What happens next

The application is awaiting a decision by Wandsworth Council’s planning committee. The council is both the applicant and the decision-maker.

Because the tower exceeds 30 metres, the Mayor of London must also be consulted before any final decision. No committee date has been set.

The stopping up order for Arabella Drive is a separate legal process where the public can object.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/24/287-lennox-estate-objections-zero-support-what-residents-said-about-the-tower/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/24/287-lennox-estate-objections-zero-support-what-residents-said-about-the-tower/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=287%20Lennox%20Estate%20objections%2C%20zero%20support%3A%20what%20residents%20said%20about%20the%20tower&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/24/287-lennox-estate-objections-zero-support-what-residents-said-about-the-tower/)

**Categories:** Community, Planning, Roehampton

**Tags:** Air ambulance, Burke Close, emergency access, Fire safety, Green space, Lennox Estate, petition, planning, public consultation, Roehampton, Tower blocks, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Every promise broken: Wandsworth's scrutiny reforms fail every test](https://putney.news/2025/12/30/every-promise-broken-wandsworths-scrutiny-reforms-fail-every-test/)

**Published:** December 30, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Headteacher silenced, independents blocked, Leader says system "working well".

**Content:**

**LONG READ** In March 2025, Wandsworth Council’s Executive approved the most significant changes to its governance system in over two decades. The [consideration](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/955417) took less than two minutes. No questions were asked. No debate occurred. Council Leader Simon Hogg asked “Are there any comments or questions on the paper? If not, is that agreed? Wonderful.”

Nine months later, the first real tests of this new system have arrived. At November’s inaugural meeting of the new General Overview and Scrutiny Committee, a headteacher travelled from Kent to [defend her school](https://putney.news/2025/11/20/headteacher-denied-right-to-defend-bradstow-as-labour-rushes-closure/) for children with severe autism. She was given three minutes to speak. When councillors asked if she could answer their questions, the chair ruled it “way outside the remit.”

At December’s full council meeting, an independent councillor [discovered](https://putney.news/2025/12/10/hogg-promised-to-make-council-more-open-then-silenced-the-councillor-challenging-him/) the new rules had silenced him entirely, unable to raise ward issues because he cannot form a “group” under the revised standing orders.

The new system is producing exactly the failures opposition councillors predicted in March, when they warned the changes were “a blatant power grab” that would leave them “rifling through papers in Richmond to find out what’s happening in our own borough.”

This investigation reveals how those warnings were ignored, how the consultation that supposedly informed the changes never actually occurred, and how every promise made to justify the reforms has now been broken.

#### The consultation that wasn’t

The paper presented to the Executive in March 2025 claimed the proposals had been developed through proper consultation. [Paper 25-104](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/25-104-Democracy-Review.pdf) \[pdf\], dated 21 February 2025, stated that “the deliberations of the Task and Finish Group and the General Purposes Committee has informed and contributed to the development of the proposals in this report.”

This claim does not survive scrutiny.

An earlier progress report, [Paper 25-36](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/25-36-ALL-Democracy-Review-Progress-Report-Paper-No.-25-36.pdf) \[pdf\], presented to the General Purposes Committee on 4 February 2025, reveals what actually happened. It states: “Following the last meeting of this Committee on 4 October 2024, the task and finish group has met on two occasions. An oral update will be provided to the Committee on the discussions from those meetings.”

Two meetings. No written recommendations. Just oral updates. And an Executive decision already scheduled for three weeks later.

At that [February meeting](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/944600), opposition councillors made their position explicit. Conservative Councillor Peter Graham told the committee: “We have had two online meetings of the task and finish group. We haven’t agreed any recommendations. Indeed, the discussion that summarised here that somehow would come to consensus, it was largely that there were lots of other questions we needed to look at, lots of other pieces of the puzzle that needed to be pinned down before we could adequately say what we wanted.”

Councillor Matt Corner noted there was “no real record of output” from the Task and Finish Group meetings.

Even Labour’s Councillor Claire Apps, who led the democracy review, admitted there was a “failure to bring recommendations,” though she minimised the changes as “bread and butter.”

One month later, Paper 25-104 claimed these very deliberations had “informed and contributed to” the proposals. The documented record shows the opposite: opposition members explicitly stated no recommendations were agreed, and no written records exist of what was supposedly decided.

#### What the new system changed

The reforms restructured how Wandsworth Council makes decisions and how those decisions can be challenged.

Previously, six thematic scrutiny committees reviewed Cabinet decisions before they were made. Housing experts examined housing decisions. Education specialists reviewed school matters. This pre-decision scrutiny allowed councillors to raise concerns while changes could still be made.

Under the new system, a single General Overview and Scrutiny Committee handles all call-ins, but only after decisions have already been taken. The committee has three Labour members and two Conservative members, guaranteeing party-line votes will always favour the administration.

The threshold for what counts as a “key decision” requiring advance public notice was raised from approximately £215,000 to £1 million. This means 78% fewer decisions now require the scrutiny that previously applied.

Independent councillors lost their voice entirely. Under the old rules, five councillors could bring a motion to full council. The new standing orders require motions to come via “Group Whips.” Single-member representatives cannot form groups. Two independent councillors and one Reform UK councillor now serve on Wandsworth Council. Even collectively, they cannot reach the new six-councillor threshold required to raise issues.

#### The warnings that proved true

When these changes were debated at [full council on 5 March 2025](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/955458), Councillor Peter Graham delivered a detailed warning of what would follow.

“Tonight, the paper and Councillor Apps have spoken about CFGS, the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny,” Graham said. “This is what they say about changing the constitution: Changes should be considered by a working group and then go to a formal council committee like audit or general purposes before being submitted for final approval at council. Most of the changes before us tonight went straight to the Executive, which is not a formal council committee and excludes the opposition, it excludes backbenchers and it even excludes Councillor Apps.”

Graham then listed fourteen major changes that had never been properly consulted on before that night’s vote.

#### The fourteen unconsidered changes

*At the full council meeting on 5 March 2025, Councillor Peter Graham listed the following changes that had never been discussed by the Task and Finish Group or General Purposes Committee before being put to the vote:*

1. *Creating a new General Overview and Scrutiny Committee*
2. *Not allowing council to select its chair*
3. *Only having two opposition members on it and removing the need to consult them about when it meets*
4. *Removing every scrutiny committee’s ability to produce a report relevant to the borough if it doesn’t relate to a specific council function*
5. *Removing the ability of scrutiny chairs to call in a decision*
6. *Removing their ability to refer papers up to council*
7. *Removing every single member’s right to get a Standing Order 83A notice scrutinised by a scrutiny committee*
8. *Putting such limiting restrictions on call-in that it can barely be used at all, contrary to the law and statutory guidance*
9. *Introducing a new six-month exemption for related decisions, left completely undefined*
10. *Imposing a blackout on officer decisions worth up to a million pounds if they relate to a non-executive function*
11. *Ending advance publicity for all decisions under £1 million*
12. *Removing any requirement for those decisions to be taken in public*
13. *Removing documentation and recorded reasons if the decision is below £214,000*
14. *Changes to motion procedures that would later silence independent councillors*

*“That is 14 unconsidered changes,” Graham told the council. “Changes we didn’t see, and I could go on.”*

Graham predicted councillors would “have to resort to rifling through papers in Richmond to find out what’s happening in our own borough.” This seemed like hyperbole at the time.

At November’s Bradstow call-in meeting, opposition councillors explicitly referenced Richmond’s transparent practices as a contrast to what was happening in Wandsworth. The comparison is particularly damning because the two councils share the same Chief Executive and the same senior officers through a joint staffing arrangement. Richmond operates a committee system with cross-party representation and full transparency. Wandsworth’s new system is demonstrably less open. Same officers, completely different outcomes. The difference is not capacity. It is political will.

Graham’s speech grew more pointed as he continued. “As councillors, we are democratically elected, but this council has ceased to operate democratically. Tonight’s procedure is a farce.”

He warned that “one by one, rules are removed or become meaningless, swept aside in a slew of arbitrary rulings. We can’t get our rights upheld now. We can’t even get basic answers.”

Then he addressed the administration directly: “In its consistent contempt for the rights of members, the Executive is showing contempt, not just for its own backbenchers, and not just for opposition councillors. We are representatives. Your contempt is contempt for the residents who elected us.”

The vote that night was 33 in favour, 1 against (Councillor Malcolm Grimston), with 20 abstentions from the Conservative group ([read a summary of the meeting from the Open Council Network](https://opencouncil.network/meetings/56577)).

#### The promises vs. the reality

Council leaders promised the reforms would improve scrutiny. “Soon, Overview and Scrutiny Committee members, our backbenchers, will decide which decisions are really important to look at,” Councillor Apps said in March. “They will give their ideas and recommend at a time when Cabinet can still listen. They can help with policy development. They can be more strategic.”

Paper 25-104 claimed scrutiny committees would be able to “meaningfully influence proposals at a much earlier stage.”

The first real test came in November. The headteacher of Bradstow School, Sarah Adams, [travelled from Kent](https://putney.news/2025/11/04/bradstow-the-special-needs-school-nobody-wanted-to-save-least-of-all-those-who-said-they-did/) to defend the specialist facility serving children with complex autism needs. The Cabinet had voted to close it. Opposition councillors had called in the decision, identifying eight serious concerns including hidden DfE correspondence and disputed financial claims.

Adams was allowed three minutes to speak. When Conservative councillor Crivelli asked if she could answer questions from the committee, Chair Sheila Boswell [ruled it “way outside the remit of this committee.”](https://putney.news/2025/11/23/wandsworths-new-council-accountability-system-fails-first-test/) A vote was held: three Labour councillors voted against allowing questions, two Conservative councillors voted in favour. Adams sat silent for the rest of the two-hour meeting.

All eight concerns raised by the opposition were voted down 3-2 on party lines. Zero concerns were resolved. The closure was upheld unchanged. The school closes on 31 December 2025.

This was not “meaningfully influencing proposals at a much earlier stage.” The decision had already been made. Implementation was already underway. The meeting occurred just six weeks before closure.

> [Headteacher denied right to defend Bradstow as Labour rushes closure](https://putney.news/2025/11/20/headteacher-denied-right-to-defend-bradstow-as-labour-rushes-closure/)

Apps had promised the new system would mean “listening to more voices, particularly those seldom heard voices.” At its first test, the voice of a headteacher representing twelve vulnerable children was silenced by a party-line vote.

Leader Simon Hogg had promised to “let the sunlight in.” Critical correspondence between Wandsworth and the Department for Education was withheld from the original Cabinet papers. It was only disclosed after the call-in request. Cabinet Member Judi Gasser admitted the DfE’s position was her “inference” from a lack of “warm words,” not based on clear communication.

When the new Cabinet system launched in April, *Putney.news* [reported that the first meeting was published](https://putney.news/2025/04/11/no-agenda-no-papers-wandsworth-council-cabinet-to-meet-behind-a-digital-curtain/) with no agenda, no papers, only vague “Leader Update” and “Cabinet Member Update” headings. We described this as a “digital curtain” hiding decision-making.

#### The independent councillors silenced

At the full council meeting on 10 December 2025, Independent Councillor Malcolm Grimston discovered he could not raise an issue affecting his West Hill ward.

Under the previous rules, five councillors could bring a motion. The new Standing Orders require motions to come via Group Whips. Grimston is one of three independent councillors on the council. The Director of Law and Governance confirmed to Councillor Mark Justin that single-member representatives cannot form “groups” under the Standing Orders. Even if all three independents worked together, they fall short of the new six-councillor threshold.

When Grimston raised a Point of Order, the Mayor acknowledged: “I realise this was a missed opportunity.” He added that “there may be good reason to review this Standing Order” and that it “doesn’t stop it being looked at again in the future.” No timeline. No commitment. Just acknowledgment that the rules had silenced elected representatives, paired with no urgency to fix it.

Three councillors representing thousands of residents have been effectively silenced from raising ward issues at full council.

> [Three councillors gagged as council admits mistake but skirts fix](https://putney.news/2025/12/17/three-councillors-gagged-as-council-admits-mistake-but-skirts-fix/)

#### The denial

At the same December 10 meeting where Councillor Grimston discovered he had been silenced, Council Leader Simon Hogg was asked about the new scrutiny system’s performance.

“I think this is a new process and the process is working well,” Hogg said. He described the Bradstow GOSC meeting as the headteacher being “quite rightly” given the chance to speak.

When directly asked why Labour councillors voted to prevent the headteacher from answering questions, Hogg responded: “I don’t think that’s what happened. I think they agreed to let her speak, which she did speak. This is a call-in committee. I mean, as I say, it’s a new system, which we’ll get used to, but it was used entirely appropriately.”

The documented record shows otherwise. Sarah Adams was allowed three minutes to speak. When opposition councillors asked if she could answer their questions about her own school, Chair Boswell ruled this “way outside the remit.” Labour councillors then voted 3-2 to uphold that ruling. Adams sat silent for the remaining two hours while eight concerns about her school’s closure were debated and rejected on party lines.

Hogg’s assessment that the system is “working well” and was “used entirely appropriately” stands against this reality: eight concerns raised, zero resolved; critical DfE correspondence still unexplained; disputed £4.6 million debt figure still unanswered; the one person most qualified to answer questions about Bradstow School prevented from doing so.

#### The expert advice ignored

The council paid approximately £29,000 to the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny for expert governance advice. At the March 2025 council meeting, Councillor Graham summarised the CfGS guidance on constitutional change: “This is what they say about changing the constitution: Changes should be considered by a working group and then go to a formal council committee like audit or general purposes before being submitted for final approval at council.”

> What Labour did: held only two Task and Finish Group meetings, produced no written recommendations, sent changes straight to the Executive (which excludes the opposition), and nodded them through in less than two minutes. Full council received first sight of the detailed changes the same night as the vote.

CfGS had also noted that Wandsworth’s existing scrutiny structure was “showing signs of weakness and fatigue” and that “the politically dominated culture does not assist clarity and transparency.” The council’s response was to concentrate power further, not distribute it.

#### What happens next

A Freedom of Information request submitted by *Putney.news* on 12 December 2025 targets the Task and Finish Group records. [Paper 25-36](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/25-36-ALL-Democracy-Review-Progress-Report-Paper-No.-25-36.pdf) \[pdf\] explicitly lists these as “background papers,” documents that under the Local Government Act 1972 should be publicly available. The response is due 15 January 2026.

Three outcomes are possible. Full disclosure would reveal what actually occurred in those two meetings that supposedly “informed and contributed to” the changes. No records existing would confirm the council kept no documentation from meetings used to justify major constitutional reforms. Refusal would raise further transparency concerns about a process already marked by inadequate consultation.

Whatever the response reveals, the pattern is already clear. Every promise made in March 2025 has been broken. Every warning issued by the opposition has proven true. The system is working exactly as designed: reducing oversight, silencing critics, and concentrating power.

The council approved these changes in less than two minutes. Residents will live with the consequences for years.

---

*Councillors Hogg, Apps and Osborne were contacted for comment. Any responses received will be published in full.*

*A Freedom of Information request for Task and Finish Group records is pending, with response due 15 January 2026.*

**Accountability Statement**

**We contacted:** Council leader Cllr Simon Hogg, General Purposes Committee chair Cllr Rex Osborn, and the person that led the reforms, Cllr Claire Apps.

**Request sent:** **29 December 2025**

---

**Cllr Simon Hogg**

*Leader of Wandsworth Council*

**Status:** *No response received (Xmas period). Right of reply offered.*

Questions asked (click to expand) *Why did the Executive conduct no debate on the most significant governance changes in over 20 years?*

*How do you reconcile Paper 25-104’s claim that Task and Finish Group deliberations “informed and contributed to” the proposals with the documented fact that opposition members stated no recommendations were agreed?*

*Do you accept that the promises made in March 2025 about improved scrutiny have not been delivered?*

*Will the council review the standing order changes that have silenced independent councillors?*

---

**Cllr Claire Apps**

*Deputy Leader of Wandsworth Council*

**Status:** **No response received (Xmas period). Right of reply offered.**

Questions asked (click to expand)
*Do you accept that the promise of “listening to more voices” has not been delivered, given the treatment of Sarah Adams at the November GOSC meeting?*

*How do you reconcile your February 2025 acknowledgment of a “failure to bring recommendations” with Paper 25-104’s claim that deliberations “informed and contributed to” the proposals?*

*Do you believe the new scrutiny system is working as intended?*

---

**Cllr Rex Osborne**

*General Purposes Committee chair, Wandsworth Council*

**Status:** **No response received (Xmas period). Right of reply offered.**

Questions asked (click to expand)
*Were you satisfied that proper cross-party consultation had occurred before the proposals went to the Executive?*

*Do you believe the Task and Finish Group process was adequate for changes of this significance?*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/30/every-promise-broken-wandsworths-scrutiny-reforms-fail-every-test/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/30/every-promise-broken-wandsworths-scrutiny-reforms-fail-every-test/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Every%20promise%20broken%3A%20Wandsworth%E2%80%99s%20scrutiny%20reforms%20fail%20every%20test&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/30/every-promise-broken-wandsworths-scrutiny-reforms-fail-every-test/)

**Categories:** Long read, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Bradstow School, Claire Apps, democracy, FOI, Malcolm Grimston, Peter Graham, Scrutiny, Simon Hogg, transparency, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Want to know how housing works - and doesn't work - in modern London? Here's your guide](https://putney.news/2025/12/21/what-six-housing-policy-changes-mean-for-you/)

**Published:** December 21, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Inspector's modifications explained: 1-beds, demographic data, and the 20% emergency measure.

**Content:**

**LONG READ.** *As promised: The detailed breakdown of every housing type affected by the Local Plan examination*

Last week, we reported that [Wandsworth lost its battle ](https://putney.news/2025/12/13/wandsworth-loses-battle-to-raise-affordable-housing-requirement/)to get cheaper homes on the market by increasing the number of “affordable housing” units in new builds from 35 to 45%. Planning Inspector Graham Wyatt sided with the Greater London Authority and ordered the council back to London’s standard 35% threshold.

That was just the headline. Over three days in November, the examination scrutinised six different housing policies that each cover a different type of home for people and which will shape what gets built in Wandsworth for years to come.

The council wanted tougher rules on developers. The GLA wanted London-wide consistency. Developers wanted easier requirements. The [Inspector’s modifications](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/local-plan/local-plan-partial-review-examination/local-plan-partial-review-examination-library/) show who won each battle.

This is what changed, what it means, and how it affects you.

**The six policies examined:**

PolicyWhat It CoversMain ChangeLP23Affordable housing quotasThreshold cut from 45% to 35%LP24Housing mix (flat sizes)More 1-beds prioritised despite falling demandLP28Student accommodationEasier to approve (weakened test)LP29Co-living schemesStayed tough (50% affordable required)LP30Build to RentStrengthened (must provide social rent)LP31Specialist housingLimited changes (viability issues remain)---

![A tower block on the Alton Estate in Roehampton](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/housing-alton-estate-1024x768.png)### Article contents

- [The questions nobody asked](#aioseo-the-questions-nobody-asked-10)
    - [What happens to the £60,000-£90,000 income band?](#aioseo-what-happens-to-the-60000-90000-income-band-12)
    - [How do young families afford 3-bed homes?](#aioseo-how-do-young-families-afford-3-bed-homes-21)
    - [Is "affordable housing" the right term?](#aioseo-is-affordable-housing-the-right-term-24)
    - [What's the exit strategy from the treadmill?](#aioseo-whats-the-exit-strategy-from-the-treadmill-29)
- [The affordable housing defeat: From 45% to 35%](#aioseo-the-affordable-housing-defeat-from-45-to-35-33)
    - [What actually changed in the policy text](#aioseo-what-actually-changed-in-the-policy-text-37)
- [The demographic time bomb: Building homes for people who are leaving](#aioseo-the-demographic-time-bomb-building-homes-for-people-who-are-leaving-42)
    - [What changed in the modifications](#aioseo-what-changed-in-the-modifications-57)
- [The alternative housing market: Student blocks, co-living, and corporate rentals](#aioseo-the-alternative-housing-market-student-blocks-co-living-and-corporate-rentals-61)
    - [Student accommodation: The developer workaround](#aioseo-student-accommodation-the-developer-workaround-63)
    - [Co-living: Corporate flat-sharing](#aioseo-co-living-corporate-flat-sharing-68)
    - [Build to Rent: The Inspector's surprise strengthening](#aioseo-build-to-rent-the-inspectors-surprise-strengthening-73)
- [What happens next](#aioseo-what-happens-next-81)
    - [The political fallout](#aioseo-the-political-fallout-85)
    - [The 20% emergency measure complication](#aioseo-the-20-emergency-measure-complication-87)
- [The honest summary](#aioseo-the-honest-summary-114)
    - [Key takeaways by age group](#aioseo-key-takeaways-by-age-group-117)

---

### The questions nobody asked

The examination was comprehensive, featured dozens of documents, thousands of pages, and was a housing nerd’s dream – but it left several fundamental questions unanswered. Questions that reveal more about Wandsworth’s housing crisis than the policies themselves.

#### What happens to the £60,000-£90,000 income band?

Think about who lives in London, and in Putney and Battersea in particular.

If you are a teacher with 5-10 years experience, an NHS professional, junior civil servant, tech worker outside the senior roles, young solicitor or accountant and so on, you will be earning between £60-90,000 a year.

You should be able to get on the housing ladder: buy a small place, eventually get a bigger place, possibly get married and have kids – the usual cycle of life that typically requires more space over time before eventually downsizing in retirement. Not any more.

This crucial bracket of professionals is caught between stools: earning too much to be eligible for social housing where the state assists but too little for Shared Ownership – which used to be the path for home ownership before wages stagnated while the cost of houses soared.

Housing policies for 2026 and beyond now admit that in Wandsworth, Shared Ownership just doesn’t work any more. But, crucially, no alternative has been proposed either.

**The affordability trap:**

Your Household IncomeWhat You Can AccessUnder £60,000Social rent (11,000-household waiting list)£60,000-£90,000**Nothing – you’re locked out**Over £90,000Shared Ownership (still takes 40% of income)£120,000+Shared Ownership 3-bedsSo where are all these people supposed to live?

The modifications proposed by the official inspector include blunt language: “Shared Ownership is unaffordable to a majority of local residents with affordable housing needs.” In other words, the “affordable” housing product marketed to young professionals is worthless.

The numbers behind this admission are brutal. Shared Ownership where you own part of your home instead of all of it now requires household income over £90,000. Here’s what it actually costs for a typical 1-bed flat:

Cost ComponentAmountProperty value (1-bed)£260,000Your 25% share£65,000**Deposit required****£3,250-£6,500** (5-10% of share)Monthly mortgage payment~£340-360Monthly rent (2.75% of unsold share)~£447Monthly service charges~£150-400**Total monthly cost****£937-1,207**Responsibility for repairs100% of propertyMaximum % of household income40% (GLA affordability rule)Even at the lower end (£937/month), you need substantial income. At the higher end with service charges in new builds, you’re approaching £1,200+/month while owning only 25% of the property. It just doesn’t work.

#### How do young families afford 3-bed homes?

The affordable housing being built is overwhelmingly 1-beds and 2-beds. The policy says 25-35% of affordable housing should be 3-beds, but in practice there are lengthy waiting lists and they prioritise larger families in acute need.

Meanwhile, Shared Ownership 3-beds require household income over £120,000, and market rate 3-beds cost upwards of £600,000. So if you’re a couple earning £70,000-80,000 combined with one child and another on the way, what’s your option? The policies don’t answer this either.

There has been a lot of talk in recent years about the “Bank of Mum and Dad” where young people buying a home receive a large sum from their parents as a deposit because it’s simply too hard to save up enough to take that step themselves. The housing deep dive that Wandsworth went through last month reveals that this is no longer a leg-up; it’s the only way up. House prices are simply too high, and wages simply too low.

#### Is “affordable housing” the right term?

The modifications now include language admitting Shared Ownership is “unaffordable to a majority of local residents with affordable housing needs.”

**What “affordable housing” actually means:**

Housing TypeIncome RequiredDepositMonthly CostReality CheckSocial rentEligible for housing list£0£650-90011,000-household waiting list, years-long waitLondon Living Rent£60,000-67,000 cap£0£1,341 (room)Very limited supplyShared Ownership£90,000+£3,250-6,500£940-1,200+“Unaffordable to majority” – deposit + repairsIf “affordable housing” is unaffordable to most local residents with affordable housing needs, is the term itself misleading?

#### What’s the exit strategy from the treadmill?

Wandsworth’s own projections show single-person households aged 25-34 falling by 3,490 by 2038. The [council’s Housing Background Paper](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/local-plan/local-plan-partial-review-examination/local-plan-partial-review-examination-library/) shows that 16% of people leaving Wandsworth cite unaffordable housing costs, with the sharpest declines in the 25-29 age group.

The council knows young people are being priced out. The council knows the housing ladder is broken. But the solution appears to be building more 1-bed flats to attract more young people who will then be priced out again as soon as they need more space.

Where’s the policy that breaks this cycle?

---

> [Wandsworth loses battle to raise affordable housing requirement](https://putney.news/2025/12/13/wandsworth-loses-battle-to-raise-affordable-housing-requirement/)

### The affordable housing defeat: From 45% to 35%

Wandsworth wanted a 45% affordable housing threshold. That means that if a developer promises that nearly half of the homes they build are designed to be more affordable than the going market rate, they get fast-track approval, and so avoid lengthy viability assessments.

That’s no joke for a developer who can spend years in red tape trying to get a building approved, spending countless hours and huge resources on paperwork rather than putting concrete in the ground and bringing in revenue.

Wandsworth council provided [viability evidence](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/local-plan/local-plan-partial-review-examination/local-plan-partial-review-examination-library/) for dozens of sites that it said proved developers could hit this 45% requirement and still make money. The GLA disagreed. In [written statements](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/local-plan/local-plan-partial-review-examination/local-plan-partial-review-examination-library/), London’s planning authority warned the evidence was “not robust” and a threshold too high would “disincentivise applicants” from fast-track routes. Their argument: if developers can’t meet 45%, they’ll submit viability assessments claiming they can only afford 30%, 25%, or less. The result would be lower overall affordable housing delivery, not higher.

Inspector Wyatt sided with the GLA and said the threshold should be cut to 35% to match the London-wide standard. The 70/30 split between social rent and intermediate housing stayed in place. In simple terms: Wandsworth cannot demand more than neighbouring boroughs.

#### What actually changed in the policy text

The [Schedule of Proposed Modifications](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/local_plan_partial_review_schedule_of_proposed_modifications_november_2025.pdf) \[pdf\] makes technical adjustments beyond the headline threshold reduction.

Two changes help developers. Small amendments to approved plans won’t trigger new affordability checks so the business of building is slightly less onerous. And if developers can prove they can’t afford 35% affordable housing, the council won’t automatically say no, so there is a chance it will get through.

The biggest change is explicit language confirming Shared Ownership is “unaffordable to a majority of local residents” and will only be accepted if it helps deliver more social rented housing.

---

### The demographic time bomb: Building homes for people who are leaving

![LP24 One-bed flats](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/one-bed-flats.png)

Two policies reveal an uncomfortable truth about Wandsworth’s housing strategy. Policy LP24 sets rules for what sizes of homes get built in each development, while Policy LP31 covers specialist housing for older people and vulnerable groups. Read together, they show a borough building for the wrong demographic.

Wandsworth wants more 1-bed flats built. Here’s what the policy requires versus what demographic analysis shows people actually need:

**Market Housing: Policy vs. Actual Need**

Unit SizePolicy RequiresActual Demographic NeedGap1-bed20-30%**6%**3-5× more than needed2-bed30-40%38%Roughly aligned3-bed15-25%**46%**Half what’s needed4-bed5-10%9%Roughly aligned**Affordable Housing: Policy vs. Actual Need**

Unit SizePolicy RequiresActual Demographic NeedGap1-bed30-40%20%50-100% more than needed2-bed30-40%36%Roughly aligned3-bed25-35%31%Roughly aligned4-bed10-15%13%Roughly alignedThe biggest mismatch is glaring: developers are required to build 3-5 times more 1-bed market housing than actual demographic need shows, while the policy caps 3-bed family homes at half what’s actually needed (15-25% versus 46% need).

The council knows this. In their Housing Background Paper, they admit: “The modelled need for one-bed market housing is particularly low within the new HNA; the Council have not sought to reflect this entirely as this would result in a policy which is significantly removed from the proportion of one-beds previously delivered within the Borough.”

Translation: We know we’re building the wrong homes, but we’re doing it anyway because that’s what the market delivers.

***Source:** Housing Background Paper (SD013), Table 13 (page 49) for demographic need analysis; Table 14 (page 50) for policy requirements comparison.*

Here’s the truth the council won’t discuss directly. They’re pushing 1-beds because young people are being priced out and leaving. Building more small flats attracts more young people. But it glosses over the fact that those same people can’t afford families because there aren’t enough larger homes, so they are priced out and leave again.

It’s no longer a ladder, it’s a treadmill.

This has all kinds of knock-on effects. The Battersea Society called this out in their [hearing statement](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/local-plan/local-plan-partial-review-examination/local-plan-partial-review-examination-library/), warning the policy is “driving families out” and [causing schools to lose pupils](https://putney.news/2025/10/15/when-the-children-leave-inside-wandsworths-school-funding-death-spiral/). The data supports this concern.

> [When the children leave: inside Wandsworth’s school-funding death spiral](https://putney.news/2025/10/15/when-the-children-leave-inside-wandsworths-school-funding-death-spiral/)

**The exodus in numbers (projected to 2038):**

Age GroupChangeWhy It Matters25-34 singles**Fall by 3,490**Young professionals leavingAll single householdsRise by 2,500But these are older people25-29 age group**Sharpest decline**Can’t afford to stayPeople citing housing costs16% leavingPriced out#### What changed in the modifications

The modifications added flexibility for specialist housing, allowing “specialist forms of housing” to show different housing mix needs from standard ranges. This is a small win for retirement homes that genuinely need different unit sizes. Studio dwelling restrictions stayed in place – the policy still limits studios to “genuinely small schemes of four or fewer dwellings” in the private rented sector, which means developers can’t flood the market with £1,200 monthly corporate “pods.”

The specialist housing policy saw limited changes beyond clarifications about requiring “high quality” development and affordable housing contributions that match overall requirements. What it doesn’t address is how to make specialist housing financially viable while requiring affordable housing contributions. Retirement housing is already expensive to develop with higher accessibility standards, communal facilities, and management costs. Adding 35% affordable housing makes many schemes unviable.

---

### The alternative housing market: Student blocks, co-living, and corporate rentals

![LP 28 and 29: Student housing and co-living](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/lp28-29-student-co-living.png)Three policies show how developers sidestep affordable housing requirements. Policy LP28 covers purpose-built student accommodation, Policy LP29 addresses co-living schemes with shared facilities, and Policy LP30 sets rules for Build to Rent developments. Each is an escape route from providing affordable housing.

#### Student accommodation: The developer workaround

Purpose-built student accommodation has become a developer loophole. Student housing requires no or minimal affordable housing contributions, allows smaller room sizes, permits higher density, and provides guaranteed rental income from universities. The Putney Society warned in their [hearing statement](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/local-plan/local-plan-partial-review-examination/local-plan-partial-review-examination-library/) that developers pivot to student blocks to “avoid affordable housing requirements”, building student pods instead of homes young professionals could buy or rent affordably.

Wandsworth wanted student developments only approved where sites are “not suitable for conventional housing.” Developers argued this was too restrictive. Inspector Wyatt sided with developers and changed the test to “would not compromise site’s capacity for conventional housing.” This is a significant weakening that will make student housing easier to approve.

The numbers don’t work for Wandsworth’s actual need. This isn’t a university borough like Camden. But developers know student housing is more profitable than conventional housing with 35-45% affordable requirements. What this means: sites that could house 100 conventional flats with 35 affordable units now house 200 students with no affordable housing, with rooms rented at £250-350 weekly or £1,000-1,400 monthly.

The policy kept requirements for 35% “affordable student housing” at 50% of available maintenance loan, financial contributions to conventional affordable housing, and evidence of genuine student need. But the weakened approval test means more sites will likely become student blocks.

#### Co-living: Corporate flat-sharing

Large-scale corporate flat-sharing schemes market themselves as “co-living” or “urban living” to young professionals. In planning terms, they’re called “Large-Scale Purpose-Built Shared Living.” The concept: you rent a bedroom and share a kitchen with 10-20+ people you don’t know. Developers can build smaller units at higher density while avoiding conventional housing standards.

Wandsworth’s policy requires these schemes to provide 50% affordable housing contribution, which is significantly tougher than the 35% for conventional housing. Inspector Wyatt strengthened this policy, rejecting developer arguments that co-living deserves easier treatment. The requirement that schemes must prove they won’t compromise the site’s capacity for conventional housing stayed in place, along with strict quality standards.

The reality is that these aren’t “communities” but corporate rental operations where you pay £1,200-1,500 monthly for a bedroom of 12-15 square metres plus shared kitchen with 10-20+ strangers and “communal” lounge. You get no security of tenure and no path to ownership. They’re expensive corporate hostel living with profit margins for developers who avoid conventional housing standards – essentially gentrified HMOs.

Nothing changed substantially in the modifications since the policy stayed tough, requiring 50% affordable contribution. But given that practically zero affordable co-living exists anywhere in London, the real impact is minimal. Every site that becomes co-living is a site that could have been conventional housing, including affordable housing that might help people onto the property ladder.

#### Build to Rent: The Inspector’s surprise strengthening

![LP30 Build to rent](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/lp30-build-to-rent.png)

Build to Rent developments are large schemes, usually 50+ units, that are built to be rented long-term rather than sold. Think big apartment buildings with professional management like you’d see in American cities, typically owned by institutional investors like pension funds seeking stable long-term returns.

Wandsworth wanted Build to Rent schemes to provide affordable housing, with the “affordable” component as “low cost rented” housing. Inspector Wyatt actually strengthened the language, changing “low cost rented” to explicitly require “social rented” housing for 70% of the affordable element. This is tougher than what Wandsworth proposed. Social rent is genuinely affordable at roughly 50-60% of market rent, whereas “low cost rent” is vaguer and easier to manipulate.

The policy now requires Build to Rent schemes to provide 35% affordable housing like conventional developments, with 70% of that as social rent and 30% as London Living Rent or similar intermediate product. They also need to provide longer tenancies and maintain professional management standards.

Build to Rent could provide decent rental housing with proper security. For young renters who’ve accepted they’re renting long-term, this offers better quality with longer security than typical 6-12 month tenancies. Professional management means repairs actually get done. But you’re still renting and building someone else’s asset, not your own equity.

For young people hoping to buy eventually, every Build to Rent scheme is housing stock that stays in the rental market forever. The 30% “intermediate” component might be London Living Rent at £1,341 monthly for a room, which is more affordable than market rent but still prevents saving for deposits elsewhere.

For the locked-out middle, the social rent component at roughly 24% of total development provides genuinely affordable housing. For people on £40,000-50,000 incomes, this might be more accessible than Shared Ownership.

---

### What happens next

The Inspector’s modifications are now out for [public consultation until 11:59pm on January 14, 2026](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/local-plan/local-plan-partial-review-examination/local-plan-partial-review-examination-library/). This consultation is strictly about the Inspector’s modifications, not other aspects that were already debated. You can’t reopen arguments that were already made in November.

You can submit comments by emailing wandsworthplanningpolicy@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk or posting to Spatial Planning and Design, Wandsworth Town Hall, Wandsworth High Street, SW18 2PU. Responses must include your name and contact details since anonymous responses won’t be accepted.

After considering responses, Inspector Wyatt will issue his final report in early 2026. The council can then adopt the plan with modifications, which is most likely, or reject it entirely. Rejecting it would be pointless since that would leave the current 35% threshold in place anyway.

#### The political fallout

Local elections are in May 2026, which means this examination provides plenty of ammunition for all sides. Opposition parties can argue that Labour’s ambitious plan failed and young people are still being priced out. Labour can counter that they fought for higher affordable housing but the GLA blocked them, and they secured tougher language on Shared Ownership and Build to Rent.

> [The 20%–50% War: How politics killed new homes in Putney](https://putney.news/2025/10/22/the-20-50-war-how-politics-killed-new-homes-in-putney/)

#### The 20% emergency measure complication

Implementation of these policies is complicated by a significant development that happened just before the examination. On October 23-24, 2025 – less than two weeks before the Wandsworth hearings – Sadiq Khan and Housing Secretary Steve Reed announced emergency measures to tackle London’s housing crisis. The headline: a temporary “fast-track route” requiring only 20% affordable housing instead of 35%.

**How this affects Wandsworth’s Local Plan:**

The 20% route is optional, not mandatory. Developers now have three choices when submitting planning applications.

They can choose the emergency 20% route, which runs temporarily until March 2028. This gives them quick approval without needing to submit a viability assessment, access to grant funding for affordable housing, and 50% Community Infrastructure Levy relief. But they only need to provide 20% affordable housing.

Alternatively, they can use the standard route with 35% affordable housing – the threshold Wandsworth just got ordered to accept after losing its fight for 45%. This follows the normal planning process with no special benefits. This is what the entire examination fought over.

Or they can submit a viability assessment, making a financial case that their scheme can’t afford 35% affordable housing. This lets them negotiate an even lower percentage, though it’s a time-consuming process that delays approval.

**What this means in practice:**

Wandsworth fought for months to get 45% affordable housing, lost, and was ordered back to 35%. Meanwhile, the Mayor introduced a route that lets developers choose 20% instead – undermining even the 35% threshold the council was forced to accept.

The examination still matters because it sets the long-term framework (post-March 2028) and establishes Wandsworth’s baseline requirements once the emergency measure expires. But for the next 2-3 years, developers can sidestep Wandsworth’s 35% requirement entirely by choosing the emergency route.

Aydin Dikerdem, Wandsworth’s Cabinet Member for Housing, called the 20% measure “a huge blow to social housing delivery in London” when it was announced. His council had just spent months preparing evidence that Wandsworth could viably demand 45%.

**The political irony:** The council was fighting for higher affordable housing requirements while the government and Mayor were simultaneously creating an escape route to lower them.

> [Is Wandsworth’s housing plan doomed to fail?](https://putney.news/2025/07/23/is-wandsworths-housing-plan-doomed-to-fail/)

---

### The honest summary

This examination clarified what gets built in Wandsworth over the next decade. More 1-bed and 2-bed flats, more student housing, more Build to Rent developments, more housing staying in the rental market. Less family-sized homes, less affordable housing for the £60,000-90,000 income band, less housing you can buy in your 20s or 30s. Same amount of political arguments, young people being priced out, developers finding loopholes, and waiting lists.

The Inspector’s modifications are technically sound and London Plan-compliant. They create a viable, deliverable framework for housing development. They just don’t solve the actual problem.

#### Key takeaways by age group

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/young-profs-icon.png)

If you’re 25-35 and renting: there will be less affordable housing built overall (35% threshold instead of 45%). Shared Ownership has been officially admitted as unaffordable to most people. Student housing and co-living developments might increase, taking sites that could have been used for conventional housing. Build to Rent might provide better rental conditions but offers no ownership path. In all likelihood, you’re going to stay on the treadmill: arrive young, get priced out when you want to start a family, and then leave.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/families-icon.png)

If you’re 28-40 with kids: fewer 3-bed and 4-bed homes will be built in the years ahead. Affordable family-sized housing already has years-long waiting lists. If you need to upsize, you’ll be competing with people who bought years ago with parental help. Specialist housing for older relatives remains expensive and limited.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/homeowners-icon.png)

If you’re 45+ and established: not much changes for you directly. Downsizing options remain limited and expensive. But your kids and grandkids face a housing market you wouldn’t recognise.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/locked-out-icon.png)

If you’re in the £60,000-90,000 income band: you were the target of this entire fight. The council wanted to force developers to build more intermediate housing specifically for you. The Inspector said no. Shared Ownership is officially unaffordable to you. No alternative was proposed. In simple terms: you’re on your own.

---

This decision reflects a fundamental tension in London planning about whether boroughs with higher property values should demand more affordable housing from developers or whether London-wide consistency matters more. The GLA’s Threshold Approach has proven effective since 2021, with 84% of strategic applications now providing at least 35% affordable housing, up from 53% in 2018. The Inspector concluded that consistency matters more than Wandsworth’s higher ambitions.

The rejection comes as the council faces broader challenges with its housing strategy. [Analysis last month](https://putney.news/2025/11/18/wandsworths-ambitious-housing-plan-cuts-targets-by-nearly-a-third/) found that Wandsworth had committed to 28% fewer homes than its London Plan target, despite celebrating the plan as “ambitious.” And [an investigation into developer contributions](https://putney.news/2025/11/09/the-great-extraction-how-wandsworth-takes-millions-from-putney-and-spends-it-elsewhere/) revealed that the council’s insistence on high affordable housing requirements may actually be driving developers away from the borough entirely.

For young people trying to buy their first home in Wandsworth, the housing ladder, already steep, just got steeper.

---

**All examination documents including the Inspector’s Schedule of Proposed Main Modifications, council responses to Matters 1-7, and hearing statements from the GLA, Putney Society, and Battersea Society are available at the [Wandsworth Local Plan Partial Review Examination Library](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/local-plan/local-plan-partial-review-examination/local-plan-partial-review-examination-library/).**

**For questions or corrections, email **.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/21/what-six-housing-policy-changes-mean-for-you/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/21/what-six-housing-policy-changes-mean-for-you/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Want%20to%20know%20how%20housing%20works%20%E2%80%93%20and%20doesn%E2%80%99t%20work%20%E2%80%93%20in%20modern%20London%3F%20Here%E2%80%99s%20your%20guide&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/21/what-six-housing-policy-changes-mean-for-you/)

**Categories:** Homes and Property, Long read, Planning, Politics

**Tags:** affordable housing policy, housing examination, LP23 affordable housing, Wandsworth housing crisis, Wandsworth Local Plan

---

### [Council's 'no debt' claim collapses in 48 hours](https://putney.news/2025/12/07/councils-no-debt-claim-collapses-in-48-hours/)

**Published:** December 7, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Wandsworth boasts 'lowest debt in London' one day before confirming £1.1bn borrowing plans with £2.5bn lifetime cost.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council’s claim to have “no debt” unravelled within 48 hours this week, as finance papers revealed plans to borrow £1.1 billion – with an estimated lifetime cost of £2.5 billion – just one day after Cabinet dismissed Conservative warnings about “billions of debt” as false.

Analysis of official transcripts shows the council’s Cabinet Member for Finance made contradictory statements about the council’s borrowing position on Monday 1 December, the council issued a press release boasting “lowest levels of debt in London” on Tuesday 2 December, and finance officers confirmed the scale of planned borrowing at Finance Committee on Wednesday 3 December.

The timeline reveals a press release claiming financial prudence issued precisely between Cabinet dismissing opposition debt warnings and Finance Committee confirming those warnings were accurate.

#### The Cabinet Dismissal: Monday 1 December

At [Cabinet on Monday afternoon](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1034270), Cllr Angela Ireland told colleagues: “The key highlights are that as of today the council has no internal debt. We have no borrowing as of 30th of September 2025.”

Less than a minute later in the same speech, Ireland acknowledged: “The housing revenue account has some internal borrowing.”

Council papers presented to Finance Committee two days later state the council has £129 million in internal borrowing, contradicting Ireland’s “no debt” claim.

[This is not the first time Ireland has made disputed claims about the council’s debt position](https://putney.news/2025/04/16/wandsworth-cabinet-meeting-political-posturing-behind-a-paperless-curtain/). In April 2025, she claimed “zero debt” status at Cabinet while failing to address mounting financial pressures.

At the same Cabinet meeting, Cllr Graeme Henderson, Cabinet Member for Health, referenced Conservative opposition leaflets “claiming that they are landing residents in billions of pounds of debt.”

Ireland responded: “We have not saddled residents with the billions of pounds of debt which seem to be claimed in these leaflets. That’s true.”

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/council-press-release-1024x807.png)Council press release, one day after cabinet meeting claiming it had no debt, and one day before the council agreed to pile on £1bn in debt.#### The Press Release: Tuesday 2 December

The following day, the council issued a press release titled [“Wandsworth Council leads the way in delivering value for money,”](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-december-2025/wandsworth-council-leads-the-way-in-delivering-value-for-money/) claiming: “Wandsworth has some of the highest financial reserves and lowest levels of debt in London.”

The press release made no mention of the £1.1 billion in planned borrowing detailed in [Paper 25-423](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/25-423-Treasury-Investments-and-Borrowing-Paper-No.-25-423.pdf), which was to be scrutinised by Finance Committee the following evening.

The timing meant residents reading Tuesday’s press release had no indication that 24 hours later, finance officers would confirm plans to borrow more than £1 billion over the next decade.

> “I intentionally didn’t put lifetime figures in because I didn’t think they represented what we were trying to communicate well.”
> 
> Fenella Merry, Finance Director

#### The Finance Committee admission: Wednesday 3 December

At [Finance Committee on Wednesday evening](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1034344), Conservative councillor Peter Graham asked finance director Fenella Merry: “Am I right in thinking that this administration’s policy is to incur borrowing of over 1.1 billion pounds?”

Merry confirmed: “Yes, investment of 1.1 billion funded by borrowing, yes.”

Graham pressed further: “Borrowing of over 1.1 billion would involve total costs of that debt of well north of 2 billion pounds more like two and a half billion pounds is that correct?”

Merry responded: “I don’t have the figures on me but yeah… if we add up the cost of borrowing on top of the borrowing that we’ve incurred it will always be a significant and scary figure.”

The finance director did not dispute Graham’s £2.5 billion estimate.

#### Planned borrowing

- Estate regeneration: £670m
- Stock maintenance: £200m
- General Fund: £134m
- Existing internal borrowing: £129m
- **Total: £1.133bn**

#### Officer admits hiding ‘scary’ figures

During questioning, Conservative councillor Aled Richards-Jones asked what the lifetime cost of the planned £670 million housing borrowing would be.

Merry replied: “I haven’t included those lifetime cost figures in the paper, and that’s intentional actually because I don’t think it accurately reflects the position in that it doesn’t show the other side of the coin, which is the investment income or the value you get from the borrowing.”

Richards-Jones challenged this approach: “Scrutiny is about looking at the working, looking at the assumptions, and challenging those. At the moment, we don’t have the material to do that.”

Merry conceded: “I think that’s a fair challenge actually.”

She added: “Yes I intentionally didn’t put lifetime figures in because I didn’t think they represented what we were trying to communicate well.”

The admission confirms that finance papers presented to the committee omitted key data needed for effective scrutiny – information the finance director described as “scary” when pressed to provide it.

#### The borrowing breakdown

Paper 25-423 details four main borrowing categories over the next decade:

**Estate Regeneration (£670 million):** Long-term borrowing to fund council housing regeneration, with repayment terms up to 50 years. The council [has faced mounting pressure on its housing finances](https://putney.news/2025/07/02/wandsworth-overspends-by-40m-and-worse-is-on-the-way/), with the Housing Revenue Account overspending by £25.9 million in 2024/25.

**Stock Maintenance (£200 million):** Additional housing investment funded through borrowing from the Public Works Loan Board.

**General Fund Investment (£134 million):** Borrowing for general council services and infrastructure.

**Existing Internal Borrowing (£129 million):** The paper states the council “currently has £129 million internal borrowing” as of September 2024 – the borrowing Ireland denied existed in her Cabinet speech.

The total of £1.133 billion represents new borrowing commitments over the next decade, separate from the council’s existing £223.6 million Public Works Loan Board loan which was repaid in March 2025.

The council [has been warned repeatedly about mounting debt levels](https://putney.news/2025/03/05/wandsworth-council-warned-about-ticking-timebomb-of-new-debt/), with critics questioning whether the borrowing strategy leaves the authority exposed to long-term financial risk.

#### The scrutiny that didn’t happen

The Finance Committee session revealed a striking pattern: every substantive challenge to the borrowing plans came from opposition councillors.

Graham and Richards-Jones pressed repeatedly for clarification on total costs, lifetime implications, and the absence of key data. Labour members of the committee asked technical questions about processes but did not challenge the Cabinet’s position on borrowing or question Monday’s dismissal of debt warnings that proved accurate 48 hours later.

The committee voted to note the paper without requesting the lifetime cost figures Merry had “intentionally” excluded.

The borrowing plans come as the council faces multiple financial pressures.

[The council overspent by more than £40 million in 2024/25](https://putney.news/2025/07/02/wandsworth-overspends-by-40m-and-worse-is-on-the-way/), forcing it to dip into reserves while housing, adult social care and SEND costs continue rising.

[The authority’s £3.2 billion pension fund has faced scrutiny over underperforming investments](https://putney.news/2025/03/25/is-wandsworth-council-hiding-financial-mismanagement-behind-closed-doors/) and mounting deficits, with external auditors launching a forensic review.

Meanwhile, government funding formula changes threaten to reduce central support for councils like Wandsworth that have historically maintained low council tax rates.

> “The council has no internal debt. We have no borrowing as of 30th of September 2025.”
> 
> Cllr Angela Ireland, Cabinet 1 December

#### A pattern of transparency failures

The 48-hour timeline between denial and admission echoes broader concerns about the council’s transparency.

[Just this week, scrutiny committees failed to implement key recommendations](https://putney.news/2025/12/05/council-still-hasnt-fixed-election-system-that-lost-6500-votes/) from an independent review of election counting failures that left 6,500 votes uncounted. Fifteen months after the review, internal audit involvement remains in “discussion” phase and systematic accountability measures remain incomplete.

The council’s approach to financial disclosure shows a similar pattern: technically accurate statements that omit critical context, press releases issued at strategic moments, and key data withheld from scrutiny unless directly challenged.

Ireland told Cabinet the council has “no internal debt” and has “not saddled residents with billions of pounds of debt.” Within 48 hours, officers confirmed £129 million in existing internal borrowing and plans to borrow £1.1 billion more, with a lifetime cost Graham estimated at £2.5 billion – a figure Merry called “significant and scary” but did not dispute.

The press release claiming “lowest levels of debt in London” was issued precisely between these two events.

**Accountability Statement**

**We contacted:** Cabinet Member for Finance Cllr Angela Ireland, finance director Fenella Merry, and the Wandsworth Council press office.

**Request sent:** **6 December 2025**

---

****Cllr Angela Ireland****

**Cabinet Member for Finance**

**Status:** **No response to questions about contradictory debt statements and press release timing**.

Questions asked (click to expand)*How do you reconcile your statement “the council has no internal debt” with council papers stating £129 million in internal borrowing?*

*How do you reconcile your statement “we have not saddled residents with billions of pounds of debt” with plans to borrow £1.1bn with a lifetime cost potentially reaching £2.5bn?*

*Did you know about the £1.1bn borrowing plans when you dismissed Conservative debt warnings on Monday?*

*Why did Tuesday’s press release claim “lowest levels of debt” without mentioning Wednesday’s £1.1bn borrowing confirmation?*

---

**Ms Fenella Merry**

*Finance Director*

**Status:** **No response to questions about intentionally excluding “scary” figures from scrutiny papers*.*

Questions asked (click to expand)
*You stated you “intentionally” excluded lifetime cost figures because they were “scary” – is this appropriate for scrutiny papers?*

*How can scrutiny committees fulfil their role when key financial data is withheld?*

*What is the lifetime cost of the £1.1bn borrowing programme?*

---

****Wandsworth Council****

*Press Office*

**Status:** **No response to questions about press release timing and borrowing disclosure*.*

Questions asked (click to expand)
*Why did Tuesday’s press release claim “lowest levels of debt” without mentioning £1.1bn borrowing plans being scrutinised 24 hours later?*

*Was the timing of the press release between Cabinet denial and Finance Committee admission intentional?*

*Does the council consider the sequence of events this week to represent transparent financial communication?*

---

*This investigation is based on analysis of official transcripts from Cabinet (Monday 1 December) and Finance Committee (Wednesday 3 December), council Paper 25-423, and the council’s press release of Tuesday 2 December 2025.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/07/councils-no-debt-claim-collapses-in-48-hours/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/07/councils-no-debt-claim-collapses-in-48-hours/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Council%E2%80%99s%20%E2%80%98no%20debt%E2%80%99%20claim%20collapses%20in%2048%20hours&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/07/councils-no-debt-claim-collapses-in-48-hours/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** Cllr Angela Ireland, Council accountability, council debt, Fenella Merry, Wandsworth Council

---

### [The great extraction: How Wandsworth takes millions from Putney and spends it elsewhere](https://putney.news/2025/11/09/the-great-extraction-how-wandsworth-takes-millions-from-putney-and-spends-it-elsewhere/)

**Published:** November 9, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Developer contributions plummeted from £151m to £78m after Labour took control, yet Putney receives just £31,000. It's not a mistake.

**Content:**

**LONG READ** In the three years since Wandsworth Council changed hands, the authority has extracted £270 million from property developers through planning levies and obligations. It plans to build 14,400 new homes across three strategic growth areas. And it has overseen an 81% collapse in development income from Putney while providing the area with zero strategic investment.

The numbers, drawn from Infrastructure Funding Statements, capital programme documents, and Freedom of Information responses, reveal a borough where developer money flows in torrents from some neighbourhoods and trickles from others – but where residents cannot track where a single pound ultimately lands.

For Putney, which contributed over £1.3 million in neighbourhood levies between 2016 and 2024, the outcome is stark: no major capital projects, no strategic housing designation, and development activity in freefall. The council’s 2025 Growth Plan mentions Putney precisely zero times across 18 pages while detailing hundreds of millions in investment for Nine Elms, Battersea, Clapham Junction, and Wandsworth Town.

It comes at a time when Putney’s infrastructure is in desperate need of improvement. Congestion levels have never been higher; tube trains are the most unreliable in the capital; buses are the slowest and most complained about in London; the High Street continues to struggle; and the council is nowhere to be seen.

This investigation examines how Wandsworth moved from extracting £54 million annually under the Conservatives to £116 million in Labour’s first year – then watched income collapse to an estimated £30-40 million as development fled the borough.

It reveals the financial mechanics behind strategic growth corridors, the opacity of neighbourhood funding decisions, and the price one area has paid for being written out of the council’s plans entirely.

#### The numbers: A three-year extraction boom turns to bust

Developer contributions come in two forms. The Community Infrastructure Levy, introduced in 2012, charges developers per square metre of new floorspace: 85% goes to Strategic CIL for borough-wide infrastructure, 15% to Neighbourhood CIL for local projects.

And then there are Section 106 agreements: site-specific obligations negotiated for each development, requiring developers to fund affordable housing, transport improvements, or community facilities directly linked to their project’s impact.

Under the last full year of Conservative control in 2019/20, Wandsworth collected £54.1 million total: £32 million in CIL and £22.1 million in Section 106 contributions. The following year, 2020/21, saw income crash to £39.4 million as COVID paralysed construction.

Then Labour won control in May 2022.

In 2022/23, Labour’s first full financial year, developer contributions exploded to £116.2 million: a 115% increase over the pre-COVID baseline. CIL income remained steady at £29.6 million, but Section 106 receipts surged to £86.6 million, nearly quadruple the 2019/20 level. The council extracted more in one year than in any previous period in borough history.

Move forward a year and the 2023/24 Infrastructure Funding Statement shows the boom beginning to crack. Total contributions fell to £78.4 million – £13.8 million in CIL and £64.6 million in Section 106. CIL income had halved. Overall developer money was down 33% from the previous year.

By 2024/25, the collapse accelerated. Capital programme financing documents show the council spent just £29 million from Section 106 and CIL reserves – suggesting income has fallen to similar levels, down another 50% or more. In three years, Wandsworth went from record extraction to income levels potentially below even the COVID-depressed 2020/21 baseline.

![Income collapse graphic](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Income-Collapse-1.png)Total developer contributions (CIL + Section 106) dropped 48 percent from £151m in 2021/22 to £79m in 2023-24. The 2021-22 peak includes Northern Line Extension payments. Labour took control in May 2022.When adjusted for inflation to 2023/24 prices, the trajectory is unmistakable. The 2019/20 baseline of £54.1 million equals roughly £70 million in today’s money. Labour’s first-year haul of £116.2 million translates to £123.5 million. But by 2023/24, the £78.4 million sits only marginally above the inflation-adjusted pre-COVID baseline. By 2024/25, even that gain appears to have evaporated.

The pattern shows aggressive short-term extraction followed by a dramatic market correction as developers respond to a drop in certainty and a cut in profits.

Despite the clear warning signs, with London mayor Sadiq Khan cutting an affordable housing requirement from 35% to 20%, Wandsworth continues to push against reality: insisting on a 45% requirement, and the ability to levy extra charges at the end of a build. The housing department is running at a huge net budget loss, bringing down the council finances, yet the cabinet minister for housing continues to insist the shortfall can be covered by tapping reserves.

It’s like a landlord that doubles the rent: people initially pay because they have to. It brings in a lot of money. But before the next contract is up, tenants look elsewhere. The council squeezed developers for £116 million and now they are walking away from Wandsworth. And the council is left with a capital programme it may not be able to fund.

#### Where it goes: The growth corridor and the excluded

In January 2025, Wandsworth published its Growth Plan, a strategic framework for development through 2035. The document designates three “Strategically Important Housing Designation” areas with capacity for 14,400 new homes:

- **Wandsworth Town Centre**: approximately 3,000 homes, plus town centre regeneration, gyratory removal, and Town Hall redevelopment
- **Winstanley and York Road / Clapham Junction**: approximately 3,000 homes, plus estate renewal, leisure facilities, and transport improvements
- **Nine Elms and Battersea**: continuation of existing regeneration delivering thousands more homes plus Northern Line Extension completion

These three areas form what the plan calls the “Wandsworth Growth Corridor” – a connected spine of development from Nine Elms through Battersea to Clapham Junction and Wandsworth Town. The plan promises “targeted investment and place-based regeneration” that will “generate a ripple effect: strengthening connectivity, expanding opportunity, and enhancing quality of life far beyond its immediate footprint.”

The plan does not mention Putney. Not once. Not in the housing capacity analysis, not in the infrastructure priorities, not in the transport improvements, not in the strategic opportunity areas.

![The growth corridor for Wandsworth - missing out Putney altogether](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-171113-1024x605.png)The growth corridor for Wandsworth – missing out Putney altogetherThe capital programme tells the same story. Of the £423.7 million committed across 2025-2030, major projects cluster in the Growth Corridor:

- Nine Elms Northern Line Extension: £39.2 million (2023/24 spend)
- Battersea Nine Elms School and Community Provision: £14.4 million
- Wandsworth Town Station accessibility: £4.5 million
- Winstanley and York Road Renewal Plan: over £1.25 billion total programme
- Roehampton Community Hub: £16.7 million

For Putney, the capital programme shows: accessible toilet refurbishment at the leisure centre (£106,000), air handling unit upgrades (£760,000), and heating pump replacements (£285,000): maintenance, not investment. The Putney Leisure Centre refurbishment is being funded by a government green grant. The East Putney station accessibility improvements, mentioned in previous council documents, appear nowhere in committed funding.

The geographic concentration is explicit. The Growth Plan states its aim is “aligning development across these key locations” to create “a dynamic axis of growth.” Areas outside this axis receive no strategic designation, no housing capacity allocation, no infrastructure priority.

The council is building three new town centres while refusing to fix the fourth. It’s even resisting the cost of a junction redesign that has given Putney the most congested streets in London.

Imagine four siblings where three are given deposits for their first house while the fourth gets told the boiler’s fine and doesn’t need replacing. That’s the Growth Corridor strategy in a sentence.

#### The neighbourhood money: Putney’s vanishing contributions

Neighbourhood CIL offers the clearest window into geographic disparity because the council tracks income by area. In 2021/22, the last year before Labour took control, Putney generated £232,000 in neighbourhood levies: the second-highest total in the borough after Wandsworth.

In 2022/23, Putney’s NCIL income fell to £67,000 – a 71% drop in a single year.

In 2023/24, it fell further to £45,000 – an 81% total collapse from the baseline.

Other areas saw increases or stability. North Battersea (including Nine Elms) generated £481,000 in 2023/24. Wandsworth generated over £1 million. Even South Battersea and Balham, despite lower development activity, brought in £184,000.

Putney’s collapse reflects plummeting development activity. Fewer projects mean fewer CIL payments. The 81% drop suggests development in Putney has effectively stopped.

![Putney's NCIL collapse](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Putneys-NCIL-collapse-1024x768.png)Putney’s Neighbourhood CIL funding collapsed 81 percent from £232k in 2021-22 to £45k in 2023-24 – now 43 percent below the 2020-21 baseline. This 15 percent portion of developer contributions must benefit the local area where development occurs. Labour took control in May 202The spending side is harder to track. The council administers Neighbourhood CIL through the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, which awards grants for local projects. In 2023/24, the NRF spent £1.3 million borough-wide. Putney received £98,000 for “Putney High Street improvements” which makes up 7.5% of the total, despite representing 15% of the borough’s population.

While the council holds community engagement events and collects suggestions via an online map, no published framework explains how final allocation decisions are made or weighted. Cabinet approves NRF spending as aggregated packages, but residents cannot see how individual projects within those packages were prioritised or rejected. The Infrastructure Funding Statement lists projects funded but provides no rationale for why some neighbourhoods receive substantial grants while others receive token amounts.

Strategic CIL – the 85% that goes to borough-wide infrastructure – is even more opaque. In December 2022, responding to a Freedom of Information request, the council stated: “Once Strategic CIL receipts are received into the Council’s accounts, they are not allocated or attributed to specific wards or geographic areas… It is not possible to track how much Strategic CIL has been spent in each ward.”

The council collects developer money by ward, tracks which neighbourhoods generate income, then pools everything and declines to show where it goes. Residents in Putney know their area contributed £1.3 million in neighbourhood levies alone since 2016, but cannot determine whether any Strategic CIL collected from Putney developments has returned to Putney projects.

It’s the council equivalent of a joint bank account where both of you pay into it, but only one of you has access to the account. And the chequebook. Where did the money go? Don’t worry yourself about it, it’s been spent wisely.

#### The political geography: A pattern emerges

When examined together, the financial and planning documents reveal a clear geographic pattern.

The three areas designated for strategic growth – Nine Elms/Battersea, Clapham Junction, and Wandsworth Town – share demographic characteristics. High rental populations, substantial social housing, younger age profiles, and transient residents. These are Labour-friendly demographics. All three areas either voted Labour in 2022 or contain wards Labour must hold to retain control of the council in an election just six months away.

Putney is different. The constituency voted Conservative in every election from 2010 to 2019. It only flipped Labour in 2019 amid the Brexit collapse, and was held in 2024 during a national shift that provided a huge Labour majority. At the local level, Labour gained five council seats in Putney in 2022, but they remain marginal. The area has higher homeownership rates, older populations, and higher average incomes: demographics that typically lean Conservative.

The Growth Plan’s exclusion of Putney could reflect pure planning logic: the strategic areas have better transport connections, more brownfield land, and existing regeneration momentum. Putney’s suburban character and conservation areas may genuinely limit development capacity.

But the correlation between political geography and investment allocation is difficult to ignore. The council directs hundreds of millions toward areas it needs to hold while providing nothing to an area that could easily flip back to Conservative control. Whether this reflects intentional electoral strategy or simply sound planning that happens to align with political interests, the outcome is the same: investment flowing freely to some areas and not at all to others.

![Wandsworth Borough spending map](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/spending-map-1024x901.png)Major capital programme investment (2025-2030) is concentrated in the eastern borough. Nine Elms/Battersea receives £59m, Wandsworth Town £27m, Roehampton £17m, Tooting £3m, and Putney £0.03m. Map shows council control by area following the May 2022 election.After 44 years in opposition, the Labour party won control by a narrow margin and are desperate to retain it for another term. Consolidating that control requires visible improvements in swing areas and high-turnout enthusiasm in safe wards. Putney, even with five Labour councillors, represents neither- it’s neither safely Labour nor a winnable Conservative seat that investment might flip.

The political logic, whether explicitly calculated or not, follows familiar patterns: invest where infrastructure can retain mobile populations in rental accommodation; showcase regeneration in town centres that can demonstrate visible transformation; energise core supporters in areas with high Labour turnout. Areas with stable homeowner populations and Conservative-leaning demographics receive maintenance but not transformation.

It’s the municipal version of gerrymandering, except with investment maps instead of boundaries. In council elections, everything is local.

#### The market response: When aggressive extraction kills development

The economic consequences of Labour’s strategy are now becoming clear.

Wandsworth’s CIL rates – ranging from £250 to £575 per square metre for residential development depending on location – are among London’s highest, particularly in Nine Elms. But developers pay because Wandsworth offers high-value opportunities.

The £116 million extracted in 2022/23 suggests Labour initially maintained that balance, even increasing developer activity to record levels. Section 106 contributions quadrupled. Major projects moved forward. The council maximised short-term revenue.

But by 2023/24, income fell 33%. By 2024/25, it appears to have halved again. Developers are pulling back.

The reasons are multiple. National economic conditions – rising interest rates, construction cost inflation, weakening demand – affect all boroughs. But Wandsworth’s decline appears steeper than neighbouring authorities. The Growth Plan’s explicit concentration of development in three corridors may be discouraging applications elsewhere.

Putney’s 81% NCIL collapse provides the starkest example. Neighbourhood CIL correlates directly with development activity: no development, no levy. Putney’s drop suggests the market has effectively abandoned the area.

The council now faces declining income precisely when it has committed to substantial capital spending in strategic areas. The £1.25 billion Winstanley programme, the ongoing Nine Elms infrastructure; they all require sustained funding. But developer contributions are falling. The capital programme increasingly relies on borrowing to fill the gap.

In 2024/25, borrowing requirements for the capital programme totalled £72.7 million: 45% of the programme. By comparison, Section 106 and CIL provided only £29 million. The aggressive extraction strategy has given way to an aggressive borrowing strategy as the tax base collapses. It’s an economic model that appears unsustainable.

#### The opacity problem: Democracy in the dark

Beyond the financial and political questions lies a fundamental democratic deficit: residents cannot see where their money goes.

By law, councils must publish annual Infrastructure Funding Statements detailing CIL and Section 106 income and spending. Wandsworth complies. The documents are thorough, running to dozens of pages with detailed tables.

But they aggregate spending borough-wide. A resident in Putney can see that her neighbourhood contributed £45,000 in neighbourhood levies in 2023/24. They can see that Wandsworth spent £17.3 million in Strategic CIL that year on projects including Tooting Bec Lido (£3 million), carriageway repairs (£4.2 million), and swimming pool improvements (£342,000). But they cannot determine whether any Strategic CIL from Putney developments funded Putney projects, or whether it all cross-subsidised other areas.

The council’s December 2022 FOI response makes this explicit: “Once Strategic CIL receipts are received into the Council’s accounts, they are not allocated or attributed to specific wards or geographic areas… It is not possible to track how much Strategic CIL has been spent in each ward.”

Yet the council does track income by ward. The Infrastructure Funding Statements break down Neighbourhood CIL receipts by area. The information architecture exists to provide geographic granularity – the council simply chooses not to apply it to spending data.

#### The transparency other councils provide

Wandsworth’s claim that it cannot track developer contribution spending by ward stands in stark contrast to practice across London. Several neighbouring boroughs demonstrate that such transparency is not only achievable but routine.

**Camden** allocates 25 percent of CIL directly to ward councillors, who maintain published priority lists and approve local projects. Residents can see exactly how much their ward receives and where it goes.

**Brent** provides scrutiny committees with reports breaking down ten years of Strategic CIL and Section 106 spending by both theme and ward, publishing quarterly trackers of every infrastructure funding decision.

**Lambeth** tracks Neighbourhood CIL spending by geographic area, with ward councillors conducting annual reviews with residents.

Even **Croydon**, despite bankruptcy, allocates neighbourhood CIL to Community Ward Budgets with transparent reporting.

The pattern is clear: tracking CIL and Section 106 by ward or neighbourhood is standard practice. These councils apply the same geographic coding to expenditure that they already use for income tracking. The systems enable residents to scrutinise whether development in their area generates commensurate infrastructure investment.

Wandsworth is an outlier. The council tracks income by ward for its Infrastructure Funding Statements but insists expenditure cannot be similarly tracked. This appears to be a policy choice rather than a technical limitation.

While Camden residents can propose projects for their ward’s annual allocation and Brent residents can examine a decade of ward-level spending, Putney residents cannot identify a single infrastructure project funded by the millions extracted from their area.

The distinction matters. Transparency enables democratic engagement – residents challenging priorities, proposing alternatives, holding councillors accountable. Wandsworth’s opacity precludes this, turning development into a one-way extraction with no visible local return.

#### Another transparency issue

The Neighbourhood Renewal Fund operates with even less transparency. While the council holds community engagement events and collects suggestions via an online map, no published framework explains how final allocation decisions are made or weighted. Cabinet approves NRF spending as aggregated packages, but residents cannot see how individual projects within those packages were prioritised or rejected.

The Infrastructure Funding Statement lists funded projects but provides no comparative data showing rejected applications or allocation methodology.

In July 2023, the council reorganised its NCIL reporting areas. As a result, six Putney wards were aggregated into a single “Putney” line while other areas have more. Battersea, for example, includes detailed breakdowns for three different areas: Battersea, North Battersea and South Battersea and Balham. Putney, however, became a monolith – harder to scrutinise, easier to marginalise in aggregate data.

This is not illegal. The CIL Regulations require annual reporting but do not mandate ward-level spending transparency. Councils comply with the law while providing minimal useful information to residents.

The result is that meaningful democratic accountability becomes impossible. Councillors cannot point to specific infrastructure improvements funded by their ward’s developer contributions. Residents cannot evaluate whether their area receives proportionate benefits. Opposition councillors cannot demonstrate systematic bias without spending months on FOI requests and document analysis.

The planning system operates on a fundamental bargain: communities accept development in exchange for infrastructure improvements funded by developers. When councils track income geographically but aggregate spending borough-wide, that bargain becomes unverifiable. Residents must trust that money extracted from their neighbourhood returns in some form, but cannot prove it.

For Putney, this opacity is particularly damaging. With no strategic designation, no major capital projects, collapsing development income, and aggregated spending data, residents face an information vacuum. Development happened for decades; millions were generated in levies; but where did it all go?

Wandsworth publishes volumes of data and reveals nothing useful.

#### The unanswered questions

Three years into Labour’s control of Wandsworth, the financial architecture of developer contributions raises questions the council has not addressed publicly.

**Why did Section 106 income quadruple in 2022/23?** The £86.6 million collected that year dwarfs any previous year except 2021/22, when a single £105.7 million payment for the Nine Elms Northern Line Extension created a statistical outlier. Did major developments simply complete on schedule, triggering obligation payments? Or did the council renegotiate agreements to front-load payments? The Infrastructure Funding Statement lists individual projects but provides no narrative explanation for the unprecedented spike.

**Why has CIL income collapsed by 53% in two years?** From £29.6 million in 2022/23 to £13.8 million in 2023/24, the drop is catastrophic. CIL correlates with development starts – developers pay when construction commences. The halving of income suggests development activity has crashed borough-wide. Is this purely national economic conditions, or has the Growth Plan’s concentration strategy discouraged applications outside strategic areas?

**How was Putney excluded from all 14,400 strategic homes?** The Growth Plan designates housing capacity across three areas but provides zero allocation for Putney despite its being one of the borough’s largest residential areas with good transport links and existing town centre infrastructure. The plan offers no explanation for this omission. Did housing capacity analysis determine Putney genuinely cannot accommodate growth? Or was it a strategic choice?

**What criteria govern Neighbourhood Renewal Fund allocations?** In 2023/24, Putney received £98,000 from the £1.3 million NRF budget – 7.5% for an area representing 15% of the borough’s population. Other areas received substantially more. While the council holds community engagement events and collects suggestions via an online map, no published framework explains how final allocation decisions are made or weighted. Cabinet approves NRF spending as aggregated packages. Is it population? Need? Political representation? The decision-making process remains opaque.

**Why won’t the council track Strategic CIL spending by ward?** The technical capability exists—the council already tracks income geographically. The choice not to track spending represents a policy decision, not a technical limitation. What is the rationale? The December 2022 FOI response stated tracking was “not possible,” but did not explain why the council chooses not to build systems that would make it possible.

**When will the falling income force spending cuts?** Developer contributions have declined from £116 million to £78 million to an estimated £30-40 million in three years. The capital programme increasingly relies on borrowing. At what point does falling income force the council to scale back commitments? Will strategic areas continue receiving hundreds of millions while non-strategic areas see services cut to balance budgets?

These questions are not rhetorical. They represent information gaps that prevent residents from evaluating their council’s priorities. In the absence of answers, residents are left to draw conclusions from the pattern: record extraction, strategic concentration, opacity about spending, and one area systematically excluded from all strategic investment.

#### The accountability reckoning

The numbers tell a clear story. In three years under Labour control, Wandsworth extracted £270 million from developers, designated 14,400 new homes in three strategic areas, and left Putney with zero strategic investment while its development income collapsed by 81%.

Whether this represents infrastructure-led planning or electoral calculation, the democratic deficit is the same: residents cannot see where their neighbourhood’s contributions go, councillors cannot track spending by ward, and no published framework explains how Neighbourhood Renewal Fund decisions are made.

**Putney News has filed Freedom of Information requests on:**

- Ward-by-ward capital spending data for 2022-2025
- Section 106 income by ward
- The methodology and decision-making framework for Neighbourhood Renewal Fund allocations
- Geographic and demographic data used in Growth Plan area designations
- The rationale for aggregating Putney’s six wards into one NCIL reporting area

The council has 20 working days to respond. Putney residents deserve answers.

---

*Readers with information about CIL or Section 106 spending in Putney can contact us at news@putney.news. We will continue investigating where Putney’s developer money goes – and why the council won’t tell residents.*

---

**METHODOLOGY NOTE:** *This investigation draws on Infrastructure Funding Statements for financial years 2019/20 through 2023/24, capital programme documents through 2029/30, the Wandsworth Growth Plan 2025, Freedom of Information responses from December 2022 and June 2024, and capital financing reports from July 2025. All figures are taken directly from official council documents. Where inflation adjustments are referenced, calculations use UK CPI data with 2023/24 as the baseline year. The estimated 2024/25 figure of £30-40 million is derived from capital programme financing documents showing £29 million in S106/CIL spending, suggesting similar income levels given the council’s stated policy of using developer contributions before borrowing.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/11/09/the-great-extraction-how-wandsworth-takes-millions-from-putney-and-spends-it-elsewhere/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/11/09/the-great-extraction-how-wandsworth-takes-millions-from-putney-and-spends-it-elsewhere/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20great%20extraction%3A%20How%20Wandsworth%20takes%20millions%20from%20Putney%20and%20spends%20it%20elsewhere&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/11/09/the-great-extraction-how-wandsworth-takes-millions-from-putney-and-spends-it-elsewhere/)

**Categories:** Planning

**Tags:** CIL, Developer contributions, Infrastructure spending, Section 106, Wandsworth Council

---

### [It’s official: Wandsworth Council doesn’t care about Putney](https://putney.news/2025/07/11/its-official-wandsworth-council-doesnt-care-about-putney/)

**Published:** July 11, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Despite chronic issues, the borough’s new strategy offers nothing for Putney — not even a mention.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council’s new Growth Plan — its blueprint for where money, housing, infrastructure and investment will go over the **next decade** — contains over 9,000 words, dozens of maps, and three strategic zones.

Putney is not one of them.

Despite being home to a third of the borough’s population and many of its pressing problems — including severe [traffic congestion](https://putney.news/2025/06/16/putney-traffic-petition-was-most-ignored-annual-council-report-confirms/ "Putney traffic petition was most ignored, annual council report confirms"), one of London’s most polluted high streets, housing shortages, and rising street crime — Putney does not feature at all in the *Wandsworth Growth Plan* ([Paper No. 25-269](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Public-reports-pack-14072025-1930-Cabinet.pdf)) to be approved by Cabinet next week.

There is no mention of Putney High Street, no mention of [East Putney Station](https://putney.news/2025/05/21/mp-announces-east-putney-step-free-success-but-reality-behind-tfls-consideration-list-is-nothing-to-celebrate/ "MP announces East Putney step-free success: but reality behind TfL’s ‘consideration list’ is nothing to celebrate"), no public realm plans, no transport improvements, and no new housing sites identified. The area does not appear in any of the council’s “Growth Corridor” maps, nor in its 2030 housing or investment strategies, or in the [accompanying brochure](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/25-269-App-1-Wandsworth-Growth-Plan.pdf).

By contrast, Winstanley & York Road, Clapham Junction, Wandsworth Town, Nine Elms, and Battersea receive the full attention of the plan — and are lined up for what the council calls “a decade of inclusive, place-based growth.”

[![Wandsworth Growth Plan front page](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-170032-1024x724.png)](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/25-269-App-1-Wandsworth-Growth-Plan.pdf)The Wandsworth Growth Plan – click to read nothing at all about Putney#### **Where the money is going**

The Growth Plan sets out detailed strategies — and named, costed interventions — for three “Strategically Important Housing Areas” that form the Wandsworth Growth Corridor. This is where the council plans to spend, develop, and co-invest with partners over the next ten years.

##### **In Wandsworth Town:**

- A major redevelopment of the **Town Hall and Frogmore Depot** to unlock **3,000 new homes**.
- A full redesign of the **Wandsworth Gyratory**, including street-level improvements and placemaking.
- Engagement on a new masterplan starting **summer 2025**.

##### **In Clapham Junction and Winstanley/York Road:**

- A masterplan for **Clapham Junction Station**, with TfL, Network Rail, and ShopStop developers.
- Up to **3,000 new homes**, a new leisure centre, and estate renewal — with public consultation and ballot.
- A “Community Panel” meeting eight times in 2025 to shape future development.

##### **In Battersea and Nine Elms:**

- A new **13-GP NHS health centre**, **primary school**, and **community centre**.
- Continued expansion of **Battersea Power Station**, **New Covent Garden Market**, and **linear park**.
- **8,400 homes** planned, plus business and cultural investment in a new “Innovation District”.
- Street upgrades, safer crossings and cycling infrastructure along **New Elms Lane**.

##### **Meanwhile, in Tooting:**

- The town centre is **named in the Growth Plan**, unlike Putney.
- High street improvements and small-scale public realm works are planned.
- Cultural programming tied to **Wandsworth Borough of Culture 2025** is expected to include Tooting.
- Local Labour councillors have backed new housing on infill sites and support for small businesses.

##### **Borough-wide, the Council also promises:**

- 1,000 new council homes by 2029 via its **Homes for Wandsworth** programme.
- Job support and training through **WorkMatch**, plus a high street business support service.
- Transport upgrades at **Clapham Junction**, **Wandsworth Town**, **Queenstown Road**, and **Battersea Park** stations.
- Planning tools like SPDs and partnership platforms to attract developers and grant funding.

**Putney is excluded from every one of these commitments.** It is neither a housing zone, nor a transport priority, nor part of the borough’s public realm or cultural strategy.

   Criteria Battersea / Nine Elms Tooting Putney     Named in Growth Plan ✅ Yes – key Growth Corridor ✅ Yes – town centre named ❌ No   Strategic Housing Area ✅ Yes – 8,400 homes ❌ No – small sites only ❌ No   Infrastructure investment ✅ Transport, NHS, schools ✅ Active travel, civic upgrades ❌ None   Transport upgrades ✅ Queenstown & Battersea Park ❌ Not mentioned ❌ Putney stations omitted   Town centre / high street ✅ Mixed-use, public realm schemes ✅ Culture & improvement support ❌ Not mentioned   Housing delivery ✅ Major development pipeline ✅ Small infill activity ❌ None   Cultural / community investment ✅ GP, school, events district ✅ Borough of Culture activity ❌ Nothing planned or funded   Planning / regeneration tools ✅ SPD, partnerships, GLA schemes ✅ Consultations, civic pilots ❌ Not a regeneration zone   Cabinet / councillor presence 1 Cabinet, 1 Deputy, 4 Labour Cllrs 6 Cabinet, 3 Deputy, 15 Labour Cllrs 1 Cabinet (West Hill), 1 Deputy (Roehampton), 2 Cllrs   Developer leverage / CIL ✅ High – BPS, Covent Garden ✅ Moderate – infill densification ❌ Low – few development triggers   Included in Growth Corridor ✅ Yes – central to vision ❌ No – adjacent only ❌ No – fully excluded  ### **A raw deal for Putney**

What does Putney get?

Nothing in the Growth Plan suggests any investment is coming. There are no regeneration frameworks, no infrastructure allocations, and no public commitments to support or improve local services. This is despite:

- **East Putney station** being inaccessible to wheelchair users and parents with prams — and reliant on future Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) money for any hope of a step-free upgrade.
- **Putney High Street** continuing to suffer from record air pollution, retail decline and antisocial behaviour — with no support in the High Streets Fund.
- **Bus routes in and out of Putney** being among the [most complained about in London](https://putney.news/2025/07/11/putney-buses-rank-among-londons-worst-as-complaints-surge/).
- Ongoing housing pressures for families and downsizers — with no strategic housing allocation or development target identified in this plan.

Even **Roehampton**, which falls within the Putney parliamentary boundary, gets only a single passing reference to the Alton Estate — with no detail, budget, or integration into the main Growth Corridor.

This isn’t just a gap. It’s a deliberate omission.

> [Exposed: How Putney’s buses abandon passengers to fake perfect performance](https://putney.news/2025/06/27/exposed-how-putneys-buses-abandon-passengers-to-fake-perfect-performance/)

### **Who decides where grows?**

The question of who sets priorities is unavoidable.

Of the Council’s eight Cabinet Members, six live in Tooting. Only one lives in Putney — and they represent West Hill, far from the High Street and town centre. Of the five Deputy Cabinet Members, three live in Tooting, and just one in Roehampton.

Among the rest of the Labour group:

- 15 of the 21 non-Cabinet Labour councillors live in Tooting
- Only two live anywhere in Putney

Put simply, the area making all the decisions about “borough-wide” growth is not the area being left out of it.

The council claims its Growth Plan is “shaped by and for its communities.” But if you’re in Putney, that promise rings hollow. This is not inclusive growth — it is selective growth.

![The growth corridor for Wandsworth - missing out Putney altogether](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-171113-1024x605.png)The council’s Growth Corridor. Putney only exists as a possible route to Heathrow#### **Strategic neglect by design**

The Growth Plan repeatedly describes itself as “place-based” and “borough-wide”. It talks about polycentric development, strategic investment, and unlocking London’s potential.

But in practical terms, the strategy is tightly bounded: focused on areas with council-controlled land, large development partners, and existing Labour infrastructure.

There is no strategic growth plan for Putney.

No housing ambition, no infrastructure vision, and no public commitment to help solve some of the borough’s worst air quality and traffic challenges. If East Putney is ever to become step-free, it will likely need to be funded by developer contributions tied to housing projects — but **this plan allocates no such development to the area**.

What’s being offered to Putney is not growth — it’s abandonment.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/07/11/its-official-wandsworth-council-doesnt-care-about-putney/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/07/11/its-official-wandsworth-council-doesnt-care-about-putney/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=It%E2%80%99s%20official%3A%20Wandsworth%20Council%20doesn%E2%80%99t%20care%20about%20Putney&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/07/11/its-official-wandsworth-council-doesnt-care-about-putney/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** East Putney station, Growth Plan, listening council, Putney High Street, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Residents abandoned as council hides £24.5m regeneration scandal](https://putney.news/2025/08/27/residents-abandoned-as-council-hides-24-5m-regeneration-scandal/)

**Published:** August 27, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** FOI battle exposes culture of secrecy over failed Winstanley estate deal.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council paid £24.5m to abandon a flagship housing regeneration partnership with Taylor Wimpey but refuses to explain why, leaving residents who have waited 13 years for promised homes in the dark about decisions made with their money.

The secrecy prevents scrutiny of how public funds were used to exit the joint venture over the Winstanley Estate, whether the council received value for money, and what went wrong with a partnership meant to deliver 2,550 new homes.

Similar incidents in other London boroughs have revealed poor decision-making, weak financial controls and in one case led to bankruptcy. Wandsworth Council has already posted £40m in [unexpected losses this year](https://putney.news/2025/07/02/wandsworth-overspends-by-40m-and-worse-is-on-the-way/ "Wandsworth overspends by £40m — and worse is on the way") – in large part thanks to the collapse of this deal – and is borrowing [many millions more](https://putney.news/2025/03/05/wandsworth-council-warned-about-ticking-timebomb-of-new-debt/ "Wandsworth Council warned about ticking timebomb of new debt") to take on this project and others across the borough.

*Putney.news* has been pursuing the details for months and has been repeatedly stonewalled. Last week, an internal review upheld the council’s refusal to release Paper 24-169A, the restricted document that outlined exit scenarios, citing “confidential proceedings” and the need to preserve a “safe space” for decision-making.

We are now challenging that decision: Putney residents should know what went wrong and what their money is being spent on. Here is what we know at the moment.

#### Managed decline over 18 months

Secrecy from Wandsworth Council is nothing new but it leaves residents like Elizabeth Swanson trapped in deteriorating conditions while crucial questions remain unanswered: why did the council break with Taylor Wimpey after eight years of partnership, how was the £24.5m settlement calculated, and what safeguards existed to protect public money?

Swanson has [waited 13 years](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/housing/housing-regeneration-projects/winstanley-and-york-road-regeneration/winstanley-york-road-archive/overview-of-the-winstanley-and-york-road-regeneration-project/about-the-winstanley-and-york-road-regeneration-project/) for the new home promised to her family. Instead, she remains on the 22nd floor of Sporle Court with her autistic daughter, in a flat medically deemed unsuitable, while lifts regularly break down. “They gave us all false promises,” she told local democracy reporter Charlotte Lilywhite earlier this year.

The breakdown was not sudden. Taylor Wimpey first raised concerns over the financial viability of later phases in 2022-23, before formally asking the council to “review delivery arrangements” in June 2023. By July 2024, the council was preparing “possible scenarios” for exit in the restricted Paper 24-169A – the same document it now refuses to release.

The 18-month negotiation process gave the council ample time to assess options and protect public money. Yet taxpayers remain in the dark about how the £24.5m settlement was calculated or whether alternatives were properly explored.

In December 2024, the council formally acquired Taylor Wimpey’s stake through what papers describe as a “negotiated settlement.” The £24.5m cost hit housing budgets and was officially reported to councillors six months later in June 2025.

> [Housing repairs ignored — now Wandsworth’s taxpayers are picking up the bill](https://putney.news/2025/06/21/housing-repairs-ignored-now-wandsworths-taxpayers-are-picking-up-the-bill/)

#### Broken promises, mounting costs

By the council’s original timeline, residents should now be enjoying a new leisure centre with swimming pool, sports halls, and community facilities. Instead, only 265 homes have been completed from the 2,550 promised, while community facilities like York Gardens playground were stripped away in 2012 and never replaced.

April Cadore’s son was rushed to A&E in February [due to black mould](https://putney.news/2025/06/21/mould-misery-and-council-neglect-the-human-cost-of-wandsworths-failures/) in their temporary accommodation — conditions she has endured since 2021. “It is bad for other people that this is actually their home,” she said. “At the same time, I’ve been here for longer than I thought I would be.”

The £24.5m exit cost contributed to housing reserves falling far below budget, creating additional pressure on services funded by tenants and leaseholders. This comes as the housing department faces [mounting crises](https://putney.news/2025/06/21/the-truth-about-wandsworth-housing-delay-distress-and-denial/), including a rare [C3 non-compliance rating ](https://putney.news/2025/06/16/wandsworth-responds-to-housing-regulators-damning-verdict-but-will-paperwork-fix-a-culture-problem/ "Wandsworth responds to Housing Regulator’s damning verdict—but will paperwork fix a culture problem?")from the Regulator of Social Housing and [repairs overspending](https://putney.news/2025/06/21/housing-repairs-ignored-now-wandsworths-taxpayers-are-picking-up-the-bill/ "Housing repairs ignored — now Wandsworth’s taxpayers are picking up the bill") by £16m in 2024/25.

> [Wandsworth responds to Housing Regulator’s damning verdict—but will paperwork fix a culture problem?](https://putney.news/2025/06/16/wandsworth-responds-to-housing-regulators-damning-verdict-but-will-paperwork-fix-a-culture-problem/)

#### Learning the wrong lessons from regeneration failures

Other London boroughs have faced similar regeneration crises, and their eventual transparency has revealed a pattern of costly mistakes.

When Haringey scrapped its £2bn partnership with Lendlease in 2018, disclosed papers showed the council had failed to protect tenants from gentrification risks. Southwark’s Elephant & Castle redevelopment became a cautionary tale after FOI requests exposed that the Heygate Estate had been sold for a fraction of its value. Even Croydon’s housing company collapse, which contributed to the council’s bankruptcy, ultimately revealed the poor financial decisions that proved so costly.

In each case, transparency exposed embarrassing errors in judgment, inadequate due diligence, or failures to protect public money. The disclosures damaged reputations but helped residents understand what went wrong.

Wandsworth appears to have learned a different lesson from these failures: that secrecy prevents embarrassment. By refusing to release Paper 24-169A, the council denies residents the chance to scrutinise whether similar mistakes contributed to the £24.5m exit cost, or to hold decision-makers accountable if they did.

> [Mould, misery and Council neglect: the human cost of Wandsworth’s failures](https://putney.news/2025/06/21/mould-misery-and-council-neglect-the-human-cost-of-wandsworths-failures/)

#### New plans, same secrecy

Taylor Wimpey’s managing director James Lidgate said the developer recognised that “a change in strategic direction of the project” meant the council was “best-placed to deliver the scheme alone.” The comment suggests the council altered the project’s direction, making the secrecy over exit costs even more problematic.

The council’s new £1.25bn “Place Programme” approved in July sets out fresh plans for Winstanley, but the scheme is years behind its original timeline and requires additional budget variations totalling millions more. The council aims to submit a revised planning application at the end of 2026.

Labour councillor Aydin Dikerdem, cabinet member for housing, said the regeneration was “now being run in-house by the council precisely so we can address the issues raised with us by residents in regards to speed of delivery.”

However, the authority declined to explain the circumstances that led to the Taylor Wimpey exit or justify the £24.5m cost. A council spokesperson said only that the authority remained “fully committed to the regeneration of the Winstanley and York Road Estates.”

> [Is Wandsworth’s housing plan doomed to fail?](https://putney.news/2025/07/23/is-wandsworths-housing-plan-doomed-to-fail/)

#### Information Commissioner to investigate

*Putney.News* has referred the FOI refusal to the Information Commissioner, arguing the public interest in understanding how £24.5m was spent outweighs the council’s claims about confidential proceedings.

The case highlights broader questions about transparency in local government partnerships and the protection of public money in complex regeneration deals.

Julie Harris, 68, who has lived on the estate all her life, does not expect progress anytime soon. “They keep stripping us back and not doing any progress, and I don’t believe the council will. Unless they find somebody that wants to work with them, it isn’t going to happen.”

Until the council provides answers, residents and taxpayers can only speculate about why Wandsworth paid £24.5m to walk away from its flagship housing partnership — and whether secrecy itself made that bill unnecessarily high.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/08/27/residents-abandoned-as-council-hides-24-5m-regeneration-scandal/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/08/27/residents-abandoned-as-council-hides-24-5m-regeneration-scandal/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Residents%20abandoned%20as%20council%20hides%20%C2%A324.5m%20regeneration%20scandal&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/08/27/residents-abandoned-as-council-hides-24-5m-regeneration-scandal/)

**Categories:** Housing, Planning

**Tags:** 24-169A, Taylor Wimpey, Wandsworth Council, Winstanley Estate

---

### [Mould, misery and Council neglect: the human cost of Wandsworth’s failures](https://putney.news/2025/06/21/mould-misery-and-council-neglect-the-human-cost-of-wandsworths-failures/)

**Published:** June 21, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Content:**

*For years, Wandsworth residents have raised the alarm about damp, mould and leaking roofs. Now, a growing pile of rulings by the Housing Ombudsman paints a bleak picture of how the council has handled it — and how long tenants have been forced to wait for help.*

At a Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting this week, Wandsworth councillors [acknowledged](https://putney.news/2025/06/20/warnings-ignored-lives-at-risk-wandsworths-housing-shame-exposed/) what many tenants have long suspected: the Housing Ombudsman is stepping in where the council has fallen short. The watchdog’s revised Complaint Handling Code has forced Wandsworth to log more grievances, publish a standalone complaints report, and begin—albeit quietly—changing how it responds to disrepair.

Yet amid these shifts, the council’s political leadership seemed less concerned with the substance of the complaints than with the process. Cabinet Member for Housing Aydin Dikerdem described the Ombudsman’s stance as “more aggressive,” and pointed to legal firms encouraging disrepair claims online. Officers echoed concerns about tenants withholding access on legal advice.

What wasn’t addressed was the human cost behind the figures. This story outlines what that cost looks like.

*Putney.news* has reviewed the 23 [Housing Ombudsman rulings](https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/decisions/) involving Wandsworth Council that cover complaints of damp, mould, water ingress or condensation. Of those, 18 were upheld — a **78% failure rate**. Compensation awards totalled over £12,000. But for the residents affected, the real impact wasn’t financial. It was physical. Emotional. Relentlessly personal.

---

#### **Lives on Hold While Wandsworth Waits**

##### **The Woman Who Counted Leaks**

For eight years, a ground-floor tenant tracked every new water stain on her ceiling like tree rings. **Twenty-six leaks** in total — each logged, each followed by silence. In December 2022, a split waste pipe sent foul water flooding into her kitchen. The repair took four days. The damp never left.

She stopped buying new clothes after her last wardrobe rotted. She stopped leaving the flat, afraid another leak would erupt while she was gone. When she finally asked for a transfer, the council placed her in the **lowest priority band**. It wasn’t until the Housing Ombudsman intervened — six months after she first begged for a move — that Wandsworth apologised and agreed to inspect the property.

*[Read the Ombudsman report from July 2024](https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/decisions/wandsworth-council-202305918/).*

---

##### **Pregnancy in a Bunk Bed**

In another case, a young mother **nine months pregnant** gave up her own bedroom when black mould reappeared on the chimney breast. She climbed into her young son’s bunk bed every night, developing back pain her GP documented. She pleaded with Wandsworth to fix the problem before the baby arrived.

The work didn’t happen. In April 2023, she packed a suitcase and moved in with a friend. The council declared the property “safe” in August — only for fresh damp readings to show high moisture levels. With no other option, she spent **nights in her car with two young children**. Five months passed before a councillor intervened and the council finally offered temporary accommodation.

The Ombudsman called the delay **“severe maladministration.”**

*[You can read the report here](https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/decisions/wandsworth-council-202317965/).*

---

##### **The Tenant Who Couldn’t Get a Pane of Glass**

One partially sighted and hearing-impaired tenant reported a cracked bathroom window in October 2022. Over nine months, she sent **eight follow-up emails**. Two appointments were missed. The glass was finally fitted the following summer.

In the meantime, cold draughts aggravated the mould creeping across her living room wall. When she complained again, the council advised her — as so many tenants have heard — to “open windows and ventilate more.”

The message, implicit or otherwise: **this is your fault**.

*[You can read the report here](https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/decisions/wandsworth-council-202208283/).*

---

##### **Thirteen Years of Water Ingress**

Some residents gave up complaining. A leaseholder told the Ombudsman he’d stopped counting after the **14th insurance claim** for water ingress. He’d logged 20 more incidents without bothering to report them.

Over thirteen years, he racked up an estimated £85,800 in personal losses: ruined furniture, letting-agent fees, one flat left empty for nine months during Covid lockdowns. The Ombudsman couldn’t award him that money — it’s outside their remit — but did order Wandsworth to **pay a token £250** and acknowledge a failure to act.

More than anything, the man said, he just wanted to know who was responsible.

*[Read the report](https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/decisions/wandsworth-council-202208283/).*

---

##### **Complaint Lost, Mould Gained**

One woman emailed the council with photos of **spreading mould**. The council scheduled an inspection — and then let **nine months pass**. When a contractor finally arrived, it was with a bottle of mould wash, too late to save her wallpaper, carpet or peace of mind.

When she asked her MP for help, housing officers replied to the MP — but not to her. In their response, they insisted there was “no mould on the walls.” The Ombudsman later noted the council **never produced inspection notes** to support that claim.

*[Read the report](https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/decisions/wandsworth-council-202309321/).*

---

#### **Patterns of Failure**

The above are just five examples. Across these and other cases, the Housing Ombudsman has identified the same themes again and again:

- **Delay as Default**: Emergency repairs that take months; complaint responses weeks beyond the council’s own deadlines.
- **Blame the Resident**: Advice to “wipe condensation” replaces structural repairs, reinforcing the idea that tenants are at fault for the decay.
- **Lost Health and Home**: Tenants report anxiety, eczema flare-ups, pregnancy-related injury and even nights spent in parked cars.
- **Token Compensation**: Payouts of £100 or £250 fail to match the scale of disruption, distress or damage.
- **Missed Warnings**: Flags for vulnerability — children, disability, chronic illness — rarely seem to trigger faster action.

Even when complaints are upheld, many residents describe feeling like they were treated as the problem.

> [The truth about Wandsworth housing: delay, distress, and denial](https://putney.news/2025/06/21/the-truth-about-wandsworth-housing-delay-distress-and-denial/)

#### **A Landlord Under Watch**

The wider record is no better. In 2023–24 alone, the Housing Ombudsman issued **74 decisions** involving Wandsworth Council. In **65%** of those, the council was found at fault. Complaints specifically about property condition — damp, leaks, structural decay — were upheld in 62% of cases.

The council was ordered to pay **£15,750 in compensation** over the course of the year.

At the scrutiny committee this week, officers said this increased oversight had already driven policy changes — but declined to explain what they were. A full breakdown of costs and claims is expected in the autumn.

Meanwhile, the Ombudsman has demanded deeper reform. In one case — the All Saints Estate in Battersea — a public order was issued, requiring Wandsworth to review how it communicates with Co-ops, log complaints, and manage long-term repairs. An internal audit confirmed that multiple residents had been affected by years of unmanaged leaks. The council has promised to update its governance agreements — by the end of 2026.

#### **Conclusion**

For many tenants, the wait continues.

A cracked window. A leaking ceiling. A spot of mould that creeps across the wall. These are not rare events — they are everyday hazards in Wandsworth’s housing stock. But how the council chooses to respond determines whether they are inconveniences… or life-changing crises.

The Housing Ombudsman’s message is clear: **Wandsworth must do better**. Not just to meet policy, but to protect the people who call its housing home.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/06/21/mould-misery-and-council-neglect-the-human-cost-of-wandsworths-failures/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/06/21/mould-misery-and-council-neglect-the-human-cost-of-wandsworths-failures/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Mould%2C%20misery%20and%20Council%20neglect%3A%20the%20human%20cost%20of%20Wandsworth%E2%80%99s%20failures&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/06/21/mould-misery-and-council-neglect-the-human-cost-of-wandsworths-failures/)

**Categories:** Health, Housing

**Tags:** C3 rating, Housing Ombudsman, listening council, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth responds to Housing Regulator’s damning verdict—but will paperwork fix a culture problem?](https://putney.news/2025/06/16/wandsworth-responds-to-housing-regulators-damning-verdict-but-will-paperwork-fix-a-culture-problem/)

**Published:** June 16, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Council response risks more bureaucracy—residents still shut out of decisions.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has published its official response to a damning judgment from the Regulator of Social Housing—but the new plans risk creating more bureaucracy, not real change.

In March, the regulator gave Wandsworth a [low C3 rating](https://putney.news/2025/04/09/wandsworth-council-lagging-behind-peers-after-damning-housing-safety-report/ "Wandsworth to build its own surveillance app—for £500,000"), citing systemic failings in tenant safety, housing conditions, complaints handling, and overall governance. The council now says it accepts those findings in full and has drawn up a series of corrective measures.

But key elements of the plan—outlined in [Cabinet Paper No. 25-176](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Inspection-report-and-regulatory-judgement-Regulator-of-Social-Housing-Paper-No.25-176.pdf) \[pdf\], due to be rubber-stamped on Monday—remain thin. Observers are questioning whether the response will address the deep-rooted cultural problems that led to the crisis, or simply shuffle responsibilities and produce more performance data.

#### No escaping the resident verdict

The council’s weakest point—its relationship with residents—is also where its response is most vague. According to the council’s own figures, more than three quarters of tenants (76%) say they are dissatisfied with how Wandsworth communicates with them or handles complaints.

The Regulator singled this out as a major failing, and Wandsworth has promised to create a new resident scrutiny panel. But despite this being one of the most serious and visible issues, the Cabinet paper offers no timeline, no budget, and no structure for how the panel will work.

In other areas—like safety checks, complaint logging, and housing data management—the council offers more technical fixes. But in the one area where trust must be rebuilt, the response is little more than a placeholder.

#### Big spend, weak scrutiny

Meanwhile, the council continues to throw money at the symptoms of the problem.

At the Cabinet meeting today, it will propose spending:

- [£50,000 on iPads](https://putney.news/2025/06/06/50k-for-new-ipads-to-take-pictures-of-mould-is-wandsworth-council-suffering-from-brainrot/ "£50k for new iPads to take pictures of mould: Is Wandsworth Council suffering from brainrot?") for officers to take photos of mould
- [£560,000 on a self-designed digital surveillance system](https://putney.news/2025/06/11/wandsworth-to-build-its-own-surveillance-app-for-500000/ "Wandsworth to build its own surveillance app—for £500,000"), asking residents in temporary accommodation to verify their presence using selfies and location data via text message

Both projects are framed as “spend-to-save” initiatives, designed to cut costs over time. But neither has been properly tested, and neither was recommended by the Regulator. Instead, they appear to be in-house inventions, pushed forward without external validation or robust consultation.

> [Wandsworth to build its own surveillance app—for £500,000](https://putney.news/2025/06/11/wandsworth-to-build-its-own-surveillance-app-for-500000/)

#### Less scrutiny, more risk

Perhaps most worryingly, the Labour administration has made it harder to challenge decisions like these. In February, the council [abolished](https://putney.news/2025/03/10/wandsworth-executive-accused-of-silencing-scrutiny-opposition-stripped-of-oversight-powers/ "Wandsworth Executive accused of silencing scrutiny: opposition stripped of oversight powers") its Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee, eliminating the main route for councillors and residents to hold officers accountable.

The council has now created a new Regulatory Compliance Board, intended to oversee progress and report to the Regulator every quarter. But this is an internal group, not a democratic forum. Decisions about multi-million-pound reforms are now being made behind closed doors—at the same time as public confidence in housing services is at rock bottom.

#### Is this recovery—or reputation management?

Wandsworth says it hopes to return to regulatory compliance within 12–18 months. But many of its promises rely on technology, consultancy, and internal restructuring—rather than changing the culture that led to the failings in the first place.

With no clear plan for rebuilding trust, and no credible route for residents to be heard, the fear is that this latest plan may produce more dashboards than difference.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/06/16/wandsworth-responds-to-housing-regulators-damning-verdict-but-will-paperwork-fix-a-culture-problem/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/06/16/wandsworth-responds-to-housing-regulators-damning-verdict-but-will-paperwork-fix-a-culture-problem/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20responds%20to%20Housing%20Regulator%E2%80%99s%20damning%20verdict%E2%80%94but%20will%20paperwork%20fix%20a%20culture%20problem%3F&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/06/16/wandsworth-responds-to-housing-regulators-damning-verdict-but-will-paperwork-fix-a-culture-problem/)

**Categories:** Housing, Politics

**Tags:** C3 rating, cabinet, Wandsworth Council

---

### [What’s behind Wandsworth’s terrible waste management and how can we actually fix it?](https://putney.news/2025/03/08/whats-behind-wandsworths-terrible-waste-management-and-how-can-we-actually-fix-it/)

**Published:** March 8, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** It's been a persistent problem for years - and we know why. But politicians don't want to hear the answer.

**Content:**

It’s something we’ve all seen, and many of us have complained about: the terrible state of waste collection in Putney.

Bin men turn up at different times; sometimes not at all. Unsightly piles of garbage that gather on the pavement every week. Rotting food everywhere on bin day thanks to foxes. Why is Wandsworth so bad at something that everyone else in the world appears to have figured out?

Following a recent council meeting where, yet again, councillors [promised to fix things](https://putney.news/2025/03/04/wandsworth-waste-crisis-residents-and-schools-struggle-with-recycling-failures/ "Wandsworth waste crisis: residents and schools struggle with recycling failures"), we decided to dig a little deeper.

***So see below for the reasoned explanations for why it’s so hard to get waste management right – according to the council – but if you want our plain-speaking view, scroll to the bottom.***

Wandsworth’s food waste collection program has not been a success for a number of reasons including inconsistent services, logistical difficulties, and gaps in public engagement. While the borough has expanded food waste recycling efforts, several underlying issues have made effective waste management a persistent challenge.

##### Why Is Waste Management Falling Short?

Despite significant investment in food waste collection and recycling initiatives, multiple factors are limiting their effectiveness:

1. **Public Engagement and Compliance Issues**
    - Many residents are uncertain about the correct way to separate waste which has led to low participation rates, especially in flats.
    - Lack of clear guidance for landlords and tenants has resulted in confusion over waste disposal responsibilities.
    - There needs to be better outreach and education efforts.
2. **Infrastructure Limitations**
    - Many older buildings and flats above shops lack proper waste storage facilities, forcing residents to leave waste on pavements where it is frequently torn open by foxes.
    - The borough has around 10,000 flats above shops that lack designated bin areas, creating ongoing sanitation and littering problems.
    - While the council has committed to surveying affected properties and expanding communal waste storage, critics argue that infrastructure improvements should have preceded the mandatory food waste collection policy.
3. **Waste Contamination and Recycling Efficiency**
    - Incorrect disposal of food waste in dry recycling bins has led to entire batches being rejected from processing facilities, reducing overall efficiency.
    - Common contaminants include plastic bags, non-compostable food containers, and liquid waste, which make proper recycling more difficult.
    - The council is considering stricter enforcement and clearer public messaging to reduce contamination.
4. **Service Implementation Delays and Inconsistencies**
    - Despite the borough-wide food waste collection rollout in June 2024, some areas still do not receive regular collection services.
    - Reports from residents highlight missed collections, bin shortages, and inconsistent pickup schedules, causing frustration and leading to waste buildup.
    - Schools and businesses are also experiencing delays in transitioning to the new system. Non-domestic properties must separate recyclable waste from general waste by March 31, 2025, but some organisations are struggling with implementation.
5. **Financial Barriers for Schools and Community Groups**
    - Independent schools and community organizations must pay for food waste collection services, unlike directly managed schools that receive it for free.
    - Some councillors have raised concerns about the financial burden placed on small institutions, arguing that waste management should not be a luxury service.
    - The council has yet to provide specific funding support for affected groups, leaving them searching for cost-effective solutions.

##### A Path Forward

Wandsworth Council has pledged to address infrastructure weaknesses, improve public education efforts, and refine collection schedules to make waste management more effective. The Cleaner Borough Plan (Phase Two) includes plans to expand communal bins and introduce “waste ambassadors” to support compliance and reduce contamination.

However, concerns remain that the pace of action is too slow, and some residents and businesses believe the borough must accelerate infrastructure improvements and enhance service reliability before the system can function efficiently.

As Wandsworth continues working toward higher recycling rates and reduced landfill waste, tackling these systemic challenges will be essential for long-term success. Residents are encouraged to engage with local waste management initiatives, report service issues, and participate in consultation efforts to help shape future improvements.

---

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/bridge-idea.jpg)#### The Putney.news view

We’ve outlined the council’s view of why waste management is such a mess and difficult to fix. Now here’s our view:

*This is not rocket science.*

Every local authority across the world has to deal with waste management and many of them – particularly in Australia, Germany and parts of the United States – do it a hell of a lot better than we do.

The truth is that when Wandsworth Council was run by the Conservatives, they decided to get out of the commercial waste collection market in order to save money. The result was savings but a worse service that has degraded further over time.

We don’t have modern bins – or the rubbish trucks to deal with them. We rely on old-fashioned bin bags and men hurling them into the back of a lorry.

We don’t have adequately paid waste services. So corners are cut, low-wage workers with little or no incentive to do a good job are hired, a weak customer service layer can’t insist on improvements, and we all make do with a terrible service because all the real solutions require spending more money.

And that means raising council tax – something that the Conservatives have made a huge cultural issue in Putney (thank you Mrs Thatcher), and which the new Labour-run administration is sticking firmly with in the hope of retaining control of the council – even when that means [piling on the debt and digging into reserves](https://putney.news/2025/03/05/wandsworth-council-warned-about-ticking-timebomb-of-new-debt/ "Wandsworth Council warned about ticking timebomb of new debt").

And so we have the council and councillors outlining things like “public engagement” and “lack of compliance by locals.”

##### The honest answer

In straight terms, here’s the real problem: we don’t put enough money into it.

If you want to see what could happen if Wandsworth politicians were to get over their “lowest council tax in Britain” fixation, then you only need to stick your head over the fence to Richmond and Twickenham where waste management has been more fully funded and complaints are a tiny fraction of what Wandsworth receives.

You might be surprised to know that Richmond Council and Wandsworth Council are actually run by the same people. Staff and back-office functions were merged back in October 2016 to save on costs – and it is estimated to save £10m a year.

So with the same people running things, the only difference between good waste management and terrible waste management is: our councillors and the decisions they choose to make.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/03/08/whats-behind-wandsworths-terrible-waste-management-and-how-can-we-actually-fix-it/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/03/08/whats-behind-wandsworths-terrible-waste-management-and-how-can-we-actually-fix-it/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=What%E2%80%99s%20behind%20Wandsworth%E2%80%99s%20terrible%20waste%20management%20and%20how%20can%20we%20actually%20fix%20it%3F&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/03/08/whats-behind-wandsworths-terrible-waste-management-and-how-can-we-actually-fix-it/)

**Categories:** Comment, Health, Politics

**Tags:** Wandsworth Council, waste management

---

### [Wandsworth residents abandoned: waste collections plummet to shocking new lows](https://putney.news/2025/06/27/wandsworth-residents-abandoned-waste-collections-plummet-to-shocking-new-lows/)

**Published:** June 27, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Council's defensive excuses can't hide catastrophic performance and broken promises.

**Content:**

Wandsworth residents are facing a waste collection crisis with missed pickups running at nearly three times the council’s target rate, while the borough’s recycling performance remains among London’s worst, a council scrutiny meeting [heard this week](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/987771).

Despite spending £22.8 million annually on waste services and having over a year to bed in its new collection system, Wandsworth continues to struggle with basic service delivery while Labour councillors mount increasingly defensive responses to mounting criticism.

The most damning statistics [emerged](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Environment-Overview-and-Scrutiny-Committee-June-2025.pdf) \[pdf\] during Tuesday’s Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting, where officials confirmed that missed rubbish collections are running at almost three times the council’s own target rate – a problem described as a “persistent pain point” that has plagued the borough since the introduction of a new waste contract in June 2024.

Conservative Councillor Jonathan Cook strongly criticised the service delivery, arguing that previous contract changes in 2012 had been “better managed and bedded down faster” than the current problems. He suggested the persistent issues reflected “poor implementation, not system complexity.”

The scale of the problem has prompted monthly performance reviews and financial penalties for contractor Serco, which has held the waste collection contract since 2012 under an agreement worth approximately £5.49 million annually (extended through March 2028). However, the council has refused to publish details of how much the company has been fined – leaving residents questioning whether enforcement is genuine or merely symbolic.

#### Recycling Rates Among London’s Worst

While Labour councillors celebrated an increase in recycling rates from 22% to 29%, Wandsworth remains firmly in the bottom tier of London boroughs. The borough recycles less than half the Mayor of London’s 50% target and falls well short of neighbouring authorities:

**Borough****Contractor****Recycling Rate (2024/25)****Collection Model****Wandsworth**Serco~29%Separate trucks; mixed bags**Kingston**Veolia (SLWP)~49%Multi-box source separation**Bexley**Countryside Partnerships (in-house + private)~52%Highly structured box/bag system**Richmond**Serco (via joint contract with Wandsworth)~41%Mixed recycling bags + food waste bin**London Avg.**—~33%Mixed models (bin/bag/box)**UK Avg.**—~44%Predominantly wheeled bins; co-mingled mixLondon’s average recycling rate remains well below the UK average, largely due to high-density housing, transient populations, and infrastructure constraints but this stark comparison highlights Wandsworth’s failure to learn from successful models operating just miles away.

Richmond and Wandsworth even share a joint waste contract with Serco, but Richmond’s recycling performance is significantly better, due to an earlier adoption of food waste, more consistent communications and greater use of reusable bags and caddies.

- 

#### A Litany of Excuses

Rather than accepting responsibility, council officers and Labour councillors have produced a lengthy list of justifications for the poor performance:

- Claims that separate collection vehicles for different waste streams create “more complexity”
- Health and safety rules preventing manual lifting of wheeled bins
- Resident “confusion” about the new system
- Bags being “missed” when buried in wheelie bins
- Misreporting by residents who allegedly confuse rubbish with recycling collections

Council officer Cindy Gardner admitted that crews are prohibited from manually handling wheeled bins, leading to bags being left uncollected if they’re not easily visible – a policy residents see as “a flimsy excuse to dodge responsibility.”

#### What High-Performing Boroughs Do Differently

The contrast with successful boroughs is stark. Kingston and Bexley achieve their superior results through clear container systems that use separate boxes for paper, glass, and food rather than confusing bag-in-bin arrangements.

They invest heavily in proactive resident education through comprehensive communication campaigns and school outreach programs, while maintaining rigorous enforcement where non-compliance results in non-collection, creating strong incentives for proper sorting. Crucially, they maintain transparency through regular publication of collection and recycling statistics.

Bexley, London’s recycling champion at 52%, has maintained consistent performance through mandatory food and garden waste separation and intensive public education dating back to the early 2000s.

##### Key differences between us and better performing boroughs

**Area****Wandsworth****Kingston / Bexley****Bin Policy**Wheelie bins still commonMostly banned for recycling**Resident Role**Passive (bags mixed in bins)Active sorting (crates, caddies)**Education**Reactive, minimal signageProactive campaigns, school outreach**Collection Complexity**3 separate crews (rubbish, rec, food)Single-round multi-sort (Kingston); structured weekly rounds (Bexley)**Contractor Influence**Large-scale outsourcing (Serco)In-house elements or smaller providers**Missed Collections**High post-2024Low and stableBeyond the official statistics, anecdotal evidence suggests more troubling practices. Multiple residents report collections being deliberately skipped after they complained about poor service, with one resident describing to *Putney.news* how they ended up in a “weird kind of vendetta” with the bin company after they reported repeat missed collections.

It escalated to the point where an anonymous complaint was filed and the council sent a fixed penalty notice to the resident for litter infringement along with a Notice of Intended Prosecution – a threat that was immediately dropped when the resident provided the council with evidence that Serco was responsible and that the ongoing issues had been repeatedly logged in the council’s own system.

#### Labour’s Defensive Response Angers Residents

Rather than acknowledging the scale of the problems, Labour councillors have adopted an increasingly defensive stance. The meeting heard how cabinet members have characterised the persistent collection failures as manageable issues, with the council leader previously describing the troubled rollout as a “huge logistical achievement.”

Councillors Graeme Henderson and Sarah Apps defended the performance, acknowledging problems while praising community officers for their “hands-on engagement with residents to improve compliance” – effectively shifting blame onto residents for the council’s service failures.

#### The Need for Fundamental Change

The evidence points to fundamental problems that require more than technical fixes:

- **First, a change in attitude**: The defensive posture from both councillors and officers alienates residents who expect prompt action, not elaborate justifications for poor performance.
- **Second, transparent accountability**: The council must publish comprehensive data on Serco’s fines and performance metrics, allowing public scrutiny of whether enforcement is effective.
- **Third, learning from success**: Rather than reinventing systems, Wandsworth should adopt proven practices from high-performing boroughs like Kingston and Bexley.
- **Fourth, resident-focused solutions**: Systems should be designed around what works for residents, not what’s convenient for contractors or creates impressive-sounding policy papers.

> [What’s behind Wandsworth’s terrible waste management and how can we actually fix it?](https://putney.news/2025/03/08/whats-behind-wandsworths-terrible-waste-management-and-how-can-we-actually-fix-it/)

#### A Service in Crisis

At approximately £22.8 million annually – including £8.15 million for collection services under the Serco contract and £14.62 million for waste disposal – Wandsworth’s waste service represents one of the council’s largest budget commitments. Yet performance ranks among London’s poorest, with missed collections creating health hazards and recycling rates that shame the borough among its peers.

After more than a year of “bedding in” excuses and defensive political rhetoric, residents deserve better than a service that fails to meet basic standards while councillors blame everyone except themselves and their chosen contractor.

The time for excuses has passed. Wandsworth needs a waste service that works – and councillors willing to demand it rather than defend failure.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/06/27/wandsworth-residents-abandoned-waste-collections-plummet-to-shocking-new-lows/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/06/27/wandsworth-residents-abandoned-waste-collections-plummet-to-shocking-new-lows/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20residents%20abandoned%3A%20waste%20collections%20plummet%20to%20shocking%20new%20lows&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/06/27/wandsworth-residents-abandoned-waste-collections-plummet-to-shocking-new-lows/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** missed collections, recycling, Serco, Wandsworth Council, Waste Management Crisis

---

### [“Frozen” or just misleading? How a 2% Council tax rise sparked a political firestorm in Wandsworth](https://putney.news/2025/04/24/wandsworth-council-tax-freeze-claims/)

**Published:** April 24, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Wandsworth Labour claimed to freeze council tax — but bills went up. A local backlash and BBC coverage forced a quiet retreat.

**Content:**

It began with a bold claim: *“Wandsworth Labour has frozen your council tax.”*

The message was everywhere — printed in official-looking leaflets dropped through letterboxes, plastered across social media, and echoed by local Labour councillors in post after post. It was meant to reassure residents that, even amid rising costs, their local authority was holding the line.

There was just one problem: it wasn’t true.

##### **A promise that didn’t add up**

Wandsworth Council’s Labour administration had, in fact, **raised council tax by 2%** in 2025. The increase is clearly stated in the council’s budget papers and reflected in bills landing on doormats across the borough.

Yet even as residents saw their charges rise, the council kept insisting it had imposed a “council tax freeze.” [Social media posts like this one](https://x.com/PutneyLabour/status/1897348504768684093) from March 2025 claimed:

“Labour have frozen Council Tax again in Wandsworth.” And the same message was repeated and amplified [over](https://x.com/PutneyLabour/status/1899103934058283203) and [over](https://x.com/PutneyLabour/status/1894378565401223353) again. On the Labour Party’s social media accounts, on the Council’s social media accounts, in videos and short clips, and printed leaflets. There’s even a [specific webpage](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/freeze) for the claim.

##### **The backlash builds**

Residents were confused. Opposition councillors were incredulous. And soon, the pressure began to mount.

At a full council meeting on **10 March**, Independent Councillor **Malcolm Grimston** [took direct aim](https://putney.news/2025/03/11/malcolm-grimston-ridiculous-council-tax-freeze-claim/) at the claim.

> “It’s ridiculous,” he told the chamber. “People are not stupid. If the bill is going up, it’s not frozen.”

> [Watch now: the independent calling out Wandsworth Council’s ‘ridiculous’ tax freeze claim](https://putney.news/2025/03/11/malcolm-grimston-ridiculous-council-tax-freeze-claim/)

Then, on **9 April**, the BBC [turned the spotlight](https://putney.news/2025/04/09/bbc-exposes-wandsworth-councils-misleading-council-tax-freeze-claim/) on the council. In a sharp segment, reporters exposed the contradiction between Labour’s messaging about a council tax freeze and the real numbers on residents’ tax bills. Wandsworth residents interviewed in the piece described feeling “misled.”

> [BBC exposes Wandsworth Council’s misleading council tax ‘freeze’ claim](https://putney.news/2025/04/09/bbc-exposes-wandsworth-councils-misleading-council-tax-freeze-claim/)

##### **A political leaflet war**

Seizing the moment, Wandsworth Conservatives went on the offensive. A newly circulated leaflet — styled in the bright colours and bold layout of official council communications — declared:

![Conservative anti-council-tax freeze leaflet](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/leaflets-1.png)The Conservative Party’s response to Wandsworth Council’s claim it has frozen council tax.> “Council spending is out of control.”

The leaflet, shown above, mocked the “freeze” claim and highlighted Labour’s rising debt and borrowing plans, including a £1.9 billion borrowing figure and a so-called £12,800 “debt cost per household.”

It’s a leaflet clearly designed to sting — and to look like it could have come from the council itself.

##### **Why it matters in Wandsworth**

This may seem like a row over semantics, but in Wandsworth, council tax has long been a political touchstone. For decades under Conservative control, Wandsworth boasted **the lowest council tax in the country** — a core part of its identity.

Labour, which took control of the council in 2022 for the first time in 44 years, promised not to change that. The political consensus is clear: if Labour is to hold power in this historically Tory borough, it must **convince voters that council tax will stay low**.

That may explain why the council clung so tightly to the “freeze” narrative — even after the facts told a different story.

##### **A quiet retreat**

Under mounting scrutiny, Labour has now dropped the language of a council tax freeze from its website and social media posts. But so far, there has been **no official clarification or apology** to residents who received the misleading messaging.

And while the 2% rise is modest in the scheme of things, the episode has sparked broader concerns about transparency and political messaging in local government.

As the next local elections edge closer, the issue may be less about the size of the increase — and more about whether residents trust what they’re being told.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/04/24/wandsworth-council-tax-freeze-claims/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/04/24/wandsworth-council-tax-freeze-claims/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%9CFrozen%E2%80%9D%20or%20just%20misleading%3F%20How%20a%202%25%20Council%20tax%20rise%20sparked%20a%20political%20firestorm%20in%20Wandsworth&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/04/24/wandsworth-council-tax-freeze-claims/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** BBC, council tax, council tax freeze, Malcolm Grimston, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth Council’s cabinet meeting: a masterclass in meaningless theatre](https://putney.news/2025/05/13/wandsworth-councils-cabinet-meeting-a-masterclass-in-meaningless-theatre/)

**Published:** May 13, 2025
**Author:** John Lilburne

**Content:**

It was billed as a Cabinet meeting. It played out like a tragicomedy written by ChatGPT, directed by a corporate wellness coach, and performed by councillors so self-consciously aware of their own image, they forgot to govern.

Welcome to Wandsworth, where the politics is as hollow as a leftover party balloon and the stakes — though high — are smothered in soft-focus platitudes and performative nods.

The set is a [sterile webcast](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/979294) of Wandsworth’s Labour Cabinet, chairs neatly arranged in a circle like an awkward team-building session. The plot: a £9 million spending spree, a school closure, and the systematic dismantling of democratic oversight — delivered with all the emotional resonance of a soggy digestive.

**“I’m really pleased… I’m really pleased…”**

These were the opening words of a Cabinet Member introducing a discussion on refugee grants. That set the tone of the evening — which was not so much *Cabinet government* as *corporate away-day recap*. One by one, councillors queued up to say how *delighted* they were to spend millions in public money — not with scrutiny, not with analysis, but with a kind of *Instagram Live* energy, as though the real audience was somewhere behind a ring light.

There were no hard questions. No challenge. No public present. This wasn’t democracy — it was theatre for the leader’s approval. Because while the viewers at home were virtually nonexistent, every Cabinet member knew who *was* watching: Simon Hogg, whose leadership [survived an attempted coup](https://putney.news/2025/04/23/hogg-holds-on-in-wandsworth-after-leadership-challenge/) late last month, instigated by none other than his own ward-mate, Kate Stock. Her absence from the room said more than any speech could.

Stock’s old job as Cabinet Member for Children has been hastily reassigned – a fact that the former Environment Cabinet Member Judi Gasser sheepishly relayed to a room full of school heads earlier that day at the Wandsworth Schools Forum. A nervous supply teacher in someone else’s chair.

> [Hogg holds on in Wandsworth after leadership challenge](https://putney.news/2025/04/23/hogg-holds-on-in-wandsworth-after-leadership-challenge/)

#### **£9 million spent, and not a single disagreement. Not even an awkward cough.**

This is what happens when you kill scrutiny. Wandsworth Labour [disbanded the key checks and balances](https://putney.news/2025/03/10/wandsworth-executive-accused-of-silencing-scrutiny-opposition-stripped-of-oversight-powers/) that once forced a flicker of accountability into their decisions. In its place, we now get a scripted showreel of self-congratulation, complete with fake questions lobbed across the room like warm bread rolls at a team lunch.

Take Councillor Ireland’s question:

> “I was just wondering, if residents or any community groups come forward with suggestions about gaps in provision, how easy would it be to expand on this list?”

The answer, of course, was *very easy*. “Please come forward!” the leader chirped, as though this entire £12.5 million allocation was just a Kickstarter campaign waiting for a few more Likes.

There was talk of “playgrounds not replaced like-for-like”, with the kind of reverence usually reserved for urban renewal manifestos, but here it sounded like someone describing a gym revamp on Nextdoor.

**And then — the school closure.**

St Anne’s Catholic Primary School, [set to close due to declining numbers](https://putney.news/2025/05/12/empty-desks-full-crisis-st-annes-closure-nears-as-send-strains-mount/). You might expect gravity. Sincerity. Instead, we got a masterclass in language so euphemistic it bordered on fan fiction. The deputy chief executive, wheeled out to introduce the report, offered this surreal lament:

> “The willingness and desire to work in partnership… has made this process a decision, one which has arrived at with kindness… embrace the loving and inclusive spirit of St Anne’s in your hearts…”

Was this a council meeting or a TED Talk about breaking up kindly?

Leader Simon Hogg described the decision to close the school that has served Wandsworth for 100 years “very sad,” with the conviction of a man asked to cry at the funeral of a neighbour’s pet he never met. Councillor Gasser followed up with a grim reading of numbers — 58 pupils left, 26 of whom are Year 6 and leaving anyway — as if announcing a disappointing change to train timetables.

Except, of course, for the small matter of *why* this happened — why Wandsworth’s school rolls have collapsed, why the Council had no rescue plan, why Wandsworth is shutting schools at a higher rate than any other part of London, why parents had called the consultation process “a whitewash”. But no one asked that. They were too busy thanking each other. Amazingly, [it was the same last month](https://putney.news/2025/04/16/wandsworth-cabinet-meeting-political-posturing-behind-a-paperless-curtain/).

#### **This is governance by second-rate influencers.**

The Cabinet has become a live-streamed pep rally. In place of accountability, we have “reflections”, “updates”, and “conversations”. Councillors read from scripts. Officers deliver speeches like they’re practising for a podcast. Cabinet is no longer a decision-making body — it’s a branded content platform.

Wandsworth deserves better than this. Better than soft-focus spending announcements. Better than the “Are there any comments?” silence after each paper. Better than a Cabinet so paranoid about keeping their jobs they daren’t ask a difficult question.

There is still power here. Still real decisions being made. Still millions being spent. Still schools being closed. But you wouldn’t know it from watching. Because the plot is lost, the characters are flat, and the script is just bad TV.

**And worst of all — it’s not even trending.**

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/05/13/wandsworth-councils-cabinet-meeting-a-masterclass-in-meaningless-theatre/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/05/13/wandsworth-councils-cabinet-meeting-a-masterclass-in-meaningless-theatre/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20Council%E2%80%99s%20cabinet%20meeting%3A%20a%20masterclass%20in%20meaningless%20theatre&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/05/13/wandsworth-councils-cabinet-meeting-a-masterclass-in-meaningless-theatre/)

**Categories:** Comment, Politics

**Tags:** Angela Ireland, cabinet, Judi Gasser, Simon Hogg, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth Executive accused of silencing scrutiny: opposition stripped of oversight powers](https://putney.news/2025/03/10/wandsworth-executive-accused-of-silencing-scrutiny-opposition-stripped-of-oversight-powers/)

**Published:** March 10, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Wandsworth Council's accountability was already in question. New changes may make the situation worse.

**Content:**

In a move that has sparked complaints by opposition councillors and transparency advocates, Wandsworth Council’s executive has cemented its control over decision-making by weakening scrutiny powers and limiting oversight mechanisms.

Under sweeping constitutional changes [approved](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=296&MId=9603&Ver=4) this month, the council has restructured its scrutiny system, making it harder for opposition councillors to challenge key decisions.

##### A Centralised Scrutiny System

One of the most notable changes is the replacement of multiple thematic scrutiny committees with a single General Overview and Scrutiny Committee (GOSC). Previously, Wandsworth had separate committees overseeing key policy areas such as housing, transport, education, and the environment. These allowed councillors with expertise in specific areas to conduct in-depth scrutiny.

However, under the new system, all scrutiny functions have been consolidated into GOSC, a move that critics argue will dilute specialised oversight. Opposition influence has also been reduced, with just two opposition councillors now sitting on the committee.

The changes have come in response to a review of the Council’s scrutiny process by the independent Centre for Governance and Scrutiny (CfGS) which observed that while the council’s committees were active and engaged, they often lacked the ability to influence outcomes.

One Labour councillor noted the poor quality and frequently childish interactions between councillors of both parties when she described the council as akin to a “sixth form debating society.”

The changes however give more power to an executive that has been repeatedly accused of being less than transparent about its finances – [borrowing £1.9 billion](https://putney.news/2025/03/05/wandsworth-council-warned-about-ticking-timebomb-of-new-debt/ "Wandsworth Council warned about ticking timebomb of new debt") and digging into council reserves to fund its activities without disclosing its assumptions, spending over £1m on the leader’s office without accounting for where the money went, and [pushing through](https://putney.news/2025/03/05/new-council-homes-approved-for-putney-estate-despite-resident-uproar/ "New Council homes approved for Putney estate despite resident uproar") numerous housing developments against unanimous local resident opposition.

Those concerns were reflected by the opposition speaker for finance, Councillor Peter Graham (Con), who pointed out that the CfGS had said that any changes to the council’s constitution should go through a working group and then to a formal committee before being submitted to the council for final approved.

However, he noted:

> “Most of the changes before us tonight went straight to the Executive, which is not a formal council committee and excludes the opposition. At Monday’s meeting, there were no comments or questions, and the changes were nodded through in under two minutes. The final approval tonight is our first sight of these changes and the only debate.”

In other words, while making fundamental changes to the way the council spends billions of pounds of Wandsworth taxpayers’ money, the council’s executive displayed the very behaviour that other councillors are most concerned about: a lack of integrity, honesty and accountability.

##### Reduced Powers to Challenge Executive Decisions

Key procedural changes have also affected the ability of scrutiny committees to challenge executive decisions.

- The “call-in” process, which previously allowed any five councillors to delay and review an executive decision, has been restricted. Some decisions—particularly those deemed within the budget and policy framework—are now exempt from review.
- The “reference-up” mechanism, which enabled scrutiny committees to escalate concerns to full Council, has also been altered. The Executive now has greater discretion to prevent certain decisions from being referred up.
- Executive control over meeting scheduling has increased, giving the administration more power to delay or limit discussions on contentious matters.

##### Concerns Over Transparency and Accountability

These changes have sparked concerns among opposition councillors and transparency advocates. Critics argue that by limiting the number of scrutiny committees and reducing opposition influence, the council’s leadership—currently Labour-controlled—has made it more difficult to challenge and scrutinise key decisions.

Instead of more in-depth oversight by councillors, some with expertise in housing, transport, or education, there will now be a single committee trying to cover everything.

However, the council’s leadership has defended the changes, arguing that a more streamlined scrutiny system will improve efficiency, reduce bureaucracy and speed up decision-making.

**Change****Before (Dec 2024**)**Now (Mar 2025)****Effect****Scrutiny Structure**Multiple thematic scrutiny committeesSingle General Overview and Scrutiny Committee (GOSC)Less detailed policy scrutiny**Call-in Process**5 councillors could call in a decisionMore councillors needed, some decisions exemptHarder to challenge decisions**Opposition Influence**Opposition councillors spread across multiple committeesOnly 2 opposition members in GOSCWeaker checks and balances**Meeting Control**Scrutiny committees had some scheduling independenceExecutive has more influence over schedulingHarder to scrutinize contentious issues##### What’s Next?

As these changes take effect, many will be watching closely to see how the new scrutiny system impacts local governance. Will the General Overview and Scrutiny Committee be able to effectively hold the executive to account? Or will this restructuring lead to a weaker opposition and less transparency in Wandsworth’s decision-making processes?

It is worth reflecting on the fact that even before these changes, Wandsworth Council had stuck with an outdated and less democratic form of governance – that of a Leader and Cabinet – over a service committee approach.

The call-in process and standards committee approach, which has now been dismantled, was itself a weak governance approach and stands in stark contrast to neighbouring Richmond Council which holds open meetings, publishes its decisions and both encourages and incorporates public participation.

---

You can see the papers concerning the Council’s new constitution [here](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=679&MId=10089&Ver=4).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/03/10/wandsworth-executive-accused-of-silencing-scrutiny-opposition-stripped-of-oversight-powers/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/03/10/wandsworth-executive-accused-of-silencing-scrutiny-opposition-stripped-of-oversight-powers/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20Executive%20accused%20of%20silencing%20scrutiny%3A%20opposition%20stripped%20of%20oversight%20powers&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/03/10/wandsworth-executive-accused-of-silencing-scrutiny-opposition-stripped-of-oversight-powers/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** Centre for Governance and Scrutiny, Councillor Peter Graham, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth Council warned about ticking timebomb of new debt](https://putney.news/2025/03/05/wandsworth-council-warned-about-ticking-timebomb-of-new-debt/)

**Published:** March 5, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** The Labour-run Wandsworth Council is digging even deeper into reserves while again increasing debt in order to fund its priorities while keeping council tax low.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Borough Council is [set to borrow](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=296&MId=9603&Ver=4) an additional £140 million by 2029/30, sparking heated debate over the borough’s financial future as reserves shrink and funding uncertainty looms.

Critics warn the strategy could leave the council exposed to long-term financial risks, while officials insist the borrowing is necessary to fund key projects and keep council tax low.

The new borrowing comes as the council dips into £11.5 million of reserves to balance its budget, a move that represents 5 per cent of the borough’s £204 million in usable reserves. Some councillors argue that using savings for day-to-day expenses is unsustainable, especially with looming government funding formula changes that could significantly impact Wandsworth’s revenue streams.

Despite freezing the main portion of council tax, the council approved a 2 per cent rise in the adult social care precept, a move some called misleading as residents will still see higher bills. By not increasing council tax fully, the borough is also forfeiting £2.2 million in potential revenue, a loss that some argue could have reduced reliance on reserves.

##### Debt balloons to nearly £2 billion

The council’s total debt is expected to reach £1.9 billion, with £80 million in interest payments due over the next five years. Some members voiced concerns over whether such high levels of borrowing represent sound financial management or a ticking time bomb. Officials defended the plan, saying investments in highways, public spaces, and net-zero projects would benefit residents long-term.

Meanwhile, growing cost-of-living pressures have increased demand for adult social care and housing support, further straining the budget. While the council has allocated reserves to ease the burden on struggling households, concerns remain that without a sustainable revenue plan, future funding shortfalls could force painful service cuts.

As financial uncertainty deepens, pressure is mounting on the council to outline a clear, long-term financial strategy. Whether the borough can balance ambitious investment with fiscal responsibility remains to be seen.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/03/05/wandsworth-council-warned-about-ticking-timebomb-of-new-debt/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/03/05/wandsworth-council-warned-about-ticking-timebomb-of-new-debt/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20Council%20warned%20about%20ticking%20timebomb%20of%20new%20debt&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/03/05/wandsworth-council-warned-about-ticking-timebomb-of-new-debt/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** debt, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Behind closed doors: Wandsworth Council’s £3.2bn pension fund mismanagement exposed](https://putney.news/2025/04/23/wandsworth-council-pension-fund-mismanagement-exposed/)

**Published:** April 23, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Content:**

When the Wandsworth Council Joint Pensions Committee finally published the video and transcript of its March 25 meeting, it came not with a press release or explanation—but after nearly a month of silence and repeated requests from *Putney.news*.

What the long-awaited materials [reveal](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/963779) is a meeting in which Council officers admitted to years of underperformance in the borough’s £3.2 billion pension fund—all while the public was kept in the dark.

The council’s investment portfolio has suffered notable setbacks, particularly in property and equity mandates. One of the poorest performing assets, the Nuveen UK Property Fund (UKPF), delivered disappointing returns over multiple years and was ultimately deemed no longer viable. As officers explained, “we’ve had some challenges in relation to… the Nuveen Property Fund” and had to take urgent action to avoid becoming forced sellers in a declining market.

In fact, the pension fund has had to rely on investment income simply to meet outgoing payments, a sign of mounting pressure. The fund’s strategy of holding yield-generating illiquid assets like infrastructure and private debt was designed to help offset this, but several key investments have still underperformed their benchmarks, contributing to an overall shortfall.

As one officer summarised to councillors, “even after we reinvest some of that money… we are continuing to deliver excess income from our returns,” but only narrowly—leaving “not that much comfort” when it comes to meeting cash needs from investments alone. The result, acknowledged in a March report, is a **£7.2 million deficit**, reversing what had previously been a £350 million surplus **just a year ago**.

These admissions are significant in their own right. But what makes them even more troubling is how the public only learned of them after the fact—thanks to a series of delays and obstructions in the meeting’s broadcast and publication.

##### **A Missing Livestream and a Month of Silence**

The meeting was supposed to be livestreamed on the Wandsworth Council webcast platform, as is routine for major committee sessions. But on the night of 25 March, no livestream was available. Visitors to the webcast page found only a placeholder and no explanation.

When *Putney.news* contacted the Council the following day, we were told that there had been a “technical failure of the broadcasting equipment.” However, officers confirmed that a local recording had been made and that they were “hopeful of being able to publish this shortly,” though they “could not give a date.”

A follow-up request on 28 March was met with a polite but vague assurance that we would be notified when the recording was ready. But no update ever came—and it wasn’t until 22 April, nearly a month later and after a third email, that the video and transcript suddenly appeared on the Council’s website. Within an hour of our request, the materials were posted.

This highly selective timing raises the question: if the video and transcript were already available, why weren’t they published sooner?

Adding to the concern is the fact that, to our knowledge, no other Wandsworth Council webcast has suffered a similar “technical failure” in recent memory. The Council maintains a full archive of meetings on its [public webcast portal](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcasts), and a review of recent listings shows no other unexplained blackout like the one seen on 25 March.

Which leads to a more troubling possibility: that the livestream may not have failed—but may have been intentionally withheld.

> [Is Wandsworth Council hiding financial mismanagement behind closed doors?](https://putney.news/2025/03/25/is-wandsworth-council-hiding-financial-mismanagement-behind-closed-doors/)

##### **What Was the Council Trying to Avoid?**

One part of the meeting that was particularly sensitive involved the transition of the Nuveen UK Property Fund (UKPF) to the new TPUT Property Fund. This item had been flagged on the agenda as potentially confidential, with a notice that the press and public could be excluded under the “commercial sensitivity” exemption.

Yet when the meeting took place, that item was not moved into a private session. In fact, the entire discussion about TPUT—including Wandsworth’s vote to approve the fund merger—was held in public. So if no part of the meeting was ultimately held in private, why was the entire session not streamed at all? Or did the Council’s never intend to post the video and only relented after *Putney.news* repeatedly asked for it?

Council officers offered a long explanation for the Nuveen fund’s failure. The core issue, they said, was liquidity. When another investor issued a large redemption request, it triggered a collapse in the fund’s structure, forcing all other investors—Wandsworth included—to either sell their property assets at fire-sale prices or find a better alternative.

“We talked about the size of property funds… when you’ve got a small fund, a redemption… can then trigger substantial impacts for other investors—and that’s clearly what happened here,” said one officer.

Wandsworth Council chose to support a transfer into the Threadneedle Property Unit Trust (TPUT), managed by Columbia Threadneedle. Officers said 98% of voting investors backed the move, and “100% of those who voted, voted in favour.”

The TPUT presentation, given by Columbia fund managers, promised better performance, ESG oversight, and a long-term future. But the key fact remained: Wandsworth’s £40.3 million in Nuveen had underperformed, and the Council had to act quickly to prevent deeper losses.

> [Pension chaos: Wandsworth Council faces multi-million pound black hole](https://putney.news/2025/03/15/pension-chaos-wandsworth-council-faces-multi-million-pound-black-hole/)

##### **A Wider Pattern of Financial Pressure**

The admission of underperformance within the pension fund forms part of a broader picture of financial strain at Wandsworth Council.

As [previously reported](https://putney.news/2025/03/15/pension-chaos-wandsworth-council-faces-multi-million-pound-black-hole/) by *Putney.news* on 15 March, the borough’s finances are under mounting pressure. A £7.2 million pension deficit sits alongside a £100 million capital shortfall, and a funding gap that has led to warnings of a potential black hole in the council’s medium-term financial strategy.

Even more concerning is Wandsworth’s growing reliance on reserves to plug holes in its day-to-day spending. As detailed in a [5 March report](https://putney.news/2025/03/05/wandsworth-council-warned-about-ticking-timebomb-of-new-debt/ "5 March report"), the council has committed to drawing down over £50 million in reserves over the next three years to balance its books—a move the borough’s own scrutiny committee described as unsustainable.

Meanwhile, the council’s overall debt now exceeds £1.9 billion, driven in part by ambitious housing and infrastructure projects. A March report warned this growing debt could become a ticking timebomb, especially if interest rates remain high and external income assumptions prove over-optimistic.

> [Wandsworth Council warned about ticking timebomb of new debt](https://putney.news/2025/03/05/wandsworth-council-warned-about-ticking-timebomb-of-new-debt/)

##### **Transparency Still Matters**

The challenges facing Wandsworth are complex and far from unique. Many councils are struggling to keep services running amid rising costs, pension liabilities, and squeezed funding. But this only makes transparency more essential.

The fact that a meeting where the Council admitted serious financial weaknesses in its pension fund was not livestreamed, not promptly published, and only released after public pressure—undermines confidence in the borough’s approach to accountability.

Residents and pensioners are not asking for perfection. But they have a right to expect honesty—and to be able to watch these conversations in real time, not weeks later.

In the end, how Wandsworth Council communicates its financial reality may prove just as important as the numbers themselves.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/04/23/wandsworth-council-pension-fund-mismanagement-exposed/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/04/23/wandsworth-council-pension-fund-mismanagement-exposed/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Behind%20closed%20doors%3A%20Wandsworth%20Council%E2%80%99s%20%C2%A33.2bn%20pension%20fund%20mismanagement%20exposed&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/04/23/wandsworth-council-pension-fund-mismanagement-exposed/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Joint Pensions Committee, Nuveen UK Property Fund, pension fund, Threadneedle Property Unit Trust, transparency, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth overspends by £40m — and worse is on the way](https://putney.news/2025/07/02/wandsworth-overspends-by-40m-and-worse-is-on-the-way/)

**Published:** July 2, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Mounting overspends, pension risks and hidden deficits spark fears over future stability.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council overspent by more than £40 million last year — and fresh figures show the financial pressure is only building.

Rising costs across housing, adult social care and special needs education have forced the council to dip further into its reserves, while mounting debt, pension fund risks, and looming government reforms threaten to make the situation far worse in the years ahead.

The financial problems are detailed in [Paper 25-237](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/The-Councils-Financial-Results-202425-Paper-No.-25-237.pdf) \[pdf\], the council’s provisional financial outturn for the 2024/25 financial year. Although still subject to audit, the figures provide the clearest picture yet of the council’s finances, and confirm that, after another year of overspending, Wandsworth’s piggy bank is noticeably lighter — even if it still holds a relatively solid £193.9 million.

Behind the heathy savings are rising costs and structural problems — all of which are adding up to a potentially serious challenge in the years ahead.

#### Day-to-Day Services Cost More Than Planned

A £7.3 million overspend in the council’s General Fund comes from several parts of the council’s regular spending:

- **Adult social care** [cost £1.79 million more than expected](https://putney.news/2025/06/29/another-blow-to-wandsworths-finances-as-social-care-costs-soar/ "Another blow to Wandsworth’s finances as social care costs soar"), mainly because of rising demand and delays in delivering £2 million in planned savings.
- **Children’s services (non-schools)** went over budget by £690,000, including additional costs for placements and staff.
- A mistake in the newly introduced **Council Tax Reduction Scheme** led to some households receiving too much support. The error, now fixed, cost the council £1.1 million.
- **Planned savings in staffing, operations, and system redesign** failed to materialise, with the council continuing to spend as before. That added another £1.5 million to costs.
- Other technical adjustments, inflation-related costs, and redundancy payouts added further pressure.

The council says it will not dip into reserves again in 2025/26, but that commitment will be tested. Local elections take place in May 2026, and there are concerns that much of the mounting financial pressure may not become visible to the public until **after** the vote. Whether by chance or political design, the tougher decisions appear to have been delayed until the second half of that year.

> [Housing repairs ignored — now Wandsworth’s taxpayers are picking up the bill](https://putney.news/2025/06/21/housing-repairs-ignored-now-wandsworths-taxpayers-are-picking-up-the-bill/)

#### Housing Budget in Trouble

The council’s **Housing Revenue Account (HRA)** — a separate, ring-fenced budget for managing and maintaining council homes — had an even worse year.

It [overspent by £25.9 million](https://putney.news/2025/06/21/housing-repairs-ignored-now-wandsworths-taxpayers-are-picking-up-the-bill/ "Housing repairs ignored — now Wandsworth’s taxpayers are picking up the bill") in 2024/25, causing reserves to drop by nearly £39 million overall. That leaves the HRA with £153 million in the bank, down from £193 million a year ago.

The HRA is legally required to balance its own books and cannot be supported by the main council budget. It is funded mainly by tenant rents and service charges. That means the council has three main ways to plug any future HRA shortfalls: raising rents, cutting housing services, or borrowing more money.

HRA reserves are made up of two parts:

- **Revenue reserves**: for everyday costs like repairs and estate management
- **Capital reserves**: for longer-term projects such as new builds or major refurbishments

In 2024/25, both were used. £25.9 million came from the revenue side, and nearly £14 million from capital reserves, which are now down to the legal minimum of £25 million.

> [Special needs funding at breaking point in Wandsworth](https://putney.news/2025/06/23/special-needs-funding-at-breaking-point-in-wandsworth/)

#### Special Needs budget shortfall still hidden — for now

The council’s **Dedicated Schools Budget (DSB)**, which covers children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), ran a [£7.3 million deficit last year](https://putney.news/2025/06/23/special-needs-funding-at-breaking-point-in-wandsworth/ "Special needs funding at breaking point in Wandsworth"). This pushed the total SEND overspend to £21.1 million.

That shortfall is currently being kept off the council’s balance sheet under a government policy that temporarily shields councils from having to account for it fully. That protection was set to expire this year but has been extended to 2028. It buys time, but the deficit is growing and will eventually have to be dealt with.

> [Brace for impact: Council Tax to soar in Putney](https://putney.news/2025/06/22/brace-for-impact-council-tax-to-soar-in-putney/)

#### Financial storm clouds overheard

In addition to all the overspending, there are a further three worrying developments on their way:

1. **Increasing borrowing:** The council is also committed to major regeneration projects and new housing developments that are pushing its borrowing higher. By the end of the decade, Wandsworth’s debt is [expected to reach £1.9 billion](https://putney.news/2025/03/05/wandsworth-council-warned-about-ticking-timebomb-of-new-debt/ "Wandsworth Council warned about ticking timebomb of new debt"). That will come with a steep price tag: around £80 million in interest payments over the next five years. If income falls or costs continue to spiral, this borrowing could constrain the council’s ability to protect frontline services.
2. **Pension Fund in Crisis:** The council’s pension fund has lurched from a £350 million surplus to a [£7 million deficit](https://putney.news/2025/03/15/pension-chaos-wandsworth-council-faces-multi-million-pound-black-hole/ "Pension chaos: Wandsworth Council faces multi-million pound black hole") in just 12 months. Independent auditors have [flagged serious risks](https://putney.news/2025/06/05/wandsworths-pension-warning-risky-bets-red-flags-and-no-public-access/ "Wandsworth’s pension warning: risky bets, red flags, and no public access") and poor performance, warning that the fund lacks transparency and oversight.
3. **New Funding Rules Could Hit Hard:** Next year, the new Labour government is planning to introduce a [national reform of council funding](https://putney.news/2025/06/22/brace-for-impact-council-tax-to-soar-in-putney/ "Brace for impact: Council Tax to soar in Putney"). The new model will assume that councils raise at least £2,000 per Band D household from local taxation. But Wandsworth’s famously low council tax brings in just over £1,000 per Band D property. That gap could see the borough lose significant central government funding, starting in the second half of 2026.

#### Other Councils Building Reserves While Wandsworth Spends Theirs

While Wandsworth’s £193.9 million in reserves is still high, it is falling. Meanwhile, some other councils are increasing their reserves.

#### General Fund Reserve Levels by Borough (2023/24)

Borough2023/24 Reserves2022/23 ReservesChange (£m)Camden£228.9m£202.5m+£26.4mLambeth~£221.1m~£221.3m–£0.2mTower Hamlets£195.5m£221.3m–£25.8m**Wandsworth**£193.9m£201.2m–£7.3mHammersmith & Fulham£117.4m£135.8m–£18.4mIslington£31.7m£21.7m+£10.0mRichmond£10.8m~£11.5m–£0.7m#### The Big Picture

Wandsworth’s finances are still under control — for now. But key parts of the budget are overspending, reserves are falling, and more pressure is coming in the form of SEND costs, HRA pressures, debt repayments, pension fund risk, and central government funding reforms.

Unless things change quickly, the choices available to the council may soon be very limited: raise taxes, cut services, or borrow even more.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/07/02/wandsworth-overspends-by-40m-and-worse-is-on-the-way/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/07/02/wandsworth-overspends-by-40m-and-worse-is-on-the-way/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20overspends%20by%20%C2%A340m%20%E2%80%94%20and%20worse%20is%20on%20the%20way&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/07/02/wandsworth-overspends-by-40m-and-worse-is-on-the-way/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** budget crisis, DSB, General Fund, HRA, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth confesses: without special deal, council tax bills could triple](https://putney.news/2025/07/05/wandsworth-confesses-without-special-deal-council-tax-bills-could-triple/)

**Published:** July 5, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Finance officer admits council must secure extended protection from reforms to avoid bills doubling or trebling.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council’s finance officer has confirmed that it is reliant on the Labour government extending special funding protections that should have ended a decade ago – or face the prospect of council tax bills doubling or even trebling in coming years.

Speaking at a [Finance Committee meeting](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/990117) this week, Ms Murray revealed that Wandsworth is still benefiting from “transitional protection” introduced when the Conservative government last reformed local authority funding in 2013. She admitted the council is now desperately campaigning for similar special treatment under Labour’s upcoming Fair Funding Review to avoid a financial catastrophe.

The admission exposes how Britain’s lowest council tax area has been living in a protected bubble for over 12 years, shielded from funding reforms that other councils absorbed long ago, while residents enjoyed exceptionally low bills subsidised by an increasingly outdated system.

#### Twelve Years of Protection – And Counting

Ms Murray told councillors that Wandsworth still has transitional protection from the changes introduced 12 years ago, adding that the government’s proposal for just three years of protection from the new funding formula changes “doesn’t work for Wandsworth.”

The protection dates back to the introduction of the Business Rates Retention system in April 2013, when the government fundamentally changed how councils are funded. At that time, multiple funding formulae contained outdated data and transitional protections were built into funding allocations to limit sudden changes for local authorities.

These protections were designed to be temporary, but Wandsworth has continued to benefit from them for over a decade while the funding system has become increasingly outdated and unfair to other areas.

#### The Labour Government’s Reform Challenge

Now, with Labour’s Fair Funding Review set to be implemented from 2026-27, Wandsworth faces losing both its historic protection and confronting a new reality where funding is allocated based on need nationally and local tax-raising capacity.

The scale of the problem became clear during the committee meeting, where Ms Murray was forced to admit that the government is already assuming councils like Wandsworth will have to dramatically increase council tax. The government’s consultation assumes councils will set council tax at £2,000 for Band D properties rather than Wandsworth’s current rate of around £900 – effectively assuming the council will need to double its tax to make up for lost central funding.

But the reality could be even worse. One councillor warned that the council may have to triple or quadruple council tax to make up for lost revenue, and that even with massive service cuts, there would be “no way around” dramatic tax rises.

Faced with this dire prospect, Ms Murray outlined the council’s desperate lobbying strategy. She explained that proving “a three-year transitional protection period just doesn’t work for Wandsworth” would be key to their campaign for extended special treatment.

The council plans to argue it is a special case as “a well run low cost council” with limited scope for making cost savings, and that it needs more time to adjust to the new funding reality.

#### The Irony of Low-Tax Success

The situation highlights a fundamental irony: Wandsworth’s reputation for fiscal responsibility and the lowest council tax in London has been built on more than a decade of special government protection that has shielded it from the funding reality faced by other councils.

Meanwhile, seven London boroughs now require Exceptional Financial Support from government – the highest rate of any region – with London accounting for almost a third of the national total. Many of these councils have had to absorb funding changes that Wandsworth has been protected from.

> [Brace for impact: Council Tax to soar in Putney](https://putney.news/2025/06/22/brace-for-impact-council-tax-to-soar-in-putney/)

#### What Happens If Lobbying Fails?

If Wandsworth fails to secure extended transitional protection, the council faces stark choices after the three-year transition period ends around 2028:

- Double or triple council tax to maintain current service levels
- Slash services dramatically to match reduced government funding
- A combination of both that would fundamentally change the character of the borough

The government’s Fair Funding Review aims to create a more equitable system based on updated assessments of need and local tax-raising capacity, but for councils like Wandsworth that have been protected from previous reforms, the adjustment could be severe.

#### A Reckoning Long Overdue?

Critics might argue that Wandsworth’s current predicament represents a reckoning long overdue. The council has enjoyed decades of protection while maintaining the lowest council tax in the country, effectively subsidised by a funding system that other councils have criticised as unfair and which stems all the way back to when Margaret Thatcher was prime minister.

The question now is whether the Labour government will grant Wandsworth another special carve-out, or whether residents who have become accustomed to exceptionally low council tax bills will have to pay closer to what other Londoners contribute to local services.

As the council prepares its lobbying campaign, one thing is clear: the era of Wandsworth as the low-tax outlier may be coming to an end, and we should all prepare for a very different financial reality in the years ahead.

---

*The Fair Funding Review consultation closes in the coming weeks, with new funding arrangements set to take effect from 2026-27. Wandsworth Council declined to provide additional comment beyond the statements made at the public committee meeting.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/07/05/wandsworth-confesses-without-special-deal-council-tax-bills-could-triple/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/07/05/wandsworth-confesses-without-special-deal-council-tax-bills-could-triple/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20confesses%3A%20without%20special%20deal%2C%20council%20tax%20bills%20could%20triple&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/07/05/wandsworth-confesses-without-special-deal-council-tax-bills-could-triple/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** Business Rates Retention, council tax, Fair Funding Review, Finance Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Last chance for Alton: does the vote offer an escape from years of neglect?](https://putney.news/2025/08/17/last-chance-for-alton-does-the-vote-offer-an-escape-from-years-of-neglect/)

**Published:** August 17, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Roehampton estate’s future hangs in the balance after failed schemes and falling concrete.

**Content:**

**LONG READ:** In two weeks’ time, over 13,000 residents of the Alton Estate will receive ballot papers asking whether they want their neighbourhood demolished and rebuilt.

After 17 years of failed regeneration attempts, broken promises, and millions in wasted public money, this democratic vote represents the estate’s last realistic chance for comprehensive renewal.

The [proposal](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/25-174-Appendix-1.pdf) \[pdf\] would demolish around 178 homes across several buildings to create 600-650 new units, delivering a net gain of 130 council homes. The September 22–October 16 ballot requires only a simple majority, with no minimum turnout. Success would trigger London’s largest council-led housing project in decades. Failure would likely consign this architecturally significant estate to slow decay.

![Alton Estate latest plan (2025)](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/alton-estate-new-plan-1024x600.png)The new plan for Danebury: 9 high-rise blocks (one not shown) to replace six low-rise ones#### **From International Showcase to Filming Location for Dystopia**

Built between 1952–1961 on 305 acres of Georgian parkland, the Alton Estate was conceived as Britain’s answer to Le Corbusier’s revolutionary urban vision. The London County Council architects, led by Rosemary Stjernstedt, were constructing a manifesto about how society should live.

The estate consumed some of England’s finest 18th-century landscape. Where Georgian aristocrats had built magnificent country houses like Parkstead House (1760, home to socialite Lady Caroline Lamb) and Mount Clare (1772, designed for George Clive and landscaped by Capability Brown), modernist tower blocks now rose between the ancient trees. The grand houses survived—they’re now part of Roehampton University—but their formal gardens became the setting for one of the world’s most ambitious social housing experiments.

The architectural talent was extraordinary. Colin Lucas, Bill Howell, John Killick, John Partridge, and Roy Stout created two contrasting neighbourhoods. Alton East featured Scandinavian-influenced red brick towers. Alton West showcased uncompromising Le Corbusier-inspired concrete slabs that seemed to float above the landscape on pilotis.

International critics were rapturous. American architectural critic G.E. Kidder Smith declared it “probably the finest low-cost housing in the world,” while Nikolaus Pevsner called it “brilliant \[…\] aesthetically the best housing estate to date.” Over 2,000 international visitors toured the completed development annually, coaches arriving from across Europe to study Britain’s modernist masterpiece.

![Pictures on the Alton Estate available for licensing](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ripa-pix-site-1024x601.png)Just a sample of the artistic photos available for licensing from the Royal Institute of British ArchitectsArchitects continue to be fascinated with the estate. Dozens of black-and-white photos of the estate are licensed by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA); architecture journals have frequently covered the estate’s comings-and-goings, and renowned architect Richard Rogers even hosted a [dedicated TV show](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1C-iYTDHTg) about the estate, exclaiming his love for it.

Following Aneurin Bevan’s principle that “the working man, the doctor and the clergyman will live in close proximity to each other,” the estate mixed bus drivers with teachers, creating genuine social diversity that planners today struggle to achieve.

But the Alton’s cultural significance took an ironic turn. The striking brutalist architecture that had symbolized progressive social housing became a go-to filming location for dystopian dramas. The 1966 film *Fahrenheit 451* used the estate as a backdrop for Ray Bradbury’s authoritarian future. Thames Television filmed scenes from *The Sweeney* on Danebury Avenue. Later productions included episodes of *The Bill*, *Prime Suspect*, *Minder*, and even *Little Britain*. As one resident noted: “It’s more than likely the only police you’ll ever see on the estate are actors in costume.”

The estate’s architectural significance clashed uncomfortably with its media representation. While housing experts celebrated its Grade II\* listed slab blocks as masterpieces of modernist design, television audiences knew it as a symbol of urban decay.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/alton-estate-fahrenheit451-book-burning-1024x600.png)The famous dystopian book-burning scene from Fahrenheit 451 was filmed at Dunbridge House.#### **When Paradise Became Purgatory**

Both Alton East and West “suffered the usual problems with vandalism in the 1970s,” as the optimistic social consensus of the 1950s gave way to economic crisis. But the problems went deeper than social change.

The estate’s signature modernist features – floor-to-ceiling windows, minimal heating systems, innovative but complex building technology – proved expensive to maintain and poorly suited to British weather. The open undercrofts beneath slab blocks, designed as community spaces, became what official assessments later described as “unsafe, hidden spaces.” Planning documents note that “fundamental design flaws have created an abundance of dark and insecure settings, including non-overlooked alleys and external stairwells, which are conducive to antisocial behaviours.”

Transport isolation compounded the problems. The estate sits at the end of bus routes, poorly connected to employment centres. Even today, the nearest Underground station requires a 40-minute journey.

The fatal blow came from Margaret Thatcher’s *Right to Buy* policy. Wandsworth Council had introduced right-to-buy even before it became national policy. By 1990, 40% of the borough’s 28,000 council homes had been sold off—among the highest disposal rates in Britain.

As better-off residents bought their homes and moved on, the estate increasingly housed only those with limited choices. The careful social mix that had been the Alton’s pride gradually eroded, concentrating poverty and overwhelming support systems.

By the 2000s, residents were complaining bitterly about conditions. Community feedback revealed: “Concrete falling off of Allbrook House”; “Poor maintenance of blocks, moulding walls. Disgusting communal areas,” and “The housing maintenance service is very poor and many residents are left for weeks/months getting little or no response from the housing team whilst their repair issues are not addressed.”

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/alton-estate-old-plan-1024x599.png)An earlier 2014 vision for what the estate could look like: with the Library demolished and replaced with a round green#### **Seventeen Years of Spectacular Failure**

Starting around 2012, Studio Egret West won a competition to masterplan the estate’s regeneration. The prestigious practice conducted extensive consultation offering “four levels of improvement” and sent questionnaires to 3,800 households, achieving a dismal 7% response rate. Then Studio Egret West simply disappeared from the project with no clear explanation.

The most significant attempt partnered Wandsworth Council with housebuilder Redrow from 2017–2020. This joint venture, masterplanned by Hawkins Brown, proposed demolishing 288 homes to build 1,108 new ones – but the scheme was fundamentally flawed from conception.

The Conservative council’s approach prioritised private profit over community need. Only 23% of new homes would be affordable; well below even Wandsworth’s modest 33% target and far short of the 60% social housing that had made the original Alton special. Worse still, these affordable homes would be segregated on the site’s periphery, creating exactly the kind of social apartheid the original estate had been designed to avoid.

As community feedback revealed, residents saw through the false promises: “While the previous plan replaced existing council homes it was skewed towards private housing. Any development of the Alton estate should incorporate at least 50% council housing to produce a mixed development.” Others noted: “Social housing is what Roehampton’s Alton estate was built for—that is the heritage that should be preserved.”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s planning team condemned this spatial segregation as unacceptable, arguing it violated basic principles about mixed communities. The Mayor’s office identified that concentrating market housing in the estate’s heart while pushing social housing to the edges would fundamentally alter the development’s character and undermine its social purpose. Yet Wandsworth’s Conservative-controlled planning committee unanimously approved the application in October 2020 – only for Redrow to withdraw months earlier, citing rising costs and market conditions.

For residents who had endured three years of consultations and community meetings, the betrayal was complete. As one noted: “We have been promised regeneration for more than 12 years. Please do it this time. Otherwise I will be too old to enjoy this area.”

Labour’s May 2022 election victory ended 44 years of Conservative control and scrapped the failed scheme, but 17 years of failure had created deep suspicion about any regeneration promises.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/alton-estate-minstead-1024x600.png)The new proposal: a three-storey building to replace the shops and health centre at Minstead Gardens.#### **A Different Approach – But Is It Really?**

The current scheme, developed by HTA Design, proposes demolishing 167–178 homes to build 600–650 new units with 57% affordable housing – a significant step-up from Redrow’s offering. The £84 million from the Housing Revenue Account, plus £16 million GLA funding, represents genuine public investment rather than subsidising private returns.

But this money is essentially the residual balance from previous failed schemes—there may not be another opportunity if this ballot fails. The proposals still involve substantial demolition and years of construction disruption, with no guarantee that promises will materialise.

More concerning, the transport issues that have plagued the estate for decades remain largely unaddressed. Adding 425–475 net new homes will significantly increase pressure on already inadequate bus services. The council has launched new transport initiatives, but these operate limited hours and recent reports describe services as unreliable due to traffic congestion. Wandsworth Council has no direct control over Transport for London bus services – and there is no public transport proposal beyond buses.

The HTA proposals include four main development areas:

- The Danebury Neighbourhood with new mid-rise blocks around a central green square
- Replacement shopping facilities with larger supermarket
- A new community facility relocating services from 166/168 Roehampton Lane plus GP surgery
- And apartment blocks on Roehampton Lane

The architectural style would offer “contemporary reflection of Alton West’s original design principles,” though whether this represents genuine heritage respect or marketing spin remains unclear.

If approved, the timeline stretches far into the future. HTA would submit a planning application in June 2026, followed by detailed development of phasing and decant strategies. The council documents note that “each phase of delivery will also be subject to separate financial review and approval,” meaning residents face years of uncertainty about whether promises will actually be delivered. The Roehampton Community Hub could begin construction earlier, potentially providing decant housing, but no overall construction timeline has been published.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/alton-estate-peoples-plan-1024x724.png)A resident group called Alton Action worked with UCL to come up with an alternative People’s Plan#### **The Case Against: Refurbishment Over Demolition**

Opposition centres around [Alton Action](https://www.altonaction.org/), a resident-led campaign group that has partnered with University College London to develop an alternative “People’s Plan.” Their [155-page proposal](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Peoples_Plan_Alton_Estate.pdf) \[pdf\] advocates refurbishment over demolition, projecting £90 million returns from renovation while preserving internationally significant architecture.

Leading architects support this position, arguing that proper renovation could address current problems while preserving the buildings’ historic value. The group argues that current problems stem from decades of underinvestment rather than fundamental design flaws.

But the refurbishment argument faces a credibility problem. Residents have heard promises about better maintenance for decades, with persistent complaints about poor housing services and repairs taking weeks or months to complete. Why should residents trust that the same council that allowed buildings to deteriorate will suddenly transform into an efficient maintenance organisation?

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/alton-estate-allbrook-1-768x1024.png)Allbrook House: abandoned and left to rot – residents suspect on purpose to make its demolition easier to justify#### **The Case For: Starting Fresh**

Supporters argue that the estate’s problems have become too entrenched for cosmetic solutions. The buildings designed for 1950s lifestyles poorly serve contemporary needs. Families struggle in maisonettes accessed via long corridors; elderly residents find the modernist architecture intimidating.

The “[Landlord Offer](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/25-174-Appendix-2.pdf)” \[pdf\] provides stronger protections than previous schemes. Secure council tenants receive guaranteed new secure tenancies without temporary relocation. Leaseholders and freeholders get market value compensation plus up to £75,000 home loss payments, with shared equity options to remain in the community.

Current resident feedback supports change: “These homes are past their sell-by-date. Very difficult and expensive to live in,” and “Need better lifts. Need to be able to move out overcrowded people into bigger homes.”

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/alton-estate-dec2024-meeting-768x1024.png)A model of the proposed development shown to residents at the estate’s library in December 2024#### **The Heritage Versus Housing Dilemma**

The ballot crystallises a fundamental tension between architectural preservation and housing need. The five Grade II\* listed slab blocks represent some of Britain’s most significant modernist architecture, serving as what Historic England called “the showpiece for post-war British public housing architecture.”

But even key buildings lack protection, and for good reason. When campaigners applied to list Allbrook House and Roehampton Library in 2015, Historic England commissioned an [independent assessment](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/allbrook_house_and_roehampton_library_assessment_of_listability.pdf) \[pdf\] that concluded they “were a significantly and deeply flawed compromise on the original concept, and the least successful part of the LCC Estate.”

The rejection was devastating and detailed. Historic England identified eight critical problems: the buildings failed to fulfil their original brief for a public piazza; their setting created “ill-considered, dark and unpleasant spaces at ground level”; they had no architectural influence and were never published in professional journals; they were “commonplace and derivative 1960s building\[s\]” that simply copied aspects of the superior Highcliffe blocks without their most successful features; extensive alterations meant the library survived “only as a basic architectural shell with none of its original fixtures and fittings.”

Most damning was the assessment of Allbrook House’s urban design. The report noted that “the poorly resolved ramp or stair access between street level and the communal entrances” created significant problems for residents, while the intended public space “was left as an afterthought in the final design.” Unlike the dramatic Highcliffe slabs set in parkland, Allbrook House felt like “a poorly laid-out compromise, with none of the drama of the Highcliffe slabs in the parkland, nor a proper engagement with Roehampton Lane.”

Yet this architectural significance offers little comfort to residents living in cold, damp, poorly maintained homes. The modernist architecture that so impressed 1960s critics has proved problematic in practice. Features like floor-to-ceiling windows and minimal heating created buildings that photograph beautifully but prove challenging to maintain and uncomfortable to live in.

#### **The Democratic Gamble**

The September ballot represents both an opportunity and a risk for democratic participation in planning. The binary choice – approve demolition or accept decline – oversimplifies complex trade-offs. Residents can’t vote for better maintenance or partial renovation; they must choose between a specific proposal and an unsatisfactory status quo.

The voting arrangements favour approval. Only a simple majority is required, with no minimum turnout. Both sides are mobilising supporters, understanding that engagement levels could determine the result.

For residents, the choice involves profound uncertainties either way. Approval means years of disruption with no guarantee promises will be kept. Rejection means accepting continued poor conditions with little prospect of improvement.

#### **The Wider Stakes**

The ballot’s implications extend far beyond the estate’s boundaries. Successful council-led regeneration would demonstrate that public housing can be renewed through resident participation rather than developer profit extraction, potentially influencing estate renewal across London.

But failure would vindicate arguments that democratic planning is too slow and complex for effective urban renewal. The £100 million investment represents one of the largest council housing commitments in London—failure would waste this while demonstrating that even Labour councils struggle to deliver regeneration promises.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/bull-sculpture-1024x768.png)The Estate’s iconic bull sculpture: a symbol of the estate’s modernism#### **The September Moment**

When ballot papers arrive next month, they will carry the weight of 70 years of architectural history, 17 years of planning failure, and the hopes of over 13,000 residents. This may indeed be the estate’s final realistic opportunity for comprehensive renewal, with political alignment and financial commitments unlikely to be replicated if the ballot fails.

The estate that once symbolised post-war Britain’s highest social ideals now faces a test of whether contemporary democracy can fulfil those ideals through genuine community participation. After decades of broken promises and false starts, residents finally hold genuine power over their community’s destiny.

The question is whether they’ll choose to use it.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/08/17/last-chance-for-alton-does-the-vote-offer-an-escape-from-years-of-neglect/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/08/17/last-chance-for-alton-does-the-vote-offer-an-escape-from-years-of-neglect/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Last%20chance%20for%20Alton%3A%20does%20the%20vote%20offer%20an%20escape%20from%20years%20of%20neglect%3F&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/08/17/last-chance-for-alton-does-the-vote-offer-an-escape-from-years-of-neglect/)

**Categories:** Long read, Planning, Roehampton

**Tags:** Alton Estate, ballot, Fahrenheit 451, Hawkins Brown, HTA Design, Redrow, Right to Buy policy, Studio Egret West, The Sweeney, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Empty shops and missed opportunities: How M&S became a symbol of Putney High Street’s decline](https://putney.news/2025/04/19/how-marks-and-spencer-symbol-putney-high-street-decline-history/)

**Published:** April 19, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Marks & Spencer’s closure left a gaping hole on Putney High Street. This is the story of how it happened—and what it means for the future.

**Content:**

For nearly a century, Marks & Spencer stood as a cornerstone of Putney High Street—until its sudden closure in 2018 left behind more than just an empty building. In the years that followed, the once-thriving retail space became a boarded-up reminder of the area’s wider decline, as vacancy rates soared and footfall wavered.

This in-depth look traces the history of the M&S store, the reasons behind its departure, the community’s growing frustration, and how its[ long-awaited return](https://putney.news/2025/04/19/marks-amp-spencer-returns-to-putney-high-street/) in 2025 could signal a turning point—not just for a single shop, but for the future of Putney’s struggling high street.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/m-and-s-putney-high-st.png)The Marks & Spencer store as it used to be. Source: Unknown#### **A High Street Fixture – Then an Unexpected Farewell (2018)**

Marks & Spencer’s Putney High Street store had been a local fixture for decades – in fact, it first opened in 1931 and traded on the same site for **91 years**. The store became an anchor of Putney’s shopping district, offering both clothing and food. In early 2018, however, shoppers were stunned to learn that M&S would be [closing its Putney branch](https://www.fulhamsw6.com/page/putneysw15/info/conmandscloses002.htm#:~:text=The%20final%20closure%20date%20for,been%20confirmed%20as%207%20April) as part of a nationwide restructuring. The final day of trading was set for April 7, 2018.

All **[62 staff members](https://www.hammersmithtoday.co.uk/page/putneysw15/info/conmandscloses001.htm#:~:text=Image%3A%20Google%20Streetview)** were to be relocated to nearby M&S stores, such as those in Southfields, Fulham, and Barnes. The closure marked the end of an era on Putney High Street and left residents worried about the void it would create.

#### **Why M&S Closed: Official Reasons and Wider Strategy**

M&S management framed the Putney closure as a necessary step in a **“programme to modernise its UK store estate”** amid changing customer habits.

Sacha Berendji, M&S’s Director of Retail, [explained at the time](https://www.hammersmithtoday.co.uk/page/putneysw15/info/conmandscloses001.htm#:~:text=Sacha%20Berendji%2C%20Director%20of%20Retail,offer%20in%20the%20right%20locations): *“Stores will always be an integral part of our customer experience… but we have to ensure we have the right offer in the right locations. We believe these changes are vital for the future of M&S and we will continue to… take tough but necessary decisions”*.

In May 2018, M&S had unveiled a [radical plan](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/may/22/marks-spencer-close-stores#:~:text=Marks%20%26%20Spencer%20is%20closing,trigger%20thousands%20of%20job%20losses) to close over 100 shops by 2022, essentially retreating from weaker-performing high streets to focus on more viable locations. Putney was one of the first casualties of this plan – listed among the clothing & home branches already shut by 2018.

The “difficult trading conditions**”** in Putney were cited as a factor, suggesting that the store was underperforming in an era when online shopping and out-of-town retail were on the rise. Unofficially, local factors like **high rents and business rates** may have contributed; the area’s footfall had been stagnating and business costs were climbing, making it hard for big retailers to justify their High Street presence.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/m-s-shutup-1024x575.png)Despite efforts by the local BID to liven up the storefront, Putney residents have grown used to the dishevelled format site.#### **An Empty Landmark: From Busy Store to Boarded “Eyesore”**

The former Marks & Spencer storefront on Putney High Street sat vacant for years, its windows papered over and its once-bustling entrance now quiet. The local business improvement district (BID) even added a decorative “PUTNEY” sign to brighten the forlorn façade. This prominent empty building became a symbol of the high street’s struggles.

Once M&S closed its doors, the large building at **59 Putney High Street** became an immediate void on the streetscape. Passersby saw shuttered windows often plastered with outdated posters and notices – a stark contrast to the lively displays of the past.

Over time, the site deteriorated in appearance and remained completely unused. It emerged that Marks & Spencer still held the lease on the property *and would until 2028*, and had refused to allow any subletting of the premises.

In practice, this meant the huge retail unit would deliberately sit empty. The rationale was likely to prevent competitors from moving in, but the outcome was a prominent dead zone on Putney’s prime shopping street and cited as an example of “land banking” – preventing potential competitors from taking over the prime location.

During the Covid lockdowns, the forlorn site even attracted unwanted attention – there were reports of trespassers and an illicit “lockdown party” inside the vacant store, underscoring the security and nuisance issues that can arise from long-term emptiness (a point frequently raised in community forums and by local police).

Overall, the shuttered M&S stood as a symbol of decline, visibly illustrating the wider pattern of shop closures blighting the high street.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/putney-flower-sign-original-1024x575.png)The original Putney sign and bush-blocking effort to cover up the loss of a key anchor store on the High Street.#### **Community Outcry and “Save The High Street” Campaigns**

The loss of Marks & Spencer struck a nerve in Putney. Long-time residents and shoppers voiced **anger and sadness** that a beloved store had been taken away. As months turned to years and the site stayed vacant, frustration in the community only grew. By 2020–2021, Putney High Street was dotted with empty units, and M&S’s hulking unused shell was the most high-profile example.

Local campaigners began to rally around the issue of vacant shops. In 2022, a *Save The High Street* local campaign was [launched](https://saveputneyhighstreet.com/), and a petition [carried out](https://www.putneysw15.com/default.asp?section=info&page=conlabour07.htm). Local residents, councillors, and community groups [met](https://positivelyputney.co.uk/save-putney-high-street-meeting/) in January 2023 to discuss concerns about empty shops and takeaways on Putney High Street, sharing insights, survey findings, and ideas for revitalisation.

The most significant result of the campaign came as part of a community coronation event, when children [painted giant wooden letters](https://positivelyputney.co.uk/putneys-giant-letters/) spelling “Putney,” which were displayed with flowers outside the former M&S store to brighten the High Street. The display was refreshed in March 2025. The group has since moved to a WhatsApp group that remains active with nearly 350 members.

Then in 2024, Putney resident and journalist Kieren McCarthy [launched](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG31ElwzG1w) the **“Save The High Street”** initiative in 2024 to tackle the blight of empty storefronts\*. McCarthy [pointed out](https://putney.vote/save-the-high-street/) that *“the most common kind of shop on Putney High Street is actually a closed one”*, noting an “incredible 22 shops” stood closed as of mid-2024. He argued:

> *“Our political representatives keep pointing at the problem but do nothing to fix it. Yes, it’s complex, but it’s also fixable given sufficient effort and creativity.”*

His campaign sought creative solutions – for example, negotiating “meanwhile use” leases to let local entrepreneurs or community groups temporarily occupy empty units. The shuttered M&S was frequently cited in these conversations.

Everyone agreed that M&S’s absence left a hole in Putney’s retail mix – even the local Business Improvement District (Positively Putney) [remarked](https://positivelyputney.co.uk/putney-town-consumer-survey/#:~:text=The%20Marks%20and%20Spencer%20site,agrees%20they%20are%20sorely%20missed) that *“the Marks and Spencer site… \[is\] still paying rent on the vacant site… Everyone agrees they are sorely missed”*. Petitions were signed and local forums buzzed with nostalgia for the old store and ideas for revival. In the eyes of many residents, reversing Putney’s high street fortunes became a rallying cause – and a reopened M&S was often mentioned as a top wish-list item.

[![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/save-high-street-video-clip-1024x575.png)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG31ElwzG1w)Image from a video from the Save the High Street campaign#### **Marks & Spencer’s U-Turn: A 2025 Reopening Plan**

After nearly seven years of emptiness, 2025 brought the [news](https://putney.news/2025/04/19/marks-amp-spencer-returns-to-putney-high-street/) Putney had been waiting for. Marks & Spencer [confirmed plans](https://corporate.marksandspencer.com/media/press-releases/ms-invests-over-ps90m-london-stores-bringing-seventeen-new-and-improved-stores) to **return to Putney High Street** as part of a major new investment drive.

In April 2025, the retailer announced a **£90 million investment in its London stores**, including opening six new Food Halls – one of [which will be in Putney](https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2025/04/ms-90m-food-halls/). Reports indicate that M&S intends to reoccupy its original premises at 59 Putney High Street, the same building it vacated in 2018.

Planning permission is being sought, but expectations are high that the store will reopen on that site, bringing it back to life. This marks a dramatic U-turn in M&S’s strategy – effectively undoing part of the 2018 retreat.

However, the reopened **M&S Putney will look different** than the old one. Instead of a full-range department store, it is slated to be a food hall-format store, focusing mainly on groceries and everyday essentials . (The original Putney M&S had sold clothing and homewares in addition to food.)

This shift aligns with M&S’s broader strategy of concentrating on food retail in certain locations, as their food halls have proven resilient and popular even when the clothing business faltered. Company representatives frame the move as seizing an opportunity: *“London has always been special for M&S… Our pipeline of stores demonstrates our continued investment in London,”* said Sacha Berendji, M&S’s Operations Director, in reference to the new openings.

He noted that M&S is focusing on having *“the right stores in the right places”* – a sign that Putney is now seen as the right place once again. The new Putney food hall, once open, is expected to create jobs and restore a key service for locals who have lacked a large M&S for years.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/putney-flower-sign-new-look-1024x575.png)The new look flower covering for the M&S Putney store. Hopefully in the next year it will be gone forever.#### **Reinvestment and Revitalization: The Bigger Picture**

M&S’s decision to reinvest in Putney comes as part of a broader transformation of its store estate. The £90 million London plan will deliver 17 new or revamped stores across the capital.

Alongside Putney, new M&S food halls are slated for **Clapham, Covent Garden, Fulham Broadway, New Malden, and Leytonstone**, while 11 existing London stores will be refurbished. This follows other regional investments (such as £50 million in the North West) as M&S reshapes its footprint.

The strategy behind these moves is to pivot toward high-performing formats and locations: typically, food-oriented stores in busy neighbourhoods, and fewer large clothing stores in areas where sales have moved online. Over the past decade, M&S had shuttered several London stores (for example, its Covent Garden branch closed around the same time as Putney, and more recently a large store in Marble Arch has been slated for redevelopment).

Now, with consumer shopping patterns stabilizing post-pandemic, M&S is selectively re-entering markets that it previously exited – Putney being a prime example of this turnaround. Retail analysts note that this reflects a **[“store rotation” strategy](https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2025/04/ms-90m-food-halls/)**, where M&S closes underperforming sites but later opens new-format stores in locations where it sees renewed potential.

In Putney’s case, the years of data showing strong food sales and an underserved customer base likely convinced M&S that a modern food hall could thrive. It’s a sign that, while the **UK high street has been challenging**, major retailers are not giving up on brick-and-mortar presence – they are just reinventing it.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/richmond-assessment-1024x576.png)Part of the assessment that Richmond carried out to successfully revitalise its Town Centre #### **The High Street in Context: Putney vs. Other SW London Neighbours**

Putney’s high street struggles have not occurred in isolation. Across southwest London, different town centres have experienced mixed fortunes in recent years. Putney saw a spike in vacant shops by the early 2020s, with roughly 13% of storefronts empty in 2023 (40 units) – an improvement from 14% in 2022, but [still elevated](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/media/k2ul4z5u/retail_survey_report_2023.pdf).

At one point in 2022, **23 shops on Putney High Street were vacant** (including some inside the Putney Exchange mall). This vacancy rate outpaced that of Clapham Junction, a nearby commercial hub which had about 9% vacancy in 2023 (28 empty units). **Wandsworth Town Centre** (around Wandsworth High Street and the Southside centre) was worse off, with a 17% vacancy rate in 2023, though it had improved from a concerning 23% the year before.

Farther afield, **Richmond** – often cited as a thriving suburban high street – had a [vacancy rate](https://www.richmond.gov.uk/media/jsqfulnc/vol_1_assessment_town_centres_local_plan.pdf) around 13.9% in 2022, comparable to Putney’s, but Richmond benefits from a richer retail mix and stronger destination appeal (its footfall and spending levels are high for a outer-London town).

Meanwhile, **Kingston** has been a [standout performer](https://kingston.nub.news/news/local-news/kingston-upon-thames-ranked-best-large-town-for-retail-nationally-230366#:~:text=Kingston%20upon%20Thames%20ranked%20best,Rankings%2C%20beating%20out%20nearby); in 2024 it was ranked the “No. 1 large town retail centre” in the UK by a retail vitality index , reflecting low vacancy and a robust range of shops.

These comparisons suggest that Putney has been **under-achieving relative to its potential** – especially given its affluent population and location. The problems cited include a proliferation of less-attractive uses (fast food outlets and estate agents filled many gaps, with 16 fast food shops and 14 estate agencies counted on Putney High Street ) and the lingering impact of infrastructure issues like the **Hammersmith Bridge closure** since 2019, which [cut off some visitor flow. ](https://www.putneysw15.com/info/conbid004.htm#:~:text=Positively%20Putney%20has%20recently%20analysed,on%20par%20with%202019%20levels)

On a positive note, data from late 2022 showed Putney’s footfall had rebounded to pre-pandemic levels and local retail spending was about 10% higher than in 2019. This resilience in foot traffic and spending, even amid many empty units, hints that the demand is there if stores are there to serve it.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/clapham-south-store-1024x726.png)Marks & Spencer intends to redesign its closed stores to provide more food and less clothing. Its reopened Clapham store will be a good example.#### **What the M&S Reopening Means for Putney**

The impending return of Marks & Spencer is being hailed as a major boost for Putney’s high street recovery. Local business leaders expect that a new M&S food hall will draw shoppers back into the town centre, increase footfall, and even inspire confidence for other retailers to invest.

An M&S acts as an anchor store, and its absence was acutely felt – as one survey found, **M&S was [one of the most-missed brands](https://positivelyputney.co.uk/putney-town-consumer-survey/#:~:text=The%20Marks%20and%20Spencer%20site,agrees%20they%20are%20sorely%20missed)** by Putney residents. Reopening it not only fills a prominent vacancy (instantly improving the street’s look and feel), but also signals that Putney is worth betting on.

The community campaigners see it as a victory for local voices: after years of pressure – from petitions to council meetings – their high street is getting a second chance. Councillors and the Putney BID have welcomed the news.

Of course, practical challenges remain. M&S’s plan is subject to planning approval and the refit of the old building will take time, meaning the store might not actually open its doors until later in 2025 or early 2026. And once it does, it will need sustained support to succeed (competition in grocery retail is fierce).

Nonetheless, the overall sentiment in Putney is optimistic. After being a case study in high street decline, Putney could now become a **story of regeneration** – with a rejuvenated Marks & Spencer as the keystone.

As the *Save Putney High Street* campaign put it, revitalizing a high street *“requires careful attention, business savvy, and a creative, concerted effort”* – the M&S comeback may well be the catalyst that sparks that effort, rallying both the community and businesses to finally turn the tide.

In the bigger picture, Putney’s experience illustrates the ebb and flow of Britain’s retail landscape: even after dark times of boarded-up shops, a well-loved high street can find new life when stakeholders commit to its revival.

**M&S Putney’s reopening is more than just a store launch – it’s a symbol of Putney’s resilience and a hopeful bellwether for the recovery of the local high street.**

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/happy-reopening-1024x683.png)A completely imagined picture of how we’re all going to feel and react if M&S Putney finally opens up after seven years.---

##### **Sources**

- Marks & Spencer press statements and news coverage of the 2018 closure and 2025 reopening
- Local news and community websites (PutneySW15, FulhamSW6) for detailed accounts of the closure impact and campaign responses
- Statements from M&S executives and local figures, including Sacha Berendji (M&S)
- Putney Business Improvement District (“Positively Putney”) reports on footfall, vacancies and resident surveys
- “Save The High Street” campaign materials and commentary, highlighting the community’s perspective on the high street’s condition.

##### Notes

Kieren McCarthy, cited as a source of local efforts to revive Putney High Street is also the editor of *Putney.news*.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/04/19/how-marks-and-spencer-symbol-putney-high-street-decline-history/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/04/19/how-marks-and-spencer-symbol-putney-high-street-decline-history/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Empty%20shops%20and%20missed%20opportunities%3A%20How%20M%26S%20became%20a%20symbol%20of%20Putney%20High%20Street%E2%80%99s%20decline&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/04/19/how-marks-and-spencer-symbol-putney-high-street-decline-history/)

**Categories:** Long read, Save the High Street, Shopping, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Kieren McCarthy, Marks & Spencer, Positively Putney, Putney High Street, Sacha Berendji, Save the High Street

---

### [From prestige to protest: inside the years-long battle over Wimbledon Park](https://putney.news/2025/05/05/from-prestige-to-protest-inside-the-years-long-battle-over-wimbledon-park/)

**Published:** May 5, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** As a defining court date nears, we take a look at the battle between AELTC and the Save Wimbledon Park campaign over protected parkland

**Content:**

After years of increasingly bitter confrontation, the *Save Wimbledon Park* campaign has [secured 8-9 July for its High Court challenge](https://putney.news/2025/05/05/save-wimbledon-park-campaign-gets-court-date-to-challenge-aeltc-expansion-plans/) against the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s (AELTC) contentious expansion plans. The judicial review, scheduled during the Wimbledon fortnight, marks what may be the final chapter in a saga that has transformed relations between one of sport’s most prestigious institutions and the community it calls home.

As the tennis world’s attention focuses on SW19, campaigners hope to spotlight what they characterize as the environmental and community damage that would result from AELTC’s ambitious development. With 923 donors already [contributing](https://putney.news/2025/03/04/fight-to-save-wimbledon-park-urgent-200k-appeal-to-stop-destructive-tennis-expansion/ "Fight to Save Wimbledon Park: urgent £200K appeal to stop ‘destructive’ tennis expansion") toward a £200,000 legal fund, the stage is set for a confrontation that will determine the future of Metropolitan Open Land that opponents argue should remain protected from development.

![Artist's impression of the new 8,000-seater show court in Wimbledon Park](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/wimbledon-show-court-1024x576.png)Artist’s impression of the new 8,000-seater show court in Wimbledon Park#### A Grand Slam Vision or Overdevelopment?

The central question facing the court is whether AELTC’s plans represent necessary modernisation or unjustifiable encroachment on protected land. Following its £65 million purchase of the 73-acre Wimbledon Park Golf Course in 2018, the club unveiled sweeping plans to transform the site into an expanded tennis complex.

The proposal includes 39 new grass courts, an 8,000-seat sunken “Parkland Show Court” that would rise approximately 28 meters high (equivalent to an 8-9 story building), and facilities to bring the qualifying tournament on-site. Currently, qualifiers are held at Roehampton’s Bank of England Sports Ground, a situation AELTC argues undermines the prestige of the preliminary competition.

“Creating an exceptional three-week event” has been a consistent AELTC talking point. With the new facilities, qualifying attendance could increase from about 2,000 daily spectators to 10,000, while players would benefit from practicing and competing at the main site from the outset.

AELTC Chair Debbie Jevans has described the project as “one of the greatest transformations since the London \[2012\] Games,” with completion targeted for the early 2030s. The club has emphasised that the plan remains in keeping with Wimbledon’s character, stating in 2018: “for the avoidance of doubt, there never has been and never will be any plans to build multi-story car parks, shopping villages or other structures completely out of character.”

Following the Greater London Authority’s approval in September 2024, Jevans announced: “we are delighted” and thanked the GLA for approving plans to “transform the former golf course.”

![Save Wimbledon Park protest sign on the road to the AELTC Wimbledon tournament in 2024](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/aeltc-save-our-trees-1024x768.png)Save Wimbledon Park protest sign on the road to the AELTC Wimbledon tournament in 2024#### Keeping Pace in the Grand Slam Arms Race

Understanding AELTC’s determination requires examining the broader context of Grand Slam tournament development. While Wimbledon remains tennis’s most prestigious event, its competitors have aggressively expanded their facilities in recent years.

The Australian Open’s Melbourne Park spans over 100 acres with three stadium courts. The US Open’s Billie Jean King National Tennis Center covers 46.5 acres and features 22 courts, including the 23,771-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium. Roland Garros, despite its constrained Parisian location, recently completed a controversial expansion into the adjacent Serres d’Auteuil botanical gardens, adding a new 5,000-seat court and modernising facilities.

Telegraph tennis correspondent Simon Briggs has noted that the All England Club fears being “left behind” by its rivals, and “desperately needs to catch up” with events like the “sprawling Australian Open.”

The Paris expansion offers particularly relevant lessons. Roland Garros faced intense opposition from environmentalists and heritage groups over its plans to expand into protected botanical gardens. After years of legal challenges and compromises, a scaled-back version proceeded – but not before causing significant reputational damage and delays. AELTC appears to have learned that securing political support early is crucial, but perhaps underestimated the determination of local opposition groups to pursue legal remedies.

**Grand Slam (Location)****Site Area (ha)²****Total Courts (all)³****Main Stadium (Capacity)****Qualifying Tournament****Wimbledon** (London)~28.5 ha (current) / 57.4 ha (planned)18 championship courts (grass) + 38 new plannedCentre Court (14,979 seats)**No** (held off-site at Roehampton) – **Yes** on-site if expansion proceeds**Roland Garros** (Paris)~13.5 ha20 courts (clay)Court Philippe Chatrier (15,000, roofed)**Yes** (on-site at Stade Roland Garros)**US Open** (New York)~18.8 ha (USTA site)22 courts inside grounds + 11 adjacentArthur Ashe Stadium (23,771, roofed)**Yes** (on-site at USTA National Tennis Center)**Australian Open** (Melbourne)~20+ ha (Melbourne Park)¹35 outdoor courts (hard + some clay)Rod Laver Arena (14,820, roofed) ; plus 2 more stadiums (10,500 & 7,500 seats, roofed)**Yes** (on-site at Melbourne Park)
**Notes:** ¹Melbourne Park is part of a larger sports precinct; exact tennis site area is ~20 hectares (the Australian Open draws on adjacent parkland for fan zones). ²Site area: approximations of main venue grounds. ³Total courts includes show courts, match courts, and practice courts on-site. Grand Slam venues compared. Wimbledon current lacks a third large show court but the expansion will make it significantly larger than the others.#### “Tennis in an English Garden” vs. “Corporate Ecocide”

From the moment AELTC’s plans became public in 2021, they sparked fierce resistance. The site isn’t just any parcel of land – it’s Metropolitan Open Land (London’s equivalent of Green Belt), part of a Grade II\* listed historic park designed by famed 18th-century landscape architect Capability Brown, and believed by campaigners to be subject to legal covenants and a statutory public recreation trust dating back to its original council ownership.

Opposition groups have crystallised their argument around several key points:

- The planned removal of nearly 300 mature trees, which some locals have characterised as “corporate ecocide.” While AELTC promises to plant 1,500 new trees and claims most trees being cut are of “poor quality,” environmentalists note that established ecosystems would be irreparably damaged.
- The conversion of protected open space into a partially private sports venue. Though AELTC touts the creation of a new 9.4-hectare public park, opponents calculate that only about 28% of the acquired land would actually be freely accessible to the public.
- The potential violation of legal covenants from 1993, when Merton Council sold the land to AELTC with restrictions that it be preserved as open recreational space.

Most fundamentally, many residents see the proposal as betraying Wimbledon’s traditional charm – transforming “tennis in an English garden” into what they describe as an “industrial tennis complex.”

![A tennis racket on a chair to represent the AELTC representative who failed to turn up to a public meeting.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/aeltc-racket-1024x683.png)A tennis racket on a chair to represent the AELTC representative who failed to turn up to a public meeting.#### Public Meetings and Growing Opposition

The groundswell of opposition to AELTC’s plans has been remarkable in both its scale and persistence. Throughout 2023 and 2024, *[Save Wimbledon Park](https://www.savewimbledonpark.org/)* organised seven public meetings, each drawing hundreds of concerned residents. These gatherings became forums for community members to voice their frustrations and organise resistance.

One particularly notable meeting in 2023 became symbolic of the growing divide between AELTC and the community. When AELTC representatives failed to appear despite being invited, organizers placed a single tennis racket on an empty chair – a powerful visual representation of what many saw as the club’s unwillingness to engage in meaningful dialogue.

The campaign’s efforts extended beyond meetings to direct action. When Merton Council’s planning committee considered the application, protesters gathered outside the town hall, many carrying signs highlighting the environmental impact of the proposed development. Similar scenes unfolded at Wandsworth Council, where the unanimous rejection of the plans was met with applause from assembled campaigners.

By early 2022, thousands of objection letters had been lodged with both councils, and a petition opposing the development gathered over 21,000 signatures – an extraordinary number for a local planning issue. High-profile supporters [joined the campaign](https://www.savewimbledonpark.org/post/andy-hamilton-video-message-march-2025-and-donate-to-our-campaign-with-crowdjustice), including comedian Andy Hamilton and 100-year-old actress Thelma Ruby, who spoke at rallies against the expansion.

![Save Wimbledon Park protest outside Merton Council in October 2023](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/aeltc-protest-merton-council-oct23-1024x768.png)Save Wimbledon Park protest outside Merton Council in October 2023#### Political Support Overrides Local Opposition

By late 2023, the application had reached a critical juncture. Merton Council approved AELTC’s plans despite significant local opposition. Wandsworth Council, which had jurisdiction over a smaller portion of the site, unanimously rejected the proposal after its planning officers recommended refusal, calling the development harmful and inconsistent with planning policies.

This cross-borough contradiction triggered intervention from London’s City Hall. In a packed September 2024 hearing, Deputy Mayor for Planning Jules Pipe [delivered a verdict](https://putney.news/2024/09/27/london-assembly-approves-aeltc-expansion/ "London Assembly approves expansion of Wimbledon tennis tournament") that stunned opponents – approving the expansion on the grounds that its “very significant benefits” to public space, sports facilities, heritage, ecology, and the economy “clearly outweigh the harm” to Metropolitan Open Land.

As Pipe announced the decision, shouts of “Shame! Shame!” erupted from the gallery, reflecting the deep sense of betrayal felt by many attendees.

Paul Kohler, Merton councillor and now Wimbledon MP has been a leading voice in the campaign and outspoken about what he sees as the failure of local democratic processes. At public meetings, he has consistently emphasised the legal obligations attached to the land, arguing that the site is bound by both restrictive covenants and statutory trust arrangements that should prevent development.

The GLA’s decision was particularly controversial given that its own legal advisors had identified what they termed a potential “major stumbling block” – the possibility that the land remains subject to a statutory public recreation trust that could prevent development. Rather than resolving this issue before granting permission, the GLA advised that it should be “resolved by the courts” separately.

![Board announcing AELTC's planned expansion during the Wimbledon tournament in 2024](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/aeltc-boards-wimbledon-768x1024.png)Board announcing AELTC’s planned expansion during the Wimbledon tournament in 2024#### The Case for Expansion: AELTC’s Perspective

AELTC has maintained throughout the process that its plans represent responsible stewardship of the land and necessary modernisation of the tournament. The club emphasises several key benefits:

- Environmental Improvements: AELTC promises ecological enhancements, including improving the health of the park’s ornamental lake and creating new wildlife habitats. According to AELTC Chair Debbie Jevans, “every stage of this project will be delivered with…the utmost respect for both our neighbours and the environment.”

- Public Access: The creation of a new 9.4-hectare public park would, in AELTC’s view, convert what was previously a members-only golf course into space the “local community is champing at the bit” to enjoy.

- Tournament Enhancement: Bringing qualifying matches on-site would create what AELTC calls “an exceptional three-week event” and allow up to 10,000 fans daily to experience the preliminary stages of the tournament, compared to around 2,000 at the current Roehampton venue.

AELTC’s chief executive Sally Bolton celebrated the GLA approval, saying “we can look forward to delivering \[this project\]…which I think we’re all very excited about.”

#### The Legal Battle Lines

With political avenues exhausted, *Save Wimbledon Park* formally lodged its Judicial Review application in January 2025, raising three primary legal grounds:

- That decision-makers failed to properly account for the statutory public recreation trust and restrictive covenants which they argue should prevent development.

- That recent changes to the golf course landscape should not be counted as “benefits” when AELTC offers to fix them.

- That the proposed tennis complex does not qualify as an “alternative sports and recreational provision” under planning policy exceptions for building on Metropolitan Open Land.

In February 2025, a High Court judge granted permission for the review on all grounds, finding that the campaigners had “arguable grounds which merit consideration at a full hearing.” Neither Merton nor Wandsworth councils opted to contest the review, effectively leaving AELTC to defend the planning approval alone.

“This is a significant milestone as we seek to encourage the AELTC to think again and comply with legal policies and obligations,” campaign representative Jeremy Hudson noted in an update to supporters.

#### A History of Complex Relations

What makes this conflict particularly noteworthy is how it represents the breakdown of what was once a generally harmonious relationship. Historical expansions of the Wimbledon grounds, while not without controversy, never sparked opposition of this magnitude.

The deterioration began with what many locals perceived as AELTC’s high-handed approach to community consultation. Rather than engaging in substantive dialogue about potential compromises, critics argue that the club opted for a public relations campaign, including sponsorship of local events such as Christmas lights and shopping guides – efforts that some view as attempts to buy goodwill rather than address fundamental concerns.

Meanwhile, the planning process ground forward, with AELTC submitting over 200 documents of environmental assessments and plan revisions in response to technical questions, but making no significant concessions to the core community objections.

The handling of the application by Merton Council has also drawn criticism. In a recent campaign update, Save Wimbledon Park pointed out that despite Merton saying it expects restrictive covenants from 1993 to be respected, the council has not taken action to enforce them.

AELTC, for its part, has signalled its intent to initiate separate legal action regarding the trust status of the land, suggesting a willingness to fight through multiple legal fronts rather than substantially modify its plans.

#### Looking Forward: The Court’s Decision

As the July court date approaches, both sides are intensifying their preparations. The *Save Wimbledon Park* campaign is planning demonstrations outside the High Court during the hearings, urging supporters to attend with “witty slogans for your banners” to capture media attention during the high-profile Wimbledon fortnight.

Legal experts offer mixed assessments of the campaign’s chances. While judicial reviews of planning decisions are notoriously difficult to win, with success rates typically below 30%, several factors may work in the campaigners’ favor. The Metropolitan Open Land designation carries substantial weight in planning law, and courts have shown increasing receptiveness to environmental arguments in recent years.

A particularly important precedent may be the recent Supreme Court case (Day v Shropshire, 2023), which affirmed that if a council failed to formally remove a statutory trust before selling land, the trust continues to bind the land. *Save Wimbledon Park* argues this is exactly the case here – that Merton never properly removed the statutory trust when it sold the freehold to AELTC in 1993.

Whatever the outcome, the case represents a defining moment in the relationship between prestigious sporting institutions and the communities they inhabit. For AELTC, it raises questions about whether the global prestige of The Championships can be maintained without alienating its neighbours. For residents, it tests whether community opposition can prevail against the combined forces of corporate ambition and political support.

On 8-9 July, as the world’s best tennis players compete on Wimbledon’s hallowed courts, the battle for Wimbledon Park’s future will play out in the more austere setting of the High Court – a final showdown between two visions of what it means to preserve a sporting institution’s heritage while planning for its future.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/05/05/from-prestige-to-protest-inside-the-years-long-battle-over-wimbledon-park/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/05/05/from-prestige-to-protest-inside-the-years-long-battle-over-wimbledon-park/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=From%20prestige%20to%20protest%3A%20inside%20the%20years-long%20battle%20over%20Wimbledon%20Park&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/05/05/from-prestige-to-protest-inside-the-years-long-battle-over-wimbledon-park/)

**Categories:** Long read, Planning, Southfields

**Tags:** AELTC, Metropolitan Open Land, Save Wimbledon Park, Wimbledon Park

---

### [London's Green Belt debate: housing crisis vs urban preservation](https://putney.news/2025/05/11/londons-green-belt-debate-housing-crisis-vs-urban-preservation/)

**Published:** May 11, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Content:**

London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s [surprise announcement](https://putney.news/2025/05/11/khan-sparks-uproar-with-plan-to-build-on-london-green-belt/) this week that he will “actively explore” building homes on parts of London’s protected green belt land marks a dramatic policy reversal that has surprised and shocked city planners.

Breaking what he called “longstanding taboos” to address “the most profound housing crisis in the capital’s history,” Khan unveiled an ambitious target of one million new homes in the next decade—requiring construction at nearly triple the current pace. This proposal comes at a time when the entire system of longstanding protections over the Green Belt and inner London’s Metropolitan Open Land have come under question from the Labour Party at borough, regional, and national levels.

#### What Are London’s Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Land?

To understand the significance of this proposal, it’s important to know what London’s green belt is – and its sibling designation, Metropolitan Open Land (MOL), which protects green space within London’s urban area. The Metropolitan Green Belt around London is part of a national policy, dating back to the mid-20th century, that surrounds the metropolis with a wide ring of mostly undeveloped land. The core idea (formulated by planners like Sir Patrick Abercrombie during World War II) was to prevent urban sprawl – stopping London from endlessly expanding and merging into surrounding towns.

London’s green belt was established in the 1950s as a ring roughly 7–10 miles deep encircling the capital. It includes parts of counties all around Greater London. Development in the green belt is heavily restricted by national planning rules: new buildings are generally not allowed except in very special circumstances. By design, the green belt is largely made up of privately-owned land – much of it farms, woods, golf courses, and low-density uses – rather than formal public parks.

Within Greater London’s boundaries, there is a separate but analogous designation: Metropolitan Open Land. MOL was created to protect significant open spaces inside the built-up area of London that are important to Londoners. In planning terms, MOL enjoys “equal legal status” to the green belt – the protections are essentially the same, just applied inside the city. Much of London’s large parks, heaths, and commons are designated as MOL.

Both the green belt and MOL aim to curb development, but their rationale includes more than just blocking housing. They are meant to guide where growth goes (encouraging regeneration of derelict urban land) and to safeguard space for nature and recreation. Until now, Sadiq Khan himself had repeatedly vowed to defend both designations – which is why his new openness to building on green belt land marks such a dramatic policy shift.

![London's Green Belt Map. Pic: London Green Belt Council](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/london-green-belt-map-1024x795.png)A map of London’s Green Belt. Pic: London Green Belt Council#### Is the Green Belt Really “Green” – and Does the Idea Still Work?

One of the flashpoints in this debate is whether London’s green belt today truly serves its intended purpose – and whether all that land is genuinely “green” open space worth saving. Mayor Khan has argued that much of it is not. “People will assume that all green belt is green and pleasant, is rich in wildlife… That is not the case,” he said, noting that “a lot of it is poor quality, badly maintained, and inaccessible to Londoners.”

A striking statistic underlies his claim: although the green belt encircling London covers an enormous area (some 514,000 hectares), only about 13% of it is public parkland or land accessible for recreation. The vast majority is in private hands – often farmland, utility land, or unused scrub – meaning most Londoners can’t actually set foot on it. Khan provocatively calls some of it “grey belt” rather than green: derelict or low-grade lands that happen to lie within the green belt boundary.

Not everyone agrees with this characterisation. Green belt defenders point out that even if some green belt sites lack scenic beauty, they still fulfil the original mission of checking sprawl and giving breathing room to the city. Environmental groups note that “green” value shouldn’t be measured only by public access – farmland and wooded areas provide habitat, climate benefits, and food production close to the city.

From a historical perspective, London’s green belt was part of a grand bargain: contain the city’s footprint, but also build new towns and dense estates elsewhere to house the growing population. In recent decades, however, London’s population has surged (up by 2 million since 1990) without corresponding new towns or sufficient urban homebuilding, putting extreme pressure on housing costs. Critics say the green belt now inadvertently pushes growth into a “leapfrog” pattern – development jumps over the green belt into far-flung commuter towns beyond, leading to longer commutes and more car travel.

#### Green Space in South West London: A Case Study in Protected Land

London’s south-west quadrant – encompassing areas like Putney, Wimbledon, Richmond, and Kingston – illustrates the patchwork of protected green sites that exist within the capital. Much of this area is blessed with parks, commons and riverside meadows that are fiercely loved by local communities.

One of the largest open spaces in SW London is Wimbledon Common and Putney Heath, which together form an expansive green oasis straddling the boroughs of Wandsworth and Merton. Covering about 460 hectares of woodland, heath and grassland, these commons have been protected by statute since the 19th century. Further west lies the vast Richmond Park, London’s largest royal park at about 950 hectares, which holds National Nature Reserve status. It serves as a green lung not just for SW London but the whole city, with wild deer herds roaming just 8 miles from Trafalgar Square.

Smaller pockets of protected land dot the area as well. Barnes Common, Wandsworth Common, and Wimbledon Park are all designated as Metropolitan Open Land and protected from development. The cumulative effect is that South West London retains a chain of green spaces running through it – from the vast commons and parks down to smaller gardens and allotments – which give the area a leafier character compared to some other parts of London.

> [From prestige to protest: inside the years-long battle over Wimbledon Park](https://putney.news/2025/05/05/from-prestige-to-protest-inside-the-years-long-battle-over-wimbledon-park/)

#### Battles Over Building on Protected Land: The Wimbledon Park Saga

One emblematic clash is the ongoing Wimbledon Park saga, which centers on Metropolitan Open Land at the boundary of Wandsworth and Merton. The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), world-famous home of the Wimbledon Championships, has been pursuing a massive expansion plan onto land that was formerly the Wimbledon Park Golf Course – land that is part of the historic Wimbledon Park and designated MOL.

The AELTC’s proposal includes 39 new grass courts, an 8,000-seat semi-sunken stadium known as the Parkland Show Court, and a range of other buildings and infrastructure across the old golf course. The site is Metropolitan Open Land and part of a Grade II listed historic park – a landscape originally designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century.

When the plans became public, local residents formed the Save Wimbledon Park campaign, mobilizing around concerns that echo many green belt debates: loss of mature trees, privatization of green space, environmental damage, and breach of public trust. Despite the outcry, the project gained initial approvals from Merton Council and the Greater London Authority. However, the Save Wimbledon Park group swiftly filed for a judicial review, and as of May 2025 a High Court hearing has been set for 8-9 July 2025.

This case illustrates how contentious building on protected land can be, even when that land isn’t fully public. It pits local conservation values against city-level or national interests. It’s also a test case for how flexibly Metropolitan Open Land policy can be interpreted. If the challenge fails and the development proceeds, some fear it could set a precedent emboldening other encroachments on protected land.

#### London’s Housing Crisis by the Numbers: How Bad Is It?

Behind the push to build on even a sliver of green belt lies a grim and growing housing crisis in London. A few statistics starkly illustrate the challenge:

- **Housing Supply Gap:** London needs to be adding 80,000–100,000 homes per year to catch up with demand. Yet over the past decade, actual delivery has averaged around 30-40,000 annually.
- **Skyrocketing Prices:** As of early 2025, the average house price in London is around £556,000 (roughly $700,000) – double the UK average. Even with a recent cooling in the market, prices remain out of reach for most residents.
- **Unaffordable Rents:** The median monthly rent for a private flat in London now hovers around £1,625. By comparison, the UK median rent is ~£905. Housing charity data shows 1 in 4 Londoners are in poverty after accounting for housing costs.
- **Overcrowding and Homelessness:** Over 11% of London households are overcrowded, nearly triple the national rate. Khan cited over 90,000 children in London who are officially homeless or in unstable temporary housing.
- **Exodus of Key Workers and Youth:** High housing costs are cited as a major reason people are leaving London. Employers, from the NHS to tech firms, struggle to recruit and retain staff because workers cannot find affordable housing near jobs.

In short, London’s housing crisis is a multi-faceted problem: too few homes, exorbitant costs, and thousands of people in dire situations as a result. Khan’s decision to countenance building on the green belt must be seen in this context: traditional solutions have fallen short, and the crisis has persisted to the point that previously unthinkable options are now on the table.

#### Is Building on the Green Belt the Best Solution?

So, is unlocking some green belt land for development the best way to alleviate London’s housing crisis? It’s a question with strong arguments on both sides.

##### The Case For Building on (Parts of) the Green Belt:

Proponents argue that, given extraordinary housing need, nothing should be off-limits – especially not land that could be put to better use than it is currently. The green belt occupies a huge area around London, and even a small portion of it could yield a significant number of homes. If even 5% of London’s green belt were developed with housing at suburban densities, it might accommodate on the order of 200,000+ homes.

Some advocates focus on “low-hanging fruit”: parcels near existing infrastructure that are visually unremarkable. Another benefit cited is that it may be easier to build family homes with gardens – something London desperately needs – on available land at the fringes, rather than only building high-rise flats on infill sites.

Crucially, supporters claim this doesn’t mean paving over parks or treasured landscapes. The Mayor promises stringent conditions: any green belt release must maximise affordable housing and create net gains in green amenities – so new developments would have to include things like new parks, tree planting, and biodiversity improvements for local residents.

##### The Case Against (or Risks of) Green Belt Development:

Opponents counter that while green belt building might seem a quick fix, it’s not the optimal solution. First, there is the political and legal quagmire. Widespread green belt development would face resistance, delaying any housing from actually being delivered. There’s also skepticism about whether developers truly need green belt land, or simply prefer it. London currently has hundreds of thousands of unbuilt housing permissions – some critics say before touching the green belt, authorities should force the pace on these already-approved sites.

Another issue is infrastructure cost. Building a new suburb on the outskirts means investing in new transport links, schools, and utilities. This can be very expensive, and historically the government has struggled to fund such infrastructure at scale.

Effectiveness is another question: will releasing green belt land actually result in affordable housing? Some fear it would mostly produce expensive executive homes in commutable villages, because those are the most profitable to build.

Then there’s the point that not all green belt sites are equal. The Mayor says he’ll target “low-quality” land near transport, but deciding what qualifies will be contentious. Building on green belt permanently seals it under concrete. In an era of climate concern, once green belt land is built on, it’s lost as permeable land that can soak up rainwater or grow food near the city.

#### Alternative Solutions:

Several alternatives to green belt development have been proposed:

- **Intensification of existing urban areas:** There is still substantial scope to densify parts of London without touching protected land, particularly in outer boroughs.
- **Brownfield Redevelopment:** London has large amounts of brownfield land that could be turned into housing. Some estimates claim at least 350,000 homes’ worth of brownfield capacity in London.
- **Public Housing and Estate Renewal:** Many post-war estates have the capacity to densify, adding significant housing without needing new land.
- **Incentivising faster build-out of approved projects:** If London could somehow get those 300k+ unbuilt permitted homes constructed, that would be a game changer.
- **Develop new towns beyond the green belt:** One alternative to building through the green belt is to build beyond it – in effect, leapfrog to a new generation of planned towns further out, but with high-speed transport links.

A balanced approach is often suggested: continue maximising brownfield and densification (where communities accept it), and selectively use some green belt land especially where it can create sustainable new communities.

#### Green Belts Elsewhere: London’s Approach vs Other Cities

London is not the only city grappling with how to manage growth and green space. A look at other UK and international cities shows a spectrum of approaches—with notably different outcomes for housing affordability.

Many British cities have green belts and are facing the same housing supply crunch. Oxford and Cambridge, small cities encircled by green belts, have seen some of the UK’s highest house price inflation. According to the Office for National Statistics, Oxford’s average house price reached approximately £429,000 in late 2023—nearly 12 times the average local salary. Recently, under government pressure, some Oxfordshire districts agreed to remove small sections of the green belt for new housing. Cambridge did release a portion of its green belt north-west of the city to create a new residential quarter (the Eddington development) for university staff and market housing, adding approximately 3,000 homes.

Greater Manchester’s experiment takes a different approach. The region has spent years drawing up a plan that proposes building on some green belt—about 1,900 hectares to deliver 50,000 homes—while protecting the rest. This plan, fiercely opposed in some suburban and rural communities, was revised multiple times to remove the most controversial green belt sites. According to the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, the region has struggled to meet its housing targets, contributing to significant price increases over the past decade.

##### International comparisons

Internationally, the contrast becomes even starker. Portland, Oregon uses an urban growth boundary which is reviewed periodically—the city can expand it if needed, but must do so in a planned manner. According to the Portland Housing Bureau, the city has seen housing costs rise significantly, with median home prices increasing approximately 40% between 2015-2023.

In contrast, Tokyo—a city with no green belt but intensive development rights—tells a different story. Research published in the Journal of Housing Economics shows Tokyo builds approximately 100,000 new homes annually in its metropolitan area (significantly more than London delivers despite comparable population), resulting in remarkable price stability. Despite its massive population, Tokyo’s housing costs have remained relatively stable—average condo prices increased minimally during periods when London’s rose substantially. This stability is largely attributed to Japan’s more flexible zoning laws that prioritize the right to build.

Seoul, South Korea provides a fascinating case of a city that had a strict green belt and then partially rolled it back. In the 2000s, the South Korean government decided to relax Seoul’s green belt in targeted areas to release land for development. According to research from the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, this policy change contributed to increased housing supply. The government’s 2020s housing plans included lifting green belt restrictions to supply an additional 80,000 homes in Seoul.

London’s current exploration of green belt development aligns with a broader re-thinking in many places: how to balance preserving green space with providing homes. The experiences from these various cities suggest a relationship between housing supply and affordability. Tokyo’s high construction rates—enabled by flexible zoning rather than rigid growth boundaries—have delivered notable price stability. Seoul’s partial green belt reform helped moderate previously rapid price growth. Meanwhile, UK cities with strict green belts consistently struggle with housing affordability.

If London does proceed with building on some green belt land, doing so strategically—focusing on sustainable, transit-linked communities and truly affordable housing—will be key to its success. The coming months of consultation and debate will show whether Londoners are willing to embrace this multifaceted solution. The housing outcomes from cities worldwide suggest that maintaining the status quo is likely to perpetuate the affordability crisis.

#### **Sources:**

Khan’s announcement and reactions – [Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/may/09/sadiq-khan-to-announce-plans-to-build-houses-on-london-green-belt#:~:text=Sadiq%20Khan%20is%20announcing%20plans,crisis%20in%20the%20capital%E2%80%99s%20history%E2%80%9D), *9 May 2025* ; [Evening Standard](https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/sadiq-khan-green-belt-housing-crisis-building-homes-development-mayor-london-b1226899.html#:~:text=The%20mayor%20%E2%80%99s%20%2021,she%20posted%20on%20social%20media); City Hall press info.

Green Belt/MOL definitions – [GiGL London environmental data](https://www.gigl.org.uk/our-data-holdings/designated-sites/metropolitan-open-land-and-greenbelt/); [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Green_Belt) (Metropolitan Open Land) ; Abercrombie 1944 Plan and 1955 policy .

“Is it green?” debate – [Evening Standard](https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/sadiq-khan-green-belt-housing-crisis-building-homes-development-mayor-london-b1226899.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CPeople%20will%20assume%20that%20all,%E2%80%9D) (Khan quotes) ; [CPRE London](https://www.cprelondon.org.uk/news/london-brownfield-capacity-soars/) (brownfield capacity and green belt value) .

SW London sites – Wimbledon & Putney Commons website and data; Royal Parks data ; Barnes Common LNR info ; Wandsworth Council docs.

Housing crisis stats – Khan speech (90k children homeless) ; UK Parliament [report](https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/17/housing-communities-and-local-government-committee/news/206263/englands-homeless-children-government-must-tackle-crisis-in-temporary-accommodation-say-mps/#:~:text=The%20report%20points%20to%20the,currently%20living%20in%20temporary%20accommodation) (164k children, temp accommodation spending) ; [ONS house price data](https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/housingpriceslocal/E09000033/); [Centre for London](https://centreforlondon.org/blog/solving-londons-housing-crisis/) (overcrowding 11%) ; Centre for Cities (Tokyo vs London housing output, rents) .

Other cities – CPRE Oxfordshire, local plan docs; Greater Manchester Places for Everyone draft; News on [Seoul green belt](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-08-08/business/economy/Govt-to-axe-green-restrictions-in-Seoul-to-provide-80000-houses/2108929) (Korea JoongAng Daily); [Centre for Cities on Tokyo](https://www.centreforcities.org/blog/can-tokyo-show-us-how-to-solve-britains-housing-shortage/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/05/11/londons-green-belt-debate-housing-crisis-vs-urban-preservation/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/05/11/londons-green-belt-debate-housing-crisis-vs-urban-preservation/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=London%E2%80%99s%20Green%20Belt%20debate%3A%20housing%20crisis%20vs%20urban%20preservation&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/05/11/londons-green-belt-debate-housing-crisis-vs-urban-preservation/)

**Categories:** Housing, Long read, Planning

**Tags:** green belt, Metropolitan Open Land, Sadiq Khan

---

### [MP announces East Putney step-free success: but reality behind TfL's 'consideration list' is nothing to celebrate](https://putney.news/2025/05/21/mp-announces-east-putney-step-free-success-but-reality-behind-tfls-consideration-list-is-nothing-to-celebrate/)

**Published:** May 21, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Efforts to make East Putney step-free have faltered again. We review what it will take to gain approval from TfL

**Content:**

“I am delighted to announce that TfL have included East Putney station in the list of stations they are considering for access works,” Putney MP Fleur Anderson announced on social media [this week](https://x.com/PutneyFleur/status/1924493180432466212), thanking the “3000+ people who signed my petition with Cllr Ayres.”

Far from getting excited, however, disability organisations slumped in their seats on hearing the news as well as her follow-up comment: “It’s not the short list for immediate works so the campaign continues…”

This is the third time in five years that efforts to get East Putney on the path to step-free access have faltered, which likely means it will be at least another two years before the next attempt can be made, and at least until 2030 before people can access trains without climbing steep stairs.

As accessibility campaigners have unfortunately come to recognise, TfL’s “consideration list” is nothing at all what it sounds like. The main distinction between the list – also known as the “secondary list” – and those Tube stations on the primary shortlist is that they won’t receive funding or backing.

In reality that means that no work, not even the initial feasibility study that is the start of the process for step-free access, will take place. What’s more, unlike the official shortlist, you won’t find a copy of the secondary list anywhere. TfL hasn’t disclosed which stations are on it, or even how many they are (yes, we have asked). The only real value of the list at all is to TfL as a way to acknowledge local campaigns without making financial commitments.

So what does this mean for the thousands of Putney residents who struggle with the station’s notoriously steep staircases? And what can realistically be done to speed the process up?

#### A long-running campaign 

The campaign for step-free access at East Putney is not new. Fleur Anderson first highlighted the issue in 2020 when she made it the subject of her [first Adjournment debate](https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2020-03-10/debates/C23D3AEF-69AC-4BEB-987A-F785999DE130/EastPutneyStationStep-FreeAccess) three months into becoming an MP.

Since then, nine Tube stations have gained step-free access, six have work underway, and a further seven are currently being assessed. To put that in context: 93, or 34%, of the 272 Tube stations across London currently have step-free access.

On the District Line that runs from West to East London with a branch down to Wimbledon via Putney, 17 of the 60 stations are step free, with 6 of the 9 on the Wimbledon branch step-free: only Parsons Green, Putney Bridge and East Putney remain step-only.

Three years after the first attempt and in the lead-up to a new shortlist announcement, Anderson renewed her efforts with a [petition campaign](https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2023-06-08/debates/35BB083B-46C3-435F-87B5-549FF132BE57/EastPutneyStation). Then in July 2023, TfL [announced](https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2023/july/tfl-announces-the-next-tube-stations-to-be-prioritised-for-step-free-access-to-meet-the-mayor-s-bold-accessibility-targets) ten stations that would be “prioritised for further step-free access work” but, again, East Putney wasn’t on the list. It was however added to the new secondary category of stations, which is where it remains to this day while TfL is expected to announce a new raft of stations in the coming weeks.

There is however hope. Nearby Putney Bridge station has seen promising developments with Chelsea and Fulham MP Greg Hands leading a determined campaign, securing over £150,000 in funding from the Fulham Football Club redevelopment specifically earmarked for step-free access studies and moving the station into more concrete planning discussions with TfL.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/east-putney-step-free-political-efforts-1024x818.png)Despite efforts in 2020 and 2023, including with Wandsworth’s London Assembly member and London’s mayor, the campaign hasn’t borne fruit.#### Why is step-free important?

Step-free access isn’t just about wheelchair users—it’s about creating a transport system that works for everyone. When you’re carrying heavy luggage, pushing a stroller, recovering from an injury, or simply aging, those stairs and gaps become real barriers.

By making stations accessible, parents can travel with young children, elderly people can stay independent, tourists can navigate the city with ease, and people with disabilities can access jobs, education, and social connections just like everyone else. It’s an investment in a transport network that serves all Londoners and visitors, regardless of their circumstances.

Caroline Stickland, CEO of Transport for All, has highlighted the serious implications of the slow progress being made:

> “Currently, only 1 in 3 London Underground stations has step-free access. This shuts disabled people out of vast swathes of the network, forcing us to take long and convoluted routes, and even preventing us from travelling entirely.”

#### The anatomy of successful step-free access campaigns

While East Putney remains stuck in consideration limbo, other stations have successfully secured funding and implementation for step-free access. Successful examples include Colindale and Leyton stations, which secured £43.1 million from the government’s Levelling Up Fund in 2023. [Construction at Colindale](https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/improvements-and-projects/colindale-station-step-free-access) began in early 2024, with Leyton [following](https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/improvements-and-projects/leyton-station-step-free-access) in summer 2024.

But behind every step-free station has been a determined local campaign, often highly public. So what distinguishes these successful campaigns from others? The answer is that five crucial elements are needed to move from consideration to construction:

##### 1. Third-Party Funding is Essential

The most decisive factor in determining which stations receive step-free access is securing substantial third-party funding. Colindale’s success came after the London Borough of Barnet committed £13.5 million in section 106 and direct funding, while Leyton secured £9 million from Waltham Forest Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy receipts.

##### 2. Integration with Housing Development

Successful campaigns often position accessibility improvements within broader regeneration contexts. Both Colindale and Leyton emphasized how their station upgrades would support major housing developments in rapidly growing communities – a powerful argument when applying for government funding.

##### 3. Engagement with Disability Organizations

Stations specifically championed by organizations like [Transport for All](https://www.transportforall.org.uk/) and Age UK London have gained additional credibility and visibility in TfL’s decision-making process. These advocacy groups have successfully pushed TfL to prioritize specific stations and areas with accessibility gaps.

##### 4. Innovation to Reduce Costs

Greenford station on the Central Line became a success story when it installed the Tube network’s first inclined lift in 2015, significantly reducing costs compared to traditional lift shafts. When TfL claimed a conventional lift would cost £10 million, local councillors commissioned independent research suggesting an innovative approach would cost just £2.2 million.

##### 5. Passenger Numbers Make a Strong Case

Stations serving higher numbers of passengers can make a stronger economic case for accessibility improvements on a cost-per-benefit basis. Developing this into a formal business case or cost-benefit analysis can significantly influence TfL’s decision-making.

#### The East Putney campaign: missing pieces

East Putney has strong potential as a candidate for step-free access. Anderson has been particularly vocal about the station’s high passenger numbers, noting in February 2023 that “East Putney has 6.2 million passengers a year, a relatively high foot fall” compared to stations like North Ealing with only one million passengers that have received accessibility funding.

Yet despite this public advocacy and petition success, the campaign appears to be missing several key elements that have proven crucial for success elsewhere:

- The public campaign has focused primarily on petition signatures rather than securing local funding commitments from Wandsworth Council, either through Community Infrastructure Levy funds or section 106 contributions from nearby developments.
- While there was a debate in Parliament in March 2020 highlighting East Putney, there appears to be less emphasis on connecting the improvements to specific housing growth targets or regeneration schemes in the surrounding area – connections that have proven persuasive in successful funding bids.
- The campaign would benefit from more visible formal partnerships with London-wide disability advocacy organisations that have successfully influenced TfL’s prioritisation in other cases.
- East Putney has interesting infrastructural potential – including a staircase that is essentially unused and could potentially be converted into an inclined accessible entry point at lower cost than a conventional lift installation. This type of innovative engineering approach helped secure success at Greenford station.

#### The political landscape

The current political landscape presents both opportunities and questions for the East Putney campaign. Sadiq Khan, a Labour Mayor who spent his childhood in Wandsworth and previously represented Tooting in Wandsworth, has made increasing step-free access a priority of his administration. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is preparing for a spending review next month that could provide additional funding for TfL’s accessibility improvements.

This alignment of Labour politicians at City Hall, Westminster, and locally in Wandsworth creates a unique moment where progress on long-standing infrastructure issues might be possible. The upcoming spending review represents a particularly critical opportunity for securing explicit Treasury funding for East Putney as part of a broader transportation accessibility package.

For Putney residents, two infrastructure issues have lingered for years without resolution: step-free access at East Putney station and the repair of **Hammersmith Bridge**. Both affect thousands of local people daily, and both require similar approaches: securing funding commitments, building cross-government partnerships, and developing compelling business cases.

These twin challenges have become something of a barometer for local infrastructure progress. With the current alignment of political parties across different levels of government, many residents are watching closely to see if long-standing issues can finally be resolved.

#### Looking forward

For residents hoping to see step-free access at East Putney, the path forward likely requires more than petitions and announcements about “consideration.” The experiences of successful campaigns at other stations suggest that specific funding commitments, particularly from local government, and innovative technical solutions are essential.

The technical potential for a cost-effective solution using the station’s existing infrastructure, combined with its high passenger numbers, should make East Putney a compelling candidate. Moving from the “consideration list” to actual implementation will likely require a comprehensive strategy addressing funding, partnerships with disability organizations, and innovative engineering approaches.

Until then, inclusion on TfL’s secondary list remains what many accessibility campaigners understand it to be – a gesture of acknowledgment that, without additional concrete steps, may not translate into meaningful action on a problem that has persisted for far too many years.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/05/21/mp-announces-east-putney-step-free-success-but-reality-behind-tfls-consideration-list-is-nothing-to-celebrate/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/05/21/mp-announces-east-putney-step-free-success-but-reality-behind-tfls-consideration-list-is-nothing-to-celebrate/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=MP%20announces%20East%20Putney%20step-free%20success%3A%20but%20reality%20behind%20TfL%E2%80%99s%20%E2%80%98consideration%20list%E2%80%99%20is%20nothing%20to%20celebrate&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/05/21/mp-announces-east-putney-step-free-success-but-reality-behind-tfls-consideration-list-is-nothing-to-celebrate/)

**Categories:** Long read, Transport

**Tags:** accessibility, East Putney station, East Putney Tube, Fleur Anderson, step-free access, TfL

---

### [Why Queen Mary's Hospital can't escape a 20-year-old financial trap](https://putney.news/2025/08/10/why-queen-marys-hospital-cant-escape-a-20-year-old-financial-trap/)

**Published:** August 10, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** The untold story of how private finance contracts are forcing the NHS to abandon local communities.

**Content:**

**IN BRIEF: A 2004 private finance deal that will cost the NHS £460 million for a £55 million hospital is driving the closure of vital local services. Unless the government acts to break PFI contracts, Queen Mary’s faces being reduced to a shell – despite being a purpose-built, modern hospital that patients love.**

---

**LONG READ** The decision this month to [shut down four temporary operating theatres](https://putney.news/2025/07/30/queen-marys-to-close-four-operating-theatres-in-cost-saving-measure/ "Queen Mary’s to close four operating theatres in cost-saving measure") and [close the Minor Injuries Unit (MIU)](https://putney.news/2025/08/05/queens-marys-will-also-shut-down-minor-injuries-unit/ "Queen Mary’s will also shut down minor injuries unit") at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Roehampton has shocked local residents. These closures mean thousands of local people will have to travel much further – to St George’s Hospital in Tooting – for treatment they could previously get close to home.

The surgical theatres had been granted permission to operate until 2029. The Minor Injuries Unit, meanwhile, served as a critical bridge between general practice and emergency care, was able to see up to 80 patients a day, and consistently receives five-star feedback.

So why close them now? According to officials, it’s about long-term strategy and system efficiency. But the real reason is money, and more specifically, the enduring burden of a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract that was used to build the hospital and which continues to lock the NHS into millions of pounds of annual repayments for the next decade.

#### A valuable service cut without a clear alternative

The closures were decided by St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which manages Queen Mary’s. The hospital trust, which is over £100 million in debt and under pressure to cut costs, hasn’t publicly announced either closure.

The timing is telling. These closures come as the NHS undergoes its most significant restructuring in years. In May, NHS England published the ‘[Model ICB Blueprint](https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/update-on-the-draft-model-icb-blueprint-and-progress-on-the-future-nhs-operating-model/)‘ requiring all Integrated Care Boards to reduce running costs by around 50% by the end of 2025. The same month, the South West London ICB Board was [discussing constitutional amendments](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ICB-Board-28-May-Meeting-Pack.pdf) \[pdf\] to reduce its membership from 22 to 13 members and move from monthly to quarterly public meetings – clear signs of an organisation under severe financial pressure.

The decision has been met with frustration in Putney and Roehampton. Not only is Queen Mary’s easier to reach than St George’s for many residents, but wait times at Tooting’s A&E can stretch for hours. As a walk-in unit, the minor injuries unit only reached two-hour waits – as opposed to four or six hours common in other hospitals. The temporary surgical theatres also helped reduce backlogs from COVID-19 and improve elective care performance.

> [Queen Mary’s to close four operating theatres in cost-saving measure](https://putney.news/2025/07/30/queen-marys-to-close-four-operating-theatres-in-cost-saving-measure/)

#### The hidden financial crisis behind the closures

The broader context for these closures is a deepening financial crisis across the NHS. More than 40% of NHS trusts in England had an operating deficit in the fiscal year ended March 2023, a dramatic deterioration from the previous year when less than 20% were losing money. Operating losses among trusts in deficit amounted to roughly £1.3 billion.

NHS England’s latest planning round reveals a “very significant financial deficit” of £6.6 billion across the system when deficit support is stripped out. This has forced a “fundamental reset of the financial regime” as NHS leaders struggle to balance books while maintaining services.

St George’s Trust is particularly hard hit. While the trust was placed into financial special measures in 2017 with a £71 million deficit, the financial pressures have intensified. The trust is now over £100 million in debt and looking to cut services.

#### So why is it really happening?

The answer lies in both local NHS strategy and a decades-old PFI contract that still casts a long shadow.

Decisions about Queen Mary’s are ultimately decided by the South West London ICB and its recent [2025/26 Capital Resources plan](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/NHS-South-West-London-capital-resource-use-plan-2025-to-2026.pdf) \[pdf\] explicitly acknowledges what many suspected:

> “The system infrastructure includes estate which is managed by PFI providers, there are risks that changes to the buildings or in the PFI contract arrangements are not affordable for the health system.”

This is more than financial jargon – it’s an admission that PFI contracts are directly constraining the NHS’s ability to adapt and invest. The financial constraints are intensifying. The 2025/26 plan reveals that trusts must now accommodate “technical adjustments for the way that leases are accounted for” within existing budgets, meaning “less funding is available to support backlog maintenance and other critical infrastructure investment.”

The system is being forced to make impossible choices. The South West London ICB’s operational plan for 2025/26 shows a £329.3 million efficiency requirement across all trusts, with an ambitious 7.3% efficiency target. The plan warns that “if we are not able to maintain the financial performance against our plan in-year, and/or the London Region are not assured that there is credible plan for delivery; the deficit funding of £104m could be withheld, resulting in a deterioration of the financial position.”

The 2025/26 capital allocation table reveals the stark reality: **Queen Mary’s receives no specific capital investment**, while St George’s Hospital is allocated £73.6 million. The ICB’s strategic priorities are clear – investment goes to “day-to-day operations,” “modernisation of the mental health estate,” “IT infrastructure and cyber security,” and “financial recovery of the system.” Services at Queen Mary’s simply don’t feature.

The capital plan reveals a system under extraordinary pressure. The total budget of £257.6 million must cover seven major trusts, but 70% goes to basic “backlog maintenance and other critical investment in estates, IT and medical equipment” just to keep buildings safe and operational. The long-awaited Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Sutton has been pushed back to 2032-2034, while trusts struggle with “rising inflation that has materially changed estimated costs” and the risk that “the system will no longer be able to afford all of the schemes it previously anticipated.”

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/swl-icb-planning-doc-1024x683.png)The Capital Plan for South West London shows £73.6m for St George’s Hopsital and £0 for Queen Mary’s#### The PFI trap: £460 Million for a £55 Million hospital

The long-term plan to downgrade Queen Mary’s makes sense when viewed from a balance sheet. But it doesn’t from a community perspective. And the financial constraints driving this strategy start with the 2004 PFI deal that rebuilt the hospital.

That deal, signed by the former Wandsworth Primary Care Trust, outsourced the design, construction, and maintenance of the hospital to Catalyst Healthcare, a consortium led by Bovis Lend Lease, HBOS, and Sodexo. The initial construction cost was £55 million, with a further £18.6 million in financial charges, bringing the total to £73.6 million.

The contract commits the NHS to 28.75 years of unitary payments, adjusted annually by the Retail Price Index (RPI). The NHS now pays over £12 million a year, rising toward £22 million by 2035, when the contract ends. In total, the **NHS is expected to pay over £460 million for the use of a hospital that cost just £55 million to build**.

This is over eight times what it cost to redevelop Queen Mary’s Hospital. In other words, for the amount of money to be received by Catalyst Healthcare during the term of the contract, the NHS **could have had eight hospital renovations**.

This arrangement is binding. The NHS cannot easily close or repurpose the building without continuing to pay the charges. Even unused space still incurs costs.

#### The national PFI crisis

Queen Mary’s is far from alone in this predicament. Across the NHS, there are [127 PFI schemes](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pfi-and-pf2-projects-2024-summary-data) costing trusts £2.1 billion this year, rising to over £2.5 billion in 2030. For just £13 billion of investment, the NHS has been landed with an £80 billion bill.

The impact is uneven, with some areas spending up to a fifth of their budget on PFI payments. The worst affected trusts are North West Anglia, Sherwood Forest, University Hospitals Coventry and St Helens and Knowsley.

Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust paid 16 per cent of its total income in 2016/17 on its PFI charges, while Barts Health NHS Trust’s annual repayments amount to around 10 per cent of its income.

The timeline is crucial: total repayments will reach a peak in 2029 and as older schemes come to an end, total repayments will start to fall as they approach 2049. But that’s still more than two decades of punishing payments that divert money from patient care.

---

#### **Queen Mary’s hospital: key financial figures**

**Financial Component****Amount****Source/Context**Original Hospital Build Cost£55 million2004 PFI contract construction costTotal PFI Contract Value£73.6 millionBuild cost + fees and chargesCurrent Annual Payment (2025)£12+ millionIndexed to RPI, rising annuallyProjected Final Annual Payment£22 millionExpected by contract end (2035)Total Cost Over Contract Life£460 millionNHS payments 2004–2035Cost Multiplier8.4xTotal payments vs original build costAnnual Payment Increase26%Rise from £9.987m to £12.6m (2017–2024)Contract End Date2035When NHS regains full controlYears Remaining10 yearsTime left on PFI contract#### System-wide financial context

**Component****Amount****Context**SWL System Deficit£6.6 billionWhen deficit support stripped outSt George’s Trust Debt£100+ millionTrust managing Queen Mary’sRequired System Efficiency£329.3 million2025/26 across all SWL trustsStaff Reduction Target1,696 WTEWorkforce cuts requiredQueen Mary’s Capital Allocation£02025/26 investment planSt George’s Capital Allocation£73.6 million2025/26 investment planDeficit Support at Risk£104 millionCould be withheld if plans fail#### **The bottom line**

> For every **£1** spent building Queen Mary’s Hospital, the **NHS will pay £8.40** over the contract lifetime.

**Source:** *BMJ analysis, SWL ICB planning documents, Treasury PFI data*

---

#### 2035: Ownership returns — but at what cost?

Under the terms of the contract, ownership of the Queen Mary’s buildings will revert to the NHS in 2035. The land is almost certainly still held by the public sector — likely via NHS Property Services — but operational control remains with the private consortium until the contract ends.

That date is still ten years away. In the meantime, NHS planners are reluctant to invest in or expand services at Queen Mary’s. With an inflexible and expensive lease, any upgrades risk wasting taxpayer money or duplicating facilities elsewhere.

That’s the bind: the NHS is still paying full price, even as it dismantles services. And once services go, they are hard to restore — even after the contract ends. The annual repayment figure has already increased from £9.987 million to £12.6 million over seven years, representing an increase of 26%.

#### The strategic direction: bigger hospitals, fewer sites

The meeting papers from the South West London ICB Board in May 2025 reveal a health system in crisis. The system faces a “very significant financial deficit” of £6.6 billion when deficit support is stripped out, forcing a “fundamental reset of the financial regime” as NHS leaders struggle to balance books while maintaining services.

The human cost is stark. The 2025/26 financial plan requires a reduction of 1,696 whole time equivalent staff across the system. The plan assumes “significant productivity improvements including a reduction in G&A beds in line with NHSE productivity packs, a reduction in temporary staffing (agency and bank) in line with the national targets and realisation of corporate services savings.”

At the same time, the ICB itself is being drastically restructured. Board membership and meetings are being cut and the organisation is refocusing on “strategic commissioning.” This isn’t just efficiency – it’s managed decline of local NHS oversight.

With Queen Mary’s sitting outside the ICB’s core investment priorities — and under an expensive PFI — its future as a full-service local hospital is all but written off.

#### What is the NHS trying to do instead?

Queen Mary’s currently has 88 beds; 46 for people who have had limb amputations and require neurorehabilitation and 42 for care, treatment and rehabilitation of older people. It does not have an accident and emergency (A&E) department. The site already hosts a Community Diagnostic Centre, part of the NHS’s plan to separate tests from hospital bottlenecks.

The government’s new 10-year NHS plan focuses on “three shifts” – from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention – aiming to “personalise care, give more power to patients, and ensure that the best of the NHS is available to all.”

This reflects a broader shift in NHS care models:

- **Primary care:** GP surgeries and health centres
- **Urgent care:** Urgent Treatment Centres and A&E (centralised)
- **Elective care:** Surgery increasingly focused at larger hubs
- **Diagnostics:** Moved to CDCs, often in community sites
- **Community services:** Nursing, rehab, and care coordination delivered closer to home

These changes are often clinically sound — but they depend on accessibility, availability, and investment, all of which are in short supply in Roehampton.

#### The broader story of PFI: how we got here

The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) began life in November 1992 under John Major’s Conservative government, with Chancellor Norman Lamont announcing that “the Government will actively encourage joint ventures with the private sector, where these involve a sensible transfer of risk to the private sector.”

The concept was relatively simple and was branded as the Private Finance Initiative – PFI – although the acronym was soon to be parodied as “Profits For Industry”, “Profiting From Illness,” or simply “Pure Financial Idiocy”.

By October 2007 the total capital value of PFI contracts signed throughout the UK was £68bn, committing the British taxpayer to future spending of £215bn over the life of the contracts. What was overlooked was the long-term cost and inflexibility of these deals. As inflation rose and NHS budgets tightened, the annual repayments became unaffordable — and since they were contractually fixed, services had to be cut instead.

As one comment piece in *The Guardian* back in 2007 [argued](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/sep/04/comment.politics): “In September 1997, the government declared that these payments would be legally guaranteed: beds, doctors, nurses and managers could be sacrificed, but not the annual donation to the Fat Cats Protection League.”

The closure of Queen Mary’s services isn’t just about numbers on a spreadsheet. It will force residents from a wide area to make longer journeys for treatment. Staff have been told they still have jobs but must transfer to St George’s Hospital in Tooting – the same distance most patients will also have to travel.

St George’s main hospital is known for having much longer wait times – sometimes up to six-hours. Other options include a walk-in centre at Teddington Memorial Hospital and at Parsons Green but they don’t offer the same comprehensive service due to a lack of facilities.

#### Can the NHS get out of a PFI like this?

Yes — but it’s difficult and expensive. Some options include:

- **Refinancing the PFI** to reduce costs (usually requires government support)
- **Buying out the contract early** (requires large capital upfront)
- **Transferring ownership** to an NHS trust (only possible if there’s legal capacity and long-term savings)

Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Trust paid off its PFI scheme in 2011 and saved itself around £1.4 million a year in repayments. And in 2011, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust paid off its PFI deal by borrowing money from a local authority, thereby saving around £67 million over 20 years in repayments.

The IPPR think tank has [called](https://www.ippr.org/media-office/nhs-hospitals-under-strain-over-80bn-pfi-bill-for-just-13bn-of-actual-investment-finds-ippr#:~:text=IPPR%20analysis%20of%20latest%20HMRC,with%20an%20%C2%A380bn%20bill.) for the government to “end the toxic PFI legacy” by introducing “a right-to-buy scheme that allows trusts to bring bad-value contracts into public ownership. This can be achieved by legislating for the right to enfranchisement.”

However, without intervention, sites like Queen Mary’s remain trapped.

#### The political question: will services ever return?

There’s a real danger that once urgent care and theatre services are removed from Queen Mary’s, they won’t come back — even after the contract ends in 2035. Infrastructure, staff pathways, and budgets will have moved on.

The current plan requires political oversight and scrutiny. Local MPs, councillors, and campaigners will be key to ensuring that Roehampton and Putney are not left behind. For now, residents are being told that “services are moving” — but in reality, a 20-year-old financial deal is still driving decisions.

Queen Mary’s illustrates a critical tension in modern healthcare policy. While the government’s 10-year plan promises to bring “quality care closer to home” and create “extended neighbourhood health centres”, the reality is that expensive PFI contracts are forcing the opposite: centralisation and service cuts.

The Chancellor’s one-off £2bn Spending Review cash injection does not meet the long-term needs of the health service – in fact it does not even cover next year’s PFI payment. Until the government addresses the PFI legacy, hospitals like Queen Mary’s will continue to be hollowed out by financial arrangements made decades ago.

The risk is clear: if Queen Mary’s is reduced to a shell of its former role, there may be no plan — or budget — to rebuild it later. And patients in Roehampton and Putney will pay the price for a private finance deal they never asked for.

#### Bottom line

A 2004 financial arrangement designed to build one hospital for £55 million will end up costing the NHS £460 million by 2035. While the NHS is forced to maintain these punishing payments, vital local services are being sacrificed. Unless the government acts to break bad PFI deals, purpose-built hospitals like Queen Mary’s face being reduced to shells — despite serving their communities well.

---

#### **References**

- South West London ICB Board Meeting Pack (28 May 2025)
- South West London ICB Capital Resource Use Plan (2025–26)
- South West London ICB Operational Planning for 2025/26 submission
- South West London ICB Capital Resource Use Plan (2024–25)
- South West London ICB Annual Report and Accounts (2024–25 Draft)
- NHS England Model ICB Blueprint (May 2025)
- BMJ: “The Private Finance Initiative: a case study of wastage in the NHS in Wandsworth” (PMC3310020)
- Putney.news reporting (July–August 2025)
- Treasury PFI Projects data and IPPR analysis
- NHS England planning round updates (2025/26)
- St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust public statements
- Full Fact analysis of PFI costs (2020)
- King’s Fund and Nuffield Trust financial analysis

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/08/10/why-queen-marys-hospital-cant-escape-a-20-year-old-financial-trap/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/08/10/why-queen-marys-hospital-cant-escape-a-20-year-old-financial-trap/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Why%20Queen%20Mary%E2%80%99s%20Hospital%20can%E2%80%99t%20escape%20a%2020-year-old%20financial%20trap&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/08/10/why-queen-marys-hospital-cant-escape-a-20-year-old-financial-trap/)

**Categories:** Health, Long read, Roehampton

**Tags:** Healthcare policy, PFI investigation, Queen Mary's Hospital, South West London ICB

---

### [From most polluted to legal compliance: The story of Putney's 15-year battle for clean air](https://putney.news/2025/11/02/from-most-polluted-to-legal-compliance-the-story-of-putneys-15-year-battle-for-clean-air/)

**Published:** November 2, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Content:**

*A comprehensive account of how community activism, political pressure, and persistent monitoring transformed Putney High Street from London’s most polluted location to a success story in urban air quality*

#### Introduction: The human cost of dirty air

Every day in 2011, thousands of Putney residents breathed air that was slowly killing them. Children walking to school along the High Street inhaled nitrogen dioxide at levels that would damage their growing lungs, potentially stunting their development for life. Elderly residents with heart conditions faced increased risks with every shopping trip. The UK Health Forum estimates that air pollution contributes to 40,000 premature deaths annually across the country – and Putney High Street had earned the shameful distinction of having the worst air quality in London, with NO₂ levels nearly four times the legal limit.

This invisible crisis was hiding in plain sight. Over 100 buses an hour thundered through the narrow shopping street, joined by thousands of cars, vans and lorries using the vital Thames crossing at Putney Bridge. The air was visibly hazy on still days, with a distinctive acrid smell that residents had grown accustomed to – not realizing that this acceptance was costing years of their lives. For those with asthma, bad air days meant staying indoors. For parents, it meant impossible choices about which route to school might do the least harm to their children.

Yet officially, according to Wandsworth Council and Transport for London, there wasn’t a problem significant enough to warrant urgent action.

What happened over the next 15 years – from 2011 to 2025 – represents one of the most successful community-led environmental campaigns in modern London history. It is a story of citizen science, political pressure, scientific vindication, technological transition, and ultimately, dramatic improvement in the air that 100,000 local residents breathe every day.

This is the account of Putney’s air quality crisis and its resolution.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/air-pollution-high-st-1024x682.avif)Air pollution you could see. Pic: *Elizabeth Dalziel/Greenpeace*### Part I: Discovery and Mobilisation (2011-2012)

#### The Putney Society Takes Action

The story begins not with officials or politicians, but with concerned residents. In 2011, frustrated by what they perceived as inaction despite mounting health concerns, members of the Putney Society decided to gather their own evidence.

Dr Carolyn McMillan, then Chair of the Putney Society, and Jonathan Callaway, Deputy Chair, organised the installation of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) diffusion tubes across 36 sites in central Putney. With support from the community mapping organisation Mapping for Change, volunteers conducted a four-week monitoring exercise that would transform the debate.

The results were alarming:

- NO₂ levels were 75% in excess of EU limits not only on Putney High Street (already monitored by Wandsworth Council) but also at Putney Cross and on Putney Hill
- NO₂ levels were 25% in excess of EU limits along Upper Richmond Road and close to the High Street
- EU limits were exceeded on several residential roads in Putney
- The pollution effects clearly spread well beyond the immediate vicinity of major roads

Dr McMillan stated: “Our research confirms that concerns about high air pollution levels in central Putney are justified. Airborne pollutants produced by vehicles have known adverse effects on the health of people of all ages, but particularly of children and the elderly. We urge Wandsworth Council to work with Transport for London, local people and other stakeholders to urgently tackle this problem.”

![Air pollution map
](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/air-pollution-no2-map.jpg)#### The Groundbreaking 2011 Study

Recognising the seriousness of the situation, Wandsworth Council commissioned Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) to conduct a comprehensive emissions source apportionment study for Putney High Street. The report, published as PPR595, used automatic number plate recognition cameras and video traffic analysis to definitively establish pollution sources.

The findings were stark and specific:

Buses contributed over two-thirds (68%) of NOx emissions despite making up only 10% of vehicle flow.

This was a revelation. Cars, which made up two-thirds of total vehicle flow, contributed only 14% of NOx emissions. The study found that 76% of buses were Euro III emission standard for PM (particulate matter), but their NOx emissions were “disproportionately high.”

The majority of the bus fleet – 177 diesel buses using the high street – fell below the ‘Euro 4’ emissions standard. They were simply too old and too dirty for such an intensively used urban corridor.

The TRL study provided the evidence base that would drive everything that followed. Wandsworth Council now had scientific proof of the primary pollution source, giving them the leverage to demand action from Transport for London, which operated the buses.

#### First Steps: Hybrid buses arrive

In October 2012, TfL began replacing the older, higher-polluting diesel buses with cleaner models. From October 2012 to March 2013, 46 of the worst-polluting buses were replaced with new models, including ten low-emission hybrids. A further 85 older diesel buses were retrofitted with advanced catalytic reduction systems.

Deputy council leader Cllr Jonathan Cook stated: “Buses are by far the greatest source of pollution on Putney High Street and these upgrades can’t come soon enough. The council’s air quality investigation is the only one of its kind in London and has pushed Putney right to the front of the queue for new buses.”

The initial results were modest but encouraging: a 20% reduction in pollution levels. But this still left Putney three times above the UK legal limit.

**Next page > Part II: Crisis and Publicity (2013-2016)**

### Part II: Crisis and Publicity (2013-2016)

#### When the air became visible

January 2013 brought a public relations crisis for the authorities. Calm weather conditions sent nitrogen dioxide readings “soaring off the scale,” as campaigners put it. The fumes were so bad that the Evening Standard reported shopkeepers were being advised to keep their doors shut to protect customers from toxic air.

The Putney High Street kerbside monitor recorded 72 “bad air” hours in the first nine days of 2013 alone. The legal annual maximum was 18 hours. The average NO₂ reading in the previous year was 155 μg/m³ – nearly four times the legal limit of 40 μg/m³.

Simon Birkett, founder of Clean Air in London campaign, told media: “Levels of nitrogen dioxide are off the scale in Putney and other parts of London. The Mayor must start issuing pollution warnings and banning the oldest diesel vehicles of all sorts.”

Assembly Member Jenny Jones was blunt: “Putney High Street is a disgraceful example of the Government and Mayor’s failure to take responsibility for air pollution. As a result even more people will die prematurely, suffer worse asthma and other respiratory conditions.”

#### The low emission bus zone

In early 2013, the Mayor and TfL announced a £10 million bus retrofit programme, the largest of its type in the world. Putney was the focus of intensive effort: 94 double-decker buses travelling through Putney were fitted with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) equipment. Trials had shown this system could reduce harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions by up to 88%.

The equipment was revolutionary for its time, but its rollout exposed how deeply embedded the pollution problem had become. Even with these interventions, Putney remained severely polluted through 2013, 2014, and 2015.

#### Persistent pressure from the community

Through this period, with growing widespread concern, the Putney Society maintained their monitoring programme, regularly measuring, documenting, and publicising air pollution levels. They organised public meetings, invited academics from King’s College and Imperial College London, engaged with local schools and health professionals, and kept the issue in the public eye.

In 2016, a King’s College London analysis commissioned by the council provided further vindication of the TRL findings: more than 60% of NO₂ pollution in Putney High Street still came from diesel buses.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/mumsforlungs.jpg)Mums for Lungs launched a billboard campaign by East Putney tube in 2021#### National spotlight: “Most polluted High Street”

In 2016, Putney High Street gained the dubious distinction of being identified as the most polluted high street in the UK. The Putney Society installed a further set of NO₂ measuring tubes, with results showing concentrations around 125 μg/m³ – more than three times the legal limit.

The publicity was intense and sustained. The campaign group ‘Mums for Lungs’ hired a billboard outside East Putney station and the London Forum of civic societies ran a campaign at the city level. The issue was raised repeatedly in the London Assembly, with members questioning the Mayor about specific actions and timelines. Between 2013 and 2021, at least 15 written questions about Putney High Street air quality were submitted to City Hall.

Crucially, in 2016, Sadiq Khan launched his campaign to become Mayor of London standing on Putney High Street, committing to reducing levels of pollution. This political commitment would prove vital.

**Next page > Part III: Breakthrough and Progress (2017-2020)**

### Part III: Breakthrough and Progress (2017-2020)

#### The game-changer: new hybrid buses

In 2017, the new Mayor delivered on his Putney promise. TfL introduced a fleet of brand-new hybrid buses on many of the Putney High Street routes, representing a step-change from the retrofits that had preceded them.

The impact was immediate and dramatic: a further 40% reduction in pollution levels from the already-improved 2016 baseline.

For the first time, the transformation was visible not just in the data but in residents’ lived experience. The constant heavy diesel rumble that had characterised Putney High Street began to diminish.

The data told the story:

- 2016: 125 μg/m³ (most polluted high street in the UK)
- 2017: 76 μg/m³ (a 39% reduction in one year)

It was the single largest year-on-year improvement in the entire monitoring period.

Significantly, 2017 also marked a change in the hourly exceedances. The kerbside monitoring station in Putney High Street recorded only 76 exceedances of the 200 μg/m³ hourly limit: down from 2,740 in 2012 and 1,272 in 2016. This represented a 97% reduction in extreme pollution episodes between 2012 and 2017.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Sadiq-Khan-bus.jpg)London Mayor Sadiq Khan launches new buses in 2017 on Putney High Street#### Complementary measures

The bus improvements were accompanied by a range of supporting actions:

Delivery restrictions: In January 2016, the council had already introduced delivery restrictions in Putney High Street between 7am and 7pm, reducing congestion and stop-start driving conditions.

Public realm improvements: In 2018, Phase 1 of the Putney Improvement Plan was approved, costing up to £640,000. This included:

- Road-narrowing schemes to widen pavements
- Junction improvements at Putney Bridge Road and Lacy Road
- Installation of public art and ‘green wall’ on the cinema façade
- Trial ‘Copenhagen Crossings’ to make the High Street easier to cross
- Removing unnecessary guardrails
- Planting trees and installing planters
- Reducing the speed limit to 20mph
- Trial cycle lane contra-flow
- Improved cycle parking

**Clean air village:** Putney became a ‘Clean Air Village’ with measures to help local businesses tackle pollution, including the use of cargo bikes for deliveries. This pilot project, delivered in partnership with Cross River Partnership, was later expanded.

**School interventions:** The Mayor of London’s School Air Quality Audits initiative examined measures at Putney schools. School streets were introduced to prevent vehicles from driving past school entrances during drop-off and pick-up times.

**City Tree:** A City Tree was installed to filter particulate matter and fine dust out of the surrounding air while purifying and cooling it, though its effectiveness in the street environment proved limited compared to the more substantial interventions.

#### The Ultra Low Emission Zone

The expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to include Putney in October 2021 represented another major intervention. The zone required vehicles to meet Euro 6/VI emissions standards or pay a daily charge.

The impact was clear in the data:

- 2021: 62 μg/m³
- 2022: (limited data recorded)
- 2023: 35 μg/m³ (a 27 μg/m³ reduction)

For the first time since systematic monitoring began, Putney High Street achieved concentrations below the UK legal limit of 40 μg/m³.

#### COVID-19 interlude

The pandemic year of 2020 saw a significant drop to 58 μg/m³ as lockdowns drastically reduced vehicle movements. However, this artificial reduction proved temporary as traffic volumes recovered. More importantly, it demonstrated what truly clean air could look like and reinforced the health argument for permanent changes.

**Next page > Part IV: Electric revolution and recent challenges (2021-2025)**

### Part IV: Electric revolution and recent challenges (2021-2025)

#### The electric bus transition

In 2022-2023, pressure grew for the replacement of remaining diesel buses with pure electric vehicles. The focus was particularly on the pure diesel buses still running on the 93 route.

TfL delivered. In 2023, the 93 route was converted to electric buses, followed by buses on the 39, 265, and 337 routes. The transformation of the bus fleet – from the primary source of pollution to zero tailpipe emissions – had made substantial progress, with the majority of routes now running cleaner vehicles and remaining diesel services scheduled for conversion.

The results continued to improve:

- 2023: 35 μg/m³ (below legal limit for first time)
- 2025: 33 μg/m³ (38.2% reduction since 2018)

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/air-monitoring-station2-1024x768.png)An air monitor on Putney High Street#### Continued vigilance

The Putney Society continues its monitoring programme, working with Wandsworth Council’s Environmental Health Team to track air quality across multiple sites. This ongoing vigilance ensures that the improvements are sustained and that any deterioration is quickly identified and addressed.

#### Recent developments and challenges

Despite the dramatic improvements, challenges remain. The proposed Hammersmith Bridge closure has raised concerns about increased traffic through Putney as vehicles seek alternative river crossings. The community remains vigilant, with the monitoring infrastructure and civic engagement structures built over the past 15 years ready to respond to new threats.

The reduction in NO₂ has been remarkable, but particulate matter (PM2.5) from tyre and brake wear remains a concern, representing the next frontier in the fight for clean air.

**Next page > Part V: Analysis and lessons**

### Part V: Analysis and lessons

#### What made the difference?

The transformation of Putney’s air quality from crisis to compliance wasn’t accidental. Eight key factors combined to create this success:

##### 1. Community-led evidence gathering

The Putney Society’s decision to conduct their own monitoring in 2011 was transformative. It provided independent verification of the problem, created media interest, and forced official acknowledgment. The continued monitoring programme from 2022-2025 ensured accountability and provided real-time feedback on intervention effectiveness.

##### 2. Targeted source identification

The TRL emissions source apportionment study (PPR595) was crucial. By precisely identifying buses as responsible for 68% of NOx emissions, it focused efforts where they would be most effective. Subsequent validation by King’s College London (showing 60% contribution from diesel buses) reinforced this evidence base.

##### 3. Political accountability

The issue was raised at every level of government – from local councillors to the Mayor of London to Parliament. Assembly Members from all parties questioned successive mayors. The moment when Sadiq Khan launched his mayoral campaign on Putney High Street in 2016 was pivotal.

##### 4. Media attention

The “most polluted high street” label, while unwelcome, proved invaluable. It created a narrative that media could follow, politicians couldn’t ignore, and residents could rally around. The visual of shopkeepers closing doors against toxic air was powerful.

##### 5. Technological solutions at scale

The progression from retrofitting old buses to introducing hybrids to deploying electric vehicles demonstrated how technology, when applied systematically, could deliver dramatic improvements. The £10 million retrofit programme and subsequent fleet replacement showed serious investment.

##### 6. Multiple intervention approach

No single solution would have been sufficient. Bus upgrades, delivery restrictions, ULEZ expansion, public realm improvements, and school streets all contributed. The cumulative effect was greater than the sum of parts.

##### 7. Sustained pressure

This wasn’t a short campaign but a 15-year effort. The Putney Society, residents, businesses, and politicians maintained focus even when progress seemed slow. Persistence was essential.

##### 8. Regional and national policy alignment

The ULEZ expansion, national air quality strategies, and evolving EU/UK standards created a supportive policy environment. Local action was reinforced by wider regulatory changes.

#### The limitations of success

While celebrating the achievement, it’s important to acknowledge what hasn’t been solved:

**Particulate matter**: While NO₂ has improved dramatically, particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) remains a concern. Putney High Street’s 2024 PM10 level of 17 μg/m³ is well within legal limits but PM2.5 levels still exceed WHO guidelines.

**Traffic displacement**: The recent congestion has raised legitimate questions about whether pollution is being displaced from the High Street to residential streets. The installation of monitors on Chelverton, Disraeli, Werter and Weiss Roads in September 2025 will provide data on this concern.

**Measurement limitations**: All official monitoring is at fixed locations. The recent congestion highlights how local conditions can vary significantly from monitored sites.

**Next page > Part VI: The current situation and future outlook**

### Part VI: The current situation and future outlook

#### Where we are now (November 2025)

Putney’s air quality has never been better in the modern monitoring era. The 2025 annual mean of 33 μg/m³ represents:

- Compliance with UK legal standards for two consecutive years
- 78% reduction from the 2012 level
- No hourly exceedances for three consecutive years
- Putney High Street no longer even the most polluted location in Wandsworth

The Putney Society’s eight monitoring locations show an average of around 25 μg/m³ across the area, approaching the WHO interim target.

However, the recent traffic congestion has created a new challenge. The installation of additional monitors on Chelverton, Disraeli, Werter and Weiss Roads in September 2025 responds to residents’ concerns about traffic displacement from the High Street. Early readings suggest these residential roads are experiencing pollution levels not seen since before the ULEZ expansion.

The council is actively working with TfL on traffic management improvements scheduled through January 2026, including signal timing optimisations, lane reconfigurations, and enforcement measures.

#### The Citizens’ Assembly

In 2022-2023, Wandsworth Council held a Citizens’ Assembly on Air Quality – a deliberative democracy process bringing together a diverse group of residents to consider the evidence and produce recommendations. Their key recommendations included:

- Adoption of WHO interim targets as council policy
- Expansion of school streets programme
- Anti-idling enforcement
- Support for active travel infrastructure
- Wood burning restrictions

The council adopted many of these recommendations in its 2024 Air Quality Action Plan, including the ambitious WHO interim target of 25 μg/m³ by 2030.

#### The path to WHO guidelines

Reaching the WHO annual mean guideline of 10 μg/m³ would require a further 60% reduction from current levels: a challenge of similar magnitude to what’s already been achieved.

Several factors will determine whether this is achievable:

**Vehicle fleet evolution**: The continued transition to zero-emission vehicles will help, but the pace of improvement will likely slow as we approach the limits of what vehicle technology alone can deliver.

**Non-exhaust emissions**: Brake wear, tyre wear, and road surface degradation will become proportionally more significant as exhaust emissions decline. These are harder to address than tailpipe emissions.

**Traffic volumes**: Unless traffic volumes themselves decline, there’s a floor to how low pollution can go even with perfect zero-emission vehicle adoption.

**Wood burning**: Residential wood burning, particularly popular in Wandsworth, contributes significantly to particulate matter. Cultural change and enforcement will be needed.

**Regional sources**: A proportion of particulate matter originates from continental European agriculture and industry. Local actions alone cannot address these sources.

**Built environment**: Street canyon effects and proximity to major roads mean some locations will always have higher concentrations than others.

Realistically, achieving WHO guidelines across all of Putney may require 15-20 more years of sustained effort, assuming continued policy support and technological advancement.

#### Conclusion: Lessons from Putney

Putney’s transformation from the most polluted high street in the UK to achieving legal compliance represents more than just a local victory. It demonstrates what can be achieved when community activism, scientific evidence, political will, and technological innovation align.

The key lessons from Putney’s experience are clear:

- Citizen science can challenge official narratives and force action
- Clear identification of pollution sources (the 68% from buses) enables targeted solutions
- Sustained public pressure and media attention are essential for maintaining momentum
- Political commitment at the highest levels can unlock resources and accelerate change
- Technology transitions (diesel to hybrid to electric) can deliver dramatic improvements
- Multiple interventions working together achieve more than single solutions
- Continuous monitoring prevents backsliding and identifies new challenges

The fight for clean air in Putney is not over, but the progress achieved shows that even the most intractable-seeming environmental problems can be solved. For the children who now walk to school breathing air that meets legal standards, for the elderly residents who can shop without fear, and for the 100,000 people who live, work, and visit Putney, the air is cleaner than it has been in decades.

This success story, built on 15 years of determined community action, scientific rigour, and political engagement, offers hope and a blueprint for other communities facing similar challenges. The message from Putney is clear: change is possible, but it requires persistence, evidence, and the courage to demand better.

***Next page > Key Figures and Organisations***

### Key Figures and Organisations

#### Putney Society:

- Dr Carolyn McMillan (Chair, 2011)
- Jonathan Callaway (Deputy Chair, 2011)
- Richard Carter (Air Quality lead)
- Robert Arguile (Chair, 2025)
- Stephen Luxford (Transport Panel Convenor, 2025)

#### Wandsworth Council:

- Cllr Jonathan Cook (Deputy Leader, Environment spokesperson, 2012-2016)
- Cllr Judi Gasser (Lead member for air quality, 2022-2025)
- Cllr Jenny Yates (Transport lead, 2025)

#### London Assembly:

- Jenny Jones AM (Green Party)
- Murad Qureshi AM (Labour)
- Leonie Cooper AM (Labour)
- Richard Tracey AM (Conservative)
- Stephen Knight AM (Liberal Democrat)

#### London Mayors:

- Boris Johnson (2008-2016)
- Sadiq Khan (2016-present)

#### Other Key Actors:

Cross River Partnership

Transport for London (TfL)

King’s College London Environmental Research Group

Transport Research Laboratory (TRL)

Mapping for Change

Clean Air in London campaign (Simon Birkett)

Mums for Lungs

***Next page > Appendix***

## Technical Appendix

*Monitoring Methodology and Technical Data for Putney Air Quality Study*

### 1. Monitoring Locations and Infrastructure

The Putney Society has maintained a comprehensive monitoring network since 2011. As of 2025, the monitoring infrastructure consists of:

#### Council Monitoring Stations

Wandsworth Council maintains two official monitoring stations on Putney High Street, providing continuous real-time data for NO₂ and particulate matter.

#### BreatheLondon Network

Three additional monitors installed by the BreatheLondon initiative provide supplementary coverage of the area.

#### Putney Society Diffusion Tube Network

Since July 2022, the Putney Society has worked with Wandsworth Council’s Environmental Health Team to maintain diffusion tubes at the following locations:

- PY1: Next to Star & Garter on Lower Richmond Road
- PY2: Outside the Odeon cinema
- PY3: Putney Bridge Road at Burstock Road
- PY4: Opposite the Odeon
- PY5: By the Bus garage on Chelverton Road
- PY6: Upper Richmond Road opposite Putney Hotel
- PY7: Putney Cross near KFH
- PY8: Upper Richmond Road near Putney Common

These tubes are replaced monthly and analysed by accredited laboratories to ensure data quality and consistency.

### 2. Measurement Methodology

#### Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂) Measurement

NO₂ is measured using two primary methods:

1. Continuous analysers: The council monitoring stations use chemiluminescence analysers providing hourly readings. These meet EU reference method standards (EN 14211:2012).
2. Diffusion tubes: Palmes-type passive diffusion tubes exposed for four-week periods. These provide time-weighted average concentrations and are analysed using UV spectrophotometry. Tubes are bias-adjusted using co-location studies with continuous analysers.

#### Particulate Matter (PM) Measurement

PM10 and PM2.5 are measured using:

- TEOM-FDMS (Tapered Element Oscillating Microbalance with Filter Dynamics Measurement System)
- BAM (Beta Attenuation Monitor) instruments

Both methods are EU reference method equivalent and provide hourly data.

#### 3. Data Quality Assurance

Quality assurance procedures include:

- Regular calibration of continuous monitors (every 3 months)
- Annual independent audits by UKAS-accredited organisations
- Duplicate and triplicate diffusion tube deployment at 20% of sites
- Bias adjustment factors calculated annually from co-location studies
- Data capture requirements: minimum 75% for annual statistics
- Participation in national QA/QC schemes (WASP, AIR-PT)

#### 4. Historical Data Summary

Annual mean NO₂ concentrations at Putney High Street kerbside monitor:

YearNO₂ (μg/m³)Status vs Legal Limit (40 μg/m³)20111473.7x over limit20121553.9x over limit20131483.7x over limit20141423.6x over limit20151373.4x over limit20161253.1x over limit2017761.9x over limit2018721.8x over limit2019681.7x over limit2020581.5x over limit (COVID impact)2021621.6x over limit2022Limited data–202335Below limit202434Below limit202533Below limit#### 5. Hourly NO₂ Exceedances

Number of hours exceeding 200 μg/m³ (legal limit: 18 hours per year):

- 2012: 2,740 hours
- 2013: 1,858 hours
- 2014: 1,624 hours
- 2015: 1,486 hours
- 2016: 1,272 hours
- 2017: 76 hours
- 2018: 45 hours
- 2019: 38 hours
- 2020: 12 hours
- 2021: 28 hours
- 2023: 8 hours
- 2025: 3 hours

### 6. Bus Fleet Technical Evolution

The transformation of the bus fleet serving Putney High Street:

#### 2011-2012: Baseline Fleet

- 177 diesel buses
- 76% Euro III standard or below
- Contributing 68% of NOx emissions

#### 2012-2013: First Interventions

- 46 worst-polluting buses replaced
- 10 new hybrid buses introduced
- 85 buses retrofitted with SCR technology

#### 2013-2016: Retrofit Programme

- 94 double-decker buses fitted with SCR
- Up to 88% NOx reduction per bus (in laboratory conditions)
- Real-world reductions approximately 40-60%

#### 2017-2020: Hybrid Rollout

- New generation hybrid buses on major routes
- Euro VI standard compliance
- 40% reduction in street-level NO₂

#### 2021-2025: Electric Transition

Routes converted to electric:

- 2023: Route 93
- 2023-2024: Routes 39, 265, 337
- Remaining diesel routes: 14, 85, 430 (scheduled for conversion)

### 7. Legal Framework and Standards

Air quality limits derive from EU Directive 2008/50/EC, transposed into UK law:

#### Nitrogen Dioxide Limits

- Annual mean: 40 μg/m³
- Hourly mean: 200 μg/m³ (not to be exceeded more than 18 times per year)

#### Particulate Matter Limits

PM10:

- Annual mean: 40 μg/m³
- Daily mean: 50 μg/m³ (not to be exceeded more than 35 times per year)

PM2.5:

- Annual mean: 25 μg/m³ (20 μg/m³ WHO guideline)

### 8. Source Apportionment Data (TRL Study 2011)

NOx emissions by vehicle type on Putney High Street:

Vehicle Type% of Traffic Flow% of NOx EmissionsBuses10%68%Cars66%14%LGVs15%9%HGVs5%7%Taxis3%2%Motorcycles1%<1%### 9. Key Technical References

Wandsworth Council Annual Status Reports (2011-2025)

TRL Report PPR595 (2011): Emissions source apportionment study for Putney High Street

King’s College London ERG (2016): Putney High Street air quality analysis

Defra Technical Guidance LAQM.TG(22): Local Air Quality Management guidance

WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines (2021)

Transport for London Bus Fleet Audit Reports (2017-2025)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/11/02/from-most-polluted-to-legal-compliance-the-story-of-putneys-15-year-battle-for-clean-air/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/11/02/from-most-polluted-to-legal-compliance-the-story-of-putneys-15-year-battle-for-clean-air/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=From%20most%20polluted%20to%20legal%20compliance%3A%20The%20story%20of%20Putney%E2%80%99s%2015-year%20battle%20for%20clean%20air&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/11/02/from-most-polluted-to-legal-compliance-the-story-of-putneys-15-year-battle-for-clean-air/)

**Categories:** Health, Long read

**Tags:** air pollution, The Putney Society, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth's £8m green retrofit shrouded in secrecy and delays](https://putney.news/2025/08/14/wandsworth-council-8m-green-retrofit-shrouded-in-secrecy-and-delays/)

**Published:** August 14, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Wandsworth refuses to reveal how public money is spent on climate upgrades to key sites.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has secured a major £4.7 million government grant to retrofit five council buildings for energy efficiency – but refuses to say how that money will actually be spent.

In a [public announcement](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-may-2025/council-secures-45m-external-funding-boost-for-greener-buildings/) made back in May, the council claimed credit for securing external funds from the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. The money will go towards reducing carbon emissions and improving the energy performance of buildings including Putney Leisure Centre and Wandsworth Town Hall.

What the council didn’t say is that it is also spending a further £3.3 million of local taxpayers’ funds on the same project, taking the total cost to over **£8 million**.

Despite repeated Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, Wandsworth Council has refused to disclose how much is being spent at each site, or what each upgrade – such as solar panels, heat pumps or insulation – is costing. It claims the figures are “commercially sensitive” and releasing them would damage its negotiating position with contractors.

This is despite several other councils that have received funding from the same company (Salix Finance) for carrying out the same kind of work having released costed breakdowns without issue.

The upgrade works, funded jointly by the government and the council, are scheduled to run until 2028 and include a range of improvements such as air source heat pumps, solar panels, building management systems and double glazing. All five buildings are set to be completed by March 2028, with major spending to take place between 2026 and 2027.

Wandsworth’s £4.7 million grant is part of the £113.9 million allocated across Greater London under the current round of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which is delivered by Salix Finance on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

#### **Information delays, refusals, and silence**

*Putney.news* submitted a detailed FOI request in May, asking the council to provide a breakdown of spending across the five sites – including how the £4.7 million grant and £3.3 million in council funds were being divided.

After missing the statutory deadline to respond, the council finally issued a reply in July – but withheld all cost breakdowns because, it claimed, releasing it would prejudice commercial interests. We have challenged that position since this is a taxpayer-funded programme involving public buildings and standardised retrofit technologies.

The council is now also late in responding to a formal internal review of its decision. After promising a reply by 12 August, yesterday it unilaterally extended its deadline by another 20 working days without explanation.

#### **Transparency** d**odged**

Wandsworth’s position – in effect, that it cannot reveal how £8 million in public money is being spent on public buildings – raises serious questions. Why are costs being hidden? Why can’t residents know which projects are receiving the most investment, or whether the money is being well spent?

The council’s press release claimed the upgrades would cut energy use by 92% and reduce emissions by 570 tonnes – but without access to site-level budgets, carbon savings or project plans, these claims remain unaudited and unverified.

At minimum, residents deserve a high-level cost allocation per building, and an indicative breakdown of the types of works being funded. The refusal to provide even this is concerning.

#### **A pattern of withholding**

This latest secrecy follows another recent story broken by *Putney.News*: the revelation that Wandsworth Council had quietly approved a **[£775,000 contract for 24 new diesel vehicles](https://putney.news/2025/08/07/green-talk-grey-action-wandsworths-775k-diesel-u-turn-exposed/ "Green talk, grey action: Wandsworth’s £775k diesel U-turn exposed")**, despite its public commitment to electrifying its fleet.

The decision was made behind closed doors in May and only revealed after a delayed and redacted FOI response. No electric vehicles were even considered, and [no emissions scoring was used in evaluating bids.](https://putney.news/2025/08/14/council-admits-climate-pledge-was-ignored-in-775k-diesel-deal/) The result: another three years of diesel pollution on borough streets – and another black mark on the council’s green claims.

As we reported last week:

> “This was the first big test of Wandsworth’s green credentials — and the council failed it.”

#### **Green promises vs grey practice**

Wandsworth Council continues to talk up its ambition to be carbon neutral by 2030 and to lead the way on climate action. But the refusal to release basic information about its biggest decarbonisation project to date – and its decision to double down on diesel vehicles – suggests a different story.

These contradictions raise a simple question:

**If the council won’t go green on its own buildings and fleet – and won’t say how it’s spending public money – how can it expect anyone else to follow?**

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/08/14/wandsworth-council-8m-green-retrofit-shrouded-in-secrecy-and-delays/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/08/14/wandsworth-council-8m-green-retrofit-shrouded-in-secrecy-and-delays/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%E2%80%99s%20%C2%A38m%20green%20retrofit%20shrouded%20in%20secrecy%20and%20delays&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/08/14/wandsworth-council-8m-green-retrofit-shrouded-in-secrecy-and-delays/)

**Categories:** Environment

**Tags:** FOI investigation, public spending, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Victory for residents as Mount Clare appeal is thrown out](https://putney.news/2025/07/18/victory-for-residents-as-mount-clare-appeal-is-thrown-out/)

**Published:** July 18, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Content:**

The developer behind a controversial plan to turn part of Roehampton’s Mount Clare campus into a 274-bed “temporary housing” site has suffered a major blow after a government planning inspector dismissed its legal appeal.

The [decision](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/mount-clare-appeal-decided.pdf) \[pdf\], handed down on 11 July 2025 following a six-day public inquiry, rejects the developer’s claim that it could convert the former student blocks into a large-scale hostel for homeless individuals without needing new planning permission.

The ruling casts serious doubt over the future of the project and marks a victory for local campaigners who argued the scheme was being pushed through by stealth, with misleading claims about “family housing” and a lack of community consultation.

#### **Developer Loses ‘Fallback’ Argument**

The developer, AKA Capability LLP, had argued that the site — once used by Garnett College and more recently by the University of Roehampton — could be lawfully reused as hostel accommodation based on historic permissions dating back to the 1950s and 60s (2024/2089).

They claimed that this long-standing “hostel use” covered their current proposal to offer en-suite rooms with kitchenettes to people in need of temporary accommodation, citing an urgent housing crisis in the borough.

But the Planning Inspector disagreed, concluding that the proposed change from student housing to hostel-style temporary accommodation for the homeless would represent a *material change of use*, and as such required new full planning consent.

“The use as a hostel for temporary accommodation would result in a material change of use of the Site,” the Inspector wrote. “The proposed use would not, therefore, be lawful” .

#### **What the Decision Means**

The ruling means the developer can no longer claim legal ‘fallback’ rights to avoid proper planning scrutiny. It also undermines any suggestion that demolition and clearance work carried out on site over recent months was justified under existing permissions.

*Putney.news* [previously reported](https://putney.news/2025/06/03/shock-as-alton-estate-blocks-gutted-before-plan-is-approved/) that contractors had begun gutting buildings on the site — located within the Alton Conservation Area and bordering Richmond Park — even before a new planning application had been heard by Wandsworth Council’s committee. That full application remains pending.

It now appears that any attempt to begin converting the buildings without approval could face enforcement action from the council.

> [Shock as Alton Estate blocks gutted before plan is approved](https://putney.news/2025/06/03/shock-as-alton-estate-blocks-gutted-before-plan-is-approved/)

#### **‘Hostel’ Claim Didn’t Stack Up**

The Inspector’s report delves deeply into the site’s historical use. While it confirms that the buildings were originally labelled as “hostel units,” it makes clear that they were purpose-built to house students and cannot now be assumed to have unrestricted hostel use rights.

The Inspector noted that student housing and homeless hostels serve different populations, impose different demands on local services, and operate under different management structures — particularly when families or children may be involved.

For example, whereas university students might rely on campus-based medical, library, or recreational services, residents of temporary accommodation would depend more heavily on overstretched local services such as GP practices, schools, and community centres .

#### **Questions Over Developer’s Conduct**

The developer’s appeal was led by NTA Planning LLP, and the inquiry revealed a lack of clarity over how much of the site had been used continuously as student accommodation — and whether other uses, such as office space for the University of Roehampton or even the Citizens Advice Bureau, had created a “mixed-use” site, further undermining the fallback claim.

The Inspector also noted that the developer had “no clear proposals for Mount Clare House” — the Grade I listed centrepiece of the estate — and criticised the broad, vague definition of the proposed use as “temporary accommodation.”

With this legal route now closed, the only way forward for the developer is to await the outcome of the full planning application (2025/0074) and to subject the proposal to full public scrutiny.

#### **A Victory for Residents**

Local residents, some of whom gave evidence at the inquiry, have welcomed the decision as a sign that process and policy still matter — especially in sensitive areas like Roehampton’s Alton Estate.

“This isn’t about stopping new homes,” one resident told *Putney.news*. “It’s about making sure they’re decent, honest, and properly planned. This plan wasn’t.”

For now, the bulldozers are likely to pause. But with over 3,700 Wandsworth households currently in temporary accommodation, pressure remains on both the council and developers to find sustainable solutions — and to do so transparently.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/07/18/victory-for-residents-as-mount-clare-appeal-is-thrown-out/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/07/18/victory-for-residents-as-mount-clare-appeal-is-thrown-out/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Victory%20for%20residents%20as%20Mount%20Clare%20appeal%20is%20thrown%20out&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/07/18/victory-for-residents-as-mount-clare-appeal-is-thrown-out/)

**Categories:** Planning, Roehampton

**Tags:** 2024/2089, AKA Capability, Alton Estate, appeal, Mount Clare

---

### [The budget is "irrelevant" warns council official as special needs costs explode](https://putney.news/2025/05/13/the-budget-is-irrelevant-warns-council-official-as-special-needs-costs-explode/)

**Published:** May 13, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Teachers warn parental choice, profiteering, and a broken system are driving a £21m black hole that affects every school

**Content:**

Wandsworth’s top education official has delivered a stark warning about the future of school finances in the borough, admitting that the council’s High Needs budget is now so overwhelmed that its figures are “almost irrelevant.”

At a meeting of the Wandsworth Schools Forum on Monday evening, the officer in charge of education finance told headteachers and governors that the council was now overspending by more than £10 million annually on services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)—with no realistic way to plug the gap.

> **“The budget is £10 million less than the outturn this year… The budget is almost irrelevant… It’s impossible without cutting schools’ funding by 20% or more.”**

The Forum heard that the borough’s Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficit [now stands at **£21.2 million**](https://putney.news/2025/05/12/wandsworth-schools-face-21m-black-hole-as-crisis-talks-loom/), a rapid reversal from a surplus just five years ago. Wandsworth’s SEND funding shortfall is now among the **five worst in London** when adjusted for income.

And the pressures, council officers admitted, are only getting worse.

#### **A Surge in Demand, and a System Struggling to Cope**

Much of the strain is being driven by the soaring number of children being issued with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)—legal documents that guarantee personalised support for children with complex needs.

In Wandsworth, the number of EHCPs has grown by **50% in just four years**, even as the total pupil population has fallen. That story is echoed across the country. But Forum members were left grappling with the deeper question: why?

Part of the answer lies in the power of the EHCP itself. Once granted, it gives families a legal right to specific services—therapies, one-to-one support, or even a specialist school placement. And for parents navigating an underfunded school system, it often feels like the only guaranteed route to help.

“It’s not hard to see why parents are applying,” one headteacher told *Putney.news* after the meeting. “In a mainstream school with stretched resources, there’s no spare staff. If a child needs a quiet space, or specialist support, the EHCP can be the only way to get it.”

The rise in demand is also driven by long waiting times for NHS assessments, increased awareness of conditions like autism and ADHD, and legal precedent that favours parental choice—particularly in disputes over costly placements at independent specialist schools.

There is also the concern that parents may be pursuing EHCPs not just for complex needs, but to secure access to smaller classes or preferred schools; a perception reinforced by comments on online parents’ forums.

#### **Independent Placements Driving the Cost Explosion**

While Wandsworth has expanded local provision—creating over 250 new places in special schools and resource bases in the past four years—the budget is still being overwhelmed by one cost in particular: independent SEND school placements.

These placements now cost up to £90,000 per child, per year—nearly three times the cost of a maintained special school place. Although the number of placements hasn’t dramatically increased, the price has. Council officers confirmed that three years ago, a typical placement cost around £50,000. Today, some are approaching double that—without always delivering better results.

Forum members expressed concern about profiteering in the sector and argued for closer oversight of what’s being delivered for the fees being charged.

The Schools Forum also heard widespread frustration over the council’s own financial planning systems. Several school governors said recent changes to budget formats made it harder to track and challenge spending. Headteachers said the timeline for submitting school budgets had left them unable to respond to late changes in funding information.

The council’s education lead agreed that the current process may no longer be viable and proposed shifting to a more honest budgeting model—one that begins with a deficit opening balance and sets out a realistic overspend, rather than attempting to balance a budget they know will break.

One small but potentially important initiative discussed at the meeting was a proposal for a new advisor role focused on **Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA)**—a growing reason for EHCP referrals and tuition costs.

The role would aim to support children before their needs escalate, reducing the number of formal plans and expensive placements, and so prevent the problem from getting bigger. “The longer a child is out of school, the more entrenched it becomes,” noted one experienced educator.

Others were less convinced about hiring someone to assess a condition that has no official diagnosis and suggested that hiring wait until after schools have had a chance to discuss the problem.

#### **A Recovery Plan—But No Easy Fixes**

A full SEND funding recovery plan is due to go before council committees in June. It will propose further investment in local provision, better coordination with NHS therapy services, and stricter oversight of private placements. A more detailed version will then come back to the Wandsworth Schools Forum in July.

Council officers asked school leaders for ideas—and acknowledged that whatever path is chosen, it will involve tough trade-offs.

But around the table, the mood was clear. The cost pressures are not going away. The demand isn’t easing. And unless the system is reformed—sooner rather than later—the budget won’t just be “irrelevant.” It will be broken beyond repair.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/05/13/the-budget-is-irrelevant-warns-council-official-as-special-needs-costs-explode/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/05/13/the-budget-is-irrelevant-warns-council-official-as-special-needs-costs-explode/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20budget%20is%20%E2%80%9Cirrelevant%E2%80%9D%20warns%20council%20official%20as%20special%20needs%20costs%20explode&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/05/13/the-budget-is-irrelevant-warns-council-official-as-special-needs-costs-explode/)

**Categories:** Education

**Tags:** EBSNA, EHCP, SEND, Wandsworth Council, Wandsworth Schools Forum

---

### [Oasis Academy Putney closure confirmed: what happens to the building now?](https://putney.news/2026/07/06/oasis-academy-putney-closure-confirmed-what-happens-to-the-building-now/)

**Published:** July 6, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Content:**

The government has formally approved the closure of Oasis Academy Putney on Putney Lower Common. The school will shut down this summer after plans to close it were [first announced in February](https://putney.news/2026/02/11/oasis-academy-putney-closing-this-summer-amid-school-funding-crisis/).

The decision, which is revealed in papers published for the Wandsworth Schools Forum, comes amid concern for what will happen to the new building, on the site of the former Putney Hospital, where an NHS redevelopment collapsed and an easement was later found by the Charity Commission to have probably been sold for half its true value.

Government approval means the closure is now legally settled, not just planned.

#### Why this site’s future is complicated

After that redevelopment collapsed, Wandsworth bought the hospital site freehold from the NHS for £4.45 million in 2011. The school’s only access runs across land owned by the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators, the charity that manages the common, under an easement Wandsworth bought in 2014 for £350,000.

Oasis had its own plan for the building. In November 2025, its chief executive wrote to Wandsworth’s director of education proposing to keep running the site as an “Oasis Village”: a hub for children struggling with or excluded from mainstream education, bringing together charities, food banks and statutory services under one roof, similar to a project Oasis already runs in Tulse Hill. Wandsworth’s director replied that she was open to exploring it, and the two organisations met in January 2026.

That plan always ran into the easement’s terms. The 2014 deed ties the access road to the site being used as “a school substantially providing education free at the point of delivery.” An Oasis Village, by design, is for children not in mainstream education, and the access right lapses once the school itself closes this summer. With the closure now confirmed, that lapse is no longer a future risk but a near-certainty, and the Village proposal looks dead in its current form. When Oasis told Putney.news in May that decisions about the building’s future sat with the council, it did not mention its own Village proposal.

A Charity Commission statutory inquiry gave the fuller picture on that easement: retrospective valuations put its worth at £675,000 to £950,000, more than double what Wandsworth paid, and found governance failings at the charity. The Commons Conservators’ board has changed completely since then, with a new chair in place since 2024.

#### Part of a wider pattern

The council’s paper places Oasis alongside four other Wandsworth primaries that have closed since 2023 for the same reason: falling pupil numbers across the borough. It is not a school singled out for closure, but [part of a wider pattern of closures](https://putney.news/2026/02/15/oasis-academy-putney-plans-to-close-are-these-three-primaries-next/).

#### What happens next

Families still weighing their options can find [our guidance on transferring schools](https://putney.news/2026/02/14/oasis-academy-putney-families-how-to-navigate-the-school-transfer/), covering the application process and support for children with additional needs.

At an April hustings, a Green Party candidate raised the case of The Scrubbery, a community charity using space in the building, after visiting and hearing its request to stay on as a caretaker once the school closes. Two days later, at a hustings in Roehampton, a Labour candidate said the council was “committed to keeping that building for educational purposes.”

We later revealed the council was, by then, four months into [undisclosed talks with Oasis about a non-educational use](https://putney.news/2026/06/06/council-held-private-talks-about-oasis-building-for-six-months-and-told-nobody/). Oasis has since said the building belongs to Wandsworth Council and that decisions about its future rest with the local authority once the school closes.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/07/06/oasis-academy-putney-closure-confirmed-what-happens-to-the-building-now/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/07/06/oasis-academy-putney-closure-confirmed-what-happens-to-the-building-now/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Oasis%20Academy%20Putney%20closure%20confirmed%3A%20what%20happens%20to%20the%20building%20now%3F&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/07/06/oasis-academy-putney-closure-confirmed-what-happens-to-the-building-now/)

**Categories:** Education, Thamesfield

**Tags:** accountability, Charity Commission, Oasis Academy Putney, Putney Lower Common, School Closures, Wandsworth Council, Wandsworth Schools Forum, Wimbledon and Putney Commons, Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators

---

### [Putney's Heathrow meeting kicks off two deadlines, ten days apart](https://putney.news/2026/07/06/putneys-heathrow-meeting-kicks-off-two-deadlines-ten-days-apart/)

**Published:** July 6, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Government's own document admits Putney will get less quiet time under the flight paths.

**Content:**

Putney residents concerned about the expansion of Heathrow Airport will have the chance to hear campaigners’ views and put questions to their MP next week, at a public meeting on the government’s expansion plans. The meeting takes place at Regenerate Rise (The Platt Christian Centre) on Felsham Road next Monday, 13 July, just ten days before a parliamentary deadline for evidence on those plans.

The meeting follows the release of the government’s planning document for expanding Heathrow, which admits some areas, Putney included, will get less quiet time under the flight paths. In other words, Putney is going to get a lot noisier.

At the meeting, the Putney Society will set out what it wants residents to push for: protection of current respite periods, tighter noise limits if a third runway goes ahead, extended night flight restrictions, and steeper descents to keep planes higher for longer above Putney. A representative from the No 3rd Runway Coalition is also expected to speak, though who has not yet been confirmed.

#### Two deadlines, ten days apart

Residents will have two separate chances to act after the meeting. The House of Commons Transport Committee is running its own inquiry into the draft HENPS, separate from the government’s consultation. It wants written evidence by 12 noon on 23 July, just ten days after the Putney meeting. The committee has said it wants to hear from anyone with views, not only organisations. Two of its questions concern noise, one of the government’s own tests for expansion, and whether the mitigation on offer for affected communities is realistic.

The government’s own consultation on the draft HENPS runs longer, closing at 11:59pm on 1 September. Residents can respond online, by email to , or by post to the Airports National Policy Statement Review Team, Great Minster House, 33 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 4DR. Submissions to either can draw on the same points.

Stephen Luxford, who convenes the Putney Society’s Transport Panel, will put the Society’s case at the meeting. Its July bulletin describes the document as one that will shape one of the most significant infrastructure decisions facing Putney and the wider area for decades.

#### What residents can do

Anyone planning to attend Monday’s meeting is advised to contact the organisers to confirm details before travelling. Residents can submit a response to the government’s consultation online, by email, or by post using the details above, before 1 September. They can also write directly to the Transport Committee before 23 July.

Anderson can be reached at .

The flight paths for an expanded Heathrow have not yet been drawn. Both deadlines fall before that happens. As the Putney Society puts it: “Whatever your view on expansion, this is the moment to engage.”

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/07/06/putneys-heathrow-meeting-kicks-off-two-deadlines-ten-days-apart/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/07/06/putneys-heathrow-meeting-kicks-off-two-deadlines-ten-days-apart/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20Heathrow%20meeting%20kicks%20off%20two%20deadlines%2C%20ten%20days%20apart&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/07/06/putneys-heathrow-meeting-kicks-off-two-deadlines-ten-days-apart/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Fleur Anderson MP, Putney Society, Transport Committee

---

### [Sushi restaurant to take over Putney's old Bill's site](https://putney.news/2026/07/06/sushi-restaurant-to-take-over-putneys-old-bills-site/)

**Published:** July 6, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Ealing's Ta Ke Sushi is applying for signs advertising ramen, sushi and karaoke rooms.

**Content:**

A new restaurant is coming to Putney High Street, taking over the former Bill’s site, and promising sushi, ramen and possibly karaoke.

Ealing-based Japanese restaurant Ta Ke Sushi has applied for permission to put up illuminated signs at 146-148 Putney High Street, indicating its arrival and providing welcome relief for residents who have walked past the empty unit for years since Bill’s closed in 2023.

Ta Ke Sushi has traded for years on Uxbridge Road in Ealing, where restaurant guide Hardens describes it as a good-value Japanese local “favoured by Japanese expats”. Reviews point to a strong following among west London’s Japanese and Hong Kong communities, and the move would be one of the biggest additions to Putney restaurants in years.

No opening date for the Putney site has been announced, and it is not yet confirmed whether karaoke will be part of the offer.

Nothing at street level identifies the new tenant yet. The hoarding across the shopfront is painted with murals of riverside scenes and carries no brand name.

![Frontage of Bill's restaurant on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/bill-frontage-1024x575.png)The arrival resolves a question left open in December, when we reported that Bill’s was [quietly reassigning the lease](https://putney.news/2025/12/17/bills-is-not-coming-back-to-putney-but-another-restaurant-chain-might-be/) to an unnamed restaurant chain, days after [we briefly thought](https://putney.news/2025/12/13/bills-is-back-restaurant-to-return-after-two-years-empty/) the chain was returning itself. Bill’s traded at the site for around a decade until 2023, when it closed as part of a national cull of underperforming branches.

“This is not going to reopen as Bill’s,” Nicola Grant, chief executive of town centre business group Positively Putney, said at the time. “They have been looking to reassign the lease and have nearly completed a number of times over the last year.”

Ta Ke Sushi Ltd director Jiqing Xie made the signage application, giving the Putney address as the company’s own. The planning file does not state the legal arrangement between Bill’s and the new operator, such as whether the lease has been transferred or sublet.

Consent for the signs is sought until 31 January 2032. The application was formally accepted by the council on 19 June, after an earlier submission was rejected for missing a required drawing.

The main sign reads “Ta Ke たけ SUSHI” beside a green bamboo emblem, in gold on black, while a second board more than five metres wide is written entirely in Japanese characters. A third image submitted with the application shows a sign reading “KTV”, the East Asian term for private karaoke rooms, though nothing in the paperwork confirms the offering. The unit was one of the anchors of the [empty shops clustering](https://putney.news/2025/12/09/empty-shops-cluster-at-both-ends-of-putney-high-street/) at both ends of the high street that we mapped in December.

#### What happens next

A decision on the signs is due by mid-August under the council’s standard eight-week target. We will update this story once an opening date and a karaoke answer are known.

After a summer in which one long-empty unit’s fate was [a metal box](https://putney.news/2026/06/12/two-years-after-halifax-left-putney-high-street-gets-a-metal-box/), the other big dark frontage is set to get tables, a kitchen and five and a half years of signage consent. Days after Casa Manolo [hung up its knife](https://putney.news/2026/07/03/putneys-ham-shop-hangs-up-its-knife-after-eight-years/), the high street’s ledger gets an entry in the other column.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/07/06/sushi-restaurant-to-take-over-putneys-old-bills-site/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/07/06/sushi-restaurant-to-take-over-putneys-old-bills-site/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Sushi%20restaurant%20to%20take%20over%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20old%20Bill%E2%80%99s%20site&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/07/06/sushi-restaurant-to-take-over-putneys-old-bills-site/)

**Categories:** Business, Restaurants, Save the High Street, Thamesfield

**Tags:** planning, Positively Putney, Putney High Street, restaurant opening

---

### [Putney gets a Zipcar replacement - but only one](https://putney.news/2026/07/05/putney-gets-a-zipcar-replacement-but-only-one/)

**Published:** July 5, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Co-wheels has taken over the Felsham Road spot - but we are still far from what was there before.

**Content:**

A car has reappeared in a bay on Felsham Road, Putney, the first sign that Wandsworth Council’s scheme to replace Zipcar is being used.

It is a bookable hybrid from a company called Co-wheels and will be a welcome sight for those who have been without car sharing options since Zipcar left London. It is, however, just one car in a borough that used to have nearly 200.

[Zipcar’s withdrawal](https://putney.news/2025/12/01/zipcar-warned-congestion-charge-would-force-cuts-now-its-leaving-the-uk-entirely/) in December left the borough with 122 empty car club bays and no operator willing to fill them at anything like the old scale. We reported that gap five months ago, [noting that thousands of residents lost car club access](https://putney.news/2026/02/06/stranded-60000-lose-car-clubs-as-council-admits-no-replacement/) with no confirmed replacement in sight. This is the first evidence since then that the council’s attempted fix is producing anything on the ground.

Co-wheels’ Basic plan has no monthly fee but charges from £7.45–£8.50 an hour or £55–£60 a day in London, plus mileage on top: 24p a mile for petrol/hybrid, 14p for electric. Its Standard plan, at £5 a month, cuts the hourly rate to around £5.50.

Zipcar, by contrast, bundled mileage into its price up to a set distance, with membership £9–£15 a month and hourly rates £7–£12 inclusive. For short trips Co-wheels can undercut what Zipcar charged; add mileage on a longer journey and the separate charge quickly closes that gap.

> [Stranded: 60,000 lose car clubs as council admits no replacement](https://putney.news/2026/02/06/stranded-60000-lose-car-clubs-as-council-admits-no-replacement/)

At its peak, Wandsworth had roughly 188 car club vehicles: 90 average daily Zipcar Flex cars that could be picked up and left anywhere in a zone, 87 more Zipcar cars tied to fixed bays, and 11 run by Enterprise. Between them they carried 175,000 trips a year. Today, Co-wheels says it runs six vehicles across the whole borough, one of them the MG3 hybrid on Felsham Road. Add Enterprise’s 11 and the borough has 17 cars doing the work that 188 used to do.

#### How we got here

The council’s answer to Zipcar’s exit was to make it cheaper and simpler for other operators to move in. Permit fees for new car club operators are waived until April 2027, and instead of negotiating a full contract with each one, the council now offers a lightweight Service Level Agreement: an operator pays a permit fee, gets accredited with the industry body CoMoUK, and reports its numbers back every six months.

Co-wheels is not new to Wandsworth. It launched here in 2015 with 10 vehicles, and was one of four operators, alongside Enterprise, Ubeeqo and Zipcar, in a 2017 partnership renewed the following year. Its reappearance on Felsham Road is a return, not a new entrant testing the borough for the first time.

That said, it is not really the same company: it changed hands in 2019, when Prime Advantage Capital Partners brokered its sale to a joint venture backed by SAIC Motor, the Chinese manufacturer that also owns MG, which explains the MG badge on the Felsham Road car. SAIC’s ownership drew separate, unrelated scrutiny this week: the *Telegraph* reported that a UK special forces base had barred Chinese-made electric vehicles over concerns their sensors could be exploited for spying.

What has changed is the old approach itself is ending. Wandsworth’s Contract Register lists just one live car club contract: one with Enterprise that has been running since August 2023. That contract won’t be renewed as the council moves to a service level agreement.

![White CoWheels car parked on a residential street with terraced houses and a blue car behind it on the left side of the road.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/co-wheels-felsham-1024x768.png)#### What this means for residents

For a Putney resident wondering whether a car club is worth trying again, the honest answer is: there is one car near you, and it might be the only one for a while. The next nearest Co-wheels vehicle is over a mile and a half away in Wimbledon Park.

The stakes go beyond convenience. Twenty-four development sites across the borough, [including the council’s own Lennox Estate scheme in Roehampton](https://putney.news/2026/02/17/councils-lennox-estate-plan-unravels-as-car-club-promise-collapses/), have planning permissions that assumed a functioning car club market at something close to Zipcar’s old scale. A borough with six vehicles is not that market. Residents in those developments, or anyone tracking how planning promises hold up, can raise the question directly with the council’s [Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/mgCommitteeDetails.aspx?ID=759), the same body that signed off the fee waiver in February.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/07/05/putney-gets-a-zipcar-replacement-but-only-one/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/07/05/putney-gets-a-zipcar-replacement-but-only-one/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20gets%20a%20Zipcar%20replacement%20%E2%80%93%20but%20only%20one&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/07/05/putney-gets-a-zipcar-replacement-but-only-one/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Car clubs, thamesfield, Transport Committee, Wandsworth Council, Zipcar

---

### [What we're really arguing about when we argue about Hammersmith Bridge](https://putney.news/2026/07/05/what-were-really-arguing-about-when-we-argue-about-hammersmith-bridge/)

**Published:** July 5, 2026
**Author:** The Editor

**Content:**

A council report this week all but confirmed what has looked obvious for years. Hammersmith Bridge, shut to cars and buses since 2019, is not being repaired. It is being left. The council’s own report says a genuine fix “would essentially require a brand new bridge to be built,” and there is no money, from anyone, to build one.

That is not really a story about a bridge. It is a small, everyday example of something bigger: the ability to find solutions to complex problems. That failure does not belong only to the people who sit on councils and in government buildings. It belongs to residents too, including the ones convinced they already know who’s to blame.

One version of the current situation says the bridge is basically fine, that it isn’t really the problem, it is open because it carries people and bicycles – and that Putney’s traffic misery has some other cause.

The bridge is, of course, not fine. It is effectively on life support, and advanced modern engineering is the only thing preventing it from falling into the Thames. It has carried no cars, no buses, no lorries and no ambulances for six years. But the language that “Hammersmith Bridge is open” is out there and being used by people exhausted by six years of argument they’d rather was over.

In this version there is also a way to counter the claims of greater increased congestion: traffic stats. The increase in congestion resulting from the bridge closure can be explained through official figures for Putney Bridge, the neighbouring crossing absorbing everything Hammersmith can no longer carry. They show 37,089 vehicles a day in 2025 against 41,084 in 2019. Nearly a tenth of the traffic that used to cross has simply not come back.

Then there is a second opposing version of the situation with Hammersmith Bridge that uses different numbers to reach a different place: that traffic is only bad because of the closure, and reopening the bridge would fix it. Wandsworth’s own transport figures show traffic up 16% since 2020, and the council has used that rise to argue for urgent action on the crossing.

It is a real number, measured from the emptiest year of traffic London has recorded in living memory. Measured against 2019, before any of this began, traffic is still down. Both figures come from the same government dataset, against different starting points. Whoever reaches for this version is living with something genuinely unbearable, a commute that eats anywhere from 20-40 minutes every morning, and a single fixable cause is a great deal easier to be angry about than six years of nobody paying for the fix.

Hammersmith Bridge traffic: the same graph, two crops  One crop of the graph

Traffic across Putney Bridge, the crossing carrying what Hammersmith can no longer take, counted from 2020.

 How one side reads it Traffic is up 16% since 2020. The closure is strangling the area and needs urgent action. 

    30k  33k  36k  39k  42k  2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025      +16% since 2020 32,083 37,239  

Source: DfT road traffic statistics, count point 36823 (A219), all motor vehicles. Analysis by Putney.news.

The other crop of the same graph

The same crossing, the same dataset, counted from 2019, the year before the closure. The years between are left out.

 How the other side reads it Traffic is lower than before the bridge even shut. It was always busy round here. 

    30k  33k  36k  39k  42k  2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025    41,084 37,089 lower than before the closure  

Source: DfT road traffic statistics, count point 36823 (A219), all motor vehicles. Analysis by Putney.news.

The same line, seen whole

One dataset, every year shown. The rise one side counts and the fall the other side counts are the same line, measured from two different starting points.

 What the whole line shows Both readings are true. Each leaves out the part of the line the other side points at. 

    30k  33k  36k  39k  42k  2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025         41,084 32,083 37,089 Wandsworth counts from here (+16%) the other side counts from here (down 10%)  

Source: DfT road traffic statistics, count point 36823 (A219), all motor vehicles, 2019 to 2025. Analysis by Putney.news.

Psychologists call this pattern ‘solution aversion’: people reject a description of a problem when they don’t like the only solution on offer. It is not confined to Hammersmith Bridge. It is what happens to any hard, expensive, shared problem once the honest answer requires compromise rather than a winner. Compromise only becomes possible once both sides admit what is true in the other’s account as well as their own, and that is a far harder thing to do than winning an argument about a graph.

#### The listing question

What is oddly missing from this week’s argument is any real discussion of why demolishing the bridge and building something newer and cheaper is not something that has been given deeper consideration. That option was rejected by the bridge “Task force” – although we’re [still not allowed to know why](https://putney.news/2026/03/28/wandsworth-shot-down-a-chance-to-reopen-hammersmith-bridge-then-said-nothing-for-a-year/). Hammersmith Bridge is Grade II\* listed, a protection upgraded in 2008 that makes demolition close to legally impossible.

That single decision, made years before the 2019 closure, has shaped every plan put forward since: restoration bids, phased repairs, the £128m bid going to Monday’s vote, all of them repair options, because the cheaper alternative was removed from the table before anyone started arguing about money. Almost nobody mentions this. The argument this week is conducted as though the only open question were how much money exists, when the shape of what that money could even buy was decided long before the bridge shut. [The reasoning behind that legal constraint was covered in detail earlier this week](https://putney.news/2026/07/02/knocking-down-hammersmith-bridge-is-the-sensible-answer/), but even that piece did not connect it to why this week’s row over traffic figures is happening inside such a narrow set of options.

That does not mean repair is unusually difficult because of the listing, or that it should be resented for existing. Grade II\* status did not stop Network Rail spending £30m restoring Barmouth Viaduct in Wales, replacing two 160-tonne spans like-for-like, finished in 2023. It did not stop a full rebuild of the Union Chain Bridge on the Scottish border, Grade I listed in England, a higher protection tier than Hammersmith’s, reopened in 2023 for £10.5m after every component was removed and restored. Listed status blocks knocking a bridge down. It does not block replacing one. What is missing at Hammersmith Bridge is money and the will to find it, inside a set of options a heritage decision settled years ago, and that constraint deserves a place in the argument, not silence.

#### What happens Monday

None of this changes what happens next. Hammersmith and Fulham’s cabinet meets at 7pm on Monday to vote on the £128m bid, streamed live on the council’s YouTube channel for anyone who wants to watch the decision get made rather than read about it afterwards. The government’s answer on the money is not expected until autumn, and could land, in the report’s own words, “well below” what has been asked for.

What would actually help Putney is not one side winning this argument. It is the council, the government and residents admitting, in the same room, what is true in the other’s account as well as their own: that the bridge is genuinely failing, that the traffic is genuinely brutal, and that a heritage decision made years ago quietly decided the shape of every option now on the table. None of those facts cancels out the others, and none of them excuses ignoring it. That is a harder conversation than the one being had this week, because it asks everyone to give up the comfortable version rather than defend it. It is also the only conversation that gets a bridge rebuilt, rather than argued about for another six years.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/07/05/what-were-really-arguing-about-when-we-argue-about-hammersmith-bridge/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/07/05/what-were-really-arguing-about-when-we-argue-about-hammersmith-bridge/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=What%20we%E2%80%99re%20really%20arguing%20about%20when%20we%20argue%20about%20Hammersmith%20Bridge&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/07/05/what-were-really-arguing-about-when-we-argue-about-hammersmith-bridge/)

**Categories:** Comment, Transport

**Tags:** Hammersmith Bridge

---

### [A dolphin swam right past Putney Bridge this week. It never made it back to sea.](https://putney.news/2026/07/05/a-dolphin-swam-right-past-putney-bridge-this-week-it-never-made-it-back-to-sea/)

**Published:** July 5, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Peer-reviewed research says warming seas are pushing this species further into London than ever.

**Content:**

A dolphin died on the foreshore at Mortlake this week, days after it was seen swimming as far upriver as Putney and Hammersmith Bridges. It is the second time in two years that a dolphin swimming this deep into London has ended in a death, and new research suggests it will not be the last.

The animal, an adult male short-beaked common dolphin, was first seen in the tideway between Hammersmith Bridge and [Putney Bridge](https://putney.news/2024/08/02/dolphin-swims-up-the-thames-to-putney-bridge-but-not-on-porpoise/) on Tuesday 30 June. It was spotted again the next day off Strand-on-the-Green, near Chiswick. By Thursday 2 July it was found dead on the foreshore at Mortlake.

A Port of London Authority spokesperson said sightings this far upriver “can often indicate they are already in distress.” Teams from the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) and British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) attended the scene. CSIP investigates every whale, dolphin and turtle death around the UK coast. CSIP’s Rob Deaville recovered the body and posted photographs from the foreshore, saying the dolphin had travelled further west up the Thames than any common dolphin on record. A post-mortem was scheduled for Friday; the result has not yet been published.

#### Not the first time

In the same post confirming the species, the organisation noted that this week’s death moves from one sad story into a pattern: “the last strandings recorded in the Thames were a pair of individuals in August 2024.”

*Putney.news* [covered that earlier sighting](https://putney.news/2024/08/02/dolphin-swims-up-the-thames-to-putney-bridge-but-not-on-porpoise/) live, when a dolphin was seen swimming past Putney Bridge in August 2024. Days later, it was found dead in Battersea, with a second found in Greenwich. Before that, it was back in 2017 that a dolphin died in the Thames.

> [Dolphin swims up the Thames to Putney Bridge – but not on porpoise](https://putney.news/2024/08/02/dolphin-swims-up-the-thames-to-putney-bridge-but-not-on-porpoise/)

#### Why do dolphins get stranded in the Thames?

1. A dolphin arrives following the current, and the fish. Common dolphins are ocean hunters, and when the fish they chase move into an estuary, they follow.
2. Its sonar, tuned for deep, clear salt water, meets silt, boat noise and shallow banks instead. The acoustic picture it relies on to navigate starts to blur.
3. The river itself works against it. Unlike the open sea, the Thames reverses direction roughly every six hours. A disorientated animal trying to head back out can find itself carried back in.
4. Fresh water damages skin built for salt. The longer it stays, the weaker it becomes, and the harder the return journey gets.
5. By the time it’s seen close to a city bridge, it’s usually already in trouble. Rescuers know this well: a sighting this far upriver is rarely a good sign.

This week’s dolphin never got the chance to turn back.

#### A pattern in the literature

Why is a warm-water hunter dying in a cold London river? There’s a simple explanation: it’s no longer as cold as it used to be. A 2025 study of 836 UK-stranded common dolphins found infectious disease deaths rising sharply as sea temperatures climb, with every extra 1°C linked to a 14% jump in that risk. A build-up of banned industrial chemicals in their blubber adds a smaller risk on top.

Warm-water dolphins made up 82% of all UK strandings between 1990 and 2018, against just 18% for cold-water species, and that gap keeps widening as the water they can survive in moves north. CSIP’s Rob Deaville puts it plainly: the common dolphin is now, for the first time, the most commonly reported dolphin species stranding on UK shores.

Set against that backdrop, three Thames deaths in nine years, in 2017, 2024 and now, raise an obvious question: is this an early, local echo of a bigger shift, something Putney residents might see more of as summers grow hotter and lengthen?

A Thames dolphin sighting remain a rare event because of where dolphins live – out past Ireland toward the Atlantic. The result is a map of strandings with a heavy concentration in south-west England and west Scotland. The Thames entry is on the other side of the UK. But while three events cannot prove a Thames-specific trend, the sudden frequency taken alongside the increase in sea temperature and a notable increase in the number of dolphins in our waters with infectious diseases does suggest we may be seeing more of this.

#### What other countries do differently

The United States treats a rise in strandings very differently. Since 1992, US law has required a formal, government-coordinated response network, run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with more than 120 partner organisations. When deaths spike unusually, the agency can declare an “Unusual Mortality Event,” a legal designation triggering dedicated federal investigation and funding, used more than 72 times since 1991.

The UK has nothing equivalent. CSIP is funded by the government to collate and report strandings data, but there is no statutory trigger for a “significant die-off.” Researchers say there is no globally recognised coordination of stranding responses anywhere in the world, a gap illustrated by a bird-flu outbreak that killed tens of thousands of seals in South America.

![A stranded dolphin found dead on the banks of the Thames. Pic: Rob Deaville](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/dolphin3-1024x768.jpeg)A dolphin sighting in Putney is a sign of distress. Pic: Rob Deaville#### If you see a dolphin in the Thames

There is no dramatic rescue waiting to happen. As Julia Cable of BDMLR explained after the 2024 sightings, “there’s no way we can actually physically move it unless it were to strand.” All anyone can do is monitor the animal, keep other river users away and hope it finds its own way back out.

The advice for anyone who spots a dolphin, or any other Thames wildlife in distress, is simple: report it to BDMLR, keep your distance and keep noise down, since noise appears to make a disorientated animal’s situation worse.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/07/05/a-dolphin-swam-right-past-putney-bridge-this-week-it-never-made-it-back-to-sea/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/07/05/a-dolphin-swam-right-past-putney-bridge-this-week-it-never-made-it-back-to-sea/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=A%20dolphin%20swam%20right%20past%20Putney%20Bridge%20this%20week.%20It%20never%20made%20it%20back%20to%20sea.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/07/05/a-dolphin-swam-right-past-putney-bridge-this-week-it-never-made-it-back-to-sea/)

**Categories:** Barnes, Environment

**Tags:** River Thames, thamesfield, wildlife

---

### [Overnight move opens door to High Street renovation](https://putney.news/2026/07/04/overnight-move-opens-door-to-high-street-renovation/)

**Published:** July 4, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** The rest of the block emptied to make way for redevelopment. 

**Content:**

The Putney Convenience Store worked through the night to move its entire stock next door into number 67 to make way for what promises to be one of the High Street’s biggest renovations. Within hours, its home for the past decade was boarded up with black chipboard.

The shop, whose fascia reads “Proudly serving Putney since 2004,” completes a move the owner called “[a bit of a mad rush](https://putney.news/2026/05/23/putney-newsagent-moves-next-door-into-the-shop-that-was-a-squat/)” back in May. No 67 had recently been [vacated by squatters ](https://putney.news/2026/04/02/third-time-lucky-squatters-out-of-putney-high-street-as-new-shop-moves-in/)and the entire space torn out. The space had to be rebuilt and then everything from air fresheners to Zero Coke shifted in just a few weeks. The business had been running down its stock for weeks to make the move easier but in the end they were up until 7.30am to complete the move. The builders arrived at 8am.

They like their new digs: the shop is slightly wider, making Putney Convenience Store feel a little roomier. Otherwise it’s pretty much the same, only newer. Customers popping in for their daily newspaper – yes, it still stocks physical newspapers – only had to walk a few extra feet; business as usual.

> [Putney newsagent moves next door: into the shop that was a squat](https://putney.news/2026/05/23/putney-newsagent-moves-next-door-into-the-shop-that-was-a-squat/)

As for number 69, it has joined what was until very recently the British Heart Foundation at 65, and hoardings now run the length of the shop, stamped “Danger, demolition work in progress” and “No admittance.” Eastern Natural Care has moved from number 71 to number 83, and the former Paperchase unit, most recently a menswear shop and a phone shop, is boarded too. A massive renovation across the entire strip of shops is now underway.

Marlborough Property (Putney One) Limited owns every unit on the stretch except number 67. It [bought the block](https://putney.news/2026/01/14/entire-putney-high-street-block-being-cleared-as-british-heart-foundation-announces-summer-move/) for £13.3 million in 2016. The owner of 67, Corndale Estates, has broadly backed Marlborough’s redevelopment, but objected to six heat pumps it planned to place a metre from a bedroom window in a flat above the shop. It ask them to be moved to the roof instead; Marlborough agreed.

![Shopfronts along a city street featuring ENZO UOMO and Putney Mobile & Computer signs, with an ornate beige building and blue sky above.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/high-street-renovation-1-1024x768.png)#### No scheme currently before the council

Which opens the door to what could be one of the High Street’s biggest renovations. The new Marks & Spencer, which brought the entire stretch a much needed boost after years of sitting vacant is also a Marlborough property so the company has form.

Plans are to refurbish all the shopfronts and both renovate and add flats above the units too. The new designs comes courtesy of Floyd Slaski Architects and were registered in May but have since been withdrawn, Wandsworth’s planning records show. It’s not clear why but the renovation is moving ahead with workers coming in and out of the multiple properties all day.

![Closed storefront with a black metal door under a yellow frame; safety posters on the wall and a blue vertical ad for mobile phone repair beside it.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/high-street-renovation-4-1024x768.png)The store’s home for a decade is already boarded up for renovation.It’s a welcome piece of progress on a stretch where [Putney High Street’s recovery](https://putney.news/2026/04/28/eight-sites-no-movement-what-happened-to-putney-high-streets-recovery/) has otherwise been slow and uneven for months.

The newsagent, though, trades between hoardings again, the one constant through the block’s eighteen months of upheaval. What replaces the withdrawn scheme, condensers and all, is something *Putney.news* will keep asking about.

![Putney Convenience Store storefront with a blue VELO sign and yellow entrance, customers inside visible.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/high-street-renovation-3-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/07/04/overnight-move-opens-door-to-high-street-renovation/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/07/04/overnight-move-opens-door-to-high-street-renovation/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Overnight%20move%20opens%20door%20to%20High%20Street%20renovation&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/07/04/overnight-move-opens-door-to-high-street-renovation/)

**Categories:** Business, Save the High Street, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Marlborough Property, planning, Putney High Street, retail closures, squatters, thamesfield

---

### [The bayou came to the Half Moon, crickets and helicopters included](https://putney.news/2026/07/04/the-bayou-came-to-the-half-moon-crickets-and-helicopters-included/)

**Published:** July 4, 2026
**Author:** Social Butterfly

**Excerpt:** Creedence Clearwater Review's frontman on why Putney crowds beat bigger venues.

**Content:**

Before Creedence Clearwater Review played a note of “Born on the Bayou” at the Half Moon last night, the room filled with the sound of crickets and swamp water. For its inevitable encore, helicopter blades cut through the room, the cue for “Fortunate Son.” Between numbers, a voiceover in a Southern drawl walked the crowd through the impact of the real band’s history before the Essex-based tribute band blasted into the next number.

We [already made the case](https://putney.news/2026/06/19/the-most-misused-protest-song-in-rock-comes-to-putney/) for going. Here’s what it was actually like.

![Live band on a small club stage with green and purple lights, audience gathered near the front.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/creedence-clearwater-review-playing-1024x768.png)Creedence Clearwater Revival were from El Cerrito, California, a world away from any bayou. But what they captured in the last years of the 1960s still stands true today, more than 50 years later.

Frontman Dale Taylor has spent ten years being John Fogerty’s voice on stages across Britain and Europe. But he has a surprising confession afterwards when he talks to *Putney.news*. “Never played the States. I don’t know, we don’t know how, I mean it’s a much bigger place. Would they take to a Brit band coming over?”

He does not need to find out. Creedence Clearwater Review play 60 to 70 shows a year, including dates in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and around 20 more each year in Germany and Switzerland. It is in Germany that the arithmetic gets strange.

![Two male musicians perform on a small stage: one sings into a microphone while playing a red guitar, the other plays a red guitar beside him; a drum set is on the right. Purple stage lighting.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/creedence-clearwater-review-singing-1024x768.png)“Crazily enough in Germany, it’s huge,” Taylor said. “In the way that like, here in the UK the Rolling Stones and the Beatles are household names… Creedence isn’t in people’s culture here. But in Germany they’re on the radio all the time and we’ve played to thousands of people, like a Thursday night, over a thousand people.”

Part of that popularity has a name. “Hey Tonight,” a Creedence single that never charted in the UK, reached number one in Germany. It means the setlist needs careful handling on both sides of the Channel.

“There is a hit that was a big hit in Germany that wasn’t here, so we have to make sure that doesn’t get left off the setlist,” Taylor said. “It’s a sort of sing-a-long-y pop rock kind of song, over here I don’t think it even charted, or certainly not high. But it was number one in Germany.”

Taylor’s own favourites are “Bad Moon Rising,” “Fortunate Son” and “As Long As I Can See the Light,” and after ten years none of them have worn thin. “We’ve been doing this like 10 years and it feels like we’re playing our own songs now, and we’re never sick of them, night after night, they’re always fun. Literally every time Bad Moon Rising’s always as fun as the first time we ever played it.”

![Four men stand on a small stage after a performance, posing together with one raising his hand in victory, in front of a large 'GREEN' themed backdrop and stage gear on the right side.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/creedence-clearwater-review-1024x576.png)It showed. Taylor and his three bandmates worked the room from the first chord, and by “Fortunate Son” the floor in front of the stage was packed. Taylor loves playing Putney and he tells us why.

“There’s a lot of places in the country where we tour where it takes two-thirds of the show to get the crowd going,” he said, “whereas in this really cool little club, from the first song, they’re up and going.”

The Half Moon provided exactly that: up and going, dancing under green light in a room built for a few hundred people, for a band that fills rooms of a thousand a few hundred miles away and has never crossed the Atlantic to try a bigger one.

“Thank you so much for coming,” he tells the audience after the second encore. “Catch you next year, right?”

![Band performing on a small club stage, audience clapping and cheering in the foreground with guitars and drums visible behind them.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/creedence-clearwater-review-handshake-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/07/04/the-bayou-came-to-the-half-moon-crickets-and-helicopters-included/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/07/04/the-bayou-came-to-the-half-moon-crickets-and-helicopters-included/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20bayou%20came%20to%20the%20Half%20Moon%2C%20crickets%20and%20helicopters%20included&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/07/04/the-bayou-came-to-the-half-moon-crickets-and-helicopters-included/)

**Categories:** Live events, Music, Review

**Tags:** Live Music, Lower Richmond Road, Music, thamesfield, The Half Moon

---

### [The council claimed praise for its Fox House fire response. It was hiding the safety report](https://putney.news/2026/07/04/the-council-claimed-praise-for-its-fox-house-fire-response-it-was-hiding-the-safety-report/)

**Published:** July 4, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council was warned in writing that a vital fire safety check could not be carried out in one of its properties because the top of the building was inaccessible.

Three years later, with the warning still not acted upon, the five-story building had to be evacuated when a fire spread through it with extraordinary speed. It was sheer luck no one was killed. An investigation concluded the inaccessible space was the reason. The lock on it could not take a fire brigade key.

After the fire, the council praised itself for its “strong response”, while fighting to keep secret the fact that it had been warned three years earlier that the building was not safe.

More than 100 people fled Fox House in Battersea on 10 September last year. Sixty lost their homes and all their possessions.

The warning sits in the council’s own 2022 fire risk assessment for the block; a record *Putney.news* obtained this week after months of refusals. It says the roof void, the empty space above the top-floor flats, could not be inspected at all. The lock on the access hatch was the wrong type for a fire brigade key, so the assessor could not get in.

The report told the council to fit a proper lock and inspect the space, by a deadline in the summer of 2022. The council has produced no record that either job was done.

We don’t know what started the fire but it crossed the roof void in about ten minutes, gutting the fourth floor and the roof. Barry Quirk, the former council chief executive brought in to review the fire, found the speed of that spread pointed to weakness in the void itself. His is the only independent examination of the fire so far, and no one has challenged the finding.

Residents did not wait for help. The fire started at about 7.20pm, a window blew out, and they went down the balcony walkways and out, ignoring the official “stay put” advice. Quirk found that quick escape was what kept everyone alive.

#### Praise in public, refusals in private

The council commissioned Quirk to review its response to the fire. His report confirmed [the void was never inspected](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/independent-review-reveals-fox-house-fire-chaos-but-ignores-prevention-failures/). It did not say why. It never mentioned the lock, and it never mentioned the ten safety jobs the 2022 assessment had left outstanding.

The council put that review before its Cabinet and then claimed that it “commends” the council for its “strong response” to the fire, praising its “effective use of data”. The report was presented in the names of the then-Leader, Cllr Simon Hogg, and the then-Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Aydin Dikerdem.

---

Four years, one warning, one fire

Connector spacing is scaled to elapsed time. The gap is the story.

23 February 2022

The council’s safety assessor finds the Fox House roof void cannot be inspected: the lock is the wrong type for a fire brigade key

25 May 2022

Deadline to access and inspect the roof void

25 August 2022

Deadline to fit a fire brigade key lock, and for seven more of the report’s ten jobs

1,112 days

from the final deadline to the fire. No record of any action.

10 September 2025

Fire crosses the roof void in about ten minutes. More than 100 people flee; 60 lose their homes

16 January 2026

Council publishes the independent review. It confirms the void was never inspected, but never says why

3 July 2026

The council releases the 2022 assessment, after months of refusals

Sources: Fox House fire risk assessment RB-QXZNMQ (2022); Quirk review; Wandsworth Council FOI correspondence

---

At the same time, the same council was [refusing to release](https://putney.news/2026/04/12/60-residents-lost-their-homes-in-the-fox-house-fire-wandsworth-council-wont-release-the-safety-records/) the assessment that showed what it had been told about the building before it burned. It used Section 30 of the Freedom of Information Act, an exemption meant for police investigations, to withhold routine safety records.

We challenged that refusal and last month, having exhausted every other avenue, [went to the regulator](https://putney.news/2026/06/27/buildings-with-asbestos-a-near-fatal-explosion-a-deadly-fire-wandsworth-is-hiding-the-records/), the Information Commissioner, over a wider pattern of council refusals. The council handed the report over this week, saying it had reconsidered after “further consultation with the London Fire Brigade”. Start to finish, the request took about 116 working days.

![Firefighter battling the blaze at Fox House](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fox-house-fire-water-1024x575.png)#### Ten jobs, none signed off

The lock was not the only thing left undone. The 2022 assessment listed ten fire-safety jobs, and none was recorded as complete when the report was signed off that October.

There was no emergency lighting on the escape routes. Flat fire doors lacked proper self-closers and smoke seals. Combustible material was being stored in service cupboards. The bin store was not locked, flagged as an arson risk. The building’s electrical wiring safety was unconfirmed. And one job, fitting lightning protection, was marked “completed” in March 2022, then marked “not started” again when the report was approved seven months later. A job logged as done, then quietly undone.

---

Ten jobs, none signed off

The 2022 assessment rated the block “tolerable”: one job short-term, nine medium-term, none severe. All ten were recorded incomplete when the report was approved on 12 October 2022.

Access and inspect the roof void for compartmentation breaches, combustibles and vermin

Due 25 May 2022 · Ref RB-H6HI3R

Fit the roof void access hatch with a fire brigade key lock

Due 25 August 2022 · Ref RB-6V5HP5

Remove combustible items stored in the service cupboards

Due 25 May 2022 · Ref RB-RWH2ZJ · The one short-term job

Install emergency lighting on the escape routes

Due 25 August 2022 · Ref RB-Z7D7T7

Fit compliant self-closing devices to flat entrance doors

Due 25 August 2022 · Ref RB-M2T123

Fit combined intumescent and smoke seals to flat doors

Due 25 August 2022 · Ref RB-9HC2DM

Lock the waste disposal bin store, flagged as an arson risk

Due 25 August 2022 · Ref RB-438AZD

Secure loose cables with metal fixings, an entanglement risk to residents and firefighters

Due 25 August 2022 · Ref RB-L8YZ1J

Confirm the electrical wiring safety check (EICR) has been done within five years

Due 25 August 2022 · Ref RB-TY8W7B

Confirm the lightning protection system has been inspected within the last year

Due 25 August 2022 · Ref RB-I61VTU

Marked as completed, 15 March 2022. Reverted to “not started”, 12 October 2022

The council has released no record that any of the ten was completed before the fire of 10 September 2025.

Source: Fox House fire risk assessment RB-QXZNMQ, Fire Compliance Management Services for Wandsworth Council, 2022

---

The report did not rate the block as dangerous. It judged the overall risk “tolerable”, and set every action as medium term, none as severe. That is the point. These were routine jobs, not emergencies, and on the record the council has released, they simply sat there. The council has not said whether any of them were done.

The gap matters because of the council’s wider record. The social housing regulator gave Wandsworth its second-lowest rating last year, with around 1,800 fire-safety actions overdue by more than a year. The council’s own papers admit it [ignored the Grenfell reforms](https://putney.news/2026/01/26/years-of-failure-exposed-as-council-admits-ignoring-grenfell-reforms/), the fire-safety rules brought in after the 2017 tower disaster. Against that record, a missed deadline on a roof-void lock is just one more sign of a dangerous approach and attitude to fire safety and to residents’ lives.

#### The one question only the council can answer

Whether the lock was ever replaced, and the roof void ever inspected, before the night of the fire, is the single thing that would settle this. Only the council holds the answer. We have put it directly to everyone involved.

We asked Cllr Matthew Corner, the current Cabinet Member for Housing who took over last month, whether the lock was replaced and the roof void inspected before the fire, whether the other eight jobs in the 2022 assessment were completed and when, and when the roofs of the neighbouring blocks will be inspected.

We asked Barry Quirk whether he saw the 2022 assessment during his review, and why his report did not mention that the roof void could not be opened.

We asked Cllr Simon Hogg and Cllr Aydin Dikerdem about the praise presented in their names while the report was being withheld.

No one had responded by the time of publication. We will update this story when they do.

---

How the 12-page report came out

Filed in January. Released in July. What happened in between.

Putney.news · 18 January 2026 · Day 1

FOI filed: Fox House fire risk assessments, outstanding safety actions and roof void inspections

Legal deadline · 14 February · Day 20

The 20-working-day deadline to respond passes. Nothing arrives

Wandsworth Council · February to March

Two holding letters. No substantive answer

Putney.news · 31 March

Internal review filed over the failure to respond

Wandsworth Council · 9 April · Day 55

Refusal in full, under Section 30(1)(a) of the FOI Act, an exemption meant for police investigations

Putney.news · 9 April

Five-ground challenge filed the same day

Wandsworth Council · 11 May

Council letter extends its own review deadline to 8 June

Council’s own deadline · 8 June

The extended deadline passes. Nothing arrives

Putney.news · 25 June

Complaint filed with the Information Commissioner over seven Wandsworth refusals, this among them

Putney.news · 27 June

We publish the complaint

Wandsworth Council · 3 July · Day 116

The file is released in full, with personal data redacted. The council says it reconsidered after “further consultation with the London Fire Brigade”

Source: FOI correspondence, WBC-FOI-12211. Day counts are working days from filing, as documented in the correspondence.

---

Fox House does not stand alone. It is one of a run of near-identical post-war blocks, and people still live in the others. Quirk recommended roof and void inspections across similar buildings. On the council’s own Cabinet paper, that inspection programme carries no completion date. The line in the deadline column is blank.

The failures at Fox House span both parties, a housing crisis they [both helped create](https://putney.news/2026/04/24/wandsworths-housing-crisis-has-the-same-cause-both-parties-helped-create-it/). The current Conservative administration now owns the remediation, and the answer to whether the work was ever done. We will file a further request asking exactly that: whether the two roof-void jobs, and all ten, were completed before 10 September 2025, and on what dates.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/07/04/the-council-claimed-praise-for-its-fox-house-fire-response-it-was-hiding-the-safety-report/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/07/04/the-council-claimed-praise-for-its-fox-house-fire-response-it-was-hiding-the-safety-report/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20council%20claimed%20praise%20for%20its%20Fox%20House%20fire%20response.%20It%20was%20hiding%20the%20safety%20report&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/07/04/the-council-claimed-praise-for-its-fox-house-fire-response-it-was-hiding-the-safety-report/)

**Categories:** Battersea, Homes and Property

**Tags:** Battersea, Cllr Aydin Dikerdem, Cllr Simon Hogg, council housing, Fire safety, FOI, transparency, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth pension board calls failing transfer figures excellent again](https://putney.news/2026/07/03/wandsworth-pension-board-calls-failing-transfer-figures-excellent-again/)

**Published:** July 3, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Five months earlier, it privately discussed lowering that target instead

**Content:**

Wandsworth’s pension board chair praised the fund’s transfer figures as “excellent again” on Thursday, in the same discussion where officers said the transfer backlog was still being cleared.

It was not a slip. Five months earlier, the same board privately discussed cutting that target from 98% to 75% behind closed doors, and never told the public either conversation had happened.

Later in [that same discussion](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1105640), the chair’s verdict was direct: “your KPIs are excellent again, and it’s always a pleasure to read, so it makes our job a lot easier. Congratulations for keeping up the good work.” Nobody on the board raised the transfer figures again during that meeting, even while working through the fund’s annual report line by line and asking detailed questions on half a dozen smaller figures elsewhere in it.

The target the chair praised measures whether the fund gets people’s transfers done within 15 working days. On Thursday, the fund had completed just 69.38% of transfers in on time and 59.74% of transfers out, against that target. A year earlier, it was hitting 97.94% and 94.08%.

At a board meeting in February, officers admitted the transfer service was failing. They blamed the strain of the McCloud pension recalculations, a court-ordered fix affecting schemes nationally, on top of tighter anti-scam checks and years spent training replacement staff. The board’s chair, Richard Perry, [responded by proposing the target come down](https://putney.news/2026/02/20/pension-board-demands-improvement-for-how-people-get-their-money-but-sets-no-deadline/). “Are you happy for us to put it in at 75% or something like that?” he asked. “I’m sure we’d be sympathetic to that.” Nobody on the board asked for evidence behind the “hands tied” explanation. Nobody objected.

Wandsworth’s 2025/26 annual report, published months later, still measures the fund against the original 98% target, not 75% or anything else. Its own verdict is that “performance indicators show an excellent standard is maintained.” The same sentence, word for word, had [already described a transfer service in crisis](https://putney.news/2026/02/04/wandsworth-officers-called-pension-transfer-crisis-excellent-performance/) in a February board paper.

#### The excuse that doesn’t change

This is not new. Officers have a stock line for it: “we always say there’s no silver bullet in pension administration.” They used it to explain the February shortfall, then repeated it almost word for word at Thursday’s meeting to explain the same thing again. That phrase traces back to guidance from CIPFA, the public finance body, which tells pension boards to be supportive rather than defensive, and to judge the fund on its direction of travel rather than “a particular set of results.” That may be why nobody presses: the board is following official advice not to.

The people affected by that gap are still waiting. A freedom of information request revealed one member waited [445 working days](https://putney.news/2026/03/26/wandsworth-pension-members-waited-up-to-18-months-for-transfers-foi-reveals/), up to 18 months, for a transfer meant to take 15. The council’s complete written improvement plan, in answer to that request, was one sentence: “New jobholders are addressing backlogs.” No target, no timeline, no milestone. The same response disclosed that not one formal complaint was recorded in six months, despite 209 people waiting more than 90 days for their own money.

The fund is also behind on its legal obligations, not just its service standards. Two new sets of pension regulations took effect on 30 June. The fund’s own compliance papers, presented two days later, show that its Conflicts of Interest Policy does not meet the new rules, that it has no Governance Strategy at all, and that it has not yet appointed the Independent Person the rules require, due by 31 December. Told this at the meeting, board members did not ask for a date. They asked whether they, as unpaid volunteers, could keep up with the paperwork being generated by all the new requirements.

None of this touches the fund’s finances. It remains comfortably funded. The problem is how the scheme is run, not its money. But that slow pace has already had a cost elsewhere in the same institution. Wandsworth’s investment committee, a separate body from the board, has [left one investment fund sitting above its own risk threshold for over a year](https://putney.news/2025/09/05/wandsworths-3bn-pension-pot-under-fire-after-costly-fund-failures/), after its own overseer called performance “incredibly disappointing.” Different committee, same institutional habit of noting a problem and moving on.

Anyone can check the underlying papers themselves. Wandsworth’s Local Pension Board meets in public and its papers are published on the [council’s committee website](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?CId=595&Year=0). Pension fund members experiencing delays with their own transfers can contact the Pensions Shared Service on 020 8871 6594 or pensions@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk, escalate an unresolved complaint to the council, and take it to the Pensions Ombudsman if that doesn’t work.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/07/03/wandsworth-pension-board-calls-failing-transfer-figures-excellent-again/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/07/03/wandsworth-pension-board-calls-failing-transfer-figures-excellent-again/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20pension%20board%20calls%20failing%20transfer%20figures%20excellent%20again&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/07/03/wandsworth-pension-board-calls-failing-transfer-figures-excellent-again/)

**Categories:** Finance

**Tags:** accountability, FOI, Local Pension Board, transparency, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Putney's ham shop hangs up its knife after eight years](https://putney.news/2026/07/03/putneys-ham-shop-hangs-up-its-knife-after-eight-years/)

**Published:** July 3, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Casa Manolo's closing notice thanks Putney, months after readers called it a hero

**Content:**

“Thank You, Putney!” reads the notice taped inside the window of [Casa Manolo](https://putney.news/venue/casa-manolo/), the Spanish tapas bar and jamón shop that has closed at 124 Putney High Street after eight years. It directs customers to the chain’s branches in Clapham Junction and the Strand, both still trading, and promises “exciting new projects” to come.

Readers named Casa Manolo a [high street hero](https://putney.news/2026/02/28/youve-spoken-putney-here-are-your-high-street-heroes/) in our February survey, months before it joined the closures list itself. The chain started on the Strand in 2014, built on family recipes and Iberico ham cured in Guijuelo, Spain, and expanded to Chelsea, Angel, Clapham Junction and Putney. The Putney branch was a hybrid of deli and dining room, hand-carved ham, a wine wall and a small kitchen behind it. Events ran through the year, from a [flamenco show](https://putney.news/event/flamenco-show/) to an [Iberico ham carving masterclass](https://putney.news/event/iberico-ham-carving-masterclass/), and the paella was genuinely excellent.

If you have walked down Putney High Street lately, you will have noticed how many shopfronts stand behind hopeful To Let boards. Casa Manolo’s is one more, but the letting brochure for its old unit is the first time anyone has put a number on why.

![Poster on a glass door that says 'Thank You, Putney!' announcing the Putney store closure.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/casa-manolo-sign-1024x768.png)#### Putney is where the chains let go

Casa Manolo is not a one-off. It joins [Papa John’s](https://putney.news/2024/03/28/papa-johns-pizza-on-upper-richmond-road-to-close/), [Subway](https://putney.news/2024/07/10/subway-shuts-down-leaving-putney-high-street-with-23-empty-shops/), [Wasabi](https://putney.news/2025/05/16/putney-in-peril-wasabi-joins-growing-list-of-departures/), [Simmons and Be At One](https://putney.news/2025/08/01/putneys-party-scene-gutted-as-simmons-joins-be-at-one-and-shuts-down/), and [Starbucks](https://putney.news/2025/11/07/double-trouble-traffic-chaos-returns-as-starbucks-abandons-high-street/), all multi-site operators that shut their Putney branch while keeping the rest of the chain open. Each had somewhere else to go, and Putney was the branch that lost out. [Franco Manca](https://putney.news/2026/04/17/franco-manca-is-closing-16-restaurants-putney-and-southfields-arent-on-the-list/) is the honest exception: when the chain closed 16 restaurants nationally in April, Putney and Southfields both survived the cull.

So why does Putney keep drawing the short straw? The letting brochure for Casa Manolo’s old unit gives the first real answer.

#### The letting brochure that explains it

The £21,500 gap

Asking rent vs assessed value, 124 Putney High Street, 2026

What the landlord asks

£80,000/year

What the VOA says it’s worth

£58,500/year

37% above assessed value

Rateable value is the Valuation Office Agency’s assessment of a unit’s open-market annual rent. Asking rent vs rateable value, 124 Putney High Street, 2026.

Source: Graham + Sibbald letting particulars, May 2026; VOA 2026 compiled rating list

The letting brochure went up in May, while Casa Manolo was still open and serving customers. It marketed the unit at £80,000 a year. That figure, called the rateable value, is the Valuation Office Agency’s assessment of what a shop could reasonably fetch in rent, in this case the rent it judged the unit would have fetched in April 2024. It is built from evidence of rents actually agreed, and it is what business rates bills are based on. The VOA puts 124 Putney High Street at £58,500, more than a third below what the landlord is asking.

It is not one landlord being greedy. Along the street, 158 Putney High Street is asking £48,000 against an assessed value of £33,750, 42% above. The old corner unit near the station asks £110,000 against £94,000, 17% above. The market for these units simply is not clearing. Our audit in April found eight prominent units standing empty along the High Street while asking prices held steady rather than falling to meet demand.

Nine years, standing still

Assessed rental value of Putney High Street vs inflation, indexed to 2015 = 100

    134 100 80       Apr 2015 (2017 list) Apr 2021 (2023 list) Apr 2024 (2026 list)  

Consumer prices — 133.6

Street, all units — 100.0

Shops only — 92.6

Everything else got a third more expensive. The street’s rental value went nowhere.

Assessed rental value of Putney High Street vs inflation, indexed to 2015. VOA valuations are made at fixed dates (AVDs); the 2023 list valued the market at the April 2021 pandemic low. Same properties tracked across all three lists via the VOA’s unique property reference.

Source: ONS CPI (series D7BT); VOA compiled rating lists 2017, 2023, 2026 (187 units matched)

The VOA’s own numbers back this up. Across the 187 shops we matched in its lists going back to 2017, the street’s total assessed rental value is £10,885,250, statistically unchanged from £10,890,395 nine years earlier. Over the same nine years, general prices rose by a third. Putney High Street’s rents have gone precisely nowhere in cash terms, while everything else got more expensive.

![Front of a storefront displaying 'Casa Manolo' with large white lettering on a dark sign, orange-lit interior window display, and a blue 'To Let' sign on a brick building above.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/casa-manolo-closing-768x1024.png)#### Why the shape was never in its favour

There is a second reason this particular unit struggled, beyond price. Surveyors value shops by frontage, not floor space: the first few metres behind the window carry full value, and everything further back is worth progressively less, a method sometimes called Zone A. A shop that is long and thin loses value fast, because so much of it sits behind that valuable first stretch of window. A long, narrow unit like 124, which read as a deli from the pavement with hams hanging in the window, is structurally cheap space no matter what fills it.

[Masala Odyssey](https://putney.news/2026/04/28/eight-sites-no-movement-what-happened-to-putney-high-streets-recovery/), further down the street, had exactly the same problem. Another long, narrow shop that never quite worked from the pavement, it has stood empty since its landlord repossessed it in April.

#### What’s left, and what’s next

The unit at 124 is available on a new lease immediately, kitchenette and basement included, with terms that would let a wide range of shops, cafes or restaurants move straight in. Someone will get a well-fitted space, if the price finds the market. For now, Clapham Junction and the Strand keep the flamenco nights and the ham carving going, while Putney waits to see what “exciting new projects” means.

The chains that left

Multi-site operators that shut their Putney branch while trading elsewhere

Mar 2024

Papa John’s closes (Upper Richmond Road)

Jul 2024

Subway closes — street hits 23 empty shops

May 2025

Wasabi closes

Aug 2025

Simmons and Be At One both close

Nov 2025

Starbucks closes

Apr 2026

Franco Manca STAYS — survives a 16-restaurant national cull

Jul 2026

Casa Manolo closes — Clapham Junction and Strand branches continue

When a business has options, Putney is increasingly the branch that goes.

Source: Putney.news archive

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/07/03/putneys-ham-shop-hangs-up-its-knife-after-eight-years/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/07/03/putneys-ham-shop-hangs-up-its-knife-after-eight-years/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20ham%20shop%20hangs%20up%20its%20knife%20after%20eight%20years&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/07/03/putneys-ham-shop-hangs-up-its-knife-after-eight-years/)

**Categories:** Business, Save the High Street, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Putney High Street, retail closures

---

### [Cars targeted again on the Putney street police flagged in February](https://putney.news/2026/07/03/cars-targeted-again-on-the-putney-street-police-flagged-in-february/)

**Published:** July 3, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Vehicle crime came off the ward's priority list six weeks before the report landed

**Content:**

Cars on Lacy Road had their windows smashed overnight this week. The street is one of three Thamesfield police flagged as [vehicle-crime hotspots in February](https://putney.news/2026/02/10/vehicle-crime-surge-prompts-thamesfield-to-reset-policing-priorities/), but following focused attention, the numbers came down and vehicle crime came off the ward’s priority list six weeks ago. It’s now come back.

The damage lands in a blind spot. No official figures for June will publish until late summer, and the police team’s next review of its priorities by the community is not until September: the attention the streets were getting five months ago has moved elsewhere.

Figures presented at February’s ward panel showed vehicle crime up 72% in the final quarter of 2025, to 74 offences in three months. The ward’s police team made vehicle crime a formal priority and posted warning signs on Lacy Road, Felsham Road and Enterprise Way.

The response worked. Monthly counts fell to 15 in March, 11 in April and 15 in May, well below the winter peak, and by April the ward’s remaining cluster of vehicle offences had moved to Weimar Street, several streets away.

As a result, on 20 May, vehicle crime and burglary [came off the priority list](https://putney.news/2026/05/20/crime-falling-in-thamesfield-but-violence-now-tops-the-category-table/) at the ward panel, the regular meeting where residents and local officers pick the three issues the police team focuses on. Officers were pointed at street violence, shoplifting and cycle theft instead. The numbers supported the call. This was the system working.

Vehicle crime in Thamesfield fell after February’s priority

Recorded vehicle offences by month, October 2025 to May 2026

 Bar chart. Monthly recorded vehicle offences in Thamesfield: October 2025, 26. November, 24. December, 17. January 2026, 18. February, 15. March, 15. April, 11. May, 15. Vehicle crime was a formal ward priority from 4 February to 20 May 2026, covering the February to May bars. Ward priority active Not a priority 

26

Oct

24

Nov

17

Dec

18

Jan

15

Feb

15

Mar

11

Apr

15

May

Vehicle crime was a formal ward priority from 4 February, when warning signs went up on Lacy Road, Felsham Road and Enterprise Way, until 20 May, when it was dropped from the priority list.

Source: Metropolitan Police recorded crime, London Datastore

#### Where Thamesfield’s crime stands now

The wider picture is quietly encouraging. Total recorded crime in Thamesfield fell to 96 offences in May, the ward’s lowest monthly total since September 2024, according to the Met’ropolitan Police’s own figures, and monthly totals have edged down through 2026, from 123 in January.

Violence against the person has fallen every month since it returned to the priority list in March, from a February spike of 32 offences, the highest month in two years of published figures, to 15 in May. Shoplifting is proving stickier, with 20 offences in May, roughly where it has sat all year and slightly up on the same month last year. Cycle theft, the newest priority, recorded two offences in May. The figures have not yet recorded a focused clampdown on e-bikes that we reported earlier this week.

Vehicle crime, at 15 offences, is nonetheless still the ward’s joint second most reported crime category, level with violence and behind only theft. Whether Monday night changes that picture we will have to see: the most recent published ward figures stop at May, and June’s are weeks away.

Why cars, and why these streets? Sergeant Linda Worger told February’s meeting that most vehicle crime is opportunistic. “The thieves didn’t know that a bag was empty until they broke in to find out,” she said. The advice has not changed: leave nothing on display, not even an empty bag.

Ward priorities are reviewed roughly every four months, and the next Thamesfield review is on Wednesday 2 September, 6.30pm at St Mary’s Church on Putney High Street. Residents do not have to wait for it. The whole team reads the shared inbox at , and crime can be reported at met.police.uk, on 101, or on 999 in an emergency.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/07/03/cars-targeted-again-on-the-putney-street-police-flagged-in-february/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/07/03/cars-targeted-again-on-the-putney-street-police-flagged-in-february/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Cars%20targeted%20again%20on%20the%20Putney%20street%20police%20flagged%20in%20February&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/07/03/cars-targeted-again-on-the-putney-street-police-flagged-in-february/)

**Categories:** Crime, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, public safety, thamesfield, vehicle crime

---

### [Putney's traffic misery is permanent now Hammersmith Bridge won't reopen](https://putney.news/2026/07/01/putneys-traffic-misery-is-permanent-now-hammersmith-bridge-wont-reopen/)

**Published:** July 1, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** The £1m junction was rebuilt for a 2026 reopening that is now dead

**Content:**

The cars and buses are not coming back to Hammersmith Bridge.

A [report](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Hammersmith-Bridge-Restoration-Programme.pdf "report") \[pdf\] going to Hammersmith and Fulham Council’s Cabinet on Monday recommends giving up on reopening the bridge to traffic for good. After seven years and £54m spent, the council says there is ‘no financial option’ to fix it properly. It will instead ask the Government for a cheaper £128m repair that keeps the crossing open to cyclists, walkers and boats, and shut to everything else.

This is the moment the long saga stops being about when the bridge reopens and becomes the fact that it will not. The three bodies that could have fixed it, the council that owns the bridge, the Mayor who runs its buses, and the Government that holds the money, are now all run by Labour. It’s made no difference.

For Putney, it makes the traffic permanent. The borough’s £1m junction at Putney Bridge was rebuilt on the assumption that Hammersmith Bridge would carry traffic again by 2026. That assumption is now dead.

#### Why the proper fix is off

Fixing the bridge so cars and buses can use it again would cost around £300m, and the council says it cannot find its share. The Government has told it to bid for the smaller job instead, the report stating that ‘the DfT has confirmed its preference for this phased repair bid’. A deadline of March 2030 to spend any money rules out the full restoration in any case, and the plan to do it properly is, in the council’s own words, parked, with ‘no indication’ it will be revived ‘as a route to full restoration at this time’.

So the £128m bid is for survival, not reopening. It would shore up the worst of the structure and keep the bridge safe for walking, cycling and river traffic. It would not restore the six bus routes that have been cut, and it would not let a single car cross. [A fourth Commons debate](https://putney.news/2026/04/22/after-a-fourth-commons-debate-on-hammersmith-bridge-no-new-funding-possibly-a-breakthrough/) in April produced no new money. This is where seven years of delay has arrived.

#### Putney pays for a dead promise

The cost to Putney is already built into its roads. Wandsworth’s own paper records that the £1m junction was modelled on the bridge reopening by 2026, which was ‘what was agreed with TfL’. We set out [the full evidence](https://putney.news/2026/04/15/every-warning-proved-right-the-full-evidence-behind-putneys-broken-junction/) for that in April, after first reporting [how approved plans went wrong](https://putney.news/2025/11/14/putneys-million-pound-junction-disaster-how-approved-plans-went-wrong/). With the bridge now written off for traffic, the premise behind the junction has collapsed.

The damage shows in the buses. Putney’s services run [41% worse](https://putney.news/2026/03/17/putneys-buses-are-41-worse-than-the-rest-of-wandsworth-and-the-data-proves-the-junction-is-why/) than the rest of Wandsworth, and the broken junction is the reason. The cause matters here. Traffic across the five western Thames bridges has actually fallen, down nearly a quarter since the closure. Putney is not jammed because more cars are coming. It is jammed because the junction was built for a bridge that is not reopening.

The council has not said what it will do about that. With full reopening abandoned, it has given no indication whether it will redesign the junction for a crossing that is permanently shut, or leave in place a layout built for a promise that no longer holds.

---

The verdict is in

Hammersmith Bridge isn’t reopening to cars and buses. What’s your verdict?

Cast your verdict, then see where 298 readers landed.

    Honestly? Just blow it up and start again        A political failure, and they’re all to blame        Bliss. London’s poshest cycle path.        Gutting, but the money was never there     

 Nearly nine in ten either wanted the bridge rebuilt or blamed those in charge. About one in ten were content to leave it as it is. 

Putney.news reader poll, 298 votes, now closed. A self-selecting online poll, not a representative survey. Percentages rounded.

---

#### Everyone who could have acted

The bridge’s owner is Labour, returned in May with 38 seats to the Conservatives’ 12. The Mayor who runs Transport for London is Labour. The Government writing the cheques is Labour. For five years the blame fell on the Conservatives. Labour now holds every lever, and the answer is still no.

The response from those in charge has been a chorus of disappointment. Putney’s Labour MP, Fleur Anderson, said she was ‘deeply disappointed’ the council had ‘opted’ for the £128m plan ‘rather than advocating for the full £300 million needed to restore the bridge for buses and other vehicles’.

The report says there was no option to advocate for. In February, Anderson had told constituents there was ‘real momentum now’, with ‘key funding decisions expected in the coming weeks’, [as we reported](https://putney.news/2026/02/03/mp-claims-hammersmith-bridge-funding-decisions-in-the-coming-weeks/); the letter behind that optimism promised only that a stalled taskforce would be reconvened. Richmond Park’s Liberal Democrat MP, Sarah Olney, had already described the process as five versions of the same letter, ‘each promising action without delivering it’.

Wandsworth’s new Conservative administration is disappointed too. Cllr Dan Hamilton, the council’s transport lead, [called the update](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-june-2026/wandsworths-deep-disappointment-at-hammersmith-bridge-latest/) ‘deeply disappointing’ and said Wandsworth would ‘continue to champion its full reopening to vehicles’. Under the previous Labour administration, though, [as we revealed under FOI](https://putney.news/2026/03/28/wandsworth-shot-down-a-chance-to-reopen-hammersmith-bridge-then-said-nothing-for-a-year/), Wandsworth stood at a Putney rally in January 2025 demanding ‘urgent and decisive action to fund the repairs’, then told the taskforce three days later that it had ‘no money’ to help pay, with around £194m sitting in reserves. Both parties have offered the same thing: words, not cash.

> [Wandsworth shot down a chance to reopen Hammersmith Bridge. Then said nothing for a year.](https://putney.news/2026/03/28/wandsworth-shot-down-a-chance-to-reopen-hammersmith-bridge-then-said-nothing-for-a-year/)

The money is not easy to find. Nobody can conjure £300m, the three-way split that left Hammersmith and Fulham covering a third was imposed by the previous government and never made to work, and the council’s only route to its share, a toll on drivers crossing the bridge, dies with the cheaper fix. Some do not want the traffic back at all: the London Cycling Campaign argues that even if London could afford to reopen the bridge to cars, it should not.

#### What happens next

The Cabinet meets at 7pm on Monday 6 July to sign the plan off, with the meeting streamed on the council’s [YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/user/hammersmithandfulham). Nothing is settled even then. The Government’s answer on the £128m is not expected until the autumn, and the award could land ‘well below’ the amount asked for. Keeping the bridge safe and open to walkers and cyclists alone costs around £1.5m a year, which the council has not budgeted, and without more the report warns it could ‘fully close again on safety grounds’.

The bill so far is disputed. The council says it is still owed £22.9m by the Government and TfL; the Government says publicly it has provided £17m, a figure the council’s own report does not match, putting it at £13.03m. Wandsworth residents who want to press the point can find their ward councillors at [democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx).

Hammersmith Bridge opened in 1887 and is Grade II\* listed. It closed to motor vehicles in April 2019 after cracks were found in its cast-iron pedestals, and briefly to everyone in 2020, before reopening to walkers and cyclists. The report’s authors expect a backlash. It braces for ‘adverse press coverage’, notes that the dissatisfaction ‘comes from outside the borough’, and recommends a communications plan be ready to deploy. Seven years on, with £54m spent and the road still shut, the people in charge are ‘disappointed’.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/07/01/putneys-traffic-misery-is-permanent-now-hammersmith-bridge-wont-reopen/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/07/01/putneys-traffic-misery-is-permanent-now-hammersmith-bridge-wont-reopen/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20traffic%20misery%20is%20permanent%20now%20Hammersmith%20Bridge%20won%E2%80%99t%20reopen&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/07/01/putneys-traffic-misery-is-permanent-now-hammersmith-bridge-wont-reopen/)

**Categories:** Politics, Transport

**Tags:** Cllr Daniel Hamilton, Fleur Anderson MP, Hammersmith and Fulham Council, Hammersmith Bridge, Putney Bridge junction, TfL, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Knocking down Hammersmith Bridge is the sensible answer](https://putney.news/2026/07/02/knocking-down-hammersmith-bridge-is-the-sensible-answer/)

**Published:** July 2, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** A new bridge costs about what repair does, and would carry cars again

**Content:**

**UPDATED** This week we learned that, after seven years of inaction, the government, and Hammersmith and Fulham Council have settled on leaving it a road bridge that carries no cars or buses. We [asked what you made of that](https://putney.news/2026/07/01/putneys-traffic-misery-is-permanent-now-hammersmith-bridge-wont-reopen/), and 50% of you, 137 of the 278 who replied, were beyond fed up and chose the option: “Honestly? Just blow it up and start again.”

So we decided to look at exactly that. Why not blow up Hammersmith Bridge and build a new one? Why has the obvious answer to a brittle, broken crossing not been taken years ago? We could all be driving over it by now.

What we found is a tangle of history, politics and good old-fashioned buck-passing… and a way through if the politicians that put us in this predicament in the first place had the skill and energy to take it.

But first the case for simply demolishing Hammersmith Bridge. We’ll start with the money: Hammersmith and Fulham pays £2.7m a year just to stop the closed bridge falling down, more than the £1.5m it would take to keep it open to walkers and cyclists, and none of that buys a reopening. More than £54m has gone in, and the bridge is still shut.

Repairing the Victorian structure is now costed at around £250m, up from £40m when it shut in 2019. The council admits a new bridge would cost “similar”, and even two crossings, one for traffic and one for walking and cycling, comes to between £180m to £360m, the same ballpark for new bridges with far more capacity.

There is a tendency for the cost of new builds to balloon, just as with repairs, but the case was never that a new bridge is cheap, only that it costs no more than the repair, carries cars and buses again, and stops the bleed.

So if it makes sense to take down Hammersmith Bridge, what has stopped it? Three things, and none of them is engineering.

![Maintenance workers in high-visibility jackets kneel on a bridge deck beside a green railing and safety fence, performing repairs as a blue sky and clouds loom above.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/hammersmith-bridge-workers2-768x1024.png)---

Four ways to knock it down. Three are shut.

The routes to demolishing a Grade II* bridge, and the only one that has ever worked.

✗

1. Ordinary planning consent

The front door · near-impossible

Total loss of a Grade II* building must be “wholly exceptional”. No starred structure has been demolished this way.

✗

2. Consent over a heritage objection

The side door · only ever Grade II

Ministers have overruled objectors before, but only for a Grade II building, never a starred one.

✗

3. Removing the listing

The locked door · impossible

You cannot deliberately lose the star. By law, deterioration and neglect are not counted in its favour.

✓

4. A bespoke Act of Parliament

The trapdoor · the one that works

HS2 and Crossrail authorised protected-structure works this way. Only a government can open it, and none has.

Source: NPPF Section 16; Historic England; High Speed Rail Act 2017.

---

#### The one word that changes everything

The first is a single asterisk. The bridge is not just listed, it is listed Grade II\*, the tier covering about one listed building in twenty. The rules say demolishing an ordinary Grade II building should be “exceptional”, and a Grade I or II\* one “wholly exceptional”. That one extra word, “wholly”, is close to an absolute bar.

How close? We could not find one Grade II\* structure in England ever granted permission and pulled down through the normal planning system. When the government tried to demolish its own Richmond House in Whitehall, the plan collapsed in 2021 amid warnings, from architect and former English Heritage commissioner Piers Gough, that it set an “ominous precedent”. Even HS2, armed with its own Act of Parliament, spared every Grade I and II\* building in its path, taking six humbler Grade II ones instead.

The star is earned. In Hammersmith’s case, Bazalgette’s 1887 bridge is Victorian showing-off in iron, all monumental towers, dark green and gold paint and the arms of London, Westminster and Kent, sitting on the piers of the 1827 bridge that was the first iron suspension crossing of the Thames. In short, it’s a pretty bridge, although not everyone has been charmed: the designer William Morris – the great Victorian champion of beautiful things, who lived on the Hammersmith bank – called it “this ugly suspension bridge”. Tastes changed, but the star stayed.

![Hammersmith Bridge suspension bridge spans a river with lattice railings and decorative towers, city buildings visible in the background.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/hammersmith-bridge-profile-1024x768.png)That’s the star explained. The Grade II is because it represents a unique piece of Victorian engineering: the only suspension bridge Joseph Bazalgette, the man who sewered London, ever built, its wrought-iron towers clad in ornamental cast iron and its deck slung from massive chains. But it is worth noting that demolition would not wipe out this type or era of bridge: Telford’s Menai and Brunel’s Clifton are still standing. But it is one of only two suspension road bridges over the tidal Thames, alongside Albert upstream. Albert is also closed, for much the same reason. A Victorian-era bridge may look beautiful but is not good at actually serving as a bridge.

So how do you get past this level of protection? Not by arguing harder at a planning meeting, because ordinary planning is the wrong door. A decision to remove the protections would take not one but two Secretaries of State: the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to call it in, and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to override it. The one path that is open is the route that HS2 and Crossrail took: treat the crossing as nationally important and authorise it by a bespoke Act of Parliament, which grants consent directly and switches off the heritage veto. Hammersmith Bridge was created by an act of parliament; it would take another to get rid of it.

It is the nuclear option that only central government can reach for, and nobody has.

![Four-rower rowing boat under a large green lattice-rail bridge on a calm river, with a motorboat and city buildings in the background.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/hammersmith-bridge-support-rail-rowers-1024x768.png)#### No one is in charge

The second barrier is that nobody owns the problem. The bridge is split four ways, between the borough that holds it, Transport for London, the Department for Transport that holds the purse, and Historic England, which guards the listing. None has the money, the power and the will at once.

This is not bad luck but the wreckage of 1985, when the Greater London Council was abolished and the capital’s bridges were parcelled out to boroughs, leaving a strategic river crossing at the mercy of one council’s budget. The deadlock has run for years, showing most plainly when ministers found room on a [billion-pound wish list of London tunnels](https://putney.news/2025/10/13/hammersmith-ticks-billion-pound-tunnel-wish-list-while-the-bridge-stays-shut/) while the bridge stayed shut. It is a system that is failing all the way along the Thames, with council unable to afford even upkeep of the bridges they are now responsible for. The answer is obvious: put all the bridges under a single body, put that body underneath the mayoralty of London and fund it; it’s what every other major capital does except London.

The sad story of Hammersmith Bridge, and now Albert Bridge, as well as several other outdated bridges on the Thames (even Putney Bridge) could be used to finally come up with a workable solution, if only there was the political will and skill in place. The legislative route needs one sponsor in central government and one budget line, owning the job from decision to ribbon. Settle who is in charge and most of the rest follows.

![Underneath a green riveted steel bridge over a river, showing beams, rivets, and supporting structures above the water.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/hammersmith-bridge-support-rail-close-1024x768.png)A state of disrepair: just one of the patches keeping the bridge up – a white steel girder#### The levers nobody pulls

The third barrier is the quietest, because nobody with power is asking for a new bridge. There are letters, debates and plenty of disappointment, but no costed plan to replace it beside the plan to repair it.

The tools to force one exist, and they gather dust. A Transport Select Committee inquiry can haul in ministers and demand a government answer within 60 days; a Backbench Business debate can put a motion MPs must vote on, not another airless hour in Westminster Hall; and budget pressure can be aimed at the Treasury, where the real blockage sits. Above all, an MP could demand the document nobody has produced: a published, costed study weighing a new bridge against forever patching the old one.

That is where you come in. Write to your MP, [Fleur Anderson](mailto:fleur.anderson.mp@parliament.uk?subject=Hammersmith%20Bridge%3A%20two%20requests&body=Dear%20Fleur%20Anderson%2C%0D%0A%0D%0AAs%20your%20constituent%2C%20I%20am%20writing%20about%20Hammersmith%20Bridge%2C%20which%20has%20now%20been%20closed%20to%20traffic%20for%20more%20than%20seven%20years.%0D%0A%0D%0APlease%20would%20you%20do%20two%20things.%20First%2C%20press%20for%20a%20Transport%20Select%20Committee%20inquiry%20into%20how%20London%27s%20bridges%20are%20funded.%20Second%2C%20call%20for%20a%20published%2C%20costed%20study%20that%20weighs%20demolishing%20and%20replacing%20the%20bridge%20against%20repairing%20it%2C%20so%20that%20a%20new%20bridge%20is%20properly%20on%20the%20record%20as%20an%20option.%0D%0A%0D%0AThank%20you%20for%20your%20help.%0D%0A%0D%0AYours%20sincerely%2C%0D%0A%5Byour%20name%5D%0D%0A%5Byour%20address%5D) in Putney, [Andy Slaughter](mailto:slaughtera@parliament.uk?subject=Hammersmith%20Bridge%3A%20two%20requests&body=Dear%20Andy%20Slaughter%2C%0D%0A%0D%0AAs%20your%20constituent%2C%20I%20am%20writing%20about%20Hammersmith%20Bridge%2C%20which%20has%20now%20been%20closed%20to%20traffic%20for%20more%20than%20seven%20years.%0D%0A%0D%0APlease%20would%20you%20do%20two%20things.%20First%2C%20press%20for%20a%20Transport%20Select%20Committee%20inquiry%20into%20how%20London%27s%20bridges%20are%20funded.%20Second%2C%20call%20for%20a%20published%2C%20costed%20study%20that%20weighs%20demolishing%20and%20replacing%20the%20bridge%20against%20repairing%20it%2C%20so%20that%20a%20new%20bridge%20is%20properly%20on%20the%20record%20as%20an%20option.%0D%0A%0D%0AThank%20you%20for%20your%20help.%0D%0A%0D%0AYours%20sincerely%2C%0D%0A%5Byour%20name%5D%0D%0A%5Byour%20address%5D) in Hammersmith and Chiswick, or [Sarah Olney](mailto:sarah.olney.mp@parliament.uk?subject=Hammersmith%20Bridge%3A%20two%20requests&body=Dear%20Sarah%20Olney%2C%0D%0A%0D%0AAs%20your%20constituent%2C%20I%20am%20writing%20about%20Hammersmith%20Bridge%2C%20which%20has%20now%20been%20closed%20to%20traffic%20for%20more%20than%20seven%20years.%0D%0A%0D%0APlease%20would%20you%20do%20two%20things.%20First%2C%20press%20for%20a%20Transport%20Select%20Committee%20inquiry%20into%20how%20London%27s%20bridges%20are%20funded.%20Second%2C%20call%20for%20a%20published%2C%20costed%20study%20that%20weighs%20demolishing%20and%20replacing%20the%20bridge%20against%20repairing%20it%2C%20so%20that%20a%20new%20bridge%20is%20properly%20on%20the%20record%20as%20an%20option.%0D%0A%0D%0AThank%20you%20for%20your%20help.%0D%0A%0D%0AYours%20sincerely%2C%0D%0A%5Byour%20name%5D%0D%0A%5Byour%20address%5D) in Richmond Park, and ask for two things by name: an inquiry into how London’s bridges are funded, and a costed study that puts replacement on the record. The obvious shortcut, a backbencher’s own Private Member’s Bill, is a dead end: name a single bridge and the bill would likely be ruled “hybrid”, killed by one shouted “Object!”, or starved of money only the government can grant.

What happens next is much smaller. On 6 July the Cabinet votes, not on any of this, but on whether to bid for a £128m phased repair that keeps the bridge open to walkers, cyclists and boats, but not to buses or cars.

![Construction scaffolding runs along a riverbank beside a decorative bridge under a clear blue sky.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/hammersmith-bridge-scaffolding-1024x768.png)#### The climate objection you may make

With the question of demolition comes another word: carbon. Surely tearing down a Victorian bridge to build a new one is vandalism against the planet, when the greenest structure is the one already standing?

For most buildings, true; for this one, mostly not. The bridge has already failed, which is why it is shut, so “repairing” it is no gentle green retrofit but a £250m, material-heavy near-rebuild in its own right. The most carbon-hungry part of any bridge, the foundations, already exists and survives under either plan, exactly as Bazalgette reused the piers beneath him; the metal that failed is brittle Victorian cast iron, not modern steel, so saving it saves heritage, not reusable carbon.

Nor is a shut bridge green: it sends tens of thousands of daily journeys onto long detours through Putney and Chiswick for decades. Carbon can still be thrown into a planning fight, as when ministers blocked the Marks and Spencer demolition on Oxford Street over its embodied carbon, only for the courts to overturn them. But on this bridge, the usual green trump card does not play.

![Bridge railing with taped metal wrap along a riverside walkway, city houses in the background across calm water](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/hammersmith-bridge-falling-apart-1024x768.png)---

The same bridge, built once and stalled once

What it took to build Hammersmith Bridge, and what it has taken to do nothing.

Then

1883 – 1887

4 years

from Act of Parliament to open bridge

- Built for £82,117, about £9.3m today
- One body owned it, decided it and paid for it

Now

2019 – today

7+ years

shut to cars and buses, and counting

- £250m to repair, £54m already spent
- Split four ways, with no one in charge

Repairing it now costs about **27 times** what the whole bridge cost to build.

Source: Historic England; New Civil Engineer; Hammersmith and Fulham Council.

---

#### Built in four years

So we come back to where we started. We can still build when we choose to: the Elizabeth line, late and over budget, is now the country’s busiest railway, and Bazalgette’s own sewers are being finished beneath the Thames as you read this. The bridge is its own proof, authorised by Parliament in 1883 and open by 1887, four years later, for £82,117, about £9.3m today, under one body that owned it, decided it and paid for it.

That bridge has been shut to traffic for more than seven years, and we could all be crossing a new one by now. The problem was never that we cannot knock it down, or that we cannot build. It is that we have built a system in which no one can say yes.

![Green metal bridge or walkway with lattice railing and ivy on the left, against a blue sky. (Informative)](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/hammersmith-bridge-protections-1024x768.png)---

#### From the comments

*Updated 2 July 2026*

Half of readers in this week’s poll said knock the bridge down and start again; this article examined why that has not happened.

Readers have been making the alternative case in the comments: most Hammersmith and Fulham households have no car (it’s true: 57.5% had no car or van according to the 2021 census); the riverside is quieter and cleaner without motor traffic; and reopening any bridge to cars would generate new journeys, the effect known as induced demand, which [a government evidence review](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5c0e5848e5274a0bf3cbe124/latest-evidence-on-induced-travel-demand-an-evidence-review.pdf) confirms is real, though its size varies with circumstances.

One point of record, since the bridge is repeatedly described below as open: it is open to walkers and cyclists only, under constant monitoring of a structure the council’s own engineers still class as sub-standard, and it has carried no cars, buses or ambulances since 2019.

Two readers brought data, and both claims stand up. Sunny pointed to the Department for Transport’s traffic counts as showing less motor traffic in Putney than before the closure. They do: DfT figures for the A219 through Putney put 2025 flows between roughly 13% and 27% below 2018, the last full year before the bridge shut to vehicles. RuthP flagged sensor monitoring of the bridge itself: Telraam, the traffic-counting network that runs the sensor, records more than 12,000 pedestrian and cyclist crossings a day. Both datasets will feed our continuing traffic coverage.

Two ideas stand out. Henrietta Bewley suggests a walking and cycling crossing on the disused piers beside Barnes Bridge. And RuthP asks what it would take to revive Putney High Street as a place rather than a through-route. We will take that up as a story of its own.

The full exchange is in the comments below.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/07/02/knocking-down-hammersmith-bridge-is-the-sensible-answer/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/07/02/knocking-down-hammersmith-bridge-is-the-sensible-answer/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Knocking%20down%20Hammersmith%20Bridge%20is%20the%20sensible%20answer&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/07/02/knocking-down-hammersmith-bridge-is-the-sensible-answer/)

**Categories:** Politics, Transport

**Tags:** Fleur Anderson MP, Hammersmith and Fulham Council, Hammersmith Bridge, Sarah Olney MP, TfL

---

### [Wandsworth paid £2m for a fund that lost money. A free one beside it made 17 per cent](https://putney.news/2026/07/02/wandsworth-paid-2m-for-a-fund-that-lost-money-a-free-one-beside-it-made-17-per-cent/)

**Published:** July 2, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** The fund's own pool operator told councillors to cut it. They held on

**Content:**

Wandsworth’s pension fund paid one investment manager £2.15m last year to lose 12.6 per cent of the money it managed, in a year when the stock market it was chasing rose 16.8 per cent.

The manager is Longview, which runs a concentrated fund of global shares for the borough’s £3.3bn pension pot. What makes the loss sting is that a cheaper alternative sat in the very same portfolio and did the opposite: Legal & General’s index tracker, which follows the market instead of trying to beat it, returned 17.4 per cent over the same year while charging only a fraction of Longview’s fee.

That is a gap of 30 percentage points between the fund Wandsworth paid handsomely and the one it barely paid at all. Longview held around £535m of pension money through the year, and 30 percentage points on £535m works out at roughly £160m: the difference, in a single year, between hiring someone to beat the market and simply following it. The exact figure shifts with the timing of the money but every number behind it is the fund’s own.

#### A hidden cost to taxpayers

None of this puts anyone’s pension at risk. Because the scheme pays a guaranteed, defined benefit, the teachers, care workers and council staff who pay into it will receive exactly what they were promised whatever the investments do. The cost of underperformance falls instead on the employers who top the fund up, which means Wandsworth Council, Richmond Council and the 50 or so schools and academies across the two boroughs, all drawing on the same budgets that pay for teaching and local services.

The reckoning is deferred rather than avoided. Because the fund is currently in surplus, 121 per cent funded, employers’ contribution rates were actually cut in April, with the main rate falling from 20 per cent of pay to 15.8 per cent, and those rates now hold until the next three-yearly valuation in 2028. It is that valuation, not this year’s report, that will turn any lasting underperformance into higher bills for schools and the council and, after a few years, to taxpayers.

Governors who want to know where their own school stands can ask the pensions team for its rate now, and scheme members can read the full report and check their own position through the same office ().

One year, same portfolio, opposite results

Wandsworth pension fund investment returns, year to 31 March 2026

Longview *active manager*−12.6%

Legal & General *tracker*+17.4%

The market *Longview’s benchmark*+16.8%

Whole fund+6.1%

Local authority average+9.7%

The dotted line marks a zero return. Longview lost money; everything else, including a near-free tracker in the same portfolio, gained.

Source: Wandsworth Borough Council Pension Fund Annual Report 2025/26

#### Three meetings, no exit

None of this crept up unseen. *Putney.news* has been [tracking the fund’s underperformance since 2025](https://putney.news/2025/09/05/wandsworths-3bn-pension-pot-under-fire-after-costly-fund-failures/), and Longview’s holding has sat above the 15 per cent ceiling the committee sets for any single active manager since October 2024. Yet at meeting after meeting the response barely moved: the Joint Pensions Committee noted the breach that October, considered shifting money into passive funds and reviewed the overweight position in December 2025, and in March 2026 finally agreed to sell part of the holding, though to fund a new government-bond allocation rather than as any answer to the performance. That pattern of noting and reviewing without acting is one [we reported in March](https://putney.news/2026/03/30/wandsworth-pension-fund-loses-tens-of-millions-as-committee-keeps-noting-the-problem/).

The push to act did not come from the councillors. At that same March meeting the fund’s own pool operator effectively told them to get out: Jenny Buck, chief investment officer at London CIV, said she was “incredibly disappointed” with the concentrated fund, which holds only around 25 stocks, and advised the committee to dilute its exposure. The partial sale was carried out in April, by which point Longview had just closed its worst quarter on record, falling 13.6 per cent while the market slipped only 1.6 per cent, as [we reported in June](https://putney.news/2026/06/06/wandsworth-pension-fund-loses-seven-times-more-than-the-market-in-a-single-quarter/).

What Wandsworth paid, and what it got back

The fund’s two equity managers, year to 31 March 2026

Longview

Active manager, picks the stocks

Fee paid in 2025/26

£2.15m

One-year return

−12.6%

Legal & General

Tracker, just follows the market

Fee paid in 2025/26

£222,000

One-year return

+17.4%

Longview was paid almost **ten times as much** as the tracker, and lost money while the tracker made 17 per cent.

Source: Wandsworth Borough Council Pension Fund Annual Report 2025/26, Note 12

#### The power to switch is gone

By then, in any case, the decision was slipping out of Wandsworth’s hands. The Pension Schemes Act 2026, in force since April, requires the fund to invest through the London CIV pool and strips it of the power to pull money from a failing manager on its own. Its annual report sets the loss out plainly, recording that the Act “removes the Fund’s option to invest outside the CIV for any reason” and leaves it “reliant on the CIV to take any actions relating to sub-fund managers poor performance.”

For all that it holds, the fund returned 6.1 per cent over the year against a local authority average of 9.7 per cent, and when its annual report reaches the Local Pension Board for scrutiny on Thursday, members will find the fund has already chosen the word for its own performance: “disappointing.”

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/07/02/wandsworth-paid-2m-for-a-fund-that-lost-money-a-free-one-beside-it-made-17-per-cent/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/07/02/wandsworth-paid-2m-for-a-fund-that-lost-money-a-free-one-beside-it-made-17-per-cent/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20paid%20%C2%A32m%20for%20a%20fund%20that%20lost%20money.%20A%20free%20one%20beside%20it%20made%2017%20per%20cent&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/07/02/wandsworth-paid-2m-for-a-fund-that-lost-money-a-free-one-beside-it-made-17-per-cent/)

**Categories:** Finance

**Tags:** investigation, local government funding, Local Pension Board, London CIV, pension fund, School Funding, Wandsworth Council

---

### [High crime stats, no answers: West Putney's washout meeting](https://putney.news/2026/07/02/high-crime-stats-no-answers-west-putneys-washout-meeting/)

**Published:** July 2, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Asked for an explanation over rocketing crime, local PC responds to residents: "You tell me."

**Content:**

When [we reported this week](https://putney.news/2026/06/30/violence-in-west-putney-has-halved-the-other-priorities-tell-a-different-story/) that violence in West Putney had halved (a good news story, given what had been an unexplained increase in the ward), it turned out we were reporting on a dip, not a fall.

At the ward’s Met police panel meeting on Tuesday night, the chair of the Safer Neighbourhoods Team (SNT), Lee Roberts, presented the latest figures: violence had shot back up again. It was the worst it had been in years, Roberts pointed out: 301 incidents against 210 the year before, up 43% on last year. West Putney is not only Putney’s most violent ward, the figures show, but its rise in violence is the sharpest anywhere in Wandsworth.

At [the last meeting](https://putney.news/2026/03/10/violence-in-west-putney-has-risen-63-in-a-year-and-one-street-corridor-is-at-the-centre-of-it/), in March, the same question was put to the local police team: what was behind the rise? They said they could not explain it, but would find out and report back. The same question was asked again on Tuesday night: why is violence so high in West Putney, and what’s driving it? The answer caught the room by surprise.

“You tell me,” said PC Ben Walters, the police lead for the ward. Chair Roberts was taken aback. Things did not get better.

---

Preview: Violence chartViolence against the person, West Putney

Three-year comparison, year to May

267

210

301

2023-4

2024-5

2025-6

 Violence against the person in West Putney: 267 incidents in 2023 to 2024, 210 incidents in 2024 to 2025, and 301 incidents in 2025 to 2026.

Up 43% on last year, and back within 13% of where it stood two years ago.

Source: West Putney Ward Panel presentation, 30 June 2026

---

One resident had come to the meeting with a specific purpose. Earlier that day, she had been gardening when a man collapsed on the public walkway in front of her, so drunk he could not stand. She wanted to know the right response, and wondered if PC Walters could have a word with the express supermarket opposite about selling more wine to a man they already knew as a regular. She was also surprised by the answer.

“There’s no point,” Walters said. “If you tell them they can’t purchase it here, they’ll just take it anyway.”

The point of an SNT meeting is for residents to share information and ask questions directly of their local copper. Another resident complained about having tried to report multiple crimes and not received a response: who should she be contacting to make sure something happened?

“Crime Stoppers,” PC Walters responded. “It’s anonymous.” Does a report to Crime Stopper actually reach his team, she followed up. “Yeah, it does,” Walters said.

He was asked again about the violence stats. Could he do a fuller analysis to find out what was going on. “No, without checking all the stats and going through every single crime before, but that would take weeks to do.” Could analytics tools speed up the weeks it takes to break the figures down by hand? “I don’t like AI,” Walters said. “I prefer humans.” What if residents provided a set of questions that could be taken away and responded to at the next meeting? “Great,” he said. “I can divert them to the right people.”

Aside the increase in violence, what explained the rises in drugs and violence? This time, Walters had an answer: “We caught more people, and we had a good summer.” There had been, he said, “a dynamic change in the team. Officers were pushed to prioritise other things before. We go out hunting more now, so we catch more people.”

Could the panel’s chair, or a ward councillor, see a breakdown of the crime data behind the figures? “No.” Officers cannot share names or addresses, so there is no route for a resident or councillor to see it directly. Our [March story](https://putney.news/2026/03/11/west-putneys-violence-surge-may-be-domestic-abuse-the-police-have-no-way-to-know/) established the same blind spot.

Drugs offences in the ward have more than doubled on last year. What does “drugs” as a reported category actually cover? “Could be anything from someone in a bush smoking a joint, to county lines,” Walters said. Could antisocial behaviour reports escalate into something more serious? “It depends,” he said, without settling on when. An animal welfare concern? “We don’t do that.” Domestic violence? “We don’t deal with that.”

“I’ve got to go,” PC Walters told the room. “I’ve got someone in custody and I need to book them.”

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/07/02/high-crime-stats-no-answers-west-putneys-washout-meeting/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/07/02/high-crime-stats-no-answers-west-putneys-washout-meeting/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=High%20crime%20stats%2C%20no%20answers%3A%20West%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20washout%20meeting&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/07/02/high-crime-stats-no-answers-west-putneys-washout-meeting/)

**Categories:** Crime, West Putney

**Tags:** accountability, Lee Roberts, Metropolitan Police, PC Ben Walters

---

### [13 mopeds and e-bikes seized in Putney High Street operation](https://putney.news/2026/07/01/13-mopeds-and-e-bikes-seized-in-putney-high-street-operation/)

**Published:** July 1, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Five mopeds and eight e-bikes seized; every rider now faces court

**Content:**

Putney police have seized 13 mopeds and e-bikes on Putney High Street, and every rider now faces court.

Officers took five mopeds and eight e-bikes off the road at the junction with Putney Bridge Road, outside Jubilee House. Each has been ordered to attend court over a range of offences, the neighbourhood team said in a [public bulletin](https://www.metengage.co.uk/Alerts/A/463787/Illegal-e-bike-and-moped-enforcement).

It is the most concrete result yet from an enforcement push that residents have long wanted. For more than a year, people in Putney have said that dangerous and illegal riding goes unchallenged.

Inspector Paul James, who leads policing for the Putney sector, said the action followed sustained concern from the community. ‘We regularly receive concerns from our communities around persons using ebikes, pedal cycles and scooters in illegal and dangerous ways, such as going through red lights, not stopping at pedestrian crossings, riding on the pavement and alleged use of the vehicles to commit crime,’ he told *Putney.news*.

![Some of the mopeds, e-bikes and e-scooters seized by Putney officers at the Putney High Street junction. Pic: Metropolitan Police](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/e-bikes.jpg)Some of the mopeds, e-bikes and e-scooters seized by Putney officers at the Putney High Street junction. Pic: Metropolitan PoliceThe seizure is the third round of visible enforcement in Putney in about a fortnight, after [an officer was injured](https://putney.news/2026/06/14/illegal-e-scooter-rider-arrested-after-putney-officer-is-injured/) stopping an illegal e-scooter rider and [Putney’s new inspector](https://putney.news/2026/06/17/putneys-new-inspector-is-leading-from-the-front-literally/) led a High Street sweep. It comes at the same spot where a cyclist was [taken to a trauma centre](https://putney.news/2026/06/29/cyclist-taken-to-trauma-centre-sixth-serious-crash-on-putney-high-street-in-two-years/) only the day before, the sixth serious crash on the High Street in two years. We have reported the stretch’s [cycling failures](https://putney.news/2026/04/28/putneys-cycling-no-mans-land-six-systems-no-plan-and-a-junction-that-failed-those-it-was-meant-to-help/) at length.

James said enforcement was only part of it. Officers also talk to riders whose machines are legal but whose riding falls short of the Highway Code.

The patrols will move next to Quill Lane, where residents have reported cyclists ignoring no-cycling signs and ‘some near misses where pedestrians have nearly been hit by cyclists’, James said.

---

When is an electric bike legal?

Meet all four and it is a bicycle in law. Fail one and it is a motor vehicle.

 Legal e-bike

Treated as a bicycle

- ✓ Working pedals that can drive it
- ✓ Motor helps only while you pedal
- ✓ Assistance cuts out at 15.5mph
- ✓ Motor no more than 250 watts
 
No licence, tax or insurance needed. Rider must be 14 or over.

 Illegal

Treated as a motor vehicle

- ✗ Throttle drives it without pedalling
- ✗ Goes faster than 15.5mph under power, or has an ‘off-road mode’
- ✗ Motor over 250 watts
 
Needs registration, insurance, tax and a licence, and can be seized.

 **Private e-scooters: illegal on all public roads, pavements and cycle lanes.** The only legal ones are in official rental trials, and there is no scheme in Wandsworth. 

Source: GOV.UK Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles information sheet; EAPC Regulations 1983, amended 2015.

#### What the law says

Most electric bikes are legal, and the police do not touch them. A normal e-bike needs no licence, tax or insurance, as long as it meets four conditions: it has working pedals that drive it, the motor helps only while you pedal, the assistance cuts out at 15.5mph, and the motor is no more than 250 watts. Meet all four and the law treats it exactly like an ordinary bicycle. The rider must be 14 or over.

Add a throttle that drives it without pedalling, a motor that runs past 15.5mph, an ‘off-road mode’ or a motor over 250 watts, and it becomes a motor vehicle in law. That means registration, insurance, tax and a driving licence. These machines usually cannot get any of that, so riding one on the road is an offence, and police can seize it.

Private e-scooters are different again. They are illegal to ride on any public road, pavement or cycle lane. The only legal ones are in official rental trials, and there is no scheme in Wandsworth.

Residents can report dangerous or illegal riding to the Thamesfield Safer Neighbourhood Team, call 101 for non-urgent matters, or dial 999 in an emergency. Local ward alerts are published on [MetEngage](https://www.metengage.co.uk/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/07/01/13-mopeds-and-e-bikes-seized-in-putney-high-street-operation/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/07/01/13-mopeds-and-e-bikes-seized-in-putney-high-street-operation/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=13%20mopeds%20and%20e-bikes%20seized%20in%20Putney%20High%20Street%20operation&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/07/01/13-mopeds-and-e-bikes-seized-in-putney-high-street-operation/)

**Categories:** Crime, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, Putney Bridge Road, Putney High Street, road safety, thamesfield

---

### ['I'd rather have an empty site than another gambling venue'](https://putney.news/2026/07/01/id-rather-have-an-empty-site-than-another-gambling-venue/)

**Published:** July 1, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** One of 58 objectors to a 24-hour arcade opposite Putney station

**Content:**

‘My children ask me every time we walk past what these shops do,’ John Keane, a father of two young children, wrote to the council. ‘They look fun and interesting, and can we go.’ He was objecting to a 24-hour gambling arcade planned for Putney High Street, and he was far from alone.

Fifty-eight people wrote to oppose the plan. Not one wrote in support. Among them were a former prison chaplain, a former magistrate who once sat on the council’s own licensing committee, parents who walk their children past the door each morning, and a woman who objected that she no longer felt safe walking home from the station at night. At 6pm on Thursday 9 July, a panel of councillors will decide whether the arcade can open.

The most striking letter came from Elizabeth Bridge, a former chaplain at HMP Wandsworth. She still meets men she knew in the prison sleeping rough around Putney High Street, many of them with gambling addictions, and warned that another arcade ‘would attract and keep them in the High Street’. Her plea was simple: ‘Putney does not want to slide into an unpleasant version of Las Vegas.’

Elizabeth Hopper made the case from inside the system. She was once a magistrate on the Wandsworth licensing committee, back when magistrates weighed the numbers before granting a gaming licence. She would rather the empty unit became ‘a table tennis club, a chess club’, somewhere young people could gather without being drawn towards ‘an addiction which is likely to lead to money problems’. Gamblers rarely come out ahead, she added: ‘you rarely see a destitute bookie’.

Others were blunter. ‘I’d rather have an empty site than another gambling venue,’ wrote Christer Magnuson. Iñigo Lopez Ayala, a father of two living seconds from the site, said his children were ‘naturally drawn to their bright lights, bold colours’ and ‘frequently ask questions about them’. Sabina Omar put it plainly: ‘As a woman walking alone at night from the Putney station, I should have the right to feel relatively safe.’

#### What is being proposed

The applicant is Luxury Leisure, which trades as Talarius and runs the Admiral chain. It wants to turn 160-162 Putney High Street, the former Lost Society bar opposite the station and empty since November 2022, into an Adult Gaming Centre: a gambling arcade for over-18s, filled mainly with slot machines. It would open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Such arcades are built around the higher-stake machines, where a single £2 play can pay out up to £500. Victoria and Dennis Diamond, who live 40 yards away and sent the council a hand-drawn map of the gambling venues nearby, said each £2 machine takes about £32,600 a year, citing Gambling Commission figures, and called them ‘among the highest risk products for problem gambling’. The company already runs an Admiral arcade in Tooting. A second arcade, Merkur Slots, trades a few doors down at 152.

#### What the objectors argue

Almost every letter came back to children. The site sits directly opposite Putney station, about 50 yards from Putney Library on Disraeli Road, on a daily school-run route past primary and secondary schools that include Our Lady of Victories, Hotham, St Mary’s CE, Ark Putney Academy and Putney High School. As we [explained in February](https://putney.news/2026/02/07/wandsworth-lost-30-betting-shops-but-must-still-approve-a-new-gambling-centre-in-putney/), Wandsworth’s own gambling policy says premises should not sit near sensitive community locations such as libraries.

The second theme was clustering. The arcade would be the third gambling venue on one short stretch, with Paddy Power and Ladbrokes also within yards, as we [reported last week](https://putney.news/2026/06/25/a-new-law-could-have-stopped-putneys-gambling-cluster-it-is-not-in-force-yet/). The Diamonds counted four gambling establishments within 40 yards of each other.

> [A new law could have stopped Putney’s gambling cluster. It is not in force yet](https://putney.news/2026/06/25/a-new-law-could-have-stopped-putneys-gambling-cluster-it-is-not-in-force-yet/)

A third strand was the state of the street. Jesse Jayaseela, who lives in a flat overlooking the High Street, described walking daily past ‘urine, vomit, and open alcohol containers’ left outside the existing venue, and wrote: ‘I am sick of the antisocial behaviour already plaguing Putney high street.’ One couple, Paul and Rachel Canning, attached an academic study linking gambling outlets to local crime. Several objectors singled out the all-night licence as the gravest concern of all.

Not every letter was written from scratch. Between 35 and 40 of the 58 reproduced one of two circulated templates, most of them sent on 11 February, the day before the deadline. One objector, David Hews, openly forwarded the template to neighbours with a reminder of the closing date. The campaign was organised, then, but the sharpest detail sat in the dozen or so individual letters.

#### The MP, the society and the council

The most senior objector was Fleur Anderson, the MP for Putney, though her letter argued on planning grounds rather than the licensing tests, warning that a 24-hour arcade would create ‘a dead frontage with obscured windows and shutters’ and replace active retail. How much weight a planning argument can carry at a licensing hearing is itself an open question. The Putney Society lodged a formal objection through Victoria Diamond, the convenor of its community panel. No councillor submitted a letter, though two objectors noted that the Conservative ward councillor Ethan Brooks had flagged the library’s closeness at the planning stage.

For all of it, the committee starts from yes. Under the Gambling Act 2005, the council must grant a licence unless an application fails one of three tests, covering crime, fair gambling and the protection of children and vulnerable people. Its own policy may want to prevent clustering, but the Act gives it no power to refuse on that ground alone.

> [Wandsworth lost 30 betting shops but must still approve a new gambling centre in Putney](https://putney.news/2026/02/07/wandsworth-lost-30-betting-shops-but-must-still-approve-a-new-gambling-centre-in-putney/)

That could change. A new law passed this spring, the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act, would let a council set a presumption against gambling clusters, but the national guidance is still being written and the council must first adopt its own assessment. Neither will be ready by 9 July. The council need not wait until its gambling policy expires in January 2028: the policy says it can be reviewed ‘in response to emerging risks’.

The hearing is public, at the Town Hall in Wandsworth from 6pm on Thursday 9 July. Only those who lodged a valid objection can speak, and that window has closed; objectors share 20 minutes between them before councillors ask their questions. The plan has been fought once already, when the council granted planning permission in December 2024 on the chair’s casting vote, after [624 residents objected](https://putney.news/2026/01/21/putney-high-street-gambling-venue-returns-for-second-approval-after-624-objections-ignored/).

Elizabeth Hopper, the former magistrate, was not sure her letter even fell within the rules. ‘But perhaps,’ she wrote, ‘it will make you think, if you have read this far.’

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/07/01/id-rather-have-an-empty-site-than-another-gambling-venue/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/07/01/id-rather-have-an-empty-site-than-another-gambling-venue/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98I%E2%80%99d%20rather%20have%20an%20empty%20site%20than%20another%20gambling%20venue%E2%80%99&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/07/01/id-rather-have-an-empty-site-than-another-gambling-venue/)

**Categories:** Politics, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Fleur Anderson MP, Licensing Sub-Committee, Putney High Street, Putney Society, thamesfield

---

### [Vote for the Southfields shopfront Wimbledon window champion](https://putney.news/2026/06/29/vote-for-the-southfields-shopfront-wimbledon-window-champion/)

**Published:** June 29, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Play our interactive knockout game to decide who gets the digital tennis trophy.

**Content:**

Wimbledon opens today, and Southfields has dressed for it.

Nearly every shop on Replingham and Wimbledon Park Roads has transformed its window for the Championships fortnight, from hand-painted murals to a podiatrist’s pun-filled paintings. We have photographed the top 16 and seeded them. Now it’s your turn to decide the winner in your own version of the Wimbledon knockout competition.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

 The Window Championship  

The Southfields Window Championship- SOAK
- Southfields Footcare
- Andrews
- SW Blooms
- FARA
- John D Wood
- Loney Miller
- Carter Jonas
- KFH
- Wishlist
- Cook
- Vision in the Village
- lark
- Wine Rack
- The Olive Garden
- Tesco Express

  Add my pick to the live tally![Loading](https://putney.news/wp-content/plugins/wpforms/assets/images/submit-spin.svg)

#### The contenders

Will it be SOAK? The nail salon has filled its window with a hand-painted woman in a dress made of tennis balls, beneath the challenge: ‘Nails as good as your game.’ Could it be Andrews, whose estate agent window carries a full painted tree hung with tennis-ball fruit, a dog resting at the base? Or SW Blooms, the florist, which has constructed a crossed-rackets sculpture from moss and agapanthus, the kind of effort that would not look out of place at the club itself?

Or does the title belong to Southfields Footcare? The podiatry clinic has a fishbowl of balls, a pair of legs in tennis shoes, and an LED sign: ‘any foot fault, we will set them right.’ It has been waiting twelve months for this exact moment.

There’s more. Will the winner be Carter Jonas with botanical balls and strawberries? KFH in pink with ‘Game Set Match’? Wine Rack with Lanson displays and ‘Wimbledon sold here’? Cook with chalk rackets and a trophy on the glass? Loney Miller with hand-painted strawberries, fizz and rackets? The Olive Garden with its bunting-dressed terrace? Or Tesco Express, flanking its entrance with two Lanson ball sculptures that stop you mid-stride?

FARA, the charity shop, has a white swirl mural, a carpet of fake grass, around 50 tennis balls, the Championships poster, and a ‘Game, Set, Celebrate!’ event on the first day of the fortnight, Monday 29 June.

One contender has gone a step further. John D Wood is in the bracket, but it has also created its own Wimbledon game: guess which of six players would choose which of six dream properties, with a Fortnum & Mason hamper for the winner. Enter [at their Wimbledon competition page](https://www.johndwood.co.uk/wimbledon-window-competition). Enjoyed our knockout? Their quiz is worth a go.

None of this is accidental. Southfields is the tube station the world is directed to use for the Championships. During the fortnight, more than three times the usual number of passengers pass through its gates. From the station to the All England Club is roughly 15 minutes on foot, and the route takes spectators straight past these shopfronts, which means two tides of ticket-holders, players’ families, officials and day-trippers wash past twice a day, every day, for two weeks. Every shop on Replingham Road knows it.

![The Southfields shop map](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/southfields-shop-eat-768x1024.png)Southfields has form for this. In December, [four businesses dressed Replingham Road](https://putney.news/2025/12/22/four-businesses-transform-replingham-road-as-southfields-high-street-enters-new-year/) for the new year. In April, [an Easter trail ran](https://putney.news/2026/04/02/three-days-left-to-hunt-easter-bunnies-in-southfields/) the length of the high street. Much of it is brought together by the [Southfields Business Forum](https://www.southfieldsbusinessforum.org.uk/directory/), which commissioned an illustrated street map of the high street by [local artist Jo Corlett](https://www.instagram.com/jocorlettpaintsanddraws/), displayed at the station exit, and coordinates the year-round effort that makes Wimbledon fortnight the biggest moment in the Southfields calendar. For the estate agents, the international crowd arriving at the station is exactly their market. For the cafés, the off-licence and the restaurant, it is summer trade, arriving reliably every morning for a fortnight.

Come back and see how Southfields votes: the competition runs live through to the final on Sunday 12 July.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/29/vote-for-the-southfields-shopfront-wimbledon-window-champion/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/29/vote-for-the-southfields-shopfront-wimbledon-window-champion/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Vote%20for%20the%20Southfields%20shopfront%20Wimbledon%20window%20champion&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/29/vote-for-the-southfields-shopfront-wimbledon-window-champion/)

**Categories:** Community, Southfields

**Tags:** AELTC, community, Replingham Road, Southfields, Southfields Business Forum, Wimbledon

**Widget form:** act

**Widget purpose:** vote-game

---

### [Violence in West Putney has halved. The other priorities tell a different story.](https://putney.news/2026/06/30/violence-in-west-putney-has-halved-the-other-priorities-tell-a-different-story/)

**Published:** June 30, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Vehicle theft is rising and the gang-focused priority meets its first public test tonight

**Content:**

Violence in West Putney has roughly halved since January (from 36 incidents to 18) and the ward is now among the lowest in Putney for violent crime. Tonight residents can ask questions of the officers responsible, when the ward’s police team holds its first panel meeting since March.

The fall is real and it is good news. But it sits alongside a more complicated picture on two of the ward’s other priorities, and a shift in police thinking that is worth asking about tonight.

---

West Putney: three policing priorities

January–April 2026 · Most recent data: April 2026

Violence

36 incidents in January → 18 in April

↓

Down

Roughly halved. Why — and can officers explain the fall when they couldn’t explain the rise?

Anti-social behaviour

17 in Feb → 32 in March → 25 in April

↕

Mixed

Nearly doubled in March, then eased — but still above February. What happened on Ashburton Road?

Vehicle theft

5 in Feb → 7 in March → 9 in April

↑

Rising

Three months of consecutive rises. What has happened on Granard Avenue?

Source: data.police.uk, boundary E05014030 · Figures are raw recorded-crime counts

---

#### The latest figures

West Putney’s Safer Neighbourhoods Team operates three formal priorities: violence, anti-social behaviour, and vehicle theft. The most recent complete figures are for April 2026.

Violence has fallen substantially. It peaked at 36 incidents in January, a [63% rise reported by this title in March](https://putney.news/2026/03/10/violence-in-west-putney-has-risen-63-in-a-year-and-one-street-corridor-is-at-the-centre-of-it/); by April it was 18. The ward is now among the lowest in Putney, joint with Thamesfield, and well below East Putney and Roehampton. The question is what drove the fall. At the March panel, officers could not explain the rise: [they couldn’t see sub-categories](https://putney.news/2026/03/11/west-putneys-violence-surge-may-be-domestic-abuse-the-police-have-no-way-to-know/), including whether domestic abuse was a factor. Tonight is the first opportunity to ask whether that has changed.

Anti-social behaviour nearly doubled in March before easing. Street drinking on Ashburton Road is the stated concern, and the monthly figure, though lower than its March peak, remains above where it was in February.

Vehicle theft has risen steadily across all three months. No single step is large enough to be conclusive on its own, but the consistent direction in a stated priority is a trend worth asking about. Granard Avenue is the hotspot.

#### The enforcement picture

The shift in the violence priority is the most significant change since March. When it was first set, it centred on drug supply around the Cortis Road area. Updated in April, it now focuses on ‘gang-related violence’, with officers tasked to target individuals involved in gang activity, disrupt drug dealing, and work with partner agencies to hold the ground.

That updated framing is consistent with what has happened in the ward over recent months: two arrests and convictions for drug supply, and a sustained focus by the local team on preventing new dealers moving in to fill the gap. Recorded drug offences in the ward have risen over the same period, which in this context may reflect active enforcement rather than a worsening problem.

The picture the data suggests is of a team that has been working hard and may be seeing results. The questions below are an opportunity to test that reading.

Violence in West Putney, January–April 2026

Recorded incidents · Shaded band shows statistical noise margin

 Violence incidents: January 36, February 22, March 19, April 18. The fall from January to April is statistically real; the change from March to April is within the noise margin. 

The January–April fall is real and meaningful. The March–April change (19 to 18) is within the expected noise margin for counts at this level.

Source: data.police.uk

#### Six questions for tonight

The ward panel meets tonight, Tuesday 30 June, at 18:30 at Granard Primary School, Cortis Road SW15 6XA. Officers will take questions from residents. These are the questions the data raises:

1. Violence has roughly halved since January. Is this the priority working, or a reporting and attention effect, and can officers separate the two?
2. In March, officers couldn’t explain the surge because they couldn’t see sub-categories. Three months on, do they now know whether domestic abuse was a factor? Has the system changed?
3. Anti-social behaviour spiked in March before easing. What happened on Ashburton Road, and is street drinking still a concern?
4. Vehicle theft has risen steadily. What enforcement has happened on Granard Avenue since it became a priority?
5. The violence priority now focuses on gang-related violence and disrupting drug supply. After recent arrests in the ward, is the team confident new dealers have not moved in, and is the rise in recorded drug offences a sign of enforcement working or of a worsening problem?
6. All three priorities are marked for review on 3 July. Are they being reviewed at tonight’s meeting, and if so, what replaces them?

Residents who cannot attend can contact the West Putney Safer Neighbourhoods Team by email at  or by phone on 0208 785 8857. Suspicious activity can be reported on 101, or 999 in an emergency. To receive police updates for the area, sign up at metengage.co.uk.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/30/violence-in-west-putney-has-halved-the-other-priorities-tell-a-different-story/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/30/violence-in-west-putney-has-halved-the-other-priorities-tell-a-different-story/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Violence%20in%20West%20Putney%20has%20halved.%20The%20other%20priorities%20tell%20a%20different%20story.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/30/violence-in-west-putney-has-halved-the-other-priorities-tell-a-different-story/)

**Categories:** Crime, West Putney

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, public safety, Safer Neighbourhoods Team, West Putney

---

### [Wandsworth spent £56m on hospital discharge. It didn't work.](https://putney.news/2026/06/30/wandsworth-spent-56m-on-hospital-discharge-it-didnt-work/)

**Published:** June 30, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** The council's report admits funding has not kept pace with the cost of care

**Content:**

Wandsworth spent every penny of its £56 million NHS integration fund last year and still missed its targets for getting patients home from hospital. The council’s own report admits the money was not enough.

The Better Care Fund is a £56 million pot of NHS and council money meant to keep older people out of hospital and speed up discharge when they are admitted. It was fully spent in 2025-26 with all four income streams coming in at exactly 100% of planned expenditure. Despite that, two of the three national targets were still missed.

The admission is buried in an end-of-year report presented to Wandsworth’s Health and Wellbeing Board (the statutory body that oversees health and social care integration in the borough) at its meeting on 25 June. The paper was listed “for information.” The board was asked only to note the findings, not to take any action in response.

Did Wandsworth’s £56m health fund hit its targets?

Three national measures, 2025-26

  Missed 

Hospital discharge delays

Target met in Q1 only. Average delays rose every subsequent quarter, reaching 1.12 days by Q3 against a 0.76-day ambition.

  Missed 

Emergency hospital admissions

Annual ambition narrowly missed. Target met in 6 of 12 months, with improvement toward year end driven by a 5.2% fall at St George’s.

  Met 

Permanent admissions to residential care

Rate of older people admitted permanently to care homes fell within the planned range. Council credits its embedded social work team at St George’s.

Total spend: £56,401,615 — 100% of planned allocation across all four funding streams

Source: Wandsworth Health and Wellbeing Board, Paper 26/140 and Appendix 1, 25 June 2026

#### The targets

On emergency admissions of older people to hospital, Wandsworth narrowly missed its annual ambition, though officers note the target was met in six of the 12 months, with a marked improvement in the final months of the year driven partly by a 5.2% reduction in emergency admissions at St George’s.

On discharge delays (the time between a hospital declaring a patient ready to leave and that patient actually leaving) the picture was worse. The target was met in the first quarter, when delays averaged 0.76 days. It was missed in every subsequent quarter: 1.01 days in Q2, 1.12 days in Q3, and 1.02 days in Q4.

One target was met: the rate of permanent admissions of older people to residential care fell within the planned range. The council credits its embedded social work team at St George’s, which operates within the hospital’s discharge hub to maximise the number of patients supported back to their own homes.

#### The funding gap

The most significant passage in the report is a paragraph by Jeremy DeSouza, the council’s Executive Director of Adult Social Care and Public Health, who wrote that “increased demand has been experienced over and above the funding available through the BCF” and that “the average cost of care home placements has grown above inflation, with no uplift to the LA Better Care Grant to match these rises.”

That is an officer of Wandsworth Council, in a public document, stating that the government grant is structurally insufficient for what care actually costs. The targets existed to measure whether the fund was working. The fund was fully spent. The targets were still missed. And the grant was not uplifted to reflect real costs.

The same report notes that spend ran ahead of plan in areas including home care and short-term residential admissions, “where the demand for services has grown in year.”

#### What comes next

At the same meeting, Wandsworth’s Health and Wellbeing Board agreed the 2026-27 fund plan. The new allocation is £56.6 million, marginally more than last year. The ambitions are more demanding: the council is targeting discharge delays of 0.79 days in Q1, reducing to 0.65 days by Q4.

Those targets are more ambitious than the 0.76-day benchmark Wandsworth managed to meet only in Q1 of 2025-26 before slipping back. The council’s plan for improvement includes continued data auditing to align hospital and adult social care records and identify where delays are occurring in the system.

#### If you have been affected

If you or a family member has experienced delays in hospital discharge in Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council’s Adult Social Care team can be contacted via an [online enquiry form](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/adult-social-care/make-an-adult-social-care-enquiry/) (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm). Those who cannot use the online form can call 020 8871 7707. Outside office hours, the Out of Hours team is available on 020 8871 8999. Patients discharged from St George’s Hospital can raise concerns with the hospital’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) by calling 020 8725 2453 or emailing  (Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/30/wandsworth-spent-56m-on-hospital-discharge-it-didnt-work/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/30/wandsworth-spent-56m-on-hospital-discharge-it-didnt-work/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20spent%20%C2%A356m%20on%20hospital%20discharge.%20It%20didn%E2%80%99t%20work.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/30/wandsworth-spent-56m-on-hospital-discharge-it-didnt-work/)

**Categories:** Health, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Lynsey Hedges, NHS, St George's hospital, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Giant ears at dawn: the protest AELTC is trying not to hear](https://putney.news/2026/06/30/giant-ears-at-dawn-the-protest-aeltc-is-trying-not-to-hear/)

**Published:** June 30, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Residents brought giant ears to Wimbledon Park on Championships opening morning

**Content:**

Local residents turned up in Wimbledon Park at dawn this morning wearing giant ears, launching a protest on the opening day of the Championships against a tennis club that, they say, refuses to listen.

Around 5,000 people were already in the park sleeping in their bags, waiting for the queue to move. Twenty to thirty of them walked over.

![Protesters with signs at a rally, including one reading 'AELTC! can you hear us?' and others with slogans, standing on grass.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/swp-protest-29jun26-6-1024x768.png)The All England Club has planning permission to develop the park. It [formally rejected a residents’ compromise plan two weeks ago](https://putney.news/2026/06/23/wimbledon-rejects-residents-compromise-plan-two-weeks-before-championships/), with club chair Debbie Jevans saying it ‘simply doesn’t work’ and ruling out further talks.

This morning’s protest was Save Wimbledon Park’s response: ear props, chants (*No stadium in our park; You cannot be serious*; a McEnroe reference; *Green not greed; Love tennis, hate concrete; Broken promises*), and Simon Wright, one of the campaign’s directors, doing interviews on the grass while Wimbledon’s opening day got underway around him.

![Large open field filled with people sitting on blankets and towels at an outdoor event, with a tall sign reading K12 on the left under a blue sky with scattered clouds.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/swp-protest-29jun26-16-1024x768.png)#### The sceptic in the queue

Among those who walked over was Seb Doherty, in his twenties, who had arrived at 8pm the previous evening. He was queue number 2,291. He was not sympathetic.

‘8,000 more tickets means 8,000 extra people get to watch tennis,’ he told Wright. ‘If you can move a court which has twenty people on it to eight thousand, that’s an extra load of supporters, an extra load of people that actually get to watch Wimbledon.’

Wright answered each point. On tickets offered as compensation to local residents: ‘It doesn’t make up for building on Metropolitan Open Land, which is the same as greenbelt. You can’t buy people off like that.’ On the proposed court layout: ‘Their plans do not align the courts north-south. What they’ve done is laid them higgledy-piggledy in order to cram them in.’ On what local people lose: ‘We lose the park for a month at the moment because it takes them a long time to set it up and take it down again. If it’s a three-week event, we then lose the park for five weeks. And that’s all the local football teams, all the local rugby teams, all the exercise groups. None of them can use the park.’

Doherty left unconvinced but thoughtful. ‘It just seems that they’re very happy to do things but they’re not happy to do it when it’s right next to them.’

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/swp-protest-29jun26-11-768x1024.png)#### Five years

Save Wimbledon Park have 20,000 signatures on their petition and have launched three legal challenges. Wright has been making versions of this argument for all of it. ‘There are loads of people who’ve never even heard of us before, even though we’ve been going for five years,’ he said. ‘That’s why we have to do stunts like this.’

He has been using the park for 30 years. ‘I don’t want it ruined,’ he said.

Tents arrived in the park on Saturday afternoon, more than 24 hours before the permitted pitching time of 2pm on Sunday. A minor point. But in the context of five years of accumulated grievances, it lands differently than it once might have.

![Front porch with protest banners reading 'EVERY SHOT COUNTS' and 'NOT LISTENING IS NOT CONSULTATION', ear cutouts on wires, and a brick pillar covered in chalk writing.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/swp-protest-29jun26-19-1024x768.png)#### The court

A Court of Appeal challenge to the planning permission is still live. Papers were filed in April and a judge examined them in mid-June; a ruling could come at any point. If it succeeds, [the planning permission falls](https://putney.news/2026/03/20/wimbledon-park-what-the-high-court-ruling-actually-means-and-what-happens-next/). ‘We still haven’t heard about the Court of Appeal,’ said Christopher Coombe, another SWP director, this morning.

![Banner on a brick wall reading 'Stop the expansion, protect the park' with QR codes, greenery, and pedestrians walking along a sidewalk on a sunny day.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/swp-protest-29jun26-18-1024x768.png)#### The leadership question

Sally Bolton, AELTC’s chief executive since 2020, will step down when this Championships ends. No reason has been given publicly. Her interim replacement will be financial director Richard Atkinson while a permanent successor is found. Bolton has led the club through the entire five-year Wimbledon Park dispute. AELTC is heading into its most consequential legal moment without the executive who managed the project from the start.

![Woman wearing sunglasses holds a neon green sign listing animals—bats, butterflies, birds, bees, beetles—at an outdoor event in a park.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/swp-protest-29jun26-9-768x1024.png)#### After breakfast

The Championships opened today. The queue stretched across the park. Save Wimbledon Park packed up their giant ears and went home for breakfast.

The All England Club did not send anyone.

![Green sign with the text THE QUEUE and an upward arrow, at an outdoor bike rental area with a white tent in the background.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/swp-protest-29jun26-1-1024x768.png)---

*Full coverage of the Wimbledon Park dispute is [here](https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-fight-for-wimbledon-park/). The [man who designed Wimbledon](https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-man-who-designed-wimbledon-has-seen-the-plans-he-is-not-impressed-here-is-what-he-would-do-instead/) has seen the proposed plans and had his own verdict.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/30/giant-ears-at-dawn-the-protest-aeltc-is-trying-not-to-hear/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/30/giant-ears-at-dawn-the-protest-aeltc-is-trying-not-to-hear/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Giant%20ears%20at%20dawn%3A%20the%20protest%20AELTC%20is%20trying%20not%20to%20hear&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/30/giant-ears-at-dawn-the-protest-aeltc-is-trying-not-to-hear/)

**Categories:** Community, Environment, Southfields, Tennis, Wimbledon

**Tags:** AELTC, High Court, Metropolitan Open Land, Save Wimbledon Park, Wimbledon, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Cyclist taken to trauma centre - sixth serious crash on Putney High Street in two years](https://putney.news/2026/06/29/cyclist-taken-to-trauma-centre-sixth-serious-crash-on-putney-high-street-in-two-years/)

**Published:** June 29, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** A cyclist in hospital and still no safety review from the council.

**Content:**

**UPDATED** The London Ambulance Service took a middle-aged male cyclist to a major trauma centre after he fell from his bike on Putney High Street shortly after midday on Sunday. It is the sixth serious crash on this stretch in just over two years.

“We were called at 1.12pm today to reports of a road traffic collision in Putney High Street, SW15,” the LAS said. “We sent an ambulance crew and two paramedics in fast response cars to the scene. The first paramedic arrived in around six minutes. We treated a patient at the scene and took him to a major trauma centre as a priority.”

The Metropolitan Police, which sent officers to help manage traffic, confirmed the cyclist had fallen from his own bike and was not struck by another vehicle.

The traffic was already backing up into side streets when the crash triggered a massive traffic disruption. Police closed the road to one-way traffic, with congestion stretching from Disraeli Road to the A205 South Circular and backing deep into residential streets including Hotham Road, Charlwood Road and Felsham Road. “Awful, backed to the common and usual rat run on Felsham,” one local resident explained.

Emily Reed, whose son witnessed the incident, described the scene. “My son saw a cyclist with blood pouring from their face and emergency services attending to the man. He was in a bad way,” she wrote. “This is avoidable – the constant congestion causes erratic driving when people have an inch of space.”

Other residents have described seeing a number of pools of blood and what they described as a serious injury to the man’s face. At the time of writing, we do not know the condition of the cyclist or the exact circumstances in which he was hurt.

#### A road with a record

Sunday’s crash is the sixth serious collision on Putney High Street or its immediate junctions in 26 months. Three of the six have ended with victims being taken to a major trauma centre: [in April 2024](https://putney.news/2024/04/12/man-hit-by-lorry-on-putney-high-street/), [in June 2025](https://putney.news/2025/06/25/pedestrian-hit-by-bus-on-putney-high-street-major-disruption-to-traffic-and-buses/), and now today. The council has not published a safety review of the High Street corridor since any of those incidents.

The [February 2026 collision](https://putney.news/2026/02/20/collision-closes-putney-high-street-as-junction-safety-questions-grow/) at the Disraeli Road box junction had already identified the contraflow cycling system at that junction as unsafe. Cyclists cross the High Street against traffic flow into a bike rack bottleneck. Today’s victim is a cyclist. In April this year, *Putney.news* documented [six uncoordinated cycling systems on this stretch with no safety plan](https://putney.news/2026/04/28/putneys-cycling-no-mans-land-six-systems-no-plan-and-a-junction-that-failed-those-it-was-meant-to-help/) to reconcile them.

“How many more accidents are we going to see before something is done?” asked Mick Stone, a local resident, after the February collision. That question has not been answered and now we have another serious accident.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed the cyclist had fallen from his own bike and was not struck by another vehicle. Officers attended to assist with traffic management. The London Ambulance Service said it was unable to provide any update on the patient’s condition once he was under hospital care.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/29/cyclist-taken-to-trauma-centre-sixth-serious-crash-on-putney-high-street-in-two-years/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/29/cyclist-taken-to-trauma-centre-sixth-serious-crash-on-putney-high-street-in-two-years/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Cyclist%20taken%20to%20trauma%20centre%20%E2%80%93%20sixth%20serious%20crash%20on%20Putney%20High%20Street%20in%20two%20years&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/29/cyclist-taken-to-trauma-centre-sixth-serious-crash-on-putney-high-street-in-two-years/)

**Categories:** Thamesfield, Transport

**Tags:** cycling safety, London Ambulance Service, Metropolitan Police, Putney High Street, road safety, traffic congestion, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Councils were told to build EV infrastructure. Nobody told them to make it work together.](https://putney.news/2026/06/29/councils-were-told-to-build-ev-infrastructure-nobody-told-them-to-make-it-work-together/)

**Published:** June 29, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Three technologies, three operators, no coordinator. What happens when green transport infrastructure has no plan.

**Content:**

Wandsworth has 1,138 lamp-post EV chargers across two networks, each requiring a different app, with three different price bands, and a council warning that they are being targeted by fraudsters.

This is not a malfunction. It is what the network looks like when nobody is responsible for making it work as a whole.

The same pattern runs through the borough’s cycling infrastructure (six operators, no coordinator, unused bike racks sitting next to overflowing ones) and through its e-bike provision, where the boundary between two operators on the Thames towpath is drawn by commercial contract, not by where residents need to travel.

Wandsworth is not uniquely bad at this. It is a detailed example of a national problem: councils deploying green transport technologies through separate procurement processes, under separate regulatory regimes, with no requirement to join the pieces together.

#### 1,138 chargers, two apps

The 1,138 chargers split between two operators: 525 run by Shell Recharge (the trading name ubitricity adopted after its acquisition by Shell) and 613 run by char.gy. The two networks require separate accounts and separate apps. The ubitricity contract received full Transport Committee scrutiny before it was signed. The char.gy contract, as [we reported in November 2025](https://putney.news/2025/11/27/wandsworth-ev-charging-costs-soar-146-under-contract-awarded-without-scrutiny/), was not examined by any committee.

From 1 April, Shell Recharge introduced a three-band pricing structure: 44p per kilowatt-hour off-peak (midnight to 7am), 55p standard, and 66p during the evening peak from 4pm to 8pm. The operator’s own guidance notes: “There are multiple different tariffs in place across the boroughs of Richmond and Wandsworth, so please ensure to check our Pay-As-You-Go or your e-mobility app before you start your charge.”

The council’s EV page tells residents that paying by QR code rather than through an app may be cheaper, but also warns that those codes are being targeted by fraudsters, directing residents to char.gy’s website and Action Fraud for guidance. If you use a QR code to pay, Shell Recharge places a £40 pre-authorisation hold on your bank account for the duration of the session. On the char.gy side, [as we reported in November 2025](https://putney.news/2025/12/05/new-ev-chargers-installed-in-roehampton-as-borough-network-expands/), char.gy’s prices had risen 146 per cent, from 24p to 59p per kilowatt-hour.

It is, in short, a confusing mess. And it’s not just electric vehicles. Other forms of greener transport – pushed by local government without much joined-up thinking – are just as much a hodge-podge of taxpayer-discounted, unregulated and poorly thought through installations and charging systems.

![Electric car charger in a lamppost](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/electric-charger-lamppost-1024x768.png)#### The question the regulations did not answer

Mick Stone of the Putney Action Group pointed to the underlying problem about something different. He was looking at new bike storage hangars that had appeared on Putney streets. “I want to know the rationale for these things and where they’re being put,” he said. “Who’s responsible for such a stupid decision and failure to communicate?”

Stone was asking about cycling infrastructure. The question fits EV charging equally well.

In 2025, the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee found that public EV charging had become too complex for many users, with too many payment methods and pricing too unclear. The Department for Transport’s Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 addressed some of this: contactless payment is now required, reliability reporting is mandatory, and a 99 per cent uptime requirement for rapid chargers has been enforceable since November 2024.

These rules have helped. They have not answered the coordination question: who ensures that the multiple technologies a council deploys simultaneously work coherently for residents?

#### The same pattern in cycling and e-bikes

[Putney’s cycling infrastructure](https://putney.news/2026/04/28/putneys-cycling-no-mans-land-six-systems-no-plan-and-a-junction-that-failed-those-it-was-meant-to-help/) runs across six separate operators with no obligation to coordinate. The council overshot its bike storage installation target by 49 per cent and published no revised target. A junction installed to improve conditions for cyclists at Putney Bridge Road was used by fewer than ten cyclists a day. The contract with the council’s main cycling infrastructure provider has never been published. Westminster’s equivalent contract with CycleHoop (four years at £200,000) is available on Contracts Finder.

On the Thames towpath, Lime operates the Putney side and Forest the towpath and Richmond side. The boundary between them is not drawn by where residents travel. It is drawn by the terms of each operator’s commercial deal. The London Assembly voted unanimously in August 2025 for a pan-London e-bike contract that would set standards across operators. TfL has not acted on it.

> [Putney’s cycling no man’s land: six systems, no plan, and a junction that failed those it was meant to help](https://putney.news/2026/04/28/putneys-cycling-no-mans-land-six-systems-no-plan-and-a-junction-that-failed-those-it-was-meant-to-help/)

#### What keeps happening

Grant programmes arrive with tight timelines and specific mandates: deploy EV chargers, install bike hangars, contract an e-bike operator. The money covers installation. It does not require coordination between technologies, or between operators within the same technology, and no grant condition requires a council to name an officer accountable for the whole picture.

Separate procurement processes produce separate contracts. Separate regulatory regimes produce separate compliance obligations. The result, across all three technologies in Wandsworth, is the same: when something is unclear, check the website, download the app, report it via the portal.

This is the predictable outcome of how green transport infrastructure gets commissioned. And it matters, because these technologies only deliver their purpose if people can use them. An EV only replaces a petrol car if charging it is straightforward. An e-bike only replaces a car journey if people can ride it where they need to go. Every unnecessary barrier (an unexplained pricing change, a QR code that might be genuine or might be fraud, an access boundary drawn by a commercial deal) is a reason someone delays a purchase, abandons a journey, or stays with what they know.

The governance gap is not just inconvenient. It is working against the transition it is supposed to serve.

The £381 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure fund, the largest public investment in EV charging since the programme began, is now in mobilisation phase. Most English councils completed their tenders in late 2025. The chargers are being installed. The same procurement pattern that produced Wandsworth’s two-operator, three-price-band network is repeating at scale.

#### What would change it

Westminster published its cycling contract. Waltham Forest published theirs, including a costed relocation clause. Neither required new legislation. What is missing in Wandsworth, and in most English boroughs, is a decision made before each new technology is commissioned: how does this fit with what is already running? Who is accountable across all of it? What gets published so residents can see the terms?

Wandsworth has been asked whether a cross-technology transport coordination framework exists and whether a named officer is responsible for green transport coherence. It has also been asked whether it was notified in advance of the April 2026 pricing change on the Shell Recharge network.

That decision has not visibly been made. There is still time for it to be made before the next wave of infrastructure arrives.

---

*Wandsworth Council had not responded at the time of publication. This story will be updated if a response is received.*

---

#### If you charge an EV in Wandsworth

**Which app:** Shell Recharge for the 525 chargers on the ubitricity/Shell Recharge network; char.gy for the 613 char.gy chargers. The lamp post shows which network it is on.

**The price:** Shell Recharge charges 44p per kWh from midnight to 7am, 55p from 7am to 4pm and 8pm to midnight, and 66p from 4pm to 8pm. Check the current char.gy rate in the app before charging.

**QR codes:** Paying by QR code may be cheaper than using an app, but the council warns that codes on public chargers are being targeted by fraudsters. Check char.gy’s guidance on recognising genuine codes, or use the app if in doubt.

**Report faults:** Shell Recharge: 0800 024 6279. char.gy: 0800 086 9606.

**Raise the coordination question:** Contact your ward councillors via democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk. The Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee is expected to resume under the new administration.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/29/councils-were-told-to-build-ev-infrastructure-nobody-told-them-to-make-it-work-together/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/29/councils-were-told-to-build-ev-infrastructure-nobody-told-them-to-make-it-work-together/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Councils%20were%20told%20to%20build%20EV%20infrastructure.%20Nobody%20told%20them%20to%20make%20it%20work%20together.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/29/councils-were-told-to-build-ev-infrastructure-nobody-told-them-to-make-it-work-together/)

**Categories:** Environment, Transport

**Tags:** accountability, cycling, infrastructure, Putney Action Group, Transport Committee, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council

---

### [It's Wimbledon - and that means the great British slightly mad tradition that is The Queue](https://putney.news/2026/06/28/its-wimbledon-and-that-means-the-great-british-slightly-mad-tradition-that-is-the-queue/)

**Published:** June 28, 2026
**Author:** Social Butterfly

**Excerpt:** Your guide to the Wimbledon Queue, which opens today near Southfields

**Content:**

**UPDATED** The Wimbledon Queue, one of British sport’s great and slightly mad traditions, opens today in the park five minutes from Southfields station. This is how it works, what it costs, and when to arrive.

The Championships begin on Monday 29 June and run until Sunday 12 July. But the Queue opens a day before the first ball is struck, at 2pm on Sunday 28 June, in Wimbledon Park. It is public parkland owned by the London Borough of Merton, although the queue itself sits in the Wandsworth Borough at the top end of the park, a short walk from Southfields station.

Up to 13,000 people camped there on the busiest day in 2025, according to the Wimbledon Park Residents’ Association. This year, with new infrastructure in place, it will be bigger still.

![Large signboard with Wimbledon grounds map and 'THE GROUNDS' text at an outdoor event, sunset in the background.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/wimbledon-the-grounds-sign-1024x768.png)#### How it works

The system is simple. You arrive, join the queue, and receive a numbered Queue Card. That number determines what you can see.

The first roughly 500 people get Centre Court tickets. The next 500 or so access No.1 Court. The 1,000 to 1,500 bracket gets No.2 Court. Anyone after that receives a Grounds Pass (entry to all the outer courts and the full atmosphere of the complex).

Wristbands go out from around 7.30am. Ticket sales begin at approximately 9.45am, and the grounds open at 10am. Your Queue Card number is what matters, not exactly when you arrive after you have it.

You must download the [myWIMBLEDON app](https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/apps) and create an account before you arrive. It is required for Queue check-in. Do this in advance. Readers who turn up without one will be at a disadvantage.

![Green sign reading THE QUEUE with a left-pointing arrow, outdoors near a construction area.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/wimbledon-queue-sign-1024x768.png)#### When to arrive

This is the question that determines everything.

For Centre Court or No.1 Court in the first week: arrive the afternoon before. You will camp overnight. Overnight campers are woken by stewards between 5.30am and 6am, and left luggage storage opens at 5.30am (£5 for overnight items, £1 for others).

For any show court: aim to be in the queue by dawn.

For a Grounds Pass: early morning is usually enough. Later in the fortnight, as players are eliminated and demand drops, you can arrive later and still get in comfortably.

A practical signal: follow [@ViewfromtheQueue](https://x.com/ViewFromTheQ) on X. The account (fan-run since 2013) posts live queue numbers. If the count is heading toward 10,000 before gates open, do not expect a show court.

![Solar panels on a tilted rack beside blue portable water tanks, fenced off in a grassy field with trees in the background.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/wimbledon-queue-water-solar-1024x768.png)#### What it costs

Grounds Passes cost £33 on Day 1, falling to £21 later in the fortnight. That makes the Queue the cheapest way into one of the world’s most famous sporting events.

Centre Court tickets via the Queue cost £115 on Day 1. Prices rise through the fortnight as the field narrows and the matches get bigger. But here is the detail most people do not know.

From 3pm each day, spectators who are leaving sell their tickets back. Anyone already inside on a Grounds Pass can join a virtual queue for those returns: Centre Court seats go for £15, No.1 and No.2 Court for £10. The proceeds go to the Wimbledon Foundation. For anyone who makes it inside on a Grounds Pass, the afternoon resale is the route to the show courts.

![Large blue information board titled 'The Queue Code of Conduct' with Wimbledon logo, set in a grassy park with tents in the background.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/wimbledon-queue-code-conduct-1024x768.png)#### The rules

The Queue has a code of conduct and stewards enforce it. The key points:

Tents are limited to two people. Gazebos are not permitted. No barbecues, open fires, or smoking. Music must stop at 10pm. If you leave the queue for more than 30 minutes, you lose your place. Food and takeaway deliveries are only accepted at the Wimbledon Park Road gate, before 10pm.

The gate times for pedestrians and cyclists are 6.30am to 10pm at the Revelstoke Road and Home Park Road entrances. The car park is closed during Queue operation.

![Wrought-iron gate with a large white poster announcing The Championships 2026 dates and entry rules.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/wimbledon-gate-1024x768.png)#### Why people do it

There is a standard answer and a true one.

The standard answer is that the Queue is an egalitarian tradition. Anyone who turns up and waits long enough can sit in the same seats as the celebrities and royals in the adjacent boxes, for a fraction of the price. Centre Court via the Queue costs £115 on Day 1. The same seat via hospitality packages costs many times that.

The true answer is harder to explain. People queue because the Queue is itself the event. There is evidence of 5am queueing as far back as 1927. Harry Taylor, a hotel owner from Kent, has queued every year since 1992 (34 consecutive Championships). “The Queue is vastly more important than the tournament itself,” Charles Stubb told NPR in 2025. James Mendelssohn, the chief steward, has said he could do away with it. He hasn’t, because the culture it creates is part of what Wimbledon is.

One night on the grass, some strangers, and a numbered card. It is not complicated. It is just very British.

![Row of solar panels tilted on metal frames outdoors at sunset, with a fence and construction debris nearby.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/wimbledon-solar-1024x768.png)#### The park: what local residents should know

Wimbledon Park is public land, owned by the London Borough of Merton and hired to the All England Club each year under a commercial arrangement.

It’s not all joy and laughter: last year’s fortnight generated complaints from locals over antisocial behaviour, sanitation problems (The Wimbledon Poo), and grass damage. This year the AELTC has installed 108 mains-connected toilets, fed by a new sewer, and Horse Close Wood will be fenced off to protect it.

The infrastructure was set up starting Wednesday and should be removed by Thursday 16 July. Parking at Wimbledon Park is now charged at £1.20 per 20 minutes, in force since April.

We have covered the broader dispute over the park’s future, including residents’ attempts to negotiate with the AELTC before this year’s Championships, in detail. The [full series is here](https://putney.news/2026/06/23/wimbledon-rejects-residents-compromise-plan-two-weeks-before-championships/).

![Tall green vertical banner on a flagpole with white vertical text reading 'WELCOME TO NEW ZEALAND' against a clear blue sky.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/wimbledon-welcome-sign-1024x768.png)#### What to bring

A good sleeping bag if you are going for a show court. Warm layers (nights in an open field get cold even in summer). Food and non-alcoholic drinks (alcohol is not permitted in the Queue overnight). A fully charged phone with the myWIMBLEDON app installed. Sunscreen for the following day.

Check @ViewfromtheQueue before you leave the house. If the numbers are manageable, go. If they are heading toward capacity, adjust your expectations, or adjust your target to a Grounds Pass and the afternoon resale queue instead.

The Queue opens at 2pm on Sunday 28 June. The Championships begin the following morning. There has never been a better time to try it.

![Wimbledon Championships logo on a green background with crossed tennis rackets inside a purple circle.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/wimbledon-championships-sign-1024x768.png)---

***Clarification, 28 June 2026:** An earlier version of this article stated that Wimbledon Park is owned by two councils. That was incorrect. The park is owned by the London Borough of Merton. The Queue itself sits partly within the Wandsworth borough boundary, but ownership rests with Merton. We are grateful to a reader for pointing this out.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/28/its-wimbledon-and-that-means-the-great-british-slightly-mad-tradition-that-is-the-queue/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/28/its-wimbledon-and-that-means-the-great-british-slightly-mad-tradition-that-is-the-queue/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=It%E2%80%99s%20Wimbledon%20%E2%80%93%20and%20that%20means%20the%20great%20British%20slightly%20mad%20tradition%20that%20is%20The%20Queue&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/28/its-wimbledon-and-that-means-the-great-british-slightly-mad-tradition-that-is-the-queue/)

**Categories:** Community, Southfields, Tennis, Things to do, Wimbledon

**Tags:** AELTC, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Three scams targeting Wandsworth drivers right now](https://putney.news/2026/06/28/three-scams-targeting-wandsworth-drivers-right-now/)

**Published:** June 28, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Fake PCN texts, bogus traffic wardens and dodgy QR codes on chargers

**Content:**

Fraudsters are targeting Wandsworth drivers with three active scams: fake texts demanding parking fines, bogus traffic wardens stealing bank cards, and fake QR stickers on parking machines and EV chargers.

Wandsworth Council [issued a warning](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-june-2026/parking-scam-text-message-warning-for-residents/) this week after scam texts began circulating impersonating the council and asking residents to pay outstanding penalty charge notices. ‘We will never send a text message asking you to pay a PCN,’ it said. Anyone who receives one should delete it without clicking any links and without sharing bank details.

![Scam text](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/parking-text.png)Example of the scam text being received by Wandsworth residents

#### Bogus traffic wardens near East Putney

The second scam is more confrontational. In December 2025, [police warned that fraudsters were posing as traffic wardens near East Putney station](https://putney.news/2025/12/15/police-warn-of-fake-traffic-wardens-stealing-bank-cards-near-east-putney-station/), claiming the nearby parking machine was broken and offering to help drivers pay for a ticket. One victim lost £500. In at least one case, a fraudster also obtained the victim’s PIN.

‘Please be cautious when paying at a parking meter with a bank card,’ said PCSO Cecilia Allaker, from the East Putney ward team. ‘You may be the victim of fraud when you are offered help to obtain your parking ticket.’

Never hand your card to anyone at a parking machine. Walk away.

#### Fake QR codes on parking machines and EV chargers

The third scam is known as quishing (QR code phishing): fraudsters place fake sticker codes over legitimate ones on parking machines and EV chargers. Victims who scan them are taken to convincing fake payment sites; some are also unknowingly enrolled in bogus recurring subscriptions.

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism reported last August that Action Fraud received around 800 reports of QR code fraud in the year to April 2025, with victims losing £3.5m in total.

Wandsworth’s lamp-post EV charger network is a specific local risk. The council’s own EV charging page now warns residents to check QR codes before scanning, a sign that the borough’s infrastructure has already been identified as a target.

Ubitricity, which operates many of those chargers, advises customers to run a finger over the QR code before scanning. A raised surface means a sticker has been placed over the original. Do not scan; use the operator’s app instead.

#### What to do

- **Fake PCN text:** Delete it. Do not pay, do not click. The council never texts about parking fines.
- **Stranger offering help at a parking machine:** Walk away. Never hand over your card or PIN.
- **QR code on a parking machine or charger:** Run your finger over it first. If it feels raised, use the app instead.

Report any fraud to Action Fraud: 0300 123 2040 or [actionfraud.police.uk](https://www.actionfraud.police.uk).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/28/three-scams-targeting-wandsworth-drivers-right-now/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/28/three-scams-targeting-wandsworth-drivers-right-now/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Three%20scams%20targeting%20Wandsworth%20drivers%20right%20now&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/28/three-scams-targeting-wandsworth-drivers-right-now/)

**Categories:** Crime

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, public safety, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council

---

### [School still waiting for crossing council promised four years ago](https://putney.news/2026/06/28/school-still-waiting-for-crossing-council-promised-four-years-ago/)

**Published:** June 28, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Parents petition for a Victoria Drive crossing after one was built nearby instead

**Content:**

Four years after Wandsworth Council promised a zebra crossing outside a West Hill primary school, then built a different one nearby instead, parents are asking for the crossing they were originally promised.

A petition on the council’s website calls for a zebra crossing on Victoria Drive, outside Our Lady Queen of Heaven RC Primary School, to give pupils, parents and churchgoers a safe place to cross.

The crossing is not a new idea. In March 2022, the council named this exact location in a press release, announcing plans for a zebra crossing on Victoria Drive “designed to improve safety for children attending Our Lady Queen of Heaven primary school.” It formed part of a £5m programme of street improvements across the borough.

That crossing was never built. The other works announced at the same time went ahead. But in West Hill, a crossing was installed instead on Withycombe Road, around the corner: a crossing that the council points to as the safe route for the school.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Withycombe-Road-pedestrian-crossing-1024x576.png)The junction on Withycombe Road that the council created instead. Parents says it’s not safeThe petitioners say however that after four years of the council-enforced solution, it simply doesn’t work. To reach the Withycombe Road crossing from the school, they argue, pedestrians must first cross the Princes Way junction, a busy slip road with restricted visibility close to the A3. The result, they say, is that families have to cross one dangerous road to reach the crossing meant to keep them safe.

The petition asks for a dedicated crossing on Victoria Drive itself, along with additional warning signs.

The 2022 announcement was made under the council’s previous Conservative administration, six weeks before it lost control to Labour in the May 2022 elections. The plans did not survive the change. Four years on, with the substitute crossing in place and in daily use, the school and parents say the original problem remains.

It is not the first time local parents have used the petition process to win a crossing at the school gate. Earlier this year, a parent [secured a new zebra crossing on Felsham Road](https://putney.news/2026/02/15/it-wasnt-a-battle-how-one-parent-got-putney-a-new-zebra-crossing/) after a nine-month campaign through the same system.

The process does not always deliver. A [2025 council report](https://putney.news/2025/06/16/putney-traffic-petition-was-most-ignored-annual-council-report-confirms/) found a Putney traffic petition had been the most ignored of the year. But the Felsham Road outcome shows it can work when enough residents sign.

If the petition reaches the council’s signature threshold, it triggers a formal council response. To sign, visit the [Wandsworth ePetition page](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=262&RPID=268943488&HPID=268943488) and register or log in to the council’s system. The petition closes on 4 August 2026. To contact your ward councillors in support, find their details at [wandsworth.gov.uk](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/your-councillors-and-mp/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/28/school-still-waiting-for-crossing-council-promised-four-years-ago/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/28/school-still-waiting-for-crossing-council-promised-four-years-ago/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=School%20still%20waiting%20for%20crossing%20council%20promised%20four%20years%20ago&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/28/school-still-waiting-for-crossing-council-promised-four-years-ago/)

**Categories:** Education, West Hill

**Tags:** road safety, Southfields, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Putney's junction still unfinished as new cabinet takes a walkabout](https://putney.news/2026/06/27/putneys-junction-still-unfinished-as-new-cabinet-takes-a-walkabout/)

**Published:** June 27, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** No commitments from last week's walk, and the works page unchanged since April

**Content:**

The cabinet member now responsible for Putney’s junction walked it with residents this month. By their own group’s account, nothing was committed. Three promised fixes remain undone, and the council’s works page has not been updated in nearly three months.

Cllr Daniel Hamilton, Wandsworth’s Cabinet Member for Transport since the Conservatives won the council in May, joined a Putney Action Group walkabout of the junction and the High Street. With him were Cllr Ethan Brooks, the local ward councillor for Thamesfield, and Henry Cheung, the council’s Assistant Director of Engineering, who has attended every previous walkabout and led much of the technical discussion at each one. PAG organised the walk. No commitments emerged from it.

It was the third such walkabout in seven months. The first was in December, the second in January. [The fixes, as documented here in June, still aren’t done.](https://putney.news/2026/06/10/eighteen-months-of-fixes-and-putneys-junction-is-back-to-square-one/)

#### A pattern across three walks

[The first walkabout was on Monday 9 December 2025.](https://putney.news/2025/12/10/officials-watch-helplessly-as-lorry-blocks-junction-they-still-havent-fixed/) Then-transport cabinet member Cllr Jenny Yates joined council leader Simon Hogg, Cheung, and senior TfL staff on a walk that was memorably interrupted by a scaffolding lorry reversing into the hotel development site, blocking the road for five minutes while the group watched. Two days later, Yates responded to a Conservative motion in the council chamber [without mentioning the walk at all.](https://putney.news/2025/12/11/two-days-after-walking-putneys-gridlocked-junction-yates-blames-margaret-thatcher/)

[The second was on Friday 17 January 2026.](https://putney.news/2026/01/17/residents-challenge-councils-defence-of-putney-bridge-junction-at-second-walkabout/) Cheung and the Director of Traffic Engineering Nick O’Donnell led, joined by Brooks, Putney MP Fleur Anderson for the first 20 minutes, and representatives from PAG and local residents. Cheung walked through recent timing changes and came with diagrams of options under consideration. The junction remained congested throughout.

The pattern is familiar: genuine engagement, no commitments, no follow-through on the outstanding physical works.

It is important to note that the junction redesign was a Conservative project from 2017, and the scheme was approved unanimously under Labour in September 2023. While local councillors have been open about how the junction design has fundamentally failed and resulted in extreme congestion for nearly two years, the Conservatives are now in the position of having to decide what to do about the situation. The test, as it has always been, is delivery.

#### Three jobs. No dates.

The council maintains a webpage listing outstanding junction works. It was last updated in April. Three jobs remain on that page. None has a firm completion date and it remains unclear – some would say questionable – whether they will collectively resolve the traffic problem.

The Putney Station lane reassignment (changes to traffic lanes near the station) was listed as due to complete in May 2026. That date has passed. The page carries no update. A consultation on the queue-jumping issue that the council promised by June [has also not appeared.](https://putney.news/2026/06/08/the-council-promised-putney-a-junction-consultation-by-june-june-is-here/)

The removal of the traffic island opposite Snappy Snaps, which would free up two northbound lanes, is described as “in the final stages of approval with TfL. Construction dates are difficult to commit to at this stage.”

The full inset of Bus Stop M, next to TK Maxx, remains blocked by a BT phone box. One of two phone boxes has already been removed. [The box and why it matters has been covered in full here.](https://putney.news/2026/05/25/a-broken-phone-box-on-putney-high-street-is-a-major-congestion-problem-help-us-get-rid-of-it/)

#### The scrutiny gap

On 11 February this year, before he became Cabinet Member for Transport, Hamilton sat on the Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee and put a formal request on the record.

> “This remains an issue of huge public concern,” he said. “So can I just formally request that we keep this on the agenda for future meetings, because I think it is one that residents want to see real action on.”

Hamilton now runs transport for the borough. The committee he addressed in February will next meet on Thursday 24 September 2026.

The June meeting was cancelled following the election. No junction scrutiny has taken place in the interim, and none will until September; a gap of around seven months from his standing-item request.

There is a further constraint. Cheung has said that making any changes to the junction would require “a Cabinet Member direction” and “a very similar committee process” to the unanimous approval it received in September 2023, [as reported here.](https://putney.news/2026/06/10/eighteen-months-of-fixes-and-putneys-junction-is-back-to-square-one/) That Cabinet Member is Hamilton.

The new administration has been in office for less than two months. The case for patience is real. But the outstanding works predate the election, the works page has been frozen since April, and Cheung has been clear about what is required to move things forward.

#### What happens next

The next public moment for scrutiny is the Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee on **Thursday 24 September 2026 at 7.30pm**. Papers have not yet been published.

Residents can write to their ward councillors or to Cllr Hamilton directly at . The council’s junction works page is at [wandsworth.gov.uk](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/business-and-licensing/town-centres/putney/putney-bridge-junction-changes-improvement-works/).

Write to your cabinet member

Ask Cllr Hamilton to issue a Cabinet Member direction, open up all options for fixing the junction including a complete redesign, and start a proper consultation with residents.

 Your name  

 Postcode  

 [Cllr Daniel Hamilton — Cabinet Member for Transport](#) 

Please enter your name before sending.

Opens your email app with a message pre-filled. Your email will be copied to Putney.news (news@putney.news) so we can track responses. CC may not work on all mobile email apps.

[For many Putney voters, this was the defining issue of the May election.](https://putney.news/2026/05/07/for-many-putney-voters-theres-one-issue-on-their-mind-the-dreaded-junction/) Three walkabouts. No dates. The page still says May. The calendar says September.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/27/putneys-junction-still-unfinished-as-new-cabinet-takes-a-walkabout/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/27/putneys-junction-still-unfinished-as-new-cabinet-takes-a-walkabout/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20junction%20still%20unfinished%20as%20new%20cabinet%20takes%20a%20walkabout&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/27/putneys-junction-still-unfinished-as-new-cabinet-takes-a-walkabout/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** bus, Cllr Daniel Hamilton, Cllr Ethan Brooks, Putney Action Group, Putney Bridge junction, Putney High Street, Transport Committee, Wandsworth Council

---

### [TfL promised the District Line was ready for Wimbledon. It broke down the same afternoon.](https://putney.news/2026/06/27/tfl-promised-the-district-line-was-ready-for-wimbledon-it-broke-down-the-same-afternoon/)

**Published:** June 27, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** The monitoring upgrade meant to prevent Parsons Green signal failures may not have been switched on

**Content:**

TfL sent out a £500,000 Wimbledon tournament “readiness plan” for the District Line at 3pm yesterday afternoon. At eight o’clock that evening, passengers were told of severe delays and advised to take buses instead.

A signal failure at Parsons Green had taken out the Wimbledon branch. It was the same fault, in the same place, that has struck repeatedly in the past fortnight – and for years before – and is precisely what a planned and postponed upgrade was meant to prevent.

The release was sent by TfL’s head of press and represents the first time the organisation has briefed proactively about the worst line on the Tube network land sets out the work done to prepare the District Line for the Wimbledon Championships.

Network Rail has installed heat-protective coatings on signalling equipment, upgraded communication systems for earlier fault detection, and upgraded track circuits. Travel Ambassadors will be at Southfields throughout the fortnight. Claire Mann, TfL’s chief operating officer, said the organisation was “determined to do all we can to support customers travelling to and from the Wimbledon Championships.”

While the release indicates that TfL is taking the District Line problems more seriously, what it does not say is whether the specific upgrade that was meant to reduce precisely this risk (switching on the new fault-monitoring system) was ever completed. As we reported on 15 June, TfL postponed that work on the weekend of 13 and 14 June, citing “last-minute technical issues.” No new date was given. The engineering weekend of 20 and 21 June, the last before the Championships, listed no District Line works in TfL’s published schedule. TfL has not publicly confirmed the switch-on happened.

How we got here: District Line and Wimbledon

From TfL’s own board paper to Thursday’s breakdown

 June 2024 TfL board paper formally states the Wimbledon branch will **“not be re-signalled.”** The real fix is off the table. 

 Summer 2025 District Line collapses during last year’s Championships. Reliability falls to **69%** — worst in over a decade. Mayor of London apologises. 

 Early June 2026 Putney MP Fleur Anderson confirms the monitoring hardware **“is now in.”** Switch-on scheduled for the weekend of 13–14 June. 

 13–14 June 2026 Works pulled at the last minute. TfL cites “last-minute technical issues.” **No new date set.** A Saturday signal failure at Parsons Green leaves the branch with no service for much of the morning. 

 20–21 June 2026 Last engineering weekend before Wimbledon. TfL’s published schedule lists **no District Line works.** No confirmation the switch-on happened. 

 Friday 26 June, 2.26pm TfL issues £500,000 “readiness plan” to Putney.news — **the first time it has briefed us proactively on this beat.** 

 Friday 26 June, ~8pm Southfields passengers told of **severe delays.** TfL live feed: “signal failure at Parsons Green.” Same fault. Same location. **Five hours and 34 minutes** after the readiness plan. 

 Monday 29 June 2026 Wimbledon main draw begins. Whether the monitoring system is operational, **TfL has not said.** 

Sources: TfL press release 26 June 2026; TfL live status feed 26 June 2026; Putney.news reporting 15 June 2026, 2 May 2026

#### What the release leaves out

The release concedes that “customers using the District Line experienced a significant level of disruption, largely caused by signalling issues” during last year’s Championships. What it does not say is that reliability fell to 69 per cent, the worst figure in over a decade, or that the Mayor of London apologised. *Putney.news* has asked TfL three times under freedom of information law to release that figure. TfL has refused every time. A complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office is outstanding.

The release puts the investment at £500,000. Meeting notes we obtained and reported on 15 June recorded TfL’s commitment as a package of between £200,000 and £300,000. TfL has not explained what accounts for the difference, or whether the two figures cover the same work. The £500k is a claim; the question of what it covers remains open.

The Mann quote does not address any of this. Nor does it address TfL’s June 2024 board paper, which states the Wimbledon branch will “not be re-signalled.” As we reported in May, that board paper (a formal statement of strategy, not a planning document) means the real fix, a full replacement of the signalling system, is structurally off the table. The £500,000 is maintenance investment on 1980s equipment, not modernisation.

What TfL said — and what the record shows

TfL’s 26 June readiness release held against documented facts

TfL said

The record shows

 TfL said “An investment of £500,000 to strengthen signalling on the District Line.” 

 The record shows Meeting notes we obtained recorded TfL’s commitment at £200,000–£300,000. TfL has not explained what accounts for the higher figure. 

 TfL said “Upgraded communication systems… enabling earlier fault detection and more targeted maintenance.” 

 The record shows The switch-on of the new monitoring system was postponed on 13–14 June. No new date was set. TfL has not confirmed it happened. On Thursday evening, Parsons Green failed again. 

 TfL said “Travel Ambassadors to be present at and around Southfields throughout the Championships.” 

 The record shows By 8pm on the same day the release went out, Southfields passengers were being told of severe delays. TfL’s live feed: “signal failure at Parsons Green.” 

 TfL said Customers experienced “a significant level of disruption, largely caused by signalling issues” in 2025. 

 The record shows That disruption meant 69% reliability — worst in over a decade. TfL has refused to release that figure under FOI three times. A complaint to the ICO is outstanding. 

Sources: TfL press release 26 June 2026; Putney.news reporting 15 June 2026; TfL live status feed 26 June 2026

![Colorful Wimbledon-themed benches with green and purple panels and the slogan 'THERE IS ONLY ONE WIMBLEDON' under a shelter, with trees in the background and a couple of people nearby.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/southfields-tube-wimbledon-seats-1024x768.png)Wimbledon branded seats at Southfields Tube station yesterday as passengers were warned of severe delays – again#### What you can do before the fortnight is over

Both local MPs are on record on the branch. Fleur Anderson, the MP for Putney, and Paul Kohler, the MP for Wimbledon, have each engaged with TfL and Network Rail on the reliability problem. Residents can write to either or both to ask what assurances they have received that the monitoring system is now operational.

Write to your MP

Ask what assurances they have received that the District Line will be operational for Wimbledon — and beyond.

 [Fleur Anderson — Putney](mailto:fleur.anderson.mp@parliament.uk?cc=news%40putney.news&subject=District%20Line%3A%20will%20it%20be%20operational%20for%20Wimbledon%3F&body=Dear%20Fleur%2C%0A%0AI%20am%20writing%20as%20a%20constituent%20following%20the%20report%20on%20Friday%27s%20District%20Line%20failure.*%0A%0ATfL%20issued%20a%20%C2%A3500%2C000%20readiness%20statement%20on%20Friday%20%E2%80%94%20and%20the%20line%20broke%20down%20the%20same%20afternoon.%0A%0AI%20would%20like%20to%20know%20what%20assurances%20you%20have%20received%20from%20TfL%20and%20Network%20Rail%20that%20the%20line%20will%20be%20operational%20for%20the%20Wimbledon%20Championships%20-%20and%20beyond.%0A%0AThe%20tennis%20begins%20on%20Monday.%0A%0AYours%20sincerely%2C%0A%5BYour%20name%20and%20address%5D%0A%0A---%0A*%20Putney.news%2C%2027%20June%202026%3A%20putney.news%2F2026%2F06%2F27%2Ftfl-promised-the-district-line-was-ready-for-wimbledon-it-broke-down-the-same-afternoon%2F) [Paul Kohler — Wimbledon](mailto:paul.kohler.mp@parliament.uk?cc=news%40putney.news&subject=District%20Line%3A%20will%20it%20be%20operational%20for%20Wimbledon%3F&body=Dear%20Paul%2C%0A%0AI%20am%20writing%20as%20a%20constituent%20following%20the%20report%20on%20Friday%27s%20District%20Line%20failure.*%0A%0ATfL%20issued%20a%20%C2%A3500%2C000%20readiness%20statement%20on%20Friday%20%E2%80%94%20and%20the%20line%20broke%20down%20the%20same%20afternoon.%0A%0AI%20would%20like%20to%20know%20what%20assurances%20you%20have%20received%20from%20TfL%20and%20Network%20Rail%20that%20the%20line%20will%20be%20operational%20for%20the%20Wimbledon%20Championships%20-%20and%20beyond.%0A%0AThe%20tennis%20begins%20on%20Monday.%0A%0AYours%20sincerely%2C%0A%5BYour%20name%20and%20address%5D%0A%0A---%0A*%20Putney.news%2C%2027%20June%202026%3A%20putney.news%2F2026%2F06%2F27%2Ftfl-promised-the-district-line-was-ready-for-wimbledon-it-broke-down-the-same-afternoon%2F) 

Opens your email app with a message pre-filled. Add your name and address before sending. Your email will be copied to Putney.news (news@putney.news) so we can track responses. CC may not work on all mobile email apps.

You can support Putney.news – we have an outstanding complaint to the ICO asking TfL to release the reliability figures it has refused three times so we can continue to dig into the issue and use real figures rather than rely on incomplete press releases.

For live updates during the Championships, TfL Go and the Journey Planner carry real-time service status, as does the TfL live feed, which on Thursday evening confirmed severe delays between Wimbledon and Edgware Road due to “an earlier signal failure at Parsons Green.”

The hardware is in the ground. Whether anyone has switched it on, TfL still has not said. The tennis begins Monday.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/27/tfl-promised-the-district-line-was-ready-for-wimbledon-it-broke-down-the-same-afternoon/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/27/tfl-promised-the-district-line-was-ready-for-wimbledon-it-broke-down-the-same-afternoon/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=TfL%20promised%20the%20District%20Line%20was%20ready%20for%20Wimbledon.%20It%20broke%20down%20the%20same%20afternoon.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/27/tfl-promised-the-district-line-was-ready-for-wimbledon-it-broke-down-the-same-afternoon/)

**Categories:** East Putney, Southfields, Transport, Wimbledon

**Tags:** accountability, AELTC, District Line, Fleur Anderson MP, FOI, Paul Kohler MP, Southfields, TfL

---

### [Buildings with asbestos. A near-fatal explosion. A deadly fire. Wandsworth is hiding the records.](https://putney.news/2026/06/27/buildings-with-asbestos-a-near-fatal-explosion-a-deadly-fire-wandsworth-is-hiding-the-records/)

**Published:** June 27, 2026
**Author:** The Editor

**Excerpt:** Seven requests. Seven refusals. Putney.news has complained to the Information Commissioner.

**Content:**

There are 48 Wandsworth council buildings that still contain asbestos. The council has [paid out over £1 million](https://putney.news/2026/04/06/wandsworth-paid-out-1m-in-asbestos-claims-it-wont-name-the-buildings/ "Wandsworth paid out £1m in asbestos claims. It won’t name the buildings.") in the past five years to those exposed to it, and more cases are in process. We have asked which buildings are affected. The council refuses to say.

Last year, a gas explosion [tore through homes on Burke Close](https://putney.news/2025/04/09/boilers-blew-homes-burned-but-wandsworth-council-says-we-did-a-great-job/ "Boilers blew, homes burned—but Wandsworth Council says ‘we did a great job’") in Roehampton. A firefighter was nearly killed when he was blown ten metres out of the back of a house by an electrical surge. The council denies responsibility despite having received an official government warning about thousands of outstanding electrical safety failures in its properties. The council paid to replace all the boilers. We asked for the records. It refuses to release them.

[Sixty residents lost their homes in a fire at Fox House in Battersea](https://putney.news/2026/04/12/60-residents-lost-their-homes-in-the-fox-house-fire-wandsworth-council-wont-release-the-safety-records/). The fire spread through an attic space that had never been inspected. We have asked for the safety and inspection records that show what the council knew, and when. The council refuses to hand them over.

There are four more cases like these, and doubtless many others we haven’t come across. In every one, the council has used the same mechanism to block the request. *Putney.news* believes that mechanism is unlawful. This week, we went to the regulator.

#### What the council did

When a public body fails to answer a Freedom of Information request within the legal 20-working-day limit, residents have one formal option before going to the regulator: an internal review. It is a request for the council to examine its own handling of the case. It does not require a completed answer first. The review can happen precisely because the answer has not arrived.

Wandsworth Council disagrees. In September 2025, responding to three overdue requests simultaneously, the council stated its position in writing: it “cannot carry out an Internal Review of your request before we have responded to your FOI request.”

The ICO’s own guidance says the opposite. Requesters may ask for an internal review when they are “still waiting for a response and are unhappy with the delay.”

The council’s position is not a misunderstanding. It is a policy, applied in writing, to every request we have made.

Seven requests. Seven refusals to review. Zero answers.

FOI requests filed by Putney.news to Wandsworth Council — all blocked using the same internal review position

  7 FOI requests filed 

 7 internal reviews refused 

 0 substantive answers given 

Which buildings contain asbestos?

Filed April 2026 · Refused twice in a decade · £1m+ paid in exposure claims

No review

Fox House fire safety records

Filed January 2026 · 60 homes destroyed · Council set two review deadlines and missed both

No review

Source of the £3.7m homelessness claim

Filed March 2026 · Claim appeared in pre-election leaflet sent to all households · All four financial claims found false

No review

Places Leisure contract financial case

Filed March 2026 · Cabinet Paper 25-177A not released · No response

No review

Housing Revenue Account overspend records

Filed June 2025 · Behind a £137m housing crisis concealed for years · 12 months, no answer

No review

Burke Close boiler replacement records

Filed June 2025 · Explosion nearly killed a firefighter · Council replaced all boilers and won’t say why · 12 months, no answer

No review

Temporary accommodation costs

Filed June 2025 · 12 months, no answer

No review

 **ICO case IC-531715-P7V0** opened 25 June 2026 · Expedited consideration requested · Source: Putney.news complaint documents / WhatDoTheyKnow public record 

#### When we told the council it was wrong

In September 2025, *Putney.news* wrote to the council about its internal review position. The letter cited guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and set out three enforcement notices the ICO had issued to other councils for identical failures (Lewisham, Croydon, and Bristol). We asked the council to reconsider.

The council did not reply. It did not defend its position, withdraw it, or acknowledge the enforcement notices. Over the following nine months, four more requests arrived. The council applied the same position to each one.

The council was told it was breaking the law. It chose to continue.

#### What the law requires, and what can happen next

The Freedom of Information Act requires public bodies to respond within 20 working days. A separate duty requires them to maintain a complaints procedure for when they do not. A completed answer is not a precondition for that procedure. That is the point of it.

The backstop is the Information Commissioner’s Office. The ICO can require a council to conduct an internal review, provide a substantive answer, or change its procedures. It has ordered other London boroughs to do exactly this. We have run through the internal review process with Wandsworth Council on numerous occasions. But on the most controversial topics, the council has simply refused to provide one. The complaint filed this week provides a rundown of seven separate occasions in which it has done so.

The ICO has opened case IC-531715-P7V0. We have requested expedited consideration. The cases are procedurally simple: no exemption analysis is needed, only a determination of whether internal reviews were conducted. They were not.

#### What we are asking for, and what you can do

The complaint asks for five things: formal decision notices on each of the seven cases; orders requiring substantive answers; completion of the Fox House internal review the council accepted and twice failed to deliver; a practice recommendation on Wandsworth’s internal review procedure; and expedited handling.

We have filed these together because the failure is institutional. The same words, the same outcome, seven times. It warrants a single consolidated argument.

This is the third active ICO complaint we have filed against Wandsworth. [The first, on the council’s Access for All concessions scheme, was decided in our favour in May](https://putney.news/2026/05/23/the-sham-that-was-britains-best-concession-scheme/), with the council ordered to release data it had withheld for years. [The second, on Roehampton sewage repairs, is ongoing](https://putney.news/2026/06/22/watchdog-steps-in-as-wandsworth-wont-explain-roehampton-sewage-repairs/). The ICO process works. We will keep using it.

FOI requests are not a journalist’s tool. They are a legal right that belongs to every resident. We file them because residents have a right to know whether their buildings are safe, whether public money is being spent wisely, and whether what the council tells them is true. When the council blocks the mechanism that enforces those rights, it is not blocking us. It is blocking you.

If you think that matters, you can support *Putney.news*. And if there are questions you think need asking (buildings you use, money you want accounted for, decisions that don’t add up), [tell us](https://putney.news/contact/). We will file the requests.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/27/buildings-with-asbestos-a-near-fatal-explosion-a-deadly-fire-wandsworth-is-hiding-the-records/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/27/buildings-with-asbestos-a-near-fatal-explosion-a-deadly-fire-wandsworth-is-hiding-the-records/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Buildings%20with%20asbestos.%20A%20near-fatal%20explosion.%20A%20deadly%20fire.%20Wandsworth%20is%20hiding%20the%20records.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/27/buildings-with-asbestos-a-near-fatal-explosion-a-deadly-fire-wandsworth-is-hiding-the-records/)

**Categories:** Comment, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, C3 rating, Fire safety, FOI, Roehampton, transparency, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Pupils fainted at Ashcroft as school enforced uniform in blazing heat](https://putney.news/2026/06/26/pupils-fainted-at-ashcroft-as-school-enforced-uniform-in-blazing-heat/)

**Published:** June 26, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** The school had no air conditioning and ignored government advice to relax uniform rules.

**Content:**

**UPDATED** Students fainted in class at Ashcroft Technology Academy after the school kept them in full uniform on the hottest day in years, three days after the government told schools to let pupils take their blazers off.

Ashcroft’s classrooms have no air conditioning, along with many other schools, but while most have taken extraordinary measures this week including closing at lunchtime, adjusting uniform requirements to allow for lighter clothing, and moving pupils into cooler rooms, Ashcroft has persisted with the same rules.

One reader told *Putney.news* the school had insisted on full uniform since the start of the heatwave, including on Tuesday 24 June when Putney hit 36°C, the first day of London’s Red Extreme Heat Alert. Government guidance published on 22 June had told schools to relax uniform rules in extreme heat, encourage pupils to remove blazers and jumpers, and consider letting them wear loose, light-coloured clothing instead.

Another reader – a parent with a child at the school who asked to remain anonymous – who is a public health academic told us that she had discussed her concerns with colleagues and concluded:

> “Our professional opinion is that this behaviour is highly irresponsible and a risk to life.”

The school’s published policies show a consistent pattern. The attendance guide tells parents to “send your child in to school even when they appear unwell, unless the illness is more serious.” The behaviour policy states that if a student is sent home for wearing incorrect uniform, the time away “will be made up in detentions after Academy.” Many parents find the discipline effective; others say it leaves little room for common sense.

While Ashcroft held the line, schools across the country told pupils to wear PE kit. Some closed entirely. The Cabinet Office held an emergency COBR meeting on Tuesday over the severity of the heatwave. The Red Alert (the Met Office’s most serious warning, reserved for conditions that pose significant health risk to the wider population) was in force from Tuesday until at least Thursday night.

[Putney reached 36°C on Tuesday](https://putney.news/2026/06/24/storm-one-day-in-putney-36c-the-next/), feeling closer to 38°C in the humidity.

Ashcroft Technology Academy, which has 1,511 pupils, has yet to respond to questions we sent over the reports and its policies. We asked whether full uniform was required on Tuesday, whether any students fainted or required medical attention, what the school’s policy is during Red Alerts, and whether that policy has changed for the rest of the week.

*If you were affected, contact us at .*

---

***Update, 3pm:** Since publication, we have received emails from a number of parents describing different experiences of the school’s response to the heatwave. We have sent the school a further set of questions about its uniform policy, air conditioning provision, and the welfare of pupils who became unwell during the week. We will update this report when the school responds.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/26/pupils-fainted-at-ashcroft-as-school-enforced-uniform-in-blazing-heat/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/26/pupils-fainted-at-ashcroft-as-school-enforced-uniform-in-blazing-heat/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Pupils%20fainted%20at%20Ashcroft%20as%20school%20enforced%20uniform%20in%20blazing%20heat&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/26/pupils-fainted-at-ashcroft-as-school-enforced-uniform-in-blazing-heat/)

**Categories:** East Putney, Education, Health

**Tags:** Ashcroft Technology Academy, public safety, School Funding, Wandsworth

---

### ['Only travel if necessary' - three days running, as Britain sets a heat record](https://putney.news/2026/06/26/only-travel-if-necessary-three-days-running-as-britain-sets-a-heat-record/)

**Published:** June 26, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** SWR extended disruption to Friday; the heat breaks this weekend.

**Content:**

South Western Railway has extended its “only travel if essential” warning to Friday as the Met Office issues a Red Warning for Extreme Heat for a third consecutive day. It is the first time the UK’s weather warning system has recorded red heat alerts three days in a row.

SWR will again run fewer trains today, Friday, with services slower and finishing earlier than usual. Further short-notice changes remain possible. Your tickets will be valid on alternative days under a temporary scheme.

The reason is physics: rail temperatures can reach 20 degrees more than air temperature. To keep services safe, trains run at reduced speeds and fewer are put on the network.

SWR chief operating officer Stuart Meek said: “We’re sorry that we must extend our advice to only travel if essential to Friday, on top of the advice to only travel if essential on Wednesday and Thursday. We are working hard to keep customers who need to travel moving, but the extreme temperatures mean we have to run a reduced timetable and there may be further short-notice changes.”

On the Underground, the District Line is running with minor delays between Richmond and Turnham Green due to heat-related speed restrictions. East Putney and Southfields are affected. Good service on the rest of the line.

UK Health Security Agency has a red health alert in place for London until 11pm Friday. Temperatures in the capital could exceed 36°C, possibly 37°C in places.

The heat lifts this weekend. Saturday is forecast at around 32°C, with normal temperatures and rain returning next week.

For cooling centres, shade spots, and safety advice, see [our guide from Wednesday](https://putney.news/2026/06/24/londons-first-red-heat-alert-in-four-years-reaches-putney/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/26/only-travel-if-necessary-three-days-running-as-britain-sets-a-heat-record/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/26/only-travel-if-necessary-three-days-running-as-britain-sets-a-heat-record/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98Only%20travel%20if%20necessary%E2%80%99%20%E2%80%93%20three%20days%20running%2C%20as%20Britain%20sets%20a%20heat%20record&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/26/only-travel-if-necessary-three-days-running-as-britain-sets-a-heat-record/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** District Line, East Putney, Putney train station, Southfields, TfL

---

### [Le Fez is swapping its booths for darts lanes](https://putney.news/2026/06/26/le-fez-is-swapping-its-booths-for-darts-lanes/)

**Published:** June 26, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Putney's nightclub applies to install eight darts lanes and a pizza offer

**Content:**

Putney’s nightclub Le Fez has applied to tear out its booth seating and install eight electronic darts lanes. The plans for 200 Upper Richmond Road reflects a bigger shift in what a night out now looks like.

They also include a new food offer: reheated pizza. The late nights stay (Le Fez still runs until 4am on Fridays and Saturdays), but the venue wants something it doesn’t have: earlier evenings, group bookings, birthday parties, tables of people who want to throw darts and eat pizza before the club opens.

The industry calls this “competitive socialising”: venues where a game is the draw, not just a backdrop to drinking. And it has been growing fast. Around 400 UK nightclubs have closed since 2020, roughly a third of the pre-pandemic total. Rekom UK, the company behind Pryzm and Atik, filed for bankruptcy in 2024 and shut 17 venues. Pryzm Kingston, a few stops up the District line, closed last summer. The big nightclub chains are not recovering.

What is replacing them, according to an analysis published this year, are venues built around doing something rather than just drinking somewhere. The number of competitive socialising sites has grown 84% since 2018. Almost half of British adults say they have visited one in the past year, according to Mintel.

Darts is the biggest winner. Luke Littler won the PDC World Championship in 2025 at 17, bringing a generation of younger fans to a game they had thought belonged to their grandfathers. E-darts (electronic boards with automatic scoring and multiple game modes) made it easy to pick up and simple to book. Flight Club already runs four London venues open until 1am on weekends. The model is straightforward: book a lane, drink, stay longer than you meant to.

---

Two numbers. One shift.

  Nightclubs in the UK 

~400

closed since 2020

roughly a third of the pre-pandemic total

  Competitive socialising venues 

+84%

growth since 2018

in brand-tracked sites across the UK

Sources: Night Time Industries Association; Savills market analysis 2025

Le Fez is not turning into a darts bar. Eight lanes inside an existing nightclub open until 4am is something different: an early-evening offer bolted on to the late-night one. The changes in the application are specific: a partition across the bar, a new service area, the booth seating replaced by the lanes. The application is handled by Woods Whur, a specialist licensing firm in Leeds.

#### Have your say

Anyone can object to or support the application before 17 July 2026. Write to the Wandsworth licensing team (handled by Merton Council under a joint arrangement) at . The full application is at [wandsworth.gov.uk](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/).

Eclectic Bars Trading Limited, which owns [Le Fez](https://putney.news/venue/le-fez/), is part of the Brighton Pier Group, which left the stock market in May 2025 and re-registered as a private company.

![Storefront banner with a blue circular logo reading 'Le Dez' (Putney) on a blue patterned awning, next to a metal gate.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/le-fez-2-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/26/le-fez-is-swapping-its-booths-for-darts-lanes/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/26/le-fez-is-swapping-its-booths-for-darts-lanes/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Le%20Fez%20is%20swapping%20its%20booths%20for%20darts%20lanes&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/26/le-fez-is-swapping-its-booths-for-darts-lanes/)

**Categories:** Business, Pubs, bars and nightlife

**Tags:** Le fez, Licensing Sub-Committee, Upper Richmond Road

---

### [Knife, stolen goods, six burglaries: Putney's most wanted is off the streets](https://putney.news/2026/05/21/knife-stolen-goods-six-burglaries-putneys-most-wanted-is-off-the-streets/)

**Published:** May 21, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Thamesfield's new sergeant has been in post four weeks. He's already producing results.

**Content:**

***Update, 25 June 2026:** The suspect has since pleaded guilty to all 14 charges. [Read our report.](https://putney.news/2026/06/25/putneys-most-wanted-pleads-guilty-to-all-14-charges/)*

A man wanted for six burglaries in Thamesfield has been arrested and is in custody after police tracked him to a local park using intelligence. Armed officers and a dog unit backed up plain-clothes and uniformed officers from the local Safer Neighbourhoods Team (SNT) who had identified the suspect’s movements, his clothing, and how he was getting around.

He was found with stolen property and a knife.

“We located a name, we know how they were getting about, and what clothing they would essentially be wearing,” said Sergeant Gary Berry, the SNT’s new team leader. “Today, we’ve reaped the rewards.”

Berry described the man as “the Southwest’s most wanted nominal” (in police terms, a named person of interest known to officers).

#### Four arrests in five days

The second enforcement result came on Putney High Street. A man released from prison roughly a month ago was subject to a Criminal Behaviour Order banning him from the High Street and the surrounding area. He ignored it. Officers arrested him four times in five days for breaching the order. Three times, he refused a caution. He has now been recalled to prison for 28 days.

“People don’t have to worry about antisocial behaviour and drinking alcohol on the high street,” Berry told last night’s Thamesfield Ward Panel.

#### The officer behind it

Berry joined the Thamesfield patch four weeks ago from a proactive crime team. He spoke at last night’s ward panel with notable candour about what he is doing and why.

His method: use crime data to put officers in the right places at the right times, rather than hoping random patrols get lucky. For known shoplifting hotspots, that means plain-clothes officers in stores during the periods when prolific offenders tend to show up. The two arrests were not an accident.

> “As a new leader to this team, I’m looking to take my team forward using an intelligence-led approach to ensure our limited resources are used correctly within the right areas,” Sgt Berry said.

Overall crime in Thamesfield has fallen roughly 30 per cent since last October, according to [official figures](https://putney.news/2026/05/20/crime-falling-in-thamesfield-but-violence-now-tops-the-category-table/).

The SNT has been active on [Thamesfield burglary prevention since at least May](https://putney.news/2026/05/04/police-warn-thamesfield-residents-check-doors-for-fake-locksmith-stickers-now/). [February’s ward panel](https://putney.news/2026/02/10/vehicle-crime-surge-prompts-thamesfield-to-reset-policing-priorities/) painted a harder picture: vehicle crime rising, priorities being reset. Last night’s results are the clearest sign yet that the reset is working.

For a precedent on the court order used to get the repeat offender off the High Street, see Putney.news’s 2025 report on a [prolific parcel thief banned from the borough for a decade](https://putney.news/2025/05/03/prolific-parcel-thief-banned-from-borough-for-a-decade/).

#### Contact your local SNT

To sign up for local crime alerts and updates from the Thamesfield SNT, visit [MetEngage](https://www.metengage.co.uk/Content/LocalArea/79932/Thamesfield). You can report crime online at [met.police.uk](https://www.met.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/).

---

**Update, 24 May 2026:** Since this story was published, Inspector Paul James announced on MetEngage that the suspect has been charged with **13 burglaries** across Thamesfield, East Putney and West Putney wards – significantly more than the six linked to the Thamesfield arrest. The suspect was found with a crowbar and a push-dagger-style knife and was wanted on recall to prison at the time of his arrest. The MetEngage alert is [here](https://www.met.police.uk/area/your-area/metropolitan-police/west-putney/).

**Update, 25 June 2026:** The suspect has since pleaded guilty to all 14 charges. [Read our report.](https://putney.news/2026/06/25/putneys-most-wanted-pleads-guilty-to-all-14-charges/)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/21/knife-stolen-goods-six-burglaries-putneys-most-wanted-is-off-the-streets/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/21/knife-stolen-goods-six-burglaries-putneys-most-wanted-is-off-the-streets/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Knife%2C%20stolen%20goods%2C%20six%20burglaries%3A%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20most%20wanted%20is%20off%20the%20streets&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/21/knife-stolen-goods-six-burglaries-putneys-most-wanted-is-off-the-streets/)

**Categories:** Crime, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, public safety, Putney High Street, thamesfield

---

### [Putney's most wanted pleads guilty to all 14 charges](https://putney.news/2026/06/25/putneys-most-wanted-pleads-guilty-to-all-14-charges/)

**Published:** June 25, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Arrested in May after Putney burglary spree, he admitted every charge at court

**Content:**

The Putney man who was hunted down in a local park last month, crowbar in hand, stolen property in his bag and a knife concealed on him, has pleaded guilty to all 14 charges against him at his first court appearance.

He remains in custody awaiting sentencing later this year.

The 14 charges break down as 12 burglaries, one count of going equipped to steal and one of possessing an offensive weapon. We [reported the charges in May](https://putney.news/2026/05/21/knife-stolen-goods-six-burglaries-putneys-most-wanted-is-off-the-streets/).

> [Knife, stolen goods, six burglaries: Putney’s most wanted is off the streets](https://putney.news/2026/05/21/knife-stolen-goods-six-burglaries-putneys-most-wanted-is-off-the-streets/)

The arrest was the first major result of a deliberate personnel decision. When Inspector Paul James took over Putney’s policing in March, one of his early moves was to bring Sergeant Gary Berry into Thamesfield, then seeing a surge in burglaries across the riverside wards.

Berry, who had come from a proactive crime team, analysed crime data himself to identify the suspect’s movements, known hotspot locations and offending times. He then ran a directed three-day operation using high-visibility and plain-clothes patrols. “We located a name, we know how they were getting about, and what clothing they would essentially be wearing,” Berry told the Thamesfield ward panel after the arrest. “Today, we’ve reaped the rewards.”

Armed officers and a dog unit backed up the local team when they tracked him down on the third day. He was also, it turned out, wanted on recall to prison. Berry had described him as “the Southwest’s most wanted nominal” (the police term for a named suspect known to officers).

Recorded crime in Thamesfield has fallen by around 30% since last October, according to official figures. [As we reported last week](https://putney.news/2026/06/17/putneys-new-inspector-is-leading-from-the-front-literally/), James has continued the same approach across Putney, joining his officers on patrol personally.

A sentencing date has not been confirmed. We will report the outcome when it is set.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/25/putneys-most-wanted-pleads-guilty-to-all-14-charges/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/25/putneys-most-wanted-pleads-guilty-to-all-14-charges/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20most%20wanted%20pleads%20guilty%20to%20all%2014%20charges&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/25/putneys-most-wanted-pleads-guilty-to-all-14-charges/)

**Categories:** Crime, Thamesfield

**Tags:** burglary, Crime, East Putney, Gary Berry, Metropolitan Police, public safety, Safer Neighbourhoods Team, thamesfield

---

### [Lights out at Roehampton: the hottest farewell in tennis](https://putney.news/2026/06/25/lights-out-at-roehampton-the-hottest-farewell-in-tennis/)

**Published:** June 25, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Dan Evans lost his last singles match on Putney's hottest day 

**Content:**

Dan Evans played the last singles match of his career on the Roehampton grass on Wednesday. Then the lights went out.

With temperatures topping 34°C, a power outage at the Wimbledon Qualifying and Community Sports Centre on Bank Lane knocked out the electronic line-calling system and sent players off court to shelter. Play was suspended for almost 90 minutes. It was, as Putney was already discovering, [London’s first red heat alert in four years](https://putney.news/2026/06/24/londons-first-red-heat-alert-in-four-years-reaches-putney/).

Evans, 36, had already announced he would retire after Wimbledon. His opponent in the second round of qualifying was Australia’s Tristan Schoolkate, and when the match eventually resumed, the scoreline read 7-5, 6-0. His singles career was over.

The outage knocked out the venue’s electronic line-calling, the automated ball-tracking system that has replaced line judges at qualifying, forcing a long stoppage on one of the hottest afternoons the borough has seen in years.

![Dan Evans](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dan_Evans-793x1024.jpg)The setting carried its own weight. Evans spent part of his career training at the National Tennis Centre on Priory Lane, which leads to the qualifying venue, when the LTA supported him through some of the harder stretches of his career. He came back to Roehampton’s grass at the end of it.

Evans was once ranked sixth in the world, won two ATP titles (Melbourne in 2021, Washington in 2023) and helped Britain win the Davis Cup in 2015. He was at the Paris Olympics two years ago, partnering Andy Murray for Murray’s final match as a professional. Roger Federer, after beating him at the Australian Open, described playing Evans as looking in a mirror. He has slipped to world No.297 since breaking his wrist in China last September, and has not won a Tour match since Washington last July.

Given a wildcard into the Wimbledon men’s doubles with Henry Searle, the 19-year-old he coaches, Evans came back through qualifying one final time rather than stepping away quietly.

He won his first-round match on Monday (7-6(2), 6-3 against Juan Carlos Prado Angelo from Bolivia on the 809-capacity Show Court 1) and said afterwards that playing the Roehampton crowd felt right.

> “Win or lose, it was amazing to get the chance to play here,” he said. “Because they are real fans.”

Searle, [the 2023 Wimbledon Boys’ champion](https://putney.news/2025/06/19/evans-bows-out-of-queens-after-tight-loss-to-nakashima/), was in the crowd on Wednesday to watch his coach’s final match. Evans offered a dry take on the decision: “It’s probably the hottest day of the year, and he wanted to come and watch me run around, which isn’t the smartest.”

Searle won his own match 6-3, 6-4 later that afternoon. The two will partner in the Wimbledon men’s doubles when the main draw begins on Monday 29 June, with the draw ceremony on Friday.

The [Wimbledon Qualifying and Community Sports Centre on Bank Lane](https://putney.news/2025/04/22/top-british-tennis-stars-return-to-roehampton-for-summer-tournament/), which hosted Evans’s first win on Monday and his farewell on Wednesday, keeps going for another fortnight yet. The Lexus British Open arrives from 30 June to 3 July, bringing wheelchair tennis and junior competition as part of the sport’s 50th anniversary year. Britain’s Alfie Hewett, Gordon Reid, Andy Lapthorne and Lucy Shuker are all expected to compete.

The grass isn’t resting any time soon.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/25/lights-out-at-roehampton-the-hottest-farewell-in-tennis/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/25/lights-out-at-roehampton-the-hottest-farewell-in-tennis/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Lights%20out%20at%20Roehampton%3A%20the%20hottest%20farewell%20in%20tennis&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/25/lights-out-at-roehampton-the-hottest-farewell-in-tennis/)

**Categories:** Roehampton, Tennis

**Tags:** Dan Evans, Henry Searle, Roehampton, Tennis, Wimbledon, Wimbledon qualifying

---

### [A new law could have stopped Putney's gambling cluster. It is not in force yet](https://putney.news/2026/06/25/a-new-law-could-have-stopped-putneys-gambling-cluster-it-is-not-in-force-yet/)

**Published:** June 25, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** On 9 July the old rule applies, the one that leans towards yes

**Content:**

A new law written to stop gambling venues clustering on high streets like Putney’s has arrived too late to help. Next month, councillors decide whether a third gambling venue can open on one small stretch of the High Street.

Approve it, and one block becomes a gambling corner: Paddy Power at 134, Merkur Slots at 152, and Admiral, the operator that wants the former Lost Society bar at 160-162, opposite the station. Three gambling venues within about 90 metres of each other.

![A cluster of gambling venues on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/admiral-cluster-map-1024x768.png)A cluster of gambling venues on Putney High StreetThe new law would let a council refuse exactly this kind of cluster. But it is not yet in force, so on Thursday 9 July the committee must apply the old rule, the one that tells it to lean towards yes.

Under the Gambling Act 2005, the council is required to approve any application that clears three narrow tests, on crime, fair gambling and protecting the vulnerable. Whether an area already has enough gambling is not, in itself, a reason it can use to say no, [as we set out in February](https://putney.news/2026/02/07/wandsworth-lost-30-betting-shops-but-must-still-approve-a-new-gambling-centre-in-putney/).

That is what changed this spring. The *English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act* gave councils a new tool, the gambling impact assessment, borrowed from the way they already curb clusters of pubs and bars. A council can study an area, weigh how much gambling it already carries, and set a presumption against new venues in its own policy.

It is not a ban, and each case is still judged on its merits, but it lets a council act on the very thing the old rule tells it to ignore. The catch is timing. The [House of Commons Library](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10409/) notes that national guidance is still being written, and a council must adopt its own assessment before it can use the power. Neither will be ready by 9 July.

That leaves the objectors a single ground the old rule still allows: location. The site sits close to Putney Library, and protecting children and vulnerable people from gambling is one of the three tests the council can weigh. A Merkur Slots arcade already trades a few doors down, at 152.

#### Widespread opposition

The opposition is close to total. Fleur Anderson, the Putney MP, has objected, along with Thamesfield’s ward councillors and the Putney Society, on top of the [624 residents who objected](https://putney.news/2026/01/21/putney-high-street-gambling-venue-returns-for-second-approval-after-624-objections-ignored/) when the plan first came round. The council granted planning permission in December 2024 on the chair’s casting vote, and the gambling licence application followed.

The hearing is on Thursday 9 July at 7pm. Objectors have 20 minutes in total to make their case, after which the councillors can ask questions. Only those who objected during the consultation can speak, and that window has closed. If you were one of the 624 and want to take part, email the licensing team at Licensing@merton.gov.uk before the hearing.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/25/a-new-law-could-have-stopped-putneys-gambling-cluster-it-is-not-in-force-yet/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/25/a-new-law-could-have-stopped-putneys-gambling-cluster-it-is-not-in-force-yet/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=A%20new%20law%20could%20have%20stopped%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20gambling%20cluster.%20It%20is%20not%20in%20force%20yet&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/25/a-new-law-could-have-stopped-putneys-gambling-cluster-it-is-not-in-force-yet/)

**Categories:** Business, Politics, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Fleur Anderson MP, Gambling, Licensing Sub-Committee, Putney High Street, Putney Society, thamesfield, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Draper and Pegula storm into US Open mixed doubles semis, dumping Alcaraz and Raducanu](https://putney.news/2025/08/21/draper-and-pegula-storm-into-us-open-mixed-doubles-semis-dumping-alcaraz-and-raducanu/)

**Published:** August 21, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Content:**

The much-anticipated partnership of Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz lasted just 50 minutes at the US Open mixed doubles, as fellow Brit Jack Draper and American Jessica Pegula delivered a commanding performance to reach the semifinals of the reimagined tournament.

Top seeds Draper and Pegula defeated the fan-favorite pairing of Alcaraz and Raducanu 4-2, 4-2 in the first round on Tuesday, before returning later to demolish Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev 4-1, 4-1 in the quarterfinals.

The match marked a fascinating battle between Britain’s top-ranked players, with Draper ultimately prevailing over his compatriot. Alcaraz, fresh from winning his sixth singles title of the season at Cincinnati just the day before, got off to a shaky start and was broken immediately in his first service game.

The highlight of the Alcaraz-Raducanu partnership came in the second set when the Spaniard hunted down a wide and dipping backhand from Draper, swiping it down the line and receiving a look of astonishment from Raducanu. Despite these flashes of brilliance from the former US Open champions, the top seeds proved too strong.

“It feels great,” said Pegula after the victory. “We’re really excited to be able to close it out. We played against really good players, got two wins today and this has been a lot of fun, so we’re excited to be here tomorrow.”

The semifinals will take place Wednesday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, where Draper and Pegula face third seeds Iga Świątek and Casper Ruud. Świątek and Alcaraz both lifted singles titles at the Cincinnati Open on Monday before flying into New York.

#### Tournament Controversy and Format Changes

The mixed doubles event has been completely revamped for 2025, moving from its traditional slot during the main tournament to August 19-20, with $1 million in prize money at stake for the winners of the 16-team event. Matches consist of best-of-three sets up to four games, with sudden-death deuce and a match tie-break to 10 points instead of a third set.

The new format has stirred controversy in the tennis community. While there have been more eyeballs on the event and fans have a unique opportunity to see the game’s biggest stars play alongside and against each other, it comes at the expense of doubles specialists losing the chance to win a grand slam.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the only doubles specialists in the draw – defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori – won both of their matches, defeating Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz and then Karolina Muchová and Andrey Rublev.

“When we got the wild card … I was grateful to play. At least there were not so many doubles players. We are also playing for them,” Vavassori told reporters, emphasizing the importance of representing doubles specialists in the field.

#### US Open 2025: Main Tournament Overview

The main US Open tournament runs from August 24 to September 7, expanding to 15 competition days for the first time by starting on a Sunday instead of Monday. The US Open joins the French Open and Australian Open in expanding the schedule, with Wimbledon now the only Grand Slam tournament that begins on Monday and lasts just 14 days.

The 2025 edition features significantly increased prize money, with total prize money reaching $90 million – a 20% increase over 2024. Singles champions will each receive $5 million, representing a 38.89% increase over the previous year. Even first-round losers will earn $110,000, up 10% from 2024.

#### Key Storylines to Watch

**Defending Champions Under Pressure**: Defending champion Jannik Sinner leads a men’s field that includes 2022 titlist Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, home favorite Taylor Fritz, and four-time winner Novak Djokovic. On the women’s side, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka has not won a Slam since Flushing Meadows last year and is fighting to become the first player to successfully defend the title since Serena Williams in 2014.

**Venus Williams’ Comeback**: The 45-year-old Venus Williams returns to the US Open with a wildcard in the women’s singles competition, continuing her comeback tour two years after her last appearance. She has already featured in the mixed doubles with Reilly Opelka.

**American Hopes**: All three Grand Slam finals in the 2025 season have featured a USA female player, with pressure mounting to complete the set on home turf. Roland-Garros champion Coco Gauff returns to where she won her first major in 2023, while Australian Open winner Madison Keys was a 2017 finalist.

**Technology Improvements**: Video reviews that allow for checking certain situations like double bounces are now available on all 17 competition courts, expanding from just eight courts last year.

With the mixed doubles providing an entertaining appetizer, all eyes now turn to whether the sport’s biggest stars can deliver another memorable US Open when the main draw begins this weekend.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/08/21/draper-and-pegula-storm-into-us-open-mixed-doubles-semis-dumping-alcaraz-and-raducanu/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/08/21/draper-and-pegula-storm-into-us-open-mixed-doubles-semis-dumping-alcaraz-and-raducanu/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Draper%20and%20Pegula%20storm%20into%20US%20Open%20mixed%20doubles%20semis%2C%20dumping%20Alcaraz%20and%20Raducanu&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/08/21/draper-and-pegula-storm-into-us-open-mixed-doubles-semis-dumping-alcaraz-and-raducanu/)

**Categories:** Tennis

**Tags:** Carlos Alcaraz, Emma Raducanu, Jack Draper, Jessica Pegula, US Open

---

### [Women’s Rugby World Cup kicks off today - in the UK](https://putney.news/2025/08/22/womens-rugby-world-cup-kicks-off-today-in-the-uk/)

**Published:** August 22, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Record-breaking ticket sales signal unprecedented excitement as England chases glory at sold-out Twickenham.

**Content:**

The Women’s Rugby World Cup kicks off today with England facing the USA at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light, building towards a spectacular finale in southwest London where rugby history will be made.

The tournament, running until 27th September, will culminate at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham with two crucial games on the final Saturday: the bronze final at 12:30pm and the World Cup final at 4:00pm. Both matches at the historic home of English rugby are sadly already sold out, with organisers targeting a new world attendance record of 82,000 for women’s rugby.

Records have already been shattered before a ball has been kicked: organisers have confirmed that 375,000 tickets have been sold across all venues – three times the number sold for the last World Cup in New Zealand in 2021.

This remarkable transformation represents just how far the women’s game has come. A decade ago, the trophy-lifting match was held in front of only 13,000 supporters at the smaller Twickenham Stoop. Now, organisers are hoping to fill Twickenham’s full 82,000 capacity and smash the current women’s rugby attendance record of 58,498.

#### Where to Watch the Action

While tickets are sold out, rugby fans across South West London won’t miss a moment of the action. BBC Sport has exclusive UK rights to broadcast every game of the tournament, with all England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland fixtures live on terrestrial television. England’s opening match today and Scotland vs Wales will be live on BBC One, with BBC Two broadcasting subsequent home union pool games. The final will also be shown on BBC One.

Every match is also available to stream live on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app, ensuring fans can follow the Red Roses’ journey from anywhere.

#### Best Putney Pubs for Rugby Viewing

For those wanting the authentic pub atmosphere while watching England’s campaign unfold, Putney offers some excellent rugby-watching venues:

- **[The Coat & Badge](https://putney.news/venue/coat-and-badge/ "Coat and Badge")** – Famous for its courtyard with giant screen, frequently packed for big games with excellent burgers to accompany the action
- **[The Jolly Gardeners](https://putney.news/venue/the-jolly-gardeners/ "The Jolly Gardeners")** – A Putney institution for rugby viewing, where you’ll inevitably end up chatting with locals
- **[Fox & Hounds](https://putney.news/venue/fox-and-hounds/ "Fox and Hounds")** – In the heart of Putney opposite the train station, featuring 11 screens including outdoor garden coverage
- **The Temperance** – Just over the bridge with 200 TV screens across two floors with artisan wood-fired pizza
- **The Kings Head** – A Roehampton winner for live sport with excellent drinks in a traditional pub setting
- **Queen Adelaide** – Contemporary Putney/Wandsworth favourite with craft beer and secret garden setting

#### England’s Road to Glory

England’s likely fixture schedule for their World Cup campaign:

##### Pool Stage:

- **Today, 22nd August**: England vs USA (Sunderland, 7:30pm) – Opening match
- **30th August**: England vs Samoa (Northampton, 5:00pm)
- **6th September**: England vs Australia (Brighton, 5:00pm) – Potential pool decider

##### Knockout Stage (if England progress as expected):

- **13th/14th September**: Quarter-finals (Bristol or Exeter, afternoon kick-offs)
- **19th/20th September**: Semi-finals (Bristol, 3:30pm or 7:00pm)
- **27th September**: Final (Twickenham, 4:00pm)

With the Red Roses currently ranked number one in the world and having reached the final in all but one of the nine previous tournaments, home advantage could be the key to England finally breaking New Zealand’s recent dominance and claiming their third World Cup title on home soil.

As England captain Marlie Packer said: “We can’t wait for 80,000 of you to be cheering us on as we look to inspire the next generation of Red Roses.”

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/08/22/womens-rugby-world-cup-kicks-off-today-in-the-uk/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/08/22/womens-rugby-world-cup-kicks-off-today-in-the-uk/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Women%E2%80%99s%20Rugby%20World%20Cup%20kicks%20off%20today%20%E2%80%93%20in%20the%20UK&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/08/22/womens-rugby-world-cup-kicks-off-today-in-the-uk/)

**Categories:** Rugby

**Tags:** Fox &amp; Hounds, Queen Adelaide, The Coat &amp; Badge, The Jolly Gardeners, The King's Head, The Temperance, Women’s Rugby World Cup

---

### [Barn Elms tennis courts reopen after renovation. Next  up: Putney Common](https://putney.news/2025/08/23/barn-elms-tennis-courts-reopen-after-renovation-next-up-putney-common/)

**Published:** August 23, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** You can book court resurfaced courts online while long-awaited Common refurbishment gets green light.

**Content:**

Putney’s tennis lovers have a new place to play as Barn Elms Sports Centre reopens its 10 courts following a major renovation.

The courts reopened last week after work funded by the government and LTA Tennis Foundation’s Park Tennis Project. The [renovation](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-august-2025/barn-elms-sports-centre-tennis-courts-reopen-after-renovation) includes new surfaces, fencing, nets and gates.

The courts can now be booked through the LTA website. There are five [“hard courts” with a professional finish](https://www.lta.org.uk/play/book-a-tennis-court/courts/barn-elms-sports-trust_eac4a7d5-8e42-4777-afb4-7b7dda0b289a/?latitude=51.4569895&longitude=-0.228805), and five [tarmac painted courts](https://www.lta.org.uk/play/book-a-tennis-court/courts/barn-elms-sports-centre_cc6b5b7d-1fc8-41df-b558-30b43b8f2a32/?latitude=51.4569895&longitude=-0.228805) that are booked through two different links.

Those residents signed up the council’s *Access for All* programme can also get free coaching and court time ([in addition to](https://putney.news/2025/08/11/free-school-meals-expanded-as-council-faces-scrutiny-over-access-for-all-transparency/) free school meals, discounted Lime bike rentals, and reduced-price tickets to the theatre).

Scott Lloyd, LTA Chief Executive, said: “We’re delighted to see park tennis courts at Barn Elms officially re-open to the public, and in better shape than ever. Park tennis courts are vital for providing people with opportunities to pick up a racket, and we want as many people as possible, of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, to enjoy playing tennis and being active.”

#### Putney Common courts set for Spring 2026 revival

Meanwhile, tennis players near Putney Lower Common are waiting for their courts to undergo their own transformation after being closed for a year.

The Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators (WPCC) [announced](https://putney.news/2025/07/25/putney-lower-common-tennis-courts-to-reopen-next-year-under-new-management/) in July that All Star Tennis will manage the five courts next to All Saints School, aiming to reopen in spring 2026.

The courts closed last year after falling into poor condition. Two courts were deemed “extremely poor and unplayable” while the others were below standard. All net post holes were cemented in, making the courts unusable even temporarily.

Local campaigner Shane McCarthy had [urged the community](https://putney.news/2025/07/13/unplayable-and-forgotten-frustration-grows-over-putney-tennis-court-delays/) to “pull in the same direction” to push the project forward, warning that delays had already cost residents “an entire season of play.” His persistence, along with growing community pressure, appears to have helped secure the commitment needed to move the project forward.

WPCC will fund the complete refurbishment from reserves, including restoring the pavilion and fixing the cemented net posts.

All Star Tennis already manages 28 courts across six local sites including Wandsworth Common and Tooting Common. Players book through the company’s app.

WPCC Chief Executive Colin Cooper noted the decision marks a key step toward providing high‑quality, accessible facilities with pay‑and‑play access on all five courts.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/putney-common-courts-1024x768.png)The courts at Putney Common have seen better days#### The Complex science of tennis court refurbishment

Both projects highlight the technical complexity and precise requirements involved in professional tennis court resurfacing.

Tennis court resurfacing requires specific weather conditions to work properly. Work must happen when temperatures are at least 50°F (10°C) and rising, continuing for 24 hours after application.

The resurfacing process involves multiple critical stages. First, courts undergo thorough surface preparation including cleaning, crack repair, and leveling of any uneven areas. Acrylic resurfacer is then applied as a base coat to fill voids in the pavement and create texture. Finally, multiple layers of colored acrylic coating are applied to create the finished playing surface.

The acrylic coating typically dries within an hour in sunny, warm conditions, but shade, cold and humidity slow this down. However, drying and curing are different processes. While courts may look ready within hours, the coating needs time to properly bond together, requiring dry conditions above 50°F. The full curing process takes 48 hours before courts can be used safely.

This weather dependency explains why resurfacing projects are scheduled for specific seasons and can face delays if conditions worsen.

Tennis courts typically require resurfacing every 5-8 years for hard courts, depending on usage levels, climate conditions, and maintenance quality. Courts in public parks or schools that see heavy daily use may require more frequent resurfacing than private courts with lighter usage patterns.

A video showing the process behind resurfacing a tennis court#### Part of National Tennis Investment Programme

Both projects are part of a £45 million national investment programme transforming over 3,000 park tennis courts across Britain.

The courts will be maintained at their new high standard for years to come, while the involvement of experienced operator All Star Tennis and committed funding from WPCC suggests Putney’s long-delayed project will finally deliver the high-quality tennis facility the community has been asking for.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/08/23/barn-elms-tennis-courts-reopen-after-renovation-next-up-putney-common/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/08/23/barn-elms-tennis-courts-reopen-after-renovation-next-up-putney-common/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Barn%20Elms%20tennis%20courts%20reopen%20after%20renovation.%20Next%20%20up%3A%20Putney%20Common&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/08/23/barn-elms-tennis-courts-reopen-after-renovation-next-up-putney-common/)

**Categories:** Community, Tennis, Thamesfield

**Tags:** All Star Tennis, LTA, tennis courts

---

### [Football round-up: Fulham miss out with Man U draw; Wimbledon relish victory](https://putney.news/2025/08/25/football-round-up-fulham-miss-out-with-man-u-draw-wimbledon-relish-victory/)

**Published:** August 25, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** AFC Wimbledon's dominant display and Smith Rowe's crucial equaliser showcase London football's fighting spirit.

**Content:**

*London’s football clubs delivered a weekend to remember, with both AFC Wimbledon and Fulham showcasing the capital’s trademark resilience in contrasting but equally impressive displays.*

*While the Dons secured a magnificent 2-0 victory over promotion-chasing Barnsley to continue their excellent start to life back in League One, Fulham demonstrated their own fighting spirit by clawing back a dramatic equalizer against Manchester United at Craven Cottage.*

#### **Fulham 1-1 Manchester United**

Fulham secured a valuable point against Manchester United in an entertaining 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage today, continuing their solid start to the Premier League season.

Manchester United took the lead just before the hour mark when Leny Yoro’s header from Bruno Fernandes’ corner deflected off Rodrigo Muniz and into the net, giving the visitors their first goal of the new campaign. The breakthrough came after Bruno Fernandes had erlier missed a penalty – controversially given by VAR some time after the incident – shockingly blasting the ball over the crossbar in what proved to be a crucial moment.

Matheus Cunha was the star of Manchester United’s lively opening, with the Brazilian creating several early chances and impressing throughout the first half. The visitors dominated the early proceedings but couldn’t capitalize on their superiority.

However, Fulham showed depth of character to level the score. Emile Smith Rowe came off the bench to equalise, bursting into the box unmarked and putting the ball past the Man U goaly with 18 minutes remaining. It was poor defending on United’s part, but the result was what mattered to Fulham fans.

The drama wasn’t over, as Harry Maguire came agonisingly close to a late winner, his header from Fernandes’ corner missing the bottom corner by inches.

Manager Marco Silva will be pleased with his side’s resilience, having drawn 1-1 with Brighton in their season opener. For Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim, it was another case of “what if” following their opening day defeat to Arsenal.

#### **AFC Wimbledon 2-0 Barnsley**

AFC Wimbledon delivered their best performance of the season so far with a convincing 2-0 win over promotion-chasing Barnsley at The Cherry Red Records Stadium yesterday.

The Dons took the lead in the 29th minute through striker Matty Stevens, who coolly converted after Myles Hippolyte flicked on a deflected cross from the right wing. Stevens has now scored three league goals this campaign, establishing himself as a key threat in attack.

Despite Barnsley creating several excellent chances throughout the match, AFC Wimbledon goalkeeper Nathan Bishop was in inspired form, producing a string of crucial saves to keep the visitors at bay. His best stop came in the 27th minute when he made a spectacular diving save to deny David McGoldrick from close range.

The second half saw Barnsley pile on the pressure as they searched for an equalizer, with Patrick Kelly and Adam Phillips both going close. However, substitute Antwoine Hackford sealed the victory in the 70th minute with a clinical finish, firing into the bottom corner after being played through on goal.

Manager Johnnie Jackson was delighted with his team’s display but remains ambitious for more. “It has been a good start, there is no getting away from that,” he said. “The boys just keep showing up and it is showing that we are really good team.”

The result moves AFC Wimbledon up to 10th in League One and continues their excellent start to life back in the third tier. With three wins from their opening five games, the Dons are proving they belong at this level and giving their Putney supporters plenty to cheer about.

For Barnsley, it was their first defeat of the season, ending an unbeaten run that had seen them collect 10 points from their opening four matches. Manager Conor Hourihane couldn’t hide his frustration at his team’s failure to convert their chances, admitting: “I’m not sure how we didn’t score today.”

The victory showcases AFC Wimbledon’s growing confidence and suggests they could be in for an exciting campaign as they look to establish themselves in League One.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/08/25/football-round-up-fulham-miss-out-with-man-u-draw-wimbledon-relish-victory/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/08/25/football-round-up-fulham-miss-out-with-man-u-draw-wimbledon-relish-victory/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Football%20round-up%3A%20Fulham%20miss%20out%20with%20Man%20U%20draw%3B%20Wimbledon%20relish%20victory&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/08/25/football-round-up-fulham-miss-out-with-man-u-draw-wimbledon-relish-victory/)

**Categories:** Football

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Fulham FFC

---

### [Championship quality nets breathe new life into Putney’s battered courts](https://putney.news/2025/08/26/championship-quality-nets-breathe-new-life-into-south-londons-battered-courts/)

**Published:** August 26, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Community celebrates Wimbledon's annual gift, but what happened to the other 33?

**Content:**

Fifteen used tennis nets from the 2024 Wimbledon Championships have been donated to public parks and schools across Merton and Wandsworth, continuing the tournament’s annual tradition of giving back to the local community.

The donation, coordinated by the Wimbledon Foundation, represents the latest chapter in a charitable program that has been quietly enhancing tennis facilities across South West London for years. However, eagle-eyed tennis enthusiasts might notice that this year’s donation of 15 nets is rather more modest than usual – in previous years, the Foundation has donated 48 nets.

While the All England Club maintains diplomatic silence on the whereabouts of the other nets, local tennis players can’t help but wonder if championship-quality equipment is being quietly stockpiled somewhere in SW19, awaiting the outcome of High Court battles scheduled for January and potential appeals [later this year](https://putney.news/2025/08/23/wimbledon-park-battle-heads-to-court-of-appeal-as-campaigners-challenge-tennis-club-expansion/).

Wimbledon is planning to install 38 new tennis courts on protected Metropolitan Open Land at the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club, tripling the size of the tournament site: a move that locals are less-than-excited about and are taking to the High Court.

> [Wimbledon Park battle heads to Court of Appeal as campaigners challenge tennis club expansion](https://putney.news/2025/08/23/wimbledon-park-battle-heads-to-court-of-appeal-as-campaigners-challenge-tennis-club-expansion/)

#### Championship quality equipment

The donated nets, manufactured and supplied by Edwards Sports – the same company that has provided Wimbledon’s court equipment for decades – represent professional-standard equipment that would typically cost hundreds of pounds each when new. Edwards Sports has been crafting tennis nets for prestigious venues including the All England Club, Queen’s Club, and Stoke Park for over a century.

What makes these nets special is their construction: woven from rot-proof materials designed to withstand British weather, with reinforced edges and precisely calibrated mesh size that meets International Tennis Federation specifications. The nets are designed to maintain consistent tension and height across their 42-foot span, ensuring fair play at the highest level.

This partly explains why tennis courts across South West London often punch above their weight in terms of quality. The [recent renovation](https://putney.news/2025/08/23/barn-elms-tennis-courts-reopen-after-renovation-next-up-putney-common/) of courts at Barn Elms, for instance.

> [Barn Elms tennis courts reopen after renovation. Next up: Putney Common](https://putney.news/2025/08/23/barn-elms-tennis-courts-reopen-after-renovation-next-up-putney-common/)

#### Broader charitable impact

The nets are just one element of the Wimbledon Foundation’s post-tournament donations. This year, clothing and towels used by players during the championships have also been distributed to local charities including Age UK Merton, Age UK Wandsworth, and Home-Start Merton. The Foundation’s Plant Sale raised over £12,500, with nearly 60 community groups collecting leftover flowers and plants from the tournament’s elaborate displays.

Since its establishment in 2014, the Wimbledon Foundation has distributed over £20 million to charitable causes, with £4 million awarded annually to local, national, and international charities. The Foundation’s commitment to Merton and Wandsworth is particularly strong, reflecting the tournament’s deep roots in the local community.

> [Putney Lower Common tennis courts to reopen next year under new management](https://putney.news/2025/07/25/putney-lower-common-tennis-courts-to-reopen-next-year-under-new-management/)

#### Courts in need

One location that could particularly benefit from the donated nets is Putney Common, where Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators are currently paying for extensive renovations to five courts [in an appalling state](https://putney.news/2025/07/25/putney-lower-common-tennis-courts-to-reopen-next-year-under-new-management/). The restoration work has been complicated by the discovery that previous operators had, inexplicably, set some nets in concrete – requiring excavation work before proper installation can begin.

“We remain fully committed to reopening the courts as a high-quality community tennis facility,” a spokesperson for the Conservators said, though they noted they cannot provide a definitive timeline until contracts are signed with both providers and refurbishment contractors.

Beyond equipment donations, Wimbledon’s environmental consciousness extends to creative reuse programs. Thousands of tennis balls from the tournament are donated – in the past to the Wildlife Trust where they were converted into nesting boxes for harvest mice by cutting small entrance holes and attaching them to poles in countryside locations.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/08/26/championship-quality-nets-breathe-new-life-into-south-londons-battered-courts/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/08/26/championship-quality-nets-breathe-new-life-into-south-londons-battered-courts/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Championship%20quality%20nets%20breathe%20new%20life%20into%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20battered%20courts&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/08/26/championship-quality-nets-breathe-new-life-into-south-londons-battered-courts/)

**Categories:** Community, Tennis

**Tags:** AELTC, Metropolitan Open Land, Wimbledon Championship, Wimbledon Foundation

---

### [Elite Thames race warns competitors: register now or miss out](https://putney.news/2025/08/27/elite-thames-race-scullers-head-warns-competitors-register-now/)

**Published:** August 27, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Sculler's Head organisers threaten to close entries early as legendary 6.8km course attracts record interest.

**Content:**

Time is running out for rowers wanting to compete in Britain’s biggest sculling race.

The [Sculler’s Head](https://www.vestarowing.co.uk/scullers-head) is filling up fast – so fast that organizers are sounding the alarm with three weeks still to go before entries officially close. Over 500 people have already signed up for the race on **[Sunday 28 September 2025](https://putney.news/event/vesta-scullers-head-2025/ "Vesta Scullers Head 2025")**, and spaces are disappearing by the day.

The official entry deadline isn’t until Tuesday 16 September, but Vesta Rowing Club has warned it will “suspend entries early and without notice” if the race gets full.

The exceptional demand comes after a frustrating gap year – the 2024 race was [cancelled](https://members.vestarowing.co.uk/Cms/Spaces/SH/Scullers+Head) due to administrative problems securing the river closure permits needed to run the event safely. This means it’s been two years since the last race in 2023, creating pent-up demand among the sculling community.

“We’re rapidly approaching capacity with over 500 active entries. To ensure your place at the race, please complete any outstanding steps in your entry before time runs out!” the club [posted](https://x.com/vestarowing/status/1960265960201327019) on social media. Entry is via [British Rowing’s BROE2 system](https://www.britishrowing.org/events/entering-competitions/online-entry/).

#### A prestigious test on the Championship Course

The race, which covers the challenging 6.8km Thames Championship Course from the University Stone at Mortlake to the downstream end of Putney Pier, has established itself as the ultimate test for single scullers in the UK since its inaugural running in 1954. After missing 2024 due to permit issues, scullers are particularly eager to return to this iconic course.

What makes the Sculler’s Head particularly compelling is both its accessibility and elite pedigree. The event attracts everyone from novice scullers to Olympic champions, all competing against the clock in a time trial format on the same stretch of water that hosts the annual Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race.

The race draws its prestige from the caliber of competitors it attracts. Previous winners include both Heavyweight and Lightweight Olympic and World Champions, with rowing legends such as Sir Steve Redgrave and New Zealand’s Mahe Drysdale having claimed victory on this iconic course.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/scullers-head-1024x600.png)The race sees 500 competitors on the Thames. Pic: Vesta Rowing#### Competition for every level

Rather than putting all scullers together, the race splits competitors into four groups based on their ability: Championship (the fastest), Senior, Club, and Novice (beginners). This means everyone races against others of similar speed, making it fair and competitive at every level.

The organizers use ranking numbers to decide which group each sculler enters. From the most recent race, the thresholds were:

- **Men’s categories:** Championship (over 427 points), Senior (over 78), Club (over 6), Novice (6 or below)
- **Women’s categories:** Championship (over 444 points), Senior (over 138), Club (over 13), Novice (13 or below)

There are also separate races for younger competitors (ages 16-17 and school/junior categories), under-23s, and masters (older adults).

Lightweight rowers – those under specific weight limits – compete in their own categories. Men must weigh under 75kg and women under 61.5kg, with official weigh-ins on race day at Vesta and near Chiswick Bridge.

Beyond the competition, the Sculler’s Head serves as a celebration of the sculling community. Prize presentations for overall fastest male and female scullers, along with category winners, take place at Vesta Rowing Club at 2:45 PM on race day. The event typically features a live results feed, with updates available on the race’s [Twitter/X account](https://x.com/ScullersHead).

The race demands significant logistical coordination, requiring “the largest number of volunteers for any sculling race in the country,” including marshals, safety experts, and timing teams spread along the 6.8km course.

#### Historic Thames club behind the event

Vesta Rowing Club, the race organizer, brings considerable heritage to the event. Founded in 1870, the club has a legendary origin story: during the inaugural meeting, unable to agree on a name, members decided to name their club after the first boat to pass under London Bridge. That boat happened to be a steam tug called “Vesta.”

The club founded the Sculler’s Head in 1954 as part of its commitment to growing the sport. John Marsden, rowing for Vesta, won that inaugural race, with the notable achievement that “a Vesta competitor came both first and last!” The club continued this organising tradition, launching the first Veterans’ Head of the River Race in 1981.

Today, Vesta continues to blend competitive success with community accessibility. Recent achievements include a Henley Royal Regatta semi-final in 2022 and victories at Henley Women’s Regatta, while maintaining its commitment to welcoming newcomers through Learn to Row courses and novice programs. The club recently appointed Olympic champion James Cracknell to lead its men’s program, signaling ambitious plans for the future.

With entries at £45 per sculler and no waiting list available, prospective competitors face a simple choice: complete registration immediately or risk missing out on what many consider the premier domestic sculling event of the year.

*For race information and entries, visit vestarowing.co.uk/scullers-head or contact *

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/08/27/elite-thames-race-scullers-head-warns-competitors-register-now/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/08/27/elite-thames-race-scullers-head-warns-competitors-register-now/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Elite%20Thames%20race%20warns%20competitors%3A%20register%20now%20or%20miss%20out&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/08/27/elite-thames-race-scullers-head-warns-competitors-register-now/)

**Categories:** Rowing

**Tags:** Head race, Sculler's Head, sculling, Thames rowing, Vesta rowing club

---

### [England surge into quarter-finals after crushing Australia in thrilling World Cup clash](https://putney.news/2025/09/07/england-surge-into-quarter-finals-after-crushing-australia-in-thrilling-world-cup-clash/)

**Published:** September 7, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Home advantage propels Red Roses toward glory as knockout stage beckons.

**Content:**

England secured their place at the top of Pool A with a commanding 47-7 victory over Australia at Brighton & Hove Albion Stadium yesterday, ensuring both teams progress to next week’s quarter-finals. The Red Roses have maintained their perfect tournament record with three dominant pool stage victories.

**England’s Pool Stage Performance:**

- August 22: England 69-7 United States (Sunderland) – opening match
- August 30: England 92-3 Samoa (Northampton)
- September 6: England 47-7 Australia (Brighton)

England head into the final weekend of pool play as overwhelming favourites to claim their first World Cup title since 2014, with home advantage and a perfect tournament record positioning the Red Roses for a breakthrough campaign.

Australia also secured their quarter-final spot despite today’s loss, having done enough in their earlier matches to guarantee second place in Pool A. The Wallaroos had previously drawn 31-31 with the United States and defeated Samoa 73-0, giving them sufficient points to progress.

#### Quarter-Finals picture takes shape

England, New Zealand, France, Canada, Scotland and Ireland have all joined history-makers South Africa in punching their quarter-final tickets, with South Africa making their first-ever appearance in the knockout stage of a Women’s Rugby World Cup.

###### **Confirmed Quarter-Finalists:**

- **Pool A:** England (1st), Australia (2nd)
- **Pool B:** Canada and Scotland (both qualified, playing for pool position)
- **Pool C:** New Zealand and Ireland (both qualified, playing for pool position)
- **Pool D:** South Africa and France (both qualified, playing for pool position)

The final pool matches tomorrow will determine the exact seedings, with New Zealand facing Ireland in Brighton and France taking on South Africa in Northampton.

#### Quarter-Final fixtures confirmed

The quarter-finals will be split between Sandy Park in Exeter and Ashton Gate in Bristol:

**Friday, September 13:**

- 1:00pm: Winner Pool C vs Runner-up Pool D (Exeter)
- 4:00pm: Winner Pool B vs Runner-up Pool A (Bristol)

**Saturday, September 14:**

- 1:00pm: Winner Pool D vs Runner-up Pool C (Exeter)
- 4:00pm: Winner Pool A vs Runner-up Pool B (Bristol)

Semi-finals will take place on September 19-20 at Bristol, with the final set for September 27 at Twickenham at 4:00pm.

#### Tournament breaking records

The tournament has already exceeded all expectations, with the opening match between England and the United States seeing the highest attendance of any in Women’s Rugby World Cup history, with a crowd of 42,273.

As reported in our [previous coverage](https://putney.news/2025/08/22/womens-rugby-world-cup-kicks-off-today-in-the-uk/), organisers confirmed that 375,000 tickets were sold across all venues – three times the number sold for the last World Cup in New Zealand in 2021.

With England ranked number one in the world and having reached the final in all but one of the nine previous tournaments, the Red Roses are favourites to claim glory on home soil. However, defending champions New Zealand remain dangerous, having won six of the last seven World Cups and beaten England in five finals.

The quarter-final format means the top sides from each pool play the teams that finished second, theoretically representing a slightly easier path to the semi-finals.

#### How to watch

All matches continue to be broadcast live on BBC Sport, with coverage on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, and the BBC Sport website and app. The final on September 27 will be shown on BBC One, with organisers targeting a record crowd of 82,000 at Twickenham.

For rugby fans across Putney looking to catch the quarter-final action, our [recommended viewing venues](https://putney.news/2025/08/22/womens-rugby-world-cup-kicks-off-today-in-the-uk/) including The Coat & Badge, The Jolly Gardeners, and Fox & Hounds continue to offer excellent big-screen coverage of all matches.

*The quarter-finals begin Friday, September 13, with England set to face either Canada or Scotland depending on tomorrow’s final pool results.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/09/07/england-surge-into-quarter-finals-after-crushing-australia-in-thrilling-world-cup-clash/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/09/07/england-surge-into-quarter-finals-after-crushing-australia-in-thrilling-world-cup-clash/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=England%20surge%20into%20quarter-finals%20after%20crushing%20Australia%20in%20thrilling%20World%20Cup%20clash&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/09/07/england-surge-into-quarter-finals-after-crushing-australia-in-thrilling-world-cup-clash/)

**Categories:** Rugby

**Tags:** England Rugby, Red Roses, Women's Rugby World Cup 2025

---

### [Legendary Thames rowing competitions unite to create channel for elite scullers](https://putney.news/2025/09/12/legendary-thames-rowing-competitions-unite-to-create-channel-for-elite-scullers/)

**Published:** September 12, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** World’s oldest rowing competitions will feed winners into each others races.

**Content:**

Thames scullers will soon be able to race their way from the world’s oldest sporting competition to the “Championship of the Thames” following a new agreement between three of London’s most prestigious rowing events.

Vesta Rowing Club has announced that winners and top performers at their Scullers’ Head will now have direct entry routes to both Doggett’s Coat & Badge and the Wingfield Sculls, creating the first formal competitive pathway between these historic races.

The collaboration marks a significant shift for Thames sculling, where these three events have operated independently despite sharing the same stretch of river for decades – a river that will showcase the breadth of rowing competition when nearly 300 crews tackle Europe’s biggest river race just days later.

#### **Breaking down barriers**

Under the new arrangement, the winner of this week’s Doggett’s Coat & Badge race, Coran Cherry, will earn automatic entry to Vesta Scullers’ Head. The race is the 311th running of the competition dating back to 1715.

The partnership works both ways. Top male and female scullers at VSH who meet eligibility requirements will receive invitations to October’s Wingfield Sculls, which has crowned Thames champions since 1830.

This creates an unusual dynamic where a 21st-century head race now serves as both destination and stepping stone for competitions that predate it by centuries.

> [Elite Thames race warns competitors: register now or miss out](https://putney.news/2025/08/27/elite-thames-race-scullers-head-warns-competitors-register-now/)

#### **A river in motion**

The alliance announcement comes at a particularly vibrant time for Thames rowing. Next Saturday 20 September, the Great River Race will see nearly 300 crews tackle 21.6 miles from London Bridge to Ham, passing under 28 bridges including Putney, Hammersmith and Barnes.

The event, which launched in 1988 with just 61 boats, now attracts competitors from across the UK, USA, Australia, and Europe in fixed-seat boats with passengers and cox – a stark contrast to the solo sculling events now formally linked through the new alliance.

The alliance brings together events with vastly different characters. Doggett’s remains the preserve of Thames watermen competing in traditional racing boats, while the Wingfield Sculls attracts elite international rowers in modern racing shells. VSH, founded in 1954, bridges both worlds as a mass-participation event that draws hundreds of scullers each year.

The collaboration appears designed to strengthen all three events at a time when traditional rowing faces increasing competition for participants and public attention, even as events like the Great River Race demonstrate the enduring appeal of Thames-based competition.

#### **Reviving lost traditions**

The challenges facing Thames rowing are perhaps nowhere more evident than with the Putney Town Regatta, a historic local event that organizers are desperately trying to revive for 2026 after years of absence from the river.

Committee members recently saw their latest revival scheme fall through, leaving them scrambling for new approaches to resurrect what was once a cornerstone of Putney’s rowing calendar. The regatta’s struggle to return highlights the broader difficulties facing grassroots rowing events, where volunteer shortages and organizational challenges threaten to permanently erase decades of tradition.

While the alliance between the three historic sculling competitions offers hope for elite-level rowing, the fate of community events like Putney Town Regatta underscores the urgent need for local support to preserve Thames rowing heritage at every level.

#### **Historical precedent**

Vesta has form when it comes to Wingfield success. Club member HT Blackstaffe dominated the event in the early 1900s, winning five times between 1897 and 1908 before claiming Olympic gold in single sculls. His achievement remains one of the standout individual performances in Thames sculling history.

The partnership could revive interest in sculling on the Thames, where the sport has ancient roots but faces modern challenges. By creating clear pathways between events, organizers hope to attract new competitors while preserving the distinct traditions that make each race unique – contributing to a Thames rowing calendar that spans from historic watermen’s competitions to Europe’s largest river race.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/09/12/legendary-thames-rowing-competitions-unite-to-create-channel-for-elite-scullers/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/09/12/legendary-thames-rowing-competitions-unite-to-create-channel-for-elite-scullers/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Legendary%20Thames%20rowing%20competitions%20unite%20to%20create%20channel%20for%20elite%20scullers&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/09/12/legendary-thames-rowing-competitions-unite-to-create-channel-for-elite-scullers/)

**Categories:** Rowing

**Tags:** Doggett's Coat &amp; Badge, Great River Race, Putney Town Regatta, Sculler's Head, Wingfield Sculls

---

### [Fulham’s fortune, Chelsea’s heartbreak, Wimbledon’s fightback ignite football weekend](https://putney.news/2025/09/14/fulhams-fortune-chelseas-heartbreak-wimbledons-fightback-ignite-football-weekend/)

**Published:** September 14, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Last-gasp goals deliver ecstasy at Craven Cottage, agony in Brentford, joy in Plough Lane.

**Content:**

*London football served up pure drama this weekend, with late goals rewriting every script. Fulham finally snatched their first league win in stoppage time, Chelsea were punished at the death in a frantic derby at Brentford, and AFC Wimbledon staged a spirited comeback at Plough Lane. Across the capital, emotions swung from relief to heartbreak to unshakable belief, reminding fans why September Saturdays can still stir the soul.*

### **Premier League**

#### **Fulham 1 – 0 Leeds United** 

(Craven Cottage) – *Saturday, 13 September*

Fulham finally banked a win courtesy of a 94th-minute own goal by Leeds left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson, nodding in from a corner after new signing Kevin’s long-range strike was tipped over. For much of the match the Cottagers laboured to create, improving only after Kevin’s introduction on 76′. Leeds had looked set for a point before the late twist; Bernd Leno’s routine afternoon and a cagey midfield battle defined the first hour. Attendance was 27,327, and Marco Silva admitted the win owed a little to fortune – but also to his bench changing the tempo.

#### **Brentford 2–2 Chelsea** 

(Gtech Community Stadium) – *Saturday, 13 September*

A west-London derby that swung wildly late on. Brentford led through Kevin Schade (35′), only for Chelsea’s Cole Palmer to equalise five minutes after coming on (61′). Moisés Caicedo’s 85′ drive looked to have completed the turnaround before the Bees levelled at 90+3′ via Fábio Carvalho, pouncing after a long throw sparked chaos in the six-yard box. Chelsea enjoyed most of the ball but paid for late-game management, while Brentford’s set-piece threat earned them a deserved point.

### **League One**

#### **AFC Wimbledon 2–1 Rotherham United** 

(Cherry Red Records Stadium) – *Saturday, 13 September*

From 0–1 down to a statement home win. Jordan Hugill put the Millers ahead on 38′, but Johnnie Jackson’s side wrestled control after the break: captain Jake Reeves swept in the equaliser on 50′ and Matty Stevens converted a 67′ penalty to complete the turnaround. The Dons limited Rotherham to few clear second-half looks, while Stevens and Reeves dictated the tempo in midfield. A crowd of 8,058 saw Wimbledon climb the table with a performance mixing resilience and composure.

---

#### **Coming up:**

**15–21 September 2025:**

- **Fulham vs Brentford** — Sat 20 Sept, **8pm**, Craven Cottage.
- **Manchester United vs Chelsea** — Sat 20 Sept, **5:30**pm, Old Trafford.
- **AFC Wimbledon vs Crystal Palace U21 (EFL Trophy)** — Tue 16 Sept, **7pm**, Plough Lane.
- **Doncaster Rovers vs AFC Wimbledon** — Sat 20 Sept, **3pm**, Eco-Power Stadium.

#### **Result of the Week**

**AFC Wimbledon 2–1 Rotherham United.** A confident, controlled second-half response – Reeves pulling strings, Stevens decisive from the spot – turned a deficit into three points and underlined Wimbledon’s ability to close tight games at home.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/09/14/fulhams-fortune-chelseas-heartbreak-wimbledons-fightback-ignite-football-weekend/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/09/14/fulhams-fortune-chelseas-heartbreak-wimbledons-fightback-ignite-football-weekend/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Fulham%E2%80%99s%20fortune%2C%20Chelsea%E2%80%99s%20heartbreak%2C%20Wimbledon%E2%80%99s%20fightback%20ignite%20football%20weekend&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/09/14/fulhams-fortune-chelseas-heartbreak-wimbledons-fightback-ignite-football-weekend/)

**Categories:** Football

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea FC, Fulham FC

---

### [From Shanghai to the Thames: British sculling’s golden day](https://putney.news/2025/09/29/from-shanghai-to-the-thames-british-scullings-golden-day/)

**Published:** September 29, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** As Lauren Henry missed gold by a centimetre, Matt Long powered to victory in front of a record Scullers Head field.

**Content:**

Sunday, September 28th, 2025, marked a tale of two rivers for British rowing. While the World Rowing Championships concluded 5,000 miles away on Shanghai’s Dianshan Lake in brutal heat and humidity, over 500 scullers gathered in autumn London for the Vesta Scullers Head – and both stages showcased British sculling at its best.

#### The Heartbreak and the Triumph

In Shanghai, Lauren Henry missed gold by just 0.03 seconds – less than a centimetre – in the women’s single sculls final, capping what she called her “first season in this boat class” with medals at every race. “Obviously, I’m really pleased to come away with a medal, but it is disappointing,” she said. “I said I was coming here for the gold.”

Back home on the Thames, Reading University’s **Matt Long** was writing his own chapter in what has been a remarkable season. Posting 21:27.77 over the championship 6.8km course from Mortlake to Putney, Long claimed overall victory just five months after winning the GB Under 23 trials men’s single sculls in April. The 21-year-old, who raced in the GB Under 19 quadruple sculls in 2022, defeated defending champion Jamie Copus and a field packed with international experience.

#### A Medal Haul Built on Depth

Britain’s eight-medal performance in Shanghai included golds from Benjamin Pritchard in the PR1 men’s single sculls, the men’s four, and the PR3 mixed coxed four, demonstrating the breadth of the GB programme. The conditions were brutal – Pritchard described racing as “like rowing in an inferno,” adding “I was dying in those last five strokes” after breaking multiple records to claim his title.

But the same depth was on display at Scullers Head. **Jessica Martin** (London University), who was the fastest Under 23 in the women’s pairs at April’s GB trials, finished fourth in the women’s championship in 23:57.17. The race served as the opening event of the 2025/26 head racing season, offering athletes an early opportunity to test themselves after the summer and with the GB November trials on the horizon.

#### Women’s Championship: Leander Leads

**Georgina Robinson** from Leander Club dominated the women’s field with 23:32.32, ahead of **Poppy Baker** (Nottingham, 23:33.05) in what proved an incredibly tight battle at the top. **Daisy Faithfull** (London University) took third in 23:53.88.

The men’s podium saw Long followed by **Max Raymond-Barker** (Lea Rowing Club, 21:50.41) and **Timothy Wilkinson** (Greenbank Falmouth, 21:54.70).

#### Heritage and Pathway

This year’s Scullers Head came with added prestige through new partnerships with two of the Thames’ most historic races. Winners will be invited to compete in the Wingfield Sculls on October 26th—first raced in 1830 and still crowning the “Champions of the Thames.” The connection reinforces Scullers Head’s role as more than just a season-opener; it’s a gateway to British rowing’s most storied competitions.

The junior categories showed the pipeline in action, with **Jonathan Miles** from St Paul’s School leading the School/Junior men in 22:14.47, while **Ella McDougall** (Barn Elms) topped the women’s junior field. Race entries saw a massive increase in junior participation—76 in the J18 category alone, up from just 33 in 2023.

#### A Golden Era

GB Rowing Team Director of Performance Louise Kingsley noted that “of the 37 athletes who made the podium, we have twenty-one athletes who are bringing home medals from their first ever World Championships, showing that the pathway is strong.”

With Long’s progression from junior international to GB trials winner to Scullers Head champion in just three years, that pathway couldn’t be clearer. As Britain celebrates its World Championship success and looks ahead to LA 2028, the Thames on Sunday morning offered a glimpse of the talent coming through—names to watch as the Olympic cycle builds momentum.

The lightweight categories saw **Nathan O’Reilly** (Crabtree) claim the men’s title in 22:36.00, while **Hazel Wake** (City of Oxford) won the women’s lightweight in 24:04.99.

Race organisers reported accepting a record number of entries, with some scullers turned away due to capacity constraints. Prize giving at Vesta Rowing Club at 14:45 brought the curtain down on a day that showcased British rowing at every level—from first-time masters competitors to athletes fresh from the world stage.

*The race continues its tradition dating back to 1954, serving as both the opening salvo of the head racing season and a proving ground for Britain’s sculling elite.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/09/29/from-shanghai-to-the-thames-british-scullings-golden-day/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/09/29/from-shanghai-to-the-thames-british-scullings-golden-day/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=From%20Shanghai%20to%20the%20Thames%3A%20British%20sculling%E2%80%99s%20golden%20day&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/09/29/from-shanghai-to-the-thames-british-scullings-golden-day/)

**Categories:** Rowing

**Tags:** Matt Long, Sculler's Head, Vesta rowing club, World Rowing Championships

---

### [Twickenham thriller headlines week of stunning comebacks and crushing defeats](https://putney.news/2025/10/06/twickenham-thriller-headlines-week-of-stunning-comebacks-and-crushing/)

**Published:** October 6, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Springboks edge Argentina as Estêvão rescues Chelsea and Wimbledon extend brilliant away form.

**Content:**

*South Africa’s thrilling 29-27 Rugby Championship victory over Argentina at Twickenham headlined a dramatic week for Putney-area sport.*

*Local football sides experienced contrasting fortunes as Chelsea snatched a last-gasp Premier League win over Liverpool while Fulham suffered a late collapse at Bournemouth.*

*AFC Wimbledon extended their impressive League One form with victory at Blackpool, and Richmond marked their return to Championship rugby with a hard-fought home win over Chinnor.*

---

#### Springboks Snatch Championship in Twickenham Thriller

**South Africa – Rugby Championship**
**South Africa 29-27 Argentina** (Twickenham Stadium) – *Saturday, 4 October*

South Africa secured their first-ever back-to-back Rugby Championship title with a nerve-shredding 29-27 victory over Argentina at a packed Twickenham Stadium.

The Pumas struck first with tries from Bautista Delguy and built an early lead through the boot of Santiago Carreras, but the Springboks roared back with doubles from hooker Malcolm Marx and scrum-half Cobus Reinach.

Despite Delguy’s second try in the 66th minute and Rodrigo Isgró crossing in the final play, South Africa held on to claim the title. The Springboks overcame an early yellow card and a halftime deficit, with Marx’s maul power proving decisive in the second half. The 70,300-strong crowd at Twickenham witnessed the championship decider, with Argentina sharing in the gate receipts despite the neutral venue officially being their home fixture.

---

### Rugby Union

#### **Richmond Return to Championship with Hard-Fought Win**

**Richmond FC – Championship Rugby**
**Richmond 18-13 Chinnor** (Richmond Athletic Ground) – *Saturday, 4 October*

Richmond clung doggedly to a narrow lead throughout the match to start their season back in the Championship with a well-earned home victory over Chinnor. The hosts opened with a second-minute penalty and maintained their advantage through tries from Kitson in the 26th minute and Jones in the 76th minute, with Grieve adding a conversion and two penalties. Chinnor responded with a try from Goss in the 45th minute converted by Chamberlain, who also added penalties in the 31st and 80th minutes, but couldn’t overcome Richmond’s determined defense. Head coach Rob Powell was delighted with the squad’s effort, noting they built on last year’s promotion-winning momentum.

---

### Football

#### **Estêvão Saves Chelsea in Stamford Bridge Classic**

**Chelsea – Premier League**
**Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool** (Stamford Bridge) – *Saturday, 4 October*

Eighteen-year-old Brazilian sensation Estêvão scored his first Chelsea goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time to stun Liverpool 2-1 at Stamford Bridge. The Blues took the lead through Moisés Caicedo’s sublime 25-yard strike in the 14th minute before Cody Gakpo equalized after the hour mark following Alexander Isak’s controlled flick-on. With both teams reduced to changes at centre-back and Chelsea battling eight absences through injury and suspension, Enzo Maresca’s side held firm before Marc Cucurella’s low cross found Estêvão sliding in at the back post to spark wild celebrations.

#### **Wimbledon Maintain Playoff Push with Blackpool Triumph**

**AFC Wimbledon – League One**
**Blackpool 0-2 AFC Wimbledon** (Bloomfield Road) – *Saturday, 4 October*

Two goals from Danilo Orsi gave AFC Wimbledon a commanding 2-0 away victory at struggling Blackpool to maintain their playoff challenge in League One. Orsi opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 38th minute after Alistair Smith was brought down just inside the area by Jordan Brown, with Blackpool players insisting contact had been made outside the box. The Italian striker doubled the Dons’ advantage in the 63rd minute to seal three points, with Blackpool managing just one shot in the first half. The victory keeps the Dons in sixth place in their first League One campaign since 2021-22.

#### **Fulham Collapse at Bournemouth in Friday Night Heartbreak**

**Fulham FC – Premier League**
**Bournemouth 3-1 Fulham** (Vitality Stadium) – *Friday, 3 October*

Fulham’s promising position dissolved in a rain-soaked collapse as Bournemouth stormed back from 1-0 down with three late goals at the Vitality Stadium. Ryan Sessegnon put the Cottagers ahead in the 70th minute before Antoine Semenyo produced a moment of magic to level in the 78th, breezing past Timothy Castagne before finishing through Bernd Leno’s legs from a tight angle. Substitute Justin Kluivert then lashed in a thunderous 35-yard strike into the top corner six minutes later, with Semenyo sealing his brace deep into added time on the counter-attack.

#### **Chelsea Women’s Perfect Record Ends in Manchester**

**Chelsea Women – Women’s Super League**
**Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea** (Progress With Unity Stadium) – *Friday, 3 October*

Chelsea Women’s 100% WSL record came to an end as they were held to an entertaining 1-1 draw by Manchester United in challenging weather conditions at the newly renamed Progress With Unity Stadium. Wieke Kaptein gave the Blues an early lead with a wonderful finish following Catarina Macario’s sumptuous backheel, before Anna Sandberg unleashed a stunning strike from distance to level for United 10 minutes later. Despite the dropped points, Chelsea remain two points clear at the top of the WSL table, with both sides still unbeaten this season.

---

### Coming Up Next Week

**Monday 6 October – Sunday 12 October:**

- Premier League: Chelsea and Fulham aren’t playing until next Saturday 18 October.
- League One: AFC Wimbledon vs Port Vale (Saturday 11 October)
- Championship Rugby: Richmond at Caldy (Saturday 11 October)
- National League 1: Rosslyn Park return to action (Saturday 11 October)

---

### Story of the Week

In front of 70,300 fans at Twickenham, South Africa survived a late Argentine surge to win back-to-back Rugby Championship titles for the first time in history, with tries from Malcolm Marx and Cobus Reinach providing the foundation for a championship-winning performance that will be remembered on the banks of the Thames.

---

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/10/06/twickenham-thriller-headlines-week-of-stunning-comebacks-and-crushing/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/10/06/twickenham-thriller-headlines-week-of-stunning-comebacks-and-crushing/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Twickenham%20thriller%20headlines%20week%20of%20stunning%20comebacks%20and%20crushing%20defeats&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/10/06/twickenham-thriller-headlines-week-of-stunning-comebacks-and-crushing/)

**Categories:** Sport

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Fulham FC, Malcolm Marx, Rugby Championship 2025, Twickenham

---

### [Last-gasp drama at Stamford Bridge as Harlequins Women launch season in style](https://putney.news/2025/10/27/last-gasp-drama-at-stamford-bridge-as-harlequins-women-launch-season-in-style/)

**Published:** October 27, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Sunderland stun Chelsea with stoppage-time winner while 14-try thriller lights up Twickenham Stoop.

**Content:**

**SPORTS DIGEST: Week of 20-26 October 2025**

---

*Sunderland’s Chemsdine Talbi struck three minutes into stoppage time to stun Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in the weekend’s most dramatic finish, while Harlequins Women launched their PWR season with a 14-try thriller under the Friday Night Lights at Twickenham Stoop.*

---

#### Talbi breaks Chelsea hearts with 93rd-minute stunner

**Chelsea – Premier League**
**Chelsea 1-2 Sunderland** (Stamford Bridge) – *Saturday, 25 October*

Chemsdine Talbi emerged as Sunderland’s unlikely hero, striking three minutes into stoppage time to deliver a stunning 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge and end Chelsea’s four-match winning streak.

The 20-year-old Morocco international strode unmarked into the box to sweep home after Brian Brobbey’s hold-up play, sparking delirious scenes amongst the away supporters in the Shed End. Chelsea had taken the lead after just four minutes through Alejandro Garnacho’s first goal for the club, but Wilson Isidor equalized in the 22nd minute after Nordi Mukiele’s long throw caused chaos in the Chelsea box.

Despite dominating possession at 70%, the Blues couldn’t find a winner as goalkeeper Robin Roefs and Sunderland’s defensive discipline frustrated them repeatedly. The victory lifted Sunderland to second in the Premier League table, while Chelsea slipped to seventh, their home fortress breached in heartbreaking fashion.

---

#### Rugby union

##### Harlequins Women launch PWR season with 14-try spectacular

**Harlequins Women – Premiership Women’s Rugby**
**Harlequins Women 52-42 Loughborough Lightning** (Twickenham Stoop) – *Friday, 24 October*

Under the Friday Night Lights at Twickenham Stoop, Harlequins Women announced their championship intentions with a breathtaking 52-42 demolition of Loughborough Lightning in the PWR season opener.

The hosts ran in seven tries in a pulsating encounter that saw 14 scores in total, with Abbie Fleming, Beth Wilcock and Lauren Torley crossing early to establish dominance. World Cup winner Ellie Kildunne orchestrated proceedings from fullback while England captain Jade Konkel provided the power platform up front.

Lightning refused to buckle, with World Cup star Sadia Kabeya and captain Daisy Hibbert-Jones leading fierce resistance that saw them score six tries of their own. Nicole Wythe, Claudia Pena, Sara Konkel and Hannah Sims completed Harlequins’ try tally as the match ebbed and flowed throughout, with Pena’s boot adding five conversions.

The victory launches head coach Ross Chisholm’s tenure in spectacular fashion after welcoming back a host of international stars from World Cup duty, setting the tone for what promises to be a thrilling PWR campaign.

##### Harlequins demolish Newcastle in eight-try rout

**Harlequins – Gallagher Premiership**
**Harlequins 52-14 Newcastle Red Bulls** (Twickenham Stoop) – *Saturday, 25 October*

Harlequins put on a breathtaking attacking display at the Twickenham Stoop, running in eight tries to crush Newcastle Red Bulls and climb away from the bottom of the Gallagher Premiership table.

The hosts led 35-0 at half-time following a ruthless opening period that saw Luke Northmore, Tyrone Green twice, Will Porter and Rodrigo Isgro all cross the whitewash, with Marcus Smith converting all five scores. Green grabbed his second early in the second half to complete his brace, before further tries from Will Evans, Cassius Cleaves and George Turner completed the rout. Smith’s immaculate boot converted six scores, punishing Newcastle for every defensive lapse.

The Red Bulls managed late consolation tries through Ollie Leatherbarrow and Murray McCallum, both converted by Brett Connon, but by then the damage was long done. Newcastle’s head coach Alan Dickens admitted his side were “well short of the required cohesion levels” in a chastening afternoon at the Stoop.

---

#### Football

##### Late heartbreak for Fulham at St. James’ Park

**Fulham FC – Premier League**
**Newcastle United 2-1 Fulham** (St. James’ Park) – *Saturday, 25 October*

Bruno Guimarães denied Fulham a deserved point with a cruel 90th-minute winner, continuing the Cottagers’ struggles away from home. Jacob Murphy opened the scoring in the 18th minute after robbing Calvin Bassey of possession and firing a precise finish in off the left-hand post.

Fulham battled back after the break, with Sasa Lukic heading home in the 56th minute following another chaotic moment from Kenny Tete’s cross and Raul Jimenez’s crossbar-rattling effort. The visitors matched Newcastle throughout and goalkeeper Bernd Leno produced heroics to keep them level, denying Sandro Tonali with an outstanding save.

However, substitute Will Osula’s energy proved decisive, his shot rebounding to Guimarães who slotted home on the rebound to clinch Newcastle’s third win of the season. The defeat was Fulham’s fourth successive Premier League loss, extending their miserable run and leaving them 16th in the table.

##### Promotion hopes dented for Wimbledon

**AFC Wimbledon – League One**
**AFC Wimbledon 0-1 Burton Albion** (Cherry Red Records Stadium) – *Saturday, 25 October*

League One strugglers Burton produced a shock result at the Cherry Red Records Stadium, with Alex Hartridge’s 50th-minute header ending AFC Wimbledon’s unbeaten run. The Dons dominated possession and created the better chances, winning a 32nd-minute penalty after Hartridge’s poorly-timed challenge on Omar Bugiel.

However, Bugiel’s limp spot-kick was saved by Brad Collins, and Myles Hippolyte blasted the rebound against the post. Burton made Wimbledon pay for that miss just five minutes into the second half when Charlie Webster’s sublime free-kick delivery found Hartridge, who powered his header into the top-right corner.

The defeat was a double blow for Johnnie Jackson’s side, who saw their four-match unbeaten run ended and their promotion push stall, while Burton celebrated a crucial victory in their relegation battle.

---

#### Coming up next week

**Monday 27 October – Sunday 2 November:**

- **Premier League**: Fulham host Wolves (Saturday), Chelsea travel to West Ham (Sunday)
- **Gallagher Premiership**: Harlequins host Saracens in London derby showdown
- **PWR**: Harlequins Women away to Saracens (Sunday)
- **League One**: AFC Wimbledon away to Stockport County (Saturday)

---

#### Story of the week

Sunderland’s Chemsdine Talbi wrote himself into Black Cats folklore with a 93rd-minute winner at Stamford Bridge. The 20-year-old’s composed finish lifted Sunderland to second in the Premier League and sent the traveling support into raptures while leaving Chelsea stunned in their own backyard.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/10/27/last-gasp-drama-at-stamford-bridge-as-harlequins-women-launch-season-in-style/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/10/27/last-gasp-drama-at-stamford-bridge-as-harlequins-women-launch-season-in-style/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Last-gasp%20drama%20at%20Stamford%20Bridge%20as%20Harlequins%20Women%20launch%20season%20in%20style&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/10/27/last-gasp-drama-at-stamford-bridge-as-harlequins-women-launch-season-in-style/)

**Categories:** Sport

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea FC, Fulham FC, Harlequins

---

### [Norrie conquers world number one Alcaraz but Boulter’s nightmare season continues](https://putney.news/2025/10/30/norrie-conquers-world-number-one-alcaraz-but-boulters-nightmare-season-continues/)

**Published:** October 30, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Remarkable Paris Masters upset delivers breakthrough moment as compatriot forced to retire through injury in Hong Kong.

**Content:**

The tennis world witnessed a stunning upset in Paris on Tuesday as Putney’s Cameron Norrie produced the performance of his career, defeating world number one Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the Rolex Paris Masters.

It was vindication of a sort after it was Alcaraz who ended Norrie’s [impressive Wimbledon run](https://putney.news/2025/07/09/with-grit-and-grace-norrie-goes-down-swinging-at-wimbledon/) this summer on Centre Court.

The 30-year-old British number two showed remarkable mental fortitude to come from a set down and claim his first-ever victory against a world number one, making him the first British player to defeat a top-ranked opponent since Dan Evans knocked out Novak Djokovic at the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2021.

The victory ended Alcaraz’s impressive 17-match winning streak at ATP Masters 1000 events, which dated back to Miami in March. The six-time Grand Slam champion, who was playing his first match since winning in Tokyo a month ago, struggled throughout and committed 54 unforced errors while winning only 64% of his first-serve points.

Norrie revealed the key to his success came from an unlikely source – a morning walk with his coach. “I went for a walk with my coach this morning and we talked through serving for a match and what I need to tell myself because I was so, so tight serving for the match against Baez yesterday,” he explained. “I told myself I deserved to be in this moment and want to be here, so I felt quite relaxed.”

The win marks a significant milestone for Norrie, who described it as “the biggest of my career” after coming back from injury and losing in the first round of qualifying in Paris last year.

> [With grit and grace, Norrie goes down swinging at Wimbledon](https://putney.news/2025/07/09/with-grit-and-grace-norrie-goes-down-swinging-at-wimbledon/)

#### Boulter’s Hong Kong Heartbreak

Meanwhile, Britain’s Katie Boulter endured a devastating end to her season at the Hong Kong Open. The 29-year-old was forced to retire from her first-round match against 20-year-old Filipino Alexandra Eala while trailing 6-4, 2-1, calling for her trainer and leaving the court in tears.

The retirement was particularly painful for Boulter, who was defending finalist points from reaching the 2024 Hong Kong Open final, and the loss will see her drop outside the top 90 in the WTA rankings.

Boulter has won just eight of her past 21 main draw matches and has failed to progress beyond the second round of a tournament since the Nottingham Open in June, highlighting what has been a difficult season for the British player.

Eala showed class after the match, telling the crowd: “This time of the year is a tough moment for a lot of players, physically and mentally being the end of the season. I hope that Katie can take this time to recover and just look back on her season proudly.”

The incidents come as the gruelling tennis calendar continues to take its toll on players, with several high-profile stars having ended their 2025 campaigns prematurely over recent weeks after suffering injury or health issues.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/10/30/norrie-conquers-world-number-one-alcaraz-but-boulters-nightmare-season-continues/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/10/30/norrie-conquers-world-number-one-alcaraz-but-boulters-nightmare-season-continues/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Norrie%20conquers%20world%20number%20one%20Alcaraz%20but%20Boulter%E2%80%99s%20nightmare%20season%20continues&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/10/30/norrie-conquers-world-number-one-alcaraz-but-boulters-nightmare-season-continues/)

**Categories:** Tennis

**Tags:** Cameron Norrie, Carlos Alcaraz, Katie Boulter

---

### [England crush Australia as Fulham finally roar back to winning ways](https://putney.news/2025/11/03/england-crush-australia-as-fulham-finally-roar-back-to-winning-ways/)

**Published:** November 3, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Twickenham erupts for dominant rugby display while Craven Cottage celebrates relief victory.

**Content:**

England launched their Autumn Nations Series with a thunderous 25-7 victory over Australia at Twickenham, while Chelsea edged rivals Tottenham 1-0 in a tense London derby and Fulham ended their four-match losing streak with an emphatic 3-0 win over 10-man Wolves at Craven Cottage.

### England dominate Australia in autumn opener

#### England – Autumn Nations Series

**England 25-7 Australia** (Allianz Stadium, Twickenham) – *Saturday, 1 November*

Henry Pollock delivered the pivotal try as England’s bench turned the tide in a commanding 25-7 victory over Australia that launched their autumn campaign with their eighth successive win.

The 81,468-strong crowd at Twickenham witnessed England’s most complete performance of the year, with the forward pack establishing dominance through the set-pieces before the backs capitalised with clinical finishing. Pollock’s crucial score broke Australian resistance after a bright start from the Wallabies, who faded dramatically in the final quarter.

The victory sets up perfectly next weekend’s encounter with Fiji, as Steve Borthwick’s men showed the kind of controlled aggression that had been missing in recent performances. England’s scrum dominance and lineout precision proved the platform for victory, with the bench impact overwhelming the visitors when it mattered most.

---

### Football

#### João Pedro breaks Tottenham hearts

**Tottenham Hotspur – Premier League**
**Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Chelsea** (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium) – *Saturday, 1 November*

João Pedro ended his 705-minute goal drought to inflict more misery on Tottenham, with his 34th-minute strike proving decisive in a London derby that saw the hosts muster just one shot on target.

The Brazilian capitalised on brilliant work from Moisés Caicedo, who twice dispossessed Tottenham players on the edge of the box before setting up the simple finish. Chelsea’s fifth straight win against their North London rivals moves them up to fourth in the Premier League table, level on points with Spurs in third.

It was a toothless display that brought loud boos from the home support at full-time. Guglielmo Vicario prevented a heavier defeat with several crucial saves, particularly denying João Pedro what would have been a deserved second in stoppage time.

#### Fulham end slump with dominant display

**Fulham FC – Premier League**
**Fulham 3-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers** (Craven Cottage) – *Saturday, 1 November*

Fulham arrested their alarming four-match losing streak with a comprehensive victory over 10-man Wolves, who created unwanted history by becoming the first team in Premier League history to go winless in their opening 10 games of consecutive seasons. Manager Vitor Pereira was fired yesterday – the 4th Premier League manager sacked this season.

Ryan Sessegnon opened the scoring after just nine minutes, racing onto Raúl Jiménez’s through ball following Santiago Bueno’s defensive error. The match turned decisively when Emmanuel Agbadou was shown a straight red card for bringing down Josh King in a dangerous position.

Harry Wilson’s stunning strike just after the hour mark effectively sealed the points before Yerson Mosquera’s own goal completed Wolves’ misery. The victory lifts Marco Silva’s side to 14th place and three points clear of the relegation zone, providing much-needed relief after their recent struggles.

#### Fulham survive Carabao Cup scare

**Fulham FC – Carabao Cup**
**Wycombe Wanderers 1-1 Fulham (4-5 on penalties)** (Adams Park) – *Tuesday, 28 October*

Issa Diop’s sudden-death penalty rescued Fulham from a giant-killing at Adams Park, as the Premier League side needed a nerve-shredding shootout to edge past League One Wycombe.

Cauley Woodrow struck early against his former club to give the Chairboys the lead, before Josh King leveled just after half-time. Despite dominating possession, Marco Silva’s team struggled to break down determined resistance from Wycombe, who came agonisingly close to producing one of the cup’s great upsets.

Both goalkeepers made multiple saves in the shootout before Diop stepped up to convert the decisive penalty, setting up a quarter-final clash with Newcastle United as Fulham continue their best cup run in five years.

#### Chelsea Women maintain perfect WSL start

**Chelsea Women – Women’s Super League**
**Chelsea 2-0 London City Lionesses** (Stamford Bridge) – *Saturday, 1 November*

Sonia Bompastor’s unbeaten Chelsea side weathered a spirited challenge from London City Lionesses, with Ellie Carpenter’s first goal for the club after just six minutes ultimately proving the difference in the capital’s newest WSL derby.

The Australian full-back finished clinically at the back post from Sandy Baltimore’s cross, but Chelsea had to wait until the 94th minute for Sam Kerr to seal the points with a trademark chip. The Blues remain top of the WSL, one point clear of Manchester City, maintaining their 100% domestic record under new boss Bompastor.

London City created numerous chances and will feel they deserved more from their brave performance against their illustrious West London neighbours, but Chelsea’s quality at both ends of the pitch proved decisive.

#### AFC Wimbledon grind out vital victory

**AFC Wimbledon – League One**
**AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Burton Albion** (Cherry Red Records Stadium) – *Tuesday, 28 October*

The Dons secured three crucial points in their push for League One consolidation with a hard-fought victory over Burton Albion at the Cherry Red Records Stadium.

A scrappy encounter was settled by a moment of quality in the second half as AFC Wimbledon showed the resilience that has characterised their impressive return to the third tier. The result moves them up to sixth in League One, continuing their strong start to life back at this level following last season’s promotion.

The victory was particularly important after their weekend defeat, showing the mental strength that will be crucial as they aim to establish themselves in the division.

---

### Rugby union

#### Richmond prepare for Championship battle

**Richmond RFC – Championship**
**Richmond vs Coventry** (Athletic Ground) – *Saturday, 1 November*

Richmond faced a crucial Championship encounter against Coventry at the Athletic Ground as both sides looked to establish themselves in the highly competitive second tier.

The London club, back in the Championship after storming to the National League 1 title last season, have shown glimpses of their potential but consistency remains elusive. This local fixture promised high intensity as Richmond aimed to build momentum in front of their home support, with the club’s famous fireworks night celebration adding extra atmosphere to what shaped as a pivotal early-season clash.

---

### Coming up next week

**Monday 3 November – Sunday 9 November:**

- **Autumn Nations Series:** England vs Fiji at Twickenham (Saturday 8th, 17:40)
- **Premier League:** Chelsea host Wolverhampton Wanderers (Saturday 8th), Fulham away to Everton (Saturday)
- **Championship Rugby:** Richmond away to Cambridge (Saturday 8th)
- **PWR:** Harlequins Women fixtures TBC
- **Note:** Fours Head of the River Race on Thames (Saturday 15th November)

---

### Story of the week

Fulham’s comprehensive victory at Craven Cottage provided much-needed relief for Marco Silva after a torrid run that had seen them slide dangerously close to the relegation zone. The early red card for Wolves transformed the contest, but it was the manner of Fulham’s response – clinical, composed and ruthless – that will give the Portuguese coach most encouragement as they look to climb away from trouble.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/11/03/england-crush-australia-as-fulham-finally-roar-back-to-winning-ways/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/11/03/england-crush-australia-as-fulham-finally-roar-back-to-winning-ways/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=England%20crush%20Australia%20as%20Fulham%20finally%20roar%20back%20to%20winning%20ways&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/11/03/england-crush-australia-as-fulham-finally-roar-back-to-winning-ways/)

**Categories:** Sport

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Australia, Chelsea FC, England, Fulham FC

---

### [Champions rally from Stoop heartbreak as England and Chelsea march on](https://putney.news/2025/11/10/champions-rally-from-stoop-heartbreak-as-england-and-chelsea-march-on/)

**Published:** November 10, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Gloucester-Hartpury overturn 12-point deficit while England prepare for New Zealand test and Chelsea dominate wolves.

**Content:**

Week of Monday 3 November – Sunday 9 November 2025

### RUGBY UNION

#### England’s power game overwhelms resilient Fiji

**England 38-18 Fiji** (Allianz Stadium, Twickenham) – *Saturday, 8 November*

England secured their ninth consecutive victory with a 38-18 win over Fiji at Twickenham, though they were made to work hard for it by a spirited Fijian side who led for much of the first half. The breakthrough came in the 69th minute when Henry Arundell showed his searing pace after being presented with a half-chance by Marcus Smith’s grubber, effectively sealing Fiji’s fate. England’s ‘Bomb Squad’ again proved decisive as Steve Borthwick sent on five replacement forwards in the 54th minute, and while they made a difference, it was Arundell’s athleticism that truly put the game beyond doubt.

The match saw England score six tries through Luke Cowan-Dickie, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Arundell and Maro Itoje, with Fin Smith converting four. Fiji paid for two yellow cards to Selestino Ravutaumada and Josua Tuisova at different stages of the game, with their sin-binned players leaving crucial gaps that England exploited. Leading 14-13 at halftime, the hosts only managed to stamp their authority from the middle of the second half onwards.

Flanker Ben Earl, named man of the match for the second week running, acknowledged the stern test: “It was probably one of the hardest games of rugby I’ve had to play. They have world-class players across the pitch.” England now face New Zealand at Twickenham next Saturday in what promises to be their toughest autumn test yet.

---

#### Champions survive Stoop scare to extend unbeaten streak

**Harlequins Women 26-33 Gloucester-Hartpury Women** (Twickenham Stoop) – *Sunday, 9 November*

Gloucester-Hartpury maintained their winning start to the Premiership Women’s Rugby season but were made to labour for a gritty victory over a stubborn Harlequins side who dominated for large periods. The reigning champions trailed 26-14 early in the second half before unleashing their formidable bench to turn the match around, extending their unbeaten PWR streak to 14 matches.

Harlequins started brilliantly, with captain Jade Konkel, Silvia Turani, Carys Phillips and Sarah Parry all crossing to give the hosts a commanding lead. Flanker Nicole Wythe and debutant Liana Mikaele-Tu’u were sensational for Quins, fronting up physically to the champions’ pack in a way few teams manage. But the introduction of England captain Zoe Stratford proved pivotal, as she won four crucial lineout steals to halt Harlequins’ momentum.

The final 20 minutes belonged to Gloucester-Hartpury, with Sam Monaghan, Alex Matthews and Mia Venner scoring the decisive tries as the visitors’ superior depth told. Emma Sing’s conversion of Venner’s 72nd-minute score sealed the comeback victory. While Harlequins will wonder what might have been after their spirited performance, Gloucester-Hartpury showed exactly why they’re the team to beat this season with their champion mentality in the danger zone.

---

### FOOTBALL

#### Chelsea held by Qarabag in Azerbaijan

**Qarabag 2-2 Chelsea** (Tofik Bəhramov Stadium, Baku) – *Wednesday, 5 November*

Chelsea were held to a disappointing 2-2 draw by Qarabag in Baku, denting their hopes of achieving direct passage to the Champions League last-16 by finishing in the top eight. Things looked desperate for the away side when Marko Jankovic’s penalty saw them fall behind in the first half following a brilliant strike from Leandro Andrade that had levelled the match after Estêvão’s early opener.

An early goal by the Brazilian 18-year-old appeared to have Chelsea en route to a routine win following their 2,500-mile journey to the eastern edge of Europe. Estêvão cut inside and fired past the keeper at his near post on 15 minutes to claim his second Champions League goal for the club. However, Qarabag played with great intent and physicality which saw them fire in two goals before the break – Andrade’s 29th-minute equaliser and Jankovic’s penalty after Jorrel Hato’s handball.

Substitute Alejandro Garnacho rescued a point for Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea when he charged from the halfway line and drilled a low effort home with his left foot just seven minutes after coming on at half-time. Both teams had great chances to win it in the five minutes of added time – Garnacho’s spectacular scissor-kick was kept out by the legs of keeper Mateusz Kochalski while at the other end, Robert Sanchez had to be alert to deny Qarabag.

Manager Maresca, who made seven changes from the side that beat Tottenham, defended his rotation policy: “When you win, no-one mentioned all that. I know that when we don’t win, everyone is focused on that.” The draw leaves Chelsea on seven points from four matches, with work to do to secure automatic qualification.

---

#### Chelsea cruise past bottom-club Wolves

**Chelsea 3-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers** (Stamford Bridge) – *Saturday, 8 November*

Chelsea climbed to second in the Premier League table (before dropping down to third when Man City beat Liverpool on Sunday) as three second-half goals saw them to a comfortable 3-0 win over manager-less Wolves at Stamford Bridge. The Blues had been booed off at half-time after struggling to turn their dominance into a goal in the first 45, but tore their visitors apart after the break.

Malo Gusto headed his first career goal early in the second half from Alejandro Garnacho’s cross, before João Pedro rammed home his second in two league matches and Pedro Neto knocked in the third. Garnacho was the standout performer with two assists, while the introduction of exciting teenager Estêvão from the bench raised the energy inside an anxious Stamford Bridge.

Wolves, coached by interim manager James Collins following the sacking of Vitor Pereira, were beaten in the second half as the hosts proved too much for the Old Gold. Winless Wolves remain bottom of the table and are still without a victory this season, adding to their relegation fears. Chelsea are now just six points behind leaders Arsenal and firmly in the title race conversation.

---

#### Fulham’s away woes continue at Everton

**Everton 2-0 Fulham** (Hill Dickinson Stadium) – *Saturday, 8 November*

Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane supplemented Everton’s misfiring attack in a 2-0 win which extended Fulham’s woes on the road to a fifth successive match. Gueye stabbed home his second of the campaign in the fourth minute of first-half added time after Tim Iroegbunam had completely fluffed his shot in front of goal from a James Tarkowski header which rebounded off the crossbar.

Keane converted a corner to earn David Moyes’ side a first Premier League win in four games and move them into mid-table, powering home a header at the near post with nine minutes remaining. England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford stuck out a foot to deny substitute Rodrigo Muniz in a rare Fulham chance before Keane wrapped things up.

Fulham’s defeat means they stay just one point clear of the Premier League relegation zone and the pressure is beginning to mount on Marco Silva’s side. After last weekend’s 3-0 win over Wolves, this was a chance to build momentum, but instead they found themselves second best for large spells.

---

### COMING UP NEXT WEEK

**Monday 10 November – Sunday 16 November:**

**Rugby Union:**

- England v New Zealand – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham (Saturday 15 November, 3:10pm)
- Harlequins v Saracens – Twickenham Stoop (Sunday 16 November, 3:00pm) – Prem Rugby Cup

**Football:**

- Premier League action resumes after international break (weekend of 22-23 November)
- Chelsea v Arsenal – Stamford Bridge (Sunday 30 November) – potential title race showdown

---

### STORY OF THE WEEK

**England’s winning machine rolls on at Twickenham**

England’s ninth consecutive victory wasn’t pretty, but it showcased exactly what Steve Borthwick has built: a resilient, physically dominant side that finds ways to win even when not at their best. Fiji’s flair and power had them leading for much of the first half at Twickenham, threatening to repeat their shock 2023 upset. But England’s depth – particularly their much-vaunted ‘Bomb Squad’ – and clinical finishing in the final quarter proved the difference. With the All Blacks arriving next weekend, this gutsy performance suggests England are peaking at the right time for their biggest autumn test.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/11/10/champions-rally-from-stoop-heartbreak-as-england-and-chelsea-march-on/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/11/10/champions-rally-from-stoop-heartbreak-as-england-and-chelsea-march-on/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Champions%20rally%20from%20Stoop%20heartbreak%20as%20England%20and%20Chelsea%20march%20on&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/11/10/champions-rally-from-stoop-heartbreak-as-england-and-chelsea-march-on/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby, Sport

**Tags:** Chelsea FC, England Rugby, Gloucester-Hartpury Women, Twickenham, women's rugby

---

### [Elite rowers return to Putney as 70-year tradition resumes today](https://putney.news/2025/11/15/elite-rowers-return-to-putney-as-70-year-tradition-resumes-today/)

**Published:** November 15, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** 480 crews race Championship Course after two-year absence, bringing road closures from 11.15am

**Content:**

One of British rowing’s great traditions returns to Putney waters today after a two-year absence, as the [Fours Head of the River Race](https://fourshead.org/) brings 480 crews – including Olympic and world champions – to the Thames for the first time since 2022.

Roads along Putney Embankment are closing from 11.15am this morning, affecting the stretch from Thai Square to Leader’s Garden. Junction closures are also in place for Festing Road, Gladwyn Road, Glendarvon Street, Thames Place and Rotherwood Road where they meet the Embankment and Lower Richmond Road.

Racing begins at 12.15pm at Chiswick Bridge, with the first crews expected to reach the Putney finish line from approximately 12.30pm. The race follows the Championship Course – the same 4.25-mile route as the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race – but in reverse, with crews racing from Chiswick to Putney on the ebb tide.

The river between Fulham Railway Bridge and Kew Rail Bridge will be closed to non-race traffic from 11.15am, reopening progressively from around 3pm as the last crews complete the course.

Putney Embankment offers excellent viewing of the finish, with crews crossing the line by Putney Pier. Up to 432 racing crews will be on the water, making this one of the largest single-day rowing events in the UK.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/fours-head-race-map.webp)#### From 34 crews to 480

The race has come a long way since 1955, when the fledgling “Head of the River 4s” saw just 34 crews row a three-mile course from Chiswick Steps to Putney Pier. Founded by the Tradesmen’s Rowing Clubs’ Association – representing manual workers who were excluded from the Amateur Rowing Association’s definition of “amateur status” – the event was designed to be open to all.

That inclusive spirit remains. Tomorrow’s race will present the Davison Award for “the standout performance from a small club,” recognising that rowing excellence isn’t confined to the sport’s traditional powerhouses.

The race was extended to the full Championship Course in 1988, and by 1997 had grown so popular that the Port of London Authority agreed to increase the maximum from 500 to 550 crews. Recent marshalling challenges have since reduced the cap to 480 crews but it is still one of the largest fields in UK rowing.

Today’s entry list reads like a who’s who of British rowing. The championship categories feature Olympic bronze medallists, world champions, and athletes fresh from international competition. Oxford and Cambridge crews are using the race to lay down early markers in their Boat Race preparations, while top club crews from Leander, Thames, and Molesey will be battling for bragging rights.

University crews from across the country including London, Imperial, Nottingham, and Birmingham will test their winter training, while dozens of club crews represent the grassroots strength of Thames rowing.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/4head-bunting.webp)#### A significant return

The cancellations of 2023 and [2024](https://x.com/FoursHead/status/1859687283231949098) marked an unusual interruption for a race that has run annually since 1955, pausing only for extraordinary circumstances. Weather proved the enemy both years: November conditions on the tidal Thames can be unforgiving.

Today’s return carries particular significance. The race finishes at Putney, echoing the route of that first 1955 event and bringing elite rowing back to a stretch of river that has witnessed 70 years of the sport’s evolution.

Women first competed in the Fours Head in 1977, following the merger of separate men’s and women’s events. They now make up around 40 per cent of entries, racing in the same categories and on equal terms.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/11/15/elite-rowers-return-to-putney-as-70-year-tradition-resumes-today/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/11/15/elite-rowers-return-to-putney-as-70-year-tradition-resumes-today/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Elite%20rowers%20return%20to%20Putney%20as%2070-year%20tradition%20resumes%20today&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/11/15/elite-rowers-return-to-putney-as-70-year-tradition-resumes-today/)

**Categories:** Rowing

**Tags:** Fours Head of the River Race, Putney embankment, Thames rowing

---

### [Swans and scullers reclaim the Thames as beloved rowing tradition breaks free](https://putney.news/2025/11/16/swans-and-scullers-reclaim-the-thames-as-beloved-rowing-tradition-breaks-free/)

**Published:** November 16, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Leander dominates while local clubs shine in emotional return of 70-year-old Fours Head race

**Content:**

Swans paddled alongside elite rowers, spectators lined Hammersmith Bridge and Barnes Railway Bridge, and after two years of weather-induced frustration, the Fours Head of the River Race finally returned to Putney waters today.

Four hundred and thirty-two crews completed the 4.25-mile course from Chiswick to Putney under grey November skies, racing the same route as the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race but in reverse. The successful event marked the end of a difficult period that saw cancellations in both 2023 and 2024 leave the race stranded by Storm Bert and strong stream conditions.

Leander Club dominated the championship categories, taking victories in five of the six elite events. Their coxless four won in 18 minutes 12 seconds, while Leander’s quad scullers claimed the fastest time of the day at 17 minutes 55 seconds in the open championship quads.

Thames Rowing Club showed strong form in club competition, with their crew winning the open club coxless fours in 19.02. London Rowing Club, Molesey and Nottingham also featured prominently across multiple categories, while Putney Town RC and Vesta RC represented local clubs throughout the day’s racing.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/4heads-barnes-768x1024.png)The race formed the centrepiece of a three-day “Fours Festival” that saw the inaugural Junior Fours Head bring 1,200 junior rowers to the Tideway on Friday, with the Veteran Fours Head completing the weekend on Sunday.

Reading University crews performed well in the senior academic categories, while Oxford and Cambridge university boats used the race to lay down early markers in their Boat Race preparations. Imperial College won the senior academic coxless fours, and Cambridge University took the senior academic coxed fours title.

The women’s championship events saw competitive racing across all boat classes. Leander continued their dominance with victories in the women’s championship categories, though competition remained tight with Reading University, Tideway Scullers and university crews pushing hard throughout.

Conditions proved ideal for racing despite the overcast skies, with the ebb tide running as expected and no wind to complicate steering on the tricky Tideway course. The two-year gap since the last successful race in 2022 made the return particularly significant for a rowing community that has watched two consecutive Novembers bring unraceable weather.

The race has run annually since 1955, when the fledgling “Head of the River 4s” saw just 34 crews row from Chiswick Steps to Putney Pier. Founded by the Tradesmen’s Rowing Clubs’ Association to be open to all rowers regardless of their amateur status, the event has grown into one of the largest single-day rowing events in the UK.

Full results are available at [rowresults.co.uk/4shead25](https://rowresults.co.uk/4shead25), with the Davison Award for “the standout performance from a small club” to be announced in due course.

The Veteran Fours Head concludes the festival tomorrow, with hundreds more crews expected to tackle the Championship Course.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/4heads-race-768x1024.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/11/16/swans-and-scullers-reclaim-the-thames-as-beloved-rowing-tradition-breaks-free/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/11/16/swans-and-scullers-reclaim-the-thames-as-beloved-rowing-tradition-breaks-free/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Swans%20and%20scullers%20reclaim%20the%20Thames%20as%20beloved%20rowing%20tradition%20breaks%20free&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/11/16/swans-and-scullers-reclaim-the-thames-as-beloved-rowing-tradition-breaks-free/)

**Categories:** Rowing

**Tags:** Fours Head, Fours Head of the River Race, Thames rowing

---

### [England break All Blacks curse as Kane completes perfect qualifying campaign](https://putney.news/2025/11/17/england-break-all-blacks-curse-as-kane-completes-perfect-qualifying-campaign/)

**Published:** November 17, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Historic Twickenham victory and World Cup heroics headline weekend of English dominance.

**Content:**

###### SPORTS DIGEST: 10-16 November 2025

*International break week: Limited domestic action as Premier League paused for autumn internationals*.

### RUGBY UNION

#### England end 13-Year Twickenham drought with dominant All Blacks Victory

**England – Autumn Nations Series** **England 33-19 New Zealand** (Allianz Stadium, Twickenham) – *Saturday, November 15*

England produced a rousing second-half performance to secure their first home victory over New Zealand since 2012, ending a 13-year drought at Twickenham with a commanding 33-19 triumph. George Ford orchestrated the comeback from 12-0 down, scoring two crucial first-half drop goals before man-of-the-match performances from Sam Underhill and Fraser Dingwall sealed the result in front of 81,953 fans.

The All Blacks raced into an early 12-0 lead through tries from Leicester Fainga’anuku and Codie Taylor, silencing Twickenham within 18 minutes. But England’s response was immediate and intelligent. Ollie Lawrence bulldozed over for the hosts before Ford’s two drop goals cut the deficit to just 12-11 at half-time, transforming the complexion of a match that seemed to be slipping away.

The second half belonged entirely to England. Underhill crashed over just three minutes after the restart to give England their first lead, before Dingwall extended it with a try under the posts at 55 minutes. Although Will Jordan’s 66th-minute try briefly threatened an All Blacks revival, Ford’s 76th-minute penalty and Tom Roebuck’s late score sealed England’s 10th consecutive victory. This landmark win not only ended New Zealand’s recent dominance but extended England’s remarkable unbeaten run to double figures under Steve Borthwick.

---

#### Richmond hold nerve to edge Hartpury in Friday night thriller

**Richmond – Champ Rugby** **Richmond 17-12 Hartpury** (Athletic Ground, Richmond) – *Friday, November 14*

Richmond secured their second consecutive Champ Rugby victory with a hard-fought 17-12 win over Hartpury at the Athletic Ground, though they were made to sweat by two late tries from the visitors. Head coach Rob Powell praised his side’s defensive resilience after they tackled their hearts out to preserve a five-point lead earned through first-half dominance.

Richmond controlled the opening period, with tries from Jones in the 30th minute and Addams just after the break establishing a commanding 17-0 advantage. Grieve converted both scores and added a penalty in the 47th minute to extend the lead, leaving Hartpury facing a mountain to climb in their first season at this level.

But the visitors refused to surrender, with Morgan crossing twice in the final 10 minutes to set up a grandstand finish. Lennon’s conversion of the first try cut the gap to 17-12 with time running out, and Richmond’s nerves were rattled as Hartpury pressed for a match-winning score. The home side held firm, however, securing their second win in seven days and maintaining their push for a strong finish in their first campaign back in the Championship after promotion from National League 1.

---

### FOOTBALL

#### Kane double seals perfect World Cup qualifying campaign for England

**England – FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers** **Albania 0-2 England** (Arena Kombëtare, Tirana) – *Sunday, November 16*

Harry Kane struck twice in eight minutes to seal England’s perfect World Cup qualifying campaign, as Thomas Tuchel’s side completed an unprecedented eight wins from eight matches without conceding a single goal. The Bayern Munich striker’s clinical finishing in the 74th and 82nd minutes gave England a 2-0 victory in Tirana, wrapping up their Group K dominance with 24 points from a possible 24.

England controlled possession for much of the match, enjoying 65% of the ball, but found Albania’s well-drilled defence difficult to break down in a goalless first half. The hosts, already assured of a playoff place after finishing second in the group, defended resolutely and created their own opportunities on the counter-attack, forcing Jordan Pickford into several saves.

Tuchel made seven changes from Thursday’s 2-0 victory over Serbia at Wembley, with Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze and Jarrod Bowen coming into the attacking midfield roles. The rotation paid dividends after the break, as Kane’s predatory instincts proved the difference. His first goal came in the 74th minute, poking home from close range after Bukayo Saka’s corner was diverted into his path, before he added a second eight minutes later with a powerful header from Marcus Rashford’s precise cross to put the result beyond doubt and send England into the 2026 World Cup with an immaculate record – 22 goals scored, zero conceded across the entire qualifying campaign.

---

#### Kerr stars as Chelsea women cruise to commanding Champions League win

**Chelsea Women – UEFA Women’s Champions League** **SKN St. Pölten 0-6 Chelsea** (St. Pölten, Austria) – *Monday, November 11*

Sam Kerr marked her first Chelsea start since December 2023 with two goals as the defending WSL champions climbed to second in their Women’s Champions League group with a commanding 6-0 victory in Austria. The Australian striker, recently returned from an ACL injury, demonstrated her enduring quality with clinical finishes in the 75th minute and stoppage time to cap a dominant performance from Sonia Bompastor’s side.

Chelsea established control early through Wieke Kaptein’s 12th-minute opener, with the Netherlands international slipping the ball beyond goalkeeper Carina Schlüter after excellent work from Catarina Macario and Ellie Carpenter. Macario herself added a brace before Kerr entered the action, with the Portuguese forward’s goals in the 32nd and 68th minutes putting the result beyond doubt.

The visitors’ superiority was such that even Lisa Ebert’s own goal felt inevitable, sandwiched between Kerr’s two strikes as Chelsea recorded their most emphatic away victory of the Champions League campaign. The comprehensive win maintained Chelsea’s unbeaten start to the season across all competitions and demonstrated the squad depth Bompastor has at her disposal, with Kerr’s return from injury providing another potent attacking option as the Blues chase European glory.

---

### INTERNATIONAL BREAK NOTES

**Putney-area domestic football paused:** Chelsea, Fulham, and AFC Wimbledon all without fixtures this week as the Premier League international break continues. AFC Wimbledon’s scheduled League One match against Stockport County was postponed due to international call-ups.

---

### COMING UP NEXT WEEK

**November 17-23:**

- England vs Argentina (Sunday, November 23, Twickenham) – England seek fourth consecutive Autumn Nations Series win
- Premier League action resumes: Chelsea fixtures return
- Fulham back in action playing Sunderland at Craven Cottage
- AFC Wimbledon rescheduled fixtures
- Richmond continue Champ Rugby campaign

---

### STORY OF THE WEEK

England’s 33-19 victory over New Zealand at Twickenham was more than just three points – it was 13 years of hurt finally laid to rest. Not since 2012 had England beaten the All Blacks on home soil, enduring nine losses and one draw in that period. George Ford’s masterclass, featuring two drop goals and immaculate game management, orchestrated the comeback from 12-0 down and epitomised the composure that has characterised England’s remarkable 10-match winning streak. With over 81,000 fans creating an electric atmosphere at the Allianz Stadium, this wasn’t just England’s ninth-ever victory over New Zealand in 120 years of competition – it was a statement that they’re serious contenders heading into the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/11/17/england-break-all-blacks-curse-as-kane-completes-perfect-qualifying-campaign/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/11/17/england-break-all-blacks-curse-as-kane-completes-perfect-qualifying-campaign/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=England%20break%20All%20Blacks%20curse%20as%20Kane%20completes%20perfect%20qualifying%20campaign&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/11/17/england-break-all-blacks-curse-as-kane-completes-perfect-qualifying-campaign/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby

**Tags:** Albania, All Blacks, Chelsea FC, England, Hartpury RFC, Richmond RFC, Twickenham

---

### [England complete perfect Autumn as Jimenez rescues Fulham and Chelsea surge to second](https://putney.news/2025/11/24/england-complete-perfect-autumn-as-jimenez-rescues-fulham-and-chelsea-surge-to-second/)

**Published:** November 24, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Twickenham thriller caps eleven-match winning streak while West London clubs find contrasting relief and momentum.

**Content:**

Sports Digest: 18-24 November 2025

### RUGBY UNION

#### England Complete Perfect Autumn with Dramatic Argentina Victory

**England – Autumn Nations Series** **England 27-23 Argentina** (Twickenham) – *Sunday, November 23*

England extended their winning streak to an astonishing 11 consecutive Test matches with a nervy 27-23 victory over Argentina at a packed Twickenham, completing a perfect four-from-four autumn campaign. The Red Rose equaled their winning run from Sir Clive Woodward’s golden era in 2000-01, heading into the Six Nations on an extraordinary wave of momentum despite being tested to their limits by a spirited Pumas side.

Steve Borthwick’s men raced into a 17-3 half-time lead through George Ford’s early drop goal and tries from Max Ojomoh and Imisi Feyi-Waboso, but Argentina roared back in the second half with tries from Matias Piccardo and Rodrigo Isgro. The closing stages descended into chaos as the Pumas scored in the 80th minute to set up a grandstand finish, with England clinging on desperately as Argentina launched wave after wave of attacks in search of a dramatic equalizer.

Ojomoh was named man of the match on his full debut, scoring one try and creating two others in a performance that will have delighted his father Steve, a former England international. Henry Slade’s 66th-minute try and Ford’s late penalty ultimately proved decisive, sealing victories over Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina in what has been the most successful November campaign in England’s recent history.

---

### FOOTBALL

#### Jimenez Rescues Fulham as Chelsea March On

**Fulham FC – Premier League** **Fulham 1-0 Sunderland** (Craven Cottage) – *Saturday, November 22*

Raul Jimenez’s 84th-minute winner rescued Fulham from the jaws of the relegation zone with a desperately needed 1-0 victory over high-flying Sunderland in torrential rain at Craven Cottage. The Mexican striker prodded home Samuel Chukwueze’s perfectly-weighted cross to spare Marco Silva’s side after they had dominated proceedings but squandered a host of opportunities in their search for a fourth win of the season.

Fulham fired 24 shots at the Sunderland goal but managed only five on target, with Harry Wilson dragging wide from 18 yards in what appeared to be the hosts’ best chance before Jimenez’s late intervention. Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs made four saves to keep the Black Cats in the contest, including denying Kevin in a one-on-one scenario in the 23rd minute, as Regis Le Bris’ side defended resolutely with their five-man backline.

The victory lifts Fulham to 14th and crucially opens up breathing space from the trap door, while Sunderland’s winless run extended to three matches. The Black Cats, who had been targeting a push toward the top four, drop to sixth and face the prospect of sliding as low as 10th depending on other results. A brief scuffle broke out after the final whistle between staff members from both camps, underlining the frustrations felt by the visitors after their unbeaten run of five games came to an end.

#### Chelsea Cruise to Second Place with Clinical Burnley Victory

**Chelsea FC – Premier League** **Burnley 0-2 Chelsea** (Turf Moor) – *Saturday, November 22*

Chelsea climbed to second in the Premier League and moved within three points of leaders Arsenal with a comfortable 2-0 victory at relegation-threatened Burnley, extending their winning league run to three matches. Pedro Neto’s superb 37th-minute header from Jamie Gittens’ excellent cross opened the scoring, before Enzo Fernandez sealed the points with a powerful close-range finish in the 88th minute after fine work by substitute Marc Guiu.

Enzo Maresca’s side controlled proceedings throughout at Turf Moor without ever needing to reach top gear against a Burnley side who managed just two harmless shots on target. The hosts felt aggrieved over a bizarre first-half incident when Trevoh Chalobah appeared to handle a goal-kick from Robert Sanchez, but referee Peter Bankes ruled the ball was not yet in play and VAR chose not to intervene.

The victory caps a superb November for Chelsea as they emerge as genuine title contenders, with their momentum building impressively under Maresca. Burnley, meanwhile, suffered a third consecutive defeat that leaves Scott Parker’s side 17th and in danger of slipping into the relegation zone, their home form having deserted them at a crucial stage of the season.

#### Teenage Debutant’s Double Sinks Wimbledon

**AFC Wimbledon – League One** **AFC Wimbledon 1-2 Wigan Athletic** (Cherry Red Records Stadium) – *Saturday, November 22*

Eighteen-year-old substitute Harrison Bettoni enjoyed a dream League One debut with a match-winning brace as Wigan came from behind to earn their first away league victory of the season with a 2-1 triumph at AFC Wimbledon. The teenager’s introduction transformed the contest in heavy rain at the Cherry Red Records Stadium, turning the match on its head after Alistair Smith had given the hosts a 70th-minute lead.

Wimbledon had weathered Wigan’s early pressure, with Fraser Murray and Dara Costelloe both missing presentable opportunities for the visitors in a tight first half. Ryan Johnson headed wide from Steve Seddon’s free-kick as the Dons threatened, but clear chances were scarce in torrential conditions that made quality football difficult.

The breakthrough finally arrived when Smith scored for the hosts, but Bettoni struck twice in the 77th and 87th minutes to complete a remarkable turnaround for Ryan Lowe’s struggling side. The defeat extends Wimbledon’s recent slump, with Johnnie Jackson’s men now suffering three consecutive league losses after their impressive start to the season had propelled them into playoff contention. They drop to seventh, while Wigan climb away from the relegation zone with a precious three points.

---

### COMING UP NEXT WEEK

**November 25 – December 1:**

- Premier League: Tottenham vs Fulham (Saturday, November 29, 8pm)
- League One: AFC Wimbledon travel to Huddersfield (Saturday, November 29)
- International break continues for women’s football (England face China at Wembley on Saturday, November 29)

---

### STORY OF THE WEEK

England’s dramatic victory over Argentina at Twickenham completed a flawless autumn campaign that has transformed the national team’s fortunes. Eleven consecutive wins, equaling the record set during rugby’s golden era, has Steve Borthwick’s side dreaming of Six Nations glory in 2026.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/11/24/england-complete-perfect-autumn-as-jimenez-rescues-fulham-and-chelsea-surge-to-second/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/11/24/england-complete-perfect-autumn-as-jimenez-rescues-fulham-and-chelsea-surge-to-second/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=England%20complete%20perfect%20Autumn%20as%20Jimenez%20rescues%20Fulham%20and%20Chelsea%20surge%20to%20second&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/11/24/england-complete-perfect-autumn-as-jimenez-rescues-fulham-and-chelsea-surge-to-second/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby, Sport

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea FC, England, Fulham FC, Raúl Jiménez, Twickenham

---

### [Chelsea's Stamford Bridge double as Fulham stun shambolic Spurs](https://putney.news/2025/12/01/chelseas-stamford-bridge-double-as-fulham-stun-shambolic-spurs/)

**Published:** December 1, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Blues destroy Barcelona then defy ten-man odds against Arsenal while Cottagers claim London derby glory.

**Content:**

*Sports Digest: 24-30 November 2025.*

### FOOTBALL

#### Estevao magic sends statement to Europe as Chelsea destroy Barcelona

**Chelsea FC – UEFA Champions League** **Chelsea 3-0 Barcelona** (Stamford Bridge) – *Tuesday, 25 November*

Eighteen-year-old Estevao announced himself on the grandest stage with a goal that will be replayed for years, mesmerising two Barcelona defenders before rifling an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net as Chelsea dismantled the Spanish champions. The Brazilian wonderkid, making just his third Champions League start, became only the third teenager after Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to score in each of his first three starts in the competition.

The rout began when Jules Kounde turned into his own net under pressure from Pedro Neto’s strike, and Barcelona’s evening unravelled completely when captain Ronald Araujo received a second yellow card for a reckless challenge on the outstanding Marc Cucurella. Liam Delap came off the bench to add the third, finishing tidily from Enzo Fernandez’s precise centre. A capacity Stamford Bridge crowd of 39,323 witnessed what manager Enzo Maresca called “the best 90 minutes from this rapidly improving team in my 18 months in the job.”

---

#### Ten-man Chelsea defy leaders in fiery London derby

**Chelsea FC – Premier League** **Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal** (Stamford Bridge) – *Sunday, 30 November*

Chelsea’s remarkable week at Stamford Bridge ended with a point that felt like a victory as the ten-man Blues held Premier League leaders Arsenal to a fiery 1-1 draw. Moises Caicedo’s reckless studs-up challenge on Mikel Merino saw his yellow card upgraded to red following a VAR review, leaving Chelsea a man down for over 50 minutes against the league’s dominant force.

Yet it was the hosts who struck first. Three minutes after the restart, Trevoh Chalobah rose at the near post to glance Reece James’ inch-perfect corner into the far corner, sending Stamford Bridge into raptures. Arsenal’s response came through their aerial specialist Merino, who powered home Bukayo Saka’s whipped cross to equalise on 59 minutes. Robert Sanchez produced crucial late saves to deny Saka and Merino as Chelsea’s dogged resistance held firm. The draw cuts Arsenal’s lead to five points over Manchester City, with Chelsea a further point back in third.

---

#### Six-minute blitz punishes shambolic Spurs as Fulham claim historic win

**Fulham FC – Premier League** **Tottenham 1-2 Fulham** (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium) – *Saturday, 29 November*

Fulham inflicted fresh misery on Thomas Frank’s Tottenham with a devastating start that saw the Cottagers two goals ahead inside six minutes, condemning Spurs to their tenth home defeat of 2025 – equalling their worst calendar year on record. Kenny Tete opened the scoring after just four minutes when his low drive deflected off Destiny Udogie, before goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario gifted the visitors a second with a moment of madness that will haunt him.

Racing off his line to clear a long ball, Vicario’s panicked clearance fell straight to Harry Wilson, who bent a magnificent strike into the unguarded net. The Italian stopper was booed by sections of his own supporters – a damning indictment of Spurs’ home struggles. Mohammed Kudus’ thunderous volley after the break gave the hosts hope, but Joachim Andersen and Fulham’s defence held firm for their first away win of the season and just their second in 20 away league meetings with their London rivals.

---

#### Six-goal thriller at Huddersfield as Dons claim dramatic point

**AFC Wimbledon – League One** **Huddersfield 3-3 AFC Wimbledon** (John Smith’s Stadium) – *Saturday, 29 November*

AFC Wimbledon fought back from conceding three times to secure a valuable point in a breathless encounter at the John Smith’s Stadium that showcased their remarkable resilience in their first season back in League One. The Dons led three separate times through Marcus Browne, Danilo Orsi and Ryan Johnson, only to be pegged back on each occasion by a Huddersfield side searching for their own identity under pressure.

Former Wimbledon academy product Leo Castledine equalised for the hosts immediately after half-time, and when former Dons goalkeeper Owen Goodman parried a straightforward free-kick, Orsi pounced for a tap-in that should have sealed victory. But Huddersfield refused to yield, with Ben Wiles heading home and Alfie May capitalising on a late rebound to rescue a draw. With both sides locked on 25 points and separated only by goal difference, this result leaves them tied eighth and ninth in the table.

---

### RUGBY UNION

#### Harlequins suffer at Kingsholm as Gloucester claim first win

**Harlequins – Gallagher Premiership** **Gloucester 26-15 Harlequins** (Kingsholm) – *Saturday, 29 November*

A moment of madness from wing Rodrigo Isgro proved the catalyst for Gloucester’s breakthrough as they claimed their first Premiership victory of the season at the sixth attempt. The Argentine, playing his first match after the autumn internationals, inexplicably launched a wild clearance from deep inside his own 22 that landed straight in the grateful arms of Lewis Ludlow, who crossed for a try that swung momentum decisively in the hosts’ favour.

Full-back Ben Redshaw stole the show with two tries as milestone men Ludlow (250th Gloucester appearance) and Ollie Thorley (150th) were honoured with a memorable victory. England fly-half Marcus Smith endured a frustrating afternoon for Quins, whose defence could not contain Gloucester’s renewed confidence. Cadan Murley and captain Alex Dombrandt scored for the visitors, but it was not enough to prevent a defeat that leaves Quins searching for consistency after a disrupted autumn.

---

### COMING UP NEXT WEEK

**1-7 December 2025:**

- Chelsea vs Brentford (Premier League, Saturday 6 December)
- Fulham vs Southampton (Premier League, Saturday 6 December)
- AFC Wimbledon vs Barnsley (League One, Saturday 6 December)
- Harlequins Women vs Leicester Tigers (PWR, date TBC)
- Champions League group stage matchday 6 (Tuesday/Wednesday)

---

### STORY OF THE WEEK

**Estevao’s Stamford Bridge masterpiece.** The 18-year-old Brazilian delivered a goal that announced a generational talent to the world, dancing past two Barcelona defenders before thundering home a finish that left Stamford Bridge in raptures. In the battle of teenage superstars, Estevao comprehensively outshone Lamine Yamal in a performance that manager Maresca called Chelsea’s finest under his stewardship.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/01/chelseas-stamford-bridge-double-as-fulham-stun-shambolic-spurs/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/01/chelseas-stamford-bridge-double-as-fulham-stun-shambolic-spurs/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Chelsea%E2%80%99s%20Stamford%20Bridge%20double%20as%20Fulham%20stun%20shambolic%20Spurs&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/01/chelseas-stamford-bridge-double-as-fulham-stun-shambolic-spurs/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby, Sport

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Champions League, Chelsea FC, Fulham FC, Harlequins

---

### [Fulham's remarkable comeback falls short as records tumble across capital](https://putney.news/2025/12/08/fulhams-remarkable-comeback-falls-short-as-records-tumble-across-capital/)

**Published:** December 8, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Five-goal fightback ends in heartbreak while Chelsea Women's 34-match streak halted.

**Content:**

**Sports Digest: 2-8 December 2025.**

### FOOTBALL

#### Craven Cottage witnesses epic comeback and crushing heartbreak as Fulham suffer double home defeat

**Fulham FC – Premier League** **Fulham 4-5 Manchester City** (Craven Cottage) – *Tuesday, 3 December*

Fulham staged one of the most remarkable comeback attempts of the Premier League season but ultimately fell agonisingly short as Manchester City escaped Craven Cottage with three points despite being pushed to the very edge. Erling Haaland reached his century of Premier League goals in just his 111th match, taking only 17 minutes to find the net and becoming by some distance the quickest player to the milestone, 13 matches faster than Alan Shearer’s previous record set 30 years ago.

City appeared to be cruising when Haaland, Tijani Reijnders and Phil Foden built a commanding 5-1 lead shortly after halftime, with Foden particularly lethal as he scored twice in quick succession. Emile Smith Rowe had pulled one back for Fulham in first-half stoppage time, but the hosts seemed destined for a heavy defeat. Then substitute Samuel Chukwueze changed everything. The Nigerian winger lashed in his first Fulham goals, two in the space of six minutes, and when his second flew past an increasingly shell-shocked Gianluigi Donnarumma with 12 minutes plus eight minutes of stoppage time remaining, Craven Cottage erupted in belief that the impossible might happen.

Marco Silva’s side threw everything at City in the frantic finale. When substitute Josh King thought he had grabbed the equaliser and completed one of the Premier League’s greatest comebacks, Josko Gvardiol somehow got back to clear his shot off the line, preserving City’s slender advantage and leaving Fulham to rue a gutsy performance that deserved at least a point.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/fulham-new-top2-1024x1024.jpg)**Fulham FC – Premier League** **Fulham 1-2 Crystal Palace** (Craven Cottage) – *Sunday, 7 December*

Palace captain Marc Guehi powered home a late winner to condemn Fulham to a second consecutive home defeat and send Oliver Glasner’s side soaring into fourth place in the Premier League. Eddie Nketiah had given the visitors a 20th-minute lead with a clinical finish following Adam Wharton’s perfectly weighted throughball, but Harry Wilson levelled before halftime with a spectacular outside-of-the-boot strike following slick interplay with Raul Jimenez.

Fulham dominated possession and thought they had taken the lead when Emile Smith Rowe converted the rebound after Alex Iwobi’s header struck the crossbar, only for VAR to spot Samuel Chukwueze marginally offside in the buildup. That marginal decision proved decisive as Guehi rose highest from a corner three minutes from time to head Palace into the Champions League places and leave Fulham winless against their London rivals since January 2005. The defeat leaves Marco Silva’s side just four points clear of the relegation zone, having lost seven of their last ten Premier League matches.

---

#### Chelsea’s seven-match unbeaten run shattered at Elland Road

**Chelsea FC – Premier League** **Leeds United 3-1 Chelsea** (Elland Road) – *Tuesday, 3 December*

Chelsea’s seven-match unbeaten run across all competitions came to a jarring end in Yorkshire, where Leeds United delivered a commanding performance to end the Blues’ recent momentum. Enzo Maresca’s side never found their rhythm at Elland Road, falling behind after just six minutes when Jaka Bijol powered home a header from a corner that Robert Sanchez could only parry. Ao Tanaka doubled the hosts’ advantage before halftime, drilling a low shot from the edge of the box that left Chelsea trailing 2-0 at the interval despite making five changes from their midweek draw with Arsenal.

Chelsea introduced Malo Gusto and Pedro Neto at halftime in an attempt to salvage something from the contest, and Neto briefly offered hope when he converted Jamie Gittens’ cross from close range five minutes into the second half. But any momentum evaporated when Dominic Calvert-Lewin scrambled in Leeds’ third goal, and Chelsea could find no response despite late introductions of Alejandro Garnacho and Cole Palmer. The defeat leaves Maresca’s side trailing Arsenal at the top of the table, with their struggles against physical, direct opposition now a clear pattern.

##### PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE

PosTeamPWGDPts1Arsenal1511+18352Man City158+10283Liverpool158+927………………7Chelsea157+423………………15Fulham155-317**Key:** **P** = Played | **W** = Wins | **GD** = Goal Difference | **Pts** = Points

---

#### Wimbledon demolish Cardiff in cup rout

**AFC Wimbledon – EFL Trophy** **Cardiff City 1-5 AFC Wimbledon** (Cardiff City Stadium) – *Monday, 2 December*

AFC Wimbledon produced a statement performance in South Wales, overwhelming Cardiff City with a five-goal display that showcased the attacking prowess of the League One side. Aron Sasu starred with four goals across the match, opening the scoring in the 29th minute before adding three more at regular intervals. Omar Chaaban also got on the scoresheet as the Dons stormed into the EFL Trophy knockout rounds.

Cardiff managed just a consolation through Luey Giles late in the contest, but this was Wimbledon’s night from start to finish. The comprehensive victory demonstrates the progress under AFC Wimbledon’s management and provides excellent momentum as they look to build on a solid League One campaign.

---

### WOMEN’S FOOTBALL

#### Chelsea’s historic unbeaten run ends in shock Everton defeat

**Chelsea Women – Women’s Super League** **Chelsea Women 0-1 Everton** (Kingsmeadow) – *Sunday, 7 December*

Chelsea Women’s record-breaking 34-match unbeaten run in the Women’s Super League came to an abrupt and stunning end as Everton secured their first win since the opening day of the season with a shock 1-0 victory. Honoka Hayashi’s 12th-minute strike proved the decisive blow, ending not only Chelsea’s unbeaten streak but also a run of finding the net in 31 consecutive league games. The defeat was the Blues’ first in the WSL since May 2024 and manager Sonia Bompastor’s first since taking charge.

Despite dominating possession and creating numerous opportunities, Chelsea could not break down a determined Everton defence that had suffered eight winless matches heading into this fixture. Sandy Baltimore’s corner deflected onto the post, Alyssa Thompson fired inches wide, and substitute Wieke Kaptein headed onto the crossbar. In the final seconds, Baltimore smashed a free-kick against the bar before Everton scrambled the ball clear at the final whistle. The result allows Manchester City, who beat Leicester 3-0 with two goals from Bunny Shaw, to extend their advantage at the summit to six points and puts Chelsea’s title defence under serious pressure for the first time this season.

##### WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE TABLE

PosTeamPWGDPts1Man City109+19**27****2****Chelsea****10****6****+13****21**3Man United95+5**17**4Arsenal94+7**16**5Tottenham94+2**16**…### COMING UP NEXT WEEK

**9-15 December 2025:**

- **Chelsea travel to Atalanta** in Champions League (Tuesday, 9 December, 8:00pm) – Bergamo, Italy
- **AFC Wimbledon visit Exeter City** in League One (Tuesday, 9 December, 7:45pm)
- **Burnley host Fulham** in Premier League (Saturday, 13 December, 5:30pm) – Turf Moor, live on Sky Sports
- **Harlequins Women host Sale Sharks** at Twickenham Stoop (Saturday, 13 December, 5:30pm) – PWR

---

### STORY OF THE WEEK

Chelsea Women’s 34-match unbeaten streak stood as one of the most remarkable achievements in Women’s Super League history, spanning over 18 months and establishing Sonia Bompastor’s side as seemingly invincible.

When Honoka Hayashi struck after just 12 minutes for Everton, few could have predicted it would be the only goal of a match that saw Chelsea pepper the visitors’ goal with chances. Late in the game, with Chelsea throwing everything forward, Baltimore’s free-kick crashed against the bar and the rebound was somehow scrambled clear in the dying seconds.

The final whistle brought jubilation for an Everton side that hadn’t tasted victory in eight WSL matches, and disbelief for Chelsea fans witnessing the end of an era that had seen their team conquer all before them.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/08/fulhams-remarkable-comeback-falls-short-as-records-tumble-across-capital/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/08/fulhams-remarkable-comeback-falls-short-as-records-tumble-across-capital/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Fulham%E2%80%99s%20remarkable%20comeback%20falls%20short%20as%20records%20tumble%20across%20capital&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/08/fulhams-remarkable-comeback-falls-short-as-records-tumble-across-capital/)

**Categories:** Football, Sport

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea FC, Chelsea FC Women, Fulham FC

---

### [Weekend preview: Chelsea seek revival, Fulham face Burnley but what about those World Cup tickets?!](https://putney.news/2025/12/12/weekend-preview-chelsea-seek-revival-fulham-face-burnley-but-what-about-those-world-cup-tickets/)

**Published:** December 12, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Putney teams in action across Premier League, League One, WSL and PWR.

**Content:**

*What’s happened this week and what’s on this weekend in sport.*

### News in brief

**World Cup Ticketing Scandal:** FIFA’s pricing structure for the 2026 World Cup has sparked international outrage, with tickets ranging from $60 to $6,730 – but the real controversy lies in the official resale platform, which allows unlimited markups with 15% fees charged on both buying and selling. This has led to tickets being listed for as much as $959,000 for a single match. New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani has launched the “Game Over Greed” campaign in response to what he calls “legalized scalping by FIFA.” The next Random Selection Draw opened yesterday (December 11), with fans able to enter until 13 January 2026.

**World Cup Draw:** England have been drawn in Group D alongside Croatia, Ghana and Panama, with matches to be played in Dallas, Boston and New York/New Jersey. The Three Lions open against Croatia on 15 June 2026. England will face Uruguay and Japan at Wembley on 27 and 31 March – the final matches before Thomas Tuchel names his World Cup squad.

**Chelsea Injury Crisis Deepens:** The Blues go into Saturday’s clash with Everton without a win in four games, with their squad decimated by injuries. Wesley Fofana is a doubt after suffering an eye injury against Atalanta that left him “struggling to see,” while Liam Delap faces four weeks out with a shoulder injury. Moises Caicedo serves the final match of his three-game ban, Romeo Lavia has no return date from his thigh problem, and Levi Colwill is out for the season with an ACL injury. Manager Enzo Maresca has described dealing with the “gruelling injury cycle” as Chelsea’s form has stuttered.

**Fulham’s Contract Standoff:** Marco Silva’s future at Craven Cottage remains uncertain as his contract expires at the end of the season. The Portuguese manager, frustrated by what he called a “passive” summer transfer window, is reportedly seeking guarantees of January investment before committing to new terms – but the club won’t sanction spending without a contract signed first. With Fulham having lost five of their last six Premier League matches and sitting just three points above the relegation zone, and striker Rodrigo Muniz out until February, Silva’s demands for reinforcements appear urgent. The manager will also lose Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze to the Africa Cup of Nations in late December.

**Chelsea Women’s Unbeaten Run Ends in Shock:** The defending WSL champions’ remarkable 34-game unbeaten streak came to a stunning end on Sunday as they fell 1-0 at home to Everton – a side that had won just one league game all season. Sonia Bompastor’s first defeat as Chelsea boss came despite the Blues dominating, hitting the bar twice in stoppage time and watching in disbelief as two goal-line clearances kept the ball out. Chelsea now trail leaders Manchester City by six points with 12 games remaining, their title defence suddenly in jeopardy.

**Harlequins Women Battle Injury Crisis:** The Stoop side head into Saturday’s match against Sale Sharks with 10 players sidelined by injury, including Black Fern Layla Sae, whose ACL injury has ended her PWR season after just one month in West London. Scotland and South Africa locks Sarah Bonar and Danelle Lochner face three to four months out, while Wales back-row Alex Callender is six to eight weeks away. Ireland international Aoife Wafer could make her Harlequins debut this weekend after recovering from the collarbone and knee injuries she suffered in the World Cup quarter-final against France in September. Despite the injury woes, Quins thrashed Leicester 56-28 last Saturday for their first win in four matches.

**Fulham FA Cup:** The Cottagers have been drawn at home to Championship side Middlesbrough in the Third Round, to be played on the weekend of 11-12 January 2026.

---

### Coming up this week

**Saturday, 13 December:**

- **AFC Wimbledon** vs Mansfield Town – League One, 12:30pm (Cherry Red Records Stadium, Sky Sports+)
- **Chelsea** vs Everton – Premier League, 3pm (Stamford Bridge)
- **Harlequins Women** vs Sale Sharks – PWR, 5:30pm (Twickenham Stoop)
- Burnley vs **Fulham** – Premier League, 5:30pm (Turf Moor, Sky Sports)

**Sunday, 14 December:**

- Brighton & Hove Albion vs **Chelsea Women** – WSL, 12pm (Broadfield Stadium, Sky Sports Main Event)
- **Fulham Women** vs AFC Bournemouth Women – Women’s Championship, 2pm

---

### League Tables

**As of Thursday, 11 December 2025**

#### Premier League

PosTeamPldWGDPts1Arsenal1510+19332Man City1510+19313Aston Villa159+7304Crystal Palace157+8265**Chelsea**157+1025………………15**Fulham**155-417#### League One

PosTeamPldWGDPts1Cardiff City1812+15382Bradford City189+8343Lincoln City1910+7344Stockport County189+4325Bolton Wanderers188+931………………9**AFC Wimbledon**188-326#### Women’s Super League

PosTeamPldWGDPts1Man City109+17272**Chelsea**107+10213Man United106+11204Arsenal106+11195Tottenham1060196Brighton105+415#### Premiership Women’s Rugby

PosTeamPldWGDPts1Gloucester-Hartpury66+106302Saracens65+176253Exeter Chiefs63+34224Loughborough Lightning52+14135**Harlequins**52-13136Trailfinders Women52+312---

### What to watch

Chelsea look to bounce back from Tuesday’s Champions League defeat when they host Everton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon, while Fulham travel to face promotion-chasing Burnley in a tough test at Turf Moor (5:30pm, Sky Sports).

AFC Wimbledon kick off Saturday’s action with an early lunchtime clash against Mansfield Town at the Cherry Red Records Stadium (12:30pm, Sky Sports+), as the Dons look to climb the League One table.

Sunday sees Chelsea Women travel to Brighton seeking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season (12pm, Sky Sports Main Event), while Fulham Women host AFC Bournemouth in Women’s Championship action. Harlequins Women entertain Sale Sharks at the Twickenham Stoop on Saturday evening (5:30pm) in Premiership Women’s Rugby.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/12/weekend-preview-chelsea-seek-revival-fulham-face-burnley-but-what-about-those-world-cup-tickets/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/12/weekend-preview-chelsea-seek-revival-fulham-face-burnley-but-what-about-those-world-cup-tickets/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Weekend%20preview%3A%20Chelsea%20seek%20revival%2C%20Fulham%20face%20Burnley%20but%20what%20about%20those%20World%20Cup%20tickets%3F%21&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/12/weekend-preview-chelsea-seek-revival-fulham-face-burnley-but-what-about-those-world-cup-tickets/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby, Sport

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea FC, Fulham FC

---

### [Fulham end 74-year Turf Moor wait as Chelsea teams bounce back](https://putney.news/2025/12/15/fulham-end-74-year-turf-moor-wait-as-chelsea-teams-bounce-back/)

**Published:** December 15, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Historic Cottagers triumph and Blues victories highlight dramatic weekend of London sport.

**Content:**

*Sports digest: 9-14 December 2025.*

### FOOTBALL

#### Fulham End 74-Year Turf Moor Hoodoo as Chelsea Return to Top Four

**Fulham FC – Premier League** **Burnley 2-3 Fulham** (Turf Moor) – *Saturday, 13 December*

Harry Wilson inspired Fulham to a stunning victory that ended the most remarkable run in English football – their first win at Turf Moor since April 1951. The Cottagers had failed in 30 previous attempts to take three points from Burnley’s fortress, but two assists and a goal from Wilson secured a triumph that moves Fulham away from danger and consigned the Clarets to a seventh consecutive defeat.

Emile Smith Rowe opened the scoring in the ninth minute before Lesley Ugochukwu equalised for Burnley in the 21st minute. Fulham regained the lead through Calvin Bassey’s header before half-time, then Wilson struck in the 58th minute to make it 3-1 and seemingly seal victory. Oliver Sonne’s late strike in the 86th minute set up a tense finale, but Fulham held on for a historic triumph. The Welsh international has now contributed three goals and three assists in his last four matches, transforming Fulham’s season at the perfect moment.

The victory lifts Fulham to 13th in the Premier League and provides crucial breathing space in the relegation battle, while Burnley’s nightmare continues in 19th place with relegation looming ever larger.

#### Chelsea Respond to European Setback with Commanding Home Win

**Chelsea FC – Premier League** **Chelsea 2-0 Everton** (Stamford Bridge) – *Saturday, 13 December*

Chelsea bounced back from their Champions League disappointment with a professional home victory over Everton that lifts them back into the Premier League’s top four. Cole Palmer continued his remarkable debut season by opening the scoring, with the Blues controlling proceedings to secure three vital points and restore momentum after Tuesday’s defeat in Bergamo.

The Blues dominated possession and created numerous chances, with the second goal sealing a comfortable afternoon against an Everton side that struggled to threaten. The victory moves Chelsea into fourth place on 28 points, keeping pace with the Champions League qualification positions as the race for European football intensifies.

The win was crucial for manager Enzo Maresca’s side, who had suffered back-to-back defeats across all competitions and needed to arrest their slide. Stamford Bridge provided the ideal setting for Chelsea to rediscover their confidence ahead of the busy festive period.

#### Atalanta Pile Pressure on Struggling Chelsea in Champions League

**Chelsea FC – UEFA Champions League** **Atalanta 2-1 Chelsea** (Gewiss Stadium, Bergamo) – *Tuesday, 9 December*

Chelsea’s Champions League hopes suffered a significant blow in Bergamo as Atalanta staged a dramatic late comeback to inflict a fourth defeat in five matches across all competitions. Joao Pedro’s 25th-minute opener had given Chelsea control, but Gianluca Scamacca equalised in the 55th minute before Charles De Ketelaere struck with seven minutes remaining to complete the turnaround.

The defeat drops Chelsea to 11th in the Champions League standings, just two points from the automatic qualification positions with their European campaign now in serious jeopardy. The Blues have gone winless in four games since their impressive start to the season, raising questions about their squad depth and ability to compete on multiple fronts.

Manager Enzo Maresca faces mounting pressure to arrest the slide, with Chelsea’s form representing their worst run since the Italian took charge. The defeat in Italy compounds a difficult period that has seen their early-season promise evaporate amid a punishing schedule and mounting injury concerns.

#### Dons Held to Frustrating Stalemate in Friday Night Encounter

**AFC Wimbledon – League One** **AFC Wimbledon 0-0 Mansfield Town** (Cherry Red Records Stadium) – *Friday, 13 December*

AFC Wimbledon were held to a goalless draw by Mansfield Town in a cagey Friday night encounter at the Cherry Red Records Stadium. The Dons controlled large periods of the match but lacked the cutting edge to break down a disciplined Stags defence that arrived with a clear game plan to frustrate the hosts.

The result leaves Wimbledon in ninth place in League One, still well-positioned for a playoff challenge but needing to rediscover their goalscoring touch if they are to maintain pressure on the automatic promotion places. Mansfield, meanwhile, climb to 16th with a valuable point on the road.

Johnnie Jackson’s side created several opportunities but were unable to convert any of their chances, with the final ball repeatedly letting them down on an evening when greater composure in front of goal might have yielded all three points.

---

### WOMEN’S FOOTBALL

#### Chelsea Women Bounce Back from Historic Defeat with Commanding Brighton Victory

**Chelsea Women – Women’s Super League** **Brighton & Hove Albion 0-3 Chelsea** (Broadfield Stadium) – *Sunday, 14 December*

Chelsea Women responded emphatically to their first league defeat in 34 matches with a dominant display at Brighton that keeps them in touch with runaway leaders Manchester City. Sandy Baltimore struck a sensational effort just before half-time before an own goal from Brighton’s Hayes and a late strike from Aggie Thompson completed a comprehensive victory.

The Blues controlled proceedings from the outset, with the introduction of Sam Kerr and Wieke Kaptein at half-time transforming the match. The Australian striker and Dutch midfielder brought fresh impetus to Chelsea’s attack, helping to break down a stubborn Brighton resistance that had threatened to frustrate the visitors.

The victory keeps Chelsea six points behind Manchester City at the top of the Women’s Super League, but manager Emma Hayes will be relieved to see her side rediscover their ruthless streak after last weekend’s shock defeat to Everton ended their record-breaking unbeaten run. The performance demonstrated the squad depth that has made Chelsea the dominant force in English women’s football, with Hayes able to call upon world-class talent from the bench to change the complexion of the match.

---

### WOMEN’S RUGBY UNION

#### Harlequins Edge Past Sale in Stoop Thriller

**Harlequins Women – Premiership Women’s Rugby** **Harlequins Women 22-17 Sale Sharks Women** (Twickenham Stoop) – *Friday, 13 December*

Harlequins secured a hard-fought victory over Sale Sharks in a pulsating Premiership Women’s Rugby encounter at the Stoop that showcased the competitive nature of England’s elite women’s club competition. Ellie Kildunne scored two tries for the hosts, with additional scores from Wilcock, Parry and Powell helping Quins build a commanding position.

Sale started strongly with an early try from Lloyd in the third minute, but Harlequins’ superior firepower gradually took control of the contest. The Sharks fought back with a late try from Campbell in the 77th minute and secured a losing bonus point for their efforts, ensuring they departed with some reward for a spirited performance.

The victory keeps Harlequins in contention in the PWR standings as the competition enters its crucial mid-season phase, with the top teams beginning to separate themselves from the chasing pack ahead of the spring run-in to the playoffs.

---

### LEAGUE TABLES

**As of Sunday, 14 December**

#### Premier League

PosTeamPldWGDPts1Arsenal1611+20362Manchester City1510+19313Aston Villa159+7304**Chelsea**168+12285Crystal Palace157+8266Liverpool168+2267Manchester United157+425………………13**Fulham**166-320………………19Burnley163-151020Wolverhampton160-262#### League One

PosTeamPldWGDPts1Cardiff City1812+15382Bradford City189+8343Lincoln City1910+7344Stockport County189+4325Bolton Wanderers188+9316Stevenage179+731………………9**AFC Wimbledon**188-326………………24Port Vale183-1014---

### STORY OF THE WEEK

Fulham’s victory at Turf Moor ended one of football’s most extraordinary hoodoos – 74 years and 30 failed attempts to win at Burnley’s home ground. Harry Wilson’s brilliance illuminated a dramatic contest that showed both the promise of Marco Silva’s side when firing on all cylinders and the desperate plight of a Burnley team sliding toward the Championship. In Stamford Bridge and at the Stoop, meanwhile, Chelsea’s teams bounced back from rare defeats to show championship mettle when it mattered most.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/15/fulham-end-74-year-turf-moor-wait-as-chelsea-teams-bounce-back/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/15/fulham-end-74-year-turf-moor-wait-as-chelsea-teams-bounce-back/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Fulham%20end%2074-year%20Turf%20Moor%20wait%20as%20Chelsea%20teams%20bounce%20back&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/15/fulham-end-74-year-turf-moor-wait-as-chelsea-teams-bounce-back/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby, Sport

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Champions League, Chelsea FC, Chelsea Women, Cole Palmer, Fulham FC, Harlequins Women, Harry Wilson, Premier League, Stamford Bridge, Turf Moor, Women's Super League

---

### [Putney area teams face testing festive fixtures this weekend](https://putney.news/2025/12/19/putney-area-teams-face-testing-festive-fixtures-this-weekend/)

**Published:** December 19, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Chelsea travel to Newcastle, Wimbledon continue strong away form at Northampton.

**Content:**

*What’s happened this week and what’s on this weekend in sport.*

### This week’s news in brief

**Monday 15 – Thursday 18 December**

**Chelsea’s** injury concerns continued to mount this week as the 44% spike in injuries following the Club World Cup continues to impact Enzo Maresca’s squad depth. **Cole Palmer** remains the focal point of careful management, with the England international still not operating at full capacity despite returning to action. Palmer acknowledged he’s “still dealing with an injury” and emphasized the importance of not doing “too much too soon” as the Blues navigate a congested festive fixture list. **Levi Colwill’s** ACL injury sustained before the season began could sideline the defender for the entire campaign, while **Romeo Lavia** faces an extended absence with a thigh problem that has no definitive return window. The injury crisis comes at a critical time as Chelsea prepare for Saturday’s crucial trip to Newcastle.

**AFC Wimbledon** head into Friday night’s clash at Northampton sitting 10th in League One despite mixed recent form. The Dons held Mansfield to a goalless draw at Plough Lane last weekend but have thrived away from home this season, with victories at Doncaster, Blackpool and Plymouth plus an entertaining 3-3 draw at Huddersfield. However, striker **Matthew Stevens** remains a doubt, placing additional pressure on Marcus Browne and Danilo Orsi to provide the firepower. Manager Johnnie Jackson’s side have now gone four of their last five fixtures on the road as they look to build momentum heading into the Christmas period.

**Fulham** face a month-long stretch without three key starters after **Calvin Bassey**, **Alex Iwobi** and **Samuel Chukwueze** departed for AFCON duty following Saturday’s 3-2 win over Burnley. The Nigerian trio could miss up to seven matches if the Super Eagles reach the final, with the tournament running from December 21 to January 18. **Marco Silva** acknowledged the severity of the situation: “We are talking about three starting XI players. We know Alex is a key player in any position he plays. The importance of Calvin, and what Chukwueze has been doing in recent games.” Fulham are the most heavily impacted Premier League club after Sunderland, losing players with over 3,000 combined minutes this season. Chukwueze has hit form at precisely the wrong time with two goals and two assists in his last four games, while Iwobi’s versatility and Bassey’s defensive solidity will leave significant gaps in Silva’s squad.

The women’s game enters its winter break this weekend, with both the Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship pausing until mid-January. The break runs from December 16 through January 18, meaning **Chelsea Women** and **Fulham Women** supporters will have to wait until the new year to see their teams back in action. The hiatus provides crucial recovery time for players ahead of the second half of the season, with Chelsea Women looking to maintain their push for European qualification and Fulham Women aiming to build on their strong Championship campaign.

---

### COMING UP THIS WEEK

**Friday, 19 December:**

- Northampton Town vs **AFC Wimbledon** – League One, 7:45pm (Sixfields Stadium)

**Saturday, 20 December:**

- Newcastle United vs **Chelsea** – Premier League, 12:30pm (St James’ Park, TNT Sports)
- **Harlequins Women** vs Bristol Bears – PWR, 3:05pm (Twickenham Stoop)

**Monday, 22 December:**

- **Fulham** vs Nottingham Forest – Premier League, 8pm (Craven Cottage, Sky Sports)

**Note:** Chelsea Women and Fulham Women are on winter break until January 18, 2026.

---

### LEAGUE TABLES

**As of Thursday, 18 December 2025**

#### Premier League (After Matchweek 16)

PosTeamPldWGDPts1Arsenal1611+20362Man City1611+22343Aston Villa1610+8334**Chelsea**168+12285Crystal Palace167+526………………14**Fulham**166-320#### League One (After Matchweek 20)

PosTeamPldWGDPts1Cardiff City1913+16412Bradford City1910+10373Lincoln City2010+7354Bolton199+10345Stevenage1810+934………………10**AFC Wimbledon**198-327#### Premiership Women’s Rugby (After Round 7)

PosTeamPldWGDPts1Saracens Women76+186302Gloucester-Hartpury66+106303Chiefs73+24224Loughborough Lightning63+26185**Harlequins Women**63-818---

#### WHAT TO WATCH

Chelsea face a stern test at St James’ Park on Saturday lunchtime as they look to bounce back from recent struggles while managing mounting injuries. The Blues’ squad depth will be tested against an in-form Newcastle side, with Cole Palmer’s fitness crucial to their attacking threat. Meanwhile, AFC Wimbledon aim to continue their impressive away form at Northampton on Friday night, and Harlequins Women host Bristol Bears in what promises to be a physical PWR encounter before the season breaks for Christmas. Fulham’s Monday night fixture at Craven Cottage against Nottingham Forest rounds out the weekend, giving Marco Silva’s side a chance to climb the table before the festive fixtures begin in earnest.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/19/putney-area-teams-face-testing-festive-fixtures-this-weekend/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/19/putney-area-teams-face-testing-festive-fixtures-this-weekend/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20area%20teams%20face%20testing%20festive%20fixtures%20this%20weekend&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/19/putney-area-teams-face-testing-festive-fixtures-this-weekend/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby, Sport

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea, Fulham, Harlequins Women, sports preview

---

### [Blues battle back at St James' as Fulham's late heartbreak sets up Christmas crucible](https://putney.news/2025/12/22/blues-battle-back-at-st-james-as-fulhams-late-heartbreak-sets-up-christmas-crucible/)

**Published:** December 22, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Chelsea rescue draw and Fulham exit Cup before brutal seven-game festive run + a look ahead.

**Content:**

SPORTS DIGEST: CHRISTMAS EDITION

### FOOTBALL

#### Heartbreak at St James’ as Miley’s stoppage-time stunner dumps Fulham out of Cup

**Fulham FC – EFL Cup Quarter-Final** **Newcastle United 2-1 Fulham** (St James’ Park) – *Wednesday, 17 December*

Fulham’s dreams of matching last season’s historic semi-final run were crushed in the cruellest fashion as Lewis Miley’s 92nd-minute winner sent Newcastle into the EFL Cup semi-finals. Marco Silva’s side had battled their way to the quarter-finals with victories over Bristol City, Cambridge United and Wycombe Wanderers on penalties, but fell one round short of repeating their breakthrough 2023-24 campaign when they reached the semi-finals for the first time in club history.

The Cottagers will rue missed opportunities in a match they controlled for long periods. Despite creating the better chances throughout, Fulham’s profligacy in front of goal proved costly as Newcastle capitalised on rare moments of quality. The defeat ends a cup run that had promised so much but ultimately delivered familiar heartbreak.

For Silva’s men, the immediate challenge is refocusing on league form with a crucial run of Christmas fixtures looming. With the mid-table pack tightly bunched and European qualification still mathematically possible, the next seven days could define their season.

---

#### Blues earn hard-fought point but slip further behind top four

**Chelsea FC – Premier League** **Newcastle United 2-2 Chelsea** (St James’ Park) – *Saturday, 20 December*

Chelsea salvaged a dramatic point at St James’ Park but will feel this was two points dropped in their pursuit of Champions League football. Nick Woltemade’s blistering double inside 20 minutes stunned Enzo Maresca’s side, who found themselves 2-0 down before the travelling support had settled into their seats.

The Blues showed character to fight back through Reece James’ sensational 49th-minute free-kick and João Pedro’s composed finish on 66 minutes, completing a turnaround that looked improbable at the break. But the draw leaves Chelsea in fourth place on 29 points, level with fifth-placed Liverpool and just two points ahead of sixth-placed Sunderland.

With Arsenal extending their lead at the top (39 points) and Manchester City grinding out results in second (37 points), Chelsea’s margin for error has evaporated. The festive fixtures offer both opportunity and danger: win them all and European qualification remains firmly in their hands, but any slip-ups could see Maresca’s men fall out of contention entirely.

---

### THE CHRISTMAS CRUCIBLE: SEVEN DAYS TO DEFINE THE SEASON

The quiet week before Christmas gives way to the most intense period of the Premier League calendar. Between Monday 22 December and Sunday 4 January, our teams face a brutal schedule of fixtures that will reshape the table and potentially determine their entire campaigns.

**FULHAM: SURVIVAL MODE ENGAGED**

Marco Silva’s side enters the Christmas period in 15th place with 20 points from 16 matches, seven points above the relegation zone. The EFL Cup exit removes a distraction but adds focus: building a comfortable mid-table cushion is now the priority.

The run starts gently with **Nottingham Forest (H)** on Monday night, but then the fixtures turn vicious. A trip to the **London Stadium to face West Ham (A)** on December 27 precedes the New Year nightmare: **Crystal Palace (A)** on January 1, **Liverpool (H)** on January 4. Four matches in 14 days, three against teams directly competing for safety or European places.

**What’s at stake:** Win the first two home games (Forest, Liverpool) and Fulham could climb into the top half of the table with genuine breathing room. Lose them both and the Cottagers could slip into the bottom half with a nervy second half of the season ahead. Liverpool at Craven Cottage on January 4 might seem daunting, but the Reds have looked vulnerable this season – sitting fifth on 29 points – and Fulham have troubled them before.

**The target:** Seven points from four games would represent a superb return and secure mid-table comfort. Anything less than four points means an anxious winter.

---

**CHELSEA: THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CROSSROADS**

Fourth place with 29 points sounds comfortable, but Chelsea’s position is more precarious than it appears. They’re level on points with fifth-placed Liverpool and only two points ahead of sixth-placed Sunderland. Meanwhile, third-placed Aston Villa (36 points) and second-placed Manchester City (37 points) are pulling away. This is the swing zone where seasons pivot.

The schedule offers no mercy: **Aston Villa (H)** on December 27, **AFC Bournemouth (H)** on December 30, **Manchester City (A)** on January 3. Three matches in eight days, including a trip to the Etihad where City have been near-impregnable.

**What’s at stake:** Maximum nine points and Chelsea would climb to 38 points, firmly in the top-four conversation and potentially closing the gap on third-placed Aston Villa. But drop points at home to Villa or Bournemouth and the Blues could find themselves in a dogfight with Liverpool, Sunderland, Manchester United, and Crystal Palace for that fourth Champions League spot.

The Manchester City match looms largest. Win at the Etihad and Chelsea would move to 32 points, staying in touch with the top three. Lose and they risk slipping into a mid-table scrap with half a dozen teams within touching distance.

**The target:** Six points from three matches minimum. Anything less and European qualification becomes a coin flip.

---

### COMING UP THIS WEEK

**Monday, 22 December:**

- **Fulham vs Nottingham Forest** – 8pm (Sky Sports)

**Saturday, 27 December:**

- **West Ham vs Fulham** – 3pm
- **Chelsea vs Aston Villa** – 5:30pm (Sky Sports)

**Tuesday, 30 December:**

- **Chelsea vs AFC Bournemouth** – 7:30pm (Sky Sports)

**Thursday, 1 January:**

- **Crystal Palace vs Fulham** – 5:30pm (Sky Sports)

**Saturday, 3 January:**

- **Manchester City vs Chelsea** – 5:30pm (Sky Sports)

**Sunday, 4 January:**

- **Fulham vs Liverpool** – 3pm (Sky Sports)

---

### LEAGUE TABLES

**As of Saturday, 20 December**

#### Premier League

PosTeamPldWGDPts1Arsenal1712+21392Man City1712+25373Aston Villa1711+9364**Chelsea**178+12295Liverpool179+3296Sunderland177+227………………15**Fulham**166-320---

### STORY OF THE WEEK

**The Seven-Day Season**

Christmas in the Premier League used to mean tradition, turkey, and Boxing Day football. This year it means pressure. With only one Boxing Day fixture (Manchester United vs Newcastle at 8pm on December 26), the festive period has morphed into something altogether more condensed and dangerous.

For Chelsea, it’s a chance to cement Champions League football or watch their season unravel into a mid-table scrap. For Fulham, it’s the difference between comfortable mid-table security and an anxious second half of the season. Seven days. Six matches between our teams. Dozens of points on the line.

The table will look radically different by January 5. Some teams will have climbed into contention. Others will have fallen into crisis. One thing is certain: no one is cruising through Christmas this year.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/22/blues-battle-back-at-st-james-as-fulhams-late-heartbreak-sets-up-christmas-crucible/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/22/blues-battle-back-at-st-james-as-fulhams-late-heartbreak-sets-up-christmas-crucible/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Blues%20battle%20back%20at%20St%20James%E2%80%99%20as%20Fulham%E2%80%99s%20late%20heartbreak%20sets%20up%20Christmas%20crucible&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/22/blues-battle-back-at-st-james-as-fulhams-late-heartbreak-sets-up-christmas-crucible/)

**Categories:** Football

**Tags:** Aston Villa, Chelsea FC, Christmas fixtures, EFL Cup, Enzo Maresca, Fulham FC, Lewis Miley, Marco Silva, Newcastle United, Premier League, Reece James

---

### [Festive fixture pile-up tests Chelsea and Fulham squad depth](https://putney.news/2025/12/26/festive-fixture-pile-up-tests-chelsea-and-fulham-squad-depth/)

**Published:** December 26, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Three matches in six days for both west London clubs as congested period begins.

**Content:**

Festive Fixtures: 27 December – 1 January

#### News in Brief

**Monday 23 – Thursday 26 December**

Fulham striker **Raúl Jiménez** has written himself into Premier League history, joining Manchester City legend Yaya Touré with a perfect penalty record. The Mexican international’s spot-kick in the 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest means he’s now converted all 11 of his Premier League penalties, matching Touré’s flawless record. Boss **Marco Silva** praised Jiménez’s “special coldness” from 12 yards, a quality that could prove crucial during the congested festive period ahead.

**Chelsea** will face Arsenal in the EFL Cup semi-finals after the Gunners edged past Crystal Palace on penalties. The all-London tie follows a dramatic quarter-final that finished 1-1 after 90 minutes, with Palace defender Maxence Lacroix missing the decisive kick in the shootout. The other semi-final sees Newcastle United take on Manchester City, with both ties scheduled for late January.

**Harlequins** have handed Welsh age-grade international **Jonny Green** his first senior contract following an impressive breakthrough season. The second row has made 17 first-team appearances including six in the Premiership, scoring on his debut for the Twickenham Stoop outfit. Green joins fellow academy graduates **Ben Waghorn** and **Zach Carr** in signing senior deals this season, with coach **Jason Gilmore** praising the 20-year-old’s commitment and growth. Green features on the bench for Harlequins’ Boxing Day clash at Sale Sharks, alongside returning captain Alex Dombrandt who’s back from injury.

Chelsea boss **Enzo Maresca** has given his squad Christmas Day off ahead of their Saturday evening kick-off against Aston Villa, with the Italian manager expressing full trust in his players to enjoy themselves responsibly. Unlike Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, who famously weighs his players after the festive break, Maresca insisted it’s not something he’s considered, backing his squad’s professionalism during the brief respite before a punishing schedule of three matches in six days.

#### Coming Up This Week

***Friday 27 December – Thursday 1 January***

**Saturday, 27 December:**

- West Ham United vs **Fulham** – Premier League, 3pm (London Stadium)
- **Chelsea** vs Aston Villa – Premier League, 5:30pm (Stamford Bridge, Sky Sports)

**Sunday, 28 December:**

- Sunderland vs Leeds United – Championship, 2pm (Stadium of Light, Sky Sports)

**Tuesday, 30 December:**

- **Chelsea** vs AFC Bournemouth – Premier League, 7:30pm (Stamford Bridge, Sky Sports)

**Thursday, 1 January 2026:**

- Crystal Palace vs **Fulham** – Premier League, 5:30pm (Selhurst Park, Sky Sports)

**League One – Boxing Day (Thursday, 26 December):**

- **AFC Wimbledon** vs Stevenage – League One, 3pm (Cherry Red Records Stadium)

**Rugby – Premiership (Thursday, 26 December):**

- **Harlequins** vs Sale Sharks – Gallagher Premiership, 5:30pm (CorpAcq Stadium)

**Note:** Chelsea Women and Fulham Women remain on winter break until 10-11 January. Harlequins Women return to action on 5 January against Trailfinders Women in PWR Round 12.

#### League Tables

**As of Thursday, 25 December**

**Premier League**

PosTeamPldWGDPts1Arsenal1712+21392Man City1712+25373Aston Villa1711+9364**Chelsea**178+1229………………13**Fulham**177-223**League One**

PosTeamPldWGDPts1Cardiff City2013+15412Lincoln City2111+8383Bradford City2010+937………………13**AFC Wimbledon**208-527#### What to Watch

The festive fixture pile-up brings three matches in six days for both Chelsea and Fulham, testing squad depth and rotation strategies to the limit. Chelsea face back-to-back home games at Stamford Bridge against top-six challengers Aston Villa and resurgent Bournemouth, while Fulham tackle two London derbies either side of the New Year. With Jiménez’s ice-cool penalty record and Maresca’s faith in his squad’s Christmas discipline, both west London clubs will be hoping the festive spirit translates into crucial points during English football’s most demanding period.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/26/festive-fixture-pile-up-tests-chelsea-and-fulham-squad-depth/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/26/festive-fixture-pile-up-tests-chelsea-and-fulham-squad-depth/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Festive%20fixture%20pile-up%20tests%20Chelsea%20and%20Fulham%20squad%20depth&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/26/festive-fixture-pile-up-tests-chelsea-and-fulham-squad-depth/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby, Sport

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Boxing Day, Chelsea, Festive fixtures, Fulham, Harlequins, Premier League, Raúl Jiménez

---

### [Chelsea sack Maresca as England salvage pride and Fulham streak ends](https://putney.news/2026/01/02/chelsea-sack-maresca-as-england-salvage-pride-and-fulham-streak-ends/)

**Published:** January 2, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Fan revolt forces managerial change while Boxing Day brings Test victory and New Year stalemate.

**Content:**

SPORTS DIGEST HOLIDAY SPECIAL

---

#### Chelsea Sack Maresca After 18 Months as Fans Turn on Struggling Boss

**Chelsea FC – Manager Departure**

Enzo Maresca has left his role as Chelsea head coach after just 18 months in charge, the club confirmed yesterday. The Italian’s departure follows a dramatic breakdown in relations with the club hierarchy and a run of one win from the last seven Premier League games that has left Chelsea 15 points behind leaders Arsenal.

The final straw came after Tuesday’s 2-2 home draw with Bournemouth, where Stamford Bridge erupted in boos and chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” when Maresca withdrew star playmaker Cole Palmer in the 63rd minute. The manager refused to face the media after the match, with assistant Willy Caballero telling reporters Maresca had been feeling unwell, though it later emerged the Italian had already begun considering his future.

Sky Sports News reports that Maresca’s exit was unanimously agreed by Chelsea’s board, with disagreements over return-to-play protocols for injured players, speculation linking him with Manchester City, and the club’s recent poor form all contributing factors. Chelsea have now parted ways with four permanent managers since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital bought the club in May 2022.

Liam Rosenior, currently managing sister club Strasbourg, has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Maresca. The 41-year-old former Fulham player impressed during his spell at Hull City before taking charge of Strasbourg, who are owned by Chelsea’s parent company BlueCo. Chelsea expect to announce a new head coach within days.

Maresca departs having won the Conference League, Club World Cup, and secured fourth place in his first season, but the wheels came off spectacularly this campaign. Chelsea sit fifth on 30 points, having dropped 20 points from winning positions this season.

---

### TRANSFER WINDOW OPENS

#### Fulham Push £40m Club Record Bid for USMNT Star as Silva Contract Talks Continue

**Fulham FC – January Transfer Window**

The January transfer window opened on Thursday 1 January with Fulham immediately making headlines as they prepare a second bid for PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi after seeing an initial offer of £26 million rejected.

PSV value the 22-year-old United States international at closer to £40 million, a fee that would smash Fulham’s transfer record if completed. The club’s current record signing cost between £27-34 million, making the potential Pepi deal a statement of ambition from the Cottagers.

The pursuit of Pepi comes as manager Marco Silva’s contract situation remains unresolved. Silva’s current deal expires at the end of this season, and while Fulham have tabled a three-year extension, the Portuguese boss wants guarantees of significant January backing before committing his future. Sources suggest Silva is seeking reinforcements in central midfield, on the wing, and up front, with the club potentially needing to spend upwards of £60 million to meet his demands.

Fulham are also monitoring Fiorentina striker Moise Kean, whom Silva knows well from their time together at Everton. With Raul Jimenez turning 34 and in the final year of his contract, and Rodrigo Muniz recovering from hamstring surgery, strengthening the forward line has become imperative.

The club has also lost three players to the Africa Cup of Nations this month, further depleting Marco Silva’s squad depth.

---

### FOOTBALL

#### Remarkable Fulham Streak Continues as Jimenez Strikes Again

**Fulham FC – Premier League** **West Ham United 0-1 Fulham** (London Stadium) – *Friday, 27 December*

Fulham secured a remarkable third consecutive Premier League victory despite missing several key players, with Raul Jimenez once again proving the match-winner at the London Stadium. The Mexican striker headed home Harry Wilson’s perfectly weighted cross with just five minutes remaining to deepen West Ham’s relegation worries and lift Fulham into 10th place on 26 points.

The victory was all the more impressive given Fulham were without Samu Chukwueze, Calvin Bassey, and Alex Iwobi, yet still found a way to break down a stubborn West Ham side. Jimenez’s late intervention came after Oliver Scarles air-kicked a wild clearing attempt, allowing Wilson to exploit the space and deliver the decisive pass.

The win continued Fulham’s resurgence following the return of Antonee Robinson from long-term injury. The United States left-back, known as “The Jedi”, made his first Premier League start of the season on 13 December at Burnley after undergoing knee surgery in May. Robinson had struggled with a split tendon that caused severe pain throughout last season, eventually requiring surgery that kept him out until mid-December.

Since Robinson’s return to the starting XI, Fulham have won three consecutive matches, scored crucial late goals, and climbed away from mid-table mediocrity. The 28-year-old’s influence on both ends of the pitch cannot be overstated – he finished last season with 10 assists, the fourth-most in the Premier League and easily the best mark among all defenders.

For West Ham, the defeat extended their winless run to seven matches and left them five points adrift of safety in 18th place. The Hammers have now lost their last six London derbies and taken just three points from their last seven games, with manager Nuno Espirito Santo under increasing pressure.

---

#### Cairney Stunner Denies Fulham Fourth Straight Win

**Fulham FC – Premier League** **Crystal Palace 1-1 Fulham** (Selhurst Park) – *Thursday, 1 January*

Tom Cairney came off the bench to rescue a dramatic point for Fulham with a stunning 80th-minute equalizer at Selhurst Park, denying the Cottagers what would have been a club-record fourth consecutive Premier League victory. The veteran midfielder, making his 150th Premier League appearance, curled a magnificent left-footed strike into the top corner from the edge of the box to cancel out Jean-Philippe Mateta’s first-half header.

Fulham dominated the early stages, with Raul Jimenez somehow side-footing wide after Dean Henderson had pushed away Harry Wilson’s fierce effort. But Palace took the lead six minutes before the break when Nathaniel Clyne delivered an inviting cross from the right, allowing Mateta to power home a header for his first goal since late November, ending an eight-game drought from open play.

Marco Silva’s side pressed for an equalizer throughout the second half, with Jimenez agonizingly striking the post with a well-guided header. Palace came desperately close to sealing victory when Bernd Leno tipped Maxence Lacroix’s header onto the crossbar, only for Lacroix’s follow-up to be blocked on the line.

Cairney, introduced for Sander Berge, made an instant impact with his first goal of the season – a moment of brilliance that took him to 34 years and 346 days, making him Fulham’s fifth-oldest Premier League goalscorer. The equalizer sparked a frantic finale, with Henderson producing an outstanding save to deny Timothy Castagne before Joachim Andersen blazed over from six yards in the dying seconds.

The result extends Fulham’s unbeaten run to four matches and sees them climb to 10th place on 27 points, level with Crystal Palace in ninth. While Silva will rue the missed opportunity to equal the club’s Premier League record of four straight wins, the point maintains Fulham’s impressive form despite the absence of Bassey, Iwobi, and Chukwueze on AFCON duty.

---

#### Chelsea’s Troubling Run Continues in Bournemouth Stalemate

**Chelsea FC – Premier League** **Chelsea 2-2 Bournemouth** (Stamford Bridge) – *Monday, 30 December*

Chelsea’s winless run extended to three matches in a breathless encounter that saw all four goals scored inside the opening 27 minutes at Stamford Bridge. The result, combined with the fan backlash, would prove fatal for manager Enzo Maresca, who refused to conduct media duties after the final whistle.

Bournemouth captain David Brooks bundled his side into an early sixth-minute lead, only for Cole Palmer’s 15th-minute penalty to restore parity after Antoine Semenyo fouled Estevao. Enzo Fernandez marked his 100th Premier League appearance with a sensational curling finish into the top corner to put Chelsea ahead in the 23rd minute, but Justin Kluivert tapped in four minutes later after the Blues failed to deal with another Semenyo long throw-in.

The chaotic first half stood in stark contrast to a second period where Chelsea established more control but couldn’t find the winning goal. The lively Estevao proved a constant threat, but Maresca’s decision to withdraw Palmer in the 63rd minute sparked jeers from the home crowd. Those boos turned to chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” as frustration boiled over.

Fernandez spurned a glorious chance to grab all three points 13 minutes from time, curling over the crossbar when well placed. Chelsea missed the chance to leapfrog Liverpool into fourth place, instead remaining fifth on 30 points, 15 points behind leaders Arsenal. For Bournemouth, the point extended their winless league run to 10 matches despite an impressive away performance.

The match would prove to be Maresca’s last in charge, with assistant Willy Caballero likely to take charge for Sunday’s trip to Manchester City while the club finalizes a permanent replacement.

---

#### Dons Struggle to Find Form Over Holiday Period

**AFC Wimbledon – League One** **AFC Wimbledon 0-1 Exeter City** (Cherry Red Records Stadium) – *Sunday, 29 December*

AFC Wimbledon’s inconsistent season continued with a frustrating home defeat to Exeter City, who secured all three points through Jayden Wareham’s 37th-minute strike. The loss, coupled with a goalless draw against Stevenage on Boxing Day, leaves the Dons in 12th place with 31 points from 23 matches.

Manager Johnnie Jackson made just one change from the Stevenage draw, bringing in Callum Maycock for Myles Hippolyte, but Wimbledon struggled to create clear chances against well-organized opposition. Omar Bugiel marked his 100th league appearance in a Dons shirt, but the milestone was spoiled by the defeat in front of 8,621 fans at the Cherry Red Records Stadium.

The match saw Wimbledon dominate possession at 54.4% but fail to convert territorial advantage into goals, managing just one shot on target from 11 attempts. Exeter goalkeeper Joe Whitworth was largely untroubled, making five saves to secure the clean sheet.

The result means Wimbledon have won nine, drawn four, and lost 10 of their opening 23 matches. Jackson will be looking for a response as the Dons aim to climb the table and push toward the playoff positions.

---

### CRICKET

#### England End 15-Year Wait with Consolation Victory After Ashes Humiliation

**England Men’s Cricket – The Ashes, 4th Test** **Australia 152 & 132 – England 110 & 178/6** (Melbourne Cricket Ground) – *26-27 December*

England secured their first Test victory in Australia in 15 years with a dramatic four-wicket win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Boxing Day, though the triumph came with The Ashes series already lost after three demoralizing defeats. The match, played in front of record crowds exceeding 186,000 across two extraordinary days, lasted just 852 balls – the second two-day finish in this remarkable series.

Australia had already retained the urn after crushing England by eight wickets in both Perth and Brisbane, before inflicting an 82-run defeat in Adelaide to take an unassailable 3-0 lead. Ben Stokes’ battered side arrived in Melbourne playing only for pride and to avoid a humiliating whitewash.

Josh Tongue starred with match figures of 7-89, claiming 5-45 in Australia’s first innings to skittle the hosts for just 152. England replied with 110, with Harry Brook top-scoring on 41, before Tongue and Brydon Carse combined to dismiss Australia for 132 in their second innings, leaving England requiring 175 for a famous victory.

Jacob Bethell, recalled for this match, compiled a crucial 40 in tricky conditions to give England the upper hand before his dismissal sparked a mini-collapse. Joe Root fell lbw to Jhye Richardson and captain Ben Stokes carved an edge off Mitchell Starc with just 10 runs needed, but four leg byes off the final delivery completed the victory to roars from the Barmy Army.

The win was England’s first in Australia since the 2010-11 Ashes and came despite the series already being lost. Stokes acknowledged the match lasting just two days was “far from ideal” for Cricket Australia, who face significant financial losses, but praised his team for avoiding a whitewash.

The ICC subsequently rated the MCG pitch “unsatisfactory” and handed Cricket Australia a demerit point, the third tier in a four-tier rating system. The match was the fifth time in Test history that a series included multiple two-day finishes, with England and Australia remarkably producing two in this Ashes alone.

England now travel to Sydney for the fifth and final Test starting Sunday 3 January, with The Ashes already surrendered but pride partially restored. A win in Sydney would see them lose the series 3-2 rather than suffer the ignominy of a 4-1 or 5-0 defeat, though the damage from those three opening Test thrashings cannot be undone.

---

### WOMEN’S FOOTBALL

**WSL Winter Break:** The FA Women’s Super League is on its scheduled winter break, which runs from 22 December through 10 January. Chelsea Women and other WSL clubs return to action during the weekend of 11-12 January. Fulham Women’s Championship season also observes the festive break.

---

### RUGBY UNION

**PWR & Premiership Break:** Premiership Women’s Rugby and men’s Gallagher Premiership both observe the festive period break. Harlequins Women and other PWR clubs return to action in mid-January.

---

### COMING UP NEXT WEEK

**Weekend of 3-5 January:**

- **Chelsea** vs Manchester City – Premier League, Sunday 5 January, 5:30pm (Etihad Stadium, Sky Sports)
- **Fulham** vs Liverpool – Premier League, Wednesday 8 January, 7:30pm (Craven Cottage, Sky Sports)
- England vs Australia – 5th Ashes Test (Sydney Cricket Ground) – Starts Sunday 3 January evening UK time

**Full transfer window:** The January transfer window remains open until 7pm on Monday, 2 February 2026, with Fulham, Chelsea, and AFC Wimbledon all expected to be active in the market.

---

### LEAGUE TABLES

**As of Thursday, 1 January 2026**

#### Premier League

PosTeamPldWGDPts1Arsenal1914+25452Man City1913+26413Aston Villa1912+7394Liverpool1910+4335**Chelsea**198+11306Man United198+430………………9Brentford198+22710Crystal Palace197+12711**Fulham**198-12712Tottenham197+426………………18West Ham193-171419Burnley193-171220Wolves190-293#### League One

PosTeamPldWGDPts1Cardiff City2315+17482Lincoln City2413+11453Bradford City2312+843………………12**AFC Wimbledon**239-431---

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/02/chelsea-sack-maresca-as-england-salvage-pride-and-fulham-streak-ends/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/02/chelsea-sack-maresca-as-england-salvage-pride-and-fulham-streak-ends/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Chelsea%20sack%20Maresca%20as%20England%20salvage%20pride%20and%20Fulham%20streak%20ends&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/02/chelsea-sack-maresca-as-england-salvage-pride-and-fulham-streak-ends/)

**Categories:** Cricket, Football, Rugby, Sport

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea FC, Crystal Palace, Enzo Maresca, Fulham FC, Ricardo Pepi, The Ashes, Tom Cairney, transfer window

---

### [Contrasting fortunes for west London clubs as cup campaigns gather pace](https://putney.news/2026/01/12/contrasting-fortunes-for-west-london-clubs-as-cup-campaigns-gather-pace/)

**Published:** January 12, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Chelsea recover from Fulham defeat with Charlton thrashing while Harlequins secure Champions Cup last 16 spot.

**Content:**

SPORTS DIGEST: 6-12 JANUARY 2026

### FOOTBALL

#### Rosenior’s Chelsea era begins with derby loss to Fulham

**Premier League – Wednesday, January 7**

**Fulham 2-1 Chelsea** (Craven Cottage)

Chelsea’s new manager, Liam Rosenior, got off to a rough start – watching from the stands at Craven Cottage as Marc Cucurella’s 22nd-minute red card condemned the Blues to their seventh dismissal of the season.

Fulham’s Raúl Jiménez capitalised on the numerical advantage ten minutes into the second half before Harry Wilson’s 81st-minute strike sealed Fulham’s west London derby triumph despite Liam Delap’s brief equaliser.

The defeat marked Chelsea’s third time this season going down to ten in the opening period, a chronic discipline problem Rosenior inherits alongside Enzo Maresca’s Instagram tribute to his “legacy.”

---

**FA Cup Third Round – Saturday, January 10**

**Charlton 1-5 Chelsea** (The Valley)

Rosenior’s first official match as boss however brought a convincing FA Cup passage as Chelsea thrashed Charlton.

Jorrel Hato’s stoppage-time volley broke the deadlock before Tosin Adarabioyo doubled the lead five minutes after the restart. Miles Leaburn’s response briefly threatened an upset, but Marc Guiu restored the two-goal cushion and Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernández penalties completed the rout.

The comprehensive victory offered Rosenior a glimpse of squad depth ahead of sterner challenges, though tougher tests await with an EFL Cup semi-final against Arsenal looming.

**Fulham 3-1 Middlesbrough** (Craven Cottage)

Marco Silva watched from the stands serving a touchline ban as Fulham overturned Hayden Hackney’s 30th-minute opener with a clinical second-half display.

Sub Harry Wilson struck the equaliser on the hour before Emile Smith Rowe put the Cottagers ahead with 13 minutes remaining. Kevin added gloss in stoppage time – and gave him his first goal for the team – to seal Fulham’s sixth consecutive match without defeat and progression to the fourth round.

---

**Women’s Super League – Sunday, January 11**

**Chelsea Women 5-0 West Ham United** (Kingsmeadow)

Chelsea Women opened 2026 with ruthless precision, scoring inside 60 seconds through a Yu Endo own goal before Lauren James, Alyssa Thompson and Sandy Baltimore twice turned the fixture into a procession. The five-goal margin maintained Sonia Bompastor’s side within six points of Manchester City at the WSL summit.

West Ham’s struggles under new manager Rita Guarino intensified, the Hammers managing just one effort on goal while Baltimore’s curling finish and penalty exemplified Chelsea’s attacking prowess. The Blues’ dominance in front of goal continues with 20 scored in their final four 2025 fixtures now augmented by five more to start the new year.

---

**FA Women’s National League Division One South-East – Sunday, January 5**

**Fulham Women 5-0 Actonians** (Motspur Park)

Captain Jade Bradley’s powered league leaders Fulham Women to an emphatic return from the Christmas break, extending their unbeaten run to twelve matches. Bradley opened the scoring from a corner in the eleventh minute before Stella Gandee Morgan headed home a rebound five minutes later.

The skipper’s long-range stunner into the top corner made it three before Ellie Olds finished a sweeping transition move set up by Lily Stevens. Naomi Bradley completed the rout with a late header as Fulham dominated throughout against overwhelmed visitors. The Whites maintained their four-point cushion at the top of the division, three promotions away from the WSL where Chelsea Women reign as champions.

---

### RUGBY UNION

#### Harlequins Book Last 16 Berth with Dominant Display

**Investec Champions Cup – Sunday, January 11**

**Harlequins 61-10 Stormers** (Twickenham Stoop)

Nick David’s hat-trick inspired Harlequins to a nine-try demolition of the previously unbeaten Stormers, securing a last-16 berth with a round to spare. Jack Kenningham, Cadan Murley, Alex Dombrandt, Chandler Cunningham-South, David three times, Zach Carr and Jarrod Evans all crossed as the home side raced to a 33-0 half-time lead before eventually prevailing 61-10.

Marcus Smith converted eight attempts as Jason Gilmore’s side ended their poor run of form against a much-changed Stormers outfit resting key Springboks. Kenningham earned his first Player of the Match award in 84 appearances after an all-action display that set the tone for complete dominance. Quins now sit second in Pool 3 and will seal a home knockout tie with a bonus-point win against La Rochelle next Sunday.

---

### LEAGUE TABLES

LEAGUE TABLES

**As of Sunday, January 12, 2026**

##### Premier League

    Pos Team Pld W GD Pts     1 Arsenal 21 15 +26 49   2 Man City 21 13 +26 43   3 Aston Villa 21 13 +9 43   … … … … … …   8 **Chelsea** 21 8 +10 31   9 **Fulham** 21 9 0 31    

##### Women’s Super League

    Pos Team Pld W GD Pts     1 Man City 12 11 +24 33   2 **Chelsea** 12 8 +18 27   3 Arsenal 12 6 +13 23    

##### FA Women’s National League Division One South-East

    Pos Team Pld W GD Pts     1 **Fulham** 12 11 +31 34   2 Norwich City 11 10 +27 30   3 London Bees 11 8 +18 24    

##### Premiership Rugby

    Pos Team Pld W GD Pts     1 Bath 10 8 +98 41   2 Saracens 10 7 +51 35   3 Bristol 10 7 +46 33   … … … … … …   7 **Harlequins** 10 4 -32 18    

---

### FA CUP FOURTH ROUND DRAW

The draw for the fourth round takes place **Monday, January 12** following the Liverpool vs Barnsley third-round tie. Both Chelsea and Fulham will discover their opponents, with ties scheduled for the weekend of January 24-25.

---

### STORY OF THE WEEK

Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea baptism began with contrasting emotions – watching helplessly as another red card doomed the Blues at Craven Cottage before his charges dismantled Charlton in his official debut. Yet the 61-10 Champions Cup demolition at the Twickenham Stoop provided the week’s most emphatic statement, Harlequins ending their poor form with nine tries to book a last-16 berth.

As the FA Cup fourth-round draw looms Monday, both Fulham and Chelsea men await their fate, while the women’s game offered its own compelling narratives: Chelsea Women’s five-goal opening to 2026 maintains WSL title pressure, and Fulham Women’s unbeaten charge at Tier 4 showcases the gulf and ambition between west London’s contrasting women’s programmes.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/12/contrasting-fortunes-for-west-london-clubs-as-cup-campaigns-gather-pace/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/12/contrasting-fortunes-for-west-london-clubs-as-cup-campaigns-gather-pace/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Contrasting%20fortunes%20for%20west%20London%20clubs%20as%20cup%20campaigns%20gather%20pace&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/12/contrasting-fortunes-for-west-london-clubs-as-cup-campaigns-gather-pace/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby, Sport

**Tags:** Champions Cup, Chelsea, FA Cup, football, Fulham, Harlequins, Liam Rosenior, Premier League, rugby union, sport, weekly digest, Women's Super League

---

### [Rosenior faces baptism of fire as Fulham chase seven unbeaten](https://putney.news/2026/01/16/rosenior-faces-baptism-of-fire-as-fulham-chase-seven-unbeaten/)

**Published:** January 16, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** PREVIEW: Chelsea manager's first Premier League test comes amid injury crisis as Wilson-inspired Cottagers visit Leeds.

**Content:**

FRIDAY SPORTS PREVIEW

---

#### NEWS IN BRIEF

**Monday 13 – Thursday 15 January 2026**

**Silva insists Wilson going nowhere despite Leeds interest:** Marco Silva has shut down any talk of Harry Wilson leaving Fulham this month. The Welsh winger, who has seven goals and four assists this season, has been repeatedly linked with a January move to Leeds after a deadline day deal collapsed in September. “To clarify – completely zero chance of him leaving,” Silva said on Wednesday. “Zero chance for him to leave the club this January.” Wilson enters the final six months of his Craven Cottage contract with talks ongoing over a new deal. The 28-year-old, who captained Wales for the first time in November, has openly prioritised playing time ahead of this summer’s World Cup.

**Rosenior seeks first league win amid Chelsea injury crisis:** Liam Rosenior’s first Premier League match as Chelsea manager comes on Saturday against Brentford, but his preparations were disrupted when Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens were both ruled out of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup defeat to Arsenal with temperatures just hours before kick-off. Cole Palmer, Reece James and Malo Gusto all missed the 3-2 loss as “precautionary” measures. “I don’t want to take any risks at this stage of the season,” Rosenior said. The 41-year-old, appointed on a six-and-a-half-year contract, won his opening match 5-1 at Charlton in the FA Cup.

**Chelsea fall to Arsenal in Carabao Cup semi-final first leg:** Rosenior’s first home game ended in defeat as Arsenal claimed a 3-2 advantage at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. Ben White headed the Gunners ahead from a corner before Viktor Gyökeres ended his goal drought and Martin Zubimendi added a third. Alejandro Garnacho struck twice from the bench to keep Chelsea’s hopes alive ahead of the second leg at the Emirates on 3 February.

**Harlequins legend Lewies to depart after seven years:** Stephan Lewies will leave Harlequins at the end of the season to return to South Africa with the Hollywoodbets Sharks. The 34-year-old lock, who captained Quins to the 2020-21 Premiership title, has made 88 appearances since joining in 2019. “I arrived at the Club with a few suitcases and a girlfriend, I’m leaving with a lot of memories, new friends, a wife and baby,” Lewies said. His departure adds to a recent exodus that has seen Andre Esterhuizen, Wilco Louw, Irne Herbst and Will Collier all leave.

**AFC Wimbledon reach EFL Trophy quarter-finals:** The Dons beat West Ham Under-21s 4-2 in an entertaining last-16 tie at the Cherry Red Records Stadium on Monday. Johnnie Jackson’s side, in their first season back in League One after last season’s play-off success, are now three wins from Wembley. The quarter-final draw takes place on Saturday.

**Chelsea Women’s Buchanan nearing return:** Sonia Bompastor has revealed that Canada defender Kadeisha Buchanan is “not far from being back with the team in training sessions” as she recovers from an ACL injury suffered in November 2024. Chelsea, who beat West Ham 4-0 on Sunday, sit second in the WSL, six points behind Manchester City.

**FA Cup fourth round draw: Away days for Fulham and Chelsea:** Both west London clubs were handed away ties against Championship opposition in the FA Cup fourth round draw, made at Anfield on Monday. Fulham will travel to Stoke City while Chelsea face Hull City, with ties scheduled for the weekend of 14 February. Both clubs reached the fourth round with comfortable third-round victories – Fulham beat Middlesbrough 3-1 and Chelsea won 5-1 at Charlton in Rosenior’s first match in charge.

**Fulham announce fifth Celebration Day:** Fulham’s home fixture against Everton on 7 February will mark the club’s fifth annual Celebration Day, held in partnership with the Fulham Supporters’ Trust. The event, established in 2022, honours the memory of supporters, players and staff who have passed away in the previous year. Names are displayed on screens around Craven Cottage and read over the public address system, with a commemorative matchday programme featuring photos of those being remembered.

---

#### COMING UP THIS WEEK

**Friday 16 – Sunday 18 January 2026**

#### Saturday 17 January

**Premier League**

- Leeds United vs **Fulham** (15:00, Elland Road) – Fulham look to extend their six-game unbeaten run
- **Chelsea** vs Brentford (15:00, Stamford Bridge) – Rosenior’s first Premier League match

**League One**

- **AFC Wimbledon** vs Doncaster Rovers (15:00, Cherry Red Records Stadium)

#### Sunday 18 January

**FA WNL Division One South-East**

- **Fulham Women** vs Chelsea Academy (14:00, Motspur Park) – League leaders can extend unbeaten start

**Champions Cup Rugby**

- La Rochelle vs **Harlequins** (15:15, Stade Marcel-Deflandre) – Quins face toughest European test

**Midweek**

- **Chelsea Women** vs Manchester City – Women’s League Cup semi-final, Wed 21 Jan (19:00, Joie Stadium, BBC iPlayer)
- **Harlequins Women** – Next fixture vs Trailfinders Women, Fri 30 Jan

---

#### LEAGUE TABLES

**As of Thursday, 16 January 2026**

**Premier League**

    Pos Team Pld W GD Pts     1 Arsenal 21 15 +26 49   2 Manchester City 21 13 +26 43   3 Aston Villa 21 13 +9 43   … … … … … …   8 ![Chelsea](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)**Chelsea** 21 8 +10 31   9 ![Fulham](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham** 21 9 0 31   

**Women’s Super League**

    Pos Team Pld W GD Pts     1 Manchester City 12 11 +24 33   2 ![Chelsea](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)**Chelsea** 12 8 +18 27   3 Arsenal 12 6 +13 23   

**League One**

    Pos Team Pld W GD Pts     1 Cardiff 25 16 +18 52   2 Lincoln 25 14 +14 48   3 Bradford 24 13 +9 46   … … … … … …   13 ![AFC Wimbledon](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/afc-wimbledon.png)**AFC Wimbledon** 24 9 -6 31   

**FA WNL Division One South-East**

    Pos Team Pld W GD Pts     1 ![Fulham Women](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham Women** 12 11 +31 34   2 Norwich City Women 12 10 +30 33   3 London Bees 13 8 +20 26   

---

#### WHAT TO WATCH

**Fulham** travel to Elland Road in confident mood. Six Premier League games unbeaten, a derby win over Chelsea, and an FA Cup fourth-round place secured – Marco Silva’s side are quietly putting together an impressive campaign. Harry Wilson has been central to their form, and while Leeds will be desperate to sign him this month, Silva’s declaration that there is “zero chance” of a January exit means the Welshman will be out to torment his would-be suitors on Saturday.

Across west London, **Chelsea** are seeking stability under Liam Rosenior. The new manager has vowed to “make the decisions” at Stamford Bridge and promised he is “good at what I do”, but an injury-hit squad and a 3-2 Carabao Cup defeat to Arsenal have made for a turbulent first week. Fifth-placed Brentford, already victors at Manchester City this season, represent a stern test.

In Motspur Park, **Fulham Women** can extend their extraordinary unbeaten run when they host Chelsea Academy. Eleven wins from twelve matches have the league leaders a point clear at the top, and with nearest rivals Norwich City breathing down their necks, every point matters in the promotion race.

**Harlequins** head to La Rochelle on Sunday knowing the Stormers thrashing flattered their struggling side. CEO Laurie Dalrymple has acknowledged that performances have been “unacceptable” this season, and while Stephan Lewies has pledged to “empty the tank” before his departure, the French giants will expose any lingering weaknesses. At stake: qualification hopes and momentum for the Premiership run-in.

---

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/16/rosenior-faces-baptism-of-fire-as-fulham-chase-seven-unbeaten/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/16/rosenior-faces-baptism-of-fire-as-fulham-chase-seven-unbeaten/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Rosenior%20faces%20baptism%20of%20fire%20as%20Fulham%20chase%20seven%20unbeaten&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/16/rosenior-faces-baptism-of-fire-as-fulham-chase-seven-unbeaten/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby, Sport

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea FC, Chelsea Women, Fulham FC, Fulham Women, Harlequins RFC, League One, Premier League, rugby, sport, women's football, WSL

---

### [Rosenior's Chelsea rebuild begins as Fulham suffers late heartbreak](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/roseniors-chelsea-rebuild-begins-as-fulham-and-quins-suffer-late-heartbreak/)

**Published:** January 19, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** New Blues boss secures first win while Cottagers lose at Leeds.

**Content:**

SPORTS DIGEST: 12-18 JANUARY

**Fulham Women lead the way at the summit of FA WNL Division One South-East, reaching the Capital Women’s Cup quarterfinals with a 2-1 victory over Chelsea Academy as Naomi Bradley starred.**

**Across west London, new Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior secured his first Premier League win with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Brentford, while Fulham’s men suffered stoppage-time heartbreak at Leeds.**

**AFC Wimbledon’s home struggles continued with a 99th-minute defeat. Harlequins knocked two-time champions La Rochelle out of the Champions Cup with a composed late flourish in France.**

---

### RUGBY UNION

#### Quins stun La Rochelle to seal knockout spot and eliminate former champions

**Harlequins Men – Champions Cup**

**La Rochelle 17-27 Harlequins** (Stade Marcel Deflandre) – *Sunday, 18 January*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/harlequins-rfc.png)

Harlequins defied their dismal Premiership form to knock Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle out of the Champions Cup and secure a home tie in the last 16. The two-time champions needed just a losing bonus point to progress, but Quins delivered a composed performance in France to deny them even that consolation. With the score locked at 17-17 heading into the final ten minutes, Tom Lawday delivered the decisive moment, storming over on the right after a long pass from Jarrod Evans. Man of the match Marcus Smith converted and added a late penalty to complete the shock, leaving La Rochelle to reflect on their first pool-stage exit since 2019-20.

Smith had earlier been sent to the sin bin for a high tackle but returned to guide Quins home. Tries from Cadan Murley and Tyrone Green had kept Harlequins in contention after Davit Niniashvili’s early score for the hosts. The victory means Quins finish second in Pool Three behind Leinster and will host Sale Sharks in April’s knockout round.

---

### FOOTBALL

#### Late heartbreak at Elland Road halts Fulham’s momentum

**Fulham FC – Premier League** **Leeds United 1-0 Fulham** (Elland Road) – *Saturday, 17 January*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

Fulham’s push for European qualification suffered a late setback at Elland Road as Lukas Nmecha’s stoppage-time header secured Daniel Farke’s side three vital points in their fight against relegation. The match, played as Leeds paid tribute to former player Terry Yorath who died earlier in the month aged 75, was decided in the 91st minute when Nmecha got on the end of Ethan Ampadu’s cross to break Fulham’s resistance and send the home crowd into raptures. For Marco Silva’s side, the defeat ended a six-match unbeaten run and left them in 10th place, five points adrift of the European places with their momentum stalled at a critical juncture.

#### Rosenior gets off the mark as Blues see off Brentford

**Chelsea FC – Premier League** **Chelsea 2-0 Brentford** (Stamford Bridge) – *Saturday, 17 January*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)

Liam Rosenior’s reign as Chelsea manager began with a much-needed victory as the Blues ended their nine-game run with just one win. João Pedro opened the scoring in the 26th minute before Cole Palmer doubled the advantage from the penalty spot in the 76th minute. The result came despite Brentford dominating large periods of the second half and creating multiple clear chances that could have altered the outcome. Rosenior, who officially started work on Thursday morning, inherits a squad that has struggled with discipline this season – Chelsea had received seven red cards before this match, including three first-half dismissals in league games. The clean sheet and three points, however temporary the relief, lift Chelsea to sixth in the table on 34 points, though the gap to the top four remains significant.

#### Premier League

    Pos Team Pld W GD Pts     1 Arsenal 22 15 +26 50   2 Man City 22 13 +24 43   3 Aston Villa 22 13 +8 43   … … … … … …   6 ![Chelsea](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)**Chelsea** 22 9 +12 34   … … … … … …   11 ![Fulham](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham** 22 9 -1 31    

---

#### Dons’ home woes continue as late Bailey header sinks Wimbledon

**AFC Wimbledon – League One** **AFC Wimbledon 0-1 Doncaster Rovers** (Cherry Red Records Stadium) – *Saturday, 17 January*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/afc-wimbledon.png)

AFC Wimbledon’s search for a home win continues after Owen Bailey’s 99th-minute header condemned them to another Plough Lane defeat. The Dons haven’t won at home since late September, and this latest setback – decided deep into added time – epitomised their struggles in SW17. Nathan Bishop kept Wimbledon in the contest with several crucial saves, including tipping a Molyneux effort onto the crossbar, but couldn’t prevent Bailey’s towering header from a late corner. Johnnie Jackson’s side remain in the lower mid-table on 28 points, their season lacking the spark needed to mount a serious promotion challenge. With home form this poor, Wimbledon’s playoff ambitions look increasingly unlikely as the campaign reaches its halfway point.

#### League One

    Pos Team Pld W GD Pts     1 Cardiff City 26 17 +19 55   2 Lincoln City 26 14 +14 49   3 Bradford City 25 13 +8 46   … … … … … …   17 ![AFC Wimbledon](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/afc-wimbledon.png)**AFC Wimbledon** 25 9 -7 31    

---

#### Bradley brilliance books quarterfinal spot as league leaders march on

**Fulham Women – Capital Women’s Cup** **Fulham Women 2-1 Chelsea Academy** (Motspur Park) – *Sunday, 18 January*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

Naomi Bradley’s commanding performance earned Fulham Women a place in the Capital Women’s Cup quarterfinals with victory over Chelsea Academy at Motspur Park. The No. 42, named Legend of the Match by sponsors Royal Caribbean, was “absolutely everywhere” according to the club’s social media, calmly converting a cross to give the league leaders the lead at the break. Chelsea equalised in the second half to set up a tense finale, but Fulham found a winner to secure progression in the knockout competition. The result continues Fulham’s impressive form this season as they top the FA WNL Division One South-East table, balancing their push for promotion with silverware ambitions in the Capital Women’s Cup.

#### FA WNL Division One South-East

    Pos Team Pld W GD Pts     1 ![Fulham Women](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham Women** 12 11 +31 34   2 Norwich City 12 11 +30 33   3 London Bees 13 8 +20 26    

### STORY OF THE WEEK

New managers, old problems – Rosenior begins Chelsea rebuild after nine-game slump that saw just one win, while Fulham and AFC Wimbledon’s contrasting fortunes continue.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/19/roseniors-chelsea-rebuild-begins-as-fulham-and-quins-suffer-late-heartbreak/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/19/roseniors-chelsea-rebuild-begins-as-fulham-and-quins-suffer-late-heartbreak/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Rosenior%E2%80%99s%20Chelsea%20rebuild%20begins%20as%20Fulham%20suffers%20late%20heartbreak&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/19/roseniors-chelsea-rebuild-begins-as-fulham-and-quins-suffer-late-heartbreak/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby, Sport

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Champions Cup, Chelsea FC, Fulham FC, Fulham Women, Harlequins, League One, Liam Rosenior, Naomi Bradley, Premier League

---

### [Late drama defines weekend as Rosenior's Chelsea march on](https://putney.news/2026/01/26/late-drama-defines-weekend-as-roseniors-chelsea-march-on/)

**Published:** January 26, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Wilson rescues Fulham again while both women's sides share points in contrasting fortunes.

**Content:**

SPORTS DIGEST: 20-26 January 2026

### HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

**Fulham Women extend unbeaten run to stay top** — Fulham Women maintained their remarkable perfect record with a 2-2 draw against Dulwich Hamlet at Motspur Park on Saturday, extending their unbeaten streak to 13 matches in FA Women’s National League Division One South-East.

After Becky Stormer’s first-half header put them ahead, Dulwich fought back to lead 2-1 before Ellie Olds’ equalizer preserved their status as the division’s only unbeaten side. The result keeps them top of the table on 35 points, four clear of Norwich City, as they continue their ascent through the women’s football pyramid – currently three promotions away from the WSL. Their W11, D2, L0 record represents one of the most impressive campaigns in the fourth tier of English women’s football this season.

---

### FOOTBALL

#### Rosenior’s Chelsea ease to victory as Estêvão shines at Selhurst Park

**Chelsea FC – Premier League** **Crystal Palace 1-3 Chelsea** (Selhurst Park) – *Sunday, 25 January*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)

Chelsea moved into the top five with a commanding victory at Selhurst Park, maintaining Liam Rosenior’s unbeaten start as manager. Brazilian teenager Estêvão opened the scoring with a stunning individual effort in the 34th minute before João Pedro doubled the advantage five minutes into the second half. Enzo Fernández converted from the penalty spot after Dean Henderson brought down Nicolas Jackson, sealing the points before Marc Richards’ late consolation. Crystal Palace’s afternoon deteriorated further when Adam Wharton was sent off for a second yellow card with 18 minutes remaining. The victory lifts Chelsea to fifth place on 37 points, continuing their resurgence under Rosenior who has transformed their season since arriving on 6 January. Palace remain in the bottom half after their fourth consecutive defeat.

---

#### Wilson’s stoppage-time free kick snatches dramatic victory from Brighton

**Fulham FC – Premier League** **Fulham 2-1 Brighton** (Craven Cottage) – *Saturday, 24 January*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

Harry Wilson maintained his reputation as Fulham’s late-game hero with a stoppage-time free-kick winner that completed a remarkable comeback against Brighton. The Welsh international curled home a brilliant set-piece in the 92nd minute to seal all three points in front of 27,239 at Craven Cottage. Brighton had taken the lead through Carlos Ayari’s 28th-minute strike, but Samuel Chukwueze levelled the contest in the 72nd minute to set up Wilson’s dramatic intervention. The victory, Wilson’s ninth goal of the season, moved Fulham up to seventh place on 34 points, level with Liverpool but separated by goal difference. Marco Silva’s side have now won three of their last four Premier League matches as they push towards the top six.

**Premier League** *As of Sunday, 26 January 2026*

    Pos Team Pld W GD Pts     1 Arsenal 23 15 +25 50   2 Man City 23 14 +26 46   3 Aston Villa 23 14 +10 46   … … … … … …   5 **Chelsea** 23 10 +14 37   … … … … … …   7 **Fulham** 23 10 0 34    

---

#### Arsenal strike twice in five minutes to end Chelsea Women’s home record

**Chelsea Women – Women’s Super League** **Chelsea Women 0-2 Arsenal Women** (Stamford Bridge) – *Saturday, 24 January*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)

Chelsea Women’s title challenge suffered a devastating blow as Arsenal secured a clinical victory at Stamford Bridge, inflicting the hosts’ first home defeat of the season. Beth Mead and Mariona Caldentey struck within five minutes of each other in the second half to hand the Gunners all three points. Mead’s 55th-minute opener was her 50th WSL assist before turning scorer, while Caldentey doubled the advantage moments later to silence the crowd of 30,545. The defeat leaves Chelsea nine points behind leaders Manchester City with just 13 matches played, prompting manager Sonia Bompastor to concede the title race is “probably gone.” Arsenal move level with Chelsea on 26 points but remain third, while City’s unbeaten streak continues at the summit.

**Women’s Super League** *As of Sunday, 26 January 2026*

    Pos Team Pld W GD Pts     1 Man City 13 12 +25 36   2 **Chelsea** 13 8 +16 27   3 Arsenal 13 7 +15 26    

---

#### Fulham Women fight back from deficit to preserve unbeaten record

**Fulham Women – FA Women’s National League Division One South-East** **Fulham Women 2-2 Dulwich Hamlet** (Motspur Park) – *Saturday, 25 January*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

Fulham Women’s remarkable unbeaten start to the season continued but they were forced to settle for a draw after Dulwich Hamlet fought back from a goal down at Motspur Park. Becky Stormer headed the hosts into the lead from a first-half free-kick, but Dulwich responded with two second-half goals to take a surprise 2-1 advantage. Ellie Olds rescued a point with a dramatic equalizing header, described by the club as “what a header by Trishy to equalise,” keeping Fulham top of the table. The result extends their unbeaten run to 13 matches in the league (11 wins, 2 draws), maintaining their 100% unbeaten record this season. Fulham remain clear at the summit of FA WNL Division One South-East on 35 points from 13 games, four points ahead of second-placed Norwich City who have played the same number of matches.

**FA Women’s National League Division One South-East** *As of Sunday, 26 January 2026*

    Pos Team Pld W GD Pts     1 **Fulham** 13 11 +44 35   2 Norwich City 13 11 +43 34   3 London Bees 14 8 +35 26    

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/26/late-drama-defines-weekend-as-roseniors-chelsea-march-on/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/26/late-drama-defines-weekend-as-roseniors-chelsea-march-on/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Late%20drama%20defines%20weekend%20as%20Rosenior%E2%80%99s%20Chelsea%20march%20on&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/26/late-drama-defines-weekend-as-roseniors-chelsea-march-on/)

**Categories:** Football, Sport

**Tags:** Chelsea FC, Chelsea Women, Craven Cottage, FA Women's National League, Fulham FC, Fulham Women, Harry Wilson, Liam Rosenior, Motspur Park, Premier League, Stamford Bridge, Women's Super League

---

### [Fulham splash £27m on Bobb as Pepi pursuit goes down to deadline day](https://putney.news/2026/01/30/fulham-splash-27m-on-bobb-as-pepi-pursuit-goes-down-to-deadline-day/)

**Published:** January 30, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Silva secures Norwegian winger but still £2m short on American striker with Monday looming.

**Content:**

WEEKEND SPORTS PREVIEW

---

### Transfer special: Fulham’s deadline day push 

##### **Oscar Bobb Completes £27m Move**

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

Fulham confirmed the signing of Norwegian international Oscar Bobb from Manchester City this morning for £27 million. The 22-year-old winger, who broke into City’s first team in 2023-24 before a broken leg derailed last season, made 15 appearances this term but fell down the pecking order after Antoine Semenyo’s arrival. Bobb said the decision was “easy basically” after speaking with international teammate **Sander Berge**, replacing departed winger **Adama Traore** who joined West Ham. Fulham boss Marco Silva was pleased – which is good news as Fulham fans are worried the manager will head off next season with additional top-level players.

  NEW SIGNING 

  ![Oscar Bobb](https://images.webapi.fulhamfc.com/fit-in/1400x1400/eaedc070-fd56-11f0-a1b1-db080f70e31d.jpg)### OSCAR BOBB

Winger

  **Age** 22 

 **Nationality** Norway 

 **Previous Club** Man City 

 **Fulham Since** Jan 2026 

  **The Story** Norwegian international who broke into Manchester City’s first team in 2023-24 before a broken leg derailed his entire 2024-25 season. Returned this term with 15 appearances but fell down the pecking order after City’s signing of Antoine Semenyo. Fulham moved swiftly to replace Adama Traore’s pace, with Bobb telling the club the decision was “easy basically” after speaking with international teammate Sander Berge.

  **Style of Play** Electric pace down the flanks • Technical dribbler who beats defenders one-on-one • Versatile across the front three • Direct runner with eye for goal

  **Did You Know?** Made his Premier League debut against Fulham in September 2023, assisting the buildup to fellow Norwegian Erling Haaland’s goal. Named Manchester City’s EDS Player of the Year in both 2022 and 2023, winning back-to-back Premier League 2 titles.

##### **Pepi Pursuit Continues**

Fulham’s £28 million bid for PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi falls £2 million short of the Dutch club’s valuation. The 23-year-old United States international has scored 11 goals this season and represents a long-term replacement for Raul Jimenez, 34, whose contract expires in the summer. With Monday’s deadline looming, Fulham remain hopeful of completing the deal.

##### **Chelsea’s Quiet Window**

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)

In contrast to Fulham’s activity, Chelsea have made just one January signing under Liam Rosenior—17-year-old left-back Yisa Alao from Sheffield Wednesday for £500,000. The Blues appear content with their squad that has delivered five wins from six matches and automatic Champions League qualification since Rosenior’s 6 January appointment.

---

### NEWS IN BRIEF

**Monday 27 January – Thursday 30 January**

##### **Rosenior’s Chelsea Roll On**

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)

Chelsea extended their excellent form under Liam Rosenior with a 3-2 comeback win at Napoli on Wednesday, qualifying automatically for the Champions League knockout stages. Joao Pedro’s second-half brace, including a Cole Palmer-assisted winner, marked the Blues’ fifth win in six under Rosenior since his 6 January appointment. Chelsea sit fifth, one point behind fourth-placed Manchester United.

##### **Wilson Contract Standoff at Fulham**

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

Harry Wilson is increasingly likely to leave Fulham as a free agent in the summer with just six months remaining on his contract. Several Premier League clubs have shown interest this month, though Fulham wish to retain the Wales international.

---

### COMING UP THIS WEEKEND

#### **Saturday, 31 January:**

**Chelsea** vs West Ham United – Premier League, 5:30pm (Stamford Bridge)

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)

Liam Rosenior’s Blues look to extend their impressive start under the new manager against struggling West Ham. Chelsea have won five of six under Rosenior and sit fifth, just one point behind Manchester United. West Ham arrive on a three-match winning streak but remain in 18th place. Adama Traore could make his Hammers debut against his former club. **Live on Sky Sports Main Event**

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/afc-wimbledon.png)

**AFC Wimbledon** vs Bolton Wanderers – League One, 12:30pm (Cherry Red Records Stadium)
Johnnie Jackson’s Dons host Bolton looking to build on their New Year’s Day victory at Orient. Wimbledon sit comfortably in mid-table on 31 points and will be confident of extending their solid run at Plough Lane.

#### **Sunday, 1 February:**

Manchester United vs **Fulham** – Premier League, 2:00pm (Old Trafford)

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

Marco Silva’s Fulham travel to Old Trafford fresh from this morning’s confirmation of Oscar Bobb’s £27 million signing from Manchester City. The Norwegian winger may not be fit enough for the matchday squad after a month out with a thigh injury, but his arrival adds significant quality to Fulham’s attacking options following Adama Traore’s departure to West Ham. Fulham will hope new signing Bobb can integrate quickly as they seek to maintain their mid-table security. **Live on Sky Sports**

---

**No fixtures this weekend for:**

- **Harlequins Men (next match: Saracens away, 7 February, Premiership Rugby Cup),**
- **Harlequins Women**
- **Chelsea Women, or**
- **Fulham Women.**

---

### WHAT TO WATCH

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)

**Rosenior’s Revolution Continues:** Six matches, five wins, Champions League knockouts secured, and a five-place leap up the table. Can Liam Rosenior make it six wins from seven against a West Ham side without Lucas Paqueta but potentially boosted by Adama Traore’s debut? Chelsea look transformed under their new manager, with Cole Palmer back in form after his two-assist cameo in Naples.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

**Transfer Deadline Drama:** With Monday’s 11pm deadline looming, will Fulham bridge the £2 million gap for Ricardo Pepi? Oscar Bobb’s arrival provides width, but Pepi would give them the long-term centre-forward they desperately need with Raul Jimenez’s contract expiring and Rodrigo Muniz injured.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/30/fulham-splash-27m-on-bobb-as-pepi-pursuit-goes-down-to-deadline-day/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/30/fulham-splash-27m-on-bobb-as-pepi-pursuit-goes-down-to-deadline-day/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Fulham%20splash%20%C2%A327m%20on%20Bobb%20as%20Pepi%20pursuit%20goes%20down%20to%20deadline%20day&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/30/fulham-splash-27m-on-bobb-as-pepi-pursuit-goes-down-to-deadline-day/)

**Categories:** Football, Sport

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea FC, Fulham FC, Liam Rosenior, Transfer Deadline Day

---

### [Enzo's stoppage-time magic delivers historic Chelsea comeback as Fulham's resilience falls short](https://putney.news/2026/02/02/enzos-stoppage-time-magic-delivers-historic-chelsea-comeback-as-fulhams-resilience-falls-short/)

**Published:** February 2, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Blues rewrite record books with dramatic 3-2 win while Cottagers' late equaliser proves futile in Manchester defeat.

**Content:**

SPORTS DIGEST: 27 Jan – 1 Feb 2026

### FOOTBALL

#### Chelsea stage historic comeback as Carrick’s perfect start continues

**Chelsea – Premier League** **Chelsea 3-2 West Ham United** (Stamford Bridge) – *Saturday, 31 January*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)

Chelsea produced their first-ever Premier League victory from two or more goals down at half-time, rallying from 0-2 to beat relegation-threatened West Ham in dramatic fashion. Liam Rosenior’s side looked disjointed after making seven changes from their midweek Champions League triumph in Naples, trailing to Jarrod Bowen’s fortunate seventh-minute opener and Crysencio Summerville’s clinical finish.

The manager’s triple half-time substitution transformed the contest. **Wesley Fofana** and **João Pedro** combined for the Brazilian’s 57th-minute header before **Marc Cucurella** stooped to convert a rebound with twenty minutes remaining. Jean-Clair Todibo struck the post for West Ham before **Enzo Fernández** coolly stroked home the winner in the 92nd minute, sending Stamford Bridge wild.

In stoppage time, former Fulham winger Adama Traore – making his West Ham debut just days after his cross-London move – hurled Cucurella to the ground, sparking a mass brawl. Todibo ran from across the pitch and grabbed João Pedro around the throat, earning a straight red card for violent conduct. A miserable debut for Traore, whose aggression triggered the incident that saw his teammate sent off as West Ham collapsed from 2-0 up to 3-2 down.

Rosenior admitted his rotation backfired: “We got back at 5am Thursday from Napoli, the team were tired. Tactics went out the window in the second half – it was about personality, quality and character.” Chelsea move to fifth place with 40 points from 24 games, while West Ham remain 18th, five points adrift of safety.

  COMEBACK 

  ![Enzo Fernández](https://resources.premierleague.com/premierleague/photos/players/250x250/p448047.png)### ENZO FERNÁNDEZ

Midfielder

  **Age** 25 

 **Nationality** Argentina 

 **Previous Club** Benfica 

 **Chelsea Since** Jan 2023 

  **The Story** World Cup winner Fernández joined Chelsea for a British-record £106.8 million in January 2023 from Benfica, where he’d spent just six months after his breakthrough at River Plate. Despite initial criticism during his adaptation period, the 25-year-old has flourished under new manager Liam Rosenior, dominating Chelsea’s 2025 statistics across all metrics. He led the squad for goals, assists, goal contributions, chances created, and successful passes into the final third. His dramatic 92nd-minute winner against West Ham completed Chelsea’s first-ever Premier League comeback from 2-0 down at half-time—a historic moment that epitomises his redemption arc.

  **Style of Play** Deep-lying playmaker with exceptional passing range and vision • Makes powerful late runs into the box combining technical ability with relentless energy • Press-resistant in tight spaces, combative in duels • Drives forward or breaks up opposition attacks with equal effectiveness

  **Did You Know?** Won FIFA’s Young Player of the Tournament award at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he helped Argentina lift the trophy. His dramatic winner against West Ham was his fourth goal in January 2026 alone, building on a 2025 season where he led Chelsea in goals, assists, chances created, and successful passes into the final third—the complete midfielder.

**Manchester United – Premier League** **Manchester United 3-2 Fulham** (Old Trafford) – *Sunday, 1 February*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

Benjamin Sesko’s stoppage-time thunderbolt maintained Michael Carrick’s perfect record as interim Manchester United manager, sealing a dramatic comeback after Fulham had clawed back from 2-0 down to level at 2-2. Casemiro rose magnificently to head home Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick in the 19th minute after VAR had overturned a penalty decision, then produced an outrageous no-look pass for Matheus Cunha to blast United’s second eleven minutes into the second half.

Raúl Jiménez converted an 85th-minute penalty after being fouled by Harry Maguire, and substitute Kevin completed the comeback with a stunning curling strike from the edge of the area to level at 2-2 in the 91st minute. But Sesko, who had hit the post with a header moments after coming off the bench, swivelled in the box to hammer his shot into the top corner in the 94th minute, assisted by the tireless Fernandes.

The victory extends Carrick’s record to three wins from three league matches since his appointment on 13 January, following victories over Manchester City (2-0) and Arsenal (3-2). Fernandes now has 12 Premier League assists this season, while Casemiro’s commanding display at 33 suggests he deserves a contract extension. United move to 41 points, consolidating fourth place. Fulham remain eighth on 34 points.

##### Premier League Table

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Arsenal 24 **53** 16 5 3 +29 WDDLW   2 Manchester City 24 **47** 14 5 5 +26 DDLWD   3 Aston Villa 24 **46** 14 4 6 +9 WDLWL   4 Manchester United 24 **41** 11 8 5 +8 DDWWW   5 ![Chelsea](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)**Chelsea** 24 **40** 11 7 6 +15 DLWWW   … … … … … … … … …   8 ![Fulham](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham** 24 **34** 10 4 10 -1 DWLWL   … … … … … … … … …   18 West Ham United 24 **20** 5 5 14 -19 LLWWL   

---

**AFC Wimbledon – League One** **AFC Wimbledon 0-1 Bolton Wanderers** (Cherry Red Records Stadium) – *Saturday, 31 January*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/afc-wimbledon.png)

Promotion-chasing Bolton secured a narrow victory thanks to debutant Corey Blackett-Taylor’s 13th-minute strike on his first appearance since signing on loan from Derby just two days earlier. The winger made no mistake after John McAtee’s perfectly weighted pass, firing into the bottom right corner to silence the home crowd.

Wimbledon dominated the second half but couldn’t find an equalizer. Alistair Smith came closest, his close-range header flying just wide of the right post in the 54th minute. The defeat extends Wimbledon’s miserable home form—they haven’t won a league match at the Cherry Red Records Stadium since September. Manager Johnnie Jackson remained defiant: “If we perform like that week in, week out, we’ll pick up points.”

Bolton, sitting third in League One with 52 points, are firmly in the promotion hunt. Rob Apter also impressed on his debut from Charlton. Wimbledon remain 17th with 32 points, safely mid-table but desperate to end their home drought. Attendance: 8,659.

#### League One Table

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Cardiff City 29 **60** 18 6 5 +23 WDDLW   2 Lincoln City 29 **58** 17 7 5 +19 WDWWL   3 Bolton Wanderers 30 **52** 14 10 6 +11 WDWWW   4 Stockport 29 **52** 15 7 7 +7 WDWLW   … … … … … … … … …   17 ![AFC Wimbledon](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/afc-wimbledon.png)**AFC Wimbledon** 27 **32** 9 5 13 -8 WDWDL   

---

### RUGBY UNION

#### Quins snatch late bonus-point win after six-week break

**Harlequins Women – Premiership Women’s Rugby** **Trailfinders Women 26-27 Harlequins Women** (Trailfinders Sports Ground) – *Friday, 30 January*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/harlequins-rfc.png)

Harlequins returned from a six-week break to produce a dramatic late bonus-point victory, with Wales international Alex Callender scoring the decisive try in the closing stages on her first start of the season after recovering from injury. Claudia Pena’s conversion edged Quins ahead 27-26, completing a remarkable fightback after Trailfinders had led 26-20.

Ireland back row Aoife Wafer was the standout performer, scoring a hat-trick despite ending the match with a cut eye. The 22-year-old emphasised the importance of building momentum: “Every win is crucial pre the international break. This is huge for us.” Harlequins extend their unbeaten run to four matches and remain third in the PWR table on 28 points, six ahead of fourth-placed Trailfinders (22 points).

The top four teams will compete in the semi-finals following the Women’s Six Nations in April and May. Both Wafer and Callender will hope their performances boost their chances of international selection when the Six Nations begins in February.

#### Premiership Women’s Rugby

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L Form     1 Saracens 8 **35** 7 0 1 WWWWW   2 Gloucester-Hartpury 7 **35** 7 0 0 WWWWW   3 ![Harlequins Women](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/harlequins-rfc.png)**Harlequins Women** 8 **28** 5 0 3 LWWWW   4 Exeter Chiefs 8 **27** 4 2 2 WDWLW   5 Trailfinders Women 8 **22** 3 1 4 LLWDL   

---

### COMING UP: SIX NATIONS 2026

The Guinness Men’s Six Nations Championship begins this week with a historic Thursday night opener as France host Ireland at the Stade de France on 5 February – the first Thursday fixture since 1948.

England, captained by Maro Itoje, begin their campaign on Saturday, 7 February against Wales at Twickenham (kick-off 4:40pm GMT). Steve Borthwick has named a 36-player squad featuring three uncapped players: Greg Fisilau, Vilikesa Sela, and Emmanuel Iyogun.

England’s remaining Round 1 fixture sees Italy host Scotland in Rome earlier on Saturday morning. France are defending champions after defeating Ireland 42-27 in Dublin last year to clinch their first title since 2022, with Louis Bielle-Biarrey scoring a record eight tries across the tournament.

England’s full fixture list:

- **Round 1:** vs Wales (7 Feb, Twickenham)
- **Round 2:** at Scotland (14 Feb, Murrayfield) – Calcutta Cup
- **Round 3:** vs Ireland (21 Feb, Twickenham)
- **Round 4:** at Italy (7 Mar, Rome)
- **Round 5:** at France (14 Mar, Paris)

---

### STORY OF THE WEEK

Chelsea’s historic comeback from 2-0 down at half-time represents more than three points—it’s a psychological breakthrough for Liam Rosenior’s evolving project.

The Blues had never previously won a Premier League match from two or more goals down at the break, and the manner of the victory, with three substitutes combining for all three goals, demonstrates the squad depth Rosenior inherited.

His bold decision to make seven changes backfired spectacularly in the first half, with the side booed off at the interval, but his willingness to admit “tactics went out the window” and trust his bench to rescue the situation shows admirable pragmatism.

With a Carabao Cup semi-final at Arsenal on Tuesday, Chelsea head into a crucial week with confidence coursing through them.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/02/enzos-stoppage-time-magic-delivers-historic-chelsea-comeback-as-fulhams-resilience-falls-short/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/02/enzos-stoppage-time-magic-delivers-historic-chelsea-comeback-as-fulhams-resilience-falls-short/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Enzo%E2%80%99s%20stoppage-time%20magic%20delivers%20historic%20Chelsea%20comeback%20as%20Fulham%E2%80%99s%20resilience%20falls%20short&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/02/enzos-stoppage-time-magic-delivers-historic-chelsea-comeback-as-fulhams-resilience-falls-short/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby, Sport

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea FC, Enzo Fernández, Fulham FC, Harlequins Women, League One, Liam Rosenior, Manchester United, Michael Carrick, Premier League, Premiership Women's Rugby, Six Nations 2026, West Ham United, Women's Super League

---

### [England open Six Nations campaign as Putney teams face crucial weekend](https://putney.news/2026/02/06/england-open-six-nations-campaign-as-putney-teams-face-crucial-weekend/)

**Published:** February 6, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Twickenham hosts Wales clash while Fulham Women battle Norwich in top-of-table showdown.

**Content:**

WEEKEND SPORTS PREVIEW

### NEWS IN BRIEF

##### **Six Nations begins with France statement**

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/england-rugby.png)

France launched their Six Nations title defence with authority, defeating Ireland 36-14 in Paris on Thursday night. The bonus-point victory at Stade de France sets the tone for the tournament as England prepare to host Wales at Twickenham on Saturday evening in the opening round’s headline fixture.

##### **Fulham’s January window ends with Bobb arrival**

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

Fulham’s pursuit of striker Ricardo Pepi ended in deadline-day disappointment after PSV Eindhoven pulled the plug on the agreed £32 million deal. The Dutch club failed to secure a replacement before Monday’s 7pm deadline, leaving Oscar Bobb as the Cottagers’ sole January signing. The 22-year-old Norwegian winger joined from Manchester City for £27 million and provides Marco Silva with additional attacking width following Adama Traore’s departure to West Ham.

##### **Harlequins Women eye PWR top-four push**

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/harlequins-rfc.png)

Harlequins Women face crucial home fixture against Exeter Chiefs on Sunday as they look to consolidate their position in the Premiership Women’s Rugby playoff places. The Stoop clash could prove pivotal in the race for semi-final qualification as the season reaches its business end.

---

### COMING UP THIS WEEKEND

##### Saturday, 7 February:

![Fulham FC](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png) **Fulham** vs Everton – Premier League, 3pm (Craven Cottage)

Wolves vs ![Chelsea FC](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png) **Chelsea** – Premier League, 3pm (Molineux)

Saracens vs ![Harlequins](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/harlequins-rfc.png) **Harlequins** – Premiership Rugby Cup, 2:30pm (StoneX Stadium)

![England Rugby](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/england-rugby.png) **England** vs Wales – Six Nations, 4:40pm (Twickenham)

##### Sunday, 8 February:

![Fulham Women](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png) **Fulham Women** vs Norwich City – FA WNL Division One South-East, 2pm (The Nest, Norwich)

Tottenham vs ![Chelsea Women](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png) **Chelsea Women** – WSL, 2:25pm (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)

![Harlequins Women](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/harlequins-rfc.png) **Harlequins Women** vs Exeter Chiefs – PWR, 3pm (Twickenham Stoop)

---

### LEAGUE TABLES

**As of Thursday, 6 February 2026**

##### Premier League

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form      1 Arsenal 24 **53** 16 5 3 +29 WDDLW   2 Man City 24 **47** 14 5 5 +26 DDLWD   3 Aston Villa 24 **46** 14 4 6 +9 WDLWL   4 Man United 24 **41** 11 8 5 +8 DDWWW    … … … … … … … … …    5 ![Chelsea](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)**Chelsea** 24 **40** 11 7 6 +15 DDLWW   6 Liverpool 24 **39** 11 6 7 +6 DDDLW   7 Brentford 24 **36** 11 3 10 +4 WWLWW   8 Sunderland 24 **36** 9 9 6 +1 DLWLW    … … … … … … … … …    9 ![Fulham](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham** 24 **34** 10 4 10 -1 DWLWL   10 Everton 24 **34** 9 7 8 -1 LDWDD    … … … … … … … … …    18 West Ham 24 **20** 5 5 14 -19 LLWWL   19 Burnley 24 **15** 3 6 15 -22 LDDDD   20 Wolves 24 **8** 1 5 18 -30 WDDDL    

### FA Women’s National League Division One South-East

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form      1 Norwich City 14 **37** 12 1 1 +31 WWWWW    2 ![Fulham](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham** 13 **35** 11 2 0 +31 WWWWW   3 London Bees 14 **26** 8 2 4 +15 LWWWL   4 Chatham Town 13 **25** 8 1 4 +20 WWLWW   5 Queens Park Rangers 14 **22** 6 4 4 +12 DWWDL   6 Actonians 14 **20** 6 2 6 -3 LLWWL    … … … … … … … … …    12 Chesham United 14 **1** 0 1 13 -51 LLLLL    

---

### WHAT TO WATCH

**Fulham Women’s promotion showdown steals the spotlight** as the unbeaten Cottagers travel to Norwich on Sunday for a genuine top-of-the-table six-pointer. Just two points separate first from second, and Fulham hold a game in hand that could see them leapfrog the Canaries with victory. Both teams arrive on five-game winning streaks in a clash that will likely determine which side leads the promotion race heading into the season’s final stretch.

**England’s Six Nations opener against Wales at Twickenham** (4:40pm Saturday) provides the weekend’s marquee fixture, with Steve Borthwick’s side riding an 11-match winning streak as they bid to go one better than last year’s runner-up finish. The historic rivalry needs no extra motivation, but England will be without captain Maro Itoje, who starts on the bench following his mother’s funeral in Nigeria, with Jamie George resuming the armband.

**In the Premier League, Fulham host Everton in a mid-table clash** between sides locked on 34 points, while **Chelsea travel to bottom-placed Wolves** seeking to close the gap on fourth-placed Manchester United. The Blues sit just one point behind the Champions League places but face a Wolves side desperate for points in their relegation battle.

**Chelsea Women’s bid to reignite their title challenge** takes them to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (2:25pm Sunday) after back-to-back defeats to Arsenal and Manchester City left them trailing the Citizens by seven points. **Harlequins Women host Exeter Chiefs** in a crucial PWR fixture as both sides battle for playoff positions, while **Harlequins Men face Saracens** in the Premiership Rugby Cup at StoneX Stadium (2:30pm Saturday).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/06/england-open-six-nations-campaign-as-putney-teams-face-crucial-weekend/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/06/england-open-six-nations-campaign-as-putney-teams-face-crucial-weekend/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=England%20open%20Six%20Nations%20campaign%20as%20Putney%20teams%20face%20crucial%20weekend&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/06/england-open-six-nations-campaign-as-putney-teams-face-crucial-weekend/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby, Sport

**Tags:** Chelsea FC, Chelsea Women, Craven Cottage, England Rugby, Everton FC, FA Women's National League, Fulham FC, Fulham Women, Harlequins, Premier League, Premiership Women's Rugby, Six Nations, Twickenham, Wolves, Women's Super League

---

### [Fulham Women win for JB as England launch Six Nations in style](https://putney.news/2026/02/09/fulham-women-win-for-jb-as-england-launch-six-nations-in-style/)

**Published:** February 9, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Mackenzie's 96th-minute winner caps emotional night as Arundell stars for England.

**Content:**

SPORTS DIGEST: 3-9 FEBRUARY 2026

**TOP STORIES:** Fulham Women stayed unbeaten and climbed to the top of their division with a dramatic last-minute winner against promotion rivals Norwich after a 25-minute suspension when captain Jade Bradley suffered a serious injury.

England demolished Wales 48-7 to launch their Six Nations campaign with Henry Arundell’s hat-trick at Twickenham. Chelsea extended their winning run under Liam Rosenior with Cole Palmer’s treble at Wolves, while AFC Wimbledon’s Marcus Browne matched the feat against Reading. Fulham fell to a late Everton comeback at Craven Cottage.

---

### FOOTBALL

#### Fulham Women fight back for JB to claim top spot in promotion thriller

**Fulham Women – FA Women’s National League Division One South-East** **Norwich City 2-3 Fulham Women** (The Nest) – *Saturday, 8 February*

Fulham Women remained unbeaten and leapfrogged Norwich to the top of Division One South-East with a dramatic victory that saw them overcome both a deficit and a harrowing injury to captain Jade Bradley. Playing in front of a Nest record crowd of 1,000, the match was suspended for over 25 minutes in the closing stages when Bradley suffered a serious leg injury that required medical attention and an ambulance.

Norwich took the lead through Freya Symonds’ composed finish in the 20th minute, but Fulham equalized through Becky Stormer’s header from a set piece on the half hour. The visitors went ahead after the break with a stunning moment of quality from Ellie Olds, whose left-footed half-volley from distance found the bottom corner. Norwich fought back to level through substitute Issy Harrison, setting up a tense finale.

Then came the incident that stopped the match. Bradley’s injury left both teams facing an agonising wait, with the Fulham squad huddling together to process what had happened. When play finally resumed deep into stoppage time, Hannah Mackenzie rose to meet a corner and powered home a header in the 96th minute, sparking wild celebrations from a Fulham side galvanised by their captain’s spirit.

“It felt like we did it for JB,” said manager Steve Jaye afterward, his voice thick with emotion as he described the rollercoaster of feelings his team experienced. The victory sees Fulham claim top spot in the division with just one automatic promotion place available, three points clear of Norwich with a game in hand. Bradley was taken to hospital and early reports suggested she was receiving proper medical care.

#### FA Women’s National League Division One South-East

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 ![Fulham](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham** 14 **38** 12 2 0 +32 WWWWW   2 Norwich City 15 **37** 12 1 2 +30 WWWWL   3 London Bees 15 **29** 9 2 4 +18 WWWWW    

*One automatic promotion place available. Fulham have game in hand over Norwich and London Bees.*

---

#### Palmer hat-trick fires Chelsea to fourth straight win under Rosenior

**Chelsea FC – Premier League** **Wolves 1-3 Chelsea** (Molineux) – *Saturday, 7 February*

Cole Palmer struck his fourth Premier League hat-trick for Chelsea to become the club’s all-time record holder in the competition era, surpassing Blues legends Frank Lampard, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Didier Drogba. The England forward converted two first-half penalties before finishing off a flowing Chelsea move for his third, extending Chelsea’s perfect start under Liam Rosenior to four wins from four.

Wolves gifted Chelsea two ridiculous spot kicks, with João Pedro tripped by Emmanuel Agbadou before Yerson Mosquera shoved the Brazilian in the back. Palmer dispatched both with clinical precision, finding the bottom corner each time. His third came from open play as Enzo Fernández picked up possession on the left and fed Marc Cucurella, whose pull-back was slammed into the roof of the net by Palmer.

Tolu Arokodare pulled one back for Wolves early in the second half, stabbing in from a corner for their first league goal since 7 January, but Chelsea cruised to victory. The win moved the Blues up to fifth in the Premier League, maintaining their pursuit of Champions League qualification under Rosenior’s impressive start to his tenure.

---

#### Late Everton fightback sinks Fulham at the Cottage

**Fulham FC – Premier League** **Fulham 1-2 Everton** (Craven Cottage) – *Saturday, 7 February*

Fulham squandered a lead and numerous first-half chances as Everton produced a remarkable late turnaround to climb to eighth in the Premier League. Vitalii Mykolenko’s 18th-minute own goal gave Marco Silva’s side the advantage, but Kiernan Dewsbury levelled with 15 minutes remaining before Bernd Leno punched a corner into his own net under pressure from Jake O’Brien to gift Everton all three points.

Fulham had dominated the first half but failed to capitalize on their superiority. Emile Smith Rowe struck the crossbar with a brilliant curled effort, while Raúl Jiménez dragged wide when well-placed and Harry Wilson uncharacteristically snatched at a clear opportunity. David Moyes watched from the stands due to a touchline ban as his side secured their fourth consecutive away match unbeaten.

The defeat left Fulham on 34 points from 25 matches, sitting tenth in the table and reflecting on what might have been had they converted their chances. Thomas Tuchel, the England manager, was among the 27,155 in attendance at Craven Cottage.

#### Premier League

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Arsenal 25 **56** 17 5 3 +32 DWWWW   2 Man City 25 **50** 15 5 5 +27 DWWDW   3 Aston Villa 25 **47** 14 5 6 +9 DWWDD   … … … … … … … … …   5 ![Chelsea](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)**Chelsea** 25 **43** 12 7 6 +17 LWWWW   … … … … … … … … …   10 ![Fulham](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham** 25 **34** 10 4 11 -2 WWDWL    

*Chelsea up to 5th with fourth consecutive win under Liam Rosenior. Fulham 10th after late loss to Everton.*

---

#### Browne treble rescues Dons after Monday grind

**AFC Wimbledon – League One** **AFC Wimbledon 3-2 Reading** (Cherry Red Records Stadium) – *Saturday, 7 February*

Marcus Browne’s hat-trick dragged AFC Wimbledon back from the brink to complete a double over Reading inside four days. The forward struck in the eighth, 53rd and 71st minutes to seal victory after the Dons had ground out a 1-0 win at Port Vale on Monday in a match rescheduled from an earlier waterlogged postponement.

Reading twice fought back to level through Jack Marriott and Jeriel Dorsett, but Browne’s persistence proved decisive in front of 8,574 at the Cherry Red Records Stadium. The victory lifted Wimbledon to 38 points from 29 matches, keeping them in mid-table as they chase a playoff push under Johnnie Jackson.

The Monday trip to Vale had seen Wimbledon claim all three points in a tight encounter, giving them momentum heading into the weekend. The double over Reading represented a crucial six points in League One’s congested mid-table battle.

#### League One

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Cardiff City 30 **63** 19 6 5 +26 WDWDW   2 Lincoln City 30 **61** 18 7 5 +22 DWWWW   3 Bolton 31 **55** 15 10 6 +12 DWWWW   … … … … … … … … …   14 ![AFC Wimbledon](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/afc-wimbledon.png)**AFC Wimbledon** 29 **38** 11 5 13 -6 LWWDW    

*AFC Wimbledon moved to 38 points with two wins in four days, sitting mid-table in 14th.*

---

### RUGBY UNION

#### Arundell announces himself as England launch Six Nations with statement

**England Rugby – Guinness Six Nations** **England 48-7 Wales** (Allianz Stadium, Twickenham) – *Saturday, 7 February*

Henry Arundell plundered a hat-trick on his first England start since the 2023 World Cup as Steve Borthwick’s side overwhelmed Wales to launch their Six Nations campaign in emphatic fashion. The left winger scored three first-half tries in a seven-try demolition that extended England’s winning streak to 12 consecutive Test victories.

Wales collapsed under relentless English pressure, reduced to 13 men in the first period after both front rowers Nicky Smith and captain Dewi Lake were sent to the sin bin in quick succession. Down two men, the Welsh dam burst as Arundell crossed twice and Ben Earl powered over for England’s third try, with George Ford orchestrating proceedings with the calm of a grandmaster.

Arundell completed his hat-trick before the break, with Tom Roebuck adding a fourth shortly after half-time following a slick assist from Fraser Dingwall. Wales found brief solace when Dan Edwards’ sumptuous cross-field kick found Josh Adams for their only score, but England responded with a penalty try after Taine Plumtree’s high tackle on Henry Pollock, before Tommy Freeman finished late on.

The bonus-point victory was England’s 12th successive Test win and served as a statement of intent ahead of next weekend’s Calcutta Cup trip to a wounded Scotland. For Wales under Steve Tandy, this represented another sobering reality check, with the magnitude of the task of reviving Welsh rugby laid bare at Twickenham.

---

#### Six Nations Championship

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L PD B     1 ![England](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/england-rugby.png)**England** 1 **5** 1 0 0 +41 1   2 France 1 **5** 1 0 0 +22 1   3 Italy 1 **4** 1 0 0 +3 0   4 Scotland 1 **1** 0 0 1 -3 1   5 Ireland 1 0 0 0 1 -22 0   6 Wales 1 0 0 0 1 -41 0    

*England and France lead after opening round with bonus-point wins. PD = Points Difference, B = Bonus Points.*

---

### STORY OF THE WEEK

Jade Bradley’s teammates playing “for JB.” In a week that saw hat-tricks and demolitions, the most powerful moment came in the 96th minute at The Nest when Hannah Mackenzie rose to head home a winner for Fulham Women. The header was spectacular, but the context was extraordinary. Just minutes earlier, the match had been suspended for over 25 minutes as Bradley, Fulham’s captain, received treatment for a serious leg injury that required an ambulance.

When the players returned to the pitch, they faced a choice: crumble under the emotional weight or channel it into something meaningful. They chose the latter. “It felt like we did it for JB,” manager Steve Jaye said afterward, describing a team that had experienced every emotion imaginable in 90-plus minutes. They’d gone behind, fought back to lead, conceded again, then watched helplessly as their captain was stretchered off. And then, in the dying seconds, they found a way to win.

The victory sends Fulham to the top of Division One South-East, three points clear with a game in hand, chasing the single automatic promotion spot that would take them one step closer to the WSL. But the numbers matter less than the manner. This was a team that refused to be broken, that turned trauma into triumph. Bradley was reported to be receiving proper medical care at hospital. Her teammates had given her a victory to be proud of.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/09/fulham-women-win-for-jb-as-england-launch-six-nations-in-style/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/09/fulham-women-win-for-jb-as-england-launch-six-nations-in-style/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Fulham%20Women%20win%20for%20JB%20as%20England%20launch%20Six%20Nations%20in%20style&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/09/fulham-women-win-for-jb-as-england-launch-six-nations-in-style/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby, Sport

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea FC, Cole Palmer, England Rugby, FA Women's National League, Fulham FC, Fulham Women, Hannah Mackenzie, Henry Arundell, Jade Bradley, League One, Marcus Browne, Premier League, Putney Sport, Six Nations

---

### [Bradley discharged from hospital as Fulham face Stoke test](https://putney.news/2026/02/13/bradley-discharged-from-hospital-as-fulham-face-stoke-test/)

**Published:** February 13, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Captain begins recovery while Dons travel to Barnsley and England head to Murrayfield for Calcutta Cup.

**Content:**

SPORTS WEEKEND PREVIEW

#### NEWS IN BRIEF

##### **Bradley discharged from hospital following serious injury**

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

Fulham Women captain Jade Bradley was discharged from hospital on Sunday and will have the full support of the club as she begins her recovery, the club announced. Bradley suffered a serious leg injury during Saturday’s dramatic 3-2 victory over Norwich that required 25 minutes of on-field treatment and an ambulance. The match was suspended as teammates and opponents processed the harrowing scene before Hannah Mackenzie headed a 96th-minute winner that sent Fulham to the top of Division One South-East. Fulham thanked Norwich City, their coaching and medical staff for their assistance in treating Bradley during the incident.

  COMEBACK 

  ![Jade Bradley](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/jade-bradley.jpg)### JADE BRADLEY

Midfielder

  **Age** 29 

 **Nationality** England 

 **Previous Club** Watford 

 **Fulham Since** Feb 2025 

  **The Story** Jade Bradley’s journey to the Fulham captaincy took her through Reading’s academy, Portsmouth (where she captained for over a year), AFC Bournemouth, Queens Park Rangers, and three seasons at Watford before joining Fulham last February. The experienced midfielder immediately assumed the captain’s armband and has led the Cottagers to the top of Division One South-East.

  **Style of Play** Leadership from the middle • A game engine • Vocal organiser • Set-piece threat with 5 goals this season

  **Did You Know?** Bradley came through the academy at Reading, who compete in the WSL (Tier 1). She memorably scored in Portsmouth’s 2019 Hampshire Cup final victory. Her sister gave birth to a niece on Bradley’s 29th birthday (27 December 2025) during the winter break, creating what Bradley described as “all hectic” family celebrations in Orpington.

##### **Fulham’s Etihad ordeal continues historic losing streak**

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

Fulham extended their winless run against Manchester City to 17 Premier League matches with a 3-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night. The defeat leaves Marco Silva’s side 12th with 34 points – their eighth away loss already matching last season’s total with three months of the season remaining.

##### **Six Nations enters critical second round**

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/england-rugby.png)

England travel to Murrayfield to face Scotland on Saturday (4:40pm) in the Calcutta Cup, while Wales welcome France to Cardiff on Sunday (3:10pm) as the Six Nations reaches a crucial juncture. Both matches carry significant implications for the championship race following opening weekend results that saw France defeat Ireland and England demolish Wales 48-7 at Twickenham.

---

### COMING UP THIS WEEKEND

#### FRIDAY, 13 FEBRUARY:

**FA Cup Fourth Round:**

- Hull City vs **Chelsea** – FA Cup, 7:45pm (MKM Stadium)

#### SATURDAY, 14 FEBRUARY:

**League One:**

- Barnsley vs **AFC Wimbledon** – League One, 3pm (Oakwell)

**Six Nations Rugby:**

- Scotland vs **England** – Six Nations, 4:40pm (Murrayfield, Edinburgh) – Calcutta Cup

#### SUNDAY, 15 FEBRUARY:

**FA Cup Fourth Round:**

- Stoke City vs **Fulham** – FA Cup, 2pm (bet365 Stadium)

**Six Nations Rugby:**

- Wales vs France – Six Nations, 3:10pm (Principality Stadium, Cardiff)

---

#### Premiership League Table

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form      1 Arsenal 26 **57** 17 6 3 +32 DLWWW   2 Man City 26 **53** 16 5 5 +30 LWDWW   3 Aston Villa 26 **50** 15 5 6 +10 LWLDW    … … … … … … … … …    5 ![Chelsea](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)**Chelsea** 26 **44** 12 8 6 +17 WWWWD    … … … … … … … … …    12 ![Fulham](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham** 26 **34** 10 4 12 -5 LWLDL   

*As of Thursday, 12 February 2026*

---

#### WHAT TO WATCH

**AFC Wimbledon seek away day improvement:** The Dons travel to Barnsley on Friday night (3pm) looking to address their League One form. Currently 14th in the table, Johnnie Jackson’s side need points to push clear of mid-table and build momentum in the second half of the campaign.

**Fulham face Stoke test after midweek mauling:** Marco Silva’s side must regroup quickly from their Etihad humbling, traveling to the Potteries on Sunday with a chance to reach the FA Cup fifth round. The Cottagers’ woeful away form (eight defeats already) needs addressing, though cup football offers a fresh slate against Championship opposition.

**Chelsea return to Hull:** New Blues boss Liam Rosenior makes an emotional return to his former club on Friday night as Chelsea visit the MKM Stadium. Following their impressive form under Rosenior, Chelsea will be favorites to progress, but cup football at Hull promises atmosphere and intensity.

**England’s Murrayfield challenge:** Scotland host England at Murrayfield on Saturday (4:40pm) in the Calcutta Cup, one of rugby’s oldest rivalries. After England’s demolition of Wales last weekend, they face a tougher test against Scotland on their home turf in a match that could define both teams’ championship ambitions.

---

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/13/bradley-discharged-from-hospital-as-fulham-face-stoke-test/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/13/bradley-discharged-from-hospital-as-fulham-face-stoke-test/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Bradley%20discharged%20from%20hospital%20as%20Fulham%20face%20Stoke%20test&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/13/bradley-discharged-from-hospital-as-fulham-face-stoke-test/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby, Sport

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Calcutta Cup, Chelsea FC, England Rugby, FA Cup, Fulham FC, Fulham Women, Jade Bradley, League One, Premier League, Six Nations, Weekly Preview

---

### [Bugiel brilliance shines as England stumble in Scotland](https://putney.news/2026/02/17/bugiel-brilliance-shines-as-england-stumble-in-scotland/)

**Published:** February 17, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Content:**

SPORTS DIGEST: 9-15 Feb 2026

### SIX NATIONS RUGBY

#### England’s winning streak ends in Edinburgh heartbreak

**England Men – Six Nations Championship** **Scotland 31-20 England** (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh) – *Saturday, 14 February*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/england-rugby.png)

England’s 12-match winning streak came to a shuddering halt at Murrayfield as Scotland claimed the Calcutta Cup with a commanding performance that exposed defensive frailties in Steve Borthwick’s side. Henry Arundell’s early yellow card proved costly as Scotland exploited the numerical advantage with clinical tries from Huw Jones and Jamie Ritchie, racing to a 24-10 halftime lead orchestrated by the brilliant Finn Russell.

Despite England’s attempts to mount a second-half comeback, Scotland’s intensity never wavered. The result marks a significant setback for an England team that had been building momentum through the autumn and early 2026, and sets up a crucial test against Ireland at Twickenham next Saturday where the men in white will need to rediscover their defensive solidity.

The defeat is all the more painful given the psychological blow of losing the Calcutta Cup on Scottish soil, where Murrayfield’s atmosphere proved as formidable as the home team’s attack.

---

#### France storm past Wales in Cardiff rout

**Six Nations Championship** **Wales 12-54 France** (Principality Stadium, Cardiff) – *Sunday, 15 February*

France returned to the top of the Six Nations table with a devastating eight-try demolition of Wales in Cardiff, scoring 54 points in front of 57,744 fans at the Principality Stadium. The comprehensive victory showcased the full range of French attacking prowess as they overwhelmed a Welsh side unable to cope with their pace and precision.

---

##### Six Nations Championship Table

    Pos Team P Pts W D L PD B     1 France 2 **10** 2 0 0 +64 2   2 Scotland 2 **6** 1 0 1 +8 2   3 ![England](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/england-rugby.png)**England** 2 **5** 1 0 1 +30 1   4 Italy 2 **5** 1 0 1 -4 1   5 Ireland 2 **4** 1 0 1 -15 0   6 Wales 2 0 0 0 2 -83 0    

---

### PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALL

#### Chelsea held in dramatic Stamford Bridge stalemate

**Chelsea FC – Premier League** **Chelsea 2-2 Leeds United** (Stamford Bridge) – *Monday, 10 February*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)

Chelsea squandered a two-goal advantage as Leeds United fought back to claim a point at Stamford Bridge. João Pedro and Cole Palmer from the penalty spot had put the Blues in command, but Leeds refused to surrender. Lukas Nmecha converted a penalty before Noah Okafor’s equalizer earned the visitors a share of the spoils, leaving Chelsea frustrated at dropping two points in their pursuit of European qualification.

---

#### Fulham swept aside by ruthless Manchester City

**Fulham FC – Premier League** **Manchester City 3-0 Fulham** (Etihad Stadium) – *Wednesday, 12 February*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

Fulham’s daunting record at the Etihad continued as Manchester City cruised to their 20th consecutive home victory over the Whites across all competitions. Antoine Semenyo, Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland struck inside the opening 36 minutes to effectively end the contest before halftime, extending City’s astonishing run to 17 consecutive home Premier League wins against Fulham – the longest streak in English football history. Marco Silva’s side rarely threatened as City’s dominance at home shows no sign of ending.

---

##### Premier League Table

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Arsenal 26 **57** 17 6 3 +32 DLWWL   2 Manchester City 26 **53** 16 5 5 +30 WLDWW   3 Aston Villa 26 **50** 15 5 6 +10 LWLDW   … … … … … … … … …   5 ![Chelsea](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)**Chelsea** 26 **44** 12 8 6 +17 WWWWL   … … … … … … … … …   12 ![Fulham](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham** 26 **34** 10 4 12 -5 LWLWL    

---

### FA CUP

#### Fulham edge past Stoke in fourth-round thriller

**Fulham FC – FA Cup Fourth Round** **Stoke City 1-2 Fulham** (bet365 Stadium) – *Saturday, 15 February*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

Fulham advanced to the FA Cup fifth round with a hard-fought victory at the bet365 Stadium, though they were made to work for their passage. Bae Jun-Ho opened the scoring after 19 minutes before Kevin doubled the advantage midway through the second half. Harrison Reed’s 84th-minute strike gave Stoke hope of a dramatic comeback, but Fulham held firm in front of 14,871 fans to secure their place in the next round.

---

### LEAGUE ONE

#### Bugiel brace secures point in six-goal thriller

**AFC Wimbledon – League One** **Barnsley 3-3 AFC Wimbledon** (Oakwell) – *Saturday, 14 February*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/afc-wimbledon.png)

Omar Bugiel’s stunning first-half double inspired AFC Wimbledon to snatch a dramatic point at Oakwell in an end-to-end encounter that showcased both teams’ attacking intent. The Dons found themselves 2-0 down inside 14 minutes as David McGoldrick and Tom Bradshaw put Barnsley in command, but Bugiel struck twice in three minutes to level the scores at 2-2.

Marcus Browne appeared to have won it for Wimbledon when he tapped into an empty net in the 74th minute to send the travelling support wild, but Scott Banks’ 87th-minute equalizer rescued a point for the hosts. The result continues Wimbledon’s unbeaten run and demonstrates Johnnie Jackson’s side won’t be easily beaten even when trailing by two goals on the road.

---

##### League One Table

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Cardiff City 31 **66** 20 6 5 +28 DLDWW   2 Lincoln City 31 **62** 18 8 5 +22 WWWWL   3 Bolton 32 **56** 15 11 6 +12 WWWWL   … … … … … … … … …   15 ![AFC Wimbledon](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/afc-wimbledon.png)**AFC Wimbledon** 30 **39** 11 6 13 -6 LLWWD   16 Barnsley 28 **38** 10 8 10 -2 LWLDL    

---

### WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE

#### Chelsea cruise past Liverpool at Kingsmeadow

**Chelsea Women – Women’s Super League** **Chelsea Women 2-0 Liverpool Women** (Kingsmeadow) – *Saturday, 15 February*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)

Chelsea Women maintained their WSL title challenge with a professional victory over Liverpool in a kickoff at Kingsmeadow. Sjoeke Nüschen opened the scoring five minutes before halftime before Lauren James sealed the points with a second-half strike, ensuring Sonia Bompastor’s side kept pace at the top of the table.

---

### FA WOMEN’S NATIONAL LEAGUE

#### Fulham Women march into cup semi-finals

**Fulham Women – Capital Women’s Cup Quarter-Final** **Fulham Women 4-1 Atlético London** (Motspur Park) – *Saturday, 15 February*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

League leaders Fulham Women booked their place in the Capital Women’s Cup semi-finals with a commanding first-half performance against Atlético London. The Whites scored four times before the break to effectively settle the quarter-final, with manager Chris Green rotating his squad in the second half ahead of crucial league fixtures against QPR on Wednesday and another opponent on Sunday.

New signings Hannah and Layla both found the net, with Hannah scoring for the second consecutive week from a set-piece routine, while Layla’s goal marked her first for the club. Stella added two clinical finishes, with her second a particularly impressive guided effort into the bottom corner. The victory maintains Fulham’s unbeaten start to the season and keeps them top of FA WNL Division One South-East with 38 points from 14 matches, one point ahead of Norwich City.

##### FA WNL Division One South-East

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 ![Fulham Women](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham Women** 14 **38** 12 2 0 +32 WWDWW   2 Norwich City Women 15 **37** 12 1 2 +30 WWWLW   3 London Bees 15 **29** 9 2 4 +18 WWDLW    

---

### PREMIERSHIP WOMEN’S RUGBY

#### Harlequins claim crucial bonus point despite Gloucester defeat

**Harlequins Women – Premiership Women’s Rugby** **Gloucester-Hartpury 54-26 Harlequins Women** (Kingsholm) – *Saturday, 14 February*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/harlequins-rfc.png)

Harlequins Women secured a vital try bonus point despite suffering a heavy defeat to reigning champions Gloucester-Hartpury at Kingsholm. After an even start, the hosts pulled away with clinical finishing, but Quins’ determination to claim a fourth try could prove crucial in the final league standings.

Ella Cromack crossed twice for the visitors, first clawing Harlequins back into the match with abrasive carrying from the back row providing the platform, then delivering a picture-perfect pass for Lauren Torley to score before halftime. Liana Mikaele-Tu’u crashed over from close range in the second half before Aoife Wafer’s maul try secured the bonus point that Ross Chisholm’s side will take back to London.

Kate Williams, Sisilia Tuipulotu twice, Kelsey Jones, Tatyana Heard, Maud Muir and Lucy Simpson all crossed for the champions as they demonstrated the clinical edge that has made them the team to beat in the PWR.

---

### STORY OF THE WEEK

**Bugiel’s brilliance salvages point as Dons fight back twice**

Omar Bugiel’s quickfire double exemplified AFC Wimbledon’s never-say-die spirit at Oakwell. Facing a two-goal deficit inside 14 minutes against promotion-chasing Barnsley, lesser teams might have crumbled. Instead, Bugiel struck twice in three first-half minutes to level the scores before Marcus Browne appeared to have won it late on. Scott Banks’ 87th-minute equalizer denied the Dons all three points, but the manner of their comeback performance underlines why Johnnie Jackson’s side remain firmly in the League One playoff picture with 49 points from 30 matches.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/17/bugiel-brilliance-shines-as-england-stumble-in-scotland/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/17/bugiel-brilliance-shines-as-england-stumble-in-scotland/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Bugiel%20brilliance%20shines%20as%20England%20stumble%20in%20Scotland&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/17/bugiel-brilliance-shines-as-england-stumble-in-scotland/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby, Sport

---

### [Itoje's 100th cap, a record hammering, and Jiménez to the rescue: your week in sport](https://putney.news/2026/02/23/itojes-100th-cap-a-record-hammering-and-jimenez-to-the-rescue-your-week-in-sport/)

**Published:** February 23, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Ireland score 42 at Twickenham, Fulham win at Sunderland, Chelsea drop points — all the results from a dramatic weekend.

**Content:**

SPORTS DIGEST 16-22 FEBRUARY 2026

### RUGBY UNION

#### Ireland humiliate England on Itoje’s centenary as Six Nations dreams die at Twickenham

**England 21–42 Ireland** (Allianz Stadium, Twickenham) — *Saturday, 21 February*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/england-rugby.png)

[](http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/bookmarklet/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fputney.news%2F2026%2F02%2F17%2Fbugiel-brilliance-shines-as-england-stumble-in-scotland%2F&media=https%3A%2F%2Fputney.news%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fteam-badges%2Fengland-rugby.png&is_video=false)Maro Itoje’s 100th cap will be remembered not for the milestone but for the manner of England’s most humiliating Twickenham defeat to Ireland in the Six Nations era. Andy Farrell’s side put 42 points past the hosts — their biggest ever points total at the ground — and won by 21, a record margin too. England fell apart in the second half as two sin-bins, for Freddie Steward and Henry Pollock, left them severely exposed. Ireland’s power play was ruthless: Jamie Gibson-Park, Robert Baloucoune, Tommy O’Brien, Dan Sheehan and Jamie Osborne all crossed, with Jack Crowley adding 17 points from the boot. England’s three tries through Fraser Dingwall, Ollie Lawrence and Sam Underhill were scant consolation.

England’s title hopes are mathematically over after back-to-back defeats — Scotland and now Ireland — but the bigger story is the discipline crisis plaguing Steve Borthwick’s side all season. Fourteen penalties conceded at Twickenham is a wretched total at any level of rugby. Ireland, who had slipped to fifth in the world rankings before this fixture, revived their own Championship ambitions in emphatic style.

---

#### France maintain Grand Slam march with bonus-point win over Italy

**France 33–8 Italy** (Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille) — *Sunday, 22 February*

France strengthened their grip on the Six Nations title with a bonus-point victory that was far more comfortable on the scoreboard than the pitch suggested. Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Emmanuel Meafou and Thomas Ramos — drafted in at fly-half after Matthieu Jalibert’s late withdrawal — all scored in an opening 30 minutes that had France 19-0 ahead. But Italy, inspired by Ange Capuozzo’s intercept try and Paolo Garbisi’s penalty, fought back to trail 19-8 at the break. The second half became an attritional arm-wrestle until Italy were reduced to 13 men in the final ten minutes, at which point debutant wing Gaël Dréan and Emilien Gailleton added further tries to seal a flattering margin. France take five tries from five total in Round 3, remain the only unbeaten side, and next face Scotland at Murrayfield on 7 March.

**Six Nations — after Round 3**

    Pos Team P W D L PD B Pts     1 France 3 3 0 0 +101 3 **19**   2 Scotland 3 2 0 1 +14 4 **16**   3 Ireland 3 2 0 1 +6 1 **9**   4 ![England](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/england-rugby.png)**England** 3 1 0 2 -12 1 **5**   5 Italy 3 1 0 2 -41 1 **5**   6 Wales 3 0 0 3 -89 2 **2**    

*France unbeaten and on course for the Grand Slam after three wins from three. Scotland in second after bonus-point win in Cardiff. Round 4: 6-7 March.*

---

#### Quins beaten at Leicester in Premiership Rugby Cup thriller

**Leicester Tigers 33–27 Harlequins** (Mattioli Woods Welford Road) — *Saturday, 21 February*

Harlequins gave a spirited account at Welford Road but ultimately fell six points short in a compelling Premiership Rugby Cup clash. Leicester’s lineout dominance proved the difference again. Quins trail Pool B leaders and their hopes of progression are now under pressure ahead of their next fixture against Newcastle Red Bulls on 28 February.

---

#### Sale edge Harlequins Women in close PWR encounter

**Sale Sharks Women 15–12 Harlequins Women** (Morson Stadium, Manchester) — *Saturday, 21 February*

A tightly contested Premiership Women’s Rugby match went the way of the hosts, with Sale edging out Harlequins 15-12. Despite Harlequins enjoying 58% possession and 63% territory, they could not convert their dominance into points, with both sides crossing for two tries apiece. The defeat is significant in the PWR playoff race — Sale’s run-in now looks favourable, while Harlequins cannot afford further slip-ups.

---

### FOOTBALL

#### Jiménez double sinks Sunderland as Fulham end three-game losing run

**Sunderland 1–3 Fulham** (Stadium of Light) — *Sunday, 22 February*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

Raúl Jiménez dragged Fulham out of a three-game losing run with a commanding brace at the Stadium of Light, reigniting their hopes of a European finish. The Mexican striker headed home from Alex Iwobi’s corner on 54 minutes to break a goalless deadlock, then tucked away a penalty on 61 after Calvin Bassey was fouled. Enzo Le Fee pulled one back from the spot on 76 minutes to briefly threaten a comeback, but Iwobi sealed the points with a clever finish into the far corner on 85 to make it 3-1. Jiménez, now on eight Premier League goals for the season, was the decisive difference in a match that had seemed evenly poised at half-time. Fulham become only the second side to beat the Black Cats at the Stadium of Light this season, and this away win — only their fourth on the road all season — moves them up to 10th on 37 points.

---

#### Chelsea spill two points as Burnley punish last-gasp discipline failure

**Chelsea 1–1 Burnley** (Stamford Bridge) — *Saturday, 21 February*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)

[](http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/bookmarklet/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fputney.news%2F2026%2F02%2F17%2Fbugiel-brilliance-shines-as-england-stumble-in-scotland%2F&media=https%3A%2F%2Fputney.news%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fteam-badges%2Fchelsea-fc.png&is_video=false)Chelsea’s wretched season at Stamford Bridge reached another painful nadir as Burnley snatched a stoppage-time equaliser after João Pedro’s 4th-minute lead was cancelled out by their own ill-discipline. Wesley Fofana — Chelsea’s eighth red card of the campaign — was dismissed on 72 minutes, and Burnley’s James Ward-Prowse punished them immediately from the resulting set piece, with Zian Flemming converting in the 93rd minute. Chelsea are fourth on 45 points but have now dropped 17 points from winning positions at home this season — a statistic that defines their inconsistency. The result was a lifeline for Liam Rosenior’s Burnley, who remain in a relegation battle on 19 points.

**Premier League — as of Sunday, 22 February 2026**

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Arsenal 28 **61** 18 7 3 +35 —WWWW   2 Manchester City 27 **56** 17 5 5 +31 W—WWW   3 Aston Villa 27 **51** 15 6 6 +10 WX—W—   … … … … … … … … …   4 ![Chelsea](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)**Chelsea** 27 **45** 12 9 6 +17 WWWWD   … … … … … … … … …   10 ![Fulham](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham** 27 **37** 11 4 12 -3 LLLXW   

---

#### Wimbledon put Bradford to the sword with commanding Cherry Red victory

**AFC Wimbledon 3–1 Bradford City** (Cherry Red Records Stadium) — *Saturday, 21 February*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/afc-wimbledon.png)

AFC Wimbledon delivered a statement performance at Cherry Red Records with a controlled 3-1 win over Bradford City before 8,486 supporters. James Tilley opened the scoring on 11 minutes, Marcus Browne doubled the lead just before half-time, and Matty Stevens killed the game on 67 minutes. Stephen Humphrys’ consolation for Bradford was too little, too late. Johnnie Jackson’s side have now recorded back-to-back home victories and their form makes for encouraging reading with a good chunk of the season remaining.

**League One — as of Saturday, 21 February 2026**

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Cardiff City 33 **69** 21 6 6 +28 DWWWX   2 Lincoln City 33 **68** 20 8 5 +28 WWDWW   3 Bolton Wanderers 34 **58** 15 13 6 +12 WWDDD   … … … … … … … … …   13 ![AFC Wimbledon](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/afc-wimbledon.png)**AFC Wimbledon** 32 **42** 12 6 14 -7 WWDXW    

---

### STORY OF THE WEEK

Ireland’s 42-21 demolition of England at Twickenham on Maro Itoje’s 100th cap was one of the most significant Six Nations results in years — the largest winning margin and points total Ireland have ever achieved at HQ. At its heart was England’s continuing discipline crisis: fourteen penalties conceded and two sin-bins in a match of this magnitude represent a systemic problem that Steve Borthwick must address urgently before Round 4 in March.

---

**Corrections:** *The penalty that led to Jiménez’s second goal was won by Calvin Bassey, not Harry Wilson. Jiménez’s tally after the match was eight Premier League goals, not seven.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/23/itojes-100th-cap-a-record-hammering-and-jimenez-to-the-rescue-your-week-in-sport/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/23/itojes-100th-cap-a-record-hammering-and-jimenez-to-the-rescue-your-week-in-sport/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Itoje%E2%80%99s%20100th%20cap%2C%20a%20record%20hammering%2C%20and%20Jim%C3%A9nez%20to%20the%20rescue%3A%20your%20week%20in%20sport&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/23/itojes-100th-cap-a-record-hammering-and-jimenez-to-the-rescue-your-week-in-sport/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea FC, England Rugby, Fulham FC, Harlequins, Harlequins Women, Marco Silva, Premier League, Six Nations

---

### [Fulham host crisis Spurs as Chelsea face Arsenal acid test - and Quins must win at the Stoop](https://putney.news/2026/02/27/fulham-host-crisis-spurs-as-chelsea-face-arsenal-acid-test-and-quins-must-win-at-the-stoop/)

**Published:** February 27, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Craven Cottage hosts the capital's most winnable derby while the Emirates title race rumbles on.

**Content:**

SPORTS WEEKEND PREVIEW

### NEWS IN BRIEF

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)

[](http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/bookmarklet/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fputney.news%2F2026%2F02%2F23%2Fitojes-100th-cap-a-record-hammering-and-jimenez-to-the-rescue-your-week-in-sport%2F&media=https%3A%2F%2Fputney.news%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fteam-badges%2Fengland-rugby.png&is_video=false)**Chelsea face Arsenal acid test under Rosenior.** Liam Rosenior, appointed Chelsea head coach on 6 January, faces one of his stiffest examinations yet when the Blues travel to Arsenal on Sunday. Despite a strong start to his tenure, Chelsea’s recent form has faltered — two dropped home points against Burnley on Saturday followed an earlier slip against Leeds — and the club’s discipline record remains a serious concern. Eight red cards this season, the latest Wesley Fofana’s dismissal against Burnley, have repeatedly cost Chelsea points at critical moments.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/england-rugby.png)

**England’s Six Nations reality check.** Following last Saturday’s 42-21 hammering by Ireland at Twickenham — the most Ireland have ever scored in an away Six Nations match against England — there is no rest-week respite available. The players return to their clubs but Steve Borthwick faces searching questions about England’s discipline crisis ahead of Round 4 in Rome on Saturday 7 March. Fourteen penalties conceded at Twickenham is simply indefensible at this level.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/harlequins-rfc.png)

**Harlequins Women’s top-four hopes under pressure.** After losing to Gloucester-Hartpury and Sale Sharks in successive weekends, Harlequins Women sit just one point above the top-four cut-off ahead of the PWR’s return on 6 March. The break this weekend has come at a useful moment for Ross Chisholm’s squad to regroup — but they cannot afford another slip.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

**Fulham riding a wave.** Three points at the Stadium of Light on Sunday lifted Marco Silva’s side to 10th on 37 points and ended a three-game losing run. Raúl Jiménez’s brace was a timely reminder of his quality, and Fulham now welcome crisis-club Spurs to Craven Cottage on Sunday in what looks a highly winnable home fixture.

**Spurs crisis deepens.** Igor Tudor’s Tottenham are the only Premier League side without a win in 2026 — a wretched run that now extends to their new head coach’s first game in charge after Sunday’s 4-1 derby hammering at the Emirates by Arsenal. They arrive at Craven Cottage in freefall and only four points clear of the relegation zone.

---

### COMING UP THIS WEEKEND

##### **Saturday, 28 February:**

- **Harlequins** vs Newcastle Red Bulls — Premiership Rugby Cup, 3pm (Twickenham Stoop)
- Mansfield Town vs **AFC Wimbledon** — League One, 3pm (One Call Stadium)

##### **Sunday, 1 March:**

- **Fulham** vs Tottenham Hotspur — Premier League, 2pm (Craven Cottage) — Sky Sports
- Arsenal vs **Chelsea** — Premier League, 4:30pm (Emirates Stadium) — Sky Sports

*No fixture this weekend: Fulham Women (no FA WNL fixture), Chelsea Women (WSL international break), Harlequins Women (PWR break, returns 6 March).*

---

### WHAT TO WATCH

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

**The Craven Cottage derby** is the pick of Sunday’s card for Putney readers. Fulham, buoyed by Sunday’s commanding win at Sunderland that ended a three-game losing run, host a Spurs side that has lost all four league games in 2026. It is a rare occasion where the Cottagers are strong favourites in a London derby of this billing, and if Jiménez maintains his form the result could be decisive in both clubs’ very different seasons. Kick-off 2pm, live on Sky Sports.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)

Two hours later, **Arsenal v Chelsea** at the Emirates has enormous top-four implications. Arsenal beat Tottenham 4-1 last Sunday but Man City are only five points behind at the top, keeping the title race alive — defeat here would be costly. Chelsea’s Rosenior era has started on an inconsistent note and four dropped points in their last two home games have left their Champions League place vulnerable. Rosenior has Fofana’s red-card suspension to contend with. Kick-off 4:30pm, Sky Sports.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/harlequins-rfc.png)

At the Stoop, **Harlequins v Newcastle Red Bulls** is a Premiership Rugby Cup tie Quins desperately need to win after two consecutive cup defeats. With progression at stake, expect a fired-up home performance. Kick-off 3pm Saturday.

---

### LEAGUE TABLES

**As of Thursday, 26 February 2026**

**Premier League** (MW27 complete; MW28 begins Saturday)

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Arsenal 28 **61** 18 7 3 +35 WWDDW   2 Manchester City 27 **56** 17 5 5 +31 WDWWW   3 Aston Villa 27 **51** 15 6 6 +10 WLDWD   … … … … … … … … …   5 ![Chelsea](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)**Chelsea** 27 **45** 12 9 6 +17 WWWDD   … … … … … … … … …   10 ![Fulham](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham** 27 **37** 11 4 12 -3 WLLLW    

*Note: MW28 matches begin Saturday. Full table updated after Sunday’s fixtures.*

---

**League One** (as of Saturday 21 February 2026)

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Cardiff City 33 **69** 21 6 6 +28 DWWWL   2 Lincoln City 33 **68** 20 8 5 +28 WWDWW   3 Bolton Wanderers 34 **58** 15 13 6 +12 WWDDD   … … … … … … … … …   13 ![AFC Wimbledon](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/afc-wimbledon.png)**AFC Wimbledon** 32 **42** 12 6 14 -7 WWDLW    

*AFC Wimbledon travel to Mansfield on Saturday aiming to build on back-to-back home victories.*

---

**Six Nations** (after Round 3)

    Pos Team P W D L PD B Pts     1 France 3 3 0 0 +89 3 **15**   2 Scotland 3 2 0 1 +11 3 **11**   3 Ireland 3 2 0 1 +6 1 **9**   4 ![England](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/england-rugby.png)**England** 3 1 0 2 +9 1 **5**   5 Italy 3 1 0 2 -29 1 **5**   6 Wales 3 0 0 3 -86 1 **1**    

*Six Nations on a rest weekend. Round 4: Friday 6 March — Ireland v Wales (Dublin). Saturday 7 March — Scotland v France (Edinburgh); Italy v England (Stadio Olimpico, Rome, 4:40pm GMT).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/27/fulham-host-crisis-spurs-as-chelsea-face-arsenal-acid-test-and-quins-must-win-at-the-stoop/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/27/fulham-host-crisis-spurs-as-chelsea-face-arsenal-acid-test-and-quins-must-win-at-the-stoop/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Fulham%20host%20crisis%20Spurs%20as%20Chelsea%20face%20Arsenal%20acid%20test%20%E2%80%93%20and%20Quins%20must%20win%20at%20the%20Stoop&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/27/fulham-host-crisis-spurs-as-chelsea-face-arsenal-acid-test-and-quins-must-win-at-the-stoop/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby

**Tags:** Chelsea FC, Fulham FC, Harlequins RFC

---

### [Fulham complete Spurs double as Women's side win at Luton - Arsenal pull clear after beating Chelsea](https://putney.news/2026/03/02/fulham-complete-spurs-double-as-womens-side-win-at-luton-arsenal-pull-clear-after-beating-chelsea/)

**Published:** March 2, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Back-to-back men's wins revive European talk while Lister's late winner keeps Fulham Women unbeaten on the road.

**Content:**

SPORTS DIGEST

#### STORY OF THE WEEK

Tottenham Hotspur’s capitulation at Craven Cottage completed a remarkable full season double for Fulham — and illustrated in vivid terms the diverging trajectories of two London clubs. Spurs are now winless in 10 consecutive league matches, their worst run in Premier League history, with a club possessing their resources and squad depth four points from relegation. For Fulham, two wins in a week represent a genuine shift in momentum that has placed European football at least in the conversation with ten games to play.

### FOOTBALL

#### Wilson and Iwobi sink Spurs as Cottagers complete the double over their rivals

**Fulham FC — Premier League** **Fulham 2–1 Tottenham Hotspur** (Craven Cottage) — *Sunday, 1 March*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

Harry Wilson and Alex Iwobi produced the goals that ended Tottenham’s season at Craven Cottage, completing a league double over Spurs and sending them deeper into a relegation crisis that feels more real by the week. Wilson got the opener after just seven minutes, his ninth league goal of the season, firing in after a contested challenge.

Iwobi doubled the lead on 34 minutes with a superb strike from distance – Wilson’s cross reached him at the edge of the box and he arrowed a first-time shot into the bottom far corner that left Tottenham with a mountain to climb. Substitute Richarlison pulled one back on 66 minutes to briefly stir hope, but Marco Silva’s side held firm through six minutes of stoppage time, Issa Diop and the defence repelling wave after wave.

Tottenham’s winless league run now stands at 10 matches – equalling their worst-ever Premier League run – and with 29 points they are just four above the bottom three. Fulham are ninth on 40 points, and with ten games remaining the talk at Craven Cottage is increasingly of European qualification.

---

#### Arsenal weather Chelsea storm to go five points clear at the top

**Chelsea FC — Premier League** **Arsenal 2–1 Chelsea** (Emirates Stadium) — *Sunday, 1 March*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)

Arsenal went five points clear at the Premier League summit but this was far from comfortable against a Chelsea side who pressed, created and had a goal disallowed before Pedro Neto’s red card changed the match decisively. William Saliba headed Arsenal in front from a corner, only for a Piero Hincapie own goal – the Arsenal defender’s cross turned in under pressure – to level at 1-1.

Jurrien Timber then converted a second Arsenal corner to restore the lead, and when Neto was sent off with twenty minutes remaining Chelsea’s fightback was effectively over. Arsenal go to 64 points. Chelsea, who remain unbeaten in the league under Liam Rosenior against every team except Arsenal, drop to sixth on 45 points after their first league defeat to Arsenal this season having drawn 1-1 at Stamford Bridge in November before losing the League Cup semi-final in February.

##### **Premier League Table**

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Arsenal 29 **64** 19 7 3 +36 WDWWW   2 Manchester City 28 **59** 18 5 5 +32 DWWWW   3 Manchester United 28 **51** 14 9 5 +12 WWDWW   … … … … … … … … …   6 ![Chelsea](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)**Chelsea** 28 **45** 12 9 7 +16 WWWDL   … … … … … … … … …   9 ![Fulham](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham** 28 **40** 12 4 12 -2 LLLWW   … … … … … … … … …   16 Tottenham Hotspur 28 **29** 7 8 13 -5 LLLLL   

*Arsenal five points clear at the top with Manchester City having a game in hand. Chelsea 6th on 45 points. Fulham 9th on 40 points. Tottenham 16th on 29 points — six above the relegation zone.*

---

#### Dons dig deep for point from behind at Mansfield

**AFC Wimbledon — League One** **Mansfield Town 2–2 AFC Wimbledon** (One Call Stadium) — *Saturday, 28 February*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/afc-wimbledon.png)

AFC Wimbledon produced one of their most determined performances of the season to rescue a point after twice going behind at Mansfield. Jonathan Russell gave the hosts the lead on 7 minutes and then doubled it on 29, leaving Johnnie Jackson’s side with a significant task. But James Tilley pulled one back on 14 minutes before the equaliser arrived on 58 — Matty Stevens stepping up calmly to convert a penalty. The final half-hour was end-to-end, with Wimbledon’s goalkeeper making four saves as Mansfield pressed for a winner, but the Dons held on. Mansfield’s winless run extends to eight matches, while Wimbledon remain in mid-table on 43 points from 33 games, a solid if unspectacular position with ten fixtures remaining.

##### **League One Table**

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Cardiff City 34 **72** 22 6 6 +32 WWWLW   2 Lincoln City 34 **71** 21 8 5 +32 WWDWW   3 Bolton Wanderers 35 **61** 16 13 6 +16 WDDWW   … … … … … … … … …   14 ![AFC Wimbledon](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/afc-wimbledon.png)**AFC Wimbledon** 33 **43** 12 7 14 -7 WWDWD   

*Cardiff lead by one point from Lincoln City with ten games remaining. AFC Wimbledon 14th on 43 points — comfortably clear of the relegation zone.*

---

#### Lister off the bench to break Luton’s resistance and keep Fulham Women unbeaten

**Fulham Women — FA WNL Division One South-East** **Luton Town Women 0–1 Fulham Women** (away) — *Sunday, 1 March*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

Fulham Women maintained their unbeaten league run with a hard-fought victory at Luton Town, substitute Leila Lister proving the difference in a game the visitors dominated without reward in the first half. Fulham pressed and created throughout the opening 45 minutes but could not find the breakthrough, entering the interval goalless despite their clear dominance. The change came swiftly after the restart – Lister came off the bench and scored within minutes of her introduction, converting to make it 0–1 and give the visitors the lead their play deserved. Fulham held firm in the closing stages to bring all three points back from Bedfordshire. With a high-profile fixture to come – Fulham Women host Milton Keynes Dons at Craven Cottage on Sunday 29 March – the momentum and confidence within this squad continues to build.

##### FA WNL Division One South-East

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 ![Fulham Women](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham Women** 16 **44** 14 2 0 +34 —   2 Norwich City 17 **43** 14 1 2 +36 —   3 London Bees 16 **32** 10 2 4 +20 —   

---

### RUGBY UNION

#### Quins end Cup campaign on a high with commanding second-half display

**Harlequins Men — Premiership Rugby Cup** **Harlequins 35–14 Newcastle Red Bulls** (Twickenham Stoop) — *Saturday, 28 February*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/harlequins-rfc.png)

Harlequins closed out their Premiership Rugby Cup campaign in style, a dominant second-half display — inspired by England internationals returning from duty — securing a 35-14 victory over Newcastle Red Bulls. It was level at 14-14 at the break after a scrappy first half: Chandler Cunningham-South and Kieran Treadwell crossed for Quins, with Reuben Parsons and Oli Spencer responding for the visitors. But the second half belonged entirely to Harlequins. Cadan Murley broke through from halfway for the crucial score on 54 minutes, Connor Slevin — outstanding with the boot, landing five from five conversions — then dotted down his own try, and impact replacement Jamie Benson added a fifth in the corner to seal it. Slevin’s five-from-five conversion record was the cherry on top of a polished home performance that ends Harlequins’ Cup pool with a positive note, if too late to affect the standings.

---

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/02/fulham-complete-spurs-double-as-womens-side-win-at-luton-arsenal-pull-clear-after-beating-chelsea/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/02/fulham-complete-spurs-double-as-womens-side-win-at-luton-arsenal-pull-clear-after-beating-chelsea/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Fulham%20complete%20Spurs%20double%20as%20Women%E2%80%99s%20side%20win%20at%20Luton%20%E2%80%93%20Arsenal%20pull%20clear%20after%20beating%20Chelsea&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/02/fulham-complete-spurs-double-as-womens-side-win-at-luton-arsenal-pull-clear-after-beating-chelsea/)

**Categories:** Football

**Tags:** Chelsea FC, Fulham FC, Fulham FC Women

---

### [Fulham's FA Cup dream, England's Rome gamble and a Stoop showdown: your weekend sport guide](https://putney.news/2026/03/06/fulhams-fa-cup-dream-englands-rome-gamble-and-a-stoop-showdown-your-weekend-sport-guide/)

**Published:** March 6, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Five fixtures to watch including Fulham vs Southampton, Italy vs England and Harlequins Women vs Saracens.

**Content:**

SPORTS PREVIEW Fri 6 – Sun 8 March.

### NEWS IN BRIEF

**Monday 2 – Thursday 5 March 2026**

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)

**João Pedro hat-trick lifts Chelsea into top five.** Liam Rosenior’s side produced their most complete performance of his tenure on Wednesday, coming from behind to dismantle Aston Villa 4-1 at Villa Park. Douglas Luiz’s second-minute opener unsettled Chelsea but João Pedro levelled before half-time, completed his hat-trick – his first in the Premier League – inside 64 minutes, with Cole Palmer adding a fourth on 55. Chelsea move up to fifth on 48 points, three behind Villa in fourth and very much in the Champions League race.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

**West Ham body blow for Fulham’s European dream.** Crysencio Summerville’s 65th-minute goal – capitalising on a calamitous mix-up between Bernd Leno and Calvin Bassey – condemned Fulham to a 1-0 home defeat on Wednesday that halted their momentum at the worst possible time. Fulham had chances, including a VAR-reversed penalty, but could not find a way through a resolute West Ham rearguard. The defeat leaves Marco Silva’s side tenth on 40 points, three adrift of the European places.

**Premier League**

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Arsenal 30 **67** 20 7 3 +37 DDWWW   2 Man City 29 **60** 18 6 5 +32 WWWWD   3 Man United 29 **51** 14 9 6 +11 WDWWX   4 Aston Villa 29 **51** 15 6 8 +5 DDWXL   … … … … … … … … …   5 ![Chelsea](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)**Chelsea** 29 **48** 13 9 7 +19 WDDLW   … … … … … … … … …   10 ![Fulham](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham** 29 **40** 12 4 13 -3 LLWWL    

*Arsenal seven points clear at the top with a game in hand on Man City. Chelsea fifth on 48 points, level on points with Man United and Villa. Fulham tenth — three points off the European places after Wednesday’s home defeat to West Ham.*

---

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/england-rugby.png)

**England tear up the script for Rome.** Steve Borthwick has made nine personnel changes – the most ever between two Tests by an England coach – for Saturday’s Six Nations clash against Italy at the Stadio Olimpico. The entire backline is new: Fin Smith starts at fly-half, Ben Spencer at nine and a back three of Cadan Murley, Tom Roebuck and Elliot Daly. Ben Earl earns his 50th cap at number eight. Only captain Maro Itoje, Ellis Genge and Joe Heyes survive from the side hammered 42-21 by Ireland.

**Six Nations**

    Pos Team P W D L PD BP Pts     1 France 3 3 0 0 +89 3 **15**   2 Scotland 3 2 0 1 +11 3 **11**   3 Ireland 3 2 0 1 +6 1 **9**   4 ![England](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/england-rugby.png)**England** 3 1 0 2 +9 1 **5**   5 Italy 3 1 0 2 -29 1 **5**   6 Wales 3 0 0 3 -86 1 **1**    

*France on course for the Grand Slam, four points clear of Scotland. England and Italy level on 5 points with a positive points difference — Saturday’s Stadio Olimpico clash is effectively a must-win for both. Round 4: Saturday 7 March.*

---

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/harlequins-rfc.png)

**Harlequins Women’s top-four fight goes to the wire.** Back-to-back PWR defeats have left Quins Women in seventh place and under real pressure heading into the business end of the season. Saturday’s home fixture against Saracens at the Stoop is a direct six-pointer in the playoff race.

---

### COMING UP THIS WEEKEND

**Saturday, 7 March:**

- **Harlequins Women** vs Saracens Women: Premiership Women’s Rugby Round 13, 12:15pm (Twickenham Stoop)
- Italy vs **England**: Six Nations Round 4, 4:40pm GMT (Stadio Olimpico, Rome) – ITV1
- Scotland vs France: Six Nations Round 4, 2:10pm GMT (Scottish Gas Murrayfield) — ITV1

**Sunday, 8 March:**

- **Fulham** vs Southampton: FA Cup Fifth Round, noon (Craven Cottage)
- **AFC Wimbledon** vs Northampton Town: League One, noon (Cherry Red Records Stadium)
- **Fulham Women** vs Chatham Town — FA WNL Division One South-East, 2pm (Motspur Park)

*No fixture this weekend: Chelsea FC (next: vs Newcastle, Sat 14 Mar, Sky Sports), Chelsea Women, Harlequins Men, Fulham Women.*

---

**League One**

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Cardiff City 34 **72** 22 6 6 +32 WWXWW   2 Lincoln City 34 **71** 21 8 5 +32 WDWWW   3 Bolton Wanderers 35 **61** 16 13 6 +16 WDDWW   … … … … … … … … …   14 ![AFC Wimbledon](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/afc-wimbledon.png)**AFC Wimbledon** 33 **43** 12 7 14 -7 WWDWD    

*AFC Wimbledon comfortably clear of the relegation zone in 14th. Home to Northampton on Sunday.*

---

### WHAT TO WATCH

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

**Fulham’s FA Cup match** is the standout local fixture of the weekend. A home tie against Championship side Southampton at Craven Cottage is a genuine chance to reach the quarter-finals – the kind of afternoon that comes along rarely. Silva’s side are in good form at home and will be favourites. Kick-off noon, Sunday.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/england-rugby.png)

**Italy vs England** is do-or-die for Borthwick’s side. England have never lost to the Azzurri in 33 previous Tests, but Italy under Gonzalo Quesada are the most dangerous they have been in years. Borthwick’s mass changes are a gamble – whether a tactical masterstroke or stroke of desperation will only be clear after the final whistle in Rome. Kick-off 4:40pm GMT, ITV1.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/harlequins-rfc.png)

**Harlequins Women vs Saracens at the Stoop** (12:15pm Saturday) has genuine playoff significance. Saracens are fifth, Quins seventh – two places and a win’s worth of points separate them. Defeat for Quins would make their top-four ambitions very difficult to sustain.

---

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/06/fulhams-fa-cup-dream-englands-rome-gamble-and-a-stoop-showdown-your-weekend-sport-guide/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/06/fulhams-fa-cup-dream-englands-rome-gamble-and-a-stoop-showdown-your-weekend-sport-guide/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Fulham%E2%80%99s%20FA%20Cup%20dream%2C%20England%E2%80%99s%20Rome%20gamble%20and%20a%20Stoop%20showdown%3A%20your%20weekend%20sport%20guide&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/06/fulhams-fa-cup-dream-englands-rome-gamble-and-a-stoop-showdown-your-weekend-sport-guide/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Cherry Red Records Stadium, Craven Cottage, EFL League One, FA Cup, Fulham FC, Harlequins, Premier League, Six Nations, Twickenham Stoop

---

### [England humiliated in Rome, Fulham robbed by early whistle - but Chelsea and Wimbledon march on](https://putney.news/2026/03/09/england-humiliated-in-rome-fulham-robbed-by-early-whistle-but-chelsea-and-wimbledon-march-on/)

**Published:** March 9, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Stewart penalty ends Fulham's Cup run while Garnacho fires Chelsea to quarter-finals and Wimbledon tighten grip on safety.

**Content:**

WEEKEND SPORTS DIGEST

---

### THE WEEKEND IN BRIEF

It was a weekend that reminded you why sport is worth paying attention to. The favourites fell, the underdogs triumphed, and several certainties that had seemed safe going into Saturday morning were in ruins by Sunday evening.

Italy beat England in a Six Nations match for the first time ever. Scotland put 50 points on France to shatter the Grand Slam. Southampton – a Championship club with a squad decimated by injury – walked out of Craven Cottage with an FA Cup quarter-final place after denying Fulham a goal that replays suggested should have stood, then converting a penalty in stoppage time.

Chelsea, for their part, needed extra time, a red card, a VAR intervention and four goals to eliminate Championship side Wrexham. Harlequins Women were beaten at home by Saracens. AFC Wimbledon were, mercifully, the exception: a clean sheet, three points, and a League One survival that is now all but done. For the rest, it was a weekend of shock, controversy and a fair amount of anguish.

---

### RUGBY UNION

#### Italy make history to send England’s Six Nations to the brink of collapse

**Italy 23–18 England** (Stadio Olimpico, Rome) — *Saturday, 7 March*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/england-rugby.png)

Thirty-two previous meetings. Thirty-two England wins. Then Saturday happened. Italy beat England for the first time in their history, and they did so not by fortune or fluke but by exposing, methodically, every crack that has widened in Steve Borthwick’s side all tournament. England had led 18–10 through Tommy Freeman and Tom Roebuck tries and the boot of Fin Smith, and for sixty minutes the record looked safe. Then Sam Underhill was sin-binned. Then, catastrophically, captain Maro Itoje followed him. England buckled — and Leonardo Marin finished a brilliant team move down the left touchline to seal a 23–18 win that will be replayed in Rome for years. Paolo Garbisi kicked 13 points, Tommaso Menoncello was Italy’s best player, and when the final whistle went, England were left to contemplate a third consecutive defeat in a tournament they began as title contenders.

They now travel to Paris for the final round having won one of four matches. For the first time in the Six Nations era, England’s worst-ever finish is a genuine possibility.

---

#### Scotland’s 13-try epic blows the title race wide open

**Scotland 50–40 France** (Murrayfield, Edinburgh) — *Saturday, 7 March*

While England were collapsing in Rome, an hour’s flight away in Edinburgh something equally astonishing was unfolding. France had arrived at Murrayfield as the tournament’s only unbeaten side and strong favourites for a Grand Slam. They left having conceded fifty points. Scotland, whose tournament had stumbled after a heavy defeat to Ireland in Round 3, produced one of the most extraordinary attacking performances in Six Nations history — thirteen tries, a 50–40 scoreline, and a bonus-point win that sent them to the top of the table and reduced France’s title ambitions to rubble.

The Grand Slam is gone. The title is not settled. Next Saturday, Scotland host Ireland and France host England in a final round that no-one could have predicted when the tournament began.

**Six Nations — after Round 4**

    Pos Team P W D L PD BP Pts     1 France 4 3 0 1 +79 4 **16**   2 Scotland 4 3 0 1 +21 4 **16**   3 Ireland 4 3 0 1 +16 2 **14**   4 Italy 4 2 0 2 -24 1 **9**   5 ![England Rugby](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/england-rugby.png)**England** 4 1 0 3 +4 2 **6**   6 Wales 4 0 0 4 -96 1 **1**    

*Round 5 (final round): Scotland v Ireland (Edinburgh), France v England (Paris) — Saturday 14 March.*

---

#### Saracens end Quins’ homecoming with commanding derby win

**Harlequins Women 26–43 Saracens Women** (Twickenham Stoop) — *Saturday, 7 March*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/harlequins-rfc.png)

The weekend’s theme – of favourites and high hopes punctured – extended to the Stoop, where Harlequins were hoping a home derby against Saracens would arrest a run of three defeats in four league games. Instead, Saracens extended their winning streak to twelve consecutive PWR victories and left with a 43–26 bonus-point win that puts Harlequins’ top-four ambitions in serious jeopardy. May Campbell scored her tenth try of the season from a driving maul in the opening exchanges, and though Jade Konkel hit back for the hosts, Saracens dominated the first half: Jess Breach finishing a sweeping move just before the break to confirm the bonus point. Harlequins battled hard enough in the second half to earn a try bonus of their own, Ella Cromack finishing in the corner for a fourth, but Zoe Harrison’s late penalty closed the curtain on a comfortable win for the visitors.

Saracens are back at the top of the PWR table. Harlequins, with their top-four place now far from secure, cannot afford another defeat.

**Premiership Women’s Rugby — as of Saturday, 7 March 2026**

    Pos Team Pld Pts W L D Diff Form     1 Saracens Women 12 **55** 11 1 0 +344 —   2 Gloucester-Hartpury 11 **55** 11 0 0 +244 —   3 Exeter Chiefs Women 12 **36** 5 4 3 +25 —   4 ![Harlequins Women](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/harlequins-rfc.png)**Harlequins Women** 12 **34** 5 6 1 -24 —   5 Trailfinders Women 11 **32** 4 5 2 +65 —   6 Sale Sharks Women 12 **28** 4 7 1 -66 —   7 Bristol Bears Women 12 **25** 4 7 1 -13 —   8 Loughborough Lightning 11 **25** 3 6 2 -19 —   9 Leicester Tigers Women 11 **1** 0 11 0 -556 —    

---

### FOOTBALL

#### Gillett controversy and stoppage-time heartbreak end Fulham’s FA Cup run

**Fulham 0–1 Southampton** – *Sunday, 8 March*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)

Fulham crashed out of the FA Cup in circumstances that will take some time to make sense of. They had 68% of the ball. They created 24 shot attempts to Southampton’s five. They had fifteen corners to four. And they lost 1–0 to a Championship side on a stoppage-time penalty. The numbers tell the story of a team that dominated almost everything except the scoreline, but what will linger is the moment in the 18th minute that Fulham believe, with considerable justification, decided the tie.

Southampton goalkeeper Daniel Peretz launched a hurried goal-kick that cannoned directly off his own defender Ryan Manning, leaving Rodrigo Muniz to roll the ball into an empty net. The stadium erupted. But referee Jarred Gillett had already blown his whistle, ruling the ball had been moving when Peretz kicked it. Replays examined widely and at length in the hours after strongly suggested it had not. VAR was powerless to intervene.

Marco Silva, who had made nine changes with the Premier League run-in in mind and was already without Harry Wilson through an ankle injury, had a second goal ruled out for offside before Finn Azaz was brought down by Joachim Andersen in added time and Ross Stewart hammered the penalty into the bottom corner. Southampton, nine matches unbeaten and the first Championship club to reach this season’s FA Cup quarter-finals, deserved credit for hanging in. Fulham deserved better. “A really, really bad day,” said Silva. He was understating it.

---

#### Chelsea twice come from behind to survive Wrexham scare in FA Cup thriller

**Wrexham 2–4 Chelsea (AET)** – *Saturday, 7 March*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)

In Wrexham on Saturday evening, Chelsea survived an FA Cup scare that will have given Liam Rosenior several sleepless hours. He had made eight changes with Wednesday’s Champions League trip to PSG on his mind, and what followed was exactly the kind of match that suggests that plan needed more thought. Sam Smith gave Wrexham – sixth in the Championship, the Hollywood-backed club who had already knocked out Nottingham Forest – a deserved 18th-minute lead. A fortunate Arthur Okonkwo own goal levelled it before half-time, but Callum Doyle’s brilliant instinctive flick on 78 minutes restored the lead and suddenly the upset was very much on.

Josh Acheampong’s equaliser four minutes later forced extra time, and the complexion of the tie changed definitively in the 93rd minute when George Dobson was sent off after a VAR review upgraded a yellow card for a high challenge on Alejandro Garnacho. With twelve men, Wrexham could not hold on. Garnacho volleyed in at the back post on 96 minutes, João Pedro added a fourth, and when Lewis Brunt headed home what he thought was a penalty-forcing goal in the 114th minute, VAR ruled him offside by a margin that will have tested even the most forgiving of measuring devices. Chelsea are in the quarter-finals. They should not have made it this hard.

There is something enjoyable about Wrexham’s cup run — a small ground, a passionate crowd, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney watching from the stands as their side pushed a Premier League club to extra time. But it is worth remembering, as we noted on these pages last August, that Wrexham sit 98th out of 116 clubs in the Fan Engagement Index with just 55 points — celebrity ownership and Netflix fame generating profile without the genuine community roots that make a football club something more than a brand. Three miles from Stamford Bridge, AFC Wimbledon – fan-owned, phoenix-built, seventh in the same index – won 1–0 with nobody famous watching. Different clubs, different stories.

**Premier League — as of Sunday, 8 March 2026**

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Arsenal 30 **67** 20 7 3 +37 DWWWW   2 Man City 29 **60** 18 6 5 +32 WWWWW   3 Man United 29 **51** 14 9 6 +11 WWWWL   … … … … … … … … …   5 ![Chelsea](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)**Chelsea** 29 **48** 13 9 7 +19 WWDXW   … … … … … … … … …   10 ![Fulham](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham** 29 **40** 12 4 13 -3 LXWWL    

---

#### Wimbledon’s top-half march continues with clean sheet against relegation-threatened Cobblers

**AFC Wimbledon 1–0 Northampton Town** – *Sunday, 8 March*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/afc-wimbledon.png)

Callum Maycock’s tenth-minute finish secured a third League One win in four for Johnnie Jackson’s side, stretching their unbeaten run and pushing Wimbledon 11 points clear of the relegation zone. Maycock tapped home from Marcus Browne’s superb cut-back after the Dons had pressed high from the opening whistle, and though Northampton tested Joe McDonnell – who made three important saves – the home side largely controlled the afternoon. James Tilley continued to impress with a surging run and low cross that deserved a goal, and Browne had an acrobatic effort cleared off the line late on. Northampton are now six league games without a win and remain entrenched in the relegation battle. For Wimbledon, their League One survival is now all but mathematically confirmed.

**League One — as of Sunday, 8 March 2026**

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Lincoln City 35 **74** 22 8 5 +34 DWWWW   2 Cardiff City 35 **72** 22 6 7 +30 WWXWL   3 Bolton Wanderers 36 **64** 17 13 6 +17 DDDWW   … … … … … … … … …   14 ![AFC Wimbledon](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/afc-wimbledon.png)**AFC Wimbledon** 34 **46** 13 7 14 -6 DXWDW    

---

#### Fulham Women close the gap with four-goal show against top-four Chatham

**Fulham Women 3–1 Chatham Town** – *Sunday, 8 March*

Fulham Women moved to the top of the FA WNL Division One South-East – first on both points and points-per-game – with a commanding victory over fourth-placed Chatham Town in what may prove to be one of the pivotal results of their season. Fulham led at the break through a header from a free kick, but Chatham levelled on the counter before half-time to set up a tense second period. Ellie Olds restored the lead with a clinical finish and Leila Lister capped a composed display by slotting past the keeper after beating her defender with pace to make it 3–1. The win puts Fulham top on 47 points from 17 games (2.76 PPG), one point and a game ahead of Norwich City (46 points from 18, 2.56 PPG), with a game in hand. The title is Fulham’s to lose.

**FA WNL Division One South-East — as of Sunday, 8 March 2026**

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD PPG     1 ![Fulham Women](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham Women** 17 **47** 15 2 0 +36 2.76   2 Norwich City 18 **46** 15 1 2 +39 2.56   3 London Bees 17 **32** 10 2 5 +17 1.88   4 Chatham Town 15 **28** 9 1 5 +23 1.87   

*Fulham Women lead the division on points-per-game (2.59 vs Norwich’s 2.56) having played one fewer game than the leaders. Norwich City on 46 points from 18 games; Fulham on 47 from 18 — the title race is Fulham’s to lose. Chatham Town’s GD updated to +24 after today’s defeat. Table sourced from Fulham FC official app, 19:41 GMT, 8 March 2026.*

---

### STORY OF THE WEEK

On any other weekend, Italy beating England for the first time in their history would be the only story anyone could talk about. This weekend it had competition. France were beaten 50–40 at Murrayfield. Fulham were eliminated from the FA Cup at home, denied a goal replays suggested should have stood, after creating 24 shot attempts and dominating a Championship side for 90 minutes. Chelsea needed extra time and a red card to see off Championship side Wrexham. Harlequins Women lost a home derby. The favourites, across almost every fixture involving our teams, either stumbled badly or fell entirely. It was one of those weekends that reminds you sport has no obligation to be predictable, and that next Saturday’s final round of the Six Nations will be extraordinary.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/09/england-humiliated-in-rome-fulham-robbed-by-early-whistle-but-chelsea-and-wimbledon-march-on/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/09/england-humiliated-in-rome-fulham-robbed-by-early-whistle-but-chelsea-and-wimbledon-march-on/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=England%20humiliated%20in%20Rome%2C%20Fulham%20robbed%20by%20early%20whistle%20%E2%80%93%20but%20Chelsea%20and%20Wimbledon%20march%20on&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/09/england-humiliated-in-rome-fulham-robbed-by-early-whistle-but-chelsea-and-wimbledon-march-on/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea FC, England Rugby, FA Cup, Fulham Women, Six Nations

---

### [Greatest Six Nations ever ends in agony for England as Fulham Women keep flying at the top](https://putney.news/2026/03/16/greatest-six-nations-ever-ends-in-agony-for-england-as-fulham-women-keep-flying-at-the-top/)

**Published:** March 16, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Chesham thrashed as Fulham Women go four clear, while Chelsea's week goes from bad to catastrophic.

**Content:**

WEEKEND SPORTS DIGEST

### RUGBY UNION

#### Ramos’ last kick of the tournament shatters England dreams — and Ireland’s title hopes — in the greatest Six Nations ever played

**France 48–46 England** (Stade de France, Paris) — *Saturday, 14 March*

Thomas Ramos nailed a long-range penalty with the clock in the red to settle a 13-try thriller which England looked to have won when Tommy Freeman crossed in the 76th minute. It was the last act of a tournament that will be talked about for years.

The match was an extraordinary spectacle. Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored two tries in each half, and Ollie Chessum bagged a double — the second a stunning intercept — as the lead changed hands repeatedly. England had recovered from two early Bielle-Biarrey scores to dominate the first half. They led by 10 points at one stage, but a late penalty try coupled with the sin-binning of Ellis Genge saw it shaved to 27-24 at the interval.

France made their man advantage count early in the second half, Bielle-Biarrey completing his hat-trick before Attissogbe extended the lead. England hit back: Chessum’s brilliantly timed interception sent him galloping home from inside his own half, then Marcus Smith marked his introduction with a wonderfully taken try on his 50th cap, converting to make it 39-38. Bielle-Biarrey’s fourth try stung England again, but when France prop Demba Bamba was sin-binned they pounced for the seventh time through Freeman — and for a few seconds England led, Ireland watched from Dublin, and the title pointed elsewhere. Then Ramos stepped up and split the posts with the final kick of the 2026 Six Nations.

The defeat consigned Steve Borthwick’s side to their worst ever championship finish with just one win through the tournament, which came on the opening weekend against Wales. Bielle-Biarrey took his tally to 29 tries in just 27 Tests and finished the campaign with nine for the tournament, breaking his own record from last season.

---

#### Italy make history in Rome to send England into freefall

**Italy 23–18 England** (Stadio Olimpico, Rome) — *Saturday, 7 March*

The week’s drama began seven days earlier in Rome with a defeat that shook English rugby to its core. Italy made history at the Stadio Olimpico, defeating England for the first time in 33 meetings as Leonardo Marin’s 72nd-minute try completed a remarkable comeback to seal a famous 23-18 victory.

England looked on course to return to winning ways after first-half tries from Tommy Freeman and Tom Roebuck, along with two second-half penalties from Fin Smith. But two sin-binnings proved fatal — Sam Underhill yellow-carded for a high tackle, then Maro Itoje following him for cynically slapping the ball down in a maul, leaving England briefly down to 13 men. Italy seized the moment: with Itoje still off the field, a brilliant cross-field move involving Monty Ioane sent Marin over for the decisive try. Paolo Garbisi was a perfect five from five off the tee throughout.

---

#### Six Nations — Final Standings, 2026

    Pos Team P W D L PD B Pts     1 France 🏆 5 4 0 1 +81 5 **21**   2 Ireland 5 4 0 1 +38 3 **19**   3 Scotland 5 3 0 2 −1 4 **16**   4 Italy 5 2 0 3 −38 1 **9**   5 ![England](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/england-rugby.png)**England** 5 1 0 4 +2 4 **8**   6 Wales 5 1 0 4 −82 2 **6**    

*France champions for the second successive year. England finish fifth — their worst ever Six Nations campaign.*

---

#### Harlequins Women beaten in Loughborough as play-off race tightens

**Loughborough Lightning 43–33 Harlequins Women** (cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens) — *Friday, 13 March*

Ellie Kildunne and Sadia Kabeya returned to action after being stranded in Dubai as Loughborough Lightning beat Harlequins Women 43-33 in Premiership Women’s Rugby. Kildunne scored the opening try for Harlequins, but Lightning fought back strongly. Bo Westcombe-Evans starred with a hat-trick to help secure the win, ending Lightning’s five-game losing run. Harlequins remain fourth in the table, but it is a third successive defeat for Ross Chisholm’s side and with the play-off cut-off increasingly congested, every remaining fixture now matters enormously.

*Harlequins Men had no Premiership fixture this week — the Gallagher Premiership resumes with Harlequins hosting Gloucester on 21 March.*

---

### FOOTBALL

#### Chelsea humiliated by PSG as European dream dissolves at Parc des Princes

**Paris Saint-Germain 5–2 Chelsea** (Parc des Princes) — *Wednesday, 11 March — UEFA Champions League, Round of 16 first leg*

Paris Saint-Germain scored three goals in the final 20 minutes as the holders overwhelmed Chelsea 5-2 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. Vitinha capitalised on an error from Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jørgensen to put PSG ahead for the third time on the night in the 74th minute. Substitute Khvicha Kvaratskhelia then added two more, including a sensational curling strike into the top corner, in the dying minutes to put PSG firmly in control ahead of the second leg.

Chelsea had been competitive for long stretches. Bradley Barcola opened the scoring, but Malo Gusto drew Chelsea level with his first European goal for the club, in the country of his birth. PSG restored their lead through Ousmane Dembélé before the interval. Chelsea equalised again early in the second half through Enzo Fernández’s fine finish following excellent work from Pedro Neto. Then Jørgensen’s unfortunate error gifted Vitinha the third and Kvaratskhelia’s late brace ended Chelsea’s hopes of keeping the tie alive. The second leg at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday requires Chelsea to overturn a three-goal deficit against the European champions.

---

#### Gordon’s sucker punch completes nightmare week for Chelsea

**Chelsea 0–1 Newcastle United** (Stamford Bridge) — *Saturday, 14 March*

Despite dominating possession and digging out countless half-chances, Chelsea never really planted their flag in the race for the Champions League. The sloppiness that allowed PSG to score five past them crept in again: Anthony Gordon’s 18th-minute goal — latching onto Joe Willock’s run through Chelsea’s defence — was ultimately the difference. James’s late free-kick and a João Pedro header both went agonisingly close, but Newcastle held firm. Chelsea remain sixth on 48 points, three behind Aston Villa in the race for the top four.

**Premier League — as of Sunday, 15 March 2026**

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Arsenal 31 **70** 21 7 3 +39 DWWWW   2 Man City 30 **61** 18 7 5 +32 WWDWW   3 Man United 30 **54** 15 9 6 +13 DWWWL   4 Aston Villa 30 **51** 15 6 9 +3 WDLLW   … … … … … … … … …   6 ![Chelsea](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)**Chelsea** 30 **48** 13 9 8 +18 WLLWL   … … … … … … … … …   11 ![Fulham](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham** 30 **41** 12 5 13 −3 LWWLD   

---

#### Fulham Women demolish Chesham to extend their lead at the top

**Chesham United 0–6 Fulham Women** (The Meadow, Chesham) — *Sunday, 15 March — FA WNL Division One South-East*

Fulham Women made it another week of emphatic FA WNL Division One South-East football, routing bottom-of-the-table Chesham United 6-0 at The Meadow to extend their lead at the summit to four points. The comprehensive margin — Fulham’s biggest away win of the season — underlines a run of form that has seen them go unbeaten through all 18 league matches. With goal difference now at +42 and just four games of the regular season remaining, promotion is firmly in Fulham’s hands. Goalscorers were not confirmed at the time of writing.

**FA WNL Division One South-East — as of Sunday, 15 March 2026**

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 ![Fulham Women](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham** 18 **50** 16 2 0 +42 WWWWW   2 Norwich City 18 **46** 15 1 2 +39 …   3 London Bees 17 **32** 10 2 5 +17 …   … … … … … … … … …   12 Chesham United 18 **5** 1 2 15 −59 …    

*Fulham unbeaten in 18 league matches, four points clear at the top with four games remaining.*

---

#### Fulham hold firm at Forest in hard-fought point

**Nottingham Forest 0–0 Fulham** (City Ground) — *Sunday, 15 March*

Forest tried to take the initiative, spurred on by their home crowd and looking to create danger especially down the wings. Fulham’s defence remained very solid throughout, closing down spaces and preventing the home side from fashioning clear-cut scoring opportunities. Marco Silva’s men ground out a professional away point. Fulham remain 11th on 41 points with eight games to play.

---

#### Wimbledon hit four to fuel unlikely play-off push, then lose ground at Stevenage

**AFC Wimbledon 4–1 Blackpool** (Cherry Red Records Stadium) — *Wednesday, 11 March*

AFC Wimbledon boosted their slim hopes of a League One play-off spot with a commanding 4-1 win against relegation-threatened Blackpool at the Cherry Red Records Stadium. Ryan Johnson headed Steve Seddon’s sublime corner past Bailey Peacock-Farrell on 11 minutes. Matty Stevens converted a penalty on 54 minutes, before Zack Nelson and Omar Bugiel rounded off the scoring deep in stoppage time.

---

**Stevenage 1–0 AFC Wimbledon** (Lamex Stadium) — *Saturday, 14 March*

The midweek euphoria evaporated three days later. Jamie Reid’s fifth goal in eight matches — a 10th-minute penalty — put Stevenage ahead and they were relatively untroubled as they closed out a tight 1-0 success. Wimbledon dominated possession and peppered the Stevenage box in a fruitless second half, their play-off push now requiring a strong finish to the season with 10 games remaining.

**League One — as of Saturday, 14 March 2026** <

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Lincoln City 37 **80** 24 8 5 +37 WWWWW   2 Cardiff City 37 **76** 23 7 7 +34 LWLDW   3 Bolton 37 **65** 17 14 6 +17 DDWWD   … … … … … … … … …   13 ![AFC Wimbledon](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/afc-wimbledon.png)**AFC Wimbledon** 36 **49** 14 7 15 −4 WWDWL    

*Lincoln City lead on 80 points with Cardiff City second. AFC Wimbledon 13th, eight points off the play-off places with 10 games remaining.*

---

### STORY OF THE WEEK

The 2026 Six Nations will be talked about for years. Italy defeating England in Rome for the first time in 33 meetings on 7 March, then France 48-46 England in the most extraordinary title-deciding finale the tournament has ever produced — 13 tries, the lead changing hands six times, England in front with minutes to go, and a last-gasp Ramos penalty deciding everything. England finish fifth, their worst positioning since the championship expanded to six nations in 2000. It has been a campaign to forget in every sense except the final night in Paris, which was the best kind of extraordinary.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/16/greatest-six-nations-ever-ends-in-agony-for-england-as-fulham-women-keep-flying-at-the-top/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/16/greatest-six-nations-ever-ends-in-agony-for-england-as-fulham-women-keep-flying-at-the-top/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Greatest%20Six%20Nations%20ever%20ends%20in%20agony%20for%20England%20as%20Fulham%20Women%20keep%20flying%20at%20the%20top&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/16/greatest-six-nations-ever-ends-in-agony-for-england-as-fulham-women-keep-flying-at-the-top/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea FC, England Rugby, Fulham FC, Fulham Women, Harlequins Women, Marco Silva, Premier League

---

### [Chelsea's nightmare week deepens as Fulham Women march on](https://putney.news/2026/03/23/chelseas-nightmare-week-deepens-as-fulham-women-march-on/)

**Published:** March 23, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Two defeats, a European exit, Rosenior under pressure — and Olds hits her century.

**Content:**

SPORTS DIGEST: 16-22 March 2026

### Story of the Week

Fulham Women’s 6-0 rout of AFC Sudbury keeps them four points clear at the top of FA WNL Division One South-East with three games remaining — and two of those are at Craven Cottage. They have not lost a league match all season. Ellie Olds marking her 100th appearance in the same game made a perfect afternoon complete. The title is Fulham Women’s to lose.

---

### RUGBY UNION

#### Trailfinders edge Quins in Friday night Stoop thriller to deepen playoff fears

**Harlequins Women 17–21 Ealing Trailfinders Women** (Twickenham Stoop) — *Friday, 20 March*

A see-saw PWR contest under the Friday night lights ended in a narrow defeat for Harlequins Women, whose playoff hopes took another blow as Trailfinders scored three tries to claim a 21-17 win. Quins trailed 7-5 at half-time but fought back to lead before a dominant Trailfinders finish condemned them to a third successive league defeat.

Connie Powell and Nicole Wythe crossed in the second half to give Quins the advantage, but Trailfinders responded immediately each time. Niamh Gallagher was outstanding for the visitors, converting all three of their tries — scored by Tanya Kalounivale (6′), Brooke Bradley (55′) and Abi Burton (77′). Beth Wilcock’s 72nd-minute try brought Quins back to within a converted score but the visitors’ superior lineout — stealing four of Quins’ own throws — proved decisive. Wythe was yellow-carded on 54 minutes at a critical moment.

The defeat leaves Harlequins sixth in the PWR table on 36 points, level with Trailfinders in fifth but behind on points difference, with the top-four playoff cut-off now a pressing concern.

**Premiership Women’s Rugby — as of 20 March 2026**

    Pos Team Pld Pts W L D DIF     1 Gloucester-Hartpury 13 **65** 13 0 0 +254   2 Saracens Women 13 **56** 11 2 0 +339   3 Exeter Chiefs Women 14 **46** 7 4 3 +101   4 Sale Sharks Women 14 **37** 6 7 1 +11   5 Trailfinders Women 13 **36** 5 6 2 +36   6 ![Harlequins Women](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/harlequins-rfc.png)**Harlequins Women** 14 **36** 5 8 1 -38   7 Loughborough Lightning 13 **32** 4 7 2 -14    

---

#### Gloucester come from behind to dent Quins’ European ambitions

**Harlequins 19–26 Gloucester** (Twickenham Stoop) — *Saturday, 21 March*

Gloucester delivered a damaging second-half comeback at The Stoop to win 26-19 in a bonus-point victory that could prove decisive in the race for Champions Cup qualification next season. Harlequins led 14-7 at half-time — tries from Ben Waghorn and Marcus Smith — and looked to be building momentum when Jack Kenningham powered over on 62 minutes to restore a seven-point advantage. But Gloucester hit back immediately through Charlie Atkinson, who stepped through the defensive line to level at 19-19, before Arthur Clark forced his way over from a line-out drive with eight minutes remaining to seal the win. Atkinson’s conversion completed four tries for the bonus point.

Harlequins were overrun at the set-piece and paid the price for not converting their pressure into points in the second half. The result leaves Quins ninth in the Premiership table, five points adrift of Gloucester who have now beaten them twice this season — and handed them the first league double over Quins in 19 years.

---

### FOOTBALL

#### Olds reaches century as Fulham Women rout Sudbury to extend title lead

**AFC Sudbury 0–6 Fulham Women** (AFC Sudbury) — *Sunday, 22 March*

Fulham Women continued their relentless march toward the FA WNL Division One South-East title with a commanding 6-0 win away to AFC Sudbury, a result that extends their unbeaten run to 16 matches this season. Ellie Olds marked the occasion by reaching 100 appearances for the club — a milestone celebrated by teammates and the travelling support. Leila Lister (No.33) rounded off a perfect afternoon with a powerful strike past the Sudbury goalkeeper in the 87th minute to complete the rout.

Fulham had gone into the game holding a four-point lead at the top with four matches remaining. The win extends that lead — Norwich City also won today, so the gap remains four points with three games left. Steve Jaye’s side have not lost all season. Next up: MK Dons at Craven Cottage.

**FA WNL Division One South-East — as of Sunday, 22 March 2026**

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD     1 ![Fulham Women](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham** 19 **53** 17 2 0 +48   2 Norwich City 19 **49** 16 1 2 +41   3 London Bees 18 **35** 11 2 5 +21   4 Chatham Town 17 **34** 11 1 5 +28   5 Queens Park Rangers 18 **28** 8 4 6 +13    

---

#### Chelsea’s worst week in years: knocked out of Europe, beaten twice, Rosenior’s job on the line

**Chelsea 0–1 Newcastle United** (Stamford Bridge) — *Saturday, 14 March* **Everton 3–0 Chelsea** (Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool) — *Saturday, 21 March*

The week of 14-21 March will take its place among the darkest in Chelsea’s recent history. They were all but eliminated from the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, then lost back-to-back Premier League matches to deepen a four-game losing run that has put Liam Rosenior’s position under genuine scrutiny.

The Newcastle defeat on Saturday 14 March was at least tight: Anthony Gordon’s clinical finish in the 18th minute was all that separated the sides, but Chelsea’s failure to register a single telling chance told the story of a side losing confidence in their own ability to hurt teams. The loss followed directly from the PSG humiliation and the sloppy patterns of play that had become characteristic.

If the Newcastle result was deflating, Everton on Saturday 21 March was a catastrophe. Beto scored twice — dinking over Robert Sanchez in the 33rd minute after James Garner’s exquisite through ball, then converting from close range after Idrissa Gueye’s assist on 62 — and Iliman Ndiaye curled a stunning third into the top corner on 76 minutes. The final score of 3-0 was a statement result that lifted Everton to seventh and left Chelsea sixth, their Champions League ambitions now hanging by a thread.

Rosenior’s own reaction was measured but clearly pained. “I’m still learning about this club,” he told Sky Sports, calling it his most disappointing evening yet. The Blues enter the international break having won just one of their last six in the Premier League.

---

#### Wilson landmark as Fulham turn Burnley over to keep European push alive

**Fulham 3–1 Burnley** (Craven Cottage) — *Saturday, 21 March*

Harry Wilson reached double figures in Premier League goals for the season as Fulham moved to within striking distance of the European places with a thoroughly convincing 3-1 win over relegation-haunted Burnley. The Welsh international now sits on ten goals — the joint-best return of his career at this level.

The match was quiet for an hour before Burnley made the breakthrough against the run of play: Zian Flemming’s 60th-minute finish, laid on by Lyle Foster, gave Scott Parker’s side a surprise lead. It lasted just seven minutes. Goalkeeper Martin Dubravka fumbled the ball under pressure and 19-year-old midfielder Josh King pounced to score his first Premier League goal on 67 minutes — one he had been desperate to register after a legitimate effort against Chelsea was wrongly disallowed by VAR back in August. Wilson then finished with authority on 73 to restore the lead, cutting inside on his left foot and driving low through the Burnley defence. Burnley’s Josh Laurent received his marching orders in stoppage time and substitute Raul Jimenez converted the resulting penalty to seal it.

The result lifts Fulham to 9th on 44 points, just one behind Sunderland and Brighton. Burnley remain in serious peril, nine points from safety with seven games to play.

**Premier League — as of Sunday, 22 March 2026**

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Arsenal 31 **70** 21 7 3 +39 DWWWW   2 Manchester City 30 **61** 18 7 5 +32 WWWDD   3 Manchester United 31 **55** 15 10 6 +13 WWXWD   … … … … … … … … …   6 ![Chelsea](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)**Chelsea** 31 **48** 13 9 9 +15 DWXLX   … … … … … … … … …   9 ![Fulham](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham** 31 **44** 13 5 13 -1 XLXWW    

---

#### Wimbledon undone by Ballard hat-trick as Leyton Orient fight back from two goals down

**AFC Wimbledon 2–4 Leyton Orient** (Cherry Red Records Stadium) — *Tuesday, 17 March*

AFC Wimbledon led 2-0 at half-time and were cruising — then Leyton Orient produced a stunning second-half comeback, with Dom Ballard scoring a hat-trick as the visitors triumphed 4-2 in a match that will be remembered with great pain at Cherry Red Records.

Both first-half goals came from 18-year-old Junior Nkeng, who announced himself on the senior stage with a brace. His first, on 39 minutes, came when he latched onto a Bugiel knock-down and chipped the ball over the advancing goalkeeper — the first senior goal of his career. He doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time with a powerful headed finish from Steve Seddon’s cross. But Ballard — taking his league tally to 21 goals for the season — was irresistible after the interval, turning the game on its head with three decisive finishes on 48′, 70′ and his hat-trick goal, with James Morris also adding a fourth for the visitors on 57′. Leyton Orient’s four-goal haul left Wimbledon looking vulnerable heading into the weekend — though they steadied with a hard-fought point against Peterborough on Saturday (see below).

---

#### Wimbledon salvage point against Peterborough in tense Cherry Red battle

**AFC Wimbledon 1–1 Peterborough United** (Cherry Red Records Stadium) — *Saturday, 21 March*

AFC Wimbledon dominated for long periods but were denied all three points by Jimmy-Jay Morgan’s equaliser as Peterborough snatched a draw in an entertaining end-to-end contest. Captain Ryan Johnson gave the Dons the lead in the 43rd minute after a corner dropped to him inside the area, and Wimbledon pushed hard for a second throughout the second half, hitting the post through Myles Hippolyte in the first half. Morgan — who has now scored in four successive matches taking his tally to 13 for the season — levelled with a close-range tap-in on 67 minutes.

Johnnie Jackson was characteristically candid. “I don’t know how we have not won, to be honest,” he said after the game. “I thought we were brilliant.” The draw leaves Wimbledon 14th on 50 points — comfortably clear of the relegation zone with eight games remaining.

**League One — as of Sunday, 22 March 2026**

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Lincoln City 39 **84** 25 9 5 +40 WWWDW   2 Cardiff City 39 **77** 23 8 8 +32 XDXLX   3 Bolton Wanderers 39 **66** 17 15 7 +16 WWDDX   … … … … … … … … …   14 ![AFC Wimbledon](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/afc-wimbledon.png)**AFC Wimbledon** 38 **50** 14 8 16 -6 WLXLD   

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/23/chelseas-nightmare-week-deepens-as-fulham-women-march-on/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/23/chelseas-nightmare-week-deepens-as-fulham-women-march-on/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Chelsea%E2%80%99s%20nightmare%20week%20deepens%20as%20Fulham%20Women%20march%20on&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/23/chelseas-nightmare-week-deepens-as-fulham-women-march-on/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea FC, Fulham FC, Fulham Women, Harlequins, Harlequins Women, Premier League

---

### [Hackford's last-gasp winner seals Wimbledon survival as Kerr matches Chelsea legend Kirby](https://putney.news/2026/04/27/hackfords-last-gasp-winner-seals-wimbledon-survival-as-kerr-matches-chelsea-legend-kirby/)

**Published:** April 27, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** A 90th-minute winner at Wigan, a record-equalling brace at Goodison, and a Putney headteacher who raised £13,000 before the start gun.

**Content:**

SPORTS DIGEST: 20-26 April 2026

### FOOTBALL

#### Sessegnon fires Fulham into European contention with clinical Villa victory

**Fulham FC — Premier League** **Fulham 1–0 Aston Villa** (Craven Cottage) — *Saturday, 25 April*

Ryan Sessegnon ended Fulham’s three-game goalless run with the only goal of a tight but deserved home victory over Aston Villa, reigniting their European ambitions with four games to play. The homegrown left-back — born in Roehampton and this week handed a new contract by the club — reacted first after Raúl Jiménez’s diving header was parried into his path by Emiliano Martínez, composing himself to finish cleanly just before half-time. Villa, who arrived looking to cement third place, dominated possession but could muster only one shot on target. Tammy Abraham’s 84th-minute one-on-one — the clearest chance the visitors created — was somehow miscued over the bar with the goal gaping. Marco Silva’s side move to 48 points and into outright seventh, level with Chelsea and Brentford, dreaming of a return to European football for the first time since their remarkable run to the Europa League final in 2010.

**Premier League — as of Saturday, 25 April 2026**

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD     1 Arsenal 34 **73** 22 7 5 +38   2 Man City 33 **70** 21 7 5 +37   3 Man Utd 33 **58** 16 10 7 +13   … … … … … … … …   8 ![Chelsea](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)**Chelsea** 34 **48** 13 9 12 +8   … … … … … … … …   10 ![Fulham](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham** 34 **48** 14 6 14 -2    

---

#### Kerr matches club record as Chelsea Women surge clear in Champions League race

**Chelsea Women — Women’s Super League** **Everton 1–4 Chelsea Women** (Goodison Park) — *Sunday, 26 April*

Sam Kerr equalled Fran Kirby’s all-time Chelsea WSL scoring record with a brace at Goodison Park as the champions moved four points clear of Manchester United in the race for Champions League qualification. Kerr struck first inside six minutes after Erin Cuthbert’s through pass, only for Yuka Momiki to equalise spectacularly from 35 yards after spotting keeper Hannah Hampton off her line. But Sonia Bompastor’s side were ruthless after the restart: Kerr restored the lead on 47 minutes from Lauren James’s inch-perfect pass, before Ellie Carpenter’s deflected effort on 53 and a clinical Cuthbert half-volley on 70 completed the rout. Kerr now stands on 63 WSL goals for Chelsea — matching Kirby’s long-standing club record — with her contract expiring this summer. Chelsea move to 43 points from 20 games.

**Women’s Super League — as of Sunday, 26 April 2026**

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Man City 20 **49** 16 1 3 +39 LWDWW   2 ![Chelsea](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/chelsea-fc.png)**Chelsea** 20 **43** 13 4 3 +21 WWWDW   3 Man Utd 20 **39** 11 6 3 +17 WWDWL   4 Arsenal 17 **38** 11 5 1 +26 DWWWW    

*Positions 1 and 2 qualify for the UEFA Women’s Champions League.*

---

#### Hackford’s last-gasp winner seals Wimbledon’s League One survival

**AFC Wimbledon — League One** **Wigan Athletic 0–1 AFC Wimbledon** (DW Stadium) — *Saturday, 25 April*

Antwoine Hackford’s 90th-minute winner at the DW Stadium delivered one of the most dramatic moments in AFC Wimbledon’s recent history, securing the club’s League One status with a result that had seemed beyond them for most of the afternoon. Wigan dominated the opening period but were unable to find a way past Nathan Bishop, and Wimbledon’s reward for resilience came in the dying seconds when Hackford converted to send the travelling support into scenes of unbridled relief. Layton Stewart had fashioned the club’s best chance of the first half with a one-on-one that went begging. With survival now mathematically confirmed, Johnnie Jackson’s side can reflect on a creditable first campaign back in League One — albeit one that only ended in safety thanks to a single goal in the final minute of the final away fixture of the season.

**League One — as of Sunday, 26 April 2026**

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 Lincoln 45 **100** 30 10 5 +46 WWWDW   2 Cardiff 45 **91** 27 10 8 +41 DWDWW   3 Bolton 45 **75** 19 18 8 +19 WDLWD   … … … … … … … … …   18 ![AFC Wimbledon](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/afc-wimbledon.png)**AFC Wimbledon** 45 **53** 15 8 22 -17 LLLLW    

*Relegation: positions 21–24. AFC Wimbledon mathematically safe.*

---

*As of Saturday 25 April (BBC Sport). Updated to reflect Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final result below.*

---

#### Fernandez header sends Chelsea to FA Cup final as McFarlane era begins with Wembley win

**Chelsea — FA Cup Semi-Final** **Chelsea 1–0 Leeds United** (Wembley Stadium) — *Sunday, 26 April*

Four days after Liam Rosenior’s dismissal, Chelsea gave interim boss Calum McFarlane the perfect start with a composed 1-0 victory over Leeds United at Wembley, booking an FA Cup final against Manchester City on 16 May. Enzo Fernandez ghosted in unmarked to head Pedro Neto’s cross into the net on 23 minutes, and Chelsea — who had failed to score in five consecutive Premier League matches under Rosenior — managed the occasion with authority for the remainder of the game. Robert Sanchez was pivotal in keeping the lead intact, making crucial saves from Brenden Aaronson one-on-one and a second-half rocket from substitute Anton Stach. Leeds, who had been on a seven-game unbeaten run and were making their first FA Cup semi-final since 1987, pushed hard but were unable to find an equaliser. Chelsea now face City — who beat Southampton 2-1 on Saturday — at Wembley on 16 May, with McFarlane in remarkable position to claim a first FA Cup title for the club since 2018.

---

### RUGBY UNION

#### Launchbury’s farewell soured as Sale run riot at the Stoop

**Harlequins Men — Premiership Rugby** **Harlequins 33–52 Sale Sharks** (Twickenham Stoop) — *Saturday, 25 April*

Joe Launchbury appeared to be playing his final game at Twickenham Stoop — receiving an emotional standing ovation after being brought off as an early second-half replacement — as Harlequins suffered a heavy home defeat to Sale Sharks in a 13-try thriller. Quins led early through Argentine flanker Guido Petti’s barnstorming run and crossed for four tries in total, with Marcus Smith converting and Jamie Benson adding a third from a flowing backs move. But Sale responded with relentless intensity, running in eight tries to overwhelm the hosts in a display that significantly boosts their own play-off ambitions. Launchbury, 35, who recently announced his retirement at the end of the season, stood on the pitch after the final whistle and took in the moment — an emotional end to what may be his last appearance at the Stoop. Harlequins have three regular-season matches remaining.

---

### TENNIS

#### Christie and Silva win Roehampton doubles as Valdmannova claims singles title at the NTC

The Lexus British Pro Series Roehampton — a $40,000 ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour event at the National Tennis Centre on Priory Lane — concluded on Sunday with a British doubles triumph. Third seeds Freya Christie and Eden Silva beat top seeds Emily Appleton and Viktoria Hruncakova 7-6, 3-6, 10 in the super tiebreak to take the doubles title. In the singles, Czech third seed Vendula Valdmannova won the title, defeating Israeli qualifier Lina Glushko in the final; Hruncakova retired injured in her singles semi against Valdmannova, having beaten Alicia Dudeney in the semi-finals. Glushko’s run from qualifying to the final without dropping a set in the earlier rounds had been the story of the week. The NTC is on Priory Lane, Roehampton.

---

### LONDON MARATHON

#### Hurlingham headteacher crosses the line for Roehampton’s young people

Simon Gould, headteacher of Hurlingham School on Putney Bridge Road, ran today’s London Marathon for Regenerate, the Roehampton youth charity his school has partnered with for 18 months. He finished in 4 hours 16 minutes, passing halfway in just over two hours. He had already raised £10,916 from 163 supporters — 109% of his £10,000 target, with a Gift Aid total above £13,200 — before a mile was run. The school’s collective goal is £30,000 to fund a full-time Regenerate youth worker. Regenerate has worked with young people aged 11 to 25 across Roehampton, Putney and South West London since 2000, providing employment skills through its Feel Good social enterprise.

A home care team from Walfinch Putney also ran today for the Royal Osteoporosis Society, having hit 105% of their own fundraising target before the start. Sandip Patel finished in 6 hours 56 minutes and Kunal Parkash in 7 hours 2 minutes.

---

### STORY OF THE WEEK

Antwoine Hackford’s 90th-minute winner at Wigan is the image of the week: a club that spent most of the season staring at the relegation trapdoor finally confirming survival with the last meaningful kick of their last away game. For a club built from nothing by its own fans in 2002, League One status is never taken for granted. This was the moment that confirmed AFC Wimbledon will be playing third-tier football again next season — won, as it so often is with this club, the hard way.

---

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/27/hackfords-last-gasp-winner-seals-wimbledon-survival-as-kerr-matches-chelsea-legend-kirby/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/27/hackfords-last-gasp-winner-seals-wimbledon-survival-as-kerr-matches-chelsea-legend-kirby/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Hackford%E2%80%99s%20last-gasp%20winner%20seals%20Wimbledon%20survival%20as%20Kerr%20matches%20Chelsea%20legend%20Kirby&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/27/hackfords-last-gasp-winner-seals-wimbledon-survival-as-kerr-matches-chelsea-legend-kirby/)

**Categories:** Football, Rugby, Tennis

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea FC, Chelsea Women, FA Cup, Fulham FC, Harlequins, League One, London Marathon, National Tennis Centre, Premier League, Roehampton, Women's Super League

---

### [London's first red heat alert in four years reaches Putney](https://putney.news/2026/06/24/londons-first-red-heat-alert-in-four-years-reaches-putney/)

**Published:** June 24, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Your guide to dealing with the extreme heat as Putney hits 38°C

**Content:**

London faces its first red heat alert since 2022, the most serious warning there is, issued only when the heat becomes a risk to life even for healthy people. It covers Putney, Roehampton and the rest of SW15.

The heat is already here. Putney hit 36°C on Tuesday, which felt closer to 38°C in the humidity, and the Met Office expects the peak on Wednesday and Thursday, when the air itself reaches 38°C. The alert runs from 1am on Wednesday until 11pm on Thursday, and may be extended.

Red alerts are issued rarely. The last time London had one, in the July 2022 heatwave, an estimated 2,803 people aged 65 and over died from the heat in England. The reassuring part, as the UK Health Security Agency stresses, is that a few simple steps make a real difference.

#### If you can, stay home

South Western Railway is urging people to travel only if essential on Wednesday and Thursday, running fewer trains at reduced speeds. On the Underground, the District Line is already badly affected, with severe delays on the Richmond branch through East Putney and Southfields after a signal fault and heat-related speed limits. For most people, the simplest plan for the next two days is to stay out of the heat.

> [Storm one day in Putney, 36°C the next](https://putney.news/2026/06/24/storm-one-day-in-putney-36c-the-next/)

#### Cooling your home, and yourself

Close blinds and curtains on the windows that catch the sun, and keep windows shut while the air outside is hotter than the air indoors, opening them for a through-draught only once it cools down overnight. The relief will be limited this week, though, with the Met Office expecting overnight lows to stay above 20°C, the tropical nights that make it hard for homes and bodies to recover before the next hot day. Sleep in the coolest room you have. Here is the one most people get wrong: an electric fan only helps while the air is below about 35°C. Once it is hotter than that, a fan simply pushes hot air around and speeds up dehydration, so on the worst of Wednesday and Thursday it can do more harm than good. Do not point one straight at you, for the same reason.

Drink water steadily through the day rather than waiting until you feel thirsty; a good check is that your urine should stay a pale straw colour. Fruit juices, smoothies and sugary drinks actually dehydrate you, so reach for water or diluted squash instead, and go easy on alcohol. Keep half an eye on your medicines, too, because some need to be kept below 25°C or in the fridge, which is easily forgotten in a heatwave. And never leave anyone in a parked car, where the temperature climbs dangerously fast, least of all children, older people or pets. Pets feel the heat as much as we do, so keep them indoors through the hottest hours with shade and a full water bowl, and walk dogs early or late rather than at midday, when pavements get hot enough to burn their paws.

#### The signs to watch for

Heat exhaustion shows as heavy sweating, tiredness, dizziness, cramps, a headache or feeling sick. Move the person somewhere cool, get them sipping water, and cool their skin with a cold pack or a cloth wrung out in cold water, held under the armpits or on the neck, which brings the temperature down fast. They should feel better within 30 minutes. If they do not, or if someone becomes confused, stops sweating or feels very hot to the touch, that is heatstroke, a medical emergency, and you should call 999. The NHS has the full list of [signs to watch for](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/heatwave-how-to-cope-in-hot-weather/).

---

What to do in the extreme heat

London’s first red heat alert since 2022, in force until 11pm Thursday

Red alert · up to 38°C today and tomorrow

Getting around

Travel only if essential. The District Line is badly delayed on the Richmond branch through East Putney and Southfields.

Keep your home cool

Curtains shut by day. A fan only helps while the air is below 35°C, so it will not on the hottest hours.

Warning signs

Move somewhere cool and sip water. If there is confusion or no sweating, **call 999**.

Cool spaces

A library, a shop or a place of worship beats a hot flat. Avoid the Thames and the ponds.

Check on others

Older neighbours, the very young and anyone unwell. Pets need shade and water; walk dogs early or late.

Bins and events

Put bins out the night before. The Poets in Putney night on Thursday is cancelled.

Sources: UKHSA, Met Office, Wandsworth Council and South Western Railway

---

#### Where to cool down, and where not to

Putney Library, a supermarket or a place of worship will often be cooler than a flat when home becomes unbearable, and Wandsworth Council’s [heatwave guidance page](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/environment/emergency-planning/types-of-emergencies/severe-weather/heatwave/) links to a map of registered cool spaces across the borough. What looks like the obvious answer, a dip in the Thames or the ponds on the Common, is not one: open water is far colder than it looks even on a baking day, the river runs on strong tides, and trying to cool off there is how summer days turn into emergencies.

#### Check on the people nearby

The people most at risk are older neighbours, babies and young children, anyone with a heart, breathing or other long-term condition, people on certain medications, and those sleeping rough or living alone. Wandsworth Council has asked community and voluntary groups to check in on them, and Thamesfield’s neighbourhood police have emailed residents directly with the same request. The same goes for the rest of us. A knock on a neighbour’s door costs nothing.

#### Bins, schools and what is off

If you are a parent you have probably already received an email letting you know what your child’s school is doing to deal with the heat. A quick review of messages from a number of schools shows that some schools are closing early at lunchtime, some have cancelled games and sports days, and most have moved lessons out of the hottest classrooms. It is worth checking to see if your school is ending early today and tomorrow.

A number of events have also been cancelled, including the [Poets in Putney](https://putney.news/2025/06/19/poetry-with-heart-putneys-new-night-sparks-local-creative-flame/) anniversary night, due on Thursday. So if you have tickets for anything, this week it is worth checking to see if it is still on. You should receive a full refund if it is cancelled.

There is fuller advice on the [UKHSA’s hot-weather guidance](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/beat-the-heat-hot-weather-advice/beat-the-heat-staying-safe-in-hot-weather).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/24/londons-first-red-heat-alert-in-four-years-reaches-putney/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/24/londons-first-red-heat-alert-in-four-years-reaches-putney/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=London%E2%80%99s%20first%20red%20heat%20alert%20in%20four%20years%20reaches%20Putney&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/24/londons-first-red-heat-alert-in-four-years-reaches-putney/)

**Categories:** Health

**Tags:** District Line, NHS, Roehampton, SW15, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Storm one day in Putney, 36°C the next](https://putney.news/2026/06/24/storm-one-day-in-putney-36c-the-next/)

**Published:** June 24, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** A thunderstorm, displaced manhole covers, then a rare Red heat warning, days apart.

**Content:**

Even by the standards of a British summer, Putney is having an extraordinary few days: from thunderstorm to heat red alert in under a day.

The thunderstorm on Monday night was heavy enough to overwhelm the drains in West Putney. At the Upper Richmond Road end of Gwendolen Avenue, water pooled right across the road and the pavement by the church; by yesterday morning a tide mark showed it had covered the whole road, and was only slowly draining away.

Manhole covers were displaced in at least three spots in the area: the top of Gwendolen Avenue, Dover House Road, and the West Hill subway, where watermarks high on the wall and mud underfoot suggested floodwater had pushed the cover out. Thames Water said it had received reports of dislodged covers in the area and spent much of yesterday morning locating and refitting them.

The scenes around the open covers were their own kind of strange. At the top of Gwendolen Avenue, someone had laid bin bags over a hole to warn people off. On Dover House Road, a bin had been place by the hole and a police car with officers inside sat beside it, watching it, as buses weaved around.

On Disraeli, part of the road caved in – it’s unclear because of the weather or the recent roadworks – resulting into another resident-led impromptu fix.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/disraeli-road-hole-1024x768.png)Disraeli Road caves in#### Scene across London

Across London it had been a violent night. The Met Office logged more than 29,000 lightning strikes in 24 hours, the fire brigade took around 400 calls, roads flooded, and at least two house fires were possibly started by lightning.

The storm left its mark underfoot, too. The mud it washed across Putney’s roads and pavements had still not dried out as the heat built. Wet mud on a baking hot day, the two extremes side by side.

Today, we face the exact opposite problem: a Red extreme heat warning, temperatures forecast at 36°C, and the Met Office warning of a real threat to people’s lives unless they take steps to keep cool. It is only the second red heat alert the country has ever issued, after July 2022, and London could touch 39°C on Thursday as June records fall.

The trains have been caught at both ends. The storm flooded part of the Elizabeth line at Heathrow yesterday and hit South Western Railway as far out as Hampton. In SW15, the District Line was suspended before 6am, with no service at Putney Bridge or East Putney all morning and the Circle line down too; it was still on severe delays into the evening. The two routes into London have [buckled together before](https://putney.news/2026/03/12/district-line-strikes-swr-closures-putneys-worst-spring-for-transport/), though rarely in storm and heatwave at once.

#### Transport today

Now the heat brings its own problems. The red warning runs until Thursday evening, and TfL imposes temporary speed restrictions across the network when the rails get this hot. South Western Railway, the main line out of Putney, is running fewer, slower trains until Thursday and asking people to “only travel if essential” today and tomorrow. When the District Line failed yesterday, TfL’s listed alternative was that same railway.

The official answer to a broken Tube line, in other words, was a railway telling people to stay at home.

For anyone who has to move, the advice is simple. With the morning rush and the worst of the heat still to come, check before you travel and keep today’s and tomorrow’s journeys to the essential. Put the bins out early, too, as the council has shifted collections to 5am this week.

And on Monday, Wimbledon begins, when the District Line carries its heaviest crowds of the year. It has [failed during the fortnight](https://putney.news/2025/07/13/sadiq-khan-apologises-for-district-line-failures-during-wimbledon/) before.

Anyone who spots a cover still missing can report it to Thames Water, which says it will send engineers to make it safe.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/24/storm-one-day-in-putney-36c-the-next/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/24/storm-one-day-in-putney-36c-the-next/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Storm%20one%20day%20in%20Putney%2C%2036%C2%B0C%20the%20next&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/24/storm-one-day-in-putney-36c-the-next/)

**Categories:** Environment

**Tags:** District Line, London Fire Brigade, Met Office, South Western Railway, TfL, Thames Water, Wandsworth Council, weather

---

### [Wandsworth police officer who raped four women jailed for 25 years](https://putney.news/2026/06/24/wandsworth-police-officer-who-raped-four-women-jailed-for-25-years/)

**Published:** June 24, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Dion Arnold worked domestic abuse cases, one of four officers charged from the same unit

**Content:**

A Metropolitan Police officer who policed Wandsworth has been jailed for 25 years for raping four women who trusted him because of his job.

*This article describes sexual violence and refers to suicide. Some readers may find the detail distressing.*

Dion Arnold, 33, met the women on dating apps and through his work as an Army reserves medic. He attacked them over nearly two years, from June 2023, before any of them went to police.

He is one of four officers from a single Met unit to face serious sexual offence charges in three years. The unit polices Wandsworth, Richmond, Merton and Kingston. Three have now been convicted; one case continues.

A jury at Guildford Crown Court [found Arnold guilty in April](https://putney.news/2026/04/19/wandsworth-police-officer-convicted-of-rape-third-from-same-unit-in-three-years/) of eight of the 17 offences he faced: four rapes, two assaults by penetration and two sexual assaults. Messages on his phone showed him admitting he had “gone too far.” The women told the court he ignored them when they said no.

The court heard how Arnold raped one woman as she slept and choked another with a scarf until she lost consciousness. He told a third he wanted to role-play breaking into her home. He kept a list of more than 30 women on his phone, with their medical conditions noted beside their names. One recalled him saying: “What are you going to do, call the police? I am the police.” One of the women became pregnant after he raped her, had an abortion, and twice attempted to take her own life.

Arnold must serve at least two-thirds of the 25 years before he can apply for parole, then a further eight years on licence. He was banned from contacting his victims for 25 years, placed on the sex offenders register for life, and given an indefinite order restricting his behaviour. The Met had already sacked him, for gross misconduct, at a hearing on 7 May.

---

Convicted and sentenced: PC Dion Arnold

Guildford Crown Court, April and June 2026

25 years

in prison, plus 8 years on licence

 Convicted 16 April 2026, of 8 offences 

 Offences 4 rapes, 2 assaults by penetration, 2 sexual assaults 

 Victims Four women, offences from June 2023 to March 2025 

 Also imposed 25-year restraining order, sex offenders register for life, indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order 

 Met status Dismissed for gross misconduct, 7 May 2026 

Source: Guildford Crown Court; Metropolitan Police; Surrey Police

#### One unit, three convictions

After the conviction, the Met said it was “sickened” that Arnold had offended while serving. Chief Superintendent Dan Knowles said Arnold had told the women his job “so that they would have more trust in him.” The Met says it has been working to raise standards. Its Operation Onyx review has examined 1,636 cases; 378 people have since left the force. About 1,500 officers and staff have left the Met since 2022, and reports of internal wrongdoing, it says, have almost trebled.

Those reforms cover the same three years as the cases from this one unit. PC Cliff Mitchell was jailed for life in 2024 for multiple rapes. PC Rupert Edwards, [convicted in May](https://putney.news/2026/05/24/fourth-officer-from-same-wandsworth-police-unit-convicted-of-rape/), is sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on 10 July. A fourth, PC Nick Whitcombe, has been charged and his case continues.

Sentencing him, Judge Deborah Charles said Arnold had “a deep-seated need to control women” and “deep levels of misogyny,” and showed little real remorse.

Claire Gallagher, the senior Crown prosecutor, said Arnold had targeted women he believed would never have the courage to report him. “They have proved him wrong.”

---

*If you have been affected by sexual violence, Rape Crisis England and Wales offers free, confidential support 24 hours a day on 0808 500 2222 and at rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are struggling to cope, Samaritans are available day or night on 116 123 or at samaritans.org.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/24/wandsworth-police-officer-who-raped-four-women-jailed-for-25-years/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/24/wandsworth-police-officer-who-raped-four-women-jailed-for-25-years/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20police%20officer%20who%20raped%20four%20women%20jailed%20for%2025%20years&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/24/wandsworth-police-officer-who-raped-four-women-jailed-for-25-years/)

**Categories:** Crime

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, South West Command Unit, Wandsworth

---

### [Wimbledon rejects residents' compromise plan two weeks before Championships](https://putney.news/2026/06/23/wimbledon-rejects-residents-compromise-plan-two-weeks-before-championships/)

**Published:** June 23, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** AELTC chair tells Save Wimbledon Park she sees no purpose in further talks.

**Content:**

Two weeks before the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) opens its gates to the world’s most famous tennis tournament, it has shut the door on compromise. It has formally rejected the alternative plan put forward by residents fighting its Wimbledon Park expansion and ruled out further talks.

The club says the residents’ scheme “simply doesn’t work.” In a letter from AELTC chair Debbie Jevans, the club goes on to say it can see no purpose in further discussions with Save Wimbledon Park.

It is the clearest signal yet that the prospect of a negotiated compromise has gone. The SWP campaign has already lost in the High Court and is at the Court of Appeal stage, and the legal protection it sought was removed by an amendment now on the statute book.

With the club declining to engage further on the alternative scheme, the negotiated route has closed and the club is pressing ahead with the development it already has permission to build. Save Wimbledon Park plans to stage a protest on the first day of the Championships.

---

The match so far: AELTC v Save Wimbledon Park

Five years of the dispute, read as a Wimbledon scoreboard. The club leads two sets to love, and is ahead in the third. But it has not won the match.

  2021 ♛ WIMBLEDON 2026 

  Previous Sets

 66 

 41 

 AELTC

v

Save Wimbledon Park

  SetsGamesPoints 

 2 2 40 

 0 0 AD 

AELTC serving. Save Wimbledon Park to receive, advantage out: a point from breaking back.

 Why this point matters more than the score The point being played is the Court of Appeal challenge to the planning permission. Win it, and the permission is quashed: not a game back, but the whole match sent back to the start. 

 Set 1 · Planning · to AELTC, 6-4 Wandsworth’s planning committee refused the scheme 7-0. Merton approved it. The split sent the decision to the Mayor of London, who granted permission. **The club took the set, but the campaign held Wandsworth.** 

 Set 2 · The trust case · to AELTC, 6-1 The High Court found no Victorian public trust protects the land, and that the campaign’s argument failed by a wide margin. **The club took the set.** 

 Set 3 · in progress · AELTC lead 2-0  Parliament — an amendment stripping the land’s protection reached the statute book. **Game, AELTC.** The compromise — the club rejected the residents’ alternative and ruled out talks on 22 June. **Game, AELTC.** Court of Appeal — the point in play. The campaign has permission to challenge the planning approval, hearing yet to be listed. **Advantage, against the serve.**  

 Still to come this set A promise never to build on the land, a covenant Merton has not committed to enforcing and which the club accepts it would need removed, has yet to come on court. 

 Where it stands Two sets to love, and ahead in the third. On paper the club is cruising. But it has not won the match, the decisive point is still being played, and the negotiated route, the quickest way to end it, is the one the club has just closed. 

A scoreboard reading of the dispute. Source: Putney.news series coverage; Merton, Wandsworth and GLA planning records; High Court and Court of Appeal records; AELTC. June 2026.

#### The architects’ exchange

The rejection followed two open letters the campaign sent this month in which it asked AELTC to “come to the table and talk” citing its “despair at the loss of beautiful parkland turned into your industrialised private sports complex”. The letter note its alternative plan put forward by the original designer of the Wimbledon complex and, among other things, the lack of funds for “a transport system collapsing under the increased demand.”

In response, Jevans wrote that the residents’ architects’ alternative “simply doesn’t meet the needs and objectives of the development and doesn’t work” and provided a 15-page analysis as to why. The report was compiled by architects whose experience, the AELTC notes, includes work on the masterplan for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games site.

> [The man who designed Wimbledon has seen the plans. He is not impressed. Here is what he would do instead.](https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-man-who-designed-wimbledon-has-seen-the-plans-he-is-not-impressed-here-is-what-he-would-do-instead/)

The club also pointed to the planning permission already granted by the Greater London Authority, which covers a new show court and ancillary buildings on the former private golf-course land.

The AELTC said it had met the campaign multiple times and explained its position in detail. A club spokesperson said the club had hosted and attended more than 100 community events, and that plans had been amended on the basis of local feedback: a newly upgraded park entrance, four acres of new parkland on the northern tip of the site, access to the former golf clubhouse as a community space, and a commitment to begin work on the southern parkland and lake first, so that community benefits could be felt as early as possible.

#### What the campaign says

Save Wimbledon Park challenges AELTC’s account of its engagement with the community and maintains that the development does not represent a genuine community partnership. AELTC has repeatedly refused to send a representative to SWP’s public meetings, a meeting put together by Wimbledon MP Paul Kohler led nowhere, and a subsequent private meeting between AELTC and SWP also made no headway.

The two sides are far apart. The club says the process has been extensive and collaborative; the campaign says it falls short. What we do know now is that the club has reviewed the campaign’s alternative, had it assessed, and formally said no. The hope expressed by many that AELTC would temper its attitude and met local residents where they were is effectively over.

#### What happens next

The club has planning permission from the GLA and says it is pressing ahead. The Wimbledon Championships run from 29 June to 12 July.

For 13 months this has been a live contest, through the [High Court](https://putney.news/2026/03/20/wimbledon-park-what-the-high-court-ruling-actually-means-and-what-happens-next/), [Parliament](https://putney.news/2026/04/22/done-in-seconds-the-wimbledon-park-amendment-is-now-on-the-statute-book/), and the [courts again](https://putney.news/2026/04/25/two-court-defeats-and-a-parliamentary-ambush-wimbledon-parks-residents-wont-give-up/). This week’s rejection of the alternative is the point at which the negotiated route closes too.

An [expert assessment published in May](https://putney.news/2026/05/12/aeltc-said-wimbledon-park-would-gain-23-more-nature-from-development-an-expert-says-its-really-36-less/) found the development would result in a 36% net biodiversity loss, against the AELTC’s own claim of a 23% gain.

---

*Clarification, 9.30am: This article originally described the covenants on the land as ones Merton has not agreed to enforce. To be clearer: Merton has said it will respect the covenants but has not committed to enforcing them, and equally has not agreed not to. The wording has been amended to reflect that its position is uncommitted.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/23/wimbledon-rejects-residents-compromise-plan-two-weeks-before-championships/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/23/wimbledon-rejects-residents-compromise-plan-two-weeks-before-championships/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wimbledon%20rejects%20residents%E2%80%99%20compromise%20plan%20two%20weeks%20before%20Championships&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/23/wimbledon-rejects-residents-compromise-plan-two-weeks-before-championships/)

**Categories:** Politics, Tennis

**Tags:** AELTC, GLA, High Court, Metropolitan Open Land, planning, Save Wimbledon Park, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Commons levy reform stuck until 2028](https://putney.news/2026/06/23/commons-levy-reform-stuck-until-2028/)

**Published:** June 23, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Government approved the funding fix in January. The paperwork has not yet reached Parliament.

**Content:**

The charity that runs Wimbledon and Putney Commons will not be able to raise its annual levy above inflation – despite receiving government approval to do so six months ago – until at least 2028, the organisation’s annual open meeting heard last night.

The Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators levy around £41 a year from households within three-quarters of a mile of the Commons. A re-basing of the levy formula, approved by the government’s environment department in January, would lift a funding cap [in place since 1990](https://putney.news/2026/03/05/commons-levy-rises-again-and-the-funding-gap-keeps-growing/), but a piece of secondary legislation required to bring it into force will not be laid before Parliament this year.

Chairman Mauro Mattiuzzo told levy-payers at the meeting, held at St John the Baptist Church Hall in Kingston Vale, that pressing ministers for a timetable had been met with “obfuscation.” The prime minister’s [resignation earlier in the day](https://putney.news/2026/06/22/starmer-resigns-as-pm-putneys-mp-was-already-backing-his-replacement/ "Starmer resigns as PM. Putney’s MP was already backing his replacement"), he suggested, was unlikely to accelerate matters.

#### A Common in good health

The meeting’s other news was more encouraging. Oliver Bennett, the DEFRA-appointed conservator who oversees conservation work, told those present that heathland across the Commons was approaching Natural England’s official “favourable condition,” a statutory assessment that the habitat is being managed well. Chief executive Colin Cooper said the Commons had been declared carbon negative: the organisation sequesters more carbon than it emits, with heathland drawing down more carbon even than trees.

> [Queensmere reopens on Wimbledon Common, its concrete pool gone](https://putney.news/2026/06/21/queensmere-reopens-on-wimbledon-common-its-concrete-pool-gone/)

At Farm Bog, a rare liverwort called veilwort (*Pallavicinia lyellii*), found at only two London locations, is now the sole surviving regional population after the other site recently went extinct. Farm Bog holds one of the few colonies in England where both male and female plants are present, making it important for the species’ long-term survival. At Queensmere, [which reopened this week](https://putney.news/2026/06/21/queensmere-reopens-on-wimbledon-common-its-concrete-pool-gone/) after a major restoration project, frogs and toads have already been recorded breeding.

#### Fundraising and the year’s projects

The charity raised £76,000 in regular donations across four appeals during the year: £27,000 for footpaths, £20,000 for the windmill, £18,000 for horse rides, and £10,000 for a hydrology study. A ball organised by Wimbledon Village Stables brought in a further £19,000 for equestrian paths.

The Friends of Wimbledon and Putney Commons contributed over £50,000 across the year, including £20,000 through a Big Give campaign for new wildlife habitat. The Queensmere restoration was the centrepiece project, a £150,000 scheme whose island (built from excavated sediment that could not be removed from site) was one of its more pragmatic solutions.

Cooper told the meeting the charity was looking to build its fundraising capacity along an “American model” of philanthropic giving for urban green spaces, citing Central Park in New York. The investment fund fell £18,000 over the year, a marked improvement on the previous year’s £69,000 fall, though the fund lost £103,000 in March 2026 alone. The unrestricted funds made a loss of £12,000 for the year ended 31 March 2026, before accounting for investment movements, described by finance committee chairman David Brown as the result of “careful management.”

![The WPCC AGM](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/wpcc-agm-1-1-1024x768.png)Conservators on stage#### Updating a 155-year-old rulebook

The charity is also working to update the 1871 Act that governs its operations. One of its anachronisms was on display at the meeting itself: the Act requires accounts to be physically signed by conservators present in the same room. A Section 73 scheme (which would, among other things, address that requirement, allow the charity to charge for car parking on the Commons, and lift the 1990 levy ceiling) has been submitted to the Charity Commission and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. No meeting date has yet been set. [As we reported yesterday](https://putney.news/2026/06/22/putneys-commons-charity-wants-to-overhaul-its-150-year-old-rulebook/), the scheme would make the most significant changes to the Commons’ governance since the original Act.

The meeting heard that government departments entitled to appoint conservators under the Act have expressed a preference to relinquish that right. The Home Office vacancy attracted nine applicants; the Conservators ran the selection and chose their preferred candidate.

#### Windmill, events and what’s coming next

The windmill on Wimbledon Common was struck by lightning in July last year. It was restored within a week by one of the few specialists in the country able to repair it, and is now turning again. The sails run every five weeks on a Sunday afternoon for around half an hour, with dates on the WPCC’s social media.

All Star Tennis has been agreed as the new operator for Putney Lower Common’s tennis courts, with a planning application lodged recently. The courts are not expected to open until the next financial year at the earliest.

The Friends have several events coming up: a nine-ponds walk on 21 July (five Putney ponds, with a second walk in September covering the Wimbledon Common ponds), and a Robert Graves walk on 18 October along the 13 trees mentioned in his writings, ending at the street where Graves grew up in Wimbledon, where his daughter Lucia Graves will give a talk. In 2027, all five elected conservator seats go to the vote; Mattiuzzo encouraged residents to consider standing.

The meeting was held at St John the Baptist Church Hall in Kingston Vale. The original church next door was consecrated in 1861, ten years before the Act that created the Conservators. The accounts were approved and signed at the meeting, as the Act still requires.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/23/commons-levy-reform-stuck-until-2028/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/23/commons-levy-reform-stuck-until-2028/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Commons%20levy%20reform%20stuck%20until%202028&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/23/commons-levy-reform-stuck-until-2028/)

**Categories:** Environment, Finance

**Tags:** council tax, Putney Common, Wimbledon and Putney Commons, Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators, Wimbledon Common, WPCC

---

### [Starmer resigns as PM. Putney's MP was already backing his replacement](https://putney.news/2026/06/22/starmer-resigns-as-pm-putneys-mp-was-already-backing-his-replacement/)

**Published:** June 22, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Fleur Anderson spent the days before the resignation canvassing in Makerfield.

**Content:**

Keir Starmer has resigned as Prime Minister this morning, tearing up as he closed a speech about going home to his wife and children.

He listed what he said his government had achieved in two years: NHS waiting lists at their fastest fall in 17 years, half a million children lifted out of poverty, the biggest workers’ rights improvements in a generation, defence spending at its highest since the Cold War. “Change promised by a Labour government,” he said. “Change fought for by a Labour government. Change delivered by a Labour government.”

Then came the concession: “The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election. I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question. And I accept that answer with good grace.”

![Man in a suit and glasses speaks at a podium with a red breaking news banner visible in the foreground](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/starmer-resigns-2-768x1024.png)He will stay on as Prime Minister until a Labour leadership contest is complete. The party’s National Executive Committee (Labour’s ruling body) will open nominations on 9 July. If only one candidate stands, he could leave in July. If there is a contest, a new Prime Minister is expected before Parliament returns in September.

Andy Burnham won the Makerfield by-election last Wednesday with 54.8% of the vote, returning to Parliament for the first time since leaving as MP for Leigh in 2017 to become Greater Manchester Mayor. His win is widely seen as the event that settled the timing of Starmer’s departure, and he is expected to take over as leader of the Labour Party and so as prime minister.

Outside Downing Street as the speech ended, a protester played *Ode to Joy*, the EU’s official anthem, which has been used as a symbol of anti-Brexit protest in Britain since the 2016 referendum. The same protestor had played *Things Can Only Get Better* – a Labour campaign song – as Rishi Sunak left office and put the Conservatives into opposition.

#### Putney’s MP had spent the days before backing Burnham

Fleur Anderson, who has represented Putney since 2019 and [backed Starmer in the 2020 Labour leadership election](https://putney.news/2024/07/06/labours-fleur-anderson-retains-putney-mp-seat/), received a junior minister post when Labour came to power in July 2024. She was [removed from that role in the September 2025 reshuffle](https://putney.news/2025/09/07/fleur-anderson-ousted-as-minister-in-dramatic-cabinet-shake-up/) following Angela Rayner’s resignation. In her time in Parliament, she has never voted against the Labour whip: 362 votes, zero rebellions.

![Two adults posing together indoors, smiling, with posters and office furniture in the background. The woman wears a purple jacket; the man wears a dark coat and glasses.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/anderson-burnham-support-2-768x1024.png)Putney MP Fleur Anderson with would-be PM Andy Burnham at his recent by-election campaignFour days ago, she was in Makerfield. On 18 June, she posted four photographs on Twitter showing herself canvassing door-to-door, holding a “We’re All With Andy Tomorrow” poster outside a house with a Vote Andy sign, and signing a wall at Burnham’s campaign headquarters covered in Labour MPs’ names.

The word “back” in one post confirmed she had visited more than once. On 20 June, two days before the resignation, she posted a personal photograph with Burnham, his arm around her shoulder at what appeared to be the campaign HQ, captioned: “Congratulations Andy! See you in Parliament next week.”

![Woman standing outside a brick house, holding a political poster that reads 'WE'RE ALL WITH ANDY TOMORROW'.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/anderson-burnham-support-4-746x1024.png)![Social post by Fleur Anderson MP with a collage of campaign photos and supporters.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/anderson-burnham-support-3-1024x741.png)![Smiling woman in a purple jacket standing next to a man in a dark coat indoors, with posters and a map visible in the background, posing for a selfie.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/anderson-burnham-support-750x1024.png)The signatures wall is significant: it was an organised show of parliamentary support, not a casual drop-in. While canvassing, Anderson told a journalist she expected Burnham to revisit the government’s immigration policies if he became leader.

We have asked Anderson for her thoughts on today’s news and will update this story with any response.

Starmer visited the constituency once during his premiership: [St Mary’s Church on Putney High Street, on 16 February 2026](https://putney.news/2026/02/17/were-you-there-prime-minister-meets-putney-residents-at-st-marys-church/), to announce online safety measures. He had not been back.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/22/starmer-resigns-as-pm-putneys-mp-was-already-backing-his-replacement/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/22/starmer-resigns-as-pm-putneys-mp-was-already-backing-his-replacement/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Starmer%20resigns%20as%20PM.%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20MP%20was%20already%20backing%20his%20replacement&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/22/starmer-resigns-as-pm-putneys-mp-was-already-backing-his-replacement/)

**Categories:** News, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Andy Burnham, Fleur Anderson MP, Keir Starmer, Labour leadership, Putney High Street

---

### [The Wombles spent 50 years tidying up. Now someone has tidied up who owns them.](https://putney.news/2026/06/22/the-wombles-spent-50-years-tidying-up-now-someone-has-tidied-up-who-owns-them/)

**Published:** June 22, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Whether anything new gets made is a different kind of mess.

**Content:**

The Wombles are getting a new owner. The litter-picking creatures invented on Wimbledon Common have had the worldwide rights to them brought back under a single company and handed to the literary agency behind Harry Potter.

The deal has been billed as a global revival, spanning television, film and a new game. But nothing new has been made yet. What has actually happened is a tidy-up of who owns the Wombles and the hiring of an agent to sell them. No broadcaster has ordered a series; no film has a budget or a release date.

For anyone who grew up in Putney or Wimbledon, this is not an abstract business story. The Wombles were invented on their Common. Elisabeth Beresford came up with the idea on a Boxing Day walk in 1967. Her daughter Kate, struggling with the word “Wimbledon,” called it “Wombledon Common.” The family lived in Wandsworth for much of her life. There is a green plaque on a wall in Earlsfield to prove it.

The question people around here are actually asking is a simple one: will there be new Wombles on our screens, or will we mostly be buying Womble tote bags?

#### What’s confirmed and what isn’t

Who owns the Wombles

How the rights were split — and how they came back together

 Elisabeth Beresford

Books and characters, 1968

 Screen rights

FilmFair / BBC

Screen rights, 1973

CINAR (Canada)

Bought 1996, ~£10.5m

Financial scandal from 2000

Cookie Jar

Renamed 2004

WildBrain (DHX)

Acquired 2012

Characters

Character and book rights

Retained by family

Held throughout

Music rights

Mike Batt

Music rights, 1974

Bankruptcy 2017

Craig Treharne

Acquired Batt’s stake

 All rights consolidated ↓

Acre Creative Holdings

All rights consolidated, 2026

The Blair Partnership

Global agent, appointed 2026

**Note:** CINAR hit a financial scandal from 2000 before being sold and renamed. Mike Batt declared personal bankruptcy in 2017; his stake was subsequently acquired by Craig Treharne.

Sources: Companies House; Variety; research. Company numbers and named-person details to be verified before publication.

The part of the announcement that is genuine news is the rights consolidation. For decades, different slices of the Wombles were owned by different companies (the screen library in one place, the music rights somewhere else, the character and book rights with another party) which made a proper franchise revival almost impossible. That tangle has been resolved. The worldwide rights are now held under a single structure, and The Blair Partnership has been appointed as exclusive global representative across television, film, audio, publishing, theatre, live events, gaming, apps and consumer products.

The new owners say the rights are “consolidated and protected throughout the world” with “no legacy distribution agreements in place.” That last phrase matters: no old contracts in the way.

What is confirmed for the near future is more modest: an official YouTube channel launching this summer with remastered episodes from the 1970s and 1990s, alongside new influencer-fronted live-action clips. There is also a “Be More Womble” charity litter-picking campaign. Films, a television series, a game and audio content are all described as “in development.” In entertainment industry language, that means someone has mentioned them in a meeting. Nothing has been commissioned, budgeted or given a date.

#### How the rights got so tangled

The Wombles started as a book in 1968, a BBC stop-motion series in 1973 (60 five-minute episodes narrated by Bernard Cribbins) and then became something even more unexpected: the most successful British chart act of 1974. Mike Batt, who composed the theme tune, originally waived his fee of around £200 in exchange for the right to record and perform as The Wombles. In 1974, the band had eight Top 40 singles, four gold albums, and three singles in the chart at the same time.

Those two assets, the screen rights and the music rights, then went separate ways, which is where the tangle begins.

The Wombles: a heritage timeline

From Elisabeth Beresford’s Boxing Day walk to the 2026 rights deal

1968

First book published

The Wombles, Elisabeth Beresford

1973

BBC stop-motion series

60 episodes, narrated by Cribbins

1974

UK’s biggest chart act

8 Top 40 singles; 4 gold albums

1996

Screen rights sold to CINAR

Canada, reported ~£10.5m

2004

CINAR renamed Cookie Jar

After financial scandal; sold

2012

Acquired by WildBrain

Screen library into Canada

2016

CGI revival collapses

2 of 52 episodes screened; Batt bankrupt 2017

2026

Blair Partnership appointed

Global agent; all rights consolidated

 Creative / cultural high Corporate transfer Collapse 2026 deal 

Source: Research; Companies House; contemporaneous reporting.

The television producer FilmFair, which made the original BBC series, sold the screen rights repeatedly. They went through Central TV, then a 1991 deal, then in 1996 were bought by the Canadian company CINAR for a reported £10.5m. CINAR hit a financial scandal from 2000; it was sold in 2004 and renamed Cookie Jar; DHX Media (now called WildBrain) acquired Cookie Jar in 2012. That is how the original Wombles screen library ended up inside a Canadian children’s media company. Exactly how the new owners resolved WildBrain’s position in the consolidation has not been disclosed publicly.

The music strand took a different route. Batt and the Beresford children, Kate and Marcus Robertson, consolidated merchandising copyrights into a company in 2013. Batt’s attempt at a new 52-episode CGI series collapsed: only two episodes were ever screened, at a Cambridge event in 2016. He resigned as a director in December 2016 and declared personal bankruptcy in September 2017. His stake was subsequently acquired by businessman Craig Treharne.

Control now sits with Treharne and his partner Nichola Hill through Acre Creative Holdings. Marcus Robertson, representing the Beresford family, retains a minority creative stake in the characters. A dormant brand’s rights fragment because every company that touches it keeps a slice. You cannot sell a global franchise until you have bought the slices back. That work has now been done.

#### The agency running things

The Blair Partnership was founded in 2011 by Neil Blair and built J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World into a franchise that third-party analysts value at more than £20bn, from the films to Cursed Child (the highest-grossing play in Broadway history), branded merchandise and the theme parks. If you want to understand what the Wombles might become, however, the Peter Pan precedent is more instructive than the Harry Potter one.

The Blair Partnership also represents the rights to Peter Pan and Neverland on behalf of Great Ormond Street Hospital. The strategy there has been: a style guide first, then publishing (Simon & Schuster), then light-trail experiences at Blenheim in 2024 and Kenwood in 2025, and a game planned for 2027. There is no new Peter Pan film or television series. The logic is that screen content is expensive, uncertain and competitive; licensing, publishing and experiences generate returns at lower risk. Screen comes later, conditionally, once the brand has been proved in the market.

That is almost certainly what “in development” means for the Wombles: a market test. If the YouTube channel draws viewers and the merchandise sells, then a broadcaster becomes an easier conversation.

#### The honest doubts

The central difficulty for any genuine Wombles revival is that today’s children largely do not know them. There has been no sustained new Wombles content on mainstream screens for roughly 25 years. A 2015 CGI series collapsed; a 2020 update drew criticism for its approach, including from Marcus Robertson himself. A 2023 announcement of a remake was not realised.

A much-cited figure claims 88% public awareness of the Wombles. That figure comes from a brand-commissioned YouGov poll conducted in 2021, measuring adults. There is no publicly available methodology, and it tells you nothing about children under 12, who are the market a new television series would need to reach.

---

## The Wombles comeback: what is confirmed and what is in development

The comeback: what’s real and what isn’t

Confirmed activity versus “in development” — none of which has been commissioned, budgeted or given a release date

Confirmed

- Rights consolidated under one owner
- Blair Partnership appointed as global agent
- YouTube channel this summer (remastered 1970s/1990s episodes)
- Be More Womble litter-pick charity campaign

In development

- New television series
- Film
- Game
- Audio content

None of the “in development” items has been commissioned, budgeted or given a release date.

Source: The Blair Partnership announcement; Variety, June 2026.

The more generous read is that the Wombles’ environmental message (“make good use of the things that you find”) is better timed now than it was in 2015. The Paddington films show what is possible when a heritage British property gets outstanding new content: the three films have grossed around £650m worldwide. But Paddington required exceptional screenwriting; the rights were not enough on their own.

Nothing in the announcement contradicts either reading. This could be the beginning of a genuine return, or a well-managed licensing programme for the adults who remember them.

![Green plaque for Womble creator Beresford on Earlsfield Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/green-plaque-beresford-1024x688.jpeg)#### The Wombles, here

The Beresford family lived near Wandsworth Common and later Spencer Park. Wandsworth Council unveiled a green plaque on 5 June 2019 attended by Kate Robertson and Marcus Robertson. AFC Wimbledon’s mascot is Haydon the Womble, which tells you something about how the characters still land locally even without recent screen appearances.

If the “Be More Womble” campaign means anything practical for this area, the Wombles Community Charity (registered charity 1202563) runs a national network of litter-picking groups with an interactive map at [thewomblescommunity.com](https://thewomblescommunity.com/). There may be a Wandsworth or Merton group you can join.

The rights to the fictional litter-pickers have been sorted. The real cleaning-up of the actual Common is, as of this week, being done by volunteers and the Conservators: [the Queensmere pond on Wimbledon Common has just been restored](https://putney.news/2026/06/21/queensmere-reopens-on-wimbledon-common-its-concrete-pool-gone/), its concrete pool finally gone after more than 50 years.

Great Uncle Bulgaria would approve. Whether he will ever appear on our screens again is a different question.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/22/the-wombles-spent-50-years-tidying-up-now-someone-has-tidied-up-who-owns-them/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/22/the-wombles-spent-50-years-tidying-up-now-someone-has-tidied-up-who-owns-them/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Wombles%20spent%2050%20years%20tidying%20up.%20Now%20someone%20has%20tidied%20up%20who%20owns%20them.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/22/the-wombles-spent-50-years-tidying-up-now-someone-has-tidied-up-who-owns-them/)

**Categories:** Community, TV

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Elisabeth Beresford, Music, The Wombles, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Heritage Festival, Wimbledon and Putney Commons, Wimbledon Common

---

### [Putney's Commons charity wants to overhaul its 150-year-old rulebook](https://putney.news/2026/06/22/putneys-commons-charity-wants-to-overhaul-its-150-year-old-rulebook/)

**Published:** June 22, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** At the heart of it: new charges for parking and a bigger levy

**Content:**

The charity that runs Wimbledon Common and Putney Heath will tonight set out plans to overhaul the Victorian constitution that governs it, arguing that an Act of Parliament written in 1871 is outdated and no longer fits the 1,140 acres of common land in its care.

At the heart of the overhaul is money. The Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators (WPCC) want three things they cannot currently do: to charge drivers to park on the Commons, to push the levy they add to local council tax bills above the legal ceiling that has capped it since 1990, and, in time, to widen the net so that more households pay. A Band-D home in the levy area pays £41.38 a year now. The Conservators have proposed lifting that by about a quarter in a single step, on top of the usual annual rise.

Because the Commons are run not by the council but by a body created by its own Act of Parliament, the charity cannot simply rewrite its own rules or raise its own charge. To do almost any of it, it has to go back to Parliament.

For years now, the WPCC has warned that it cannot afford the upkeep. Its own audited accounts, published for tonight’s meeting, reveal an organisation that is not at risk, but which is obliged to operate leanly. At the end of March the charity held free reserves, the money it can spend that is not already tied up, of £1.455m, around £335,000 more than the £1.12m it calculates it needs. Its cash in the bank rose by £123,000 over the year, to £402,000. Its share of the staff pension scheme showed a surplus of just over £2m, though accounting rules keep that figure off its balance sheet. On the year, the chairman reports what he calls a small operating loss of about £12,000.

Running the Commons is not cheap. The charity spends around £2.5m a year, the bulk of it on people: a staff of 26, from keepers and rangers to groundsmen and maintenance crews, costs close to £1.5m in wages. The rest goes on looking after the Commons themselves, the playing fields and its many buildings.

---

WPCC money widgetThe Commons charity says it is short of money

Its own audited accounts, for the year to 31 March 2026, tell a more comfortable story. Tap between the two views.

 Money in and out What’s in the bank 

 Where the money comes from

Total income £2.57m

Levy on council tax£1.67m

Sports facilities£361k

Donations & legacies£269k

Property rent & wayleaves£170k

Filming & fairs£50k

Investment income£44k

Countryside stewardship grant£12k

Where it goes

Total spending £2.44m

Commons maintenance£587k

Running costs & admin£549k

Keepers & security£398k

Playing fields maintenance£360k

Property maintenance£357k

Conservation£169k

Windmill£24k

About **£1.5m** of that spending, roughly 60p in every pound, goes on staff wages, across a team of 26.

  Free reserves versus what it says it needs

At 31 March 2026. “Free reserves” is money the charity can spend that is not tied up in land, buildings or equipment.

Free reserves it holds£1.455m

What it says it needs£1.12m

**£335,000 above its own target** — and that target already sets aside £300,000 for its ageing buildings.

- Cash in the bank rose by £123,000 over the year, to £402,000.
- Its staff pension scheme is in surplus by just over £2m, kept off the balance sheet under accounting rules.
 
 Sources: WPCC Report and Audited Financial Statements, year ended 31 March 2026; Wandsworth and Merton council tax 2026/27.

#### What it wants to change

The vehicle for the bigger changes is a section 73 scheme, a route in charity law that lets an organisation alter its own founding Act of Parliament without passing a new one. The charity has sent a draft to the Charity Commission and the culture department and is waiting for a meeting. It gives several reasons. The governing rules, it says, have not been materially updated since 1871. It wants to regularise its land and buildings so it can repair, improve and safeguard them. Its own audit committee has pointed to one practical case: uncertainty over the legal powers to carry out a full rebuild of the pavilion at the Richardson Evans Memorial Playing Fields, the charity's main sports ground near Roehampton, which it hopes the scheme will resolve.

The charity is firm that the protections matter. There is, it says, "neither a desire nor intention of diluting or diminishing the very high level of protection" the 1871 Act gives the Commons, and it promises a public consultation before any change. That Act requires the Conservators to keep the land open, unenclosed and unbuilt on, and forbids them from selling, leasing or otherwise disposing of any part of it.

Parking is folded into the same scheme. The charity says the 1871 Act gives it no power to charge for parking, and that it wants one to deter commuters and long-stay parkers rather than to penalise residents or genuine visitors. Its reasoning, though, is about money as much as traffic. The Commons are majority funded by the levy, it notes, "while non-levy payers contribute nothing directly to upkeep yet benefit from visiting."

> [Commons levy rises again – and the funding gap keeps growing](https://putney.news/2026/03/05/commons-levy-rises-again-and-the-funding-gap-keeps-growing/)

#### A bigger bill, and perhaps a wider one

The levy is the charity's main income, worth £1.67m last year and around two-thirds of everything it raises. It already rises each year in line with inflation, and *Putney.news* has reported how [the levy keeps climbing](https://putney.news/2026/03/05/commons-levy-rises-again-and-the-funding-gap-keeps-growing/). The one-off increase the charity wants now goes further. Because it would break a cap first set in regulations in 1990 and 1993, the government has to pass a separate piece of legislation before it can take effect. A minister, Baroness Hayman of Ullock, approved the rise in principle in January, the bigger jump residents were [warned was coming](https://putney.news/2024/03/13/putney-commons-tax-jumps-8-9-per-cent-with-more-to-come/), but the legislation has not yet reached Parliament.

There may be more later. On its own website, the charity says it "may wish to explore whether the levy area could be expanded to encompass more properties" in the longer term, bringing more households into paying. It accepts that step would need its own, lengthy Act of Parliament.

Behind all of it is a charity that keeps describing its income as too small for the job. Its chief executive says financial pressures "remain acute" and that completing the levy increase is "critical." Its annual report warns that income is "insufficient to support the long-term preventative maintenance" of the Commons and their buildings. The charity's answer to its healthy reserves is that many of its buildings are more than a century old, and that it holds money back against the unexpected. The sum that sits above its own target, though, already includes £300,000 set aside for those buildings.

In the past year, the WPCC has relied on additional fundraising from locals to fix its muddy pathways and [rebuild its famous windmill](https://putney.news/2025/08/21/lightning-damaged-windmill-saved-by-extraordinary-community-effort-in-one-week/) when it was struck by lightning. No doubt it would prefer not to have to rely on individual charity for upkeep.

> [Lightning-damaged windmill saved by extraordinary community effort in one week](https://putney.news/2025/08/21/lightning-damaged-windmill-saved-by-extraordinary-community-effort-in-one-week/)

#### Have your say on Monday

The annual open meeting is the one occasion each year when levy-payers and members of the public can hear from the Conservators directly and put questions to them. It takes place on Monday 22 June at St John the Baptist Church Hall, Robin Hood Lane, Kingston Vale, SW15 3PY, from 7.30pm for an 8pm start. The annual report and accounts are on the charity's website and can be inspected at the Ranger's Office.

The charity has promised a full public consultation, and a vote of levy-payers, before any change to the 1871 Act. Monday is the first chance to ask what exactly is being proposed, and why a charity with money in the bank needs the power to charge for more.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/22/putneys-commons-charity-wants-to-overhaul-its-150-year-old-rulebook/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/22/putneys-commons-charity-wants-to-overhaul-its-150-year-old-rulebook/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20Commons%20charity%20wants%20to%20overhaul%20its%20150-year-old%20rulebook&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/22/putneys-commons-charity-wants-to-overhaul-its-150-year-old-rulebook/)

**Categories:** Environment, Politics

**Tags:** council tax, Putney Common, Putney Heath, Roehampton, Wimbledon and Putney Commons, Wimbledon Common

---

### [Watchdog steps in as Wandsworth won't explain Roehampton sewage repairs](https://putney.news/2026/06/22/watchdog-steps-in-as-wandsworth-wont-explain-roehampton-sewage-repairs/)

**Published:** June 22, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** It disclosed how often flats flooded, but not what it did about it

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council still will not say what it did to fix the raw sewage that flooded flats in Denmead House, more than a year after the leaks began. The information watchdog is now investigating its refusal.

The Information Commissioner’s Office, which enforces Freedom of Information (FOI) law, has opened a formal case into whether the council can lawfully keep its repair record secret. The regulator cannot order the pipes fixed. But its involvement is proof the matter has not gone away, and residents say the water never stopped.

The council [released its own log](https://putney.news/2025/09/19/wandsworth-council-betrayed-families-plumbing-neglect-alton-estate/) of sewage and water complaints at the block. It has refused, twice, to release any record of what it then did about them, arguing each time that answering would cost too much (FOI requests are cost-limited). Residents can see how often their homes flooded but they still cannot see whether the council fixed the cause.

When *Putney.news* first [reported the leaks](https://putney.news/2025/05/22/we-feel-hopeless-two-weeks-of-sewage-leaks-and-silence-in-roehampton-flats/) in May 2025, raw waste water was pouring into flats from the ground floor to the top, and had been for nearly two weeks. One long-standing resident described an earlier flood, one of them faecal, that took three years to put right. The emergency repair came [only after we reported](https://putney.news/2025/05/28/hopeless-no-more-emergency-repairs-follow-our-sewage-report/) it, when a contractor stopped the immediate leak on 23 May, two days after this publication told the council a story was coming. Weeks later [a crack appeared](https://putney.news/2025/06/02/crack-appears-beneath-landmark-block-after-sewage-leak-nightmare/) in a structural panel beneath the building, the undercroft was cordoned off, and a replacement panel was fitted without explanation.

> [Wandsworth Council betrayed families with years of plumbing neglect](https://putney.news/2025/09/19/wandsworth-council-betrayed-families-plumbing-neglect-alton-estate/)

Denmead House is not an ordinary council block. It is [Grade II\* listed](https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1246044), one of five identical modernist slab blocks on Highcliffe Drive, so even routine structural work needs special heritage consent.

Last week, we visited the blocks again and found the same problem signs: water pooling at the base of its support columns, and water damage in ceiling tiles at three of the five blocks. The council has refused to engage with us or with residents over what it is doing to fix the persistent issues – which have been reported for years.

![White coffered ceiling panels along an outdoor covered walkway, with concrete columns and greenery visible outside](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/denmead-house-patch-768x1024.png)The patch installed on Denmead House – but drainage issues remain.Its refusal to supply work lists even though they are easily and quickly produced by the council through its management software is a red flag that the council may be aware that its efforts are insufficient.

![Underneath a concrete structure with evenly spaced pillars, showing rust stains on the ceiling and a grassy park beyond.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/dunbridge-house-leaks-1024x768.png)The same issue is clearly visible at neighbouring Dunbridge House.#### 13 months and still no answer

The paper trail is its own story. We asked for the leak and repair records on 21 May 2025, and the council refused on cost grounds. A narrower request, resubmitted, was refused again on the same grounds. At an internal review in September, the council disclosed the log of complaints but withheld the record of repairs. *Putney.news* complained to the regulator in October. The case was finally handed to an investigating officer on 17 June 2026, and will examine whether the cost exemption applies at all, and whether the council gave proper help and answered in time.

> [“We can’t live like this”: Tenants left in sewage-soaked flats for two weeks](https://putney.news/2025/05/22/we-feel-hopeless-two-weeks-of-sewage-leaks-and-silence-in-roehampton-flats/)

The question the regulator is asking, in effect, is whether Wandsworth can produce its own repair records. It is not the first time it has struggled to find its own paperwork. The Housing Ombudsman has repeatedly found the council at fault over leaks and poor record-keeping, part of [a documented pattern](https://putney.news/2025/06/21/mould-misery-and-council-neglect-the-human-cost-of-wandsworths-failures/) we have reported before, including one ruling in which it could not produce the work orders at all. Denmead House is not an outlier.

At the same estate, the council is selling a different story. It has approved a “decade of renewal” worth £52.3 million in 2026/27, including £19.5 million for a new community building at Portswood Place. It has also said some Alton blocks may face demolition and others retrofit, which raises a fair question about whether Denmead is being [left to decline](https://putney.news/2025/11/12/council-paints-birds-on-walls-while-cutting-down-the-trees-where-they-live/) while its future is decided.

> [Crack appears beneath landmark block after sewage leak nightmare](https://putney.news/2025/06/02/crack-appears-beneath-landmark-block-after-sewage-leak-nightmare/)

#### If you live in these blocks, we want to hear from you

We put the investigation and a series of questions to Wandsworth Council, asking what repairs have been carried out since May 2025, who did them and when, the current state of the cordoned-off panel, and whether the neighbouring blocks show the same water damage. We have yet to receive a response.

Do you live in Denmead House, or in Binley, Winchfield, Dunbridge or Charcot House, the identical blocks beside it? Have you had sewage, leaks, damp or repair delays, recently or over the years, and how has the council dealt with you? Contact us in confidence at  or through our [contact form](https://putney.news/contact/).

There are other routes, too. Residents can [complain to the council](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/the-council/have-your-say/make-a-complaint/) as their landlord, which must give a first response within 10 working days, and can take an unresolved complaint to [the Housing Ombudsman](https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/), an independent service that can order repairs or compensation at no cost. Under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, the council must keep the structure, drains and pipework in repair. Denmead House sits in Roehampton ward, whose three Labour councillors, [Graeme Henderson](mailto:cllr.g.henderson@wandsworth.gov.uk "Graeme Henderson"), [Matthew Tiller](mailto:cllr.m.tiller@wandsworth.gov.uk "Matthew Tiller") and [Jenny Yates](mailto:cllr.j.yates@wandsworth.gov.uk "Jenny Yates"), can take the matter up on residents’ behalf.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/22/watchdog-steps-in-as-wandsworth-wont-explain-roehampton-sewage-repairs/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/22/watchdog-steps-in-as-wandsworth-wont-explain-roehampton-sewage-repairs/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Watchdog%20steps%20in%20as%20Wandsworth%20won%E2%80%99t%20explain%20Roehampton%20sewage%20repairs&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/22/watchdog-steps-in-as-wandsworth-wont-explain-roehampton-sewage-repairs/)

**Categories:** Housing, Roehampton

**Tags:** accountability, Alton Estate, Alton Renewal Plan, council housing, FOI, Housing Ombudsman, ICO, Roehampton, Wandsworth Council

---

### [The school by the Alton Estate was built to be seen. Now nobody notices it](https://putney.news/2026/06/21/the-school-by-the-alton-estate-was-built-to-be-seen-now-nobody-notices-it/)

**Published:** June 21, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** A Victorian idea about childhood, a millionaire's villa, then a secret wartime radar station.

**Content:**

Ibstock Place School sits at the boundary not only of two London boroughs, but of two different worlds.

On one side, in Wandsworth, is the Alton Estate, one of the largest council estates in Britain, once celebrated as the finest modern housing the London County Council ever built. On the other, across into Richmond, lies Richmond Park, the largest of the royal parks, enclosed by Charles I in the 1630s as a royal hunting ground.

Between the two, behind a brick wall and complete with private footbridge is a fee-paying school few of its neighbours could place. The obscurity is the first surprise, because the school was built to be seen.

#### The children’s garden

It opened in 1894 as a Demonstration School, and the name was meant literally. Its job was to demonstrate (to teachers, to parents, to anyone who would come and look) that a particular idea about children worked in practice. The idea belonged to a German educationist, Friedrich Froebel, who held that a child grows much as a plant does: not drilled into shape but cultivated, through play, through making things, through time spent in the natural world. He gave it the name we now use without a second thought. Kindergarten, children’s garden.

In late-Victorian England this was close to a creed. It arrived alongside the first laws compelling children into school at all, part of a wider turn towards taking childhood seriously. Froebel’s English followers, led by the educational benefactor Julia Salis Schwabe, set up a teacher-training college with a demonstration school attached, so the method could be shown rather than merely argued. The cause drew in well-connected champions. One of them, Mrs Alfred Bailey, gathered friends in the drawing room of her West Kensington home on 31 March 1894 to make the new Institute known, telling them the kindergarten would be “the growing-ground for the budding-time of a child’s life”, where head and hand would work together to invent and create. She urged them to go and see it and, if they could, to send their children at once.

Then the strangest thing happened to it. It won. The theory was absorbed so completely (every sandpit, every learning-through-play corner in the country descends from it) that it stopped looking like a theory and started looking like common sense. And the place where it was first put on display faded into a wall and a gate on the edge of an estate.

Which makes the school a third thing between the other two: not council estate, not royal park, but the last visible trace of a vision every bit as ambitious as theirs.

![Red brick townhouse with white-framed windows, ivy over the entry, and rose bushes along a low fence beneath a blue sky.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ibstock-place-school-1024x375.jpg)Pic: Ibstock Place School#### What it is now

Today the school is anything but radical-looking. It is an independent, co-educational day school running from age four to eighteen, set in handsome grounds with a swimming pool, an all-weather pitch and a 300-seat theatre. The families are mostly local (“a normal lot”, as one put it to the Good Schools Guide, affluent but low-key) and the same guide files the place under “hidden gem”.

It still calls what it offers a “liberal and humane education”, and the phrase is not just marketing. It is the direct descendant of Froebel’s creed, the conviction that a child is to be drawn out rather than filled up, now dressed in the vocabulary of a modern prospectus. The kindergarten once put on public display has become a quieter, fee-paying school behind a wall, a stroll from a council estate built on a different dream of how life might be improved.

But the building it occupies, and the ground it stands on, had lived several other lives before the children arrived.

![Interior of a large wooden hall with a crisscross beam roof, long tables, and rows of chairs along the sides under a skylight.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Refectory_internal_Ibstock_Place_School_2021.jpg)Interior of the schoo’s new hall. Pic: Ibstock Place School.#### The house of tapestries and frogs

The main house was not built as a school at all. It went up in 1913 as a private residence called St Serf’s, designed by the architect Frank Chesterton, who also built nearby Roehampton Court. The Duchess of Sutherland owned it and added a ballroom, before leaving for war work in France. In 1925 it was bought by Major John Paget, who renamed it Ibstock Place after the Leicestershire village that was his family’s ancestral home.

Paget made it a small monument to Edwardian money and modern gadgetry. He filled it with antiques (a Louis XVI suite of Aubusson tapestries, two grand pianos) and equipped it with a sun-bed parlour, a private telephone exchange, and one of the first private outdoor swimming pools in Britain. By one account, the pool, built before anyone locally understood the virtues of chlorine, promptly turned green and filled with frogs. The household ran on a staff of thirteen, plus a night watchman and a gardener who lived in the lodge on the corner.

That world ended with the war.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ibstock-place-exhibit-1024x768.png)Part of the history exhibit at the school itself.#### A secret on the hill

In 1939 the Pagets left for Oxfordshire to wait out the fighting. In 1942 the house was requisitioned by the Ministry of Supply and handed to the Army Operational Research Group, scientists doing secret work on radar. For a few years the genteel villa with its grand pianos was a research station for one of the technologies that won the war.

Meanwhile, the school Froebel’s followers had founded was having a war of its own. It had spent its whole life in a small house at Colet Gardens, on Talgarth Road in West Kensington. When war broke out it was caught up in Operation Pied Piper, the mass evacuation of children from London’s likely targets, and its headmistress, Barbara Priestman, went house-hunting for somewhere “as close to London as seemed compatible with safety”. She found Denison House at Little Gaddesden in Hertfordshire, and the day school became, by necessity, a boarding school.

The exhibit at the school today preserves the small human texture of those years: children playing in a great cedar tree they called the Girls’ Cedar; donkey rides at the village monument; the Games Field cut for hay; the National Milk Campaign, which the children joined in the name of “the backbone of young Britain”. Letters home survive too. “Dear Daddy, I can do my tie now,” writes a boy named Michael. “I have finished Book IV in Reading. Miss Duncan says I am getting on very well.” Not everything was gentle. A poem in the children’s own *Anthology of Poetry* mourns an airman shot down: “It sounded normal in the news, but it was tragic hearing.”

When the war ended, the school’s governors went looking for a way back to London, and found a neo-Georgian house in Roehampton, recently vacated by the army’s scientists, called Ibstock Place. In 1945 the Pagets sold it to the Froebel Educational Institute for £30,000. The school moved in the following year with 156 children, forty-eight of them boarders. It took the house’s name as its own, and has been there ever since. The evacuated children and the secret radar men had, in the end, passed through the same front door.

![Sunset view of a grand white building with columns and a balcony on the right, overlooking a cityscape with bare trees and a parked car.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mont-clare-house-1024x768.png)Mont Clare House, with the Alton Tower blocks in the background. Two worlds in one place#### Three dreams on one hill

To understand why the school sits where it does, you have to know what the hill around it used to be. Roehampton’s high ground, breezy and green and a short ride from town once Putney Bridge opened in 1729, became a place for the wealthy to build summer villas. Some were grand: Mount Clare, finished in 1772, its grounds laid out by Capability Brown; Grove House, of 1777; the 1760s Palladian villa later known as Manresa House. For a century and more this was a landscape of great houses and their gardens.

The twentieth century swept most of it away, and did so, twice over, in the name of improvement. First the London County Council built the Garden City-inspired Dover House Estate in the 1920s and 30s. Then, in the years after the Second World War, with London desperate for homes, the LCC acquired the surviving villas and their grounds and built the Alton Estate. The best houses and some of the old landscaping were kept; around 130 acres of the rest were cleared.

What rose there was, for a moment, the most admired public housing in the country. Alton East, finished in 1958, was gentle and Scandinavian in feel. Alton West, a year later, was something bolder: five great eleven-storey slab blocks (Binley, Winchfield, Dunbridge, Charcot and Denmead, all now listed) set striding across retained Georgian parkland on the very edge of Richmond Park, directly inspired by Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation in Marseille. It was hailed as the crowning glory of post-war council housing. In 1966 François Truffaut used those same towers as the backdrop for *Fahrenheit 451*, casting the housing utopia as a vision of a chilly future, a verdict history has argued over ever since.

![Path lined with yellow daffodils leading to a modern building, with trees on both sides and a sunny, green lawn.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/alton-estate-daffodills-1024x768.png)Daffodills leading up to one of the iconic buildings on the Alton Estate.And the old villas that survived the clearance? Several were folded into education. Grove House, the 1777 Georgian villa, became Froebel College, the very teacher-training institution that had founded the school, which moved out to Roehampton in 1922. The exhibit’s photographs of children at “Grove House Nursery” are a quiet record of that link. So Froebel’s movement came to occupy two houses on the same hill: a preserved Georgian villa for its college, and the Edwardian survivor down the lane for its school.

Stand back, and the hill resolves into three answers to a single question: how should people live among trees? The royal park keeps nature for the Crown and, later, for everyone to walk in. The Alton Estate tried to give the working families of London the light, air and greenery the rich had always enjoyed. And the children’s garden behind its wall set out to grow children the way Froebel grew his ideas: in contact with the natural world, by play and making and patience.

Their fates diverged. The park endures, serene and unbothered. The estate was celebrated, then [troubled](https://putney.news/2025/08/17/last-chance-for-alton-does-the-vote-offer-an-escape-from-years-of-neglect/), then argued over, and is now caught up in the long, contested [business of regeneration](https://putney.news/2025/10/19/after-20-years-of-failure-alton-estate-gets-another-chance-at-renewal/), admired by architects, lived in by thousands, easy to caricature and easy to romanticise, and deserving of neither. And the school, the oldest dream of the three, survived by going quiet. Its idea was so thoroughly victorious that it became invisible: the theory we now mistake for the natural order of childhood.

That is the strange achievement of the place at the end of Clarence Lane. It was built to be looked at, and it won its argument so completely that we stopped looking. A buried idealism, in the corner of an estate, on the edge of a park, still, after all this time, quietly doing the thing it was always for.

![Large lecture hall filled with hundreds of suited attendees facing a speaker at a wooden podium on stage; a pianist sits at a grand piano nearby.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Theatre_internal_Ibstock_Place_School.jpg)Pic: Ibstock Place School.---

*This is the third in an occasional series about the things in and around Putney that you’ve walked past a hundred times without ever realising what they are. Read the others: [Brazil’s admirals have been quietly shopping for warships in Putney since 1971](https://putney.news/2026/01/03/brazils-admirals-have-been-quietly-shopping-for-warships-in-putney-since-1971/) and [The Putney house at the centre of a sovereignty dispute with Rome](https://putney.news/2026/01/10/the-putney-house-at-the-centre-of-a-sovereignty-dispute-with-rome/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/21/the-school-by-the-alton-estate-was-built-to-be-seen-now-nobody-notices-it/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/21/the-school-by-the-alton-estate-was-built-to-be-seen-now-nobody-notices-it/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20school%20by%20the%20Alton%20Estate%20was%20built%20to%20be%20seen.%20Now%20nobody%20notices%20it&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/21/the-school-by-the-alton-estate-was-built-to-be-seen-now-nobody-notices-it/)

**Categories:** Education, Long read, Roehampton

**Tags:** Alton Estate, Richmond Park, Roehampton

---

### [Queensmere reopens on Wimbledon Common, its concrete pool gone](https://putney.news/2026/06/21/queensmere-reopens-on-wimbledon-common-its-concrete-pool-gone/)

**Published:** June 21, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Eighteen months of work turned the silted Victorian pool into a wildlife haven.

**Content:**

Queensmere, the Victorian pond by the Windmill on Wimbledon Common, has reopened, and the silted concrete pool many will remember has gone.

In its place is a living wildlife pond, with natural banks, a new reedbed, an island for ducks and geese, and a wooden deck that lets you stand out over the water. With temperatures set to climb toward the mid-30s this week, it is also about the coolest, greenest spot in Putney to spend an hour.

The Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators, the body that runs the Commons, led the 18-month restoration, working with specialist contractor Aquamaintain. The work cost £150,000, most of it from the Mayor of London’s Rewild London Fund, in partnership with the London Wildlife Trust. We [followed the work in January](https://putney.news/2026/01/29/how-to-protect-wildlife-on-wimbledon-common-a-guide-for-visitors/), when the pond was a drained, silted hollow.

 Queensmere restorationBefore and after

Before

- Silted, concrete-banked pool
- Water gone murky and poor
- More than half in deep shade
- Nowhere for wildlife to shelter

After

- Natural, replanted banks
- A 120 sq m reedbed filtering the water
- An island for ducks and geese
- A viewing deck over the water

Source: Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators

![Queenmere Pond restoration plan. Pic: WPCC](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/queensmere-restoration-plan.jpg)It had been in trouble for years. Built in 1887 for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, and once a spot for bathing and boating, Queensmere had silted up, its water had turned poor, and more than half of it sat in deep shade under overgrown trees. Its concrete banks gave wildlife nowhere to shelter.

The fix was substantial. Crews thinned the trees, drained the pond and rescued its fish, then dug out decades of silt and used it to reshape the banks and build the island. They laid a 120 sq m reedbed at the inlet to filter the water, and reprofiled the hard banks with coconut-fibre rolls seeded with native wildflowers. While they were digging, they uncovered something nobody expected: the outline of a Victorian walled bathing area, hidden in the mud for generations.

![Queenmere Pond official reopening. Pic: WPCC](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/queensmere-opening-1024x1024.jpeg)Chair Mauro Mattiuzzo speaks at the official opening of the pond this weekThe wildlife has not waited. Toads were back at the water’s edge in February, and herons, mandarin ducks and dragonflies are already using the new banks and island.

The Conservators marked the reopening with a small celebration at the pond this week. The Chairman of the Conservators, Mauro Mattiuzzo, and Emma Edgell from the Mayor of London’s office spoke, Deputy Chair Sue Bucknall unveiled a new information lectern carrying artwork by local artist Susan Bunn, and children from the Roehampton Church Forest School sang a song they had written about the pond, “We will Croak You”.

 Visiting QueensmereBefore you go

- 📍 **Where**Near the Windmill and the Windmill car park, Wimbledon Common.
- 🪵 **What’s open**The new viewing deck and a dog ramp at the water’s edge.
- 🐦 **Dog beach: closed until 1 September**Birds are nesting. Keep dogs under control around the pond until then.
- 📷 **Join in**Rest your phone on a fixed photo post, take the same view each visit, and share it tagged #WPCponds.
- ☀️ **When to go**This week. Hot and largely dry, into the mid-30s on Tuesday and Wednesday, and cool under the trees.
 
Source: Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators

#### Before you go

Queensmere sits near the Windmill and the Windmill car park. The new deck and a dog ramp are open, but the dog beach stays shut until 1 September, because birds are nesting, and dogs must be kept under control around the water until then. [What dog walkers should know](https://putney.news/2026/05/29/five-things-dog-walkers-on-the-commons-need-to-know-this-month/) on the Commons changes through the year.

![Queenmere Pond. Pic: WPCC](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/queensmere-pond-open-1024x1024.jpeg)Restored and full of wildlife. Pic: WPCCThere is one easy way to join in. Fixed photo posts at the pond let you rest your phone on a cradle, take the same view each visit, and share it tagged #WPCponds, slowly building a record of how the pond changes with the seasons.

More is still to come, including commemorative benches and nesting boxes for mandarin ducks. For now, the pond is open, the weather is good, and it is worth the walk. Go and have a look this week. [The Conservators’ Queensmere page](https://www.wpcc.org.uk/nature/queensmere) has the full story of the works.

![Queenmere Pond. Pic: WPCC](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/queensmere.jpg)New reed beds will help filter the water. Pic: WPCC [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/21/queensmere-reopens-on-wimbledon-common-its-concrete-pool-gone/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/21/queensmere-reopens-on-wimbledon-common-its-concrete-pool-gone/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Queensmere%20reopens%20on%20Wimbledon%20Common%2C%20its%20concrete%20pool%20gone&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/21/queensmere-reopens-on-wimbledon-common-its-concrete-pool-gone/)

**Categories:** Environment, Roehampton, West Putney

**Tags:** Putney Heath, Queensmere, Wimbledon and Putney Commons, Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators, Wimbledon Common

---

### [One sailed the open sea at 17, the other is trapped on a Teams call. Both stopped the room](https://putney.news/2026/06/21/one-sailed-the-open-sea-at-17-the-other-is-trapped-on-a-teams-call-both-stopped-the-room/)

**Published:** June 21, 2026
**Author:** Rebecca Batty

**Excerpt:** Both read at May's Poets in Putney night, which turns one this Thursday

**Content:**

Two poets, two very different worlds. At the last [Poets in Putney](https://putney.news/2026/05/24/one-came-to-dance-with-words-one-almost-didnt-perform-at-all-both-stopped-the-room/) open mic on Thursday 28 May, Tunde Balogun read a poem drawn from a teenage sea voyage in 1984; Aaron Khemchandani read about the slow absurdity of corporate life. Both held the room.

The night ran in partnership with London Rivers Week, the annual Thames21 campaign celebrating the capital’s rivers, and it fell in the middle of the hottest May on record.

#### Tunde Balogun (“T”)

!["T" performing at Poets in Putney. Credit: Nick Cornwall](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SpreadEagle_t.jpg)“T” performing at Poets in Putney. Credit: Nick CornwallT is a South London educator, life coach, poet and spoken-word performer who mentors young people and adults with [Free2B Alliance](https://free2b.lgbt/) and [Carney’s Community](https://carneyscommunity.org/), and was named Coach of the Year at the 2022 Active Wandsworth Awards. A warm, thought-provoking regular at Poets in Putney, she often writes acrostics (poems where each line begins with a letter of a word that sets the theme) and champions causes close to her, from sickle cell disease to the RNLI.

At the May night she read a poem drawn from 1984/85, when she was the only Black person among 55 trainees who sailed on the STS Sir Winston Churchill (then a schooner, now a private charter yacht) on to the Canary Islands. The piece carries a double weight: a reflection on who gets access to opportunities like that, then and now, and a grateful memory of the adventure itself. “So many beautiful places, I was blessed to explore,” she writes. “I’d been bitten by the travel bug and wanted to see more.”

![The STS Sir Winston Churchill in 1984, then a schooner, now a private charter yacht. Credit: Photograph by Tunde Balogun](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/STS-Sir-Winston-Churchill-1984.png)The STS Sir Winston Churchill in 1984, then a schooner, now a private charter yacht. Credit: Photograph by Tunde BalogunT has self-published two poetry collections through the Women’s Resource Centre, [*Blouse an’ Skirt Babe!!!*](https://www.wrc.org.uk/shop/blouse-an-skirt-babe-8-book-t-balogun) and [*Joy an’ Pain, Babe!!!*](https://www.wrc.org.uk/shop/joy-an-pain-babe-book-by-t-balogun-5), and is writing a third. Her work ranges across equality, racial justice, resilience and self-care, using poetry as a tool for healing, humour, connection and change. You can find more of it on Instagram at [@freethinker68](https://www.instagram.com/freethinker68).

Of the poem she shares here, T says it was the first she wrote on returning to writing, “to help get some things off my chest.”

— — —

Poem

Right & Wrong

by Tunde Balogun (“T”), Putney

There’s too many bad things going on
 & there’s too many right things going wrong.

We’re in a new decade, it’s the 20’s,
 the few are okay, but what about the plenty?

Queuing up at the bank, for food rather than money,
 working people are starving, it’s not even funny.

I’ve almost run out of tears, there’s been so much crying,
 politicians continuously lying, as our children keep dying.

We all, have to accept some responsibility,
 stop making excuses & work together, to the best of our ability.

The key is tolerance & communication,
 but nothing can be achieved without integrity & dedication.

If we unite,
 I know together, we can put the wrong things right.

Because there’s too many bad things going on
 & there’s too many right things going wrong!!!

T. Balogun

Read at Poets in Putney
28 May 2026

 scroll

#### Aaron Khemchandani

![Aaron Khemchandani. Credit: Poet's own](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/aaron-khemchandani-1015x1024.jpg)Aaron Khemchandani. Credit: Poet’s ownAaron writes poetry, music, articles and essays about Empire and its mark on the modern world. He gives “hidden history” tours at places like the National Maritime Museum, surfacing the imperial stories that don’t make it onto the plaques, and runs [Stories of Empire](https://www.eventbrite.com/o/121138838327), a programme of walking tours and guided exhibitions across London.

He started writing and performing poetry in 2025, and his subjects run from the monotony of office life to the collapse of the Mughal Empire and the absurdity of Michelin stars. “It’s a creative outlet I’m learning to harness every day, and I love it,” he says.

At the May night he had the room laughing, first with a poem about the Punjab before British colonisation, then with the one he shares here, on the small absurdities of corporate life. You can read more of his work on Instagram at [@storiesofempire](https://www.instagram.com/storiesofempire).

— — —

Poem

Corporates Are Ridiculous Sometimes (CARS)

by Aaron Khemchandani

How do we say so much without saying anything?
 We’ve been on this teams call for an hour, internally aligning on how best to internally align
 This wasted time brings my head so much pain, you can’t tell me its benign!

I’ve been asked to take notes, but I need to find my notes on how best to take notes… I should’ve taken note
 What am I doing?

I could’ve been an explorer, or a journalist, or a radio presenter
 But much like my eighth-grade business teacher Mr. Larkin
 I just spend my days spewing meaningless corporate jargon

How many ducks constitute a row?
 How do I circle back without getting dizzy?
 Am I questioning *ALL* my life choices? Not yet, but nearly

I’ve been in this job so long, I struggle to see clearly, and all that seems to matter is fiscal performance yearly
 I could’ve been a football commentator, a job I’d love so dearly
 But instead, I’ve spent the last 10 minutes deciding between best regards or yours fucking sincerely.

—

Read at Poets in Putney
28 May 2026

 scroll

#### Coming up: Poets in Putney turns one

Poets in Putney is one year old. The [anniversary night](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poets-in-putney-poetry-open-mic-night-1-year-anniversary-afterparty-tickets-1983647872184) is this Thursday, 25 June, at Putney Library Hall, with cake, a raffle (performing poets go into the draw to win a Waterstones gift voucher) and an afterparty at The Spotted Horse on Putney High Street. Tickets are more than 70% sold.

![Wood-paneled meeting room with rows of black chairs facing a decorative fireplace at the front.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Putney-Library-Hall-Photo-2025-1024x518.png)`Putney Library Hall, home of Poets in Putney.` `Credit: Poets in Putney`The night [grew out of](https://putney.news/2025/06/19/poetry-with-heart-putneys-new-night-sparks-local-creative-flame/) a free Start-Up Wandsworth session in the Library’s wood-panelled old hall a year ago. It now sells out most months, drawing poets of every level of experience. When attendees were asked, they voted to keep it in the Hall rather than move to a pub, for the calm the room brings to a reading.

Poets in Putney meets on the last Thursday of each month at Putney Library Hall, SW15 2DR.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/21/one-sailed-the-open-sea-at-17-the-other-is-trapped-on-a-teams-call-both-stopped-the-room/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/21/one-sailed-the-open-sea-at-17-the-other-is-trapped-on-a-teams-call-both-stopped-the-room/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=One%20sailed%20the%20open%20sea%20at%2017%2C%20the%20other%20is%20trapped%20on%20a%20Teams%20call.%20Both%20stopped%20the%20room&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/21/one-sailed-the-open-sea-at-17-the-other-is-trapped-on-a-teams-call-both-stopped-the-room/)

**Categories:** Community, Live events, Thamesfield

**Tags:** community, Monthly Muse, Poets in Putney, Putney High Street, Putney Library

---

### [The Putney corner is coming down. Here is what comes next](https://putney.news/2026/06/20/the-putney-corner-is-coming-down-here-is-what-comes-next/)

**Published:** June 20, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Hotel delivery plan puts 20 large lorries a week on Putney Bridge Road

**Content:**

Demolition is accelerating at the long-empty corner of Putney High Street and Putney Bridge Road. The plan for what happens once the 200-room hotel opens is now public for the first time.

Up to 20 large lorries a week will deliver to the hotel: linen, food and drink for 200 rooms. They will park on Putney Bridge Road to unload, because vehicles of that size cannot fit in the hotel’s rear service yard.

That is on top of a further 26 to 38 smaller deliveries each week for the ground-floor shops and offices that will occupy the same building, most of which will also use Putney Bridge Road.

The figures come from a Delivery and Servicing Management Plan recently filed with Wandsworth Council. The plan, prepared by transport consultants TTP Consulting on behalf of developer Mosser Limited, is required before the hotel can open. The comment window closed this week.

![Construction site behind a tall black barrier with scaffolding and white tarps, and a yellow excavator on rubble.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/hotel-demo-4-1024x768.png)#### What arrives, and when

The hotel’s deliveries will be 12-metre vehicles carrying linen along with food and drink. The plan says they will load on-street either during the day, between 10am and 4pm, or overnight between 7pm and 7am.

The ground-floor commercial units will bring their own vehicles. A convenience store would typically need two to three deliveries a day, including 10-metre rigid or articulated vehicles, which will also need to stop on the road. A café would receive up to two deliveries a day. Other retail units would each receive roughly one.

In total, the plan estimates between 41 and 58 deliveries a week across the whole building once it is operational, not including removals or tenant changes.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/PHS-hotel-1024x934.png)#### “Absolutely horrendous”

Councillor James Jeffreys, who represents Thamesfield ward where the hotel sits, told the planning committee in February when the revised hotel plans were approved: “Traffic, as I’m sure we’re all aware in Putney, is absolutely horrendous at the moment.”

The committee approved the hotel and left the delivery arrangements to be resolved by condition. The delivery plan is the result.

The hotel also has a Thames Water capacity condition: it cannot open until water infrastructure concerns are resolved. And it has no dedicated taxi drop-off point. The transport consultants previously suggested taxis use Putney High Street outside Boots, Lacy Road loading bay, or Brewhouse Lane.

#### Nine years on the corner

The site has been a source of frustration on Putney High Street since the original planning application was filed in 2017. Planning permission was granted in 2021. The [February committee approval](https://putney.news/2026/02/22/hotel-approved-with-two-year-pavement-closure-but-delivery-plan-still-unresolved/) confirmed the 200-room scheme (40 rooms are windowless) after years of delays and a period during which [the site sat stalled with squatters](https://putney.news/2026/05/27/mystery-of-the-stalled-putney-hotel-corner-begins-to-clear/).

This week, demolition has visibly picked up pace. As of Friday, the former upstairs interior of the Preto restaurant is exposed and visible from the street. An excavator is working on the site. Scaffolding with dust sheeting remains on the Putney High Street side.

Construction is not expected to complete until 2028. Once it does, the pavement on Putney High Street, which will be closed during building works and replaced with a scaffolded pedestrian corridor, will reopen. And it’s not clear whether the hotel will be Hub by Premier Inn after the company [pulled out the market](https://putney.news/2026/05/01/the-premier-inn-on-putney-bridge-is-closing-in-june/).

The delivery plan [application](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/6193312.pdf) \[pdf\] (ref 2026/1930) has not yet been determined by Wandsworth Council. When it is, the plan it approves will govern how the hotel operates at the junction for the life of the building.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/20/the-putney-corner-is-coming-down-here-is-what-comes-next/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/20/the-putney-corner-is-coming-down-here-is-what-comes-next/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Putney%20corner%20is%20coming%20down.%20Here%20is%20what%20comes%20next&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/20/the-putney-corner-is-coming-down-here-is-what-comes-next/)

**Categories:** Planning, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Cllr James Jeffreys, planning, Putney Bridge Road, Putney High Street, Putney Society, traffic congestion

---

### ['Britain's best' concession scheme? 0.7% of the borough used it and of them, half had problems](https://putney.news/2026/06/20/britains-best-concession-scheme-0-7-of-the-borough-used-it-and-of-them-half-had-problems/)

**Published:** June 20, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** We obtained an Access For All survey through freedom of information

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council spent two years calling Access for All “Britain’s best concession scheme.” When it finally asked the people using it what they thought, just 22 answered and nearly half said they had run into problems.

The council ran the survey at the end of 2025 and never published it. *Putney.news* obtained it through freedom of information. Around 50,000 Wandsworth residents were eligible for the scheme. Despite offering everything from free meals and swim lessons to cheap Lime bikes and fireworks tickets, only 12,000 ever enrolled and [fewer than 2,500 ever used it](https://putney.news/2026/06/02/britains-best-concession-scheme-reached-0-7-of-wandsworth-residents/).

The previous administration talked about the £5m programme in the most hyperbolic terms while knowing that it had feedback from just 22 people.

From a borough of 327,500 to a survey of 22

Access for All: who the scheme was for, who signed up, who used it, and who the council heard from

  Access for All reach, drawn to scale by area Five concentric discs drawn to true area scale. The borough of 327,500 residents is a pale grey plate so large it runs off the frame. Inside sit around 50,000 eligible residents in darker grey, 12,000 who signed up but never used the scheme in faded red, around 2,500 who actually used it in strong red, and just 22 who answered the council’s survey, shown as a tiny gold dot at the centre.                                             22 answered the survey    ~2,500 actually used it    12,000+ signed up, never used it    ~50,000 eligible pool    327,500 all residents   

Sources: Wandsworth Council FOI disclosure WBC-FOI-13941; Putney.news reach data (2 June 2026); ONS Census 2021; Wandsworth LIFT dataset. Discs drawn to scale by area.

The “Britain’s best” superlative appeared at least 29 times across press releases, Cabinet meetings, a magazine sent to 159,000 homes and the Labour group’s 2026 election manifesto. No external assessment was ever cited. No award, no independent benchmark.

In September 2025, then leader Simon Hogg presented a report to Cabinet on the scheme that cherrypicked data and exclaimed: “The scheme’s success so far speaks for itself.”

His cabinet member for the environment, Paul White, went further. “Access for All has been very successful and been very, very central to the way this council wants to address our public,” he said. “And it’s the biggest and most generous concessionary offer in the country.”

The truth was quite different.

#### What the 22 said

The headline result was, in fairness, strong. Seventeen of the 22 said they would recommend the scheme; four would not. That is a net promoter score of +59, which is genuinely high.

But nearly half (10 of 22) said they had faced challenges. The most common problem, reported by seven people, was not knowing about the offers available. Four said signing up was difficult. Three said offers were not there when they needed them.

Members described, in their own words: applications going astray, event tickets advertised but hard to actually obtain, access codes issued too late and a sign-up process that put people off before they even started.

#### What the council told the regulator

The survey was already complete when the Information Commissioner ruled earlier this year that [the council had no valid basis](https://putney.news/2026/03/27/the-5m-programme-wandsworth-wont-let-you-verify/) to withhold the scheme’s usage data. In the course of that investigation, Wandsworth admitted it holds no internal evaluation of Access for All. The administration never bothered to assess its own flagship programme.

That failure in basic governance, it turns out, was a persistent trait of the previous administration.

It promised 1,000 new homes and then claimed at election time – [falsely](https://putney.news/2026/04/19/built-500-brand-new-council-homes-or-366-or-90-wandsworth-labours-record-checked/) – that it had built 500 of them (true figure: 90). It promised a new support system for charities and spent two years designing one, only for it to [collapse when it met reality](https://putney.news/2025/11/26/councils-1-65m-charity-support-tender-failed-now-organisations-have-five-weeks-to-design-replacement/), leaving them with nothing.

When the council’s approval figures fell 13%, it [hid the survey](https://putney.news/2026/01/29/wandsworth-council-buried-resident-survey-results-showing-11-satisfaction-drop/) and then cancelled the annual process that had been running for 14 years rather than face more of the same. When complaints jumped 238%, [it claimed, falsely](https://putney.news/2025/12/02/leader-gave-false-answer-on-complaints-surge-council-data-shows/), that the increase was in line with national figures. And it persisted with a nonsense about frozen council tax for so long that not only the BBC but also the [UK Statistics Authority](https://putney.news/2026/03/24/busted-stats-watchdog-mauls-wandsworth-over-council-tax-freeze-lie/) called it out.

With a track record like that, perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that “Britain’s best” concession scheme also turned out to be a paper facade.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/20/britains-best-concession-scheme-0-7-of-the-borough-used-it-and-of-them-half-had-problems/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/20/britains-best-concession-scheme-0-7-of-the-borough-used-it-and-of-them-half-had-problems/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98Britain%E2%80%99s%20best%E2%80%99%20concession%20scheme%3F%200.7%25%20of%20the%20borough%20used%20it%20and%20of%20them%2C%20half%20had%20problems&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/20/britains-best-concession-scheme-0-7-of-the-borough-used-it-and-of-them-half-had-problems/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** Access for All, accountability, Cllr Paul White, Cllr Simon Hogg, FOI, transparency, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth won't say who it chose for England's best-paid job](https://putney.news/2026/06/20/wandsworth-wont-say-who-it-chose-for-englands-best-paid-job/)

**Published:** June 20, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** A simple question to the press office, met with a non-answer.

**Content:**

Six councillors met behind closed doors on Thursday night to fill England’s best-paid council job. Residents have been told nothing. Not what happened in the room. Not who else was in it. Not how many people are in the running.

The meeting was of the Joint Staffing Committee, the handful of councillors who handle senior appointments across Wandsworth and Richmond. Its agenda was hiring a permanent chief executive on £294,120 a year – the highest paid in the country – to run every service half a million people rely on across the two boroughs.

The press and public were shut out, and the report on the table, Paper 26-131, was withheld in full, every page either blank and stamped “Document is Restricted” or missing from the public pack altogether. No candidate count. No criteria. No minutes.

Yesterday, we asked the council a simple question: who is your chief executive? The response noted that a council committee had met “to discuss the process for appointing the new CEO”, with “a full announcement” to follow once “a new CEO is appointed”.

So we asked at what stage the process was, if the appointment would be confirmed in public, and why the council was not following the usual open competition – which it did as recently as 2024. We received no response.

#### Public vote, private choice

The council’s answer is technically correct. By law, a council’s chief executive can be appointed only by a vote of the full council, held in public, so nobody was formally appointed on Thursday. But it is the committee that chooses the name put to that vote. The six councillors who met in secret are the ones who effectively decide. The committee has another meeting planned for 9 July so it may make the decision there; or it may have already decided. No one knows and the council won’t tell anyone either.

This, incidentally, is not how most councils act.

Other councils name their chief executive. Wandsworth has not.

Every council confirms its chief executive at a public vote. The question is what residents are allowed to see about the choice behind it.

Council

Appointee named?

Candidate numbers disclosed?

Wandsworth & Richmond

 ✗ No 

 ✗ No, report withheld 

Cheltenham

 ✓ Yes 

 — Not stated 

Newcastle-under-Lyme

 ✓ Yes 

 ✓ Yes, 28 applicants 

Buckinghamshire

 ✓ Yes 

 — Not stated 

Sources: council meeting records, Cheltenham, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Buckinghamshire councils; Wandsworth reports pack, 18 June 2026.

Other councils simply do this in the open. Cheltenham confirmed its chief executive in open session, announced by the mayor. Newcastle-under-Lyme agreed its appointment at full council, and said the search had drawn 28 applicants. Buckinghamshire confirmed and named its new chief executive after a public meeting in February. Public confirmation, a named appointee, the numbers on the record: that is the norm. Wandsworth and Richmond, who advertised this very job openly only two years ago, are the outlier.

The name will come out. The law allows nothing else: a chief executive cannot be appointed in private. The only question is why a council that must take this decision in public is working so hard to keep everything around it in the dark.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/20/wandsworth-wont-say-who-it-chose-for-englands-best-paid-job/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/20/wandsworth-wont-say-who-it-chose-for-englands-best-paid-job/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20won%E2%80%99t%20say%20who%20it%20chose%20for%20England%E2%80%99s%20best-paid%20job&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/20/wandsworth-wont-say-who-it-chose-for-englands-best-paid-job/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Andrew Travers, Cllr Aled Richards-Jones, Richmond Council, transparency, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Heathrow's expansion plan landed on Clean Air Day. It says your quiet hours will shrink](https://putney.news/2026/06/19/heathrows-expansion-plan-landed-on-clean-air-day-it-says-your-quiet-hours-will-shrink/)

**Published:** June 19, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** The plan also admits some communities will face more aircraft noise than today. It doesn't say which ones.

**Content:**

The government chose Clean Air Day to [release](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/draft-heathrow-expansion-national-policy-statement) its planning framework for Heathrow’s third runway. Buried inside is a sentence that matters for every Putney resident: shorter time windows without planes overhead.

The framework, published yesterday as the Draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS), is now open for public consultation until 11:59pm on Tuesday 1 September. That deadline falls as schools return from the summer holidays.

#### What the document admits

The government’s headline claim is that overall aircraft noise can be held to 2024 levels despite a significant increase in flights. It also states however that “the underlying nature of impacts would change” and that “while some areas would experience lower levels of noise, others would experience increases.” Some communities will face more aircraft noise than today, even under the government’s best-case scenario.

No one can yet say which communities those are, because the flight paths have not been drawn. The noise analysis in the HENPS is based on indicative routes only. Whereas the actual airspace design, which will determine whether Putney ends up on the louder or quieter side of the redistribution, will be produced by the UK Airspace Design Service after the expansion plan has been finalised. You could be forgiven for thinking the timing was deliberate.

The reality is that areas in the south of Putney that currently do not have to deal with much aircraft noise like Southfields, West Hill and Roehampton are likely to experience much higher noise levels, comparable to those parts of Putney closer to the Thames, as the number of aircraft increase by more than 50% under the plan – over 700 additional planes a day.

Residents are being asked to endorse the framework before anyone can tell them which side of the route/noise calculation they are on. [As we reported in November 2025](https://putney.news/2025/11/26/heathrows-49bn-runway-plan-approved-as-noise-burden-details-kept-from-mps/), this was precisely the accountability gap in the earlier parliamentary process.

Putney will get more overhead traffic and hence more noise because planes will always be landing on Heathrow’s runways East>West due to the massive increase in numbers. Currently, landing is occasionally switched West>East.

The key sentence in the document is paragraph 5.46. Discussing the alternation scheme (the system of rotating which runway takes traffic, giving each community windows without planes overhead), the document states that plans for it “must” be submitted with any future planning application, and then adds: “(though the Government acknowledges that the duration of periods of respite that currently apply will be reduced).” The word “acknowledges” is doing specific work. The government is conceding the harm in the document it is asking Parliament to designate. What the document calls “respite” (the hours when planes are routed away from an area) will be shorter.

#### A new legal weight

There is a second element that most national coverage has missed or downplayed. The HENPS designates Heathrow expansion as Critical National Growth Infrastructure, a new legal status that pre-weights the planning scales before any application is made.

The document states that “a policy presumption in favour of CNGI will apply” and that “it is unlikely that residual impacts will outweigh the need for CNGI.” In plain terms: it is as if a referee has ruled before kickoff that one team’s goals count double. When communities eventually appear before the Planning Inspectorate to argue that noise damage to their area outweighs the national benefit, the HENPS has already answered that question.

A further change sits in a single paragraph near the back of the document. The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 removed the legal right communities previously held to be consulted before a Heathrow planning application is submitted. What the document calls for instead (“high-quality early, meaningful and constructive engagement”) carries no statutory force.

After previous battles over expansion that the government has lost each time; it has decided to stick its thumb firmly on the scale.

#### The government’s case

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has described the government as “builders, not blockers, taking the steps needed to unlock billions in investment, boost growth, and create thousands of local jobs.” Chancellor Rachel Reeves has cited up to £42 billion in economic benefits and over 60,000 jobs. The government is targeting planning consent by 2029, with a planning application expected from Heathrow Airport Limited in 2027 or 2028.

Alexander’s ministerial foreword in the HENPS acknowledges that communities around Heathrow “have legitimate concerns about noise, air quality, surface access, disruption, land, compensation, health, and the local environment” and states that “those concerns must be taken seriously.”

#### What Wandsworth and Richmond have said

The leader of Richmond Council, Cllr Gareth Roberts, described the summer consultation window as raising “legitimate questions about whether communities will have a fair opportunity to scrutinise plans that could affect them for generations.” He added that the government and Heathrow “have still failed to demonstrate how expansion can meet their own tests on climate change, air quality, noise and economic benefit.”

Wandsworth Council issued no statement on the HENPS as of the time of publication. Nor has Putney MP Fleur Anderson.

---

Take action

How to respond to the Heathrow consultation

Respond by

1 September 2026

Consultation runs through the entire school summer holiday

Online

[smartsurvey.co.uk/s/x-WQU1F8/](https://smartsurvey.co.uk/s/x-WQU1F8/)

Email

Post

Great Minster House, 33 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 4DR

Key issues for Putney residents

- Reduction in quiet hours under the flight path (para 5.46)
- Admission that some communities will face more noise than today (para 5.39)
- Critical National Growth Infrastructure designation and its planning implications (paras 2.38–2.39)
- Removal of the statutory right to pre-application consultation (para 5.358)
 
A parliamentary Select Committee will also scrutinise the HENPS separately. Submit evidence via [parliament.uk/business/committees/](https://parliament.uk/business/committees/)

Source: Department for Transport — Draft HENPS, June 2026. Consultation closes 11:59pm 1 September 2026.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/19/heathrows-expansion-plan-landed-on-clean-air-day-it-says-your-quiet-hours-will-shrink/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/19/heathrows-expansion-plan-landed-on-clean-air-day-it-says-your-quiet-hours-will-shrink/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Heathrow%E2%80%99s%20expansion%20plan%20landed%20on%20Clean%20Air%20Day.%20It%20says%20your%20quiet%20hours%20will%20shrink&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/19/heathrows-expansion-plan-landed-on-clean-air-day-it-says-your-quiet-hours-will-shrink/)

**Categories:** Environment, Transport

**Tags:** Department for Transport, Fleur Anderson MP, Heathrow expansion, HENPS, planning, Planning and Infrastructure Bill, public consultation, Wandsworth Council

---

### [The most misused protest song in rock comes to Putney](https://putney.news/2026/06/19/the-most-misused-protest-song-in-rock-comes-to-putney/)

**Published:** June 19, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Creedence Clearwater Review play the Half Moon on 3 July, Fortunate Son included

**Content:**

A military parade in Washington DC last year became that day’s internet obsession, thanks, unusually, to one of the songs playing through the speakers.

“Fortunate Son” was written in 1969 to attack exactly the sort of man who throws himself a military parade, the powerful father who sends other people’s sons to war while his own stay safely at home. It is one of the iconic songs of that remarkable era in American history and counter-culture, and next month you can hear an “absolute belting version” live at the Half Moon.

Creedence Clearwater Review, England’s answer to the Californian band that released seven albums, outsold the Beatles in 1969 and split after barely four years together, come to Lower Richmond Road on Friday 3 July, appropriately enough the night before American Independence Day.

John Fogerty wrote the song in an afternoon, the story goes, after reading about the wedding of President Eisenhower’s grandson to President Nixon’s daughter. People tend to file it under anti-war, which slightly misses the point. It is a class song. In Vietnam, the sons of senators did not get drafted. The sons of everyone else did. “It ain’t me” is the ordinary man refusing a burden the comfortable have quietly arranged for him to carry. It runs to under two minutes and reached number three in America with barely any radio play.

#### Extraordinary catalogue

Creedence themselves were four working men from El Cerrito, California, who sounded as though they had been raised on a Louisiana porch. The brevity of their run is part of the appeal. There is no bloated late period to forgive; the catalogue is all muscle. Bad Moon Rising, Proud Mary, Green River, Born on the Bayou, Have You Ever Seen the Rain, Up Around the Bend, Suzie Q: a run of songs most bands would trade a decade for.

Then there is the strange afterlife of that one song, which has become the most reliably misused protest anthem in popular music. It plays in war films and sports arenas, and lately at the rallies and parades of the very men it set out to indict. Fogerty’s cease and desist letters have changed nothing. In January it surfaced yet again, alongside a post about American military action in Venezuela. The protest had become the soundtrack.

He has never been coy about what it is for. “The song speaks more to the unfairness of class than war itself,” he said last year. “It’s the old saying about rich men making war and poor men having to fight them.” More than fifty years on, the sentence has not aged a day.

That is part of why a tribute act can still fill a room. In an age of frictionless, algorithm-sorted listening, Creedence sound like four people in a room playing as though it matters, because it did. You cannot really fake that, and you certainly cannot stream the feeling of it. The songs were built for rooms like The Half Moon.

So who actually turns up to play it on a Friday night in Putney? Four musicians from Essex and Cambridgeshire, billed as the UK’s leading tribute to the band, fronted by singer and guitarist Dale Taylor, who takes the John Fogerty role and has spent more than a decade carrying this most American of catalogues around Britain and Europe.

In 2018 they played the VIP lounge at the O2 Arena for Fogerty’s own guests. They work with period instruments and 60s stage dress, and aim, by their own account, to get as close to the originals as they possibly can.

#### The Cosmos Factory Tour

The visit is part of The Cosmos Factory Tour, named for Cosmo’s Factory, the 1970 album that caught Creedence at their commercial peak. Expect the hits and the audience participation the band trade on, and a setlist that even non-fans will find they somehow already know.

The Half Moon has been doing this for decades, with fresh energy [since its refurbishment](https://putney.news/2026/03/31/the-half-moon-has-a-new-sign-and-for-the-first-time-it-tells-you-what-the-pub-is-about/) this spring. It is [the sort of venue that refuses an MP’s demand](https://putney.news/2026/06/01/half-moon-rejects-mps-demand-to-cancel-tom-meighan-gig/) to cancel a gig on principle.

Dale Taylor keeps it admirably simple. “We don’t just play the songs, we aim to recreate the spirit and atmosphere of a real Creedence Clearwater Revival show,” he says. “It’s about celebrating the music, the era and the incredible connection these songs continue to have with audiences today.”

Half a century of being borrowed by other people, and for one night it belongs to a room in Putney.

---

*Creedence Clearwater Review play the Half Moon, Lower Richmond Road, Putney SW15 1EU, on Friday 3 July, 8pm. Tickets are £22 in advance and £25 on the door; over-18s only after 7pm. [Book here](https://tickets.halfmoon.co.uk/events/2026-07-03-creedence-clearwater-review-the-cosmos-factory-tour-half-moon-putney).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/19/the-most-misused-protest-song-in-rock-comes-to-putney/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/19/the-most-misused-protest-song-in-rock-comes-to-putney/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20most%20misused%20protest%20song%20in%20rock%20comes%20to%20Putney&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/19/the-most-misused-protest-song-in-rock-comes-to-putney/)

**Categories:** Live events, Music, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Live Music, Music, The Half Moon

---

### [No decision. No consultation. No majority. Conservatives declare Ashburton cancelled anyway.](https://putney.news/2026/06/19/no-decision-no-consultation-no-majority-conservatives-declare-ashburton-cancelled-anyway/)

**Published:** June 19, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** No cabinet decision, no scrutiny, and Putney's political conscience is asking why.

**Content:**

A leaflet dropping through letterboxes on the Ashburton Estate tells residents their council’s housing plans are dead. “The development won’t now happen,” it says. “No half measures. No backtracking.”

There are three problems with that.

The leaflet accuses Labour of failing to listen to local people; it does not consult them itself. It announces a cancellation; no cancellation has happened. It needs the support of an independent councillor to state the claim; it does not have it.

The borough has around 4,000 children in temporary accommodation and the plans the leaflet cancels were designed to address exactly that. Residents may have views on the trade-off. The leaflet isn’t interested.

*Putney.news* checked the council’s published decisions register and forward plan. There is no decision recorded cancelling Ashburton or the associated Whitnell Way scheme. We asked all three councillors who signed the leaflet, and the Cabinet Member for Housing quoted on it, to identify which decision they were relying on and where it is recorded. None of them replied. There is no decision.

And the Conservatives do not have a majority. The voters gave Wandsworth a hung council in May: 29 Conservatives, 28 Labour, one independent. The administration holds the chamber on the casting vote of the Mayor and the confidence-and-supply support of that one independent councillor. The constitutional terms of that arrangement are not settled until full council on 22 July. Until then, by the administration’s own design, key decision-making is paused.

#### The hung council’s reality check

Without the support of the one independent councillor on Wandsworth Council, the Conservatives have no majority. Malcolm Grimston holds that position and he is concerned that such a leaflet undermines the fair functioning of government, telling *Putney.news*: “If and when it does come before Scrutiny, I wonder if anyone will believe that any comments, however constructive, will be received in an open-minded fashion by the Cabinet?”

It is a pointed question from the man the administration cannot govern without, and it goes to the heart of the leaflet’s own claim. An administration still waking up to its political reality, making announcements as if it had won a majority it does not have, may find the answer uncomfortable.

May’s result did not hand the Conservatives a mandate to govern as if they had won. It produced a council that cannot move without Grimston’s support, a constitutional settlement that is unresolved, and scrutiny committees that the administration itself [switched off on its first night](https://putney.news/2026/05/28/council-chaos-all-scrutiny-suspended-on-new-administrations-first-night/) until July on the basis that no key decisions would be taken before then.

It falls to Grimston, Putney’s political conscience in this hung council, to apply the standard the leaflet sets for itself. “The Conservatives have listened to local residents,” it says. He is asking when.

#### What a cancellation actually requires

The Conservatives have opposed Ashburton development for years. Cllr Nick Austin, a signatory of the leaflet, is the same councillor who stood up at a planning committee in February 2025 and called the Whitnell Way scheme “a disaster waiting to happen.” That committee [approved it anyway](https://putney.news/2025/03/05/new-council-homes-approved-for-putney-estate-despite-resident-uproar/), 6–4, against 153 objections.

That approval matters. Cancelling a consented, council-owned scheme is not solely a political act, it is a legal and administrative one. The council owns the land. The council made the planning application. The council holds the planning permission. Withdrawing from that scheme requires a decision by the council as landowner, a decision that has to be taken, recorded, and made available for scrutiny.

The four Ashburton plans (Innes Gardens, Hayward Gardens, Cortis Road, and Whitnell Way) together represented 111 homes, all social rent. The plans have been contested political terrain since the [2024 West Putney by-election](https://putney.news/2024/04/29/council-housing-plans-act-as-flashpoint-in-west-putney-by-election/). We reported on the housing crisis they were meant to address [earlier this month](https://putney.news/2026/06/11/new-council-old-crisis-wandsworths-housing-stock-is-shrinking-from-both-ends/).

![Protest signs at Innes Gardens](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/innes-gardens-protest-signs-1024x768.png)Protest signs at Innes Gardens in West Putney over proposed Council developments.#### His own standard

In opposition, Cllr Matthew Corner attacked Labour for making “decisions behind closed doors” and called for “clear leadership, transparency and accountability.” He is now the Cabinet Member for Housing quoted on the leaflet, saying the scheme “won’t now happen” as “one of the first things we have done.”

He was asked to identify the decision behind that claim. He did not respond.

We have checked Labour’s [housing record](https://putney.news/2026/04/19/built-500-brand-new-council-homes-or-366-or-90-wandsworth-labours-record-checked/) and the [Conservatives’](https://putney.news/2026/04/13/high-quality-services-or-decades-of-stagnation-the-conservatives-record-checked/) ahead of the election. The same standard applies to both. On this question, the record is mixed in both directions. The Ashburton plans were genuinely unpopular, an attempt to fit too many homes onto limited green space that residents valued, and Labour’s resistance to substantive engagement with those objections was a real failure.

The charge in the leaflet is fair. But the leaflet makes listening the measure of political credibility. By that measure, an announcement delivered through a letterbox, with no consultation, no process, and no record, does not clear the bar it sets.

#### What you can do

The 22 July full council meeting is where the housing strategy is due to come before elected members and the scrutiny committees are due to be restored. Members of the public can attend in person at Wandsworth Town Hall. The [democratic overhaul](https://putney.news/2026/05/30/wandsworth-council-is-getting-a-democratic-overhaul-here-is-what-changes/) is due to formalise what scrutiny the new administration will be held to.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/19/no-decision-no-consultation-no-majority-conservatives-declare-ashburton-cancelled-anyway/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/19/no-decision-no-consultation-no-majority-conservatives-declare-ashburton-cancelled-anyway/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=No%20decision.%20No%20consultation.%20No%20majority.%20Conservatives%20declare%20Ashburton%20cancelled%20anyway.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/19/no-decision-no-consultation-no-majority-conservatives-declare-ashburton-cancelled-anyway/)

**Categories:** Housing, Planning, West Putney

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Malcolm Grimston, Cllr Matthew Corner, Cllr Nick Austin, council housing, housing, housing crisis, Wandsworth Council

---

### [England's best-paid council chief is being chosen tonight. Like a pope.](https://putney.news/2026/06/18/englands-best-paid-council-chief-is-being-chosen-tonight-like-a-pope/)

**Published:** June 18, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Appointment papers withheld in full. Six councillors decide behind closed doors.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council picks its next permanent chief executive tonight, the best-paid council job in England. There’s only one problem. The public is shut out of the room and told literally nothing: not who is getting the job, nor how that choice is made.

Tonight’s process has more in common with Rome than with local government. Six councillors will file into Room 122, the doors will close, and at some point a name will emerge. This is how a conclave elects a pope: sealed chamber, no questions, smoke signal, announcement. It is not how a democracy is meant to choose the official responsible for running all of its public services.

The post carries real weight. The chief executive runs two councils, Wandsworth and Richmond, and is responsible for delivering every service more than half a million people depend on. At £294,120, it [pays £122,000 more than the Prime Minister](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/wandsworth-says-its-the-best-run-council-in-the-country-heres-what-we-found/) and has topped England’s council pay table for years. The salary was approved at a Full Council meeting this spring, without debate and without a press release. Politicians set the direction. The chief executive decides how to deliver it: which contracts are signed, which services are prioritised, how the money is actually used.

Andrew Travers has run both councils as interim chief executive for 14 months. Tonight could make that permanent. Whether he is the only candidate, whether there is a shortlist of five or of one, what the councils are actually looking for in the role: none of that is public. There is no way for residents to tell whether tonight is a genuine competition or a formality.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/restricted-papers-1024x363.png)The papers presented to the public covering the appointment of a new CEO for Wandsworth Council#### What the papers show

The appointment report fills pages 5 to 18 of the public pack. Every page of it is withheld. Five appear in the document as blank pages, each stamped “Document is Restricted.” The remaining pages are not in the document at all. You know they exist only because the real numbers are included in the PDF agenda. Read it online and you would have no idea.

The law permits a council to keep the names of job applicants private. That is what the exemption is for. It does not permit a council to delete the criteria, the process, the priorities, or anything else about how the decision is being made. Standard practice is to publish the full process document and redact only the names. Wandsworth chose instead to restrict the lot, stretching a rule meant to shield a few names into a reason to remove every word about how the most powerful post in the borough is being filled.

One name does appear in the public pack. The agenda was signed on 10 June by Andrew Travers, for a meeting that will decide whether the permanent job is his.

> [Wandsworth says it’s the best-run council in the country. Here’s what we found.](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/wandsworth-says-its-the-best-run-council-in-the-country-heres-what-we-found/)

#### Not the first time

This is not the first time controversy has followed the man who may be about to get the role.

Travers was chief executive of Barnet Council from 2012. On 5 May 2016, the wrong electoral register was sent to all 155 of the borough’s polling stations during the London Mayoral elections. Voters were turned away at the door. Four days later, Travers left the role by what the council described as “mutual agreement.” An independent inquiry followed.

He was hired as interim chief executive at Lambeth Council in 2017, and made permanent in July 2018. In February 2022, the day after the Housing Ombudsman published a critical report on the council, he announced he was standing down. His successor was appointed through an open process.

None of this is disqualifying. People leave jobs in difficult circumstances. The question is whether residents of Wandsworth and Richmond, whose money pays this salary, are entitled to know who they are appointing and on what basis. Tonight’s process says no.

#### Culture from the top

Culture is set from the top. The message sent by tonight’s meeting is that the chief executive and the council leaders of both boroughs are content with total secrecy on one of the most consequential decisions their councils make. Who gets to run all public services is not, apparently, something residents need to know about.

It is part of a longer pattern. [Wandsworth’s constitution](https://putney.news/2026/06/07/how-wandsworth-council-works-how-its-about-to-change-and-whats-still-wrong/) once required everything to be done in public, a standard steadily narrowed. The council [went dark](https://putney.news/2025/04/11/no-agenda-no-papers-wandsworth-council-cabinet-to-meet-behind-a-digital-curtain/) under the previous Labour administration. Since taking control in May, the new Conservative administration has cancelled every scheduled committee and held no public Cabinet while it tries to reorganise its constitution. The Conservative leader, [Cllr Aled Richards-Jones](https://putney.news/2026/05/20/wandsworths-new-conservative-leader-outlines-first-steps-and-the-deal-that-made-them-possible/), promised residents “transparent decision making” on taking office. So far, we have seen the opposite.

*Putney.news* put questions to Wandsworth Councils, both leaders, and the leader of the Wandsworth Labour opposition on Tuesday. In keeping with their secretive approach, none have replied. Once the appointment is made, residents can request the process (though not the candidates’ names) under freedom of information law.

The job was [advertised in the open](https://jobs.richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk/jobs/job/Chief-Executive/7569) in autumn 2024, through the recruitment firm Gatenby Sanderson, with a closing date of 20 October. Nobody was appointed. When Travers arrived as interim the following April, the councils set out the full process: an open search, five applicants, two interviewed. No second public advertisement has followed.

The person chosen tonight will run the services every resident depends on, in the best-paid job of its kind in England. That choice is being made in a room the public cannot enter, from a report it cannot read, by a council that has grown used to telling residents as little as it can. On the most important appointment it will make this year, it has decided they need to know nothing at all.

The meeting is at 7pm, in Room 122 of Wandsworth Town Hall.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/18/englands-best-paid-council-chief-is-being-chosen-tonight-like-a-pope/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/18/englands-best-paid-council-chief-is-being-chosen-tonight-like-a-pope/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=England%E2%80%99s%20best-paid%20council%20chief%20is%20being%20chosen%20tonight.%20Like%20a%20pope.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/18/englands-best-paid-council-chief-is-being-chosen-tonight-like-a-pope/)

**Categories:** Comment, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Andrew Travers, Cllr Aled Richards-Jones, Cllr Simon Hogg, Richmond Council, transparency, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Mayfair comes to Putney: kitchenware specialist opening on the High Street](https://putney.news/2026/06/18/mayfair-comes-to-putney-kitchenware-specialist-opening-on-the-high-street/)

**Published:** June 18, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** The owner remembers the High Street in its heyday and wants to bring the good vibes back .

**Content:**

A new high-end kitchenware shop is opening on Putney High Street, moving down from Mayfair into a unit that has sat empty for nearly two years, on a stretch that has more closed shops than open ones. Its owner, though, is optimistic.

The stock is the kind that makes a keen cook slow down. There are hand-forged knives with dark resin handles, cast-iron pots in deep colours, hammered copper pans and ceramic tableware with rough terracotta rims. Prices run from a £32 copper skimmer to a white Staub casserole pot at £239, and, for the truly committed, a handmade wrought-iron pot stand at £885. The tagline over it all is “Your Kitchen, Your World.”

![Knives from Neutra Kitchen](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/neutra-knives.png)*Neutra Kitchen’s knife range includes handmade pieces with dark resin handles.*#### A refreshing take on the High Street

*Putney.news* spoke to the shop’s owner, Kahn, who has a more hopeful read on the street than most. Before he signed the lease he canvassed local traders and found the mood downbeat, a gloom [our reporting has tracked](https://putney.news/2026/06/12/two-years-after-halifax-left-putney-high-street-gets-a-metal-box/) along the street for months. He sees it differently. He remembers Putney High Street in its 90s heyday and wants to “bring the good vibes back”, and he believes the street still has plenty of potential in its demographic and the area around it. Marks & Spencer is back after closing during the pandemic, he points out, and if more good shops follow he thinks Putney can recover.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/neutra-kitchen-pan-stand.png)*A wrought-iron handmade pot stand at £885, one of the statement pieces from the Neutra Kitchen range.*Kahn’s first shop opened on South Molton Street in Mayfair, a smart pedestrianised lane near Bond Street, just after the pandemic on a short lease at a good rate. When that lease expired the rent nearly doubled, so he looked elsewhere, choosing Putney over the Queensway area for the location and the size of the unit.

Number 158 was the Liliya Art Gallery until it [closed in August 2024](https://putney.news/2025/08/02/another-blow-to-putney-high-street-as-liliya-art-gallery-shuts-down-after-three-years/), and it has sat empty since. The space runs to about 1,385 square feet across a ground floor and basement, and Kahn plans to fill it with more than a shop.

![Tableware from Neutra Kitchen](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/neutra-tableware.png)He intends to run healthy-cooking classes for families and especially children, built around cooking food from around the world in a healthy way, and to stock cookware made from natural materials with no chemical coatings, because, he says, what a pan is made of affects the food cooked in it. Alongside the premium range there will be more affordable lines, plus appliances, spices, healthy oils, teas and coffees, a made-to-order furniture range, and a knife-sharpening and polishing service for copper and stainless steel.

He hopes to open in about three weeks, and the shop is online now at [neutrakitchen.co.uk](https://neutrakitchen.co.uk/). With good products, good service and a few more shops following, he is convinced Putney High Street can “soar again”.

![Front of Liliya Art Gallery: black storefront with a large window display and promotional posters in the glass pane.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/neutra-kitchen-1024x768.png)158 Putney High Street, which housed the Liliya Art Gallery until August last year, taken over by Neutra Kitchen [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/18/mayfair-comes-to-putney-kitchenware-specialist-opening-on-the-high-street/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/18/mayfair-comes-to-putney-kitchenware-specialist-opening-on-the-high-street/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Mayfair%20comes%20to%20Putney%3A%20kitchenware%20specialist%20opening%20on%20the%20High%20Street&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/18/mayfair-comes-to-putney-kitchenware-specialist-opening-on-the-high-street/)

**Categories:** Business, Save the High Street, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Neutra Kitchen, Putney High Street, retail

---

### [Police shut the Putney Pusher case in 2018. The new suspect is now on bail](https://putney.news/2026/06/18/police-shut-the-putney-pusher-case-in-2018-the-new-suspect-is-now-on-bail/)

**Published:** June 18, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** He is under investigation over the attack and a separate drugs allegation

**Content:**

The man [arrested this week](https://putney.news/2026/06/15/banker-arrested-in-putney-pusher-case/ "Banker arrested in Putney Pusher case") over the 2017 “Putney Pusher” attack has been released on bail until early September, with the Metropolitan Police confirming he remains under investigation over both the Putney Bridge incident and a separate drugs allegation.

It means a case the Met closed in 2018 as a dead end is active again, almost a decade on, with the suspect out of custody and a date in the autumn to answer bail.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said a 44-year-old man was arrested on Monday 15 June on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm over the 2017 incident.

He “has since been bailed pending further investigation in relation to all offences,” the Met told *Putney.news*, and told us his bail runs until early September.

While he was in police custody, the force said, he was also arrested on suspicion of possessing Class A and Class B drugs, and has been bailed on that allegation too. It is a second, separate matter.

![Putney Pusher](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/putney-pusher-image-1024x576.jpg)#### What bail means

After an arrest, the police can hold someone without charge for up to 24 hours, rising to a maximum of 96 hours for a serious offence if senior officers and a court agree. At the end of that time they must either charge the person or release them.

When the police cannot charge someone in that window but want to keep investigating, they can release them on bail, with a date to return and, usually, conditions. That is different from being “released under investigation,” which carries no return date. The Met gave a September return date and referred to bail conditions, so the case is live and has a point at which it is expected to move towards a decision.

A closed case is not simply picked up again unless something has changed: new evidence, or old evidence re-examined in a way that was not possible before. So an arrest in a case shut in 2018 means something has shifted. The Met would not tell us what.

*Putney.news* asked the force to confirm the time and place of the arrest, whether bail conditions had been set, and what had prompted it to revisit the case. It declined, citing the ongoing investigation.

---

Putney Pusher timeline — previewThe Putney Pusher case: 2017 to 2026

Closed as a dead end in 2018, the case stayed silent for almost eight years before an arrest. The gaps below are spaced to reflect that.

 5 May 2017

A woman is pushed into the path of a bus on Putney Bridge. The driver swerves in time.

3 months

 August 2017

Police release CCTV and appeal for help identifying the man responsible.

under a year

 2018

The investigation is closed. Police say every line of inquiry has been exhausted.

Almost eight years, no arrests

 15 June 2026

A 44-year-old man is arrested over the attack and a separate drugs allegation, then bailed.

12 weeks

 Early September 2026

He is due to answer bail. The investigation remains open.

---

The 2017 attack drew national attention. On the morning of 5 May that year, a woman crossing Putney Bridge was pushed into the path of an oncoming bus, whose driver swerved in time. She escaped serious injury. CCTV of the moment was shared widely, police appealed for help that August, and in 2018 the investigation was closed, with the Met saying then that every line of inquiry had been exhausted and that it would reopen the case if new information came to light.

We [reported the arrest last week](https://putney.news/2026/06/15/banker-arrested-in-putney-pusher-case/). During the original inquiry, a man was arrested and then cleared after he showed he had not been in the country when it happened. The man arrested this month has not been charged, and is entitled to the presumption of innocence.

He is due to answer bail in early September. Bail can end in a charge, in further bail, or in no further action. We will report any development.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/18/police-shut-the-putney-pusher-case-in-2018-the-new-suspect-is-now-on-bail/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/18/police-shut-the-putney-pusher-case-in-2018-the-new-suspect-is-now-on-bail/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Police%20shut%20the%20Putney%20Pusher%20case%20in%202018.%20The%20new%20suspect%20is%20now%20on%20bail&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/18/police-shut-the-putney-pusher-case-in-2018-the-new-suspect-is-now-on-bail/)

**Categories:** Crime, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, Putney Bridge, Putney pusher

---

### [Where to watch England play tonight in Putney](https://putney.news/2026/06/17/where-to-watch-england-play-tonight-in-putney/)

**Published:** June 17, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Five screens, a rooftop and a garden, with kick-off at nine o'clock.

**Content:**

England kick off their 2026 World Cup campaign tonight at 9pm against Croatia, a rematch of the semi-final that ended in heartbreak in Moscow eight years ago.

England go in among the tournament favourites, currently third in the betting. Spain’s surprise draw with Curaçao yesterday is a reminder that nothing in this World Cup is going to plan.

There is a lot riding on tonight, and really only one way to watch it properly. Not on your sofa, not on your phone, but in a pub, with a pint and people around you. The screens are bigger, the sound is better, and the roar when England score is something you cannot get at home.

Putney is well set up. Here is our rundown.

#### On the High Street

**The Spotted Horse** is prepared for the game: five screens, including the “Beach Club” rooftop, with all three England fixtures up on the wall board. Cold pints, half-time games, and a proper old-school boozer. The board outside says “Secure your ‘Spot’ now,” so a walk-in is still possible, but book if you can. [spottedhorse.co.uk](https://spottedhorse.co.uk/)

![The Spotted Horse](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/spotted-horse-1024x768.png)**The Railway** has lots of space, lots of TVs, and a genuine indoor match-day atmosphere. The roof terrace is an option if the weather holds. Its chalkboard tells you to book online or speak to staff to secure a spot. A slightly more polished setting than the average football pub, which suits it. [therailwayputney.co.uk](https://therailwayputney.co.uk/)

![The Railway Pub](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/railway-pub-urr-1024x768.png)#### Just off the High Street

**The Coat & Badge** on Lacy Road is the sporting pub. Huge covered outdoor space, big screens set for clear sightlines, and it will be absolutely rammed tonight, which is exactly the point. The one to pick if you want to be in the thick of it. [thecoatandbadge.co.uk](https://thecoatandbadge.co.uk/)

![The Coat and Badge, Lacy Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/coat-and-badge-1024x768.png)**The Jolly Gardeners**, also on Lacy Road, has dressed for the occasion. World Cup bunting of national flags is strung across the windows, with a lush terrace outside and big screens in. The right choice if you want the atmosphere without the high-street intensity. [thejollygardeners.co.uk](https://thejollygardeners.co.uk/)

![The Jolly Gardeners with a chalkboard sign, brick building, and patrons seated at wooden tables amid greenery.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/jolly-gardeners-1024x768.png)#### By the river

**The Duke’s Head** sits on Lower Richmond Road by the river, Putney’s Victorian riverside institution and Grade II listed. It has been promoting the World Cup since the tournament opened on 11 June. Best if you want to combine the match with a proper meal. [dukesheadputney.com](https://dukesheadputney.com/)

**The Half Moon**, further along Lower Richmond Road, lists all three England group games with booking links. Better known as one of London’s finest live music venues, tonight it is a football pub. [halfmoon.co.uk](https://halfmoon.co.uk/)

![Renovated Half Moon](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/half-moon-renovated-1024x768.jpg)**East Putney Tavern** on Upper Richmond Road is seconds from East Putney tube. Multi-floor, with a street terrace, it is ideal for large groups coming from east of the High Street.

Kick-off is 9pm. If you are walking in anywhere, aim to arrive by 8. Most of these are taking bookings, so go online now if you want a table.

*England vs Croatia. Wednesday 17 June. 9pm. ITV1. Come on England.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/17/where-to-watch-england-play-tonight-in-putney/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/17/where-to-watch-england-play-tonight-in-putney/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Where%20to%20watch%20England%20play%20tonight%20in%20Putney&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/17/where-to-watch-england-play-tonight-in-putney/)

**Categories:** Live events, Pubs, bars and nightlife, Thamesfield, West Putney

**Tags:** Putney High Street, The Half Moon, World Cup 2026

---

### [The Tortoise took its time, but it's back in Putney](https://putney.news/2026/06/17/the-tortoise-took-its-time-but-its-back-in-putney/)

**Published:** June 17, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Reopened as a takeaway in the old Papa John's, ten doors down.

**Content:**

Slow and steady, as promised. Ten months after Hare & Tortoise closed and a Screwfix moved into its old Putney home, the pan-Asian favourite has crossed its own finishing line at last, reopening just a few doors down in the former shell of Papa John’s, now busy again with delivery riders at the door.

The restaurant is open and trading at 286 Upper Richmond Road, smaller than before and takeaway only. It is the return [we reported in May](https://putney.news/2026/05/23/hare-tortoise-is-coming-back-to-putney-this-time-as-a-dedicated-takeaway/), now confirmed. A sign behind the counter reads: “Putney, we are back and ready to serve!!” On the first day back, delivery riders were already coming and going.

The original Hare & Tortoise closed in August 2025 at 296-298 Upper Richmond Road, and its old home is [now a Screwfix](https://putney.news/2026/01/13/empty-hare-and-tortoise-site-gets-new-life-as-screwfix-opens-in-putney/). The plan, even then, was always to come back nearby in a leaner, takeaway-only form. That is exactly what has happened.

![Row of shops on a busy street with Hare & Tortoise, Kerala Ayurveda, and Dim Sum Kitchen signs, and two motorbikes parked at the curb.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/hare-and-tortoise-drivers-1024x768.png)The comeback runs against the grain of a parade lately defined by departures and the construction of a [metal box](https://putney.news/2026/06/12/two-years-after-halifax-left-putney-high-street-gets-a-metal-box/) on the High Street. When the closure was announced, readers mourned it in our comments, calling the old restaurant one of the best in Putney. Ten months on, they have it back.

Run by Bronzemarch Trading Ltd, the new unit keeps the chain’s pan-Asian menu: the sushi, ramen, noodles and laksa it has served in London since 1996. The kitchen is registered with the food hygiene scheme and awaiting its first inspection.

There is a big difference: it is takeaway and delivery only. The truth is that the only sit-down restaurant was not great (one reader called it a ‘barn’) so it was always the food rather than the atmosphere that had you coming back. You will find it on the parade beside Dim Sum Kitchen.

True to its name, it took its time. But it got there in the end, and it is ready to serve.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/17/the-tortoise-took-its-time-but-its-back-in-putney/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/17/the-tortoise-took-its-time-but-its-back-in-putney/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Tortoise%20took%20its%20time%2C%20but%20it%E2%80%99s%20back%20in%20Putney&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/17/the-tortoise-took-its-time-but-its-back-in-putney/)

**Categories:** Food &amp; Drink, Thamesfield

**Tags:** restaurant opening, Upper Richmond Road

---

### [Putney's new inspector is leading from the front. Literally.](https://putney.news/2026/06/17/putneys-new-inspector-is-leading-from-the-front-literally/)

**Published:** June 17, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** He's patrolling West Hill himself. The trust numbers will show if it's working.

**Content:**

Putney’s neighbourhood police inspector has been out on patrol in West Hill himself this week, dealing with anti-social behaviour at a venue serious enough for him to join his officers on the ground.

Inspector Paul James told residents his team was facing a “complex situation” in the ward, where people gathering at a venue were causing “high levels of anti-social behaviour”. He did not name the venue. “I have been on patrol with the team carrying out enforcement in the area,” he said, “and we will continue to do so.”

James took over Putney’s policing in March, [inheriting a trust problem](https://putney.news/2026/03/18/putneys-new-police-chief-inherits-a-trust-problem/). Fewer than half of Wandsworth residents (47%) thought police were doing a good job then, a figure that had fallen three points. An inspector saying he has personally joined patrols is not routine. It tells residents something about how the sector is being run.

This week his team also ran an enforcement sweep on Putney High Street. Officers reported offences for using a mobile phone while driving, jumping red lights in cars and on bikes, driving with no licence or insurance, and cycling on the pavement. James said the action followed concerns raised by the community about dangerous riding of bikes and e-bikes, and drivers using their phones.

 It came a week after [an e-scooter arrest](https://putney.news/2026/06/14/illegal-e-scooter-rider-arrested-after-putney-officer-is-injured/) in which a Putney officer was injured.

> [Illegal e-scooter rider arrested after Putney officer is injured](https://putney.news/2026/06/14/illegal-e-scooter-rider-arrested-after-putney-officer-is-injured/)

#### The officer he brought in

The clearest sign of James’s approach may be an appointment he made soon after arriving. In late April he moved Sergeant Gary Berry to Thamesfield, the riverside ward, where [results came quickly](https://putney.news/2026/05/21/knife-stolen-goods-six-burglaries-putneys-most-wanted-is-off-the-streets/).

Berry’s team arrested the ward’s most wanted burglar, later charged with 13 burglaries across Putney. A serial offender was sent back to prison for 28 days after four arrests in five days. Police say crime in Thamesfield has fallen by about 30% since October, a figure that comes from their own data.

Berry described the method behind it. “We located a name, we know how they were getting about, and what clothing they would essentially be wearing,” he said. “Today, we’ve reaped the rewards.” He calls it an “intelligence-led” approach, policing aimed at known offenders rather than spread thinly across random patrols.

> [Knife, stolen goods, six burglaries: Putney’s most wanted is off the streets](https://putney.news/2026/05/21/knife-stolen-goods-six-burglaries-putneys-most-wanted-is-off-the-streets/)

Three months in, a picture is emerging of a Putney inspector who leads from the front: out on patrol himself, enforcing in person, and backing officers who get results. Whether this is what policing across Wandsworth now looks like is harder to say. This is information the police choose to share, and the real test is not the updates but the trust figure.

Residents who want to raise concerns in person can do so later this month. Officers are hosting a Coffee with a Copper session at St Mary’s Church on Putney High Street on Sunday 28 June at 10am.

The next set of public confidence figures will go to the borough’s Safer Neighbourhood Board, the forum where police and the council review local policing. That is when residents will get a clearer answer to the question this week leaves open: not what the police are doing, but whether it is working.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/17/putneys-new-inspector-is-leading-from-the-front-literally/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/17/putneys-new-inspector-is-leading-from-the-front-literally/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20new%20inspector%20is%20leading%20from%20the%20front.%20Literally.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/17/putneys-new-inspector-is-leading-from-the-front-literally/)

**Categories:** Crime, West Hill

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, Putney High Street, thamesfield

---

### [Illegal e-scooter rider arrested after Putney officer is injured](https://putney.news/2026/06/14/illegal-e-scooter-rider-arrested-after-putney-officer-is-injured/)

**Published:** June 14, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Police also ticketed a cyclist for jumping a red light the next day.

**Content:**

A Putney police officer was injured this week stopping an illegal e-scooter rider, one of two traffic enforcement actions by the same local team in the space of two days.

It is the most visible traffic enforcement Putney has seen after more than a year of residents complaining that dangerous cycling and illegal e-scooters go largely unchallenged. Police have been warning about one behaviour in particular. Cyclists wait for the pedestrian lights to turn green, then weave between the people still crossing, so pedestrians face the greatest danger at the very moment they have right of way.

PC Damian was hurt on Wednesday stopping a rider on an uninsured e-scooter near Putney High Street. He carried on working rather than take sick leave, and the rider was arrested.

The next day, on Lacy Road, the same Thamesfield team ticketed a cyclist for going through a red light. The rider, police noted, holds a driving licence.

Both stops were reported by PCSO Eva Knedlova through MetEngage, the Met’s free community alert service. Of her injured colleague, she wrote that ‘we all wish him a quick recovery whilst he decided to carry on’.

Residents have flagged the problem for more than a year. In February, one counted four cyclists ignoring the new signals on a single walk from Putney to Parsons Green, and described road users ‘experiencing delay and frustration’ that was feeding risky behaviour.

The Putney Bridge junction was rebuilt for more than £1m, work the council said would improve safety ‘for all road users’. The Putney cycling debate has paid far less attention to the other side, to the pedestrians put at risk when a rider treats the green man as cover.

#### What the law says, and how to report it

Private e-scooters are illegal to ride on any public road, pavement or cycle lane in England, a rule many riders either do not know or choose to ignore. Because these scooters cannot be insured, anyone caught riding one faces the same penalties as a driver with no insurance, on top of having the machine seized and points added to any licence they hold.

This applies to e-scooters, not e-bikes: an electric bike that has working pedals and stops assisting the rider at 15.5mph counts as an ordinary bicycle, and can be ridden legally without a licence or insurance.

The Thamesfield team has asked residents for help, ending one alert with a request to ‘let us know if there are places where traffic enforcement is needed’. The ward team can be reached at Thamesfield@met.police.uk, non-urgent matters go to 101, and anyone in immediate danger should call 999. The same alert warns cyclists on hire bikes to check whether their insurance still covers them if they cause damage, because the hire company may not pay out.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/14/illegal-e-scooter-rider-arrested-after-putney-officer-is-injured/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/14/illegal-e-scooter-rider-arrested-after-putney-officer-is-injured/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Illegal%20e-scooter%20rider%20arrested%20after%20Putney%20officer%20is%20injured&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/14/illegal-e-scooter-rider-arrested-after-putney-officer-is-injured/)

**Categories:** Crime, Thamesfield, Transport

**Tags:** cycling, Metropolitan Police, Putney Bridge junction, Putney High Street, road safety, thamesfield

---

### [TfL postpones District Line upgrade just weeks before Wimbledon](https://putney.news/2026/06/15/tfl-postpones-district-line-upgrade-just-weeks-before-wimbledon/)

**Published:** June 15, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** One engineering weekend remains, and TfL cannot say if it will be ready.

**Content:**

The engineering work that would have switched on the District Line’s new Wimbledon-branch monitoring was called off at short notice over the weekend, two weeks before the Championships.

Transport for London (TfL) has apologised and says the closure was postponed because of “last-minute technical issues,” with no new date yet set.

It was the one job this year meant to cut the risk of a repeat of last summer, when the Wimbledon branch collapsed during the Championships, reliability fell to 69 per cent, its worst in over a decade, and the Mayor of London apologised. The tennis begins again on Monday 29 June, with one weekend of engineering time left before it does.

TfL told us said its representatives had met the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), the Wimbledon organisers, as the problems became apparent.

Getting an answer to last year’s meltdown has taken a year. Wimbledon MP Paul Kohler won a private meeting with TfL and Network Rail in February and still came away unsure what had been agreed: he told constituents that TfL had confirmed funding to modernise the signalling, while the meeting notes we obtained put the commitment at a £200,000 to £300,000 monitoring package, and called full modernisation unfeasible “within any reasonable planning horizon.”

*Putney.news* has asked three times, under freedom of information, for last year’s reliability figures. TfL has refused every time, and our [complaint to the regulator](https://putney.news/2026/06/03/tfl-and-network-rail-are-hiding-from-londoners-furious-about-the-district-line/) is still outstanding.

The Lawn Tennis Association asked too. Its Queen’s Club finals fell on the same weekend, so it asked TfL to move the works and let spectators travel. The governing body of British tennis was told TfL “have not been able to do this.” Days later, the works were called off anyway.

What the year did establish is the ceiling of what TfL was ever going to offer. TfL’s own board paper from June 2024 says the line will “not be re-signalled.” A real fix would mean South Western Railway refitting its whole fleet for a four-mile stretch of track and no gain for its own passengers, and that decision sits with the Department for Transport, which has not taken it.

What was achievable was that monitoring package: fault-detection equipment bolted onto the existing, decades-old kit, the work we [first reported in May](https://putney.news/2026/05/02/the-district-line-will-never-be-fixed-new-documents-reveal/). Earlier this month, Putney MP Fleur Anderson confirmed the hardware is now in. The weekend’s work was the step that connects the equipment up and turns it on.

> [TfL and Network Rail are hiding from Londoners furious about the District Line](https://putney.news/2026/06/03/tfl-and-network-rail-are-hiding-from-londoners-furious-about-the-district-line/)

#### Listed on Thursday, pulled on Friday

The works were down to run all weekend and, on the Thursday, were still in TfL’s published schedule, headed “Correct at date of publication Thursday 11 June 2026.” The only warning that they would not go ahead came late on the Friday, in an email to passengers signed up to TfL’s travel updates. Anyone who was not signed up, and anyone who had planned around the shutdown we had [told them to expect](https://putney.news/2026/06/09/no-tube-no-galveston-road-how-to-get-around-putney-this-weekend-of-13-june/) in our guide on 9 June, had no warning. The Hammersmith and City line’s works for the same weekend were pulled too. By Saturday afternoon, TfL’s live status feed read: “District Line: Minor delays due to the short-notice cancellation of engineering work.”

What passengers got instead was not the managed closure they had been promised, but an unplanned one. On the Saturday morning a signal failure at Parsons Green left the Wimbledon branch with no service from early morning until midday, on the same ageing infrastructure the upgrade is meant to protect. TfL says the failure was unconnected to the postponement. Either way, those who had made other arrangements for a planned shutdown spent the morning living through an unplanned one.

> [The District Line will never be fixed, new documents reveal](https://putney.news/2026/05/02/the-district-line-will-never-be-fixed-new-documents-reveal/)

#### One weekend left

We contacted TfL over the situation. A spokesperson apologised to District line customers for the disruption to their journeys and said the closure had been “postponed due to last-minute technical issues,” with the operator “working hard to restore as much service as possible since.” TfL said a new weekend would have to be planned, that it did not yet have a date, and that the Wimbledon fortnight would not be affected.

Asked why it could postpone the works at the last minute when it had told the LTA it could not reschedule them, TfL drew a distinction between the two: it had wanted to do the work as soon as possible, it said, but once the last-minute problems emerged it was not possible to go ahead.

We have also asked whether the new system will be switched on before the Championships, and how confident TfL is of avoiding a repeat of last year’s debacle. TfL has yet to respond.

One engineering weekend remains before the tennis begins, on 20 and 21 June. TfL’s published schedule still lists no District Line works for it.

The hardware is in the ground. For now, nobody has switched it on. TfL says the Championships will not be affected; whether the new equipment will be working in time, it has not said. The reliability data we have been asking for since the spring is still, it says, coming in the coming months.

> [‘Shambles’: Southfields crumbles under Wimbledon pressure yet again](https://putney.news/2025/07/06/shambles-southfields-crumbles-under-wimbledon-pressure-yet-again/)

#### What you can do

Readers who want to keep the pressure on can write to either of the two local MPs already on record over the branch, [Fleur Anderson](mailto:fleur.anderson.mp@parliament.uk) (Putney) and [Paul Kohler](mailto:paul.kohler.mp@parliament.uk) (Wimbledon), or add their weight to the complaint now sitting with the Information Commissioner.

The permanent fix, taking South Western Railway off the branch or forcing a shared signalling standard, needs a government decision that nobody at TfL or Network Rail can make alone, and it has not come. What could be done this year was the monitoring upgrade. Now it looks like that effort is also stalled.

---

*Correction, 15 June 2026: An earlier version of this article said TfL gave no announcement of the postponement. In fact TfL emailed passengers signed up to its travel updates late on Friday 12 June to say the works would not go ahead. The article has been amended.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/15/tfl-postpones-district-line-upgrade-just-weeks-before-wimbledon/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/15/tfl-postpones-district-line-upgrade-just-weeks-before-wimbledon/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=TfL%20postpones%20District%20Line%20upgrade%20just%20weeks%20before%20Wimbledon&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/15/tfl-postpones-district-line-upgrade-just-weeks-before-wimbledon/)

**Categories:** East Putney, Southfields, Transport, Wimbledon

**Tags:** AELTC, District Line, East Putney, Fleur Anderson MP, Paul Kohler MP, TfL, Wimbledon

---

### [The neighbourhood that found its stolen dog](https://putney.news/2026/06/16/the-neighbourhood-that-found-its-stolen-dog/)

**Published:** June 16, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Dog lovers, parents, a fitness club and ChatGPT: how east Sheen brought Astra home.

**Content:**

Kate Beach was two minutes away when the call came in. She ran.

When she got there, Lisa’s teenagers were already at the house, and Astra had been returned home. There were a lot of tears.

This is the story of how a black Labrador went missing and how a community rallied over five days to track her to a location five miles away. Nobody knew where the dog was or what had happened to her. Here’s how a neighbourhood found out.

#### Tuesday evening

Astra slipped away near Palewell Park, next to the north end of Richmond Park, last Tuesday evening. From the beginning there was something wrong about it. She’s a friendly and well-known dog in the area and had been let off the lease to run around. Then she simply vanished. Fearing the worst, the family called emergency vets. Nothing. Overnight and the next day, despite frantic searching, there was no sign of her. By Wednesday night, owner Lisa was despondent. They had no idea what had happened.

Only two days later did she find out that Astra had been taken.

Palewell Park is unusually busy in June, not just because of the lovely weather but because it is deer-birthing season in Richmond Park and the big park is closed to off-lead dogs. So everyone goes to nearby Palewell instead. It was a warm evening, neighbours strolling chatting and then, within 30 seconds, Astra was gone.

“The dog walker was exceptionally distressed, as you would imagine,” Kate recalls nearly a week later. “It genuinely could have happened on anybody’s watch. I’d hate for people to think we can’t ever take our dogs off the lead.”

![Search area for Astra](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/00003197-PHOTO-2026-06-11-11-02-38-471x1024.jpg)The first of many areas searched by volunteers#### Thursday, 3.13am

In the early hours of Thursday morning, unable to sleep, Lisa set up a WhatsApp group, waited a few hours and then posted to a small circle of friends. They had run out of ground to search and run out of theories. She had one more idea: what if they just asked everyone they knew?

Within hours, makeshift posters had been printed and posted up around the neighbourhood as people left for work and parents dropped off their kids at school. Through worth of mouth it spread through street WhatsApp groups, fitness groups, dog communities, networks that nobody had mapped and nobody could have predicted. People who had never met Astra, had never been to Palewell Park, had no particular reason to care about a black Labrador in East Sheen joined. By lunchtime the next day the group had more than 400 members.

“It became so overwhelming so quickly,” Kate explains. She is one of Lisa’s closest friends; their daughters were in the same class at Sheen Mount. “There was no way anybody could read and respond to all of the messages. The best people to search for Astra were the people that knew her best. So I thought: I can do this bit. I can do this from anywhere.” Kate is a management consultant; problem solving is what she does best.

For the hundreds following on their phones, trying to coordinate and track progress, the group became an extraordinary live vantage point of a rapidly growing effort that began when the sun came up and continued past when it went down. Kate was the public face of the digital effort, regular condensing posts: this is what we know, this is what we need, this is what you can do right now.

People were joining at all hours and arriving with suggestions. Have you checked Richmond Park, have you tried Beverley Brook? Yes, three days ago. Call her name; don’t call her name. Cook food, don’t cook food. Is this her? A sighting in Chiswick; another back in Palewell. The posts kept the group moving and, mostly, moving in the right direction. Maps were built and shared of both search areas and Astra’s typical routes. People waded into thick undergrowth and up water tunnels they hadn’t been in since kids.

To keep pace, Kate tells us she had an unusual assistant. “Things were moving so quickly that we just needed urgent, quick comms as and when. I’m literally walking around shouting at ChatGPT: write me a message that says this, in this tone, following on from the last post.”

Collective wisdom, carefully picked, resulted in an extraordinarily efficient search. Within a few hours of the group opening, a thermal drone had been proposed, identified, booked and was flying over Palewell Park, the allotments, the back of the Bank of England sports ground, Ibstock and the Danebury Estate. By early afternoon the results were back: she was not there, and not trapped. It narrowed the search but did not resolve it.

By evening, things were, in Kate’s word, bleak. Lots of suggestions, lots of people joining. No sign of the dog.

That night the drone went up again at two in the morning, over the edge of the park. It heard barking. It could not tell where from, or whose. The next morning, an army of volunteers knocked on doors backing onto the park asking house owners if they heard their dog barking last night.

Despite becoming the epicentre of the effort, Kate is at pains to note that what followed was not her doing. “Everybody just leant into their own skill,” she says. “We had people driving around and chatting to people on the streets. People operating in the dog community, ringing vets, contacting dogs’ homes, contacting homeless shelters. So many amazing things happened. It was a true team effort and everybody did what they felt they could do best.”

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/00003402-PHOTO-2026-06-11-14-07-39-776x1024.jpg)#### Friday

Suggestions kept coming in and some were leapt on. A sniffer dog went out on Friday morning, following a cloth that had been wiped against something that carried Astra’s scent. The dog picked up a trail, but the trail ran along routes Astra walked every day and told them nothing new. A call went out asking people to checking their security cameras to see if they had caught a glimpse of a black dog days earlier.

Then, just after 11am, something extraordinary happened. A piece of blurred footage arrived from a doorbell camera on Enmore Gardens, running behind the park, and it had captured a woman with a large trolley and a dog. Did anyone else have any video or stills they could help identify the dog as Astra? The army of volunteers set off again; this time knocking on doors asking neighbours if they wouldn’t mind checking their cameras and providing any footage they found. It didn’t take long. At 1.26pm, a new video clip appeared on WhatsApp. “This is her!!!” Lisa exclaimed. That’s when they knew that Astra wasn’t lost or stuck. The gentle, friendly Labrador had been led out the park on a lease by a stranger – three days earlier.

Where AI had proved to be an huge help in distilling, summarising and writing coordinating messages in a calm, clear tone when nobody felt particular clear or calm, it now became a dangerous distraction. Messages started appearing of people in the group trying to use AI to enhance the blurry stills, TV crime fighting-style.

It doesn’t work like that of course. AI can’t sharpen footage or find information in an image that doesn’t already exist. But it can give a very good impression of doing so. When a photo-realistic image appeared of the same grainy, blurry pic clearly identifying someone (just not anyone that exists outside a data centre), the group caught it quickly. After a quiet word, the images were removed. No drama, no accusation. People’s urge for clarity in a desperate moment, very nearly made things worse.

Kate asked the group to send anything else they had privately, not to the group. And sure enough more footage came in and the search left East Sheen, passed through Putney, and sped toward Clapham Junction.

The details of what happened next can’t be fully told yet. A police investigation is live and the family have asked for care in reporting. We will tell you more when we can. What we can say though is what the volunteers did. From the moment the WhatsApp went quiet, a group of the most active volunteers fanned out across south London, cancelling Friday afternoon work meetings to speak to shopkeepers, bus drivers, neighbours, security guards, local vets, housing associations – anyone and everyone who might have a lead. The police were contacted and promised to come around the next morning.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/00004553-PHOTO-2026-06-12-14-49-13-1024x854.jpg)#### Saturday

The police arrived expecting to just take statements and were instead met with a case. And then they left, promising to brief the next shift. After days of determined searching and a disturbing realisation, having walked the police through everything they knew, the search stopped. The family again found themselves waiting as the afternoon went on and nothing came through.

“We felt despondent,” Kate explains. “We thought, this isn’t good enough. It’s not gonna happen. They’re not gonna do anything. We can’t just sit here.”

And so they went back out again. Drove around. Kept looking at the local parks, just in case they had got it wrong. Kate was back on the phone, ringing vets, this time not just the local ones but every emergency vet across south and south-east and south-west London.

This, it turns out, was the right call. It’s worth knowing why. All dogs in the UK since 2016 have been required by law to be microchipped, with their details registered on an approved national database. Any vet can scan the chip. Lisa had marked Astra as lost, so if the dog walked into any vet anywhere in London and someone scanned her, the system would flag it immediately and Lisa’s contact details would come up.

“If she turned up at a vet, we’d get her back,” Kate says. “In a weird way, we were thinking: if she is out there, she’s more likely to be picked up by somebody and taken to a vet than we are to find her ourselves.”

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/00004598-PHOTO-2026-06-12-15-44-08-1024x576.jpg)Between four and six on Saturday afternoon, Kate says, was probably the lowest point. No word from the police. The phones going round the vets. A gorgeous sunny day and no idea where the dog was or whether anyone was acting on what they had handed over.

At around half past six, Lisa got a call.

Astra was already at a vet. Microchip read. She would be home in five minutes.

Kate was two minutes away. She ran. When she got there, the teenagers were with the dog, and there were a lot of tears. Friends who had been out searching all afternoon abandoned the search and came to the house instead.

“Everybody was able to just put themselves in that family’s situation,” Kate says. “Either because they were Ibstock parents or Sheen Mount parents, or their dog walks in Palewell Park, or they just know Lisa and Nick from whatever. Everybody was able to jump on it and say, that could have been us. So many people went above and beyond. We had people offering to cook meals. We had people giving witness statements. Everybody got behind the urgency.

“The overriding message is just thanks, really.”

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/16/the-neighbourhood-that-found-its-stolen-dog/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/16/the-neighbourhood-that-found-its-stolen-dog/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20neighbourhood%20that%20found%20its%20stolen%20dog&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/16/the-neighbourhood-that-found-its-stolen-dog/)

**Categories:** Crime, East Sheen, Long read, Roehampton

**Tags:** Astra, Barnes, community, dog theft, East Sheen, Metropolitan Police, Richmond Park, Upper Richmond Road

---

### [Roehampton's Morley's gets its late-night licence, but not until 2am](https://putney.news/2026/06/16/roehamptons-morleys-gets-its-late-night-licence-not-until-2am/)

**Published:** June 16, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** The committee drew its own line at midnight.

**Content:**

Morley’s Chicken on Roehampton High Street has its [late-night licence](https://putney.news/2026/06/06/the-vicar-of-roehampton-wants-a-word-about-the-chicken-shop-so-do-nine-of-his-neighbours/), but not until 2am.

The council’sLicensing Sub-Committee granted the application yesterday following a hearing on 11 June but set its own closing time: midnight, every night of the week.

That’s two hours earlier than Morley’s had agreed with the Metropolitan Police, and three hours earlier than the original application.

The committee said a uniform midnight closing would reduce antisocial behaviour and early-morning noise, while giving the premises and its customers “clarity on expectations.” No objector had asked the committee to impose midnight rather than 2am; it reached that line on its own initiative.

Alongside the licence came three additional conditions, all added by the committee rather than proposed by the applicant. Staff must check for litter outside the premises every hour during late-night trading. Signs at every exit must remind customers to dispose of waste lawfully. Delivery drivers must be told: no idling engines, no pavement parking, no obstructing the road. The litter issue that came up repeatedly at the hearing produced the most concrete outcome.

#### Objections

Ten residents had written in to object before the hearing. Two of them came in person on a Wednesday evening to say it to the committee’s face, a small but telling sign of how much people in this long-overlooked corner of the borough care about which way it goes.

The [Revd Joshua Ray](https://putney.news/2026/06/06/the-vicar-of-roehampton-wants-a-word-about-the-chicken-shop-so-do-nine-of-his-neighbours/), vicar of Roehampton, had asked the committee not for a refusal but for a reckoning: he wanted councillors to consider what kind of place Roehampton High Street should be. He described Roehampton as having “become this kind of zone of tolerance, which is, oh, well, nobody cares about Roehampton, let’s stick another fast food joint there.” The midnight cap, two hours earlier than applied for and one hour earlier than what was agreed with police, is the committee’s partial answer to that question.

Anna Pritchard, who lives on the high street and attended to object, struck a different note in closing. She told the committee that her children visit Morley’s and that the business has her support, but she asked it to do more to become an active part of the community, not just a business on it.

On one contested point from the objections: Shan Jeyakkumar, the owner of the Morley’s brand who spoke at the hearing on behalf of the franchise, told the committee that a fight referenced in objections had started at the [Angel pub opposite](https://putney.news/2026/02/04/the-police-raided-it-with-a-helicopter-and-dogs-now-they-want-the-angel-pub-shut/) and spilled into the shop, and that Morley’s had cooperated with police and handed over CCTV footage.

That fight became one of the reasons cited by the police for why it should revoke the Angel’s licence earlier this year. The committee [also rejected that request](https://putney.news/2026/05/04/what-two-roehampton-councillors-said-in-a-closed-hearing-that-voters-were-never-meant-to-hear/).

Any party wishing to challenge the decision has 21 days from notification to appeal to Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court. The decision notice was issued on 15 June 2026.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/16/roehamptons-morleys-gets-its-late-night-licence-not-until-2am/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/16/roehamptons-morleys-gets-its-late-night-licence-not-until-2am/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Roehampton%E2%80%99s%20Morley%E2%80%99s%20gets%20its%20late-night%20licence%2C%20but%20not%20until%202am&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/16/roehamptons-morleys-gets-its-late-night-licence-not-until-2am/)

**Categories:** Politics, Roehampton

**Tags:** Licensing Sub-Committee, Roehampton, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Banker arrested in Putney Pusher case](https://putney.news/2026/06/15/banker-arrested-in-putney-pusher-case/)

**Published:** June 15, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** A 44-year-old man is in custody over the 2017 attack that gripped Putney.


**Content:**

A 44-year-old man is in custody over the 2017 attack that gripped Putney.

Nine years after the Putney Pusher shoved a woman in front of a bus on Putney Bridge, police on Monday made their first arrest in the case since they gave up on it in 2018. The man they are holding is, the Daily Mail reports, a multi-millionaire banker with royal connections, arrested at his £1.4 million home in west London. He has not been charged.

For Putney, it is the first real movement in years on a case the area has carried for almost a decade, on the bridge thousands of us cross every day. The Metropolitan Police say only that a 44-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm and is being held while inquiries continue. They have not named him – for good reason: this case has put the wrong man in the frame before.

![CCTV image of a curved pedestrian walkway with two people walking apart: a person in a dark coat and backpack on the right, and another person in a light-colored top and shorts toward the center, with a railing along the left side.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/putney-pusher.jpg)It happened at 7.40 on the morning of Friday 5 May 2017. A 33-year-old woman was walking south across the bridge, towards Putney, when a jogger came at her from the other direction. There was room for him to pass. Instead he pushed her off the pavement, into the southbound lane, in front of the number 430 to Roehampton.

The driver, Oliver Salbris, swerved at the last second and missed her head by inches. The jogger ran on without looking back. Fifteen minutes later he crossed back over the bridge; the woman tried to speak to him, and he kept running.

![Blurry street scene showing a sidewalk with a low barrier, a parked red car in the distance, and a person walking nearby.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/putney-pusher-2.jpg)Then came nine years of not knowing. The police sat on the CCTV for three months, and when they finally released it the delay caused almost as much fury as the attack. Detectives worked through more than 50 men and made three arrests, among them an American banker, Eric Bellquist, named around the world before he proved he had been in California that day. By 2018 the leads had run dry and the case was shut, with a single line left hanging: “Should any new information come to light, this will be explored.”

Something did. The case never let go. In 2024 it became a play, Once Upon a Bridge, staged at the OSO Arts Centre in Barnes just across the river, with the real CCTV shown to the audience and the police hoping someone would finally recognise the man. Two years on, they have made an arrest.

![Blurred surveillance image of a person near a curb beside a parked vehicle on a city street (MET Police watermark).](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/putney-pusher-3.jpg)Oliver Salbris still drives the 430 over the bridge several times a day, and still can’t stop watching the pavement. “I just can’t help it,” he told the Daily Mail in April. He remembers the woman, in the moments after he stopped the bus, asking him the question no one has answered in nine years. Why? Why? Why me? Nine years on, there may finally be someone who can.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/15/banker-arrested-in-putney-pusher-case/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/15/banker-arrested-in-putney-pusher-case/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Banker%20arrested%20in%20Putney%20Pusher%20case&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/15/banker-arrested-in-putney-pusher-case/)

**Categories:** Crime, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Putney Bridge, The Met

---

### [The van's rescuers pulled out. The Harrisons found a yacht.](https://putney.news/2026/06/15/the-vans-rescuers-pulled-out-the-harrisons-found-a-yacht/)

**Published:** June 15, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Edwin sails Indonesia to Darwin. Magda drives the coffee 3,000km to Perth.

**Content:**

The adventure may be over for Daisy. The intrepid van, emblazoned with the Curious Roo Coffee Roasters logo and driven 11,000 miles through Europe, the Caucasus, the Stans, China and Laos by the Harrison family from Putney, may end her journey not with a triumphant drive back to SW15 but in a shipping container from Malaysia.

Last month, the Harrisons [put out a call](https://putney.news/2026/06/08/daisy-the-van-made-it-to-singapore-now-she-needs-someone-slightly-unhinged-to-drive-her-home/) for someone to do their remarkable journey in reverse and received hundreds of offers, eventually settling on two Brits calling themselves ‘”the rescuers of Daisy”. All looked settled, although Edwin did note in a call with *Putney.news* last week that “you just never know with two young guys from London – at any point they could pull the plug. Which I really hope they don’t.” Five days later, they did.

![Family of three sitting at a wooden railing, smiling at the camera with a mountain valley in the background.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/magda-edwin-harrison-768x1024.png)But if there’s one thing we have learned from the Harrisons’ extraordinary trip, it’s that barrier is too large to get in their way. “We’re back on the hunt and there’s a chance we will ship Daisy as time is now short,” Magda Harrison messaged. Without someone willing to fly to Malaysia at very short notice, a shipping container it is.

The Harrisons’ story, though, keeps getting better. The goal remains the same – delivering a bag of coffee to Magda’s mum in Perth, Australia – without getting on a plane. Which leaves the small issue of 2,000 miles of sea between SIngapore and Darwin. Fortunately, Edwin is also a yachtsman and has bagged a berth on a racing yacht leaving from Banda Island, a tiny speck of the Banda Sea in eastern Indonesia. Population 15,000. Historically the only place on earth where nutmeg grew, which once made it the most fought-over island in the world. He confirmed the lift five days ago. He will take the coffee.

![Group of five people around a wooden table outdoors, sorting and pitting cherries into baskets with straw hats nearby.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/harrison-family-1024x768.png)The yacht sails to Darwin. Magda and the three children fly to meet him. Then the Kimberley highway: 3,000km south through remote Australian scrub to Perth and the end of the journey.

Right now the family are in Laos but will shift to a rental car in Thailand, without Daisy. Daisy will be on a flatbed truck, wheels never touching Thai soil because the country has classified her as a motorhome and the permits will be months to acquire. The family will collect her in Malaysia, and then go their separate ways: van by ship, Edwin by yacht, Magda and the children by plane.

![Man and woman in straw hats smiling among coffee plants, holding woven baskets in a lush field.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/magda-edwin-coffee-collecting-768x1024.png)In case you were wondering the bag of coffee is still holding up albeit worn from use across three continents. “The bag of coffee’s world record, I suppose,” Edwin said last week, “and we’re just chaperones of the bag of coffee.”

![Adults and two children in straw hats sort cherries at a wooden table under a thatched roof in an open-air market space.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/harrisons-768x1024.png)Daisy will find her own way home. The Harrisons have a boat to catch.

---

*Following the journey? Read the full series:* *[The Putney café family driving a bag of coffee to Australia](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/the-putney-cafe-family-driving-a-bag-of-coffee-to-australia/) | [Thailand won’t let their van in](https://putney.news/2026/05/11/the-putney-coffee-family-are-in-china-and-thailand-wont-let-their-van-in/) | [TV presenter joins their appeal](https://putney.news/2026/05/16/tv-presenter-joins-putney-familys-appeal-to-mp-over-thailand-van-ban/) | [Daisy makes it to Singapore](https://putney.news/2026/06/08/daisy-the-van-made-it-to-singapore-now-she-needs-someone-slightly-unhinged-to-drive-her-home/)*

If you want to discover the latest follow [@curiousroocoffeeroasters](https://www.instagram.com/curiousroocoffeeroasters/) on Instagram.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/15/the-vans-rescuers-pulled-out-the-harrisons-found-a-yacht/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/15/the-vans-rescuers-pulled-out-the-harrisons-found-a-yacht/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20van%E2%80%99s%20rescuers%20pulled%20out.%20The%20Harrisons%20found%20a%20yacht.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/15/the-vans-rescuers-pulled-out-the-harrisons-found-a-yacht/)

**Categories:** Travel

**Tags:** Artisan Coffee, Curious Roo Coffee Roasters, Daisy the van, Edwin Harrison, Magda Harrison

---

### [Game, set, recall: the badminton set in the TK Maxx window](https://putney.news/2026/06/15/game-set-recall-the-badminton-set-in-the-tk-maxx-window/)

**Published:** June 15, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Plus two more power banks: five in eight weeks, same fault every time.

**Content:**

Three new recall notices have gone up in the TK Maxx window on Putney High Street since April. Two are power banks. The third is a children’s badminton set.

#### One for the kids

A badminton set. £7.99. The shuttlecock lights up, which is why there are batteries in it, which is why it is now in the recall window.

The batteries are button cells, the small flat ones from watches and key fobs, and they are the reason this recall matters. Swallowed button batteries are one of the most serious dangers in child safety: they can cause severe internal burns, and two children in the UK have died this way. The battery compartment on the shuttlecock is meant to be sealed with a screw that stays attached. It doesn’t. If you have one of these at home, stop using it now and take it back.

The Misco Sports Light-Up Racket Set was sold at TK Maxx and Homesense between March and April this year, model MT2287, recall reference PRSP270028. Return it to any TK Maxx or Homesense store for a full refund.

**If you think a child has swallowed a button battery, go straight to A&E or call 999. Do not wait for symptoms.** The [Child Accident Prevention Trust](https://capt.org.uk/button-battery-safety/) has full guidance, including why even flat batteries are dangerous.

Also in the window, and also aimed at children: a Bath Bomb Set from the film Frozen, sold for £6.99 between March and June 2024. The decorative tag on the Elsa shower puff contains phthalates, chemical compounds that may have adverse health effects. After Peppa’s Nightmare Before Christmas in April, Elsa has now also been let down by TK Maxx. That notice comes down on 26 June, so check soon.

#### Five and counting

Two more power bank ranges have joined the recall window since April. Both have the same fault: internal wiring that may not be securely attached, which can come loose during use and cause overheating or fire.

If this sounds familiar, it should. In April, [we reported three power bank recalls from the same store](https://putney.news/2026/04/14/asbestos-in-a-kids-toy-you-must-be-tkmaxxing-me/), the Poppy, the Pom/Magpower and the Tek Squad. Same fault. Loose wiring. TK Maxx has now recalled five power bank ranges in under eight weeks, and at some point this stops being bad luck.

The new ones: the Pom Power Banks recall covers seven product lines (Titan Charge, Mag Power+, Power 4 Connect, Elite Mag Power, Mag Power Pd+, Pd Multi Charge and Mag Power), sold between August 2024 and May 2026 at £19.99. The Power Evo Wireless Charging Power Bank Volt 5 covers two models, sold between February and August 2025 at £12.99. The full model number list is below. If you bought a power bank from TK Maxx in the past two years, it is worth a minute of your time.

The wider picture explains why this keeps happening. A power bank is a lithium-ion battery in a plastic case, and a cheap power bank is a cheap lithium-ion battery in a plastic case. Budget products cut corners on the protection circuits that stop the battery overcharging and overheating, and on the quality of the cells themselves. London Fire Brigade attended 521 fires involving lithium-ion batteries last year, a 28% rise, with three people killed. Most involve e-bikes and e-scooters, but the underlying problem, poorly made cells with inadequate protection, is exactly what keeps appearing in the TK Maxx window.

It is not only a budget-brand problem. Anker, one of the better-known names in power banks, recalled three of its own models for the same overheating fault. But it is mostly a budget problem, and the advice is simple: buy an established brand, check for UKCA or CE marking, be sceptical of big capacity claims at small prices, and never charge a power bank overnight, under a pillow, or covered.

TK Maxx has, across two stories now, provided a reasonably comprehensive education in why not to buy a cheap power bank. The tuition, at least, is free.

#### Affected Pom Power Banks model numbers

Titan Charge: P2GS5080, P2GS5080B, P2GS5080W, P2GS5080BK, P2GS5080WT

Mag Power+: P2GQ48, P2GQ48BK, P2GQ48WT

Power 4 Connect: P2GS5065, P2GS5065BK, P2GS5065WT, P2GS5065W, PW2GS5065W

Elite Mag Power: P2GQ58, P2GQ58BK, P2GQ58WT

Mag Power Pd+: P2GQ38, P2GQ38BK, P2GQ38WT

Pd Multi Charge: P2GS5070, P2GS5070B, P2GS5070BK, P2GS5070W, P2GS5070WT

Mag Power: P2GQ28, P2GQ28BK, P2GQ28WT

Power Evo Volt 5: MAGVOLT5BLACK, MAGVOLT5WHITE

#### How to get your money back

Everything above can be returned to any TK Maxx or Homesense store for a full refund or replacement. You do not need to have bought it at the Putney branch.

Contact TJX Europe on 01923 473561 or email 

If you bought any of the products in our April investigation, the same refund policy applies.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/15/game-set-recall-the-badminton-set-in-the-tk-maxx-window/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/15/game-set-recall-the-badminton-set-in-the-tk-maxx-window/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Game%2C%20set%2C%20recall%3A%20the%20badminton%20set%20in%20the%20TK%20Maxx%20window&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/15/game-set-recall-the-badminton-set-in-the-tk-maxx-window/)

**Categories:** Shopping, Thamesfield

**Tags:** public safety, Putney High Street, retail, TK Maxx

---

### [Astra search turns to the police after footage traces Tuesday's route](https://putney.news/2026/06/12/astra-search-continues-2am-drone-flight-tracker-dogs-due-today/)

**Published:** June 12, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** A black Lab boarded a 337 minutes after she vanished. Not yet confirmed.

**Content:**

Good news Astra is home. She has been found safe and well and is back with her family. [**Read the full story here.**](https://putney.news/2026/06/13/astra-is-home-and-a-whole-community-helped-bring-her-back/)

 End of day two By Friday evening, footage had traced a woman, seen with a dog the family believe may be Astra, street by street from Enmore Gardens to a bus and on to Clapham Junction. The family then paused the public side of the search, asking people not to post about the woman and to send any information to them directly, so that she is not frightened into anything that could put Astra at risk. Police take a full statement on Saturday morning. Astra has not been found.

The second day of the search for Astra, the black Labrador missing from Palewell Park since Tuesday evening, began with a drone in the dark and ended with a deliberate hush: a route traced street by street to Clapham Junction, and a family choosing quiet, police-led steps over a public hunt.

At 2am, a thermal-imaging drone flew over Palewell in the stillest hours, and its operator reported hearing a dog barking near the park’s edges that could not be located. By mid-morning, volunteers had knocked on every door along the Palewell side of Hertford Avenue, and every household confirmed the barking had not come from their dogs. The sound was never explained, and a specialist tracking dog worked the park through the afternoon.

The day’s defining lead came from a doorbell. A clip from Enmore Gardens, captured minutes after Astra went missing, showed a black Labrador walking beside a woman pushing a pram loaded with belongings. Through the day, footage and witness accounts extended the picture: along Vicarage Drive, down the full length of East Sheen Avenue, onto a 337 bus near Thornton Road at about 5.50pm, where she is reported to have asked the driver for help reaching Clapham Junction, and finally off the bus by the Junction pub, walking towards Clapham Junction station.

Volunteers checked cameras, resolved conflicting timestamps that turned out to be doorbell devices set to different clocks, and closed false trails as they went: a reported gym sighting in Chiswick came to nothing, and Thames Water inspected the tunnels along Beverley Brook, ruled them out, and said it would fit grilles to them.

The dog in the footage has not been confirmed as Astra, and the woman may simply have been walking her own dog.

As attention on the woman grew through the evening, the family stepped in. They asked supporters to stop posting photos and messages about her, to send any information or footage to them directly, and to leave the next steps to a careful, structured approach with the police, who take a full statement on Saturday morning. The concern, they said, is that frightening the woman could put Astra at risk if the dog is with her. The search for Astra herself continues, more quietly.

#### If you see her

Astra is a black Labrador with unusually pale, amber eyes. She may no longer be wearing her red collar, so a black Labrador with no collar should not be ruled out. She is microchipped and local vets have been alerted. If you see her, do not approach, chase or call out to her — a frightened dog tends to go to ground. Note where she is and call Lisa on 07824 822021. If you have information about the woman seen in the footage, please contact the family directly on the same number rather than posting publicly.

This page will be updated when there is news.

How the day unfolded

The story so far

Astra went missing near Palewell Park at about 5.30pm on Tuesday. On Thursday, dozens of volunteers searched Palewell, Richmond Park and beyond, with a thermal drone ruling out the park itself. [How Thursday’s search unfolded.](https://putney.news/2026/06/11/search-under-way-for-missing-dog-in-palewell-park/)

2am, Friday

A thermal-imaging drone flies over the park in the quiet of the night. The operator reports hearing a dog barking near the edges of Palewell but cannot locate it. The family ask residents backing onto the park whether their own dog was barking, to rule the sound in or out.

First light

The family return to Palewell Park and the search resumes, focused on Richmond Park between Sheen Gate and Roehampton Gate. Posters go into schools, nurseries and stables, and riding groups alert their riders.

Mid-morning

Volunteers knock on every door on the Palewell side of Hertford Avenue. All confirm the 2am barking did not come from their dogs, leaving the sound unexplained. Posters spread to shops, a post office depot and the park security patrols.

11.15am

The appeal for doorbell footage produces the day’s defining lead: a clip from Enmore Gardens, captured minutes after Astra went missing on Tuesday, appears to show a black Labrador walking with a woman pushing a pram loaded with bags rather than carrying a child. The family ask the woman, or anyone who recognises the moment, to get in touch so the sighting can be ruled in or out.

Midday

A second strand emerges: a reported sighting of the woman and dog boarding a 337 bus near Thornton Road on Tuesday evening, heading towards Clapham Junction. The family later confirm the timing as about 5.50pm, with the woman reported to have asked the driver for help and not to have paid. A report is filed with the Metropolitan Police.

Afternoon

A verification push. Doorbell and CCTV checks refine the route, apparent timestamp conflicts are traced to doorbell devices set to different clocks, the Chiswick gym’s CCTV shows nothing, and Thames Water rules out the Beverley Brook tunnels, saying it will fit grilles to them. The tracking dog works Palewell Park, and volunteers seek to identify the woman in Roehampton, Putney and around Clapham Junction, without a confirmed identification. Police arrange to take a full statement on Saturday morning, and the family say bus CCTV can only be obtained through the police.

6.15pm

New footage from East Sheen Avenue completes the route: the woman and dog walked its full length after coming along Vicarage Drive from Enmore Gardens. Witness accounts place her getting off the 337 by the Junction pub and walking towards Clapham Junction station.

7pm

The family pause the public side of the search. They ask supporters not to post photos or messages about the woman, to send information and footage to them directly, and to let the next steps be taken carefully with the police, so the woman is not frightened into anything that could put Astra at risk. The page closes for the day with Astra still missing.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/12/astra-search-continues-2am-drone-flight-tracker-dogs-due-today/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/12/astra-search-continues-2am-drone-flight-tracker-dogs-due-today/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Astra%20search%20turns%20to%20the%20police%20after%20footage%20traces%20Tuesday%E2%80%99s%20route&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/12/astra-search-continues-2am-drone-flight-tracker-dogs-due-today/)

**Categories:** Community, East Sheen, Roehampton

**Tags:** Astra, East Sheen, missing dog, Palewell Park

---

### [Astra is still missing after a day-long search across south-west London](https://putney.news/2026/06/11/search-under-way-for-missing-dog-in-palewell-park/)

**Published:** June 11, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Dozens searched Palewell, Richmond Park and beyond. The hunt resumes today with a tracking dog.

**Content:**

Good news Astra is home. She has been found safe and well and is back with her family. [**Read the full story here.**](https://putney.news/2026/06/13/astra-is-home-and-a-whole-community-helped-bring-her-back/)

 The search continues The search resumed on Friday morning, with an overnight drone flight, a doorbell-footage lead and tracker dogs due. [**Follow day two live here.**](https://putney.news/2026/06/12/astra-search-continues-2am-drone-flight-tracker-dogs-due-today/)

 End of day one The search was stood down for the night with Astra still missing. It is due to resume in the morning, when a specialist tracking dog is expected to join. If you see her, please see the details below.

A black Labrador called Astra slipped away from a dog walker near Palewell Park on Tuesday evening. By the end of Wednesday, the search for her had drawn in a large part of south-west London.

What began as a handful of neighbours combing the overgrown corner of Palewell grew, through the day, into something much larger. Dozens of volunteers walked slow, silent lines through the woodland and waded the length of Beverley Brook. A thermal-imaging drone searched the canopy and the streets around the park from above.

When that ruled out Palewell itself, the search widened, and kept widening: across Richmond Park, where Astra usually walks, and then out across Wimbledon Common, Barnes Common, the Thames path on both banks, and the roads and gardens in between. Posters went up in shop windows in Barnes; dog walkers were briefed on both sides of the river; a co-ordinating group passed 250 people.

Most of those who turned out had never met her.

There was one possible sighting of an unaccompanied black Labrador at the top of the park in the late morning, but it was never confirmed, and there were no further confirmed sightings during the day. By nightfall, Astra had not been found.

The search was stood down for the night and is due to resume on Thursday morning, when a specialist tracking dog is expected to join. Those leading the search have asked people to stay calm and quiet rather than search in large, noisy groups, as a frightened dog is far more likely to come out when the area around her is still.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/doglost-poster.png)#### If you see her

Astra is a black Labrador with unusually pale, amber eyes. She may be wearing a red collar, but it can come off if it snags, so a black Labrador with no collar should not be ruled out. She is microchipped and local vets have been alerted. If you see her, do not approach, chase or call out to her — a frightened dog tends to go to ground.

It is also worth checking gardens, sheds and garages, where a nervous dog may have tucked herself away.

How the day unfolded

Tuesday, around 5.30pm

Astra goes missing while out with a dog walker near Palewell Park.

Wednesday

“Still missing” posters circulate across East Sheen community groups and lost-and-found pages. A possible sighting is reported towards Chiswick and passed to Network Rail.

9.46am

Volunteers gather at Palewell Park and begin searching the wooded corner in teams.

10am

Searchers say a thermal-imaging drone is being arranged to search the canopy from above. Volunteers also check allotments, sheds and properties backing onto the park. Experienced searchers remind people not to call out or crowd the area, as a frightened dog tends to stay hidden.

11am

The search grows into a large, coordinated effort. Volunteers form a slow, silent line across the back of Palewell, by Enmore Gardens, while others check Beverley Brook down to the Bank of England sports ground. A lost-dog report is filed with Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.

11.15am

A searcher reports a possible sighting of an unaccompanied black Labrador at the top of the park, near the Richmond Park boundary, close to where Astra went missing. It is unconfirmed, the dog is not seen again, and searchers cross-check that it is not another known dog in the park.

11.58am

A thermal-imaging drone arrives at the park and begins to search the canopy from above.

2.35pm

The drone completes its search of Palewell, Roehampton Gate and the surrounding houses, and the family say this rules out Astra being trapped in that area. The park is ruled out and the search focuses on Richmond Park and the nearby estates and streets. A specialist tracker dog is being arranged.

Afternoon and evening

The search spreads far beyond Palewell — across Richmond Park, Wimbledon Common, Barnes Common, the Thames path and the streets between — with dog walkers briefed on both sides of the river. Volunteers note that Astra may no longer have her collar. There is no confirmed sighting through the day.

Evening

The search is stood down for the night. Astra has not been found. It is due to resume in the morning, when a specialist tracking dog is expected to join.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/11/search-under-way-for-missing-dog-in-palewell-park/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/11/search-under-way-for-missing-dog-in-palewell-park/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Astra%20is%20still%20missing%20after%20a%20day-long%20search%20across%20south-west%20London&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/11/search-under-way-for-missing-dog-in-palewell-park/)

**Categories:** Community, East Sheen, Roehampton

**Tags:** Astra, East Sheen, missing dog, Palewell Park

---

### [Astra is home, and a whole community helped bring her back](https://putney.news/2026/06/13/astra-is-home-and-a-whole-community-helped-bring-her-back/)

**Published:** June 13, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Missing since Tuesday, the black Labrador is home after a search that crossed the entirety of south London.

**Content:**

Astra is home.

The black Labrador with the pale amber eyes, who slipped away from a dog walker near Palewell Park last Tuesday evening and set off one of the most determined community searches south-west London has seen, is back with her family, fit and well.

Her owners shared the news on Saturday evening, with a short video of Astra back on her own floor and a message saying they could scarcely believe it. After what they described as a ‘short holiday in south-east London’, they wrote, the dog was home and looking well.

What happened in between is, for now, a story the family are not able to tell in full. They have said the matter is with the police, and asked for a little space to take in an extraordinary few days. *Putney.news* will report more when there is more that can properly be said.

What can be told now is what happened in the open, across five days, and it is quite a story.

#### Hundreds came together

It began with [a handful of neighbours](https://putney.news/2026/06/11/search-under-way-for-missing-dog-in-palewell-park/) in an overgrown corner of Palewell Park, next to Richmond Park, and it did not stay small for long. A co-ordinating group set up at thirteen minutes past three on Thursday morning, in the small hours of the second night, passed 350 members within a day and a half.

Volunteers walked slow, silent lines through woodland and waded the length of Beverley Brook. A thermal-imaging drone flew over the park by day, and again at two in the morning. Posters went into schools, nurseries, stables, shops and railway stations, from Chiswick to Croydon.

Riders in Richmond Park were asked to keep watch from the saddle. A specialist tracking dog was brought in. Doorbell clips were gathered, cross-checked and [pieced into a route](https://putney.news/2026/06/12/astra-search-continues-2am-drone-flight-tracker-dogs-due-today/).

More than 200 of those people joined in actively, from across East Sheen, Barnes, Putney and Clapham, with a few following anxiously from abroad. Most of them had never met the dog they were looking for.

Somewhere in those five days, a missing black Labrador became the most talked-about dog in the area: a lost-pet appeal that turned into something closer to a neighbourhood operation, with its own maps, its own night shifts, and its own quiet rule about not calling her name in case she bolted.

That, in the end, is the part worth holding onto while the rest of the story waits. A dog went missing, and a large part of a city decided that finding her mattered.

Astra, for her part, is home, and after a few days away from her family she is, by every account, thrilled to be back.

![Astra the missing dog back at home](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/astra-relaxed-1024x690.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/13/astra-is-home-and-a-whole-community-helped-bring-her-back/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/13/astra-is-home-and-a-whole-community-helped-bring-her-back/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Astra%20is%20home%2C%20and%20a%20whole%20community%20helped%20bring%20her%20back&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/13/astra-is-home-and-a-whole-community-helped-bring-her-back/)

**Categories:** Community, East Sheen, Roehampton

**Tags:** Astra, Barnes, community, East Sheen, Richmond Park

---

### [Putney's buses are turning back again before they reach the traffic](https://putney.news/2026/06/14/putneys-buses-are-turning-back-again-before-they-reach-the-traffic/)

**Published:** June 14, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** The 22, 85 and 265 all stop at the edge of the same jam. TfL's own data shows the journeys then vanish from its figures.

**Content:**

Sally was at Putney Bridge station, on the Fulham side of the river, when she watched an out-of-service bus pull in and change its blind to a Route 22. That bus should have carried on over the bridge and down Lower Richmond Road, where her own stop is. It didn’t. It turned round and headed back towards central London. It explains why she always seems to be waiting a long time at her usual stop.

She is far from the only Putney resident who has noticed the same pattern – and not just the 22: the 85, the 93, 265 and 430. In the past fortnight, we have received a raft of reader reports complaining about the buses stopping earlier or not appearing at all. And yes, the reason is exactly what you think it is: Putney Bridge Junction and High Street congestion.

Rather than push through the junction, buses are turning back at the last point before they would hit it. The 22 turns round in Fulham rather than cross the bridge. The 85 turns at the Green Man rather than come down Putney Hill. The 265 turns in Roehampton rather than grind along Lower Richmond Road. Every one of them stops at the edge of the same jam.

[Last week, we reported that the junction was back to square one.](https://putney.news/2026/06/10/eighteen-months-of-fixes-and-putneys-junction-is-back-to-square-one/) The buses have noticed.

#### What readers are seeing

The 22 runs from Putney Common across the bridge all the way to Oxford Circus. Coming back, it has been terminating on the Fulham side and turning round, rather than get caught in Putney traffic. The result is that St Mary’s Church, Putney Pier, Ruvigny Gardens, Festing Road and Putney Common all lose their service.

The 85 runs all the way from Putney Bridge to Kingston. The slow leg is the run in from the Green Man, down Putney Hill, along the High Street and over the bridge. Rather than attempt it late, drivers have been turning round at the Green Man, in some cases putting passengers off to walk down the hill.

The 265, which has the longest route all the way to Tolworth and also ends at Putney Bridge, does the same thing for the same reason, turning in Roehampton rather than take Lower Richmond Road towards the bridge.

Paul wrote to us about the 39 and 93, cut short to Putney Heath, and raised the worry that runs through every batch of tips we receive: that a temporary curtailment has a habit of quietly becoming permanent. His wife has mobility issues. The stops being skipped are not optional to her. Another reader reported the 93 ending at the Green Man every day for a week in late May, with TfL citing roadworks on the high street. That episode is now resolved, but it lasted seven days.

The 39 and 93 seem to running normally again. The 22, 85 and 265 and 430 are not.

![Bus curtailment map](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/putney-bus-turnaround-map-v5.png)Bus have started to end their journeys early again because of Putney Bridge junction traffic#### Why the buses keep doing this

What’s actually happening was set out in full in [our 2025 investigation](https://putney.news/2025/06/27/exposed-how-putneys-buses-abandon-passengers-to-fake-perfect-performance/), but the short version is this: when a bus turns back before its scheduled terminus, the journey drops out of TfL’s reliability measure. The official metric, Excess Waiting Time, is recorded only at designated timing points. A bus that never reaches the timing point is not counted as late, because as far as the data is concerned it was never really there.

This matters because operators earn a bonus when Excess Waiting Time stays below one minute and face a penalty when it rises above. A bus that turns back early helps the figure. TfL’s own data for Putney’s worst-affected routes had them [running 41% above the borough average](https://putney.news/2026/03/17/putneys-buses-are-41-worse-than-the-rest-of-wandsworth-and-the-data-proves-the-junction-is-why/) in the latest quarter, and that is the figure after the curtailed journeys have already vanished from it.

#### What TfL’s own data shows

The proof sits in TfL’s own records. Route 85 trip data for a 28-day period in summer 2025, released under Freedom of Information, shows that of 413 inbound curtailments in that period, 343 ended at the Green Man, and 94% were coded ‘Lost due to Traffic’. One in five scheduled 85s never reached Putney. Strip out two strike days and it is still around one in seven, so the shortfall was curtailment, not crew shortages.

The geography shows up in the figures. At Putney Heath, 8.7% of scheduled calls were lost. At the very next stop inward, the figure jumps to 19.3%. That is not a gradual decline. It is a turnback point written into the data.

There is a further wrinkle. In October 2025 TfL’s own correspondence confirmed that lower Excess Waiting Time had been achieved by lengthening scheduled journey times rather than by speeding journeys up. The timetable was slowed to match how long journeys were already taking, and the reliability figure improved on paper without anything improving on the road. As the operator’s own representative put it at a [public meeting last year](https://putney.news/2025/09/27/exposed-how-putneys-transport-chiefs-gave-up-fighting-for-reliable-buses/), if a bus terminates early, it does not count against the data.

> [Exposed: How Putney’s buses abandon passengers to fake perfect performance](https://putney.news/2025/06/27/exposed-how-putneys-buses-abandon-passengers-to-fake-perfect-performance/)

#### A pattern in where they turn

There is one more thing in the route data worth noting, though it raises a question rather than answers one. The turnaround points are not scattered at random. On the routes we examined, buses curtail a strikingly consistent distance from the end of their journey.

The 22 turns seven stops short of its terminus, having run 26 of its 33 stops. The 85 turns seven short of 34. The 265 turns 13 short of 50. In each case the bus has completed roughly three-quarters of its route before giving up the rest, and the part it gives up is the part that runs through Putney.

The 430 is the exception that fits. It curtails only four stops from its end, sacrificing its final stops into the Alton Estate, because the only other place it can physically turn round sits halfway along its route, too early to use. It cannot curtail at the three-quarter mark, so it cuts the tail instead.

Each of these turnaround points is also a hub where several other routes meet, which means TfL can argue that stranded passengers have onward connections. That argument only holds if the connecting routes complete the leg the passenger has been turned off, and several of them are curtailing for the same reason. *Putney.news* has asked TfL whether any rule governs the point at which a journey may be curtailed, and these questions are set out below.

#### What you can do

If you see a bus turn back before its scheduled terminus, [tell us](https://putney.news/contact/). Note the route, the stop, the time and what you saw. We are building a reader picture of where and how often this is happening, and the vehicle number, shown on the front and back of the bus, makes any report easier to verify.

Cllr Daniel Hamilton holds the transport brief in Wandsworth’s new Conservative administration. His contact details are on [the council’s councillor pages](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/the-council/councillors/find-your-councillors/).

You can also make your own Freedom of Information request to TfL at [whatdotheyknow.com](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/) for the trip-level data on the routes you use. We obtained this for the 85, and it is what proved the pattern. TfL holds the same records for every other route. Ask for *“trip-level operated mileage and curtailment data for route \[XX\], broken down by journey and by stop, in spreadsheet format, for the last six months.”* The words “trip-level” and “by stop” are what force the detail; without them you get a summary that hides the problem.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/14/putneys-buses-are-turning-back-again-before-they-reach-the-traffic/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/14/putneys-buses-are-turning-back-again-before-they-reach-the-traffic/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20buses%20are%20turning%20back%20again%20before%20they%20reach%20the%20traffic&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/14/putneys-buses-are-turning-back-again-before-they-reach-the-traffic/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** bus, Cllr Daniel Hamilton, Lower Richmond Road, Putney Bridge junction, Putney High Street, Roehampton, TfL, traffic congestion

---

### [Putney Bridge closed for hours after Friday night emergency](https://putney.news/2026/06/12/putney-bridge-closed-emergency-services-on-scene/)

**Published:** June 12, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Police, fire crews and rescue boats brought both approaches to a standstill.

**Content:**

**UPDATED** Putney Bridge was closed in both directions from around approximately 8pm on Friday, with a large emergency service presence on both sides of the bridge.

![Stone arched bridge over a calm river with ornamental lamp posts and city buildings in the background, viewed from the riverbank at dusk.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_2389-1024x768.jpeg)Multiple police cars, three fire engines, and an ambulance were deployed across both approaches. Two rescue boats, one fire rescue vessel and one lifeboat, were in the water on either side of the bridge. The closure followed concern for a man on the outside of the bridge, with whom police negotiators spoke over a sustained period.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/putney-bridge-closed-man-1024x768.png)Pedestrians were cleared from the bridge and turned away at both ends. All bus services crossing the bridge were turned around, and traffic built up on both sides with no vehicles able to cross. On a Friday evening, the closure affected routes across southwest London. *Putney.news* was at the scene.

#### A long closure into the night

By around 10.52pm, the emergency vehicles had left the scene, but the bridge remained closed. The man was no longer on the outside of the bridge. Police at the scene said the closure was likely to continue through the night.

![Emergency vehicles on a city bridge: red rescue engines and a yellow incident-response unit, with people walking along the railing and a small boat in the water nearby.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_2381-1024x768.jpeg)Drivers were advised to avoid the area and use Wandsworth Bridge as the nearest alternative crossing. Hammersmith Bridge remains under traffic restrictions.

![Emergency responders and police vehicles on a city street behind red and white 'Police Line Do Not Cross' tape.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_2385-1024x768.jpeg)It is the second time in fifteen months that Putney Bridge has been closed by a [major emergency response](https://putney.news/2025/03/31/putney-bridge-closed-amid-major-police-incident/). In March 2025 the bridge was shut for several hours during a morning concern-for-welfare incident.

Thet Met said in a statement on Saturday:

> Police were called at 19:06hrs on Friday, 12 June following concern for the safety of a man on Putney Bridge.
> 
> Officers attended the scene, alongside the London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service.
> 
> No arrests were made, the man engaged with officers at the location and Putney Bridge was reopened at 23:08hrs.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/putney-bridge-fire-rescue-boat-1024x768.png)---

*If you are affected by any of the issues in this article, the Samaritans can be contacted free, day or night, on 116 123, or by email at .*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/12/putney-bridge-closed-emergency-services-on-scene/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/12/putney-bridge-closed-emergency-services-on-scene/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20Bridge%20closed%20for%20hours%20after%20Friday%20night%20emergency&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/12/putney-bridge-closed-emergency-services-on-scene/)

**Categories:** Health, Live events, News, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, Putney Bridge, Thames bridges, thamesfield, Transport

---

### [Council hid legal dispute when it approved Putney Leisure Centre contract](https://putney.news/2026/06/13/council-hid-legal-dispute-when-it-approved-putney-leisure-centre-contract/)

**Published:** June 13, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Documents show Cabinet voted 12 days after Places Leisure was formally warned - and key briefings are still being withheld.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council changed the café at Putney Leisure Centre without telling residents, approved the change in a document it spent six months refusing to release, and signed the contract twelve days after Places Leisure had been formally warned it might have no legal right to remove the businesses already there.

A partial release of that document, forced by a freedom of information complaint, shows what the council kept from the public. The café reconfiguration appeared in the confidential annex as a named element of Places Leisure’s winning bid.

Places Leisure says the previous administration also knew about the plans to reduce the pool size; plans that were put on hold this week after a public outcry. Whether Cabinet was told about either, and what was written in the annex, will not be confirmed until the council releases the document in full.

The council holds further documents from that decision (officer reports, Cabinet briefings, correspondence between council officers and Places Leisure) that it is still refusing to release. *Putney.news* first asked for the information in November 2025 and pursued the information through an internal review. We have an active complaint with the Information Commissioner to find out what else the Council knew about the deal and when.

#### What Cabinet approved

Cabinet Paper 25-177, approved on 16 June 2025, awarded the contract to Places Leisure. The public version ran to 41 paragraphs. It contained no mention of the small businesses that had operated the cafés at Putney, Tooting, and Latchmere for nearly a decade. It contained no risk assessment. Its legal implications section stated, in a single clause, that new leases would be structured to remove business tenants’ right to stay, without explaining what that meant for anyone already trading in the buildings.

The detail was in the confidential annex, Paper 25-177A. The partial disclosure shows the proposed café reconfiguration at Putney listed as a named element of the winning bid. That is also where the financial figures and risk register were kept. The council refused to release it for six months. The partial disclosure last week still redacts all financial figures.

Cabinet was directed, in the public paper, to note the financial savings “as set out in the exempt part of the paper.” The exempt part is the part the public was not allowed to see.

---

Timeline: 26 days — Places Leisure contract26 days

From the first legal challenge to the Cabinet vote that approved the contract

  21 May 2025

Café forced to close

Places Leisure closes The Kitchen at Putney without notice during an unannounced audit. Jeannine Angel writes the same evening to say she did not agree to close.

 28 May 2025

Legal challenge served

Angel’s solicitors write to Places Leisure asserting the procedure used to remove her legal right to remain may never have been properly completed — for either of her leases, or those at Tooting and Latchmere.

 3 June 2025

The form that should have come first

A Places Leisure manager emails Angel asking her to sign a statutory declaration form that should have been signed before her lease began. Her solicitor calls it a tacit admission. Angel declines.

 4 June 2025

Places Leisure acknowledges the dispute

Places Leisure’s legal team formally acknowledges the LTA 1954 challenge in writing and promises evidence in response. That evidence never arrives.

---

 12 days pass---

 16 June 2025

Cabinet votes

Wandsworth Cabinet approves the £24 million, 10-year Places Leisure contract. The public paper contains no reference to the dispute, the existing café tenants, or any legal challenge. No risk assessment was prepared.

The Cabinet paper confirmed all new leases would be **contracted out of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954** — without explaining what that meant for the businesses already operating in the buildings. The confidential annex, Paper 25-177A, was withheld from the public for six months.

Sources: primary documents held by Putney.news; Cabinet Paper 25-177; FOI response WBC-FOI-11625 and internal review outcome 9 June 2026.

#### Twelve days

On 21 May 2025, Places Leisure closed The Kitchen at Putney without notice during an unannounced audit. Jeannine Angel, whose family had run the café since 2015, was told to shut immediately. She wrote to Places Leisure that same evening to say she had not agreed to close.

Her solicitors wrote seven days later, telling Places Leisure that the procedure used to remove Angel’s legal right to remain in the building may never have been properly completed, for either lease it had issued her or for the equivalent arrangements at Tooting and Latchmere. Rather than produce documents to disprove the claim, Places Leisure sent Angel a form asking her to sign away those rights retrospectively. It was the same form that should have been signed before her lease began. Her solicitor replied that requesting it now amounted to an admission it had never been properly obtained. Angel would not be signing it.

On 4 June 2025, Places Leisure’s legal team formally acknowledged the dispute and promised evidence in response. That evidence never arrived.

Twelve days later, Cabinet voted.

Nothing in the Cabinet paper mentioned any of this.

#### The pool

Residents discovered the plan to shorten Putney Leisure Centre’s 33-metre pool on 2 June 2026, nearly a year after the contract was signed. Cllr Ethan Brooks, the new Conservative Cabinet member for leisure, paused the plan within hours of residents finding out. No consultation had taken place.

Places Leisure has said the previous Labour administration was aware of the plans, including the pool reconfiguration. Whether that awareness extended to Cabinet, and what was written in the confidential Paper 25-177A about the pool, will not be known until the council releases the document in full. It has so far refused to do so.

![Indoor swimming pool with multiple lane ropes, diving platforms, and a high, glass-walled viewing area in the background.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/putney-leisure-centre-pool-2-1024x576.jpg)#### What Cllr White said

Cllr Paul White was Cabinet Member for Environment when the contract was approved. He has not previously responded to questions from *Putney.news* about his role. This week he did.

White said he was aware that “a mutually agreeable settlement was being sought” over the cafés, and that no new café provider has yet been decided. He said he did not know the terms of the settlement reached in March 2026.

He did not say whether he knew about the legal dispute before the vote. Asked directly, he pointed to the joint statement issued when the businesses closed. That statement does not address the timing. *Putney.news’* questions to White covered the café dispute. He was not asked about the pool.

White is now Labour’s environment shadow in opposition.

Wandsworth Council’s press office, Places Leisure, and Cllr Brooks did not respond to questions submitted three days ago, on Wednesday 10 June 2026.

#### The documents the council is keeping

The council’s FOI reviewer confirmed last week, on the record, that the council holds officer reports, Cabinet briefings prepared for Cllr White, and correspondence between council officers and Places Leisure discussing the café tenancies. All of it is withheld under a commercial interests exemption.

The contract has been running for twelve months. The businesses have closed. A settlement has been reached.

The documents the council is keeping are the ones that would show what Cabinet was told before it voted. Either Cabinet knew about the legal dispute and approved the contract anyway, or it did not know, because no one told it. The papers would also let us know if the previous administration agreed to the pool reduction from 33m to 25m, without informing or consulting residents. The council will not release them.

We asked the new Conservative councillor in charge, Cllr Brooks, whether he had seen the relevant documents and whether he would agree to release them. He did not respond.

#### A public building

Putney Leisure Centre is not Places Leisure’s building. It belongs to Wandsworth. Places Leisure manages it as the council’s agent, collecting income in the council’s name.

The decision to change its café and pool, and to remove the businesses that had traded there for years, was not an operational matter handled quietly by a contractor. They were approved by elected councillors, in a Cabinet vote, paid for through a public contract. Residents did not know, had no say and were not informed.

Each document the council has been forced to release has raised more questions over its conduct. The partial release of Paper 25-177A showed what the contract authorised. The question that remains is in the documents it is still refusing to show.

---

**Wandsworth Council**
Putney.news submitted the following questions to Wandsworth Council on Wednesday 10 June 2026 (click/tap to reveal). It has not responded.1. The public Cabinet paper approved a clause removing security of tenure from anyone already trading in the leisure centres. Why was there no explanation in that paper of what this meant for businesses already operating in those spaces?
2. Places Leisure’s legal team acknowledged the café dispute in writing on 4 June 2025. Cabinet approved the contract 12 days later. Do the withheld officer reports and Cabinet briefings contain any reference to that dispute — yes or no?
3. Why was no risk assessment prepared for a £24 million, 10-year contract?
4. Putney Leisure Centre is a publicly owned facility. The contract approved changes to its café and pool without any public consultation. Why were residents not consulted?
5. The £80,000 budget for the Dryburgh Hall Kitchen refurbishment was moved from 2024/25 to 2026/27. Why was it deferred?
6. Did the confidential settlement reached in March 2026 involve public money? If so, how much?

**Wandsworth Council did not respond to questions submitted on Wednesday 10 June 2026.**

**Places Leisure**
Putney.news submitted the following questions to Places Leisure on Wednesday 10 June 2026 (click/tap to reveal). It has not responded.1. When did Places Leisure first become aware that the lease arrangements at Putney, Tooting, and Latchmere may not have validly excluded the café operators’ security of tenure?
2. Did Places Leisure tell Wandsworth Council about the legal challenge before Cabinet approved the contract on 16 June 2025?
3. The contract approved changes to the café and pool at Putney Leisure Centre – a publicly owned facility – without any public consultation. Does Places Leisure consider that residents should have been consulted?
4. Did the confidential settlement reached in March 2026 involve a payment to the operators? If so, was that payment made from income collected from publicly owned leisure facilities?

**Cllr Paul White**
Putney.news submitted the following questions to Councillor Paul White on Wednesday 10 June 2026. He was Cabinet Member for Environment when the contract was approved on 16 June 2025.1. Before you approved the contract, were you aware that the café operators at Putney, Tooting, and Latchmere had already launched a legal challenge over their rights to remain in those spaces?
2. Were you briefed by officers on what the existing café operators’ legal position was before you approved the contract?
3. The contract contained a clause removing security of tenure from anyone trading in the leisure centres. Did you understand at the time what that meant for the businesses already operating there?
4. You told a public meeting in June 2025 that Putney would get a new café. At that point, were you aware that a legal dispute was already under way over the existing operator’s right to that space?

**Councillor White responded on 11 June 2026. He said he was aware that “a mutually agreeable settlement was being sought” and that “there has been no new café provider decided as yet.” He did not answer whether he was aware of the legal challenge before the Cabinet vote on 16 June 2025.**

**Cllr Ethan Brooks**
Putney.news submitted the following questions to Councillor Ethan Brooks on Wednesday 10 June 2026. Councillor Brooks holds the Cabinet brief for leisure in the new Conservative administration. He has not responded.1. Have you reviewed the internal council briefings and officer reports from the June 2025 contract approval? If so, do you believe Cabinet was given enough information to make a properly informed decision?
2. The pool reconfiguration that you paused last week was approved as part of that same contract, without any public consultation. The café changes at Putney, Tooting, and Latchmere were approved the same way. Do you accept that residents should have been consulted before those decisions were made?
3. Putney.news has an active complaint with the Information Commissioner seeking the release of the withheld officer briefings from the June 2025 approval. Does the new administration support that disclosure?
4. Before any works at Putney Leisure Centre go ahead, will the new administration hold a public consultation on what has been approved under the contract?

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/13/council-hid-legal-dispute-when-it-approved-putney-leisure-centre-contract/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/13/council-hid-legal-dispute-when-it-approved-putney-leisure-centre-contract/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Council%20hid%20legal%20dispute%20when%20it%20approved%20Putney%20Leisure%20Centre%20contract&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/13/council-hid-legal-dispute-when-it-approved-putney-leisure-centre-contract/)

**Categories:** Politics, West Putney

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Ethan Brooks, Cllr Paul White, Fleur Anderson MP, FOI, Places Leisure, Putney Leisure Centre, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Putney's 33-metre pool is saved! For now at least](https://putney.news/2026/06/12/putneys-33-metre-pool-is-saved-for-now-at-least/)

**Published:** June 12, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Content:**

Putney’s 33-metre pool is staying. Wandsworth Council and Places Leisure have dropped the plan to shorten it, after more than 1,450 people signed a petition against the cut.

The council has gone further than dropping the cut. It has promised that any future move to shorten the pool would need public consultation first, the one step the original plan skipped.

The wider refurbishment still goes ahead, but the pool will stay open while it is done. The work is now due to begin this summer, rather than the 1 July first announced, with the changing rooms refurbished in stages so swimmers keep access throughout. No closure or lost summer.

The decision came in a joint statement from the council and Places Leisure, which runs Putney Leisure Centre. The Cabinet Member for Leisure, Ethan Brooks, had met the operator at the centre two days earlier.

![Orange and cream mannequin heads on display in a storefront window, with reflections in the glass and interior shelving visible behind them.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/putney-leisure-centre-2-768x1024.jpg)[The original notice on 2 June](https://putney.news/2026/06/03/putney-leisure-centre-pool-to-be-permanently-cut-without-any-public-consultation/), sent to members by email, had said the pool would be permanently shortened, with no consultation. The petition followed within days. Brooks took on the leisure brief only last month, when the Conservatives formed an administration after May’s elections, and inherited the row with it.

Dan Hawtrey, who organised the petition, welcomed the result in an update to supporters but said the campaign was not over. He wrote that the petition “is not going to be enough”, and that he expected the issue to return as a public consultation. He is keeping it open so residents can respond when it does.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/putney-leisure-centre-front-1024x768.png)His caution matches the wording of the statement itself. The council commits to the pool’s length only “as part of the current plans”, leaving room for the question to return in a future version of the contract. And [what the previous Labour administration approved, and why the council will not release the papers](https://putney.news/2026/06/04/places-leisure-says-labour-approved-putneys-pool-cut-the-council-wont-release-the-papers/), remains unresolved.

For now, the pool keeps its length and the works will not lock swimmers out. The council says more detail on the refurbishment, and on how residents can have their say, will follow at the centre in the coming weeks.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/12/putneys-33-metre-pool-is-saved-for-now-at-least/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/12/putneys-33-metre-pool-is-saved-for-now-at-least/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%2033-metre%20pool%20is%20saved%21%20For%20now%20at%20least&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/12/putneys-33-metre-pool-is-saved-for-now-at-least/)

**Categories:** Health, Politics, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Cllr Ethan Brooks, Places Leisure, public consultation, Putney Leisure Centre, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Two years after Halifax left, Putney High Street gets a metal box](https://putney.news/2026/06/12/two-years-after-halifax-left-putney-high-street-gets-a-metal-box/)

**Published:** June 12, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** The former bank has gone from empty doorway to rough sleeper shelter to security hoarding. Still no tenant.

**Content:**

The former Halifax building at the top of Putney High Street was enclosed in metal security hoarding this week. It has been empty for more than two years.

The hoarding covers the full frontage in perforated steel, with an access door fitted with a keypad. Functional, but a steel box at one of the busiest pedestrian corners in Putney, immediately next to the station.

#### A doorway that kept filling up

Since the building closed, its deep entrance recess has become a regular spot for rough sleepers. By April 2025, a year after Lloyds left, someone was sleeping in the doorway under the CBRE “To Let” sign. By May this year the same space held a bamboo screen, a sofa, bedding, a wooden pallet. A man named Levi was living there with his girlfriend. The council gave him a bin.

![Person sleeping on a blanket on the sidewalk in front of a glass storefront beside a large pillar.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/halifax-homeless-apr25-1024x768.png)A homeless person asleep in the entryway, April 2025.The situation had grown uncomfortable. Footfall at the station corner is among the highest on the High Street, and the shelter had become hard to ignore. The building’s owners were eventually asked to act. CBRE issued an eviction notice on behalf of Lloyds Banking Group, after requests from Positively Putney and local police.

It told Levi the building was “private property and not authorised for occupation” and warned that any belongings left after the deadline “will be removed and disposed of without further notice.” At the bottom, it referred him to his local council for support. He told *Putney.news* he had already asked the council for help and been refused. [That story is here.](https://putney.news/2026/05/21/i-just-want-help-the-man-moved-on-from-putney-high-streets-empty-bank/)

![Storefront with a 'To Let' sign; in front, wicker barrier and cushions/blankets create a makeshift seating area beside a planter along the shopfront, pedestrians and street scene in background.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/halifax-homeless-768x1024.png)The most recent temporary visitor – who set up an encampment of sorts.Within days, he had returned, with his tent now sticking out into the High Street itself. The hoarding is the direct result. In three weeks, the building has gone from a rough sleeper’s eviction to a steel box.

#### The building that banks left behind

Lloyds Banking Group owns the building. It was originally the Halifax branch; then Lloyds closed its own Putney branch in April 2024, the seventh bank to leave Putney High Street in recent years, leaving just NatWest and Metro. Lloyds’ own figures showed why: 42 per cent fewer personal customers between 2018 and 2023, 62 per cent fewer business users, cashpoint use down by half.

[CBRE has been marketing the building to let at £127,500 a year](https://putney.news/2024/04/11/lloyds-bank-closes-its-doors-on-putney-high-street/) since the closure. At the time, *Putney.news* reported the asking price may prove difficult given the borough’s high business rates. More than two years later, there is no tenant.

![Beige wall-mounted keypad with a blue numeric keypad and a 'CLEARWAY' sticker describing press-and-wait instructions next to a perforated metal panel.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/halifax-metal-box-1024x768.png)The building has a longer history than most passers-by realise. It is part of Zeeta House, an Art Deco block built in 1938 at the junction of Upper Richmond Road and Putney High Street. The second floor was originally a ballroom with a sprung oak floor and a domed ceiling.

In the early 1960s it became the Pontiac Club, one of the busiest music venues in south-west London. Manfred Mann, The Hollies, Donovan, and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers all played there. By the 1970s the ballroom was Wandsworth Council offices. By the 2010s the ground floor was a bank. Now it is behind steel.

#### Two responses to an empty shopfront

A few doors down at 146-148, Positively Putney sponsored a mural on the former Bill’s restaurant: a river scene, rowing boats, “Proud to be Putney.” At 171-173, there is perforated steel.

Positively Putney has brightened empty units across the High Street with window displays and murals. Metal hoarding is harder to work with. The organisation has not confirmed whether it has plans for the new frontage.

![Colorful mural on a storefront: bold 'PROUD TO BE PUTNEY' with flowers, trees, and a blue sky background.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/old-bills-positively-putney-mural-1024x768.png)[Anyone stepping off the train at Putney station](https://putney.news/2025/12/09/empty-shops-cluster-at-both-ends-of-putney-high-street/) faces a run of empty shopfronts at this end of the street. The former Lost Society bar has been empty for well over a year. The former Bill’s site has been vacant since 2023. Brinkley’s estate agents recently relocated, adding another empty window to the run.

The building at 171-173 sits at one of the busiest pedestrian junctions in Putney. This is our seventh report on the High Street’s vacancy problem.

![Brick building with ground-floor shops (best-one, Stirling Ackroyd) and large display windows under a white awning; brick facade above.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/halifax-metal-box-5-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/12/two-years-after-halifax-left-putney-high-street-gets-a-metal-box/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/12/two-years-after-halifax-left-putney-high-street-gets-a-metal-box/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Two%20years%20after%20Halifax%20left%2C%20Putney%20High%20Street%20gets%20a%20metal%20box&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/12/two-years-after-halifax-left-putney-high-street-gets-a-metal-box/)

**Categories:** Save the High Street, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Positively Putney, Putney High Street, retail closures, Save the High Street, squatters, Wandsworth Council

---

### [By the time Wandsworth acted, the person it was meant to help had given up](https://putney.news/2026/06/11/by-the-time-wandsworth-acted-the-person-it-was-meant-to-help-had-given-up/)

**Published:** June 11, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Watchdog finds council took more than seven months and apologised twice - but ruled no payment was due.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council took more than seven months to complete a care assessment for a young woman, a watchdog has found. By the time the council finally acted, she told it she no longer wanted their help.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman [upheld a complaint](https://www.lgo.org.uk/decisions/adult-care-services/assessment-and-care-plan/25-008-645) (25-008-645) brought by the woman’s mother, who has been caring for her adult daughter largely alone. It found fault with the council on two counts: the delay in assessing the daughter’s needs, and a separate delay in completing the mother’s own carer’s assessment.

But it concluded that neither failure had caused harm serious enough to warrant a financial payment. The council’s apologies, and a new social worker assigned to the case, were deemed sufficient. It is just the latest in a long series of cases that the council has been rebuked by independent judges over.

#### What happened

The council began a care and support assessment for the daughter in January 2025. Three months passed before it arranged an initial meeting to discuss a plan. When that meeting came, in April, the council proposed five hours of support per week, and the plan assumed the mother would continue doing most of the care herself. There were no direct payments, no provision for breaks from caring, and no timescale.

The mother complained. The council apologised, blamed staff absence, and described five hours as “a starting point.” It then asked her to provide detailed information about what was needed. She provided it: 3-5 times the number of hours she had been offered, plus the ability to take a break from caring and emergency cover. It didn’t come. By June the council had apologised again and allocated a new social worker.

By August, when the council submitted information to the Ombudsman, it accepted the delay had been unreasonable. In those same submissions it told the Ombudsman that the daughter had by that point said she did not want the council to arrange services for her.

In September, the council completed the mother’s own carer’s assessment (nine months after the process had begun) and gave her the details of a local carers’ centre. The regular breaks from caring she had been asking for – where someone else would step in to look after her daughter – were not arranged.

#### The finding and what it doesn’t resolve

The Ombudsman’s found the council at fault but noted it cannot make someone accept help if they have said they don’t want it. The council accepted the daughter had needs it should meet under the law. No financial payment was ordered.

What the Ombudsman cannot determine, and neither can we, is why. Whether the daughter’s choice is simply what she wants, or whether it reflects the accumulated weight of watching her mother fight a bureaucracy for the better part of a year, complaining twice, waiting for meetings that were months late, and getting nowhere. The finding closes the case. It does not close that question.

The mother is still in the same position she was in when she started. She is still caring for her daughter. She has been given the details of a local carers’ centre. Respite remains unavailable without her daughter’s agreement.

#### The pattern

Earlier this year, the Ombudsman issued [three rulings against the council in eight days](https://putney.news/2026/04/22/wandsworth-keeps-promising-to-fix-its-housing-failures-the-same-promise-six-times/). In November, we reported on a family who received [a £40,000 social care bill with no prior warning](https://putney.news/2025/11/15/the-nightmare-care-bill-councils-silence-then-a-40000-shock/), another case where the council’s own processes failed someone who depended on them.

The Care Act 2014 requires councils to assess any adult who appears to need care and support. The requirement applies regardless of whether the council ultimately decides to pay for any support. Wandsworth’s delay in completing both assessments was found to breach that duty.

#### If you are a carer trying to get help

Under the Care Act 2014, the council must carry out a care assessment for any adult who appears to need support. You do not need to prove eligibility first. If the council is not responding, you can raise a formal complaint through the council’s own complaints process, and if that does not resolve it, you can escalate to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. The service is free and independent.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/11/by-the-time-wandsworth-acted-the-person-it-was-meant-to-help-had-given-up/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/11/by-the-time-wandsworth-acted-the-person-it-was-meant-to-help-had-given-up/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=By%20the%20time%20Wandsworth%20acted%2C%20the%20person%20it%20was%20meant%20to%20help%20had%20given%20up&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/11/by-the-time-wandsworth-acted-the-person-it-was-meant-to-help-had-given-up/)

**Categories:** Health

**Tags:** accountability, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Wandsworth Council

---

### [The American who revived southwest London's forgotten Victorian football club](https://putney.news/2026/06/11/the-american-who-revived-southwest-londons-forgotten-victorian-football-club/)

**Published:** June 11, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Matthew Evans spotted a gap, found a 153-year-old name on the FA's defunct list, and got to work.

**Content:**

When Matthew Evans arrived at Roehampton University from South Carolina two years ago, he noticed something missing. There was no non-league football club in the area. The only one nearby was Barnes FC, and Evans, who had been working in football since he was 14, saw a gap.

He looked into it. On the FA’s list of defunct clubs, dormant since 1906, sat East Sheen FC, founded in 1873. Once one of the most ambitious clubs in southwest London, it was now just a name in a register. Evans read roughly 400 articles from the 1800s, registered a company, and got the FA to reinstate the club through that registration.

“This isn’t like we’re trying to grasp and cling on to history,” he told *Putney.news*. “This is more about: look at what this amazing club did before that no one knows about. And now we have a chance to bring it back for the new generation by the new generation.”

#### A club that toured France before most clubs had left their county

East Sheen FC began as a rugby club in 1873, added association football in 1882, and within three years had won the Surrey Senior Cup. In 1899 the club toured France, beating Paris XI twice and Paris White Rovers 6-0. Its two most celebrated players, brothers Arthur and Percy Melmoth Walters, both became England captains in the 1880s, widely regarded as the finest full-backs of their era. The club dissolved in 1906 after losing its home pitch.

![Percy and Arthur Walters](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/percy-arthur-walters.png)Percy and Arthur Melmoth Walters, legends of East Sheen FC in its glory daysFor 120 years, that was it.

#### Building from Putney up

Evans is 23 and has just graduated. His CV is not what you might expect from someone reviving a Victorian football club on a budget: he ran the men’s football programme at the University of Hampton for two years, chaired two Step 6 clubs, and has placements from step 1 to step 8, including work for Arsenal in the US. He is clear about his role at East Sheen FC. He won’t be coaching. He is chairman and CEO; the commercial and back-end operation is his job.

Pre-season starts in July. The first competitive games are in August. There will be three men’s teams: a first team competing at step 8 (the eighth tier of the English football league pyramid), plus two development squads, and a women’s team starting in the lowest competitive women’s league. Youth teams are on the horizon for this year if the numbers come together.

---

The English football pyramid shown as a diagram with band sizes indicating relative number of clubs at each level. Grassroots Sunday league at the base, Premier League at the apex. The semi-professional zone — Steps 6 to 8 — is enlarged because East Sheen FC starts at Step 8 in August 2026. Detail cards below cover the top five tiers.           top 5 tiers 116 clubs ↓   Step 6 · 48 clubs National League North & South   Step 7 · ~66 clubs Isthmian · Southern · Northern Premier   Step 8 · ~240 clubs Regional feeder leagues · competitive amateur  East Sheen FC starts here · Aug 2026   Steps 9–11 · County leagues ~5,000 clubs · amateur · volunteer-run   Sunday league & parks football ~18,000 clubs · outside the pyramid where most of England actually plays Band sizes indicate relative club numbersThe top of the game — magnified

Premier League

Step 1 · 20 clubs · fully professional. The most-watched league on Earth, £6bn+ in annual revenue.

Championship

Step 2 · 24 clubs · the richest second tier in world football.

League One

Step 3 · 24 clubs · fully professional.

League Two

Step 4 · 24 clubs · the bottom of the English Football League.

 PROFESSIONAL ABOVE · SEMI-PRO BELOW

National League

Step 5 · 24 clubs · the top of non-league football. Where Wrexham were when the cameras arrived.

 East Sheen’s five-year target

 **The maths of the climb:** the five tiers above hold 116 clubs. The rest of the pyramid holds 40,000+. East Sheen FC starts at Step 8 in August — three promotions and five years from their National League target. 

Source: The FA / England Football · Premier League and EFL cards use official brand colours

---

Training rotates across southwest London: Putney, Barnes, Battersea, Sheen. Home games for the men’s first team will be in Chiswick. He has agreed a partnership with the University of Roehampton, with the club using some of the university’s facilities. The current squad stands at around 20 people.

“We want to build this club for 16 to 25 year olds on and off the pitch,” Evans says. The operating budget target to launch all teams is £30,000.

#### The vessel, not just the result

The career-development mission is central to what Evans is trying to build. He talks about football as a vessel for making better people, not just better players. The club will actively take on people in supporting roles even without the CV for it.

“I’ll say yes to someone helping out on social media, even if they don’t have the CV for it, because we can train you,” he says.

The comparison to Wrexham AFC, the non-league club turned Netflix subject, comes up. Evans accepts it but with his own framing. He is the realistic version.

“We are the lowest possible budget version of \[Wrexham\],” he says. “The realistic version.”

As for the Ted Lasso comparison that followed him through the national coverage: he leans into it, but redirects it. “It’s less of the ‘American working in football’… I choose to take the positive attitude of putting people first, the development side of the story.”

The long-term vision is a club where the football is eventually free. “Whether you’re in our youth program or you’re in our men’s program, football’s free. That might be a two-year goal, that might be a 10-year goal.”

Step 5 within five years is the sporting ambition. The National League and beyond is the dream.

#### How to get involved

The club is actively looking for [players](https://www.eastsheenfc.com/trials), volunteers, and [sponsors](https://www.eastsheenfc.com/club/sponsorship). [Membership](https://www.eastsheenfc.com/club/get-involved) is £25 a month for students and £35 a month for adults.

For local businesses, there is a more unusual opportunity. East Sheen FC is planning a fourth kit designed to carry as many sponsor logos as possible. Evans describes it as looking “a bit like a NASCAR.” The goal is to set a world record for the most sponsored football shirt ever. Sponsorship tiers are £25, £50 and £75, with price determining logo size. Evans is targeting local businesses from “Thames side, southwest London.”

Contact the club at .

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/11/the-american-who-revived-southwest-londons-forgotten-victorian-football-club/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/11/the-american-who-revived-southwest-londons-forgotten-victorian-football-club/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20American%20who%20revived%20southwest%20London%E2%80%99s%20forgotten%20Victorian%20football%20club&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/11/the-american-who-revived-southwest-londons-forgotten-victorian-football-club/)

**Categories:** Football, Roehampton

**Tags:** Barnes, Battersea, community, East Sheen FC, non-league football, Roehampton, University of Roehampton

---

### [New council, old crisis: Wandsworth's housing stock is shrinking from both ends](https://putney.news/2026/06/11/new-council-old-crisis-wandsworths-housing-stock-is-shrinking-from-both-ends/)

**Published:** June 11, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Right to Buy sales are accelerating. The replacement programme has been partly cancelled.

**Content:**

Wandsworth could lose up to 300 council homes in the coming months. At the same time, the building programme meant to replace them has just been partly cancelled.

The homes at risk come from Right to Buy, the legal right most council tenants have to buy their home at a discount. Last November, the government cut the maximum discount in London from £136,400 to £16,000 and gave tenants just 21 days to apply. The result was a national rush that left Wandsworth processing more than three years’ worth of applications at once.

That is one end of the squeeze. The other is the replacement programme. It has just been partly cancelled. The council that inherited both problems in May has not yet said what it intends to do about either.

The Right to Buy discount cut

Maximum discount for a London council tenant, drawn to scale

 Before 21 November 2024 £136,400 

 What the average Wandsworth tenant actually received, 2023–24 £112,771 

 From 21 November 2024 £16,000 

A tenant who applied on 20 November could receive **over eight times more** than a tenant who applied two days later.

Sources: GOV.UK Right to Buy guidance; Wandsworth Council Right to Buy consultation response, January 2025

#### How Wandsworth’s Right to Buy backlog was created

The council normally receives around 180 Right to Buy applications a year. In the weeks around the November deadline, it took in the order of 600. Every one of those applications represents a home that may leave the council’s stock at a discount averaging around £112,000, against a cap of just £16,000 for anyone applying today.

The government announced the cut on 30 October 2024 and gave councils 21 days’ notice. Nationally, applications in 2024-25 reached 63,068, up 236% on the previous year, the highest in two decades.

An application is not a sale. The council must verify eligibility, value the property, and issue a formal offer, and nationally only around 40 to 50% complete. But hundreds of Wandsworth homes have entered the pipeline under terms the scheme no longer offers.

For a Wandsworth tenant who qualified for the full discount, the difference between applying before and after 21 November was more than £120,000. The average discount in 2023-24 was £112,771. Anyone applying today is capped at £16,000.

#### A leg-up that may not come again

The tenants caught in that window may be among the last Wandsworth families to buy at the old discount. For many, the scheme was precisely what it was designed to be: a route to ownership that would otherwise have remained out of reach. The backlog represents, in most cases, people who made a rational decision under the rules as they existed, in the time they had.

The question the numbers raise is not about those individuals. It is about what happens to the stock they leave behind.

#### What leaves, and what does not replace it

Every completed Right to Buy sale removes a home from the council’s rental stock permanently. The council’s own consultation response, submitted in January 2025, records 630 homes sold since 2012 against 538 replacement starts, which the council described as “broadly close.”

That framing is partly accurate. On raw numbers, Wandsworth’s replacement record is better than the national picture, where fewer than one in ten homes sold has historically been replaced.

But the council’s own document is more specific. It concedes that [larger social rent properties](https://putney.news/2026/04/19/built-500-brand-new-council-homes-or-366-or-90-wandsworth-labours-record-checked/) are “not adequately replaced.” Family-sized homes are the category where the maths breaks down, and those are the homes most likely to be sold through Right to Buy. Against a waiting list of around 13,000 households, that specific gap matters more than the overall numbers suggest.

#### The building programme and what remains of it

The previous Labour administration came to office in 2022 pledging 1,000 new council homes and 50% affordable housing on new developments. [As we reported in April](https://putney.news/2026/04/19/built-500-brand-new-council-homes-or-366-or-90-wandsworth-labours-record-checked/), the affordable housing target ended at 35% after the planning inspector rejected the council’s proposed threshold, and social rent homes delivered fell well short of the headline figure.

The programme has now passed to a Conservative administration under leader Aled Richards-Jones, elected in May 2026. The manifesto committed to cancelling Labour’s plans for the Lennox Estate and the Ashburton cluster, covering proposed schemes at Innes Gardens, Cortis, Hayward Gardens, and Whitnell Way. Both cancellations were confirmed at hustings.

The fate of the borough’s largest regeneration, the Alton Estate in Roehampton, is a separate question. A £100m renewal plan, where [82% of those who voted in a ballot last October](https://putney.news/2025/10/17/alton-estate-residents-vote-yes-to-100m-redevelopment/) said yes, is not named in the manifesto cancellations. Block A demolition is already contracted. But the new administration has not yet confirmed whether the Alton Renewal Plan will proceed. Fleur Anderson, the MP for Putney, has made a public video with local residents calling for the plans to be kept, a signal the question is live and contested.

The replacement gap

Council homes sold under Right to Buy in Wandsworth since 2012, against replacements started — and what the backlog could add

 Homes sold, 2012–2026 630 

 Replacements started, 2012–2026 538 

 Potential sales from the backlog, 2026 onward up to 300 

Solid: projected sales from current backlog. Faded: sales already completed since 2012, for scale.

 The backlog alone could undo more than half of fourteen years of replacement building — and the council’s own documents say the homes lost are the family-sized ones it cannot replace. 

Sources: Wandsworth Council Right to Buy consultation response, January 2025; DD85 council report, June 2026; national conversion rate from GOV.UK social housing sales statistics

#### What happens next

The question is not political. It is arithmetic. Of the roughly 600 applications Wandsworth is processing, if the borough follows the national trend, somewhere between 240 and 300 could become completed sales, each a permanent reduction in the council’s stock.

What replaces them is a decision for an administration that has [inherited a significant financial gap](https://putney.news/2026/05/22/wandsworth-hid-a-137m-crisis-for-years-now-your-council-tax-bill-will-fix-it/) alongside the housing programme. It is being squeezed from both ends. It has not yet said how it intends to respond to either.

#### If you have a Right to Buy question

The council’s Home Ownership team handles Right to Buy enquiries. Contact details are at [wandsworth.gov.uk/right-to-buy](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/housing/buying-your-council-home/right-to-buy/).

For information on eligibility, how discounts are calculated, and what has changed since November 2024, the government’s guidance is at [gov.uk/right-to-buy-buying-your-council-home](https://www.gov.uk/right-to-buy-buying-your-council-home).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/11/new-council-old-crisis-wandsworths-housing-stock-is-shrinking-from-both-ends/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/11/new-council-old-crisis-wandsworths-housing-stock-is-shrinking-from-both-ends/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=New%20council%2C%20old%20crisis%3A%20Wandsworth%E2%80%99s%20housing%20stock%20is%20shrinking%20from%20both%20ends&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/11/new-council-old-crisis-wandsworths-housing-stock-is-shrinking-from-both-ends/)

**Categories:** Housing, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Alton Estate, Alton Renewal Plan, council housing, Fleur Anderson MP, housing, housing crisis, Lennox Estate, Right to Buy, Wandsworth Council

---

### [A broken phone box on Putney High Street is a major congestion problem. Help us get rid of it](https://putney.news/2026/05/25/a-broken-phone-box-on-putney-high-street-is-a-major-congestion-problem-help-us-get-rid-of-it/)

**Published:** May 25, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** BT promised to relocate it in December. Five months on, buses are still stopping in the road.

**Content:**

**UPDATED** Outside TK Maxx, next to Bus Stop M, there is a BT phone box. It doesn’t work. Nobody uses it. And it is single-handedly blocking the improvement that would do more than anything else to cut the daily traffic gridlock on Putney High Street.

Until that box moves, buses cannot pull into a proper layby at Bus Stop M. So every time a Route 14, 39, 74, 85, 93, 424 or 430 stops, it sits in the lane and blocks everything behind it. That happens dozens of times a day, on one of the highest-frequency bus stops in the borough. The fix is ready. The fix has planning permission. The fix requires one BT phone box to move one block up the street.

The box has not moved.

![Old public payphone in a narrow, graffiti-streaked booth with a corded handset and keypad on a dirty metal panel back wall.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/phonebox-putney-high-street-8-1-768x1024.png)#### The queue of failures

The council has written to BT asking for it to go. BT put its own “time to remove” notice inside the box eighteen months ago. Then, in December, Fleur Anderson posted a video: 750,000 people watched it.

On 18 December 2025, Anderson announced what she called a “Phone Box Breakthrough.” BT had confirmed it would remove one derelict box and relocate the other. “Removing these eyesores is a vital step to get traffic moving down the High Street,” she said. “Putney deserves better.”

One box was removed. The one at Bus Stop M did not move and is now blocking the bus layby.

![City street with shopfronts (M&S Food) on the left, pedestrians and a parked car in the foreground, and a bus shelter with a large chicken advertisement on the right.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/phonebox-putney-high-street-6-1-1024x768.png)Three months after the breakthrough, Wandsworth Council’s assistant director of engineering Henry Cheung told the Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee: “BT have labelled the phone boxes to be removed but as of yet have not made any progress on that.”

That was in February. The box is still there now.

The Putney Society has objected to BT proposals to replace phone boxes on the High Street with large advertising totems.

#### Look at the state of it

The removal notice BT put inside its own phone box is dated 13 November 2024. Eighteen months ago. The notice says “it’s time to remove this payphone.”

![White BT notice on a weathered wall announcing the payphone removal, with a blue phone booth framing on the left side of the image.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/phonebox-putney-high-street-9-1-768x1024.png)We tried the number on the box.It didn’t work. The display reads “NO CASH CALLS.” The handset connects to nothing. The glass panels are entirely covered in advertising. The interior is rusted, graffiti-marked, and damp. This is not a public telephone. It is an advertising hoarding with a phone handset attached.

![Metal ATM panel with keypad and card slot; screen reads "NO CASH CALLS" behind a weathered, rust-streaked surface](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/phonebox-putney-high-street-11-1-768x1024.png)#### The legislation BT is hiding behind, and why it doesn’t apply

BT’s position rests on Ofcom rules that protect payphones from removal where there is a genuine public need. Under those rules, a payphone cannot be removed if any of the following apply: there is no mobile coverage from all four networks at the location; the site is an accident or suicide hotspot; the box receives more than 52 calls per year; or there are exceptional circumstances showing real public need.

None of these apply to this box. Putney High Street has full 4G coverage from every network. Bus Stop M is not a hotspot. A non-functioning box on a busy shopping street, in a neighbourhood where 98% of people have smartphones, is making zero calls. There is no exceptional need. There is no regulatory argument for keeping it.

There is also Ofcom’s separate obligation that BT must maintain its public call boxes. A box that does not function, that has been non-operational for years and says “NO CASH CALLS,” is not maintained. This could be the basis for a formal complaint.

![Close-up of a weathered public telephone booth with a blue curved top and a black panel reading 'Telephone' in yellow, on a city sidewalk.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/phonebox-putney-high-street-14-1-1024x768.png)#### Now it’s over to you

The council has tried. The MP got 750,000 views and a written commitment. BT honoured half of it and stopped. The box is still blocking the bus stop. It’s time for residents to pile in directly. Use the form below to send an email to BT’s payphones customer service. It takes 30 seconds.

##### Update: BT confirms removal order, but still no date

More than 130 readers sent emails to BT Payphones following our report on 25 May. BT responded the following day.

Jonathan Liggins, a team member in BT’s Payphones and StreetHub division, told recipients that removal had been delayed because BT was waiting for approval to install a Street Hub 3 in the area. That approval has since been granted, he said, and contractors have been instructed to remove the box “at the earliest opportunity.” He added that a specific date could not be given because the work is subject to permits, but it would be completed “as soon as possible.”

*Putney.news* followed up twice since then, asking when a removal date would be available. Neither email has received a reply.

The box remains in place.

BT has moved from silence to acknowledgement: it has accepted the December commitment, confirmed the delay was internal, and instructed contractors. That is progress. But it has not provided a date, a timeframe, or any indication of when the permit process might conclude. The bus layby at Stop M cannot be installed until the box is gone. Every week it stays, buses on seven routes continue to stop in the lane.

The email form below has been updated to reflect where things now stand.

Tell BT to remove the Putney High Street phone boxAsk BT for a removal date

Send an email directly to BT Payphones customer service. Takes 30 seconds.

 **Updated June 2026** More than 130 readers emailed BT in May. BT confirmed contractors have been instructed to remove the box but gave no date. This email asks for one. 

To: BT Payphones Customer Services

Dear BT Payphones, I am writing about the phone box outside TK Maxx on Putney High Street, adjacent to Bus Stop M (SW15). On 26 May 2026, BT’s Jonathan Liggins confirmed that contractors had been instructed to remove this box and that approval for a replacement Street Hub 3 had been granted. He said the work would be completed “as soon as possible” but could not give a specific date. That was some weeks ago. No date has been provided. The box remains in place. Its continued presence prevents Wandsworth Council from installing a bus layby at Bus Stop M, causing daily congestion on one of Putney’s busiest bus stops, serving routes 14, 39, 74, 85, 93, 424 and 430. BT has confirmed the instruction to contractors. I am asking BT to provide a clear timetable for when the work will be completed so that the bus layby can proceed. Yours sincerely, A Putney resident

 Add your name (optional)  If left blank, the email will be signed “A Putney resident” 

  Send this email to BT Your email client has opened

 Thank you. Your email to BT Payphones is ready to send. Just press send in your email app. If it didn’t open, email **customer.serv.payphones@bt.com** directly and paste the text above. 

This form opens your email app with a pre-written message. The email goes to BT Payphones at customer.serv.payphones@bt.com, with a copy to Putney.news at news@putney.news so we can track the response. Your email address is not stored or used for any other purpose.

If you want to escalate further: complaints about BT’s failure to maintain public call boxes can be made to Ofcom at [ofcom.org.uk/make-a-complaint](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/make-a-complaint). You can also contact the new Thamesfield ward councillors (Ethan Brooks, Robert Morritt, and Salvatore Murtas) and the new transport cabinet member, named at Annual Council on 27 May.

Since December 2024, [the council has made fourteen changes to the Putney Bridge junction](https://putney.news/2025/12/01/bus-lane-suspended-more-putney-bridge-junction-changes-due-early-2026/). The [planning application to move the box](https://putney.news/2026/01/28/putney-high-street-roadworks-progress-on-two-fronts-this-week/) was submitted months ago. The bus stop inset remains [the most substantial remaining fix](https://putney.news/2026/02/14/a-junction-in-motion-progress-and-problems-at-putneys-controversial-crossroads/) to the junction. In December, BT promised to relocate the box. It did not. The box is still there.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/25/a-broken-phone-box-on-putney-high-street-is-a-major-congestion-problem-help-us-get-rid-of-it/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/25/a-broken-phone-box-on-putney-high-street-is-a-major-congestion-problem-help-us-get-rid-of-it/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=A%20broken%20phone%20box%20on%20Putney%20High%20Street%20is%20a%20major%20congestion%20problem.%20Help%20us%20get%20rid%20of%20it&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/25/a-broken-phone-box-on-putney-high-street-is-a-major-congestion-problem-help-us-get-rid-of-it/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** accountability, bus, Fleur Anderson MP, Putney Bridge junction, Putney High Street, TfL, traffic congestion, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Eighteen months of fixes, and Putney's junction is back to square one](https://putney.news/2026/06/10/eighteen-months-of-fixes-and-putneys-junction-is-back-to-square-one/)

**Published:** June 10, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** The council's headline solution on Lower Richmond Road has been quietly removed.

**Content:**

The council’s fix for the Putney Bridge junction has been quietly removed. The temporary bus stop installed on Lower Richmond Road in November 2025 is gone, its signs taken down. Buses are back at their original position outside Kenilworth Court, opposite the left-turn approach to the bridge.

That reversal would be unremarkable if the junction were working. It is not. On Monday morning, the first full working week of the new Conservative administration, a resident emailed at 7:45am: “Utter chaos. The worst traffic in London!” The email was copied to Cllr Daniel Hamilton, who now holds the transport brief and has the power to change it.

The Putney Bridge junction redesign [produced improvements](https://putney.news/2026/01/25/putney-high-street-traffic-council-writes-to-residents-as-latest-fixes-roll-out/) according to the council – cycling is up and fewer pedestrians cross against the lights. For everyone else it has been an unmitigated disaster. In trying to deal with the enormous congestion the design has wrought, the council has focussed on protecting the Putney High Street corridor, which carries seven bus routes, and north-south traffic. On Lower Richmond Road and Putney Bridge Road, the routes that feed the bridge from the west and east, the story is different. [Our recent piece](https://putney.news/2026/06/08/the-council-promised-putney-a-junction-consultation-by-june-june-is-here/) documented the list of broken promises. This one documents what is physically in front of drivers right now.

#### What a bus driver sees every day

The core problem on Lower Richmond Road is the left turn onto Putney Bridge. The redesign took it from two lanes to one. The council’s position, repeated throughout 18 months of resident pressure, is that two lanes were never real capacity anyway. Its AECOM consultant calculated the old approach was “really equivalent to 1.2 lanes at best” because vehicles merged onto the single-lane bridge regardless.

A bus driver who works the junction daily has a precise objection to that calculation.

“Vehicles turning left from Lower Richmond Road into Putney High Street seem to think that the left-hand lane is a bus lane,” wrote Andy in a comment on this site on Sunday, “and immediately try to merge with the traffic in the right-hand lane. In doing so, they block the left-hand lane, preventing vehicles coming from Putney Hill from clearing the box junction. As a bus driver I often have to wait for multiple light changes in order to cross the box junction. Often there are 4 bus lengths of empty tarmac in the left-hand lane.”

The 1.2 figure assumed drivers would use the lane they were given. Andy says they don’t. Our [own analysis in November](https://putney.news/2025/11/14/analysis-a-junction-designed-for-cyclists-in-a-town-that-drives/) noted the AECOM report did not explain why the new single-lane design, which feeds the same single-lane bridge, produced such severe queuing. The bus driver’s observation adds the practical answer: drivers treat the left lane as a bus lane and merge early, leaving four bus lengths of empty road while the queue backs up behind them.

The council has heard versions of this argument for 18 months. Its position has not moved. Transport officer Henry Cheung set it out in an April email: “Removing the traffic island on LRR is something we have investigated with our consultant and TfL, but this did not yield any merits to pursue as Putney Bridge remains as a single general traffic lane.”

The junction design is, in the council’s view, settled. Everyone else disagrees.

#### A new cabinet member on day one

Cllr Hamilton received his first junction complaint on his first working day.

“How could you possibly think that it was a good idea to restrict the traffic flow on Wandsworth Bridge with Albert Bridge closed and Putney already beyond collapse?” the resident email to the man responsible for sorting out the junction, Henry Cheung, read.

Hamilton is not new to this. At the [February Transport Committee meeting](https://putney.news/2026/02/14/a-junction-in-motion-progress-and-problems-at-putneys-controversial-crossroads/), his last before the election, he moved formally that the junction remain on future agendas. “I think it is one that residents want to see real action on,” he said.

What acting on it requires is also on record. Cheung has made it clear why he doesn’t feel anything on the junction itself can be touched – because the redesign plan “was unanimously supported by the Transport Committee back in September 2023 in Paper 23-304, therefore it will need to follow a very similar committee process, and it will be at the direction of the Cabinet Member for Transport.”

A Cabinet Member direction. A new committee process. The next Transport Committee will be in September.

> [A broken phone box on Putney High Street is a major congestion problem. Help us get rid of it](https://putney.news/2026/05/25/a-broken-phone-box-on-putney-high-street-is-a-major-congestion-problem-help-us-get-rid-of-it/)

#### The 18-month scorecard

The redesign improved things on the routes the council was protecting. Signal timing changes and a [road widening at the TK Maxx end of the High Street](https://putney.news/2026/01/17/residents-challenge-councils-defence-of-putney-bridge-junction-at-second-walkabout/), completed in February, produced some improvement for north-south traffic.

Other fixes have still not happened nearly a year later. A bus stop inset opposite TK Maxx, which requires moving BT infrastructure and signal equipment, still has no completion date. A lane change outside Putney Station, promised for February and relisted as “due May 2026,” has had no update since April.

On the east-west corridor, the picture is different. A Felsham Road through-traffic consultation committed for “May or June 2026” has not appeared on Citizenspace, as of 9 June.

Bus stop Q, used as a driver changeover point and positioned directly in the left-turn queue, was described in [January](https://putney.news/2026/01/17/residents-challenge-councils-defence-of-putney-bridge-junction-at-second-walkabout/) by Cheung himself as “an ongoing battle.” Discussions with bus operators about driver changeover locations have been “really difficult.” Nothing has changed. And according to the most recent exchanges, the council has simply given up.

The bus stop P relocation was the one physical intervention on the Lower Richmond Road approach. It is now gone. Before it went it was being routinely ignored by drivers anyway. The redesign itself has not been touched. And as for Putney Bridge Road, with its excessively long bus lane that buses can’t get into because, ironically, the bus lane is too long and so the daily traffic backs up so far they can’t get into it; whose entry into Putney Bridge Junction is given the least green time: nothing has changed.

Eighteen months of fixes improved things modestly on the route the council was already protecting. On the routes it sacrificed, the one physical intervention has been quietly abandoned and the buses are back where they started. The junction design, the cause of all of it, remains unchanged. Hamilton has the power to change that.

*Cllr Hamilton can be contacted at .*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/10/eighteen-months-of-fixes-and-putneys-junction-is-back-to-square-one/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/10/eighteen-months-of-fixes-and-putneys-junction-is-back-to-square-one/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Eighteen%20months%20of%20fixes%2C%20and%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20junction%20is%20back%20to%20square%20one&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/10/eighteen-months-of-fixes-and-putneys-junction-is-back-to-square-one/)

**Categories:** Thamesfield, Transport

**Tags:** accountability, bus, Cllr Daniel Hamilton, Lower Richmond Road, Putney Bridge junction, TfL, traffic congestion, Wandsworth Council

---

### [London's oldest working espresso machine is in Putney Bridge. Her name is Rebecca.](https://putney.news/2026/06/10/londons-oldest-working-espresso-machine-is-in-putney-bridge-her-name-is-rebecca/)

**Published:** June 10, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** A 1956 Gaggia, restored by hand, pulls 500 coffees a day opposite the tube.

**Content:**

Her name is Rebecca. She is 70 years old, she makes 400 to 500 coffees a day by hand, and the baristas who work her have to warm up first or risk a frozen shoulder.

Rebecca is a 1956 Gaggia lever espresso machine, and she sits on the counter of a small Italian café directly opposite Putney Bridge tube station. Most mornings there is a queue before the District line platform across the road has begun to fill. She is reckoned to be the oldest working espresso machine in London, and she has been pulling shots on Station Approach since 2013.

How a machine that old came to be working this hard, this late in its life, comes down to an engineer from Londonderry who fell for machines from another era.

Russell Kerr is not a barista. He is an engineer who spent around 20 years looking after the temperamental old machines in London’s Italian restaurants before he ever pulled a shot himself. One of them, a lever machine fired by gas, was probably the only working example left in the country.

The café came second. When the lease on the Station Approach site became available, Russell took it, put a restored 1950s machine on the counter, and opened up. The whole thing took him about a month. ‘It was busy from the day it opened,’ he says. The name is an old one. Russell was the man the restaurants called when a machine died, the doctor, and he gave the title an Italian flourish to suit the coffee.

![Whimsical chef statue giving a thumbs-up, leaning on a chalky block beside an antique Underwood typewriter on a shelf.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/doctor-espresso-8-1024x768.png)#### Found in a cave, a nightclub basement and a demolition site

Rebecca is one of many. Russell’s machines come from barns, skips and locked-up garages, and from stranger places still: a cave in Sardinia, the basement of an Aberdeen nightclub being stripped out, a department store storeroom where a 1950s machine had sat for decades in its original box, never once used.

The find he tells best is a demolition site. The walls had already gone. The machine was still standing in the open under a tarpaulin, wired up and waiting. It was caked in decades of nicotine. They cleaned it off, and it worked first time.

Putney is not short of serious coffee. One local café family is currently [driving a bag of their blend to Australia](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/the-putney-cafe-family-driving-a-bag-of-coffee-to-australia/) to keep a relative supplied. But few places turn the drink itself into a history lesson the way this one does.

Spend any time at the counter and Russell will tell you things about coffee you did not know you wanted to know. The cappuccino, he explains, was never really about taste. It was about money. After the war, milk was scarce and expensive, and the old steam wands had wide nozzles that blew big, open bubbles into it. That was the point. ‘If you blow large bubbles in a pint of milk, you’ve now got three pints,’ he says. The froth made a little go a long way. The dusting of chocolate on top was just to make a luxury of it.

![Polished chrome vintage espresso machine.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/doctor-espresso-1-1024x768.png)He is full of these. When he started in the coffee trade in 1987, a cappuccino took 5.5 grams of coffee. Today the same drink takes 12. The cups got bigger, and the coffee had to keep up.

The business is run with his wife, Vanessa Lancellotti, who is Italian and the managing director of Doctor Espresso Ltd. The Putney Bridge café opened first, in 2013. A second followed in Clapham, named Mama V’s after her. There are now four, the newest in Wandsworth town.

Vanessa and Russell can tell you where every machine in the collection came from, which is why a broken part is never just a repair job. ‘Even when I break any little thing, for us, it’s a memory loss,’ she says.

Her favourite thing is to hand the machine over. On a good morning she will wave a curious customer behind the counter to try the lever for themselves. They reach up, pull it down, feel the weight of it, and look up surprised. ‘They say, I never realised how hard it is to do,’ she says. ‘We make it look simple, but it’s not simple.’

![Café scene with a staff member behind a pastry counter, glass display of baked goods and jars, chalkboard menu in the background.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/doctor-espresso-5-1024x768.png)Doctor Espresso serving customers at the Fulham High Street branchThat is the whole point of the place. It does not just sell you a coffee. It shows you what a coffee is. And tomorrow morning, Rebecca will be back at it, by hand, one shot at a time.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/10/londons-oldest-working-espresso-machine-is-in-putney-bridge-her-name-is-rebecca/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/10/londons-oldest-working-espresso-machine-is-in-putney-bridge-her-name-is-rebecca/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=London%E2%80%99s%20oldest%20working%20espresso%20machine%20is%20in%20Putney%20Bridge.%20Her%20name%20is%20Rebecca.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/10/londons-oldest-working-espresso-machine-is-in-putney-bridge-her-name-is-rebecca/)

**Categories:** Food &amp; Drink, Fulham

**Tags:** Doctor Espresso, Putney Bridge

---

### ['Off!': the pension meeting where the chair was heckled and officers admitted misleading pensioners](https://putney.news/2026/06/10/off-the-pension-meeting-where-the-chair-was-heckled-and-officers-admitted-misleading-pensioners/)

**Published:** June 10, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** The new Conservative chair ejected a heckler and insisted on surveying 44,000 members.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council admitted last night that a survey it planned to send to 44,000 pension scheme members contained misleading questions.

The questions as drafted implied workers’ retirement income was at risk from ethical investment. It isn’t. The meeting that followed was, at times, bad-tempered.

The row is about Gaza. For two years, Wandsworth’s council and school workers have pushed the council to sell off the fund’s holdings in companies linked to Israel’s military operations in Palestinian territory. Last night’s meeting was the first since May’s elections handed control of the committee to the Conservatives.

The new chair, Cllr Hampton, insisted that all 44,000 pension members must be surveyed before any decision is taken. That requirement stands even though the fund’s own independent financial advisers had just told the meeting there is no significant financial risk from divestment. The meeting, at points, was not easy to control. When one person in the public gallery shouted that people were dying and that their money matters, Hampton waved her hand and shouted “Off!” The gallery was vocal throughout.

Paul Giuliotti, the council’s Director of Financial Services, conceded in public that the survey questions had been written in a way that implied workers’ pensions could be cut if the fund divested. In a defined benefit scheme like Wandsworth’s, that is not how it works. Members’ payouts are fixed. The investment returns do not affect what pensioners receive.

Richard Huie, speaking for Unison, made the point directly to the committee: “Members are being misled that they will lose out. They won’t lose out because they’re guaranteed the returns on their pension scheme.”

![Union rep at Wandsworth Council pensions committee.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pensions-committee-union-rep-1024x575.png)Union reps at the pensions committee have called for an ethical divestment for several years.Giuliotti’s own assessment of the survey he had spent the meeting defending: “Hand on heart, the survey’s not brilliant.”

We [reported on 31 May](https://putney.news/2026/05/31/wandsworth-misleads-pension-members-to-block-gaza-divestment/) that the survey contained misleading wording, including a government minister’s letter used without its qualifying sentence and a selective reading of legal opinion. Last night officers confirmed that reporting on the record.

#### The money argument has been answered

The unions have been back before the committee four times in two years arguing for the divestment. Each time, officers have pointed to financial risk as the reason the council cannot simply sell the relevant holdings.

Last night that argument went away. The committee heard from Mercer, the fund’s independent financial advisers, that their analysis had found no significant harm to the fund from any of the divestment options available. Councillor Judi Gasser, a committee member, put it plainly: “This Mercer’s report has just changed everything actually. So it does look as though it isn’t a financial worry for us, which is very, very good news.”

That matters because the misleading framing in the survey was built around financial risk. With Mercer’s finding now public, the survey’s central premise has collapsed.

#### ‘That simply has never happened’

The sharpest exchange of the night came when Giuliotti told the committee that the council had never actually committed to divesting at all.

“At no point has this Committee firmly committed to a disinvestment policy,” he said. “That simply has never happened.”

![Paul Giuliotti, the council's Director of Financial Services](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pensions-committee-finance-manager-1024x575.png)Director of Financial Services Paul Giuliotti faces tough questions at Pensions Committee.Councillor Aydin Dikerdem, who was repeatedly asked by the chair to stop interrupting, then read aloud from a resolution the same committee passed unanimously in December 2025. It committed the committee to drawing up a plan to sell off any direct holdings in companies identified by the United Nations as linked to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, with timetables and progress reports.

Both statements are on the public record. They cannot both be true.

#### What changes now

The recommendations were carried, though not without opposition. A small working group will rewrite the survey wording: Giuliotti, committee chair Cllr Hampton, deputy chair Cllr Serra, and Cllr Gasser. The revised wording comes back to the full committee in September for a vote.

The minister’s letter we identified in May will be removed from the survey entirely.

Councillor Angela Ireland, who sits on the committee, said the existing questions had created a false picture: “There are far too many questions which seem to indicate that going for a responsible investment strategy constitutes a risk to the value of the fund. Whereas from the Mercer report that we’ve already seen, it’s very clear that there’s very minimal or negligible risk.”

Officers lost unilateral control of the survey wording last night. But the survey itself remains the chair’s condition for any decision. Whether that changes depends on September.

#### What pension scheme members can do

Wandsworth’s pension scheme covers council and school workers across the borough. The revised survey wording will come before the Joint Pensions Committee in September. The meeting is open to the public at [democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/).

The committee papers, including the Mercer analysis, are public documents. You can request them from Democratic Services at .

*Putney.news has covered the Wandsworth pension fund and [the council’s response to calls for divestment](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/wandsworth-promised-to-act-on-gaza-pension-fund-it-hasnt-heres-why/) across a series of stories since March 2026. Last week we reported that [the fund lost seven times more than the market in a single quarter](https://putney.news/2026/06/06/wandsworth-pension-fund-loses-seven-times-more-than-the-market-in-a-single-quarter/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/10/off-the-pension-meeting-where-the-chair-was-heckled-and-officers-admitted-misleading-pensioners/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/10/off-the-pension-meeting-where-the-chair-was-heckled-and-officers-admitted-misleading-pensioners/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98Off%21%E2%80%99%3A%20the%20pension%20meeting%20where%20the%20chair%20was%20heckled%20and%20officers%20admitted%20misleading%20pensioners&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/10/off-the-pension-meeting-where-the-chair-was-heckled-and-officers-admitted-misleading-pensioners/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Angela Ireland, Cllr Aydin Dikerdem, Cllr Judi Gasser, Local Pension Board, Wandsworth Council

---

### [No tube, no Galveston Road: how to get around Putney this weekend of 13 June](https://putney.news/2026/06/09/no-tube-no-galveston-road-how-to-get-around-putney-this-weekend-of-13-june/)

**Published:** June 9, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** East Putney and Putney Bridge lose tube service from Saturday. Thames Water closes the road at the same time.

**Content:**

East Putney and Putney Bridge will have no District Line service for most of this coming weekend (13–14 June). At the same time, Thames Water is closing Galveston Road. Putney’s transport is under pressure yet again.

#### The tube

No District Line runs anywhere on the line until 10:30am on Saturday morning. After that, the Wimbledon branch (which serves East Putney and Putney Bridge) stays closed until 2pm. From 2pm Saturday through all of Sunday, both stations have no service in either direction.

These are the sensor works [that reported on in May](https://putney.news/2026/05/02/the-district-line-will-never-be-fixed-new-documents-reveal/): monitoring equipment fitted to the existing infrastructure. But it is not, we should add, the signal replacement that would actually fix the line.

Your best option for travelling is South Western Railway from Putney station, at the High Street end of town. Buses 14, 22, 39, 85 and 93 are unaffected. Check [TfL Journey Planner](https://tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey) before you travel.

#### The road

Thames Water is closing Galveston Road at the Upper Richmond Road junction from early Saturday morning until 7pm Sunday. Multi-way signals are also in place on Upper Richmond Road between Schubert Road and Galveston Road, and stay until 21 June.

That’s not all: on Friday night there is a contra-flow on Putney Hill outside Lorne Court, and a lane closure on Lower Richmond Road opposite numbers 55 to 78. Both clear by morning.

#### The wider picture

Albert Bridge has been [closed to vehicles since April](https://putney.news/2026/04/10/albert-bridge-closes-entirely-after-inspector-warning-putney-bridge-is-the-last-crossing-standing/). Wandsworth Bridge is [down to one lane until the end of July](https://putney.news/2026/05/17/whats-actually-happening-to-wandsworth-bridge-this-summer-and-why-the-official-communications-got-so-confused/). Both are still in place this weekend.

[This has been the pattern all year](https://putney.news/2026/06/04/putneys-transport-is-broken-today-tube-buses-roads-all-of-it/). You are right to be frustrated.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/09/no-tube-no-galveston-road-how-to-get-around-putney-this-weekend-of-13-june/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/09/no-tube-no-galveston-road-how-to-get-around-putney-this-weekend-of-13-june/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=No%20tube%2C%20no%20Galveston%20Road%3A%20how%20to%20get%20around%20Putney%20this%20weekend%20of%2013%20June&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/09/no-tube-no-galveston-road-how-to-get-around-putney-this-weekend-of-13-june/)

**Categories:** East Putney, Transport

**Tags:** District Line, East Putney, Putney train station, TfL, Thames Water, Upper Richmond Road, Wandsworth Bridge

---

### [Fewer than half of Wandsworth residents think the police do a good job](https://putney.news/2026/06/09/fewer-than-half-of-wandsworth-residents-think-the-police-do-a-good-job/)

**Published:** June 9, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** West Putney officers still can't explain a violence spike three months on.

**Content:**

Fewer than half of Wandsworth residents think the police do a good job, and confidence is still falling.

The borough’s quarterly trust survey, presented to tonight’s Safer Neighbourhood Board, shows the “good job” measure at 47%, down three points on a year ago. The sharpest fall is in whether residents feel police listen to their concerns: down six points to 50%, the largest drop of any measure in the data.

That number has been sliding for two consecutive quarters. [In March, we reported](https://putney.news/2026/03/18/putneys-new-police-chief-inherits-a-trust-problem/) that every confidence measure had fallen. It has continued to fall since.

What the SNB papers for tonight’s meeting say about policing in Putney and Roehampton:

#### Thamesfield: near full strength

After more than a year of short-staffing, the Thamesfield policing team is nearly back to its full complement of officers. The ward panel chair, Sylvie Chrzanowska, reports a new sergeant in post, shared with East Putney, who is targeting resources on the highest-priority problems.

Two recent results: a burglar wanted for a crime spree was caught in the park in possession of a crowbar, a knife, and suspected stolen goods; and an ASB repeat offender was arrested four times in three days before being recalled to prison. [We covered the burglar arrest last month](https://putney.news/2026/05/21/knife-stolen-goods-six-burglaries-putneys-most-wanted-is-off-the-streets/).

Agreed ward priorities are theft (personal and commercial), high-value cycle theft, and violent crime.

#### West Putney: officers still can’t explain the violence spike

Three months after [we reported a 63% year-on-year rise in violence in West Putney](https://putney.news/2026/03/10/violence-in-west-putney-has-risen-63-in-a-year-and-one-street-corridor-is-at-the-centre-of-it/), neighbourhood officers still have no explanation for it. Ward panel chair Lee Roberts writes: “When we confronted officers with these figures, no officer was able to explain the background, which contributed to further concerns about how well briefed are our neighbourhood officers.”

The May crime data adds to the picture. West Putney recorded 27 sexual offences in the period, the second highest of any ward in the borough behind only Tooting Broadway. That figure has risen from 20 in the Q3 data reported in March.

Meanwhile Thamesfield recorded 54 thefts from motor vehicles in May, up sharply from 35 in March.

#### What to watch out for

**Phone snatches on the High Street.** A tactic confirmed at recent ward meetings: offenders approach people, usually young men late at night and often near the pie shop on Putney High Street by the bridge, and ask them to open their phone to follow an Instagram account or rate a profile. An accomplice takes the phone. Sometimes it involves violence. It has been seen across the borough in Balham and Clapham Junction and is now confirmed locally. If approached this way, don’t hand over your phone.

**E-bikes.** If an electric bike is not pedal-assisted, it is likely over the legal 250-watt limit and illegal on public roads. Officers have been clarifying this at local meetings. Worth knowing given the number of e-bikes now in regular use around Putney.

#### Some reassurance

Putney and Roehampton are receiving dedicated evening response-team coverage for sexual offences, confirmed in the March SNB minutes. This is targeted deployment in the hours when such offences are most likely to occur.

#### Tonight’s meeting

The Safer Neighbourhood Board meets tonight, Tuesday 9 June, at 18:30 online. The meeting is closed.[ Details here](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=10551).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/09/fewer-than-half-of-wandsworth-residents-think-the-police-do-a-good-job/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/09/fewer-than-half-of-wandsworth-residents-think-the-police-do-a-good-job/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Fewer%20than%20half%20of%20Wandsworth%20residents%20think%20the%20police%20do%20a%20good%20job&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/09/fewer-than-half-of-wandsworth-residents-think-the-police-do-a-good-job/)

**Categories:** Crime

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, Safer Neighbourhood Board, thamesfield, Wandsworth crime, West Putney

---

### [First Putney gym to win community protection now battling TfL over rent](https://putney.news/2026/06/09/first-putney-gym-to-win-community-protection-now-battling-tfl-over-rent/)

**Published:** June 9, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Mayor's office brokers standoff as gym fights rent rise it says it cannot afford.

**Content:**

Putney’s oldest gym has won protected status from Wandsworth Council, the first gym in Putney to be listed as an Asset of Community Value. The listing stops anyone selling the building from under its members. It does nothing about the rent, which is the threat that could still close it.

Physical Culture has trained people under the District Line arches on Winthorpe Road since 1928. Its members had campaigned since January to have it recognised, and on 19 May the council added it to the register of community assets, with the protection running for five years. We [first reported the campaign](https://putney.news/2026/02/16/putneys-oldest-gym-fights-for-survival-as-railway-arch-rents-rise/) in February. The status, created under the Localism Act 2011, gives the community the right to bid if the owner ever tries to sell.

But the owner is not trying to sell. The owner is trying to put the rent up. Physical Culture’s landlord is Places for London, the commercial property arm of Transport for London, which has been [raising rents across its arches](https://putney.news/2026/01/14/how-tfls-revenue-drive-is-pushing-out-putney-businesses/), and the listing does nothing to cap what a landlord can charge.

That fight had already come to a head two weeks before the listing was confirmed. On 11 May, the gym sat down with Places for London at a meeting convened by the Mayor of London’s team for community venues under threat. Both sides left exactly as far apart as they arrived. Places for London said a rent reduction was not viable, but that any increase would be affordable. The gym’s director, Christopher Quinn, said the rent is already more than it can bear and asked for a rent reduction. He told the meeting he did not accept that any increase on an already unaffordable rent could be manageable.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/physical-culture-3-1024x768.png)The Mayor’s team offered a way out: business advice, and help applying for grants. Then Quinn pointed out the trap in it. Securing institutional grants becomes increasingly difficult, if not impossible, as a lease nears its end, he noted, because funders will not put money into a tenancy that might not survive. The rescue on offer, in other words, gets harder to reach the longer the rent stays unsettled.

Quinn also disputes how the increase has been worked out. Places for London has pointed to a rise pegged to inflation plus one percentage point, known as RPI+1%. Quinn says that does not match the terms of Physical Culture’s own lease, and that the last increase rested on what he calls an inappropriate comparison.

None of this is what an Asset of Community Value listing was built to stop. The scheme protects buildings from being sold out from under the people who use them. It says nothing about whether those people can afford to stay. Physical Culture is exactly the kind of place it was meant to honour: 98 years on the same arches, run by Quinn since the late 1980s, the strongman George Hackenschmidt among its vice presidents in the 1950s, more than 1,600 people through its doors across its history. It is also exactly the kind of place a rent rise can close regardless.

![Physical culture Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/physical-culture-4-1024x768.png)At the meeting, Places for London said it had no intention of evicting the gym and recognised its value. Leonie Cooper, who attended as a London Assembly member, took the same line on the rent: no cut, but support for an increase the gym can manage. The parties agreed to keep talking, with a review of the gym’s finances, a session with a business consultant and a further meeting to come.

Anyone who wants to back the gym can join through [physicalculture.co.uk](https://www.physicalculture.co.uk/), which charges no joining fee, or follow the Friends of Physical Culture campaign that won it its protection. The gym sits in Thamesfield ward, whose councillors and the Putney MP, Fleur Anderson, are aware of the case. The Mayor’s culture-at-risk team can be reached at .

The members won what they set out to win. For five years, no one can sell the building from under them. But protection from sale was never the gym’s problem. The rent is. And on the rent, nothing has been settled.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/09/first-putney-gym-to-win-community-protection-now-battling-tfl-over-rent/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/09/first-putney-gym-to-win-community-protection-now-battling-tfl-over-rent/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=First%20Putney%20gym%20to%20win%20community%20protection%20now%20battling%20TfL%20over%20rent&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/09/first-putney-gym-to-win-community-protection-now-battling-tfl-over-rent/)

**Categories:** Community, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Asset of Community Value, Fleur Anderson MP, GLA, Physical Culture, Places for London, TfL

---

### [The council promised Putney a junction consultation by June. June is here.](https://putney.news/2026/06/08/the-council-promised-putney-a-junction-consultation-by-june-june-is-here/)

**Published:** June 8, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** A seven-month scrutiny gap, three missed deadlines, and the departing councillor's final plea.

**Content:**

Traffic backed up to Putney Common and Wandsworth Park again this weekend. And the consultation Wandsworth Council promised residents by the end of June 2026 has not launched. The committee that would normally hold the council to account on all of this has been cancelled until September.

Without pressure, it seems, the council is content to leave Putney Bridge junction as it is while we continue to suffer the worst traffic in London thanks to a botched redesign. A former head of transport warned back in February that this is exactly what would happen.

Four months have passed since the last substantive council update on the junction. The council’s own junction page (last updated on 10 April) commits to consulting residents “in May or June 2026” on options to stop queue-jumping traffic cutting through residential streets off Lower Richmond Road. It is now 7 June. There is no such consultation on Citizenspace, the platform Wandsworth uses for every equivalent residential roads scheme.

A lane reassignment outside Putney Station, originally promised for February, was relisted on the council page as “due to complete May 2026.” A traffic island the council described at its February committee meeting as a “summer” target (with “October half-term” as fallback) is now listed as “in final stages of approval with TfL,” with no timetable given.

#### A departing councillor’s final plea

The last time the Transport Committee examined the junction was 11 February. The chair opened the meeting by acknowledging it was John Locker’s last as a councillor, describing him as “always a source of very detailed scrutiny in a collegiate way.” Locker, who had represented Thamesfield ward and was not standing for re-election, made a direct personal appeal to officers before the meeting closed.

“Please don’t stop just because politicians go away and have an election in the coming months,” he said. “Continue to talk to the residents, continue to talk about schemes that can help their individual roads, to avoid rat running, and all of those sorts of things. Continue to put the pressure on TfL. It’s really important that they make the changes that they have to in terms of regulating where buses have their changeovers, sorting out the traffic light phasing, et cetera, et cetera. Let’s make sure that this scheme works for everyone is my appeal.”

At the same meeting, Cllr Hamilton moved formally that the junction be kept on future committee agendas. “I think it is one that residents want to see real action on so we can all agree that it can stay the next time,” she said.

That next time has not come. The June Transport Committee meeting has been cancelled as part of a wider suspension of all council committees while Wandsworth works through a [constitutional](https://putney.news/2026/06/07/how-wandsworth-council-works-how-its-about-to-change-and-whats-still-wrong/) and [financial](https://putney.news/2026/05/22/wandsworth-hid-a-137m-crisis-for-years-now-your-council-tax-bill-will-fix-it/) review. The next listed sitting is 24 September 2026, seven months after Locker’s final appearance and the committee’s own request for continued scrutiny.

The junction is 21 months into a situation that was supposed to be resolved. The next scheduled opportunity for public scrutiny is September. If the consultation launches before then, we will report it.

#### What you can do

Wandsworth Council’s transport and engineering team can be contacted directly at . The queue-jumping consultation, when it eventually launches, will appear at [haveyoursay.citizenspace.com/wandsworth](http://haveyoursay.citizenspace.com/wandsworth). Check for a new Putney item.

The current Thamesfield ward councillors can be found at [democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/mgFindMember.aspx). The Transport Committee resumes on 24 September, 7.30pm, at Wandsworth Town Hall. Public attendees are welcome.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/08/the-council-promised-putney-a-junction-consultation-by-june-june-is-here/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/08/the-council-promised-putney-a-junction-consultation-by-june-june-is-here/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20council%20promised%20Putney%20a%20junction%20consultation%20by%20June.%20June%20is%20here.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/08/the-council-promised-putney-a-junction-consultation-by-june-june-is-here/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr John Locker, Lower Richmond Road, public consultation, Putney Bridge junction, TfL, thamesfield, Transport Committee, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Pool closure halted, but the councillor in charge still hasn't seen the plans](https://putney.news/2026/06/08/pool-closure-halted-but-the-councillor-in-charge-still-hasnt-seen-the-plans/)

**Published:** June 8, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Places Leisure confirms the 1 July closure will not go ahead. Some works will still proceed.

**Content:**

Places Leisure has confirmed in writing that the 1 July closure of Putney Leisure Centre’s pool will not go ahead. The councillor who ordered the halt says he still hasn’t seen the plans to shrink the pool length from 33m to 25m, which he paused five days ago.

Cllr Ethan Brooks, the new Cabinet Member for Environment and a Putney councillor, wrote in a community group: “I need to see the plans (which I still haven’t) and need to understand the engagement process they foresee carrying out, before I’m going to let anything happen.”

The pool question is not resolved. Brooks made clear that after his meetings with Places Leisure next week, some works will still proceed and some will be stopped.

#### What Places Leisure said

Late last week, members received an email from Places Leisure (the operator running the centre on behalf of Wandsworth Council) confirming the halt. “Following feedback from Customers and stakeholders, we have agreed with the Council to pause the planned pool closure,” it said. “As a result, the pool closure scheduled for Wednesday 1st July will not go ahead, and swimming activities will continue as normal until further notice.”

The email promised a “programme of engagement” with members and the wider community over the coming weeks. It made no mention of the pool’s length, the 33-metre question, or the reconfiguration plans that caused the dispute.

Brooks’s statement filled some of those gaps. He said meetings between his officer team and Places Leisure took place on Thursday, with more scheduled next week, which he will attend personally as Cabinet Member. A formal council announcement is expected this week.

#### What this means for the pool

The halt is not a cancellation. The refurbishment of Putney Leisure Centre, a £24m project approved under the previous Labour administration, is still under way. What Brooks has paused is the pool closure element pending review. Some works will proceed regardless.

The central question about pool length remains open. The documents that would show what the previous administration approved are still being withheld. *Putney.news* [filed a Freedom of Information request](https://putney.news/2026/06/04/places-leisure-says-labour-approved-putneys-pool-cut-the-council-wont-release-the-papers/) for those papers back in November 2025; the internal review has been overdue for more than 33 working days.

More than 1,300 people have signed the petition calling for the 33-metre pool to be retained.

We have written over ten stories on the planned refurbishment of Putney Leisure Centre: each one raising serious questions about how it has been handled. The pattern throughout has been the same: decisions about a publicly owned facility taken without adequate public notice, then reversed or modified under pressure. An announcement expected this week will be the next chapter.

#### What residents can do

The engagement process has been promised but not yet detailed. Places Leisure says it will share information on “how you can get involved shortly.”

In the meantime, Cllr Brooks can be contacted directly at . The petition to save the 33-metre pool [remains open](https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-putney-s-33-metre-pool).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/08/pool-closure-halted-but-the-councillor-in-charge-still-hasnt-seen-the-plans/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/08/pool-closure-halted-but-the-councillor-in-charge-still-hasnt-seen-the-plans/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Pool%20closure%20halted%2C%20but%20the%20councillor%20in%20charge%20still%20hasn%E2%80%99t%20seen%20the%20plans&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/08/pool-closure-halted-but-the-councillor-in-charge-still-hasnt-seen-the-plans/)

**Categories:** Politics, Thamesfield, West Putney

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Ethan Brooks, FOI, investigation, Places Leisure, public consultation, Putney Leisure Centre, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Daisy the van made it to Singapore. Now she needs someone slightly unhinged to drive her home](https://putney.news/2026/06/08/daisy-the-van-made-it-to-singapore-now-she-needs-someone-slightly-unhinged-to-drive-her-home/)

**Published:** June 8, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** The Putney coffee family's Instagram call has attracted 853 replies - and the applicants are extraordinary.

**Content:**

More than 350 people have offered to drive a Putney family’s van home from Singapore after their Instagram call for help collected 9,200 likes in a week. Among those putting their hand up: a man who drove from Edinburgh to Islamabad and then cycled into China, and an 80-year-old who says he can afford whatever it takes.

Edwin and Magda Harrison, the family behind Artisan Coffee in Putney, set out in January with three children, one bag of coffee, and a van called Daisy. After more than 11,000 miles, they reached Singapore. The original plan was to continue to Perth. It didn’t happen. Late last month, they posted an [Instagram reel](https://www.instagram.com/curiousroocoffeeroasters/reel/DYxOP03vIYv/): Daisy needs someone to drive her home. So far it has had 9,214 likes, 853 comments and 245 shares.

For anyone who missed the drama that got them to Singapore, [the previous chapter is here](https://putney.news/2026/05/16/tv-presenter-joins-putney-familys-appeal-to-mp-over-thailand-van-ban/).

#### The route that wasn’t

Thailand was the wall. The country refused Daisy entry because her sink classified her as a motorhome requiring a special permit. Every official route closed. They tried officials, MPs, petitions, phonecalls and Andi Peters. “Thailand said no again,” Edwin narrated in one video. “Every single time the answer was dead end. Rejected.”

The solution, when it came, was characteristically absurd. Daisy will be loaded onto a flatbed truck in Laos so her wheels never touch Thai soil. “It turns out Daisy isn’t allowed to drive through Thailand,” Edwin said, “but technically there’s nothing saying she can’t float above it.”

Thirty days crossing China. Six hours of driving a day. By the time the breakdown happened on Day 112 (two fuel filters, a bypass, an air bleed, a flat battery), Edwin closed the video with: “On we go to Australia.” They didn’t.

![One more fix for Daisy the van](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/under-daisy.png)One more fix for Daisy the van#### Who’s applying

The return route is the whole journey in reverse: Thailand, Laos, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Europe, home. The family want adventurers, filmmakers, creators: “one or two genuinely chaotic humans.”

The field has delivered.

@timsupramaniam is half-Singaporean, half-British, a film graduate and adventurer. “I’ve already successfully driven a 60 year old Land Rover to Ukraine & back,” he wrote. He may be too perfect.

@singapoloh has just driven 3,500km from Shandong to Urumqi in the past two weeks. He also spent a year in 2022 driving a Mercedes caravan around Turkey. The caravan was called Murphy. He understands the importance of naming your van.

@grmurree drove from Edinburgh to Islamabad in a Ford Transit. Then cycled into China. “Sounds like a good next expedition!” he wrote.

Then there is @van\_derek. He is 80 years old. He has flown ultralights, sailed through a cyclone and raised a family. “I’m now, literally ‘on my last legs’,” he wrote, “so can afford the trip, whatever it takes, this extra leg no problemo.”

Even Andi Peters commented: “I thought you were mad… but I love the idea!”

Responses have come from the Netherlands, Germany, South Africa, Nigeria and beyond. The series that started with one family’s absurd ambition has become something the whole internet wants to join.

As Edwin put it on Day 108, standing at a mountain coffee stop over 11,000 miles from home: “Not for the destination, but for moments like this.”

Daisy is waiting in Singapore. If you think it’s you, DM the word “Daisy” to [@curiousroocoffeeroasters](https://www.instagram.com/curiousroocoffeeroasters/) on Instagram.

*Putney.news has been following this journey [since the family left in January](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/the-putney-cafe-family-driving-a-bag-of-coffee-to-australia/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/08/daisy-the-van-made-it-to-singapore-now-she-needs-someone-slightly-unhinged-to-drive-her-home/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/08/daisy-the-van-made-it-to-singapore-now-she-needs-someone-slightly-unhinged-to-drive-her-home/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Daisy%20the%20van%20made%20it%20to%20Singapore.%20Now%20she%20needs%20someone%20slightly%20unhinged%20to%20drive%20her%20home&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/08/daisy-the-van-made-it-to-singapore-now-she-needs-someone-slightly-unhinged-to-drive-her-home/)

**Categories:** Community, Travel

**Tags:** Artisan Coffee, Curious Roo Coffee Roasters

---

### [How Wandsworth Council works, how it's about to change, and what's still wrong](https://putney.news/2026/06/07/how-wandsworth-council-works-how-its-about-to-change-and-whats-still-wrong/)

**Published:** June 7, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** The constitutional review forced by one independent councillor - explained, with the gaps included.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has cancelled all its meetings until the end of next month to carry out two reviews. The first is [how to stop the council going bankrupt](https://putney.news/2026/05/22/wandsworth-hid-a-137m-crisis-for-years-now-your-council-tax-bill-will-fix-it/). The second is how to reintroduce democracy into how Wandsworth, and Putney, is run.

That second review was the price demanded by Malcolm Grimston, the independent councillor on whom the entire council rests because of the 29:28 split between parties delivered at the election last month.

Grimston was effectively silenced last year, despite having been a councillor for over 30 years and despite having won more votes than any other councillor in London, thanks to a rushed, anti-democratic overhaul of how the council does its business by the former Labour administration.

The Constitutional Review will not only undo much of the worst of those changes but also take things forward and improve how our council is run.

But what are those changes, why do they matter, and have they gone far enough? Find out below.

How democratic openness changed in Wandsworth

October 2024 to July 2026

 Democratic openness in Wandsworth: high in early 2024; drops sharply through Labour’s March and August 2025 constitutional changes; lowest in December 2025 when independent councillor Grimston is silenced at Full Council; partial recovery after May 2026 elections; further recovery expected July 2026. 

Sources: Wandsworth Council records; Confidence and Supply Agreement, 26 May 2026; Putney.news reporting

' + l.label; legend.appendChild(el); }); var evWrap = document.getElementById('msm-arc-events'); events.forEach(function(ev) { var row = document.createElement('div'); row.className = 'arc-row'; row.innerHTML = '' + ev.date + '

' + '' + ev.label + '

' + ev.note + '

'; evWrap.appendChild(row); }); if (window.parent !== window) { window.parent.postMessage({ type: 'putneynews-resize', height: document.documentElement.scrollHeight }, '\*'); } })(); ---

#### How he was shut down

Grimston spent months trying to raise his ward’s issues at Full Council, only to find that Labour’s revised constitution blocked him from doing so. On at least one occasion he was shut down mid-debate by a procedural motion designed to stop filibustering. He called it “acting like an elected dictatorship.”

The confidence-and-supply agreement he signed with Conservative leader Aled Richards-Jones on 26 May lists specific constitutional changes to be passed on 22 July.

---

#### A quick, ugly history

The Labour cabinet that approved the changes that are now being unravelled took 24 seconds to do it. Council leader Cllr Simon Hogg presented papers cooked up behind the scenes and asked if there were any questions, heard none, and said: “Wonderful, well look, as I say, thank you all very, very much for your work.”

The council had paid £29,000 for advice on how to run the process properly and then promptly ignored it: a fig-leaf for a process designed to centralise power. The working group it set up [kept no records of either of its two meetings](https://putney.news/2026/02/08/council-admits-no-records-exist-from-meetings-that-decided-how-your-money-is-spent/). Dozens of changes to the constitution went through Full Council without proper scrutiny. The Labour bloc voted it in.

#### What actually changed

###### **Who controls constitutional change itself**

Labour removed the General Purposes Committee from the process. Any Full Council majority could rewrite the constitution with no oversight. The new council has already reinstated the extra step. The GP Committee, which has served as an oversight and clearinghouse for decades, is now running the review before final changes go to full council.

###### **Who can raise motions**

Labour rewrote the rules so that motions had to go through a party Group Whip. That locked out independent councillors completely. Grimston, with no whip, had no way to raise ward issues at Full Council. When he tried, he was ruled out of order. The July agreement removes that restriction.

###### **Pre-decision scrutiny**

Labour effectively scrapped the council’s scrutiny committees and replaced them with a single, party-stacked committee that could only review decisions after they had already been made. The result was shamefully illustrated after the Bradstow School closure in November 2025: eight legitimate concerns were raised, zero resolved, the headteacher was given three minutes then silenced by a party-line vote.

Worse, the Orwellian committee chair then called the process “Democracy at its best” and the leader of the council – Hogg – later wilfully misrepresented what had happened. It was the low point of the short-lived Labour administration.

Now, however, six proper scrutiny committees come back under the July agreement, and they will see decisions before Cabinet makes them.

###### **The key-decision threshold**

The old Wandsworth constitution required everything to be done in public. Labour introduced a £1 million threshold below which decisions did not need the same transparency, double the London average. A large slice of spending decisions quietly moved out of public view. The threshold stays under the new agreement, but decisions between £150,000 and £1 million will now at least be published in a Cabinet member’s rolling list.

###### **The monitoring role**

Labour transferred responsibility for monitoring the constitution from elected councillors to council officers. That change has not been reversed and is not in the July agreement. Officers, not councillors, are still responsible for checking whether the constitution works.

###### **The motions deadline**

Labour doubled the notice period for tabling motions from two days to five. Councillors who want to respond to a fast-moving local issue now need five days’ warning. It is still in force and not in the July agreement.

Wandsworth was not alone. Less than four weeks after these changes, Merton Council removed independent councillors’ right to table motions too. [We have tracked this story since it began.](https://putney.news/2025/03/10/wandsworth-executive-accused-of-silencing-scrutiny-opposition-stripped-of-oversight-powers/)

How the council works now — and what changes on 22 July

Six areas where Wandsworth’s constitution is being reviewed. Tap any row for detail.

Sources: Wandsworth Constitution (June 2026); Confidence and Supply Agreement, 26 May 2026

' + '' + c.desc + '

' + '

' + '' + c.badgeLabel + '' + '' + '' + '' + '' + 'Now (June 2026)

' + c.now + '

' + 'After 22 July

' + c.july + '

' + '

' + '' + c.context + '

' + '

'; card.querySelector('.cr-btn').addEventListener('click', function() { var open = card.classList.toggle('open'); card.querySelector('.cr-btn').setAttribute('aria-expanded', String(open)); if (window.parent !== window) { window.parent.postMessage({ type: 'putneynews-resize', height: document.documentElement.scrollHeight }, '\*'); } }); wrap.appendChild(card); }); if (window.parent !== window) { window.parent.postMessage({ type: 'putneynews-resize', height: document.documentElement.scrollHeight }, '\*'); } })(); ---

#### What Grimston extracted

Six proper scrutiny committees return, covering Transport, Health, Housing, Children’s, Environment, and Finance, and they see decisions before Cabinet makes them. Public deputations are now allowed at Cabinet meetings. All councillors get access to documents previously restricted by committee membership. Written questions can be asked at any time, not just at meetings.

Labour get the chairs of three committees and nearly half the ordinary seats. Grimston sits on the GP Committee. This is a settlement, not a takeover.

---

#### What is still missing

The £1 million transparency threshold stays, though the gap below it is partially addressed. The monitoring role (who checks the constitution is actually being followed) was transferred to officers by Labour and has not been restored. The doubled motions deadline is still in force.

Grimston also named a members’ charter as one of his three conditions, a code of behaviour actively policed by the two group leaders. The budget review is happening. The constitutional changes are in the agreement. The charter is not.

---

The changes Grimston extracted are real and welcome. But with one exception (allowing all councillors access to all council documents) they are a reversion, not a reform. They return Wandsworth to where it was before Labour changed things, rather than where a modern, digital democracy could be.

It is worth noting that just four miles away, sharing the same chief executive and senior officer team, Richmond Council has built something significantly more open.

#### Richmond does it better. Here’s how.

Richmond Council moved to a full committee system in 2019. The committees there are not a scrutiny layer; they are the decision-makers. Any resident can register to speak at any committee meeting by noon the day before. Any resident can ask a question at Full Council. Thirty minutes every meeting is set aside for it.

Under Labour’s Wandsworth rules, a resident who wanted to address a committee had to organise a group of at least six people, make a formal written request, and accept five minutes, usually after the decision had already been made.

Both councils are run by the same chief executive. Andrew Travers runs Richmond and Wandsworth. The difference was not resources or capacity. It was a political choice.

The new Wandsworth agreement is a real improvement. But Wandsworth remains a Cabinet-led council, and July will show how far the Conservatives are willing to go.

#### Review of the review

On 22 July, we will update the ledger above with what actually passes. We will note what is still missing.

The deal renews every May. If it delivers, Grimston’s support in 2027 follows. If it doesn’t, he holds the same card again.

---

*The extraordinary council meeting on 22 July is open to the public. Details and papers will be published at [democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/). Scrutiny committees resume from 22 July; under the new agreement, members of the public will be able to register to speak. To contact your ward councillors, visit the [democracy portal](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/) or the [council’s councillor directory](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/your-council/councillors-and-committees/your-councillors/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/07/how-wandsworth-council-works-how-its-about-to-change-and-whats-still-wrong/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/07/how-wandsworth-council-works-how-its-about-to-change-and-whats-still-wrong/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=How%20Wandsworth%20Council%20works%2C%20how%20it%E2%80%99s%20about%20to%20change%2C%20and%20what%E2%80%99s%20still%20wrong&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/07/how-wandsworth-council-works-how-its-about-to-change-and-whats-still-wrong/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Aled Richards-Jones, Cllr Malcolm Grimston, Cllr Peter Graham, Cllr Sara Apps, Cllr Simon Hogg, FOI, Richmond Council, transparency, Wandsworth Council

---

### [The rugby club you may not have noticed is throwing a party. Here's your invitation.](https://putney.news/2026/06/07/the-rugby-club-you-may-not-have-noticed-is-throwing-a-party-heres-your-invitation/)

**Published:** June 7, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Rosslyn Park opens its gates to the neighbourhood on Saturday 13 June.

**Content:**

There is a large fence on Upper Richmond Road. Behind it, mostly invisible to the thousands of people who drive or cycle past every day, is one of the oldest rugby clubs in the country. Next Saturday, 13 June, Rosslyn Park is opening its gates, and it wants you to come in.

The 1879 Summer Party runs from 2pm, and the club has been explicit: this is not just for members. “I have a feeling there are a lot of people around here that probably don’t realise that we are there,” said Sarah Thomas, the club’s commercial director. “Anybody’s welcome to come. It’s not just for our members.”

The afternoon starts with family events: bouncy castle, sports day games, an ice cream van, a kicking competition, and the Premiership semi-finals live in the bar from 3pm. The evening brings a hog roast and a live band, with the party running until just before midnight.

[![Rosslyn Park party](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/rosslyn-park-party.jpeg)](https://rosslynpark.co.uk/events/the-1879-summer-party/)[Tickets](https://rosslynpark.co.uk/events/the-1879-summer-party/) are £26.50 for adults and include a welcome drink and food. Under-11s get in free. Young people aged 12 to 18 pay £11, which also includes food. One practical note: tickets must be purchased in advance. They are not available at the gate.

The club knows its own visibility problem. The netting on Upper Richmond Road looks, Thomas said, “like this enormous sort of great big fence.” The message it sends, she said: stay out. The summer party is designed to counter exactly that impression.

Rosslyn Park was founded in 1879 (147 years ago) and this season its first XV finished fourth in National League 1, the third tier of English rugby. It has strong minis and youth sections.

If you have been wondering what is behind that fence (or if you have been walking or cycling past it for years without a second thought) Saturday is the moment to find out.

Tickets for the 1879 Summer Party are available at [fixr.co](https://fixr.co/event/1879-summer-party-tickets-942268084). The club is at Priory Lane, Upper Richmond Road, SW15 5JH.

![Wooden wall of name plaques at Rosslyn Park Football Club, with a large header and many names listed above seating area.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/rosslyn-park-5-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/07/the-rugby-club-you-may-not-have-noticed-is-throwing-a-party-heres-your-invitation/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/07/the-rugby-club-you-may-not-have-noticed-is-throwing-a-party-heres-your-invitation/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20rugby%20club%20you%20may%20not%20have%20noticed%20is%20throwing%20a%20party.%20Here%E2%80%99s%20your%20invitation.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/07/the-rugby-club-you-may-not-have-noticed-is-throwing-a-party-heres-your-invitation/)

**Categories:** Live events, Roehampton

**Tags:** community, England Rugby, Roehampton, Rosslyn Park RFC

---

### [The Met closed Wandsworth's police cells over safety fears and told no one - not even its own watchdog](https://putney.news/2026/06/07/the-met-closed-wandsworths-police-cells-over-safety-fears-and-told-no-one-not-even-its-own-watchdog/)

**Published:** June 7, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** 16 months of silence while the body set up to hold the Met accountable was left in the dark.

**Content:**

Wandsworth’s police cells have been closed for most of the past 16 months over safety fears, with anyone arrested in the borough taken to Sutton instead.

No announcement about the closure has been found on the Metropolitan Police’s website, in its press releases, or any other public record.

The fact emerged this weekend, in four sentences buried in a supplementary document published two days before a closed community safety meeting.

A custody report is an agenda item for every quarterly meeting of the Wandsworth Safer Neighbourhood Board, the body established by the Mayor of London to hold the Met locally accountable. For next week’s meeting, Martha Vaughan, who leads Wandsworth’s volunteer custody monitoring scheme, notes: “Wandsworth custody suite is currently closed so we are completing visits at Sutton.”

The issue goes far deeper than the brief note suggests. In February and March 2025, inspectors from HM Inspectorate of Constabulary found ligature points (anchor points that could be used for hanging or strangulation) in the toilet design at Wandsworth. Of 22 Met custody suites inspected, only Wandsworth and Peckham were found at fault. Wandsworth was closed immediately. The [full inspection report](https://hmicfrs.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/publication-html/inspection-of-custody-suites-metropolitan-police-2025/) was published five months later in August 2025.

No announcement was made to the public, and no update was provided to the board at its next meeting in March 2025.

Three months later, in June 2025, the board received a short note to say the cells had briefly reopened and then closed again for further repairs. The board received no custody update at its October 2025 meeting.

That same month, BBC Panorama broadcast “Undercover in the Police.” An undercover journalist posing as a detention officer at Charing Cross police station filmed officers boasting about violence, making racist and sexist remarks, and mocking victims of rape and abuse. Seven officers were ultimately dismissed. The programme triggered sweeping reforms to how the Met runs its cells across London. It did not prompt a single public word about Wandsworth.

16 months of silence

The Wandsworth police cells closure — what the public was told, and when

 Feb 2025

Cells closed immediately

Inspectors find ligature points in toilet design. Of 22 Met custody suites, only Wandsworth and Peckham affected. Wandsworth shut on the spot.

No public statement • No board update

 Jun 2025

One brief note to the board

Cells had “briefly reopened, then closed again.” Read by clerk in lead’s absence. No further detail.

No further statement

 Aug 2025

Inspectorate publishes full report

Ligature points and closure now on public record. The Met makes no statement about whether Wandsworth has reopened.

No public statement • No board update

 Oct 2025

Board meets — no custody update

BBC Panorama: Charing Cross scandal

Seven Met officers dismissed after undercover filming exposes racism and violence. Sweeping reforms triggered across London custody. Nothing said about Wandsworth.

No public statement

 Dec 2025

Board update — Wandsworth not mentioned

Board told about Met-wide Panorama reforms. The Wandsworth closure is not mentioned.

No public statement • No board update

 Mar 2026

Board meets — no custody update

No public statement • No board update

 Jun 2026

First public disclosure — 5 June 2026

Four sentences in a supplementary document, published two days before a non-public meeting. Visits are happening in Sutton.

  Significant event 

 Partial update to board 

 Board meets — no update 

 First public disclosure 

Sources: HMICFRS inspection report, August 2025; Wandsworth Safer Neighbourhood Board papers, 2025–2026

#### A year and a half of silence

At the December 2025 board meeting, the SNB did receive a custody report, but it was focused entirely on the Met-wide fallout from Panorama.

> “There is lots happening across custody suites in London due to the recent Panorama on Charing Cross, and there are wide changes to the Met which will impact all custody suites including Wandsworth,” it notes.

“Wandsworth ICVs (Independent Custody Visitors), like others across London are concerned with some of the proposed changes, which include all custody sergeants with 2+ years of experience being moved out of Met detention, presumably to be replaced with those without prior custody experience. ICVs have flagged our concern around this to MOPAC as we anticipate that this will negatively impact the experience of detainees in custody.”

No custody update was given at the March 2026 board meeting either.

In 16 months, in which it appears Wandsworth’s cells have been open only periodically, the Met provided one brief update to the board it is supposed to serve and nothing at all to the public. Then came this weekend’s supplementary document: four sentences confirming the cells are currently closed and visits are happening in Sutton.

A further structural change, described as a Community Scrutiny Transformation Programme, is expected to affect how the volunteer oversight scheme works in future. The board has not yet been told the details.

Wandsworth has already seen its police presence reduced significantly. Front counters at Putney, Battersea, and Tooting have closed in recent years; Lavender Hill, the last remaining counter in the borough, [moved to reduced hours in March 2026](https://putney.news/2026/03/01/wandsworth-kept-its-police-counter-the-rest-of-london-wasnt-so-lucky/) after months of uncertainty about whether it would stay open at all.

The station at 146 Wandsworth High Street is still listed as a working custody facility by at least one criminal law firm advertising representation there. No press release about the cells closing has been found in any public record.

#### What this means for people in Wandsworth

The Independent Custody Visiting scheme was created in the wake of the Brixton riots. Lord Scarman’s 1981 inquiry recommended that local communities should be able to make random checks on how the police treat people they hold in their cells. In 2003 it became a legal requirement.

Wandsworth’s volunteer visitors are currently making those visits in Sutton, because that is where people arrested in Wandsworth are being taken. They check that detainees have been offered food and water, that cells are in a reasonable condition, and that people have been told their legal rights. Their visits are unannounced. That is the point.

The Wandsworth Safer Neighbourhood Board exists to ensure that this kind of scrutiny is working and that local policing is accountable to the community it serves. For 16 months, the board was not told what was happening to the cells it was supposed to be monitoring. Neither was anyone else.

Anyone with information about the closure or its impact can contact *Putney.news* at .

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/07/the-met-closed-wandsworths-police-cells-over-safety-fears-and-told-no-one-not-even-its-own-watchdog/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/07/the-met-closed-wandsworths-police-cells-over-safety-fears-and-told-no-one-not-even-its-own-watchdog/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Met%20closed%20Wandsworth%E2%80%99s%20police%20cells%20over%20safety%20fears%20and%20told%20no%20one%20%E2%80%93%20not%20even%20its%20own%20watchdog&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/07/the-met-closed-wandsworths-police-cells-over-safety-fears-and-told-no-one-not-even-its-own-watchdog/)

**Categories:** Crime

**Tags:** accountability, HMICFRS, Independent Custody Visitors, Metropolitan Police, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Safer Neighbourhood Board

---

### [Council held private talks about Oasis building for six months and told nobody](https://putney.news/2026/06/06/council-held-private-talks-about-oasis-building-for-six-months-and-told-nobody/)

**Published:** June 6, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** FOI documents reveal private discussions about turning the closing school into a community hub.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has been discussing turning the closing Oasis Academy Putney into a community hub since November 2025, documents show, while publicly saying no decision had been made on the building’s future.

The talks were never disclosed, despite residents repeatedly asking for updates and despite the issue being covered in some depth at two election hustings in April. A Labour candidate told the West Putney hustings the council was “committed to keeping that building for educational purposes.” The council had been in discussions about an alternative use for four months by then.

The documents were released under a freedom of information request answered this week, four months late.

#### What the documents show

In November 2025, Oasis CEO John Barneby wrote to Lisa Fenaroli, Wandsworth’s Director of Education, formally notifying the school’s closure and proposing that Oasis retain the building as an “Oasis Village”: a hub for children who are struggling with, or not attending, mainstream education, bringing together charities, food banks, clothes banks and statutory agencies under one roof and offering after-school enrichment, therapeutic activities and short-term placements. Oasis runs one in Tulse Hill and announced a Wirral Council partnership in early 2026.

Fenaroli replied that she was “happy to work with you to explore what is needed in Wandsworth and how we might utilise the building to deliver the biggest impact following closure of the school.”

In December 2025, Oasis wrote again asking Fenaroli to meet its Director of Projects, Liz Bickerstaffe, to explore “this possible ‘village’ option” and understand “Wandsworth’s position on this or any related site use.” A Teams meeting was set for 20 January 2026.

#### The legal problem nobody mentioned

An Oasis Village would likely require a new access agreement from the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators (WPCC).

Clause 2.2 of the 2014 Deed of Easement conditions the access road across Putney Lower Common on the site being used as “a school substantially providing education free at the point of delivery” under public education legislation.

An Oasis Village is explicitly for children who are not in mainstream education. The Deed requires a school providing free education. Those two things may not be compatible. When the school closes, the access right lapses and the plans for a Village would likely not revive it, opening up a legal can of worms.

The WPCC is a charity under the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Act 1871, with a legal duty to act in the public interest. Any future access deal requires its agreement, and on better terms than last time.

The 2014 Deed became the subject of a Charity Commission statutory inquiry in 2016 after the WPCC granted the access right for £350,000 without commissioning a surveyor’s report, as charity law requires. A retrospective valuation found the easement was worth between £675,000 and £950,000; an internal WPCC assessment put it at up to £1.9 million. The Commission found “mismanagement or misconduct” and appointed an interim manager in 2017. Any future negotiation would need to be at proper market value with independent advice.

#### What residents were told

At the Putney Society hustings on 13 April, Green Party candidate Hannah Manthorpe said she had visited the school the week before, met Rosie who runs The Scrubbery, a community sewing charity in the building, and argued it “should absolutely not be sat there empty.” The Scrubbery had spoken to the council about staying on as a caretaker presence.

Two days later in Roehampton, the question was asked directly and the Labour candidate said the council was “committed to keeping that building for educational purposes.” The council had been in discussions with Oasis about a non-educational use for four months.

In responses to *Putney.news*, Oasis confirmed in May that the building is owned by Wandsworth Council and that its own rights to the site end when the school closes. “Decisions about the building’s future use will therefore sit with the local authority,” a spokesperson said. Oasis said it understood the council intended to continue using the site for educational purposes, but added that the council would need to confirm that. No mention was made about Oasis’ village proposal.

The school is [due to close this summer](https://putney.news/2026/05/15/oasis-academy-putney-now-on-course-to-close/) after the Department for Education granted in-principle approval in May. Three organisations currently use the building: Wild About Play, a forest nursery; The Scrubbery; and Boathouse Church.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/06/council-held-private-talks-about-oasis-building-for-six-months-and-told-nobody/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/06/council-held-private-talks-about-oasis-building-for-six-months-and-told-nobody/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Council%20held%20private%20talks%20about%20Oasis%20building%20for%20six%20months%20and%20told%20nobody&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/06/council-held-private-talks-about-oasis-building-for-six-months-and-told-nobody/)

**Categories:** Education, Thamesfield

**Tags:** accountability, FOI, Oasis Academy Putney, Putney Lower Common, Wandsworth Council, Wimbledon and Putney Commons

---

### [Wandsworth pension fund loses seven times more than the market in a single quarter](https://putney.news/2026/06/06/wandsworth-pension-fund-loses-seven-times-more-than-the-market-in-a-single-quarter/)

**Published:** June 6, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Committee took 18 months to act - and the sale still wasn't complete when the record loss hit.

**Content:**

Wandsworth’s worst-performing pension fund manager has just had its worst quarter on record, losing 14% in three months while the rest of the market fell by under 2%.

The figures land 18 months after the committee first identified the problem and did nothing, and three weeks after it finally voted to sell on 10 March. The quarter ended on 31 March. In those three weeks, the fund recorded its worst-ever quarterly loss.

The failing fund holds roughly £400 million of Wandsworth’s pension money. People with pensions in the scheme will still get what they were promised – their payouts are guaranteed whatever the investments do. But poor returns have a cost. The council and local schools have to pay more in to make up the difference, and the review that sets those payments is due in 2028.

---

How the fund performed

Wandsworth’s pension pot vs comparators — figures to 31 March 2026

−13.6%

Longview fund
Jan–Mar 2026

−1.6%

Market
same quarter

Three years annualised — same pot, two very different funds

L&G tracker
follows market, lower fees

 +14.4% 

Longview fund
stock-picks 25 companies

 +0.6% 

 Over three years, the tracker returned **24× more** — and charged lower fees to do it 

Full year (Apr 2025–Mar 2026)

Bars show gain (right of zero) or loss (left of zero)

Market (benchmark)

 +16.8% 

Comparable funds (avg)

 +9.7% 

Wandsworth whole fund

 +6.1% 

Longview fund

 −12.6% 

Wandsworth came bottom tier among comparable funds for the year

Source: Paper 26/127 Appendix A, JPC 8 June 2026 · Putney.news

#### Why the fund keeps failing

The fund, managed by Longview Partners, picks around 25 individual stocks at a time. When those bets go wrong, there is almost nothing else in the fund to cushion the fall. The committee’s own papers say the latest losses came from ‘poor stock and sector selection,’ and that picking so few stocks means each wrong call hits harder.

The council also holds a tracker fund run by Legal & General, which simply follows the market and charges lower fees. Over three years, the tracker returned nearly 15%. The Longview fund returned under 1%.

#### The committee that kept not acting

The committee first flagged the problem in October 2024, when the fund had grown larger than its own rules allowed. No decision was taken. It reviewed the problem again in December 2025. Still nothing. At its March 2026 meeting, the investment adviser from London CIV told the committee to ‘dilute your exposure.’ This time the committee voted to sell £100 million and put the money into government bonds.

The vote was on 10 March. The quarter ended on 31 March. In those three weeks, the fund had its worst quarter on record.

Councillor Craigie, Deputy Chair of the committee, made the point himself at the March meeting, speaking in a different context, that ‘there are decisions that we see in our own papers that occasionally we lose 6 million quid because of a speculative decision that’s gone wrong, or an asset manager that isn’t managing the fund in the same way.’ The latest figures give that observation considerably more force.

#### The second problem the committee cannot solve

The committee is also sitting on a separate fund it cannot sell even if it wants to. The Schroders fund, worth £82.8 million, has been frozen since December 2025 when Schroders announced a merger with another firm. It has underperformed for 16 consecutive quarters.

The papers for Monday’s meeting carry this update, reproduced as written: ‘No further updates have been since the last Committee meeting, and officers will update the Committee as further information becomes available.’ The merger has since completed. There is still no date for releasing the money.

#### What happens next

A wider review of how the fund chooses all its stock investments has been shelved. It will not happen until the committee settles a separate argument about whether to stop investing in companies with military exposure. That argument is not expected to be resolved before September 2026.

Monday’s meeting is open to the public, at 7.15pm in Room 123, Wandsworth Town Hall. The full papers are available online.

The question of military investment is the other major paper on Monday’s agenda. [That story is here.](https://putney.news/2026/05/31/wandsworth-misleads-pension-members-to-block-gaza-divestment/)

*This is the seventh story in Putney.news’s coverage of the Wandsworth pension fund. The [previous piece](https://putney.news/2026/03/30/wandsworth-pension-fund-loses-tens-of-millions-as-committee-keeps-noting-the-problem/), published 30 March 2026, trailed the June committee as the moment both problems would be reviewed. The data has got worse.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/06/wandsworth-pension-fund-loses-seven-times-more-than-the-market-in-a-single-quarter/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/06/wandsworth-pension-fund-loses-seven-times-more-than-the-market-in-a-single-quarter/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20pension%20fund%20loses%20seven%20times%20more%20than%20the%20market%20in%20a%20single%20quarter&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/06/wandsworth-pension-fund-loses-seven-times-more-than-the-market-in-a-single-quarter/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Craigie, Cllr Melanie Hampton, Joint Pensions Committee, Local Pension Board, Longview Partners, Wandsworth Council, Wandsworth pension fund

---

### [The vicar of Roehampton wants a word about the chicken shop. So do nine of his neighbours](https://putney.news/2026/06/06/the-vicar-of-roehampton-wants-a-word-about-the-chicken-shop-so-do-nine-of-his-neighbours/)

**Published:** June 6, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Morley's - rated 2 for hygiene - asks to trade till 2am. The licence hearing is this Thursday.

**Content:**

Things are not going well for fast food in Roehampton. Two of its outlets are out of action, and a third has met with 10 objections in its bid to stay open until 2am. Two is, incidentally, also its food hygiene rating, which is not displayed in the window.

Morley’s Chicken at 24 Roehampton High Street received its 2 out of 5 (meaning improvement necessary) because inspectors found raw meat stored next to ready-to-eat food, temperature records that hadn’t been updated since July 2022, and no pest control. We know because we pulled its hygiene record. Punters rocking up at 2am for hot chicken are likely to be less aware.

Residents, including the local vicar, don’t want a late-night fast food restaurant on the High Street and have said so: a licence hearing is this Thursday, 11 June, at 7pm.

![Front of a kebab shop with a black facade and large yellow sign: 'MUNCH & SHAKES' above the windows.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/fast-food-roehampton-1-1024x768.png)The two closed outlets tell their own story. Next door to Morley’s at 26, *T Munch & Shakes* (5 for hygiene) has shut up shop, its windows papered over with a handwritten ‘Sorry we are closed’ sign. Adding to the blight, across the road, the Angel pub is closed and being gutted after a police bid to revoke its licence. And if you fancied a sausage roll while contemplating all this, you’re out of luck: even the Greggs on Danebury Avenue is boarded up, though for a refit rather than a closure.

Just as well: Greggs is the only shop on the rather sad-looking Danebury Avenue parade that ever looks busy. These shops have been earmarked for regeneration since at least 2006, shelved for the recession, planned for again, shelved again, worked up into a grand plan under Labour… and then Labour ran out of money and was booted out of office last month.

![Storefront under renovation with plywood boards, construction fencing, and a 'COMING SOON' banner in front of a Co-op shop.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/fast-food-roehampton-4-1024x768.png)Against this backdrop of culinary misfortune, Morley’s applied in March for its premises licence to serve hot food until 2am, seven nights a week. Ten residents objected.

#### What residents say

Nine of the ten objections covered noise, litter, drug-related activity, and delivery mopeds routinely mounting the pavement. The man who lives directly above the shop wrote that current hours already make it impossible to sleep, with customers arriving “in an intoxicated state” and motorbike drivers gathering outside while cooking smells filter upstairs. A further objector raised the impact on St Mary’s Convent Care Home nearby, whose residents she described as having a legitimate need for quiet at night.

The Vicar of Roehampton, Revd Joshua Rey, made no mention of crime. He wrote instead that a 2am licence for Morley’s would draw people who “consume junk food, deposit the detritus on the pavement, make some noise and go on their way”, adding that it “will do nothing to encourage the growth of good quality food service and entertainment serving the local community.” He makes a fair point: Roehampton High Street has been waiting on hold for some years hoping someone will finally answer.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/fast-food-roehampton-3-768x1024.png)#### What the committee can do

Despite having singled our Morley’s during its effort to shut down The Angel Pub, the Met Police withdrew its complaint after the shop promised to cuts hours from 3am to 2am and accept CCTV. Not much of a shift for locals but the police were happy.

Wandsworth Council’s licensing committee cannot simply refuse an application because the street has problems: under the law it must find that granting the licence would actually undermine one of the four objectives: crime and disorder, public safety, public nuisance, or protection of children from harm.

#### Watch the hearing

The Licensing Sub-Committee meets online via Microsoft Teams this Thursday 11 June at 7pm, the hearing is public and anyone can watch. A webcast link will be on the council’s [democracy portal](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/) before Thursday. Questions about the papers: Michael Flowers at .

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/06/the-vicar-of-roehampton-wants-a-word-about-the-chicken-shop-so-do-nine-of-his-neighbours/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/06/the-vicar-of-roehampton-wants-a-word-about-the-chicken-shop-so-do-nine-of-his-neighbours/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20vicar%20of%20Roehampton%20wants%20a%20word%20about%20the%20chicken%20shop.%20So%20do%20nine%20of%20his%20neighbours&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/06/the-vicar-of-roehampton-wants-a-word-about-the-chicken-shop-so-do-nine-of-his-neighbours/)

**Categories:** Food &amp; Drink, Roehampton

**Tags:** Alton Estate, FOI, Licensing Sub-Committee, public safety, Roehampton, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Putney's new vicar: from Budapest to Brixton to St Margaret's](https://putney.news/2026/06/05/putneys-new-vicar-from-budapest-to-brixton-to-st-margarets/)

**Published:** June 5, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** The Revd Susan Wright brings a career in public policy and four countries of family history to SW15.

**Content:**

A public policy strategist who spent four years in New York and more than two decades in Brixton is coming to Putney this autumn as the new vicar of [St Margaret’s](https://putney.news/venue/st-margarets-putney/).

The Revd Susan Wright has been appointed by the Bishop of Southwark, in consultation with parish representatives, and joins in early autumn 2026. Before ordination she worked in public policy and organisational development, a career path that puts her some distance from the typical vicarage route.

Her life before Putney covers considerable ground. She and her husband Robert, a newspaper reporter, met at the University of St Andrews and settled first in Edinburgh, then Brixton. Robert’s work took the family to Budapest, where their daughter Anna was born, before a move back to London, where son Alexander arrived. Four years in New York followed, the whole family together, before a return to London in 2016, prompted, the official announcement notes, by a calling to ordination. She joins from St Barnabas with Christ’s Chapel in Dulwich.

Wright succeeds the Revd Dr Brutus Green, who left earlier this year after seven years to become Vicar of [St Mary Redcliffe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary_Redcliffe) in Bristol.

St Margaret’s, on Putney Park Lane, is one of the more active community churches in SW15. It runs a weekly homeless shelter in winter months with [Glass Door](https://www.glassdoor.org.uk), a community lunch, a playgroup, and regular public music recitals. It is a member of Inclusive Church. The church recently had its pathway resurfaced in a [major upgrade completed last November](https://putney.news/2025/11/11/st-margarets-church-pathway-gets-major-upgrade/).

Founded in 1873, the building has a quirk worth noting: it faces north rather than east. The reason is that it started life as the Granard Chapel, a Baptist congregation; the building kept its original alignment when it was adopted into the Church of England. As one former vicar put it in 1959, few Anglican churches could claim descent from both Baptist and Presbyterian traditions.

The Wright family say they are looking forward to exploring everything Putney has to offer, mostly by bike.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/05/putneys-new-vicar-from-budapest-to-brixton-to-st-margarets/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/05/putneys-new-vicar-from-budapest-to-brixton-to-st-margarets/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20new%20vicar%3A%20from%20Budapest%20to%20Brixton%20to%20St%20Margaret%E2%80%99s&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/05/putneys-new-vicar-from-budapest-to-brixton-to-st-margarets/)

**Categories:** Community, West Putney

**Tags:** St Margaret's Church

---

### [Wandsworth councillor petitions for charity support she failed to deliver during four years in charge](https://putney.news/2026/06/05/wandsworth-councillor-petitions-for-charity-support-she-failed-to-deliver-during-four-years-in-charge/)

**Published:** June 5, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Kemi Akinola's petition claims the sector faces "zero support." The council's own documents tell a different story.

**Content:**

Kemi Akinola spent four years as the councillor responsible for Wandsworth’s charities.

During that time, she promised local voluntary organisations something they badly needed: a dedicated body to help them find funding, share resources and navigate the council. The service was approved, tendered and then quietly cancelled.

This week, with Labour now in opposition, she launched a petition accusing the new Conservative administration of abandoning those same organisations.

The [petition](https://forms.gle/S3YBZuGnFxoC18DS6) claims local charities face “zero funding or support.” It demands a dedicated cabinet role. What it does not contain is any account of what happened to the support she was supposed to deliver.

#### The record

When Labour took control from the Conservatives in 2022, Wandsworth was already recognised as one of the weakest boroughs in London for supporting its voluntary sector. Small charities and community groups lacked any central point of contact: no one to call for help with funding applications, no coordination between organisations working on similar problems, no dedicated route into the council.

Two months after taking control of the council, in July 2022, Akinola commissioned a report into what was needed. More than 200 local organisations took part. It was published in November 2023, and in July 2024, the council approved a service worth £330,000 a year to fix the problem and put the contract out to tender, a five-year deal worth £1.65m in total. “We are building a fairer and more compassionate Wandsworth,” she said.

Seven organisations bid for the contract. Three met the basic requirements. Of those three, none could actually deliver what the council was asking for at the price it was offering. “No further evaluation was completed,” the council’s own response to a freedom of information request states. The contract was cancelled. Officers took the decision quietly, without a council vote. The council told *Putney.news*: “There was no involvement of Councillors in the process.” [The entire process had collapsed](https://putney.news/2025/05/27/years-of-promises-no-delivery-councils-charity-support-plan-collapses/).

> [Years of promises, no delivery: Council’s charity support plan collapses](https://putney.news/2025/05/27/years-of-promises-no-delivery-councils-charity-support-plan-collapses/)

In the meantime, a separate contract with Wandsworth Care Alliance (which had been providing a basic coordination service for local charities since before Labour took over, at £180,000 a year) was coming to an end.

That too expired in December 2025, with nothing ready to replace it. An emergency meeting was held. The council said it was developing a new approach but nothing happened. [The monthly record of contracts signed by the council](https://putney.news/2025/11/26/councils-1-65m-charity-support-tender-failed-now-organisations-have-five-weeks-to-design-replacement/) shows nothing was approved and no contract has been awarded then or since.

#### Argument doesn’t hold

Richmond uses the same council procurement team as Wandsworth. In January 2026, Richmond hired a local charity support organisation for £224,588 over two years. No failed tender beforehand. No emergency meeting.

Moreover, the petition’s claim of “zero funding or support” doesn’t hold up. The council’s grants programme for local charities continues. A free shared workspace for voluntary organisations at the Town Hall is available throughout 2026. What the new Conservative administration has done is remove the named cabinet role, as announced when the [new administration set out its structure in May](https://putney.news/2026/05/30/wandsworth-council-is-getting-a-democratic-overhaul-here-is-what-changes/). That is a legitimate concern. But it is a narrower claim than zero support, and it comes poorly from a councillor whose four years in charge left local charities without the one thing they were promised.

The [petition](https://forms.gle/S3YBZuGnFxoC18DS6) also carries a Wandsworth Labour Party data-sharing consent clause.

A local charity worker who contacted *Putney.news* shared a letter they had sent to Akinola in November 2025, six months before the election. “Wandsworth Council presents itself as a listening council, yet my experience suggests this is not reflected in practice within the VCS sector. Trust is minimal, and confidence in the council’s willingness or ability to listen is fragile.”

Wandsworth’s charities have now waited through two administrations, a report, two failed attempts to hire a support organisation, the loss of the one service that existed, and an emergency meeting that came to nothing. They were promised help in 2022. They still do not have it. The new administration has not said whether it plans to change that. A petition about who cares more is not the answer.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/05/wandsworth-councillor-petitions-for-charity-support-she-failed-to-deliver-during-four-years-in-charge/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/05/wandsworth-councillor-petitions-for-charity-support-she-failed-to-deliver-during-four-years-in-charge/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20councillor%20petitions%20for%20charity%20support%20she%20failed%20to%20deliver%20during%20four%20years%20in%20charge&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/05/wandsworth-councillor-petitions-for-charity-support-she-failed-to-deliver-during-four-years-in-charge/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Kemi Akinola, FOI, investigation, listening council, Richmond Council, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Putney's transport is broken today - tube, buses, roads, all of it](https://putney.news/2026/06/04/putneys-transport-is-broken-today-tube-buses-roads-all-of-it/)

**Published:** June 4, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Three Thames Water works in two weeks. One tube strike. No one had to coordinate any of it.

**Content:**

Putney faces one of its worst single-day transport failures in months today, with the District Line on strike, Putney Bridge bus stops closed and the junction connecting both running at absolute capacity.

Thames Water has disrupted Putney’s buses three times in two weeks. Conditional June strike dates were public from 18 May. Whether any of the works were scheduled with that in mind is not known.

#### What to do today

South Western Railway from Putney station is the most reliable alternative. It runs direct to Waterloo, roughly every ten minutes, and is about 500 metres from East Putney station.

The District Line is on strike all day. RMT members are walking out; ASLEF members are not, so some trains may run, but the service is unpredictable and should not be relied on.

Three stops at Putney Bridge Bus Station have been closed since Saturday morning because Thames Water shut Gonville Street for pipe works. The closure runs until 5pm on Saturday. Routes 85, 265, 270 and 378 are diverted. Routes 39 and 93 start and end at Putney Heath Green Man instead. Alternative stops FH (towards Putney Bridge), FE (Kingston and Mortlake) and FD (Mitcham) are in use, marked at the station.

#### Three disruptions. Two weeks.

The Gonville Street closure is the third time Thames Water has hit Putney’s buses in two weeks. Earlier this month, [it diverted route 424 twice in one week](https://putney.news/2026/05/27/thames-water-disrupts-route-424-twice-as-tfl-stays-silent-on-the-routes-future/). Then it [dug up Putney High Street near Disraeli Road for three days](https://putney.news/2026/05/20/thames-water-digs-up-putney-high-street-again-and-there-is-no-way-around-it/). Now the bus station itself has three stops out of service.

Each was a separate works project. Conditional June strike dates were public from 18 May – the Gonville Street closure began on 30 May, the day before they were formally confirmed. Whether any of the works were notified to TfL in advance is not known.

#### Why it keeps happening

Thames Water is replacing over 550km of Victorian water mains (roughly the distance from London to Edinburgh) across its network over the next five years, a programme the company describes as the biggest upgrade in 150 years. The pipes under Gonville Street and Disraeli Road needed replacing. These works are not optional and they will continue.

The problem is coordination, not the works themselves. Parliament’s Transport Committee [found last July](https://putney.news/2026/06/03/tfl-and-network-rail-are-hiding-from-londoners-furious-about-the-district-line/) that councils are “ill-equipped to monitor and coordinate utility companies’ street works, or to penalise companies that behave badly.” More than 200 organisations have the legal right to dig up roads in England. The government published proposals last September for stronger coordination requirements, but they are not yet law and would not have changed anything this week.

The tube is a harder problem. East Putney is the [worst-performing station on the entire Underground network](https://putney.news/2025/09/25/this-is-why-your-commute-is-hell-putneys-transport-meltdown-exposed/) for signal failures, losing 147 hours to faults last year, more than double the next worst station. As we [reported earlier this week](https://putney.news/2026/06/03/tfl-and-network-rail-are-hiding-from-londoners-furious-about-the-district-line/), fixing the signalling on the Wimbledon branch is “not feasible within any reasonable planning horizon”, according to internal TfL and Network Rail documents. When the tube fails, buses absorb the overflow. When the bus station is compromised at the same time, [the Putney Bridge junction has nowhere to put the load](https://putney.news/2026/02/18/the-junction-that-cant-handle-two-sets-of-roadworks/).

[We established in February](https://putney.news/2026/02/18/the-junction-that-cant-handle-two-sets-of-roadworks/) that the junction runs at absolute maximum capacity under normal conditions, with no margin for any additional pressure. One set of temporary lights multiplies across the network. Three simultaneous disruptions leave [the worst transport day Putney has seen in months](https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-week-sw15s-transport-network-fell-apart-all-at-once/).

#### What could change

Lane rental schemes charge utility companies per day on the road, giving them a direct financial incentive to finish quickly. Parliament’s Transport Committee has called for all highway authorities to be able to adopt them. Wandsworth does not currently operate one.

TfL runs an Infrastructure Coordination Service with City Hall, designed to sequence major works on bus routes. Whether it was active here is unclear.

[Route 14 through Putney averages 5.7mph](https://putney.news/2026/05/15/putneys-buses-are-so-slow-the-bbc-came-to-film-them/), the slowest measured bus route in England. Industry analysis puts the value of a 10% improvement in London bus speeds at £283.9m a year. Roadworks coordination is one of three identified ways to get there. None are quick fixes.

#### Get in touch

Fleur Anderson MP is on record on the District Line and has been pressing TfL on signalling and reliability. She can be reached at .

Cllr Dan Hamilton holds the transport brief in the new Conservative administration. He can be contacted at .

For Thames Water enquiries: 0800 316 9800 or thameswater.co.uk/live.

---

The bus station reopens Saturday at 5pm. The District Line runs normally tomorrow.

The Championships start at Wimbledon in 26 days. The signalling will not have been fixed. The pipes under Gonville Street will have been dealt with. There will be others.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/04/putneys-transport-is-broken-today-tube-buses-roads-all-of-it/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/04/putneys-transport-is-broken-today-tube-buses-roads-all-of-it/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20transport%20is%20broken%20today%20%E2%80%93%20tube%2C%20buses%2C%20roads%2C%20all%20of%20it&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/04/putneys-transport-is-broken-today-tube-buses-roads-all-of-it/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Dan Hamilton, District Line, East Putney, Fleur Anderson MP, Putney Bridge junction, TfL, Thames Water, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Places Leisure says Labour approved Putney's pool cut. The council won't release the papers](https://putney.news/2026/06/04/places-leisure-says-labour-approved-putneys-pool-cut-the-council-wont-release-the-papers/)

**Published:** June 4, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Putney's MP says she was briefed on the changes and told the pool would stay the same.

**Content:**

The operator of the Putney Leisure Centre, Places Leisure, has claimed the previous Labour administration at Wandsworth Council approved its plans to permanently shorten Putney’s pool when it was awarded a new contract last year.

That claim appears to contradict what Putney’s MP has said about the shock news: that she attended a formal briefing on the changes and was told the pool would stay the same.

Wandsworth Council has refused for seven months to release the decision papers that would show what Cabinet was actually told before it voted to award the contract.

[As we reported yesterday](https://putney.news/2026/06/03/putney-leisure-centre-pool-to-be-permanently-cut-without-any-public-consultation/), residents received an email on Tuesday announcing the 33-metre pool would be permanently cut to 25 metres. Faced with an outcry, the council ordered a pause the same evening. Places Leisure area manager Dave Jolliffe has confirmed the pause but in a letter to one resident argued that the pool reconfiguration “was presented at tender stage in 2025 and accepted by Wandsworth Council when we were awarded the contract.”

Putney MP Fleur Anderson meanwhile told a constituent: “I went to a presentation about the changes to the whole Leisure Centre many months ago and was told the pool would remain the same. I didn’t know about the reduction in length and agree there should have been a consultation if a reduction is planned.” She has written to Places Leisure.

---

Six months. No papers.

Putney.news has been trying to obtain Wandsworth Council’s Places Leisure contract documents since November 2025

23 Nov 2025

FOI filed

Putney.news requests officer reports, Cabinet briefings, risk assessments, and correspondence for the £24m Places Leisure contract.

20 Feb 2026

22 working days late

Council refuses to release papers

Officer reports withheld under commercial interests. Four “No” answers on what Cabinet was told before approving the deal. Risk assessments returned as “N/A.”

Refused — Section 43(2)

20 Mar 2026

Internal review filed

Putney.news challenges the refusal on three grounds: failure to confirm or deny correspondence, non-response to one section, and a disproportionate blanket refusal on the officer reports.

21 Apr 2026

Deadline extended — no reasons given

Council extends the internal review to 20 May with no explanation. Putney.news challenges the extension on the record, citing the statutory code of practice.

Extended to 20 May

20 May 2026

Deadline passes. No response.

The extended internal review deadline passes. Wandsworth Council does not respond.

Overdue

4 Jun 2026

Today

Pool row breaks — papers still withheld

Places Leisure says the council approved the pool redesign at tender stage. The officer reports that would confirm or deny that are the ones the council has refused to release.

Seven weeks overdue

Source: WBC-FOI-11625 correspondence, Putney.news

#### The council has refused to release the papers that would answer this

*Putney.news* requested the contract decision-making papers back in November 2025. In February 2026 the council confirmed it holds officer reports and Cabinet briefings for the contract but refused to release them, citing commercial interests. The same response confirmed that Cabinet had not been told about tenant disputes, legal obligations, or café plans before approving the contract. Risk assessments for the £24m deal were recorded as “N/A.”

We filed a formal challenge in March; the council extended its deadline to May with no explanation, then let that deadline pass without responding. The challenge is now seven weeks overdue.

Places Leisure manager Jolliffe also claims a pre-tender feasibility study with resident consultation was held before the contract was awarded. We have been unable to find any public record of this meeting.

The pool closure is still scheduled for 1 July. Places Leisure says it is meeting the council this week.

---

#### Did you take part in a consultation?

Places Leisure says a feasibility study with resident consultation was held before the 2025 contract. We have been unable to find a record of this. If you were involved (as a participant, organiser, or if you received any communication about it), [please contact us](https://putney.news/contact/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/04/places-leisure-says-labour-approved-putneys-pool-cut-the-council-wont-release-the-papers/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/04/places-leisure-says-labour-approved-putneys-pool-cut-the-council-wont-release-the-papers/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Places%20Leisure%20says%20Labour%20approved%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20pool%20cut.%20The%20council%20won%E2%80%99t%20release%20the%20papers&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/04/places-leisure-says-labour-approved-putneys-pool-cut-the-council-wont-release-the-papers/)

**Categories:** Politics, Wellness

**Tags:** accountability, Fleur Anderson MP, FOI, Places Leisure, public consultation, Putney Leisure Centre, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth has a new government. Nobody can challenge it for a month.](https://putney.news/2026/06/04/wandsworth-has-a-new-government-nobody-can-challenge-it-for-a-month/)

**Published:** June 4, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Content:**

Wandsworth’s new Conservative administration is running the borough without any formal oversight this month. No one can question its decisions in a public meeting. No committee can demand answers. The one session where residents can walk in and speak directly to the council has been cancelled.

It is the first full month of a council that won power promising to invite “scrutiny and challenge from everyone.”

---

 Wandsworth Council — June 2026

Meetings cancelled in the administration’s first full month in office

 Borough Residents’ Forum

Wednesday 10 June

CANCELLED

Cabinet

Monday 15 June

CANCELLED

Transport Overview & Scrutiny Committee

Tuesday 16 June

CANCELLED

Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee

Wednesday 17 June

CANCELLED

Grants Overview & Scrutiny Sub-Committee

Thursday 18 June

CANCELLED

Housing Overview & Scrutiny Committee

Tuesday 23 June

CANCELLED

Children’s Overview & Scrutiny Committee

Wednesday 24 June

CANCELLED

Environment Overview & Scrutiny Committee

Monday 29 June

CANCELLED

Finance Overview & Scrutiny Committee

Thursday 2 July

CANCELLED

  Scrutiny committees due to resume **22 July 2026** 

Source: Wandsworth Council official calendar, June 2026

---

The practical effect: nine meetings gone. Cabinet is not sitting. All six scrutiny committees (covering finance, housing, transport, children’s services, health, and the environment) are cancelled until 22 July. The Borough Residents’ Forum on 10 June, where any Wandsworth resident can put questions directly to the council, will not take place.

The administration says this is a temporary pause while it rebuilds the committee structure from scratch. Scrutiny committees are due to return on 22 July. But before they do, the new Cabinet’s first formal decision is already scheduled for 15 July, with no oversight body yet reconvened. Whatever it decides that day, there will be no scrutiny committee with the power to challenge it.

That first decision could be anything on the current Forward Plan: the future of the borough’s leisure centres, laptop procurement worth millions, the CCTV contract, mental health services. The new administration will make it in private, present it as done, and answer questions about it in July. If then.

Deputy leader Cllr Peter Graham [acknowledged the process](https://putney.news/2026/05/29/wandsworths-new-hung-council-the-promises-made-and-broken-on-night-one/) had been “far from ideal.” Labour refused to take part in the single replacement committee the administration installed, saying it had been ambushed by the decision on night one.

That committee is staffed entirely by Conservatives. Leader Aled Richards-Jones [told the Annual Meeting](https://putney.news/2026/05/29/wandsworths-new-hung-council-the-promises-made-and-broken-on-night-one/) his administration would invite the opposition “to challenge our decisions and hold us to account.” The [confidence and supply agreement](https://putney.news/2026/05/30/wandsworth-council-is-getting-a-democratic-overhaul-here-is-what-changes/) he signed commits to cross-party committee chairs and opposition presence at every cabinet meeting. Both of those things start in July.

This is [not the first time](https://putney.news/2025/12/30/every-promise-broken-wandsworths-scrutiny-reforms-fail-every-test/) Wandsworth has spent a month ungovernable in the name of governance reform. Labour did the same, and broke every promise that came with it. The Conservatives have had one month in office. July is when they start being testable on theirs.

Until then, residents can contact their ward councillors at [wandsworth.gov.uk/council](https://wandsworth.gov.uk/the-council/councillors/find-your-councillors/). The full June schedule is at [democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/mgCalendarMonthView.aspx).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/04/wandsworth-has-a-new-government-nobody-can-challenge-it-for-a-month/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/04/wandsworth-has-a-new-government-nobody-can-challenge-it-for-a-month/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20has%20a%20new%20government.%20Nobody%20can%20challenge%20it%20for%20a%20month.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/04/wandsworth-has-a-new-government-nobody-can-challenge-it-for-a-month/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Aled Richards-Jones, Cllr Malcolm Grimston, Cllr Peter Graham, General Purposes Committee, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Putney Leisure Centre pool to be permanently cut without any public consultation](https://putney.news/2026/06/03/putney-leisure-centre-pool-to-be-permanently-cut-without-any-public-consultation/)

**Published:** June 3, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Content:**

Putney Leisure Centre’s 33-metre pool is being permanently cut in two. Nobody was consulted, and when swimmers found out on Tuesday, public pressure caused the council to halt the plan within hours.

Yesterday lunchtime Places Leisure, the company that manages the centre for Wandsworth Council, emailed members about the expected summer closure for refurbishment. The email also mentioned, for the first time, that the pool would be ‘reconfigured to provide both a dedicated 25m swimming pool and a separate teaching pool’. Nobody had been told this was coming.

Messages poured in to local councillors. Six hours after the email arrived, Cllr Ethan Brooks, the cabinet member for leisure who had just taken the role when the new Conservative-led council took charge in May, told Places Leisure the closure ‘must be paused’. The council was ‘not currently confident that adequate engagement has taken place’, he said. He apologised for communications ‘shared without Council oversight’ and promised a reset.

#### A decision taken first, explained later

Last year the same operator [closed The Kitchen cafe](https://putney.news/2026/03/14/this-is-my-community-the-end-of-the-kitchen-at-putney-leisure-centre/) at the centre without consulting anyone, and the previous administration later [spent public money settling the dispute](https://putney.news/2026/04/13/wandsworth-spent-public-money-to-settle-a-cafe-dispute-it-wont-say-how-much/) without saying how much. Each time, a decision about a building the public owns was taken first and explained afterwards, with users kept in the dark until it was effectively done.

Who decided to cut the pool, and when, is not on the public record. The 10-year Places Leisure contract was awarded in June 2025 under the previous Labour administration, and given the refusal to provide any information about the shift, it is very possible the decision to close the cafe and shrink the pool was written into it.

*Putney.news* has tried repeatedly to get the council to provide some transparency around its plans for Putney Leisure Centre: we have been met with a wall. The Conservative-led administration that paused the plan took charge only in May, after the election left no party in overall control.

The council now says that the operator’s email went out in the council’s name without its oversight. We have asked both Places Leisure and the council about the scope of the work, the fate of the diving boards and who authorised the original decision. Neither had responded at the time of publication.

#### A pool worth keeping

The pool opened in 1968, designed by Powell and Moya, and won a RIBA award the following year. Its L-shaped design, which folds a diving area into the main tank, is thought to be the first of its kind built in Britain. The building is locally listed.

![Putney Leisure Centre](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/putney-leisure-centre-4-1024x768.jpg)A 33-metre pool is not a 25-metre pool with a bit to spare. Swimmers say it runs at the full length for early mornings, evenings and weekends, dropping to 25-metre lanes only for weekday lessons. Clubs and distance swimmers need the length, and Spencer Swim Team trains there. There is no other 33-metre pool within easy reach of SW15.

Dan Hawtrey, who has swum there for 16 years and has started the petition against the change, says the building is tired and badly needs [the investment it has been promised](https://putney.news/2025/10/03/putney-leisure-centre-set-to-become-one-of-the-greenest-in-the-uk/), but not at the cost of the one thing that kept him coming back.

#### A standard length, and a rare one

Most public pools in Britain are 25 metres, the length the swimming world treats as standard for lessons, clubs and lane swimming, and the one the operator says it is moving Putney towards. A 50-metre Olympic pool was never an option: Britain built very few until the 2012 Games, and a building this size could not hold one.

Putney’s 33 metres is a survivor from an era when British pools were built to a jumble of imperial and metric figures, which is why so few others share it. Across the country, awkward older lengths like this have repeatedly been converted to 25 metres, or lost altogether when centres are rebuilt. About 500 public pools have closed across Britain since 2010, nearly half since the pandemic, according to Swim England and the GMB union.

The real question is not whether Putney needs investment, but whether a rare, award-winning pool should be standardised away to get it, or kept and restored. That is a question for the people who swim there. It is the one nobody asked.

![Indoor swimming pool with multiple lane ropes, starting blocks, and a viewing gallery on the left; bright ceiling lights and large windows.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/putney-leisure-centre-pool-1024x576.jpg)#### What happens now

The pause is not a reprieve. The council says it ‘remains committed’ to ‘an ambitious refurbishment’, and the closure has been delayed, not dropped. Places Leisure has not said what would happen to the diving boards and the deep well beneath them, the part that gives the pool its L-shape, and has not set out the scope of the work. What the pool looks like when it reopens is still unresolved.

A petition, [Save Putney’s 33-metre pool](https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-putney-s-33-metre-pool), asks the council to keep the full length and to consult before any permanent change. Residents can also press to take part in that promised engagement, and raise it with Cllr Brooks at .

![Tilted wall of rectangular glass tiles with a broken streetlamp protruding, casting a long shadow on the surface.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/putney-leisure-centre-6-768x1024.jpg)The work was due to start on 1 July. For now it will not. Whether the 33-metre pool survives the redesign that follows is the question the council has just promised to ask residents, having very nearly not asked them at all.

What do you think?

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

 pool closure is  

Now the pool closure is paused, what should happen next? \*- Keep the full 33-metre pool
- Let the 25-metre redesign go ahead
- Consult first, then decide
- Not sure

  Have your say![Loading](https://putney.news/wp-content/plugins/wpforms/assets/images/submit-spin.svg)

  [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/03/putney-leisure-centre-pool-to-be-permanently-cut-without-any-public-consultation/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/03/putney-leisure-centre-pool-to-be-permanently-cut-without-any-public-consultation/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20Leisure%20Centre%20pool%20to%20be%20permanently%20cut%20without%20any%20public%20consultation&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/03/putney-leisure-centre-pool-to-be-permanently-cut-without-any-public-consultation/)

**Categories:** Politics, Thamesfield

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Ethan Brooks, Places Leisure, public consultation, Putney Leisure Centre, Wandsworth Council

---

### [TfL and Network Rail are hiding from Londoners furious about the District Line](https://putney.news/2026/06/03/tfl-and-network-rail-are-hiding-from-londoners-furious-about-the-district-line/)

**Published:** June 3, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Content:**

Last summer’s District Line meltdown left tens of thousands of Wimbledon passengers stranded, delayed, and furious. Nearly a year later, the companies responsible are still refusing to say what went wrong. The Championships begin again in less than a month.

During the first week of last year’s Championships, reliability on the Wimbledon branch collapsed to 69%, the worst in over a decade. A quarter of all trains failed to run on the first two days alone. The Mayor of London issued a public apology for what he called a “horrendous experience” that risked damaging the city’s international reputation.

Transport for London holds the data showing exactly what happened, hour by hour, on the branch during those two weeks. It has confirmed it holds that data. It will not release it. Its internal review panel, writing on 1 June 2026, confirmed the dataset is “not yet finalised” and that publication will come “in the coming months.”

The Championships begin on 29 June.

*Putney.news* has spent three months pushing TfL to release the data and has now filed a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (IC-521418-M5P3), asking for a Decision Notice before the Championships begin.

#### ‘Your personal interest’

TfL’s refusal comes with a verdict attached. The panel ruled there was “no wider public interest” in releasing the data before planned publication, because doing so “would have served no greater public purpose.” Asking for information about a transport crisis that prompted a mayoral apology was, in TfL’s view, a personal interest rather than a public one.

The Mayor of London apologised for the disruption. Two MPs have written formal letters to TfL and Network Rail. The London Assembly had put a question to TfL on the record. The Evening Standard had called the service “not fit for purpose.”

But TfL has decided that any interest in finding out what went wrong and if things have been fixed is not something of wider concern.

#### Three months, three refusals

In February 2026, we filed a Freedom of Information request for District Line reliability data covering the summer 2025 crisis. TfL refused in March. The reason: the data was coming “in the summer.”

We challenged that refusal. TfL’s own internal review panel ruled that TfL had not actually answered the request. Eight months after the crisis, TfL had pointed at older published data and said new data would arrive eventually. The panel agreed that was not good enough. *Putney.news* was invited to try again.

A second request was filed in April, precisely scoped to the crisis period. TfL refused again in May, this time citing Section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act, the exemption for information an authority plans to publish. The reason: the data would be published “in the summer.”

We challenged that too. The panel’s answer, on 1 June 2026: the dataset is not yet finalised, agreement with “all relevant parties” is still in progress, and publication will come “in the coming months.” February to June. Three requests. Three refusals.

TfL is not struggling to compile this data. It has it. What it has not done, through four months of requests and challenges, is given any answer that would allow passengers to know whether the branch is in better shape for this year’s Championships than last year’s. Every refusal, every vague formula, every “in the summer” has had the same effect: nothing on the record, nothing to compare, no accountability before the trains start running again. The Championships are 28 days away. The strategy has worked.

#### Readers are asking too

*Putney.news* is not alone. A reader let us know this week that they had filed their own FOI request back In October 2025, not to TfL but to Network Rail, the company that owns and maintains the signalling infrastructure on the Wimbledon branch. They asked for a breakdown of every signal failure repair since January 2025, how long each repair held before the next fault developed, and when Network Rail last made significant investment in the line. Basic questions about a public service that had just failed spectacularly.

Network Rail refused. Releasing information about its maintenance work would be “commercially damaging,” it said, because its relationship with TfL “is a commercial matter.”

Network Rail is a public body. TfL is a public body. The signalling failures that stranded hundreds of thousands of passengers are, apparently, a private commercial matter between them. Network Rail’s letter did offer one avenue. TfL, it suggested, “would be likely to supply information of this type” if asked directly. The reader asked TfL. They got the same answer we did.

#### What they don’t want you to know

[East Putney recorded more signal failure hours than any other station on the entire Underground network in 2024](https://putney.news/2026/03/29/east-putney-officially-the-worst-tube-station-in-london/): 147 hours, more than double the next worst. [Documents from a private meeting between TfL, Network Rail, and Wimbledon MP Paul Kohler](https://putney.news/2026/05/02/the-district-line-will-never-be-fixed-new-documents-reveal/) produced a frank admission: modern automatic signalling on the branch is “not feasible within any reasonable planning horizon.” The Wimbledon branch will stay on 1980s infrastructure indefinitely.

The same meeting records Kohler asking that communications about a limited monitoring upgrade “should not mention the tennis.” Network Rail clarified that he was not trying to conceal the work, but did not want it portrayed as being done solely for the Championships rather than for year-round passengers. It is a reasonable distinction. It also tells you everything about how carefully everyone involved is managing what the public gets to know about this line.

The withheld data would show what service status on the branch looked like, day by day, during [the summer Sadiq Khan apologised for](https://putney.news/2025/07/13/sadiq-khan-apologises-for-district-line-failures-during-wimbledon/): whether the disruption was concentrated at specific points, or ran through the whole fortnight. TfL knows what it shows. It has decided you will find out when it is ready to tell you.

#### What happens next

A Decision Notice from the ICO before 29 June is possible but not probable.

TfL’s “coming months” commits to nothing. The data could arrive in July, after the Championships have finished, or later still. By then the disruption it documents will be over a year old, and the question of whether 2026 was better or worse will have answered itself from lived experience on the platform, not from anything TfL chose to release in time to matter.

---

#### What you can do

If you use the Wimbledon branch, your MPs are on record on this issue.

**Fleur Anderson MP** (Putney, Roehampton, Southfields and Wandsworth Town) has described the service as not fit for purpose and has written to both TfL and Network Rail: 

**Paul Kohler MP** (Wimbledon) has engaged directly with TfL on signalling improvements: 

You can [leave feedback directly with TfL](https://tfl.gov.uk/help-and-contact/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/03/tfl-and-network-rail-are-hiding-from-londoners-furious-about-the-district-line/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/03/tfl-and-network-rail-are-hiding-from-londoners-furious-about-the-district-line/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=TfL%20and%20Network%20Rail%20are%20hiding%20from%20Londoners%20furious%20about%20the%20District%20Line&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/03/tfl-and-network-rail-are-hiding-from-londoners-furious-about-the-district-line/)

**Categories:** Southfields, Transport

**Tags:** accountability, District Line, East Putney, Fleur Anderson MP, FOI, Network Rail, Paul Kohler MP, Sadiq Khan, TfL, Wimbledon

---

### [Marco Silva to leave Fulham after five years and a league title](https://putney.news/2026/06/02/marco-silva-to-leave-fulham-after-five-years-and-a-league-title/)

**Published:** June 2, 2026
**Author:** Johnny Haynes

**Excerpt:** The Cottage manager local fans crossed the river to watch departs at season's end.

**Content:**

Marco Silva is leaving Fulham. The club confirmed on Tuesday that its head coach will go at the end of the season, closing the most successful five years in its modern history.

It has been coming since last summer. Fans had hoped he would stay. Most expected him to go. On Tuesday it became official.

Craven Cottage sits on the north bank of the Thames, a walk over Putney Bridge from SW15, and for five years Silva has been the manager local supporters crossed the river to watch.

What Silva built deserved the warm send-off the club gave him. He arrived in 2021 and won the Championship at the first attempt, scoring 110 goals on the way to Fulham’s first league title in 21 years, three of the wins finishing 7-0. Then he did the harder thing. He kept them up.

Fulham had bounced straight back down twice before. Under Silva they stayed, never again in a relegation fight, settling in as a top-flight side the best teams did not enjoy facing. And on their day Fulham beat those best teams.

In their record 2024/25 season they halted runaway leaders Liverpool with a 3-2 win at the Cottage, and won at Stamford Bridge for the first time since 1979, a Rodrigo Muniz strike in the 95th minute, on the way to a club-best 54 points. The season before, they had put five past West Ham. At his peak Silva was close to beloved, the [philosopher-king of Craven Cottage](https://putney.news/2025/05/02/marco-silva-the-philosopher-king-of-craven-cottage/). “If you asked me in July 2021 if I’d take this, I’d sign straight away,” he said in 2025.

What he never quite reached was greatness. Europe was the missing piece, flirted with most seasons and never grasped, the European places slipping away each spring. They were never closer than this one. Fulham finished 11th on 52 points, level with Chelsea and a single point behind Brentford. The three west London clubs took ninth, 10th and 11th, and all three fell just short of a European spot. Finishing above Chelsea and Brentford, the two closest rivals, would have been sweet. It stayed out of reach.

![Marco SIlva walks onto the pitch at Fulham](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/marco-silva-fulham-1024x576.jpg)The final year was the hardest, and much of it was not his doing. Last summer Silva turned down Tottenham out of loyalty and asked to be backed. For most of the window his only addition was a 34-year-old backup goalkeeper, with three more, including Samuel Chukwueze and Kevin, crammed onto deadline day after weeks of inaction. By August he had [stopped pretending it was fine](https://putney.news/2025/08/29/marco-silva-has-stopped-giving-a-damn-and-its-beautiful/). “We have wasted a lot of time,” he told one press conference.

The money came in the end, just late. In January, Fulham finally [spent £27m on Oscar Bobb](https://putney.news/2026/01/30/fulham-splash-27m-on-bobb-as-pepi-pursuit-goes-down-to-deadline-day/) from Manchester City. But the improved contract he had been promised never arrived, and by the time Tuesday’s statement came, the departure it announced had felt inevitable for months.

Owner Shahid Khan thanked him and moved quickly on. Fulham, Khan said, are “an extraordinarily attractive destination” for the next head coach, and on the evidence he is right. The squad Silva leaves behind is settled and strong. With a manager of vision and energy, it has the makings of a side that could climb higher than he managed to take it.

Silva will not be out of work for long. Multiple reports on Tuesday said he is set to take over at Benfica, replacing José Mourinho at the Portuguese giant.

His own goodbye was shorter and warmer. In an [open letter](https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2026/june/02/an-open-letter-from-marco-silva/) to supporters he wrote that he was told on his first day that Fulham was a family, and that he leaves believing it. He thanked the fans for five years of backing.

> To our fans – I asked you from day one, to always be with us. And that’s what you did these past five years. We achieved a lot together.

“Fulham will always be in my heart,” he closed out, “and sooner or later I will be back at Craven Cottage.”

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/02/marco-silva-to-leave-fulham-after-five-years-and-a-league-title/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/02/marco-silva-to-leave-fulham-after-five-years-and-a-league-title/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Marco%20Silva%20to%20leave%20Fulham%20after%20five%20years%20and%20a%20league%20title&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/02/marco-silva-to-leave-fulham-after-five-years-and-a-league-title/)

**Categories:** Football

**Tags:** Craven Cottage, Fulham FC, Marco Silva, Premier League

---

### [He lived behind Sainsbury's for years. Hundreds walked past every day](https://putney.news/2026/06/02/he-lived-behind-sainsburys-for-years-hundreds-walked-past-every-day/)

**Published:** June 2, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** The man who slept in the Werter Road alleyway died on 30 May.

**Content:**

You may have seen him. For two years he lived down the side of Sainsbury’s on Werter Road, briefly noticed by hundreds of shoppers every day as they walked past the supermarket’s delivery entrance and spotted his makeshift cardboard home halfway down. On Saturday, as temperatures hit 30°C, he collapsed from heat stroke and died later that night in hospital.

Tony was the subject of repeat complaints and efforts by both residents and the police to move him on, but Sainsbury’s was content to leave him be on its private land and resisted efforts to put a gate across the entrance, even when Tony’s presence would occasionally lead to a gathering of other homeless people.

The truth, as business owners came to find out, was that Tony was a kind and caring man. He was smart, he knew more than anyone what was going on in Putney. His life and his situation were complex. He became such a feature of Putney life that he appears [in situ on Google Maps](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ncx3dFJ96LYBmKXQ9). A Sainsbury’s employee spotted him on Saturday and called an ambulance.

![Anthony Lawson](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/anthony-lawson-881x1024.jpg)Ten days before he died, Tony was again the subject of conversation at the ward Met meeting. Residents wanted to know why he was still there. The police officers explained that they had again tried to persuade Sainsbury’s to move him on: the alleyway posed a fire risk and a welfare risk. But the land is private and neither the police nor the council had the power to act unless he broke the law or caused problems. Sainsbury’s was content to leave him alone.

His full name was Anthony Lawson. He had children. They did not know where he was. They came to Putney the day after he died. An inquest will follow.

---

*If you are concerned about someone sleeping rough in Putney, you can report them to StreetLink at [streetlink.org.uk](https://streetlink.org.uk/) or call 0300 500 0914.*

---

*Correction: 2 May, 9am*: In our initial story, we said that the Sainsbury’s was on Putney Bridge Road when it is of course on Werter Road.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/02/he-lived-behind-sainsburys-for-years-hundreds-walked-past-every-day/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/02/he-lived-behind-sainsburys-for-years-hundreds-walked-past-every-day/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=He%20lived%20behind%20Sainsbury%E2%80%99s%20for%20years.%20Hundreds%20walked%20past%20every%20day&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/02/he-lived-behind-sainsburys-for-years-hundreds-walked-past-every-day/)

**Categories:** Community, Thamesfield

**Tags:** community, Metropolitan Police, Positively Putney, Putney Bridge Road, Putney High Street, thamesfield, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Roehampton pub stripped out and rebuilt. The secret hearing videos are still not available.](https://putney.news/2026/06/02/roehampton-pub-stripped-out-and-rebuilt-the-secret-hearing-videos-are-still-not-available/)

**Published:** June 2, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Punch accepted the conditions, closed The Angel, and started rebuilding. 

**Content:**

The Angel pub on Roehampton High Street has closed. Its owner, Punch Partnerships, has stripped the interior and filed an application to rebuild the bar, seating and entrance lobby. The pub has accepted the conditions set at two hearings the public never saw.

A handwritten sign taped to the ornate door glass says: “PUB CLOSED / Till further notice / We’re sorry for the inconvenience.” At the rear of the building, furniture, chairs, tables, mattresses, shelving units, a fridge and paint tins have been piled outside. A full commercial strip-out is under way.

Punch did not challenge the licensing committee’s decision. The conditions are now on the licence. The rebuilding has started.

But two things remain unresolved. The videos of both hearings (held on 16 April and 29 April 2026) have not been made publicly available. And one of the conditions those hearings imposed refers to a deadline that only the people in the room know about.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/angel-closed-2-1024x768.png)#### What the hearings decided, and didn’t disclose

The conditions added by the licensing authority after the two hearings are now on the public record via the RSP Hub, the regional licensing portal. Four new conditions were imposed. Three cover noise and external drinking. The fourth, condition 25, requires the toilet ventilation system to be “replaced or repaired to the satisfaction of the Head of Environmental Services within one calendar month of the second appointed date.”

The phrase “second appointed date” is defined nowhere in the public record. It refers to a compliance timeline set at the hearing. Because both hearings were held without public access or webcasting, the appointed dates, and therefore the compliance deadline, are not publicly known.

Wandsworth Council’s Monitoring Officer confirmed in writing that the decision not to webcast was taken because of “the risk given the profile of this application that comments may be made that could affect political support.”

As of 1 June 2026, no video or audio of either hearing have been made publicly available.

![The Angel](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/angel-closed-4-1024x768.png)#### What Punch has filed

On 27 May 2026, Punch filed a minor variation application (number 303314) with the Wandsworth Licensing Authority to alter the layout of the premises. The application covers a reconfigured bar and fixed seating, and a new main entrance lobby. The site notice, posted at the pub, states that operating hours and all existing conditions remain unchanged.

The application is currently awaiting processing. Readers who wish to make representations can write to licensing@merton.gov.uk, or to Wandsworth Licensing Authority at Merton Civic Centre, London, Morden, SM4 5DX, by 10 June 2026. Representations must relate to the licensing objectives.

![Notice titled Licensing Act 2003: Minor variation of the premises licence pinned to a glass surface](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/angel-closed-1-768x1024.png)#### The series

The Angel has been at the centre of Roehampton’s most significant licensing dispute in years. [We first reported the story in February 2026](https://putney.news/2026/02/04/the-police-raided-it-with-a-helicopter-and-dogs-now-they-want-the-angel-pub-shut/), when the Metropolitan Police applied to revoke the licence following a raid in which 29-30 officers, a helicopter and a battering ram were deployed and two arrests were made, neither linked to the running of the pub. [Sally Cox, who ran The Angel for 12 years](https://putney.news/2026/04/30/sally-cox-ran-the-angel-pub-for-12-years-then-30-officers-raided-her-home-and-found-nothing/), left voluntarily to try to save the licence. Punch filed the paperwork replacing her as the designated premises supervisor the same day it filed the police review application.

[Both hearings were held without public access or webcasting.](https://putney.news/2026/04/30/wandsworth-council-hid-a-pub-hearing-from-voters-now-it-wont-say-what-it-decided/) The council’s explanation for this changed three times before the Monitoring Officer’s written confirmation about political support.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-21.37.50.png)The two secret meetings held by the council. They are still not available nearly two months later.*Putney.news* filed a freedom of information request (WBC-FOI-13384) on 17 April 2026, seeking the council’s webcasting policy and the written record of the decision not to webcast. Wandsworth Council’s response, received on 7 May 2026, confirmed that it holds no written webcasting policy and no record of the decision not to webcast the 16 April hearing. The council was unable to identify who made the decision, on what legal basis it was made, or any correspondence, briefing notes or legal advice supporting it. *Putney.news* is pursuing the matter further.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/02/roehampton-pub-stripped-out-and-rebuilt-the-secret-hearing-videos-are-still-not-available/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/02/roehampton-pub-stripped-out-and-rebuilt-the-secret-hearing-videos-are-still-not-available/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Roehampton%20pub%20stripped%20out%20and%20rebuilt.%20The%20secret%20hearing%20videos%20are%20still%20not%20available.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/02/roehampton-pub-stripped-out-and-rebuilt-the-secret-hearing-videos-are-still-not-available/)

**Categories:** Business, Politics, Roehampton

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Graeme Henderson, Cllr Jenny Yates, Cllr Matthew Tiller, FOI, Licensing Sub-Committee, Metropolitan Police, Roehampton, transparency, Wandsworth Council

---

### ["Britain's Best Concession Scheme" reached 0.7% of Wandsworth residents](https://putney.news/2026/06/02/britains-best-concession-scheme-reached-0-7-of-wandsworth-residents/)

**Published:** June 2, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Data suppressed for 14 months shows the council's flagship programme was used by fewer than 2,500 people.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council spent nearly three years and almost £5m calling its Access for All scheme “Britain’s Best Concession Scheme.” The figures it fought for 14 months to suppress, released today after an ICO order, show fewer than 2,500 Wandsworth residents ever used it.

The figures are the council’s own. In 2024-25, 93 per cent of all scheme activity was on leisure centre bookings, despite the council offering everything from free event tickets to discounted bikes. Those 36,641 bookings were made by just 2,433 people, fewer than 0.7 per cent of the borough’s population, at an average of 15 visits each. Of the 12,000-plus members enrolled, roughly four in five made no booking of any kind.

This means the scheme’s headline numbers (100,000 bookings, promoted in press release after press release) counted the same small group going repeatedly. No council communication ever stated how many distinct individuals the scheme actually reached.

Access for All: leisure bookings by venue

Year 1 (Jul 2023–Mar 2024) vs Year 2 (Apr 2024–Mar 2025)

  Year 1   Year 2  

 Venue bookings grew from 24,260 in Year 1 to 36,641 in Year 2. 

Source: Wandsworth Council ICO compliance response, 1 June 2026. Year 1 covers 9 months (scheme launched July 2023). Tooting Bec Lido closed for refurbishment in Year 1.

#### Where the bookings went

The scheme’s growth is concentrated. Tooting Leisure Centre accounts for more than a quarter of all bookings in both years and drove much of the overall increase. Tooting Bec Lido, which was closed for refurbishment in Year 1, added 1,744 bookings in Year 2 after reopening. That is a new offer rather than growth in existing use. Strip those out and the underlying increase is more modest.

Smaller venues showed stronger proportional gains. Wandle Recreation Centre more than doubled its bookings and Roehampton Sports and Fitness Centre grew 75 per cent, suggesting the scheme did reach new users in those areas. But from a low base.

The cultural and events offer tells a similar story. The council set aside 1,500 tickets for its summer concert series in Battersea Park; just 88 were taken, less than 6 per cent of the allocation. The exact figures for all three events are in the table below.

---

Discounted tickets: allocation vs uptake

Access for All event tickets, 2024

    Event Allocated Used Uptake     Battersea Park Fireworks 5,000 1,325 26.5%   Wandsworth Pantomime 540 303 56.1%   Battersea Park in Concert 1,500 88 5.9%    

Sources: Wandsworth Council ICO compliance response, 1 June 2026; council press releases; batterseaparkinconcert.com

---

For six of the eight service categories the scheme covers, the council told the Information Commissioner it holds no usage data. Those are: libraries, registration, bereavement, environmental, adult education, and baby box distribution. A £4.85m programme built across eight service areas can only count what it did in two of them.

#### What the council said

Between July 2024 and March 2026 the council issued six press releases on Access for All, each adding to a picture of surging success. The scheme went from “30,000 bookings already made” to “80,000 bookings” to “100,000 bookings.” It was described as “data-driven and feedback-led.” From April 2025 it was “Britain’s Best Concession Scheme,” a self-awarded claim that was never tested by any external body.

The scheme was also expanded repeatedly. Discounted Lime bikes were added. Free tickets to Secret Cinema were offered. School uniforms were included. In August 2025, the council announced that all children from Access for All families would receive free school meals, extending a benefit originally limited to the lowest-income households. Each expansion was announced with a press release. Each press release repeated the booking totals. None disclosed how many individuals those bookings represented.

---

Bookings grew. Users barely did.

Year 2 (Apr 2024–Mar 2025) compared to Year 1

+51%

Bookings growth
24,260 → 36,641

+15%

Users growth
2,123 → 2,433

The same group of people booked more. The scheme did not reach significantly more residents.

Source: Wandsworth Council ICO compliance response, 1 June 2026

---

The scheme featured in Labour’s 2026 election manifesto as a signature achievement of the administration. The ICO order that produced today’s data landed nine days after the election.

The Information Commissioner found the exemption the council used to withhold this data never applied. It was not that the public interest went against disclosure. The finding was that [the legal basis for refusing did not exist at all](https://putney.news/2026/05/23/the-sham-that-was-britains-best-concession-scheme/). The September 2025 press release that described the scheme as “data-driven and feedback-led” was published the same month the ICO found no internal evaluation of the scheme had ever been completed.

#### A question the council has not answered

There is one more problem. When the council told the ICO its membership card “does not log individual usage,” that was the basis for withholding unique-user figures across the six categories with no data.

The compliance response published today discloses unique-user counts of 2,123 in Year 1 and 2,433 in Year 2. Those figures had to come from somewhere. Either the card does log individual usage, contradicting what the council told the regulator, or the counts were derived by querying which member IDs made bookings, which produces the same result. We have filed a further FOI request asking how the figures were produced.

So to summarise. A council spent nearly £5m on a scheme it called Britain’s Best. It issued six press releases about it. It put it in the election manifesto. It expanded it repeatedly when numbers failed to materialise (adding bikes, concerts, school uniforms, free school meals) and announced each expansion as further evidence of success.

It described the scheme as “data-driven and feedback-led” while conducting no evaluation of whether it worked. It spent 14 months fighting a regulator to avoid releasing the data. When forced to release it, the data showed the scheme had reached fewer than one in 140 residents of the borough it was supposed to serve.

The new Conservative administration has said it is reviewing committed projects without funding to deliver them. Access for All is among them.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/02/britains-best-concession-scheme-reached-0-7-of-wandsworth-residents/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/02/britains-best-concession-scheme-reached-0-7-of-wandsworth-residents/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%9CBritain%E2%80%99s%20Best%20Concession%20Scheme%E2%80%9D%20reached%200.7%25%20of%20Wandsworth%20residents&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/02/britains-best-concession-scheme-reached-0-7-of-wandsworth-residents/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Battersea Park, FOI, investigation, Putney Leisure Centre, transparency, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Who's watching Putney Bridge? No one. And the system explains why](https://putney.news/2026/06/01/whos-watching-putney-bridge-no-one-and-the-system-explains-why/)

**Published:** June 1, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** FOI reveals TfL's coordination group is blind to bridges with no maintenance plan.

**Content:**

The only London-wide body designed to coordinate Thames bridge closures would have no early warning if Putney Bridge required emergency action – a situation that is very possible given engineering reports dug out by *Putney.news*, and one that would create traffic chaos across Southwest London.

The coordination body works by receiving reports from bridge owners about planned works. Putney Bridge has had no maintenance since January 2021, no budget, and no programme. It has nothing to report.

That finding comes from a Freedom of Information request to Transport for London. The request also confirmed that the same body had no advance warning of Albert Bridge’s emergency closure in February, because the December 2025 meeting that would have caught it did not take place, and the bridge had missed the two meetings before that. The system is built for planning. It does not monitor condition.

Southwest London has now lost two Thames crossings. Hammersmith Bridge has been closed to motor vehicles for over seven years. Albert Bridge closed in February 2026 and may not reopen until next year. Putney Bridge is the last unrestricted crossing left in this stretch of the river. As we established last month, its structural condition score is below the national intervention threshold. No one at a London-wide level is watching it, because there is nothing for Wandsworth Council to report.

The body is the Thames River Crossing Coordination Group. It meets every two months and 24 organisations attend: the London boroughs, TfL, Network Rail, the Port of London Authority, and the Department for Transport. Bridge owners report planned works so that traffic managers can coordinate around them. The system does that well. What it cannot do is catch a bridge that is deteriorating without any programme at all.

#### The meeting that didn’t happen

As of October 2025, Kensington and Chelsea council had told the group that Albert Bridge would close for planned works in summer 2026. That was what everyone was working to.

The attendance record in the months before the closure tells a different story. From December 2023 through December 2024, Kensington and Chelsea sent a representative to every meeting, giving updates on deck panel works and resurfacing. Then: July 2025, no representative. September 2025, no representative. December 2025, meeting cancelled.

Albert Bridge closed on 9 February 2026 as an emergency, after an inspector found a cracked cast-iron component. TfL’s response to the FOI request is direct: “As this was an emergency closure there was no opportunity for coordination discussions.” The group’s chair was informed on the day. An internal update was logged 10 days later. The next meeting was 12 March 2026. By then the bridge had been closed for a month.

This is not a criticism of the coordination group. An emergency closure gives no advance notice by definition. The point is structural: the system cannot anticipate what bridge owners do not know themselves.

#### What this means for Putney Bridge

Putney Bridge does not appear in the minutes TfL disclosed. That is because it has no programme to report. Without scheduled works, there is nothing to flag. Without anything to flag, the coordination system has nothing to pick up.

The FOI response is unambiguous about what follows from that: if Putney Bridge required emergency action, the group would find out when the closure happened. Putney Bridge carries around 37,000 vehicles a day, a figure that has barely shifted since Hammersmith Bridge closed, even as traffic on nearby crossings fell by around a quarter. A closure would fall on a river already reduced to one unrestricted crossing.

#### Minutes that stay secret

The FOI response contains a second finding.

In November 2021, the London Assembly’s Transport Committee recommended that the coordination group publish its minutes and provide annual progress reports. TfL’s commissioner wrote back in February 2022. Publishing documents, he said, “would be a positive approach” and TfL would work collaboratively toward it. On an annual condition report covering all Thames crossings, he offered to discuss incorporating it into the State of London Report process.

Four years on, neither has happened. TfL assessed the case for publishing minutes and decided against. The reason: publication might inhibit “open discussion of commercial, operational and legal matters.”

The minutes TfL disclosed in this very FOI response cover bridge resurfacing schedules and bank holiday lane closures. TfL looked at the question, said no, and the Assembly did not press it.

#### Wandsworth’s second bridge

Wandsworth Bridge, also owned by Wandsworth Council, has a £2.35m works programme underway from 26 May 2026, making permanent the bus lane and segregated cycle lane, rebuilding structural waterproofing beneath the footways, and widening both pavements.

The works are real. But the FOI response also shows that no principal inspection has taken place at Wandsworth Bridge since October 2015. A principal inspection (the most thorough in the standard schedule) has not been carried out in nearly 11 years. The current programme is infrastructure and layout work, not a structural survey. Our [coverage of the Wandsworth Bridge works](https://putney.news/2026/05/17/whats-actually-happening-to-wandsworth-bridge-this-summer-and-why-the-official-communications-got-so-confused/) has the full picture.

#### What happens next

The government’s £1 billion Structures Fund has a draft application deadline of 19 June 2026. Wandsworth has applied. The outcome is unknown.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/01/whos-watching-putney-bridge-no-one-and-the-system-explains-why/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/01/whos-watching-putney-bridge-no-one-and-the-system-explains-why/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Who%E2%80%99s%20watching%20Putney%20Bridge%3F%20No%20one.%20And%20the%20system%20explains%20why&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/01/whos-watching-putney-bridge-no-one-and-the-system-explains-why/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** accountability, FOI, Hammersmith Bridge, investigation, Putney Bridge, River Thames, TfL, Wandsworth Bridge, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Half Moon rejects MP's demand to cancel Tom Meighan gig](https://putney.news/2026/06/01/half-moon-rejects-mps-demand-to-cancel-tom-meighan-gig/)

**Published:** June 1, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Pub group says convicted singer has served his sentence and deserves to move on. Gig is 26 June.

**Content:**

The owner of The Half Moon has decided Tom Meighan’s sold-out gig will go ahead on 26 June, rejecting Putney MP Fleur Anderson’s public demand to cancel it.

Young’s Pubs has responded after Anderson [wrote publicly to chief executive Simon Dodd](https://claude.ai/2026/05/28/putney-mp-demands-half-moon-cancel-gig/) calling the booking a platform for someone convicted of domestic abuse.

The company acknowledged the seriousness of Meighan’s 2020 domestic assault conviction but said the show should proceed. Young’s told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that Meighan had accepted responsibility in court, served his sentence, issued a public apology, and had “taken steps towards rehabilitation.”

In a statement, the company added: “We also respect the principle that individuals should have the opportunity to move forward with their lives after demonstrating accountability and change.”

Anderson had written that booking Meighan “raises serious concerns about the message this sends to survivors in the community.” Young’s said it understood some people would disagree with its decision.

The concert at the Lower Richmond Road venue is sold out. Tickets were priced at £55.

What Putney readers said

179 responses to our survey published 28 May 2026

Should the Half Moon go ahead with the Tom Meighan gig?

 Yes — he served his sentence and deserves to rebuild his career 78% 

139 responses

 No — a Putney venue shouldn’t platform someone convicted of domestic abuse 17% 

30 responses

 I’m not sure 6% 

10 responses

Is Fleur Anderson right to pressure Young’s Pubs to cancel the booking?

 No — this is a commercial decision for the venue to make 43% 

75 responses

 She’s right to raise it, but the decision should be the venue’s 41% 

72 responses

 Yes — MPs should speak up on issues like this in their constituency 16% 

27 responses · 8 skipped

Source: Putney.news reader survey, 28–31 May 2026

#### What Putney readers think

Our survey from Wednesday’s story drew 179 responses. Asked whether the gig should go ahead, 78% said yes, citing Meighan’s completed sentence and his wife’s public defence of him. Seventeen per cent said a Putney venue should not platform someone convicted of domestic abuse. Six per cent were unsure.

On whether Anderson was right to pressure Young’s to cancel, opinion was more divided: 43% said this was a commercial decision for the venue to make, 41% said Anderson was right to raise it but the decision should be the venue’s, and 16% said MPs should speak up on issues like this in their constituency.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/01/half-moon-rejects-mps-demand-to-cancel-tom-meighan-gig/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/01/half-moon-rejects-mps-demand-to-cancel-tom-meighan-gig/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Half%20Moon%20rejects%20MP%E2%80%99s%20demand%20to%20cancel%20Tom%20Meighan%20gig&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/01/half-moon-rejects-mps-demand-to-cancel-tom-meighan-gig/)

**Categories:** Live events, Music, Politics, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Fleur Anderson MP, Live Music, Lower Richmond Road, Music, The Half Moon

---

### [New Pilates studio takes over Lacy Road's long-empty site](https://putney.news/2026/06/01/new-pilates-studio-takes-over-lacy-roads-long-empty-site/)

**Published:** June 1, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Sculpt House London aiming for July opening after founder's year-long search for the right space.

**Content:**

A new Pilates studio is moving into 18 Lacy Road, the site that has been empty since [Kashmir restaurant closed](https://putney.news/2025/05/06/sad-farewell-to-kashmir-restaurant-on-lacy-road/) just over a year ago. Sculpt House London plans to open in July, using reformer machines, the spring-loaded equipment found in specialist fitness studios.

The studio is an independent venture. Founder Melissa Masoud spent more than a year looking for the right London space before getting the keys to Lacy Road last week.

Putney.news tracked the site in April as one of [eight empty units on or next to Putney High Street with nothing moving](https://putney.news/2026/04/28/eight-sites-no-movement-what-happened-to-putney-high-streets-recovery/).

![Black Fiat 500 parked on a city street in front of a brick storefront with a gray awning and decorative yellow leaves on the facade, tree to the left.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_1864-1024x768.jpeg)#### A year of searching

The eight months before the keys arrived were not straightforward. “Legal battles, delays, setbacks, sleepless nights, stress, self doubt, and moments I genuinely thought this would never happen,” Masoud wrote on Instagram. “But today made every single setback worth it.”

![Hand with pink nails holding a keyring with several keys, a pink round keychain, and a black fob.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_1868-1024x576.jpeg)The studio will run instructor-led classes as well as open sessions, where members can book the machines and train on their own schedule. Masoud says she wants it to work for people new to Pilates as much as those with an existing practice.

“Our goal is for Sculpt House to feel welcoming, uplifting and community-focused,” she told Putney.news. “We want them to feel comfortable and supported from the moment they walk through the door.”

The space on Lacy Road is bigger than Masoud originally needed, and she says that opens up possibilities. She has plans to add other wellness services over time, though she is not ready to share the details yet.

![Shopfront window with reflective glass showing white text for social media and a URL (sculptphouse.london) on a city street sidewalk.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_1865-1024x768.jpeg)#### Why Putney

On why she chose the area: “We chose Putney because of its fantastic sense of community and because we felt there was a real opportunity to create a beautiful wellness space that serves local residents and contributes positively to the neighbourhood. The response we’ve had from local people so far has been incredibly encouraging.”

Sculpt House London is at 18 Lacy Road, SW15. More information is at [sculpthouselondon.com](https://sculpthouselondon.com) and updates on the build can be followed at [@sculpthouse.london](https://www.instagram.com/sculpthouse.london) on Instagram.

![storefront window with grey frame and autumn leaves; white text reads 'can you keep a secret?' with a curved arrow pointing to a small dark circular hole; bottom shows social handles '@sculpthouse.london' and 'www.sculpthouselondon.com'](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_1866-768x1024.jpeg) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/06/01/new-pilates-studio-takes-over-lacy-roads-long-empty-site/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/06/01/new-pilates-studio-takes-over-lacy-roads-long-empty-site/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=New%20Pilates%20studio%20takes%20over%20Lacy%20Road%E2%80%99s%20long-empty%20site&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/06/01/new-pilates-studio-takes-over-lacy-roads-long-empty-site/)

**Categories:** Thamesfield, Wellness

**Tags:** Lacy Road, Putney High Street, restaurant opening, Save the High Street, Sculpt House London

---

### [Wandsworth misleads pension members to block Gaza divestment](https://putney.news/2026/05/31/wandsworth-misleads-pension-members-to-block-gaza-divestment/)

**Published:** May 31, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Council survey omits key legal detail  that says divestment is permitted to argue the opposite.

**Content:**

The effort to force Wandsworth Council to divest its £3.3 billion pension fund of anything linked to Israel’s actions in Palestine has hit another stumbling block – and this time staff actions are hard to justify.

Wandsworth’s pensions committee promised six months ago to produce divestment recommendations for the fund following a campaign that began in August 2024 with a 2,500-signature petition.

The deadline expires at next Monday’s meeting – with no recommendations.

Instead, council staff are proposing a survey of its 44,000 pension fund members to ask their views. The move, which will undoubtedly be seen by campaigners as more foot dragging by the council, has a serious and significant flaw: it wrongly asserts a legal position and misquotes a minister’s letter in an attempt to steer the results away from ethical divestment.

#### What the committee committed to do

The committee voted unanimously in December 2025 to produce specific recommendations within six months for how to shift its funds away from companies like BAE Systems, Airbus, HSBC, and Barclays, who are seen to be benefiting from the situation in Gaza.

Previously staff had relied on a KC opinion that stated the pension fund had a fiduciary duty to consider the long-term impact of such a move; the implication being that an ethical divestment would negatively impact the fund.

In next week’s meeting papers however, a report from the council’s financial advisers, Mercer, concludes that none of the available exclusion options would significantly harm the fund’s long-term returns. The expected return over 20 years is the same whether or not the most restrictive option is applied.

That should have resulted in council staff recommending to the committee that it choose the most restrictive investment option available to the council through the new London-wide CIV pension scheme.

Instead, staff have proposed a survey of all 44,000 members and their views, with the committee asked to sign off on the plan and draft wording.

In a sign that the council may have tipped over from responsible management of the fund to active resistance to changes, however, it warns members in that survey that legal opinion – both from its KC opinion and from a letter from a government minister – is that they are limited in what changes they can propose. That assertion is wrong and appears to rely on cherry picked quotes that give a misleading, even false, view of what the true situation is.

#### What the survey gets wrong

The survey reproduces part of the KC opinion but does not provide full context or refer to the Mercer report. It then quotes a government minister’s letter to tell members that decisions on boycotts, divestment and sanctions are a matter for central government, not local councils. It attributes the quote to “the Secretary of State.”

The letter was not written by the Secretary of State. It was written by the Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness, Alison McGovern – a subordinate role.

The survey does not provide proper context. The actual letter continues: “This does not prevent authorities from setting or changing investment strategies for other reasons, particularly where required to meet their fiduciary duties to scheme members.”

That is the same ground the council’s own KC opinion – the one officers have been using as justification for delay – said was permissible, now that the financial evidence is in place.

In other words, the KC opinion – which the council has yet to publish in full – and the minister’s letter, which is publicly available but has been selectively quoted by council staff, actually point to the opposite conclusion: that divestment is possible.

There is further context not included in the papers despite its direct relevance: the letter was not addressed to Wandsworth. It went to the chair of the national pension scheme oversight board, Cllr Roger Phillips. Three days after receiving it, Phillips said publicly he was “disappointed”: “The Minister’s reply does not fully address the key issue.” Phillips was not commenting on the politics of divestment. He was saying the letter had not answered the legal question his board was asking.

The question of divestment of funds away from certain companies as a result of actions some view as unethical is a complex and moving target. The pensions committee would have been better served by being provided with fair and objective advice that informed of the full complexities of the situation rather than being presented with an option that provides restrictive understanding and delays active consideration.

#### What comes next

The committee that meets on 8 June has a new chair following May’s elections. It should reject the survey proposal. The wording, as this story has set out, is misleading. The survey itself is unnecessary. Nothing prevents council staff from doing what the committee resolved six months ago: producing recommendations, including one to move the fund to the most restrictive ethical investment option available – something members have actively requested.

This is part of a worrying pattern at the pensions committee, which receives little public scrutiny and has repeatedly made decisions in private that are not clearly supported by the public evidence. The December 2025 motion was unanimous. The financial case for delay has now been answered by the council’s own advisers. The next step is straightforward.

As [we reported in March](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/wandsworth-promised-to-act-on-gaza-pension-fund-it-hasnt-heres-why/), council leader Simon Hogg had already written privately to London CIV – the pooled investment vehicle that manages the fund – asking it to develop the most restrictive responsible investment option, without informing the committee.

#### Read it yourself

The full text of Minister McGovern’s letter is publicly available on the [oversight board’s website](https://lgpsboard.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/20260512-Minister-Alison-McGovern-response-to-Board-letter-dated-13-October-2025.pdf). The [statement from Cllr Roger Phillips](https://lgpsboard.org/board-chair-statement-on-investment-in-conflict-zones-response-letter-from-minister/), the chair of the board it was addressed to, is there too. Readers can judge for themselves whether the council’s use of the letter is accurate.

#### Attend or take part

The meeting on Monday 8 June is open to the public: Room 123, Wandsworth Town Hall, 7.15pm.

Current and former council and school workers in the borough are scheme members and will be eligible to complete the survey if the committee approves it on Monday. To contact the committee secretary: 020 8891 7156 or .

---

*Third in Putney.news’s series on the Wandsworth pension fund. The second story is [here](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/wandsworth-promised-to-act-on-gaza-pension-fund-it-hasnt-heres-why/); the first, from April 2025, is [here](https://putney.news/2025/04/23/wandsworth-council-pension-fund-mismanagement-exposed/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/31/wandsworth-misleads-pension-members-to-block-gaza-divestment/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/31/wandsworth-misleads-pension-members-to-block-gaza-divestment/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20misleads%20pension%20members%20to%20block%20Gaza%20divestment&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/31/wandsworth-misleads-pension-members-to-block-gaza-divestment/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Simon Hogg, investigation, Local Pension Board, Wandsworth Council

---

### [The District Line is striking again. Twice. Next week.](https://putney.news/2026/05/31/the-district-line-is-striking-again-twice-next-week/)

**Published:** May 31, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Tuesday 2 June and Thursday 4 June confirmed - East Putney, Putney Bridge and Southfields affected.

**Content:**

The District Line strikes are back on this week.

Two weeks ago East Putney, Putney Bridge and Southfields were [facing four disrupted commutes in nine days](https://putney.news/2026/05/18/district-line-strikes-this-week-called-off-but-june-dates-now-in-place/) before the RMT suspended the action after last-minute talks with TfL. The union was clear at the time that the dispute was not over. It wasn’t. Strike days are confirmed for Tuesday 2 June and Thursday 4 June, and all three stations will be affected.

The RMT suspended the May dates after TfL “shifted its position” in talks over the proposed compressed four-day working week at the heart of the dispute. No equivalent shift has been signalled since.

The strike is [severe disruption, not a full shutdown](https://putney.news/2026/05/14/the-district-line-is-striking-again-four-more-dates-you-need-to-know-about/). RMT drivers are striking; ASLEF drivers are not. TfL will run a reduced service but has warned there will be no trains before 06:30 on either day, and passengers should complete their journeys by 21:00.

#### Getting around

The South Western Railway service from Putney station is the strongest alternative on strike days. It is roughly 500 metres from East Putney station, runs direct to Waterloo, and operates six trains per hour off-peak. Buses on routes 22, 39, 74, 85, 93, 220 and 265 all serve the corridor but will be busier than usual. The Elizabeth line, DLR and Overground are unaffected and will be running, though expect them to be busy too.

TfL currently expects normal service on Wednesday 3 June and Friday 5 June, but check before you travel on those mornings.

This is the fifth story in our running coverage of the 2026 [district line](https://putney.news/2026/04/17/the-district-line-is-striking-six-times-here-are-the-dates/) strike series.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/31/the-district-line-is-striking-again-twice-next-week/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/31/the-district-line-is-striking-again-twice-next-week/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20District%20Line%20is%20striking%20again.%20Twice.%20Next%20week.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/31/the-district-line-is-striking-again-twice-next-week/)

**Categories:** Comment, Transport

**Tags:** District Line, East Putney, Putney Bridge, Putney train station, Southfields, TfL

---

### [Did you see this man? Police appeal after woman sexually assaulted on District Line](https://putney.news/2026/05/31/did-you-see-this-man-police-appeal-after-woman-sexually-assaulted-on-district-line/)

**Published:** May 31, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** BTP release CCTV images after assault at Putney Bridge station on 29 April.

**Content:**

Police are appealing for help identifying a man after a woman was sexually assaulted on a District Line train at Putney Bridge station on 29 April. The assault happened at around 6.30pm as the man left the train at the station.

British Transport Police released CCTV images of a man they want to speak to on 29 May, a month after the incident. Officers believe the man pictured could have information to assist their enquiries.

![Person wearing a dark hoodie stands in a transit vehicle, partially obscured by a yellow handrail.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1855.jpeg)The man is shown wearing a dark hoodie with graphic text, loose grey jeans and blue trainers.

Anyone who recognises him is asked to contact BTP by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 645 of 29 April. Those who prefer to remain anonymous can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

![Man wearing a dark hoodie and jeans stands beside a blue car, with yellow hoses hanging overhead, suggesting a car wash setting.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1854.jpeg)BTP [recorded 2,475 sexual offences against women on the rail network in 2024](https://putney.news/2026/05/10/district-line-indecency-police-appeal-for-witnesses/), double the rate of a decade ago.

*This is a separate incident from [an indecent exposure reported on the same line in April](https://putney.news/2026/05/10/district-line-indecency-police-appeal-for-witnesses/), which remains under separate investigation.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/31/did-you-see-this-man-police-appeal-after-woman-sexually-assaulted-on-district-line/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/31/did-you-see-this-man-police-appeal-after-woman-sexually-assaulted-on-district-line/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Did%20you%20see%20this%20man%3F%20Police%20appeal%20after%20woman%20sexually%20assaulted%20on%20District%20Line&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/31/did-you-see-this-man-police-appeal-after-woman-sexually-assaulted-on-district-line/)

**Categories:** Crime, Transport

**Tags:** District Line, public safety, Putney Bridge, TfL

---

### [Wandsworth Council is getting a democratic overhaul - here is what changes](https://putney.news/2026/05/30/wandsworth-council-is-getting-a-democratic-overhaul-here-is-what-changes/)

**Published:** May 30, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** The confidence and supply agreement and what it commits to.

**Content:**

Details of the agreement to run Wandsworth Council are emerging, and they represent a significant improvement on what came before.

A confidence and supply agreement negotiated by independent councillor Malcolm Grimston sets out how the hung council will work. It restores councillors, from all parties, to a genuine role in scrutinising and influencing what happens at the council. Under the previous Labour administration, that role had been systematically stripped away.

The agreement was negotiated by Grimston, who holds the single independent seat that neither party can govern without. He signed it with Conservative leader Aled Richards-Jones the day before the Annual Meeting on 27 May. It reverses many of the anti-democratic changes [we documented at length](https://putney.news/2025/12/30/every-promise-broken-wandsworths-scrutiny-reforms-fail-every-test/) under Labour: scrutiny committees weakened, opposition voices shut out, council meetings turned into managed performances. The new agreement commits the incoming administration to undoing much of that.

---

Wandsworth’s new governance

How the hung council works under the confidence and supply agreement signed 26 May 2026.

  At a glance Cabinet Scrutiny 

 🏛️

Conservatives govern, Labour scrutinise

No party has a majority. A confidence and supply agreement with independent Cllr Malcolm Grimston gives the Conservatives a working majority for day-to-day business.

👥

Labour observers at every cabinet meeting

The Leader of the Opposition and the relevant Labour spokesperson attend every cabinet meeting and participate in discussions on each item — as of right.

📋

Labour chairs 3 committees (from July)

Labour chair the Environment and Children’s overview and scrutiny committees, plus the Audit Committee. Labour hold at least 48% of seats on every ordinary committee.

❓

New Leader’s question time

A new session at full council gives all councillors the chance to question the leader directly — on one-sentence questions submitted two days in advance.

📄

All councillors get all papers

Previously, access to council documents was restricted to committee members. All councillors — regardless of party or committee membership — will now receive the papers they need to do their jobs.

⚖️

Constitutional reform promised

The constitution will be rewritten in July, requiring cross-party agreement. The process is intended to reverse anti-democratic changes introduced under Labour — including the standing orders that silenced independent voices in the chamber.

🆕

2 new cabinet posts with undefined briefs

Opportunity (Cllr Tom Pridham, Lavender) and Enforcement (Cllr Caroline de La Soujeole, St Mary’s) are new portfolios. Neither has been publicly defined yet.

 Leader of the Council

Aled Richards-Jones

Northcote

Housing

Matthew Corner

Nine Elms

Deputy Leader & Finance

Peter Graham

Wandsworth Common

Health

Lynsey Hedges

Balham

Transport

Daniel Hamilton

Lavender

Children’s Services

George Crivelli

East Putney

Environment

Ethan Brooks

Thamesfield

Opportunity

Tom Pridham

Lavender

New portfolio — brief undefined

Enforcement

Caroline de La Soujeole

St Mary’s

New portfolio — brief undefined

Leader of the Opposition

Simon Hogg

Attends all cabinet items

Opposition Speaker

Per portfolio item

Relevant Labour shadow attends each item

 All six scrutiny committees are suspended until 22 July 2026. The committee chairs and memberships below take effect when the new structure is confirmed at the July full council meeting.

Environment OSC

Labour chair (to be confirmed)

Labour chair guaranteed under confidence and supply agreement

Children’s OSC

Labour chair (to be confirmed)

Labour chair guaranteed under confidence and supply agreement

Audit Committee

Labour chair (to be confirmed)

Labour chair guaranteed under confidence and supply agreement

Remaining OSCs

Conservative majority

Labour hold at least 48% of all ordinary committee seats. Named chairs to be confirmed in July.

General Purposes Committee

Chaired by Richards-Jones

2 Conservatives, 2 Labour, 1 Grimston — cross-party agreement required for all constitutional changes

 Labour chair (guaranteed) Conservative majority 

Source: Confidence and supply agreement, 26 May 2026; Wandsworth Council Annual Meeting, 27 May 2026.

#### What the agreement does

Labour get the chairs of the Environment and Children’s scrutiny committees and the Audit Committee. They hold at least 48% of seats on every ordinary committee. Their spokespeople sit in on every cabinet meeting and take part in discussions on each item.

Committees will examine key decisions before cabinet takes them, not after. Pre-decision scrutiny, which the previous administration abolished, is restored. A new Leader’s question time will be held at full council. All councillors, regardless of party or committee membership, will get access to the papers they need to do their jobs.

The constitution itself will be rewritten, in a process that requires agreement across party lines. That means the standing orders that [silenced Grimston and two other independent voices](https://putney.news/2025/12/10/hogg-promised-to-make-council-more-open-then-silenced-the-councillor-challenging-him/) in the chamber last December cannot survive without his consent. He negotiated that condition from the party that imposed those rules on him.

None of this is in place yet. Labour have refused to nominate members to any committee, a protest at the way a committee paper was handed to them on the night of the Annual Meeting rather than in advance. All six scrutiny committees are suspended until July. The oversight body currently in operation is staffed entirely by Conservatives. The first night was [chaotic.](https://putney.news/2026/05/28/council-chaos-all-scrutiny-suspended-on-new-administrations-first-night/) The agreement that was supposed to prevent that chaos was already signed. These things happened anyway.

July is when the real test comes.

#### Who is in the cabinet

Richards-Jones leads a nine-member executive that reflects who delivered the Conservative majority. Six of the nine come from the Battersea constituency bloc, which gained seven Conservative seats in May. Peter Graham is Deputy Leader and takes Finance. Matthew Corner goes to Housing, Daniel Hamilton to Transport, Ethan Brooks to Environment.

Two new portfolios have been created: Tom Pridham as Cabinet Member for Opportunity, and Caroline de La Soujeole as Cabinet Member for Enforcement. Neither brief has been publicly defined yet.

For readers in Putney, Brooks matters most. He represents Thamesfield ward and is now accountable for rubbish collection, recycling, street cleaning and parks, including to his own constituents. George Crivelli, East Putney ward, takes Children’s Services, inheriting an Ofsted outstanding rating awarded just weeks before the election.

One notable absence: Will Sweet, Richards-Jones’s ally through the internal Conservative leadership battle, won his seat in Nine Elms and has no cabinet role. Former Conservative council leader Ravi Govindia, who ran Wandsworth for twelve years, was also re-elected and also holds nothing.

#### Grimston’s position

Malcolm Grimston holds one seat. He is not in the cabinet. He is not taking any party’s whip. What he holds is a veto.

He sits on the General Purposes Committee, which must approve every constitutional change before it reaches full council. That committee is two Conservatives, two Labour, one Grimston. Nothing in Wandsworth’s constitution changes without his agreement. He has given Richards-Jones a working majority for the administration’s day-to-day business. He has given neither side the ability to change the rules without the other.

His ambition, as he has stated it, is to use that position to push both parties toward working together. On the first night of the new council, with papers arriving at the last minute and Labour walking out of the committee process, that ambition already looked like work in progress.

Whether July delivers what the agreement promises, reconstituted committees, a rewritten constitution, Labour genuinely embedded in oversight, will determine whether the agreement means what it says, or whether the first night was a preview of the next four years.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/30/wandsworth-council-is-getting-a-democratic-overhaul-here-is-what-changes/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/30/wandsworth-council-is-getting-a-democratic-overhaul-here-is-what-changes/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20Council%20is%20getting%20a%20democratic%20overhaul%20%E2%80%93%20here%20is%20what%20changes&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/30/wandsworth-council-is-getting-a-democratic-overhaul-here-is-what-changes/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Aled Richards-Jones, Cllr Ethan Brooks, Cllr George Crivelli, Cllr Malcolm Grimston, Cllr Peter Graham, Cllr Simon Hogg, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Putney's two garden competitions are both running right now](https://putney.news/2026/05/30/putneys-two-garden-competitions-are-both-running-right-now/)

**Published:** May 30, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Judges are walking 20 streets this month - and the borough-wide contest is still open until July

**Content:**

Putney residents can enter not one but two garden competitions this year. The Putney Society’s *Make Putney Bloom* judges are walking the streets from next week, while the deadline for *Wandsworth in Bloom* is still five weeks away.

Last year, the Putney Society competition did not run, and [Wandsworth in Bloom stepped in to fill the gap](https://putney.news/2025/05/24/wandsworth-bursts-into-bloom-with-new-garden-contest/) as the borough-wide option. This year both are back simultaneously: residents on 20 central Putney streets can be in the running for a local award and the borough-wide competition at the same time.

The Putney Society competition, [launched in February with a mission to transform gardenless streets](https://putney.news/2026/02/01/putney-society-garden-competition-returns-with-mission-to-transform-gardenless-gaps/), requires no entry form. Judges walk the streets themselves, identifying the best front garden displays between 8 and 22 June. Gold, Silver and Bronze awards are available, with pots and window boxes counting where garden space is limited. The 20 streets include Oxford Road, Burstock Road, Lacy Road and Norroy Road.

Wandsworth in Bloom covers the whole borough, is free to enter, and runs a wider range of categories including best front garden, best balcony or container garden, best allotment plot, best business in bloom, and school and community food-growing entries. All shortlisted entrants are automatically considered for Best in Show, People’s Choice and Most Biodiverse. The deadline is Monday 6 July.

The Putney Society competition has been building. At the [RHS London in Bloom ceremony last October](https://putney.news/2025/10/22/putney-society-wins-outstanding-london-in-bloom-award/), the Society’s Open Spaces Panel received an Outstanding rating, the highest of five levels. If they achieve Outstanding again this autumn, it would be year two of the three consecutive years needed to qualify for a National Certificate of Distinction.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/putney-society-gardening-competition-map-1024x642.png)Area covered by the Putney Society’s competition#### How to get involved

If you live on one of the 20 Make Putney Bloom streets, the judging is underway and there is nothing to register. A well-tended front garden, a pot, a window box with something growing is what counts. The full list of streets is in [our February launch piece](https://putney.news/2026/02/01/putney-society-garden-competition-returns-with-mission-to-transform-gardenless-gaps/).

For Wandsworth in Bloom, [enter online before 6 July](https://wandsworth-self.achieveservice.com/service/Submit_your_entry_for_the_Wandsworth_in_Bloom_gardening_competition). The competition is open to residents, businesses, schools and community groups across the borough.

Winners of both competitions will be announced later in the summer. For now, the judges are out, and there are still five weeks to enter the other one.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/30/putneys-two-garden-competitions-are-both-running-right-now/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/30/putneys-two-garden-competitions-are-both-running-right-now/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20two%20garden%20competitions%20are%20both%20running%20right%20now&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/30/putneys-two-garden-competitions-are-both-running-right-now/)

**Categories:** Environment, Live events

**Tags:** community, Putney Society, Wandsworth, Wandsworth in Bloom

---

### [London's architecture festival comes to Wandsworth Town for the first time](https://putney.news/2026/05/30/londons-architecture-festival-comes-to-wandsworth-town-for-the-first-time/)

**Published:** May 30, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Eight free events and a sold-out heritage walk. Putney in 2027?

**Content:**

Wandsworth Town is part of the London Festival of Architecture this June, one of 11 neighbourhoods across the city taking part in the annual festival, which runs throughout the month on the theme of “Belonging.”

Wandsworth Council and Wandsworth Town BID are backing the neighbourhood, and the festival’s description of the area reflects the council’s growth corridor ambitions: Wandsworth Town is described as “standing on the edge of transformation”, part of a corridor “to deliver much needed homes, infrastructure and economic growth.”

This is how the LFA model works: neighbourhood slots are a paid sponsorship package, sold to councils and developers across the festival. Regardless, several of the events are interesting and may be worth attending. Ten run across June, eight of them free, almost all near Wandsworth Town station.

**What’s on.** The opening weekend of 6–7 June carries most of the programme. The Wandle industrial-heritage walk on 12 June is already sold out, though a second date on 19 June still has places. If you want something you can drop into at any point, the Transient Belonging/s pavilion (a free riverside installation using discarded objects to explore ideas of value and waste) is open 24 hours from 5–12 June.

**What the council has organised.** Four events are run directly by Wandsworth Council. The Zero Waste Stall (10–12 June) reimagines Wandle Recreation Centre as a community wellbeing hub. The Dinner (17 June, free) is a talk at Sambrooks Brewery revisiting a public artwork commissioned there a decade ago. Belonging in Practice (20 June, free) is a tour of the historic Chapel Yard to discuss its past and future. There is also a panel talk at a venue in the City on 25 June.

**What residents and artists have organised.** These are arguably the more interesting events. WIP Space is a month of artist-led workshops and exhibitions in a Grade II listed Georgian house, explicitly about renting, temporary occupation and holding on to space in a city that keeps changing. It runs 6–20 June and ends with an open-studio BBQ.

The Quaker Meeting House opens on 6 June (the oldest in London, a 17th-century building most people walk past without knowing what it is). Old York Road Unplugged on 7 June is a free community day with live music and a makers’ market. And Morocco Bound, the independent bookshop, hosts a panel talk with live music on 28 June (£5).

## What’s on: opening weekend

London Festival of Architecture · Wandsworth Town · 6–7 June 2026

 All week **Transient Belonging/s pavilion** — riverside installation, open 24 hours, 5–12 June. Free. Drop in anytime. 

Saturday 6 June

10am – 4pm

Quaker Meeting House

The oldest Quaker Meeting House in London opens its doors — 17th-century building, guided or self-led tours.

 Free 

From 10am

WIP Space opens

Month-long artist workshops and exhibitions in a Grade II Georgian house — about holding on to space in a changing city.

 Free Runs to 20 June 

2pm

Wonder of Wandsworth walk

Guided orbital tour of the town centre and its changing architecture.

 £11.50 

Sunday 7 June

11am – 3pm

Old York Road Unplugged

Street festival on a newly improved stretch of Old York Road — live music, makers’ market, community day.

 Free Good for families 

Source: London Festival of Architecture event pages, May 2026 · Full listings at our LFA hub page

**How to plan your visit.** Saturday 6 June works well on its own: the Quaker house is open 10am–4pm, the Wonder of Wandsworth guided walk (£11.50) sets off at 2pm, and WIP Space opens its doors. Sunday 7 June is the better day for families.

The festival is annual and the neighbourhood model is open to any area willing to make the case. Putney has the riverside, the architecture and the community organisations to do exactly that. It is a case worth making for 2027.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/30/londons-architecture-festival-comes-to-wandsworth-town-for-the-first-time/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/30/londons-architecture-festival-comes-to-wandsworth-town-for-the-first-time/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=London%E2%80%99s%20architecture%20festival%20comes%20to%20Wandsworth%20Town%20for%20the%20first%20time&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/30/londons-architecture-festival-comes-to-wandsworth-town-for-the-first-time/)

**Categories:** Things to do, Wandsworth Town

**Tags:** community, London Festival of Architecture, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Arts Fringe, Wandsworth Council, Wandsworth Town BID

---

### [Wandsworth's new hung council: the promises made and broken on night one](https://putney.news/2026/05/29/wandsworths-new-hung-council-the-promises-made-and-broken-on-night-one/)

**Published:** May 29, 2026
**Author:** The Editor

**Excerpt:** Both parties pledged collaboration. Both immediately did the opposite. Malcolm Grimston watched from the side.

**Content:**

**UPDATED** On Wednesday night, soon-to-be ex-leader Simon Hogg stood up in the Wandsworth council chamber and praised Malcolm Grimston’s “vision and strength.” Five months earlier, Hogg’s administration had used new constitutional rules to [stop Grimston speaking in the same chamber](https://putney.news/2025/12/10/hogg-promised-to-make-council-more-open-then-silenced-the-councillor-challenging-him/).

The tribute came at Wandsworth’s first meeting as a hung council, the result of May’s local elections, which left no party with overall control. Both Labour and the new Conservative administration arrived with lofty words about collaboration and transparency, and then proceeded to do the opposite.

#### What both sides promised

Aled Richards-Jones, the new Conservative council leader, set the tone. “For the first time we’ll invite opposition councillors to chair scrutiny committees, we will invite the Leader of the Opposition and cabinet members to attend cabinet, to join the discussions, to challenge our decisions and hold us to account,” he told the chamber.

He added: “We’ll be transparent about why we have to take the decisions we take, and we’ll invite scrutiny and challenge from everyone across the Council Chamber.”

Hogg, for Labour, also spoke of collaboration. But he addressed his remarks not to Richards-Jones, who was about to take over as council leader, but to Grimston, the independent whose votes Labour would need to win any fight over the next four years. “You gave both political parties similar support and put us into this no overall control and we need to change our mindsets and adapt to that,” he told Grimston. “Let’s keep that space to debate and to disagree well.”

What followed suggested the adaptation was proving difficult.

#### What Labour did

Labour’s first act was to force a vote on the mayoral nomination they could not win. They put forward Councillor Henderson against the Conservative nominee Emmeline Owens. The result was 29-26. Labour held 28 seats, but two of their own were absent: Kemi Akinola, the Deputy Leader of the Labour group, and Tony Belton, a former leader of the Labour group on Wandsworth Council who served in that role for a combined 23 years. On the first night of a hung council where every seat theoretically carries weight, the second most senior Labour figure and its leader for most of the past 50 years were not in the chamber.

Labour had no realistic prospect of winning the vote regardless of the absences. The contest was a statement, not a competition.

More striking was the tribute Hogg paid to Grimston, described as a man of “vision and strength” whose intervention had brought both parties to this point. What Hogg did not mention was that, as recently as December, his administration had introduced constitutional changes that prevented Grimston from raising ward issues on the floor of full council. Grimston told us at the time: “In effect I can now only talk to an issue which has been raised by another Councillor. I cannot introduce anything that has arisen as a result of my own ward work or investigations.” Mayor Ambache, presiding under Labour’s leadership, ruled him out of order.

The same rules had, by the end of December, [silenced two further non-party councillors](https://putney.news/2025/12/17/three-councillors-gagged-as-council-admits-mistake-but-skirts-fix/), between them representing 18,000 residents who lost their voice in the chamber. Our [investigation at the time](https://putney.news/2025/12/30/every-promise-broken-wandsworths-scrutiny-reforms-fail-every-test/) found every promise Hogg had made about making the council more open had been broken.

When Councillor Rigby, Labour’s spokesperson on the committee paper that would restructure Wandsworth’s oversight arrangements, was invited to support it, she did not. “We can’t be rushed into signing it like a Tenerife timeshare,” she told the chamber. The council was, she added, in “no overall control,” and Labour had “not been consulted on these changes.”

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1796-1024x473.png)In his speech earlier in the evening, Hogg had opened by acknowledging that “depending on your allegiance, tonight is bittersweet,” and then made a joke about Arsenal winning the Premier League. “I know the majority of people in Wandsworth did not want this to happen,” he told the chamber. The jokes came easily. What they masked was harder to say: Labour had waited 44 years to run Wandsworth, held power for one term, and lost it. In a video after the election, Hogg blamed the Greens for his loss. He closed with a toast: “Let’s do it again soon.”

#### What the Conservatives did

The committee paper Labour refused to rush into signing had arrived on the day of the meeting. Richards-Jones had just promised transparency and maximum scrutiny from everyone across the chamber. Councillor Graham, presenting the paper, acknowledged the reality. “I accept that this process has been far from ideal, far from ideal for us and far from ideal for the opposition,” he told the meeting.

That admission came on night one.

The paper suspended all six of Wandsworth’s scrutiny committees for eight weeks, replacing them with a single temporary catch-all committee. Because Labour declined to nominate members in protest at the process, that committee is staffed entirely by Conservatives. The new administration’s first act of “maximum scrutiny” is a scrutiny committee with no opposition on it.

Buried in the same late-arriving batch of papers was a second change: a restoration of the General Purposes Committee as the gateway for all constitutional changes before they reach a full council vote. Richards-Jones chairs it – though the committee’s composition means no change can pass without cross-party agreement.

Richards-Jones has said scrutiny committees will resume in July. That is eight weeks away.

#### Grimston’s three votes

Grimston entered the meeting having reached a confidence and supply agreement with the Conservatives, under which he would support the new administration on key votes to keep the council functional. [As the arithmetic stood going into the meeting](https://putney.news/2026/05/26/the-mayor-of-wandsworth-now-has-more-power-than-almost-anyone-realises/), that agreement meant one thing in practice: he voted for Richards-Jones as leader. Result: 30-26. On everything else, he stepped back.

On the mayoral nomination, Grimston abstained. Result: 29-26, Owens elected regardless.

On the committee paper, Grimston abstained again. Result: 29-26, passed regardless.

The votes that passed did so not because of Grimston but because two Labour councillors were absent. Had two Conservatives been absent instead, neither motion would have carried. Both parties voted entirely in block throughout the evening. Grimston, [the man both sides had spent weeks courting](https://putney.news/2026/05/09/the-man-wandsworth-cant-ignore-any-more/), was a spectator for most of it.

His stated ambition is to sit to the side of both parties and draw them toward working together for the benefit of Wandsworth. On the basis of Wednesday night, he has a very long way to go.

---

**Correction, 30 May 2026**: An earlier version of this story stated that the General Purposes Committee gave the council leader the power to delay or shape challenges to the council’s own rules. In fact, the committee’s composition – two Conservatives, two Labour, and independent councillor Malcolm Grimston – means no constitutional change can pass without cross-party agreement.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/29/wandsworths-new-hung-council-the-promises-made-and-broken-on-night-one/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/29/wandsworths-new-hung-council-the-promises-made-and-broken-on-night-one/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%E2%80%99s%20new%20hung%20council%3A%20the%20promises%20made%20and%20broken%20on%20night%20one&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/29/wandsworths-new-hung-council-the-promises-made-and-broken-on-night-one/)

**Categories:** Comment, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Aled Richards-Jones, Cllr Emmeline Owens, Cllr Jo Rigby, Cllr Kemi Akinola, Cllr Malcolm Grimston, Cllr Simon Hogg, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Family locked out of graves for over a year as council stays silent](https://putney.news/2026/05/29/family-locked-out-of-graves-for-over-a-year-as-council-stays-silent/)

**Published:** May 29, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Sinkhole at Putney Vale Cemetery left fenced off since March 2025 — no contact from council, cemetery, or Enable.

**Content:**

A Putney family has been unable to visit or tend their graves at Putney Vale Cemetery for over a year after a sinkhole left the area fenced off.

The cemetery is managed by Enable Leisure and Culture on behalf of Wandsworth Council, which is responsible for the repair. In that time, the council has not contacted the family, or responded to the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators, and has not replied to three requests for comment from *Putney.news*.

Keith Wakeley’s family has been unable to reach their loved ones’ graves 1054/1055 in Block A South, Alexander Way, since approximately March 2025. Their plot is seemingly the only one in the cemetery affected when Queensmere Pond was drained, and that the subsidence is understood to stem from that drainage work.

For any family, being cut off from a grave is hard. For the Wakeleys, the wait carries an additional weight: one of the caskets lies at 11ft 6in depth, and the family does not know whether it has been affected by the water that caused the subsidence.

#### A plot chosen carefully

The family had spent time in 2015 and 2016 choosing the plot with the help of the cemetery’s then-manager, Sue. Now it’s a cordoned-off sinkhole.

![Cemetery scene with two stone crosses and a black memorial plaque surrounded by grass and trees in the background.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1751.jpeg)The grave plot as it originally lookedThe 15-month wait has taken a toll. Keith told *Putney.news* this week that the situation had made him reconsider whether he wants to be interred there at all.

#### What the council and cemetery have said

The Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators (WPCC), who manage the land surrounding Queensmere Pond, confirmed to *Putney.news* that they are aware of the sinkhole and that the restoration of Queensmere itself was delayed because of it, the WPCC said.

Crucially, the WPCC said it had not been contacted by Wandsworth Council, Enable, or any contractor about who is responsible for the repair or how it will be remediated. The WPCC directed us to the council for an update on the work.

Queensmere has always overflowed into the culvert feeding the drainage network beneath the cemetery, the WPCC noted, but the sinkhole is likely the result of an existing underlying weakness rather than a new problem.

![Orange plastic construction cone marking a shallow dug trench in a grassy area beside a dirt path, with tape wrapped around its top.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1703-768x1024.jpeg)We have contacted Wandsworth Council repeatedly in the past week, asking who is responsible for the repairs, when the graves will be accessible again, and whether anyone has been in contact with the family. After we received no response, we also contacted the council’s parks team and Enable’s bereavement service. None of the three organisations have responded to our questions.

#### If your family has been affected

Anyone who has experienced a similar problem at Putney Vale Cemetery is asked to contact Putney.news at .

Complaints about the cemetery service can be made to Enable Leisure and Culture at  or by calling 020 3959 0090. For unresolved complaints, Wandsworth Council’s complaints process is available at wandsworth.gov.uk/contact-us/complaints. If a formal council complaint is not resolved, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman handles cemetery and bereavement service complaints at lgo.org.uk.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/29/family-locked-out-of-graves-for-over-a-year-as-council-stays-silent/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/29/family-locked-out-of-graves-for-over-a-year-as-council-stays-silent/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Family%20locked%20out%20of%20graves%20for%20over%20a%20year%20as%20council%20stays%20silent&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/29/family-locked-out-of-graves-for-over-a-year-as-council-stays-silent/)

**Categories:** Community, Roehampton

**Tags:** Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Wandsworth Council, Wimbledon and Putney Commons

---

### [Five things dog walkers on the Commons need to know this month](https://putney.news/2026/05/29/five-things-dog-walkers-on-the-commons-need-to-know-this-month/)

**Published:** May 29, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** A new survey, lead zones until July, and what to do if you find a fledgling on the ground.

**Content:**

The people who manage Wimbledon Common, Putney Heath and Putney Lower Common are asking dog walkers to take five minutes for their first dedicated survey of how the Commons are used on four paws.

The Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators (WPCC) cover 11 questions, from how often you visit and which areas you use to whether you walk dogs commercially and how familiar you are with the byelaws. The results will shape how WPCC manages the land for dog walkers in future. [Take the survey here](https://bit.ly/dog-walking-survey).

#### Dogs on leads until 31 July

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1791.jpeg)Breeding season is under way, and WPCC is asking dog walkers to keep their dogs on leads in The Plain until 31 July. The Plain is the area of open grassland on the Commons, clearly marked with posts and notices.

Skylarks and Meadow Pipits both nest on the ground in long grass, where their nests are almost impossible to spot. A dog running loose in the area can disturb a nest without either dog or walker realising, disrupting breeding at a critical point in the season. The requirement runs from 1 March to 31 July each year, and the [WPCC guidance page](https://www.wpcc.org.uk/things-to-do/important-information-for-dog-owners-and-dog-walkers) includes a map of The Plain boundary.

#### Found a fledgling? Leave it alone

May and June are peak months for fledglings on the ground, and the instinct to help is understandable but usually wrong. A fledgling with most of its feathers has left the nest intentionally (this is normal) and cannot fly yet, but its parents are almost certainly nearby and still feeding it.

Keep dogs and cats away, leave the bird where it is, and check on it from a distance. If it is in immediate danger, move it to a sheltered spot nearby (no more than a few metres), so the parents can still find it. An injured bird needs a local wildlife rescue centre or vet.

The [RSPCA has full fledgling guidance](https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/wildlife/birds/baby) if you need more, and our [January guide to visiting the Commons responsibly](https://putney.news/2026/01/29/how-to-protect-wildlife-on-wimbledon-common-a-guide-for-visitors/) covers the wider picture.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/29/five-things-dog-walkers-on-the-commons-need-to-know-this-month/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/29/five-things-dog-walkers-on-the-commons-need-to-know-this-month/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Five%20things%20dog%20walkers%20on%20the%20Commons%20need%20to%20know%20this%20month&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/29/five-things-dog-walkers-on-the-commons-need-to-know-this-month/)

**Categories:** Environment, West Putney, Wimbledon

**Tags:** Putney Common, Putney Heath, Putney Lower Common, Wimbledon and Putney Commons, Wimbledon Common

---

### [Putney MP demands Half Moon cancel gig](https://putney.news/2026/05/28/putney-mp-demands-half-moon-cancel-gig/)

**Published:** May 28, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Fleur Anderson has written to Youngs Pubs chief executive.

**Content:**

Putney’s MP has demanded the Half Moon cancel a sold-out gig over the singer’s conviction for domestic violence.

Fleur Anderson has written to the CEO of the Youngs pub group, posting the letter publicly, after the music venue refused her earlier demand to cancel the concert by former Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1748-609x1024.jpeg)ScreenshotMeighan was convicted of assaulting his then-fiancée, now-wife Vikki Ager in July 2020, an attack captured on CCTV. He is set to play the Lower Richmond Road venue on 26 June. Every ticket is sold at £55.

Anderson has accused the Half Moon of “providing a platform to an individual with a conviction for domestic abuse” and demanded “careful consideration” of the gig.

Meighan was dropped as frontman for Kasabian after he was given an eighteen-month community order and served 200 hours of community service.

Ager did not support the prosecution and married Meighan in 2021. She has gone on to publicly defend him in the face of an ongoing campaign. “He apologises daily,” she told Cornwall Live. “A lot of people have arguments and ours got taken to an extreme level.” Meighan has publicly apologised for his actions, noting his alcohol addiction.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1746-731x1024.jpeg)#### The two sides

The MP’s letter raises an important question: should a venue host someone convicted of domestic abuse, or does a completed sentence restore the right to work?

Does support for his solo work send the wrong message, or is it an example of cancel culture?

In 2023, when Meighan appeared at Sheffield’s Be Reyt Festival in 2023, seven acts pulled out in protest and domestic abuse charity IDAS said the booking “risked sending a message to music lovers that abuse is ‘not that bad’.”

In 2024, Mel B condemned his Brit Award nomination while Noel Gallagher booked him as a support act. Meighan has kept touring since 2022.

---

What do you think? Let us know in the survey below.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

 Half Pubs Is  

Should the Half Moon go ahead with the Tom Meighan gig?- Yes — he served his sentence, his victim married him and has defended him publicly; he deserves to rebuild his career
- No — a Putney venue shouldn’t platform someone convicted of domestic abuse
- I’m not sure

Is Fleur Anderson right to pressure Youngs Pubs to cancel the booking?- Yes — MPs should speak up on issues like this in their constituency
- No — this is a commercial decision for the venue to make
- She’s right to raise it, but the decision should be the venue’s

  Submit![Loading](https://putney.news/wp-content/plugins/wpforms/assets/images/submit-spin.svg)

 ---

*If you are affected by anything in this article, the National Domestic Abuse Helpline is available free, 24 hours a day, on 0808 2000 247.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/28/putney-mp-demands-half-moon-cancel-gig/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/28/putney-mp-demands-half-moon-cancel-gig/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20MP%20demands%20Half%20Moon%20cancel%20gig&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/28/putney-mp-demands-half-moon-cancel-gig/)

**Categories:** Live events, Music, Politics, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Fleur Anderson MP, Live Music, Lower Richmond Road, Music, The Half Moon

---

### [Council chaos: all scrutiny suspended on new administration's first night](https://putney.news/2026/05/28/council-chaos-all-scrutiny-suspended-on-new-administrations-first-night/)

**Published:** May 28, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Six committees shut down until July after last-minute papers spark Labour walkout.

**Content:**

Wandsworth’s new Conservative administration has started as it means to go on – with a fight.

Wednesday’s inaugural annual council meeting began smoothly enough. Emmeline Owens was elected Mayor. The chains were on. The applause died down.

Then it fell apart.

#### The row

Councillors on both sides had barely settled into their seats when Labour made clear they were not happy. Papers setting out a wholesale restructuring of the council’s committee system – the bodies that hold the administration to account – had arrived that day. Labour said they had not been consulted and refused to take part.

The Conservative administration apologised. The changes were temporary, they said. Everything would be reviewed in July. Labour were not convinced.

By the time the meeting ended, Wandsworth’s new council had no functioning Finance committee, no Housing committee, no Transport committee. All six scrutiny committees have been suspended until 22 July – eight weeks into a new administration on a knife-edge majority of one.

#### The mayor

Owens won her first council seat in Northcote in 2022, then was forced out the seat to make way for a loyalist. She redeployed to Southfields and held it.

Her reward is the mayoralty. Her job is now to cast the deciding vote whenever the council ties. In a chamber split 29 Conservatives to 28 Labour, with independent Malcolm Grimston as the solitary kingmaker, that moment will come.

#### What it means

Without scrutiny committees there is no one to formally question the administration’s decisions until late July. Labour can still call a vote, but only by triggering a procedure through a temporary catch-all committee – currently staffed entirely by Conservative councillors, since Labour have refused to nominate members to it.

And buried in the same batch of last-minute papers: a constitutional change giving the leader’s own committee the power to vet any future amendments to the council’s rulebook before they reach a full council vote. Aled Richards-Jones chairs that committee. Malcolm Grimston sits on it.

#### Same old story

Three weeks ago, voters sent Wandsworth its closest result in a generation: 28 Labour; 29 Conservative; 1 independent. The message was hard to miss.

On Wednesday night, both sides appeared to have missed it anyway.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/28/council-chaos-all-scrutiny-suspended-on-new-administrations-first-night/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/28/council-chaos-all-scrutiny-suspended-on-new-administrations-first-night/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Council%20chaos%3A%20all%20scrutiny%20suspended%20on%20new%20administration%E2%80%99s%20first%20night&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/28/council-chaos-all-scrutiny-suspended-on-new-administrations-first-night/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Aled Richards-Jones, Cllr Emmeline Owens, Cllr Malcolm Grimston, General Purposes Committee, transparency, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth Prison viral video officer is out of jail and talking. So is the inmate.](https://putney.news/2026/05/28/wandsworth-prison-viral-video-officer-is-out-of-jail-and-talking-so-is-the-inmate/)

**Published:** May 28, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Neither account surprises anyone who has followed two years of crisis at our local prison.

**Content:**

Linda De Sousa Abreu has been out of jail since the spring and is, she says, keeping a low profile. The former Wandsworth prison officer sentenced to 15 months after pleading guilty to having sex with an inmate in his cell, filmed by a fellow prisoner in June 2024 and released early after five months on tag, told *The Sun* this week that the prison she left was “very understaffed and hard to manage.”

Linton Weirich, the inmate, says it was worse than that. Staff were corrupt, he told the same paper. They smuggled in phones, drugs and food for money. Prisoners ran the landings. “Officers don’t run jails anymore,” he said. “Prisoners do.”

Neither account surprised anyone who had been paying attention.

The tabloid interviews (De Sousa Abreu’s first public statements since her release, and Weirich speaking separately to The Sun and the Daily Mirror) have brought the June 2024 viral video back into circulation. The encounter, filmed on B-wing on a contraband phone while the cameraman smoked cannabis, resulted in De Sousa Abreu pleading guilty to misconduct in a public office and receiving a 15-month sentence. The filming prisoner’s commentary, “This is how we live at Wandsworth bruv,” was read into the record at Isleworth Crown Court. The judge described De Sousa Abreu’s participation as “with evident enthusiasm.” She was arrested at Heathrow Airport attempting to board a flight to Madrid.

She served five months at HMP Bronzefield before being released under a policy that allows early release after one-third of sentence with good behaviour. That policy exists because England’s prisons are dangerously overcrowded. The prison at the centre of all this – Wandsworth Prison – holds 1,444 people in space certified as fit for 894.

Weirich, now 38, was serving four years and nine months for stealing £65,000 worth of valuables from a Kensington flat. He told *The Sun* that De Sousa Abreu had smuggled Nando’s and Chinese takeaways for prisoners at £150 an order, and that they had communicated via a contraband phone on Instagram and Snapchat. De Sousa Abreu denied both claims. “The police had my phone for over a year,” she said. The smuggling allegation was not part of her conviction. She was convicted of the sexual relationship, which she admits.

HMP Wandsworth: two years in six momentsHMP Wandsworth: two years in six moments

June 2024 to May 2026

June 2024

The viral video

An officer and an inmate are filmed on B-wing on a contraband phone. The footage goes viral within hours. Prison officer Linda De Sousa Abreu is arrested at Heathrow attempting to board a flight to Madrid.

August 2024

The watchdog verdict

The Independent Monitoring Board calls it “the worst year in memory.” Up to half of officers absent on any given day. “Ready access to drugs, weapons, mobile phones and drink.”

August 2025

The corruption exposed

A Sunday Times investigation reveals Bobby Cunningham, head of security from 2021 to 2023, had links to organised crime. He is dismissed for gross misconduct and forced to repay a £160,000 compensation package. He is never referred to police.

October 2025

Still failing

A new IMB report finds one-third of staff still absent every day. The prison is running on fewer than 85 officers for 1,500 men. New recruits are arriving after nine weeks of training the watchdog describes as inadequate.

March 2026

Progress — and three deaths

Monitors find violence down 70 incidents on the previous year. The G-wing reform unit is working. In the same month, three men die at the prison within eight days.

May 2026

Two years on

De Sousa Abreu and Weirich speak to the tabloids. Their accounts of the prison match what independent watchdogs found. The governor who drove reform is understood to be leaving.

Sources: IMB annual reports (August 2024, October 2025); Prisons and Probation Ombudsman; WPIC monitoring visit report (March 2026); The Sun, Daily Mirror (May 2026); Putney.news archive

#### The prison they were describing

What they described was Wandsworth at its worst. The Independent Monitoring Board published its annual report in August 2024, the same month De Sousa Abreu pleaded guilty. Its chair, Matthew Andrews, called it [“the worst year in memory.”](https://putney.news/2024/08/22/wandsworth-prison-inhumane/) Up to half of all officers were absent on any given day. Nearly half of those in post had been there for less than a year. There was, the report noted, “ready access to drugs, weapons, mobile phones and drink.” Weirich had a phone when they were strictly prohibited.

The staffing problem ran deeper than absence rates. New recruits arrived after nine weeks of centralised training the IMB described as inadequate. The governor had no say in who was hired and was then judged on their performance. The IMB called it “extraordinary” that staff were hired nationally, never visited the prison before starting, and the institution was then assessed on how well they performed.

But the corruption problem was more serious still, and the tabloid coverage missed it. In August, a Sunday Times investigation into [Bobby Cunningham, the prison’s head of security from 2021 to 2023](https://putney.news/2025/08/29/rot-at-the-top-how-organised-crime-infiltrated-wandsworth-prisons-security/) revealed he had been connected to organised crime. Prison officers had filed multiple whistleblowing reports. Cunningham personally authorised the transfer of a fraudster who owed £541,000 under a confiscation order to an open prison, explicitly violating rules barring anyone owing more than £200,000 from open conditions. When he was finally suspended in July 2023, he was allowed to resign on medical grounds and left with a compensation package worth two years’ salary. That decision was later reversed. He was retrospectively dismissed for gross misconduct and forced to repay the money. He was never referred to police.

Former chaplain Liz Bridge, who served at Wandsworth through the pandemic, gave a public talk at the Putney Society in September 2025. She [described cells](https://putney.news/2025/09/29/former-prison-chaplain-exposes-inhumane-conditions-at-wandsworth-prison/) designed in 1851 for one person now shared by two: “One person can sit and eat their meal at the counter. The other person either sits hunched on the lower bunk bed, or they have the pleasure of eating their meal sitting on the lavatory.” A man had died of heat exhaustion in December. “There was nothing the matter with his heart,” she said. “Some cells are so small both men cannot lie on the floor on a wet towel.”

This was the prison De Sousa Abreu and Weirich were in.

#### The governor who changed things

Governor Andy Davy inherited all of it. He took over in June 2024, the same month the video was filmed. His predecessor, Katie Price, had resigned under pressure following a sustained public campaign.

Davy’s approach was different from the start: he gave independent monitors access, walked them through the wings himself and shared his own data. He was [put in special measures in 2024,](https://putney.news/2025/10/16/wandsworth-prison-watchdog-exposes-persistent-failures-despite-year-of-reform/) and the October 2025 IMB report still found one-third of staff absent every day and fewer than 85 officers managing 1,500 men.

But by the time monitors visited in February 2026, the numbers had shifted. Prisoner-on-prisoner violence was down by 70 incidents on the same period the previous year. Assaults on staff were down by 99. Self-harm incidents were down by 78. The prison was fully staffed, slightly above complement. A dedicated reform wing, G-wing, had opened in November 2025 on a Scandinavian-inspired model, with 15 specialist officers who had chosen to work there. [Independent monitors found it working.](https://putney.news/2026/03/06/violence-falls-at-wandsworth-prison-but-another-man-has-died-as-reform-wing-shows-results/)

These are real improvements. They are Davy’s. The question is whether they outlast him.

*Putney.news* understands that Governor Davy is due to leave his post. No replacement has been announced.

#### What reform has not reached

It is not all positive: the same February monitoring visit that documented improvements found rats on G-wing. The showers were in “disgusting” condition. Men were still arriving from court at 8:30 in the evening. [Three men died at the prison within eight days in March 2026:](https://putney.news/2026/04/13/three-men-died-at-wandsworth-prison-within-eight-days/) Thomas James, 84; Ahmed Said, 31; Kamal Uddin, 49. All three are under PPO investigation.

[The most recent investigation to report](https://putney.news/2026/04/27/the-same-failures-the-same-prison-the-same-verdict-another-wandsworth-death-was-preventable/) concluded a death was “absolutely foreseeable and therefore possibly preventable.” The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has now opened 29 investigations into deaths connected to Wandsworth since 2019.

[Men are leaving Wandsworth with charity sleeping bags and nowhere to go](https://putney.news/2026/05/06/wandsworth-releases-men-into-nothing-some-die-some-sleep-at-the-gate/); an outcome no individual governor can prevent while the structural conditions remain unchanged. The prison holds 1,444 people in space certified as fit for 894. [No other prison in England exceeds that ratio.](https://putney.news/2026/04/30/we-have-the-uk-s-most-overcrowded-prison/) The promised £100m government rebuild has not started.

England’s most overcrowded prisonEngland’s most overcrowded prison

HMP Wandsworth, March 2026

 Certified capacity

 894 people — certified normal capacity 

894

Current population

 1,444 people — current population, 550 over certified capacity 

1,444

  550 people over certified capacity 

 1,444

Current population

894

Certified normal
capacity

61%

Over capacity —
most in England

Source: Ministry of Justice prison population data, March 2026

#### The question the MoJ hasn’t answered

The Ministry of Justice responded to this week’s tabloid coverage with a prepared statement. It is “cracking down” on staff corruption “through tougher vetting, a strengthened Counter-Corruption Unit and over £40 million in physical security to clamp down on the contraband that fuels violence in jails.”

---

We have reported on HMP Wandsworth for more than two years. The prison inspectorate is due to reinspect in 2026. All our coverage is available at the [HMP Wandsworth tag page.](https://putney.news/tag/hmp-wandsworth/)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/28/wandsworth-prison-viral-video-officer-is-out-of-jail-and-talking-so-is-the-inmate/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/28/wandsworth-prison-viral-video-officer-is-out-of-jail-and-talking-so-is-the-inmate/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20Prison%20viral%20video%20officer%20is%20out%20of%20jail%20and%20talking.%20So%20is%20the%20inmate.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/28/wandsworth-prison-viral-video-officer-is-out-of-jail-and-talking-so-is-the-inmate/)

**Categories:** Crime, Wandsworth Town

**Tags:** accountability, prison conditions, prison deaths, Wandsworth Prison

---

### [Mystery of the stalled Putney hotel corner begins to clear](https://putney.news/2026/05/27/mystery-of-the-stalled-putney-hotel-corner-begins-to-clear/)

**Published:** May 27, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Developer files detailed plans as awnings stripped from adjacent Putney Bridge Road buildings.

**Content:**

The developer behind the long-delayed hotel at the corner of Putney High Street and Putney Bridge Road has filed detailed plans, and there are signs the development may be larger than previously disclosed.

Mosser Limited submitted a Reserved Matters application (ref: 2026/1930) on 21 May covering the [10-storey hotel and new shops](https://putney.news/2025/07/15/plans-revived-for-10-storey-hotel-and-new-shops-on-putney-high-street-after-years-of-delay/) at 31–43 Putney High Street. The filing ends uncertainty about whether the hotel was still going ahead: a change of use would require a different application entirely.

But the awnings on buildings alongside the site on Putney Bridge Road have been stripped, suggesting those properties may also be part of the development. If they are owned by Mosser and included in the Reserved Matters, the footprint of what is being built could be larger than any previously approved scheme.

That would explain something else. In UK planning, a Reserved Matters application must follow an outline planning permission, not a full committee approval. The council gave full approval to a 200-room scheme in February 2026 (application 2025/3946). If this application follows the original 2021 outline permission instead, the design being submitted now may differ from what councillors were shown three months ago, potentially covering different room numbers, a different layout, or a changed site boundary.

The documents have not yet been published on the portal, so what the plans actually contain is not yet known. When they appear, the Design and Access Statement will answer all three open questions at once: what the development now covers, whether the design has changed from February, and who the operator is. Whitbread, which runs the Hub by Premier Inn brand, did not respond to questions about whether it remains attached to the Putney site.

   Putney hotel corner: nine years in planning  Nine years of planning: the hotel at Putney High Street corner

2017

Planning application filed for hotel and shops

2019

Appeal won — hotel development approved in principle

2021

Outline planning permission granted

Oct2025

Demolition of previous buildings begins

Feb2026

Wandsworth committee approves revised 200-room scheme

Mar2026

Construction resumes after weeks of quiet

21 May2026

Reserved Matters application filed (ref: 2026/1930)

Source: Wandsworth planning portal — applications 2017/1874, 2025/3946, 2026/1930

#### Nine years to get here

The [corner site has been in planning](https://putney.news/2026/02/22/hotel-approved-with-two-year-pavement-closure-but-delivery-plan-still-unresolved/) since an application was first filed in 2017. After an appeal win in 2019 and outline permission in 2021, Wandsworth’s planning committee [approved a revised scheme](https://putney.news/2026/04/28/eight-sites-no-movement-what-happened-to-putney-high-streets-recovery/) in February 2026: 200 rooms, 40 of them windowless, with a delivery conflict on Putney Bridge Road left unresolved.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/putney-high-st-hotel-1024x576.webp)By early May the site appeared to have stalled: no pit lane built, the site office gone. That concern deepened when Whitbread announced 3,800 job cuts and the sale of £1.5 billion of hotel freeholds. Its [Premier Inn on Putney Bridge](https://putney.news/2026/05/01/the-premier-inn-on-putney-bridge-is-closing-in-june/) closes permanently on 12 June.

The Reserved Matters consultation will be the first public opportunity to comment on the detailed design. Documents will be published on the Wandsworth planning portal at reference 2026/1930. The statutory deadline for a decision is 16 July 2026.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/27/mystery-of-the-stalled-putney-hotel-corner-begins-to-clear/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/27/mystery-of-the-stalled-putney-hotel-corner-begins-to-clear/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Mystery%20of%20the%20stalled%20Putney%20hotel%20corner%20begins%20to%20clear&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/27/mystery-of-the-stalled-putney-hotel-corner-begins-to-clear/)

**Categories:** Planning, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Hub by Premier Inn, Mosser Limited, planning, public consultation, Putney Bridge Road, Putney High Street, Whitbread

---

### [The Thursday evening out in Roehampton you didn't know you wanted](https://putney.news/2026/05/27/the-thursday-evening-out-in-roehampton-you-didnt-know-you-wanted/)

**Published:** May 27, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** London Floodlit Sevens returns on 11 June: eight teams, live band, £10 on the gate.

**Content:**

The [London Floodlit Sevens](https://putney.news/event/london-floodlit-sevens-2026/) returns to Rosslyn Park on Thursday 11 June, and this year it’s back where it belongs: a weeknight evening, gates open from 4pm, finals under the floodlights.

Eight Premiership and invitational sides will compete at the Rock (Rosslyn Park’s ground on Upper Richmond Road), with tickets at £10 on the gate or bookable in advance at [londonfloodlitsevens.co.uk](https://www.londonfloodlitsevens.co.uk/). Rosslyn Park members get in free.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1554-768x1024.jpeg)The tournament has been running since 1975, making 2026 the 51st edition. Harlequins won it five years in a row between 2011 and 2015; Rosslyn Park took it back-to-back in 2023 and 2024; Saracens claimed it last year, when the event moved to a Saturday.

“It didn’t have quite the same vibe,” Sarah Thomas, Rosslyn Park’s commercial director told *Putney.news*. “So we’ve gone back to a Thursday night.” The floodlights at the Rock, incidentally, were originally paid for by actor and hellraiser Oliver Reed, who was a club member – just one detail in Rosslyn Park’s remarkable history among many.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1652-629x1024.jpeg)Saracens won last year.Camden Town Brewery is sponsoring this year. There’s a live band, pizza and biltong vans, outdoor bars, and a stretch tent with fairy lights. People dress up. Finals are from 8:30pm. Think Twickenham Sevens, but a short ride from Putney High Street.

Marcus Smith’s younger brother Luke plays for Rosslyn Park’s first XV, and the Harlequins and England fly-half is a regular at home events, so keep an eye on the crowd as well as the pitch. England winger Ellie Kildunne turned up in a previous year when her brother played for one of the invitational sides.

The format is accessible if you’re not a regular rugby-watcher: short matches, quick knockout rounds, and plenty to do off the pitch while you wait for the finals.

---

*London Floodlit Sevens, Thursday 11 June. Rosslyn Park FC, Upper Richmond Road, SW15 5JH. Gates from 4pm, until late. £10 on the gate; advance tickets at [londonfloodlitsevens.co.uk](https://londonfloodlitsevens.co.uk). Rosslyn Park members free. Nearest station: Barnes (10-minute walk). Buses stop at the Upper Richmond Road/Rocks Lane junction.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/27/the-thursday-evening-out-in-roehampton-you-didnt-know-you-wanted/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/27/the-thursday-evening-out-in-roehampton-you-didnt-know-you-wanted/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Thursday%20evening%20out%20in%20Roehampton%20you%20didn%E2%80%99t%20know%20you%20wanted&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/27/the-thursday-evening-out-in-roehampton-you-didnt-know-you-wanted/)

**Categories:** Live events, Roehampton, Rugby

**Tags:** England Rugby, Harlequins, London Floodlit Sevens, Roehampton, Rosslyn Park RFC

---

### [Thames Water disrupts route 424 twice as TfL stays silent on the route's future](https://putney.news/2026/05/27/thames-water-disrupts-route-424-twice-as-tfl-stays-silent-on-the-routes-future/)

**Published:** May 27, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Four and a half months after the consultation closed, passengers still have no idea whether the route will be cut.

**Content:**

Route 424 is on diversion this week, with a more significant disruption arriving on Friday. Both are Thames Water works.

The current diversion runs until Friday 4pm. Thames Water is closing Telegraph Road between Crossroads Cottage and the junction near Upper Richmond Road, and the 424 is rerouting via Putney Heath in both directions. Drivers who need Telegraph Road can use Wildcroft Road. The main traffic impact is at Putney Heath, where the extra load feeds into Putney Hill, which is already under pressure.

The bigger problem lands on Friday. Thames Water is back on Putney High Street, with contractor MGroup Ltd digging near Disraeli Road from Friday 29 May to Sunday 31 May, 8am to 6pm. [We covered this last week](https://putney.news/2026/05/20/thames-water-digs-up-putney-high-street-again-and-there-is-no-way-around-it/): with Hammersmith and Albert Bridges closed and Wandsworth Bridge reduced to two lanes, there is no realistic alternative for the High Street’s traffic.

Around a third of the 424’s passengers are elderly or disabled Freedom Pass holders, and both disruptions come at a moment of wider uncertainty about the route’s future.

---

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1653-473x1024.jpeg)TfL consultation page shows no progress yet on the 424 split suggestion. We have asked for an update.#### The consultation that still has no answer

TfL proposed splitting the 424 last November, citing Putney High Street congestion as too severe for reliable service. The plan was to shorten the route to run only between Putney Heath and Upper Richmond Road, and create a new route 454 for the Fulham end.

For residents of Byam Street, Broughton Road and Pearscroft Road in Fulham, the proposal would remove their direct service – route 454 is planned to take a different alignment via Bagley’s Lane to accommodate larger buses.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_5819-1024x600.png)The consultation ran from November to January. It closed on 11 January 2026. TfL’s consultation page now shows the project as “Under Review.” The final report has not been published, and passengers who responded have received no update.

Four and a half months on, there is no answer. TfL confirmed on 26 May that feedback is still being analysed. Geoff Hobbs, TfL’s Director of Public Transport Service Planning, said the changes “address the reliability issues facing the existing route due to congestion on Putney High Street” and that all responses are being reviewed “before a decision is made.” No publication date has been given.

For the full detail on TfL’s proposals and what was at stake for Fulham passengers, see our [November investigation](https://putney.news/2025/11/25/council-claimed-buses-were-faster-tfl-is-removing-a-route-because-of-congestion/) and our [January consultation guide](https://putney.news/2026/01/07/bus-424-consultation-closes-sunday-what-you-need-to-know/).

**This week**
Route 424 diversion via Putney Heath: in effect until Friday 29 May, 4pm
Putney High Street works (near Disraeli Road): Friday 29 May to Sunday 31 May, 8am to 6pm
Thames Water: 0800 316 9800

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/27/thames-water-disrupts-route-424-twice-as-tfl-stays-silent-on-the-routes-future/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/27/thames-water-disrupts-route-424-twice-as-tfl-stays-silent-on-the-routes-future/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Thames%20Water%20disrupts%20route%20424%20twice%20as%20TfL%20stays%20silent%20on%20the%20route%E2%80%99s%20future&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/27/thames-water-disrupts-route-424-twice-as-tfl-stays-silent-on-the-routes-future/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** bus, Putney Heath, Putney High Street, TfL, Thames Water, traffic congestion, Wandsworth Bridge

---

### [The mayor of Wandsworth now has more power than almost anyone realises](https://putney.news/2026/05/26/the-mayor-of-wandsworth-now-has-more-power-than-almost-anyone-realises/)

**Published:** May 26, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** In a hung council decided by one independent vote, the chain of office comes with a casting vote.

**Content:**

The Mayor of Wandsworth is, in theory, above politics: a ceremonial figure, elected annually, rotated through the council’s ranks. On 27 May, for the first time in the council’s modern history, the choice of mayor will be an overtly political act. And not only because of who gets the chains.

Wandsworth’s first [hung council in decades](https://putney.news/2026/05/08/grimston-kingmaker-as-wandsworth-delivers-hung-council/) holds its Annual Meeting on Wednesday. Everything begins there: the mayor is chosen first, before the council leader is confirmed, before the cabinet is named, before a single committee is formed. Every vote is live. And for every vote, the arithmetic is the same.

#### The arithmetic

Conservatives hold 29 seats. Labour holds 28. Malcolm Grimston, independent councillor for West Hill, holds one. Neither party can pass a motion without him.

[Grimston has agreed to support the Conservatives](https://putney.news/2026/05/20/wandsworths-new-conservative-leader-outlines-first-steps-and-the-deal-that-made-them-possible/) on a confidence-and-supply basis: not joining their cabinet, not taking a formal role, but providing enough support for them to govern, conditional on specific commitments. Simon Hogg, Labour’s council leader, visited Grimston’s house the day after election day to make the alternative case. Grimston declined.

The mayoral election is the first formal test of that arrangement.

---

How voting works in Wandsworth’s hung councilHow voting works in Wandsworth’s hung council

Neither the Conservatives (29 seats) nor Labour (28 seats) can pass a motion alone. Select a scenario to see who decides.

   Who put the motion? Conservative motion Labour motion 

 Malcolm Grimston

Independent, West Hill — the deciding vote. Neither party has a majority without him.

 With the motion Against Abstains 

---

 What if councillors are absent?

Between 2022 and 2026, an average of 6 out of 58 councillors were missing from the 21 full council meetings. Click below to see the impact on a vote based on what happened in the last administration.

 Typical July 2022 (Con) July 2023 (Lab) 

 Dec 2023 (Con) Mar 2025 (Lab) ↺ Reset 

Rule: majority of members present and voting. Abstentions count neither for nor against. On a tie, the mayor casts a deciding second vote. — LGA 1972 Schedule 12 para 39. Attendance data: Wandsworth Full Council 2022–25 (21 meetings).

' +''+body+'

' +''; }, \_mayorPrompt: function(c,note){ return '' +'Tied — '+c.f+' votes each

' +''+(note||'')+'Both sides equal. The mayor must cast a deciding vote. The result depends on which party holds the mayoralty.

' +'Who is the mayor?

' +'' +'Conservative mayor' +'Labour mayor' +'

' +'

' +'

'; }, \_renderMayorResult: function(m){ var slot=q('msm-m2026-mayor-result'); if(!slot) return; var c=this.\_counts(); var passes=(m===motion); var mL=m==='con'?'Conservative':'Labour'; var fF=passes?c.f+1:c.f, fA=passes?c.a:c.a+1; slot.innerHTML='' +''+(passes?'Motion passes':'Motion fails')+' — '+fF+' to '+fA+'

' +'The '+mL+' mayor votes '+(passes?'for':'against')+'. The mayor\'s party decides the outcome.

' +'

'; notifyParentHeight(); } }; function notifyParentHeight(){ if(window.parent !== window){ window.parent.postMessage({ type: 'putneynews-resize', height: document.body.scrollHeight }, '\*'); } } notifyParentHeight(); })(); ---

#### How a vote in this council actually works

A motion passes if more councillors vote for it than against, of those present and voting. Abstentions do nothing; absent councillors do nothing. Only the for and against votes count.

Which means: if Grimston votes with the Conservatives, a Conservative motion passes. If he votes against, it depends on numbers. And if he abstains, a Conservative motion still passes. Because 29 beats 28.

But Labour motions are different. If Grimston abstains on a Labour motion, 28 Labour votes face 29 Conservative votes. It fails. If he votes with Labour, it is 29 against 29. Tied.

On a tie, under the Local Government Act 1972, the mayor casts a deciding second vote.

A Conservative mayor breaks the tie for the Conservatives. A Labour mayor breaks it for Labour.

That is why the mayoralty matters. At full attendance, Grimston’s vote settles most things. But whenever there is a tie (and in a council this finely balanced, ties will happen) the mayor decides. Ties are most likely on the most contested votes, the ones where every councillor turns up and the parties go to the wire. The moments of maximum political stakes are precisely the moments when the mayor’s casting vote becomes the government’s margin.

#### What the council’s own records show

This is not a theoretical risk. Across 21 Full Council meetings between 2022 and 2026, an average of six councillors were absent from each meeting. Some councillors missed more than a third of meetings. The attendance pattern was uneven: at some meetings, Labour absences outnumbered Conservative absences; at others, the reverse. Each of those imbalances would have changed outcomes had the council been hung.

With the parties this close, even one absence from the winning side can turn a majority into a tie and hand the decision to the mayor.

#### How the vote at the Annual Meeting works

Under the Wandsworth Council Constitution, the mayor is elected by show of hands. If six members call for a recorded division, a bell rings, the chamber closes, and each councillor states their vote aloud as their name is called. Names and votes go into the minutes.

The order of business matters. The constitution requires the mayor to be elected first. Only after that does the council elect its leader, receive cabinet nominations, and fill committee places. The mayor presides over all of it, including, from that point forward, any vote that ends in a tie.

#### What happened last year

The 2025 Annual Meeting is the closest comparison. Jeremy Ambache was re-elected mayor that day. The ceremony was also the venue for a sharp political division: Labour pushed through five new Deputy Cabinet Member roles at £9,314 each in a 29–17 vote. Every Conservative and one independent voted against. The Conservatives forced a recorded division and condemned the posts as poor value for money.

Labour held a majority that day. That is no longer true.

Ambache did make one cross-party gesture: he appointed Conservative Councillor Rosemary Birchall as his deputy mayor. Whether a Conservative mayor makes the equivalent gesture, or declines to, will itself signal something about how the new administration intends to govern.

The [full account of last year’s meeting](https://putney.news/2025/05/22/jeremy-ambache-returns-as-mayor-amid-controversial-cabinet-shake-up/) shows how contentious an Annual Meeting can become even when one party commands an outright majority.

#### What to watch

The mayoral vote is the first moment at which Grimston’s support becomes publicly visible, not merely stated in principle. If the Conservative nominee passes cleanly, the confidence-and-supply arrangement is working. If it does not, the hung council faces its first difficulty within minutes of formally convening.

The Conservative nominee has not yet been announced.

*For background on how Wandsworth ended up here, see our coverage of [how Labour lost](https://putney.news/2026/05/08/squeezed-from-both-sides-how-labour-lost-wandsworth/) and [what the result would look like if votes actually decided it](https://putney.news/2026/05/09/what-wandsworths-council-would-look-like-if-votes-actually-decided-it/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/26/the-mayor-of-wandsworth-now-has-more-power-than-almost-anyone-realises/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/26/the-mayor-of-wandsworth-now-has-more-power-than-almost-anyone-realises/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20mayor%20of%20Wandsworth%20now%20has%20more%20power%20than%20almost%20anyone%20realises&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/26/the-mayor-of-wandsworth-now-has-more-power-than-almost-anyone-realises/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Aled Richards-Jones, Cllr Jeremy Ambache, Cllr Malcolm Grimston, Cllr Rosemary Birchall, Cllr Simon Hogg, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Seven years underground, a few weeks to fly: stag beetle season starts now](https://putney.news/2026/05/26/seven-years-underground-a-few-weeks-to-fly-stag-beetle-season-starts-now/)

**Published:** May 26, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Walk Putney Park Lane on a warm evening this week. You might be surprised.

**Content:**

Walk Putney Park Lane on a warm evening this week and you may encounter Britain’s largest land beetle: clumsy in flight, spectacular to look at, and starting a few weeks that are the whole purpose of a life spent underground.

The stag beetle season runs from late May to late July. This is it, now. The males fly at dusk on sultry evenings, their antler-like jaws held out ahead of them, and are sometimes found resting on logs or warm tarmac. Females are smaller, with no antlers, and spend their brief adult life searching for soft wood to lay their eggs. Both are harmless.

Along the lane, between Upper Richmond Road and Putney Heath, several wooden log piles have been built deliberately. They are not builder’s waste or neglected debris. Each one is a loggery: a stag beetle nursery, installed and maintained by Enable Leisure and Culture on behalf of Wandsworth Council, with signs explaining what they are and asking walkers not to disturb them. The programme has been running for at least a year; some loggeries show significant moss and lichen growth. A recently cleared stump visible near one stretch suggests the project is still expanding.

The reason the logs matter is the beetle’s extraordinary life cycle. Stag beetle adults live for only a few weeks. But the larvae they produce will spend the next four to seven years living inside those logs, tunnelling through the rotting wood, before emerging as adults in a future May or June. The sign on the Putney Park Lane loggeries puts it simply: “They spend most of their lives as larvae in dead wood, which can be up to 7 years!”

![A dirt path in a park bordered by a wooden fence and dense greenery, with a fallen log on the right and a signboard nearby.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/stag-bettle-putney-park-lane-4-1024x768.png)#### Why Putney Park Lane specifically

The location is not accidental. Putney Park Lane is a [designated Local Wildlife Site](https://putney.news/2026/02/26/new-research-27-cant-reach-green-space-in-15-minutes-putney-can-heres-the-plan-to-keep-it-that-way/). Wandsworth Council’s five-year biodiversity plan, adopted in February, commits to maintaining its habitats as a Year One priority. The lane runs south toward Putney Heath, which is part of one of only three sites in England designated as a [European Special Area of Conservation](https://putney.news/2026/01/29/how-to-protect-wildlife-on-wimbledon-common-a-guide-for-visitors/) specifically for stag beetles. The other two are Richmond Park and Epping Forest. Barnes Common, at the lane’s northern end, is prime stag beetle habitat in its own right.

The loggeries on the lane are habitat stepping stones. Stag beetles have declined significantly across Europe, disappearing from Latvia and Denmark, and south and west London remains one of the last national strongholds for the species. London recorded more than 2,100 sightings last year, the second highest county total in the country, according to the People’s Trust for Endangered Species.

If you see a stag beetle on your walk, the best thing you can do with the sighting is report it. The national Great Stag Hunt survey, run by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species and running since 1998, is collecting records now through July. Log your record at [stagbeetles.ptes.org](https://stagbeetles.ptes.org/) or use [\#GreatStagHunt](https://www.wildlondon.org.uk/campaigns/record-your-sightings/stag-beetle) on social media. If you find a beetle on a road or hard surface, pick it up gently (they are harmless) and move it to nearby vegetation or a log pile. Do not put one in a pond.

If you have a garden, PTES also offers free instructions for building your own log pile at [ptes.org/campaigns/stag-beetles-2/](https://ptes.org/campaigns/stag-beetles-2/). A stack of logs or a buried section of wood near a sheltered spot is all it takes. Putney Park Lane shows what happens when you do it at scale.

*If you are joining the West Putney safer neighbourhood team’s weapons sweep on Putney Park Lane this Saturday 30 May, keep an eye on the log piles on your way through.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/26/seven-years-underground-a-few-weeks-to-fly-stag-beetle-season-starts-now/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/26/seven-years-underground-a-few-weeks-to-fly-stag-beetle-season-starts-now/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Seven%20years%20underground%2C%20a%20few%20weeks%20to%20fly%3A%20stag%20beetle%20season%20starts%20now&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/26/seven-years-underground-a-few-weeks-to-fly-stag-beetle-season-starts-now/)

**Categories:** Environment, West Putney

**Tags:** Putney Heath, Richmond Park, Wandsworth Council, Wimbledon and Putney Commons

---

### [Gothic churchyard, colourful bunting and some of the best gelato in London](https://putney.news/2026/05/25/gothic-churchyard-colourful-bunting-and-some-of-the-best-gelato-in-london/)

**Published:** May 25, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Leke Gelato pop-up brings La Gelatiera to Upper Richmond Road for the summer

**Content:**

There is a white tent in the churchyard next to [Putney Arts Theatre](https://putney.news/venue/putney-arts-theatre/) serving some of the best gelato in London. On a day like this one, it is exactly where you should be.

The pop-up is run by Leke Gelato and serves La Gelatiera, a London artisan brand founded in 2011. La Gelatiera has collected 69 Great Taste Awards, including two Golden Forks, among the highest recognitions in UK food and drink. Its flagship is in Covent Garden. This is the only place to get it in Putney.

La Gelatiera’s signature is Honey Rosemary and Orange Zest, a Golden Fork winner that balances floral honey, aromatic rosemary and bright citrus. Alongside it: Matcha Green Tea, Clotted Cream, Halva and Pistachio, Lemon and Basil Sorbet, Hazelnut and Milk Chocolate. Eight flavours in total, cup or cone.

![Assorted gelato flavors in a glass display case, labeled Milk Chocolate, Matcha Green Tea, Clotted Cream, Honeycomb, and Peanut Butter Caramel.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1593-1024x768.jpeg)One scoop is £5.30, two £6.30, three £7.30.

Leke Gelato is open noon to 8pm, all summer, in a churchyard framed by Gothic stonework and colourful bunting.

Putney’s food scene has a new fixture. No fanfare, no franchise. Worth the trip on a day like this.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1596-1-768x1024.jpeg) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/25/gothic-churchyard-colourful-bunting-and-some-of-the-best-gelato-in-london/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/25/gothic-churchyard-colourful-bunting-and-some-of-the-best-gelato-in-london/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Gothic%20churchyard%2C%20colourful%20bunting%20and%20some%20of%20the%20best%20gelato%20in%20London&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/25/gothic-churchyard-colourful-bunting-and-some-of-the-best-gelato-in-london/)

**Categories:** Food &amp; Drink, West Putney

**Tags:** Putney Arts Theatre, Putney High Street, restaurant opening

---

### [Big Ben and Back: Putney's dinghy race returns after nearly half a century](https://putney.news/2026/05/26/big-ben-and-back-putneys-dinghy-race-returns-after-nearly-half-a-century/)

**Published:** May 26, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Eighty boats, ten bridges, one cleaner Thames — free to watch on 20 June.

**Content:**

Eighty dinghies will race ten miles of the tidal Thames on Saturday 20 June, starting and finishing on Putney Embankment, in a spectacle not seen for nearly 50 years.

The Tideway Dinghy Derby leaves Ranelagh Sailing Club from late morning. The start cannot happen before 11am, when the falling tide clears Putney Bridge. The fleet will then race a route that the organisers simply call “Big Ben and Back”: threading downstream through central London, past Wandsworth, Battersea, Albert, Chelsea, Vauxhall and Lambeth bridges to a turning mark opposite Parliament, before riding the incoming tide home. The Port of London Authority has agreed a partial river closure for the race.

The last time a race of this kind ran on the tidal Thames was 1977, when over 300 boats took to the water for the Silver Jubilee. British Pathé captured an earlier incarnation of the race in 1962, with dinghies queuing on the Putney Embankment and the Mayor of Wandsworth sending the fleet on its way. It is, in miniature, a portrait of a different river and a different city.

The 2026 race marks the first full year of operation of the Thames Tideway Tunnel, the deep sewer beneath the river whose opening has helped water quality along the tidal reaches. Organisers say the project, combined with the Lee Tunnel and treatment upgrades, has diverted more than 18 million tonnes of sewage from the river: the cleaner water is, in part, what the race is there to celebrate. We tracked [the tunnel’s final construction through Wandsworth Park](https://putney.news/2025/12/27/three-weeks-and-counting-putney-park-closure-raises-super-sewer-questions/) last winter and looked at [what a cleaner Thames could mean for Putney’s waterfront](https://putney.news/2026/05/01/putneys-riverside-could-be-extraordinary-heres-whats-in-the-way/) earlier this spring.

#### The fleet and the cause

Among the competitors expected is Pip Hare, one of Britain’s leading offshore sailors. The race also marks the 70th anniversary of the Enterprise dinghy class, designed by Jack Holt, whose workshop once stood near Putney Bridge, close to the spot where the fleet will gather.

All proceeds go to the Scaramouche Sailing Trust, which supports the sailing programme at Greig City Academy in north London. The programme takes young people from inner London and puts them on open water. Kai Hockley, who came through it, is now a grinder on the F50 Emirates GBR SailGP Team, racing on the fastest sailing boats on the planet. The race is backed by Laing O’Rourke, with additional support from Tideway and Thames Water.

#### Come and watch

Spectators are welcome on Putney Embankment, with no admission charge. Plan to arrive from late morning on Saturday 20 June; the exact start time depends on the tide. The [Embankment reopened just in time for the Boat Race](https://putney.news/2026/03/28/putney-embankment-reopens-just-in-time-for-the-boat-race/) in March and offers clear views downstream as the fleet sets off.

Sailors and local organisations interested in a charity entry can contact Ranelagh Sailing Club at . General public pre-registration has now closed.

The Port of London Authority has said it hopes the race can develop into an annual event. Full details are at the [Tideway Dinghy Derby event page](https://putney.news/event/tideway-dinghy-derby/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/26/big-ben-and-back-putneys-dinghy-race-returns-after-nearly-half-a-century/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/26/big-ben-and-back-putneys-dinghy-race-returns-after-nearly-half-a-century/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Big%20Ben%20and%20Back%3A%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20dinghy%20race%20returns%20after%20nearly%20half%20a%20century&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/26/big-ben-and-back-putneys-dinghy-race-returns-after-nearly-half-a-century/)

**Categories:** Live events, Rowing

**Tags:** Putney embankment, River Thames, Rowing, Thames Water, Wandsworth Bridge, Wandsworth Park

---

### [Machete gang, knife arrests: now West Putney police want residents to help sweep the streets](https://putney.news/2026/05/25/machete-gang-knife-arrests-now-west-putney-police-want-residents-to-help-sweep-the-streets/)

**Published:** May 25, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Safer Neighbourhoods Team invites the public to search Putney Park Lane walkway this Saturday.

**Content:**

West Putney police are asking residents to join a public weapons sweep along the Putney Park Lane walkway this Saturday, in a visible sign that the ward’s Safer Neighbourhoods Team is responding to a run of weapons incidents in the area.

The walk takes place on 30 May, from 13:00 to 14:30. It starts on the Putney Park Lane Walkway and finishes at The Pleasance Park. PCSO Kordian Wojtowicz is leading the event. Participants will be briefed on what weapons look like and what to do if they find one. Disposable gloves are provided. Officers will also be on hand to discuss crime prevention and any concerns about the neighbourhood.

#### What’s been happening in the area

The sweep doesn’t come out of nowhere. In March, a machete gang [robbed a cyclist in West Putney](https://putney.news/2026/03/18/machete-gang-robs-west-putney-cyclist-and-police-know-who-theyre-looking-for/) near Dover Park Drive, in what police have called a named-suspect investigation.

On 22 May, Inspector Paul James announced a suspect had been charged with 13 burglaries across Thamesfield, East Putney and West Putney wards; a push-dagger-style knife was recovered.

The same week as the sweep, Thamesfield’s SNT ran a free bike marking session at Putney Embankment with Raptor bikes on Friday 23 May. PCSO Eva Knedlova has called the event a success, with more June events planned.

Taken together, the two initiatives reflect a more active and publicly visible police approach than Thamesfield and West Putney have seen for some time. The picture in February, when [vehicle crime prompted Thamesfield to reset its policing priorities](https://putney.news/2026/02/10/vehicle-crime-surge-prompts-thamesfield-to-reset-policing-priorities/), was markedly different. The [knife, stolen goods and burglary arrest on 21 May](https://putney.news/2026/05/21/knife-stolen-goods-six-burglaries-putneys-most-wanted-is-off-the-streets/) is the clearest sign of that shift.

Anyone who finds a weapon on Saturday, or at any other time, should not touch it. Call 101 or report it at met.police.uk. To receive direct alerts from your ward’s SNT, register at metengage.police.uk.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/25/machete-gang-knife-arrests-now-west-putney-police-want-residents-to-help-sweep-the-streets/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/25/machete-gang-knife-arrests-now-west-putney-police-want-residents-to-help-sweep-the-streets/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Machete%20gang%2C%20knife%20arrests%3A%20now%20West%20Putney%20police%20want%20residents%20to%20help%20sweep%20the%20streets&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/25/machete-gang-knife-arrests-now-west-putney-police-want-residents-to-help-sweep-the-streets/)

**Categories:** Crime, West Putney

**Tags:** community, Metropolitan Police, public safety

---

### [One came to dance with words, one almost didn't perform at all - both stopped the room](https://putney.news/2026/05/24/one-came-to-dance-with-words-one-almost-didnt-perform-at-all-both-stopped-the-room/)

**Published:** May 24, 2026
**Author:** Rebecca Batty

**Excerpt:** Two poets, two extraordinary performances at Putney's monthly open mic.

**Content:**

> “On the night, Nosipho had not planned to perform at all. A friend persuaded her at the last moment. What followed was a reminder of why brilliant art has such a powerful way of reconnecting us to our own humanity.”

This month we couldn’t choose just one poet to feature. Both Tasha Bertram and Nosipho Gumede performed at the April open mic night, and both stopped the room.

---

![Female singer in a gold beaded dress performs on stage with arms outstretched and a microphone in front of her.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Tasha-Bertram-2.jpeg)#### Tasha Bertram

Tasha Bertram is a former ballet dancer, actress, lyricist, and poet. Her work explores the emotional struggles we all encounter, guiding listeners toward moments of peace and the quiet strength that comes from finding resolve. While also sharing her written work through performance, her lyrics hope to support others in facing their own challenges, offering a space for reflection and clarity.

At *Poets in Putney*, Tasha performed from memory, moving gracefully through the space, arms raised in gesture, her presence unhurried, in a way that made her background as a ballet dancer quietly felt. The room fell hushed. Her narrative poem traced the weight of life’s challenges, before arriving somewhere tender, and full of hope.

You can find out more about Tasha’s current offerings at [tashabertram.com](https://tashabertram.com/).

Linger to the Dance — Tasha BertramLinger to the Dance

by Tasha Bertram

Life moves in onward paths that change and grow,
 while elegance remains in every walk,
 Memories linger within my love while
 Nostalgia weaves its wings into silken net.
 Soft grey tulle lies longing to be worn again.

Elevated movement lives on — as
 My love grows… fonder — and my faith
 extends its branches outward clutching at my truth
 to galvanize the dying fragments of the past.

And with my longing I return, only to peek and to say farewell and
 let me go.
 And thank you for being there to alight this journey.
 for nursing me through the anguish of an ambitious mind.
 And thank you, for leading me here to say thank you,
 and for filling me with gold.

No doubt, I shall return again to ripple and whirl
 with eyes that hear the whispers in ears that see
 expansion with every breath.
 You cannot realise how big you are.
 Nor know how wide you stretch when you truly live.
 My heart lies open in its cave,
 purring at the pleasure of this accomplishment.

I’ve come home at last to nest
 in the safety of folding trees keeping me from harm.
 Tis here lies the gentle comfort of my wisdom.
 In this silence, I am in love,
 Yet my longing, still Returns — but
 Only to say farewell — and let me go.

↓ scroll to read

0 / 5

---

#### Nosipho Gumede

Nosipho is a registered professional engineer, curriculum designer, spoken word poet, and founder of WAME Consulting, where she designs postgraduate qualifications and consults on socio-technical initiatives that position engineering as a movement for social progress. She began writing poetry at sixteen and describes her work as storytelling. In 2012 she founded Wits Poets’ Corner at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, and that same year won the Drama for Life National Poetry Slam. She is featured in [*Our Words, Our Worlds: Writing on Black South African Women Poets, 2000–2018*](https://www.ukznpress.co.za/?class=bb_ukzn_sample_chapters&method=view_sample&global%5Bfields%5D%5B_id%5D=553), edited by Makhosazana Xaba.

![Female singer with long braids performing on stage, illuminated by warm orange spotlight against a dark background.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Nosipho-Gumede-Poetry-Slam-793x1024.png)On the night, Nosipho had not planned to perform at all. A friend persuaded her at the last moment. What followed was a reminder of why brilliant art has such a powerful way of reconnecting us to our own humanity, in stark contrast to the noise and distraction of the modern world we inhabit.

She performed two poems. The first, a gift to her friend, was a masterwork of spoken word: intimate and incantatory at once, building from tenderness into something fiercely awakening and instructive, a poem about learning to truly see yourself before you let anyone else in. The second was deeply personal. Nosipho lost her mother when she was ten, and her grandmother shortly after. Rooted in a cultural belief that those who have passed speak through the poets and healers of a family, the poem was a profound act of honouring, of carrying her mother and grandmother forward with her through language and song. In a room shaped largely by Western sensibilities, hearing a poet honour her lineage with that kind of unflinching love felt rare and genuinely moving.

Nosipho considers herself a performance poet, so other than the earlier anthology she was featured in, she is currently unpublished. Her work lives in the room and in the moment. You can find out more about her professional work and background at [wameconsulting.com](https://www.wameconsulting.com/).

The Man Who Washed Her Feet — Nosipho GumedeThe Man Who Washed Her Feet

by Nosipho Gumede

There she goes again
 Stretching
 Pulling out the orchestra she keeps on the floor beneath her rocking chair
 Old age and its habits
 It seems wrinkled people
 Cannot sit on a rocking chair
 Without flooding the room with rhythm
 Without making a melody tickle the air

She sits on that chair
 Tells us the same story about the man who loved her feet
 Since then she has never complained about walking
 The man we know as the one who was never there
 The man who laid himself down long enough to give her daughters with his eyes
 The man who never sat next to her long enough to hear the crackle that grey makes
 when it overwhelms a mature woman’s hair
 She still tells us about the man who was never there

She describes how this man would go on his knees
 And wash her feet
 How the water would run along her toes
 Then his fingers would chase it
 How his palms spoke to her skin
 She says that washing her feet
 Was his way of preparing her
 Because he knew
 That he would give her children and leave

Then she would need to have good feet
 Feet that would make her stride like a mom
 And tap like a dad
 He knew
 That she would soon need good feet
 To spend the rest of her life walking for two
 Making mom’s footsteps and filling dad’s shoes

Dear Dad
 You should come back some day and see your old lover’s feet
 They don’t look as good as they used to

Her feet now hold the darkness that comes from walking under the sun that was meant for you
 Her toes are now a home for the cracks of parenthood that she was supposed to share with you
 The soles of her feet
 have a hardness that speaks of the distance she has covered
 Being hunter and gatherer
 Her feet don’t look as good as they used to
 Because she has been walking for two

With the bad days that make her pace for herself
 And the odd falling that makes her limp for you

Dear mom, happy mother’s and happy fathers’ day to you
 Today, your children will wash your feet
 We will give you a platonic romance that can hold every yawning morning
 and every sighing noon

↓ scroll to read

0 / 8

---

#### Coming up at Poets in Putney

Our next event is free and already sold out: a Rivers Edition open mic in partnership with Thames21, as part of London Rivers Week 2026’s 10th anniversary.

And looking further ahead, tickets are now on sale for our one-year anniversary party on **Thursday 25th June**. We are celebrating 12 months of poetry, community and all the magic that happens when people are brave enough to share their words in a room full of strangers. Expect cake, a raffle (performing poets go into the draw to win a Waterstones gift voucher), and an afterparty at The Spotted Horse on Putney High Street. We would love to see you there: [Book tickets on Eventbrite](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poets-in-putney-poetry-open-mic-night-1-year-anniversary-afterparty-tickets-1983647872184)

---

*Poets in Putney meets on the last Thursday of each month at Putney Library Hall, SW15 2DR.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/24/one-came-to-dance-with-words-one-almost-didnt-perform-at-all-both-stopped-the-room/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/24/one-came-to-dance-with-words-one-almost-didnt-perform-at-all-both-stopped-the-room/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=One%20came%20to%20dance%20with%20words%2C%20one%20almost%20didn%E2%80%99t%20perform%20at%20all%20%E2%80%93%20both%20stopped%20the%20room&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/24/one-came-to-dance-with-words-one-almost-didnt-perform-at-all-both-stopped-the-room/)

**Categories:** Culture, Live events

**Tags:** community, Monthly Muse, Poets in Putney, Putney Library

---

### [Five tube lines disrupted this Bank Holiday - here's how to get where you're going](https://putney.news/2026/05/23/no-district-line-through-putney-this-bank-holiday-how-to-get-around/)

**Published:** May 23, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** District Line, Piccadilly, Victoria, Jubilee and more - with specific routes from Putney

**Content:**

It is a difficult Bank Holiday for London transport, with disruption across multiple lines. If you are planning to travel from Putney today or this weekend, here is what you need to know.

The District Line’s Richmond and Ealing Broadway branches are closed until Tuesday. Your Putney stations (East Putney, Putney Bridge and Southfields) are running normally, but if those branches were part of your route, you will need to plan differently.

#### Getting to Kew Gardens

The quickest route from South Western Railway from Putney Station one stop to Richmond, then a bus or the London Overground one stop to Kew Gardens. Journey time is around 30 minutes.

#### Getting to Ealing Broadway and West London

The District Line runs normally from East Putney to Notting Hill Gate, where you can change to the Central Line for Ealing Broadway. TfL is reporting disruption on this route today, so allow extra time. The journey is around 48 minutes in normal conditions.

#### Heathrow

Do not rely on the tube. The Piccadilly Line has no service between Green Park and South Ealing, which removes the direct Heathrow connection. If you need to get to Heathrow today, allow time to arrange a cab or check National Express coach options.

#### Wider network

The Victoria and Jubilee lines both have severe delays. The Central and Circle lines have minor delays. Check before you travel.

South Western Railway from Putney station is unaffected and running normally to Waterloo.

Albert Bridge remains partially closed to motor traffic, as it has been since February. Putney Bridge is the main river crossing for drivers.

None of this is connected to the RMT dispute. The suspended May strike dates have been replaced by two conditional dates in June, and [the full story is here](https://putney.news/2026/05/18/district-line-strikes-this-week-called-off-but-june-dates-now-in-place/).

---

*Correction: an earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that East Putney, Putney Bridge and Southfields had no District Line service this weekend. Those stations are on the Wimbledon branch, which is unaffected by the Richmond and Ealing Broadway closures. We apologise for the error.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/23/no-district-line-through-putney-this-bank-holiday-how-to-get-around/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/23/no-district-line-through-putney-this-bank-holiday-how-to-get-around/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Five%20tube%20lines%20disrupted%20this%20Bank%20Holiday%20%E2%80%93%20here%E2%80%99s%20how%20to%20get%20where%20you%E2%80%99re%20going&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/23/no-district-line-through-putney-this-bank-holiday-how-to-get-around/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** District Line, East Putney, Putney Bridge, Putney train station, Southfields, TfL

---

### [Fourth officer from same Wandsworth police unit convicted of rape](https://putney.news/2026/05/24/fourth-officer-from-same-wandsworth-police-unit-convicted-of-rape/)

**Published:** May 24, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Three guilty verdicts in three years from a single south-west London policing area.

**Content:**

PC Rupert Edwards was convicted at Southwark Crown Court on Friday of raping a woman on New Year’s Day 2018 while off duty. He is the third officer from the Metropolitan Police’s South West Command Unit to be found guilty of a serious sexual offence in three years.

Chief Superintendent Dan Knowles, head of policing for south-west London, said: “This was a despicable offence and I have huge admiration and gratitude for the victim for having the courage to come forward and report PC Edwards.”

Edwards had faced rape allegations from two other women in August and September 2022 but was acquitted in both cases. Prosecutors used recorded interviews and cross-examination from those earlier trials as evidence of a pattern of behaviour, and barristers gave the jury context from those cases to support the prosecution. The court agreed to the approach, which is not standard.

> Knowles said: “It was a bold step to use evidence from his previous trial to support this latest prosecution and demonstrates our commitment to supporting victims of police perpetrated abuse.”

He added: “Detectives in this case carried out a diligent investigation, ensuring PC Edwards was charged at the earliest opportunity and that the most compelling evidence was brought before the courts.”

The assault was reported to police in October 2023, when a woman said she had been raped on 1 January 2018 following a New Year’s Eve party. Edwards was arrested on 29 April 2024 and charged with rape on 12 March 2025. The Met says all three victims have been supported by specialist officers.

Edwards, who remains suspended from duty, will be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on 10 July. A misconduct hearing paused during the trial will now proceed, with the Met seeking his dismissal.

#### A fourth officer from the same unit

Edwards is the fourth officer from the South West Command Unit to face serious sexual offence proceedings in three years. Three have now been convicted.

SW BCU officers — Putney.newsFour officers, one unit

South West Command Unit — sexual offence proceedings, 2024–2026

2024

PC Cliff Mitchell

 Convicted 

Multiple rapes

Life sentence

March 2025

PC Nick Whitcombe

 Case ongoing 

Rape and sexual assault charges

Trial date not yet set

16 April 2026

PC Dion Arnold

 Convicted 

Four rapes and sexual assaults

Sentencing: 22 June 2026

22 May 2026

PC Rupert Edwards

 Convicted 

Rape (2018 offence, reported 2023)

Sentencing: 10 July 2026

 Source: Metropolitan Police; Putney.news reporting.
 Note: PC Whitcombe’s case is ongoing. No verdict has been reached. 

[PC Cliff Mitchell](https://putney.news/2024/05/02/former-met-officer-cliff-mitchell-life-sentence/) was convicted in 2024 and received a life sentence for multiple rapes. [PC Dion Arnold](https://putney.news/2026/04/19/wandsworth-police-officer-convicted-of-rape-third-from-same-unit-in-three-years/) was convicted on 16 April and will be sentenced at Guildford Crown Court on 22 June. [PC Nick Whitcombe](https://putney.news/2025/03/17/local-police-officer-charged-with-rape/) faces charges of rape and sexual assault. His case is ongoing.

Arnold’s conviction last month raised questions about culture, vetting and professional standards at the unit. A fourth conviction has not reduced those questions. The South West Command Unit covers Wandsworth, Richmond, Merton and Kingston upon Thames.

Operation Onyx, the Met’s review of sexual and domestic abuse cases, has led to 378 individuals leaving the force from 1,636 completed cases. Around 1,500 officers and staff in total have left since 2022. The Met says it has added 200 officers dedicated to investigating misconduct.

Knowles said: “Dangerous offenders of all types who seek to harm women and girls will be relentlessly pursued and justice will be served.”

He added: “My message to anyone who may have experienced something that didn’t feel right is that you can and should come forward. You will be listened to, and we will do everything we can to support you.”

---

Anyone who has experienced something similar can report to police by calling 101 (non-emergency) or 999 in an emergency. Anonymous reports can be made to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Support is available from Rape Crisis England and Wales at [rapecrisis.org.uk](https://rapecrisis.org.uk/) or on 0808 500 2222.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/24/fourth-officer-from-same-wandsworth-police-unit-convicted-of-rape/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/24/fourth-officer-from-same-wandsworth-police-unit-convicted-of-rape/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Fourth%20officer%20from%20same%20Wandsworth%20police%20unit%20convicted%20of%20rape&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/24/fourth-officer-from-same-wandsworth-police-unit-convicted-of-rape/)

**Categories:** Crime

**Tags:** accountability, Metropolitan Police, Wandsworth

---

### [Putney newsagent moves next door: into the shop that was a squat](https://putney.news/2026/05/23/putney-newsagent-moves-next-door-into-the-shop-that-was-a-squat/)

**Published:** May 23, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** The Putney Convenience Store is relocating to 67 while the block around it is rebuilt.

**Content:**

The Putney Convenience Store at 69 Putney High Street is moving next door to number 67, the unit that spent much of the past year cycling through squatter occupations and High Court proceedings. The owner is aiming to complete the move in the first week of June.

It is, as the newsagents admitted to *Putney.news* this week, a bit of a mad rush.

The reason for the move is the block itself. Marlborough Property (Putney One) Limited, the same company behind the recently completed M&S refit at 55-61, has applied to Wandsworth Council to refurbish and partially redevelop 63 to 71 Putney High Street. The plans include rebuilding numbers 69 and 71 as a single, larger commercial unit. While the work proceeds, the newsagent at 69 needs somewhere else to go.

![Bright yellow shuttered storefront on an urban street, with black awning and chalky purple signage above.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/newsagents-pet-shop-2-1024x768.png)Number 67 (owned separately by Corndale Estates Limited) stepped in. Corndale has agreed to take the newsagent as a temporary tenant while the neighbouring units are rebuilt.

So the shop that survived everything is moving into the most eventful address on the street.

#### What’s being planned

![Renovation drawings of 63-71 Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/63-71-putney-high-st-renovation-1024x662.jpg)The Marlborough scheme, designed by Floyd Slaski Architects, would refurbish shopfronts across the terrace and add four new residential flats above the shops. Number 67, which sits in the middle of the row in separate ownership, is excluded from the application entirely.

Corndale has broadly supported the plans but objects to one element: six heat pump condenser units proposed for ground-floor rear, which it says would sit one metre from a bedroom window in its building. It wants them moved to the rooftops instead.

The owner of the convenience store has been running down stock to reduce the volume of goods to shift.

#### The one constant

Regular readers will know 67. [The full story of what happened there is in our May piece about the building site it became](https://putney.news/2026/05/18/the-pet-shop-that-became-a-sweetshop-that-became-a-squat-is-now-a-building-site/).

The Putney Convenience Store played its own part of that drama – staff noticed the squatters breaking back into the building and let the police and landlord know. That neighbourliness has its own rewards. Our [January coverage of the block’s clearance](https://putney.news/2026/01/14/entire-putney-high-street-block-being-cleared-as-british-heart-foundation-announces-summer-move/) noted the shop as “the one constant in the whole stretch.”

The renovation at 67 that followed the [final eviction in April](https://putney.news/2026/04/02/third-time-lucky-squatters-out-of-putney-high-street-as-new-shop-moves-in/) means the unit should be fitted out in time. Whether it is ready before the newsagent needs to move out of 69 is the question the owner is currently hoping the answer to is yes.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/23/putney-newsagent-moves-next-door-into-the-shop-that-was-a-squat/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/23/putney-newsagent-moves-next-door-into-the-shop-that-was-a-squat/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20newsagent%20moves%20next%20door%3A%20into%20the%20shop%20that%20was%20a%20squat&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/23/putney-newsagent-moves-next-door-into-the-shop-that-was-a-squat/)

**Categories:** Business, Save the High Street, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Corndale Estates, Marlborough Property, planning, Putney Convenience Store, Putney High Street

---

### [The sham that was "Britain's Best" concession scheme](https://putney.news/2026/05/23/the-sham-that-was-britains-best-concession-scheme/)

**Published:** May 23, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Putney.news has won its first ICO case against Wandsworth Council. The fight took 14 months.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council spent nearly three years and £4.85m of public money on its Access for All concession scheme; a program it continually called “Britain’s Best” despite having never measured how many residents actually used it, or asked people what they thought of it.

The admission came through an Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) investigation started by *Putney.news* a year ago. This week the ICO ruled in our favour and ordered the council to release key data by 21 June.

Some data we asked for will not be released because the council doesn’t have it. That includes how many people actually use the scheme. Wandsworth Council “does not log individual usage” it told the regulator, despite every user’s personal membership card being scanned each time they use the scheme.

It also confirmed it had undertaken no internal evaluation of the scheme two years into the program despite noting it needed to do so at the outset.

We have documented the council referring to the scheme as “Britain’s Best Concession Scheme” at least 29 times: in press releases, at Cabinet meetings, in a statutory equality document, in a magazine delivered to 159,000 homes, and in Labour’s 2026 election manifesto.

No independent body has ever rated concession schemes nationally. The superlative was entirely self-awarded, and for two years constantly repeated. We asked the council for its documents justifying this claim. It repeatedly refused. When the regulator asked, it admitted there were none. The council never evaluated a scheme it claimed was the best in the country.

> [Free school meals expanded as council faces scrutiny over Access for All transparency](https://putney.news/2025/08/11/free-school-meals-expanded-as-council-faces-scrutiny-over-access-for-all-transparency/)

#### What the council was saying

Access for All launched in July 2023 offering free gym and swim sessions to eligible residents. The following year the council expanded it into a wider concession scheme, investing £4.85m and branding it “Britain’s Best Concessionary Scheme.” When it did so, it committed in its own governance documents to evaluating whether the scheme was actually reaching people. That evaluation was never completed.

Every figure the council published was a transaction count – bookings, visits, sessions, where one person attending twice counts twice – or a membership registration. It never published how many distinct residents actually used an offer.

The distinction is not academic. By far the greatest use has been leisure-centre visits, with the council reporting 29,775 between May and August 2025 (at the other end, zero people hired a hall or took online classes). The number of actual people behind those visits is far smaller. The upper limit is 3,302 – the total number of members signed up. But the true figure could be as low as 250, which would equate to the scheme costing taxpayers £20,000 per user.

The council has chosen not to evaluate its own service, and because it either doesn’t store the information, or it has refused to provide it, it is almost impossible for anyone else to either. The ICO’s order should open the curtains a little.

In September 2025 the council published a progress report on the scheme. It covered only four months of the programme’s two-year history, contained no unique-user figures, and admitted a survey of members had not yet been conducted. When Cabinet considered the report, leader Simon Hogg said that day: “The scheme’s success so far speaks for itself.” No questions were asked.

The language used by senior councillors in public and at Cabinet meetings during this period gives a sense of how the scheme was being presented. Cabinet member for the environment Paul White told a Cabinet meeting: “Access for All has been very successful and been very, very central to the way this council wants to address our public. And it’s the biggest and most generous concessionary offer in the country.”

Cabinet member for finance Angela Ireland described it as “Britain’s best concessionary scheme.” Deputy leader Kemi Akinola called it “the best Wandsworth has to offer available to all.” Hogg himself, at Cabinet in July 2025, told fellow councillors: “This is Britain’s best concession scheme”, and cited “more than 100,000 sessions of gym and swim” as evidence, without clarifying that sessions are not people.

#### How we found out

We asked the council in March 2025 for its usage data: year-by-year figures, a count of distinct users, and the internal evaluation. The council refused, telling us to wait for the September progress report. When that report arrived with none of what we had asked for, we appealed internally. The council upheld its refusal, telling us that releasing the data earlier would be “premature” and give only “a partial picture.”

We took the case to the Information Commissioner, the independent regulator that enforces the public’s right to information from public bodies. In March 2026 the regulator asked whether we wished to continue. Six days later, Hogg cited “take up of these opportunities” as proof the scheme was working – at the same time it was refusing to hand over that information. The council continued to defend its position.

The regulator ruled against the council this week, finding it had no valid legal basis for withholding the data in the first place. It must disclose leisure and community events data going back to July 2023 by the end of next month. For six other service areas and any internal evaluation, the council told the regulator it simply held nothing. You cannot withhold data you do not have.

This is our first case at the Information Commissioner against Wandsworth Council, although we have forced information out before. The [green grant breakdown](https://putney.news/2025/12/25/victory-for-transparency-as-government-releases-green-grant-breakdown-wandsworth-refused-to-disclose/) came in December 2025 when a central government department released data about Wandsworth Council that the council itself still refuses to publish. This is the first time the independent regulator has ordered the release of information following a *Putney.news* request.

The [first story in this series](https://putney.news/2025/08/11/free-school-meals-expanded-as-council-faces-scrutiny-over-access-for-all-transparency/) ran in August 2025. Our [analysis of the September progress report](https://putney.news/2025/09/24/council-hids-devastating-and-hilarious-waste-in-flagship-5m-programme/) found the scheme’s accounts included zero hall hire uses and 33 pest control uses across four months. Our [March 2026 story](https://putney.news/2026/03/27/the-5m-programme-wandsworth-wont-let-you-verify/) set out the full complaint.

---

Access for All: What they said vs what the regulator foundWhat they said. What the regulator found.

Wandsworth Council’s public claims about Access for All set against the Information Commissioner’s findings, May 2026

 📢

What they said

“Britain’s Best Concession Scheme”

At least 29 documented times · press releases, Cabinet, manifesto

“The scheme’s success so far speaks for itself”

Simon Hogg, Leader — same day as progress report admitting no evaluation

“Data-driven and feedback-led”

Press release, September 2025

“Take up of these opportunities show that it’s working”

Simon Hogg — six days after the regulator asked whether our complaint was continuing

“Britain’s leading concessions scheme”

Wandsworth Council Equality Objectives 2025–26 — a statutory legal commitment under the Equality Act

 VS

 ⚖️

What the regulator found

The membership card **“does not log individual usage”**

Council’s own statement to the ICO · decision notice §22

**No internal evaluation** of the scheme existed at the point Putney.news asked

Council’s own confirmation · decision notice §23

The council had **no valid legal basis** for withholding the data in the first place

ICO ruling · 22 May 2026

For six service areas and any evaluation: the council **held nothing**

Council confirmation to ICO

Leisure + community events data **must be disclosed by 21 June 2026**

ICO enforcement order

 Source: Wandsworth Council press releases, Cabinet transcripts, Labour 2026 manifesto [council]; ICO decision notice IC-413027-X9L4, 22 May 2026 [regulator] · Putney.news investigation

#### What happens next

The 21 June deadline falls to the new Conservative administration, which takes formal control at the Annual Council on 27 May.

[The new leadership](https://putney.news/2026/05/20/wandsworths-new-conservative-leader-outlines-first-steps-and-the-deal-that-made-them-possible/) has announced a review of council spending; it has already identified Access for All as a programme it is looking at. It is possible the entire program will be scrapped. The council that spent three years calling it Britain’s best is gone. Its successor must now hand over the data its predecessor spent 14 months refusing to release.

When it arrives, we will publish it. The scheme cost £4.85m of public money. We are about to find out how many residents it actually reached.

The council did not respond to questions before publication.

#### If you want to know more

You can [read the regulator’s decision here](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/DNIC-413027-X9L4.pdf) \[pdf\].

The 21 June deadline is public. If the council misses it, the regulator can take the matter to the High Court. We will be watching.

If you believe a public body is withholding information it should release, you can make a complaint at [ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint](https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/23/the-sham-that-was-britains-best-concession-scheme/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/23/the-sham-that-was-britains-best-concession-scheme/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20sham%20that%20was%20%E2%80%9CBritain%E2%80%99s%20Best%E2%80%9D%20concession%20scheme&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/23/the-sham-that-was-britains-best-concession-scheme/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Angela Ireland, Cllr Kemi Akinola, Cllr Paul White, Cllr Simon Hogg, FOI, transparency, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Hare & Tortoise is coming back to Putney, this time as a dedicated takeaway](https://putney.news/2026/05/23/hare-tortoise-is-coming-back-to-putney-this-time-as-a-dedicated-takeaway/)

**Published:** May 23, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** A licensing notice on 286 Upper Richmond Road confirms the pan-Asian chain is opening a dedicated takeaway.

**Content:**

A licensing notice on the door of 286 Upper Richmond Road confirms that Hare & Tortoise is returning to Putney, with an opening expected early June. The new unit is at the former Papa John’s site, ten doors down from where the original restaurant stood.

The application, made by operator Bronzemarch Trading Ltd, also seeks an off-sale alcohol licence for the premises, with hours from 11:30 to 22:00 seven days a week. Staff working on the fit-out confirmed the timeline to *Putney.news*. The representations deadline for the licence is 29 May.

The original Hare & Tortoise [closed in August last year](https://putney.news/2026/01/13/empty-hare-and-tortoise-site-gets-new-life-as-screwfix-opens-in-putney/) at 296-298 Upper Richmond Road after years serving the community with Asian food, with Screwfix now occupying that site. The plan at the time of closure was always to reopen in a smaller, takeaway-only space nearby. The chain’s own Facebook page has listed Putney as a delivery-only location in the meantime, a sign the takeaway model was what the business was working towards.

The new unit is smaller than the original and takeaway only. The licence covers off-sale only.

Hare & Tortoise is one of several businesses [choosing to stay on Upper Richmond Road](https://putney.news/2026/03/13/four-new-businesses-one-rotting-landmark-whats-changing-on-putney-high-street/) in a reduced or different format rather than withdraw. The pan-Asian chain has been operating in London since 1996.

Watch for an opening date announcement from the restaurant directly.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/23/hare-tortoise-is-coming-back-to-putney-this-time-as-a-dedicated-takeaway/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/23/hare-tortoise-is-coming-back-to-putney-this-time-as-a-dedicated-takeaway/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Hare%20%26%20Tortoise%20is%20coming%20back%20to%20Putney%2C%20this%20time%20as%20a%20dedicated%20takeaway&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/23/hare-tortoise-is-coming-back-to-putney-this-time-as-a-dedicated-takeaway/)

**Categories:** Restaurants, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Hare &amp; Tortoise, restaurant opening, Upper Richmond Road

---

### [Hot and cold: Upper Richmond Road's new sauna club, its empty café and everything in between](https://putney.news/2026/05/22/hot-and-cold-upper-richmond-roads-new-sauna-club-its-empty-cafe-and-everything-in-between/)

**Published:** May 22, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** From a Finnish sauna to a 39,000 sq ft office, the road is moving - but not uniformly.

**Content:**

Walk Upper Richmond Road this week and you can see the same pattern [we reported on Putney High Street last week](https://putney.news/2026/05/18/the-pet-shop-that-became-a-sweetshop-that-became-a-squat-is-now-a-building-site/) playing out 500 metres away. New businesses are arriving. Old ones have quietly gone. Some gaps are filling. Some are not.

The most striking arrival is Pulse Club at number 228. The sauna and cold plunge venue [opened this month](https://putney.news/2026/03/20/sauna-and-cold-plunge-club-opens-on-upper-richmond-road-this-spring/) in the former Heba Pilates gym, a space that itself closed unexpectedly and left Phoenix Yoga scrambling for a new home before eventually securing the unit next door. Founder Kieran Beeson’s first Pulse Club is on North End Road in Fulham. This is his second.

![Brick‑wall interior with a long shelf holding neatly rolled white towels above clothing with Pulse Club logos, wooden reception desk nearby.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/pulse-club-3-1024x768.png)The concept is heat, cold, repeat: a communal Finnish sauna for up to 25 people, four cold plunge pools (two at 3–4°C, two at around 10°C), 50-minute sessions from 7am to 9pm. If you want to try it, the intro offer is £39 for three sessions. Founding memberships start at £99 a month, though the cheapest tier is around 95% sold. Packages run at £105 for five sessions, £200 for ten. Book through the app or at pulseclubsauna.com.

Phoenix Yoga is right next door. Between a sauna, a cold plunge club and a yoga studio, this end of Upper Richmond Road has quietly become somewhere you come to look after yourself.

Further along, a different kind of arrival. The new office building at 175 Upper Richmond Road is complete and looking for tenants: over 39,000 sq ft of commercial space being marketed by Savills and Bray Fox Smith. It is a big presence on the road. Whether it fills quickly will say something about local demand for premium office space in SW15.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1009-1024x768.jpeg)La Belle Putney Nails has opened at 218, in a unit that had been empty. Putney has no shortage of nail salons on this stretch.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1158-1024x768.jpeg)Then there are the places that haven’t changed. The Bubble East Cafe has been dark for more than a year. The former Oasis charity shop at 195 is cleared out and on the market, Houston Lawrence advertising it as flexible commercial space. Number 220, next door to La Belle, is still shuttered.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7754-1024x768.jpeg)Upper Richmond Road is not in crisis. The new arrivals are real, and some of them are genuinely interesting. But the gaps are real too. A road that is partly regenerating and partly waiting is a road in between things. Right now, URR is both.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/22/hot-and-cold-upper-richmond-roads-new-sauna-club-its-empty-cafe-and-everything-in-between/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/22/hot-and-cold-upper-richmond-roads-new-sauna-club-its-empty-cafe-and-everything-in-between/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Hot%20and%20cold%3A%20Upper%20Richmond%20Road%E2%80%99s%20new%20sauna%20club%2C%20its%20empty%20caf%C3%A9%20and%20everything%20in%20between&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/22/hot-and-cold-upper-richmond-roads-new-sauna-club-its-empty-cafe-and-everything-in-between/)

**Categories:** Business, Wellness

**Tags:** retail, retail closures, Upper Richmond Road

---

### [Wandsworth hid a £137m crisis for years. Now your council tax bill will fix it.](https://putney.news/2026/05/22/wandsworth-hid-a-137m-crisis-for-years-now-your-council-tax-bill-will-fix-it/)

**Published:** May 22, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** A new Conservative leader has launched a spending review. Eight tests it must pass - and how we'll grade them in July.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council spent the past year hiding a financial crisis it created. Under its spending plans, the reserves that funded the lowest council tax in England would not only be gone, they would leave a £137m gap.

Labour lost the election. A new Conservative administration has taken over, and [new council leader Aled Richards-Jones](https://putney.news/2026/05/13/aled-richards-jones-confirmed-as-wandsworths-new-council-leader/) has [launched a Spending Review](https://putney.news/2026/05/20/wandsworths-new-conservative-leader-outlines-first-steps-and-the-deal-that-made-them-possible/) that reports in July.

Your council tax is going up. The government has already settled that: it has withdrawn £79m on the explicit assumption Wandsworth raises council tax to meet the gap. Faced with resistance to that approach by Wandsworth (and five other councils), it went one step further and added a £150 flat-rate increase to force the issue.

A Band D bill will go from £525 now to £886 by 2028/29. The question is not if council tax will rise; it is by how much, and what the council will do with the money it has, and if it will rise tax higher than that to cover new goals and new expenditures.

It will be a delicate balancing act, and *Putney.news* has eight key questions for the review.

  Accountability scorecard · Wandsworth Council

## The £137m test

Eight questions Wandsworth’s Spending Review must answer when it reports in July 2026 — and the one the new leader still won’t acknowledge.

Published 19 May 2026 · We will update this page with verdicts when the review reports

    The big question### How much will council tax go up — and what will it pay for?

Council tax is going up. The government has already settled this: it has withdrawn £79m of grant by 2028/29 on the explicit assumption Wandsworth raises council tax using the uncapped powers it has been given. The question is not if. It is how much, on what timeline, and what the money will actually deliver — because Wandsworth has a track record of raising expectations and changing the figures afterwards.

Grant withdrawn by 2028/29: £79 million

Band D council tax — government’s model

  Council tax band D projection Three data points connected by an upward trajectory line: £525 in 2026/27, £675 in 2027/28, £886 in 2028/29          £525 £675 £886  2026/27 2027/28 2028/29  +£150 flat addition each year, on top of 4.99% rise Source: Cabinet Paper 26-80, provisional Local Government Finance Settlement (December 2025)

 Awaiting JulyWhat we’ll check: stated council tax figures for 2027/28 and 2028/29 with the arithmetic shown; a clear account of what the rises will fund; and whether the priorities are set out before the money is committed, not after.

  ### The eight tests

   Finance Test 2 

#### Will the £45m savings programme be identified — or remain an aspiration?

**£31m** of the £45m target is unidentified

The Chief Executive described the £45m savings target as “a broad, reasonable aspiration.” Only £14m has been identified. The Medium Term Financial Strategy is not due until September — after the Spending Review reports.

  Evidence ▾  Awaiting July 

At the Finance Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 18 February 2026, Chief Executive Andrew Travers described the £45m annual savings target as “a broad, reasonable aspiration to get us going.” He could not confirm the target was evidence-based and could not cite a precedent for a council achieving savings at that scale.

The phasing assumes £17m of savings delivered by 2027/28 and £31m by 2028/29 — already baked into the £62m and £92m gap figures. If the £31m is not found, the 2028/29 gap rises from £92.4m to roughly £123m.

The Medium Term Financial Strategy setting out how savings would be achieved was not due until September 2026 — after the budget was formally set and after the May election.

What we’ll check in July

- A line-by-line £45m savings plan with identified items and methodology
- Service-level breakdowns of where the £31m is coming from
- Delivery dates and a credibility test on the timeline
 
Read more

 [Wandsworth’s £137m black hole — and the cabinet minister who can’t explain how to fill it](https://putney.news/2026/02/19/wandsworths-137m-black-hole-and-the-cabinet-minister-who-cant-explain-how-to-fill-it/) [“Did your transformation programme fail?” Council leadership grilled](https://putney.news/2025/10/13/did-your-transformation-programme-fail-council-leadership-grilled/) [Council plans £1m consultant spend on ‘Transformation’](https://putney.news/2025/09/08/council-plans-1m-consultant-spend-on-transformation-but-will-savings-ever-arrive/) 

    Housing Test 3 

#### Is there a recovery plan for the HRA and the building safety backlog?

**80%** of council housing stock is unsurveyed for safety risks

The Housing Revenue Account surplus is on course to collapse 86% in three years. Around 20,000 council homes have not been surveyed. A C3 regulatory downgrade — the worst rating from the housing regulator — followed two near-tragedies.

  Evidence ▾  Awaiting July 

The HRA overspent by £16.3m on repairs and maintenance in 2024/25 — 40.8% over budget. The Finance Director’s formal warning: “Consideration needs to be given to the scale of the overspend… to ensure this does not compromise the longer-term viability of the HRA.”

An £884m HRA borrowing programme is being serviced through 4.8% rent rises. The HRA surplus is forecast to collapse from £16.2m (2026/27) to £2.2m by 2028/29. Around 80% of housing stock remained unsurveyed for safety risks as of January 2026 — approximately 20,000 homes. 326 fire safety actions overdue.

The February 2025 C3 regulatory downgrade affected 17,000 tenants. Two near-tragedies followed: the Burke Close gas explosion in Roehampton (April 2025) and the Fox House fire in Battersea (September 2025) which displaced 60 residents.

What we’ll check in July

- Published HRA recovery plan showing how the £884m borrowing is serviced
- Survey programme timeline with a date by which all stock is assessed
- Schedule for clearing the 326 overdue fire safety actions
- Resolution path on the C3 regulatory engagement
 
Read more

 [£884m borrowing spree hits council tenants with 4.8% rent increase](https://putney.news/2026/02/02/884m-borrowing-spree-hits-council-tenants-with-4-8-rent-increase/) [Years of failure exposed as council admits ignoring Grenfell reforms](https://putney.news/2026/01/26/years-of-failure-exposed-as-council-admits-ignoring-grenfell-reforms/) [60 residents lost their homes in the Fox House fire](https://putney.news/2026/04/12/60-residents-lost-their-homes-in-the-fox-house-fire-wandsworth-council-wont-release-the-safety-records/) [Housing repairs ignored — now Wandsworth’s taxpayers are picking up the bill](https://putney.news/2025/06/21/housing-repairs-ignored-now-wandsworths-taxpayers-are-picking-up-the-bill/) 

    Housing Test 4 

#### Where is the homelessness strategy to match the £28.6m spend?

**£2,226**/month per family in TA vs **£645**/month in a council home

The temporary accommodation bill is rising 20% a year. The queue is up 17%. November 2025’s 34-page report described the crisis without an action plan. Wandsworth has the second highest rate of statutory homelessness in London.

  Evidence ▾  Awaiting July 

TA spending reached £28.6m in 2026/27, up 20% year-on-year. The number of households in TA has grown from 4,143 (March 2025) to 4,618 (Q1 2025/26), forecast to reach 5,008 by year-end. 385 families need 4+ bedroom homes. Black residents are 31% of those in TA against around 13% of the borough’s population.

The November 2025 Housing OSC report ran to 34 pages and contained no action plan. The “£3.7m saved annually through homelessness prevention” claim used in the council tax leaflet was rated false in the Putney.news fact-check — the figure does not appear in any committee paper before it surfaced on a PR page in February 2026.

What we’ll check in July

- A published TA strategy with year-by-year reduction targets
- Measurable milestones for permanent housing placements
- The false £3.7m prevention claim retracted or replaced with a sourced figure
 
Read more

 [Wandsworth is spending £28 million of your council tax on temporary housing](https://putney.news/2026/04/23/wandsworth-is-spending-28-million-of-your-council-tax-on-temporary-housing-the-queue-is-getting-longer/) [Nearly 4,000 children living in temporary housing](https://putney.news/2025/11/28/nearly-4000-children-living-in-temporary-housing-as-wandsworth-spends-37m-on-homelessness-crisis/) [Fact-check: the claims in Wandsworth’s council tax leaflet](https://putney.news/2026/03/16/fact-check-the-claims-in-wandsworths-council-tax-leaflet/) 

    Children’s Test 5 

#### Has the SEND Reform Plan been submitted — and does it address volume demand?

**£33m** DSG deficit; **£29m** bailout conditional on a plan not yet submitted

The dedicated schools grant deficit reached around £33m. A £29m government bailout covers pre-March 2026 debt only — and only if Wandsworth submits a Local SEND Reform Plan the DfE approves. As of March 2026 it had not.

  Evidence ▾  Awaiting July 

The High Needs Stability Grant offers up to 90% write-off of accumulated DSG deficits as at 31 March 2026 — for Wandsworth, around £29.7m of a £33m deficit. The grant is conditional on submission and DfE approval of a Local SEND Reform Plan. As of the March 2026 Schools Forum meeting, the plan had not been submitted. The bailout arrives autumn 2026 at the earliest.

The bailout only covers pre-March 2026 debt. The structural driver — 27% more EHCPs per head than statistical neighbours (49.7 vs 39.29 per 1,000 aged 2–18) — has not been addressed.

Seven formal recommendations from the EHCP Task and Finish Group were approved by Children’s OSC in February 2026 and explicitly deferred to Cabinet after the May election. They sit with Richards-Jones’s administration now.

What we’ll check in July

- Confirmation the SEND Reform Plan has been submitted (or a published timeline)
- Cabinet’s formal response to the seven Task and Finish recommendations
- A specific volume-demand plan — not just capacity expansion
 
Read more

 [Wandsworth offered £29m bailout for SEND crisis but still faces massive costs](https://putney.news/2026/05/18/wandsworth-offered-29m-bailout-for-send-crisis-but-still-faces-massive-costs/) [Wandsworth top of the class on special needs, bottom line in crisis](https://putney.news/2026/03/01/wandsworth-top-of-the-class-on-special-needs-bottom-line-in-crisis/) [Wandsworth has approved its special needs budget — the money has yet to arrive](https://putney.news/2026/03/17/wandsworth-has-approved-its-special-needs-budget-the-money-has-yet-to-arrive/) 

    Environment Test 6 

#### Why was Serco never formally enforced — and will the framework change?

**Zero** formal enforcement notices in 18 months of contract failure

18 months of bin collection failure produced £43,682 in fines on a multi-million-pound contract — and no formal enforcement. The same contractor running the same vehicles in Richmond hit 42.6% recycling against Wandsworth’s 27.9%.

  Evidence ▾  Awaiting July 

By autumn 2024, missed collections were running at nearly three times the council’s target rate. An FOI response in June 2025 confirmed: “No formal enforcement action has taken place.” Zero warning letters, zero performance improvement notices, zero breach notices. Total Serco fines: £43,682 across 12 months. Penalty amounts were initially refused on commercial confidentiality grounds and disclosed only after five months of follow-up.

The same Serco contract, same staff and same infrastructure in Richmond produced 42.6% recycling against Wandsworth’s 27.9% — a 14 percentage point gap that strongly suggests the problem was Wandsworth’s management of the contract, not the contractor.

The service was eventually brought within target by autumn 2025 — through intensive operational management (five new monitoring officers, daily oversight meetings, in-cab tracking) not through contractual enforcement. Wandsworth still ranks 10th from bottom in London for recycling despite a 5.1pp single-year improvement.

What we’ll check in July

- A review of contract enforcement mechanisms across all major contracts
- A published recycling rate target benchmarked to Richmond
- An account of why formal enforcement was avoided for 18 months
 
Read more

 [Wandsworth’s bin crisis finally getting fixed — but why did it take 18 months?](https://putney.news/2025/11/30/wandsworths-bin-crisis-finally-getting-fixed-but-why-did-it-take-18-months/) [Council’s “relentless” bin crackdown? Complete rubbish.](https://putney.news/2025/10/02/councils-relentless-bin-crackdown-complete-rubbish/) [Wandsworth’s recycling improved faster than almost anywhere in England — it’s still near the bottom](https://putney.news/2026/04/20/wandsworths-recycling-improved-faster-than-almost-anywhere-in-england-its-still-near-the-bottom/) 

    Regeneration Test 7 

#### What is the contingency for the £77m Alton funding gap?

**£77m** GLA grant assumed in budget — not yet applied for

The Alton Estate regeneration is proceeding with a £77m external funding gap, a live legal challenge unresolved at planning approval, and capital borrowing across the council that will cost £10m/year in debt service by year three.

  Evidence ▾  Awaiting July 

The pre-ballot Cabinet paper (No. 25-174) presented the Alton scheme at around £100m net cost requiring approximately £16m of GLA grant. The post-ballot Cabinet paper (No. 25-415) — weeks after residents voted Yes — gave a total GLA grant assumption of £77m across components, a nearly five-fold increase. The grant has not yet been applied for. Block A carries a separate £12.6m funding deficit. A right-to-light legal challenge from a Hersham Close leaseholder remained unresolved at planning approval.

Capital borrowing across the council will generate roughly £10m/year in debt repayment costs by year three. The September 2025 £424m capital programme was approved without a single committee question on revenue impact. Pothole and highway maintenance are now being funded by borrowing.

What we’ll check in July

- Status of the GLA grant application and the contingency if it does not arrive
- Published debt-service trajectory across the forecast period
- Formal explanation of the post-ballot Alton cost escalation
- Position on the £500k Bradstow capital investment on a closing school
 
Read more

 [Wandsworth’s ‘decade of renewal’ masks £17 million budget crisis](https://putney.news/2025/09/23/wandsworths-decade-of-renewal-masks-17-million-budget-crisis/) [Alton Estate residents vote yes to £100m redevelopment](https://putney.news/2025/10/17/alton-estate-residents-vote-yes-to-100m-redevelopment/) [Alton Block A approved — but would any private developer have got away with this?](https://putney.news/2026/03/16/alton-block-a-approved-but-would-any-private-developer-have-got-away-with-this/) 

    Cross-cutting Test 8 

#### Will the Spending Review be transparent — or repeat the pattern?

Four false claims · two disclaimed audits · gap buried on **page 77**

The UK Statistics Authority issued the first adverse finding directed at an English council leader in 18 years. Three further false leaflet claims established by fact-check. £3.7m IT contract frozen for 13+ months while a £932,675 workaround was awarded 15 days after starting.

  Evidence ▾  Awaiting July 

The £137m gap was buried on page 77 of Cabinet Paper 26-63’s appendix while the main table left those years blank. UKSA’s March 2026 letter — to Council leader Simon Hogg — found that residents would understand “freeze” to relate to their total bill, which had risen. The first such finding directed at an English council leader since 2018, when the only previous letter was largely complimentary to the London Mayor.

Three further leaflet claims rated false: the “£30m saved on the leisure contract” rests on figures in exempt Paper 25-177A that no scrutiny committee has seen; the “£3.7m saved annually through homelessness prevention” does not appear in any committee paper before it surfaced on a PR page; the “£230m collected from property developers since 2022” omits that 78% of cumulative CIL was collected before May 2022.

Cabinet’s head of finance was unable to state total council borrowing when directly questioned in committee in December 2025. The IT procurement zombie — £3.7m contract frozen for 13+ months — sits alongside a £932,675 parallel contract awarded to the incumbent on 20 April 2026, 15 days after the contract had already started, at £67,325 below the Cabinet scrutiny threshold. Two consecutive disclaimed audit opinions — auditors refusing to sign off the accounts — went unmentioned at the budget meeting.

What we’ll check in July

- Medium Term Financial Strategy published with identified savings, not aspirations
- The £30m Places Leisure methodology published or the claim withdrawn
- Formal corrective response to the UKSA finding
- A path to resolving the audit disclaimer
- Procurement governance review examining the sub-threshold pattern
- IT contract resolution after 13+ months
 
Read more

 [Busted: stats watchdog mauls Wandsworth over council tax freeze lie](https://putney.news/2026/03/24/busted-stats-watchdog-mauls-wandsworth-over-council-tax-freeze-lie/) [Fact-check: the claims in Wandsworth’s council tax leaflet](https://putney.news/2026/03/16/fact-check-the-claims-in-wandsworths-council-tax-leaflet/) [Council’s £3.7m laptop contract sits untouched for over a year](https://putney.news/2026/04/29/councils-3-7m-laptop-contract-sits-untouched-for-over-a-year/) [£1m laptop contract comes in £67,325 below the scrutiny threshold](https://putney.news/2026/05/06/wandsworths-1m-laptop-contract-came-in-67325-below-the-scrutiny-threshold/) [Cabinet’s head of finance doesn’t know how much council has borrowed](https://putney.news/2025/12/12/cabinets-head-of-finance-doesnt-know-how-much-council-has-borrowed/) 

 ### Two case studies

  Case study 1 · Waste#### The Serco contract: when council management failed and the framework didn’t catch it

£43,682 in penalties on a multi-million-pound contract — and zero formal enforcement notices

By autumn 2024, missed bin collections were running at nearly three times target. Council messaging spoke of “relentless pursuit,” “monthly performance reviews,” and “financial penalties.” An FOI response in June 2025 confirmed otherwise: “No formal enforcement action has taken place.” Zero warning letters. Zero performance improvement notices. Zero breach notices. Five months of follow-up were required before the council disclosed the total fines: £43,682.

The Richmond comparator is the controlled experiment. Same Serco contract, same staff, same infrastructure. Richmond recycling rate in 2024/25: 42.6%. Wandsworth’s: 27.9%. The 14 percentage point gap is the gap in council management. When Wandsworth eventually brought the service within target by autumn 2025, it did so by deploying five new monitoring officers, daily oversight meetings and in-cab tracking — operational management, not contractual enforcement.

 **What this tells us about the Spending Review:** the waste case is a controlled demonstration of what happens when contract management is operationally weak. If the Spending Review doesn’t propose a contract enforcement framework, it isn’t engaging with how money is actually lost. 

   Case study 2 · Regeneration#### The Alton Estate: voters approved one scheme; the council costed another

The GLA grant assumption rose nearly five-fold — weeks after the ballot

The pre-ballot Cabinet paper (No. 25-174) presented the Alton Estate regeneration at around £100m net cost, requiring around £16m of additional GLA grant beyond existing HRA reserves. Residents went to the polls between 22 September and 16 October 2025. Of the 41.5% who voted, 82.4% backed the scheme — 1,158 yes votes from a pool of 3,395 eligible voters, on an estate with a population of around 8,000. The council described it as the largest ballot held under the GLA’s guidance.

Weeks later, Cabinet Paper No. 25-415 landed. The main scheme HRA gross cost: £190.8m. The total GLA grant assumption across components: £77m. Total indicative gross commitment across the regeneration: around £252m. The grant has not yet been applied for and the scheme is not viable without it. Block A carries a separate £12.6m funding deficit. A right-to-light legal challenge from a Hersham Close leaseholder remains unresolved at planning approval.

 **What this tells us about the Spending Review:** residents voted on financial figures the council then changed weeks later. If the Spending Review doesn’t address how cost estimates are tested before residents are consulted, the £77m gap will not be the last surprise. 

   The bottom line

£154m

Combined 2027/28 + 2028/29 budget gap before assumed transformation savings (the £137m headline is the same gap after those savings are delivered)

£121.9m

Usable reserves at the start of 2027/28 — already £32.5m short of the two-year gap

2028/29

The year Wandsworth’s usable reserves run out on the current trajectory — confirmed in the Chief Financial Officer’s Section 25 statement

**The Spending Review reports in July 2026.** We will update this page with verdicts on each test when it does. The one to watch is the one the new leader still won’t put on paper.

#### How the crisis happened

The previous Cabinet Member for Finance guaranteed residents: “Whatever happens, we will maintain a low council tax. It will still be the lowest in the country.” When pressed at committee on what that meant in practice, the guarantee shrank to: “We have no current plans.” Labour lost control of the council in May. The guarantee went with them.

The gap is £137m across the next two financial years, rising to £154m if the planned savings don’t materialise. Two-thirds is a government grant cut: Wandsworth is one of six councils (with Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham, the City of London, and Windsor and Maidenhead) assessed as historically underpaying council tax. The council’s Chief Executive has described the plan to cover the rest as “a broad, reasonable aspiration.” The plan for how it will be delivered is not due until September.

#### Why the money alone is not enough

The Alton Estate: residents voted in October 2025 to back a regeneration scheme at around £100m, with £16m of external funding needed. Weeks after the vote, a Cabinet paper revised the required GLA grant to £77m, a nearly five-fold increase, on a bid not yet submitted. The scheme cannot proceed without a grant that hasn’t arrived. Residents voted on one set of figures. The council changed them afterwards.

The Serco waste contract: collections failed for 18 months at nearly three times the acceptable rate. The council publicly promised “relentless pursuit” and “financial penalties.” A freedom of information request found zero formal enforcement actions. Total fines on a multi-million-pound contract: £43,682. The same contractor, same vehicles, achieved 42.6% recycling in Richmond against Wandsworth’s 27.9%. The problem was not Serco. It was management.

The same pattern runs through the SEND budget, the homelessness bill, the building safety backlog, and the £45m transformation programme: £31m of its savings remain unidentified, with no delivery plan due until September, two months after the Spending Review reports.

#### The transparency test

The £137m gap was buried on page 77 of an appendix while the main budget table left those years blank. The Cabinet’s head of finance, asked at committee how much the council had borrowed, did not know. The external auditor has refused to sign off the accounts twice running. None of this was raised at the meeting that set a £400m budget.

Richards-Jones spent a year in opposition demanding answers to these questions. He now has the job of providing them. We will be grading the answers in July.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/22/wandsworth-hid-a-137m-crisis-for-years-now-your-council-tax-bill-will-fix-it/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/22/wandsworth-hid-a-137m-crisis-for-years-now-your-council-tax-bill-will-fix-it/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20hid%20a%20%C2%A3137m%20crisis%20for%20years.%20Now%20your%20council%20tax%20bill%20will%20fix%20it.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/22/wandsworth-hid-a-137m-crisis-for-years-now-your-council-tax-bill-will-fix-it/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Alton Estate, Alton Renewal Plan, Cllr Aled Richards-Jones, Cllr Angela Ireland, council housing, council tax, SEND, transparency, Wandsworth Council

---

### ["A wonderful husband, father, and grandfather": tribute to bus driver killed on Battersea Bridge](https://putney.news/2026/05/21/a-wonderful-husband-father-and-grandfather-tribute-to-bus-driver-killed-on-battersea-bridge/)

**Published:** May 21, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Sergei Krajev, 64, died after being assaulted at a bus stop on Monday. Gary Jones, 32, has been charged.

**Content:**

A murder investigation has been launched after a London bus driver was killed following an assault on Battersea Bridge.

Sergei Krajev, 64, was assaulted shortly before 12:30am on Monday 18 May in a confrontation on the pavement while his bus was parked at a stop on the bridge. Police officers called to the scene performed emergency first aid. He was taken to hospital by London’s Air Ambulance, but died on Tuesday 19 May.

Gary Jones, 32, of Hospital Bridge Road, Twickenham, was arrested at the scene. He was later charged with causing grievous bodily harm at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court and remanded in custody. The murder investigation remains open because Mr Krajev died after the charge was laid. Jones is due to appear at Kingston Crown Court on Monday 15 June.

In a tribute, Mr Krajev’s family said: “We feel fortunate to have had such a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather in our lives. He was a thoughtful, tactful, and conscientious person who cared about those around him. In his role as a bus driver, he was punctual, reliable and willing to help. He valued good relationships with his colleagues and approached his duties with care and dedication.”

The family also thanked the emergency services for their “care, professionalism and compassion”, and said their thoughts were with “other public-facing transport workers who may be distressed or alarmed by this news.”

Detective Inspector Sarah Lee, who is leading the investigation, said: “Our thoughts are with Sergei’s family, friends and colleagues after this tragic incident. We recognise the concern this will cause within the local community and among those who work across our public transport network.”

Siwan Hayward, director of security, policing and enforcement at Transport for London (TfL), said the organisation was “devastated” by Mr Krajev’s death and was supporting the police investigation. She said: “We take all forms of violence extremely seriously and remain committed to protecting our staff and customers across the network, taking the strongest possible action against anyone committing violence or abuse.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “My heart goes out to the family, friends and colleagues of Sergei Krajev, and all those affected by this appalling and senseless attack.”

Police are appealing for anyone with dashcam or mobile phone footage of what happened on Battersea Bridge in the early hours of Monday to come forward. Anyone with information can call 101 quoting CAD 174/18May, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. The Metropolitan Police have published [a full account of the investigation](https://news.met.police.uk/news/murder-investigation-launched-after-battersea-bridge-assault-509507).

---

Since Albert Bridge partially closed to traffic in February, Battersea Bridge has been one of the busiest alternative crossings in south-west London. [We reported in February on the pressure that closure placed on local bridges](https://putney.news/2026/02/23/albert-bridge-could-stay-shut-a-year-now-putney-bridge-is-carrying-the-load/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/21/a-wonderful-husband-father-and-grandfather-tribute-to-bus-driver-killed-on-battersea-bridge/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/21/a-wonderful-husband-father-and-grandfather-tribute-to-bus-driver-killed-on-battersea-bridge/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%9CA%20wonderful%20husband%2C%20father%2C%20and%20grandfather%E2%80%9D%3A%20tribute%20to%20bus%20driver%20killed%20on%20Battersea%20Bridge&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/21/a-wonderful-husband-father-and-grandfather-tribute-to-bus-driver-killed-on-battersea-bridge/)

**Categories:** Battersea, Crime

**Tags:** Battersea, bus, Metropolitan Police, Sadiq Khan, TfL

---

### [Wandsworth's new council sits next Wednesday. Here's what it's walking into](https://putney.news/2026/05/21/wandsworths-new-council-sits-next-wednesday-heres-what-its-walking-into/)

**Published:** May 21, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** A Forward Plan of twenty decisions, four bridges in trouble, and a chamber with no majority,

**Content:**

Wandsworth’s new council convenes for the first time next Wednesday, 27 May, when a 58-seat chamber split 29-28 between Conservatives and Labour, with one Independent in the middle, meets for its Annual Meeting.

Aled Richards-Jones was confirmed as Conservative leader last Wednesday. He inherits a [Forward Plan](https://putney.news/2026/05/13/aled-richards-jones-confirmed-as-wandsworths-new-council-leader/) he did not write, listing twenty decisions due in the next four months. The biggest problems facing the borough are not on it. Four Thames bridges are in trouble. A million-pound junction redesign will not be assessed until February 2027. The largest housing regeneration in the borough is paused. And every contested vote in the new chamber depends on the Conservative group turning up complete and agreeing on the day.

#### A council that cannot lose a vote

A chamber where the largest party has 29 of 58 seats has no majority. The Independent who holds the balance is bound to neither party and no formal coalition has been announced. Lose one Conservative to illness, a family emergency or a difference of view, and a tied vote is decided by the mayor’s casting vote. Wandsworth [has not been governed on those terms in decades](https://putney.news/2026/05/09/what-wandsworths-council-would-look-like-if-votes-actually-decided-it/).

The arithmetic shapes everything that follows. A council that cannot afford to lose a vote cannot move fast on a difficult decision. It can move slowly, or not at all.

#### The bridges

Four Thames crossings define how Putney moves. All four are in trouble.

On 12 May, the same morning the Forward Plan was published, this publication reported that [Putney Bridge has a structural problem](https://putney.news/2026/05/12/putney-bridge-is-in-serious-trouble-the-council-knows-now-you-do-too/) the council has known about since December 2023. Critical load-bearing elements of the last unrestricted Thames crossing in southwest London are below the threshold at which national guidance says work must be done. The Forward Plan contains no item on repair.

Hammersmith Bridge has been closed to vehicles for nearly seven years. [Wandsworth shot down a chance to reopen it](https://putney.news/2026/03/28/wandsworth-shot-down-a-chance-to-reopen-hammersmith-bridge-then-said-nothing-for-a-year/) and said nothing about that decision for a year. After [a fourth Commons debate in April](https://putney.news/2026/04/22/after-a-fourth-commons-debate-on-hammersmith-bridge-no-new-funding-possibly-a-breakthrough/), a minister said it would be a good candidate for the government’s £1 billion Structures Fund. No funding has been confirmed.

Albert Bridge closed entirely in April, leaving [Putney Bridge as the last crossing standing](https://putney.news/2026/04/10/albert-bridge-closes-entirely-after-inspector-warning-putney-bridge-is-the-last-crossing-standing/) on this stretch of the river. Wandsworth Bridge is [losing lanes for four months](https://putney.news/2026/04/08/putney-faces-new-traffic-nightmare-as-wandsworth-bridge-loses-lanes-for-four-months/) for separate maintenance.

None of these appear as Forward Plan items.

---

The in-tray: Forward Plan items and our prior coverage

Twenty new decisions due in the next four months. Eight continue stories we have been pursuing.

Forward Plan item

What it decides

Our prior coverage

Culture and Leisure Commissioning

ref. 76397

 Decides: Future model for the borough’s leisure centres 

 We covered: [Places Leisure café dispute, FOI on internal review](https://putney.news/2026/04/13/wandsworth-spent-public-money-to-settle-a-cafe-dispute-it-wont-say-how-much/) 

Portable Computer Supply

ref. 71939

 Decides: Laptop procurement for Wandsworth and Richmond 

 We covered: [£3.7m IT contract deferred twenty times](https://putney.news/2026/04/29/councils-3-7m-laptop-contract-sits-untouched-for-over-a-year/) and [£1m contract under the scrutiny threshold](https://putney.news/2026/05/06/wandsworths-1m-laptop-contract-came-in-67325-below-the-scrutiny-threshold/) 

CCTV Network Maintenance

ref. 76427

 Decides: Contract for the borough’s unmanned camera network 

 We covered: [£500,000 surveillance app commissioned without challenge](https://putney.news/2025/06/11/wandsworth-to-build-its-own-surveillance-app-for-500000/) 

Council Tax Setting 2027/28

ref. 76730

 Decides: The first council tax bill set by the new administration 

 We covered: [A three-part fact-check](https://putney.news/2026/03/16/fact-check-the-claims-in-wandsworths-council-tax-leaflet/) of the outgoing administration’s council tax leaflet 

SEND therapies (CAMHS, SLT, OT)

refs. 75265, 75266, 75267

 Decides: Three SEND-adjacent contracts going to Cabinet together 

 Context: Two open FOIs and a Schools Forum on 18 May with SEND items on the agenda 

Mental Health Floating Support

ref. 74544

 Decides: Community mental health support contract 

 We covered: [Britain’s most expensive mental health suite](https://putney.news/2025/06/23/britains-most-expensive-mental-health-suite-opens-in-roehampton/) 

Council Financial Results 2025/26

ref. 76719

 Decides: The first full-year accounts the new administration receives 

 Context: Reveals the financial position the outgoing administration leaves behind 

HRA Business Plan and Budget

refs. 76723, 76728

 Decides: Housing Revenue Account funding for council homes 

 Context: Sets the spending envelope for borough housing for the year ahead 

Source: Wandsworth Council Forward Plan, published 12 May 2026 (democracy portal reference 136). Eight of the twenty Forward Plan items shown.

---

#### The junction

The Putney Bridge junction redesign has cost more than a million pounds and made traffic worse. In February the Transport Committee was told the council [would not assess whether the junction works until February 2027](https://putney.news/2025/11/14/putneys-million-pound-junction-disaster-how-approved-plans-went-wrong/). The fixes residents have been waiting for would not come until October 2026.

That timetable was set by the previous Labour administration. The new administration can accept it, accelerate it, or set a different test for whether the scheme can work. The Forward Plan does not require it to choose.

#### The Alton Estate

The largest housing regeneration in the borough is paused. The 2022 hybrid planning permission to demolish 288 homes and build up to 1,108 has been suspended. Residents [voted yes in October 2025 to a £100 million redevelopment](https://putney.news/2025/10/17/alton-estate-residents-vote-yes-to-100m-redevelopment/), but [nearly 60% did not vote at all](https://putney.news/2025/10/17/theyre-going-to-do-what-they-want-anyway-why-nearly-60-of-alton-estate-residents-didnt-vote/). A 55-home standalone application went to Planning Applications Committee in March. The wider scheme has no timeline for resumption. Residents have alleged [managed decline of the estate](https://putney.news/2025/11/12/council-paints-birds-on-walls-while-cutting-down-the-trees-where-they-live/) during the years of planning uncertainty.

The Forward Plan contains no Alton Estate item.

#### Council tax, the campaign issue

The Forward Plan does carry the first council tax decision of the new administration. *Council Tax Setting 2027/28* (ref. 76730) is also the issue on which the Conservatives were most exposed in the election. In March this publication ran a three-part fact-check of the outgoing Labour administration’s council tax communications. The first piece [fact-checked the leaflet itself](https://putney.news/2026/03/16/fact-check-the-claims-in-wandsworths-council-tax-leaflet/). The second showed the council’s [response made things worse](https://putney.news/2026/03/22/wandsworths-response-to-our-fact-check-makes-things-worse-not-better/), not better. The third identified [£2 million the leaflet had failed to mention](https://putney.news/2026/03/25/the-2-million-the-council-tax-leaflet-forgot-to-mention/).

What the Conservatives now choose for 2027/28 will be measurable against what they campaigned on. With a 29-28 split in the chamber, it will also be the first real test of whether the group holds together for a tax decision.

#### What the Forward Plan does contain

A Forward Plan is required by law. The council uses it to publish the decisions it expects to take, who will take them, and when. The 12 May plan is published on the council’s democracy portal under reference 136.

Several items continue stories already in production on this site. The laptop procurement is back, as *Supply of Portable Computer to Wandsworth and Richmond Council* (ref. 71939), after this publication reported a [£3.7 million IT contract deferred more than twenty times](https://putney.news/2026/04/29/councils-3-7m-laptop-contract-sits-untouched-for-over-a-year/) and a [£1 million contract coming in £67,325 below the scrutiny threshold](https://putney.news/2026/05/06/wandsworths-1m-laptop-contract-came-in-67325-below-the-scrutiny-threshold/). A right-of-reply we sent to the council’s head of IT on 27 April has gone unanswered for fifteen working days.

The CCTV contract, *Maintenance and Support of Unmanned CCTV Camera Network for Wandsworth Borough* (ref. 76427), comes forward as a FOI on Putney High Street cameras enters its response window. It follows a [£500,000 surveillance app commissioned without challenge](https://putney.news/2025/06/11/wandsworth-to-build-its-own-surveillance-app-for-500000/) last June.

The leisure framework, *Culture and Leisure Commissioning: Future Delivery Model Options* (ref. 76397), is due at Cabinet on 13 July. Our [Places Leisure FOI](https://putney.news/2026/04/13/wandsworth-spent-public-money-to-settle-a-cafe-dispute-it-wont-say-how-much/) on the current contract has been on internal review since 5 April.

Three SEND-adjacent contracts move to Cabinet together. *Early Years CAMHS* (ref. 75267), *Speech and Language Therapy* (ref. 75265) and *Occupational Therapy* (ref. 75266) will be decided against the backdrop of two open FOIs and a Schools Forum meeting today with SEND items on the agenda.

*Council’s Financial Results for the Year 2025/26* (ref. 76719) is the first full-year set of accounts the new administration will be asked to receive. Handover accounts rarely look dramatic at the time. They are the documents the rest of the term gets argued over.

The plan also carries Microsoft E5 Licences, Legal Services litigation arrangements, and the *Wandsworth Mental Health Floating Support Services* contract (ref. 74544), which sits in the same commissioning space as [Britain’s most expensive mental health suite](https://putney.news/2025/06/23/britains-most-expensive-mental-health-suite-opens-in-roehampton/). The HRA Business Plan and Budget Setting (refs. 76723 and 76728), the Capital Programme, the Medium Term Financial Strategy, Integrated Sexual Health Services, and a Transformation Consultancy commission round out the twenty.

#### What happens next

Cabinet appointments follow the Annual Meeting. Most Forward Plan items do not yet have firm decision dates. They will be assigned once Cabinet is constituted.

Four bridges, one failed junction and a paused housing regeneration are not on the Forward Plan. They will define the new administration’s first hundred days regardless. The fastest way to follow what happens next is to [subscribe](https://putney.news/subscribe/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/21/wandsworths-new-council-sits-next-wednesday-heres-what-its-walking-into/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/21/wandsworths-new-council-sits-next-wednesday-heres-what-its-walking-into/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%E2%80%99s%20new%20council%20sits%20next%20Wednesday.%20Here%E2%80%99s%20what%20it%E2%80%99s%20walking%20into&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/21/wandsworths-new-council-sits-next-wednesday-heres-what-its-walking-into/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Alton Estate, Cllr Aled Richards-Jones, council tax, Hammersmith Bridge, housing, Putney Bridge junction, Wandsworth Council

---

### [‘I just want help’: the man moved on from Putney High Street’s empty bank](https://putney.news/2026/05/21/i-just-want-help-the-man-moved-on-from-putney-high-streets-empty-bank/)

**Published:** May 21, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** A rough sleeper who had been in the doorway more than a month moved on by the building's owners. 

**Content:**

For more than a month, a rough sleeper had been building up a shelter in the doorway of the former Halifax Bank on Putney High Street. By yesterday’s deadline, set by the building’s owners through their letting agents, he had gone.

The site, next to Putney station at one of the busiest corners on the High Street, had grown over the weeks: a wooden pallet, bamboo screening, a sofa, bin bags. The council gave him a bin. Passers-by grew frustrated. The man, who gave his first name as Levi, was visible to anyone using the station or walking along the High Street.

Levi spoke to *Putney.news* last week. He said he was homeless and did not want to be. He was living there with his girlfriend in a small shared tent. He said he had asked Wandsworth Council for help and had been refused – a claim that was strongly denied by the area’s Community Safety Officer. Levi told us he was worried about safety; his things had been stolen; he did not like shelters because of the drugs.

“I just want help,” he said.

![Teal storefront with glass doors, a large CBRE 'To Let' sign, graffiti, and a pile of pallets and black bags outside.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/homeless-halifax-3-1024x768.png)The situation on Wednesday afternoon.The eviction notice was dated 20 May and issued by CBRE Ltd, acting for Lloyds Banking Group, which owns the building, after requests from Positively Putney’s CEO Nicola Grant and the local police to take action. It stated that the premises are “private property and not authorised for occupation” and warned that belongings remaining after yesterday’s deadline “will be removed and disposed of without further notice.” At the bottom, it referred the occupant to his local council for support.

![White CBRE letter on a speckled granite surface, partially inside a clear plastic sleeve with a perforated binder edge to the left.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/homeless-halifax-1-768x1024.png)Notice to move posted by the building owner’s agents.We have asked Wandsworth Council if it has a record of contact from someone named Levi regarding a homelessness duty request, and what its process is for someone presenting as homeless in Putney.

The building at 171-173 Putney High Street has been empty for more than two years. The Halifax branch there had already closed before Lloyds shut its own Putney branch in April 2024. CBRE markets the premises to let.

![A growing homeless situation on Putney High Street.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/levi-homeless-2-768x1024.png)The growing encampment on a sliver of private land, including a wooden palette, has begun to frustrate local residents.This is the sixth story we have published on the High Street’s vacancy problem. [An April survey found eight sites with no movement](https://putney.news/2026/04/28/eight-sites-no-movement-what-happened-to-putney-high-streets-recovery/). On Tuesday we reported that [67 Putney High Street, the former pet shop that became a sweetshop and was twice occupied by squatters, has now been cleared for redevelopment](https://putney.news/2026/05/18/the-pet-shop-that-became-a-sweetshop-that-became-a-squat-is-now-a-building-site/). That is a different address, a different landlord. The vacancy problem runs the length of the street.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/21/i-just-want-help-the-man-moved-on-from-putney-high-streets-empty-bank/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/21/i-just-want-help-the-man-moved-on-from-putney-high-streets-empty-bank/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98I%20just%20want%20help%E2%80%99%3A%20the%20man%20moved%20on%20from%20Putney%20High%20Street%E2%80%99s%20empty%20bank&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/21/i-just-want-help-the-man-moved-on-from-putney-high-streets-empty-bank/)

**Categories:** Community, Housing, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Homelessness, Putney High Street, Save the High Street, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Crime falling in Thamesfield but violence now tops the category table](https://putney.news/2026/05/20/crime-falling-in-thamesfield-but-violence-now-tops-the-category-table/)

**Published:** May 20, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Ward panel meets tonight at St Mary's Church with updated figures expected.

**Content:**

Violence and sexual offences is now the most commonly reported crime in Putney’s Thamesfield wards, with 24 incidents in March 2026, ahead of shoplifting (19), anti-social behaviour (18) and vehicle crime (16).

The shift in the crime table explains why the ward’s Safer Neighbourhoods Team reinstated street violence as a policing priority in March, just weeks after residents dropped it at the February ward panel. A summer crime plan for Putney High Street starts on 30 June and runs through to October, with officers committed to direct patrols around the High Street and Putney Exchange during peak retail hours.

The ward panel meets tonight, Wednesday 20 May, at 6:30pm at St Mary’s Church by the bridge. Officers will present updated Q1 2026 figures at the meeting.

Overall crime in Thamesfield has fallen consistently through the first quarter of 2026, from 149 incidents in January to 138 in February to 125 in March, the lowest monthly total in the past 12 months. October 2025 was the peak at 178 incidents; the ward has recorded roughly 30% fewer crimes in the five months since.

Violence has remained sticky at the top of the crime table despite that broader fall, and the summer months historically push it higher. The summer crime plan is designed to sustain a fall that is already under way.

Thamesfield crime — standalone previewThamesfield crime, March 2026

 Reported incidents by type

Violence & sexual offences

24

Shoplifting

19

Anti-social behaviour

18

Vehicle crime

16

Other theft

14

Burglary

7

Public order

7

Bicycle theft

6

Drugs

6

Theft from the person

4

Criminal damage & arson

3

Other crime

1

  Monthly total, April 2025–March 2026

 Peak
178

 125

 Apr ’25

Oct ’25

Mar ’26

Source: Metropolitan Police ward records

For businesses on the High Street, the picture looks different: shoplifting remains their top concern. Officers are working with youth services to steer young people away from violent street crime, running Op Retail with shared data to identify repeat shoplifting offenders, and attending quarterly Pubwatch meetings on night-time economy issues.

Motor vehicle crime remains a priority, with Point Pleasant next to Wandsworth Park identified as the current hotspot alongside the High Street. The category recorded 16 incidents in March.

The wider picture is sharper: [vehicle crime surged 72% between the summer and autumn quarters of 2025](https://putney.news/2026/02/10/vehicle-crime-surge-prompts-thamesfield-to-reset-policing-priorities/), from 43 incidents to 74. Officers from the Met’s Design Out Crime team are reviewing whether physical changes, including metal gates, could reduce quick escape routes. A council decision on whether to reduce Point Pleasant’s opening hours is also pending.

Burglary recorded 7 incidents in March and has been on a 15-month downward trend. But in early May, PC Damian Catherall issued an alert about a new reconnaissance method: stickers advertising 24-hour locksmith services had been placed on doorbells and door frames in Dryad Street, Felsham Road and Bangalore Street SW15, apparently to test whether properties are occupied. Several attempted burglaries in Felsham Road and Putney Bridge Road followed in the same period.

If a locksmith sticker appears on your door and you did not call a locksmith, remove it and report it to 101.

Beyond crime, High Street traders have flagged pavement cleanliness as a persistent concern. The council has been pressure washing recently, but traders say the effect lasts only a few weeks before the pavements are dirty again.

#### Attend tonight

The Thamesfield Ward Panel meets tonight at 6:30pm at St Mary’s Church. Ward panel meetings are the public forum where residents can question local officers directly and set local priorities. Future meetings are scheduled for 2 September and 1 December 2026.

**To report a crime:** 999 in an emergency, 101 for non-emergencies, or online at met.police.uk/ro/report.

**To contact the SNT:** Thamesfield@met.police.uk

**To sign up for local crime alerts:** metengage.co.uk

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/20/crime-falling-in-thamesfield-but-violence-now-tops-the-category-table/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/20/crime-falling-in-thamesfield-but-violence-now-tops-the-category-table/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Crime%20falling%20in%20Thamesfield%20but%20violence%20now%20tops%20the%20category%20table&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/20/crime-falling-in-thamesfield-but-violence-now-tops-the-category-table/)

**Categories:** Crime, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, public safety, Putney High Street, thamesfield

---

### [Thames Water digs up Putney High Street again - and there is no way around it](https://putney.news/2026/05/20/thames-water-digs-up-putney-high-street-again-and-there-is-no-way-around-it/)

**Published:** May 20, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Three days of works from Friday will snarl the road with no realistic alternative route for drivers.

**Content:**

Thames Water is digging up Putney High Street again next week, bringing traffic to a crawl along the northern end of the road from Friday to Sunday.

Contractor MGroup Ltd will repair a damaged underground chamber near Disraeli Road from Friday 29 May to Sunday 31 May, 8am to 6pm each day.

There is no realistic alternative route for traffic: the high street carries cars, buses and cyclists that have nowhere else to go, especially with Hammersmith and Albert Bridges closed and with Wandsworth Bridge reduced to two lanes. As we have seen repeatedly, any friction on the High Street backs up across the surrounding roads.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1485-1024x768.jpeg)It is the latest in a long run of disruption on the road. Most notoriously, when temporary lights failed at roadworks on the High Street last October, the already-overwhelmed Putney Bridge junction came to a standstill, c backed up into Fulham, one resident took over an hour to travel a single mile, and bus passengers were forced to get off and walk.

> [Traffic chaos as temporary lights malfunction on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/2025/10/27/traffic-chaos-as-temporary-lights-malfunction-on-putney-high-street/)

Thames Water did at least give notice this time, writing to councillors on 23 April and erecting huge signs this week. But with nowhere else for traffic to go, expect near gridlock, again.

Water supply will not be affected.

For enquiries call 0800 316 9800 or visit thameswater.co.uk/live, quoting WO-07465975.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/20/thames-water-digs-up-putney-high-street-again-and-there-is-no-way-around-it/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/20/thames-water-digs-up-putney-high-street-again-and-there-is-no-way-around-it/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Thames%20Water%20digs%20up%20Putney%20High%20Street%20again%20%E2%80%93%20and%20there%20is%20no%20way%20around%20it&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/20/thames-water-digs-up-putney-high-street-again-and-there-is-no-way-around-it/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Putney High Street, Thames Water, traffic, traffic congestion

---

### [Wandsworth's new Conservative leader outlines first steps - and the deal that made them possible](https://putney.news/2026/05/20/wandsworths-new-conservative-leader-outlines-first-steps-and-the-deal-that-made-them-possible/)

**Published:** May 20, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** £137m gap that reserves cannot cover drives immediate hiring freeze and billion-pound borrowing review.

**Content:**

“My priority is straightforward,” Aled Richards-Jones [said this week](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-may-2026/wandsworth-council-leader-elect-sets-out-first-steps/). “A well-run council that delivers for every resident. That means financial responsibility and transparent decision making. That is the foundation for the services residents rely on – like clean streets, safer neighbourhoods, and high-quality housing.”

Wandsworth’s new Conservative leader has ordered a Spending Review and a Constitutional Review, both to report by July. The two reviews are different in kind: one is good governance, the other was the price of the deal that gave him a majority.

Richards-Jones takes formal control at the Annual Council meeting on 27 May. The Constitutional Review is a specific commitment to Malcolm Grimston, the independent councillor whose support makes the administration possible. The Spending Review will determine the fate of several Labour policies that were committed without the money to deliver them.

#### The deal

The May elections left Wandsworth with its first hung council in modern history: Conservatives 29 seats, Labour 28, independent Malcolm Grimston one. A majority requires 30. Richards-Jones has agreed a confidence and supply arrangement with Grimston, reviewed annually, that provides that margin. Every year, the arrangement and the commitments attached to it must be renegotiated.

> [Grimston kingmaker as Wandsworth delivers hung council](https://putney.news/2026/05/08/grimston-kingmaker-as-wandsworth-delivers-hung-council/)

Grimston has represented West Hill since 1994. After the election, former Labour leader Simon Hogg visited Grimston’s home to make the case for Labour backing. Grimston declined. He also turned down an alternative arrangement that would have given him even more leverage: a 29-29 deadlock in which his casting vote decided every tied decision. “That would be deeply undemocratic for what’s just happened,” he said. He [backed the Conservatives](https://putney.news/2026/05/09/the-man-wandsworth-cant-ignore-any-more/) because, in his view, they had earned the right to govern.

#### The Spending Review

> “My team inherits the largest budget gap in the council’s history,” Richards-Jones said. “£137 million.”

The council’s useable reserves are estimated at £116 million, less than the gap itself, meaning it cannot simply be absorbed. The [gap has been on the public record since February](https://putney.news/2026/02/19/wandsworths-137m-black-hole-and-the-cabinet-minister-who-cant-explain-how-to-fill-it/). It appeared on page 77 of the budget papers, in an appendix. The gap is roughly £85 million in lost government grant and around £50 million in a structural shortfall the previous Labour administration had not resolved. The government has [already removed funding from Wandsworth’s settlement](https://putney.news/2026/02/24/your-council-tax-must-rise-34-next-year-or-wandsworth-runs-out-of-money/) assuming a steep council tax rise, and its own model shows the council tax portion near-doubling from around £500 to around £930 by 2030. Richards-Jones did not mention council tax in his statement or video.

Labour’s plan to fill the gap was a £45 million transformation programme. At the Finance Committee in February, Chief Executive Andrew Travers described that target as “a broad, reasonable aspiration to get us going”, not a figure derived from identified savings.

> [Wandsworth’s £137m black hole – and the cabinet minister who can’t explain how to fill it](https://putney.news/2026/02/19/wandsworths-137m-black-hole-and-the-cabinet-minister-who-cant-explain-how-to-fill-it/)

The review will examine all spending across the council, including major projects and projected borrowing of more than £1 billion. Most new recruitment has been paused immediately.

It will also have to confront what Labour’s aspiration left unexamined: a series of committed projects without the money to deliver them. Among those in scope: the Alton Estate regeneration, a long-running programme that has not been fully funded; the [Lennox Estate development](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/10-reasons-to-refuse-the-lennox-estate-tower/), which proposes 81 homes on protected green space in Roehampton and has attracted a GLA non-compliance ruling and 287 objections with no support; and Access for All, the council’s disability access scheme, where the council has fought an ICO complaint rather than release basic usage figures.

These are not marginal items. They are specific commitments the new administration opposed in opposition and now controls in government.

#### The Constitutional Review

The Constitutional Review is Grimston’s specific condition. It was not offered voluntarily.

“The sticking points are around more honesty on the budget, on changing the constitution to make challenge more easy for people, and if possible some things around a members’ charter of behaviour or something of that nature that is actively policed by the two group leaders,” he told *Putney.news* earlier this month.

The context behind that requirement is documented. In March 2025, Labour’s Executive approved a set of governance reforms in under two minutes, with no debate. Those reforms [raised the threshold for decisions requiring advance scrutiny](https://putney.news/2025/12/30/every-promise-broken-wandsworths-scrutiny-reforms-fail-every-test/) from around £215,000 to £1 million, removing roughly 78% of decisions from that process. They also rewrote standing orders to require motions to be submitted through “Group Whips”, a mechanism that left Grimston, as a sole independent with no group, unable to raise ward matters at Full Council.

> [Every promise broken: Wandsworth’s scrutiny reforms fail every test](https://putney.news/2025/12/30/every-promise-broken-wandsworths-scrutiny-reforms-fail-every-test/)

“I’ve been very unhappy with a number of the ways that the Labour Group and the Labour Council has sought to make it much more difficult to challenge them,” Grimston said. “It’s acting like an elected dictatorship.”

The review will look at how “councillors from all parties and none can raise issues on behalf of residents at council meetings,” according to the press release. Standing orders will be redrafted, and any proposed constitutional changes will go to a cross-party committee before being brought forward. The words “and none” cover independents specifically. Grimston is currently the only person that describes.

#### What comes next

Both reviews are due to report at the council’s first ordinary meeting in July. “Although I’m in an interesting position, the fact still remains I’m only one of fifty-eight councillors,” Grimston said. “I’m not omnipotent by any means.”

Richards-Jones takes formal control on 27 May.

> “I look forward to setting out the full programme at the Council’s first ordinary meeting in July,” he said, “and to working constructively with all councillors to deliver it.”

---

*The Annual Council meeting is on 27 May 2026 at 7:30pm and is open to the public. Details and the agenda are at the [Wandsworth democracy portal](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=296&MId=10396). Residents can register views on spending priorities by contacting their ward councillors via [wandsworth.gov.uk](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/20/wandsworths-new-conservative-leader-outlines-first-steps-and-the-deal-that-made-them-possible/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/20/wandsworths-new-conservative-leader-outlines-first-steps-and-the-deal-that-made-them-possible/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%E2%80%99s%20new%20Conservative%20leader%20outlines%20first%20steps%20%E2%80%93%20and%20the%20deal%20that%20made%20them%20possible&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/20/wandsworths-new-conservative-leader-outlines-first-steps-and-the-deal-that-made-them-possible/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** Access for All, Alton Estate, Alton Renewal Plan, Cllr Aled Richards-Jones, Cllr Malcolm Grimston, Cllr Simon Hogg, council tax, Lennox Estate, Wandsworth Constitutional Review, Wandsworth Council, Wandsworth Spending Review

---

### ['Not exemplary, remarkable or distinctive - just tall': Glassmill tower appeal dismissed](https://putney.news/2026/05/19/not-exemplary-remarkable-or-distinctive-just-tall-glassmill-tower-appeal-dismissed/)

**Published:** May 19, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Inspector rejects Rockwell's 29-storey Battersea Bridge scheme, voiding £1.08m community agreement.

**Content:**

A government planning inspector has killed the proposal to build a 29-storey tower next to Battersea Bridge, ruling in a 34-page [decision](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Appeal_Decision_6002127_copy.pdf) \[pdf\] that it was “not exemplary, extraordinary, remarkable or distinctive, just tall.”

Inspector Joanna Gilbert dismissed developer Rockwell’s appeal on 14 May, four years after the scheme first emerged and just over a year after Wandsworth Council [rejected it unanimously](https://putney.news/2025/04/25/massive-victory-for-residents-as-council-kills-battersea-tower-scheme/). The tower will not be built. But the inspector’s decision contains one passage that goes beyond the result: a pointed rebuke of Wandsworth’s own argument on housing that will outlast this particular battle.

#### What the inspector found

The tower, designed by Farrells for developer Rockwell, would have stood at nearly five times the maximum height Wandsworth’s planning rules allow for that part of the riverfront. The area around Battersea Bridge is zoned for buildings of up to six storeys. The proposed tower was 28 storeys plus a ground floor, nearly five times that limit, and still more than twice the height allowed in the taller-buildings zone immediately next door.

---

Glassmill height comparisonHow tall was the tower?

The proposed Glassmill tower compared to the maximum heights Wandsworth’s planning rules allow for that part of the riverfront

   Glassmill height comparison   Zone or building Height (storeys) Height (metres)    Mid-rise zone maximum (where the site sits)618m Adjacent tall buildings zone maximum1236m Proposed Glassmill tower29 (28 storeys + ground floor)~97m  Source: Inspector Joanna Gilbert, appeal decision 6002127, 14 May 2026 (paras 39 and 49)

---

Gilbert found the tower would “appear alien and isolated in its very height in this location, harming spatial character.” In language rare for a planning decision, she asked whether the site was “worthy of the gesture” of a tall building, and concluded it was not. The scheme, she wrote, “would have a harmful effect on the character and appearance of the area.” That harm, she ruled, outweighed the benefits, substantial as some of those benefits were.

#### What was on offer and why it wasn’t enough

The proposal included 110 homes, 54 of them at social rent (the most affordable type). A community space of 274 square metres would have been provided at a token rent, with three local charities already having expressed interest. A legal agreement signed in April would have delivered £1.08m in contributions to local infrastructure: £436,000 towards cycling and walking improvements, £152,000 for employment and skills, £147,000 for children’s play space, and £110,000 for arts provision.

All of that is now gone. The legal agreement signed before the hearing is void.

Gilbert gave the housing offer real weight. She acknowledged it, she considered it, and she found it still did not tip the balance. As she wrote in her formal conclusion: “The proposal would be contrary to the development plan taken as a whole, and there are no material considerations that indicate that planning permission should otherwise be granted.”

As we reported [when the inquiry closed in March](https://putney.news/2026/03/30/the-battersea-bridge-tower-inquiry-is-over-heres-what-it-means-for-the-whole-borough/), this was always the central question: could the housing and community benefits outweigh the harm to the character of one of south-west London’s most sensitive riverside sites? The answer is no.

![Glassmill Tower height diagram](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/glassmill-height-1024x575.png)#### The rebuke Wandsworth will want to forget

Wandsworth argued at the inquiry that, since it is meeting its own housing targets, it bears no responsibility for London’s wider housing shortfall. The inspector called that position “ill-considered.”

Her reasoning is worth reading. London completed just 8.1% of its annual housebuilding target in 2025/26. In that context, she wrote, the council’s assertion that “it is not the Council’s responsibility to contribute to wider London housing needs” and that the worsening delivery crisis warranted giving housing only “moderate weight” appeared to her “ill-considered.”

The council won the case. The inspector still thought its reasoning on housing was wrong.

This matters beyond Glassmill. Wandsworth will face future planning appeals where housing delivery arguments are central. The inspector’s language goes on record. It is the kind of finding that developers’ legal teams will quote.

#### What happens next for Rockwell

The developer’s only remaining option is a legal challenge in the High Court under planning law, which must be filed within six weeks of 14 May (by around 25 June). Such a challenge cannot simply disagree with the inspector’s conclusions. It can only argue that she made a legal error. The inspector’s planning judgement itself cannot be overturned by a court.

#### How this result came about

The Putney Society was one of six civic societies that obtained formal status at the inquiry, allowing them to cross-examine witnesses directly, rather than simply submit letters of objection. The others were the Battersea Society, Chelsea Society, Cheyne Walk Trust, Friends of Battersea Park, and Wandsworth Society. Their involvement, [confirmed when they applied for that status in January](https://putney.news/2026/01/11/glassmill-battersea-tower-appeal-triggers-heritage-society-legal-response/), gave the planning argument a rigour that went beyond the standard objection process. SW15 residents helped shape a south London planning outcome.

The scheme started at 35 storeys when Rockwell first submitted it in April 2024 and was reduced to 28 storeys plus a ground floor before the inquiry. The Design Review Panel had rejected the height argument twice, in December 2023 and February 2024. The reduced scheme was never shown to it. Wandsworth Council refused the application unanimously in April 2025. Rockwell appealed. A seven-day public inquiry heard evidence in March 2026.

The inspector’s [34-page decision](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Appeal_Decision_6002127_copy.pdf) \[pdf\] is final unless Rockwell takes the High Court route. The tower is dead.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/19/not-exemplary-remarkable-or-distinctive-just-tall-glassmill-tower-appeal-dismissed/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/19/not-exemplary-remarkable-or-distinctive-just-tall-glassmill-tower-appeal-dismissed/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98Not%20exemplary%2C%20remarkable%20or%20distinctive%20%E2%80%93%20just%20tall%E2%80%99%3A%20Glassmill%20tower%20appeal%20dismissed&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/19/not-exemplary-remarkable-or-distinctive-just-tall-glassmill-tower-appeal-dismissed/)

**Categories:** Planning

**Tags:** accountability, Battersea, CHAC, planning, Putney Society, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council, Wandsworth Local Plan

---

### [The Met moves Roehampton's police meeting tonight to online only](https://putney.news/2026/05/19/the-met-moves-roehamptons-police-meeting-tonight-to-online-only/)

**Published:** May 19, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** The SNT apologises but won't say why Focus Hall fell through. The meeting is tonight, 7pm.

**Content:**

Roehampton residents who have been waiting months for a chance to question their local police face a further obstacle tonight: the ward panel meeting has been moved online, away from the community hall where it was supposed to be held.

The Roehampton Safer Neighbourhood Team [wrote](https://www.metengage.co.uk/Alerts/A/442755/Roehampton-Ward-Panel-Meeting--Tue-19-May-1900) to residents on Sunday to “humbly apologise” for the change. “This is due to unfortunate extenuating circumstances with the venue,” the email said, without further explanation.

The meeting was due to be held at Focus Hall on Minstead Gardens. It is the first ward panel since the police’s formal effort to close The Angel pub – one of only two in the area – and comes months after [29 officers, a helicopter and a battering ram descended on the pub](https://putney.news/2026/05/05/the-angel-raid-a-helicopter-29-officers-a-battering-ram-and-a-baby-shower/) on Roehampton High Street yet found nothing but cannabis stalks in an upstairs bedroom.

Rather than in person, the meeting is now [on Microsoft Teams, 7pm to 8pm](https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/314912929316804?p=cLx8hzdcE2SecnPO64).

#### What residents have been waiting to ask

Nearly 700 residents signed a petition to keep The Angel open after [the police case for its closure](https://putney.news/2026/04/10/weapons-drug-deals-and-intimidation-why-the-angel-pub-may-lose-its-licence/) was made public.

A licence hearing took place on 29 April, [held behind closed doors in violation of public access law](https://putney.news/2026/04/30/wandsworth-council-hid-a-pub-hearing-from-voters-now-it-wont-say-what-it-decided/). [Former landlady Sally Cox](https://putney.news/2026/04/30/sally-cox-ran-the-angel-pub-for-12-years-then-30-officers-raided-her-home-and-found-nothing/) was excluded from both hearings about her own pub. Two Roehampton councillors testified in support of the police position; neither had spoken to her. The Licensing Committee decided not to revoke the pub’s licence.

The Met has not responded to several requests from *Putney.news* about the case. Tonight is the first opportunity for residents to hear from officers directly.

The meeting is open to [all Roehampton residents online](https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/314912929316804?p=cLx8hzdcE2SecnPO64).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/19/the-met-moves-roehamptons-police-meeting-tonight-to-online-only/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/19/the-met-moves-roehamptons-police-meeting-tonight-to-online-only/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Met%20moves%20Roehampton%E2%80%99s%20police%20meeting%20tonight%20to%20online%20only&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/19/the-met-moves-roehamptons-police-meeting-tonight-to-online-only/)

**Categories:** Community, Crime, Roehampton

**Tags:** accountability, Alton Estate, community, Metropolitan Police, Roehampton

---

### [District Line strikes this week called off - but June dates now in place](https://putney.news/2026/05/18/district-line-strikes-this-week-called-off-but-june-dates-now-in-place/)

**Published:** May 18, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Last-minute talks succeeded. The dispute hasn't ended. Here's what Putney commuters need to know.

**Content:**

The District Line strikes that were due to hit East Putney, Putney Bridge and Southfields this week and next have been called off after last-minute talks between the RMT union and Transport for London.

Both disruptions, scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday this week, are now suspended. Four June dates have also gone. Two new conditional dates, 2 June and 4 June, are in place if talks break down.

The RMT announced the suspension on Monday afternoon. A union spokesperson said the employer had “shifted its position,” allowing further discussions about the four-day working week that is at the heart of the dispute. The union was direct about what this is not: “The dispute is not over and more strike action will follow if we fail to make sufficient progress.”

TfL welcomed the news. Nick Dent, director of customer operations at London Underground, said the proposal for a voluntary four-day week was designed to improve work-life balance for drivers and reliability for passengers, and that TfL looked forward to further discussions.

#### What’s suspended, what’s replaced

The following dates are now off: 19–20 May (midday Tuesday to Friday morning), 21–22 May (midday Thursday to Friday morning), 16 June and 18 June.

In their place: 2 June and 4 June, each a 24-hour period from midday, but only if the dispute is unresolved before then.

#### The background

The dispute is not straightforward. The RMT opposes a compressed four-day working week on fatigue and safety grounds. ASLEF (which represents a slight majority of drivers) has backed TfL’s proposal, calling it “the biggest improvement in working conditions for Underground train drivers in decades.” That split is why strikes this spring disrupted rather than shut the line entirely.

This week’s suspension follows the same pattern as March, when TfL also moved under strike pressure. The immediate threat is lifted. The dispute is live.

For regular commuters, East Putney, Putney Bridge and Southfields were facing four disrupted commutes in nine days. That pressure has gone for now. Whether it returns in June depends on talks over the coming weeks.

If you travel via the District Line, check TfL’s strikes page before any journey on or around 2 June and 4 June. Southfields, East Putney and Putney Bridge will all be affected again if those dates go ahead.

SWR from Putney station remains the strongest alternative on any future strike day: direct to Waterloo, six trains per hour off-peak, roughly 500 metres from East Putney station. Routes 22, 39, 74, 85, 93, 220 and 265 serve the corridor, all busier on strike days.

For the full series, see [our report from 14 May](https://putney.news/2026/05/14/the-district-line-is-striking-again-four-more-dates-you-need-to-know-about/) and [the March context piece](https://putney.news/2026/03/12/district-line-strikes-swr-closures-putneys-worst-spring-for-transport/). The [26 April piece](https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-week-sw15s-transport-network-fell-apart-all-at-once/) documents what happens when the strikes coincide with the District Line’s pre-existing signal problems, which they did.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/18/district-line-strikes-this-week-called-off-but-june-dates-now-in-place/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/18/district-line-strikes-this-week-called-off-but-june-dates-now-in-place/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=District%20Line%20strikes%20this%20week%20called%20off%20%E2%80%93%20but%20June%20dates%20now%20in%20place&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/18/district-line-strikes-this-week-called-off-but-june-dates-now-in-place/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** District Line, East Putney, Putney train station, Southfields, TfL

---

### [The pet shop that became a sweetshop that became a squat is now a building site](https://putney.news/2026/05/18/the-pet-shop-that-became-a-sweetshop-that-became-a-squat-is-now-a-building-site/)

**Published:** May 18, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** A proper fit-out has begun at 67 Putney High Street, ending one of the street's stranger recent chapters.

**Content:**

The most notorious unit on Putney High Street is finally getting a proper fit-out.

Workers stripped out the interior of 67 Putney High Street this week, ripping out the ceiling, exposing the wiring and installing a new shopfront frame, the first proper fit-out the unit has seen in years.

The photograph tells the story. The old black fascia still shows fragments of the neon “Pet Shop” sign. Behind it, the interior has been gutted to the concrete. Yellow framing marks the outline of a new, much larger display window. This is not a lick of paint. Something is actually happening.

The unit that is finally getting attention has one of the more colourful recent histories on the High Street.

#### A complex history

The property spent over a decade as an O2 store, then sat empty for a year after the phone retailer vacated. A pet grooming shop opened around 2022, which evolved into something more ambitious: as we [reported in August 2025](https://putney.news/2025/08/08/putney-high-street-boarded-up-bars-new-bargains-and-a-pet-shop-that-sells-sweets/), if you wanted your dog groomed, your phone repaired, your chakras balanced and your sweet tooth satisfied in one visit, this was briefly your place. The owner, trading as The Putney Hub, had plans for a barbershop and wellness clinic too.

It did not go to plan. By December 2025, [we reported](https://putney.news/2025/12/09/empty-shops-cluster-at-both-ends-of-putney-high-street/) that the owner had other things on his mind.

Then came the squatters, and, in February 2026, a High Court possession order. The landlord, Corndale Estates Limited, had enforcement agents formally take the building back. Three weeks later, squatters were [back inside and defying the order](https://putney.news/2026/03/09/putneys-squatters-are-back-and-this-time-theyve-defied-a-high-court-order/). Police attended, said there was nothing they could do, and left.

That was March. This is May. The building is now a building site.

#### The block around it

The refit at number 67 is happening against a more complicated backdrop. The rest of the stretch (55 to 71 Putney High Street, owned by Marlborough Properties since a £13.3 million purchase in 2016) has been clearing since January, when the British Heart Foundation announced it was leaving this summer and several other units boarded up at once.

The two exceptions are the anchors. M&S returned in the spring after a seven-year absence, and [our April survey](https://putney.news/2026/04/28/eight-sites-no-movement-what-happened-to-putney-high-streets-recovery/) found the Putney Convenience Store had remained open throughout, the one constant in the whole stretch. Beyond those two: boards, empty frontages, and lots of waiting. As of this week, no planning applications have been filed for the core Marlborough block units.

A refurbishment application for number 63 was filed in early May. Not yet open, but movement. The British Heart Foundation’s lease runs to June 2026.

#### What comes next

The incoming tenant at 67 has not yet been publicly announced. The strip-out under way this week suggests a decision has been made. We will update when we know.

The block around it remains in limbo. But something is happening, finally, at the unit that spent the last few years being everything except a functioning shop.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/18/the-pet-shop-that-became-a-sweetshop-that-became-a-squat-is-now-a-building-site/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/18/the-pet-shop-that-became-a-sweetshop-that-became-a-squat-is-now-a-building-site/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20pet%20shop%20that%20became%20a%20sweetshop%20that%20became%20a%20squat%20is%20now%20a%20building%20site&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/18/the-pet-shop-that-became-a-sweetshop-that-became-a-squat-is-now-a-building-site/)

**Categories:** Business, Save the High Street, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Marks &amp; Spencer, Putney High Street, retail, retail closures, squatters

---

### [Wandsworth offered £29m bailout for SEND crisis but still faces massive costs](https://putney.news/2026/05/18/wandsworth-offered-29m-bailout-for-send-crisis-but-still-faces-massive-costs/)

**Published:** May 18, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Even if bailout arrives, the debt will keep growing. Schools Forum meets later today.

**Content:**

Wandsworth has run up a £33m deficit supporting children with special educational needs, and a government bailout will write off most of it, if the council submits the right paperwork in time.

The grant will cover up to 90% of what the borough owes, leaving roughly **£3.3m for the council to pay itself.** The bailout only covers debt accumulated up to 31 March. Anything the council overspends after that date is on top of it.

Wandsworth SEND deficit trajectoryWandsworth’s special needs deficit: what happens next

Cumulative deficit on the schools’ special needs budget, £m

Source: Wandsworth Schools Forum papers, 18 May 2026 (DSG Outturn FY 2025-26). Projections derived from confirmed outturn figures. Branch A assumes bailout granted in full (90% write-off). Branch B assumes bailout not received.

' + '

' + '' + '

Confirmed figures

' + '

Bailout granted (Branch A)

' + '

No bailout (Branch B)

' + '

' + '' + '' + '' + '

'; var canvas = document.getElementById('msm-wan-send-deficit-260517-canvas'); var ctx = canvas.getContext('2d'); function setDPI() { var rect = container.getBoundingClientRect(); var w = Math.max(rect.width - 32, 300); var h = Math.round(w \* 0.55); var dpr = window.devicePixelRatio || 1; canvas.width = w \* dpr; canvas.height = h \* dpr; canvas.style.width = w + 'px'; canvas.style.height = h + 'px'; ctx.scale(dpr, dpr); return { w: w, h: h }; } function drawChart(branch) { var dims = setDPI(); var w = dims.w; var h = dims.h; ctx.clearRect(0, 0, w, h); var pad = { top: 20, right: 16, bottom: 52, left: 44 }; var chartW = w - pad.left - pad.right; var chartH = h - pad.top - pad.bottom; // Determine max value for y axis var maxVal = 60; if (branch === 'A') maxVal = 40; if (branch === 'B') maxVal = 65; // All x labels var allLabels = historical.map(function(d) { return d.label; }); if (branch === 'both' || branch === 'A') { branchA.forEach(function(d) { allLabels.push(d.label); }); } if (branch === 'B') { branchB.forEach(function(d) { allLabels.push(d.label); }); } if (branch === 'both') { // Already have A labels; B labels are same x positions } var xLabels = historical.map(function(d) { return d.label; }) .concat(branch === 'B' ? branchB.map(function(d) { return d.label; }) : branchA.map(function(d) { return d.label; })); var totalPoints = xLabels.length; function xPos(i) { return pad.left + (i / (totalPoints - 1)) \* chartW; } function yPos(v) { return pad.top + chartH - (v / maxVal) \* chartH; } // Grid lines ctx.strokeStyle = '#E6E6E6'; ctx.lineWidth = 1; var yTicks = \[0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60\].filter(function(v) { return v <= maxVal; }); yTicks.forEach(function(v) { var y = yPos(v); ctx.beginPath(); ctx.moveTo(pad.left, y); ctx.lineTo(pad.left + chartW, y); ctx.stroke(); ctx.fillStyle = '#555555'; ctx.font = '600 11px ' + "'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif"; ctx.textAlign = 'right'; ctx.fillText('£' + v + 'm', pad.left - 6, y + 4); }); // Vertical divider at last historical point var divX = xPos(historical.length - 1); ctx.strokeStyle = '#E6E6E6'; ctx.setLineDash(\[4, 4\]); ctx.lineWidth = 1.5; ctx.beginPath(); ctx.moveTo(divX, pad.top); ctx.lineTo(divX, pad.top + chartH); ctx.stroke(); ctx.setLineDash(\[\]); // "Now" label ctx.fillStyle = '#6B7280'; ctx.font = '600 10px ' + "'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif"; ctx.textAlign = 'center'; ctx.fillText('Mar 2026', divX, pad.top - 6); // X axis labels ctx.fillStyle = '#555555'; ctx.font = '400 11px ' + "'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif"; ctx.textAlign = 'center'; xLabels.forEach(function(label, i) { // Skip divider label overlap var x = xPos(i); var lines = label.split('\\n'); lines.forEach(function(line, li) { ctx.fillText(line, x, pad.top + chartH + 16 + li \* 13); }); }); // Historical line ctx.beginPath(); ctx.strokeStyle = '#3A5F7D'; ctx.lineWidth = 2.5; ctx.lineJoin = 'round'; historical.forEach(function(d, i) { var x = xPos(i); var y = yPos(d.value); if (i === 0) ctx.moveTo(x, y); else ctx.lineTo(x, y); }); ctx.stroke(); // Dots on historical historical.forEach(function(d, i) { ctx.beginPath(); ctx.arc(xPos(i), yPos(d.value), 4, 0, Math.PI \* 2); ctx.fillStyle = '#3A5F7D'; ctx.fill(); ctx.strokeStyle = '#FFFFFF'; ctx.lineWidth = 1.5; ctx.stroke(); }); // Value labels on historical (last two) \[historical.length - 2, historical.length - 1\].forEach(function(i) { var d = historical\[i\]; ctx.fillStyle = '#2C2C2C'; ctx.font = '600 11px ' + "'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif"; ctx.textAlign = 'center'; ctx.fillText('£' + d.value + 'm', xPos(i), yPos(d.value) - 10); }); function drawBranch(branchData, color, startFromHistorical) { var allPoints = startFromHistorical ? \[historical\[historical.length - 1\]\].concat(branchData) : branchData; var startIndex = historical.length - 1; ctx.beginPath(); ctx.strokeStyle = color; ctx.lineWidth = 2; ctx.setLineDash(\[6, 4\]); ctx.lineJoin = 'round'; allPoints.forEach(function(d, i) { var x = xPos(startIndex + i); var y = yPos(d.value); if (i === 0) ctx.moveTo(x, y); else ctx.lineTo(x, y); }); ctx.stroke(); ctx.setLineDash(\[\]); // Dots on branch (skip the shared historical start) branchData.forEach(function(d, i) { var x = xPos(startIndex + 1 + i); var y = yPos(d.value); ctx.beginPath(); ctx.arc(x, y, 4, 0, Math.PI \* 2); ctx.fillStyle = color; ctx.fill(); ctx.strokeStyle = '#FFFFFF'; ctx.lineWidth = 1.5; ctx.stroke(); }); // Label on last point var last = branchData\[branchData.length - 1\]; var lx = xPos(startIndex + branchData.length); var ly = yPos(last.value); ctx.fillStyle = color; ctx.font = '700 11px ' + "'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif"; ctx.textAlign = 'left'; var offsetY = color === '#DC2626' ? -10 : 14; ctx.fillText('£' + last.value.toFixed(0) + 'm', lx + 6, ly + offsetY); } if (branch === 'both' || branch === 'A') { drawBranch(branchA, '#059669', true); } if (branch === 'both' || branch === 'B') { drawBranch(branchB, '#DC2626', true); } // Update annotation document.getElementById('msm-wan-send-deficit-260517-ann-title').textContent = annotationTitles\[branch\]; document.getElementById('msm-wan-send-deficit-260517-ann-text').textContent = annotations\[branch\]; // Legend visibility var legA = document.getElementById('msm-wan-send-deficit-260517-leg-a'); var legB = document.getElementById('msm-wan-send-deficit-260517-leg-b'); if (legA) legA.style.display = (branch === 'both' || branch === 'A') ? 'flex' : 'none'; if (legB) legB.style.display = (branch === 'both' || branch === 'B') ? 'flex' : 'none'; notifyParentHeight(); } // Toggle buttons var btns = container.querySelectorAll('.toggle-btn'); btns.forEach(function(btn) { btn.addEventListener('click', function() { btns.forEach(function(b) { b.classList.remove('active'); b.setAttribute('aria-pressed', 'false'); }); btn.classList.add('active'); btn.setAttribute('aria-pressed', 'true'); currentBranch = btn.getAttribute('data-branch'); drawChart(currentBranch); }); }); // Initial draw drawChart('both'); // Redraw on resize var resizeTimer; window.addEventListener('resize', function() { clearTimeout(resizeTimer); resizeTimer = setTimeout(function() { drawChart(currentBranch); }, 150); }); notifyParentHeight(); })(); Cabinet member at the time Cllr Judi Gasser told the council's scrutiny committee in February that the 90% write-off was available "as long as we show that we're running the service very well, which of course we are." Monday's [published papers](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Schools-Forum-May-26-meeting-papers.pdf) \[pdf\] confirm the annual overspend grew by 60% last year.

#### The bailout is not automatic

The grant requires two things: the council must submit a plan to the Department for Education by 19 June showing how it intends to reform the way it supports children with special needs, and the Department must then approve it. Both must happen. If only one does, or neither does, the bailout does not arrive.

[As we reported in March](https://putney.news/2026/03/17/wandsworth-has-approved-its-special-needs-budget-the-money-has-yet-to-arrive/), Wandsworth has not publicly confirmed it has submitted the plan, or that approval is expected. The deadline is five weeks away. If the plan fails, the council carries the full £33m itself, not £3.3m.

The council's own paper describes the grant as designed in part to "reduce the risk of insolvency" when a government accounting rule that lets councils carry these debts separately expires in 2028. After that, anything still owed comes out of the general budget, the same pot that pays for libraries, refuse collection and care for older residents. The government has said further support after 2028 will be "appropriate and proportionate, rather than open-ended." It has not promised to keep paying.

#### The overspend is growing fast

A year ago we reported the deficit at £21m and noted the council's own forecast that it [could reach £40m by 2028](https://putney.news/2025/05/12/wandsworth-schools-face-21m-black-hole-as-crisis-talks-loom/) without action. At the [last meeting in March](https://putney.news/2026/03/01/wandsworth-top-of-the-class-on-special-needs-bottom-line-in-crisis/) it was around £30m. Monday's papers put the gap between what the council spent and what it received from government last year at £11.8m, up from £7.3m the year before. The overspend grew by 60% in a single year.

Even with the bailout, the £3.3m stays. So does everything the council overspends between now and 2028. At the current rate, the borough could enter 2028 with roughly £23m of new debt on top of the £3.3m. The council's own paper concedes the bailout "does not remove the need for sustained reform to address underlying drivers of demand and cost," which is how it describes the rising prices and rising numbers of children needing expensive placements.

#### What is driving the cost

Most of the money, and almost all of the growth, goes on placing children in private special schools (independent schools that specialise in particular types of need). The borough placed 254 children in them in 2020-21 at an average cost of £34,335 each. By March this year it was placing 361 children at £50,022 each. **The number of children is up 42% in five years. The average price has risen 46%.** In the last twelve months, the price rose a further 6.5% and the number of children placed grew 15.7%. The cost of this single line is rising at more than 22% a year.

By comparison, a place in an ordinary school costs the borough £12,339 a year.

#### The £678,000 nobody is talking about

The "Support Services" line within the special-needs budget (money that pays for council staff who help schools support children early, before they end up needing an expensive placement) has fallen from £1.54m to £866,000 in a single year. **That is a cut of £678,000, or 44%.** The report contains no explanation. The same paper records an extra £3.3m being spent on the most expensive placements.

The government wants the council to do more early support work in exchange for the bailout. That is precisely what this budget line was for.

Wandsworth SEND budget: cut one line, grew anotherSame budget. One line cut by 44%. The other grew by 22%.

Wandsworth special needs budget: Support Services vs private school placements, 2024-25 to 2025-26

  Support Services

Council staff who help schools support children early — before they need expensive specialist placements

 2024-25 £1,544,000 

 2025-26 £866,000 

-£678,000 -44% in one year

The report offers no explanation for the cut.

 Private special school placements

Fees paid to independent specialist schools, at an average of £50,022 per child per year

 2024-25 £14,780,000 

 2025-26 £18,050,000 

+£3,270,000 +22% in one year

361 children placed in 2025-26, up from 314 the previous year.

 The government wants Wandsworth to do more early support work in exchange for the bailout. **That is precisely what the Support Services budget was for.** 

Source: Wandsworth Schools Forum, DSG Outturn FY 2025-26, Table 2, 18 May 2026. Figures rounded to nearest £1,000.

Also in Monday's papers is a pilot called EBSNA Outreach, which helps children with severe school avoidance get back into class before they need a formal assessment and an expensive placement. After a year it can work with about three children at a time. Twenty schools refer children to it at each panel. Schools whose children do not get a place are, in the programme's own words, "desperate for advice." Annual cost: £121,987. The private placement pipeline it sits against costs £18m a year for 361 children. The direction is right. The scale is an order of magnitude off.

#### A word about the service itself

This is not a story about poor provision. Wandsworth's pupils with special needs rank sixth in England at Key Stage 2 and sixth nationally at GCSE. The borough meets the legal deadlines for assessing children's needs, achieving 100% in the most recently published figures. The council's own paper calls Wandsworth "a position of relative system strength." That is fair. The argument here is about money: a system performing well on outcomes can also be running at an £11.8m annual loss.

In the past month, at least four information requests on special educational needs have been escalated to the Information Commissioner's Office by a single requester. A council in dispute with parents and advocates over the existing system is simultaneously asking its school leaders to trust it to build a better one.

Monday's meeting is at 4.30pm in Room 122 of the Town Hall, Wandsworth High Street, SW18 2PU. Papers are at [democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Schools-Forum-May-26-meeting-papers.pdf) \[pdf\].

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/18/wandsworth-offered-29m-bailout-for-send-crisis-but-still-faces-massive-costs/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/18/wandsworth-offered-29m-bailout-for-send-crisis-but-still-faces-massive-costs/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20offered%20%C2%A329m%20bailout%20for%20SEND%20crisis%20but%20still%20faces%20massive%20costs&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/18/wandsworth-offered-29m-bailout-for-send-crisis-but-still-faces-massive-costs/)

**Categories:** Education, Finance

**Tags:** Cllr Judi Gasser, Department for Education, Fleur Anderson MP, School Funding, SEND, Wandsworth Council, Wandsworth Schools Forum

---

### [After 115 years, Putney Town Regatta is gone](https://putney.news/2026/05/18/after-115-years-putney-town-regatta-is-gone/)

**Published:** May 18, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** The historic riverside event closed on the weekend it would have been held.

**Content:**

Putney Town Regatta has closed permanently. The organising committee made the announcement on Sunday, on the weekend the event would have been held, 115 years after it was founded on the same stretch of river.

![Putney Town Regatta](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ptregatta.jpg)

“It is with great sadness we have to announce our closure, ending an event that was established in 1911,” a message read on the organisation’s social media account Sunday afternoon.

The regatta ran each May over a 1,200m course on the Thames near Putney Embankment, with races for juniors through to masters. It last took place in May 2019. The pandemic halted the 2020 event; it never returned.

A year ago, the committee was still trying. Chair Tony Reynolds posted a public appeal in May 2025 asking clubs to supply volunteers who would help revive the regatta for 2026. By August, the committee had entered negotiations with another organisation over a possible revival deal. By September, we [reported that the latest scheme had fallen through](https://putney.news/2025/09/12/legendary-thames-rowing-competitions-unite-to-create-channel-for-elite-scullers/). The rowing calendar had already quietly noted “no longer to be held” by April this year.

Sunday’s announcement thanked the volunteers who had served on the organising committee and supported the event over the years. It did not explain why revival proved impossible.

The regatta was a different kind of event to the club programmes that line Putney’s boathouses. Thames RC, Vesta RC and London RC run competitive and elite programmes on the same water. Putney Town Regatta was the grassroots layer (accessible, local, held right in front of the boathouses). The 1929 programme included a Watermen’s Apprentices’ Race, a Ladies’ Four Oared Race, two bands and a fireworks display on the Fulham Embankment. Thames RC described it, nearly a century later, as “always a fun event for Thames with races right in front of the boathouse.”

The committee’s final words, addressed to anyone still watching: “We hope your memories of the regatta are as fond as ours.”

> Finally, we are proud of our history of being a traditional river regatta that offered the opportunity to race for juniors through to masters and most of all for the enjoyment of the sport.
> 
> We hope your memories of the regatta are as fond as ours.
> 
> Thanks for your support.
> 
> — Putney Town Regatta (@PutneyTownReg) [May 17, 2026](https://twitter.com/PutneyTownReg/status/2055990855580737623?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

  [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/18/after-115-years-putney-town-regatta-is-gone/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/18/after-115-years-putney-town-regatta-is-gone/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=After%20115%20years%2C%20Putney%20Town%20Regatta%20is%20gone&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/18/after-115-years-putney-town-regatta-is-gone/)

**Categories:** Community, Rowing

**Tags:** Putney embankment, River Thames, Rowing

---

### [The green space we have, and what it takes to keep it](https://putney.news/2026/05/17/the-green-space-we-have-and-what-it-takes-to-keep-it/)

**Published:** May 17, 2026
**Author:** The Editor

**Excerpt:** Six things Wandsworth could do before 2030 - from Right to Grow to protecting what's already protected.

**Content:**

Something unites almost every story we have written about Wandsworth’s green spaces, that cuts across parks policy and planning applications and biodiversity plans and allotment waiting lists. It is the question of who green space belongs to, and whose instinct is allowed to shape it.

This is Part 4 of Putney 2030, our series about what this corner of southwest London could look like by the end of the decade if civic ambition matched the borough’s potential. The previous pieces have been about specific things Putney lacks: a fourth Thames crossing, an activated waterfront, [better pay for people willing to serve](https://putney.news/2026/05/10/wandsworth-pays-its-councillors-under-10-an-hour/). This one is about something Putney has, and what it would take, in policy terms, to keep it and make it better.

![Putney 2030](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/putney-2030-headline-1024x512.png)#### Part 4: Green space, properly done

Walk through the Ashburton Estate on a May morning and you might not notice the orchard at first. A forest garden, an orchard, a composting corner, run entirely by residents. Putney Community Gardeners won a Wandsworth Civic Award for it in 2022. Nobody built it for them. They found the land, they put in the work, and the council (to its credit) helped them use it.

A few kilometres north, in central Putney, Putney Society volunteers have spent years encouraging residents to free paved-over front gardens. The [GAPs initiative](https://putney.news/2026/02/01/putney-society-garden-competition-returns-with-mission-to-transform-gardenless-gaps/) is quietly transforming them: window boxes, herbs, jasmine over concrete, bees where there were none. The Society’s Open Spaces Panel was awarded Outstanding, the top tier, at the RHS London in Bloom awards in October 2025 for turning what could have been a dead piece of concrete into a thriving community garden, working alongside JC Decaux, which owns the land and the huge advertising billboard that sits on it.

On the Dover House estate, the SW15 Hedgehogs group planted 80 metres of new hedging in collaboration with the council’s housing team. At St Michaels Foodbank Community Garden, volunteers won both the Community Food Growing and Most Vibrant categories at the inaugural Wandsworth in Bloom 2025.

Not all of it has been cultivated. Some of it has simply grown.

Behind the even-numbered gardens on Fawe Park Road in East Putney, there is a 400-metre strip of secondary woodland, dense scrub and undisturbed grassland that most residents of the street have probably never thought much about. It is the remains of a Victorian flying junction, built in 1889 and abandoned by the late 1980s. In the [35 years since the tracks were lifted](https://putney.news/2026/03/29/fawe-park-roads-secret-garden-137-years-old-full-of-wildlife-and-about-to-go-official/), nature did what nature does when left alone. The land already has formal conservation protection. Network Rail now wants to turn it into a community nature reserve.

A community group, Paradise Cooperative, mapped the access points, did an initial survey, and modelled a governance structure years ago. Covid stopped them. Network Rail says it plans to approach the council about a partnership in the coming months. A council with the right instincts would already be making that call. There has been no communication about it.

![The Fawe Park nature reserve - created by accident that to an unused rail line](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/fawe-park-reservation-1-1024x768.png)The Fawe Park nature reserve – created by accident that to an unused rail line![Overgrown parkland at the back of Fawe Park Road. Community groups are trying to help; the authorities are not communicating.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/fawe-park-reservation-2-1024x768.png)Overgrown parkland at the back of Fawe Park Road. Community groups are trying to help; the authorities are not communicating.And then there is the kind of talent that rarely makes it through the door. A Putney resident, Rachael Quin, who has been working through a garden design course spent months producing a fully worked conceptual redesign for Leaders Gardens, the small park beside the Thames that most people walk past without stopping. Flood-resilient, layered with the history of the foreshore, planted to echo the tidal line: careful, inventive, rooted in the specific character of the place. There is no formal route by which that work reaches the people who commission public space. It stays at home. The system has no way to draw it in.

Wandsworth holds 670 hectares of green space, more than any other inner London borough. The people to make something of it are already here. What changes in 2030 is whether the council’s instinct, when it encounters that energy, is to enable it or manage it.

#### What other boroughs are doing

In September 2023, Hull City Council unanimously adopted something called Right to Grow. The idea is straightforward: publish a map of all public land suitable for community cultivation, make it easy for groups to get a free lease, and give them first refusal if the council ever sells. A map, a route in, and a preference. That is the whole policy.

Southwark followed in March 2025, as the first London borough to adopt it. Hounslow formalised its version the same week as Hackney in March 2026, with cross-party support in both cases, Labour and Greens and independents together. Six local authorities have now adopted Right to Grow. Southwark is to Wandsworth’s east. Hounslow is to its west.

Wandsworth’s own Biodiversity Action Plan, approved by Cabinet at the same time as Hackney and Hounslow (February 2026), mentions community gardening warmly throughout. It does not contain the words Right to Grow once. The last publicly available data on Wandsworth’s allotment waiting lists comes from a Freedom of Information response in 2008: 1,508 people waiting for 385 plots, nearly four applicants for every available space. A 2018 FOI request for updated figures went unanswered.

![Putney Common - an example of how land has been preserved and is used for the benefit of all.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/putney-common-1-1024x768.png)Putney Common – an example of how land has been preserved and is used for the benefit of all.The demand is clearly there. What is missing is the structural mechanism to meet it: the map, the lease route, the published process. Adopting Right to Grow would cost almost nothing. It would deliver on commitments the BAP has already made to co-design and community access. It would make Wandsworth the fourth London borough to do it, and the largest.

![Sign for Putney Common obscured by green trees, with picnic benches in the background on a sunny day.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/putney-common-2-1024x768.png)The Fawe Park Road strip is not a Right to Grow site (it is Network Rail’s land, not the council’s) but the partnership model is the same. In Lewisham, Garthorne Road nature reserve works because the council licences railway land and manages it as a community green space. The infrastructure owner keeps the freehold. The community gets the habitat. In Wandsworth, that model is sitting ready to use. All it needs is a council that picks up the phone.

#### The spaces we have, and what threatens them

The places most worth protecting are not the ones that get the most council attention. They are the ones that exist because of historic decisions that cannot easily be revisited, and the ones where ecological value has built up over decades without anyone particularly planning it.

Wimbledon Common and Putney Heath are Metropolitan Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation. Putney Lower Common is a Borough SINC. The Thames riverside through Putney is among the richest stretches of accessible riverine habitat in southwest London. These designations matter, but only if they are treated as ceilings on what can be done to those spaces, not as boxes to be ticked on the way to something else.

The threat does not always come from outside. When the council itself placed land on its own protected open space schedule and then [sought to build on it at the Lennox Estate](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/protected-for-35-years-now-wandsworth-council-wants-to-build-on-its-own-green-space/), it was testing whether protected means protected. When Wandsworth residents fought for years to safeguard Wimbledon Park, through the courts, through Parliament, through public campaigns, they did so on the understanding that what the community fought to keep would be kept. The [AELTC’s development plans](https://putney.news/2026/04/25/two-court-defeats-and-a-parliamentary-ambush-wimbledon-parks-residents-wont-give-up/) have tested that understanding severely.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/lennox-build-site-1024x768.png)There is a quieter threat too. Contractors working to strimming schedules rather than ecological ones take out wildflower verges that took years to establish. Tree watering contracts that run for one year watch saplings planted in autumn die in the following summer’s drought. Roehampton Playing Fields and the verges on the approaches to the Heath buzz in May and are cut flat by August. The problem is not indifference at the top. It is that the contracts do not require contractors to know the difference between a wildflower margin and a weed, and nobody loses their incentive payment when a rare species disappears.

> [Protected for 35 years, now Wandsworth Council wants to build on its own green space](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/protected-for-35-years-now-wandsworth-council-wants-to-build-on-its-own-green-space/)

Wandsworth’s parks are managed under the Enable contract. When it next comes up for renewal, biodiversity outcomes need to be in it: wildflower verges flagged as no-strim zones by name, tree watering costed for three years not one, penalties for documented species destruction. That is not an unreasonable ask. It is what the Wild Wandsworth BAP already commits to in principle. The question is whether the contract reflects it.

> [Two court defeats and a parliamentary ambush. Wimbledon Park’s residents won’t give up.](https://putney.news/2026/04/25/two-court-defeats-and-a-parliamentary-ambush-wimbledon-parks-residents-wont-give-up/)

#### Parks are not commercial venues

One of the persistent tensions in Wandsworth’s green space politics over the past two years has been the relationship between parks as places and parks as revenue.

The council [expects to raise around £1 million a year](https://putney.news/2025/07/14/so-how-much-can-wandsworth-council-expect-to-make-from-commercialising-our-parks-around-1-million-a-year/) from increased commercial events in parks. In July 2025, the Friends of Tooting Common [confronted the Cabinet over the events policy](https://putney.news/2025/07/16/friends-of-tooting-common-confront-council-over-events-policy-and-are-ignored/) and were ignored. The same month, *Putney.news* reported that [Wandsworth’s parks policy clashed with expert guidance](https://putney.news/2025/10/08/wandsworth-parks-policy-clashes-with-expert-guidance-on-protecting-green-spaces/) from the Gardens Trust. The Trust calculates that parks save the NHS £111 million a year nationally. The economics of using green space to generate income rather than protect it have never stacked up.

The council frames it as a pragmatic response to budget pressure. But the borough that treats its parks as venues is not the same borough as the one that treats them as ecological assets, community spaces, and public health infrastructure. By 2030, Wandsworth should have made that choice cleanly. Parks are not commercial venues with some grass in them. They are the green space one in three English people does not have access to, and which Putney residents should not take for granted.

![Putney parklet: a thriving garden created and maintained by the community.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/putney-parklet-2-1024x768.png)Putney parklet: a thriving garden created and maintained by the community.![Three tall purple allium flowers on long stems in a lush garden bed.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/putney-parklet-5-1024x768.png)#### Giving residents a real say

The right governance structure for green space is one that makes it genuinely difficult to do the wrong thing, not just to those who want to protect it, but to councils that are well-intentioned but inattentive.

Wandsworth Common has been governed by a Management Advisory Committee since 1986. It has statutory standing, elected resident representation, published minutes, and a formal consultee role in decisions affecting the Common. It is not perfect, but it is a model. There is no equivalent structure for Wandsworth Park, King George’s Park or any of the other major green spaces in the borough. Friends groups exist for many of them, and they do important work, but they have no formal standing. They can write letters. They cannot insist.

The Wandsworth Greenspaces Friends Forum exists as a borough-wide umbrella. Published terms of reference. Quarterly meetings with the Cabinet Member. Named officer attendance. Published minutes. Statutory consultee status on the Enable contract, on the Events Policy, and on any planning application touching protected open space. That is what the Forum could be. It is not yet what it is.

By 2030, every major Wandsworth green space should have its own Management Advisory Committee with the same standing as the Wandsworth Common MAC. Friends groups should have a formal consultee role: not a seat at a consultation meeting, but a named right of response that the council must address in writing. That is not radical. It is what residents of these spaces have earned through decades of looking after them.

#### What 2030 looks like

Walk through Putney in 2030 and you would see a borough that took its inheritance seriously.

The resident with the Leaders Gardens design has had somewhere to take it. A proper co-design process, open to local expertise that does not come through the normal channels, produced a park that is better than anything the council would have commissioned on its own. The verges on the approaches to Putney Heath are buzzing in August because the Enable contract knows what a no-strim zone is. The Wandsworth Greenspaces Friends Forum meets quarterly and the council answers to it. The Lennox Estate Green is still there, because protected open space is protected open space.

![Leaders Gardens flooded](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/leaders-gardens-flooded-1024x577.jpg)Leaders Gardens frequently floods – with the result that one corner of it is barely used.![Proposed design that would mark the Leaders Gardens more usable, working with nature. Illustration: Rachael Quin](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Leaders-Gardens-Inundated-image-1024x627.jpg)A design that would mark the Leaders Gardens more usable, working with nature. Illustration: Rachael Quin.There is a Right to Grow map. It shows the unused council land across the borough where groups can apply to grow food, plant habitat, or cultivate something that was nothing. The Putney Community Gardeners are on it. The GAPs streets are on it. New groups are forming because the route in is visible.

The £1 million a year of commercial event revenue? The council has found it somewhere else. Parks are not the right place to find it.

#### The long view

In 1800, Wandsworth Common was 400 acres. It is 177 acres today. The rest was enclosed, sold, and built over. It took a local schoolteacher, the 1864 Wandsworth Common Defence Committee, a petition, demonstrations, and an Act of Parliament in 1871 to save what remained. Without him, there would be no Common.

Public space lost is almost never recovered. The Wimbledon Park fight shows that the pressure to take it, erode it, commercialise it, or simply neglect it until it becomes unsentimental to defend: that pressure does not go away. What Putney 2030 asks is not that the council perform miracles. It is that it decides, clearly and structurally, whose side it is on.

Putney has the green space. It has the people. The question is whether the council will get out of their way.

---

#### *How important is this to Putney’s future?* 

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

How much would you like to see this?Rate 1 out of 5Rate 2 out of 5Rate 3 out of 5Rate 4 out of 5Rate 5 out of 5

How feasible do you think it is?Rate 1 out of 5Rate 2 out of 5Rate 3 out of 5Rate 4 out of 5Rate 5 out of 5

 much How would  

How much of a priority should it be?Rate 1 out of 5Rate 2 out of 5Rate 3 out of 5Rate 4 out of 5Rate 5 out of 5

  Submit

 ---

**PUTNEY 2030** | Issue 4 of 5 | putney.news

*This is one of five pieces examining what bold thinking could change in Putney by 2030.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/17/the-green-space-we-have-and-what-it-takes-to-keep-it/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/17/the-green-space-we-have-and-what-it-takes-to-keep-it/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20green%20space%20we%20have%2C%20and%20what%20it%20takes%20to%20keep%20it&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/17/the-green-space-we-have-and-what-it-takes-to-keep-it/)

**Categories:** Environment

**Tags:** AELTC, Putney 2030, Putney Common, Putney Lower Common, Putney Society, Save Wimbledon Park, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Common, Wandsworth Council, Wandsworth in Bloom, Wandsworth Park, Wimbledon Park

---

### [What's actually happening to Wandsworth Bridge this summer - and why the official communications got so confused](https://putney.news/2026/05/17/whats-actually-happening-to-wandsworth-bridge-this-summer-and-why-the-official-communications-got-so-confused/)

**Published:** May 17, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Lane works start 26 May for five months. The council was slow to announce them. 

**Content:**

Wandsworth Bridge loses lanes from Tuesday 26 May through autumn 2026 for a £2.35m scheme that makes the bus and segregated cycle lane permanent, narrows car lanes, rebuilds structural waterproofing beneath the footways that was left undone in earlier phases, and widens the pavements on both sides of the crossing.

Residents received the council’s first formal letter about the works this week, signed by Henry Cheung, Assistant Director of Engineering. It comes over a month [since we first reported the works](https://putney.news/2026/04/08/putney-faces-new-traffic-nightmare-as-wandsworth-bridge-loses-lanes-for-four-months/), having obtained the information from FOI documents on a separate issue rather than through any council announcement.

The works are certain to add even more congestion to an already overly congested Putney and come as Wandsworth Council faces questions over its lack of maintenance and budget of its bridges, including Putney Bridge, which scores [below a level where engineers require work to be done](https://putney.news/2026/05/12/putney-bridge-is-in-serious-trouble-the-council-knows-now-you-do-too/).

---

Wandsworth Bridge: how the layout changes

Cross-section looking north. The deck stays the same total width — wider footways and cycleways mean narrower road lanes. Footway and cycleway widths confirmed; road lane widths illustrative.

 Now — before works

North →

North →

← South

 Foot­way 1.5m 

 Cycle 1.5m 

 N’bound bus 

 N’bound traffic 

 S’bound 

 Cycle 1.5m 

 Foot­way 1.5m 

← 3m →

3 road lanes (illustrative widths)

← 3m →

 Footway

 Cycle lane

 Traffic lane

 Bus lane

 Centre line

 From autumn 2026 — after works

North →

North →

← South

 Foot­way 2m 

 Cycle 2m 

 N’bound bus (permanent) 

 N’bound traffic 

 S’bound 

 Cycle 2m 

 Foot­way 2m 

← 4m →

road lanes narrower

← 4m →

 +1m each side: footway 1.5m→2m, cycleway 1.5m→2m 

 Widened footway

 Widened cycle track

 Traffic lane (narrowed)

 Bus lane (narrowed, permanent)

 Centre line

Total deck width unchanged. Road lane widths illustrative — exact narrowing unconfirmed. Footway and cycleway widths confirmed.

Sources: Wandsworth Council resident letter (Henry Cheung, 11 May 2026); Cllr Ethan Brooks relaying officer confirmation, WhatsApp 15 May 2026. Three-lane road configuration confirmed from Google Street View. Total deck width fixed — the 2m gain across footways and cycleways on each side is taken from the road lanes. Exact lane narrowing unconfirmed; widths illustrative. The councillors’ leaflet described existing provision as “a combined 3-metre pavement and cycle lane” — officers confirmed two separate 1.5m strips.

#### What is actually being built

The scheme has five components: a stepped cycle track on both sides of the bridge; widened and resurfaced footways; essential maintenance to the bridge deck; improvements to the Jews Row junction and Bridgend Road bus stops; and a full carriageway resurfacing at the end of the programme, which will require a one-week overnight closure between 9pm and 5am.

Two-way motor vehicle traffic will be maintained throughout the main works. The northbound bus and cycle lanes will be suspended while contractors are on the bridge. Pedestrian access is maintained, though routes may change.

The contractor is FM Conway, which will handle day-to-day works management. Once the works finish, the permanent layout will keep the northbound bus lane and one general traffic lane in each direction, with segregated cycling facilities on both sides and widened footways.

#### The 2021 trial that is now permanent

The bus lane and segregated cycle lane were introduced under a temporary traffic order in 2021, following refurbishment works on the bridge. A monitoring review conducted with TfL and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham found that cycling levels increased by over 25%, while bus and road network performance remained stable, according to their figures.

A report presented to Wandsworth’s Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 11 February 2026 confirmed: “The changes and associated traffic order have been made permanent.” That decision was on the public record three months before the current works were announced.

The £2.35m cost is split, according to figures circulated by the three Thamesfield ward councillors – through which more displaced traffic is now expected to flow – as £1.45m from the council’s capital budget and £900,000 from the Community Infrastructure Levy, paid by developers. The council has not yet confirmed those figures. What is confirmed, through Cllr Ethan Brooks’s own account from officers, is that the bulk of the cost is not for the bus lane or cycle track changes but for something deferred from an earlier phase: “structural and waterproofing works beneath the existing footways which were purposely omitted under phase 1 and 2 of the bridge remedial works.”

In other words, the repairs Phases 1 and 2 did not do are now the most expensive part of Phase 3. The pattern is familiar. [Putney Bridge’s structural condition has been below the national threshold for action since at least December 2023](https://putney.news/2026/05/12/putney-bridge-is-in-serious-trouble-the-council-knows-now-you-do-too/), with the council aware of the problem throughout.

#### The disruption picture

From 26 May, three of south-west London’s four river crossings will be impaired simultaneously. [Albert Bridge has been fully closed since February](https://putney.news/2026/04/10/albert-bridge-closes-entirely-after-inspector-warning-putney-bridge-is-the-last-crossing-standing/), following an inspector’s warning. Hammersmith Bridge has been closed since 2019. Meanwhile, Putney Bridge junction remains unremedied after the botched redesign 18 months ago. Wandsworth Bridge will add lane restrictions to that list from the end of the month.

#### What the councillors said

The lack of communication has impacted both residents and councillors alike, leading to significant confusion. In the same week as Cheung’s letter, the three Thamesfield Conservative councillors published a leaflet that described the scheme in a way that differed from the council on three significant points.

On the bus lane, the leaflet stated: “The separate bus lane will be removed and there will be one lane of traffic running north and south.” The council’s letter says the opposite: the northbound bus lane is being made permanent. The Transport Committee paper confirmed that decision publicly in February.

On the pavements, the leaflet described the existing provision as “a combined 3-metre pavement and cycle lane” being replaced with “a 2-metre pavement and a 2-metre cycleway.” The implication was of narrowing. Cllr Brooks subsequently clarified, relaying officers’ confirmation: “No pavement narrowing. The existing pavement width on each side is 1.5m footway + 1.5m cycleway. The new width will be 2m + 2m.” The only practical explanation for that is that the car lanes with be narrowed further.

On the cost, the leaflet placed the £2.35m figure under the question “How much is all this costing?” immediately after its description of the bus lane removal, framing the cost as covering the lane changes. Brooks corrected that interpretation the morning after distribution: the cost is driven by the deferred structural waterproofing, rather than £2.35m being the cost of the bus lane removal.

Councillors are due to be briefed on the scheme this coming Monday, with the approvals and approach seemingly decided by officers during the election period.

#### The pattern

The communication failures around this scheme are not isolated. The council held onto the works for six weeks before formally writing to residents. The first formal letter arrived less than two weeks before the works start. The ward councillors’ written description of their own constituency’s biggest transport change of the summer got the headline facts wrong.

---

Three of five crossings impaired this summer

Status of the five south-west London Thames crossings between Hammersmith and Chelsea, May 2026

River Thames ←→ west to east

        Hammersmith Bridge

Closed to all traffic since 2019. No confirmed reopening date for motor vehicles. Pedestrians and cyclists permitted on a managed basis.

Closed

        Putney Bridge

Open, but structural condition below the national-guidance threshold for action. Council aware since December 2023. Junction redesign still unremedied. No confirmed repair timeline.

Structural concern

        Wandsworth Bridge

Lane restrictions from 26 May 2026 through autumn 2026. £2.35m scheme widens footways, makes bus and cycle lanes permanent, and rebuilds deferred structural waterproofing.

Lane works from 26 May

        Battersea Bridge

Open. Currently serving as a diversion route for Albert Bridge traffic. Status confirmed open as of May 2026; no major works or restrictions reported.

Open

        Albert Bridge

Fully closed since February 2026 following inspector warning. Expected to remain shut for up to a year.

Closed

 Closed to motor vehicles

 Lane restrictions / works

 Structural concern

 Open / no restrictions

Sources: Putney.news reporting, April–May 2026. Hammersmith Bridge: closed since August 2019. Putney Bridge structural condition: Putney.news, 12 May 2026, citing council inspection records from December 2023. Wandsworth Bridge: works start 26 May 2026 per Wandsworth Council resident letter (Henry Cheung, 11 May 2026). Battersea Bridge: open and confirmed as active diversion route for Albert Bridge closure per Wandsworth Council statement, February 2026; no restrictions identified as of May 2026. Albert Bridge: closed February 2026 following TfL inspector warning; expected closed for up to a year.

The wider picture that Wandsworth Bridge now joins is one of deferred maintenance accumulating across multiple crossings simultaneously. [We have documented the pattern across all four crossings](https://putney.news/2026/04/05/londons-bridges-keep-cracking-nobody-fixed-the-system-that-let-it-happen/): structural problems identified, repairs postponed, costs rising when the bill eventually arrives. Wandsworth Bridge’s Phase 3 is the latest and most visible instalment.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/17/whats-actually-happening-to-wandsworth-bridge-this-summer-and-why-the-official-communications-got-so-confused/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/17/whats-actually-happening-to-wandsworth-bridge-this-summer-and-why-the-official-communications-got-so-confused/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=What%E2%80%99s%20actually%20happening%20to%20Wandsworth%20Bridge%20this%20summer%20%E2%80%93%20and%20why%20the%20official%20communications%20got%20so%20confused&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/17/whats-actually-happening-to-wandsworth-bridge-this-summer-and-why-the-official-communications-got-so-confused/)

**Categories:** Transport, Wandsworth Town

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Ethan Brooks, cycling, River Thames, TfL, thamesfield, traffic, Wandsworth Bridge, Wandsworth Council

---

### [A rare piece of good news on Putney High Street: Franco Manca applies to extend its outdoor seating](https://putney.news/2026/05/17/a-rare-piece-of-good-news-on-putney-high-street-franco-manca-applies-to-extend-its-outdoor-seating/)

**Published:** May 17, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** The application is the first operational confirmation the Putney branch is staying after last month's parent company restructure.

**Content:**

Franco Manca, the pizzeria on the corner of Putney High Street and Weimar Street, has applied to extend its outdoor seating licence for another year. The notice went up in the window this week.

It is a like-for-like renewal of the existing licence, which runs until 23 June 2026. The same two seating areas: three tables and six chairs on Putney High Street, four tables and eight chairs round the corner on Weimar Street. The application went through the same firm that handled the current licence and anyone wanting to make representations has until 30 May.

Why is this news? Because we nearly lost the restaurant altogether last month: parent company Fulham Shore [launched a company voluntary arrangement](https://putney.news/2026/04/17/franco-manca-is-closing-16-restaurants-putney-and-southfields-arent-on-the-list/), closing 16 of its 70 UK restaurants. The Putney branch was expected to survive. The pavement licence renewal is the first hard operational confirmation it will.

It is a minor celebration for [this stretch of Putney High Street](https://putney.news/2026/04/28/eight-sites-no-movement-what-happened-to-putney-high-streets-recovery/) which has has nothing but bad news to offer lately. The Boilermaker has been [dark since March 2025](https://putney.news/2025/03/17/the-boilermaker-goes-bust-landlord-locks-cocktail-bars-doors/). [Simmons and Be At One](https://putney.news/2025/08/01/putneys-party-scene-gutted-as-simmons-joins-be-at-one-and-shuts-down/) closed last summer. IMBA London Ltd has been fitting out the Be At One unit since [at least March this year](https://putney.news/2026/03/13/four-new-businesses-one-rotting-landmark-whats-changing-on-putney-high-street/), but had not opened by the end of April. The Masala Odyssey unit at number 22 was repossessed in mid-April; the lunch deal board still in the window.

The hotel site at 31-43 has been silent for over a month, likely connected to the fact that the hotel operator, Premier Inn, has decided to [scale back and sell off](https://putney.news/2026/05/01/the-premier-inn-on-putney-bridge-is-closing-in-june/) its central London assets. The White Lion at 14-16, Grade II listed and on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register, remains in the condition Historic England describes as “slow decay; no solution agreed.”

Against that backdrop, a national chain committing to another year of outdoor trading at this address is worth noting. The new licence period will run from 24 June 2026 to 23 June 2027. Tables on the pavement on Putney High Street and on Weimar Street, through this summer and into next.

#### What to do

To support or object to the Franco Manca pavement licence application, email  by 30 May 2026. Representations for Wandsworth pavement licences route through Merton under the boroughs’ shared arrangement.

For general queries about pavement licences in Wandsworth, contact .

If you have concerns about the condition of the White Lion at 14-16 Putney High Street, you can report them to Wandsworth Council’s planning enforcement team.

The new administration inherited this stretch on 7 May. The incoming cabinet will be confirmed at the Annual Council meeting on 27 May. The Thamesfield ward councillors who cover this part of the High Street are Cllr Ethan Brooks (), Cllr Robert Morritt and Cllr Salvatore Murtas.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/17/a-rare-piece-of-good-news-on-putney-high-street-franco-manca-applies-to-extend-its-outdoor-seating/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/17/a-rare-piece-of-good-news-on-putney-high-street-franco-manca-applies-to-extend-its-outdoor-seating/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=A%20rare%20piece%20of%20good%20news%20on%20Putney%20High%20Street%3A%20Franco%20Manca%20applies%20to%20extend%20its%20outdoor%20seating&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/17/a-rare-piece-of-good-news-on-putney-high-street-franco-manca-applies-to-extend-its-outdoor-seating/)

**Categories:** Business, Restaurants, Save the High Street, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Putney High Street, retail closures, Simmons Bar, thamesfield, Wandsworth Council

---

### [TV presenter joins Putney family's appeal to MP over Thailand van ban](https://putney.news/2026/05/16/tv-presenter-joins-putney-familys-appeal-to-mp-over-thailand-van-ban/)

**Published:** May 16, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Andi Peters backs 24-hour campaign to free Daisy the van — blocked at the border over a sink.

**Content:**

TV presenter Andi Peters has backed a Putney family’s appeal to their MP to free their van from a Thai border ban, giving them 24 hours to make it count.

The family behind Artisan Coffee on Upper Richmond Road launched a Change.org petition this week after Thai border officials blocked their van Daisy from entering the country. The problem: Daisy has a sink. Thailand classifies vans with sinks as motorhomes, requiring a special permit, and the Harrisons are in the middle of a 9,000-mile overland drive from London to Perth.

As [the 11 May story on *Putney.news*](https://putney.news/2026/05/11/the-putney-coffee-family-are-in-china-and-thailand-wont-let-their-van-in/) reported, every land crossing between Thailand and Cambodia has been closed since June 2025, ruling out the obvious workaround. Plan C remains on the table: load Daisy onto a flatbed truck in Laos and transit Thailand without technically touching Thai soil.

Now there is a Plan D.

The petition, which launched on 12 May and reached 607 signatures and 1,086 shares by Thursday, names two targets: Fleur Anderson, Putney’s MP, and Mark Gooding OBE, the British Ambassador to Thailand. Peters, who went to school in Wandsworth, recorded an endorsement video backing the campaign. His message was direct: “You’ve got 24 hours to send a petition.”

The Harrisons need enough signatures before a scheduled meeting with Fleur Anderson to give the petition political weight. Edwin Harrison captured the situation precisely when we first picked up on the problem: “We’ve been trying desperately to convince them that it’s just literally a van with six seats in it. But they saw a sink.”

Edwin, Magda, and their three children have been on the road since the series began in March, when they set off [from London carrying a kilogram of Barn Door Blend](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/the-putney-cafe-family-driving-a-bag-of-coffee-to-australia/) destined for Magda’s mother in Perth.

You can sign and share the petition at [change.org/p/help-daisy-the-van-enter-thailand](https://www.change.org/p/help-daisy-the-van-enter-thailand).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/16/tv-presenter-joins-putney-familys-appeal-to-mp-over-thailand-van-ban/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/16/tv-presenter-joins-putney-familys-appeal-to-mp-over-thailand-van-ban/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=TV%20presenter%20joins%20Putney%20family%E2%80%99s%20appeal%20to%20MP%20over%20Thailand%20van%20ban&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/16/tv-presenter-joins-putney-familys-appeal-to-mp-over-thailand-van-ban/)

**Categories:** Travel

**Tags:** Artisan Coffee, community, Curious Roo, Fleur Anderson MP

---

### [Death on tracks shuts down trains through Putney](https://putney.news/2026/05/16/death-on-tracks-at-wandsworth-town-shuts-down-trains-through-putney/)

**Published:** May 16, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** British Transport Police confirm loss; services restored by early evening.

**Content:**

A person died after being hit by a train at Wandsworth Town station yesterday lunchtime.

A spokesperson for British Transport Police said: “Officers were called at around 11.50am (15 May) to reports of a casualty on the tracks at Wandsworth Town railway station. Officers responded with paramedics, however sadly a person was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident is not being treated as suspicious.”

It is the second time in a month someone has died on the same section of track. A reader also contacted us to say they had been moved off the platform at East Putney tube station around the same time without explanation, before resuming their journey ten minutes later.

The death shut sections of the rail network through Putney for much of the afternoon. South Western Railway trains did not stop between Clapham Junction and Putney until around 4pm. London Overground services on the Windrush line did not serve the section between Wandsworth Road and Clapham Junction.

Trains between Clapham Junction and Waterloo started running again earlier in the afternoon. Services were back to normal by early evening.

Wandsworth Town station is already operating an [amended timetable until 11 October 2026 while lifts are installed](https://putney.news/2026/05/10/wandsworth-town-trains-change-from-monday-heres-what-you-need-to-know/). Some trains do not stop at the station during midday hours even on normal service days.

While SWR services were suspended, tickets were accepted on London Underground, the rest of the London Overground network, and on local buses. Live SWR information is at southwesternrailway.com; TfL service status is at tfl.gov.uk.

If you feel affected by what has happened and wish to find support, you can contact Samaritans on 116 123 (free, 24 hours) or email .

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/16/death-on-tracks-at-wandsworth-town-shuts-down-trains-through-putney/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/16/death-on-tracks-at-wandsworth-town-shuts-down-trains-through-putney/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Death%20on%20tracks%20shuts%20down%20trains%20through%20Putney&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/16/death-on-tracks-at-wandsworth-town-shuts-down-trains-through-putney/)

**Categories:** Transport, Wandsworth Town

**Tags:** East Putney, Putney train station, TfL, Wandsworth

---

### [Residents report rising tide of drug canisters, say nothing is being done](https://putney.news/2026/05/16/residents-report-rising-tide-of-drug-canisters-say-nothing-is-being-done/)

**Published:** May 16, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Class C drug in industrial cylinders is being dumped near a children's playground.

**Content:**

Residents across Putney are reporting a growing problem with discarded nitrous oxide canisters in their streets and parks, and say nothing is being done about it.

The evidence is mounting. One West Putney resident has photographed three separate dumps within yards of Aubyn Square Playground in the past four weeks: a single canister in mid-April, nine large branded cylinders behind a hedge on 25 April, and twelve more at the end of her street last Sunday morning.

That comes in addition to a number of reports of large canisters and balloons on Putney Lower Common in recent months. The Metropolitan Police’s own evidence to a licensing hearing in April cited “intimidating groups outside engaging in nitrous oxide use and suspected drug activity” beside the Angel pub in Roehampton.

The council was already told this was happening. In a public consultation last summer, over 70% of those who responded said they had encountered drug-paraphernalia litter in Wandsworth’s public spaces. It was the single most-reported behaviour of any kind in the consultation, ahead of street drinking and public drug use.

![Blue aerosol cans lying on the ground among green garden leaves, ivy, and small white flowers, with a yellow caption across the bottom reading 'Aubyn Square 11 May'.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_20260511_085815402_HDR2-5d12348d6d47b6baae8262a71e7d0ab0-768x1024.jpg)There is a ban in place and in force but only 16% of respondents thought the existing order has worked. A residents’ association on Putney Vale Estate told the council in writing that the order “had little to no impact” on their estate. The council renewed the order anyway, for another three years.

In the two-and-a-half years since the order has been in force, neither Wandsworth Council nor the Metropolitan Police has issued a single warning or fine for nitrous oxide possession or street drinking. Over the same period, the council issued 731 verbal warnings and 61 fixed penalty notices for dog-control breaches.

#### The law treats this seriously

Since 8 November 2023, nitrous oxide has been a Class C controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Possession is punishable by up to two years in prison. Supply carries up to 14 years. Wandsworth’s borough-wide Public Space Protection Order, renewed by full council last October, adds a £100 on-the-spot fine for possession in any public place. A prosecution carries a £1,000 fine on conviction. None of these powers has been used in Wandsworth, not once, in two-and-a-half years.

---

Wandsworth’s PSPO enforcement record, October 2023 to September 2025

Warnings and fines issued under the borough-wide Public Space Protection Order, by category, over two-and-a-half years

Bar chart comparing enforcement under Wandsworth Council’s Public Space Protection Order across three categories over two-and-a-half years. Alcohol-related anti-social behaviour: zero warnings, zero fines. Drug possession including nitrous oxide: zero warnings, zero fines. Dog control: 731 warnings, 61 fines.

Alcohol-related
anti-social behaviour

0

warnings issued

0

fines issued

Drug possession
(including nitrous oxide)

0

warnings issued

0

fines issued

Dog control

731

warnings issued

61

fines issued

Source: Wandsworth Council Cabinet Report 25-324 (22 September 2025), Section 3.20 Table 1.

---

Resident photographs document the pattern in detail on a single residential street.

A canister appeared on Elmshaw Road in mid-April. Nine large branded cylinders were dumped behind a hedge at the Huntingfield Road cut-through on 25 April. Twelve more appeared at the end of Aubyn Square last Sunday morning. All three sites are within yards of Aubyn Square Playground. The pattern is escalating.

The canisters are commercial cylinders branded Magic Whip and GoldWhip. They carry QR-coded anti-counterfeit labels and chemical hazard pictograms. Each holds either 580 or 700 grammes of nitrous oxide, the equivalent of 70 to 80 of the small kitchen cream chargers the format imitates. Each sells online for tens of pounds.

#### The council’s argument

The Cabinet report that went to councillors before they voted to renew the order in October acknowledged the zero-enforcement figure directly. There had been “no warnings or Fixed Penalty Notices issued for Alcohol related ASB in a public place or for use/possession of novel psychoactive substances in a public place” since the order had been in place.

The justification, at paragraph 3.18 of the report, was that an order of this kind has a “deterrent effect” that cannot be measured by fines alone. The argument is that people comply when challenged by officers, even when no penalty is issued.

![Map of Aubyn Square area showing red shortcut routes and yellow notes about canister placements along Elmshaw Rd and Huntfield Rd at different dates (May 10/11, April 25).](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screenshot_20260515-154803.Maps4_-ffdc9424dad9513904a2cc6588900110-813x1024.jpg)That argument is defensible in principle. It is harder to hold up against three documented dumps in four weeks on one Roehampton street, balloons and cylinders on Putney Lower Common, and the Met’s own observation of nitrous oxide use as the reason it wanted a pub closed. *Putney.news* [reported in October](https://putney.news/2025/10/16/wandsworth-declares-war-on-dogs-and-on-drinkers-who-do-not-exist/) on the contrast with the same period’s dog-control enforcement.

#### What the police told the council

The Metropolitan Police’s response to the consultation was one sentence long. The Met “made no observations other than to note that, if the proposals are approved, effective implementation will depend on the capacity to carry out enforcement activity.”

The renewal decision does not say where that capacity is coming from. Council officers issue fixed penalty notices for breaches of the order. Police involvement comes through the borough’s safer neighbourhood teams. Neither has issued one in two-and-a-half years.

The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, which holds the Met to account in London, did not reply to the consultation at all.

#### The drug and its disposal

Magic Whip and GoldWhip are not products designed for inhalation. They are sold for catering use, to whip cream, and their packaging carries chemical hazard pictograms warning against misuse. Sale to under-18s is unlawful and most online sellers carry explicit notices on the Class C status, but the products are widely and cheaply available.

The health risks rise sharply with the cylinder format. Frequent use of nitrous oxide can cause numbness, weakness in the legs, nerve damage, and in severe cases paralysis. The British Medical Association has linked sustained use to spinal cord injury in young adults. The user group, according to the council’s own equality impact assessment, is “typically males under the age of 25.”

The cylinders are pressurised. They are not designed for household bins. When they reach a waste plant they can explode. A BBC investigation in 2024 documented more than two thousand explosions at a single Veolia recycling site, traced to nitrous oxide canisters in the general rubbish stream.

Residents who find canisters can report them on 020 8871 6000. Open drug use can be reported to the Metropolitan Police on 101, or via the Roehampton or Putney Heath safer neighbourhood teams. The safe disposal route is Smugglers Way Recycling Centre, SW18 1JS, not the brown bin.

#### What Roehampton’s councillors will do next

The political backdrop is that Wandsworth held council elections eight days ago. Three Labour councillors were elected in Roehampton, the ward where Aubyn Square sits: Graeme Henderson, Matthew Tiller and Jenny Yates.

Henderson was also the council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Community Safety. The order’s renewal was his portfolio. The Met’s case for [closing the Angel pub](https://putney.news/2026/04/27/secret-hearing-will-decide-fate-of-roehampton-pub/), two minutes’ walk from Aubyn Square, named nitrous oxide as one reason. The same drug, the same ward, the same enforcement gap.

Residents who want to raise the matter directly can contact Cllr Henderson (), Cllr Tiller () or Cllr Yates ().

The order runs until October 2028. A 12-month review is due in November. The council could change the enforcement record in those six months. On its own track record, there is no particular reason to expect it will.

---

*Sources: Wandsworth Council Cabinet Report 25-324 (22 September 2025) and appendices, Full Council minutes 22 October 2025, Wandsworth Borough-Wide PSPO 2023 (as varied and extended 2025), Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (as amended November 2023). Resident interview and photographs. Putney.news observation.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/16/residents-report-rising-tide-of-drug-canisters-say-nothing-is-being-done/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/16/residents-report-rising-tide-of-drug-canisters-say-nothing-is-being-done/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Residents%20report%20rising%20tide%20of%20drug%20canisters%2C%20say%20nothing%20is%20being%20done&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/16/residents-report-rising-tide-of-drug-canisters-say-nothing-is-being-done/)

**Categories:** Crime, Roehampton, Thamesfield, West Putney

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Graeme Henderson, Cllr Jenny Yates, Metropolitan Police, public safety, Putney Lower Common, Roehampton, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Putney's buses are so slow the BBC came to film them](https://putney.news/2026/05/15/putneys-buses-are-so-slow-the-bbc-came-to-film-them/)

**Published:** May 15, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** A report this week puts the cost of fixing London's slowest buses at £283.9m a year

**Content:**

**UPDATED** London’s buses are the slowest in England, averaging 7.1mph. Putney’s are worse. Route 14, which runs through the heart of the area, averages 5.7mph.

This week, a BBC News crew came to Putney High Street, boarded the 14 at the Green Man, and got off before it reached the end of the high street because it was moving too slowly to bother with. Putney residents will be familiar.

The Confederation of Passenger Transport [published a 60-page analysis](https://www.cpt-uk.org/policy/case-for-faster-buses-may-2026/) the same day setting out what fixing this would take and what it is worth. A 10% improvement in London bus speeds would free up £283.9m a year: £214.4m in operating cost savings and £69.5m in additional revenue. Every 1mph gained reduces operating costs by around 7.5%. The three measures that would deliver the improvement are bus lanes, traffic signal priority, and roadworks coordination. TfL told the BBC it is revamping traffic light sequences across London.

The cost of faster buses

What a 10% improvement in London bus speeds would deliver each year

£283.9m

per year unlocked for the network

£214.4m

operating cost savings

+

£69.5m

additional fare revenue

Three measures that would deliver it

1. 1
    
     **Bus lanes** Dedicated road space to keep buses moving independently of traffic
2. 2
    
     **Traffic signal priority** Signals that detect approaching buses and extend green phases
3. 3
    
     **Roadworks coordination** Sequencing utility and highway works to avoid simultaneous disruption

Source: Confederation of Passenger Transport, *The Case for Faster Buses*, May 2026 (Table 8, p.26)

#### The local picture

[Route 14’s 5.7mph](https://putney.news/2026/01/23/london-named-worlds-slowest-capital-as-putneys-buses-hit-crisis-point/) is not a snapshot. In 2020, when the roads were clear, it averaged 6.9mph. It has slowed by 17% over five years. And the problem is not general London congestion: [TfL’s own Excess Waiting Time data](https://putney.news/2026/03/17/putneys-buses-are-41-worse-than-the-rest-of-wandsworth-and-the-data-proves-the-junction-is-why/) shows routes 22 and 265 along Lower Richmond Road running 55% above TfL’s own target of one minute. Those same routes perform among the best in the borough after midnight, when junction traffic falls. The junction is not a contributing factor to Putney’s bus problem. It is the cause.

Paul Lynch, Managing Director of Stagecoach London, told the London Assembly Transport Committee in December that “endless traffic is driving passengers away” and that conditions were the worst in 40 years. Three of the five most complained-about bus routes in the entire TfL network serve Putney.

#### Where the fixes have worked

The CPT report documents three places that have already delivered the kind of improvement London needs.

Oxford introduced bus gates and coordinated traffic signals alongside free Park and Ride: patronage grew 12%, journey times fell 5.5%, and nine fewer buses were needed to run the same service.

Portsmouth applied priority measures across the city centre: journey times fell 31% and patronage grew 41% over two years. Aberdeen introduced bus gates with signal coordination: patronage grew 12.7% and journey times fell 17 to 18%.

All three involved traffic signal priority as a key part of the changes. All three required coordinated action between the local authority and the bus operator.

Putney’s junction already has traffic signals. In our case, the signal timing at the Putney Bridge junction that is causing the increase in congestion, has been a sticking point. The council maintains that the timing agreed was not what was implemented, and the result was months of traffic chaos.

There has yet to be a clear explanation for why the signaling was different to what was agreed and why it was changed: could it be that TfL surreptitiously introduced priority programming for buses? We are still to find out, a year later.

We do know that despite being a brand new junction that TfL did not introduce the latest version of its signaling technology which adapts on the fly to actual traffic patterns. We also know that it did not add cameras that can see bicycles and adjust timing accordingly, relying instead on older, dumber technology that tells whether a car is above it by recording the presence of metal.

The result has been a huge amount of green time wasted giving bicycles that aren’t even there priority over everything else.

But back to the BBC segment on Putney’s die bus speeds. One resident put it plainly: “Quicker to jog, surprise surprise.”

---

Putney’s buses: speed and reliability

Every route through Putney — latest available data

${k.label}`; }); h += ''; // Toggle h += `Show night buses (N22, N72, N33)`; // Bars const refPct = (LONDON\_AVG / SPEED\_MAX \* 100).toFixed(1); ROUTES.forEach(r => { if (r.night && !showNight) return; const pct = (r.mph / SPEED\_MAX \* 100).toFixed(1); const color = r.highlight ? 'var(--msm-data-negative)' : barColor(r.mph); const barH = r.highlight ? 26 : 20; const opacity = r.night ? 'opacity:0.55;' : ''; h += ``; h += `${r.route}

`; h += ``; h += ``; h += `

`; h += `

`; h += `

`; h += `${r.mph} mph

`; h += `

`; if (r.note) h += `${r.note}

`; }); // Reference line key h += '

London average (7.1 mph)

'; h += ''; h += 'Route 14 updated to 5.7 mph (2025). All other routes: TfL data via Putney.news, May 2024. Route 265 average boosted by its A3 section to Tolworth.

'; h += 'Sources: TfL bus performance data; Putney.news, May 2024 and January 2026

'; h += '

'; return h; } // ── COMPARE PANEL ───────────────────────────────────────────── function compareHTML() { let h = ''; COMPARE.forEach(b => { h += ``; h += `${b.label}

`; h += ``; h += `

`; h += `

`; h += ``; h += `${b.mph} mph`; h += `${b.sub}`; h += `

`; }); h += 'A 10% improvement in London bus speeds is worth £283.9m a year. Three measures would deliver it: bus lanes, traffic signal priority, and roadworks coordination. TfL says it is working on one of them.

'; h += 'Sources: CPT, *The Case for Faster Buses*, May 2026 (Table 6); Putney.news, January 2026

'; return h; } // ── EWT PANEL ───────────────────────────────────────────────── function ewtHTML() { let h = 'Excess Waiting Time (EWT): minutes beyond the timetable passengers wait on average. TfL\\'s target is 1.0 minute — operators face fines above it.

'; EWT.forEach(g => { h += ``; h += ``; h += `${g.label}`; h += `routes ${g.routes}`; h += `

`; h += ``; h += `

`; h += `

`; h += ``; h += `${g.ewt.toFixed(2)} min`; if (g.ewt > 1.0) h += `${g.pctAbove}% above TfL target`; h += `

`; if (g.note) h += `${g.note}

`; h += `

`; }); // Target bar h += ``; h += `TfL target

`; h += ``; h += `

`; h += `

`; h += `1.0 min

`; h += `

`; h += 'Source: TfL Quality of Service data, Q3 2025/26 (Sep 2025–Jan 2026), via Putney.news analysis, March 2026

'; return h; } // ── RENDER ──────────────────────────────────────────────────── let showNight = false; function renderPanel() { const panels = { routes: container.querySelector('#msm-pbb-panel-routes'), compare: container.querySelector('#msm-pbb-panel-compare'), ewt: container.querySelector('#msm-pbb-panel-ewt') }; Object.keys(panels).forEach(k => { panels\[k\].hidden = k !== activeTab; }); if (activeTab === 'routes') { panels.routes.innerHTML = routesHTML(showNight); const cb = container.querySelector('#msm-pbb-night'); if (cb) cb.addEventListener('change', e => { showNight = e.target.checked; renderPanel(); }); } if (activeTab === 'compare') panels.compare.innerHTML = compareHTML(); if (activeTab === 'ewt') panels.ewt.innerHTML = ewtHTML(); notifyParentHeight(); } // ── INIT ────────────────────────────────────────────────────── renderTabs(); renderPanel(); if (window.ResizeObserver) { new ResizeObserver(notifyParentHeight).observe(container); } })(); #### What comes next

*Putney.news* put specific questions to TfL about whether the traffic light revamp covers the Putney Bridge junction and when any improvement in bus journey times is expected.

A TfL spokesperson said:

> “We have regularly reviewed the traffic signals at Putney Bridge junction several times since the safety scheme was introduced to make sure they’re working as efficiently as possible.
> 
> We’re working closely with Wandsworth Council to help them improve journeys through this busy and complex area, helping the borough to make physical changes to the junction and road layout to help traffic flow better, as well as upgrading signal technology to respond more quickly and give longer green lights to the busiest routes.”

The BBC did not come to Putney by accident. They chose this junction, this bus, to illustrate a national story about slow buses. That choice is its own data point in a series that[ has been building since 2024](https://putney.news/2026/04/15/every-warning-proved-right-the-full-evidence-behind-putneys-broken-junction/).

Residents can submit feedback on bus performance directly to TfL at [tfl.gov.uk/help-and-contact](https://tfl.gov.uk/help-and-contact). London TravelWatch, the independent passenger watchdog, handles systemic complaints: [londontravelwatch.org.uk](https://londontravelwatch.org.uk/). Putney’s MP Fleur Anderson has previously raised Putney transport issues in parliament and can be contacted at . Ward councillors’ contact details are at [wandsworth.gov.uk/councillors](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/councillors).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/15/putneys-buses-are-so-slow-the-bbc-came-to-film-them/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/15/putneys-buses-are-so-slow-the-bbc-came-to-film-them/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20buses%20are%20so%20slow%20the%20BBC%20came%20to%20film%20them&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/15/putneys-buses-are-so-slow-the-bbc-came-to-film-them/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** bus, Fleur Anderson MP, Putney Bridge junction, Putney High Street, TfL, Wandsworth Council

---

### [AELTC said Wimbledon Park would gain 23% more nature from development. An expert says it's really 36% less](https://putney.news/2026/05/12/aeltc-said-wimbledon-park-would-gain-23-more-nature-from-development-an-expert-says-its-really-36-less/)

**Published:** May 12, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** A professional environmental scientist submitted detailed evidence before the approval. Here's what it found.

**Content:**

**UPDATED** When the Greater London Authority approved AELTC’s tennis development at Wimbledon Park in September 2024, it cited “enhanced biodiversity” as a benefit. The independent expert who had formally challenged that claim, using the government’s own measurement system, had calculated a 36% net loss.

The GLA had his analysis before it decided. It approved the scheme anyway.

This matters because the approval is still contested. [A legal appeal remains live](https://putney.news/2026/04/25/two-court-defeats-and-a-parliamentary-ambush-wimbledon-parks-residents-wont-give-up/), and the biodiversity evidence sits at the heart of whether the scheme should ever have been approved at all. We have [covered this dispute across](https://putney.news/2025/05/05/from-prestige-to-protest-inside-the-years-long-battle-over-wimbledon-park/) court challenges, a parliamentary amendment, and [a design critique](https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-man-who-designed-wimbledon-has-seen-the-plans-he-is-not-impressed-here-is-what-he-would-do-instead/).

But the biodiversity numbers are back in public view this week as The Friends of Wimbledon Park have published a key report as part of a consultation on Horse Close Wood, the ancient woodland on the park’s northern edge.

#### Who calculated the 36%

Dr David Dawson is a professional applied environmental scientist. From 1983 to 2006 he served as joint Head of the Mayor of London’s Environment Group, where he developed London’s Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation and the city’s biodiversity strategy. He has studied Wimbledon Park for over 40 years.

In June 2024, he submitted a detailed rebuttal of AELTC’s biodiversity claims to the GLA, three months before Deputy Mayor Jules Pipe made his decision. The rebuttal used the statutory Biodiversity Net Gain metric: the government’s mandatory system, introduced in February 2024, for measuring whether development leaves nature better or worse off. AELTC’s own assessment, submitted in May 2024, had used an older, superseded version of the same metric.

#### The numbers

The gap between the two sets of figures is not a rounding difference. It comes from a fundamental disagreement about what currently exists on the site.

AELTC’s May 2024 assessment put the baseline habitat value of the golf course at 167 area units. Dawson’s assessment, using the same statutory methodology, produced a baseline of 807 units, nearly five times higher. The baseline is everything. If you undervalue what is already there, any proposed replacement looks like an improvement.

---

Wimbledon Park BNG CalculationsFour calculations. Four different answers.

AELTC revised its biodiversity net gain claim three times between 2021 and 2024. An independent expert using the statutory metric reached the opposite conclusion.

AELTC’s own assessments

Three successive claims, each different. The final May 2024 assessment used Metric 3.1 — superseded by the statutory metric in February 2024.

  July 2021 +10% 

 +10% gain 

  May 2022 +13% 

 +13% gain 

  May 2024 +23% 

 +23% gain 

 Why the figures are so different: the baseline

AELTC (2024)

167

habitat units assessed before development

vs

Dr Dawson (2024)

807

habitat units on the same site — nearly 5x higher

Independent calculation — Dr David Dawson

Using the statutory metric (mandatory from February 2024), submitted to the GLA three months before the approval decision.

 June 2024 807 units to 518 = 36% net loss 

 -36% loss 

  6 of 9 failed AELTC’s calculation failed six of nine tests on an independent compliance checklist (Oxford University / Agile Initiative). AELTC also refused repeated requests to share its ecological survey data. 

Source: Dr D.G. Dawson, “Rebuttal of claimed biodiversity benefits of AELTC’s proposed intensive tennis development,” June 2024, Table 1 (p.6) and checklist (pp.7-9). Submitted to the Greater London Authority before the September 2024 approval decision.

---

Starting from 167 units, AELTC projected 205 units after development: a claimed 23% gain. Starting from Dawson’s 807, the same development produces only 518 units: a 36% loss.

AELTC’s own figures had already shifted three times before Dawson submitted his rebuttal. The July 2021 application claimed 10% gain. A May 2022 revision claimed 13%. The May 2024 version claimed 23%. Dawson calculated all three were wrong in the same direction.

AELTC described its own approach in confident terms in that final assessment: “AELTC has consistently strived for the attainment of excellence by ensuring that the project will deliver BNG that far exceeds the 10% currently specified as a mandatory requirement.”

When Dawson applied an independent checklist developed by Oxford University and the Agile Initiative, AELTC’s calculation failed six of nine compliance tests. The checklist’s authors have found that 21% of planning applications nationally contain biodiversity net gain errors, with half accepted by planning authorities without challenge.

AELTC was asked repeatedly from 2021 onwards to share its ecological survey data with Dawson so the two assessments could be compared directly. The request was refused.

#### What the site actually is

The disagreement about numbers flows from a deeper dispute: what the golf course is.

Dawson identifies it as Ancient Wood-pasture and Parkland, about 28 hectares where scattered veteran trees have stood in open pasture since at least the 1600s. Capability Brown incorporated the site into a designed landscape for the Earl of Spencer in 1766. Golf management began in 1898. The character has been continuous since.

Under national planning policy, Irreplaceable Habitats (a category that includes Ancient Parkland) cannot be traded for lesser habitats. Development causing their loss should normally be refused unless wholly exceptional circumstances apply. AELTC’s biodiversity assessment did not identify the site as Ancient Parkland.

The habitat losses Dawson calculates fall heaviest in two categories.

Ancient Parkland: 662 habitat units now, 394 predicted after development, a 40% loss. The veteran oaks include a Tudor Oak dated to around 1520. AELTC has “management plans for each veteran oak” according to its own documentation, but has refused to make them public despite freedom of information requests and direct correspondence.

Wet Woodland around the lake: a Priority Habitat, with units falling from 15.5 to 1.9, an 88% loss. Only 0.4 hectares of replacement wet woodland is proposed against the 0.75 hectares that would be removed.

The [lake’s condition has been a concern before](https://putney.news/2025/07/30/anglers-campaigners-point-to-aeltc-after-mystery-lake-spill/). The de-silting method AELTC proposes would, Dawson argues, severely pollute the water, threatening the European Eel and other protected species.

AELTC’s own ecological surveys identified 23 grassland species. Dawson’s independent survey found 99. The club’s assessment missed 75%. An earlier proposal for acid grassland creation was abandoned by AELTC after it was challenged. The Urban Greening Factor, which measures how green a development’s footprint is, would fall from 0.99 to between 0.82 and 0.70.

#### The approval

Dawson stated his conclusion plainly: “Independent, expert calculations show that the developer’s claimed 23% Biodiversity Net Gain is, in fact, a 36% Biodiversity Net Loss. This substantial net loss is a significant material consideration which we are hereby bringing to the attention of the Greater London Authority.”

---

Wimbledon Park Habitat LossesWhat would be lost

Dr Dawson’s habitat-by-habitat analysis of the two most affected categories, using the statutory Biodiversity Net Gain metric.

 Ancient Parkland Irreplaceable Habitat 

 -40% 

Veteran oaks and open pasture in continuous management since at least the 1600s. One oak dates to around 1520. Under national planning policy, Irreplaceable Habitats cannot be traded for lesser habitats.

 Now 662 habitat units 

 After

 394 units 

AELTC has management plans for each veteran oak but has refused to make them public despite freedom of information requests.

 Wet Woodland (Carr) around the lake Priority Habitat 

 -88% 

Carr woodland edging the lake — a rare and slow-growing habitat. Only 0.4 hectares of replacement proposed against 0.75 hectares that would be removed.

 Now 15.5 habitat units 

 After

 1.9 units 

The de-silting method proposed for the lake would, Dawson argues, severely pollute the water, threatening the European Eel and other protected species.

 These two categories account for the bulk of the calculated **36% net loss** across the whole site. Together they show why the baseline matters: AELTC assessed the site at 167 habitat units; Dawson counted 807.

Source: Dr D.G. Dawson, “Rebuttal of claimed biodiversity benefits of AELTC’s proposed intensive tennis development,” June 2024, Table 2 (pp.20-21). Submitted to the Greater London Authority before the September 2024 approval decision.

---

His view on what planning policy required was equally clear: “Since significant harm (a 36% loss) to biodiversity has now been established, and since Wimbledon Park golf course is an Irreplaceable Habitat, planning policy requires the planning decision-maker to refuse permission.”

Three months after receiving that submission, Deputy Mayor Jules Pipe approved the scheme. His press release cited “increased access to open green space and sport, new parkland and a host of new jobs,” and stated that the proposals would deliver “measurable biodiversity net gain of at least 10 per cent.” How the GLA weighed Dawson’s analysis in reaching that conclusion is not explained in the press release.

#### The consultation now open

This week’s publication of Dawson’s rebuttal comes through a consultation FOWP has launched on Horse Close Wood, on the northern edge of the same heritage landscape. Horse Close Wood is a Grade I Site of Importance for Nature Conservation, covering 1.7 hectares of Ash-Oak-Elm woodland dating to at least 1700. FOWP has published eight supporting documents on how the woodland should be managed, with Dawson’s biodiversity rebuttal among them.

The consultation Google Form closes when full. You can respond here: [FOWP Horse Close Wood consultation](https://forms.gle/LATu7CWGSibYACQC6). The full set of documents is at [friendsofwimbledonpark.org](https://www.friendsofwimbledonpark.org/consultation-horse-close-wood-management-plan).

#### What happens next

[Amendment 248 to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act is now law](https://putney.news/2026/04/22/done-in-seconds-the-wimbledon-park-amendment-is-now-on-the-statute-book/), having passed the Lords in April 2026. Its effect on the planning permission is contested. The legal appeal continues. You can follow developments at [savewimbledonpark.org](https://savewimbledonpark.org/).

The biodiversity dispute has always been central to those challenges. What this story establishes is the evidence: a credentialled expert using the statutory metric submitted a detailed calculation of 36% net loss before the decision was made. The GLA had it. It approved the scheme anyway.

---

After publication, we received a response from AELTC concerning this story and its biodiversity reports:

*AELTC says its 2024 Biodiversity Net Gain Assessment was completed in accordance with Natural England guidance, and was based on more than 1,000 hours of ecologist time on site and over 30,000 hours of post-survey assessment and data analysis.*

*The assessment was carried out with input from LUC, which worked with the London Wildlife Trust (LWT) throughout the process. AELTC says the intensive management regime of the golf course has restricted on-site biodiversity, and that the proposed development would deliver significant habitat enhancements.*

*These include extended broadleaved woodland, new species-rich woodland edge planting, newly created reedbeds around the lake, de-silting of Wimbledon Park Lake, the opening up of two brooks feeding the lake, new acid and neutral grassland, wildlife ponds, swales, and new habitat features for bats, Sand Martins, Kingfishers and eels.*

*AELTC says the assessment was scrutinised by the GLA, the London Boroughs of Merton and Wandsworth, and Natural England before the application was determined.*

 *On the question of whether the site constitutes Ancient Parkland – a classification that would make it an Irreplaceable Habitat under national planning policy – AELTC cites the GLA Hearing Report, which states that the London Wildlife Trust independently evaluated the baseline and did not suggest that it warrants such a classification.*

*GLA Officers said they were not convinced by representations that it should be so classified. The GLA Hearing Report also states that LWT evaluated the net gain assessment and concurred with its conclusions in full, noting that the assessment had been amended over time to incorporate LWT’s input, making it more precautionary than was originally the case.*

*GLA Officers concluded that a gain was achievable, particularly in the longer term, given a fully committed and implemented set of management and monitoring plans over a 30-year period.*

 *In its formal response to the planning application in June 2024, LWT said it fully supported the project and would continue to explore how it could work with AELTC to demonstrate how such schemes can deliver for nature.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/12/aeltc-said-wimbledon-park-would-gain-23-more-nature-from-development-an-expert-says-its-really-36-less/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/12/aeltc-said-wimbledon-park-would-gain-23-more-nature-from-development-an-expert-says-its-really-36-less/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=AELTC%20said%20Wimbledon%20Park%20would%20gain%2023%25%20more%20nature%20from%20development.%20An%20expert%20says%20it%E2%80%99s%20really%2036%25%20less&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/12/aeltc-said-wimbledon-park-would-gain-23-more-nature-from-development-an-expert-says-its-really-36-less/)

**Categories:** Environment, Planning, Wimbledon

**Tags:** AELTC, Friends of Wimbledon Park, GLA, Horse Close Wood, planning, Save Wimbledon Park, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Oasis Academy Putney now on course to close](https://putney.news/2026/05/15/oasis-academy-putney-now-on-course-to-close/)

**Published:** May 15, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Government has approved the closure in principle. Here is what happens next.

**Content:**

The Department for Education has granted in-principle approval to close Oasis Academy Putney, the most significant step yet in a process that began with the school’s formal closure proposal in February.

Oasis Community Learning, the academy trust that runs the school, [confirmed](https://www.oasisacademyputney.org/news-and-events/latest-news/news-post-page/~board/putney-news/post/proposal-to-close-oasis-academy-putney) the decision in a letter to families on Thursday morning. The trust said the DfE “has agreed that Oasis may continue to explore the possibility of closure,” with a more detailed government review now under way and a statutory listening period to follow.

In plain terms: the closure has cleared its biggest hurdle. A final decision is still to come, but the listening period that precedes it is, under DfE guidance, about how the closure happens, not whether it does.

The decision affects 112 pupils on the school’s roll, their families and the staff who work there. It also leaves a purpose-built primary on Putney Common, opened in 2017 and rated Good by Ofsted as recently as December 2024, on course to shut its doors in July.

---

Oasis Academy Putney closure: where we are now

The closure process has four stages from proposal to implementation. The Secretary of State has now approved closure in principle.

1. ✓ 
    
    Complete
    
    Closure proposed
    
    February 2026
2. ● 
    
    Today
    
    In principle approval
    
    14 May 2026
3. ○ 
    
    Next
    
    Listening period
    
    Minimum 4 weeks, term time
4. ○ 
    
    Then
    
    Final decision
    
    Secretary of State
 
Source: DfE statutory guidance, Closure of an academy by mutual agreement (October 2024); Oasis Community Learning statement to families, 14 May 2026

---

#### What happens next

The DfE will now examine the case in more detail, including value-for-money and equality assessments. A listening period of at least four weeks in term time will follow, in which families, staff, unions and community groups can put their views on what the closure should look like. The Secretary of State will then make the final decision.

That final decision is not a formality, but it is rarely reversed. The four Wandsworth primaries that have closed or transformed since 2023 (Broadwater, Christchurch, St Anne’s and Goldfinch) all reached this stage and all proceeded.

As we reported in February, [Oasis Academy Putney is closing this summer](https://putney.news/2026/02/11/oasis-academy-putney-closing-this-summer-amid-school-funding-crisis/) and pupils will need new schools by September.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Oasis-Putney_8149-1024x768.png)#### A good school caught in a wider crisis

The school has been operating at around 27 per cent of capacity, 112 pupils against space for 420, despite a Good Ofsted rating and key stage 2 results well above the national average. Quality teaching could not save it from the maths of school funding.

We set out the wider picture in October: [the borough’s school-funding death spiral](https://putney.news/2025/10/15/when-the-children-leave-inside-wandsworths-school-funding-death-spiral/), driven by falling birth rates, families leaving inner London and a funding formula that hits hardest the schools with the most disadvantaged pupils. Three other Wandsworth primaries (Griffin, West Hill and Falconbrook) are running below the council’s own stated minimum of 22 pupils per class.

#### What families can do now

[Our February guide for Oasis families](https://putney.news/2026/02/14/oasis-academy-putney-families-how-to-navigate-the-school-transfer/) covers the Wandsworth admissions process, support for children with Education, Health and Care Plans, and cross-borough transfers. The contacts below remain the right starting points.

- **Oasis Academy Putney:**  for questions about the closure or family support
- **Wandsworth admissions** (school places):  or 020 8871 7316 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm)
- **SEND families**, Wandsworth Information, Advice and Support Service (WIASS):  or 020 8871 8065

When the listening period is announced, families and community groups should make their views known. It is the last formal step at which the school community is asked anything.

![Oasis Academy Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Oasis-Putney_8155-1024x768.png)#### A new council, an old crisis

Aled Richards-Jones was confirmed as the new leader of Wandsworth Council on 13 May, taking over after a hung result in the 7 May local elections. His cabinet will not be formally appointed until the council’s Annual Meeting on 27 May. The new administration inherits the school funding crisis along with everything else, though the closure decision itself rests with the Secretary of State, not the council.

In February, the then cabinet member for children’s services, Cllr Judi Gasser, was asked at a scrutiny committee whether she could commit to no further closures. “I can’t make that commitment,” she said. “Some of the schools are struggling, some of the smaller ones. So I can’t promise you that. I wish I could, but I just can’t because there are not enough people having babies.”

Wandsworth Council was asked for comment on the in-principle decision and on the new administration’s position on school closures.

![Oasis Academy Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/oasis-academy-1-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/15/oasis-academy-putney-now-on-course-to-close/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/15/oasis-academy-putney-now-on-course-to-close/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Oasis%20Academy%20Putney%20now%20on%20course%20to%20close&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/15/oasis-academy-putney-now-on-course-to-close/)

**Categories:** Education, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Cllr Aled Richards-Jones, Cllr Judi Gasser, Lower Richmond Road, Putney Common, School Funding, thamesfield, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Roehampton man jailed for seven years in £1.5m cocaine operation](https://putney.news/2026/05/15/roehampton-man-jailed-for-seven-years-in-1-5m-cocaine-operation/)

**Published:** May 15, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Marc Evans ran a cutting and distribution network from his Burke Close bedroom. 

**Content:**

A Roehampton man has been jailed for seven and a half years for running a £1.5 million cocaine operation from his bedroom. The drugs arrived by car, packed in one-kilo blocks, at a handover point 100 metres from his front door.

Marc Evans, 52, of Burke Close, was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court yesterday alongside his courier, Lithuanian national Gvidas Smirnovas, 26, who received 11 years. A third man, known only as “Zico,” directed the operation and collected the cash. He has not been caught. “Whoever Zico is,” the prosecutor told the court, “he’s long gone.”

#### Caught on the street

Police watched the handover happen. On 15 July 2025, officers conducting surveillance in Arabella Drive saw Smirnovas park a black Hyundai, lift out a heavy blue and yellow bag, hand it to Evans, and return to the car. They stopped him within seconds. Eight kilograms of cocaine were in the vehicle.

Officers were at Evans’s door within minutes. In a suitcase in his bedroom: eight more kilograms, packed in one-kilo blocks. Five bore the stamp MR001, matching the blocks just seized from the car outside. The blue and yellow bag was on top of the suitcase, folded.

Also found: scales and knives coated in white powder, and lottery tickets. Evans had been using them to wrap smaller amounts for street-level dealing.

#### The value of the operation

A kilo block sells for £25,000 to £32,000 wholesale. Cut and sold on the street, it can generate up to £100,000. Across all 16 blocks recovered in the operation, the wholesale value was between £304,000 and £416,000. The street value: between £1.3 million and £1.6 million.

![Court 8 at Kingston Crown Court](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/kingston-crown-court-2-1024x768.png)#### Password is goose

Smirnovas handed police the PINs for all three of his drug-connected phones. His Waze navigation app showed he had made a delivery earlier the same day in the UB7 area (the postcode immediately north of Heathrow Airport) involving 15 kilograms.

Evans operated under the name “Fred,” taking orders from Zico. The messages showed drop instructions for SE1 and SE16, cash discussed in tens of thousands, and “paper” as the code word for money. One message read: “password is goose.”

Judge Brown found Evans a trusted figure within the group, given responsibility for both drugs and cash. “Both of you,” she told the defendants, “were playing vital roles.”

#### The sentences

Both men pleaded guilty. Evans did so at his first crown court appearance and received the maximum 25% reduction, cutting a 10-year sentence to seven-and-a-half years. Smirnovas pleaded to one count four weeks before a trial date and to the second count only after that trial date had passed; he received lower credit and was jailed for 11 years.

Both have been held on remand since their arrest almost a year ago. Prisoners serving determinate sentences are released after serving half their term. With remand time deducted, Evans is likely to be released in around three years; Smirnovas in around five.

The judge told both men: “Cocaine is extremely dangerous and addictive. It ruins lives. Drug dealing damages society. It damages local communities.”

Evans had 55 prior offences, including burglary and prison sentences. But his last conviction was 25 years ago, and both the Crown and the judge were clear it played no part in this sentencing; he was treated as a man of good character. His counsel told the court he had become involved partly because of significant debts. His partner Kylie Killgallon and friends were in court.

Smirnovas told the court he had been “utterly stupid,” had “messed up his life here and back home,” and wished to return to Lithuania.

#### The Angel

![The Angel Pub in Roehampton](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/angel-pub-with-sign-1024x768.png)Evans was a regular at [The Angel on Roehampton High Street](https://putney.news/2026/02/04/the-police-raided-it-with-a-helicopter-and-dogs-now-they-want-the-angel-pub-shut/), the pub raided three months after his arrest by 29 officers with a helicopter, dogs, and a battering ram. The raid found nothing.

[Former landlady Sally Cox](https://putney.news/2026/04/30/sally-cox-ran-the-angel-pub-for-12-years-then-29-officers-raided-her-home-and-found-nothing/) described Evans as pleasant and quiet. His social worker and employer gave similarly positive character references to the court. That image sits alongside the fact that he was storing and cutting 8kg of cocaine in his bedroom while his partner, son and young grandson were at home. The police applied to have The Angel shut down, a decision rejected by Wandsworth Council’s licensing committee despite the support of local councillors. It may have its licence suspended for three months, during which time the owners have promised a £300,000 renovation.

The Evans and Smirnovas convictions are part of a wider operation targeting drug supply across south west London, with arrests in Roehampton, Putney and Fulham. A third suspect, arrested in Fulham, is yet to face trial. In April, West Putney police [seized cannabis and £2,200 in cash in an arrest at Innes Gardens](https://putney.news/2026/04/21/police-seize-cannabis-and-2200-in-innes-gardens-arrest/), a separate case but part of the same pattern of drug supply activity the area has seen.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/15/roehampton-man-jailed-for-seven-years-in-1-5m-cocaine-operation/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/15/roehampton-man-jailed-for-seven-years-in-1-5m-cocaine-operation/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Roehampton%20man%20jailed%20for%20seven%20years%20in%20%C2%A31.5m%20cocaine%20operation&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/15/roehampton-man-jailed-for-seven-years-in-1-5m-cocaine-operation/)

**Categories:** Crime, Roehampton

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, Roehampton, Wandsworth Prison

---

### [Fulham Palace Road closed after Audi hits motorcycle at Wardo Avenue junction](https://putney.news/2026/05/14/fulham-palace-road-closed-after-audi-hits-motorcycle-at-wardo-avenue-junction/)

**Published:** May 14, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Traffic on all approaches to Putney Bridge at a standstill as queues grow during evening rush hour.

**Content:**

**UPDATED** A collision during the evening rush hour closed one of Putney’s main routes to Hammersmith.

Fulham Palace Road was closed in both directions after a black Audi SUV hit a motorcycle at the junction with Wardo Avenue on Thursday afternoon.

The collision happened at around 2pm, closing one of the main routes between Putney and Hammersmith just as the evening peak began. Traffic on all approaches to Putney Bridge came to a standstill as queues grew through the rush hour. The road has since reopened.

The motorcyclist, a 20-year-old man, was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to hospital. His injuries have since been confirmed as neither life-threatening nor life-changing.

Metropolitan Police officers, London Ambulance Service crews and London Fire Brigade all attended. No arrests have been made. Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting CAD 4040/14May.

Wardo Avenue is a residential street running west off Fulham Palace Road, between Putney Bridge and Hammersmith. Fulham Palace Road carries the A219, the main arterial route between the two, and serves routes 74, 220 and 430 as well as providing access to Charing Cross Hospital.

**Metropolitan Police statement:**
Officers were called at 2.01pm to reports of a collision between a car and a motorcyclist on Fulham Palace Road. The motorcyclist, a 20-year-old man, was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital. His injuries have since been confirmed as neither life-threatening nor life-changing. No arrests have been made. Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting CAD 4040/14May.

**London Ambulance Service statement:**
Paramedics were called at 1.56pm and arrived within four minutes. An ambulance crew and a clinical team manager attended, treated one patient at the scene and took him to a local hospital.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/14/fulham-palace-road-closed-after-audi-hits-motorcycle-at-wardo-avenue-junction/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/14/fulham-palace-road-closed-after-audi-hits-motorcycle-at-wardo-avenue-junction/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Fulham%20Palace%20Road%20closed%20after%20Audi%20hits%20motorcycle%20at%20Wardo%20Avenue%20junction&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/14/fulham-palace-road-closed-after-audi-hits-motorcycle-at-wardo-avenue-junction/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** bus, Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith and Fulham Council, Metropolitan Police, Putney Bridge, road safety, TfL, traffic, traffic congestion

---

### [The District Line is striking again. Four more dates you need to know about.](https://putney.news/2026/05/14/the-district-line-is-striking-again-four-more-dates-you-need-to-know-about/)

**Published:** May 14, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** East Putney, Putney Bridge and Southfields affected from Tuesday - eight peak journeys at risk through June.

**Content:**

The District Line is striking again, starting Tuesday. Four more action dates are scheduled between now and the end of June, and Putney commuters need to plan around them.

#### What to expect

Severe disruption, not a full shutdown. RMT tube drivers are striking; ASLEF drivers are not. TfL will run a reduced service across the line. Check the [TfL strikes page](https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/strikes) before you travel: the March strikes were suspended after talks progress, and a last-minute cancellation is possible again.

 DISTRICT RMT strike dates — remaining 

East Putney · Putney Bridge · Southfields

  ‹ Prev May 2026

2 strikes

  Next ›  

Mo

Tu

We

Th

Fr

Sa

Su

Strike starts midday

Disruption until noon

 Select a strike date for details · Check [tfl.gov.uk/campaign/strikes](https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/strikes) before travelling 

' + '' + s.out + '

' + '' + s.nextLabel + '

'; detail.classList.add('is-open'); } btnPrev.addEventListener('click', function() { goTo(cur - 1); }); btnNext.addEventListener('click', function() { goTo(cur + 1); }); // Open on the first month containing a future strike var today = new Date(); var todayDate = new Date(today.getFullYear(), today.getMonth(), today.getDate()); for (var mi = 0; mi < MONTHS.length; mi++) { var mo = MONTHS\[mi\]; var found = Object.keys(STRIKES).some(function(sk) { if (!sk.startsWith('2026-' + mo.month + '-')) return false; var parts = sk.split('-'); var skDate = new Date(parseInt(parts\[0\], 10), parseInt(parts\[1\], 10) - 1, parseInt(parts\[2\], 10)); return skDate >= todayDate; }); if (found) { cur = mi; break; } } render(); notifyResize(); })(); #### Why it is still happening

The RMT rejected TfL’s plan to compress the working week into four longer shifts, citing fatigue and safety concerns. No settlement has been announced. We covered the dispute in full when [the six dates were first announced in April](https://putney.news/2026/04/17/the-district-line-is-striking-six-times-here-are-the-dates/).

#### And in East Putney

East Putney is already the worst-performing tube station in London for signal failures. The strikes will compound reliability problems that were there before the dispute began, and that have been documented across [our wider transport coverage this spring](https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-week-sw15s-transport-network-fell-apart-all-at-once/).

For live updates on the day, check [tfl.gov.uk/campaign/strikes](https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/strikes).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/14/the-district-line-is-striking-again-four-more-dates-you-need-to-know-about/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/14/the-district-line-is-striking-again-four-more-dates-you-need-to-know-about/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20District%20Line%20is%20striking%20again.%20Four%20more%20dates%20you%20need%20to%20know%20about.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/14/the-district-line-is-striking-again-four-more-dates-you-need-to-know-about/)

**Categories:** East Putney, Southfields, Transport

**Tags:** District Line, East Putney, Putney Bridge, Putney train station, Southfields, TfL

---

### [The 500-year-old landscape that survived polo, a piggery and the Blitz - is it time to ditch the car park?](https://putney.news/2026/05/14/the-500-year-old-landscape-that-survived-polo-a-piggery-and-the-blitz-is-it-time-to-ditch-the-car-park/)

**Published:** May 14, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Friends of Wimbledon Park has opened a public consultation on the future of Horse Close Wood. Anyone can respond.

**Content:**

A consultation has opened on the future of Horse Close Wood, the small but ecologically important woodland on the northern edge of [Wimbledon Park](https://putney.news/venue/wimbledon-park/). [Friends of Wimbledon Park](https://putney.news/tag/friends-of-wimbledon-park/) launched the questionnaire this week. It takes about five minutes. Anyone can respond.

The wood sits inside a heritage landscape that has been here, in some form, since before Henry VIII. On the adjacent All England Club golf course, there is an oak estimated to date from around 1520. Horse Close Wood itself is younger. It dates to at least 1700, but it is one of the few old woods on alkaline soils in this part of south-west London, and home to rare bats, woodland birds including species of conservation concern, and native bluebells.

While [the development battle over that landscape continues through the courts and in Parliament](https://putney.news/2026/05/12/aeltc-said-wimbledon-park-would-gain-23-more-nature-from-development-an-expert-says-its-really-36-less/), the consultation is quieter business: what should happen to the wood regardless of what the development fight decides.

![Aerial map of Wimbledon Park showing Horse Close Wood, the athletic field, and surrounding paths.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/horse-close-wood-today-1024x577.jpg)The wood as it is today. Part of the plan is to get rid of the car park.The current management plan for the wood is ten years old and is being updated in partnership with the London Borough of Merton, which owns and manages the woodland. Wandsworth Council is the planning authority. Friends of Wimbledon Park is asking residents what the next decade should look like.

The questions are more substantive than they might sound. The draft revised management plan, available to read on the FOWP website alongside seven supporting documents, proposes that the car park at the western edge of the wood should be restored to woodland. The car park occupies 0.13 hectares, once wooded, and returning it to trees would bring the wood back to around 2 hectares. That proposal is the first priority in the draft plan. A further expansion of up to 1 hectare into the nearby Great Field is also proposed.

The consultation also asks about coppicing, a possible pond in the Great Field, paths, bramble, ivy, ash dieback management, oak processionary moths, dogs, and whether the Dave Lofthouse Glade (a wildflower meadow cleared from former National Grid works) should continue under meadow management. Each question maps to a real decision that will shape the wood for the next decade.

#### What the wood has been through

Horse Close Wood has survived a remarkable amount. It was incorporated into Capability Brown’s landscaping of the park in 1765. It later became the northern edge of a polo ground, then watched the polo stables become a piggery in the First World War, then allotments in the Second. A car park was built on the old farm site at some point in the 1950s and is still there today. Through all of it, the wood remained.

![Aerial black-and-white view of dense urban housing with rows of terraced houses surrounding a large rectangular central building and surrounding roads.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/horse-close-wood-1946-1024x927.jpg)Voew of Horse Close Wood from 1946 – just after the war – you can see the park had been turned into alotments.Since 2016, Friends of Wimbledon Park has been adding to it. Volunteers have planted around the edges, adding roughly a tenth of a hectare to the area, protecting old oaks and restoring ground lost over the years. The group wants to know what residents think should happen next.

#### How to take part

The consultation is open to everyone: no membership is required. A five-minute questionnaire is available at [friendsofwimbledonpark.org/consultation-horse-close-wood-management-plan](https://www.friendsofwimbledonpark.org/consultation-horse-close-wood-management-plan), or you can go directly to the [consultation form](https://forms.gle/LATu7CWGSibYACQC6). The draft management plan and all supporting background documents are linked from the same page.

Friends of Wimbledon Park has not published a closing date for the consultation. If you want to take part, do not leave it too long.

The wood has been here for over three centuries. How it is managed for the next one is something you can help answer this month.

![Section of a black-and-white map labeled Polo Ground, showing trees, a band stand, pavilion, and surrounding roads near Wimbledon/South Dean Gardens with a railway line on the right.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/horse-close-wood-1912-1024x615.jpg)A map from 1912 showing the wood. It survived the polo days. [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/14/the-500-year-old-landscape-that-survived-polo-a-piggery-and-the-blitz-is-it-time-to-ditch-the-car-park/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/14/the-500-year-old-landscape-that-survived-polo-a-piggery-and-the-blitz-is-it-time-to-ditch-the-car-park/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20500-year-old%20landscape%20that%20survived%20polo%2C%20a%20piggery%20and%20the%20Blitz%20%E2%80%93%20is%20it%20time%20to%20ditch%20the%20car%20park%3F&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/14/the-500-year-old-landscape-that-survived-polo-a-piggery-and-the-blitz-is-it-time-to-ditch-the-car-park/)

**Categories:** Environment, Southfields, Wimbledon

**Tags:** AELTC, public consultation, Save Wimbledon Park, Southfields, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Mayor's last big outing: opening Crisis knitting day this Sunday](https://putney.news/2026/05/14/mayors-last-big-outing-opening-crisis-knitting-day-this-sunday/)

**Published:** May 14, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Civic visit comes ten days before Wandsworth's new Conservative administration picks his successor.

**Content:**

The Mayor of Wandsworth, Councillor Jeremy Ambache, will open a knitting fundraiser at the Crisis charity shop on Putney High Street this Sunday afternoon. Locals are invited to come in, knit scarves, hats, socks or mittens, and be sponsored for the items they make. The finished pieces will be given to people experiencing homelessness; the sponsorship money will support the national charity’s work helping people leave homelessness behind.

The event runs from 2pm on Sunday 17 May at the Crisis shop at 97 Putney High Street, SW15 1SS. Beginners are welcome – the format is a drop-in, not a course – and anyone who wants to take part can register an interest with the shop directly or simply turn up.

Crisis runs seventeen ‘Shop from Crisis’ stores across London. The Putney shop opened in 2024 and sells donated clothes, books, vinyl, homeware and other preloved items, with all proceeds going to the charity’s frontline work. It also takes donations during opening hours.

Ambache, Labour councillor for West Putney, has held the mayoralty since May 2025: his second time in the role. The mayoralty passes to a new appointee at Wandsworth Council’s Annual Meeting on Wednesday 27 May, ten days after Sunday’s event. The outcome of that meeting will be the first formal civic appointment under the new Conservative-led administration confirmed this week.

#### Realities of homelessness

Crisis published research in 2023, based on interviews with 157 people who had slept rough in the previous two years, that makes for stark reading. Nine out of ten had experienced violence, abuse or theft while on the streets. More than half had been physically attacked. Three quarters had had their belongings stolen. In 70% of the 738 incidents recorded by participants, the perpetrator was not another rough sleeper or a criminal, but an ordinary member of the public. Nearly two thirds said they had been afraid for their lives or thought they might die.

The report also found that people who die while homeless do so young: the mean age at death is 45 for men and 43 for women.

Homelessness at this level rarely begins with personal failure. The research found that participants had experienced an average of eight separate issues before ending up on the streets, and that the single biggest driver was structural: the unaffordability of private renting. Seven out of ten named the prohibitive cost of securing private accommodation as the reason they had no choice but to sleep rough.

The full report — *[“I always kept one eye open”: The experiences and impacts of sleeping rough](https://www.crisis.org.uk/ending-homelessness/homelessness-knowledge-hub/cost-of-homelessness/i-always-kept-one-eye-open-the-experiences-and-impacts-of-sleeping-rough/)* — is available on the Crisis website. Locally, Wandsworth Council spent £37 million on homelessness in 2024–25, with nearly 4,000 children in the borough living in temporary accommodation as of November last year.

The Crisis shop welcomes donations of preloved items during opening hours and is contactable directly through the Putney High Street premises.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/14/mayors-last-big-outing-opening-crisis-knitting-day-this-sunday/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/14/mayors-last-big-outing-opening-crisis-knitting-day-this-sunday/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Mayor%E2%80%99s%20last%20big%20outing%3A%20opening%20Crisis%20knitting%20day%20this%20Sunday&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/14/mayors-last-big-outing-opening-crisis-knitting-day-this-sunday/)

**Categories:** Community

**Tags:** Cllr Jeremy Ambache, community, housing crisis, Putney High Street, Wandsworth Council

---

### [A Putney librarian, a local volunteer and a dementia group made it into David Attenborough's birthday video](https://putney.news/2026/05/11/a-putney-librarian-a-local-volunteer-and-a-dementia-group-made-it-into-david-attenboroughs-birthday-video/)

**Published:** May 11, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Singing for the Brain at Putney Library appears at 1 minute and 23 seconds in a worldwide choral tribute to Sir David.

**Content:**

At 1 minute and 23 seconds into a video watched around the world, you will find Putney Library’s Singing for the Brain group.

Friday was Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday. To mark it, British composer Pete M. Wyer assembled choirs from across the globe into a single collaborative piece. The video went live on his birthday, went global, and Putney Library’s Singing for the Brain group is in it.

The group meets weekly at the library and is primarily for people with dementia, though all are welcome. Frances set it up before Katy Homden, who works for GLL at Putney Library, even arrived. Frances and Marcia lead it together. “We even have a regular youngster!” Katy says.

The group’s participation came together through a small chain of people giving their time. Maria, also of Putney Library, first suggested the group submit an entry. Katy contacted the composer. Hannah, a local singing teacher, volunteered to teach the group the piece, spending several weeks working through the music with them. The submission went in. Wyer wrote back to say he found it moving.

Their voices are not just in the video for 23 seconds. Katy says the group’s voices are there throughout: blended with the on-screen choir across the whole piece.

Putney Library has been a [recurring presence](https://putney.news/2026/04/19/the-man-whos-been-coming-to-putney-library-for-70-years/) in this community’s life in ways that rarely make headlines. This week it contributed a quiet dementia group to a global cultural moment, without a press release, without fanfare. They just did it.

The video is at the link below. Putney Library appears at 1:23.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/11/a-putney-librarian-a-local-volunteer-and-a-dementia-group-made-it-into-david-attenboroughs-birthday-video/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/11/a-putney-librarian-a-local-volunteer-and-a-dementia-group-made-it-into-david-attenboroughs-birthday-video/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=A%20Putney%20librarian%2C%20a%20local%20volunteer%20and%20a%20dementia%20group%20made%20it%20into%20David%20Attenborough%E2%80%99s%20birthday%20video&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/11/a-putney-librarian-a-local-volunteer-and-a-dementia-group-made-it-into-david-attenboroughs-birthday-video/)

**Categories:** Community, Health

**Tags:** community, Music, Positively Putney, Putney Library

---

### [Aled Richards-Jones confirmed as Wandsworth's new council leader](https://putney.news/2026/05/13/aled-richards-jones-confirmed-as-wandsworths-new-council-leader/)

**Published:** May 13, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Peter Graham confirmed as Deputy Leader, with full cabinet to follow on 27 May.

**Content:**

Aled Richards-Jones has been confirmed as the next Leader of Wandsworth Council after Conservative councillors re-elected him unanimously as group leader, alongside Peter Graham as Deputy Leader and Guy Humphries as Chief Whip.

The formal appointment will be made at the council’s Annual Meeting on 27 May, when cabinet and committee roles are also confirmed.

An anticipated internal challenge, widely expected ahead of the [7 May election](https://putney.news/2026/05/08/grimston-kingmaker-as-wandsworth-delivers-hung-council/) which returned a hung council, never materialised. The challenge was expected to come from Putney-association councillors and failed to find the numbers.

The election results explain why: Battersea-association wards delivered a net gain of seven Conservative seats. Putney-association wards gained two. Battersea now holds 13 of the 29 Conservative seats on the council, the largest single bloc. Putney holds 11. Tooting holds five.

#### What happens on 27 May

The Annual Meeting is the formal occasion at which the council’s senior posts are confirmed. The 8 May vote settled the Conservative group’s internal leadership. The 27 May meeting settles the rest: cabinet posts, committee chairs, and the Mayor.

Three names are already locked in: Richards-Jones as Leader, Graham as Deputy, Humphries as Chief Whip. The cabinet around them is not yet known, but the outgoing Opposition Speaker roles point to who is in pole position.

Peter Graham held the Finance Overview and Scrutiny brief throughout 2022 to 2026 and is the obvious continuity pick for Finance. Kim Caddy, who stood down at this election, combined Deputy Leader with the Finance shadow brief, setting a precedent for the pairing. Matt Corner held Housing. Will Sweet, a former Cabinet Member for Education and Planning Committee Chairman, held Children’s. Dan Hamilton, a former Deputy Leader of the Council with multiple cabinet positions behind him, held Transport. All four are in line for continuity briefs.

---

The expected Wandsworth Conservative cabinet

Seven seats. Two confirmed when the Conservative group elected its leadership on 8 May. One self-reported at a public hustings in April. Four predicted by Putney.news based on shadow briefs held 2022 to 2026, to be confirmed at the council’s Annual Meeting on 27 May.

  Leader of the Council

Aled Richards-Jones

Confirmed

 Deputy Leader & Finance

Peter Graham

Confirmed

 Housing

Matt Corner

Expected

 Children

Will Sweet

Expected

 Health

Melanie Hampton

Expected

 Environment

Ethan Brooks

Self-reported

 Transport

Dan Hamilton

Expected

Sources: Wandsworth Conservative group statement, 8 May 2026; Wandsworth Council member directory; Wandsworth Conservatives ward pages; Ethan Brooks at Putney hustings, 13 April 2026; Putney.news analysis of shadow briefs held 2022 to 2026.

---

#### The Putney three to watch

Putney’s 11 councillors include three with cabinet-level credentials.

Ethan Brooks, who held Thamesfield, is the only Putney councillor with a publicly named shadow brief. He told [Putney’s first hustings on 13 April](https://putney.news/2026/04/14/putneys-first-hustings-the-claims-that-didnt-survive-the-evidence/) that if the Conservatives took the council back, the environment portfolio would be his, covering rubbish and recycling, parks, leisure and sport.

Melanie Hampton, newly elected for West Putney, is the experienced returner. The Conservatives’ own ward page describes her as a former Chairman of the Finance Committee and a former Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Health. She returns after eight years as a councillor. Whether the new leadership gives her a senior brief, or whether her experience is set aside in favour of the new Battersea intake, is one of the open questions of the 27 May meeting.

Ravi Govindia, who led the council from 2011 to 2022, won East Putney by 20 votes. He held no shadow brief in the outgoing council. Chair of the Planning Committee is the obvious continuity role given his portfolio history. If he does not get it, the politics of that decision will be worth reading carefully.

---

How the Conservative group shifted

Wandsworth Conservative seats by constituency association, 2022 vs 2026.

 Battersea

8 wards

+7

2022

6

2026

13

 Battersea association: 6 seats in 2022, 13 seats in 2026, net change plus 7. 

 Putney

7 wards

+2

2022

9

2026

11

 Putney association: 9 seats in 2022, 11 seats in 2026, net change plus 2. 

 Tooting

7 wards

+3

2022

2

2026

5

 Tooting association: 2 seats in 2022, 5 seats in 2026, net change plus 3. 

 Total Conservative seats

 17 → 29 +12 

Source: Putney.news analysis of 2022 and 2026 Wandsworth Council election results.

---

#### How the challenge collapsed

The leadership challenge was an open secret. We reported in [August last year](https://putney.news/2025/08/08/exclusive-wandsworth-council-in-meltdown-as-conservative-jumps-ship-to-reform-amid-brutal-power-wars/) that Richards-Jones and his ally Will Sweet were “fighting for their political lives against a faction pushing for wholesale change ahead of May 2026’s crucial council elections.” Mark Justin, a sitting Nine Elms Conservative, had defected to Reform UK after being deselected.

The challenge to Richards-Jones was expected to come from Putney Conservatives: their gain of two new seats came almost entirely from West Putney, where the party picked up two more councillors. The other Putney wards held what they had.

Battersea’s seven-seat gain came across Balham, Battersea Park, St Mary’s and Lavender. The new Battersea candidates intake was selected by those loyal to Richards-Jones, who himself sits for Northcote in the Battersea, with those judged less likely to vote for him as leader purged.

A challenge against a leader who has just delivered 29 seats and the largest group on a hung council is, in any case, a difficult sell. Richards-Jones can credibly say he delivered. The faction war that filled the months before polling day went quiet on counting day and stayed quiet on 8 May.

---

Wandsworth’s leadership has walked east

The five leaders of Wandsworth Council since 1983, mapped to the wards they sat for, with each Conservative Constituency Association outlined. The first three leaders came from Putney; the last two come from Battersea.

  Wandsworth Council leaders since 1983  1 Paul Beresford 1983 to 1992 

 2 Eddy Lister 1992 to 2011 

 3 Ravi Govindia 2011 to 2022 

 4 Simon Hogg 2022 to 2026 

 5 Aled Richards-Jones 2026– 

Ward boundaries: Office for National Statistics (December 2024). Conservative Association boundaries: Putney.news analysis based on Wandsworth Conservatives party records and the 2022 ward boundary review. Leader records: Wandsworth Conservatives party records; Wandsworth Council member directory; Wandsworth Conservative group statement, 8 May 2026.

---

#### Nearly four decades, ending

From 1983 to 2022, a stretch of 39 years, Wandsworth Council was led by Conservatives whose wards sat inside the Putney constituency association. Paul Beresford from Thamesfield led from 1983 to 1992. Eddy Lister, also from Thamesfield, led from 1992 to 2011. Ravi Govindia from East Putney led from 2011 until Labour took the council in 2022.

Three successive leaders. Three Putney-association wards. Nearly four decades of council leadership rooted in Thamesfield and East Putney.

Richards-Jones sits for Northcote, in the Battersea constituency association. When he takes the chain of office on 27 May, the Putney run ends. It is the kind of structural change that is rarely announced and easy to miss. But the centre of gravity has moved.

It is also worth saying what this is not. Putney Conservatives are not in decline. They gained two seats. The accurate framing is relative shift: the Battersea bloc grew faster.

That said, the Conservative vote share fell significantly across the borough as third-party candidates broke through. An analysis of the ward-level results suggests that an additional three-point swing away from the Conservatives at this election would have cost them seven seats. A five-point swing would have cost them thirteen.

As things stand however, the Conservatives hold 29 seats. Labour holds 28. Malcolm Grimston, the Independent councillor for West Hill, holds the remaining one. Even with Grimston’s support a Conservative administration will have to govern on the narrowest possible margin. A group of 29 cannot afford to lose a single councillor across the four years that follow: a defection or a by-election loss would shift the balance the other way.

#### What readers can watch

The Annual Meeting agenda will be published on the council’s [democracy portal](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx) approximately a week before 27 May. Cabinet and committee membership will be confirmed at the meeting itself, which is open to the public and webcast. The Conservative association websites publish portfolio information once roles are formally taken.

The next stage of this story is the cabinet announcement on 27 May. Three names known. The rest to come.

---

*Wandsworth Conservatives have a standing invitation to respond to this analysis or correct any factual claim via putney.news.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/13/aled-richards-jones-confirmed-as-wandsworths-new-council-leader/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/13/aled-richards-jones-confirmed-as-wandsworths-new-council-leader/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Aled%20Richards-Jones%20confirmed%20as%20Wandsworth%E2%80%99s%20new%20council%20leader&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/13/aled-richards-jones-confirmed-as-wandsworths-new-council-leader/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** Cllr Aled Richards-Jones, Cllr Ethan Brooks, Cllr Melanie Hampton, Cllr Peter Graham, Cllr Ravi Govindia, Cllr Simon Hogg, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council

---

### [East Putney shoplifter arrest announced day before Ward Panel meeting](https://putney.news/2026/05/13/east-putney-shoplifter-arrest-announced-day-before-ward-panel-meeting/)

**Published:** May 13, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Residents pick three local policing priorities Wednesday at Putney High School.

**Content:**

East Putney officers have arrested a prolific shoplifter on a recent foot patrol. They were already known to the ward team, on a Criminal Behaviour Order, and in breach of bail conditions.

Officers recovered a hidden bottle and returned it to the shop. They were then taken back to prison.

It is the ward team’s first community update in nearly a fortnight. Shoplifting has been a continuing concern across Putney. Thamesfield police officers made a [similar arrest in January](https://putney.news/2026/01/15/putney-shoplifting-arrest-as-police-tackle-crime-surge/), when a man was caught taking more than £200 of women’s clothing from a high street shop.

The announcement came the day before East Putney’s Ward Panel meeting – happening tonight – where residents set local policing priorities for the next three months. Shopkeepers, staff and residents who have witnessed shoplifting are exactly the people Ward Panels exist to hear from.

The ward team’s current priorities are drug-related violence on Rayners Road, Cabalt Road, Carlton Drive and Strathan Close; burglary across the ward; and vehicle crime, particularly high-end cars in the south of the ward. Shoplifting is not on the list. Wednesday’s panel is where that could change.

The meeting is at 6pm tonight at [Putney High School](https://putney.news/venue/putney-high-school/) library. As well as pick the three local issues they most want officers to focus on, the meeting is an opportunity to meet the ward’s police team in person to raise specific concerns. The priorities set on Wednesday will shape foot patrols, targeted operations and partnership work for the next three months. Anyone with a view on shoplifting or other crime in the area can shape what comes next.

For residents who can’t make Wednesday, reports of shoplifting or suspicious activity at a high street shop go to 101 or [met.police.uk](https://www.met.police.uk/). Anonymous reports go to [Crimestoppers](https://crimestoppers-uk.org/) on 0800 555 111. Officers also publish ward updates through Met Engage, the Met’s free community alert system.

Wednesday’s meeting is the simplest way for residents to push shoplifting up the list of local policing priorities.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/13/east-putney-shoplifter-arrest-announced-day-before-ward-panel-meeting/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/13/east-putney-shoplifter-arrest-announced-day-before-ward-panel-meeting/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=East%20Putney%20shoplifter%20arrest%20announced%20day%20before%20Ward%20Panel%20meeting&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/13/east-putney-shoplifter-arrest-announced-day-before-ward-panel-meeting/)

**Categories:** Crime, East Putney

**Tags:** East Putney, Metropolitan Police, public safety, thamesfield

---

### [Putney's hospitals are second worst-run in London, staff say](https://putney.news/2026/05/13/putneys-hospitals-are-second-worst-run-in-london-staff-say/)

**Published:** May 13, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Only one of 18 London NHS trusts ranked lower on the latest staff survey.

**Content:**

Putney’s hospitals are the second worst-run in London, according to their own staff.

Only one London NHS trust ranked lower than the one running Queen Mary’s Hospital in Roehampton and St George’s Hospital in Tooting.

St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust came 17th of 18 in the latest NHS Staff Survey.

The results were published last month and the St George’s NHS Trust Board discussed its position at its 8 May meeting. We won’t know until the end of the week what it said.

Staff survey results matter because regulators treat them as a leading indicator of patient experience. The Care Quality Commission and Healthwatch lean on the data when judging whether a trust is well-led. The survey asks staff under the NHS People Promise framework about leadership, recognition and working conditions, and combines the results into two overall scores: engagement and morale.

For the patients of Queen Mary’s and St George’s, the result is the closest available signal of how their hospital is run. Trusts where staff don’t recommend their workplace also tend to be trusts where staff are harder to keep, with knock-on effects on shifts and continuity of care.

Queen Mary’s, the closer of the two hospitals for most Putney residents, was [saved from losing its minor injuries unit](https://putney.news/2025/09/25/victory-for-people-power-as-queen-marys-minor-injuries-unit-saved-from-closure/) by a community campaign last autumn.

The 2025 survey was carried out in October and November 2025, while St George’s was still operating as its own organisation. Since March 2026 it has been part of [GESH](https://putney.news/2026/03/14/the-long-road-to-merger-how-st-georges-planned-its-future-while-its-hospitals-struggled/), a group that also runs Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust. New chief executive [Mat Shaw](https://putney.news/2026/04/11/new-boss-of-putneys-hospital-group-starts-with-visit-to-queen-marys/) started in April and made Queen Mary’s his first stop.

London NHS trusts staff survey ranking 2025Putney’s hospitals at the bottom of London

2025 NHS Staff Survey: Overall Performance Score across 17 London acute and community NHS trusts. Higher is better. Score combines the seven People Promise themes with staff engagement and morale.

 Other London trusts St George’s (runs Queen Mary’s) London average (6.41) 

Source: NHS Staff Survey 2025 benchmark data (NHS England, published 12 March 2026). Overall Performance Score and methodology as used in St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Group Board paper, 8 May 2026. Cohort: 17 London Acute and Community Trusts.

#### Earlier staff concerns

This is not the first time staff at the trust have been a public issue. In September 2025, [hospital bosses banned staff from sharing a petition](https://putney.news/2025/09/09/hospital-bosses-ban-staff-from-sharing-petition-as-queen-marys-campaign-soars-to-9000/) opposing service cuts at Queen Mary’s. Two months later, we set out [evidence of toxic culture and racism](https://putney.news/2025/11/01/toxic-culture-and-racism-exposed-inside-trust-behind-queen-marys-cuts/) inside the trust. The new survey result is the staff’s own published verdict, on top of those earlier accounts.

The 2026 NHS Staff Survey runs in the autumn, with national results expected in early 2027. Trusts that score poorly are usually expected to publish action plans setting out specific measures and timescales. The group board’s next meeting is on 9 July, at Queen Mary’s.

Patients and families with concerns about care can contact the trust’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service at . [Healthwatch Wandsworth](https://www.healthwatchwandsworth.co.uk/) gathers patient experience independently of the trust. NHS staff with concerns about their own workplace can raise them through their trust’s Freedom to Speak Up guardian.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/13/putneys-hospitals-are-second-worst-run-in-london-staff-say/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/13/putneys-hospitals-are-second-worst-run-in-london-staff-say/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20hospitals%20are%20second%20worst-run%20in%20London%2C%20staff%20say&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/13/putneys-hospitals-are-second-worst-run-in-london-staff-say/)

**Categories:** Health

**Tags:** accountability, NHS, Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton, St George's hospital

---

### [What Wandsworth's council would look like if votes actually decided it](https://putney.news/2026/05/09/what-wandsworths-council-would-look-like-if-votes-actually-decided-it/)

**Published:** May 9, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** The Greens would hold 10 seats. Instead they hold none. The arithmetic behind the result.

**Content:**

Somewhere in the part of Putney near the river on Thursday, on one street, perhaps in one block of flats, there were 25 people who voted Conservative on Thursday who might just as easily have voted Lib Dem.

Had they had decided differently, the shape of Wandsworth politics for the next four years would look entirely different. The exact same scenario played out in Tooting Broadway with the Greens. Two streets. Two dozen people among thousands. Two radically different outcomes.

Based on the results across the UK yesterday, it’s now undeniable that we have entered a period of multi-party politics. Green party leader Zack Polanski captured the mood: “Two party politics is not just dying, it is dead and it is buried,” he said in widely quoted remarks.

Wandsworth has never done multi-party. And this week was no exception. But it came very close and the tension has meant we’ve ended up in the perverse position where one man, standing on his own in West Hill [can effectively decide how 300,000 people are governed](https://putney.news/2026/05/09/the-man-wandsworth-cant-ignore-any-more/).

This is about what nearly happened.

#### The vote that counted for nothing

The final count was Conservative 29, Labour 28, one independent. No party has a majority. Everything Wandsworth Council decides for the next four years passes through Malcolm Grimston, the independent councillor who topped the West Hill poll with more than double the votes of his nearest rival. The balance of power turned on fewer people than fill a Putney café on a Saturday morning.

Votes vs Seats — Wandsworth 2026A third of the votes. Zero seats.

In Wandsworth’s 2026 election, the Greens, Lib Dems and Reform together won 33.7% of votes cast. Under first-past-the-post, that translated to nothing.

Votes cast

Seats won

**Conservatives won 29 seats on 31.2% of the vote.** The Greens won 17.3% of votes and hold no seats. The combined third-party vote (33.7%) exceeds the Conservative total, yet only Conservative and Labour candidates were elected.

Source: Wandsworth Council election results, 7 May 2026. 58 total seats.

Third parties took more than a third of all votes cast across the borough. The Greens won 17.3%, nearly double their 8.9% in 2022. The Liberal Democrats took 9.1%. Reform UK, absent entirely in 2022, added 7.3%. Together: [33.7% of the vote, zero seats](https://putney.news/2026/05/08/squeezed-from-both-sides-how-labour-lost-wandsworth/).

The Conservatives won 29 seats on 31.2% of the vote. A party that received fewer votes than the combined third-party total controls the largest single bloc on the council.

That is not an argument for any particular voting system. It is the arithmetic fact that makes the near-misses matter. In a council balanced this finely, one or two third-party seats would not have been decorative. They would have held a veto over every decision either main party wanted to make.

Three wards (Thamesfield, Tooting Broadway, West Hill) account for nine of the ten nearest misses. Two parties, two very different stories of why they came so close and fell short.

Near misses — Wandsworth 2026How close they came

Third-party candidates who came closest to winning a seat in the 2026 Wandsworth elections — and how far the vote had shifted to get them there.

  The near misses The surge 

 The black line marks the last elected candidate’s vote total. Each bar shows how far the third-party candidate reached. Gap shown in votes.

 Vote share in key wards, 2022 vs 2026.

Source: Wandsworth Council election results, 7 May 2026

#### Tooting Broadway: a swing of 26

The Green surge in Wandsworth was borough-wide, but it concentrated hardest in Tooting Broadway. The party took 5.8% there in 2022. On Thursday it took 35%, a rise of more than 29 percentage points in a single cycle. Three Green candidates [combined for 5,373 votes](https://putney.news/2026/05/08/squeezed-from-both-sides-how-labour-lost-wandsworth/).

The last Labour seat went to Rex Osborn with 1,956 votes. Michael Bankole, the leading Green candidate, polled 1,905. Fifty-one votes separated them.

Had Bankole taken that seat, Labour’s position on the council would have shifted. The party would have held 27 seats, not 28. The Greens would have held one. With Grimston’s independent seat already the balance point, a Green councillor would have added a second veto, a position from which either the Greens or Grimston, or both acting together, could block anything either main party proposed.

What drove the surge? The Greens ran a broad, positive campaign: borough-wide social media, heavy use of video, consistent presence. We fact-checked their manifesto and [rated it A](https://putney.news/2026/05/05/make-hope-normal-the-greens-wandsworth-manifesto-checked/): an honest rundown of the issues Wandsworth faces and what their plans were to fix them. [Labour’s was rated C](https://putney.news/2026/04/19/built-500-brand-new-council-homes-or-366-or-90-wandsworth-labours-record-checked/). The Conservatives [came in between](https://putney.news/2026/04/13/high-quality-services-or-decades-of-stagnation-the-conservatives-record-checked/). Roughly 80% of the Green gain came from voters who had backed Labour in 2022: for every Green vote taken from the Conservatives, 4.4 came from Labour.

The campaign earned those votes. A swing of 26 more would have converted them.

![Detailed street map of Putney area showing red boundary outlines, river, bridges, and blue location markers.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/thamesfield_ward_map-1024x438.png)#### Thamesfield: a swing of 25

The closer miss, by a single vote on the raw count, was not in Tooting Broadway but in Thamesfield. And it reveals a strategic error that will occupy Lib Dem thinking for a while.

In 2022, the lowest Conservative winner in Thamesfield polled 2,212 votes. The strongest Lib Dem candidate polled 744. The gap was 1,468 votes. In a single cycle, the Lib Dems closed that to 50. Josh Hughes finished with 2,033; the last Conservative winner held on with 2,083.

The Lib Dems had two target seats in Putney: Thamesfield and Southfields. Thamesfield was not just the closer fight, it was the better fight by every measure. All three Lib Dem candidates there needed smaller swings than the next closest Lib Dem candidate, Sue Wixley running in Southfields. The party could have won all three Thamesfield seats before a single Southfields candidate got home; a concentration of resources would have changed the entire political course of Wandsworth.

Incredibly, the Lib Dems make the same mistake four years ago when they concentrated all their resources behind the same candidate in Nine Elms, a newly created ward at the opposite end of the borough, well away from their core support. She came sixth out of eight candidates with 212 votes. Four years on, the same pattern: resources following a candidacy rather than the numbers, into a ward where the maths showed it was a bad bet.

#### Reform: the campaign that fought itself

The national Reform story in May 2026 is over 300 new councillors and a vote share above 27%. In Wandsworth, the party took 7.3% of the vote and won nothing, but the numbers are not the whole story.

Reform’s Wandsworth campaign was marked by public discord. Candidates criticised other candidates in front of voters; arguments that should have been internal spilled into the public campaign. The energy that might have reached a wider electorate went elsewhere.

The contrast with the Greens is instructive. Both parties were running in Wandsworth for the first time at scale. One built a coherent, positive campaign that nearly broke through. One fought internally. The Greens took 17.3% and came within a swing of 26 votes of a seat; Reform took 7.3% and was not competitive in any ward. Third-party politics requires internal coherence before it can convert votes into seats. The Greens demonstrated this. Reform demonstrated the alternative.

Reform’s strongest wards were the most deprived: Roehampton 15%, Shaftesbury and Queenstown 11.3%, Falconbrook 10.2%. Its weakest were the most affluent: Northcote 4.4%, Balham 4.3%. A more disciplined campaign in those deprived wards, where the message had genuine traction, might have produced different arithmetic.

Wandsworth Council — what the votes builtThe council the votes built — and the one they didn’t

Each square represents one of Wandsworth’s 58 council seats. Toggle between the actual result and what proportional representation would have produced.

 Thursday’s result Under proportional representation 

Source: Wandsworth Council election results, 7 May 2026. PR calculated using D’Hondt method (58 seats).

There is a parallel version of Thursday’s result that requires no near-misses, no favourable swings, no strategic errors corrected. It just requires a different voting system.

Under proportional representation, whichever of the main variants you apply, the 2026 Wandsworth result would have seen a split of votes across parties.

The three main PR methods used in British elections (D’Hondt, used for the London Assembly; Sainte-Laguë, used across Scandinavia; and the Hare Largest Remainder system) produce almost identical outcomes here. That consistency matters: it means the numbers below are not a product of method-selection. They are what the votes actually represent.

Under any of them, the Greens win 10 seats. The Lib Dems win five. Reform wins four. Labour and the Conservatives each lose roughly ten seats compared to Thursday’s result.

The coalition arithmetic changes entirely. Under first-past-the-post, Malcolm Grimston is the kingmaker: one independent councillor decides everything.

Under PR, Labour cannot reach a majority without the Greens: Labour plus Green is exactly 30, the bare threshold. The Conservatives cannot reach 30 with Reform (22 seats combined), with the Lib Dems (23 or 24), or even with the Greens (28 or 29). To govern at all, either main party would need to negotiate seriously with the parties that, on Thursday, won a third of the votes and not a single seat.

This is not an argument for changing the system. It is the illustration of what the system does: it translates the same votes into two entirely different councils, and two entirely different balances of power.

#### What a swing of 25 actually means

The two closest seats needed a swing of 25 and 26 votes respectively, in wards where thousands of ballots were cast. A swing at that scale is not a tide. It is a street. A good canvassing session. A well-placed leaflet drop in the right two hundred houses.

Scale up slightly and the picture changes further. A swing of 87 votes in West Hill adds a third third-party seat. A swing of 121 takes Tooting Bec. By a swing of around 165 votes across six wards simultaneously, Wandsworth Council has seven fewer Conservative and Labour councillors and seven more Greens and Lib Dems. At that point neither main party can pass anything without negotiating with people who are not from either party, alongside Grimston.

The balance of power now rests with Grimston alone. He got there partly because parties that could have shared it came 25 votes short in one ward and 26 in another. Whether they draw the right lessons from Thursday will determine whether 2030 looks different. The swing exists. It is smaller than a street.

---

*Correction: In one of the mentions of Malcolm “Kingmaker” Grimston in this article, we wrongly called him Graham. A lack of sleep is the official cause.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/09/what-wandsworths-council-would-look-like-if-votes-actually-decided-it/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/09/what-wandsworths-council-would-look-like-if-votes-actually-decided-it/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=What%20Wandsworth%E2%80%99s%20council%20would%20look%20like%20if%20votes%20actually%20decided%20it&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/09/what-wandsworths-council-would-look-like-if-votes-actually-decided-it/)

**Categories:** Election 2026, Politics, Southfields, Thamesfield

**Tags:** thamesfield, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council, West Hill

---

### [The pharmacy inside Putneymead surgery has closed - here is where to collect your prescriptions now](https://putney.news/2026/05/12/the-pharmacy-inside-putneymead-surgery-has-closed-here-is-where-to-collect-your-prescriptions-now/)

**Published:** May 12, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Paydens shuts after financial difficulties at parent group; prescriptions transfer automatically to Putney Pharmacy next door.

**Content:**

The pharmacy inside Putneymead surgery has closed. Patients collecting prescriptions should now go to Putney Pharmacy at 278 Upper Richmond Road, the independent pharmacy immediately to the left of the surgery as you face it from the street.

Paydens Pharmacy at 266A Upper Richmond Road shut at the weekend. A notice has confirmed the merger with Putney Pharmacy: prescriptions have transferred automatically and no action is needed by patients. “You can start collecting your prescriptions from Putney Pharmacy from now,” the notice reads.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/pharmacy-to-pharmacy-maps.jpg)The two pharmacies are roughly 10 metres apart. The practical change, for anyone who collected from Paydens, is to walk right rather than left as you leave the surgery.

The Paydens branch was a busy local resource. As well as dispensing prescriptions and selling over-the-counter medicines, it offered the NHS Pharmacy First service for minor illness, blood pressure checks, vaccinations, and medicine deliveries to housebound patients in the area. It also supplied multi-compartment compliance packs (pre-sorted weekly medicine dispensers) to patients who needed help managing their medicines.

Staff at the closing branch have been told they will continue in employment at Putney Pharmacy, moving across with the patient base.

![Pharmacy or clinic seating area with four green and black chairs in the center and shelves of products along the right wall; glass storefront and door to street on the left.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/pharmacy-closing-2-1024x768.png)The closure reflects serious financial difficulties at Paydens Group, the Kent-based chain that operated the branch. The company’s losses more than doubled to £13m in the year to April 2024, and it has been selling branches to meet commitments to its bank, HSBC. Its managing director, Dennis Pay, said the company had taken “decisive and highly effective action” to address its finances, including selling pharmacies. The number of branches on the company’s website fell from 128 to 99 in the year before the Putney closure.

Putney Pharmacy at 278 is a different kind of operation. It is family-owned and independent, established in 2011, and won Best Community Pharmacy of the Year in 2014. As well as dispensing NHS prescriptions, it offers a wide range of private services including a travel clinic, weight management, earwax removal, blood tests, and Vitamin B12 injections.

Putney Pharmacy at 278 Upper Richmond Road is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 7pm, and Saturday, 9am to 2pm. It is closed on Sundays. Phone: 020 8788 2431.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/12/the-pharmacy-inside-putneymead-surgery-has-closed-here-is-where-to-collect-your-prescriptions-now/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/12/the-pharmacy-inside-putneymead-surgery-has-closed-here-is-where-to-collect-your-prescriptions-now/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20pharmacy%20inside%20Putneymead%20surgery%20has%20closed%20%E2%80%93%20here%20is%20where%20to%20collect%20your%20prescriptions%20now&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/12/the-pharmacy-inside-putneymead-surgery-has-closed-here-is-where-to-collect-your-prescriptions-now/)

**Categories:** Health, Thamesfield

**Tags:** NHS, Paydens Pharmacy, pharmacy closures, Putney Pharmacy, Putneymead Group Medical Practice, Upper Richmond Road

---

### [Putney Bridge is in serious trouble. The council knows. Now you do too.](https://putney.news/2026/05/12/putney-bridge-is-in-serious-trouble-the-council-knows-now-you-do-too/)

**Published:** May 12, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Council data shows critical structural elements below the national intervention threshold. No budget. No plan. Nothing done since 2021.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council’s own inspection records show that Putney Bridge has a structural problem. The critical load-bearing elements of the last unrestricted Thames crossing in southwest London are below the level at which national guidance says work must be done.

The council has known this since December 2023.

---

Bridge structural condition compared — Putney.newsBridge structural condition compared

BCI Critical measures the load-bearing elements of a bridge. The national threshold for intervention is 40 — below that, the inspection manual says action is required. State of Good Repair (SoGR) combines the overall and critical scores. National threshold: 65.

    Bridge BCI Critical SoGR Status      National threshold — intervention required below this line    Putney Bridge

Wandsworth Council

Last inspection: Dec 2023

  28

12 below threshold

  62.7

2.3 below threshold

   Below    Wandsworth Bridge

Wandsworth Council

Last inspection: Oct 2015

  50

2015 data — pre-refurbishment

  68.8

2015 data

   Outdated    Albert Bridge

RBKC — worst ever score

July 2014

  39

just below threshold

  72.5

above threshold

   Borderline    Albert Bridge

RBKC — after 12 years’ maintenance

May 2025

  79

well above threshold

  84.7

above threshold

   Above    Below national threshold

Borderline / outdated data

Above threshold

Sources: Wandsworth Council FOI responses WBC-FOI-13144 and WBC-FOI-13145 (April 2026); RBKC FOI 20847795 (April 2026). SoGR calculated using national formula: (0.6 × BCI Average) + (0.4 × BCI Critical). Wandsworth Bridge figures from October 2015 — no inspection carried out since the 2020–22 refurbishment.

---

#### What the council’s own figures show

The council’s inspection rated Putney Bridge’s critical structural elements at 28 out of 100. The national threshold is 40. Below that, the inspection manual says intervention is needed. Putney Bridge is 12 points below it.

A second measure, which combines the overall condition score with the critical score, came out at 62.7. The national standard is 65. Below that too.

Andrew Burton, a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, said a score like that will be ringing alarm bells. Intervention is needed, he said. The council cannot afford to delay. Regulation sets out what highway authorities are required to do.

> “Bridges over the Thames are essential infrastructure for London. As many are Victorian, they require timely and specialist engineering inspection and proactive maintenance to ensure that they can be adapted for changing use. When there are questions about their state of repair or other factors, it’s right that residents and other bridge users should expect the local authority to respond transparently.”
> 
> Andrew Burton, a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers

#### What the council’s inspection found

The council’s December 2023 inspection found metal tie bars fitted to strengthen the bridge are corroding. In the worst areas, nearly a third of their material is gone. Cracks 2 to 5mm wide have opened where the central piers meet the arch structure above. Water is getting through the road surface into the fabric of the bridge, and has been for some time. It is driving the corrosion and the cracking.

*Putney.news* visited the bridge and found cracked and partially detached brickwork on the approach retaining walls on the Fulham side, at two separate locations, and a transverse crack on one of the river arches on the Putney side.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/putney-bridge-crack6-768x1024.jpg)![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/putney-bridge-crack5-768x1024.jpg)![Slanted mossy brick wall with a vertical metal post and ivy along the left edge in an outdoor setting.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/putney-bridge-crack3-1024x768.jpg)![Weathered stone wall with a diagonal, stair-like stone projection and moss in the crevices.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/putney-bridge-crack2-1024x768.jpg)![Brick wall with a stepped, weathered concrete protrusion at the corner; small door and ivy at left edge.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/putney-bridge-crack-abutment-768x1024.jpg)![Angled, mossy stone wall with small plants growing in the gaps, beside a riverside promenade and distant pedestrians.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/putney-bridge-crack-1024x768.jpg)![Putney Bridge](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/putney-bridge-768x1024.jpg)![Putney Bridge archway](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/putney-bridge-arch-1024x565.jpg)![View from beneath a large curved bridge, showing lamps along its edge and a street with buildings and trees below against a cloudy sky.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/putney-bridge-transverse-crack-768x1024.jpg)#### No budget. No plan. Nothing since 2021.

The council’s own records are clear on three things.

On maintenance budget: “There is no annual maintenance budget allocated to Putney Bridge for each financial year.”

On planning: “There is no maintenance plan.”

On what has actually been done: nothing since January 2021. More than four years ago.

No assessment has been carried out of what the extra traffic from the Hammersmith Bridge closure has meant for Putney Bridge’s structure. The government has its own assessment of how that traffic redistributed across southwest London. It has refused to publish it.

The council has applied to the government’s Structures Fund, which opened in April and has a draft deadline of 19 June. Whether the application will succeed is unknown.

#### The comparison that matters

Albert Bridge closed in February 2026 after an inspector found a cracked component. At its worst, in 2014, Albert Bridge’s critical score was 39. That is 11 points higher than Putney Bridge’s score today.

From that point, Kensington and Chelsea maintained Albert Bridge every single year for twelve years. Its critical score went from 39 to 79. It still closed, because the cracked component had not been spotted in any previous inspection.

---

Twelve years of maintenance — and twelve years of nothing — Putney.newsTwelve years of maintenance — and twelve years of nothing

From the point Albert Bridge recorded its worst-ever structural score in 2014, Kensington and Chelsea carried out maintenance every single year. Wandsworth has done nothing to Putney Bridge since January 2021.

Albert Bridge — RBKC

Annual maintenance works

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

2013/14Works carried out

2014/15Works carried out

2015/16Works carried out

2016/17Works carried out

2017/18Works carried out

2018/19Works carried out

2019/20Works carried out

2020/21Works carried out

2021/22Works carried out

2022/23Works carried out

2023/24Works carried out

2024/25Works carried out

Critical score: 39 → 79

 Improved by 40 points over twelve years of annual maintenance. 

Closed Feb 2026

 Undetected component failure — despite all the maintenance above. 

Putney Bridge — Wandsworth

No maintenance since Jan 2021

Wandsworth Borough Council

2021Last works — Jan 2021

2022No maintenance

2023No maintenance

Dec 23Inspection: critical score 28

2024No maintenance

2025No maintenance

2026No maintenance

Critical score: 28

 Below the national threshold of 40. No budget. No plan. Nothing done since January 2021. 

RBKC — Albert Bridge

 Annual maintenance budget. Six full inspections in eleven years. Critical score improved from 39 to 79. 

Wandsworth — Putney Bridge

 No annual maintenance budget. No maintenance plan. Nothing carried out in over four years. 

Sources: RBKC FOI 20847795 (April 2026); Wandsworth Council FOI response WBC-FOI-13144 (April 2026). Albert Bridge closed 9 February 2026.

---

Putney Bridge is built differently. Masonry, not cast iron. That matters. Civil engineer Burton said masonry arch bridges are significantly more stable than cast-iron structures. The two bridges do not face the same failure risks. But the comparison is not about failure mode. It is about how you manage a bridge. Kensington and Chelsea did everything right and still got caught out. Wandsworth has not done those things.

Putney Bridge carries around 37,000 vehicles a day. That figure has barely shifted since Hammersmith Bridge closed in 2019. Traffic on the bridges nearby fell 20 to 25% in the same period.

#### It is not just Putney Bridge

*Putney.news* asked Wandsworth the same questions about Wandsworth Bridge, the council’s other Thames crossing. The answer came back word for word: no annual maintenance budget, no forward plan. The last full inspection of Wandsworth Bridge was in October 2015, nearly eleven years ago. The council spent £3.84 million on emergency bearing repairs in 2023 and then carried out no inspection.

The same answer, about a different bridge. This is not an oversight. It is a policy.

#### “A great example of how we’re investing in our borough’s infrastructure”

In December 2024, the council finished junction works at the approach to Putney Bridge. Cllr Jenny Yates, Cabinet Member for Transport, called it “a great example of how we’re investing in our borough’s infrastructure.”

Two months later, in February 2026, the same month Albert Bridge closed, the council announced cosmetic repainting of East Putney railway bridges. Cllr Yates said it was “part of our Decade of Renewal, improving and refurbishing roads, pavements and bridges.”

Those works are paid for from developer contributions. Structural maintenance of Putney Bridge comes from a different budget. In this case, there is no budget.

As [we reported in February](https://putney.news/2026/02/23/albert-bridge-could-stay-shut-a-year-now-putney-bridge-is-carrying-the-load/), when Albert Bridge closed, Putney Bridge became the last unrestricted crossing left. As [we revealed in March](https://putney.news/2026/03/28/wandsworth-shot-down-a-chance-to-reopen-hammersmith-bridge-then-said-nothing-for-a-year/), Wandsworth told a ministerial meeting it had no money for Hammersmith Bridge repairs, three days after standing at a public rally demanding urgent action. [Albert Bridge’s full closure came in April](https://putney.news/2026/04/10/albert-bridge-closes-entirely-after-inspector-warning-putney-bridge-is-the-last-crossing-standing/).

#### What we asked the council

*Putney.news* put nine questions to Wandsworth Borough Council on its maintenance approach and budget and what it intends to do about the failing scores for Putney Bridge. We will update this story if it gets back.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/12/putney-bridge-is-in-serious-trouble-the-council-knows-now-you-do-too/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/12/putney-bridge-is-in-serious-trouble-the-council-knows-now-you-do-too/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20Bridge%20is%20in%20serious%20trouble.%20The%20council%20knows.%20Now%20you%20do%20too.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/12/putney-bridge-is-in-serious-trouble-the-council-knows-now-you-do-too/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Cllr Jenny Yates, FOI, Hammersmith Bridge, infrastructure, Putney Bridge, River Thames, Wandsworth Bridge, Wandsworth Council

---

### [A Southfields man joins an amdram group and finds Ibsen was writing about right now](https://putney.news/2026/05/11/a-southfields-man-joins-an-amdram-group-and-finds-ibsen-was-writing-about-right-now/)

**Published:** May 11, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Carlton Theatre Group opens An Enemy of the People this week - and the parallels to 2026 are hard to miss.

**Content:**

William Flatau spent the better part of three decades managing a property portfolio in Southfields. This January, he made a New Year’s resolution: finally try acting. He found Carlton Theatre Group, auditioned, and landed the role of the Polish drunk in a 130-year-old Norwegian play about a woman who discovers that her town’s water supply is contaminated and is systematically destroyed for saying so. It opens Tuesday and runs for one week only.

He is not complaining about any of this. *An Enemy of the People*, he says, is basically a description of what is happening right now.

“It’s about small town politics, small town – I won’t say corruption – interlaced with personalities and how people shift depending on their economic circumstances,” he says. “It’s an extremely interesting play and of course very relevant to what we’re seeing in politics today in many ways.”

His most immediate local parallel is the All England Club’s campaign to expand its Wimbledon site with tens of thousands of new seats and dozens of additional courts, a story [we have followed through the courts and Parliament](https://putney.news/2026/04/25/two-court-defeats-and-a-parliamentary-ambush-wimbledon-parks-residents-wont-give-up/).

“There is this campaign by the All England Club to – what is it – 38 tennis courts and an 8,000 seat stadium,” he says. “And we see very little in the way of compromise from what some people would view, what thousands would view, as a bullying organisation that is looking to their own commercial interests without taking account of what local people are looking for. That to me is the parallel.”

![The New Wimbledon Theatre: red-brick building with a green domed top and red signage, banners promoting The Karate Kid musical along the front.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/wimbledon-theatre-3-768x1024.png)#### The doctor’s mistake

Ibsen’s play (in a 2019 adaptation by Rebecca Lenkiewicz that sets the action in 2026 and changes the protagonist from male to female) follows a doctor who finds the local water supply is contaminated and expects the town to thank her. The town does not thank her. The mayor, who is her brother, has economic reasons to suppress the finding. The local newspaper first backs her, then caves. The public meeting at which she attempts to present her evidence ends with the crowd voting to declare her an enemy of the people.

William’s reading of the play is not simply that truth-tellers get crushed. He finds something more interesting: that the doctor’s method undermines her cause.

“The doctor, the protagonist, has worked very hard to uncover something very important, very real,” he says. “And they plan to put it right – and what should be done. And as many campaigners are, rather uncompromising in the way that they do it and economically as well as in personality end up alienating large numbers of the population – and then there’s a sort of cabal of officialdom that wants to shut it down.”

The lesson, in his view: “If you want to make a change, you have to lay the ground for that change. You have to build the infrastructure, you’ve got to bring people with you, not just hit them with a stick. Everywhere today we see that: decisions taken whether it’s by central government, local government.”

He pauses, then compresses the whole argument into five words. “Things that are brittle snap.”

#### Research method

William plays a minor character. He has approached the role with what you might call field research.

“I’m the Polish drunk,” he sums up. “I’ve been listening to my Polish builder, very carefully.”

This is, it turns out, one of the things acting does to you. You start watching people differently. The builder becomes source material. The neighbour at the bar becomes a character study. Thirty years of observing tenants, tradespeople, and local politics suddenly has a second purpose.

The character is also the play’s structural signal that the doctor has lost everyone. The Town Drunk is the town’s most marginal figure, its least powerful voice. When even he turns against you, Ibsen is telling you something precise: you have failed to carry a single person.

![An Enemy of the People](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/enemy-of-the-people.webp)His is also a practical role in the production: alongside his acting debut, William is volunteering with stage management and has been helping the company make the on-stage newsroom look authentic. He worked at the South London Press as a cub reporter in an era when the finished paper would appear on your desk still smelling of wet ink.

“I worked at the South London Press as a cub reporter. You get these fresh newspapers put on your desk and the smell of wet ink is something that’s so evocative. It’s one of these things that takes me back 30 years.”

In the play, the local newspaper starts as the doctor’s ally, then withdraws under pressure. He is helping a drama group recreate a world he inhabited, watching a fictional version of it make the same choices he saw real newspapers make.

#### The group

Carlton Theatre Group was founded in 1927 by enthusiasts from Wimbledon Park and Southfields, which makes this production a local story in more than one sense. The group is Wimbledon’s longest-established non-professional theatre company, still performing nearly a century on. It runs three productions a year at its home venue, the Studio at New Wimbledon Theatre. Its current president is David Wood OBE; its former president was Dame June Whitfield.

Amateur theatre in the UK is larger than most people realise. There are more than 2,500 groups nationally, producing around 30,000 performances a year. The NODA 2002 survey found 437,800 participants and 7.3 million audience attendances. Most of it happens in rooms you have to find your own way into.

“My last performance was a school play – and um, sort of several decades later, I thought, yeah, let’s try this again shall we?”

The play they have chosen is, of course, a Norwegian one. A group of Wimbledon enthusiasts, performing a 130-year-old work by a playwright from Bergen, about a community that puts its own interests ahead of an inconvenient truth. Director Terry Oakes has a line for this. “In our case,” he says, “it’s not Britain First — but Norway First.”

![Red cushioned chairs arranged in tiered rows in a dark theater auditorium, empty and ready for an audience.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/WimbledonStudio.webp)#### Tickets and times

*An Enemy of the People* runs at the Studio at New Wimbledon Theatre, 93 The Broadway, Wimbledon SW19 1QG, from Tuesday 12 May to Saturday 16 May 2026. Evening performances at 19:45, Tuesday to Saturday, with a Saturday matinee at 15:00. Tickets are £17.60 full price and £15.40 for concessions.

The play is 130 years old, has a cast of 11, and feels like it was written last week. Book at [atgtickets.com](https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/ctg-presents-henrik-ibsens-an-enemy-of-the-people/studio-at-new-wimbledon-theatre/).

![Brick building with red brick facade, cream archway, and a large black sign reading STUDIO under a metal beam and decorative ironwork.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/wimbledon-theatre-8-1024x768.png)---

*Correction: We initially named the character being played by William as Morten Kiil. This is not correct. We have corrected the story to reflect this.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/11/a-southfields-man-joins-an-amdram-group-and-finds-ibsen-was-writing-about-right-now/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/11/a-southfields-man-joins-an-amdram-group-and-finds-ibsen-was-writing-about-right-now/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=A%20Southfields%20man%20joins%20an%20amdram%20group%20and%20finds%20Ibsen%20was%20writing%20about%20right%20now&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/11/a-southfields-man-joins-an-amdram-group-and-finds-ibsen-was-writing-about-right-now/)

**Categories:** Southfields, Theatre, Wimbledon

**Tags:** AELTC, Putney Arts Theatre, Save Wimbledon Park, Southfields, Theatre, Wimbledon

---

### [The Putney coffee family are in China, and Thailand won't let their van in](https://putney.news/2026/05/11/the-putney-coffee-family-are-in-china-and-thailand-wont-let-their-van-in/)

**Published:** May 11, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Edwin Harrison called from northwest China with news. Thailand had been looking at photographs.

**Content:**

Edwin Harrison called in from the road last week. He was somewhere in northwest China, eight hours into a driving day, the SatNav interrupting every thirty seconds to announce speed cameras and rest stops. He had news.

Thailand had looked at photographs of the van and spotted a sink.

Edwin and Magda Harrison are the family behind Artisan Coffee on Upper Richmond Road (five Putney cafes in total), and since February they have been driving a bag of coffee from East Putney to Perth, Australia, in a converted people carrier named Daisy. The journey is a world record attempt: the longest coffee delivery by hand, no flights. The bag is a kilogram of Barn Door Blend. The recipient is Magda’s mother. The route goes overland through Europe, Central Asia, China, Southeast Asia and then by sea to Western Australia.

That sink, fitted in the back to give the children safe drinking water through remote stretches using a reverse osmosis filter, has caused the Thai authorities to classify Daisy as a motorhome. Motorhomes need a special vehicle permit. The permit has been refused.

 “They won’t grant permission for us to go through,” Edwin told us, somewhere between checkpoint announcements.

And since their backup route through Cambodia is blocked by an actual military conflict (all seven Thailand-Cambodia land borders have been closed since June 2025 with no sign of reopening), the family are now working on Plan C: finding a flat-bed truck in Laos, loading Daisy onto it, and transiting Thailand with the van technically never touching Thai soil.

“The Chinese are absolutely insane with their announcements and their rules,” Edwin added, somewhere in the background.

Daisy’s Journey — Putney to Perth

#### Since Istanbul

[We first wrote about the Harrisons](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/the-putney-cafe-family-driving-a-bag-of-coffee-to-australia/) in March, when they had just reached Istanbul with roughly 20,000 kilometres still ahead. Since then they have covered around 10,000 of them, through Turkey, Georgia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and into China.

It has not been straightforward.

In Istanbul, a police officer knocked on the car window while Edwin was bundling a screaming Joey (the youngest Harrison) into a taxi. Passers-by had reported a child being abducted on the street. The officer asked Joey directly whether Edwin was her father. “Very slowly, she nodded yes,” Edwin said, “and we were allowed to proceed on our way.”

The Russian border took an hour and a half. Edwin was taken to one interview room, marched to a second, and questioned by four officials. When had his father last visited Russia? Had he ever worked for the UK government? Eventually they were waved through, and that evening Edwin posted: “Here we are, in Russia. Now we’ve checked into a hotel, given up on van life for a night, and enjoying a bottle of wine.”

![Border checkpoint entrance with large Russia emblem and the word 'РОССИЯ'; Russian flag displayed on a pillar.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/russian-border-1024x576.jpg)The Russian border brought its own delights and delays.Kazakhstan added its own drama. The direct route south into Uzbekistan was closed, adding several days and a desert detour. At a different border crossing, they were told they were missing a document; the drive back to get it would have been six days. With some help from a coffee lover they had chatted with a few days earlier, the paper materialised and they crossed. Tajikistan refused them visas. They drove around. Kyrgyzstan offered mountains with no roads on them. Over two days the family made roughly fifty miles of progress and slept in a yurt.

There was also, somewhere in Uzbekistan, a football match against their hosts that finished 36-36, which they describe as a friendly.

Through all of it, the bag of Barn Door Blend has remained on the dashboard.

#### Plan C

China is a thirty-day traverse, already the longest single-country leg of the journey before Thailand added itself to the complications.

The flat-bed truck idea was something Edwin had learned about thirty minutes before he called. “We’ve been trying desperately to convince them,” he said of the Thai authorities, “that it’s just literally a van with six seats in it. But they saw a sink.” The Cambodia border closure, he acknowledged, had “slightly put a spanner in the works.”

Whether Plan C is workable remains to be seen. The Harrisons are still in northwest China, SatNav and all, with the bag of Barn Door Blend on the dashboard where it has been since February.

“It’s our little constant,” Magda said in March. “As everything else changes.”

> [View this post on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYKmU0Dzwln/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading)[A post shared by @curiousroocoffeeroasters](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYKmU0Dzwln/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading)

*Follow the journey at [@curiousroocoffeeroasters](https://www.instagram.com/curiousroocoffeeroasters/) on Instagram. Artisan Coffee is at 203 Upper Richmond Road, SW15.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/11/the-putney-coffee-family-are-in-china-and-thailand-wont-let-their-van-in/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/11/the-putney-coffee-family-are-in-china-and-thailand-wont-let-their-van-in/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Putney%20coffee%20family%20are%20in%20China%2C%20and%20Thailand%20won%E2%80%99t%20let%20their%20van%20in&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/11/the-putney-coffee-family-are-in-china-and-thailand-wont-let-their-van-in/)

**Categories:** Community, East Putney

**Tags:** community, East Putney, Upper Richmond Road

---

### [Wandsworth pays its councillors under £10 an hour. Here's what that costs us](https://putney.news/2026/05/10/wandsworth-pays-its-councillors-under-10-an-hour-heres-what-that-costs-us/)

**Published:** May 10, 2026
**Author:** The Editor

**Excerpt:** Putney is full of people who govern NHS trusts and company boards for a living. The current structure is perfectly designed to keep them away.

**Content:**

The election is over. Wandsworth now has its most interesting council in a generation: no overall control for the first time in the borough’s modern history, with an independent holding the balance. What happens next depends almost entirely on who is in that chamber and whether they are capable of something more than party management.

Which brings us to a key question: who becomes a councillor, why, and what would it take to attract the people Putney actually needs?

This is the third piece in the Putney 2030 series. The first proposed a [new Thames crossing](https://putney.news/2026/04/29/putney-once-had-three-thames-crossings-it-is-time-to-think-about-a-fourth/) to separate pedestrians and cyclists from the Putney Bridge junction. The second revealed [the hidden tunnel beneath Putney Bridge](https://putney.news/2026/05/01/putneys-riverside-could-be-extraordinary-heres-whats-in-the-way/) and the connected waterfront Putney could have. Those were arguments about infrastructure. This one is about something more fundamental.

![Putney 2030](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/putney-2030-headline-1024x512.png)#### **Part 3: The councillors Putney deserves**

---

Here is a thought experiment.

Take the person who chairs the audit committee at your company. Or sits as a non-executive director on the housing association that owns half the flats on your street. Or serves on the board of the local NHS trust. They have financial expertise, strategic judgement, and the ability to read a complex report and ask the right questions of the people running the organisation. They get paid somewhere between £20,000 and £50,000 a year for perhaps a day or two a month.

Now imagine asking them to oversee something ten times more complex: an organisation managing schools, housing, social care, parks, roads, planning, waste collection and more, with a budget running into hundreds of millions. For £11,663 a year.

That is what we ask Wandsworth councillors to do.

And then we wonder why we don’t always get the governance Putney deserves.

---

#### Who becomes a councillor

The national picture is striking once you look at it.

The average English councillor is 60 years old. The average age of the population they serve is 40. Two thirds are male. The role is dominated by retirees, the independently wealthy, and committed political activists: people who either don’t need the money, or whose primary motivation is the party rather than the place.

This is not an accident. It is the direct, predictable output of a system that pays under £10 an hour for a role that demands 22 hours a week.

A 38-year-old finance professional with a mortgage, two children and a demanding job cannot give 22 hours a week to public service at that rate. Not because they don’t care about their community. Not because they wouldn’t be brilliant at it. But because the economics are simply impossible.

So they don’t stand.

The people who do stand are self-selecting in ways that matter enormously. Research by the Local Government Chronicle found that one in five serving councillors had taken a pay cut to do the job, and 27 per cent had left employment entirely because they could not combine it with council responsibilities. One council leader described the reality candidly: “I did work full time alongside being a council leader as the role wasn’t paid enough to live on. In the end I resigned. But if I lose my seat, I’ve got almost nothing.”

That is not a sustainable model for governing a borough of 340,000 people.

---

#### The professional hiding in plain sight

Here is the reframe we need.

A Wandsworth councillor is, in almost every meaningful respect, a public sector non-executive director. They don’t run the council. The chief executive and their senior team do that. Councillors scrutinise, challenge, set direction, represent the community, and hold the executive to account. That is exactly what a NED does.

Putney is full of people who do this for a living. They sit on NHS trust boards, company audit committees, university councils, housing association trustee boards. They are skilled at reading complex financial reports, challenging professional management, and working constructively with people they disagree with to reach decisions that serve a wider purpose.

They are exactly the people local government needs most.

And the current allowance structure is almost perfectly designed to keep them away. It does not just underpay the role. It signals, loudly and clearly, that the role is not serious. That it is a political bauble. A stepping stone. A hobby for people who have the time. Not something a professional would consider alongside their board portfolio.

Imagine instead that being a Wandsworth councillor was understood, and compensated, as the civic NED it actually is. That the community could approach professionals directly and say: we need your skills, we value your time, we will pay you appropriately, and this genuinely matters. That standing for council was something a 40-year-old chartered surveyor, or a 35-year-old NHS manager, or a 45-year-old tech entrepreneur might actually consider, not despite their professional success but because of it.

The quality of decision-making in that chamber would be different. The conversations would be different. The outcomes for Putney would be different.

---

The pay that shapes who governs Wandsworth

Total annual pay for councillor roles, 2025/26. Edinburgh council leader sets the scale (100%). Chief executive pay shown separately.

Chief executive pay — different scale

  Wandsworth Comparator Panel recommended minimum 

 Sources: Wandsworth Members’ Allowances Scheme 2025/26; London Councils Independent Panel 2023; LGC Aug 2025; SLARC 2024; Edinburgh Council; The MJ Nov 2025 

' : ''; return '' + '' + label + '

' + (sub ? '' + sub + '

' : '') + '' + '

' + '' + gbp(value) + '

' + '

' + noteHtml + '

'; } /\* ── Group wrapper ── \*/ function grp(label, inner) { return '' + label + '

' + inner + '

'; } /\* ════════════════════════════════════════════ COUNCILLOR CHART ════════════════════════════════════════════ \*/ var html = ''; /\* GROUP 1 — Wandsworth basic + comparators Contains: Wandsworth basic, London panel recommended, Birmingham, Scotland \*/ var g1 = ''; /\* Wandsworth basic with gap chips \*/ g1 += '' + 'Wandsworth basic allowance

' + 'Paid equally to all 58 councillors

' + '' + '

' + '' + gbp(11663) + '

' + '

' + '' + '27% below London panel recommended' + '55% below Scotland statutory salary' + '

' + '

'; g1 += row('London panel recommended basic', 'Independent panel minimum for all London councillors', 15960, 'col-comp-1', '', '', s1pct); g1 += row('Birmingham basic allowance', 'Highest basic in England — panel still says it\\u2019s not enough', 18876, 'col-comp-2', '', '', s1pct); g1 += row('Scotland statutory salary', 'Guaranteed to every Scottish councillor by law', 25982, 'col-comp-3', '', '', s1pct); html += grp('Basic allowance \\u2014 Wandsworth vs comparators', g1); /\* GROUP 2 — Wandsworth SRA roles + panel minimum reference bar \*/ var g2 = ''; g2 += row('Deputy Cabinet Member', 'Political appointee \\u2014 5 posts created after May 2025 leadership challenge', 21275, 'col-w', 'Above the panel\\u2019s maximum rate for this type of role', 'flag', s1pct); g2 += row('Scrutiny committee chair', 'Chairs the committees that hold the executive to account', 23667, 'col-w', 'Below the panel\\u2019s minimum for a special responsibility role', 'flag', s1pct); /\* Panel minimum recommended — solid bar, sits below the two Wandsworth rows to show the gap \*/ g2 += '' + 'Panel minimum recommended (total)

' + 'Independent panel floor for all special responsibility roles

' + '' + '

' + '' + gbp(27186) + '

' + '

' + '

'; html += grp('Wandsworth roles with special responsibility', g2); /\* GROUP 3 — Leader pay \*/ var g3 = ''; g3 += row('England average council leader', 'Average SRA + average basic across upper-tier councils (LGC Aug 2025)', 48774, 'col-comp-2', '', '', s1pct); g3 += row('Wandsworth council leader', 'Basic (\\u00a311,663) + special responsibility allowance (\\u00a344,759)', 56422, 'col-w', '16% above England average for council leaders', '', s1pct); g3 += row('Edinburgh council leader', 'Sets the scale for this chart (100%)', 64043, 'col-comp-3', '', '', s1pct); html += grp('Council leader pay \\u2014 Wandsworth vs comparators', g3); chartBody.innerHTML = html; /\* ════════════════════════════════════════════ CEO CHART (Wandsworth = 100%) ════════════════════════════════════════════ \*/ var ceo = '' + 'Chief executive pay \u2014 Wandsworth vs national

'; ceo += row('North Devon chief executive', 'Among the lowest-paid council chief executives in England', 97664, 'col-ceo-low', '', '', s2pct); ceo += row('England average council chief executive', 'Average advertised salary across all council types (The MJ, 2025)', 179000, 'col-ceo-avg', '', '', s2pct); ceo += '' + 'Wandsworth chief executive (Andrew Travers)

' + 'Highest of any council chief executive in England \u2014 interim since April 2025

' + '' + '

' + '' + gbp(294120) + '

' + '

' + '64% above the national average

' + '

'; ceo += '

'; ceoBody.innerHTML = ceo; /\* Animate all fills \*/ var reduced = window.matchMedia('(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)').matches; document.querySelectorAll('#msm-2030-pay .c-fill').forEach(function(el) { var target = el.getAttribute('data-pct') + '%'; if (reduced) { el.style.width = target; } else { requestAnimationFrame(function() { requestAnimationFrame(function() { el.style.width = target; }); }); } }); notifyParentHeight(); window.addEventListener('resize', notifyParentHeight); function notifyParentHeight() { if (window.parent !== window) { window.parent.postMessage({ type:'putneynews-resize', height:document.body.scrollHeight }, '\*'); } } })(); #### What the numbers reveal

Look first at what Wandsworth pays its own councillors, and the incentive structure buried in those numbers.

Every councillor starts at £11,663 a year. Beyond that, the scheme’s priorities reveal themselves. The five deputy cabinet member posts, created in May 2025 with no defined performance criteria and no explanation of what had gone wrong with the scheme they replaced, each attract a special allowance that takes their total to £21,275. As we [reported at the time](https://putney.news/2025/05/15/46000-shake-up-council-leader-pushes-through-unjustified-new-roles/), the posts were created weeks after a leadership challenge, pushed through on a casting vote, and an opposition councillor called them “an expensive bribe.” Those allowances sit above the independent panel’s maximum recommended rate.

Scrutiny committee chairs, the councillors whose specific job is to hold the executive to account, earn £23,667 in total. Their allowances sit below the independent panel’s minimum recommended rate.

In any well-governed board, committee chairs earn a premium over regular members, the additional responsibility warrants it. In private sector equivalents, an audit committee chair typically earns between 1.5 and 2 times the standard non-executive fee. That logic holds here too. The distortion is not that scrutiny chairs earn more than political appointees. It is that the independent panel’s range for accountability roles starts at £15,523 and Wandsworth pays £12,004, while the maximum for political roles is £9,314 and Wandsworth pays £9,612. Maximum for loyalty. Below minimum for accountability. The incentive is structurally inverted.

For comparison nationally: Birmingham pays the highest basic allowance in England at £18,876, and its own independent panel warned in 2024 that even that rate was “not high enough to attract people to the role.” Scotland treats councillors as public officeholders and pays a statutory salary of £25,982. Edinburgh’s council leader earns £64,043.

Wandsworth pays £11,663.

Then there is the chief executive. Wandsworth’s Andrew Travers earns £294,120 a year, [the highest salary of any council chief executive in England](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/wandsworth-says-its-the-best-run-council-in-the-country-heres-what-we-found/), 64% above the national average of around £179,000. The council chief executive at North Devon, at the lower end of the national range, earns £97,664.

There is something worth pausing on here. This piece is about councillors, not officers. What the chief executive earns is a separate argument. But the juxtaposition matters: a council that pays the most for its officer and the least for the elected members supposed to hold that officer to account has its priorities encoded in those numbers. The graphic alongside this piece shows both facts together, and you can draw your own conclusion.

---

What reform would actually cost

A phased proposal aligned with non-executive director norms. Scale set by proposed scrutiny chair total (£55,000 = 100%).

What the extra cost looks like in context

  Wandsworth current Proposed Comparator Panel minimum 

 Sources: Wandsworth Members’ Allowances Scheme 2025/26; London Councils Independent Panel 2023; Trust Associates NED Fee Survey 2024; SLARC 2024; Wandsworth Budget 2025/26; Putney.news analysis 

' : ''; var valStr = extraLabel || gbp(value); return '' + '' + label + '

' + (sub ? '' + sub + '

' : '') + '' + '

' + '' + valStr + '

' + '

' + noteHtml + '

'; } function grp(label, inner) { return '' + label + '

' + inner + '

'; } var html = ''; /\* ── GROUP 1: Basic allowance ────────────────────────────────── \*/ var g1 = ''; g1 += row('Wandsworth basic — current', 'Paid to all 58 councillors today', 11663, 'col-w', '', '', s1pct); g1 += row('London panel recommended basic', 'Independent panel minimum for London', 15960, 'col-comp-1', '', '', s1pct); g1 += row('Scotland statutory salary', 'Guaranteed to every Scottish councillor by law', 25982, 'col-comp-3', '', '', s1pct); g1 += row('Proposed basic allowance', 'NED-equivalent rate, aligned with investment trust non-executive average (£36,228 in 2024)', 35000, 'col-prop', 'Phased introduction: announce 2026, implement 2028\\u20132029', 'positive', s1pct); html += grp('Basic allowance \\u2014 current, comparators and proposal', g1); /\* ── GROUP 2: Special responsibility roles ───────────────────── \*/ var g2 = ''; /\* Scrapped Deputy Cabinet Member row \*/ g2 += '' + 'Deputy Cabinet Member' + 'Scrapped' + '

' + 'Political appointee posts created May 2025 \u2014 no defined role, above panel maximum

' + '' + '

' + '' + gbp(21275) + '

' + '

' + 'Abolishing these 5 posts saves \u00a348,060 a year in special allowances

' + '

'; g2 += row('Scrutiny committee chair \\u2014 current', 'Accountability role \\u2014 holds the executive to account', 23667, 'col-w', 'Below the independent panel\\u2019s minimum recommended rate', 'flag', s1pct); g2 += row('Panel minimum recommended (total)', 'Independent panel floor for special responsibility roles', 27186, 'col-panel', '', '', s1pct); g2 += row('Proposed scrutiny chair total', 'Proposed basic (\\u00a335,000) + special responsibility allowance (\\u00a320,000)', 55000, 'col-prop', '1.57\\u00d7 basic \\u2014 within standard NED committee chair premium range (1.5\\u00d7\\u20132\\u00d7)', 'positive', s1pct); html += grp('Special responsibility roles \\u2014 reform and proposal', g2); propBody.innerHTML = html; /\* ── COST CONTEXT SECTION ────────────────────────────────────── \*/ /\* All figures are General Fund scope — apples to apples. Scale: General Fund net expenditure (£288m) = 100% \*/ var netCost = 1445486; var agencyBill = 29000000; var gfSalaries = 110486000; /\* General Fund salaries only — excludes schools/housing \*/ var gfNet = 287992000; /\* General Fund net expenditure 2025/26 \*/ function s2pct(v) { return Math.min(v / gfNet \* 100, 100).toFixed(2); } var costHtml = '' + 'What the reform costs \u2014 and what it doesn\u2019t

'; /* Per-household row removed — institutional comparisons are more honest and don't reduce governance reform to a per-taxpayer transaction. */ /* Net additional cost */ costHtml += '' + 'Net additional annual cost of reform

' + 'Extra basic (58 councillors) + scrutiny SRA (7 chairs) minus Deputy Cabinet Member saving

' + '' + '

' + '' + gbp(netCost) + '

' + '

' + '

'; /* Agency staff bill */ costHtml += '' + 'Annual agency staff bill

' + 'Cost of temporary workers in 2024/25 \u2014 majority through uncontrolled channels

' + '' + '

' + '' + gbpm(agencyBill) + '

' + '

' + 'The reform costs 5% of what Wandsworth spends on agency staff

' + '

'; /* GF salary bill */ costHtml += '' + 'General Fund salary bill

' + 'What Wandsworth pays its own staff from the General Fund, 2025/26

' + '' + '

' + '' + gbpm(gfSalaries) + '

' + '

' + 'The reform is 1.3% of the General Fund salary bill

' + '

'; /* GF net expenditure — 100% anchor */ costHtml += '' + 'General Fund net expenditure

' + 'Total General Fund budget, 2025/26 \u2014 sets the scale for this section

' + '' + '

' + '' + gbpm(gfNet) + '

' + '

' + '

'; costHtml += '

'; costBody.innerHTML = costHtml; /\* Animate \*/ var reduced = window.matchMedia('(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)').matches; document.querySelectorAll('#msm-2030-proposal .c-fill').forEach(function(el) { var target = el.getAttribute('data-pct') + '%'; if (reduced) { el.style.width = target; } else { requestAnimationFrame(function() { requestAnimationFrame(function() { el.style.width = target; }); }); } }); notifyParentHeight(); window.addEventListener('resize', notifyParentHeight); function notifyParentHeight() { if (window.parent !== window) { window.parent.postMessage({ type:'putneynews-resize', height:document.body.scrollHeight }, '\*'); } } })(); #### A phased commitment

The new council should commit now to increasing councillor allowances, not immediately but transparently and credibly, over this term.

The phasing matters. A pay rise effective from next month helps no one who is not already a councillor. The people this is designed to attract need to see the trajectory clearly, believe it is real, and have time to plan. A professional in their late thirties, weighing up whether to stand at the next election in 2030, needs to know now that the role will be properly compensated by the time they might take it up.

The proposal: announce in 2026 that allowances will increase to £35,000 for every councillor in 2028, with scrutiny committee chairs receiving an additional £20,000 special responsibility allowance, taking their total to £55,000. That figure is not arbitrary. It is benchmarked against what investment trust non-executive directors earn for comparable governance work: an average of £36,228 for board members and a committee chair premium of between 1.5 and 2 times the base rate. A scrutiny chair at £55,000 sits at 1.57 times the proposed basic. It is within established NED norms, and it rewards the right role.

At the same time, the five deputy cabinet member posts created in 2025 should be scrapped. They were never justified, they reward political loyalty over accountability, and abolishing them saves £48,060 a year in special allowances.

Pair this with active outreach, doing what any serious organisation would do when it needs to attract talent. Identify the skill gaps. Map the professional community. Make the case directly to people who have those skills: this role is serious, it pays properly, it matters, and your community needs what you know how to do.

The net additional annual cost, after the Deputy Cabinet Member saving, is approximately £1.45 million. Against a General Fund budget of £288 million, that is 0.5 per cent. It is less than 5 per cent of what Wandsworth spends each year on agency staff. It is not a serious financial obstacle. It is a political choice, one that previous councils of both parties have consistently avoided making.

---

#### Why this moment matters

On 7 May, Wandsworth returned a hung council for the first time in its modern history. Conservatives won 29 seats. Labour won 28. One independent holds the balance.

That independent is Malcolm Grimston, a nuclear energy academic who has represented West Hill for over 30 years, completes more than 1,000 pieces of casework a year, and sends a monthly bulletin to 8,000 residents. He resigned the Conservative whip a decade ago when his party proposed closing Southfields Library. He ran a campaign. He has stood as an independent at every election since. The library is still open. As [our profile of him published yesterday](https://putney.news/2026/05/09/the-man-wandsworth-cant-ignore-any-more/) showed, he treats the role as serious professional work because he is a serious professional.

He is also, right now, the most important person in Wandsworth politics.

The [hung council](https://putney.news/2026/05/08/grimston-kingmaker-as-wandsworth-delivers-hung-council/) makes the quality of individual councillors matter in a way it has not for years. Majority control can function (and often does, badly) with party operators who follow whips’ instructions. A hung council requires something entirely different: people capable of genuine negotiation, principled compromise, and collaborative problem-solving across party lines. The skills, in other words, of an experienced non-executive director rather than a political loyalist.

If this council term demonstrates anything, it will demonstrate whether Wandsworth’s current elected members can rise to that challenge. The argument for changing how those members are recruited and compensated will be settled, one way or another, by what happens in the chamber over the next four years.

The evidence from [years of scrutiny failures](https://putney.news/2025/12/30/every-promise-broken-wandsworths-scrutiny-reforms-fail-every-test/) suggests the current model is not delivering the oversight the borough needs. Grimston’s record shows what is possible when someone decides to treat the role seriously.

---

#### The foundation argument

This is the third piece in the Putney 2030 series, and the one that underpins the others. Better bridges, a better waterfront, a better high street, better parks: none of these happen by accident. They happen when the people responsible for governing the place have the skills, the independence, and the professional commitment to make them happen.

The next two pieces will look at the high street and Putney’s green spaces, two more areas where the raw material is exceptional and the ambition has consistently fallen short.

But this piece comes third because it is the foundation of all of them. Better bridges, a better waterfront, a better high street, better parks: none of these happen by accident. They happen when the people responsible for governing the place have the skills, the independence, and the professional commitment to make them happen.

The vision for Putney in 2030 is not limited by money or by technical possibility. It is limited by governance. And governance starts with who is in the room.

Putney has the people. It just needs a system that lets them serve.

---

#### **How important is this to Putney’s future?**

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

How much would you like to see this?Rate 1 out of 5Rate 2 out of 5Rate 3 out of 5Rate 4 out of 5Rate 5 out of 5

How feasible do you think it is?Rate 1 out of 5Rate 2 out of 5Rate 3 out of 5Rate 4 out of 5Rate 5 out of 5

 do much you  

How much of a priority should it be?Rate 1 out of 5Rate 2 out of 5Rate 3 out of 5Rate 4 out of 5Rate 5 out of 5

  Submit

 ---

**PUTNEY 2030** | Issue 3 of 5 | putney.news

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/10/wandsworth-pays-its-councillors-under-10-an-hour-heres-what-that-costs-us/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/10/wandsworth-pays-its-councillors-under-10-an-hour-heres-what-that-costs-us/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20pays%20its%20councillors%20under%20%C2%A310%20an%20hour.%20Here%E2%80%99s%20what%20that%20costs%20us&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/10/wandsworth-pays-its-councillors-under-10-an-hour-heres-what-that-costs-us/)

**Categories:** Comment, Long read, Politics

**Tags:** Cllr Malcolm Grimston, local government funding, Putney 2030, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth Town trains change from Monday — here's what you need to know](https://putney.news/2026/05/10/wandsworth-town-trains-change-from-monday-heres-what-you-need-to-know/)

**Published:** May 10, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Some midday services will skip the station for five months as the £20m step-free upgrade begins.

**Content:**

From Monday, some midday trains between Waterloo and Wandsworth Town will not stop at the station. The disruption runs for five months, as lift installation begins on the £20m upgrade that will give the station step-free access for the first time.

Rush hours, Fridays, and weekends are unaffected throughout. The only trains that skip the station are those travelling from Waterloo towards Putney between 11am and 2pm, Monday to Thursday. The pattern changes from late July.

#### What changes, and when

The works run in two phases. From Monday until 26 July, trains heading from Waterloo towards Putney skip Wandsworth Town between 11am and 2pm on weekdays. From 27 July to 11 October, the direction reverses: trains heading towards Clapham Junction skip the station on Mondays only between 11am and 2pm. Tuesday to Thursday are unaffected in that second period.

Use the tool below to check your specific journey.

#### If your train skips the station

Four bus routes connect Putney directly to Wandsworth Town. The 37 and 337 run from Upper Richmond Road near Putney station; the 220 and 270 run from Lower Richmond Road near Putney Bridge, dropping you at Southside Shopping Centre or Armoury Way. The journey takes about ten minutes, roughly the same time as staying on the train and backtracking.

#### About the works

The works are part of a [£20m project](https://putney.news/2025/12/24/station-improvements-finally-begin-after-nearly-four-years-of-delays/) to install lifts to all four platforms and open a new northern entrance on Odyssey Way, making Wandsworth Town step-free for the first time. Wandsworth Council’s share of the cost comes from developer contributions rather than council tax.

The station handles 3.75 million passengers a year and stays open throughout. When the project finishes in summer 2027, it will be one of the latest South Western Railway stations to gain step-free access. One stop south, East Putney is still waiting.

*The full background (including the three-year delay to reach this point) is in our [April guide](https://putney.news/2026/04/08/your-train-to-wandsworth-town-may-sail-straight-past-this-summer/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/10/wandsworth-town-trains-change-from-monday-heres-what-you-need-to-know/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/10/wandsworth-town-trains-change-from-monday-heres-what-you-need-to-know/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20Town%20trains%20change%20from%20Monday%20%E2%80%94%20here%E2%80%99s%20what%20you%20need%20to%20know&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/10/wandsworth-town-trains-change-from-monday-heres-what-you-need-to-know/)

**Categories:** Transport, Wandsworth Town

**Tags:** bus, Network Rail, South Western Railway, step-free access, TfL, Wandsworth Town station

---

### [District Line indecency: police appeal for witnesses](https://putney.news/2026/05/10/district-line-indecency-police-appeal-for-witnesses/)

**Published:** May 10, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Incident on East Putney service in April; British Transport Police released CCTV images on Thursday.

**Content:**

British Transport Police are appealing for witnesses after a man exposed himself and masturbated in front of passengers on a District Line train between Wimbledon and East Putney on Tuesday 14 April.

The incident happened during the evening rush hour, between 5.10pm and 5.25pm. Police [issued a public appeal](https://www.btp.police.uk/news/btp/news/appeals/images-released-after-man-masturbates-on-board-train--south-west-london/) and released CCTV images on Thursday, three weeks after the incident took place. Anyone who was on that service and has not yet come forward is still in a position to help.

The man in the images has sandy or reddish-brown hair and a full beard. In one image he is wearing a dark navy padded jacket; in the other, a dark coat with light grey trousers and dark laced shoes.

If you see something like this happening on a train, BTP advise moving away from the offender without engaging and avoiding any visible reaction. If it is safe, a photo taken from a distance can help officers. The 61016 text number is monitored around the clock. If an incident is in progress, BTP can send officers to meet the train at the next station. Call 999 if the offender is still present.

#### Contact details

Anyone who recognises the man in the images is asked to text British Transport Police on 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 451 of 14 April. Those who prefer to remain anonymous can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

BTP notes that people who commit this type of offence sometimes go on to commit more serious ones. Indecent exposure is a criminal offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, carrying a maximum sentence of two years in prison. In most cases a conviction also results in registration on the Sex Offenders Register.

The scale of the problem on Britain’s railways is larger than most commuters realise. British Transport Police recorded 2,475 sexual offences against women on the network in 2024, double the rate of a decade ago, and the force believes the figures represent only a fraction of what actually occurs. A survey of 2,000 people commissioned by BTP found that over a third of women had experienced sexual harassment or offending on their commute. The government estimates that 83% of sexual violence goes unreported nationally.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/10/district-line-indecency-police-appeal-for-witnesses/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/10/district-line-indecency-police-appeal-for-witnesses/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=District%20Line%20indecency%3A%20police%20appeal%20for%20witnesses&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/10/district-line-indecency-police-appeal-for-witnesses/)

**Categories:** Crime, Transport

**Tags:** District Line, East Putney, public safety, TfL, Wimbledon

---

### [The man Wandsworth can't ignore any more](https://putney.news/2026/05/09/the-man-wandsworth-cant-ignore-any-more/)

**Published:** May 9, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** He holds the balance of power, and will turn it down for something far more powerful.

**Content:**

Malcolm Grimston had just got back from his swim when we called him at 3.30pm. West Hill was the last ward to declare, at 6am that morning. He had stayed up through the night for it, got home at 7am, slept until 1pm, and gone for a swim.

The election had produced a highly unusual result and one that had put him [in a political spotlight](https://putney.news/2026/05/08/grimston-kingmaker-as-wandsworth-delivers-hung-council/): Conservatives: 29 seats. Labour: 28. Malcolm Grimston: 1.

That left the councillor for West Hill since 1994 and the only independent on a council of 58, as the person both parties needed most.

He is leaning toward supporting the Conservatives on a confidence and supply basis. Not joining their cabinet, not accepting a formal role, but providing enough backing for them to form an administration, conditional on specific commitments.

He is more than aware that he could have positioned himself as the second most powerful person on Wandsworth Council by doing the opposite. Later that afternoon, Simon Hogg, the leader of Wandsworth Council, came to his house to persuade him to do exactly that.

Grimston’s daily routine, when politics is not breaking around him, involves door-knocking. Not the election-campaign kind., but going round the ward and talking to residents because he finds it rewarding, because there are people he has got to know over the years, because it is where the job actually happens.

He sends a monthly bulletin to over 8,000 people in West Hill and the surrounding area. Each year, he completes over 1,000 pieces of casework, a figure he uses to explain to other councillors across the UK that it is possible to provided that level of service if you treat it as a priority. Away from the ward, he is an honorary fellow at Imperial College’s Centre for Energy Policy and Technology, one of the UK’s foremost voices on nuclear power.

He resigned the Conservative whip in September 2014. The administration was discussing closing out-of-centre libraries, including Southfields Library in his ward. He opposed it and ran a campaign. He has stood as an independent at every election since. The library’s still open more than a decade later.

West Hill: every vote, every candidate — 2006 to 2026

Each dot is one candidate’s result. Follow the gold.

      Grimston 

    All other candidates 

    Becomes independent 

Source: Wandsworth Council election results, 2006–2026.

#### What Labour did

Grimston’s conditions for supporting the Conservatives are not abstract demands. They are a response to specific things the previous administration did to him.

“I’ve been very unhappy with a number of the ways that the Labour Group and the Labour Council has sought to make it much more difficult to challenge them and to get engaged in debates in the chamber and outside the chamber,” he told *Putney.news*. “It’s acting like an elected dictatorship. They’re big words for what we’re talking about, but that’s in effect what’s been happening.”

We have [covered](https://putney.news/2025/12/17/three-councillors-gagged-as-council-admits-mistake-but-skirts-fix/) this issue [in detail](https://putney.news/2025/12/10/hogg-promised-to-make-council-more-open-then-silenced-the-councillor-challenging-him/). In early 2025 the council rewrote its standing orders in a way that prevented councillors without a Group Whip from raising matters at Full Council. Grimston, as an independent, has no whip. The council has acknowledged the problem – and declined to fix it. When he attempted to raise questions about a surge in complaints against the council, the mayor ruled him out of order.

> [Hogg promised to make council “more open” – then silenced the councillor challenging him](https://putney.news/2025/12/10/hogg-promised-to-make-council-more-open-then-silenced-the-councillor-challenging-him/)

Then there was the procedural mechanism that he says was the last straw: “They used the ‘matter now be put’ mechanism, which is in the constitution to stop filibustering, but it was introduced after three speeches in a properly constituted council debate where people were waiting to make their contribution.” The Labour-run council didn’t want to hear criticism, especially in public, and so it used its control of the council chamber to simply silence it.

Grimston had already been challenging the council finances for months. [In March 2025](https://putney.news/2025/03/11/malcolm-grimston-ridiculous-council-tax-freeze-claim/) at Full Council he called the council tax freeze claim “ridiculous” and “untrue.” He was not an irritant looking for grievances. He was making substantive arguments, being obstructed from making them, and eventually formally prevented from speaking at the council he had represented for more than thirty years.

> [Watch now: the independent calling out Wandsworth Council’s ‘ridiculous’ tax freeze claim](https://putney.news/2025/03/11/malcolm-grimston-ridiculous-council-tax-freeze-claim/)

He told us what he wants from the Conservatives in return for his support: “The sticking points are around more honesty on the budget, on changing the constitution to make challenge more easy for people, and if possible some things around a members’ charter of behaviour or something of that nature that is actively policed by the two group leaders.” He would not join their cabinet. He has proposed that the scrutiny committee might benefit from independent chairing.

On why it is the Conservatives rather than the alternative, he was precise: “The Tories have earned the right, I think, to govern, albeit only by fifteen, sixteen votes in the tightest seat, but that’s the way our democracy works at the moment.” The Conservatives had won more seats, and the shift was away from one party (Labour) and toward another (Conservative). He also notes that “being more confident that the Tories will take the financial situation seriously,” is a key consideration.

#### The option he turned down

The most striking element of our conversation is not what Grimston decided, but what he decided against.

The electoral maths gave him a second option, and it would have given him considerably more power. If he voted with Labour on every issue, the council would lock at 29-29. The outgoing mayor, Jeremy Ambache, a Labour figure who stood down at this election, remains Mayor until the annual meeting.

Under Grimston’s reading of the Local Government Act 1972, Ambache could, in a tied vote at the annual meeting, use a casting vote to elect a new Labour mayor. With a Labour mayor in place, every subsequent 29-29 tie would fall to that mayor. Grimston would be able to swing any contested decision in either direction: he could vote Conservative and it would pass; he could vote Labour and it would pass. He could withhold his vote and it would fail. He would possess an ultimate veto. He could also collapse the administration whenever he chose.

He looked at that option and turned it down.

“That would be deeply undemocratic for what’s just happened. And it would go against my feeling of where we are on the policy agenda. I like to think of myself as a fairly responsible member of the council. That sort of behaviour would just mess up the whole thing in ridiculous ways.”

He is precise, too, about the limits of what he does have: “Although I’m in an interesting position, the fact still remains I’m only one of fifty-eight councillors. And any of the other fifty-seven potentially could be in a similar position. I’m in a very interesting position, but I’m not omnipotent by any means.”

He describes a possible role beyond the formal arithmetic. “There is a possibility, depending on how it works, that I can be in some way a go-between the two groups – which I was to an extent in the last council until things got really, really down.” He described a cycle he has seen in other councils he works with through his LGA regional peer role: when both sides assume mistakes are mistakes rather than deliberate acts, trust builds; governance improves; residents benefit. When it goes the other way, suspicion compounds. He thinks he may be able to interrupt the spiral.

We asked him directly whether his ward would see something more tangible from his new position. “I really don’t want to abuse the position that I’ve been put in by basically all of Wandsworth to unfairly divert things into West Hill. So it’ll be a balance between making sure that West Hill gets its fair share, but not wanting to go beyond that.”

His vote in yesterday’s election was 4,081. The highest individual total of any councillor in London. In a ward of roughly 12,000 people. Running as an independent against both main parties. Across three elections as an independent, his vote has reached its highest point yet.

Why does he do any of it? “It’s not uncommon that you can draw a direct line between someone raising something with you, you taking it up with the council, and it ending up with a good outcome for the residents. And that’s enormously rewarding when you feel that actually it was worth getting up today because someone’s life has got a little bit better.”

We are just getting into the minutiae of the Ackroydon sunken garden, Tibbet’s Ride underpass and school playgrounds when the doorbell rings.

“I think that’s the leader of the council at my door, so I’d better go and talk to him.”

---

*Correction: In an earlier version, we noted that Malcolm Grimston was a senior research fellow at Chatham House. He left that role a number of years ago. The article has been updated to reflect that.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/09/the-man-wandsworth-cant-ignore-any-more/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/09/the-man-wandsworth-cant-ignore-any-more/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20man%20Wandsworth%20can%E2%80%99t%20ignore%20any%20more&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/09/the-man-wandsworth-cant-ignore-any-more/)

**Categories:** Politics, West Hill

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Jeremy Ambache, Cllr Malcolm Grimston, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Now the election's over, we need to talk about East Putney's bridges](https://putney.news/2026/05/09/now-the-elections-over-we-need-to-talk-about-east-putneys-bridges/)

**Published:** May 9, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Photos, two polls, and two questions for Network Rail about those very vivid colours.

**Content:**

The painting is finished. East Putney’s two long-awaited railway bridges are blue. Very, very blue, with a band of highlighter yellow along the upper fascia, and “EAST PUTNEY” picked out in white lettering on the lower panels. The [works began in March](https://putney.news/2026/04/25/east-putney-bridges-gets-their-long-awaited-facelift-in-pictures/) and finished this week.

![Bright yellow underside of a steel bridge with riveted beams and parallel black cables strapped along the center, visible brick buildings at the bottom edge.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/east-putney-bridge-paint-job-5-768x1024.png)For as long as anyone can remember, East Putney’s railway bridges have worn a muted terracotta that is easy to not quite see. The comparable Victorian ironwork bridges nearby still carry that weathered red-brown, their decorative panels quietly ageing into the brickwork. The bridges on Upper Richmond Road are now doing something quite different.

The reaction has been… immediate. The most popular comparison is IKEA. The Minions have also been mentioned. A symbol of Ukrainian support possibly. If you look closely, you will note that HSS The Hire Service Co. sat besides one of the bridges has a sign fixed to its abutment wall that bears a striking resemblance. We know TfL is strapped for cash, maybe its now selling sponsorship of its bridges. Or perhaps there was a batch of Highlighter Yellow on special.

![Bright yellow and blue decorative underpass over a city street, with pedestrians on the sidewalk and shopfronts below.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/east-putney-bridge-paint-job-14-1024x768.png)Has the bridge been sponsored by HSS?Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

 it look does  

What does it look like to you? - I love IKEA!
- A very happy minion
- The Ukrainian flag
- A tool hire company's van
- A London landmark
- I'm filing a complaint

  Submit![Loading](https://putney.news/wp-content/plugins/wpforms/assets/images/submit-spin.svg)

 #### Is this what was signed off?

The before-and-after composite [circulated before the works began](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-february-2026/east-putney-bridges-set-for-colourful-refurbishment/) showed the bridges in rather more muted tones: a dusty blue, something approaching cream or gold in the yellow band. I think we can agree that what has gone on the bridge is not that.

![What Wandsworth Council said was coming](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/east-putney-bridges-website-umbraco-template-800-x-533px.png)What Wandsworth Council said was coming. Pic: Wandsworth CouncilWhether the delivered result reflects what was formally approved is one of two questions we are going to put to Network Rail, which carried out the refurbishment.

The other: are the other railway bridges in Putney and Roehampton next? There are several comparable Victorian structures in the area, all currently carrying the muted terracotta that has been the local palette for decades. If the answer is yes, the colour question becomes considerably more significant.

![Urban street view beneath a decorative brick bridge with pink patterned panels, parked cars along the curb, and a tree on the right.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/bridge-paint-job-4-1024x768.png)Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

 bothered? you Are  

Are you bothered?- Love it: bring colour to Putney
- It'll grow on me
- I have concerns, but I'll adapt
- No. No no no.
- I want to know who approved this

  Submit![Loading](https://putney.news/wp-content/plugins/wpforms/assets/images/submit-spin.svg)

 ![Underpass beneath a blue-and-yellow railway bridge with large white letters, pedestrians on the sidewalk.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/east-putney-bridge-paint-job-16-1024x768.png)In [October 2016, Wandsworth Council backed plans](https://putney.news/2026/01/05/eight-years-after-promising-artwork-east-putney-bridge-finally-getting-a-lick-of-paint/) for Balham-style bronze artwork on the bridges, with community input and a considered design process. In 2019 the plans “moved a step closer.” They never arrived. What East Putney got, [after 40 nights of works](https://putney.news/2026/03/12/hell-on-earth-east-putney-residents-kept-awake-until-5am-by-bridge-works/) and a substantial number of noise complaints, is a coat of paint.

It is, at minimum, a memorable one.

![Pedestrians walk on a wide city sidewalk beside modern buildings and a blue East Putney bridge sign overhead.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/east-putney-bridge-paint-job-1-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/09/now-the-elections-over-we-need-to-talk-about-east-putneys-bridges/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/09/now-the-elections-over-we-need-to-talk-about-east-putneys-bridges/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Now%20the%20election%E2%80%99s%20over%2C%20we%20need%20to%20talk%20about%20East%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20bridges&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/09/now-the-elections-over-we-need-to-talk-about-east-putneys-bridges/)

**Categories:** Community, East Putney

**Tags:** community, East Putney, Upper Richmond Road, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Grimston kingmaker as Wandsworth delivers hung council](https://putney.news/2026/05/08/grimston-kingmaker-as-wandsworth-delivers-hung-council/)

**Published:** May 8, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** No party won an overall majority at Wandsworth Council - the first time in the borough's modern history. One man now decides who runs it.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has no overall control for the first time in its modern history. The Conservatives won 29 seats and Labour 28 – both short of the 30 needed for a majority. The result leaves Malcolm Grimston, the independent councillor for West Hill who has represented the ward for more than 30 years, holding the balance of power.

Grimston, a nuclear energy academic at Imperial College who left the Conservatives in 2014, topped the poll in West Hill with 4,081 votes — more than double the next candidate. He has consistently refused to align with either main party. Whether he does so now will determine who leads Wandsworth Council for the next four years.

The Conservatives made significant gains across the borough, winning seats in five wards previously held by Labour: Battersea Park, St Mary’s, Trinity, Wandle, and West Putney. The net result was a six-seat swing – CON up from 23 to 29, Labour down from 34 to 28 – but not enough for a majority.

The biggest single result of the night came in West Putney, where the Conservatives won all three seats – a ward they held only one seat in at the last election. Nick Austin, who won the ward’s 2024 by-election before a period of suspension from the party, topped the poll with 2,745 votes.

Simon Hogg, Labour’s council leader, held his own seat in Falconbrook, but faces the prospect of leading his party in opposition. Labour’s losses came despite Hogg’s personal vote – the party’s overall vote share fell from 42.5% to 33.6% across the borough.

#### **Putney as the decider**

In Putney, the Conservative surge was pronounced. West Putney flipped entirely – the Conservatives taking all three seats from a ward that returned two Labour councillors in 2022. East Putney held its existing shape, CON 2-1, with former council leader Ravi Govindia returning by just 20 votes in one of the tightest individual finishes of the night.

Thamesfield, the Liberal Democrats’ most ambitious target, held for the Conservatives, though the Lib Dems polled 29.9%: their strongest showing in the ward in decades and 16 points up from 2022. Not enough. Roehampton held for Labour, all three seats, though the Conservative vote fell sharply and Reform polled 15%.

And West Hill returned Grimston, as it has done every four years since 1994. This time he arrives at the council as the most consequential councillor in Wandsworth’s modern history.

#### **The national picture**

Wandsworth’s result sits within a broader national pattern of Labour collapse, though with a distinctly London character.

Nationally, as results came in through the night, Reform were up 309 councillors and Labour down 229, with the Conservatives also falling, down 114. Election analyst Sir John Curtice told the BBC there was a “pretty clear board picture,” with Reform “in poll position”: their vote relatively evenly spread and Conservative and Labour losses towards the worse end of what they had expected.

Outside London, the story is Reform. Reform went from near-zero local presence in 2022 to polling 27%+ nationally, projected to take control of county councils in Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk – a historic realignment in England’s rural heartlands. Across much of the so-called red wall, Labour faced heavy losses in places like Tamworth and Wigan, which once formed the bedrock of their English local government presence.

In London, the picture is different. The Green Party and Reform UK both sought to make gains in the capital, but it is the Greens who have been the more potent force in inner London boroughs, eating into Labour’s vote in the student-heavy, renting-class wards: exactly the pattern seen in Tooting Broadway and Falconbrook. The Greens are up eight points in vote share nationally but this is not translating into many councillors — the same story as Wandsworth, writ large across the country.

Labour has also lost its majority in Southampton, now under no overall control, with Reform gaining seven seats, the Greens four and the Lib Dems two. Oxford, meanwhile, is under no overall control with Labour the largest party despite losing five seats to the Greens.

Wandsworth, then, is neither an outlier nor a perfect fit for the national story. The mechanics are the same – Labour squeezed from multiple directions, losing ground to insurgents it cannot easily counter. But where nationally it is Reform doing the most damage, in Wandsworth’s inner London wards it was the Greens who gutted the Labour vote.

The result – no overall control, a knife-edge arithmetic, an independent holding the balance – is more dramatic than most. But the underlying forces are playing out in council chambers across England this morning.

#### **A remarkable election**

Labour won Wandsworth for the first time since 1978 in 2022. Tonight, they lost it – not to a Conservative majority, but to a fragmented electorate and a 30-year independent who nobody can quite predict. The question of who runs Wandsworth now rests with one man in West Hill, and he hasn’t said.

*A full analysis of the results — where the votes went, what the numbers mean, and why the squeeze on Labour from both left and right decided the night — is published separately. \[[Read it here →](https://putney.news/2026/05/08/squeezed-from-both-sides-how-labour-lost-wandsworth/)\]*

> [Squeezed from both sides: how Labour lost Wandsworth](https://putney.news/2026/05/08/squeezed-from-both-sides-how-labour-lost-wandsworth/)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/08/grimston-kingmaker-as-wandsworth-delivers-hung-council/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/08/grimston-kingmaker-as-wandsworth-delivers-hung-council/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Grimston%20kingmaker%20as%20Wandsworth%20delivers%20hung%20council&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/08/grimston-kingmaker-as-wandsworth-delivers-hung-council/)

**Categories:** Election 2026, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Conservative Party, council tax, election results, Labour Party, local elections, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Putney is gridlocked - on the road and at the count](https://putney.news/2026/05/08/putney-is-gridlocked-on-the-road-and-at-the-count/)

**Published:** May 8, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Content:**

Upper Richmond Road is closed in one direction this morning after an underground electrical fault opened a hole in the pavement and brought three bus routes to a halt.

UK Power Networks engineers are working on what the permit notice describes as a PLV fault — a failure in the low-voltage distribution network — at the junction near Putney station. The road is closed with diversions in place. The work permit runs until 13 May.

![Construction work on a sidewalk with red plastic barricades, loose bricks, and exposed soil in front of a shop window.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1138-1024x768.jpeg)Bus stop K outside the Putney Arts Theatre on Upper Richmond Road is also closed. Routes 337, 430 and the N74 night bus cannot serve the stop. TfL’s notice, added by hand to the standard yellow closure card, directs passengers up Putney Hill and from Putney Heath down Roehampton Lane.

![Bus stop sign mounted on a metal pole under green trees; yellow panel reads 'Bus stop closed' with 'Putney Arts Theatre' below and route numbers 337, 430, N74 visible.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1137-768x1024.jpeg)The disruption comes on the morning after Wandsworth’s local elections. The count finished overnight with no winner. The Conservatives won 29 seats, Labour 28 — both one short of the 30 needed for a majority. Wandsworth has no overall control for the first time in its modern history.

![Urban street with historic red-brick building named The Railway on the corner and shopfronts along the road, pedestrians walking and cyclists nearby, and roadworks with orange barriers at center.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1146-1024x768.jpeg)The result turns on Malcolm Grimston, the independent councillor for West Hill who has held his seat for more than 30 years and has never aligned with either main party. He now holds the balance of power. He hasn’t said what he will do with it.

> [Grimston kingmaker as Wandsworth delivers hung council](https://putney.news/2026/05/08/grimston-kingmaker-as-wandsworth-delivers-hung-council/)

Putney was at the centre of the night. Voters in West Putney returned three Conservatives, flipping a ward that had sent two Labour councillors to the town hall in 2022. In East Putney, Ravi Govindia, the former council leader, held his seat by 20 votes. Voters in Thamesfield stayed Conservative despite a sharp Lib Dem surge. In Roehampton, Labour held all three seats. Across SW15, most results went to the wire.

The electrical fault is unrelated to the count. But the image is hard to ignore: road closed, diversions in place, buses rerouted — and a council that still doesn’t know who’s in charge.

![Open rectangular sidewalk trench with exposed soil and pipes, surrounded by loose bricks and construction barrier; a yellow warning bag lies inside the hole.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1139-768x1024.jpeg)---

For travel information, check [tfl.gov.uk/journeyplanner](https://tfl.gov.uk/journeyplanner). For election results, check [putney.news](https://putney.news).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/08/putney-is-gridlocked-on-the-road-and-at-the-count/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/08/putney-is-gridlocked-on-the-road-and-at-the-count/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20is%20gridlocked%20%E2%80%93%20on%20the%20road%20and%20at%20the%20count&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/08/putney-is-gridlocked-on-the-road-and-at-the-count/)

**Categories:** Politics, Transport

**Tags:** traffic, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Squeezed from both sides: how Labour lost Wandsworth](https://putney.news/2026/05/08/squeezed-from-both-sides-how-labour-lost-wandsworth/)

**Published:** May 8, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** A remarkable election showed third parties surge across the borough — gutting Labour's vote and handing the Conservatives a one-seat lead that still wasn't enough for a majority.

**Content:**

The Conservatives came within one seat of winning back Wandsworth Council last night. Labour came within two seats of holding it. In the end, neither got what they needed – and the result is a hung council decided by a single independent councillor who has been winning elections in West Hill since 1994.

The arithmetic tells one story. The vote shares tell a more important one.

Party20222026ChangeConservative40.6%31.2%-9.4ppLabour42.5%33.6%-8.9ppGreen8.9%17.3%+8.4ppLib Dem6.0%9.1%+3.1ppReform UK0%7.3%+7.3ppThe Conservative vote share fell nearly ten percentage points. Labour’s fell nearly nine. Both main parties lost ground – heavily – to a set of insurgent movements that between them took more than a third of the vote and won not a single seat.

##### The squeeze from the left

The Green Party’s vote share nearly doubled across the borough, rising from 8.9% to 17.3%. In Tooting Broadway – their main target seat – the surge was extraordinary.

Ward20222026ChangeTooting Broadway5.8%35.0%+29.2ppFalconbrook0%23.1%+23.1ppTooting Bec9.4%29.6%+20.2ppNine Elms4.4%20.9%+16.5ppSouth Balham6.5%17.4%+10.9ppLavender7.0%16.6%+9.6ppTrinity4.8%14.4%+9.6pp*Green Party vote share by ward*

The correlation between Green gains and Labour losses is striking. Wherever the Greens surged hardest, Labour collapsed hardest. The two moved in near-lockstep. The correlation between Green gains and Conservative losses, by contrast, is barely detectable.

Approximately 81% of the Green surge came from former Labour voters. For every vote the Greens took from the Conservatives, they took 4.4 from Labour.

> The Greens didn’t split the left — they gutted it.

##### The 51-vote moment

In Tooting Broadway, the starkest example: Green candidates polled 5,373 votes combined. Labour’s third-placed winner, Rex Osborn, held on with 1,956 votes. The first Green candidate, Michael Bankole, finished with 1,905. The gap between Labour holding and the Greens breaking through: 51 votes.

That margin never closed. Three Green candidates, no seats. And Labour held the ward — but only just, and at a cost that rippled through the borough’s arithmetic.

Wandsworth Election Results 2026 — Putney.news Putney.newsWandsworth Council Election Results 2026

 Loading… 

0 of 22 declared

Click a ward
to see results

 Source: Wandsworth Council — 

##### The squeeze from the right

While the Greens were pulling Labour’s progressive vote, Reform was doing something equally damaging from the other direction – and in a pattern that runs counter to the national story about Reform.

Nationally, Reform UK is understood primarily as a Conservative problem: disaffected Tory voters drawn to a more populist offer. In Wandsworth, the picture is reversed. Reform’s strongest performances came in Labour’s most working-class heartlands.

In Roehampton – the most deprived ward in Wandsworth, with the highest concentration of households in relative poverty and the highest unemployment rate in the borough – Reform polled 15%. In Shaftesbury & Queenstown, the second most deprived ward, 11.3%. In Falconbrook, a working-class Battersea ward where Labour took 71% of the vote in 2022, Reform took 10.2%.

Now look at the Conservative heartlands. In Northcote – one of the least deprived wards in Wandsworth, with unemployment at 3%, the lowest in the borough – Reform polled 4.4%. In Balham, 4.3%.

Ward typeExample wardsAvg Reform voteMost deprivedRoehampton, Shaftesbury & Q, Falconbrook8.2%MixedNine Elms, St Mary’s8.9%Most affluentNorthcote, Balham, Southfields5.5%The Wandsworth Reform voter is not the disaffected Home Counties Conservative. They are the disaffected working-class Labour voter in Roehampton and Battersea: people for whom neither the Greens’ environmentalism nor Labour’s metropolitan offer is landing. In Wandsworth’s most deprived communities, Reform is the protest vote. In the affluent professional wards, the Conservative brand held.

##### Where Labour actually lost it

The wards where Labour’s vote collapsed most dramatically: Battersea Park, down 14.6 percentage points. Tooting Bec, down 18.2. Furzedown, down 18.9. Tooting Broadway, down 25.5. Falconbrook – historically Labour at 71% and home to council leader Simon Hogg – down 26.5 points.

In each case the Green vote surged. In each case Reform also made inroads. In each case, Conservative candidates needed only to stay roughly where they were.

Five wards changed hands:

WardSeats20222026ChangeSt Mary’s3CON×1, LAB×2CON×3CON gain 2West Putney3CON×1, LAB×2CON×3CON gain 2Battersea Park3LAB×3CON×1, LAB×2CON gain 1Trinity2LAB×2CON×1, LAB×1CON gain 1Wandle2LAB×2CON×1, LAB×1CON gain 1Labour didn’t lose to Conservative candidates who worked harder or offered something better. Labour lost to its own fracturing vote, and the Conservatives happened to be standing where the pieces fell.

##### The Conservative paradox

This is an unusual kind of near-victory. The Conservatives’ vote fell in almost every ward: down 9.1 points in Thamesfield, 9.3 in Shaftesbury & Queenstown, 10.5 in Falconbrook, 11.5 in Roehampton. They went up in precisely one ward: Nine Elms, by 1.2 points.

In their own strongholds the picture was little better: down 9.1 in Thamesfield, down 5.6 in Wandsworth Common. A party whose vote is falling across the board does not normally gain six seats. In Wandsworth last night, it did – because Labour’s vote collapsed faster, and the seats fell to whoever was left standing.

##### The third-party picture

No Green, Liberal Democrat or Reform candidate won a seat anywhere in Wandsworth. The scale of the disproportionality is striking.

PartyVote shareSeats wonSeats if proportionalLabour33.6%28~19Conservative31.2%29~18Green17.3%0~10Lib Dem9.1%0~5Reform UK7.3%0~4*Based on 58 total seats, final results*

Under a proportional system, the Conservatives – with fewer votes than Labour – would have fewer seats than Labour. Instead they have more. Three parties with a combined 34% of the vote have no representation at all. First-past-the-post absorbed more than a third of Wandsworth’s votes and returned nothing.

##### The Putney picture

In Putney, the Conservative surge was pronounced. West Putney was the ward that decided the council’s arithmetic: the Conservatives won all three seats, having held only one in 2022. Labour’s vote fell 17.4 points. Nick Austin, returning as a Conservative candidate after a period of suspension from the party, topped the poll.

East Putney held its 2022 shape – CON 2-1- with Ravi Govindia returning by just 20 votes. Thamesfield held for the Conservatives despite the Liberal Democrats surging to 29.9%, their strongest showing in the ward for decades and 16 points above 2022. Not enough.

Roehampton held for Labour, all three seats. And West Hill returned Malcolm Grimston with 4,081 votes – more than double his nearest rival – and with it, the balance of power in Wandsworth’s most extraordinary election in half a century.

##### The man who decides

Grimston has sat on Wandsworth Council since 1994. He is a nuclear energy academic at Imperial College who left the Conservatives over library closures in 2014 and has run as an independent ever since, winning every election since with commanding personal votes. He has given no indication of which party, if either, he would support.

With CON on 29 and LAB on 28, either party needs Grimston — or needs the other party to fracture — to command a majority. He has positioned himself carefully for 30 years as a man who cannot be counted on by anyone. Wandsworth Council is now, for the first time, a place where that matters enormously.

##### The Liberal Democrat story

The Liberal Democrats ran a focused target seat campaign and came close in two wards without breaking through in either.

In Southfields, the party surged from 7.7% to 27.6% — a 20-point increase. The second Conservative candidate held on by 328 votes. In Thamesfield, their most ambitious target, they reached 29.9%, up 16 points from 2022. The Conservatives held all three seats. Just.

In Northcote, the third target, the Lib Dems improved from 6.6% to 13.5% but were never competitive. In Nine Elms, where they had polled 26.3% in 2022, their vote collapsed to 8% as those voters migrated to the Greens and Reform.

Across all 22 wards, the average Lib Dem share rose by just over three points. They concentrated their resources, came close in two wards, and won nothing.

##### What it means

Wandsworth has a hung council. Labour lost ground not primarily to the Conservatives but to two insurgent movements pulling in opposite directions — Greens taking its progressive middle-class vote, Reform taking its working-class vote. The Conservatives gained six seats without increasing their own vote anywhere that mattered.

The political landscape beneath the headline result has shifted considerably. A party that took 17% of the vote won no seats. A party that won 29 seats did so on 31% of the vote — less than Labour’s 33.6%. The council will now be shaped by conversations with one independent councillor in West Hill who has spent 30 years refusing to be anyone’s ally.

That is what first-past-the-post does to a fragmented electorate. And that is what Wandsworth got last night.

---

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/08/squeezed-from-both-sides-how-labour-lost-wandsworth/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/08/squeezed-from-both-sides-how-labour-lost-wandsworth/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Squeezed%20from%20both%20sides%3A%20how%20Labour%20lost%20Wandsworth&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/08/squeezed-from-both-sides-how-labour-lost-wandsworth/)

**Categories:** Election 2026, Long read, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Conservative Party, council tax, Labour Party, local elections, local government funding, Simon Hogg, transparency, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council

---

### [For many Putney voters, there's one issue on their mind: the dreaded junction](https://putney.news/2026/05/07/for-many-putney-voters-theres-one-issue-on-their-mind-the-dreaded-junction/)

**Published:** May 7, 2026
**Author:** The Editor

**Excerpt:** With the Conservatives confident of winning back council control, we look at its role in Putney's biggest policy mess. 

**Content:**

If there is one topic on which Putney residents are united, it is the new junction at Putney Bridge. Introduced nearly 18 months ago, it has been an unmitigated disaster, causing extraordinary congestion, severe knock-on effects and local fury.

If you live in the ward closest to the river, Thamesfield, every leaflet in the past weeks have featured the junction prominently, at the hustings three weeks ago it was also [the dominant issue](https://putney.news/2026/04/14/putneys-first-hustings-the-claims-that-didnt-survive-the-evidence/). So the question is: what can my vote do to shift the issue?

As the party in power for the past four years, and the group responsible for implementing the design, using traffic data from the Covid period to drive the design, Labour has become strongly associated with the junction’s failure. Residents made it abundantly clear to the leader of the council, Simon Hogg, [back in October](https://putney.news/2025/10/12/traffic-crisis-dominates-putney-meeting-as-residents-demand-action-not-promises/) the depth of anger over the situation and the political cost of doing nothing.

Since then, there have been dozens of small fixes that have improved but definitely not fixed the issue. Hogg has at least been consistent: he says the design is here to stay but his council will do all it can around the edges to improve congestion. The Transport Committee has also made it plain that [nothing significant is going to change](https://putney.news/2025/11/21/transport-committee-hears-overwhelming-junction-failure-evidence-discusses-pedestrian-counts/), in part, it says because the redesign has – according to their reading of the situation – achieved its goals in terms of pedestrian and cyclist safety.

Most egregiously, the cabinet member in charge of transport Cllr Jenny Yates, has consistently outlined not what her administration will do about the situation but [why it wasn’t her fault](https://putney.news/2026/04/15/not-one-true-word-cllr-jenny-yatess-traffic-claims-fact-checked/), spending over an hour during this election period giving residents a series of increasingly implausible explanations.

> [Not one true word: Cllr Jenny Yates’s traffic claims, fact-checked](https://putney.news/2026/04/15/not-one-true-word-cllr-jenny-yatess-traffic-claims-fact-checked/)

So the answer, at least in terms of this issue, should be obvious – switch to the opposition. Except, the one thing that Yates has been honest about is that it was the Conservatives that were initially responsible for the Putney Bridge junction redesign.

#### What they said at the hustings

The truth is that the previous Conservative administration designed it, appointed the consultants, and held the transport brief throughout the planning phase.

Their candidates are now standing on a promise to fix it but have been less than fully honest about their role in the first place. At the public hustings on 13 April, Conservative candidate Ethan Brooks told the roughly 200 residents that his party’s former transport lead, John Locker – also a Thamesfield councillor – had “never signed it off.”

That was met by immediate push back from the crowd, several of whom had sat in meetings with Locker and council and TfL officials when the whole process was working its way through. The council’s own post-implementation review names Locker as a participant throughout the design phase. He was in fact the councillor most in charge of the whole project. Cllr John Locker is not on the Thamesfield ballot today. He is standing on the complete opposite side of Wandsworth, in Shaftesbury and Queenstown.

> [Putney’s first hustings: the claims that didn’t survive the evidence](https://putney.news/2026/04/14/putneys-first-hustings-the-claims-that-didnt-survive-the-evidence/)

Responding to voter anger, the Conservatives have promised to set things right. But even then, it’s not clear there is clarity over the situation. Referring to the large government grant used to offset the cost of the new junction – which was in itself a major reason for the rushed design because the funds were only available for a set period of time – Cllr Brooks told residents last month: “If we have to return £300,000 to put this right then we must.”

The actual government grant figure spent on the junction was £344,732. Council officials have used the grant, among many other reasons, to explain internally why it is so difficult to make changes to the junction. The rationale is, however, yet one more paper tiger.

A review of every major capital grant programme over the past three decades found not a single documented case of a council being required to return money for completed infrastructure that was subsequently reversed.

The claim has also never raised in any formal, minuted council setting. Not at the Transport Committee in November 2025, not at full council in March 2026. It has never been tested against professional advice or against any historical precedent. Brooks presented it to residents as the established cost of fixing the junction.

#### Official conduct

The truth is that any significant changes to the junction design are going to require elected councillors to plough through 100 roadblocks setup by officials who are loathe to admit failure and have already earmarked the resources needed to cover a dozen other issues across the borough.

Which leaves the Lib Dems, Greens and Reform. Among them, only the Lib Dems have pushed hard in this part of Putney for local’s votes and the junction has been their dominant message. Their main solution is to return the crucial turn from Lower Richmond Road onto Putney Bridge back to two lanes – something council officials have consistently claimed won’t have much of an impact and doesn’t fit modern safety standards. It is a policy that has also been adopted by the Conservatives.

The other proposed solutions are shifting bus stops – which are already under consideration and will likely have to wait until a contract renewal with TfL – and introducing so-called ANPR cameras that will read people’s number plates and fine non-residents if they use backstreets as ‘rat runs’.

None of that will fix the fundamental problem: the junction design does not work for the number of cars that go through it every day.

If there’s one thing politicians should learn from the junction design debacle, it’s that the details and the process matter. That may be driving what are cautious and limited plans to fix the traffic in Putney. But the truth is that until a more radical solution is agreed and arrived at, we will be tweaking at the edges, and traffic will remain intolerable.

The junction the Conservatives built — Putney.newsThe junction the Conservatives built

Key decisions from the scheme’s origins under Conservative control to today’s election

2017

Conservative administration originates scheme

Putney High Street improvement programme begins under Conservative-controlled Wandsworth Council.

2018

AECOM appointed; £1m grant secured

Conservative administration appoints design consultants. Future High Streets Fund award of £1,058,706 follows, with £344,732 allocated to the junction.

2019–22

Locker leads as transport cabinet member

John Locker holds the transport brief throughout the design phase. The council’s own post-implementation review names the then-cabinet member as a participant in the scheme’s stakeholder group.

Sep 2023

Final design approved unanimously

Transport Committee votes to approve the final junction design. Conservative members vote in favour.

Dec 2024

Works complete. Congestion worsens.

Physical works finished. AECOM’s post-implementation review finds the junction running at 70–80% capacity. Signal timings were never implemented as designed. A bus route is later withdrawn citing congestion.

Today

Election day: Conservatives promise to fix it

Locker does not stand in Thamesfield. He is on the ballot in Shaftesbury and Queenstown. The Conservative slate he leaves behind is standing on a platform of reversing the scheme he helped design.

Sources: Wandsworth Council Papers 25-398, 22-331; Transport Committee minutes September 2023; Putney.news reporting

#### The chairman who assembled the slate

While we’re looking at past roles of the Thamesfield Conservative candidates, one of them this year has had a particularly firm hand: most were selected under Robert Morritt, who is Chairman of Putney Conservatives and is himself on the ballot today. Mr Morritt has been away from frontline politics for some time but has returned just as the Conservatives sense that may be coming back into power.

In July 2012, [Guido Fawkes began publishing a series of articles](https://order-order.com/2012/07/30/robert-morritts-missing-money-wandsworth-tory-auditor-in-voodoo-accounting-mystery/) alleging that Morritt, then serving as electoral agent to Conservative ministers Justine Greening, Stephen Hammond and Jane Ellison, had gained financial advantage from Wandsworth Conservative Association funds.

The allegations centred on what Guido described as “more than £30,000 in missing money and a secret £25,000 Addison Lee bill.” Wandsworth Council suspended him from his council posts while the matter was investigated. An [independent fraud investigation](https://order-order.com/2013/04/30/independent-fraud-investigation-finds-wandsworth-wanting/) found the association “wanting.” Its findings included that Morritt “fell short of providing sufficient, acceptable detail to ensure that he did not gain financial advantage during his employment with the Wandsworth Group.”

Morritt called the investigation’s findings “totally spurious” and accused Guido of “malicious lies.” No criminal charges were brought.

On 31 October 2013, the Conservative whip was removed from him by a two-thirds majority vote. He continued as an independent councillor but could not stand again as a Conservative. His council career ended at the following election.

In January 2024, Guido [reported he had returned](https://order-order.com/2024/01/24/ex-tory-councillor-expelled-for-fraud-campaigning-for-total-control-of-associations-finances/) and was “campaigning to have total control of the Putney Association and its finances.”

The Conservative Party did not disclose this history when Morritt was appointed Chairman or selected as a candidate. Depending on how Thamesfield residents vote today, Mr Morritt may be back at the heart of the Wandsworth political machinery.

*Putney.news has [fact-checked the Conservative manifesto](https://putney.news/2026/04/13/high-quality-services-or-decades-of-stagnation-the-conservatives-record-checked/) and applied [the same scrutiny to Labour’s transport claims](https://putney.news/2026/04/15/not-one-true-word-cllr-jenny-yatess-traffic-claims-fact-checked/) during this election campaign.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/07/for-many-putney-voters-theres-one-issue-on-their-mind-the-dreaded-junction/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/07/for-many-putney-voters-theres-one-issue-on-their-mind-the-dreaded-junction/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=For%20many%20Putney%20voters%2C%20there%E2%80%99s%20one%20issue%20on%20their%20mind%3A%20the%20dreaded%20junction&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/07/for-many-putney-voters-theres-one-issue-on-their-mind-the-dreaded-junction/)

**Categories:** Politics, Thamesfield

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Ethan Brooks, Cllr John Locker, Putney Bridge junction, thamesfield, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Putney's Independent candidate gets help from unexpected source: the competition](https://putney.news/2026/05/07/putneys-independent-candidate-gets-help-from-unexpected-source-the-competition/)

**Published:** May 7, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** West Hill Conservatives distributed a leaflet backing only two of its three candidates…

**Content:**

Malcolm Grimston has represented West Hill as an Independent for 12 years. Yesterday morning his campaign for another term received unexpected assistance.

The West Hill Conservatives distributed a leaflet urging voters to back Charlie Drakesmith and Daniel Ghossain and… him. Not Madeline Woolf, their third candidate.

“A vote for anyone other than the two Local Conservative candidates Charlie Drakesmith and Daniel Ghossain plus the Independent,” the leaflet explained, “means we will get another 4 years of a failing Labour Council.”

![Political campaign flyer urging votes for two local Conservative candidates, Charlie Drakesmith and Daniel Ghossain, with a red vote-all circle and a blue message box about voting importance.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/west-hill-full-leaflet-1024x1024.jpg)It’s a mark of quite how dominant a figure Grimston is that a political party is willing to throw its own candidate under the bus to grant him their endorsement. In the last election, Grimston won 66% of the vote – 26% more than the next candidate and 37% more than his new backers. He’s going nowhere.

The leaflet reminds voters they have three votes and should “use them ALL!” Make sure you don’t forget to put a cross in the box next to our competition.

As for Grimston, he is somewhat amused by the whole thing. “The Conservatives in West Hill are now campaigning for me against one of their own candidates,” he told *Putney.news*. The unexpected support has left him with one dilemma however. “I’m wondering if I have to declare this leaflet in my election expenses!”

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/07/putneys-independent-candidate-gets-help-from-unexpected-source-the-competition/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/07/putneys-independent-candidate-gets-help-from-unexpected-source-the-competition/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20Independent%20candidate%20gets%20help%20from%20unexpected%20source%3A%20the%20competition&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/07/putneys-independent-candidate-gets-help-from-unexpected-source-the-competition/)

**Categories:** Politics, West Hill

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Malcolm Grimston, Wandsworth, West Hill

---

### [Do the Conservatives have a woman problem?](https://putney.news/2026/05/07/do-the-conservatives-have-a-woman-problem/)

**Published:** May 7, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Capable, established female councillors have been looked over and pushed out. Why?

**Content:**

In the five Wandsworth wards the Conservatives are almost certain to win in the election today, the party has fielded just one woman. The other 12 are men.

It is not an accident or an unexpected confluence of factors. In what insiders have described as a particularly unpleasant selection process, capable and experienced women candidates, many of them sitting councillors, were pushed out of their seats to make way for preferred candidates, all of whom happen to be men.

Several of those women decided to walk away; others fought to stay within the system and are now standing in unfamiliar wards that they are statistically far less likely to win.

The deep blue wards of Lavender, Northcote, and Thamesfield have all-male Conservative slates. The single woman standing in a seat the party could expect to win is Angela Graham, who first became a Conservative councillor in 1986, stood down in 2014, and returned via a by-election in 2015. She will continue to sit alongside Peter Graham in Wandsworth Common.

In number terms, across 22 wards, the Conservatives have selected 16 women among their 58 candidates — 28%, up from 20% in 2022. But the increase is concentrated in wards the party has little prospect of winning. In the five safest seats, female representation has fallen from 25% to 8%.

The pattern did not emerge by accident. It reflects a deliberate strategy that Conservative sources say were driven by internal power politics ahead of a leadership challenge that is expected soon after the results come in.

#### The women who won in 2022 and are gone in 2026

In 2022, seven Conservative women won seats in Wandsworth. Four of them are not standing in 2026 at all. A fifth has been moved to a ward she may not win.

Rosemary Birchall won Wandsworth Common with 2,560 votes — 13% more than the next candidate. She is not standing. Kim Caddy topped the Conservative slate in Southfields with 1,853 votes. She is not standing. Steffi Sutters won West Putney with 2,534 votes, one of the highest individual Conservative tallies across the borough that year. She is not standing.

The fourth departure is the most telling. Emmeline Owens topped the Conservative slate in Northcote in 2022 with 2,244 votes. She held the ward comfortably — the Conservative margin over Labour was nearly 800 votes. Widely regarded as a thoughtful and effective councillor, she was not selected for her own seat this election and has moved to Southfields, where the Conservatives held their second seat by just 61 votes in 2022.

Her Northcote seat has instead gone to James Craig, a press officer for Victoria Atkins MP and before that for Conservative headquarters. The local party’s current leader, Aled Richards-Jones, is the ward’s other shoo-in candidate.

#### The replacements

In Thamesfield — where the Conservatives hold a significant majority — two sitting councillors have stood down. Their replacements are both men: Robert Morritt, chairman of the Putney Conservative Association, who previously represented East Putney (2010–2014) before leaving the party in disgrace, and Salvatore Murtas, who stood in West Hill in 2022 and lost.

This is not a settled party. We [reported in August last year](https://putney.news/2025/08/08/exclusive-wandsworth-council-in-meltdown-as-conservative-jumps-ship-to-reform-amid-brutal-power-wars/) that Richards-Jones had orchestrated the deselection of Mark Justin — then a sitting councillor for Nine Elms — to secure the loyalty of former leader Will Sweet, whose own position had come under threat. Justin subsequently defected to Reform UK; his place on the Conservative roster taken by another man, Matt Corner, who can be expected to vote for Richards-Jones in a leadership challenge.

Five Conservative sources have told *Putney.news* that a leadership challenge against Richards-Jones is expected after Thursday’s results, regardless of how the party performs. The irony is likely to be that the more successful the Conservatives are in this election, the less likely their leader is to survive it.

#### For comparison

Across the same five wards, Labour has fielded six women among thirteen candidates. The Liberal Democrats have four women among thirteen. The Greens have six women among twelve.

---

*Correction, 8.15am: This article originally stated that Angela Graham became a Conservative councillor in 2010 and that this would be her third term. In fact, she was first elected in 1986, stood down in 2014, and was returned in a by-election in 2015.*

*We also stated that neither Robert Morritt nor Salvatore Murtas had previously won a seat in Wandsworth. In fact, Morritt represented East Putney as a Conservative councillor from 2010 to 2014. The article has been updated accordingly.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/07/do-the-conservatives-have-a-woman-problem/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/07/do-the-conservatives-have-a-woman-problem/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Do%20the%20Conservatives%20have%20a%20woman%20problem%3F&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/07/do-the-conservatives-have-a-woman-problem/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** Cllr Aled Richards-Jones, Cllr Angela Graham, Cllr Emmeline Owens, Cllr Kim Caddy, Cllr Rosemary Birchall, Cllr Steffi Sutters, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Vote today: here's everything you need, and what might happen](https://putney.news/2026/05/07/vote-today-heres-everything-you-need-and-what-might-happen/)

**Published:** May 7, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Polls open at 7am. Find your polling station, what to bring, and what's at stake in Putney.

**Content:**

Find your Wandsworth ward — Putney.news## Find your Wandsworth ward

Enter your postcode to see the candidates standing in your ward and our coverage of your local area.

   Postcode  Find my ward 

Wandsworth borough postcodes only. We don’t store your postcode.

  You’re in

 [See your ward page →](#) Try a different postcode 

 Couldn’t find that postcode

Please check the postcode and try again.

How to vote

Polls are open from 7am to 10pm. You must bring photo ID: a passport, driving licence, Oyster 60+ card, Freedom Pass, or blue badge. Your polling station address is on your poll card. If you’ve lost your card, it’s also on your ward page or at wandsworth.gov.uk/elections.

You vote for individual candidates, not parties. Depending on your ward, you have two or three votes. You don’t have to use all of them.

What might happen

What’s interesting about this election, this year, in Putney, is that nobody knows what will happen. Three forecasters agreed last Sunday that no party is on course for a majority. That’s shorthand for saying so many wards are uncertain that they can’t predict which way it will go. 

Unlike the rest of South West London, Wandsworth has remained entrenched in the two-party system and so it will take a surge of support for the Greens, or Lib Dems or Reform in a specific ward to displace either Labour or the Conservatives. 

What seems likely is that third-party support will favour one of the two main parties by effectively removing more of the other’s votes. But even that is unclear. Polling experts are waiting to see if the UK has truly entered a period of multi-party democracy. The genuine uncertainty around that point is what makes this election so interesting; and potentially historic. 

From the voter perspective, the upshot of all this is quite simple: vote for who you want. In local elections, you have multiple votes, so you can vote across parties. If you do so, you will bend the minds of the political experts even further. 

But in terms of pragmatics: Labour holds 34 seats and needs 30 to keep control. The Conservatives hold 21 and need to gain nine more. The Conservatives really want to regain control of councils they lost in 2022 in order to tell a bigger story going into the general election in two years’ time. There are two councils in the whole country that sit foremost in the Conservative Party’s mind: Westminster and Wandsworth.

Kemi Badenoch told The Standard she is “very optimistic” about winning back Wandsworth, but a More in Common poll published this week put the Conservatives behind Labour in our home borough. 

The honest picture: this is a tight, genuinely uncertain, five-party competition that makes every ward unpredictable. Your vote may actually count. 

Why Putney matters

Wandsworth may be decided here. The fiercest contests of this election are in Balham, South Balham and Wandsworth Town, but the seats that could tip who controls the council are in Putney: East Putney, West Putney, Southfields, Thamesfield and Roehampton.

Wandsworth Wards — Click to navigate

Putney shifted decisively towards Labour in 2022: accumulated anger at the Conservative government, the fallout from Brexit, and the deselection of popular MP Justine Greening, left many traditional Conservative voters without a home. It is fair to say that Keir Starmer’s government has not exactly enamoured people, and the inexperienced Labour group at Wandsworth Town Hall have very little to show for their four years in power. 

But are people willing to forgive the Tories, do they want to give Labour another chance, or do the alternatives look more attractive? The Green Party has seen a massive boost in energy and optimism following the remarkable win of a woman plumber in Manchester; Reform has tapped into deep frustration with how the country is governed; and the quiet vote has put more Lib Dems into Westminster that any time since the Liberals actually ran the country.

What happens in Putney will decide what happens in Wandsworth.

What a change of control means

Putney Junction. Labour built the new junction at Putney Bridge Road, and has resisted the scale of corrective action residents have repeatedly demanded. Multiple parties (Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Green) have committed to act more substantively, with different specifics.

Housing. The Conservatives have said they would scrap the Alton Estate regeneration plans and the Lennox Estate tower. The Greens have said the same. And then there are the hugely unpopular plans in West Putney’s Innes Gardens, Hayward Gardens, Cortis Road and Whitnell Way. Plans were pushed through but there are no spades in the soil. A change in administration could see them scrapped. For Roehampton, a further delay to plans residents have been waiting on for 20 years would be yet one more political failure.

Labour’s housing record was checked here and the Conservatives’ record here. Yesterday, Wandsworth’s housing chief made his case for re-election. We tested it against the documents.

Access for All. Labour has committed to expanding the inclusive programme for those on low incomes. The Conservatives will scale it back.

Council tax. It will rise regardless of who wins. The only question is who says so first. The Greens have been the only honest party about this during the campaign. Labour has pledged no rise, which, given that central government is cutting local authority funding, will require either a carefully managed U-turn or significant damage to services.

If may seem too far removed, it may seem pointless, it may feel like a hassle, but our system does give you a direct say in who makes the decisions that impact you and your neighbours’ lives – and you only get it for one day every two years. So vote. 

Find your Wandsworth ward — Putney.news

  Find your Wandsworth ward
  Enter your postcode to see the candidates standing in your ward and our coverage of your local area.

      Postcode
      
      Find my ward
    
    Wandsworth borough postcodes only. We don’t store your postcode.

    You’re in
     
     
    See your ward page →
     
    Try a different postcode

    Couldn’t find that postcode
    Please check the postcode and try again.

																	0

																	0

																	0

**Categories:** Election 2026, Politics

**Tags:** Alton Estate, council tax, East Putney, housing, Lennox Estate, Putney Bridge junction, Roehampton, Southfields, thamesfield, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Find out on one election page who is standing in your area - and what they stand for](https://putney.news/2026/05/03/find-out-on-one-election-page-who-is-standing-in-your-area-and-what-they-stand-for/)

**Published:** May 3, 2026
**Author:** The Editor

**Content:**

Polls open at 7am on Thursday. To help you make the most of the four days left, *Putney.news* has built a page for every one of the 22 wards in Wandsworth, so you can find your candidates, see who has answered our questions, and model the result for yourself before you vote.

Seven of the pages cover Putney: [East Putney](https://putney.news/election/east-putney/), [Roehampton](https://putney.news/election/roehampton/), [Southfields](https://putney.news/election/southfields/), [Thamesfield](https://putney.news/election/thamesfield/), [Wandsworth Town](https://putney.news/election/wandsworth-town/), [West Hill](https://putney.news/election/west-hill/) and [West Putney](https://putney.news/election/west-putney/). The other 15 cover the rest of the borough. Each carries the same components: a ward boundary map, polling hours, candidate profiles, and an interactive 2026 model.

The candidate profiles are the part we have spent most time on. Every candidate standing in every ward was sent the same set of questions. Those who replied have profiles built around their actual answers, in their own words. Those who did not, you will see that too. In a campaign where most candidates lean on glossy leaflets and party-line briefing, a willingness to answer voter-focused questions is a small but useful test of how seriously a candidate takes the people whose votes they want.

Find your Wandsworth ward — Putney.news## Find your Wandsworth ward

Enter your postcode to see the candidates standing in your ward and our coverage of your local area.

   Postcode  Find my ward 

Wandsworth borough postcodes only. We don’t store your postcode.

  You’re in

 [See your ward page →](#) Try a different postcode 

 Couldn’t find that postcode

Please check the postcode and try again.

We have also worked hard to provide a voting model that reflects the multi-party political world we are currently in. Pre-set to your ward’s 2022 vote share, you can drag dials for the three other parties and watch the Conservative and Labour swing bar move. See exactly what swing it would take to flip your ward, or to hold it. And underneath those dials, the traditional swingometer between the two main parties. Together they reflect the complexity of this election and the wider national sense that our politics needs shaking up and improving.

The 2022 margins in some Putney wards are very tight: Labour held East Putney by three votes. The model lets you test, in seconds, what that means for 7 May.

Wandsworth Wards — Click to navigate

The pages connect to each other. If you live in Putney but work in Tooting Bec, look at both. We have also linked through to our [fact-check of the Conservative manifesto](https://putney.news/2026/04/13/high-quality-services-or-decades-of-stagnation-the-conservatives-record-checked/) and the [searchable list of all 295 candidates](https://putney.news/2026/04/11/whos-standing-in-your-ward-on-7-may-the-full-wandsworth-candidate-list-searchable/) for those who want to range further before Thursday.

Find them all at [putney.news/election](https://putney.news/election/). Find your ward. See whose candidates have bothered to engage. Then vote.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/03/find-out-on-one-election-page-who-is-standing-in-your-area-and-what-they-stand-for/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/03/find-out-on-one-election-page-who-is-standing-in-your-area-and-what-they-stand-for/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Find%20out%20on%20one%20election%20page%20who%20is%20standing%20in%20your%20area%20%E2%80%93%20and%20what%20they%20stand%20for&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/03/find-out-on-one-election-page-who-is-standing-in-your-area-and-what-they-stand-for/)

**Categories:** Election 2026, Politics

**Tags:** election 2026, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Housing chief makes his case for re-election. We test it against the documents.](https://putney.news/2026/05/06/wandsworths-housing-chief-made-his-case-for-re-election-we-tested-it-against-the-documents/)

**Published:** May 6, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Cllr Aydin Dikerdem gave CJI 90 minutes. Here is what he said, and what the records show.

**Content:**

**UPDATED** *This article is developed from an article and interview on Clapham Junction Insider, published on 2 May 2026. We encourage readers to [read the original interview in full](https://www.cjag.org/2026/05/02/interview-aydin-dikerdem-on-council-homes-rent-control-the-funding-squeeze-and-why-there-is-still-so-much-more-to-do-in-wandsworth/). We approached Cllr Dikerdem with specific questions. He did not respond.*

---

Two days before polling, the man who has run housing in Wandsworth for the past four years sat down at the Battersea Arts Centre for a 90-minute interview with local outlet, *Clapham Junction Insider*. It is the most candid public account of his record he has given.

Some of what he told CJI is honest and reflective. Much of it cannot be reconciled with the council’s own documents.

Cllr Dikerdem has run the borough’s housing crisis. He is asking voters to put him back in charge of it. Here is what he said, and what the records show.

The Aydin Dikerdem who emerges from the CJI interview is a politician genuinely steeped in his brief. He grew up in Wandsworth. He talks about Falcon Road Bridge (a piece of local infrastructure he says he has wanted to see improved for years) with the easy familiarity of someone who actually walks past it.

He talks with feeling about what it is like to be a Muslim councillor in the current political climate, about hostility on the doorstep when people sometimes say things not knowing he is Muslim, and about why local government still matters when national politics turns ugly. He talks about the casework (a family moving into a new home, a private renter who finally won a 12-month rent repayment order after a year of mistreatment by an unlicensed landlord) as the part of the job that keeps him going.

Asked what was most difficult about the past four years, he names the regulator’s C3 verdict on the council’s housing department: a finding of serious failings requiring substantial improvement, published in February 2025. He does not deny the result. He frames it as inheriting “a 44-year-old machine” that he is “in the process of transforming.”

“I think it’s probably the most rewarding job in the world,” he tells CJI. By the end of 90 minutes, you understand why he means it.

   Overall verdict

D

😬 Misleading

He is candid about some failures and offers genuine reflection. But on the substance — what he built, what it cost, what the inspector said — the case he makes does not survive contact with the council’s own papers.

  😇3

A

Accurate

 🙂2

B

Mostly true

 😐9

C

Needs context

 😬7

D

Misleading

 🤡2

E

Not accurate

 ⚪3

U

Unverifiable

  26 testable claims tested against the council’s own documents, the Local Plan inspector’s report, national statistical returns, and our own published reporting. The same methodology used on the Conservative and Labour manifestos. 

  Tier 1 — Material findings

The substantive claims, with evidence

The nine claims that materially affect his record on housing, council finance, and how the council operates.

 9 claims ▼ Show 

  We’ve now built 500 brand-new council homes

The council’s own monitoring report records 366 built or started. The national return records 90 net additions, mostly homelessness acquisitions of existing properties.

▼ Tap for evidence

 🤡 E 

 What the documents show

The council’s Authority Monitoring Report 2024/25 records 366 homes built or started under the 1,000 homes programme. The Local Authority Housing Statistics return records 90 net additions over Labour’s term — and 70 of those, in 2024/25 alone, were homelessness acquisitions of existing properties under the LAHF programme, not newly built homes. The 2024/25 capital outturn (Paper 25-250 Appendix D) records a £10.387 million underspend on New Build Schemes attributed to “delays due to the extension of consultation.”

Sources: Wandsworth AMR 2024/25; LAHS national return; Paper 25-250 Appendix D; Putney.news, “Built 500 brand new council homes — or 366, or 90?”, 19 April 2026.

 The cost per unit to the council is falling drastically

In context, this refers to the Accelerated Funding Programme route for the additional thousand homes, not the existing direct build programme. On that narrower claim, the direction of travel may be correct. But the council’s most recent direct-build scheme cost more per unit than the open-market rate.

▼ Tap for evidence

 😐 C 

 What the documents show

In the interview, Cllr Dikerdem was specifically describing the Accelerated Funding Programme route for the additional thousand homes announced in his manifesto, not the existing Homes for Wandsworth direct build programme. AFP-route acquisition costs are structurally lower than direct build, so on that narrow claim the direction may be accurate. However, the council’s most recent direct-build scheme, the Platt Estate in Putney, cost £489,000 per unit — above the open-market rate of £385,000 to £470,000 for an equivalent new home. The claim needs the context the interview did not supply.

Source: Putney.news, “Wandsworth’s housing crisis has the same cause. Both parties helped create it.”, 24 April 2026.

 We got nine out of ten things we asked for

On the Local Plan Partial Review. The inspector recommended non-adoption as submitted, required 21 mandatory modifications, and concluded the council’s flagship policy would be counterproductive.

▼ Tap for evidence

 😬 D 

 What the documents show

The Local Plan Partial Review inspector recommended non-adoption of the plan as submitted, and required 21 mandatory modifications (MM1 to MM21) before the plan could be adopted. The inspector found the proposed 45% affordable housing threshold was “not justified and would be counterproductive, materially impacting on the delivery of much needed homes.” Modification MM6 specifically deleted from the adopted plan the council’s claim that its evidence justified a different threshold to the London Plan. The net result: a 35% threshold — the same figure that was in place before the review began.

Sources: Local Plan Partial Review Inspector’s Report; Putney.news, “Wandsworth’s housing chief delivered nothing then told Cabinet it was a win”, 25 February 2026.

 Council tax is a very small proportion of the council’s budget

It is 32% of the council’s service revenue budgets — a fact CJI itself flagged in a footnote within the published interview.

▼ Tap for evidence

 🤡 E 

 What the documents show

Council tax accounts for 32% of Wandsworth’s service revenue budgets, according to Budget Paper 26-63 and noted directly in CJI’s own footnote to the published interview. This is one of the largest single revenue lines in the council’s budget. The framing also matters because it is what underpins the “for now” position on using the unlimited council tax flexibility powers granted in December 2025: a council whose council tax is a third of its service revenue cannot, mathematically, sustain its current spending profile without significant rises.

Sources: Budget Paper 26-63; CJI, in-line footnote to Dikerdem interview, 2 May 2026; Putney.news, “Fact-check: the claims in Wandsworth’s council tax leaflet”, 16 March 2026.

 We will keep the lowest council tax in the country

The council’s own budget papers project a 34% rise in 2027/28 and an 86% cumulative rise by 2029/30 under the new unlimited flexibility powers.

▼ Tap for evidence

 😬 D 

 What the documents show

Budget Paper 26-63 projects council tax rising from £525 (2026/27) to £701 (2027/28, a 34% rise) and £930 (2029/30, an 86% cumulative rise) under the unlimited council tax flexibility powers granted to Wandsworth in December 2025. Council Leader Hogg’s December 2025 refusal to use those powers was qualified explicitly with “for now”. The lowest-council-tax pledge is credible only for the year 2026/27.

Sources: Budget Paper 26-63; Putney.news, “Government gives Wandsworth unlimited tax powers”, 18 December 2025; Putney.news, “Your council tax must rise 34% next year or Wandsworth runs out of money”, 24 February 2026.

 Selective licensing is currently in Tooting Broadway and we’re extending it to East Putney and Northcote

The scheme already covers four wards, not one, and the expansion adds three wards, not two. The facts are right; the scope is understated.

▼ Tap for evidence

 😐 C 

 What the documents show

Wandsworth Council’s December 2025 press release confirmed that selective licensing covers Furzedown, South Balham, Tooting Bec and Tooting Broadway — four wards. The April 2026 extension brought in East Putney, West Putney and Northcote — three wards, not two. Cllr Dikerdem named only Tooting Broadway as the existing area and omitted West Putney from the expansion. The policy itself is real and the direction of travel is accurately described; the details are incomplete.

Source: Wandsworth Council press release, “Wandsworth Council extends scheme to crack down on unsafe rentals”, 15 December 2025.

 Nine people had been through the Hub. It’s all going in the right direction

CJI’s own March 2026 article reported the Hub running at 30% capacity, with three people through by mid-March. The figure trajectory is plausible; the framing is not.

▼ Tap for evidence

 😐 C 

 What the documents show

CJI’s own report on the Hub at 12 March 2026 stated that the facility was operating at 30% capacity — three to four appointments per day against a maximum of ten. The first person had moved in on 17 February. Three people had passed through by mid-March. Cllr Dikerdem’s figure of nine people by late April is plausible given six weeks of additional operation, but the framing of “going in the right direction” sits uneasily with the council’s own absence of monitoring data on the related Private Rented Sector access scheme — confirmed via FOI in February 2026 — and with capacity utilisation that remains below half of the design intent.

Sources: CJI, “One month in: A massive innovation in progress for the new Rough Sleepers Hub”, 21 March 2026; Putney.news, “Cabinet member claims homelessness scheme success but council holds no data”, 9 February 2026.

 We’re on the actual Battersea Power Station site

The 203 homes are on Plot RS6a at the development. The council is a long-term leaseholder, not freehold owner, and the financing model was kept from public scrutiny.

▼ Tap for evidence

 😐 C 

 What the documents show

The council will deliver 203 homes on Plot RS6a at Battersea Power Station under an £81.8 million deal — £65 million of which is borrowed and £16.8 million from a Greater London Authority grant. Battersea Power Station Limited holds the freehold; the council is “a long-term leaseholder into the hundreds of years,” in officer Paul Moore’s words at scrutiny. Cabinet approved the deal on 1 December 2025 using urgent powers. Contracts were exchanged before Christmas. Scrutiny members did not see the papers until 21 January 2026 — three weeks after contracts were legally binding. The financial details, including service charges and the revenue model, were considered in private session, with the public excluded.

Source: Putney.news, “Public excluded as council discusses Battersea land deal in secret”, 22 January 2026.

 We have around £200 million in reserves

Labour did inherit roughly £200m. They have burnt through almost half of it. Useable General Fund reserves are now £167m, projected to fall to £116m next year.

▼ Tap for evidence

 😬 D 

 What the documents show

Wandsworth’s useable General Fund reserves stood at £199.4m in 2021/22 and peaked at £206.6m in 2022/23, the year Labour took over. They have fallen each year since: £204.2m (2023/24), £194.0m (2024/25), and £166.7m for the current year (2025/26). Budget Paper 26-63 projects a further fall to £116.3m for 2026/27. At a 22 September 2025 Cabinet meeting that approved a £424 million capital programme, Cllr Dikerdem himself argued that “it doesn’t make sense to sit on reserves without improving the foundational infrastructure” — at the same meeting, his own department was £15.7 million overspent on the HRA. So while the £200m figure roughly describes the inherited position, the current useable reserves are nearer £167m, and on the council’s own projections will be £116m within 14 months.

Sources: Budget and Council Tax Setting 2026/27 (Paper 26-63); Cabinet meeting 22 September 2025; Putney.news, “Council won’t evict tenants who don’t pay rent, but borrows £429m assuming they will”, 18 February 2026.

 Tier 2 — Other rated claims

14 further claims, with one-line verdicts

Other testable statements from the interview. Full evidence and reasoning for each is in the published reference document.

 14 claims ▼ Show 

 “Over 10,000 households on waiting lists, more than 4,500 in temporary accommodation”: confirmed by the council’s own Cabinet papers.

😇A

“32,000 properties, 17,000 of which are tenanted”: confirmed by the council’s own statement on the C3 rating.

😇A

“All our borrowing has been internally funded so far”: confirmed by the HRA Business Plan Update.

😇A

“All our schemes are inherited from the Conservatives”: broadly true, though the £24.5m Winstanley exit and the £81.8m Battersea deal are decisions of this administration.

🙂B

“Conservatives sold off 20,000 council homes”: right order of magnitude. Cllr Dikerdem’s own previous figure (Novara, 2022) was at least 24,000.

🙂B

“At 45% affordable, 70% of large sites remained viable”: the inspector explicitly rejected the evidence base for this finding, not just the conclusion drawn from it. Modification MM6 deleted the claim from the adopted plan.

😬D

“24% of completions includes legacy build-outs”: permissions trend improving but 2024/25 completions are the lowest on record.

😐C

Conservatives “hoarded reserves” and that’s “partly why grant is being cut”: broadly defensible on reserves growth (boosted by late-period Nine Elms developer receipts); the specific mechanism claim about how that affects grant settlement is contestable.

😐C

“It never occurred to us this council tax framing would be controversial”: CJI itself reported it was controversial from March 2023.

😐C

On the C3 rating, “we inherited a 44-year-old machine”: some structural issues pre-date 2022; specific Regulator findings are about failures during this term.

😐C

“450 bike hangars” delivered: the council has confirmed 346 are actually installed, with 116 still in consultation. He said “delivered” but the others have not been built — the recurring conflation of internal approval with completion.

😬D

“It was always a two-term programme”: no public statement before October 2025 has been found describing the 1,000-homes target as a two-term programme.

😬D

“Not one newspaper, journalist or resident raised it”: CJI did flag the Conservative use of the framing, but it never reached the saturation it has under Labour (no equivalent of the pink council-tax-freeze postcards or video campaigns). His underlying point about the asymmetry of scrutiny has merit — even if he overstates it.

😐C

“Lowest debts and highest reserves in the entire country”: true at takeover only on the General Fund. £884m of HRA borrowing is planned over the decade.

😬D

 Tier 3 — Unverifiable

Three claims that cannot be confirmed

Statements that lack a primary source, or where contemporaneous evidence conflicts. These are not found to be false. They are found to be unconfirmable.

 3 claims ▼ Show 

 On the Conservative split for the original 1,000 homes (“around 400 council, 600 sale”): contemporaneous sources conflict. The Wandsworth Labour campaign launch (February 2022) said 442 social rent. The council’s own pre-election press release (March 2022) said 501 social rent, 482 sale-or-shared-ownership. The original Conservative cabinet papers would settle it; we have not been able to locate them.

Conservatives “lost money to inflation on that reserve strategy”: treasury management strategy reports for 2018–22 not located.

A council-led tribunal-support service launching on 1 May 2026 to help private renters challenge rent increases: no council press release announces such a service. The council’s existing private renting page on wandsworth.gov.uk has not been updated. The Tenants’ Champion function exists but predates the Renters’ Rights Act and is not the service Cllr Dikerdem described.

   **Methodology:** Every claim tested against primary sources — the council’s own published documents, statistical returns, the Local Plan inspector’s report, and our own published reporting. The Party-Swap Test was applied to every verdict: would we assess this claim the same way if a Conservative cabinet member had made it? The same methodology was used on the [Conservative manifesto fact-check](https://putney.news/2026/04/13/we-checked-every-claim-in-the-conservatives-manifesto/) and the Labour manifesto fact-check. Cllr Dikerdem was approached on 4 May 2026 with specific questions on these findings. He did not respond.

#### What he gets right

Some of what Cllr Dikerdem said checks out cleanly against the documents.

The figures he gives for the scale of Wandsworth’s housing crisis (over 10,000 households on waiting lists, more than 4,500 of them in temporary accommodation) match the council’s own most recent Cabinet paper on its housing finances, almost word-for-word. The figures he gives for the council’s housing stock (around 32,000 properties, of which 17,000 are tenanted by social rent residents) match the council’s own statement to its tenants on the regulator finding.

That regulator finding is the C3 verdict, the second-lowest grade the Regulator of Social Housing can issue, published in February 2025 with findings of serious failings requiring substantial improvement. It is the lowest assessment the Wandsworth’s housing department has ever received. Cllr Dikerdem does not contest it (at least not this time). He says, to CJI’s editor [Cyril Richert](https://www.cjag.org/author/cjag/) that it was the most difficult thing of his four years in the job. That admission, on tape, is closer to genuine accountability than the council’s official communications about the result, which framed it largely as the consequence of decisions taken before Labour took office.

He is also candid, in places, about the scale of what has not been fixed. The Homelessness Hub (the pop-in centre for rough sleepers his administration opened in 2024 after a bruising consultation row) has, he tells CJI, helped nine people through to accommodation. He acknowledges the figure is small. CJI’s reporting puts the Hub’s running utilisation at well below capacity.

These moments matter. They show readers that on some points, this is a Cabinet Member willing to tell the truth even when it is uncomfortable. It is what makes the rest of the interview harder to read.

#### The pattern

Watch where the credit goes, and where the blame lands.

Asked about delivery of the Homes for Wandsworth programme, he tells *CJI* that “all our schemes are inherited from the Conservatives.” That is true in part. But the £24.5 million the council paid Taylor Wimpey to exit the Winstanley regeneration in December 2024 (which his department still refuses to provide information on), and the £81.8 million it has just borrowed to build on private land at Battersea Power Station, are decisions of his administration, not inheritances.

Asked about the council tax “freeze” framing that the UK Statistics Authority publicly criticised in March 2026, he tells CJI that “not one newspaper, journalist, or resident” had ever raised concerns about it. It’s true that the Conservative used the same framing. But they didn’t repeat the claim at every opportunity, make videos about it, and put it on a bright pink card sent to it every house in Wandsworth. CJI also notes that it did in fact flag the framing in the Conservative era.

Asked about the Local Plan Partial Review (the council’s flagship attempt to push the affordable housing threshold from 35% to 45%) he tells CJI that the inspector “gave us nine out of ten things we asked for.” The inspector’s report recommended non-adoption of the plan as submitted, required 21 mandatory modifications, and concluded the council’s flagship policy would be counterproductive.

It is the same shape each time. Where things have gone well, he was the agent. Where they have gone badly, the cause is elsewhere.

#### Where the case doesn’t hold

Then there are the substantive untruths.

He tells CJI: “We’ve now built 500 brand-new council homes.” The council’s own Authority Monitoring Report records 366 built or started under the programme. The national statistical return records 90 net additions over Labour’s term, and 70 of those are LAHF-funded acquisitions of existing properties, not new builds. The 2024/25 capital outturn records a £10.387 million underspend on the new build programme.

He tells CJI the cost per unit is “falling drastically.” The council’s most recent council-built scheme (the Platt Estate, near the river in Putney) cost £489,000 per unit to deliver. The market rate for an equivalent new home is £385,000 to £470,000.

He tells CJI the cost per unit is “falling drastically.” In context, he is specifically describing the Accelerated Funding Programme route for the additional thousand homes announced in his manifesto, not the existing direct build programme. On that narrower point he may be right: AFP-route acquisition costs are structurally lower than direct build. But the claim sits immediately after his assertion that 500 homes have been built, inviting readers to apply it to the existing programme. The council’s most recent direct-build scheme (the Platt Estate, near the river in Putney) cost £489,000 per unit, against a market rate of £385,000 to £470,000 for an equivalent new home.

\[*Note: we originally presented the Platt Estate comparison as a direct rebuttal of the “falling drastically” claim. Cllr Dikerdem has pointed out, correctly, that his claim referred to AFP-route costs rather than the direct build programme. The comparison remains valid as context for the overall programme; it is not a direct rebuttal of the specific claim as made.*\]

He tells CJI that council tax is “a very small proportion” of the council’s budget. It is 32% of the council’s service revenue, as CJI’s own interviewer noted in a footnote to the published piece. The same Budget Paper projects council tax rising 86% by 2029/30 under the unlimited flexibility powers granted to Wandsworth in December 2025. For a Cabinet Member who, in September 2025, told his own colleagues that “it doesn’t make sense to sit on reserves” while his department was £15.7 million overspent, the pattern is consistent: other people’s money is discussed loosely, and the numbers are supplied only when they flatter.

He tells CJI that selective licensing is currently in “Tooting Broadway” and is being extended to “East Putney and Northcote.” The council’s own December 2025 press release confirms the existing scheme covers four wards (Furzedown, South Balham, Tooting Bec, and Tooting Broadway) and that the April 2026 extension brings in three wards, not two: East Putney, West Putney, and Northcote. Voters in West Putney, following along, were not told their ward was part of his department’s flagship private renter policy.

CJI’s editor flagged some of these in real time, with footnotes embedded in the published interview. The full set, with all sources and reasoning, is below.

#### His engagement record

Cllr Dikerdem has not given *Putney.news* the same opportunity he gave *CJI*.

In December 2025 we put detailed questions to him about Kimpton House leaseholders facing 400% cost increases on a fire safety project. He did not respond. In November 2025 we put questions to him about 299 outstanding fire safety actions in council properties, a number from the council’s own external audit. He did not respond. In October 2025 we put questions to him about the council’s successful Court of Appeal eviction of an autistic resident on a procedural technicality. He did not respond. In November 2025 we put questions to him about the Fownes Street anti-social behaviour case, which played out months after his own June 2025 public commitment to reform. He did not respond. When he has responded, it has come in the form of personal abuse.

---

Polling day is Thursday. Cllr Dikerdem is asking voters to return him to the Cabinet for a second term. The CJI interview was his 90 minutes to make his case. The graphic above tracks the claims he made, and what the documents show. Read the interview. Read the documents. Decide.

---

*Corrections, 6 May 2026, 3pm: Cllr Dikerdem left a comment on this article after publication. He raised two points.*

*First, he noted that the interview was 90 minutes, not one hour as we originally stated. He is correct. We have amended the three references in the text.*

*Second, he argued that our presentation of the cost-per-unit finding misrepresented his claim, which referred specifically to the Accelerated Funding Programme route rather than the direct build programme. Having reviewed the transcript, we agree this is a fair point. We have amended the relevant paragraph to make the distinction clear. The Platt Estate figures remain in the piece as context for the broader programme; they are no longer presented as a direct rebuttal of the specific claim as made.*

*The 500-homes finding is unaffected by either correction. The Authority Monitoring Report figure of 366 built or started, and the national statistical return figure of 90 net additions, both stand.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/06/wandsworths-housing-chief-made-his-case-for-re-election-we-tested-it-against-the-documents/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/06/wandsworths-housing-chief-made-his-case-for-re-election-we-tested-it-against-the-documents/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Housing%20chief%20makes%20his%20case%20for%20re-election.%20We%20test%20it%20against%20the%20documents.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/06/wandsworths-housing-chief-made-his-case-for-re-election-we-tested-it-against-the-documents/)

**Categories:** Election 2026, Politics

**Tags:** Cllr Aydin Dikerdem, council housing, council tax, housing crisis, Wandsworth Council, Wandsworth Local Plan

---

### [£1m laptop contract comes in £67,325 below the scrutiny threshold](https://putney.news/2026/05/06/wandsworths-1m-laptop-contract-came-in-67325-below-the-scrutiny-threshold/)

**Published:** May 6, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Two-year deal with same supplier awarded as "routine matter" - published on polling week.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has awarded a £932,675 laptop and desktop contract to the same supplier it has used since 2016, classifying it as a “routine matter” and publishing the decision this week, 15 days after the contract had already started.

The award, made on 20 April 2026 to XMA Limited, covers 615 devices over two years. It sits alongside a separate £3.7 million IT procurement for the same purpose, from the same supplier, that has sat frozen on the council’s forward plan for 13 months without a decision, as we [reported last week](https://putney.news/2026/04/29/councils-3-7m-laptop-contract-sits-untouched-for-over-a-year/).

The new contract, designated DD82, was signed off by Sam Olsen, the council’s Executive Director for Change and Innovation. The decision record states that “this delegated decision has been taken as a routine matter” and confirms that the relevant Cabinet member was sent a copy but was not required to decide. The contract value of £932,675 falls just £67,325 below the £1 million threshold that would have required the decision to be treated as a key decision and brought to Cabinet.

Nine companies registered interest in the contract. Six submitted bids by the 24 March deadline. Two were disqualified after attempting to introduce additional terms after the clarification window had closed. Of the four that were evaluated, XMA scored 100 per cent. Pure Data Solutions came second at 96.03 per cent, fewer than four percentage points behind.

The evaluation was 100 per cent price. There were two technical questions, both pass or fail. Bidders were required to submit pricing schedules on Lenovo products specifically, with the winner determined by whose basket of mandatory models cost least.

> [Council’s £3.7m laptop contract sits untouched for over a year](https://putney.news/2026/04/29/councils-3-7m-laptop-contract-sits-untouched-for-over-a-year/)

#### The five-year question

The frozen contract on the forward plan, known internally as EA25, was drawn up as a five-year commitment covering laptops, desktops and monitors for around 5,000 staff across Wandsworth and Richmond. Wandsworth’s share came to £2.27 million for just over 3,000 devices over five years: roughly 654 devices a year.

DD82 covers 615 devices over two years, around 308 a year, at an annual cost of approximately £466,000. The notional annual cost of the Wandsworth share of EA25, had it been awarded, would have been around £454,000.

Similar annual cost. Half the annual device volume.

XMA has held the equivalent Wandsworth contract continuously [since 2016](https://putney.news/2025/08/28/council-it-chief-shuts-out-competition-in-3-7m-deal-conflict/). It held the EA16 contract awarded that year, then EA21 in 2021. In August 2025, *Putney.news* reported that the council’s own risk register stated that if EA25 failed, the council would “simply revert to the existing providers.” DD82 is the existing providers. If it runs to its April 2028 end date, XMA will have supplied Wandsworth laptops and desktops for 12 continuous years.

> [Council IT chief shuts out competition in £3.7m deal conflict](https://putney.news/2025/08/28/council-it-chief-shuts-out-competition-in-3-7m-deal-conflict/)

#### What the council did not say

On 27 April 2026, *Putney.news* sent a right of reply to the council on the frozen £3.7 million contract. At that point, DD82 had been operational for seven days. The council did not respond and did not mention the parallel procurement.

Six days later, just days before polling day, the DD82 decision appeared on the council’s democracy portal.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/06/wandsworths-1m-laptop-contract-came-in-67325-below-the-scrutiny-threshold/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/06/wandsworths-1m-laptop-contract-came-in-67325-below-the-scrutiny-threshold/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%C2%A31m%20laptop%20contract%20comes%20in%20%C2%A367%2C325%20below%20the%20scrutiny%20threshold&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/06/wandsworths-1m-laptop-contract-came-in-67325-below-the-scrutiny-threshold/)

**Categories:** Finance

**Tags:** accountability, Richmond Council, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth releases men into nothing. Some die. Some sleep at the gate.](https://putney.news/2026/05/06/wandsworth-releases-men-into-nothing-some-die-some-sleep-at-the-gate/)

**Published:** May 6, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Watchdog has no recommendations after one death; bail releases come with no support.

**Content:**

Rob Alford has been sleeping on the pavement outside HMP Wandsworth for about four weeks. The sleeping bag he is using was donated to the prison by a charity that supplies them knowing men will be released with nowhere to stay.

Mr Alford was released on bail. Bail carries no probation officer, no statutory supervision, no allocated accommodation. He came out with nothing.

A different man, released from the same prison a year earlier, died 13 days after he walked out. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman published its report into Alexander Boy’s death last week. The findings are unusual for [the series of HMP Wandsworth reports we have covered](https://putney.news/2026/04/27/the-same-failures-the-same-prison-the-same-verdict-another-wandsworth-death-was-preventable/): this time, the prison did almost nothing wrong.

Mr Boy was 30. He was released on 31 March 2025 after serving three months for assaulting an emergency worker. He had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was prescribed an antipsychotic. He had a history of alcohol use linked to his offending. Before release he was placed in temporary accommodation, referred to drug and alcohol services, and assigned a probation officer.

There was one error. The contractor who fits electronic monitoring tags fitted Mr Boy with a GPS tag rather than the alcohol monitoring tag his licence required, apparently mixing him up with another prisoner. Mr Boy noticed the mistake himself. His probation officer corrected it the same day. The tag fitting service is outsourced; the contractor is not a prison employee.

#### No mistakes this time, just tragedy

What followed was, by every measure the Ombudsman applied, what is supposed to happen. On 2 April Mr Boy reported to his probation officer that he had registered with a GP, was taking his medication, and that his mental health was “really well”. On 8 April he took a drug test. He told his officer that alcohol, not drugs, was his issue, and that he was sober. He spoke about the effect of sobriety on his life and his relationships. The next day he had a job interview lined up, with another later that week.

The drug test came back negative. By the time the result arrived, Mr Boy was dead. Police found him at his temporary accommodation on 14 April, after neighbours raised the alarm. He had died the previous day. Drugs were in the property. The post-mortem recorded acute cardiac failure caused by cocaine toxicity. An inquest concluded on 10 December 2025 that this was a drug-related death.

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Adrian Usher, said in his report that he was “satisfied that probation staff engaged appropriately with Mr Boy and did all they could to support his substance use issues”. The report makes no recommendations to anyone. It contains a single note to the Governor of HMP Wandsworth, asking him to “ensure” appropriate quality assurance is in place for tag fitting. That is the only finding for the prison to act on.

The 14-day window — Putney.news## The 14-day window

Days after release from HMP Wandsworth

  Days after release from HMP Wandsworth Two parallel timelines. Alexander Boy, released on 31 March 2025, has a track ending at day 13 marked “died, day 13”. Rob Alford, released on or around 30 March 2026 on bail, has a track continuing past day 35 marked “today, day 35” with a continuation arrow indicating the timeline is open ended. A dashed vertical line at day 14 marks the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman investigation threshold.       Day 14 investigation threshold Alexander Boy 31 March 2025    died, day 13 Rob Alford ~30 March 2026     today, day 35         0 7 14 21 28 35 40 days after release Sources: Prisons and Probation Ombudsman report into the death of Alexander Boy, published 30 April 2026; account of Rob Alford’s situation via Mark Lawry, Wandsworth Prison Improvement Campaign, who has spoken with Mr Alford.

#### Fortnight factors

The Ombudsman investigates post-release deaths because the first fortnight after a man leaves prison is the most dangerous. The current policy was introduced in September 2021, after a one-year pilot established the scale of the problem. The PPO has since reported that homelessness on release is a significant factor in these deaths: nearly a third of the people who died within two weeks of release were homeless when they came out.

That is why Alexander Boy’s death triggered an investigation. Day 13 fell inside the window. The Ombudsman read his prison file, his probation file, and his medical records, and concluded that nobody had failed him. He had a flat. He had support. He had a future he had begun to talk about. Then he used cocaine and his heart stopped.

Rob Alford is on day 35. He is past the window. There is no mechanism to investigate what happens to him.

#### The man on the pavement

The account of Mr Alford’s situation comes from Mark Lawry, who chairs the Wandsworth Prison Improvement Campaign (WPIC) and has spoken with Mr Alford. We have not yet been able to reach Mr Alford directly. He has consented, through Mr Lawry, to being named.

According to Mr Lawry, Mr Alford was sleeping rough outside the prison for several days after his release on bail. He was then assaulted seriously and admitted to St George’s Hospital, where he was treated for major trauma over about two days. On the evening of Sunday 27 April, Mr Lawry says, Mr Alford was discharged, transported by hospital vehicle, and left at the gate of HMP Wandsworth. He had no painkillers. He was given a discharge pack and told to return to hospital the next day.

> “He had not even been given any painkillers, despite being in very significant pain,” Mr Lawry wrote, in an email forwarded to Putney.news. “He was left with a pack from St George’s dealing with major trauma which I have seen. It included a leaflet headed words to the effect of, ‘What to do when you get home after major trauma.’ The fact that he didn’t have a home, let alone anyone to look after him, didn’t seem to matter.”

Mr Lawry says he gave Mr Alford money for the bus back to hospital the following day. Mr Alford did not make it. He was, in Mr Lawry’s account, in too much pain to travel.

The sleeping bag is from the Wandsworth Prison Welfare Trust, the charity run by Liz Bridge, which supplies them to the prison for men who walk out with nowhere to go. “The prison requests a supply of sleeping bags,” Mr Lawry says, “in the full knowledge that many men will be released with nowhere to stay.”

This last point is Mr Lawry’s characterisation. What is not in dispute is the sleeping bag, the pavement, and the brick wall behind him.

#### The distance between them

The Ombudsman’s report into Alexander Boy is the first in the recent series of Wandsworth investigations to find that the prison did its job. It is also the most quietly devastating. Mr Boy had everything the system can give a man on release: a flat, a probation officer, a referral to drug services, a job interview. The system gave it to him. He died anyway.

Mr Alford has none of that. He was not on licence; he was on bail. The 14-day window has closed around him without anyone opening a file. The distance between Alexander Boy and the man on the pavement outside the prison is not a difference of policy or institutional intent. It is 14 days, and the presence or absence of a probation officer.

---

*If you are affected by anything in this article, Samaritans are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call free on 116 123, email , or visit [samaritans.org](https://www.samaritans.org/). Mind, the mental health charity, runs an information line on 0300 123 3393 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm).*

*If you or someone you know has been released from prison and needs housing help, Shelter offers free advice on 0808 800 4444. St Mungo’s works specifically with people leaving prison and rough sleeping in London ([mungos.org](https://www.mungos.org/)).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/06/wandsworth-releases-men-into-nothing-some-die-some-sleep-at-the-gate/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/06/wandsworth-releases-men-into-nothing-some-die-some-sleep-at-the-gate/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20releases%20men%20into%20nothing.%20Some%20die.%20Some%20sleep%20at%20the%20gate.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/06/wandsworth-releases-men-into-nothing-some-die-some-sleep-at-the-gate/)

**Categories:** Community, Crime, Wandsworth Town

**Tags:** accountability, NHS, prison conditions, prison deaths, St George's hospital, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Prison

---

### [The Angel raid: a helicopter, 29 officers, a battering ram - and a baby shower](https://putney.news/2026/05/05/the-angel-raid-a-helicopter-29-officers-a-battering-ram-and-a-baby-shower/)

**Published:** May 5, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** A warrant listed Class A drugs, client lists and cash flow ledgers. The police found cannabis stalks and 57 empty plastic bags.

**Content:**

The pub was hosting a baby shower when the police arrived.

Outside, a helicopter was circling. Roads had been blocked. Twenty-nine officers in full tactical gear were moving in. They were wearing ballistic helmets with visors down, body armour marked POLICE, and body-worn cameras already activated.

They were carrying an Enforcer: the 16kg steel battering ram known in the Met as “the big red key,” capable of applying more than three tonnes of force to a door lock, deployable only by specially trained, authorised officers. Someone senior had signed off on all of it.

In the garden of The Angel pub on Roehampton High Street, a young woman was celebrating her pregnancy. She had no idea what was about to happen.

#### What the police expected to find

Three months earlier, in July 2025, a police officer had applied to Croydon Magistrates’ Court for a warrant to search The Angel. The magistrate was satisfied there were reasonable grounds. The warrant was granted.

It was looking for evidence of organised crime and a drug-dealing business: everything from grow equipment for high-strength cannabis to weighed and bagged packets of cocaine and heroin. The police also believed The Angel was the control centre of the operation and came prepared to seize files: lists of clients, revenue and cash flow accounting documents, mobile phones used for orders and communication with a network of dealers. All of it listed in the warrant.

You do not send a helicopter, dogs trained to find concealed drug stashes, 29 officers in riot gear, and a specialist door-breaching team because someone has been smoking weed in a beer garden. This was the scale of operation you mount when you believe you are about to break up a serious organised crime network.

The pub was hosting a baby shower.

![CCTV from the private space inside The Angel showing the police with a battering ram. Insert: The Enforcer aka The Big Red Key](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/police-raid-enforcer-1024x576.png)CCTV from the private space inside The Angel showing the police with a battering ram. Insert: The Enforcer aka The Big Red Key#### What they found

The CCTV footage from inside shows officers moving through the domestic staircase above the pub at speed. Ballistic helmets. Visors down. To the right of the frame: a clothes airer with laundry drying. A houseplant. A chest freezer. The ordinary furniture of someone’s home.

What they found was the daily life of a 64-year-old landlady and the tenants who lived upstairs. In footage of the raid, you can see the police try the handle of one room, find it locked and smash it open seconds later, the officer with the enforcer then moves to the next door. No stone left unturned.

Almost immediately the police realised they had a problem. After an hour, the scale of it became clear. Far from uncovering a major drugs hub they had discovered – in its entirely – several cannabis stalks in a bedroom.

No Class A drugs. No client lists. No phones loaded with dealer messages. No cash flow ledgers.

Two people were arrested. One was a private resident upstairs. Sally Cox, who had run the pub for nearly 12 years, says officers kicked his door in and handcuffed him. When his name was checked, she says, what came up was a missed community service appointment from 2019. The second arrest was made outside, near the King’s Head pub down the road, not inside The Angel.

Cox says officers told her customers she was “the main drug dealer, in with the gangs.” She was not arrested. She was not searched. She was not even asked her name.

Nobody has been charged in connection with the running of the pub. No explanation or apology has been considered or given. Six months later, the strongest evidence the police offered from their extraordinary raid was 57 empty plastic bags.

Dozens of police in riot gear storm into the pub’s private area expecting to uncover a major drug ring.#### The warrant that ran out of time

The warrant was valid for three months from the date of issue: 15 July 2025. It was executed on 10 October, five days before it expired. The police had from mid-July to find the right moment. They waited 87 days.

That is not a force confident in its intelligence. That is a force that ran out of time.

After the raid, the head of the local police, Inspector Burke visited Cox at the pub. She asked him to explain why officers had told customers she was a major drug dealer running gang connections. He did not have an answer. She asked to see the body cam footage. He told her he could not access it. She offered him the names of customers who had witnessed events and what was said. He told her he could not take them. Word of mouth, he said. Unusable.

Burke is no longer the inspector responsible for Putney and Roehampton.

Six weeks after the raid, and still, presumably, trying to make sense of what went wrong, the same police unit filed an application to revoke The Angel’s premises licence. The stated basis: “serious concerns regarding the management and operation of the premises.”

![Public notice poster attached to a street pole announcing a license review for a local premises, with a blurred city street in the background and brick buildings nearby.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/the-angel-sign-blur-1024x768.png)Official notice stuck on a lamppost by the Angel in which the police asked for the pub’s licence to be revoked#### The hearing and the 57 empty bags

The hearing to review The Angel’s license took place on 29 April 2026, six months after the raid and eight days before the local elections. Nobody had been charged or cautioned in connection with the running of the pub.

At the start of the hearing, the Metropolitan Police asked for the press and public to be excluded, on the basis of an “ongoing Police investigation and potential prosecutions.” The sub-committee agreed. Sally Cox was not allowed in. Neither was the press. Neither was the public.

Inside, to support their application, the police barrister told the sub-committee that the raid had found “drugs and associated paraphernalia and 57 snap bags which indicated personal use and dealings of narcotics.”

The bags were empty. A 100-pack of identical resealable grip seal bags costs £2.99 on Amazon.

Punch Partnerships, the pub’s licence holder, had their own lawyer in the room. He told the sub-committee what was obvious to anyone: the snap bags were “irrelevant in the absence of any drugs therein.” He was scathing about the raid.

The committee’s decision notice records he told them that “the Police’s description of the raid had mischaracterised what transpired and had involved an excessive Police presence which resulted in local residents mistakenly thinking a major drugs prevention measure had taken place.”

![Plastic bags on Amazon](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/plastic-bags-amazon-1024x738.png)The police’s only evidence of the entire raid was 57 empty plastic bags – with nothing inside.The sub-committee, having heard everything the police presented in secret, found “insufficient evidence to justify a full Revocation of the Premises Licence.” On the raid specifically, it could not establish “a direct link between the two could be clearly found based upon the information presented in the written and verbal evidence.”

The police’s confidential case, tested without public scrutiny, did not hold up.

The pub was suspended for two months and given new conditions. The licence was not revoked.

#### The councillors who supported a case they hadn’t heard

All three ward councillors made written representations supporting the police application. Cllrs Henderson and Tiller attended the hearing and gave oral evidence.

None of the three had spoken to Sally Cox. A petition of nearly 700 people calling for the pub to stay open was ruled inadmissible by council officers on the grounds that no addresses could be verified from signatories. Change.org, the platform used, verifies signatures by email, not address. Henderson, rather than challenging that ruling, endorsed it, telling the committee the petition could not be verified and moving on. Hundreds of local voices were silenced.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Save-the-angel-pub-petition-1024x748.png)After the story was published, Henderson confirmed something more significant in a Facebook thread. He wrote that he and his colleagues “were also excluded from hearing the Police evidence.” The councillors made representations supporting the police case without being allowed to hear what that case actually was. They backed evidence they had never seen.

The decision notice records what they did say. Tiller cited “a broken fence and window” as a reason for doubt about the pub’s direction. The fence had already been fixed. Henderson thanked the Metropolitan Police for submitting the review application.

Tiller questioned the suitability of the new pub manager, David Slaughter, on the basis that he had worked at the pub in 2009, though Punch’s lawyer pointed out that Slaughter had left before the incidents being cited first occurred in 2011.

Their own written letter, submitted before the hearing, had compared The Angel unfavourably to the King’s Head: “which is very close and well-run.”

The King’s Head is a Young’s gastropub with a glazed restaurant extension. The Angel has a pool table, darts and fruit machines.

Both Henderson and Tiller are standing for re-election on Thursday. The reason given for the entire hearing being held in secret – a highly unusual step and one that is legally questionable – was that it may impact how people vote.

![Entry to Angel Mews](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/the-angel-mews-sign-1024x768.png)The entrance to Angel Mews, next to The Angel pub on Roehampton High Street.#### The pub and the people who use it

The Angel’s door has the original Victorian leaded stained glass, paint lifting in thick flakes down to bare wood, a cracked sandstone step. Across the road, Morley’s fried chicken was rated two out of five for food hygiene by Wandsworth Council in August 2024.

Roehampton once had six pubs. The police’s proposal would have reduced that to one. The Montague Arms closed in 2006 and is now a Lloyds Local. The Earl Spencer closed in 2004 and is now a Majestic Wine.

The Highwayman, purpose-built in 1959 to serve the 13,000-resident Alton Estate, was demolished in 2014 after Wandsworth Council approved the application and it became seven houses. The Maltese Cat was demolished around 2005.

The Alton Estate was built by the London County Council without a pub in its planned core. Historian John Boughton records that residents who wanted a drink “could walk to traditional pubs.” Seventy years on, there are fewer traditional pubs to walk to. People travel to The Angel from the Lennox Estate. For many of them, it is the only non-gastropub in the area.

![A gated residential driveway with brick houses, parked cars, and a bright blue sky above.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/the-angel-mews-entrygate-1024x768.png)Electric gates mark the entry to Angel Mews next door to the pubImmediately next to and behind the pub is Angel Mews. Entry to it is through electric gates. The small strip of road leading to it is marked with double-red lines and several signs warning it is a private road and anyone caught parking on it will be fined £100. Extra bollards have been placed on the shared corner with the pub.

![A tree-lined cobblestone courtyard with planters and gated entrances, signs reading 'Angel Mews' indicating private access.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/the-angel-mews-entry-1024x768.png)Extra bollards at the entry to Angel MewsInside are block-paved driveways, new-build mews houses with white-painted garage doors, a range of luxury vehicles including a Range Rover, a coach lamp on the gatepost, a video intercom on the pillar.

The pub garden’s two-metre brick wall backs onto the Mews. On one side the pub garden: slate paving, a wooden shelter, mismatched garden furniture, beer kegs. On the other: an immaculate courtyard. Six of the ten responses to the licensing committee came from inside the gates, as well as the hearing’s only resident witness.

![The Angel backyard garden](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/the-angel-4-1024x768.png)The Angel’s backyard garden where a baby shower was taking place during the raid.The problems the Mews residents describe in their representations – noise, disorder, drug use in the surrounding streets – are real, but elicit little sympathy from Angel regulars.

“The people who bought their flats behind a pub and have done nothing but moan about living behind a pub!” posted one Roehampton resident about the saga on Facebook.

There is a history of tension: noisy pub goers sat outside just feet from people’s living rooms. The landlady received regular calls complaining and there have been occasional flare-ups: one evening, a Mews resident turned up and accused a group of drinkers of stealing his bag. An official noise abatement order was sought and won – but a bureaucratic cock-up meant it was never imposed.

Despite the tensions however none of the Mews residents mentioned anything that resembled what the police told a magistrate they expected to find when they were awarded the warrant to raid The Angel.

At the hearing, the testimony of the MP and both ward councillors came almost exclusively from Mews residents. Cllr Tiller said he was “speaking on behalf of residents who had experienced negative impacts from the pub”; Cllr Henderson took it further and told the hearing he was there “on behalf of anonymous constituents who were fearful of reprisals.”

Absent were the voices of the nearly 700 people who signed the petition, and the pub’s longstanding landlady.

![Back of The Angel pub in Roehampton](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/the-angel-wall-1024x768.png)The Angel’s beer garden backs onto the Mews’ entryway. Mews residents have repeatedly complained about noise from the garden.“I always asked them: please, just do a walkthrough,” Cox says about her relationship with the Roehampton police. “Stop in, show a presence, walk out. They never ever done it. Never done a walkthrough.”

She was asking for the most basic form of community policing – bobbies on the beat, popping by occasionally to check in. By her account, she didn’t get it for 12 years.

As for the claims that she was running a drug empire from The Angel’s upstairs rooms, she says: “I’m sixty four years old,” she says. “I could just about walk, let alone run anything.”

The King’s Head, the pub the councillors consider well-run, is currently on the market. The Angel is listed by CAMRA as an Asset of Community Value.

Roehampton is one of the two most deprived wards in Wandsworth.

![The Angel pub and Angel Mews next to it on Roehampton High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/the-angel-mews-1024x768.png)The Angel pub and the entrance to Angel Mews, shot from Roehampton High Street#### What happened to Sally Cox

Cox ran The Angel for nearly 12 years. She was removed as landlady – not before the review was filed, but because of it. Punch Partnerships’ lawyer told the hearing that the previous tenancy agreement “prevented a change in DPS unless serious thresholds were met, and it was only after the review was submitted that Punch Partnerships Ltd were able to convince Ms Sally Ann Cox to surrender the tenancy.”

She did not go voluntarily. She was pressured out.

She has since moved to a pub in Essex, living day to day, not knowing what comes next. She turns 65 this year.

“I feel like I’m the scapegoat,” she says.

The police told a magistrate The Angel was a major organised crime operation. They sent a helicopter, dogs, 29 officers in riot gear, and a team carrying a battering ram. They found the remnants of personal cannabis use, an empty-handed resident, and a baby shower.

Six months later, their barrister presented 57 empty plastic bags as evidence, and local politicians reflected exclusively the views of residents living in an enclosed residence built 20 years ago behind a building that has stood on Roehampton High Street since 1617 – a coaching inn for its first 255 years, a pub since 1872.

The licensing committee was not persuaded. Adding to the issues, the hearing where all of this was tested was held behind closed doors, with no public access, eight days before the election.

Whether the intelligence was simply wrong, or whether something else explains the enormous gap between what was alleged and what was found, is a question the public has not been allowed to watch anyone answer.

![The Angel, Roehampton](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/the-angel-roehampton-4-768x1024.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/05/the-angel-raid-a-helicopter-29-officers-a-battering-ram-and-a-baby-shower/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/05/the-angel-raid-a-helicopter-29-officers-a-battering-ram-and-a-baby-shower/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Angel%20raid%3A%20a%20helicopter%2C%2029%20officers%2C%20a%20battering%20ram%20%E2%80%93%20and%20a%20baby%20shower&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/05/the-angel-raid-a-helicopter-29-officers-a-battering-ram-and-a-baby-shower/)

**Categories:** Crime, Roehampton

**Tags:** Cllr Graeme Henderson, Cllr Jenny Yates, Cllr Matthew Tiller, Fleur Anderson MP, Licensing Sub-Committee, Metropolitan Police, Roehampton

---

### [He learned to row on this river. Then he went to Berlin and beat Hitler's Olympics](https://putney.news/2026/05/05/he-learned-to-row-on-this-river-then-he-went-to-berlin-and-beat-hitlers-olympics/)

**Published:** May 5, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Jack Beresford's six personal albums, kept private for decades, going online this summer.

**Content:**

A boy of twelve and a half stands on the Thames. The water is still. Beneath the photograph, in his own careful handwriting, he has written his name: J. Beresford.

He grew up to row in five Olympic Games. He won three golds and two silvers. Before Steve Redgrave, he was the most successful British Olympian in any sport. And he kept a record of all of it: six large albums of photographs, postcards, telegrams and newspaper cuttings, every page personally captioned. Until now, that record has been seen only by his family.

The albums belong to Jack Beresford, the most famous member in Thames Rowing Club’s 166-year history. Thames RC archivist James Elder is digitising the lot. Selected photographs will go online later this summer. Ten of them, including the one above, are being released early to mark [a talk at the club next month](https://www.thamesrc.co.uk/trc-social-events/an-evening-with-john-beresford) by Jack’s son John, who is bringing a selection of his father’s medals.

He didn’t just row from Putney. He trained here, raced here, and documented the embankment as it was. The 1925 photograph below is, on its own, a piece of local history that no public archive holds.

![Black and white photograph of hundreds of spectators lining the Putney Embankment foreshore, with the industrial buildings of the north bank of the Thames visible across the river, 1925.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/1925-Crowds-at-Putney-for-Jacks-race-with-Walter-Hoover-of-the-USA-1024x776.jpg)Putney Embankment, 1925: crowds line the foreshore for Beresford’s race against American champion Walter Hoover. Credit: Jack Beresford / Thames Rowing ClubHundreds of Putney residents are lined along the foreshore. The river is busy. On the opposite bank, the buildings of Alex Duckham & Co. and the Wharf Shirt Factory mark out an industrial north shore that is now entirely gone. The crowd has come to watch Beresford race the American champion Walter Hoover. The handwritten caption beneath the next photograph records the result.

![Black and white photograph of two single scullers racing side by side on the Thames at Putney, with Alex Duckham & Co. and the Wharf Shirt Factory visible on the north bank. A handwritten caption, "Beresford wins by 6 lengths", appears at the bottom of the image.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/1925-Jack-beats-Walter-Hoover-1024x744.jpg)“Beresford wins by 6 lengths”, written by Beresford himself in pencil at the bottom of the photograph. Alex Duckham & Co. and the Wharf Shirt Factory are visible on the north bank, 1925. Credit: Jack Beresford / Thames Rowing ClubBeresford wins by six lengths. He has written the words himself, in pencil, beneath the picture.

#### Five Games, three decades

By the time the Hoover photograph was taken, Beresford had already won silver in the single sculls at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics. He went to Paris in 1924 and won gold. In Amsterdam in 1928 he was in the Thames Rowing Club crew, racing for Great Britain, that won silver in the eight. In 1932 the British team travelled to Los Angeles by sea and rail, the train pictured in his albums crossing the Arizona desert under a hard sun. He won gold in the coxless four. The signed team photograph from those Games (Rowland George, Jack Beresford, Jumbo Edwards and Felix Badcock, each name in their own hand) is among the images now being prepared for release.

Putney’s rowing tradition is older than its bridges, and it is older than its boathouses. Thames RC was founded in 1860, a year before the Boat Race moved to its present course. The club has gone on producing scullers and oarsmen ever since. Last year’s [centenary Head of the River Race](https://putney.news/2026/03/29/putney-clubs-take-centre-stage-at-centenary-head-of-the-river-race/) showed the same boats still going out from the same stretch of river. The [Victorian boathouses](https://putney.news/2026/01/28/putneys-riverside-revival-boathouses-restore-victorian-character-with-modern-engineering/) Beresford rowed from are still there too, restored, the embankment in front of them now lined with people walking dogs rather than watching scullers.

#### Berlin

![Black and white photograph of Jack Beresford and Dick Southwood seated low in their double scull at the dock, being pushed off by an attendant, with German officials in overcoats watching from the pontoon. Berlin, 1936.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/1936-Berlin-Olympics-2-1024x827.jpg)“Pushing off for the Final”, captioned by Beresford. He and Dick Southwood prepare for the double sculls final at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Credit: Jack Beresford / Thames Rowing ClubThe men in overcoats on the pontoon are German officials. The two men in the boat are Beresford and Dick Southwood. The photograph is captioned, in Beresford’s hand: “Pushing off for the Final.”

This is the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The Games at which Germany won 89 medals and 38 golds. The Games which Hitler intended as a showcase for the National Socialist state. In rowing, Germany dominated: of the seven gold medals, Germany took five. Only two went elsewhere. One was the men’s eight, taken by a working-class American crew from the University of Washington. The other was the double sculls, taken by Beresford and Southwood.

It was Beresford’s third gold and his fifth and last Olympic Games. He was 37.

#### The albums

![Black and white team photograph of the four British rowers who won gold in the coxless fours at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. Each man's signature is written across the image.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/1932-Los-Angeles-Olympics-4-819x1024.jpg)Winners of the Olympic Fours, Los Angeles 1932: Rowland George, Jack Beresford, Jumbo Edwards and Felix Badcock. Each rower has signed the photograph. Credit: Jack Beresford / Thames Rowing Club“Jack was a keen photographer and scrap booker, putting together six large albums of around 100 pages each from his school days, through the First World War and his rowing career,” James Elder says in the press release accompanying the photographs. “Together they form a fascinating record of the life of one of the UK’s greatest sportsmen. Until now this material has been open only to Jack’s family.”

There are also the loose photographs. The newspaper cuttings. The telegrams. Captions in pencil and in ink. Some signed by teammates, some signed by Beresford himself. The digitisation project is still under way; the public release is set for later in the summer.

![Black and white photograph of Julius Beresford and his son Jack Beresford in 1925. Both are visible in the frame, and both have signed the image.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/1925-Julius-and-Jack-Beresford-788x1024.jpg)Julius and Jack Beresford, 1925, signed by both. Julius, who rowed in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, was Jack’s first coach. Credit: Jack Beresford / Thames Rowing Club#### A talk in June

On Wednesday 3 June, John Beresford will speak about his father at the Thames RC clubhouse on Putney Embankment. He is bringing some of the medals.

“Dad always had the ability to chat to anybody,” John says, “but didn’t ‘suffer fools gladly’. He wasn’t a stuffy rowing heavy.”

The event runs from 19:00. Tickets are £5 including light refreshments and are available at [thamesrc.co.uk](https://www.thamesrc.co.uk/trc-social-events/an-evening-with-john-beresford). It marks the 90th anniversary of the Berlin Games.

The boy in the lead photograph is twelve and a half. He has signed his name. The river behind him has not changed.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/05/he-learned-to-row-on-this-river-then-he-went-to-berlin-and-beat-hitlers-olympics/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/05/he-learned-to-row-on-this-river-then-he-went-to-berlin-and-beat-hitlers-olympics/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=He%20learned%20to%20row%20on%20this%20river.%20Then%20he%20went%20to%20Berlin%20and%20beat%20Hitler%E2%80%99s%20Olympics&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/05/he-learned-to-row-on-this-river-then-he-went-to-berlin-and-beat-hitlers-olympics/)

**Categories:** Rowing, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Jack Beresford, Putney embankment, Putney history, River Thames, Rowing, Thames Rowing Club

---

### ['Make hope normal': the Greens' Wandsworth manifesto, checked](https://putney.news/2026/05/05/make-hope-normal-the-greens-wandsworth-manifesto-checked/)

**Published:** May 5, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** 11 of 24 claims fully accurate, six mostly so, one misleading. None flatly false.

**Content:**

The third manifesto through our election fact-check pipeline is also the most rigorous one. The Wandsworth Green Party’s 2026 document, “Make Hope Normal,” makes a bold financial claim on its centre pages: that the Institute for Fiscal Studies says council tax in the borough would have to rise by 75 per cent to meet the assumptions in the new funding settlement. The IFS itself confirms it, in those exact terms.

*Putney.news* tested every verifiable claim in the 29-page manifesto, promoted by Green candidate James Couper, against primary evidence: Wandsworth Council’s own published documents, IFS analysis, ONS data, the Tenant Satisfaction Measures dataset, the council’s news archive and our own investigations. We extracted 24 testable factual claims and 18 forward pledges.

Eleven claims rated fully accurate. Six are mostly accurate. Five need context. One is misleading. None are flatly false. The financial diagnosis is sourced. The climate evidence base is sourced. The proposal to cut the council’s 10,000-signature petition threshold is supported by the data on what other London boroughs require.

By comparison, the [Conservative manifesto received a B](https://putney.news/2026/04/13/high-quality-services-or-decades-of-stagnation-the-conservatives-record-checked/) in our 13 April fact-check, and the [Labour manifesto received a C](https://putney.news/2026/04/19/built-500-brand-new-council-homes-or-366-or-90-wandsworth-labours-record-checked/) on 19 April. Identical methodology has been applied to all three.

A manifesto is not an essay. It is the document on which voters are asked to make a decision. Whether a party is being honest with the evidence is the precondition for evaluating whether their policies are good ones. The Conservatives’ manifesto contradicted the council’s own Root Cause Analysis on housing. Labour’s flagship 500-homes claim was contradicted by the council’s own monitoring report. The Greens’ manifesto, on the available evidence, gives readers a usable baseline of truth from which to assess what they are being asked to support.

Green Manifesto Fact-Check — Putney.news Election Fact-Check · 3 of 3

## Wandsworth Green Party Manifesto 2026

“Make Hope Normal” — every verifiable claim, tested against the evidence

 A

An honest opposition manifesto

The headline claims hold up. The financial diagnosis is sourced. Where the document overreaches, it does so on framing rather than on facts — a baseline of truth that voters can use.

 😇11Accurate

🙂6Mostly accurate

😐5Needs context

😬1Misleading

🤡0Not accurate

⚪1Unverified

   Explore all claims — see the evidence ▼     😇 A“IFS says council tax in Wandsworth would have to rise by 75 per cent”

Confirmed verbatim by the IFS itself: “around 75% in the case of Wandsworth and Westminster.” This is the strongest financial claim in any of the three manifestos through our pipeline. Both major parties have spent the campaign minimising what the funding settlement implies for council tax. The Greens have not.

IFS, 19 January 2026

  😬 D“Current resident satisfaction at a dismal 16 per cent” (Awaab’s Law section)

Wandsworth’s overall tenant satisfaction (TP01) is 65% in 2024/25, up from 64%. The 16% figure is one specific sub-measure (TP09, complaints handling) for 2023/24, which has since risen to 22%. Both the Regulator of Social Housing and the council itself note that complaints handling is routinely the lowest-scoring measure across all social landlords. The Greens have used a real figure in a misleading way — not invented one.

Wandsworth Council Tenant Satisfaction Measures 2024/25

  😐 C“Since we led the council to declare a Climate Emergency”

The Greens organised the petition that catalysed the 2019 declaration — the 10,000+ signatures that triggered the Full Council debate. But the council was Conservative-led at the time, and the motion was passed jointly by Conservative and Labour councillors. The Greens have never held a Wandsworth council seat. “Catalysed” or “led the campaign for” would be defensible; “led the council” implies an authority the party did not possess.

climateemergency.uk · SW Londoner · Wandsworth Living Streets · Wandsworth Council records 17 July 2019

  😇 A“Slash the petition threshold from 10,000 signatures—one of the highest in the country”

Wandsworth Council’s own Constitution confirms the 10,000-signature threshold. Constitution Society research from 2025 surveyed London boroughs and found Wandsworth’s threshold the highest among those surveyed.

Wandsworth Constitution · Constitution Society research (Berry 2025)

  😇 A“Fair Funding Review has slashed funding to six councils, including Wandsworth”

Confirmed by both Wandsworth Council’s own LGFS paper and the IFS. The six councils are correctly identified.

Paper 26-80 LGFS · IFS, 19 January 2026

  😇 A“Wandsworth has two-year dispensation from the council tax referendum requirement”

Confirmed by Wandsworth Council’s own LGFS paper and by the IFS.

Paper 26-80 LGFS

  😐 C“The cut is equivalent to 20 per cent of the entire Wandsworth budget”

True for the worst-case scenario. The IFS impact range is £19m–£85m; the £85m upper bound is approximately 20% of the council’s net revenue budget. Funding floors phase the impact in over multiple years rather than landing it all at once. The Greens have presented the upper bound as the central case.

Paper 26-80 LGFS · IFS Fair Funding Review 2.0

  😐 C“Conservatives’ abstention hints they would dramatically increase council tax too”

The abstention is verifiable in council records. The inference about future Conservative tax plans is interpretation — reasonable political reading, but not a finding from the abstention itself.

Wandsworth Council budget vote records

  😇 A“42 per cent of borough emissions come from domestic buildings”

Wandsworth Council confirms this on its own decarbonising buildings page, citing 2021 data. The Greens are using the council’s own figure accurately.

Wandsworth Council Decarbonising Buildings page

  🙂 B“73 per cent of London’s trees identified as being at risk”

Real study, real figure — but it’s a 2090 projection under future climate scenarios, not the current state. The Greens’ framing “have been identified as being at risk” is technically defensible but loses the timeline.

Future Climate Suitability study (GiGL/ICF, 2025)

  🙂 B“In 2022, one-tenth of all UK heat deaths occurred in London”

Approximate but defensible. London’s heat-mortality rate is roughly twice the national average per 100k. Applied to England’s 2,985 heat-associated deaths in summer 2022, London’s share works out at approximately 10%.

ONS Excess Mortality during Heat-Periods 2022 · LSHTM (Lancet Planetary Health)

  😇 A“Spending power fell 27.5% in real terms 2010/11–2019/20”

Consistent with NAO and IFS published analysis on local government finance over the post-2010 austerity period.

NAO local government finance reports · IFS

  😐 C“Austerity measures cut local government spending by 25% in 2010”

The 25% figure is real but represents accumulated decline across the post-2010 austerity period — not a cut made in 2010 itself. The manifesto correctly states the longer 2010/11–2019/20 timeframe in another claim, suggesting this is a drafting error rather than deliberate misstatement.

NAO local government finance reports

  😐 C“Advertising adds 32% to per-person UK carbon footprint, 208m tonnes CO2 in 2022”

Numbers come from one published industry analysis (Purpose Disruptors 2022), not government data. The Greens cite the source accurately but present industry figures as established fact.

Purpose Disruptors, “Advertised Emissions” (2022)

  🙂 B“89 per cent of the public want more action on climate”

Real figure from peer-reviewed research (Andre et al., Nature 2024) — but the 89% is a global figure across 125 countries, not specifically UK or Wandsworth public opinion.

Andre et al. (Nature, 2024) via 89percent.org

  🙂 B“Wandsworth pay inequality rates are worse than the London average”

Sourced ASHE 80:20 ratio chart in the manifesto. Wandsworth’s inequality on this measure is at or above the London average. Reading is defensible.

ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings via NOMIS

  🙂 B“Headline inflation fell to 3.2 per cent in late 2025”

ONS CPI was 3.5% in November 2025, not 3.2%. Substance is correct — inflation is in this range and rising — but the specific figure is slightly understated.

ONS Consumer Price Inflation, November 2025

  😇 A“61 per cent of adults still report rising costs”

Consistent with ONS Public Opinions and Social Trends datasets through 2024–2025.

ONS Public Opinions and Social Trends GB

  😇 A“29,000 council homes in the borough”

Consistent with the council’s HRA Business Plan figures.

HRA Business Plan Update (Paper 25-372)

  😇 A“Fewer than 50 per cent of Wandsworth residents have access to cars”

Census 2021 confirms approximately 46–48% of Wandsworth households are car-free.

ONS Census 2021 TS045

  😇 A“30-year downward trend in crime”

Standard reading of ONS Crime Survey for England and Wales data, which shows headline crime peaking in the mid-1990s and declining substantially since.

ONS Crime in England and Wales

  🙂 B“Knife crime has fallen for the second year in a row”

Direction of travel is correct on most measures. “Second year in a row” depends on which 12-month windows are compared and whether the measure is offences or injuries.

Met Police / ONS London crime data

  😇 A“Private sector provides ~83% of care services; public sector ~4%”

Consistent with Competition and Markets Authority and CQC data on the structure of England’s adult social care market.

CMA Care homes market study · CQC market data

  Below is one claim where the Greens have not provided a traceable source. We have asked the party for the evidence; the answer will be added to this piece if received. 

 ⚪ U“There is more than £13 billion of investable wealth in Wandsworth”

No source cited in the manifesto and none traceable through web search. Cited as the basis for the Wandsworth Future Fund pledge. Right of reply outstanding.

Right of reply outstanding

 How we did this

Every checkable factual claim in the manifesto was tested against primary sources — Wandsworth Council’s own published documents, IFS analysis, ONS data, and the Tenant Satisfaction Measures dataset. Each verdict has been through the Party-Swap Test: would we apply the same standard to a Conservative or Labour candidate making this claim? The Greens’ 18 forward pledges are assessed in a companion widget below — they are categorised by feasibility within council powers, not rated A–E, because pledges are proposals rather than facts.

Document: Wandsworth Green Party Manifesto 2026 (29pp). Analysis: 4 May 2026. Polling day: 7 May 2026. Same methodology applied to Conservative manifesto (B, 13 April 2026) and Labour manifesto (C, April 2026). Right of reply outstanding.

#### The financial diagnosis the Greens got right

The Greens’ headline financial claim is that the IFS says Wandsworth’s council tax would have to rise by 75 per cent to meet the government’s assumptions in the new funding settlement. The IFS itself, in a 19 January 2026 publication, says exactly this: “around 75 per cent in the case of Wandsworth and Westminster.”

Wandsworth has been granted a two-year exemption from the referendum requirement on council tax. Both major parties have spent the campaign minimising what that means. The Conservatives’ manifesto called it a “stealth tax” without showing the IFS modelling. Labour declined to use the unlimited tax-raising powers “for now,” a qualifier it omitted from its election materials. The Greens have stated the IFS conclusion accurately and prominently. We have separately reported that [the council’s own papers project a council tax doubling](https://putney.news/2025/10/04/the-partys-over-council-tax-will-need-to-at-least-double-to-avoid-fiscal-cliff-edge/) by the end of the decade, and the [UK Statistics Authority has already rebuked the council](https://putney.news/2026/03/24/busted-stats-watchdog-mauls-wandsworth-over-council-tax-freeze-lie/) over the freeze-claim framing. This is the strongest financial claim in any of the three manifestos through our pipeline. We rate it A: accurate.

A second financial claim, that the funding cut is “equivalent to 20 per cent of the entire Wandsworth budget,” is true for the worst-case scenario. The IFS impact range is £19m to £85m, and funding floors phase the impact over years rather than landing it all at once. The £85m upper-bound, set against a roughly £400m net revenue budget, gets you to about 20 per cent. The Greens have presented the upper bound as if it were the central estimate. We rate it C: needs context.

#### What the ’16 per cent’ figure actually means

The Greens’ Awaab’s Law section opens with “current resident satisfaction at a dismal 16 per cent.” Wandsworth’s published Tenant Satisfaction Measures data shows overall tenant satisfaction (TP01) at 65 per cent in 2024/25, up from 64 per cent the year before. The 16 per cent figure is one specific sub-measure (TP09, complaints handling) for 2023/24, which has since risen to 22 per cent.

Both the Regulator of Social Housing and Wandsworth Council itself note that complaints handling is routinely the lowest-scoring TSM measure across all social landlords. Wandsworth’s score is below the sector median, but the figure is not what the manifesto says it is.

This is a real figure used in a misleading way, not an invented one. The underlying point, that housing complaints handling at Wandsworth has been poor, is supported. The framing presents a sub-measure as if it were headline satisfaction. The same standard would apply to any party citing TP09 as overall satisfaction. The Conservatives, who [admitted the council had ignored Grenfell reforms](https://putney.news/2026/01/26/years-of-failure-exposed-as-council-admits-ignoring-grenfell-reforms/) for years, took the same scrutiny in our 13 April fact-check; Labour took it on the [Fox House fire and the council homes count](https://putney.news/2026/04/12/60-residents-lost-their-homes-in-the-fox-house-fire-wandsworth-council-wont-release-the-safety-records/) in our 19 April piece. We rate the 16 per cent claim D: misleading.

#### ‘Led the council to declare a Climate Emergency’

The manifesto opens with “Since we led the council to declare a Climate Emergency, progress has been made.” The 2019 declaration was made on 17 July 2019 by a Conservative-led council, with the motion supported jointly by Conservative and Labour councillors. The Greens did not have, and have never had, a Wandsworth council seat.

Their role in the declaration was, however, real and substantive. The petition that triggered the Full Council debate was launched in April 2019 by Wandsworth resident Glyn Goodwin and the Wandsworth Green Party. It cleared the 10,000-signature threshold the Greens are now proposing to cut. “Catalysed” or “led the campaign for” would be defensible. “Led the council” implies an authority the party did not possess. We rate it C: needs context.

#### The petition threshold

The Greens propose cutting the council’s 10,000-signature threshold for triggering a Full Council debate to 3,000. Constitution Society research published in 2025 surveyed London boroughs and found Wandsworth’s threshold to be the highest of any council it identified. The current threshold is in the council’s own Constitution. Both elements of the testable claim are verified. We rate it A: accurate.

Green Pledges — Putney.news Green Manifesto · Forward pledges

## What the Greens are promising

18 forward pledges from “Make Hope Normal” — assessed for feasibility within Wandsworth Council’s powers

 10 of 18 pledges are within council powers

Five pledges require Parliamentary or Mayoral action — including Living Rent, abolishing leasehold and fare-free London transit. The manifesto acknowledges this in places. Two are achievable but with conditions, and one — the Wandsworth Future Fund — is too underspecified to assess at this stage.

 🟢10Credible

🟡2Qualified

🔵1Vague

🔴5Not at council level

   Explore all 18 pledges ▼   🟢**Credible** — Within council powers

🟡**Qualified** — Possible with conditions

🔵**Vague** — Underspecified, hard to assess

🔴**Not at council level** — Needs Parliament or Mayor

  🔴 Not within council powers (5)

 🔴 NATIONALLiving Rent (median rent ≤35% of median pay)

National Green Party policy. The manifesto acknowledges this falls outside the council’s direct remit. A Wandsworth Green administration could lobby for it but could not implement it directly.

 🔴 NATIONALAbolish leasehold

Reserved to Parliament. Outside council powers.

 🔴 MAYORALFare-free London public transit

TfL fare structure is the responsibility of the Mayor of London and the TfL Board. A council cannot set or abolish TfL fares. The manifesto does say “explore local pilot schemes” — that scoped version may be defensible but the headline pledge is not within council remit.

 🔴 NATIONALEnd buy-to-let mortgages / impose rent controls

Reserved to Parliament. The manifesto acknowledges this. Council can use enforcement powers under the Renters’ Rights Act 2024 against rogue landlords, but cannot legislate for rent caps or restrict buy-to-let mortgage availability.

 🔴 NATIONALRestore central government funding to pre-2010 levels

Reserved to HM Treasury. Framed in the manifesto as lobbying, which is a credible activity for a council to pursue — but achievement of the outcome depends on national government decisions.

 🔵 Underspecified (1)

 🔵 VAGUEWandsworth Future Fund

The headline concept — using bond issuance and pension fund investment to channel local capital into local projects — is defensible and has precedent (Local Climate Bonds, divestment audits). But the manifesto conflates three different mechanisms (the £13bn investable wealth claim, the SPV structure, and the bond issuance) and does not specify which residents’ savings would be channelled where, on what terms, or at what scale. As a programme, it would need substantially more detail to assess.

 🟡 Possible with conditions (2)

 🟡 QUALIFIEDMandate solar panels and battery storage on all new builds

The Planning & Energy Act 2008 gives councils some power to set local energy efficiency standards. The London Plan (Greater London Authority) and national Building Regulations set the wider framework within which a council operates. Stronger requirements for new developments are achievable, but a hard “all new builds” mandate would face legal and policy constraints.

 🟡 QUALIFIEDDemand referendum on council tax

A council can voluntarily call a council tax referendum even where the dispensation makes it unnecessary. The cost of running a borough-wide referendum is non-trivial (typically several hundred thousand pounds), and the mechanism for tying the result to subsequent council tax decisions would need to be set out. Achievable, but with practical constraints.

 🟢 Within council powers (10)

 🟢 CREDIBLEIssue Green Bonds (Local Climate Bonds) via SPV

More than 18 UK councils have issued Local Climate Bonds via the Green Finance Institute framework. The structure (bond issuance via a Special Purpose Vehicle) is well-established. Within council powers.

 🟢 CREDIBLEIncrease tax on empty secondary homes

Within the council’s existing council tax powers under the Local Government Finance Act. The premium on long-term empty homes can be raised; precedent exists across English local authorities.

 🟢 CREDIBLEEstablish regular Ward Citizen Assemblies

Within council remit. Several London boroughs already run citizens’ assemblies on climate, housing or other policy areas (Camden, Lambeth). Resourcing is the constraint, not powers.

 🟢 CREDIBLEIntroduce Participatory Budgeting via NCIL

Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy is a real revenue stream that flows to councils. Participatory budgeting on local CIL or general budget allocations has been implemented at borough level (Newham, Haringey). Within council powers.

 🟢 CREDIBLESlash petition threshold from 10,000 signatures to 3,000

Petition thresholds for Full Council debate are set in the council’s own Constitution. A change requires a Constitution amendment, voted on by Full Council. Within council powers.

 🟢 CREDIBLEPhase out plastic grass / restrict glyphosate use to opt-in

Council’s own estate, parks and public realm management. Multiple London boroughs have done versions of this (Hackney, Lewisham). Within council powers.

 🟢 CREDIBLEConduct Wandsworth Pension Fund divestment audit

The council, as administering authority for the Wandsworth Pension Fund, can direct investment policy within fiduciary duty constraints and the London CIV pooled framework. Multiple LGPS funds have conducted divestment audits. Within council powers.

 🟢 CREDIBLERefugee Navigation Hub

Within social services and community remit. Existing voluntary-sector partners in the borough already operate refugee support services. Within council powers.

 🟢 CREDIBLEWorkplace parking levy

London boroughs are explicitly enabled to introduce workplace parking levies under the Transport Act 2000. TfL guidance exists. Nottingham’s WPL is the standard reference precedent. Within council powers.

 🟢 CREDIBLEWandsworth Cycle Network

Cycle infrastructure planning, design and delivery falls within council transport remit, with TfL co-funding available. Within council powers.

 How we did this

Forward pledges are not factual claims — they are commitments. They are not rated A–E because there is no fact to test against, only a forward proposal. Instead, each pledge is assessed for feasibility within the powers and budget of Wandsworth Council. The same standard has been applied to the Conservative and Labour manifestos in this series.

Document: Wandsworth Green Party Manifesto 2026 (29pp). Analysis: 4 May 2026. Polling day: 7 May 2026. Companion widget: green-manifesto-scorecard (24 testable claims, overall grade A).

#### Looking ahead

Eighteen forward pledges sit alongside the 24 testable factual claims. We have not rated them A to E because pledges are not facts, they are proposals. We have, instead, categorised them by feasibility within Wandsworth Council’s powers and budget, applying the same lens used in the [Conservative](https://putney.news/2026/04/13/high-quality-services-or-decades-of-stagnation-the-conservatives-record-checked/) and [Labour](https://putney.news/2026/04/19/built-500-brand-new-council-homes-or-366-or-90-wandsworth-labours-record-checked/) pledge assessments.

Ten of the 18 pledges are credible at council level if a Green administration were elected: Local Climate Bonds via a council-owned vehicle (already used by 18-plus UK councils), regular Ward Citizen Assemblies, Participatory Budgeting via the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy, the petition threshold cut, a Wandsworth Pension Fund divestment audit, a Refugee Navigation Hub, a workplace parking levy, a borough-wide cycle network, and others. Two are qualified. One, the Wandsworth Future Fund, is vague: it conflates the unverified £13 billion “investable wealth” claim with the bond and special-purpose-vehicle structures.

Five pledges sit outside the council’s powers entirely. Living Rent at 35 per cent of median pay, the abolition of leasehold, rent controls, fare-free London transit and the restoration of pre-2010 central government funding all require Parliamentary or Mayoral action. The manifesto acknowledges this in places (“falls outside the council’s direct remit”) and disguises it in others. A reader trying to work out what the Greens would actually do at the town hall would benefit from the manifesto being clearer on this distinction throughout.

#### What this is, and what it is not

The Greens stand on the ballot in all 22 Wandsworth wards on Thursday. They received 11.3 per cent borough-wide in 2022 and have never held a Wandsworth council seat. They share that position, on this ballot, with the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK. There is no governing record to test, so all testable claims fall at the level of manifesto credibility. That is a structural feature of opposition fact-checking, not a methodological asymmetry, and we have applied the same Party-Swap Test we applied to the other two parties: would a Conservative or Labour candidate citing TP09 as overall satisfaction be assessed the same way? Yes. Would a different party claiming to have “led the council” without holding a seat be assessed the same way? Yes.

This is the third and final manifesto through our fact-check pipeline. Identical methodology has been applied to the [Conservative](https://putney.news/2026/04/13/high-quality-services-or-decades-of-stagnation-the-conservatives-record-checked/), [Labour](https://putney.news/2026/04/19/built-500-brand-new-council-homes-or-366-or-90-wandsworth-labours-record-checked/) and Green manifestos. The Greens’ A grade reflects the most rigorous evidence base of the three, not methodological leniency: the headline claims hold up, the financial diagnosis is sourced, and where the document overreaches, it overreaches on framing rather than on invented facts.

Wandsworth Green Party are invited to respond to any of these findings. Any response received will be published in full as an update to this article.

Wandsworth goes to the polls on 7 May.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/05/make-hope-normal-the-greens-wandsworth-manifesto-checked/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/05/make-hope-normal-the-greens-wandsworth-manifesto-checked/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98Make%20hope%20normal%E2%80%99%3A%20the%20Greens%E2%80%99%20Wandsworth%20manifesto%2C%20checked&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/05/make-hope-normal-the-greens-wandsworth-manifesto-checked/)

**Categories:** Election 2026, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, council tax, election 2026, Fair Funding Review, Green Party, housing, IFS, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Police warn Thamesfield residents: check doors for fake locksmith stickers now](https://putney.news/2026/05/04/police-warn-thamesfield-residents-check-doors-for-fake-locksmith-stickers-now/)

**Published:** May 4, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Dryad Street, Felsham Road and Bangalore Street among streets targeted.

**Content:**

Thamesfield police are warning residents in Dryad Street, Felsham Road and Bangalore Street about a specific burglar tactic: placing locksmith-branded stickers on front doors and door frames, then returning to check whether the sticker has been moved. If it hasn’t, the burglar concludes the property is unoccupied.

No burglaries have been confirmed in these three streets yet. About two weeks ago, however, several attempted burglaries were reported nearby in Felsham Road and Putney Bridge Road.

The tactic is not new. Wandsworth Council issued an almost identical warning in 2013, when gangs were placing small “24/7 locksmith” stickers (printed with a fake phone number) on doors and frames across the borough, and the method has resurfaced periodically since. The visit also serves a second purpose: getting close enough to a door to assess the quality of the locks, while the sticker provides cover for being there. An undisturbed sticker on a return visit then confirms the property is unoccupied or unattended. Police have not confirmed whether the current Thamesfield stickers carry the same branding.

PC Damian Catherall of Thamesfield’s Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) issued the warning on Saturday 3 May. The same day, PCSO Eva Knedlova flagged a separate issue: the Thamesfield SNT landline has been removed. Officers now contact residents from work mobile numbers beginning 776060. If you receive a call from an unrecognised number claiming to be police, ask for the officer’s shoulder number or a CAD/CONNECT reference number and verify it with 101.

Check your front door and door frame for any stickers you did not put there, and remove them. The Met also advises:

- Double-lock doors when leaving.
- Do not leave keys near doors, in locks, or visible through letter boxes.
- Remove or secure garden furniture that could be used to climb into your property.
- Mark valuables.
- Report suspicious activity to 101, or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

To receive future alerts directly from Thamesfield SNT, register at [metengage.co.uk](https://www.metengage.co.uk/) and search for Thamesfield. Earlier this month, [police issued a similar advisory for residents in West Putney](https://putney.news/2026/04/20/burglars-are-targeting-homes-in-west-putney-act-now/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/04/police-warn-thamesfield-residents-check-doors-for-fake-locksmith-stickers-now/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/04/police-warn-thamesfield-residents-check-doors-for-fake-locksmith-stickers-now/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Police%20warn%20Thamesfield%20residents%3A%20check%20doors%20for%20fake%20locksmith%20stickers%20now&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/04/police-warn-thamesfield-residents-check-doors-for-fake-locksmith-stickers-now/)

**Categories:** Crime, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, Putney Bridge Road, SW15, thamesfield

---

### [What two Roehampton councillors said in a closed hearing that voters were never meant to hear](https://putney.news/2026/05/04/what-two-roehampton-councillors-said-in-a-closed-hearing-that-voters-were-never-meant-to-hear/)

**Published:** May 4, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** The committee rejected both their arguments. Both stand for re-election Thursday.

**Content:**

Last week, two of Roehampton’s three councillors testified in front of a panel deciding the future of The Angel pub. The police want its licence revoked. Nearly 700 residents have signed a petition calling for it to stay open – the pub is one of only two serving 18,000 people in Roehampton. The councillors sided with the police.

The meeting was held entirely behind closed doors. We are not supposed to know what was said; the council saw to that.

Cllr Tiller said publicly the day before that the decision to hold a closed meeting was taken “to ensure the council’s neutrality and the integrity of the quasi-judicial process.” The council’s Monitoring Officer had told *Putney.news* in writing that it was because of “the risk given the profile of this application that comments may be made that could affect political support.”

Those are two different explanations.

Sally Cox, who ran The Angel for nearly twelve years, asked to attend both hearings and was refused on both occasions.

Despite the council’s best efforts, *Putney.news* has found out what happened at the hearing. Here is what the two councillors who represent Roehampton said, in the room their constituents were not allowed into.

> [Secret hearing will decide fate of Roehampton pub](https://putney.news/2026/04/27/secret-hearing-will-decide-fate-of-roehampton-pub/)

#### Cllr Matthew Tiller

Cllr Tiller went into the hearing and took the side of the police.

He told the committee he was speaking on behalf of residents who had had problems with the pub, focusing on the small group living behind The Angel on Angel Mews. He said the pub had been assessed as high risk and that it was “too early to say” whether the pub was “on a positive journey.”

He did not mention the 681 local residents who had signed the petition in support of the pub. He did not mention any comments from locals who have repeatedly questioned the police’s version of events, even though *Putney.news* had raised both with him in several emails prior to the meeting.

Punch Partnerships, which owns the pub, had already replaced Sally Cox with a new manager, David Slaughter, to address the committee’s concerns. Tiller argued that Slaughter should also be removed, questioning his suitability on the basis that he had worked at The Angel nearly 20 years ago. Punch’s lawyer took issue with that and told the committee that Slaughter had turned around several struggling pubs. The committee accepted that. The new manager kept his job.

Tiller also cited a broken fence and window as evidence the pub was not on the right track. Both had already been fixed.

Tiller’s conclusion: if the committee was not going to revoke the licence, the new management team should have “no association with previous employees.” The previous landlady, Cox, told us that she was put under pressure to leave and was told the council would close the pub unless there was a change in management. We now know where some of that pressure came from.

#### Cllr Graeme Henderson

Cllr Henderson also sided with the police; his first comment to the hearing was to thank the Metropolitan Police for submitting the application to close the pub.

Henderson did mention the petition. When he raised it, however, he immediately challenged its legitimacy, noting that “no addresses could be verified.”

It is an online petition.

Henderson, who lives in Wandsworth Town, told the committee he was speaking on behalf of “anonymous constituents who were fearful of reprisals.”

The day before the hearing, Henderson posted on Facebook describing [coverage of the closed hearing](https://putney.news/2026/04/30/wandsworth-council-hid-a-pub-hearing-from-voters-now-it-wont-say-what-it-decided/) as “deliberate misinformation.” He did not, and has not, identified any errors in that reporting.

Former landlady Sally Cox strongly disputes the police’s version of events; and so does the brewery that owns the pub. Neither Tiller nor Henderson have spoken to her.

> [Sally Cox ran The Angel pub for 12 years. Then 30 officers raided her home – and found nothing](https://putney.news/2026/04/30/sally-cox-ran-the-angel-pub-for-12-years-then-29-officers-raided-her-home-and-found-nothing/)

#### What residents could not hear

Because the public and press was excluded, residents could not hear Punch’s lawyer respond to the claims being made.

The police sent over 30 officers in full protective equipment into the pub in a rush raid in October last year, complete with dogs and a helicopter keeping watch from above. They clearly expected to pull off a major drugs bust.

Instead they found nothing but cannabis stalks, the woody residue of consumed cannabis, recovered from a private bedroom upstairs in a very small quantity. The police pointed to “57 snap bags” – small plastic bags that can be bought online in quantities of 100 for £2.99 – as evidence of possible drug sales.

Punch’s lawyer pointed out not only that the bags were unused and free of any evidence of drugs, but that the raid took place during a baby shower: yet another detail in what has become an increasingly absurd case.

The police justified closing the hearing to the public on the grounds of future “potential” prosecutions. *Putney.news* has repeatedly asked the Met for additional details on the raid; we have yet to receive a response. The council has yet to adequately explain why it closed the entire meeting rather than just the part in which the Met offered confidential information.

#### What the committee decided

The Licensing Sub-Committee heard the full police case, saw the CCTV evidence, and considered the representations from Cllrs Tiller and Henderson before making a decision. It took half an hour to reach its decision.

It decided there were no grounds to justify revoking the Angel’s licence. It did not accept Tiller’s argument that the new manager was unsuitable. It made no mention of the hundreds of residents that signed a petition. It didn’t hear from the pub’s landlady despite her twice requesting to give evidence.

It did find that Punch had failed to properly manage its tenant, and ordered a two-month suspension of the premises licence with eleven new conditions, including monthly residents’ meetings and tighter noise controls. If the pub accepts the ruling – it can appeal – it will use the two-month suspension to revamp the pub, promising to spend £300,000 on much-needed renovations.

The committee received [ten formal representations](https://putney.news/2026/04/10/weapons-drug-deals-and-intimidation-why-the-angel-pub-may-lose-its-licence/) in support of the police’s application and none in defence of the pub. The petition Henderson questioned, which [we first covered in February](https://putney.news/2026/02/04/the-police-raided-it-with-a-helicopter-and-dogs-now-they-want-the-angel-pub-shut/), stood at 681 signatures as of Sunday.

The council’s stated reason for not making the hearing public was that “comments may be made that could affect political support.” In other words, people are unlikely to vote for the guy who shut down their local pub.

Both Cllr Tiller and Cllr Henderson are standing for re-election this week.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/04/what-two-roehampton-councillors-said-in-a-closed-hearing-that-voters-were-never-meant-to-hear/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/04/what-two-roehampton-councillors-said-in-a-closed-hearing-that-voters-were-never-meant-to-hear/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=What%20two%20Roehampton%20councillors%20said%20in%20a%20closed%20hearing%20that%20voters%20were%20never%20meant%20to%20hear&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/04/what-two-roehampton-councillors-said-in-a-closed-hearing-that-voters-were-never-meant-to-hear/)

**Categories:** Politics, Pubs, bars and nightlife, Roehampton

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Graeme Henderson, Cllr Matthew Tiller, Licensing Sub-Committee, Roehampton

---

### [What's on and what's open in Putney this Bank Holiday Monday](https://putney.news/2026/05/04/whats-on-and-whats-open-in-putney-this-bank-holiday-monday/)

**Published:** May 4, 2026
**Author:** Social Butterfly

**Excerpt:** Half Moon's £2.50 all-dayer, the Wetland Centre's Migration Festival, and what's closed.

**Content:**

It’s a Bank Holiday and while this one isn’t as big as others in the calendar, there’s still plenty to do in an around Putney today. Here’s three ways to spend the day depending on what you are after.

#### What’s closed and what’s reduced

Most of Putney is open on Monday, but a few things aren’t. Libraries are all closed for the day. So is Putney Arts Theatre. M&S and Putney Exchange are running Sunday hours, somewhere around 11am to 5pm; check if you’re planning a specific trip.

#### Getting around and weather

Trains and buses are also running a Sunday service. The District Line is operating normally; there is no strike on Monday, although [the next confirmed RMT strike days are later in May](https://putney.news/2026/05/02/the-district-line-will-never-be-fixed-new-documents-reveal/). South Western Railway is on a bank-holiday timetable.

Monday looks dry through the morning, with sunny spells, and up to 18°C. Scattered showers are expected to develop from the afternoon, possibly heavy. So plan outdoor activities for the morning if you can; the Half Moon’s doors open at 2pm, which is roughly when the forecast turns. The cinemas, Wimbledon Windmill Museum and Fulham Palace’s museum rooms are the indoor fallbacks if it does come in.

---

![New Moon Alldayer](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-05-04-new-moon-new-music-bank-holiday-monday-all-dayer-special-half-moon-putney.webp)#### Plan one: out and about

The headline event in SW15 is [the Half Moon’s New Moon All-Dayer](https://putney.news/event/half-moon-music-new-moon-new-music-bank-holiday-monday-all-dayer-special-with-dreamwire-wlm-racing-colours-leaf-down-maddie-ager-kyle-chatham-tilly-cripwell-fabrizio-toccaceli-minif/) on Lower Richmond Road, doors at 2pm and running late. £2.50 either online or at the door. The format (short slots from a long bill of singer-songwriters and bands) has form: previous New Moon nights have featured Lola Young, Cat Burns and Jalen Ngonda before they were Lola Young, Cat Burns and Jalen Ngonda. It is the most distinctive in-postcode event of the day. Monday’s bill runs to nine acts; the full lineup is on the event page. [Food served upstairs until 10pm.](https://putney.news/2026/04/25/the-half-moons-new-upstairs-room-is-open-and-the-sunday-roast-is-worth-the-trip/)

There’s nothing wrong with a lazy pub-outside crawl: the Duke’s Head terrace, Coat & Badge garden, Spotted Horse “Putney Beach Club”; all three are walkable and all are running Sunday-style hours. Check on the morning for any changes.

The Embankment itself is worth the walk. Expect training outings from London Rowing Club, Vesta and Thames RC on the river from mid-morning. Free, atmospheric.

If you’re looking for more action and a wet-weather or group option, Boom Battle Bar in Wandsworth covers axe throwing, shuffleboard and boozy bingo. Good for groups of six or more; booking recommended on bank holidays. Adults only.

Both local cinemas, the Odeon Luxe Putney and Cineworld Wandsworth, are open with full programmes. Though we should note [that the Odeon’s food hygiene rating had been downgraded to 1 of 5, after a confirmed mouse problem.](https://putney.news/2026/05/02/putneys-odeon-cinema-has-a-rat-problem-now-its-official/) Cineworld Wandsworth is currently rated 2. Maybe a stroll to Barnes and the former recording studio-turned-cinema, The Olympic.

---

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-03-at-20.53.47-1024x584.png)#### Plan two: a day with kids

The biggest local-edge event of the bank holiday is the WWT London Wetland Centre’s first [Migration Festival](https://wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/london/whats-on/migration-festival), three days of West African-themed programming that runs alongside the real thing: the wetlands in early May are at their most active for migratory birds.

Monday’s bill includes drumming and dance workshops, the “Guardian of the Wild” family puppet show, jollof rice cooking demonstrations, and guided migratory-bird walks. Open 9.30am to 5.30pm, last entry 4.30pm. Adults £18.85 online, children £11.40, under-3s free, WWT members free. Some sessions are first-come, first-served, so check the daily timetable before you go.

For the free big day out, Richmond Park is at one of its best moments of the year: the Isabella Plantation azaleas are near peak. The Tamsin Trail (a 7-mile loop suitable for buggies and bikes) is the easy way to take in most of the park. One important note: dogs must be kept on leads from 1 May to 31 July, which is deer birthing season. Vehicle gates open at 7am; pedestrians have access at all hours. On the SW15/SW19 border, [Wimbledon Windmill Museum](https://wimbledonwindmill.org.uk/) is free, open 11am to 5pm, with hands-on grain grinding and Wombles memorabilia.

Closer to home, the Putney Heath and Wimbledon Common network (1,140 acres of common, ponds and woodland trails) starts from the end of several bus routes. The Windmill Tearooms cafe does a reasonable lunch stop.

Wandsworth Park, just east along the Embankment, is a structured shorter option: Putt in the Park crazy golf (around £8 adult / £6 child) plus playing fields, a good children’s playground, and a Thames-side cafe. Compact enough to combine with a riverside walk.

Over Putney Bridge, [Fulham Palace](https://fulhampalace.org/visit/opening-times) is free to enter. The museum and historic rooms are open 10.30am to 5pm, gardens dawn to 6pm, cafe from 9.30am. Family trails from the front desk; good for picnics; new play area. A lovely walk too.

As mentioned above, all the libraries are closed for the bank holiday.

---

![The Thames Path in April](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/thames-path-april-1024x768.jpg)#### Plan three: a quieter Monday

Start with the Embankment. East toward Wandsworth Park or west toward Barnes; both are flat, both are pretty, both have pubs at either end. The early May light on the river is worth the walk alone. If you want a walk with some reading attached, [our Fawe Park Road nature reserve piece](https://putney.news/2026/03/29/fawe-park-roads-secret-garden-137-years-old-full-of-wildlife-and-about-to-go-official/) is worth a look before you head out – but don’t expect to get into it unless you run into an obliging neighbour whose house backs onto it.

For a long lunch, the Half Moon’s upstairs room is [serving Mondays until 10pm](https://putney.news/2026/04/25/the-half-moons-new-upstairs-room-is-open-and-the-sunday-roast-is-worth-the-trip/); the Duke’s Head Coxswain Riverside Restaurant has the view; Coat & Badge has the garden.

Fulham Palace gardens are free, quiet on a Monday, and the cafe is open until 4pm. Worth the walk across the bridge.

Both cinemas are open with full programmes. As mentioned above, maybe give the Odeon and Cineworld a miss. Wimbledon Windmill Museum is free, open 11am to 5pm, and a good indoor hour if it rains.

---

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/CavalcadeIlluminated-1024x711.jpg)#### Coming up

Polo in the Park at Hurlingham runs 5 to 7 June. The Wandsworth Heritage Festival is 23 May to 14 June and includes events across the borough. If you are planning around the District Line, the next confirmed RMT strike dates are later in May; [full details here](https://putney.news/2026/05/02/the-district-line-will-never-be-fixed-new-documents-reveal/).

**Further Afield: Canalway Cavalcade, Little Venice**

The Inland Waterways Association has been mooring decorated canal boats in the pool at Little Venice every early May bank holiday since 1983. This year is the 42nd edition, and Monday is the last day.

More than 100 narrowboats, cruisers and widebeams line the waterways around Blomfield Road and Warwick Crescent, many dressed in bunting and competing for best-in-show. On the bank: food stalls, craft traders, live music, a real ale bar, and children’s entertainment including canal-themed crafts, puppet shows and circus skills. Free throughout. Monday hours are 10am to 5pm.

The Sunday evening illuminated procession has already happened by Monday, but the boats are still moored and the atmosphere is still there. It is one of those London events that rewards an hour as much as a full day.

Grand Designs Live is on at ExCeL; ZSL London Zoo’s Big Birthday Bash is included with admission.

If we missed something worth knowing about, [tell us](mailto:news@putney.news).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/04/whats-on-and-whats-open-in-putney-this-bank-holiday-monday/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/04/whats-on-and-whats-open-in-putney-this-bank-holiday-monday/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=What%E2%80%99s%20on%20and%20what%E2%80%99s%20open%20in%20Putney%20this%20Bank%20Holiday%20Monday&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/04/whats-on-and-whats-open-in-putney-this-bank-holiday-monday/)

**Categories:** Things to do

**Tags:** District Line, Putney embankment, Putney Library, Richmond Park, The Half Moon, Wandsworth Park

---

### [Three forecasts, one answer: no party wins Wandsworth on Thursday](https://putney.news/2026/05/03/three-forecasts-one-answer-no-party-wins-wandsworth-on-thursday/)

**Published:** May 3, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** A few hundred votes in five wards will decide who runs the borough.

**Content:**

Pick your ward. Push the dials. See what it would take for Wandsworth to swing, then ask yourself how many of your neighbours need to vote the way you do for it to actually happen.

What happens to Wandsworth? — Putney.newsWhat happens to Wandsworth?

Wandsworth has 58 council seats. Labour won 35 of them in 2022; the Conservatives won 22; one Independent. A majority needs 30. Drag the dials to grow Lib Dem, Green or Reform — and use the swingometer to shift votes between Labour and Conservative. Watch how little movement it takes for the council to lose its overall majority.

  Projected outcome Labour majority 

 Borough vote share

 Drag dials up — grow Lib Dem, Green or Reform across the borough

 Drag left or right — swing between Labour and Conservative

 ← Con gain Lab gain → 

No swing

  Reset to 2022 

  **How this works:** The 2022 ward results are the baseline. Drag a dial up to grow that party’s vote uniformly across all 22 wards — new votes come proportionally from Conservative and Labour (Lib Dem 60/40, Green 40/60, Reform 80/20). The swingometer shifts votes directly between the two main parties. Each ward’s seats are then re-allocated using the actual 2022 candidate-by-candidate vote shares. Illustrative only — not a forecast. 

Source: 2022 Wandsworth ward results · Putney.news

Four days from now, the borough will vote again on the longest ballot paper in living memory. [There are 295 candidates standing across 22 wards](https://putney.news/2026/04/11/whos-standing-in-your-ward-on-7-may-the-full-wandsworth-candidate-list-searchable/). Three independent forecasting models (the YouGov MRP published in early April, the PollCheck projection and the Cavendish forecast) agree on one outcome. Nobody is winning a majority.

Wandsworth is more genuinely uncertain than at any point in decades. A few hundred votes per ward will decide which combination of choices on the Alton Estate, Putney Bridge Junction, Wimbledon Park, the council’s finances, the riverside and Hammersmith Bridge actually gets made for the next four years. The widget above is not a prediction. It is a way of seeing how thin the margins are.

Find your Wandsworth ward — Putney.news## Find your Wandsworth ward

Enter your postcode to see the candidates standing in your ward and our coverage of your local area.

   Postcode  Find my ward 

Wandsworth borough postcodes only. We don’t store your postcode.

  You’re in

 [See your ward page →](#) Try a different postcode 

 Couldn’t find that postcode

Please check the postcode and try again.

#### Three models. One answer.

The YouGov MRP put the national vote share at Labour 31, Conservative 20, Reform 11. That is the headline anyone watching this election from outside Wandsworth will have seen. What matters more, locally, is what Patrick English at YouGov pointed out alongside it: Reform’s national vote share is roughly equal to the gap between Labour and the Conservatives. Whichever party Reform takes votes from, the result on Friday morning runs through how that compression plays out ward by ward.

PollCheck and Cavendish, working from different methodologies, arrive at the same place. No party is on track for a majority. Both project No Overall Control as the most likely outcome.

This is unusual. Wandsworth has not had a genuinely uncertain council election in twenty-four years. From 1978 the borough was Conservative without interruption. In 2022 it flipped clean to Labour, who took 35 seats to the Conservatives’ 22. Now, in 2026, three independent models converge on a hung council. Read coldly, that is the fact: nobody, looking at the same data, can tell you who will form the next administration.

By Friday morning the question will not be how big the swing was. It will be who can put together enough councillors to run the place.

#### Three things being said that the evidence does not support

There are three claims circulating about this election that the evidence doesn’t support.

The first is the **Conservative comeback** framing. [Tony Travers at LSE projected a Conservative recovery in October last year](https://putney.news/2025/10/22/expert-bombshell-wandsworth-tories-poised-for-shock-comeback/), and ConservativeHome has run with it ever since. The forecasting picture has moved a long way in seven months. A Conservative comeback large enough to retake Wandsworth would require a uniform local swing – but that’s not how voters have been behaving nationally. At hustings events over the past month, both Labour and the Conservative have been talking in traditional terms about how it is a choice between them; audiences have consistently pushed back. We are currently living in a multi-party system, with seats dependent on which way voters looking for an alternative decide to move. The Conservatives may well finish ahead of where they were last summer. They are not finishing ahead of Labour on any current model.

The second is the **Reform won’t matter at council level** framing, associated with commentary from Lord Hayward, picked up by Politics UK. The arithmetic does not survive contact with the YouGov finding. If Reform takes 8 to 12% from Conservative-leaning voters in marginal wards, the structural effect is to compress whatever Conservative recovery is happening. Whether Reform wins seats or not is the wrong question – it will be hard to breakthrough in Wandsworth. The right question is whether Reform voters reshape the result through vote-splitting. The forecasting models suggest they do.

The third is the **Wandsworth doesn’t move** model, the longest-running of the three. Forty-four years of Conservative control, the assumption goes, made this a borough that resists change. The historical record now contradicts the framing. Wandsworth went Labour in 2022 by a margin nobody had predicted. Three independent models now project No Overall Control in 2026. That is a borough that has moved twice in five years. The assumption that it doesn’t move is itself the claim that needs evidence.

The public conversation about Wandsworth in this election is running on three confident assertions that the evidence does not support. The truth is that Wandsworth surprised national observers by shifting to Labour in 2022; it is likely to surprise them again this week and may well reflect where our national politics are headed.

#### Why the ballot paper itself has changed

Set the polling aside for a moment and look at the ballot paper.

In 2022, 86 candidates stood against Labour or the Conservatives across the borough. In 2026, that figure is 179. It has more than doubled. Reform UK is contesting all 22 wards from a 2022 baseline of zero. The Greens are contesting every ward. The Liberal Democrats are running a full slate. Independent and TUSC candidates fill in the rest.

This matters, because in wards where the Conservative vote share typically sits between 23 and 29%, three-way and four-way splits do not behave neutrally. A 9% Reform showing in a ward where the Conservative-Labour margin is 4 points is not a curiosity. It is the result.

Push the third-party dials and watch what happens to the swing. The maths is not opinion. It is the reality of the 2026 ballot paper. It’s not just about Reform either. The Green Party has seen a resurgence of energy in recent months and could well take a seat as well as make several others highly unpredictable; and the Liberal Democrats have been focused on a small number of target wards that may tip orange, but just as likely will decide whether the end result is red or blue.

#### The wards that will decide it

The result will be settled in five or six wards, most of them inside or adjacent to Putney. Let’s walk them west to east along the river, then south.

**Thamesfield.** Three Conservative seats in 2022 with a 9.8-point cushion. Comfortably held on paper, but Thamesfield is the ward that lives most directly with the [Putney Bridge Junction failure](https://putney.news/2026/03/17/putneys-buses-are-41-worse-than-the-rest-of-wandsworth-and-the-data-proves-the-junction-is-why/) and watched the [council push the redesign works to 2027](https://putney.news/2026/02/12/council-pushes-putney-traffic-crisis-into-2027/). Transport failure does not stay party-political when the buses are 41% worse than the rest of the borough. If Thamesfield slips, it slips on issues that cross the aisle.

**East Putney.** The 2022 margin was below one point. There is no more marginal ward in Wandsworth, or across London. The first hustings of the season was reported here, and [the claims that did not survive the evidence](https://putney.news/2026/04/14/putneys-first-hustings-the-claims-that-didnt-survive-the-evidence/) were reported with the candidates in the room. The structural question is whether the local Conservative recovery, if there is one, can pick up enough Reform-curious voters back from the Reform candidate without losing its Lib Dem-curious voters to the Lib Dem candidate. That is the calculation that will decide the seat.

**West Putney.** A split ward but one that appears to be turning back to the Conservatives in part due to the current administration’s housing decisions. The result is tight and likely to depend on how people split their vote between the Liberal Democrats and Green parties and where those votes come from.

**Southfields.** The Liberal Democrats made their strongest visible push of the campaign here. The [Southfields hustings](https://putney.news/2026/04/23/southfields-hustings-the-applause-line-that-wasnt-true-and-the-truth-nobody-else-said/) illustrated a strong field of candidates. The All England Lawn Tennis Club planning row, with its cross-borough embarrassment for Wandsworth and Merton, sits inside Southfields. A 3.5-point Conservative margin in 2022 is the kind of margin a third-party campaign can close.

**Wandsworth Town.** The boundary redraw makes Wandsworth Town the most read-across ward of the night. If a borough-wide swing is happening, this is the ward that records it cleanly. It is the bellwether people will be watching.

**Roehampton.** Structurally Labour. But the [Roehampton hustings](https://putney.news/2026/04/16/roehampton-hustings-the-weakest-candidate-left-the-happiest/) produced the most uncomfortable assessment of any in the season: a sitting member who appeared not to recognise the issues residents were raising. And one of the Conservative candidates was [expelled by the party on Friday after a Hitler post surfaced](https://putney.news/2026/05/01/abhorrent-and-horrifying-roehampton-conservative-expelled-after-hitler-post-surfaces/), although their name remains on the ballot. Roehampton is a Labour stress test, not a competitive contest. What matters here is the size of the structural vote that holds.

In terms of who sits in Wandsworth Town Hall, central-borough wards will decide it – Balham, Battersea Park, Tooting Broadway, Wandle. The 2022 Labour majorities are defendable on paper, but the third-seat reach is plausible in several.

Find your Wandsworth ward — Putney.news## Find your Wandsworth ward

Enter your postcode to see the candidates standing in your ward and our coverage of your local area.

   Postcode  Find my ward 

Wandsworth borough postcodes only. We don’t store your postcode.

  You’re in

 [See your ward page →](#) Try a different postcode 

 Couldn’t find that postcode

Please check the postcode and try again.

#### The themes underneath the votes

Walk the wards together and patterns emerge that no manifesto names directly.

The first is **estate green-space building** as a borough-wide flashpoint. It runs through Alton, through the Lennox sites, through the Roehampton hustings, and through the Wimbledon Park amendment campaign. The detail varies. The dispute is the same one: who decides what gets built on land residents thought was theirs to look at.

The second is **transport failure as a cross-party problem**. The Putney Bridge Junction is a Conservative-era design that became a Labour-era responsibility. The Albert Bridge closure, the Hammersmith Bridge stalemate and the District Line reliability issues span both administrations. No party in this election has a transport plan that matches the scale of what residents are actually living with.

The third is the **councillor disconnect** the hustings season has surfaced repeatedly. In several wards, the candidates standing, and in some cases the candidates who already represent residents, appear not to know the local issues. That is a finding that does not break down along party lines either.

The fourth, and the structural one, is **third-party momentum**. The 2022 ballot paper had 86 challengers to the two main parties. The 2026 ballot paper has 179. Whatever the result on Friday morning, the conversation about this borough is no longer a two-party one. The widget at the top of this piece is built around that fact.

#### What the next administration will actually have to decide

Here is what the next administration will actually have to decide, and what the manifesto scorecards say about each party’s account of how they will decide it.

##### **Council finances**

The UK Statistics Authority told the council leader in March that [the “frozen council tax for four years” claim had “potential to mislead”](https://putney.news/2026/03/24/busted-stats-watchdog-mauls-wandsworth-over-council-tax-freeze-lie/). The 2027/28 budget gap stands at £62m, rising to £92.4m by 2028/29 in the council’s own Paper 26-63.

The Fair Funding Review reclassifies Wandsworth as overfunded and cuts £85m from the grant by 2029/30. [The government has already given Wandsworth unlimited tax-raising powers](https://putney.news/2025/12/18/government-gives-wandsworth-unlimited-tax-powers-council-leader-refuses-to-use-them/), suspending the referendum cap. Whoever wins on 7 May will raise your council tax significantly. The only honest question is by how much, and what you get for it. That is not a *Putney.news* verdict. That is a quote from the [Conservative manifesto’s own context panel](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/con-manifesto-scorecard.html).

##### **Alton Estate**

Twenty years of failure, then a 2025 residents’ vote that approved a £100m redevelopment that never appeared because the council ran out of money. Whoever forms the next administration owns delivery from here.

##### **Wimbledon Park**

[Amendment 248 passed the Lords 162-55](https://putney.news/2026/04/14/lords-pass-wimbledon-park-amendment-162-55-as-liberal-democrats-vote-alone-against/) and [reached the statute book in April](https://putney.news/2026/04/22/done-in-seconds-the-wimbledon-park-amendment-is-now-on-the-statute-book/). [The political battle continues](https://putney.news/2026/04/25/two-court-defeats-and-a-parliamentary-ambush-wimbledon-parks-residents-wont-give-up/), and the next administration inherits it whether it wants to or not.

##### **Bridges**

[Albert Bridge could stay shut for a year](https://putney.news/2026/02/23/albert-bridge-could-stay-shut-a-year-now-putney-bridge-is-carrying-the-load/) while Putney Bridge carries the load. Hammersmith remains [a live story residents have been campaigning on](https://putney.news/2026/04/21/your-chance-to-move-things-on-hammersmith-bridge-30-seconds-before-thursday/). Putney and Wandsworth bridge maintenance sits underneath both. The Bridges Crisis is a beat this publication has been on for over a year, and it is the one the next leader is going to have to take a position on within their first 100 days.

##### **Putney Bridge Junction**

Buses 41% worse than the rest of the borough; works deferred to 2027. The next administration cannot defer this issue further, there will have to be a serious effort to tackle the problem.

##### **The High Street**

[Putney once had three Thames crossings; the riverside could be extraordinary](https://putney.news/2026/05/01/putneys-riverside-could-be-extraordinary-heres-whats-in-the-way/). The hotel corner site, the Premier Inn closure, the squatter sites and the still-empty parade need a council that can convene the people who hold the leases. None of this is hypothetical. It is time for Wandsworth Council to think strategically and long-term.

##### **Governance**

Councillors being silenced. Rubber-stamping cabinets. Black-is-white PR efforts. Wandsworth has some serious governance problems. [The £3.7m laptop contract that has sat untouched for over a year](https://putney.news/2026/04/29/councils-3-7m-laptop-contract-sits-untouched-for-over-a-year/) is the small-money illustration of the governance failure this publication has chronicled. A council that [calls itself the best-run in the country](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/wandsworth-says-its-the-best-run-council-in-the-country-heres-what-we-found/) has approved IT spend that sits unused.

We graded the Wandsworth Conservative manifesto a **B (Mostly accurate).** The financial diagnosis is largely right; the account of their own record is not. The low-tax record holds. The housing pledge does not survive contact with reality.

Wandsworth Labour’s record, [tested against the council’s own documents in April](https://putney.news/2026/04/19/built-500-brand-new-council-homes-or-366-or-90-wandsworth-labours-record-checked/), came out at **C (Needs context).** The flagship claim, “500 brand new council homes built”, is pure fiction. Claims of savings across council services are simply false. The 2022 manifesto pledged 50% affordable housing on new schemes; 27% was delivered.

In terms of represenative issues, [Wandsworth’s housing crisis and how both parties helped create it](https://putney.news/2026/04/24/wandsworths-housing-crisis-has-the-same-cause-both-parties-helped-create-it/) is a good one.

#### What to watch for on Thursday night

If you stay up for the count on Thursday, these are the wards that will tell you which way the night is going, in the order the experienced viewer will read them.

**South Balham** declares early. Any Liberal Democrat movement here is the early signal that the Lib Dem polling is converting. **Wandsworth Town** is the borough bellwether after the boundary redraw. If the swing is uniform, Wandsworth Town records it first. **East Putney** is the test of whether the Conservative recovery is real on the ground or only on the polling. A 1% margin will not survive a real swing in either direction.

**Wandle** carries an Independent factor that none of the models are pricing in cleanly. **Nine Elms**, with its high-rise demographic, is the test of whether new-build voters behave like the rest of the borough. **Tooting Broadway** is the Green and Reform proof-of-concept. The candidate whose [social media history was reported in late April](https://putney.news/2026/04/29/vermin-scum-auschwitz-the-social-media-posts-of-a-tooting-broadway-candidate/) sits on the ballot. Their vote share in spite of that record will tell you whether Reform’s national figure has ground here. **Roehampton** is the Labour structural-vote stress test.

Whoever forms the administration on Friday morning, these are the wards that will have decided it. Your vote is one of a few hundred that will decide your ward.

#### A note on the dials

The widget above is a vote-share calculator with transparent assumptions. It is not a seat predictor. The 2022 baseline is hard-coded and visible in the relevant panel. The bias coefficients are open. What it does is let you see how thin the margins are, and what level of third-party showing it would take for them to flip.

You have the dials. You have the evidence. Thursday is the dial that matters.

If you are not sure you are registered, or your polling station has changed, the council’s address is on your polling card. Polls are open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 7 May. Voter ID is required. A driving licence, passport or PASS card will do. If you have a postal vote, it must reach the council by 10pm on the same evening. Here is a full [searchable list of every candidate standing in your ward](https://putney.news/2026/04/11/whos-standing-in-your-ward-on-7-may-the-full-wandsworth-candidate-list-searchable/).

Push the dials. Then go vote.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/03/three-forecasts-one-answer-no-party-wins-wandsworth-on-thursday/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/03/three-forecasts-one-answer-no-party-wins-wandsworth-on-thursday/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Three%20forecasts%2C%20one%20answer%3A%20no%20party%20wins%20Wandsworth%20on%20Thursday&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/03/three-forecasts-one-answer-no-party-wins-wandsworth-on-thursday/)

**Categories:** Election 2026, Long read, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Alton Estate, Alton Renewal Plan, council tax, FOI, Hammersmith Bridge, housing, investigation, Putney Bridge junction, Save Wimbledon Park, transparency, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council, Wandsworth Local Plan, Wimbledon Park

---

### [The District Line will never be fixed, new documents reveal](https://putney.news/2026/05/02/the-district-line-will-never-be-fixed-new-documents-reveal/)

**Published:** May 2, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** "Don't mention the tennis": what a private District Line briefing revealed.

**Content:**

Six years of disruption on the District Line’s Wimbledon branch now has an official explanation: fixing it requires a government funding decision that has not been made. Documents released under freedom of information confirm the branch will remain on 1980s signalling indefinitely.

Political pressure has produced some real results. Following a highly public failure during Wimbledon last year, when the Mayor of London apologised to affected passengers, improvements were commissioned last autumn that should make this summer’s Championships far less disrupted. But that is the limit of what TfL and Network Rail can do within the current arrangement.

A new £200-300k update package – repeatedly referenced by the Liberal Democrats during this election season – deploys sensor instrumentation, fault-logging technology, and early warning systems for heat and flooding on the existing infrastructure.

It is not a replacement of the signalling system.

Commissioning is planned for 13 to 14 June, though issues may still arise. That is 16 days before Wimbledon begins. Meeting notes obtained by *Putney.news* cover a private February meeting between TfL, Network Rail, and Wimbledon MP Paul Kohler, and they also record him asking that communications about the work “should not mention the tennis.”

Network Rail’s response to the freedom of information request included an unsolicited note: Kohler had expressed concern that the work should not be portrayed as completed solely for the Championships, but for passengers more generally.

![Fawlty Towers - Don't mention the war](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Fawlty-Towers-war.png)Fawlty Towers – Don’t mention the war. Or on the case of the District Line, Wimbledon.The Wimbledon branch was sold by British Rail to London Underground for a nominal £1 in April 1994, a privatisation-era settlement that split ownership from operations. TfL owns the track, the stations, and the assets. Network Rail operates and maintains the signalling under contract, because South Western Railway mainline trains also use the line. [As we documented](https://putney.news/2026/03/29/east-putney-officially-the-worst-tube-station-in-london/) last month, East Putney produced more signal disruption in 2024 than any other station on the network.

Any modern automatic train operation (ATO) system requires every train on the route to carry compatible equipment. TfL’s District Line trains are fitted. South Western Railway’s fleet is not, and SWR trains gain nothing from being retrofitted for a four-mile stretch of someone else’s network.

The result is that District Line passengers are left in limbo, stuck between two organisations who simply don’t think it is worth the time, money or effort to get the District Line up to speed with the rest of the Tube network.

Ultimately, the decision sits with TfL: Network Rail confirmed in its FOI response that it is a contractor on the branch with no funding decisions, budget allocations, or timeline documents for any signalling replacement. The meeting notes record the conclusion on automation: “not feasible within any reasonable planning horizon, never say never, but given the current trains and operational reality.” The decision that would change this sits with the Department for Transport.

#### What TfL’s board decided

The clearest statement of where this ends came not from the February meeting but from TfL’s own governance papers from two years ago. A Programmes and Investment Committee paper from June 2024 stated:

> “District line will not be re-signalled. This means sections of the District line south of East Putney and west of Stamford Brook will remain under the existing signalling. Journey times in these sections will remain unchanged.”

That decision followed a recommendation in December 2020 from TfL’s Major Projects Director, Stuart Harvey, to remove the Wimbledon branch from the Four Lines Modernisation programme. Today, 57% of the Tube network operates under automatic train control. ATO-equipped lines account for only 21% of signalling-related failures. The Wimbledon branch is not among them.

At February’s meeting, TfL and Network Rail were candid about what reversing that position would cost.

> Full modernisation “would require hundreds of millions of pounds,” including fitting South Western Railway’s fleet with compatible equipment, a programme that delivers no benefit to SWR passengers. No commercial operator funds that without a government mandate.

Nine days after the February meeting, Paul Kohler MP told his constituents that TfL and Network Rail had “now confirmed funding to modernise the existing local signalling system between Wimbledon and East Putney.”

At the Southfields ward hustings on 21 April, Lib Dem candidate Sue Wixley said the party had “secured agreement from TfL to fix the really ancient signalling infrastructure.” Her fellow candidate Fergus Foord described the money as secured and work happening “on the track at night, upgrading the line as we speak.” Labour’s Peter Watts offered the most technically precise description: the project “doesn’t amount to full resignalling, but it will upgrade the track circuits and association monitoring.” Green candidate Kester Leek called it “tinkering around the edges,” a description the FOI disclosure broadly supports.

The word “modernise” in Kohler’s statement carries more weight than the February meeting could support. What was confirmed was a monitoring upgrade. No plan to replace the signalling system exists. The gap between what Kohler was told and how he described it publicly may reflect genuine belief. But the same structural problem faces any party: the decision sits at the Department for Transport, not at City Hall.

[As we reported in March](https://putney.news/2026/03/08/six-years-of-waiting-on-the-district-line-and-now-two-official-accounts-that-cannot-both-be-true/), Kohler’s 9 March statement and Network Rail’s public line at the time could not both be true. In April, James Wilson, the Lib Dem candidate for Thamesfield ward, challenged our coverage, citing Kohler’s statement as evidence of confirmed funding. We replied that if the outstanding FOI requests produced evidence of a funded programme with a committed date, we would correct the record. The FOI has been answered. It produced no such evidence.

#### What would change this

Three engineering routes to modern signalling on the branch exist. All three require a capital funding decision from the Department for Transport. The most plausible would see the branch designated for European Train Control System Level 2 as part of Network Rail’s next investment programme, running from 2029 to 2034. That system is already in passenger service on parts of the UK rail network. The cost would still run to hundreds of millions. The decision has not been made.

Readers who want to push on this should write to their Westminster MP, because the authority to act is national, not local. The right target is [the Department for Transport](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport). *Putney.news* will file a further FOI request to TfL seeking the funding decision and budget approval for the upgrade and any Championships operational readiness plan.

Network Rail’s FOI response also contained a procedural anomaly: commercial interests were cited to justify an extension on 1 April, then not applied in the final response on 30 April. No explanation has been offered.

The questions about what we can do about the worst performing branch of the Tube system – and the ones Putney residents unfortunately are subject to every day – are not closed. They are just better defined. What would fix the Wimbledon branch is not another meeting. It is a decision, at the Department for Transport, to fund a solution that neither TfL nor Network Rail can afford to make alone.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/02/the-district-line-will-never-be-fixed-new-documents-reveal/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/02/the-district-line-will-never-be-fixed-new-documents-reveal/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20District%20Line%20will%20never%20be%20fixed%2C%20new%20documents%20reveal&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/02/the-district-line-will-never-be-fixed-new-documents-reveal/)

**Categories:** Transport, Wimbledon

**Tags:** accountability, District Line, East Putney, FOI, Paul Kohler MP, TfL, Wimbledon

---

### [Putney's Odeon cinema has a rat problem. Now it's official](https://putney.news/2026/05/02/putneys-odeon-cinema-has-a-rat-problem-now-its-official/)

**Published:** May 2, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Food safety inspectors rated the cinema 1 out of 5 - and it is still showing a 5 on the door.

**Content:**

It’s official: Putney’s Odeon cinema has a rat problem. Food safety inspectors rated the cinema 1 out of 5 last month, after losing confidence in management.

When we visited on Thursday, the cinema was still displaying its old rating of 5 on the front door. When we pointed this out, the duty manager said there were “plans in place” but could not say what they were. More than 24 hours on, no one from Odeon has been in touch and the wrong sign is still on the front door.

The rating of 1 was given on 6 March 2026. The Food Standards Agency rates food businesses from 0 to 5: a 5 means very good, a 1 means major improvement necessary, and a 0 means urgent improvement is required and can trigger enforcement action, including closure.

![Costa and Odeon storefront with blue doors and red Costa sign; glass entrance reflecting street scenes outside.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/odeon-putney-door-1024x768.png)The Odeon Putney is the only cinema in the chain with a poor rating in south-west London, with both Richmond and Wimbledon rated 5. The most troubling part is the confidence in management score: rated 20, the worst possible result in that category. That is the inspectors’ judgment that the problems are likely to recur and is what turned the score into a 1.

![Blue-framed storefront window displaying pastries inside, with a green food hygiene rating sticker visible inside the glass and street reflections outside](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/odeon-putney-score-5-1024x768.png)The cinema is still displaying a ‘5’ sign despite having been downgraded to a ‘1’ nearly two months agoOdeon management knew about the rodent problem long before the inspectors arrived. The evidence is in their own Google responses, going back 18 months.

#### Eighteen months of rats, mice, and apologies

Lucy Parker visited in October 2024 and found mice running down the chair arms and under the seats. “We moved multiple times to try and avoid them, but they kept following us because we had popcorn,” she wrote in a review online. “When we told the cinema staff, they laughed it off and did absolutely nothing.” Odeon management replied publicly that they were working with pest control contractors to fix the problem.

A year later, in September 2025, two more customers reported mice running across the seats. Management replied to both, promising to address the issue. Two months after that Ashley Harding reported that it hadn’t been any progress: “Was once my favourite cinema, however MICE have become a serious problem to my experience.” Management replied the team was actively addressing it.

Then the inspectors came. The cinema was rated 1.

Three weeks later Akin Josiah sat down in screen 1 to watch the new Scream film. “In the next seat was a rat,” he wrote. “All movie I could hear the rats: little scratches and squeaks happening behind me. In the end I couldn’t finish the movie.” Management again promised that they were “taking immediate steps.”

Five public acknowledgments. Five promises of action. The March inspection came between the fourth and the fifth.

![Mouse droppings found at the cinema in Wandsworth. ](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/mouse-droppings-768x1024.png)Mouse droppings found at the cinema in Wandsworth by reader Anders Nielsen. #### The other option is not much better

Putney’s other main cinema, Cineworld Wandsworth at Southside, carries a rating of 2.

It is better than the Odeon’s, but it tells its own story. Reader Anders Nielsen reported mouse droppings to the council back in January. Inspectors confirmed an active infestation that had been running for months, with pest proofing incomplete including inside the screen rooms. The council issued a warning letter and re-rated the cinema to 2. Cineworld scored better than the Odeon on management confidence, meaning inspectors found evidence of pest control plans being acted on. At the Odeon, they did not.

Anders emailed us with his experience: he had been at Cineworld on 16 January when the lights came up and he saw droppings on the floor. “On multiple occasions in the cinema we had heard loud squeaking sounds,” he said. “Someone sitting behind us had also heard squeaks on previous visits and mentioned it to the staff, but to no avail. The council was very good. They promptly visited the venue and downgraded their hygiene rating.”

Anders then switched to the Odeon Putney to escape the problem. The gnawing question was whether things would be better. They were not: he found it had a worse rating than the cinema he had left.

![Rat in a cinema watching a movie.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/rat-cinema-watermarked-1024x576.png)#### Check before you go

Check the hygiene rating of any food business at the [Food Standards Agency website](https://ratings.food.gov.uk/). Full records for [Odeon Putney](https://ratings.food.gov.uk/business/1572276/odeon-cinema) and [Cineworld Wandsworth](https://ratings.food.gov.uk/business/1572527/cineworld-cinema-wandsworth-high-street) are published there.

To report hygiene concerns at a local food premises, contact the Regulatory Services Partnership, which handles food safety for Wandsworth, at . Anders’ complaint brought inspectors to Cineworld within a week.

This is the third *Putney.news* investigation into [food hygiene ratings in the area](https://putney.news/2025/05/28/dirty-secrets-hygiene-ratings-reveal-trouble-at-popular-putney-eateries/). The [previous story](https://putney.news/2025/09/28/we-visited-putneys-only-zero-rated-food-hygiene-shop-heres-what-we-found/) visited Putney’s only zero-rated business. Businesses can requested a re-inspection when they have resolved any issues. We will report when either cinema is reinspected.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/02/putneys-odeon-cinema-has-a-rat-problem-now-its-official/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/02/putneys-odeon-cinema-has-a-rat-problem-now-its-official/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20Odeon%20cinema%20has%20a%20rat%20problem.%20Now%20it%E2%80%99s%20official&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/02/putneys-odeon-cinema-has-a-rat-problem-now-its-official/)

**Categories:** Film, Health

**Tags:** accountability, investigation, public safety, Putney High Street

---

### [Putney Embankment is a location for Jason Statham's new Guy Ritchie film](https://putney.news/2026/05/02/putney-embankment-is-a-location-for-jason-stathams-new-guy-ritchie-film/)

**Published:** May 2, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** A filming licence and a Thames vessel point to new movie Viva La Madness.

**Content:**

A large film production has been using Putney Embankment as a location this week, with a Thames marine services vessel among the equipment. The setup is consistent with *Viva La Madness*, the Guy Ritchie action thriller starring Jason Statham that has been filming across London since February.

A reader, Ed Coke, photographed a substantial production setup at the Embankment on 29 April. A filming licence taped to a lamppost confirmed the shoot had official approval: the standard permit councils issue before a production can take over a public space.

The production has not confirmed the location, but Viva La Madness is the only major film known to be shooting Thames locations in London at this time. The cast includes Vinnie Jones, Jason Isaacs, Camila Mendes, Ben Foster and Jonny Lee Miller alongside Statham, who was still filming on London streets as recently as March. The film is directed by Ritchie and distributed by Amazon MGM internationally.

The film is based on JJ Connolly’s 2011 novel, a sequel to his crime thriller Layer Cake (the one that starred Daniel Craig and led to his casting as James Bond). In the book, an unnamed criminal is lured back to London from the Caribbean and finds himself caught between rival factions who cannot agree on whether to deal with him or kill him. The Thames setting is not coincidental.

The Ritchie-Statham partnership goes back nearly 30 years. Ritchie cast Statham in his 1998 debut Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels after auditioning him by asking him to pretend to be an illegal street vendor and convince him to buy fake jewellery. Statham, who had actually worked London market stalls, barely had to act. Vinnie Jones, also in the Viva La Madness cast, made his film debut in Lock, Stock too and grew up with Statham in Derbyshire.

#### The new hot location?

This is not Putney’s first brush with a major production, even just this year. The new Idris Elba Luther film [quietly shot on Wimbledon Common](https://putney.news/2026/03/04/the-new-idris-elba-luther-film-secretly-shot-on-wimbledon-common-last-month/) in February, and [a Putney street is due to be featured](https://putney.news/2026/04/03/the-putney-street-that-inspired-mr-benn-is-going-to-the-big-screen/) in an adaptation of the children’s book Mr Benn.

Did you see the crew filming this week? Did you spot anyone from the cast, or catch any footage of the production on the water? Let us know at .

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/02/putney-embankment-is-a-location-for-jason-stathams-new-guy-ritchie-film/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/02/putney-embankment-is-a-location-for-jason-stathams-new-guy-ritchie-film/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20Embankment%20is%20a%20location%20for%20Jason%20Statham%E2%80%99s%20new%20Guy%20Ritchie%20film&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/02/putney-embankment-is-a-location-for-jason-stathams-new-guy-ritchie-film/)

**Categories:** Film, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Putney embankment

---

### [Putney's riverside could be extraordinary. Here's what's in the way.](https://putney.news/2026/05/01/putneys-riverside-could-be-extraordinary-heres-whats-in-the-way/)

**Published:** May 1, 2026
**Author:** The Editor

**Excerpt:** A Victorian tunnel, a stalled pub, an empty park - and the three moves that would connect them all.

**Content:**

*Something is missing from the politicians’ sales pitches this year: vision. We have plenty of issues in Putney, and increasingly local residents have given in to the idea that there’s not much we can do about it. We don’t subscribe to that kind of nihilism, so here is part 2 of Putney 2030: The vision Putney deserves.*

---

![Putney 2030](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/putney-2030-headline-1024x512.png)#### Part 2: Opening up the waterfront

**Putney sits on one of London’s most beautiful stretches of the Thames. Most residents have no idea what’s hiding beneath their feet**.

---

Walk through the churchyard of St Mary’s on a sunny morning and you’ll pass it without noticing. Set into the abutment of Putney Bridge (Victorian brick, white-painted render, a gentle arch) is a door. Behind it, a barrel-vaulted tunnel runs beneath the bridge road. At the far end, someone is giving clarinet lessons.

The tunnel has been there since the bridge was built in the 1880s. It belongs to the church. Right now it houses a recording studio and a music school. And at the back of that recording studio, there is a blocked-up wall.

On the other side of that wall is Waterman’s Green, one of Putney’s best-kept secrets: a thriving riverside terrace where Tequila Mockingbird and Putney Pies spill out onto the embankment beneath the bridge arches, with bunting, tables, the Thames a few feet away.

The tunnel connects them. The wall is the only thing in the way.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/watermans-terrace-1024x768.png)Waterman’s Green — already one of Putney’s best riverside spaces. The tunnel that would connect it to the east bank lies to the right.#### The problem

Putney’s relationship with its own riverfront is one of the great missed opportunities in southwest London. The raw material is exceptional: a wide tidal Thames, magnificent London plane trees, Georgian and Victorian architecture, one of the finest stretches of riverside walking in the capital. But it doesn’t connect. You hit Putney Bridge and you hit a wall.

On the west side of the bridge, Waterman’s Green is already alive. People gather there on warm evenings, sitting under the bridge arches with the river a few feet away. Tequila Mockingbird and Putney Pies use the space brilliantly. It is genuinely lovely and almost entirely unknown outside the immediate neighbourhood.

The Star and Garter stands shrouded in black tarpaulin. [One of the most architecturally striking Victorian pub buildings in southwest London](https://putney.news/2025/04/28/putneys-iconic-star-and-garter-closer-to-new-life-after-years-of-decay/), right on the Thames, with ornate arched windows and ironwork balconies. Planning permission exists for its revival as a café and wine bar with residential above. Nothing has happened. On a sunny April morning, there is nobody there.

Right by it, the new riverside park created as part of the Thames Tideway supersewer construction sits largely empty. Good granite paving, steps down toward the river, an extraordinary unobstructed view across to the Fulham treeline. A couple of benches (a seemingly permanent construction hoarding).

The gap between what this riverside could be and what it currently is not so much a planning problem or a funding problem, it is a vision problem.

![The tunnel under the bridge owned by St Marys.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/st-marys-tunnel-1024x768.png)The arches under Putney Bridge owned by St Mary’s used to be storage and now are a recording studio and music lesson space.#### What the comparison shows

Go to Richmond. The riverside there is a genuine destination, a continuous promenade that people travel to specifically. Putney has equivalent or better raw material. What Richmond or Kingston has that Putney lacks is a coherent vision for the space as a whole, and the will to pursue it.

Across London, councils have turned forgotten infrastructure into civic assets. The Mayor’s Liveable Neighbourhoods scheme funded the [Dukes Meadows Footbridge](https://moxonarchitects.com/projects/dukes-meadow) in Chiswick: 115 metres long, running beneath Barnes Railway Bridge on its own piles in the Thames, opened in 2023, connecting the towpath to the riverside park. The ambition required in Putney is no greater than that. The architecture is already more interesting.

#### The proposal

Three connected moves that together transform the picture.

**Open the tunnel.** The passage beneath Putney Bridge already exists. It is in active use: a music teacher runs a recording studio from its vaulted chambers, giving saxophone, clarinet and flute lessons beneath Victorian brickwork lit by bare bulbs. The space has surprisingly good bones (a proper barrel-vaulted ceiling, clean proportions, a quality no amount of new construction could replicate). The blocked wall at the far end is not a structural barrier. It is a decision waiting to be made.

The church owns the tunnel. St Mary’s has a new vicar. The businesses on the Waterman’s Green side, who would gain customers directly from the footfall a pedestrian connection would bring, are natural allies. The council is the convener. This requires a conversation to get going.

![Brick archway under a bridge with a sign reading 'TO THE RIVER' and people walking through a sunlit tunnel lined with ivy and stone walls.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/river-path-watermarked-1024x768.png)Inside the St Mary’s tunnel beneath Putney Bridge — currently an active recording studio and music school but think past that…**Activate the riverside park.** The Tideway park has everything it needs except a reason to be there. A weekend market. A regular food event. A performance space using the river as a backdrop. The steps, the granite, the view: it is all there.

![Lakeside promenade with market stalls, people strolling under trees and a flower bed in the foreground on a sunny day](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/tideway-park-watermarked-1024x768.png)**Connect them.** A continuous pedestrian route from the St Mary’s tunnel exit at Waterman’s Green, west along the embankment past the Star and Garter and the Tideway park and onward to the Thames Path creates a cross-Putney flow that doesn’t currently exist. It connects Lower Richmond Road to the pedestrianised waterfront area that holds The Rocket, The Boathouse and Coppa Club, and from there Putney Bridge Road and Wandsworth Park through green space and along the river. The town breathes differently.

![White iron arch bridge spanning a calm river with brick piers and a pedestrian walkway along the side under a bright blue sky.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Dukes_Meadows_Footbridge_western_side_newly_opened-1024x768.jpg)This is NOT AI, this is a real footbridge under Barnes railway bridge, beautifully photographedFor cyclists, the Dukes Meadows Footbridge demonstrates exactly what is possible and how to fund it. A bike path that connects the two parts of Putney without having to go anywhere near the dreaded junction. Wandsworth should be making the case for equivalent investment here.

![Underpass footbridge at Barnes](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Archer-Jones_DukesMeadowsFootbridge-Photp.png)This is also NOT AI, it is the actual footbridge.#### What the Star and Garter unlocks

The Star and Garter is the hinge. Planning permission exists for a ground-floor café and wine bar. What has been missing is the economic logic to make development inevitable. A continuous, activated riverside route running directly past its door, bringing pedestrians from the tunnel through Waterman’s Green and west toward the Thames Path, provides exactly that logic.

The infrastructure creates the demand. The demand makes the development inevitable. The development transforms the eastern anchor of the whole route.

This is how cities work when they plan well.

It’s already been agreed to pedestrianise the riverfront by the Star and Garter. This is what it looks like now.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/star-and-garter-corner-1024x768.png)Putney 2026And here’s where we could easily get to, if we plan, coordinate and build a thriving waterfront that attracts visitors and connects up the two side of Putney Bridge.

![Tree-lined riverside promenade with outdoor cafe seating and a brick, ornate building on the right; people stroll and cyclists enjoy a sunny day.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/star-and-garter-watermarked-1024x768.png)Putney 2030#### What it would require

A conversation between four parties who are not natural opponents of this idea: St Mary’s Church and its new vicar, the Waterman’s Green businesses, the council, and the Tideway project team responsible for the riverside park’s long-term management (the park is currently being handed over to Thames Water – which could do with some good PR for a change). Each stands to benefit. None currently has a reason to start the conversation.

That reason is what the next council needs to provide.

#### The payoff

A riverside that people come to deliberately, not just pass through accidentally. The Star and Garter open and thriving. Waterman’s Green connected to a route, not hidden beneath a bridge. A continuous green walk from the boathouses to Wandsworth Park. A town that finally makes something of one of its greatest and most underused assets, not through grand expenditure, but through the simple act of opening a wall.

The tunnel is there. The music teacher knows where it goes. The question is whether anyone with the power to act is listening.

---

#### **How important is this to Putney’s future?**

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

How much would you like to see this?Rate 1 out of 5Rate 2 out of 5Rate 3 out of 5Rate 4 out of 5Rate 5 out of 5

How feasible do you think it is?Rate 1 out of 5Rate 2 out of 5Rate 3 out of 5Rate 4 out of 5Rate 5 out of 5

 be? think would  

How much of a priority should it be?Rate 1 out of 5Rate 2 out of 5Rate 3 out of 5Rate 4 out of 5Rate 5 out of 5

  Submit

 ---

**PUTNEY 2030** | Issue 2 of 5 | putney.news

*This is the second of five pieces examining what bold thinking could change in Putney.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/01/putneys-riverside-could-be-extraordinary-heres-whats-in-the-way/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/01/putneys-riverside-could-be-extraordinary-heres-whats-in-the-way/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20riverside%20could%20be%20extraordinary.%20Here%E2%80%99s%20what%E2%80%99s%20in%20the%20way.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/01/putneys-riverside-could-be-extraordinary-heres-whats-in-the-way/)

**Categories:** Comment, Politics

**Tags:** planning, Putney 2030, Putney Bridge, Putney embankment, River Thames, St Marys Church, Thames Path, thamesfield, Wandsworth Park

---

### [The Premier Inn on Putney Bridge is closing in June](https://putney.news/2026/05/01/the-premier-inn-on-putney-bridge-is-closing-in-june/)

**Published:** May 1, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Bridge hotel shuts on 12 June as Whitbread overhaul hits; High Street construction site has also gone quiet.

**Content:**

The Premier Inn at Putney Bridge is closing permanently on 12 June.

The closure comes on the same day parent company Whitbread announced it is cutting 3,800 jobs across the UK and Ireland, scrapping all 197 of its remaining branded restaurants, and selling £1.5 billion of freehold properties as part of a major five-year overhaul.

It’s unclear whether the Putney Bridge closure is a direct consequence of that announcement or a separate decision from a review of the company’s estate.

The hotel has operated on the south bank of Putney Bridge for more than two decades. It has 74 rooms and a riverside location, exactly the kind of freehold asset Whitbread has said it plans to sell.

There have been rumours for some time that it intends to get rid of the property which has been fuelled by an obvious lack of external maintenance – especially its main sign – even if the rooms inside have remained updated.

![Large purple Premier Inn advertisement in a city street, featuring a crescent moon and stars, with red double-decker buses and modern buildings in the background.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/putney-inn-putney-sign-1024x768.png)Chief executive Dominic Paul said the plan would transform Whitbread into “a higher-margin, higher-returning pure-play hotel business.” The restructuring follows sharp increases in business rates and National Insurance, as well as pressure from activist investor Corvex Management, and a rise in energy costs linked to tensions in the Middle East.

Bookings for the Putney Bridge site cut off abruptly on Monday 12 June.

#### A second Premier Inn project, a few minutes away

More concerningly, on the Putney side of the bridge, a separate project bearing the same brand has gone quiet.

The Hub by Premier Inn under construction at 31–43 Putney High Street on the corner of the High Street and Putney Bridge Road. It is being built by developer Mosser Limited, not Whitbread, and is planned to open around 2028 with approximately 200 rooms.

But the construction site had gone quiet for over a month. An office on the site has been removed, there has been no noise or obvious demolition activity and the “pit lane” approved back in February that would see lorries pull up and take away rubble from the demolition of the existing buildings has yet to be built.

![Levellers Court construction](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/levellers-court-1024x768.png)Levellers Court behind the High Street has gone quiet and the site office has gone.Workers were present on Thursday, but general activity has stalled. [Construction had resumed in March](https://putney.news/2026/03/18/construction-resumes-at-putney-high-street-hotel-corner-after-weeks-of-quiet/) after a quieter spell, with a foreman citing inspections and lorry access issues. The [planning approval for the development](https://putney.news/2026/02/22/hotel-approved-with-two-year-pavement-closure-but-delivery-plan-still-unresolved/) came with a two-year pavement closure on Putney High Street and an unresolved question about how the hotel would receive deliveries.

Two Premier Inn-branded projects sit within a few minutes of Putney Bridge. One is closing with short notice to staff and redundancies expected. The other is stalled on the day Whitbread announced the biggest reset in its modern history. The connection between them is branding, not ownership, but the coincidence is hard to ignore.

---

*Thanks to an anonymous reader for the tip. If you have some news you think we should cover, please contact us using [this contact form](https://putney.news/contact/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/01/the-premier-inn-on-putney-bridge-is-closing-in-june/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/01/the-premier-inn-on-putney-bridge-is-closing-in-june/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Premier%20Inn%20on%20Putney%20Bridge%20is%20closing%20in%20June&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/01/the-premier-inn-on-putney-bridge-is-closing-in-june/)

**Categories:** Business, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Putney Bridge, Putney Bridge Road, Putney High Street

---

### ['Abhorrent and horrifying': Roehampton Conservative expelled after Hitler post surfaces](https://putney.news/2026/05/01/abhorrent-and-horrifying-roehampton-conservative-expelled-after-hitler-post-surfaces/)

**Published:** May 1, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Helena Kanaan cannot be removed from the 7 May vote. Fleur Anderson demands to know how she passed vetting.

**Content:**

A Conservative candidate standing in Roehampton on 7 May has been expelled from the party after a post on her social media account invoking Hitler surfaced. She remains on the ballot paper and cannot be removed.

Helena Kanaan, one of three Conservatives nominated for Roehampton ward, was excluded from the party on Thursday after the post, made in January 2024, was shared publicly.

Aled Richards-Jones, leader of Wandsworth’s Conservative group, [said](https://x.com/aled_rj/status/2049873024732545181?s=20):

> “This afternoon, I was made aware of remarks by Helena Kanaan that are both abhorrent and horrifying. Rightly, she has been immediately excluded from the Conservative Party. No one with such views will ever be allowed to join Wandsworth’s Conservative councillor group.”

The post, which appeared on Kanaan’s X account before it was deleted, read: “Nevertheless, the way the Israel government behaved with Palestinians during the years showed the world that Hitler was right (just the government politics). Please note that I am not against Jews people but against the Israel government. Not diplomacy, no morals!”

X flagged the post as potentially violating its rules against violent speech and limited its visibility. The account has since been deleted.

The Conservative Party and Putney MP Fleur Anderson have both characterised the post as antisemitic. Anderson wrote to Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch on Thursday demanding to know how Kanaan had been approved as a candidate. “This is especially distressing for the local community which includes a Jewish primary school in the very ward Ms Kanaan is standing to represent,” Anderson wrote.

The tweet has surfaced a week where two Jewish men were stabbed in north London, prompting the government to raise its threat level to ‘severe’.

#### Still on the ballot

Kanaan will still appear on ballot papers on 7 May. The nomination deadline passed on 10 April, before the post surfaced publicly, and party suspension after that date cannot remove a candidate. The Conservative Party’s own [Roehampton ward page](https://www.wandsworthconservatives.co.uk/people/roehampton-ward) has already removed her, leaving only Anjusha Chaughule and Jane Cooper as the party’s endorsed candidates.

Chaughule and Cooper are both standing on women’s safety and community service platforms. Cooper is a retired civil servant who has lived in Wandsworth for 50 years and served three times as Mayor of the Borough.

#### How she was approved

Anderson’s [letter](https://x.com/PutneyFleur/status/2049864891654119752?s=20) raises a direct question about the Conservative Party’s vetting process. Kanaan’s X account was publicly searchable and active in the weeks before the nomination deadline: archived posts from 28 March and 5 April 2026 confirm the account was posting as recently as five days before nominations closed. The post invoking Hitler was publicly visible on the account throughout the selection process.

This is the second Conservative candidate nationally to be suspended for antisemitic social media posts in the same pre-election period. A candidate in Peterborough was suspended earlier this week after antisemitic posts surfaced. *Putney.news* [reported](https://putney.news/2026/04/29/vermin-scum-auschwitz-the-social-media-posts-of-a-tooting-broadway-candidate/) on Wednesday that a Reform UK candidate standing in Tooting Broadway had a series of posts flagged, including a reference to Auschwitz gas chambers.

> [“Vermin”, “scum”, Auschwitz: the social media posts of a Tooting Broadway candidate](https://putney.news/2026/04/29/vermin-scum-auschwitz-the-social-media-posts-of-a-tooting-broadway-candidate/)

*Roehampton ward polling day is 7 May 2026, 7am to 10pm.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/05/01/abhorrent-and-horrifying-roehampton-conservative-expelled-after-hitler-post-surfaces/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/05/01/abhorrent-and-horrifying-roehampton-conservative-expelled-after-hitler-post-surfaces/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98Abhorrent%20and%20horrifying%E2%80%99%3A%20Roehampton%20Conservative%20expelled%20after%20Hitler%20post%20surfaces&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/05/01/abhorrent-and-horrifying-roehampton-conservative-expelled-after-hitler-post-surfaces/)

**Categories:** Politics, Roehampton

**Tags:** Cllr Aled Richards-Jones, Fleur Anderson MP, Roehampton, Wandsworth

---

### ["Vermin", "scum", Auschwitz: the social media posts of a Tooting Broadway candidate](https://putney.news/2026/04/29/vermin-scum-auschwitz-the-social-media-posts-of-a-tooting-broadway-candidate/)

**Published:** April 29, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** UPDATED: Reform UK says posts are being investigated but will not confirm whether Dearden stays on ballot.

**Content:**

“Perhaps send him to Auschwitz for a shower.”

That post, published at 4:58am on 26 April 2020, came from the Twitter account @sdeardenmcp. The account belongs to Stephanie Marie Dearden, Reform UK’s candidate for Tooting Broadway ward in the Wandsworth local elections on 7 May 2026.

The post was a reply to a tweet about a Muslim migrant accused of assault in Germany.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dearden-5m-tweet-949x1024.png)The Auschwitz post was not isolated. On 13 July 2020, Dearden was told by another Twitter user that five million Muslims had fought against Hitler in the Second World War, 1.5 million of whom died doing so. Her reply: “Very poor figures, should have been 5m” with the hashtag #BanIslam.

#### A pattern of posts

The screenshots, captured from the live @sdeardenmcp account in April 2026 before its suspension, document posts from 2020 to 2024 directed at multiple communities.

On 13 March 2020, in reply to a Piers Morgan tweet about coronavirus, Dearden posted: “Actually the biggest threat is the islamification of the free world. Wake up before its too late. WWIII or #CoronaVirusUpdate will help stomp it out. #BanIslam.”

On 6 March 2020, she posted about Sadiq Khan’s election as Mayor of London: “Isnt that how @SadiqKhan got the @MayorofLondon Job? You know they all vote how the Imam dictates, and the women have to obey or else?” with the hashtags #LiberatedWomen and #IWD2020. Later the same day she posted about Khan and “Muslim areas” in London: “I wonder if @MayorofLondon Londonistan Mr @SadiqKhan is endorsing these Muslim areas in the ‘Not So Great Britain’…#LondonIsOpenForTerrorists.”

On 5 April 2020, Dearden replied to far-right commentator David Vance: “Import third world scum produces even more scum. Time for National Service.” with the hashtags #Scum and #Parasites.

On 2 May 2020, replying again to a David Vance post captioned “Disgusting behaviour” alongside an image of a man on the street, she wrote: “Black immigrant again i see, add so much to our communities NOT” with the hashtag #Scum.

On 17 May 2020, in reply to a post about migrants crossing the Channel: “As more vermin invade our shores with their aweful third world beliefs and ways, its time to call in pest control @ukhomeoffice.”

![Graphic anti-Islam protest image with a red no-symbol over a mosque, set against a Union Jack background and the text 'BAN ISLAM' visible.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dearden-ban-islam-942x1024.png)#### The most recent post and the vetting question

The most recent documented post is from Facebook, not Twitter. On 13 February 2024, Dearden shared a graphic on her Facebook account reading “BAN ISLAM / Stop the Islamification of Britain” over a Union Jack image with a mosque in a prohibition circle.

The post was made just over two years before the election, and approximately 14 months before her formal nomination as a Reform UK candidate in April 2026.

Reform UK’s sole Wandsworth councillor, Cllr Mark Justin, described the posts as “abhorrent” and said they had “no place in our party or in public life.” Writing to *Putney.news*, he added:

> “Language used in these posts is completely unacceptable, and we offer a sincere and unreserved apology to anyone offended by her comments.”

In 2024, Nigel Farage publicly pledged that Reform candidates would be rigorously vetted following problems identified during the 2024 general election campaign. We asked Reform UK whether it was aware of these posts when approving Dearden as a candidate, what vetting process was applied, and whether the posts are consistent with that pledge.

A Reform UK spokesman made it clear that the party does not approve of these comments and that these posts were being investigated. They did not say whether Dearden would remain as a candidate, and did not address the vetting question.

#### The platform’s verdict

![Stephanie Dearden account suspended](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dearden-account-suspended-1024x683.png)The @sdeardenmcp Twitter account has been suspended by X. The platform’s message reads: “Account suspended. X suspends accounts which violate the X Rules.” The suspension was confirmed on 27 April 2026.

No archived version of @sdeardenmcp exists on the Wayback Machine.

#### How this came to light

The screenshots were provided to *Putney.news* by a reader. We independently verified the account identity before publication and viewed all screenshots directly.

The cross-platform username @sdeardenmcp appears on both Twitter/X and Instagram. The Instagram account, which is public, shows Dearden’s display name and geo-tags activity to Tooting and Wandsworth. A photograph from September 2025 places Dearden at the Reform UK campaign launch at Le Gothique on Wandsworth Common, wearing a “Make Britain Great Again” cap and Trump t-shirt, alongside confirmed Reform figures and a candidate lanyard with her name visible. The same picture appears on her banned Twitter account.

![Dearden attended a Reform UK meeting last year in Wandsworth.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/With-Cllr-Laila-Westminster-at-Reform-Campaign-launch-1024x768.jpg)Dearden pictured with Cllr Laila Cunningham at Reform Campaign launch in Wandsworth.[*Putney.news* attended and reported on that same launch event](https://putney.news/2025/09/03/inside-the-grand-hall-where-reform-came-calling/). We noted at the time “enthusiastic cheers for some of the speakers’ less palatable comments about Muslims.”

Dearden is named Stef Dearden on the official ballot paper and Stephanie Marie Dearden on the election agents register.

#### The ward and the vote

Tooting Broadway is a three-seat ward. Reform UK is standing three candidates: Dearden, Stewart Foster, and Claire Kennedy. The election takes place on 7 May 2026.

Voters in Tooting Broadway can find more information about all candidates and how to vote at [putney.news/election/](https://putney.news/election/).

---

*Editor’s note, 30 April 2026: Following publication, Stephanie Dearden submitted a comment to this article stating that the posts documented above are not hers, that her account was hacked, and that she was banned from Twitter/X around 2016 and unable to post after that date. Putney.news stands by its verification of the @sdeardenmcp account identity, which is documented in the story above. The posts in the archive span from 2020 to 2024 — four to eight years after the claimed ban. Ms Dearden was contacted for comment before publication. The email did not bounce. No response was received before the deadline.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/29/vermin-scum-auschwitz-the-social-media-posts-of-a-tooting-broadway-candidate/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/29/vermin-scum-auschwitz-the-social-media-posts-of-a-tooting-broadway-candidate/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%9CVermin%E2%80%9D%2C%20%E2%80%9Cscum%E2%80%9D%2C%20Auschwitz%3A%20the%20social%20media%20posts%20of%20a%20Tooting%20Broadway%20candidate&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/29/vermin-scum-auschwitz-the-social-media-posts-of-a-tooting-broadway-candidate/)

**Categories:** Election 2026, Politics, Tooting

**Tags:** Cllr Mark Justin, Local elections 2026, Reform UK, Stephanie Dearden, Tooting Broadway ward, Wandsworth

---

### [Sally Cox ran The Angel pub for 12 years. Then 30 officers raided her home - and found nothing](https://putney.news/2026/04/30/sally-cox-ran-the-angel-pub-for-12-years-then-29-officers-raided-her-home-and-found-nothing/)

**Published:** April 30, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Cox claims police told pub customers their landlady was a major drug dealer. They found cannabis stalks.

**Content:**

“I feel like I’m the scapegoat,” says Sally Cox.

She ran The Angel pub in Roehampton for nearly 12 years, lived above it, and came to see her customers as family. Then on 10 October last year, 30 police officers in tactical gear burst through the pub’s front door and raided the place, including the flats above.

The police came equipped with a helicopter and dogs. They were looking for drugs, having recently arrested two local dealers, one of whom was known as a regular at The Angel. They clearly hoped to uncover a haul of illegal drugs and, according to Cox, several officers told her customers she was a major drug dealer and ran operations in the area.

“I’m sixty-four years old,” she told *Putney.news*. “I could just about walk, let alone run anything.”

The police left empty-handed, later claiming in a message to the community that they had found “a quantity of drugs” which turned out to be cannabis stalks discovered in a bedroom upstairs.

Two arrests were made: a tenant upstairs on unrelated driving charges and a second who was sat outside a different pub, the King’s Head, a short walk down Roehampton High Street from The Angel and nothing to do with her pub, Cox says.

Despite having turned up nothing, within a few months the police applied to have the pub’s licence revoked, citing “serious concerns regarding the management and operation of the premises” including fights, intimidation, crime, drug dealing and officers being assaulted.

Cox is open about the fact that The Angel and the area around it has problems. Over the course of her career, she has specialised in turning troubled pubs round. The Angel was “absolutely awful” when she took it over, she told us. Customers were openly doing drugs on the tables. It took two years to get The Angel running properly. Five people came to the Christmas dinner she started in her first year there. By the time she left, more than 30 sat down.

“It’s not the best pub in the world, which no pub is,” she says. But, she adds, “the community was brilliant, we was pretty more like a family, you know, it was pretty close.”

#### “They never done a walkthrough”

All Cox ever asked of the police was the occasional walkthrough. Stop in on patrol, make themselves known, leave. She put the request to the constable who is now the formal applicant on the licence revocation case before the council.

“That’s all I ever asked,” she notes. “They never done a walkthrough.”

After a wake at the pub in May 2025 ended in a fight outside – between people that don’t live locally, she notes – the relationship deteriorated. When someone broke into the pub late at night in January this year – several months after the raid – and she fended them off, Cox says the police were less interested in the attack than in obtaining CCTV footage of the pub from the same date for use in the licensing case. “What has that got to do with this?” she told them.

She tried repeatedly to arrange a meeting with PC Loizou to find out what she had done wrong. Loizou stopped returning her calls. “I feel I’m being victimised,” Cox says.

#### The raid

Cox was behind the bar when she saw the top of a police van with lights flashing through the window. Seconds later the officers came through the door. There was a baby shower in the garden. Police ran out there too.

She maintains she cooperated throughout, gave the police her keys and asked only that they wait while she moved her dogs. They didn’t wait. Everyone in the building was searched. Every part of the pub and the upstairs was searched. The CCTV footage shows no less than 29 police – some armed with battering rams – charging up the stairs into the pub’s private area.

After the raid, and then the break-in, Cox decided she had had enough. She was told the council wanted a new manager at The Angel as a condition of it staying open. If she left, the pub would survive; it is one of only two pubs in the whole of Roehampton, serving 18,000 residents. She left in February and moved to Essex.

The moment she left, the owners of the pub, Punch Partnerships filed paperwork replacing her as designated premises supervisor (DSP). The pub stayed open. Cox lost her home.

“My friends were there, my family,” she says. “I had to up and move.”

#### “What are they trying to hide?”

The first licensing hearing called by the council to discuss removing the pub’s licence was on 16 April. Cox asked to attend. She was refused. The meeting was never broadcast and two weeks later, no video or minutes have been made available; the council later told *Putney.news* it was adjourned at the request of the Metropolitan Police.

Cox found out about the reconvened hearing the same way everyone else did: people messaging her asking if she had seen the news. She asked again to attend. She was refused again. The hearing reconvened yesterday night, Wednesday 29 April. It was, again, [closed to the public](https://putney.news/2026/04/27/secret-hearing-will-decide-fate-of-roehampton-pub/).

“What are they trying to hide?” she says. “If I’ve done wrong, I’ll hold my hands up to it. But they’re not letting me stand up for myself.”

The sub-committee will hear the police’s case. And it will hear from Roehampton’s local councillors – who have not spoken to Cox despite her having been the pub’s landlady for 12 years. A petition set up by Roehampton residents to save The Angel passed more than 675 signatures over the weekend. It is not mentioned in the meeting papers.

Cox tells us she left because she was told it would save the pub. She is not sure it was the right call. “I really should have stuck it out,” she says.

> [Wandsworth Council hid a pub hearing from voters. Now it won’t say what it decided.](https://putney.news/2026/04/30/wandsworth-council-hid-a-pub-hearing-from-voters-now-it-wont-say-what-it-decided/)

---

*The Metropolitan Police has not responded to questions put to it about Cox’s version of events. Roehampton’s three local councillors have also not responded to questions about their understanding of events and who they have spoken to about it. Punch Partnerships has not responded to multiple questions on this story.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/30/sally-cox-ran-the-angel-pub-for-12-years-then-29-officers-raided-her-home-and-found-nothing/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/30/sally-cox-ran-the-angel-pub-for-12-years-then-29-officers-raided-her-home-and-found-nothing/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Sally%20Cox%20ran%20The%20Angel%20pub%20for%2012%20years.%20Then%2030%20officers%20raided%20her%20home%20%E2%80%93%20and%20found%20nothing&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/30/sally-cox-ran-the-angel-pub-for-12-years-then-29-officers-raided-her-home-and-found-nothing/)

**Categories:** Community, Crime, Pubs, bars and nightlife, Roehampton

**Tags:** Licensing Sub-Committee, Metropolitan Police, Roehampton, Sally Cox, The Angel, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth Council hid a pub hearing from voters. Now it won't say what it decided.](https://putney.news/2026/04/30/wandsworth-council-hid-a-pub-hearing-from-voters-now-it-wont-say-what-it-decided/)

**Published:** April 30, 2026
**Author:** The Editor

**Excerpt:** The decision will stay secret until after the local elections on 7 May.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council decided last night whether to shut one of only two pubs in Roehampton.

We don’t know what it decided and we don’t know how it decided it because the council refused to provide public access to the meeting, in direct violation of the law.

We do know that the police recommended revoking the pub’s licence claiming instances of drug dealing and violence, and that they were supported in large part by the three local Roehampton councillors.

We also know that a police raid back in October, in which 30 police officers in tactical gear as well as a helicopter and dogs, stormed the pub with a drugs warrant, turned up nothing. We know its former landlady Sally Cox says officers explained the extreme approach by telling customers that she was a major drug dealer, when the truth is that [she is simply a 64-year-old woman running a local pub](https://putney.news/2026/04/30/sally-cox-ran-the-angel-pub-for-12-years-then-29-officers-raided-her-home-and-found-nothing/).

Sally Cox has been denied the right to tell her side of the story twice to the committee.

The council has explained its decision to refuse public access to the licensing committee hearing in three ways, none of which survive scrutiny. A note on the webpage where the meeting’s attendance details should have been public reads:

> “Due to the high level of community interest in this application, and in line with restrictions during the pre election period, this Licensing Sub Committee meeting will not be livestreamed or webcast. The meeting will be recorded and published after the pre election period has ended.”

A high level of community interest is precisely why the council should ensure easy public access to the committee meeting – so the public can see what is supposed to be a fair and rigorous process. That’s not just a desire, it is embedded in the law in the Local Government Act 1972, the Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014, and Regulation 14 of the Licensing Act 2003 (Hearings) Regulations 2005, all of which require that hearings of this kind take place in public.

Despite what the council implies, there is also no legal basis for preventing public access to a council meeting under so-called “purdah” pre-election restrictions. The council’s own meetings do not take place during the pre-election period but licensing committee meetings are different because they are not normal council business; they are a legal process.

When we challenged this argument directly, we were informed by the council’s monitoring officer – its most senior legal officer- that:

> The decision to not webcast during the pre-election period was based on the risk given the profile of this application that comments may be made that could affect political support.

In other words, the council is concerned that if the public were to see its local councillors arguing for the closure of their local pub, they might change their vote accordingly in the elections next week.

Cllr Matthew Tiller, one of three Labour councillors for Roehampton ward, offered yet another reason on Facebook on Monday evening. He wrote that the decision “was taken to ensure the Council’s neutrality and the integrity of the quasi-judicial process”.

Meanwhile, Cllr Graeme Henderson, the council’s Cabinet Member for Health and the second of three councillors for Roehampton, posted in the same group the same day, calling coverage of the council’s decision to exclude the public “deliberate misinformation”, while identifying no specific factual errors.

Both Tiller and Henderson have signed a letter to the committee arguing for strict measures to be put in place, including the removal of the current management and giving the police a greater say over running of the pub, if it is to retain its licence.

Despite claiming in the same letter to have spoken to their constituents in reaching this conclusion, neither councillor has spoken to Sally Cox, The Angel’s landlady for the past 12 years, and neither has referenced a petition signed by 675 local residents questioning the basis for shutting the pub down and asking for it to remain open.

Both are standing for re-election next week on 7 May.

A further note on the council website reads:

> A request by the applicant that the meeting be held in private-session and the press and public be excluded from the meeting, on the basis that information contained in their submissions related to an ongoing Police investigation, will be determined by the Licensing Sub-Committee at the start of the meeting.

This is a reference to the Met police which can, and often does, ask for a specific legal decision to be made when there is sensitive information or ongoing investigations that will allow the committee to go into private session.

Because the law is so clear that the public must be allowed live access to council meetings, the committee has to hold a specific vote to close even part of its meeting to the public. But what Wandsworth Council has done on this occasion is prevent any access to the meeting by holding it remotely, and then actively failing to provide a livestream or a venue when the meeting can be followed in person.

What should happen is that the information provided to the committee to make its decision is presented and discussed in public, arguments by committee members and other impacted parties – sometimes local residents – are heard, and then a vote is taken on whether to close the meeting to hear sensitive information. That has been the system for years and it has been followed repeatedly by this committee in the past year.

By refusing to provide any access to the meeting however, the council is ensuring that the public – the voting public – cannot see or hear what their councillors say about The Angel pub prior to voting for them.

The council has promised to provide a video recording of the meeting. After the election.

> “The meeting will be recorded and published after the pre election period has ended.”

We have asked basic questions to the three Roehampton councillors on several occasions about this hearing, who they have spoken to, what evidence they have seen, whether they have spoken to landlady Sally Cox, whether they will mention the 675-person petition in the hearing. They have not responded to any request.

![Screenshot of Wandsworth Council webcast archive page](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/webcast-archive-wandsworth-council.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/30/wandsworth-council-hid-a-pub-hearing-from-voters-now-it-wont-say-what-it-decided/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/30/wandsworth-council-hid-a-pub-hearing-from-voters-now-it-wont-say-what-it-decided/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20Council%20hid%20a%20pub%20hearing%20from%20voters.%20Now%20it%20won%E2%80%99t%20say%20what%20it%20decided.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/30/wandsworth-council-hid-a-pub-hearing-from-voters-now-it-wont-say-what-it-decided/)

**Categories:** Comment, Community, Politics, Pubs, bars and nightlife

**Tags:** Cllr Graeme Henderson, Cllr Jenny Yates, Cllr Matthew Tiller, Fleur Anderson MP, Licensing Sub-Committee, Metropolitan Police, Roehampton

---

### [We have the UK's most overcrowded prison](https://putney.news/2026/04/30/we-have-the-uks-most-overcrowded-prison/)

**Published:** April 30, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Ministry of Justice figures show 1,444 men held in space designed for 894, as a wing-by-wing renovation stretches to 2034.

**Content:**

HMP Wandsworth is the UK’s most overcrowded prison, according to new statistics put out by the Ministry of Justice.

At the same time, three men died at the prison within just eight days last month, and a government renovation programme is slowly updating the sprawling Victorian building one wing at a time.

The March 2026 figures show 1,444 inmates held against a usable certified capacity of 894. That is 61.5% more people than the prison is judged able to decently hold. No other prison in England exceeds that ratio, though Leeds comes within a fraction of a percentage point.

Nationally, the chief inspector’s annual report described the effect of overcrowding in plain terms: many prisoners spent most of the day in cramped, shared cells, where broken furniture and vermin infestations are common. The overcrowding itself, the report found, drives demand for drugs.

England’s Victorian prison estate · MoJ figures, March 2026

Victorian prisons still open

32

built before 1900

Prisoners they hold

1 in 4

of all prisoners in England & Wales

Cost to fix the estate

£2.8bn

estimated by NAO, Dec 2024

Government allocated

£520m

over two years · 18.6% of need

The £2.8 billion gap

Government allocated vs estimated cost to bring estate to fair condition

£520m

£2.8bn needed

Selected Victorian prisons still operating

Ranked by overcrowding · tap a row for more detail

Why cells go out of service

 The official definition covers three causes: **damaged cells**, **cells affected by building works**, and **cells taken out of use due to staff shortages**. At Wandsworth — built in 1851 and under active renovation since September 2025 — all three apply simultaneously. The programme is expected to take up to eight years to complete. 

The wider Victorian problem

 32 Victorian-era prisons are still operating in England and Wales, together holding around **one in four** of all prisoners. The NAO estimates it will cost **£2.8 billion** to bring the estate to a fair condition. The government has allocated £520 million over two years. 

 Sources: MoJ Prison Population Monthly Bulletin March 2026; NAO Dec 2024; Howard League for Penal Reform; Putney.news reporting. 

' + '' + '' + '' + p.pct.toFixed(1) + '%' + ''; }).join(''); } window.msmWveToggle = function(i) { var detail = document.getElementById('msm-wve-detail'); if (!detail) return; if (activeIdx === i) { activeIdx = null; detail.style.display = 'none'; } else { activeIdx = i; var p = prisons\[i\]; var color = p.local ? 'var(--msm-cat-politics)' : 'var(--msm-steel-blue)'; detail.style.display = 'block'; detail.className = 'msm-wve-detail'; detail.style.borderLeftColor = p.local ? 'var(--msm-cat-politics)' : 'var(--msm-steel-blue)'; detail.innerHTML = '' + (p.local ? '★ ' : '') + 'HMP ' + p.name + ' · built ' + p.built + '

' + '' + '' + 'Overcrowded

' + '' + p.pct.toFixed(1) + '%

' + '

' + '' + 'Population

' + '' + p.pop.toLocaleString() + '

' + '

' + '' + 'Cells out of use

' + '' + p.outPct + '%

' + '

' + '

' + '' + p.note + '

'; } render(); }; render(); })(); Three of Wandsworth’s 1,444 men died in March. Thomas James, 84, died on 15 March, one day before his 85th birthday. Ahmed Said, 31, died on 21 March. Kamal Uddin, 49, died on 22 March. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman is investigating all three deaths. No cause has been published for any of them.

#### The 175-year-old building

Wandsworth was built in 1851. It is one of 32 Victorian-era prisons still operating in England and Wales, a cohort that together holds around one in four of all prisoners in the country.

Adding to the overcrowding is the fact that 85 of its certified cells currently sit out of service because they are damaged, because building works are under way, or because there are not enough staff to run them safely. At a 175-year-old prison under active renovation, all three can apply at the same time.

Wandsworth’s out-of-service rate i.e. the number of cells that exist in the prison but cannot currently be used is 8.7%, nearly double the system average of 4.6%.

#### One wing at a time

In August 2024, following a chief inspector’s inspection in which he said he had never encountered such despair at a prison, the government pledged £100 million for improvements at Wandsworth. Work began on K Wing in September 2025. As of October 2025, £37.6 million of that £100 million had been committed. The Independent Monitoring Board has noted the programme proceeds at roughly one wing per year. The full rebuild will take up to eight years.

A March 2026 monitoring visit found genuine improvement alongside persistent problems. Violence was down sharply, the prison was fully staffed, and a dedicated reform wing was showing results. The same visit [found rats, broken showers](https://putney.news/2026/03/06/violence-falls-at-wandsworth-prison-but-another-man-has-died-as-reform-wing-shows-results/), and men leaving the gate with nowhere to go. Maximum overcrowding and active renovation, at the same time, in the same building.

> [Three men died at Wandsworth Prison within eight days](https://putney.news/2026/04/13/three-men-died-at-wandsworth-prison-within-eight-days/)

#### Ongoing coverage

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has [documented 29 deaths connected to the prison since 2019](https://putney.news/2025/04/16/dying-behind-bars-wandsworth-prison/). Earlier this week, [an ombudsman investigation found that a 2022 death at the prison was preventable](https://putney.news/2026/04/27/the-same-failures-the-same-prison-the-same-verdict-another-wandsworth-death-was-preventable/) and that the same failures had been identified multiple times before.

MPs who visited the prison in November 2025 warned that [overcrowding was crushing rehabilitation efforts](https://putney.news/2025/11/17/prison-overcrowding-crushing-rehabilitation-efforts-mps-warn-after-visiting-wandsworth/).

Families of those who have died in custody can get support and legal guidance from [INQUEST](https://inquest.org.uk/). The [Wandsworth Prison Improvement Campaign](https://wandsworthprisoncampaign.co.uk/) campaigns on conditions at the prison and runs the Leavers Lounge programme for men leaving custody. Fleur Anderson, the MP for Putney, can be [contacted](https://www.fleuranderson.org.uk/contact) to raise prison conditions in Parliament.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/30/we-have-the-uks-most-overcrowded-prison/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/30/we-have-the-uks-most-overcrowded-prison/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=We%20have%20the%20UK%E2%80%99s%20most%20overcrowded%20prison&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/30/we-have-the-uks-most-overcrowded-prison/)

**Categories:** Crime, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Town

**Tags:** prison conditions, prison deaths, Wandsworth Prison

---

### [Council's £3.7m laptop contract sits untouched for over a year](https://putney.news/2026/04/29/councils-3-7m-laptop-contract-sits-untouched-for-over-a-year/)

**Published:** April 29, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Officer retired after conflict exposed, and nobody picked up the work.

**Content:**

A £3.7 million Wandsworth Council contract to replace staff laptops and monitors has sat unchanged on the council’s decision-making schedule for more than a year, with no one managing it and no decision in sight.

The contract covers thousands of laptops, desktops and monitors for roughly 5,000 staff across Richmond and Wandsworth. The decision was due on 11 April 2025. That deadline passed over 12 months ago. No alternative procurement for IT equipment has appeared on any forward plan published since.

We asked the council five questions about the contract’s status, including who is now responsible for it and what provision is being made for staff equipment. The council did not respond.

The item has appeared on 21 consecutive forward plans. Every entry is identical. The same title. The same description. The same contact officer. The same decision date, 11 April 2025, that was already a year out of date when the most recent plan was published.

Nothing has been updated because there is nobody to update it. The item is a zombie, still walking across the council’s records, but with no one behind it.

#### Why it froze

In August 2025, [we revealed](https://putney.news/2025/08/28/council-it-chief-shuts-out-competition-in-3-7m-deal-conflict/) that the procurement paper recommending the contract had been co-authored by Mark Chambers, the council’s IT Support Manager, who also sat on the national e-auction board that would oversee the purchase. The paper ruled out all other options. Wandsworth said it had found “no conflicts” after Chambers completed a declaration of interest form.

One month later, according to his LinkedIn profile, Chambers retired after more than 13 years at the council. Nobody picked up the work. In the eight months since he left, the forward plan entry has rolled forward on autopilot, unchanged and apparently unmanaged.

> [Council IT chief shuts out competition in £3.7m deal conflict](https://putney.news/2025/08/28/council-it-chief-shuts-out-competition-in-3-7m-deal-conflict/)

#### The rest of the public sector moved on

The government framework Wandsworth chose for this purchase works. Other councils have used it to buy IT equipment during the same period. The Crown Commercial Service, which ran the auction process, has itself been reorganised into a new body, the Government Commercial Agency, since 1 April 2026. The agency Chambers sat on the board of no longer exists in the form it did when the procurement paper was written.

Meanwhile, Wandsworth faces a projected budget gap of £137 million over three years and is banking on a £45 million transformation programme that its own chief executive has called “a broad, reasonable aspiration.” Whether the frozen contract is deliberate penny-pinching or institutional paralysis, the result for staff is the same: no new equipment, no visible plan, and a council that will not answer questions about it.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/29/councils-3-7m-laptop-contract-sits-untouched-for-over-a-year/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/29/councils-3-7m-laptop-contract-sits-untouched-for-over-a-year/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Council%E2%80%99s%20%C2%A33.7m%20laptop%20contract%20sits%20untouched%20for%20over%20a%20year&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/29/councils-3-7m-laptop-contract-sits-untouched-for-over-a-year/)

**Categories:** Finance, Technology

**Tags:** accountability, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Putney once had three Thames crossings. It is time to think about a fourth](https://putney.news/2026/04/29/putney-once-had-three-thames-crossings-it-is-time-to-think-about-a-fourth/)

**Published:** April 29, 2026
**Author:** The Editor

**Excerpt:** The junction cannot be fixed. But the problem it represents can be solved.

**Content:**

*There’s something significant missing from the party manifestos and candidate pitches this election: vision. Bins, potholes, junction tweaks and promises to keep campaigning are one thing; lifting Putney up quite another. Without vision, problems become permanent, and what should be solvable starts to feel inevitable. Putney was built by people who refused to accept the world as it was. You have to imagine what’s possible if you’re going to turn it into what’s feasible. Here is our vision for what comes next: Putney 2030. The vision Putney deserves.*

---

![Putney 2030](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/putney-2030-headline-1024x512.png)#### Part 1: A partial solution to our traffic problems

*We have spent years arguing about one junction. Here is the bolder conversation we should be having.*

---

Everyone who lives in Putney knows the feeling. You are sitting stationary on the bridge approach, watching the lights cycle through for the third time, calculating whether you are going to be late again. Or you are on a bicycle, squeezed into a lane that never quite works. Or you are on foot, waiting at a crossing that takes so long you start checking for gaps in the traffic.

The Putney Bridge junction has generated more reader correspondence, more council debate, and more frustrated conversations at school gates than any other issue we cover. [Nine out of ten residents told us the redesign made things worse](https://putney.news/2025/09/12/putney-junction-redesign-a-complete-failure-say-9-out-of-10-locals/), not better. We have written dozens of stories on it, where it went wrong, and what needs to be done to fix it.

But here is what we have come to believe, after [reporting on this junction](https://putney.news/tag/putney-bridge-junction/) for two years. We have been asking the wrong question.

The question has always been: how do we fix the junction? What the question should be is: why are pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles sharing the same crossing at all?

#### One bridge for everything

Putney Bridge is the only Thames crossing between Hammersmith Bridge (closed to vehicles) and Wandsworth Bridge, a stretch of river roughly three kilometres long. Every car, every bus, every cyclist, every pedestrian crossing the Thames in this part of London arrives at the same point. They all compete for the same narrow space.

Every day, 37,000 motor vehicles and 6,600 cyclists share the same crossing. The result is a junction that cannot work well for everyone, not just because of how it is designed, but because of how much it is asked to do. [No redesign will fundamentally change that.](https://putney.news/2025/11/14/analysis-a-junction-designed-for-cyclists-in-a-town-that-drives/) The problem, ultimately, is not the design. It is the absence of infrastructure that was never built.

London has far fewer bridges that Paris, and far smaller bridges than New York. With the closure of Hammersmith Bridge, and now Albert Bridge, we are in an unsustainable situation. It’s time to think more boldly. And look to the past.

London has far fewer river crossings than comparable cities

Bridges and tunnels crossing the main river through each city

Bridges

Tunnels

Per mile of river

Paris

4.6 per mile

London

1.9 per mile

New York

2.1 per mile

Per million residents

Paris

16.8 per million

London

5.0 per million

New York

4.3 per million

 Paris has **4.6 crossings per mile** of river. London manages just **1.9** — less than half — including tunnels. Per million residents, Paris has more than three times as many crossings as London. 

Sources: Wikipedia list of Thames crossings; list of bridges in Paris (37 confirmed); NYC DOT bridge inventory. River lengths: Thames through Greater London 25 miles; Seine through Paris 8 miles; East River 16 miles. New York tunnel count: East River only (8 subway tubes + 2 vehicular + 4 rail = ~14 tubes). Paris has no significant river tunnels within the city. London includes road tunnels (Blackwall, Rotherhithe, Woolwich) and Jubilee/DLR river crossings east of Tower Bridge. Population: London 9.7m, Paris 2.2m, New York 8.3m.

#### Putney had more than one crossing

The photographs below were taken during the construction of the current Putney Bridge in 1880 and 1885. They will surprise most residents: at that moment in Putney’s history, three separate structures crossed the Thames simultaneously. The old wooden toll bridge that had stood since 1729 was still in use. A water infrastructure crossing (the Chelsea Waterworks Company aqueduct, built in 1856) ran a few yards upstream. And the new granite bridge was rising between them.

![When Putney had two bridges](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/putney-bridge-two-bridges-1024x694.jpg)Putney Bridge and Aqueduct, 1880. The Chelsea Waterworks Company aqueduct is on the left; the old wooden toll bridge, which had stood since 1729, is on the right. Source: thames.me.uk![Building of the current Putney Bridge, 1885. The new granite structure rises in the centre; the old aqueduct is on the left; the old wooden bridge is on the right. The aqueduct was used as a gantry during construction. The current bridge opened in 1886. Source: thames.me.uk](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/putney-bridge-two-bridges-construction-1024x586.jpg)Building of the current Putney Bridge, 1885. The new granite structure rises in the centre; the old aqueduct is on the left; the old wooden bridge is on the right. The aqueduct was used as a gantry during construction. The current bridge opened in 1886. Source: thames.me.ukMultiple crossings serving different purposes on the same stretch of river was not unusual. It was how the river worked. We have simply forgotten it.

New York moves nearly four times as many vehicles — on the same number of crossings

Daily road vehicle traffic across verified crossings. London: 11 crossings with two independent sources. New York: 11 crossings from agency annual reports and NYC DOT.

London

401,000

vehicles per day

**11** crossings · avg **36,000** each

New York

1,478,000

vehicles per day

**11** crossings · avg **134,000** each

Total daily vehicles

London

401k

New York

1,478k

Average vehicles per crossing

London

36k

New York

136k

Every verified crossing — daily vehicle traffic

London — 11 verified crossings

New York — 11 verified crossings

 London figures use most recent verified count with two independent sources (DfT AADF 2023, TfL screenline counts 2024, TfL/London Assembly 2020–21). New York figures from NYC DOT, MTA Bridges and Tunnels annual reports, and Port Authority of NY&NJ. All figures rounded to nearest 1,000. A further 7 London crossings have single-source DfT data only and are excluded here. 

Sources: Department for Transport AADF road traffic data 2023; TfL Thames screenline counts 2024; TfL evidence to London Assembly Transport Committee November 2021; NYC Department of Transportation bridge statistics; MTA Bridges and Tunnels annual reports 2022–23; Port Authority of New York and New Jersey annual reports 2023.

'; html += '

'; html += '' + label + '

'; html += ''; }); container.innerHTML = html; } buildBars(lon, 'g2-lon-bars', 'g2-ind-fill-lon'); buildBars(ny, 'g2-ny-bars', 'g2-ind-fill-ny'); function notifyParentHeight() { if (window.parent !== window) { var el = document.getElementById('msm-thames-capacity'); window.parent.postMessage({ type: 'putneynews-resize', height: (el ? el.offsetHeight : document.body.scrollHeight) + 32 }, '\*'); } } notifyParentHeight(); window.addEventListener('load', notifyParentHeight); setTimeout(notifyParentHeight, 300); })(); #### The proposal

There are at least three viable locations for a new dedicated pedestrian and cycling crossing in this stretch of river today.

The most immediately practical is alongside the District Line rail bridge. A lightweight walkway added to an existing structure is a fraction of the cost of a new bridge, and Sustrans, the active travel charity, has developed similar pedestrian additions to rail bridges elsewhere in the UK. The structure already crosses the river. The access points at both ends exist. A connection between Putney and Fulham, through to the Bishop’s Park cycle network and the wider routes beyond, becomes possible without building from scratch.

A second location, close to where the old crossing once stood, would deliver pedestrians and cyclists from Brewhouse Slipway in the pedestrianised party of Putney’s bank into Fulham’s Swan Draw Dock. A third option, further east where Beverley Brook meets the Thames, would connect into Bishop’s Park directly.

None of these would be cheap. All of them would be transformative. And the case for building one does not rest on vision alone: it rests on the evidence of what one crossing carrying everything cannot do.

#### What it would require

A new Thames crossing requires the Port of London Authority, TfL, Wandsworth Council and Hammersmith & Fulham Council to work together. It is not a project any single council can deliver alone. It requires a long-term political commitment, with a councillor or group of councillors willing to make this a sustained priority, to build the cross-borough relationships, and to pursue the Mayoral and national funding that exists for exactly this kind of strategic infrastructure.

This is not unprecedented, and the precedents are closer than most people realise. In Worcester, a dedicated pedestrian and cycling bridge across the Severn opened in 2010 for £1.8m, funded through the Sustrans Connect2 programme. Surveys before it opened predicted 31,000 trips a year. The actual figure was over 450,000. Worcester has since built two more.

In London, TfL took a dedicated walking and cycling bridge between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf through feasibility studies, a design competition and a full public consultation (93% of respondents backed it) before costs hit £500m and the project stalled in 2019. These are two examples among many. Communities across Britain, from market towns to major cities, have been making this case and building these crossings for two decades.

The Rotherhithe bridge was not stopped because Londoners did not want it. It was stopped because no one found the money. That is a political problem, not an engineering one. The question is not whether a new crossing at Putney is possible. The question is whether anyone in local politics is prepared to say it should happen and mean it.

#### The payoff

A new pedestrian and cycling crossing changes everything downstream of the decision.

Putney Bridge carries its traffic. Pedestrians and cyclists cross the Thames on a route designed entirely for them, connecting into Fulham and the cycling network beyond. The junction, freed from its impossible job of serving every mode at once, can function properly for the first time. By pulling most cyclists and pedestrians out of the junction, you could get at least an extra 25% more traffic flow through it – and that is the difference between slowing down and coming to a halt.

Air quality would also improve in one of south-west London’s most congested corridors. Businesses on both sides of the river, and both sides of the High Street benefit.

It took vision to build the first Putney Bridge in 1729. It took vision to build the rail bridge in 1889. The next council will either find that vision or it will not.

---

#### *How important is this to Putney’s future?*

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

 like much How  

How much would you like to see this?Rate 1 out of 5Rate 2 out of 5Rate 3 out of 5Rate 4 out of 5Rate 5 out of 5

How feasible do you think it is?Rate 1 out of 5Rate 2 out of 5Rate 3 out of 5Rate 4 out of 5Rate 5 out of 5

How much of a priority should it be?Rate 1 out of 5Rate 2 out of 5Rate 3 out of 5Rate 4 out of 5Rate 5 out of 5

  Submit

 ---

**PUTNEY 2030** | Issue 1 of 5 |

*This is the first of five pieces examining what bold thinking could change in Putney.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/29/putney-once-had-three-thames-crossings-it-is-time-to-think-about-a-fourth/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/29/putney-once-had-three-thames-crossings-it-is-time-to-think-about-a-fourth/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20once%20had%20three%20Thames%20crossings.%20It%20is%20time%20to%20think%20about%20a%20fourth&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/29/putney-once-had-three-thames-crossings-it-is-time-to-think-about-a-fourth/)

**Categories:** Comment, Politics

**Tags:** cycling, Hammersmith and Fulham Council, Hammersmith Bridge, Putney 2030, Putney Bridge, Putney Bridge junction, River Thames, TfL, Transport for London, Wandsworth Bridge

---

### [The fair's in town. So are several hundred posters. Some of them might still be there in August.](https://putney.news/2026/04/28/the-fairs-in-town-so-are-several-hundred-posters-some-of-them-might-still-be-there-in-august/)

**Published:** April 28, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Rose's Bank Holiday Fun Fair is back. Most are happy to see it. The signs are another matter.

**Content:**

Rose’s Bank Holiday Fun Fair is back on Lower Putney Common until 10 May, and most of Putney is fine with that. The signs are another matter.

The fair has been coming since at least the early 1990s, which makes it, in the view of many residents who have been around that long, part of the landscape: garish, but part of the bank holiday rhythm.

It runs on Lower Richmond Road, noon to 8pm on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holiday Mondays, 4pm to 8pm on Fridays. Entry [costs £5 per person](https://rosespleasureparks.digitickets.co.uk/tickets) and includes one free ride; additional rides run at £1.20 a token, three to five tokens each. Friday is wristband day: £20 for unlimited riding.

#### The board that disappeared in a day

This year, the ever-creeping colourful posters went too far for some residents when a large triangular advertising board appeared on the Common next to the Spencer Arms picnic benches. An invisible line was crossed, and the Rangers Office contacted. That same afternoon: “Thank you for letting us know. This now has been removed.”

The Common is managed by the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservancy, not the council. The Conservancy grants the fair permission to operate and collects a licence fee from it. Wandsworth Council’s role is limited to licensing matters if there is alcohol or music on site. Even then, this can be handled by officers without a committee hearing. The fair sits on Conservancy land.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/closed-shops-5-768x1024.png)#### The posters that won’t

The board went. The posters are a different conversation.

Every year, Rose’s posters appear across Putney, slid through the gap at the top of empty shopfront door frames and taped in place from inside, where they stay until the premises are accessed. Every empty shop – and there are a lot this year – gets treated to a colourful touch-up, whether it wants it or not.

For some it just part of the Bank Holiday background; for others, a professional irritation. The issue has been raised with the fair company and the Conservancy for years. They listen. The same thing happens the following spring.

![Glass door covered with bright, busy posters advertising a bank holiday fun fair at Putney Common on Lower Richmond Rd, with large 'FUN FAIR' text.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/fun-fair-posters-768x1024.png)Last year’s posters were still visible months later, fading into the woodwork before eventually making their way into bins.

What do you think? Have your say below.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

 view on Fair  

What's your view on Rose's Fun Fair on Putney Common? \*- Love it — we go every year
- I don't go but it's part of Putney's character — fine by me
- I don't go and I'm fairly indifferent either way
- Not a fan, but I'll live with it
- The fair should go — it causes more trouble than it's worth

  Submit![Loading](https://putney.news/wp-content/plugins/wpforms/assets/images/submit-spin.svg)

 *To go: rosespleasureparks.digitickets.co.uk. To report flyposting: wandsworth.gov.uk/report. For concerns about the Common: rangersoffice@wpcc.org.uk.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/28/the-fairs-in-town-so-are-several-hundred-posters-some-of-them-might-still-be-there-in-august/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/28/the-fairs-in-town-so-are-several-hundred-posters-some-of-them-might-still-be-there-in-august/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20fair%E2%80%99s%20in%20town.%20So%20are%20several%20hundred%20posters.%20Some%20of%20them%20might%20still%20be%20there%20in%20August.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/28/the-fairs-in-town-so-are-several-hundred-posters-some-of-them-might-still-be-there-in-august/)

**Categories:** Community, Thamesfield, Things to do

**Tags:** community, Putney Lower Common, Rose's Fun Fair, thamesfield, Wimbledon and Putney Commons

---

### [Putney's cycling no man's land: six systems, no plan, and a junction that failed those it was meant to help](https://putney.news/2026/04/28/putneys-cycling-no-mans-land-six-systems-no-plan-and-a-junction-that-failed-those-it-was-meant-to-help/)

**Published:** April 28, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Six separate systems, no coordination, and a borough that overshot its own target by 49% without noticing.

**Content:**

On Disraeli Road, four separate pieces of cycling infrastructure collide and leave everyone worse off.

Next to the High Street sit two large covered council bike racks that could hold 64 bicycles but rarely hold more than 10, rusting bikes filling almost as many spaces as serviceable ones. Next to them, TfL’s Santander hire bikes has 28 docks and runs at around 25% occupancy. Both represent an over-provision while taking up extremely valuable space – and not in a useful way.

The council racks take up an entire lane, forcing cars to queue single file while trying to reach Putney High Street, sometimes stretching 200 metres back to Oxford Road. They also get in the way of cyclists trying to cross Putney in a contraflow system who enter Disraeli and are immediately given a choice of squeezing between cars or pedestrians to get any further. The Santander bikes take up five parking spaces right in front of the library, limiting its accessibility and forcing residents to find spots on neighbouring streets.

Go another 200 metres down the road and you have the opposite problem. Underneath the Tube bridge sits the designated e-bike bay, which frequently overflows with Lime and Forest bikes and get in the way of pedestrians. Beside it is a privately-run, council-owned bike hangar that is full and has a waiting list even at £72 a month, but which locals say blocks sightlines for all road users.

And yet, despite all this infrastructure, cyclists still struggle to find somewhere to lock a bike near Putney High Street or Putney station, and many still avoid the High Street out of safety concerns.

This is what happens when local authorities are told to solve an issue, given too much leeway, and no one coordinates.

Six separate cycling systems operate across Putney, run by six separate bodies with no obligation to talk to each other. The result is a borough that has built too much in the wrong places and too little where demand exists, overshooting its own target for bike storage by 49%, four years ahead of schedule, with no revised goal published and no public account of whether any of it is working.

Six cycling systems, no coordinator — Putney.newsSix systems, no coordinator

Who controls each cycling system in Putney — and what it is doing

System

Decision-maker

 Santander Cycles

183 docks, 7 stations — all east of Putney High Street

Transport for London

Network ends at Putney High Street. West Putney has no coverage and no stated plan to extend.

 Coverage gap 

 Lime e-bikes

Dockless. 400,000 trips/month in Wandsworth. Currently accessible from Putney towpath.

Richmond Council

Has banned Lime. From summer 2026, Lime stops at Beverley Brook — ten minutes into a towpath ride.

 Access ends this summer 

 Forest e-bikes

Richmond’s exclusive operator from summer 2026. Lime rated higher on quality; Forest won on concession payment.

Richmond Council

Wandsworth has no say. No cross-boundary arrangement announced. Putney riders will need a separate app to continue past the border.

 No cross-boundary plan 

 CycleHoop bike hangars

2,076 spaces — 49% above the 2030 target, four years early. No revised target published.

Wandsworth Council (officers)

Siting by officers. No contract on Contracts Finder. Ward councillors not always told. Some streets have 44-person waiting lists; others zero.

 No published contract 

 Council bike racks (Disraeli Rd)

64 spaces. 9% utilisation. Four bikes rusting for months. Booking portal shows near-full.

Wandsworth Council

14-day removal policy approved in 2023, not enforced. Rusting bikes block spaces and distort occupancy data.

 Maintenance policy not enforced 

 Putney Bridge junction cycle lane

12 seconds signal time. Fewer than 10 cyclists/day. Motor vehicles: 37,245/day, 21 seconds.

Wandsworth Council / TfL

Lane and timing being removed. Approved under Conservatives, accelerated under Labour, now being undone.

 Being removed 

**Nobody coordinates between these six systems.** TfL, Richmond, and Wandsworth each make decisions within their own remit. No body is responsible for the whole — and the whole is not working.

Sources: Wandsworth Council transport papers (26-32); TfL Thames screenline data 2024; CycleHoop booking portal; Putney.news reporting 2025–2026

#### The boundary at Putney High Street

The Santander network’s seven Putney stations, with around 183 docks in total, are all clustered east of the High Street.

Hotham Road, Clarendon Drive, and the residential streets of west Putney where hire-bike demand is highest have no coverage at all. This is a TfL decision, not the council’s. The east side of Putney High Street seems like an arbitrary boundary line, and it is. TfL, as far as we are aware, have never felt the need to explain it.

![TfL Santander network](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-27-at-220546.png)The TfL Santander cycle network – withg Putney as one of its random bordersFrom this summer the picture gets considerably worse. Richmond Council has awarded its dockless bike contract exclusively to Forest, banning Lime. The decision was [influenced by a concession payment of around £3 million](https://putney.news/2026/03/21/how-richmonds-secret-deal-killed-your-ride-to-barnes/) from Forest despite Lime scoring higher on quality.

National Cycle Route 4, which runs the full length of the south bank towpath, becomes inaccessible on a Lime bike after roughly ten minutes, when the Richmond border cuts across at Beverley Brook. When Hounslow took the same approach and banned Lime in favour of Forest and Voi, e-bike use in the borough dropped by half.

Wandsworth has said nothing publicly about what happens to its residents when they reach the dead-end, and the council has also installed 170-plus dedicated Lime parking bays across the area since June 2024, bays that will still be there when Lime can no longer operate past the border.

![TfL Santander network stops on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-27-at-220649-1024x433.png)East of Putney High Street – too much underused Santander racks; west of the High Street, a desert#### Where the demand actually is

Then there is the program to provide locked hangars on the street for people’s own bikes.

The hangar programme’s problem is not uniform oversupply: it is that provision bears little relationship to where demand exists. Ruvigny Gardens has 44 people on the waiting list. Felsham Road has 34. Putney Hill junction has 34. The commercial bike storage cages on Bessborough Road, placed through demand-led commercial logic rather than the council’s siting process, had five of their six spaces taken on the same date. Yet Pentlow Street, where a Phase 4 hangar was installed in April against the unanimous opposition of everyone on the street, has a waiting list of zero.

We reported how Pentlow Street residents discovered the hangar during installation rather than before it, and that [the council’s own ward councillors were not consulted.](https://putney.news/2026/04/16/residents-said-no-to-the-bike-hangar-the-council-installed-it-anyway/) Cllr Ethan Brooks said: “This wasn’t our decision as local councillors… we weren’t consulted.” Simon Scott-Taylor, a 30-year resident of the street, was more direct: “Not one household on the street supported the proposal.” [The same pattern repeated across five streets in Thamesfield the following week.](https://putney.news/2026/04/18/resident-fury-as-bike-hangars-appear-on-thamesfield-streets-without-warning/)

Wandsworth decided where it wanted the hangars to go, create a process to make it hard as possible for residents to object, and then ignored them anyway, often putting eight-foot metal boxes in the middle of two parking spaces on roads that have too few of them, despite expensive parking pemits.

#### The junction

Putney Bridge carries 6,602 cyclists on an average day (15% of all road users), so there was a genuine case for improving cycle provision at the junction.

The council installed a number of dedicated cycling lanes, several of which are rarely or never used. It gave one lane 12 seconds of signal time. When the result was gridlock across Putney, the council admitted (deep in committee papers) that fewer than 10 cyclists per day used it, against 37,245 motor vehicles receiving 21 seconds, and 2,813 daily bus services whose journey times have worsened as the bridge’s traffic has backed up. The lane is now being removed and the timing unwound.

Three Labour members of the Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the body that scrutinises these decisions, [had declared membership of the London Cycling Campaign](https://putney.news/2025/10/17/transport-chair-belongs-to-cycling-group-now-lobbying-contested-putney-junction/), which lobbied the junction consultation.

No rules were broken, and the declarations are properly recorded in the register of interests. But the overlap between the lobby group and the scrutiny body is a matter of record. As is the daily result of a terrible redesign that serves nobody: cyclists report fearing the junction because of the erratic behaviour of motorists deeply frustrated after spending up to an hour in traffic.

#### The strategy nobody questioned

The bikehangar programme crosses two administrations and three cabinet papers, with a consistency that suggests nobody looked too hard at the evidence at any point.

The Conservative administration approved the original strategy in 2019 with a target of 1,390 spaces by 2030 and a commitment to “no ongoing costs.” Labour accelerated the programme after winning the council in 2022 and drove the subsequent phases.

A 2023 paper repeated “no ongoing costs” and reported that “all hangars” were fully occupied with waiting lists. A 2024 paper then introduced the Access for All scheme, under which the council reimburses CycleHoop 50% of subscription fees for eligible residents, while the same paper still described the programme as having “no ongoing costs.” The occupancy claim had shifted quietly from “all” to “nearly all.”

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/disraeli-bike-racks-2-1-1024x768.png)The bike racks on Disraeli road have more abandoned bikes on them than usable ones.No contract for the CycleHoop programme appears on Contracts Finder or Find a Tender. Westminster published a four-year maintenance contract worth £200,000. Waltham Forest published a £100,000 contract that includes hangar relocation as a standard costed line item, so residents and councillors can see what removing an unwanted hangar costs before asking for it. Wandsworth has published nothing equivalent.

The English Devolution Bill, currently in Parliament, would give TfL regulatory authority over dockless e-bikes, potentially enabling minimum service standards and cross-boundary access requirements. Even if it passes, uniform regulation is probably several years away. Until then, whether a Putney resident can cycle the towpath to Richmond depends on how much money a competitor paid to exclude their preferred bike.

#### What you can do

To join a bike hangar waiting list or check availability, search by postcode at cyclehoop.com/uk/wandsworth/. Abandoned bikes in rack spaces can be reported via wandsworth.gov.uk; the council approved a 14-day removal policy in 2023, though enforcement at the Disraeli racks suggests it is not being applied.

Thamesfield, West Putney, and East Putney ward councillors are reachable via wandsworth.gov.uk if you want to raise the Santander coverage gap with the council. If you currently use Lime bikes on the towpath, downloading the Forest app before this summer is worth doing.

Mick Stone of the Putney Action Group asked out loud the question nobody in a position of authority has yet answered: “I want to know the rationale for these things and where they’re being put… who’s responsible for such a stupid decision and failure to communicate?” He was asking about a specific set of hangars. The question fits the whole picture.

TfL decides where Santander docks go. Richmond decided which e-bike company can operate on its side of the towpath. Wandsworth officers decide where the hangars go, without publishing the contract that governs it, and without telling ward councillors. The junction was approved under one administration and dismantled under another. The strategy overshot its own target by 49% and nobody published a revised one.

Six systems. No coordinator. One borough left to live with the gaps between them.

---

*Putney.news has previously covered the bikehangar programme in [November 2025](https://putney.news/2025/11/10/putney-to-get-34-new-bike-hangars-as-council-launches-consultation-but-process-assumes-approval/), the [Disraeli Road racks](https://putney.news/2026/01/08/putneys-bike-graveyard-less-than-a-sixth-of-racks-used-by-functional-cycles/) in January 2026, [safety concerns](https://putney.news/2026/01/12/calls-grow-to-replace-disraeli-bike-racks-as-investigation-reveals-safety-and-theft-problems/) the same month, and [the wider policy picture](https://putney.news/2026/01/27/putneys-bike-graveyard-could-help-traffic-crisis-if-council-did-its-job/) in late January.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/28/putneys-cycling-no-mans-land-six-systems-no-plan-and-a-junction-that-failed-those-it-was-meant-to-help/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/28/putneys-cycling-no-mans-land-six-systems-no-plan-and-a-junction-that-failed-those-it-was-meant-to-help/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20cycling%20no%20man%E2%80%99s%20land%3A%20six%20systems%2C%20no%20plan%2C%20and%20a%20junction%20that%20failed%20those%20it%20was%20meant%20to%20help&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/28/putneys-cycling-no-mans-land-six-systems-no-plan-and-a-junction-that-failed-those-it-was-meant-to-help/)

**Categories:** News, Transport

**Tags:** cycling, London Cycling Campaign, Putney Bridge junction, Richmond Council, TfL, Transport Committee, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Eight sites, no movement. What happened to Putney High Street's recovery?](https://putney.news/2026/04/28/eight-sites-no-movement-what-happened-to-putney-high-streets-recovery/)

**Published:** April 28, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** A restaurant repossessed, a hotel stalled, two bars still dark after nine months. The fuller picture.

**Content:**

A possession notice recently appeared on the window of Masala Odyssey. The lunch deal board is still inside. The landlord had taken the restaurant back, and nobody had cleared it out.

The notice, photographed last week, records a peaceable re-entry by [Aqua Dreams (International) Limited](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/02684176), a property company at 210 Putney Bridge Road. Goods collection deadline: 2 May. And a list of what remains inside: tables, chairs, beer taps, beer kegs, a pool table, a fruit machine, kitchen counters, a walk-in fridge and freezer, CCTV, a printer, and a dishwasher. The restaurant, from the pavement, looks ready to open.

![Masala Odyssey - closed](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/closed-shops-2-1024x768.png)Masala Odyssey – closedThe closure was not a surprise. [We reported in December 2025](https://putney.news/2025/12/23/michelin-dream-ends-as-chef-leaves-raaz-after-six-months/) that the lease at 22 Putney High Street was being offered to potential new tenants. No one came. The site had struggled to hold tenants before Masala Odyssey: Byron closed, then Bone Daddies, which cited “an effort versus reward calculation” when it left in late 2022. A pop-up followed. Then Masala Odyssey received a hygiene rating of 1 (Improvement Necessary) in December 2024. The repossession on 17 April is the end of that sequence.

Twenty-two Putney High Street would be unremarkable on its own. It is not unremarkable in context.

#### Eight sites, one question

Standing on the High Street on Sunday, the picture is this: Kashmir restaurant on Lacy Road has been closed for ten months. It was occupied by squatters in June 2025 and evicted by bailiffs in July. It is still trashed and empty: nothing inside, nothing moving.

Be At One has been dark since summer 2025. In March, [we reported that IMBA London was fitting out the site](https://putney.news/2026/03/13/four-new-businesses-one-rotting-landmark-whats-changing-on-putney-high-street/), one of four simultaneous fitouts we described as “the most concentrated burst of new arrivals Putney High Street has seen since closures accelerated through 2025.” IMBA has not opened. Simmons closed on 1 August 2025. It is still closed. The Boilermaker has been dark since May 2025, when the landlord locked the doors. It is still dark.

![IMBA - coming soon?](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/closed-shops-6-768x1024.png)IMBA – coming soon?The [Star and Garter on Putney High Street received planning permission](https://putney.news/2025/04/28/putneys-iconic-star-and-garter-closer-to-new-life-after-years-of-decay/) for conversion to eight residential units with a ground-floor café and wine bar. The Conservation and Heritage Advisory Committee reviewed the approved plans in April 2025. That was twelve months ago. Nothing has moved since.

At 31-43 Putney High Street, the hotel development tells the most pointed story. Demolition began in October 2025. In December, [we reported the site was on schedule with multiple crews working simultaneously](https://putney.news/2025/12/10/officials-watch-helplessly-as-lorry-blocks-junction-they-still-havent-fixed/). On 8 April, [three weeks ago, we reported](https://putney.news/2026/04/08/first-sign-of-life-at-putney-high-streets-empty-block-as-new-owner-applies-for-advertising-wrap/) that construction had resumed. But then almost immediately afterwards, it went silent. No workers. No activity.

Eight sites. Not one has reopened or delivered on its stated next step.

#### The recovery narrative

The signals we reported were real. M&S opened. The [squatter crisis that defined summer 2025](https://putney.news/2025/09/10/four-months-that-shook-putney-high-street-how-the-squatter-crisis-unfolded/) resolved. Scaffolding came down. Fitouts began. Looking at Putney High Street in November and March, it was reasonable to describe a recovery under way.

Taken together and examined now, the picture is different. The recovery is concentrated in one corner: the M&S stretch, where the anchor tenant opened and trade is visible. In the civic and hospitality heart, the block running from the Boilermaker through Be At One, Simmons, Kashmir, and up to the hotel site, the closures of 2025 have not resolved. Some are in the same condition they were in six or nine months ago. Some are worse.

The structural diagnosis has not changed either. We described it [in December 2025](https://putney.news/2025/12/09/empty-shops-cluster-at-both-ends-of-putney-high-street/): “Landlords demanding rents that Putney High Street’s diminished footfall cannot justify, creating a vicious circle that traffic problems only worsen.” That remains the frame. The White Lion at 14-16 Putney High Street sits on the Historic England Heritage at Risk Register, with a condition rated Poor, trend Declining, with the entry reading “slow decay; no solution agreed.”

Wandsworth Council has powers under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 to serve urgent works notices on listed buildings in deteriorating condition. The current administration failed to do anything.

![Simmons boarded up.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/closed-shops-7-1024x768.png)Simmons – still empty with posters plastered over it, and squatters may have found their way back inside.#### Eleven days

Local elections are on 7 May. Thamesfield ward, which covers Putney High Street, has candidates from every party. The hustings have been held. The standard answers, support for local businesses, commitment to regeneration, have been given. The specific questions have not been asked: which landlords have been contacted directly, which enforcement powers have been considered, what the plan is for the sites that have been dark for nine months or a year.

Readers can put those questions to candidates directly. The [election guide](https://putney.news/2026/04/09/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-putney-local-elections-on-7-may/) sets out who is standing and how to contact them. Anyone concerned about the White Lion’s condition can report it to Wandsworth Council’s planning enforcement team; the Heritage at Risk listing and the council’s powers are public record.

M&S is open and trading. The hotel will eventually be built. Putney High Street is not finished. But eight sites remain dark (some closed for months, some for years), and the people responsible for them have not yet been asked, in one place, to account for why.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/28/eight-sites-no-movement-what-happened-to-putney-high-streets-recovery/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/28/eight-sites-no-movement-what-happened-to-putney-high-streets-recovery/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Eight%20sites%2C%20no%20movement.%20What%20happened%20to%20Putney%20High%20Street%E2%80%99s%20recovery%3F&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/28/eight-sites-no-movement-what-happened-to-putney-high-streets-recovery/)

**Categories:** Save the High Street, Thamesfield

**Tags:** CHAC, Positively Putney, Putney High Street, Save the High Street, Simmons Bar, thamesfield, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Half of women over 50 will break a bone because of this condition. A Putney team is raising money to change that.](https://putney.news/2026/04/21/half-of-women-over-50-will-break-a-bone-because-of-this-condition-a-putney-team-is-raising-money-to-change-that/)

**Published:** April 21, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Walfinch's marathon fundraiser has already raised £10,548 - 105% of target - before a single mile is run.

**Content:**

A Putney home care team has raised over £10,500 for bone health research But the marathon hasn’t started yet.

Kunal Parkash and his friend Sandip Patel run together every week. This Sunday, they will run the London Marathon. When they registered to raise money for the Royal Osteoporosis Society, their team set a target of £5,000. By this morning, 237 supporters had donated £10,573 (105% of a revised £10,000 target), and the race is still days away.

Both men are running in memory of parents they have lost.

Kunal, who co-owns Walfinch home care Richmond and Putney, is running for his father Om Parkash, who died 35 years ago. “His strength, resilience, and values continue to guide me,” he said, “and running in his memory is my way of honouring his life and legacy.”

For Sandip, this is his first marathon. He has lost both his mother, Mrudula Patel, and his father, J C Patel, in recent years. “This will be my first marathon, making it an especially emotional and meaningful challenge as I honour my mother’s memory with every mile.”

The two have been running together since 2020, including two half marathons. This is Kunal’s sixth London Marathon.

![Kunal Prakesh](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Kunal-prakesh-1024x683.png)#### Why osteoporosis

The choice of charity makes sense for what Walfinch does. The company provides care for older people at home, and osteoporosis is one of the most common conditions in that age group. According to the Royal Osteoporosis Society, half of women and one in five men over 50 will break a bone because of it. The condition accounts for 500,000 fractures a year in the UK and affects 3.5 million people.

The marathon run is part of a wider fundraising effort. In March, Walfinch staff, clients, and supporters did a 5km walk and run on Hampstead Heath. Kunal and Sandip were there too, having already done a 20km training run earlier the same day.

#### How to donate and check your bone health

Donations can be made at . The team has 15 members and has now raised more than double its original target. “Every donation, big or small, will help make a difference,” said Kunal.

The Royal Osteoporosis Society also offers a free online bone health risk check, the Great British Bone Check, at the [Royal Osteoporosis Society website](https://theros.org.uk/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/21/half-of-women-over-50-will-break-a-bone-because-of-this-condition-a-putney-team-is-raising-money-to-change-that/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/21/half-of-women-over-50-will-break-a-bone-because-of-this-condition-a-putney-team-is-raising-money-to-change-that/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Half%20of%20women%20over%2050%20will%20break%20a%20bone%20because%20of%20this%20condition.%20A%20Putney%20team%20is%20raising%20money%20to%20change%20that.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/21/half-of-women-over-50-will-break-a-bone-because-of-this-condition-a-putney-team-is-raising-money-to-change-that/)

**Categories:** Community, Health

**Tags:** fundraising, London Marathon, Royal Osteoporosis Society, Walfinch

---

### [Secret hearing will decide fate of Roehampton pub](https://putney.news/2026/04/27/secret-hearing-will-decide-fate-of-roehampton-pub/)

**Published:** April 27, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Council admits hearing was closed to protect Labour votes before next week's election.

**Content:**

The Angel pub on Roehampton High Street might lose its licence at a hearing this Tuesday (29 April), five days before local elections on 7 May. The meeting is remote with no webcast and no way for residents to watch or attend.

*Putney.news* asked why the public had been shut out. The council’s Monitoring Officer – its most senior legal officer – replied that the hearing was closed because of “the risk given the profile of this application that comments may be made that could affect political support.”

Staff at the pub told us in person that they had no idea the hearing was being held in secret. A manager declined to comment and said she would object to *Putney.news* speaking to customers. Several customers were clearly unaware that their local could be permanently shut within days.

![Pub sign for The Angel, Roehampton, with a silhouetted figure raising a beer against a sunset gradient backdrop.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/the-angel-roehampton-5-1024x768.png)#### What is at stake

The Angel is one of only two pubs serving around 18,000 people in Roehampton. The Metropolitan Police applied in February to revoke its licence, saying it is the pub with the worst crime record in Wandsworth. Their application cites large-scale fights, police officers assaulted, suspected drug dealing and groups using nitrous oxide outside.

Ten residents and organisations wrote in backing the police application. They described five years of violence from neighbouring properties, parents too scared to let children walk to the bus stop, and drug dealing in plain sight on the high street.

But nearly 700 people have signed a petition demanding the pub stays open. Those 700 are also Roehampton voters, and if Labour is seen to back the police and shut their local pub, they could well punish them for it at the polls. As a result, the council – run by Labour – has decided to hold the meeting in secret to avoid a backlash.

The end result is that residents won’t be allowed to see, hear or respond to the arguments made for closing their local, and could well end up voting for the same people that decide to shut it.

Fleur Anderson, the local MP, has put her name to a letter signed by all three Roehampton ward councillors – Graeme Henderson, Matthew Tiller and Jenny Yates. In it, they back the police and ask the committee to impose strong conditions – including getting rid of the current management, and giving the police greater say in how the pub is run – rather than revoke the licence, arguing the pub should stay open if it can be run safely.

The committee may still decide to simply shut the pub – that is what the meeting papers and the police have recommended. Ultimately, the decision will be made by members of the Labour Party because they hold the most votes.

![Notice to revoke its licence, posted outside The Angel pub in Roehampton](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/angel-pub-notice-768x1024.png)#### How the hearing was shut

The original hearing was planned for 16 April, with a live webcast. On the day, however, the council posted a notice saying it would not be webcast “in line with restrictions during the pre-election period.”

*Putney.news* has asked three times for the specific rule or policy behind that decision and has yet to receive it. The Monitoring Officer confirmed it was not a legal restriction. It is a judgment call, made because the council feared public comments could hurt Labour at the polls.

The hearing was postponed and rescheduled for 29 April as a remote meeting. In an effort to keep the public out, the council has decided that the meeting will be held remotely – over the internet – and that it won’t be webcast, making it impossible for anyone to attend.

The problem is that preventing people from following the meeting is illegal. The public has a right to see how decisions are made on their behalf, unless the council gives a very specific legal reason why it needs to hold a meeting in private. No such reason has been given.

*Putney.news* has asked whether a public link will be posted on the council’s website and whether the council will make any physical location available for the public to attend. We have yet to receive an answer.

![The Angel Pub in Roehampton](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/angel-pub-with-sign-1024x768.png)#### Why this matters

Licensing hearings are not political. The councillors sitting on them are supposed to act as judges, weighing evidence, not worrying about votes. Pre-election rules – purdah – restrict councils from using public money to campaign. They do not give councils the right to close public hearings.

Seen through a political lens, however, there is a bigger picture: Labour won all three Roehampton seats in 2022. Both Reform UK and the Conservatives are pushing hard. If closing the pub costs them those seats next week, it could decide who runs the council.

That may be a good reason for the party in power to hold a secret meeting, but it is not the law, and it is not fair to the people of Roehampton who should be able to have say in what happens in their area.

Residents who want to know the fate of their local pub have been told they can watch a recording. Any decisions made should be published the evening before election day.

![Circular 'The Angel Roehampton' pub sign mounted on a red brick wall beside a vertical drainpipe, exterior view of a pub corner.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/the-angel-roehampton-7-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/27/secret-hearing-will-decide-fate-of-roehampton-pub/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/27/secret-hearing-will-decide-fate-of-roehampton-pub/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Secret%20hearing%20will%20decide%20fate%20of%20Roehampton%20pub&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/27/secret-hearing-will-decide-fate-of-roehampton-pub/)

**Categories:** Crime, Politics, Roehampton

**Tags:** Cllr Graeme Henderson, Cllr Jenny Yates, Cllr Matthew Tiller, Fleur Anderson MP, licensing, Local elections 2026, Metropolitan Police, Roehampton High Street, The Angel pub, Wandsworth Council

---

### [The man who designed Wimbledon has seen the plans. He is not impressed. Here is what he would do instead.](https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-man-who-designed-wimbledon-has-seen-the-plans-he-is-not-impressed-here-is-what-he-would-do-instead/)

**Published:** April 26, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** The architect who designed Wimbledon in the 1990s on what the approved expansion gets wrong, and how to fix it.

**Content:**

This week, Richard Rees stood up in St Mark’s Church in Wimbledon and told 150 supporters of the Save Wimbledon Park movement what he thought of the All England Club’s approved plans to expand the world’s most famous tennis tournament.

He was not polite.

Rees is not a campaigner or a local resident. He is what is termed a “master planner”. And it was in that role that he designed the Wimbledon tournament’s first big step into the world of modern tennis in the 1990s; the one that shaped Wimbledon as it exists today. His team coined the phrase that has became Wimbledon’s defining identity: ‘Tennis in an English garden.’

Rees has gone on to design Olympic tennis venues at Sydney, Athens, Beijing and Rio. He planned the regeneration of Liverpool city centre and worked on the Hong Kong waterfront. He is, in short, precisely the person whose opinion on a Wimbledon master plan you would most want to hear.

Two years ago, a friend suggested he look at the All England’s approved expansion scheme. He had not seen it. He looked. What he found troubled him so much that he has spent the past year designing an alternative.

“Frankly, I was confused and disappointed,” he told attendees who had come to hear him on Wednesday evening, the day after Parliament had stripped another layer of legal protection from Wimbledon Park without a vote. The championships had been run on 22 to 23 courts for years. The approved scheme proposes 38 additional courts on the extended site, taking the total to 71. “I think it was a push just to see how much we could do, slam it on,” he said. “It’s an inadequate master plan. I’m sorry. But I’m allowed to criticise — I’ve done it myself.” He knew what an inadequate master plan looked like.

![A comparison of the official Wimbledon proposal against the proposed alternative. McFarlane and Rees, 2026](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/wimbledon-alternative-scheme-1024x576.png)A comparison of the official Wimbledon proposal against the proposed alternative. McFarlane and Rees, 2026#### Twenty-one courts, a lake, and a different idea entirely

The scheme Rees designed with local architect Ken McFarlane starts from a simple challenge to the approved plan’s central premise: why 38 courts?

The stated reason for the whole expansion is to bring the qualifying tournament on-site, currently held off-site at Roehampton. That requires 18 courts, not 38. You can use qualifying courts as practice courts once the main championship begins, he notes. Junior and wheelchair competitions share facilities. The Aorangi Croquet Club off Bathgate Road can hold six more practice courts. The All England used to use it. It could do so again.

With this obvious reuse of courts, 38 courts become 21. The extended land footprint shrinks from 46 acres to 26. Forty-six acres of public park remain, and they can be linked permanently by a lakeside path.

![A comparison of the official Wimbledon proposal against the proposed alternative. McFarlane and Rees, 2026](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/wimbledon-plans-overview-1024x576.png)A comparison of the official Wimbledon proposal against the proposed alternative. McFarlane and Rees, 2026The proposed No. 2 Court is where the alternative most sharply departs from the approved scheme. AELTC proposes an 8,000-seat covered stadium on the protected golf course land. Rees accepts the principle: a covered court, the ability to play regardless of weather, is genuinely what Wimbledon needs. But he rejects the scale and the location entirely.

> “Yes, get a covered court,” he told the meeting, “but we’re suggesting a much smaller idea for that.”

In conversation after the meeting he was more direct: the roof matters more than the seat count, and a smaller covered court on the north end of the existing site solves the operational problem without planting a stadium on protected parkland.

Show courts at the Grand Slams

Where the proposed and alternative Wimbledon No. 2 Courts would sit — by capacity, with roof cover

 Wimbledon Roland Garros US Open Australian Open 

Centre courts

Venue

Court

Capacity

Roof

US Open

Arthur Ashe Stadium

23,771

✓

Roland Garros

Philippe Chatrier

15,225

✓

Wimbledon

Centre Court

14,979

✓

Australian Open

Rod Laver Arena

14,820

✓

Second show courts

Venue

Court

Capacity

Roof

US Open

Louis Armstrong Stadium

14,061

✓

Wimbledon

No. 1 Court

12,345

✓

Australian Open

John Cain Arena

10,500

✓

Roland Garros

Suzanne Lenglen

10,068

✓

Third show courts

Venue

Court

Capacity

Roof

US Open

Grandstand

8,125

✗

Wimbledon

New No. 2 CourtProposed scheme

8,000

✓

Australian Open

Margaret Court Arena

7,500

✓

Wimbledon

New No. 2 CourtAlternative scheme

~5,000

✓

Roland Garros

Simonne Mathieu

5,000

✗

Wimbledon No. 2 Court — current

Venue

Court

Capacity

Roof

Wimbledon

No. 2 CourtExisting

4,000

✗

Wimbledon’s existing No. 2 Court is the only third show court at any Grand Slam without a roof. Both proposed schemes replace it with a covered court. Richard Rees, who designed the original Wimbledon master plan, argues the roof matters more than the seat count: covered play regardless of weather is what Wimbledon actually needs. The proposed scheme places an 8,000-seat stadium on protected parkland. The alternative places a smaller covered court (Rees estimates around 5,000 seats) on the existing site’s north end, leaving the park intact.

Sources: Wikipedia; official venue data; Richard Rees, in conversation, 23 April 2026 (~5,000 figure)

How that proposed court compares with the equivalent courts at other Grand Slams is shown in the graphic above. The US Open Grandstand also has no roof – but then New York in August is not Wimbledon in June.

The debate is not really about whether Wimbledon needs a covered No. 2. It does. The debate is about what a replacement is actually solving. Rees’s answer is blunt.

> “Wimbledon will always be the premier Grand Slam because it was the first, it’s the only one on grass,” he said.

In fact, when he was tasked with redesigning Wimbledon’s master plan, he was given the New York comparison explicitly as a warning. “Don’t go to New York,” they told him. “It’s horrible.” The brief, he noted, appears to have changed without anyone asking whether it should.

#### Tennis in an English garden

Rees’s team coined the phrase that has driven the look-and-feel of the Wimbledon tournament for over 30 years. He told us after the meeting that he probably still has the original documents.

The phrase has stuck. It appears in the brief given to Grimshaw architects when they designed the 2013 master plan for the existing grounds, framed as Wimbledon’s unique setting to be preserved. It is the stated ethos of Grant Associates, who designed the landscape strategy for that same plan. And just this past June, ahead of the 2025 tournament, Wimbledon’s head gardener Martin Falconer was still using the same words. ‘For us it’s more actually about the feel of being in an English garden,’ he told AFP. The year before, he had been more direct still: ‘Our ethos is tennis in an English garden,’ he told ABC News.

What does it actually mean? Not merely flowers and strawberries. Wimbledon uses 10,000 individual petunia plants around the grounds each year, timed to bloom for the fortnight. It means something more structural: that the setting in which the tennis takes place is itself part of the experience. The grass. The scale. The sense that you are somewhere particular, somewhere that could not exist in New York or Melbourne or Paris. The intimacy between spectator and sport that disappears when courts seat 23,000 people and you cannot see the ball from the back row.

Wimbledon was started on four acres of meadowland in 1868, with 200 spectators at its first championship in 1877. Last year, 548,770 people passed through the gates across the fortnight, a new record. The growth is extraordinary and it brings commercial pressure with it. Wimbledon has the lowest attendance of any Grand Slam: roughly half the US Open’s 957,000 and barely more than half the Australian Open’s one million. The financial argument for expansion is real. The new land is an opportunity to grow.

Grand Slam attendance, 2015–2025

Visitors through the gates — main fortnight where comparable data available

 Wimbledon Australian Open Roland Garros † US Open † 

† Roland Garros and US Open totals include qualifying weeks (three weeks vs Wimbledon’s two). Dashed lines reflect this. The 2020 Wimbledon Championships was cancelled. 2021 figures reflect reduced-capacity Covid editions. The 2024 AO jump partly reflects an extra day of play — that year the main draw ran 15 days for the first time. The AO qualifying week alone drew 117,000 in 2025; Wimbledon’s qualifying at Roehampton drew 13,898.

Sources: Wikipedia; official tournament releases; Tennis Creative; AELTC; Sportcal

But here is the thing. Every master plan the All England Club has commissioned for the past thirty years has invoked the same principle: Rees's original, Grimshaw's 2013 redesign, Grant Associates' landscape strategy. Each time the club has grown, it has promised that growth would be guided by this vision. Each time, as Rees noted quietly on Wednesday, something has been lost. Courts were reconfigured. Trees came out. Glass and steel replaced them. Grimshaw's 2013 plan was itself an attempt to ease the congestion that had already made the existing site uncomfortable. It moved courts north of No. 1 to release space at the centre. That was ten years ago. The problem has got worse, not better.

The approved expansion scheme was designed by Allies and Morrison, appointed in 2019 after AELTC paid £65 million for the golf course land. Their public materials, unlike every previous Wimbledon master plan, do not appear to invoke the phrase at all. The vision that has guided Wimbledon's development for thirty years is absent from the documents that would govern its most significant expansion in its history.

Wimbledon's master plans

Every plan promised to preserve the character of the grounds. Each one added capacity.

 1993 Long Term Plan Grimshaw (2009–2013) Allies & Morrison (2019) 

 1993

Long Term Plan

Master plan by Richard Rees's team, 1993–2011

Site capacity↑**~30,000**

 New No.1 Court in Aorangi Park Broadcast centre Millennium Building 728 extra Centre Court seats Church Road tunnel Museum & entrance building 

 ✓ "Tennis in an English garden" — founding principle 

 2009

Centre Court retractable roof

Populous, completed 2009

Centre Court capacity↑**13,800 → 15,000**

 First covered play at Centre Court 6 extra rows on 3 sides New players' & members' facilities 

 ✓ Populous: "tennis in an English garden" — principle retained 

 2013

Wimbledon 2020 Master Plan

Grimshaw Architects + Grant Associates landscape, 2013 onwards

Site capacity↑**~38,500**(designed for 30–35k)

 No.1 Court retractable roof Courts relocated north to ease congestion Underground car park New indoor courts Enhanced landscape walkways Crowd flow study commissioned 

 ✓ Grimshaw & Grant Associates: "tennis in an English garden" — explicitly stated in brief 

 2019

Wimbledon Park Expansion

Allies & Morrison + LUC landscape, 2019 — GLA approved September 2024

Site capacity↑**~50,000**+8,000 vs designed limit

 38 new courts on former golf course 8,000-seat covered No.2 Court Qualifying on-site for first time 7 maintenance buildings Pedestrian bridge over lake 27 acres public parkland £65m land purchase (2018) 

 ✗ "Tennis in an English garden" — absent from public documents⚠ No specialist tennis masterplanner commissioned to review the scheme. Richard Rees: "It was not properly examined by a technical tennis masterplanner, like a masterplanner like myself. There are five or six people I could mention around the world who could have given a very detailed description of what is wrong with it."

The 2013 Grimshaw plan was itself a response to congestion that had already set in. Courts were relocated to ease pressure at the centre. A decade later, the site was running 7,000 visitors a day above its designed capacity. The approved expansion would bring that to 50,000 — concentrating new facilities directly alongside courts already at capacity.

Sources: Wikipedia; Grimshaw Architects; Grant Associates; Populous; Architects Journal; Allies and Morrison; AELTC

There is a reason for that absence, and Rees stated it plainly at Wednesday’s meeting. “It was not properly examined by a technical tennis masterplanner, like a masterplanner like myself,” he said.

> “There are five or six people I could mention around the world who could have looked at this and given a very detailed description of what is wrong with it.”

Every previous Wimbledon masterplanner had gone back to that founding design ethos. Without one this time, the brief shifted. Capacity became the goal. The vision was lost.

Richard Rees noticed. So did everyone who has been to Wimbledon in recent years.

![Circulation issues: A comparison of the official Wimbledon proposal against the proposed alternative. McFarlane and Rees, 2026](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/wimbledon-plans-circulation-1024x576.png)Circulation issues: A comparison of the official Wimbledon proposal against the proposed alternative. McFarlane and Rees, 2026#### The problem nobody seems to have solved

The deeper argument is about congestion. It is the argument the approved scheme, in Rees's view, simply does not address.

Go to Wimbledon during the championships. At peak times it can now take half an hour to cross from one end of the existing site to the other. The complex was designed for 30,000 to 35,000 visitors. It now receives 42,000. The approved scheme would bring that to 50,000, and it would concentrate the new facilities directly alongside the courts that are already at capacity.

"It's dangerously overcrowded," Rees told the meeting. He should know: when he designed the original Wimbledon master plan, the Hillsborough disaster was foremost in his mind. On 15 April 1989, 97 Liverpool supporters had died in a crush at Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield, the deadliest disaster in British sporting history, caused by overcrowding in pens that police failed to control. The Taylor Report that followed changed how public sports venues across Britain were designed and managed. Three years on, Rees moved the original No. 1 Court to ease congestion and create space between courts. That principle, he said, has been ignored in the current plans.

Rees's solution draws on the principle he applied when he planned Liverpool city centre: without destinations at both ends, people do not distribute. They crowd in the middle. The alternative places attractions on the far side of the new land: a Screen on the Lake, a big-screen viewing area beside Wimbledon Park's historic lake, and a Margin Green Picnic Area with temporary showcase courts to the south.

> "You've got a lake for goodness sake," he told the meeting, "and you're turning your back on it."

![Plans for a new lakeside viewing area for WImbledon. Image: Richard Rees](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/wimbledon-rees-drawing-lake-1024x576.png)What a new lakeside viewing area for WImbledon could look like. Image: Richard Rees"Good master plans only need simple principles," he said. "The principle here is: equalise the two halves." In ten years, he added, "you should be able to say: Wimbledon is still tennis in an English garden."

There is a further critique, quieter but pointed. Rees has been back to the existing Wimbledon site in recent years and does not entirely like what he has found. The hedges went. The trees went. Glass buildings replaced them. "It looks a bit like an office block," he said.

The alternative plan is partly about restoring what made the existing site Wimbledon, not just constraining what happens on the new land. You could start putting trees back into the courts that were removed, he suggested. The right kind - not anything that would shade play. But enough to transform the atmosphere. Tennis in an English garden. Still achievable. Still worth fighting for.

#### Why the alternative changes the legal picture

The alternative scheme is not just a design argument. It is also a legal one. As explained in [our coverage yesterday](https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-fight-for-wimbledon-park), the 1993 covenants on the golf course land require it to be kept as open space, free of permanent buildings.

Lawyer and SWP director Jeremy Hudson told the meeting that the approved scheme breaches those covenants, as the All England Club itself acknowledges. The alternative scheme, in his view, would likely fall within them: courts as concrete rings at ground level, hospitality on temporary structures. No permanent buildings on the protected land.

"Would I rather there is no development?" Hudson said, when asked whether the alternative amounted to giving in. "Yes. Do I think the alternative plan represents a much better solution than the All England's? Yes. It is a compromise. It represents a reasonable middle way between the polarised positions."

#### The All England's response

Something interesting happened at Southfields the previous Wednesday. For the first time at any SWP public meeting, after nearly a dozen invitations, the All England Club sent representatives. Their chair, Debbie Jevans, was among them. They heard the alternative scheme. They listened. At the end of the evening, Coombe was assured they "would like to keep talking."

They were invited to Wednesday's meeting at St Mark's, where the plans were presented in full. They did not come. Coombe told the room they had replied to his invitation saying they were "not really interested in discussing it, all very difficult."

Richard Rees was measured about what he hoped the alternative might achieve. He knows Debbie Jevans. She was director of women's tennis at the International Tennis Federation when he designed the original master plan.

At Southfields she heard his two central arguments: that the approved scheme fails to solve the congestion on the existing site, and that it turns its back on the lake and the park that make Wimbledon what it is. Rees expressed hope that having heard those arguments from the man who designed Wimbledon in the first place, she might look at the existing plans with fresh eyes. "It's been planted," he said. "In her brain."

Save Wimbledon Park has been to the High Court twice, fought in the House of Lords and the House of Commons, and is fully prepared to go to the Supreme Court. It has also, in parallel, produced this alternative master plan. All of it voluntary. All of it without pay. Against a club with vast resources and, as Tuesday's parliamentary vote demonstrated, friends in high places.

It's still not clear why the All England Club has set itself against its neighbours, or why it continues to underestimate both them and their love of the area. While fighting them in the courts, the hope is that the private club will recognise the value of compromise, pulled to the realisation by hearing its own words played back to it: Tennis in an English garden.

Paul Kohler, the Wimbledon MP, was in the audience on Wednesday. "What I've seen looks fantastic," he said. "It respects the covenants. It does maintain the All England as a world-leading place without going back on the promises made 30, 40 years ago."

![Crowded church hall with attendees seated on wooden pews while a woman in a blue dress speaks at the front near a lectern.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/swp-meeting-23apr26-22-1024x768.png)At the close of the meeting, actress Thelma Ruby, 101, who overlooks the park from her flat, addressed the room. For years, she said, the approved plan had given her "the most terrible nightmares." The alternative meant something she had not expected to feel. "There could be a chance."

*Putney.news has followed the battle to save Wimbledon Park for some time. Our full coverage includes the [five questions that will decide the future of Wimbledon Park](https://putney.news/2026/01/15/wimbledon-park-legal-explanation/), [Tuesday's passing of the Banner amendment](https://putney.news/2026/04/22/done-in-seconds-the-wimbledon-park-amendment-is-now-on-the-statute-book/), and [yesterday's full account of the legal and political background to this dispute](https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-fight-for-wimbledon-park).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-man-who-designed-wimbledon-has-seen-the-plans-he-is-not-impressed-here-is-what-he-would-do-instead/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-man-who-designed-wimbledon-has-seen-the-plans-he-is-not-impressed-here-is-what-he-would-do-instead/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20man%20who%20designed%20Wimbledon%20has%20seen%20the%20plans.%20He%20is%20not%20impressed.%20Here%20is%20what%20he%20would%20do%20instead.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-man-who-designed-wimbledon-has-seen-the-plans-he-is-not-impressed-here-is-what-he-would-do-instead/)

**Categories:** Environment, Long read, Planning

**Tags:** AELTC, Merton Council, Paul Kohler MP, planning, Restrictive covenants, Richard Rees, Save Wimbledon Park, Tennis in an English garden, Wimbledon, Wimbledon Park, Wimbledon Park expansion

---

### [The Putney headteacher running 26 miles for Roehampton's young people](https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-putney-headteacher-running-26-miles-for-roehamptons-young-people/)

**Published:** April 26, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Hurlingham head Simon Gould hits fundraising target before London Marathon start.

**Content:**

Simon Gould, head of Hurlingham School in Putney, is running today’s London Marathon for Regenerate, a Roehampton youth charity he has worked alongside for the past 18 months.

Gould’s personal fundraising page had already raised £10,916 from 163 supporters (109% of his £10,000 target) before a single mile was run. With Gift Aid, the total stands at more than £13,200.

Regenerate has worked with young people aged 11 to 25 in Roehampton, Putney and surrounding South West London since 2000. The charity runs Feel Good, a social enterprise that provides paid jobs and employability skills to young people facing barriers to employment. The school’s aim this year is to raise £30,000, enough to fund a full-time Regenerate youth worker and mentor.

The partnership between Hurlingham and Regenerate is not a one-off. Over 18 months, pupils, staff and families at the school have volunteered and fundraised together for the charity. Gould describes what that relationship has meant:

> “Over the past 18 months, my school, Hurlingham, in Putney, has worked alongside Regenerate through fundraising and practical initiatives where our wider school community has given time and service to support local families and young people. Their work is not just meaningful, it is transformational.”

Hurlingham School, on Putney Bridge Road, is a co-educational independent prep school for children aged 2 to 11, with 411 pupils across two sites. An inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate in March 2025 found all standards met and noted that school leaders “encourage pupils to contribute to the school and local communities actively through engaging in charitable activities.”

Past community efforts have included creating hampers for local families and, in one case, a successful pupil campaign for a zebra crossing outside the school. The school was also named a finalist for Best Pre-Prep School of the Year at last year’s Independent Schools of the Year awards.

You can donate to Gould’s marathon run at his [JustGiving page](https://www.justgiving.com/page/simon-gould). To find out more about Regenerate, visit [regenerate-london.org](https://regenerate-london.org/).

He is one of several local runners taking on today’s race. [A Putney home care team from Walfinch is also running](https://putney.news/2026/04/21/half-of-women-over-50-will-break-a-bone-because-of-this-condition-a-putney-team-is-raising-money-to-change-that/), raising money for the Royal Osteoporosis Society.

Gould put the day in perspective himself:

> “Marathon training is a test, physically and mentally, but it pales in comparison to the everyday challenges many young people face. That’s why your support means so much. Every donation, whatever the size, helps Regenerate keep showing up, keep listening, and keep providing the guidance and opportunity that can change a young person’s trajectory.”

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-putney-headteacher-running-26-miles-for-roehamptons-young-people/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-putney-headteacher-running-26-miles-for-roehamptons-young-people/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Putney%20headteacher%20running%2026%20miles%20for%20Roehampton%E2%80%99s%20young%20people&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-putney-headteacher-running-26-miles-for-roehamptons-young-people/)

**Categories:** Community

**Tags:** community, Putney Bridge Road, Roehampton

---

### [The week SW15's transport network fell apart - all at once](https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-week-sw15s-transport-network-fell-apart-all-at-once/)

**Published:** April 26, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Friday was the worst single transport day for the Putney Bridge corridor in recent memory - and two more strike pairs are already in the diary.

**Content:**

This was the worst week for transport in Putney in recent memory. By Friday, it had become something else entirely.

The week began with the District Line on strike. [Six dates across April, May and June](https://putney.news/2026/04/17/the-district-line-is-striking-six-times-here-are-the-dates/) had been confirmed, and we documented them in detail. On Wednesday, with the tube already disrupted, road traffic backed up more than a mile from Putney junction to Barnes station, captured in a time-lapse taken by this publication.

The video starts on Gypsy Lane, a mile from Putney Bridge junction and close to Barnes Station, and runs all the way along Lower Richmond Road. The video was taken at normal walking speed. It is the longest traffic queue we have ever witnessed in Putney. On Friday, the District Line failed again, this time not by strike but by signal failure, when East Putney broke down during what was supposed to be a running day. At the same time, five bus routes collapsed across the same corridor. For anyone trying to get around SW15 on foot, wheel, or wing, there was no functioning alternative.

Putney is one of the best-connected parts of London outside the centre. Two tube stations, a mainline railway, multiple bus routes, direct access to the river. On Friday, for a significant portion of the day, none of it worked.

It was Strike Day 4 of the RMT action. The signal failure at East Putney severed service between Parsons Green and Wimbledon, adding infrastructure collapse to planned industrial action. TfL’s own status alerts headlined all five bus failures as “PUTNEY AREA DELAYS”: no service on route 37 between Wandsworth and Green Man, no service on route 14 between Putney Bridge and Putney Heath, routes 39 and 93 cut between Green Man and Putney Bridge, and route 265 cancelled between Barnes Common and Putney Bridge.

A large number of SW15 residents worked from home and absorbed the disruption that way, with the week’s failures falling hardest on those who had no choice but to travel.

#### Why it keeps happening

None of this was unforeseeable. East Putney is, by TfL’s own data, the worst tube station in London for signal failures, losing 147 hours to signal disruption in 2024. That is [more than double the next worst station on the network](https://putney.news/2026/03/29/east-putney-officially-the-worst-tube-station-in-london/). A *Putney.news* FOI investigation published last month found that the three worst-performing signal stations in London are all on District Line branches serving Putney, Wimbledon and Richmond. Asked how often it records a good service, TfL replied: “We do not record information on when a ‘good service’ is running.”

The buses that failed on Friday are the same routes [previously documented as among the least reliable in the capital](https://putney.news/2025/11/16/why-putney-is-paralysed-eight-failures-creating-londons-traffic-nightmare/). The underlying cause is not complicated: Victorian-era signalling infrastructure that [has been causing failures at East Putney for over a century](https://putney.news/2025/09/25/this-is-why-your-commute-is-hell-putneys-transport-meltdown-exposed/), combined with bus routes that cannot absorb the simultaneous corridor pressure that a tube strike creates. When the strike removed the District Line as an alternative, the buses bore the full weight. They failed.

There is no short-term fix. TfL has committed to signalling upgrades on the Wimbledon branch but has not published a timeline. Signalling modernisation on London Underground typically runs on decade-long programmes.

On top of bus and Tube failure, the road traffic was the worst it has ever been, and levels of frustration with the failed redesign of Putney Bridge junction never higher.

#### The next dates

Friday was not the last time this pattern will repeat. The [remaining strike dates are confirmed](https://putney.news/2026/04/17/the-district-line-is-striking-six-times-here-are-the-dates/): Tuesday 19 May and Thursday 21 May; Tuesday 16 June and Thursday 18 June. Each strike runs from midday to 11:59am the following day, disrupting the afternoon of the first day and the morning commute of the second. ASLEF drivers are not striking, so TfL expects severe disruption rather than a complete shutdown. The District Line will run some services; it will not run normally.

On the days surrounding those strikes, the signal infrastructure at East Putney will still be Victorian. The bus routes will still be the same routes. And if Wednesday’s traffic is any guide, the roads will not absorb the difference.

Check [tfl.gov.uk/campaign/strikes](https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/strikes) before each date for any last-minute updates or cancellations. If you rely on the 37, 14, 39, 93, or 265 during strike periods, do not assume they will provide reliable cover for the District Line. Friday showed what happens when they are asked to carry that load. South Western Railway from Putney station is not affected by the RMT tube action and remains the most reliable alternative for central London destinations on strike days.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-week-sw15s-transport-network-fell-apart-all-at-once/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-week-sw15s-transport-network-fell-apart-all-at-once/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20week%20SW15%E2%80%99s%20transport%20network%20fell%20apart%20%E2%80%93%20all%20at%20once&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/26/the-week-sw15s-transport-network-fell-apart-all-at-once/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Barnes, bus, District Line, East Putney, Putney Bridge junction, TfL

---

### [The same failures, the same prison, the same verdict: another Wandsworth death was preventable](https://putney.news/2026/04/27/the-same-failures-the-same-prison-the-same-verdict-another-wandsworth-death-was-preventable/)

**Published:** April 27, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Ombudsman Adrian Usher has now twice found that a Wandsworth prisoner might not have died had they been held elsewhere.

**Content:**

Waleed Ali arrived at HMP Wandsworth at 3.46pm on 22 October 2022. He was 54 years old. Two days earlier he had attacked his ex-partner with a knife in a public place. He had also stabbed himself. He had told the hospital he wanted to die, and the police at Charing Cross, where he was held overnight, had placed him under constant supervision because he said he wanted to kill himself.

A prison’s first duty to a man arriving in that condition is not to judge him. A court will do that. Its duty is to keep him alive long enough for a court to hear his case. That is the most basic thing a prison does. On 22 October 2022, HMP Wandsworth failed in its job.

By 9.59pm that evening, Ali was dead. He had hanged himself in his first-night cell. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, publishing his independent investigation this week, finds that the death was “absolutely foreseeable and therefore possibly preventable.” It is the second time in eight months that Ombudsman Adrian Usher has said a prisoner at Wandsworth might not have died had he been elsewhere.

The escort record travelling with Ali from the police station made clear he was at risk of suicide. Every institution that held him before he arrived (the police, the hospital, the court) had read it. No-one at Wandsworth did.

Every institution read the escort record — except the one built to hold him

Ali’s Person Escort Record stated he was “at risk of suicide and self-harm.” Here is who saw it.

Before Wandsworth

Hospital

Discharge note: “self-stabbing with intent to end life.” Ali placed under observation.

✓

 Read 

Police — Charing Cross

Constant supervision ordered. Escort record completed: “high level of risk.”

✓

 Read 

Court mental health nurse

Emailed Wandsworth reception, mental health team and healthcare inbox to warn of Ali’s risk. Email sent 21 October.

✓

 Read 

At Wandsworth

Serco escort officer

Collected Ali from court. Not briefed on his risk. Did not check the escort record.

✗

 Not read 

Reception — HMP Wandsworth

Supervising officer “did not see why he should check it.” Ministry of Justice Digital confirmed no-one at Wandsworth accessed the record.

✗

 Not read 

Reception nurse

Assessed Ali without checking the escort record. Did not open suicide monitoring.

✗

 Not read 

Cell-sharing officer

“Could not remember seeing” the escort record. Ticked box confirming he had.

✗

 Not read 

Court nurse’s warning email

Received at Wandsworth reception inbox 21 October. Read on 25 October — three days after Ali died.

✗

 Not read in time 

 **Waleed Ali died at 9.59pm on 22 October 2022.** The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman found his death “absolutely foreseeable and therefore possibly preventable.” 

Source: Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigation into the death of Mr Waleed Ali, published 24 April 2026

#### Every system that handled him, except the one built to hold him

On 20 October, after stabbing himself and his ex-partner, Ali was taken to hospital. The psychiatric team there recorded that he “hated his life” and wanted to end it. His discharge paperwork stated “self-stabbing with intent to end life.” He arrived at Charing Cross police station that afternoon, placed under constant supervision, screaming that he wanted to die.

The police completed Ali’s Person Escort Record (the document that follows a prisoner through the custody system) the following evening. It recorded clearly that he was “at risk of suicide and self-harm” and had been “under constant supervision” due to the “high level of risk.” A mental health nurse at Westminster Magistrates’ Court also emailed HMP Wandsworth’s reception, mental health team and healthcare inbox that afternoon, warning that Ali was due the next day and had tried to take his own life. The reception inbox was not checked. That email was not read until 25 October; three days after Ali died.

When Ali appeared before magistrates on 22 October, charged with attempted murder and remanded in custody, he was sent to HMP Wandsworth.

Serco, the private company running the escort contract, collected Ali from court that afternoon. He removed all his clothes but his underwear. The escort officer had not been briefed on his risk. On the van to Wandsworth, audio captured Ali “often crying and wailing.”

The escort officer’s response, recorded by the van’s CCTV system and quoted in full in the PPO report, was: “Oh bloody hell, really? I don’t want to listen to that.” When another prisoner told Ali to “shut the fuck up,” she laughed.

During the journey, Ali banged on the floor, said he could not breathe, clutched his chest, and appeared to stop breathing. He slumped motionless for approximately sixty seconds. The officer did not react. She did not check on him.

He arrived at Wandsworth at 3.46pm. Sixteen minutes passed before a supervising officer opened the holding cell door. Ali was lying on his side on the floor and slumped into the doorway.

#### What happened inside the prison

In reception, a nurse assessed Ali. She recorded that he appeared “mentally stable” and “calm,” but also noted “strange behaviour” and referred him to the mental health team. She did not open an ACCT (the suicide and self-harm monitoring document that would have placed him under structured observation). The officer handling the cell-sharing risk assessment later told investigators he “could not remember seeing” the escort record and did not have access to the digital version.

The prison’s digital systems confirmed that no-one at Wandsworth accessed Ali’s escort record at any point during the six hours between his arrival and his death.

That evening, a GP made a note in Ali’s new medical record. A fresh record had been created because his date of birth had been entered incorrectly on his warrant. The note stated that Ali had “transferred to the wing.” Ali had not transferred to the wing. He was still in the first-night centre. Shortly afterwards, the GP walked past the room Ali was in, looked in, and left for the day.

Ali was placed in a shared double cell that evening. His cellmate had not wanted to share and had to be returned to the cell with a physical hold. Over the next hour, Ali pressed the emergency bell five times.

Five emergency bells. One answered after 29 minutes.

Cell bell log — Echo wing, HMP Wandsworth — evening of 22 October 2022

    Time pressed Response time Visit duration Officer action     6.56pm Not recorded Not recorded Not recorded   7.00pm **29 minutes** 25 seconds Ali asked, crying, to be moved. Officer did not ask why.   7.39pm Not recorded 5 seconds Ali asked, crying, to be moved. Officer did not ask why.   7.44pm Not recorded Not recorded Not recorded   7.57pm Not recorded Not recorded Not recorded    

 ⚠ At **9.06pm** the cellmate rang the emergency bell after finding Ali hanged. A nurse walked past one minute later without noticing. No officer came for **six minutes**. Ali was pronounced dead at 9.59pm. 

Source: Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigation into the death of Mr Waleed Ali, published 24 April 2026 (para 87)

One bell was not answered for 29 minutes. An officer attended four times. Each visit lasted between five and 25 seconds. Ali asked, crying, to be moved. The officer never asked why.

The cellmate rang the emergency bell after finding Ali hanged. A nurse walked past the cell a minute later. She did not notice the emergency light or hear anything. No officer came for six minutes. Ali was pronounced dead at 9.59pm.

The coroner, following a three-week inquest concluding on 4 March this year, returned a verdict of suicide. She found “systemic failures to properly assess and communicate risk.”

#### The same prison. The same failures.

Ali is not the first prisoner to die at HMP Wandsworth after arriving with a clearly-flagged suicide risk that staff failed to act on. [Sebastião Lucas died in May 2021](https://putney.news/2026/01/11/watchdog-very-concerned-over-wandsworth-prisons-failure-to-keep-suicidal-prisoner-safe/) after arriving with similar documentation. Staff failed to read it. No monitoring was opened. [Rajwinder Singh died in June 2023](https://putney.news/2025/08/24/he-would-still-be-alive-damning-report-reveals-how-wandsworth-prison-failed-father-of-three/) after staff ignored cell bell alerts. Usher’s report into Singh’s death was so serious that Usher took the unusual step of finding the prisoner might not have died had he been held elsewhere.

He has now written that sentence twice. Both times about Wandsworth.

Usher’s foreword to today’s report names the pattern directly. Ali “was a man presenting with a clear risk of suicide, who was distressed, possibly mentally unwell and vulnerable. The police identified Mr Ali as at risk of suicide following his arrest two days earlier. Although this information was recorded in documentation, which was available to court staff, escorting staff and prison officers, no-one checked it.”

The report describes the prison’s failure as “symptomatic” of a prison in sustained crisis. Not an individual error, not a bad shift, but a condition that persisted over years.

Ali was the 15th prisoner to die at HMP Wandsworth since October 2019. [Three more men died there within eight days last month.](https://putney.news/2026/04/13/three-men-died-at-wandsworth-prison-within-eight-days/) There have been nine further self-inflicted deaths at the prison since Ali’s.

#### What the prison has done since

The PPO made a single recommendation: that the governor, the head of healthcare and Serco’s head of operations should audit whether staff are actually following the rules on escort records.

HMPPS accepted the recommendation. The action plan records that the prison now prints escort records on arrival; that a reception audit process has been introduced; that staff have been trained; that monthly meetings between the prison and escort contract managers now take place. Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, which provides healthcare at the prison, has given its healthcare staff direct access to the digital record. A multi-agency learning event took place in September 2024.

These things are real. They are also, in one sense, beside the point. The question the PPO’s report leaves behind is not whether the processes have been updated. It is how many times the same update can be made, accepted, completed and filed before the next man arrives at the gate with a document nobody reads.

![Adrian Usher, Prisons and Probation Ombudsman](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/adrian-usher-ombudsman-1024x768.png)Prisons and Probation Ombudsman Adrian Usher spoke about the high levels of deaths at Wandsworth Prison#### “The failures make for depressing reading”

Wandsworth Prison holds people on behalf of every borough in London and beyond. The state puts people there because society has decided that some people, sometimes, have to be removed from it. Sometimes because they have done terrible things. That decision is legitimate. It comes with a condition: the state assumes responsibility for keeping those people alive.

Waleed Ali had done something terrible. The state had a duty to him anyway. On 22 October 2022, it did not discharge that duty.

The Ombudsman finds that the failures “make for depressing reading.” It is the only emotive word in his entire 24-page report and he uses it once.

Nineteen stories. Twenty-four deaths investigated since 2019. Nine more self-inflicted deaths since Ali’s. One recommendation per case. Action plans completed. And the next man arrives.

---

*If you are affected by anything in this article, Samaritans are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call free on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, or visit [samaritans.org](https://www.samaritans.org/).*

*INQUEST provides specialist, independent and confidential support for families bereaved following a death in state detention. Visit [inquest.org.uk](https://www.inquest.org.uk/) or call 020 7263 1111.*

*The Wandsworth Prison Improvement Campaign works to improve conditions at the jail and supports prisoners on release through its Leavers Lounge programme. Visit [wpic.org.uk](https://wpic.org.uk/).*

*The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman publishes all fatal incident investigations at [ppo.gov.uk/establishment/hmp-wandsworth](https://ppo.gov.uk/establishment/hmp-wandsworth/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/27/the-same-failures-the-same-prison-the-same-verdict-another-wandsworth-death-was-preventable/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/27/the-same-failures-the-same-prison-the-same-verdict-another-wandsworth-death-was-preventable/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20same%20failures%2C%20the%20same%20prison%2C%20the%20same%20verdict%3A%20another%20Wandsworth%20death%20was%20preventable&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/27/the-same-failures-the-same-prison-the-same-verdict-another-wandsworth-death-was-preventable/)

**Categories:** Crime, Wandsworth Town

**Tags:** accountability, inquest, NHS, Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, prison conditions, prison deaths, Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Serco, Wandsworth Prison

---

### [East Putney bridges get their long-awaited facelift - in pictures](https://putney.news/2026/04/25/east-putney-bridges-gets-their-long-awaited-facelift-in-pictures/)

**Published:** April 25, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Night works are under way as Network Rail begins painting the Upper Richmond Road bridges.

**Content:**

Network Rail contractors have begun painting East Putney’s railway bridges over Upper Richmond Road, the final phase of a refurbishment that has been nearly a decade in the making.

Scaffolding is being built each night and then dismantled again in time for the morning traffic, with night works under way. For anyone who has walked under the bridges recently, the difference is already visible.

![Nighttime construction under a steel bridge with scaffolding, orange barriers, and workers in safety gear.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/east-putney-bridge-painting-4-1024x768.png)The paint going on now is not quite what Wandsworth Council promised. Back in 2016, the cabinet [backed plans for improvements to Upper Richmond Road](https://putney.news/2026/01/05/eight-years-after-promising-artwork-east-putney-bridge-finally-getting-a-lick-of-paint/) that included Balham-style environmental artwork (the sort of scheme that transformed the railway bridges at Clapham Junction).

In 2019, the council announced the plans had “moved a step closer.” Both announcements have since been removed from the council’s website. What arrived, eight years on, is rust removal and a coat of paint. The bridges were described in those original announcements as “damp, dirty and unattractive.” That much, at least, will be addressed.

![London Underground roundel sign mounted on a pillar above a red and blue bus on a city street.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/east-putney-bridge-768x1024.png)Getting here was not straightforward. Residents on nearby streets found themselves [kept awake until 5am](https://putney.news/2026/03/12/hell-on-earth-east-putney-residents-kept-awake-until-5am-by-bridge-works/) during the works phase, with night-time road closures required because TfL and Network Rail share ownership of the road. [Contractor problems](https://putney.news/2026/03/27/east-putney-bridge-noise-over-the-worst-but-contractor-problems-persist/) complicated progress further. By late March, the noise was “over the worst.” Now the painting has begun.

![Underside of a riveted metal bridge spanning a city street, with pedestrians and buildings visible beneath.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/east-putney-bridge-underneath-768x1024.png)It may be worth noting that while East Putney is finally getting a clean-up and paint, bridges in other parts of Wandsworth – which happen to be located in the local wards of cabinet members and electorally important areas – have received extensive, some might say excessive, makeovers, complete with opening day festivities.

We don’t expect to see jazz bands, stilt walkers, a countdown button or multi-media presentations when the East Putney’s bridges are completed next month. Just less ugly underpasses.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/25/east-putney-bridges-gets-their-long-awaited-facelift-in-pictures/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/25/east-putney-bridges-gets-their-long-awaited-facelift-in-pictures/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=East%20Putney%20bridges%20get%20their%20long-awaited%20facelift%20%E2%80%93%20in%20pictures&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/25/east-putney-bridges-gets-their-long-awaited-facelift-in-pictures/)

**Categories:** East Putney, Transport

**Tags:** East Putney, Network Rail, Upper Richmond Road, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Two court defeats and a parliamentary ambush. Wimbledon Park's residents won't give up.](https://putney.news/2026/04/25/two-court-defeats-and-a-parliamentary-ambush-wimbledon-parks-residents-wont-give-up/)

**Published:** April 25, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** The five-year fight to stop the All England Club building on protected land — and what happens next.

**Content:**

Nine months ago, Save Wimbledon Park lost in the High Court. The judge found that the Greater London Authority had acted lawfully when it approved the All England Club’s plans to expand the world’s most famous tennis tournament onto protected parkland opposite its gates.

They appealed.

Three months ago, they lost again in a second High Court case, this time over whether the land was protected by a statutory public recreation trust. They had raised £120,000 from the community to fight it. Their barrister argued hard. The judge did not agree.

They applied to the Court of Appeal.

And then this week, they lost a third battle in Parliament, when the government’s Devolution Bill passed through the House of Commons. Tucked inside it was an amendment – backed by four members of the House of Lords, one of whom is a director of the company behind the Wimbledon expansion – that removed a further layer of legal protection from the land. It passed without a vote. Without debate. In seconds.

You could forgive the group of local residents who have spent five years fighting this for wanting, at that point, to give up.

Instead, on Wednesday evening, around 150 of them filled St Mark’s Church in Wimbledon. They had not come to mourn. They had come to see a plan.

![Save WImbledon Park meeting at St Mark's in Wimbledon, April 2026](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/swp-meeting-23apr26-1-1024x768.png)#### What they are fighting for

To understand why this community keeps fighting, you need to understand what it is fighting for, and how long it has been worth fighting for.

Wimbledon Park is a Grade II\* listed landscape, one of the highest heritage designations in England. Its lake was created in the 1760s by Lancelot Brown (Capability Brown), commissioned by Earl Spencer to transform formal Renaissance gardens into a natural landscape. Brown dammed the valley formed by two brooks to create what became a 12-hectare lake, planted clumps of trees that still stand, and shaped the views that have defined this corner of south-west London for nearly three centuries.

The park opened to the public in 1914, when the Wimbledon Corporation purchased it to preserve it from a Victorian developer who had already sold off much of the surrounding estate for housing. The lake, the trees, the open land: saved, deliberately, for the people who lived nearby.

Many of them moved here precisely because of it.

This part of London has been fought over before. In the 1860s, the same Lord Spencer whose family had commissioned Capability Brown attempted to enclose Wimbledon Common. He was met by an alliance of local tradesmen who took him to court, and he backed down. By 1872, Parliament had passed legislation protecting public access to open spaces. The common has been preserved ever since.

It is a reminder, as SWP’s lawyer Christopher Coombe told Wednesday’s meeting, that this community has form. “We are in Merton where William Morris set up his wonderful establishments to print papers and weave wonderful patterns,” he said. “William Morris bemoaned the industrial revolutionary process which wrecked large pieces of our landscape. There is a bit of history behind it.”

It is an extraordinary battle against the odds we have followed closely: from [how the dispute began](https://putney.news/2025/05/05/from-prestige-to-protest-inside-the-years-long-battle-over-wimbledon-park/), to [every court hearing](https://putney.news/2026/01/16/wimbledon-park-court-battle-begins-today-as-national-voices-back-campaign/) and [every parliamentary battle](https://putney.news/2026/04/14/lords-pass-wimbledon-park-amendment-162-55-as-liberal-democrats-vote-alone-against/) since.

![Christopher Coombe](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/swp-meeting-23apr26-4-1024x768.png)Christopher Coombe#### The land that was promised

The golf course land that the All England Club now wants to build on was sold by Merton Council in 1993 for £5.2m. At the time there was, in the words of retired property lawyer Jeremy Hudson, “a great fury locally.” People could see what might happen. So the council and the club both made public promises that it would not.

Council leader Tony Coleman told residents the land “will be retained as open space. We have declared it a conservation area and placed strong covenants on the sale.” The then AELTC chairman said the club had “purchased the land on that basis.”

Those covenants are precise: the land may not be used other than for leisure or recreational purposes; no building may be erected other than one ancillary to open space use. The All England Club accepts and acknowledges that its approved scheme (an 8,000-seat stadium, 38 new courts, ten other buildings, and nine kilometres of roads and paths) would breach them.

Hudson told Wednesday’s meeting that this has been raised with the club since the very first meeting of the campaign, five years ago. It has never been resolved. He paused before delivering the verdict. “It is extraordinary,” he said, “that the elephant in the room is still in the room.”

There is also the small matter of what building all this would mean for the park itself. Actress Thelma Ruby, 101, who overlooks the land from her flat, told the meeting that AELTC’s own plans would mean 800 trees lost. “Even they admit it’s going to be over 400,” she said. A representative of the club had visited her flat to explain the proposals. “She said: between here and the lake we’re going to cut down all the trees and there’ll be eight tennis courts. I said to her: how can you sleep at night?”

![Star of stage and screen, actress Thelma Ruby](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/swp-meeting-23apr26-23-768x1024.png)Star of stage and screen Thelma Ruby, still full of zest at 101, rallies Wimbledon residents#### The covenants, and who holds them

To proceed, the All England must either obtain Merton Council’s consent to release the covenants, which would require full public consultation, or apply to the Lands Tribunal under Section 84 of the Law of Property Act 1925, a procedure designed to remove covenants that have become obsolete. Hudson, a former expert in the procedure, was unsparing. “There is nothing obsolete about these covenants. They are less than forty years old. They were agreed and imposed to prevent the very thing which the All England are now proposing to do.”

This is why Merton Council matters, and why the elections on 7 May are more than routine.

The council has been under Labour control since 2014. The borough runs from Wimbledon in the north, one of the most affluent areas in outer London, to Mitcham and the estates of Pollards Hill and St Helier in the south and east. The world of cream teas and garden parties at one end of Merton is a different country from the one at the other. Labour has governed them both.

Who runs Merton Council

Party in control since the borough was created in 1965

 Labour Conservative No overall control 

Con

Labour

NOC

Labour

 1965 1980 1995 2010 2025 

Party in control

Years

No overall control

1965–1968

Conservative

1968–1971

Labour

1971–1974

Conservative

1974–1989

No overall control

1989–1990

Labour

1990–2006

No overall control

2006–2014

Labour current

2014–present

Labour’s base is in Mitcham and Morden, the south and east of the borough. In 2022, the Liberal Democrats replaced the Conservatives as the main opposition, winning 17 seats across the Wimbledon wards. The direction of travel in the north of the borough was already shifting before the Wimbledon Park dispute became a local election issue.

Source: Wikipedia; Merton Council election records

That Labour administration has “repeatedly declined to confirm that they will enforce the covenants,” Hudson told the meeting. The Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Greens have all confirmed they would enforce. Labour and Reform have not. In the 2022 local elections, the Liberal Democrats replaced the Conservatives as the main opposition across the Wimbledon wards. The direction of travel was already shifting before this dispute became a ballot issue.

Merton goes to the polls on 7 May. If Labour loses control of the council, history will likely record its decade-long failure to enforce the covenants its own residents placed on that land as a significant factor.

#### Who is fighting this, and against what

Save Wimbledon Park is often described as a residents group. That is true but underdescriptive. It is a group of people: lawyers, architects, historians, community organisers, who have taken the All England Club, one of the wealthiest sporting institutions in the world, to the High Court twice. They have argued their case in the House of Lords and the House of Commons. They have raised over £120,000 from local donations. They have done all of it without pay, in their own time, in parallel with their jobs and lives.

The All England Club has vast resources. It has sympathisers at the highest levels of the legislature. It has a planning permission, bitterly contested and fought through multiple authorities, but granted. It has the commercial logic of a £200 million expansion behind it.

SWP has the law. And as of this week, it has something else.

![Richard Rees](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/swp-meeting-23apr26-12-1024x768.png)#### Tomorrow: the alternative

For a year, quietly, two architects have been working on a plan. Not a protest. Not a legal argument. A master plan, detailed, costed in outline, designed to meet the All England Club’s stated operational needs while preserving the land its own covenants require it to protect.

And the man they recruited to lead that work is the man who designed Wimbledon in the first place.

Richard Rees drew the original All England master plan in the 1990s. He designed Olympic tennis venues at Sydney, Athens, Beijing and Rio. He planned the regeneration of Liverpool city centre and worked on the Hong Kong waterfront. His team gave Wimbledon the phrase that has defined its identity ever since:

> Tennis in an English garden.

He came to St Mark’s Church on Wednesday evening not as a campaigner, but as a professional who had looked at the All England’s approved plans and found them, in his word, inadequate. He has designed an alternative. Tomorrow, we will explain what it proposes, and why he believes it would make Wimbledon not just more legal, but genuinely better.

![Board announcing AELTC's planned expansion during the Wimbledon tournament in 2024](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/aeltc-boards-wimbledon-768x1024.png)Board announcing AELTC’s planned expansion during the Wimbledon tournament in 2024*Putney.news has covered the Wimbledon Park story in some depth. Our full coverage includes the [origins of the dispute](https://putney.news/2025/05/05/from-prestige-to-protest-inside-the-years-long-battle-over-wimbledon-park/), [the first High Court loss in July 2025](https://putney.news/2025/07/21/save-wimbledon-park-campaign-loses-high-court-challenge/), [the Court of Appeal opening the planning challenge](https://putney.news/2025/11/20/court-of-appeal-reopens-wimbledon-park-fight-as-residents-challenge-planning-approval/), [January’s public trust hearing](https://putney.news/2026/01/16/wimbledon-park-court-battle-begins-today-as-national-voices-back-campaign/), [our legal explainer](https://putney.news/2026/03/20/wimbledon-park-what-the-high-court-ruling-actually-means-and-what-happens-next/), and [Tuesday’s passing of the Banner amendment](https://putney.news/2026/04/22/done-in-seconds-the-wimbledon-park-amendment-is-now-on-the-statute-book/).*

---

*Correction, 8.30am: We originally put the purchase price of the land by AELTC in 1993 as £3.2m. This was a typo, the real sum was £5.2m.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/25/two-court-defeats-and-a-parliamentary-ambush-wimbledon-parks-residents-wont-give-up/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/25/two-court-defeats-and-a-parliamentary-ambush-wimbledon-parks-residents-wont-give-up/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Two%20court%20defeats%20and%20a%20parliamentary%20ambush.%20Wimbledon%20Park%E2%80%99s%20residents%20won%E2%80%99t%20give%20up.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/25/two-court-defeats-and-a-parliamentary-ambush-wimbledon-parks-residents-wont-give-up/)

**Categories:** Community, Long read, Planning, Politics, Wimbledon

**Tags:** AELTC, High Court, Paul Kohler MP, planning, Save Wimbledon Park, Wimbledon, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Southfields hustings: the applause line that wasn't true, and the truth nobody else said](https://putney.news/2026/04/23/southfields-hustings-the-applause-line-that-wasnt-true-and-the-truth-nobody-else-said/)

**Published:** April 23, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** One candidate got the loudest cheer of the night. Another got the facts right.

**Content:**

“I’ve just heard from Fleur that the funding for Hammersmith Bridge has been approved.” The young Labour candidate’s closing statement drew the loudest applause of the Southfields hustings on Tuesday night. [The truth was much less exciting.](https://putney.news/2026/04/22/after-a-fourth-commons-debate-on-hammersmith-bridge-no-new-funding-possibly-a-breakthrough/)

Seven candidates took the stage at St Barnabas Church on Tuesday evening for the third and final hustings of this election series, chaired by Charles Runcie of the Southfields Grid Residents Association. Reform UK sent no candidates for the third consecutive time; one of the two Green candidates was absent. Around a hundred people attended, with a broader age mix than at either of the previous events. The evening was civil and measured, without the sharper edges of Thamesfield or the heckling of Roehampton, and no candidate clearly won the room.

How we assess candidates: every candidate at every hustings is scored on six criteria. [Read our methodology](https://putney.news/election-how-we-score-hustings/).

#### What the MP actually said

Megs Jacobs named a sitting MP in her closing statement and drew the night’s loudest applause. Earlier that same afternoon, Fleur Anderson MP had led a Westminster Hall debate on Hammersmith Bridge (the fourth such debate in five years) and [pressed the minister in charge](https://putney.news/2026/04/22/after-a-fourth-commons-debate-on-hammersmith-bridge-no-new-funding-possibly-a-breakthrough/). A week ago, the government opened up applications to the £1 billion Structures Fund, and the minister confirmed the bridge is “a good candidate” for investment, and also flagged that the government would “assess higher contributions and additional third-party contributions favourably” – the coded language likely means that central government is prepared to put in more than previously offered to open Hammersmith Bridge but it is still far from funding having been “approved”.

#### Sixty seconds to land a line

The hustings ran on a one-minute format: one minute to answer, a volunteer counting down audibly, a fifteen-second warning, a final signal. Seven candidates, four parties, sixty seconds to land a line.

![Fergus Foord, Lib Dem candidate for Southfields](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/southfields-hustings-12-1024x768.png)Fergus Foord, Lib Dem candidate for SouthfieldsThe bridge claim was the starkest example of what that pressure produces, but not the only one. Fergus Foord told the room there was “only one working CCTV camera in the whole borough.” The council expanded its CCTV network in June 2025 and deployed three new mobile vans in September with 150 extra monitoring hours a month. His intended meaning was almost certainly Southfields-specific, but what he said is not supported as stated.

Emmeline Owens said youth unemployment in London was “the highest it has ever been, I think, at twenty-five per cent.” The London-specific figure for November to January 2026 is 24.6%. The historical claim is arguable: London youth unemployment reached 25% in 2012 following the financial crisis.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Peter Watts and Jacobs both said the Balham neighbourhood warden scheme had “worked really well” and produced “less crime since rolled out.” The scheme is six weeks into a six-month pilot. No formal evaluation has been published.

Three versions of the same problem, from three different parties all keen to demonstrate real progress; all over-egging the information.

![Emmeline Owens, Conservative](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/southfields-hustings-4-1024x768.png)Emmeline Owens, ConservativeThe same pressure also showed who kept their footing. Owens opened with four headline financial claims delivered from memory: £200 million reserves almost halved, £140 million budget gap in two years, £80 million in government cuts, £60 million in overspending. All four held up against Budget Paper 26-63.

![Guy Humphries, Conservative candidate](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/southfields-hustings-1-1-1024x768.png)Guy Humphries, Conservative candidateGuy Humphries gave the correct legal position on HMOs concisely and without spin: “The council has no power to stop somebody from producing an HMO because they’re a part of housing policy which is allowed under national policy. What you can do is control the size and the appropriateness.” Sue Wixley named the Elsenham Street application specifically and gave the correct Local Plan test. Notably, however, none of them mentioned Article 4 Direction, which is the tool other London boroughs have used to deal with this issue.

Watts acknowledged that the Putney Bridge Road cycle lane had reduced road capacity, consistent with this paper’s reporting from TfL consultation documents, and that the balance needed reviewing. One of the few moments where any candidate resisted a clean party line.

![Southfields election hustings. Pic: SGRA](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Southfields-election-hustings.png)Southfields election hustings. Pic: SGRA#### The one honest answer on council tax

Council tax produced the evening’s richest exchange. Jacobs said Labour had been offered flexibility above the 5% cap and “said no thank you.” That is narrowly correct on the mechanism but considerably understates what was actually offered. Wandsworth is one of six councils granted unlimited tax-raising power, with no referendum required, for two years from April 2027, through a formal government finance settlement designed to close an £1,100 gap between Wandsworth’s Band D rate and the England average. The government expects these six councils to use the power. Future grant funding has been made contingent on it. Council leader Simon Hogg is publicly refusing: “No, of course not. We will be keeping the same low council tax,” he told a council meeting in December.

![Kester Leek, Green candidate](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/southfields-hustings-7-1024x768.png)Kester Leek, Green candidateThe Conservatives have been telling voters that council tax would need to rise by more than 80% under Labour. Jacobs’s rebuttal of the arithmetic was essentially correct. But the figure comes from IFS analysis of what closing the grant-funding gap would require: it is a government expectation of what councils like Wandsworth will need to do, not a Labour policy pledge. The Conservatives have put it in their manifesto as a warning. Jacobs was treating it as a Labour commitment she could rebut.

The UK Statistics Authority wrote to the council leader in March about the “potential to mislead” of the “freeze” language. The issue is not straightforward and voters should be able to count on their political representatives explaining it to them simply and honestly.

![Sue Wixley, Liberal Democrat](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/southfields-hustings-5-1024x768.png)Sue Wixley, Liberal DemocratKester Leek was the only candidate on stage who got close to that: the 80% figure is a central-government expectation, not a Labour pledge, and Wandsworth needs “an honest conversation” about what it actually faces. “We live in one of the richest boroughs in one of the richest countries in the world and the idea that we can’t find ways to pay for decent services is farcical.” It was the most honest moment of the evening, and it came from the most underprepared candidate – overall – in the room.

#### Where they stood

   Party Comparison Panel — Southfields Hustings 21 April 2026     Putney.news · Election 2026

### How each party engaged with ward priorities

Based on candidate responses at Southfields Hustings, 21 April 2026. Reform UK did not attend.

 Specific commitment Vague aspiration Not addressed 

     Ward priority Labour Conservative Lib Dem Green     Crime / CCTV / policing  Specific More community safety officers; wardens rolled out borough-wide; more lighting   Specific Fund real police officers through CIL; more lighting; more CCTV   Vague Increase CCTV (overstated against the council's expanded 2025 programme)   Vague Root causes nationally; youth hubs; community cohesion    Council tax / finances  Vague Keep “lowest in country”; rejected the Conservative 80% claim, mischaracterising its origin   Specific £137m gap; reserves halving; difficult choices required   Vague Keep as low as possible while protecting services   Specific Honest conversation; rich borough can afford good services    District Line  Specific Upgrades testing summer 2026; track circuits not full resignalling (Watts's hedged framing)   Vague Frustration expressed; no specific plan   Vague “Money secured” / “commitment from TfL” — directly contradicted by Network Rail   Specific Full automatic signalling; most technically detailed answer of the evening    HMOs / housing  Vague “HMOs symptomatic of housing problem”; 1,000 new homes pledge repeated   Specific Correct statement of national planning law; scale-based control explained   Specific Local Plan test cited; Elsenham Street planning history named   Specific Build, build, build; brownfield first; rent controls nationally    Wimbledon Park / AELTC  Specific Against development; voted against; new proposals “good compromise”   Specific Voted against; led planning committee charge; open to negotiated alternatives   Specific Against; praised new alternative plans; cross-borough coordination cited   Vague For public access to golf course land; open to compromise plans on how     

 Crime / CCTV / policing

 Labour Specific More community safety officers; wardens rolled out borough-wide; more lighting 

 Conservative Specific Fund real police officers through CIL; more lighting; more CCTV 

 Lib Dem Vague Increase CCTV (overstated against the council's expanded 2025 programme) 

 Green Vague Root causes nationally; youth hubs; community cohesion 

Council tax / finances

 Labour Vague Keep “lowest in country”; rejected the Conservative 80% claim, mischaracterising its origin 

 Conservative Specific £137m gap; reserves halving; difficult choices required 

 Lib Dem Vague Keep as low as possible while protecting services 

 Green Specific Honest conversation; rich borough can afford good services 

District Line

 Labour Specific Upgrades testing summer 2026; track circuits not full resignalling (Watts's hedged framing) 

 Conservative Vague Frustration expressed; no specific plan 

 Lib Dem Vague “Money secured” / “commitment from TfL” — directly contradicted by Network Rail 

 Green Specific Full automatic signalling; most technically detailed answer of the evening 

HMOs / housing

 Labour Vague “HMOs symptomatic of housing problem”; 1,000 new homes pledge repeated 

 Conservative Specific Correct statement of national planning law; scale-based control explained 

 Lib Dem Specific Local Plan test cited; Elsenham Street planning history named 

 Green Specific Build, build, build; brownfield first; rent controls nationally 

Wimbledon Park / AELTC

 Labour Specific Against development; voted against; new proposals “good compromise” 

 Conservative Specific Voted against; led planning committee charge; open to negotiated alternatives 

 Lib Dem Specific Against; praised new alternative plans; cross-borough coordination cited 

 Green Vague Wants public access to golf course land but against current plans 

#### Reform UK: third consecutive absence

Charles Runcie reported from the chair that he had sent “lots of emails, WhatsApp messages and goodness knows what else” to Reform UK. No reply. Reform is fielding two candidates in Southfields. Three hustings in this series, three events without a Reform presence and without a substantive response to organisers.

![Megs Jacbos, Labour](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/southfields-hustings-9-1024x768.png)Megs Jacobs, Labour#### What comes next

All three hustings in this series are now complete. A written questionnaire remains open; candidates in all three wards have been invited to respond to five questions on the record. Our full election coverage, ward profiles, candidate lists, and fact-checks are on our election page. Next week we will build out specific ward pages and begin interviewing candidates. Polling day is 7 May. Voters will need photo ID at the polling station.

The first hustings report is [here](https://putney.news/2026/04/14/putneys-first-hustings-the-claims-that-didnt-survive-the-evidence/). The second is [here](https://putney.news/2026/04/16/roehampton-hustings-the-weakest-candidate-left-the-happiest/).

---

***Corrections: 23 April 2026***

***Emmeline Owens (Conservative):** We originally rated her youth unemployment claim as misleading, citing the UK national rate of 16%. The correct comparator is the London rate, which was 24.6% for November to January 2026 — consistent with her figure of 25%. We have updated the candidate card accordingly. Her claim that this is the highest the rate has ever been is arguable: London youth unemployment reached 25% in 2012.*

*In addition, we originally rated her Paris housing comparison as misleading – and a deeper fact-check revealed it is. But the claim was drawn from an FT chart comparing new housing construction across major global cities, which shows Paris consistently above London. The FT’s own footnote states the underlying data varies by city and may not be directly comparable. The claim is accurate in broad direction but the detail behind it is thin. We have updated the rating accordingly.*

***Fergus Foord (Liberal Democrat):** Foord has been in touch to say he meant to say there was only one working CCTV camera in Southfields ward, not the whole borough. We reported what the transcript shows he said. The borough-wide claim as stated is not supported; if his intended meaning was ward-specific, the evidence base for that is not something we have been able to verify.*

***Correction: 24 April 2026***

*Kester Leek (Green): We originally described his position on the Wimbledon Park / AELTC plans as being against the current proposals. The transcript shows he was firmly in favour of bringing the golf course land into public use and open to compromise plans on how – not opposed to the current plans outright. We have updated the party comparison panel accordingly.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/23/southfields-hustings-the-applause-line-that-wasnt-true-and-the-truth-nobody-else-said/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/23/southfields-hustings-the-applause-line-that-wasnt-true-and-the-truth-nobody-else-said/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Southfields%20hustings%3A%20the%20applause%20line%20that%20wasn%E2%80%99t%20true%2C%20and%20the%20truth%20nobody%20else%20said&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/23/southfields-hustings-the-applause-line-that-wasnt-true-and-the-truth-nobody-else-said/)

**Categories:** Live events, Politics, Southfields

**Tags:** Cllr Emmeline Owens, Cllr Guy Humphries, council tax, Fleur Anderson MP, Hammersmith Bridge, Southfields, Wandsworth Council

---

### [The Half Moon's new upstairs room is open, and the Sunday Roast is worth the trip](https://putney.news/2026/04/25/the-half-moons-new-upstairs-room-is-open-and-the-sunday-roast-is-worth-the-trip/)

**Published:** April 25, 2026
**Author:** Social Butterfly

**Content:**

The Half Moon reopened on Boat Race day, 4 April, after eight weeks of full refurbishment. The new glass room on top of the pub – visible from the pavement for months, a source of some curiosity – is finally open to the public, and on a sunny Sunday it might be the best seat in Putney.

#### The setting

Take the stairs and you emerge into something genuinely new: a bar room with a retractable roof open to the sky, the original “Half Moon Live Music Since 1963” ghost lettering visible on the exposed brick wall opposite, hanging plants, warm leather seating, framed Putney photographs covering every surface. On a sunny Sunday with the roof panel back and blue sky above, it’s a genuinely lovely room – relaxed, full, and with exactly the right energy for a long lunch.

![Bright cafe interior with exposed brick, an orange tufted banquette, wall photo gallery, hanging plants, and customers dining by a skylight.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/half-moon-food-9-1024x768.png)#### The drinks

The Half Moon has clearly thought about this. As well as a serious wine list – Nyetimber on the sparkling end, a good range of reds and whites – there’s a dedicated alcohol-free menu that goes well beyond token gestures. The “Summer Sipping” card runs to coolers, a “Mindful Blends” section (TRIP CBD drinks, Lion’s Mane), AF sparkling wine, and zero-percent cocktail options. For a table with mixed drinking preferences, it works.

![Sunlit café interior with brick walls, framed art, and plants; a group sits around a tall table by large windows, chatting.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/half-moon-food-2-1024x768.png)#### The food

We ordered broadly: Mushroom Smoked Roast Beef (£22), popcorn chicken (£7), smoked garlic focaccia (£6), skinny fries, and the charred artichoke goddess salad (£16.50).

The roast delivered. The smoked beef was tender and genuinely flavourful – the smoking process adds a depth you don’t usually find in a pub roast, and it carried through to the last bite. Good textures throughout: the beef fat roasties had proper substance, the creamed corn purée brought richness, the Yorkshire pudding did its job. A plate that looked good in the sun and tasted as good as it looked.

The smoked garlic focaccia was the surprise of the table. Crispy, buttery, cheesy, garlicky — it arrived and didn’t last long. The kind of thing you order as a side and end up talking about on the way home.

![Person holding a slice of cheese cornbread over a plate of more slices on a wooden table.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/half-moon-food-3-1024x768.png)The charred artichoke goddess salad was the most interesting savoury dish: fresh, crispy, bright. Charred cos, blackened corn, sun-blushed tomatoes that had clearly been marinated – they brought a depth and sweetness that lifted the whole thing – goddess dressing. More ambitious than the standard pub salad, and it earned its place alongside the roast rather than feeling like an afterthought.

The popcorn chicken was the one stumble. Our youngest pronounced it soggy and declined to continue, and honestly, two more minutes at a higher temperature would have fixed it. A kids’ burger was requested, the staff were happy to help, and it arrived to considerably more enthusiasm.

![Plate of grilled vegetable salad with lettuce, corn, zucchini and red peppers on a dark ceramic dish outdoors on a wooden table.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/half-moon-food-7-1024x768.png)#### The experience

The room was full on the day we visited, and the team, covering both bar and restaurant, were friendly and helpful throughout. The pacing of the food was slow, dishes arriving ten minutes apart, and cutlery was still on its way when the plates landed. Growing pains for a room that is clearly popular. Worth factoring in if you’re eating with young children.

#### The puddings

We finished with two desserts and they’re worth the detour.

The S’mores Cookie Dough arrived in a small cast iron skillet – hot, gooey, decadent, with a scoop of chocolate ice cream melting into it. The hot-cold combination is the whole point and it works. It’s very slightly on the side of overcooked (there’s a version of this at Oka that edges it) but it’s still a thoroughly satisfying finish.

![Cast iron skillet on a blue plate filled with toasted marshmallows dusted with powdered sugar, side by a scoop of chocolate dessert on a wooden table.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/half-moon-food-10-1024x768.png)The Vanilla Burnt Cream (£6) is the more interesting dish. Somewhere between a panna cotta and a crème brûlée: cold, set, with a proper caramel top and a vivid berry compote alongside. Tasty and fresh. What’s telling is that you find yourself reaching for comparisons with high-end restaurants rather than pub desserts. It doesn’t quite reach that benchmark, but the fact you’re making the comparison at all says something about what the Half Moon is attempting upstairs.

![Caramel flan on a green-rimmed plate with red sauce on a rustic wooden table, with a spoon and fork nearby](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/half-moon-food-11-1024x768.png)#### The damage

Food and drinks through the main course came to £85.45. We ordered desserts separately afterwards: another £18 or so on top, bringing the full bill to just over £100. That’s fair value for what landed on the table, and the non-alcoholic options mean you’re not penalised for not drinking.

#### Worth it?

The Half Moon’s refurbishment has given Putney something it didn’t quite have before: a proper upstairs dining room with light, views, and a genuine Sunday atmosphere. The food is solid with a few standouts – the focaccia and the vanilla burnt cream in particular – the drinks range is one of the more thoughtful in the area, and the ambition in the kitchen is real. The service is warm and willing; it just needs to catch up with the room. But if you’re choosing between standing at the bar downstairs and sitting in the sun upstairs with a roast, the choice isn’t difficult.

*The Half Moon is at 93 Lower Richmond Road, SW15 1EU.*

![Faded white sign on a brick wall reading 'HALF MOON LIVE MUSIC SINCE 1963' with a small sheep graphic, under a bright blue sky.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/half-moon-food-5-1024x768.png)---

  putneynewsadmin  

 ### The Half Moon Sunday Roast

 The Half Moon Sunday Roast 4.2 5 0 1 

The Half Moon is a properly ambitious addition to Putney's Sunday lunch scene. The smoked roast beef and focaccia are genuine standouts, the new upstairs room is one of the best places to spend a Sunday afternoon in the area, and the desserts punch above their pub weight. Service is warm but pacing needs work.

The Half Moon is a properly ambitious addition to Putney's Sunday lunch scene. The smoked roast beef and focaccia are genuine standouts, the new upstairs room is one of the best places to spend a Sunday afternoon in the area, and the desserts punch above their pub weight. Service is warm but pacing needs work.

 4.2 rating

 4.2/5 

 Total Score 

  - The roast itself 
    
    4.5 rating

      4.5/5   Very good  

     The Mushroom Smoked Roast Beef was tender and genuinely flavourful — the smoking adds a depth you don't find in most pub roasts. Beef fat roasties, creamed corn purée, a proper Yorkshire pudding. The smoked garlic focaccia was the surprise of the meal: crispy, buttery, cheesy, garlicky, and gone quickly. The charred artichoke goddess salad was fresh and bright. The popcorn chicken needed another couple of minutes in the kitchen. Desserts - particularly the Vanilla Burnt Cream - showed real ambition.
- Atmosphere, setting & service 
    
    4.0 rating

      4/5   Good  

     The new upstairs room is a genuine addition to Putney. Retractable roof open to blue sky, the Half Moon's "Live Music Since 1963" ghost lettering on the exposed brick wall, hanging plants, warm leather seating. On a sunny Sunday it has exactly the right energy. Staff were friendly and helpful throughout, covering both bar and restaurant. Food pacing was slow - dishes arriving ten minutes apart, cutlery still outstanding when plates landed. Growing pains for a popular new room.
- Availability & value 
    
    4.0 rating

      4/5   Good  

     Food and drinks through the main course came to £85.45, with desserts adding around £18 — just over £100 in total. Fair value given the spread. The Sunday roast menu is available on the day without booking, though the room fills quickly. The thoughtful non-alcoholic menu means the bill doesn't automatically climb for non-drinkers. A 12.5% service charge applies for tables of four or more.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/25/the-half-moons-new-upstairs-room-is-open-and-the-sunday-roast-is-worth-the-trip/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/25/the-half-moons-new-upstairs-room-is-open-and-the-sunday-roast-is-worth-the-trip/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Half%20Moon%E2%80%99s%20new%20upstairs%20room%20is%20open%2C%20and%20the%20Sunday%20Roast%20is%20worth%20the%20trip&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/25/the-half-moons-new-upstairs-room-is-open-and-the-sunday-roast-is-worth-the-trip/)

**Categories:** Food &amp; Drink, Review, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Lower Richmond Road, Sunday Roast, The Half Moon

---

### [The secret wine bar that keeps selling out](https://putney.news/2026/04/24/the-secret-wine-bar-that-keeps-selling-out/)

**Published:** April 24, 2026
**Author:** Social Butterfly

**Excerpt:** How The Wine Escape turned a coffee shop into a sold-out event venue.

**Content:**

One evening in December, Dee Kapoor noticed that Tim Atkin had started following The Wine Escape on Instagram. That same night, Atkin walked in.

“I noticed on Instagram that he started following us,” Dee says, “and then that night he walked in.” Atkin is one of Britain’s most decorated wine critics: a Master of Wine with 40 years of experience, a writer for Harpers and Decanter, and co-chairman of the International Wine Challenge. “Tim Atkin is like the Tom Cruise of the wine world,” Dee says.

Atkin had a good evening. A regular customer, it turned out, had brought him in. She happened to have around 100,000 Instagram followers of her own. “You get amazing people in Putney,” Dee says.

Before leaving, Atkin agreed to come back and host a tasting. He asked only for wine and food in return. The event sold out in 12 to 13 hours, with no paid advertising. Inquiries are still coming in.

#### The bar that isn’t on Google

![Person holding a stemmed glass of red wine in a cozy restaurant with hanging wicker pendant lights and wooden tables.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/wine-escape-inside-768x1024.png)The Wine Escape has been operating since December 2025, on Wednesday through Saturday evenings from 5pm, [in the rear space of Ground Coffee Society](https://putney.news/2025/12/03/putneys-new-secret-wine-bar-hides-behind-ground-coffee-society/) on Lower Richmond Road. “Not one advert. Few leaflets. You can’t even find us on Google,” Dee says. Instagram is the only channel.

It is a deliberate model. Dee, along with Croatian sommelier, Maja Vehovcic, runs a wine bar in the evenings inside a coffee shop that closes at the end of the afternoon. The coffee shop owner gets a supplementary income. Dee keeps his fixed overheads controlled.

“I didn’t want to have the stresses of having a lease round my neck and I wanted a bit more freedom,” he says. “So the idea behind the Wine Escape was born.”

![Group of friends dining at a wooden booth, chatting with glasses of wine on the table and a chalkboard menu in the background.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/wine-escape-drinks-768x1024.png)The roots of that decision go back to a health scare last year. But they go further back than that. Dee opened Ma Goa on Upper Richmond Road as a family restaurant in 1993. “By the time we closed, my kids were working there with me,” he says. He ran Glug, the wine bar next door, before being headhunted as head of wine at Selfridges. Wine Escape is the next chapter.

“We use spaces that are closed in the evening,” he says, “helping the coffee shop owner by a residual income that they can put towards bloody rent increases, rates increases and all the problems they’re experiencing.”

The ambition is to run two or three spaces across the borough, moving between them over the course of an evening. “I don’t see why we can’t take it elsewhere,” Dee says.

#### Off the beaten track

![Outdoor wooden-framed chalkboard sign advertising 'THE WINE ESCAPE' with an arrow pointing right outside a wine bar.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/wine-escape-sign-683x1024.png)Wednesday evenings are set aside for collaborations with local artists, chefs, or speakers. Thursday through Saturday is the wine bar. The list is rotating, the bottles are sometimes one-offs bought at auction, and Dee will open a single bottle and sell it by the glass.

“Fed up of supermarkets dictating what we drink and everybody going for a Malbec or a Sauvignon Blanc,” he says. The house focus is on lesser-known regions: Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Georgia.

![Charcuterie board with sliced salami, assorted cheeses, ciabatta bread slices, pickles, and a small bowl of jam on a wooden table, candle nearby.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/wine-escape-food-1024x768.png)On 30 April, Wine Escape hosts a six-course supper club with Putney-based private chef Maximillian Green, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu and has worked in Michelin-star restaurants. That event is sold out too, at £40 a head, with wine pairing available at an additional £27.

Future events are announced via Instagram at [@the.wineescape](https://www.instagram.com/the.wineescape/). If you want to know when tickets go on sale, that is the place to follow.

![Person in a dark top pours wine into a glass at a dimly lit bar while another person sits nearby with a wine glass and a menu on the counter](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/wine-escape-pour-683x1024.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/24/the-secret-wine-bar-that-keeps-selling-out/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/24/the-secret-wine-bar-that-keeps-selling-out/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20secret%20wine%20bar%20that%20keeps%20selling%20out&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/24/the-secret-wine-bar-that-keeps-selling-out/)

**Categories:** Business, Food &amp; Drink, Live events, Thamesfield

**Tags:** community, Lower Richmond Road, restaurant opening, Upper Richmond Road

---

### [Three British women are in the Roehampton tennis doubles final today](https://putney.news/2026/04/24/three-british-women-are-in-the-roehampton-tennis-doubles-final-today/)

**Published:** April 24, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Semi-finals start at 10am at the National Tennis Centre - and entry appears to be free.

**Content:**

A $40,000 (£30,000) professional women’s tennis tournament is in its final two days at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton. The singles semi-finals start this morning at 10:00, the doubles final follows this afternoon, and the singles final is on Sunday. The British story this week has been quieter in singles than in doubles, where three of the four finalists are British.

#### What is this tournament?

The Lexus British Pro Series Roehampton is part of the ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour, the professional pathway that sits one level below the WTA Tour. Think of it as the Championship to Wimbledon’s Premier League. Players at this level are ranked roughly between 100 and 500 in the world, competing for points and prize money that can lift them toward the top tier. A strong week here can meaningfully shift someone’s career.

The tournament is part of the LTA’s domestic professional calendar, designed to give British players competitive opportunities on home soil before the grass court season begins. The NTC hosts two more Pro Series events later in the year.

#### Where is it?

The National Tennis Centre is on Priory Lane in Roehampton, five minutes’ walk from the Fairacres bus stop on Roehampton Lane (buses 72 and 265 among others). Opened in 2007, it is the headquarters of the Lawn Tennis Association and the training base for Britain’s professional squads. The centre has 20 courts across every Grand Slam surface. This week’s tournament is played on outdoor hard courts, the same surface as the US Open. Wimbledon qualifying takes place here each summer.

Entry to Pro Series events at the NTC appears to be free, but there is no ticketing page for this event and it is worth calling ahead to confirm: 020 8487 7296. If you cannot make it in person, the LTA streams live coverage free on YouTube. Search LTA Tennis.

![NTC indoor courts](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/ntc-indoor-courts-high.png)#### Today’s doubles final: a very British affair

Today’s most unmissable match is the doubles final. Emily Appleton partners with Slovak second seed Viktoria Hruncakova as the top seeds. They face Freya Christie and Eden Silva, who are both British and seeded third. Three of the four players in the final carry the GB flag. The match follows the singles semi-finals on Court 3, with a start time to be confirmed.

Appleton and Hruncakova have been the top seeds throughout, beating Du Pree and Wagner in the quarter-finals. Christie and Silva beat Alicia Dudeney and Amelia Rajecki in their semi-final, an all-British match.

#### The singles semi-finals

The singles semi-finals are on Court 3 this morning, starting at 10:00:

- 10:00: Carolyn Ansari (USA, fifth seed) vs Viktoria Hruncakova (Slovakia, second seed)
- Followed by: Lina Glushko (Israel, qualifier) vs Vendula Valdmannova (Czech Republic, third seed)

Glushko’s run has been the story of the week in singles. She came through qualifying, won every match, and beat seventh seed Amandine Monnot 6-0, 6-1 in the quarter-finals. If she wins on Sunday, she will have gone from qualifying draw to title match without dropping a set.

#### How the British singles players did

Nine British players entered the singles main draw and qualifying combined.

Alicia Dudeney, seeded eighth, went furthest. She beat Ophelia Korpanec Davies in the first round and reached the semi-finals before losing to Hruncakova in three sets, taking the second-set tiebreak before going down in the third. Alice Gillan reached the quarter-finals, losing to Valdmannova. Katy Dunne and Allegra Korpanec Davies both reached the second round. Indianna Spink, entered as a wildcard, also won her first-round match. Esther Adeshina, Amelia Rajecki, Ruby Cooling and Victoria Allen all competed in the main draw.

#### The final

The singles final takes place on Sunday 26 April at the National Tennis Centre, Priory Lane, Roehampton, SW15 5JQ. Previous [Roehampton tennis coverage](https://putney.news/2025/04/22/top-british-tennis-stars-return-to-roehampton-for-summer-tournament/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/24/three-british-women-are-in-the-roehampton-tennis-doubles-final-today/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/24/three-british-women-are-in-the-roehampton-tennis-doubles-final-today/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Three%20British%20women%20are%20in%20the%20Roehampton%20tennis%20doubles%20final%20today&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/24/three-british-women-are-in-the-roehampton-tennis-doubles-final-today/)

**Categories:** Roehampton, Tennis

**Tags:** ITF Roehampton, LTA, National Tennis Centre

---

### [Wandsworth's housing crisis has the same cause. Both parties helped create it.](https://putney.news/2026/04/24/wandsworths-housing-crisis-has-the-same-cause-both-parties-helped-create-it/)

**Published:** April 24, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Why planning rules produce the wrong homes - and why neither Labour nor the Conservatives said so at the hustings.

**Content:**

The housing queue in Wandsworth is over two years long for a two-bedroom home, and [costing taxpayers £28.6 million a year](https://putney.news/2026/04/23/wandsworth-is-spending-28-million-of-your-council-tax-on-temporary-housing-the-queue-is-getting-longer/) by housing families in temporary accommodation while they wait. That bill is rising by 20% a year.

It is partly a management failure: the council’s housing department was recently overhauled because of its unhealthy, entrenched attitudes. But the bigger issue is that there simply aren’t enough homes of the right size, and that is the result of decades of unhelpful housing policies. Those problems have been made worse by the current administration’s attempted fix.

Wandsworth has been producing the wrong homes for years: too many one and two-bedroom units, not enough for families. Both main parties contributed to building that system. Neither has a credible plan to dismantle it.

> [Wandsworth is spending £28 million of your council tax on temporary housing. The queue is getting longer.](https://putney.news/2026/04/23/wandsworth-is-spending-28-million-of-your-council-tax-on-temporary-housing-the-queue-is-getting-longer/)

#### How the wrong homes get built

The mechanism is straightforward. Developers who want fast-track planning approval must provide 35% of their scheme as affordable housing. To hit that percentage while keeping the scheme financially viable, developers maximise the number of units: building small. One and two-bedroom flats are cheaper to construct per square metre and generate more revenue per square metre than three and four-bedroom family homes.

The affordable housing requirement, designed to help people, produces a glut of the wrong homes.

Wandsworth Council’s own Housing Background Paper acknowledges this directly. The modelled need for one-bedroom market housing, it notes, “is particularly low.” The council “have not sought to reflect this entirely as this would result in a policy which is significantly removed from the proportion of one-beds previously delivered within the Borough.”

> In plain English: we know we’re building the wrong homes, but we’re doing it anyway because that’s what the market delivers.

The consequence is a near-permanent mismatch. At least 1,213 families currently in temporary accommodation need three bedrooms or more. Wandsworth completed 13 social rent homes of three bedrooms or larger in the whole of 2024/25.

#### What the Conservatives built

The pipeline of smaller units was established under the Conservative administration that ran Wandsworth for 44 years before Labour took over in 2022. The council’s own scrutiny records show that in the five years before Labour took control, Wandsworth averaged around 30% affordable housing delivery, below even the 35% London Plan standard. Officers acknowledged at the June 2025 housing scrutiny committee that schemes currently in the pipeline were “originally designed for sale” under the previous administration and converted to council use rather than redesigned for the housing need that actually exists.

The Right to Buy policy, operated nationally, gave many families a leg-up, providing them with property and a foothold toward generational wealth. It also reduced Wandsworth’s council stock significantly for people who still needed it. The homes were bought at good prices and in many cases later sold. Those homes were disproportionately larger family properties: the ones that are now most scarce.

#### What Labour then did

Labour came to power in 2022 with a manifesto commitment to push the affordable housing threshold to 50%. The intention was sound: force developers to provide more affordable homes to fill the gap.

But policy exists within a wider world. It was already difficult for developers to make a profit with the 35% threshold; when extra regulations came in and constructions costs jumped, it became impossible. A threshold that developers cannot viably meet does not produce more affordable homes. It produces fewer, because developers submit viability assessments claiming they can only afford 20% or 25%. Or they don’t build at all. In Putney last year, the number of new builds was literally zero.

It’s not just Wandsworth. Across London, housing starts have fallen to their lowest level since records began nearly 40 years ago, with construction started on just 100 council-funded homes across the entire capital in 2024/25. A new Building Safety Regulator, introduced after the Grenfell Tower fire, approves only a third of cases and takes an average of eight months to do so, adding financing costs that in some cases expand overall project costs by more than 15%. Across London, 281,000 homes have planning approval but are not being built because the economics no longer work. As things stand, major housebuilders have stopped buying land and have slowed construction in response to fears of stagflation and rising mortgages.

None of this is Wandsworth’s fault but it is the environment in which Wandsworth’s housing policy operates, and it makes every aspect of the bedroom mix problem harder to resolve.

As London mayor Sadiq Khan was being unhappily dragged to the conclusion that he needed to lower the affordable threshold to 20% to get any buildings built, Wandsworth was going the complete opposite direction.

Cabinet Member for Housing Cllr Aydin Dikerdem lowered the threshold to 45%, a retreat from the manifesto promise of 50%, but it was so high that developers gave up on Wandsworth altogether. The administration’s response was to decide to build homes itself. A plan to produce 1,000 new homes has created only a fraction of that: between 90 and 366 depending on how you want to define it.

> Having convinced itself that developers were pulling a fast one, the current Labour administration has borrowed money to build homes itself – and discovered in the case of the Platt Estate near the river in Putney that it has paid more to build a new home (£489,000) than it would have cost to buy one on the open market (£385k–£470k).

The 45% threshold put in place was challenged by the London authorities and after months of filings and hearings, the housing inspector threw it out, concluding it was “not justified and would be counterproductive, materially impacting on the delivery of much needed homes.” He ordered 21 mandatory modifications to Wandsworth’s housing plan.

The net result of nearly four years of work was an affordable housing threshold of 35% – the exact same figure as when the council change hands in 2022 – but with it had come the death of construction in Putney. The policies pursued have been, by every measure, a disaster. Meanwhile the number of residents looking for housing has continued to grow, costing taxpayers millions.

Incredibly, when housing cabinet member Cllr Dikerdem reported the inspector’s decision to Cabinet, he called it “very, very good news” and claimed the 45% threshold was “the only thing we didn’t get.” We covered this Alice-in-Wonderland behaviour [by simply running a table showing what the inspector said alongside what Dikerdem told the Cabinet](https://putney.news/2026/02/25/wandsworths-housing-chief-delivered-nothing-then-told-cabinet-it-was-a-win/).

> [Wandsworth’s housing chief delivered nothing then told Cabinet it was a win](https://putney.news/2026/02/25/wandsworths-housing-chief-delivered-nothing-then-told-cabinet-it-was-a-win/)

To manage the queue with the stock that exists, the council runs a programme making offers to under-occupying tenants to move to smaller homes, freeing up larger properties for families. Of 200 offers made in 2024, 89 led to successful moves.

It is a drop in the bucket and officers are put into the position of defending a programme whose own results are acknowledged as insufficient. The council is managing a crisis it cannot resolve with the tools it has, using policy levers that its own records say aren’t delivering, in a system that both main parties helped to create.

#### What neither party is saying

We have had three hustings in Putney in the past week. And at none of them has a political party addressed the mechanism producing the shortage.

None have offered a specific, testable commitment on bedroom mix. None have acknowledged that the planning policy incentive (which rewards developers for building small) exists regardless of which party holds power.

The queue is over two years. The bill is £28.6 million and rising. The homes being built are the wrong size. Both main parties know this. Neither said so.

Between them, the two main parties’ housing manifestos run to thousands of words. Despite having failed to get anywhere near its 1,000 home target, Labour has pledged to build 1,000 more as well as make good on the ones it failed to build in the past four years. There is a good Jewish word for this: *chutzpah*.

The Conservatives pledge “an appropriate housing mix” without specifying how many of those homes will have three bedrooms or more. Neither party mentions the 1,213 families currently in temporary accommodation who need exactly that. Neither acknowledges that every month those families wait costs council taxpayers up to £2,226 – because the homes they need are not being built.

In 2022, Labour’s manifesto called children in temporary accommodation “a scandal” and pledged to reduce the number. The 2026 manifesto does not mention temporary accommodation at all. The Conservatives cite the £28.6 million bill directly: as an attack on Labour’s record, not as a problem they have costed a solution to. The crisis has a price. Neither party is honest about what fixing it would take.

As for the other parties? The Green’s East Putney candidate acknowledged the temporary accommodation figures – Wandsworth joint third worst in London, with 4,000 children affected, and an average stay three and a half years – but offered no solution. And the Lib Dems? They didn’t even mention it.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/24/wandsworths-housing-crisis-has-the-same-cause-both-parties-helped-create-it/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/24/wandsworths-housing-crisis-has-the-same-cause-both-parties-helped-create-it/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%E2%80%99s%20housing%20crisis%20has%20the%20same%20cause.%20Both%20parties%20helped%20create%20it.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/24/wandsworths-housing-crisis-has-the-same-cause-both-parties-helped-create-it/)

**Categories:** Homes and Property, Housing, Planning, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, council housing, council tax, housing, housing crisis, planning, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth is spending £28 million of your council tax on temporary housing. The queue is getting longer.](https://putney.news/2026/04/23/wandsworth-is-spending-28-million-of-your-council-tax-on-temporary-housing-the-queue-is-getting-longer/)

**Published:** April 23, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Content:**

Wandsworth council taxpayers are spending £28.6 million this year housing homeless families in temporary accommodation while they wait for a permanent home: up 20% on last year, with another overspend forecast, and a queue that is getting longer, not shorter.

It is one of several budget lines in deficit and it is the one the Conservatives have focused on most sharply in this election campaign.

The numbers are not easy to defend. The temporary accommodation bill has risen by £6 million in a single year. The queue grew by 17% in the same period. Families waiting for council homes cost the council up to £2,226 a month while a council home costs £645.

At last week’s Roehampton hustings, Conservative candidate Nick Austin challenged the bedroom mix in the council’s landmark Alton development, citing 14,000 people on the waiting list, 4,000 in temporary accommodation, and a net gain of just 14 family homes across the entire scheme.

Labour’s Cllr Jenny Yates went on the attack: it was “quite insulting to say that a two-bedroom home isn’t a family home.” Austin responded that it is the National Planning Policy Framework, not him, that defines family homes as three bedrooms or larger.

But throughout this exchange, neither candidate discussed a crucial figure: the wait time for a family needing a two-bedroom home – a figure that, more than any other, is driving the millions of pounds of over-spending. The council’s response arrived two days after the hustings, having taken no less than seven months to provide: families are waiting on average over two years (25 months) for homes.

> [Nearly 4,000 children living in temporary housing as Wandsworth spends £37m on homelessness crisis](https://putney.news/2025/11/28/nearly-4000-children-living-in-temporary-housing-as-wandsworth-spends-37m-on-homelessness-crisis/)

#### What the money is buying

Temporary accommodation is not social housing. It is mostly private flats and houses leased from landlords at nightly rates, occasionally B&Bs with shared facilities. Around a third of Wandsworth’s placements are outside the borough entirely: Croydon, Lambeth, or further afield. Families pay rent through Housing Benefit, contact the landlord directly for repairs, and can be moved at any time. It’s an arrangement that pleases no-one.

Government grants cover £8.9 million of the annual bill with council taxpayers – you – funding the remaining £28.6 million.

The 3,947 children currently in temporary accommodation have already waited over two years (27 months) on average. Those rehoused last year had waited an average of three-and-a-half years (43 months) before getting a permanent home. The council overspent its homelessness budget by £6 million last year. The queue grew 17% in the same period.

#### Why the queue isn’t clearing

The housing department itself acknowledged at a scrutiny committee meeting in June 2025 that the pipeline of new council homes is skewed toward smaller units: the wrong size for most families on the waiting list. The programme it has put in place to compensate – making offers to existing tenants that are no longer using all their bedrooms to free up larger properties – is producing results, but the council’s own papers acknowledge it “hasn’t really delivered the outcomes we want.”

Why the system produces this outcome, and what both parties have contributed to it, will be examined in a second article on this issue.

> [Wandsworth’s housing chief delivered nothing then told Cabinet it was a win](https://putney.news/2026/02/25/wandsworths-housing-chief-delivered-nothing-then-told-cabinet-it-was-a-win/)

#### A department that took seven months to confirm its own queue length

The council only revealed the figure for how long families were waiting for council houses (and so reducing the bill to taxpayers) after a seven-month battle with a member of the public. The council’s FOI team sent the same holding reply in December, January and March: “we are currently still waiting to receive the information that you have requested from the Council’s Housing department.” Word for word, three times.

It is an approach *Putney.news* has become all too familiar with; the Housing department in particular fails to hand over information until pressured for the third or fourth time, by which point all but the most determined requestors have given up.

But the issue is much larger than a delay in information: a department that spends £28.6 million of public money annually could not tell its own team how long the queue is. Nobody escalated the issue. Nobody treated it as urgent. That is what it looks like when an institution has stopped treating accountability as a requirement.

*This story is part of our housing accountability series. Previous pieces cover [why nearly 4,000 children are in temporary accommodation](https://putney.news/2025/11/28/nearly-4000-children-living-in-temporary-housing-as-wandsworth-spends-37m-on-homelessness-crisis/), [how the council’s housing chief described the planning inspector’s verdict to Cabinet](https://putney.news/2026/02/25/wandsworths-housing-chief-delivered-nothing-then-told-cabinet-it-was-a-win/), and [what the council’s own records show about its homes-building claims](https://putney.news/2026/04/19/built-500-brand-new-council-homes-or-366-or-90-wandsworth-labours-record-checked/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/23/wandsworth-is-spending-28-million-of-your-council-tax-on-temporary-housing-the-queue-is-getting-longer/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/23/wandsworth-is-spending-28-million-of-your-council-tax-on-temporary-housing-the-queue-is-getting-longer/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20is%20spending%20%C2%A328%20million%20of%20your%20council%20tax%20on%20temporary%20housing.%20The%20queue%20is%20getting%20longer.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/23/wandsworth-is-spending-28-million-of-your-council-tax-on-temporary-housing-the-queue-is-getting-longer/)

**Categories:** News

---

### [Southfields woman named Female Padel Player of the Year at awards held at the venue where she first played](https://putney.news/2026/04/23/southfields-woman-named-female-padel-player-of-the-year-at-awards-held-at-the-venue-where-she-first-played/)

**Published:** April 23, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Catherine Rose, British No.2, turned professional less than three years after picking up a racket for the first time.

**Content:**

A Southfields woman has been named Female Padel Player of the Year at the national LTA Awards, held last week at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, the same venue where she first picked up a padel racket three and a half years ago.

Catherine Rose, 26, received the award on 16 April. She is British No.2 and ranked 110 in the world. Before padel, she played rugby.

She first tried the sport at the NTC at the end of 2021, after leaving university. She turned professional in July 2024, less than three years later.

![Catherine Rose](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/catherine-rose-ariel-shot-1024x576.png)Catherine on court: “We had some really tricky matches, we had to lock in, focus.” Pic: LTA“When I first started padel three years ago, no one knew what padel was,” Rose said at the ceremony. “Now you say that you play padel and everyone knows what it is. It’s really exciting to be at the forefront of a sport that’s growing massively.”

Last December, Rose and British No.1 Aimee Gibson became the inaugural LTA Padel National Champions. “We had some really tricky matches, we had to lock in, focus,” Rose said after the win. “This is the icing on the cake.”

More than 3,000 nominations were submitted across 14 award categories at the ceremony. Alex Loughlan won Male Padel Player of the Year.

![Radio host Jeremy Vine hosted the LTA Awards](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026-lta-awards-jeremy-vine-tennisable-1024x682.png)Radio host Jeremy Vine hosted the LTA Awards. Pic: LTAPutney.news has [reported on the rapid expansion of padel courts across Wandsworth](https://putney.news/2026/03/13/five-padel-developments-one-borough-no-demand-assessment-and-a-cautionary-tale-from-sweden/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/23/southfields-woman-named-female-padel-player-of-the-year-at-awards-held-at-the-venue-where-she-first-played/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/23/southfields-woman-named-female-padel-player-of-the-year-at-awards-held-at-the-venue-where-she-first-played/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Southfields%20woman%20named%20Female%20Padel%20Player%20of%20the%20Year%20at%20awards%20held%20at%20the%20venue%20where%20she%20first%20played&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/23/southfields-woman-named-female-padel-player-of-the-year-at-awards-held-at-the-venue-where-she-first-played/)

**Categories:** Roehampton, Southfields, Tennis

**Tags:** Catherine Rose, LTA, padel

---

### [After a fourth Commons debate on Hammersmith Bridge, no new funding; possibly a breakthrough](https://putney.news/2026/04/22/after-a-fourth-commons-debate-on-hammersmith-bridge-no-new-funding-possibly-a-breakthrough/)

**Published:** April 22, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Seven-year funding principle walked away from, and Wandsworth is in the frame.

**Content:**

Wandsworth may be asked to help pay for repairs to Hammersmith Bridge, after the government abandoned a seven-year-old funding agreement that split the mounting costs equally between central government, Transport for London (TfL) and Hammersmith and Fulham Council (H&FC).

Since 2021, the cost of repairing the bridge has been notionally split three ways; a formula that has resulted in paralysis, in large part because H&FC can’t even hope to cover its part of the estimated £240m costs.

On Tuesday that split was walked away from during a debate in Parliament that was secured by Putney MP Fleur Anderson. Unprompted, the Minister for Local Transport signalled that other boroughs, principally Wandsworth and Richmond, could now be asked to contribute.

The shift is far from a solution. Wandsworth has twice refused to contribute to the costs of reopening Hammersmith Bridge, once at a closed meeting of the bridge’s “Taskforce” and again last week at an election hustings in Roehampton.

Minister for Local Transport Simon Lightwood MP told the House that the Department for Transport would “assess higher contributions and additional third-party contributions favourably” on any funding bid for the bridge; the first time such language has been used.

![Fleur Anderson MP](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/fleur-anderson-westminister-hall-debate-1024x576.png)Fleur Anderson MPIt was the only thing that moved during the session. Despite impassioned pleas from MPs, including Anderson, Richmond Park’s Sarah Olney, Andy Slaughter (Labour, Hammersmith & Chiswick), Olly Glover (Lib Dem, Didcot & Wantage) and Greg Smith (Conservative, Mid Buckinghamshire), everything else in the debate stood still.

The debate did produce an unexpected result: just a few hours later, at a hustings in Southfields, the Labour candidate declared that she had heard from Anderson directly that funding had “now been agreed”. There was no evidence of that during the debate and we are treating the claim in the same way as a recent claim by the Liberal Democrats that they have resolved the decades-long signalling problems with the District Line on the Wimbledon branch: with a healthy dose of pre-election salt.

The fourth debate on Hammersmith Bridge in five years produced no new funding, no date for a funding decision, and no timetable for restoration.

Anderson’s closing remarks confirmed the pattern, cleanly and in her own words.

> “I thank the Minister for his response. I am obviously disappointed that he did not suddenly announce when the taskforce will be, when the funding will be given, when the funding will be reconsidered and when the restoration will happen. I live in hope.”

#### The shift

Andy Slaughter knows Hammersmith and Fulham Council from the inside. He led it before entering Parliament, and he was blunt in his assessment. Referring to the amount H&FC has already put into the ailing bridge, he said:

> “I did not believe it was feasible to add the £50 million in there. Hammersmith and Fulham council deserves a huge amount of credit for that, but the idea that it will make another substantive contribution towards the bridge is for the birds. The money is just not there. If we are saying that, we are saying the bridge will never reopen. We need a little bit of honesty here.”

The 1 June 2021 funding principle, agreed under the previous government, had split the repair cost three ways: the Department for Transport would pay a third, Transport for London would pay a third, and H&FC would pay a third. That principle has sat on the table for nearly five years without any funding actually being released against it.

Lightwood’s reply, a few minutes later, walked the principle away while talking about the new “Structures Fund” that the current Labour government announced nearly a year ago and for which applications opened last week. He said in his debate response:

> “It is also an expectation of the Government that the local contribution toward the cost of any future repairs for Hammersmith bridge is provided. That is the case for all projects being assessed for funding through the structures fund. Although at present there are no plans to specify a minimum level of contribution, my Department intends to assess higher contributions and additional third-party contributions favourably. Some hon. Members mentioned a historical agreement to split the funding into a third, a third and a third. Obviously that was under a different Administration; I just know where we are today.”

Anderson confirmed the walkaway in her closing remarks, noting it as a small piece of progress in a debate that had produced no larger ones.

> “I am also heartened to hear that the third-third-third funding structure is being reconsidered. It is not necessarily the structure on the table.”

The minister did not announce a new funding model. He did not commit a single pound. What he described was a disposition, not a decision. But a disposition stated in Parliament, in answer to a question five years in the asking, is the most movement on this issue since 2021. And the direction of movement points across the river.

![Sarah Olney MP](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/sara-olney-westminister-hall-1024x576.png)Sarah Olney MP#### The scorecard

What readers asked for, vs what the minister said

Seven reader asks sent to Fleur Anderson’s office on Tuesday morning, scored against the debate that afternoon.

 \#

What readers asked for

Raised in debate?

Minister’s response

1

A named civil servant accountable for delivery

Not raised

—

2

A date for the strengthening business case decision

Not raised as framed

Deferred into Structures Fund process

3

Publication of all Taskforce minutes

Not raised

—

4

A statutory basis for the Taskforce

Not raised

Ad-hoc approach continues; next meeting deferred

5

Spring 2026 fiscal event — yes or no

Adjacent questions by Anderson and Olney on Structures Fund

“Good candidate” repeated. Three new pre-conditions added. No commitment.

6

**Invite other boroughs to contribute**

**Not raised directly; Slaughter ruled out further LBHF contribution**

**Minister: department “intends to assess higher contributions and additional third-party contributions favourably.” The 1/3-1/3-1/3 principle formally abandoned.**

7

Motor traffic — yes or no

Not raised directly

Engineering-solution language maintained; no clarity on motor or bus access

 Ask 1

A named civil servant accountable for delivery

Raised? Not raised

Ask 2

A date for the strengthening business case decision

Raised? Not raised as framed

Response Deferred into Structures Fund process

Ask 3

Publication of all Taskforce minutes

Raised? Not raised

Ask 4

A statutory basis for the Taskforce

Raised? Not raised

Response Ad-hoc approach continues; next meeting deferred

Ask 5

Spring 2026 fiscal event — yes or no

Raised? Adjacent questions by Anderson and Olney on Structures Fund

Response “Good candidate” repeated. Three new pre-conditions added. No commitment.

The one that moved

Ask 6

Invite other boroughs to contribute

Raised? Not raised directly; Slaughter ruled out further LBHF contribution

Response Minister: department “intends to assess higher contributions and additional third-party contributions favourably.” The 1/3-1/3-1/3 principle formally abandoned.

Ask 7

Motor traffic — yes or no

Raised? Not raised directly

Response Engineering-solution language maintained; no clarity on motor or bus access

Source: Westminster Hall debate, 21 April 2026 (Hansard transcript). Reader asks from Putney.news preview story, 21 April 2026.

Readers who followed Tuesday morning’s [preview story](https://putney.news/2026/04/21/your-chance-to-move-things-on-hammersmith-bridge-30-seconds-before-thursday/) sent seven specific asks to Anderson’s office via an email form after she specifically requested input from constituents.

In truth, none of the seven was raised as framed. Two were adjacent. One, which concerned inviting other benefiting boroughs to contribute, was the one whose territory ended up being moved by the minister, though it moved because Slaughter forced the ground open, not because Anderson raised the ask directly.

The others were designed to force specific answers: a named civil servant accountable for delivery, a date for the strengthening business case decision, publication of all Taskforce minutes, a statutory basis for the Taskforce, a yes-or-no on Spring 2026 fiscal event funding, an invitation to other boroughs to contribute, a yes-or-no on motor traffic.

The questions actually asked across the debate were different and almost all procedural. When will the Taskforce meet again? What is the updated cost estimate? Has an application been made to the Structures Fund? When will a decision be made? Each of those is answerable with “in due course”, and no minister can fairly be called evasive for saying so.

Olly Glover MP gave the structural reason for the gap.

> “The Hammersmith bridge issue speaks to a structural problem for London infrastructure, in that the relationship between Transport for London and councils is not always best placed to ensure that planning and decision making on significant infrastructure happens on an effective cross-borough or cross-city basis.”

[We made the same argument earlier this month](https://putney.news/2026/04/05/londons-bridges-keep-cracking-nobody-fixed-the-system-that-let-it-happen/). It is worth noting that a cross-party observation of a structural problem is not the same as a cross-party demand for a specific remedy. Without a specific ask, it tends to produce answers without commitments, which is what happened here.

#### Wandsworth

That leaves a question for Wandsworth Council. In her opening speech, Anderson described the council this way.

> “I have worked closely with residents and with Wandsworth borough council, which is also fully engaged and supportive of the restoring of the bridge.”

That characterisation sits against two pieces of evidence already in the public domain.

The first is the [Taskforce minutes](https://putney.news/2026/03/28/wandsworth-shot-down-a-chance-to-reopen-hammersmith-bridge-then-said-nothing-for-a-year/) of its last 30 January 2025 meeting, released to *Putney.news* earlier this year. At that meeting, H&FC Leader Cllr Stephen Cowan asked the Taskforce directly whether boroughs benefiting from the bridge should contribute to its repair. The minutes record Wandsworth’s reply in six words. “Cab member says no money. Disagrees with figures, suggests there is increased traffic.”

The second is on the [record of a public hustings](https://putney.news/2026/04/16/roehampton-hustings-the-weakest-candidate-left-the-happiest/) held in Roehampton last week. Wandsworth’s Cabinet Member for Transport, Cllr Jenny Yates, told residents:

> “Wandsworth Council has never been formally asked to contribute financially and we’re not position to do so. We need our capital money to keep our own bridges safe.”

Both statements were calibrated to refuse a borough-to-borough request, and a council is entirely within its rights to do that. What changed on Tuesday was the form of the question. There is now a government policy statement on the table. The Department for Transport has said publicly that it will look favourably on higher local contributions and contributions from third parties when judging any bid for Structures Fund money. Wandsworth is the most directly affected neighbouring borough, and Roehampton, the ward most cut off by the closure, is the ward Yates represents.

The cost of the closure to Wandsworth residents was set on the public record by Anderson’s own debate speech. Ninety per cent of those she surveyed described the closure as “extremely disruptive”. Vehicle numbers on Putney Bridge rose 16 per cent between 2020 and 2023 (a claim [disputed by the official figures](https://putney.news/2026/04/15/every-warning-proved-right-the-full-evidence-behind-putneys-broken-junction/)). Six bus routes across the river have been withdrawn.

The local elections on 7 May will settle the composition of Wandsworth Council, but the government’s position on third-party contributions does not change depending on the result. Whoever leads the council on 8 May will have the question to answer.

#### What happens next

Three things to watch.

H&FC has not yet submitted its Structures Fund bid, though Slaughter expected one “quite shortly” in the debate. Bids close on 3 August 2026. Decisions are expected in autumn 2026.

The next Taskforce meeting, which had been the stated mechanism for unblocking the funding question, is now explicitly deferred until “once funding awards are made through the Structures Fund and agreed.” That is not soon, and it means the Taskforce will meet to confirm a decision rather than to help shape one.

Between now and then, the bridge remains open to pedestrians and cyclists, closed to motor traffic and buses, and costing Hammersmith and Fulham Council around £2 million a year to keep safe.

---

*This piece draws on the Westminster Hall debate of 21 April 2026, the DfT Annex A released under FOI-00060732 on 27 February 2026, a transcript of the Roehampton hustings on 15 April 2026, and Putney.news’s published reporting on the bridge since January 2026. Quotes from the Westminster Hall debate are verbatim from the Hansard transcript.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/22/after-a-fourth-commons-debate-on-hammersmith-bridge-no-new-funding-possibly-a-breakthrough/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/22/after-a-fourth-commons-debate-on-hammersmith-bridge-no-new-funding-possibly-a-breakthrough/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=After%20a%20fourth%20Commons%20debate%20on%20Hammersmith%20Bridge%2C%20no%20new%20funding%3B%20possibly%20a%20breakthrough&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/22/after-a-fourth-commons-debate-on-hammersmith-bridge-no-new-funding-possibly-a-breakthrough/)

**Categories:** Politics, Transport

**Tags:** Cllr Jenny Yates, Cllr Simon Hogg, Fleur Anderson MP, FOI, Hammersmith and Fulham Council, Hammersmith Bridge, Roehampton, Sarah Olney MP, TfL, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth keeps promising to fix its housing failures. The same promise, six times.](https://putney.news/2026/04/22/wandsworth-keeps-promising-to-fix-its-housing-failures-the-same-promise-six-times/)

**Published:** April 22, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Three families. Three ombudsman rulings. Three identical apologies. Putney.news documents the pattern.

**Content:**

In eight days at the end of February, the housing watchdog upheld three separate complaints against Wandsworth Council. All three involve vulnerable residents. All three follow the same script: the council formally accepted a duty to help, and then stopped.

One family spent more than two years in a studio flat the council itself had declared unsuitable. One woman heard nothing from the council for nine months after it accepted she needed rehousing. One seriously ill man’s reassessment sat untouched for 18 weeks while he chased the council repeatedly and received no reply.

This is the sixth *Putney.news* investigation in our [housing failures series](https://putney.news/2025/06/20/warnings-ignored-lives-at-risk-wandsworths-housing-shame-exposed/). Previous stories documented failed repairs, regulatory downgrades, and a council that acknowledged problems only when external pressure forced it. These three rulings, from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO), add a new dimension: the same pattern now confirmed by a different watchdog, in homelessness and allocations cases as well as disrepair.

#### Nine months of nothing

Mrs X applied to Wandsworth for housing help in October 2023. The council accepted a formal homeless duty in March 2024, acknowledging her home was unsuitable. Between June 2024 and January 2025, the council made no contact with her and took no action on her case.

The council’s own account to the Ombudsman confirmed this: it had no record of contacting Mrs X or taking any action on her case across that nine-month period. She remained in accommodation the council knew was unsuitable, waiting.

Mrs X had previously turned down two offers. One was too far from the hospital that her son depended on. The other had damp. Neither refusal relieved the council of its duty to keep looking. It simply did not.

Mrs X only got movement when she complained in January 2025. The council reassessed her the following month, offered a property, and she moved in March 2025. The Ombudsman upheld the complaint and ordered a £500 payment for the distress and uncertainty caused by nine months of inaction. It also required the council, within three months, to put measures in place to monitor cases where a homeless duty has been accepted but temporary accommodation not yet provided.

The council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service it was “committed to providing appropriate temporary accommodation for those that need it” and was sorry for the distress. It had “paid the compensation in full.”

Accepted the duty. Then stopped.

Three housing cases. Three periods of silence. All upheld by the ombudsman.

  Miss X Studio flat — homeless duty accepted 

27 months

in accommodation the council had declared unsuitable — no rehousing

 Duty accepted Jun 2023 Rehoused Sep 2025 

  Mrs X Homeless duty accepted 

9 months

no contact, no action — council confirmed no record of either

 Duty accepted Mar 2024 Moved in Mar 2025 

  Mr X Housing reassessment triggered 

18 weeks

no update, no response to chases — statutory guidance suggests 8 weeks

 Evidence submitted Oct 2024 Decision Mar 2025 

Source: Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman decisions 25-006-066, 25-004-338, 24-023-261 (February–March 2026)

#### Two years in a flat declared unsuitable

Miss X and her two children were placed in a studio flat by Wandsworth in 2023. In June 2023, the council accepted the property was unsuitable. The legal requirement when a council reaches that conclusion is immediate: it must provide suitable accommodation. Miss X was not rehoused until September 2025, more than two years after placement and 15 months after the council’s own acceptance that the flat was unsuitable.

The Ombudsman applied a 12-month rule on how far back to investigate, since Miss X did not complain until June 2025. A payment was ordered for each month she remained in the unsuitable property from June 2024 to September 2025. The council was also required to review its process for when a property is identified as unsuitable.

The council’s response, also via the Local Democracy Reporting Service, was that it was “committed to providing safe, secure housing for those that need it most” and sorry that in this case it had not provided suitable accommodation. It had “made a payment to the family concerned” and was “reviewing processes to ensure this does not happen again.”

#### 18 weeks, no update

Mr X has been on the Wandsworth housing register since 2023, in Band A, the highest priority category. In October 2024, new medical evidence was submitted on his behalf, asking the council to reassess his bedroom entitlement. Between October 2024 and March 2025, 18 weeks passed. Mr X chased in November, in December, and again with no response.

Statutory guidance suggests eight weeks is a reasonable timeframe for this kind of reassessment. The Ombudsman found the 18-week delay was fault. The finding was not that the council reached a wrong conclusion about Mr X’s housing need. It was entitled to seek its own medical advice and make its own judgement. The fault was that it told him nothing while it did so. As the Ombudsman put it: “When a decision is delayed pending further enquiries, it should provide a clear update explaining the reason for the delay and the expected next steps.” It did not.

Mr X’s case has a longer history. In September 2023 he was initially assessed for a two-bedroom property, then told the following month that was an error and he actually needed a studio. A review was requested in December 2023. By March 2024, the council had assessed him at one bedroom. The October 2024 new evidence was a further attempt to establish the two-bedroom need he had been arguing for. The council eventually accepted that need in August 2025, on the basis of his entitlement to full housing benefit, his need for overnight care, and the Equality Act. It had taken two years of escalation to get there.

The remedy in this case was an apology and a reminder to relevant housing staff about the update requirement. No financial payment was ordered.

#### The apology as a process

The council’s responses to the first two cases, issued weeks apart in response to different families with different failures, contain the same commitments in near-identical language. Both include a version of “we are committed to… reviewing our processes to ensure this does not happen again.”

Read alongside the four previous investigations in this series (which have produced the same promise from the council each time) that commitment has now appeared at least six times in response to documented housing failures. The October 2025 story, in which [a family spent two years in grossly unsuitable accommodation](https://putney.news/2025/10/30/wandsworth-councils-betrayal-family-traumatised-after-two-year-housing-nightmare/) and received a £10,384 Housing Ombudsman award, produced an identical assurance. So did the February 2026 case, in which a domestic abuse survivor was [left in a room the council had been warned was unsuitable](https://putney.news/2026/02/21/council-left-domestic-abuse-survivor-in-tiny-room-with-newborn-ignored-four-months-of-warnings/) for four months after she gave birth.

When the same apology follows every different failure, the apology has become its own process.

#### What the series has found

Previous *Putney.news* investigations documented [failures in repairs](https://putney.news/2025/06/21/housing-repairs-ignored-now-wandsworths-taxpayers-are-picking-up-the-bill/) that cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands in deferred maintenance, [cases of mould and disrepair in Wandsworth council homes](https://putney.news/2025/06/21/mould-misery-and-council-neglect-the-human-cost-of-wandsworths-failures/), and a C3 regulatory downgrade by the Regulator of Social Housing. Those findings came largely from the Housing Ombudsman, which covers social housing disrepair. The three February rulings come from the LGSCO, which handles homelessness applications and allocations. Different watchdog, same institutional pattern.

Cllr Aydin Dikerdem is the Cabinet Member for Housing at Wandsworth Council. The LGSCO’s remedies in these three cases require the council to monitor open homelessness cases, review its suitability process, and remind staff about update requirements. Whether previous process review commitments have been implemented is an open question this series will pursue through the Freedom of Information Act.

#### What can you do?

If you believe Wandsworth Council has failed to act on your housing case, you have the right to complain formally. The council’s complaints process runs to two stages. If the stage two response is unsatisfactory, or if the council fails to respond within required timeframes, you can take your complaint to the LGSCO at [lgo.org.uk](https://www.lgo.org.uk/), the same watchdog that ruled against the council in all three cases above. There is no charge for doing so.

*Putney.news has submitted right of reply questions to Wandsworth Council on cases 25-004-338 and 24-023-261. The council’s statement on case 25-006-066, provided to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, is on record and included above.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/22/wandsworth-keeps-promising-to-fix-its-housing-failures-the-same-promise-six-times/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/22/wandsworth-keeps-promising-to-fix-its-housing-failures-the-same-promise-six-times/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20keeps%20promising%20to%20fix%20its%20housing%20failures.%20The%20same%20promise%2C%20six%20times.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/22/wandsworth-keeps-promising-to-fix-its-housing-failures-the-same-promise-six-times/)

**Categories:** Housing, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, council housing, housing, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Done in seconds: the Wimbledon Park amendment is now on the statute book](https://putney.news/2026/04/22/done-in-seconds-the-wimbledon-park-amendment-is-now-on-the-statute-book/)

**Published:** April 22, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** 162-55 in the Lords, months of campaigning - then the Commons agreed it on the nod and moved on.

**Content:**

The amendment that sparked months of community meetings, packed Lords debates and a 162-55 vote in the upper chamber passed the House of Commons on Tuesday without a single vote being cast.

Lords amendment 42 (the Banner amendment, which allows the Secretary of State to discharge statutory recreation trusts over land such as Wimbledon Park) is now in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill heading for Royal Assent. Paul Kohler, the Wimbledon MP, had tabled a formal motion to disagree with it. That motion was never put. The amendment sailed through on the voices, buried in a list of dozens.

The Lords had [passed it 162-55 on 13 April](https://putney.news/2026/04/14/lords-pass-wimbledon-park-amendment-162-55-as-liberal-democrats-vote-alone-against/). The Commons had its chance on 21 April.

How the Wimbledon Park amendment became law

The Banner amendment’s parliamentary journey, November 2025 to April 2026

November 2025

First attempt blocked

Lords amendment to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill fails after cross-party opposition. Baroness Taylor promises “full consultation” before any law change.

5 March 2026

Taylor U-turn

Lord Banner returns with a new amendment to the English Devolution Bill. The government, which had promised otherwise, backs it. The consultation promise is dropped.

13 April 2026

Lords vote: 162–55

The amendment passes the House of Lords by a three-to-one margin. Only the Liberal Democrats vote against. Conservative peers largely abstain or back their colleague’s amendment.

21 April 2026

Commons: agreed on the nod

Paul Kohler MP speaks against the amendment and tables a motion to block it. His motion is never reached. The amendment is swept through without a vote in an omnibus motion. It is now heading for Royal Assent.

Source: Hansard, House of Commons and House of Lords, 2025–2026

#### What happened in the chamber

Kohler had spoken passionately in the main debate. He told the Commons that the All England Lawn Tennis Club had bought the Wimbledon Park freehold in 1993 “at an appropriately reduced price, having expressly agreed both to never build on the land and to restore full rights of public recreation after the expiry of a pre-existing leasehold interest.” That commitment, he said, was now at risk.

He reminded MPs that the [government had reversed its position](https://putney.news/2026/03/31/minister-who-blocked-wimbledon-park-amendment-now-officially-backs-it/) after previously promising the law would remain unchanged. “Despite previous assurances that they would leave the law unchanged until a proper consultation could take place, the Government rowed in behind the Banner amendment,” he said.

Then Kohler landed the line that framed the session: “I tabled a motion to disagree with the Banner amendment but under the arcane procedures of this place, I understand that my motion will not be voted on, while the Banner amendment will remain.”

He was right. His motion was never reached.

![Paul Kohler MP](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/paul-kohler-commons-1024x576.png)Paul Kohler MP for Wimbledon#### The blame exchange

What followed illustrated how tangled the politics had become. Sir James Cleverly, the shadow minister for Braintree, attempted to turn the argument on the Liberal Democrats. “Had his party in the other place voted to keep the protections in, we would not be having this discussion at this Dispatch Box now,” Cleverly said. “His party failed to do its work in the other place.”

Kohler’s response was pointed. The Conservatives whose peer tabled the amendment had no standing to make that argument. “Every Tory peer either abstained or voted for the amendment tabled by their Conservative colleague, Lord Banner,” he said.

As for the Conservative safeguard amendment (which would have required a ministerial review before the new powers were exercised), Kohler called it “a parliamentary sleight of hand to pretend to the people of Wimbledon that the Tories have not abandoned them.” That amendment also vanished in the procedural wash, never put to a vote.

Kohler closed with a verdict: “That marks a sad day for Wimbledon specifically, public trust land generally and the credibility of the Conservative party across Merton, where the overreach of the AELTC is an important local election issue.”

Minutes later, amendment 42 passed without a division.

#### How it happened

Parliamentary procedure required a single vote on all remaining Lords amendments the government was not contesting. The debate had run until past 7pm, when a Programme Order cut it short. The Deputy Speaker moved through six contested amendments by formal division. Then, in a single question under that procedure, all remaining uncontested Lords amendments were agreed to on the voices. Amendment 42 was in that list. Done in seconds.

#### What happens now

Two things remain live. First, the minister Miatta Fahnbulleh committed at the despatch box that the new powers “will not be used until we have concluded that review.” That is a verbal pledge made in the chamber. It is not written into the legislation.

Second, Save Wimbledon Park’s appeal of [the High Court ruling](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/golf-course-never-a-public-trust-high-court-hands-aeltc-landmark-victory/) that the golf course was never a statutory trust is still live. Lord Banner told the Lords before the vote that the amendment was “in fact academic” for the Wimbledon Park case, given the AELTC’s High Court win. Whether he is right depends entirely on the Court of Appeal.

A community meeting organised by Save Wimbledon Park takes place in Wimbledon this evening (22 April). For the background to [the legal and parliamentary dispute, the full series is here](https://putney.news/2026/01/15/wimbledon-park-legal-explanation/).

The mechanism is on the statute book. Whether it ever touches Wimbledon Park is now a question for the Court of Appeal and a ministerial review whose terms and timescale remain unspecified. Readers who want the government to publish those terms can write to their MP.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/22/done-in-seconds-the-wimbledon-park-amendment-is-now-on-the-statute-book/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/22/done-in-seconds-the-wimbledon-park-amendment-is-now-on-the-statute-book/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Done%20in%20seconds%3A%20the%20Wimbledon%20Park%20amendment%20is%20now%20on%20the%20statute%20book&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/22/done-in-seconds-the-wimbledon-park-amendment-is-now-on-the-statute-book/)

**Categories:** Planning, Politics, Southfields, Wimbledon

**Tags:** AELTC, Paul Kohler MP, Save Wimbledon Park, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Your chance to move things on Hammersmith Bridge: 30 seconds, today](https://putney.news/2026/04/21/your-chance-to-move-things-on-hammersmith-bridge-30-seconds-before-thursday/)

**Published:** April 21, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Parliament debates the bridge for the fourth time in five years. Fleur Anderson MP asked what to raise. Pick your asks and send.

**Content:**

**UPDATED** *Today, Parliament debates Hammersmith Bridge for the fourth time in five years. Putney MP Fleur Anderson has asked constituents for input. We have made it easy for you to do exactly that.*

---

**CORRECTION** At 4.30pm today, Parliament holds its fourth Commons debate on Hammersmith Bridge in five years. Fleur Anderson MP, the Labour member for Putney, will open. The first three debates produced no new funding commitments on the floor of the House.

The bridge has been closed to motor traffic for seven years. A Labour minister, likely Simon Lightwood MP, the Minister for Roads and Buses, will respond. The debate runs for up to one hour in Westminster Hall. No vote is taken.

Anderson has asked her constituents for input. This matters. Debates without votes cannot compel funding, but they do produce ministerial answers on the record, and ministerial answers can be held to later. If residents supply the same targeted questions, they become a constituency mandate Anderson can use on the floor of the House.

We have read the primary documents. We have identified seven specific, time-bound asks a minister can credibly be made to answer. The form below lets you tick the ones you want raised and send them directly to Anderson’s office. It takes about a minute. *Putney.news* is copied in so we can report back on what readers selected.

**UPDATE 8.30am:** An earlier version of the email system below didn’t work for some users. We have since replaced and fixed and it should now work. Please email: news@putney.news if you are still having problems.

#### What a Westminster Hall debate is, and isn’t

Westminster Hall is the Commons’ second debating chamber. Slots are allocated by the Backbench Business Committee, a cross-party body of eight backbench MPs. The government cannot block a debate the committee has granted. Securing one is competitive. Hundreds of bids are made each session.

But debates without votes cannot compel funding, bind ministers, or change policy. What they can do is produce ministerial answers on the record. They register political pressure. They give cover for follow-up. The value is procedural, not legislative, and procedural answers are what the debate can usefully deliver.

#### Why these seven asks

Seven leverage points, one per ask. Each can credibly be answered by a minister inside a one-hour debate. None requires new legislation. None traps Anderson in partisan territory.

**One:** a named civil servant accountable for delivery, is the cheapest commitment a minister can make and one of the most powerful. Projects without named owners drift. Bernadette Kelly, the DfT’s Permanent Secretary, told the Public Accounts Committee in October 2020 that governance of the bridge was “slightly confused”. Five and a half years later, still no named owner.

**Two:** asks for a date on the strengthening business case. LBHF submitted it on 24 April 2023. DfT’s own background briefing, released to us under Freedom of Information in March 2026, confirms the date. Three years in review. Without approval, no building.

**Three:** publication of all Taskforce minutes, fixes a transparency problem caused by FOI. Only summary notes exist on gov.uk for meetings up to November 2021. The January 2025 minutes reached the public only because *Putney.news* submitted a Freedom of Information request, and came partly redacted. Meeting notes of a body deciding the fate of a major public asset should be published as standard.

**Four:** a statutory basis for the Taskforce, addresses a structural flaw. The Taskforce is administrative, not statutory. It has no legal personality, no budget, and no executive powers. Between November 2021 and January 2025 it did not meet at all. A body that can be silently paused for over three years is not a governance mechanism. It is an option ministers exercise when convenient.

**Five:** is a fiscal commitment: yes or no on a named line in the Spring 2026 event. Minister Lightwood told Anderson in February that Hammersmith Bridge would be “a good candidate” for the £1 billion Structures Fund. “Candidate” is not a commitment.

**Six:** invites other benefitting boroughs, including Wandsworth, to contribute. Albert Bridge’s 2010-11 repair was split roughly 75 per cent Transport for London and 25 per cent Kensington and Chelsea. Hammersmith has been offered a one-third council share, the largest of any recent Thames bridge refurbishment. Wandsworth’s Cabinet Member for Transport, Cllr Jenny Yates, told a public hustings in Roehampton on 15 April that Wandsworth “has never been formally asked to contribute financially and we’re not position to do so”. The FOI’d Taskforce minutes record Wandsworth’s position differently. More on that below.

**Seven:** is the question no minister has answered in six years: will the bridge reopen to motor traffic, yes or no? LBHF’s own planning language now refers to pedestrians, cyclists and a 1.5-tonne weight limit. Residents are entitled to a clear answer.

![Hammersmith Bridge](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/hammersmith-bridge-1024x683.jpg)Hammersmith Bridge, in all its non-working glory#### Why this crazy situation is still going

Documentary evidence answers the question. On 30 January 2025, the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce met for the first time since November 2021. It had met 19 times in the 14 months to November 2021, then stood still for over three years. The 20th meeting was chaired by Simon Lightwood. Wandsworth Council was at the table for the first time. So were Historic England and the Environment Agency.

The meeting minutes were released on 27 February 2026 after a *Putney.news* Freedom of Information request. The Department for Transport redacted some sections under the exemptions protecting policy formulation and commercial interests. The parts that remained tell the story plainly.

Cllr Stephen Cowan, the Labour Leader of Hammersmith and Fulham, made the case that boroughs receiving the benefit of a working bridge should contribute to its cost.

> The minutes record: *“if other councils would reap benefits/suffering problems that LBHF not suffering then there should be a financial contribution. Part of further evidence review.”*

Cowan then raised the precedent of Hammersmith Bridge’s historic toll and said he would be “open to talking to Wandsworth about contribution”.

> The minutes record Wandsworth’s response: *“Cab member says no money. Disagrees with figures, suggests there is increased traffic.”*

![Cllr Jenny Yates at the Roehampton hustings, April 2026. ](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/jenny-yates-roehampton-hustings-1024x576.png)Cllr Jenny Yates: refused to contribute to fixing Hammersmith Bridge.Wandsworth’s Cabinet Member for Transport is Cllr Jenny Yates, who represents Roehampton. At a public hustings in Roehampton on 15 April 2026, Cllr Yates set out Wandsworth’s position on Hammersmith Bridge: *“Wandsworth Council has never been formally asked to contribute financially and we’re not position to do so. We need our capital money to keep our own bridges safe.”*

The 30 January 2025 Taskforce meeting was convened by the Department for Transport. Wandsworth’s cabinet member for transport attended. Cllr Cowan asked the meeting directly whether Wandsworth would contribute. The minutes record the response from Wandsworth’s cabinet member as “no money”.

Three days before the Taskforce meeting, on 27 January 2025, Wandsworth Council Leader Simon Hogg had stood alongside Anderson and Wandsworth’s Cabinet Member for Transport at a rally on Putney Common, [calling for urgent action to fund and deliver the repairs](https://putney.news/2026/01/25/passion-without-a-pathway-politicians-demand-action-on-bridge-they-cant-agree-how-to-fix/). Putney.news reported [the contradiction between the rally and the Taskforce position](https://putney.news/2026/03/28/wandsworth-shot-down-a-chance-to-reopen-hammersmith-bridge-then-said-nothing-for-a-year/) on 28 March 2026.

![Excerpt from DfT minutes over Hammersmith Bridge](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMAGE-annex-a-no-money-quote.jpg)The published Taskforce notes also record five options considered for the bridge. Option 1 (closure), Option 4 (online replacement) and Option 5 (offline replacement) were ruled out. Options 0 (status quo), 2 (no vehicles or buses) and 3 (active travel only) remain. Even in the best case being considered in government, the bridge does not return to its 2018 use. For the systemic picture behind this, see [how London’s bridges keep cracking and nobody has fixed the system that let it happen](https://putney.news/2026/04/05/londons-bridges-keep-cracking-nobody-fixed-the-system-that-let-it-happen/).

The repair bill has risen in almost every year of closure. An informal early-2019 estimate put the cost at £30 million to £40 million. By September 2019 it was £120 million. By April 2021 it was £141 million. By January 2024 it was at least £250 million. In October 2025, Anderson told residents the figure was “coming in far too expensive at 240 million pounds” and was being “reworked with Historic England” because heritage standards were driving the bill up. Nobody has a current, approved, costed plan.

The Department for Transport has paid Hammersmith and Fulham Council approximately £13 million across five tranches since 2020. LBHF says it has spent £48 million. The gap comes from a three-way split agreed in principle on 1 June 2021, one third each from the council, Transport for London and the Department. The agreement has never been formally signed. In February 2025, LBHF publicly demanded £20.7 million in owed contributions.

The £1 billion Structures Fund announced in June 2025 opened for bids on 15 April 2026, just days before the debate. Of that £1 billion, £590 million is ring-fenced for the Lower Thames Crossing. That leaves £410 million for approximately 3,000 other structures. Minister Lightwood wrote to Anderson on 27 February 2026 [calling Hammersmith Bridge “a good candidate” for the fund](https://putney.news/2026/03/03/after-seven-years-a-minister-finally-says-hammersmith-bridge-would-be-a-good-candidate-for-funding/). “Candidate” is not a commitment. LBHF has not yet publicly submitted a bid.

Three previous debates, zero new funding from the floor of the House:

     Debate Key government response Funding committed Did it materialise?     14 April 2021
(Commons adjournment) Rachel Maclean MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, repeated the line that the government had “no statutory responsibilities” for the bridge. Cited £4m already provided. £0 new. The business case review announced that night is still not concluded five years later.   28 June 2022
(Commons adjournment) Trudy Harrison MP, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary, described the scheme as progressing. £0 new. The one-third funding principle was never formalised in a signed Memorandum of Understanding. The gap in dispute is now £20.7m.   14 November 2023
(Commons adjournment) Guy Opperman MP, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary, said he had to “choose my words relatively carefully”. Confirmed an outline business case had been submitted. £0 new announced on the floor of the House. The business case remains unapproved as of April 2026. The Taskforce did not meet again until January 2025.    14 April 2021 — Commons adjournment

Government response

Rachel Maclean MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, repeated the line that the government had “no statutory responsibilities” for the bridge. Cited £4m already provided.

Funding committed

£0 new.

Did it materialise?

The business case review announced that night is still not concluded five years later.

28 June 2022 — Commons adjournment

Government response

Trudy Harrison MP, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary, described the scheme as progressing.

Funding committed

£0 new.

Did it materialise?

The one-third funding principle was never formalised in a signed Memorandum of Understanding. The gap in dispute is now £20.7m.

14 November 2023 — Commons adjournment

Government response

Guy Opperman MP, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary, said he had to “choose my words relatively carefully”. Confirmed an outline business case had been submitted.

Funding committed

£0 new announced on the floor of the House.

Did it materialise?

The business case remains unapproved as of April 2026. The Taskforce did not meet again until January 2025.

Cumulative new funding committed on the floor of the House across all three debates: zero. The government has provided money through Transport for London agreements and administrative tranches, roughly £13 million, but none came as floor-of-the-House commitments from the debates themselves.

#### Anderson is not the only MP who has tried

Sarah Olney MP, the Liberal Democrat for Richmond Park, submitted the February 2022 Freedom of Information request that first established the Taskforce had stopped meeting. Andy Slaughter MP, Labour for Hammersmith, held the first Hammersmith Bridge Westminster Hall debate on 3 March 2020. Paul Kohler MP, Liberal Democrat for Wimbledon, sponsored Early Day Motion 62318 on the bridge’s restoration. A cluster of peers has kept the issue in front of ministers in the Lords across five years.

Anderson herself says she has raised the bridge in Parliament more than twenty-six times. Between July 2024 and September 2025, a 14-month spell, she was Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Northern Ireland Office. As a minister she was bound by the Ministerial Code to step back from chamber advocacy on constituency issues. She could write to the Transport Secretary. She could not table questions, sign Early Day Motions, or secure debates. Her silence on the bridge in those months is explained by her role.

February 2026 is harder to explain. Anderson told constituents in a newsletter that [funding decisions on Hammersmith Bridge were expected “in the coming weeks”](https://putney.news/2026/02/03/mp-claims-hammersmith-bridge-funding-decisions-in-the-coming-weeks/). Two months later, no funding announcement has been made. The same “coming weeks” phrasing had appeared in a January 2025 letter from Simon Lightwood, the same minister who will likely respond. It is the phrase, not the timeline, that is on its second cycle.

#### Where this goes

Four things worth watching.

1. Which minister replies: Lightwood is most likely. A more senior minister would signal the debate matters. A junior stand-in would signal the reverse.
2. Who turns up: Ruth Cadbury MP, Chair of the Transport Committee, has the most leverage in the room. She could order a review of the bridge if she was so minded.
3. Whether Albert Bridge is raised: the systemic link between the two closures matters. A wider comment about the state of London’s bridges might push this debate further up the priority list.
4. And whether the Secretary of State, Heidi Alexander, makes a statement afterwards. She sat on this Taskforce as Deputy Mayor for Transport between 2018 and 2021. Her silence since has been notable.

#### We’ll report back

After the debate and the minister’s reply, we will publish what was said, what was committed, what was ducked, and what the seven asks above produced in ministerial answers. If you used the form, we will tell you what your email, along with everyone else’s, achieved.

##### Sources

*This piece was prepared using primary parliamentary sources (Hansard), Taskforce documents released under the Freedom of Information Act (reference FOI-00060732, Department for Transport, 27 February 2026), London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham publications, and a transcript of the Roehampton hustings on 15 April 2026. Quotes are verbatim. Attributions have been checked against primary documents.*

---

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-21-at-121431-1024x707.png)***CORRECTION, Tue 21 Apr, 12pm:** We initially reported that this debate would happen on Thursday 23 April. In fact, it is taking place on Tuesday 21 April at 4.30pm. The story has been changed to reflect this.*

*We made the error because we assumed, optimistically but wrongly, that there was broader interest in the topic of Hammersmith Bridge and so it would be a “Thursday debate” whose topic is chosen by a committee of MPs. The Tuesday debate slots are organised by ballot.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/21/your-chance-to-move-things-on-hammersmith-bridge-30-seconds-before-thursday/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/21/your-chance-to-move-things-on-hammersmith-bridge-30-seconds-before-thursday/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Your%20chance%20to%20move%20things%20on%20Hammersmith%20Bridge%3A%2030%20seconds%2C%20today&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/21/your-chance-to-move-things-on-hammersmith-bridge-30-seconds-before-thursday/)

**Categories:** Politics, Transport

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Jenny Yates, Cllr Simon Hogg, Fleur Anderson MP, FOI, Hammersmith and Fulham Council, Hammersmith Bridge, infrastructure, Roehampton, TfL, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Burglars are targeting homes in West Putney - act now](https://putney.news/2026/04/20/burglars-are-targeting-homes-in-west-putney-act-now/)

**Published:** April 20, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Police confirm multiple break-ins across the ward and want residents to know what to do.

**Content:**

West Putney police have confirmed burglars have been targeting homes across the ward. PCSO Kordian Wojtowicz issued the alert on Saturday, warning of incidents across “multiple different properties within West Putney.” No specific streets or count were disclosed.

West Putney has seen [rising crime in recent months](https://putney.news/2026/03/10/violence-in-west-putney-has-risen-63-in-a-year-and-one-street-corridor-is-at-the-centre-of-it/), with violence in the ward up 63% in a year. Saturday’s alert is the first from the West Putney Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) in over a month.

The Met team is asking residents to take these steps now:

- Lock all accessible windows, even when you are at home
- Fit sash stops to sash windows
- Install key-operated locks or restrictors on ground-floor windows
- Do not leave valuables visible from outside

If you see something suspicious, call 101 or report online at met.police.uk. To report anonymously, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

To receive alerts directly from your local SNT, sign up at [metengage.co.uk](https://metengage.co.uk/) and search West Putney, or email .

Earlier this week, [Putney.news covered a similar advisory](https://putney.news/2026/04/15/four-things-putneys-police-want-you-to-know-this-week/) from Thamesfield’s SNT, which also flagged window security as a priority.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/20/burglars-are-targeting-homes-in-west-putney-act-now/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/20/burglars-are-targeting-homes-in-west-putney-act-now/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Burglars%20are%20targeting%20homes%20in%20West%20Putney%20%E2%80%93%20act%20now&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/20/burglars-are-targeting-homes-in-west-putney-act-now/)

**Categories:** Crime, West Putney

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, public safety, West Putney

---

### [Police seize cannabis and £2,200 in Innes Gardens arrest](https://putney.news/2026/04/21/police-seize-cannabis-and-2200-in-innes-gardens-arrest/)

**Published:** April 21, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Six weeks earlier, an officer told a West Putney ward panel that rivals would move in on exactly this patch.

**Content:**

“Word’s got out. There’s a gap in West Putney. So you’re gonna get from all over, trying to take over.”

PC Ben Walters told a West Putney ward panel at Granard Primary School on 10 March that the arrest and imprisonment of a local drug dealer wasn’t going to be the end of the issue. A month later, on 9 April, police arrested a man at Innes Gardens, the same patch he was talking about.

The Metropolitan Police disclosed the arrest yesterday in a MetEngage alert signed by PCSO Kordian Wojtowicz. Officers spotted two mopeds, chased a man on foot as he tried to conceal himself behind a building, and arrested him on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a Class B drug. Around 30 snap bags of cannabis and about £2,200 in cash were seized.

The patch itself is the reason the alert matters. At the [March ward panel](https://putney.news/2026/03/11/west-putneys-violence-surge-may-be-domestic-abuse-the-police-have-no-way-to-know/), Walters had explained how the West Putney Safer Neighbourhood Team built its earlier Innes Gardens case: months of quiet intelligence work, deliberate non-enforcement of parking around the site, and residents phoning in what they were seeing. That operation ended with a suspect arrested on 10 counts of drug supply and three firearms offences, and remanded in custody.

The sequence

One month from prediction to arrest. Six weeks from prediction to public disclosure.

Tuesday 10 March 2026

Ward panel prediction

At Granard Primary School, PC Ben Walters tells residents that rivals will likely take over the Innes Gardens drugs patch.

Thursday 9 April 2026

Arrest at Innes Gardens

Police chase a man on foot, arrest him on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class B, and seize around 30 bags of cannabis and about £2,200 in cash.

Monday 20 April 2026

Public disclosure

The West Putney Safer Neighbourhood Team issues a MetEngage alert describing the 9 April arrest.

Sources: West Putney ward panel transcript (10 March 2026); MetEngage alert id:431238 (20 April 2026).

#### What the ward panel set up

At the panel itself, a resident described watching five or six unfamiliar men gather behind the shops at nearby Tildesley Road the night before, with another arriving on an e-bike and a tinted-window car pulling up. She said it didn’t look right. Walters agreed. “Your intelligence that we get in meetings is crucial to us to be able to actually tackle things,” he told her. “You’re the reason we were able to go out and know where to go.”

He then offered the prediction that now reads differently. The man already in custody, he said, had been “a major player.” His absence from the patch would not last. Rivals would try to fill it.

The 9 April arrest took place at the same location. The scale was not the same. This month’s seizure is a Class B case; the earlier operation ran to Class A dealing and firearms. Whether the arrested man is connected to the original network, or whether he represents the rival pattern Walters described, has not been officially established. The West Putney SNT was asked. The team had not answered before publication.

> [Violence in West Putney has risen 63% in a year, and one street corridor is at the centre of it](https://putney.news/2026/03/10/violence-in-west-putney-has-risen-63-in-a-year-and-one-street-corridor-is-at-the-centre-of-it/)

#### What hasn’t changed

The prediction was one half of the March meeting. The other half was the picture PC Kevin Wakefield, also of the West Putney team, gave of the same ward. “I would have said it’s actually safe,” he said. That was at the meeting where Metropolitan Police figures, presented by the borough’s violence reduction lead, showed violent crime in West Putney had risen 63% year-on-year, and 35% over 12 months, while Wandsworth as a whole rose 12% and Putney 15%.

The SNT cannot sub-categorise that data. Officers told residents in March that they are only given figures for the ward’s three agreed priorities; everything else, including whether the violence increase is driven by domestic abuse, has to be sought by members of the public themselves. That question, raised in March, has not been answered.

> [Burglars are targeting homes in West Putney – act now](https://putney.news/2026/04/20/burglars-are-targeting-homes-in-west-putney-act-now/)

#### A visibly active ward

The Innes Gardens alert is PCSO Wojtowicz’s second MetEngage message in three days. The first, on [18 April, warned of a burglary pattern in West Putney](https://putney.news/2026/04/20/burglars-are-targeting-homes-in-west-putney-act-now/) and urged residents to review their home security. At the March panel, the SNT reported it was at its full strength of 14 officers for the first time in over a year.

The next West Putney ward panel is on Tuesday 30 June, 6:30pm, at Granard Primary School. Residents can raise intelligence directly with the team by emailing  or calling 0208 785 8857. Suspicious activity can be reported on 101, or 999 in an emergency. MetEngage sign-up is at [metengage.co.uk](https://metengage.co.uk/).

The June panel is where the open questions can be tested: whether the rival pattern the SNT predicted has in fact filled the patch, whether the 9 April arrest stopped it or is part of it, and whether the violence data picture has come any closer into focus.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/21/police-seize-cannabis-and-2200-in-innes-gardens-arrest/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/21/police-seize-cannabis-and-2200-in-innes-gardens-arrest/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Police%20seize%20cannabis%20and%20%C2%A32%2C200%20in%20Innes%20Gardens%20arrest&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/21/police-seize-cannabis-and-2200-in-innes-gardens-arrest/)

**Categories:** Crime, West Putney

**Tags:** Innes Gardens, The Met, ward panel

---

### [Wandsworth's recycling improved faster than almost anywhere in England. It's still near the bottom](https://putney.news/2026/04/20/wandsworths-recycling-improved-faster-than-almost-anywhere-in-england-its-still-near-the-bottom/)

**Published:** April 20, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Government data puts the borough 10th from the bottom of 37 London councils - despite its best year on record.

**Content:**

Wandsworth improved its recycling rate faster than almost any council in England last year, government data shows. It is still one of London’s worst performers.

Government figures published last month show the borough’s household recycling rate rose by 5.1 percentage points in 2024/25, one of only two councils in England to improve by more than 5pp. The other was Cornwall, which gained 7.4 points. Of 321 English councils, 69% saw their recycling rate fall over the same period.

The food waste rollout, which reached most of the borough in 2024, drove most of the improvement. Wandsworth collected an additional 10,000 tonnes of recyclable material over the year.

#### Still near the bottom of London

The borough’s recycling rate is now 27.9%. That puts it 10th from the bottom among London’s 37 councils, below the London average of 32.6%. London itself is the worst-performing region in England for recycling. The national average is 42%.

The contrast with Richmond upon Thames is stark. Both boroughs run their waste collections through a joint service: the same staff, the same contractor relationships, the same operational infrastructure. Richmond’s recycling rate is 42.6%. Wandsworth’s is 27.9%. The gap is 14.7 percentage points.

## Wandsworth household waste recycling rate 2010-11 to 2024-25, compared to Richmond, London average and England average

   Wandsworth    Richmond upon Thames    London average    England average 

 Wandsworth 2024-25: 27.9%. Richmond: 42.6%. London: 32.6%. England: 42.0%.

Source: Defra, local authority collected waste management annual results 2024/25 (published 31 March 2026). Financial years shown: 2010-11 to 2024-25. Wandsworth and Richmond share waste management staff.

Wandsworth actually collects more dry recycling (paper, glass, plastic and metal) than Richmond: 22,039 tonnes against 19,030. Residents are not refusing to recycle. The gap is almost entirely organic and garden waste: Richmond collected 11,917 tonnes; Wandsworth collected 4,162 tonnes, less than 35% of Richmond’s volume, despite Wandsworth being the larger borough.

One further figure sharpens the picture. Wandsworth generates 427.7 kg of residual waste per household each year, less than Richmond’s 486 kg. Wandsworth residents produce less rubbish than Richmond residents. They just recycle less of it. The gap is a policy gap, not a behaviour gap.

Richmond has a well-established garden waste scheme. Wandsworth has historically under-invested in this stream. The same staff run both. The difference is what the two councils have chosen to prioritise.

Richmond has been at 40-44% since 2010/11. Wandsworth ranged between 20.4% and 28.4% over the same period, and this year’s 27.9% only just edges past the 2011/12 figure. The council deserves some credit for a significant improvement in the past year, and for partially closing a gap that opened over a decade.

Wandsworth vs Richmond: 2024/25

Same contractor, same staff — different priorities

      Wandsworth Richmond     Recycling rate 27.9% 42.6%   Total household waste 93,760 tonnes 72,655 tonnes   Sent for recycling 26,201 tonnes 30,947 tonnes   Dry recycling 22,039 tonnes 19,030 tonnes   Green/organic waste 4,162 tonnes 11,917 tonnes   Residual waste per household 427.7 kg 486.0 kg   Source: Defra WFH Annual Results 2024/25, Table 1 and Table 3

#### What the council is telling residents

The 5.1 percentage point improvement is genuinely significant. What the council made of it is also notable. Simon Hogg’s letter to every household led with “a 25% improvement in our recycling rate”, the opening substantive claim in a pre-election communication to 159,000 homes.

The same figure appeared in a press release, an infographic, and has been cited at recent hustings as evidence of the council’s green credentials.

The 25% figure is not wrong, exactly. It measures the increase in volume collected rather than the change in recycling rate: a different calculation that produces a more impressive number. Although, we should note, even that bit of data manipulation comes out at 23%, not 25%.

The council’s waste services have had a difficult few years. Our investigation in November found that despite public commitments to “relentlessly pursue” Serco over an 18-month service failure, the council had issued zero formal enforcement notices. Collections hit their lowest recorded levels in summer 2025. Wandsworth spends £22.8 million a year on waste services.

This administration has a tendency to present its achievements in the most favourable possible light, which is not unusual in local government, particularly in an election year. But there are wider issues: a council that talks only in superlatives loses the internal pressure to close the remaining gap. And in recycling, as the Defra data shows, the gap remains considerable.

> [Wandsworth’s bin crisis finally getting fixed – but why did it take 18 months?](https://putney.news/2025/11/30/wandsworths-bin-crisis-finally-getting-fixed-but-why-did-it-take-18-months/)

#### The direction is right

The 2024/25 improvement is real and bucks a national trend.

The question is pace. At 27.9%, Wandsworth is less than halfway to the government’s 65% recycling target for 2035 with nine years to run. The dry recycling data suggests the capacity is there: residents are already engaged. The missing piece is organic collections. [Our analysis from March 2025](https://putney.news/2025/03/08/whats-behind-wandsworths-terrible-waste-management-and-how-can-we-actually-fix-it/) identified what has held that back, including around 10,000 flats above shops that are hard to service. This year’s data shows those barriers are not immovable.

Wandsworth’s [new Simpler Recycling rules](https://putney.news/2026/03/25/four-new-items-you-can-recycle-in-wandsworth-from-monday/), which came into force at the end of March, added four new material streams. If participation holds, the 2025/26 rate should improve further.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/20/wandsworths-recycling-improved-faster-than-almost-anywhere-in-england-its-still-near-the-bottom/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/20/wandsworths-recycling-improved-faster-than-almost-anywhere-in-england-its-still-near-the-bottom/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%E2%80%99s%20recycling%20improved%20faster%20than%20almost%20anywhere%20in%20England.%20It%E2%80%99s%20still%20near%20the%20bottom&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/20/wandsworths-recycling-improved-faster-than-almost-anywhere-in-england-its-still-near-the-bottom/)

**Categories:** Environment

**Tags:** Richmond Council, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Charlwood Road side extension refused after 47 objections](https://putney.news/2026/04/20/wandsworth-refuses-charlwood-road-extension-after-47-objections/)

**Published:** April 20, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** The council's decision says the principle of the proposal was wrong — not just the details.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has refused planning permission for the proposed alterations at 34 Charlwood Road, the locally listed Victorian semi-detached house whose application *Putney.news* reported in March when residents lodged 47 objections.

The decision, signed last week, refused permission on three grounds. The council said the proposed side extension and raised rear outrigger would harm the character of the locally listed building, the streetscene, and the Charlwood Road and Lifford Street Conservation Area. A proposed 1.7-metre boundary wall and the loss of the vegetated front garden would cause the same harm. A third ground flagged that the application had not shown the basement works would avoid increasing flood risk.

The council’s decision notice was direct about why the application could not be rescued: “The principle of the proposal is clearly contrary to our statutory policies and negotiation could not overcome the reasons for refusal.”

The application drew 53 responses during consultation, 47 of which were objections. In [March](https://putney.news/2026/03/26/the-conservation-area-appraisal-says-side-extensions-are-not-encouraged-now-there-is-one/), we reported how the council’s own conservation area appraisal explicitly discourages side extensions on this section of the street, and how the proposal would fill the open gap between nos. 34 and 32, a passage the officer described as part of “the characteristic openness of the semi-detached pair.”

> [The conservation area appraisal says side extensions “are not encouraged.” Now there is one.](https://putney.news/2026/03/26/the-conservation-area-appraisal-says-side-extensions-are-not-encouraged-now-there-is-one/)

The applicant had cited two nearby properties, nos. 44 and 48, as precedent for a side extension. The officer rejected that argument: both examples replaced existing structures and “should not be considered appropriate precedent for a side extension in this location.” No house in this section of Charlwood Road, east of Hotham Primary School, has had a comparable extension, the officer found.

Not everything in the application was refused. The rear dormer, rear terrace, and principle of further basement excavation were all found acceptable. The refusal is specific to the side extension, the raised rear outrigger, the boundary wall, and the loss of the front garden.

![34 Charlwood](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/before-after-34-charlwood-1024x570.png)The part of the application that would have filled in the space between the houses has been rejectedThe applicant has 12 weeks to appeal. The deadline is 7 July 2026.

34 Charlwood Road is the second story in Putney.news’s Planning Investigations series, which began with the [103B Clarendon Drive](https://putney.news/2026/03/20/they-want-to-house-nine-people-in-23-square-metres-the-street-objected-135-times-its-the-councils-application/) application in March.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/20/wandsworth-refuses-charlwood-road-extension-after-47-objections/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/20/wandsworth-refuses-charlwood-road-extension-after-47-objections/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Charlwood%20Road%20side%20extension%20refused%20after%2047%20objections&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/20/wandsworth-refuses-charlwood-road-extension-after-47-objections/)

**Categories:** Planning, Thamesfield

**Tags:** London Plan, planning, Wandsworth Council, Wandsworth Local Plan

---

### [The man who's been coming to Putney Library for 70 years](https://putney.news/2026/04/19/the-man-whos-been-coming-to-putney-library-for-70-years/)

**Published:** April 19, 2026
**Author:** Social Butterfly

**Excerpt:** Sean Byrne grew up on the Roehampton estate. His poem tells the story of the generation who built Britain.

**Content:**

Sean Byrne has been coming to Putney Library since he was five years old. That was the 1950s. He is still coming.

He grew up on the Roehampton estate, one of nine children in a large Irish family. His parents brought him here first. Then he kept coming back. A teaching career took him across three continents (East Africa, Venezuela, Eastern Europe), but Putney Library stayed his local, and when he returned to settle, it was still there. He attends language classes and cultural events. He reads at the open mic nights.

One of those nights is Poets in Putney, which runs on the last Thursday of each month in this same building. Sean is a regular. His poem “Plastic Paddy Power” draws on his parents’ generation’s experience of Irish migration to Britain: the navvies who built roads and railways, the Saturday dances, the pubs, the signs that read “No dogs, blacks or Irish.” The tone is vivid and sardonic. The images are precise.

— — —

Poem

Plastic Paddy Power

by Sean Byrne, Putney

The canals and the bridges, the embankment and cuts
 They blasted and dug with their sweat and their guts
 Sing Kevin Barry and the Irish rover
 To keep you sane as you build the flyover

A pint in the bookies and then a few beers
 Then back on the road with McAlpine’s fusiliers
 Buy a bri-nylon shirt on a Friday night
 But you’ll have to bin it if you get in a fight

Get all spruced up for the Saturday dance
 Shake a good leg and you may have a chance
 Women on one side, men in the other
 Who’s gonna be the first to break cover?

Some strike lucky, others get arseholed
 From Kilburn and Cricklewood to the Dublin Castle
 Get carried away when you’ve had a good session?
 You can wipe the slate clean when you go to confession

Lay your head down in what digs you can find
 *No dogs, blacks or Irish* at the back of your mind
 At Balham Tropicana you can throw a few shimmies
 Or a dive by the Bedford called Dublin Jimmy’s

They’d sing rebel songs as they pass round the hat
 Who’s the money for? I wouldn’t ask that

Etc.

Read at Poets in Putney
Putney Library

 scroll

Sean is the first poet featured in Monthly Muse, a new format launching today. Once or twice a month, mid-month, Putney.news will profile one of the readers from Poets in Putney ahead of the month-end open mic. The aim is simple: put a face and a poem to the night, and give new readers a reason to come.

[You can buy Sean’s book of poetry here](https://www.waterstones.com/book/open-micks-lyrical-bollards/sean-byrne//9781911232674).

![Sean Byrne, poet](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sean-byrne-1024x1024.jpeg)The next event is 30 April at 6:30pm in The Hall, Putney Public Library (from £3.96). In May, Poets in Putney partners with Thames21 and London Rivers Week for a free Rivers Edition on 28 May. On 25 June, the night marks its one-year anniversary. Tickets and details are at [poetsinputney-tickets](https://tinyurl.com/poetsinputney-tickets).

Poets in Putney has been running since June 2025, when [organiser Becx launched it](https://putney.news/2025/06/19/poetry-with-heart-putneys-new-night-sparks-local-creative-flame/) at the library. [By December](https://putney.news/2025/12/12/last-thursday-of-the-month-putney-reads-its-heart-out/), it had grown into a fixture on the local cultural calendar.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/19/the-man-whos-been-coming-to-putney-library-for-70-years/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/19/the-man-whos-been-coming-to-putney-library-for-70-years/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20man%20who%E2%80%99s%20been%20coming%20to%20Putney%20Library%20for%2070%20years&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/19/the-man-whos-been-coming-to-putney-library-for-70-years/)

**Categories:** Culture, Live events

**Tags:** community, Monthly Muse, Poets in Putney, Putney Library, Roehampton, Sean Byrne

---

### ['Built 500 brand new council homes' - or 366, or 90? Wandsworth Labour's record, checked](https://putney.news/2026/04/19/built-500-brand-new-council-homes-or-366-or-90-wandsworth-labours-record-checked/)

**Published:** April 19, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** We tested 25 claims in Wandsworth Labour's manifesto. Three are accurate. One isn't close.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Labour’s 2026 manifesto opens with its strongest card: the lowest council tax in England. That claim is true amd independently confirmed. The difficulty comes when you read further.

*Putney.news* tested every verifiable claim in “Cleaner Streets, Safer Neighbourhoods, Fairer Wandsworth,” published on 27 March 2026, against national statistical returns, council financial officer documents, Defra data, Full Council transcripts and our own investigations.

Of 25 claims assessed, three are fully accurate, three mostly accurate, and five need significant context to be understood. Two are misleading. One (the flagship housing claim) is directly contradicted by the council’s own documents. Eleven claims could not be verified (as yet) from any source independent of the council’s own communications.

  Wandsworth Labour · Manifesto 2026 — “Cleaner Streets, Safer Neighbourhoods, Fairer Wandsworth” 

 C

 Overall: Needs context The low council tax is real and the CDP ratings check out. But the flagship housing claim doesn’t survive contact with the council’s own financial records. 

  😇 3 Accurate 

 🙂 3 Mostly accurate 

 😐 5 Needs context 

 😬 2 Misleading 

 🤡 1 Not accurate 

 ⚪ 10 Unverified 

   Explore all claims — see the evidence ▼  “` 🤡 Not accurate

 🤡 E“Built 500 brand new council homes for local people”

Council monitoring data cited at Full Council (4 March 2026) showed 366 homes built or started — not 500. The council’s own national housing return (LAHS) records only 37 new-build completions and 90 total acquisitions over three Labour years. Financial officer papers confirm the new-build programme ran behind budget due to delays in 2024/25. Acquisitions of existing properties (funded by a government homelessness grant) are not “brand new” homes.

Full Council transcript 4 Mar 2026 · LAHS Open Data 2024-25 · Paper 25-250 Appendix D · putney.news 5 Mar 2026

😬 Misleading

 😬 D“Frozen council tax for four years in a row”

Council tax rose by approximately 2% each year due to the GLA precept — a rise households actually paid. The UK Statistics Authority wrote to the council leader stating the claim had “potential to mislead.” The council controls only part of the bill; framing the overall bill as frozen is factually inaccurate. Four putney.news investigations have documented this.

Budget Paper 26-63 · UKSA letter to council leader · putney.news 24 Mar 2026

 😬 D“Bought back 145 homes sold off under Right to Buy”

The council’s own national statistical return (LAHS), submitted to central government, records only 13 RTB-funded buybacks over the Labour term. Even counting all acquisitions of any type — including those funded by a government homelessness grant to house people from temporary accommodation — the total is 90. The 145 figure is not supported by primary data.

LAHS Open Data 2024-25 · Paper 25-250 Appendix D

😐 Needs context

 😐 C“Improved recycling by 25% — the biggest increase in London”

The improvement is real and significant: Wandsworth’s recycling rate rose from 22.8% to 27.9% in 2024/25, one of only two councils in England to improve by more than 5 percentage points. But the “25%” measures the increase in volume collected, not the official recycling rate. Wandsworth remains 10th from the bottom in London — well below the London average of 32.6% and the national average of 42%.

Defra Waste from Households Annual Results 2024/25 (published 31 March 2026)

 😐 C“Saved £30m on our leisure contract”

The contract with Places Leisure only started in October 2025 — under seven months before the manifesto was published. The £30m is a projected saving over the full 10-year contract term, not an amount already delivered. The past tense “saved” is false; the saving has not yet been realised.

Council procurement records · Paper 25-372

 😐 C“Saved £14m through efficiencies”

The council’s own Chief Executive described the £45m transformation programme target as a “broad, reasonable estimate” at an early stage. Presenting £14m of that as already “saved” is not supported by any officer document confirming these as realised savings.

Council officer papers

 😐 C“We won’t be using [unlimited council tax powers]”

putney.news reported in December 2025 that the council leader said “for now” when ruling out using the government’s unlimited council tax raising powers. The manifesto’s absolute language is inconsistent with that qualifier — and the council’s own papers project a 34% council tax rise in 2027/28 regardless of who wins.

putney.news Dec 2025 · Budget Paper 26-63

 😐 C“Secured the support of 82% of local people” on the Alton Estate ballot

82.4% of those who voted backed the scheme — confirmed by Civica Election Services. But the ballot was open only to secure tenants, resident leaseholders, and those on the housing waiting list — 3,395 people, or 26% of the estate’s 13,000 residents. Of those eligible, 41.5% voted and 34% voted yes. The 1,161 yes votes represent roughly 9% of the estate’s total population. putney.news spoke with 20 residents before results were announced: several had not received ballot papers, others cited language barriers, others said they didn’t think voting would make a difference.

putney.news 17 Oct 2025 · Civica Election Services official count · GLA estate regeneration ballot rules

🙂 Mostly accurate

 🙂 B“Some of the highest financial reserves in London”

True as a snapshot. But general fund reserves have fallen from £199m when Labour took office to a projected £122m in usable reserves — and the council’s own budget papers acknowledge that even that figure is less than the two-year funding gap ahead. The council’s own documents describe the strategy as unsustainable.

Full Council transcript 4 Mar 2026 · Paper 26-63 · putney.news Feb 2026

 🙂 B“Collected £230m in property developer taxes”

Plausible as a total. But a significant portion of this income reflects Conservative-era planning approvals working through the pipeline — developer contributions are typically paid years after planning permission is granted. putney.news’s CIL investigation found Labour inherited a large pipeline of approvals from the previous administration.

putney.news Oct 2025 CIL investigation

 🙂 B“Safest inner-London borough”

Broadly supported by police.uk data: Wandsworth’s crime rate of approximately 101 per 1,000 residents is lower than all comparable inner-London boroughs (Westminster 349, Camden 172, Kensington 146, Islington 128, Southwark 123). But crime rates have risen in absolute terms since 2022, and the genuinely safest London boroughs are all outer London.

police.uk 2024/25 data

😇 Accurate

 😇 A“Lowest council tax in the country”

Confirmed. Wandsworth’s Band D council tax is £525 for 2026/27 — the lowest of any local authority in England. This is verified by government data.

Budget and Council Tax Setting 2026/27 (Paper 26-63)

 😇 A“Three consecutive A ratings for climate action [CDP]”

Confirmed by the Climate Disclosure Project, an independent international body. The A rating is the highest available. Wandsworth is one of only a small number of London boroughs to achieve it.

Climate Disclosure Project (independent)

 😇 A“Fined Thames Water over £500,000”

Confirmed as issued. Between April 2022 and July 2024, Wandsworth issued fines totalling more than £500,000 to Thames Water for works overrunning agreed timings. The council’s own July 2024 statement says the money was “collected” and used for highways improvements. Whether all sums were received before Thames Water entered special administration in 2025 is not independently confirmed.

Council news 17 Jul 2024 · putney.news Jun 2025

⚪ Unverified

**Why these claims are listed as unverified:** The following claims appear in council communications only. We were unable to find independent or official statistical verification from any source that does not originate with the council itself. We are not saying these claims are false — only that we cannot confirm them to our editorial standard, which requires a primary source independent of the party making the claim. A council press release is not that source. Several of these could be confirmed via government datasets and are flagged for future verification.

 ⚪ U“Resurfaced 230 roads and 160 pavements”

Source needed: DfT local highways maintenance statistics or council records via FOI.

 ⚪ U“Deployed 3 CCTV vans and expanded our network of 1,200 cameras”

Source needed: Met Police or council CCTV estate data; procurement records.

 ⚪ U“Installed 450 bike hangars — the fastest rollout in London”

Source needed: TfL cycling infrastructure register or council procurement records.

 ⚪ U“Installed 1,600 electric vehicle charging stations”

Source needed: OZEV/NESO national charge point database; council asset register.

 ⚪ U“30,000 bulky waste bookings in the last year”

Source needed: DEFRA Local Authority Waste Statistics 2024/25.

 ⚪ U“Reduced fly-tipping by 20%”

Source needed: DEFRA WasteDataFlow — Wandsworth-specific figure not retrieved.

 ⚪ U“Delivered the biggest Cost of Living Fund in London”

Source needed: London Councils comparative data. No independent body ranks Cost of Living funds by borough.

 ⚪ U“Created over 200 new SEND places — England’s top 10 for SEND results”

Source needed: DfE school capacity data; Ofsted; council SEND strategy officer papers.

 ⚪ U“Delivered a Citizens Assembly on Air Quality and implemented its actions”

The assembly took place — that is documented. The claim that actions were “implemented” is unverified from independent sources.

 ⚪ U“Access for All — most generous concessionary scheme in the country”

No independent body rates concessionary schemes nationally. The council refused to release usage data for over a year, and putney.news has an active ICO complaint against the council over this. Internal figures show only 9% of eligible Universal Credit recipients have signed up and 2% of Pension Credit recipients — among the most financially vulnerable residents.

putney.news Mar 2026 · putney.news Sep 2025 · Active ICO complaint

“` 

  All verdicts assessed using the putney.news election fact-check methodology. Primary sources only — council press releases are not accepted as independent verification. Labour’s manifesto was assessed using the same standards applied to the [Conservative manifesto fact-check](https://putney.news/2026/04/13/high-quality-services-or-decades-of-stagnation-the-conservatives-record-checked/). Polling day: 7 May 2026.

#### The claim Labour cannot defend

The centrepiece of the manifesto is this: “Built 500 brand new council homes.”

At Full Council on 4 March 2026, three weeks before the manifesto was published, the Conservative leader cited the council’s own Housing Authority monitoring report: “on completions you’ve only built or started building 366, just over a third of your target.” Labour councillors disputed the figure from the floor: Cllr Simon Hogg said “500 built, occupied and the rest on the way”; Cllr Aydin Dikerdem said “the 500th new home was completed in October” but nobody challenged the document’s existence or its provenance.

The national statistical return Labour-controlled Wandsworth submits to central government tells a different story again. It records 90 total housing additions under Labour over three years. Of those, 70 in 2024/25 are confirmed by officer financial papers as existing properties purchased to house people from temporary accommodation, funded by the government’s Local Authority Housing Fund, a separate programme for homelessness. The council’s own financial records show the new-build programme underspent by £10.4 million in 2024/25 because of delays caused by extended consultation.

A claim of 500 brand new council homes cannot be reconciled with the council’s monitoring report showing 366 built or started, a national return showing 90 total additions, and a capital outturn showing the new-build programme running behind budget. We rate it E: not accurate.

Labour’s housing pledge for the next term compounds this. The 2022 manifesto committed to 1,000 new council homes. The 2026 manifesto acknowledges approximately 500 were completed and now pledges a further 1,000. The party is asking to be returned to office partly on the basis of a promise it did not keep, while promising to keep it again, plus double.

#### The claim that was already rebuked

The manifesto states Labour “frozen council tax for four years.” The UK Statistics Authority wrote to the council leader before this manifesto was published, warning that the freeze claim had “potential to mislead” because the GLA precept (which Wandsworth collects on behalf of the Mayor) rose by approximately 2% every year. Residents’ total bills increased. The watchdog’s letter was reported in March 2026. The manifesto repeats the claim unchanged. We rate it D: misleading.

A related claim, that Labour “won’t be using” unlimited council tax powers granted by the government in December 2025, needs context: the council leader said “for now” when making that commitment, a qualifier the manifesto does not include.

#### What genuinely checks out

The lowest council tax in England: true. £525 Band D for 2026/27, confirmed by budget papers, lowest in the country. The Climate Disclosure Project has awarded the council three consecutive A ratings, an independent body, a real achievement, one of the few London boroughs at this level. And Labour did fine Thames Water over £500,000 in July 2024 for delayed works on the road network. These are verifiable, accurate claims.

The recycling improvement claim needs more care. The manifesto says Labour “improved recycling by 25%, the most improved council.” The 25% measures an increase in tonnage collected, not the official recycling rate. Defra’s 2024/25 figures, published on 31 March 2026, show Wandsworth’s recycling rate is 27.9%, up from 22.8%, a genuine improvement. But it also ranks Wandsworth 10th from bottom among London’s 37 waste authorities, against a London average of 32.6% and an England average of 42.0%. We rate it C: needs significant context.

The claim that Labour “bought back 145 Right to Buy homes” does not survive contact with the council’s own national return. LAHS data records 13 RTB-funded buybacks over the Labour term. Even counting every property acquisition of any kind (including the LAHF homelessness purchases), the total is 90. We rate it D: misleading.

  Wandsworth Labour · Manifesto 2026 — Pledge credibility assessment 

 Are Labour’s pledges credible?

Seven forward pledges assessed for financial plausibility, council powers, and whether they have been promised before. Click any pledge to see the evidence.

  1 Credible 

 4 Qualified 

 1 Recycled 

 1 Vague 

 “`   1 Same Low Council Tax  🟡 Qualified ▼  “You will pay the lowest Council Tax in the country and we will put value for money at the heart of everything we do.”

Credible for 2026/27, which is already set at £525 — confirmed the lowest in England. Beyond that, the council’s own budget papers project a 34% council tax rise in 2027/28 as a direct consequence of the government’s fair funding settlement — regardless of who governs. Labour’s council leader declined to rule out using unlimited tax-raising powers only “for now” (December 2025). The pledge implies no change from current levels; the financial projections make that very difficult to sustain beyond the first year.

**Condition required:** Credible only if the £137m structural funding gap is resolved through savings alone, without council tax rises. The council’s own finance director has not identified a credible path to this outcome.

  2 Double street cleaning  🟡 Qualified ▼  “We guarantee to keep your weekly bin collections and will double street cleaning on residential roads — at least two sweeps a week.”

The most specific pledge in the document — “at least two sweeps a week” is measurable and testable, and the word “guarantee” is a strong commitment. Street cleaning costs approximately £5.8m per year; doubling the service would require roughly £5–6m in additional annual spending. No funding source is identified. The service also has a recent reliability track record that warrants scrutiny: missed bin collections peaked at nearly three times the target rate in autumn 2024. By September 2025 the service had recovered and was hitting its 70-per-100,000 target — but it took 18 months and the addition of five dedicated monitoring officers to get there. Doubling a service that required that level of intervention to stabilise, without explaining the budget, is a conditional commitment.

**Condition required:** An identified budget of approximately £5–6m per year from a constrained funding position. Not provided in the manifesto.

  3 New Neighbourhood Wardens  🟡 Qualified ▼  “We will introduce Neighbourhood Wardens in all our town centres to tackle anti-social behaviour, shoplifting and fly-tipping.”

Feasible as a concept — the manifesto cites a Balham trial that Labour says has already demonstrated results. Anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping enforcement are within council powers. However, “tackle shoplifting” overstates what council wardens can do: they have no powers of arrest, detention, or enforcement over retail crime. That is a matter for the police and retailers. The cost of rolling out to all town centres is unspecified, and no budget line is identified.

**Language flag:** “Tackle shoplifting” — council wardens have no enforcement powers over retail crime. This element is outside council powers.

  4 Love our parks — trees, trail, green corridors  🟡 Qualified ▼  “We will plant 1,000 new trees a year, connect up the Wandle River trail and invest £1 million every year for new green corridors.”

The 1,000 trees element is the weakest pledge in the document — because the manifesto itself records that Labour already planted over 1,000 trees every year during this term. This is a commitment to continue current practice, not an expansion of it. The £1m per year for green corridors is specific and testable but requires explicit budget allocation that is not demonstrated against the council’s financial position. Completing the Wandle trail missing link is partially outside council control — the gap crosses Merton — and depends on partnership with neighbouring boroughs.

**Note:** “1,000 new trees a year” — the manifesto records this is already happening. The pledge is continuation, not new commitment.

  5 1,000 new council homes — a further 1,000  ♻️ Recycled ▼  “Increase our 1,000 new council homes by a further 1,000.” / “Campaign for rent caps and drive out rogue landlords.”

Labour’s 2022 manifesto pledged to build 1,000 new council homes in its first term. Council monitoring data cited at Full Council on 4 March 2026 showed 366 homes built or started — under a third of the target — at the end of the term. The 2026 manifesto now pledges a further 1,000 on top, committing to approximately 1,634 additional homes over the next four years. No explanation is given for what changes to enable delivery at a rate four times higher than the first term achieved. The HRA borrowed £50.4m in 2024/25 to support the existing programme; a second programme of the same scale would require comparable ongoing borrowing. “Campaign for rent caps” is outside council powers — rent control requires national legislation. The Renters Tribunal support element is within council powers and reasonable.

**Recycled from 2022:** The original 1,000-home pledge was not delivered. Pledging a further 1,000 without addressing the delivery shortfall in the first term is not credible as stated.

  6 “Britain’s most digital council by 2030”  🔵 Vague ▼  “We will accelerate our transformation into Britain’s most digital council by 2030.”

No definition of what “most digital council” means. No independent body ranks councils on digitisation. No milestones, metrics, or intermediate targets are provided. The commitment cannot be tested or verified because it contains no standard against which to measure success. The year 2030 falls after the next election cycle, which reduces accountability further.

**Language flag:** Ambition without mechanism — no definition, no metric, no comparative standard, no baseline stated.

  7 Trial a 24-hour leisure centre in Tooting  🟢 Credible ▼  “We will trial a 24 hour leisure centre in Tooting.”

Specific, within council powers, and limited in scope by design — it is a trial, not a permanent commitment. The Tooting leisure centre is council-operated under the Places Leisure contract. The commitment is operationally feasible and testable: either the trial happens, or it doesn’t. It is the most specific and accountable pledge in the manifesto.

“` 

 Pledge verdict scale

 🟢 Credible Financially plausible, within council powers, achievable 🟡 Qualified Realistic only if specific conditions are met ♻️ Recycled Previously promised and not delivered 🔵 Vague Too unspecific to assess credibly 

  Pledge credibility assessed using the putney.news election fact-check methodology. Identical standards applied to the [Conservative manifesto fact-check](https://putney.news/2026/04/13/high-quality-services-or-decades-of-stagnation-the-conservatives-record-checked/) (published 13 April 2026). Polling day: 7 May 2026.

#### Looking ahead

Seven forward pledges are assessed separately. The clearest is the most modest: a trial of 24-hour leisure centre access in Tooting. It is specific, within the council’s powers, limited in scope, and testable. It rates as credible.

The weakest is the housing pledge, a recycled commitment with no explanation of what changes. “Britain’s most digital council by 2030” has no definition, no metric, no ranking body and no way to test it. “Doubled street cleaning” is measurable and specific, but carries an unbudgeted cost of approximately £5–6 million a year against a council facing a £137 million funding gap by 2028/29.

#### The verification bubble

Eleven claims in this manifesto could not be verified from any source that does not originate with the council itself. They are not found to be false. They are found to be unconfirmable, which is itself a meaningful finding about the council’s transparency when seeking re-election.

Council press releases become council communications, which are cited in the manifesto as evidence of delivery. The circularity is not unique to Labour; it is a structural feature of how the council presents itself. But it means that for 11 of 25 claims, we cannot tell residents whether the council is telling the truth. Neither, on the available evidence, can anyone else.

This is the second manifesto through our fact-check pipeline. The [Conservative manifesto](https://putney.news/2026/04/13/high-quality-services-or-decades-of-stagnation-the-conservatives-record-checked/), published on 13 April 2026, received identical treatment. Both assessments use the same methodology, the same rating scale, and the same standard: claims assessed against primary evidence, not party communications.

Wandsworth Labour is invited to respond to any of these findings. Any response received will be published in full as an update to this article.

Wandsworth goes to the polls on 7 May.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/19/built-500-brand-new-council-homes-or-366-or-90-wandsworth-labours-record-checked/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/19/built-500-brand-new-council-homes-or-366-or-90-wandsworth-labours-record-checked/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98Built%20500%20brand%20new%20council%20homes%E2%80%99%20%E2%80%93%20or%20366%2C%20or%2090%3F%20Wandsworth%20Labour%E2%80%99s%20record%2C%20checked&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/19/built-500-brand-new-council-homes-or-366-or-90-wandsworth-labours-record-checked/)

**Categories:** Politics

---

### [Wandsworth police officer convicted of rape - third from same unit in three years](https://putney.news/2026/04/19/wandsworth-police-officer-convicted-of-rape-third-from-same-unit-in-three-years/)

**Published:** April 19, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** PC Dion Arnold told victims he was a police officer so they would trust him, court hears.

**Content:**

A Metropolitan Police officer who told women he was a police officer so they would trust him has been convicted of rape and other serious sexual offences.

PC Dion Arnold, 33, was found guilty at Guildford Crown Court on Thursday 16 April of four counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration, and two counts of sexual assault. He had faced 17 charges across four women; the jury acquitted him on nine counts. The offences spanned June 2023 to March 2025.

Arnold was attached to the South West Basic Command Unit, the Metropolitan Police’s operational policing unit for south-west London. It covers Wandsworth, Richmond upon Thames, Merton and Kingston upon Thames.

He met his four victims through online dating apps and, in at least one case, through his work as an Army reserves medic. He told them from the outset that he was a serving police officer. Chief Superintendent Dan Knowles, head of policing for the SW BCU, said Arnold did so “so that they would have more trust in him.”

Arnold also worked in a domestic abuse unit. That role gave him detailed professional knowledge of consent law.

The four women did not know each other. Investigators found a list of their names on Arnold’s phone. His own messages recorded him acknowledging that he had “gone too far” and apologising to the women. Despite this, his offending continued. Investigators found he repeatedly ignored them when they told him no.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Claire Gallagher, of the CPS South East Rape and Serious Sexual Offences unit, said Arnold “deliberately targeted women that he thought would not stop him and would never have the courage to report him. They have proved him wrong.”

#### The third officer from the same unit since 2023

Arnold is the third officer attached to the SW BCU to face serious sexual offence proceedings in three years.

In 2024, PC Cliff Mitchell, also attached to the unit, was [convicted and sentenced to life in prison](https://putney.news/2024/05/02/former-met-officer-cliff-mitchell-life-sentence/) for multiple rapes. In March 2025, PC Nick Whitcombe, [another officer from the same unit, was charged with rape](https://putney.news/2025/03/17/local-police-officer-charged-with-rape/). That case is ongoing.

Three officers from the same command unit charged with serious sexual offences in three years is not a random cluster. It is a documented pattern that raises questions about culture, vetting and professional standards within the BCU.

Chief Superintendent Knowles said the Met had “grown our professional standards teams over the last three years to ensure we are robust in investigating matters at the earliest opportunity.” He added that the force did not “underestimate the impact that cases like this have on the confidence that women and girls have in our organisation.”

The Met says it has overhauled its vetting and professional standards since 2022. Operation Onyx reviewed 1,636 completed sexual and domestic abuse cases and resulted in 378 individuals leaving the force. Around 1,500 officers and staff in total have exited since 2022. Knowles said internal reports of wrongdoing had “almost trebled” in three years.

Arnold joined the Metropolitan Police as a Special Constable in 2014 and became a regular officer in 2016. He was arrested by Surrey Police on 30 March 2025 after one woman reported offences against her between June 2024 and March 2025. He was suspended from duty shortly afterwards. Investigators then identified three further victims, with offending going back to June 2023. He had been offending for nearly two years before anyone reported him.

A misconduct hearing will follow the criminal proceedings. Under police regulations, a conviction does not automatically end an officer’s employment. The force must conduct its own formal process before Arnold can be dismissed.

He is due to be sentenced at Guildford Crown Court on Monday 22 June.

#### Support and reporting

Anyone who has experienced something similar can report to police by calling 101 (non-emergency) or 999 in an emergency. Anonymous reports can be made to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Support is available from Rape Crisis England and Wales at rapecrisis.org.uk or on 0808 500 2222.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/19/wandsworth-police-officer-convicted-of-rape-third-from-same-unit-in-three-years/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/19/wandsworth-police-officer-convicted-of-rape-third-from-same-unit-in-three-years/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20police%20officer%20convicted%20of%20rape%20%E2%80%93%20third%20from%20same%20unit%20in%20three%20years&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/19/wandsworth-police-officer-convicted-of-rape-third-from-same-unit-in-three-years/)

**Categories:** Crime

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, PC Dion Arnold, Wandsworth

---

### [Resident fury as bike hangars appear on Thamesfield streets without warning](https://putney.news/2026/04/18/resident-fury-as-bike-hangars-appear-on-thamesfield-streets-without-warning/)

**Published:** April 18, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Five streets, one pattern: residents raised concerns, the council acknowledged them, then proceeded anyway.

**Content:**

Residents across Thamesfield ward are angry. Eight-and-a-half-feet metal bike hangars have appeared on their streets this week. In some cases residents say they actively told the council they didn’t want them; in others, they were never consulted, and at other locations, there are serious safety concerns.

And then there’s the fact that they have been placed in the middle of parking spaces.

Readers have shared with *Putney.news* several email threads with council officials in which they have complained bitterly, to no avail.

On Pentlow Street, [residents told the council they didn’t want one](https://putney.news/2026/04/16/residents-said-no-to-the-bike-hangar-the-council-installed-it-anyway/). The council installed it anyway. On Borneo Street, the council’s transport planner claims consultation letters were sent; residents say they never saw them. On Esmond Street, a similar story, no consultation and no demand. On Bangalore, residents can’t understand why the metal structure was put in the middle of two parking spaces.

So far, of the nine installations, residents are up in arms over five.

#### What the council said, and what it did

*Putney.news* has seen the email trail.

In November 2025, while the [Phase 4 consultation for 34 Putney locations](https://putney.news/2025/11/10/putney-to-get-34-new-bike-hangars-as-council-launches-consultation-but-process-assumes-approval/) was open, resident Alex Sandberg opposed the Pentlow proposal. Ward councillor Ethan Brooks filed a formal enquiry the same day: “It doesn’t seem to be a popular choice amongst residents there.” The council’s transport planner, Margo Turner, replied that she would consider responses alongside others received. She sent Sandberg the same assurance three days later. The consultation closed in November. Turner did not contact Sandberg again for five months.

On Tuesday, out of the blue, a parking suspension notice appeared. The hangar went in the next morning. Cllr Brooks responded while the installation was under way: “This wasn’t our decision as local councillors… we weren’t consulted.” Sandberg emailed Turner the same day: “You said my and my neighbour’s views on imposing a bike shed on our street would be taken into account. They have not.”

Another resident told *Putney.news* not a single household on the street’s WhatsApp group supported the hangar. The flats already have their own garages for bikes. Neighbours who have checked the nearby Werter Road hangar say it is rarely full.

#### Three more streets, the same pattern

On Bangalore Street, resident Shane Gwinnutt says the hangar has been placed in the middle of a parking bay rather than at the end, taking two spaces instead of one. He was told the installer had “specific instructions” for that position.

On Esmond Street, Mick Stone of the Putney Action Group says the people most affected simply weren’t reached. “They couldn’t have consulted anybody in Esmond Street because it’s all back gardens,” he said, “and you’ve got three \[residents at the Wadham Road end\]. Not one of those were consulted.”

The junction at Wadham Road has a history. Last year, Mick warned a council officer and a local councillor in person that an existing bike hangar was a line-of-sight concern. A hangar under a District Line bridge blocks both drivers’ and pedestrians’ view of the road. Mick told us how a mother and child had a near-miss, sparking him to contact the council and insist on a meeting. The hangar is still there; the council has now installed another one in a similar spot one street down on Esmond Street.

![Bike hangar on Disraeli Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/disraeli-bike-hangar-1024x575.png)An early bike hangar on Disraeli Road. Local resident Mick Stone has warned council officials it blocks a line-of-sight.#### Borneo Street: one account from the council, one from the residents

On Thursday morning, Hotham Road resident Emily Reed emailed the council to ask about a hangar that had just appeared on Borneo Street, one street over from her home.

Council transport planner Turner responded. The proposal had been “overwhelmingly supported by local residents,” she stated. Reed asked for the figures: 44 letters sent, 23 responses, 18 in support, 5 against.

Reed asked whether Hotham Road had been included:

> “Letters were sent to addresses on the southern half of Borneo Street and the nearby properties on Hotham Road. This is in line with our standard procedure that we have undertaken for well over 500 local transport consultations over the last several years, including bikehangars and dockless e-bike bays.”

Emily Reed says no such letter reached her. The Hotham Road neighbours she has spoken to say the same. She lives metres from the Borneo Street installation.

*Putney.news* has filed a Freedom of Information request for the list of addresses the letters went to.

![Large curved perforated metal barrier blocking part of the road on a quiet street.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/pentlow-bike-hangar-1-1024x768.png)#### How this started, and who is responsible

Wandsworth approved its first bike hangar strategy in September 2019. The borough was under Conservative control, as it had been since 1978. Local councillor John Locker was the Cabinet Member for Transport. Labour won the council in May 2022 and approved Phases 2, 3 and 4. By October 2024, 229 hangars had been installed across Wandsworth. Phase 4 is the round going in now and it is focused on Putney in particular.

Mick Stone’s question is the right one: “I want to know the rationale for these things and where they’re being put… who’s responsible for such a stupid decision and failure to communicate?” he asks.

Locker, the man who designed the framework, is [not standing for re-election in Thamesfield](https://putney.news/2025/11/21/alice-in-wonderland-meets-the-matrix-at-putney-bridge-junction/) on 7 May. He has moved, late, to a ward on the other side of the borough. The residents living with the consequences won’t be voting on him.

We contacted the council this week posing a number of questions about each installation and the overall process. As usual, we have not received a response.

#### Can an installed hangar be removed?

Wandsworth hasn’t said. *Putney.news* has asked: what is the process, what does it cost, and who pays. Other London councils treat relocation as routine. Waltham Forest publishes the price in its maintenance contract. The Wandsworth answer will appear here when it arrives.

#### What residents can do

Contact your ward councillors: [Cllr Ethan Brooks](mailto:cllr.e.brooks@wandsworth.gov.uk) is the only current councillor standing for re-election. The council’s formal complaints route is at [wandsworth.gov.uk/complaints](https://wandsworth.gov.uk/complaints). If you want the consultation data for your street, file a Freedom of Information request for free at [whatdotheyknow.com/body/wandsworth\_council](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/body/wandsworth_council).

Local elections are on 7 May. The hangars are in. The questions are not answered.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/18/resident-fury-as-bike-hangars-appear-on-thamesfield-streets-without-warning/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/18/resident-fury-as-bike-hangars-appear-on-thamesfield-streets-without-warning/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Resident%20fury%20as%20bike%20hangars%20appear%20on%20Thamesfield%20streets%20without%20warning&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/18/resident-fury-as-bike-hangars-appear-on-thamesfield-streets-without-warning/)

**Categories:** Thamesfield, Transport

**Tags:** Cllr Ethan Brooks, Cllr James Jeffreys, Cllr John Locker, cycling, public consultation, Putney Action Group, thamesfield, Wandsworth Council

---

### [The Angel pub's future will be decided in secret, eight days before Roehampton votes](https://putney.news/2026/04/18/the-angel-pubs-future-will-be-decided-in-secret-eight-days-before-roehampton-votes/)

**Published:** April 18, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** The council cited too much public interest as its reason to exclude the public.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council blocked the livestream of The Angel pub’s licence hearing on Thursday night, claiming, bizarrely, that there was too much community interest for it to be shown to people. The council also claimed that election rules applied.

During what was then a closed meeting, the council decided to postpone the hearing and hold a second closed meeting later this month – which will still be during the election period – to decide the pub’s fate.

“Due to the high level of community interest in this application, and in line with restrictions during the pre election period, this Licensing Sub Committee meeting will not be livestreamed or webcast,” a note on the council website reads.

At the closed hearing, we have since found out, the Metropolitan Police – which brought the case and want The Angel’s licence revoked – asked for more time. This is despite the fact that the police gathered enough evidence to raid the pub six months ago.

Councillors agreed to the request and moved the hearing to 29 April – a week before local elections – as a fully remote meeting with no press or public allowed. Yesterday, the council posted its reason online: “It is in the public interest that the application receives a fair hearing and that appropriate time is had for all evidence to be reviewed.”

Which is, of course, what a public hearing is designed to do.

Labour holds Roehampton ward’s three seats by around 600 votes. The [petition](https://www.change.org/p/save-the-angel-pub-from-closure) to save The Angel has 650 signatures. Due to the delay, the decision over the Angel Pub’s future will now come out the day before the election.

If the hearing had gone ahead as planned, that decision – which might shut down one of only two pubs in a ward of 20,000 residents – would have been made public two weeks before election day.

![Side door to The Angle pub](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/the-angel-roehampton-1-768x1024.png)#### Why the council’s explanation doesn’t hold up

Election rules (called ‘purdah’ in outdated British Empire language) say the party in power can’t use council resources just before an election so they don’t get an unfair advantage.

But those rules, poorly understood by most people – including, it appears, the council itself – are increasingly misused. This appears to be one of those times. Residents have the right to watch or attend council meetings whether there’s an election on or not. That’s not something purdah touches. And at a licensing hearing, councillors aren’t making political decisions: they’re adjudicating under licensing law, more like judges than politicians. The council has pointed to no specific law and shown no written policy to justify the decision.

But a decision to shut the local pub just before an election? That *becomes* political.

Last year, the council published a press release headlined “A More Open, Modern and Listening Council,” promising to webcast Cabinet, Full Council and scrutiny meetings. We told readers on 10 April that [the Angel hearing would be live to watch](https://putney.news/2026/04/10/weapons-drug-deals-and-intimidation-why-the-angel-pub-may-lose-its-licence/). There was no reason to believe otherwise.

![Round white oval sign reading 'THE ANGEL ROEHAMPTON' mounted on a red brick wall.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/the-angel-roehampton-8-1024x768.png)#### Why the 29 April hearing doesn’t need to be secret either

The law already gives councils a way to deal with sensitive evidence without locking everyone out: they can close specific parts of a hearing where material needs to stay private, such as detailed police intelligence, while keeping the rest open. The police have every right to ask for more time and to keep sensitive information away from public view. The council has a ready-made way to do both without shutting the public out entirely and has done so repeatedly at recent licensing hearings. It chose not to use it this week and to close the entire hearing – and it is imposing that extraordinary measure again later this month.

Labour’s three Roehampton ward councillors, Jenny Yates, Matthew Tiller and Graeme Henderson, backed the police review of the pub in a written statement. The police want it shut down entirely. All three councillors are standing again on 7 May. None of their constituents will be in the room when councillors decide on The Angel’s fate.

Yesterday, we sent the council several questions:

- What is the legal basis for blocking the webcast, who made that decision and when?
- Was the same rule applied to other council meetings during this period?
- Does the council think the 29 April meeting lives up to its duty to be open?
- Does it believe election rules restrict the public’s right to watch licensing hearings?

We also wrote to the council’s Monitoring Officer (whose job is to make sure the council acts within the law) to challenge the decision, wrote to council leader Simon Hogg and to Fleur Anderson MP, and filed Freedom of Information requests for the council’s webcasting policy and a record of who decided to block the webcast and why. The council has yet to respond.

[The police first moved against The Angel](https://putney.news/2026/02/04/the-police-raided-it-with-a-helicopter-and-dogs-now-they-want-the-angel-pub-shut/) after a raid in late 2025 involving a helicopter and dogs in which two people were arrested. They say it is the most crime-ridden pub in the borough. Ten submissions agreed. Not one defended the pub.

![A small backyard patio with a wooden shed, pastel-green metal chairs, a round teal metal table, and stacked wooden benches along a brick wall. Potted plants sit on the tables and yellow flowers bloom nearby.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/the-angel-roehampton-9-1024x768.png)#### What you can do

Abdus Choudhury, the council’s Monitoring Officer, is at . Fleur Anderson MP is at . Watch the council’s website for any update on the 29 April hearing.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/18/the-angel-pubs-future-will-be-decided-in-secret-eight-days-before-roehampton-votes/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/18/the-angel-pubs-future-will-be-decided-in-secret-eight-days-before-roehampton-votes/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Angel%20pub%E2%80%99s%20future%20will%20be%20decided%20in%20secret%2C%20eight%20days%20before%20Roehampton%20votes&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/18/the-angel-pubs-future-will-be-decided-in-secret-eight-days-before-roehampton-votes/)

**Categories:** Politics, Roehampton

**Tags:** Fleur Anderson MP, FOI, Licensing Sub-Committee, Roehampton, transparency, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Albert Bridge has a new prop. The last temporary prop was installed in 1973. The one before: 1884.](https://putney.news/2026/04/18/albert-bridge-has-a-new-prop-the-last-temporary-prop-was-installed-in-1973-the-one-before-1884/)

**Published:** April 18, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** The bridge was declared unsound over 100 years ago - surely it's time for London to build a new one.

**Content:**

A temporary prop has been installed under Albert Bridge, keeping the crossing open to pedestrians and cyclists while the full repair gets under way. The bridge is not about to fall down. But Albert Bridge has been getting fixes described as temporary since 1884, and none has ever been removed.

Sir Joseph Bazalgette added steel chains and a new deck between 1884 and 1887, remedying a structure that had been declared unsound from the day it opened eleven years earlier. In 1957, when the London County Council proposed demolition, a protest led by John Betjeman talked them out of it. In 1973, the Greater London Council dropped two concrete piers into the Thames to hold up the central span.

The piers were described as a temporary measure. They were supposed to come out in 1978. They are still there, fifty-three years on. A year later, engineers assessed that the bridge had, at best, another thirty years left in it. That was fifty-two years ago.

The stopgap chronology

Three interventions on Albert Bridge. Each described as a fix at the time. Each still part of the bridge today.

1884–87

Bazalgette adds steel chains and a new deck

Described as

Structural strengthening for a bridge that had proved unsound after opening in 1873.

What happened

Still part of the structure 139 years later. Chains have been further reinforced since.

1973

GLC installs two concrete piers in the river

Described as

A temporary measure, scheduled for removal in 1978.

What happened

Still there, 53 years on. A 1974 assessment gave the bridge 30 years maximum. That was 52 years ago.

April 2026

RBKC installs a prop on a weakened component

Described as

A measure to reduce the risk of further closures to pedestrians and cyclists while a permanent fix is worked on.

What happened

Installation complete this week.

Source: Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea; Institution of Civil Engineers; historical record

When Albert Bridge closed to cars in February, Kensington and Chelsea Council hoped to find a temporary fix so motor traffic could return sooner. Its engineers said the bridge was too fragile and too complex for even that. So where a temporary fix would once have gone, the council has installed a prop: a single brace supporting a single weakened component.

The bigger fix is real. On 25 March, the council [approved an £8.5 million repair programme](https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/newsroom/councillors-decide-full-repair-plus-extra-works-protect-albert-bridge) expected to run twelve months, covering the cracked cast iron component, the seized joint blamed for the crack, a new road surface, refurbished tollbooths and replacement lighting. It is the most substantial work the bridge has had since the 1973 piers were wheeled into the Thames. The tollbooths are the only surviving bridge tollbooths in London: Albert Bridge was a commercial failure, the tolls were scrapped within six years of opening, and the booths have outlasted every other set.

Whether the £8.5 million programme fixes Albert Bridge for good, or 2026 takes its place alongside 1884, 1957 and 1973, is the open question. The pattern is not encouraging. The London Assembly warned in 2021 that the capital’s road bridges sit inside [a patchwork of borough ownership with no central oversight and no shared budget](https://putney.news/2026/04/05/londons-bridges-keep-cracking-nobody-fixed-the-system-that-let-it-happen/). Albert Bridge shows what that looks like: every generation finds a way to keep it standing, and none gets round to making the fix permanent.

When the [vehicle closure began in February](https://putney.news/2026/02/23/albert-bridge-could-stay-shut-a-year-now-putney-bridge-is-carrying-the-load/), Cllr Johnny Thalassites, the council’s lead member for environment and planning, said he “certainly didn’t want this to be another Hammersmith Bridge.” The bridge [closed to everyone two months later](https://putney.news/2026/04/10/albert-bridge-closes-entirely-after-inspector-warning-putney-bridge-is-the-last-crossing-standing/), after its sensors picked up unexpected movement on a 25-degree afternoon.

*Putney.news* has pending Freedom of Information requests with Kensington and Chelsea and Wandsworth, asking what each council knew about the condition of Albert Bridge and Putney Bridge, and when. Responses are due around 28 April. That is the story still to come. This one is about the prop, and the long queue of props it joins.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/18/albert-bridge-has-a-new-prop-the-last-temporary-prop-was-installed-in-1973-the-one-before-1884/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/18/albert-bridge-has-a-new-prop-the-last-temporary-prop-was-installed-in-1973-the-one-before-1884/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Albert%20Bridge%20has%20a%20new%20prop.%20The%20last%20temporary%20prop%20was%20installed%20in%201973.%20The%20one%20before%3A%201884.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/18/albert-bridge-has-a-new-prop-the-last-temporary-prop-was-installed-in-1973-the-one-before-1884/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Hammersmith Bridge, infrastructure, Putney Bridge, River Thames

---

### [A village has appeared in the middle of the Putney Exchange](https://putney.news/2026/04/18/a-village-has-appeared-in-the-middle-of-the-putney-exchange/)

**Published:** April 18, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Corrugated iron, a hand pump, and a fundraiser who answers the hard questions.

**Content:**

Something unusual has turned up in the central atrium of the [Putney Exchange](https://putney.news/venue/putney-exchange/) this week. In the centre by Costa and Waitrose, a small rural dwelling has been built. Corrugated iron walls, tropical plants, a working hand pump marked “PUMP WATER HERE”, a wall of children’s photograph cards, and a booth offering a virtual reality tour of somewhere far from SW15.

It belongs to World Vision, the Christian child sponsorship charity. This week, one corner of the Putney Exchange has become an invitation to sponsor a child for £1 a day.

![World Vision booth at Putney Exchange](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/world-vision-booth-hut-1024x768.jpg)Aaron, the World Vision fundraiser on the stand, explains the model. The charity works only in rural areas, focusing on food, water, healthcare, education, child protection, and helping families earn their own income. A £30 monthly sponsorship goes to one named child and, he says, benefits roughly four others as the village’s resources improve. “Technically five children are benefitting… for £30 a month,” he says. “A meal if we went to, I don’t know, Nando’s.”

The example on the stand is Isaeta. World Vision met her in Sierra Leone when she was eight, turning nine. She was at risk of being married off to a man of 40 and was walking 30 to 45 minutes each way for water. A sponsor in the UK, a Mrs Morgan whose name Aaron has permission to use, began funding her. A clean water pump was installed in her village, which also serves the one next door. Isaeta is now around 13, in school, and wants to be a doctor. Mrs Morgan has flown out to meet her.

![Indoor display booth in a mall with artificial grass floor, wooden panels, a small seating area, framed photos on the walls, and potted plants including a tall palm.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/world-vision-booth-1024x768.jpg)#### Transparency, and a familiar question

Sponsorship is meant to be a relationship rather than a transfer of money, Aaron says. Sponsors can write letters, send emails, telephone, or get on a plane and visit. “The sponsorship journey is very, very transparent,” he says.

The stand is also where a familiar concern gets raised. Asked about the issue of well-meaning paternalism dressed as help, Aaron doesn’t duck it. The vast majority of World Vision staff, he says, were born, raised and still live in the communities the charity serves. “The people that are actually doing the work on the ground are people that speak the language,” he says. “We ask and approach the families if they actually want help.”

He also thinks about it from the other end. “It’s equally as important to get a good sponsor for someone as it is just to get a sponsor for a child,” he says. After every conversation at the stand, he says, he is checking whether the person he has just spoken to has a good heart.

The stand is in the atrium until the end of the week. If you are in the Exchange, it is worth a minute to stop and talk to whoever is manning the stand. If you miss it, [worldvision.org.uk/sponsor-a-child](https://www.worldvision.org.uk/sponsor-a-child/) does the same job from a sofa, with rather less atmosphere.

![Promotional exhibit in a shopping mall with a “FREE ENTRY” sign, wooden frame, and life-size white sheep statues nearby.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/world-vision-hut-1024x768.jpg)#### Three local charities, next door

If you are in Waitrose on the way out, [three other charities are also asking for your coin](https://putney.news/2026/01/22/putney-shoppers-can-help-local-charity-win-1500-with-a-free-green-token/) this quarter. Pick up a free green token at the till, drop it in the box of the charity you want to support, and Waitrose splits a £3,000 pot between the three at quarter-end, with £1,500 for the winner.

April’s three at the Putney branch are **Small Steps**, a free London pre-school service for children with cerebral palsy and other motor and sensory impairments, working with parents and children together on conductive education; **Glass Door**, an emergency winter night-shelter network that partners with churches across West and South West London and runs a drop-in at the Yard in Putney; and the **Hotham School PTFA**, the parents’ group at Hotham Primary on Charlwood Road, raising £50,000 this year to save the school’s 1908 annexe and [keep it running as an arts centre](https://putney.news/2026/02/14/from-housewifery-lessons-to-art-studios-hotham-primarys-1908-building-gets-new-life/) for pupils and the wider community.

The voting station is behind the self-checkout tills.

![Waitrose green token charities - April 2026](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/waitrose-charity-1-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/18/a-village-has-appeared-in-the-middle-of-the-putney-exchange/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/18/a-village-has-appeared-in-the-middle-of-the-putney-exchange/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=A%20village%20has%20appeared%20in%20the%20middle%20of%20the%20Putney%20Exchange&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/18/a-village-has-appeared-in-the-middle-of-the-putney-exchange/)

**Categories:** Community, Thamesfield

**Tags:** community, Putney High Street, retail, thamesfield

---

### [Roehampton hustings: the weakest candidate left the happiest](https://putney.news/2026/04/16/roehampton-hustings-the-weakest-candidate-left-the-happiest/)

**Published:** April 16, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Labour's cabinet member repeated claims we'd already found false. The room cheered her anyway.

**Content:**

**UPDATED** Three Labour supporters shouted Nick Austin, the Conservative candidate, down from across the church. He was mid-sentence, citing planning policy. Jenny Yates, the Labour cabinet member sitting two metres away, smiled. The Bishop of Kingston kept going. This is what a hustings looks like in a safe Labour ward, three weeks before election day.

West Putney and Roehampton’s second local election hustings took place on Wednesday evening at Holy Trinity Church, Roehampton, with around 150 people in attendance. Three candidates appeared: Chris Poole for the Green Party, Nick Austin for the Conservatives, and Jenny Yates for Labour. The Liberal Democrats had candidates in the room but sent none to the stage, citing an administrative error. Reform UK sent no candidate and offered no explanation, despite fielding six candidates across the two wards.

The evening belonged almost entirely to Roehampton. Housing, the Alton estate, bus services, and the estate’s troubled regeneration dominated the questions. The sharpest questioning came not from the chair or any resident in the room, but from the Green candidate.

*How we assess candidates: Every candidate at every Hustings is scored on six criteria. [Read our methodology](https://putney.news/election-how-we-score-hustings/).*

#### Transport: diagnosis without a prescription

Every candidate agreed the Putney Bridge junction redesign has damaged bus services across the area. All three pointed to Hammersmith Bridge as a contributing factor. None offered a concrete fix.

Yates described co-chairing a monthly TfL task force and said three routes had seen additional buses added. Austin arrived with specific route numbers and TfL meeting minutes. Poole noted that car volumes over Putney Bridge are [falling since 2018](https://claude.ai/chat/putney.news/2026/04/15/). The congestion affecting buses cannot be explained by increased traffic alone.

No candidate committed to a timeline for improvement.

#### “There is no funding gap”

Three separate audience questions raised the Alton estate regeneration. Yates’s answer to each was consistent: the scheme was on track, funded, and proceeding to plan.

“There is no funding gap,” she said. “All the plans are in the council capital programme.”

[We reported in November](https://claude.ai/chat/putney.news/2025/11/29/) that costs had risen from approximately £123 million to £163 million in the six weeks after the resident ballot, a rise of £40 million. The GLA grant assumption had grown from £16 million to £77 million, none of which had been applied for.

Austin put the numbers to Yates directly. Poole added specific detail: the scheme was approved on a 41.5% turnout, meaning nearly [60% did not vote](https://claude.ai/chat/putney.news/2025/10/17/). He noted the replacement youth base will be [219 square metres smaller](https://claude.ai/chat/putney.news/2026/03/16/) than the one it replaces.

![Nick Austin, Conservative councillor and candidate](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/roehampton-hustings-8-1024x768.png)Nick Austin, Conservative councillor and candidateYates repeated that everything was in the capital programme. She did not address the £77 million gap.

#### Budget papers, mid-debate

During the housing repairs exchange, Austin read from Wandsworth’s February 2026 budget papers, verbatim, mid-debate. He was heckled. He kept going. The papers state that £212 million is assumed to be required for capital repairs to the council’s existing housing stock. Reserves have been used for regeneration rather than repairs.

“If you’re so passionate about housing repairs,” he asked Yates, “why did you spend all the money?”

Yates’s response: “I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.”

![Panel discussion scene with a woman in a red top seated at a long table, microphones in front and a water pitcher nearby, ornate backdrop and flowers behind.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/roehampton-hustings-3-1024x768.png)Jenny Yates, Labour councillor and candidateThis is either evasion or genuine unfamiliarity with her own administration’s budget papers. Both readings are significant. The council holds a C3 landlord rating from the Regulator of Social Housing, issued in February 2025 for what the regulator described as “serious failings.”

#### The allegation Yates did not deny

The most significant exchange of the evening came when Poole raised a specific allegation about the council’s financial strategy.

“We’ve heard through a Labour councillor speaking to one of our party members that the actual plan is to deplete the reserves,” he said, “which could unlock Exceptional Financial Support. In Lambeth this has amounted to over £100 million. If it is the plan, why are you not telling residents about it?”

Exceptional Financial Support is a real mechanism. Councils that exhaust their reserves can apply for central government emergency funding, but it comes with conditions, including government oversight of spending decisions. Lambeth received over £100 million through the process.

Yates called it “gossip from the local council” and did not engage with the mechanism. She did not deny it.

![Christopher Poole, Green Party candidate](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/roehampton-hustings-4-1024x768.png)Christopher Poole, Green Party candidateThe allegation is hearsay and cannot be reported as fact. But it was made in public, at a hustings, and the candidate who made it pressed when dismissed. It has not been substantively refuted.

#### A claim we already found false

[We found this false in March](https://claude.ai/chat/putney.news/2026/03/16/). The total collected since the CIL levy began in 2012 is £263 million. Of that, 78% was collected before Labour took office in May 2022. Labour’s three years produced £58.8 million.

At Wednesday’s hustings, Yates repeated the claim verbatim: “We’ve collected in total £230 million from property developers.”

[The council’s own response](https://claude.ai/chat/putney.news/2026/03/22/) to a councillor’s questions in March confirmed none of the four savings figures Yates cited on Wednesday as delivered savings: £30 million on leisure, £14 million through service redesign, £11 million on recycling, and £3.7 million on homelessness prevention.

Putney.news · Election 2026

### How each party engaged with ward priorities

Based on candidate responses at West Putney & Roehampton Hustings, 15 April 2026. Lib Dems and Reform did not send candidates.

   Specific commitment    Vague aspiration  

    Ward priority Labour Conservative Green     Bus services & transport SpecificCo-chairs monthly TfL task force; added buses to three routes VagueSays junction must be fixed first; no specific commitment SpecificJunction redesign priority; work with London Assembly on TfL   Alton estate regeneration SpecificCommitted to full implementation; denies funding gap VagueWill scrap plan if elected; cannot commit to scheme with funding gap VagueSupports proceeding but wants funding confirmed and problems resolved   Council housing repairs SpecificNew Residents Services Directorate; £212m borrowing programme SpecificBorrow £212m to restore sinking fund; grip procurement failures VaguePrioritise most vulnerable; noted decades of Conservative neglect   Lennox estate green space VagueRetained and improved green space promised; cites housing crisis SpecificWill scrap Lennox development immediately if elected SpecificWill not support building on estate green space, full stop   Council finances & council tax VagueLowest in country maintained; savings cited; dismissed EFS allegation VagueHonest admission: significant decisions required; reserves falling VagueCitizens assembly for budget; questioned Labour on EFS allegation    

Bus services & transport

LabourSpecificCo-chairs monthly TfL task force; added buses to three routes

ConservativeVagueSays junction must be fixed first; no specific commitment

GreenSpecificJunction redesign priority; work with London Assembly on TfL

Alton estate regeneration

LabourSpecificCommitted to full implementation; denies funding gap

ConservativeVagueWill scrap plan if elected; cannot commit to scheme with funding gap

GreenVagueSupports proceeding but wants funding confirmed and problems resolved

Council housing repairs

LabourSpecificNew Residents Services Directorate; £212m borrowing programme

ConservativeSpecificBorrow £212m to restore sinking fund; grip procurement failures

GreenVaguePrioritise most vulnerable; noted decades of Conservative neglect

Lennox estate green space

LabourVagueRetained and improved green space promised; cites housing crisis

ConservativeSpecificWill scrap Lennox development immediately if elected

GreenSpecificWill not support building on estate green space, full stop

Council finances & council tax

LabourVagueLowest in country maintained; savings cited; dismissed EFS allegation

ConservativeVagueHonest admission: significant decisions required; reserves falling

GreenVagueCitizens assembly for budget; questioned Labour on EFS allegation

Source: Candidate responses at West Putney & Roehampton Hustings, 15 April 2026. Putney.news assessment. Lib Dems and Reform UK did not send candidates.

#### Where they stood

The comparison panel above shows each party’s position across five issues discussed on Wednesday: bus services, Alton estate regeneration, council housing repairs, Lennox estate green space, and council finances.

#### Who wasn’t there

The Liberal Democrats have candidates standing in both West Putney and Roehampton. Their candidates were present in the room. The chair read a statement explaining their absence from the stage as an administrative error. Reform UK is fielding six candidates across the two wards and sent no candidate. No explanation was provided.

#### What comes next

The final hustings in this series covers Southfields on Tuesday 21 April at 7.30pm at St Barnabas Church. A written questionnaire remains open and candidates in all three wards have been invited to answer five questions on the record. This is the second of three hustings reports. [The first is here](https://claude.ai/chat/putney.news/2026/04/14/).

Residents in West Putney and Roehampton can contact their candidates directly. The full candidate list is [on our election page](https://putney.news/election/). Polling day is 7 May 2026.

---

**UPDATE: Fri 17 April:** A full list of questions asked at this hustings, as provided by the organisers at Holy Trinity Church, Roehampton, is below. **Tap/click to see the list**.**Buses** — *Tom Cove Burner*
The 85 and 265 buses constantly terminate early coming to/from Putney, often kicking off disabled people, pregnant women, those with kids and commuters with no choice but to wait 15 mins for another bus that is doubly crowded. Will you hold TfL accountable and ensure that buses run to their full route? Can you also address the question of the Putney Bridge junction?

**Hammersmith Bridge** — *Mark Westall*
Hammersmith Bridge has been closed for seven years. Roehampton has no train and its buses have been cut. The council held a rally demanding action, then refused to contribute to repairs three days later. What specific commitment will you make to reopen it, and by when?

**Roads** — *Iori Harries*
After a long period of neglect, recent years have seen resurfacing of local streets such as Danebury Avenue and Bessborough Road. If you are elected will you continue investment in roads and pavements, or cut it?

**Family Hub** — *Amtul Bhunnoo*
The Family Hub has been a centre for many activities in Roehampton and is much appreciated. However, previous cuts have closed many activities and centres before, so what will each candidate do to further improve this space and make it a success?

**The Scrubbery** — *Mac Brennan*
This question is on behalf of the local charity The Scrubbery. We are currently located in the Oasis Academy Putney building. In light of the proposed closure our ability to remain operational is in jeopardy. We are asking if any of the candidates would be willing to support our proposal to stay in the building until there is a new tenant, providing supervision of the grounds and preventing vacancy, and if they had any plans for the building, what are they?

**Access for All** — *Peter Bowyer*
I’ve lived in Roehampton for almost 12 years and recognise it is a deprived area, including many children in receipt of free school meals, people on benefits including disability benefits, refugees, and care leavers. All these groups benefit from the council’s Access for All scheme, which gives discounts on a wide range of services, including bike rental and storage, leisure centres, allotment hire, and learning opportunities. Will the candidates commit to retaining the Access for All scheme?

**Policing on the Ashburton Estate** — *Reema Kapoor*
Violence in West Putney has risen 63% in a year. The Ashburton Estate is a police-designated drug supply hotspot. Ward officers said they weren’t aware of the surge because they can’t see a breakdown of their own figures. How will you fix that?

**Council housing** — *Wilfred Lindalo*
I live on the Alton Estate. Given the ongoing issues with damp, mould, and lift breakdowns in our high-rise blocks, what specific additional powers or funding will you seek from the council’s new housing repairs team that previous councillors have failed to deliver for Roehampton residents?

**Alton regeneration** — *John Deery*
Regarding the Alton Renewal Plan, I was pleased to see that over 82% of people voted in favour in the ballot, and given that this has been going on for years, will all parties here commit to implementing the plan?

**Alton regeneration** — *Faisal Malhi*
The Alton Renewal proposal went to a residents’ ballot, and over 82% of votes were “Yes”, despite some political parties campaigning against it. Any changes to the plan will further delay the new homes and other improvements that residents have been waiting decades for. Will the candidates commit to fully implementing the plan that the residents chose, without deferral?

**Alton regeneration** — *Tony Arthur (read by the chair)*
The planning committee recently approved Block A despite unresolved warnings over a resident right-to-light claim and a £28 million funding deficit. If a private developer came to you with a project that was £28 million short and a legal threat, would you still approve it?

**Lennox development** — *Zoe Lynam*
Given that Oasis Academy Putney is due to close and the former Paddock School site may also be available, why is the council proposing to build on protected green space on the Lennox Estate instead of prioritising these brownfield sites, in line with the National Planning Policy Framework? And what is your stance on this?

**Lennox development** — *Hugo Cerda (submitted in writing)*
Will you oppose any further development affecting Lennox Estate homes until residents are no longer being left behind on full fibre and the council has fixed the failing infrastructure, safety, cleaning and maintenance issues, especially around Burke Close and the lower estate?

**Lennox development** — *Alyssa Snow*
The council wants to build on the Lennox Estate green, which is designated protected open space. 287 residents objected and not a single person wrote in support. Will you commit, if elected, to opposing any construction on the green?

**Council tax** — *Reema Kapoor*
Council tax for Wandsworth is one of the lowest in the country due to subsidies that are due to end soon. What’s your strategy to address the impending increase that will hit residents? Will you choose to kick the can down the road for it to be someone else’s problem?

**Leaseholder issues** — *Christine Wolski*
In advance of the proposed Leasehold Reform Act, will the new council make leaseholders’ service charges more transparent — including an itemised breakdown of costs, particularly repair costs? This will be a requirement of the new act.

**Leaseholder issues** — *Anne Kearns*
There are more than 8,000 resident leaseholders in Wandsworth, many of them retired. On the Alton Estate, service charges have nearly doubled since 2022. Door replacements at Kimpton House were budgeted at £59,000 and came in at £260,000. Banks won’t lend on Alton properties. What are you going to do for the people who bought their homes in good faith and are now being priced out of them?

**Community cohesion** — *Amtul Bhunnoo*
With the increase in parliamentary participants making racist, Islamophobic and abusive remarks, the trickle-down effect at the local level will be seen by electing candidates from such parties. What does each candidate have to say on how they will foster diverse community cohesion in these times?

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/16/roehampton-hustings-the-weakest-candidate-left-the-happiest/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/16/roehampton-hustings-the-weakest-candidate-left-the-happiest/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Roehampton%20hustings%3A%20the%20weakest%20candidate%20left%20the%20happiest&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/16/roehampton-hustings-the-weakest-candidate-left-the-happiest/)

**Categories:** Election 2026, Politics, Roehampton

**Tags:** Alton Estate, bus, Cllr Jenny Yates, Cllr Nick Austin, council housing, council tax, Roehampton, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Franco Manca is closing 16 restaurants. Putney and Southfields aren't on the list](https://putney.news/2026/04/17/franco-manca-is-closing-16-restaurants-putney-and-southfields-arent-on-the-list/)

**Published:** April 17, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** The pizza chain confirmed a major restructuring this week - but both local branches are expected to survive.

**Content:**

The pizza chain Franco Manca announced this week it is shutting 16 of its 70 UK restaurants as part of a major restructuring.

Neither the Putney High Street branch nor the Southfields branch is among those earmarked for closure, according to the hospitality trade title MCA, which reported the internally communicated site list on Thursday.

Both branches were trading normally as of Thursday, with their pages live on the Franco Manca website. We spoke to the manager of the Southfields branch who told us to call Franco Manca HQ. They were even less forthcoming. An official announcement on which branches will close is expected in a few weeks.

It is a very difficult market for restaurants and pubs at the moment so the rule for Putney residents is the same as always: use it or lose it. If our local establishments don’t get the business, they will struggle to survive.

The closures are a significant cull for a chain that built its reputation on sourdough pizza and affordable prices. The London sites going include the original Brixton restaurant (opened in a market stall in 2008, where the whole thing started) along with Battersea, Broadway Market, Chiswick, Kilburn, New Oxford Street, Stoke Newington and Tottenham Court Road. Eight regional branches are also closing: Bishop’s Stortford, Bromley, Cheltenham, Didsbury, Glasgow, Hove, Lincoln and Plymouth.

#### VAT and business rates blame

Franco Manca’s parent company Fulham Shore, which also owns The Real Greek, blamed the closures on rising national insurance and living wage costs, a lack of business rates relief, and what CEO Marcel Khan called “disproportionately high VAT in the UK compared with Europe.”

A company voluntary arrangement (a formal restructuring process that lets a company negotiate with creditors while continuing to trade) does not mean the whole chain is shutting. Fulham Shore has not officially confirmed which sites will close; the creditor vote is expected within weeks, at which point the final list becomes public.

The restructuring had been in preparation for longer than this week’s announcement suggests. Companies House filings show both Franco Manca operating companies registered new secured financing charges in March, five weeks before the public announcement. The money almost certainly funded the restructuring process itself. The company was already spending on its own fix before anyone outside knew it needed one.

Until then, both local branches remain open. For Putney High Street, it is [a rare piece of good news after a difficult spring](https://putney.news/2026/04/12/the-fish-and-chip-shop-the-dry-cleaner-and-the-estate-agents-what-putney-has-lost-this-spring/). Southfields, too, has had its own [recent run of openings and closings on Wimbledon Park Road](https://putney.news/2025/12/22/four-businesses-transform-replingham-road-as-southfields-high-street-enters-new-year/).

*We will update this story if the final CVA list changes anything for either local branch.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/17/franco-manca-is-closing-16-restaurants-putney-and-southfields-arent-on-the-list/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/17/franco-manca-is-closing-16-restaurants-putney-and-southfields-arent-on-the-list/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Franco%20Manca%20is%20closing%2016%20restaurants.%20Putney%20and%20Southfields%20aren%E2%80%99t%20on%20the%20list&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/17/franco-manca-is-closing-16-restaurants-putney-and-southfields-arent-on-the-list/)

**Categories:** Restaurants, Save the High Street, Southfields, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Putney High Street, retail closures, Southfields

---

### [The District Line is striking six times. Here are the dates.](https://putney.news/2026/04/17/the-district-line-is-striking-six-times-here-are-the-dates/)

**Published:** April 17, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** East Putney, Putney Bridge and Southfields affected from Tuesday: 12 peak journeys at risk through June.

**Content:**

Tube drivers are striking six times between April and June. The first strike starts this coming Tuesday at midday, and the District Line is affected every time. That means East Putney, Putney Bridge and Southfields stations are all affected.

Each strike runs from midday to 11:59am the following day, hitting the afternoon commute home and the next morning’s journey in. The first pair, Tuesday 21 April and Thursday 23 April, means four disrupted journeys in the space of four days.

For East Putney users in particular, the strikes land on a service that was [already officially the worst-performing tube station in London](https://putney.news/2026/03/29/east-putney-officially-the-worst-tube-station-in-london/) before any industrial action. East Putney lost 147 hours to signal failures in 2024, more than double the next worst station on the network.

     DISTRICT  

RMT Strike Dates

District Line disruption calendar

East Putney · Putney Bridge · Southfields

 ‹Prev  April2strikes   May2strikes   June2strikes  

 ›Next

Mo

Tu

We

Th

Fr

Sa

Su

Strike starts midday

Disruption until noon

👆Tap a red date for details

 Dates correct at time of publication. A settlement could cancel these — check [tfl.gov.uk/campaign/strikes](https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/strikes) before you travel. 

' +'🕛**From midday:** '+s.out+'

' +'🌅**'+s.nextLabel+'**

' +'---

' +'🚆**Alternative:** SWR from Putney station, about 10 min walk from East Putney. Frequent trains to Waterloo.

'; detail.classList.add('is-open'); } setTimeout(notifyResize,50); } for(var t=0;t=todayKey&&sk.startsWith('2026-'+mo.month+'-'); }); if(found){ cur=mi; break; } } function notifyResize(){ if(window.parent!==window){ window.parent.postMessage({type:'putneynews-resize',height:document.body.scrollHeight},'\*'); } } render(); notifyResize(); })(); #### Are you affected?

If you travel home on a strike Tuesday or Thursday afternoon, or leave for work on the following Wednesday or Friday morning, the District Line is not reliable. Those are the 12 journeys at risk. If your commute falls outside those windows (early mornings, evenings after the strikes end at noon the next day, or any other day) you are not affected.

This is less severe than [September 2025](https://putney.news/2025/09/08/london-transport-meltdown-five-days-of-strike-chaos-begins/), when all tube drivers walked out and most lines shut entirely. This time only RMT members are striking. ASLEF drivers, who make up a large share of the workforce, are not taking action, so TfL expects reduced services rather than a full shutdown. But reduced is not normal. Do not rely on a regular timetable.

If you are attending the Southfields ward hustings on Tuesday evening, build in extra time. It is at St Barnabas Church at 7:30pm, the same evening the first strike begins.

#### What to do instead

Your best alternative is South Western Railway from Putney station. It is about a ten-minute walk from East Putney, and trains run frequently to Clapham Junction where an overground train can get you to parts of West and North London; Vauxhall, which has an extensive bus network; and of course Waterloo, from where you get to most parts of central London easily. If you are travelling to or from central London on a strike morning or afternoon, SWR is the reliable option.

Buses are the other fallback. Routes 22, 39, 74, 85, 93, 220 and 265 all serve the area. There are also e-bikes Lime and Forest but it may also be worth considering Santander Cycles – docking stations are just off Putney High Street and near the embankment – because they are less used and so could be a useful backup when demand is expected to soar. The TfL Travel Planner app is an excellent place to start figuring out your best options.

Check [tfl.gov.uk/campaign/strikes](https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/strikes) before you travel on each strike date. That is where any last-minute cancellation will be confirmed first.

#### Why the strikes are happening

TfL proposed compressing the standard working week into four longer shifts, with paid meal breaks introduced. ASLEF accepted the deal. RMT rejected it, saying the longer underground shifts raise safety concerns because total hours worked would not fall. A voluntary pilot has been running on the Bakerloo line since January 2026 but the dispute is unresolved.

The six April–June dates replace the March strikes, which were [suspended after progress in talks](https://putney.news/2026/03/12/district-line-strikes-swr-closures-putneys-worst-spring-for-transport/). Those talks have since stalled. A settlement could still be reached, so check [tfl.gov.uk/campaign/strikes](https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/strikes) before each strike date for any update.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/17/the-district-line-is-striking-six-times-here-are-the-dates/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/17/the-district-line-is-striking-six-times-here-are-the-dates/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20District%20Line%20is%20striking%20six%20times.%20Here%20are%20the%20dates.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/17/the-district-line-is-striking-six-times-here-are-the-dates/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** District Line, East Putney, Putney train station, Southfields, TfL

---

### [Southfields, your candidates face you on Tuesday. Here's how to make it count.](https://putney.news/2026/04/17/southfields-your-candidates-face-you-on-tuesday-heres-how-to-make-it-count/)

**Published:** April 17, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Five parties, one night, your questions. The deadline is Monday - and there's a lot to ask.

**Content:**

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.

 Deadline: Monday 20 April

Submit your question

Type your question below and tap Send — it opens your email app with everything filled in. Edit it if you like, then hit send.

  [✓ Send your question](#)Opens your email app. A copy goes to Putney.news so we can track what gets asked.

Or send one of these with one tap:

 [ 🏛 Wimbledon Park “Save Wimbledon Park recently held a public meeting here at St Barnabas, presenting alternative plans for the golf course. How realistic do you think those proposals are — and how would you persuade the All England Club to adopt them?” ](mailto:info@southfieldsgrid.org.uk?bcc=editor@putney.news&subject=Hustings%20question%20%E2%80%94%20Wimbledon%20Park&body=Dear%20SGRA%2C%0D%0A%0D%0AI%20would%20like%20to%20submit%20the%20following%20question%20for%20the%20Southfields%20hustings%20on%20Tuesday%2021%20April%3A%0D%0A%0D%0ASave%20Wimbledon%20Park%20recently%20held%20a%20public%20meeting%20here%20at%20St%20Barnabas%2C%20presenting%20alternative%20plans%20for%20the%20golf%20course.%20How%20realistic%20do%20you%20think%20those%20proposals%20are%20%E2%80%94%20and%20how%20would%20you%20persuade%20the%20All%20England%20Club%20to%20adopt%20them%3F%0D%0A%0D%0AThank%20you.) [ 🚇 District Line “The District Line was a shambles through Southfields during last year’s Wimbledon tournament. It starts again in ten weeks. What do you think is really behind the problem — and how would you as a Southfields councillor move things forward?” ](mailto:info@southfieldsgrid.org.uk?bcc=editor@putney.news&subject=Hustings%20question%20%E2%80%94%20District%20Line&body=Dear%20SGRA%2C%0D%0A%0D%0AI%20would%20like%20to%20submit%20the%20following%20question%20for%20the%20Southfields%20hustings%20on%20Tuesday%2021%20April%3A%0D%0A%0D%0AThe%20District%20Line%20was%20a%20shambles%20through%20Southfields%20during%20last%20year%27s%20Wimbledon%20tournament.%20It%20starts%20again%20in%20ten%20weeks.%20What%20do%20you%20think%20is%20really%20behind%20the%20problem%20%E2%80%94%20and%20how%20would%20you%20as%20a%20Southfields%20councillor%20move%20things%20forward%3F%0D%0A%0D%0AThank%20you.) [ 🚗 Parking “The parking review will go to the council for a decision in June and if you win, you’ll be able to directly influence it. While more parking restrictions would help residents close to Replingham, they may also push shoppers away from Southfields Village and could hurt local businesses. How do you weigh those two things up — and what would you actually do?” ](mailto:info@southfieldsgrid.org.uk?bcc=editor@putney.news&subject=Hustings%20question%20%E2%80%94%20Parking&body=Dear%20SGRA%2C%0D%0A%0D%0AI%20would%20like%20to%20submit%20the%20following%20question%20for%20the%20Southfields%20hustings%20on%20Tuesday%2021%20April%3A%0D%0A%0D%0AThe%20parking%20review%20will%20go%20to%20the%20council%20for%20a%20decision%20in%20June%20and%20if%20you%20win%2C%20you%27ll%20be%20able%20to%20directly%20influence%20it.%20While%20more%20parking%20restrictions%20would%20help%20residents%20close%20to%20Replingham%2C%20they%20may%20also%20push%20shoppers%20away%20from%20Southfields%20Village%20and%20could%20hurt%20local%20businesses.%20How%20do%20you%20weigh%20those%20two%20things%20up%20%E2%80%94%20and%20what%20would%20you%20actually%20do%3F%0D%0A%0D%0AThank%20you.) 

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](https://putney.news/2026/04/14/lords-pass-wimbledon-park-amendment-162-55-as-liberal-democrats-vote-alone-against/) 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](https://putney.news/2025/07/06/shambles-southfields-crumbles-under-wimbledon-pressure-yet-again/) 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](https://putney.news/2026/02/28/southfields-parking-could-change-for-the-first-time-in-25-years-you-have-until-sunday/). 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](https://putney.news/2026/04/05/ten-questions-putneys-council-candidates-need-to-answer-this-month/) piece.

#### Monday is busier than it looks

This is the last of three hustings. [East Putney and Thamesfield](https://putney.news/2026/04/09/monday-night-your-candidates-have-to-face-you-here-is-how-to-make-it-count/) met on 13 April. [Roehampton and West Putney](https://putney.news/2026/04/12/roehampton-and-west-putney-your-candidates-face-you-on-wednesday-put-in-your-questions/) 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.](https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote)

Photo ID is required at the polling station on 7 May. [Check what’s accepted.](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/voter-id)

See [who’s standing in Southfields](https://putney.news/2026/04/11/whos-standing-in-your-ward-on-7-may-the-full-wandsworth-candidate-list-searchable/) and [everything you need to know about voting on 7 May.](https://putney.news/2026/04/09/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-putney-local-elections-on-7-may/)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/17/southfields-your-candidates-face-you-on-tuesday-heres-how-to-make-it-count/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/17/southfields-your-candidates-face-you-on-tuesday-heres-how-to-make-it-count/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Southfields%2C%20your%20candidates%20face%20you%20on%20Tuesday.%20Here%E2%80%99s%20how%20to%20make%20it%20count.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/17/southfields-your-candidates-face-you-on-tuesday-heres-how-to-make-it-count/)

**Categories:** Election 2026, Live events, Politics, Southfields

**Tags:** AELTC, Charles Runcie, District Line, Save Wimbledon Park, SGRA, Southfields, Wandsworth Council, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Putney's first hustings: the claims that didn't survive the evidence](https://putney.news/2026/04/14/putneys-first-hustings-the-claims-that-didnt-survive-the-evidence/)

**Published:** April 14, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Traffic dominated as residents confronted candidates three weeks before the vote.

**Content:**

**UPDATED** A Putney resident told the council’s transport chief last night that he had spent months stuck in traffic on Putney Bridge Road while his father was dying of Alzheimer’s. Jenny Yates, Labour’s cabinet member for transport, replied that the council had been “surprised by the level of congestion.”

That exchange set the tone for the first hustings of the local election campaign, covering Thamesfield and East Putney wards. Around 150 people filled the room for an event organised by the Putney Society, chaired by its president Jonathan Callaway. Four candidates appeared on stage. Reform UK, which has three candidates standing in each ward, sent nobody.

Labour did not send a candidate from either ward. Yates, who stands in Roehampton, appeared as the party’s representative. The three other candidates on stage were James Wilson (Liberal Democrat, Thamesfield), Ethan Brooks (Conservative, Thamesfield) and Hana Manthorpe (Green, East Putney).

Traffic dominated. Three of the five pre-submitted questions concerned the [Putney Bridge junction redesign](https://putney.news/2025/11/14/putneys-million-pound-junction-disaster-how-approved-plans-went-wrong/), and what followed was the sharpest exchange of the evening.

*How we assess candidates: Every candidate at every Hustings is scored on six criteria. [Read our methodology](https://putney.news/election-how-we-score-hustings/).*

#### Who had a plan and who had a script

Wilson was the most specific. Asked how he would get TfL to fix the junction, he said: “How do you get TfL in the room? Very simply, you do your job.” He outlined direct engagement with TfL’s commissioner and Sadiq Khan’s office, and argued the current administration had failed to use the political levers available to it.

Manthorpe cited the signal timing data. Putney Bridge Road, she told the room, gets just 25 seconds of green time in every 104-second cycle. “That isn’t enough,” she said. She was right. An [independent engineering review](https://putney.news/2025/11/14/putneys-million-pound-junction-disaster-how-approved-plans-went-wrong/) by AECOM, published last November, confirmed that signal timings at the junction had never been implemented as designed, with Putney Bridge Road losing 21 seconds per cycle from the approved model.

Brooks committed to returning £300,000 to reverse elements of the scheme “if we have to.” Then he made a claim that unravelled in front of the room. His predecessor as Conservative transport lead, John Locker, had “never signed it off,” Brooks said, referring to the junction scheme.

Two people in the audience who had been present during the design phase contradicted him immediately. One confirmed Locker had been part of the stakeholder group that developed the scheme. Brooks tried to hold the line, insisting Locker had never formally “signed it off.” A resident provided the explanation: Locker hadn’t signed it off because he was voted out. The room laughed. The council’s own post-implementation review names the then cabinet member for transport as a participant throughout the design phase. The Transport Committee voted unanimously to approve the final design in September 2023, with Conservative members voting in favour.

Yates defended Labour’s record, citing bus route additions on routes 170, 85, 220 and 270. But we [reported last November](https://putney.news/2025/11/25/council-claimed-buses-were-faster-tfl-is-removing-a-route-because-of-congestion/) that TfL withdrew route 424 from Putney entirely, citing “congestion on Putney High Street.” A survey of 763 residents found [92 per cent of bus users](https://putney.news/2025/05/31/ghost-buses-and-fudged-stats-the-truth-behind-putneys-delays/) said journeys had got worse since the junction redesign.

She also committed to a growth plan for Putney High Street. The council’s own [published growth plan documents](https://putney.news/2025/07/15/putney-high-street-left-behind-again-as-mayor-unveils-new-cash-for-london-high-streets/) name only Tooting. Putney is not mentioned.

#### What checked out and what didn’t

Every claim made on stage was checked against the available evidence. Wilson scored highest overall, with one significant exception: his claim that Wandsworth Liberal Democrats had achieved “real progress” on the District line. Our [investigation in March](https://putney.news/2026/03/08/six-years-of-waiting-on-the-district-line-and-now-two-official-accounts-that-cannot-both-be-true/) found no programme, no funding, no contract and no committed date from Network Rail.

Manthorpe’s technical claims on junction data were confirmed by the independent AECOM review.

Brooks’s financial claims on Labour’s spending drew on his party’s manifesto, which cites the council’s Budget Paper 26-63. However, he used the wrong baseline year for reserves, understating Labour’s inheritance by £7.2 million. Yates’s claim that Wandsworth has the [lowest council tax in London](https://putney.news/2026/03/16/fact-check-the-claims-in-wandsworths-council-tax-leaflet/) was rated misleading: the total bill residents pay rose by around 3.1 per cent this year. The national statistics watchdog wrote directly to the council leader last month finding the freeze claim had “the potential to mislead,” the first such rebuke to a council leader in 18 years.

#### The moment that stayed

The sharpest policy exchanges will matter in three weeks. But the evening’s most memorable moment came from the stage, not the audience, and had nothing to do with traffic.

Manthorpe, in her closing statement, talked about growing up in a stable home with access to good schools and healthcare. “I now realised that I wasn’t special,” she said. “I was just lucky.” It was the most personal moment of the night, and the room responded to it.

#### What happens next

The voter registration deadline is midnight on Monday 20 April. You can register at [gov.uk/register-to-vote](https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote). Photo ID is required to vote on 7 May.

The next hustings covers West Putney and Roehampton, tomorrow evening (Wednesday 15 April) at 7pm, Holy Trinity Church, Ponsonby Road. Putney.news will report from both events.

Reform UK had six candidates across Thamesfield and East Putney. None of them came. One Reform candidate was spotted in the audience. He is standing in Southfields.

---

*Correction, 14 Apr, 8am: We misspelled the meeting chair’s name. It is, of course, Jonathan Callaway, not Calloway. We have also increase the rough attendee count to 150 from 100 based on feedback from people who counted.*

*Addition: 14 Apr, 3pm: We have published our [methodology](https://putney.news/election-how-we-score-hustings/) for how we assess candidates and linked to it in the story.*

*Update, 16 Apr: The Liberal Democrats subsequently contacted us. They note that their proposed use of ANPR cameras is part of a wider policy and for selective use only. On the issue of council tax, they provided the following statement: “The Liberal Democrats are committed to keeping council tax as low as possible. What is clear is that Wandsworth faces a significant funding black hole over the coming years, a direct result of the Labour government’s revised funding formula. Therefore, it would be wrong to make specific promises before we’ve seen the full picture.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/14/putneys-first-hustings-the-claims-that-didnt-survive-the-evidence/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/14/putneys-first-hustings-the-claims-that-didnt-survive-the-evidence/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20first%20hustings%3A%20the%20claims%20that%20didn%E2%80%99t%20survive%20the%20evidence&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/14/putneys-first-hustings-the-claims-that-didnt-survive-the-evidence/)

**Categories:** East Putney, Election 2026, Politics, Thamesfield, Transport

**Tags:** Cllr Ethan Brooks, Cllr Jenny Yates, council tax, District Line, Putney Bridge junction, Putney High Street, Putney Society, Transport for London

---

### [Residents said no to the bike hangar. The council installed it anyway](https://putney.news/2026/04/16/residents-said-no-to-the-bike-hangar-the-council-installed-it-anyway/)

**Published:** April 16, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Pentlow Street residents say every household objected. The council has not explained why it went ahead.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council installed a bike hangar on Pentlow Street this week despite what residents say was unanimous opposition during its own consultation. Not one household on the street supported the proposal, according to Simon Scott-Taylor, a 30-year resident who led the objection. The council did not publish the consultation results, did not warn residents the hangar was coming, and did not consult the ward’s three councillors.

The councillors found out the same way residents did: after the fact. Cllr Ethan Brooks, one of three Conservatives representing Thamesfield ward, replied to Simon’s complaint yesterday minutes before the hangar was bolted in. “This wasn’t our decision as local councillors… we weren’t consulted.”

Simon had contacted the council on Tuesday evening when he saw the parking suspension notice. By Wednesday morning it was too late. “The installers said they were only doing their job,” he reported, “and to contact the council.”

![Residents were surprised to find their parking spaces had been taken over by the council. Pic: Simon Scott-Taylor](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/bikehanger-parking-notice-724x1024.jpg)Residents were surprised to find their parking spaces had been taken over by the council. Pic: Simon Scott-Taylor#### What residents told the council

Simon says not one household on the street supported the proposal when the council consulted them. Residents collectively suggested Floss Street – a connecting road and the other end of Pentlow Street which is quieter and often has parking space – as an alternative location if a hangar had to go somewhere nearby. The council placed the hangar at the opposite end of the street, next to Lower Richmond Road, without explanation.

The council did not tell residents what the consultation found or that a decision had been made.

#### What the consultation was for

*Putney.news* reported in November 2025 that the council’s bike hangar consultation was [designed to not give residents much of a say](https://putney.news/2025/11/10/putney-to-get-34-new-bike-hangars-as-council-launches-consultation-but-process-assumes-approval/). The council’s own page made this explicit: “This consultation is not a vote.” It went further: the council said it was “not consulting on the principle of bikehangars in these streets but is interested to know if the locations give rise to any concerns we may not be aware of.”

Residents did raise concerns about the location. The council was not aware, or not persuaded. It has not said which.

Anyone wanting to respond to the consultation had to navigate seven pages and answer 11 questions. There was no option to simply say “support” or “oppose.”

Wandsworth now runs 347 bike hangars, the largest programme of its kind in the UK according to the council. Each holds six bikes, takes up half a parking space, and costs £72 a year per user. Waiting lists exist across the borough. The programme serves real need: flat-dwellers with no secure storage have few other options.

The dispute on Pentlow Street is not about whether the programme should exist. It is about what the council’s consultation process actually means.

![Delivery lorry for an unwanted bike hangar drives off. Pic: Simon Scott-Taylor](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/bikehanger-lorry-dropoff-1024x768.jpg)Delivery lorry for an unwanted bike hangar drives off. Pic: Simon Scott-Taylor#### ‘A listening council’

In March 2025, Wandsworth Council described itself on its website as “a listening council, responding to what residents tell us they need.” Cllr Jenny Yates, the Cabinet Member for Transport, was quoted endorsing the rollout.

Pentlow Street fits a pattern. In April 2025, we reported the council proceeded with an e-scooter rollout despite resident concerns raised in consultation. In July 2025, an analysis of the parks policy consultation found the same structure. In June 2025, the council’s own annual report confirmed a Putney traffic petition was the [most ignored of the year](https://putney.news/2025/06/16/putney-traffic-petition-was-most-ignored-annual-council-report-confirms/).

Three weeks before the local elections on 7 May, Pentlow Street residents have a direct opportunity to say whether that record is good enough.

#### What the council was asked

*Putney.news* sent Wandsworth Council five questions on Wednesday: whether the hangar was placed in the correct location, whether the council received opposition from Pentlow Street residents during the consultation, whether any supportive responses were received, what the decision-making process was, and whether the council considers ward councillors should be informed before installations go ahead.

The council did not respond.

---

#### If you want to raise this

Thamesfield ward councillor [Cllr Ethan Brooks](cllr.e.brooks@wandsworth.gov.uk) is the only sitting councillor who is still standing for the elections we are currently in the middle of.

You can formally complain to the council at: [wandsworth.gov.uk/complaints/](https://wandsworth.gov.uk/complaints/)

---

*Wandsworth Council did not respond to questions submitted for this story. Its response will be added here when received.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/16/residents-said-no-to-the-bike-hangar-the-council-installed-it-anyway/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/16/residents-said-no-to-the-bike-hangar-the-council-installed-it-anyway/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Residents%20said%20no%20to%20the%20bike%20hangar.%20The%20council%20installed%20it%20anyway&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/16/residents-said-no-to-the-bike-hangar-the-council-installed-it-anyway/)

**Categories:** Politics, Thamesfield, Transport

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Ethan Brooks, Cllr James Jeffreys, Cllr Jenny Yates, Cllr John Locker, cycling, public consultation, thamesfield, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Missed Monday's funding deadline for Roehampton Community Weeks? You now have until 26 April](https://putney.news/2026/04/16/missed-mondays-funding-deadline-for-roehampton-community-weeks-you-now-have-until-26-april/)

**Published:** April 16, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Deadline extended after Monday cutoff - grants of £100–£300 available for free community events.

**Content:**

The deadline to apply for funding to run a free event during Roehampton Community Weeks this August has been extended to 26 April, giving anyone who missed Monday’s cutoff another 11 days to apply.

Our Roehampton is offering grants of £100 to £300 to local residents, artists, community groups, youth groups, and anyone else based in or working in the ward who wants to put on a free event during the two-week programme, which runs 3–16 August under a “staycation” theme. You do not need to be a formal organisation, and personal bank accounts are accepted.

Successful applicants will hear back by 28 April. Funding comes from the Roehampton Club Foundation.

#### What’s on offer

Three types of funding are available. Block party workshops are planned on the Alton, Lennox and Putney Vale estates: four workshop providers per location, each receiving £300 (covering materials and travel) to run a four-hour workshop. Themed community days (covering wellbeing, arts and crafts, physical movement, and community gardening) need four 45-minute taster session providers per day at £100 each. And two standalone community events will be funded at £200 each.

In total, up to 30 funded positions are available across the three pathways.

#### Who qualifies and what’s required

Providers who receive funding must attend two of three support training sessions (20 May, 22 June, and 15 July), hold public liability insurance of at least £1 million, submit a risk assessment, and take part in a social media campaign running from 15 July. A post-event evaluation is also required. Full details are in the funding call document.

#### How to apply

Applications are [via a Google Form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeokxxW5pWIdMv9r11Mp6HyLlBz3NLXf_IfAyAra1e3HMypqw/viewform). The deadline is 5pm on 26 April, with notifications by 28 April.

For questions, contact Suchismita Majumdar, Community Development Lead at Our Roehampton, at  or 07743 533455.

Community groups who want to list an event in the programme but are not applying for funding have until 10 May to submit their activity. The full programme will appear in the Roehampton Voice summer issue.

We have covered Roehampton Community Weeks since 2025; see our [series page](https://putney.news/series/roehampton-community-weeks/) for previous event listings. Our Roehampton also runs the [Roehampton community garden](https://putney.news/2026/04/07/roehampton-community-garden-phase-one-is-already-in-the-ground/), which broke ground earlier this month.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/16/missed-mondays-funding-deadline-for-roehampton-community-weeks-you-now-have-until-26-april/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/16/missed-mondays-funding-deadline-for-roehampton-community-weeks-you-now-have-until-26-april/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Missed%20Monday%E2%80%99s%20funding%20deadline%20for%20Roehampton%20Community%20Weeks%3F%20You%20now%20have%20until%2026%20April&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/16/missed-mondays-funding-deadline-for-roehampton-community-weeks-you-now-have-until-26-april/)

**Categories:** Community, Roehampton

**Tags:** Alton Estate, community, Lennox Estate, Roehampton, Roehampton Community Week

---

### [Not one true word: Cllr Jenny Yates's traffic claims, fact-checked](https://putney.news/2026/04/15/not-one-true-word-cllr-jenny-yatess-traffic-claims-fact-checked/)

**Published:** April 15, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** We fact-checked every traffic claim the cabinet member for transport made at the Putney Society hustings on 13 April. Not a single one matched the public record.

**Content:**

Cllr Jenny Yates, the Cabinet Member for Transport responsible for the Putney Bridge junction redesign, addressed residents at the [Putney Society hustings](https://putney.news/2026/04/14/putneys-first-hustings-the-claims-that-didnt-survive-the-evidence/) on Monday. We checked every traffic claim she made against council papers, committee minutes, TfL documents, and FOI disclosures obtained by *Putney.news*.

Tap or click on each claim to see the full evidence.

 “We were surprised”

False

Read the evidence ▼

 **Yates said:** “We were surprised because it wasn’t what traffic modelling showed, all the modelling of this junction.”

**The public record:** TfL’s signals feedback, published as Appendix C to Paper 22-331 before the September 2023 committee vote, warned the scheme would cause “a lot of congestion,” queues “completely filling Putney High Street and into Putney Hill,” and “around 75% less green time” for some traffic movements. Paper 23-304, the report presented to the approving committee, acknowledged the design was “initially over capacity.” Yates attended that committee as Cabinet Member for Transport. From January 2025, she received monthly Bus Taskforce briefings documenting the junction’s failure. The May 2025 briefing stated the junction “seems to have worsened congestion” with “significant tail backs on Lower Richmond Road and Putney Bridge Road.”

**The gap:** The congestion was predicted in writing by TfL, acknowledged in the council’s own approval paper, and reported to Yates monthly for seven months before the hustings. Residents were told she was surprised. The [full history of how the junction failed](https://putney.news/2025/11/15/who-broke-putneys-junction-the-untold-story-behind-1m-of-chaos/) has been publicly available since November 2025.

![Councillor Jenny Yates at a hustings in Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/cllr-jenny-yates-1-1024x768.png) “We inherited that scheme”

False

Read the evidence ▼

 **Yates said:** “We inherited that scheme and it was supported unanimously at the Transport Committee in September 2023, and we went ahead with good faith and good intentions to make it safer.”

**The public record:** The junction redesign was conceived under the Conservatives. Paper 17-81 dates from February 2017. But Labour took control in May 2022. Everything that followed happened under Yates’s administration: the Road Safety Panel Group deferral in July 2022, all three stakeholder meetings between July 2022 and February 2023, the final TfL negotiation, and the unanimous September 2023 committee vote. Yates was the Cabinet Member for Transport at that committee.

**The gap:** Yates did not inherit a finished scheme. She inherited a design process and approved its output. [The councillors who voted for it have since produced nothing to fix it.](https://putney.news/2026/04/02/the-councillors-who-promised-to-fix-putneys-junction-produced-nothing-we-can-now-prove-it/)

 “It long precedes Labour”

False

Read the evidence ▼

 **Yates said:** “This traffic modelling, it long precedes Labour coming into power.”

**The public record:** Data collection in July 2021 does predate Labour’s May 2022 takeover. But the modelling process itself, the CYCLOPS design rejection in late 2021, the cycle gate rejection in April 2022, the RSPG engagement from July 2022, all three stakeholder meetings, and the final committee approval in September 2023 all occurred primarily under Labour. The most critical decisions about what the junction would look like were made on Yates’s watch.

**The gap:** The raw data predated Labour. Almost every decision about what to do with that data did not.

 “A very lengthy impact assessment”

False

Read the evidence ▼

 **Yates said:** “There was three different types of traffic modelling done and there’s a very lengthy and elaborate six-stage approval process that Transport for London goes through. So we had to submit the design and the data and they had to validate the traffic models, so there was a very lengthy impact assessment.”

**The public record:** The six-stage approval process exists and is confirmed in Paper 25-398. But TfL’s own Road Safety Panel Group deferred endorsement in July 2022, asking for additional modelling of Hammersmith Bridge scenarios. Whether those conditions were satisfied before the September 2023 approval has never been confirmed. TfL holds the August 2023 RSPG minutes but has not disclosed them. The “impact assessment” did not include any public consultation. Only 23 statutory consultees were contacted. Four responded. None raised capacity concerns. And TfL’s Appendix C, which warned of severe congestion, was attached to Paper 22-331 but its findings were not reflected in Paper 23-304, the report presented to the committee that approved the scheme.

**The gap:** The approval process existed, but its final review gate deferred, its public consultation reached almost nobody, and its own congestion warnings were not carried through to the approval paper. Calling it “lengthy” and “elaborate” describes the paperwork. It does not describe the scrutiny.

 “Many, many more cyclists”

False

Read the evidence ▼

 **Yates said:** “Many, many more people are crossing the junction on foot… many more cyclists are going through the junction. And that will be one reason why it’s slower.”

**The public record:** Pedestrian and cyclist counts have increased since 2021. But the 2021 baseline was collected days before Freedom Day, when most commuters were still at home. Some of the increase is simply people returning to the office.

AECOM’s data suggests cyclists make up roughly 30% of junction movements. That sounds significant until you consider how the count was taken. In June 2025, motor vehicles were backed up to Putney Hill on the High Street, to Wandsworth Common on Putney Bridge Road, and to Putney Common on Lower Richmond Road. It was gridlock. A traffic count measures what gets through, not what is waiting. Cyclists weave past queuing cars and get counted. Cars sit in the queue and don’t. The worse the congestion, the higher the cyclist percentage looks. Fix the junction and more cars get through per hour. The cyclist share drops. The 30% figure is a product of the gridlock, not an explanation for it.

One junction feature tells the story. A dedicated signal stage for cyclists turning left out of Putney Bridge Road served roughly 20 people across the entire three-hour morning peak. AECOM itself noted “a relatively low number of cyclists making this turn.” That stage cost Putney Bridge Road 21 seconds of green time per cycle, time taken from thousands of motor vehicles and bus passengers. The council has since removed it.

AECOM’s own para 4.25 is the clearest rebuttal: “the number of motorised vehicles remains at similar levels to 2021.” The congestion is not caused by more vehicles of any type. Every technical document identifies signal timing as the cause. And the people Yates credits as beneficiaries don’t agree: 80% of pedestrians and 77% of cyclists surveyed said the junction was worse for them.

**The gap:** Yates pointed at the cyclists. The documents point at the signals. A dedicated cyclist stage served 20 people per morning peak while costing thousands 21 seconds of green time. It has since been removed.

 “I co-chair the bus taskforce”

False

Read the evidence ▼

 **Yates said:** “I co-chair the Bus Taskforce with Fleur Anderson MP, it meets every month. TfL are in that Bus Taskforce and it’s through that close dialogue with them and through gathering evidence and data that we have got them to make some really key changes.”

**The public record:** All seven Taskforce emails disclosed under FOI (WBC-FOI-11510) were sent from Fleur Anderson MP’s parliamentary email. Anderson chairs, convenes, sets agendas, drafts action tables, and drives follow-up. Yates is listed as a recipient and action item assignee. No disclosed document describes her as co-chair.

But it goes further than that. When Putney.news asked the council for minutes, action points, or any officer-authored documents from the Taskforce meetings, the council had none. Not a single record produced by a council officer in connection with a body its own Cabinet Member for Transport claims to co-chair. TfL does not officially recognise the meetings. The council does not treat them as official council business. We [reported this in September 2025](https://putney.news/2025/09/26/traffic-campaign-exposes-officials-retreat-behind-excuses-and-inaction/).

**The gap:** Yates told residents she co-chairs the Taskforce. Every disclosed email shows Anderson running it. The council keeps no records from it. TfL does not recognise it. Yates attends a body that, by the council’s own admission, does not formally exist.

Cllr Jenny Yates is the Labour Cabinet Member for Transport and represents Roehampton ward. She is standing for re-election on 7 May. The claims above were made to residents at a public hustings organised by the Putney Society.

**Six claims. Six times the public record said otherwise. Every document cited in this article is published in full in our [Putney Bridge junction investigation series](https://putney.news/tag/putney-bridge-junction/).**

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/15/not-one-true-word-cllr-jenny-yatess-traffic-claims-fact-checked/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/15/not-one-true-word-cllr-jenny-yatess-traffic-claims-fact-checked/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Not%20one%20true%20word%3A%20Cllr%20Jenny%20Yates%E2%80%99s%20traffic%20claims%2C%20fact-checked&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/15/not-one-true-word-cllr-jenny-yatess-traffic-claims-fact-checked/)

**Categories:** Election 2026, Politics, Transport

**Tags:** accountability, bus, Cllr Jenny Yates, FOI, Putney Bridge junction, Putney Society, TfL, traffic, traffic congestion, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Every warning proved right: the full evidence behind Putney's broken junction](https://putney.news/2026/04/15/every-warning-proved-right-the-full-evidence-behind-putneys-broken-junction/)

**Published:** April 15, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Putney Bridge carries fewer cars than 2018 but the redesigned junction can't handle them.

**Content:**

**LONG READ** For eighteen months, the redesigned junction at Putney Bridge has been making daily life worse for tens of thousands of people. Buses queue from the river to the common. Drivers crawl through signal cycles. Pedestrians wait through multiple phases. Cyclists navigate a layout that satisfies nobody. The congestion bleeds into residential streets across SW15.

In that time, a lot of claims have been made about why this happened. Politicians blame Hammersmith Bridge. Officers say traffic volumes have risen. Campaign groups say the data proves their case. Residents hear different figures from different people and struggle to know what is true. Eighteen months is long enough for bad information to calcify into received wisdom, and long enough for the people responsible to hope that everyone simply gets used to it.

On Monday, Putney [held its first hustings](https://putney.news/2026/04/14/putneys-first-hustings-the-claims-that-didnt-survive-the-evidence/ "Putney’s first hustings: the claims that didn’t survive the evidence") ahead of the council elections on 7 May. Candidates for our ward seats stood before residents and were asked to account for the junction. This election is the one mechanism residents have to force change: to replace the representatives who approved this scheme or who failed to scrutinise it, and to extract commitments from those who want their votes.

During that hustings, one resident – Cynthia – cut to the heart of it. She told the panel she had worked in the corporate world for years, and that when organisations make big changes, they do impact assessments. Had Labour done one? Had the Conservatives, whose officers began the scheme, done one that accounted for Hammersmith Bridge closing and for Covid? She called it “remarkable irresponsibility” to carry out a major change without a professional assessment of the consequences.

#### The cabinet member’s response

The Labour Cabinet Member for Transport, Jenny Yates, responded that three types of traffic modelling had been done and that TfL operates “a very lengthy and elaborate six-stage approval process.” There had, she said, been “a lengthy impact assessment.” The congestion, she explained, only became apparent after the scheme was built and TfL’s signal timings needed changing.

After the hustings, a reader named Diana wrote to us with the question that Cynthia’s challenge had left hanging: “Was the 2023 plan sign-off for the junction after a new feasibility study with the impact from Hammersmith Bridge closure?”

It is the right question. And the answer, drawn from every council paper, committee minute, FOI response and technical report we could obtain, is worse than either of them might have expected.

The junction redesign was modelled on traffic data collected during the pandemic. It assumed Hammersmith Bridge would reopen to motor vehicles by 2026, an assumption that proved false. TfL’s own signals team warned in writing that the scheme would cause “extensive queuing” and “significantly decrease” bus performance. And the “consultation” consisted of emails to 23 organisations, four of which replied. No leaflets. No public advertising. No social media.

The scheme was approved unanimously.

#### A key question about traffic volume

Diana is not alone in wanting answers. In the comments under our [bridges investigation](https://putney.news/2026/02/10/council-buries-the-truth-even-with-fixes-traffic-is-twice-as-bad-with-new-junction/) earlier this month, Richard Carter pointed out that traffic comparisons using 2020 as a baseline were “completely meaningless, since the 2020 figure was hugely depressed by the restrictions imposed by Covid.” Andrew Walmsley noted that “according to TfL’s own data, traffic across the combined Chiswick/Putney/Wandsworth/Kew/Hammersmith bridges is lower than before Hammersmith Bridge closed.”

Both are right. We promised in those comments to give the traffic data “a proper treatment rather than a line in a [governance story](https://putney.news/2025/11/15/who-broke-putneys-junction-the-untold-story-behind-1m-of-chaos/).” This is that treatment: a single, clear account of what happened, what the numbers actually show, and what the documents prove. Every claim below is sourced to an official record. Where we have done calculations, we show our working. Where the evidence runs out, we say so.

Here is what the documents show:

- **TfL’s own signals team warned in writing** that the scheme would create “extensive queuing,” that queues would “completely fill Putney High Street and into Putney Hill,” and that bus performance would “significantly decrease.” The scheme was approved anyway.
- **The council’s own approval paper admitted the design was “initially over capacity.”** The proposed fix (relocating bus stops) had already been rejected by TfL Buses. The scheme was approved without the fix.
- **The junction was modelled on four days of traffic data from July 2021,** collected between lockdowns, when London was nowhere near normal operating conditions.
- **The model assumed Hammersmith Bridge would reopen to motor vehicles by 2026.** It is still closed. No confirmed reopening date exists.
- **The “consultation” consisted of emails to 23 organisations.** Four replied. No residents were consulted. No leaflets, no public advertising, no social media. A nearby public realm project in the same programme used leaflets and got 129 responses.
- **The signal timings TfL programmed didn’t match the approved model.** Putney Bridge Road lost 21 seconds of green time. The council says it was “late in clocking” the discrepancy. TfL says it holds no information about any review. Nobody has explained who changed the timings or why.
- **Daily traffic across Putney Bridge is down, not up.** Down 1.9% since 2018. Peak-hour volumes are essentially flat. Total five-bridge traffic is down 24.7%. The congestion is caused by the redesign reducing the road’s capacity to handle the vehicles that were always there.
- **TfL holds minutes from an August 2023 RSPG meeting** (one month before the scheme was approved) that have never been made public.

What follows is the evidence, document by document.

![Putney Bridge junction ground to a halt. Pic: Nat.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/putney-traffic-chaos-junction-1-1024x910.png)Putney Bridge junction ground to a halt. Pic: Nat.#### The feasibility question

The junction redesign was modelled using traffic data collected over four days between 15 and 18 July 2021. That is stated in Paper 25-398, the council’s own review document, at paragraph 13.

It was not the first attempt. Initial modelling had used data from October 2019, before the pandemic. As the paper explains: “The data used to model the new junction design was from July 2021. Initial modelling was done using data from October 2019. However, given the prolonged modelling process, TfL asked for revalidation of the data to ensure it remained relevant, hence July 21 data was obtained.”

July 2021 was not a normal month. England was between lockdowns. The government’s roadmap had lifted most legal restrictions on 19 July, the final day of data collection. Working-from-home rates were far above pre-pandemic levels. London-wide traffic in 2021 was substantially below its 2019 level.

More significantly, the modelling assumed Hammersmith Bridge would reopen to motor vehicles by 2026. Paper 25-398 is explicit about this at paragraph 14: “The standard London wide assumption for all modelling work at the time (2021) was that Hammersmith Bridge would be open in 2026, and that was what was agreed with TfL as the position with this project.”

Hammersmith Bridge has been closed to motor vehicles since 10 April 2019. It carried 25,869 vehicles per day in 2018. At the time of writing, in April 2026, it remains closed with no confirmed reopening date for motor traffic. The assumption was wrong.

#### TfL asked for more work. It is unclear whether it was done.

On 20 July 2022, TfL’s Road Space Performance Group (the body that reviews changes to London’s road network) considered the Putney junction scheme. The RSPG did not endorse it. Instead, it deferred, asking that “the scheme is assessed strategically in the wider area to help understand where traffic is coming from and why it’s traversing through Putney High St in the first place, with scenarios that include the closure of Hammersmith Bridge.”

That is a significant request. It called for exactly the kind of modelling that would test whether the design could cope without Hammersmith Bridge reopening.

Fifteen months later, when the scheme came before Wandsworth Council’s transport committee for approval in September 2023, Paper 23-304 stated at paragraph 10 that the RSPG’s “assessment and approval” had been obtained.

When committee members asked whether the closure of both Hammersmith and Wandsworth bridges had been factored into TfL’s modelling, the minutes record that officers responded that “modelling was done on a variety of scenarios and TfL would have factored scenarios for both the closure and opening of the bridges.”

Whether TfL actually produced the Hammersmith Bridge closure scenarios that the RSPG specifically requested in July 2022 is a question the documentary record does not resolve. What we do know, from an FOI response (FOI-3128-2526), is that TfL holds minutes from an August 2023 RSPG meeting (one month before the scheme was approved) that have never been publicly disclosed. TfL noted: “We do hold additional minutes from August 2023 and these could be provided if requested.”

We will be requesting them.

#### The warnings that were ignored

Before the junction scheme reached the committee, TfL’s own signals team provided written feedback. That feedback, preserved in Appendix C to Paper 22-331, is the most damning document in the entire record.

> TfL warned that “the numbers coming out of the modelling to date show the proposals will create a lot of congestion which will have a negative impact on the bus network and cause extensive queuing.”

The warning was specific. Some vehicle movements would receive “around 75% less green time.” The northbound queue would “completely fill Putney High Street and into Putney Hill during the morning peak.” Bus performance would “significantly decrease.” The scheme would worsen air quality by undermining TfL’s existing strategy for the area.

Every one of those predictions [came true](https://putney.news/2025/11/16/why-putney-is-paralysed-eight-failures-creating-londons-traffic-nightmare/).

#### The council’s own paper admitted the design was over capacity

Paper 23-304, the document that went to committee in September 2023, contained an extraordinary admission at paragraph 15: “Although initially over capacity the current concept, with staggered crossings, was thought to be within reach of acceptable performance with mitigations to aid bus journey times.”

Read that sentence carefully. The council’s own approval paper acknowledged the design was “initially over capacity.” The path to acceptable performance depended on mitigations, specifically relocating bus stops to reduce junction blocking.

Paragraph 14 of the same paper records what happened to those mitigations: “Bus stop relocations were proposed to reduce congestion, junction exit blocking and to improve network performance in an attempt to offset any impacts of the junction proposals however these mitigations were rejected by TfL Buses.”

The design was over capacity. The proposed fix was rejected. The scheme was approved anyway.

#### The funding pressure

Why proceed with a scheme that TfL’s own engineers had warned against and whose mitigations had been rejected? The documentary record points to one answer: money.

Paper 22-331 records that the council had secured Future High Street Fund money for the Putney scheme, with an expenditure deadline of March 2024 and £344,732 at risk of being lost if the project did not proceed. Minutes from a November 2022 stakeholder meeting (obtained under FOI 10409) state plainly that “24 March is funding deadline.”

A July 2022 stakeholder meeting had warned that revisiting the design would “lead to loss of Future High Street Funding.”

The committee approved the scheme unanimously on 21 September 2023. Cllr John Locker, who as Cabinet Member had presented earlier versions of the scheme, was absent from the vote. He sent his apologies.

#### The consultation that wasn’t

Under FOI reference WBC-FOI-11520, Wandsworth Council disclosed the full extent of the public consultation for the junction redesign.

The council emailed 23 organisations. Four responded. There was no public advertising. No leaflets. No social media outreach.

For context, the Watermans Green element of the same wider project, a comparatively modest public realm improvement nearby, used leaflets and received 129 responses, as recorded in the November 2022 stakeholder meeting minutes.

> The junction redesign, which would reshape the most important traffic intersection in Putney, received responses from 17% of the organisations that were contacted and from precisely zero members of the public. Nobody who drives through the junction, walks across it, waits for a bus at it, or cycles through it was asked.

One of the four consultation responses that was received came from TfL itself, which noted the need to spend the budget by the March 2024 deadline.

#### What the traffic numbers actually show

Traffic data has been weaponised by every side of the Putney Bridge and Hammersmith Bridge debate. Here is what the official figures say, with sources.

#### The five-bridge picture

Paper 25-398 contains a table showing average daily traffic across five Thames crossings: Chiswick, Kew, Hammersmith, Putney and Wandsworth bridges.

MeasureVehicles per dayFive-bridge total (2018)187,429Five-bridge total (2024)141,147Change-46,282 (-24.7%)Hammersmith Bridge before closure (2018)25,869That drop of 46,282 vehicles is nearly twice the 25,869 vehicles per day that Hammersmith Bridge carried before it closed. In other words, even accounting for every vehicle that used to cross Hammersmith Bridge, traffic across the five crossings has still fallen significantly. Some of Hammersmith Bridge’s traffic redistributed to other bridges. Much of it simply disappeared, through mode shift, route changes, or reduced travel.

Andrew Walmsley’s observation in the comments was correct: total cross-river traffic in this corridor is lower than before Hammersmith Bridge closed.

#### Putney Bridge specifically

SourceBefore2024ChangePaper 25-39837,951 (2018)37,245-1.9%DfT annual count42,498 (2019)37,313-12.2%The two sources use different methodologies, but both show the same direction: down, not up.

Richard Carter’s point in the comments was also correct: anyone citing increases over 2020 figures is using a baseline [depressed by Covid restrictions](https://putney.news/2026/02/09/still-stuck-in-traffic-the-councils-latest-charts-prove-its-fine/), which renders the comparison meaningless. London-wide traffic in 2024 was 19.4 billion vehicle miles, still 4.4% below its 2019 level.

#### Peak hours: the measure that matters for congestion

Daily totals do not tell you about congestion. A road can carry fewer vehicles per day and still be gridlocked at 8am if those vehicles arrive in a compressed peak. The peak hour data from Paper 25-398 is therefore the most relevant measure:

Peak periodOct 2019July 2021June 2025Change (2019–2025)Morning (AM)2,9772,9673,077+3.4%Evening (PM)2,9082,8502,895-0.4%The morning increase of 3.4% is modest, and likely within normal variation. The evening peak is essentially flat.

The traffic volume through the junction during peak hours has barely changed. The congestion that Putney experiences daily is not caused by a surge of vehicles. It is caused by the junction redesign reducing the road’s capacity to process the vehicles that were always there, exactly as TfL’s signals team predicted.

#### The signal timing problem

If the junction design was flawed but at least modelled, the implementation introduced a further problem. The signal timings that TfL actually programmed into the traffic lights did not match those in AECOM’s approved model.

The AECOM post-implementation study and Paper 25-398 document the discrepancy. Putney Bridge Road lost 21 seconds of green time in the morning peak compared to the model. The Lower Richmond Road left turn lost approximately 10 seconds.

In November 2025, council officer Henry Cheung told the transport committee: “TfL hasn’t implemented anywhere near close to the approved model… we were late in clocking that TfL hasn’t implemented the approved model while it’s so far out.”

When *Putney.news* asked TfL to explain the discrepancy, TfL responded: “It is not uncommon for network conditions to evolve or for developments and schemes to influence how flows pass through an area.”

When we asked, via FOI (reference FOI-3129-2526), whether TfL had conducted any internal review of the signal discrepancy, TfL’s response was: “We do not hold this information, please contact the Borough directly for this information.” The council, in turn, has not disclosed any review.

TfL did confirm, in the same FOI response, that it had identified 25 complaints about the junction.

Nobody investigated what went wrong. Nobody has explained who decided to deviate from the approved model, or why.

#### What we still don’t know

The documentary record answers many of the questions readers have asked. But it leaves several gaps that we will continue to pursue:

**The August 2023 RSPG minutes.** TfL has confirmed these exist. They cover a meeting held one month before the committee approved the scheme. They have never been publicly disclosed. We are filing a targeted FOI request.

**The Hammersmith Bridge closure scenarios.** The RSPG specifically requested modelling with scenarios that included the bridge remaining closed. Whether this modelling was completed, and what it showed, is not clear from the documents disclosed so far.

**The signal timing accountability.** Who decided to deviate from the approved model? When? The council says it was “late in clocking” the discrepancy. TfL says it holds no information about any review. There is an accountability gap between the two organisations that neither appears willing to close.

**The 300 vehicles-per-hour threshold.** The council has used a figure of 300 vehicles per hour as a threshold for traffic interventions. When we asked, via FOI (reference WBC-FOI-11533), for the methodology behind this figure, the council’s response was: “information not held.”

**The independent review.** Paper 25-398 names two reviews: the AECOM post-implementation study (published as Appendix 1) and a separate report by Red Wilson Associates, “a specialised consultancy firm” commissioned in June 2025 “to identify changes that can be made to improve the operation of the junction.” The Red Wilson report has never been published. It does not appear on the council’s junction updates page. No summary of its findings has been made available. In addition, no review of the systemic failures has been conducted by either authority: not the data choices, not the ignored warnings, not the hollow consultation, not the signal discrepancy, not the accountability gap.

TfL confirmed in FOI-3129-2526 that it holds no internal reviews, investigations, or lessons-learned exercises. The council has not announced any equivalent. The junction is being fixed operationally. Nobody is investigating what went wrong institutionally.

#### What readers can do

All of the documents cited in this article are publicly available through Wandsworth Council’s democracy portal and TfL’s FOI disclosure process. Readers can submit their own FOI requests.

Transport Committee meetings are public. Residents can attend and exercise their right to depute, to address the committee directly.

The council committed to publishing residential street traffic data by 31 January 2026. Readers can check whether that data has appeared at [the council’s junction page](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/business-and-licensing/town-centres/putney/putney-bridge-junction-changes-improvement-works/).

This story is not over. We will continue to follow the evidence.

---

*This article draws on 19 source documents including council papers, committee minutes, FOI responses, technical reports, and TfL correspondence. A full source index is maintained by Putney.news.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/15/every-warning-proved-right-the-full-evidence-behind-putneys-broken-junction/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/15/every-warning-proved-right-the-full-evidence-behind-putneys-broken-junction/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Every%20warning%20proved%20right%3A%20the%20full%20evidence%20behind%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20broken%20junction&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/15/every-warning-proved-right-the-full-evidence-behind-putneys-broken-junction/)

**Categories:** Long read, Transport

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Jenny Yates, FOI, Hammersmith Bridge, Putney Bridge junction, TfL, traffic congestion, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Four things Putney's police want you to know this week](https://putney.news/2026/04/15/four-things-putneys-police-want-you-to-know-this-week/)

**Published:** April 15, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** A Putney High Street standoff and the e-scooter law most riders are breaking.

**Content:**

Four updates from Putney’s neighbourhood police teams landed this week, covering everything from a Putney High Street parking standoff to a law that most e-scooter owners do not realise they are breaking.

Together, they are a snapshot of what local officers are dealing with and what they want you to know.

#### Chicken pieces, lemonade, and an expired tax disc

A PCSO patrolling Putney High Street found a car parked on double yellow lines, partially blocking the pavement. Pedestrians were having to walk around it.

The driver was sitting at a nearby table. According to PCSO Eva Knedlova, he was “enjoying his late lunch of chicken pieces and lemonade at a table near the door and admiring the view of his vehicle and heavy traffic driving carefully around it.”

He refused to move the car or give his details. The PCSO called for backup. The driver drove off, but officers intercepted him nearby. The car turned out to have expired tax. He will be fined.

It is a small incident, but it is also what [Thamesfield’s neighbourhood team](https://putney.news/2026/02/10/vehicle-crime-surge-prompts-thamesfield-to-reset-policing-priorities/) deals with daily: illegal parking that forces pedestrians into the road, and drivers who assume they will not be challenged.

#### Phone snatched, phone recovered

In East Putney, an aggravated phone theft ended unusually well. Officers responded quickly, including undercover police, and recovered the stolen phone. A bag was also found behind a nearby building.

The victim sent a message of thanks to the officers involved: “Thanks to the speedy time your officer’s came to the scene, and the under cover police who found the young guy’s phone and found a bag at the back of building.”

It is a rare good-news story from a ward where [police have previously admitted they are overstretched](https://putney.news/2025/10/10/overstretched-east-putney-police-admit-theyre-powerless-to-stop-thefts/) and often powerless to stop thefts. Phone snatching has been a persistent problem across south-west London, with [organised gangs targeting the area](https://putney.news/2025/11/08/phone-robbery-gang-jailed-after-hitting-putney-high-street-store/) over the past two years.

#### The law most e-scooter owners don’t know about

If you bought a private e-scooter and ride it to work, you are committing at least three offences.

Under UK law, e-scooters are classified as motor vehicles. That means riding one on a public road without insurance, an MOT, and a driving licence is illegal. So is riding one on the pavement or in a cycle lane. The same applies to Segways, hoverboards, and electric unicycles.

“An e-scooter continues to fall within the statutory definition of a motor vehicle,” PCSO Knedlova confirmed in the Thamesfield update.

The only place you can legally ride a privately owned e-scooter is on private land with the landowner’s permission.

The government has talked about legalising private e-scooters for years but has not done it. An E-scooter Review and Awareness Bill was introduced in Parliament in February, though it only requires ministers to review existing rules and raise public awareness. Rental e-scooter trials, which operate under separate rules, have been extended to May 2028.

Until the law changes, police can and do stop riders. Penalties can include a fixed penalty notice, six points on your driving licence, and having your scooter seized.

#### Warm weather, open windows, easy burglaries

As the weather warms up and windows stay open, Thamesfield’s team is warning residents about opportunistic burglaries.

Their advice is practical. For sash windows, fit sash stops. For ground-floor and accessible windows, fit key-operated locks. Window restrictors let you ventilate without leaving a gap wide enough for someone to climb through. Laminated glazing or security film adds another layer of protection.

None of this is dramatic. All of it works.

#### Get in touch with your local team

Putney’s Safer Neighbourhood Teams post regular updates through MetEngage. You can sign up for alerts from your ward at [met.police.uk/a/your-area](https://www.met.police.uk/a/your-area/).

To report a crime, call 101 or visit met.police.uk. In an emergency, call 999. You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/15/four-things-putneys-police-want-you-to-know-this-week/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/15/four-things-putneys-police-want-you-to-know-this-week/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Four%20things%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20police%20want%20you%20to%20know%20this%20week&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/15/four-things-putneys-police-want-you-to-know-this-week/)

**Categories:** Crime

**Tags:** East Putney, Metropolitan Police, thamesfield

---

### [Lords pass Wimbledon Park amendment 162-55 as Liberal Democrats vote alone against](https://putney.news/2026/04/14/lords-pass-wimbledon-park-amendment-162-55-as-liberal-democrats-vote-alone-against/)

**Published:** April 14, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Wimbledon Park bill heads to Commons on 21 April after 162-55 vote.

**Content:**

The House of Lords passed Amendment 248 to the English Devolution Bill last night by 162 votes to 55, creating a new legal mechanism that allows the Secretary of State to release land from recreation trusts where councils failed to follow proper procedures at the time of sale.

The amendment, which has been [at the centre of a six-month parliamentary battle over the future of Wimbledon Park](https://putney.news/2026/04/11/critical-wimbledon-park-vote-in-the-lords-this-coming-monday/), passed with a margin of more than three to one. A Conservative attempt to delay it pending a UK-wide review of open spaces was defeated first, 135 to 154, before the main vote at 9:44pm.

The Liberal Democrats voted alone against the amendment. Conservatives backed the delay, lost, and then largely left the chamber rather than oppose the main question. The government whipped for passage.

The bill now goes to the House of Commons, where MPs are due to consider it on 21 April.

Lord Banner, the Conservative peer who moved the amendment, told the House it was “in fact academic” for the Wimbledon Park case. The All England Lawn Tennis Club recently [won a High Court ruling](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/golf-course-never-a-public-trust-high-court-hands-aeltc-landmark-victory/) that no statutory trust existed over the golf course land it bought from Merton Council in 1993.

But Save Wimbledon Park has applied for permission to appeal that ruling. And the statutory trust discharge mechanism now exists in law regardless, subject to Commons approval.

Banner had opened the debate by insisting the amendment had been “wrongly characterised as being only about the high-profile Wimbledon case.” He argued it addressed a wider legal problem: that land purchased from councils in good faith, sometimes decades ago, could remain bound by trusts in perpetuity because of procedural failures by the selling authority.

![Lord Banner](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/lord-banner-1024x576.jpg)Lord Banner moved Amendment 248, telling the House it was “in fact academic” for the Wimbledon Park case#### The debate

Lord Grabiner, a crossbencher supporting the amendment, summed up the legal difficulty. “We always hope that the law and common sense function in tandem,” he said. “We have a tandem here but, unfortunately, it is facing in the wrong direction.”

Lord Pannick said the problem was that a purchaser acting in good faith remained bound by a trust even when the local authority, not the buyer, had failed to advertise the sale properly.

Lord Fuller, a Conservative peer who backed the amendment despite his party’s attempt to delay it, made what was perhaps the plainest case for change. “We cannot orphan land or blight places in perpetuity,” he told the House. “It would be perverse to do that just for want of being able to find an advert in a 100 year-old copy of a newspaper, in a publication that does not exist anymore.”

Baroness Pinnock, the Liberal Democrat peer who led the opposition and acted as teller for the vote against, warned the House it would regret its decision. “Retrospective law is nearly always bad law,” she said. “So let us not do it.”

She pointed to the contradiction at the heart of the vote: that a bill designed to give communities more power was being used to hand authority to the Secretary of State. “This is a devolution and community empowerment Bill, and the last thing we should do is take power from the community and local democracy and give it to the Secretary of State.”

In his closing speech, Banner rejected that characterisation directly. “It is not retrospective,” he said. “The statutory trust discharge order would be prospective.”

#### The government’s position

Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, the Housing Minister who [reversed her opposition to the amendment earlier this year](https://putney.news/2026/03/31/minister-who-blocked-wimbledon-park-amendment-now-officially-backs-it/), set out the government’s position in a single sentence: “The Government do not believe that historic procedural failures should indefinitely frustrate sensible, beneficial outcomes.”

She also confirmed that her department was carrying out a separate review of the legal framework governing public recreational green spaces, covering how effective current protections were in practice and where the system could be simplified.

On the Conservative delay amendment, Taylor told peers that a UK-wide review would need the agreement of devolved administrations, over which the Secretary of State had no control. She said that would leave the mechanism “open to factors wholly outside the scope of the Bill to delay or frustrate the use of the power.”

![Baronnes Pinnock](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/baroness-pinnock-talking-1024x576.jpg)Baroness Pinnock led the opposition to the amendment and acted as teller for the vote against#### A familiar name in the voting lobby

Lord O’Donnell, a crossbencher and former Cabinet Secretary, told the House he was a member of the All England Lawn Tennis Club committee before speaking in the debate. He voted for the amendment on both divisions.

*Putney.news* [reported in October 2025](https://putney.news/2025/10/25/lord-tries-to-rewrite-law-to-rescue-wimbledon-from-court-battle-he-sits-on-the-aeltc-board/) that O’Donnell was a serving AELTC director when the original version of the amendment was first tabled. He is no longer a formal sponsor of the current version but remains on the club’s committee.

During the debate, O’Donnell corrected Baroness Pinnock on the trust question. “To be absolutely clear, the courts made it clear that there is no statutory trust on that land,” he said.

#### What happens next

The amendment is now part of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, which moves to the Commons on 21 April. MPs will have their first opportunity to accept, amend, or reject it.

Save Wimbledon Park is holding two public meetings in the coming days: on Thursday 16 April in Southfields (St Barnabas Church, 146 Lavenham Road, SW18 5EP, 7pm) and on Wednesday 22 April in Wimbledon (St Marks Church, St Marks Place, SW19 7ND, 7pm). The campaign says it will present alternative proposals for the golf course site.

Local elections take place on 7 May. The outcome in Merton, where councillors have a separate covenant enforcement role over the park, will matter for Wimbledon Park’s future alongside the parliamentary and legal battles.

The amendment [was first tabled in October 2025](https://putney.news/2025/11/04/wimbledon-park-amendment-abandoned-after-peers-condemn-erosion-of-green-space-protection/) and abandoned within days after cross-party opposition. Six months later, it has passed the Lords with government backing and a landslide majority.

We have covered the Wimbledon Park story since 2025. The full series is [here](https://putney.news/tag/wimbledon-park/).

---

*Correction: Tue 14 Apr, 10.30am: We originally wrote that the first Save Wimbledon Park public meeting would be on Wednesday 16 April. It is on 16 April, but that is a Thursday, not a Wednesday. This has now been corrected.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/14/lords-pass-wimbledon-park-amendment-162-55-as-liberal-democrats-vote-alone-against/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/14/lords-pass-wimbledon-park-amendment-162-55-as-liberal-democrats-vote-alone-against/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Lords%20pass%20Wimbledon%20Park%20amendment%20162-55%20as%20Liberal%20Democrats%20vote%20alone%20against&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/14/lords-pass-wimbledon-park-amendment-162-55-as-liberal-democrats-vote-alone-against/)

**Categories:** Planning, Politics, Wandsworth

**Tags:** AELTC, Lord O'Donnell, Save Wimbledon Park, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Asbestos? In a kid's toy? You must be TKMaxx'ing me](https://putney.news/2026/04/14/asbestos-in-a-kids-toy-you-must-be-tkmaxxing-me/)

**Published:** April 14, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Ten recalled products at Putney's store include fire-risk power banks, a dress with a sting and Peppa's Nightmare Before Christmas.

**Content:**

A children’s toy sold at TK Maxx on Putney High Street has been recalled after testing found its sand-like filling contained traces of asbestos.

Asbestos. In a toy. Sold in Putney for £9.99.

The Stretcherz Stretch Squad is one of ten products currently subject to safety recalls at the store on 62 Putney High Street, where the notices now fill the shop window. The recalls cover children’s toys, children’s clothing, power banks, a wellness product, a children’s book, a food product and a beauty product. If you have shopped at TK Maxx or Homesense in the past 18 months, it is worth reading on.

![Recall notice](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/tkmaxx-recalls-2-768x1024.png)The toy’s filling tested positive for asbestos, which is banned from toys and must not be present in any amount. The contamination is part of a wider problem. Asbestos and talc form naturally in the same rock, and when talc is mined it can bring asbestos fibres along with it. Talc is widely used as a filler and binding agent in cheap toys, particularly those manufactured in China. Since late 2025, sand-based toys have been recalled in Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and now the UK. The recall describes the overall risk as low, but the law has no threshold: any amount triggers a recall.

The Stretcherz recall extends well beyond TK Maxx. Asda, Tesco, Argos, Primark, Smyths Toys, The Works and several other retailers are also affected. Anyone who bought one should stop using it immediately.

![TK Maxx American Princess product recall
](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/tkmaxx-princess-dress-recall-1024x1024.jpg)#### Not feeling like a princess

The most recent recall, dated 10 April, is an American Princess Occasion Dress, a children’s party dress sold for £16.99. A wire running through the hem to hold its shape can work loose as stitching wears, creating a risk of injury. You will not feel like much of a princess when a wire is sticking into you, although in America they have become somewhat accustomed to worrying about the sudden impact of what a prick can do.

The dress was on sale as recently as this month.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/tkmaxx-recalls-3-768x1024.png)#### Sitting on the coals

A Bluzen Infrared Sauna Blanket sold between October and March promises the sauna experience at home. What you want from a sauna is the warm wooden bench part. What you do not want is to be sitting on the coals. The blanket has been recalled because it can overheat during use, risking burns. It was sold in grey (£69.99) and black (£79.99).

#### Fire starters

Three portable power banks share a single fault: loose internal wiring that could cause overheating or fire. The Poppy 10,000 mAh (£19.99), Pom/Magpower 5000 mAh (£12.99) and Tek Squad 5000 mAh (£12.99) were all on sale between mid-2025 and January this year. If you are still carrying one in your bag, stop using it.

![Peppa Pig book recall](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/peppa-pig-nightmare-before-christmas-1024x849.webp)#### Peppa’s Nightmare Before Christmas

A Peppa Pig children’s book, Peppa’s Night Before Christmas, has a glitter varnish cover that peels off in flakes, posing a choking hazard for small children. Only print numbers 002 and 003 are affected. Check the copyright page inside the book. It was sold for £4.99.

#### Check the label

A Ten Acre Gifts coffee syrup collection sold between October and January is missing allergen information. The product may contain wheat, soy, tree nuts and peanuts. If you bought it and have allergies to any of these, do not drink it. The notice displaying this recall in the store window comes down on 21 April, which is why we are publishing this now.

Finally, a Hello Sunday Mineral Eye Cream labelled SPF 50 has been recalled after testing showed it provides less sun protection than stated on the bottle. With summer approaching, that matters. It was sold for £9.99.

#### How to get your money back

All ten products can be returned to any TK Maxx or Homesense store for a full refund or replacement. You do not need to have bought it at the Putney branch.

For further information, contact TJX Europe on 01923 473561 or email .

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/14/asbestos-in-a-kids-toy-you-must-be-tkmaxxing-me/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/14/asbestos-in-a-kids-toy-you-must-be-tkmaxxing-me/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Asbestos%3F%20In%20a%20kid%E2%80%99s%20toy%3F%20You%20must%20be%20TKMaxx%E2%80%99ing%20me&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/14/asbestos-in-a-kids-toy-you-must-be-tkmaxxing-me/)

**Categories:** Business, Health

**Tags:** public safety, Putney High Street, retail, TKMaxx

---

### [Everything you need to know about the Putney local elections on 7 May](https://putney.news/2026/04/09/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-putney-local-elections-on-7-may/)

**Published:** April 9, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Every deadline, every polling station, every ward in one guide.

**Content:**

**UPATED** Wandsworth’s local elections take place on Thursday 7 May. All 58 council seats across every ward are up for grabs, and 20 of those seats are in Putney’s seven wards. Here is everything you need to know to make sure your vote counts.

The deadlines arrive fast. You must register to vote by midnight on Monday 20 April. If you want a postal vote, the deadline is 5pm on Tuesday 21 April. And if you need a free photo ID certificate to vote in person, you must apply by 5pm on Tuesday 28 April. Miss any of these and you cannot vote.

This guide covers how to vote, where to vote, what you are voting for, and who currently holds each Putney ward. We will update it with the full list of candidates once nominations close on 9 April, and with confirmed hustings details as they come in.

#### How to vote in person

You need photo ID. This is the second local election with this requirement, introduced under the Elections Act 2022, and it catches people out. Bring your passport, driving licence (including provisional), blue badge, or any accepted photo ID. Expired documents are fine as long as the photo still looks like you. Only originals count. No photocopies, no phone screenshots.

If you do not have any accepted ID, you can get a free Voter Authority Certificate. Apply online at GOV.UK or pick up a paper form at Wandsworth Town Hall, where staff can also take your photo. The deadline is 5pm on Tuesday 28 April.

Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm. You must go to your assigned station, not whichever is nearest. Your poll card tells you which one. If you have lost your poll card, use the [Electoral Commission’s polling station finder](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/voting/find-your-polling-station) to check by postcode.

#### How to vote by post

Apply by 5pm on Tuesday 21 April. You now need to provide your National Insurance number and signature when applying, another change under the Elections Act 2022.

If your postal vote is already set up or your application is approved by 1 April, your ballot pack will be posted on 20 April. If approved between 2 and 21 April, it goes out on 24 April.

One thing that trips people up: postal vote registrations now expire after three years. If you signed up for a postal vote before 2024, you may need to reapply. [We covered the renewal issue in January](https://putney.news/2026/01/18/10000-wandsworth-postal-voters-have-two-weeks-left-to-renew-or-lose-their-vote/) when 10,000 Wandsworth postal voters were at risk of losing their vote.

Postal voters do not need photo ID. You can post your completed ballot back or hand-deliver it to any polling station in Wandsworth or to the Town Hall on polling day.

#### How to vote by proxy

If you cannot get to your polling station on 7 May, you can appoint someone to vote on your behalf. Apply by 5pm on Tuesday 28 April. Your proxy will need to bring their own photo ID to the polling station. Emergency proxy applications are available up to 5pm on polling day itself if something unexpected comes up, such as a medical emergency or lost ID.

#### Where to vote

There are 30 polling stations across Putney’s seven wards. Your poll card tells you which station is yours. Below is the full list, drawn from the council’s 2024 Polling District and Places Review.

**East Putney** (4 stations): St Stephen’s Church, Manfred Road, SW15 2RS; St Thomas A Becket Church Hall, Santos Road, SW18 1NT; St Michael’s Church Hall, 71 Wimbledon Park Road, SW18 5TT; Cadet Hall, Army Reserve Centre, rear of 19 Lytton Grove, SW15 2EZ.

**Roehampton** (6 stations): Brookside Community Centre, 12 Priory Lane, SW15 5JQ; Aubyn Square Community Clubroom, Eastwood North Estate, SW15 5NQ; Roehampton Library, 2 Danebury Avenue, SW15 4HD; Sports Pavilion, Roehampton Playing Fields, Coppice Drive, SW15 5BW; St Joseph’s Catholic Church Hall, 218 Roehampton Lane, SW15 4LE; Newlands Hall, Putney Vale Community Clubroom, 226 Stroud Crescent, SW15 3EP.

**Southfields** (3 stations): St Barnabas’ Church Hall, Merton Road, SW18 5EP; Everyday Church, 225 Wimbledon Park Road, SW18 5RH; Southfields Academy, 333-337 Merton Road, SW18 5JU.

**Thamesfield** (4 stations): All Saints’ Church Putney, Putney Common, SW15 1HL; Platt Mission, 22 Felsham Road, SW15 1DA; East Putney Scout Centre, 42 Oxford Road, SW15 2LQ; Brandlehow Nursery School, Fawe Park Road, SW15 2ED.

**Wandsworth Town** (5 stations): Training and Resource Centre, 77 Alma Road, SW18 1AQ; St John’s Methodist Church, East Hill, SW18 2HT; Penfold Centre, 1 Neville Gill Close, SW18 4TJ; St Anne’s Church Hall, St Ann’s Crescent, SW18 2RS; Vineyard 61 Church, West Side, Melody Road, SW18 2QQ. (A note on this one: Wandsworth Town ward is split across three parliamentary constituencies. All five stations elect the same Wandsworth Town ward councillors, but your MP may be the member for Putney, Battersea or Tooting depending on which polling district you are in.)

**West Hill** (4 stations): Open Door Community Centre, Beaumont Road, SW19 6TF; Wimbledon Park Rifle Club, rear of 135 Granville Road, SW18 5SF; St Paul’s Community Centre, 23 Inner Park Road, SW19 6ED; Southfields Library, 300 Wimbledon Park Road, SW19 6NL.

**West Putney** (5 stations): St Margaret’s Putney, Putney Park Lane, SW15 5HU; Dryburgh Hall, Putney Leisure Centre, Dryburgh Road, SW15 6JA; Putney Methodist Church, Gwendolen Avenue, SW15 6SN; Boyd Court Clubroom, 103 Carslake Road, SW15 3DD; Holy Trinity Church Roehampton, Ponsonby Road, SW15 4LA.

#### What you are voting for

You are electing ward councillors, not an MP. Depending on your ward, you will have two or three votes because Putney’s wards return either two or three councillors each. Use all your votes. Councillors serve four-year terms and they make the decisions that shape daily life: housing, planning applications, school places, roads, bin collections, parks, social care.

The council is funded by council tax, business rates and government grants. It is run by whichever party (or coalition) commands a majority of the 58 seats. That means 30 councillors.

Labour currently holds 34 seats. The Conservatives hold 23. Malcolm Grimston sits as an independent in West Hill. Labour [won control in 2022](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Wandsworth_London_Borough_Council_election) for the first time since 1978, ending more than four decades of Conservative rule. But [a by-election in West Putney in May 2024](https://putney.news/2024/05/03/labour-loses-council-seat-in-west-putney-by-election/) saw a 7.7-point swing to the Conservatives, trimming Labour’s majority from 35 seats to 34.

#### Your ward: who holds what

Across Putney’s seven wards, Conservatives currently hold 11 of the 20 seats, Labour holds 8, and there is one independent.

WardSeatsCurrent councillorsBalanceEast Putney3Finna Ayres (Lab), George Crivelli (Con), Ravi Govindia (Con)Lab 1, Con 2Roehampton3Graeme Henderson (Lab), Matthew Tiller (Lab), Jenny Yates (Lab)Lab 3Southfields2Kim Caddy (Con), Guy Humphries (Con)Con 2Thamesfield3Ethan Brooks (Con), James Jeffreys (Con), John Locker (Con)Con 3Wandsworth Town3Sarah Davies (Lab), Sana Jafri (Lab), Will Sweet (Con)Lab 2, Con 1West Hill3Daniel Ghossain (Con), Malcolm Grimston (Ind), Angela Ireland (Lab)Con 1, Ind 1, Lab 1West Putney3Jeremy Ambache (Lab), Nick Austin (Con), Steffi Sutters (Con)Lab 1, Con 2The wards to watch are East Putney, West Putney and West Hill and Wandsworth Town where representation is already split between parties.

#### Who is standing

Nominations closed at 4pm on Thursday 9 April. The full list of candidates broken out by ward can be seen below.

#### Hustings: come and ask them

Three hustings are confirmed so far for Putney wards:

DateWardsVenueOrganiserMonday 13 AprilEast Putney and ThamesfieldCommunity Church, Werter RoadPutney SocietyWednesday 15 AprilRoehampton and West PutneyHoly Trinity ChurchTBCTuesday 21 AprilSouthfieldsSt Barnabas ChurchSouthfields Grid Residents’ AssociationWe do not yet have confirmed hustings for West Hill or Wandsworth Town. If you are organising one or know of one, email news@putney.news and we will add it.

If you want to know what questions to put to your candidates, we published [ten questions every Putney council candidate should be able to answer](https://putney.news/2026/04/05/ten-questions-putneys-council-candidates-need-to-answer-this-month/) last week. Take it with you.

#### Why it matters

Wandsworth has the lowest council tax in England. It also has [a council that lost 6,558 votes in the 2024 general election because of a spreadsheet error](https://putney.news/2025/12/05/council-still-hasnt-fixed-election-system-that-lost-6500-votes/). The administration that runs this borough after 7 May will decide what happens to your council tax, your local roads, your planning applications and your public services for the next four years.

Turnout in Wandsworth in 2022 was under 40 per cent. If you think local government does not matter, consider that it controls more of your daily environment than Westminster does.

Before you vote, we would also recommend reading our [fact-check of the claims in Wandsworth’s council tax leaflet](https://putney.news/2026/03/16/fact-check-the-claims-in-wandsworths-council-tax-leaflet/), our [analysis of what the recent wave of council announcements tells us about the elections](https://putney.news/2026/03/13/what-the-recent-wave-of-council-announcements-tells-us-about-the-may-elections/), and our [election reader survey](https://putney.news/2026/03/05/wandsworth-election-season-is-here-what-do-you-think/) if you have not already had your say.

#### Key dates at a glance

DeadlineDateNominations close4pm Thursday 9 AprilRegister to voteMidnight Monday 20 AprilApply for postal vote5pm Tuesday 21 AprilApply for Voter Authority Certificate5pm Tuesday 28 AprilApply for proxy vote5pm Tuesday 28 AprilPolling dayThursday 7 May, 7am to 10pmIf you have any questions about voting, contact Wandsworth Electoral Services at electoral@wandsworth.gov.uk or 020 8871 6023.

This guide will be updated with the full candidate list, confirmed hustings details, and an interactive polling station map in the coming days. We will be covering every ward result on election night. Bookmark this page and share it with anyone who needs it.

---

*Correction, 10 April: An earlier version of this story stated that there was a vacancy for the Wandsworth Town ward. This was not correct. Councillor Sana Jafri is in fact standing in these elections for the adjacent St Mary’s ward. The story has been updated to reflect this.*

***Update**, 11 April: the full list of candidates standing has been added to this page.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/09/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-putney-local-elections-on-7-may/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/09/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-putney-local-elections-on-7-may/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Everything%20you%20need%20to%20know%20about%20the%20Putney%20local%20elections%20on%207%20May&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/09/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-putney-local-elections-on-7-may/)

**Categories:** Election 2026, Politics

**Tags:** East Putney, Putney Society, Roehampton, Southfields, thamesfield, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Monday night, your candidates have to face you. Here is how to make it count](https://putney.news/2026/04/09/monday-night-your-candidates-have-to-face-you-here-is-how-to-make-it-count/)

**Published:** April 9, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Five parties will take the stage at the East Putney/Thamesfield hustings. Submit your question in 30 seconds.

**Content:**

On Monday evening, the people who want to represent East Putney and Thamesfield on Wandsworth Council will stand in a room and answer your questions. Not a press officer’s version. Not a leaflet through the door. Your question, their answer, in front of everyone.

This is the only time before the [7 May election](https://putney.news/2026/04/05/ten-questions-putneys-council-candidates-need-to-answer-this-month/) that you can look a candidate in the eye and ask them something specific about your street, your commute, your school, your rent or your bins, and watch them answer it without a script.

Five parties are confirmed: Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, Reform and Green. One speaker per party. Every question put to the panel goes through the chair. After the formal session there are 30 minutes where you can speak to any candidate directly, face to face.

**When:** Monday 13 April, 7.30pm. Formal session done by 9pm. 
**Where:** Community Church, Werter Road, SW15 2LL 
**Wards:** East Putney and Thamesfield 
**Entry:** Free. No registration. Just turn up. 
**Organised by:** [The Putney Society](https://putney.news/organiser/putney-society/)

#### How Monday works

The Putney Society has run hustings in Putney for decades. Each party gets one speaker. Other candidates from the same party can attend but will not speak from the platform. Speaking order is drawn by lot before the start.

Opening remarks run three to five minutes per speaker, followed by a chaired question-and-answer session of four to eight minutes each. Some questions go to all candidates. Traffic congestion was given as an example. Closing remarks run two to three minutes each, in reverse order.

After the formal session ends at 9pm, all candidates come down into the hall for half an hour. That is when you can have the conversation that does not fit a microphone.

#### Get your question in by Friday

Questions must be submitted by Friday 10 April. Email ****

You do not need to write an essay. One sentence is fine. “What are you going to do about \[thing that matters to you\]?” is a perfectly good hustings question.

If you want to send us a copy too (editor@putney.news) we will track which questions get asked and which get ducked.

Deadline: Friday 10 April

Submit your question

Type your question below and tap Send. It opens your email app with everything filled in. Edit it if you like, then hit send.

  [ ✉ Send your question ](#)Opens your email app. A copy goes to Putney.news so we can track what gets asked.

 Or send one of these with one tap: 

 [ 🚌 Traffic & buses “Buses are 41% worse since the junction redesign. Side roads have become rat-runs. What will you do to fix Putney Bridge junction, and by when?” ]() [ 🏪 High Street vacancies “Several buildings on the High Street have been empty for years. Some for a decade. What powers does the council have to prevent long-term vacancy, and will you use them?” ]() [ 🔒 Crime & safety “Vehicle crime surged. Police say they ‘usually cannot catch’ car break-in criminals. A woman died at a crossing and it took seven months for new signals. What will you do to make these streets safer?” ]() 

East Putney & Thamesfield hustings — Monday 13 April, 7.30pm, Community Church, Werter Road

#### What to ask about

Not sure what to ask? Here is what has been happening in East Putney and Thamesfield over the past year. Any of it is fair game.

**Traffic and transport** is the issue that hits everyone daily. The Putney Bridge junction was redesigned in December 2024 and [buses through Putney are still running 41% worse](https://putney.news/2026/04/08/putney-faces-new-traffic-nightmare-as-wandsworth-bridge-loses-lanes-for-four-months/) than the borough average. Werter Road, the street the hustings venue is on, is now a rat-run for sat-nav diverted traffic. Albert Bridge faces a year-long closure, pushing more traffic onto Putney Bridge. The District Line has been disrupted repeatedly. [East Putney station was recently named the worst Tube station in London](https://putney.news/2026/03/29/east-putney-officially-the-worst-tube-station-in-london/). And Wandsworth Town station trains will not stop for parts of the summer.

> Try: “Buses through Putney are 41% worse than the rest of the borough since the junction was redesigned. What specifically will you do to fix it, and by when?”

Try: “Side roads off the High Street have become rat-runs because sat-nav apps divert traffic here to avoid the junction. What is your plan for residential streets being used as through routes?”

**The High Street** has seen M&S finally return after eight years, squatters evicted three times from the same building, a 200-room hotel approved with no taxi drop-off plan, [a major empty block at 45-53 Putney High Street sitting dormant for 14 months](https://putney.news/2026/04/08/first-sign-of-life-at-putney-high-streets-empty-block-as-new-owner-applies-for-advertising-wrap/), and two businesses quietly closing. What is the plan for a high street with genuine momentum but also genuine gaps?

> Try: “Several buildings on the High Street have been empty for years. Some for a decade. What powers does the council have to prevent long-term vacancy, and will you use them?”

**Crime and safety** remains a concern. [Vehicle crime surged in Thamesfield](https://putney.news/2026/02/10/vehicle-crime-surge-prompts-thamesfield-to-reset-policing-priorities/), prompting a policing reset. Police admitted they “usually cannot catch” car break-in criminals. A woman was killed at the East Putney crossing in May 2025. New signals were installed seven months later. Another man was hospitalised at the same spot in January.

> Try: “A woman was killed at the Upper Richmond Road crossing and it took seven months to get new signals installed. How would you make sure that kind of delay does not happen again?”

**Housing** pressure is intense. The council applied twice to house nine people in 23 square metres on a Thamesfield street. 135 residents objected. Across the borough, 3,947 children are in temporary accommodation. The council spent four years trying to raise the affordable housing target and ended up with the same 35% it started with.

**Schools** are under strain. [Oasis Academy Putney is closing this summer](https://putney.news/2026/02/11/oasis-academy-putney-closing-this-summer-amid-school-funding-crisis/). Falling rolls are hitting schools across the borough. What is the plan for school places in Putney?

For the full evidence behind all of these, see our [Ten Questions](https://putney.news/2026/04/05/ten-questions-putneys-council-candidates-need-to-answer-this-month/) piece, where every question is grounded in a published investigation.

Questions for your candidates

Tap through — each one grounded in a published investigation

  ← Back    Next →  

Source: Putney.news investigations 2025–26

#### Before you go

Postal voting packs go out on 20 April. That is why the hustings are this early. If you are voting by post, Monday may be your last chance to hear the candidates before your ballot arrives.

Not yet registered to vote? You have until Monday 20 April. [Register here.](https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote)

Photo ID is required at the polling station on 7 May. [Check what is accepted.](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/voter-id)

Two more hustings follow: Roehampton and West Putney on Wednesday 15 April at Holy Trinity Church, and Southfields on Tuesday 21 April at St Barnabas Church.

---

*Correction: We originally reported that you only had until 14 April to register to vote. This was incorrect; you have until Monday 20 April.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/09/monday-night-your-candidates-have-to-face-you-here-is-how-to-make-it-count/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/09/monday-night-your-candidates-have-to-face-you-here-is-how-to-make-it-count/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Monday%20night%2C%20your%20candidates%20have%20to%20face%20you.%20Here%20is%20how%20to%20make%20it%20count&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/09/monday-night-your-candidates-have-to-face-you-here-is-how-to-make-it-count/)

**Categories:** East Putney, Election 2026, Politics, Thamesfield

**Tags:** East Putney, election 2026, hustings, local elections, Putney Society, thamesfield

---

### [Wandsworth spent public money to settle a café dispute. It won't say how much.](https://putney.news/2026/04/13/wandsworth-spent-public-money-to-settle-a-cafe-dispute-it-wont-say-how-much/)

**Published:** April 13, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Why did a cabinet member promise a new café if he knew nothing about the existing one?

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council’s Cabinet Member for the leisure contract told residents Putney would get a new café. The council’s own documents say Cabinet was never briefed on the café arrangements. One of those things cannot be true.

Jeannine Angel, who ran The Kitchen at Putney Leisure Centre for a decade, [reached a confidential settlement](https://putney.news/2026/03/14/this-is-my-community-the-end-of-the-kitchen-at-putney-leisure-centre/) with Places Leisure and Wandsworth Council last month. She will leave the café she has run since 2015. The terms are sealed. The public cannot find out what it cost.

*Putney.news* asked the council under the Freedom of Information Act what Cabinet was told when it approved the £24m Places Leisure contract in June 2025. The response, which arrived three months after the statutory deadline, was unambiguous. Cabinet was not told about any ongoing tenant disputes. It was not told about plans to alter or end café arrangements. It was not told about any legal advice on the council’s obligations to existing tenants. No risk assessments were prepared. To each of those questions, the council’s written answer was either “No” or “N/A.”

> [‘This is my community’: the end of The Kitchen at Putney Leisure Centre](https://putney.news/2026/03/14/this-is-my-community-the-end-of-the-kitchen-at-putney-leisure-centre/)

Yet Cllr Paul White, Cabinet Member for Environment, attended a public meeting that same month and told residents Putney would receive a “new café” as part of the refurbishment. If Cabinet was not briefed on the café arrangements, as the council now says, it is not clear on what basis he made that promise.

We asked whether the council considers it acceptable that decision-makers were told nothing about the existing tenant before approving a £24m contract. Neither the council nor Cllr White responded; he has not answered any question on this story since November 2025.

The contract White helped approve already contained an answer of sorts. Its specification describes among the planned improvements at Putney Leisure Centre “a new reception area, café studio, soft play area and party room.” A café studio (whatever that means in practice) is the replacement for the space The Kitchen has occupied since 2015. Cabinet was not told about the existing tenant in that space, or about her legal right to remain.

Council officers have refused to provide the reports Cabinet relied on to approve the contract. We asked for their due diligence documents, which they sent – and they were blank procurement templates rather than any related the site. The result is that the public still cannot see the decision-making process that led up to £24m of public money being committed. There are already questions over the plan, including its investment in heat pumps and insulation, the latter of which may require asbestos removal.

[At the Cabinet meeting itself](https://putney.news/2025/06/17/surveillance-spending-and-selfies-council-approves-it-all-without-challenge/), the leisure contract was introduced with a short speech read verbatim from a laptop. No questions were raised.

> [Surveillance, spending, and selfies: Council approves it all without challenge](https://putney.news/2025/06/17/surveillance-spending-and-selfies-council-approves-it-all-without-challenge/)

#### The settlement

The dispute began in May 2025 when Putney Leisure Centre management told The Kitchen’s owner to shut down her shop over a claimed health and safety issue. When she hired a lawyer to dispute that, she was told it had been a mistake. [She discovered she had statutory protection](https://putney.news/2025/11/12/they-wanted-me-to-give-up-everything-putney-cafe-owner-fights-back/) as a long-term tenant under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, a right her solicitors said Places Leisure’s paperwork had failed to account for. More than 500 people signed a petition in her support. In November 2025, [formal legal notices were served](https://putney.news/2025/11/26/putney-cafe-takes-council-to-court/) on both Places Leisure and the council.

Places Leisure is a private operator running council-owned leisure facilities under a public contract. Any payment to settle this legal dispute flows from public money. All three of the Angel family’s café operations across council leisure centres are now closing within a month. Places Leisure stated after the settlement that “no further comment will be made.” Questions put to the company on 20 March 2026 received no reply.

Angel’s own words, made publicly before the confidentiality clause took effect: “It was an amicable agreement and, in the end, we did not come out of it worse off.” And: “This is my community. This place feels like home.”

#### What happens next

Last month, *Putney.news* challenged the council’s response to our request for documentation (reference WBC-FOI-11625). The grounds include the council’s blanket use of the commercial interests exemption to withhold officer reports, its failure to confirm whether correspondence about tenant disputes exists, and its complete non-response to questions about the refurbishment budget and “café studio” arrangements. The internal review response is due this week.

A separate question has also emerged. The council’s Forward Plan, updated on Friday 10 April 2026, includes a new key decision item, “Culture and Leisure Commissioning: Future Delivery Model Options”, with no decision date yet set. Less than a year after approving a £24m contract, Wandsworth Council is already reviewing whether its leisure delivery model needs to change. The public paper approving that contract presented a figure of £30m in connection with the deal; [a *Putney.news* fact-check](https://putney.news/2026/03/16/fact-check-the-claims-in-wandsworths-council-tax-leaflet/) found that figure described a cost, not a saving, and that the actual financial terms were held in an exempt paper that has never been published.

The council’s local elections take place on 7 May 2026. No decision date has been set for the leisure delivery model review.

#### What you can do

Wandsworth Council is in pre-election purdah until 7 May 2026, which limits what council officers and cabinet members can say publicly on policy matters. Cllr White is standing for re-election in Tooting Bec ward. If he loses his seat, accountability for these decisions passes to whoever the new administration appoints. You can still contact him directly at .

Wandsworth Cabinet meets periodically and questions on leisure contract decisions.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/13/wandsworth-spent-public-money-to-settle-a-cafe-dispute-it-wont-say-how-much/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/13/wandsworth-spent-public-money-to-settle-a-cafe-dispute-it-wont-say-how-much/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20spent%20public%20money%20to%20settle%20a%20caf%C3%A9%20dispute.%20It%20won%E2%80%99t%20say%20how%20much.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/13/wandsworth-spent-public-money-to-settle-a-cafe-dispute-it-wont-say-how-much/)

**Categories:** Politics, West Putney

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Paul White, FOI, Putney Leisure Centre, Wandsworth Council

---

### ['High-quality services' or 'decades of stagnation'? The Conservatives' record, checked](https://putney.news/2026/04/13/high-quality-services-or-decades-of-stagnation-the-conservatives-record-checked/)

**Published:** April 13, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Every claim in the Conservatives' election manifesto, tested against the evidence.

**Content:**

The Conservatives’ election manifesto claims 44 years of “high-quality, value-for-money services” in Wandsworth. The council’s own documents describe “decades of stagnation.”

That contradiction sits at the heart of our fact-check of the 30-page manifesto, “[Rising to the Challenge](https://indd.adobe.com/view/3bbf370a-a667-4670-ab9c-ac623bcee73f),” published ahead of the 7 May local elections. We extracted 28 verifiable claims and tested each against council committee papers, the housing monitoring report, FOI responses, the finance settlement and our own investigations.

The Conservatives’ diagnosis of Wandsworth’s financial crisis is largely right. Nine claims were rated fully accurate, five mostly accurate. Their strongest ground is Labour’s record on council tax, spending and debt.

Their weakest ground is their own record and a pattern of cherry-picked data. Six claims needed significant context. One could not be verified. Of seven forward pledges, only one passed without qualification.

#### Their own documents tell a different story

The manifesto celebrates delivering “the lowest council tax in Britain alongside high-quality services” for 44 years.

The low tax part is true. The high-quality services part is not, according to the council itself.

A Root Cause Analysis presented to Cabinet in January found “a significant history of stagnation in the management of council housing” and “limited appetite for change and innovation.” That covers the department the Conservatives ran for 44 of the last 48 years.

The Cabinet member for housing put it plainly: “For years we were told how impressive the Council’s 100% decent homes standard was, but what good is a 100% decent homes rating if it is based on a stock condition survey of only 1% of our homes?”

Those surveys covered just 1% of homes in 2003, 5% in 2012 and 6.5% by the time the Conservatives left office in 2022. The Regulator of Social Housing gave Wandsworth a C3 rating last year for 1,800 overdue fire safety actions. Repairs overspent by £16.3 million in 2024/25, the cost of decades of deferred work.

The Fox House fire, reported today, spread through an attic space the council had never inspected.

Low tax and high-quality services cannot both be true when the council’s own papers describe decades of underinvestment. The Conservatives delivered low tax by underfunding maintenance. The bill is now arriving.

#### Cherry-picked data

The manifesto claims developer contributions “halved” under Labour. In the last year of Conservative control, Wandsworth collected £619,000 from developers. Under Labour, that figure rose to £78.4 million by 2023/24.

Much of Labour’s early income came from planning permissions the Conservatives had approved, working through the development pipeline. The manifesto compares Labour’s peak to a dip caused by national regulation, not a Conservative-to-Labour comparison.

Housing starts did fall sharply to 571 last year, the lowest since 2006. The direction is not in dispute. But the council’s own monitoring report attributes the decline primarily to the Building Safety Regulator regime and a softer housing market, not to Labour council policy. The manifesto leaves that out.

The same pattern appears in waste. The manifesto cites a “500%” surge in missed bin collections from a November 2024 committee paper. The actual increase was roughly 400%, and the data was 17 months old by the time the manifesto was published. The service had been hitting its targets since September 2025.

The deeper accountability question is why the outsourced contractor, Serco, was fined just £43,682 over 12 months on a multi-million-pound contract, with zero formal enforcement actions.

#### The fake freeze

The manifesto is on its strongest ground when attacking Labour’s council tax “freeze.” Council tax rose 2% every year, totalling 8.2% over four years. The UK Statistics Authority wrote to the council leader, warning the freeze claims had “potential to mislead.” BBC More or Less presenter Tim Harford put it bluntly: “It seems mad to have to repeat this, but a 2% increase is not a freeze.”

This is one of nine claims we rated fully accurate.

#### The financial diagnosis

The manifesto’s headline figure, a £137 million cumulative gap by 2028/29, comes from the council’s own budget papers. The arithmetic behind “council tax will more than double” is correct: £137 million divided by £770,000 per 1% of council tax equals 178%.

But 42% of that gap, £58 million, is caused by the government’s Fair Funding Review, which reclassifies Wandsworth as overfunded. The manifesto attributes the entire crisis to local Labour decisions. It isn’t.

#### Looking ahead

The Conservatives make seven forward pledges. Only one, cancelling Labour’s plans for the Ashburton and Lennox estates, is fully within council powers and requires no new money. The rest are qualified by missing detail: no numbers on police officers, no cost for the high streets fund, no timeline on waste collection changes, no price tag for Springfield Park.

The policing pledge deserves particular attention. Labour promised “law enforcement officers paid for by developer levies” in 2022. None were recruited, and three-quarters of readers told us they understood the pledge to mean police. The Conservatives now make a near-identical promise without explaining why they would succeed where Labour failed.

This is the first manifesto through our election fact-check pipeline. We will review all parties’ manifestos with the same methodology.

Wandsworth Conservatives are invited to respond to any of these findings. Any response received will be published in full as an update to this article.

Wandsworth goes to the polls on 7 May.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/13/high-quality-services-or-decades-of-stagnation-the-conservatives-record-checked/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/13/high-quality-services-or-decades-of-stagnation-the-conservatives-record-checked/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98High-quality%20services%E2%80%99%20or%20%E2%80%98decades%20of%20stagnation%E2%80%99%3F%20The%20Conservatives%E2%80%99%20record%2C%20checked&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/13/high-quality-services-or-decades-of-stagnation-the-conservatives-record-checked/)

**Categories:** Election 2026, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, C3 rating, Cllr Aydin Dikerdem, Cllr Simon Hogg, council tax, housing, Lennox Estate, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Three men died at Wandsworth Prison within eight days](https://putney.news/2026/04/13/three-men-died-at-wandsworth-prison-within-eight-days/)

**Published:** April 13, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** The ombudsman is investigating but has not published a cause for any of them.

**Content:**

Three men died at Wandsworth Prison last month. All three are now under investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, at a prison the ombudsman has told MPs runs at “three or four times the national average in terms of self-inflicted deaths.”

Thomas James, 84, died on 15 March, one day before his 85th birthday. Ahmed Said, 31, died on 21 March. Kamal Uddin, 49, died on 22 March, seven days before his 50th birthday. Said and Uddin died on consecutive days. The ombudsman has not published a category of death for any of them. One is said to have been particularly problematic for the Victorian-era jail.

The three names join a list that keeps growing. The [PPO’s HMP Wandsworth page](https://ppo.gov.uk/establishment/hmp-wandsworth/) now carries a long list of fatal incident investigations; the full toll documented by the ombudsman stretches to 29 deaths connected to the prison since 2019, ranging in age from 20 to 84. We have reported on [most of them](https://putney.news/2025/04/16/dying-behind-bars-wandsworth-prison/).

#### What the record shows

The [coroner’s report into the death of Patryk Gladysz](https://putney.news/2025/08/01/prisons-catastrophic-failures-condemned-vulnerable-man-with-schizophrenia-to-death/), a man with schizophrenia who never once saw a psychiatrist at Wandsworth, found a “complete failure” of mental health provision. The ombudsman concluded that [Rajwinder Singh](https://putney.news/2025/08/24/he-would-still-be-alive-damning-report-reveals-how-wandsworth-prison-failed-father-of-three/) “would almost certainly still be alive” if sent to a different prison, after staff falsified observation records. David Wise died of hyperthermia in December 2021 after being housed in a cell with excessive heat from faulty systems. In August 2025, we revealed that prisoners were being [trapped in cells reaching 40°C](https://putney.news/2025/08/16/prisoners-trapped-in-sweltering-40c-hell-as-wandsworth-forces-cruel-choice-between-cooling-and-washing/).

These are not isolated incidents. They are the findings of a system that has been investigating deaths at this prison for years and finding the same failures repeated.

#### Reform and failure

Wandsworth is not standing still. A [monitoring visit in March 2026](https://putney.news/2026/03/06/violence-falls-at-wandsworth-prison-but-another-man-has-died-as-reform-wing-shows-results/) found prisoner-on-prisoner violence down by 70 incidents, assaults on staff down by 99, and self-harm down by 78. The prison is now fully staffed. A dedicated reform wing is producing measurable results.

But the same visit found rats, disgusting showers, and men leaving with sleeping bags and nowhere to go. The promised £100 million rebuild has not begun. Three more deaths in a single week sit within that pattern of genuine reform coexisting with basic institutional failures.

#### What we have asked

We have submitted questions to the HM Prison and Probation Service around the circumstances of these recent deaths, and how the physical infrastructure or condition of cells at HMP Wandsworth may have contributed to any of them, including in-cell pipework, heating systems, and plumbing.

We will publish their response when it is received.

#### What happens next

The ombudsman’s investigations typically take between 12 and 18 months before reports are published. We will report the findings when they are available. Residents can track investigation progress through the [PPO’s HMP Wandsworth page](https://ppo.gov.uk/establishment/hmp-wandsworth/).

The [Wandsworth Prison Improvement Campaign](https://wandsworthprisoncampaign.co.uk/) works to improve conditions at the jail, including through its Leavers Lounge programme. [INQUEST](https://inquest.org.uk/), a specialist charity, provides support and advice for bereaved families following deaths in custody. Fleur Anderson, the MP for Putney, can raise prison deaths in Parliament and can be contacted through her [constituency office](https://www.fleuranderson.org.uk/contact).

This is the 18th story in our ongoing accountability series on HMP Wandsworth, which has documented the crisis at the prison since May 2024.

*If you are affected by anything in this article, Samaritans are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call free on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, or visit [samaritans.org](https://samaritans.org/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/13/three-men-died-at-wandsworth-prison-within-eight-days/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/13/three-men-died-at-wandsworth-prison-within-eight-days/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Three%20men%20died%20at%20Wandsworth%20Prison%20within%20eight%20days&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/13/three-men-died-at-wandsworth-prison-within-eight-days/)

**Categories:** Crime, Wandsworth Town

**Tags:** Fleur Anderson MP, prison conditions, prison deaths, Wandsworth Prison

---

### [60 residents lost their homes in the Fox House fire. Wandsworth Council won't release the safety records](https://putney.news/2026/04/12/60-residents-lost-their-homes-in-the-fox-house-fire-wandsworth-council-wont-release-the-safety-records/)

**Published:** April 12, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Council took 55 working days to refuse request for inspection reports, a year after being warned about serious failings.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council is refusing to release fire safety records for a building where 150 people were evacuated and 60 residents lost their homes.

A review of the fire ordered by the council – and given a limited remit – concluded that the fire spread so quickly because of an attic space the council had never inspected. The fire also came a year after the housing regulator warned Wandsworth Council about serious fire safety failings across its housing stock.

*Putney.news* requested fire safety inspection reports and records of overdue work for that block; records that would show whether anyone knew about the danger before the fire. The council has refused to provide them.

On a Wednesday evening last September, as residents of Fox House in Battersea were home for the night, fire ripped through an attic space that the building’s own safety inspection had never checked, half the length of a football pitch, destroying the top floor and roof. The same inspection had told residents to “stay put” in the event of a fire. Residents who saw flames reflected in the windows of the block opposite ignored that advice and got themselves out. One described watching a window above their flat blow out and crash to the ground below. Mercifully, no one was killed.

Barry Quirk, who was drafted by the government to lead Kensington and Chelsea council after 72 people died at Grenfell Tower in 2017, [reviewed the council’s response to the Fox House fire](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/independent-review-reveals-fox-house-fire-chaos-but-ignores-prevention-failures/). He wrote that “the cause of the fire was not clear” but “the cause of the spread of the fire was obvious.”

He recommended the council check the attic spaces in similar buildings. The council committed to doing so “without delay.” Whether those checks have happened, and what they found, has not been disclosed.

Quirk’s review looked at the council’s response to the fire, not at what happened before it. Cllr Kate Stock raised this at the housing committee where Quirk presented his findings, noting that residents seeing an independent report into the Fox House fire would expect it to cover why the fire started and why it spread. It did not. The question of what the council knew before the fire sits in the records it now refuses to release.

> [Independent review reveals Fox House fire chaos but ignores prevention failures](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/independent-review-reveals-fox-house-fire-chaos-but-ignores-prevention-failures/)

#### A failure the council documented itself

The council’s own documents tell the story of how it got here.

After 72 people died at Grenfell Tower, the government published its Social Housing White Paper in November 2020, promising that “never again would the voices of residents go unheard.” Most social landlords responded by investing in safety teams and updating their systems. Wandsworth did nothing for four years.

When the council finally reviewed what had gone wrong, its own papers described [“decades of stagnation,”](https://putney.news/2026/01/26/years-of-failure-exposed-as-council-admits-ignoring-grenfell-reforms/) a department with “entrenched ways of working” that was “out of touch” with what the law required. The Housing Department has since been abolished and rebuilt under a new name, with an independent board brought in to watch over the fixes. Despite all of that, [326 fire safety actions remained outstanding](https://putney.news/2026/01/26/years-of-failure-exposed-as-council-admits-ignoring-grenfell-reforms/) as of January 2026.

That followed a year of documented failures. In February 2025, the housing regulator gave Wandsworth its second-worst rating for [1,800 overdue fire safety actions](https://putney.news/2025/04/02/wandsworth-council-under-fire-after-roehampton-explosion-and-safety-report/), all more than a year old. By November, an internal audit found [16 of 25 housing blocks tested had overdue safety work](https://putney.news/2025/11/11/hundreds-of-wandsworth-residents-trapped-by-unfinished-fire-safety-work/). A 64% failure rate.

While carrying those failures unfixed in its own buildings, some three years overdue, the council was also [taking private landlords to court for identical problems](https://putney.news/2025/11/22/council-prosecutes-landlords-for-fire-failures-it-ignores-in-own-housing/): broken fire doors, faulty alarms.

> [Years of failure exposed as council admits ignoring Grenfell reforms](https://putney.news/2026/01/26/years-of-failure-exposed-as-council-admits-ignoring-grenfell-reforms/)

#### How the council’s leaders responded

The Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Aydin Dikerdem, has consistently played down the fire safety record that Fox House now sits at the centre of.

When the regulator’s rating was published in February 2025, identifying nearly 1,800 overdue fire safety actions, he told councillors it was “not what we hoped for” but “all fixable.” At committee, he described the overdue work as things like “no smoking signs in the communal corridor.” The actual list included broken fire doors and faulty smoke detectors.

When residents criticised the council’s response to the Burke Close gas explosion weeks later, he dismissed their concerns as “misinformation.” When *Putney.news* revealed the council was taking private landlords to court for fire safety failures it carried unfixed in its own blocks, he dismissed the council’s own failures as “a scary headline.”

The same defensive instinct was on display in May 2025, when the Housing Ombudsman found “severe maladministration” in the council’s handling of a four-year roof leak and ordered a wide-ranging overhaul of how Wandsworth manages repairs and complaints.

At a council oversight meeting, Dikerdem pointed to a tenant satisfaction score of 22% as evidence of progress. A satisfaction score of 22% means, of course, that 78% of tenants – more than three in four – were not satisfied. The score had risen from 16%.

At a scrutiny committee the following month, with 18 of 23 Housing Ombudsman rulings against the council upheld, Dikerdem described the Ombudsman’s approach as “more aggressive” and suggested complaints were being driven by law firms rather than by conditions in the homes.

In January 2026, when the council’s own papers admitted it had ignored the Grenfell reforms and described “decades of stagnation,” Cllr Dikerdem blamed the previous Conservative administration. Labour has controlled the council since May 2022. No one has been held accountable.

At the same housing committee where Quirk presented his findings and Cllr Stock asked about prevention, Cllr Dikerdem described the fire as “the biggest and the scariest incident” of his time as a councillor. His focus was on how quickly displaced residents had been found new homes, which he called “the strongest policy outcome.” He praised officers, praised the administration, and promised to be “as transparent as possible.” He did not mention the uninspected attic space, the “stay put” advice, the C3 rating, or the programme of attic inspections Quirk had just recommended.

The man who reviewed the fire had flagged a serious safety gap. The man responsible for housing did not mention it.

> [Hundreds of Wandsworth residents trapped by unfinished fire safety work](https://putney.news/2025/11/11/hundreds-of-wandsworth-residents-trapped-by-unfinished-fire-safety-work/)

#### The FOI and the challenge

We asked for the fire safety records for Fox House on 18 January 2026 under the Freedom of Information Act. The council had 20 working days to respond. No reply came.

Two months later, and more than a month past the legal deadline, we filed a formal complaint about the delay. The council sent a holding letter the following day. The answer arrived on 9 April: a refusal. The council committed to implementing Quirk’s safety recommendations “without delay.” It took nearly three months to respond to a request about whether it had done so.

The council says releasing the records could harm the London Fire Brigade’s investigation into the cause of the fire. As of February 2026, the LFB had [told Inside Housing](https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/review-into-major-fire-at-battersea-council-flats-calls-for-programme-of-roof-inspections-95894) it had not been able to get into the building. The council is relying on an investigation that cannot get through the front door.

Quirk himself told the housing committee that examining the attic space problem “can be done without knowing the diagnosis of the fire.” The council is using that same unfinished investigation as its reason for withholding the records.

We have challenged the refusal. These are safety records that existed before the fire, not evidence from the investigation. The council’s own failure record is reason enough for the public to see them.

> [Council prosecutes landlords for fire failures it ignores in own housing](https://putney.news/2025/11/22/council-prosecutes-landlords-for-fire-failures-it-ignores-in-own-housing/)

#### What happens next

The council has 20 working days to respond to the challenge. If it rejects it or fails to reply, we will take the matter to the Information Commissioner.

Fox House, Maysoule Road, was a five-storey council block with 37 flats. Around 150 people were evacuated on the night of the fire. Approximately 60 lost their homes for good. The last was rehoused on 15 January 2026, 16 weeks after fleeing. The building remains unsafe.

Those residents, and the residents of similar blocks whose attic spaces may not yet have been checked, have a direct interest in what the records show. Residents who feel the council has failed them can complain to the [Housing Ombudsman](https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/residents/make-a-complaint/).

Wandsworth’s [housing scrutiny committee](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/mgCommitteeDetails.aspx?ID=147) is open to the public. So are the ballot boxes on 7 May.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/12/60-residents-lost-their-homes-in-the-fox-house-fire-wandsworth-council-wont-release-the-safety-records/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/12/60-residents-lost-their-homes-in-the-fox-house-fire-wandsworth-council-wont-release-the-safety-records/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=60%20residents%20lost%20their%20homes%20in%20the%20Fox%20House%20fire.%20Wandsworth%20Council%20won%E2%80%99t%20release%20the%20safety%20records&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/12/60-residents-lost-their-homes-in-the-fox-house-fire-wandsworth-council-wont-release-the-safety-records/)

**Categories:** Housing, Politics

**Tags:** Battersea, Cllr Aydin Dikerdem, council housing, Fire safety, FOI, housing, London Fire Brigade, Wandsworth Council

---

### [The fish and chip shop, the dry cleaner, and the estate agents: what Putney has lost this spring](https://putney.news/2026/04/12/the-fish-and-chip-shop-the-dry-cleaner-and-the-estate-agents-what-putney-has-lost-this-spring/)

**Published:** April 12, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Not all closures look alike. A survey of six businesses that have disappeared from Putney and East Putney.

**Content:**

Inside Fresh Fish and Chips on Upper Richmond Road, the blackboard menu is still chalked up. The counter is still in place. A ladder leans against the wall and an old office chair sits among the remnants of a shop that served East Putney for close to fifty years. It closed in mid-March. A sign in the window still reads “Closed for Annual Holidays.”

It is one of at least six businesses to close, be evicted, or disappear from Putney and East Putney’s commercial streets in recent months. They include two independent estate agents with a combined history of more than seventy years, a dry cleaner removed by High Court enforcement officers, an Indian restaurant and a mobile phone shop. Not all of them closed for the same reasons, and not all of them left behind the same thing. But they all left behind an empty window.

In March, we documented [four new businesses fitting out](https://putney.news/2026/03/13/four-new-businesses-one-rotting-landmark-whats-changing-on-putney-high-street/) on the same stretch of Putney High Street. This is the other side of that ledger.

![Fish and Chips shop gone](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/shut-up-shops-5-768x1024.png)#### The fifty-year farewell

Fresh Fish and Chips, at 124 Upper Richmond Road, had been part of the furniture in East Putney for as long as most residents can remember. One community member who shared the news of its closure said it had been there before he moved to the area nearly fifty years ago. Another called it his “Thursday night treat on my home from work for years.” A third described the owners simply: “Such lovely people.”

The windows are now whitewashed. The interior is being cleared. Nobody has confirmed why it closed, and without hearing from the owners we cannot say whether the closure is permanent. But the scene inside suggests a business that is not coming back.

![Dry cleaning business on Upper Richmond shut down](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/shut-up-shop-2-1024x768.png)#### The door that never reopened

At Upper Richmond Road and Keswick Broadway, a few minutes’ walk away, a possession notice is still fixed to the window. It is dated 6 January 2025. The notice, issued by Wilson and Roe, trading as Cerberus HCE Limited, states that High Court enforcement officers entered the premises and caused the claimant to have possession of it. Enquiries were directed to Andrew Wilson and Co as agents for the claimant.

The unit had operated as a dry cleaner for years, trading under several names including Du Cane Dry Cleaners and S&S Dry Cleaners, all sharing the same phone number. It is now fifteen months since the eviction. The unit is still empty. The notice is still in the window.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/shut-up-shops-3-1024x768.png)#### The independents absorbed

Further along Upper Richmond Road, the purple frontage of Lauristons is fading. The estate agency, which had been in Putney since 1994, has closed. Its website now redirects to another firm. Trustpilot lists the branch as closed. There are no active listings.

Over the road from what was Lauristons, Chestertons has taken over the Allan Fuller name. Allan Fuller had traded independently in Putney since 1983 before the acquisition. The branch now operates as “Chestertons in association with Allan Fuller.” The old Chestertons office two doors down has closed, with a notice in the window directing clients to the new combined premises.

Between the two absorbed shopfronts, James Anderson, the remaining independent estate agent on the parade, is still trading.

The combined history of Lauristons and Allan Fuller on these streets stretches back more than seventy years. Both names have now gone, in different ways: one absorbed, one simply closed.

![Chestertons and Fullers have merged - one key shopfront gone.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/shut-up-shops-2-1024x768.png)#### The corporate exits

On Putney High Street itself, the Three mobile store has shut. Pink hoarding in the window directs customers to the nearest Vodafone at 94a High Street, on the other side of the road. The closure follows the merger of Three and Vodafone, completed in May 2025. All Three-branded stores are closing as their leases expire.

Nearby, Kaalika Palace at 281 Putney Bridge Road has closed. The Indian restaurant’s windows are dark. The date and reason for its closure are not known.

![3 shut down on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/shut-up-shops-1-1024x768.png)#### What they leave behind

Six closures over roughly fifteen months, from a fish and chip shop that may have been on its site for half a century to a mobile phone store emptied by a corporate merger. They do not all tell the same story. A family business closing after decades is not the same as a chain consolidating its estate, and a High Court eviction that leaves a unit empty for over a year is something else again.

What they share is the result. More empty shopfronts on streets where confidence is already fragile, at a time when rising energy costs and economic uncertainty are making it harder, not easier, for new businesses to take the risk of filling them.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/shut-up-shops-10-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/12/the-fish-and-chip-shop-the-dry-cleaner-and-the-estate-agents-what-putney-has-lost-this-spring/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/12/the-fish-and-chip-shop-the-dry-cleaner-and-the-estate-agents-what-putney-has-lost-this-spring/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20fish%20and%20chip%20shop%2C%20the%20dry%20cleaner%2C%20and%20the%20estate%20agents%3A%20what%20Putney%20has%20lost%20this%20spring&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/12/the-fish-and-chip-shop-the-dry-cleaner-and-the-estate-agents-what-putney-has-lost-this-spring/)

**Categories:** Business, Save the High Street

**Tags:** East Putney, Putney High Street, retail closures, Upper Richmond Road

---

### [Roehampton and West Putney: your candidates face you on Wednesday. Put in your questions](https://putney.news/2026/04/12/roehampton-and-west-putney-your-candidates-face-you-on-wednesday-put-in-your-questions/)

**Published:** April 12, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Roehampton and West Putney hustings at Holy Trinity Church. 7pm. Eight questions from a year of investigations. 

**Content:**

On Wednesday evening, the people who want to represent Roehampton and West Putney on Wandsworth Council will stand in a room and answer your questions. Not a leaflet. Not a press release. Your question, in front of everyone.

This is the second of three hustings before the 7 May local elections. If you are in [East Putney or Thamesfield, that is tomorrow night](https://putney.news/2026/04/09/monday-night-your-candidates-have-to-face-you-here-is-how-to-make-it-count/). If you are in Roehampton or West Putney, Wednesday is yours.

One representative from every party fielding candidates in the two wards will take the stage. The Rt Rev Dr Martin Gainsborough, Bishop of Kingston, will chair. Speaking order is drawn by lot. After opening statements and a chaired question-and-answer session, all candidates come down into the hall to talk face to face.

**When:** Wednesday 15 April, 7pm 
**Where:** Holy Trinity Church, Roehampton, SW15 4LA 
**Wards:** Roehampton and West Putney 
**Entry:** Free. No registration. Just turn up. 
**Organised by:** Churches Together in Putney and Roehampton, in collaboration with the Putney Society

Rev Joshua Rey, the Vicar of Roehampton who is hosting the event, said the 2024 general election hustings at the same venue drew around 200 people.

> “Sharp questions were posed, honest differences of opinion aired, passions displayed. There was a fair amount of heat and a lot of light,” he said. “Now as we approach local elections that could be highly consequential for Wandsworth, and which nationally many will see as a chance to mark the government’s report card, it’s a privilege to host the hustings for Roehampton and West Putney wards.”

![Hustings in Roehampton](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/roehampton-hustings-crowd-1024x768.jpg)Deadline: Before Wednesday 15 April

Submit your question

Type your question below and tap Send. It opens your email app with everything filled in. Edit it if you like, then hit send.

  [✉ Send your question](#)Opens your email app. A copy goes to Putney.news so we can track what gets asked.

Or send one of these with one tap:

 [ 🌉 Hammersmith Bridge “Hammersmith Bridge has been closed for seven years. Roehampton has no train and its buses have been cut. The council held a rally demanding action, then refused to contribute to repairs three days later. What specific commitment will you make to reopen it, and by when?” ](#) [ 🏗️ Lennox Estate green “The council wants to build on the Lennox Estate green, which is designated protected open space. 287 residents objected and not a single person wrote in support. Will you commit, if elected, to opposing any construction on the green?” ](#) [ 🔒 Violence in West Putney “Violence in West Putney has risen 63% in a year. The Ashburton Estate is a police-designated drug supply hotspot. Ward officers said they weren’t aware of the surge because they can’t see a breakdown of their own figures. How will you fix that?” ](#) 

Roehampton & West Putney hustings — Wednesday 15 April, 7pm, Holy Trinity Church, Roehampton

#### Get your question in now

Questions can be submitted in advance. The organisers will group similar questions and, where possible, the person who submitted a question will put it to the panel directly.

Submit via the [online form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSftoZbyPbyoNc-bR0Hm0xQRf8vn_hyGwV2iMz3UjQ2Tj2Q8Yw/viewform) or email .

You do not need to write an essay. One sentence is fine. The shorter and more specific the question, the harder it is to avoid. Use a number or a documented fact and watch what they do with it.

If you want ideas, we have compiled [eight questions grounded in a year of *Putney.news* investigations](https://putney.news/2026/04/05/ten-questions-putneys-council-candidates-need-to-answer-this-month/), each specific to Roehampton and West Putney. They cover the Alton Estate, the Lennox Estate, Hammersmith Bridge, The Angel pub, violence in West Putney, council tax, leaseholder charges and a character test no party line can answer.

#### Know your candidates

Not sure who is standing in your ward? We have published the [full searchable candidate list for every ward in Wandsworth](https://putney.news/2026/04/11/whos-standing-in-your-ward-on-7-may-the-full-wandsworth-candidate-list-searchable/).

#### Before you go

Postal voting packs go out on 20 April. If you are voting by post, Wednesday may be your last chance to hear the candidates before your ballot arrives.

Not yet registered to vote? You have until Monday 20 April. [Register here](https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote).

Photo ID is required at the polling station on 7 May. [Check what is accepted](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/voter-id).

One more hustings follows: Southfields on Tuesday 21 April at St Barnabas Church.

For [everything you need to know about the Putney local elections](https://putney.news/2026/04/09/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-putney-local-elections-on-7-may/), including how to vote, what is on the ballot and what the council actually controls, see our full elections guide.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/12/roehampton-and-west-putney-your-candidates-face-you-on-wednesday-put-in-your-questions/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/12/roehampton-and-west-putney-your-candidates-face-you-on-wednesday-put-in-your-questions/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Roehampton%20and%20West%20Putney%3A%20your%20candidates%20face%20you%20on%20Wednesday.%20Put%20in%20your%20questions&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/12/roehampton-and-west-putney-your-candidates-face-you-on-wednesday-put-in-your-questions/)

**Categories:** Election 2026, Live events, Politics, Roehampton, West Putney

**Tags:** Cllr Graeme Henderson, Cllr Jenny Yates, Cllr Matthew Tiller, election 2026, hustings, local elections, Putney Society, Roehampton

---

### [New boss of Putney's hospital group starts with visit to Queen Mary's](https://putney.news/2026/04/11/new-boss-of-putneys-hospital-group-starts-with-visit-to-queen-marys/)

**Published:** April 11, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Mat Shaw spent his first morning in Roehampton. The plan that will shape its future has still not been published.

**Content:**

The new boss of the hospital group that runs Queen Mary’s Hospital in Roehampton started this week, with his first visit to the children’s hospital on the site. The merger plan that will shape its future has still not been published.

Matthew Shaw took over as chief executive of St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group, known as GESH, on 8 April. He is the first permanent leader of the merged group since it was formed in 2021.

Shaw spent his first morning at St Helier Hospital’s emergency department before visiting the maternity unit and then the paediatric department at Queen Mary’s Hospital for Children in Roehampton. The trust said he “started his first day where it matters most, alongside colleagues delivering frontline care.”

He joins from Great Ormond Street Hospital, where he was chief executive for eight years. An orthopaedic surgeon by background, Shaw trained at St George’s Hospital Medical School earlier in his career before holding senior roles including medical director and deputy chief executive at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.

Sir Mark Lowcock, the GESH chair, described Shaw as having “an outstanding track record as a leader in the NHS, as well as a personal style of warmth and openness.”

GESH runs St George’s Hospital in Tooting, Epsom Hospital, St Helier Hospital in Carshalton, and Queen Mary’s Hospital in Roehampton. It employs 17,000 staff across all sites.

> [The long road to merger: how St George’s planned its future while its hospitals struggled](https://putney.news/2026/03/14/the-long-road-to-merger-how-st-georges-planned-its-future-while-its-hospitals-struggled/)

#### What he inherits

Shaw replaces James Blythe, who served as interim chief executive and oversaw a critical period for the group. It was Blythe who took the formal merger plan, known as a strategic outline case, through the [board meeting on 5 March](https://putney.news/2026/03/14/the-long-road-to-merger-how-st-georges-planned-its-future-while-its-hospitals-struggled/). He told the public board it would be submitted to NHS England “later this month.” He then left to become permanent chief executive of Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust.

A month later, the trust’s website still says it “intends to submit” the merger plan. NHS England has no public record of receiving it. *Putney.news* emailed GESH on 8 April asking whether the document has been submitted. No response has been received.

This follows a pattern. When the board [voted to pursue the merger](https://putney.news/2026/03/12/st-georges-to-merge-with-epsom-and-st-helier-nobody-was-told/) in March, no announcement was made. No press release was issued. The four local MPs were told indirectly. The decision contradicted a commitment made when the group was formed in 2021, when the trust told the public: “The organisations are not merging.”

The group has also submitted a five-year plan to NHS England covering 2026/27 to 2030/31. That document, submitted in February, has not been published either. Job advertisements for a new managing director of Epsom and St Helier reference the “ambitious five-year plan” but residents have not been given the chance to read it.

> [St George’s to merge with Epsom and St Helier. Residents weren’t told](https://putney.news/2026/03/12/st-georges-to-merge-with-epsom-and-st-helier-nobody-was-told/)

Queen Mary’s Hospital has already seen [services change without public notice](https://putney.news/2025/09/14/st-georges-finally-confirms-queen-marys-hospital-closures-but-still-ducks-questions-on-urgent-care/). Its operating theatre was closed during 2024/25 as a cost-saving measure. No consultation was held.

Shaw arrives at a trust where the gap between what residents are told and what is actually happening has been a consistent problem. His visit to Roehampton on day one was a welcome signal. Whether it is followed by the transparency the merger process has lacked so far is the question that matters.

Shaw’s first public board meeting is on 8 May at St Helier Hospital in Carshalton. The next board meeting at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Roehampton is on 9 July, in the Sheen and Richmond Rooms. Board meetings are open to the public. Questions can be submitted up to 24 hours in advance to .

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/11/new-boss-of-putneys-hospital-group-starts-with-visit-to-queen-marys/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/11/new-boss-of-putneys-hospital-group-starts-with-visit-to-queen-marys/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=New%20boss%20of%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20hospital%20group%20starts%20with%20visit%20to%20Queen%20Mary%E2%80%99s&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/11/new-boss-of-putneys-hospital-group-starts-with-visit-to-queen-marys/)

**Categories:** Health, Roehampton

**Tags:** accountability, NHS, Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton, St George's hospital

---

### [Who's standing in your ward on 7 May? The full Wandsworth candidate list, searchable](https://putney.news/2026/04/11/whos-standing-in-your-ward-on-7-may-the-full-wandsworth-candidate-list-searchable/)

**Published:** April 11, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** 295 candidates confirmed across 22 wards. Five parties contesting every seat for the first time. 

**Content:**

Wandsworth’s official candidate list was published yesterday – and for the first time in the borough’s history, every single voter will face five parties on their ballot paper when polls open on 7 May.

The full list of 295 candidates across all 22 wards is below. Find your ward, see who’s standing, and check whether your sitting councillor is defending their seat.

It has never happened before. It may not happen again for a long time. And in the tightest wards, it could determine who wins the council.

The final count: 295 candidates, up from 202 four years ago. Three parties are responsible for almost all of that growth.

The Liberal Democrats completed their slate, adding 13 candidates to reach a full 58. The Greens went from 37 to 53 candidates, contesting every ward for the first time. And Reform UK, which fielded zero candidates in Wandsworth in 2022 because it didn’t exist locally, has assembled a full 58-candidate slate from a standing start. Together, those three parties now field an average of eight non-Conservative, non-Labour candidates per ward. In 2022, the average was four.

The total count of non-Conservative, non-Labour candidates has more than doubled: from 86 in 2022 to 179 in 2026.

#### Where the numbers get interesting

The story of this election isn’t just that more candidates are running. It’s where they’re running, and what happened last time.

In West Putney in 2022, the Conservatives and Labour were separated by 0.4 percentage points: fewer than 100 votes across three seats, one of the tightest ward results in London that year. The Liberal Democrats and Greens between them took 11% of the vote. This year, both parties are back, and Reform is on the ballot too.

In East Putney, where Conservative and Labour were again within four points of each other, the Lib Dems and Greens combined for 17.6% of the vote. In Southfields, held by the Conservatives by 3.7 points, they took 16.3%. In Thamesfield – where two of three sitting Conservative councillors are not standing again – the Lib Dems alone took nearly 14%.

These figures are context, not prediction. They show what happened last time. In 2026, Reform adds a further unknown into every one of those wards. The combined Lib Dem and Green vote in 2022 exceeded the winning margin in every single one of the borough’s most competitive wards. Now add 58 Reform candidates to that picture.

#### One ward stands out differently

Not every interesting story is about marginal seats. In Nine Elms in 2022, the Liberal Democrats took 26.3%, more than four times their borough-wide average. Nine Elms has a higher proportion of newer, younger residents than most Wandsworth wards. Whether that pattern repeats in 2026, in a ward that now also has a sitting Reform councillor – Mark Justin, who defected to Reform – will be worth watching.

#### The candidates

Sitting councillors defending their seats in the same ward are marked in the lookup above. Seven sitting councillors have moved to a different ward, including Emmeline Owens, who won her seat in Northcote in 2022 and has been redeployed to Southfields, the most marginal Conservative ward in the borough.

Notable incumbents defending their seats include former council leader Ravi Govindia in East Putney. Of the 295 candidates, 245 have no prior Wandsworth electoral record. The three newer parties account for much of it, but even within the established parties, candidate turnover has been high.

#### What this means for voters

If you live in one of the marginal wards, your ballot paper is genuinely more complicated than it was in 2022. That is not an argument for or against any party. It is a structural fact about how this election works.

Polling day is Thursday 7 May. Polling stations open at 7am and close at 10pm. You will need photo ID to vote.

The 2026 result will reveal whether the expanded slates translate into expanded votes, or whether the bigger ballot paper turns out to be the most dramatic thing about this election.

*Source: [Statement of Persons Nominated](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/the-council/elections-voting-and-registration/elections-and-referendums/local-elections-2026/), London Borough of Wandsworth, 10 April 2026.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/11/whos-standing-in-your-ward-on-7-may-the-full-wandsworth-candidate-list-searchable/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/11/whos-standing-in-your-ward-on-7-may-the-full-wandsworth-candidate-list-searchable/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Who%E2%80%99s%20standing%20in%20your%20ward%20on%207%20May%3F%20The%20full%20Wandsworth%20candidate%20list%2C%20searchable&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/11/whos-standing-in-your-ward-on-7-may-the-full-wandsworth-candidate-list-searchable/)

**Categories:** Election 2026, Politics

**Tags:** Cllr Emmeline Owens, Cllr Mark Justin, Cllr Ravi Govindia, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Digital advertising screens approved at three Putney bus shelters](https://putney.news/2026/04/10/digital-advertising-screens-approved-at-three-putney-bus-shelters/)

**Published:** April 10, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Part of a borough-wide rollout with a 100 per cent approval rate and zero public consultation.

**Content:**

Three Putney bus shelters are getting digital advertising screens after the council approved applications to replace their static posters with 86-inch illuminated panels. Nobody was consulted. Nobody objected.

The shelters outside the cinema, the Putney Exchange bus stop (60 Putney High Street) and outside Putney Station were all approved on 8 April as a batch. Each will get two screens that light up and rotate advertisements automatically. The change is twofold: the panels are significantly larger than the current paper posters behind glass, and they glow. Brightness is capped at 300 candelas per square metre, about the same as a laptop screen. Video content is banned.

They are part of a pattern. Across Wandsworth, 31 identical applications for digital bus shelter screens have been filed since November 2024. Twenty-eight have been approved. Three are still pending. None has been refused.

Two more Putney applications are waiting for a decision. One is for a bus shelter just north of Upper Richmond Road, heading up towards Putney Hill. The other is a second shelter at Putney Station. If both go through, the High Street would have ten new digital advertising screens across five shelters.

#### Who is behind it

The screens are being installed under a contract between Transport for London and JCDecaux, the French-owned company that describes itself as the world’s number one outdoor advertiser. JCDecaux has held the TfL bus shelter contract since 2016 and won a new eight-year deal in late 2024, covering more than 4,700 shelters across all 33 London boroughs. In February 2025, it announced plans to double its London digital screens to 2,000, with around 670 going on bus stops. Wandsworth was named as one of the target areas.

TfL’s advertising income from bus shelters is part of a wider push to raise non-fare revenue. When the original contract was awarded, TfL said it was targeting £3.4 billion over the following decade. Evidence given to a parliamentary select committee has suggested a double-sided digital bus shelter billboard uses as much electricity per year as four average UK households, though that figure came from a campaign group rather than independent measurement. JCDecaux says its newer screens are 30 per cent larger than the market average but use 20 per cent less power than previous versions.

#### Why nobody was asked

These are advertising consent applications, not full planning applications. Under the 2007 advertising regulations, the council only assesses two things: whether the screens affect the area’s appearance and whether they are a safety risk. There is no requirement for public consultation. Residents are not formally notified. The bus shelters themselves are permitted development and do not need planning permission at all.

The Putney Society flagged the broader trend in its April bulletin. The Society noted that while some new shops on [Putney High Street](https://putney.news/2026/03/07/seven-putney-bus-routes-now-electric-after-15-year-campaign/) are happy with their name above the door, others want “louder.” It pointed to a second slot machine casino opening opposite Putney Station with a brightly lit yellow door frame, and to BT proposals to replace phone boxes with large advertising totems. The digital bus shelter screens, which the Society had no mechanism to object to, arrive into that context.

Each consent lasts three years, expiring on 8 April 2029. The two pending applications will be decided in the coming weeks.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/10/digital-advertising-screens-approved-at-three-putney-bus-shelters/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/10/digital-advertising-screens-approved-at-three-putney-bus-shelters/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Digital%20advertising%20screens%20approved%20at%20three%20Putney%20bus%20shelters&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/10/digital-advertising-screens-approved-at-three-putney-bus-shelters/)

**Categories:** Planning, Thamesfield

**Tags:** bus, planning, Putney High Street, Putney Society, Putney train station, TfL

---

### [Weapons, drug deals and intimidation: why The Angel pub may lose its licence](https://putney.news/2026/04/10/weapons-drug-deals-and-intimidation-why-the-angel-pub-may-lose-its-licence/)

**Published:** April 10, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Roehampton councillors and Putney MP weigh in against the venue, noting some residents were too scared to complain.

**Content:**

Weapons thrown into their gardens. Drug deals in plain sight. One mother who will not let her 12-year-old daughter walk to the bus stop alone. For years, the people who live next to The Angel pub in Roehampton have watched, reported, and waited. Next week, they will finally be heard.

A licensing sub-committee will consider the Metropolitan Police’s application to review The Angel’s premises licence next Thursday 16 April. The 52-page committee pack, published this week, contains 10 formal representations from residents. Every one supports the police. Not a single person defended the pub.

Meanwhile, an online petition to save The Angel has gathered 621 signatures but is not mentioned once in the committee papers. In the eyes of the formal process, it does not exist.

The hearing is the next chapter in a story [we first reported in February](https://putney.news/2026/02/04/the-police-raided-it-with-a-helicopter-and-dogs-now-they-want-the-angel-pub-shut/), when police raided the pub with a helicopter and drug dogs, made two arrests, and temporarily shut the premises. The petition had 291 signatures at the time. It has since more than doubled, but the formal consultation, which ran from 19 February to 18 March, drew support from only one side.

> [The police raided it with a helicopter and dogs – now they want The Angel pub shut](https://putney.news/2026/02/04/the-police-raided-it-with-a-helicopter-and-dogs-now-they-want-the-angel-pub-shut/)

#### What the neighbours say

The representations, now on the public record, describe years of fear. *Putney.news* has chosen not to name the residents who submitted them in large part because a joint representation from the MP and Roehampton ward councillors says some residents were too frightened to participate at all.

One resident of Angel Mews, directly next to the pub, told the council that since November 2020 there has been “regular and recurring disorder associated with the premises, particularly during weekends and late night hours,” and that the problems are “not isolated incidents but form a consistent pattern over a period of more than five years.” He says he holds CCTV footage of licence breaches and records of complaints.

Another neighbour, a mother, wrote:

> “I have a twelve year old daughter and I do not feel safe for her to be alone and walk to and from to the bus stop for school. Especially, once is gets dark out I would not feel comfortable to let her be even outside the house alone.”

She first wrote to the council on 2 February, before the formal consultation window had opened. She re-submitted during the formal period in March.

A mental health professional and local parent described more worrying behaviour:

> “Obvious drug dealing on Roehampton High Street and Blackford’s Path, involving young people and older men,” and a “delivery service on e-bikes” near Roehampton Forest School operated by “young men on e-bikes in balaclavas.”

A neighbouring resident described a specific incident in October 2025 when “someone from the Angel Public house jumped over a fence and trespassed on our property causing damage to a garden fence. The police were in attendance.”

Two other residents independently described weapons being discarded into neighbouring gardens from the direction of the pub.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/angel-pub-roehampton-license-note-768x1024.jpg)#### Promises made and broken

One resident’s submission details a pattern of broken commitments stretching back years. Residents were told that noise-limiting equipment had been installed to control disturbance from the pub and its garden. They were asked to stay home while it was tested. When they later complained about noise, they were told the equipment was faulty. When council officers eventually inspected the premises, they confirmed no noise-limiting equipment had ever been installed.

A separate failure compounded the problem. After residents spent months gathering evidence of noise disturbance, a noise abatement order was issued to the wrong company. It was sent to Young’s, the pub’s previous owner, rather than Punch Partnerships, which had held the licence since 2021. The order was invalid. The evidence could not be used.

#### The political response

Fleur Anderson, the MP for Putney and Roehampton, and all three Roehampton ward councillors, Graeme Henderson, Matthew Tiller, and Jenny Yates, submitted a joint representation supporting the police review. They want conditions imposed rather than outright closure, calling on the sub-committee to “oblige Punch to take measures immediately that will ensure the pub is well run and is no longer a source of crime or public nuisance.”

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/angel-pub-roehampton-entry-door-1024x768.jpg)Their representation also reveals something the individual residents’ submissions do not say directly: that some people were too frightened to participate at all.

> “Local residents have approached us and raised serious concerns,” the joint statement says. They have shared “photographic and video evidence of this, some of which appears to involve minors. However, they are too frightened to make their own representations, for fear of repercussions.”

Ten people spoke up. Others were too scared to.

#### The petition and the process

The [petition](https://www.change.org/p/save-the-angel-pub-from-closure), started by Jacky Wood on change.org, describes “certain individuals” who seek to close the pub and replace its management. Among those certain individuals are the Metropolitan Police. The petition praises 12 years of “dutiful” management. The 10 formal representations describe those same 12 years as a period of escalating disorder, drug dealing, and fear.

The gap between the two is stark. The petition attracted 621 supporters. But when the council opened its formal consultation, and police explicitly told residents how to participate and where to send representations, not one person submitted a formal defence of the pub. The petition carries no legal weight in the licensing process. It is not referenced in the committee papers.

*Putney.news* contacted Jacky Wood via the petition to ask whether signatories were aware that formal representations needed to be submitted separately, whether she knew the review had been applied for by the Metropolitan Police, and what outcome she hoped for at the hearing. No response had been received at the time of publication.

![Inside the Angel pub in Roehampton](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/angel-pub-roehampton-inside-1024x768.jpg)#### The management change

Thirteen days after we reported on the police raid in February, solicitors acting for Punch Partnerships applied to change the pub’s designated premises supervisor. Sara Ann Cox, who had been in the role for over a decade, was replaced by David William Slaughter. The application was filed on 17 February by TLT Solicitors.

Punch Partnerships was asked to comment on the allegations in the representations, the purpose of the management change, whether noise-limiting equipment had been promised but never installed, and whether it would attend the hearing. No response had been received at the time of publication. Punch Partnerships also did not respond when contacted for our February story.

![Looking out the window onto Roehampton High Street from the Angel pub](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/angel-pub-roehampton-looking-out-1024x768.jpg)Looking out the window onto Roehampton High Street from the Angel pub#### What happens next

The hearing takes place online next Thursday 16 April at 7pm with a live webcast. The committee papers, including all 10 representations, are available on the [council’s democracy portal](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=9987).

The sub-committee’s options range from taking no action to revoking the licence entirely. In between, it can impose new conditions, remove the designated premises supervisor, or suspend the licence for up to three months.

If the licence is revoked, Roehampton loses half its pubs. Only The King’s Head, next door on the same street, would remain. For a community of around 20,000 people, one pub is an extraordinarily small number.

If conditions are imposed, the question becomes whether Punch Partnerships will enforce them. The pattern described by the 10 residents who spoke up, and the others too frightened to, is of promises made and broken over more than a decade.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/10/weapons-drug-deals-and-intimidation-why-the-angel-pub-may-lose-its-licence/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/10/weapons-drug-deals-and-intimidation-why-the-angel-pub-may-lose-its-licence/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Weapons%2C%20drug%20deals%20and%20intimidation%3A%20why%20The%20Angel%20pub%20may%20lose%20its%20licence&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/10/weapons-drug-deals-and-intimidation-why-the-angel-pub-may-lose-its-licence/)

**Categories:** Crime, Roehampton

**Tags:** Cllr Graeme Henderson, Cllr Jenny Yates, Cllr Matthew Tiller, Fleur Anderson MP, Licensing Sub-Committee, Metropolitan Police, Roehampton, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Albert Bridge closes entirely after inspector warning. Putney Bridge is the last crossing standing](https://putney.news/2026/04/10/albert-bridge-closes-entirely-after-inspector-warning-putney-bridge-is-the-last-crossing-standing/)

**Published:** April 10, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Content:**

Albert Bridge is now fully closed. Pedestrians and cyclists were banned from using the 153-year-old Thames crossing yesterday after engineers detected “slight movement” in the structure during inspection. The bridge had been shut to motor vehicles since February after a cast-iron component cracked. Until Wednesday morning it remained open on foot and by bike.

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea says contractors are on site. Andrew Burton, RBKC’s director of highway and regulatory services, said the closure would remain in place “while we continue to monitor the bridge’s movements over the next 24 hours.” Repairs are expected to cost £8.5m and take about a year.

The closure is the latest in a cascade of failures affecting Thames crossings west of central London. Three of the river crossings that carry traffic through this corridor are now compromised at the same time.

> [Putney faces new traffic nightmare as Wandsworth Bridge loses lanes for four months](https://putney.news/2026/04/08/putney-faces-new-traffic-nightmare-as-wandsworth-bridge-loses-lanes-for-four-months/)

#### Sounds eerily familiar…

Hammersmith Bridge has been closed to vehicles since April 2019, with no reopening date set. Albert Bridge is now shut to everyone. Wandsworth Bridge will lose lanes from May to October for major repair works ([announced earlier this week](https://putney.news/2026/04/08/putney-faces-new-traffic-nightmare-as-wandsworth-bridge-loses-lanes-for-four-months/)). Putney Bridge, built in 1886, is the last fully open crossing in the corridor. It already carries 16% more vehicles than it did before Hammersmith closed.

> In February, RBKC’s lead member for environment and planning, Cllr Johnny Thalassites, said of the Albert Bridge closure: “I certainly don’t want this to be another Hammersmith Bridge.” The bridge is now shut to everyone.

Four days ago, *Putney.news* published an investigation into the governance failures behind London’s bridge crisis. The London Assembly warned in 2021 that the patchwork system of ownership, with different bridges owned by different boroughs and authorities and no central oversight, was failing. None of the Assembly’s five recommendations were implemented. The escalation this week confirms the pattern.

The Albert Bridge, nicknamed “The Trembling Lady” shortly after it opened, is one of only two Thames crossings never to have been replaced, along with Tower Bridge. It carried 20,000 vehicles a day before the February closure. The repair programme (which also includes unseizing an axle, laying a new road surface, and refurbishing the original toll booths and lighting) was already scoped before engineers detected the structural movement this week.

*Putney.news* has submitted five freedom of information requests to the authorities responsible for Thames bridges in this corridor, including requests to RBKC for Albert Bridge inspection records going back to 2013 and to Wandsworth Council for Putney Bridge condition data. Responses are due before the end of the month. [We reported the full picture of what we asked and why in our bridges investigation.](https://putney.news/2026/04/05/londons-bridges-keep-cracking-nobody-fixed-the-system-that-let-it-happen/)

RBKC is expected to provide an update on the 24-hour monitoring period before the end of the week.

> [London’s bridges keep cracking. Nobody fixed the system that let it happen.](https://putney.news/2026/04/05/londons-bridges-keep-cracking-nobody-fixed-the-system-that-let-it-happen/)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/10/albert-bridge-closes-entirely-after-inspector-warning-putney-bridge-is-the-last-crossing-standing/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/10/albert-bridge-closes-entirely-after-inspector-warning-putney-bridge-is-the-last-crossing-standing/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Albert%20Bridge%20closes%20entirely%20after%20inspector%20warning.%20Putney%20Bridge%20is%20the%20last%20crossing%20standing&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/10/albert-bridge-closes-entirely-after-inspector-warning-putney-bridge-is-the-last-crossing-standing/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** FOI, Hammersmith Bridge, infrastructure, Putney Bridge, River Thames, Wandsworth Bridge

---

### [Critical Wimbledon Park vote in the Lords this coming Monday](https://putney.news/2026/04/11/critical-wimbledon-park-vote-in-the-lords-this-coming-monday/)

**Published:** April 11, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Amendment to law has won government backing but faces mounting opposition.

**Content:**

The House of Lords will vote on Amendment 248 to the English Devolution Bill this coming Monday. If it passes, it will effectively remove legal protections from Wimbledon Park and open the way for extensive development by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC).

The government minister responsible, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, is now formally listed as a co-sponsor alongside Lord Banner and Lord Grabiner on the printed amendment paper, published on 20 March, one day after the High Court rejected Save Wimbledon Park’s claim that the golf course was held on statutory trust.

It is the last step in a journey that began with Taylor [opposing it in November 2025](https://putney.news/2025/11/04/wimbledon-park-amendment-abandoned-after-peers-condemn-erosion-of-green-space-protection/), moved through [verbal backing in March](https://putney.news/2026/03/07/ministers-blocked-the-aeltc-amendment-in-november-now-they-support-it/), and has ended with her name printed on the paper. If it passes, MPs will consider the legal change on 21 April.

When the earlier version was tabled in October 2025, Putney MP Fleur Anderson [called it “a desperate attempt”](https://putney.news/2025/10/25/lord-tries-to-rewrite-law-to-rescue-wimbledon-from-court-battle-he-sits-on-the-aeltc-board/) by the AELTC to change the rules. Her government now co-sponsors essentially the same amendment.

But as the government has moved towards the amendment, opposition has crystallised from four directions.

Wandsworth Council Leader Simon Hogg has publicly urged AELTC to “suspend its challenges in the courts and through retrospective changes to national legislation” and described the pressure behind the amendment as coming from “some of the most powerful commercial interests in the country.” Wandsworth’s planning committee voted unanimously to reject the AELTC’s development application in 2023.

His statement, published on the council’s website on 13 March, frames the amendment not as a neutral piece of legislation but as something sought by the tennis club to override decisions made locally.

> [Lord tries to rewrite law to rescue Wimbledon from court battle. He sits on the AELTC board](https://putney.news/2025/10/25/lord-tries-to-rewrite-law-to-rescue-wimbledon-from-court-battle-he-sits-on-the-aeltc-board/)

In the Lords, three cross-party moderating amendments have been tabled.

Amendment 249, from Baroness Pinnock and Baroness Miller, would require the consent of the relevant council and meaningful public engagement before any statutory trust could be discharged. Amendment 250, from Baroness Scott and Baroness Jamieson, would block any discharge order until the government completed its promised review of open spaces. A further amendment from Lord Lucas would require the Secretary of State to consult other government departments and publish the outcome before Parliament.

The review has not started. When asked in March why, Taylor told peers she had been “a bit busy with other legislation.”

The Open Spaces Society, founded in 1865, published a statement on 30 March calling for Amendment 248 to be withdrawn. Helen Monger, the society’s General Secretary, described it as “premature and flawed.”

The society warned that the amendment goes “much further” than the Wimbledon Park dispute that prompted it, and “could damage green spaces far into the future.”

Save Wimbledon Park is responding with public meetings to present alternative proposals for the golf course site, drawn up by architect Ken McFarlane and tennis facilities planner Richard Rees. The campaign says the plans “offer a better solution to AELTC’s requirements while causing less environmental harm and allowing greater public access.”

The first meeting takes place on Thursday 16 April, 7 to 9.30pm, at St Barnabas Church, 146 Lavenham Road, SW18 5EP. The second is on Wednesday 22 April, 7 to 9.30pm, at St Marks Church, St Marks Place, SW19 7ND.

#### What the amendment does

Amendment 248 would create a mechanism for the Secretary of State to discharge the statutory trusts that protect land originally set aside for public use under Victorian and Edwardian legislation. If a council cannot confirm compliance procedures within 28 days, the Secretary of State must presume non-compliance. The amendment would apply retroactively, covering disposals “before or after commencement,” which would reach back to Merton Council’s sale of the golf course to the AELTC in 1993 for £5.2 million.

[Our 17 March analysis](https://putney.news/2026/03/17/wimbledon-park-the-next-six-weeks-will-decide-everything/) explains the full legislative mechanism. [The High Court ruling](https://putney.news/2026/03/20/wimbledon-park-what-the-high-court-ruling-actually-means-and-what-happens-next/) is covered separately.

#### What happens next

The Amendment 248 debate is scheduled for Monday 13 April, the final day of the Lords Report stage. If it passes, the House of Commons will consider it on 21 April. The bill must complete its full parliamentary passage before the State Opening of Parliament on 13 May.

Local elections take place on 7 May. The outcome in Merton has implications for covenant enforcement, a separate question from the statutory trust argument [resolved in March](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/golf-course-never-a-public-trust-high-court-hands-aeltc-landmark-victory/).

Residents can write to peers ahead of Monday’s debate via parliament.uk, or contact their MP ahead of the 21 April Commons consideration. Fleur Anderson is the MP for Putney; Paul Kohler is the MP for Wimbledon.

*Putney.news* has covered the Wimbledon Park dispute since March 2025. [The full series is here.](https://putney.news/tag/wimbledon-park/)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/11/critical-wimbledon-park-vote-in-the-lords-this-coming-monday/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/11/critical-wimbledon-park-vote-in-the-lords-this-coming-monday/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Critical%20Wimbledon%20Park%20vote%20in%20the%20Lords%20this%20coming%20Monday&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/11/critical-wimbledon-park-vote-in-the-lords-this-coming-monday/)

**Categories:** Planning, Politics, Southfields, Wimbledon

**Tags:** AELTC, Cllr Simon Hogg, Fleur Anderson MP, Paul Kohler MP, Save Wimbledon Park, Wimbledon Park

---

### [What happens to Wandsworth on 7 May?](https://putney.news/2026/04/09/what-happens-to-wandsworth-on-7-may/)

**Published:** April 9, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Labour's majority hangs by four seats. Five parties think they can take them. We built a tool to show you what happens next.

**Content:**

For 44 years, Wandsworth was Conservative. Then in 2022, Labour took it by nine seats in a single night. Now, four weeks from polling day, Labour’s grip on power comes down to a margin so thin you could count it on one hand.

Labour holds 34 of 58 council seats. The majority threshold is 30. Lose four and it’s over.

But this is not just a question of whether the Conservatives win it back. For the first time in Wandsworth’s modern history, the Greens, the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK all believe they can win seats. If they do, nobody runs the council. A handful of independents and minor party councillors would hold the balance of power on every vote, every budget, every planning decision.

Nominations close today. Here is what the battlefield looks like.

#### The 2022 map is the 2026 battlefield

Labour’s 2022 victory was built on margins that looked comfortable at borough level (42.6% to 34.3%) but razor-thin in individual wards. The swing of 3.3% from Conservative to Labour was enough to flip the council for the first time since 1978, but several wards changed hands by hundreds of votes.

East Putney is the sharpest example. The Conservatives held the ward by just 0.5% in 2022. Former council leader Ravi Govindia saw his previously unassailable lead drop to just 32 votes. A handful of voters switching sides, or staying home, changes the result.

Wandsworth Town (Labour by 5.7%) and West Putney (Labour by 2.2%) are both within striking distance. West Putney has already shifted since 2022: Nick Austin won a by-election for the Conservatives in May 2024, and he is standing again as a Conservative candidate this time.

#### Where the Conservatives are under pressure

The Conservative path back to power runs through nine net gains. That is a tall order, and they face defensive problems of their own.

Southfields is their most vulnerable ward. The margin in 2022 was 3.5% and Kim Caddy, who served as Cabinet Member for Finance, is not standing again. The party has deployed Emmeline Owens, a strong performer who won 45.6% in the safe Conservative ward of Northcote in 2022, to shore up the defence. That redeployment tells you something about how the party rates the threat.

In Thamesfield, two of the three sitting Conservative councillors (James Jeffreys and John Locker) are not standing. The margin was a more comfortable 9.8% in 2022, but replacing two thirds of a ward’s representation in a single election is a significant challenge, particularly with an energised opposition.

#### The wildcards that change everything

Three wards sit outside the main Labour-Conservative contest.

West Hill is dominated by Malcolm Grimston, the independent councillor who took 43.5% of the vote in 2022, more than Labour and the Conservatives combined. Grimston is standing again. His presence makes West Hill essentially a three-way marginal with an independent favourite, which scrambles the arithmetic for both main parties.

Nine Elms has the borough’s only Reform UK councillor. Mark Justin left the Conservative Party in August 2025 and joined Reform. The ward has one of Wandsworth’s smallest electorates, meaning individual candidate recognition matters more than party swing. Whether Reform can hold this seat, and whether they field strong candidates elsewhere, will shape the fragmentation picture across the borough.

The national mood has shifted sharply since 2022. In [the Gorton and Denton by-election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Gorton_and_Denton_by-election) in February, the Green Party overturned a Labour majority of 13,000 to win by 4,402 votes. Labour came third, behind Reform. Hannah Spencer, the new Green MP, won with 40.7% on a 27.5-point swing. “We ran a hopeful campaign,” Spencer said in her victory speech. “We have shown that we don’t have to accept being turned against each other.”

Compass director Neil Lawson put it bluntly: “The two party stranglehold on the UK’s politics looks broken.” If the Greens can translate even a fraction of that energy into Wandsworth, wards like Tooting Broadway become genuinely competitive.

#### What a hung council looks like

Here is the scenario that keeps both main parties awake. If the Greens win one seat, the Liberal Democrats win one, and Reform holds Nine Elms, those three individuals would hold the balance of power on a council of 58. Every contested committee appointment, every budget vote, every planning decision could come down to which way they lean.

This is not fantasy. In 2022, the Greens took 11.3% of the borough-wide vote without winning a seat. The Liberal Democrats took 8%. Reform did not exist as a local force then. They do now.

The battleground wards

Putney-area wards ranked by how likely they are to change hands

East Putney

3 seats

Con +0.5%

Highly marginal

West Putney

3 seats

Lab +2.2% (2022)

Complex

Wandsworth Town

3 seats

Lab +5.7%

Labour under pressure

Southfields

2 seats

Con +3.5%

Most likely Con loss

 Thamesfield

3 seats

Con +9.8%

2 of 3 incumbents gone

 West Hill

3 seats

Ind dominant

Grimston standing again

 Roehampton

3 seats

Lab +16.7%

Safe Labour

Source: 2022 election results, Wandsworth Council. Current composition reflects by-election changes.

The [financial crisis facing the council](https://putney.news/2026/02/24/your-council-tax-must-rise-34-next-year-or-wandsworth-runs-out-of-money/), with budget gaps running into the tens of millions, would need to be navigated by a coalition rather than a single party.

#### What to watch for

Nominations close at 4pm today. Once the full candidate lists are published by the council this evening, the picture will sharpen. The wards to watch: how many candidates are the Greens and Liberal Democrats fielding in Putney-area wards? Are there strong independent candidates beyond Grimston? And in the wards Labour must hold, are the Conservative challengers incumbents with name recognition, or new faces starting from scratch?

The [previous Putney.news election coverage](https://putney.news/2026/03/05/wandsworth-election-season-is-here-what-do-you-think/) tested both parties’ claims against the evidence. Over the coming weeks, this series will profile the key battleground wards, fact-check both manifestos, and track the candidates standing in our coverage area.

Polling day is Thursday 7 May 2026. You will need photo ID to vote. If you do not have an accepted form (passport, driving licence, Oyster 60+ card, Blue Badge or others), you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate at [gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate](https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate) by 5pm on Tuesday 28 April. The deadline to register to vote is midnight on Monday 20 April. Check your ward candidates at [wandsworth.gov.uk/elections](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/the-council/elections-voting-and-registration/elections-and-referendums/local-elections-2026/) once tonight’s list is published.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/09/what-happens-to-wandsworth-on-7-may/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/09/what-happens-to-wandsworth-on-7-may/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=What%20happens%20to%20Wandsworth%20on%207%20May%3F&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/09/what-happens-to-wandsworth-on-7-may/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** Cllr Emmeline Owens, Cllr James Jeffreys, Cllr John Locker, Cllr Kim Caddy, Cllr Malcolm Grimston, Cllr Mark Justin, Cllr Nick Austin, Cllr Ravi Govindia, Wandsworth Council

---

### [First sign of life at Putney High Street's empty block](https://putney.news/2026/04/08/first-sign-of-life-at-putney-high-streets-empty-block-as-new-owner-applies-for-advertising-wrap/)

**Published:** April 8, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** An advertising application has appeared for 49-53 Putney High Street - between M&S and the new hotel.

**Content:**

The [redevelopment of Putney High Street](https://putney.news/2025/11/22/from-squatters-to-scaffolding-putney-high-streets-visible-signs-of-recovery/) continues apace. The owner of the building between the new Marks & Spencer and the hotel under construction on the corner of Putney Bridge Road has applied for illuminated advertising across the top two floors of the three-storey building.

It is the first sign of activity in years at 49-53 Putney High Street, and hopefully signals renewed interest in a development that stalled back in 2017. The prominent block was sold in January last year to a private property company called Fortune Green Capital, and its only occupant, Boots on the ground floor, has a lease that runs out at the end of 2028.

The application, for a nine-month illuminated scaffold wrap on the upper floors, appeared on Wandsworth Council’s portal this week. Fortune Green Capital, a Maida Vale firm, has said nothing publicly about what it intends to do next.

Next to Boots, the former Robert Dyas unit has been empty for some time. Its window is covered by a Positively Putney “Putney in the Past” display, placed by the High Street BID to brighten the vacancy. The display is starting to peel. Above both units sit empty offices.

To the right, [M&S opened in February](https://putney.news/2026/02/18/marks-spencer-returns-to-putney-high-street-on-25-february/). To the left, [construction on the hotel resumed last month](https://putney.news/2026/03/18/construction-resumes-at-putney-high-street-hotel-corner-after-weeks-of-quiet/). For the first time in years, the entire lower stretch of the High Street is active at once.

A manager at Boots confirmed this week that the shop is staying open and that staff had received notice about the planned scaffold advertisement above them.

![The site owned on Putney High Street and Putney Bridge Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Putney-FGC-plot-1024x531.jpg)The site from above: Putney High Street frontage (centre) and the Putney Bridge Road block (top left) are under the same ownership#### What the new owner controls

The site is bigger than it looks from the pavement. The High Street frontage covers roughly 28,000 square feet, but the ownership wraps around the corner onto Putney Bridge Road, where the row of closed shops at 329-339 is part of the same deal. In total, Fortune Green Capital controls around 50,000 square feet on this corner.

Boots pays £90,000 a year on a lease that runs until November 2028. But the lease sits outside the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, meaning Boots has no automatic right to stay. Fortune Green Capital can terminate it with nine months’ notice, paying £231,000 in compensation. In other words, the new owner could clear the site’s last remaining tenant by early 2027 if it chose to.

#### What was supposed to be built here

This site has a history of plans that went nowhere. It was first registered at the Land Registry in 1910 and was originally home to a Woolworths, the 45th branch in the British Isles, which opened in 1915.

The most recent attempt was ambitious. In 2017, architects Grimshaw submitted plans for 123 homes, including 33 shared ownership units, retail, offices, and a landscaped courtyard designed by Chelsea gold medallist Andy Sturgeon. The scheme was branded “Liberty Gardens Putney.”

Wandsworth’s planning committee rejected it in January 2018 by nine votes to one. A planning inspector overturned that decision on appeal in July 2019. In 2022, the developer obtained a certificate confirming construction had technically started, preserving the permission.

None of it led anywhere. By late 2024, the Savills Investment Management vehicle had resigned from the development partnership and the company behind the scheme was being struck off at Companies House. When the site went on the market, agents Montagu Evans described the planning permission as “no longer implementable.”

Fortune Green Capital completed the purchase in January 2025.

49-53 Putney High Street: a decade of stalled plans

From Grimshaw’s 123-home scheme to Fortune Green Capital

March 2017

Grimshaw submits plans for 123 homes, retail, offices and a landscaped courtyard. The scheme is branded “Liberty Gardens Putney.”

January 2018

Wandsworth planning committee rejects the application by nine votes to one.

July 2019

A planning inspector overturns the refusal on appeal. Permission granted.

October 2022

Developer obtains a certificate of lawfulness confirming construction has technically started, preserving the permission.

May 2024

Savills Investment Management resigns from the development partnership. The scheme begins to unwind.

November 2024

Site marketed for sale. Agents Montagu Evans describe the planning permission as “no longer implementable.”

January 2025

Fortune Green Capital buys the site. No public announcement about future plans.

April 2026

First planning application since the sale: a nine-month illuminated advertising wrap on the upper floors.

Source: Wandsworth planning portal, Land Registry, Companies House | Putney.news

#### Who are Fortune Green Capital?

The company was founded in 2014. Its co-founder is Rob Soltanie, a chartered surveyor. Nic Shaer is a director. They work with wealthy private investors and family offices.

On their case studies page, they list the Putney site as roughly 50,000 square feet “acquired for active asset management and future development.” The same page claims a 200,000 square foot planning permission is in place, though the selling agents had already declared it dead.

The advertising wrap application, for a hoarding measuring 10.5 metres by 5.4 metres, is a standard move in commercial property: scaffold wraps generate income while work is carried out behind them, and typically signal the beginning of a refurbishment rather than a full redevelopment.

#### What protections residents have

Whatever Fortune Green Capital plans, some commitments are already locked in. The original planning permission came with a legal agreement under Section 106 of the planning act, requiring affordable housing, community space, and financial contributions from any developer. That agreement is registered against the land and binds whoever owns it. Any new planning application would trigger fresh public consultation.

We have contacted Fortune Green Capital and asked about their plans for the site, whether a new planning application is being prepared, what the scaffold wrap signals, and whether the vacant unit is being marketed. We will update this story when they respond.

The [cluster of empty shops on Putney Bridge Road](https://putney.news/2025/12/09/empty-shops-cluster-at-both-ends-of-putney-high-street/) that wraps around from this building has been a familiar sight for anyone walking toward the bridge. With M&S now open, the hotel taking shape, and a planning application on the block between them, this stretch of the High Street may finally be waking up.

![49-53 Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/49-53-putney-high-st-1-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/08/first-sign-of-life-at-putney-high-streets-empty-block-as-new-owner-applies-for-advertising-wrap/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/08/first-sign-of-life-at-putney-high-streets-empty-block-as-new-owner-applies-for-advertising-wrap/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=First%20sign%20of%20life%20at%20Putney%20High%20Street%E2%80%99s%20empty%20block&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/08/first-sign-of-life-at-putney-high-streets-empty-block-as-new-owner-applies-for-advertising-wrap/)

**Categories:** Planning, Save the High Street, Thamesfield

**Tags:** planning, Positively Putney, Putney Bridge Road, Putney High Street, retail, Section 106

---

### [Putney faces new traffic nightmare as Wandsworth Bridge loses lanes for four months](https://putney.news/2026/04/08/putney-faces-new-traffic-nightmare-as-wandsworth-bridge-loses-lanes-for-four-months/)

**Published:** April 8, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Permits granted, no announcement made, and three other crossings already impaired.

**Content:**

Putney faces another summer of traffic disruption after Wandsworth Council has quietly secured permits for months of lane closures on Wandsworth Bridge, starting next month.

The works, which run from late May to the end of September, will reduce the bridge to single-lane traffic in each direction while multi-way signals control the approaches. Wandsworth Bridge carries over 50,000 vehicles a day. The council has made no public announcement.

The lane closures will overlap with the continued closure of [Hammersmith Bridge (shut since 2019) and Albert Bridge (shut since February)](https://putney.news/2026/04/05/londons-bridges-keep-cracking-nobody-fixed-the-system-that-let-it-happen/), and come on top of a [Putney Bridge junction that still isn’t working](https://putney.news/2026/04/02/the-councillors-who-promised-to-fix-putneys-junction-produced-nothing-we-can-now-prove-it/) after a botched redesign. For four months this summer, three of south-west London’s four river crossings will be impaired simultaneously.

The bridge works were not announced to the public. They were disclosed in the minutes of a joint meeting between TfL, H&F, Richmond and Wandsworth on 3 March, where the Wandsworth representative noted “there are major works on Wandsworth Bridge starting in May, running through to the beginning of October.”

Those minutes were only released because of FOI requests about a separate issue: the collapse of a pedestrian safety scheme on Wandsworth Bridge Road. The months of disruptive roadworks also do not feature in Wandsworth Council’s roadworks [public schedule](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/roadworks/).

#### How we got here

Transport for London blocked Hammersmith and Fulham’s proposed crossing improvements on Wandsworth Bridge Road last October on the grounds they would harm bus performance. H&F had designed the scheme without properly consulting TfL, and a [petition against it gathered 3,237 signatures](https://putney.news/2025/10/31/relief-as-tfl-blocks-traffic-scheme-that-threatened-to-choke-putney-further/). Putney MP Fleur Anderson urged constituents to sign, warning of “knock-on effects” for Putney traffic.

Six FOI requests to TfL, all now published on the authority’s [disclosure log](https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-4584-2526), reveal what happened next.

A resident who asked TfL for the evidence behind its objection got a direct answer. “TfL have not assessed if this proposal would have excessive negative impact on buses,” the transport authority wrote in January. There was “potential” for increased congestion, it added, which “may also negatively impact bus performance.”

TfL blocked the scheme on bus grounds. It had not checked whether buses would actually be affected.

> [Relief as TfL blocks traffic scheme that threatened to choke Putney further](https://putney.news/2025/10/31/relief-as-tfl-blocks-traffic-scheme-that-threatened-to-choke-putney-further/)

H&F’s own traffic data showed the parklets already on the road had “no detrimental effect on general traffic or bus operations.” TfL did not dispute this but continued to object. Speed surveys showed traffic on the 20mph road regularly exceeding 30mph, with speeds above 40mph at night. The proposed raised crossings were designed to address this. TfL suggested speed cameras instead.

TfL’s preferred position, set out in a January 2026 briefing note, went further than redesign. Bus performance, it said, “would likely benefit more from less crossings and no physical constraint during peak time operations.” Fewer pedestrian crossings, not better ones.

It is the same argument TfL applies at Putney Bridge junction, where its insistence on [protecting bus times](https://putney.news/2026/03/17/putneys-buses-are-41-worse-than-the-rest-of-wandsworth-and-the-data-proves-the-junction-is-why/) helped create the congestion that pushed traffic onto Wandsworth Bridge Road in the first place.

By February 2026, the scheme was dead. H&F’s lead engineer emailed TfL to confirm the council would “not be progressing with the scheme in its current form.” The original consultants were stood down.

The same email contained a line not reported elsewhere. “Given the political sensitivities around WBR and previous commitments on delivery, the programme will need to be managed carefully.” H&F’s Labour leadership had publicly committed to the improvements. The borough’s Conservative opposition has pledged to remove the existing parklets if elected on 7 May.

#### What happens next

The 3 March working group agreed a two-phase approach. Phase 1 covers minor improvements only, with a requirement from TfL that changes have no measurable effect on buses. Controlled pedestrian crossings are now Phase 2, with delivery at the earliest in late 2026. The next meeting is on 14 April.

Residents on Wandsworth Bridge Road have been waiting since July 2025 for safe pedestrian crossings. Putney residents, meanwhile, have just learned that the bridge next door is about to lose lanes for four months. Nobody told them.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/08/putney-faces-new-traffic-nightmare-as-wandsworth-bridge-loses-lanes-for-four-months/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/08/putney-faces-new-traffic-nightmare-as-wandsworth-bridge-loses-lanes-for-four-months/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20faces%20new%20traffic%20nightmare%20as%20Wandsworth%20Bridge%20loses%20lanes%20for%20four%20months&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/08/putney-faces-new-traffic-nightmare-as-wandsworth-bridge-loses-lanes-for-four-months/)

**Categories:** Fulham, Transport

**Tags:** bus, Fleur Anderson MP, FOI, Hammersmith and Fulham Council, Hammersmith Bridge, Putney Bridge junction, traffic, traffic congestion, Transport for London, Wandsworth Bridge, Wandsworth Bridge Road

---

### [Your train to Wandsworth Town may sail straight past this summer](https://putney.news/2026/04/08/your-train-to-wandsworth-town-may-sail-straight-past-this-summer/)

**Published:** April 8, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Five months of midday disruption start 11 May, but buses have you covered.

**Content:**

From 11 May, some trains will skip Wandsworth Town station during midday hours while lifts are installed. The disruption runs for five months, but only affects a narrow window on weekdays.

Wandsworth Town will become fully accessible for the first time under a £20m upgrade bringing lifts to all platforms and a second entrance on Odyssey Way. The project is funded by the Department for Transport’s Access for All programme, Network Rail, and Wandsworth Council, whose share comes from developer contributions rather than council tax.

As [we reported in November](https://putney.news/2025/11/03/station-upgrades-finally-arrive-after-three-years-and-safety-warnings/), the project took three years and significant cost increases to reach approval. The station stays open throughout, with completion expected by summer 2027.

From 11 May to 26 July, trains heading from Waterloo towards Putney will not stop at Wandsworth Town between 11am and 2pm, Monday to Thursday.

From 27 July to 11 October, the pattern reverses: trains heading towards Clapham Junction will skip the station on Mondays between 11am and 2pm. Tuesday to Thursday are unaffected in that period. In both phases, rush hours, Fridays and weekends run as normal.

Use the tool below to check your specific journey.

#### Getting there by bus

If your train is skipping the station, the bus is quicker than doubling back by rail. Four routes connect Putney directly to Wandsworth Town.

The 37 and 337 run from Upper Richmond Road near Putney station. The 220 and 270 run from Lower Richmond Road and Putney Bridge, dropping you at Southside Shopping Centre or Armoury Way. The journey takes roughly ten minutes, compared with the 10 to 15 minutes added by staying on the train and backtracking.

Over 3.75 million passengers used Wandsworth Town in 2024-25, making it the 15th busiest station on the South Western Railway network. When the work finishes, it will have lifts to all four platforms and a new north entrance, making it the latest SWR station to gain step-free access. One stop down the line, [East Putney is still waiting](https://putney.news/2025/10/05/how-to-actually-deliver-step-free-access-at-east-putney-and-save-16-million/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/08/your-train-to-wandsworth-town-may-sail-straight-past-this-summer/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/08/your-train-to-wandsworth-town-may-sail-straight-past-this-summer/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Your%20train%20to%20Wandsworth%20Town%20may%20sail%20straight%20past%20this%20summer&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/08/your-train-to-wandsworth-town-may-sail-straight-past-this-summer/)

**Categories:** Transport, Wandsworth Town

**Tags:** bus, East Putney, Network Rail, Putney train station, South Western Railway, Wandsworth

---

### [The council’s new AI service spouts gibberish. It refuses to say how much it paid for it](https://putney.news/2026/04/07/council-boasted-about-its-ai-carer-service-it-doesnt-know-how-much-it-cost-or-how-it-was-awarded/)

**Published:** April 7, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Wandsworth introduced an AI system to advise and support unpaid carers. It now admits it cannot get basic information about it.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has failed to provide basic information about a troubled AI advice system – including how much it paid, how the contract was awarded, and how people’s highly personal data is being protected.

On 1 April, the council responded to a complaint we filed over excessive delays in providing answers to basic questions about its adult carer system: “We are currently still waiting to receive the information that you have requested.” It was not an April Fools.

*Putney.news* reporter Salem Abu-Zayed asked the council back in December 2025 for its contracts with Tovie AI Ltd, what it had paid the company, how the supplier was chosen, and what data protection checks had been carried out. The legal deadline for a response was 16 January. The request is now more than two and a half months overdue.

We [reported in December](https://putney.news/2025/12/26/council-refuses-to-answer-questions-about-ai-carer-tool-failures/) that the system produced incoherent and inaccurate responses to vulnerable people seeking help. Wandsworth refused to answer questions about what it says is a pilot. We then requested details about how the contract was awarded and how much it had cost.

> [Council refuses to answer questions about AI carer tool failures](https://putney.news/2025/12/26/council-refuses-to-answer-questions-about-ai-carer-tool-failures/)

Around 18,000 people in Wandsworth provide unpaid care for a partner, family member, friend or neighbour. The AI system gives them advice and helps them find support.

When the council launched the service in December 2025, its own press release quoted Tovie AI chief executive Joshua Kaiser saying the work “builds on our earlier collaborations with Wandsworth.” We have also asked what those earlier collaborations were and what the council paid for them. The council has failed to answer that question too.

Councils are legally obliged to respond to Freedom of Information requests with 20 days. Last month, with an answer more than 50 working days late, and with no indication from the council that the issues had been fixed, we filed a complaint.

In its response, the council apologised, provided no new information and said it would “continue to chase” its own departments for basic information.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/07/council-boasted-about-its-ai-carer-service-it-doesnt-know-how-much-it-cost-or-how-it-was-awarded/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/07/council-boasted-about-its-ai-carer-service-it-doesnt-know-how-much-it-cost-or-how-it-was-awarded/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20council%E2%80%99s%20new%20AI%20service%20spouts%20gibberish.%20It%20refuses%20to%20say%20how%20much%20it%20paid%20for%20it&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/07/council-boasted-about-its-ai-carer-service-it-doesnt-know-how-much-it-cost-or-how-it-was-awarded/)

**Categories:** Politics, Technology

**Tags:** accountability, FOI, transparency, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Roehampton community garden: Phase One is already in the ground](https://putney.news/2026/04/07/roehampton-community-garden-phase-one-is-already-in-the-ground/)

**Published:** April 7, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Sixty residents started planning it 16 months ago. The first beds are already in the ground.

**Content:**

The patch of ground beside Roehampton Methodist Church on [Minstead Gardens](https://putney.news/2026/03/26/focus-hall-reopens-in-roehampton-as-alton-estate-gets-two-rare-signs-of-progress/) didn’t look like much in November 2024. It still doesn’t have a name. But Phase One is already in the ground: four raised beds plotted, a storage container in place, and 16 months of community work behind it.

Residents of the Alton Estate have been building a community garden from scratch since late 2024. It started with conversations involving 60 people who wanted a green, community-managed growing space. It has since moved through biodiversity surveys, expert planning sessions, a 37-person community consultation, and now the first phase of construction. The garden is real.

The project is organised by [Our Roehampton](https://www.ourroehampton.org/community-garden), a local community development trust, and funded by the Wimbledon Foundation.

“We have completed Phase One of the garden and are continuing to design the rest,” said Preya Chauhan, the project coordinator. “Our vision is to create a community-led food-growing, biodiverse, accessible, and welcoming space.”

![Planning meeting for the Roehampton community garden](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/alton-community-garden-meeting-1024x1024.jpg)#### Built with residents, not for them

Before a single planter went in, Our Roehampton ran months of consultation sessions. Experts were brought in: Les Hill on biodiversity, Nick Oliver from the WWT London Wetland Centre on rain gardens and water management, and Vicki Cooke as a community kitchen gardener. Gardeners from Roehampton Club, the Community Kitchen and the Community Shed all contributed.

The November 2025 community consultation drew 37 residents and community leaders. Their voices shaped the design. Residents asked for an organic, pesticide-free garden, accessible planting for people with disabilities, and intergenerational spaces. The community’s own planning philosophy: “Start small but think big and long term.”

“The garden built a true sense of community,” one resident said. “A place where people feel welcomed, whatever their abilities or contribution they can make.”

The wish list is specific. Apples, pears, cherries and blueberries. Tomatoes, kale and herbs. A wildflower meadow. Everything grown organically. A polytunnel is planned for the next phase.

![Roehampton community garden](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/alton-community-garden-1024x768.jpg)#### Get involved

Sessions run through to June. All are free and open to residents.

**Wednesday 8 April, 6:30–8:00pm** Community Week Planning. Methodist Church, Minstead Gardens, SW15 4EB.

**Thursday 23 April, 10:00–11:30am** Biodiversity session with Les Hill. Alton Arts Hub, 6 Portswood Place, SW15 4ED.

**Wednesday 6 May, 6:30–8:00pm** Branding and naming the garden with Noreen Meehan and Susan Marks. Methodist Church, Minstead Gardens.

**Thursday 21 May, 10:00–11:30am** Accessible gardening for children with Lila and Aslam from Sen Unity. Alton Arts Hub.

**Wednesday 3 June, 6:30–8:00pm** Topic to be confirmed. Methodist Church, Minstead Gardens.

A family picnic is planned as part of Roehampton Community Weeks on 12 August.

The project is looking for volunteers to help with building, planting, watering and harvesting. Contact Preya Chauhan at  or on 07544 591079.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/07/roehampton-community-garden-phase-one-is-already-in-the-ground/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/07/roehampton-community-garden-phase-one-is-already-in-the-ground/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Roehampton%20community%20garden%3A%20Phase%20One%20is%20already%20in%20the%20ground&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/07/roehampton-community-garden-phase-one-is-already-in-the-ground/)

**Categories:** Community, Environment, Roehampton

**Tags:** Alton Estate, community, Roehampton, Roehampton Community Week

---

### [Twenty years of failed plans, and now a £360,000 hole in the ground](https://putney.news/2026/04/07/twenty-years-of-failed-plans-and-now-a-360000-hole-in-the-ground/)

**Published:** April 7, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Wandsworth signs demolition contract for Alton Estate with building future still uncertain.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has signed a £359,690 contract to demolish Block A of the Alton Estate. The contract, awarded to Alpine Demolition last week, commits public money to creating a hole in the ground. What fills it depends on funding the council doesn’t have, a legal challenge it hasn’t resolved, and an election it may not win.

This is the latest milestone in what the council calls a landmark regeneration. [The ballot in October 2025 produced 82% support](https://putney.news/2025/10/17/alton-estate-residents-vote-yes-to-100m-redevelopment/) (from those who voted). Only 34% of eligible residents voted yes. Nearly 60% did not vote at all.

> [Alton Estate residents vote yes to £100m redevelopment](https://putney.news/2025/10/17/alton-estate-residents-vote-yes-to-100m-redevelopment/)

Since then, the [planning committee approved Block A in March](https://putney.news/2026/03/16/alton-block-a-approved-but-would-any-private-developer-have-got-away-with-this/): with an acknowledged £12.6m funding deficit, a right-to-light legal claim the council’s own external lawyer confirmed must be resolved before the scheme can proceed, and a dedicated youth space 219 square metres smaller than the one it replaces. The council’s press release made no mention of any of these.

Now comes the demolition contract.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/alton-block-a-door-1024x768.png)The second building in the block served as a council housing office for years.#### What the money will do

Alpine Demolition will tear down the former Co-op building on Danebury Avenue, which has stood empty for years and which the council itself described as a “long-standing eyesore.” That part is straightforward.

The problems start with what is supposed to come next: a nine-storey block delivering 55 council homes alongside a new library, GP surgery, youth centre and community hall. The council does not have confirmed funding to build it. The wider £100m regeneration plan carries a £77m external funding gap that was [revealed in council papers six weeks after the ballot](https://putney.news/2026/01/24/whats-all-that-construction-work-on-the-alton-estate/), having not been presented to residents during the vote.

![Graffiti on Alton Block A](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/alton-block-a-graffiti-1024x768.png)Graffiti on one of the buildings now scheduled for demolition. It has been a depresing entry point into the estate for many years.The right-to-light claim, brought by a leaseholder at Hersham Close, remains live. The committee approved the application anyway. The council’s own legal adviser told members at the planning meeting that this issue must be satisfied before the scheme can move forward. It has not been.

And on 7 May, Wandsworth goes to the polls. The last time political control of the council changed, in 2022 ending 44 years of Conservative rule, the previous Alton regeneration plan was scrapped entirely. The scheme the demolition contract now serves was written by the current administration. There is no guarantee it survives a change of leadership.

![Abandoned basketball court](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/alton-abadoned-basketball-1024x768.png)An abandoned basketball court next to Block A serves as a symbol of just how poorly residents are served.#### Twenty years of this

The Alton Estate has been promised renewal since at least 2006. Three regeneration schemes have collapsed before this one. The Co-op building being demolished this month has been an empty shell for years, and a depressing entry point into the estate for longer; its dereliction is itself a product of planning uncertainty.

What residents have seen delivered under the current plan: new playgrounds getting close to completion, a refurbished (but not renovated – it doesn’t have disabled access for example) community hall – Focus Hall, which [reopened last month](https://putney.news/2026/03/26/focus-hall-reopens-in-roehampton-as-alton-estate-gets-two-rare-signs-of-progress/) – and new fencing around a listed temple that remains inaccessible to the public. The demolition contract is the biggest commitment made so far. It is a commitment to remove something. The commitment to build something remains unresolved.

![Alton A block from nearby](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/alton-block-a-high-view-1024x768.png)The block from a nearby council blockThe contract documents are restricted. The public cannot see the tender, the competing bids, or how the £359,690 figure was reached.

Residents with concerns about the demolition or displacement can contact the council’s lead officer, Bernard Brennan, at , or Cllr Matthew Tiller (Labour), the Roehampton ward councillor, at .

![Alton A block abandoned](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/alton-abandoned-1024x768.jpg) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/07/twenty-years-of-failed-plans-and-now-a-360000-hole-in-the-ground/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/07/twenty-years-of-failed-plans-and-now-a-360000-hole-in-the-ground/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Twenty%20years%20of%20failed%20plans%2C%20and%20now%20a%20%C2%A3360%2C000%20hole%20in%20the%20ground&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/07/twenty-years-of-failed-plans-and-now-a-360000-hole-in-the-ground/)

**Categories:** Planning, Roehampton

**Tags:** Alton Estate, Alton Renewal Plan, Cllr Matthew Tiller, council housing, planning, Roehampton, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Ten questions Putney's council candidates need to answer this month](https://putney.news/2026/04/05/ten-questions-putneys-council-candidates-need-to-answer-this-month/)

**Published:** April 5, 2026
**Author:** The Editor

**Excerpt:** Three free hustings, one 10 April deadline, and a year of evidence behind every question.

**Content:**

Candidates standing for Wandsworth Council in the 7 May local elections will appear at three public hustings across Putney and Southfields this month. All three are free and open to everyone in the ward. You do not need to register to attend.

Hustings are one of the few chances residents get to put direct questions to the people who want their votes. Every candidate on the same stage, the same question, with no press office in between. What they say, and what they don’t say, is your best indicator of who you would be putting in Wandsworth Town Hall to represent your neighbourhood.

These are the people who will decide planning applications on your street, manage housing and new construction, set your council tax, deal with schools and roads, traffic and bins, High Streets and backstreets, and handle your complaints. An hour in a church hall could save you years of frustration.

Monday

13 April

7:30pm

East Putney & Thamesfield

Community Church
Werter Road, SW15 2LL

**Hosted by** The Putney Society

Free entry

Wednesday

15 April

7:30pm

Roehampton & West Putney

Holy Trinity Church
Roehampton, SW15 4LA

**Hosted by** Holy Trinity Church

Free entry

Tuesday

21 April

7:30pm

Southfields

St Barnabas Church
Pirbright Road, SW18

**Hosted by** SGRA (Southfields Grid Residents Association)

Free entry

The first event takes place on Monday 13 April at 7:30pm at the Community Church on Werter Road, SW15 2LL, covering East Putney and Thamesfield wards. It is organised by the Putney Society. The second is on Wednesday 15 April at 7:30pm at Holy Trinity Church, Roehampton, SW15 4LA, covering Roehampton and West Putney, organised by Holy Trinity Church. The third is on Tuesday 21 April at 7:30pm at St Barnabas Church, Pirbright Road, SW18, covering Southfields, organised by the Southfields Grid Residents Association (SGRA).

No hustings have yet been announced for West Hill or Wandsworth Town. We will update this article if additional events are confirmed.

Questions for the 13 and 15 April events should be submitted to the Putney Society at [registration@putneysociety.org.uk ](registration@putneysociety.org.uk)by **Friday 10 April.** Questions for the Southfields event can be submitted at the event, or in advance via the SGRA at 

*Putney.news* has developed ten questions from a year of investigations. Every one is grounded in a specific documented fact: council papers, FOI responses, TfL data, or official scrutiny records. They are not gotcha questions. They are questions that have already been asked of the council in writing, and have received inadequate, misleading, or no answers. The best hustings question is short, specific, and hard to dodge.

### Transport+

##### **Buses through Putney are running 41% worse than the rest of the borough, according to TfL’s own data. What will you specifically do to fix Putney Bridge junction, and when?**

Wandsworth Council redesigned the Putney Bridge junction in December 2024. TfL’s Excess Waiting Time data (the measure of how much longer than scheduled passengers wait) shows routes through the junction run 41% above the borough average and 55% above TfL’s own target. Three FOI requests across fourteen months found not a single document authored by a Cabinet Member about the problem: no report, no briefing, no recommendation. The council’s Transport Committee published a report but has been content to wait to see the impact of small measures before reviewing the situation. The junction remains unfixed. *Putney.news* has [reported on the data](https://putney.news/2026/03/17/putneys-buses-are-41-worse-than-the-rest-of-wandsworth-and-the-data-proves-the-junction-is-why/) and [on the absence of political action](https://putney.news/2026/04/02/the-councillors-who-promised-to-fix-putneys-junction-produced-nothing-we-can-now-prove-it/).

##### **The council’s Growth Plan mentions Putney zero times. Putney has paid more than £1.3 million in neighbourhood levies. Where did that money go, and what investment is Putney actually getting?**

Putney contributed more than £1.3 million in neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy between 2016 and 2024. The council’s 2025 Growth Plan, which sets out where strategic investment goes, does not mention Putney once across 18 pages, while detailing hundreds of millions for Nine Elms, Battersea, Clapham Junction and Wandsworth Town. [The full story is here.](https://putney.news/2025/11/09/the-great-extraction-how-wandsworth-takes-millions-from-putney-and-spends-it-elsewhere/)

### Housing+

##### The council spent four years trying to raise affordable housing requirements and ended up with the same 35% target it started with. What is the plan for the 13,000 households on the waiting list?

After nearly four years of work, a planning inspector rejected Wandsworth’s proposed 45% affordable housing threshold as “not justified and counterproductive,” leaving the council with the same 35% target in place since Labour took control in 2022. The council’s own delivery data shows it has been achieving around 30% in practice. The Cabinet Member for Housing described the inspector’s outright rejection as “very, very good news.” More than 13,000 households are on Wandsworth’s housing waiting list. *Putney.news* reported on [the inspector’s decision](https://putney.news/2025/12/13/wandsworth-loses-battle-to-raise-affordable-housing-requirement/) and on [how it was presented to Cabinet](https://putney.news/2026/02/25/wandsworths-housing-chief-delivered-nothing-then-told-cabinet-it-was-a-win/).

##### Nearly 4,000 children in this borough have been living in temporary accommodation for an average of three and a half years. What is your specific target for reducing that number, and by when?

Council papers presented to the Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee show 3,947 children living in temporary accommodation in Wandsworth. Families rehoused in 2024/25 had waited an average of 43 months. Current occupants have already waited an average of 27 months. The council is spending £37.5 million a year on temporary housing and overshooting its own budget by more than £5 million. The 34-page committee report that revealed these figures contained no strategy to reduce them. [The full report is here.](https://putney.news/2025/11/28/nearly-4000-children-living-in-temporary-housing-as-wandsworth-spends-37m-on-homelessness-crisis/)

##### The council has applied twice to house nine people in 23 square metres, well below the legal minimum, on a Putney conservation area street. If these standards apply to private landlords, why not to the council itself?

Wandsworth Council applied to convert a flat it owns on Clarendon Drive, a Victorian terrace in a Putney conservation area, into a five-bedroom home for nine people, with combined living space of 23.3 square metres. The legal minimum is 37 square metres. The first application attracted 74 objections from virtually the entire street. The council withdrew it without explanation, then resubmitted a near-identical plan. The second application attracted 135 objections before consultation closed. [The story is here.](https://putney.news/2026/03/20/they-want-to-house-nine-people-in-23-square-metres-the-street-objected-135-times-its-the-councils-application/)

### Council tax and finances+

##### The UK Statistics Authority found that the council’s council tax freeze claim misleads residents: their bills went up over 3%. Do you accept that finding?

The UK Statistics Authority, accountable to Parliament and independent of all parties, wrote to Council Leader Simon Hogg to say his repeated frozen council tax claim “has the potential to mislead” residents, because total bills rose 3.1% due to the GLA precept and other charges. The UKSA asked him to amend all communications carrying the claim. It is the first such adverse finding directed at an English council leader in the authority’s 18-year history. *Putney.news* had independently [fact-checked the same council tax leaflet](https://putney.news/2026/03/16/fact-check-the-claims-in-wandsworths-council-tax-leaflet/) and found all four financial claims in it to be false. The UKSA story is [here](https://putney.news/2026/03/24/busted-stats-watchdog-mauls-wandsworth-over-council-tax-freeze-lie/).

##### The council faces a £137 million budget gap over two years. Its reserves are £121 million, less than the gap. Without cuts or a 34% council tax rise, where does the money come from?

Council papers show Wandsworth faces a £137 million budget gap over the next two years, against reserves of around £121 million, less than the shortfall they are meant to cover. A £45 million transformation programme is meant to close part of the gap but has no identified savings behind it. The strategy for finding those savings is not due until September 2026, four months after the May election. The council’s interim chief executive told a public committee that the only plan to avoid insolvency is “a broad, reasonable aspiration to get us going.” [The full investigation is here.](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/wandsworth-says-its-the-best-run-council-in-the-country-heres-what-we-found/)

### Accountability+

##### The council has spent £5 million on its Access for All leisure scheme and refuses to release the data to prove it works. If it is a success, what is it hiding?

Wandsworth has spent £5 million on its Access for All leisure scheme and claims 100,000 bookings and 12,000 members. It refuses to release year-by-year usage data, unique user counts, or any internal evaluation of whether the scheme works. *Putney.news* has an active complaint with the Information Commissioner over the refusal, after a year-long FOI battle in which the council delayed, blocked, and at one point promised a full Cabinet report with the information but released only a small amount of it. The council’s own press releases in a six-day period in March gave membership figures that were mathematically inconsistent with each other. [The story is here.](https://putney.news/2026/03/27/the-5m-programme-wandsworth-wont-let-you-verify/)

##### The council’s interim chief executive earns £294,000 a year, more than any other council chief executive in England. Are we getting good value for money?

Andrew Travers earns £294,120 a year as Wandsworth’s interim chief executive, 71% more than the Prime Minister, and 6.46 times the median salary of the council workers he manages, up from a ratio of 5.1 before he took the post. His salary was approved at a Full Council meeting without debate or announcement. In the past year, days lost to stress, anxiety and depression among council staff rose 33.5%. [Full details here.](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/wandsworth-says-its-the-best-run-council-in-the-country-heres-what-we-found/)

##### After the council hit national headlines in the Drina Gray case, it promised to improve how the council handles antisocial behaviour. But a recent situation in Fownes Street showed the same failures eighteen months later. What has changed?

In July 2025, after a council tenant subjected neighbours to two years of death threats while the council failed to act, Cllr Dikerdem publicly promised: “We accept that we could have acted more swiftly. Following this case, changes are being made.” Eighteen months later, the Fownes Street case showed the same failures: the council arrived at a court hearing without properly serving its own evidence, did not apply for contempt despite documented injunction breaches, and failed to give a tenant replacement keys for nine weeks. The judge had to order keys delivered by Uber, in court, immediately. [The story is here.](https://putney.news/2026/02/24/wandsworth-promised-to-fix-how-it-handles-antisocial-behaviour-fownes-street-shows-it-hasnt/)

### The question every candidate should answer+

##### Name one thing the current administration has done wrong, and one thing the opposition would do worse.

This question requires no research and cites no data. It is a test of character and judgment. A candidate who can answer both halves honestly, criticising their own side and acknowledging merit in the other, is showing the kind of thinking you want from someone who will sit in scrutiny committees and vote on budgets. A candidate who cannot answer either half is telling you something equally important.

#### Before you vote

The three events are free and open to all residents in the wards listed. You do not need to register in advance.

Before you vote, check you are registered. The deadline is Monday 20 April. If you vote by post, your application must reach the council by Tuesday 21 April. Photo ID is required to vote in person. You can register at [gov.uk/register-to-vote](https://gov.uk/register-to-vote).

The local elections take place on Thursday 7 May 2026.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/05/ten-questions-putneys-council-candidates-need-to-answer-this-month/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/05/ten-questions-putneys-council-candidates-need-to-answer-this-month/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Ten%20questions%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20council%20candidates%20need%20to%20answer%20this%20month&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/05/ten-questions-putneys-council-candidates-need-to-answer-this-month/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** accountability, bus, council tax, FOI, housing, Putney Bridge junction, Putney Society, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth paid out £1m in asbestos claims. It won't name the buildings.](https://putney.news/2026/04/06/wandsworth-paid-out-1m-in-asbestos-claims-it-wont-name-the-buildings/)

**Published:** April 6, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Since 2020, £1,017,415 has been paid settling exposure claims. Zero incidents have been reported.

**Content:**

Since 2020, Wandsworth Council has paid over £1 million settling claims from people who say they were exposed to asbestos in council buildings. In the same period, it has recorded zero incidents of asbestos exposure in any of those buildings.

It has also, for the second time in a decade, declined to say which buildings contain asbestos at all.

Forty-eight council-controlled buildings contain asbestos-containing materials. That covers schools, leisure centres, libraries, civic offices. The council knows which ones. The people who use them do not.

In 2016, a resident asked which Wandsworth schools contain asbestos. The council pointed her to the general schools directory: a list of every school in the borough, with no indication of which contain asbestos. In December 2025, a Freedom of Information request asked which council buildings contain asbestos-containing materials. The response gave numbers by category but did not give any addresses.

The answer, a decade apart, is the same non-answer.

#### What we know, and what we don’t

The 48 buildings break down as follows: five schools, 17 leisure and cultural buildings, 13 civic and administrative buildings, one health building, and 12 others. The request was submitted by Matt Hillier, a freedom of information researcher.

That is the full extent of what is publicly known about which buildings are affected.

It appears as though the council is taking a passive approach to the problem despite the massive payouts: asbestos management plans have not been updated since 2022. Asked specifically whether any of the 48 buildings has received an independent audit from an accredited external surveyor since December 2022, the council replied that “regular annual reviews have taken place.” Under HSE guidance, an internal annual review and an independent survey are not the same thing. The council’s answer does not confirm that any building has been independently assessed in over three years.

The last comprehensive independent survey of Wandsworth’s schools was completed in March 2012. That was 14 years ago.

#### A million pounds. Zero incidents.

Since 2020, there have been zero reported incidents of asbestos exposure in any council building. At the same time, the council has paid just over £1m – £1,017,415 to be exact – to settle 11 asbestos exposure claims: eight from current or former employees, three from members of the public. The council notes the figure may include its own and third-party legal costs.

The council says no one has been exposed. Eleven people have pursued legal claims saying they were. The council offers no explanation for the gap.

Asbestos-related disease does not announce itself quickly. Mesothelioma, the cancer most closely associated with asbestos exposure, typically takes 30 to 40 years to develop after exposure. Someone exposed in a council building in the 1990s, the last decade before the full asbestos ban, may only now be falling ill, meaning people filing claims today were, in all likelihood, not exposed recently.

> [Putney Leisure Centre set to become one of the greenest in the UK](https://putney.news/2025/10/03/putney-leisure-centre-set-to-become-one-of-the-greenest-in-the-uk/)

#### The pool built in the asbestos era

Putney Leisure Centre was built in 1968 by the architects Powell and Moya. In 1968, asbestos was not just permitted in construction, it was standard. It was prized for its fire resistance and insulation, and went into ceilings, floor tiles, pipe lagging, and partition walls across thousands of British public buildings built in that period.

The centre falls within the council’s category of 17 leisure and cultural buildings, though the council has not confirmed which specific buildings are included.

[We reported in October 2025](https://putney.news/2025/10/03/putney-leisure-centre-set-to-become-one-of-the-greenest-in-the-uk/) on a £3.85 million green retrofit and a new 10-year contract with Places Leisure, the private operator now running the facility. [Refurbishment of the reception, café spaces, changing rooms and pool areas is under way.](https://putney.news/2026/03/14/this-is-my-community-the-end-of-the-kitchen-at-putney-leisure-centre/)

This matters because of what the law requires. Under HSE guidance, a pre-1999 building containing asbestos-containing materials that is undergoing refurbishment must have a Refurbishment and Demolition Survey completed by an accredited external surveyor before any work that disturbs the fabric of the building begins. Asbestos-containing materials that are left alone pose little risk. It is disturbance (drilling, cutting, demolition) that releases fibres into the air.

We asked the council whether such a survey has been commissioned at Putney Leisure Centre before the current works began. The council had not responded at the time of publication.

#### The decade of the same answer

In 2016, Wandsworth was willing to tell a resident which schools did not contain asbestos, confirm the survey history, and acknowledge that claims had been settled. The one thing it would not provide was the list of schools that did contain asbestos. When pressed, it pointed her to the general schools directory: a list of every school, with no indication of which were affected.

This month – a decade later – it provided numbers by category. Still no names. It paid out over £1 million settling claims from people who say they were exposed inside them.

Wandsworth’s 48 affected buildings is lower than comparable authorities. A 2023 investigation found 4,533 public buildings across 20 large UK councils still contain asbestos, an average of around 225 per authority. The scope of different councils’ responses varies, so direct comparison is not straightforward. What is consistent across the decade is Wandsworth’s approach to disclosure: aggregate figures, no building names.

Before the full ban in 1999, asbestos was everywhere in British public buildings. Wandsworth’s schools, leisure centres, and civic offices were built in that era. The people who work in them, swim in them, and send their children to them cannot find out whether theirs is on the list.

---

#### What Wandsworth Council was asked

*Putney.news* put six questions to Wandsworth Council: how it reconciles zero reported exposure incidents with over £1 million paid settling exposure claims; whether any of the 48 buildings has received an independent asbestos survey from an accredited external surveyor since December 2022; whether a new comprehensive independent survey of Wandsworth schools has been commissioned since March 2012; whether a Refurbishment and Demolition Survey was carried out at Putney Leisure Centre before refurbishment works began; whether there is a publicly accessible register of which specific buildings contain asbestos-containing materials; and what accounts for the increase in claims and payouts since 2020.

The council had not responded at the time of publication.

---

#### What you can do

The names of the 48 buildings have not been published. But residents, parents, school staff, and anyone who uses a Wandsworth public building can take steps to find out.

Submit your own FOI request asking whether your specific school, leisure centre, or other building is among the 48. FOI requests to Wandsworth Council go to . The council must respond within 20 working days.

Parents can ask their school’s headteacher or governing body directly whether the school has an asbestos register, when it was last independently reviewed, and what it contains.

Anyone with specific concerns about asbestos management in a building can contact the Health and Safety Executive at [hse.gov.uk/contact](http://hse.gov.uk/contact).

You can also ask Places Leisure directly whether Putney Leisure Centre’s asbestos register is available and whether a pre-works survey was carried out before the current refurbishment began.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/06/wandsworth-paid-out-1m-in-asbestos-claims-it-wont-name-the-buildings/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/06/wandsworth-paid-out-1m-in-asbestos-claims-it-wont-name-the-buildings/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20paid%20out%20%C2%A31m%20in%20asbestos%20claims.%20It%20won%E2%80%99t%20name%20the%20buildings.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/06/wandsworth-paid-out-1m-in-asbestos-claims-it-wont-name-the-buildings/)

**Categories:** Health, Planning

**Tags:** accountability, asbestos, FOI, Places Leisure, public safety, Putney Leisure Centre, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Young's wants to bring the bar outside at the Coat and Badge](https://putney.news/2026/04/06/youngs-wants-to-bring-the-bar-outside-at-the-coat-and-badge/)

**Published:** April 6, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Residents have until 28 April to support or object to the outdoor bar application.

**Content:**

On Saturday afternoon, people were queuing outside the [Coat and Badge](https://putney.news/venue/coat-and-badge/) on Lacy Road to get into the garden. Inside, a Boat Race singalong was in full swing. The spacious outside area, covered by a full awning and with screens for watching sport, was packed.

It is that kind of pub. Now Young’s wants to make the outdoor offer even easier to use.

The brewery has applied to vary the premises licence to add a dedicated bar servery in the outside area on the ground floor. At the moment, drinks served outside are carried out from the bar inside. If the application goes through, there will be a separate sales point in the garden.

![Coat and Badge outside food place](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/coat-badge-outside-768x1024.png)The proposed hours for the outdoor bar are 10:00 to 23:20 Sunday to Friday. On Saturdays it could open at 08:00, closing at the same time as on other days. All other conditions on the licence would remain as they are.

The Coat and Badge was one of [eight Wandsworth pubs identified in January as facing steep business rates increases](https://putney.news/2026/01/20/eight-wandsworth-pubs-among-londons-most-at-risk-as-tax-bills-set-to-soar/), with its rateable value set to rise 17% from April 2026. Adding an outdoor bar ahead of summer is a practical way to get more out of a garden that, on a good Boat Race Saturday, clearly does not need much encouragement.

![The Coat and Badge garden - packed on a big sports night](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/coat-badge-sports-day-1024x768.png)The Coat and Badge garden – packed on a big sports nightAnyone who wants to make representations about the application must write to the Wandsworth Licensing Authority by 28 April 2026. The licensing service is run jointly for Merton, Richmond and Wandsworth by the Regulatory Services Partnership, which is why the contact address is in Morden rather than Wandsworth. Representations can be sent by email to licensing@merton.gov.uk or by post to Regulatory Services Partnership, Merton Civic Centre, London Road, Morden, Surrey SM4 5DX. Anyone writing in must state the grounds for their representation.

The application is also listed on the [Wandsworth licensing register](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/business-and-licensing/licensing/licensing-registers/). Young’s solicitors for the application are Poppleston Allen.

![The Coat and Badge pub in Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/coat-badge-pub-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/06/youngs-wants-to-bring-the-bar-outside-at-the-coat-and-badge/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/06/youngs-wants-to-bring-the-bar-outside-at-the-coat-and-badge/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Young%E2%80%99s%20wants%20to%20bring%20the%20bar%20outside%20at%20the%20Coat%20and%20Badge&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/06/youngs-wants-to-bring-the-bar-outside-at-the-coat-and-badge/)

**Categories:** News, Pubs, bars and nightlife, Thamesfield

**Tags:** business rates, Coat and Badge, Licensing Sub-Committee, premises licence, thamesfield, Young's

---

### [Third time lucky: Southfields' century-old clock is ticking again](https://putney.news/2026/04/06/third-time-lucky-southfields-century-old-clock-is-ticking-again/)

**Published:** April 6, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Two specialist companies failed before the Victorian landmark on Wimbledon Park Road was finally fixed.

**Content:**

The Victorian clock above Andrews Estate Agents on Wimbledon Park Road is keeping time again after a restoration that stumped two specialist companies before a third finally solved it.

The clock has been a fixture of the Southfields streetscape since 1910, when it was installed above what was then the original estate office for the new Grid homes being built across the neighbourhood. It was made by Benson of Ludgate Hill, clockmaker to Queen Victoria and Prince Edward of Wales, a detail that gives an otherwise modest shopfront clock a slightly improbable pedigree.

When the mechanism failed, Andrews approached two companies to repair it. Both attempted the job. Neither succeeded. The Clock Company Ltd, working with restorer Alex Jeffrey, fixed it by fitting an entirely new mechanism. The clock face was repainted and gold leaf applied to the hands.

Writing in the [SGRA’s Grid News](https://www.southfieldsgrid.org.uk/about/grid-news?eeFolder=Grid-News/2025-Grid-News&eeFront=1&eeListID=1&ee=1), Charles Runcie reports that Mark Anderson, Andrews’ business manager, said finding a capable company was the first challenge. “The restoration was a two-fold project,” Anderson said. “The first was sourcing a specialist company capable of refurbishing and restoring it to its former glory.”

![Andrews in Southfields](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/andrews-southfields-1024x768.png)The building is one of the oldest commercial premises in Southfields. Previous occupants include Ryan and Penfold, then HV Bragg, then Bells estate agents. Andrews has been there since 2004.

Anderson told the newsletter the clock’s return matters beyond the mechanism. “The successful repair and restoration of the clock is a source of considerable pride for us as a company,” he said. “We believe the clock holds significant historical value within the local community, and it continues to serve as a well-known landmark that many residents rely upon and recognise.”

Anyone coming out of Southfields station and glancing up Wimbledon Park Road will find it keeping time again.

---

*The Southfields Grid Residents’ Association (SGRA) has represented residents of the Grid since 1975. Its Grid News newsletter covers local issues, history, and community news. [Find out more at southfieldsgrid.org.uk](https://www.southfieldsgrid.org.uk/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/06/third-time-lucky-southfields-century-old-clock-is-ticking-again/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/06/third-time-lucky-southfields-century-old-clock-is-ticking-again/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Third%20time%20lucky%3A%20Southfields%E2%80%99%20century-old%20clock%20is%20ticking%20again&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/06/third-time-lucky-southfields-century-old-clock-is-ticking-again/)

**Categories:** Community, Southfields

**Tags:** Andrews Estate Agents, Wimbledon Park Road

---

### [East Putney: officially the worst Tube station in London](https://putney.news/2026/03/29/east-putney-officially-the-worst-tube-station-in-london/)

**Published:** March 29, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** 147 hours of signal failure in a single year, more than double any other station on the Underground.

**Content:**

East Putney is officially the worst Tube station in London for signal failures, according to figures released by TfL.

Data obtained under freedom of information and analysed by *Putney.news* shows East Putney recorded 147 hours of signal failure disruption in 2024, more than double the next worst station on the entire Underground network. The three worst stations in London were all on the District Line’s Wimbledon and Richmond branches, all maintained by Network Rail, and all running on signalling equipment that is decades out of date.

TfL does not publish these figures. In fact, it does not measure branch-level performance at all. Its official reliability metric counts trains at a single station, Embankment, on the central section, blind to the branches where Putney and Wimbledon passengers travel. When we asked the organisation for Wimbledon branch reliability data, TfL said it could not provide it. “We do not record information on when a ‘good service’ is running,” a senior case officer told us earlier this week.

What TfL does hold is raw disruption data logged on station screens every time something goes wrong. Those messages name the specific station and section affected. TfL pointed us to a dataset of roughly 96,000 of these records, covering January 2020 to February 2025. TfL’s own notes warn of overlapping entries and double-counting, so we merged the overlapping intervals to produce reliable figures across all ten lines and 155 stations.

The results are stark. East Putney (147 hours), Richmond (71 hours), Kew Gardens (56 hours): the three worst signal failure stations in London, all on Network Rail track. The next worst on the entire network, Moor Park on the Metropolitan line, recorded 35 hours. Eight of the top 20 worst stations were on the District Line. Network Rail sections accounted for 71% of all District Line signal disruption hours. The problem sits overwhelmingly on the [ageing infrastructure that serves Putney, Wimbledon and Richmond](https://putney.news/2025/09/25/this-is-why-your-commute-is-hell-putneys-transport-meltdown-exposed/).

 District Piccadilly Metropolitan Bakerloo Jubilee Central Northern Waterloo & City Circle & Hammersmith

Source: TfL service status disruption data, FOI-3588-2425. De-duplicated hours (overlapping intervals merged). Data covers January–December 2024.

The data records disruption against the station where the fault is located, not every station affected by it. East Putney absorbs the hours because that is where the failing signals sit. Every station further down the branch, Southfields, Wimbledon Park, Wimbledon, experienced the same disruption.

The scale of 2024 was unprecedented. East Putney’s signal failure hours in previous years were 13 in 2020, zero in 2021, four in 2022, and three in 2023. Then 147. Almost all of it came in a single month.

#### Nine days in September

On 22 September 2024, a signal failure began at East Putney. It did not end for nine days. Across those nine days, the data records 124 hours of continuous disruption spread over 12 merged periods, starting at dawn and running to midnight, day after day.

The signal, identified by a former District Line driver on rail forums as W361 (a Network Rail asset located after the East Putney tunnel), defeated repeated repair attempts. “Despite multiple periods of track access and repairs undertaken both overnight and during the day, the issue persists,” one forum user wrote at the time. Network Rail eventually replaced almost all the signalling infrastructure at the location before discovering a damaged cable.

Putney MP Fleur Anderson [wrote to TfL and Network Rail](https://www.fleuranderson.co.uk/district-line-issues-at-putney-stations/) the day after the failure ended. The London Assembly later pressed TfL on the issue. TfL confirmed to the Assembly that the Wimbledon branch had experienced “a two-week period of delays due to signalling performance on that section of the line.”

#### The cyber attack overlap

That same September, TfL was dealing with something else entirely. On 1 September 2024, TfL detected suspicious activity on its network. On 12 September, it publicly disclosed a cyber attack, later attributed to the Scattered Spider group, that would cost the organisation over £30 million.

TfL’s performance data collection went dark from 12 September to 18 October. The guidance notes accompanying TfL’s published performance data state plainly: “Due to a cyber incident in September 2024, there is a data hole between 12 September 6pm and 18 October 8am.” Period 7 of 2024-25 is entirely missing from the official figures.

The ESUB disruption recording system, which feeds the FOI dataset we analysed, is a separate system. It continued recording throughout September. But TfL’s official performance metrics have a hole that covers the worst month of District Line failure in at least five years.

Was fault detection delayed because TfL’s monitoring systems were offline? Was coordination between TfL and Network Rail hampered while internal systems were down? The data cannot tell us. But with 124 hours of signal failure at a single station in a single month, the questions deserve answers.

#### The 13-month gap

The disruption data released under freedom of information stops in February 2025. Everything that has happened since, the [summer 2025 meltdown that forced the Mayor to apologise](https://putney.news/2025/07/13/sadiq-khan-apologises-for-district-line-failures-during-wimbledon/), the interventions from both local MPs, the London Assembly questions, falls in a gap. TfL holds the data for this period. When asked, TfL told *Putney.news* that it “intends to publish more recent service status data in the summer.”

That means at least 16 months will have passed between the last data point (February 2025) and publication (summer 2026, at the earliest). The period covers everything readers most want to know about: whether the Wimbledon branch is getting better or worse, and whether the political pressure is making any difference.

We have filed a follow-up request asking TfL to release the data from March 2025 to the present. TfL has 20 working days to respond.

> [Sadiq Khan apologises for District Line failures during Wimbledon](https://putney.news/2025/07/13/sadiq-khan-apologises-for-district-line-failures-during-wimbledon/)

#### What you can do

Both local MPs are pressing on District Line reliability. Fleur Anderson (Putney, Roehampton and Southfields) can be contacted at fleur.anderson.mp@parliament.uk. Paul Kohler (Wimbledon) can be contacted at paul.kohler.mp@parliament.uk. TfL complaints can be made at tfl.gov.uk/help-and-contact.

The District Line currently ranks 17th of 20 Underground lines for reliability, delivering good service just 67.9% of the time over the past year. Everyone now agrees the Wimbledon branch is worse than that average. The data that would show exactly how much worse, and whether anything is getting better, exists. The question is when TfL will let the public see it.

> [This is why your commute is hell: Putney’s transport meltdown exposed](https://putney.news/2025/09/25/this-is-why-your-commute-is-hell-putneys-transport-meltdown-exposed/)

---

*This is the third in a series of Putney.news investigations into the District Line. Data analysis was conducted on TfL service status disruption records obtained via FOI-3588-2425, covering all ten London Underground lines. Overlapping time intervals were merged following TfL’s own warning about double-counting. All figures are de-duplicated unless otherwise stated. Signal failure rankings cover 155 stations across the network. [Six years of waiting on the District Line](https://putney.news/2026/03/08/six-years-of-waiting-on-the-district-line-and-now-two-official-accounts-that-cannot-both-be-true/). [This is why your commute is hell](https://putney.news/2025/09/25/this-is-why-your-commute-is-hell-putneys-transport-meltdown-exposed/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/29/east-putney-officially-the-worst-tube-station-in-london/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/29/east-putney-officially-the-worst-tube-station-in-london/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=East%20Putney%3A%20officially%20the%20worst%20Tube%20station%20in%20London&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/29/east-putney-officially-the-worst-tube-station-in-london/)

**Categories:** East Putney, Transport

**Tags:** District Line, East Putney, Fleur Anderson MP, FOI, Paul Kohler MP, Southfields, TfL, Wimbledon

---

### [London's bridges keep cracking. Nobody fixed the system that let it happen.](https://putney.news/2026/04/05/londons-bridges-keep-cracking-nobody-fixed-the-system-that-let-it-happen/)

**Published:** April 5, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** In 2021, London was told exactly what needed to change to stop its bridges failing. Nothing changed. This is what happened next.

**Content:**

Hammersmith Bridge has been closed to motor vehicles for seven years. Now Albert Bridge has closed too, with an almost identical structural failure, and a repair bill of £8.5 million. It may not reopen until early 2027. Between them, the two closures have pushed thousands of extra vehicles a day onto Putney Bridge.

Four years ago, the London Assembly identified exactly what needed to change. It published a detailed report, made five specific recommendations, and named the governance failures that would cause the next bridge to fail. Not one of those recommendations has been acted on. Albert Bridge is what happens next. Putney Bridge is built of stone rather than cast iron, and that matters. But it is 140 years old, it now carries 16% more traffic than it did in 2020, and no public record exists of when it was last structurally inspected.

#### What happened to Albert Bridge

Albert Bridge closed to motor vehicles on 7 February 2026. It is 153 years old, Grade II\* listed, and was never designed to carry motor vehicles (it opened 13 years before the car was invented). The immediate cause of its closure was a seized axle in a cast-iron structural joint at the north-eastern toll booth. The joint is designed to rock slightly as temperature, wind and traffic loads change. When the axle seized, the rocking motion cracked the bearing plate. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), which owns the bridge, formally approved the full repair scope on 25 March 2026.

The bridge was last fully renovated between 2010 and 2011, at a total cost of £7.2 million, with £6.7 million of that recorded as public funding in Assembly data. Since it reopened in December 2011 it has had to close to traffic more than a dozen times for planned and unplanned repairs. In 2025 alone it closed twice for road surface panel replacements. The cause is straightforward: modern cars are substantially heavier than when the bridge was last refurbished. The average weight of a new car has risen from around 1,600 kilograms in 2016 to over 2,000 kilograms by 2024. RBKC’s own Key Decision report states: “An average new car crossing Albert Bridge is now causing almost four times the amount of damage than when the bridge was last refurbished.”

RBKC confirmed to *Putney.news* that the last six-yearly principal inspection, in October 2023, found no evidence of damage. A further check in February 2024, when the northern abutment chambers were cleaned of pigeon guano, also found nothing. The crack was found by a council inspector during a routine check, not a scheduled inspection. The most rigorous inspection in the schedule had given the bridge a clean bill of health 16 months before it closed.

The parallel with Hammersmith Bridge, four miles upriver, is not coincidence. Hammersmith closed in April 2019 after micro-fractures were found in its cast-iron pedestals; Albert closed in February 2026 after a seized axle cracked a cast-iron bearing plate. Both are Grade II\* listed Victorian structures, owned by individual London boroughs, maintained without dedicated national funding, and engineers writing in the *New Civil Engineer* [drew an explicit structural parallel](https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/chesleas-albert-bridge-closed-to-motor-traffic-after-cracked-cast-iron-component-found-12-02-2026/) between the two failures before Albert Bridge closed at all.

What happened to Hammersmith should be a warning. Its repair was initially estimated at £40 million. By 2024 that figure had risen to £250 million. The business case for full strengthening, submitted by Hammersmith and Fulham Council in December 2022, has still not been approved. The Department for Transport’s own spokeswoman described the situation in early 2025 as one “where decisions about its future have been ducked for many years.” Albert Bridge is now in the same queue.

#### The plan that was never used

In November 2021, the London Assembly Transport Committee published “[London’s River Crossings: Bridging the Thames](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Final_report_-_transport_committee_-_river_crossings_report.pdf),” \[pdf\] written directly in response to the Hammersmith closure. Its chair was Caroline Pidgeon, now Baroness Pidgeon of Newington, the Liberal Democrat Lords spokesperson for transport. She wrote in the foreword that Hammersmith had been “an international embarrassment” and that London “simply can’t seem to get it right.”

The committee made five recommendations, none of which has been acted on in four years and four months.

**London Assembly Transport Committee, November 2021:** “London’s River Crossings: Bridging the Thames” — five recommendations. Status as of April 2026.

1

Formalise the Coordination Group

The Thames River Crossing Coordination Group should become a formal body with published papers and clear responsibilities — not an informal forum with no public record.

 Not implemented — papers still unpublished 

2

Establish a collective maintenance fund

All relevant authorities — TfL, government, and boroughs — should contribute to a shared fund for maintaining Thames crossings, ending the situation where each borough bears the cost alone.

 Not implemented — no fund exists 

3

Devolve vehicle excise duty to TfL

London’s share of car tax — then worth around £500 million a year — should be devolved to TfL, with national roads funding made available to London boroughs on the same terms as other English councils.

 Not implemented — not devolved 

4

Report traffic and maintenance costs together

Bridge maintenance costs should be reported alongside traffic loading data, with options set out for controlling heavy vehicle access to slow wear on ageing structures.

 Not implemented — no report published 

5

Annual condition report for all crossings

Every Thames crossing owner — including boroughs, not just TfL — must publish an annual structural condition report. Albert Bridge had no upcoming maintenance flagged in 2021. It closed in 2026.

 Not implemented — Albert Bridge closed 

The Coordination Group is still informal, its papers still unpublished. The collective fund does not exist. Vehicle excise duty has not been devolved. No maintenance and traffic report has been published. No annual condition report exists for any Thames crossing not owned by TfL.

That last failure is the one that matters most for Albert Bridge. RBKC is not TfL. Its bridges did not appear in any public reporting framework. The Assembly’s own 2021 appendices listed Albert Bridge under “none currently identified” for upcoming major maintenance. This was not negligence on the Assembly’s part. It was the direct consequence of Recommendation 5 not being implemented. Without that published record covering all asset owners, a borough-owned bridge could deteriorate invisibly. Albert Bridge did exactly that, and closed.

#### Diagnosed and ignored

In November 2023, Fleur Anderson was Putney’s MP and in opposition. She secured a dedicated House of Commons debate on Hammersmith Bridge and named the root cause precisely. “The arrangements for responsibility for London bridges,” she told Parliament, “were established by the Local Government Act 1985, when the Greater London Council was dissolved.” She described the result as “a disorganised and messy hotchpotch of responsibilities” and asked: “Would Brooklyn Bridge, or any other bridge in any other capital, be allowed to remain closed to all vehicles for years and years on end?”

That was November 2023. Between that debate and September 2025, Anderson did not raise Hammersmith Bridge once in Parliament: eight months in opposition, then 14 months as a minister. In the interim, Albert Bridge closed. She has raised the issue at oral questions since returning to the backbenches, but the political conditions have never looked more favourable for action: the government, TfL, the GLA, and both boroughs most directly affected by the Hammersmith closure are all now Labour-controlled. None of the Assembly’s five recommendations has moved.

The government announced a £1 billion Structures Fund in June 2025 as a potential route to bridge repair funding. Nine months on, no eligibility criteria have been published. The sum itself is less substantial than it appears: of the £1 billion, only £410 million is available for bridges, tunnels and other road structures across all of Britain over ten years, with the remaining £590 million understood to have been allocated to the Lower Thames Crossing.

RBKC has written to both DfT and TfL to register early interest. The borough also recently wrote to the Chair of the Assembly Transport Committee to ask what response the government gave to the 2021 recommendation to devolve London’s share of vehicle excise duty to TfL, the mechanism the Assembly proposed to fund exactly this kind of repair. The committee has not replied. Four years on, the council responsible for two Thames bridges does not know what became of the plan designed to prevent the situation it is now managing.

*Putney.news* put questions to TfL, the Department for Transport, Baroness Pidgeon and Fleur Anderson MP on 30 March. None had responded a week later. RBKC, by contrast, answered detailed questions about Albert Bridge’s inspection history and funding position within 24 hours.

 London Paris New York 

**London — 8+ owners**Each colour = different owner
Red = currently closed

Closed (Hammersmith, Albert)

Wandsworth Council

Other boroughs

Bridge House Estates

TfL

**Paris — 1 owner**All 37 Seine bridges
under Direction de la
Voirie et des Déplacements

Direction de la Voirie et des Déplacements — all 37 Seine bridges, one authority

**New York — 1 owner**21 inter-borough river
crossings, all under NYC
Dept of Transportation

NYC Department of Transportation — annual condition reports published

London’s eight borough-owned road bridges have eight different owners. Paris and New York maintain their crossings under unified authority. Sources: London Assembly Transport Committee 2021; RBKC; NYC DOT Annual Condition Report 2020; OpenStreetMap/CartoDB contributors.

#### What a solution looks like

What a functioning system looks like is already visible elsewhere. In Paris, all 37 Seine bridges are the responsibility of a single city authority, the Direction de la Voirie et des Déplacements, with one budget, one inspection regime, and no question of which arrondissement owns which crossing.

New York City’s Department of Transportation publishes an annual condition report covering all its structures, including 21 major inter-borough river crossings, under a single authority. That is the direct model for Recommendation 5, never implemented here.

Milan faced the same problem London faces now: fragmented ownership, no shared maintenance calendar, authorities competing for the same funds. In 2018 it established a joint coordination committee covering 495 bridges, combining municipal and national funding with a shared inspection regime. London’s Assembly recommended something similar in 2021.

The City of London’s Bridge House Estates manages five Thames bridges under a dedicated endowment dating from the 11th century, with a 50-year forward maintenance plan. There is no bridge crisis at Tower Bridge. The endowment is the difference.

London’s bridge maintenance backlog was estimated at £241 million in 2021 and is likely higher now. Up to half of London’s borough councils may need Emergency Financial Support by 2028.

#### Putney Bridge

When Albert Bridge closed in February, RBKC moved quickly. Within six weeks it had published a formal Key Decision report setting out its inspection regime, the precise cause of the structural failure, the full range of repair options, and the cost. It described the governance settlement under which it bears sole responsibility for two Thames bridges with no dedicated national support as one of “profound inequality.” It has since started a review of whether its two-yearly and six-yearly inspection cycles are sufficient. The last six-yearly principal inspection found nothing wrong. The crack was found by a routine check, not a scheduled one.

Putney Bridge is owned by Wandsworth Council. It opened in 1886 and is now 140 years old. It carries 37,239 vehicles a day, 16% more than in 2020 according to DfT data cited by Wandsworth Council. In the eleven years between 2010 and 2021, it received £550,000 in public maintenance funding through TfL’s local implementation plan. In the same period, Hammersmith Bridge received £16.7 million. It remains closed.

No condition grade for Putney Bridge is publicly available. No inspection schedule has been published. No maintenance budget has been disclosed. *Putney.news* asked Wandsworth Council for the bridge’s current condition grade, most recent inspection date, and annual maintenance budget. The council had not responded within four days of being asked. So we have filed a Freedom of Information request for the same information. If something were wrong with Putney Bridge, its users would not know until it closed. That is what Recommendation 5 was designed to prevent. It has not been implemented.

Putney Bridge has no crisis. Not yet. But then, neither did Albert Bridge, until it did.

#### What you can do

Residents concerned about London’s bridge governance can take several steps.

**Contact Fleur Anderson MP** to ask what she is doing to press the government to publish Structures Fund criteria and act on the Assembly’s five recommendations: .

**Ask Wandsworth Council** for Putney Bridge’s current condition grade, most recent structural inspection report, and annual maintenance budget under the Freedom of Information Act 2000: . The council is legally required to respond within 20 working days.

**Contact the London Assembly Transport Committee** to ask whether it intends to revisit its 2021 river crossings report in light of Albert Bridge’s closure. Leonie Cooper is Wandsworth’s representative: 

**Contact Baroness Pidgeon**, the Liberal Democrat Lords transport spokesperson who chaired the 2021 Assembly report: 

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/05/londons-bridges-keep-cracking-nobody-fixed-the-system-that-let-it-happen/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/05/londons-bridges-keep-cracking-nobody-fixed-the-system-that-let-it-happen/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=London%E2%80%99s%20bridges%20keep%20cracking.%20Nobody%20fixed%20the%20system%20that%20let%20it%20happen.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/05/londons-bridges-keep-cracking-nobody-fixed-the-system-that-let-it-happen/)

**Categories:** Long read, Politics, Transport

**Tags:** accountability, Fleur Anderson MP, Hammersmith and Fulham Council, Hammersmith Bridge, infrastructure, Putney Bridge, River Thames, TfL, Transport Committee, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Oxford win, Cambridge win, then the Thames reclaimed the Embankment](https://putney.news/2026/04/05/oxford-win-cambridge-win-then-the-thames-reclaimed-the-embankment/)

**Published:** April 5, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** A split Boat Race result in front of 200,000 — and a high tide that closed the waterfront.

**Content:**

The data called it. A split Boat Race result played out on the Putney Embankment on Saturday afternoon, exactly as predicted. Oxford’s women ended nine years of Cambridge dominance, winning by three lengths in tough, windy conditions. Cambridge’s men held off a brave Oxford challenge to extend their winning streak to four, crossing the line 3.5 lengths ahead.

Around 200,000 spectators lined the banks from Putney Bridge to Chiswick for both races.

For Oxford’s women, it was a historic afternoon. Cambridge had won eight consecutive races since 2016, and Oxford had lost in 2023, 2024 and 2025. The 99th edition of the women’s contest went to Oxford president Heidi Long, an Olympic bronze medallist with Great Britain’s women’s eight in Paris in 2024. Oxford made a strong start, moved clear within the first 30 seconds and held firm throughout despite rough water.

![Oxford women win the 2026 Boat Race. Pic: The Boat Race](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/oxford-women-1024x448.png)Oxford women win the 2026 Boat Race. Pic: The Boat RaceThe men’s race was closer than the margin suggests. Cambridge went in as heavy favourites at 1/7 with bookmakers but Oxford gave them a genuine test. Repeated warnings were issued in the opening ten minutes, and Cambridge only broke clear around Hammersmith Bridge. Cambridge president Noam Mouelle became the first Cambridge oarsman of the 21st century to win four consecutive Boat Races, a feat not achieved since Christopher Baillieu rowed in the 2 seat from 1970 to 1973. “This was the most difficult race we’ve had in years,” Mouelle said. “Oxford put some very good pushes in and made it as hard as possible so props to them for that.”

Cambridge also won both reserve races (Goldie over Isis in the men’s, Blondie over Osiris in the women’s), claiming seven of the eight races on the day overall.

After the finish, the Thames reminded everyone who was really in charge. The high tide came in hard, cutting off the Embankment waterfront. Food and drink places along the water closed early. Celebrations moved inland and into Putney’s pubs.

The results leave Cambridge leading 49-31 in the women’s overall record and 89-81 in the men’s. [Our Boat Race predictor](https://putney.news/2026/04/04/try-our-boat-race-predictor-built-from-191-years-of-data-theres-just-one-number-missing/), built on 191 years of race data, had the split right all along.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/05/oxford-win-cambridge-win-then-the-thames-reclaimed-the-embankment/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/05/oxford-win-cambridge-win-then-the-thames-reclaimed-the-embankment/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Oxford%20win%2C%20Cambridge%20win%2C%20then%20the%20Thames%20reclaimed%20the%20Embankment&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/05/oxford-win-cambridge-win-then-the-thames-reclaimed-the-embankment/)

**Categories:** Rowing

**Tags:** Boat Race, Putney Bridge, Putney embankment, River Thames, Rowing

---

### [Boat Race Saturday: when to head down, where to stand, and how to make the most of it](https://putney.news/2026/04/03/boat-race-saturday-when-to-head-down-where-to-stand-and-how-to-make-the-most-of-it/)

**Published:** April 3, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** The local's guide to Boat Race day on the Putney Embankment.

**Content:**

The Boat Race comes to Putney’s doorstep every year, and most people watch the boats go past. Here is how to get more out of the day: the traditions worth knowing, the moments worth being there for, and where to position yourself once the racing starts.

Putney.news · Race day is this Saturday

4 April. Here’s everything you need before you leave the house

Where to standPub guideTransport warningsStart times

[Open guide](https://putney.news/boat-race-putney/)

Women’s race 2:21pm · Men’s race 3:21pm · Live on Channel 4 from 1:30pm

#### Don’t miss the walk-outs and the coin toss

The crews walk out through the crowds to the water before the coin toss, and this is one of the great Embankment moments. Both Cambridge blue boats (men’s and women’s) will walk out from Thames Rowing Club on the Embankment, Oxford from the London Rowing Club, with a rush of energy as the crews appear.

![London Rowing Club with Cambridge team on top](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/london-rowing-club-cambridge-team-1024x749.jpg)Get to the boathouse frontage by 11:45 for the women’s coin toss at 12:15. The two captains choose which station (the Middlesex side or the Surrey side) they will race on. It sounds like a formality. It isn’t. The choice of station, given the bends in the river, can decide the outcome before a stroke is pulled.

![Rowing club on Putney Embankment](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/boathouse-putney-1024x768.jpg)#### Morning: the Boat Trail and Church Square

If you have time before the coin toss, the Easter Boat Trail is already running. Twelve schools have painted and decorated model boats, displayed in shop windows and local businesses across Putney; the trail runs until 14 April and is free to follow.

From 11:00, the Fan Zone at Church Square opens with an Easter Bonnet Parade, live music, Riverside Radio broadcasting, and street food. It is a good option if you want the festival atmosphere rather than a riverside standing spot. [The full Easter weekend transport picture, including the bridge and train closures, is in our earlier guide.](https://putney.news/2026/04/01/easter-weekend-no-trains-on-sunday-a-closed-bridge-and-200000-visitors-heres-how-to-get-around-putney/)

![TV camera at Thames Rowing Club to capture the action and coin toss](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/boat-race-tv-camera-1024x768.jpg)#### After the coin toss: food, then position

The pubs are open, street food is in Church Square, and clubs along the riverside often set up informal food and drink on the bank. Get something to eat, then decide how you want to watch.

If you want to see the boats on the water, walk anywhere along the Thames Path on the Putney side. The area directly in front of the boathouses will be packed. Further downstream on the Putney bank, there is usually more room and you will still see the crews pass. The Women’s Blue Boat races at 14:21. The Men’s Blue Boat races at 15:21. The gap between them gives you time to reposition. Our [course guide](https://putney.news/2026/03/28/from-putney-bridge-to-mortlake-what-youll-see-and-when-on-boat-race-day/) explains what you will see and when at each point along the route.

If you would rather watch on a screen, any of the Putney pubs will be showing the race on Channel 4 from 13:30. For radio coverage, Times Radio is broadcasting the build-up, race and reaction [live from 1pm](https://www.thetimes.com/radio/schedule). Available free on the Times Radio app and website.

The [Half Moon](https://putney.news/2026/03/31/the-half-moon-has-a-new-sign-and-for-the-first-time-it-tells-you-what-the-pub-is-about/), freshly redesigned and reopened, is worth a look. The full pub guide is at [putney.news/boat-race-putney](https://putney.news/boat-race-putney/).

The reserve races (Women’s Reserves at 14:36, Men’s Reserves at 14:51) are live-streamed on [The Boat Race YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@theboatrace) from around 14:00. Channel 4 highlights will be on the same channel by noon on Sunday 6 April, useful if you are watching from home or want to catch something you missed.

![Renovated Half Moon
](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/half-moon-renovated-1024x768.jpg)#### Road closures

Putney Embankment is closed to vehicles from 09:00 to 18:00 on Saturday.

#### Friday too

If you want a quieter, closer experience with the crews, heading down to the river today, Friday 3 April to watch the Lightweight and Veterans Boat Races is worth the trip. Fewer crowds, better access, and you get near to the boats in a way that Saturday simply does not allow.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/ubr-boat-race-stone-h-768x1024.jpg)---

*Questions about the day? Email us at hello@putney.news. Our thanks to Emily Insanally, former Cambridge cox of the Lightweight Women’s race (2020) for her insights.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/03/boat-race-saturday-when-to-head-down-where-to-stand-and-how-to-make-the-most-of-it/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/03/boat-race-saturday-when-to-head-down-where-to-stand-and-how-to-make-the-most-of-it/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Boat%20Race%20Saturday%3A%20when%20to%20head%20down%2C%20where%20to%20stand%2C%20and%20how%20to%20make%20the%20most%20of%20it&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/03/boat-race-saturday-when-to-head-down-where-to-stand-and-how-to-make-the-most-of-it/)

**Categories:** Boat Race, Live events, Rowing

**Tags:** Boat Race, Positively Putney, Putney embankment, River Thames, Rowing, Thames Path, The Half Moon

---

### [Try our Boat Race predictor - built from 191 years of data. There's just one number missing...](https://putney.news/2026/04/04/try-our-boat-race-predictor-built-from-191-years-of-data-theres-just-one-number-missing/)

**Published:** April 4, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Since 2022, crew weight data has quietly vanished from public record. Here is what a 191-year model says it would show.

**Content:**

Every year, a few weeks before the Boat Race, Oxford and Cambridge used to line up their crews in front of photographers and step onto the scales. The weigh-in was a tradition stretching back to at least 1874, when the average rower tipped the scales at just under twelve stone. For well over a century it was part of the ritual: the ceremonial squaring-off, the comparing of physical statistics, the first competitive intelligence of the season made public.

That tradition has quietly been unwound. In 2019 the women’s crews were weighed for the last time. By 2022 the women had formally opted out, and even for the men the published data had been stripped back. By 2025, the official Boat Race article on the crew announcement contained exactly one sentence on the subject: *“Of the two men’s Blue Boats, Cambridge was the heavier. The women opted not to be weighed in.”* No averages. No individual figures. Just a comparative direction of travel.

For 2026, today’s race, there is nothing at all in the public record.

The official explanation, offered by rowing historian Tim Koch at *Hear The Boat Sing*, is that the weigh-in had become “mildly undignified”, a cattle-market atmosphere that athletes, particularly women athletes, were understandably reluctant to submit to. That is entirely credible. But there is a sharper possible explanation, and it has a date attached to it: **2020**.

Boat Race Simple WidgetWho wins the Boat Race?

Based on 191 years of data · Men’s race only

Oxford

33%

Underdogs

vs

Cambridge

67%

Favourites

---

 Step 1 Who is heavier? 

 Weight is the only variable that statistically predicts who wins. A heavier crew means more muscle, more power. The Boat Race stopped publishing this number in 2022. 

 Equal weight Move the slider to explore 

  ← Oxford heavier Cambridge heavier → 

 Step 2 Who won the coin toss? 

 Despite the drama, the coin toss has essentially no predictive value. It shifts the odds by just ±2.8 percentage points — statistical noise. 

 Oxford Not yet Cambridge 

 The cycle alone puts Cambridge ahead. No weight data has been published for 2026 — that gap is where the real answer lives. 

 Lit & Koopman (2020) · β=18.214 · For illustration only · Not betting advice · Putney.news 

#### The formula

In 2020, academics Rutger Lit and Siem Jan Koopman at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam published a paper demonstrating their time series modelling software. Their test case was the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race. They fed 191 years of race results, every contest from 1829 to 2019, into a statistical model and asked a simple question: what actually predicts who wins?

They tested three variables available just before each race: the outcome of the coin toss, the margin of the previous year’s victory, and the log difference in average crew weight between the two boats.

The result was unambiguous. The coin toss? Statistically insignificant, effectively a coin flip, which of course it is. Previous winning margin? Also insignificant. Average crew weight? **Statistically significant at p < 0.01, with a coefficient of 18.214.**

In plain English: across 191 years of races, the heavier crew has won often enough, and consistently enough, that there is less than a 1-in-100 chance this is down to luck. The coefficient of 18.214 tells you how much weight moves the needle: dial in a 5kg-per-man Cambridge advantage and their probability of winning shifts from roughly 67% to around 83%. Dial it the other way, with Oxford 5kg heavier, and Cambridge go from favourites to slight underdogs.

No other variable in the model (not the coin toss, not last year’s winning margin, not which station a crew takes) comes close to that kind of predictive power. Weight, in a race between athletes at the absolute peak of their conditioning, turns out to be the thing that matters most.

> *“The heavier boat is faster. This can be explained by the fact that heavier rowers have on average more muscle mass and can have a stronger pull.”* — Lit & Koopman (2020), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

The model also discovered something else: the Boat Race runs on a cycle. Oxford and Cambridge don’t simply trade wins at random. The statistical model finds that dominance tends to shift roughly every 12 years — one university builds momentum, holds it for a decade or so, then gradually cedes ground to the other. Cambridge’s current run of six wins in seven years is entirely consistent with where the cycle says we should be.

**What the model contains:**

VariableSignificanceEffectCrew weight differencep < 0.01 — **significant**±16 percentage points per 5kgCoin toss winnerp = 0.76 — not significant±2.8 percentage pointsPrevious winning marginp = 0.73 — not significantNegligible**Important caveat:** The model covers men’s races only. It was built on data beginning in 1829; no equivalent academic model exists for the Women’s Boat Race.

#### How accurate has it been since?

The paper was published just as the 2020 race was cancelled due to Covid. Lit and Koopman noted, wryly, that without weight data for the projected 2020 crews, they could only estimate an 80% probability of a Cambridge win. We will never know if they were right.

What we can test is the model’s performance since 2021:

YearModel predictionActual winnerCorrect?Notes2021CambridgeCambridge✅—2022Cambridge**Oxford**❌Oxford were heavier; no weight data available in forecast mode2023CambridgeCambridge✅Cambridge 89.2kg avg vs Oxford 92.0kg — weight favoured Oxford, cycle won2024CambridgeCambridge✅Near-identical weights (91.65 vs 92.23kg); cycle decisive2025CambridgeCambridge✅Cambridge heavier per official statement; no figures published**2026****Cambridge****?**—No weight data publishedFour correct from five: 80% accuracy across a genuinely post-sample period. The one miss, 2022, is the most instructive: Oxford were the heavier crew that year, and Oxford won. Had we known the weights, the model would very likely have flipped its prediction. The miss happened precisely in the data vacuum that has since grown larger.

#### The coin toss problem

This is worth dwelling on, because the coin toss is one of the great theatrical moments of Boat Race Day. The two presidents gather on the bank. The toss determines which station, Surrey or Middlesex, each crew will take. The station choice matters enormously for race tactics and for where a crew can make a move.

And yet: according to 191 years of data, it predicts the winner of the race with essentially zero reliability. The coin toss winner’s contribution to the model is −0.11, against the weight variable’s 18.21.

Knowing who won the coin toss shifts the probability of winning the race by roughly **±2.8 percentage points**. A 5kg weight advantage shifts it by **±16 percentage points**.

The coin toss is theatre. Weight is substance. And weight is the figure we are no longer given.

To put the numbers in context: elite Boat Race rowers typically weigh between 90 and 95 kilograms. A three-kilogram-per-rower advantage – the difference between Oxford averaging 93.5kg and Cambridge averaging 90.5kg – sounds small. It is roughly one decent meal per man.

But the model says that three kilograms per rower is enough to cancel Cambridge’s entire 67-33 cycle advantage and reduce the race to a coin flip. That is what the weight variable is actually measuring: not bulk, but the muscle mass that translates directly into pulling power over 6.8 kilometres of tidal Thames.

#### The interactive prediction engine

Boat Race 2026 Prediction EngineInteractive · Men’s Race Only · 2026

The Boat Race Prediction Engine

Based on Lit & Koopman (2020), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

 ⚠ No crew weight data has been published for 2026. Weight slider opens at zero. Use it to explore how much weight would shift the forecast — if we knew it. 

William Hill Cambridge **1/6** · Oxford **7/2**

Paddy Power Cambridge **1/7** · Oxford **7/2**

Women: Oxford **2/5** · Cambridge **7/4**

 Oxford

 33% 

Cambridge

 67% 

← OXFORD LEADS 50/50 CAMBRIDGE LEADS →

 191 years of results

 Cambridge win 

 Oxford win 

191 races · 1829–2019

---

 “`  Cambridge weight advantage± 0 kg per rower

  Oxford heavier Cambridge heavier 

 Coin toss won byNot decided ±2.8%

 Oxford Reset Cambridge 

“` 

 Cycle component only — no weight data available for 2026. Cambridge are at a strong point in their 12-year dominance cycle. The coin toss, when decided, will shift this by only ±2.8 percentage points. 

 Model: Lit & Koopman (2020) · φ₁=1.6412 · φ₂=−0.8976 · β(weight)=18.214 · Men’s race only · For editorial illustration · Not betting advice · Putney.news 

*The widget above uses the Lit & Koopman (2020) model parameters (φ₁=1.6412, φ₂=−0.8976, β=18.214) to show Cambridge’s probability of winning the men’s race. Because no weight data has been published for 2026, the weight slider opens at zero. Use it to explore the full range of possible weight scenarios.*

#### Why does the withdrawal matter?

Consider the timing. The Lit and Koopman paper appeared in 2020. It was immediately and freely available online. It identified, precisely and publicly, that crew weight was the single variable that could shift a Boat Race prediction by up to 16 percentage points.

The bookmakers take the Boat Race seriously. Today’s men’s race has Cambridge priced between 1/6 and 1/7 across major bookmakers, implying a probability of around 85–87%. Here is how the odds compare:

BookmakerCambridgeOxfordCambridge implied probabilityWilliam Hill1/67/285.7%Paddy Power1/77/287.5%Sky Bet (early market)3/10—76.9%Freetips.com1/8—88.9%*Women’s race: Oxford 2/5 (71% implied) · Cambridge 7/4 (36%)*

Note that the men’s market opened weeks ago at 3/10 and has tightened to 1/6–1/7 as race day approached, driven by fixture results and squad intelligence rather than any published weight data.

We are not suggesting that the Boat Race Company withdrew weight data because of a Dutch academic paper. The dignity argument is real and legitimate, and the women’s opt-out predates the paper. But it is a striking coincidence that the only publicly documented formula for exploiting weight data in Boat Race prediction emerged just as weight data began its disappearing act.

#### So who will win today?

The model (running on cycle data alone, with no weight information) gives Cambridge approximately a **67% probability** of winning the men’s race. The bookmakers, drawing on fixture results, squad composition, and whatever intelligence they have gathered across the season, are pricing Cambridge at 1/6 to 1/7, implying **85–87%**.

That 20-percentage-point gap is precisely where the weight variable lives. Whether it reflects a genuine Cambridge weight advantage, or simply their visible dominance in pre-race fixtures, or their coaching continuity under Rob Baker, we cannot know, because the weight figures have not been published.

What we can say is that if you want to apply the Lit and Koopman model in full (the way it was designed), you need data that is no longer public. The model’s best estimate without that data is 67% for Cambridge. If you’re a Cambridge supporter, the market’s 86% is probably reassuring. If you’re an Oxford supporter, that gap is the space in which hope still lives.

#### The women’s race: a different story entirely

The Lit and Koopman model covers only men’s races. There is no equivalent statistical model for the Women’s Boat Race, and given that women’s weights have not been published since 2019, there is not enough public data to build one.

What the bookmakers tell us is this: Oxford Women are favourites at 2/5 (implying 71% probability), despite not having won the Women’s Boat Race since 2016 and despite Cambridge winning nine in a row. That is a striking assessment. It reflects the quality of Oxford’s crew this year, anchored by Olympic bronze medallist Heidi Long as stroke, and the view that the gap between the two squads has finally, genuinely closed.

Cambridge women have won nine consecutive races. And yet this year, on the basis of the squad assembled and the season’s evidence, the market makes Oxford slight favourites. If they win today, it will be the kind of result that no model (because no model exists) could have predicted with confidence. Which is perhaps the most honest thing that can be said about prediction: sometimes the data runs out, and the race just happens.

#### What today would tell us

If Cambridge win today — as the model and the bookmakers both expect — that proves nothing in isolation. The real test comes when the cycle turns, probably within the next two to four years. The question then will be whether weight data, had it been available, would have given advance notice.

The race starts at 3:21pm. The crews know how heavy they are. We don’t.

***Sources & methodology:** Prediction model: Lit, R. and Koopman, S.J. (2020), “*Forecasting the 2020 edition of the Boat Race*“, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam / Time Series Lab. Model parameters: φ₁=1.6412, φ₂=−0.8976, β(weight)=18.214. Backtesting conducted by Putney.news across 2021–2025 race results. Odds sourced from Paddy Power, William Hill and Sky Bet, 4 April 2026. Historical weigh-in data from heartheboatsing.com (Tim Koch), University of Cambridge press releases 2012–2024, and the official Boat Race Company. The prediction widget is for editorial illustration only. Crew weight data for 2026 is not publicly available; the widget’s zero baseline reflects this absence.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/04/try-our-boat-race-predictor-built-from-191-years-of-data-theres-just-one-number-missing/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/04/try-our-boat-race-predictor-built-from-191-years-of-data-theres-just-one-number-missing/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Try%20our%20Boat%20Race%20predictor%20%E2%80%93%20built%20from%20191%20years%20of%20data.%20There%E2%80%99s%20just%20one%20number%20missing%E2%80%A6&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/04/try-our-boat-race-predictor-built-from-191-years-of-data-theres-just-one-number-missing/)

**Categories:** Boat Race, Long read, Rowing

**Tags:** Boat Race, Putney Bridge, River Thames, Rowing

---

### [A wrongly-binned battery caused a fire in Wandsworth this week](https://putney.news/2026/04/04/a-wrongly-binned-battery-caused-a-fire-in-wandsworth-this-week/)

**Published:** April 4, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Here's where to drop off old batteries safely - and why it matters.

**Content:**

A battery thrown into a household bin caused a small fire in Wandsworth this week, prompting the council to remind residents where to drop off old batteries safely.

The fire on Thursday was attended by the fire brigade and Serco, the borough’s waste contractor. No one was hurt but the event prompted Wandsworth Borough Council to published a safety advisory yesterday urging residents not to put batteries in their domestic bins or recycling.

The drop-off points are:

- Local libraries
- Leisure centres
- Wandsworth High Street Customer Centre

Accepted battery types include button cells, disposables, rechargeables, and standard sizes: D, C, AA, AAA, and 9V.

The incident is the third time in eight months that battery disposal has caused a fire or safety response in the borough. [Last August, a lithium battery in a recycling bin caused a waste truck fire](https://putney.news/2025/08/28/lithium-battery-fire-forces-dramatic-street-evacuation/), badly damaging the vehicle, though no one was hurt then either.

> [Lithium battery fire forces dramatic street evacuation](https://putney.news/2025/08/28/lithium-battery-fire-forces-dramatic-street-evacuation/)

Across Britain, the number of fires caused or likely caused by lithium-ion batteries in waste trucks rose from one in 2017 to 28 in 2023. More recent figures are expected to show a sharp increase.

The council’s advice is simple: once a battery is no longer in use, it goes to a drop-off point, not the bin.

For more background on the local pattern, [our October 2025 investigation](https://putney.news/2025/10/29/three-fires-one-cause-cheap-chargers-ignite-crisis-across-putney/) covers three Putney fires in four months linked to batteries and cheap chargers.

> [Three fires, one cause: Cheap chargers ignite crisis across Putney](https://putney.news/2025/10/29/three-fires-one-cause-cheap-chargers-ignite-crisis-across-putney/)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/04/a-wrongly-binned-battery-caused-a-fire-in-wandsworth-this-week/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/04/a-wrongly-binned-battery-caused-a-fire-in-wandsworth-this-week/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=A%20wrongly-binned%20battery%20caused%20a%20fire%20in%20Wandsworth%20this%20week&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/04/a-wrongly-binned-battery-caused-a-fire-in-wandsworth-this-week/)

**Categories:** Community, Environment

**Tags:** Fire safety, London Fire Brigade, public safety, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Inside the new Half Moon: 'We're a legitimately really top venue now'](https://putney.news/2026/04/03/inside-the-new-half-moon-were-a-legitimately-really-top-venue-now/)

**Published:** April 3, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Content:**

*Phil, who books the music at the Half Moon, takes us on a tour of the newly refurbished venue — reopening today, Boat Race Day, after eight weeks of building work.*

---

The tour starts in the pub and restaurant. The booths are new – before, Phil says, it was just table spaces. So is almost everything else. “They’ve basically ripped out everything that was here before, including stuff like the wiring that had been here from the 30s in many cases. They’ve just completely gutted the place and started again.”

Through to the music room, the bar on the side wall has been kept and updated – the one covered in the names of artists who’ve played here, running from the Who in the 1960s through to Cat Burns. “We thought it was very important that that stayed,” Phil says. Three guitars hang on the wall: one donated by Chris Martin of Coldplay, one belonging to Earl Slick – David Bowie’s guitarist, who also played with John Lennon – and one from James Welsh of Starsailor.

The room itself has been rebuilt around the same footprint. The bar, Phil says, is in the same place. What’s changed is everything else. “It had character before,” he says of the old bar. “It was a little one. That was a nice way of putting it. I’m bringing bands in, and it’s almost like I’m saying, oh, it’s got plenty of character — look at the beer on the ceiling and the wallpaper coming off. But now we’re a legitimately really top venue now. Absolutely love it.”

#### Up the staircase

This is where the renovation gets interesting. The staircase up to the new first floor space is entirely new, and lined with decades’ worth of signed photographs: Phil run through acts he’s booked, faces he knows, legends he’s watched from the side of the stage. “Every time I look at this wall, I see another one that wasn’t there before,” he says.

Halfway up, there’s an unplanned cameo. Torann – an R&B and pop artist from South West London who played the Half Moon’s New Moon emerging artist night. His signed picture is already on the wall. Phil spots it. “So we’ve got a little signed picture of him as well.”

It’s a small moment, but it captures something real about what the Half Moon does. The staircase connects the two things the venue has always done at once: honour the legends and back the next ones before anyone else has heard of them.

That instinct nearly died in 2010. Falling sales, rising rates, the tail end of the recession brought the venue close to closure. A petition of 6,500 signatures kept it alive. This staircase is what that fight was for.

#### The new bar

At the top, the payoff. The new bar occupies what was storage rooms and part of an old kitchen – none of it visible from downstairs, none of it existing a year ago. “This is such a good space,” Phil says. “This is our brand new bar. This is a whole new structure.” Above it, a retractable roof. On a clear day it opens completely. Today – Bank Holiday weekend, overcast – it stays closed, but the heaters are on and the space works regardless.

Capacity for private hire is around 100. Phil is already thinking about meet-and-greet events with artists, book launches, the pub quiz launching every Wednesday at 8pm.

“In the summer, this is the place to be,” he says. “You can get a tan while sitting inside. That’s the plan.”

#### Back to the garden

Back down through the pub, Phil keeps spotting things on the walls he hasn’t clocked before – and out to the garden. It’s bigger than it was: the old burger shack at the back has gone, replaced by extended outdoor space with two external bars. Gypsy Hill Brewery sponsors the new Monday music night. It’s filling up.

The Half Moon is at 93 Lower Richmond Road. It’s open now. Free entry today, live music from the afternoon, DJs until midnight. The Boat Race on the big screens inside tomorrow.

It has put live music on its stage every night since 1963. Tonight will be no different.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/03/inside-the-new-half-moon-were-a-legitimately-really-top-venue-now/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/03/inside-the-new-half-moon-were-a-legitimately-really-top-venue-now/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Inside%20the%20new%20Half%20Moon%3A%20%E2%80%98We%E2%80%99re%20a%20legitimately%20really%20top%20venue%20now%E2%80%99&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/03/inside-the-new-half-moon-were-a-legitimately-really-top-venue-now/)

**Categories:** Live events, Pubs, bars and nightlife

---

### [The Putney street that inspired Mr Benn is going to the big screen](https://putney.news/2026/04/03/the-putney-street-that-inspired-mr-benn-is-going-to-the-big-screen/)

**Published:** April 3, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Kirk Jones will direct the live-action adaptation of David McKee's Festing Road creation.

**Content:**

A live-action feature film of Mr Benn has been announced, with the character’s creator having lived, and placed him, on a quiet Putney street that residents have since turned into a small, joyful monument to them both.

David McKee, who created Mr Benn in a 1967 book and then as a 13-episode BBC animated series in 1971–72, lived at 54 Festing Road. He placed his fictional character next door, at number 52. The only change was the street name: McKee called it Festive Road in the stories. “I felt the real name sounded too much like festering,” he explained.

The film was announced last week by producers Branwen and Mike Prestwood Smith, Harry Potter producer David Barron, and comedian Jack Whitehall, who is also producing. BAFTA-nominated Kirk Jones, whose credits include *Nanny McPhee* and *Waking Ned Devine*, will write and direct. Casting begins later this year, with production targeted for 2027.

Mr Benn follows an ordinary man in a bowler hat who visits a fancy dress shop, tries on a costume, and is transported to a different world for each of the 13 episodes. The series has never left the national consciousness in the five decades since it first aired.

McKee died in 2022, but his family’s statement on the announcement connects the film directly to SW15, noting they are thrilled to have Kirk Jones on board to guide it.

The street itself has become a quietly affectionate memorial to the character and his creator. In November 2009, with McKee present, residents installed an engraved paving stone at the junction of Festing Road and Lower Richmond Road. Hugh Thompson, who lives at number 54, raised £500 from neighbours to pay for it. At the unveiling, McKee was characteristically wry: “They always said I was stoned when I wrote the Mr Benn stories — now I am.”

The stone is very faded these days, but the street’s attachment to the character has not dimmed. In 2017, residents petitioned and paid for a footpath connecting Festing Road to Ashlone Road to be named Festive Walk. The total cost was £900; McKee himself contributed £500. Writing to the council at the time, he described Festing Road as the best of all the places he had ever lived: “friendly, quiet and humane in proportions.” He added that having a path named Festive Walk was “an honour for Mr Benn and myself.”

![Festive Walk in Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/festive-walk-h-768x1024.jpg)The film announcement is not the first time a live-action Mr Benn has been attempted. A 1999 version with John Hannah in the title role and Ben Kingsley as the shopkeeper was announced but never made.

This time, the McKee family are confident. They are “really excited about going back to Festive Road, where we grew up.”

The faded paving stone is at the junction of Festing Road and Lower Richmond Road. It reads: “Festive Road. Home of David McKee And His Creation, Mr Benn.” Festive Walk is at the other end and runs from there to Ashlone Road.

![Festing Road tribute to McGee and Mr Benn - very worn in 2026.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/festing-road-pavement-tribute-768x1024.jpg) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/03/the-putney-street-that-inspired-mr-benn-is-going-to-the-big-screen/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/03/the-putney-street-that-inspired-mr-benn-is-going-to-the-big-screen/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Putney%20street%20that%20inspired%20Mr%20Benn%20is%20going%20to%20the%20big%20screen&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/03/the-putney-street-that-inspired-mr-benn-is-going-to-the-big-screen/)

**Categories:** Film, Thamesfield

**Tags:** David McKee, Festing Road, Mr Benn, SW15

---

### [Roehampton sports pavilion fundraiser clears its biggest hurdle](https://putney.news/2026/04/03/roehampton-pavilion-fundraiser-clears-its-biggest-hurdle/)

**Published:** April 3, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** A £568,000 Football Foundation grant brings the 1940s pavilion within reach - and disability sport along with it.

**Content:**

Roehampton Playing Fields has secured a £568,000 grant from the Football Foundation, the award that trustees said in February would make or break the campaign to rebuild the 1940s sports pavilion on Longwood Drive.

The grant, jointly funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, takes the trust’s confirmed and applied-for funding to around £1 million of the £1.1 million needed. The remaining gap is £150,000.

In our [February report](https://putney.news/2026/02/13/wheelchair-tennis-volunteer-coaches-and-a-1-1m-dream-for-roehampton/), trustee Scott Muirhead warned that a rejection would kill the project. The Foundation approved it.

#### What the new pavilion will deliver

The pavilion serves football, cricket, tennis, netball, rounders and lacrosse, but the grant also unlocks something the existing building cannot offer: a proper home for disability sport. Wheelchair tennis and para-standing tennis will be available at the site, in partnership with Queen Mary’s Hospital’s Douglas Bader unit, Access Sports, Enable, Teqnic Tennis and the LTA. An access path from the hospital to the courts was completed last year.

In February, Roehampton resident Valente, who plays para-standing tennis, described the difference to us: “The impact on your mental health, I can’t overstate it.” Parents of a young wheelchair tennis player told us they had been carrying equipment the full length of Longwood Drive because the existing pavilion could not support disability sessions. New cladding, windows, heating and an internal reconfiguration will change that.

![Dover House playing fields proposed pavillion](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/pavilion-1024x576.png)#### Where the money comes from

Scott Muirhead, a trustee of Roehampton Playing Fields Community Trust, said: “This fantastic grant award will be transformative for the playing fields, making a real difference to local children and families who have been desperate for modern, fit-for-purpose facilities. This once-in-a-generation opportunity to redevelop the pavilion and make it truly accessible to all now needs one final fundraising effort.”

Robert Sullivan, chief executive of the Football Foundation, said the grant would “help give more people access to a great place to play.”

SourceAmountStatusFootball Foundation (Premier League, The FA, DCMS)£568,218ConfirmedSection 106 (Wandsworth Council)£130,000ConfirmedResident donations and philanthropic pledges£150,000ConfirmedLondon Marathon Foundation£150,000Applied for**Total****~£1 million**The trust was formed in January 2018 after the community opposed the commercial disposal of the site. The pavilion dates from the 1940s and sits within the Westmead conservation area. It has suffered three or four break-ins in recent years.

#### How to help close the gap

With a London Marathon Foundation application pending and further funding “to be announced,” the trust is asking the community to help close the remaining £150,000. A [new crowdfunder](https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/roehampton-playing-fields-pavilion-project-1) is open with a target of £50,000 and 71 days to run. The trust is targeting a start on site between June and August 2026, with completion by Christmas.

Donations can also be made by emailing .

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/roehampton-playing-fields-1024x768.jpg) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/03/roehampton-pavilion-fundraiser-clears-its-biggest-hurdle/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/03/roehampton-pavilion-fundraiser-clears-its-biggest-hurdle/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Roehampton%20sports%20pavilion%20fundraiser%20clears%20its%20biggest%20hurdle&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/03/roehampton-pavilion-fundraiser-clears-its-biggest-hurdle/)

**Categories:** Community, Roehampton, Sport

**Tags:** community, Premier League, Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton, Section 106

---

### [Council plans to turn Church Square into bus terminus](https://putney.news/2026/04/01/council-plans-to-turn-church-square-into-bus-terminus/)

**Published:** April 1, 2026
**Author:** John Lilburne

**Excerpt:** A Pub Razed In Loss. Fortunately One Option Looks Superior.

**Content:**

**APRIL FOOL** Wandsworth Council has drawn up detailed plans to convert Church Square – the cobbled public space beside St Mary’s Church at Putney Bridge – into a bus turning circle and terminus, in what officers are describing as “the most significant intervention to date” in the fifteen-month effort to improve traffic flow through Putney Bridge junction.

Under the proposals, routes 85, 220 and 485 would terminate in the square rather than pass through the junction. Passengers wishing to continue their journey would alight and make their way around the church on foot, passing the relocated war memorial, to board onward services from a new Super Bus Stop to be constructed on the current site of The Rocket, the JD Wetherspoon pub adjacent to the river.

The council confirmed the plans were drawn up during the current pre-election purdah period, describing them as “operational rather than political.” A spokesperson said the timing reflected the urgency of the situation. “The junction is not going to fix itself,” they said. “Although it has been trying.”

Council Leader Simon Hogg said he was proud to put his name to the scheme. “Good traffic management is at the heart of everything we do,” he said. “For too long, Putney’s junction has been frozen – the cars haven’t moved, the buses haven’t moved, and frankly neither has our thinking. This plan changes that.”

Asked whether the plans were financially viable, Cllr Hogg noted that Wandsworth Labour had frozen council tax for the ninth consecutive year. “We have frozen the things that should be frozen,” he said. “Including Putney traffic.”

#### Heritage statement

The square’s cobbled surface would be replaced with asphalt suitable for bus axle loading, after a council heritage assessment confirmed the cobblestones did not meet the threshold for statutory protection. The square’s mature trees would be removed to accommodate turning geometry, with the council committing to plant “an equivalent number of trees in suitable locations across the borough, to be identified.”

The war memorial currently standing in the square would be relocated to a position adjacent to the new Super Bus Stop, “where it will continue to be respected and maintained,” according to a council statement.

Cllr Hogg said the location was in fact uniquely appropriate. “People forget that it was in St Mary’s Church, right here, that the Putney Debates took place in 1647 – the moment when ordinary soldiers first argued that every man should have a voice in how he is governed. It seems entirely fitting that Putney should once again lead the way, this time in bus network rationalisation.”

The new Super Bus Stop, to be built on the cleared site of The Rocket following the pub’s demolition, will serve as the interchange point for all onward journeys. It will feature real-time departure information, space for up to 40 passengers, a small retail unit, and 50% affordable seating.

Transport for London (TfL) said it was “unable to confirm or deny” the connection time arrangements at this stage, adding that it was “currently prioritising inaction on a number of other schemes across the network and would not want to prejudice those commitments by moving too quickly on this one.”

#### Whatever the Whether

Planning permission for the demolition of The Rocket was submitted earlier today (Ref: 2026/0401/AF). The council said it anticipated “a streamlined process” given the transport public interest case. A Wetherspoon’s spokesperson said the company was “in dialogue with the council” and would not comment further, except to point out that the children’s meal deal is a bargain at £4.99 and Kronenbourg is just £3.20 a pint on Mondays.

A spokesperson for the Putney Cycling Forum said the group had studied the proposals carefully. “We welcome any reduction in through-traffic at the junction,” they said. “However, we remain concerned that the focus on bus infrastructure fails to address the fundamental question of why so many people feel they need to travel by any motorised vehicle at all. The main barrier to cycling in Putney remains, as our research confirms, the existence of hills, rain, children, shopping, and distances exceeding half a mile.”

The consultation is expected to open in spring, close in autumn, and ignore what residents say anyway.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/01/council-plans-to-turn-church-square-into-bus-terminus/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/01/council-plans-to-turn-church-square-into-bus-terminus/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Council%20plans%20to%20turn%20Church%20Square%20into%20bus%20terminus&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/01/council-plans-to-turn-church-square-into-bus-terminus/)

**Categories:** News

---

### [The councillors who promised to fix Putney's junction produced nothing. We can now prove it.](https://putney.news/2026/04/02/the-councillors-who-promised-to-fix-putneys-junction-produced-nothing-we-can-now-prove-it/)

**Published:** April 2, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** With elections five weeks away, FOI disclosures show elected representatives left the work to Fleur Anderson MP and council officers.

**Content:**

The junction at the foot of Putney Bridge has been gridlocked since Wandsworth Council redesigned it in December 2024. Buses have been running late. Side streets have become rat-runs. A resident survey collected 1,373 responses, almost all of them complaints. *Putney.news* has spent the past year filing Freedom of Information requests trying to establish what the council’s elected representatives did about it. We kept expecting to find something. We have not.

Three FOI requests. Fourteen months. Well over two months of unlawful delay across the three responses. And not a single document authored by a councillor. No report. No briefing. No recommendation. No action plan. Nothing the council could point to as evidence that the people democratically accountable for transport in this borough were doing anything beyond attending meetings someone else organised.

#### We kept asking. They kept not answering.

The first request, filed in August 2025, asked for three things: minutes of any internal meetings about the junction, internal reports on the congestion, and correspondence with Cabinet Members following a public meeting at which residents had confronted the council about the crisis. It came back within the legal deadline.

The council confirmed that five meetings had taken place, chaired by Fleur Anderson MP, but that council officers had taken no notes. It said internal reports existed but were being withheld because they were still being worked on. That is a standard reason councils give for not releasing documents while work is ongoing. Only later did we find out there was no ongoing work. On the question of Cabinet Member correspondence following the May meeting, the answer was a single word: “None.”

We assumed there must be more. So we came back. The second request asked for what the first had not reached: attendance records, any briefings or agendas shared with council officers, an index of the withheld reports, and explicit confirmation of whether WhatsApp and text messages had been searched. This response was three weeks late. The council withheld all the meeting materials on the same grounds. On WhatsApp and text messages, it said the information was not held.

By November 2025, the council’s Transport Committee had [published its report on the junction](https://putney.news/2025/11/19/everything-you-need-to-know-about-thursdays-transport-committee-meeting-on-putney-junction/). The work the council had said was ongoing was now complete and public. We filed a third request pointing this out: the reports should now be released, and we still needed the council to tell us whether it had searched WhatsApp and text messages when it concluded that no Cabinet Member correspondence existed.

What a year of FOI requests produced

What was disclosed

7 emails — all written by Fleur Anderson MP

Confirmation of 5 meetings chaired by Anderson

One letter from Cllr Yates — found via TfL, not the council

What the council produced — nothing

No reports or assessments

No briefings to Cabinet Members

No minutes or notes from any meeting

No action plans or recommendations

No WhatsApp or text messages disclosed

“An unmanageable amount of public pressure and anger.”

 Cllr Jenny Yates, Cabinet Member for Transport — writing to TfL. The only communication from an elected councillor we have found. Not a plan. A complaint about the heat. 

---

The FOI timeline

Aug 2025

First request filed

Minutes, reports, Cabinet Member correspondence

 On time 

Council response

No minutes taken. Reports withheld. Cabinet Member correspondence: **“None.”**

Sep 2025

Second request filed

Attendance records, briefings, WhatsApp and texts

 3 weeks late 

Council response

All materials withheld. WhatsApp and texts: **“not held.”**

Nov 2025

Third request filed

Committee report now published — no basis left to withhold. Asked again about WhatsApp and texts

 Nearly 3 months late 

Council response — Feb 2026

7 emails disclosed — all Anderson’s. Exemption applied to Cabinet Member correspondence for the first time, contradicting earlier “None.” Still no answer on WhatsApp or texts.

Mar 2026

Formal challenge filed

Contradictory answers, incomplete disclosure, three consecutive late responses

 Response due May 2026 

The council took nearly three months to reply, well past the legal deadline. When it finally did, it produced seven emails. Every one had been written by Anderson. It also applied an exemption, for the first time, to Cabinet Member correspondence, but this was the same category it had previously told us did not exist. It gave no explanation for the contradiction. It still said nothing about whether WhatsApp or text messages had been searched.

So earlier this month we went back again, pointing out that two contradictory answers had been given on the same question, that we still hadn’t been told whether WhatsApp and texts had been searched, and that three late responses in a row wasn’t bad luck. The council has until early May to reply. If the answers aren’t good enough, the matter goes to the Information Commissioner.

At each stage we assumed we were missing something. We were not. The record is clear: if councillors had been doing their jobs, analysing the crisis, directing solutions, making decisions, there would be a paper trail. There isn’t one. When we asked specifically about WhatsApp and text messages, the platforms where politicians often say things they would rather not see in writing, the council stopped saying “None” and started applying exemptions. It has never told us whether those platforms were searched.

#### The one message we did find

The only communication we have managed to find from an elected representative about the junction didn’t come from the council at all. It came from a Freedom of Information request to Transport for London, which is where we found a letter from Cllr Jenny Yates, the Cabinet Member for Transport, complaining to TfL about “an unmanageable amount of public pressure and anger.” She wasn’t telling TfL what to do. She was telling them how bad it had got for her politically. That is what the council’s records show its elected representatives were doing. Which makes the refusal to confirm whether WhatsApp and text messages were searched all the more telling, because if those messages exist, this is almost certainly what they look like too.

It is not an isolated case. Three days before a January 2025 ministerial meeting on Hammersmith Bridge, Council Leader Simon Hogg stood at a public rally calling for “urgent and decisive action to fund and deliver the repairs.” Three days later, when Wandsworth’s representative was offered the chance to open talks on sharing the repair costs, the response was two words: “no money.” [The council has never told residents what happened in that room.](https://putney.news/2026/03/28/wandsworth-shot-down-a-chance-to-reopen-hammersmith-bridge-then-said-nothing-for-a-year/) The pattern is the same: public promises, private inaction, and no paper trail of anyone actually trying to fix anything.

#### They thought someone was in charge

If you live in Putney, or take a bus through it, or have sat in the traffic on Lower Richmond Road, or walked your children to school past queuing cars, this is the part of the story that concerns you most directly. Because while all of that was happening, several hundred of your neighbours packed St Margaret’s Church in October 2025 to confront the council. They didn’t know what we now know. They thought someone was in charge.

Hogg apologised. “I’m sorry that we haven’t kept you up to date,” he said. “We haven’t brought you on the journey of all of these meetings we’re having.” Meetings for which we have been unable to find any evidence.

When asked specifically about buses, he handed immediately to Fleur Anderson, the MP for Putney. “This is where I’m going to bring in our MP Fleur Anderson,” he said, “who has been working really, really hard on the buses and the task force for that.”

The Putney and Roehampton Bus Taskforce was Anderson’s initiative entirely. She convened it from her parliamentary office to look at bus services in her constituency. It could not direct the council to do anything. Anderson wrote every agenda, compiled every action table, sent every meeting summary. The council’s own FOI response confirmed that council officers attended meetings at which “verbal updates were given by various organisations” and that “no written minutes or notes were made by Council officers.”

When we asked for materials prepared by council officers for those taskforce meetings (briefings, notes, summaries, attendance records, correspondence with the MP’s office), the council didn’t say it was withholding them. It didn’t say it didn’t have them. It simply said nothing. Our formal challenge asks the council to explain why.

> [Traffic crisis dominates Putney meeting as residents demand action, not promises](https://putney.news/2025/10/12/traffic-crisis-dominates-putney-meeting-as-residents-demand-action-not-promises/)

#### Where’s Hogg?

The junction crisis was documented throughout the taskforce’s own records. Anderson’s May 2025 agenda noted “significant tail backs on Lower Richmond Road and Putney Bridge Road — residents submitting regular complaints re congestion dangers (rat-running, pollution) in correspondence to both Fleur Anderson MP and WBC.” The junction review remained a standing item through July 2025, still listed as pending with no confirmed completion timeline. Cllr Yates was named in the emails throughout. So was Cllr Matthew Tiller, a fellow Labour councillor for Roehampton, from June 2025 onwards.

Hogg, meanwhile, is absent from the record entirely. He was told at St Margaret’s Church, loudly and directly, that the junction was the most urgent issue facing residents. He promised communication. He promised action. The FOI record contains nothing he wrote, commissioned, or directed. At the same meeting, he suggested WhatsApp groups might keep residents informed. When we asked for those messages, the council told us there were none.

Residents were not subtle about the stakes. “If someone had a critical problem in my business and it was then ten months later and you’re still listening to the problem, I would have been fired by now,” said Sean Pooley, a resident of Lower Richmond Road. “We have elderly people in tears because they can’t get a bus,” said Gail Renard, of the Erpingham Road neighbourhood watch. “We will use our votes if this is not rectified soon because you have made our lives intolerable in what was a great area.” Harry Grubb, a resident of Erpingham Road, told Hogg directly: “At some point somebody is going to be killed. You have a duty of care towards all of us and you’ve been warned now about this.”

[Bus performance data published last week](https://putney.news/2026/03/17/putneys-buses-are-41-worse-than-the-rest-of-wandsworth-and-the-data-proves-the-junction-is-why/) showed Putney’s routes running 41% above the borough average for excess waiting time, with the junction identified as the primary cause.

Wandsworth Council did not respond to questions submitted about this story over a week ago, on Friday 20 March 2026.

> [What they said: key exchanges from Saturday’s traffic meeting](https://putney.news/2025/10/12/what-they-said-key-exchanges-from-saturdays-traffic-meeting/)

#### What you can do

The complete FOI correspondence, covering all three requests and the council’s responses, is publicly available at [WhatDoTheyKnow](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/council_response_to_complaints_a).

You can submit your own FOI request to Wandsworth Council via [WhatDoTheyKnow](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/) asking for any council-authored documents relating to the Putney junction produced since January 2025.

Our formal challenge to the council’s handling of these FOI requests is due a response by early May 2026. Putney.news will report the outcome. If the answers are not satisfactory, the matter goes to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Wandsworth Council elections take place on 7 May 2026.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/02/the-councillors-who-promised-to-fix-putneys-junction-produced-nothing-we-can-now-prove-it/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/02/the-councillors-who-promised-to-fix-putneys-junction-produced-nothing-we-can-now-prove-it/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20councillors%20who%20promised%20to%20fix%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20junction%20produced%20nothing.%20We%20can%20now%20prove%20it.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/02/the-councillors-who-promised-to-fix-putneys-junction-produced-nothing-we-can-now-prove-it/)

**Categories:** Politics, Transport

**Tags:** accountability, bus, Cllr Jenny Yates, Cllr Matthew Tiller, Cllr Simon Hogg, Fleur Anderson MP, FOI, Lower Richmond Road, Putney Bridge junction, TfL, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Three days left to hunt Easter bunnies in Southfields](https://putney.news/2026/04/02/three-days-left-to-hunt-easter-bunnies-in-southfields/)

**Published:** April 2, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Free trail across 21 village businesses ends Saturday, with prizes on offer.

**Content:**

There are three days left to join the Southfields Bunny Trail, a free Easter activity running across Southfields Village until Saturday 4 April. So if you’re wondering what to do with restless kids during half-term and you need to do a bit of shopping…

Southfields Business Forum has placed 21 wooden bunnies in shop and business windows across the village. Each bunny carries a unique number. Collect all 21, add the numbers together, and email your total to  to enter the prize draw.

The prizes on offer are:

- A family discount voucher from Dropshot Coffee
- A bespoke Wimbledon Strawberry T-shirt made by Single Swan
- A voucher for a mini photoshoot with Light by Lexi
- A gift from Wishlist

Pick up a free printed trail map from Loney Miller or Wishlist on Replingham Road, or download one from [southfieldsbusinessforum.org.uk](https://www.southfieldsbusinessforum.org.uk/whatson/) before you set off.

The trail is free and open to all ages. It ends on Saturday, so there is still time to get out and support the village businesses while you hunt.

![Southfields Bunny Trail](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/southfields-bunny-trail-768x1024.jpg) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/02/three-days-left-to-hunt-easter-bunnies-in-southfields/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/02/three-days-left-to-hunt-easter-bunnies-in-southfields/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Three%20days%20left%20to%20hunt%20Easter%20bunnies%20in%20Southfields&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/02/three-days-left-to-hunt-easter-bunnies-in-southfields/)

**Categories:** Community, Southfields, Things to do

**Tags:** Easter, Southfields Business Forum

---

### [Third time lucky: squatters out of Putney High Street as new shop moves in](https://putney.news/2026/04/02/third-time-lucky-squatters-out-of-putney-high-street-as-new-shop-moves-in/)

**Published:** April 2, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Convenience store licence already applied for while eviction case was going through the courts.

**Content:**

Squatters have been evicted from 67 Putney High Street for the third time, using an emergency criminal court order that gave police the power to act within hours.

Officers from Putney’s Safer Neighbourhood Team helped landlord Corndale Estates Limited remove the squatters on Wednesday afternoon after securing an Interim Possession Order at Wandsworth County Court. The order, obtained with just two hours’ notice under Section 76 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, makes remaining on the premises a criminal offence. That is why police could act on Wednesday when they could only watch in March.

When squatters [broke back into the same address on 9 March](https://putney.news/2026/03/09/putneys-squatters-are-back-and-this-time-theyve-defied-a-high-court-order/), three weeks after High Court bailiffs had formally repossessed it, officers attended but said there was nothing they could do. The civil possession route gave police no power to intervene. The criminal route did.

![Repossession notice](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/67-putney-high-st-repossession-768x1024.png)A group of men and a woman were stopped at the premises, had their details checked, and were allowed to leave. No arrests were made. The building is now secure.

The door of 67 High Street now carries two sets of documents. The Interim Possession Order (issued by Deputy District Judge Mitchell on 30 March and served on 31 March) is the newer arrival. The other has been there for weeks: a Wandsworth Council licensing notice showing that a new tenant had already applied to open a convenience store at the address before Wednesday’s eviction. Mr Dave Singh Khurana applied to trade as Putney Convenience Store with a licence to sell alcohol until 00:30 every night. The consultation deadline was 30 March. Corndale was pursuing the squatters through the courts at the same time as lining up a new occupier.

A final possession hearing is listed at Wandsworth County Court on 20 April 2026.

This part of the High Street has been at the centre of squatter occupations [since May 2025](https://putney.news/2025/05/30/its-warm-its-ours-for-now-squatters-take-over-shuttered-putney-bars-as-high-street-declines/). [The full story of how the crisis developed](https://putney.news/2025/09/10/four-months-that-shook-putney-high-street-how-the-squatter-crisis-unfolded/) is documented in our earlier coverage. Wednesday was the third eviction.

![To the Occupiers note on 67 Putney High](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/67-high-st-to-occupiers-768x1024.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/02/third-time-lucky-squatters-out-of-putney-high-street-as-new-shop-moves-in/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/02/third-time-lucky-squatters-out-of-putney-high-street-as-new-shop-moves-in/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Third%20time%20lucky%3A%20squatters%20out%20of%20Putney%20High%20Street%20as%20new%20shop%20moves%20in&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/02/third-time-lucky-squatters-out-of-putney-high-street-as-new-shop-moves-in/)

**Categories:** Crime, Thamesfield

**Tags:** High Court, Metropolitan Police, Putney High Street, squatters

---

### [No-fault evictions end on 1 May. Here's what the new law means if you rent or let property in Putney.](https://putney.news/2026/04/01/no-fault-evictions-end-on-1-may-heres-what-the-new-law-means-if-you-rent-or-let-property-in-putney/)

**Published:** April 1, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** The biggest change to private renting in 35 years kicks in next month - your rights, what landlords must do, and what isn't changing yet.

**Content:**

In one month’s time – on 1 May – the law that lets landlords evict tenants without a reason ends. The Renters’ Rights Act is the biggest change to private renting in England in 35 years, and it takes effect automatically: no new tenancy agreements needed, no action required from tenants.

Every private renter in Putney is affected. In Wandsworth, where over a third of all households rent privately (a higher proportion than anywhere in London outside the inner boroughs), that means tens of thousands of people. The 25–34 age group accounts for nearly a quarter of Putney’s population, almost double the national average, and they are disproportionately the ones renting. This law was written for them.

Landlords need to read this too. There are deadlines before 1 May, and penalties for missing them.

#### For tenants: what you gain on 1 May

**No-fault evictions end.** From 1 May, a landlord cannot evict you unless they have a legal reason. Previously, a Section 21 notice could end any tenancy with two months’ notice and no explanation required. That power disappears at midnight on 30 April. Landlords must use Section 8, which requires a specific ground such as rent arrears or the landlord needing the property back, and must make the case to a court if you challenge it.

**Your fixed-term tenancy becomes a rolling tenancy automatically.** If you currently have an assured shorthold tenancy with a fixed end date, it converts to a periodic (rolling) tenancy from 1 May. Nothing you need to sign, nothing you need to arrange. The tenancy continues, month by month.

**You can leave at any time with two months’ notice.** Previously, leaving before the end of a fixed term could mean paying rent until it expired or finding a replacement tenant. Under the new rules, two months’ notice ends your tenancy with no penalty, at any point.

**Rent increases are capped to once a year.** Your landlord can only raise the rent once every 12 months, and must give two months’ notice via a formal Section 13 notice. They cannot simply demand more at renewal. If you think the increase is above market rate, you can challenge it at a tribunal.

**Rental bidding wars are banned.** Landlords and letting agents cannot accept offers above the advertised asking price. If you have been outbid on a rental property in Putney recently, that practice ends on 1 May.

**No large rent-in-advance demands on new tenancies.** From 1 May, landlords can only take a maximum of one month’s rent upfront when a new tenancy starts. The practice of demanding two, three or six months in advance (common in a competitive market) ends.

#### For landlords: what you must do

**If you are considering a Section 21 notice, act before 4:30pm on 30 April.** After that moment, Section 21 ceases to exist. This is an absolute deadline: there is no extension and no transitional arrangement for notices served late. Any Section 21 served after 30 April will be invalid.

If you served a valid Section 21 before 30 April but have not yet made a court application, you have until 31 July 2026 to do so. After that date, any pre-commencement Section 21 notices expire.

**By 31 May: provide the government’s Information Sheet to every existing tenant.** The government is publishing a prescribed Information Sheet explaining the new rights. Landlords must give it to every current tenant by 31 May 2026. Failure to do so carries a civil penalty of up to £7,000. Wandsworth Council will be the enforcement authority.

**Evictions from 1 May must use Section 8.** You can still recover a property if a tenant is in serious arrears, if you want to move back in, if you are selling, or on other grounds, but you must use the Section 8 process and make your case to court if the tenant disputes it. Penalties for serious or serial breaches of the new regime run from £7,000 to £40,000.

#### What is not changing on 1 May

The Act creates two other major reforms that are not yet in force. The Private Rented Sector Database, a national register requiring all landlords to register their properties, begins a regional rollout in late 2026. A new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman, providing an independent dispute resolution service, is expected around 2028. The extension of the Decent Homes Standard to privately rented homes is further away still.

On 1 May you get the core protections. The infrastructure around them follows later.

#### The Putney context

In August 2025, [we reported that Putney renters spend over half their income on housing](https://putney.news/2025/08/25/putney-renters-spending-over-half-their-income-on-housing-as-crisis-deepens/). In December 2025, [our long-read on six housing policy changes](https://putney.news/2025/12/21/what-six-housing-policy-changes-mean-for-you/) included the Renters’ Rights Act as one of the reforms heading this way. Now it arrives.

The same period has seen a documented exit of buy-to-let landlords from the Putney flat market, driven by the combination of tax changes, higher mortgage costs, Wandsworth’s new licensing requirements, and for many the anticipation of this Act. That means some renters may find their landlord looking to sell once the new rules are in force. The new eviction protections will apply in those situations too, but tenants facing a landlord wanting vacant possession should get advice early.

Wandsworth’s [licensing scheme](https://putney.news/2025/06/06/wandsworths-rental-clampdown-will-bring-big-change-but-is-it-a-good-fit-for-putney/), and [the questions about whether the council has the capacity to enforce it](https://putney.news/2025/09/30/wandsworths-rental-licences-rocket-after-rule-change-can-it-handle-the-demand/), will now extend to enforcement of the new national regime. The council has not made a public statement on its enforcement approach to the Renters’ Rights Act. We will update this story when it does.

#### Where to find out more

The government’s official guidance for tenants and landlords is at [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/private-renting). The National Residential Landlords Association has a detailed guide for landlords at [nrla.org.uk](https://www.nrla.org.uk/resources/renters-rights/existing-tenancies-renters-rights-act). Citizens Advice has a plain-English guide to your rights at [citizensadvice.org.uk](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/renting-a-home/).

If you are a tenant facing an eviction notice, a landlord with questions about the transition, or a local resident with a story about how the new rules affect you, get in touch: .

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/01/no-fault-evictions-end-on-1-may-heres-what-the-new-law-means-if-you-rent-or-let-property-in-putney/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/01/no-fault-evictions-end-on-1-may-heres-what-the-new-law-means-if-you-rent-or-let-property-in-putney/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=No-fault%20evictions%20end%20on%201%20May.%20Here%E2%80%99s%20what%20the%20new%20law%20means%20if%20you%20rent%20or%20let%20property%20in%20Putney.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/01/no-fault-evictions-end-on-1-may-heres-what-the-new-law-means-if-you-rent-or-let-property-in-putney/)

**Categories:** Housing

**Tags:** housing, housing crisis, SW15, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Easter weekend: no trains on Sunday, a closed bridge, and 200,000 visitors - here's how to get around Putney](https://putney.news/2026/04/01/easter-weekend-no-trains-on-sunday-a-closed-bridge-and-200000-visitors-heres-how-to-get-around-putney/)

**Published:** April 1, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Plus: District Line partial closure, Albert Bridge shut, and Boat Race road pressure all weekend.

**Content:**

Putney faces its most complex transport weekend in recent memory over Easter: a District Line partial closure running all four days, no trains through Putney at all on Easter Sunday, Albert Bridge still shut to motor traffic, and 200,000 Boat Race spectators arriving on Saturday. Here is exactly what breaks, what still works, and how to get around.

#### The trains (SWR)

Easter Sunday (5 April) is the day to plan around. South Western Railway runs no trains through Putney on Sunday, with the Waterloo to Barnes line closed entirely. Replacement buses run between Clapham Junction and Barnes via Putney, but journey times will be significantly longer.

On Good Friday (3 April), Easter Saturday (4 April), and Easter Monday (6 April), trains do run through Putney – but Reading, Windsor, and Weybridge services all start from Clapham Junction rather than Waterloo. If you need those routes, factor in the change.

#### The tube (District Line)

The Wimbledon branch of the District Line is running normally over Easter, so Putney Bridge and East Putney stations have service toward Earl’s Court, Victoria, and central London throughout the bank holiday.

What is not running: the Whitechapel to Upminster section and the Earl’s Court to Kensington (Olympia) branch are both closed all four days. If you need to reach Canary Wharf or east London via the District Line, use a different route. The Hammersmith & City Line is also fully closed across all four days.

Check [TfL’s journey planner](https://tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/) before travelling to find the best alternative if your specific destination is affected.

#### The roads

Albert Bridge has been closed to motor traffic since February, [adding pressure to Putney Bridge approach roads](https://putney.news/2026/02/23/albert-bridge-could-stay-shut-a-year-now-putney-bridge-is-carrying-the-load/) that was already the main diversion route. On Easter Saturday, that pressure reaches a new level.

Putney Embankment is closed to vehicles from 8:30am to 5pm on Saturday 4 April for the [Boat Race](https://putney.news/2026/03/28/from-putney-bridge-to-mortlake-what-youll-see-and-when-on-boat-race-day/), with the Women’s race at 2:21pm and the Men’s at 3:21pm. Lower Richmond Road and the Putney Bridge approach will be at maximum pressure through Saturday morning as the crowds arrive. If you need to drive anywhere on Saturday, do it early or leave it until the evening.

#### What still works

Despite the combination of closures, there are good options:

SWR from Putney station runs every day except Easter Sunday, with direct trains to Waterloo. For anyone at East Putney who finds the District Line disrupted for their particular destination, Putney station is about 500 metres away and offers six trains per hour to Waterloo during off-peak times.

Bus routes 22, 39, 74, 85, 93, 220, and 265 serve the area throughout Easter. Expect heavier-than-normal Saturday loads with the Boat Race crowd.

Putney Bridge remains open to cyclists and pedestrians throughout the bank holiday.

For up-to-date information on your specific journey, [TfL’s journey planner](https://tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/) will show Easter-specific routing. If you are coming to watch the Boat Race, our [Boat Race day guide](https://putney.news/2026/03/28/from-putney-bridge-to-mortlake-what-youll-see-and-when-on-boat-race-day/) covers the best viewing spots and timings.

*Putney.news* has been tracking the series of transport disruptions hitting the area [since early March](https://putney.news/2026/03/12/district-line-strikes-swr-closures-putneys-worst-spring-for-transport/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/04/01/easter-weekend-no-trains-on-sunday-a-closed-bridge-and-200000-visitors-heres-how-to-get-around-putney/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/04/01/easter-weekend-no-trains-on-sunday-a-closed-bridge-and-200000-visitors-heres-how-to-get-around-putney/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Easter%20weekend%3A%20no%20trains%20on%20Sunday%2C%20a%20closed%20bridge%2C%20and%20200%2C000%20visitors%20%E2%80%93%20here%E2%80%99s%20how%20to%20get%20around%20Putney&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/04/01/easter-weekend-no-trains-on-sunday-a-closed-bridge-and-200000-visitors-heres-how-to-get-around-putney/)

**Categories:** Boat Race, Transport

**Tags:** Boat Race, bus, District Line, East Putney, Lower Richmond Road, Putney Bridge, Putney embankment, Putney train station, TfL

---

### ["We have got to do something we've never done before"](https://putney.news/2026/03/31/we-have-got-to-do-something-weve-never-done-before/)

**Published:** March 31, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Oxford president Heidi Long on ending nine years of losing to Cambridge.

**Content:**

The first race on the water on Easter Saturday is the women’s, at 2:21pm. Cambridge are going for a ninth consecutive win. Oxford have not won since 2016. And this year, Oxford have assembled a very strong challenge.

> 🚣 **Everything you need for Boat Race day in Putney**, where to stand, which pubs open early, transport tips and all the build-up, is on our dedicated [Boat Race guide page](https://putney.news/boat-race-putney/).

“We’ve lost a boat race for the last nine races,” Oxford president Heidi Long says in the Boat Race documentary [Turning The Tide](https://www.theboatrace.org/turningthetide). “So if we keep doing the same thing, we’re probably going to get the same result. We have got to really try and do something that we’ve never done before.”

Long, 29, is an Olympic bronze medallist who won her medal in the British women’s eight at Paris 2024. She strokes the Oxford boat from Lady Margaret Hall and has spoken openly about what the race means to her. “Rowing has helped me get through life’s many challenges,” she writes in the Boat Race programme. “It’s given me more than I could ever have expected: purpose, resilience, confidence, and lifelong friendships.”

She also admits to nerves. “I get really nervous,” she says in the documentary. “It’s so meaningful, we put so much into it, and it all comes down to one day and one moment. If that doesn’t make you nervous then you’re some kind of superhuman.”

#### Oxford’s case

Long is not the only reason Oxford believe this could be their year. Esther Briz Zamorano, 26, is a Spanish Olympian who competed at Paris 2024, a two-time Beach Sprint world gold medallist, became the first Spanish woman to compete at junior world championship level in the single sculls, and holds a Stanford engineering degree. She is at St Edmund Hall on a one-year MBA, which means this is her only shot.

“It’s way cooler to join the underdogs, you know?” Briz Zamorano writes in the Boat Race programme. “Cambridge have been winning for years, but we have a good shot.”

In the documentary she is more direct. “This is my last year doing this, so if I want to get that infamous boat race win, then it’s now or never.”

Then there is Kyra Delray, 28, a European A-finalist and world medallist who is racing again after double hip surgery. Oxford’s squad is deep enough that one unnamed insider told the Boat Race programme: “If this was a boxing match it wouldn’t be sanctioned.”

The form line supports the confidence. Oxford won the Fours Head in the autumn by more than 22 seconds over Cambridge, the biggest margin in recent memory.

#### What happened last year

Oxford came into the 2025 race with similar optimism, and chose aggression. Their cox Daniel Orton steered hard from the start. Umpire Matthew Pinsent issued multiple warnings. Before the crews had even cleared the Fulham Wall, they clashed, Cambridge five-seat Sophia Hahn lost her blade, and Pinsent stopped the race.

It was the first restart in Women’s Boat Race history. Pinsent could have disqualified Oxford on the spot. He chose to restart instead, giving Cambridge a third-of-a-length advantage. [Cambridge won by two and a half lengths anyway](https://putney.news/2025/04/14/cambridge-clinches-third-consecutive-double-victory-at-boat-race/).

That result is the context for Long’s quote about doing something different. Oxford tried force in 2025 and it did not work. This year’s crew is built on talent, not tactics.

#### Cambridge’s case

Cambridge’s strength is continuity. Their president Gemma King, 26, is in her eighth year at Cambridge and her seventh consecutive Boat Race crew. She has won five times. “This is my eighth and final year at CUBC,” she writes in the programme, “so doing everything for the last time has felt very strange.”

King’s composure under pressure has been tested before. In the documentary, she sounds almost zen about the challenge. “We can’t control what Oxford are doing. All we can do is make sure that we’ve done everything we can, we’re as fast as we can.”

Behind King, Cambridge have added serious international firepower. Camille VanderMeer won world gold with the USA women’s four in Shanghai and arrived in Cambridge days later. Antonia Galland made her senior debut for the German women’s eight at the 2023 world championships. Cambridge have depth where Oxford have stars, and eight consecutive wins where Oxford have ambition.

Dr Kate Hays, the sports psychologist who has worked with both squads, injects some drama into the showdown: “The hunter has certainly become the hunted.”

#### The men’s race: a quick guide

The men’s race at 3:21pm has its own story. Cambridge president Noam Mouelle is going for a fourth consecutive win, having become the first Black man to race the Boat Race in 2023. He is completing a physics PhD on dark matter. “This year has a special taste to it because I know that there won’t be another year,” he says in the documentary. “I’m making sure that I’m taking this in and enjoying it as much as I can.”

It is also the first time in Boat Race history that both men’s presidents are French, with Oxford’s Tobias Bernard on the other side. Felix Rawlinson, a former under-23 world champion, has switched from Oxford to Cambridge. And Gabriel Obholzer rows for Oxford following his father Rupert, who won a Blue in 1991 and took Olympic bronze at Atlanta in 1996.

#### Saturday, 2:21pm, Putney Bridge

The women’s race is the 80th edition and the 10th on the Tideway since the women moved to the Championship Course in 2015. Oxford won the first two of those races, in 2015 and 2016, but have not won since. Long and her crew believe this is the year that changes.

“It almost is scary to even dream about standing on that podium,” Long says quietly in the documentary. Then, louder: “If Oxford could go out there and win the boat races, that would just be incredible.”

Whether they can remains to be seen. But the women’s race at 2:21pm on Easter Saturday is the one to watch.

🚣 **Our full Boat Race guide page** has everything else you need: [where to stand, transport, pubs and all the build-up](https://putney.news/boat-race-putney/). We also have an [interactive guide to all 36 rowers](https://putney.news/boat-race-2026-crews/) in this year’s crews.

---

*Correction (31 March 2026): An earlier version of this article stated that Oxford had not won any of the ten women’s races on the Tideway since 2015. Oxford won in 2015 and 2016. The sentence has been corrected. Cambridge’s winning streak runs from 2017. Thanks to reader (and former Cambridge cox) Emily Insanally for the correction.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/31/we-have-got-to-do-something-weve-never-done-before/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/31/we-have-got-to-do-something-weve-never-done-before/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%9CWe%20have%20got%20to%20do%20something%20we%E2%80%99ve%20never%20done%20before%E2%80%9D&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/31/we-have-got-to-do-something-weve-never-done-before/)

**Categories:** Boat Race, Rowing

**Tags:** Boat Race, Putney embankment, Rowing

---

### [The Half Moon has a new sign, and for the first time it tells you what the pub is about](https://putney.news/2026/03/31/the-half-moon-has-a-new-sign-and-for-the-first-time-it-tells-you-what-the-pub-is-about/)

**Published:** March 31, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Art deco design with guitar, vinyl and microphone replaces the old text-only board.

**Content:**

The Half Moon’s new signage went up on the front of the building this week, and it is a step up from the old text-only version: an art deco design in gold and dark blue, with a guitar, vinyl record and microphone worked into the artwork and the Young’s ram perched on top.

The old sign just said “The Half Moon.” The new one tells you what the pub is about before you walk in.

![Half Moon new signage](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/half-moon-sign-768x1024.png)Inside, a dozen men have been working flat out for days to get the Lower Richmond Road venue ready in time for its reopening on Easter Saturday.

The pub has been closed for eight weeks for a full refurbishment. It [reopens on Boat Race day, 4 April, with free entry all day and live music from the afternoon](https://putney.news/2026/03/01/the-half-moon-will-be-back-for-boat-race-day-free-entry-live-music-all-night/). We’ve been sticking our head in every few days to see how things are going.

As well as the new signs – something we are reliably informed were “bloody heavy” – the bar has been rebuilt, the gig guide on the outside corner has been rebuilt, a new entrance has appeared where shelving used to be and leads upstairs, there’s a new garden awning and, of course, the glass room on top of the pub that we have yet to get into. From the pavement it certainly looks substantial, a clear statement that the Half Moon is coming back.

![Half Moon renovation](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/half-moon-renovation-1-1024x768.png)With five days to go, the team inside are visibly racing to finish. The pub is one of Putney’s best-known live music venues and its reopening on the biggest day of the year on the embankment will be welcome news for regulars who have been counting the weeks.

🚣 **Our full Boat Race guide page** has everything you need for race day: [where to stand, transport, pubs and all the build-up](https://putney.news/boat-race-putney/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/31/the-half-moon-has-a-new-sign-and-for-the-first-time-it-tells-you-what-the-pub-is-about/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/31/the-half-moon-has-a-new-sign-and-for-the-first-time-it-tells-you-what-the-pub-is-about/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Half%20Moon%20has%20a%20new%20sign%2C%20and%20for%20the%20first%20time%20it%20tells%20you%20what%20the%20pub%20is%20about&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/31/the-half-moon-has-a-new-sign-and-for-the-first-time-it-tells-you-what-the-pub-is-about/)

**Categories:** Pubs, bars and nightlife, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Boat Race, The Half Moon

---

### [Minister who blocked Wimbledon Park amendment now officially backs it](https://putney.news/2026/03/31/minister-who-blocked-wimbledon-park-amendment-now-officially-backs-it/)

**Published:** March 31, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Lords vote on 13 April as opposition mounts from three parties and conservationists.

**Content:**

The House of Lords will vote on 13 April on an amendment to the English Devolution Bill that would remove the legal protections keeping Wimbledon Park in public use – and the government minister responsible is now formally listed as a co-sponsor.

Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, the Housing Minister, had her name printed on Amendment 248 on 20 March, one day after [the High Court ruled against Save Wimbledon Park](https://putney.news/2026/03/20/wimbledon-park-what-the-high-court-ruling-actually-means-and-what-happens-next/) on the statutory trust question. The move completes a journey from opposing the same mechanism in November 2025, through verbal backing in March, to [official co-sponsorship.](https://putney.news/2026/03/07/ministers-blocked-the-aeltc-amendment-in-november-now-they-support-it/)

If the amendment passes, the House of Commons will consider it on 21 April.

> [Wimbledon Park: what the High Court ruling actually means – and what happens next](https://putney.news/2026/03/20/wimbledon-park-what-the-high-court-ruling-actually-means-and-what-happens-next/)

#### Opposition crystallises from three directions

Three moderating amendments have been tabled to limit Amendment 248’s reach.

Amendment 249, tabled by Baroness Pinnock and Baroness Miller, would require the Secretary of State to obtain the consent of the relevant council and carry out meaningful public engagement before removing any open space protections. Amendment 250, from Baroness Scott and Baroness Jamieson, would block any such order until the government had completed a promised review of open spaces law. A further amendment from Lord Lucas would require the Secretary of State to consult any government department likely to be affected and publish the outcome before Parliament.

A review of statutory trust protections that Taylor promised in November has not started. When asked in March why, she said she had been “a bit busy with other legislation.”

The Open Spaces Society, founded in 1865 and England’s oldest conservation body, has called for Amendment 248 to be withdrawn. Helen Monger, the society’s General Secretary, describes it as “premature and flawed.” The society warned that the amendment “in fact goes much further, and could damage green spaces far into the future.” The society says the threat extends well beyond the Wimbledon Park dispute that prompted it.

#### What the amendment does

Amendment 248 would give the Secretary of State the power to remove the legal protections that keep publicly donated land in community use. Councils would have 28 days to show they were complying with any order. If they could not, the Secretary of State would be required to assume they were not. The amendment would reach back in time, covering past land sales as well as future ones, including Merton Council’s sale of the golf course to the AELTC in 1993 for £5.2 million.

[Full background is here.](https://putney.news/2026/03/17/wimbledon-park-the-next-six-weeks-will-decide-everything/)

> [Wimbledon Park: the next six weeks will decide everything](https://putney.news/2026/03/17/wimbledon-park-the-next-six-weeks-will-decide-everything/)

#### SWP responds with alternative proposals

Save Wimbledon Park announced yesterday that it is presenting alternative plans for the golf course site at two public meetings later in April. The proposals have been drawn up by Ken McFarlane, an architect, and Richard Rees, a tennis facilities planner.

The campaign says the plans “offer a better solution to AELTC’s requirements while causing less environmental harm and allowing greater public access.” SWP’s message to its supporters adds that “AELTC should stop and think again.”

The Southfields meeting takes place on Thursday 16 April, 7–9.30pm, at St Barnabas Church, 146 Lavenham Road, SW18 5EP. The Wimbledon meeting is on Wednesday 22 April, 7–9.30pm, at St Marks Church, St Marks Place, SW19 7ND.

#### What happens next

The Amendment 248 debate is scheduled for 13 April, the final day of the Lords Report stage. If it passes, MPs will consider it on 21 April. The bill must complete its full parliamentary passage before the State Opening of Parliament on 13 May.

Local elections take place on 7 May. The outcome in Merton has implications for covenant enforcement, a separate question from the statutory trust argument resolved by the High Court.

---

*Putney.news has covered the Wimbledon Park dispute for over a year. [The full series is here.](https://putney.news/tag/wimbledon-park/)*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/31/minister-who-blocked-wimbledon-park-amendment-now-officially-backs-it/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/31/minister-who-blocked-wimbledon-park-amendment-now-officially-backs-it/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Minister%20who%20blocked%20Wimbledon%20Park%20amendment%20now%20officially%20backs%20it&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/31/minister-who-blocked-wimbledon-park-amendment-now-officially-backs-it/)

**Categories:** Planning, Politics, Southfields, Wimbledon

**Tags:** AELTC, Fleur Anderson MP, Paul Kohler MP, Save Wimbledon Park, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Wandsworth pension fund loses tens of millions as committee keeps noting the problem](https://putney.news/2026/03/30/wandsworth-pension-fund-loses-tens-of-millions-as-committee-keeps-noting-the-problem/)

**Published:** March 30, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** £562m fund underperforms by 10 percentage points over three years while councillors note, consider and review.

**Content:**

A single investment fund holding £562m of Wandsworth’s pension money has underperformed its benchmark by 10.3 percentage points over three years, and the committee responsible for overseeing it has yet to act on its own overseers’ recommendation to reduce exposure.

The pension holders themselves are protected. This is a defined benefit scheme: the teachers, social workers and council staff who pay in receive their guaranteed pension regardless of how the investments perform. But the cost of underperformance does not disappear. It falls on the employers who fund the scheme, and those employers are Wandsworth Council, Richmond Council, and every school and academy in the borough.

The fund is the London CIV Global Equity Focus Fund, managed by Longview Partners. It holds 16.1 per cent of the pension fund’s total assets. Over three years to 31 December 2025, it returned 7.0 per cent against a benchmark of 17.3 per cent, a gap of 10.3 percentage points. Over one year the picture was worse: the fund lost 3.2 per cent while the benchmark gained 13.2 per cent.

For schools, this matters directly. When pension fund returns fall short over time, employer contribution rates rise at the next valuation. Higher pension costs for a primary school in Wandsworth mean less money for teaching assistants, building repairs and classroom resources. The fund is well-funded today, with a surplus of around £500m that is keeping contributions low. But that surplus is exactly what sustained underperformance erodes.

#### Twelve quarters, three meetings, no decision

The committee’s own rules require it to consider action when any active manager holds more than 15 per cent of the fund. This fund has been above that threshold since at least October 2024.

At the October 2024 meeting, the committee noted the position. At the December 2025 meeting, it considered shifting money toward passive management and reviewed the overweight position. No exit decision followed either time.

At the March 2026 meeting, Jenny Buck, Chief Investment Officer at London CIV, told the committee she was “incredibly disappointed” with the fund. It held only about 25 stocks, she said, and her guidance was that they “should be diluting your exposure.” A proposal in the papers would sell some units, but to fund a new gilt allocation, not as a response to [years of underperformance](https://putney.news/2025/09/05/wandsworths-3bn-pension-pot-under-fire-after-costly-fund-failures/).

The committee meets four times a year. Its purpose is to make decisions about the long-term financial security of the fund on behalf of the people who pay into it. The performance data has been on the table for twelve consecutive quarters. The committee’s own Investment Strategy Statement was triggered. The fund’s own overseers recommended action. The output, across three formal meetings, has been to note, consider and review.

The fund’s passive manager, Legal & General, outperformed all three active equity managers this quarter and over one and three years. The committee’s own report noted that over three years, none of the active managers had beaten the passive alternative, and all three had fallen below their benchmark more often than they had met it.

#### £83m locked in a suspended property fund

A second problem sits alongside the equity underperformance. The Schroders Capital UK Real Estate Fund holds £83.3m of pension money and has been below its benchmark for thirteen consecutive quarters.

On 18 December 2025, Schroders temporarily suspended the fund. No dealing is permitted. The money cannot be accessed.

The suspension was triggered by a queue of investors trying to leave and difficulties selling assets quickly enough to pay them. Schroders has since announced a merger with Nuveen, the same company that absorbed a previous Wandsworth property fund investment [after that fund also failed](https://putney.news/2025/04/23/wandsworth-council-pension-fund-mismanagement-exposed/). The merger is subject to regulatory approval. No timeline has been given for releasing Wandsworth’s £83.3m.

#### What this costs the council

Wandsworth Council’s employer contributions are currently falling, from roughly £6.3m in 2025/26 to a projected £5.1m in 2026/27, because the surplus allows it. But the fund already pays out more in pensions than it receives in contributions, relying on investment returns to bridge the gap. When the surplus shrinks, contributions rise, and that pressure lands on a council budget already facing a funding gap and rising council tax.

At the same March meeting, Councillor Craigie, the committee’s deputy chair, calculated that ethical divestment costing 0.2 per cent in long-term growth would mean roughly £6m a year lost to the fund. He called it significant. In the same meeting’s papers, a single fund managing 16 per cent of the fund’s assets had produced a performance gap running into tens of millions over three years.

Craigie himself made the connection. “There are decisions that we see in our own papers that occasionally we lose 6 million quid because of a speculative decision that’s gone wrong,” he said, “or an asset manager that isn’t managing the fund in the same way.”

#### What happens next

The committee that meets in June 2026, after the May local elections, will inherit both positions: an equity fund whose overseers have recommended diluting exposure but where no formal exit decision has been taken, and a property fund that is suspended with no exit timeline.

Scheme employers, including schools and the council, can engage with fund governance through the employer forum described in the fund’s strategy documents. The webcast of the June meeting will be publicly accessible.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/30/wandsworth-pension-fund-loses-tens-of-millions-as-committee-keeps-noting-the-problem/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/30/wandsworth-pension-fund-loses-tens-of-millions-as-committee-keeps-noting-the-problem/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20pension%20fund%20loses%20tens%20of%20millions%20as%20committee%20keeps%20noting%20the%20problem&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/30/wandsworth-pension-fund-loses-tens-of-millions-as-committee-keeps-noting-the-problem/)

**Categories:** Finance

**Tags:** Joint Pensions Committee, Local Pension Board, London CIV, pension fund performance, School Funding, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Champions! Fulham Women clinch title with Craven Cottage victory](https://putney.news/2026/03/30/champions-fulham-women-clinch-title-with-craven-cottage-victory/)

**Published:** March 30, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Steve Jaye's side clinch crown without losing a match – while Harlequins end their Premiership drought.

**Content:**

SPORTS DIGEST: 23-29 March 2026

**Fulham Women are champions. That single sentence belies the scale of what Steve Jaye’s side have achieved. Promoted as champions from Tier 5 last season, they have stormed through Tier 4 without losing a single league match – 18 wins and 2 draws from 20 games – clinching the FA WNL Division One South-East title at Craven Cottage itself with two games still to play.**

**The Cottagers are now two promotions from the Women’s Super League. For a club that dissolved twice and reformed in 2014, the upward trajectory is one of the great stories in Putney sport.**

### FOOTBALL

**FULHAM WOMEN – FA WNL Division One South-East** **Fulham Women 3–0 Milton Keynes Dons Women** (Craven Cottage) — *Sunday, 29 March*

Fulham Women are champions of the FA Women’s National League Division One South-East after a dominant 3-0 victory over Milton Keynes Dons – and they did it at Craven Cottage, the spiritual home of Fulham Football Club.

Centre-back Becky Stormer opened the scoring with a thumping header from a corner, before Ellie Olds doubled the lead with a sharp reaction finish inside the box. Olds then turned provider, finding Stella Gandee Morgan in the box to make it 3-0 before half-time. Fulham were comfortable throughout the second half and could have extended their advantage further, with Dale going close.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/fulham-women-819x1024.jpeg)The title caps a remarkable trajectory for Steve Jaye’s side. Fulham won promotion as champions of the London and South East Regional Women’s Football League last season and have gone straight through the division above without losing a single league match — 18 wins and 2 draws from 20 games, 67 goals scored and just 16 conceded. They are seven points clear of second-placed Norwich City with two games remaining, meaning the title is mathematically sealed: Norwich cannot catch them even by winning both of their remaining fixtures.

Fulham Women now climb to the FA WNL Southern Premier Division (Tier 3) for 2026-27 — back-to-back promotions for a club that was playing in the fifth tier of the women’s pyramid as recently as 2024-25. They are now two promotions away from the Women’s Super League. For a club that dissolved twice and reformed in 2014, it is a story of sustained upward momentum that the Putney area can be genuinely proud of.

**FA WNL Division One South-East — as of Sunday, 29 March 2026**

    Pos Team Pld Pts W D L GD Form     1 ![Fulham](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/team-badges/fulham-fc.png)**Fulham FC Women** 20 **56** 18 2 0 +51 WWWWW   2 Norwich City Women 20 **49** 16 1 3 +40 WWWWL   3 London Bees 20 **38** 12 2 6 +22 —   4 Chatham Town 18 **37** 12 1 5 +29 —   … … … … … … … … …    

*Fulham confirmed as champions — seven points clear with two games remaining. Title mathematically sealed.*

---

#### Chelsea Women survive seven-goal Kingsmeadow thriller as Nusken fires late winner

**CHELSEA WOMEN – Women’s Super League** **Chelsea Women 4–3 Aston Villa Women** (Kingsmeadow) — *Sunday, 29 March*

Sjoeke Nusken’s 82nd-minute strike rescued Chelsea Women in a chaotic seven-goal WSL thriller that kept their fading title defence mathematically alive. Chelsea trail leaders Manchester City by nine points with three games remaining.

The match erupted inside two minutes when Chasity Grant capitalised on a misplaced Lucy Bronze pass to fire Villa ahead. Chelsea responded in devastating fashion, scoring three times in seven minutes: Sam Kerr equalised on 20 minutes, Naomi Girma added a second three minutes later, and Lauren James made it 3-1 on 27. But Villa hit back through Kirsty Hanson, who scored twice in four minutes — on 31 and 35 — to draw level at 3-3 by half-time.

The second half was cagier until Nusken drove home the winner, finishing a clinical team move to seal a pulsating victory that moved Chelsea back into second place.

---

#### Wimbledon well beaten at Stockport as away-day struggles continue

**AFC WIMBLEDON – League One** **Stockport County 3–0 AFC Wimbledon** (Edgeley Park) — *Saturday, 28 March*

AFC Wimbledon’s poor away form continued with a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at promotion-chasing Stockport County. Adama Sidibeh gave the Hatters a second-minute lead, guiding home Ben Osborn’s low cross, before suffering an injury that forced his withdrawal on 28 minutes. His replacement Kyle Wootton needed just eleven minutes on the pitch to double the advantage on 39 minutes after Tanto Olaofe’s driving run and pass. Wimbledon showed more spirit after the break — Ryan Johnson’s header was touched onto the bar by goalkeeper Addai, and Zack Nelson and Kai Jennings both forced good saves — but Oliver Norwood’s left-footed finish from the edge of the area in the seventh minute of stoppage time completed the rout.

Wimbledon remain on 50 points and sit 14th in League One.

---

### INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL

#### White’s poignant comeback undone as Valverde penalty denies England at Wembley

**ENGLAND – International Friendly (World Cup Send-Off Series)** **England 1–1 Uruguay** (Wembley Stadium) — *Friday, 27 March*

Ben White’s return to the England fold after a four-year absence ended in frustration as Federico Valverde converted a stoppage-time penalty to deny the Three Lions victory in the opening match of their World Cup Send-Off Series. White, winning his first cap since March 2022, poked home from a Harvey Barnes corner in the 81st minute to seemingly cap a fairytale comeback — only to then concede the 94th-minute penalty for a foul on Federico Vinas, which Valverde dispatched from the spot.

Thomas Tuchel handed senior debuts to goalkeeper James Trafford and midfielder James Garner in a squad designed to give fringe players a final audition before the summer’s World Cup in North America. England dominated the opening exchanges through Noni Madueke and Dominic Solanke but could not find a breakthrough until White’s late intervention. The draw leaves questions about England’s cutting edge as their final home warm-up against Japan follows on Tuesday.

---

### RUGBY UNION

#### Dombrandt heroics seal Quins’ Cardiff heist as six-game losing streak finally ends

**HARLEQUINS MEN – Premiership Rugby** **Bristol Bears 14–18 Harlequins** (Principality Stadium, Cardiff) — *Saturday, 28 March*

Alex Dombrandt delivered a captain’s performance on every level as Harlequins ended a five-month Premiership losing streak with a gutsy 18-14 victory at Bristol’s spectacular Big Day Out at the Principality Stadium. The number eight scored one try, prevented another with a crucial held-up ball, and forced the decisive late turnover that sealed the result in front of a crowd of 45,119.

Bristol struck first through skipper Fitz Harding, who powered over from close range inside ten minutes after Louis Rees-Zammit had electrified the opening exchanges. Dombrandt responded on 23 minutes with a try of his own, though Jarrod Evans could not add the extras, leaving Quins trailing 7-5 at the break. Evans’ second-half penalty edged Quins ahead before Rodrigo Isgro ran a sharp arcing line to finish under the posts on 59 minutes, Jamie Benson converting to make it 15-7. Steven Luatua’s close-range score on 76 minutes made it 15-14 and set up a nerve-shredding finale — but Dombrandt’s turnover gave Benson the chance to slot the match-clinching penalty with a minute remaining.

The victory closes the gap on eighth-placed Gloucester to just one point and reignites Quins’ hopes of a top-eight finish and Investec Champions Cup qualification.

---

#### Bristol Bears Women end Harlequins’ PWR playoff hopes in Big Day Out curtain-raiser

**HARLEQUINS WOMEN – Premiership Women’s Rugby** **Bristol Bears Women 17–14 Harlequins Women** (Principality Stadium, Cardiff) — *Saturday, 28 March*

Harlequins Women’s top-four aspirations were all but ended as Bristol Bears came from behind to win 17-14 in the curtain-raiser to the Big Day Out — watched by a club-record crowd of 14,020. Beth Wilcock and Aoife Wafer crossed for Quins to establish a 14-5 half-time lead after Christiana Balogun’s early try for Bristol. But Scotland centre Emma Orr turned the match on its head with two second-half tries, the second on 69 minutes finishing a slick backline move to put Bristol 17-14 ahead. Harlequins threw everything forward in a frantic final ten minutes but Bristol’s scrambling defence held firm.

It was a sixth successive defeat for Quins, who move up to fifth on a losing bonus point but — level on points with fourth-placed Sale — have played more games than those around them and have just one fixture remaining.

---

### ROWING

#### Centenary Head of the River Race returns to Putney

The 100th Head of the River Race took place on the Championship Course from Mortlake to Putney on Saturday – a landmark occasion for one of the world’s greatest processional rowing events. Around 400 crews of eight competed on the Thames in the centenary edition, finishing on the Putney Embankment in front of large crowds lining the banks.

[See our earlier story on the results](https://putney.news/2026/03/29/putney-clubs-take-centre-stage-at-centenary-head-of-the-river-race/ "Putney clubs take centre stage at centenary Head of the River Race").

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/30/champions-fulham-women-clinch-title-with-craven-cottage-victory/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/30/champions-fulham-women-clinch-title-with-craven-cottage-victory/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Champions%21%20Fulham%20Women%20clinch%20title%20with%20Craven%20Cottage%20victory&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/30/champions-fulham-women-clinch-title-with-craven-cottage-victory/)

**Categories:** Football, Rowing, Rugby

**Tags:** AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea Women, Fulham Women, Harlequins, Harlequins Women, Rowing, Women's Super League

---

### [The Battersea Bridge tower inquiry is over - here's what it means for the whole borough](https://putney.news/2026/03/30/the-battersea-bridge-tower-inquiry-is-over-heres-what-it-means-for-the-whole-borough/)

**Published:** March 30, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** A developer's argument could undermine height restrictions from Battersea to Putney.

**Content:**

The 29-storey tower beside Battersea Bridge that Mick Jagger called “wrong on every level,” that the council unanimously rejected, and that more than 2,000 residents objected to has just been through a seven-day public inquiry. The developer wants to build it anyway.

The inquiry at Wandsworth Town Hall closed on Friday after two weeks of evidence, cross-examination, and one of the most dramatic confrontations a planning hearing in this borough has produced. An expert witness accused the developer of running a “deceitful” campaign and refused to apologise when the developer’s barrister demanded he withdraw the claim. The Environment Agency intervened at the last minute with concerns about flood defences.

And the developer’s lawyers advanced an argument that, if an inspector accepts it, could undermine height restrictions not just at this site but across the entire borough, including in Putney.

Inspector Joanna Gilbert’s decision is expected in early May. Here is what happened, what the documents reveal, and why it matters well beyond one stretch of riverfront.

#### The scheme

The proposal is to demolish the Glassmill, a tired 1980s office block at 1 Battersea Bridge Road, and replace it with a part 10-storey, part 29-storey tower containing 110 homes. Fifty-four would be social rent, 50% of the total by habitable room. The architect is Farrells. The developer is Promontoria Battersea Limited, a subsidiary of Rockwell Property linked to Cerberus Capital Management, a New York-based private equity firm.

The site is in a mid-rise zone under the Local Plan. The maximum permitted height is six storeys. At 29 storeys and approximately 97 metres, the proposed tower would be nearly five times that limit. It would also be more than double the height allowed in the adjacent tall building zone, which caps at 12 storeys.

![Glassmill Tower proposal](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/glassmill-design-1024x577.png)The space for the tower was described as an opportunity by the developers. Residents were less sure.Rockwell originally proposed a 33-storey tower with 35% affordable housing. In October 2024 it reduced the height and increased the affordable offer to 50%, all social rent. That escalation matters. At 50%, the scheme exceeded the threshold that triggers the GLA’s “fast track” viability route, meaning no viability assessment was required. It also put the developer in the strongest possible position to argue that benefits outweigh harm.

Wandsworth’s planning committee [unanimously refused the application in April 2025](https://putney.news/2025/04/25/massive-victory-for-residents-as-council-kills-battersea-tower-scheme/). Officers had recommended refusal. The GLA declined to call it in. [Rockwell appealed](https://putney.news/2026/01/11/glassmill-battersea-tower-appeal-triggers-heritage-society-legal-response/).

There is only one substantive reason for refusal: the tower’s height and scale would cause significant harm to the character of the area. A second reason, the absence of a completed Section 106 agreement, is procedural and both sides agree it can be resolved.

The entire inquiry turned on a single question: is the harm worth the homes? As [we reported when the inquiry opened](https://putney.news/2026/03/24/the-29-storey-tower-wandsworth-rejected-is-back-in-court-this-week/), both sides came prepared to fight hard. Here is what happened.

> [Massive victory for residents as Council kills Battersea Tower scheme](https://putney.news/2025/04/25/massive-victory-for-residents-as-council-kills-battersea-tower-scheme/)

#### The case for the tower

Russell Harris KC, Rockwell’s lead counsel, opened by framing the case as a housing emergency. The tower would deliver 110 homes, half at social rent, on a brownfield site currently wasting away. The existing Glassmill building, he said, was something “all should be collectively ashamed” of, calling it “a sad hymn” on the riverfront.

Harris argued that the Local Plan does not impose an absolute bar on tall buildings outside designated zones. He pointed to what he described as 12 to 14 pre-application meetings with the council at which, he claimed, officers never once asked for a mid-height building.

His planning witness, Jonathan Marginson of DP9, made the most significant argument of the inquiry. In his proof of evidence, Marginson argued that the draft National Planning Policy Framework published in December 2025 fundamentally changes the weight councils can give to policies restricting density.

The government described the draft as “a truly seismic regearing of the system in support of growth.” Under it, Marginson argued, local policies setting maximum heights would be inconsistent with the new national expectation that development should increase density.

This is Rockwell’s most potent weapon. If accepted, it does not just help this tower. It weakens every height restriction in the Local Plan.

Marginson also pointed to London’s collapsing housing delivery. According to his evidence, London achieved only 4,261 housing completions in 2025/26 against a target of 52,287, just 8.1%.

Peter Barbalov of Farrells presented the design case, including AI-generated views of the tower from positions along the river. The tower, he argued, would sit “comfortably” within the pattern of tall buildings along the Thames. A member of the public gallery laughed during his presentation and was rebuked by Inspector Gilbert.

![Proposed Glassmill Tower](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/glassmill-thames-1024x576.png)#### The case against

The most explosive moments came not from the lawyers but from the community.

Dr Michael Jubb, chair of Wandsworth’s Conservation and Heritage Advisory Committee and a 50-year Battersea resident, gave evidence for the consortium of six civic societies granted Rule 6 party status. Jubb accused Rockwell of running a “deceitful PR campaign,” alleging bogus newsletters, orchestrated pro-forma support letters, and misleading the public.

Harris KC demanded Jubb apologise. He refused: “I will not withdraw from calling the campaign deceitful.”

The allegation is not new. When [the application first came to committee](https://putney.news/2025/04/23/tower-to-be-toppled-at-council-planning-meeting-glassmill-scheme-faces-rejection/), ward councillors noted that many support letters appeared “heavily guided or scripted” with language “many residents would not naturally use.” One interested party told the inquiry that template letters came from addresses as far away as Stoke and Rochdale.

Committee members had also questioned the economics. The applicant, they suggested, “may have paid too much for the site, and were trying to recover these costs via the extreme height of the proposed building.” Their conclusion: “the residents, the Council and the local community should not have to bear the consequences of the decision made by the applicant.”

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea formally objected, calling the tower “discordant, dominant, and oppressive.” Historic England called it “visually intrusive and incongruous.”

In the second week, Joanna Chambers, Wandsworth’s planning expert, described the tower as “overbearing.” “Brownfield land has to be developed, of course,” she said, “but it has to be the right scheme.”

A dramatic late intervention came on day six when the Environment Agency emailed the inspector. EA planning adviser Shea Bunyan warned that Rockwell must prove the scheme would not damage Thames flood defences less than 16 metres from the site. Harris KC said a full flood risk assessment had already been done. But the intervention added a new uncertainty.

Both sides had agreed that Wandsworth has a 5.5-year housing land supply. This means the “tilted balance,” which gives developers the benefit of the doubt where councils cannot show a five-year supply, does not apply. Wandsworth’s Housing Delivery Test score of 112% also shows the borough is meeting its targets.

![Glassmill Tower height diagram](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/glassmill-height-1024x575.png)#### What hasn’t received as much attention

Several pieces of evidence in the inquiry documents deserve a closer look.

The independent Design Review Panel rejected the case for height at this site twice. In December 2023, reviewing the original 38-storey version, the panel stated: “Whilst we are not against height per se, we are not convinced on the need for height in this location.” In its second review, of a 33-storey version, it remained “unconvinced” and noted the benefits were “not sufficient to justify a building of this height.”

The reduced 29-storey scheme was never shown to the Design Review Panel before it was submitted.

The Arup Urban Design Study that underpins the Local Plan is explicit. Heights along this stretch of riverfront are “at capacity.” Buildings should “step down towards the approaches to the listed Battersea Bridge and Albert Bridge to maintain their visual prominence.” The developer’s proposal does the opposite.

There is also the question of how tall this building actually is. Dr Jubb pointed out that at 97 metres, the tower is significantly taller than 29 standard residential storeys. At the three-metre floor height assumed in the Local Plan, 29 storeys would be 87 metres. The developer’s description of “29 storeys” does not capture the full scale.

Rockwell’s “bridge marker” argument, that the tower would serve as a landmark signalling the location of Battersea Bridge, was challenged directly. Dr Jubb called the claim “partial and misleading, even where it is not simply wrong.” As he put it: “Any tall tower anywhere would provide a reference point. That is not a reason for building one.”

#### The closing arguments

On the final day, three closing statements set the battle lines for the inspector.

William Walton, for the civic societies, argued the tower would cause “substantial harm” and called the consultation campaign “deceitful.” He warned the scheme could “open the floodgates to more high-rises.”

Douglas Edwards KC, for Wandsworth, argued London’s housing need “is addressed strategically through the London Plan, not by individual speculative applications.”

Harris KC delivered his closing over 85 minutes. The tower would “enhance” the Thames. The Local Plan was “out of date.” Suggestions of a lower building were “a confection, implausible and undeliverable.”

#### The council’s own record

Wandsworth is defending its Local Plan at this inquiry. But its recent record on tall buildings tells a different story.

In March 2025, the council [approved a 29-storey tower at the former gasworks site on Swandon Way](https://putney.news/2025/03/29/controversial-29-storey-tower-approved-for-former-gasworks-site-despite-fierce-opposition/) despite fierce opposition, in a zone where the Local Plan anticipated far less height. It was pushed through because of the affordable housing it promised. Nearby, an even older approval is now making itself felt: the Wandsworth Mills tower, approved in 2013, is [rising visibly above the Putney skyline](https://putney.news/2026/02/21/that-enormous-concrete-finger-with-the-pink-tip-heres-what-it-is/).

> [Controversial 29-storey tower approved for former gasworks site despite fierce opposition](https://putney.news/2025/03/29/controversial-29-storey-tower-approved-for-former-gasworks-site-despite-fierce-opposition/)

It is not an isolated case. The council [broke its own rules to push through a hotel deal](https://putney.news/2025/06/26/council-breaks-own-rules-to-push-through-luxury-hotel-deal/) nearby. A [student tower approval raised questions about a hidden financial arrangement](https://putney.news/2025/08/26/missing-200k-fuels-suspicions-of-hidden-deal-on-student-tower/). The pattern is consistent: when the prize is large enough, the Local Plan’s protections have proved negotiable.

Rockwell’s escalation from 35% affordable to 50% social rent looks like a developer that has studied this pattern and drawn the logical conclusion. If height limits can be overridden when enough affordable housing is offered, the rational strategy is to keep increasing the offer until it becomes impossible to refuse.

Wandsworth did refuse this one, unanimously. But a developer making the case that height limits should not stand in the way of housing delivery will find helpful evidence in the council’s own decisions. If the inspector looks at what Wandsworth says about its Local Plan and what it does with it, the two pictures do not match.

> [Council breaks own rules to push through luxury hotel deal](https://putney.news/2025/06/26/council-breaks-own-rules-to-push-through-luxury-hotel-deal/)

#### What to watch for

The inspector’s decision, expected in early May, turns on several questions.

Does Policy LP4 impose an absolute bar on tall buildings outside designated zones? If the inspector reads it as a blanket prohibition, Rockwell’s case is extremely difficult. If she reads it as a strong presumption that can be overcome, the door opens.

How much weight does the draft NPPF carry? This is the argument with the widest consequences. If it is given material weight, it weakens height policies across the borough.

Is “significant harm” the same as “substantial harm”? The council’s reason for refusal uses “significant harm.” The NPPF says brownfield sites should be approved “unless substantial harm would be caused.” Whether the inspector treats these as the same could be decisive.

Do the benefits outweigh the harm? Fifty-four social rent homes is not a trivial benefit. The inspector will weigh it against harm to a sensitive stretch of Thames riverfront, multiple heritage sites, and the integrity of a Local Plan adopted less than three years ago.

What precedent would approval set? If a 29-storey tower is permitted on a site zoned for six storeys, what does that mean for every other height restriction in the borough?

The inspector’s decision is expected in early May, roughly five weeks from now. It will be published on the Planning Inspectorate’s website. We will provide full analysis when it is released. The [Glassmill appeal core documents](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/glassmill-planning-appeal/glassmill-planning-appeal-core-documents/) are available for public inspection.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/30/the-battersea-bridge-tower-inquiry-is-over-heres-what-it-means-for-the-whole-borough/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/30/the-battersea-bridge-tower-inquiry-is-over-heres-what-it-means-for-the-whole-borough/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Battersea%20Bridge%20tower%20inquiry%20is%20over%20%E2%80%93%20here%E2%80%99s%20what%20it%20means%20for%20the%20whole%20borough&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/30/the-battersea-bridge-tower-inquiry-is-over-heres-what-it-means-for-the-whole-borough/)

**Categories:** Battersea, Planning

**Tags:** Battersea, CHAC, planning, Planning Applications Committee, Putney Society, Wandsworth Local Plan

---

### [Fawe Park Road's secret garden: 137 years old, full of wildlife, and about to go official](https://putney.news/2026/03/29/fawe-park-roads-secret-garden-137-years-old-full-of-wildlife-and-about-to-go-official/)

**Published:** March 29, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Network Rail wants to turn the remains of a Victorian flying junction into a community nature reserve.

**Content:**

Buying a house that backs onto a railway line is one of those decisions people agonise over. The noise, the vibration, the feeling of living on the edge of something industrial. But residents on the even-numbered side of Fawe Park Road have always had a secret: between their back garden fences and the nearest track, there is a huge strip of green space, dense with trees and scrub, alive with birds and insects, thick enough to muffle the sound of passing trains and rich enough to support the kind of wildlife most Londoners never see. Most have probably never thought much about why it is there.

The answer turns out to be remarkable. The green strip is the remains of a Victorian flying junction, built in 1889, whose track was ripped up more than 35 years ago. It already has formal nature conservation protection. And now Network Rail wants to turn it into a nature reserve.

The strip runs in a long curve from near East Putney station towards the main line at Putney, roughly 400 metres long and up to 50 metres wide at its broadest point. Laid out straight, it would stretch the length of four football pitches, tucked behind a residential street. It traces the route of a railway track that was ripped up more than 35 years ago. In those three and a half decades, nature has done what nature does when left alone. Secondary woodland has grown up on the old embankment. Dense scrub provides cover for nesting birds. The kind of undisturbed grassland margins that support invertebrates, slow-worms and hedgehogs have established themselves along the edges.

> [New research: 27% can’t reach green space in 15 minutes. Putney can. Here’s the plan to keep it that way.](https://putney.news/2026/02/26/new-research-27-cant-reach-green-space-in-15-minutes-putney-can-heres-the-plan-to-keep-it-that-way/)

London’s disused railway corridors are some of the most ecologically valuable habitats in the city. The Zoological Society of London has deployed camera traps on Network Rail land in nearby Barnes, documenting the wildlife that thrives on railway margins. Foxes, badgers, bats and over 20 species of butterfly have been recorded on similar corridors elsewhere in the capital. The Fawe Park Road strip, left undisturbed for so long, will almost certainly hold the same kind of biodiversity, though no formal ecological survey has yet been carried out. That could change soon: the council’s borough-wide resurvey of designated wildlife sites is due to begin this year, and Network Rail’s own plans would likely require a survey of the land.

What makes this particular strip remarkable is that Wandsworth Council has already recognised its value. The corridor is designated a Borough Grade II Site of Importance for Nature Conservation, carried forward in the Local Plan adopted in July 2023. That designation gives the land formal planning protection. It means its wildlife value is officially acknowledged, even if most of the 381 residents on Fawe Park Road have no idea. The council’s [Wild Wandsworth biodiversity plan](https://putney.news/2026/02/26/new-research-27-cant-reach-green-space-in-15-minutes-putney-can-heres-the-plan-to-keep-it-that-way/), approved in February, commits to a full resurvey of all designated wildlife sites across the borough between 2026 and 2028. The Fawe Park Road corridor is one of them.

The designation was not uncontested. During the Local Plan examination in October 2022, a developer called Northport FPR Limited argued that the council had never physically inspected these railway sites and was applying a blanket approach. The inspector disagreed. The designation stands.

![Old train tracks visible in what is now a nature reserve behind Fawe Park Road.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/fawe-park-road-old-train-tracks-1024x575.png)Old train tracks and a knocked-down viaduct highlighted in orange in what is now a nature reserve behind Fawe Park Road.#### How it got here

The green strip exists because of a Victorian corporate rivalry. In 1889, the London and South Western Railway opened a connection between its main line at Point Pleasant Junction, near Wandsworth Town, and the new District Railway route to Wimbledon via East Putney. The engineers built a flying junction, with the eastbound track crossing over the main line on a viaduct. For a while, you could catch a train from Waterloo to Wimbledon this way, 12 services a day alongside the District’s own trains.

It did not last. Passenger numbers were poor from the start. The Southern Railway pulled the regular service on 4 May 1941 as a wartime economy measure. It was never reinstated. The route carried freight and empty trains for decades afterwards, but by the late 1980s the viaduct was in poor condition. Around 1987, engineers inspected the bridge and found it unfit for trains. The eastbound track was lifted and the viaduct deck demolished around 1990.

![Woodlands Bridge - abandoned viaduct. Pic: David Beak](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/abadoned-viaduct-fawe-park-1024x710.png)Woodlands Bridge – abandoned viaduct. Pic: David BeakThe brick piers of that viaduct are still standing. You can see them from Woodlands Bridge, the pedestrian footbridge near the western end of Fawe Park Road, with shrubs growing out of the brickwork. The curved strip of green behind the gardens is the old approach ramp, the route the track took as it climbed to cross the main line. British Rail [sold the East Putney to Wimbledon line to London Underground for £1](https://putney.news/2025/11/09/last-ride-for-londons-most-reliable-workhorse-class-455-farewell-tour-includes-rarely-seen-ghost-line-through-putney/) in 1994, but the dismantled section was already out of use.

The connection itself is still there. South Western Railway runs around three empty trains through it every day, mostly before dawn, to keep drivers familiar with the route. If you have ever wondered about the ghost trains that pass through East Putney in the small hours, that is what they are.

> [Last ride for London’s most reliable workhorse: Class 455 farewell tour includes rarely-seen ghost line through Putney](https://putney.news/2025/11/09/last-ride-for-londons-most-reliable-workhorse-class-455-farewell-tour-includes-rarely-seen-ghost-line-through-putney/)

#### How it has been done before

London has a rich history of turning abandoned railway land into nature reserves.

Gunnersbury Triangle, near Chiswick Park station, was the first site in a UK city where a public inquiry ruled in favour of nature conservation over commercial development. That was in 1983. Hounslow Council bought the land from British Rail and it is now managed by the London Wildlife Trust. Railway Fields in Haringey, barely a hectare in size, was declared a Local Nature Reserve in 1990 and now supports over 200 plant species and 21 species of butterfly. Parkland Walk, London’s longest Local Nature Reserve at 7.2 kilometres, follows a former railway through Haringey and Islington.

Perhaps the most instructive example is Garthorne Road in Lewisham, where the council manages a nature reserve on land it licences from Network Rail. The railway land remains in railway ownership, but functions as a community green space. This is essentially the model Network Rail is now proposing for Fawe Park Road.

If Network Rail’s plans go ahead, the next steps are well established. An ecological survey would confirm what is living there. A partnership with Wandsworth Council would provide the legal framework. Under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, the council can declare a Local Nature Reserve on any land in which it has a legal interest, after consulting Natural England. A community group, often a Friends of the site, typically forms alongside the process.

The policy environment supports exactly this kind of move. The London Plan identifies vegetated railway corridors as important urban habitats. Mandatory biodiversity net gain, in force since 2024, strengthens the case for preserving such sites. And Network Rail’s own biodiversity action plan commits to no net loss on its land, recognising its 53,000 hectares as a network of green corridors connecting fragmented habitats across the country.

Who actually owns the Fawe Park Road strip is a genuine question. The boundary between TfL’s land and Network Rail’s runs somewhere through the area where the connection diverges from the main line, but the exact division would need a Land Registry search to confirm.

What is clear is that Network Rail is already moving. Jack Wharton, the company’s Senior Public Affairs Manager for the Wessex Route, told the Wandsworth Passenger Transport Liaison Group this week that Network Rail was exploring the possibility of turning the land into a nature reserve site. There were a few hoops to go through internally, he said, but Network Rail planned to reach out to the council about a potential partnership in the coming months.

The wild green curve behind the garden fence is not neglected land waiting for something to happen to it. It is 137 years of railway history, 35 years of rewilding, a conservation designation that already exists, and now an infrastructure owner that wants to do something with it.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/29/fawe-park-roads-secret-garden-137-years-old-full-of-wildlife-and-about-to-go-official/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/29/fawe-park-roads-secret-garden-137-years-old-full-of-wildlife-and-about-to-go-official/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Fawe%20Park%20Road%E2%80%99s%20secret%20garden%3A%20137%20years%20old%2C%20full%20of%20wildlife%2C%20and%20about%20to%20go%20official&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/29/fawe-park-roads-secret-garden-137-years-old-full-of-wildlife-and-about-to-go-official/)

**Categories:** Environment, Thamesfield

**Tags:** biodiversity, District Line, East Putney, TfL, Wandsworth Council, Wild Wandsworth

---

### [Putney clubs take centre stage at centenary Head of the River Race](https://putney.news/2026/03/29/putney-clubs-take-centre-stage-at-centenary-head-of-the-river-race/)

**Published:** March 29, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Local derby decided by 3.4 seconds as Putney Embankment clubs finish third and fifth in field of over 370.

**Content:**

London Rowing Club claimed their most prestigious trophy in years on Saturday as the Thames’s biggest annual rowing event celebrated its 100th anniversary on home water.

London RC finished third overall at the Head of the River Race (the men’s equivalent of a marathon, run over 4.25 miles from Mortlake to Putney Bridge) and won the Vernon Trophy, awarded to the fastest club crew based on the Tideway. Their time of 17 minutes 10.7 seconds edged out neighbours and two-time holders Thames Rowing Club by 3.4 seconds, in what amounted to a local derby decided by the width of a few strokes.

Both clubs are based on Putney Embankment, within metres of each other and within sight of the finish line.

The result was closer than recent form suggested. London had beaten Thames by three lengths in the Bowstead Challenge Cup the previous weekend, but the two clubs produced a far tighter contest on race day.

Thames finished fifth overall in 17:14.1. It was a strong performance in a large international field that included Olympic athletes racing in club colours, but not strong enough to keep the Vernon Trophy on their side of the boathouse.

![The London Rowing Club's A crew for the race](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/lrc-a6-1024x826.png)The London Rowing Club’s A crew for the race. Pic: LRCPutney Town Rowing Club also had multiple crews in the race, their A boat finishing 91st overall.

At the front of the field, Leander Club won the Fairbairn Trophy (the overall prize) for a third consecutive year, finishing in 16:47.5. Oxford Brookes University were runners-up for the third year running, 8.9 seconds back.

The centenary race attracted over 370 crews from across the UK and internationally, with the procession of boats passing through Putney from around 12:30pm. It was the first of three consecutive weekends of racing on this stretch of the Thames: the Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge follows on 4 April.

Saturday’s result completed a strong fortnight for Putney rowing. Two weeks ago, the Women’s Eights Head (the largest women’s rowing race in the world) brought nearly 3,000 competitors through Putney, with local clubs including Putney Town represented in the field. The day before that, Putney High School finished second in the girls’ open first eights at the Schools’ Head of the River Race.

The London RC crew that won the Vernon Trophy was: Rory Copus (cox), Sean O’Mahony (stroke), Tom Cross, Thibby Verdin-Mulot, Isaac Workman, George Lauchlan, Ben Edmondson, Rui Xu, Edoardo Marshall (bow).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/29/putney-clubs-take-centre-stage-at-centenary-head-of-the-river-race/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/29/putney-clubs-take-centre-stage-at-centenary-head-of-the-river-race/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20clubs%20take%20centre%20stage%20at%20centenary%20Head%20of%20the%20River%20Race&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/29/putney-clubs-take-centre-stage-at-centenary-head-of-the-river-race/)

**Categories:** Rowing

**Tags:** Boat Race, Putney embankment, Rowing

---

### [Putney Embankment reopens just in time for the Boat Race](https://putney.news/2026/03/28/putney-embankment-reopens-just-in-time-for-the-boat-race/)

**Published:** March 28, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** But it's closing again immediately after...

**Content:**

Putney Embankment, the best free spot to watch the start of the Boat Race, has reopened after months of closure for super sewer handover work.

The riverside path is now open and will stay that way right up to race day on Saturday 4 April, when Oxford and Cambridge line up at the university stone roughly halfway along the embankment. For anyone who has never watched from here: this is the spot. You can practically count the blades going into the water.

The embankment had been fenced off since late last year, not for construction but for something arguably more frustrating: paperwork. The contractor that built the Thames Tideway tunnel has been working through a long sequence of tests, inspections and sign-offs before Thames Water can take operational control. On Friday morning, a group of workers in high-vis were out on scaffolding bolted to the outside of the structure, running what they hoped were among the final checks.

![Putney Embankment
](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/putney-embankment-1-1024x768.png)The site supervisor, philosophical about the drawn-out process, told *Putney.news* that the crew were keen to finish the testing so they could “get on with building elsewhere.” He provided an expletive to stress the sentiment that they want it over and done as much as residents do.

After the Boat Race, the embankment will close again for roughly one more month while the handover is completed. Once Thames Water takes over, that should be it.

This is the third chapter of a story we have been following since December, when [wire fencing first appeared around the riverside park](https://putney.news/2025/12/03/why-wire-fencing-surrounds-putneys-riverside-park-this-week/). By the end of that month, [the closure had stretched well beyond what residents were told to expect](https://putney.news/2025/12/27/three-weeks-and-counting-putney-park-closure-raises-super-sewer-questions/).

Now, at least, there is a clear end in sight. And the timing could not be better: the [Boat Race](https://putney.news/boat-race-putney/) is a week today.

![Putney Embankment
](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/putney-embankment-2-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/28/putney-embankment-reopens-just-in-time-for-the-boat-race/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/28/putney-embankment-reopens-just-in-time-for-the-boat-race/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20Embankment%20reopens%20just%20in%20time%20for%20the%20Boat%20Race&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/28/putney-embankment-reopens-just-in-time-for-the-boat-race/)

**Categories:** Boat Race, Planning, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Boat Race, Putney embankment, Rowing, Thames Water

---

### [Wandsworth shot down a chance to reopen Hammersmith Bridge. Then said nothing for a year.](https://putney.news/2026/03/28/wandsworth-shot-down-a-chance-to-reopen-hammersmith-bridge-then-said-nothing-for-a-year/)

**Published:** March 28, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** DfT documents reveal the council refused to contribute to repairs three days after a public rally demanding action.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council shot down a chance to reopen Hammersmith Bridge because it would have meant putting money in, new documents reveal. The bridge has been closed for seven years.

The Department for Transport’s own notes of a ministerial meeting in January 2025 show that when the leader of Hammersmith and Fulham offered to open talks about sharing the repair costs, Wandsworth’s representative refused on the spot, saying the council had “no money.”

The council has since approved plans to borrow £870 million for housing, including a single £65 million land purchase at Battersea Power Station. Its reserves at the time were just under £200m.

Three days earlier, council leader Simon Hogg, transport cabinet member Jenny Yates and Putney MP Fleur Anderson had stood together at a public rally in Putney demanding urgent action on the bridge. The council has never told residents what it said in the room three days later.

*Putney.news* obtained the [notes](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Annex-A-TF-notes-30-Jan-25.pdf) \[pdf\] after the DfT twice refused to release them. They reveal what happened when the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce met on 30 January 2025.

According to the notes, Hammersmith and Fulham leader Cllr Stephen Cowan made the offer directly. The Taskforce had met 20 times since 2020 without resolving how to pay for repairs. This was its first meeting in four years, and Wandsworth was at the table for the first time.

#### A breakthrough opportunity

Cowan’s offer to discuss sharing the cost was the closest anyone had come to breaking the deadlock. According to the notes, Wandsworth’s cabinet member did not ask for time to consider the offer or suggest taking it back to the council. The response, as recorded by DfT officials, was two words: “no money.”

The representative then disputed Hammersmith and Fulham’s traffic figures, claiming traffic had increased. DfT data obtained by *Putney.news* [shows the opposite](https://putney.news/2025/11/16/why-putney-is-paralysed-eight-failures-creating-londons-traffic-nightmare/). The Taskforce has not met since.

![A meeting in January 2025.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hammersmith-bridge-umbraco.png)Council leader Simon Hogg, transport cabinet member Jenny Yates and Putney MP Fleur Anderson at Wandsworth Council’s public rally on 27 January 2025, three days before the council’s representative told a ministerial meeting it had ‘no money’ to contribute to reopening the bridge. The council never told the people in this room what it said at that meeting.The DfT notes do not name the Wandsworth attendee, referring only to a “cabinet member.” The Cabinet Member for Transport at the time was Cllr Jenny Yates, who is also Roehampton’s ward councillor. We wrote to Cllr Yates directly, and to the council’s press office, over a week ago asking them for their version of events. Neither has responded.

Remarkably, before refusing to contribute, Wandsworth’s representative had told the meeting what the closure was doing to Roehampton – Cllr Yates’ own ward – no train option, bus services dramatically cut, a deprived community. She described the problem, then refused to help pay for the solution.

At the rally, Hogg had called for “urgent and decisive action to fund and deliver the repairs.” After the Taskforce meeting, the council published nothing and no statement was issued.

#### A year of silence

The notes record that a follow-up was planned for March 2025, once engineering surveys came back. That survey work was due in February or March of that year. The follow-up [never happened](https://putney.news/2026/03/03/after-seven-years-a-minister-finally-says-hammersmith-bridge-would-be-a-good-candidate-for-funding/). It is now March 2026.

According to the DfT officials’ notes, those at the meeting treated the Spending Review as their last chance to secure funding. One warning recorded in the notes said that without it, the bridge would be “outside of the decision making process for a few more years.” The Spending Review passed on 11 June 2025 with no commitment to Hammersmith Bridge.

The DfT’s own background briefing confirms the government’s previous funding pledge had already lapsed. “This funding arrangement expired in April 2024,” the document states, referring to the government’s one-third contribution towards repair costs. No replacement has been announced. A new national fund for structural repairs was subsequently created, but its eligibility rules have not been published.

> [After seven years, a minister finally says Hammersmith Bridge “would be a good candidate” for funding](https://putney.news/2026/03/03/after-seven-years-a-minister-finally-says-hammersmith-bridge-would-be-a-good-candidate-for-funding/)

#### The money Wandsworth does have

The £870 million housing borrowing breaks down as £200 million for repairs to existing stock and £670 million for new housing, according to the council’s own financial papers from December 2025. The [£81.8 million Battersea Power Station deal](https://putney.news/2025/10/13/hammersmith-ticks-billion-pound-tunnel-wish-list-while-the-bridge-stays-shut/) was approved by the same cabinet in the same month.

The council held £193.9 million in cash reserves as of April 2025. Its transport committee generates a net surplus of £2.5 million a year from parking charges. Neither the transport budget nor the growth strategy document mentions Hammersmith Bridge.

Hammersmith and Fulham has spent roughly £48 million on the bridge since 2020. The Department for Transport has contributed about £12.3 million.

#### What Wandsworth was asked

We put five questions to Cllr Yates: whether she attended the meeting, whether the “no money” response was hers, how she reconciled raising Roehampton’s problems while refusing to contribute, why the council’s position was never disclosed to residents, and whether Wandsworth had pressed for the Taskforce to reconvene.

The request was sent on 20 March – over a week ago. No response has been received.

#### What happens next

The bridge remains closed. The Taskforce has no date for its next meeting. The national repair fund’s criteria have not been published. Nobody from Wandsworth Council has explained what happened in that room.

*Putney.news* has challenged the DfT’s decision to continue withholding parts of the documents, including the estimated cost of individual repair options. That challenge is pending.

We obtained these documents \[[Annex A](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Annex-A-TF-notes-30-Jan-25.pdf) | [Annex B](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Annex-B-Hammersmith-Bridge-Background-Briefing-Timeline.pdf)\] under the Freedom of Information Act after the DfT twice refused to release them.

The bridge closed in April 2019. It once carried 22,000 vehicles a day. Wandsworth was offered a chance to help bring them back. It said no.

**Accountability Statement**

**We contacted:** Cabinet member for Transport Jenny Yates, and cc’ed Wandsworth Council.

**Request sent:** **20 March 2026**

---

**Cllr Jenny Yates**

*Cabinet member for Transport*

**Status:** *No response received.*

Questions asked (click to expand)
*1. Did you attend the 30 January 2025 Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce meeting as Wandsworth Council’s representative? If you did not attend, please tell us who did.*

*2. The DfT officials’ notes record that when Hammersmith and Fulham Council leader Cllr Stephen Cowan offered to open a conversation about a financial contribution from Wandsworth towards bridge restoration costs, Wandsworth’s representative responded that the council had no money to contribute. Was this your response? If so, can you explain Wandsworth’s position, given that the council held approximately £194 million in general fund reserves at the time and has since approved plans to borrow up to £870 million for housing over the next decade, including £65 million for a single land purchase at Battersea Power Station?*

*3. The DfT officials’ notes record that Wandsworth’s representative raised the impact on Roehampton at the same meeting — noting there is no train option, that bus routes had been dramatically cut, and that the community is deprived. You represent Roehampton as its ward councillor. Can you explain how you reconcile identifying those concerns at the meeting while declining to contribute financially towards a solution?*

*4. Three days before the Taskforce meeting, Wandsworth Council held a public meeting in Putney at which Council Leader Simon Hogg called for “urgent and decisive action to fund and deliver the repairs.” Following the Taskforce meeting on 30 January, Wandsworth published no public statement about what was discussed or about the council’s position on contributing financially. Why was this not disclosed to residents?*

*5. The DfT officials’ notes record that the next Taskforce meeting was planned for March 2025, following geotechnical work due back in February/March of that year. It is now March 2026 and the Taskforce has not met. Has Wandsworth Council taken any steps in the past year to request or press for the Taskforce to reconvene?*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/28/wandsworth-shot-down-a-chance-to-reopen-hammersmith-bridge-then-said-nothing-for-a-year/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/28/wandsworth-shot-down-a-chance-to-reopen-hammersmith-bridge-then-said-nothing-for-a-year/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20shot%20down%20a%20chance%20to%20reopen%20Hammersmith%20Bridge.%20Then%20said%20nothing%20for%20a%20year.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/28/wandsworth-shot-down-a-chance-to-reopen-hammersmith-bridge-then-said-nothing-for-a-year/)

**Categories:** Politics, Roehampton, Transport

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Jenny Yates, Cllr Simon Hogg, Fleur Anderson MP, FOI, Hammersmith and Fulham Council, Hammersmith Bridge, Roehampton, Wandsworth Council

---

### [From Putney Bridge to Mortlake: what you'll see and when on Boat Race day](https://putney.news/2026/03/28/from-putney-bridge-to-mortlake-what-youll-see-and-when-on-boat-race-day/)

**Published:** March 28, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** The full timetable, every checkpoint and the times that tell you it's a fast race.

**Content:**

Race day in Putney starts earlier than most people think. This year it falls on Easter Saturday, the first time the race has landed on Easter weekend in several years, which means the day has more going on around it than usual.

The first activity on the embankment is at 10:30 on Saturday morning, a full four hours before the women’s race begins, and the day builds steadily from there. This is a guide to every stage of it, timed so you know what to look for wherever you’re standing.

> 🚣 **Everything you need for Boat Race day in Putney**, where to stand, which pubs open early, transport tips and all the build-up, is on our dedicated [Boat Race guide page](https://putney.news/boat-race-putney/).

#### The timetable

Putney Embankment closes to traffic from 8:30am to 5pm. Here is the full schedule for the day.

TimeWhat happens10:30Festival of Rowing flotilla leaves Mortlake heading for Putney11:00Fan parks open at Furnivall Gardens and Bishop’s Park11:15Festival of Rowing arrives in Putney12:15Women’s coin toss on Putney Embankment12:50Men’s coin toss on Putney Embankment13:30Channel 4 broadcast coverage begins14:21Women’s Boat Race14:36Women’s reserve race (Blondie v Osiris)14:51Men’s reserve race (Goldie v Isis)15:21Men’s Boat RaceThis is Channel 4’s first year as the Boat Race broadcaster, taking over from the BBC. Coverage starts at 1:30pm.

The coin toss is worth watching if you are on the embankment. A 200-year-old gold sovereign determines which station each crew rows from, and last year’s toss drew a large crowd. The women’s toss is at 12:15, the men’s at 12:50.

#### The course, bend by bend

The Championship Course runs 4.25 miles from Putney Bridge to Chiswick Bridge near Mortlake. The start is tide-dependent, timed to catch the incoming flood so the current helps the crews rather than fighting them.

If you are standing on Putney Embankment, you will see the start and the first frantic minute of racing. After that, the crews disappear around the Fulham bend. But the course has five timed checkpoints, and if you know the record splits, you can follow along and tell whether you are watching a fast race.

Here are the segment records for both races.

**Men’s segment records**

CheckpointRecord timeWho set itMile Post3:31Cambridge 1993 and Oxford 1978 (shared)Hammersmith Bridge6:20Cambridge 1998Chiswick Steps9:56Cambridge 1998Barnes Bridge13:32Cambridge 1998Finish16:19Cambridge 1998Cambridge’s 1998 crew hold every men’s segment record from Hammersmith Bridge onwards. Their overall time of 16 minutes 19 seconds has stood for 28 years.

**Women’s segment records**

CheckpointRecord timeWho set itMile Post4:00Cambridge 2017 and Cambridge 2022 (shared)Hammersmith Bridge7:06Cambridge 2022Chiswick Steps11:15Cambridge 2022Barnes Bridge15:13Cambridge 2022Finish18:23Cambridge 2022Cambridge’s 2022 crew hold every women’s segment record from Hammersmith onwards and share the Mile Post record with the 2017 crew. If the women pass the Mile Post faster than four minutes, you are watching something special.

The men’s Mile Post record is a curiosity: 3 minutes 31 seconds, shared by Cambridge in 1993 and Oxford in 1978, fifteen years apart and never beaten since.

#### What the bends mean

The Championship Course is not straight. The big bends at Fulham, Hammersmith and Barnes create a tactical advantage for the crew on the inside of each turn.

The crew that wins the coin toss chooses their station (Surrey or Middlesex), and the choice matters. Surrey gives the inside line on the first long bend past Fulham, while Middlesex favours the later bends toward Barnes. The conventional wisdom is that Surrey is the better station: get ahead early and control the race from the front.

Last year Oxford’s women chose Surrey and steered aggressively from the start, drawing multiple warnings from umpire Matthew Pinsent before a blade clash forced the first restart in Women’s Boat Race history. [Cambridge won by two and a half lengths anyway](https://putney.news/2025/04/14/cambridge-clinches-third-consecutive-double-victory-at-boat-race/). Station choice sets the story of every race, and you will see it play out in real time from the embankment.

#### Before you arrive

A few practical things the timetable does not tell you.

Chapel Down is running an Airstream bar outside Dulwich College Boathouse on Putney Embankment. Printed souvenir programmes will be on sale along the embankment and at the fan parks. [The Half Moon](https://putney.news/2026/03/01/the-half-moon-will-be-back-for-boat-race-day-free-entry-live-music-all-night/) on Lower Richmond Road reopens on race day after an eight-week refurbishment, with free entry all day and live music from the afternoon.

The lightweight and veterans’ races take place on the Friday (3 April) on the same course, with much smaller crowds. If you want to see close racing without fighting through 200,000 spectators, Friday is the insider option.

The [Boat Race documentary series Turning The Tide](https://www.theboatrace.org/turningthetide) is free to watch on YouTube and worth seeing before Saturday. Episode 3, released last week, follows both presidents in the final build-up and gives you the characters to watch for when the crews walk out.

Saturday’s women’s race at 14:21 is the first on the water and, this year, has the stronger storyline. We will have a full preview of that race later this week.

🚣 **Our full Boat Race guide page** has everything else you need: [where to stand, transport, pubs and all the build-up](https://putney.news/boat-race-putney/). We also have an [interactive guide to all 36 rowers](https://putney.news/boat-race-2026-crews/) in this year’s crews.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/28/from-putney-bridge-to-mortlake-what-youll-see-and-when-on-boat-race-day/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/28/from-putney-bridge-to-mortlake-what-youll-see-and-when-on-boat-race-day/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=From%20Putney%20Bridge%20to%20Mortlake%3A%20what%20you%E2%80%99ll%20see%20and%20when%20on%20Boat%20Race%20day&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/28/from-putney-bridge-to-mortlake-what-youll-see-and-when-on-boat-race-day/)

**Categories:** Boat Race, Live events, Rowing

**Tags:** Boat Race, Putney embankment, Rowing, The Half Moon

---

### [The £5m programme Wandsworth won't let you verify](https://putney.news/2026/03/27/the-5m-programme-wandsworth-wont-let-you-verify/)

**Published:** March 27, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Council publishes two press releases in six days promoting Access for All while refusing to release the underlying data.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has spent the past year refusing to release data on its flagship Access for All programme. In the past week, it has published two press releases boasting about the scheme’s success, citing figures nobody outside the council can check.

The council claims 100,000 bookings, 93,000 leisure centre visits, and more than 12,000 enrolled members. It calls Access for All “Britain’s best concession scheme.” It has never provided evidence for any of these claims beyond headline numbers, and is currently the subject of an active Information Commissioner’s Office complaint over its refusal to do so.

The complaint, brought by *Putney.news*, follows a year-long FOI battle in which the council has blocked, delayed, and stonewalled requests for the programme’s actual usage data. It delayed one request for six months by promising all the detail would be provided in a Cabinet report but when the report was finally published, [it did not contain the information promised](https://putney.news/2025/09/24/council-hids-devastating-and-hilarious-waste-in-flagship-5m-programme/).

#### What the council won’t tell you

We have asked Wandsworth Council for three things: year-by-year usage data from the programme’s launch in July 2023, the number of people who have actually used the service, and any internal evaluation of whether Access for All actually works. The council refused.

When the only report on the three-year £5m scheme ([Paper 25-322](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/25-322-Update-on-the-Progress-of-the-Councils-Access-for-All-Programme-Paper-No.-25-322.pdf) \[pdf\]) was published, it covered only four months of the expanded scheme, contained no Phase 1 data whatsoever (two years, missing), provided transaction counts but no unique user figures, and admitted that a member survey had not yet been conducted (it ran an [online survey](https://haveyoursay.citizenspace.com/wandsworthced/afa-24/) for one month in October 2024 and won’t release the results).

The council’s own technology makes the missing data all the more telling. Every member carries a QR-coded card that creates “a live profile” each time it is scanned. The system tracks individual usage. The council knows exactly who is using Access for All, how often, and for what. It simply refuses to share that information.

> [Council hides devastating – and hilarious – waste in flagship £5m programme](https://putney.news/2025/09/24/council-hids-devastating-and-hilarious-waste-in-flagship-5m-programme/)

#### Numbers that don’t add up

The 18 March press release [announced](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-march-2026/wandsworth-s-access-for-all-scheme-reaches-100-000-resident-bookings/) “more than 11,000” enrolled members and said the scheme was gaining “around 250 new members a week.” Six days later, the 24 March [release](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-march-2026/wellbeing-boost-through-access-for-all/) put membership at “more than 12,000.” At 250 a week, the scheme would have gained roughly 214 members in six days, not 1,000.

The headline figure of 100,000 bookings tells a similar story. Without unique user data, it is meaningless as a measure of reach. We don’t how many people that are enrolled actually use the programme. We don’t know how usage is spread: are a large number of people using the discounted services occasionally, or are a small number of people heavy repeat users? The council refuses to say. The programme has also failed to define was success looks like, set any goals or metrics, introduce evaluation criteria, or undertake any user surveys.

![Access for all programme](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/access-for-all.jpg)Meanwhile, the programme has been steadily expanded into increasingly marginal territory. It now covers e-bikes and e-scooters through Lime, Forest, and Voi, fishing permits (two used in four months), allotments (two), hall hire (zero), and Putney School of Art (three enrolments). In one promotional push it offered cut-price fireworks tickets. Each new addition inflates the list of “offers” the council can promote, whether or not anyone uses them. The programme is funded by a £4.85 million reserve. Of that, the latest figures we have show that £2.98 million has been allocated and £1.87 million remains.

#### A council with a credibility problem

This pattern is familiar. Earlier this month, the UK Statistics Authority wrote to Council Leader Simon Hogg to tell him his repeated claims to have frozen council tax were [misleading residents](https://putney.news/2026/03/24/busted-stats-watchdog-mauls-wandsworth-over-council-tax-freeze-lie/). A *Putney.news* [fact-check of the council’s pre-election leaflet](https://putney.news/2026/03/16/fact-check-the-claims-in-wandsworths-council-tax-leaflet/) found all four financial claims did not withstand scrutiny. The council’s official response [confirmed rather than rebutted](https://putney.news/2026/03/22/wandsworths-response-to-our-fact-check-makes-things-worse-not-better/) the original findings.

Access for All fits the same mould: big claims, no verifiable data, and active resistance to anyone trying to check. When Paper 25-322 went to Cabinet on 22 September 2025, the recommendation was simply to “note” the report. [No questions were asked](https://putney.news/2025/09/23/no-questions-no-scrutiny-1-9m-gone-in-20-seconds/). No scrutiny was applied. The ICO complaint remains the only mechanism through which the public might eventually see the numbers behind the slogans.

> [Fact-check: The claims in Wandsworth’s council tax leaflet](https://putney.news/2026/03/16/fact-check-the-claims-in-wandsworths-council-tax-leaflet/)

#### The people are real. The question is whether the council’s story is.

The case studies in the press releases are genuine. Georgina, 60, is using Access for All to study art at Putney School of Art and Design. Dave, 75, says he could not afford classes without it. Ellen, 75, calls the scheme “wonderful.” Suzanne, 82, uses her allotment discount to help cover the cost of getting to her plot.

Nobody disputes that Access for All helps the people it reaches. The question is whether a council spending £4.85 million of public money on a programme it calls “Britain’s best” should be required to prove it, rather than simply assert it, six weeks before voters go to the polls.

---

#### What to do if you think you’re eligible

Access for All is open to Wandsworth residents receiving certain benefits or on low incomes. You can [check eligibility](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/access-for-all/access-for-all-eligibility/) and [apply for membership](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/access-for-all/apply-access-for-all-membership/) on the council’s website, or contact the team at .

If you want to see the data behind the council’s claims, you can [file your own FOI request](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/) through WhatDoTheyKnow or directly to the council’s FOI team.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/27/the-5m-programme-wandsworth-wont-let-you-verify/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/27/the-5m-programme-wandsworth-wont-let-you-verify/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20%C2%A35m%20programme%20Wandsworth%20won%E2%80%99t%20let%20you%20verify&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/27/the-5m-programme-wandsworth-wont-let-you-verify/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** Access for All, accountability, Cllr Simon Hogg, FOI, ICO, transparency, Wandsworth Council

---

### [East Putney bridge noise 'over the worst' but contractor problems persist](https://putney.news/2026/03/27/east-putney-bridge-noise-over-the-worst-but-contractor-problems-persist/)

**Published:** March 27, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Council official went to site himself after unattended generator went off during afternoon.

**Content:**

The noisiest phase of the East Putney bridge cleaning is over, the council’s head of transport told a council committee this week. But a generator left running with no contractor on site to stop it, hours before the meeting, showed the management problems residents flagged weeks ago persist.

David Tiddley, Wandsworth Council’s head of transport strategy, [told](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1077320) the Passenger Transport Liaison Group that the jet-washing and heavy machinery work on the two railway bridges over Upper Richmond Road was now complete. The remaining work would use hand tools and should be less intrusive, he said.

[Residents described the overnight works as “hell on earth”](https://putney.news/2026/03/12/hell-on-earth-east-putney-residents-kept-awake-until-5am-by-bridge-works/) when they began earlier this month. The jet-washers ran from 10pm to 5am, keeping families awake and prompting complaints to the council, Network Rail, and local MPs. The council’s press release had promised the overnight schedule would “minimise disruption.”

Nobody from the council has apologised.

> [‘Hell on earth’: East Putney residents kept awake until 5am by bridge works](https://putney.news/2026/03/12/hell-on-earth-east-putney-residents-kept-awake-until-5am-by-bridge-works/)

#### A generator with no one watching

Hours before the meeting, a generator at the bridge site went off with no contractor present to stop it. Tiddley told the committee he went to the site himself, and it took several hours to get the contractor, M Group, to turn it off.

“I have still got complaints coming in occasionally and I’ve had one today relating to the noisy generator that went off without warning this afternoon,” he said. “There were still a few issues that we need to make sure we stay on top of.”

Cllr Jenny Yates, the cabinet member for transport who chaired the meeting, thanked Tiddley for his efforts to keep noise and disturbance to a minimum. She did not mention residents’ complaints.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/east-putney-bridge-tube-2-768x1024.png)#### What happens next

The works are expected to continue for a few more weeks. Network Rail owns the bridges and its contractors are carrying out the cleaning, with the council coordinating. One bridge is Network Rail’s, the other belongs to TfL, which operates the District Line through East Putney. Some works on the TfL bridge cannot start until 1am, further constraining the schedule.

The refurbishment was [first promised in 2016](https://putney.news/2026/01/05/eight-years-after-promising-artwork-east-putney-bridge-finally-getting-a-lick-of-paint/) and finally started this month, a decade after councillors backed plans to clean up what was then described as a “damp, dirty and unattractive” area.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/27/east-putney-bridge-noise-over-the-worst-but-contractor-problems-persist/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/27/east-putney-bridge-noise-over-the-worst-but-contractor-problems-persist/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=East%20Putney%20bridge%20noise%20%E2%80%98over%20the%20worst%E2%80%99%20but%20contractor%20problems%20persist&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/27/east-putney-bridge-noise-over-the-worst-but-contractor-problems-persist/)

**Categories:** East Putney, Transport

**Tags:** Cllr Jenny Yates, District Line, East Putney, TfL, Upper Richmond Road

---

### [Overstretched local police teams combine to seize 20 vehicles](https://putney.news/2026/03/27/overstretched-local-police-teams-combine-to-seize-20-vehicles/)

**Published:** March 27, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Joint operation on Trinity Road shows what neighbourhood officers can do together.

**Content:**

Police seized around 20 vehicles during a road safety operation on Trinity Road on this week, with Putney’s local team among three neighbourhood units involved.

Officers from the Southfields, Westhill and Putney Safer Neighbourhood Teams ran the operation under Op Cubo, a long-running Metropolitan Police programme that uses automatic number plate recognition cameras to flag problem vehicles in real time.

Those stopped on Trinity Road, SW18, were found to be driving without insurance, without a licence, or outside the conditions of their licence. Officers also identified immigration-related violations.

The operation brought together three wards that do not routinely work on enforcement together. We have reported extensively on the pressures facing local policing, including officers in East Putney [admitting last year](https://putney.news/2025/10/10/overstretched-east-putney-police-admit-theyre-powerless-to-stop-thefts/) that they were “powerless to stop thefts” because of resourcing constraints. A proactive operation producing concrete results offers a different picture.

PC Robert Quijano Amigo, based in Southfields ward, reported the results through the Met’s community alert system.

Anyone who wants to report a road traffic concern can call 101 or visit met.police.uk.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/27/overstretched-local-police-teams-combine-to-seize-20-vehicles/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/27/overstretched-local-police-teams-combine-to-seize-20-vehicles/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Overstretched%20local%20police%20teams%20combine%20to%20seize%2020%20vehicles&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/27/overstretched-local-police-teams-combine-to-seize-20-vehicles/)

**Categories:** Crime, Wandsworth

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, road safety

---

### [Focus Hall reopens in Roehampton as Alton Estate gets two rare signs of progress](https://putney.news/2026/03/26/focus-hall-reopens-in-roehampton-as-alton-estate-gets-two-rare-signs-of-progress/)

**Published:** March 26, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** After 20 years of abandoned plans, a refurbished community hall and a visible historic temple.

**Content:**

Focus Hall on the Alton Estate reopens today after a major refurbishment. A few hundred metres away, new fencing around the Mount Clare campus has made the [Grade II\*-listed Doric Temple](https://putney.news/2025/11/07/how-putney-lost-a-victorian-treasure-and-wandsworth-abandoned-its-heritage/) visible from the road for the first time in years.

Neither will make any headlines beyond this one. But for residents of an estate that has endured two decades of grand plans, abandoned schemes and political upheaval, they are the kind of small, tangible change that people can actually see.

The community hall at 57 Minstead Gardens is marking its relaunch with a full day of free creative health activities and an official ribbon cutting at 2pm. Many residents on the estate do not know the building exists.

The programme runs from 10am to 4.30pm. Morning sessions include chair yoga and a journalling for wellbeing workshop. At lunchtime there is a drumming workshop run by Sanctuary for Sisterhood, head and shoulder massages, and food from Chantelle’s Kitchen. After the ribbon cutting, Ascend and Bloom CIC lead a dance session, followed by after-school activities from 3pm including facepainting, popcorn, games and music. Throughout the day there will also be bunting making, a community exhibition, a 3D printing demonstration, gardening activities and outdoor games.

Focus Hall sits among the Minstead Gardens sheltered housing bungalows, 35 homes built in the 1960s that back onto Richmond Park. The hall, also known locally as the DARA Club, is not well known even by locals. A 2018 blog post by the Roehampton community site roeregeneration noted that many Alton Estate residents were not aware of where the building was. The council’s own clubrooms page still lists it as closed. A new Community Clubroom Assistant, Sherret Angus, has been appointed to run the space.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/focus-hall-1024x768.png)#### Two decades of plans

The Alton Estate has been waiting for something to happen since at least 2006. Three separate regeneration plans have collapsed. The most recent under the Conservatives, a joint venture with developer Redrow for 1,108 homes, fell apart when Redrow pulled out citing costs.

When Labour took control of Wandsworth in 2022, ending 44 years of Conservative rule, it scrapped the Redrow scheme and started again. The new Alton Renewal Plan went to a resident ballot last autumn. Of those eligible, 34% voted yes, 7% voted no, and nearly 60% did not vote at all.

Earlier this month, the council’s planning committee [approved the first phase](https://putney.news/2026/03/11/legal-warning-lands-two-days-before-roehampton-planning-vote/): a nine-storey block on Danebury Avenue delivering 55 council homes alongside a new library, GP surgery and youth space. The old Co-op building on the site is still standing. Whether it gets demolished, and when, depends on money the council does not currently have.

Wandsworth goes to the polls on 7 May. The same administration may not be in power a month from now. The last time political control changed, the previous Alton plan was scrapped. There is no guarantee this one will survive either.

> [How Putney lost a Victorian treasure and Wandsworth abandoned its heritage](https://putney.news/2025/11/07/how-putney-lost-a-victorian-treasure-and-wandsworth-abandoned-its-heritage/)

#### The temple behind the fence

The Doric Temple in the grounds of Mount Clare is one of Roehampton’s most significant historic structures: a Grade II\*-listed Greek temple dating from the 1760s, possibly designed by Sir William Chambers, with a frescoed ceiling and sculptured panels. It was moved to the Mount Clare estate from Bessborough House in 1913.

![Doric Temple](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/temple-visible.jpeg)Visible for the first time in years: the Doric TempleLast November, *Putney.news* reported that the temple was in “very bad” condition, vandalised in 2017, secured but awaiting restoration funding. It sat behind temporary fencing, invisible from the road. New fencing installed this month has at least made it visible again, though it remains inaccessible to the public.

It is a small thing. But on an estate where change has been promised for 20 years, the things that have actually changed this month are a community hall and a fence. For now, that will have to do.

![The Doric Temple peeking out](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/doric-temple-peeking-out-768x1024.png)The Focus Hall relaunch is free, open to all ages, and no booking is needed for most activities. The journalling workshop requires registration in advance by emailing Laura Bassett at bugbearworkshops@gmail.com. There is no disabled access to the top floor of the building. The event is organised in partnership with Welcome to Wandsworth, the London Borough of Culture 2025 programme.

Focus Hall is at 57 Minstead Gardens, London SW15 4ER. For more information, contact  or call 0208 871 5505.

![Back of the Doric Temple](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/doric-temple-rear-1024x768.png)The back of the Doric Temple: secluded, cut off and overgrown [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/26/focus-hall-reopens-in-roehampton-as-alton-estate-gets-two-rare-signs-of-progress/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/26/focus-hall-reopens-in-roehampton-as-alton-estate-gets-two-rare-signs-of-progress/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Focus%20Hall%20reopens%20in%20Roehampton%20as%20Alton%20Estate%20gets%20two%20rare%20signs%20of%20progress&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/26/focus-hall-reopens-in-roehampton-as-alton-estate-gets-two-rare-signs-of-progress/)

**Categories:** Community, Roehampton

**Tags:** Alton Estate, Alton Renewal Plan, community, planning, Roehampton, Wandsworth Council

---

### [The conservation area appraisal says side extensions "are not encouraged." Now there is one.](https://putney.news/2026/03/26/the-conservation-area-appraisal-says-side-extensions-are-not-encouraged-now-there-is-one/)

**Published:** March 26, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** A locally listed Victorian villa on Charlwood Road faces a test of Wandsworth's own rules.

**Content:**

Walk down Charlwood Road on any morning and you understand immediately why it has a conservation area. The semi-detached Victorian villas sit in pairs, separated by open gaps that let you see through to the gardens beyond. It has, as the council’s own planning document puts it, “an almost rural feel.” The gaps are the point.

Number 34 is one of those villas. Three storeys, yellow brick, locally listed since 1983, part of a group of four matching houses at 34 to 40 that have stood unaltered from the street since Henry Scarth built them sometime between 1830 and 1860. The gap between number 34 and its neighbour at number 32 is currently open and undeveloped.

A planning application now proposes to fill it.

The proposal ([2026/0440](https://planning2.wandsworth.gov.uk/planningcase/comments.aspx?case=2026/0440)) would erect a 4.5-metre side extension into that gap, raising roughly 2.5 metres above the party wall with number 32, which is itself a locally listed building. It would also replace the existing low front boundary wall and hedgerow with a wall raised to head height (1.7 metres), topped with metal railings and an electric sliding gate, where every other property on the street has a low boundary and open hedgerow, and pave the front garden with limestone herringbone.

Twelve residents have commented so far; 11 object. So does the Putney Society. And so, in its own words, does Wandsworth Council’s adopted conservation area appraisal, the planning document that says side extensions on Charlwood Road “are not encouraged.”

The application goes to planning committee as soon as next month. Comments are still being accepted.

![Before and after: the proposed changed from entry and wall](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/before-after-34-charlwood-front-1024x497.png)The existing front elevation (left) and the proposed treatment (right), showing the new head-height boundary wall, cast iron railings with Fleur-de-Lys finials, and sliding vehicle gate. The Putney Society says it is “the exact opposite” of what the conservation area requires.#### A house with a history

Number 34 has been empty since around 2019. The vacancy has a story behind it.

The previous owner was Joan Sutcliffe, an artist and former air hostess who had lived at the house for decades (neighbours believe her parents may have owned it before her). She divided her later years between Putney, a house in Lymington, Hampshire, and a property in France. Her 2011 will left the bulk of her estate, valued at over £5 million, to her stepdaughter Bridget Spencer and her three children. Her paintings were to go to Putney School of Art.

Then Joan fell in France in 2017. That same year, a Lymington neighbour she had never previously mentioned to family or friends made what her stepdaughter’s barrister would later describe in court as a “sudden” appearance in her life. Mark Pidsley, the former secretary of the town’s Royal British Legion, drove Joan to Putney, stayed for several days, took her to medical appointments, and began going through her paperwork. A power of attorney followed. In March 2019, a new will was drawn up leaving almost everything in England to Pidsley and his son David. Bridget Spencer’s share was cut to £10,000.

![34 Charlwood Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/34-charlwood-road-6-768x1024.png)Joan died in September 2020, aged 90. Her stepdaughter went to the High Court, claiming the 2019 will was forged. The court heard that the two named witnesses, Christopher Parker and a Ms Pollack, came forward to say they had not witnessed Joan sign the will in their presence. Pidsley had allegedly told Parker he had done “an awful lot” for him and was “calling on him” to sign a letter setting out what the barrister described as a fictitious account of events. Pidsley and his son denied everything, insisting the will was valid and properly executed.

The case was settled by consent order on 30 May 2024. The 2019 will was declared invalid. The 2011 will was upheld as Joan’s last true will. The Putney house went on the market and sold to the current owners, Miss Spanswick, in October 2025. It had stood empty for the better part of six years.

The applicant’s heritage statement uses the property’s condition (genuinely poor, as neighbours confirm) as part of the planning balance argument, describing it as in “great need of refurbishment and restoration.” That is a fair point. The current owners have no connection to the inheritance dispute. But the vacancy that left it to deteriorate was not of their making, or Joan’s.

![34 Charlwood Road
](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/before-after-34-charlwood-lower-floor.png)Lower ground floor plans: existing (left) and proposed (right), showing the extent of the new side extension filling the gap between number 34 and its neighbour at number 32.#### What the council’s own document says

Charlwood Road has been a conservation area since September 1988. The council adopted its [appraisal and management strategy](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/charlwood_lifford_caa_ms.pdf) \[pdf\] in March 2010, and it is unusually specific about what it wants to protect.

On side extensions, paragraph 2.18 states:

> “Side extensions are not encouraged as they interrupt the architects’ original intention to give quality to the street by creating spaciousness between the houses.”

On the gaps themselves, paragraph 5.4 states:

> “The gaps between the semi-detached pairs allow glimpses to large rear gardens which are generally well planted and verdant.”

These are not vague aspirations. They describe exactly what is proposed at number 34, and exactly what the appraisal says should not happen. Nikolaus Pevsner, in his Buildings of England survey of south London, independently singled out Charlwood Road’s stuccoed villas of around 1850 as “especially good,” a rare compliment in a book not given to them.

The appraisal also has things to say about the front garden. Hard surfaces “should not be made more extensive and wherever possible the surfaces should be reduced and more planting introduced.” The proposal replaces tarmac and gravel with limestone paving, introduces no planting, and erects a wall raised to head height (1.7 metres) with electric sliding gate that, according to every objector who mentions it, appears nowhere else on the street.

The heritage statement describes the railings’ Fleur-de-Lys finials as keeping the frontage “in keeping with the character of the conservation area.” The Putney Society disagrees.

![34 Charlwood](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/34-charlwood-2-1024x768.png)#### What objectors say

Objections have been arriving since the portal opened, and they are not gentle. The Putney Society, in a formal letter from Buildings Panel convenor Andrew Catto, frames the proposal against the street’s recent history: “We see \[the approved development at number 48\] as a warning about how easily that spacious and almost rural character and the important gaps between houses can be damaged.”

On the front boundary, Catto is precise: “This completely fails to understand that what makes Charlwood Road one of our most cherished conservation areas is the almost continuous hedgerow behind those low walls, where nobody else seems to need a gate.”

Simon Acland, a 32-year resident at number 42, calls the gate and wall already installed at number 48 “a ghastly eyesore which should never have been allowed to go ahead.” That earlier approval, after over 50 objections, remains a raw memory on the street.

The applicant’s heritage statement cites five previous approvals as precedent for what is proposed. Graeme Butterworth, who lives at number 32 with the best view of what would be built, has gone through each one. Three of the five involved no side extension visible from the street at all. The other two, at numbers 44 and 48, replaced existing garages, where the gap was already compromised. None filled open, undeveloped land. The heritage statement also cites Butterworth’s own 2012 extension as precedent. His response: it involved rear works and a lean-to replacement kept below party wall height. Not, he says, the same thing.

Mark Thomson, at number 24, makes the same point independently. The proposed extension, he writes, is “a completely new extension that does not replace an existing building, fills the gap to the neighbouring locally listed property at 32 Charlwood Road and will loom several feet above the party wall.” Approval, Thomson warns, would set “a terrible precedent for new and substantial side extensions” along the entire conservation area.

![34 Charlwood](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/before-after-34-charlwood-1024x570.png)Architect’s drawings showing the existing front elevation (left) and proposed (right). The annotations note rooflights and cast iron railings — but objectors say the overall treatment is out of character with a street where every other property has a low wall and open hedgerow.#### The 43A comparison

One month before this application opened for comment, the council refused a separate application at 43A Charlwood Road for a rear extension. The refusal, issued on 10 February 2026, cited the extension’s tendency to “erode the original fenestration, roof, and symmetry of the semi-detached pair.” That decision is now at appeal.

It matters here because several objectors raise exactly the same pair-symmetry argument about number 34: that the side extension would unbalance the relationship between 34 and 36, and disturb the unity of the four-house group. If the council refused 43A partly on symmetry grounds, and then approves 34 despite the same argument being made, it will need to explain the difference. The physical impacts are not identical. The 43A refusal was about rear bulk, while the objections here centre on a side gap and the specific prohibition in paragraph 2.18. But the symmetry thread runs through both, on the same street, decided months apart.

#### The application is at committee

This will not be decided quietly by a planning officer. The case is expected to go to planning committee, where a decision will be made in public by elected councillors.

The current ward councillors for Thamesfield are Ethan Brooks, James Jeffreys, and John Locker, all Conservatives. But with local elections in May, it’s not clear who will be the area’s councillors or who will sit on the planning committee, or even which party will be in charge (the current Labour administration has repeatedly run roughshod over local planning rules in its efforts to get additional homes into the borough).

The public comment period on the planning portal closes on 27 March 2026, though the site notice gives a deadline of 3 April. The application reference is 2026/0440. [Comments can be added at planning.wandsworth.gov.uk](https://planning2.wandsworth.gov.uk/planningcase/comments.aspx?case=2026/0440).

---

*This is the second story in our planning investigations series. The first [examined 103B Clarendon Drive](https://putney.news/2026/03/20/they-want-to-house-nine-people-in-23-square-metres-the-street-objected-135-times-its-the-councils-application/), where the council was simultaneously the applicant and the decision-maker in a proposed nine-person flat conversion that drew 135 objections from local residents. We are also looking at a controversial application in Southfields on Elsenham Road.*

*If you have a planning application you want us to take a closer look at, email: [news@putney.news.](http://news@putney.news.)*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/26/the-conservation-area-appraisal-says-side-extensions-are-not-encouraged-now-there-is-one/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/26/the-conservation-area-appraisal-says-side-extensions-are-not-encouraged-now-there-is-one/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20conservation%20area%20appraisal%20says%20side%20extensions%20%E2%80%9Care%20not%20encouraged.%E2%80%9D%20Now%20there%20is%20one.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/26/the-conservation-area-appraisal-says-side-extensions-are-not-encouraged-now-there-is-one/)

**Categories:** Planning, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Cllr Ethan Brooks, Cllr John Locker, planning, Putney Society, thamesfield, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth pension members waited up to 18 months for transfers, FOI reveals](https://putney.news/2026/03/26/wandsworth-pension-members-waited-up-to-18-months-for-transfers-foi-reveals/)

**Published:** March 26, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** The council's improvement plan: "New jobholders are addressing backlogs".

**Content:**

One Wandsworth pension fund member waited 445 working days to get their money moved. The target is 15.

That figure, disclosed under a Freedom of Information request, covers the same six months in which the council’s Local Pension Board was told that its handling of pension transfers had reached “an excellent standard.”

A pension transfer is the process by which a member moves their pension pot into or out of the Wandsworth scheme, typically when changing jobs or retiring. Of 1,225 transfers handled between July and December 2025, 389 took longer than the 15-working-day target. Of those, 209 took more than 90 working days (roughly four and a half months); sixty-one ran beyond 181 working days.

In February, [the pension board demanded an improvement plan](https://putney.news/2026/02/20/pension-board-demands-improvement-for-how-people-get-their-money-but-sets-no-deadline/) but set no deadline and, as we reported at the time, never asked how long members had actually been waiting. The FOI response, received this month, now answers that question.

The council’s improvement plan, provided in full, reads: “New jobholders are addressing backlogs.”

#### The data behind the delays

The FOI asked the council for a breakdown of all transfers handled between July and December 2025. The figures show that most people were dealt with quickly. The typical wait was 8 working days for those paying money in and 9.5 working days for those moving money out. That matters, because it means most members were not badly affected.

What the figures also show, however, is that a smaller group of people were left waiting for months, pulling the averages sharply upward. On average, those paying money in waited 31.3 working days (more than twice the target). Those moving money out waited 45.5 working days on average (three times the target).

At the extreme end, one person paying money in waited 445 working days. One person moving money out waited 425.

Time bandPaying inMoving out0–30 days (within target)308 (71%)528 (67%)31–60 days72 (17%)60 (8%)61–90 days11 (3%)37 (5%)91–180 days26 (6%)122 (15%)181+ days16 (4%)45 (6%)**Total****433****792***Source: WBC-FOI-12453, Wandsworth Council, 4 March 2026*

#### What the council said

The FOI also asked why things had gone wrong and what was being done about it. The council gave its explanation in writing: “Vacancies then training new jobholders.” No extra staff or resources have been brought in since July 2025.

When asked whether an action plan had been drawn up to get back to the 98% target (including the plan’s title, target date, and key actions), the council’s complete answer was: “New jobholders are addressing backlogs.”

This is the context in which that answer sits. At the board meeting on 9 February, chair Richard Perry proposed a more realistic approach: lower, temporary targets showing gradual improvement over two to three years rather than holding to a 98% benchmark the service currently has no prospect of meeting. Officers said they would come back with plans. No date was set for when that would happen.

The difficulties involved are genuine. [*Putney.news* reported in February](https://putney.news/2026/02/04/wandsworth-officers-called-pension-transfer-crisis-excellent-performance/) that a legal ruling known as the McCloud remedy required the government to recalculate pension entitlements for a large number of public sector workers. The council’s software had not been updated to handle those calculations, so staff had to do much of the work by hand. That remains a significant factor in the delays.

> [Wandsworth officers called pension transfer crisis ‘excellent performance’](https://putney.news/2026/02/04/wandsworth-officers-called-pension-transfer-crisis-excellent-performance/)

#### No complaints

The FOI also asked how many formal complaints the Pensions Shared Service (the team that handles pension administration for Wandsworth and Richmond) received about transfer delays between July and December 2025. The answer was zero.

That figure covers a period when 209 people waited more than 90 working days. Whether it reflects satisfaction, resignation, or simply not knowing that a complaints process exists is not something the FOI can answer.

We reported in both previous stories that members experiencing delays can contact the pensions team directly and, if necessary, take their complaint to the Pensions Ombudsman. The FOI data suggests very few have done so.

The board asked for an improvement plan to be brought to a future meeting. Whether board members will ask harder questions than they did in February, about timelines, milestones, and what is being said to people currently waiting, remains to be seen.

The next Local Pension Board meeting has not yet been announced.

---

#### What you can do

If you are a Wandsworth pension fund member and your transfer has been delayed:

**Contact the pensions team** directly to ask for an update and request a timeline in writing: 020 8871 6594 or 

**Make a formal complaint** to Wandsworth Council: [www.wandsworth.gov.uk/make-a-complaint](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/make-a-complaint)

**Take your complaint further** to the Pensions Ombudsman if it is not resolved: [www.pensions-ombudsman.org.uk/making-complaint](https://www.pensions-ombudsman.org.uk/making-complaint)

**Report governance concerns** to the Pensions Regulator: [www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/contact-us](https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/contact-us)

**Request your personal records** held by the council: [www.wandsworth.gov.uk/the-council/open-data-and-transparency/accessing-information/accessing-your-personal-information-subject-access-request/](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/the-council/open-data-and-transparency/accessing-information/accessing-your-personal-information-subject-access-request/)

---

#### Accountability statement

We contacted Cllr Angela Ireland (Cabinet Member for Finance) and Paul Guilliotti (Director of Financial Services) on 20 March 2026 and asked the five questions below. We received no response.

**Questions asked:**

1. Does the council stand by the “excellent standard” characterisation in light of the FOI data?
2. Can the council provide further detail on the improvement plan, including interim milestones and a target date for returning to full compliance?
3. Why have no additional resources been allocated since July 2025?
4. Are members being proactively informed when their transfer is significantly delayed?
5. The Local Pension Board paper cited 479 cases affected by transfer delays between July and December 2025. The FOI response covering the same period shows 1,225 total transfers processed, of which 389 exceeded the target. Could the council help us understand the difference between those two figures?

---

*Putney.news submitted FOI request WBC-FOI-12453 to Wandsworth Council on 5 February 2026. The council acknowledged receipt the same day and responded on 4 March 2026.*

*For background on this investigation, see: [Wandsworth’s pension warning: risky bets, red flags, and no public access](https://putney.news/2025/06/05/wandsworths-pension-warning-risky-bets-red-flags-and-no-public-access/) (June 2025)*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/26/wandsworth-pension-members-waited-up-to-18-months-for-transfers-foi-reveals/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/26/wandsworth-pension-members-waited-up-to-18-months-for-transfers-foi-reveals/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20pension%20members%20waited%20up%20to%2018%20months%20for%20transfers%2C%20FOI%20reveals&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/26/wandsworth-pension-members-waited-up-to-18-months-for-transfers-foi-reveals/)

**Categories:** Finance

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Angela Ireland, FOI, investigation, Local Pension Board, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Blake's Heaven teleports out of Lower Richmond Road](https://putney.news/2026/03/25/blakes-heaven-teleports-out-of-lower-richmond-road/)

**Published:** March 25, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** The sci-fi memorabilia store has closed after two years — but the owner is already searching for a new Wandsworth home.

**Content:**

The windows are papered over at Blake’s Heaven. A Cyberman head stares out from behind the glass. Most of the stock is gone.

The memorabilia and sci-fi store has been a fixture on Lower Richmond Road for just over two years, the kind of shop that makes you slow down and look even if you were never planning to stop. The name is a play on Blake’s Seven, the BBC sci-fi series, and the stock matched the spirit: collectibles, figures, the kind of shop that makes a street worth exploring, the thing only an independent would do.

At one point there was a full-size Dalek outside. It had controls so you could move it. The asking price, it turned out, was not £995 but £9,995. Sci-fi memorabilia does not come cheap.

Now the lease is up, and Blake’s Heaven is leaving.

But it is not disappearing. The owner was philosophical about it. “End of the lease,” he said. “We’re going to find somewhere else in Wandsworth.”

That is the important line. This is a move, not a closure. The search for a new home is already under way, and whoever ends up with Blake’s Heaven on their street should count themselves lucky.

![Pop-up on Lower Richmond Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/lower-richmond-pop-up-1-1024x768.png)Lower Richmond Road, meanwhile, keeps moving. A few doors along, the pop-up corner at number 48 (which has cycled through a series of short-term tenants, mostly ladies’ clothing) is between occupants again, but not for long. A new pop-up is expected within the next two weeks.

We wrote about LRR earlier this week – the Half Moon being almost ready to reopen (very much looking forward to it), the Persian Grill collapsing into receivership, and Fettle riding off into the sunset. [Read that piece here](https://putney.news/2026/03/23/the-half-moon-is-almost-ready-lower-richmond-road-has-other-news-too/). Blake’s Heaven is one more thread in the same story: a road that turns over, adapts, and keeps going.

The Cyberman, for now, keeps watch.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/25/blakes-heaven-teleports-out-of-lower-richmond-road/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/25/blakes-heaven-teleports-out-of-lower-richmond-road/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Blake%E2%80%99s%20Heaven%20teleports%20out%20of%20Lower%20Richmond%20Road&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/25/blakes-heaven-teleports-out-of-lower-richmond-road/)

**Categories:** Business, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Lower Richmond Road, retail, retail closures

---

### [Four new items you can recycle in Wandsworth from Monday](https://putney.news/2026/03/25/four-new-items-you-can-recycle-in-wandsworth-from-monday/)

**Published:** March 25, 2026
**Author:** Sarah Putney-Clarke

**Excerpt:** Foil, aerosols, metal tubes, toothpaste tubes — all going into your existing sack.

**Content:**

From 31 March, four more items can go into your Wandsworth recycling sack or communal mixed recycling bin. No new bin or container is needed.

The additions are part of the government’s Simpler Recycling programme, which comes into effect across England next Monday. In Wandsworth the four new items are: clean aluminium foil and food trays; empty squeezy metal tubes (such as tomato puree packaging); empty squeezy plastic tubes (such as toothpaste packaging); and empty aerosol cans.

The rule for all four is the same: rinse off any food residue before putting them in. Items must be clean. Aerosol cans must be completely empty.

Nothing is being removed from Wandsworth’s existing recycling list, which already covers paper, card and cardboard, glass bottles and jars, tins and cans, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, and cartons such as Tetra Paks. The 31 March changes are additions only.

#### What Simpler Recycling is

The Simpler Recycling programme is a government initiative to end the inconsistency between different councils collecting different things. Until now, what you could recycle depended on where you lived. The new national rules create a common standard.

Businesses with 10 or more staff were already required to comply from March 2025. The household phase starts on 31 March. Plastic film packaging and carrier bags are not included yet; those join the list in March 2027 (in the meantime, larger supermarkets accept plastic film for recycling).

#### What not to include

The council asks residents not to put anything in their recycling sacks that could cause a risk during collection or sorting. That includes hypodermic needles and sharps.

Everything else follows the same guidance as before: if in doubt, check the Wandsworth recycling guide at the link below.

#### Wandsworth’s recycling record

The council says the borough has seen a 25% increase in recycling since June 2024, amounting to more than 9,000 extra tonnes. That claim is worth context: Wandsworth’s recycling rate remains at around 29%, below the London average of 33%, and the service [collapsed in June 2024](https://putney.news/2025/11/30/wandsworths-bin-crisis-finally-getting-fixed-but-why-did-it-take-18-months/) before recovering over 18 months. Weekly food waste collections have been rolling out since June 2024 for houses with front gardens or driveways; the rollout to flats using communal bins is ongoing.

*Putney.news* has [reported extensively on Wandsworth’s waste and recycling service](https://putney.news/2025/11/30/wandsworths-bin-crisis-finally-getting-fixed-but-why-did-it-take-18-months/) since it ran into difficulties in 2024.

The full list of what Wandsworth accepts for recycling, including the four new items from 31 March, is at [wandsworth.gov.uk/what-to-recycle](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/what-to-recycle/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/25/four-new-items-you-can-recycle-in-wandsworth-from-monday/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/25/four-new-items-you-can-recycle-in-wandsworth-from-monday/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Four%20new%20items%20you%20can%20recycle%20in%20Wandsworth%20from%20Monday&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/25/four-new-items-you-can-recycle-in-wandsworth-from-monday/)

**Categories:** Environment

**Tags:** Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council

---

### [The £2 million the council tax leaflet forgot to mention](https://putney.news/2026/03/25/the-2-million-the-council-tax-leaflet-forgot-to-mention/)

**Published:** March 25, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Wandsworth's own figures show new second homes premium is helping fund the freeze it calls efficiency.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has imposed a new tax on second homes and long-term empty properties across the borough, doubling or tripling council tax bills for around 1,800 owners.

The scale of the charge is revealed in a [taxbase document](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/DD76-Wandsworth-Taxbase-2026-27.pdf) \[pdf\] signed by the council’s finance director in December 2025 but published quietly on the council’s democracy portal on Monday, the same day the UK Statistics Authority wrote to council leader Simon Hogg [warning](https://putney.news/2026/03/24/busted-stats-watchdog-mauls-wandsworth-over-council-tax-freeze-lie/) that his administration’s council tax communications had “the potential to mislead.”

The document, known as DD 76, shows a 78% increase in the adjustment made for premium properties. The council’s own summary attributes this to “the further identification of more 2nd homes subject to a premium from April 2025.”

The premiums were enabled by the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, which gave councils across England the power to charge a 100% premium on second homes and to reduce the threshold for empty property premiums from two years to one. Wandsworth chose to apply both measures from April 2025.

Based on the band-by-band figures in DD 76, an estimated 1,817 properties across the borough are now subject to premium charges. The additional revenue to the council from these premiums is estimated at around £1 million on the Wandsworth element alone. When the Greater London Authority precept is included, the total additional revenue is approximately £2 million a year. This is a floor estimate: some long-term empty properties will attract premiums of 200% or 300%, which would push the figure higher. The council has not published a disaggregated breakdown.

The premium applies at every council tax band. The largest single group of affected properties is Band C, which includes many newer-build flats in areas such as Nine Elms and Battersea, with an estimated 425 properties paying a premium. The smallest group is Band A, with around 36. But the cost per property rises steeply with band: a Band D second home owner pays an additional £507 a year on the Wandsworth element, while a Band H owner pays an additional £1,014.

Second homes and empty property premiums by council tax band

Wandsworth borough, 2026-27 | Source: DD 76, Appendix 3

BandEst. propertiesAdditional charge per propertyAdditional revenueA36£338£12,168B131£394£51,614C425£451£191,675D379£507£192,153E329£620£203,980F297£732£217,404G154£845£130,130H66£1,014£66,924Total (borough)~1,817~£1,066,000

The figures above cover the Wandsworth borough element only. Properties in the Conservators’ area (Wimbledon and Putney Commons) attract an additional premium estimated at ~£257,000. Including the Greater London Authority precept, which scales similarly by band, estimated total additional revenue is approximately **£2 million a year**.

Band C has the most affected properties, reflecting newer-build flats in areas such as Nine Elms and Battersea. Additional charge is the Wandsworth council element only. Some long-term empty properties attract premiums of 200% or 300%, which would increase revenue above these estimates. Property estimates are derived from DD 76 Appendix 3 (premium-equivalent figures divided by four).

#### How it connects to the freeze

The council’s leaflet, distributed with council tax bills earlier this year, told residents the freeze was achieved through “£14m saved through efficiencies, service redesign and smarter staffing.” It made no mention of additional premium revenue.

[A *Putney.news* fact-check published on 16 March](https://putney.news/2026/03/16/fact-check-the-claims-in-wandsworths-council-tax-leaflet/) found all four claims in the leaflet to be false. [The council’s response, published on 22 March](https://putney.news/2026/03/22/wandsworths-response-to-our-fact-check-makes-things-worse-not-better/), confirmed the £14m figure was a budget assumption given to department heads, not a delivered saving.

The taxbase document adds a piece to this picture. An estimated £2 million a year in new revenue from second homes and empty property premiums is now part of the financial arithmetic behind the freeze. This revenue stream did not exist before April 2025 and was created by Parliament, not by the council.

Whether taxing second homes is good policy is a matter for readers. The council’s decision to apply the premiums is a choice most boroughs in London have made or are making. The question the taxbase document raises is narrower: why the council’s public communications describe the freeze as the product of its own efficiency when a material part of the arithmetic depends on a revenue stream it did not create.

#### The wider taxbase picture

DD 76 sets Wandsworth’s taxbase for 2026-27 at 147,999 Band D equivalents, up 0.9% from 146,613 the previous year. The borough had 158,816 properties at 1 December 2025, a net increase of 1,230 over the year, with new properties entering at an average mid-to-high Band E level.

The document also records 48,357 properties receiving a single person discount (31% of chargeable dwellings) and £11.2 million in council tax reduction spend, supporting 11,576 equivalent properties removed from the taxbase entirely. The collection rate is assumed at 97%.

The decision was signed by Fenella Merry, the council’s Executive Director of Finance, on 19 December 2025. It was published on the democracy portal on 23 March 2026, three months later.

#### What you can do

The [full taxbase document (DD 76) is available here](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/DD76-Wandsworth-Taxbase-2026-27.pdf).

All 60 Wandsworth council seats are up for election on 7 May 2026. You can check whether you are registered to vote at [gov.uk/register-to-vote](https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/25/the-2-million-the-council-tax-leaflet-forgot-to-mention/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/25/the-2-million-the-council-tax-leaflet-forgot-to-mention/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20%C2%A32%20million%20the%20council%20tax%20leaflet%20forgot%20to%20mention&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/25/the-2-million-the-council-tax-leaflet-forgot-to-mention/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** Cllr Simon Hogg, council tax, Wandsworth Council

---

### [How Richmond's secret deal killed your ride to Barnes](https://putney.news/2026/03/21/how-richmonds-secret-deal-killed-your-ride-to-barnes/)

**Published:** March 21, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Richmond awarded an exclusive e-bike contract to the lower-quality bidder for an undisclosed sum.

**Content:**

Two hundred metres. That is how far west along the Thames towpath from Putney Embankment you travel before the borough boundary changes. Beverley Brook meets the river just past the rowing clubs, and from that point on, for the next ten miles (all the way to Teddington Lock) you are in Richmond. Barnes, the Wetland Centre, Mortlake, Kew, Richmond itself: all Richmond borough.

From this summer, none of those destinations will be reachable on a Lime bike.

Richmond Council voted last Monday to award an exclusive e-bike contract to Forest, banning Lime from operating anywhere in the borough. For Putney and Roehampton residents, it is one of the more quietly consequential local government decisions of recent years. The south-bank towpath is part of National Cycle Route 4. It is one of the most popular leisure and commuter cycling corridors in south-west London, used daily by riders who rely on hire bikes rather than their own. And it will shortly end, for Lime users, a short walk from where it begins.

#### How the decision was made

Richmond ran a tender process. It consulted over 1,000 residents. It held a public hearing with all the operators. It evaluated bids on service quality, safety, parking management, customer experience, pricing, and value for money.

Lime won on quality. Forest won the contract.

The council’s scoring system allocated a quarter of the available marks to the size of the “concession payment” the operator was prepared to make, or in plain terms, how large a cheque it would write to Richmond each year. Forest’s offer was larger. The exact figure is held in a separate paper that is exempt from public disclosure. Residents cannot see it. What has been heard is that the figure is around £3 million, according to Lime.

Richmond calls it a “significant annual concession payment.” There is a shorter word for that: bung.

The council’s press release described the outcome as the result of “a rigorous and transparent process.” That is technically accurate. It is also worth noting that the key financial figure driving the decision is the one piece of information the public is not permitted to see.

#### The connectivity argument does not hold

Richmond’s committee chair, Councillor Alexander Ehmann, said after the vote that the new arrangement aimed to replace current provision “with a single operator with all neighbouring boroughs being accessible.” The council’s press release foregrounded the benefit of connecting riders across Richmond, Kingston and Hounslow, all of which will now use Forest.

The council’s own committee papers say this consideration “was not decisive in the final analysis.”

It was a post-hoc justification, not the reason. The reason was the concession payment.

#### We know what happens next, because it already happened

Richmond is not the first borough to make this call. Hounslow banned Lime last August in favour of Forest and Voi. The outcome was swift and predictable: riders could not take Lime bikes through the borough, the bikes piled up at the boundary, and e-bike use in Hounslow dropped by 50 per cent. Lime has far more users in London than Forest, which is precisely why it outscored Forest on quality, and precisely why its exclusion costs riders more than Forest’s arrival gains them.

Comedian Dara Ó Briain compared the Hounslow situation to Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin. Richmond’s committee papers referenced this directly. It acknowledged the precedent, noted its consequences, and voted to replicate it anyway.

From Putney, the geometry of the new Checkpoint Charlie is particularly stark. Hounslow is to the west. Richmond is to the south-west. Wandsworth, which currently licenses both Lime and Forest, is the island in between. A Putney resident who wants to cycle to Barnes on a Lime bike will shortly be unable to do so. A resident who wants to cycle along the towpath beyond Beverley Brook faces the same problem within the first two minutes of their ride.

#### What changes, and when

Forest will take over in Richmond this summer, subject to finalising the contract. The fleet will increase from the current 250 bikes to 750, with an option to reach 1,000. Parking bays will rise from 65 to at least 150, a meaningful improvement on the current provision, which has contributed to Richmond’s complaints about abandoned bikes. (Putney has its own [abandoned and broken bike problem](https://putney.news/2026/01/08/putneys-bike-graveyard-less-than-a-sixth-of-racks-used-by-functional-cycles/); Forest’s bay-only model may reduce some of that here too if Wandsworth adopts it.)

Forest operates differently from Lime. Journeys must end in a designated bay; there is no flexible parking. Forest charges £1 to unlock and rewards bay parking with free minutes, rather than Lime’s unlock fee and per-minute rate. Cross-borough riders who currently rely on Lime should download the Forest app before the transition and become familiar with bay locations, which are visible in the app.

Wandsworth currently licenses both Lime and Forest. It has not said whether it intends to take any steps to protect cross-boundary cycling access for its residents. Wandsworth has previously faced [pressure over e-bike parking in Putney](https://putney.news/2025/09/04/council-vows-to-tackle-dangerous-e-bike-parking-after-months-of-resident-fury/) but has not addressed the cross-border access question.

#### The bigger problem

None of this is illegal. It is, in its way, rational: Richmond has a budget to balance, an operator offered it money, and the procurement rules permitted the council to weight that heavily enough to determine the outcome. The process was followed.

The problem is that e-bike policy in London is decided borough by borough, with no city-wide oversight, no minimum service standards, and no requirement to consider what a decision in Twickenham does to a cyclist setting off from Putney. Transport for London has been seeking regulatory control over dockless e-bikes, and the English Devolution Bill currently in Parliament could give it that power. Even if the bill passes this year, meaningful uniform regulation is probably years away.

Until then, whether you can ride a hire bike to Barnes depends on which company paid which council the most money. Richmond has decided. The figure is confidential. The towpath is ten miles long.

---

#### What Putney and Roehampton riders need to know

The ban takes effect this summer, subject to contract. Lime bikes will continue operating normally in Wandsworth, including on Putney Embankment itself, but cannot start or end journeys in Richmond borough once the new contract is live.

**If you cycle the towpath regularly:** Download the Forest app now and register an account before the transition. Forest bikes must be returned to designated parking bays; check bay locations in the app before you ride. Costs differ from Lime (£1 to unlock, with free minutes credited when you park in a bay).

**If you want to be heard:** Wandsworth residents can contact ward councillors to ask whether the council will take any steps to protect cross-boundary cycling access. Councillors for Thamesfield, West Putney and East Putney wards can be found via the Wandsworth Council website. Longer term, the English Devolution Bill is the route to city-wide e-bike regulation, and residents can write to Fleur Anderson MP to support Transport for London getting regulatory oversight.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/21/how-richmonds-secret-deal-killed-your-ride-to-barnes/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/21/how-richmonds-secret-deal-killed-your-ride-to-barnes/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=How%20Richmond%E2%80%99s%20secret%20deal%20killed%20your%20ride%20to%20Barnes&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/21/how-richmonds-secret-deal-killed-your-ride-to-barnes/)

**Categories:** Barnes, Transport

**Tags:** Barnes, cycling, Fleur Anderson MP, Putney embankment, Richmond Council, TfL, thamesfield, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Busted: stats watchdog mauls Wandsworth over council tax freeze lie](https://putney.news/2026/03/24/busted-stats-watchdog-mauls-wandsworth-over-council-tax-freeze-lie/)

**Published:** March 24, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Hogg's porkies catch up with him - in a ruling with no precedent in 18 years.

**Content:**

The UK Statistics Authority has written to Council leader Simon Hogg to tell him his repeated claim to have frozen council tax misleads residents. The [finding](https://uksa.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence/letter-from-penny-young-to-cllr-simon-hogg-council-tax-increases/), published yesterday, is the first of its kind the watchdog has ever directed at an English council leader.

The authority found that residents would naturally understand “frozen” to mean their total bill had not risen. It had. By 3.1%. Hogg’s freeze claim appeared on leaflets sent to every home alongside council tax bills, on his website, on social media and on council news pages. The watchdog has asked him to amend all of them.

The UKSA’s finding is specific. In fact, Wandsworth’s bills have risen each year because of increases in the Greater London Authority precept and other charges, even as the council portion has stayed flat. While some of the council’s materials acknowledge this in passing, the UKSA has asked Hogg to take “proactive steps to prevent or minimise the risk of misinterpretation or misuse” of council tax data in future.

> “We find it is likely that people would understand the term ‘frozen’ to relate to an increase in their total council tax bill.”
> 
> Penny Young, Interim Chair, UK Statistics Authority

The UKSA is a non-ministerial government department, independent of ministers and accountable directly to Parliament under the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. It has written to politicians of all parties over misleading statistics, including to the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. Its findings are not partisan.

#### The most unusual letter in 18 years

In its 18-year history, the authority has written to one other elected local government leader: the Mayor of London in 2018, in a letter that was largely complimentary and noted a single tweet that had already been corrected voluntarily. The letter to Cllr Hogg contains no such mitigation. It is an unambiguously adverse finding, directed at multiple communications across multiple channels simultaneously.

The letter was triggered by a complaint submitted on 15 February 2026 by Lord Udny-Lister and Sir Paul Beresford, both Conservatives. Lord Udny-Lister (better known in Wandsworth and Whitehall as Eddie Lister) led Wandsworth Council from 1992 to 2011, longer than any leader in the borough’s modern history, before becoming Boris Johnson’s chief strategic adviser in Downing Street, in an administration that was repeatedly rebuked by the UKSA for its use of the £350 million-a-week Brexit claim. He knows how this works. Sir Paul Beresford is a Conservative MP and long-serving former Wandsworth councillor. The UKSA wrote simultaneously to them and to Hogg on 23 March. The finding, however, is the authority’s own. The complaint was the trigger; the conclusion was reached independently.

> “They are unclear that residents’ council tax bills will still rise by a significant amount due to other local authority charges. This does not meet the Supporting understanding standard and has the potential to mislead those whose council tax bills are affected.”
> 
> Penny Young, Interim Chair, UK Statistics Authority

The council may note that local authority communications are not within the UKSA’s statutory remit. The authority acknowledged this itself, writing to the complainants that it had “considered your concerns on an advisory basis.” That caveat does not affect the finding. The UKSA has asked Wandsworth to change them.

#### More porkies from Hogg

*Putney.news* [published a fact-check of Wandsworth’s council tax leaflet on 16 March](https://putney.news/2026/03/16/fact-check-the-claims-in-wandsworths-council-tax-leaflet/), checking all four financial claims in the leaflet against the council’s own committee papers, budget reports and scrutiny records. All four were false.

When the council’s Finance Director responded via Cllr Malcolm Grimston, we found her answers [confirmed rather than rebutted the original verdicts](https://putney.news/2026/03/22/wandsworths-response-to-our-fact-check-makes-things-worse-not-better/). The council’s press office did not respond to either story. The UKSA, working from a separate complaint and with no connection to *Putney.news*, reached the same conclusion about the same materials.

The specific Wandsworth communications cited in the UKSA letter are: a news piece published in February 2026 on the council’s own website, the dedicated freeze page at [wandsworth.gov.uk/freeze/](https://wandsworth.gov.uk/freeze/), posts on Cllr Hogg’s personal X account, and promotional leaflets distributed alongside council tax bills. The council has been asked to address each of these.

Questions have been put to Wandsworth Council. This story will be updated when a response is received.

The local elections are on 7 May 2026. Both UKSA letters are available to read in full on the [UK Statistics Authority correspondence page](https://uksa.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence/letter-from-penny-young-to-cllr-simon-hogg-council-tax-increases/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/24/busted-stats-watchdog-mauls-wandsworth-over-council-tax-freeze-lie/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/24/busted-stats-watchdog-mauls-wandsworth-over-council-tax-freeze-lie/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Busted%3A%20stats%20watchdog%20mauls%20Wandsworth%20over%20council%20tax%20freeze%20lie&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/24/busted-stats-watchdog-mauls-wandsworth-over-council-tax-freeze-lie/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Simon Hogg, council tax, investigation, Wandsworth Council

---

### [The 29-storey tower Wandsworth rejected is back in court this week](https://putney.news/2026/03/24/the-29-storey-tower-wandsworth-rejected-is-back-in-court-this-week/)

**Published:** March 24, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Both sides have now made their case — here's what they're arguing.

**Content:**

A public inquiry that will decide the fate of a proposed 29-storey tower next to Battersea Bridge enters its final four days today, after both sides set out starkly different cases in opening sessions last week.

The inquiry is examining Rockwell Property’s appeal against Wandsworth Council’s unanimous rejection of its plans for 1 Battersea Bridge Road. The council [threw out the scheme in April 2025](https://putney.news/2025/04/25/massive-victory-for-residents-as-council-kills-battersea-tower-scheme/), finding it would cause significant harm to the character of the area.

Whatever the inspector decides, the outcome will set a precedent for how much weight Wandsworth’s Local Plan carries when developers push for height. The same framework applies to height disputes in Putney. The verdict will tell future applicants, and future planning committees, how seriously to take it.

> [Massive victory for residents as Council kills Battersea Tower scheme](https://putney.news/2025/04/25/massive-victory-for-residents-as-council-kills-battersea-tower-scheme/)

#### What the council is arguing

Douglas Edwards KC, representing the council, told the inquiry on 17 March that the tower’s height and scale would substantially harm the character of the surrounding area. The proposal conflicted with both Wandsworth’s Local Plan and the London Plan, he said, and those conflicts were not outweighed by the scheme’s benefits.

The Local Plan designates the site for mid-rise buildings of up to six storeys. At 29 storeys, the proposed tower is nearly five times that limit. The council is not opposed to redevelopment of the site, Edwards KC said, but this scheme is not appropriate and should be dismissed.

#### What the developer is arguing

Russell Harris KC, representing Rockwell, offered a different reading of the same policy. He argued the Local Plan should not be read as banning tall buildings on this site, calling it a “unique and totemic opportunity” to deliver housing, including affordable housing, on brownfield land.

Harris KC is among the most experienced planning barristers in the country and has appeared in nearly every major tall building inquiry in recent years. He described the tower as a building of exemplary quality that would improve its surroundings, arguing the housing benefits justify departing from the height guidance.

The scheme would provide 110 homes, 54 of them at social rent. The Glassmill building it would replace is only 7% commercially leased. Rockwell’s case is that the site can support a tall building, and that the council’s own planning framework should not be read as preventing one.

> [Tower toppled at Council planning meeting — Glassmill scheme faces rejection](https://putney.news/2025/04/23/tower-to-be-toppled-at-council-planning-meeting-glassmill-scheme-faces-rejection/)

#### The heritage consortium’s case

Six heritage and civic societies are formal parties to the inquiry, represented by William Walton of the Royal Town Planning Institute: the Battersea Society, Chelsea Society, Cheyne Walk Trust, Friends of Battersea Park, Putney Society, and Wandsworth Society.

Their status, known as Rule Six, gives them the right to cross-examine the developer’s and council’s expert witnesses directly. In the opening session, Walton called for Rockwell’s appeal to be dismissed. The scheme was too large and too high for the site’s footprint, he said. The developer had significantly underestimated the heritage impacts, and the scheme’s benefits did not outweigh its conflicts with the development plan.

The Putney Society’s involvement as a Rule Six party means the borough’s heritage community has a formal voice in proceedings, not just a seat in the public gallery. The society’s decision to seek that status was [reported in January](https://putney.news/2026/01/11/glassmill-battersea-tower-appeal-triggers-heritage-society-legal-response/).

> [Glassmill Battersea tower appeal triggers heritage society legal response](https://putney.news/2026/01/11/glassmill-battersea-tower-appeal-triggers-heritage-society-legal-response/)

#### The background

The Glassmill scheme has been revised three times since Rockwell first consulted on it in 2022. It started at 39 storeys, was cut to around 33 storeys when formally submitted in May 2024, and reduced again to 29 storeys with 110 homes before the planning committee met. The proportion of affordable housing rose from 35% to 50% at each revision. The scheme is designed by Farrells, the practice founded by Sir Terry Farrell.

The application attracted 2,028 objections and 1,892 letters of support. Objectors raised concerns about the support letters, many of which followed the same template and were uploaded in batches. Rockwell said gathering letters through canvassing was standard industry practice.

The Greater London Authority declined to intervene after the council’s refusal. Rockwell filed its appeal to the Planning Inspectorate in October 2025. The inquiry reference is 6002127; the planning application reference is 2024/1322.

The inquiry runs through Thursday 27 March. The inspector’s decision will follow. *Putney.news* will report when it is issued.

---

*Putney.news has covered this planning battle since April 2025. The committee vote is reported at [Tower toppled at Council planning meeting](https://putney.news/2025/04/23/tower-to-be-toppled-at-council-planning-meeting-glassmill-scheme-faces-rejection/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/24/the-29-storey-tower-wandsworth-rejected-is-back-in-court-this-week/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/24/the-29-storey-tower-wandsworth-rejected-is-back-in-court-this-week/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%2029-storey%20tower%20Wandsworth%20rejected%20is%20back%20in%20court%20this%20week&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/24/the-29-storey-tower-wandsworth-rejected-is-back-in-court-this-week/)

**Categories:** Planning

**Tags:** Battersea, CHAC, planning, Planning Applications Committee, Putney Society, Wandsworth Local Plan

---

### [Police recover weapons from stolen van in Roehampton](https://putney.news/2026/03/24/police-recover-weapons-from-stolen-van-in-roehampton/)

**Published:** March 24, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Find described as disrupting organised criminality as ward officers step up road enforcement.

**Content:**

Police on foot patrol in Roehampton discovered a stolen van containing multiple weapons and a stolen bicycle on Sunday, disrupting what officers described as organised criminality.

The team was in Wanborough Drive after receiving a tip that a stolen van might be nearby. Inside, they found a black Ribble Ultraleggera bicycle (frame number FB20060890) and multiple weapons. Both were recovered.

PC Christopher Mageean said the haul had taken dangerous items off the streets. “These were all recovered by officers and are safely off the streets, disrupting the organized criminality this van will have been used for,” he told residents.

Police want to trace the bicycle’s owner. If you think it might be yours, or have any information, contact the team through MetEngage or call 101. The find is also a good reminder of why registering your bike on [BikeRegister](https://www.bikeregister.com/) is worth doing, as a frame number on the database is often the only way a recovered bike can be returned to its owner.

#### Speeding charges

Across the borough in Thamesfield Ward, officers have been running enforcement against dangerous driving and speeding after residents named it as a policing priority. PC Damian Catherall, who patrols the ward on foot and by marked police bicycle, issued a traffic ticket to a man riding a hoverboard in Lacy Road and stopped a 12-year-old on an illegal electric scooter on the pavement. The boy’s mother collected him and the scooter.

Officers are also looking for a cargo bike rider reported speeding along the towpath between the Wetlands area near Putney Common and Putney Bridge, with a child in the carrier, and swearing at pedestrians when challenged. If you see this, report it through MetEngage or call 101.

The Thamesfield enforcement comes after a significant vehicle crime increase in the ward; [residents reset their policing priorities in February](https://putney.news/2026/02/10/vehicle-crime-surge-prompts-thamesfield-to-reset-policing-priorities/) in response. Residents across both wards can sign up for alerts from their local Safer Neighbourhoods Team at [metengage.co.uk](https://www.metengage.co.uk/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/24/police-recover-weapons-from-stolen-van-in-roehampton/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/24/police-recover-weapons-from-stolen-van-in-roehampton/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Police%20recover%20weapons%20from%20stolen%20van%20in%20Roehampton&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/24/police-recover-weapons-from-stolen-van-in-roehampton/)

**Categories:** Crime, Roehampton, Thamesfield

**Tags:** cycling, Metropolitan Police, road safety, Roehampton, thamesfield

---

### [Richmond and Fulham made the best places to live list. Putney didn't. Here's why.](https://putney.news/2026/03/23/richmond-and-fulham-made-the-best-places-to-live-list-putney-didnt-heres-why/)

**Published:** March 23, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** The judges praised schools, green space and community. Putney has all three.

**Content:**

The *Sunday Times* [Best Places to Live 2026 guide](https://www.thetimes.com/best-places-to-live), published this weekend, named [seven London locations](https://www.thetimes.com/best-places-to-live/london-uk/article/2026-sunday-times-wkhxjcbz7). Richmond won the capital’s top spot. Fulham was praised as “a jolly nice place to live.” And Putney – sandwiched between the two – was not mentioned at all.

This should sting. Not because the guide is everything, but because the criteria it uses (schools, transport, green space, high street, community) are exactly the things Putney has in abundance.

So where are we falling down and what would it take to get us into the top places to live in the country?

#### What the judges liked

Richmond was praised for its riverside setting, its 2,500-acre Royal Park and a high street the judges said was “on the up after a spell in the doldrums.” They called it “a small town in a big city.” Fulham was recognised for excellent state and independent schools, plentiful transport options and a neighbourhood that is “content simply to be a jolly nice place to live.”

The guide’s judges visited every shortlisted location, spoke to residents and assessed schools, transport links, broadband and mobile signal, green space and the strength of the local high street.

#### How Putney actually compares

Start with the things money cannot buy. Putney has the river, Putney Heath, Wimbledon Common, Putney Common, Wandsworth Park and Barnes Common within walking distance. It has two Tube stations, a mainline railway, a bus network (struggling, but present) and the District Line into central London. It has excellent schools across state and private sectors, including Putney High School, which the Sunday Times itself namechecked in the Fulham entry as a feeder school via Kensington Prep.

On house prices, the three areas are closer than you might expect. The ONS average for Richmond upon Thames was £777,000 in December 2025. Across Hammersmith and Fulham, the average was £714,000. In Putney, Land Registry data via Rightmove puts the average at £726,000 over the past year. These are not numbers that explain why one place makes the list and another does not.

Community is harder to measure but easier to feel. Putney has an active rowing scene, volunteer-run events, a parkrun, charity networks, church communities and neighbourhood groups that organise without being asked. The Boat Race starts here every year. People know their neighbours. That counts.

> [Putney’s buses are 41% worse than the rest of Wandsworth – and the data proves the junction is why](https://putney.news/2026/03/17/putneys-buses-are-41-worse-than-the-rest-of-wandsworth-and-the-data-proves-the-junction-is-why/)

#### Where Putney falls short

The honest answer is the high street. Richmond’s is improving. Putney’s is not. Air pollution remains an issue. Vacant units sit empty. The traffic is a huge problem the council has acknowledged but not fixed. There is no masterplan, no investment framework and no public commitment to change this.

Transport scores hurt too. East Putney station [has no step-free access](https://putney.news/2025/05/21/mp-announces-east-putney-step-free-success-but-reality-behind-tfls-consideration-list-is-nothing-to-celebrate/). Bus reliability on routes through Putney ranks among the worst in the capital. We have the most complained about and least reliable buses in London (thanks in large part to the botched redesign of Putney Bridge junction). Our trains are still running on a Covid timetable. The District Line’s woes will only get worse until TfL and Network Rail are [forced to the table](https://putney.news/2026/03/08/six-years-of-waiting-on-the-district-line-and-now-two-official-accounts-that-cannot-both-be-true/).

And there is the bigger structural problem. Back in July, we revealed that [Wandsworth Council’s Growth Plan excluded Putney entirely](https://putney.news/2025/07/11/its-official-wandsworth-council-doesnt-care-about-putney/). No housing investment, no transport upgrades, no public realm improvements, no high street support. Every pound of the council’s decade-long growth strategy was directed at Battersea, Nine Elms, Clapham Junction and Tooting. Putney was not even named. The number of new builds in Putney in the past year? Zero. Literally. It’s in the official figures.

You do not make a “best places to live” list when your own council does not include you in its plans.

> [It’s official: Wandsworth Council doesn’t care about Putney](https://putney.news/2025/07/11/its-official-wandsworth-council-doesnt-care-about-putney/)

#### What needs to happen

The May 2026 local elections are eight weeks away. Every candidate standing in a Putney ward should be asked one question: what is your plan for this area? Not the borough. Putney. Specifically.

We want to know what they will do about the high street. We want to know whether they will fight for East Putney station. We want to know whether they have read the Growth Plan and whether they think it is acceptable that a third of the borough’s population was left out of it.

Putney has the river, the green spaces, the schools, the community and the transport links that matter. What it does not have is people treating it as a priority. That needs to change.

Richmond did not make the list by accident. It made the list because people who live there have pushed for investment, fought for their high street, worked together in collaboration and held their council to account. Putney can do the same. Let’s get into the top five next year.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/23/richmond-and-fulham-made-the-best-places-to-live-list-putney-didnt-heres-why/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/23/richmond-and-fulham-made-the-best-places-to-live-list-putney-didnt-heres-why/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Richmond%20and%20Fulham%20made%20the%20best%20places%20to%20live%20list.%20Putney%20didn%E2%80%99t.%20Here%E2%80%99s%20why.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/23/richmond-and-fulham-made-the-best-places-to-live-list-putney-didnt-heres-why/)

**Categories:** Comment, Community

**Tags:** air quality, bus, community, East Putney, housing, Putney High Street, Richmond Council, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Sauna and cold plunge club opens on Upper Richmond Road this spring](https://putney.news/2026/03/20/sauna-and-cold-plunge-club-opens-on-upper-richmond-road-this-spring/)

**Published:** March 20, 2026
**Author:** Social Butterfly

**Excerpt:** Pulse Club brings Finnish sauna, cold plunge pools to Putney next month.

**Content:**

A sauna and cold plunge club is opening on Upper Richmond Road this spring. Pulse Club, which opened its first site near Fulham Broadway three weeks ago, is fitting out the former [Heba Pilates](https://putney.news/2025/03/31/phoenix-yoga-secures-long-term-home-on-upper-richmond-road-after-heba-liquidation-drama/) gym at 228 Upper Richmond Road and opens in mid-to-late April.

The venue will have a communal Finnish sauna for up to 25 people and four cold plunge pools, two chilled to 3–4°C and two at around 10°C. Sessions run for 50 minutes, 7am to 9pm daily.

Kieran Beeson is behind the venture and launched the Fulham site after noticing that sauna culture, long established across northern and central Europe, had not really landed in London. “If you go to the continent, not just Scandinavia, places like Dublin, Lisbon, all over Germany, these places are incredibly popular. We seem to be a little bit behind the curve here.” The early numbers suggest the appetite is there. “In Fulham we’ve had 400 customers in the last three weeks.”

![Kieran Besson, founder of Pulse Club Sauna](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/pulse-club-sauna-5-1024x768.png)Kieran Beeson, founder of Pulse Club SaunaThe Putney site will run open access sessions alongside guided meditation, breathwork, silent sessions, women-only mornings, a new mums format, and a first-timers introduction. The sauna is a traditional Finnish electric heater, fired with stones and fed with water to produce steam. The Aufguss ceremony, a European ritual involving scent and towel-waving to circulate the heat, is part of the programme. Alcohol is not permitted.

The sauna-and-cold-plunge ritual is centuries old in Finland and the Nordic countries, where it has long been treated as a social practice rather than a solo one. The pattern at Pulse Club follows the same logic: heat in the sauna, then cold in the plunge, repeated in cycles. The heat relaxes muscles and raises the heart rate; the cold brings it back down sharply. First-timers often describe the cold plunge as the part they dreaded most and enjoyed most. The 50-minute session is designed to allow two or three cycles at a natural pace, with time to sit, cool down, and go again.

![Pulse Club Sauna](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/pulse-club-sauna-1024x683.png)Pricing starts with an introductory offer of three sessions for £30. Founding memberships, capped in tiers, run from £99 to £139 a month and include unlimited sessions, priority booking, and two guest passes. Drop-in rates are also available. The full price list is at [pulseclubsauna.com](https://www.pulseclubsauna.com/).

The design of the space is social as much as physical. “People come with friends, people come to socialise as much as anything.”

![Fit-out at Pulse Club Sauna in Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/pulse-club-sauna-2-1024x768.png)The stretch of Upper Richmond Road he has chosen already has Phoenix Yoga and Anytime Fitness for neighbours. “It seems like fitness and wellness is pretty high on people’s agenda around here.” Besson has a background in property and became a regular sauna user two to three years ago. “Every time I go, I sleep better. It’s just be good to be involved in something that people can leave feeling better than when they came.”

The former Heba Pilates Gym already had changing rooms and shower facilities, which made the site practical for conversion. Besson plans to expand further when the Putney and Fulham sites are up and running.

![Plunge baths at Pulse Club Sauna](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/pulse-club-sauna-plunge-1024x576.jpg)Plunge pools at Pulse ClubDetails and founding membership information are on the [Pulse Club](https://www.pulseclubsauna.com/) website. The opening date will be confirmed closer to launch.

“The whole idea is trying to make it as accessible as we can for everybody. No matter what you look like, how old you are, where you’re from, the idea is to come and get the benefits.”

---

*Pulse Club will open on Upper Richmond Road next month.*

![Workers on a lunch break from fitting out the new sauna on Upper Richmond Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/pulse-club-sauna-workers-1024x576.jpg)Workers on a lunch break from fitting out the new sauna on Upper Richmond Road [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/20/sauna-and-cold-plunge-club-opens-on-upper-richmond-road-this-spring/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/20/sauna-and-cold-plunge-club-opens-on-upper-richmond-road-this-spring/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Sauna%20and%20cold%20plunge%20club%20opens%20on%20Upper%20Richmond%20Road%20this%20spring&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/20/sauna-and-cold-plunge-club-opens-on-upper-richmond-road-this-spring/)

**Categories:** Business, Health, Things to do

**Tags:** Pulse Club, Upper Richmond Road

---

### [The Half Moon is almost ready. Lower Richmond Road has other news too.](https://putney.news/2026/03/23/the-half-moon-is-almost-ready-lower-richmond-road-has-other-news-too/)

**Published:** March 23, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Thirteen days: the final sprint to Boat Race Day for Putney's favourite music venue.

**Content:**

Late on Sunday night, a worker was sealing the floor at the Half Moon. The new bar is being rebuilt around them. Upstairs, a chandelier burns in the new glazed room. Thirteen days to go.

From the pavement, the refurbishment tells its own story. The first-floor orangery is in place: Crittall-style windows, folding doors that open onto a new roof terrace with a retractable louvred roof. The gable lettering reads “Half Moon Live Music Since 1963”.

![A worker at The Half Moon working late and sealing the new floor. Less than two weeks to go before re-opening.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/half-moon-5-1024x768.png)A worker at The Half Moon working late and sealing the new floor. Less than two weeks to go before re-opening.The pub shut on 5 January. The reopening is confirmed for 4 April. That leaves no room.

When the [Half Moon closed for the refurbishment](https://putney.news/2026/01/08/half-moon-closed-for-major-refurbishment-until-spring/) in January, the scope included a new upper room, a terrace with a planting buffer and a spiral staircase painted deep heritage green. The [reopening is confirmed for Saturday 4 April](https://putney.news/2026/03/01/the-half-moon-will-be-back-for-boat-race-day-free-entry-live-music-all-night/) (Boat Race Day), with free entry all day, live music from the afternoon and DJs until midnight. The venue is on the shortlist for the Music Week Award for Grassroots Venue: Spirit of the Scene, supported by the Music Venue Trust.

![The Half Moon has been rebuilt. ](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/half-moon-1-1024x768.png)The headline act is Laurie Wright, a London rock and roll singer-songwriter who has played the Underworld Camden, the 800-capacity Scala and the Electric Ballroom in a straight upward line. He has the O2 Forum Kentish Town booked for October, already more than half-sold. The Maida Vales play from 3.45pm and Sergio Giorginis from 5.45pm. The [Boat Race hub](https://putney.news/boat-race-putney/) has full details of what’s on in Putney that day.

The Half Moon isn’t the only change on Lower Richmond Road this week.

![Fettle closed on Lower Richmond Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/fettle-closed-2-1024x768.png)At number 75, Fettle bike repair has posted a permanent closure notice in the window. The Putney workshop closes officially on 1 April 2026. The business continues at Earlsfield (769-773 Garratt Lane, SW17 0PF), Streatham (41 Streatham High Road, SW16 1ER) and Twickenham (353 Richmond Road, TW1 2EJ). “You can continue to enjoy the same great Fettle service at any of our nearby workshops listed below,” the notice reads.

Further along, at number 205, Persian Grill House is permanently shut. A South East Enforcement notice of repossession, dated 28 November 2025, remains in the window alongside a Torts Act notice with a goods-collection deadline of 5 December 2025. The signage is still up.

![Persian Grill House gone on Lower Richmond Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/persian-grill-house-2-768x1024.png)In a fortnight, the Half Moon will be open for the first time in three months, its new room lit from inside, on the biggest day of Putney’s year. Two units along the same road will be dark.

*The Half Moon is at 93 Lower Richmond Road, SW15 1EU. Boat Race Day is Saturday 4 April; doors open from early afternoon, free entry all day, DJs until midnight.*

![The Half Moon in Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/half-moon-4-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/23/the-half-moon-is-almost-ready-lower-richmond-road-has-other-news-too/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/23/the-half-moon-is-almost-ready-lower-richmond-road-has-other-news-too/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Half%20Moon%20is%20almost%20ready.%20Lower%20Richmond%20Road%20has%20other%20news%20too.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/23/the-half-moon-is-almost-ready-lower-richmond-road-has-other-news-too/)

**Categories:** Business, News, Pubs, bars and nightlife

**Tags:** Boat Race, Live Music, Lower Richmond Road, retail closures, The Half Moon

---

### [A Roehampton resident writes: the row over Muslim prayer in Trafalgar Square](https://putney.news/2026/03/22/a-roehampton-resident-writes-the-row-over-muslim-prayer-in-trafalgar-square/)

**Published:** March 22, 2026
**Author:** The Editor

**Excerpt:** Dr Amtul Bhunnoo of Roehampton writes on the politics of Muslim prayer in public spaces.

**Content:**

*This is the first letter we have published at Putney.news. It arrives from a resident of Roehampton, writing in response to a national row over Muslim prayers at a Trafalgar Square iftar event – a controversy that has dominated Westminster and the media this week.*

*We think it deserves a wider local audience. The Ahmadiyya Muslim community, which Dr Bhunnoo references, has been part of this corner of southwest London since the 1920s: the first mosque built in London still stands in Putney. This is not an abstract national debate for everyone who lives here.*

*The letter is published in full, unedited, with the author’s permission.*

---

**Dear Editor,**

**I am writing in response to the recent coverage of the Trafalgar Square Ramadan prayer (“[Badenoch backs Tory MP in row over Muslim prayer event,](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx26gn64zyzo)” March 19). As someone who values community cohesion, I was concerned by the way this event has been portrayed.**

**Trafalgar Square has long been a shared space where people of all faiths and none gather freely. Yet when Muslims hold a one‑off open iftar, it is singled out as problematic. Islam is a modest faith with two main festivals: Eid‑ul‑Fitr and Eid‑ul‑Adha, both centred on gratitude and community. This was a single, inclusive gathering, not a cause for controversy.**

**I believe much of the current criticism is less about British values than about political distraction. Too often, politicians use such moments to divert attention from their own failures or to win votes by stoking division. Constant negative media narratives only deepen misunderstanding and fuel Islamophobia. In reality, many Muslim communities actively work to build bridges. The Ahmadiyya Muslim community, for instance, hosts annual interfaith iftars and welcomes visitors to mosques, guided by the motto “Love for all, hatred for none.” The intention is to spread understanding and remove doubts created by ignorance and bigotry.**

**We should respect the right of all communities to celebrate peacefully in public spaces. Greater understanding, not division, is what our society truly needs.**

**Dr Amtul Bhunnoo, Roehampton**

---

*Putney.news is trying something different.*

*Most online publications invite instant comments. We’ve chosen not to – at least not here. Instead, we’re doing what local newspapers have always done: publishing considered letters from residents who have something to say.*

*We think the format matters. Writing a letter – giving your name, saying where you live, making your case in a few hundred words – produces a different quality of conversation than a comment box. It takes a little more effort. That’s the point.*

*If you want to respond to Dr Bhunnoo’s letter, or if you have a view on something affecting Putney and Roehampton that deserves a wider audience, we’d like to hear from you.*

*Letters should make a clear point and be no more than 300 words. Please include your full name and the area of Putney or Roehampton where you live. We verify all letters before publication and reserve the right to edit for length. Anonymous letters will not be published.*

*You can write to us at:* **

Or by post: *Letters to the Editor, Putney.news, 79 Lacy Road, London SW15 1NR*

*We’ll publish the best responses.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/22/a-roehampton-resident-writes-the-row-over-muslim-prayer-in-trafalgar-square/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/22/a-roehampton-resident-writes-the-row-over-muslim-prayer-in-trafalgar-square/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=A%20Roehampton%20resident%20writes%3A%20the%20row%20over%20Muslim%20prayer%20in%20Trafalgar%20Square&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/22/a-roehampton-resident-writes-the-row-over-muslim-prayer-in-trafalgar-square/)

**Categories:** Community

**Tags:** Ahmadiyya Muslim community, interfaith, letters to the editor, London Mosque Putney

---

### [The Head of the River Race returns to Putney for its 100th anniversary - here is what to expect](https://putney.news/2026/03/22/the-head-of-the-river-race-returns-to-putney-for-its-100th-anniversary-here-is-what-to-expect/)

**Published:** March 22, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Elite rowers including Olympians tackle the 4¼-mile Boat Race course in reverse this Saturday, starting 12:15pm.

**Content:**

The [Boat Race](https://putney.news/boat-race-putney/) is on 4 April. But before Oxford and Cambridge take to the water, one of the largest rowing events on the planet finishes at Putney Bridge this coming Saturday, and most residents have no idea it is happening.

The [Head of the River Race](https://www.horr.co.uk/) takes place on 28 March 2026, 100 years after Steve Fairbairn first organised a rowing race on this stretch of the Thames. It runs the same championship course as the Boat Race but in reverse, from Mortlake to Putney, and on a far greater scale. What started with 21 crews in 1926 has grown into a procession of more than 320 boats and 2,880 athletes, including Olympians competing in club colours. It is free to watch.

Crews set off from Chiswick Bridge at 12:15pm in 10-second intervals, each racing against the clock rather than head-to-head. The fastest reach the Putney finish from about 12:30pm, with the procession continuing until around 2pm.

#### The centenary

Fairbairn, a Cambridge oarsman and coach, started the race to give crews a target at the end of the winter training season. The official history describes it as his solution to “winter boredom.” The Fairbairn Trophy, awarded to the fastest overall crew, still bears his name.

The defending champions are Leander Club A, who won the Trophy in both 2024 and 2025, setting a course record of 16 minutes 26.7 seconds in 2024. Oxford Brookes University A have been runners-up in both races and will be looking to go one better. Around 50 to 60 crews have come from overseas this year, with rowers from Germany, Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark among those making the trip.

#### Where to watch

The best Putney vantage point is the riverbank a couple of hundred metres before the bridge, close enough to see the athletes push through the final stretch. The Duke’s Head pub sits by the finish line and is well positioned for watching the boats gather before the race builds to its conclusion.

Prize-giving takes place at 5pm at London Rowing Club on Putney Embankment (the club whose new riverside balcony was recently completed) if you want to stay for the presentations. The race is also livestreamed on the [HoRR YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/c/EightsHead "HoRR YouTube channel").

The weekend also includes the Vesta International Masters Head on Sunday 29 March, a separate race on the same course starting at 2pm. *Putney.news* reported last year on the death of a rower during that event; we will be covering this year’s race in the usual way.

#### Coming up on the river

The Head of the River Race is the first of three consecutive weekends of racing on this stretch of the Thames. The week after brings the 2026 [Boat Race](https://putney.news/boat-race-putney/), Oxford v Cambridge on 4 April, with around 250,000 spectators expected on the banks. The crews are already known: you can read about them in [our 2026 crew guide](https://putney.news/2026/03/15/sisters-on-opposite-sides-two-frenchmen-in-charge-meet-the-2026-boat-race-crews/).

Everything you need for the full fortnight, including vantage points, tide times and the history of the course, is in the [Putney.news Boat Race guide](https://putney.news/boat-race-putney/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/22/the-head-of-the-river-race-returns-to-putney-for-its-100th-anniversary-here-is-what-to-expect/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/22/the-head-of-the-river-race-returns-to-putney-for-its-100th-anniversary-here-is-what-to-expect/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Head%20of%20the%20River%20Race%20returns%20to%20Putney%20for%20its%20100th%20anniversary%20%E2%80%93%20here%20is%20what%20to%20expect&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/22/the-head-of-the-river-race-returns-to-putney-for-its-100th-anniversary-here-is-what-to-expect/)

**Categories:** Boat Race, Live events, Rowing

**Tags:** Boat Race, Putney embankment, River Thames, Rowing

---

### [Wandsworth's response to our fact-check makes things worse, not better](https://putney.news/2026/03/22/wandsworths-response-to-our-fact-check-makes-things-worse-not-better/)

**Published:** March 22, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Council's own Finance Director explains the leaflet figures. They don't get better on examination.

**Content:**

Four days ago we published a [fact-check of the four financial claims](https://putney.news/2026/03/16/fact-check-the-claims-in-wandsworths-council-tax-leaflet/) in a bright magenta leaflet Wandsworth Council distributed with residents’ council tax bills. We found all four claims false and sent detailed questions to the council’s press office. The council did not respond.

What happened next is revealing in itself.

Cllr Malcolm Grimston (Independent, West Hill) wrote to the council’s Resources Directorate on 16 March asking, in substance, exactly the same questions we had put to the press office. Three days later, Katherine Burston, Director of Financial Management, sent him a formal response. Cllr Grimston has given permission for it to be published here.

We have now read that response carefully. In each case, Burston’s explanation confirms the gap we identified rather than closing it.

> [Fact-check: The claims in Wandsworth’s council tax leaflet](https://putney.news/2026/03/16/fact-check-the-claims-in-wandsworths-council-tax-leaflet/)

---

#### Claim 1: “£230m collected from property developers since 2022”

Burston’s table gives a four-year total of £235.8m across three income streams: Strategic CIL (£53.1m), Neighbourhood CIL (£9m), and Section 106 planning obligations (£173.7m).

The first thing to note is that the figure doesn’t match the leaflet. The council’s own Director of Financial Management gives £235.8m; the leaflet said £230m.

On the composition: including S106 alongside CIL is a defensible description of “money from developers” in plain English. Both streams do come from developers. But the two instruments are very different. CIL is a standard charge applied automatically to new developments. S106 is a negotiated planning obligation attached to a specific permission, often paid out over years after that permission is granted. S106 receipts therefore lag planning decisions significantly, and the timing of when they arrive tells you more about decisions made under a previous administration than about the performance of the current one.

That lag is visible in the numbers. S106 receipts in Labour’s first year were £86.6m. By 2024/25 they had fallen to £22.5m. The large opening figure almost certainly reflects planning permissions approved under the Conservatives, with payment schedules running into Labour’s term. Meanwhile, CIL income under Labour has averaged £19.6m a year, against £25.9m under the Conservatives.

The council’s own data, read in full, tells the opposite story to the leaflet.

**Verdict: the figure has a basis but the claim does not survive scrutiny. The composition was not disclosed, the number is wrong, and the trend runs the wrong way.**

---

#### Claim 2: “£30m saved on new leisure contract over 10 years”

Burston’s response confirms two things we reported. First, the £30m figure is in Paper 25-177A, the exempt companion to the public Cabinet report. Second, it represents a saving “over the next 10 years.”

That second point is the problem. The leaflet says the council has “saved” £30m. Burston’s own words say it is a saving projected over the next decade. The contract began on 1 October 2025. The saving has not been achieved. It is an estimate of what the contract is expected to deliver.

The underlying calculation may well be sound. We cannot verify it because the document containing it has never been published. That is itself part of the story: a claim about public money, made in a publicly funded leaflet, rests entirely on a figure that no scrutiny committee has ever seen.

**Verdict: a saving may be on track, but the leaflet’s past tense is wrong. “Saved” and “will save over 10 years” are not the same thing.**

---

#### Claim 3: “£3.7m avoided annually through homelessness prevention”

Burston discloses the methodology for the first time: 226 cases prevented as at the end of November, multiplied by an average monthly temporary accommodation cost of £1,356, then annualised by multiplying by 12. She also states explicitly that the figure “is not published.”

The methodology has a logic to it. Preventing homelessness does save money, and comparing prevention costs against temporary accommodation costs is a legitimate exercise. But the calculation has significant problems.

The annualisation assumes every prevented case would otherwise have remained in temporary accommodation for a full 12 months. Temporary accommodation stays vary considerably; many are resolved in weeks. Multiplying by 12 almost certainly overstates the saving.

More fundamentally, Burston herself confirms the figure has never been published and has never been through any committee scrutiny. Our original story documented sixteen months of committee papers in which council officers described this very analysis as incomplete and the financial benefits as prospective. Those papers ran right up to June 2025. The figure then appeared on a council PR page in February 2026, without source or methodology, eight weeks before the election.

Burston’s disclosure of the methodology does not rehabilitate the claim. It shows the figure existed internally. It does not explain why it was presented as a verified achieved saving when the council’s own officers were simultaneously saying the analysis was not complete.

And in the year this saving was supposedly being achieved, the homelessness budget overspent by £6.9m.

**Verdict: the methodology exists but has never been scrutinised, the annualisation assumption is aggressive, and the financial context makes the claim very hard to sustain.**

---

#### Claim 4: “£14m saved through efficiencies, service redesign and smarter staffing”

Burston’s answer is the shortest and the most telling: “£14m has been saved from budgets in the period of this administration. Budget holders and Exec Directors are tasked to manage within their allocated budget.”

That second sentence describes an instruction, not an outcome. Tasking budget holders to manage within reduced allocations is not the same as those savings having been delivered. Our original story documented two cases in 2024/25 where exactly this approach was taken and exactly failed: £2m of adult social care savings and £1.5m of children’s services savings, both written into budgets, neither delivered.

Burston’s response does not address that track record. It does not explain why this time is different. It confirms, in its own language, that the £14m is a budget reduction rather than a verified saving.

**Verdict: Burston’s response confirms our finding. This is a budget assumption, not a delivered result.**

---

#### Where we are

Cllr Grimston, who obtained the response, said the council’s press office appeared to have “a mission to mislead the public as far as possible without actually lying,” adding that the council tax freeze claim “probably crosses that line.”

That is a strong statement. On the evidence, it is hard to argue with.

None of the four figures in the leaflet are invented. Each has some basis in internal council data. But in every case the leaflet presents that data in the most favourable possible light, strips out the context that would qualify it, and uses language that implies achievement where the underlying documents show projection, assumption or ambition.

The council had four days to respond to our questions directly. Instead the first official explanation of these figures came via a formal complaint from an opposition councillor, and that explanation, read carefully, makes each claim harder to defend, not easier.

The council’s press office has still not responded to Putney.news.

---

*The original fact-check, including our questions to the council and the source documents behind each verdict, is published [here](https://putney.news/2026/03/16/fact-check-the-claims-in-wandsworths-council-tax-leaflet/).*

*Putney.news is an independent hyperlocal publication covering Putney and SW15. We are editorially independent and receive no funding from Wandsworth Council or any political party. If you value this kind of accountability journalism, please consider [subscribing](https://putney.news/subscribe).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/22/wandsworths-response-to-our-fact-check-makes-things-worse-not-better/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/22/wandsworths-response-to-our-fact-check-makes-things-worse-not-better/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%E2%80%99s%20response%20to%20our%20fact-check%20makes%20things%20worse%2C%20not%20better&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/22/wandsworths-response-to-our-fact-check-makes-things-worse-not-better/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, council tax, Section 106, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council

---

### [TfL scraps route 533 and makes Hammersmith Bridge bus changes permanent](https://putney.news/2026/03/21/tfl-scraps-route-533-and-makes-hammersmith-bridge-bus-changes-permanent/)

**Published:** March 21, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** 881 people objected. TfL went ahead anyway. On the plus side, the 378 is extended.

**Content:**

TfL will permanently change the bus network serving Barnes and Putney, ending the “temporary” arrangements put in place when Hammersmith Bridge closed in 2019.

The bridge has now been shut to vehicles for nearly seven years. TfL says there is “currently no firm timeline for when it will reopen to buses.”

The decision was confirmed in a TfL consultation report published this month. Route 533 will be scrapped. Routes 209, 378, and 485 will all change. TfL’s word for the new arrangements is “permanent.”

#### What is changing

Route 533 will be scrapped entirely.

Route 209 will be extended to cover most of where route 533 ran. It will run every 15 minutes for most of the day and use a new turning point at Barnes Pond.

Route 378 will end at Putney Bridge station rather than short of it, stopping on Gonville Street and picking up outside Putney Bridge Underground. It will also divert through the WWT London Wetlands Centre during opening hours, adding up to seven minutes to some journeys. The extension to Putney Bridge station was not in the original plans. TfL added it after 28 people specifically asked for it.

Route 485 will be cut back. People travelling between Castelnau and Putney Bridge will no longer have a direct bus. They will need to change.

TfL has not said when the changes will start.

#### The 533 and 378 in summary

Route 533 was introduced in November 2019 specifically because the bridge had closed. TfL uses 500-series numbers for temporary routes. Scrapping it closes that chapter.

Route 378 ending at Putney Bridge Underground is a genuine improvement for anyone making that connection. But [as we reported earlier this month](https://putney.news/2026/03/17/putneys-buses-are-41-worse-than-the-rest-of-wandsworth-and-the-data-proves-the-junction-is-why/) the route’s on-time rate has fallen from 85.8% to 67.3% in two years. The problem is the Putney Bridge junction. TfL’s report does not mention that decline. Making the route longer and adding a diversion will not fix it.

#### What 881 people said

TfL invited views on the changes. 881 people replied, almost all from Barnes and Mortlake. Of those, 841 wrote in their own words, the rest were an organised campaign.

Most were against the changes. The most common objection, from 319 people, was straightforward opposition. Another 185 said the changes would make things worse in an area already damaged by the bridge closure. A further 170 were worried about longer journey times. Losing the direct route 485 bus between Castelnau and Putney Bridge was raised by 130 people, the most common specific complaint.

Around one in five people, 157, backed the changes. Most of that support came from residents of Kilmington Road, Howsman Road, and Verdun Road, streets currently used by buses to turn around. Those residents will benefit.

TfL noted the objections. Then went ahead with everything.

One figure in the report puts the whole thing in context. Weekday bus use across these four routes has fallen by around 35% since before Covid. TfL is cutting services in an area where fewer people are travelling. Whether the bridge closure caused some of that fall is not discussed. It didn’t need to be.

#### Who replied, and who did not

Four MPs were sent the consultation. Two replied. Andy Slaughter, MP for Hammersmith and Chiswick, backed his constituents’ concerns and wanted route 533 kept. Sarah Olney, MP for Richmond Park, said the plans should not go ahead and was particularly worried about elderly and disabled residents losing the direct route 485 service.

Fleur Anderson, MP for Putney, was sent the consultation. Her name is in the list of people TfL contacted. She is not in the list of people who replied.

Wandsworth Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, Cllr Jenny Yates, was also sent the consultation. Wandsworth did not reply either.

Barnes councillors in Richmond did reply. Cllr Tony Paterson backed the changes. Cllr Fiona Sacks said she could not support them in full. The passenger watchdog London Travelwatch raised concerns about access and monitoring.

The three Conservative councillors for Thamesfield ward, Cllr Ethan Brooks, Cllr James Jeffreys, and Cllr John Locker, were not sent the consultation. The review was focused on Barnes and Mortlake, though route 378’s new stop at Putney Bridge Underground falls in their ward.

#### What this means for the bridge

Until now, the buses in this area have technically been running under temporary arrangements. Those arrangements are now being made permanent. TfL says so directly: “We have sought to find the most suitable way to put permanent changes in place.”

If Hammersmith Bridge ever reopens to buses, TfL would need to run a fresh consultation to restore any of the old routes. That consultation would face the same argument used today: bus use is down 35%, fewer people are travelling, and the new network is already running.

In early March, [a minister described Hammersmith Bridge as “a good candidate” for funding](https://putney.news/2026/03/03/after-seven-years-a-minister-finally-says-hammersmith-bridge-would-be-a-good-candidate-for-funding/). This report came weeks later. *Putney.news* has followed [the long pattern of political statements about the bridge](https://putney.news/2026/01/25/passion-without-a-pathway-politicians-demand-action-on-bridge-they-cant-agree-how-to-fix/) since 2025. The [MP’s claim in February that funding decisions were “in the coming weeks”](https://putney.news/2026/02/03/mp-claims-hammersmith-bridge-funding-decisions-in-the-coming-weeks/) has not, as far as we are aware, led to an announcement.

TfL is not waiting for the bridge. It has stopped planning around it.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/21/tfl-scraps-route-533-and-makes-hammersmith-bridge-bus-changes-permanent/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/21/tfl-scraps-route-533-and-makes-hammersmith-bridge-bus-changes-permanent/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=TfL%20scraps%20route%20533%20and%20makes%20Hammersmith%20Bridge%20bus%20changes%20permanent&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/21/tfl-scraps-route-533-and-makes-hammersmith-bridge-bus-changes-permanent/)

**Categories:** Thamesfield, Transport

**Tags:** Barnes, bus, Cllr Ethan Brooks, Cllr James Jeffreys, Cllr Jenny Yates, Cllr John Locker, Fleur Anderson MP, Hammersmith Bridge, public consultation, Putney Bridge junction, TfL

---

### [Pilates Room loses licence after forged council documents found](https://putney.news/2026/03/21/pilates-room-loses-licence-after-forged-council-documents-found/)

**Published:** March 21, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Majority shareholder named as not fit and proper person; criminal investigation under way.

**Content:**

A Putney beauty studio has lost its licence after Wandsworth’s licensing committee found its majority shareholder forged council documents and was still running the business behind the scenes.

The committee refused to renew The Pilates Room’s special treatment licence on 5 March, naming Mario Perez as not a fit and proper person. The formal decision notice, issued on 17 March, found Perez had forged Wandsworth Council emails, a licence and invoices, and had charged tenants at the linked premises Therapy Rooms Putney for licence applications he never submitted.

On the same day, Therapy Rooms Putney withdrew its own licence application before the committee reached a decision. Both Upper Richmond Road premises have now lost their licensing position.

The case has been [covered by Putney.news since January](https://putney.news/2026/01/06/unlicensed-laser-and-microblading-treatments-discovered-at-therapy-rooms/), when council inspectors found unlicensed laser and microblading treatments being carried out at Therapy Rooms Putney. [The March hearing was held in private](https://putney.news/2026/03/07/putney-licensing-hearing-pulled-from-public-broadcast-as-criminal-investigation-confirmed/) because a criminal investigation was already under way.

#### What the committee found

Licensing officer James McGann told the committee that Therapy Rooms Putney “had never been legitimately licensed” and that Perez was “directly involved or complicit in the forgery of Wandsworth Council emails, licence and invoices.”

Perez also “charged tenants operating at Therapy Rooms Putney for lodging licensing applications and renewals but no licence application was ever submitted and tenants were therefore deceived into thinking they were operating lawfully,” McGann said.

Perez resigned as director of The Pilates Room Ltd on 2 January 2026. The committee found the timing suspicious. McGann said it had led the Licensing Authority to conclude Perez “continued to exert influence over and shadow manage the business.”

The committee’s concern was concrete: Perez holds 100 shares in The Pilates Room Ltd to Deborah Henley’s 50. “His previous long-term association with the company (retaining 100 shares to Ms Henley’s 50 shares) left members concerned that he would continue to exert influence,” the committee found.

> [Unlicensed laser and microblading treatments discovered at Therapy Rooms](https://putney.news/2026/01/06/unlicensed-laser-and-microblading-treatments-discovered-at-therapy-rooms/)

#### Henley’s position

Henley, now the sole director, had co-directed the business with Perez for 12 years. She told the committee she had not been involved in the Therapy Rooms side of the business and had run the Pilates studio since 2001.

But she also told the committee that Perez had asked her to make the renewal application. The committee found that “if it were the case that the previous director no longer had influence on the business, she would have gone out of her way to explain that to the Licensing Sub-Committee.” She had not.

The committee did not find Henley complicit in the wrongdoing. It found she had not done enough to demonstrate independence from someone it had already determined was not fit and proper.

> [Putney licensing hearing pulled from public broadcast as criminal investigation confirmed](https://putney.news/2026/03/07/putney-licensing-hearing-pulled-from-public-broadcast-as-criminal-investigation-confirmed/)

#### Criminal investigation

The criminal investigation is being conducted by Wandsworth Council itself. McGann is both the officer who presented the licensing case and the investigating officer for the criminal proceedings.

“Wandsworth Council is undertaking the criminal investigation, and I am the investigating officer,” he confirmed this week. He said he could provide no further update while the investigation is live. The decision notice states Perez has not been cooperative.

#### What happens next

The committee left a door open. It said “if anything else could be done to show Ms Henley’s independence, then the Licensing Sub-Committee may approach this differently,” noting her long management of the premises and its preference for the studio to be “fully licenced.”

Operators at The Pilates Room can continue to trade during the 21-day appeal window. Any practitioner at either premises can apply for their own special treatment licence, independent of Perez. The right of appeal is to Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court and must be lodged within 21 days of notification.

[Therapy Rooms Putney](https://putney.news/2026/02/11/therapy-rooms-sits-almost-empty-as-hearing-hangs-in-doubt/) was near-deserted ahead of a February hearing that was later postponed. It has now ceased as a licensed business.

---

**If you work at The Pilates Room**

Individual practitioners at 226 Upper Richmond Road can apply for their own special treatment licence from Wandsworth Council independently of The Pilates Room Ltd. Contact the licensing team at .

Deborah Henley can appeal to Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court, 176a Lavender Hill, London SW11 1JU, within 21 days of notification.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/21/pilates-room-loses-licence-after-forged-council-documents-found/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/21/pilates-room-loses-licence-after-forged-council-documents-found/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Pilates%20Room%20loses%20licence%20after%20forged%20council%20documents%20found&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/21/pilates-room-loses-licence-after-forged-council-documents-found/)

**Categories:** Beauty, Crime, Thamesfield, West Putney

**Tags:** Cllr Jack Mayorcas, Cllr Norman Marshall, Cllr Tom Pridham, Licensing Sub-Committee, Upper Richmond Road, Wandsworth Council

---

### [They want to house nine people in 23 square metres. The street objected 135 times. It's the council's application.](https://putney.news/2026/03/20/they-want-to-house-nine-people-in-23-square-metres-the-street-objected-135-times-its-the-councils-application/)

**Published:** March 20, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Wandsworth is applicant, landlord and planning authority - all on the same building.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council wants to convert a first-floor flat it owns in a Putney conservation area street into a five-bedroom home for nine people. The living space proposed (kitchen, dining room and sitting room combined) is 23.3 square metres. The legal minimum is 37 square metres. The current application attracted 61 objections before its consultation closed yesterday.

It is not the council’s first attempt. It applied for an almost identical conversion in July 2025, attracted 74 objections from 47 addresses – virtually the entire street – and withdrew the application before a decision was made. No explanation was given.

The revised application (2026/0626) was registered in February. There is a single person in support.

What changed between the two applications? The rear windows are now wood rather than plastic (it’s a conservation area), the ridge was raised 20cm, and the dormer was set back 50cm from the eaves. What did not change: the five-bedroom, one-bathroom layout on the first floor; the cramped loft living space; the absence of any outdoor amenity; and the decision not to commit in writing to single-family use.

![Squeezing five bedrooms into a two-bed flat](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/103-clarendon-five-beds-1024x575.png)The council is trying to squeeze five bedrooms into a two-bed flat#### What nine people would actually live in

Clarendon Drive is a Victorian terrace, and that matters structurally. A neighbour who has lived on the street since 1997 told the planning portal that similar loft conversions on this stretch of the street have historically cost in excess of £100,000 because of the characteristically low roof pitch. Independent analysis submitted by the planning consultancy HGH, instructed by the ground-floor leaseholder, found that only 46% of the proposed space would meet the 2.5-metre minimum ceiling height. The required proportion is 75%.

The Putney Society, which objected to both applications, noted that for dwellings of five or more bedspaces, two living rooms are required and outdoor space is mandatory for family homes with three or more bedrooms. The scheme provides neither. Fire safety submissions described a single staircase and a single front door as the only escape route for all occupants.

![The lounge would be in the lift under council plans.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/103-clarendon-loft-lounge-1024x575.png)The lounge would be in the loft under council plans.#### The HMO question

The layout objectors have consistently described the design as “upside-down” with all bedrooms on the first floor and communal space above in the loft – and this forms the core of the legal challenge.

JMW Solicitors, acting for the ground-floor leaseholder, served a formal Letter Before Action on Wandsworth Council on 25 September 2025. The letter cited three potential breaches of the lease: use of the property other than as a “private dwelling house” under Clause 1 of the Third Schedule; breach of the covenant of quiet enjoyment under Clause 4(a); and structural alterations carried out without written consent under Clause 3(c).

The council has not formally responded to that letter in nearly six months.

The council’s Heritage, Design and Access Statement for the revised application states: “There will be no change of use, and the property will not be used as a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO), addressing concerns raised in a previous planning application.” But while the statement appears in a planning document, it is not a legal commitment.

No planning condition requiring single-family use was offered, and when objectors asked the council to provide a legally binding undertaking that 103B would not be used as a House in Multiple Occupation – i.e. not as flats – the council declined.

The council’s Public Transport Accessibility Level for the site is rated 3 on TfL’s scale. Wandsworth’s Local Plan policy LP29 requires a PTAL of 4 or above for HMO use.

#### The policy consistency question

There is another inconsistency too: an application by the ground-floor leaseholder to extend their space was refused by the council, citing three planning policies: LP1, LP3 and LP5 of the Wandsworth Local Plan 2023, as well as Section 72(1) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.

The refusal notice stated that the proposed extension would be “an unduly dominant addition that would fail to maintain subservience to the host property” and would cause harm to the character and appearance of the Landford Road Conservation Area.

Those same policies now govern the council’s own application for the floor above – and the street points out it fails under them too.

No officer’s report or decision notice for either of the council’s applications has yet been published; neither application reached determination. The Putney Society’s submissions noted that recent planning decisions have established a benchmark dormer setback of approximately 400mm from the eaves, and that this standard should apply equally to the council’s own schemes. The revised application improved the setback to 500mm. The space standards remain unmet.

Both applications were filed under the Regulation 3 procedure, which applies when a council submits a planning application for its own development. Under this procedure, the council is simultaneously the applicant, the freeholder of 103 Clarendon Drive and the planning authority determining the application.

#### Who is objecting and why

The objections came from virtually every address in the street, from a professional planning consultancy, from JMW Solicitors submitting 116 paragraphs, from an ARB-registered heritage architect who hand-delivered her letter after the planning portal kept rejecting it, from a structural engineer detailing fire safety failures, and from the Putney Society. One objector submitted a single full stop.

One intended purchaser of the ground-floor flat withdrew from the sale after due diligence flagged the application. The previous tenant of 103B, who had lived there for over 30 years, moved to a care home in August 2024. The flat has been vacant since.

Wandsworth’s own Housing Needs Assessment, published in December 2024, identifies that approximately 70% of affordable housing need in the borough is for two and three-bedroom properties. The council’s scheme at 103B would create a five-bedroom unit.

Cllr John Locker, the Thamesfield ward councillor, is referenced in the planning record as being in communication with objectors about whether the application might be referred to the Planning Applications Committee for a public decision rather than being determined by a delegated officer. No committee date had been set as of the time of writing.

![Side view of proposed development](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/103-clarendon-loft-space-1024x576.png)The loft is low and does not contain enough usable space.#### What the council was asked

*Putney.news* has written to the council’s press office and planning department with five questions:

1. Why has the formal Letter Before Action served on the council in September 2025 not received a formal response?
2. Why did the council decline to provide a legally binding undertaking that 103B would not be used as an HMO?
3. How does the council address the policy consistency point: LP1 and LP5 were used to refuse the ground-floor leaseholder’s extension, and the same policies now apply to the council’s own scheme above?
4. Does the council consider the proposed dwelling meets the National Described Space Standards, and will the application be referred to the Planning Applications Committee?
5. Given that the council’s own Housing Needs Assessment identifies 70% of affordable need as for two and three-bedroom properties, what is the policy justification for a five-bedroom conversion at this location?

This story will be updated if a response is received.

![Clarendon Drive](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/103-clarendon-drive-5-1024x768.png)#### What happens next

Progress on the application can be tracked on the Wandsworth Planning Explorer at planning.wandsworth.gov.uk. No date for a decision has been set.

Residents can contact the planning department with any further representations. The planning reference is 2026/0626; the department can be reached on 020 8871 8319.

The Thamesfield ward councillors who represent this area are Cllr Ethan Brooks (), Cllr James Jeffreys () and Cllr John Locker (). Fleur Anderson is the local MP; residents can contact her office via [fleuranderson.co.uk.](http://fleuranderson.co.uk.)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/20/they-want-to-house-nine-people-in-23-square-metres-the-street-objected-135-times-its-the-councils-application/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/20/they-want-to-house-nine-people-in-23-square-metres-the-street-objected-135-times-its-the-councils-application/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=They%20want%20to%20house%20nine%20people%20in%2023%20square%20metres.%20The%20street%20objected%20135%20times.%20It%E2%80%99s%20the%20council%E2%80%99s%20application.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/20/they-want-to-house-nine-people-in-23-square-metres-the-street-objected-135-times-its-the-councils-application/)

**Categories:** Planning, Thamesfield

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Ethan Brooks, Cllr James Jeffreys, Cllr John Locker, council housing, Fleur Anderson MP, planning, Putney Society, thamesfield, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wimbledon Park: what the High Court ruling actually means - and what happens next](https://putney.news/2026/03/20/wimbledon-park-what-the-high-court-ruling-actually-means-and-what-happens-next/)

**Published:** March 20, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Planning challenge, Lords amendment and Merton covenant all unresolved after Thursday's ruling.

**Content:**

The All England Lawn Tennis Club [won](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/golf-course-never-a-public-trust-high-court-hands-aeltc-landmark-victory/) yesterday’s High Court ruling by a wider margin than almost anyone expected. But Save Wimbledon Park’s response, issued within hours, reveals a fight that now has more fronts than a single court case, and one of those fronts moves to the House of Lords within weeks.

Yesterday’s judgment resolved one question. At least three significant obstacles to the development remain. And the legal picture is more complicated than either side’s public statement suggested.

#### What the judgment actually decided

The case turned on a single legal argument: that 1960s local government reorganisation legislation had the effect of imposing a statutory public recreation trust on the golf course land under the Public Health Act 1875. Had that argument succeeded, development would have been a legal impossibility regardless of any planning permission. The AELTC itself conceded this: it acknowledged that if the trust existed, its entire expansion plan could not proceed.

Mr Justice Thompsell rejected the argument on three separate and independent grounds, each sufficient on its own. The golf course had been operated as a private club throughout its history. The public had never been admitted. No public recreation trust had ever come into being. And when the AELTC purchased the freehold from Merton in 1993, there were no public rights in existence to bind it.

The judge illustrated the problem with Save Wimbledon Park’s reading of the law with a striking example. If their interpretation were correct, a Battersea housing estate built on land originally acquired for open space would also have been impressed with a public recreation trust. That, he found, would produce “absurd and unworkable” results.

Save Wimbledon Park had relied heavily on the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in *Day v Shropshire*, which established that very clear words are needed to extinguish public recreation rights. Thompsell distinguished it: in *Day*, the land had actually been used for public recreation. Wimbledon Park golf course never had been.

> [Golf course “never a public trust”: High Court hands AELTC landmark victory](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/golf-course-never-a-public-trust-high-court-hands-aeltc-landmark-victory/)

#### Why SWP is not done

Save Wimbledon Park will apply to the Court of Appeal for permission to appeal the judgment. The group’s director Jeremy Hudson said: “We love tennis but we continue the fight after this news because there is a strong case for protecting this precious open space from development. Wimbledon promised they would never build on this land.”

That promise is worth pausing on. When the AELTC bought the golf course land from Merton in 1993, it signed a covenant, a private binding legal obligation, promising not to develop it. That covenant sits entirely outside the statutory trust question and entirely outside the courts’ ruling yesterday. The AELTC has conceded that its proposed development would breach the covenant, and that it would need a further court application to have it removed. Merton Council, which holds the covenant, did not participate in yesterday’s case. It retains a separate legal lever over the development’s future, independent of the courts.

The planning challenge is the bigger remaining obstacle. In November 2025, Save Wimbledon Park was granted permission to challenge the planning consent in a separate Court of Appeal case. That challenge asks whether planning permission for the development was lawfully granted, an entirely different legal question from yesterday’s statutory trust issue. If it succeeds, the planning consent falls and the development cannot proceed regardless of yesterday’s ruling. No hearing date has been confirmed publicly.

On the prospects of the statutory trust appeal, one lawyer with knowledge of the case urged caution about writing it off. Thompsell found against Save Wimbledon Park on three independent grounds and described the AELTC’s case as having “considerable, one might even say irresistible, force.” That is a high bar to overturn. But the legal questions involved are of national importance, and the Court of Appeal may take a different view.

> [Ministers blocked the AELTC amendment in November. Now they support it.](https://putney.news/2026/03/07/ministers-blocked-the-aeltc-amendment-in-november-now-they-support-it/)

#### The Lords amendment: a separate front entirely

SWP director Christopher Coombe flagged a development that is moving on a track entirely separate from the courts, and on a faster timeline.

An amendment to the English Devolution Bill, tabled by Lord Banner, is due to be debated in the House of Lords within the next four to five weeks. It would create a mechanism allowing developers to apply to the Secretary of State for an order discharging a statutory trust over land, extinguishing public recreation rights through an administrative process rather than litigation.

This is not a new proposal. A previous Lords amendment targeting the same legal issue was [abandoned in November 2025 after peers condemned it](https://putney.news/2025/11/04/wimbledon-park-amendment-abandoned-after-peers-condemn-erosion-of-green-space-protection/). A second attempt followed, and when it came before a Lords Grand Committee on 5 March, [ministers who had opposed the amendment in November reversed their position](https://putney.news/2026/03/07/ministers-blocked-the-aeltc-amendment-in-november-now-they-support-it/) and backed it. Lord Banner withdrew it at committee stage (standard practice before a full vote) and said he would return it at Report stage.

Yesterday’s ruling changes the amendment’s significance considerably. If the Court of Appeal grants Save Wimbledon Park permission to appeal the statutory trust judgment, and if that appeal has any prospect of success, the amendment becomes relevant again as a legislative safety net for the AELTC. Coombe argued it also matters nationally: “This judgment is bad news for everyone in London and all around the country who live near similarly protected green space and open land.”

> [Wimbledon Park: the next six weeks will decide everything](https://putney.news/2026/03/17/wimbledon-park-the-next-six-weeks-will-decide-everything/)

#### The honest picture

Yesterday’s ruling was a significant win for the AELTC. The statutory trust argument was the strongest legal weapon available to its opponents. It has been rejected comprehensively.

But the AELTC’s chair Deborah Jevans’s statement that the club would “now move forward” reflects the significance of yesterday’s victory more than the full state of play. The planning consent challenge in the Court of Appeal remains live and is entirely unaffected by yesterday’s judgment. Merton’s covenants remain unresolved. Save Wimbledon Park will seek permission to appeal yesterday’s ruling. A Lords amendment that could change the underlying law is weeks away from a vote.

One major obstacle has been removed. Several remain.

---

*Putney.news has covered this story extensively. [Yesterday’s judgment, including the full AELTC and Save Wimbledon Park responses, is here](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/golf-course-never-a-public-trust-high-court-hands-aeltc-landmark-victory/). [We explained the five key legal questions at stake in January](https://putney.news/2026/01/15/wimbledon-park-legal-explanation/), and on Tuesday we set out [why the next six weeks would be decisive](https://putney.news/2026/03/17/wimbledon-park-the-next-six-weeks-will-decide-everything/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/20/wimbledon-park-what-the-high-court-ruling-actually-means-and-what-happens-next/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/20/wimbledon-park-what-the-high-court-ruling-actually-means-and-what-happens-next/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wimbledon%20Park%3A%20what%20the%20High%20Court%20ruling%20actually%20means%20%E2%80%93%20and%20what%20happens%20next&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/20/wimbledon-park-what-the-high-court-ruling-actually-means-and-what-happens-next/)

**Categories:** News, Planning, Wimbledon

**Tags:** AELTC, High Court, planning, Save Wimbledon Park, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Golf course "never a public trust": High Court hands AELTC landmark victory](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/golf-course-never-a-public-trust-high-court-hands-aeltc-landmark-victory/)

**Published:** March 19, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Judge finds in favour of AELTC "by a wide margin" — but Save Wimbledon Park vows to fight on.

**Content:**

A High Court judge has ruled in favour of the All England Lawn Tennis Club in a landmark legal battle over Wimbledon Park, finding that the former golf course land is not, and never has been, subject to a statutory public recreation trust.

Mr Justice Thompsell handed down the [judgment](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/High-Court-Judgment-Wimbledon-Park.pdf) \[pdf\] this morning, declaring that Save Wimbledon Park’s central legal argument fails “by a wide margin.” The ruling removes what campaigners had described as their most powerful legal weapon against the AELTC’s plans to build new tennis courts on the site.

The case turned on whether 1960s local government reorganisation legislation had the effect of imposing a trust under s.164 of the Public Health Act 1875 on the former golf course. The judge found it had not. The golf course had been operated as a private club throughout: the public had never been admitted, so no public recreation trust had ever come into being, and no such rights could have bound the AELTC when it purchased the freehold in 1993.

Save Wimbledon Park’s reading of the 1960s legislation, the judge found, would have produced “absurd and unworkable” results, including the implication that a Battersea housing estate built on land originally acquired for open space would also have been impressed with a public recreation trust.

#### AELTC response

Deborah Jevans, Chair of the All England Club, said the ruling provided “important clarity on the status of the land” and confirmed “the land has never been held under a statutory public recreation trust.” She said the club would now move forward with plans that would “deliver 27 acres of beautiful new public parkland on previously private land” and maintain Wimbledon’s position as one of the world’s leading sporting events.

The AELTC’s proposals include 28 new grass tennis courts, a show court, desilting of Wimbledon Park Lake, a boardwalk, water sports centre, children’s playground, and a 9.4 hectare public park, though the judgment notes the park will be open to the public except during the Championships. The club says it has consulted more than 10,000 local residents and claims the majority support the plans.

Today’s ruling is, however, not the end of the legal battle. Save Wimbledon Park was granted permission in November 2025 to challenge the planning consent in the Court of Appeal, in separate proceedings that are entirely unaffected by today’s statutory trust judgment. If that challenge succeeds, the planning permission falls and the development cannot proceed regardless of today’s ruling. [We have covered that case here](https://putney.news/2025/11/20/court-of-appeal-reopens-wimbledon-park-fight-as-residents-challenge-planning-approval/).

LB Merton’s restrictive covenants over the land (flagged in the judgment as not in issue in these proceedings) also remain unresolved. Save Wimbledon Park notes that the AELTC has conceded its development would breach those covenants, and would need a further court application to have them removed.

#### Save Wimbledon Park: “We fight on”

Save Wimbledon Park said it would apply to the Court of Appeal for permission to appeal the judgment, with a decision on that application expected within about three months.

The group’s director Jeremy Hudson said: “We love tennis but we continue the fight after this news because there is a strong case for protecting this precious open space from development.”

> “Wimbledon promised they would never build on this land. And Wimbledon can do better because there are existing, alternative plans which show that their scheme can be accommodated on their current site.”

Director Christopher Coombe said the judgment had national implications, warning that people living near “similarly protected green space” around the country faced greater uncertainty as a result.

He also flagged an amendment to the English Devolution Bill, to be debated in the House of Lords within the next four to five weeks, which he said would allow developers to apply to the Secretary of State to extinguish public recreation rights on statutory trust land.

---

*Putney.news has closely covered the battle over Wimbledon Park series. [We explained the legal questions at stake in January](https://putney.news/2026/01/15/wimbledon-park-legal-explanation/) and [published an overview of the proceedings on Tuesday](https://putney.news/2026/03/17/wimbledon-park-the-next-six-weeks-will-decide-everything/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/19/golf-course-never-a-public-trust-high-court-hands-aeltc-landmark-victory/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/19/golf-course-never-a-public-trust-high-court-hands-aeltc-landmark-victory/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Golf%20course%20%E2%80%9Cnever%20a%20public%20trust%E2%80%9D%3A%20High%20Court%20hands%20AELTC%20landmark%20victory&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/19/golf-course-never-a-public-trust-high-court-hands-aeltc-landmark-victory/)

**Categories:** News, Planning, Southfields

**Tags:** AELTC, High Court, Save Wimbledon Park, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Wimbledon Park: the next six weeks will decide everything](https://putney.news/2026/03/17/wimbledon-park-the-next-six-weeks-will-decide-everything/)

**Published:** March 17, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** A court, the Lords, purdah and a May election are all reaching their climax at once.

**Content:**

Leader of Wandsworth Council, Simon Hogg, issued [a statement on Friday](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-march-2026/leader-urges-aeltc-to-reconsider-development-plans/) urging the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) to reconsider its plans to build on Wimbledon Park. Save Wimbledon Park was delighted. The AELTC has not responded, in large part because they know he has no power to compel them to do anything.

That is not a criticism of Hogg’s position. Wandsworth voted unanimously against the development in 2023, and its opposition to it is genuine and longstanding. What Wandsworth’s council leader cannot do is affect any of the three separate contests that will actually determine whether the AELTC builds on this land. All three are now reaching their climax simultaneously, in the next six weeks.

#### The court case that is long overdue

The most important decision has not yet been made. In January, a High Court judge spent six days listening to arguments about whether Wimbledon Park golf course is protected by a statutory trust (a Victorian-era legal obligation that would mean the land must remain available for public recreation). The AELTC has conceded that if the trust is found to exist, their entire £200 million expansion plan cannot proceed.

The judge [concluded the hearing on 23 January](https://putney.news/2026/01/25/judge-signals-appeal-likely-as-wimbledon-park-trial-concludes/). He said he expected one side or other would end up at the Supreme Court, and suggested lawyers should prepare accordingly. A written judgment was expected “within weeks.” That was almost eight weeks ago.

It could arrive tomorrow. It could arrive the week after. When it does, it will either end the immediate threat to Wimbledon Park, or it will make the next two battles the only ones that matter.

> [Tennis club concedes key points as judge hints at Supreme Court battle](https://putney.news/2026/01/25/judge-signals-appeal-likely-as-wimbledon-park-trial-concludes/)

#### The Lords vote that nobody has announced

While the court deliberates, Parliament is moving. In the House of Lords, an amendment is returning to the floor this month. It would create a new legal mechanism: a process by which a landowner could apply to the Secretary of State to have a statutory trust discharged: advertised, publicly consulted upon, tested against a public interest checklist, and then potentially released.

The amendment was drafted by Lord Banner, one of Britain’s leading planning barristers. It is presented as fixing a general legal problem created by the 2023 Supreme Court ruling in Day v Shropshire, which left councils and developers uncertain about land sold decades ago without proper advertising. That general problem is real.

But the amendment arrived precisely when the AELTC needs it. It was debated in the House of Lords on 5 March. The minister, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, said: “In my view, Amendment 222C does just that,” meaning it closes the legal gap while protecting the public interest. She endorsed it. The government minister whose department is responsible for this bill publicly backed an amendment that would, if the trust ruling goes against the AELTC, give them a route back.

One Conservative peer who chairs the Lords’ Constitution Committee, Lord Lucas, was not surprised by the substance but was startled by the enthusiasm: “I had not realised the noble Baroness was so much in favour of this amendment.”

Banner withdrew it at committee stage (standard practice, to allow refinement before a vote) and said he would bring it back at Report stage. Report stage begins on 24 March. Three sittings are scheduled: 24 March, 26 March, and 13 April. Based on where the amendment sits in the bill, 26 March or 13 April is most likely.

This is not the [first time a Lords amendment has targeted Wimbledon Park](https://putney.news/2025/10/25/lord-tries-to-rewrite-law-to-rescue-wimbledon-from-court-battle-he-sits-on-the-aeltc-board/). The previous attempt was [abandoned in November](https://putney.news/2025/11/04/wimbledon-park-amendment-abandoned-after-peers-condemn-erosion-of-green-space-protection/) after peers condemned it. A [second attempt followed in February](https://putney.news/2026/02/16/lords-launch-second-attempt-to-strip-wimbledon-park-of-legal-protection/), and [ministers who had rejected the amendment in November reversed their position](https://putney.news/2026/03/07/ministers-blocked-the-aeltc-amendment-in-november-now-they-support-it/) shortly before the Grand Committee debate.

The promised wider review of statutory trust protections, which the government offered in November as a reason to wait, has not started. Baroness Taylor told the committee on 5 March that she had been “a bit busy with other legislation.” The review was always a holding position; it has now been superseded by the amendment itself.

> [Ministers blocked the AELTC amendment in November. Now they support it.](https://putney.news/2026/03/07/ministers-blocked-the-aeltc-amendment-in-november-now-they-support-it/)

#### The closing window

Purdah for the Wandsworth and Merton elections is expected to begin around 27 March. After that, council leaders, MPs and councillors cannot make significant political interventions without scrutiny for electoral advantage. If the amendment comes to a vote on 26 March, there is a narrow window (hours, not days) for politicians to respond publicly before they go quiet until after polling day.

[Paul Kohler, the Liberal Democrat MP for Wimbledon](https://putney.news/2025/11/18/wimbledon-accused-of-bad-faith-by-its-own-mp/) who has been one of the AELTC’s most vocal critics, would likely want to say something. But he is also a Merton councillor. Whether he has time depends on whether the amendment is called on 26 March and whether the vote falls that evening or the following day. If it lands on 13 April, purdah is already in force. Politicians will watch it happen in silence.

Some of Hogg’s calculation in issuing Friday’s statement is almost certainly this: he used his last opportunity before the silence falls. His intervention follows a pattern [seen before with Queen Mary’s Hospital](https://putney.news/2025/09/24/council-leader-joins-fight-to-save-queen-marys-minor-injuries-unit/): a public statement of position when the window to make it is closing. The fact that he is trying to defend a seat in West Hill in order to stay in power may also have factored into his calculations.

> [Wimbledon accused of bad faith by its own MP](https://putney.news/2025/11/18/wimbledon-accused-of-bad-faith-by-its-own-mp/)

#### What the amendment actually means, and what it doesn’t

The amendment, whatever it is ultimately numbered at Report stage, is not a free pass for the AELTC. If it passes the Lords, it still needs Commons approval, and even if it becomes law, the AELTC would have to apply through the new process, advertise for four weeks, accept public representations, pass a six-part public interest test, and convince a Secretary of State to make the order. Save Wimbledon Park would contest every stage.

But it matters enormously what the High Court decides first. If the judge finds the trust does not exist, the amendment becomes irrelevant to Wimbledon. The AELTC wins on the central legal question regardless. If the judge finds the trust does exist, the amendment becomes the only legislative route available. At that point, the battle in the Lords would be fierce.

The bill itself is under pressure to complete before the King’s Speech, expected later this spring. It is a flagship government bill, a manifesto commitment six years in the making, too important to let fall. That deadline creates its own pressure to resolve ping-pong between the Lords and Commons quickly. Timing, for once, works in the AELTC’s favour.

#### The last move: 7 May

Even if the amendment passes and the courts go against Save Wimbledon Park, there is one more contest, and it is the most local of all.

When the AELTC bought the golf course land from Merton in 1993, it signed a covenant: a private, binding legal obligation promising not to develop it. That covenant sits entirely outside the statutory trust question and entirely outside any Lords amendment. No parliamentary vote touches it.

Enforcing that covenant is Merton Council’s choice. The current Labour administration has declined to do so. If the Liberal Democrats take control of Merton in the 7 May elections, they have said they would.

Lord Hayward, a respected election analyst, has specifically identified Merton as a borough where the Liberal Democrats could take control. PollCheck, which models all 136 English councils contesting elections in May, projects no overall control, with Labour the largest party but short of a majority. In 2022, the Liberal Democrats already replaced Merton’s Labour leader with a Lib Dem in the council elections. Merton has been Labour since 1990, apart from four years in the mid-2000s. It is genuinely in play.

If the Lib Dems take Merton and move to enforce the covenant, every other contest in this piece (the High Court, the Lords, the Commons, the King’s Speech deadline) becomes moot. The AELTC would have to fight that battle separately, in a different court, on different legal grounds.

#### Where this leaves Hogg

The council leader issued his statement eleven days before purdah. He has no power over any of the four contests. He cannot influence the High Court’s timing. He cannot vote in the Lords. He cannot make the Commons accept or reject an amendment. He cannot control what happens in Merton.

What he can do is be on the record, before the silence, as having said the right thing.

As he said: Wimbledon is a world-class tournament. Protecting the green spaces that make it special matters more than commercialisation. His council will work with everyone to find a better path.

None of that changes anything. But it was the last moment he could say it.

---

*Putney.news has asked Wandsworth Council what specific action, beyond Friday’s statement, the council leader intends to take. We have also asked whether the council will make any representation to the House of Lords before the amendment is considered at Report stage. We will update this article when responses are received.*

*The statutory trust judgment, when it arrives, will change this picture significantly.*

---

*Correction, 19 March: In an earlier version, we incorrectly stated that Merton Council had bought the golf course from Wimbledon Park Golf Club in 1993. It was of course AELTC that bought the land, and from Merton Council.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/17/wimbledon-park-the-next-six-weeks-will-decide-everything/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/17/wimbledon-park-the-next-six-weeks-will-decide-everything/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wimbledon%20Park%3A%20the%20next%20six%20weeks%20will%20decide%20everything&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/17/wimbledon-park-the-next-six-weeks-will-decide-everything/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** AELTC, Cllr Simon Hogg, High Court, Save Wimbledon Park, Wandsworth Council, Wimbledon, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Wandsworth promised to act on Gaza pension fund. It hasn't. Here's why.](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/wandsworth-promised-to-act-on-gaza-pension-fund-it-hasnt-heres-why/)

**Published:** March 19, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Legal constraints are real. So is the gap between what was resolved and what was done.

**Content:**

Since the autumn of 2024, workers in Wandsworth have been asking an uncomfortable question: is the pension fund that holds their retirement money invested in companies supplying weapons used in Gaza?

A petition delivered to the council in August 2024, signed by more than 1,000 people, claimed the answer was yes: that the fund held around £32 million in companies including BAE Systems, Airbus, HSBC, and Barclays. The petitioners asked the committee that oversees the fund to divest. The committee passed a formal resolution promising to evaluate doing so. Then another resolution, unanimously, demanding specific recommendations within six months. Seventeen months after the first vote, no decision has been made, and the earliest one could come is September 2026.

At the most recent meeting, in March, something else emerged. The council leader, Simon Hogg, had already written privately to the investment body that manages the fund, asking it to adopt the most restrictive responsible investment option available, the one that would exclude weapons manufacturers and companies listed by the UN as operating unlawfully in occupied territories. That letter was not in any committee paper. The committee chair learned about it during the meeting itself.

Why, given that the political will appears to exist at the highest level, has nothing happened? The answer involves the specific and rather peculiar legal position of a local government pension fund, and it matters for understanding whether September 2026 is a genuine commitment or another delay.

#### The pension fund cannot simply sell shares

Wandsworth’s pension fund does not hold individual shares that a committee can vote to sell. Like most council pension funds in England, its assets are pooled across 33 London boroughs through a body called London CIV. From 1 April 2026, London CIV will manage all of the fund’s investments.

The committee retains one meaningful lever: it can choose which tier of responsible investment policy the fund adopts. The most restrictive tier, the one the petition has been demanding, would apply to weapons manufacturers and any company the UN has listed as linked to illegal activity in occupied territories, including in Gaza. But choosing that tier does not mean Wandsworth can unilaterally exclude those companies. It means Wandsworth tells London CIV it wants that policy. London CIV then has to build an investment product reflecting it, as a compromise across all 33 boroughs. As Paul Guilliotti, the council’s Director of Financial Services, put it: “We can \[tell the CIV what to do\], but there’s 32 other funds that also have their say as well, so it’s a compromise.”

There is also a legal constraint that applies specifically to pension funds and does not apply to other council decisions. The committee’s primary duty is not to residents or voters. It is to the 44,000 current and former council and school workers whose retirements depend on the fund. Pension trustees who let political or moral considerations override their duty to protect members’ financial interests can be challenged in court. A King’s Counsel opinion obtained in January 2026 confirmed that excluding companies on non-financial grounds is permissible, but only after a financial impact assessment shows it will not materially harm returns, and only with evidence that members support the policy. Guilliotti told the committee: “Your duty as a committee is to act as a quasi-trustee of the fund. That is your duty and your duty is to the fund.”

This is not a procedural excuse invented by officers. The rule exists because pension money belongs to scheme members (the workers and retirees), not to the council. A committee that directed it according to its own political preferences, however widely shared, without meeting the legal test, would be vulnerable to legal challenge by any of those 44,000 people.

#### What was promised and when

The October 2024 resolution, made after hearing the Friends of Palestine deputation, asked for an evaluation of divestment options (deliberately cautious language). No report came back. Officers say the government’s Fit for the Future programme, announced after the October vote, transferred investment control to London CIV and changed what individual funds were permitted to do, making a report on the old framework redundant before it could be written.

Unions are not satisfied with that explanation. Kathy Cattell of the GMB told the March meeting: “The committee resolved to carry out an evaluation of divestment options, but that evaluation never materialised.”

In December 2025, the committee escalated. A unanimous motion instructed officers to return with specific recommendations (not a further options paper) within six months, covering disclosure of holdings in UN-listed companies, a phased divestment plan, and formal consideration of the most restrictive responsible investment tier. When the committee met in March 2026, it received a process timetable instead.

Cattell: “Instead of the divestment recommendations requested in December, the proposals before you push meaningful decisions to September 2026 at the earliest. That is a significant delay from what the committee agreed.” A UNISON representative was more concise: “It is clearly a review and not a plan.”

The committee chair, Councillor Marshall, did not dispute it. “We first agreed this, didn’t we, October 2024. The timeline now is 2026. It is really frustrating.”

#### The letter no one knew about

Part way through the March meeting, Councillor Aydin Dikerdem raised what he called a point of information. Dikerdem’s register of interests records his membership of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Council leader Simon Hogg had already written to London CIV asking it to develop a responsible investment product at the most restrictive tier, the one that would cover companies linked to Gaza. The letter had not been mentioned in any committee paper and had not been announced.

The chair’s response was telling: “Let’s make sure that one is joined up and it’s all matching.”

Three tracks are now running in parallel: the formal committee process, the officers’ legal framework requiring financial assessment before any decision, and the council leader’s independent correspondence seeking the outcome the campaigners have been asking for. The council did not respond to a request for information about the letter before publication.

#### What comes next

The exercise approved at the March meeting will establish exactly what the fund currently holds in companies on the UN list. It reports back in June 2026. The committee will then decide whether to consult scheme members, a step the KC opinion says may be legally required before any exclusion policy can be set. If the consultation proceeds, a formal policy could be agreed in September 2026.

That would meet the six-month deadline the December motion set, at the outer edge of the window. The committee that made both resolutions will not exist in its current form after May’s local elections. Chair Councillor Marshall is standing down. Whether the new committee treats its predecessor’s commitments as its own is an open question.

Members of the public can apply to speak at the June meeting through the council’s Democratic Services team: Daniel Kuszel, daniel.kuszel@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk. The findings of the mapping exercise are committed to be published (Paper 26-93, Recommendation b) and readers can watch for this.

Previously: in June 2025, *Putney.news* reported that the pensions committee had taken its responsible investment update in private, excluding the public from that discussion.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/19/wandsworth-promised-to-act-on-gaza-pension-fund-it-hasnt-heres-why/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/19/wandsworth-promised-to-act-on-gaza-pension-fund-it-hasnt-heres-why/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20promised%20to%20act%20on%20Gaza%20pension%20fund.%20It%20hasn%E2%80%99t.%20Here%E2%80%99s%20why.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/19/wandsworth-promised-to-act-on-gaza-pension-fund-it-hasnt-heres-why/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** Cllr Aydin Dikerdem, Cllr Norman Marshall, Cllr Simon Hogg, Local Pension Board, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth says it's the best-run council in the country. Here's what we found.](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/wandsworth-says-its-the-best-run-council-in-the-country-heres-what-we-found/)

**Published:** March 19, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** England's highest paid chief exec, a workforce under strain, and an "aspirational" savings plan.

**Content:**

Wandsworth has one of the strongest reputations in local government. It has the lowest council tax in London. It ranked in the national top ten for productivity this year. Its council leader said last month that residents can be confident “value for money is at the heart of everything we do.”

We decided to look at the numbers behind that claim.

The man running the council is the highest-paid council boss in England. His salary was approved earlier this month, at a Full Council meeting, without debate and without a press release. Residents were not told.

Andrew Travers earns £294,120 a year, 71% more than the Prime Minister. He has been in post on an interim basis since April 2025. No permanent appointment has been announced.

Two weeks before councillors approved his salary, Mr Travers told a public committee that the council’s only plan to avoid insolvency is “a broad, reasonable aspiration to get us going.”

That plan matters. Wandsworth faces a £137 million budget gap over the next two years. Its reserves stand at around £121 million, less than the gap they are meant to cover. As [we reported last month](https://putney.news/2026/02/19/wandsworths-137m-black-hole-and-the-cabinet-minister-who-cant-explain-how-to-fill-it/), the £45 million transformation programme meant to close the shortfall has no identified savings behind it. The strategy setting out how those savings might be found is not due until September, after the May elections. Residents have not been formally told that without it, the council faces [a 34% council tax rise](https://putney.news/2025/10/04/the-partys-over-council-tax-will-need-to-at-least-double-to-avoid-fiscal-cliff-edge/).

Mr Travers recently wrote about the council’s top-ten productivity ranking in *The MJ*, the local government trade magazine, describing it as evidence of financial resilience. The article is behind a paywall. Residents cannot read it. The data his organisation presented to a committee in February raises questions about what that resilience looks like on the ground.

![Wandsworth Town Hall](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/wandsworth-town-hall.jpeg)#### The workforce

The council’s own figures, presented to a joint committee in February, cover the year to December 2025. They show a workforce under strain in several measurable ways.

The most striking is sickness. Days lost to stress, anxiety and depression rose by 33.5% in a single year, from 2,896 to 3,867. That is not a general pattern across all illness categories. Every other cause of long-term sickness was stable or fell over the same period. The council’s own papers identified stress as “the biggest contributor to long term sickness.” Something specific is happening.

At the same time, the number of staff on formal underperformance procedures jumped from two to sixteen, an eightfold rise in twelve months.

Then there is pay. The median salary across the workforce is £45,564. One in six staff now use Wagestream, a service that lets workers draw part of their wages before payday when money runs short, up from one in ten six months ago. The average advance is £62. Mr Travers earns £294,120, 6.46 times the median salary of the people he manages. A year ago, before he took the post, that ratio was 5.1. The council’s own pay policy documents record both figures.

None of this is conclusive on its own. Stress sickness has risen across the public sector. Wagestream is offered as a staff benefit, not a sign of distress. But the direction of all these numbers, in the same period, in the same organisation, is worth understanding before accepting the efficiency story at face value.

> [Wandsworth’s £137m black hole – and the cabinet minister who can’t explain how to fill it](https://putney.news/2026/02/19/wandsworths-137m-black-hole-and-the-cabinet-minister-who-cant-explain-how-to-fill-it/)

#### The agency bill

When a council loses permanent staff faster than it can replace them, it fills the gaps with agency workers, temporary staff hired through recruitment firms, typically at a higher cost than permanent employees. The bills for this show up in workforce data but rarely in headlines.

Wandsworth’s agency bill for the year to date stands at £21.8 million, on course for around £29 million for the full year. To put that in context, the council’s entire annual parks budget is around £8 million.

More than half of that agency spending, £12.5 million, has gone to firms outside the council’s own approved supplier list. Councils negotiate preferred supplier agreements to keep agency costs under control. Spending outside those agreements typically means paying more, with less oversight. The council’s own papers noted that this uncontrolled proportion is growing.

A council spending nearly £30 million a year on temporary staff, with the majority of that going through uncontrolled channels, is not running lean. It is papering over a gap.

#### How the salary got here

This is not a new situation. The role has been England’s highest-paid council chief executive post since at least 2017/18, when Paul Martin earned £294,805 in it. Mr Travers’ immediate predecessor Mike Jackson was named the highest-paid council boss in the country by the TaxPayers’ Alliance in 2023/24, at £281,443. Mr Travers earns more.

There was a brief pause. When Brian Reilly held the post as interim chief executive from October 2024, the council’s own pay policy noted the pay ratio had fallen “largely due to the interim arrangements.” When Mr Travers took over in April 2025, it went back up.

For comparison, the chief executives of Southwark and Lambeth each earn around £230,000. Both run councils of comparable size as single boroughs. Mr Travers leads a shared service covering two boroughs, Richmond and Wandsworth, which the council would say justifies a higher salary. The combined workforce is around 3,650 people. That is a reasonable argument. It is also one that has never been tested publicly, because until now no one was looking.

The September strategy will be the first real test of whether the transformation plan is genuine. If it arrives with identified savings, the efficiency story holds. If it doesn’t, residents will have been paying the highest council chief executive salary in England – a 28% premium over other London council chief execs – for a plan that never existed. [*Putney.news* has been tracking the financial trajectory since March 2025](https://putney.news/2025/03/05/wandsworth-council-warned-about-ticking-timebomb-of-new-debt/), when the warning signs first became visible.

Those are the questions. We put them to Mr Travers on Monday 16 March. Three days later, we have yet to receive a response.

> [Wandsworth Council warned about ticking timebomb of new debt](https://putney.news/2025/03/05/wandsworth-council-warned-about-ticking-timebomb-of-new-debt/)

#### What you can do

All 60 Wandsworth councillors face election in May 2026. You can find and contact your ward councillors at [wandsworth.gov.uk/councillors](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/councillors-and-officers/your-councillors/). The medium-term financial strategy is due in September 2026. You can track council meetings through the democracy portal at [wandsworth.gov.uk/democracy](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/meetings-agendas-and-minutes/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/19/wandsworth-says-its-the-best-run-council-in-the-country-heres-what-we-found/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/19/wandsworth-says-its-the-best-run-council-in-the-country-heres-what-we-found/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20says%20it%E2%80%99s%20the%20best-run%20council%20in%20the%20country.%20Here%E2%80%99s%20what%20we%20found.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/19/wandsworth-says-its-the-best-run-council-in-the-country-heres-what-we-found/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** Andrew Travers, Cllr Angela Ireland, Cllr Simon Hogg, council tax, Wandsworth Council

---

### [The Putney café family driving a bag of coffee to Australia](https://putney.news/2026/03/19/the-putney-cafe-family-driving-a-bag-of-coffee-to-australia/)

**Published:** March 19, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Edwin and Magda Harrison left East Putney in February. They are now in Istanbul.

**Content:**

One month ago, Edwin and Magda Harrison left their East Putney home with three children, a converted expedition van, and one bag of coffee. This week they crossed into Istanbul, the first checkpoint marked on the side of the van, and officially entered Asia. They have roughly 20,000 kilometres still to go.

The mission is straightforward, in the way that truly ambitious things often are. Magda’s mother lives in Perth, Western Australia. She ordered a bag of Barn Door Blend from the family’s roastery, Curious Roo Coffee Roasters. Rather than post it, the Harrisons decided to drive it there.

“London to Perth,” they posted from the red front door of their East Putney home on 13 February. “Six months. One van. One bag of coffee. We’re driving 20,000km to hand-deliver it to Magda’s mum. Because some deliveries deserve the long way round.”

The route runs through 25 countries across four continents: south through France and the Alps, across Italy and the Balkans, through Turkey and Georgia, north into Russia and Kazakhstan, across Uzbekistan, into China, down through Southeast Asia, and by boat to Darwin before the final overland push west to Perth. The conflict in Iran had prompted questions about the route. Magda says they are heading in the opposite direction and monitoring the situation closely. They say the journey would be a world record: the longest coffee bag delivery by hand, entirely without a flight.

![Curious Roo expedition from Putney to Perth](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisan-oz-trip-768x1024.png)It is also, as the Harrisons were reminded on Day 2, a considerable undertaking. The heating system failed somewhere in northern France. Warning lights came on in the dark. “We’re somewhere between ‘this is the best decision we’ve ever made’ and ‘what does that button do and should it be flashing?'” they posted. There was a breakdown in Croatia and a bout of illness among the children. “A few major hiccups,” Magda told *Putney.news*. But they found their rhythm.

The first month has ranged from spectacular to chaotic. In Verona, they turned the van into a pop-up café and pulled shots for locals alongside an Italian barista. Their son walked into San Siro on AC Milan match day holding the coffee bag. In Croatia, the fuel gauge lied and they spent five hours on the roadside, headtorch out, eating dinner in the van. Montenegro meant AeroPress coffee overlooking a mountain lake. Kosovo meant their youngest on a snowmobile in the snow.

#### How coffee brought them to Putney

Edwin and Magda met while volunteering in Uganda. Edwin established a beekeeping programme for 300 local farmers; Magda built an adult education school. When it was time to come home, Magda refused to return to Britain until she could find coffee worth drinking. She couldn’t. So they made their own.

Artisan Coffee opened on Upper Richmond Road, Putney in November 2011. The chain now has five shops (Putney, Stamford Brook, Ealing, East Sheen and Fulham), as well as a coffee school at Ealing that trains around 1,400 students a year, and the Curious Roo roastery in a 5,000 square metre warehouse in Chiswick. The Fulham shop turned two years old last Saturday, while its owners were in Skopje.

![The van in the Alps](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisan-oz-trip-van-snow-768x1024.png)In the AlpsAll of it is running without them. “You never fully switch off,” Magda says, “but the team has been phenomenal. Honestly, they’re probably doing a better job than we were.” The Harrisons check in with senior staff every Tuesday.

The van is part of the story. Pimp My Camper built it specifically for the trip and it contains beds, a La Marzocco professional espresso machine, a full brew bar, a Clever Dripper, and an AeroPress. The Curious Roo livery lists destination cities down the sides. The alloy wheels carry a custom kangaroo design. The three children (Danika, Joey, and their eldest son) call it “my bedroom,” and with the family’s SW London house now rented out, Magda says that is exactly what it has become. “They’re genuinely excited to come back to it each day,” she says. The bag of coffee sits on the dashboard. “It’s our little constant,” says Magda, “as everything else changes.”

#### An adventure in coffee

Magda originally grew up in Australia, after moving from Poland. That detail closes the circle: the trip is a delivery, a homecoming, and a coffee adventure all at once.

At every stop they look for specialty producers to meet, not just coffee to drink. In Split they found Matej. In Mostar, Armar and Mak. In Skopje this week, Edwin stood in a café ranked among the best 100 in the world. “Every cup tells a story,” he posted, “and this one tasted like Skopje.”

![Curious Roo travels](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisan-oz-trip-kids-768x1024.png)The kids are with them on the six-month trip: home- or van-schooling on the roadThe one-month post went earlier this week. “One month ago we left the UK with a simple mission: deliver a bag of coffee to Australia without getting on a plane, with our three kids in tow.”

Next up: Cappadocia, Tbilisi, then east through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, into China, and down through Southeast Asia to Indonesia before a boat to Darwin and the final push west. Five months of road still ahead.

![Curious Roo coffee bag in the Alps](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisan-oz-trip-bag-coffee-768x1024.png)The coffee bag on its way to Magda’s mum in Perth*You can follow the journey on Instagram at [@curiousroocoffeeroasters](https://www.instagram.com/curiousroocoffeeroasters/), on YouTube at [@CuriousRoo](https://www.youtube.com/@CuriousRoo), and on Twitter/X at [@artisan\_coffee](https://x.com/artisan_coffee). The Putney shop is still open at 203 Upper Richmond Road.*

![Curious Roo epic journey from Putney tp Perth](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisan-oz-trip-family-1024x682.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/19/the-putney-cafe-family-driving-a-bag-of-coffee-to-australia/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/19/the-putney-cafe-family-driving-a-bag-of-coffee-to-australia/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Putney%20caf%C3%A9%20family%20driving%20a%20bag%20of%20coffee%20to%20Australia&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/19/the-putney-cafe-family-driving-a-bag-of-coffee-to-australia/)

**Categories:** Community, Travel

**Tags:** community, Upper Richmond Road

---

### [Putney's new police chief inherits a trust problem](https://putney.news/2026/03/18/putneys-new-police-chief-inherits-a-trust-problem/)

**Published:** March 18, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Paul James takes over as confidence in local policing falls across all six measures.

**Content:**

Fewer than half of Wandsworth residents think their police do a good job, according to the latest quarterly Trust and Confidence survey. Across every single one of the six measures tracked, confidence has fallen compared to a year ago.

The data, presented to Wandsworth’s Safer Neighbourhood Board at its meeting last night, covers Q3 of 2025/26 and records a 3-point fall in the “good job” measure to 47%. On the measure that matters most to community policing (whether residents feel police listen to their concerns) the drop was sharper still: down 6 points to 50%.

The full picture across Q3: overall trust in the Met fell 2 points to 76%; satisfaction with how issues are dealt with fell 4 points to 50%; confidence that police can be relied on fell 3 points to 57%; and the sense that police treat everyone fairly fell 2 points to 62%. Every indicator moved in the same direction.

Just three months ago, Wandsworth’s Superintendent Gani Rajan told the same Board that the borough recorded 81% public trust, above the Met average of 74%. The measures are not directly comparable, covering different periods and potentially different methodologies, but the direction of travel in the Q3 data is clear.

Borough-wide crime figures for the 12 months to February 2026 show a mixed picture. Burglary is down 7.5% and robbery down 4.2%. But violence against the person is up 9.7% and sexual offences up 12%. In West Putney specifically, 20 sexual offences were recorded in the three months to February 2026, the second highest of any ward in the borough, behind only Tooting Broadway.

#### New police chief for Putney

Against that backdrop, Putney has a new face in neighbourhood policing.

Paul James has taken over as Inspector for the Putney sector of Wandsworth’s Neighbourhood Policing Team. He moves into the role from a more senior position: he served as Acting Chief Inspector for Wandsworth, then returned to his substantive Inspector rank and transferred to Putney. The Safer Neighbourhood Board praised him warmly at his departure in December, noting that his experience and knowledge would continue to be of benefit in his new role.

His record in Wandsworth is substantial. He led the live facial recognition operation at Tooting Broadway that resulted in 11 arrests and 14 stops. He oversaw Operation Sceptre, under which police cadets visited shops selling knives to check age verification compliance and found several failures. He has also been involved in the borough’s Safe Spaces work, which runs at weekends in Putney as a volunteer scheme.

He replaces Inspector Steve Burke, who held the Putney Neighbourhood Policing Team lead through a busy period, including the community response to the [Olivette Street encampment](https://putney.news/2025/08/01/from-eviction-to-encampment-tents-spark-tension-on-olivette-street/) in August 2025 and the opening of the new Roehampton neighbourhood policing hub the previous April. Burke’s next role was not confirmed in the available documents.

Wandsworth’s officer numbers have also improved: the borough was short by 15 to 17 officers for some time; by December 2025 that had reduced to four vacancies.

Residents who want to raise concerns with the Putney neighbourhood policing team can contact them directly: West Putney at  and East Putney at .

Ward panel meetings are the main route for setting local policing priorities. West Putney’s next panel meets on 30 June 2026 at Granard Primary School, Cortis Road. The Safer Neighbourhood Board itself next meets on 9 June 2026, when Q4 confidence data will come into view. Whether the numbers recover or continue to slide will be the next measure of how Wandsworth’s policing relationship with residents is going.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/18/putneys-new-police-chief-inherits-a-trust-problem/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/18/putneys-new-police-chief-inherits-a-trust-problem/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20new%20police%20chief%20inherits%20a%20trust%20problem&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/18/putneys-new-police-chief-inherits-a-trust-problem/)

**Categories:** Community, Crime

**Tags:** Inspector Paul James, Metropolitan Police, SNT, Wandsworth

---

### [Construction resumes at Putney High Street hotel corner after weeks of quiet](https://putney.news/2026/03/18/construction-resumes-at-putney-high-street-hotel-corner-after-weeks-of-quiet/)

**Published:** March 18, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Site foreman explains the delay — and reveals when the last practical obstacle will be cleared.

**Content:**

Workers are back on the scaffold at the hotel corner of Putney High Street and Putney Bridge Road, after a quiet spell that left residents wondering whether something had gone wrong. They were not alone: activity was also visible at the Marlborough block next to Marks and Spencer, making this a notably busy stretch of High Street.

The site foreman for the corner building-to-be, Harry, explained the pause when *Putney.news* visited. Two things had held up progression: a lengthy series of statutory inspections covering gas, electrical and other requirements before demolition of the three connected buildings could continue, and a lorry access problem that took longer to resolve than hoped.

> [Putney corner hotel plans get bigger – but delivery plan risks junction chaos](https://putney.news/2026/02/19/putney-corner-hotel-plans-get-bigger-but-delivery-plan-risks-junction-chaos/)

The lorry problem has been in the background of this project since it was revived last year [after years on hold](https://putney.news/2025/07/15/plans-revived-for-10-storey-hotel-and-new-shops-on-putney-high-street-after-years-of-delay/). Construction vehicles can’t stage on Putney Bridge Road because of the cycle and bus lane, a problem [dramatically illustrated in December](https://putney.news/2025/12/10/officials-watch-helplessly-as-lorry-blocks-junction-they-still-havent-fixed/) when a scaffolding lorry blocked the junction during a council walkabout.

The developer applied to the council for a dedicated construction lane. After some compromises, that application has now been approved by a planning committee, with a special lane due to be in place soon – potentially from next month.

> [‘People don’t drive to hotels,’ says chair as 200-room hotel approved with no taxi drop-off plan](https://putney.news/2026/02/22/hotel-approved-with-two-year-pavement-closure-but-delivery-plan-still-unresolved/)

Work at the hotel corner has resumed ahead of that arrangement, with several workers visible on the scaffold this morning. The buildings are complex structures, Harry explained, requiring careful demolition rather than a straightforward strip-out.

The corner is earmarked for Hub by Premier Inn, a roughly 200-room hotel being developed by Mosser Limited. [The most recent update before today](https://putney.news/2026/01/28/putney-high-street-roadworks-progress-on-two-fronts-this-week/) reported the top floor nearly demolished; this morning’s resumption picks up from there. Construction is expected to complete in 2028.

At the Marlborough block, workers were also on site this morning. [Marlborough Properties began clearing the 55-71 Putney High Street block in January](https://putney.news/2026/01/14/entire-putney-high-street-block-being-cleared-as-british-heart-foundation-announces-summer-move/), with activity continuing on both sides of M&S.

![Work on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/high-street-activity-2-1024x768.png)The hotel developer also intends to issue a construction newsletter to local residents. *Putney.news* will share sign-up details when they become available.

Harry’s verdict on the hotel corner: it’s all go.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/18/construction-resumes-at-putney-high-street-hotel-corner-after-weeks-of-quiet/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/18/construction-resumes-at-putney-high-street-hotel-corner-after-weeks-of-quiet/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Construction%20resumes%20at%20Putney%20High%20Street%20hotel%20corner%20after%20weeks%20of%20quiet&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/18/construction-resumes-at-putney-high-street-hotel-corner-after-weeks-of-quiet/)

**Categories:** Business, Planning

**Tags:** Putney Bridge Road, Putney High Street

---

### [Machete gang robs West Putney cyclist - and police know who they're looking for](https://putney.news/2026/03/18/machete-gang-robs-west-putney-cyclist-and-police-know-who-theyre-looking-for/)

**Published:** March 18, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Police arrived within ten minutes, lifted a boot print. No arrests made.

**Content:**

A machete-wielding moped gang threatened a man outside a West Putney home on Friday, stealing a professional racing bike worth £6,000 in broad daylight: the latest in a string of organised attacks featuring knives and targeting cyclists across SW15.

Anthony Poole, joint manager of the Jakroo Handsling professional cycling team, was on a call with a sponsor when he heard a persistent car horn at around 2:55pm. He went outside to find a balaclava-clad thief in black clothing and gloves standing on the roof of his car, physically ripping bikes off a locked rack.

When Poole told him to stop, the man jumped down, stepped toward him, and produced the weapon. “There was this big handle and it was very clear he had a blade, a big one, like a machete,” Poole said. “He walked menacingly towards me telling me to back off.”

Poole stepped back and called the police. A second thief was waiting on a moped. Within seconds the two were gone, taking one of the team’s red carbon race bikes. The other was left “completely destroyed, hanging mangled off the roof rack”, Poole told *Putney.news*. The roof rack was also a write-off, the windscreen dented, and footprints crossed the bonnet of the freshly-cleaned car.

“It was very scary, I’ve never been threatened like that,” Poole told us.

Police officers arrived within ten minutes and lifted a boot print from the bonnet. No arrests have been made.

![Bike left damaged on top of car roof in West Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/west-putney-theft-bike-584x1024.png)How the second bike was left on top of the car#### One of a growing number of reports

The theft is one of multiple attacks that the same gang has carried out across SW15. There have been multiple reports of thefts at The Clubhouse café on Putney Embankment, which is popular with cyclists, and there have also been reports of robberies at cycling clubs across South West London.

Poole’s partner at Jakroo Handsling, David Streule told us he had personally tackled one of the thieves on Putney’s Embankment as he attempted to steal a bike, grabbing the bike from behind and causing them to flee. Moments earlier, the cafe owner had recognised two men on e-bikes as those that had repeatedly targeted his customers and pointed them out. Streule’s own garage has been raided and five road bikes taken.

Among the multiple reports of cyclists being targeted, one includes a dramatic incident on Lower Richmond Road last month in which a driver used their car to knock a thief off a cargo bike that they had just stolen. The thief got away.

The spate of incidents has become a main topic of discussion among the cycling community. In one case, a bike stolen in Fulham was traced to Putney Park Lane – the theory being that, like stolen Range Rovers last year, thieves leave the stolen item somewhere overnight to check they don’t have trackers. If there are still there in the morning, they return and move them out of London.

The cycling community is confident the bikes are being resold outside the UK, with no signs of the high-end items on UK marketplaces. One determined owner who owned a particularly unique bicycle found it online for sale in Poland.

#### The Met response

The police have so far failed to make an arrest despite knowing who they are looking for. In the blatant theft this week in West Putney, Streule told *Putney.news* that the Met had turned up and been sympathetic but “little has happened since.”

West Putney’s safer neighbourhood team were told about this exact problem just last week at its ward meeting. A resident told the meeting that knife-wielding thieves were targeting cyclists every two weeks, naming The Clubhouse café on the embankment specifically. The police response was striking. Officers confirmed they knew about the café, had seen CCTV footage of a suspect producing a knife there on multiple occasions, and said they had “a good idea” of who he was. No arrest has been made.

Police also acknowledged the difficulty of the location. The café, they noted, attracts cyclists on expensive bikes who are reluctant to carry heavy locks – making it, in their words, “a perfect location” for thieves.

With this latest incident, however, what appeared to be organised but opportune crime has turned into something much more dangerous: residents targeted outside their own homes by thieves who directly threaten them with knives when challenged.

“Friday night was quite difficult,” Poole told us. “I didn’t get much sleep.”

At 4:30am on Saturday he drove to the Lake District to support his team at a race. “Best to get on with life,” he said.

**If you recognise moped plate PK24 EXD or have information about the theft, contact the Met Police on 101 or at met.police.uk. If you have been targeted by bike theft, contact us at .**

![Bike frame snapped ](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/west-putney-theft-bike-broken-577x1024.png)Bike frame snapped as thieves tried to tear it off the roof rack [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/18/machete-gang-robs-west-putney-cyclist-and-police-know-who-theyre-looking-for/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/18/machete-gang-robs-west-putney-cyclist-and-police-know-who-theyre-looking-for/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Machete%20gang%20robs%20West%20Putney%20cyclist%20%E2%80%93%20and%20police%20know%20who%20they%E2%80%99re%20looking%20for&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/18/machete-gang-robs-west-putney-cyclist-and-police-know-who-theyre-looking-for/)

**Categories:** Crime, Thamesfield, West Putney

**Tags:** cycling, cycling safety, Lower Richmond Road, Metropolitan Police, Putney embankment

---

### [Putney's buses are 41% worse than the rest of Wandsworth - and the data proves the junction is why](https://putney.news/2026/03/17/putneys-buses-are-41-worse-than-the-rest-of-wandsworth-and-the-data-proves-the-junction-is-why/)

**Published:** March 17, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** The same routes on the same roads perform among the best in the borough at night. During the day, they are the worst. The junction is the only variable.

**Content:**

TfL data has confirmed what Putney has long known: bus passengers travelling through the redesigned Putney Bridge junction wait up to 41% longer than the rest of the borough. The junction is the cause.

The measure is Excess Waiting Time (EWT): how much longer passengers wait beyond the timetable. If a bus runs every ten minutes, the scheduled wait is five minutes. If the average actual wait is 6.5 minutes, the EWT is 1.5 minutes. TfL’s target is 1.0 minute.

In the latest quarter (September 2025 to January 2026), the borough average EWT across all Wandsworth routes was 1.1 minutes. Routes running along Lower Richmond Road (the approach most directly affected by the junction) averaged 1.55 minutes. That is 41% above the borough average, and 55% above TfL’s target.

The figure is an average across all hours. Off-peak, when the junction is clear, buses on these routes perform closer to the borough norm. The passengers bearing the worst of it are the ones who need the service most: commuters travelling in the morning rush, when the junction is at its most congested and the EWT figures are at their highest.

#### The junction map

Routes 22 and 265 travel along Lower Richmond Road, the approach with the worst junction exposure. Their combined average EWT in Q3 25/26 was 1.55 minutes. Route 265 alone recorded 1.6, and at its worst in Q3 24/25 it reached 2.1 minutes, the worst figure recorded across the borough.

Routes 220 and 270 use Putney Bridge Road. Their average EWT was 1.35 minutes, better than Lower Richmond Road, worse than the borough average.

The seven routes running along Putney High Street (14, 37, 39, 74, 85, 93 and 430) averaged 1.01 minutes – essentially the TfL target, and borough average.

The numbers compound. Route 265 passengers wait an average of 8.6 minutes for their bus. By the time it arrives, the next one should be close behind. It isn’t. Across Lower Richmond Road routes overall, nearly one journey in three involves a wait of more than ten minutes. Long gaps, when buses disappear entirely for an extended period, happen almost twice as often on these routes as elsewhere in the borough: 2.7% against a borough average of 1.6%.

#### The proof

The strongest evidence in this dataset is not the daytime numbers. It is what happens at night.

Night buses N22, N33 and N72 all run along Lower Richmond Road, the worst-performing approach during the day. In Q3 25/26, these routes recorded an on-time performance of 93.7%. The Wandsworth night bus borough average was 81.6%. The same roads, the same routes. At night, they are among the best-performing services in the borough. During the day, they are the worst.

TfL’s Director of Public Transport Service Planning, Geoff Hobbs, confirmed to *Putney.news* in November 2025 that “congestion in Putney is impacting operators’ ability to operate the route reliably to the specified schedule.” The night bus data confirms it: remove the junction congestion and the routes perform. The road is not the problem. The operator is not the problem. The junction is.

#### What the fixes achieved

The council and TfL have made at least fifteen separate interventions since the junction was redesigned in late 2024.

Lower Richmond Road received 32% more green time. Journey times fell by 32%. The correlation is near-perfect.

Putney Bridge Road received 56% more green time. Journey times improved by 3%.

The reason: 25 seconds out of every 104-second signal cycle is simply not enough to clear the queue that builds in the remaining 79 seconds. Every cycle resets. Every cycle the queue starts again. Putney High Street, by contrast, gets 43 seconds per cycle, the road TfL has historically prioritised.

There is also a deeper problem. In November 2025, AECOM, the engineers who designed the scheme, found that the signal timings had never been correctly installed. Lower Richmond Road lost ten seconds of green time compared to the approved design when the junction was built. Putney Bridge Road lost 21 seconds. The junction has been operating incorrectly from the start.

> [Tired of buses dumping you at Putney Heath? Here’s why](https://putney.news/2025/05/14/tired-of-buses-dumping-you-at-putney-heath-heres-why/)

#### The curtailment caveat

Route 85 records an EWT of 0.9, below the TfL target. On the face of it, one of the better-performing routes in the borough.

But anyone who has taken the 85 will know that it often terminates early at Putney Heath – which is also before the next TfL monitoring point. When a bus turns back early (a practice known as curtailment), it never reaches the point where waiting time is measured. The EWT figure for that journey is not recorded as poor performance. It disappears from the dataset. TfL’s EWT target is 1.0 minute. Above it, operators face fines; below it, they earn bonuses. That incentive structure matters here.

So if even these figures seem off and don’t match your experience of waiting, that’s because the bus companies have effectively pulled the bus from service in order not to appear late. The people who are late, of course, are the passengers waiting for a bus that never turns up, or the ones pushed off the bus 20 minutes walk from their stop.

At the PTLG meeting in May 2025, Cllr Jenny Yates, Cabinet Member for Transport, acknowledged the problem directly: “Presumably \[curtailments\] don’t reflect what’s really going on.” Malcolm Claridge, representing First Bus London at the same meeting, explained the incentive: “If we operate below one, we get a bonus. If we operate above one, we get a fine.”

The PTLG agreed in May 2025 that TfL would circulate curtailment data for routes 85 and 170. TfL also agreed to provide an explanatory note on what EWT figures show and don’t show. Neither was delivered. The November 2025 PTLG meeting, at which this data would have been followed up, was cancelled.

We cannot say route 85 is genuinely improving. We can only say it appears to be improving on a metric that rewards curtailments. The data that would settle the question has never been published.

Route 14, previously reported as the slowest bus in the entire TfL network at 5.7mph, also records a relatively low EWT. The same caveat applies.

> [Putney buses rank among London’s worst as complaints surge](https://putney.news/2025/07/11/putney-buses-rank-among-londons-worst-as-complaints-surge/)

#### The three-quarter picture

Two years ago, route 378 ran on time 85.8% of journeys. In the latest quarter, it ran on time 67.3% of journeys. Route 485 has fallen from 81.8% to 65.8% over the same period. The borough average has remained flat at around 81.6%.

These are not routes that were already struggling. They are routes that declined sharply after the junction was redesigned, while the rest of the borough held steady.

Routes 22 and 378 have also had their frequencies cut by 29% and 49% respectively since 2021. Fewer buses means less resilience, and greater damage when the junction delays each one.

Three of London’s five most complained-about bus routes serve Putney. [Complaints about Putney buses rose 63% over three years](https://putney.news/2025/07/11/putney-buses-rank-among-londons-worst-as-complaints-surge/), based on data published in July 2025.

> [Exposed: How Putney’s buses abandon passengers to fake perfect performance](https://putney.news/2025/06/27/exposed-how-putneys-buses-abandon-passengers-to-fake-perfect-performance/)

#### What you can do

The next meeting of the Putney Transport Liaison Group (PTLG) takes place on 25 March 2026, two days before the pre-election purdah period begins on 27 March. Agenda and papers are at [democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/).

If you have experienced unreliable bus services in Putney, you can report directly to TfL at [tfl.gov.uk/help-and-contact](https://tfl.gov.uk/help-and-contact) or submit a complaint to Wandsworth Council at [wandsworth.gov.uk/complaints](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/complaints).

The curtailment data that TfL promised at the May 2025 PTLG meeting has never been published. You can submit a Freedom of Information request to TfL via [whatdotheyknow.com](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/), requesting curtailment rates for routes 85 and 170 by quarter.

---

*The junction redesign has cost at least £1 million (£835,000 for the original scheme, plus £169,000 in emergency modifications). You can read previous Putney.news coverage of the junction series, including the [curtailment mechanism](https://putney.news/2025/05/14/tired-of-buses-dumping-you-at-putney-heath-heres-why/), [the ghost bus investigation](https://putney.news/2025/06/27/exposed-how-putneys-buses-abandon-passengers-to-fake-perfect-performance/), [why Putney is paralysed](https://putney.news/2025/11/16/why-putney-is-paralysed-eight-failures-creating-londons-traffic-nightmare/) and [the council-TfL contradiction on route 424](https://putney.news/2025/11/25/council-claimed-buses-were-faster-tfl-is-removing-a-route-because-of-congestion/)*.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/17/putneys-buses-are-41-worse-than-the-rest-of-wandsworth-and-the-data-proves-the-junction-is-why/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/17/putneys-buses-are-41-worse-than-the-rest-of-wandsworth-and-the-data-proves-the-junction-is-why/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20buses%20are%2041%25%20worse%20than%20the%20rest%20of%20Wandsworth%20%E2%80%93%20and%20the%20data%20proves%20the%20junction%20is%20why&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/17/putneys-buses-are-41-worse-than-the-rest-of-wandsworth-and-the-data-proves-the-junction-is-why/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** accountability, bus, Cllr Jenny Yates, Putney Bridge junction, TfL, traffic congestion, Transport Committee, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth has approved its special needs budget. The money has yet to arrive](https://putney.news/2026/03/17/wandsworth-has-approved-its-special-needs-budget-the-money-has-yet-to-arrive/)

**Published:** March 17, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** A £15m shortfall, a conditional government grant, and a 2028 deadline the council must race to meet.

**Content:**

Wandsworth’s special needs budget for the coming year was set yesterday. The projected overspend is £14.964 million. The plan to close it depends on a government grant that won’t arrive until autumn, requires conditions the council has not publicly confirmed it has met, and is subject to approval the government has not given.

The decision came at a Schools Forum meeting held at Wandsworth Town Hall, the moment [Putney.news flagged two weeks ago](https://putney.news/2026/03/01/wandsworth-top-of-the-class-on-special-needs-bottom-line-in-crisis/) as the point at which the council would have to show its hand. That article reported a £21 million accumulated deficit in Wandsworth’s special needs accounts and asked whether the council had a recovery plan. Now the budget is set, and the plan is as follows: a new government grant (the High Needs Stability Grant) will, if approved, cover up to 90% of the accumulated deficit. That grant is expected to arrive in autumn 2026 at the earliest.

The catch is the word “if.” The council’s own Schools Forum papers state the grant is available “provided each authority submits and secures DfE approval of a Local SEND Reform Plan” and that it will come “following DfE assurance processes and publication of final SEND reform arrangements.” Wandsworth has not publicly confirmed it has submitted such a plan or that approval is expected.

At the Children’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 10 February, Cabinet Member for Children Cllr Judi Gasser told councillors the government was “helping us with writing off the DSG deficit” and that a 90% write-off was available “as long as we show that we’re running the service very well, which of course we are.” The Schools Forum papers published today are less confident. They note that the DfE has emphasised “future support will not be unlimited” and that “councils must demonstrate credible plans for cost control and SEND pathway improvement.” The same papers describe the grant as designed in part to “reduce the risk of insolvency when the statutory override ends in 2028.”

The word “insolvency” stands out from the council’s own paper.

> [Wandsworth: top of the class on special needs, bottom line in crisis](https://putney.news/2026/03/01/wandsworth-top-of-the-class-on-special-needs-bottom-line-in-crisis/)

The same central government whose approval Wandsworth now needs recently cut the borough’s core funding settlement despite the council’s lobbying against the reduction, [as we reported in February](https://putney.news/2026/02/24/your-council-tax-must-rise-34-next-year-or-wandsworth-runs-out-of-money/). That doesn’t mean the SEND grant won’t be approved but it does suggest that confidence in central government goodwill is not something Wandsworth can afford.

In the meantime, the squeeze on everyday SEND support has continued. Mainstream top-up rates, the funding mainstream schools receive for each child with additional needs who does not have a formal plan, have been frozen at 0% across all ten funding bands. In real terms, that is a cut. It affects the largest group of children in the system: those supported in ordinary classrooms without a legally enforceable plan.

The system is not failing operationally. Requests for formal education plans have plateaued at 576, almost exactly where they were last year, against a rising national trend. Wandsworth’s pupils with special needs rank sixth in England at Key Stage 2 and sixth nationally on the GCSE measure. The Early Response to Placement programme kept all 26 high-needs children placed with it in mainstream school last year. The money is still broken regardless. A [trajectory that ran from £7.3 million to £10 million to £14 million](https://putney.news/2025/06/23/special-needs-funding-at-breaking-point-in-wandsworth/) does not reverse because the performance data is good.

Independent specialist school spending continues to rise, reaching £12.775 million (up £600,000 on last year) even as the council commissions 62 new places at cheaper resource bases to reduce reliance on those placements. The direction of travel is right; the speed is not fast enough to close the gap.

The statutory override that allows councils to run these deficits off their main accounts ends in 2028. The High Needs Stability Grant is designed to bridge to that deadline. Whether it arrives in time, and on what terms, is now the question Wandsworth’s schools and families are waiting on.

> [Special needs funding at breaking point in Wandsworth](https://putney.news/2025/06/23/special-needs-funding-at-breaking-point-in-wandsworth/)

#### What Wandsworth Council was asked

*Putney.news* sent right-of-reply questions to Cllr Judi Gasser and Lisa Fenaroli, Director of Education back in late February. We’ve heard nothing back.

What we would like to know is whether Wandsworth has submitted its Local SEND Reform Plan to the DfE and when a decision is expected; what the cumulative deficit figure is as of 31 March 2026; what the council says to mainstream schools absorbing a real-terms cut while costs continue to rise; and whether the council has a contingency plan if the High Needs Stability Grant does not materialise on the terms assumed in today’s budget.

For families navigating the current system, Wandsworth’s Information, Advice and Support Service (WIASS) can be contacted at [wiass.org.uk](https://wiass.org.uk/) or on 020 8871 8061.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/17/wandsworth-has-approved-its-special-needs-budget-the-money-has-yet-to-arrive/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/17/wandsworth-has-approved-its-special-needs-budget-the-money-has-yet-to-arrive/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20has%20approved%20its%20special%20needs%20budget.%20The%20money%20has%20yet%20to%20arrive&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/17/wandsworth-has-approved-its-special-needs-budget-the-money-has-yet-to-arrive/)

**Categories:** Education, Finance

**Tags:** Cllr Judi Gasser, School Funding, SEND, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Fact-check: The claims in Wandsworth's council tax leaflet](https://putney.news/2026/03/16/fact-check-the-claims-in-wandsworths-council-tax-leaflet/)

**Published:** March 16, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** We checked all four financial claims against the council's own documents. None of them stack up.

**Content:**

This weekend, Wandsworth residents opened their council tax bills and found a bright magenta leaflet in the same envelope. It said one thing: Council Tax Freeze.

The bill itself told a different story. Turn to the breakdown and your total Band D charge has risen from £990.07 to £1,020.35, an increase of 3.1%. The Wandsworth precept is frozen, but the adult social care precept (also set by Wandsworth) rose by 2%, the GLA precept by 4.1%, and the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Levy by 3.2% (the Levy is only paid by some Wandsworth residents but at between £50-100 is less than 5% of the overall tax bill).

[We have covered this ground before.](https://putney.news/2025/04/09/bbc-exposes-wandsworth-councils-misleading-council-tax-freeze-claim/) The council dropped the “freeze” language after the BBC called it misleading, then quietly revived it.

The leaflet did not stop at the freeze claim however. Under the heading “How we keep your council tax low,” it made four specific financial claims about the administration’s record. We checked all four against the council’s own published documents: committee papers, budget reports, and scrutiny records. No anonymous sources. No inference. Every verdict is grounded in what the council has put on the public record.

All four claims are false.

![Frozen council tax claims](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/council-tax-leaflet-claims-1024x768.png)A series of claims made for how Council tax is kept low: they are not true.---

#### Claim 1: £230m from property developers

  THE CLAIM “£230m collected from property developers since 2022″   FALSE The scheme started in 2012. Labour arrived in 2022. 78% of the money was collected before they took office. Source: Wandsworth Infrastructure Funding Statements 2012/13–2024/25The leaflet says Wandsworth has collected £230m from property developers since 2022, presented as an achievement of the current Labour administration, which took office in May 2022.

The council collects this money through its Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), a charge on new developments used to fund local infrastructure. The scheme has operated since November 2012, under the previous Conservative administration.

£263.4m

Total CIL collected

2012/13 to 2024/25

£204.6m

Collected pre-May 2022

78% of total — 10 years

£58.8m

Collected since May 2022

22% of total — 3 years

↓24%

Fall in annual average

£25.9m → £19.6m per year

Annual CIL income — what was collected each year and by whom

                £0 £5m £10m £15m £20m £25m £30m £35m    avg £25.9m     avg £19.6m                        Labour takes office May 2022         2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 

Annual CIL income — Conservative administration (2012–2022)

Annual CIL income — Labour administration (from May 2022)

Average annual income per era

Source: Wandsworth Council Annual CIL Infrastructure Funding Statements. Figures 2012/13–2023/24 from Table 1, IFS 2023/24 (Paper 24-377, Finance Overview and Scrutiny Committee, 4 December 2024). 2024/25 figures from Infrastructure Funding Statement 2024/25, published wandsworth.gov.uk, 17 December 2025. All annual income figures are directly stated in source documents. Average figures calculated from stated totals. No figures have been estimated or interpolated.

We examined every Infrastructure Funding Statement published by the council from 2012/13 through to 2024/25.

The total collected across all thirteen years of the scheme is £263.4m. Of that total, £204.6m (78%) was collected before Labour took office. Labour’s three years have produced £58.8m, 22% of the cumulative total.

Cumulative CIL income, commitments & expenditure — 2012/13 to 2024/25

          £0 £50m £100m £150m £200m £250m £300m        Labour takes office May 2022 £204.6m at handover (78%) £263.4m income £281.5m committed £127m spent                    2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 

CIL income — Conservative era

CIL income — Labour era (from May 2022)

Commitments approved (approximate — source: Cabinet Paper 26-64)

Expenditure incurred (verified — source: IFS 2024/25)

Source: Income and expenditure figures from Wandsworth Council Infrastructure Funding Statements 2012/13–2024/25. Annual income from Table 1, IFS 2023/24 (Paper 24-377, Finance OSC 4 December 2024) and IFS 2024/25 (wandsworth.gov.uk, 17 December 2025). Cumulative expenditure from Table 5, same documents. All income and expenditure figures directly stated in source documents. Commitments line is approximate, read from the council’s own graph in Cabinet Paper 26-64 (23 February 2026) — the endpoint of £281.5m is confirmed in that document’s text.

Annual CIL income under Labour has averaged £19.6m, compared to £25.9m under the Conservatives, a 24% fall. The sharpest single-year drop was from £31.6m in 2021/22 to £13.9m in 2023/24, a 53% decline.

The leaflet says “£230m collected from property developers since 2022.” That is not what the Infrastructure Funding Statements show.

There is also further context the leaflet omits. CIL commitments already approved by the council total £281.5m, £18m more than has ever been collected. Projected receipts to 2030 will not fully close that gap.

£263.4m

Total CIL received

2012/13 to 2024/25

£281.5m

Total committed to spend

As at February 2026

−£18.1m

Already overcommitted

Even before 2025/26 income counted

CIL received vs committed to spend — the funding gap

        Received to 2024/25  £263.4m  Forecast receipts to 2030   £37.7m   Total if all forecast arrives: £301.1m  Total committed to spend  £281.5m      −£18.1m shortfall vs received −£11.2m vs forecast 

Source: Received figures from Wandsworth Council Infrastructure Funding Statements 2012/13–2024/25. Commitment and forecast figures from Cabinet Paper 26-64 (General Fund Capital Programme), 23 February 2026, para 8.5, 8.6 and Appendix D. All figures directly stated in source documents.

**Sources:** Infrastructure Funding Statements 2012/13–2023/24 (Paper 24-377, Finance OSC, 4 December 2024); Infrastructure Funding Statement 2024/25 (standalone, wandsworth.gov.uk, 17 December 2025); Cabinet Paper 26-64 (General Fund Capital Programme), 23 February 2026.

---

#### Claim 2: £30m saved on new leisure contract 

  THE CLAIM “£30m saved on new leisure contract over 10 years”   FALSE The £30m in the source document is money they need to spend. The actual savings figure is secret. Source: Cabinet Paper 25-177, para 9 and recommendation 4 — Cabinet 16 June 2025The leaflet says the council has saved £30m on its new leisure contract over ten years. In June 2025, Cabinet approved a new leisure management contract, reappointing Places Leisure to run seven of the borough’s eight leisure centres.

Cabinet Paper 25-177, the public report considered at that meeting, contains one reference to £30m. It appears in paragraph 9 and describes the investment **required** to maintain current provision over the life of the contract: a cost the council needs to spend, not a saving it has made.

The actual savings figure is not in the public paper at all. Recommendation 4 of Cabinet Paper 25-177 explicitly directs Cabinet to “note the financial savings as set out in the exempt part of the paper (Paper No. 25-177A).” Paper 25-177A has never been published. It remains exempt from public disclosure.

The council’s own “Delivering Value for Money” PR page (3 February 2026) attributes the figure to “smarter long-term service contracts,” plural, not specifically the leisure contract. The figure may have a real basis in a savings calculation inside 25-177A, but that calculation has never been published or scrutinised. The public paper inverts the meaning of the £30m figure entirely.

The saving may exist inside 25-177A. What is in the public record is a cost, not a saving, and the actual figure has been withheld from scrutiny.

We have submitted a Freedom of Information request for Paper 25-177A.

**Sources:** Cabinet Paper 25-177 (Leisure Management Contract Award), Cabinet, 16 June 2025; Cabinet Paper 25-237, Appendix C (Finance OSC, 3 July 2025); Council “Delivering Value for Money” page, wandsworth.gov.uk, 3 February 2026.

---

#### Claim 3: £3.7m through homelessness prevention

  THE CLAIM “£3.7m avoided annually through homelessness prevention”   FALSE Figure absent from all committee papers. Homelessness budget overspent by £6.9m in the same year. Figure first appeared on a council PR page — eight weeks before the election. Counter-sources: Cabinet Paper 25-257, July 2025 — Cabinet Paper 25-237, Finance OSC, 3 July 2025Wandsworth Council says it is saving £3.7m every year by preventing people from becoming homeless before they end up in emergency accommodation. The figure does not appear in any committee paper, budget report or scrutiny document.

What we found instead was a council repeatedly promising to produce the evidence, and then not producing it.

In October 2024, the Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee noted that a budget monitoring report was “short of detail in regard to the impact of the work undertaken to alleviate the use of temporary accommodation” and was told more detail would be provided in future.

It didn’t arrive. In November 2024, a budget monitoring report described the cost analysis as ongoing: the work would “evidence long run savings” once complete. In January 2025, a further budget report used almost identical language. Another paper from the same month said the financial benefits were “expected” to materialise “only in future years.”

By June 2025, an outturn report was still saying the evidence base “will be monitored carefully to provide an additional evidence basis going forward.”

In July 2025, Cabinet considered Paper 25-257, the annual report setting homelessness forecasts and targets for the year ahead. This is the document where a verified cost avoidance figure, if it existed, would appear. It does not contain one. What it does contain is the finance director’s assessment of how the homelessness budget actually performed: spending came in at £33.4m against a revised budget of £26.5m, an overspend of £6.9m.

In October 2025, Housing committee members were still pushing for better information. The committee minutes record members asking officers to provide more detailed data in future reports.

Then, on 3 February 2026, eight weeks before the 7 May elections, the figure appeared for the first time. Not in a committee paper. Not in a budget report. On the council’s own “Delivering Value for Money” webpage, which stated: “£3.7m avoided each year in homelessness costs through early intervention.” No source was given. No methodology was explained. No committee had approved it.

The same figure then appeared in the election leaflet.

**The financial picture makes this harder to accept, not easier.**

In the year the council says it is saving £3.7m annually through prevention, its homelessness budget overspent by £6.9m. The housing service was handling a 19% increase in homelessness applications. Temporary accommodation numbers were rising. The prevention budget itself overspent.

Prevention work has real value: the council’s own papers show real cases resolved, real households helped. The arithmetic of comparing prevention costs against temporary accommodation costs, which runs to nearly £3,000 a month per family, is a legitimate exercise. But there is a difference between a projection and an achieved annual saving. The council’s own papers treated the analysis as incomplete and the benefits as future and uncertain right up to the moment this figure appeared in PR copy.

Sixteen months of committee papers promised this evidence. It never arrived. A figure then appeared on a webpage, unverified and unsourced, eight weeks before an election.

That is not an achieved saving. It is a claim without a foundation in the public record.

**Sources:** Cabinet Paper 24-171 (Cabinet, July 2024); Paper 24-356, para 13 (Housing OSC, November 2024); Paper 25-11, para 13 (Housing OSC, January 2025); Paper 25-12, para 37 (Housing OSC, January 2025); Paper 25-191 (Housing OSC, June 2025); Cabinet Paper 25-257, Table 21 (Cabinet, July 2025); Paper 25-237, Appendix C (Finance OSC, July 2025); Paper 25-334 minutes (Housing OSC, October 2025); Council “Delivering Value for Money” page, wandsworth.gov.uk, 3 February 2026.

---

#### Claim 4: £14m saved through efficiencies

  THE CLAIM “£14m saved through efficiencies, service redesign and smarter staffing”   FALSE Budgets reduced on paper — not savings delivered. Same approach failed twice in 2024/25. £31m of £45m target unidentified. Current year already overspending by £5.6m. Remaining savings still “to be scoped out” in the council’s own budget paper. Counter-sources: Cabinet Paper 26-63, para 32 — Cabinet Paper 26-67 — Cabinet Paper 25-237, 3 July 2025The council says it has saved £14m through a programme of efficiencies and service improvements. Its own budget documents say otherwise.

**What the document actually says**

The £14m figure comes from Cabinet Paper 26-63, the budget report presented to Cabinet on 23 February 2026, three weeks before this leaflet landed on doormats. Paragraph 32 of that report describes a transformation programme with an “initial ambition” of reducing the council’s costs by £45m a year. It then says that initiatives worth £14m have been identified and that “committee budgets have been reduced accordingly.”

The council has reduced budget lines by £14m. That is an accounting assumption, a plan on paper. It is not the same as £14m actually being saved.

**We know this because it has happened before.**

In 2024/25, the council wrote £2m of planned savings into its adult social care budget. By the end of the year, those savings had not been delivered: the department overspent by £1.79m, partly because the savings never arrived. In the same year, planned savings in children’s services through staffing changes, operational improvements and system redesign also failed to materialise, adding another £1.5m to costs.

Both cases are documented in the council’s own financial results for 2024/25, Paper 25-237. [We reported on both at the time.](https://putney.news/2025/07/02/wandsworth-overspends-by-40m-and-worse-is-on-the-way/)

**The current year isn’t going well either.**

The Q3 financial monitoring report for 2025/26, Paper 26-67, presented to Cabinet on the same day as the budget, shows the council is already forecasting an overspend of £5.594m for the current financial year. That is the year in which the £14m of transformation savings are supposed to be landing.

The full picture is starker. The £14m represents just 31% of the transformation programme’s total target of £45m. The remaining £31m has not been identified. The council’s own paper says those savings are still “to be developed further as the detailed business cases are scoped out.” The council does not yet know where the other £31m is coming from.

The leaflet presents £14m as an achieved saving. The council’s own documents show it is a budget reduction not yet tested against reality, in a year when the budget is already overspending, delivered by an administration that has twice before claimed savings that never came.

That is not a saving. It is a plan, and an incomplete one.

**Sources:** Cabinet Paper 26-63, para 32 (Budget and Council Tax 2026/27, Cabinet, 23 February 2026); Cabinet Paper 26-67 (Q3 Financial Monitoring 2025/26, Cabinet, 23 February 2026); Cabinet Paper 25-237 (Finance OSC, 3 July 2025).

---

#### What you can do

The source documents behind these verdicts are available through the council’s committee meeting archive at wandsworth.gov.uk.

To request the exempt leisure paper (25-177A) or the methodology behind the £3.7m homelessness figure, submit a Freedom of Information request via [WhatDoTheyKnow](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/), which handles the process for you.

Housing OSC and Cabinet meetings are open to the public. Dates and agendas are published on the council’s website.

---

#### Our questions to Wandsworth Council

*Putney.news* sent the following questions to Wandsworth Council on the day of publication. If the council replies, we will update this article with their answers in full. The questions are published here so readers can see exactly what we asked and judge any responses for themselves.

**Claim 1: £230m from developers** Your leaflet says £230m has been collected from property developers since 2022. Council records show the CIL scheme has run since 2012 and that 78% of the total was collected before Labour took office. Why does the leaflet attribute the full cumulative figure to the period since 2022?

**Claim 2: £30m leisure saving** Your leaflet says £30m has been saved on the new leisure contract. The public version of Cabinet Paper 25-177 contains one reference to £30m, describing money the council needs to spend to maintain current provision, not a saving. The actual savings figure is in a companion document that has never been published. What is the saving, how was it calculated, and why has the supporting document not been made public?

**Claim 3: £3.7m homelessness prevention** Your leaflet says £3.7m is avoided every year through homelessness prevention. This figure does not appear in any committee paper, budget report or scrutiny document. Your own Housing committee papers described the financial analysis of prevention activity as incomplete as recently as June 2025. The figure first appeared on a council webpage on 3 February 2026. Where does it come from, how was it calculated, and which officer or committee approved it?

**Claim 4: £14m efficiency savings** Your leaflet says £14m has been saved through efficiencies and service improvements. Your own budget paper from 23 February 2026 describes this as a reduction in budget lines, not confirmed savings. In 2024/25, your administration budgeted for £2m of social care savings and £1.5m of children’s services savings that were later confirmed as undelivered. What evidence exists that the £14m has actually been saved rather than assumed?

---

*Putney.news is an independent hyperlocal publication covering Putney and SW15. We are editorially independent and receive no funding from Wandsworth Council or any political party. If you value this kind of accountability journalism, please consider [subscribing](https://putney.news/subscribe).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/16/fact-check-the-claims-in-wandsworths-council-tax-leaflet/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/16/fact-check-the-claims-in-wandsworths-council-tax-leaflet/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Fact-check%3A%20The%20claims%20in%20Wandsworth%E2%80%99s%20council%20tax%20leaflet&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/16/fact-check-the-claims-in-wandsworths-council-tax-leaflet/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, council tax, housing, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council

---

### [The long road to merger: how St George's planned its future while its hospitals struggled](https://putney.news/2026/03/14/the-long-road-to-merger-how-st-georges-planned-its-future-while-its-hospitals-struggled/)

**Published:** March 14, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** A five-year assembly of people, plans and private decisions — and a public kept in the dark.

**Content:**

**LONG READ** *We published the news of the merger decision [earlier this week](https://putney.news/2026/03/12/st-georges-to-merge-with-epsom-and-st-helier-nobody-was-told/). This piece examines how it came to be made.*

**UPDATED** At the public board meeting of the St George’s, Epsom and St Helier Hospitals and Health Group on 5 March 2026, the interim chief executive delivered what sounded like a routine update:

> “The first thing just to add is just to relay into the public board the conversation that was had in the private part of the board earlier today in relation to progressing the case for the merger of St George’s and Epsom St Helier hospitals.
> 
> “So the private board did consider a draft strategic outline case to submit to NHS England later this month in order to start the process of looking at the options and ultimately moving towards a merger of the two organisations.
> 
> “And I’m pleased to say that the board supported the decisions to submit a strategic case subject to a few minor amendments which we will make before we submit it.”

James Blythe’s announcement took approximately 30 seconds, in a meeting that lasted over two and a half hours. When he finished, no board member asked a follow-up question. No press release followed. No public statement was issued.

What Blythe had just described was the formal opening of an NHS merger process. When that process concludes, Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust will cease to exist as a separate organisation.

In August 2021, when the two trusts joined together as a group, the official position was different. Epsom and St Helier’s own press release stated: “Each Trust will continue to have its own Board and the organisations are not merging, meaning both Epsom and St Helier, and St George’s will remain as statutory organisations in their own right.”

Eight days before the 5 March board vote, the group’s deputy chief executive, Michael Pantlin, sent a bulk email to a distribution list headed “The future of our Hospital Group.” The email disclosed the intention to submit a strategic outline case to NHS England “subject to Board approval in March.”

MPs covering the hospitals’ catchment areas were included on the email, added as blind carbon copies to protect their contact details, the group subsequently explained. No public announcement accompanied the email. When *Putney.news* found the decision six days after the board meeting, when the meeting was posted on its Board meeting page, there was no public information anywhere online.

> [St George’s to merge with Epsom and St Helier. Residents weren’t told](https://putney.news/2026/03/12/st-georges-to-merge-with-epsom-and-st-helier-nobody-was-told/)

#### The assembly

To understand how the 5 March announcement came to be made, you need to go back to September 2020, when a man called James Blythe was appointed Collaboration Programme Director at Epsom and St Helier. His specific remit: to design the architecture of integration between the two trusts. The group did not formally exist yet. Blythe spent two years building the scaffolding before anyone moved in.

When the group was announced in August 2021, the public rationale was straightforward: two struggling NHS trusts, better together. Shared expertise. Shared leadership. Shared back-office savings. The official language was careful to stress what it was not.

“The organisations are not merging,” Epsom and St Helier’s press release stated. “Both Epsom and St Helier, and St George’s will remain as statutory organisations in their own right.” St George’s, operating as a Foundation Trust with greater legal flexibility, issued its own version of the same announcement. It contained no such reassurance.

By December 2021, a single Group Executive Leadership Team had been announced, one operational structure running both trusts. By 2023, a joint group strategy had been published. The organisations were already, in almost every practical sense, being run as one.

Then, in the space of a few months in 2025, the final pieces moved into place. In April, a new chair arrived: Sir Mark Lowcock, former Permanent Secretary at the Department for International Development and UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.

> His own board papers described his arrival as “a pivotal point in moving to a mature Group operating model.” He was not a standard NHS appointment.

That same month brought a board-level stocktake concluding the strategy remained “fit for purpose,” and the arrival of a new associate non-executive director, Pankaj Davé, whose NHS career includes post-merger integration work at University Hospitals Dorset, a trust that itself went through a complex merger. He is the only board member with that specific experience. When *Putney.news* asked him directly about his merger remit on 11 March, he redirected the questions to the communications team.

Then the CEO who had presided over the “not merging” era left. Jacqueline Totterdell had been chief executive for eight years. In July 2025, she announced she was going to lead NHS Wales. “While this new role is another wonderful opportunity,” she said, “leaving GESH has not been an easy decision to make.” She said nothing about the group’s future direction. The recruitment that followed advertised a role requiring someone to deliver the existing strategy. Merger was not mentioned in the pack. Matthew Shaw was appointed in November 2025. He joins in April 2026. The merger process will already be under way when he arrives.

> [St George’s finally confirms Queen Mary’s hospital closures – but still ducks questions on urgent care](https://putney.news/2025/09/14/st-georges-finally-confirms-queen-marys-hospital-closures-but-still-ducks-questions-on-urgent-care/)

Throughout this period, the board made no public mention of merger. When the group’s Five Year Plan was endorsed in a private board session in early February 2026 and brought to the public board on 5 March for noting, the merger’s presence in it amounted to a single bullet point on page 45 of a 195-page document.

It read: “Develop a strategic business case and subsequently a full business case setting out a clear, evidence-based rationale for exploring a merger between SGUH and ESTH, testing whether a merger would deliver improved quality, safety, and sustainability of services for patients, key risks and opportunities and a robust long term financial case.”

> The same page noted that staff “often remain aligned to their individual organisations,” adding that “this can create hesitation around designing integrated services, especially when future organisational change is anticipated.” The organisational change being anticipated was not named.

At that same public board meeting, Blythe set out why. “We’ve been a group for four years,” he said. “We’re hugely ambitious for transformation across the organisation… if we want to pursue an aspiration of becoming an integrated health organisation, we know that the whole group will need to have foundation trust status. And we know that the right route to foundation trust status for Epsom St Helier is as a part of a single foundation trust across what is currently the group.”

The argument was one of ambition and structure. The financial picture (a combined deficit of £176 million, with government support being wound down) was not part of his public explanation that day. It was available, in principle, to anyone who worked through the Five Year Plan embedded in a 195-page board pack.

The NHS Confederation, in a report published in November 2024, had documented exactly this dynamic across group models in the health service.

In most cases it studied, merger plans were described as “a tacit acknowledgement of the likely destination, but not formally announced.” The reason, the report found: “political sensitivity led participants to be cautious about going public about their potential plans.” An earlier phrase used in such situations: “a partnership of equals,” used, the report notes, “partly because of the negative impact any alternative narrative might have on colleagues in the struggling organisation.”

#### While this was happening

In Roehampton, the operating theatre at Queen Mary’s Hospital [closed during 2024/25](https://putney.news/2025/09/14/st-georges-finally-confirms-queen-marys-hospital-closures-but-still-ducks-questions-on-urgent-care/). Its closure appears in board transcripts as an explanation for improved theatre utilisation statistics at St George’s. No public announcement was made; no formal consultation was triggered. *Putney.news* had reported on the [wider service changes at Queen Mary’s](https://putney.news/2025/08/05/queens-marys-will-also-shut-down-minor-injuries-unit/) in August and September 2025.

The regulatory picture is serious. St George’s maternity services received a formal CQC enforcement notice (known as a Section 29A) in January 2025, following an inspection the previous October. At the same March 2026 board meeting where the merger was announced, the Group Chief Nursing Officer said: “I think it is extremely challenging when there are multiple reports that highlight shortcomings. That is felt no more keenly than by our staff.” Separately, the CQC inspected Epsom and St Helier’s maternity, urgent care and emergency departments in December 2025; draft inspection reports had not yet been received when the board met on 5 March.

#### Other concerns

The regulatory picture at St George’s specifically has been the subject of sustained *Putney.news* reporting over the past year. A CQC well-led inspection found a [toxic culture and evidence of racism](https://putney.news/2025/11/01/toxic-culture-and-racism-exposed-inside-trust-behind-queen-marys-cuts/) inside the trust, with staff afraid to raise concerns openly and unresolved discrimination in recruitment and career progression.

We reported that an emergency nurse was [suspended following shocking failures in patient care](https://putney.news/2025/04/04/emergency-nurse-suspended-after-shocking-failures-at-st-georges/) and [dangerous errors forced internal reforms](https://putney.news/2025/07/12/er-nurses-dangerous-errors-forced-reforms-but-secrets-remain-at-st-georges/) that the trust was not fully transparent about. St George’s has also refused to disclose, under Freedom of Information law, its own internal response to the Mark Barry case, including what reviews were conducted and what internal communications passed between staff about the NMC findings. That refusal is now the subject of a formal ICO investigation (case reference IC-402999-T9T9).

On maternity, we revealed that St George’s had been [calculating pregnancy risk scores incorrectly for ten months](https://putney.news/2025/12/04/st-georges-hospital-has-been-getting-pregnancy-risk-scores-wrong-for-ten-months/) and subsequently [downgraded those scores in its own records](https://putney.news/2026/01/31/hospital-downgraded-maternity-risk-scores-to-avoid-reporting-them-to-regulator/) to avoid the threshold that would have required reporting to the safety regulator. A coroner warned in January 2026 that changes made [after two men died in St George’s A&E had not resolved the underlying crisis](https://putney.news/2026/01/13/coroner-warns-st-georges-hospital-changes-havent-solved-crisis-that-killed-two-men/).

Most recently, we reported that the trust carries [four “requires improvement” CQC ratings](https://putney.news/2026/03/02/four-requires-improvement-ratings-700k-a-day-losses-and-no-plan-approved/) and is losing £700,000 a day with no financial recovery plan approved by NHS England.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

#### Serious problems

At that same meeting, Kate Slemeck, Managing Director for St George’s Hospital, told the board that January had been “quite a challenging month” for A&E, with high patient acuity and high staff sickness causing “a slight dip” in four-hour performance.

People who attended St George’s emergency department during that month told *Putney.news* a different story. They described waits of over 12 hours to be seen. Patients in severe pain left unattended for extended periods. Toilets that were not cleaned and unusable. Patients sitting in gowns in the waiting room all day, held there because surgical lists had stalled. At one point, a member of staff announced to everyone in the building that the department had hit a crisis point and no further patients would be seen that day.

The performance figures from GESH’s own board papers, published on the same day the merger was announced, show the scale of the challenge. Against a standard requiring 82% of A&E patients to be seen within four hours, Epsom and St Helier was achieving 70.8%. Against a target of 1% for diagnostic waits of more than six weeks, the trust was recording 13.53%. Ambulance handover delays of more than 45 minutes, which were supposed to be eliminated entirely, stood at 8.8%.

> The week before the 5 March meeting, NHS England chief executive Jim Mackey personally convened a summit of the 30 trusts “most challenged” on corridor care in England. Epsom and St Helier was in the room, and had been asked to produce an action plan by the following week.

St George’s figures are better on some measures, worse on others. Its 2026/27 funding gap (£101 million before mitigating action) is larger than Epsom and St Helier’s (£58 million). Both carry structural deficits. Together, the combined underlying deficit for 2025/26 is £176 million. The government has been subsidising most of that gap. That support is being wound down: St George’s funding effectively disappears in two years; Epsom and St Helier’s in three. Without structural savings of the kind a merger is designed to deliver, both trusts face an unsustainable position by the end of the decade.

Meanwhile, the new hospital that was supposed to address Epsom and St Helier’s crumbling estate has been repeatedly deferred. A Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Sutton, promised in 2020, has been pushed back to Wave 2 of the New Hospital Programme; GESH’s own plan now describes it as “at least 12 years away.” In January 2025, the group’s deputy chief executive said: “We have already had to condemn and demolish one of our wards. It’s only a matter of time before other parts of our hospital become unsafe for treating patients.”

Whether a leadership team assembling a multi-year structural transformation could give sufficient attention to running two major acute hospitals through a period of serious regulatory challenge is a question the board’s own papers do not address. The NHS Confederation’s research found that across NHS mergers, performance does not typically improve in the transition period.

#### What happens now

The merger requires NHS England approval at two stages. If the Strategic Outline Case, which Blythe said on 5 March would be submitted before the end of the month, receives approval, a full business case follows. Then a Secretary of State statutory instrument formally dissolving Epsom and St Helier as a legal entity. Then a vote of the Council of Governors at St George’s, requiring more than half the full council to approve (meaning absences and abstentions count against). Realistically, the process takes two to five years from SOC submission. It has now begun.

The hospitals themselves are not closing. Epsom, St Helier, St George’s in Tooting, and Queen Mary’s in Roehampton remain as physical sites. The jobs most exposed are not frontline clinical roles. They are the band 8 and above management and corporate functions (human resources, finance, communications, estates) where there are currently two of everything across two organisations. This is the stated financial rationale, and it is how every NHS merger delivers its savings.

In response to multiple queries, GESH provided *Putney.news* with the following statement:

> “We have not agreed to merge — at this stage, we have agreed an intention to submit a strategic case for merger to NHS England, asking them to approve developing a full business case. This builds on the work we have already done to strengthen the ties between both Trusts — sharing expertise and resources, whilst leveraging the strengths of our services to further improve patient care. We want to reassure people that there are no related planned changes to our services.”

On the question of public engagement, the trust has said: “No formal public or staff consultation is required at this stage because there are no changes planned to the provision of clinical services. However, we will be talking to our patients, the communities we serve and staff about the benefits a merger would bring and asking for them to identify concerns and queries.”

The group’s chair, Sir Mark Lowcock, told the same 5 March board meeting: “We note that for ESTH we’re still in Tier One and Tier Two oversight for elective and urgent emergency care respectively, but we have a game plan to try and get out of both of those.”

Four MPs cover the catchment of these hospitals. Dr Rosena Allin-Khan represents Tooting, the constituency containing St George’s Hospital. Fleur Anderson represents Putney. Helen Maguire represents Epsom and Ewell. Bobby Dean represents Carshalton and Wallington. All four were BCCd on the 25 February bulk email, eight days before the board vote, subject to that vote. *Putney.news* contacted all four with questions on 11 March, sent follow-up emails on 12 and 13 March. None of the four had responded by the time of publication: a sign of the “political sensitivity” that the NHS Confederation warned about in its November 2024 report.

Bristol NHS Group, after announcing merger intent in July 2025, established a Community Participation Group providing independent oversight from patients and the public before the merger process advanced. GESH has announced no equivalent structure.

The SOC is due before the end of March. The process has begun. The formal consultation, if it comes, will arrive years from now, after the business case has been built, after NHS England has approved the direction, after the governors have voted. By that point, the architecture will already be set. The window to ask questions about what this means for local services, for staffing, for the hospitals Putney residents depend on, is now.

#### What you can do

To contact your MP directly about the merger:

- Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP (Tooting): 
- Fleur Anderson MP (Putney): 
- Helen Maguire MP (Epsom and Ewell): 
- Bobby Dean MP (Carshalton and Wallington): 

To contact the hospital group directly: 

To attend a public board meeting and ask questions in person: dates are published at [stgeorges.nhs.uk](https://www.stgeorges.nhs.uk/about/our-board/board-meetings/). Members of the public can attend and speak. A member of the public attending the January 2026 board meeting brought a separate matter of public concern into the record through this route.

---

**Correction – 15 March 2026:** An earlier version of this story stated that the Care Quality Commission issued Section 29A enforcement notices for both maternity services and emergency care at Epsom and St Helier in December 2024.

This was incorrect. The Section 29A was issued to St George’s maternity services in January 2025, following an inspection in October 2024. The CQC inspected Epsom and St Helier’s maternity, urgent care and emergency departments in December 2025; inspection reports had not been published at the time of the board meeting on 5 March 2026.

The paragraph has been corrected and expanded with links to *Putney.news’* wider reporting on regulatory issues at St George’s, which provides fuller context for the merger announcement.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

**Update – 15 March:** We have include additional context around a Freedom of Information investigation into the Trust’s internal handling of case of Mark Barry, after we mistakenly linked to a story about a different nurse, Leonajar Bato Pulido.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/14/the-long-road-to-merger-how-st-georges-planned-its-future-while-its-hospitals-struggled/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/14/the-long-road-to-merger-how-st-georges-planned-its-future-while-its-hospitals-struggled/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20long%20road%20to%20merger%3A%20how%20St%20George%E2%80%99s%20planned%20its%20future%20while%20its%20hospitals%20struggled&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/14/the-long-road-to-merger-how-st-georges-planned-its-future-while-its-hospitals-struggled/)

**Categories:** Health, Long read

**Tags:** accountability, Fleur Anderson MP, NHS, Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton, St George's hospital, Wandsworth

---

### [Alton Block A approved: but would any private developer have got away with this?](https://putney.news/2026/03/16/alton-block-a-approved-but-would-any-private-developer-have-got-away-with-this/)

**Published:** March 16, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Legal threats, misrepresented figures and a £12.6m deficit. The committee said yes anyway.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council approved its own planning application for the Alton Estate last week. The meeting that produced that decision exposed exactly why it is a bad idea for the same organisation to be both the applicant and the judge.

The Planning Applications Committee [voted](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1067143) on 12 March to grant permission for Block A (application 2025/4614): 55 affordable, family-sized council homes in a nine-storey building on the former Co-op site on Danebury Avenue, alongside a four-storey community hub housing a library, GP surgery, youth space, council offices and community hall. It is the first planning permission under the Alton Renewal Plan, which [residents backed in a ballot last October](https://putney.news/2025/10/17/alton-estate-residents-vote-yes-to-100m-redevelopment/), though [nearly 60% did not vote](https://putney.news/2025/10/17/theyre-going-to-do-what-they-want-anyway-why-nearly-60-of-alton-estate-residents-didnt-vote/).

What emerged during the session was a list of contradictions, unresolved legal problems, and at least one figure in the planning papers that does not stand up. Any of these, in an application from a private developer, would give a committee pause. This committee approved the application regardless.

#### The figure that doesn’t add up

[Before the committee met](https://putney.news/2026/03/11/legal-warning-lands-two-days-before-roehampton-planning-vote/), we had already reported that the council’s own papers contained a mismatch on the youth space. The officer’s report claimed the proposed youth provision would grow from 536 sq m to 780 sq m. The council’s own floor area tables showed the dedicated youth space in the new building at 317 sq m, a reduction on what it replaces. The council reaches 780 sq m by counting a community hall and bookable meeting rooms available to all users, not just young people. The Youth Advisory Panel, consulted during the design process, said the space “needs to be bigger.”

At committee, Councillor Jeffreys raised the discrepancy directly. Officers explained that 317 sq m is the usable youth floor space, while the larger figure includes ancillary accommodation. The committee accepted this explanation and moved on. The dedicated youth space approved on 12 March is 219 sq m smaller than the youth club it replaces. The council’s officer report described this as an uplift.

> [Legal warning lands two days before Roehampton planning vote](https://putney.news/2026/03/11/legal-warning-lands-two-days-before-roehampton-planning-vote/)

#### The legal question the committee cannot resolve

Leaseholders had also raised a right-to-light legal threat in the days before the vote. Councillor Govindia asked the committee’s external legal advisor, Duncan Moores, about it directly. Moores confirmed that right-to-light is a private law matter, outside the committee’s authority to determine. Critically, he told the committee that the council as developer must satisfy any such claims before the scheme can move forward.

The issue is unresolved. No timeline for resolution was given. The committee approved the application anyway.

#### The retail question nobody could answer

Multiple councillors pressed on what will replace the Co-op. Residents who supported the Alton Renewal Plan did so in part on the understanding that retail provision would follow. The former library building (Parcel B) has outline permission for flexible or retail use, but the details will be settled at reserved matters stage, with no further democratic oversight.

Committee chair Councillor Tony Belton acknowledged the weight of this. “I’m absolutely sure,” he said, “that it wouldn’t have got the approval of an overwhelming majority of the residents if there weren’t shopping facilities provided somewhere in the whole plan.” Officers could not commit to a supermarket or any specific retail outcome. That commitment does not appear in the planning permission.

#### GP continuity during construction

Councillor Jeffreys asked whether patients registered at the existing Roehampton surgery would have somewhere to go while the new facility is built. Officers said Condition 21 requires a GP practice delivery plan to be submitted, but no confirmed interim location was on the record at committee. Chair Belton indicated informally he had heard of an arrangement on Roehampton Lane, while making clear he could not confirm it. No formal interim GP provision was agreed.

#### The viability deficit

The scheme carries an approximate £12.6m deficit. Officers confirmed this falls within the viability-tested route applicable to schemes that demolish existing affordable housing. Councillor Humphries pressed on the risk of costs rising further as design details are resolved; officers acknowledged that the build cost plan at this stage uses BCIS indices rather than detailed figures.

#### What the council chose to say

The following day, the council issued a [press release](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-march-2026/first-alton-block-set-to-be-demolished-after-planning-green-light/) in which Cabinet Member for Housing Aydin Dikerdem said: “I know this is a big moment for the people who live and work here as this block has been an empty eyesore for too long,” he said. “Now we can get on with transforming this part of the estate by providing the whole Alton community with a fantastic new library, youth facilities and GP practice, alongside affordable council homes and green spaces.”

The press release makes no mention of the legal challenge, the retail uncertainty, the viability deficit, the absence of a confirmed interim GP arrangement, or the youth space figures. His claim that the council can now “get on with transforming” the estate sits against the legal advisor’s confirmation that the right-to-light issue must first be resolved.

This is the same cabinet member [who last month told Cabinet his housing policy work had delivered results the planning inspector had in fact rejected](https://putney.news/2026/02/25/wandsworths-housing-chief-delivered-nothing-then-told-cabinet-it-was-a-win/).

#### What comes next — and whether it will

Block A is the first of up to 650 homes planned across the Alton Renewal Plan. Demolition of the existing buildings on Danebury Avenue is expected to follow the approval. Whether anything then gets built is a different question.

[Wandsworth Council is in serious financial difficulty](https://putney.news/2025/09/23/wandsworths-decade-of-renewal-masks-17-million-budget-crisis/). The scheme carries an acknowledged £12.6m deficit, funded through the Housing Revenue Account, the same pot the [council spent £1.9m on consultants](https://putney.news/2025/10/14/council-bets-on-1-9m-consultants-to-save-it-50m-as-financial-crisis-deepens/) to help it navigate. Construction timelines were not confirmed at committee because, in any meaningful sense, construction is not confirmed at all.

With local elections weeks away, the council now has a planning permission to point to. Whether Roehampton gets the homes, the library, the GP surgery or the youth space that permission describes is a question that will outlast the campaign.

The Alton Estate has been promised renewal before. The [site has been the subject of construction activity since early this year](https://putney.news/2026/01/24/whats-all-that-construction-work-on-the-alton-estate/), with preparatory works already under way. The estate’s [20 years of failure before the current plan](https://putney.news/2025/10/19/after-20-years-of-failure-alton-estate-gets-another-chance-at-renewal/) gives residents every reason to ask not just whether the application has been approved, but whether what was approved will ever be built.

The planning application (2025/4614) is available on Wandsworth Council’s planning portal at planning.wandsworth.gov.uk.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/16/alton-block-a-approved-but-would-any-private-developer-have-got-away-with-this/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/16/alton-block-a-approved-but-would-any-private-developer-have-got-away-with-this/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Alton%20Block%20A%20approved%3A%20but%20would%20any%20private%20developer%20have%20got%20away%20with%20this%3F&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/16/alton-block-a-approved-but-would-any-private-developer-have-got-away-with-this/)

**Categories:** Planning, Roehampton

**Tags:** Alton Estate, Alton Renewal Plan, Cllr Aydin Dikerdem, Cllr Matthew Tiller, Cllr Tony Belton, council housing, planning, Planning Applications Committee, Roehampton, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Sisters on opposite sides, two Frenchmen in charge: meet the 2026 Boat Race crews](https://putney.news/2026/03/15/sisters-on-opposite-sides-two-frenchmen-in-charge-meet-the-2026-boat-race-crews/)

**Published:** March 15, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** The stories behind 36 rowers setting off from Putney on 4 April.

**Content:**

Putney.news · Your local guide

Everything you need for Boat Race day in Putney

Where to standPubs open earlyTransportRace timesFriday races

[Open guide](https://putney.news/boat-race-putney/)

Race day Saturday 4 April · Women’s race 2:21pm · Men’s race 3:21pm · Start: Putney

The 2026 Boat Race crews were announced at Somerset House this week, and the selection contains one of the richest sets of human stories in the event’s modern history: a pair of sisters on opposite sides of the same race, the first time ever that both men’s crews are led by French nationals, and an Oxford cox who knows the championship course from the water up.

Race day is Saturday 4 April. The women’s race starts at 2:21pm, the men’s at 3:21pm, on the 4.25-mile championship course from Putney to Mortlake. Channel 4 broadcast the event live from 1:30pm, the first time the BBC has not carried it since 2009.

Cambridge Women go into April seeking a ninth consecutive victory, having won every race since 2017. Cambridge Men are chasing a fourth straight win after [last year’s double at Putney](https://putney.news/2025/04/14/cambridge-clinches-third-consecutive-double-victory-at-boat-race/).

#### Sister versus sister

The sibling story runs in two directions. Mia Freischem rows at seat 7 for Cambridge Women, while her sister Lilli Freischem is at seat 3 for Oxford Women, the first sisters on opposing sides in the Women’s Race since 2004.

Then there are the King twins. Gemma King rows bow for Cambridge Women and serves as the crew’s president. Her twin sister Catherine is in the Oxford Women’s squad, though in the reserve boat rather than the Blue Boat. Catherine’s Boat Race history is itself notable: she previously rowed for Cambridge in 2019 and 2021 before switching allegiances to Oxford, where she has rowed the reserve boat in 2024 and 2025. On 4 April the twins will race on the same stretch of the Thames, if in different boats.

Putney.news interactive

Explore all 36 rowers in our interactive crew guide

Click any seat to see who faces whom. Search by name, college or nationality. Available now at putney.news

[ Open guide  ](https://putney.news/boat-race-2026-crews/) 

#### Two Frenchmen leading their crews, a historic first

The men’s presidents this year are both French. Noam Mouelle leads Cambridge Men, while Tobias Bernard, who holds dual British-French nationality and studies Chemistry at Magdalen College, Oxford, is the president and cox of the Oxford Men’s crew. The official announcement confirmed this is the first time in the event’s history that both men’s Blue Boats have been captained by French nationals.

Bernard is also a local figure in the truest sense. He grew up learning the cox’s craft at Westminster School, and he has spent extensive time training on the Tideway in the years since. He coxed Oxford’s Blue Boat in 2025, so he goes into April knowing this stretch of the river well.

#### The names to watch

Harry Geffen strokes the Oxford Men’s crew and is a four-time under-23 world champion with his eye on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Heidi Long, Oxford Women’s stroke and president, is an Olympic bronze medallist.

Cambridge Women’s seat 4, Carys Earl, is a two-time winner competing in her fourth Boat Race and seeking a third consecutive medal. Seat 6, Camille VanderMeer, is a world champion.

The Cambridge Men’s most talked-about selection is Patrick Wild at seat 4, a first-year undergraduate, who won gold in the men’s pair at the 2025 junior world championships. The last British crew to win that event was Matthew Pinsent and Tim Foster.

For Oxford Women, Annie Anezakis and Sarah Marshall are both three-time Blue Boat veterans competing on a fourth attempt and still seeking their first victory.

#### A family affair at Cambridge

Gabriel Obholzer rows at seat 5 for Cambridge Men and comes with a rowing pedigree that runs in both directions. His father, Rupert Obholzer, stroked Oxford to victory in 1991 and won an Olympic bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games as part of the British coxless four with the Searle brothers and Tim Foster. His mother also competed in 1991. The family home is in Mortlake, right at the finish line.

#### The broadcast change

Channel 4 have taken over Boat Race broadcasting rights from the BBC in a five-year deal, ending a run that started in 2009. Clare Balding and Ade Adepitan present, with Alex Jacques on lead commentary and Olympic gold medallist Pete Reed as pundit. Coverage runs from 1:30pm to 4:30pm.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/bat-race-crews-2026-1024x288.png)#### The full crews

**Cambridge Women:** Cox Matt Moran; Stroke Aidan Wrenn-Walz; 7 Mia Freischem; 6 Camille VanderMeer; 5 Antonia Galland; 4 Carys Earl; 3 Charlotte Ebel; 2 Isobel Campbell; Bow Gemma King (President)

**Oxford Women:** Cox Louis Corrigan; Stroke Heidi Long (President); 7 Sarah Marshall; 6 Esther Briz Zamorano; 5 Kyra Delray; 4 Julietta Camahort; 3 Lilli Freischem; 2 Emily Molins; Bow Annie Anezakis

**Cambridge Men:** Cox Sammy Houdaigui; Stroke Frederik Breuer; 7 Will Klipstine; 6 Lexi McClean; 5 Gabriel Obholzer; 4 Patrick Wild; 3 Kyle Fram; 2 Noam Mouelle (President); Bow Simon Hatcher

**Oxford Men:** Cox Tobias Bernard (President); Stroke Harry Geffen; 7 Alex Sullivan; 6 Jamie Arnold; 5 Alex Underwood; 4 Fergus Pim; 3 James Fetter; 2 Julian Schoeberl; Bow Felix Crabtree

> 🏅 **Want to explore the crews?** We’ve built an interactive guide to all 36 rowers. Tap any seat in the boat diagram to see who faces whom, or search by name, college or nationality. [Explore the interactive crew guide](https://putney.news/boat-race-2026-crews/)

The [London Rowing Club balcony](https://putney.news/2026/03/03/london-rowing-club-balcony-almost-complete-just-the-handrails-to-go/), almost complete after months of work, will be ready in time for the race. If you are looking for a spot to watch from Putney Embankment itself, the Half Moon pub [will be open from early](https://putney.news/2026/03/01/the-half-moon-will-be-back-for-boat-race-day-free-entry-live-music-all-night/) for race day.

According to the Boat Race Company, more people have climbed Everest than have ever competed in the Boat Race.

---

🚣 **Everything you need for Boat Race day in Putney**: where to stand, which pubs open early, transport tips and all the build-up is on our dedicated [Boat Race guide page](https://putney.news/boat-race-putney/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/15/sisters-on-opposite-sides-two-frenchmen-in-charge-meet-the-2026-boat-race-crews/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/15/sisters-on-opposite-sides-two-frenchmen-in-charge-meet-the-2026-boat-race-crews/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Sisters%20on%20opposite%20sides%2C%20two%20Frenchmen%20in%20charge%3A%20meet%20the%202026%20Boat%20Race%20crews&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/15/sisters-on-opposite-sides-two-frenchmen-in-charge-meet-the-2026-boat-race-crews/)

**Categories:** Boat Race, Live events, Rowing

**Tags:** Boat Race, Boat Race 2026, Cambridge University Boat Club, London Rowing Club, Oxford University Boat Club, Putney embankment, River Thames, Rowing, The Half Moon

---

### [Two more Putney businesses have quietly disappeared](https://putney.news/2026/03/15/two-more-putney-businesses-have-quietly-disappeared/)

**Published:** March 15, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Raitakrai on the High Street and Coffee Miyagi on Chelverton Road are both gone, without announcement.

**Content:**

Two businesses on Putney High Street have quietly disappeared in recent weeks. Neither has made a public announcement. Both are gone.

#### Raitakrai

For years, Raitakrai offered one of the better-value lunches on Putney High Street: Thai and Chinese dishes, proper heat, good prices. You chose from a range of options and they came in takeaway containers, which sat oddly with the wooden booths and the effort that had gone into the room. It closed without explanation before Christmas, reopened briefly, then went dark again in February.

We have heard the business was in trouble and a High Court claim for unpaid debt is what finally killed it off – although we have been unable to confirm that and have tried unsuccessfully to contact the owners to find out what happened. The restaurant closed without notice last month. A month later, the built-up post and the interior had been cleared.

If you’re looking for Thai we can heartily recommend Lila Thai on Upper Richmond Road by Charlwood Road and next to the dry cleaners. They also do a really good lunch special.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/closed-shops-putney-high-street-1-768x1024.png)#### Coffee Miyagi

The story of Coffee Miyagi is more specific, and its loss is sharper.

It [opened on Chelverton Road in July 2025](https://putney.news/2025/07/25/miyagi-coffee-brings-matcha-magic-and-roastery-dreams-to-putney/) with something clear to offer: high-grade matcha imported from Ise, a tea-growing region on Japan’s Pacific coast, and single-origin beans roasted on site. The owner was a professional coffee roaster; the front of house was behind the hand-whisked matcha. It was the kind of place that had thought carefully about what it was doing.

> [Miyagi Coffee brings matcha magic and roastery dreams to Putney](https://putney.news/2025/07/25/miyagi-coffee-brings-matcha-magic-and-roastery-dreams-to-putney/)

The location was always difficult. Chelverton Road sits set back from the High Street, in a small cluster of three shops near the bus station. The other two units have been shut for years, one of them visibly deteriorating. Miyagi was the exception in a row that had otherwise given up.

On 17 January it announced a temporary closure for an indoor seating fit-out. It has not reopened. The website and social media have been silent since January. Paper is now up in the windows.

The timing is hard to separate from what was happening on the High Street itself. In October 2025, [Blank Street Coffee announced it was opening on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/2025/10/12/viral-matcha-sensation-blank-street-coffee-heading-to-putney-high-street/), having built its brand on viral matcha drinks that account for roughly half its daily sales. That was Miyagi’s niche, brought to a better-positioned site with considerably more marketing behind it.

> [Viral matcha sensation Blank Street Coffee heading to Putney High Street](https://putney.news/2025/10/12/viral-matcha-sensation-blank-street-coffee-heading-to-putney-high-street/)

It’s a shame – we were looking forward to seeing what came out of this venture run by energetic young people putting the product first. We also feel we can now tell readers an interesting snippet about the building. When the team from Miyagi moved in- the shop had been empty for years – they found a cannabis-growing operation in the basement, which they cleared out.

Putney’s High Street is not moving in one direction. [Four new businesses opened or were announced this week alone](https://putney.news/2026/03/13/four-new-businesses-one-rotting-landmark-whats-changing-on-putney-high-street/). But the closures keep coming alongside the openings, and the ones that leave without a word are the hardest to account for.

Both were independents. Both had something specific to offer. Neither felt able to say goodbye.

> [Four new businesses, one rotting landmark: what’s changing on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/2026/03/13/four-new-businesses-one-rotting-landmark-whats-changing-on-putney-high-street/)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/15/two-more-putney-businesses-have-quietly-disappeared/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/15/two-more-putney-businesses-have-quietly-disappeared/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Two%20more%20Putney%20businesses%20have%20quietly%20disappeared&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/15/two-more-putney-businesses-have-quietly-disappeared/)

**Categories:** Business, Food &amp; Drink

**Tags:** Blank Street Coffee, Coffee Miyagi, Putney High Street, Raitakrai, retail closures

---

### [Direct to Heathrow in 30 minutes: the plan to give Putney its own airport train](https://putney.news/2026/03/15/direct-to-heathrow-in-30-minutes-the-plan-to-give-putney-its-own-airport-train/)

**Published:** March 15, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** How Heathrow's £49bn expansion has transformed the prospects for a 30-minute rail link from SW15.


**Content:**

Stand on the platform at Putney station and the journey to Heathrow Terminal 5 begins with a familiar calculation. Walk to East Putney. Change at Earl’s Court. Piccadilly Line all the way to the end. Add the walking at each end and you are looking at an hour, minimum. On a good day, with luggage.

A company called Heathrow Southern Railway Limited has a different number in mind: 30 minutes. Direct. No change.

The proposal (a new railway connecting Heathrow T5 to the existing South Western Railway network via Staines) lists Putney as an intermediate stop. Four trains an hour, running through the station residents already use. It is not a sketch or a pamphlet. It has engineers, a cost estimate, a benefit-cost analysis, a crossbench peer in the chair, and backing from the Mayor of London. The government’s decision last November to approve Heathrow’s £49 billion third runway expansion has transformed the project’s prospects in ways that were not true even 18 months ago. The question is no longer just whether a southern rail link to Heathrow will ever be built. It is closer to: who builds it, and when.

There is a trade-off, which this article will come to. The same runway expansion that gives the rail link its best chance also means more aircraft overhead, and the loss of the half-day respite that currently gives SW London a break from Heathrow’s flight paths. Putney residents deserve to understand both sides of that equation before the next round of government decisions arrives later this year.

![The Heathrow Southern Railway proposed route map](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/heathrow-soithern-railway-map.webp)The Heathrow Southern Railway proposed route map#### The plan

The railway Heathrow Southern Railway Limited (HSR Ltd) is proposing would involve up to eight miles of new track, mostly in tunnel, running westward from Heathrow Terminal 5 alongside the M25 corridor. It connects to the existing network at two points: at Staines, joining the Windsor-to-Waterloo line, and near Chertsey or Virginia Water, joining the Egham-to-Weybridge line. Everything beyond those connection points runs on existing South Western Railway infrastructure.

From Putney, the proposed Waterloo branch would run: Heathrow T5, then westward through the new tunnel, emerging at Staines, then along existing track through Richmond and Hounslow, through Putney, through Clapham Junction, and into London Waterloo. The journey time to T5 works out at approximately 30 minutes, derived from published HSR data showing Staines to T5 takes six minutes and current services from Putney to Staines running at 22–27 minutes. (HSR Ltd has not published an explicit Putney-to-T5 figure in text; the estimate is calculated from their route data and converges across multiple calculation methods.)

The service frequency would be four trains per hour through Putney. A second branch would connect Heathrow to Woking (19 minutes), Guildford (29 minutes), Farnborough, and Basingstoke. A third pattern would continue trains onward from Heathrow to Old Oak Common and Paddington via existing Heathrow Express infrastructure. The proposal also claims the infrastructure could enable an Elizabeth Line extension from Heathrow to Staines, if an extra platform were built there.

The key engineering advantage over the most significant predecessor scheme, Heathrow Airtrack (which collapsed in 2011 after a decade of development), is the tunnel under the M25. Airtrack required trains to cross 14 level crossings on the Waterloo-Reading line, with barrier downtime projected to increase by 25–36%. HSR’s tunnel avoids those crossings entirely. That is the single most important reason this proposal has survived where its predecessor did not.

The company behind it has serious credentials. The board includes Baroness Jo Valentine, a Crossbench peer who previously led London First for 13 years and was instrumental in Crossrail advocacy; Christopher Garnett OBE, the former GNER chief executive; and Chris Stokes, a former British Rail executive. Global engineering firm AECOM invested equity in 2017, in what was described at the time as AECOM’s first private finance infrastructure deal of this type in the UK.

Network Rail’s independent feasibility study found “a strong case” for the scheme and calculated a benefit-cost ratio of up to 3.9. Mayor Sadiq Khan gave formal written backing in September 2023, stating the scheme could play “a useful role in supporting a shift to sustainable modes.”

![How a Heathrow Southern Railway would connect up with the rest of the railway network](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/heathrow-southern-railway-map.webp)How a Heathrow Southern Railway would connect up with the rest of the railway network#### Why now

The project has been in development since Steven Costello incorporated Heathrow Southern Railway Limited in June 2016. So what has changed?

On 25 November 2025, the government formally selected Heathrow Airport Limited’s proposal for a £49 billion third runway as the basis for expansion: the first definitive government approval for Heathrow expansion in a generation. That decision came with binding conditions. The Airports National Policy Statement, the legal framework governing expansion, requires at least 50% of passengers to arrive at Heathrow by public transport by 2030. TfL’s own modelling, published in 2018, found that even with all committed and planned schemes (including both western and southern rail access) the combined passenger and staff mode share would reach only around 47%. The target would still be missed.

> That gap turns southern rail access from a desirable upgrade into something closer to a structural requirement.

The government’s written ministerial statement accompanying the November decision confirmed that all surface access improvements must be privately financed. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, appearing before the Transport Committee in October 2025, put it plainly: “How people get to and from an airport is as important as the number of flights.”

The airport’s own internal thinking appears to have caught up with the arithmetic. According to documents cited in November 2025 by the Reading-on-Thames blog (which quoted from Heathrow Area Transport Forum board minutes dated September 2025) Heathrow has internally assessed the southern route to Waterloo as offering “most value to the airport, followed by Western Rail, due to larger catchment and population density of potential users.” A separate Heathrow expansion proposal summary from July 2025, also cited by that blog, recorded that the airport was exploring “the option of promoting a new rail scheme that combines the objectives of a Western Rail Link to Heathrow and Southern Rail Access to Heathrow.”

That last disclosure is the most significant complication in HSR Ltd’s position. The airport that needs the railway may end up promoting its own combined scheme rather than adopting the private company’s proposal. The question of who delivers southern access (HSR Ltd, a Heathrow-led consortium, or some combination) remains genuinely open.

#### The trade-off

It is worth being direct about what the third runway means for Putney, because the rail link and the noise problem are inseparable.

Putney already sits under one of Heathrow’s main approach routes. When westerly winds blow (approximately 70–75% of the year) aircraft approach from the east, lined up over Putney and Barnes at around 2,500 feet on final approach. On a typical westerly day, around 670 aircraft movements pass through this zone. Third runway approval means 57% more annual movements overall (from 480,000 to 756,000 per year).

The more immediate change for SW15 is the loss of runway alternation. Currently, Heathrow alternates between its two runways at 3pm each day, giving communities between the airport and Putney roughly half a day without aircraft overhead. Three runways make that rotation system effectively unworkable. Putney would bear concentrated flight noise for a much larger proportion of the day.

> [New Heathrow flight plans mean more noise for Putney](https://putney.news/2025/07/05/new-heathrow-flight-plans-mean-more-noise-for-putney/)

Putney MP Fleur Anderson has set out the specific impact: “Putney residents will not have any day-time respite at all from aircraft noise on half of all days that planes are operating in a westerly direction, and we would have planes flying overhead almost continually for approximately three days out of four.”

Wandsworth Council is part of a cross-party coalition of councils that formally opposes expansion. We have covered the noise dimension in detail: [what the airspace redesign means for Putney’s flight paths](https://putney.news/2025/07/05/new-heathrow-flight-plans-mean-more-noise-for-putney/) and [what the runway approval meant for residents](https://putney.news/2025/11/26/heathrows-49bn-runway-plan-approved-as-noise-burden-details-kept-from-mps/). This is the other side of the same coin: the runway that brings noise is also the one that creates the conditions for the train.

#### The reality check

HSR Ltd has been developing this proposal for nearly a decade. The original aspiration, when AECOM invested in 2017, was for the railway to be operational by around 2024. The current position on the company’s website reads: “With the right support, our railway could be open by the early 2030s.” A more realistic timeline, based on the steps still required (detailed design, environmental assessment, Development Consent Order application and determination, construction) puts an opening in the mid-to-late 2030s at the earliest.

The central obstacle is a financing catch-22 the company has never fully resolved. HSR Ltd markets the scheme as privately funded at no net cost to the taxpayer. The model involves a new infrastructure company building and owning the railway, with train operators paying access charges to use it.

But investors need certainty of revenue before committing capital: specifically, guaranteed train paths contractually underwritten by the Department for Transport. The DfT classifies such guarantees as government support, and has consistently declined to provide them before the project is further advanced. The former CEO acknowledged the problem publicly. The company is not asking for construction money, but needs the DfT as franchising authority to guarantee paths. The government’s stipulation that all surface access costs be privately financed tightens rather than loosens this knot.

There are other signals worth noting. The company’s X account has 264 followers after eight years. Its last original post was on 7 January 2025, a tribute to a supporter who had died. The CEO, Mark Livock, departed in July 2025 and has not been replaced. The company registered total assets of £134,870 in its June 2024 accounts (a micro company, acting as a promotional and development vehicle rather than a construction entity).

None of that means the railway will not be built. Network Rail’s independent feasibility study confirmed the concept is sound and the capacity works. HSR’s four trains per hour would fit within the Windsor Lines’ limits by replacing existing stopping services rather than adding net train movements. The impact on existing commuters would be modest. The project has genuine and active political support in the House of Lords. And critically, the most powerful actor in the room, Heathrow Airport itself, now appears to agree that southern rail access to Waterloo is the priority.

Upgrades to the train lines going into Waterloo from Putney (for which we are about to [suffer more disruption](https://putney.news/2026/03/09/putney-faces-its-most-disrupted-spring-for-trains-yet/)) will mean greater capacity so Heathrow trains would not clog the system.

#### What it means for Putney

If the scheme does get built, the implications for Putney specifically are concrete. Four trains an hour from the station residents already use, running direct to Heathrow Terminal 5 in approximately 30 minutes. Not just the airport: the scheme also creates new orbital rail connections that do not currently exist: Putney to Richmond, to Woking, to Guildford, without going into central London first. Network Rail noted in its feasibility study that accessibility upgrades at Putney station, including lifts for passengers with luggage, would likely be needed.

The next major decision point is not a ground-breaking ceremony. It is a government consultation. The Department for Transport is expected to publish a revised Airports National Policy Statement for consultation in summer 2026. That is when surface access requirements will need to be formally addressed, and when this proposal moves from a lobbying document to a live policy question. Residents can monitor developments at [heathrowrail.com](https://heathrowrail.com/) and via the DfT’s Southern Access to Heathrow [strategic objectives page](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/southern-access-to-heathrow-strategic-objectives).

Thirty minutes. The platform at Putney station is already built. The question is where the tracks go from here.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/15/direct-to-heathrow-in-30-minutes-the-plan-to-give-putney-its-own-airport-train/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/15/direct-to-heathrow-in-30-minutes-the-plan-to-give-putney-its-own-airport-train/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Direct%20to%20Heathrow%20in%2030%20minutes%3A%20the%20plan%20to%20give%20Putney%20its%20own%20airport%20train&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/15/direct-to-heathrow-in-30-minutes-the-plan-to-give-putney-its-own-airport-train/)

**Categories:** Long read, Transport

**Tags:** Fleur Anderson MP, Heathrow expansion, infrastructure, Putney train station, TfL, Transport for London, Wandsworth

---

### [The freezer full of good intentions: COOK opens in West Putney](https://putney.news/2026/03/14/the-freezer-full-of-good-intentions-cook-opens-in-west-putney/)

**Published:** March 14, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** A new shop, a local hero who insists he hasn't done anything, and an empty wine merchant next door.

**Content:**

Before the freezers had been stocked and the food tokens handed out, people were already tapping on the window of the new shop on Upper Richmond Road. “They wanted to grab a basket and come in and start shopping,” says Nicola Howard, COOK’s area leader. The shop wasn’t open yet. The demand was already there.

COOK opened its West Putney store at 383 Upper Richmond Road on Friday morning, converting the former Moss Pharmacy, [as we reported last October](https://putney.news/2025/10/17/popular-cook-shop-transforms-dover-house-road-site-with-major-refurbishment/), after a major refurbishment that included a full utilities upgrade and structural alterations. The brand now has 110 shops nationally and around 2,000 employees, with food made across four kitchens in Kent and Somerset.

Founder Ed Perry attended the opening. So did area leader Howard, who visited the site two days before and immediately noticed something that is not always easy to find in London. “There was a sense of community,” she says. “Which can sometimes be a challenge in the city because it’s busy and there’s high footfall.”

Shop leader Andrew Wyld, who will run the West Putney store, says the location fills a genuine gap. The nearest COOK shops are in Barnes, East Sheen and Southfields, close enough to know the brand, far enough that commuters heading home toward Putney have historically had to go out of their way. The shop is open until 6pm. “Hopefully we’ll catch people passing on their way home from work,” Wyld says.

![Nicola Howard, area leader at COOK. "Even before the freezers arrived, people were tapping on the door wanting to grab a basket." ](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cook-opening-10-1024x768.png)Nicola Howard, area leader at COOK. “Even before the freezers arrived, people were tapping on the door wanting to grab a basket.” #### Where the brand came from

Ed Perry founded COOK in 1997 with Dale Penfold, and he told *Putney.news* how it came about. His mother was a good cook. Once a week she would make a big batch of something (chicken casserole, chilli con carne) and whatever was left over went into old ice cream tubs in the chest freezer. On the nights she didn’t have time to cook, she’d bring one out, microwave it, and it was delicious. “I grew up with no sense that frozen food couldn’t taste delicious,” Perry says. That idea: hand-prepared food that happens to be frozen, made 95% in-house, is still the whole business.

COOK has been a B Corp since 2013, one of the founding UK members. The Brought Talent programme, now ten years old, employs people leaving prison. A 30% community discount is available to qualifying groups. Perry puts it with characteristic self-awareness: “Without wishing to sound too much of a d\*\*k: we’ve had this long-held belief that business should be more than just about maximising financial returns from a bunch of shareholders.” The self-deprecation earns the sentiment.

![Graeme Parkin outside COOK West Putney on opening day. "Good day's work. Well, I haven't done anything." ](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cook-opening-3-768x1024.png)Graeme Parkin outside COOK West Putney on opening day. “Good day’s work. Well, I haven’t done anything.” #### The man who cut the ribbon

The local hero chosen by community vote to open the shop was Graeme Parkin. He runs Serendipity Café, a free three-course meal held every Monday from 12 to 2pm at Community Church on Werter Road, open to anyone who needs it: people experiencing homelessness, those living on low incomes, benefits claimants. The food comes from City Harvest, the Felix Project, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Waitrose and Tesco (donated surplus), turned into a proper sit-down meal. Serendipity has been running since before the first lockdown in 2020, at minimum six years without a break.

Parkin was matter-of-fact about what his café meets. “They might be living on £400 a month,” he said of the people who come. “It’s not possible to live.” The café feeds around 50 people a week. When asked about winning the vote, he was equally matter-of-fact. “I haven’t done anything. It’s all lots of people. Hours and hours and hours.”

COOK gave Parkin £100 in food tokens, and another £100 to Serendipity Café. Howard says the company wants to explore further support for the café as the shop settles in. Parkin received the news in the spirit it was offered. “Good day’s work. Well, I haven’t done anything.”

![Ed Perry, COOK founder. "My mother was a really good cook. I grew up with no sense that frozen food couldn't taste delicious." ](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cook-opening-13-1024x768.png)Ed Perry, COOK founder. “My mother was a really good cook. I grew up with no sense that frozen food couldn’t taste delicious.” #### The parade: what’s there, and what isn’t

The opening is the most significant independent retail arrival on this stretch of Upper Richmond Road for a while.

A survey of the parade sees three empty units from 20 surveyed. Two of the empty units are corner plots flanking the Dover House Road junction, which gives the gap more visual weight than the number alone suggests.

One of those vacancies, immediately next door to the new COOK, is Trina’s Wines, now closed and available to let. The other corner plot, formerly Dover House Lettings, is also vacant and available.

The parade has things going for it: a café, a butcher, a Polish deli, two dry cleaners, a bookmaker, a pet shop. Bit it still lacks some anchor units: the wine shop closed too soon; there is no pub or wine bar on the stretch. No fitness offer. The bones are there; the corners are waiting.

Perry did not try to frame this optimistically. Across 110 shops and six years of trading since the pandemic, he knows what the high street looks like right now. “I don’t know a single person who says things are good at the moment,” he said. “The amount of government red tape is awful. And I think we’re just about to be hit by another wave of inflation. Zero growth. It’s really hard.”

Despite the tailwinds, COOK is opening eight new shops in 2026 and yesterday West Putney was one of them. It is open now and full of cheer.

![COOK in West Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cook-opening-6-1-1024x768.png)*COOK West Putney is at 383 Upper Richmond Road, SW15 5QJ. Its opening hours are 9.30am-6pm, and 11am-5pm on Sundays.*

---

*Correction, Sat 14 Mar, 11am: When discussing the cost of living crisis, we initially noted that some people were living on £400 a week, rather than £400 per month. This has now been corrected.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/14/the-freezer-full-of-good-intentions-cook-opens-in-west-putney/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/14/the-freezer-full-of-good-intentions-cook-opens-in-west-putney/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20freezer%20full%20of%20good%20intentions%3A%20COOK%20opens%20in%20West%20Putney&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/14/the-freezer-full-of-good-intentions-cook-opens-in-west-putney/)

**Categories:** Save the High Street, West Putney

**Tags:** community, restaurant opening, retail, Upper Richmond Road

---

### ['This is my community': the end of The Kitchen at Putney Leisure Centre](https://putney.news/2026/03/14/this-is-my-community-the-end-of-the-kitchen-at-putney-leisure-centre/)

**Published:** March 14, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Jeannine Angel is leaving after reaching a confidential settlement with Places Leisure and Wandsworth Council.

**Content:**

The Kitchen at Putney Leisure Centre is closing. After a decade serving the community, and five months fighting to stay, owner Jeannine Angel has reached a settlement with Places Leisure and Wandsworth Council, and will leave the café she has run since 2015.

All three cafés operated by Angel’s family across Wandsworth’s leisure centres will shut within the coming month.

“We have now reached a friendly agreement, and as part of it we will be leaving The Kitchen at Putney in one month,” Angel told *Putney.news*.

The fight began in May 2025, when Places Leisure conducted a disputed inspection and closed The Kitchen without notice. The operator called it a “misunderstanding” but then asked Angel to sign paperwork that her solicitors later described as “legally incoherent and fatally defective,” a document that would have stripped her of statutory tenancy protection. She refused.

> [Putney cafe takes council to court](https://putney.news/2025/11/26/putney-cafe-takes-council-to-court/)

[As we first reported in October](https://putney.news/2025/10/20/this-is-my-community-putney-cafe-owner-fights-to-keep-business-as-leisure-centre-plans-major-refurbishment/), the dispute went unresolved for months while the leisure centre’s £24 million refurbishment proceeded around her.

By November, Angel had served formal legal notices on Places Leisure and Wandsworth Council, seeking a 15-year new lease under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954. [More than 500 people signed a petition](https://putney.news/2025/11/26/putney-cafe-takes-council-to-court/) supporting her. Her solicitors at Blacks Legal said the attempts to remove her were “a transparent pretext to clear the sites for a major, multi-million-pound redevelopment project.”

That legal route is now closed. The agreement includes a confidentiality clause, limiting what she can say publicly. She was clear, however, that the outcome was not a defeat.

> “It was an amicable agreement and, in the end, we did not come out of it worse off.”

Places Leisure confirmed the departures this week:

“Following the conclusion of ongoing discussions between Places Leisure, JDSR Ltd, Suangel & Co Ltd, and Suarez & Co Ltd, all parties have mutually agreed to end their partnership. Over the coming month the businesses will fully cease operations at the three sites. The decisions have been made to ensure the best outcomes for our customers and all parties involved. As the matter has now been concluded no further comment will be made.”

> [Putney Leisure Centre cafe future unclear despite franchise denial](https://putney.news/2025/11/05/fight-to-save-putney-cafe-escalates-as-management-stonewalls-owner/)

#### What comes next

Cllr Paul White, the council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, told a public meeting in June 2025 that Putney would receive a “new café” as part of the refurbishment. He did not respond to questions from *Putney.news* put back in November. The council did not respond either. Neither has commented since.

Places Leisure has said no further comment will be made. Council and Places Leisure teams have been doing walkabouts at the leisure centre in recent weeks. What, if anything, replaces The Kitchen has not been announced.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/The-kitchen-goodbye-message-724x1024.jpg)Ten years. Venezuelan food in a Putney leisure centre. Five-star hygiene ratings at all three sites. More than 500 people signed to keep her there.

> “Thank you for all the support you gave us during this difficult time. Over the past months, what we went through was incredibly challenging for our family and our business.”

She says she did not come out worse off.

“This is my community. This place feels like home.”

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/kitchen-putney-leisure-centre-closed-1-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/14/this-is-my-community-the-end-of-the-kitchen-at-putney-leisure-centre/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/14/this-is-my-community-the-end-of-the-kitchen-at-putney-leisure-centre/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98This%20is%20my%20community%E2%80%99%3A%20the%20end%20of%20The%20Kitchen%20at%20Putney%20Leisure%20Centre&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/14/this-is-my-community-the-end-of-the-kitchen-at-putney-leisure-centre/)

**Categories:** Business, Thamesfield, West Putney

**Tags:** Cllr Paul White, Jeannine Angel, Places Leisure, Putney Leisure Centre, retail closures, The Kitchen, Wandsworth Council

---

### [What the recent wave of council announcements tells us about the May elections](https://putney.news/2026/03/13/what-the-recent-wave-of-council-announcements-tells-us-about-the-may-elections/)

**Published:** March 13, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Twelve press releases in twelve days, all landing in the same places.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has been busy. Twelve press releases in twelve days, announcing improvements, investments and initiatives across the borough. New wardens here, a refurbished library there, road crossings improved, an underpass renovated, [a gate restored](https://wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-march-2026/cherished-albert-gate-restoration-to-complete-on-8-april/), a grant for a local rugby club.

Read them as council communications and they tell you what the administration has been working on. Read them as a political map and they tell you something more useful: exactly where Labour is worried about losing seats in May, and what losing those seats would mean for control of the council.

#### The seats Labour cannot afford to lose

Labour won Wandsworth Council in 2022 on a wave of narrow victories, some of the tightest margins in London. A handful of losses would hand control back to the Conservatives. The announcements this month map almost exactly onto the wards where that risk is concentrated.

Balham is the sharpest case. Labour holds one of its three seats by 26 votes. This month: [new neighbourhood wardens](https://wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-march-2026/balham-neighbourhood-wardens-start-work-to-tackle-anti-social-behaviour/) targeting antisocial behaviour, and a [children’s library refurbishment](https://wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-march-2026/work-begins-on-refurbishing-balham-children-s-library/). Two announcements. One ward. 26 votes in it.

Wandsworth Town is similar. Labour won two of the three seats in 2022 and came within 33 votes of the third. This month: the [Swandon Way underpass renovation](https://wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-march-2026/work-starts-on-swandon-way-underpass-in-latest-rail-bridge-improvement/), [road crossings, improved lighting](https://wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-march-2026/better-road-crossings-lighting-and-greenery-for-wandsworth-town-centre/). Two announcements, one ward, 33 votes between them.

Each announcement carries a Labour councillor’s name. Each covers an improvement residents can see from their street. None of this is accidental.

![The 2022 election map of Wandsworth](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/wandsworth-2022-election-map-1024x903.png)The 2022 election map of Wandsworth#### Under pressure from two directions

Labour’s electoral threat does not come from one direction.

In West Putney, West Hill and East Putney, the Conservative threat is sharpest. Each ward returns a single Labour councillor won on a narrow margin in 2022. One announcement covers the West Hill and West Putney border: a [money advice drop-in](https://wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-march-2026/drop-in-get-free-personalised-money-advice-and-support/), geographically positioned to reach both wards.

In Roehampton and Shaftesbury and Queenstown, the picture is more complicated. Reform UK has been gaining support among residents unhappy with Labour’s approach to housing developments, including the Lennox Estate plans, Toland Square construction and the Alton Estate redevelopment. The Winstanley area receives a [green neighbourhood grant](https://wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-march-2026/new-winstanley-neighbourhood-green-community-grant-scheme-launches/); Roehampton gets a [youth rugby grant](https://wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-march-2026/rosslyn-park-welcomes-local-youngsters-with-wandsworth-grant/) for Rosslyn Park. Both wards are ones where Labour cannot afford a significant vote shift to Reform.

The [Queenstown Road works announcement](https://wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-march-2026/queenstown-road-works-mark-final-phase-of-major-upgrade/) is different in character: residents there have been frustrated for months. The announcement lands in a ward Labour holds 3-0 but where relations have been under strain.

One announcement sits outside the pattern entirely. A [homelessness hub on Lavender Hill](https://wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-march-2026/new-hub-strengthens-support-for-wandsworth-residents-facing-homelessness/) falls in Lavender ward, which returns two Conservatives and no Labour councillors. There is no marginal seat to explain its inclusion. It is the exception in an otherwise consistent geographic picture.

#### The wards that tell you the most

East Putney is the most marginal seat in the borough.

In the first twelve days of March, the council published no announcements for East Putney.

That may itself be a calculation. The seat may be so exposed that no press release will secure it. Wandsworth Common, where Labour also holds a single seat, has received nothing either.

The wards most likely to receive announcements before the pre-election period opens on 30 March are Wandsworth Common and West Hill, both single Labour seats, both reachable by the Conservatives. East Putney may follow, or may not. It will likely tells us about the party’s internal election calculus.

Labour won 35 seats in 2022. It currently holds 34, having lost a West Putney by-election in May 2024 to the Conservatives on a swing of 7.7 points. A majority requires 30. That means Labour can lose four more seats and still govern, just. Lose five and the Conservatives are likely back in power.

The arithmetic explains the announcements. Every press release carrying a councillor’s name in a marginal ward between now and 30 March is a calculation about which seats Labour can afford to lose, and which it cannot.

 Conservative council Labour council Pre-election period (purdah) 

 Source: Wandsworth Council news archive. Mar 2026 = 12 confirmed announcements (Mar 1–12); month not complete. Pre-election period begins approx. March 27, 2026.

#### The Tories did it too. Much worse.

Before anyone concludes this is a Labour invention, it is worth looking at March 2022, when the then-Conservative administration was eight weeks from losing power.

The Conservatives published a remarkable 93 press releases that month. In one week alone, the seven days before the pre-election period opened, they published 31. When the restrictions kicked in, the rate collapsed to 27 for the whole of April.

Both parties, when eight weeks from an election they might lose, have used the council’s communications operation the same way: point the announcements at the seats you need, attach a councillor’s name, and hope residents don’t notice what they are looking at. Right now the announcements tell you Labour is worried, and that the pressure is coming from two directions at once.

---

*Clarification: An earlier version of this article stated Labour holds East Putney by three votes. The correct margin is 100 votes: the gap between Labour’s Fianna Ayres (2,147) and the highest-placed Conservative who did not win a seat, Michael Stephens (2,047). We have updated the article accordingly.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/13/what-the-recent-wave-of-council-announcements-tells-us-about-the-may-elections/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/13/what-the-recent-wave-of-council-announcements-tells-us-about-the-may-elections/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=What%20the%20recent%20wave%20of%20council%20announcements%20tells%20us%20about%20the%20May%20elections&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/13/what-the-recent-wave-of-council-announcements-tells-us-about-the-may-elections/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** accountability, council tax, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council

---

### [St George's to merge with Epsom and St Helier. Residents weren't told](https://putney.news/2026/03/12/st-georges-to-merge-with-epsom-and-st-helier-nobody-was-told/)

**Published:** March 12, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** EXCLUSIVE: NHS Trust Board approved formal merger plan behind closed doors earlier this month.

**Content:**

**UPDATED** St George’s Hospital will formally merge with Epsom and St Helier under a plan approved by their boards earlier this month. No official announcement has been made.

James Blythe, interim chief executive, told a board meeting on 5 March that he was passing on a decision taken minutes earlier behind closed doors. “The private board did consider a draft strategic outline case to submit to NHS England later this month in order to start the process of looking at the options and ultimately moving towards a merger of the two organisations,” he told a board meeting.

A week later, no press release has been published and no public consultation has been announced. GESH says it wrote to the four affected MPs on 25 February – Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (Tooting), Fleur Anderson (Putney), Helen Maguire (Epsom and Ewell), and Bobby Dean (Carshalton and Wallington) – advising them of its intention to submit the case, subject to board approval. *Putney.news* has asked all four MPs to confirm whether they received that letter and what their response to the merger plan is. None had replied at the time of publication. No equivalent communication was made to the public.

The contradiction with the group’s own public commitments is stark. When the two hospitals joined forces in 2021, Epsom and St Helier’s official announcement was explicit: “The organisations are not merging, meaning both Epsom and St Helier, and St George’s will remain as statutory organisations in their own right.”

The document approved on 5 March (known as a strategic outline case) is the formal first step in an NHS merger. It will be submitted to NHS England imminently, opening a process that ends with Epsom and St Helier ceasing to exist as a separate organisation. Both hospitals would come under one board, one management team, and one set of accounts. The process typically takes two to five years.

St George’s is the main hospital for Putney residents. The merger will shape which services are available (A&E, maternity, specialist care) for hundreds of thousands of people across south-west London and Surrey.

#### Why now

Both hospitals are losing money. The group’s own board papers show a combined shortfall of £176 million this financial year. Government payments that cover most of that gap are being phased out: St George’s has been given two years to break even; Epsom and St Helier, three.

Epsom and St Helier is also under formal NHS England supervision on three separate grounds: its finances, its waiting lists, and its emergency care. At the 5 March meeting, the chair said the board had “a game plan to try and get out of both” supervision arrangements.

There was also supposed to be a solution to Epsom and St Helier’s problems with its crumbling estate: a new Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Sutton, promised in 2020, with building work to start in 2022 and the doors opening by 2025. The government has since pushed the project back; construction is now expected between 2030 and 2035. The group’s own plan describes the opening as “at least 12 years away.”

Interim CEO Blythe also told the meeting that Epsom and St Helier needs to become an NHS Foundation Trust, and that merging with St George’s is “the right route” to achieve that.

#### Who wasn’t consulted

It is not the first time services affecting Putney residents have changed without public notice. [Queen Mary’s Hospital in Roehampton](https://putney.news/2025/09/14/st-georges-finally-confirms-queen-marys-hospital-closures-but-still-ducks-questions-on-urgent-care/) had its operating theatres closed last year as a cost-saving measure. No public consultation was held.

*Putney.news* has asked GESH why no announcement was made, what changed since the 2021 commitment, and what public engagement is planned.

**Later this week**, w*e will publish a longer piece covering the decision’s four years of quiet preparation, what a merger means for services and jobs, and how key decisions were made without public input or debate.*

---

**UPDATE – 12 March 2026, 2pm:** GESH has contacted *Putney.news* to let us know that staff have been informed internally, that Integrated Care Boards have been briefed, that the four MPs have been made aware, and that the trust approached a trade publication with the news, which did not publish it.

The spokesperson confirmed that the trust has not shared the news externally. No press release has been issued, no public announcement made, and no public consultation announced. The MPs contacted by *Putney.news* have not yet responded. We will update this article when they do.

GESH subsequently provided documentary evidence of the 25 February letter – see correction below.

**Correction – 13 March 2026, 1pm:** Following publication, GESH provided a letter dated 25 February 2026 showing it had written to MPs and other stakeholders ahead of the board meeting, advising them of its intention to submit a Strategic Outline Case subject to board approval. The article has been corrected to reflect this. The letter was not made public and no equivalent communication was sent to residents.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/12/st-georges-to-merge-with-epsom-and-st-helier-nobody-was-told/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/12/st-georges-to-merge-with-epsom-and-st-helier-nobody-was-told/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=St%20George%E2%80%99s%20to%20merge%20with%20Epsom%20and%20St%20Helier.%20Residents%20weren%E2%80%99t%20told&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/12/st-georges-to-merge-with-epsom-and-st-helier-nobody-was-told/)

**Categories:** Health

**Tags:** accountability, Fleur Anderson MP, NHS, Queen Mary's Hospital, St George's hospital

---

### [Four new businesses, one rotting landmark: what's changing on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/2026/03/13/four-new-businesses-one-rotting-landmark-whats-changing-on-putney-high-street/)

**Published:** March 13, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Hare & Tortoise and a new bar concept are fitting out. The White Lion is not.

**Content:**

Walk past the old Be At One on Putney High Street and there is a new sign in the window. The building that has sat empty since Stonegate Group shut the cocktail bar in June last year is being fitted out again, this time by IMBA London, a new hospitality venture.

On Upper Richmond Road, the former Papa John’s has a Hare & Tortoise “Coming Soon” sign above its shutters. Across the High Street and along Upper Richmond Road, at least two more units are showing signs of life.

Four businesses fitting out simultaneously is the most concentrated burst of new arrivals Putney High Street has seen since closures [accelerated through 2025](https://putney.news/2025/12/09/empty-shops-cluster-at-both-ends-of-putney-high-street/). It does not fix two years of documented decline but it is the clearest signal of returning confidence in Putney.

![The small shops on Upper Richmond Road are being kitted out as a nail salon](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/putney-shops-3-1024x768.png)The small shops on Upper Richmond Road are being kitted out: one as a nail salon#### The new arrivals

IMBA London Ltd is registered in Kingston, incorporated in June 2022, and classified under Hotels and similar accommodation. The concept has not been publicly announced, but the fit-out is progressing. The Be At One fascia is still visible above the new signage, old Putney giving way to whatever comes next.

Hare & Tortoise Takeaway is a more established proposition. The pan-Asian chain has been running in London since 1996 and is moving into the former Papa John’s unit in takeaway-only format. Thirty years in business is not a punt. It is a chain that has read the market and continued to chose Putney.

The original Hare and Tortoise site, slightly further along, is now a Screwfix, a different kind of confidence signal: retail and trade rather than hospitality, but a signal nonetheless. Nearer Putney station, two of the very small units on Upper Richmond Road unit are being fitted out, one of them will be a(nother) nail salon, the other’s identity not yet announced. And there has been a sudden burst of activity has also been spotted in the block next to the new M&S Food on the High Street.

The old Eastern Natural Care is becoming a temporary office for building works taking place in the former Enzo Uomo and Putney Mobile & Computer shops. The same property group owns all but one of the buildings in this block.

![Papa Johns becomes Hare and Tortoise](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/putney-shops-1-1024x768.png)Papa Johns becomes Hare and Tortoise#### The building that is not part of this story

One building at 14-16 Putney High Street is not part of this picture. The White Lion has been vacant for more than a decade. Built in 1887, it is Grade II listed. It appears on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register 2025 with this assessment: condition Poor, trend Declining, priority C, “slow decay; no solution agreed.”

The building is [currently listed for freehold sale](https://putney.news/2025/11/07/how-putney-lost-a-victorian-treasure-and-wandsworth-abandoned-its-heritage/) at 14,000 square feet with developer drawings showing residential conversion potential. A purchase attempt fell through in March last year; the owner’s asking price was cited as the obstacle. The building sustained damage during a period of squatter occupation and faces a six-figure restoration cost.

Wandsworth Council has powers under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 to compel maintenance of listed buildings. We may rapidly be reaching that point.

The street is moving again. Four fitouts does not undo a decade of decline, and one building continues to deteriorate with no solution in sight. Both things are true at once. That is where Putney High Street stands in March 2026.

![Activity on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/putney-shops-4-1024x768.png)A flurry of recent activity in the block next to the new M&S#### What you can do

Anyone concerned about the future of the White Lion can contact Wandsworth Council’s planning enforcement team to ask what action the council is taking on a Grade II listed building in declining condition. The Heritage at Risk Register entry and the council’s powers under listed buildings legislation are both matters of public record.

![The White Lion is up for sale again](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/putney-shop-1-1024x768.png)The slowly crumbling White Lion is up for sale again [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/13/four-new-businesses-one-rotting-landmark-whats-changing-on-putney-high-street/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/13/four-new-businesses-one-rotting-landmark-whats-changing-on-putney-high-street/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Four%20new%20businesses%2C%20one%20rotting%20landmark%3A%20what%E2%80%99s%20changing%20on%20Putney%20High%20Street&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/13/four-new-businesses-one-rotting-landmark-whats-changing-on-putney-high-street/)

**Categories:** Business, Save the High Street

**Tags:** Be At One, planning, Putney High Street, restaurant opening, retail, retail closures, Save the High Street, Simmons Bar, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Five padel developments, one borough, no demand assessment - and a cautionary tale from Sweden](https://putney.news/2026/03/13/five-padel-developments-one-borough-no-demand-assessment-and-a-cautionary-tale-from-sweden/)

**Published:** March 13, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** At least five padel developments now under way across the borough — with no assessment of whether demand will follow supply.

**Content:**

A Roehampton private school has applied to build the area’s first padel courts , the latest in a wave of at least five padel developments now under way across Wandsworth, as the sport’s national governing body drives a push for rapid UK growth that looks, to some observers, uncomfortably like the boom that collapsed in Sweden three years ago.

Ibstock Place School submitted plans to Wandsworth Council earlier this month for three enclosed courts on its Roehampton playing fields, available to the public via online booking from 8am to 10pm daily. Planning documents describe the site as “the first padel facilities in Roehampton” and cite “significant unmet demand for padel across London.”

The application is one of several moving through the borough simultaneously. Wandsworth Council’s own leisure contractor, Places Leisure, is planning four new padel courts at Wandle Recreation Centre and already operates courts at Battersea Sports Centre and two other borough sites under a £24m, 10-year contract that began last October.

In Merton, just across the borough boundary, GrassRoots Padel Ltd won planning permission in December for seven courts inside the Wimbledon Park athletics track, a decision opposed by local residents on six grounds, every one overruled. All Star Tennis, which took over management of [Putney Lower Common courts last year](https://putney.news/2025/07/25/putney-lower-common-tennis-courts-to-reopen-next-year-under-new-management/), already operates approximately two padel courts in the borough.

Nobody, across any of these applications, appears to have asked what happened in Sweden.

#### The Swedish lesson

Between 2019 and 2022, Sweden’s padel market expanded from roughly 300 courts to 3,500. In 2023, approximately 90 Swedish padel businesses filed for bankruptcy. In Uppsala, a city of 200,000 people, the number of courts went from 14 to 100 in a single year before collapsing. “So many things went wrong,” Andreas Ehrnvall, a Swedish padel veteran, told the Camden New Journal in February. “This country rapidly went from having 300 padel courts to 3,500. It was just untenable.”

The UK currently has approximately 1,500 courts and more than 100 new openings are forecast for 2026. A 2023 Deloitte report predicted the global padel market would triple by 2026. The Lawn Tennis Association, which formally adopted padel governance in 2019 and has its headquarters in Roehampton, has called on the government to fund padel hubs in underserved communities.

UK operators argue the comparison with Sweden is misleading. S3 Padel, a Swedish-backed chain operating courts at Wembley, Brent Cross, Sutton, Derby and Bristol, claims its Wembley venue achieves 12 to 14 hours of court use per day. The LTA has argued that UK expansion is slower and steadier than Sweden’s, and that planning regulations prevent “unproven operators” from flooding the market. S3 Padel prices courts at £40 to £50 per hour, against competitors charging up to £100, and has committed 250,000 free hours to schools and community groups.

Those arguments may be right. The question is whether anyone in Wandsworth has tested them.

![The proposed padel courts at Ibstock Place school](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ibstock-place-padel-courts-1024x859.png)The proposed padel courts at Ibstock Place school#### A pattern without a plan

The Places Leisure contract, signed with Wandsworth Council in October 2025, commits £24m to improvements across eight borough leisure centres over four years. The padel plans at Wandle Recreation Centre and Battersea are part of that investment. Cabinet Member Paul White said at the time the contract “ensures residents benefit from excellent, modern facilities both in our centres and out in the community.”

What the contract does not appear to include is any published assessment of whether padel demand across Wandsworth can sustain the combined output of council-backed courts, a private school facility, an existing commercial operator and a nearby Merton approval, all arriving in the same 12-month window.

The Wimbledon Park case illustrates the dynamic clearly. GrassRoots Padel Ltd applied to Merton for seven courts inside the athletics track on Metropolitan Open Land, a designation that gives planning applications heightened scrutiny. The Friends of Wimbledon Park submitted a formal objection citing six reasons; all were overruled when Merton granted permission in December 2025 for a one-year trial. GrassRoots Padel’s own planning documents, quoted in the FOWP objection, stated that the trial “could lead to a long-term installation and investment programme.” The application called it temporary. The applicant described a permanent programme.

At Ibstock Place, the planning statement acknowledges that courts will stand next to Grove House, a Grade II\* listed building, but concludes there is no heritage harm. The courts, measuring 20 metres by 10 metres each, with 9-metre canopies and LED floodlighting, will be constructed by Fordingbridge PLC, whose director authored the national code of practice for padel court construction. Groundworks are expected to take six to eight weeks, with completion targeted for spring or summer 2026 if approved.

Since 2019, UK padel participation has grown from around 6,000 players and 125 courts to approximately 90,000 players and 250 courts by 2022, according to figures cited in the Ibstock planning statement. The LTA, based less than a mile from the proposed Ibstock courts, is the primary engine of that national push.

#### What you can do

The Ibstock Place School planning application can be viewed and commented on at [planning.wandsworth.gov.uk](https://planning.wandsworth.gov.uk/) – application 2025/4664. Any resident can submit a representation on a live application.

Residents can also contact Roehampton ward councillors directly: Cllr Matthew Tiller (), Cllr Graeme Henderson () and Cllr Jenny Yates (). All three represent the ward where the Ibstock application is sited.

*Putney.news* will follow the outcomes of the Ibstock application, the Places Leisure court openings, and the Wimbledon Park trial, which is due to expire in October 2026.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/13/five-padel-developments-one-borough-no-demand-assessment-and-a-cautionary-tale-from-sweden/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/13/five-padel-developments-one-borough-no-demand-assessment-and-a-cautionary-tale-from-sweden/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Five%20padel%20developments%2C%20one%20borough%2C%20no%20demand%20assessment%20%E2%80%93%20and%20a%20cautionary%20tale%20from%20Sweden&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/13/five-padel-developments-one-borough-no-demand-assessment-and-a-cautionary-tale-from-sweden/)

**Categories:** News, Planning, Tennis

**Tags:** Battersea, Cllr Graeme Henderson, Cllr Jenny Yates, Cllr Matthew Tiller, planning, Roehampton, Wandsworth Council, Wimbledon Park

---

### [District Line strikes, SWR closures: Putney's worst spring for transport](https://putney.news/2026/03/12/district-line-strikes-swr-closures-putneys-worst-spring-for-transport/)

**Published:** March 12, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** RMT confirms 12 days of Underground action - starting just before the Head of the River Race.

**Content:**

The RMT union has confirmed 12 days of London Underground strike action starting 24 March, running across six separate 24-hour periods through to late May. Commuters using the District Line from Putney Bridge and East Putney will be directly affected.

The strikes fall in pairs on consecutive days: 24–25 and 26–27 March, 21–22 and 23–24 April, and 19–20 and 21–22 May. Each period runs from midday to the following morning, meaning the afternoon and evening of the first day and the morning commute of the second are both hit. In practical terms, six evening and six morning commutes across the spring are at risk.

Putney commuters using the District Line were already dealing with a [troubled service before this announcement](https://putney.news/2026/03/08/six-years-of-waiting-on-the-district-line-and-now-two-official-accounts-that-cannot-both-be-true/). The line was documented last week as London’s least reliable major tube line, with East Putney’s signal infrastructure identified as a persistent weak point. The strikes come on top of that, and alongside [SWR Easter closures already confirmed for April](https://putney.news/2026/03/09/putney-faces-its-most-disrupted-spring-for-trains-yet/). For anyone relying on either rail corridor from Putney, spring 2026 is the worst disruption season in recent memory.

#### Why the RMT is striking

The dispute is over TfL’s proposal to compress standard working hours into a four-day week. The RMT says the plan, imposed without agreement, raises concerns about fatigue and safety. Its members voted 91% in favour of strike action.

ASLEF, the other main drivers’ union, has accepted the proposal and is not striking. That split makes this an unusual dispute: as one ASLEF official put it, this is probably the first time in union history that workers have voted to strike against the offer of a shorter working week. TfL is already piloting the four-day arrangement voluntarily on the Bakerloo line.

Because ASLEF members are not striking, some District Line trains may still run during the affected periods. TfL has not confirmed line-by-line service levels. Expect reduced and unreliable service rather than a complete shutdown. Do not rely on a normal timetable.

> [Putney faces its most disrupted spring for trains yet](https://putney.news/2026/03/09/putney-faces-its-most-disrupted-spring-for-trains-yet/)

#### The Head of the River Race clash

The most locally significant detail is the timing of the first strike pair. The second period ends Friday morning 27 March. The Head of the River Race (100th anniversary this year, with Putney Bridge as the finish line) takes place the following day, Saturday 28 March, starting at 12:15pm. Up to 400 crews take part and thousands of spectators attend, many using public transport.

The District Line should be back in service by race day, but service recovery after strikes can leave trains running irregularly. Check TfL’s status before travelling to or from the race.

#### What to do if your District Line journey is disrupted

**SWR from Putney station** is the primary alternative for District Line riders. It runs direct to Waterloo, is around 500 metres from East Putney station, and runs six trains per hour off-peak. SWR is not affected by tube strikes.

**Buses** on routes 22, 39, 74, 85, 93, 220 and 265 serve the Putney Bridge and Putney area. Expect them to be busier than usual during strike periods, with longer journey times.

**Santander Cycles and e-bike hire** are worth considering for local journeys and proved popular during the September 2025 strike.

Strike action can be called off if a settlement is reached. Check [TfL’s service status page](https://tfl.gov.uk/tube-dlr-overground/status/) before travelling on any affected date.

---

**Strike dates at a glance**

PeriodStartsEndsRush hours hit1Tue 24 Mar, 12pmWed 25 Mar morningWed AM commute2Thu 26 Mar, 12pmFri 27 Mar morningFri AM commute3Tue 21 Apr, 12pmWed 22 Apr morningWed AM commute4Thu 23 Apr, 12pmFri 24 Apr morningFri AM commute5Tue 19 May, 12pmWed 20 May morningWed AM commute6Thu 21 May, 12pmFri 22 May morningFri AM commuteApril is the hardest month. The District Line also has planned engineering closures on weekend dates in April, separate from the strikes, which fall on Tuesday-to-Wednesday and Thursday-to-Friday. The calendar clashes don’t overlap directly, but the combination means April reliability on this line will be poor throughout.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/12/district-line-strikes-swr-closures-putneys-worst-spring-for-transport/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/12/district-line-strikes-swr-closures-putneys-worst-spring-for-transport/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=District%20Line%20strikes%2C%20SWR%20closures%3A%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20worst%20spring%20for%20transport&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/12/district-line-strikes-swr-closures-putneys-worst-spring-for-transport/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** bus, District Line, East Putney, Putney Bridge, Putney train station, TfL

---

### ['Hell on earth': East Putney residents kept awake until 5am by bridge works](https://putney.news/2026/03/12/hell-on-earth-east-putney-residents-kept-awake-until-5am-by-bridge-works/)

**Published:** March 12, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Families face seven weeks of overnight noise on Upper Richmond Road.

**Content:**

What East Putney residents initially welcomed as a long-overdue improvement – the cleaning and repainting of the two railway bridges over Upper Richmond Road – has turned into a week of sleepless nights with a further six to come. “It’s hell on earth,” one told *Putney.news.*

Charlotte has a young child. She and her partner take turns not wearing earplugs so one of them can hear their son. They have started going to bed at 8pm to get two hours’ sleep before the noise begins. She is still awake at 5am.

“It feels like an immense level of torment has been thrown onto us by the council this week without warning,” she told us. The jet-washers run from 10pm to 5am, Monday to Friday. The council confirmed to Charlotte that this is the “noisiest part of the works.”

![East Putney railway bridge](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/east-putney-railways-bridges-clean-6-1024x768.png)Charlotte has contacted the council, her MP and the council leader. The noise continues. According to the council, all the residents where she lives were notified by post about the works – so far she has been unable to find anyone that recalls being told. When she eventually tracked a copy of the letter down, it stated that the works would end at midnight. They run until 5am.

Inundated with complaints, the council said it had added acoustic shielding to the generator. It made little difference.

“Last night they claimed to have put acoustic shielding on their generators as well as other mitigators and yet I was still awake through the night even whilst wearing ear plugs,” Charlotte wrote. “They haven’t replied to the fact the letter they sent out said work would end by midnight yet they’re actually going on until 5am.”

Several days in, she filmed the noise from inside her seventh-floor flat.

The works, which include jet-washing the brickwork, repainting the bridges and their underpasses, adding pigeon-proofing and installing new ‘East Putney’ signage on both structures, follow an [eight-year wait for improvements](https://putney.news/2026/01/05/eight-years-after-promising-artwork-east-putney-bridge-finally-getting-a-lick-of-paint/) that were first promised in 2016. Network Rail owns the bridges. Wandsworth Council sent the notification letter to residents.

*Putney.news* contacted both Network Rail and Wandsworth Council on Tuesday with questions about the discrepancy between the letter’s stated end time and the actual working hours. Neither has responded. Charlotte says she’s had the same treatment: “They’ve just stop replying.”

![The underside of one of the two East Putney railway bridges - half-cleaned](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/east-putney-railways-bridges-clean-3-1024x768.png)Half-cleaned: the bridge cleaning is taking place as night so as not to disturb people. That part isn’t working#### If you are affected

Residents in Thamesfield ward, on the Thames side of Upper Richmond Road, can contact their ward councillors directly: Cllr Ethan Brooks (), Cllr James Jeffreys () and Cllr John Locker (). East Putney ward councillors, whose ward borders the site, are Cllr Finna Ayres (), Cllr George Crivelli () and Cllr Ravi Govindia ().

Fleur Anderson MP can be contacted at .

Network Rail’s public enquiries line is 03457 11 41 41.

Wandsworth Council’s environmental health team handles construction noise complaints. Verify current contact details on the [council website](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/) before submitting.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/12/hell-on-earth-east-putney-residents-kept-awake-until-5am-by-bridge-works/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/12/hell-on-earth-east-putney-residents-kept-awake-until-5am-by-bridge-works/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98Hell%20on%20earth%E2%80%99%3A%20East%20Putney%20residents%20kept%20awake%20until%205am%20by%20bridge%20works&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/12/hell-on-earth-east-putney-residents-kept-awake-until-5am-by-bridge-works/)

**Categories:** East Putney, Transport

**Tags:** accountability, East Putney, Fleur Anderson MP, infrastructure, Network Rail, Upper Richmond Road, Wandsworth Council

---

### [West Putney's violence surge may be domestic abuse. The police have no way of knowing](https://putney.news/2026/03/11/west-putneys-violence-surge-may-be-domestic-abuse-the-police-have-no-way-to-know/)

**Published:** March 11, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Ward officers are given violence figures with no breakdown — and a nine-month surge went unnoticed.

**Content:**

West Putney police officers told residents last night that they don’t know the cause of a [63% increase in violence](https://putney.news/2026/03/10/violence-in-west-putney-has-risen-63-in-a-year-and-one-street-corridor-is-at-the-centre-of-it/) in the ward, because they don’t see a breakdown of the figures. The cause, they suggested, was probably domestic violence, which is not something they deal with.

PC Kevin Wakefield, speaking at the ward panel meeting at Granard Primary School, told residents the team had not been aware of the surge. Lee Roberts opened the meeting by presenting the data: 295 violent crimes year-to-date to the end of February, a 35% rise over 12 months, with January alone recording 36 incidents, more than double October 2024’s 16.

“We weren’t privy to it,” Wakefield said. “Violence covers multiple things, including domestics. I would have thought the most plausible explanation is a rise in domestics.”

The system that produced the blind spot is straightforward. Ward officers are told to report only on their three chosen priorities, in three-month windows, and cannot sub-categorise within those priorities. Violence is a priority, but “violence” as a category runs from common assault to GBH to domestic incidents, and the ward team cannot separate them out.

![Ashburton Estate](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cortis-road-ashburton-21-1024x768.png)“We’ve been told by our inspector that we’re now only giving figures for the three ward priorities for each ward,” Wakefield said. “The other figures need to be basically sought by members of the public.”

A nine-month surge, outpacing Putney overall (+15%) and Wandsworth borough (+12%), did not appear in their operational picture. “We haven’t seen, we haven’t noticed anything. I would have said it’s actually safe here,” Wakefield said.

#### The domestic violence question

If the officers are right that domestic abuse is driving the numbers, it raises a question the meeting did not address: who is dealing with it?

Domestic violence is among the least reported crimes in England and Wales. The ward team cannot see the data, because the system does not give it to them.

> [Violence in West Putney has risen 63% in a year, and one street corridor is at the centre of it](https://putney.news/2026/03/10/violence-in-west-putney-has-risen-63-in-a-year-and-one-street-corridor-is-at-the-centre-of-it/)

Wandsworth Council spent four months [consulting hundreds of people](https://putney.news/2026/02/22/young-people-told-wandsworth-exactly-how-to-prevent-violence-now-cabinet-has-to-decide-if-it-cares/) on how to prevent violence against women and girls, publishing its findings in February. The council’s own review found that frontline workers across housing, health and other services similarly struggle to connect what they see to wider support – and the response was to ask Cabinet to “consider” and “explore”, with no committed budget, no timeline, and no action plan.

The ward SNT cannot see the data. The council has not committed to act. In West Putney, the surge continues.

If you or someone you know is affected by domestic abuse, the National Domestic Abuse Helpline is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day: 0808 2000 247.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cortis-road-ashburton-25-1024x768.png)#### A major arrest, and a warning

There was good news to share. A man described by officers as a major local drugs player has been charged with 10 counts of drug supply and three firearms offences and is in custody awaiting trial. He was operating from Innes Gardens.

The arrest followed months of intelligence-building. Earlier complaints about persistent parking in the area had seemed to go unaddressed. PC Ben Walters explained they were deliberate: “I may have come across a little bit dismissive regarding the parking, but in the grand scheme of things, if we’d have moved him on and enforced the parking, then we would have lost him.”

“Your intelligence that we get in meetings is crucial to us,” he added. “You’re the reason we were able to go out and know where to go.”

The warning followed immediately. A resident reported seeing five or six unfamiliar individuals gathering behind the local shops on Monday evening, with others arriving separately. Officers said that was what they expected. “They’re probably taking over his patch,” Walters noted. “He was a major player. Word’s got out. There’s a gap in West Putney.”

![Shops on the Ashburton Estate](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cortis-road-ashburton-10-1024x768.png)#### Also at the meeting

Three shoplifters were arrested on Putney High Street last week in a plain-clothes operation, with one charged and remanded. They were working in coordinated groups and were known locally.

The SNT is now at 4 officers, its fullest strength in over a year. Officers being pulled to cover other duties [had peaked at over 20 a month](https://putney.news/2025/10/10/overstretched-east-putney-police-admit-theyre-powerless-to-stop-thefts/) last autumn; it is now roughly two or three.

#### What to do

Resident intelligence helped put the Innes Gardens dealer in prison. The next ward panel is on 30 June 2026 at Granard Primary School, Cortis Road, at 18:30.

To report a crime: 999 in an emergency; 101 for non-emergencies; or online at [met.police.uk/ro/report](https://met.police.uk/ro/report).

To contact West Putney SNT directly:  or 0208 785 8857. To share intelligence or sign up for local alerts: [metengage.co.uk](https://metengage.co.uk/).

---

*Correction: In an earlier version of this article, we wrongly identified the meeting’s coordinator as Ian Roberts. It is, of course, Lee Robert’s.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/11/west-putneys-violence-surge-may-be-domestic-abuse-the-police-have-no-way-to-know/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/11/west-putneys-violence-surge-may-be-domestic-abuse-the-police-have-no-way-to-know/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=West%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20violence%20surge%20may%20be%20domestic%20abuse.%20The%20police%20have%20no%20way%20of%20knowing&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/11/west-putneys-violence-surge-may-be-domestic-abuse-the-police-have-no-way-to-know/)

**Categories:** Crime, West Putney

**Tags:** accountability, Metropolitan Police, public safety, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Council paints birds on walls while cutting down the trees where they live](https://putney.news/2025/11/12/council-paints-birds-on-walls-while-cutting-down-the-trees-where-they-live/)

**Published:** November 12, 2025
**Author:** John Lilburne

**Excerpt:** Wandsworth Council has paid for murals of flying birds to brighten Roehampton Library. It plans to fell the two mature trees standing in front of them.

**Content:**

**UPDATED** You couldn’t make this up if you tried. But you don’t have to – the council’s done it for you.

Roehampton residents have spent the past month painting wildlife on concrete through community workshops. The artwork celebrates “local identity and nature” as part of the Alton Estate regeneration. Weeks in, notices have appeared marking the real trees for removal.

Paint the birds. Cut down where they live. Call it improvement. Move on.

#### The artistic vision

Emergency Exit Arts ran workshops where residents co-designed murals now wrapping around the library. Artist Adalberto Lonardi created The Four Seasons in bold yellows, greens and blues. Additional panels show more birds, wildlife and community faces.

It’s lovely work, genuinely. Residents chose what went on their walls. Real participation, real creativity, real community involvement.

![Beautiful murals in Roehampton on Danebury Avenue](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/mural-wall-1024x768.png)And standing directly in front of these freshly-painted celebrations of nature: two actual trees. The wooden things with leaves that birds live in. But not for much longer.

The trees, it turns out, have grown into protective railings around the library. Council inspectors have found they are in “defective condition, which poses an unacceptable risk.”

Which raises the obvious question: when exactly did trees start growing into railings? Last Tuesday? Or perhaps during a past decade of nobody looking after the Alton Estate, and caring even less.

Trees are the sloths of the natural world. They don’t leap fences overnight. They grow slowly. They are there as saplings when you’re a kid; as trees when you’re an adult. And in between they provide much to the world around us: shade, homes to wildlife, colour, continuity, beauty. Until someone cuts them down, spilling all the years of history and nature and carbon.

Replacing fences costs money. Maintaining trees costs money. Painting murals of trees on the other hand – that’s regeneration. That’s vision. That’s Borough of Culture funding at work.

![A fence eating/growing into a tree. Roehampton](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/tree-railing-1024x768.png)#### What residents voted for

The Alton Estate ballot approved regeneration plans last month. Of 3,395 eligible voters out of 13,000 residents, 1,161 voted yes (34%), 248 voted no (7%), and 1,986 didn’t vote at all (58.5%).

The Landlord Offer promised “improved community facilities” including enhancements to Roehampton Library. It did not, as far as anyone can tell, mention “and then we’ll cut down the trees in front.”

Perhaps that detail got lost in translation. Perhaps it was filed under “improved facilities” on the basis that fewer trees means less leaf-clearing. Who knows.

What we do know: tree removal notices appeared after voting closed.

Many of those non-voters told us during the campaign: “They’re going to do what they want anyway.” They were the realists in the room. Trees scheduled for removal, now paint drying on the walls.

The council says it will plant replacement trees. So in 15 years’ time, residents will get to experience exactly what we have right now, minus all the benefits. Meanwhile, the murals will remain – bright, colourful celebrations of nature. Until they fade through the rain and sunlight and become bleached-out, depressing versions of their former selves in – what – two years?

![Roehampton Library mural](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/art-pigeons-1024x768.png)#### What this tells you

This is the Alton Estate regeneration in miniature: cosmetic over substantive, decoration over reality, paint over preservation.

Residents painted birds on walls because the council asked them to celebrate nature. The council removes the trees where actual birds live. Both things can be true. Both things *are* true.

The workshops were genuine. The participation was real. The artwork is lovely. And the trees are still coming down.

Wandsworth Council says the trees pose unacceptable risk after the fence encroachment. It promises replacements under the adopted Tree and Woodland Delivery Framework.

It hasn’t explained when the fence-tree problem was first spotted, why nothing was done earlier, where replacements will go, or when residents might see them.

What it has explained, through action rather than words: paint is cheaper than maintenance, murals last longer than patience, and timing tree removal notices for after the ballot closes is just… efficient administration.

![The two trees Wandsworth Council wants to cut down](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/tress-library-1024x768.png)---

**UPDATE 11 MARCH 2026**: A month after this article was published, the metal railings that the trees have been constrained by and grown into were removed. We have been observing them periodically ever since.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/tree-roehampton-library-dec25-4-1024x768.png)It is not currently clear whether the council still intends to remove the trees. The damage caused by the railings (which should have been removed or at least expanded outwards years ago and have served as somewhat of a tourniquet, damaging the cambium layer) is very visible but doesn’t appear to have compromised the trees themselves. Neither tree has been fully “girdled” – compromised all the way around the trunk – which means they are likely to survive.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/tree-roehampton-library-4-768x1024.png)The tree on the left-hand-side of the library is in a more stressed situation – its trunk is almost square as a result of the metal railings but there are no obvious signs of worry e.g. fungus or wet patches. There remains a risk of long-term weakness at the obvious points would cause lead to it dying naturally.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/tree-roehampton-library-dec25-7-768x1024.png)The tree looked worse in December, shortly after the railings were removed, but appears to have regained in health heading into March. A critical indicator will come when leaves start to reappear. Without the railing tourniquet, it is possible the tree could gain a new lease of life.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/tree-roehampton-library-feb26-1-768x1024.png)If the council wanted to look after these trees, it could do several things:

- Enlarge the tree pit
- Decompact the soil around it
- Add organic mulch
- Ensure proper watering

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/11/12/council-paints-birds-on-walls-while-cutting-down-the-trees-where-they-live/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/11/12/council-paints-birds-on-walls-while-cutting-down-the-trees-where-they-live/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Council%20paints%20birds%20on%20walls%20while%20cutting%20down%20the%20trees%20where%20they%20live&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/11/12/council-paints-birds-on-walls-while-cutting-down-the-trees-where-they-live/)

**Categories:** Comment, Community, Roehampton

**Tags:** Alton Estate

---

### [Southfields sycamore stops tennis club's new clubhouse in its tracks](https://putney.news/2026/03/11/southfields-sycamore-stops-tennis-clubs-new-clubhouse-in-its-tracks/)

**Published:** March 11, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** The council stepped in before any planning application was made. The latest designs still show the building over the tree.

**Content:**

A sycamore in Southfields has been standing at the corner of Gressenhall Road and Cromer Villas Road for decades. The tennis club behind the fence has been there for over 120 years. And right now, the two have a problem.

Southfields Lawn Tennis Club has an ageing clubhouse and a waiting list for new members. For the past ten months, its architects have been trying to design a replacement that works around four trees the council moved to protect the moment the club suggested felling them.

The latest plans still show the building sitting over the sycamore.

The club wants a proper upgrade: accessible changing rooms and showers, a levelled outdoor area for wheelchair users, a bar, kitchen, and dedicated space for coaches and staff. Bryant Architects have been working on it since May 2025, revising the floor plan six times in response to planners’ comments.

When the club submitted a pre-application enquiry to Wandsworth Council last year, the plans included felling one sycamore and three lime trees in its grounds. The council assessed the trees and concluded they were worth protecting before any formal application was made, placing all four under Tree Preservation Order 513/2025 in September 2025.

The club objected. Its arboricultural consultant argued, according to the officer report, that the sycamore and one of the limes were in poor condition, with wood decay and cavities. The council’s tree officer disagreed, finding the trees healthy and “suitable to be covered by a Tree Preservation Order,” and confirmed that if either tree deteriorated, a separate application for removal or pruning could be made at that point. The Planning Applications Committee is due to confirm the TPO on 12 March 2026.

![The architect's clubhouse plans for Southfields Tennis Club](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/southfields-tennis-clubhouse-plans-1024x723.png)The architect’s clubhouse plans for Southfields Tennis Club#### What the current plans show

The most recent floor plan, revision P6 from January 2026, annotates one tree at the southern end of the site with the note “Retain existing tree.” That tree sits outside the building footprint and presents no obstacle to construction.

The difficulty is at the other end. The proposed Coaches and Staff Area, in the north-eastern corner of the new building, is drawn directly over the sycamore on the Gressenhall Road boundary. The plan does not show it being retained.

The council officer report noted the clubhouse “could have been achieved without the loss of the trees.” Whether the current design achieves that remains, on the evidence of the latest drawings, an open question.

![The site as viewed from above on Google Maps. The sycamore (and lime) are currently in the corner.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/southfields-tennis-club-plans-1024x576.png)The site as viewed from above on Google Maps. The sycamore (and lime) are currently in the corner.#### What a Tree Preservation Order means

A TPO requires the owner to apply for permission before carrying out any works on a protected tree. If the club wants to argue for removing any of the four, it will need to submit a TPO application supported by arboricultural evidence, which the council will then consider on its merits.

If and when a formal planning application is submitted, it will be publicly consultable on Wandsworth’s planning portal at planning.wandsworth.gov.uk, and will need to show how the club proposes to resolve the conflict between the building it wants and the trees the council has protected.

![The Southfields Sycamore](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/sycamore-tree-1024x570.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/11/southfields-sycamore-stops-tennis-clubs-new-clubhouse-in-its-tracks/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/11/southfields-sycamore-stops-tennis-clubs-new-clubhouse-in-its-tracks/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Southfields%20sycamore%20stops%20tennis%20club%E2%80%99s%20new%20clubhouse%20in%20its%20tracks&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/11/southfields-sycamore-stops-tennis-clubs-new-clubhouse-in-its-tracks/)

**Categories:** Planning, Southfields

**Tags:** planning, Planning Applications Committee, Southfields, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Legal warning lands two days before Roehampton planning vote](https://putney.news/2026/03/11/legal-warning-lands-two-days-before-roehampton-planning-vote/)

**Published:** March 11, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Council's own figures show youth space will shrink, not grow, under the scheme.

**Content:**

Two days before the planning committee votes on a nine-storey block for Roehampton, a leaseholder has written to three of the council’s Cabinet members warning of a legal claim over lost light.

Steve Fannon, who has lived at Hersham Close for more than 25 years, has a lease clause stating “the right to the access of light and air to the Flat.” Under English common law, 20 years of uninterrupted enjoyment of natural light creates a prescriptive right regardless of any written clause. He took the concern directly to his local councillors.

The daylight case has history. The council’s own 2019 Environmental Statement for the original masterplan assessed 73-95 Hersham Close and found the impact would be “long-term, local, adverse of major significance.”

The current application is smaller and the massing is different, so the harm may be lesser. The council’s 2025 daylight report, commissioned from Right of Light Consulting Ltd, still finds multiple failures at the same building – rooms that already receive a fraction of the light the government’s own guidance considers adequate, losing between a quarter and a half of what remains.

The 2019 finding does not appear anywhere in the 2025 committee report. The legal question of right to light is not addressed either, which is standard practice in planning law but does not extinguish the underlying claim.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/roehampton-light-issue-horsham-1024x575.png)The new nine-storey building looms over Hersham Close, cutting off the light#### What the committee will vote on

The application (2025/4614) is a Regulation 3, meaning the council is simultaneously the applicant and the decision-maker. The Growth and Place Directorate submitted it; the Planning Applications Committee votes on Thursday.

The scheme would demolish old council offices that has been empty for years and build a nine-storey, 32.8-metre block on Danebury Avenue delivering 55 social rent homes, a net increase of 45 on the site. It also includes a separate community hub on the site of the old Co-op containing a replacement library, GP surgery, youth centre and council offices. The scheme has a funding deficit of £27.8 million, covered entirely by the Housing Revenue Account, at roughly £230,000 per social rented home.

The application forms part of the wider Alton Estate regeneration. A 2022 hybrid permission approved demolishing 288 existing homes and building up to 1,108 new ones. That scheme has been paused. Officers describe Thursday’s application as a standalone piece delivering community uses and affordable housing earlier than the full scheme would have. The report refers to an Alton Renewal Plan and gives no timeline for when, or whether, the larger regeneration resumes.

A resident ballot in autumn 2025 produced 34% yes, 7% no, and 58.5% non-participation.

![The planned Alton Hub](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/alton-hub-1024x575.png)#### The objections the report rejects

The Putney Society submitted a formal objection to the plans last month. The officer’s report recommends approval regardless.

On the library: the original regeneration plan included demolishing Roehampton Library. That element was dropped but the plans for the new building have been retained. The current library building will be retained and refurbished for commercial use, though what that use will be is deferred to a reserved matters application. What has not been dropped is the new library. The community hub includes a purpose-built library, 655 square metres against the existing 531, into which the current service would relocate. A planning condition prevents the old library closing before the new one opens. The Putney Society asked the obvious question: if the old building is staying, why does the library need to move? The officer’s report concludes that public benefits outweigh the identified harms.

On the GP surgery: the existing Danebury Avenue practice is 235 square metres; the replacement will be 246. In between, it will close. No alternative premises have been identified. No timetable for closure or reopening has been published. The planning documents defer the entire question to a Health Facilities Delivery Plan to be submitted after permission is granted. That plan will include, the officer’s report says, “temporary measures” to ensure GP services continue. What those measures are, where patients will go, and for how long: none of this is answered anywhere in the application.

On the youth space: the officer’s report states that “the proposed youth club would be larger than the existing facilities,” going from 536 square metres to 780 square metres. The council’s own Table 4 tells a different story. The dedicated youth space in the new building is actually 317 square metres. The council reaches 780 square metres by adding 246 square metres of community hall and kitchen and 217 square metres of bookable meeting rooms, spaces available to the whole community, not dedicated youth provision. The Youth Advisory Panel, consulted during the design process, said the space “needs to be bigger.” On dedicated floor area, it is 219 square metres smaller than what it replaces.

![Alton community building flatplan](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-10-at-221810.png)The Youth Space has shrunk, despite council claims otherwiseOn transport: the site has a public transport accessibility rating of “moderate,” bus-dependent, with the nearest rail stations at Barnes, Putney and East Putney each around two to two and a half kilometres away. The journey to central London takes 50 to 60 minutes by bus and rail. The Transport Statement, prepared by Arup, proposes no bus service improvements, no cycling network consultation and no pedestrian infrastructure upgrades. Each is listed in the applicant’s own travel plan table as “not required due to the negligible transport impact of the scheme.” The mechanism is trip generation arithmetic: because the scheme replaces existing uses, the net new peak-hour trips are assessed as small. Fifty-five households on a poorly-connected site get no transport improvements as part of the deal.

Whether a private developer proposing a nine-storey block, with no answer on GP continuity and a dedicated youth space smaller than the one it replaces, would receive the same recommendation is a question the report does not address.

#### Fencing before a decision

Fannon’s letter raises a further concern. He states that concrete blocks and high fencing have been erected around the development site during the live consultation period, before the committee has made any decision.

Condition 5 of the committee report requires a hoarding scheme to be submitted and approved before development commences. It does not address whether fencing was installed before any planning permission was granted.

*Putney.news* has asked the council to confirm this and on what basis it was done. The allegation echoes complaints raised repeatedly during the regeneration process. In November 2025, [we reported](https://putney.news/2025/11/12/council-paints-birds-on-walls-while-cutting-down-the-trees-where-they-live/) that buildings on the estate had been allowed to deteriorate during years of planning uncertainty, a charge the council disputes.

![The current building that will be replaced by a nine-story residential building.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/alton-planning-hub-1-1024x768.png)The current building that will be replaced by a nine-story residential building – blocking out the light to Hersham Close.#### The council’s response

Wandsworth Council was asked for comment on the Putney Society’s objections, the pre-decision site activity, and a claim that the Residents’ Association hadn’t been consultated. Cllr Tiller – a Roehmapton councillor and member of the Planning Committee was also asked to comment. Neither party had sent responses by the time of publication.

*The Planning Applications Committee meets on Thursday 12 March. Members of the public wishing to speak should contact the council’s Democratic Services team. Planning application 2025/4614 can be viewed at [planning.wandsworth.gov.uk](https://planning.wandsworth.gov.uk/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/11/legal-warning-lands-two-days-before-roehampton-planning-vote/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/11/legal-warning-lands-two-days-before-roehampton-planning-vote/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Legal%20warning%20lands%20two%20days%20before%20Roehampton%20planning%20vote&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/11/legal-warning-lands-two-days-before-roehampton-planning-vote/)

**Categories:** Housing, Planning, Roehampton

**Tags:** Alton Estate, Alton Renewal Plan, Cllr Matthew Tiller, council housing, planning, Planning Applications Committee, Roehampton, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Violence in West Putney has risen 63% in a year, and one street corridor is at the centre of it](https://putney.news/2026/03/10/violence-in-west-putney-has-risen-63-in-a-year-and-one-street-corridor-is-at-the-centre-of-it/)

**Published:** March 10, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Official data names Carslake Road as the hotspot. Ward panel meets tonight.

**Content:**

West Putney is experiencing a wave of violence, with incidents up 63% year-on-year and January alone recording 36 cases, the highest single month for years, according to official police figures.

The data, drawn from a ward panel presentation by the West Putney Safer Neighbourhoods Team (SNT) and Police records, shows violence and sexual offence incidents rising from 56 in the three months from November 2024 to January 2025, to 91 in the same window a year later.

January this year is the most recent complete month available. Of the 36 incidents that month, 20 were on three streets: Carslake Road (11 incidents), Cortis Road (6), and Cortis Terrace (3). The SNT has formally identified the surrounding area as a drug supply hotspot, naming it as one of the ward’s three current policing priorities.

“There has been an increase in the number of reports received concerning the supply and use of drugs in and around the Ashburton Estate,” the SNT’s priority statement reads. “Many of the reports are specific to Cortis Road area and surrounding parade of shops.”

> [Two cars smashed in overnight break-ins on Upper Richmond Road](https://putney.news/2025/10/23/two-cars-smashed-in-overnight-break-ins-on-upper-richmond-road/)

#### Not all the news is bad

Anti-social behaviour tells a different story. ASB incidents fell sharply, from 87 in the September–October 2025 period to 46 in November 2025–January 2026, a drop the data links to police action against street drinking near the shops on Ashburton Road, the SNT’s second priority. That is a reduction of 47% compared to the preceding period, and 28% compared to the same window a year ago.

Motor vehicle crime spiked in January 2026, reaching 18 incidents after just four in November and seven in December. The SNT issued two vehicle crime alerts the following month, in February, describing vehicle theft as “a growing trend” and reporting catalytic converter thefts. The ward, in the SNT’s own words, remains “a high offending ward for theft of motor vehicles,” with Granard Avenue named as the current hotspot. Earlier [coverage of vehicle crime on Upper Richmond Road](https://putney.news/2025/10/23/two-cars-smashed-in-overnight-break-ins-on-upper-richmond-road/) described the SNT’s response to a run of overnight break-ins in the same period.

*Putney.news* [previously reported that West Putney records around 130 crimes a month](https://putney.news/2025/10/10/overstretched-east-putney-police-admit-theyre-powerless-to-stop-thefts/) compared to roughly 100 in East Putney. October 2025 was the highest month in the most recent 12-month dataset at 134 total crimes; January 2026 came in at 115.

> [Overstretched East Putney police admit they’re powerless to stop thefts](https://putney.news/2025/10/10/overstretched-east-putney-police-admit-theyre-powerless-to-stop-thefts/)

#### Raise it tonight

The West Putney SNT holds its next ward panel meeting tonight, Tuesday 10 March, at 6:30pm at Granard Primary School on Cortis Road – the heart of the violence problems. Ward panel meetings are the public forum where residents can question the officers responsible for local policing. If you live in West Putney and want to ask what is being done about violence on Carslake Road, or vehicle crime on Granard Avenue, tonight is the place to do it.

[The meeting details and a link to add it to your calendar are here](https://putney.news/event/west-putney-ward-panel-meeting/).

Future meetings are scheduled for 30 June, 29 September, and 15 December 2026, all at Granard Primary, 18:30.

**To report a crime:** 999 in an emergency; 101 for non-emergencies; or online at [met.police.uk/ro/report](https://met.police.uk/ro/report).

**To contact the SNT directly** (for non-crime queries about local policing):  or 0208 785 8857. **To sign up for local crime alerts:** [metengage.co.uk](https://metengage.co.uk/)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/10/violence-in-west-putney-has-risen-63-in-a-year-and-one-street-corridor-is-at-the-centre-of-it/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/10/violence-in-west-putney-has-risen-63-in-a-year-and-one-street-corridor-is-at-the-centre-of-it/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Violence%20in%20West%20Putney%20has%20risen%2063%25%20in%20a%20year%2C%20and%20one%20street%20corridor%20is%20at%20the%20centre%20of%20it&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/10/violence-in-west-putney-has-risen-63-in-a-year-and-one-street-corridor-is-at-the-centre-of-it/)

**Categories:** Crime, West Putney

**Tags:** Ashburton Estate, Metropolitan Police, public safety, Safer Neighbourhoods Team

---

### [Three-quarters of readers say "law enforcement officer" means police](https://putney.news/2026/03/10/three-quarters-of-readers-say-law-enforcement-officer-means-police/)

**Published:** March 10, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Wandsworth survey delivers verdicts on six contested election claims.

**Content:**

Three-quarters of readers say “law enforcement officer” means a police officer. Wandsworth’s council leader says it doesn’t. We asked. You answered.

The survey ran alongside our [5 March election fact-check](https://putney.news/2026/03/05/wandsworth-election-season-is-here-what-do-you-think/). Just under 100 readers responded to each of six questions on Labour’s key election claims.

That is not a representative sample of Wandsworth residents, but on the law enforcement question (a test of language, not political preference), sample size matters less than the consistency of the answer. Here’s what you told us.

> [Wandsworth election season is here. What do YOU think?](https://putney.news/2026/03/05/wandsworth-election-season-is-here-what-do-you-think/)

#### What you told us

##### **Do you consider your council tax has been frozen?**

ResponseShareNo69%Yes21%Not sure10%Nearly seven in ten said no. Wandsworth Labour has made its council tax record a central election argument. [Our analysis in February](https://putney.news/2026/02/24/your-council-tax-must-rise-34-next-year-or-wandsworth-runs-out-of-money/) set out what comes next: a 34% rise is projected for next year, or the council runs out of money.

---

##### **Have you heard about the need to increase council tax from next year?**

ResponseShareYes75%No25%Three-quarters had already heard. One in four had not, a significant gap given that the increase, when it comes, will be unavoidable.

---

##### **When Labour promised 1,000 homes in 2022, did you think that meant…**

ResponseShareReady to move into by 202670%Some time before 202924%Planning permission granted by 20267%Seven in ten understood the pledge to mean homes ready by this year. Only 24% understood it the way the council now describes it: delivery by 2029. This is not a verdict on intent. It is a record of what voters heard.

---

##### **What do you understand by “law enforcement officer”?**

ResponseShareA police officer (PC)76%A community safety officer (PCSO)18%Not sure6%Three-quarters said a police officer. Cllr Hogg said at Full Council in October 2025: “If we meant to say police officers, we would say police officers.” Readers disagree about what those words mean.

---

##### **Should Wandsworth have funded police from developer levies, as Westminster did?**

ResponseShareYes80%No8%Not sure12%The most lopsided result. Eight in ten said Wandsworth should have done what Westminster did and used developer levies to fund dedicated police. The Conservative motion at the 4 March Full Council meeting said Westminster funded nine officers this way.

---

##### **How much do you trust statistics in council election motions?**

ResponseShareNot much41%Not at all40%Somewhat15%A lot4%Eight in ten trust statistics in council election motions “not much” or “not at all.” Worth keeping in mind when reading both parties’ claims before May.

#### What comes next

These claims are only a part of the issues surrounding the upcoming local elections. As well as testing manifesto claims, we will also review record in office and then, when other parties’ manifestos are released, we will review their claims and solutions.

We are preparing investigations into housing delivery, the council tax trajectory, the law enforcement pledge, domestic abuse and violence against women and girls services, and recycling and waste.

Polling day is 7 May. If you have information relevant to any of these investigations or specific topics you feel we haven’t outlined yet, contact .

[The retiring councillors who spoke at Wandsworth’s last Full Council meeting](https://putney.news/2026/03/06/four-retiring-councillors-told-wandsworths-last-meeting-be-honest-with-the-electorate/) asked the administration to be honest with the electorate before May. Readers have offered their verdict on how well that standard has been met so far.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/10/three-quarters-of-readers-say-law-enforcement-officer-means-police/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/10/three-quarters-of-readers-say-law-enforcement-officer-means-police/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Three-quarters%20of%20readers%20say%20%E2%80%9Claw%20enforcement%20officer%E2%80%9D%20means%20police&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/10/three-quarters-of-readers-say-law-enforcement-officer-means-police/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Simon Hogg, council tax, housing, Local elections 2026, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Putney's squatters are back - and this time they've defied a High Court order](https://putney.news/2026/03/09/putneys-squatters-are-back-and-this-time-theyve-defied-a-high-court-order/)

**Published:** March 9, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Squatters forced their way into a building already repossessed by High Court bailiffs. Police came and left.

**Content:**

The squatters are back.

At around 7am this morning, they forced their way into 67 Putney High Street (the former Pet Shop and Grooming salon and Candy Man unit), three weeks after High Court enforcement agents had formally taken the building back on behalf of the landlord. The security hasp on the front door had been forced open. A sign reading “1312”\* appeared in the first-floor window.

![Squatters on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/squatters-candy-store-4-1024x768.png)The bailiffs’ possession notice is still taped to the door. Signed on 17 February 2026 by DCBL enforcement agents acting for landlord Corndale Estates Limited, it states plainly: “Any attempt to break into this property will be classed as a criminal offence and will be reported to the Police.”

![Duelling legal letters on the inside of the former Candy store](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/squatters-candy-store-two-letters-1024x679.png)Duelling legal letters on the inside of the former Candy store / dog groomer.The squatters broke back in anyway. They have taped their own legal counter-notice to the other panel of the same door, asserting their right to remain under Section 144 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act. It is a standard pre-printed template, the kind experienced squatters carry, and it states that at least one person is inside at all times and that anyone wanting them out must go back to court.

![Broken lock on door on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/squatters-candy-store-3-1024x768.png)Two notices on the same door, saying opposite things. Whether breaking back in after a formal High Court possession constitutes a criminal offence is a legal question we cannot resolve here. It is, however, squarely a question for police.

![Inside the store](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/squatters-candy-store-7-1024x768.png)Police were called by the newsagent next door who spotted the break-in. Officers came roughly two hours later, saw the broken lock on the front door, told the shopkeeper there was nothing they could do, and left. A local resident photographed the scene independently at 09:31, confirming the visit. The break-in was witnessed. The broken lock was visible. The possession notice was on the door. And still: nothing they could do.

Either, as Dickens observed of London almost 200 years ago, the law is an ass. Or the officers who attended this morning were not thinking clearly enough about what the law actually permits them to do.

![Police in attendance at squatter break-in on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/squatters-candy-store-police-1024x437.png)The landlord was travelling from Kent at the time of publication and intends to seek possession.

We have [covered this story since May 2025](https://putney.news/2025/05/30/its-warm-its-ours-for-now-squatters-take-over-shuttered-putney-bars-as-high-street-declines/), when squatters first moved into empty shops along the high street. [Last November we reported what looked like a turning point](https://putney.news/2025/11/22/from-squatters-to-scaffolding-putney-high-streets-visible-signs-of-recovery/): squatters gone, scaffolding up, the street beginning to recover. Today that picture looks different.

![Squatters and 1312 sign on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/squatters-candy-store-10-768x1024.png)The only arrest in nine months of occupations came [in September 2025](https://putney.news/2025/09/16/roof-thief-arrested-as-putney-squatters-strip-buildings-and-relocate-to-east-putney/), when a man was caught stripping materials from a roof. A High Court possession order, it turns out, is not the end of the story.

We will update this as events develop.

---

\*1312 is the numerical code for “All Cops Are Bastards” (ACAB), derived from the position of those letters in the alphabet.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/09/putneys-squatters-are-back-and-this-time-theyve-defied-a-high-court-order/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/09/putneys-squatters-are-back-and-this-time-theyve-defied-a-high-court-order/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20squatters%20are%20back%20%E2%80%93%20and%20this%20time%20they%E2%80%99ve%20defied%20a%20High%20Court%20order&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/09/putneys-squatters-are-back-and-this-time-theyve-defied-a-high-court-order/)

**Categories:** Crime, Save the High Street, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, Putney High Street, Save the High Street, squatters

---

### [Putney faces its most disrupted spring for trains yet](https://putney.news/2026/03/09/putney-faces-its-most-disrupted-spring-for-trains-yet/)

**Published:** March 9, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Easter Sunday brings a total suspension - and the problems don't stop there.

**Content:**

On Easter Sunday, Putney station will have no trains at all. Network Rail is closing the line between Clapham Junction and Barnes on 5 April, and Putney passengers will find there is no resurrection of services until Monday. It is the first complete suspension of services here in the current series of engineering works.

Replacement buses will run between Clapham Junction and Barnes, calling at Putney. For London, take the bus to Clapham Junction and change there. For Richmond or Kingston, go to Barnes and pick up loop services from there. The East Putney District Line runs normally throughout and is the quickest alternative for tube-connected destinations.

Easter Sunday is the worst of it, but the whole weekend is disrupted. The works run from Friday 3 April to Monday 6 April, and on the other three days Putney station stays open, with a catch: Reading, Windsor, and loop services all start from Clapham Junction rather than Waterloo, so anyone heading into central London needs to change. Queenstown Road closes for all four days.

It is, in short, a Good Friday in name only. Network Rail says the works involve renewing switches and crossings that keep services running at Waterloo, the busiest National Rail terminus in the country.

**More dates and disruptions**

The Easter weekend is the peak of a disrupted spring. The disruption starts this Sunday, 15 March, when Reading services run via Barnes and Hounslow rather than direct, the latest in a [series of engineering works stretching back to January](https://putney.news/2026/01/06/three-weekends-of-putney-train-works-ahead-after-christmas-disruption/). On 21–22 March and 28–29 March, Wimbledon area closures push displaced passengers onto the District Line, so expect busier than usual services at East Putney and Southfields on both those weekends. After Easter, a Richmond area closure on 25 and 26 April removes or reroutes most loop services, with Reading and Windsor trains diverted via Barnes and Feltham.

Boat Race day, 4 April, is one of the quieter weekends for SWR, but the Richmond closure falls the very next weekend, worth keeping in mind when planning the return journey.

For all disrupted dates, check [southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey](https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/planned-improvements) before travelling.

---

*Correction: In an earlier version we wrongly stated that the Boat Race was being held on 29 March when it is of course on 4 April. This is officially the most embarrassing correction that Putney.news has had to post.*

> [Boat Race Putney: Your Complete Guide](https://putney.news/boat-race-putney/)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/09/putney-faces-its-most-disrupted-spring-for-trains-yet/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/09/putney-faces-its-most-disrupted-spring-for-trains-yet/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20faces%20its%20most%20disrupted%20spring%20for%20trains%20yet&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/09/putney-faces-its-most-disrupted-spring-for-trains-yet/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Barnes, bus, District Line, Putney train station, South Western Railway, TfL, Wimbledon

---

### [Raaz reinvents itself with new chef and bold regional menu](https://putney.news/2026/03/09/raaz-reinvents-itself-with-new-chef-and-bold-regional-menu/)

**Published:** March 9, 2026
**Author:** Social Butterfly

**Excerpt:** Kuldeep Mattegunta brings Kricket and Gordon Ramsay pedigree to Lower Richmond Road.

**Content:**

Raaz has a new head chef. Kuldeep Mattegunta takes over the kitchen at 113 Lower Richmond Road with an all-new menu built around regional Indian cooking: Bihari slow braises, Deccan kormas, Kashmiri Wazwan, Konkan coastal dishes. The appointment marks a clear change in direction for one of Putney’s most-watched restaurants.

![Chef Kuldeep Mattegunta](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/chef-kuldeep-mattegunta.png)Chef Kuldeep Mattegunta

Raaz has had a difficult few months. Its founding chef Imran Mansuri, whose ambition to win a Michelin star had been central to the restaurant’s identity since it [opened last September](https://putney.news/2025/08/20/putneys-michelin-star-dream-lands-with-ambitious-new-chef/), [departed in November](https://putney.news/2025/12/23/michelin-dream-ends-as-chef-leaves-raaz-after-six-months/), taking much of the early buzz with him.

Then [Ruth’s opened a few doors down at number 94](https://putney.news/2025/12/24/ruths-putney-delivers-the-cosiest-dining-room-in-the-neighbourhood/) to considerable acclaim, quickly establishing itself as one of the most talked-about new restaurants in south-west London.

Mattegunta is a considered response to that changed landscape. His CV spans some of the most demanding kitchens in London: Gordon Ramsay’s Maze, Nobu Metropolitan on Park Lane, Corrigan’s Mayfair, Arbutus in Soho, and Quilon, before becoming executive sous-chef at Benares.

![Raaz Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Raaz2BPutney-229-1024x572.png)He spent two years as head chef at Kricket, then co-founded and ran Republic in Chiswick, his own restaurant, which opened in 2021. That independent experience is, if anything, a stronger signal for Raaz’s next chapter than a solely employer kitchen background.

The menu he has brought with him reads differently from Mansuri’s modern fusion approach. Dishes include the Champaran Goat Curry, a Bihari slow braise in roasted garlic and warming whole spices; Kashmiri Wazwan Lamb Ribs with a chilli maple glaze; and Ghati Prawn with Konkan spices and kachampuli vinaigrette. The regional specificity is deliberate. This is not generic “bold Indian flavours”: it is cooking anchored in named culinary traditions.

![Raaz Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/RaazPutney-037-1024x683.png)One small footnote in Raaz’s compressed history: the first chef lined up for the restaurant before it opened was Parminder Singh, who now runs Cho Asia directly opposite on Lower Richmond Road.

![Raaz Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/RaazPutney-046-1024x684.png)Raaz is open this weekend for Mother’s Day lunch and dinner. Bookings at [raazlondon.com](https://raazlondon.com/) or by phone on 020 4568 7467.

![Raaz Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/RaazPutney-012-1024x684.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/09/raaz-reinvents-itself-with-new-chef-and-bold-regional-menu/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/09/raaz-reinvents-itself-with-new-chef-and-bold-regional-menu/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Raaz%20reinvents%20itself%20with%20new%20chef%20and%20bold%20regional%20menu&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/09/raaz-reinvents-itself-with-new-chef-and-bold-regional-menu/)

**Categories:** Restaurants, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Indian restaurant, Kuldeep Mattegunta, Lower Richmond Road, Raaz, restaurant opening, retail

---

### [It started as a Guinness World Record bid. It became something much better.](https://putney.news/2026/03/08/it-started-as-a-guinness-world-record-bid-it-became-something-much-better/)

**Published:** March 8, 2026
**Author:** Social Butterfly

**Excerpt:** The Gasping Poets of Wandsworth perform five hours of continuous poetry at Putney Library on 21 March.

**Content:**

Sheema Huq had been planning to set the world record for the highest number of poetry recitals in a day. Then she did the research. A five-hour performance carried a real risk of vocal damage. Guinness required a dedicated verification team. And the fee, to make it official, was £12,000.

“I then changed my application,” she says, with some understatement.

On Saturday 21 March, Sheema and four other Wandsworth poets will recite their own work continuously for five hours at [Putney Library](https://putney.news/venue/putney-library/)‘s Meeting Hall, raising money for the Wandsworth Carers’ Centre. Tickets are free. The trophies are bamboo. The council’s arts team, consulted along the way, had one suggestion: make it “an enjoyable, relaxed experience.”

The five poets span generations and postcodes. Siddiq Islam is a Southfields musician-poet who has won two Poetry Society Young Poets Network Writing Challenges, runs his own club at Southfields Library, and released a debut EP, *Tiling Bathrooms*, in 2025. He describes his writing process as happily chaotic: “I have a concept in my head, and then I’ll play with it, and something will materialise.” One of his poems for the event is called *a dog named joy*. Its opening line is: “all my happy poems are gloomy.”

Preparing for five continuous hours has made Sheema think hard about the physical side of language. “I’ve always been fascinated by the sound of language,” she says. “I’ve had to think of intonations, the pauses, the pace, the tone, the emphasis on vowels and consonants.”

Sarah Osman, a Tooting Bec poet and aspiring novelist, found her way into the group through Tara Theatre’s community play *Echoes of Earsfield* last December. Lizzie Rose, whose published collection is *Tomorrow We Fight Yesterday’s Men*, is travelling up from Tunbridge Wells for the day. She’s due to perform at the Womad festival this year. Marie Murray, shaped by Dylan, Cohen and Shakespeare, is a long retired social worker approaching 80 but still goes to the gym.

Sheema organised the whole thing, approaching each poet individually. She wanted to raise money for the Wandsworth Carers’ Centre, having been a carer herself,. “I felt compelled to organise something to give back to the community,” she says. Her own anthology, *Stubborn as a Turmeric Stain*, was published in 2024. Her poem for the day is *She Wears Beads*.

Here are both poems.

Performed live

### She Wears Beads

Sheema Huq

She wears flowerbeds and fruit trees, with flavoured, varnished melodies, hilltops and valleys with purple skies and great seas. She wears dreamlike curiosities of illustrious, patterned mysteries. She wears quiet sounds and lost leaves, beating hearts and urban scenes. She wears beads.

 Listen   Your browser does not support the audio element. 

Performed live

### a dog named joy

Siddiq Islam

i found a dog, a dog named joy, and she was the ugliest misrablest creature i’d ever seen her smiles fell limp like wonky rusty seesaws i told her, ‘all my happy poems are gloomy’ i do not think she quite knew what i mean: nought but a wonky smile did seep back to me if dogs could muster poems, joy’s would be the saddest little heart-wrenchers ever been and i hope that that accomplishment would please her.

 Listen   Your browser does not support the audio element. 

Each poet gets twelve minutes per hour, rotating through the five hours. People are welcome to come and go as they please.

The Gasping Poets of Wandsworth perform at [Putney Library](https://putney.news/venue/putney-library/)‘s Meeting Hall on Saturday 21 March. [Tickets are available via Eventbrite](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-gasping-poets-of-wandsworth-tickets-1980506251512) in one-hour slots. [Donations to the Wandsworth Carers’ Centre](https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/the-gasping-poets-of-wandsworth) can be made via Give As You Live.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/08/it-started-as-a-guinness-world-record-bid-it-became-something-much-better/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/08/it-started-as-a-guinness-world-record-bid-it-became-something-much-better/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=It%20started%20as%20a%20Guinness%20World%20Record%20bid.%20It%20became%20something%20much%20better.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/08/it-started-as-a-guinness-world-record-bid-it-became-something-much-better/)

**Categories:** Live events

**Tags:** community, London Borough of Culture, Putney Library

---

### [Six years of waiting on the District Line, and now two official accounts that cannot both be true](https://putney.news/2026/03/08/six-years-of-waiting-on-the-district-line-and-now-two-official-accounts-that-cannot-both-be-true/)

**Published:** March 8, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** MP says Network Rail confirmed early summer fix. Network Rail says no renewal is planned.

**Content:**

The District Line lost service again last week. A signal failure at Southfields suspended trains between Parsons Green and Wimbledon, leaving commuters at East Putney and Putney Bridge relying on buses and South Western Railway connections. It was, by any measure, a routine week on London’s least reliable major Underground line.

Then something unusual happened. Paul Kohler, the MP for Wimbledon, wrote to his constituents with what appeared to be a breakthrough. Network Rail had confirmed, he said, that it now had funding to modernise the signalling system on the Wimbledon and Richmond branches. Work would begin within months. The target completion date was early summer 2026.

We put Network Rail’s claimed commitment to them directly. Their response described a signalling system operating “safely and reliably”, with no full renewal scheduled.

Both statements cannot be true.

#### What the MP told his constituents

Kohler’s email, sent to constituents on 3 March 2026, described what he called meaningful progress after six years of what he termed “obfuscation” from Network Rail. He wrote that Network Rail had confirmed it now had funding to modernise the “outdated local signalling system,” with work “due to take place over the next few months” and improvements “should hopefully be in place by early summer.”

Kohler was careful to add caveats. He called himself “cautiously optimistic” and said he was “finally beginning to get somewhere,” but acknowledged the need to “keep pressing central government.” He noted that automatic train management (the system that allows trains to run more frequently and reliably) would still be absent after the work was complete, and that a full overhaul had been “dropped during Covid because of very high cost (running into hundreds of millions of pounds) and technical complications.”

The email nonetheless represented the most concrete claim of Network Rail commitment that any elected official had publicly made on this issue in years.

#### What the two organisations said

*Putney.news* approached both Network Rail and TfL with questions about the signalling work, its scope, and the timeline Kohler had described.

Network Rail’s spokesperson responded: “Over the last few years we have kept the signalling system on the Richmond and Wimbledon branches of the North London Line operating safely and reliably. While these assets are not scheduled for full renewal, we continue to monitor performance and repair or replace equipment if their condition or reliability changes.”

The statement does not mention funding for modernisation. It does not mention a timeline. It describes the signalling as operating reliably on a line that has delivered good service only 69% of the time over the past year, and which was part-suspended the same week for a signal failure at Southfields.

TfL’s press office replied that signalling questions on the District Line’s western branches were “best answered” by Network Rail, noting that the area is managed by Network Rail as it is shared with the national rail network. It is the same answer TfL has been giving since 2020.

#### The line that was left behind

To understand what is at stake, it helps to see where the District Line sits on the network.

London Underground’s bottom three, ranked by 12-month reliability to March 2026:

RankLineReliability (12 months)Upgrade status17th of 19**District****69.0%****No upgrade programme. No funded plan. No committed date.**18th of 19Central64.7%Refurbishment underway. New trains in long-term queue.19th of 19Piccadilly62.4%New trains ordered from Siemens. Delayed but funded and contracted.*Source: TfL status data via tubenotifications.co.uk, drawing from the TfL Unified API. Figures represent percentage of operational time with “Good Service” reported, March 2025 to March 2026.*

The Piccadilly is getting brand new trains (a £3.4bn programme, contracted with Siemens, delivering its first trains in 2027). The Central Line is mid-refurbishment. The Bakerloo, though not in the bottom three, is running on 54-year-old rolling stock and has an option to order new trains from the same Siemens contract; a funding decision is expected this year. When each of those upgrades is delivered, those lines will improve. The District will not. It will be left alone at the bottom, not by accident, but because of a decision made six years ago that nobody has reversed.

#### The 2020 decision

The Four Lines Modernisation programme was designed to fix exactly this kind of problem. The £760m scheme brought new automatic signalling (known as CBTC) to the Circle, District, Hammersmith and City, and Metropolitan lines. Better signalling means fewer failures, fewer delays, and more frequent services.

But in 2020, TfL quietly removed the District Line’s Richmond and Wimbledon branches from scope. The reason: those sections run on infrastructure managed by Network Rail, not TfL. TfL operates the trains but does not control the signals. When signals fail, two organisations must coordinate repairs, a slow, complicated, and expensive process.

TfL’s Major Projects Director at the time, Stuart Harvey, said in December 2020 that it was “sensible to wait for Network Rail to resignal those shared sections of line.”

A TfL Board Paper from June 2024 confirmed what six years of waiting had produced: the Richmond and Wimbledon branches “will remain under the existing signalling.” Not temporarily. Not until Network Rail acts. They will remain.

[*Putney.news* documented the consequences in September 2025](https://putney.news/2025/09/25/this-is-why-your-commute-is-hell-putneys-transport-meltdown-exposed/): Signal W361 at East Putney is the single most problematic signal on SW London’s transport infrastructure. The District Line accounts for 25% of all London Underground signal failures despite being one line. Between 2015 and 2018 alone, 1,192 signal failures were recorded, with the worst cluster in the East Putney area. Last week’s Southfields failure was the latest in a sequence that shows no sign of ending.

> [This is why your commute is hell: Putney’s transport meltdown exposed](https://putney.news/2025/09/25/this-is-why-your-commute-is-hell-putneys-transport-meltdown-exposed/)

#### What happens next

As the Piccadilly receives its new trains, its reliability will improve and it will rise up the table. As the Central’s refurbishment accelerates (currently badly behind schedule, with only four of 71 trains refitted by the start of this year) it too will improve. If the Bakerloo funding is confirmed, it will improve as well.

The District will not. It has no programme. No funding. No contract. No committed date from Network Rail for the resignalling that TfL has been waiting for since 2020.

The Mayor’s office wrote to Network Rail in July 2025, describing frustration at recent disruption. There is no evidence of a response that committed to anything. Now Network Rail’s own press statement describes the signalling as operating “safely and reliably” on the same infrastructure that produced last week’s suspension and 25% of all Underground signal failures.

#### What would have to change

Two things could alter this trajectory.

The first is a commitment from Network Rail to a specific date and a funded plan for resignalling the Richmond and Wimbledon branch sections. Kohler’s email suggests he believes that commitment exists. Network Rail’s press statement, issued this week, does not support that reading.

The second is a political decision to force the issue, from the Mayor, from government, or from both. That would require the kind of sustained pressure that has so far produced letters but no results.

Putney has 6.2 million passengers through East Putney station every year. Wimbledon and Richmond branches carry many more. The people who depend on this line are being told, in effect, to wait while every other failing service gets fixed around them.

#### This is the start of a campaign

*Putney.news* is treating this as the beginning of sustained coverage, not a one-off story.

We have submitted Freedom of Information requests to both TfL and Network Rail, asking for all written communications between the two organisations about signalling on the Richmond and Wimbledon branches since 2020, any internal assessments of the District Line’s reliability trajectory, and the written basis for any commitments Network Rail may have given to local representatives. We are also asking for branch-by-branch reliability data, since the Richmond and Wimbledon branches may be performing significantly worse than the District Line’s overall figures suggest.

We will ask our local MPs what they intend to do. A campaign group in Wimbledon is already organising on this issue and we will connect with them.

If you use the District Line and want to share your experience, get in touch. We want to hear from commuters in Putney, East Putney, Richmond, and Wimbledon. Your experiences will inform our ongoing coverage. Contact us at .

The only question now is whether Network Rail’s statement this week represents the full picture, or whether the commitment Wimbledon’s MP described to his constituents exists somewhere in writing. Our FOI requests are designed to find out.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/08/six-years-of-waiting-on-the-district-line-and-now-two-official-accounts-that-cannot-both-be-true/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/08/six-years-of-waiting-on-the-district-line-and-now-two-official-accounts-that-cannot-both-be-true/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Six%20years%20of%20waiting%20on%20the%20District%20Line%2C%20and%20now%20two%20official%20accounts%20that%20cannot%20both%20be%20true&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/08/six-years-of-waiting-on-the-district-line-and-now-two-official-accounts-that-cannot-both-be-true/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** accountability, District Line, East Putney, Fleur Anderson MP, FOI, investigation, Paul Kohler MP, Southfields, TfL, Wimbledon

---

### [After years of soggy shoes, the Putney Puddle is no more](https://putney.news/2026/03/08/after-years-of-soggy-shoes-the-putney-puddle-is-no-more/)

**Published:** March 8, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Works completed this week moved the drain, added a second, and a rain test confirmed the fix.

**Content:**

The Putney Puddle is gone.

Works completed this week have repositioned the drain at the junction that has flooded in wet weather for years, making life miserable for pedestrians heading to Sainsbury’s or the High Street. A second drain has been added. Rain fell this week. The pavement was dry.

The works are freshly done. Green construction barriers remain in place, and the new tarmac is visible around both drain grates. Whoever ordered the fix, the result is the same: a junction that has sent thousands of people sidestepping through puddles for nearly 20 years has been sorted.

![The new drain installed at the Putney Puddle junction. Works this week repositioned the original drain and added a second — confirmed effective when rain fell and the puddle did not.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/putney-puddle-fixed-7-1024x768.png)The new drain installed at the Putney Puddle junction. Works this week repositioned the original drain and added a second — confirmed effective when rain fell and the puddle did not.*Putney.news* [asked in December whether the puddle would ever be tackled](https://putney.news/2025/12/22/is-it-time-to-tackle-the-putney-puddle/). The answer, it turns out, was yes. The works have been carried out, the rain has fallen, and the junction held dry. Anyone who has navigated that corner on a wet morning will know how long this has been coming.

![No more Putney puddle](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/putney-puddle-fixed-3-1024x768.png)The junction in the rain this week — dry underfoot for people heading to Sainsbury’s and the High Street.The barriers will come down. The tarmac will settle. The puddle, by all the evidence of this week, is no more.

![The Putney Puddle](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/putney-puddle-768x1024.png)The Putney Puddle: this was the situation every time it rained for 20 years. [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/08/after-years-of-soggy-shoes-the-putney-puddle-is-no-more/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/08/after-years-of-soggy-shoes-the-putney-puddle-is-no-more/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=After%20years%20of%20soggy%20shoes%2C%20the%20Putney%20Puddle%20is%20no%20more&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/08/after-years-of-soggy-shoes-the-putney-puddle-is-no-more/)

**Categories:** Community

**Tags:** community, infrastructure, Putney High Street

---

### [Seven Putney bus routes now electric after 15-year campaign](https://putney.news/2026/03/07/seven-putney-bus-routes-now-electric-after-15-year-campaign/)

**Published:** March 7, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Pollution on Putney High Street is 75% lower than in 2012 — but still above WHO limits.

**Content:**

Seven Putney bus routes now run on electricity. The milestone passed without a press release from TfL, without a ceremony, and without much credit to the people who spent 15 years making it happen.

Route 22 completed its conversion to electric operation late last month, bringing the total number of Putney bus routes running zero-emission vehicles to seven: the 22, 39, 93, 265, 270, 337 and 485.

The route 22 now runs Wright StreetDeck Electroliner electric double-deckers, operated by Go-Ahead London from its Putney garage. The first vehicles arrived from 6 February 2026, with full conversion completed by 17 February.

#### Fifteen years of pushing

The story behind those seven routes begins in 2011, when the [Putney Society](https://www.putneysociety.org.uk/transport) installed NO2 monitoring tubes across central Putney and found that 67% of the nitrogen dioxide pollution was coming from buses. They began campaigning for hybrid buses.

Within a year, the first hybrids arrived. Pollution fell by around 20%. It was still three times the UK legal limit.

The monitoring continued through the mid-2010s, and in 2016 the picture became impossible to ignore: Putney High Street was named the most polluted high street in the UK, with NO2 levels around 125 µg/m³. Analysis by King’s College confirmed that more than 60% of the pollution was coming from diesel buses.

Sadiq Khan launched his mayoral campaign on Putney High Street that year, pledging to reduce pollution. In 2017, his administration introduced a new fleet of hybrid buses across many of the High Street routes. Pollution fell by a further 40%.

> [Putney High Street’s air quality is improving: has ULEZ worked?](https://putney.news/2024/05/29/putney-high-streets-air-quality-is-improving-has-ulez-worked/)

But progress then stalled. Between 2017 and 2022, levels barely moved. The Society began pressing for the next step: pure electric buses, specifically to replace what it described as “the elderly pure diesel buses on the 93 route.”

TfL was resistant. In a formal request, the Society urged TfL to prioritise the High Street’s most polluted routes when rolling out electric vehicles ahead of 2030. TfL declined. But as bus contracts came up for renewal, electrification came anyway. In 2023, the 93 converted.

“TfL resisted that, but we did achieve our most immediate objective, of replacing the old pure diesel buses on the 93 route – which had a considerable beneficial impact, in fact even larger than we had expected,” said one of the Putney Society’s key members, Mike Fawcett.

The 93 was followed, through 2023, by the 39, 265 and 337. For the first time, air pollution levels on Putney High Street dropped below the UK legal limit. [We reported on those improvements in May 2024](https://putney.news/2024/05/29/putney-high-streets-air-quality-is-improving-has-ulez-worked/), alongside a broader assessment of what ULEZ had and had not achieved. The electric buses were the dominant factor. The 270 and 485 have since followed, and now, with the 22, the total stands at seven.

Pollution levels on Putney High Street are now around 75% lower than they were in 2012. The Society’s own monitoring, running continuously since July 2022 across eight sites, shows NO2 still on a downward trend.

![NO2 levels on Putney High Street from 2014 to the present day. Pic: Putney Society](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/NO2-PHS-since-Jan-2014-1024x499.png)NO2 levels on Putney High Street from 2014 to the present day. Pic: Putney Society#### Still not finished

That progress has a limit. At around 25 µg/m³, NO2 levels remain well above the World Health Organisation’s recommended maximum. At all seven monitoring sites, readings are still between two and four times the WHO limit. Below the law, not below safe.

A Freedom of Information request to TfL in late 2025 gave an honest picture of what comes next. As of December 2025, TfL confirmed that route 22 would receive its electric buses “during 2026”, a forecast that proved accurate within weeks. But TfL also confirmed there are “no current plans” for routes 14, 74 or 430 to follow.

Progress has happened as contracts come up for renewal, not against a published roadmap. The pace is steady but not predictable, and further conversions will be announced when they happen, if they are announced at all.

Of the 8,797 buses in the London fleet as of March 2025, 1,951 (roughly one in five) run on electricity. Go-Ahead, which operates the Putney routes, had 584 zero-emission vehicles at that date.

Fifteen years of campaigning, seven routes, a 75% reduction. The job is not yet done.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/07/seven-putney-bus-routes-now-electric-after-15-year-campaign/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/07/seven-putney-bus-routes-now-electric-after-15-year-campaign/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Seven%20Putney%20bus%20routes%20now%20electric%20after%2015-year%20campaign&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/07/seven-putney-bus-routes-now-electric-after-15-year-campaign/)

**Categories:** Environment, Transport

**Tags:** air pollution, air quality, bus, Putney High Street, Putney Society, TfL

---

### [Putney licensing hearing pulled from public broadcast as criminal investigation confirmed](https://putney.news/2026/03/07/putney-licensing-hearing-pulled-from-public-broadcast-as-criminal-investigation-confirmed/)

**Published:** March 7, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Applicant attended without a lawyer as councillors voted to continue behind closed doors.

**Content:**

A public licensing hearing into two connected Putney beauty treatment businesses was pulled from public broadcast on Thursday night within two minutes of opening, after the chair declared that a criminal investigation is underway connected to the premises.

Cllr Jack Mayorcas, chairing the Wandsworth Council Licensing Sub-Committee, told those present he had received advice before the meeting that details likely to be discussed could form part of a criminal investigation and should not be in the public domain. He proposed stopping the webcast. Cllr Norman Marshall and Cllr Tom Pridham both said “Agreed.” The hearing then continued in private.

Deborah Henley, director of both businesses under scrutiny, attended without a lawyer. She confirmed to the committee that she is “responsible for the management and compliance of the premises concern.”

The hearing concerned licence applications for Therapy Rooms Putney at 130-132 Upper Richmond Road and The Pilates Room at 226 Upper Richmond Road. A council licensing officer had filed objections to both, citing unlicensed special treatments, concerns about documentation, and questions about the fitness and propriety of those running the premises.

> [Unlicensed laser and microblading treatments discovered at Therapy Rooms](https://putney.news/2026/01/06/unlicensed-laser-and-microblading-treatments-discovered-at-therapy-rooms/)

#### What the committee decided

The outcome of Thursday night’s hearing is not known. *Putney.news* has asked the committee clerk, Wandsworth Council’s press office, and the council’s licensing department what decision, if any, was reached. None had responded or acknowledged the enquiries by the time of publication. The truncated meeting is [available to view online](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1064697).

#### Criminal investigation confirmed

The specific nature of the criminal investigation has not been disclosed. The chair’s statement is the first public confirmation that a criminal matter is underway. Previous council documents referred only to “an ongoing investigation,” with details redacted under Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, which allows local authorities to withhold information where disclosure could prejudice legal proceedings.

In his own words, Cllr Mayorcas told the meeting: “I received advice prior to the meeting that due to ongoing investigation, a criminal investigation, some of the details that might be discussed tonight might form part of that investigation and therefore it’s not appropriate for them to be in the public domain, and therefore we will need to stop the webcasting of this meeting.”

![Licensing sub-committee on Thu 5 Mar 26](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/licensing-sub-committee-5mar26-1024x575.png)#### What the officer found

The original inspection, [reported by Putney.news on 6 January](https://putney.news/2026/01/06/unlicensed-laser-and-microblading-treatments-discovered-at-therapy-rooms/), took place on 20 November 2025 at the Therapy Rooms Putney premises. The council’s licensing officer found unlicensed special treatments being provided and raised what his objection letter described as “serious concerns regarding fitness and propriety.” The letter also referenced “misleading or forged documentation” found during the inspection, an allegation Henley has disputed.

The same officer separately objected to The Pilates Room’s licence renewal, stating that its then-director, Mario Perez, “is not a fit and proper person to hold such a licence.”

#### The corporate question

The two businesses have operated from different Upper Richmond Road addresses for years, but council documents filed for the hearing traced a long connection between them. Henley and Perez co-founded what became The Pilates Room in 2001, according to LinkedIn, and both were directors of Massages and Pilates Associates Ltd, incorporated in 2007, where they remain co-directors.

On 2 January 2026, Perez resigned as director and company secretary of The Pilates Room Ltd on the same day Henley was reappointed to those roles. The council’s licensing officer, in a supplementary objection filed on 2 March, cited this simultaneous director swap alongside a shared residential address across seven companies connected to the two individuals. He requested that both applications be refused.

[As we reported in February](https://putney.news/2026/02/11/therapy-rooms-sits-almost-empty-as-hearing-hangs-in-doubt/), Therapy Rooms SW15 Limited, the company that applied for the new licence, is registered as dormant. Its most recent accounts showed total assets of £1,000.

#### Council has not responded

*Putney.news* submitted questions to Wandsworth Council’s press office on Friday morning asking the council to confirm that a criminal investigation is underway, identify which body is conducting it, and clarify whether the premises can continue to operate without a licence. No response or acknowledgement had been received by the time of publication.

> [Therapy Rooms sits (almost) empty as hearing hangs in doubt](https://putney.news/2026/02/11/therapy-rooms-sits-almost-empty-as-hearing-hangs-in-doubt/)

The committee clerk was separately asked on Friday morning whether the sub-committee reached a decision last night or adjourned, and when a formal decision notice would be issued. No response or acknowledgement had been received by the time of publication.

Wandsworth Council’s licensing team has not responded to questions over the past three months.

#### What happens next

If the applications are refused, both Henley and the businesses have the right of appeal to Wandsworth Magistrates’ Court. If the committee adjourned, a new hearing date will be set.

The committee will issue a formal decision notice. *Putney.news* will report the outcome when it is received.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/07/putney-licensing-hearing-pulled-from-public-broadcast-as-criminal-investigation-confirmed/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/07/putney-licensing-hearing-pulled-from-public-broadcast-as-criminal-investigation-confirmed/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20licensing%20hearing%20pulled%20from%20public%20broadcast%20as%20criminal%20investigation%20confirmed&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/07/putney-licensing-hearing-pulled-from-public-broadcast-as-criminal-investigation-confirmed/)

**Categories:** Crime, Politics, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Cllr Jack Mayorcas, Cllr Norman Marshall, Cllr Tom Pridham, Licensing Sub-Committee, Upper Richmond Road, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Ministers blocked the AELTC amendment in November. Now they support it.](https://putney.news/2026/03/07/ministers-blocked-the-aeltc-amendment-in-november-now-they-support-it/)

**Published:** March 7, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** The promised public review of open space protections never took place.

**Content:**

The government has given its backing to a proposed law change that would allow the Wimbledon tennis club to expand onto acres of protected public land, reversing a position it took just four months ago when it blocked an almost identical move and promised a public review first.

The club behind the expansion, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), is currently awaiting a High Court judgment on whether the land is legally protected. If the amendment passes before the judgment arrives, it could pursue development regardless of what the court decides.

#### What is at stake for Wimbledon Park

Merton Council sold the former golf course land to the AELTC in 1993. The club wants to expand its tennis facilities on the site. The land may be subject to a statutory trust, a Victorian-era legal protection that designates land for public use and restricts what can be done with it. Whether that trust exists over Wimbledon Park has been before the High Court since January, when Mr Justice Thompsell [heard eight days of evidence](https://putney.news/2026/01/25/judge-signals-appeal-likely-as-wimbledon-park-trial-concludes/) and reserved judgment. No date has been given.

During the trial, AELTC’s own legal team conceded that if the trust exists, its development plans would be “not compatible” with it. The case is expected to reach the Supreme Court whatever the outcome.

> [Tennis club concedes key points as judge hints at Supreme Court battle](https://putney.news/2026/01/25/judge-signals-appeal-likely-as-wimbledon-park-trial-concludes/)

Amendment 222C to the English Devolution Bill was debated in the Lords on Thursday. It would allow a council or developer to ask the Secretary of State to permanently lift the trust protection. There would be no right of appeal and no obligation to give reasons. “Development proposals” and “economic benefits” would be valid grounds.

Lord Banner, who tabled the amendment, told *Putney.news* that judicial review would be available against any discharge order. He described this as “entirely conventional — most public decisions are amenable to judicial review rather than subject to appeal.”

A Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) briefing note last month identified a built-in shortcut. One ground for applying to have a trust removed is that the council did not follow the correct procedures when it originally sold the land. If the council cannot confirm within 28 days whether it did so, the government must treat that as a tick in the box. Merton sold the land more than 30 years ago. SWP said the paperwork from that era is unlikely to exist, making the application effectively automatic.

If the amendment passes after the judgment and the trust is found to exist, the club could use the new process to have it removed rather than fight the case through further appeals. SWP told *Putney.news* the amendment “could be existential for SWP regarding the Statutory Trust, but we don’t know yet.”

#### The broken promise

This is the [second attempt](https://putney.news/2026/02/16/lords-launch-second-attempt-to-strip-wimbledon-park-of-legal-protection/) to legislate away the Wimbledon Park protections. The [first, in November 2025, was withdrawn](https://putney.news/2025/11/04/wimbledon-park-amendment-abandoned-after-peers-condemn-erosion-of-green-space-protection/) after cross-party opposition, and after the government blocked it.

> [Wimbledon Park amendment abandoned after peers condemn ‘erosion’ of green space protection](https://putney.news/2025/11/04/wimbledon-park-amendment-abandoned-after-peers-condemn-erosion-of-green-space-protection/)

When Baroness Taylor of Stevenage blocked Amendment 250 on 3 November, she told the Lords it would “not provide robust safeguards” and would “operate retrospectively, which could have unintended consequences.” She promised a public review of open space protections before any law change.

Four parliamentary documents record what happened next.

On [18 November](https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-11-10/88646/), a written answer said the government was “working at pace” and would announce details “in due course.”

On [23 December](https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-12-11/HL12896), Baroness Taylor restated the promise directly: “We intend to engage widely to ensure stakeholder views are considered before recommending any changes are made to these protections.”

On [25 February 2026](https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-02-20/114009/), eight days before the reversal, a written answer from junior minister Miatta Fahnbulleh MP described the review in the future tense: “We will seek to examine and understand the fragmented and outdated nature of current legislative protections.”

On [5 March](https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2026-03-05/debates/3C55A79A-48A2-4A12-B6A8-3CBD4D9E7D0D/EnglishDevolutionAndCommunityEmpowermentBill), Baroness Taylor backed Amendment 222C. The review had not started. She told the Lords:

> “I have been a bit busy with other legislation, I am afraid, so I have not got round to that yet.”

The SWP briefing note, published two weeks before that debate, had already confirmed the review has not yet started.

#### Opposition from both sides

Lord Lucas, a Conservative peer, attacked the AELTC directly: the club “has behaved abysmally, and it should not be allowed to benefit from shortcutting what should be a careful review.” He warned that Amendment 222C would face “a large number of amendments” when it returns at Report stage.

Baroness Pinnock, a Liberal Democrat peer, called it “an assault on some of our nation’s parks, sports grounds and green open spaces” and warned it would give the Secretary of State “unprecedented power to permanently discharge statutory trusts from land once held for the public’s enjoyment.”

Lord Jamieson, the Conservative shadow housing spokesperson, asked for a Wimbledon-specific inquiry. Baroness Taylor did not answer.

Lord Banner confirmed the amendment will return at Report stage, with government support on record.

SWP said that the amendment appeared “solely designed to assist the AELTC” and was “not the way to make legislation of lasting effect.” The group said it had tried to engage in consultation but “got nowhere,” and would be “lobbying hard ahead of Report Stage.”

#### Background and what comes next

[An AELTC board member](https://putney.news/2025/10/25/lord-tries-to-rewrite-law-to-rescue-wimbledon-from-court-battle-he-sits-on-the-aeltc-board/), Lord O’Donnell, co-sponsored the first attempt to change the law in October 2025, raising conflict of interest questions that forced its withdrawal. The new amendment is sponsored by Lord Banner and Lord Grabiner; its board member’s name does not appear on it.

> [Lord tries to rewrite law to rescue Wimbledon from court battle. He sits on the AELTC board](https://putney.news/2025/10/25/lord-tries-to-rewrite-law-to-rescue-wimbledon-from-court-battle-he-sits-on-the-aeltc-board/)

Supporters of the amendment say it is needed beyond Wimbledon Park. Lord Banner told the Lords in November that “across the country, there are instances of developments in the public interest being held up” by the same legal question. Baroness Pinnock named Winchester, Swansea, Finchley and Hornsey as sites at risk.

Lord Banner told *Putney.news* he has seen a list of affected sites but was told it was confidential. We are separately investigating those claims.

The English Devolution Bill has not yet reached Report stage and no date has been set. Lord Lucas has warned of a long and heavily amended debate when it does.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/07/ministers-blocked-the-aeltc-amendment-in-november-now-they-support-it/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/07/ministers-blocked-the-aeltc-amendment-in-november-now-they-support-it/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Ministers%20blocked%20the%20AELTC%20amendment%20in%20November.%20Now%20they%20support%20it.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/07/ministers-blocked-the-aeltc-amendment-in-november-now-they-support-it/)

**Categories:** Environment, Planning, Politics, Southfields

**Tags:** accountability, AELTC, Fleur Anderson MP, High Court, Planning and Infrastructure Bill, Save Wimbledon Park, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Violence falls at Wandsworth Prison but another man has died as reform wing shows results](https://putney.news/2026/03/06/violence-falls-at-wandsworth-prison-but-another-man-has-died-as-reform-wing-shows-results/)

**Published:** March 6, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Monitors find rats and disgusting showers even as the governor data shows improvement.

**Content:**

Violence at HMP Wandsworth is measurably down, a new reform wing is showing real results, and the prison’s governor allowed independent monitors to see it all, including the rats on the very wing he wants the country to copy.

For over two years, the Wandsworth Prison Improvement Campaign (WPIC) has documented a prison where every sign of progress has been accompanied by a death, a failure, or a broken promise. What the WPIC found on its third visit, on 4 February 2026, is the first credible evidence of change inside, and confirmation that a man had died there just weeks before.

That death has since been confirmed as Gulwali Stanekzay, 25, who died on 17 January 2026. We [reported his death on 8 February](https://putney.news/2026/02/08/another-death-at-hmp-wandsworth-as-ombudsman-opens-27th-investigation/) as the 27th case referred to the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman connected to HMP Wandsworth. The PPO investigation remains open.

Governor Andy Davy’s figures, presented to WPIC during the visit, show three improvements since April 2025. Prisoner-on-prisoner violence stands at 267 incidents, down 70 on the same period the previous year. Assaults on staff have fallen to 151, a reduction of 99. Self-harm incidents total 373, down 78.

Understaffing was identified as a root cause when the Chief Inspector issued an Urgent Notification in [May 2024, describing Wandsworth as a place of “deaths, drugs and despair”](https://putney.news/2024/05/14/wandsworth-prison-a-pit-of-deaths-drugs-and-despair-slams-chief-inspector/). The prison is now fully staffed, slightly above complement.

![G Wing sign at Wandsworth Prison. Pic: WPIC](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/wandsworth-prison-g-wing-1024x693.png)#### Two new units

The centrepiece of Davy’s reform effort is G-wing, opened in November 2025. It holds 120 men and runs on a Scandinavian-inspired model: a dedicated 15-officer team, selected and trained by Unlocked Graduates, with officers choosing to work there and receiving specialist preparation before they start. Men are unlocked from 8am to noon and 2pm to 5pm, plus one evening hour Monday to Thursday. WPIC’s report finds the regime working. A second unit opened at Pentonville this month.

G-wing also has rats. The WPIC report notes their presence in the very wing presented as a model of reform. The showers are in “disgusting” condition.

This is the Wandsworth Prison pattern that [two years of coverage](https://putney.news/2025/05/17/wandsworth-prison-still-failing-progress-overshadowed-by-deaths-and-despair/) has documented: genuine effort coexisting with basic failures that could be fixed if someone decided to fix them.

A second specialist unit, for neurodivergent prisoners, opened a few weeks before the visit. Capacity 16; budget £1,500. The equipment was provided by the Wandsworth Prison Welfare Trust because the institutional budget was too small to cover it.

![Shower at Wandsworth Prison. Pic: WPIC](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/wandsworth-prison-6-809x1024.png)A shower at the showcase G-Wing#### What hasn’t changed

The prison holds 1,478 men and has 1,188 activity spaces, a shortfall the governor acknowledges. Roughly 290 men have no allocated activity at any given time.

Staff are still hired through a national system with no local involvement and without ever visiting the prison first. WPIC’s report calls this “extraordinary.”

Men are still arriving from court at 8:30pm. Men are still being released with no accommodation. WPIC volunteers have watched prisoners leave the gate with sleeping bags and nowhere to go, a direct route back into the criminal justice system, at a prison that has been under intensive scrutiny for nearly two years.

![Library at Wandsworth Prison. Pic: WPIC](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/wandsworth-prison-library-1024x681.png)#### The governor’s access and what it revealed

Governor Davy’s predecessor, Katie Price, [resigned in May 2024](https://putney.news/2024/05/09/wandsworth-prison-boss-a-no-show-as-families-demand-answers/) following the WPIC campaign. Davy has taken a different approach: WPIC has access, and during this visit, the governor shared his own data, walked monitors through the wings, and confirmed a recent death himself.

That openness makes the persistent failures more striking, not less. The rats, the showers, the recruitment system, the men leaving with sleeping bags: none of it is hidden. The governor is not unaware of them. They continue anyway.

The WPIC report records his words on the death directly: “Although this was very regrettable, his initial review of the circumstances indicated that the prison had not failed in its duty of care.” *Putney.news* has [previously documented](https://putney.news/2025/08/24/he-would-still-be-alive-damning-report-reveals-how-wandsworth-prison-failed-father-of-three/) at least one case in which an initial “no failure” conclusion was later overturned by the ombudsman. The PPO investigation into Stanekzay’s death is ongoing. The Prison Service did not respond to questions submitted before publication.

The [January 2026 Ombudsman report into Sebastião Lucas](https://putney.news/2026/01/11/watchdog-very-concerned-over-wandsworth-prisons-failure-to-keep-suicidal-prisoner-safe/) described a prison still failing to keep suicidal prisoners safe. The [HMIP inspection in May 2025](https://putney.news/2025/05/17/wandsworth-prison-still-failing-progress-overshadowed-by-deaths-and-despair/) found progress “limited and fragile.” The WPIC visit in February 2026 finds violence down, two units working, and the same structural failures in place. The question is whether reform to recruitment, activity provision, and release planning follows the cultural changes visible on individual wings.

HMIP is due to inspect again sometime in 2026. That report will show whether what WPIC saw in February is the beginning of something real.

![Wandsworth Prison gates. Pic: WPIC](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/wandsworth-prison-gates-1024x980.png)---

#### How to get involved

The Wandsworth Prison Improvement Campaign welcomes donations of sleeping bags and tents for the Leavers Lounge, which supports men leaving the prison with nowhere to go. Contact WPIC via [wandsworthprisoncampaign.co.uk](https://wandsworthprisoncampaign.co.uk/).

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman is running a General Stakeholder Survey, open to anyone, including families affected by deaths in custody. It closes 31 March 2026: [smartsurvey.co.uk/s/GSS25-26](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/GSS25-26).

Anyone wishing to monitor HMP Wandsworth’s progress ahead of the HMIP inspection can follow the inspectorate at [hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk](https://www.hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/).

---

*The WPIC report from the 4 February 2026 visit is publicly available at [wandsworthprisoncampaign.co.uk](https://wandsworthprisoncampaign.co.uk/). This is Putney.news’s 17th story in an ongoing series on HMP Wandsworth.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/06/violence-falls-at-wandsworth-prison-but-another-man-has-died-as-reform-wing-shows-results/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/06/violence-falls-at-wandsworth-prison-but-another-man-has-died-as-reform-wing-shows-results/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Violence%20falls%20at%20Wandsworth%20Prison%20but%20another%20man%20has%20died%20as%20reform%20wing%20shows%20results&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/06/violence-falls-at-wandsworth-prison-but-another-man-has-died-as-reform-wing-shows-results/)

**Categories:** Crime

**Tags:** Andy Davy, Deaths in custody, Gulwali Stanekzay, HMIP, HMP Wandsworth, Prison reform, Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Unlocked Graduates, Wandsworth Prison Improvement Campaign

---

### [Work starts on Richmond Park's new café, 22 years after the last one burned down](https://putney.news/2026/03/06/work-starts-on-richmond-parks-new-cafe-22-years-after-the-last-one-burned-down/)

**Published:** March 6, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Ground works have begun at Roehampton Gate in Richmond Park.

**Content:**

If you’ve been to Roehampton Gate recently, you may have noticed the digging. A short section of Richmond Park’s Tamsin Trail has disappeared behind hoardings. Here’s what’s happening.

Work has started on the long-planned replacement for the temporary café at Roehampton Gate in Richmond Park. The first task is installing a new electricity sub-station to supply the proposed café, public toilets, and cycle hire buildings. The Trail closure is temporary and will lift once the electrical works are done.

![Construction at Richmond Park new cafe](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/richmond-park-cafe-construction-4-1024x768.png)The Royal Parks received [planning permission for the project last April](https://www2.richmond.gov.uk/lbrplanning/Planning_CASENO.aspx?strCASENO=24/1985/FUL&DocTypeID=7) (application 24/1985/FUL). The replacement building, designed by [David Morley Architects](https://davidmorleyarchitects.co.uk/project-news/planning-granted-for-roehampton-gate-cafe/), will consist of two timber-clad structures linked by a curved canopy with a green roof, intended to sit quietly within the landscape rather than dominate it. [Visualisations of the proposed buildings](https://www.landuse.co.uk/news/new-cafe-in-richmond-park/) were produced by land use consultancy LUC as part of the planning process. The scheme will also improve the surrounding park area to increase biodiversity, and includes a new pedestrian gate from the Alton Estate.

The original café was a cricket-pavilion style building until it burned down in 2004. The “temporary” structure put up in its place has served Tamsin Trail regulars ever since. It has, in the understated words of the Friends of Richmond Park, lasted considerably longer than expected.

The project is called Roehampton Restored and is managed by The Royal Parks in partnership with Friends of Richmond Park. There is, as the Friends note, “a lot of work to be done”, and no opening date has been set. But after two decades of the temporary, it is good to see machinery on site.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/richmond-park-cafe-5-1024x640.png)*For updates on the project, see the Royal Parks website at royalparks.org.uk or the Friends of Richmond Park at [frp.org.uk](https://www.frp.org.uk/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/06/work-starts-on-richmond-parks-new-cafe-22-years-after-the-last-one-burned-down/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/06/work-starts-on-richmond-parks-new-cafe-22-years-after-the-last-one-burned-down/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Work%20starts%20on%20Richmond%20Park%E2%80%99s%20new%20caf%C3%A9%2C%2022%20years%20after%20the%20last%20one%20burned%20down&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/06/work-starts-on-richmond-parks-new-cafe-22-years-after-the-last-one-burned-down/)

**Categories:** Community, Planning, Roehampton

**Tags:** cycling, planning, Richmond Park, Roehampton

---

### [Four retiring councillors told Wandsworth's last meeting: be honest with the electorate](https://putney.news/2026/03/06/four-retiring-councillors-told-wandsworths-last-meeting-be-honest-with-the-electorate/)

**Published:** March 6, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** As Labour passed the budget and closed down debate, departing voices warned residents have been misled.

**Content:**

Wandsworth’s last Full Council before the May elections ran for nearly four hours on Wednesday night, stretching across two meetings and ending with Labour using a procedural vote to cut off the final Conservative speeches. The mayor had opened the evening hoping for “thoughtful and orderly” debate. He didn’t get it.

The meeting had the quality of a final exam that both sides knew was coming and had prepared different answers for. Labour’s answer was four years of delivery, a frozen council tax, and a long list of achievements. The Conservative answer was: none of that is what it appears to be, and the residents you’re telling it to are about to find out.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cllr-graham-angry-1024x576.png)#### The leaflet and the budget

The sharpest exchange of the night came from Councillor Peter Graham, who read from the council’s own communications leaflet in the chamber. The leaflet, delivered to every household at council taxpayers’ expense, stated that Wandsworth has “some of the lowest levels of debt and highest financial reserves in London.”

Graham then read from the council’s own budget paper, approved that same evening.

“Your budget says that those reserves will be nearly halved by next April and have vanished altogether within two years,” he told the administration. “But you don’t want to tell people about that. That’s your plans. That’s what you’re voting to do tonight. But it’s not on the leaflet that you’re forcing taxpayers themselves to pay for.”

He called the council tax freeze “a fake freeze” and the overall approach “utterly dishonest.” His final verdict on the administration was unambiguous:

> “You are lying to them and you will and deserve to lose.”

Cabinet Member for Finance Angela Ireland struggled to answer. When Graham pressed her to categorically rule out using the government’s referendum-free powers to raise council tax above 5% in 2027 and 2028, she said the administration had “no plans” to do so. Graham caught it immediately: her own paper uses the words “will not be using.” He asked her to confirm the stronger commitment. She did not.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cllr-caddy-final-speech-1024x575.png)#### The Cassandra speech

Councillor Kim Caddy, a Southfields councillor for 14 years, was making her final speech in the chamber. She used it to say what she thought the administration would not.

“I fear they have a very hard task ahead of them,” she said of the council officers. The Labour government had “hung Wandsworth residents out to dry,” slashing funding by nearly 40%. The right response, she argued, would have been a serious savings programme, launched well in advance. Instead:

> “The ostrich approach. They’ve completely buried their heads in the sand.”

She described asking twice for the Environment Committee to consider a savings plan for her portfolio. Both times she was refused. “We talked about playgrounds instead,” she said.

Her question to the administration was direct: “Where’s the outcry? Where’s the public campaign? It’s a disgrace.” She urged colleagues not to support the budget. The budget passed.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cllr-grimston-outraged-1024x575.png)#### The question that didn’t get an answer

Independent councillor Malcolm Grimston, who has spent four years asking the questions Labour finds most inconvenient, put a deceptively simple one to Ireland during the finances debate. If council tax is so regressive that it can only be raised by 2% a year, he asked, why can council rents be raised by 5% a year? Council tenants are, by definition, among the borough’s lowest-income residents.

Ireland’s answer covered her own experience of a leaky flat and the need to invest in housing stock. It did not address the question.

Grimston’s more significant moment came later, in the special meeting, when Labour moved a procedural guillotine under Standing Order 26 to cut off the final speeches. The motion passed 25 votes to 21. Grimston was on his feet immediately.

“This is quite outrageous that the majority power can use their majority to close down all debate,” he said.

> “I do think, Mr Mayor, you have a duty to protect minorities against an elective dictatorship, and I’m not convinced that you’ve done that.”

Conservative group leader Guy Humphries was blunter: “What a dreadful end to your mayoralty, Mr Mayor. That’s shocking. It’s a partisan way to end your mayoralty.”

The mayor did not give reasons for his decision. He put it to a vote.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cllr-dikerdem-1024x576.png)#### The housing number

Labour’s motion claimed “500+ council homes completed.” In the chamber, Councillor Matthew Corner cited the housing authority monitoring report, which shows 366 completions. Councillor Aydin Dikerdem did not dispute the figure. His explanation was that the 2022 programme inherited from the Conservatives included units originally designated for market sale, which Labour converted to council tenancies, and these are counted in the 500. Whether that conversion counts as “building” a council home is a question the administration did not offer to resolve.

Dikerdem was the most active presence at the dispatch box across both meetings, intervening repeatedly during other councillors’ speeches. When Graham was mid-way through his budget intervention, Dikerdem called out: “If he had any guts to stand up and make an intervention.” Graham had, in fact, been standing at the dispatch box for several minutes.

> During Corner’s right-of-reply speech, Dikerdem interrupted so frequently that Corner addressed the chamber directly: “I’m being forced, unfairly I think, to…” before continuing.

Dikerdem’s own summary of the evening, delivered near midnight: “You are a programless opposition that has one single issue and you’ve been outmaneuvered on it and that’s why you’re so salty.”

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cllr-jeffreys-final-speech-1024x575.png)#### The valedictories

Four Conservative councillors gave farewell speeches, which added an unusual tone to what was otherwise a straight campaign opening. Councillor John Locker, who served 16 years, told both parties the same thing in his last address: “Have a vision, deliver on your promises, and above all, be honest with the electorate.”

Councillor James Jeffreys, departing after quoting Nelson, suggested the administration had undergone a “Damascene conversion” in coming to value low council tax, having spent years opposing it in opposition.

> He noted, gently, that “Dolly Parton is not an efficiency saving” — a reference to Hogg citing [the council’s free monthly book scheme for under-fives](https://putney.news/2025/07/27/free-monthly-books-for-every-wandsworth-child-under-5/) as an example of financial efficiency.

Councillor Rosemary Birchall ended her speech with the observation that the administration “does not expect to be in power after the election in May.” She abstained on the budget.

#### What the votes showed

The budget passed on a recorded vote: 28 for, 1 against, 20 abstentions. Grimston was the sole vote against. Almost all Conservatives abstained, a position that attracted sustained mockery from the Labour benches throughout the night. Hogg asked Richards Jones directly, at least four times across the two meetings, what the Conservative position on council tax would be. Richards Jones answered, once, with: “We’ll fix your budget.”

Hogg closed his final substantive speech of the evening with: “Let’s vote for hope, not division. Let’s keep Wandsworth special. Vote Labour on May the 7th.”

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cllr-hogg-1024x576.png)The election is on 7 May 2026. Eight weeks away.

#### What you can do

All 60 Wandsworth councillors are up for election on 7 May. You can find and contact your ward councillors at [wandsworth.gov.uk/councillors](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/councillors). If you are not yet registered to vote, check your registration at [gov.uk/register-to-vote](https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote).

The full council meeting is available to watch on the [Wandsworth Council webcasting archive](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/).

*Putney.news will publish evidence-led investigations into housing delivery, the council tax trajectory, law enforcement, recycling and the reserves picture before the May elections.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/06/four-retiring-councillors-told-wandsworths-last-meeting-be-honest-with-the-electorate/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/06/four-retiring-councillors-told-wandsworths-last-meeting-be-honest-with-the-electorate/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Four%20retiring%20councillors%20told%20Wandsworth%E2%80%99s%20last%20meeting%3A%20be%20honest%20with%20the%20electorate&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/06/four-retiring-councillors-told-wandsworths-last-meeting-be-honest-with-the-electorate/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Angela Ireland, Cllr Kim Caddy, Cllr Malcolm Grimston, Cllr Peter Graham, Cllr Simon Hogg, council tax, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth election season is here. What do YOU think?](https://putney.news/2026/03/05/wandsworth-election-season-is-here-what-do-you-think/)

**Published:** March 5, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** These are the claims that will start coming through your door — and seven polls to settle arguments.

**Content:**

Wandsworth’s Labour administration and Conservative opposition used last night’s Full Council meeting, the last before the May 2026 local elections, to start laying out their arguments to voters.

Labour pointed to four years of delivery: council tax frozen, homes built, services improved. The Conservatives pointed to broken pledges: no police officers from developer levies, an affordable housing promise that was never met.

*Putney.news* has reviewed these claims against the facts, figures and official documents. Some stand up. Some are contradictory. Some require a deeper review.

We want to know what *you* think – so here is a first cut of what will play out between now and 7 May, with polls added throughout. Your responses will feed directly into our election coverage.

#### Council tax: Labour’s strongest claim, with a footnote and an asterisk

Labour’s intends – for the moment at least – to make its four-year “tax freeze” the main plank of its election campaign. Wandsworth does have the lowest council tax in England for the fourth year running; that part is true and it is confirmed by national government data. The current bill on a typical Band D property is £525 for the Wandsworth element, the lowest anywhere in the country.

But the claim of a “tax freeze” this year comes with both an asterisk and a footnote. The footnote is that it is only the part of council tax that Wandsworth Council directly controls that is frozen; about half your tax bill goes to the GLA – and its tax has gone up. So your actual tax bill – the amount of money you have to pay – will actually go up. Again. By about 2%.

---

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

 consider frozen? been  

Do you consider that your council tax has been frozen? \*- Yes
- No
- ¯\_(ツ)\_/¯ (shrug)

  Submit![Loading](https://putney.news/wp-content/plugins/wpforms/assets/images/submit-spin.svg)

 ---

The asterisk is where the political battle will be this year. What the current administration does not mention is that council tax will *have* to go up next year. There is no choice, no matter who wins the elections, because central government is cutting the amount of funding it will supply to Wandsworth next year by tens of millions of pounds. And it will do the same for the two years after that.

The government’s published figures project a 34% rise in 2027/28, the year after the election, and a further 26% the year after that. A typical bill will climb from £525 to £701 in a single year; and for a house in the top bracket of council tax, the annual cost will go from over £2,000 to over £3,000 by the time the next election comes around.

You won’t have a say in this: the Labour government has suspended the normal referendum requirement specifically because it considers Wandsworth’s rate “artificially and unfairly low.” So the council doesn’t need to seek your permission to increase it by a huge sum. Central government has said clearly, in writing, that it expects Wandsworth’s Council tax to go up by a flat fee of £150 next year and then an additional 5% on top of that.

This is a simple reality in [the council’s own Cabinet papers](https://putney.news/2026/02/24/your-council-tax-must-rise-34-next-year-or-wandsworth-runs-out-of-money/). How the political parties decide to relay this information to voters during election season (or if they choose to do so at all) is something they are currently all desperately trying to figure out.

---

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

 you tax about  

Have you heard about the need to increase council tax from next year? \*- Yes
- No

  Submit![Loading](https://putney.news/wp-content/plugins/wpforms/assets/images/submit-spin.svg)

 ---

One last point on finances: Labour claims “some of the highest financial reserves in London.” That is largely true, but the trajectory tells a different story. Reserves stood at £567m at the start of this financial year, fell to £435m by December 2025, and are projected to reach £384m by April 2027. The council is drawing them down, not building them up.

There is a sharper contradiction. In its 2022 election manifesto, Labour cited Wandsworth’s reserves as evidence of Conservative failure: “Wandsworth Council has more than £700 million in its reserves.” The argument was that returns on those reserves were too low. Four years later, the same administration cites high reserves as an achievement, having reduced them from the £700m it inherited to a projected £384m. Reserves are falling, and they were higher when Labour arrived than they are now.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/housing-s.png)#### Housing: a 50% promise, a 35% outcome, and 1,000 homes

Labour’s 2022 manifesto carried two major housing pledges. The first was a specific affordable housing target: “We’ll set an ambitious target of 50% affordable housing on all new developments.” Four years later, the planning inspector required the council to reduce its proposed threshold from 45% to 35%, the London Plan baseline, and the same position the previous Conservative administration held when Labour took office.

The inspector’s report did not describe this as a success. It found the plan had “a number of deficiencies in respect of soundness,” required 21 mandatory modifications before it could proceed legally, and recommended “non-adoption” of the plan as originally submitted. The council’s proposed 45% threshold was found to be “not justified and would be counterproductive, materially impacting on the delivery of much needed homes.” The council put out a press release claiming its plans had in fact been “boosted” by the rejection and the inspector had “supported” its approach.

The second pledge was the centrepiece of Labour’s housing offer: “Our first act will be to build 1,000 new council homes, guaranteed for local people and their sons and daughters.” At last night’s council meeting, the administration claimed that over 500 have been delivered to date (in reality, it is 366), with the full 1,000 now targeted by 2029. The original manifesto set no completion date; framing the pledge as an immediate priority and a first act. We will be investigating housing delivery in depth before May.

With 13,000 households on Wandsworth’s housing waiting list, both pledges matter. We want to know what you thought the pledge meant:

---

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

 new in promised  

When Labour promised 1,000 new homes in 2022, did you think that meant: \*- Ready to move-in by 2026
- Planning permission granted by 2026
- Some time before 2029

  Submit![Loading](https://putney.news/wp-content/plugins/wpforms/assets/images/submit-spin.svg)

 ---

![Putney Embankment CCTV](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/putney-embankment-closed-cctv-768x1024.png)#### Law enforcement: a pledge, a reframe, and a disputed comparison

Labour’s 2022 manifesto promised to “put more law enforcement officers on the streets, double domestic violence support, install more CCTV and fund more youth workers”, with all four commitments paid for by levies on property developers. The Conservatives say the law enforcement officers element has never been delivered.

Labour can legitimately point to doubled domestic abuse support and expanded CCTV, both included in that bundled pledge and both claimed as delivered. What Labour cannot point to is law enforcement officers funded by developer levies.

When challenged directly at the October 2025 Full Council, council leader Cllr Simon Hogg argued that community safety officers funded by developer contributions already satisfy the pledge: “If we meant to say police officers, we would say police officers.” The Conservatives are factually correct that community safety officers are council employees with no powers of arrest, detention, or law enforcement. But Hogg’s position is that the pledge was always about community safety officers, not police. It is a contested interpretation, not a flat refusal. Tell us what you think:

---

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

 do officer"? "law  

What do you understand by the term "law enforcement officer"? \*- A police officer (PC)
- A community safety officer (PCSO)
- ¯\_(ツ)\_/¯ (shrug)

  Submit![Loading](https://putney.news/wp-content/plugins/wpforms/assets/images/submit-spin.svg)

 ---

The Conservative motion goes further. It claims that Labour-run Westminster Council has directly funded nine dedicated police officers from developer levies to combat antisocial behaviour, doing in a neighbouring borough what Wandsworth Labour promised but has not delivered. The motion also cites shoplifting rising from around 80 to 300 offences per month since 2022, and quotes Hogg as having “mocked” residents who raised crime concerns by suggesting they wanted to compare Wandsworth to “Gotham City.”

---

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

 dedicated Should developer  

Labour-run Westminster Council has funded nine dedicated police officers from developer levies. Should Wandsworth have done the same? \*- Yes
- No
- ¯\_(ツ)\_/¯ (shrug)

  Submit![Loading](https://putney.news/wp-content/plugins/wpforms/assets/images/submit-spin.svg)

 ---

#### Domestic abuse: a badge-level pledge, a delivery claim, and a new agenda

The 2022 manifesto carried six formal pledge badges, the equivalent of headline commitments. One was “Domestic Abuse Support Doubled.” At yesterday’s council meeting, it claimed it has been delivered. We will be digging into whether that is true between now and the election.

Last night also saw a separate Labour motion welcoming the work of Wandsworth’s Violence Against Women and Girls Task and Finish Group, which heard from more than 340 residents. That motion is not a delivery claim; it is a commitment to ongoing prevention work across housing, health, education and the voluntary sector. The two are related but distinct.

#### What we cannot yet verify

Several claims from Wednesday’s motions will need independent data. Labour asserts a 25% recycling rate improvement and a 20% decrease in fly-tipping. It also claims best-ever air quality, one of the lowest debt levels in London, and an extension of the interest-free repayment period for leaseholders facing major works from 10 months to four years. All may be accurate, but council motions are not primary sources.

Context matters on recycling. [Putney.news has been investigating Wandsworth’s waste service since it collapsed in June 2024](https://putney.news/2025/11/30/wandsworths-bin-crisis-finally-getting-fixed-but-why-did-it-take-18-months/). The service has now stabilised, but the borough’s recycling rate of 29% remains below the London average of 33%, and the 18-month crisis required sustained FOI requests to document. On waste collection, the Conservative motion describes persistent missed collections and an “error strewn reorganisation.” Our own reporting supports that characterisation.

---

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

 statistics you much  

How much do you trust statistics published in council election motions? \*- A lot
- Somewhat
- Not much
- Not at all

  Submit![Loading](https://putney.news/wp-content/plugins/wpforms/assets/images/submit-spin.svg)

 ---

#### What comes next

The election campaign starts now. So does our coverage of it.

Over the coming weeks, *Putney.news* will publish evidence-led investigations into each of these areas: housing delivery, the council tax trajectory and reserves history, the law enforcement pledge, domestic abuse and VAWG, recycling and waste, and the financial picture. We will publish our findings before the May elections.

If you have information on any of these topics, contact us at .

*This story reports documented public claims, made in council motions tabled before Full Council, tested against documented public evidence from the council’s own primary papers. No pre-publication comment was sought from either party.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/05/wandsworth-election-season-is-here-what-do-you-think/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/05/wandsworth-election-season-is-here-what-do-you-think/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20election%20season%20is%20here.%20What%20do%20YOU%20think%3F&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/05/wandsworth-election-season-is-here-what-do-you-think/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** council tax, housing, Local elections 2026, local government funding, Wandsworth Council, Wandsworth Local Plan

---

### [Commons levy rises again - and the funding gap keeps growing](https://putney.news/2026/03/05/commons-levy-rises-again-and-the-funding-gap-keeps-growing/)

**Published:** March 5, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Chairman Mauro Mattiuzzo warns costs are outpacing income for the third year running.

**Content:**

The levy on households near Wimbledon Common and Putney Heath goes up by £1.29 (3.22%) next month, to £41.38 a year for a Band D property. That is in line with RPI. The chairman of the body that manages the Commons says it still isn’t enough.

“Like many charities, we face rising day-to-day costs and the gap between the levy income and the cost of managing the Commons continues to increase,” said Mauro Mattiuzzo, chairman of the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators (WPCC). “We are developing additional income streams to help fund major infrastructure projects, such as path repairs.”

The rise is the latest in a series applied at the maximum permitted rate under a board commitment first made in December 2020 and reaffirmed in February 2024. It follows 2.7% in 2025/26 and 8.9% in 2024/25, the latter of which [triggered objections](https://putney.news/2024/03/13/putney-commons-tax-jumps-8-9-per-cent-with-more-to-come/) from Wandsworth and Merton councils.

#### Fundraising is bridging the gap

With the levy stretched, the Conservators have been building other income streams. A Christmas fundraising drive through the Big Give platform raised £16,861.69 net including Gift Aid for path restoration on Putney Heath, hitting its target within 36 hours of launch. Bench and car park donations brought total voluntary income from April to December 2025 to £66,384. The Conservators have also recently taken delivery of a new electric all-terrain vehicle (ATV), a four-wheeled workhorse rangers use to reach remote parts of the Commons for maintenance, conservation work, and emergencies.

The community has shown a similar willingness to plug gaps. [Last summer, lightning struck the Wimbledon Windmill](https://putney.news/2025/08/21/lightning-damaged-windmill-saved-by-extraordinary-community-effort-in-one-week/) and damaged its sail; more than £21,000 was raised in 18 days to repair it. [The previous year’s wetlands fundraising](https://putney.news/2025/05/01/community-triumph-10500-raised-to-save-putney-commons-rare-wetlands/) raised £10,500 for a specialist hydrology study. The Queensmere pond restoration is also now under way.

The Conservators employ 23 staff to manage 1,140 acres of common land. The levy is their largest single income source: the total raised across all households in the charging area rises from £1,666,382 to £1,741,425 next month, an increase of £75,043.

> [Community triumph: £10,500 raised to save Putney Commons’ rare Wetlands](https://putney.news/2025/05/01/community-triumph-10500-raised-to-save-putney-commons-rare-wetlands/)

#### How the Commons measure up environmentally

A carbon audit completed in early 2026 by Savills found that the 1,140 acres of Wimbledon Common, Putney Heath, and Putney Lower Common store around 1,800 tonnes more CO2 than they produce each year. WPCC ranks in the lowest 20% for operational emissions per hectare among comparable organisations. The biggest single source of emissions is holly clearance bonfires, at 42% of the operational total.

Wimbledon Common was named London Common of the Year 2024, and both Wimbledon Common and Putney Lower Common received London in Bloom Gold Awards last year.

> [Lightning-damaged windmill saved by extraordinary community effort in one week](https://putney.news/2025/08/21/lightning-damaged-windmill-saved-by-extraordinary-community-effort-in-one-week/)

#### Who pays

The levy is a precept on council tax, collected under the [Wimbledon and Putney Commons Act 1871](https://putney.news/2025/03/06/wimbledon-and-putney-commons-levy-to-rise-again-amid-funding-challenges/). It applies to households within three-quarters of a mile of the Commons and properties in the historic Parish of Putney. All council tax exemptions apply: if you don’t pay council tax, you don’t pay the levy.

No action needed: it is collected automatically. To support the Commons beyond the levy, visit [wpcc.org.uk](https://www.wpcc.org.uk/).

![WPCC levy area](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/wpcc-levy-area-723x1024.png)The area where the WPCC levy is automatically applied to household taxes. [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/05/commons-levy-rises-again-and-the-funding-gap-keeps-growing/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/05/commons-levy-rises-again-and-the-funding-gap-keeps-growing/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Commons%20levy%20rises%20again%20%E2%80%93%20and%20the%20funding%20gap%20keeps%20growing&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/05/commons-levy-rises-again-and-the-funding-gap-keeps-growing/)

**Categories:** Environment

**Tags:** council tax, Putney Common, Putney Heath, Putney Lower Common, Wimbledon and Putney Commons, Wimbledon Common

---

### [Drone gang behind Wandsworth prison drops jailed for 22 years](https://putney.news/2026/03/04/drone-gang-behind-wandsworth-prison-drops-jailed-for-22-years/)

**Published:** March 4, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** One of their drones crashed into a local backyard. A man knocked on the door to get it back.

**Content:**

A drone gang that made 70 smuggling runs to London prisons, including HMP Wandsworth, has been jailed for a combined 22 years. The detail that brings it close to home: one of their drones crashed into a backyard near the prison. A man knocked on the resident’s door in the early hours to retrieve it. She refused.

Harrow Crown Court sentenced seven men on Tuesday as part of Operation Buzzbin, the Met Police investigation that identified the gang as responsible for the majority of drone drops at prisons across London. Over 86 days between December 2024 and February 2025, they made 70 visits to eight prisons, dropping cannabis, Xanax, Valium, mobile phones and at least two flick knives to inmates.

The gang’s leader, Shafaghatullah Mohseni, 29, of Overbrook Walk, Edgware, received the longest sentence of five years and three months. Prosecutors showed he had received £26,785 from 14 individuals linked to serving prisoners. Five other men acted as pilots and co-pilots; a further two as drivers and lookouts. All seven had pleaded guilty at earlier hearings.

The Met said the gang was responsible for 75 per cent of all drone drops into London prisons during the period. Mohseni, referred to in court as the “grand delivery driver”, arranged drops in calls to prisoners and their relatives. The conspiracy ended when police, tipped off that a knife was about to be smuggled in, arrested four of the gang travelling to a drop at HMP Norwich. Officers found a JD Sports bag in the car containing a drone, phones, cannabis and a knife.

![Items found in the car of one of the gang](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Items-found-in-car-725x1024.jpg)Items found in the car of the gang.The judge, James Lofthouse, described the operation as a “well-oiled conspiracy” that prison staff struggled to tackle. He noted that even when guards saw drones dropping packages at cell windows, staff shortages meant searches came too late. By the time officers could act, the items had already been hidden.

Inmates had items delivered “to order”, and the judge criticised the “corrosive” impact on prison safety from drones arriving “as if by Uber Eats or Deliveroo.”

This is the gang behind the drone problem at Wandsworth that we have been documenting since [BBC Newsnight footage showed a drone dropping a package into the prison in July 2025](https://putney.news/2025/07/21/drone-caught-dropping-package-into-wandsworth-prison-as-security-concerns-grow/). In January this year, [three men were arrested near the prison](https://putney.news/2026/01/17/three-arrested-after-wandsworth-prison-drone-smuggling-attempt-thwarted/) with a drone and a bag of wrapped items. A separate incident, but the same pattern of exploitation. The wider context is bleak: an [investigation into organised crime infiltration at Wandsworth](https://putney.news/2025/08/29/rot-at-the-top-how-organised-crime-infiltrated-wandsworth-prisons-security/) found security failures being exploited at multiple levels.

DI John Cowell, the lead investigator, said the gang “thought they were outsmarting the police and prison authorities” but had been under “sustained specialist surveillance” throughout.

All seven must serve 40% of their sentences before release on licence.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/04/drone-gang-behind-wandsworth-prison-drops-jailed-for-22-years/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/04/drone-gang-behind-wandsworth-prison-drops-jailed-for-22-years/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Drone%20gang%20behind%20Wandsworth%20prison%20drops%20jailed%20for%2022%20years&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/04/drone-gang-behind-wandsworth-prison-drops-jailed-for-22-years/)

**Categories:** Crime, Wandsworth Town

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, prison conditions, Wandsworth Prison

---

### [No 'school wars' violence - but was that luck or good policing?](https://putney.news/2026/03/04/no-school-wars-violence-but-was-that-luck-or-good-policing/)

**Published:** March 4, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Borough deployed CCTV vans, park police and school patrols. The honest answer to what it achieved is: we don't know.

**Content:**

Last week, viral social media posts named Wandsworth as a target in a London-wide ‘Red vs Blue’ trend encouraging organised violence between schoolchildren. Headteachers wrote to parents. Schools issued emergency communications. Families kept children home. The Metropolitan Police confirmed borough-wide patrols.

It came to nothing.

There were no incidents, no injuries, no disorder in Wandsworth. Both the police and the council have now confirmed that. But the response that preceded that outcome was substantial, and the question of what it actually achieved is harder to answer.

According to a briefing from Wandsworth Council, the council’s own threat assessment was telling: “There is no evidence of organised or coordinated activity targeting schools in Wandsworth, but the content was taken seriously due to the potential safeguarding implications.”

> [Wandsworth named in viral ‘Red vs Blue’ school violence posts: what parents need to know](https://putney.news/2026/02/25/wandsworth-named-in-viral-red-vs-blue-school-violence-posts-what-parents-need-to-know/)

#### What the response looked like

On the afternoon of Friday 27 February, two CCTV vans were deployed to cover King George’s Park and Southside from 3pm. Park Police were on the ground. Increased patrols ran around schools throughout the week. The council engaged directly with headteachers and trust leaders. The Metropolitan Police worked with social media platforms to disable accounts where violence had been encouraged.

The sharpest detail in the council document is about dispersal zones. Police actively considered them and declined. The briefing states they were assessed as “not proportionate at this stage” and remain under review. That calibration tells you something about how officials read the underlying threat.

Other boroughs took different approaches: Hammersmith & Fulham, for example, had pairs of police officers on patrol at school closing time making their presence known. And, of course, there was a strong reaction from the parent community: a disproportionate number of Dads turned up to pick up their children on Friday.

#### The honest question

The council document contains a tension worth naming. It says “there is no evidence of organised or coordinated activity targeting schools in Wandsworth.” That operational response still followed. That is not a criticism. When children’s safety may be at stake, waiting for certainty is indefensible. But it raises a question the document doesn’t answer: did the visible deployment deter something real, or was the threat always performative?

Subsequent coverage has suggested the event had the hallmarks of moral panic, with anxiety spreading faster than any actual organisation. Whether that framing is correct, and whether it would have held without broad organisation and a police presence, is genuinely unknowable.

#### Where things stand

The situation has not been formally closed. Patrols and intelligence monitoring remain in place. The council says the position “remains under regular review” and the Met continues monitoring online spaces.

Schools are open and safe, and the immediate alarm has passed. We reported on the posts and the local response as they broke. [That story is here](https://putney.news/2026/02/25/wandsworth-named-in-viral-red-vs-blue-school-violence-posts-what-parents-need-to-know/).

Anyone with ongoing concerns about youth safety can contact their school directly or call 101.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/04/no-school-wars-violence-but-was-that-luck-or-good-policing/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/04/no-school-wars-violence-but-was-that-luck-or-good-policing/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=No%20%E2%80%98school%20wars%E2%80%99%20violence%20%E2%80%93%20but%20was%20that%20luck%20or%20good%20policing%3F&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/04/no-school-wars-violence-but-was-that-luck-or-good-policing/)

**Categories:** Crime, Education

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, public safety, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council

---

### [You've always meant to go up the Battersea chimney. Now you have no excuse](https://putney.news/2026/03/05/youve-always-meant-to-go-up-the-battersea-chimney-now-you-have-no-excuse/)

**Published:** March 5, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Spend £50 in the shops on a weekday this month and the £24 chimney lift is on the house.

**Content:**

How many times have you passed Battersea Power Station and thought, yes, I really should go up that chimney? If you’re anything like us, the answer is several, and the reason you haven’t is always the same: £24 a ticket. That’s proper London attraction pricing, and somehow it never quite feels like the right moment to commit.

From Monday 9 March, if you’re spending £50 in the shops anyway, the ride is free.

Battersea Power Station is running an offer throughout March (weekdays only, 9 to 30 March) where a receipt showing £50 spent in the shopping centre on a single day gets you a voucher for a complimentary Chimney Lift experience. Take the receipt to Guest Services, collect your voucher, head to the Chimney Lift desk, and ascend. The £50 can be spread across multiple shops on the same day, and each £50 you spend earns one voucher, so a family of four needs £200 of receipts and gets four of you up.

The [experience itself](https://thechimneylift.co.uk/) takes 35 to 45 minutes. It begins in the Art Deco Turbine Hall A with an exhibition covering the power station’s history: Sir Giles Gilbert Scott’s recreated office, a working model of the station, interactive displays about the construction. Then the glass elevator takes you inside the northwest chimney to 109 metres, with 360-degree views over the London skyline. The Shard, the London Eye, Big Ben. You get around 10 minutes at the top. That’s short, but it’s genuinely spectacular, and on a clear day in March you’ll be very glad you finally went.

> [View this post on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9ZbZySIM_A/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading)[A post shared by The Chimney Lift at Battersea Power Station (@thechimneylift)](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9ZbZySIM_A/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading)

A couple of practical notes. The offer is weekdays only, so if you’re planning around work, that’s useful to know. There’s no cloakroom, so leave the large bag behind (a small rucksack or handbag is fine). And there’s a gift shop on the way out.

Getting there from Putney: the most enjoyable option is the Uber Boat from Putney Pier to Battersea Power Station Pier (check the timetable first, as the service doesn’t run from Putney during weekday off-peak hours). The train is the quickest: South Western Railway from Putney station to Queenstown Road runs every 20 minutes and gets you there in around 35 minutes door to door, with a 15-minute walk from the station to the power station.

One thing worth being clear on: the offer runs Monday to Friday only, 9 to 30 March. No weekends. So if you’re reading this on Friday, you have the weekend to plan. Just don’t turn up on Saturday expecting a voucher.

The standard adult ticket is £24. If you were going to spend £50 in the shops anyway (Zara, Mango, Ralph Lauren, and 150 others are all there) the maths have never been better. Go up.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/05/youve-always-meant-to-go-up-the-battersea-chimney-now-you-have-no-excuse/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/05/youve-always-meant-to-go-up-the-battersea-chimney-now-you-have-no-excuse/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=You%E2%80%99ve%20always%20meant%20to%20go%20up%20the%20Battersea%20chimney.%20Now%20you%20have%20no%20excuse&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/05/youve-always-meant-to-go-up-the-battersea-chimney-now-you-have-no-excuse/)

**Categories:** Things to do

**Tags:** Battersea, Battersea Power Station, River Thames, Thames Clippers

---

### [The new Idris Elba Luther film secretly shot on Wimbledon Common last month](https://putney.news/2026/03/04/the-new-idris-elba-luther-film-secretly-shot-on-wimbledon-common-last-month/)

**Published:** March 4, 2026
**Author:** Social Butterfly

**Excerpt:** A public notice said "some filming." Nobody knew it was one of Netflix's biggest productions.

**Content:**

Idris Elba spent three days filming the new Luther movie on Wimbledon Common last month. If you walked past North View on the 11th, 12th or 13th, you may have wandered through a major film shoot without having a clue.

The Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators posted a public notice on 9 February warning visitors about “some filming” and asking people to avoid the Windmill car park on Thursday the 12th. Surrounding roads at The Quadrant were closed, with disruption and limited parking. Path closures near North View were in place, with diversions signed. Polite, practical, named nobody. Most people who read it probably assumed it was a TV crew filming a nature documentary or similar.

But no. Board papers from the [Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators](https://putney.news/organiser/wimbledon-and-putney-commons-conservators/) out this week describe it as “quite a significant shoot.” Both the Windmill and Richardson Evans Memorial Playing Fields car parks were taken over by crew vehicles across the three days.

No coverage anywhere identified Wimbledon Common as a filming location. Entertainment sites noted a crew at Parkland Walk and Crouch End on 18 February, but the Common dates went unreported until now.

The new film is the second Luther Netflix movie, a sequel to *Luther: The Fallen Sun*, which clocked up 180 million viewing hours in its first five weeks on the platform. Ruth Wilson is back as Alice Morgan (she appeared to die at the end of BBC series five, but the film isn’t explaining that yet), alongside Dermot Crowley as DSU Schenk. Series creator Neil Cross wrote the script. Jamie Payne directs.

The production has been shooting across London since February under the codename “Hawksmoor” (not the final title), with a wrap planned for May. The Fallen Sun filmed in late 2021 and came out in March 2023. If this one moves at the same pace, expect it on Netflix in 2027.

Which means sometime next year, anyone who walks past North View will be able to sit down, put Netflix on, and see exactly where they’ve been.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/04/the-new-idris-elba-luther-film-secretly-shot-on-wimbledon-common-last-month/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/04/the-new-idris-elba-luther-film-secretly-shot-on-wimbledon-common-last-month/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20new%20Idris%20Elba%20Luther%20film%20secretly%20shot%20on%20Wimbledon%20Common%20last%20month&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/04/the-new-idris-elba-luther-film-secretly-shot-on-wimbledon-common-last-month/)

**Categories:** Film

**Tags:** Netflix, Putney Heath, Wimbledon and Putney Commons, Wimbledon Common

---

### [The council that governs by press release](https://putney.news/2026/03/03/the-council-that-governs-by-press-release/)

**Published:** March 3, 2026
**Author:** The Editor

**Excerpt:** Four documented failures. One governing habit. Full Council votes Wednesday.

**Content:**

Yesterday, Wandsworth Council issued a press release. The headline read: “Affordable housing in Wandsworth boosted by changes to local planning rules.”

Ten days earlier, the planning inspector’s final report had used very different language.

The plan, it found, had “a number of deficiencies in respect of soundness.” It recommended “non-adoption of it as submitted.” It required 21 mandatory modifications before the plan could proceed. The council’s proposed 45% affordable housing threshold was “not justified and would be counterproductive, materially impacting on the delivery of much needed homes.”

The net result, after four years of work, was an affordable housing requirement that was exactly the same as when Labour took control of the borough in 2022.

The press release made no mention of the 35% threshold. No mention of the inspector’s rejection. No mention of the 21 modifications. No mention of the front-page manifesto promise from four years ago: “We’ll set an ambitious target of 50% affordable housing on all new developments.”

It described the outcome – an outright rejection – as placing Wandsworth “amongst London’s most proactive and ambitious boroughs.” Ambition is not a housing policy.

Five days before the press release was issued, [we reported](https://putney.news/2026/02/25/wandsworths-housing-chief-delivered-nothing-then-told-cabinet-it-was-a-win/) that Cllr Aydin Dikerdem, the Cabinet Member for Housing, had told Cabinet the inspector’s response was “very, very good news” and compared it to being told “you’ve done really well.” When we asked how his characterisation of the inspector’s findings was possible when read alongside what the report actually says, the response was telling: no answers and then personal abuse.

But it’s not just one rogue cabinet member: the council’s press office has now repeated the same housing fiction in writing, officially, for the whole borough.

What the press release did not say is that 13,000 households remain on Wandsworth’s housing waiting list. The inspector’s report had noted that fact too.

#### The pattern

This is far from the first time the council has described failure as success, or adopted Trumpian up-is-down messaging.

A year ago, it spent £20,000 of public money on leaflets and videos declaring a council tax freeze. The leaflets came in the same envelope as council tax bills that showed a 2% increase. Last month, it did the same again – but worse. Because next year, unless the council imposes a 34% council tax rise, **according to its own figures**, [the council will run out of money](https://putney.news/2026/02/24/your-council-tax-must-rise-34-next-year-or-wandsworth-runs-out-of-money/).

Instead of warning residents about this financial cliff edge, we had another [nonsense press release](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-february-2026/cabinet-agrees-council-tax-freeze/) and the leader of the council starred in a video claiming, falsely, that council tax was frozen this year, and then that he would not increase taxes next year, if elected. This is also false; he would have no choice.

There are other examples. After boiler explosions left council tenants without heat and homes damaged by fire, [the council declared it had done “a great job](https://putney.news/2025/04/09/boilers-blew-homes-burned-but-wandsworth-council-says-we-did-a-great-job/).” Residents were stunned. There were even more surprised to hear representatives claim they had opened and manned a community centre looking after those evacuated from their homes.

Another press release covered the independent report into another fire. The report [warned](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/independent-review-reveals-fox-house-fire-chaos-but-ignores-prevention-failures/) that residents “had to bend towards the bureaucracy of the Council rather than the bureaucracy bend to them”, and that some waited for “a call that never came.” In the council’s telling, however, the report noted that “emergency support was provided immediately” and “commends Wandsworth Council for its strong response.”

When a residents’ survey in 2023 showed satisfaction among Wandsworth residents had fallen 11 per cent, the response was, again, telling: the results were buried. Then, when 2025 came around, and with the verdict due just months before May’s local elections, the survey was cancelled entirely. No explanation was given. It took us four months just to get confirmation. For 20 years, Wandsworth measured what residents thought of their council’s performance. [This year, it stopped.](https://putney.news/2026/01/29/wandsworth-council-buried-resident-survey-results-showing-11-satisfaction-drop/)

This is not a communications failure, it is something far more deliberate. It is treating the announcement as a substitute for the outcome; the claim for the reality. Yesterday’s press release about affordable housing is accurate about what the council says, but wholly misleading about what the council has done.

The distinction matters, because residents now have no reliable mechanism for holding the council to account. Even when residents do complain, their voices are silenced. When one independent councillor called for an explanation over why official complaints had tripled, he was [barred from raising the issue at Full Council.](https://putney.news/2025/12/10/hogg-promised-to-make-council-more-open-then-silenced-the-councillor-challenging-him/)

A council that does not measure what residents think, and bars challenge when its claims are questioned, does not have a communications problem; it has a governing problem. It shouldn’t be necessary to say this, but clearly it is: local government is not Instagram. Social media is not social welfare. Proclaiming success is not the same as achieving it.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/03/the-council-that-governs-by-press-release/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/03/the-council-that-governs-by-press-release/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20council%20that%20governs%20by%20press%20release&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/03/the-council-that-governs-by-press-release/)

**Categories:** Comment, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Aydin Dikerdem, Cllr Simon Hogg, council tax, housing, Wandsworth Council, Wandsworth Local Plan

---

### [London Rowing Club balcony almost complete - just the handrails to go](https://putney.news/2026/03/03/london-rowing-club-balcony-almost-complete-just-the-handrails-to-go/)

**Published:** March 3, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** The deep-blue steel structure runs the full width of the Victorian facade — and it will be open for Boat Race Day.

**Content:**

The balcony is up. Standing on Putney Embankment this morning, you can see it: the London Rowing Club’s new deep-blue steel structure running the full width of the Victorian facade, ornate ironwork railings in place, an LRC flag flying from the flagpole above. One worker was still on the balcony today, drilling the last handrail fixings into position. Almost done.

![Worker finishing up the balcony](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/london-rowing-club-balcony-2Mar26-10-1024x768.png)The project was [approved by the Conservation Panel last July](https://putney.news/2025/07/17/conservation-panel-backs-rowing-clubs-elegant-new-balcony-plan/), a design that was always intended to echo the club’s Victorian origins rather than overlay them. The ironwork detailing does exactly that. The structure was built by contractor Fothergill to designs by Stuart Hughes Architects, whose names are still visible on the project hoarding at street level.

![A nice touch on the London Rowing Cub balcony
](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/london-rowing-club-balcony-2Mar26-5-1024x768.png)Putney rowing gets its biggest showcase of the year on 4 April — Boat Race Day, five weeks away, when the embankment is at its busiest. This will be the first time the balcony is open for the race, and the first time most people will see it in full use.

![London Rowing Club](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/london-rowing-club-balcony-2Mar26-7-1024x768.png)It has been [a long build, documented here since the engineering phase in January](https://putney.news/2026/01/28/putneys-riverside-revival-boathouses-restore-victorian-character-with-modern-engineering/). The photographs from this morning show how far it has come: the Thames visible at low tide from beneath the structure, the flagpole collar and baseplate bolted in, the blue of the ironwork clean against the Victorian brick. Just the handrails to complete.

It is worth a walk past.

![London Rowing Club on Putney Embankment](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/london-rowing-club-balcony-2Mar26-8-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/03/london-rowing-club-balcony-almost-complete-just-the-handrails-to-go/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/03/london-rowing-club-balcony-almost-complete-just-the-handrails-to-go/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=London%20Rowing%20Club%20balcony%20almost%20complete%20%E2%80%93%20just%20the%20handrails%20to%20go&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/03/london-rowing-club-balcony-almost-complete-just-the-handrails-to-go/)

**Categories:** Boat Race, Rowing, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Boat Race Day, boathouses, London Rowing Club, Putney embankment, Rowing

---

### [After seven years, a minister finally says Hammersmith Bridge "would be a good candidate" for funding](https://putney.news/2026/03/03/after-seven-years-a-minister-finally-says-hammersmith-bridge-would-be-a-good-candidate-for-funding/)

**Published:** March 3, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** But Anderson's promised "decisions in the coming weeks" have not materialised — and the caveats are significant.

**Content:**

A government minister has written that Hammersmith Bridge “would be a good candidate for investment” from the Structures Fund, the first time any minister has used positive language about funding the bridge’s repair in seven years of closure.

The letter, from transport minister Simon Lightwood and obtained by LBC, also commits to formally assessing whether the next phase of repair works can be financed through the fund. The Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce will reconvene once the fund’s arrangements are finalised, Lightwood wrote.

It is a material shift. In June 2025, a Treasury minister [refused to confirm on live radio](https://putney.news/2025/06/16/minister-dodges-hammersmith-bridge-questions-in-live-radio-meltdown/) whether the bridge would even qualify for the fund. “I’m not here to talk about the Hammersmith Bridge,” Emma Reynolds told LBC. “I’m not a transport minister.”

Lightwood is. And his letter is, so far, the only concrete development to have emerged from a period in which [Anderson told constituents in February](https://putney.news/2026/02/03/mp-claims-hammersmith-bridge-funding-decisions-in-the-coming-weeks/) that “key funding decisions” were “expected in the coming weeks.”

> [MP claims Hammersmith Bridge funding decisions “in the coming weeks”](https://putney.news/2026/02/03/mp-claims-hammersmith-bridge-funding-decisions-in-the-coming-weeks/)

#### What the letter actually says

“Would be a good candidate” is not a funding commitment. The letter sets out two conditions any award must meet: a cost-effective engineering solution within a reasonable timescale, and a fit within the fund’s financial constraints. Officials will assess whether those conditions can be met. The assessment has not started.

The Structures Fund was announced in June 2025 to repair “run-down bridges, decaying flyovers and worn-out tunnels across Britain.” The government has launched a survey of local authorities and stakeholders to shape how the fund will operate. The criteria for access have not yet been published.

Andy Slaughter, MP for Hammersmith and Chiswick, welcomed the letter while being precise about what it does and does not represent.

“This is a positive step as, until this point, no funding stream had been identified and central government had made only limited contribution to strengthening works. Hammersmith and Fulham council has thus far borne the burden of considerable cost needed just to keep the bridge safe and prevent further deterioration. I will press the department on timescales, but at least after six years there is an acknowledgement that the bridge is a strategic structure which is able to call on national funding in the first instance.”

> [Minister dodges Hammersmith Bridge questions in live radio meltdown](https://putney.news/2025/06/16/minister-dodges-hammersmith-bridge-questions-in-live-radio-meltdown/)

Fleur Anderson, Putney’s MP, told *Putney.news* she has received the minister’s letter and welcomed the acknowledgement. But she was direct about its limits.

> “This remains an expression of intent rather than a firm commitment,” Anderson said. “I am still very frustrated about how long these decisions are taking.”

She said she is pressing the Department for Transport for a clear timeline on when the Structures Fund will be finalised and allocations made, clarity on what level of local contribution will be expected, and a firm date for reconvening the Taskforce. She said she continues to raise Hammersmith Bridge regularly in Parliament and intends to do so as the Structures Fund design is finalised.

#### The funding record

That burden has been substantial. Hammersmith and Fulham Council has spent approximately £48 million on bridge stabilisation since 2020. The Department for Transport had contributed £8.3 million and Transport for London £2.9 million as of December 2024. The council submitted a business case to the DfT in December 2022. It has not been approved in more than three years. The full funding picture was [documented in October](https://putney.news/2025/10/13/hammersmith-ticks-billion-pound-tunnel-wish-list-while-the-bridge-stays-shut/).

The gap between council spending and central government contribution (£48 million against £11.2 million as of December 2024) is part of what makes Lightwood’s letter significant. For the first time, a minister has named a funding route that could, in principle, change that arithmetic.

The Taskforce reconvening commitment is also new. The group met only once in the 18 months before this letter, at a [January 2025 meeting](https://putney.news/2026/01/25/passion-without-a-pathway-politicians-demand-action-on-bridge-they-cant-agree-how-to-fix/) where three repair options were reviewed. A follow-up was promised once officials developed detailed plans. This letter, 13 months later, is the first firm signal that follow-up is coming.

> [Passion without a pathway: politicians demand action on bridge they can’t agree how to fix](https://putney.news/2026/01/25/passion-without-a-pathway-politicians-demand-action-on-bridge-they-cant-agree-how-to-fix/)

#### The Putney angle

The bridge has been closed to motor vehicles since April 2019, almost seven years. It once carried 22,000 vehicles a day. That traffic did not disappear. Much of it rerouted through Putney Bridge, which now carries the load of two crossings.

The [junction redesign at Putney Bridge](https://putney.news/2025/11/14/putneys-million-pound-junction-disaster-how-approved-plans-went-wrong/) was modelled on an assumption the bridge would reopen by 2026. It has not. More than £1 million in interventions later, the junction remains contested. The Hammersmith closure is not the only cause, but it is a significant one.

Albert Bridge, which also closed to motor vehicles in February, has the same structural problem: cracked cast iron. The [spending review in June](https://putney.news/2025/06/12/putney-gets-4-10-in-labours-first-spending-review-heres-why/) left Hammersmith Bridge unfunded, with no line in the DfT capital budget. Repair costs are estimated at more than £250 million.

> [Putney gets 4/10 in Labour’s first spending review – here’s why](https://putney.news/2025/06/12/putney-gets-4-10-in-labours-first-spending-review-heres-why/)

#### What happens next

The Taskforce reconvening is the next milestone to watch. Once it meets, the formal assessment of Structures Fund eligibility can begin. The criteria for access to the fund, once published, will determine whether Hammersmith qualifies. No date has been set for either.

Anderson is right that the gap between “expression of intent” and a signed cheque remains large. But after seven years of silence, evasion, and one [spectacular refusal to engage](https://putney.news/2025/06/16/minister-dodges-hammersmith-bridge-questions-in-live-radio-meltdown/), it is the closest any minister has come to naming a funding route.

---

*Wandsworth Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, Cllr Jenny Yates, was contacted for comment on 1 March 2026 and had not responded by the time of publication.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/03/after-seven-years-a-minister-finally-says-hammersmith-bridge-would-be-a-good-candidate-for-funding/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/03/after-seven-years-a-minister-finally-says-hammersmith-bridge-would-be-a-good-candidate-for-funding/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=After%20seven%20years%2C%20a%20minister%20finally%20says%20Hammersmith%20Bridge%20%E2%80%9Cwould%20be%20a%20good%20candidate%E2%80%9D%20for%20funding&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/03/after-seven-years-a-minister-finally-says-hammersmith-bridge-would-be-a-good-candidate-for-funding/)

**Categories:** Politics, Transport

**Tags:** accountability, Fleur Anderson MP, Hammersmith and Fulham Council, Hammersmith Bridge, infrastructure, Putney Bridge, TfL, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Four "requires improvement" ratings, £700k-a-day losses - and no plan approved](https://putney.news/2026/03/02/four-requires-improvement-ratings-700k-a-day-losses-and-no-plan-approved/)

**Published:** March 2, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** St George's Hospital told Wandsworth health committee it cannot currently satisfy NHS regulators.

**Content:**

St George’s Hospital is running up £700,000-a-day losses, and admitted last week it can’t produce a financial plan that will gain approval of NHS regulators.

At a Wandsworth council health committee meeting, the Trust [disclosed](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1061181) a projected deficit of £87.9 million for the coming year. With inflation and other rising costs, the gap reaches £108.8 million.

The Trust must find £90.6 million in savings to break even. Even then, £18.2 million remains unaccounted for.

St George’s is the hospital Putney residents use for emergency care, cancer treatment, surgery, and maternity. It is already rated “requires improvement” by the NHS regulator in four separate areas.

> [Coroner warns St George’s Hospital changes haven’t solved crisis that killed two men](https://putney.news/2026/01/13/coroner-warns-st-georges-hospital-changes-havent-solved-crisis-that-killed-two-men/)

A coroner [warned in January](https://putney.news/2026/01/13/coroner-warns-st-georges-hospital-changes-havent-solved-crisis-that-killed-two-men/) that A&E staff still face “impossible situations” where demand exceeds what they can safely manage. The Trust says changes since the two deaths in 2024 have cut falls in the department by 30%, but a formal report required a response to the Health Secretary by February, which St George’s has not publicly confirmed.

#### Asked directly: can you do this without harming patients?

Cllr George Crivelli, the committee’s opposition health spokesman, asked managing director Kate Slemeck directly: could she guarantee the savings programme wouldn’t affect services or patient care?

Slemeck did not offer a guarantee. “That’s an incredibly challenging savings target, and it has been incredibly challenging,” she said. Every proposed saving goes through clinical quality checks overseen by the Trust’s medical and nursing directors. But the process has already produced visible consequences: four operating theatres at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Roehampton have closed, [as Putney.news reported last September](https://putney.news/2025/09/14/st-georges-finally-confirms-queen-marys-hospital-closures-but-still-ducks-questions-on-urgent-care/).

> [St George’s finally confirms Queen Mary’s hospital closures – but still ducks questions on urgent care](https://putney.news/2025/09/14/st-georges-finally-confirms-queen-marys-hospital-closures-but-still-ducks-questions-on-urgent-care/)

The Trust is in talks with NHS England to close the remaining £18.2 million gap. It did not say what those talks might mean for services.

#### What the CQC found

The financial pressure sits on top of a difficult picture from the Care Quality Commission.

Surgery dropped from “good” to “requires improvement” after last winter’s inspection. Maternity climbed from “inadequate” to “requires improvement”, progress, but not yet a clean bill of health. A&E and emergency care has remained at “requires improvement.” Leadership was rated “requires improvement” following a CQC inspection in February 2025; inspectors found that staff were contacting them anonymously because they did not feel safe raising concerns openly.

> [ER nurse’s dangerous errors forced reforms — but secrets remain at St George’s](https://putney.news/2025/07/12/er-nurses-dangerous-errors-forced-reforms-but-secrets-remain-at-st-georges/)

Only 73.5% of patients needing urgent cancer treatment started it within 62 days in December, against an NHS target of 85%. The shortfall is partly caused by limited specialist theatre capacity for thoracic cancer cases, forcing the Trust to send patients to other London hospitals each week.

The Trust is currently seeing 60% of patients within 18 weeks, against a government target of 65% by the end of this month. Slemeck said she expects to reach that figure within 12 months.

> [St George’s Hospital has been getting pregnancy risk scores wrong for ten months](https://putney.news/2025/12/04/st-georges-hospital-has-been-getting-pregnancy-risk-scores-wrong-for-ten-months/)

#### What happens next

The new financial year starts on 1 April. The committee noted the report and requested no further action. Its next meeting is 17 June, after May’s local elections, which may bring an entirely different committee membership.

#### What you can do

If you have a concern about care at St George’s or Queen Mary’s Hospital, contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service:  or 020 8725 2453, Monday to Friday.

Healthwatch Wandsworth collects residents’ experiences of NHS services and escalates concerns to decision-makers: 

The Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee scrutinises St George’s in public. Its next meeting is 17 June 2026 at 7.30pm. To attend or submit a deputation, contact committee secretary Laura Campbell: .

> [Toxic culture and racism exposed inside trust behind Queen Mary’s cuts](https://putney.news/2025/11/01/toxic-culture-and-racism-exposed-inside-trust-behind-queen-marys-cuts/)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/02/four-requires-improvement-ratings-700k-a-day-losses-and-no-plan-approved/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/02/four-requires-improvement-ratings-700k-a-day-losses-and-no-plan-approved/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Four%20%E2%80%9Crequires%20improvement%E2%80%9D%20ratings%2C%20%C2%A3700k-a-day%20losses%20%E2%80%93%20and%20no%20plan%20approved&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/02/four-requires-improvement-ratings-700k-a-day-losses-and-no-plan-approved/)

**Categories:** Health

**Tags:** Cllr George Crivelli, NHS, Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton, St George's hospital

---

### [The Half Moon will be back for Boat Race Day - free entry, live music all night](https://putney.news/2026/03/01/the-half-moon-will-be-back-for-boat-race-day-free-entry-live-music-all-night/)

**Published:** March 1, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Putney's most famous music venue reopens on 4 April after a full refurbishment.

**Content:**

After nearly eight weeks of building work, the Half Moon has said it set to reopen on Saturday 4 April, Boat Race Day, with free entry all day, live music from the afternoon, and DJs until midnight at 93 Lower Richmond Road.

While the doors have been shut, the venue has been nominated for a Music Week Award. The Half Moon is on the shortlist for the 2026 Grassroots Venue: Spirit of the Scene award, supported by the Music Venue Trust, the grassroots music industry’s leading advocacy organisation. [Public voting is open now](https://www.musicweekawards.com/grassroots2026) and closes at 5pm on 10 March.

The timing is no accident. The pub closed on 5 January for a full refurbishment, and it has picked the one day of the year when Putney is at its most alive to come back. The Oxford and Cambridge crews start their race just outside the door from around 2.20pm, and this year the Half Moon will be showing both races on its big screens.

The venue returns with a new upstairs bar and a brand-new menu. And it has not come back quietly.

> [Half Moon closed for major refurbishment until spring](https://putney.news/2026/01/08/half-moon-closed-for-major-refurbishment-until-spring/)

The headline act for the reopening is Laurie Wright, a London rock and roll singer-songwriter who has spent the past two years selling out rooms in an almost comically straight line upward: the Underworld Camden in 2023, the 800-capacity Scala in King’s Cross in 2024, the Electric Ballroom Camden last December. He has the O2 Forum Kentish Town booked for October and it is already more than half-sold. Liam Gallagher, Rod Stewart and Peter Doherty have all spoken warmly about him.

The Half Moon, which has put live music on its stage every night since 1963, is booking him on the way up, the same instinct that once brought the Rolling Stones, U2 and Kate Bush through its doors before anyone knew their names.

![Half Moon Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/half-moon-17feb26-3-768x1024.png)Still some way to go before the venue is ready. Earlier in the day, the Maida Vales play from 3.45pm and Sergio Giorginis from 5.45pm. Wright takes the stage at 8pm. More acts are still to be announced.

Entry is free throughout. No bookings are being taken. The pub is keeping the dance floor open, so it is walk-in only, all day. The 18+ rule applies from 8pm.

Full event details are on the [Half Moon’s organiser page](https://putney.news/organiser/half-moon/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/01/the-half-moon-will-be-back-for-boat-race-day-free-entry-live-music-all-night/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/01/the-half-moon-will-be-back-for-boat-race-day-free-entry-live-music-all-night/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Half%20Moon%20will%20be%20back%20for%20Boat%20Race%20Day%20%E2%80%93%20free%20entry%2C%20live%20music%20all%20night&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/01/the-half-moon-will-be-back-for-boat-race-day-free-entry-live-music-all-night/)

**Categories:** Boat Race, Music, Pubs, bars and nightlife

**Tags:** Boat Race, Live Music, Lower Richmond Road, Music, Putney embankment, The Half Moon

---

### [Has Cambridge been caught cheating in the Boat Race? Controversy reigns over rower eligibility](https://putney.news/2025/03/20/has-cambridge-been-caught-cheating-in-the-boat-race-controversy-reigns-over-rower-eligibility/)

**Published:** March 20, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** The historic rivalry has taken a dramatic turn ahead of the 2025 Boat Race.

**Content:**

Next months’ Boat Race has already caught a crab over the eligibility of several Cambridge rowers.

The decision to bar three Cambridge athletes from the race due to their enrolment in the university’s Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) program has ignited a fierce debate, raising questions about whether the top-flight institution tried to bend the rules to gain an advantage.

Oxford University Boat Club (OUBC) lodged an official complaint, arguing that the PGCE does not meet the “degree-level qualification” requirement for rowers. The dispute was settled by an independent arbitration panel, which ruled in Oxford’s favour, preventing rowers Matt Heywood, Molly Foxell, and cox Kate Crowley from taking part in this year’s event.

That ruling provoked outrage within the Cambridge camp, with supporters claiming that the decision was a “desperate ploy” by Oxford to weaken its rivals. But does the ruling reveal a deeper pattern of questionable eligibility tactics within the Cambridge rowing program? And has the ultra-competitive nature of the Boat Race led one of the world’s most prestigious universities to test the limits of fair play?

##### Is Cambridge Pushing the Limits of Fair Play?

For many, the eligibility ruling is a wake-up call. Critics argue that the inclusion of elite rowers in non-degree courses is a loophole Cambridge has been exploiting to bolster its squad. Cambridge University Boat Club (CUBC) [insists](https://cubc.org.uk/2025/03/17/statement-on-the-eligibility-of-pgce-students-for-the-boat-race/) that PGCE students have been allowed to compete in the past, but Oxford countered that the nature of the qualification makes it an exception.

The decision has divided opinion. Imogen Grant, an Olympic rower and former Cambridge athlete, called the ruling an “insult to teachers everywhere,” while Cath Bishop, another former Cambridge rower and Olympic silver medallist, described it as “a crying shame” for student-athletes caught in an administrative battle.

Yet others believe that the ruling was necessary to preserve the integrity of the competition. Critics argue that top-level rowing talent should not be funnelled into Cambridge through loosely defined academic programs, allowing the university to build an artificially strong team.

##### A History of Controversy: Cheating and Scandals in the Boat Race

This is not the first time the Boat Race has been embroiled in controversy. The 195-year-old event has a history of allegations, disputes, and even outright cheating. Here are a few:

- **1987 Oxford Mutiny** – A faction of American rowers at Oxford attempted to overthrow their coach over training disputes, leading to a dramatic reshuffling of the team just before the race.
- **2012 Race Disruption** – The race was brought to a halt when activist Trenton Oldfield swam into the path of the boats in protest against elitism. The interruption led to chaos, and an Oxford rower collapsed from exhaustion after the restart.
- **1849 Cambridge Disqualification** – One of the most controversial moments in race history, Cambridge was disqualified after a dramatic collision between the boats—an unprecedented decision in the competition’s history.

These instances underscore how the intense rivalry between the two universities has led to some of the most dramatic moments in rowing history. With this latest scandal, many are now questioning whether Cambridge’s pursuit of dominance has veered into dangerous ethical territory.

##### Putney’s Role in the Race: The Iconic Starting Point

Despite the controversy, thousands of spectators are expected to gather along the banks of the River Thames to witness one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year. The race will start in Putney, the historic starting point for the Boat Race, before traveling 4.2 miles upstream to Mortlake.

Putney has played a pivotal role in the event since the first official Oxford-Cambridge race in 1829. The starting line is located just before Putney Bridge, and from there, rowers navigate the Chiswick Eyot, Hammersmith Bridge, and Barnes Bridge before reaching the finish.

The unique tidal nature of the Thames in this stretch makes Putney a challenging launch point, as crews must battle not only each other but also shifting currents. The river’s unpredictable conditions have led to dramatic races in the past, with boats capsizing and clashes between the crews a frequent sight in the narrow opening miles.

With Cambridge now forced to reshuffle its lineup due to the eligibility ruling, all eyes will be on how the Light Blues respond under pressure. Will they overcome the setback and prove their critics wrong, or will Oxford capitalize on the controversy and extend their recent winning streak?

##### What’s Next for the Boat Race?

A [statement](https://www.theboatrace.org/news/statement-from-the-boat-race-company) from the company that oversees the race, The Boat Race Company, said:

> “We sympathise with any athlete disappointed with the crew selection for The Boat Race. This is an extremely competitive process and there are strict (publicly available) eligibility criteria for being considered for a place in a crew.
> 
> “We hope that any decision of the Interpretation Panel (IP) is respected and accepted, and not debated publicly, particularly since the IP’s remit was agreed by the Clubs. The Panel is made up of a Chair, two representatives from both clubs and two academics. We look forward to the clubs racing on Sunday 13 April where the intense rivalry is best seen on the water.”

As the countdown to April 13 continues, the debate over Cambridge’s eligibility tactics shows no signs of fading. The PGCE ruling has sparked a broader conversation about the rules and fairness of the competition—one that could lead to stricter eligibility requirements in the future. We shall see if the ill feeling extends to the big public event taking place next week at the Battersea Power Station when the crews [will be officially announced](https://putney.news/2025/03/03/boat-race-crews-to-be-announced-at-battersea-power-station/ "Boat Race crews to be announced at Battersea Power Station").

One thing is certain: when the boats line up in Putney, the tension will be higher than ever. And as the rowers push off from the historic starting line, they’ll be fighting not just for victory but for pride, legacy, and the honour of their university.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/03/20/has-cambridge-been-caught-cheating-in-the-boat-race-controversy-reigns-over-rower-eligibility/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/03/20/has-cambridge-been-caught-cheating-in-the-boat-race-controversy-reigns-over-rower-eligibility/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Has%20Cambridge%20been%20caught%20cheating%20in%20the%20Boat%20Race%3F%20Controversy%20reigns%20over%20rower%20eligibility&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/03/20/has-cambridge-been-caught-cheating-in-the-boat-race-controversy-reigns-over-rower-eligibility/)

**Categories:** Boat Race, Live events, Rowing

**Tags:** Cath Bishop, Imogen Grant, Kate Crowley, Matt Heywood, Molly Foxell, The Boat Race

---

### [Boat Racers warned to stay out the Thames over E.coli threat](https://putney.news/2024/03/27/boat-race-sewage/)

**Published:** March 27, 2024
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Content:**

Rowers in this weekend’s Boat Race have been advised to stay out of the Thames, cover up any blisters or cuts, and wear footwear getting into and out of their boats, due to high levels of E.coli found in the water along the famous stretch.

Clean water activist group River Action [said](https://riveractionuk.com/findings-of-high-thames-e-coli-levels-discovered-as-new-guidance-issued-to-rowers/) that tests it had carried out in the past month showed 10 times what is considered a safe level of E.coli in the water opposite Fulham Reach Boat Club and put the blame squarely on Thames Water for dumping sewage into London’s iconic waterway.

The group’s warning has gained support from rowing organisations and several famous rowers. Imogen Grant, triple Boat Race winner with Cambridge, double World and European champion rower said: “The results of the E.coli testing show that rowers are putting their health at risk to do the sport they love. Thousands of people rely on our rivers for work and recreation, and they are being choked with sewage and pollution. More needs to be done to improve our water quality across the country, and testing like this gives us a picture of just how far we have to go.”

CEO of British Rowing Alastair Marks also chimed in: “As rowers, we spend the majority of our time on and around the water, so water quality is a particularly key issue to us. Over 30 rowing clubs sit along the Boat Race course, with thousands of rowers taking to the Thames every day.” The organisation [announced](https://www.britishrowing.org/2024/03/british-rowing-announces-new-environmental-sustainability-strategy/) new [guidance](https://plus.britishrowing.org/2024/03/13/rowing-club-water-quality-initiatives/) earlier this month aimed at dealing with dirty water.

> Thousands of people rely on our rivers for work and recreation, and they are being choked with sewage and pollution.
> 
> Imogen Grant, Triple Boat Race winner

That guidance was included in briefing packs given to both Cambridge and Oxford universities ahead of this weekend’s race.

CEO of River Action James Wallace said: “We are in a tragic situation when elite athletes are issued with health guidance ahead of a historic race on the capital’s river. Our water quality results show what happens after decades of neglect by an unregulated water company, Thames Water. However, thanks to the vigilance of competition organisers, supported by British Rowing, River Action and The Rivers Trust, we are pleased they are showing their duty of care to the competing teams this weekend, and working with us to address the source of the problem: ending river pollution.”

River Action’s tests were taken between 28 February and 26 March – 16 tests in total – on the River Thames near Fulham Reach Boat Club. The results gave an average of 2,863 E.coli colony forming units (CFU) per 100ml of water; bathing standards state it should be below 1,000 CFU per 100ml.

The highest reading was 9,801 CFU: ten times the acceptable limit. [Publicly available data](https://www.sewagemap.co.uk/) shows that Thames Water had discharged sewage into the Greater London area of the River Thames for 1,914 hours since the start of 2024, equivalent to 79 days.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2024/03/27/boat-race-sewage/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2024/03/27/boat-race-sewage/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Boat%20Racers%20warned%20to%20stay%20out%20the%20Thames%20over%20E.coli%20threat&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2024/03/27/boat-race-sewage/)

**Categories:** Boat Race, News, Rowing

**Tags:** Boat Race, River Action, Thames, Thames Water

---

### [River Action raises alarm over Thames pollution ahead of Boat Race](https://putney.news/2025/04/10/river-action-raises-alarm-over-thames-pollution-ahead-of-boat-race/)

**Published:** April 10, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Environmental group finds dangerous E. coli levels in River Thames

**Content:**

With the iconic Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race set to return to the River Thames this weekend, fresh warnings about the river’s water quality have cast a shadow over the historic event.

River Action, an environmental campaign group, has published findings showing that nearly 30% of samples collected from the course contained E. coli levels above safe limits—some almost three times higher than the threshold set by the Environment Agency for ‘poor’ quality waters.

This year’s results follow similar warnings issued in 2024, when River Action [conducted its first round of testing](https://putney.news/2024/03/27/boat-race-sewage/ "Boat Racers warned to stay out the Thames over E.coli threat") in advance of the Boat Race. Those findings were later questioned. However, the group appears to have taken a more focused and coordinated approach this year, working alongside British Rowing and The Rivers Trust to ensure accurate testing and improved communication about the health risks.

Concerns have also been raised about a malfunctioning sewage monitor at Kew, just upstream of the race’s finish line, which has been offline since mid-January—contravening legal obligations for sewage outfall monitoring.

Five-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave has lent his voice to the growing alarm. Reflecting on his years training in Putney, he said, “I used to train down there a lot in the Eighties and the beginning of the Nineties. In the summers I would go for a swim after training sessions. I would not swim in the Thames now, and I would not like my children to swim in the Thames either.” He warned that unchecked pollution could endanger not only public health but also Putney’s long-standing rowing culture.

The latest tests come after a sustained dry spell, suggesting the pollution is likely not from storm overflows but from treated sewage discharges, which currently are not regulated for E. coli content.

Erica Popplewell, River Action’s Head of Communities, warned: “If this stretch of the Thames were an official bathing site, it would be graded ‘poor.’ The government’s own advice for such water is ‘do not swim.’ So we strongly suggest that the winning team on Sunday think twice before throwing their cox in the Thames.”

River Action is calling for Thames Water to be placed under Special Administration, accusing the utility of profiting from pollution and failing to invest in its infrastructure despite record executive bonuses and mounting public outcry.

As the Boat Race draws global attention once more to the Thames, the event is fast becoming a symbol of the broader fight for clean rivers and environmental accountability in the UK.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/04/10/river-action-raises-alarm-over-thames-pollution-ahead-of-boat-race/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/04/10/river-action-raises-alarm-over-thames-pollution-ahead-of-boat-race/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=River%20Action%20raises%20alarm%20over%20Thames%20pollution%20ahead%20of%20Boat%20Race&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/04/10/river-action-raises-alarm-over-thames-pollution-ahead-of-boat-race/)

**Categories:** Boat Race, Health

**Tags:** River Action, River Thames, Sir Steve Redgrave, The Boat Race

---

### [Donna’s Place celebrates 39 years of Boat Race Day tradition on the Putney riverside](https://putney.news/2025/04/12/donnas-place-celebrates-39-years-of-boat-race-day-tradition-on-the-putney-riverside/)

**Published:** April 12, 2025
**Author:** Social Butterfly

**Excerpt:** Serving burgers, coffee, and community spirit at the Boat Race since 1986.

**Content:**

As the annual Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race brings crowds to Putney’s waterfront, one local fixture is marking nearly four decades of riverside tradition. Donna of Donna’s Place has served coffee, burgers, and warm smiles on the riverbank for 39 Boat Races—and counting.

Her very first race-day service was in 1986. “I know because my daughter turns 40 this year and I was pregnant with her at the time,” Donna told Putney.news. “This is our 39th Boat Race.”

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_1477-1024x768.jpeg)The family-run stall hasn’t been without its challenges. When they were briefly removed from their riverside pitch, Donna remembers the strong local support that helped them return. “We were off the river for eight months,” she said. “But I have to say, Wandsworth Council were very supportive in the end. You know, people always say the council’s a load of rubbish—but sometimes, they’re not.”

Donna’s Place is more than just a food stand. It’s a hub for the community. “We do a lot of fundraising—during COVID, Ukraine, all sorts. Our customers are super generous,” she said. The stall also offers work to young people in the local theatre scene. “They’re out-of-work actors—kids who used to live with me when I worked on Billy Elliot the Musical. If they need weekend work, they come here.”

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_1484-1-1024x768.jpeg)As for advice to visitors coming to the race? “Just enjoy the day—it’ll be busy, but that’s part of the fun.”

After 39 years, Donna’s Place is still going strong—serving more than just coffee and burgers, but also memories, connection, and a proud slice of Putney tradition.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/04/12/donnas-place-celebrates-39-years-of-boat-race-day-tradition-on-the-putney-riverside/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/04/12/donnas-place-celebrates-39-years-of-boat-race-day-tradition-on-the-putney-riverside/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Donna%E2%80%99s%20Place%20celebrates%2039%20years%20of%20Boat%20Race%20Day%20tradition%20on%20the%20Putney%20riverside&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/04/12/donnas-place-celebrates-39-years-of-boat-race-day-tradition-on-the-putney-riverside/)

**Categories:** Boat Race, Community, Food &amp; Drink

**Tags:** Donna’s Place, The Boat Race

---

### [Putney’s Boat Race Day 2025 – A riverside festival of rowing, community and local pride](https://putney.news/2025/04/12/putneys-boat-race-day-2025-a-riverside-festival-of-rowing-community-and-local-pride/)

**Published:** April 12, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Putney gears up for a festive day of rowing, riverside fun, and local pride.

**Content:**

As the sun rises over the Thames on **Sunday, April 13**, Putney will once again step into the spotlight as the spiritual home of the Boat Race. The annual event draws thousands to the riverside, but for locals, it’s much more than just a race – it’s a day of tradition, celebration, and a showcase of everything that makes Putney great.

##### **A Day to Celebrate Putney’s Heritage**

From the moment the crews begin warming up on the water, the energy in Putney shifts. It’s a day when the whole community comes alive – pubs overflow with patrons, cafés serve early breakfasts to bleary-eyed fans, and the streets buzz with anticipation.

Putney has hosted the start of the Boat Race since 1845, and locals take great pride in this long-standing tradition. This year, the event is part of **Wandsworth’s Borough of Culture 2025**, adding an extra layer of civic pride and cultural vibrancy to the proceedings.

##### **Where the Party Starts: Church Square and the Embankment**

The heart of the celebration (if not the actual race) lies in **Church Square**, which will host:

- **Live music** from Riverside Radio
- **Food stalls** from local traders
- **Pop-up bars and craft beer**
- **Street entertainment and giveaways**

The festivities run from **midday to 5 PM**, with family-friendly attractions and plenty of riverside seating for those looking to soak in the atmosphere.

Along the Embankment, local favourites like **The Boathouse**, **Coppa Club**, and **Rocket** will offer prime views and refreshments. Many venues open early and stay busy all day, so booking ahead is strongly advised.

##### **Great spots to catch the start**

- **Tequila Mockingbird** – Known for its cocktails and rooftop views
- **Putney Pies** – Offering hearty British fare just a stone’s throw from the water
- **The Duke’s Head** – Official race partner with outdoor bars and live music
- **Thames Rowing Club** – A historic viewing point that brings you close to the action

##### **After the Race – Where to Keep the Fun Going**

The party doesn’t stop after the winners cross the finish line.

- **The Duke’s Head** will be buzzing all afternoon with riverside BBQs, live music, and a pop-up gin bar.
- **Half Moon Putney** kicks off with DJs from 2 PM and live music throughout the night – a perfect spot for post-race dancing.
- **Le Fez** hosts the **official afterparty** from 10 PM with free entry until midnight and special student deals.

##### **A Boost for Local Business and Community Spirit**

Race Day is one of the most important days of the year for Putney businesses. Footfall surges and local shops, bars, and restaurants see a welcome boost in trade. For some, it’s the busiest day of the year.

More importantly, the event strengthens community ties. From church groups offering tea to rowing clubs giving behind-the-scenes tours, the day brings together residents, students, and tourists in a shared celebration.

Local residents often bring out their own deck chairs and radios, making it a social event even for those not in a pub. For newcomers and long-time locals alike, it’s a reminder that **Putney is more than just a place to watch the race – it’s where the story begins**.

##### **Make the Most of It**

If you’re heading down, dress for all weather, bring cash for food stalls, and arrive early to get a good spot. Public transport is highly recommended, as parking will be limited and road closures will be in effect.

Whether you’re a rowing fanatic, a first-time visitor, or just looking for a great day out, Putney’s Boat Race Day is one of the most vibrant and joyous events of the year. It’s about tradition, yes – but it’s also about community, celebration, and fun. Don’t miss your chance to be part of it.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/04/12/putneys-boat-race-day-2025-a-riverside-festival-of-rowing-community-and-local-pride/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/04/12/putneys-boat-race-day-2025-a-riverside-festival-of-rowing-community-and-local-pride/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20Boat%20Race%20Day%202025%20%E2%80%93%20A%20riverside%20festival%20of%20rowing%2C%20community%20and%20local%20pride&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/04/12/putneys-boat-race-day-2025-a-riverside-festival-of-rowing-community-and-local-pride/)

**Categories:** Boat Race, News

**Tags:** Boat Race 2025, Community celebration, Coppa Club, Le fez, Local business, Putney, Putney Pies, Riverside events, Riverside Radio, Rocket, Tequila Mockingbird, Thames Rowing Club, The Boathouse, The Duke's Head, The Half Moon

---

### [Boat Race crews to be announced at Battersea Power Station](https://putney.news/2025/03/03/boat-race-crews-to-be-announced-at-battersea-power-station/)

**Published:** March 3, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** The crews of the men's and women's Boat Race will get a star-studded launch event late this month

**Content:**

Crew members for the 2025 Boat Race will be announced at a public event at Battersea Power Station on 26 March.

More than 150 rowers have put themselves forward for the honour of competing in the prestigious event that starts in Putney and ends just over four miles later.

Only 36 people will be selected however. And it will be at a public event with guests that include previous race competitors, Olympians and VIPs. The event will be open to the public and you are encouraged to join in by sporting either light blue (Cambridge) or dark blue (Oxford) colours.

It will take place in Turbine Hall B inside Battersea Power Station at 5.45pm and will be introduced by Andrew Cotter (BBC Sport commentator) and Siobhan Cassidy (Chair of The Boat Race Company). The selected Men’s and Women’s crews will be announced on stage, with Cotter interviewing the head coaches as they prepare for Race Day. The event will run until 8.30pm.

##### **This year’s race**

The [race itself](https://www.theboatrace.org/) will take place on Sunday 13th April this year with the Women’s Race starting at 13:21 and the Men’s Race at 14:21.

Last year, Cambridge University won both the Men’s and Women’s Races, leaving the overall records as 87-81 in the favour of Cambridge Men’s and 48-30 in the favour of Cambridge Women’s.

Every year, around 250,000 spectators descend on Putney to watch the race on the banks of the Thames, making it by far the biggest date of the year for local businesses: Putney’s pubs have already started to take bookings.

##### **Why we love the Boat Race**

Not only is the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race rich in history and tradition – it was first held in 1829, making it nearly 200 years old – but it reflects one of the fiercest rivalries in sport, even more than Fulham versus Chelsea football. And it has had its fair share of drama over the years.

The event has continued despite wars, massive social changes and huge global events. It’s a tie-back to our own history at an important moment. It’s also a really hard race, in terms of physical endurance – the waters are rough and unpredictable – strategy – the fact it is not a straight line but has a huge bend means that getting the right line is crucial – and, of course, it is usually very close, making it exciting to watch and follow.

Plus the weather is usually lovely and we get to go out and have a good time among the crowds. See you there!

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/03/03/boat-race-crews-to-be-announced-at-battersea-power-station/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/03/03/boat-race-crews-to-be-announced-at-battersea-power-station/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Boat%20Race%20crews%20to%20be%20announced%20at%20Battersea%20Power%20Station&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/03/03/boat-race-crews-to-be-announced-at-battersea-power-station/)

**Categories:** Boat Race, Live events, Sport

**Tags:** Battersea Power Station, Boat Race

---

### [Boat Race crews announced amid eligibility controversy](https://putney.news/2025/03/27/boat-race-crews-announced-amid-eligibility-controversy/)

**Published:** March 27, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Crew announcements for the 2025 Boat Race fuel tensions ahead of the historic showdown on the Thames.

**Content:**

The official crew [announcements](https://cubc.org.uk/2025/03/26/cambridge-blue-boats-announced-the-boat-race-2025/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) for the 2025 Boat Race between Cambridge and Oxford [were made last night](https://putney.news/2025/03/03/boat-race-crews-to-be-announced-at-battersea-power-station/ "Boat Race crews to be announced at Battersea Power Station") at London’s Battersea Power Station. The event, a prelude to the historic race scheduled for April 13, was overshadowed by recent disputes over rower eligibility.

**Cambridge Men’s Crew:**

- Cox: Ollie Boyne
- Stroke: Douwe de Graaf
- Luca Ferraro
- James Robson
- George Bourne
- Gabriel Mahler
- Tom Macky
- Noam Mouelle
- Bow: Simon Hatcher

**Cambridge Women’s Crew:**

- Cox: Jack Nicholas
- Stroke: Samantha Morton Van Eybergen
- Natasha Morrice
- Claire Collins
- Carys Earl
- Annie Wertheimer
- Sophia Hahn
- Gemma King
- Bow: Katy Hempson

Notably, both crews feature a mix of returning athletes and new talent, reflecting the depth and resilience of Cambridge’s rowing program.

**Oxford Men’s Crew:**

- Cox: Tobias Bernard
- Stroke: Nico Kohl
- Nick Rusher
- Tom Mackintosh
- Tass von Mueller
- James Doran
- Felix Rawlinson
- Will O’Connell
- Bow: Tom Sharrock

**Oxford Women’s Crew:**

- Cox: Daniel Orton
- Stroke: Heidi Long
- Kyra Delray
- Annie Anezakis
- Sarah Marshall
- Alexia Lowe
- Tessa Haining
- Lilli Freischem
- Bow: Sarah Polson

The Oxford crews also showcase a blend of experience and fresh talent, aiming to reclaim dominance in this year’s races.

##### Eligibility Dispute

The lead-up to the crew announcements was [marred by controversy](https://putney.news/2025/03/20/has-cambridge-been-caught-cheating-in-the-boat-race-controversy-reigns-over-rower-eligibility/ "Has Cambridge been caught cheating in the Boat Race? Controversy reigns over rower eligibility"). Three Cambridge rowers—[Matt Heywood](https://www.instagram.com/p/DHUJcmTNxhA/?img_index=1), Molly Foxell, and cox Kate Crowley—were declared ineligible due to their enrollment in the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) program. Oxford University Boat Club (OUBC) contested their eligibility, arguing that the PGCE is a diploma rather than a degree, a stance upheld by an independent arbitration panel.

This decision has sparked debate within the rowing community. Imogen Grant, an Olympic gold medalist and former Cambridge rower, criticized the move as an “insult to teachers everywhere” and labeled it a “desperate ploy” by Oxford. Cath Bishop, another Cambridge alumna and Olympic silver medalist, described the situation as “a new low in relations between Oxford and Cambridge boat clubs.”

In response, the Boat Race Company emphasized adherence to the independent panel’s ruling and urged both clubs to focus on the upcoming races.

##### Looking Ahead

Despite the off-water disputes, both Cambridge and Oxford are channeling their efforts toward the races on April 13. The women’s race is set to commence at 1:21 PM, followed by the men’s race at 2:21 PM. The event will be broadcast live on BBC One, allowing rowing enthusiasts worldwide to witness this enduring rivalry.

As the date approaches, the rowing community anticipates a thrilling competition, hopeful that the focus will return to the athletes’ prowess and the historic significance of the Boat Race.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/03/27/boat-race-crews-announced-amid-eligibility-controversy/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/03/27/boat-race-crews-announced-amid-eligibility-controversy/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Boat%20Race%20crews%20announced%20amid%20eligibility%20controversy&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/03/27/boat-race-crews-announced-amid-eligibility-controversy/)

**Categories:** Boat Race, Rowing

**Tags:** The Boat Race

---

### [Cambridge clinches third consecutive double victory at Boat Race](https://putney.news/2025/04/14/cambridge-clinches-third-consecutive-double-victory-at-boat-race/)

**Published:** April 14, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Cambridge triumphs in both men’s and women’s races amid drama, delays, and a rower eligibility row on a sunny day in Putney.

**Content:**

Cambridge University asserted its dominance once again at the [2025 Boat Race](https://putney.news/2025/04/12/the-boat-race-2025-all-you-need-to-know-about-this-historic-event/ "The Boat Race 2025 – all you need to know about this historic event"), securing victories in both the men’s and women’s events for the third consecutive year.

The day was marked by intense competition, an [eligibility controversy](https://putney.news/2025/03/20/has-cambridge-been-caught-cheating-in-the-boat-race-controversy-reigns-over-rower-eligibility/ "Has Cambridge been caught cheating in the Boat Race? Controversy reigns over rower eligibility"), and heartfelt moments that resonated with spectators and participants alike.

##### Women’s Race: A Restart and a Record

The women’s race commenced with unexpected drama. An aggressive maneuver by Oxford’s cox led to a clash of oars, prompting umpire Matthew Pinsent to halt the race—the first such restart since 2012. Cambridge was granted a third-of-a-length advantage upon restart and capitalized on it, finishing with a time of 19 minutes and 24 seconds, beating Oxford by 7.72 seconds. This victory marked Cambridge’s eighth consecutive win in the women’s event .

##### Men’s Race: Navigating Obstacles to Triumph

The men’s race faced a ten-minute delay due to debris—a plank of wood—in the River Thames. Once underway, Cambridge quickly established a lead, maintaining and extending it to finish 16 seconds ahead of Oxford with a time of 16 minutes and 56 seconds. This win marked Cambridge’s sixth victory in the last seven men’s races .

##### Eligibility Controversy Casts a Shadow

The event was not without controversy. In the weeks leading up to the race, four Cambridge rowers were [barred](https://putney.news/2025/03/27/boat-race-crews-announced-amid-eligibility-controversy/ "Boat Race crews announced amid eligibility controversy") from competing due to eligibility disputes raised by Oxford, concerning the academic credentials of the athletes. Despite the setback, Cambridge’s crews used the controversy as motivation to deliver stellar performances .

##### Emotional Moments and Social Media Highlights

The races elicited strong emotions, notably from BBC commentator and former Cambridge rower Sebastian Benzecry, who was moved to tears on-air, describing the men’s race as “the most incredible row I’ve seen in a Boat Race.”

Social media buzzed with reactions:

- @RowingFanatic: “Cambridge’s performance today was nothing short of legendary. #BoatRace2025”
- @ThamesWatcher: “From debris delays to dramatic restarts, this year’s Boat Race had it all!”

##### Celebrations Along the Thames

The Putney embankment was [alive with festivities](https://putney.news/2025/04/12/putneys-boat-race-day-2025-a-riverside-festival-of-rowing-community-and-local-pride/ "Putney’s Boat Race Day 2025 – A riverside festival of rowing, community and local pride"). The Half Moon pub hosted live music and DJ sets, providing a vibrant backdrop to the day’s events. Attendees enjoyed the sunny weather, with many sharing their experiences online, capturing the communal spirit that the Boat Race fosters annually.

As the sun set over the Thames, Cambridge’s crews celebrated their hard-earned victories, adding another chapter to their storied legacy in this prestigious competition.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/04/14/cambridge-clinches-third-consecutive-double-victory-at-boat-race/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/04/14/cambridge-clinches-third-consecutive-double-victory-at-boat-race/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Cambridge%20clinches%20third%20consecutive%20double%20victory%20at%20Boat%20Race&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/04/14/cambridge-clinches-third-consecutive-double-victory-at-boat-race/)

**Categories:** Boat Race, Live events, Rowing

**Tags:** Boat Race 2025, Oxford vs Cambridge

---

### [The Boat Race 2025 – all you need to know about this historic event](https://putney.news/2025/04/12/the-boat-race-2025-all-you-need-to-know-about-this-historic-event/)

**Published:** April 12, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Historic university rowing clash returns to the Thames this Sunday with global coverage.

**Content:**

The legendary Oxford vs Cambridge Boat Race returns to the River Thames on **Sunday, April 13, 2025**, bringing with it nearly two centuries of rivalry, pageantry, and sporting tradition.

This year marks the **170th Men’s Boat Race** and the **79th Women’s Boat Race**, continuing a legacy that began in 1829. Thousands are expected to line the riverbanks for one of the most celebrated events in the British sporting calendar.

##### **Event Overview**

The Boat Race is contested over the **Championship Course**, a 4.25-mile (6.8 km) stretch of the Thames between Putney and Mortlake. Known for its challenging bends and tidal conditions, the course tests strength, endurance, and strategic prowess.

- **Women’s Race:** 1:21 PM
- **Men’s Race:** 2:21 PM

The women’s race has taken place on the Tideway since 2015 and now commands equal billing with the men’s event. Both races will begin near Putney Bridge and conclude at Chiswick Bridge.

This year, Cambridge seeks to maintain its historical lead, with **87 wins in the men’s race** and **48 in the women’s**, compared to Oxford’s **81 and 30** respectively.

##### **Watch Live or In Person**

**Television & Online**

- **BBC One:** Live coverage begins at 12:20 PM
- **BBC iPlayer and the Boat Race YouTube Channel:** For online streaming

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/boat-race-putney-map.webp)**On the Riverbanks**

Putney offers one of the best race day atmospheres. Spectators typically arrive early to claim a good viewing spot at:

- **Putney Embankment** (start line)
- **Hammersmith Bridge**
- **Barnes Bridge**
- **Chiswick Pier** (near the finish line)

Note: Road closures will be in place along the river from **8:30 AM to 5:00 PM** to accommodate crowds and ensure safety.

##### **Crews and Controversy**

Both crews are made up of [elite university athletes](https://putney.news/2025/03/27/boat-race-crews-announced-amid-eligibility-controversy/ "Boat Race crews announced amid eligibility controversy"), often with Olympic or international rowing experience. But this year, a selection controversy sparked headlines when **[three Cambridge rowers were ruled ineligible](https://putney.news/2025/03/20/has-cambridge-been-caught-cheating-in-the-boat-race-controversy-reigns-over-rower-eligibility/ "Has Cambridge been caught cheating in the Boat Race? Controversy reigns over rower eligibility")** due to the classification of their PGCE teaching courses, following a challenge from Oxford. The row has raised questions about eligibility rules and academic criteria, but Cambridge will race on with a strong and restructured lineup.

The odds remain close, with Cambridge slightly favoured in the women’s race, while the men’s race is considered too close to call.

##### **Safety and Environmental Concerns**

Not all the headlines have been celebratory. In the run-up to the event, environmental charity **River Action** and the **Fulham Reach Boat Club** [raised the alarm](https://putney.news/2025/04/10/river-action-raises-alarm-over-thames-pollution-ahead-of-boat-race/ "River Action raises alarm over Thames pollution ahead of Boat Race") over **high levels of E. coli** found in the Thames. The pollution, linked to storm overflows and sewage discharge, has prompted concerns about the health of athletes and spectators. The traditional tossing of the winning cox into the river has been **officially discouraged** this year due to water quality concerns.

Organisers say safety precautions are in place, but the issue has highlighted the urgent need for environmental action on the Thames and beyond.

##### **Final Thoughts**

Whether you’re cheering for Oxford or Cambridge, watching from the riverbank or from home, the 2025 Boat Race is a showcase of elite sport, fierce tradition, and London’s enduring relationship with the River Thames. It’s a story that transcends rowing – of rivalry, resilience, and the thrill of competition. Don’t miss it.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/04/12/the-boat-race-2025-all-you-need-to-know-about-this-historic-event/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/04/12/the-boat-race-2025-all-you-need-to-know-about-this-historic-event/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Boat%20Race%202025%20%E2%80%93%20all%20you%20need%20to%20know%20about%20this%20historic%20event&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/04/12/the-boat-race-2025-all-you-need-to-know-about-this-historic-event/)

**Categories:** Boat Race, Community, Rowing

**Tags:** BBC coverage, Boat Race 2025, Oxford vs Cambridge, River Thames, Rowing

---

### [Putney pier saga takes a new turn - and the river closes next week](https://putney.news/2026/03/02/putney-pier-saga-takes-a-new-turn-and-the-river-closes-next-week/)

**Published:** March 2, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** A survey vessel is heading to the exact spot government scientists said needed testing.

**Content:**

Next week, one of Putney Bridge’s arches will close while a survey vessel takes fresh riverbed samples nearby. It may look like routine Port of London Authority (PLA) activity but is in fact a harbinger of greater things to come.

The location is the site of the proposed new Putney Pier and comes following a government requirement that has been blocking the application. Last December, scientists at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) told the Marine Management Organisation that Thames Clippers’ sediment data dates from 2010, fifteen years old and far beyond the three-to-five-year limit set by international guidelines. No dredging, they said, until fresh samples are taken and the environmental assessment redone.

The new pier cannot be built without dredging. And [as we reported in January](https://putney.news/2026/01/17/environment-agency-objects-to-new-putney-pier-over-flood-defence-concerns/), the Environment Agency has raised a separate objection over flood defence concerns at the same site. Now a survey vessel is heading to the spot.

> [Environment Agency objects to new Putney pier over flood defence concerns](https://putney.news/2026/01/17/environment-agency-objects-to-new-putney-pier-over-flood-defence-concerns/)

The [survey](https://pla.co.uk/notices/U5-26) takes place on 10 March, during daylight on a flood tide, and is expected to take one day. A vessel called Costal Surveyor will carry out the sampling. While it proceeds, the closed arch will be marked with three red discs during the day and three red lights at night, arranged in a downward-pointing triangle. Mariners wishing to pass through should use other arches. London VTS will broadcast further details on VHF Channel 14.

It means the pier application remains live and moving. The sediment survey is one of several conditions that must be satisfied before the Marine Management Organisation can grant Thames Clipper the marine licence it [applied for late last year](https://putney.news/2025/12/29/controversial-new-putney-pier-enters-final-approval-stage/) having already received planning permission (somewhat controversially) from Wandsworth Council in 2023. The process has been moving through objections and consultations since.

> [Controversial new Putney pier enters final approval stage](https://putney.news/2025/12/29/controversial-new-putney-pier-enters-final-approval-stage/)

The PLA has also [confirmed](https://pla.co.uk/notices/U6-26) the 2026 Boat Race date, though a fuller notice will follow closer to the event. The CHANEL J12 Boat Race takes place on Saturday 4 April, with the river closing from Wandsworth Bridge to Kew Railway Bridge between 09:30 and 16:30. For those near the start at Putney, practice starts on Thursday 2 April close a shorter stretch (from Fulham Rail Bridge down to the lower end of Ranelagh Sailing Club’s moorings at the Putney hard) between 08:45 and 15:00.

Both dates are now confirmed for anyone who rows, kayaks, commutes by river, or plans to watch from the bank.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/02/putney-pier-saga-takes-a-new-turn-and-the-river-closes-next-week/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/02/putney-pier-saga-takes-a-new-turn-and-the-river-closes-next-week/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20pier%20saga%20takes%20a%20new%20turn%20%E2%80%93%20and%20the%20river%20closes%20next%20week&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/02/putney-pier-saga-takes-a-new-turn-and-the-river-closes-next-week/)

**Categories:** Environment, Rowing, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Boat Race, Environment Agency, planning, Putney Bridge, Putney embankment, River Thames, Rowing, Thames Clippers

---

### [Wandsworth kept its police counter. The rest of London wasn't so lucky](https://putney.news/2026/03/01/wandsworth-kept-its-police-counter-the-rest-of-london-wasnt-so-lucky/)

**Published:** March 1, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** New hours confirmed from Tuesday as four other boroughs lose their counters for good.

**Content:**

Wandsworth’s last police counter will stay open. After seven months of uncertainty, a threat of full closure, and a [December cliffhanger when the Met wouldn’t say whether its own promise still stood](https://putney.news/2025/12/21/met-wont-say-if-wandsworth-police-station-will-close/), Superintendent Gani Rajan wrote to residents late Friday to confirm it: Lavender Hill is staying.

The relief comes with a catch. The station has been open around the clock. From Tuesday 3 March, it won’t be. New hours are Monday to Friday 10am to 10pm, and Saturday to Sunday 9am to 7pm. Fourteen hours gone from weekdays, five from weekends.

Rajan doesn’t pretend otherwise. “Since 2012, reports made at front counters have dropped by 60%,” he wrote.

> “At some of the quieter locations, we’re seeing fewer than three reports a day. Overnight, only one in every 2,000 crimes is reported at a front counter.”

The Met faces a £260 million funding shortfall. Closing counters saves £7 million a year. These are the numbers behind what is happening across London tonight.

> [Met won’t say if Wandsworth police station will close](https://putney.news/2025/12/21/met-wont-say-if-wandsworth-police-station-will-close/)

Because while Wandsworth held on, much of London didn’t. Yesterday, Saturday 28 February, the front counters at Twickenham, Harrow, Pinner and Wimbledon closed permanently. Richmond Council launched legal action against the Met in December over the Twickenham closure, arguing residents weren’t consulted and alternatives weren’t explored. That case is still live.

This is the shift the Met is trying to persuade London to accept: that the front counter as an institution belongs to a different era of policing, that officers freed from desk duties are more use on the street, that a yellow phone on an exterior wall and a website address are adequate substitutes. Some residents will agree. Others will remember that Wandsworth lost its last local police stations years ago, that the promises made then about alternative access points didn’t all materialise, and that each reduction in physical presence has been framed as a modernisation rather than a retreat.

Community pressure is why the counter survived at all. Rajan led multiple focus sessions after Lavender Hill was initially earmarked for full closure, a story [we first reported in July 2025](https://putney.news/2025/07/19/you-cant-walk-into-a-police-station-in-wandsworth-anymore/). “The feedback that you as a community provided was pivotal in us being able to maintain a service,” he wrote on Friday night. [The October announcement that the counter would stay](https://putney.news/2025/10/19/met-chief-confirms-wandsworths-last-police-counter-will-remain-open/) came after those sessions. Then December brought fresh doubt: the Met’s estate strategy made no mention of the station. Tonight’s email is the resolution.

It’s a partial win in a long decline. The station stays open. The hours shrink. Across London, the pattern continues.

> [You can’t walk into a police station in Wandsworth anymore](https://putney.news/2025/07/19/you-cant-walk-into-a-police-station-in-wandsworth-anymore/)

#### If the counter is closed when you need it

Outside the new hours, a yellow phone outside the station connects to police services. Non-emergencies can be reported by calling 101, online at met.police.uk, or by texting 18000 for those with hearing or speech impairments. In an emergency, call 999. To report anonymously, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org.

The nearest 24-hour counters are Charing Cross Police Station (2 Agar Street, WC2N 4JP) and Lewisham Police Station (43 Lewisham High Street, SE13 5JZ).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/01/wandsworth-kept-its-police-counter-the-rest-of-london-wasnt-so-lucky/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/01/wandsworth-kept-its-police-counter-the-rest-of-london-wasnt-so-lucky/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20kept%20its%20police%20counter.%20The%20rest%20of%20London%20wasn%E2%80%99t%20so%20lucky&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/01/wandsworth-kept-its-police-counter-the-rest-of-london-wasnt-so-lucky/)

**Categories:** Crime

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, public safety, Richmond Council, Wandsworth

---

### [You've spoken, Putney: here are your high street heroes](https://putney.news/2026/02/28/youve-spoken-putney-here-are-your-high-street-heroes/)

**Published:** February 28, 2026
**Author:** The Editor

**Excerpt:** Dugard and Daughters wins the reader poll, a winner claims the Percy Pig prize, and we're going to visit the top five.

**Content:**

Ninety-one of you entered our Percy Pig M&S Tote bag competition. One question: name one local business on Putney High Street that deserves more recognition. What came back was a love letter to independent Putney – and a clear winner.

#### The winner

![Peppa Pig Putney High Street tote bag](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/marks-spencer-opening-day-25feb26-16-768x1024.png)

Congratulations to **Kirsten Ireland**, whose entry has been selected as our random winner. Kirsten nominated Dugard and Daughters: the very same butcher that topped our reader poll. Your Percy Pig M&S Tote is on its way. We’ll be in touch by email.

#### What Putney chose

The response was striking: not for how it was spread, but for how concentrated it was. From 91 entries, readers named **33 different businesses** across Putney High Street. But affection pooled rapidly at the top.

**The Top 5:**

BusinessVotesDugard and Daughters15Octagreen12Panda’s Pantry10Morrows6M&S (Marks and Spencer’s)5**Dugard and Daughters** won by a clear margin. The family butcher on Putney High Street collected 15 nominations – the strongest single endorsement of the competition. If you haven’t read our interview with Neil Dugard from last October, it’s well worth your time: he talked with remarkable candour about the challenge of winning over a neighbourhood that had forgotten what a proper butcher looked like, and what it takes to rebuild that trust one joint at a time. [Read it here.](https://putney.news/2025/10/04/one-year-in-the-family-butcher-teaching-putney-to-trust-quality-over-price/)

> [One year in: the family butcher teaching Putney to trust quality over price](https://putney.news/2025/10/04/one-year-in-the-family-butcher-teaching-putney-to-trust-quality-over-price/)

**Octagreen** was second with 12 votes, a striking result for a shop that opened relatively recently. Readers called it “always friendly and lovely.” Watch this space.

**Panda’s Pantry** came third with 10 votes. If you haven’t been, several readers would like a word with you.

**Morrows** collected six votes, which feels entirely right for an accessories shop that has become something of a community anchor. Regular readers will know that Morrows has had a difficult few years; the crowdfunder they launched last summer tells that story better than we can. [That piece is here.](https://putney.news/2025/07/24/morrows-fights-for-survival-with-bold-165000-crowdfunder/)

> [Morrows fights for survival with bold £165,000 crowdfunder](https://putney.news/2025/07/24/morrows-fights-for-survival-with-bold-165000-crowdfunder/)

**M&S** rounding out the top five is – given that we launched this competition on the day the store opened – perhaps the most Putney outcome imaginable. It’s departure nearly eight years ago left a giant hole in the High Street that now feels filled in.

#### Rounding out the Top Ten

The Source / The Source Bulk Foods4Blabar Nordic Living3Boots2Royal Trinity Hospice2Superdrug2#### Also named (one vote each)

Beyond the top five, readers named a further **25 individual businesses**, each receiving a single nomination. They are: British Heart Foundation Charity Shop, Casa Manolo, Cobblers of Putney, Gazette, Ground Coffee Society, Jaki, Laurie House, The Massage Company, Mind Charity Shop, Monies, NatWest Bank, No 1 Currency, Oliver Bonas, Phoenix Yoga, Putney Library, The Railway, Sushi at Waitrose, Sweet Tooth Café, The Florist by Putney Station, Timpson, Tiny Feet, TK Maxx, Toni & Guy, and Waterstones.

#### What we’re going to do next

This competition was, in part, a piece of research. You told us clearly which businesses matter to you most, the ones that feel like part of the fabric of the high street, not just occupants of it.

We’re going to go and talk to them. The top businesses in this poll will each get a visit from *Putney.news*: a proper conversation about what they do, why they do it, and what they need from the community to keep doing it. Dugard and Daughters, Octagreen, Panda’s Pantry, Morrows: you’re at the top of the list.

This is what local journalism looks like when it works. You tell us who matters. We go and listen to them. Then we tell their stories. Thank you for entering and thank you for caring enough to answer the question.

---

*Correction: In an earlier version, we managed to miss those shops that got more than one vote but weren’t in the Top Five. Thanks to Susan for pointing out that her (and three other people’s!) votes hadn’t been included with The Source. She says of The Source: “I love the fact you can buy small quantities, staff always helpful and they are helping environment.”*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/28/youve-spoken-putney-here-are-your-high-street-heroes/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/28/youve-spoken-putney-here-are-your-high-street-heroes/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=You%E2%80%99ve%20spoken%2C%20Putney%3A%20here%20are%20your%20high%20street%20heroes&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/28/youve-spoken-putney-here-are-your-high-street-heroes/)

**Categories:** Business

**Tags:** competition, Dugard and Daughters, M&amp;S Putney, Morrows, Percy Pig, Putney High Street

---

### [Wandsworth: top of the class on special needs, bottom line in crisis](https://putney.news/2026/03/01/wandsworth-top-of-the-class-on-special-needs-bottom-line-in-crisis/)

**Published:** March 1, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** 100% compliance, £21m shortfall. Why passing the test isn't enough.

**Content:**

Wandsworth issued every single one of its education support plans on time last year. Across England, fewer than half of councils managed that. And Wandsworth still has a £21 million hole in its special needs budget.

That is the paradox sitting at the centre of this week’s £4 billion government overhaul of special needs education. The white paper, published on Monday, identifies the 20-week deadline as the critical test of whether a council is meeting its legal duties. Wandsworth passed it with a 100% score in 2024 (404 plans, all on time) against a national average of 46.4%. Passing the test has not fixed the money.

The plans in question are Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), the legally binding documents that set out what extra help a child with significant needs must receive. Getting one issued within 20 weeks is a legal requirement. Most councils are failing it. Five years ago, Wandsworth was failing it too, at 46% in 2019. Something changed around 2021 and the borough has been near the top of the national table since.

YearWandsworthEngland201945.4%60.4%202046.4%58.0%202185.5%59.9%202279.2%49.2%202399.7%50.3%2024**100%****46.4%***Plans issued within 20 weeks. Source: Department for Education.*

#### Why the budget is still broken

The problem is not how fast plans are issued. It is how many children need them, and how much their support costs.

Wandsworth has 27% more children with formal support plans per head of population than comparable boroughs. More plans mean more specialist school places, more therapists, more costs. Wandsworth receives the fourth highest level of special needs funding per pupil in England, at £2,675 per pupil. Only Camden, Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea get more. It is still not enough. When Bradstow School closed, each of its placements had been costing around £300,000 a year. The council had to find those children places elsewhere at similar cost.

The result: a [special needs budget shortfall](https://putney.news/2025/05/12/wandsworth-schools-face-21m-black-hole-as-crisis-talks-loom/) of around £21 million, roughly triple what it was three years ago. A Schools Forum paper last December said the budget “remains of concern and a challenge.” Next year’s budget has not been set. That decision has been pushed to 16 March.

> [Wandsworth schools face £21m black hole as crisis talks loom](https://putney.news/2025/05/12/wandsworth-schools-face-21m-black-hole-as-crisis-talks-loom/)

#### What the white paper does (and doesn’t do)

Pre-publication media reports suggested education support plans were being restricted or abolished. They are not. EHCPs are being kept, for children who need more intensive support than mainstream schools can routinely provide.

What the white paper actually introduces is a new, lighter-touch plan for the children who currently have nothing. More than 70% of children with additional needs, over a million in England, have no legal entitlement to support at all. The new Individual Support Plan (ISP) would give them one.

The transition for children currently on EHCPs in mainstream schools will not begin until 2030, and then only as children naturally move between year groups. No child at a special school loses their place. The government is calling this a “triple lock” of protection.

The funding package comes to £1.6 billion over three years paid directly to schools, plus £1.8 billion for a new service to bring therapists and educational psychologists into every local area.

#### What Wandsworth has already been doing

Two years ago Wandsworth launched a programme to do exactly what the white paper now wants all councils to do: catch children early, before they need a formal plan. The Enhanced Transition Project supports children with additional needs through the move from primary to secondary school. Of the first group of pupils, every child stayed at classroom support level without escalating to a full education support plan. Requests for formal assessments from Year 6 children have fallen since the programme launched. The council’s own figures show Wandsworth is now in the bottom quarter nationally for how fast its support plan numbers are growing.

The programme saves an estimated £120,000 a year. The deficit is £21 million.

#### What today’s announcement doesn’t fix

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the SEND system “designed ten years ago for a small number of children is now broken.” The government’s answer is a decade-long reform programme. For Wandsworth, the problem lands in three weeks.

The council still needs to set its special needs budget for the coming year. The deficit is real and the money to close it has not been found. The new ISP system could eventually reduce demand for expensive formal plans, but that transition does not begin until 2030. The March Schools Forum meeting will have to decide what to do in the meantime.

#### What you can do

The Schools Forum meeting on 16 March is open to the public. It will set Wandsworth’s special needs budget for the year ahead. It takes place at Wandsworth Town Hall, Wandsworth High Street. The agenda is published at democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk approximately one week before.

The government’s 12-week consultation on the reform proposals, “[SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First](https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first),” is now open at gov.uk.

Families seeking support navigating the current system can contact WIASS (Wandsworth Information, Advice and Support Service) at [wiass.org.uk](https://wiass.org.uk/) or call 020 8871 8061. To request a formal needs assessment, contact .

**Accountability Statement**

**We contacted:** Cabinet Member for Children (cc Wandsworth Council Press Office)

**Request sent:** **23 February**

---

**Cllr Judi Gasser**

*Cabinet member for Children*

**Status:** *No response received.*

Questions asked (click to expand)
*DfE data shows Wandsworth issued 100% of its education support plans within the 20-week legal deadline in 2024: well above the national average of 46.4%. Does the council welcome the white paper’s compliance framework, given Wandsworth already meets the standard?*

*Wandsworth meets the compliance test but still carries a roughly £21 million shortfall in its special needs budget. Does the council believe today’s white paper addresses the structural financial pressures it faces – or is meeting deadlines only part of the picture?*

*The High Needs budget for 2026-27 has not yet been set, with the decision deferred to the Schools Forum on 16 March. Will today’s white paper change what is brought to that meeting?*

*Is Wandsworth now considering joining the government’s Safety Valve programme, which provides extra funding in exchange for a deficit reduction plan?*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/03/01/wandsworth-top-of-the-class-on-special-needs-bottom-line-in-crisis/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/03/01/wandsworth-top-of-the-class-on-special-needs-bottom-line-in-crisis/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%3A%20top%20of%20the%20class%20on%20special%20needs%2C%20bottom%20line%20in%20crisis&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/03/01/wandsworth-top-of-the-class-on-special-needs-bottom-line-in-crisis/)

**Categories:** Education, Finance

**Tags:** Cllr Judi Gasser, EHCP, School Funding, Schools Forum, SEND, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth named in viral 'Red vs Blue' school violence posts: what parents need to know](https://putney.news/2026/02/25/wandsworth-named-in-viral-red-vs-blue-school-violence-posts-what-parents-need-to-know/)

**Published:** February 25, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Schools, children's services and police are all responding as Round 1 looms on Friday.

**Content:**

**UPDATE** Wandsworth has been named in viral social media posts encouraging organised violence between schoolchildren, with a first event advertised for this Friday. Ark Putney Academy wrote to parents on Monday with a direct instruction: “No APA student should be involved in any activity linked to this social media content.”

The posts circulate on TikTok using a “Red vs Blue” format, assigning schools and boroughs to opposing sides. Wandsworth is listed. Round 1 is advertised for Friday 27 February, with further dates into March. Similar posts have spread across more than a dozen London boroughs since mid-February.

Alison Downey, Executive Principal of Ark Putney Academy in Pullman Gardens, confirmed the school is working with police and the local authority. A coordinated borough-wide response is already in place. Schools, children’s services, and police are all involved, with officers providing additional visibility near schools each day after school. Parents in the local community have reported police near the Green Man at the end of the school day, with Ark staff asking pupils to head straight home.

#### Monitoring in place

The Metropolitan Police is monitoring the situation across London, increasing patrols around schools where appropriate, and working with social media platforms to remove accounts spreading the content. No confirmed injuries or incidents have been reported anywhere in London as a result of these posts.

The posts are primarily aimed at younger pupils. Downey’s letter noted they appear targeted at KS3 students, meaning Years 7 to 9, ages 11 to 14. She reminded parents that under-13s should not have TikTok or WhatsApp accounts.

Downey urged parents to have the conversation this week. “We strongly urge all parents and carers to speak openly with their children about the dangers and consequences of becoming involved in any organised gatherings of this nature.”

The school has asked parents to check in with their children, review their social media use, and remind them of expectations at home and school. “Your guidance and supervision at home are crucial in helping young people make safe, sensible decisions and avoid being drawn into harmful situations,” Downey wrote.

Parents who see the content online can report it through TikTok’s in-app reporting function or by contacting the Metropolitan Police via [met.police.uk](https://www.met.police.uk/) or 101.

Round 1 is Friday. Parents should know where their children are after school.

---

**UPDATE — 26 February**: A second Wandsworth school has confirmed it is named in the posts. Graveney School, in Tooting, wrote to parents on Wednesday morning warning that posts have been published “about schools all over London, including Graveney and neighbouring schools.”

Principals N. Brannon and E. Simmons said the school is in close communication with police, has spoken to all students, and will deploy its usual security measures — including the power to search pupils — if necessary. They confirmed police are providing extra patrols at the end of the school day where possible and are “on alert to respond to any possible issues robustly.”

The Graveney letter urged parents to make sure their children know that “it is both dangerous and illegal to carry anything with the intention of using it as a weapon,” and that if they encounter large groups or suspect trouble, they should walk away and call 999 if anyone is in immediate danger.

Parents with specific information — names, locations or dates — are asked to email safeguarding@graveney.wandsworth.sch.uk and report separately to the Metropolitan Police.

**UPDATE 3pm, Friday**: The police are out in force at schools across London as school breaks up for the weekend with officers spotted outside named schools in Fulham, Putney, Battersea and Tooting.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/25/wandsworth-named-in-viral-red-vs-blue-school-violence-posts-what-parents-need-to-know/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/25/wandsworth-named-in-viral-red-vs-blue-school-violence-posts-what-parents-need-to-know/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20named%20in%20viral%20%E2%80%98Red%20vs%20Blue%E2%80%99%20school%20violence%20posts%3A%20what%20parents%20need%20to%20know&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/25/wandsworth-named-in-viral-red-vs-blue-school-violence-posts-what-parents-need-to-know/)

**Categories:** Education

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, public safety, Wandsworth

---

### [Southfields parking could change for the first time in 25 years - you have until Sunday](https://putney.news/2026/02/28/southfields-parking-could-change-for-the-first-time-in-25-years-you-have-until-sunday/)

**Published:** February 28, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** A consultation on extending S2 controls closes 1 March. Here's what's being proposed.

**Content:**

Southfields residents have until Sunday to respond to a council consultation that could change how their streets are parked for the first time in 25 years.

The Southfields S2 controlled parking zone has run a single one-hour restriction (1:30–2:30pm, Monday to Friday) since 2001. The council is now asking whether to extend that significantly, potentially to all day and seven days a week.

The review was triggered by a resident petition. Three problems have been identified: congestion near Southfields Village; pressure on evenings and weekends during Fulham FC and Chelsea FC home matches; and dangerous or obstructive parking at junctions.

#### What the council is proposing to change

The survey asks residents whether to keep the existing 1:30–2:30pm slot, extend to 9:30am–4:30pm, or extend all the way to 9:30am–6:30pm. On days, the options are the current Monday to Friday, Monday to Saturday, or Monday to Sunday.

The council is also considering converting single yellow lines at junctions to double yellows where parking is causing hazards.

If controls extend, visitors would need to buy permits at £10.10 via RingGo (paperless) or £10.70 for a scratch-card. Discounts are available for residents aged 70 or over and Blue Badge holders. Even residents without a car would be affected. The survey covers road issues like speeding, access for emergency vehicles, and disabled access too.

The survey goes wider still. It asks what new street infrastructure residents want, including electric vehicle charging points, secure cycle parking (bike hangars), motorcycle bays, and car club bays. It is not just a vote on hours and days. It is a chance to say what kind of streets residents want.

![Southfields parking issues - Replingham Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/southfields-replingham-1024x768.png)#### Who this affects

The consultation covers the north-western part of the S2 zone, the area closest to Southfields Village – the busy part of Replingham Road. When you open the survey, you select your road from a dropdown to confirm your street is included.

#### How to respond

The survey is open until Sunday 1 March 2026 at [haveyoursay.citizenspace.com/wandsworthecs/s2-review](https://haveyoursay.citizenspace.com/wandsworthecs/s2-review).

If you would prefer a paper copy, call 020 8871 8929 and quote ‘Southfields S2 Review’.

Once the consultation closes, results will be published online.

Wandsworth is the top-earning council in the UK from parking income. An expanded CPZ in Southfields would add to that, context worth bearing in mind when weighing your response. For more on how the borough’s parking model works, [see our May 2025 report](https://putney.news/2025/05/16/the-price-of-low-tax-40m-in-parking-permits-and-fines/).

> [The price of low tax: £40m in parking permits and fines](https://putney.news/2025/05/16/the-price-of-low-tax-40m-in-parking-permits-and-fines/)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/28/southfields-parking-could-change-for-the-first-time-in-25-years-you-have-until-sunday/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/28/southfields-parking-could-change-for-the-first-time-in-25-years-you-have-until-sunday/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Southfields%20parking%20could%20change%20for%20the%20first%20time%20in%2025%20years%20%E2%80%93%20you%20have%20until%20Sunday&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/28/southfields-parking-could-change-for-the-first-time-in-25-years-you-have-until-sunday/)

**Categories:** Southfields, Transport

**Tags:** public consultation, Southfields, traffic, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Crash-damaged car abandoned on Upper Richmond Road - police have no record](https://putney.news/2026/02/26/crash-damaged-car-abandoned-on-upper-richmond-road-police-have-no-record/)

**Published:** February 26, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Buses manoeuvring around the black Audi A3 this morning on the TfL red route.

**Content:**

**UPDATED** A crash-damaged car has been abandoned on Upper Richmond Road at the junction with Gwendolen Avenue, jutting into the carriageway and forcing buses to squeeze past.

The black Audi A3 (registration RK06 WML) has severe front-end damage and was observed this morning in a position that is causing buses to manoeuvre around it on one of Putney’s busiest roads.

The road is a TfL red route, where stopping and parking is prohibited at all times.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/abandoned-car-upper-richmond-road-26Feb26-10-1024x768.png)*Putney.news* contacted the Metropolitan Police Press Bureau this morning to ask whether the crash had been reported. The response confirmed it had not.

“Can’t see that anything has been reported over the last few days,” the Met Press Bureau confirmed. “For us to look further we’d need confirmation it has been reported and when.”

It’s not known when the car was abandoned. It was first observed this morning.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/abandoned-car-upper-richmond-road-26Feb26-3-1024x768.png)Residents can report abandoned vehicles on a TfL red route to TfL at [tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/red-routes](https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/red-routes). Alternatively, Wandsworth Council can be contacted to report an abandoned vehicle on the highway.

If you have any information please contact us at .

---

**UPDATE, 3pm**. Since we posted this story, the driver’s side window of the abandoned car has been smashed and glass is now in the road and the car appears to have been rifled through. The car’s keys are still in the ignition.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/IMG_8561-1024x768.jpeg)![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/IMG_8560-1024x768.jpeg)**UPDATE, Friday 27 February:** The car has been taken away.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/26/crash-damaged-car-abandoned-on-upper-richmond-road-police-have-no-record/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/26/crash-damaged-car-abandoned-on-upper-richmond-road-police-have-no-record/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Crash-damaged%20car%20abandoned%20on%20Upper%20Richmond%20Road%20%E2%80%93%20police%20have%20no%20record&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/26/crash-damaged-car-abandoned-on-upper-richmond-road-police-have-no-record/)

**Categories:** Crime, West Putney

**Tags:** Metropolitan Police, road safety, TfL, traffic, Upper Richmond Road

---

### [Speed limit drops to 20mph on Roehampton Lane from Saturday](https://putney.news/2026/02/27/speed-limit-drops-to-20mph-on-roehampton-lane-from-saturday/)

**Published:** February 27, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** TfL order takes effect this weekend with 48 hours' notice to residents.

**Content:**

The speed limit on Roehampton Lane drops to 20mph this Saturday (February 28) under a Transport for London order signed last week.

The change affects the entire A306 red route between Upper Richmond Road and Kingston Road, plus all side roads connecting to it. TfL published the formal order today giving residents 48 hours’ notice before implementation.

[As we reported earlier this month](https://putney.news/2026/02/04/lower-speed-limits-coming-to-roehampton-lane-and-a316-in-coming-weeks/), the speed cut was confirmed as part of TfL’s Phase 3 speed limits programme. The corridor currently has a 30mph limit.

Roehampton Lane is classified as a red route (TfL-managed) despite running through residential Roehampton. The designation explains why TfL rather than Wandsworth Council controls speed limits on what appears to be a local street. The route carries significant bus traffic and provides access to Richmond Park.

There are two speed cameras near the top of Roehampton Lane where it joins the A3 that all but certain to catch a large number of people used to travelling at much faster speeds, especially as you come down the hill into Roehampton.

![Roehampton Lane new speed limits](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/roehampton-lane-20pmh-tfl-map-724x1024.png)The order, signed by TfL’s Performance and Planning Manager Matt Standell on 19 February, cites the Mayor’s Vision Zero programme as the rationale for the change.

“The reason for introducing the Order is to reduce road danger in line with the Mayor for London’s Vision Zero ambition to eliminate fatal and serious injury collisions from London’s roads,” the order states.

New 20mph signs will replace existing 30mph markers from Saturday. Speed cameras are already in place along the route, shown on [TfL’s map of the changes](https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/tro/widgets/89938/documents).

The 48-hour gap between today’s public notice and Saturday’s implementation represents the shortest legal notice period for traffic order changes.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/27/speed-limit-drops-to-20mph-on-roehampton-lane-from-saturday/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/27/speed-limit-drops-to-20mph-on-roehampton-lane-from-saturday/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Speed%20limit%20drops%20to%2020mph%20on%20Roehampton%20Lane%20from%20Saturday&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/27/speed-limit-drops-to-20mph-on-roehampton-lane-from-saturday/)

**Categories:** News, Roehampton, Transport

**Tags:** road safety, Roehampton Lane, TfL, traffic

---

### [Percy Pig fans pick Putney High Street heroes - and celebrate M&S return](https://putney.news/2026/02/27/percy-pig-fans-pick-putney-high-street-heroes-and-celebrate-ms-return/)

**Published:** February 27, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Octagreen and Panda's Pantry top the votes - and the new food hall gets rave reviews.

**Content:**

Our Percy Pig tote bag competition to mark [Marks and Spencer’s return to Putney High Street](https://putney.news/2026/02/25/the-wait-is-over-ms-returns-to-putney-high-street-today/) asks one question: which local business on Putney High Street deserves more recognition?

Twenty-five people have answered so far. Current joint leaders, with three votes each: Octagreen and Panda’s Pantry. The competition is still open until 5pm Friday (details in the daily newsletter) so if you want to see your favourite store up in lights, [take the 10-second prize draw](https://putney.news/win-the-percy-pig-tote/).

One lucky winner – chosen randomly – will get the Percy Pig tote bag.

![New Marks and Spencer store on Putney High Street. Pic: M&S](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/MSOpeningPutney00228-1024x683.png)#### Scores on the doors

BusinessVotesOctagreen3Panda’s Pantry3The Source Bulk Foods2Boots2Dugard and Daughters2Marks & Spencer2Putney Library1No 1 Currency1Toni & Guy1Others1 eachThe range of choices shows a High Street that people care about, with independents they want to support.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/MSOpeningPutney00171-683x1024.png)#### What the store looks like inside

The new M&S is a 10,900 sq ft fresh market-style food hall. Pasta from Italy, fresh fruit and veg, flowers, an in-store bakery, a frozen section, and a higher welfare meat range that makes a point of saying so on the signage.

![Marks and Spencer Putney. Pic: M&S](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/MSOpeningPutney00139-1024x683.png)It’s spacious, well-lit, and feels like a store that has been designed rather than just fitted out. Opening hours are 7am to 9pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sundays. The opening created 40 new local jobs.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/MSOpeningPutney00183-1024x683.png)#### What readers made of the opening

Readers have also submitted reactions. They were, without exception, positive.

> Paul Clements, from Putney, called it “amazing… one of the best food halls around.”

Nicki, who came from Clapham, said the shop was “busy but happy” and gave it “100% a fab shop.”

Anne Snedker from West Putney was glad to have it back: “My go-to store.”

> Alex, from Lower Richmond Road, put it best: “Makes the High St feel alive again.”

One reaction came from Yvonne, who worked at the old M&S for 16 years before it closed. She came to see the new one from Hammersmith. Even former staff made the journey.

> Yas from Putney was brief and direct: “Glad it’s back. Hope it stays open we missed it.”

Eight years is a long wait. The doors are open. The High Street feels different.

![Marks and Spencer Putney. Pic: M&S](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/MSOpeningPutney00213-1024x683.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/27/percy-pig-fans-pick-putney-high-street-heroes-and-celebrate-ms-return/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/27/percy-pig-fans-pick-putney-high-street-heroes-and-celebrate-ms-return/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Percy%20Pig%20fans%20pick%20Putney%20High%20Street%20heroes%20%E2%80%93%20and%20celebrate%20M%26S%20return&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/27/percy-pig-fans-pick-putney-high-street-heroes-and-celebrate-ms-return/)

**Categories:** Business, Community, Save the High Street

**Tags:** community, Marks &amp; Spencer, Putney High Street, retail

---

### [Hello Putney: M&S opens to queues, flowers, and eight years of waiting](https://putney.news/2026/02/26/hello-putney-ms-opens-to-queues-flowers-and-eight-years-of-waiting/)

**Published:** February 26, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Store opens five weeks early as Putney High Street's most visible symbol of decline becomes symbol of recovery.

**Content:**

The queue started at 6:30am. Eight years after Marks and Spencer closed its doors on Putney High Street, the lights were on at number 59 this morning, and Putney turned out.

It couldn’t have been a better day to open. The sun was out, the temperature was up, and people shed their winter jackets to match that shift in mood that comes every year as spring and daffodils start poking through. A vital corner of the High Street came alive again for the first time in nearly a decade. The enthusiasm was unmistakable.

By mid-morning on a Wednesday, the new Food Hall was still packed. “It’s much bigger than I thought it would be,” said one customer leaving with bags. “Very bright and airy. Everything looks very fresh.”

![The store was still packed past 9am on a Wednesday morning.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/marks-spencer-opening-day-25feb26-1-1024x768.png)The store was still packed past 9am on a Wednesday morning.The scale surprised many residents. Shoppers with trolleys and pushchairs moved through aisles stocked for weekly shops, not just quick visits. The flower market near the entrance held bouquets from £13 to £35. The in-store bakery sold loaves from £2.40, with a sustainability angle built in: unsold daily loaves are frozen and resold with a 30-day shelf life, reducing waste. Fresh produce sat at the front. M&S’s new Nutrient Dense range, launched in January and focused on fibre, filled shelves alongside the standard stock. A coffee machine near the door offered takeaway cups for commuters heading to the nearby station.

[As we reported last week](https://putney.news/2026/02/18/marks-spencer-returns-to-putney-high-street-on-25-february/), the store opened five weeks ahead of its planned April 1 date. The early opening meant workers were visible inside past 10pm in recent days, racing to meet the new deadline.

The store is roughly 10,000 square feet. M&S created 40 new jobs for the opening. The Putney store is part of a £90 million London investment programme this financial year, which has already delivered openings in Covent Garden and Clapham Common.

![The Flower Market near the entrance, with Putney High Street visible behind.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/marks-spencer-opening-day-25feb26-7-1024x768.png)The Flower Market near the entrance, with Putney High Street visible behind.One customer leaving mid-morning with shopping bags summed up the mood: “It just brings up the tone of the high street. There are lots of vape shops and chicken shops. It’s nice to have somewhere that’s actually quite pleasant to go to. And even Sainsbury’s is quite rundown. This is just beautiful, and the selection across cold foods and all the ambient stuff, it’s amazing.”

> Another resident said: “We’ve been waiting for this for so long. It looks so swish. I just feel like maybe it might be a start for the rest of the High Street to get a bit better.”

A third described it as “very nicely resourced in terms of quality and variety.”

Ronnie Whelan, who has lived in Putney for 40 years, made welcome flyers to hand to the manager. She printed a photo of this morning’s queue and added a message thanking M&S for investing in the area. She wandered the floor looking for someone to give them to.

![The in-store bakery. Loaves from £2.40.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/marks-spencer-opening-day-25feb26-3-1024x768.png)The in-store bakery. Loaves from £2.40.“I’m just so pleased,” she told *Putney.news*. “I always try and support the shops here. If there’s a branch somewhere else I think no, I’ll wait till I get back to Putney. And that’s what I’ll be doing with M&S now.”

---

##### Did you try out the new M&S yesterday? Tell us your thoughts

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

 live Reaction Where  

Name \*

Reaction \*What did you make of the new M&S? (200 characters max)

Where you liveWhere in Putney do you live?

  Send your reaction![Loading](https://putney.news/wp-content/plugins/wpforms/assets/images/submit-spin.svg)

 ---

On the shop floor, a staff member turned to a colleague and said: “This is just fantastic.”

Outside, the building carries a message across its frontage: “HELLO PUTNEY.”

[The store first opened in 1931 and traded on the same site for 91 years](https://putney.news/2025/04/19/how-marks-and-spencer-symbol-putney-high-street-decline-history/) before closing in April 2018. For years it sat boarded and empty, used for a rave during the pandemic, then wrapped in scaffolding. When the scaffolding finally came down last November, the restored Art Deco facade marked the clearest sign the wait was nearly over.

Now it is. The building that once symbolised Putney High Street’s decline has become a symbol of recovery.

![The store is designed as a weekly shop destination, not just a food-on-the-move stop.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/marks-spencer-opening-day-25feb26-5-1024x768.png)The store is designed as a weekly shop destination, not just a food-on-the-move stop.---

***Putney.news* subscribers can win the exclusive tote bag that Marks & Spencer now creates for every new store opening: entry details in this morning’s newsletter. Not yet subscribed? Sign up free below.**

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/26/hello-putney-ms-opens-to-queues-flowers-and-eight-years-of-waiting/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/26/hello-putney-ms-opens-to-queues-flowers-and-eight-years-of-waiting/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Hello%20Putney%3A%20M%26S%20opens%20to%20queues%2C%20flowers%2C%20and%20eight%20years%20of%20waiting&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/26/hello-putney-ms-opens-to-queues-flowers-and-eight-years-of-waiting/)

**Categories:** Business, Save the High Street

**Tags:** Marks and Spencer, Putney High Street

---

### [New research: 27% can't reach green space in 15 minutes. Putney can. Here's the plan to keep it that way.](https://putney.news/2026/02/26/new-research-27-cant-reach-green-space-in-15-minutes-putney-can-heres-the-plan-to-keep-it-that-way/)

**Published:** February 26, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Wild Wandsworth biodiversity plan runs to 2031 — and residents shaped what goes in it.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Cabinet approved the *Wild Wandsworth* [Biodiversity Action Plan](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/26-69-Appendix-1-Wild-Wandsworth-Biodiversity-Action-Plan.pdf) \[pdf\] on Monday, committing the borough to protecting and expanding its network of parks, commons, and habitats through to 2031.

For Putney, that means a formal plan covering Wimbledon Common and Putney Heath, Putney Lower Common, Putney Old Burial Ground, Putney Park Lane, Putney Vale Cemetery, The Pleasance, and the Thames riverfront, formally designated wildlife sites, home to protected species and rare habitats.

The Open Spaces Society, Britain’s oldest conservation body, published its spring newsletter this week alongside a call for an urgent government green paper on access to nature. The OSS was founded in London in 1865 specifically to fight the enclosure of commons. Its early campaigns saved Wimbledon Common from being built over. The work it did then is why the common exists now.

The newsletter draws on [new Natural England research](https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/6527150025605120) published in December, and the findings are worth pausing on. The 27% figure is a national average, but access is far from evenly distributed.

In the least deprived areas of England, 38% of adults live within a five-minute walk of a greenspace. In the most deprived, just 26% do. White adults are nearly twice as likely to have a greenspace within five minutes as Black or Black British adults.

Over a third of people with significant health conditions live more than 15 minutes from their nearest greenspace, compared to a quarter of those without. And proximity alone is not enough: those who perceive their local greenspace as low quality are 60% less likely to visit it regularly. Having a greenspace nearby and having a good greenspace nearby are different things.

The society’s general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, is direct about what needs to happen. The government committed in December to ensuring everyone lives within a 15-minute walk of green or blue space, a pledge, she notes, that the previous government also made in 2023. “We need that green paper now,” she writes. She also argues that the use of parks for commercial events “must stop: they keep people out and degrade the terrain”, a point that will resonate in a borough that has faced its own [debate about events in its parks](https://putney.news/2025/08/16/richmond-park-faces-new-event-rules-as-council-embraces-community-consultation/).

That gap between national aspiration and local action is exactly where Wild Wandsworth sits. The plan builds on five years of genuine progress: since 2020, the borough has created 2.2 hectares of new habitats, planted more than 2,600 street trees, secured 61 Tree Preservation Orders, and seen its Parks for London ranking climb from 21st to 8th. Seventy-four per cent of the borough’s local wildlife sites are now in positive management, up 13 percentage points since 2021.

For Putney specifically, the plan commits to habitat maintenance at Putney Park Lane, a local wildlife site linking Putney Lower Common to the north and Putney Heath to the south, as a Year One target, with work due by the end of 2026. A full survey of all designated wildlife sites across the borough is planned for 2026 to 2028, the first comprehensive update in years.

#### What Putney residents told the consultation

The plan was shaped in part by 246 responses to a public consultation held last summer. Putney voices came through clearly: the Thames riverside at Putney received more mentions as a connection-to-nature location than any other riverside site in the borough. Putney Lower Common and Putney Heath both ranked among the top sites overall.

The Putney Society’s Open Spaces Panel made a detailed submission, and two of its concerns have been taken up in the plan. On trees, the Society was direct: “Defence of trees on development sites needs to be significantly strengthened. One new tree takes 20 years to replicate the impact of a mature tree, both in terms of the habitat it offers and its benefits in temperature control and removal of air pollution.” A strengthened Tree Preservation Order framework is now part of the plan.

The Society also flagged a more awkward finding: that a citizen science event in West Putney was attended by just three people, all from the Putney Society itself, and that they had only found out about it by chance. Better communication with park users is now explicitly embedded in the plan’s commitments. Local groups shaped this document; now they will be watching whether its promises are kept.

> Judith Chegwidden, chair of the Putney Society’s Open Spaces Panel said of the approved plan: “The Society welcomes the Wild Wandsworth Biodiversity Action plan and looks forward to seeing quantified outcomes from the initiatives set out in the plan.

“We are disappointed that the Stakeholders Group will not be set up until 2027 but welcome the idea that large local landowners will be included in the group and suggest that it should include the expertise of the London Wildlife Trust.”

#### Get involved

The plan’s Year One targets include expanding citizen science, with volunteers needed to monitor flora and fauna across the borough. The biodiversity hub, which will bring together monitoring data and volunteer opportunities, is due to launch in the final quarter of 2026. Wandsworth in Bloom, the borough’s annual garden competition, welcomes entries from residents, schools, and community groups throughout the year.

For enquiries about volunteering or the plan, contact the Wandsworth biodiversity team at .

The [Putney Society’s garden competition](https://putney.news/2026/02/01/putney-society-garden-competition-returns-with-mission-to-transform-gardenless-gaps/) is also open for entries, a reminder that the borough’s green space doesn’t begin and end at the commons.

The Wild Wandsworth plan runs to 2031. The question it has set itself is not whether Putney has good green spaces today (it clearly does), but whether the generation growing up here will have them too. The first annual review will show whether the commitments made this week translate into results.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/26/new-research-27-cant-reach-green-space-in-15-minutes-putney-can-heres-the-plan-to-keep-it-that-way/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/26/new-research-27-cant-reach-green-space-in-15-minutes-putney-can-heres-the-plan-to-keep-it-that-way/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=New%20research%3A%2027%25%20can%E2%80%99t%20reach%20green%20space%20in%2015%20minutes.%20Putney%20can.%20Here%E2%80%99s%20the%20plan%20to%20keep%20it%20that%20way.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/26/new-research-27-cant-reach-green-space-in-15-minutes-putney-can-heres-the-plan-to-keep-it-that-way/)

**Categories:** Environment

**Tags:** biodiversity, Open Spaces Society, Putney Common, Putney Heath, Putney Lower Common, Putney Society, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Council, Wandsworth in Bloom, Wild Wandsworth, Wimbledon and Putney Commons, Wimbledon Common

---

### [Sod waiting for the council. Putney is fixing the traffic chaos itself](https://putney.news/2026/02/25/sod-waiting-for-the-council-putney-is-fixing-the-traffic-chaos-itself/)

**Published:** February 25, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** A handmade sign on Chelverton Road turned three cars around in five minutes. Eleven months ahead of schedule.

**Content:**

Sat navs have been [sending drivers into Chelverton Road](https://putney.news/2026/02/10/putney-traffic-crisis-spreads-to-side-roads-as-sat-navs-seek-alternatives/) for weeks, where a 20-30 minute queue awaits anyone trying to turn left onto Putney High Street. The council has been monitoring the situation. TfL has been in discussions. Officers have been collecting data.

Chelverton Road residents have put up a sign.

It went up Monday morning at the Charlwood Road entrance, positioned where drivers can see it before they commit to the one-way street. It reads:

> “Your navigation app is directing you incorrectly. Expect a 20-30 min queue to turn left onto Putney High Street. TfL and Wandsworth Council do not factor your waiting time into their traffic management decisions.”

Brilliant. Simple. Effective.

In the space of five minutes on Tuesday morning, *Putney.news* witnessed three vehicles pause, read the sign, reverse and turn around. Residents are already discussing a second sign further toward Upper Richmond Road to catch drivers even earlier. Good. Do it.

The council, for context, will not be in a position to review whether its junction changes are working until February 2027. The [Transport Committee was told ](https://putney.news/2026/02/12/transport-committee-accepts-progress-as-council-pushes-putney-junction-fixes-to-october/)earlier this month that the critical island removal on Putney High Street will not happen until October 2026, after which officers will need a few months of data before results can be assessed. The committee meets four times a year. February 2027 is the next realistic slot.

A piece of card on a lamppost beat that timeline by roughly eleven months.

![Chelverton Road sign](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/chelverton-road-sign-2-1024x768.png)There is an extra detail worth noting. The sign shares its pole with a newly installed set of cameras, including what appears to be a licence plate recognition unit of the kind used for traffic enforcement. So at the entrance to Chelverton Road there is now a resident telling drivers the council does not factor their waiting time, alongside hardware that may well be used to fine them for being there. You couldn’t make it up.

Residents did try the official route first. A petition to impose legal restrictions on Chelverton Road (which would have required sat navs to reroute drivers away from it) fell short. Council transport officer Henry Cheung [told residents](https://putney.news/2026/02/10/putney-traffic-crisis-spreads-to-side-roads-as-sat-navs-seek-alternatives/) the petition “was unsuccessful due to a lack of support.” The Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 gives councils the power to impose the turn bans and access limits that sat nav companies respect, but the restrictions have to exist first, and the council has not imposed them.

![ANPR camera on Chelverton Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/chelverton-cameras-2-768x1024.png)So while we wait for 2027, what else can Putney do for itself?

The sign is a start. It cost nothing, took minutes to make, and is already working. What other practical, low-cost fixes are residents sitting on? What do you know about your street that the council’s data collectors don’t? If you have an idea, however small, however simple, we want to hear it. Email us at  or drop it in the comments.

![Chelverton Road cameras](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/chelverton-cameras-11-768x1024.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/25/sod-waiting-for-the-council-putney-is-fixing-the-traffic-chaos-itself/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/25/sod-waiting-for-the-council-putney-is-fixing-the-traffic-chaos-itself/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Sod%20waiting%20for%20the%20council.%20Putney%20is%20fixing%20the%20traffic%20chaos%20itself&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/25/sod-waiting-for-the-council-putney-is-fixing-the-traffic-chaos-itself/)

**Categories:** Community, Transport

**Tags:** Chelverton Road, community, Putney Bridge junction, TfL, traffic congestion, Upper Richmond Road, Wandsworth Council

---

### [The wait is over: M&S returns to Putney High Street today](https://putney.news/2026/02/25/the-wait-is-over-ms-returns-to-putney-high-street-today/)

**Published:** February 25, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Store opens at 8am — five weeks ahead of the original April date.

**Content:**

Marks and Spencer opens at 59 Putney High Street this morning, nearly eight years after its closure made it the most visible symbol of the High Street’s decline.

The store was originally due to open on 1 April. It has been brought forward by five weeks. In the days leading up to today, workers were visible inside well past 10pm, racing to meet the new date. Go and have a look.

The building closed in April 2018. For years after, it sat boarded and empty, used for a rave during the pandemic, then wrapped in scaffolding, its Art Deco facade hidden from view. [When the scaffolding finally came down last November](https://putney.news/2025/11/22/from-squatters-to-scaffolding-putney-high-streets-visible-signs-of-recovery/), the restored frontage marked the clearest sign yet that the wait was nearly over. [Now it is.](https://putney.news/2026/02/11/seven-years-on-marks-and-spencer-putney-confirms-spring-opening/)

The store opens today as a Food Hall. According to the M&S website, the Putney store will also carry some menswear and womenswear (the M&S Collection lines), though M&S has not made a formal announcement about the clothing offer. The full services listed on the M&S website include a bakery, flowers and plants, free Wi-Fi, fitting rooms, and wine ordering.

![Marks and Spencer Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/marks-spencer-24feb26-4-768x1024.png)Opening hours today are 8am to 9pm. From tomorrow, the store opens at 7am, closing at 9pm Monday to Saturday, and 11am to 5pm on Sundays.

Tell us what you think. Been in today?

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

 Name live Where  

Name \*

Reaction \*What did you make of the new M&S? (200 characters max)

Where you liveWhere in Putney do you live?

  Send your reaction![Loading](https://putney.news/wp-content/plugins/wpforms/assets/images/submit-spin.svg)

 ![Marks and Spencer inside Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/marks-spencer-24feb26-8-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/25/the-wait-is-over-ms-returns-to-putney-high-street-today/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/25/the-wait-is-over-ms-returns-to-putney-high-street-today/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20wait%20is%20over%3A%20M%26S%20returns%20to%20Putney%20High%20Street%20today&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/25/the-wait-is-over-ms-returns-to-putney-high-street-today/)

**Categories:** Business, Save the High Street, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Marks &amp; Spencer, Putney High Street, retail, Save the High Street

---

### [Wandsworth's housing chief delivered nothing then told Cabinet it was a win](https://putney.news/2026/02/25/wandsworths-housing-chief-delivered-nothing-then-told-cabinet-it-was-a-win/)

**Published:** February 25, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Content:**

The planning inspector told Wandsworth Council its flagship affordable housing policy was not legally sound and could not be adopted as submitted. Three days later, the Cabinet Member for Housing called the outright rejection “very, very good news.”

Cllr Aydin Dikerdem told Cabinet on 23 February 2026 that “the only thing we didn’t get” from the examination was the council’s proposed 45% affordable housing threshold. That is simply untrue. The inspector’s report, dated 20 February 2026, found the plan had “deficiencies in respect of soundness” and that the 45% target was “not justified and would be counterproductive.” The inspector killed it.

The net result of nearly four years of work, Wandsworth’s attempt to push affordable housing requirements for private developers to 50%, then down to 45%, has failed entirely and been pushed down to 35% – the same figure in place when Labour took control of the council in 2022. More than 13,000 households are on Wandsworth’s housing waiting list.

Full Council votes on final adoption of the plan on 4 March 2026.

#### What he said. What the inspector said.

What Dikerdem told Cabinet (23 Feb 2026)What the inspector’s report says (20 Feb 2026) \[our emphasis\]*“It’s very, very good news”*“The Plan has a number of deficiencies in **respect of soundness**… I recommend non-adoption of it as submitted” (para 42)*“The only thing we didn’t get signed off on”* was the 45% threshold21 **mandatory** modifications required across the plan (MM1–MM21, Appendix A)*“I think the inspector’s kind of was like, you’ve done really well, let’s see how you go on the course so far”*The higher threshold “is not justified and would be **counterproductive**, materially impacting on the delivery of much needed homes” (para 24)*“We had a strong evidence base”* for 45%Inspector acknowledged the viability evidence, then **deleted** from the adopted plan the council’s claim that it “justifying a different threshold to that included within the London Plan” (MM6)*“I’m hoping that in a couple of years we’ll be able to reopen”* the 45% fast trackNo pathway back to 45% exists in the report. The passage asserting Wandsworth evidence could justify a different threshold was **removed**.**The outcome:** Wandsworth’s affordable housing threshold for private developers is 35%, the same figure that was in place before the Local Plan Partial Review began.

#### Three contradictions worth examining

Dikerdem told Cabinet the 45% threshold was “the only thing” the inspector did not approve. The inspector required 21 modifications in total, labelled MM1 to MM21. Most addressed technical drafting problems in the council’s own policies rather than opposition from the Greater London Authority. The framing matters: Dikerdem presented a plan requiring 21 mandatory changes before it could legally stand as a minor setback on one item.

> [Is Wandsworth’s housing plan doomed to fail?](https://putney.news/2025/07/23/is-wandsworths-housing-plan-doomed-to-fail/)

Dikerdem told Cabinet the inspector’s response was like being told “you’ve done really well, let’s see how you go on the course so far.” The inspector’s report used different language. He found the 45% target “not justified” and “counterproductive.” He noted that the council had only achieved an average of around 30% affordable housing delivery between 2020 and 2025, evidence that undermined the central argument for setting the threshold higher. That delivery record, not market conditions or fire safety costs, was the inspector’s basis for rejecting 45%.

Dikerdem also told Cabinet he hoped to “reopen” the 45% threshold in a couple of years. The inspector’s report provides no basis for that expectation. Modification MM6 specifically deleted from the adopted plan the council’s claim that its own viability evidence justified “a different threshold to that included within the London Plan.” The council no longer has that argument on record.

#### What the review delivered

The Local Plan Partial Review was not a total failure. The inspector approved a 70/30 split between social rented and other affordable tenures, a genuine policy advance. Requirements for co-living developments to provide 50% affordable homes were confirmed. A new contribution mechanism for small sites was introduced. These are real changes.

> [Want to know how housing works – and doesn’t work – in modern London? Here’s your guide](https://putney.news/2025/12/21/what-six-housing-policy-changes-mean-for-you/)

But the plan was built around the 45% threshold. That was the stated purpose, the political mandate, and the headline commitment made when Labour took control of the council in 2022, [having originally promised 50%](https://putney.news/2025/07/23/is-wandsworths-housing-plan-doomed-to-fail/). *Putney.news* [reported in December that the inspector was likely to reject it](https://putney.news/2025/12/13/wandsworth-loses-battle-to-raise-affordable-housing-requirement/), ten weeks before Dikerdem acknowledged that outcome at Cabinet.

The housing need is not in dispute. The council’s own Housing Needs Assessment, cited by the inspector, shows that 23,601 of the 26,315 homes Wandsworth needs by 2038 must be affordable, and 17,223 of those must be social rented. Our [full analysis of what each policy change means for renters and families](https://putney.news/2025/12/21/what-six-housing-policy-changes-mean-for-you/) explains how those numbers translate to real households.

What is in dispute is whether residents received an accurate account of what the inspector actually found.

#### What happens next

Full Council meets on 4 March 2026 to vote on final adoption. Residents can attend the public gallery or contact their ward councillors before the vote.

The council is also required to produce two Supplementary Planning Documents by 30 June 2026: one on affordable housing and one on student housing. These will set out the practical rules governing how the 35% threshold operates, including viability testing and exemptions. A single officer will adopt those documents, with no Cabinet or Full Council vote required.

Residents who want to watch Dikerdem’s full statement to Cabinet can do so via the [council’s webcast archive](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1061160) (52 mins in). The [inspector’s full report](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/inspectors_final_report_and_main_modifications.pdf) \[pdf\] is available to read.

*Cllr Dikerdem did not address the questions put to him. Instead, he responded with a personal attack on the reporter.*

**Accountability Statement**

**We contacted:** Wandsworth Council press office (cc: Cabinet Member for Housing)

**Request sent:** **23 February**

---

**Press Office**

*Wandsworth Council*

**Status:** *No response received.*

Questions asked (click to expand)
*The inspector’s report recommends “non-adoption” of the plan as submitted and finds it has “deficiencies in respect of soundness.” Cllr Dikerdem told Cabinet it was “very, very good news.” How does he reconcile those two characterisations?*

*Cllr Dikerdem told Cabinet the inspector’s response was like being told “you’ve done really well, let’s see how you go on the course so far.” The inspector’s report states the 45% threshold was “not justified and would be counterproductive.” Why did he characterise the inspector’s findings that way?*

*The net result of the Local Plan Partial Review is a 35% affordable housing threshold — the same figure that was in place before the review began. What did nearly four years of work achieve for the more than 13,000 households on Wandsworth’s housing waiting list?*

*Cllr Dikerdem expressed hope to “reopen” the 45% threshold in a couple of years. On what basis? The inspector’s report (modification MM6) deleted from the adopted plan the council’s claim that its evidence justified a different threshold to the London Plan.*

---

**Cllr Aydin Dikerdem** (cc:ed)

*Cabinet Member of Housing*

**Status:** *Declined to answer questions, responded with personal attack.*

Questions asked (click to expand)
**The inspector’s report recommends “non-adoption” of the plan as submitted and finds it has “deficiencies in respect of soundness.” Cllr Dikerdem told Cabinet it was “very, very good news.” How does he reconcile those two characterisations?**

*Cllr Dikerdem told Cabinet the inspector’s response was like being told “you’ve done really well, let’s see how you go on the course so far.” The inspector’s report states the 45% threshold was “not justified and would be counterproductive.” Why did he characterise the inspector’s findings that way?*

*The net result of the Local Plan Partial Review is a 35% affordable housing threshold — the same figure that was in place before the review began. What did nearly four years of work achieve for the more than 13,000 households on Wandsworth’s housing waiting list?*

*Cllr Dikerdem expressed hope to “reopen” the 45% threshold in a couple of years. On what basis? The inspector’s report (modification MM6) deleted from the adopted plan the council’s claim that its evidence justified a different threshold to the London Plan.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/25/wandsworths-housing-chief-delivered-nothing-then-told-cabinet-it-was-a-win/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/25/wandsworths-housing-chief-delivered-nothing-then-told-cabinet-it-was-a-win/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%E2%80%99s%20housing%20chief%20delivered%20nothing%20then%20told%20Cabinet%20it%20was%20a%20win&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/25/wandsworths-housing-chief-delivered-nothing-then-told-cabinet-it-was-a-win/)

**Categories:** Housing, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Aydin Dikerdem, GLA, housing, housing crisis, London Plan, Wandsworth Council, Wandsworth Local Plan

---

### [Man charged with Wimbledon murder as victim named](https://putney.news/2026/02/24/man-charged-with-wimbledon-murder-as-victim-named/)

**Published:** February 24, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Amar Zafar, 35, remanded in custody ahead of Old Bailey appearance on Wednesday.

**Content:**

A man has been charged with murder following a fatal stabbing in Wimbledon town centre at the weekend.

Amar Zafar, 35, of Cambridge Grove Road, Kingston, appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court yesterday and was charged with murder and possession of a bladed article. He has been remanded in custody and is next due to appear at the Old Bailey on Wednesday 25 February.

The victim has been named as Luke Brereton, 41, from Mitcham. He died at the scene despite the efforts of paramedics, including London’s Air Ambulance trauma team, who were called to The Broadway at 12.37am on Sunday 22 February.

The Metropolitan Police say they are not seeking anyone else in connection with the killing, which they are treating as an isolated incident.

> [Murder investigation after fatal stabbing on Wimbledon Broadway](https://putney.news/2026/02/23/murder-investigation-after-fatal-stabbing-on-wimbledon-broadway/)

Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, who is leading the investigation, said: “Our thoughts are with the victim’s family. This is a shocking act of violence in the heart of a busy town, and we understand the impact this will have on the local community. While we have made an arrest, we still need anyone who witnessed the incident or has information to come forward. No detail is too small.”

The stabbing is a reminder that [knife crime in London](https://putney.news/2026/02/23/murder-investigation-after-fatal-stabbing-on-wimbledon-broadway/) remains a serious threat in south-west London. Wimbledon is the nearest major town centre to Putney, and fatal stabbings have hit closer to home too, with a [teenager killed in broad daylight in Wandsworth](https://putney.news/2025/10/26/teenager-killed-in-broad-daylight-stabbing-as-family-mourn-son/) last October.

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting CAD 244/22FEB. To remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/24/man-charged-with-wimbledon-murder-as-victim-named/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/24/man-charged-with-wimbledon-murder-as-victim-named/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Man%20charged%20with%20Wimbledon%20murder%20as%20victim%20named&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/24/man-charged-with-wimbledon-murder-as-victim-named/)

**Categories:** Crime

**Tags:** knife crime, Metropolitan Police, murder, public safety, Wimbledon

---

### [Your council tax must rise 34% next year or Wandsworth runs out of money](https://putney.news/2026/02/24/your-council-tax-must-rise-34-next-year-or-wandsworth-runs-out-of-money/)

**Published:** February 24, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** New Cabinet papers show the borough runs out of money if the current pledge holds.

**Content:**

The government has told Wandsworth its council tax must rise by 34% next year. That is not a threat, a projection, or an opposition claim. It is published government policy, confirmed in Wandsworth’s own Cabinet papers and approved at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting after less than six minutes of discussion.

Wandsworth Council leader Simon Hogg says he will not let it happen. His [own papers](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/26-63-Budget-and-Council-Tax-Setting-202627.pdf) \[pdf\] show the council will run out of money within two years if he keeps that promise. There is an election in May.

Last April, Hogg’s administration sent a leaflet to every home in the borough [claiming it had frozen council tax](https://putney.news/2025/04/24/wandsworth-council-tax-freeze-claims/) when bills had gone up by 2%. The BBC exposed it. There was no apology. This pledge is bigger.

#### What the government has done

The government has cut Wandsworth’s funding and told the council it must raise taxes locally to compensate. This is not a request. The government has already removed the funding on the assumption Wandsworth would raise it. If Hogg refuses, the money does not come back. The gap gets larger.

> [“Frozen” or just misleading? How a 2% Council tax rise sparked a political firestorm in Wandsworth](https://putney.news/2025/04/24/wandsworth-council-tax-freeze-claims/)

One number explains the mechanism: £150. The government has assumed Wandsworth will add a flat £150 per year on top of its normal annual rise in both 2027 and 2028. On a current bill of £525, that single addition produces the 34% jump. The year after adds another 26%. By 2030, the government’s own model shows Wandsworth council tax rising from £500 to £930. A near-doubling in four years.

To make those rises possible, the government has also suspended the normal rule requiring a public referendum for any rise above 5%. Wandsworth is one of only six councils in England given this treatment. Hogg can raise council tax by 34% without asking residents to vote on it. The government has given him that power because it expects him to use it.

#### How it got this bad in December

The council tracked the funding settlement through the autumn, running a lobbying campaign to protect its position. Four iterations of the numbers exist in its own Cabinet paper, showing how things changed from August onwards.

Up to 5 December, the numbers were bad but manageable. Then in the fortnight before Christmas, the government added the £150 assumption. That single change stripped £23 million more from Wandsworth’s funding in 2027 and £48 million more in 2028. The lobbying had failed. [*Putney.news* had warned in October that the cliff edge was approaching](https://putney.news/2025/10/04/the-partys-over-council-tax-will-need-to-at-least-double-to-avoid-fiscal-cliff-edge/) and that the transformation programme was speculative. In November, [we reported that Wandsworth had been granted a graduated transition](https://putney.news/2025/11/30/council-tax-wont-triple-after-government-grants-wandsworth-gradual-transition/) but the December change gutted it.

> [The party’s over: council tax will need to at least double to avoid fiscal “cliff edge”](https://putney.news/2025/10/04/the-partys-over-council-tax-will-need-to-at-least-double-to-avoid-fiscal-cliff-edge/)

At Cabinet today, Ireland said the council “only learned about this two months ago.” Two months ago is December. But the council’s own paper shows it was tracking the settlement from August. What it learned in December was that the lobbying had collapsed.

#### The numbers

Wandsworth’s reserves stand at £122 million. The budget gaps in the two years after the election are £62 million and £92 million. Combined: £154 million. The gap is bigger than the pot.

The transformation programme is supposed to deliver £45 million in savings. [As we reported last week](https://putney.news/2026/02/19/wandsworths-137m-black-hole-and-the-cabinet-minister-who-cant-explain-how-to-fill-it/), the Chief Executive described that figure under direct questioning as “a broad, reasonable aspiration to get us going.” The council’s own budget paper states that reserves “cannot be used indefinitely” and that even at maximum council tax rises, further cuts would still be needed.

Maximum council tax rises are the rises Hogg says he will refuse.

#### What Hogg said, and when he said it

The government provided its settlement to the council on 17 December. It showed Wandsworth’s funding being cut on the assumption the council would raise council tax sharply. The lobbying had failed. The numbers were on the table.

Seven weeks later, on 10 February, Hogg published a press release on the council’s own website, with a [video](http://youtube.com/watch?v=0WxjPQstpmg), announcing a council tax freeze for the fourth year in a row. “Value for money is at the heart of everything we do,” he said. “Wandsworth has one of the lowest levels of debt and some of the highest financial reserves in London. This allows us to freeze the main element of Council Tax, keep more money in your pocket and invest in what matters to you.”

![Leader of Wandsworth Council Simon Hogg claiming, falsely, that Wandsworth has frozen council tax.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/hogg-tax-freeze-untruth.png)The press release is [still on the council’s website](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-february-2026/council-tax-freeze-for-the-fourth-year-in-a-row/).

Those reserves he cited, the ones that “allow” the freeze, are the same reserves his own Cabinet papers show are smaller than the gap he needs to fill. He knew that when he published it.

Yesterday, in the London Standard, he was still categorical: “My administration won’t be using it. It’s the right thing to keep council tax as low as we can.”

At Cabinet today, Ireland reached for the line that Hogg and every Labour cabinet member repeat at every meeting, in every paper, in every press release: “Sound financial management is at the heart of everything we do.” She added the administration was “not looking to make residents pay” and would focus on internal savings first.

No Cabinet member asked what happens if those savings do not materialise. No one asked what a 34% rise would mean for residents. The paper was approved and Cabinet moved on. The discussion lasted under six minutes.

#### Six minutes

[Paper 26-80 is eight pages long](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/26-80-Local-Government-Finance-Settlement-Paper-No.-26-80.pdf) \[pdf\]. It shows Wandsworth’s funding being cut by £79 million a year by 2028, a 36% loss of core spending power. It documents the December lobbying failure. It shows the trajectory to a near-doubling of council tax. It was presented “for information.”

> [Wandsworth’s £137m black hole – and the cabinet minister who can’t explain how to fill it](https://putney.news/2026/02/19/wandsworths-137m-black-hole-and-the-cabinet-minister-who-cant-explain-how-to-fill-it/)

Ireland introduced it. Dikerdem responded, not to question the numbers but to warn that the council’s achievements should not be “used as basically sacrificial lambs in terms of any attacks that we get from our opposition and from the media as they circle in on Wandsworth.” The paper was approved. Cabinet moved to the Local Plan.

Seven weeks from the election, with £154 million of gaps to fill, Hogg is making a promise his own papers show he cannot keep. Ireland closed the Finance Committee last week with a guarantee: “Whatever happens, we will maintain a low council tax. It will still be the lowest in the country. But that’s my guarantee.”

The council’s own papers show what keeping that guarantee costs.

#### What you can do

The budget requires formal approval at Full Council on 4 March 2026. Wandsworth council meetings are open to the public.

All Wandsworth councillors are up for election in May 2026. You can find and contact your ward councillors at [wandsworth.gov.uk/councillors](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/councillors). You can check whether you are registered to vote at [gov.uk/register-to-vote](https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/24/your-council-tax-must-rise-34-next-year-or-wandsworth-runs-out-of-money/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/24/your-council-tax-must-rise-34-next-year-or-wandsworth-runs-out-of-money/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Your%20council%20tax%20must%20rise%2034%25%20next%20year%20or%20Wandsworth%20runs%20out%20of%20money&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/24/your-council-tax-must-rise-34-next-year-or-wandsworth-runs-out-of-money/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** Cllr Angela Ireland, Cllr Aydin Dikerdem, Cllr Simon Hogg, council tax, local government funding, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth promised to fix how it handles antisocial behaviour. Fownes Street shows it hasn't.](https://putney.news/2026/02/24/wandsworth-promised-to-fix-how-it-handles-antisocial-behaviour-fownes-street-shows-it-hasnt/)

**Published:** February 24, 2026
**Author:** The Editor

**Excerpt:** Seven months after the Drina Gray case, the council arrived in court unprepared, evidence unserved, and still with no plan.

**Content:**

In January, MP Marsha de Cordova told residents that Wandsworth Council intended to begin possession proceedings against Kevin Stratford. Last Thursday, the council’s barrister told the court it was not seeking possession. It was asking for the injunction to continue.

These are not the same thing. Residents who have spent more than a year complaining about what happens at Fownes Street (and who had been told eviction was imminent) are still waiting for something to change.

*Putney.news* has covered [this case since December](https://putney.news/2025/12/03/they-learned-nothing-council-repeats-failures-months-after-promising-change/). We [reported the original complaints](https://putney.news/2025/12/05/my-kids-so-scared-as-man-prowls-property-while-council-blames-police-police-blame-council/), the [December injunction](https://putney.news/2025/12/20/court-grants-injunction-against-fownes-street-tenant-after-year-of-threats-and-intimidation/), and [January’s confirmation that possession proceedings were planned](https://putney.news/2026/01/18/wandsworth-council-seeks-eviction-of-fownes-street-tenant-as-resident-forced-to-flee/). We were [in court last Thursday](https://putney.news/2026/02/21/judge-orders-wandsworth-to-give-tenant-his-keys-right-now-in-an-uber/). What we saw was a council that arrived without properly serving its own evidence, has still not applied for contempt despite documented breaches, and had not managed to give a tenant replacement keys in the nine weeks since the injunction was granted.

The return date for the hearing was meant to happen in early January. It happened on 20 February, six weeks late, during which time Lee Preston, the man at the centre of the complaints, was released from prison, re-arrested, and is now due out again this week.

> [Judge orders Wandsworth to give tenant his keys – right now, in an Uber](https://putney.news/2026/02/21/judge-orders-wandsworth-to-give-tenant-his-keys-right-now-in-an-uber/)

#### A case without a strategy

The council’s updated witness statement, describing continued antisocial behaviour after the injunction was granted, was dated 3 February. It had not been served on the tenant and was not on the court file when the hearing started. The judge initially declined to read it.

At the same hearing, Kevin Stratford told the court he had climbed over his balcony to get into his flat because he had no keys. The judge stopped him before he could say more. The council was asked whether it was pursuing contempt proceedings for what appeared to be a breach of the injunction. It was not.

These are not isolated failures. They add up to something: a council pursuing a legal process it has not properly prepared for, at a pace that has allowed the situation to deteriorate rather than resolve.

This is also not the first time. In July 2025, Wandsworth cabinet member for housing Cllr Aydin Dikerdem responded to national coverage of the [Drina Gray case](https://putney.news/2025/07/31/death-threats-dog-mess-and-silence-how-the-system-failed-ben-and-emma/) (a council tenant who subjected her neighbours to two years of death threats and harassment while the council failed to act) with a promise. “We accept that we could have acted more swiftly,” he said. “Following this case, changes are being made to our anti-social behaviour case management system.”

The Fownes Street case has been live since at least December 2024. The injunction has been in place since December 2025. The question of what those changes look like in practice is one Wandsworth Council has not answered.

There is a more straightforward option the council does not appear to have considered. Stratford himself has made clear that Preston is the root cause. Preston has keys to the property, Preston was identified in the most serious allegations in the original injunction, and Preston is about to be released again. If Stratford were moved to a different property, Preston would not know the address. The situation that has made residents’ lives miserable for over a year might end.

Instead, the case now moves to a directions hearing in 28 days, after which a full hearing will be scheduled. Based on the pace so far, that could be months away. One resident has already moved out of their home because they couldn’t take it any more.

Lee Preston is due out this week. There is no new plan.

> [They learned nothing: Council repeats failures months after promising change](https://putney.news/2025/12/03/they-learned-nothing-council-repeats-failures-months-after-promising-change/)

#### What you can do

Residents at Fownes Street and the surrounding area who want to raise concerns about how the case is being handled can contact their ward councillors. Fownes Street falls within Falconbrook ward, represented by Cllr Simon Hogg () and Cllr Kate Stock ().

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/24/wandsworth-promised-to-fix-how-it-handles-antisocial-behaviour-fownes-street-shows-it-hasnt/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/24/wandsworth-promised-to-fix-how-it-handles-antisocial-behaviour-fownes-street-shows-it-hasnt/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20promised%20to%20fix%20how%20it%20handles%20antisocial%20behaviour.%20Fownes%20Street%20shows%20it%20hasn%E2%80%99t.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/24/wandsworth-promised-to-fix-how-it-handles-antisocial-behaviour-fownes-street-shows-it-hasnt/)

**Categories:** Comment, Crime

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Kate Stock, Cllr Simon Hogg, council housing, Fownes Street, Roehampton, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Putney Commons Board election results announced](https://putney.news/2024/03/08/putney-commons-board-election-results/)

**Published:** March 8, 2024
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Content:**

Election results for the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators (WPCC) have been [announced](https://www.wpcc.org.uk/governance/conservators-election-2024).

There were six candidates for the five available unpaid positions on the eight-person Board of the organisation that oversees Putney Heath, Putney Lower Common and Wimbledon Common. The other three positions are appointed by different arms of the government.

Those elected to three-year terms were David Brown, Susan Bucknall, Michael Johnston, William Liu and Mauro Mattiuzzo. Bucknall and Johnston were previously elected in 2021, received the highest number of votes, and will now serve their second terms.

Interest in the election was down significantly on last time, with a turnout of just 16 per cent, compared to 20.4 per cent in 2021. The number of candidates was also down from 12 to 6. Anyone with three-quarters of a mile of the land that the conservators oversee is eligible to vote, amounting to just under 65,000 people across four London boroughs.

The full results are below:

**Candidate****Votes****Result**Susan Bucknall7,150ElectedMichael Johnston6,381ElectedDavid Brown6,037ElectedMauro Mattiuzzo5,706ElectedWilliam Liu5,187ElectedDavid McClean4,1022024 Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators election resultsThe other three conservators are:

- Peter Shortt (Appointed by Defence Secretary)
- Oliver Bennett (Appointed by the Environment Secretary)
- Nigel Ware (Appointed by the Home Secretary)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2024/03/08/putney-commons-board-election-results/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2024/03/08/putney-commons-board-election-results/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20Commons%20Board%20election%20results%20announced&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2024/03/08/putney-commons-board-election-results/)

**Categories:** News, Politics

**Tags:** Putney Heath, Putney Lower Common, WPCC

---

### [Murder investigation after fatal stabbing on Wimbledon Broadway](https://putney.news/2026/02/23/murder-investigation-after-fatal-stabbing-on-wimbledon-broadway/)

**Published:** February 23, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Man in his 30s arrested as police appeal for witnesses to early-hours attack.

**Content:**

A man in his 40s was fatally stabbed in Wimbledon town centre in the early hours of Sunday morning in what police have launched as a murder investigation.

Officers and paramedics, including London’s Air Ambulance trauma team, were called to The Broadway at 12.37am on Sunday 22 February after reports of a stabbing. The man was found with stab wounds and treated at the scene, but died despite the efforts of paramedics.

A man in his 30s was arrested later that night on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody. The Metropolitan Police say they are not seeking anyone else in connection with the killing and are treating it as an isolated incident.

Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, who is leading the investigation, said: “Our thoughts are with the victim’s family. This is a shocking act of violence in the heart of a busy town, and we understand the impact this will have on the local community. While we have made an arrest, we still need anyone who witnessed the incident or has information to come forward. No detail is too small.”

![The police cordoned of the road for hours on Sunday. Pic: Matt Kane](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/wimbledon-stabbing-matt-kane.jpeg)The incident happened at a busy intersection on the Broadway. Pic: Matt KaneThe killing is a reminder that knife crime remains a serious threat in south-west London. Wimbledon is the nearest major town centre to Putney, and [fatal stabbings have hit closer to home too](https://putney.news/2025/10/26/teenager-killed-in-broad-daylight-stabbing-as-family-mourn-son/), with a teenager killed in broad daylight in Wandsworth last October.

In a striking contrast, Hammersmith and Fulham Council announced this weekend that knife crime across the adjacent borough has fallen by 44% in recent years, partly attributed to a £9.3 million investment in 2,500 CCTV cameras and a specialist Gangs Unit that secured 755 arrests last year alone.

The incident happened close to several bars and restaurants on The Broadway. The road was closed in both directions between Gladstone Road and Stanley Road following the incident, with buses 57, 93, 131, and 213 diverted.

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting CAD 244/22FEB. To remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

*Putney.news* will update this story as more information becomes available.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/23/murder-investigation-after-fatal-stabbing-on-wimbledon-broadway/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/23/murder-investigation-after-fatal-stabbing-on-wimbledon-broadway/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Murder%20investigation%20after%20fatal%20stabbing%20on%20Wimbledon%20Broadway&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/23/murder-investigation-after-fatal-stabbing-on-wimbledon-broadway/)

**Categories:** Crime

**Tags:** Hammersmith and Fulham Council, knife crime, Metropolitan Police, murder, public safety, Wandsworth, Wimbledon

---

### [Eight years later, East Putney bridges work begins next week](https://putney.news/2026/02/23/eight-years-later-east-putney-bridges-work-begins-next-week/)

**Published:** February 23, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Overnight closures, no weekends, and a pointed note about council investment.

**Content:**

The two grimy railway bridges at East Putney station are finally getting their long-overdue makeover, with works starting on 2 March after an eight-year wait.

Wandsworth Council, working with Network Rail and Transport for London, will deep-clean, repaint and pigeon-proof both bridges over approximately 40 nights of work. The team will also jet-wash the brickwork and add ‘East Putney’ signage to the exterior of both structures. A rendered image on the council’s announcement shows the bridges emerging bright and colourful once complete.

The works are scheduled overnight, between 10pm and 5am, to keep disruption to a minimum. A single lane will be closed with temporary traffic signals in place, but the road stays open throughout. No weekend working is planned.

The project is funded by developer contributions, with the council saying it comes at no cost to local taxpayers.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/east-putney-bridges-website-umbraco-template-800-x-533px.png)Cabinet Member for Transport Jenny Yates said: “These improvements will make a real difference for everyone travelling through East Putney. This investment is part of our Decade of Renewal, improving and refurbishing roads, pavements and bridges — all part of our commitment to making Wandsworth an even better place to live, work, and spend time.”

The council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Cllr Angela Ireland, told the Finance Committee last week that claims of no council investment reaching Putney are “simply not true”, pointing to Putney Leisure Centre as her evidence. As [we reported in October](https://putney.news/2025/10/03/putney-leisure-centre-set-to-become-one-of-the-greenest-in-the-uk/), the leisure centre refurbishment is funded by a £3.85 million government green grant, not the council’s own capital budget. When we asked for a breakdown of the grant in September, the council refused, calling the information “commercially sensitive.” The government published it anyway [in December](https://putney.news/2025/12/25/victory-for-transparency-as-government-releases-green-grant-breakdown-wandsworth-refused-to-disclose/).

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/east-putney-rail-bridge-15-1024x768.png)The bridges have been a long-running frustration. As [we reported in January](https://putney.news/2026/01/05/eight-years-after-promising-artwork-east-putney-bridge-finally-getting-a-lick-of-paint/), the wait stretches back to October 2016, when Wandsworth’s cabinet first pledged improvements to the Upper Richmond Road area. The works are part of a borough-wide programme that already delivered a [£5m transformation of the Falcon Road underpass](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/railway-bridge-improvement-works) at Clapham Junction, launched in December 2025.

Elsewhere in the borough, Wandsworth Town station is also finally seeing action: a [£20m accessibility upgrade](https://putney.news/2025/11/03/station-upgrades-finally-arrive-after-three-years-and-safety-warnings/) is now under construction, bringing lifts to all platforms and a new entrance at Odyssey Way, another project that took years to get moving.

![East Putney rail bridge](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/east-putney-rail-bridge-9-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/23/eight-years-later-east-putney-bridges-work-begins-next-week/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/23/eight-years-later-east-putney-bridges-work-begins-next-week/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Eight%20years%20later%2C%20East%20Putney%20bridges%20work%20begins%20next%20week&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/23/eight-years-later-east-putney-bridges-work-begins-next-week/)

**Categories:** East Putney, Transport

**Tags:** Cllr Jenny Yates, council tax, East Putney, Putney Leisure Centre, TfL, Upper Richmond Road, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Albert Bridge could stay shut a year. Now Putney Bridge is carrying the load.](https://putney.news/2026/02/23/albert-bridge-could-stay-shut-a-year-now-putney-bridge-is-carrying-the-load/)

**Published:** February 23, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Two closed Victorian bridges at once, no published inspection data for Putney Bridge.

**Content:**

Kensington and Chelsea Council has issued a traffic order allowing Albert Bridge to remain closed to vehicles for up to a year. Southwest London residents are now navigating the loss of two Victorian Thames crossings at the same time, with Putney Bridge among the bridges absorbing the additional pressure.

The order, issued on 18 February, sets out a worst-case timeline for repairs to the 152-year-old bridge, which has been closed to motor vehicles since 9 February after a routine inspection found a cracked cast iron component at one of the abutments. RBKC says the closure is precautionary, and the council has stressed it hopes to reopen sooner, particularly if a temporary fix proves possible.

But engineers are still assessing the structure. Exploratory work was due to complete on Friday, with a fuller repair timetable promised within the following fortnight. That update is still to come.

Albert Bridge carried 20,000 vehicles a day before the closure. Hammersmith Bridge, four miles upriver, has been closed to motor traffic since April 2019, nearly seven years.

#### “I certainly don’t want this to be another Hammersmith Bridge”

Johnny Thalassites, RBKC’s lead member for planning and environment, made clear the council is aware of what is at stake. “I certainly don’t want this to be another Hammersmith Bridge,” he told ITV News London when the closure was announced.

When initial investigations found no further visible damage beyond the original crack, Thalassites updated residents: “The early advice we have had following initial investigations suggests that we may be able to complete a permanent fix within a year. In the meantime, the investigative work continues. We are working with experts to find out if there are options to employ a temporary fix.”

Sensors have been fitted to monitor the crack. Engineers from FM Conway and Arcadis are carrying out the assessment.

Wandsworth Council issued a formal response on 13 February. Cabinet member for transport Cllr Jenny Yates said: “We know how frustrating and disruptive this sudden closure of Albert Bridge is for residents and businesses.” The council has arranged diversion signage south of the river and has requested that Transport for London review signal timings on Battersea Bridge Road.

The council’s own statement acknowledged what this closure adds to an already stretched network: Wandsworth said it recognised how heavily residents rely on Albert Bridge “particularly at a time when travel is already strained by the long-term closure of Hammersmith Bridge.”

> [Hammersmith Bridge: A masterclass in evasion, delay, and political cowardice](https://putney.news/2025/06/20/hammersmith-bridge-a-masterclass-in-evasion-delay-and-political-cowardice/)

#### The same failure, twice

The connection between the two closures is more than coincidental. New Civil Engineer reported in February that Hammersmith Bridge “has remained closed to road traffic since 2019 due to severe defects in the structure, including cracking in the cast iron plinths, similar to the reported issue at the Albert Bridge.”

Both bridges are Victorian-era cast iron structures. Albert Bridge, which opened in 1873 and is Grade II\* listed, has never been replaced (one of only two Thames crossings that can make that claim, along with Tower Bridge). A weight restriction has applied since 1884. Hammersmith Bridge, closed after micro-fractures appeared in its cast iron pedestals, has cost Hammersmith and Fulham Council almost £48 million in stabilisation work since 2020. Its [£250 million repair business case](https://putney.news/2025/10/13/hammersmith-ticks-billion-pound-tunnel-wish-list-while-the-bridge-stays-shut/) has sat unapproved for more than two years, with no government funding committed.

#### The bridge next in line

Putney Bridge is the crossing Wandsworth Council owns and maintains. The current structure was built in 1886 and carried 37,313 vehicles a day as of 2024.

Albert Bridge carried 20,000 vehicles a day. Those journeys are now diverted via Chelsea Bridge and Battersea Bridge, per RBKC’s guidance. Wandsworth Bridge is further east. For Putney and Roehampton residents, Putney Bridge is the closest alternative to both closed crossings, and it is handling that additional load at a time when it is also dealing with the effects of the Putney Bridge junction changes that have congested the area since 2024.

Wandsworth Council has published no condition grade, inspection schedule, or maintenance budget for Putney Bridge. *Putney.news* will submit a Freedom of Information request asking what Wandsworth knows about the bridge’s current structural condition, and whether the council has conducted any additional assessment.

#### What you can do

Residents affected by the Albert Bridge closure can find Wandsworth Council’s diversion guidance at [wandsworth.gov.uk](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-february-2026/minimising-travel-disruption-during-albert-bridge-closure/).

For updates on Albert Bridge’s repair timeline, RBKC is publishing updates at [rbkc.gov.uk](https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/newsroom/albert-bridge-closed-for-precautionary-investigations).

---

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/23/albert-bridge-could-stay-shut-a-year-now-putney-bridge-is-carrying-the-load/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/23/albert-bridge-could-stay-shut-a-year-now-putney-bridge-is-carrying-the-load/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Albert%20Bridge%20could%20stay%20shut%20a%20year.%20Now%20Putney%20Bridge%20is%20carrying%20the%20load.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/23/albert-bridge-could-stay-shut-a-year-now-putney-bridge-is-carrying-the-load/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** accountability, Albert Bridge, Cllr Jenny Yates, FOI, Hammersmith Bridge, infrastructure, Putney Bridge, TfL, Wandsworth Council

---

### ['People don't drive to hotels,' says chair as 200-room hotel approved with no taxi drop-off plan](https://putney.news/2026/02/22/hotel-approved-with-two-year-pavement-closure-but-delivery-plan-still-unresolved/)

**Published:** February 22, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Committee also approved delivery plan despite ban on loading. 

**Content:**

Wandsworth’s planning committee has approved changes to the new Putney High Street hotel, knowing construction will close the pavement for up to two years, and that the hotel’s delivery door opens onto a road where the council has specifically banned loading.

The committee voted unanimously on Thursday to approve the revised plans for the [Hub by Premier Inn](https://putney.news/2025/07/15/plans-revived-for-10-storey-hotel-and-new-shops-on-putney-high-street-after-years-of-delay/) development at 31-43 Putney High Street. The 10-storey, 200-room hotel is being built on the corner with Putney Bridge Road.

Three problems were raised at committee: pavement closure during construction; no space for cars/taxis to drop off or pick up hotel guests; and an unresolved delivery conflict once the hotel opens. They were noted, discussed, and then set aside. The committee approved them.

#### What happens to the pavement

Transport officer David Tidley told the committee that construction will use a “pit lane” on Putney High Street. The pavement will be closed and replaced with a closed, scaffolded corridor for pedestrians. Behind that corridor, a gap will be created off the road so lorries carrying cement, steel, and other heavy materials can pull in to unload beside the walkway.

The method was originally approved as part of the 2021 planning permission and has now been carried forward into the revised plans. No dimensions were given at the committee for the width of the pedestrian corridor or the pit lane itself.

Construction is expected to run for approximately two years, though the site has shown little activity in recent weeks despite demolition [beginning in October 2025](https://putney.news/2025/11/22/from-squatters-to-scaffolding-putney-high-streets-visible-signs-of-recovery/) – possibly waiting for the planning committee’s approval of this new plan.

The committee also received a late warning: the Construction Management Plan that was approved in 2023 covers only the demolition phase of the development, not the construction itself. A new plan for the construction phase must be submitted and approved separately, and must take into account changes to road and loading restrictions around the Putney Bridge junction introduced since 2023. The committee added a reminder note to that effect but it was not made a blocking condition of the approval.

#### The bigger problem

Once the hotel opens, deliveries will arrive via a dedicated service route from Putney Bridge Road into the hotel’s courtyard. The problem is that loading is currently banned on that stretch of road.

Wandsworth Council installed a Traffic Management Order in April 2025 creating double yellow lines and loading restrictions on the southern side of Putney Bridge Road for 55 metres, precisely where the delivery entrance is located. The ban runs from 7am to 7pm, 12 hours a day.

Developer Mosser’s transport consultants at WSP said in a note submitted to the committee that a new Traffic Management Order application “has been submitted” to amend the loading restriction and allow deliveries.

The committee papers tell a different story. Officers wrote that the developer “has been engaging” with the council’s highways team about “possible amendments” to the restriction, and that any change would require a new process including a public consultation period.

*Putney.news* searched five public databases for the TMO application WSP described as already filed. Nothing was found: not on the Wandsworth Council TMO register, the national Public Notice Portal, the London Gazette, the planning application documents, or via a site search.

> [Putney corner hotel plans get bigger – but delivery plan risks junction chaos](https://putney.news/2026/02/19/putney-corner-hotel-plans-get-bigger-but-delivery-plan-risks-junction-chaos/)

Councillor James Jeffreys, who represents Thamesfield ward, raised the ongoing traffic concerns: “Traffic, as I’m sure we’re all aware in Putney, is absolutely horrendous at the moment,” he said, “and I cannot emphasise enough just how frustrated residents are.”

Councillor Sara Apps also raised the TMO question, noting that the proposed loading windows (7am to 10am and 4pm to 7pm) blocked the the busiest traffic periods at the junction. She said she would “urge that we kind of take a good deal of scrutiny” on the issue, then acknowledged it was “not for this committee to determine” and the committee moved on.

Committee chair Tony Belton dismissed the traffic concerns more directly. “Surely from our own personal experience,” he said, “certainly when I go to cities, and I think London’s a pretty big city, I stay in hotels not having gone by car.”

The hotel’s 200 rooms will generate a constant flow of taxi and Uber arrivals and departures, particularly at peak times, for which no dedicated drop-off space is provided. Everyone except the chair of the Planning Committee appears to recognise that.

#### What this means if you use Putney High Street

If construction starts this spring as planned, the pavement on Putney High Street beside the development site will be replaced with a scaffolded walkway for the duration of the build. How wide that walkway will be, and what access will be maintained to businesses along that stretch, was not addressed at the committee.

When the hotel opens (currently projected for 2028) how deliveries will actually arrive remains unresolved. If the loading ban is still in place and no TMO amendment has been granted, daily deliveries to a 200-room hotel will have to find another way in, or wait until after 7pm.

The same council that approved the hotel also controls the loading ban that makes the delivery plan unworkable. The two processes (planning approval and traffic order amendment) have proceeded without any visible coordination between departments.

> [Plans revived for 10-storey hotel and new shops on Putney High Street after years of delay](https://putney.news/2025/07/15/plans-revived-for-10-storey-hotel-and-new-shops-on-putney-high-street-after-years-of-delay/)

#### What residents can do

The [Construction Management Plan](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/search-planning-applications/) for the construction phase must be submitted and approved before building work can begin in earnest. When it is published, residents can comment through the council’s planning portal.

If the Traffic Management Order amendment is submitted, it will be subject to statutory consultation, a 21-day public notice period during which objections can be filed. The notice will appear in the London Gazette and local public notice boards. No application reference number has been made public.

Thamesfield ward councillors [James Jeffreys](mailto:cllr.j.jeffreys@wandsworth.gov.uk), [Ethan Brooks](mailto:cllr.e.brooks@wandsworth.gov.uk), and [John Locker](mailto:cllr.j.locker@wandsworth.gov.uk) represent residents closest to the development.

*Putney.news* will continue to track both the construction plan approval and the TMO process. Previous coverage of the hotel development has followed the site since demolition began.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/22/hotel-approved-with-two-year-pavement-closure-but-delivery-plan-still-unresolved/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/22/hotel-approved-with-two-year-pavement-closure-but-delivery-plan-still-unresolved/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98People%20don%E2%80%99t%20drive%20to%20hotels%2C%E2%80%99%20says%20chair%20as%20200-room%20hotel%20approved%20with%20no%20taxi%20drop-off%20plan&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/22/hotel-approved-with-two-year-pavement-closure-but-delivery-plan-still-unresolved/)

**Categories:** Planning, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Cllr James Jeffreys, Cllr Tony Belton, construction, Hub by Premier Inn, loading ban, Mosser Limited, Planning Applications Committee, Putney High Street, Putney hotel development, Traffic Management Order, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Young people told Wandsworth exactly how to prevent violence. Now Cabinet has to decide if it cares.](https://putney.news/2026/02/22/young-people-told-wandsworth-exactly-how-to-prevent-violence-now-cabinet-has-to-decide-if-it-cares/)

**Published:** February 22, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** 'Every time prevention is delayed, another woman learns to tolerate harm'

**Content:**

Violence against women and girls does not begin with a punch. It begins in classrooms where misogyny goes unchallenged, in youth groups where girls learn to stay quiet, in the gap between what boys absorb online and what anyone bothers to talk to them about. Wandsworth Council spent four months and consulted 355 people to understand this. On Monday, Cabinet will decide whether to do anything about it.

The process was, by any measure, serious. A cross-party Task and Finish Group, set up in August 2025, visited schools, sat with parent champions, talked to women in refuge accommodation, and brought in the youth council. The question, as chair Councillor Lizzy Dobres framed it, was not how to respond to violence against women and girls but how to prevent it happening in the first place. Prevention, not crisis response. That shift matters.

The young people who came to speak to the committee earlier this month had thought about this harder than most adults. Youth councillor Kwasi described a school environment where misogyny travels through social media in ways that boys often do not even recognise as such. “Loads of young boys specifically don’t realise they’re going down specific misogynistic pipelines,” said Elizabeth, another youth councillor. “It’s making the conversations less of a taboo and less of a feared topic.”

Kwasi pushed back on a councillor’s suggestion to simply ban phones in schools. Young people, he said, needed to learn to challenge what they see online, not be shielded from it. “If we are just cutting off social media, young people lose their access to being curious, being inquisitive and challenging such ideologies.” A youth councillor politely correcting an elected member on evidence and strategy. The irony was not lost on the room.

#### Why prevention is hard

Mysha Sumer, chair of the VAWG Community Forum and a survivor of domestic abuse, set out precisely what is at stake. “Choosing to focus on prevention isn’t necessarily the easiest option,” she told the committee. “It requires long-term thinking, sustained investment and political courage, but it is the most impactful choice you can make.” She described her own journey from victim to forum chair, a journey that went through a youth space in Tooting. “Every time prevention is delayed, another woman learns to tolerate harm and another girl learns to stay quiet whilst another boy grows up without being taught accountability.”

Georgina Crowley, area manager for Hestia’s refuge accommodation, grounded the discussion in what frontline workers see. Pockets of good practice exist, she said, but they are not joined up. Housing is where survivors often first disclose. “We need all professional responses to be appropriate. This can make a direct impact to someone’s safety and their openness to receive further support.”

Then came the questions that the report could not answer.

Co-opted member Nabila Haroon asked directly: what are “the specific accountable actions, dedicated resources including budget, and measurable outcomes that will move them from proposal to implemented reality?” Dobres was honest. A Task and Finish Group cannot commit resources. What it can do is give Cabinet the best evidence and hope they act on it. The action plan would come after, she said, “given budget and resources available.”

Councillor Will Sweet went further. He had read the report carefully. “I’m struggling to see what is going to be done that’s actually different from what’s already going on,” he said. “Some of the language in the report makes clear that this is about consolidating existing activities rather than doing things differently.” He noted that Appendix 2 measures the themes against eight principles of effective prevention, and concludes that these activities “already apply.” He asked how the council moves from this report “to a really firm list of actions that is different from what’s been done before.”

Dobres did not dispute it. The report is an overview, she said. The specifics come later.

#### No concrete action

Even the recommendations, when you read them, are written in the language of possibility rather than commitment. Recommendation one says the council should “consider commissioning specialist services.” Recommendation three says it should “explore commissioning ‘by and for’ organisations.” Consider. Explore. Co-opted member Irene Wolstenholme pointed out that the first recommendation is illustrated with the suggestion of making a video. “A video takes what, a month or two to make? A childhood takes ten, fifteen years.”

Cabinet member for Health and Community Safety Graham Henderson was in the room. Cabinet member for Children Judy Gasser was also present. Gasser, towards the end of the meeting, spoke up. “I hear how very important this is to everybody in this room,” she said. She invited the Task and Finish Group to come to Cabinet and tell members exactly what they had heard. “And let’s try and get a real big commitment from the cabinet,” she said, “and if we can find any money, let’s spend some money on this.”

If we can find any money.

The Cabinet paper, published ahead of Monday’s meeting, asks members to “note” the report and approve the three recommendations for further development. It contains no budget commitment. No timeline. No action plan. The action plan, if it comes, will come after Cabinet decides whether to act, and will be shaped by whatever money is available.

#### The upshot

Three recommendations go to Cabinet on Monday. The consultation they are based on is genuine. The voices that fed into it are powerful. Mysha Sumer, who has been through what this strategy is trying to prevent, put it plainly. Survivors, she said, “don’t just want services that respond well after harm but we want a future where few women and girls ever need those services in the first place.”

That future requires what she called long-term thinking, sustained investment and political courage. Cabinet meets at 7pm on Monday 23 February at the Town Hall. You can watch live at the [Wandsworth webcasting portal](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcasts).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/22/young-people-told-wandsworth-exactly-how-to-prevent-violence-now-cabinet-has-to-decide-if-it-cares/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/22/young-people-told-wandsworth-exactly-how-to-prevent-violence-now-cabinet-has-to-decide-if-it-cares/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Young%20people%20told%20Wandsworth%20exactly%20how%20to%20prevent%20violence.%20Now%20Cabinet%20has%20to%20decide%20if%20it%20cares.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/22/young-people-told-wandsworth-exactly-how-to-prevent-violence-now-cabinet-has-to-decide-if-it-cares/)

**Categories:** Community, Politics

**Tags:** cabinet, domestic abuse, Hestia, Judy Gasser, Lizzy Dobres, Mysha Sumer, prevention, Task and Finish Group, VAWG, violence against women and girls, Wandsworth Council, Youth Council

---

### [Upper Richmond Road food shop opening 13 March - and wants to reward a local hero](https://putney.news/2026/02/22/upper-richmond-road-food-shop-opening-13-march-and-wants-to-reward-a-local-hero/)

**Published:** February 22, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** COOK West Putney opens 13 March with nomination campaign for community champion.

**Content:**

COOK West Putney has confirmed its opening date: Friday 13 March, at 383 Upper Richmond Road.

The shop sits in the Dover House Road shops on the western stretch of Upper Richmond Road, away from the town centre cluster, in a part of Putney where food retail is thin. For local residents it offers the option of stocking the freezer without a trip to the High Street.

COOK sells hand-prepared frozen meals made in its own kitchens in Kent and Somerset: think beef bourguignon, Thai green curry, osso bucco, and Moroccan lamb tagine alongside British classics and a strong puddings range. The price point sits between supermarket premium tiers and a takeaway: a meal for one runs roughly £7-10, a meal for two around £12-16, making it meaningfully cheaper than ordering in but noticeably above a Tesco Finest ready meal.

The freezer format is part of the appeal too: stock up and there is always something decent for a night when cooking from scratch is not an option.

> [Popular Cook shop transforms Dover House Road site with major refurbishment](https://putney.news/2025/10/17/popular-cook-shop-transforms-dover-house-road-site-with-major-refurbishment/)

COOK has won Great Taste Awards, holds B Corp certification, and is accredited by the Living Wage Foundation. It has been a certified B Corp since 2013. The West Putney shop will be its third in the area, joining Southfields on Replingham Road and East Sheen on Upper Richmond Road West, with a Barnes branch on Barnes High Street.

Alongside the opening announcement, COOK is running a search for a Putney local hero to cut the ribbon. Residents can nominate a community champion: a volunteer, a carer, a kids’ football coach, or anyone who goes above and beyond for the neighbourhood. The winner gets to open the shop, receives £100 of COOK vouchers, and COOK will donate £100 to a charity of their choice. [Nominations are open now](https://www.cookfood.net/info/competitions/nominate-your-west-putney-hero).

The opening follows a longer wait than originally anticipated: when *Putney.news* [covered the works last October](https://putney.news/2025/10/17/popular-cook-shop-transforms-dover-house-road-site-with-major-refurbishment/), a December opening looked likely. A new staircase and utilities upgrade were among the structural changes made to the site.

Residents who sign up to the COOK mailing list ahead of opening [can get 15% off their first shop](https://www.cookfood.net/info/west-putney-signup).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/22/upper-richmond-road-food-shop-opening-13-march-and-wants-to-reward-a-local-hero/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/22/upper-richmond-road-food-shop-opening-13-march-and-wants-to-reward-a-local-hero/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Upper%20Richmond%20Road%20food%20shop%20opening%2013%20March%20%E2%80%93%20and%20wants%20to%20reward%20a%20local%20hero&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/22/upper-richmond-road-food-shop-opening-13-march-and-wants-to-reward-a-local-hero/)

**Categories:** Business, Food &amp; Drink, West Putney

**Tags:** COOK, food shops, local hero, new opening, putney shops, Upper Richmond Road, West Putney

---

### [Judge orders Wandsworth to give tenant his keys - right now, in an Uber](https://putney.news/2026/02/21/judge-orders-wandsworth-to-give-tenant-his-keys-right-now-in-an-uber/)

**Published:** February 21, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Court hears man has been climbing over his balcony for six weeks because he can't get through his own front door.

**Content:**

A judge at Wandsworth County Court yesterday ordered the council and its tenant to get in an Uber and sort out the keys to his flat. Right now. Before the office closed.

“Get in an Uber, how soon can you be there? Five minutes. Right. Why can’t you both go there, give him a key and that’s the end of it?” the judge said. “Go there now, before the office closes.”

It took a judge approximately five minutes to resolve an issue that Wandsworth Council and its tenant Kevin Stratford had apparently failed to settle in the six weeks since a court granted an injunction against him for anti-social behaviour that included smashing neighbours’ windows, threatening children, throwing knives into gardens and loud fighting into the early hours.

Stratford, who appeared without legal representation, told the court he had no front door key to his own flat and had not been able to get in. “I have no choice but to climb over the balcony,” he said. His said his care coordinator and mental health team had both written to the council saying he could not access the property. He arrived carrying a handwritten statement and a letter from a mental health crisis team.

> [They learned nothing: Council repeats failures months after promising change](https://putney.news/2025/12/03/they-learned-nothing-council-repeats-failures-months-after-promising-change/)

The council’s barrister, Miss Blair, disputed his account. “We have on numerous occasions tried to reach Mr Stratford with replacement keys,” she said. “I believe we have delivered replacement keys on a couple of occasions. And we’ve also told him when those failed that he can attend our offices in order to collect keys.”

The judge was also unimpressed with the council’s preparation. It had arrived with a second witness statement dated 3 February, that had not been served on Stratford and was not on the court file. The judge initially declined to read it in case contempt proceedings were later brought. The council was also seeking a dog exclusion clause despite producing no evidence of a dog. “You’ve had six weeks since the grant of the injunction to work out whether there’s a dog or not,” the judge said. “You are asking me to include a provision for exclusion of dogs even though there’s no up to date evidence there’s any dog there.”

Stratford’s preparation was not much better. When the judge asked if he had legal representation, Stratford said he had an appointment on Monday with a domestic violence organisation. The judge pressed him. Stratford acknowledged he was “looking to get one.”

When Stratford appeared to be addressing the allegations against him from his handwritten statement, the judge stopped him. “Mr Stratford, I hadn’t realised we were going to deal with the allegations against you. You have a right against self-incrimination, you have a right to remain silent. Breaching a court order is an extremely serious matter, even if you admit it. So if there’s any part of your statement which deals with that, you should consider very carefully whether you want to say about it.”

*Putney.news* has been [following this case since December](https://putney.news/2025/12/03/they-learned-nothing-council-repeats-failures-months-after-promising-change/), when we [documented a year of complaints from neighbours](https://putney.news/2025/12/05/my-kids-so-scared-as-man-prowls-property-while-council-blames-police-police-blame-council/) about behaviour at the Fownes Street address. The [without-notice injunction](https://putney.news/2025/12/20/court-grants-injunction-against-fownes-street-tenant-after-year-of-threats-and-intimidation/) was granted in December with Stratford not present. Friday’s return date should have happened in early January. It did not. In January, [Wandsworth said it intended to pursue possession proceedings](https://putney.news/2026/01/18/wandsworth-council-seeks-eviction-of-fownes-street-tenant-as-resident-forced-to-flee/). Friday’s hearing did not pursue possession.

> [Court grants injunction against Fownes Street tenant after year of threats and intimidation](https://putney.news/2025/12/20/court-grants-injunction-against-fownes-street-tenant-after-year-of-threats-and-intimidation/)

Stratford also told the court that Lee Preston, named in [previous coverage](https://putney.news/2025/12/05/my-kids-so-scared-as-man-prowls-property-while-council-blames-police-police-blame-council/), held working keys to the flat and was due to be released from prison on Tuesday 24 February. He claimed to have applied for a non-molestation order against Preston that day.

The injunction was continued for 28 days with a dog clause added. Stratford has 28 days to file a written statement in response to the allegations. A directions hearing will follow.

As of Friday evening, it was not known whether the key handover had taken place.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/21/judge-orders-wandsworth-to-give-tenant-his-keys-right-now-in-an-uber/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/21/judge-orders-wandsworth-to-give-tenant-his-keys-right-now-in-an-uber/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Judge%20orders%20Wandsworth%20to%20give%20tenant%20his%20keys%20%E2%80%93%20right%20now%2C%20in%20an%20Uber&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/21/judge-orders-wandsworth-to-give-tenant-his-keys-right-now-in-an-uber/)

**Categories:** Crime, Housing

**Tags:** antisocial behaviour, court, Fownes Street, housing, Injunction, Roehampton, Wandsworth Council

---

### [That enormous concrete finger with the pink tip? Here's what it is](https://putney.news/2026/02/21/that-enormous-concrete-finger-with-the-pink-tip-heres-what-it-is/)

**Published:** February 21, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** The Wandsworth - Artisan - tower has been rising for months, and the planning battle behind it goes back to 2013.

**Content:**

If you have been wondering what that enormous concrete finger with the pink tip is, you are not alone. Visible from Putney Bridge, from Upper Richmond Road, from the train between Putney and Wandsworth Town, it feels like it has appeared from nowhere across half of south-west London. The question has been doing the rounds for weeks. So here is the answer.

It is the Wandsworth tower, a residential block of more than 30 storeys rising from the old Ram Brewery site at Armoury Way in Wandsworth, one of the tallest buildings south of the river outside Vauxhall and Nine Elms. And the story of how it got there goes back more than a decade. In July 2013, Wandsworth Council approved the Wandsworth Mills development on that site. The planning battle that preceded that vote was fierce. English Heritage objected. The Victorian Society objected. The Wandsworth Society objected. And 209 local residents submitted formal objections, making it one of the most opposed applications the council had seen.

The council voted to approve it anyway. Every Conservative councillor on the planning committee voted yes. Labour’s two members, Councillors Belton and Randall, voted against.

![Artisan Tower from the train](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/wandsworth-tower-2-1-768x1024.png)Construction stalled for years. The site was sold by the original developer, Chinese company Greenland Holdings, to Berkeley Group in 2022 for £40 million after financial difficulties. Berkeley restarted the project under the name Wandsworth Mills, marketing the tower as The Artisan, and construction began in earnest from 2024. Completion is due in 2027.

The tower is now past the point where it becomes visible across south-west London. Images taken this week show it clearly from Putney Bridge, from Upper Richmond Road in Putney, and from passing trains. It is the pink-capped concrete structure rising sharply above the surrounding rooftops near the Ram Quarter development on Wandsworth High Street.

#### What was approved and what it means for the area

The 2013 approval was controversial not just for its height but for what the developer offered in return. Of all the homes in the development, 10% were designated as affordable, and all of those were intermediate, meaning shared ownership or similar. None were social rent. English Heritage, in its objection, argued the tower would cause “substantial harm” to views from Richmond Park and the Thames.

Wandsworth Council’s planning officers recommended approval, and the Conservative majority followed that recommendation. The argument was that the economic regeneration of the old brewery site and the delivery of homes outweighed the heritage and visual concerns.

![Wandsworth Artisan Tower](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/wandsworth-tower-4-1024x768.png)What the 2013 decision also did was set a precedent. Each subsequent tall building in the same area has pointed to the Wandsworth Mills tower as evidence that the area can accommodate height. In March 2025, Wandsworth Council [approved a 29-storey tower](https://putney.news/2025/03/29/controversial-29-storey-tower-approved-for-former-gasworks-site-despite-fierce-opposition/) at the former gasworks site on Swandon Way, less than half a mile away. In June 2025, a six-storey hotel on Ram Street (taller than the surrounding area) was approved partly on the grounds that the nearby tower had already changed the character of the neighbourhood. Central Wandsworth has moved firmly toward height.

> [Controversial 29-storey tower approved for former gasworks site despite fierce opposition](https://putney.news/2025/03/29/controversial-29-storey-tower-approved-for-former-gasworks-site-despite-fierce-opposition/)

The Artisan Tower is now the most visible landmark in that pattern. From Putney Bridge, it appears on the skyline above Chelsea Bridge and the treeline of Battersea Park. From Upper Richmond Road, it sits at the end of the road on the horizon. From the South Western Railway line between Putney and Wandsworth Town, it is the first thing passengers notice.

#### What residents can do

The development itself is approved and under construction. There is no planning mechanism to stop a tower once consent has been granted and building has begun. But the pattern of tall buildings in Wandsworth is still evolving, and the decisions that shape it are made at planning committee meetings that are open to the public.

Anyone who wants to track or comment on new planning applications near the Ram Brewery site can search the Wandsworth planning portal at [planning.wandsworth.gov.uk](https://planning.wandsworth.gov.uk/) using the postcode SW18 1SL. New applications in the area would be neighbour-notified, meaning residents nearby would receive letters, but anyone can submit comments regardless of where they live.

![Wandsworth's Artisan Tower visible from Upper Richmond Road
](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/wandsworth-tower-urr-1024x768.png)The planning committee meets monthly. Dates and agendas are published on the council website at wandsworth.gov.uk. Members of the public can speak at planning committee hearings (three minutes per speaker) by registering in advance through the democratic services team.

Wandsworth Council was asked to comment on the original 2013 approval and the pattern of tall building consents in the area since then.

![Wandsworth's Artisan Tower from Putney Bridge](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/wandsworth-tower-3-1-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/21/that-enormous-concrete-finger-with-the-pink-tip-heres-what-it-is/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/21/that-enormous-concrete-finger-with-the-pink-tip-heres-what-it-is/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=That%20enormous%20concrete%20finger%20with%20the%20pink%20tip%3F%20Here%E2%80%99s%20what%20it%20is&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/21/that-enormous-concrete-finger-with-the-pink-tip-heres-what-it-is/)

**Categories:** Planning, Wandsworth Town

**Tags:** Armoury Way, Berkeley Group, planning, Ram Brewery, tall buildings, Wandsworth Council, Wandsworth Mills, Wandsworth tower

---

### [Collision closes Putney High Street as junction safety questions grow](https://putney.news/2026/02/20/collision-closes-putney-high-street-as-junction-safety-questions-grow/)

**Published:** February 20, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Rider treated at scene after midday crash at Disraeli Road.

**Content:**

At least one person was injured at the junction of Disraeli Road and Putney High Street at around midday yesterday after a collision involving a scooter and pedestrian at the traffic island on the box junction.

Police closed part of the High Street for about an hour before clearing out at approximately 1:30pm. The box junction is covered by cameras, which should have captured the incident.

Police on the scene confirmed to *Putney.news* that the collision was considered minor and the rider was treated at the scene.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/disraeli-putney-high-street-scooter-accident-2-1024x768.png)Local resident Mick Stone, who photographed the scene, summed up the mood: “How many more accidents are we going to see before something is done?”

The junction has a long history of problems. The junction used to have a left turn out of Disraeli Road onto the High Street but that was ended 47 years ago after several incidents of cars hitting pedestrians. There are now calls to reinstate the left turn in order to ease the severe congestion that has hit the back roads of Putney following the redesign of Putney Bridge junction.

There was an accident last year involving a pedestrian and a car on the other side of junction when the pedestrian failed to notice the crossover traffic and walked into the road.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/disraeli-putney-high-street-scooter-accident-1-1024x768.png)There is another issue too: the junction has a contraflow bicycle system that sees bikes cross from Norroy Road over Putney High Street to Disraeli, while cars go from Disraeli over to Norroy, or join Putney High Street. It is not popular with cyclists who feel unsafe both crossing the High Street against traffic and heading into Disraeli where a huge set of bike racks block their exit, pushing them into traffic.

There are growing calls to remove the bike racks altogether. Not only do they get into the way of cyclists but also prevent a left turn for cars and are barely used. In a review of the racks last month, we [revealed](https://putney.news/2026/01/08/putneys-bike-graveyard-less-than-a-sixth-of-racks-used-by-functional-cycles/) that barely a sixth of the 64 spaces are actually used by cyclists: the rest are empty, filled with abandoned bikes, or used by [one enterprising local](https://putney.news/2026/01/15/council-tags-abandoned-bikes-on-disraeli-road-but-bigger-challenge-remains/) as a holding station for his repair business. The racks have also been a [target of thieves](https://putney.news/2026/01/12/calls-grow-to-replace-disraeli-bike-racks-as-investigation-reveals-safety-and-theft-problems/), readers told us.

After pressure from *Putney.news* and repeat follow-ups from local councillor Ethan Brooks, the council tagged the abandoned bike wheels and chassis – and then took [nearly a month past their own clearance deadline](https://putney.news/2026/01/27/putneys-bike-graveyard-could-help-traffic-crisis-if-council-did-its-job/) to remove them.

> [Putney’s bike graveyard could help traffic crisis – if council did its job](https://putney.news/2026/01/27/putneys-bike-graveyard-could-help-traffic-crisis-if-council-did-its-job/)

At the same time as the council finally removed the abandoned bikes, it tagged another three that haven’t moved in months and have been slowly degrading on the stands. Those bikes now have a clearance deadline on 25 February – at which point it should be possible to finally see how frequently the 64 bike rack spaces are used.

Our estimate is that between 4 and 8 racks are in regular use – opening the way to remove them altogether, add a few smaller Sheffield stands and make the junction safer for everyone – cars, pedestrians, cyclists and now scooter riders.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/disraeli-bike-racks-2-2-1024x768.png)*Were you a witness to the accident at Disraeli Road Thursday? Contact us at .*

---

***Correction:** 20 Feb, 6pm: We originally reported that the Disraeli left-turn onto Putney High Street was ended ‘roughly 20 years ago’. One reader has since let us know it was 47 years ago this year. They have good reason for knowing.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/20/collision-closes-putney-high-street-as-junction-safety-questions-grow/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/20/collision-closes-putney-high-street-as-junction-safety-questions-grow/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Collision%20closes%20Putney%20High%20Street%20as%20junction%20safety%20questions%20grow&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/20/collision-closes-putney-high-street-as-junction-safety-questions-grow/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** bike racks, cycling, Disraeli Road, junction, Putney High Street, road safety, scooter, traffic, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Council left domestic abuse survivor in tiny room with newborn, ignored four months of warnings](https://putney.news/2026/02/21/council-left-domestic-abuse-survivor-in-tiny-room-with-newborn-ignored-four-months-of-warnings/)

**Published:** February 21, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Same failure ruled unlawful in 2021 — and training was ordered then.

**Content:**

She came home from hospital in January 2025 to a room with no heating and no hot water. She had just had a caesarean. She had a newborn and a toddler. The room was in a borough she didn’t know, and she had been asking to be moved for four months. Nobody had replied.

The woman, referred to as Miss X in an [official report](https://www.lgo.org.uk/decisions/housing/homelessness/24-016-588), had been placed in temporary accommodation by Wandsworth Council after fleeing domestic abuse. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found the council at fault, ruling there was injustice caused by its failures.

The council was found to have given no thought to her circumstances: a male landlord entered her room without notice while she was partly dressed; the council knew she was a domestic abuse survivor. And it was not the first time the council had been warned about this exact failure. The LGSCO has ruled against Wandsworth Council in a similar case in 2021.

The case adds a new dimension to our ongoing coverage of Wandsworth’s [housing failures](https://putney.news/2025/06/20/warnings-ignored-lives-at-risk-wandsworths-housing-shame-exposed/). Previous investigations drew on the Housing Ombudsman’s findings on disrepair. This ruling comes from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, which covers homelessness and social care. It is a second independent watchdog now finding against the council.

#### Four months of silence

Miss X told the council she was homeless on 28 August 2024. She was fleeing domestic abuse, pregnant, and had a child under two. The council placed her in self-contained temporary accommodation in another borough: one room and a bathroom.

Between August and 19 December 2024, Miss X and her social worker contacted the council repeatedly. Both raised the same concerns: the room was too small, and they could not see how Miss X would manage safely after giving birth with two young children in that space.

The Ombudsman’s finding on this period could not be starker:

> “I have seen no evidence the Council considered the concerns Miss X and her social worker raised before 23 December.”

Not delayed. Not inadequate. No documented response of any kind across nearly four months.

On 23 December the council finally made contact, offering alternative accommodation that was unfurnished and not yet available. In early January 2025, Miss X gave birth to her second child by caesarean section.

When she returned from hospital, the room had no heating and no hot water. Miss X says she had to contact the Fire Brigade before the council provided a heater.

On 27 January, the council arranged an appointment for Miss X to sign the tenancy agreement for the new property. The only furniture was a cooker and curtains. A bed had been ordered but was not ready; Miss X was given an air bed for two days. On 3 February 2025, nearly a month after giving birth and more than five months after first presenting as homeless, she was finally moved.

The Ombudsman ruled: “As Miss X had to stay in the accommodation for almost a month with two children I therefore consider Miss X has suffered an injustice.” The council was ordered to apologise, pay £750 in compensation (£350 for the period in unsuitable accommodation after the birth and £400 for the distress of having four months of contacts ignored) and issue new guidance to officers.

#### The landlord access failure

Separate from the accommodation failures, Miss X raised a further concern: the male landlord entered her room without notice while she was partly dressed. The council’s position is that officers knock loudly before entering. Miss X says that did not happen.

The Ombudsman did not resolve that factual dispute. What it found was more significant than either version: the council had given no consideration at all to whether a male should be accessing the room of a domestic abuse survivor.

The Homelessness Code of Guidance requires councils to consider whether mixed-gender accommodation is appropriate for domestic abuse victims. In this case, that consideration never happened.

> “In this case the Council knew Miss X had fled domestic abuse and was therefore vulnerable,” the Ombudsman found. “I would have expected the Council to take that into account when arranging accommodation checks.”

The ruling continued: “Given Miss X had fled domestic abuse I am concerned the Council did not give any consideration to the circumstances under which it would be appropriate to enter Miss X’s room. Nor have I seen any evidence the Council considered whether it would be appropriate for a male to enter the room.”

The remedies order requires the council to issue guidance to officers on three specific areas: suitability of accommodation for households with children under two; suitability for those fleeing domestic abuse; and male access to accommodation where the resident has fled domestic abuse. The council accepted all findings in full and paid the £750 compensation immediately.

> [Homeless and ignored: council failed abuse survivor in desperate need](https://putney.news/2025/08/25/homeless-and-ignored-wandsworth-council-failed-abuse-survivor-in-desperate-need/)

#### The same failure, four years after it was supposed to be fixed

That third element (the male landlord access issue) makes this case sharper than a straightforward housing failure. It was not a new problem.

In 2021, the LGSCO ruled that Wandsworth had failed a different domestic abuse survivor and ordered the council to train its housing officers on how to handle domestic abuse cases. The council accepted those findings and complied.

Five years later, in this case, the same council gave “no consideration” to whether a male should access a domestic abuse survivor’s room, a basic safeguarding question the 2021 training was supposed to address.

Wandsworth’s housing department has faced sustained scrutiny from multiple watchdogs. [A series of Housing Ombudsman rulings](https://putney.news/2025/06/21/mould-misery-and-council-neglect-the-human-cost-of-wandsworths-failures/) exposed systematic failures in how the council handled damp, mould, and disrepair complaints from council tenants. In May 2025, the ombudsman [found the council at fault](https://putney.news/2025/05/22/rot-in-the-roof-wandsworth-slammed-for-four-year-housing-scandal/) over a four-year leak failure, noting its defensive approach to legitimate complaints. Previous Putney.news coverage has documented a [separate case where a homeless abuse survivor was failed](https://putney.news/2025/08/25/homeless-and-ignored-wandsworth-council-failed-abuse-survivor-in-desperate-need/) and a [family left traumatised by a two-year housing nightmare](https://putney.news/2025/10/30/wandsworth-councils-betrayal-family-traumatised-after-two-year-housing-nightmare/).

The LGSCO decision in this case was issued on 17 December 2025 and published publicly in mid-February 2026, after the standard publication lag while the council was given time to comply with the remedies order.

A Wandsworth Council spokesperson told Local Democracy Reporter Charlotte Lilywhite: “We take our responsibilities towards vulnerable residents incredibly seriously and we are committed to providing safe, secure housing for those that need it. We are sorry for the distress this individual experienced and have offered an apology, and paid the compensation in full. We are committed to learning from this experience to improve our processes and ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

The council accepted all of the Ombudsman’s findings.

> [Wandsworth Council’s betrayal: Family traumatised after two-year housing nightmare](https://putney.news/2025/10/30/wandsworth-councils-betrayal-family-traumatised-after-two-year-housing-nightmare/)

#### What to do if you are in a similar situation

Anyone fleeing domestic abuse and in need of emergency housing in Wandsworth can contact the council directly through its [domestic abuse emergency accommodation guidance](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/community-safety/domestic-abuse/emergency-accommodation/).

Hestia, Wandsworth’s local domestic abuse provider, can be reached on 0203 879 3544 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).

The National Domestic Abuse Helpline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on 0808 2000 247.

Anyone who has experienced failures in how the council has handled their housing case and has exhausted the council’s own complaints process can take their case to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman free of charge at [lgo.org.uk](https://www.lgo.org.uk/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/21/council-left-domestic-abuse-survivor-in-tiny-room-with-newborn-ignored-four-months-of-warnings/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/21/council-left-domestic-abuse-survivor-in-tiny-room-with-newborn-ignored-four-months-of-warnings/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Council%20left%20domestic%20abuse%20survivor%20in%20tiny%20room%20with%20newborn%2C%20ignored%20four%20months%20of%20warnings&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/21/council-left-domestic-abuse-survivor-in-tiny-room-with-newborn-ignored-four-months-of-warnings/)

**Categories:** Health, Housing

**Tags:** Charlotte Lillywhite, domestic abuse, Hestia, Homelessness, housing, LGSCO, Local Government Ombudsman, safeguarding, temporary accommodation, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Pension board demands improvement for how people get their money - but sets no deadline](https://putney.news/2026/02/20/pension-board-demands-improvement-for-how-people-get-their-money-but-sets-no-deadline/)

**Published:** February 20, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Officers transparent about transfer crisis affecting 479 residents, but no monthly monitoring established.

**Content:**

Wandsworth’s pension fund board has asked officers for improvement plans to fix delays in transferring funds to members – but has set no deadline nor established monthly monitoring.

Board members met on 9 February, five days after *Putney.news* [revealed](https://putney.news/2026/02/04/wandsworth-officers-called-pension-transfer-crisis-excellent-performance/) officers had called 29% performance “excellent” in written papers. Officers acknowledged the failures and explained them as consequences of court-ordered pension reforms requiring manual calculations as well as increased anti-scam checks.

When put against its own target of 98%, the pension fund’s 29% performance exposed a serious problem at the heart of the scheme: one that was not mentioned in board papers but was instead hidden inside a table in the appendix.

In response, the board asked for interim recovery targets showing progress over two to three years rather than measuring against a 98% national standard the fund cannot meet. Board members did not ask however how long residents are waiting, how many complaints have been received, or whether people stuck in delays know this is a systemic problem.

This means residents trying to transfer their pensions still do not know when the service will improve. Between July and December 2025, the fund processed 479 transfer cases. Nearly half experienced delays beyond the target timescale. Performance worsened over that period, with success rates collapsing from 55% to just 29%.

The council [livestreamed the meeting](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1063718), which is the first Local Pension Board session visible in the webcast archive going back a year.

> [Wandsworth officers called pension transfer crisis ‘excellent performance’](https://putney.news/2026/02/04/wandsworth-officers-called-pension-transfer-crisis-excellent-performance/)

#### Outdated software causing backlogs

Carrie Abudofour, a pension administration officer, told board members the team is working through backlogs. “I think that represents the fact that we are…fully staffed on that team now and the team are working through backlogs and so there will be a higher number of failures in those categories while we continue to catch up with where we should be.”

Abudofour identified court-ordered pension reforms as the main cause. The McLeod remedy requires recalculating all member benefits back to 2014 to fix age discrimination. Every pension transfer now needs these complex calculations, but software systems have not been updated to handle them automatically – forcing pension officers to work out each case manually on spreadsheets.

“The software hasn’t kept pace with the changes in regulations so for transfers in particular the team have had to do a lot of manual calculations,” Abudofour explained.

The Pensions Regulator now requires schemes to verify every transfer is going to a registered scheme, check members are not being scammed, and ensure those transferring large sums have taken financial advice.

Other factors included staffing challenges requiring years to train replacement staff and the complication that any changes require agreement with Richmond, which shares the pension service.

Board chair Richard Perry challenged whether the current 98% target was realistic during a recovery period. “Is it perhaps a temporary situation that the target level of 98% is unrealistic, or is it the view that you and the team believe that you can get up to that level within the next 12 months or so?”

He proposed interim targets showing improvement trajectory. “I don’t think it’s fair that you’ve got 98% there if it’s not something that realistically can be achieved in the next year or two. But if we can see gains being made so that we get to that point, I’m more relaxed if that target level is lower in future submissions, and then we can see it increasing over the next two, three years.”

Other board members supported the proposal.

> [Wandsworth’s pension warning: risky bets, red flags, and no public access](https://putney.news/2025/06/05/wandsworths-pension-warning-risky-bets-red-flags-and-no-public-access/)

#### Loose enforcement

National regulators published guidance in March 2024 requiring standardised performance measurement, but Wandsworth did not begin tracking actual transfer completion times until July 2025: a 16-month delay implementing transparency requirements.

When officers finally reported the data in February 2026 papers, they characterised performance as showing “an excellent standard is maintained” and claimed service standards were “consistent with previous years achievements.” But the new measure that covers how long it takes people to actually move their money showing figures ranging from 55% to 29% against the 98% target.

*Putney.news* revealed the disconnect and the buried data on 4 February.

Officers have committed to return with improvement plans and to review whether interim targets would be more appropriate (likely 75%) than the 98% national standard. But with no deadline set and no monthly monitoring mechanism established, residents experiencing delays today have no clear timeline for when service will improve.

Pension members will likely be waiting years for the fund to work its way back to acceptable standards. What they don’t know is how long their individual cases will take, whether anyone is monitoring progress, or what happens if the promised improvement plans never materialise.

#### What you can do

If you’re experiencing delays with your Wandsworth Council pension transfer or concerned about your pension administration:

**Monitor your transfer:** Ask Pensions Shared Service (020 8871 6594, ) for updates every 4-6 weeks. Request specific timeline information and completion dates in writing.

**Complain if delayed:** If your transfer is taking longer than seems reasonable (the council won’t disclose the target timeframe), submit a [formal complaint](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/make-a-complaint) to the Pensions Shared Service. [Escalate to the Pensions Ombudsman](https://www.pensions-ombudsman.org.uk/making-complaint) if unsatisfied.

**Access your data:** You can request information about your specific case through [Subject Access Request](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/the-council/open-data-and-transparency/accessing-information/accessing-your-personal-information-subject-access-request/) under GDPR. Ask for all communications, processing dates, and any internal notes about delays affecting your transfer.

**Report serious concerns:** Contact [The Pensions Regulator](https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/contact-us) if you believe there are serious governance failures. The Scheme Advisory Board also [accepts concerns](https://lgpsboard.org/contact-us/) about LGPS administration standards.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/20/pension-board-demands-improvement-for-how-people-get-their-money-but-sets-no-deadline/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/20/pension-board-demands-improvement-for-how-people-get-their-money-but-sets-no-deadline/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Pension%20board%20demands%20improvement%20for%20how%20people%20get%20their%20money%20%E2%80%93%20but%20sets%20no%20deadline&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/20/pension-board-demands-improvement-for-how-people-get-their-money-but-sets-no-deadline/)

**Categories:** Finance

**Tags:** accountability, Local Pension Board, Pensions, Putney, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Thames floods Putney boathouses at highest tide in months - peak not yet reached](https://putney.news/2026/02/20/thames-floods-putney-boathouses-at-highest-tide-in-months-peak-not-yet-reached/)

**Published:** February 20, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** EA issues overnight alert for Friday as river pushes above October's levels.

**Content:**

Water reached the doors of Putney’s boathouses yesterday afternoon as the Thames hit its highest tide in months. Today’s peak is forecast to be higher still.

Rowers waded ankle-deep through floodwater outside the rowing clubs upstream of Putney Bridge shortly after 4pm, with trailer wheels submerged and river water lapping at the boathouse entrances. The river reached 5.10 metres at Richmond, well above the 4.65 metres that [triggered flooding last October](https://putney.news/2025/10/24/riverside-flooding-returns-to-putney-as-winter-threatens-more-alerts/) at the start of the winter tide season. The clubs, as they always do, got on with it.

![Rowers wading through flood waters at Putney Embankment](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/putney-embankment-flood-19feb26-3-1024x768.png)Thursday’s level was not the peak. The Environment Agency warned last night that the astronomical high point of this spring tide cycle is still to come, with a further flood alert already issued for Putney Embankment between 3am and 5am this morning. Friday afternoon’s tide will push higher again.

The combination of high astronomical tides and elevated river flows from upstream is what makes this week more dangerous than a typical spring tide. When the river is already running fast, even a modest tidal surge pushes water significantly further inland than the numbers alone suggest.

![Land Rover caught u in flood water on Putney Embankment](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/putney-embankment-flood-19feb26-9-1024x768.png)Anyone parking on the embankment or the riverside slipway today needs to think carefully. There is a “Flood” warning sign there for a reason, as the owner of at least one Land Rover Defender discovered yesterday afternoon. [Last summer a car was completely submerged on the Putney slipway](https://putney.news/2025/08/13/suv-owner-learns-the-hard-way-about-tidal-thames/) and written off. Friday’s tide could reach that level.

> [SUV owner learns the hard way about tidal Thames](https://putney.news/2025/08/13/suv-owner-learns-the-hard-way-about-tidal-thames/)

To receive free flood alerts by phone, text, or email, visit [check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk](https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/) and enter your postcode. You can also call Floodline on 0345 988 1188. The EA will issue an updated assessment by 10am.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/putney-embankment-flood-19feb26-8-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/20/thames-floods-putney-boathouses-at-highest-tide-in-months-peak-not-yet-reached/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/20/thames-floods-putney-boathouses-at-highest-tide-in-months-peak-not-yet-reached/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Thames%20floods%20Putney%20boathouses%20at%20highest%20tide%20in%20months%20%E2%80%93%20peak%20not%20yet%20reached&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/20/thames-floods-putney-boathouses-at-highest-tide-in-months-peak-not-yet-reached/)

**Categories:** Environment, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Environment Agency, flood alert, Putney embankment, Putney rowing clubs, spring tides, Thames flooding, Vesta rowing club

---

### [Putney corner hotel plans get bigger - but delivery plan risks junction chaos](https://putney.news/2026/02/19/putney-corner-hotel-plans-get-bigger-but-delivery-plan-risks-junction-chaos/)

**Published:** February 19, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Content:**

The new Hub by Premier Inn hotel being built at Putney’s busiest junction will be bigger than originally approved: three extra rooms, taller plant equipment on the roof, and an electrical substation that will reduce the promised public courtyard.

The Putney Society has objected, warning the developer’s new delivery door on Putney Bridge Road will block the bus and cycle lane at a junction already crippled by the botched redesign. The Planning Committee decides on the application ([2025/3946](https://planning2.wandsworth.gov.uk/planningcase/comments.aspx?case=2025%2f3946)) tonight.

The changes modify the 2021 planning permission granted to [developer Mosser Limited](https://putney.news/2025/07/15/plans-revived-for-10-storey-hotel-and-new-shops-on-putney-high-street-after-years-of-delay/) for the 10-storey hotel. The original approval was for 197 rooms. This application increases that to 200, though 40 of those rooms will have no windows – a slight improvement from the 42 windowless rooms previously approved. Construction won’t finish until 2028: two more years of disruption at the junction.

The most significant visible change is the plant screen on the roof, which will be 70 centimetres taller than originally approved. The developer also wants to build a 4.5 metre by 4.5 metre electrical substation in the corner of the public courtyard, reducing the open space residents were promised when the scheme was approved.

The energy strategy has changed too. The developer has ditched the solar panels shown in the 2021 approval and replaced them with air source heat pumps.

![Demolition on Putney High Street from Levellers Yard](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/levellers-demolition-1024x768.png)#### The delivery door problem

The Putney Society has objected to one change that wasn’t in the original plans: a new delivery door on Putney Bridge Road. The problem is that in 2023, after the hotel was approved, the council installed a loading ban on that exact street. Double yellow lines with loading restrictions run for 55 metres along Putney Bridge Road, prohibiting loading and unloading between 7am and 7pm.

A 200-room hotel requires multiple deliveries every day. The Putney Society points out that delivery vehicles will block the existing bus lane and cycle lane, exacerbating congestion at what is already [Putney’s worst junction](https://putney.news/2025/12/10/officials-watch-helplessly-as-lorry-blocks-junction-they-still-havent-fixed/).

The developer’s transport consultants, WSP, have responded by revealing they’ve submitted a separate Traffic Management Order application to change the 2023 loading ban. The planning application assumes this separate TMO will be approved. If it’s not, the hotel has no viable delivery strategy.

The planning officer recommends approval, saying deliveries will be managed through a Delivery and Servicing Plan required by condition. But that doesn’t answer how deliveries will physically occur if the TMO application to reverse the loading ban fails.

Taxi drop-offs present another challenge. WSP suggests multiple options: Putney High Street outside Boots, the loading bay on Lacy Road, Brewhouse Lane, or the rear access point. The hotel has no dedicated taxi drop-off area.

> [Plans revived for 10-storey hotel and new shops on Putney High Street after years of delay](https://putney.news/2025/07/15/plans-revived-for-10-storey-hotel-and-new-shops-on-putney-high-street-after-years-of-delay/)

#### Infrastructure uncertainty

Thames Water has told the council it cannot determine whether there is sufficient water and sewerage capacity to support the hotel. The water company says foul water capacity, surface water capacity, and potable water supply are all insufficient. The council has attached a condition preventing the hotel opening until Thames Water confirms capacity exists or agrees an infrastructure upgrade plan. That means the hotel could be built but sit empty until the water infrastructure catches up.

Transport for London has raised concerns about cycle parking provision, saying the proposals don’t meet London Plan standards. The council will make compliance with TfL’s requirements a condition of approval.

The site has been a visible blight on Putney High Street for years. After [squatters were evicted last year](https://putney.news/2025/11/22/from-squatters-to-scaffolding-putney-high-streets-visible-signs-of-recovery/), demolition finally began in October 2025. The buildings that once housed Ramna restaurant, Preto Brazilian steakhouse, and Gadget Xchange are currently being demolished, with construction originally scheduled to begin next month; although in recent days the site has fallen quiet.

The Putney hotel development is the latest chapter in a saga that began with a 2017 application, received approval in 2021, then sat dormant for years while the corner deteriorated. Residents waiting for the site’s transformation face at least two more years of construction disruption at Putney’s busiest junction.

The Planning Committee meets at 7.30pm on Wednesday, February 19 at Wandsworth Town Hall. The meeting is open to the public, though residents cannot speak at planning committees. Ward councillors can attend and speak briefly on applications in their area.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/PHS-hotel-1024x934.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/19/putney-corner-hotel-plans-get-bigger-but-delivery-plan-risks-junction-chaos/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/19/putney-corner-hotel-plans-get-bigger-but-delivery-plan-risks-junction-chaos/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20corner%20hotel%20plans%20get%20bigger%20%E2%80%93%20but%20delivery%20plan%20risks%20junction%20chaos&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/19/putney-corner-hotel-plans-get-bigger-but-delivery-plan-risks-junction-chaos/)

**Categories:** Business, Planning, Thamesfield

**Tags:** 2025/3946, planning committee, Putney Bridge Road, Putney High Street, Putney hotel development, Putney Society, traffic congestion, Wandsworth planning

---

### [Wandsworth’s £137m black hole - and the cabinet minister who can’t explain how to fill it](https://putney.news/2026/02/19/wandsworths-137m-black-hole-and-the-cabinet-minister-who-cant-explain-how-to-fill-it/)

**Published:** February 19, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Under the budget passed last night, Wandsworth Council would be bankrupt in two years’ time.

**Content:**

The cabinet member responsible for Wandsworth’s finances admitted last night that the council is using reserves to “plug any gap” in its budget, as official papers revealed a £137m shortfall that the council has no plan to fill.

Cllr Angela Ireland, Cabinet Member for Finance, made the admission at last night’s Finance Committee meeting, where councillors voted to recommend the 2026-27 budget to Cabinet. The committee heard that £38m of reserves will be drawn down in the coming year alone, the equivalent, on the council’s own figures, of a 50 percentage rise in council tax.

The two-year gap (£62m in 2027-28 and £92m in 2028-29) appears on page 77 of the budget papers, buried in an appendix. The usable reserves available to cover it will be approximately £122m – less than the combined shortfall.

Which means that if the budget that was voted on and approved at the Finance Committee last night was stuck to, Wandsworth Council would be bankrupt in two years.

#### The plan that isn’t a plan

The council’s answer to the gap is a £45m transformation programme, savings it says will materialise over three years. But Chief Executive Andrew Travers told the committee the £45m target was “a broad, reasonable aspiration to get us going,” not a figure derived from identified savings.

The medium-term financial strategy that will set out how those savings will actually be achieved is not due until September 2026, after the budget is formally set by Full Council next month.

Paper 26-63, the official budget document, acknowledges the problem directly. “These \[reserves\] cannot be used indefinitely,” it states, “and, as in previous years, the Council will need to identify efficiencies and other sources of income to help meet the ongoing budget shortfall.” The council’s own paper describes the strategy as unsustainable. It offers no alternative.

Cllr Aled Richards-Jones, leader of the Conservative opposition, put the arithmetic plainly during the meeting. “The usable reserves are forecast to be a hundred and twenty-one million pounds,” he said. “That’s less than the one hundred and thirty-seven million budget gap.” No officer or cabinet member disputed the figures.

Cllr Peter Graham added: “Even with a forty-five million pound transformation programme there is a bigger use of reserves to balance the budget required in 27-28, 28-29 than there are reserves left.”

#### The question Ireland didn’t answer

There is of course one way the council could fill the gap without cutting services: raise council tax steeply.

Normally that would require a public vote if the rise exceeds 5%. But the government has given Wandsworth special dispensation for 2027-28 and 2028-29. In those two years, the council can raise council tax by any amount without asking residents.

The budget papers say the council “will not” do this. When asked at last night’s meeting, Ireland used different words: there were “no current plans” for rises above the normal threshold, she said.

Asked repeatedly to explain the difference, she said: “I think I’ve said everything I need to say on this.”

#### What the numbers mean

Cllr Matthew Corner translated the £38m reserve drawdown for residents. “The £38m being used to plug the revenue budget for this coming year is the equivalent of a 50% increase in council tax.” The council’s own papers confirm the arithmetic. Paper 26-63 states that one percentage point of council tax is worth £0.77m. That makes £38m equivalent to roughly 50 percentage points.

The vote passed with Labour members voting in favour and Conservatives against. Cllr Tony Belton, a Labour member, declined to vote. He told the meeting: “I don’t want to set a budget at all.”

#### A year of warnings confirmed

[In March 2025, *Putney.news* first warned that Wandsworth was sitting on a “ticking timebomb” of unsustainable reserve drawdowns](https://putney.news/2025/03/05/wandsworth-council-warned-about-ticking-timebomb-of-new-debt/), with £11.5m being drawn that year. The figure is now £38m.

[In June 2025, we explained how the end of Wandsworth’s low council tax model was structurally inevitable](https://putney.news/2025/06/22/brace-for-impact-council-tax-to-soar-in-putney/) under the government’s Fair Funding Review. [In July, the 2024-25 accounts confirmed a £40m overspend](https://putney.news/2025/07/02/wandsworth-overspends-by-40m-and-worse-is-on-the-way/), with reserves falling faster than forecast.

[In October, we reported that the council faced a financial cliff edge](https://putney.news/2025/10/04/the-partys-over-council-tax-will-need-to-at-least-double-to-avoid-fiscal-cliff-edge/) and that the transformation programme was speculative. This evening, the Chief Executive confirmed it was. [In December, we set out what the end of low council tax would mean for residents](https://putney.news/2025/12/18/the-end-of-wandsworths-low-council-tax-what-residents-need-to-know/).

Last night’s meeting was the moment the council’s own senior figures provided the language. Ireland called it the “brutal use of reserves to plug any gap.” Travers called the £45m target an aspiration. Neither offered a plan.

#### What happens next, and what you can do

The budget goes to Cabinet on Monday. Full Council will formally set it next month. Both meetings are open to the public. Check the council’s democracy portal at wandsworth.gov.uk for times and public participation details.

To raise concerns before the Full Council vote, contact your ward councillor. Full contact details are at wandsworth.gov.uk.

Ireland committed at last night’s meeting to bringing a new medium-term financial strategy to committee in autumn 2026, after the May election. That strategy will set out, for the first time, how the £45m transformation savings will actually be achieved. If it does not arrive, or does not contain a credible plan, that is the next story.

Ireland closed the meeting with a guarantee. “Whatever happens we will maintain a low council tax. It will still be the lowest in the country. But that’s my guarantee.”

Seven weeks before polling day, with £137m of gaps and no plan to fill them, that guarantee rests entirely on reserves the council’s own papers say cannot be used indefinitely.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/19/wandsworths-137m-black-hole-and-the-cabinet-minister-who-cant-explain-how-to-fill-it/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/19/wandsworths-137m-black-hole-and-the-cabinet-minister-who-cant-explain-how-to-fill-it/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%E2%80%99s%20%C2%A3137m%20black%20hole%20%E2%80%93%20and%20the%20cabinet%20minister%20who%20can%E2%80%99t%20explain%20how%20to%20fill%20it&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/19/wandsworths-137m-black-hole-and-the-cabinet-minister-who-cant-explain-how-to-fill-it/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** Andrew Travers, Cllr Angela Ireland, council budget, council tax, Finance Committee, Local elections 2026, reserves, Transformation Programme, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Why the familiar WH Smith at Putney station has gone](https://putney.news/2026/02/19/why-the-familiar-wh-smith-at-putney-station-has-gone/)

**Published:** February 19, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Famous newsagent turned travel retailer cutting smaller locations; station unit now empty.

**Content:**

The WH Smith at Putney station has closed. Commuters arriving this week find the familiar unit stripped out and empty, shelving removed and the concourse space cleared.

The closure is part of a deliberate shift by WH Smith away from smaller rail locations. The company’s December 2025 results confirmed plans to close around 15 UK travel stores this financial year while opening 20, concentrating investment on airports and major London termini.

Putney does not feature in WH Smith’s stated list of priority rail locations, which the company describes as “iconic London railway stations” including Charing Cross, King’s Cross, Victoria and Waterloo.

WH Smith operates more than 110 UK rail locations. The Putney closure reflects the company’s stated aim to “reshape the portfolio to improve profitability” by concentrating resources where footfall is highest. The station’s Caffè Nero Express, directly opposite the now-empty unit, remains open.

#### A company in retreat

The closure comes during a difficult period for WH Smith. In March 2025 the company sold its entire UK high street estate of around 480 stores to Modella Capital for £76m, ending its presence on town high streets after more than two centuries and leaving travel retail as its sole UK business. In November 2025, group chief executive Carl Cowling resigned following a Deloitte review that found profit had been overstated in the company’s North America division by around £30m, causing a sharp fall in its share price.

Travel retail now accounts for 75% of WH Smith’s revenue and 85% of its trading profit. The company’s strategy is to grow at airports and large termini rather than at smaller commuter stations like Putney.

![WH Smith sign outside Putney station](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/whsmith-putney-station-1-1024x768.png)End of an era: WH Smith’s sign is still on the outside of the station but the unit is empty#### What happens next

The station building is owned by Network Rail, with South Western Railway acting as the Station Facility Owner and sub-letting retail units through its property manager, Amey TPT.

Ian Chalmers, principal surveyor at Amey TPT, confirmed to *Putney.news* that WH Smith is vacating and that the space will be used temporarily for operational purposes. He added that the unit is being marketed, with “a number of exciting retailers expressing interest,” though no terms have been agreed and no immediate replacement is planned.

The closure adds to a mixed picture on Putney’s retail streets. In December, [empty units clustered at both ends of Putney High Street](https://putney.news/2025/12/09/empty-shops-cluster-at-both-ends-of-putney-high-street/) prompted concern about the area’s commercial health. Against that backdrop, M&S is preparing to reopen on the High Street next week after a seven-year absence.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/19/why-the-familiar-wh-smith-at-putney-station-has-gone/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/19/why-the-familiar-wh-smith-at-putney-station-has-gone/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Why%20the%20familiar%20WH%20Smith%20at%20Putney%20station%20has%20gone&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/19/why-the-familiar-wh-smith-at-putney-station-has-gone/)

**Categories:** Business

**Tags:** Amey TPT, Putney High Street, Putney station, retail, South Western Railway, WH Smith

---

### [Marks & Spencer returns to Putney High Street on 25 February](https://putney.news/2026/02/18/marks-spencer-returns-to-putney-high-street-on-25-february/)

**Published:** February 18, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Food Hall opens Wednesday ending nearly eight years of vacancy.

**Content:**

Marks and Spencer Putney will open next Wednesday, 25 February, five weeks ahead of schedule. Workers have been racing through the night this week to finish the store that has sat empty for nearly eight years.

[Just last week](https://putney.news/2026/02/11/seven-years-on-marks-and-spencer-putney-confirms-spring-opening/), the opening date was confirmed as 1 April, just a few days before “Putney Christmas” – the Boat Race. Something has changed. Lights have been on late into the evening, and the pace of activity inside has visibly accelerated.

![Marks and Spencer Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/marks-and-spencer-opening-4-1024x768.png)The store at 59 Putney High Street closed in April 2018 after 91 years of trading. [It became a symbol of the High Street’s decline](https://putney.news/2025/04/19/how-marks-and-spencer-symbol-putney-high-street-decline-history/), its boarded-up windows visible to everyone passing through central Putney. Community campaigns pushed for its return, and last April M&S confirmed it would reopen as part of a £90 million investment in London stores.

The new Food Hall format replaces the old department store. The Art Deco facade has been restored, with the original “Marks & Spencer Ltd” lettering preserved. [Scaffolding came down in November](https://putney.news/2025/11/22/from-squatters-to-scaffolding-putney-high-streets-visible-signs-of-recovery/), revealing the building as it looked when it first opened in 1931.

The early opening gives M&S five weeks to settle in before Boat Race Day on 4 April, ready when the crowds arrive.

![Marks and Spencer in Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/marks-and-spencer-opening-3-1024x768.png)The High Street recovery story remains mixed. WH Smith in Putney station has closed, with tear-out work currently visible – it’s clear whether it’s refurb or if the newsagent has upped sticks. But the M&S opening is the biggest single boost to confidence in years. A hotel is under construction nearby. Empty units are still clustered at both ends of the High Street, but the centre is strengthening.

Eight years is a long time to wait. The return happens next week.

![WH Smith Putney train station](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/whsmith-putney-station-3-1024x768.png)---

*Correction, 8.30am: The 25th February is a Wednesday, not a Tuesday as we incorrectly stated in an earlier version of this story.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/18/marks-spencer-returns-to-putney-high-street-on-25-february/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/18/marks-spencer-returns-to-putney-high-street-on-25-february/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Marks%20%26%20Spencer%20returns%20to%20Putney%20High%20Street%20on%2025%20February&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/18/marks-spencer-returns-to-putney-high-street-on-25-february/)

**Categories:** Business, Save the High Street

**Tags:** Boat Race, Marks and Spencer, Positively Putney, Putney High Street, retail

---

### [Council won't evict tenants who don't pay rent, but borrows £429m assuming they will](https://putney.news/2026/02/18/council-wont-evict-tenants-who-dont-pay-rent-but-borrows-429m-assuming-they-will/)

**Published:** February 18, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Housing chief reveals policy kept quiet "because of incentive structures" as £18m arrears triple bad debt provision.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council will “very, very rarely” evict tenants who don’t pay rent – a policy that undermines the financial assumptions behind £429 million in planned borrowing – even as the authority burns through reserves at £28 million per year and faces a mounting financial crisis.

The policy was revealed by Cabinet Member for Housing Aydin Dikerdem, who told a committee last month the council tries “not to talk about this too much in public” because of “incentive structures.”

Budget figures published this week show current rent arrears stand at £18 million, which are nearly triple the £6-7 million bad debt provision in the council’s borrowing plan, and are rising by £2 million annually.

The council extends payment periods based on tenant “affordability” rather than enforcing collection, yet the Housing Revenue Account business plan assumes £137.5 million in annual rent income to support the massive borrowing programme.

The policy revelation comes as the council already faces mounting financial pressure. [General Fund reserves collapsed from £194 million to £166 million in a single year](https://putney.news/2025/10/04/the-partys-over-council-tax-will-need-to-at-least-double-to-avoid-fiscal-cliff-edge/). £28 million gone, with £12 million simply plugging the gap between income and spending.

Four months before revealing the rent arrears policy, Cllr Dikerdem argued it “doesn’t make sense to sit on reserves” while approving a £424 million capital programme, even though his department was responsible for over 90% of the council’s £17.4 million budget crisis, with [the Housing Revenue Account £15.7 million overspent](https://putney.news/2025/09/23/wandsworths-decade-of-renewal-masks-17-million-budget-crisis/). He was arguing against saving reserves while both the General Fund and his own HRA were in financial crisis.

#### From secret policy to public boast

Dikerdem first revealed the non-eviction policy at a Housing Committee meeting on 21 January 2026, prefacing it with: “To be frank, we try not to talk about this too much in public because of the incentive structures.” He explained that it is “very, very rare that we would ever evict someone because of rent arrears,” with evictions only happening in “very obvious and chronic” cases where someone is “basically refusing to pay rent even with multiple different offers of payment plans, supports, credit unions, support, all those kinds of things.”

He told the committee that “arrears going up shows that we’re not just evicting people when they have arrears. We have longer term payment periods. We extend it to what people can actually afford.”

Days later at the 26 January Cabinet meeting, he softened the language: “No tenant should feel fear of their home. We have a very, very kind of supportive rent engagement team that will support anyone if they find this difficult.”

By the 4 February full Council meeting, Leader Simon Hogg was describing the approach as having “one of the most generous and compassionate rent repayment offers in London.” What started as an admission the council preferred to keep quiet became, within weeks, a public boast, even as the financial assumptions underpinning £429 million in borrowing remained unchanged.

> **There is a risk of over-reliance on future projected surpluses which could throw the HRA business plan out of balance and necessitate additional borrowing**
> 
> HRA Budget Paper (Paper 26-7) from 26 January Cabinet meeting

#### The reserves argument

Just weeks before the September Cabinet meeting where Dikerdem would argue against “sitting on reserves,” the council had revealed General Fund reserves collapsed from £194 million to £166 million in the 2024/25 financial year. £28 million gone in twelve months. Of that, £12 million was simply plugging the gap between income and spending. *Putney.news* reported in October 2025 that at this burn rate, “the safety net gets thinner every year,” with the council’s own budget documents admitting reserves “buy time but don’t solve structural imbalances.”

Against this backdrop, Dikerdem told the 22 September 2025 Cabinet meeting that approved a £424 million capital programme and £1.9 million from the financial resilience reserve for a “transformation programme”: “You’ve got to spend money on infrastructure so that you’re not plugging gaps later on and it doesn’t make sense to sit on reserves without improving the foundational infrastructure of our borough.”

At that moment, his department was £15.7 million overspent, homelessness had jumped from 1,414 to 1,692, first-time temporary accommodation admissions from 424 to 478, and repair costs were soaring due to inflation and new building safety regulations: all things that should have given pause on new spending plans.

#### The no-eviction policy

Public disclosure: Policy deliberately “not talked about too much in public”

Evictions for arrears: “Very, very rare”

Current arrears: £18 million (13% of rent roll)

Arrears trend: Rising £2 million per year

Payment periods: Extended based on “affordability”

#### The borrowing plan assumptions

The HRA budget paper presented to Cabinet on 26 January 2026 (five days after Dikerdem’s Housing Committee revelation) shows the council planning £429 million in new borrowing over the next four years:

YearNew Borrowing2025/26£44.860m2026/27£108.186m2027/28 onwardsBalance of programme**Total over 4 years****£429m**The paper states that a core assumption in being able to borrow the money is growing income from council tenants: “As these schemes generate new supply, which in turn generates revenue income, it is reasonable to assume that the balance is funded by additional borrowing with the revenue cost of that new borrowing supported by the additional revenue income.”

Total rental income forecast for the HRA in 2025/26 is £137.5 million with, approximately £32 million a direct transfer from the council’s Housing Benefit system.

Bad Debt ProvisionsAmount2025/26£6.272m2026/27£7.170m**Current actual arrears****£18m****Gap****£11-12m**The paper notes the growing problem of bad debt but it was not something noted or commented on by the administration, with the issue was pushed out to year end: “Predominantly this increase is in response to the increasing levels of rent arrears (including heating and hot water and tenants’ service charge arrears) within the HRA above that normally arising as a consequence of the collection rate target for which a prudent provision for bad debts will need to be determined at year end.”

The current arrears of £18 million represent approximately 13% of the annual rent roll (nearly triple the 5% bad debt provision).

The paper itself warns: “The future forecast surpluses involve a number of assumptions on future spend and income levels which if varied can have a significant effect on available resources. **There is therefore a risk of over-reliance on future projected surpluses which could throw the HRA business plan out of balance and necessitate additional borrowing** \[our emphasis\], higher rents (if permissible) or reduced service provision in future years.”

#### The mathematics problem

The HRA business plan projects that reserves will initially increase as old self-financing debt is repaid. Reserves are then forecast to decline to £107 million (a net £46 million fall from the 2026 starting position).

But that assumes bad debt at a third of the current rate, meaning that reserves will go down significantly faster than budgeted while at the same time the council needs to make larger payments on what it has borrowed.

It’s a risky financial position and one that the current administration remains seemingly oblivious to, believing that it has sufficient reserves to cover the growing losses. That in itself is a recipe for financial disaster.

#### Five months of statements

DateMeetingStatementContext22 Sept 2025Cabinet“Doesn’t make sense to sit on reserves” (commends “active and forward thinking” spending)Dept £15.7m HRA overspent, £600k GF overspent, 90% of council’s budget crisis21 Jan 2026Housing Committee“Try not to talk about this too much in public… very, very rare that we would ever evict someone because of rent arrears”Arrears £18m, rising £2m/year26 Jan 2026Cabinet“No tenant should feel fear of their home. We have a very, very kind of supportive rent engagement team”Approving £429m borrowing plan4 Feb 2026Full Council“Most generous and compassionate rent repayment offers in London” (Leader Hogg)Same week as revealing policy kept quiet#### Council declines to answer questions

*Putney.news* sent questions to Cabinet Member for Housing Aydin Dikerdem asking how he reconciles arguing against reserves while his department was £15.7 million overspent; why the eviction policy is kept quiet; how the £11-12 million gap between provisions and actual arrears is sustainable; and whether lenders funding the £429 million borrowing know about the non-eviction policy.

Dikerdem declined to answer the questions, instead responding with personal attacks.

Executive Director of Finance Fenella Merry did not respond to questions about what rent collection rate the business plan assumes, whether it accounts for the eviction policy, and at what arrears level the plan requires formal review.

---

**Accountability Statement**

**We contacted:** The Cabinet Member for Housing and Executive Director for Finance.

**Request sent:** **16 February 2026**

---

**Cllr Ayden Dikerdem**

*Cabinet Member for Housing*

**Status:** *Declined to answer questions, responded with personal attack.*

Questions asked (click to expand)
*How do you reconcile arguing against saving reserves while your department was £15.7 million overspent?*

*Why does the council try “not to talk about this too much in public” regarding the eviction policy?*

*How is the £11-12 million gap between provisions (£6-7m) and actual arrears (£18m) sustainable?*

*Do lenders funding the £429 million borrowing know about the non-eviction policy?*

---

**Fenella Merry**

*Executive Director of Finance*

**Status:** *No response received.*

Questions asked (click to expand)
*What rent collection rate does the HRA 30-year business plan assume?*

*Does the business plan modelling account for the eviction policy described by Cllr Dikerdem?*

*At what arrears level does the business plan require formal review?*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/18/council-wont-evict-tenants-who-dont-pay-rent-but-borrows-429m-assuming-they-will/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/18/council-wont-evict-tenants-who-dont-pay-rent-but-borrows-429m-assuming-they-will/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Council%20won%E2%80%99t%20evict%20tenants%20who%20don%E2%80%99t%20pay%20rent%2C%20but%20borrows%20%C2%A3429m%20assuming%20they%20will&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/18/council-wont-evict-tenants-who-dont-pay-rent-but-borrows-429m-assuming-they-will/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** Aydin Dikerdem, Cllr Aydin Dikerdem, Council Finance, council housing, Fenella Merry, Housing Budget, Housing Revenue Account, Rent Arrears, Simon Hogg, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Man fighting for life after Wandsworth Bridge Road collision](https://putney.news/2026/02/18/man-fighting-for-life-after-wandsworth-bridge-road-collision/)

**Published:** February 18, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Two arrested as police appeal for dashcam footage.

**Content:**

A 21-year-old man is fighting for his life in hospital after being struck by a car on Wandsworth Bridge Road on Monday evening.

The collision happened at 19:32hrs near the junction with Pier Terrace. The man was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service and remains there with life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the car, a 36-year-old man, and a passenger, a 30-year-old woman, were both arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Both remain in police custody.

The vehicle involved was a Jaecoo Pure 5.

Detectives from the Met’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit are now leading the investigation.

Detective Sergeant Davina Nash said: “This is a serious collision where the victim suffered life-threatening injuries. My thoughts remain with him and his loved ones. I would like to appeal to anyone who was in the area and witnessed the incident, or who has dashcam footage that could help our enquiries, to get in touch with us.”

The collision comes less than a year after a [pedestrian was killed on Upper Richmond Road](https://putney.news/2025/05/19/tragedy-in-putney-pedestrian-killed-in-rush-hour-collision/) in a rush hour incident.

#### Did you see what happened?

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam footage should call the Met on 101, quoting CAD 6694/16FEB. To remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The full witness appeal is on the [Met Police website](https://news.met.police.uk/news/witness-appeal-after-collision-in-wandsworth-506249).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/18/man-fighting-for-life-after-wandsworth-bridge-road-collision/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/18/man-fighting-for-life-after-wandsworth-bridge-road-collision/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Man%20fighting%20for%20life%20after%20Wandsworth%20Bridge%20Road%20collision&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/18/man-fighting-for-life-after-wandsworth-bridge-road-collision/)

**Categories:** Crime

**Tags:** Crime, police, road safety, Serious Collision Investigation Unit, Wandsworth

---

### [The junction that can't handle two sets of roadworks](https://putney.news/2026/02/18/the-junction-that-cant-handle-two-sets-of-roadworks/)

**Published:** February 18, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Unprecedented gridlock on Redgrave Road and Charlwood Road exposes Putney's fragility.

**Content:**

Two sets of temporary traffic lights on Tuesday morning, each reducing traffic to a single lane, caused gridlock across lower Putney that backed up residential streets that have never experienced full standstill traffic before. By early afternoon, one set of lights had been removed, possibly in direct response to the chaos.

The story is not the roadworks. The story is what they proved: Putney’s redesigned junction operates at absolute maximum capacity under normal conditions, with zero margin for any additional friction.

Tuesday morning saw two simultaneous infrastructure works, each routine. UK Power Networks installing electrical equipment on Lower Richmond Road. The council installing a zebra crossing on Felsham Road opposite St Mary’s school, [as we reported on Saturday](https://putney.news/2026/02/15/council-installs-crossing-on-felsham-road-opposite-st-marys-school-this-week/). Both required temporary traffic lights reducing roads to single lane.

The combination caused system-wide failure.

![Putney traffic chaos on Felsham Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/backstreet-traffic-17feb26-16-1024x768.png)Traffic backed up not just on Lower Richmond Road, the established problem road, but two streets deep into residential areas. Redgrave Road has never previously experienced full gridlock but was packed with stationary cars. Some got out of their vehicles to ask what had happened. Weiss Road was similarly affected.

This is the purest demonstration yet of the multiplicative failure effect [identified in our November investigation](https://putney.news/2025/11/16/why-putney-is-paralysed-eight-failures-creating-londons-traffic-nightmare/): each friction point does not just add to congestion, it multiplies it. Two minor, routine infrastructure works, the kind that happen constantly across London, caused cascading collapse. It’s worth noting too that this occurred during school half-term, when traffic is much lighter.

![Redgrave Road gridlock in Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/backstreet-traffic-17feb26-3-1024x768.png)By early afternoon Tuesday, the Felsham Road temporary traffic lights had been removed. The crossing was planned for installation during school half-term week to minimise disruption while children are not walking to St Mary’s. With the lights now cleared and it already being Tuesday, the timeline looks tight. The crossing may not be completed during half-term, defeating the purpose of the scheduling.

If the UK Power Networks works on Lower Richmond Road forced the council to pull its own Felsham works, that is uncoordinated utility works actively disrupting planned council infrastructure.

The UK Power Networks notice board at the Lower Richmond Road site shows permit EC4007048427582 with an expected completion date of 23 January 2026. The works only appeared on 17 February. The three-week gap suggests either the sign shows pre-printed original scheduling or the works were delayed significantly from the January target.

![Road works on Lower Richmond Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/traffic-lights-LRR-7-1024x768.png)#### What it proves about the junction

Wandsworth Council and Transport for London have [spent over £1 million across 15 months](https://putney.news/2025/11/14/putneys-million-pound-junction-disaster-how-approved-plans-went-wrong/) trying to fix the Putney Bridge junction redesign. Officers have made 14 interventions, conducted walkabouts, adjusted signal timings twice. The effort is real.

But Tuesday proves the junction still has no safety margin. The council’s incremental fixes have not created any buffer. The system remains one minor friction event away from gridlock at any time.

A similar pattern emerged [in October when temporary traffic lights malfunctioned on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/2025/10/27/traffic-chaos-as-temporary-lights-malfunction-on-putney-high-street/). That gridlock backed traffic all the way into Fulham. Tuesday’s pattern extended deeper into residential streets on the Putney side. It happened again in December when one set of lights in Fulham and an uptick in Christmas shopper brought the roads to a standstill.

![Felsham Road traffic](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/backstreet-traffic-17feb26-15-1024x768.png)When 90.5% of residents report worse journeys through the junction in [comprehensive surveys conducted last year](https://putney.news/2025/11/19/emergency-fixes-fail-to-restore-confidence-in-putney-junction/), incidents like Tuesday demonstrate why. The junction was designed to work under ideal conditions. Real-world conditions are never ideal.

Roadworks coordination is a solved problem in many UK contexts. Transport for London operates lane rental schemes charging utilities up to £2,500 per day for works on the busiest roads at peak times, incentivising faster completion and off-peak scheduling. The New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 requires highway authorities to coordinate street works, and councils can use Section 58 notices to restrict works after major projects.

![Lower Richmond Road traffic](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/backstreet-traffic-17feb26-8-1024x768.png)Whether these powers apply to Lower Richmond Road and Felsham Road, or whether Wandsworth has used available coordination mechanisms around the junction, is unclear.

What is clear is that two routine works on Tuesday morning caused unprecedented gridlock in residential streets. And by early afternoon, one set of works had stopped, potentially because the combination was unsustainable.

![Traffic lights on Lower Richmond Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/traffic-lights-LRR-5-1024x768.png)#### What residents can do

**Report roadworks coordination problems:** [Wandsworth Council roads reporting](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/report-a-street-problem/)

**Contact ward councillors for Thamesfield** (covers Felsham Road and Lower Richmond Road area):

- Cllr Ethan Brooks (Conservative):  — also Transport Committee member
- Cllr John Locker (Conservative):  — also Transport Committee member, the only committee member representing a directly affected Putney ward
- Cllr James Jeffreys (Conservative): 
- Cllr Nick Austin (Conservative, represents West Putney but lives in Thamesfield): 

**Check planned roadworks:** [One.network](https://streetmanager.roadworks.org/) shows planned roadworks so residents can identify potential conflicts

**UK Power Networks:** 0800 7311 559 (emergency line) or [ukpowernetworks.co.uk](https://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/) for works information

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/18/the-junction-that-cant-handle-two-sets-of-roadworks/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/18/the-junction-that-cant-handle-two-sets-of-roadworks/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20junction%20that%20can%E2%80%99t%20handle%20two%20sets%20of%20roadworks&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/18/the-junction-that-cant-handle-two-sets-of-roadworks/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Felsham Road, Lower Richmond Road, Putney Bridge junction, Putney Congestion, Putney traffic, roadworks, thamesfield, Transport for London, UK Power Networks, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Were you there? Prime Minister meets Putney residents at St Mary's Church](https://putney.news/2026/02/17/were-you-there-prime-minister-meets-putney-residents-at-st-marys-church/)

**Published:** February 17, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** PM announces online safety measures at historic venue where democracy was debated in 1647.

**Content:**

Were you at [St Mary’s Church](https://putney.news/organiser/st-marys-church/) yesterday when Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Putney to announce new online safety measures? Or do you recognise any of the local residents in our photographs who spoke with him at the historic venue’s community hub?

Starmer chose the Putney High Street church to announce immediate action on AI chatbot regulation and confirm the government will ban social media for under-16s “within months,” speaking directly to Putney parents and young people about online safety concerns.

The choice of St Mary’s connected the church’s historic role in British democracy to modern debates about technology regulation. Nearly four centuries after Oliver Cromwell’s Army Council met in the church to discuss how England should be governed, another leader used the same venue to announce new rules for the digital age.

![Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets a Putney family with young child at St Mary's Church. Credit: Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/starmer-meets-putney-family-819x1024.png)*The Prime Minister met local residents at the church’s community hub. If you were there, or if you recognise friends or neighbours in our photos, we’d love to hear from you.*

*What was it like meeting the PM? Did you get to ask a question? Share your experience in the comments below or email us: .*

![Prime Minister in discussion with Putney parents and young people at St Mary's Church. Credit: Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/starmer-putney-residents-discussion-1024x683.png)#### The announcement

The Prime Minister confirmed the government is extending the Online Safety Act to cover AI chatbots, requiring them to protect users from illegal content. The changes will appear in an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill.

On the under-16 social media ban, Starmer said the government has taken powers to act “within months, not years.” A consultation launches next month, with ministers promising to act quickly on its findings.

“As a dad of two teenagers, I know the challenges and the worries that parents face making sure their kids are safe online,” Starmer said. “Technology is moving really fast, and the law has got to keep up.”

The government is also considering restrictions on infinite scrolling, VPN use that bypasses safety protections, and raising the digital consent age. Following child deaths linked to online content, new rules would preserve vital data before it can be deleted, except where online activity is not relevant to the death.

One 17-year-old challenged the Prime Minister on whether extending voting rights to 16 and 17-year-olds could be incompatible with restricting their access to social media, where most young people get their news. Starmer acknowledged the concern about news access, saying the government must ensure it doesn’t cut off “sensible, good access” to information for young voters, but did not explain how this would work in practice. He defended the voting age extension: “At 16 and 17, you are old enough, mature enough to make a decision about a government that you want to be.”

![Prime Minister making online safety announcement to parents and young people at St Mary's Church. Credit: Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/starmer-online-safety-announcement-putney-1024x683.png)#### Historic setting

St Mary’s Church has hosted crucial discussions about governance since 1647, when Cromwell’s Army Council gathered in the chancel for the Putney Debates, arguing fundamental questions about who should vote and what rights citizens should have.

The debates produced one of history’s most powerful statements on democratic equality, when Thomas Rainsborough declared that “the poorest he that is in England hath a life to live, as the greatest he.”

The church sits on Putney High Street next to the River Thames at the southern end of Putney Bridge. The community hub hosts multiple events throughout the year.

![Prime Minister speaking with young people and parents at St Mary's Church in Putney. Credit: Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/starmer-young-people-st-marys-1024x683.png)*Were you there? Share your experience in the comments below.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/17/were-you-there-prime-minister-meets-putney-residents-at-st-marys-church/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/17/were-you-there-prime-minister-meets-putney-residents-at-st-marys-church/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Were%20you%20there%3F%20Prime%20Minister%20meets%20Putney%20residents%20at%20St%20Mary%E2%80%99s%20Church&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/17/were-you-there-prime-minister-meets-putney-residents-at-st-marys-church/)

**Categories:** Politics, Technology

**Tags:** Keir Starmer, Online Safety, Prime Minister, Putney Debates, Putney High Street, Social Media, St Marys Church, Wandsworth

---

### [Council's Lennox Estate plan unravels as car club promise collapses](https://putney.news/2026/02/17/councils-lennox-estate-plan-unravels-as-car-club-promise-collapses/)

**Published:** February 17, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Planning rules require car clubs before eliminating parking - now council admits no operator exists.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council’s controversial Lennox Estate redevelopment is unravelling as Transport for London (TfL) has used the council’s own parking surveys to argue the estate has too much parking.

The problem: residents say the opposite is true and the surveys are wrong. They counted the cars themselves and the estate is full. TfL has taken the council’s figures at face value and now says recreating 32 parking spaces makes no sense when 81 new “car-free” homes will be added.

Then there’s the car club that doesn’t exist. The council used car clubs to justify zero parking: planning rules say you need to prove car clubs are available before you can get rid of parking spaces. Three months after submitting the application listing “one car club vehicle,” the council admits it has no operator.

Zipcar left London on 31 December, leaving [60,000 borough residents](https://putney.news/2026/02/06/why-trying-a-zipcar-alternative-revealed-the-depressing-need-to-buy-a-car/) without access. The council told the Transport Committee on 11 February it has “no formal commitment yet” from any replacement.

The council is both developer and decision-maker. It’s trying to push through a plan that residents, TfL, and a Planning Inspector in 1992 have all said is too dense for a site already deficient in open space.

> [How residents saved the Lennox Estate Green from six development attempts](https://putney.news/2026/01/02/how-residents-saved-the-lennox-estate-green-from-six-development-attempts/)

#### TfL says the numbers don’t add up

Transport for London won’t support the development until the council provides “further information” about parking, it said in a [12 February response](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/6150655-tfl.pdf) \[pdf\].

TfL points to the council’s own September 2023 parking surveys: 69% occupancy overnight, 64% morning, 57% afternoon. That means 20-30% of spaces stand empty. “Given the clear evidence of surplus capacity and the car-free nature of the scheme, there is no planning rationale for increasing the number of spaces,” TfL wrote.

The council wants to demolish parking spaces where buildings will go, then recreate 32 of those spaces elsewhere on the estate. TfL says this is “unjustified and contrary to the principles of sustainable development.”

The 81 new homes get zero parking permits under the “car-free” label. So TfL asks: if new residents can’t have permits anyway, why keep the parking?

#### The car club that doesn’t exist

The council said car clubs would make the development work. But there’s a problem.

The application submitted in November 2025 listed one car club car. Three months later, there’s no operator.

Zipcar left London on 31 December 2025. At the Transport Committee meeting on 11 February, council staff admitted they’re talking to Enterprise but “we haven’t had any formal commitment yet.”

Enterprise works differently from Zipcar. It wants dedicated bays at specific developments, not the borough-wide membership model Zipcar offered. “That’s why we’re having to have these discussions about how that would work in practice,” an officer explained.

So the application listed a car club to justify the parking plans. Now there’s no operator to provide it.

> [Stranded: 60,000 lose car clubs as council admits no replacement](https://putney.news/2026/02/06/stranded-60000-lose-car-clubs-as-council-admits-no-replacement/)

#### What the council told three different people

The council plays three roles at once: it’s proposing the development, deciding whether to approve it, and responsible for providing car clubs.

On 4 February, responding to Fleur Anderson MP after a resident raised concerns, the council said car clubs are “an additional sustainable option that can be secured by obligation if required.” That suggests they’re not essential.

But they are. Planning rules require the council to prove car clubs are available before eliminating parking. The application listed the car club as part of that proof.

On 11 February, council staff told the Transport Committee no operator has committed. That raises the obvious question: how do you force a promise when no operator exists?

In November, the application used the car club to justify zero parking for 81 homes.

Now TfL questions the whole parking strategy using the council’s own data. The council presumably knows actual demand is higher than the surveys show, but can’t argue with TfL without admitting its own surveys are wrong.

#### Residents did their own count

Mrs Mira Kostadinova lives near the bit of Arabella Drive the council wants to close. One morning she counted more than 60 cars parked on that stretch alone. “I believe your estimate for the loss of parking is largely understated,” she wrote in her [objection](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/6134775-kostadinova.pdf) \[pdf\].

The council’s surveys date from September 2023, 26 months before the application. The documents don’t say when in September, what times of day, or how the counting was done. The applicant’s consultant did the work. No peer review. No raw numbers, just a percentage range of 70-80% occupancy.

Sixty-eight per cent of the objectors raised parking as a concern.

> [Fire crews fought blocked roads to reach Roehampton blaze – now council plans to close more routes](https://putney.news/2026/01/07/fire-crews-fought-blocked-roads-to-reach-roehampton-blaze-now-council-plans-to-close-more-routes/)

#### Fire engines couldn’t get through

Six fire engines struggled to reach [Burke Close on 27 March 2025](https://putney.news/2026/01/07/fire-crews-fought-blocked-roads-to-reach-roehampton-blaze-now-council-plans-to-close-more-routes/) because cars blocked the narrow roads. Residents watched firefighters fight for access while flames ripped through neighbours’ homes.

Hugo Cerda lives at 62 Burke Close, one of the properties hit by the fire. He [objected](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/6126810-cerda.pdf) \[pdf\] to the Lennox application: “This area has already experienced a significant infrastructure incident, demonstrating that existing systems are under strain.”

Tony Arthur asked in his objection: “What have the emergency services said about the new road plan?” The scheme closes part of Arabella Drive permanently and creates a one-way system.

Julie Maskell [warned](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/6131021-maskell.pdf) \[pdf\] the one-way system “creates a situation where residents could effectively be trapped within the estate” if something blocks the road.

Burke Close is 800 metres from the development site. The Fire Safety Strategy completed 15 days after the fire doesn’t mention it.

#### The housing need is real

Responding to the MP, the council laid out the problem directly. “More than 11,000 households are currently on the waiting list, and over 3,000 households are in temporary accommodation. However, planning law requires decisions to be made on material planning considerations, not numbers alone.”

All 81 new homes would be 100% affordable council rent. The need is genuine. But the Planning Committee must choose between housing and a multitude of objections about the plan itself. Disputed survey data and no car club operator are just the latest issues.

The council decides its own application. It can approve despite TfL’s objection, but must justify why. Roehampton ward councillors Graeme Henderson (Cabinet Member for Health, ), Matthew Tiller (Deputy Cabinet Member for Housing, ), and Jenny Yates (Cabinet Member for Transport, ) will be involved in that decision.

Residents can still submit objections through the [planning portal](https://planning.wandsworth.gov.uk/) (application 2025/4170) or to . Fleur Anderson MP has already raised resident concerns with the council and can be contacted at  for follow-up.

The committee must decide whether TfL is right that the parking isn’t needed based on the council’s own data, or whether residents are right that the surveys are wrong. Either way, the car club meant to bridge the gap doesn’t exist.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/17/councils-lennox-estate-plan-unravels-as-car-club-promise-collapses/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/17/councils-lennox-estate-plan-unravels-as-car-club-promise-collapses/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Council%E2%80%99s%20Lennox%20Estate%20plan%20unravels%20as%20car%20club%20promise%20collapses&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/17/councils-lennox-estate-plan-unravels-as-car-club-promise-collapses/)

**Categories:** Planning, Roehampton, Transport

**Tags:** Car clubs, Fleur Anderson MP, housing, Lennox Estate, Parking, planning, Roehampton, TfL, Transport for London, Wandsworth Council, Zipcar

---

### [Lords launch second attempt to strip Wimbledon Park of legal protection](https://putney.news/2026/02/16/lords-launch-second-attempt-to-strip-wimbledon-park-of-legal-protection/)

**Published:** February 16, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Same peers, new bill, same mechanism abandoned three months ago.

**Content:**

Two peers who previously co-sponsored an amendment with an AELTC board member have tabled a fresh attempt to override open space protections for parks across England, three months after [their first effort was abandoned](https://putney.news/2025/11/04/wimbledon-park-amendment-abandoned-after-peers-condemn-erosion-of-green-space-protection/) following cross-party opposition in the House of Lords.

[Amendment 222C](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Lords-Bill-Amendments-AELTC.pdf) \[pdf\] to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill would create a formal process for the Secretary of State to free land from statutory trusts established under the Public Health Act 1875 and the Open Spaces Act 1906. These are the exact provisions at the centre of a [High Court battle over AELTC’s plans to build on Wimbledon Park](https://putney.news/2026/01/25/judge-signals-appeal-likely-as-wimbledon-park-trial-concludes/), where judgment is currently awaited.

The amendment was tabled on 9 February by Lord Banner KC, one of Britain’s leading planning barristers, and Lord Grabiner KC, a prominent commercial silk. Both were [among four peers who sponsored the original attempt](https://putney.news/2025/10/25/lord-tries-to-rewrite-law-to-rescue-wimbledon-from-court-battle-he-sits-on-the-aeltc-board/) last autumn.

That first version, Amendment 250 to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, was also sponsored by Lord O’Donnell, a serving AELTC director, and Lord Pannick. After [O’Donnell’s conflict of interest](https://putney.news/2025/10/25/lord-tries-to-rewrite-law-to-rescue-wimbledon-from-court-battle-he-sits-on-the-aeltc-board/) was revealed in October, the amendment was withdrawn within days. O’Donnell’s name does not appear on the new version.

The move comes as the House of Lords prepares to return from half-term recess on 23 February. The Bill’s Grand Committee reached Clause 57 on 11 February. Amendment 222C sits after Clause 63, meaning debate is likely within the next few sittings.

> [Lord tries to rewrite law to rescue Wimbledon from court battle. He sits on the AELTC board](https://putney.news/2025/10/25/lord-tries-to-rewrite-law-to-rescue-wimbledon-from-court-battle-he-sits-on-the-aeltc-board/)

#### The prediction that came true

When Amendment 250 was abandoned in November, *Putney.news* [reported that Lord Banner suggested](https://putney.news/2025/11/04/wimbledon-park-amendment-abandoned-after-peers-condemn-erosion-of-green-space-protection/) the English Devolution Bill as an alternative vehicle for the same mechanism. That is now exactly what has happened.

The new version is substantially more detailed than its predecessor. It would insert eight new sections into the Local Government Act 1972, creating a “statutory trust discharge order” process. But the core effect remains the same: allowing councils and developers to remove legal protections that have safeguarded public open spaces for over a century.

One provision deserves particular attention. Section 128D(5) of the proposed amendment states that the discharge process applies regardless of whether the land was sold before or after the legislation takes effect. This retroactive reach is significant because it covers Merton Council’s 1993 sale of Wimbledon Park to the AELTC, the transaction at the heart of the current High Court case.

Another clause creates a presumption that works in the applicant’s favour. If a council cannot confirm within 28 days whether proper procedures were followed when land was originally sold, the Secretary of State must assume they were not, triggering the discharge process. Given that councils routinely cannot locate records from decades ago, this effectively creates an automatic pathway to removing protections.

#### Why legislation while the court decides

The timing raises questions. Mr Justice Thompsell heard the statutory trust case over eight days in January. During the trial, [AELTC’s own legal team conceded](https://putney.news/2026/01/25/judge-signals-appeal-likely-as-wimbledon-park-trial-concludes/) that if a statutory trust exists over the former golf course land, it “would preclude use of the Golf Course Land for the Project.”

Judgment has not yet been delivered. The judge promised it would come “quite swiftly” but it remains outstanding three weeks later. Meanwhile, [the case is widely expected to reach the Supreme Court](https://putney.news/2026/01/25/judge-signals-appeal-likely-as-wimbledon-park-trial-concludes/) regardless of the outcome.

The legislative route appears designed as an alternative to the judicial process. If Amendment 222C passes, it could render the court proceedings irrelevant by providing a mechanism to discharge the very trusts the court is being asked to rule on.

This is not just about Wimbledon Park. The amendment’s provisions would apply to any land across England held under these Victorian and Edwardian statutes. The Open Spaces Society, the country’s oldest conservation body, [warned during the first attempt](https://putney.news/2025/11/04/wimbledon-park-amendment-abandoned-after-peers-condemn-erosion-of-green-space-protection/) that the mechanism could lead to the loss of “many open spaces with recreation rights, with no consultation and no recourse.”

> [Tennis club concedes key points as judge hints at Supreme Court battle](https://putney.news/2026/01/25/judge-signals-appeal-likely-as-wimbledon-park-trial-concludes/)

#### The polling question

Alongside the legislative push, questions are growing about the AELTC’s claims of public support for its expansion plans.

Save Wimbledon Park wrote to AELTC chief executive Debbie Jevans on 19 December asking for details of YouGov polls the club has cited publicly. They asked for the questions put to respondents, the selection criteria, and the methods used to choose survey recipients.

The reply came five weeks later from Dominic Foster, the AELTC’s Head of Chair’s Office. He said the club had “spoken to more than 10,000 people” about its plans and that YouGov polling showed “representative samples of people living in Merton and Wandsworth consistently indicates that more than twice as many people surveyed support the plans versus those who oppose them.”

He did not address the questions asked, how respondents were selected, or the methodology used. Save Wimbledon Park repeated their request. No further response has been received.

The club’s public claims have varied. Debbie Jevans told Tennis Threads Magazine in December 2023 that “five times as many Londoners support Wimbledon’s expansion.” A 2024 report cited a YouGov poll of 1,029 London adults showing 58% support against 11% opposition. The gap between “five times as many” and “twice as many” has not been explained.

YouGov is a member of the British Polling Council. Under BPC rules, when results of a privately commissioned poll are made public by the organisation that paid for it, the polling company must publish the full methodology within two working days. This includes question wording, sampling procedures, and weighted data tables. AELTC has publicly cited the results on multiple occasions. No published methodology for any AELTC-commissioned YouGov poll appears on the YouGov website.

#### What happens next

When the House of Lords returns on 23 February, the Grand Committee is expected to continue working through the Devolution Bill. Amendment 222C could be debated within one or two sittings of the committee’s return.

When Amendment 250 was debated in November, Housing Minister Baroness Taylor of Stevenage told peers the government would not support the amendment but promised a “wider review” of statutory trust issues. Whether that position holds for the new, more detailed version remains to be seen.

[Wimbledon MP Paul Kohler](https://putney.news/2025/11/18/wimbledon-accused-of-bad-faith-by-its-own-mp/) described the first amendment attempt as evidence of “bad faith” by the AELTC. [Putney MP Fleur Anderson](https://putney.news/2025/05/05/from-prestige-to-protest-inside-the-years-long-battle-over-wimbledon-park/) has also opposed the expansion.

#### What you can do

The Devolution Bill is being considered in Grand Committee, where any member of the House of Lords can attend and speak. Residents concerned about open space protections can write to cross-bench and opposition peers urging them to attend the debate and oppose Amendment 222C.

Paul Kohler MP can be contacted through his [parliamentary office](https://www.paulkohler.uk/). Fleur Anderson MP can be reached through [her constituency office](https://www.fleuranderson.co.uk/).

If you have been polled by YouGov about AELTC’s Wimbledon Park plans and can share details of the questions you were asked, contact [news@putney.news](mailto:editor@putney.news).

The Open Spaces Society ([oss.org.uk](https://www.oss.org.uk/)) is a charity that campaigns to protect public access to green spaces and is corresponding with peers about the amendment.

---

***Correction, 2.30pm Mon 16 Feb:** This article originally said the Open Spaces Society “may be coordinating responses to the amendment.” The society is corresponding with peers but is not coordinating. This has been corrected.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/16/lords-launch-second-attempt-to-strip-wimbledon-park-of-legal-protection/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/16/lords-launch-second-attempt-to-strip-wimbledon-park-of-legal-protection/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Lords%20launch%20second%20attempt%20to%20strip%20Wimbledon%20Park%20of%20legal%20protection&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/16/lords-launch-second-attempt-to-strip-wimbledon-park-of-legal-protection/)

**Categories:** Planning, Politics, Southfields

**Tags:** AELTC, English Devolution Bill, House of Lords, Lord Banner, Lord Grabiner, Lord O'Donnell, Open Spaces, Save Wimbledon Park, statutory trust, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Style over substance: How the leader of Wandsworth Council uses your money to sell fiction](https://putney.news/2026/02/16/style-over-substance-how-the-leader-of-wandsworth-council-uses-your-money-to-sell-fiction/)

**Published:** February 16, 2026
**Author:** The Editor

**Excerpt:** Council tax "freeze" promoted while bills rise, surveys cancelled before elections, and data buried when it's bad.

**Content:**

In March 2025, Wandsworth Council spent your money on flashy leaflets and videos proclaiming they had frozen your council tax. Your bill went up. The BBC exposed it. The council quietly dropped the claim.

Last week they did it again.

Simon Hogg’s administration announced another “council tax freeze” on 10 February. The adult social care precept rises 2%. Same promotional materials. Same bet that residents won’t check their bills. The official budget paper uses the word “freeze” 11 times while documenting the increase.

The man who called it out as ridiculous, who challenged the same leader over a 253% increase in complaints to the Chief Executive’s office? Silenced. The council introduced procedural rules that [blocked him from raising issues](https://putney.news/2025/12/10/hogg-promised-to-make-council-more-open-then-silenced-the-councillor-challenging-him/) at Full Council.

This is the administration that just confirmed – four months after being asked – that it cancelled the 2025 residents’ survey. For 20 years, Wandsworth measured resident satisfaction every two years. When results turned negative in 2023, they buried them. When 2025 came around – months before elections – they killed the survey altogether.

Use council money for propaganda. Kill the feedback mechanisms. Hope residents are too busy to notice.

> [Hogg promised to make council “more open” – then silenced the councillor challenging him](https://putney.news/2025/12/10/hogg-promised-to-make-council-more-open-then-silenced-the-councillor-challenging-him/)

#### The council tax con – twice

Let’s be clear-eyed about this: Labour took over Wandsworth Council in 2022 because voters were tired of the Conservative government; a decision that was reflected nationally two years later. The biggest worry among Putney voters in 2022 was that if Labour got in that they would ramp up council tax. And so the party, under Hogg, promised it would not do so.

That same group of politicians now knows a tax rise would all but guarantee their loss of power, and that they may not return for decades. So it is entirely understandable why Labour under Hogg feels the needs to advertise that it has not increased council tax.

But the world is not controlled from Wandsworth Town Hall, no matter how much its current occupants wish it were.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/council-tax-freeze-graphic-1024x683.png)#### Reality bites

Ten months after the BBC exposed the fact that council tax bills in Wandsworth had gone up at the same time that bright pink leaflets through the door claimed otherwise, residents described feeling “misled”. [Labour dropped the language](https://putney.news/2025/04/24/wandsworth-council-tax-freeze-claims/) from its website.

Now, they’re back at it. But this year, the fiscal context makes this kind of misleading messaging that much worse. [Wandsworth faces a funding crisis](https://putney.news/2025/12/18/the-end-of-wandsworths-low-council-tax-what-residents-need-to-know/). That’s a fact. Council tax must nearly double by 2028 because central government is cutting back what it gives Wandsworth Council every year.

The truth is that Wandsworth has benefitted from over-generous funding (compared to other councils) from central government ever since Margaret Thatcher was in power. Our famously low council tax bills are the result of Westminster manipulation not extraordinary effectiveness.

Council tax bills must rise and a responsible council would be laying the groundwork for that reality. Instead, not only is the Labour ostrich sticking its head in the sand but can be heard loudly exclaiming that it is drinking from an underground stream.

Our current council may not have increased its portion of council tax but it has built up a heavy debt pile and consumed a significant amount of council reserves to avoid doing so.

> [Wandsworth Council buried resident survey results showing 11% satisfaction drop](https://putney.news/2026/01/29/wandsworth-council-buried-resident-survey-results-showing-11-satisfaction-drop/)

#### Killing the feedback

In 2019, a residents’ survey conducted by the council reported 85% satisfaction, 79% agreeing the council provides value for money. The 2023 survey – the first under the new administration – showed significant declines. Overall satisfaction dropped 11 points to 74%. Value for money fell 9 points to 70%. Residents feeling informed dropped 11 points to 55%. Cost: £56,000.

[They buried it](https://putney.news/2026/01/29/wandsworth-council-buried-resident-survey-results-showing-11-satisfaction-drop/). A 163-page report was uploaded to a third-party website with no announcement. The official Performance Indicators page still lists every survey from 2005 to 2019 but excludes 2023.

The 2025 survey? Cancelled. The biennial pattern that has run for at least two decades has been broken. When asked via Freedom of Information whether it was conducted, the council took four months to confirm: no. Elections are 7 May. The press office was asked on 27 January why the pattern was broken. Still no response.

#### The pattern

[Hogg told Full Council](https://putney.news/2025/12/02/leader-gave-false-answer-on-complaints-surge-council-data-shows/) that rising Ombudsman findings were “reflected across local government.” His data: Housing Ombudsman determinations against Wandsworth rose 238% versus 107% nationally. When Cllr Grimston challenged this, the council [blocked him](https://putney.news/2025/12/10/hogg-promised-to-make-council-more-open-then-silenced-the-councillor-challenging-him/) from raising it at Full Council.

Last month, the council [admitted](https://putney.news/2026/01/26/years-of-failure-exposed-as-council-admits-ignoring-grenfell-reforms/) it failed to implement fire safety reforms following Grenfell – reforms that have been required for years. The admission came only after sustained questioning.

> [The end of Wandsworth’s low council tax: what residents need to know](https://putney.news/2025/12/18/the-end-of-wandsworths-low-council-tax-what-residents-need-to-know/)

#### This isn’t governing

Simon Hogg promised to make Wandsworth “more open.” Instead: propaganda funded with your money, data buried when negative, surveys cancelled before elections, councillors silenced for challenging him.

The next time a glossy council leaflet arrives claiming success, remember: they spent your money producing it, then cancelled the survey that would have measured whether you actually agree.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/16/style-over-substance-how-the-leader-of-wandsworth-council-uses-your-money-to-sell-fiction/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/16/style-over-substance-how-the-leader-of-wandsworth-council-uses-your-money-to-sell-fiction/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Style%20over%20substance%3A%20How%20the%20leader%20of%20Wandsworth%20Council%20uses%20your%20money%20to%20sell%20fiction&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/16/style-over-substance-how-the-leader-of-wandsworth-council-uses-your-money-to-sell-fiction/)

**Categories:** Comment, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Malcolm Grimston, Cllr Simon Hogg, council tax, Elections 2026, Propaganda, residents survey, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Putney's oldest gym fights for survival as railway arch rents rise](https://putney.news/2026/02/16/putneys-oldest-gym-fights-for-survival-as-railway-arch-rents-rise/)

**Published:** February 16, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Content:**

Residents have nominated Physical Culture Gymnasium for protection as a community asset after the 97-year-old Putney gym warned it cannot afford rent increases being imposed by Transport for London across its railway arches estate.

The gym at Winthorpe Road, established in 1928, has been nominated as an Asset of Community Value by Friends of Physical Culture, a group of more than 21 local residents. The move comes as TfL raises rents on commercial properties under railway arches, part of a portfolio generating income to reinvest in the transport network.

Christopher Quinn, who has owned the gym since the late 1980s and coordinates the campaign, submitted the nomination to Wandsworth Council earlier this month. The application argues the facility, one of London’s oldest continuously operating independent strength training gyms, serves as a vital community hub supporting members aged 14 to over 70.

If successful, Physical Culture would become the first Asset of Community Value in Putney, joining five other protected properties across Wandsworth including the Granada Cinema building in Tooting and bowling greens on Clapham Common.

![Physical culture Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/physical-culture-3-1-768x1024.png)#### How community asset protection works

The Asset of Community Value scheme, introduced in the Localism Act 2011, gives communities a chance to save facilities threatened by sale or closure. When a property is listed, owners must notify the council if they intend to sell. This triggers a six-month moratorium period during which community groups can prepare a bid to purchase.

The listing doesn’t force owners to sell to community groups or restrict sale prices, but it provides crucial time to organise and raise funds. Assets remain on the register for five years, and their protected status can also influence planning decisions if development is proposed.

Wandsworth’s current register includes Tooting United Reformed Church, Church Lane Day Centre in Furzedown, and land behind Granville Road in Southfields used by Wimbledon Park Rifle Club. Each was nominated by local groups and approved by the council’s ACV panel after demonstrating community benefit.

Physical Culture’s nomination emphasises its 97 years serving local residents, youth academy offering bursaries for disadvantaged young people, and role as one of the few independent gyms surviving in an area dominated by chains. The facility has welcomed over 1,600 members since Margaret Gray founded it in 1928, originally as St George’s Physical Culture and Social Club.

The gym’s heritage includes strongman George Hackenschmidt serving as vice president in the 1950s, and training sessions for Sean Connery and other actors preparing for James Bond films. More recently, it has supported junior powerlifting champions and maintains partnerships with British Powerlifting.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/physical-culture-clipping-557x1024.png)#### Railway arches under financial pressure

Physical Culture occupies arches 21 and 22 under the District Line between East Putney and Putney Bridge stations. TfL manages approximately 800 commercial railway arches across London through its property division, with rent reviews designed to generate “stable, sustainable rental income” according to board papers.

The organisation’s October 2025 Arches Plan acknowledged that rent increases to market rates may force some tenants to relocate, though it committed to supporting businesses with “good records of compliance, payment and wider engagement.” The plan aims to balance generating income for transport improvements with maintaining vibrant local business communities.

TfL supported arch tenants with rent credits during the pandemic and promotes its spaces as suitable for testing new ideas or growing small businesses. However, the organisation faces government requirements to increase revenue, with fare income expected to rise by inflation plus one per cent under its 2026-27 budget settlement.

The Friends of Physical Culture nomination was copied to Putney MP Fleur Anderson, London Assembly Member Leonie Cooper, former council leader Ravi Govindia and the Putney Society. Dr Conor Heffernan, a historian of physical culture at Ulster University, was also included, adding academic credibility to heritage claims.

Wandsworth Council has not yet to publicly confirm receipt of the application or indicate a timeline for the ACV panel’s decision. The council typically has eight weeks to assess nominations against eligibility criteria in the Localism Act.

If the gym gains protected status but later faces sale, qualifying community groups would need to demonstrate they are legally able to own property before triggering the six-month moratorium. The protection does not prevent TfL from increasing rents on the property while it remains in their ownership.

The nomination represents the latest example of London communities using the Asset of Community Value process to protect independent businesses and cultural spaces facing commercial pressure. Similar campaigns have succeeded in listing over 860 pubs nationally, though only a small number have been purchased by community groups under the right to bid provisions.

![Medals at Physical Culture in Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/physical-culture-1-1024x768.png)*[Physical Culture](https://www.physicalculture.co.uk/) continues to operate while the nomination is considered, offering strength training classes, personal training and youth academy sessions from its 3,000 square foot facility equipped with specialist powerlifting equipment.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/16/putneys-oldest-gym-fights-for-survival-as-railway-arch-rents-rise/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/16/putneys-oldest-gym-fights-for-survival-as-railway-arch-rents-rise/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20oldest%20gym%20fights%20for%20survival%20as%20railway%20arch%20rents%20rise&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/16/putneys-oldest-gym-fights-for-survival-as-railway-arch-rents-rise/)

**Categories:** Business, Community, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Asset of Community Value, community protection, heritage, independent business, Physical Culture Gym, Putney, railway arches, TfL, Wandsworth Council, Winthorpe Road

---

### ["It wasn't a battle": how one parent got Putney a new zebra crossing](https://putney.news/2026/02/15/it-wasnt-a-battle-how-one-parent-got-putney-a-new-zebra-crossing/)

**Published:** February 15, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Council installs crossing on Felsham Road opposite St Mary's school this week.

**Content:**

A new zebra crossing is being installed on Felsham Road this week, directly opposite St Mary’s Church of England Primary School, after a nine-month campaign to fix a road that had become too dangerous for children.

The crossing replaces a worn speed hump that drivers have been taking at speed, often without realising there is a school nearby. Work is scheduled to begin on Monday during February half-term, and will include new school signage and approach markings designed to make the school’s presence unmissable.

Sophie Campbell, whose two children attend St Mary’s, launched the campaign in May 2025 after growing increasingly worried about the road. Felsham Road has become a [rat run for drivers trying to avoid congestion](https://putney.news/2025/07/17/this-is-a-disaster-locals-slam-chaos-at-putney-junction/) caused by the Putney Bridge junction redesign, with traffic volumes rising sharply over the past year. Cars heading for Lower Richmond Road were speeding down the residential street with little awareness that dozens of children were gathering on a narrow pavement to get into school.

“We were finding it quite perilous to cross the road to get to the school gate,” Sophie said. “You felt this building tension amongst parents that you were holding your kids’ hands a little tighter to cross the road, which is just not a nice feeling.”

![Crossing on Felsham Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/St-Marys-crossing-6-1024x768.png)She had already been in contact with Councillor Ethan Brooks, one of the Conservative councillors for Thamesfield ward, about separate crossing problems on nearby Disraeli Road. When she raised the idea of a zebra crossing for St Mary’s, Brooks connected her directly with Sam Merrison, the road safety manager for Richmond and Wandsworth councils.

“He very helpfully took my email address, emailed the person and copied me in,” Sophie said of Brooks. “That definitely helped, having a direct contact.”

Merrison was receptive. He talked Sophie through the process and asked her to set up a petition through [Wandsworth Council’s online petition system](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/the-council/have-your-say/petitions/) to demonstrate community support. With the school’s backing, parents shared the link through WhatsApp groups and the petition gathered around 160 signatures in two weeks.

“Sam was brilliant,” Sophie said. “He was very receptive and thought it was a good idea. It felt like he was helping to make it happen.”

The council then ran a formal consultation with local residents. The only comments related to pavement congestion at pickup and dropoff times. There was no opposition to the crossing itself. On 13 November, the scheme was approved.

![St Mary's School on Felsham Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/St-Marys-crossing-5-1024x768.png)The whole process surprised Sophie. “It wasn’t exactly a battle, I would say,” she said. “The process was longish, but it’s a whole change to a highway, isn’t it? I thought it would take a lot more.”

The crossing is part of a wider council programme that has delivered [nine new pedestrian crossings in the past twelve months](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Review-of-the-Walking-and-Cycling-Strategy-Paper-No.-26-32.pdf) \[pdf\], with twelve more planned. Wandsworth has been installing zebra crossings near schools across the borough since at least 2024, when councillors approved new crossings for Hurlingham School on Putney Bridge Road and Heathmere School in Roehampton.

But the Felsham Road crossing carries particular significance. Readers of *Putney.news* will recognise the street as one repeatedly named in coverage of [Putney’s traffic crisis](https://putney.news/2025/11/16/why-putney-is-paralysed-eight-failures-creating-londons-traffic-nightmare/). One comment on this publication last November warned bluntly that “Felsham Road is a race track with schools, someone will get killed.” Resident surveys have documented the road being used as a cut-through, with traffic [increasing past the primary school](https://putney.news/2025/09/15/the-evidence-is-overwhelming-putney-needs-action-over-traffic-not-more-assessments/) as congestion worsened elsewhere.

![Felsham Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/St-Marys-crossing-3-1024x768.png)Sophie hopes the success will encourage others. Residents on nearby Erpingham Road, which connects to Felsham Road and suffers from similar rat-run traffic and speeding, have been calling for a proper crossing of their own. Crashes and near-misses at the Felsham and Erpingham junction have been [documented by residents](https://putney.news/2025/10/12/traffic-crisis-dominates-putney-meeting-as-residents-demand-action-not-promises/) and the road’s condition is deteriorating.

“It shows it’s possible to make some change,” Sophie said. “That encourages other people to go, okay, we’ll give it a go, because it’s possible.”

Her advice for anyone wanting to follow the same path: start the petition early. “If I was doing it again, I would do the petition before,” she said. “It’s really easy to set yourself up on that petition, and it’s a requirement before you can move forward.”

*Putney.news* will publish a follow-up with photos once the crossing is installed.

![Crossing at Erpingham Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/erpingham-road-crossing-6-1024x768.png)Next on the list? The crossing on Erpingham Road also has residents worried. [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/15/it-wasnt-a-battle-how-one-parent-got-putney-a-new-zebra-crossing/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/15/it-wasnt-a-battle-how-one-parent-got-putney-a-new-zebra-crossing/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%9CIt%20wasn%E2%80%99t%20a%20battle%E2%80%9D%3A%20how%20one%20parent%20got%20Putney%20a%20new%20zebra%20crossing&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/15/it-wasnt-a-battle-how-one-parent-got-putney-a-new-zebra-crossing/)

**Categories:** Community, Thamesfield, Transport

**Tags:** Felsham Road, Pedestrian Safety, Putney schools, St Mary's School, thamesfield, Wandsworth Council, Zebra Crossing

---

### [Oasis Academy Putney plans to close: are these three primaries next?](https://putney.news/2026/02/15/oasis-academy-putney-plans-to-close-are-these-three-primaries-next/)

**Published:** February 15, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Griffin, West Hill and Falconbrook all operating below council's 22-pupil viability threshold.

**Content:**

Three Wandsworth primary schools are operating below the council’s own stated viability threshold of 22 pupils per class, council budget documents reveal, as families at [Oasis Academy Putney](https://putney.news/venue/oasis-academy-putney/) prepare for the [fifth primary school closing](https://putney.news/2026/02/11/oasis-academy-putney-closing-this-summer-amid-school-funding-crisis/) in three years.

Griffin Primary in Battersea, West Hill Primary in Southfields, and Falconbrook Primary in Battersea are all running with fewer than 20 pupils per year group. The figures don’t mean the schools will close. But they show the three primaries face the same financial pressures that led to Oasis Academy Putney’s closure announcement this week.

Wandsworth Cabinet is scheduled to discuss the schools budget on 23 February, where councillors may address the sustainability of schools operating below the stated threshold.

The council’s December pupil projections stated that “schools with 22 pupils in a class can be sustainable in some schools (those with high levels of deprivation funding) but ideally 26+ is required to have all the resources to maximise the educational offer.”

#### The three schools below the threshold

Griffin Primary School in Battersea has 135 pupils across seven year groups, working out to 19.3 pupils per year. The school was reduced from a two-form entry school (60 places per year) to one-form entry (30 places per year) in 2024 following earlier admission caps.

West Hill Primary School in Southfields has 138 pupils, or 19.7 pupils per year group. The school’s published admission number was formally reduced to 30 from 2021.

Falconbrook Primary School in Battersea has 148 pupils, or 21.1 pupils per year. Griffin and Falconbrook were both reduced from 60 to 30 places from 2024 and 2025 respectively, according to council pupil projections presented to Schools Forum in December.

All three schools are now operating at between 64% and 70% of their reduced capacity. By comparison, Oasis Academy Putney had just 113 pupils, or 16.1 pupils per year group, when it announced plans to close this week.

**Schools operating below the 22-pupil minimum:**

SchoolLocationTotal PupilsPupils per YearCapped Capacity% of CapacityOasis Academy PutneyPutney11316.1210 (1FE)54%Griffin PrimaryBattersea13519.3210 (1FE)64%West Hill PrimarySouthfields13819.7210 (1FE)66%Falconbrook PrimaryBattersea14821.1210 (1FE)70%*Council’s stated minimum: 22 pupils per class for basic sustainability, 26+ pupils ideal*

The three schools join Oasis in operating well below Wandsworth’s stated minimum. Across the borough’s 58 primary schools, most remain comfortably above the 22-pupil threshold, with the largest schools running more than 140 pupils per year group. But Griffin, West Hill and Falconbrook mirror the pattern that led to Oasis’s closure – capped schools that couldn’t fill their reduced intake.

#### The death spiral mechanism

[*Putney.news* documented in October](https://putney.news/2025/10/15/when-the-children-leave-inside-wandsworths-school-funding-death-spiral/) how schools with high numbers of children from poorer families get caught in a funding trap. Wandsworth’s move toward the National Funding Formula shifts money from primary to secondary schools, hitting hardest at primaries with the most free school meals pupils – schools that have already lost 20.8% of their students as middle-class families leave inner London.

The result is a death spiral: falling pupil numbers trigger budget cuts, which reduce what the school can offer, which pushes more families to choose other schools, which causes further budget cuts. Schools can maintain good Ofsted ratings and strong academic results, but still become financially unviable.

Oasis Academy Putney was rated Good by Ofsted at its most recent inspection in December 2024, with 71% of pupils achieving higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics – well above the national average. Quality teaching couldn’t save it from the funding mechanics.

![Cllr Judi Gasser](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/cllr-gasser-1024x576.png)Cllr Judi Gasser at the oversight committee meeting last week.#### Cabinet member won’t rule out more closures

At a scrutiny committee meeting on 10 February, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services Councillor Judi Gasser was asked directly whether she could commit to no more school closures in Wandsworth.

“I can’t make that commitment,” Councillor Gasser said. “Some of the schools are struggling, some of the smaller ones. So I can’t promise you that. I wish I could, but I just can’t because there are not enough people having babies.”

A Cabinet paper published this month stated: “Although every attempt has been made to avoid school closures, which will come as a last resort, in the interest of Wandsworth children, families and schools, and to ensure a sustainable, high quality education system across the borough, our academy and diocesan partners have found it necessary to close three primary schools in recent years due to low pupil numbers.”

The council officially counts three closures: Christchurch Primary (August 2024), St Anne’s Primary (August 2025), and Goldfinch Primary (August 2025). Broadwater Primary, which closed the same month as Christchurch, was converted to SEND provision rather than closed outright. Oasis would become the fourth closure, or fifth transformation.

#### Why schools were capped

The council’s pupil projection document, presented to Schools Forum in December, explained that reducing forms of entry was “the preferred alternative to closing schools, as it is less disruptive and does not remove future flexibility/capacity from the system.”

The strategy aimed to manage falling pupil numbers by reducing school capacity: “3 forms of entry schools to 2 forms of entry, 2 forms of entry to 1 form of entry.” The document stated that “schools with 1 form of entry cannot go to zero forms” but could instead federate, merge, or share resources.

However, two schools that were capped – Goldfinch and Oasis – have since closed or are closing anyway.

Not all capped schools struggle. Granard Primary in Roehampton operates at 143% of its reduced capacity with nearly 43 pupils per year group. Several others including Swaffield, Fircroft and Franciscan all exceed their capped capacity. The difference: these schools successfully filled their reduced intake. Griffin, West Hill and Falconbrook did not.

**Capped schools: thriving vs struggling**

SchoolTotal PupilsPupils per YearCapped Capacity% of CapacityStatusGranard Primary30042.9210 (1FE)143%Thriving – over capacitySwaffield School24535.0210 (1FE)117%Thriving – over capacityFircroft Primary23934.1210 (1FE)114%Thriving – over capacityFranciscan Primary21630.9210 (1FE)103%Thriving – at capacity**Falconbrook Primary****148****21.1****210 (1FE)****70%****At risk – below threshold****West Hill Primary****138****19.7****210 (1FE)****66%****At risk – below threshold****Griffin Primary****135****19.3****210 (1FE)****64%****At risk – below threshold****Oasis Academy Putney****113****16.1****210 (1FE)****54%****Closing July 2026***Pattern: Schools that fill their reduced intake thrive. Schools that don’t fall below the 22-pupil viability threshold.*

#### The Cabinet meeting and what happens next

Wandsworth Cabinet was originally scheduled to discuss the schools budget on Monday 16 February but the meeting has been postponed to Sunday 23 February.

The Cabinet paper notes that 45% of primary schools (26 schools) will receive less funding in 2026/27 compared with 2025/26, while 55% (32 schools) will see an increase. The paper attributes this to the National Funding Formula, which the council is moving 20% closer to this year – double the 10% minimum required by government.

The document states this shift “moves funding away from primary schools towards secondary schools” and will particularly impact “schools with the highest number of children eligible for free school meals, these schools are the schools which have already seen the largest falls in pupil numbers.”

Wandsworth has lost 2,132 pupils over five years, according to the Cabinet paper. Primary numbers fell by 323 pupils (2.1%) between October 2024 and October 2025.

Parents with questions about their child’s school can contact Wandsworth admissions team on 020 8871 7316 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm) or email .

![Oasis Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Oasis-Putney_8159-1024x768.png)---

#### **Source documents:**

[Pupil Population Projections December 2025](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Pupil-Population-Projections.pdf) (council document stating 22-26 pupil viability threshold)

[Cabinet Paper 26-47 Appendix 1 – Individual School Allocations FY 2026-27](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/26-47-Appendix-1-Individual-Sch-Allocs-FY-26-27.pdf) (shows current pupil numbers for all Wandsworth schools)

[Cabinet Paper 26-47 – Schools Finance Allocation 2026-27](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/26-47-Schools-Finance-Allocation-202627.pdf) (council’s budget paper including admission of three school closures)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/15/oasis-academy-putney-plans-to-close-are-these-three-primaries-next/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/15/oasis-academy-putney-plans-to-close-are-these-three-primaries-next/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Oasis%20Academy%20Putney%20plans%20to%20close%3A%20are%20these%20three%20primaries%20next%3F&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/15/oasis-academy-putney-plans-to-close-are-these-three-primaries-next/)

**Categories:** Education

**Tags:** Battersea, Cllr Judi Gasser, Falconbrook Primary School, Griffin Primary School, Oasis Academy Putney, Putney, School Closures, School Funding, Southfields, Wandsworth Council, Wandsworth schools, West Hill Primary School

---

### [From Putney to Paramount: Local boys get slimed on international TV](https://putney.news/2026/02/15/from-putney-to-paramount-local-boys-get-slimed-on-international-tv/)

**Published:** February 15, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Stagecoach students Jeremiah and Noah bring Putney talent to Nickelodeon's SlimeTime.

**Content:**

Two Putney boys made it big at the MTV studios handling slime for Paramount+’s SlimeTime – and loved every minute of it.

Jeremiah, 11, and Noah, 12, both from Stagecoach Putney, landed the gig through a connection that only happens in tight-knit communities: the show’s production manager has ties to the performing arts school. When the call came for young talent, the boys submitted headshots, got selected, and suddenly found themselves at a professional TV studio with cameras rolling and buckets of gunge.

The setup was simple but surreal. Pick up handfuls of slime. Read questions to camera. Try not to laugh. “It was actually really good fun,” Jeremiah said.

Noah’s assignment included asking viewers “if you were to pick one character to be your teammate, who would it be?” Though both admitted to one disappointment: despite all that slime everywhere, they didn’t get to throw any at anyone. “Unfortunately no,” Jeremiah said.

Their episode aired yesterday on Paramount+.

For Jeremiah, this is just the latest chapter in what’s becoming a proper screen career. He’s been training at Stagecoach for four years, has an agent, and already has Star Wars on his CV – he appeared in The Acolyte as a young Jedi trainee. His childhood hero was Jackie Chan. Now he’s living a version of that action-packed dream himself.

When asked if he finds it all exciting, nerve-wracking, or wants to do more: “All of the above.”

![Jeremiah on set](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/jeremiah-on-set-1024x576.png)Jeremiah on setNoah’s path to the MTV studios took a different route. Held back by anxiety for years, he surprised his mum one day by asking if he could join Stagecoach. “She was surprised because I usually don’t ask questions like that,” he said.

It transformed him. “Stagecoach really helped me overcome my anxiety. It actually helped me find my passion of performing and publicly speaking. I really like projecting my voice and dancing in front of people.”

When asked about his hero, he doesn’t mention an actor or footballer. His mum – a nurse who “during her hardest times, still found ways to succeed.” She’s told him she’s proud of him. He’s looking for an agent.

Emma Bent, principal at Stagecoach Putney, said the boys are natural performers who particularly shine in drama with their comedic skills. The school has an upcoming production of Alice in Wonderland at the end of March, and students will perform on the West End stage at the Shaftesbury Theatre and at Regents Park Open Air Theatre later in the year.

Putney has a tradition of supporting young performers through local performing arts schools. Last December, [a teacher at Pauline Quirke Academy Putney won a national award](https://putney.news/2025/12/11/from-nervous-child-to-west-end-stage-the-putney-teacher-making-it-happen/) for transforming children’s confidence, helping one child who was initially too afraid to perform in front of family end up on stage at His Majesty’s Theatre in the West End.

Stagecoach Putney prides itself on being inclusive with no auditions required. Some children come to make friends and build confidence, others because they want to get into shows. Previous students have performed in West End productions including The Lion King.

Anyone interested in Putney kids activities can find more information at [stagecoach.co.uk/putney](https://www.stagecoach.co.uk/putneyandbarnes) or contact .

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/15/from-putney-to-paramount-local-boys-get-slimed-on-international-tv/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/15/from-putney-to-paramount-local-boys-get-slimed-on-international-tv/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=From%20Putney%20to%20Paramount%3A%20Local%20boys%20get%20slimed%20on%20international%20TV&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/15/from-putney-to-paramount-local-boys-get-slimed-on-international-tv/)

**Categories:** TV

**Tags:** child performers, Nickelodeon, Paramount Plus, Performing arts, Putney kids activities, SlimeTime, Stagecoach Putney, Star Wars The Acolyte

---

### [Oasis Academy Putney families: how to navigate the school transfer](https://putney.news/2026/02/14/oasis-academy-putney-families-how-to-navigate-the-school-transfer/)

**Published:** February 14, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Parents must drive admissions process as 112 children face September placement deadline.

**Content:**

Families affected by the proposed school closure face difficult decisions over the coming months. Here’s what you need to know about the process, your options, and where to get support.

Oasis Academy Putney [announced on Tuesday](https://putney.news/2026/02/11/oasis-academy-putney-closing-this-summer-amid-school-funding-crisis/ "Oasis Academy Putney closing this summer amid school funding crisis") that it plans to close at the end of this academic year, affecting 112 pupils who would need new schools by September. The final decision rests with the Secretary of State for Education following a statutory consultation.

While the closure isn’t legally confirmed, families should realistically prepare for it to proceed. Previous Wandsworth school closures – Christchurch, St Anne’s, and Goldfinch primaries – all followed this same consultation process and were approved.

The proposed Oasis Academy Putney closure is the fifth Wandsworth primary to face closure or conversion since 2023.

#### The consultation process

Oasis must run a statutory consultation before the Secretary of State makes a final decision. The formal consultation timeline has not yet been announced.

During consultation, families can share their views with Oasis and the Department for Education. These responses will be considered before any final approval. However, the school has cited falling pupil numbers and financial unviability as the reason for closure – issues that consultation feedback is unlikely to resolve.

Parents can contact the school at  with questions or to participate in the consultation process once details are announced.

> [Oasis Academy Putney closing this summer amid school funding crisis](https://putney.news/2026/02/11/oasis-academy-putney-closing-this-summer-amid-school-funding-crisis/)

#### Finding a new school place

Families should begin researching alternative schools now and contact schools directly to understand availability and application processes.

**If applying to Wandsworth schools:** Contact Wandsworth Council’s admissions team at admissions@wandsworth.gov.uk or call 020 8871 7316. The phone line operates Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm. Email contact is available outside these hours, and the council recommends email due to high call volumes.

If you had previously applied for an Oasis Academy Putney place for September 2026, you should have received an email from the council on 11 February offering the opportunity to add additional schools to your application. The deadline for this was 16 February.

**If applying to schools in other boroughs:** You will need to use that borough’s application process and forms. Contact the other borough’s admissions team directly. However, you should also inform Wandsworth Council of your application plans, as your child is currently registered in a Wandsworth school and the council needs to account for school leavers.

**Taking control of the process:** Schools and councils typically do not respond during school holidays. Parents should expect to drive the process themselves rather than waiting for officials to contact them. Set up direct communication with your preferred schools early, and follow up regularly on application status. The admissions process can take several weeks, so start as soon as possible.

#### Where places are available

Primary school enrolment across Wandsworth has fallen by 2,132 pupils over the past five years. This means some schools have available capacity, though specific vacancy information changes frequently.

According to information shared during the closure announcement, Richmond schools are operating at or near capacity with waiting lists. Families considering cross-borough applications should verify current availability directly with Richmond Council’s admissions team rather than relying on general statements about capacity.

Contact schools directly to ask about current and projected vacancies in your child’s year group. This is more reliable than waiting for council teams to provide availability data.

#### Support for children with special educational needs

School transitions are particularly challenging for children with EHCPs, and Oasis families face this during an already difficult closure situation. If your child has an EHCP, prepare for an uphill struggle.

Wandsworth’s SEND system is “under significant strain” and the council acknowledges it is “no longer fit for purpose,” according to a February 2026 Overview and Scrutiny Committee report on EHCP demand. The same report reveals that parents must often “hold the system themselves” through fragmented services, with school transitions identified as “points of vulnerability.”

**Critical warning:** The council is actively working to “lessen reliance on EHCPs” and move toward mainstream support instead. During your child’s school transfer, you may face pressure to downgrade or remove their EHCP – even though schools told the council that EHCPs are “a key route to securing vital resources” that children genuinely need.

**What you need to know:**

Placement is difficult. Recent Schools Forum papers report it now takes “10 or more attempts to place a child in the borough” before using independent provision.

Transitions are vulnerable. The scrutiny report identifies school moves as times of “inconsistent transition planning” when children’s support can fall through gaps.

You must advocate persistently. Document everything – assessments, communications, promises made – and don’t assume your child’s existing plan will transfer smoothly.

**Get support immediately:**

Contact Wandsworth Information, Advice and Support Service (WIASS) as soon as possible. Email  or call 020 8871 8065 (Monday 10am-1pm, Wednesday 1:30pm-4:30pm, Friday 10am-1pm, term time only).

WIASS provides free, confidential support to help you navigate the transfer process and protect your child’s provision.

#### Nursery and community groups affected

The closure also affects nursery provision and community organisations currently based at the school.

Wild about Play forest nursery, which operates from the school site, has been told it will close at the end of March 2026 – four months earlier than the proposed school closure. Parents with children in nursery provision should contact the setting directly for information about alternative arrangements.

Community groups currently using the school building, including charities and faith organisations, will also need to find new premises. Contact your organisation directly for updates on relocation plans.

The school serves as a community hub for groups across Putney. Families and organisations affected by the closure of these services should raise this impact during the consultation process.

#### What Oasis is offering

The school has committed to supporting families through the transition. This includes help finding new placements that meet each child’s needs, family support for questions and concerns, and practical guidance on the application process.

Oasis says it will hold information sessions once consultation details are confirmed. Contact the school directly at  to access this support and stay informed about the process.

Parents should take advantage of Oasis’s support services rather than relying solely on council processes. The school has direct knowledge of each child’s needs and can provide personalized guidance on suitable alternative schools.

#### What happens next

The timeline for final decision depends on when the statutory consultation completes. Once Oasis submits its closure proposal to the Secretary of State, approval typically takes several weeks.

If approved, the school would close in July 2026. This would require all families to have secured alternative placements before the start of the 2026-27 academic year in September.

*Putney.news* will update this guide when consultation details are announced and as the approval process progresses.

> [When the children leave: inside Wandsworth’s school-funding death spiral](https://putney.news/2025/10/15/when-the-children-leave-inside-wandsworths-school-funding-death-spiral/)

#### Background: the wider context

Oasis Academy Putney currently has 112 pupils against a capacity of 420 – just 27% occupancy. The school opened in its current purpose-built premises on Putney Common in September 2016, starting with early years provision and expanding each year.

Despite strong Ofsted ratings (Good in its most recent inspection in December 2024) and academic performance above national averages, falling pupil numbers across Putney have left the school financially unsustainable.

The closure proposal is part of a broader pattern affecting Wandsworth primary schools. Four schools have already closed or converted since 2023: Broadwater Primary (converted to SEND provision in August 2023), Christchurch Primary (August 2024), St Anne’s Primary (August 2025), and Goldfinch Primary (August 2025).

Primary enrolment across Wandsworth has fallen by 71 forms of entry over five years, creating financial pressure on schools operating below capacity.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/14/oasis-academy-putney-families-how-to-navigate-the-school-transfer/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/14/oasis-academy-putney-families-how-to-navigate-the-school-transfer/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Oasis%20Academy%20Putney%20families%3A%20how%20to%20navigate%20the%20school%20transfer&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/14/oasis-academy-putney-families-how-to-navigate-the-school-transfer/)

**Categories:** Education

**Tags:** Education, Oasis Academy Putney, Primary Schools, Putney, School Admissions, School Closures, SEND, Wandsworth Council

---

### [A junction in motion: Progress and problems at Putney's controversial crossroads](https://putney.news/2026/02/14/a-junction-in-motion-progress-and-problems-at-putneys-controversial-crossroads/)

**Published:** February 14, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Road widening, hotel demo, and persistent problems at controversial crossroads.

**Content:**

Eight photographs taken on Friday afternoon document the state of Putney Bridge junction in mid-February 2026. Together they tell a story of concentrated change in one small stretch of the High Street, where visible progress sits alongside new and persistent problems.

The road widening at the bottom of Putney High Street has been completed and is now in use. The triangular section of additional carriageway was achieved by narrowing the pavement on the eastern side. Traffic flow has improved, with more vehicles able to pass when buses stop at the M bus stop. But just looking at the road markings shows how little space there is for traffic to flow freely.

![Bus Lane and cycle stop on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/bus-stop-cycle-lane-1024x768.png)The works still require finishing touches, including the replacement of a tree that died during construction. The more substantial improvement will come when the council completes the promised bus stop inset on the opposite side of the road next to TK Maxx.

#### Progress and stalled momentum

[Marks & Spencer is approaching its planned April 1 opening](https://putney.news/2025/04/19/marks-amp-spencer-returns-to-putney-high-street/). The facade has been installed this week, with internal fit-out including tills and shelving now underway. Site activity increased noticeably this week with management personnel present alongside construction crews.

![Marks and Spencer Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/m-and-s-work-1024x768.png)After [seven years during which M&S held the lease while refusing to sublet](https://putney.news/2025/11/08/how-marks-and-spencer-symbol-putney-high-street-decline-history/), the transformation of the former department store into a food hall has accelerated in recent weeks. The restored Art Deco facade represents a visible improvement and welcome return to this section of the High Street.

At the corner of Putney Bridge Road, demolition work on the hotel development site appeared to have paused this week. Scaffolding and protective sheeting remain in place but no workers were visible, the temporary office at the bottom is shut up, and there has been a conspicuous lack of drill and angle grinder noise.

![Demolition on Putney High Street and Putney Bridge Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/phs-pbr-demolition-1024x768.png)The pause could reflect workers being deployed to other projects or delays awaiting planning approval for minor scheme modifications that will go to the Planning Committee next week. [The site, which previously housed Ramna restaurant, Gadget Xchange and Preto](https://putney.news/2025/11/22/from-squatters-to-scaffolding-putney-high-streets-visible-signs-of-recovery/), is scheduled for construction of a 200-room Hub by Premier Inn hotel with ground-floor retail units beginning in March 2026.

The development timeline extends to 2028, and [in December council leaders and TfL officials observed a scaffolding lorry blocking the junction](https://putney.news/2025/12/10/officials-watch-helplessly-as-lorry-blocks-junction-they-still-havent-fixed/) while attempting to access the site, providing a preview of the construction disruption that will affect this junction for the next two years.

![Simmons, Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/simmons-for-sale-1024x768.png)#### Commercial opportunities and heritage concerns

The former Simmons Bar is on sale – and not just the lease but the freehold. The “door” was unscrewed and then reattached this week (complete with telltale white caulk to cover screwholes), with a notice posted in the window advertising the sale.

[The cocktail bar closed in August](https://putney.news/2025/08/01/putneys-party-scene-gutted-as-simmons-joins-be-at-one-and-shuts-down/) as part of the chain’s restructuring, weeks after neighbouring bar Be At One also ceased trading. The freehold sale represents a potential opportunity for new ownership that might establish more sustainable rent levels than those that have contributed to Putney High Street’s evening economy decline.

![Steel gate White Lion](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/gate-white-lion-1024x768.png)A new steel security gate has been installed at the entrance to the White Lion pub. The metalwork now blocks what has historically been an open archway to the Grade II listed building.

The gate’s purpose remains unclear. It may signal renewed interest in redeveloping [the building that sits on the Heritage at Risk register](https://putney.news/2025/11/07/how-putney-lost-a-victorian-treasure-and-wandsworth-abandoned-its-heritage/), or it may simply be a defensive measure following the building’s occupation by squatters who [stripped fixtures including the entire lead roof](https://putney.news/2025/09/16/roof-thief-arrested-as-putney-squatters-strip-buildings-and-relocate-to-east-putney/). The White Lion has been closed since 2015, with multiple planning permissions granted and lapsed without implementation.

![Yellow box, Putney Bridge Junction](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/yellow-box-phs-1024x768.png)#### Persistent design problems

The yellow box junction at the intersection of Putney Bridge Road and Putney High Street continues to generate congestion. The junction marking, designed to prevent gridlock within the junction itself, has the effect of preventing vehicles from entering even when space is available on the High Street.

Henry Cheung, the council’s transport lead, raised the issue at this week’s Transport Committee meeting. Drivers avoiding potential fines for stopping in the yellow box wait on Putney Bridge Road, where queues can extend nearly a mile during peak periods. The design creates wasted capacity when traffic lights show green but vehicles remain stationary.

![Unused cycle space Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/cycle-space-1024x768.png)The cycle infrastructure installed as part of the junction redesign sees minimal use. Large cycle boxes at the junction, yellow lane markings, and designated cycle spaces remain largely empty. Cyclists generally prefer parallel routes through side roads rather than the High Street corridor.

The council has already acknowledged this pattern by removing the dedicated cycle left turn from Putney Bridge Road onto the High Street and eliminating the five-second advance cycle phase at traffic signals. Both measures had been installed during the £835,000 junction redesign but saw insufficient usage to justify the traffic capacity they consumed.

#### A junction between states

These eight photographs document a moment of transition. Marks & Spencer approaches completion after seven years of vacancy. Road widening has been finished and is already in use. The hotel development has paused between demolition and construction. Simmons Bar awaits a new owner. The White Lion has acquired defensive barriers of uncertain permanence. And the junction’s design problems persist despite a million pounds spent on redesign and emergency fixes.

This concentration of change in one small stretch offers a compressed view of Putney’s broader trajectory. Investment is returning to the High Street, but slowly and unevenly. Physical improvements are being made, but not all of them work as designed. Commercial opportunities exist, but so do empty properties and failed ventures. Progress and stagnation occupy the same space.

Urban change rarely follows the timelines shown in planning documents or the logic of computer-modelled traffic flows. It accumulates through small shifts: a facade restored here, a gate installed there, a road widened by a few metres. Some changes prove their worth immediately. Others take years to justify themselves, or never do.

The scaffolding will come down from Marks & Spencer within weeks. The hotel scaffolding will remain for two years. The yellow box will continue causing delays until someone makes a decision about its removal. And residents will continue judging Putney’s recovery not by what has been promised or planned, but by what they can see working in front of them.

This is the junction in mid-February 2026: neither fixed nor broken, neither thriving nor declining, but caught in the slow, uneven process of becoming something different from what it was.

![Putney Bridge Junction](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/putney-bridge-junction-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/14/a-junction-in-motion-progress-and-problems-at-putneys-controversial-crossroads/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/14/a-junction-in-motion-progress-and-problems-at-putneys-controversial-crossroads/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=A%20junction%20in%20motion%3A%20Progress%20and%20problems%20at%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20controversial%20crossroads&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/14/a-junction-in-motion-progress-and-problems-at-putneys-controversial-crossroads/)

**Categories:** Business, Transport

**Tags:** Henry Cheung, Marks and Spencer, Putney Bridge junction, Putney High Street, Putney traffic, Simmons Bar, TfL, Wandsworth Council, White Lion pub

---

### [From housewifery lessons to art studios: Hotham Primary's 1908 building gets new life](https://putney.news/2026/02/14/from-housewifery-lessons-to-art-studios-hotham-primarys-1908-building-gets-new-life/)

**Published:** February 14, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** School seeks £50,000 to transform unused Annexe into specialist teaching space.

**Content:**

Hotham Primary School in Putney is asking the community to help raise £50,000 to transform its unused 1908 Annexe building into a dedicated centre for arts and music.

The campaign, launched this week, represents the final third of a £150,000 project that would create specialist teaching spaces during school hours and a community hub for local clubs and families beyond the school day.

The school has already secured £50,000 from the Hotham School Fund, a registered charity, and is targeting another £50,000 through grant applications. The remaining £50,000 would come from community donations, legacy gifts through a “Giving Wall” campaign, and fundraising events with the school’s parent-teacher association.

The Annexe was built at the same time as the main school in 1908 and served various purposes over the decades, from housewifery education to adult learning and eventually storage. It now sits unused.

![Hotham School](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/hotham-school-images-1024x350.png)The plan would transform it into an art and design innovation studio on the ground floor and a dance and music studio upstairs. During the school day, the centre would provide specialist arts teaching for Hotham’s 370 pupils. Beyond school hours, it would open to families and community groups.

The £150,000 would cover weatherproofing and securing the building, upgrading electrics and heating, remodelling internal rooms, installing toilet facilities, and purchasing furniture and equipment.

Building works are scheduled to begin in August 2026, with the project completing by August 2027.

The campaign launched today and has already raised over £1,000 from early donors, with contributions coming in following a parents’ coffee morning where the project was discussed.

![Hotham School annexe plans](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/hotham-annexe-plans.png)The fundraising drive comes as [Wandsworth’s school funding crisis](https://putney.news/2025/12/01/four-schools-closed-putney-next-in-line-for-cuts/) has led to four primary school closures since 2023, with Putney schools facing pressure to cut places. Hotham’s campaign represents a rare positive story of expansion rather than contraction.

Headteacher Richard Byrne-Smith said the school’s vision is to provide “limitless opportunities for every child to aspire and succeed.”

The school is particularly interested in hearing from former pupils or parents who remember the Annexe from when it was in active use.

Donations can be [made through the campaign page](https://www.hothamprimaryschool.org.uk/annexe). The school can also be contacted at  or 020 8788 6468.

![Hotham School students](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/hotham-kids-1024x576.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/14/from-housewifery-lessons-to-art-studios-hotham-primarys-1908-building-gets-new-life/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/14/from-housewifery-lessons-to-art-studios-hotham-primarys-1908-building-gets-new-life/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=From%20housewifery%20lessons%20to%20art%20studios%3A%20Hotham%20Primary%E2%80%99s%201908%20building%20gets%20new%20life&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/14/from-housewifery-lessons-to-art-studios-hotham-primarys-1908-building-gets-new-life/)

**Categories:** Education

**Tags:** arts education, Community Fundraising, Hotham Primary School, Putney heritage, Putney schools, School fundraising, Wandsworth Council

---

### [New mayoral powers would let City Hall overrule Putney licensing decisions](https://putney.news/2026/02/13/new-mayoral-powers-would-let-city-hall-overrule-putney-licensing-decisions/)

**Published:** February 13, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Consultation launched on call-in powers that no other UK mayor has.

**Content:**

The Mayor of London launched a consultation yesterday on new licensing powers that would let City Hall override borough decisions for the first time, directly threatening the restrictions Putney residents agreed just seven months ago.

The Draft London Strategic Licensing Policy proposes giving the Mayor a “call-in” power to take over licensing applications he considers strategically important, even after a borough has already made its decision. Applications within areas covered by cumulative impact policies, like the one Wandsworth Council [adopted for Putney High Street in July 2025](https://putney.news/2025/07/01/putney-wins-battle-to-rein-in-booze-and-disorder-on-the-high-street/), are explicitly eligible.

The policy also states that cumulative impact assessments “should not create a rebuttable presumption to refuse applications,” which directly contradicts how Wandsworth’s policy works. The Putney restrictions create exactly that presumption for new late-night venues, requiring applicants to prove they will not add to existing problems.

No other mayor in the UK has licensing powers. Not in Greater Manchester, not in the West Midlands, nowhere. This would be entirely new.

The consultation runs for six weeks, closing around 26 March. Two days before it launched, peers in the House of Lords tried to block the powers during debate on the English Devolution Bill. The government refused to accept their amendments.

Baroness Pinnock, the Liberal Democrat peer, called it a “top-down command structure over local democracy.” Conservative Baroness O’Neill warned that “the mayor might not appreciate the local policing capacity, or lack of it, and the implications of that on licensing decisions.” The opposition is bipartisan and extends well beyond Westminster. In April 2025, all 32 London borough leaders (Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Independent) united to demand a share of the Mayor’s powers, calling the current system “designed in a different century.”

> [Just 20 people backed it — but Putney High Street faces tough new licensing rules](https://putney.news/2025/07/10/just-20-people-backed-it-but-putney-high-street-faces-tough-new-licensing-rules/)

#### The problem neither side will fix

The difficulty for Putney residents is that both levels of government are targeting the wrong problem.

This publication has covered Wandsworth council licensing decisions on Putney High Street extensively. The council’s cumulative impact policy was [approved on the basis of just 20 supporters](https://putney.news/2025/07/10/just-20-people-backed-it-but-putney-high-street-faces-tough-new-licensing-rules/) out of 27 Putney responses. Officials claimed 191 licensed premises in the area, but many were irrelevant (Waitrose, WHSmith, a nail salon). The real number of late-night, high-risk venues is likely fewer than a dozen. When the policy faced [its first test case](https://putney.news/2025/09/05/mixed-fortunes-on-putney-high-street-as-new-openings-counter-squatter-crisis/), officials could not agree on what it said or whether it applied.

But the real crisis on Putney High Street was never licensing. Be At One closed because [the landlord hiked the rent](https://putney.news/2025/05/30/from-hope-to-hollow-putney-high-streets-painful-decline-continues/). Staff said at the time: “It’s frustrating. The landlord has tried to hike the rent. It’s just too high.” Simmons left Putney as part of a restructuring that [abandoned four leases](https://putney.news/2025/08/01/putneys-party-scene-gutted-as-simmons-joins-be-at-one-and-shuts-down/) to focus on stronger-performing venues. The High Street has had more than 22 empty shops at a time. The fundamental problem remains landlords demanding rents the local economy cannot support.

The council responded to this with a licensing crackdown rather than addressing rents, vacant properties, or landlord behaviour. Now the Mayor proposes to override even that misguided response, not by tackling the real causes but by centralising licensing power in City Hall.

> [Putney’s party scene gutted as Simmons joins Be At One and shuts down](https://putney.news/2025/08/01/putneys-party-scene-gutted-as-simmons-joins-be-at-one-and-shuts-down/)

#### A pattern of accumulation

The licensing proposal fits a broader pattern. The Mayor expanded ULEZ across London in the face of opposition from five councils and a High Court challenge. The police and crime commissioner role was absorbed into the Mayor’s office. Planning call-in powers already allow City Hall to override borough decisions on major developments.

The government and City Hall have cited New York, Amsterdam and Sydney as precedents for strategic licensing. The comparisons do not hold up. New York’s Office of Nightlife, created in 2017, is a liaison and advocacy role with no override powers. Amsterdam’s “night mayor” mediates between venues and residents but cannot overrule local decisions. Sydney’s lockout laws, the closest parallel to top-down intervention, were imposed by the state government and devastated the night-time economy. More than half the city’s music venues closed in the following decade. The restrictions were finally repealed in full in January 2026 after the government acknowledged their “devastating impact.”

#### What Putney residents can do

The consultation is open until late March. The [draft policy is available on the GLA website](https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/arts-and-culture/arts-and-culture-consultations/london-strategic-licensing-consultation/draft-london-strategic-licensing-policy-2026-31), where residents can submit their views.

Putney is classified as NT3 (“more than local significance”) in the London Plan’s night-time economy rankings, the lowest tier that appears on the list. Clapham Junction, also in Wandsworth with its own cumulative impact policy, is the higher-ranked NT2. Both areas would be affected.

Residents can also contact Wandsworth Council’s licensing team at licensing@wandsworth.gov.uk to ask what position the council is taking on the Mayor’s proposed powers.

London’s licensing system has real problems. *Putney.news* has documented them. But the answer is not to hand override powers to a mayor who has spent a decade accumulating authority with little accountability, and whom every borough leader in London is already trying to rein in.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/13/new-mayoral-powers-would-let-city-hall-overrule-putney-licensing-decisions/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/13/new-mayoral-powers-would-let-city-hall-overrule-putney-licensing-decisions/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=New%20mayoral%20powers%20would%20let%20City%20Hall%20overrule%20Putney%20licensing%20decisions&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/13/new-mayoral-powers-would-let-city-hall-overrule-putney-licensing-decisions/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** Cumulative Impact Policy, English Devolution Bill, House of Lords, licensing, Mayor of London, Night Time Economy, Putney High Street, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wheelchair tennis, volunteer coaches and a £1.1m dream for Roehampton](https://putney.news/2026/02/13/wheelchair-tennis-volunteer-coaches-and-a-1-1m-dream-for-roehampton/)

**Published:** February 13, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Community trust has six weeks to secure funding before building grants end forever.

**Content:**

A community trust is racing to secure £1.1 million to rebuild the sports pavilion at Roehampton Playing Fields before the Football Foundation stops funding building projects, with trustees telling a community meeting on Thursday that this is a “once in a generation opportunity” that won’t come again.

Roehampton Playing Fields Community Trust has raised £310,000 in six months and submitted a £537,000 application to the Football Foundation, whose panel will decide in March whether to back the project. Trustee Scott Muirhead told residents the foundation will stop funding buildings after this financial year. “If we’re not successful, I do not see this anchor funder being replaced,” he said.

The campaign has gained momentum following completion of a new access path from Queen Mary’s Hospital to the tennis courts, enabling the site’s first wheelchair tennis player and opening possibilities for para-standing tennis, a format for disabled players who don’t use wheelchairs.

“The impact on your mental health, I can’t overstate it,” said Valente, a para-standing tennis advocate who attended Thursday’s meeting. “To be able to get physically active when you’re a disabled person without an outlet to play sport.” He praised the new path from the hospital’s [Douglas Bader Rehabilitation Centre](https://www.stgeorges.nhs.uk/service/rehabilitation-service/amputee-rehabilitation-qm/) as “absolutely fantastic,” noting how difficult the old route was for wheelchair users dealing with puddles and uneven ground.

Para-standing tennis uses a two-bounce rule for players with disabilities who don’t need or want to play in a wheelchair. Valente explained it opens the sport to “a whole new category of people that wouldn’t have been able to play in the past, and also not necessarily need to have an expensive wheelchair to do so.”

At Wednesday’s meeting, parents of a young wheelchair tennis player described carrying a sports wheelchair, a regular wheelchair and equipment the full length of Longwood Drive to reach the courts. The new path changes that journey entirely. They also described changing their child on a toilet bench in cramped facilities, in “very awkward and not very easy circumstances.”

![Dover House playing fields proposed pavillion](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/pavillion-plan-1024x575.png)#### Twenty-five years every Saturday

Anita has coached at Dover House Lions FC for 25 years, every Saturday, alongside volunteer coaches who do it for nothing. The club doesn’t just deliver football. “We’re trying to rebuild their lives,” she told residents. “We want to reeducate them. We want them to understand the value of what we have here.”

Her grandson Hayden put it simply: “I just didn’t like football, but over time, Dover House Lions just made a big passion for me in my heart.”

The 1940s pavilion has suffered three or four break-ins in recent years. Josh, community manager at [Enable Leisure](https://enablelc.org/roehampton-playing-fields/) which operates the site in partnership with the trust, described floors with cracks and toilets that “no matter how many times we’re scrubbing them, they still look like they’re dirty. It’s not always welcoming.”

The £1.1 million renovation will preserve the pavilion’s external appearance within the Westmead conservation area while completely rebuilding the interior. Plans include two large changing rooms with direct pitch access, accessible changing and toilet facilities, a new kitchen with service hatches, and a main hall one and a half times the current size with stackable furniture for flexible use. Security upgrades include £120,000 in secured-by-design windows and doors, CCTV, and WiFi throughout.

![Dover House playing fields proposed pavillion](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/pavilion-1024x576.png)#### Six weeks to make it happen

The trust has secured its £310,000 through resident donations (£180,000, with £80,000 of that raised in just five weeks since late December), council community infrastructure levy funding (£130,000), and applications to the Football Foundation (£537,000) and London Marathon Foundation (approximately £150,000). The contractor tender came in at £963,000, with professional fees bringing the total to £1.1 million.

If the March panel approves funding, construction would start between June and August with completion in time for Christmas. The site currently runs at a loss, though trustees have cut that significantly and aim to build a surplus to reinvest in community programmes.

The trust formed in January 2018 after community opposition prevented the commercial disposal of the playing fields. Dover House Lions FC had [campaigned for ten years](https://www.putneysw15.com/info/issuedhrfields016.htm) for a sustainable solution before the trust model was approved. The site now hosts football, cricket, tennis including wheelchair and para-standing formats, netball, rounders and lacrosse, with plans for disability football programmes, women’s referee courses, and activities like pilates and yoga.

“This is a hidden gem,” said Josh. “I do believe we can do so much more.”

Residents who want to support the campaign can donate through [the trust’s website](https://roehamptonplayingfields.org/) or through an [online crowdfunder](https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/roehampton-playing-fields-pavilion-project), or email . The trust is also seeking business sponsorship. With six weeks until the March panel decision, trustees say every donation strengthens the case. “We’re expecting it’s going to be too big to fail,” said Scott.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/13/wheelchair-tennis-volunteer-coaches-and-a-1-1m-dream-for-roehampton/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/13/wheelchair-tennis-volunteer-coaches-and-a-1-1m-dream-for-roehampton/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wheelchair%20tennis%2C%20volunteer%20coaches%20and%20a%20%C2%A31.1m%20dream%20for%20Roehampton&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/13/wheelchair-tennis-volunteer-coaches-and-a-1-1m-dream-for-roehampton/)

**Categories:** Community, Planning, Roehampton, Sport

**Tags:** community trust, disability sport, Dover House Lions FC, Enable Leisure, Football Foundation, fundraising, para-standing tennis, pavilion, Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton Playing Fields, wheelchair tennis

---

### [Council pushes Putney traffic crisis into 2027](https://putney.news/2026/02/12/council-pushes-putney-traffic-crisis-into-2027/)

**Published:** February 12, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Committee accepts October timeline that delays accountability another 12 months.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council won’t meaningfully review whether Putney Bridge junction works until next year, based on the timeline Transport Committee heard Wednesday night.

Critical changes won’t happen until October 2026, it was revealed. And there will not be a review until all options are exhausted. The council will ask for a few months of data to assess whether changes worked, pushing even the hope of re-assessment to a meeting of the Transport Committee in February 2027.

Residents who have endured 15 months of gridlock since the December 2024 redesign face at least another 12 months before councillors assess whether the issue of extreme congestion – created by a flawed junction redesign – can be resolved through a series of small changes or requires an overhaul.

The council has been working hard on resolving the issue. Officers have made [14 interventions, bringing the cost to over £1m](https://putney.news/2025/11/14/putneys-million-pound-junction-disaster-how-approved-plans-went-wrong/). It has conducted walkabouts, adjusted signal timings twice, spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on fixes. The effort is real.

But the piecemeal approach – a change here, waiting for data, a change there, waiting for TfL approval, waiting for committee meetings – combined with the refusal to define what success looks like, what targets must be hit, or what level of failure would trigger fundamental redesign, means residents live with gridlock while accountability keeps getting pushed further away.

Assistant Director of Engineering Henry Cheung told the committee that removal of an unnecessary traffic island that is contributing to delays by restricting traffic flow, is scheduled for October half-term. He noted that changes to bus stops, promised six months ago are still unresolved.

The meeting exposed two other significant problems.

First, Cheung appeared to tell a Conservative councillor that bus journey times are “comparable to pre scheme” – contradicting the council’s own Paper 26-32, which states “AM peak journey times remain above the 23/24 baseline.”

Second, the political divide was stark. Conservative councillors [asked the questions proposed by dozens of Putney residents](https://putney.news/2026/02/12/66-residents-emailed-councillors-with-cancer-diagnoses-and-death-warnings-the-committee-congratulated-them-on-a-good-campaign/) about baseline manipulation, spreading congestion, and whether the design needs scrapping. But Labour councillors defended the scheme’s original goals without addressing the data showing it’s failing for 85% of junction users.

> [Still stuck in traffic? The council’s latest charts prove it’s fine](https://putney.news/2026/02/09/still-stuck-in-traffic-the-councils-latest-charts-prove-its-fine/)

#### The October timeline

When asked when the traffic island is schedule to be removed, Cheung described summer as an “aspiration” before immediately identifying October half-term as the “fallback.”

“The aspiration is to try and remove the traffic island outside Snappy Snaps and KFC in the summer months, but that is the absolute optimum timetable, because we are still going through the design process with Transport for London,” Cheung said. “A fallback on that date would potentially be October half term, because what we want to do is make sure the works are done under school holidays.”

The island removal should improve flow on Putney High Street northbound, potentially releasing more signal time for Putney Bridge Road and Lower Richmond Road. But the work completes in October 2026. The committee’s November 2026 meeting comes too soon after completion to have the data that officers have repeatedly said they need following previous changes. That pushes meaningful review to the next meeting: February 2027.

> [66 residents emailed councillors with cancer diagnoses and death warnings. The committee congratulated them on a good campaign](https://putney.news/2026/02/12/66-residents-emailed-councillors-with-cancer-diagnoses-and-death-warnings-the-committee-congratulated-them-on-a-good-campaign/)

#### The baseline manipulation

TfL has reset its baseline for bus journey times to April 2024 – eight months before the junction was redesigned.

“The bus data, which TfL provided, their baseline currently has been reset to April 24,” Cheung said. “The reason for that is because during the initial baseline periods, that was the COVID period, and a post-COVID period, whereby traffic volume was somewhat reduced. So a more realistic and fair baseline to assess the scheme itself.”

By using April 2024 rather than the 2023/24 academic year or [TfL’s five-year historical data](https://putney.news/2026/02/10/what-council-paper-doesnt-say-putney-junction/), the council avoids comparing current performance to the stable journey times that existed before the scheme broke the junction.

TfL’s five-year data shows bus journey times on Putney High Street northbound averaged around 5-10 minutes from 2019 to 2024, with normal fluctuations. Then the junction changes happened and times spiked dramatically: going up to 30 minutes in some cases.

> [Council buries the truth: even with fixes, traffic is twice as bad with new junction](https://putney.news/2026/02/10/council-buries-the-truth-even-with-fixes-traffic-is-twice-as-bad-with-new-junction/)

#### The factual discrepancy

Cheung told Conservative councillor Caroline de La Soujeole that bus performance had returned to baseline.

“If you look at Appendix 3, look at some of the graphs, the data currently is showing, post scheme is comparable to pre scheme, in terms of journey times, by and large,” Cheung said.

The council’s own Paper 26-32 directly contradicts that statement: “The AM peak journey times remain above the 23/24 baseline, however off-peak and PM peaks align with pre-scheme data.” Even that assertion is questionable, with the council relying on the Christmas period where traffic levels drop dramatically to argue its point.

Morning peak is when congestion matters most. Telling councillors performance is “comparable” when the paper admits AM peak times remain above baseline is a significant contradiction.

And then there is of course the stark reality: while officials discuss stat differentials, thousands of Putney residents are suffering extreme congestion outside their doors every day – and have been saying so increasingly loudly for over a year.

> [Residents challenge council’s defence of Putney Bridge junction at second walkabout](https://putney.news/2026/01/17/residents-challenge-councils-defence-of-putney-bridge-junction-at-second-walkabout/)

#### The political divide

Councillor de La Soujeole asked: “It looks like the bus data will show that every corridor is still much slower than before the redesign. So just wondering at what point does that trigger a fundamental reconsideration of the junction design?”

Cheung talked about ongoing monitoring and changes. He did not answer the question about reconsidering the design.

Councillor Daniel Hamilton asked for the junction to stay on the committee agenda. The chair agreed, though May elections mean limited committee activity until autumn.

Labour councillors defended the scheme without engaging with performance data.

Councillor Annamarie Critchard said:

> “We all need to remember our colleagues on both sides will agree this was a scheme that is there to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.”

This deflects from the question residents ask: after 15 months and £1m+ spent, why are 85% of junction users still experiencing worse conditions?

Councillor Tony Belton took a different approach.

“I hate to say this, in a way, 14 elections ago, in 1974, the thing that we argued most about was Putney,” Belton said. “Putney High Street has had masses and masses of consideration ever since.”

Putney has always been difficult, so current failure is normal. This framing avoids examining whether the December 2024 redesign made things worse.

Belton also told residents how to campaign better: “If I was doing a campaign, I’d try and make sure that the third paragraph didn’t always start with exactly the same sentence on each particular letter.”

Residents documenting gridlock, stuck ambulances, and children breathing car fumes aren’t running a campaign. They’re living through daily congestion the council created.

> [Traffic crisis dominates Putney meeting as residents demand action, not promises](https://putney.news/2025/10/12/traffic-crisis-dominates-putney-meeting-as-residents-demand-action-not-promises/)

#### What residents can do

The junction stays on the Transport Committee agenda and the next realistic scrutiny opportunity is autumn 2026, after October’s island removal.

But Wednesday’s meeting revealed the political reality. Labour councillors defended the scheme without engaging with data showing it’s failing. Conservative councillors asked questions about fundamental redesign. [Council leader Simon Hogg has stated publicly he won’t approve revisiting the junction design](https://putney.news/2025/10/12/traffic-crisis-dominates-putney-meeting-as-residents-demand-action-not-promises/).

With May elections approaching, the political divide matters. Only two Labour councillors represent Putney areas directly affected by the junction. The Conservative opposition has acknowledged the scheme’s failure. [November’s committee meeting saw 1,700+ residents reporting worse journeys](https://putney.news/2025/11/21/alice-in-wonderland-meets-the-matrix-at-putney-bridge-junction/). Whether residents get meaningful accountability may depend on which party controls the council after May.

This shouldn’t be political. It’s a traffic and health issue affecting tens of thousands of daily journeys. But the committee split Wednesday suggests otherwise.

Beyond local politics, residents can pressure Transport for London, which approved the design and controls signal timings and bus changeover points. TfL holds statutory responsibility for the strategic road network but operates with limited public accountability.

Those living on streets experiencing rat-running (Chelverton Road, Werter Road, Bemish Road, Charlwood Road, Deodar Road, Disraeli Road) can document traffic volumes and air quality impacts.

*Putney.news* will continue to track and push on this issue until it is resolved.

---

*This is the latest in an ongoing series tracking Putney Bridge junction performance since the December 2024 redesign. Previous coverage includes the £1m total cost, design process failures using pandemic traffic data, signal timing analysis, and resident surveys showing 90.5% worse journeys.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/12/council-pushes-putney-traffic-crisis-into-2027/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/12/council-pushes-putney-traffic-crisis-into-2027/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Council%20pushes%20Putney%20traffic%20crisis%20into%202027&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/12/council-pushes-putney-traffic-crisis-into-2027/)

**Categories:** Politics, Transport

**Tags:** Annamarie Critchard, baseline data, bus journey times, Cllr Caroline de La Soujeole, Cllr Tony Belton, Henry Cheung, May elections, October 2026, Putney Bridge junction, Signal Timing, TfL, Tony Belton, traffic congestion, Transport Committee, Wandsworth Council

---

### [66 residents emailed councillors with cancer diagnoses and death warnings. The committee congratulated them on a good campaign](https://putney.news/2026/02/12/66-residents-emailed-councillors-with-cancer-diagnoses-and-death-warnings-the-committee-congratulated-them-on-a-good-campaign/)

**Published:** February 12, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Residents documented the human cost of Putney's terrible traffic. Councillors only saw politics.

**Content:**

“I have stage 4 cancer and need to get to St George’s hospital regularly, which means we have to build in an extra 25 minutes journey time just to get out of our street. We only live half way down.”

So wrote one resident to all 10 members of Wandsworth’s Transport Committee before last night’s meeting, describing the impact on her life of excessive congestion in Putney. Her husband tells her he can taste the fumes before he reaches the end of their street.

Helena wrote that she walks three children to school. The Lower Richmond Road crossing at Roskell Road is regularly blocked by cars. “We try and creep across on green – and cyclists, dosing drivers put our lives at risk twice a day. Our luck will run out.”

Claire feels the effects. “I find it difficult to breathe on my regular walk to the high street along Putney Bridge Road watching hundreds of cars sitting stationary and pumping fumes into the air. I feel very unsafe with regard to any medical emergency. I would not be able to get my car out of the roads due to the constant congestion – nor would an ambulance have any chance of a blue-light entrance.”

Linda sent hers around lunchtime. “This morning at 8:59am, Putney Bridge Road was blocked from the High Street to beyond Wandsworth Park. Again. This is a consistent pattern.”

They weren’t alone.

Sixty-six Putney residents emailed the Transport Committee before last night’s 7:30pm meeting where, among other things, they received a Putney Bridge junction update. Every committee member received them in their inbox.

> [Residents documented the worst Putney traffic in 30 years – now they want answers from tonight’s committee](https://putney.news/2026/02/11/residents-documented-the-worst-putney-traffic-in-30-years-now-they-want-answers-from-tonights-committee/)

#### What councillors heard

The emails came from individual addresses. Philippa. Stavros. Miles. John. Claire. Linda. Cheryl. Melanie. Ruth. Tricia. Each signed with their own name.

But the message was unified.

“The past week has seen some of the worst traffic we’ve ever had in Putney. It has been documented and shared in local WhatsApp groups. You only have to ask if you want proof.”

Ambulances stuck. Children complaining about car fumes. Upper Richmond Road queues reaching The Lodge Hotel – four roads from West Hill Road. The threat to Wandsworth Town if that junction gridlocks.

> “The paper you’re reviewing doesn’t give you the full picture.”

No pre-junction baseline for general traffic. Only June 2025 compared with November 2025 – both after the redesign. Bus data buried in Appendix 3 showing every corridor still running slower than before December 2024. No monitoring of rat-running through residential streets.

“We have had 15 months of ‘the next fix will work.'”

Then the questions – the same five:

- Why does the paper provide no pre-scheme baseline for general traffic when it includes one for buses?
- The bus data shows every corridor still slower than before the redesign. At what point does that trigger fundamental reconsideration of the junction design?
- What monitoring are you doing of congestion spreading toward Wandsworth Town? Do you have contingency plans if West Hill Road starts to fail?
- Will you commit to publishing monthly journey time data for all major routes, with clear pre-scheme baselines, until the junction is demonstrably performing better than before December 2024?
- Will you put Putney Bridge junction on your next agenda to review progress?

It closes: “This isn’t technical. It’s whether the paper gives you the full picture and whether you’ll hold officers accountable for transparency. This is not academic. Traffic in Putney is unbearable for six hours every day.”

Different names. One message.

#### Personal pleas

The chair of the Deodar/Merrivaile/Florian Residents’ Association noted: “I have been in touch with you many times about the impact the junction redesign has had on our lives. It is an unbearable situation for those of us who live here. Why? We are no longer safe. If we had an accident or an emergency – needed an ambulance or the fire services – there is no way we can trust they could get to us as they could before, simply because of the traffic congestion.”

> “We are no longer safe”
> 
> Residents Association chair

The same warning came from Geraldine in light of the Albert Bridge closure this week: “The risk of having another major Thames crossing within the Borough of Wandsworth closed for an indefinite period is untenable and I urge you all, regardless of your political standing, to ensure that immediate action is taken to improve the traffic flow at the junction. Please don’t wait for there to be an avoidable death in an ambulance to make the right decision.”

Several residents sent ideas for better solutions. Several more complained about how their emails were routinely ignored.

> [Putney traffic crisis spreads to side roads as sat navs seek alternatives](https://putney.news/2026/02/10/putney-traffic-crisis-spreads-to-side-roads-as-sat-navs-seek-alternatives/)

#### What the committee said

At 7:30pm, the Transport Committee met to consider Paper 26-32 – the Walking and Cycling Strategy Update containing the Putney Bridge junction review.

The emails were noticed. Councillor Tony Belton opened his contribution: “I thought it was worth saying that just to reassure some people who might be watching, that we all… Well, I think we all have had our 70 odd emails, or 80 or emails today, and congratulate you on a good campaign.”

He called it a campaign. The emails had asked five specific questions about missing data, spreading congestion, and accountability. He didn’t answer them.

Conservative councillors did ask some of the questions residents had raised. Councillor John Locker asked about the missing pre-scheme baseline for general traffic – why do we have one for buses but not for general vehicles? Officers said the data exists from November’s committee meeting and could be included in future monitoring.

Councillor Claire de la Soujeole asked: “At what point does that trigger a fundamental reconsideration of the junction design?” when bus data shows every corridor still slower than before the redesign. Officers explained ongoing monitoring and future changes planned for the summer.

She also asked about monitoring congestion spreading toward Wandsworth Town and contingency plans if West Hill Road becomes overwhelmed. Officers acknowledged monitoring other residential streets but said they haven’t been prioritised yet.

Councillor Annamarie Critchard asked when all the planned changes would be complete. Officers said they hoped for summer for the traffic island removal outside Snappy Snaps and KFC, with October half-term as a likely fallback.

The committee was asked to keep Putney Bridge junction on future agendas.

Residents attended in person. The chair thanked them at the end: “I assume those in the gallery are here for this issue, so thank you for coming along. I know it’s a bit of a one-sided process committees, but we do appreciate you being here and taking the time to do so.”

*Full coverage of what was asked, what was answered, and what wasn’t is in a [separate story on the meeting](https://putney.news/2026/02/12/council-pushes-putney-traffic-crisis-into-2027/).*

> [Council pushes Putney traffic crisis into 2027](https://putney.news/2026/02/12/council-pushes-putney-traffic-crisis-into-2027/)

### What it means

Sixty-six residents did what democratic participation asks of them. They read reports. They identified gaps. They asked specific questions. They documented their experiences. They sent their concerns to every committee member with enough time to prepare proper answers.

The emails created a public record. Whatever happened at tonight’s meeting, no one can claim councillors didn’t know. No one can say residents didn’t engage. No one can argue the concerns weren’t documented.

Cancer treatment access. Children at risk crossing the road. Struggling to breathe. Daily gridlock. Bus stop fury.

What councillors chose to do with those emails – whether they asked the questions residents wanted asked, whether they acknowledged the volume of concern, whether they pressed officers for the missing baseline data – that’s the test of whether scrutiny means anything.

---

**Thanks to:**

Philippa, Stavros, Miles, John, Claire, Linda, Cheryl, Melanie, Ruth, Tricia, Mike, Rachel, Harry, J McAkland, Manishita, Helena, Susan, Lindsay, Nicola, Ann & Cion, Simon, Venise, Helen, Lee, Gail, Alison, Christopher, Mark, Nik, Alexandra, Rob, Zaberella, Beanie, Emma, Sue, Marcus, Jill, Jane, Spyro, Edward, Rebecca, Deborah, Anna, Tom, Laurent, Sierra, Joanna, Meredith, Geraldine, Dylan and the others we have missed.

---

***Note:** Putney.news provided an email button in yesterday’s story that pre-filled the template text for residents who wanted to contact the committee. Residents could edit the text freely before sending. Many did.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/12/66-residents-emailed-councillors-with-cancer-diagnoses-and-death-warnings-the-committee-congratulated-them-on-a-good-campaign/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/12/66-residents-emailed-councillors-with-cancer-diagnoses-and-death-warnings-the-committee-congratulated-them-on-a-good-campaign/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=66%20residents%20emailed%20councillors%20with%20cancer%20diagnoses%20and%20death%20warnings.%20The%20committee%20congratulated%20them%20on%20a%20good%20campaign&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/12/66-residents-emailed-councillors-with-cancer-diagnoses-and-death-warnings-the-committee-congratulated-them-on-a-good-campaign/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** accountability, air quality, ambulance access, cancer patient, children's health, civic participation, Cllr Tony Belton, Putney Bridge junction, resident engagement, Scrutiny, Tony Belton, Transport Committee, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Oasis Academy Putney closing this summer amid school funding crisis](https://putney.news/2026/02/11/oasis-academy-putney-closing-this-summer-amid-school-funding-crisis/)

**Published:** February 11, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Primary school flagged for cuts in December council papers now proposes July closure.

**Content:**

**UPDATED** Oasis Academy Putney will close at the end of this academic year, leaving around 112 children to find new schools by September.

The closure follows [December council papers](https://putney.news/2025/12/01/four-schools-closed-putney-next-in-line-for-cuts/) that revealed “Oasis Putney has already been capped” and warned Putney must lose 60 to 90 Reception places by the end of the decade as part of Wandsworth’s ongoing school funding crisis.

John Barneby, CEO of Oasis Community Learning, wrote to ward councillors on Monday stating:

> “Despite working closely with Wandsworth and others to explore every possible alternative, we have not been able to identify a sustainable solution.”

The school published its [formal closure proposal](https://www.oasisacademyputney.org/news-and-events/latest-news/news-post-page/~board/putney-news/post/proposal-to-close-oasis-academy-putney) on its website this morning. The final decision rests with the Secretary of State for Education following a statutory consultation period.

Oasis becomes the fifth Wandsworth primary school to close since 2023, joining Broadwater, Christchurch, St Anne’s and Goldfinch. The primary school on Lower Richmond Road has been operating at just 27% – 112 pupils against a capacity of 420.

> [Four schools closed, Putney next in line for cuts](https://putney.news/2025/12/01/four-schools-closed-putney-next-in-line-for-cuts/)

#### School placement crisis

Richmond schools are operating at or near capacity, making cross-borough transfers difficult for affected Wandsworth families. At the same time, Wandsworth is managing surplus primary school places as families with young children move away from inner London.

The trust committed to supporting affected families through the transition. This includes help finding new school placements that meet every child’s needs and preferences, dedicated family support where parents can ask questions and share concerns, and practical guidance on timelines and local school choices. “We know this news will be deeply upsetting for many and we are committed to supporting our pupils, staff and families through this difficult time,” the trust’s statement said.

#### A good school caught in the ‘death spiral’

Oasis Academy Putney was rated Good by Ofsted at its [most recent inspection in December 2024](https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/140222), maintaining its Good rating. Recent performance data shows 71% of pupils achieving higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics at key stage 2 – well above the national average.

The school opened in its current purpose-built premises on Putney Common in 2017, with award-winning outdoor learning. But [falling birth rates and families moving away from inner London](https://putney.news/2025/10/15/when-the-children-leave-inside-wandsworths-school-funding-death-spiral/) have left it operating at less than half capacity despite strong academic results.

Wandsworth Schools Forum warned in October 2025 that schools with the most Free School Meals pupils had lost 20.8% of their students since 2018. The funding formula penalises schools with high poverty rates, creating what has been described as a “death spiral” where falling middle-class enrolment drives budget cuts that push more families away.

[December council projections](https://putney.news/2025/12/01/four-schools-closed-putney-next-in-line-for-cuts/) showed Reception numbers across Putney’s three planning zones falling 6-8% by 2033, requiring cuts larger than the population decline because schools need at least 26 pupils per class to function properly.

> [When the children leave: inside Wandsworth’s school-funding death spiral](https://putney.news/2025/10/15/when-the-children-leave-inside-wandsworths-school-funding-death-spiral/)

#### What happens next

The Department for Education requires a statutory consultation period before any final closure decision. Parents can contact the school at  to participate or ask questions. As an academy, Wandsworth Council has no role in the closure decision – this rests with the Secretary of State for Education.

If approved, the closure would take effect in July 2026, requiring alternative placements for approximately 112 pupils from reception through year 6. The consultation timeline has not yet been announced.

---

**Are you affected by this closure?** If you’re a parent, staff member, or have concerns about school places in Putney, we want to hear from you. Contact  or message us confidentially. Your voice matters in this story.

---

***Correction, 5.30pm:** This article was updated to correct pupil numbers (they have fallen further to 112), Ofsted inspection date (the latest inspection was December 2024), and opening year (the Academy opened fully in 2017). The school maintained its Good rating at the most recent inspection. We have also clarified that as an academy, Wandsworth Council has no role in the closure decision. We thank Oasis Community Learning for the corrections.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/11/oasis-academy-putney-closing-this-summer-amid-school-funding-crisis/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/11/oasis-academy-putney-closing-this-summer-amid-school-funding-crisis/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Oasis%20Academy%20Putney%20closing%20this%20summer%20amid%20school%20funding%20crisis&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/11/oasis-academy-putney-closing-this-summer-amid-school-funding-crisis/)

**Categories:** Education

**Tags:** Education, Oasis Academy Putney, Primary Schools, Putney, School Closures, School Funding, thamesfield, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Four schools closed, Putney next in line for cuts](https://putney.news/2025/12/01/four-schools-closed-putney-next-in-line-for-cuts/)

**Published:** December 1, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** New council papers spell out 60-90 fewer Reception places by end of decade.

**Content:**

**[Oasis Putney has confirmed it will close this summer – click for more.](https://putney.news/2026/02/11/oasis-academy-putney-closing-this-summer-amid-school-funding-crisis/)**
Putney will need to lose up to 90 primary school places in the next four years as Wandsworth’s school funding crisis spreads across the borough, according to papers published for today’s Schools Forum.

The [documents](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Pupil-Population-Projections.pdf) \[pdf\] reveal that four primary schools have now closed since 2023 – Broadwater, Christchurch, St Anne’s and Goldfinch – and that at least one school has shrunk so far it now combines year groups in single classrooms.

For the first time, officers have spelled out exactly where the cuts must fall. And Putney is in the firing line.

The new papers are explicit: Putney and the Thamesfield area must lose two to three forms of entry by the end of the decade.

In plain terms: 60 to 90 fewer Reception places each September. Oasis Putney has already been capped. The council is “in discussions” with another school about reducing its intake.

Council projections show Reception numbers falling across all three Putney-area planning zones:

Area2024/25 (actual)2033/34 (projected)ChangePutney/Thamesfield174164-10 (-6%)Roehampton/West Putney185170-15 (-8%)Southfields/West Hill/East Putney329307-22 (-7%)The cuts required are larger than the population decline because schools need viable class sizes – at least 26 pupils per class to function properly – not just fewer empty seats.

In Roehampton, Granard Primary’s Reception intake has been cut from 90 to just 30 – a two-thirds reduction. Heathmere is consulting on shrinking from 45 to 30. Officers warn further cuts “may be required.”

Even Southfields and West Hill, where applications actually rose slightly, face losing one to two classes of places.

#### The children who need the most

One exchange from October’s meeting captures a reality the statistics obscure.

When a child has special educational needs severe enough to require an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), the council must find them a suitable school place. Officers told the forum that placements now sometimes require “10 or more attempts to place a child in the borough” before giving up and paying for expensive independent provision.

Wandsworth has 27 percent more children with these plans than comparable London boroughs. Whether that reflects better identification or greater need, the result is the same: a system stretched beyond capacity, with families caught in the middle.

The budget to support these children is £13.9 million in deficit and growing.

> [When the children leave: inside Wandsworth’s school-funding death spiral](https://putney.news/2025/10/15/when-the-children-leave-inside-wandsworths-school-funding-death-spiral/)

#### Why it’s happening

The dynamic we identified in October continues. Families who can afford to leave – for private schools, for other boroughs, for outside London – are leaving. Families who cannot afford to leave, plus newly-arrived refugees, remain.

Total pupil numbers fall. But the proportion needing Free School Meals climbs. Schools lose funding as pupils depart, but cannot cut costs at the same rate because most of their budget is staff salaries. As we [reported in October](https://putney.news/2025/10/15/when-the-children-leave-inside-wandsworths-school-funding-death-spiral/ "When the children leave: inside Wandsworth’s school-funding death spiral"), a school that loses 30 pupils loses £136,000 in funding but can only save £45,000 by cutting one teacher.

The December data offers one small glimmer: the rate of decline in primary schools has slowed slightly, from 2.3 percent to 2.1 percent. Officers describe this as the decline “slowing following years of decline” – a long way from recovery, but perhaps no longer accelerating.

Secondary schools are a different story. They are now losing pupils faster than primaries – and the January meeting will reveal whether that trend has worsened.

#### What comes next

The Schools Forum meets Monday to discuss how to divide a shrinking pot of money. In January, they will see the final census figures showing exactly how many children remain in Wandsworth schools.

Those numbers will determine which schools stay viable and which face further cuts. Officers have been clear that closure remains “a last resort” – but four schools have already closed, and the papers warn more reductions are coming.

For parents in Putney choosing a Reception school for September 2026, the question is no longer abstract. The local school that seemed a safe choice may not look the same in five years. It may not be there at all.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/01/four-schools-closed-putney-next-in-line-for-cuts/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/01/four-schools-closed-putney-next-in-line-for-cuts/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Four%20schools%20closed%2C%20Putney%20next%20in%20line%20for%20cuts&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/01/four-schools-closed-putney-next-in-line-for-cuts/)

**Categories:** Education

---

### [Seven years on, Marks and Spencer confirms spring opening](https://putney.news/2026/02/11/seven-years-on-marks-and-spencer-putney-confirms-spring-opening/)

**Published:** February 11, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Food hall branding visible on Putney High Street as April 1 target date announced.

**Content:**

The seven-year wait is nearly over. Marks and Spencer is targeting an April 1 opening, with the store’s branding going up on Putney High Street this week, marking visible progress toward a comeback that has become a symbol of the area’s recovery.

Nicola Grant, executive director of Positively Putney, confirmed the target opening date. The M&S Food logos are now visible on construction hoarding at 59 Putney High Street, where the restored Art Deco facade bears the original “Marks & Spencer Ltd” lettering above.

Local residents have reacted with excitement. The building, vacant since April 2018, had become the most visible symbol of Putney High Street’s struggles with shop closures and commercial confidence collapse. Its return as a modern food hall represents a tangible turning point after years of frustration.

![Marks & Spencer store on Putney High Street. Pic: Unknown](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/m-and-s-putney-high-st.png)Marks & Spencer store – when it was open – on Putney High Street. Pic: UnknownThe store [first opened in 1931 and traded on the same site for 91 years](https://putney.news/2025/04/19/how-marks-and-spencer-symbol-putney-high-street-decline-history/) before closing as part of M&S’s national restructuring. The building was sold to Marlborough Property (Putney) Limited for £13.3 million in 2016, ending M&S’s ownership of the site. The company held the lease until 2028 but refused to sublet, creating what critics called land banking, while the building deteriorated with roof damage and water ingress.

[M&S announced its return in April 2025](https://putney.news/2025/04/19/marks-amp-spencer-returns-to-putney-high-street/) as part of a £90 million London investment programme. The Putney store will be a food hall, not a clothing store, reflecting M&S’s shift toward convenience retail.

Scaffolding came down in November 2025, revealing the restored facade. Construction work has continued through winter, with the frontage installation this week showing tangible progress toward the spring opening.

For Putney High Street, which has battled vacancy rates and declining footfall, the return of a national anchor tenant offers hope that commercial confidence is rebuilding. The building that once symbolised decline is becoming a symbol of recovery.

The target opening comes seven years and 11 months after closure. If the April 1 date holds, residents who have waited through years of boarded-up shopfronts and community campaigns will finally see the doors open again.

![Marks and Spencer, Putney High Street, Feb 2026](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/marks-spencer-street-10feb26-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/11/seven-years-on-marks-and-spencer-putney-confirms-spring-opening/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/11/seven-years-on-marks-and-spencer-putney-confirms-spring-opening/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Seven%20years%20on%2C%20Marks%20and%20Spencer%20confirms%20spring%20opening&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/11/seven-years-on-marks-and-spencer-putney-confirms-spring-opening/)

**Categories:** Business, Save the High Street, Thamesfield

**Tags:** M&amp;S Putney, Marks &amp; Spencer, Positively Putney BID, Putney High Street, retail, shopping, thamesfield

---

### [Residents documented the worst Putney traffic in 30 years – now they want answers from tonight's committee](https://putney.news/2026/02/11/residents-documented-the-worst-putney-traffic-in-30-years-now-they-want-answers-from-tonights-committee/)

**Published:** February 11, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Councillors meet at 7:30pm to review the junction update. But the paper omits key data and buries bad news about buses.

**Content:**

[ ✉ Email the Transport Committee ](mailto:cllr.j.mayorcas@wandsworth.gov.uk,cllr.s.lawless@wandsworth.gov.uk,cllr.d.hamilton@wandsworth.gov.uk,cllr.t.belton@wandsworth.gov.uk,cllr.l.cooper@wandsworth.gov.uk,cllr.a.critchard@wandsworth.gov.uk,cllr.c.delasoujeole@wandsworth.gov.uk,cllr.j.locker@wandsworth.gov.uk,cllr.e.owens@wandsworth.gov.uk,cllr.m.tiller@wandsworth.gov.uk?bcc=news@putney.news&subject=Putney%20Bridge%20Junction%20%E2%80%93%20Tonight%27s%20Committee%20Meeting&body=Dear%20Committee%20Members%2C%0D%0A%0D%0AI%27m%20writing%20about%20tonight%27s%20Putney%20Bridge%20junction%20update%20%28Paper%2026-32%29.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe%20past%20week%20has%20seen%20some%20of%20the%20worst%20traffic%20we%27ve%20ever%20had%20in%20Putney.%20It%20has%20been%20documented%20and%20shared%20in%20local%20WhatsApp%20groups.%20You%20only%20have%20to%20ask%20if%20you%20want%20proof.%0D%0A%0D%0AAmbulances%20get%20stuck.%20Children%20are%20complaining%20about%20car%20fumes.%20On%20Tuesday%2C%20Upper%20Richmond%20Road%20queues%20reached%20The%20Lodge%20Hotel%20%E2%80%93%20just%20four%20roads%20from%20West%20Hill%20Road.%20If%20that%20junction%20gridlocks%2C%20Wandsworth%20Town%20also%20grinds%20to%20a%20halt.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe%20paper%20you%27re%20reviewing%20doesn%27t%20give%20you%20the%20full%20picture%3A%0D%0A%0D%0AGeneral%20traffic%20data%3A%20You%20do%20not%20have%20a%20pre-junction%20baseline%3B%20only%20how%20June%202025%20compares%20with%20November%202025%20%E2%80%93%20both%20after%20the%20redesign.%20You%20can%27t%20judge%20if%20it%27s%20better%20or%20worse%20than%20before.%0D%0A%0D%0ABus%20data%20in%20Appendix%203.%20It%20shows%20every%20corridor%20through%20Putney%20still%20running%20slower%20than%20before%20the%20junction%20was%20introduced.%20The%20three%20horizontal%20baselines%20at%20the%20bottom%20of%20the%20chart%20are%20where%20journey%20times%20were%20for%20years.%0D%0A%0D%0AResidential%20streets%3A%20No%20monitoring%20of%20rat-running%20through%20Chelverton%20Road%2C%20Werter%20Road%2C%20Bemish%20Road%2C%20Charlwood%20Road.%0D%0A%0D%0AWe%20have%20had%2015%20months%20of%20%22the%20next%20fix%20will%20work.%22%0D%0A%0D%0APlease%20ask%20officers%20tonight%3A%0D%0A%0D%0A1.%20Why%20does%20the%20paper%20provide%20no%20pre-scheme%20baseline%20for%20general%20traffic%20when%20it%20includes%20one%20for%20buses%3F%0D%0A%0D%0A2.%20The%20bus%20data%20shows%20every%20corridor%20still%20slower%20than%20before%20the%20redesign.%20At%20what%20point%20does%20that%20trigger%20fundamental%20reconsideration%20of%20the%20junction%20design%3F%0D%0A%0D%0A3.%20What%20monitoring%20are%20you%20doing%20of%20congestion%20spreading%20toward%20Wandsworth%20Town%3F%20Do%20you%20have%20contingency%20plans%20if%20West%20Hill%20Road%20starts%20to%20fail%3F%0D%0A%0D%0A4.%20Will%20you%20commit%20to%20publishing%20monthly%20journey%20time%20data%20for%20all%20major%20routes%2C%20with%20clear%20pre-scheme%20baselines%2C%20until%20the%20junction%20is%20demonstrably%20performing%20better%20than%20before%20December%202024%3F%0D%0A%0D%0A5.%20Will%20you%20put%20Putney%20Bridge%20junction%20on%20your%20next%20agenda%20to%20review%20progress%3F%0D%0A%0D%0AThis%20isn%27t%20technical.%20It%27s%20whether%20the%20paper%20gives%20you%20the%20full%20picture%20and%20whether%20you%27ll%20hold%20officers%20accountable%20for%20transparency.%20This%20is%20not%20academic.%20Traffic%20in%20Putney%20is%20unbearable%20for%20six%20hours%20every%20day.%0D%0A%0D%0AThank%20you.) Opens your email app. Edit freely before sending.

**What the email says** (you can edit it)**Subject:** Putney Bridge Junction – Tonight’s Committee Meeting

Dear Committee Members, I’m writing about tonight’s Putney Bridge junction update (Paper 26-32).

The past week has seen some of the worst traffic we’ve ever had in Putney…

*\[Full email opens in your email app when you click the button above\]*

---

> “This morning was the worst I’ve seen in 30 years as a resident.”

Don wrote that on Monday after watching Putney’s traffic system collapse. His morning wasn’t unusual. Across Putney on Monday, residents documented gridlock spreading far beyond the junction itself – into Charlwood Road, Oxford Road, Fawe Park Road, and residential streets never designed for through traffic.

Emma sent a photo at 8:20am: Charlwood Road backed up all the way to Upper Richmond Road. Standstill.

Fran filmed the junction at 8:36am: “Think we can safely agree that every Putney road right now is gridlocked.”

Keri’s message came at 8:40am: “Our school bus was stuck at the junction not moving for over 5 minutes apparently.”

At 8:51am, Fran sent another video:

> “Ambulance still stuck.”

One resident walking through Putney on Monday morning documented what they saw:

“Significant vehicle queues on Putney High Street, Putney Bridge Road, and Lower Richmond Road. Cyclists disregarding the new red-light sequencing – four observed ignoring cycle-specific signals and joining traffic mid-flow onto the bridge, which appeared hazardous. A verbal altercation between a cyclist and a driver on Lower Richmond Road.

> “My impression was that all categories of road user were experiencing delay and frustration, which appeared to be contributing to risky and antisocial behaviour.”

Their dentist, driving to Putney via the High Street, was delayed approximately 45 minutes.

Fran’s four-year-old, walking and cycling through the area, commented that he “breathed in horrible smell from all the car fumes.” The child’s observation captures what the data obscures: this isn’t just about journey times. It’s about air quality, safety, and whether the area is becoming less liveable.

On Tuesday morning, the congestion spread further. Upper Richmond Road queues reached The Lodge Hotel – just four roads from the critical West Hill Road intersection that serves Wandsworth Town.

[Tonight at 7:30pm](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=759&MId=9999&Ver=4), Wandsworth’s Transport Committee meets to consider an update on Putney Bridge junction – fifteen months after the December 2024 redesign that created this crisis.

> [Still stuck in traffic? The council’s latest charts prove it’s fine](https://putney.news/2026/02/09/still-stuck-in-traffic-the-councils-latest-charts-prove-its-fine/)

#### What the council is telling councillors

The committee specifically requested this update after November’s meeting where over 1,700 residents reported worse journeys. But when the papers arrived last week, the junction update wasn’t presented as a standalone report – it was buried inside a 14-page paper on the council’s Walking and Cycling Strategy.

*Putney.news* has spent three days extracting and verifying the actual journey time data from the council’s charts.

[Monday’s analysis](https://putney.news/2026/02/09/still-stuck-in-traffic-the-councils-latest-charts-prove-its-fine/) showed that while some routes have improved, Putney Bridge Road drivers still wait nearly seven minutes to reach the bridge in the morning rush hour.

[Tuesday’s story](https://putney.news/2026/02/10/council-buries-the-truth-even-with-fixes-traffic-is-twice-as-bad-with-new-junction/) revealed the critical gap: the council provided no pre-scheme baseline for general traffic, making it impossible to judge whether things are genuinely better than before the redesign. The bus data – which does include pre-scheme comparisons – shows every corridor through Putney is still running slower than before December 2024.

Tonight’s meeting is an “information item” – no decision is required. But whether councillors treat it as a rubber-stamping exercise or use it to ask hard questions will tell Putney residents how seriously the committee takes its scrutiny role.

> [Putney traffic crisis spreads to side roads as sat navs seek alternatives](https://putney.news/2026/02/10/putney-traffic-crisis-spreads-to-side-roads-as-sat-navs-seek-alternatives/)

#### The questions residents want asked

Here are the questions officers should be asked:

**1. Are these improvements enough?**

The paper highlights changes made to signal timings – Putney Bridge Road’s green time increased 56%, for example. But journey times barely improved. Putney Bridge Road drivers still wait nearly seven minutes in the morning rush hour. Buses are still running slower than before the redesign on every corridor. Congestion is spreading to Charlwood Road, Oxford Road, and residential streets.

Officers should be asked: Do you consider the current situation acceptable? What level of congestion would trigger a fundamental reconsideration of the junction design?

**2. Are you giving councillors an accurate assessment?**

The paper compares June 2025 with November 2025 and presents this as progress. But both dates are *after* the scheme was installed. The paper provides no comparison with pre-scheme conditions for general traffic – making it impossible to know whether drivers are better or worse off than before December 2024.

The bus data – which does include pre-scheme comparisons – tells a different story: every corridor is still running slower than before the redesign. The paper mentions this in passing but doesn’t highlight it.

Officers should be asked: Why was no pre-scheme baseline provided for general traffic? Why wasn’t the bus data deterioration highlighted as a key finding?

**3. What is the paper not telling you?**

The paper focuses on routes that have improved. It doesn’t quantify the spreading congestion to side roads. It doesn’t address why, even after fifteen months of adjustments, traffic through the junction is still running at double pre-scheme levels – and it was already congested before.

The congestion is spreading further each day. Monday lunchtime, Sophia reported: “PBR now slow moving traffic up to Dynamo was standstill an hour and a half ago up to Hurlingham School” – that’s approaching Wandsworth Town, over a mile from the junction.

On Tuesday morning, Upper Richmond Road queues reached The Lodge Hotel in Putney – just four roads before the critical West Hill Road intersection. If that junction gridlocks, it could bring the whole of Wandsworth Town to a halt.

Meanwhile, sat-nav apps are diverting traffic through Chelverton Road and other residential streets never designed for through traffic. Werter Road, Bemish Road, and Charlwood Road are clogged with queuing vehicles. Residents report breathing problems from car fumes.

Helen identified a fundamental problem with how the council measures traffic: “The council’s policy is based on volume of traffic on roads, not volume metrics. The stationary traffic blocks the roads so isn’t a volume issue per se.”

When traffic is stationary, it doesn’t register as high-volume even though it’s blocking entire roads.

Officers should be asked: What monitoring are you doing of congestion spreading beyond the immediate junction area? At what point does this stop being a “Putney Bridge junction issue” and become a borough-wide traffic crisis? Do you have contingency plans if the West Hill Road intersection starts to fail?

**4. What happens if the remaining changes don’t work?**

The paper lists several outstanding changes – lane reassignments, kerb realignments, traffic island removal. These may help. But residents have been told for fifteen months that the next adjustment will fix things, and the situation remains dire.

Officers should be asked: If the outstanding changes are implemented and congestion remains at current levels, what’s the next step? Is a fundamental redesign of the junction on the table? What would need to happen for you to reconsider the underlying approach?

**5. Will you commit to regular, transparent updates?**

Residents shouldn’t need to submit hundreds of public questions and wait months for committee papers to understand whether their journeys are getting better or worse. The council has AECOM data. Publishing monthly journey time comparisons – with clear pre-scheme baselines – would allow residents to judge progress for themselves.

Officers should be asked: Will you commit to publishing monthly journey time data for all major routes, with pre-scheme baselines, until the junction is demonstrably performing better than before December 2024?

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/traffic-urr-13dec25-768x1024.png)---

**The underlying message:**

These aren’t technical questions about signal timings or TfL approvals. They’re scrutiny questions.

**Is the paper giving you the full picture?** No – it omits pre-scheme baselines and buries the bus data deterioration.

**Is the situation acceptable?** No – residents are experiencing the worst congestion in 30 years.

**Are the planned fixes enough?** Unknown – because no success criteria have been defined.

**Are officers being held accountable for accuracy and transparency?** That’s what tonight’s meeting will reveal.

---

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/disraeli-traffic-1024x768.png)#### Make your voice heard before tonight’s meeting

**You can still email all 10 committee members before the 7:30pm meeting.**

The experiences above are not isolated incidents. If you’ve experienced similar problems, the committee needs to hear from you directly.

 [ ✉ Email the Transport Committee ](mailto:cllr.j.mayorcas@wandsworth.gov.uk,cllr.s.lawless@wandsworth.gov.uk,cllr.d.hamilton@wandsworth.gov.uk,cllr.t.belton@wandsworth.gov.uk,cllr.l.cooper@wandsworth.gov.uk,cllr.a.critchard@wandsworth.gov.uk,cllr.c.delasoujeole@wandsworth.gov.uk,cllr.j.locker@wandsworth.gov.uk,cllr.e.owens@wandsworth.gov.uk,cllr.m.tiller@wandsworth.gov.uk?bcc=news@putney.news&subject=Putney%20Bridge%20Junction%20%E2%80%93%20Tonight%27s%20Committee%20Meeting&body=Dear%20Committee%20Members%2C%0D%0A%0D%0AI%27m%20writing%20about%20tonight%27s%20Putney%20Bridge%20junction%20update%20%28Paper%2026-32%29.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe%20past%20week%20has%20seen%20some%20of%20the%20worst%20traffic%20we%27ve%20ever%20had%20in%20Putney.%20It%20has%20been%20documented%20and%20shared%20in%20local%20WhatsApp%20groups.%20You%20only%20have%20to%20ask%20if%20you%20want%20proof.%0D%0A%0D%0AAmbulances%20get%20stuck.%20Children%20are%20complaining%20about%20car%20fumes.%20On%20Tuesday%2C%20Upper%20Richmond%20Road%20queues%20reached%20The%20Lodge%20Hotel%20%E2%80%93%20just%20four%20roads%20from%20West%20Hill%20Road.%20If%20that%20junction%20gridlocks%2C%20Wandsworth%20Town%20also%20grinds%20to%20a%20halt.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe%20paper%20you%27re%20reviewing%20doesn%27t%20give%20you%20the%20full%20picture%3A%0D%0A%0D%0AGeneral%20traffic%20data%3A%20You%20do%20not%20have%20a%20pre-junction%20baseline%3B%20only%20how%20June%202025%20compares%20with%20November%202025%20%E2%80%93%20both%20after%20the%20redesign.%20You%20can%27t%20judge%20if%20it%27s%20better%20or%20worse%20than%20before.%0D%0A%0D%0ABus%20data%20in%20Appendix%203.%20It%20shows%20every%20corridor%20through%20Putney%20still%20running%20slower%20than%20before%20the%20junction%20was%20introduced.%20The%20three%20horizontal%20baselines%20at%20the%20bottom%20of%20the%20chart%20are%20where%20journey%20times%20were%20for%20years.%0D%0A%0D%0AResidential%20streets%3A%20No%20monitoring%20of%20rat-running%20through%20Chelverton%20Road%2C%20Werter%20Road%2C%20Bemish%20Road%2C%20Charlwood%20Road.%0D%0A%0D%0AWe%20have%20had%2015%20months%20of%20%22the%20next%20fix%20will%20work.%22%0D%0A%0D%0APlease%20ask%20officers%20tonight%3A%0D%0A%0D%0A1.%20Why%20does%20the%20paper%20provide%20no%20pre-scheme%20baseline%20for%20general%20traffic%20when%20it%20includes%20one%20for%20buses%3F%0D%0A%0D%0A2.%20The%20bus%20data%20shows%20every%20corridor%20still%20slower%20than%20before%20the%20redesign.%20At%20what%20point%20does%20that%20trigger%20fundamental%20reconsideration%20of%20the%20junction%20design%3F%0D%0A%0D%0A3.%20What%20monitoring%20are%20you%20doing%20of%20congestion%20spreading%20toward%20Wandsworth%20Town%3F%20Do%20you%20have%20contingency%20plans%20if%20West%20Hill%20Road%20starts%20to%20fail%3F%0D%0A%0D%0A4.%20Will%20you%20commit%20to%20publishing%20monthly%20journey%20time%20data%20for%20all%20major%20routes%2C%20with%20clear%20pre-scheme%20baselines%2C%20until%20the%20junction%20is%20demonstrably%20performing%20better%20than%20before%20December%202024%3F%0D%0A%0D%0A5.%20Will%20you%20put%20Putney%20Bridge%20junction%20on%20your%20next%20agenda%20to%20review%20progress%3F%0D%0A%0D%0AThis%20isn%27t%20technical.%20It%27s%20whether%20the%20paper%20gives%20you%20the%20full%20picture%20and%20whether%20you%27ll%20hold%20officers%20accountable%20for%20transparency.%20This%20is%20not%20academic.%20Traffic%20in%20Putney%20is%20unbearable%20for%20six%20hours%20every%20day.%0D%0A%0D%0AThank%20you.) Opens your email app. Edit freely before sending.

**What the email says** (you can edit it)**Subject:** Putney Bridge Junction – Tonight’s Committee Meeting

Dear Committee Members, I’m writing about tonight’s Putney Bridge junction update (Paper 26-32).

The past week has seen some of the worst traffic we’ve ever had in Putney…

*\[Full email opens in your email app when you click the button above\]*

*This button opens your email app with all 10 committee members pre-filled. The message is editable – customize it with your own experience before sending. A copy goes to news@putney.news so we can report on the volume and nature of resident concerns.*

**Your email matters.** Committee members need to understand that Monday’s chaos isn’t an anomaly – it’s the daily reality for thousands of Putney residents. The more voices they hear before tonight’s meeting, the harder it becomes to treat this as a routine information item.

---

![More queuing on Disraeli Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/disraeli-traffic-front-1024x768.png)#### How to follow tonight’s meeting

**Time:** 7:30pm, Wednesday 11 February
**Location:** Wandsworth Town Hall
**Livestream:** [Webcast main webpage](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcasts)
**Papers:** [Available here](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=759&MId=9999&Ver=4)

The junction update appears as Item 5 on the agenda, inside Paper No. 26-32 (Walking and Cycling Strategy Update). Pages 9-11 cover the junction; Appendices 2 and 3 contain the data.

Residents can attend in person or watch the livestream. *Putney.news* will be monitoring tonight’s meeting and will report tomorrow on what questions were asked and how officers responded.

![Traffic on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/putney-high-street-traffic-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/11/residents-documented-the-worst-putney-traffic-in-30-years-now-they-want-answers-from-tonights-committee/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/11/residents-documented-the-worst-putney-traffic-in-30-years-now-they-want-answers-from-tonights-committee/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Residents%20documented%20the%20worst%20Putney%20traffic%20in%2030%20years%20%E2%80%93%20now%20they%20want%20answers%20from%20tonight%E2%80%99s%20committee&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/11/residents-documented-the-worst-putney-traffic-in-30-years-now-they-want-answers-from-tonights-committee/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** accountability, Lower Richmond Road, Putney Bridge junction, Putney Bridge Road, Putney High Street, resident voices, Scrutiny, traffic congestion, Transport Committee, Upper Richmond Road, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Therapy Rooms sits (almost) empty as hearing hangs in doubt](https://putney.news/2026/02/11/therapy-rooms-sits-almost-empty-as-hearing-hangs-in-doubt/)

**Published:** February 11, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Reiki healer says she learned about investigation from Putney.news report.

**Content:**

Only one practitioner remains at Therapy Rooms Putney, the Upper Richmond Road premises where a council officer discovered unlicensed laser and microblading treatments in November and raised concerns about “misleading or forged documentation.”

Since January, the two therapists who were visible from the street have left the premises, leaving [Kathryn’s Reiki Revival](https://www.kathrynsreikirevival.co.uk/) as the sole tenant. She confirmed to *Putney.news* that she is currently the only person working there and attends when she has appointments, but otherwise the premises at 130–132 Upper Richmond Road sits empty.

#### Hearing postponed, then marked “provisional”

The Licensing Sub-Committee was due to consider objections to both Therapy Rooms Putney and The Pilates Room, a connected business at 226 Upper Richmond Road, on 14 January.

That hearing was postponed after the director of both businesses, Deborah Henley, told the council she could not attend because she was abroad dealing with a family medical emergency.

The hearing is now listed for 5 March, but the council’s committee calendar marks it as “provisional,” raising questions about whether it will go ahead at all.

Wandsworth Council has not responded to questions from *Putney.news* about whether the premises can continue to operate without a licence pending the hearing. We first wrote to the licensing team on 17 January and followed up in February. No reply has been received.

#### What the council found

The original investigation, [reported by *Putney.news* on 6 January](https://putney.news/2026/01/06/unlicensed-laser-and-microblading-treatments-discovered-at-therapy-rooms/), revealed that a council licensing officer discovered unlicensed special treatments being provided at the premises during an inspection on 20 November 2025.

The officer’s objection raised “serious concerns regarding fitness and propriety” and referenced “misleading or forged documentation” found during the inspection. He also objected to the renewal of The Pilates Room’s licence, stating that its owner Mario Perez “is not a fit and proper person to hold such a licence.”

During the application process, the officer contacted therapists working at the premises directly via WhatsApp. Those therapists subsequently left and have not renewed their contracts.

#### Corporate restructuring

Companies House records show Ms Henley was appointed as director of Therapy Rooms Putney Ltd on 6 January 2026, just eight days before the hearing that was subsequently postponed. She was also appointed director of The Pilates Room Ltd on 2 January, having previously resigned from that company in July 2019.

The company that applied for the special treatment licence, Therapy Rooms SW15 Limited, is registered as dormant. Its most recent accounts, approved on 5 February 2026, show total assets of £1,000 in cash.

A separate company, Therapy Rooms Putney Ltd, is registered to a residential address in West Putney. Ms Henley holds seven active company appointments in total, four of which relate to these two Upper Richmond Road premises.

#### “People really benefit from it”

Reiki does not involve lasers or skin penetration and so does not require a special treatment licence. It is an energy healing practice where clients lie in a calm room, sometimes with a blanket, while the practitioner works to balance their energy.

Kathryn told us that her practice is entirely above board. She has her own insurance, a steady stream of clients, and pointed to testimonials on her website. She said reiki particularly helps people on cancer medication, aiding their recovery.

“It’s a spiritual cleansing,” she said. “People really benefit from it.”

#### What happens next

If Therapy Rooms Putney has effectively ceased offering licensable treatments, the 5 March hearing may become moot, but the council officer’s findings about unlicensed treatments and his concerns about documentation remain on the public record.

The Pilates Room at 226 Upper Richmond Road, which has operated for 18 years and also faces licensing objections, is a separate matter. The Pilates Room’s written response to the council claimed there was “no operational link between the two businesses,” though public records show it was co-founded by Henley and Perez.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/11/therapy-rooms-sits-almost-empty-as-hearing-hangs-in-doubt/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/11/therapy-rooms-sits-almost-empty-as-hearing-hangs-in-doubt/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Therapy%20Rooms%20sits%20%28almost%29%20empty%20as%20hearing%20hangs%20in%20doubt&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/11/therapy-rooms-sits-almost-empty-as-hearing-hangs-in-doubt/)

**Categories:** Business, Health

**Tags:** licensing, Putney, Upper Richmond Road, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Putney traffic crisis spreads to side roads as sat navs seek alternatives](https://putney.news/2026/02/10/putney-traffic-crisis-spreads-to-side-roads-as-sat-navs-seek-alternatives/)

**Published:** February 10, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Chelverton Road nearly caused complete gridlock this week, with cars mounting pavements.

**Content:**

As the Transport Committee meets on Wednesday to hear that the crucial Putney Bridge junction is showing improvement, residents continue to suffer extreme congestion at rush hour, with one residential road in particular taking the brunt this week thanks to sat navs rerouting to avoid the High Street.

Chelverton Road has become gridlocked in recent weeks, with drivers reporting half-hour waits after navigation apps directed them through the residential street as an alternative to congested Putney High Street.

One *Putney.news* reader, who lives on Chelverton Road, said she has spoken to multiple drivers stuck in queues who said their sat nav directed them down the one-way street, where they then became trapped. “They sit for almost half an hour unable to turn around,” she said.

She timed a comparison journey last week. It took her six minutes to reach Putney High Street traffic lights via Upper Richmond Road, the parallel main road. Meanwhile, drivers following navigation app instructions through Chelverton Road faced waits five times longer.

The congestion pattern was evident on 9 February. Chelverton Road backed up with vehicles attempting to turn onto Putney High Street, creating a queue that extended around the corner onto Upper Richmond Road itself. That queue then backed all the way to the main Upper Richmond Road/Putney High Street junction, bringing the area close to complete gridlock.

The congestion triggered dangerous driving, with frustrated motorists mounting pavements to bypass stationary traffic.

![Dangerous driving on Upper Richmond Road.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/bad-driving-urr-traffic-1024x768.png)The congestion on Upper Richmond Road has led to dangerous driving with cars driving over pavements to get past.The problem extended across multiple streets. Disraeli Road was backed up nearly to Oxford Road. Werter Road experienced severe congestion. Putney Bridge Road remained heavily jammed. Residents in a local WhatsApp group reported similar displacement effects. “Glendarvon Street is taking the brunt this morning,” one wrote. “They need to resolve the rat run along the embankment.”

Henry Cheung, Wandsworth Council’s Assistant Director of Engineering, confirmed the problem in a message to residents this week. “I am aware Chelverton Road is suffering this week in particular,” he wrote, adding that “a number of residents have emailed me directly from Chelverton Road, highlighting the AM congestion issue.”

#### How sat navs choose routes

Google Maps dominates navigation in the UK, used by 77% of adults according to Ofcom’s 2025 data, with Apple Maps at 15% and Waze at 11%. These apps choose routes by predicting travel times using live traffic conditions combined with historical patterns, selecting the path with the lowest estimated time.

When Putney High Street becomes heavily congested, the algorithms legitimately calculate that residential alternatives like Chelverton Road appear faster, even if those streets are not designed for through traffic. The result is a classic rat run problem documented in transport research. Drivers individually seeking the fastest route create collective congestion that overwhelms residential streets.

![More queuing on Disraeli Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/disraeli-traffic-front-1024x768.png)Disraeli road yesterday at 9.30am.#### What councils cannot do

Hall suggested the council could “advise or compel the sat navs to change their algorithms to exclude the congested side roads.” But research into navigation regulation shows councils cannot order algorithmic changes directly.

The navigation industry’s position is clear. Providers require a legal basis before they will structurally avoid a road. Generic requests to stop sending people down residential streets are not sufficient when the road remains legally open to traffic.

#### What councils can do

Under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, traffic authorities can impose restrictions including time-limited turn bans, access restrictions and road closures. Once these restrictions exist in law and are properly signed, sat nav companies generally respect them.

Crucially, infrastructure exists for rapid updates. Google’s Maps Content Partners portal and Waze for Cities programmes allow councils to share restrictions that are reflected within minutes in routing apps. The Department for Transport’s D-TRO service provides machine-readable digital traffic regulation orders specifically designed to ensure restrictions reach navigation systems quickly.

![Putney Bridge Road traffic](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/putney-bridge-road-traffic-1024x768.png)Putney Bridge Road at 9.45am yesterday.#### Wandsworth consulted on exactly this in 2022

In June 2022, Wandsworth published consultation plans for a weekday early-morning ban on motorists turning left from Upper Richmond Road into Charlwood Road. The stated purpose was explicit: to prevent drivers using Charlwood Road and Chelverton Road as a shortcut.

The consultation documents showed two options: a timed banned turn from Upper Richmond Road into Charlwood Road, and a timed restriction on the bridge between Upper Richmond Road and Norroy Road except for cycles.

It is unclear what happened to these proposals. Cheung said residents this week that he had previously liaised with residents of Chelverton Road to discuss ideas for how the council and TfL could tackle the problem, but their petition was unsuccessful due to lack of support.

#### Council: ‘Not aware of anything making this worse’

Cheung acknowledged the council is monitoring Chelverton Road, Oxford Road and Charlwood Road as drivers unable to turn right from Upper Richmond Road onto Putney High Street seek alternatives. He said he had asked Transport for London to investigate if there are any reasons why this is the case.

But he added: “We are not aware of anything that would be making this worse at the moment, but will investigate it in more detail next week once the highway works at Lacy Road are complete.”

The timing is notable. Transport Committee meets on Wednesday to discuss Paper 26-32, which shows morning peak journey times at Putney junction remain above the 2023/24 baseline despite 15 months of signal changes and kerb realignments. The data suggests junction improvements have not resolved congestion on main roads, potentially explaining why the apps continue to route drivers through residential alternatives.

![Putney High Street in traffic](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/putney-high-street-traffic-v-768x1024.png)Putney High Street looking more like a traffic jam than a commerical centre.#### What residents can do

Residents can report congestion patterns directly to Wandsworth Council’s traffic team at , providing details of times, dates and traffic volumes.

The Transport Committee meets on Wednesday 11 February. Residents can turn up to the meeting and make it clear that the impact of the Putney Bridge junction redesign continues to cause problems more than a year after it was introduced.

If multiple residents are affected, a community petition requesting the council implement traffic regulation orders for Chelverton Road and other affected streets may be more effective than individual complaints. Under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, residents can formally request the council consider a TRO, particularly with evidence of traffic volumes, safety concerns or air quality impacts.

The regulatory framework exists. The question is whether Wandsworth will use it.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/10/putney-traffic-crisis-spreads-to-side-roads-as-sat-navs-seek-alternatives/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/10/putney-traffic-crisis-spreads-to-side-roads-as-sat-navs-seek-alternatives/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20traffic%20crisis%20spreads%20to%20side%20roads%20as%20sat%20navs%20seek%20alternatives&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/10/putney-traffic-crisis-spreads-to-side-roads-as-sat-navs-seek-alternatives/)

**Categories:** Politics, Transport

**Tags:** Chelverton Road, Disraeli Road, Google Maps, Putney Bridge, Putney High Street, Sat Nav, traffic, Transport Committee, Upper Richmond Road, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Council buries the truth: even with fixes, traffic is twice as bad with new junction](https://putney.news/2026/02/10/council-buries-the-truth-even-with-fixes-traffic-is-twice-as-bad-with-new-junction/)

**Published:** February 10, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Five years of TfL data prove stable traffic was destroyed by a redesign based on pandemic surveys.

**Content:**

Data obtained by *Putney.news* reveals what Wandsworth Council’s committee papers won’t tell residents: five years of stable journey times were destroyed when the council redesigned Putney Bridge junction in late 2024, and journey times are now at least double what they were before the redesign, despite [£1m spent on the junction](https://putney.news/2025/11/14/putneys-million-pound-junction-disaster-how-approved-plans-went-wrong/).

Transport for London (TfL) charts covering January 2019 to December 2024 show bus journeys on Lower Richmond Road averaged around 5 minutes throughout that period, fluctuating within a stable baseline range except during pandemic lockdowns. Then the junction changes happened. Journey times spiked dramatically, often going over 25 minutes: **five times** the norm.

![Buses times 2019-2024 on Lower Richmond Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/lrr-buses-2019-2024-graph-1024x307.png)Bus times from 2019 to 2024. See the huge jump at the end – when the new junction came inThe council’s own paper to [Wednesday’s Transport Committee](https://putney.news/2026/02/09/still-stuck-in-traffic-the-councils-latest-charts-prove-its-fine/) admits buried in [Appendix 3](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Paper-26-32-Appendix-3.pdf): “The AM peak journey times remain above the 23/24 baseline.” But the committee paper compares only June 2025 with November 2025, both after the disaster, claiming “improvement” without revealing they’re measuring between two snapshots of failure.

![Bus times on Lower Richmond Road in 2025](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/lrr-buses-2025-graph-1024x352.png)Bus times in 2025. The council says times have with junction changes. But the three lines represent normal bus times pre-junction.The charts include three horizontal lines that are timing baselines that buses have largely stayed within for the previous five years.

The new charts show that the only time previous norms have been reached since the new junction was introduced have been during school holidays and at Christmas – when buses times are at their lowest.

More importantly, changes to traffic light timing – which the council’s assistant head of engineering has admitted is the most we can expect to get out of the junction point on Lower Richmond Road – may have improved the situation but average journey time is still more than double what it was before the junction was redesigned. 

That context is entirely missing from the Transport Committee papers this week.

The charts show bus times and the example we have highlighted is from Lower Richmond Road, although other charts show the same pattern. We don’t have the car traffic data because Wandsworth Council has refused to provide it, claiming it would release the information at the end of January – 10 days ago. It has not done so.

We received the bus data through a Freedom of Information request sent to TfL: the charts were within a presentation sent to Putney MP Fleur Anderson in October 2025; part of an 82-page document that was itself one of 30 documents sent in response to our request.

#### The five-year evidence the council won’t show you

The TfL data shows the same pattern on every corridor approaching Putney Bridge: baseline stability from 2019 to 2024, followed by catastrophic increases when the junction was redesigned.

**Putney High Street northbound** in the morning peak: ~10 minutes baseline for five years. Late 2024: spiked dramatically as scheme construction began.

**Lower Richmond Road eastbound** in the morning peak: ~5 minutes baseline for five years. Late 2024: spiked to over 25 minutes, a 400% increase.

**Putney Bridge Road westbound** in the morning peak: ~6 minutes baseline, volatile but mostly within range. Late 2024: spiked to over 25 minutes.

![Putney Bridge Road bus times 2019-2024](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/pbr-buses-2019-2024-1024x575.png)The charts end at week ending 27 December 2024, just as the junction redesign completed. Yet in February 2026, the council’s own [Appendix 3](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Paper-26-32-Appendix-3.pdf) admits: journey times on these corridors remain above the 2019/20 baseline. Fifteen months of “fixes”, costing over £1 million, have not restored what existed before.

TfL’s summary of its own data, prepared for the Bus Taskforce, is explicit:

> “Increased journey times seen during the works phase of the Putney High Street scheme from 23/09/24 to 5/12/24. Largest increases seen northbound on Putney High Street, southbound on Putney Bridge in the PM, Lower Richmond Road eastbound in the AM and Putney Bridge Road westbound in the AM.”

The transport authority admits the scheme caused the problem. Yet neither TfL nor the council have presented this five-year baseline to residents or councillors.

#### The modelling that doomed Putney

The junction redesign was based on [traffic data collected at two terrible moments](https://putney.news/2025/11/15/who-broke-putneys-junction-the-untold-story-behind-1m-of-chaos/).

Initial surveys were conducted in October 2019, six months after Hammersmith Bridge closed in April 2019, capturing displaced traffic patterns rather than normal conditions.

When TfL demanded revalidation due to prolonged design processes, new data was collected in July 2021, just as “Freedom Day” lifted work-from-home guidance but before any return to normal working patterns. The July 2021 snapshot captured a phantom traffic pattern that never stabilized.

Yet this data, collected under pandemic conditions when nobody knew what “normal” would become, was used to model a junction that wouldn’t open until December 2024. Adding to the miscalculation, the modelling assumed Hammersmith Bridge would reopen by 2026. It hasn’t.

Council analysis now shows Putney traffic volumes crossing Putney Bridge in 2024 were actually *lower* than in 2018, before Hammersmith Bridge closed. [Some 37,313 vehicles crossed daily in 2024 compared to 42,498 in 2018](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Putney-Bridge-Junction-Paper-No.-25-398.pdf), a reduction of over 5,000 vehicles per day.

The junction was designed for traffic conditions that no longer existed, and then it failed even under lighter-than-expected demand.

#### What the committee paper hides

The council’s [Appendix 2](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Paper-26-32-Appendix-2.pdf), prepared by consultants AECOM, compares journey times between June 2025 and November 2025. The presentation shows “improvement”, coloured charts with arrows pointing downward.

But June 2025 and November 2025 are both *after* the junction broke. Measuring improvement between two states of failure tells you nothing about whether the problem is actually solved.

The council had access to TfL’s five-year baseline data. TfL produced charts comparing 2024 journey times to the 2019/20 baseline for its Bus Taskforce. The data was sitting there. The council chose not to use it.

Instead, residents and councillors receive a comparison designed to show progress without revealing the scheme’s fundamental failure: it destroyed years of stable journey times and hasn’t restored them.

#### The signal timing trap

Even the emergency fixes reveal why this can’t be solved through minor adjustments.

Putney Bridge Road’s green time was increased from 16 seconds to 25 seconds per cycle, a 56% increase that sounds dramatic. Yet it produced only a 3% improvement in journey times during the morning peak, from 422 seconds to 410 seconds.

The reason is geometric. A 104-second traffic light cycle allocates 25 seconds to Putney Bridge Road traffic and 43 seconds to Putney High Street northbound at the same junction. Putney Bridge Road gets the green light for less than a quarter of the time.

During the other 79 seconds, queues build. When the light finally turns green, 25 seconds isn’t enough to clear them. The queue grows across cycles, creating the 6-minute-50-second wait that drivers now experience.

Putney High Street northbound, the route the council and TfL prioritized, gets 43 seconds per cycle. Yet its journey times also remain above the pre-scheme baseline.

The fundamental problem isn’t signal timing tweaks. It’s that the junction design removed capacity without adding sufficient new capacity elsewhere to compensate.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/10/council-buries-the-truth-even-with-fixes-traffic-is-twice-as-bad-with-new-junction/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/10/council-buries-the-truth-even-with-fixes-traffic-is-twice-as-bad-with-new-junction/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Council%20buries%20the%20truth%3A%20even%20with%20fixes%2C%20traffic%20is%20twice%20as%20bad%20with%20new%20junction&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/10/council-buries-the-truth-even-with-fixes-traffic-is-twice-as-bad-with-new-junction/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** accountability, bus journey times, FOI, Freedom of Information, junction redesign, Lower Richmond Road, Putney Bridge, Putney Bridge Road, Putney High Street, Putney traffic, TfL, traffic management, Transport for London, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Vehicle crime surge prompts Thamesfield to reset policing priorities](https://putney.news/2026/02/10/vehicle-crime-surge-prompts-thamesfield-to-reset-policing-priorities/)

**Published:** February 10, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Ward panel responds to 72% spike by adding theft as new focus area.

**Content:**

Thamesfield Ward residents reset their policing priorities on 4 February in response to crime statistics showing vehicle crime jumped 72% between summer and winter last year.

The quarterly figures, covering October to December 2025, recorded 74 vehicle crime incidents compared to 43 in the previous three months. Police blame a combination of drivers leaving items visible in cars and organised thieves stealing badges from the front of BMWs, Volkswagens and Mercedes to access valuable sensors behind them.

Residents at the ward panel meeting dropped “street violence” as one of their three priorities after anti-social behaviour fell 21% year-on-year and robbery plummeted 73% quarter-on-quarter. They added “theft – personal and commercial” after shoplifting rose 68% year-on-year to 84 incidents. Vehicle crime and burglary remain priorities.

The changes show the ward priority system working as intended. Every two months, residents review crime data with local officers and choose three issues for police to focus on. The meeting heard that police posted warning signs in hotspot areas around Lacy Road, Felsham Road and Enterprise Way, the same locations where officers [admitted in January](https://putney.news/2026/01/16/police-admit-they-usually-cannot-catch-car-break-in-criminals-in-putney/) they usually cannot catch car thieves because overnight break-ins leave a 12-hour window that makes checking CCTV impractical.

#### Badge thieves target sensor technology

Police revealed an ongoing problem with badge thefts. Thieves are removing manufacturer badges from car fronts to steal the sensors mounted behind them, particularly targeting premium German brands.

PCSO Eva Knedlova wrote to BMW, Volkswagen and Mercedes about the thefts but received no response from any manufacturer. Officers found a batch of the stolen badges dumped, suggesting thieves are interested only in the sensor technology.

The sensor thefts have been documented in London since at least 2016, with manufacturers refusing to redesign the vulnerable systems despite replacement costs of up to £1,600 per vehicle.

Sergeant Linda Worger told the meeting that most vehicle crime still involves opportunistic thieves who assume any bag left on display contains valuables. “The thieves didn’t know that a bag was empty until they broke in to find out,” she said.

Police advice remains consistent: remove all items from view, including phone chargers and sat-nav mounts that suggest valuables might be inside. Park in well-lit areas or private garages where possible. Owners of keyless entry vehicles should keep fobs away from doors and windows and consider using a signal-blocking Faraday bag.

#### Bikes worth £18,000 traced to Bulgaria

The meeting also heard cycle thefts continue on Putney Embankment, with thieves targeting bikes worth up to £18,000. One stolen bicycle was traced via its AirTag to Bulgaria on the same day it was taken.

PC Damian Catherall said thieves typically arrive on another stolen bicycle or a high-powered electric bike, swap or lift the stolen bike, and ride off quickly. “One brazen thief stole a bike from inside the cafe,” he told residents.

The problem is partly created by cyclists themselves. Owners of expensive carbon fibre bikes are reluctant to carry heavy locks and often leave bikes unsecured while sitting in cafes, or use cable locks that can be cut easily.

The Thamesfield team ran two bike marking sessions recently in the square next to St Mary’s Church. Police recommend using a proper D-lock or chain secured to a dedicated cycle rail, not a lamp post.

#### Police abstractions continue

The meeting heard that 30-40% of officers across the south-west London policing area are currently off sick or confined to desk duties through injury or disability. This adds to the [staffing pressures reported last September](https://putney.news/2025/09/16/putney-thameside-left-with-just-one-police-officer-as-met-struggles-with-budget-cuts/), when Thamesfield had just one officer who spent only one or two days a week in the ward.

PC Catherall, who recently joined the team after being transferred from desk duties to active patrol, explained that able-bodied officers are being moved from administrative roles onto neighbourhood teams to help fill gaps.

Officers are still regularly abstracted to cover 999 response teams, police major events like demonstrations and Notting Hill Carnival, or respond to major incidents at short notice.

#### How the priority system works

Ward panels are community-led groups where residents meet with local police every two months. The meetings review crime trends and set three priorities that guide what officers focus on.

For Thamesfield, the current priorities are burglary, motor vehicle crime, and theft (personal and commercial). These replace the previous focus on street violence, which showed significant improvement in the latest data.

[Shoplifting arrests continue](https://putney.news/2026/01/15/putney-shoplifting-arrest-as-police-tackle-crime-surge/) despite the rising numbers. Officers conduct daily patrols on Putney High Street and say specific shops were “hit quite hard” in the run-up to Christmas, part of a nationwide pattern.

The team recently changed their email address. Residents should now contact them at  rather than contacting individual officers, who may be on rest days, annual leave or abstracted elsewhere. Every team member can access the mailbox and checks it when coming on duty.

The next Thamesfield Ward Panel meeting is on 20 May at St Mary’s Church, Putney High Street, starting at 6.30pm. Residents can also sign up for Met Engage, a messaging system that sends alerts about local crime patterns and upcoming events.

Crime can be reported online at [met.police.uk](https://www.met.police.uk/), by calling 101 for non-emergencies or 999 for emergencies. Anonymous reports can be made to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or at [crimestoppers-uk.org](https://crimestoppers-uk.org/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/10/vehicle-crime-surge-prompts-thamesfield-to-reset-policing-priorities/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/10/vehicle-crime-surge-prompts-thamesfield-to-reset-policing-priorities/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Vehicle%20crime%20surge%20prompts%20Thamesfield%20to%20reset%20policing%20priorities&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/10/vehicle-crime-surge-prompts-thamesfield-to-reset-policing-priorities/)

**Categories:** Crime, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Anti-social behaviour, bike theft, Crime, cycling, Met Police, Policing, Putney embankment, Putney High Street, shoplifting, thamesfield, vehicle crime, Wandsworth Council, ward panel

---

### [Still stuck in traffic? The council's latest charts prove it's fine](https://putney.news/2026/02/09/still-stuck-in-traffic-the-councils-latest-charts-prove-its-fine/)

**Published:** February 9, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** There are real improvements - but dig in and the data shows what we all know: the new junction is fundamentally flawed.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council will tell its transport committee on Wednesday that Putney Bridge junction is improving. It has produced charts showing journey times fell between June and November last year. But when you extract the actual numbers from those charts – something the council has not done for councillors – the picture is more complicated than the presentation suggests.

The update on Putney Bridge junction, which the committee specifically requested after [November’s bruising meeting](https://putney.news/2025/11/21/alice-in-wonderland-meets-the-matrix-at-putney-bridge-junction/) where over 1,700 residents reported worse journeys, has not been presented as a standalone report. Instead, it is buried inside a 14-page paper on the council’s Walking and Cycling Strategy, covering everything from bikehangars to Tooting Market paving. The junction – the single most contentious transport issue in Wandsworth – gets three pages.

The council has also not published the traffic monitoring data it promised residents. Its [dedicated junction webpage](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/business-and-licensing/town-centres/putney/putney-bridge-junction-changes-improvement-works/) states: “We will publish the information here once the initial data has been analysed in full.” When *Putney.news* submitted a Freedom of Information request for the traffic data, the council withheld it, saying it would be published by the end of January. It was not. Instead, the data has appeared only in committee charts that require manual extraction to read – which is what we have done.

*Putney.news* has extracted and verified every data point from the council’s charts, which use confusing formatting that makes comparison difficult. Here is what the numbers actually show.

**Important context:** These journey times measure traffic between specific points approaching and leaving the junction itself. They do not capture the full impact on residents. When the junction backs up, queues extend far beyond these measurement points – meaning drivers from Barnes, Wandsworth, or deeper into Putney’s residential streets can face delays of up to an hour to cross the bridge, even though the junction measurement shows just a few minutes. The congestion ripples outward, creating gridlock across SW15.

> [Putney’s million-pound junction disaster: How approved plans went wrong](https://putney.news/2025/11/14/putneys-million-pound-junction-disaster-how-approved-plans-went-wrong/)

#### The morning: getting to work

In the AM peak (7am-10am), the critical routes are the ones residents use to get onto Putney Bridge and reach the rest of London. Two routes dominate the picture:

**Putney Bridge Road -> Putney Bridge: 410 seconds in November. That’s 6 minutes and 50 seconds.** It improved by just 12 seconds – 3 per cent – from June. Residents turning right onto the bridge from Putney Bridge Road are still waiting nearly seven minutes.

**Lower Richmond Road -> Putney Bridge: 270 seconds – 4 minutes 30 seconds.** This improved by 125 seconds, a 32 per cent reduction. A real improvement. But 4 minutes 30 seconds to turn left onto a bridge is still a long wait.

By contrast, coming *off* the bridge is quick. The three routes from Putney Bridge into PBR, Putney High Street and Lower Richmond Road average just 98 seconds in November. **Getting onto the bridge in the morning takes 3.5 times longer than getting off it**.

    Route June (s) Nov (s) Change %    PB → PBR12991-38-29% PB → PHS137105-32-23% PB → LRR12897-31-24% PBR → PB422410-12-3% PBR → LRR439376-63-14% PHS → PB116128+12+10% PHS → LRR160123-37-23% LRR → PB395270-125**-32%** LRR → PBR206175-31-15% LRR → PHS200157-43-22%  **Key:** PB = Putney Bridge | PBR = Putney Bridge Road | PHS = Putney High Street | LRR = Lower Richmond Road

#### The evening: getting home

The PM peak (4pm-7pm) is the mirror image. Now the congestion hits people coming off the bridge, trying to get into residential streets.

Every “off bridge” route takes over three minutes, with Putney Bridge to Putney High Street at 252 seconds – over four minutes despite a 30 per cent improvement.

Three PM routes got worse or stayed flat: Putney Bridge Road to Putney Bridge worsened by 6 per cent, Putney High Street to Lower Richmond Road worsened by 21 per cent, and Putney High Street to Putney Bridge was unchanged.

RouteJune (s)Nov (s)Change%PB → PBR337193-144**-43%**PB → PHS360252-108-30%PB → LRR280175-105-38%PBR → PB298316+18+6%PBR → LRR296281-15-5%PHS → PB12012000%PHS → LRR104126+22**+21%**LRR → PB194142-52-27%LRR → PBR379272-107-28%LRR → PHS493301-192-39%**Key:** PB = Putney Bridge | PBR = Putney Bridge Road | PHS = Putney High Street | LRR = Lower Richmond Road

#### What the council isn’t comparing

The general traffic data compares June 2025 with November 2025. Both dates are *after* the junction was redesigned in December 2024. The data shows things got somewhat better between two post-scheme snapshots. It does not show whether things are better or worse than before the scheme was installed.

But buried in Appendix 3, the council’s own bus data does include a pre-scheme baseline – average journey times from 2023/24, before the redesign. And those bus charts tell a stark story.

On Lower Richmond Road in the AM peak, bus journey times were running at two to four times the pre-scheme baseline for most of 2025. After the October signal timing changes, they came down – but the council’s own text admits: “The AM peak journey times remain above the 23/24 baseline.”

On Putney Bridge Road, the pattern is similar. On Putney High Street northbound – the route the council and TfL prioritise – buses are also still running above pre-scheme levels.

In other words: the December 2024 junction redesign made every bus corridor through Putney worse, and after fourteen separate interventions over the past year, none has fully returned to where it was before.

> [Analysis: A junction designed for cyclists in a town that drives](https://putney.news/2025/11/14/analysis-a-junction-designed-for-cyclists-in-a-town-that-drives/)

#### The effort is not in question – the design is

The council has not been idle. Its own [webpage listing improvement works](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/business-and-licensing/town-centres/putney/putney-bridge-junction-changes-improvement-works/) catalogues fourteen changes since December 2024: lane markings, signal timing adjustments, bus lane suspensions, bus stop relocations, double yellow lines, enforcement action, and more. Officers have conducted [two walkabouts with residents](../2026/01/17/residents-challenge-councils-defence-of-putney-bridge-junction-at-second-walkabout/), written to affected households twice, and the council itself acknowledged the changes “resulted in unexpected congestion.” The effort and the expenditure – running into hundreds of thousands of pounds – are real.

But that is precisely the concern. If fourteen interventions over fourteen months, two rounds of signal timing changes, and ongoing physical roadworks have still not returned morning journey times to where they were before the redesign, the question residents are asking is no longer whether the council is trying hard enough. It is whether the junction design itself is the problem – and whether any amount of incremental fixes can make a fundamentally flawed layout work.

#### The signal timing mechanism

The council also published signal timing data showing how green time was redistributed at the junction between September 2025 and January 2026.

Putney Bridge Road’s green time went from 16 seconds to 25 seconds per cycle – a 56 per cent increase that sounds dramatic. But 25 seconds out of a 104-second cycle means PBR traffic gets the green light for less than a quarter of the time. Putney High Street northbound gets 43 seconds at the same junction. This explains why a 56 per cent increase in green time produced only a 3 per cent improvement in journey times – 25 seconds simply isn’t enough to clear the queue that builds up during the other 79 seconds.

Lower Richmond Road’s left turn gained 32 per cent more green time and journey times fell by 32 per cent – a near-perfect correlation that confirms signal timing is the binding constraint. Every second counts.

#### What happens next

The council has completed several Putney High Street changes aimed at improving traffic flow – the bus lane suspension outside the Odeon, double yellow lines, removal of the cyclists’ left turn from PBR, and the [TK Maxx kerb realignment that started last week](https://claude.ai/2026/01/28/putney-high-street-roadworks-progress-on-two-fronts-this-week/). Further changes are due in February and March, including lane reassignment outside Putney Station and bus stop changes.

The logic is sound: if High Street flow improves, more signal time can be released to the side roads. The data suggests even small additional green time for PBR and LRR could produce significant journey time reductions. But several changes are delayed, require TfL approval, or involve utility company coordination. And the journey time data in this paper only runs to November – the January signal timing changes and the current High Street works are not yet reflected in the numbers.

The transport committee meets on Wednesday at Wandsworth Town Hall to consider this update. It is an information item – no decision is required. Whether councillors treat it as a rubber-stamping exercise or use it to ask the questions the paper doesn’t answer will tell residents a great deal about how seriously the committee takes its scrutiny role.

The [full committee papers are available on the council website](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=759&MId=9999&Ver=4).

---

*This is the first in a series of stories this week on the Putney Bridge junction update ahead of Wednesday’s committee meeting. Tomorrow: the questions the council paper doesn’t answer.*

*All journey time data was independently extracted and verified by Putney.news from AECOM’s Appendix 2 charts.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/09/still-stuck-in-traffic-the-councils-latest-charts-prove-its-fine/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/09/still-stuck-in-traffic-the-councils-latest-charts-prove-its-fine/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Still%20stuck%20in%20traffic%3F%20The%20council%E2%80%99s%20latest%20charts%20prove%20it%E2%80%99s%20fine&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/09/still-stuck-in-traffic-the-councils-latest-charts-prove-its-fine/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** AECOM, journey times, Lower Richmond Road, Putney Bridge junction, Putney Bridge Road, Signal Timing, TfL, traffic data, Transport Committee, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Cabinet member claims homelessness scheme success - but council holds no data to prove it](https://putney.news/2026/02/09/cabinet-member-claims-homelessness-scheme-success-but-council-holds-no-data-to-prove-it/)

**Published:** February 9, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Cllr Dikerdem claims "very low re-admission rate" but admits council doesn't have data to prove it.

**Content:**

Cabinet Member for Housing Aydin Dikerdem claims Wandsworth Council’s scheme helping homeless families into private rentals has “a very low re-admission rate” – but admits the council cannot prove this because it never set up systems to monitor whether placements succeed.

A question challenging him on the claim was never answered publicly. Full Council ran out of time at Question 15 last week. Dikerdem avoided defending how he knows something he admits he cannot measure.

The scheme has operated for years placing over 250 households this financial year. Whether those families stayed housed or returned to homelessness cannot be determined. The information exists scattered across individual case files but was never organised to allow performance monitoring — a failure that would take “well over 18 hours” to fix by manually trawling through records, according to Dikerdem’s written answer.

This is not data collection failure. This is a choice not to measure outcomes on a multi-million pound programme. The team running the scheme cannot track success rates, monitor landlord participation, spot problems, or demonstrate value for money because the council never created systems to do so.

#### What the council admits

FOI case WBC-FOI-11563 asked for basic performance data on the Private Rented Sector access scheme. The response confirmed no monitoring systems exist.

Dikerdem’s written answer acknowledges “officers have advised that the PRS scheme has a very low re-admission rate” while simultaneously admitting the council cannot actually extract this information. He promises to “go away and work on an easy way for this data to be presented” — future action while claiming present success.

The answer then deflects. Nearly four years into Labour control, Dikerdem blames “ill-judged welfare benefit reforms implemented by the previous Conservative government” and points to the Renters Reform Act becoming effective in May 2026. The tired script of predecessor blame while asking for more time.

#### The question that was never answered

Councillor Caddy asked how the Cabinet Member could “satisfy himself that the scheme is effective and delivering value for money” without performance data, and what steps would be taken to establish proper monitoring.

When Full Council met Wednesday night, the meeting ran out of time at Question 15. Dikerdem never had to defend his claim in person. Only his written answer exists.

This follows Dikerdem’s established pattern. When the [Housing Ombudsman ruled against the council in May](https://putney.news/2025/05/22/rot-in-the-roof-wandsworth-slammed-for-four-year-housing-scandal/) for a four-year housing failure, Dikerdem pointed to 22% tenant satisfaction as progress. When [gas explosions hit the Lennox Estate in April](https://putney.news/2025/04/09/boilers-blew-homes-burned-but-wandsworth-council-says-we-did-a-great-job/), he dismissed criticism as “misinformation.” When [housing repairs generated £40 million overspend in June](https://putney.news/2025/06/21/housing-repairs-ignored-now-wandsworths-taxpayers-are-picking-up-the-bill/), he blamed an “aggressive” ombudsman and suggested residents deliberately obstruct inspections to make legal claims.

The pattern is consistent: confident claims contradicted by evidence, external blame, celebration of failure as achievement.

> [“Rot in the roof”: Wandsworth slammed for four-year housing scandal](https://putney.news/2025/05/22/rot-in-the-roof-wandsworth-slammed-for-four-year-housing-scandal/)

#### Twelve months of avoiding accountability

The unanswered question caps a year during which Wandsworth Council systematically dismantled oversight and buried inconvenient facts:

**February 2025:** Council [stripped opposition of scrutiny powers](https://putney.news/2025/03/10/wandsworth-executive-accused-of-silencing-scrutiny-opposition-stripped-of-oversight-powers/), replacing multiple oversight committees with a single body meeting only after decisions made.

**March 2025:** Housing regulator gives council [C3 rating for serious failings](https://putney.news/2025/03/01/wandsworth-council-told-to-fix-serious-failings-in-fire-safety/) in fire safety and tenant engagement, placing Wandsworth near bottom among London boroughs.

**April 2025:** [Cabinet holds first meeting with no agenda or papers](https://putney.news/2025/04/11/no-agenda-no-papers-wandsworth-council-cabinet-to-meet-behind-a-digital-curtain/) published in advance. Same month, [£3.2 billion pension fund meeting not livestreamed](https://putney.news/2025/04/23/wandsworth-council-pension-fund-mismanagement-exposed/), admitting £7.2 million deficit and property fund failures only revealed after public pressure. Council Leader Simon Hogg [survives leadership challenge](https://putney.news/2025/04/17/simon-hogg-wandsworth-council-leadership-on-the-line/) while avoiding serious issues including C3 rating and legal mistakes.

**May 2025:** [Cabinet meetings become “theatre”](https://putney.news/2025/05/13/wandsworth-councils-cabinet-meeting-a-masterclass-in-meaningless-theatre/) with scripted self-congratulation and no hard questions. Three weeks after surviving challenge, Hogg [pushes through Deputy Cabinet Member scheme](https://putney.news/2025/05/15/46000-shake-up-council-leader-pushes-through-unjustified-new-roles/) creating five paid positions he alone controls — paper published 10pm Monday for Wednesday vote.

**June 2025:** [Housing budget explodes to £40 million overspend](https://putney.news/2025/06/21/housing-repairs-ignored-now-wandsworths-taxpayers-are-picking-up-the-bill/) after years ignoring damp and mould complaints. Millions more spent on rushed tech fixes with minimal scrutiny.

**August 2025:** Council [maintains secrecy over £24.5 million regeneration scandal](https://putney.news/2025/08/27/residents-abandoned-as-council-hides-24-5m-regeneration-scandal/) as residents wait 13 years for promised homes after Taylor Wimpey deal collapsed.

**October 2025:** Council [launches survey about Putney Bridge junction](https://putney.news/2025/10/10/new-survey-on-putney-bridge-junction-ignores-its-biggest-problem/) day before “Here to Listen” community meeting where Hogg and local MP face questions about traffic crisis.

**November 2025:** New scrutiny system [fails first test](https://putney.news/2025/11/23/wandsworths-new-council-accountability-system-fails-first-test/) when headteacher defending autism school is silenced and closure upheld on 3-2 party-line vote after two hours producing zero changes.

**December 2025:** Council [still hasn’t implemented election count recommendations](https://putney.news/2025/12/05/council-still-hasnt-fixed-election-system-that-lost-6500-votes/) 15 months after catastrophic failure excluded 6,500 votes, with internal audit involvement still in “discussion” phase.

**January 2026:** Council [buried resident survey showing 11% satisfaction drop](https://putney.news/2026/01/29/wandsworth-council-buried-resident-survey-results-showing-11-satisfaction-drop/), spending £33,000 on 2023 survey then hiding results on obscure website instead of usual publication channels.

> [Housing repairs ignored — now Wandsworth’s taxpayers are picking up the bill](https://putney.news/2025/06/21/housing-repairs-ignored-now-wandsworths-taxpayers-are-picking-up-the-bill/)

Twelve consecutive months. Governance, housing, finance, democracy, transparency: every area showing the same pattern. Whether the council will implement performance monitoring for homelessness prevention, or continue operating programmes without measuring outcomes, follows this established approach. No public exchange occurred Wednesday. The meeting ran out of time.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/09/cabinet-member-claims-homelessness-scheme-success-but-council-holds-no-data-to-prove-it/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/09/cabinet-member-claims-homelessness-scheme-success-but-council-holds-no-data-to-prove-it/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Cabinet%20member%20claims%20homelessness%20scheme%20success%20%E2%80%93%20but%20council%20holds%20no%20data%20to%20prove%20it&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/09/cabinet-member-claims-homelessness-scheme-success-but-council-holds-no-data-to-prove-it/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Cllr Aydin Dikerdem, Cllr Simon Hogg, Council Questions, FOI, Homelessness, housing, Private Rented Sector, PRS scheme, Scrutiny, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Council admits: no records exist from meetings that decided how your money is spent](https://putney.news/2026/02/08/council-admits-no-records-exist-from-meetings-that-decided-how-your-money-is-spent/)

**Published:** February 8, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** No minutes, recordings or recommendations exist from meetings council claimed informed constitutional changes.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has admitted it kept no records from meetings that informed major changes to how the borough is governed, according to a Freedom of Information response received by *Putney.news*.

The council’s FOI response states “no information held” for minutes, recordings, attendance lists, or member views from two Task and Finish Group meetings that took place in December 2024 and January 2025. According to the council itself, these meetings helped decide fundamental changes to how billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money are spent.

Those changes have come under increasing scrutiny in recent months after they were found to undermine decision-making, rather than assist it, and silence councillors, rather than give them – and residents – more of a voice.

A council paper presented to the Executive in March 2025 claimed “the deliberations of the Task and Finish Group…informed and contributed to the development of the proposals.”

Those proposals [restructured the council’s scrutiny system](https://putney.news/2025/03/10/wandsworth-executive-accused-of-silencing-scrutiny-opposition-stripped-of-oversight-powers/) in March 2025, replacing six committees with a single General Overview and Scrutiny Committee controlled by Labour’s three-to-two majority.

> [Wandsworth Executive accused of silencing scrutiny: opposition stripped of oversight powers](https://putney.news/2025/03/10/wandsworth-executive-accused-of-silencing-scrutiny-opposition-stripped-of-oversight-powers/)

#### What the FOI revealed

The FOI request, filed on 12 December 2025, asked for minutes, recordings, attendance records, and any recommendations produced by the Task and Finish Group that reviewed the council’s constitution.

The council’s response, received on 4 February 2026, states simply: “No information held.”

This applies to all requested documentation from both Task and Finish Group meetings held on 18 December 2024 and 28 January 2025 – the only two official meetings before the changes went to the Executive for approval on 3 March 2025.

What we did receive, in response to an earlier FOI request, was one meeting’s agenda (not the other’s), a summary of how different councils provide “call in” powers – where big decisions can be properly scrutinised – and two reports amounting to five pages in total on financial thresholds and call-in powers. The council claims these are the only papers available for a group that was set up to design an entire overhaul of its governance processes.

*Putney.news* will file an internal review next week citing a Section 10 breach and requesting confirmation of what documentation, if any, exists.

#### The contradiction

Council Paper 25-104, presented to the Executive on 3 March 2025, explicitly stated that “the deliberations of the Task and Finish Group and the General Purposes Committee has informed and contributed to the development of the proposals in this report.”

At the General Purposes Committee meeting on 4 February 2025 – one month before the Executive vote – opposition councillors made clear no such consensus existed.

Conservative Councillor Peter Graham, a member of the Task and Finish Group, told the committee: “We have had two online meetings of the task and finish group. We haven’t agreed any recommendations.”

Councillor Matt Corner added there was “no real record of output” from the group’s work.

The Executive [approved the changes](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/955417) in 24 seconds with no questions or debate. Two days later, Full Council voted them through on party lines.

> [Every promise broken: Wandsworth’s scrutiny reforms fail every test](https://putney.news/2025/12/30/every-promise-broken-wandsworths-scrutiny-reforms-fail-every-test/)

#### Nine months of failures documented

[Our investigation in December](https://putney.news/2025/12/30/every-promise-broken-wandsworths-scrutiny-reforms-fail-every-test/) revealed how every promise made to justify the reforms has been broken.

At the [first test of the new system in November](https://putney.news/2025/11/23/wandsworths-new-council-accountability-system-fails-first-test/), the headteacher of Bradstow School travelled from Kent to defend her school serving children with complex autism. She was given three minutes to speak. When councillors asked if she could answer questions, the chair ruled it “way outside the remit.” Labour councillors voted 3-2 to prevent questions. Eight opposition concerns were rejected on party lines.

Independent councillors discovered in December they had been silenced entirely – unable to raise ward issues because the new standing orders require motions to come via “group whips” and single-member representatives cannot form groups.

At the full council meeting last week, the leader of the opposition pointedly accused the administration of interpreting the new standing orders against their plain text. ‘We might as well stand on our heads the entire evening,’ Councillor Graham said, before being overruled.

Council Leader Simon Hogg who was in charge and pushed through the changes instead describes the system as “working well.”

Our FOI response now confirms what opposition members stated in February 2025: the consultation that supposedly informed these changes never actually occurred in any documented form.

> [Wandsworth’s new council accountability system fails first test](https://putney.news/2025/11/23/wandsworths-new-council-accountability-system-fails-first-test/)

#### How other councils document reviews

Best practice for constitutional changes requires proper documentation. The Centre for Governance and Scrutiny, which Wandsworth paid approximately £29,000 for advice, recommends that changes should be considered by a working group, then go to a formal council committee like audit or general purposes, before final approval at council.

That process requires written records – meeting minutes, recommendations, evidence considered, decisions made. Without documentation, there is no way to verify whether deliberations occurred, what was discussed, or whether the changes reflected genuine consensus.

The Local Government Act 1972 Section 100D requires that background papers used in preparing reports must be made available for public inspection. Paper 25-36, presented to the General Purposes Committee on 4 February 2025, explicitly lists Task and Finish Group documentation as “background papers.”

If no records exist, the council has no background papers to make available. If records do exist but were not disclosed, the FOI response is incomplete.

#### What residents can do

Residents concerned about Wandsworth Council transparency have several options:

**Follow our investigation:** At *Putney.news*, we believe this issue to be so fundamental to how our council is run and our taxes are spent that we will remain focused on it and keep digging into its multiple flaws. You can support that effort by following us and making others aware.

**Contact councillors:** Ward councillors can raise issues on behalf of residents. Contact details are available [through the council website](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/the-council/councillors/find-your-councillors/).

**Use FOI yourself:** Any resident can submit Freedom of Information requests to Wandsworth Council via foi@wandsworth.gov.uk or through [WhatDoTheyKnow.com](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/) for public tracking.

#### What happens next

The internal review will test whether the council’s “no information held” response is accurate. Three outcomes are possible:

- Full disclosure would reveal what actually occurred in those meetings that supposedly informed the changes.
- No records existing would confirm the council kept no documentation from meetings used to justify major constitutional reforms.
- Refusal would raise further transparency concerns.

Whatever the outcome, the pattern is clear: a council paper claimed deliberations “informed” proposals, but when asked for the records of those deliberations, the council states none exist.

Both cannot be true.

**Accountability Statement**

**We contacted:** Wandsworth Council communications team.

**Request sent:** **4 February 2026**

---

**Press Office**

*Wandsworth Council*

**Status:** *No response received.*

Questions asked (click to expand)
C*an the council explain how deliberations “informed and contributed to” proposals (Paper 25-104) if no records exist of those deliberations?*

*Does the council accept there is a contradiction between Paper 25-104’s claims and the FOI response stating “no information held”?*

*Will the council review its processes for documenting constitutional changes?*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/08/council-admits-no-records-exist-from-meetings-that-decided-how-your-money-is-spent/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/08/council-admits-no-records-exist-from-meetings-that-decided-how-your-money-is-spent/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Council%20admits%3A%20no%20records%20exist%20from%20meetings%20that%20decided%20how%20your%20money%20is%20spent&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/08/council-admits-no-records-exist-from-meetings-that-decided-how-your-money-is-spent/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Claire Apps, democracy, FOI, General Purposes Committee, governance, Matt Corner, Peter Graham, Scrutiny, Simon Hogg, Task and Finish Group, transparency, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Another death at HMP Wandsworth as ombudsman opens 27th investigation](https://putney.news/2026/02/08/another-death-at-hmp-wandsworth-as-ombudsman-opens-27th-investigation/)

**Published:** February 8, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Third in-custody death since governor appointed to reform crisis-hit jail in 2024.

**Content:**

A 25-year-old man has died at HMP Wandsworth, prompting the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman to open its 27th investigation into a death connected to the troubled prison.

Gulwali Stanekzay died on 17 January 2026. The PPO published his name and details last week but has not yet classified the cause of death, listing the investigation as “in progress.” He is the third person to die in custody at HMP Wandsworth since Governor Andy Davy was appointed in June 2024 to reform the crisis-hit jail.

Stanekzay was serving a sentence for a violent unprovoked assault on a young woman in Harlesden. On the evening of 26 February 2023, the victim was walking home along Minet Avenue in Harlesden when Stanekzay, who was cycling past, deliberately rode into her. He then punched her repeatedly in the head and shoulder for approximately one minute before cycling away. He returned and attacked her again.

A neighbour let the woman take refuge in their home. While she was inside washing blood from her face, Stanekzay smashed a vehicle parked in the street, then attempted to kick down the neighbour’s front door, destroying a doorbell camera with a bike lock. The woman’s father arrived and was also assaulted, sustaining a black eye, broken tooth and leg injury. The woman suffered bruising across her face, head, neck, shoulders and back and required hospital treatment.

DC Jacob Eyre of the Metropolitan Police said at the time: “Stanekzay brutally attacked a lone woman in the street without any provocation. The attack was shockingly violent, and one can only imagine the terror this prolonged assault caused.”

Stanekzay pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and two counts of criminal damage at Harrow Crown Court. In July 2023, Judge Maya Sikand KC sentenced him to just under three years, comprising two and a half years for the assault plus 24 weeks for breaching a suspended sentence from a previous ABH case. The judge noted his “isolated and lonely existence” and “precarious immigration status” while sentencing him. Stanekzay had come to the UK from Afghanistan in 2016 as an unaccompanied teenager and was homeless at the time of the offence, having been evicted from an immigration hotel.

#### A question about his sentence

The sentencing raises an important question. Under standard release rules, prisoners serving sentences under four years are automatically released at the halfway point. A sentence of just under three years would mean automatic release at approximately 18 months, which would place his release date around January 2025, a full year before he died.

If Stanekzay had completed his criminal sentence, he may have been held under immigration detention powers due to his unresolved status. The PPO’s remit covers deaths in all forms of custody.

#### The 27th investigation

Stanekzay’s death brings the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman’s tally of investigations connected to HMP Wandsworth to 27, according to an analysis of the [PPO’s database](https://ppo.gov.uk/establishment/hmp-wandsworth/). At least five of those deaths have occurred since Davy took charge in June 2024: Warren Arter, who [died in his cell in July 2024](https://putney.news/2024/07/16/wandsworth-prison-center-of-controversy-yet-again-after-former-met-detective-found-dead-in-cell/); Gurshinder Singh, who died in November 2024 shortly after release; Sidique Govinden, who died in custody in January 2025; Alex Boy, who died in April 2025 shortly after release; and now Stanekzay.

Three of those five were in-custody deaths. Two were post-release deaths, which the PPO has investigated under expanded powers introduced in 2021.

Davy inherited a prison in crisis. In May 2024, the Chief Inspector of Prisons described HMP Wandsworth as a place of [“deaths, drugs and despair”](https://putney.news/2024/05/14/wandsworth-prison-a-pit-of-deaths-drugs-and-despair-slams-chief-inspector/) and issued an Urgent Notification, the most serious warning available. An independent report that August called conditions [“inhumane”](https://putney.news/2024/08/22/wandsworth-prison-inhumane/). A progress review in May 2025 found only [“limited and fragile” improvement](https://putney.news/2025/05/17/wandsworth-prison-still-failing-progress-overshadowed-by-deaths-and-despair/), with four more deaths since the previous inspection. A PPO investigation into the death of [Rajwinder Singh](https://putney.news/2025/08/24/he-would-still-be-alive-damning-report-reveals-how-wandsworth-prison-failed-father-of-three/) concluded he “would still be alive today” if sent to a different prison, after staff falsified observation records. And a [coroner’s report into Patryk Gladysz](https://putney.news/2025/08/01/prisons-catastrophic-failures-condemned-vulnerable-man-with-schizophrenia-to-death/) found a “complete failure” of mental health provision at the jail.

The cause of Stanekzay’s death is unknown. The PPO has not classified it as self-inflicted, natural causes, or any other category. This story does not speculate on the cause. The 27 investigations and the pattern of deaths are the story.

> [Wandsworth Prison center of controversy yet again after former Met detective found dead in cell](https://putney.news/2024/07/16/wandsworth-prison-center-of-controversy-yet-again-after-former-met-detective-found-dead-in-cell/)

#### What happens next

The PPO investigation will take several months. Its report will be published after being shared with Stanekzay’s family and after a coroner’s inquest has concluded. Previous Wandsworth investigations have taken between 12 and 18 months to reach publication.

Residents can monitor the progress of this and other investigations through the [PPO’s HMP Wandsworth page](https://ppo.gov.uk/establishment/hmp-wandsworth/), which lists all current and completed investigations.

This is the latest story in *Putney.news*‘ ongoing accountability series on HMP Wandsworth, which has documented the crisis at the prison since May 2024.

Other outlets have reported Stanekzay’s death with an immigration focus. This story covers the death as a prison accountability matter: a person in the state’s custody has died, and the question is what the state did or failed to do to prevent it.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/08/another-death-at-hmp-wandsworth-as-ombudsman-opens-27th-investigation/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/08/another-death-at-hmp-wandsworth-as-ombudsman-opens-27th-investigation/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Another%20death%20at%20HMP%20Wandsworth%20as%20ombudsman%20opens%2027th%20investigation&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/08/another-death-at-hmp-wandsworth-as-ombudsman-opens-27th-investigation/)

**Categories:** Crime, Wandsworth Town

**Tags:** Governor Andy Davy, HMP Wandsworth, PPO, prison deaths, Prison reform, Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Wandsworth Prison

---

### [Political battle erupts over Thames Water's £16bn pollution deal](https://putney.news/2026/02/08/political-battle-erupts-over-thames-waters-16bn-pollution-deal/)

**Published:** February 8, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Cross-party split as creditors seek extended pollution timeline to 2040.

**Content:**

Thames Water’s creditors are negotiating a £16 billion rescue package that would allow the company to pollute rivers outside legal limits until 2040, with an in-principle agreement expected within days.

The deal, which could be finalised as soon as mid-February, has triggered a political battle across all parties and a campaign targeting MPs in the Thames Water region, including Putney’s Fleur Anderson, to oppose the pollution provisions.

Creditors holding £13 billion of Thames Water’s total £20 billion debt are proposing to write off £13 billion in value while taking a 30% haircut on Class A debt, up from the 25% disclosed in October. In exchange, they would receive a minimum 10% equity stake in the recapitalised company.

But the deal includes a controversial environmental concession. Instead of meeting current legal pollution standards, creditors want Thames Water to follow its own “improvement accountability framework” until 2035 to 2040. Campaign group We Own It says this would set a dangerous precedent, allowing water companies to write their own environmental rules.

“The name of every single MP in the Thames Water region should be on this open letter,” said Sophie Conquest, lead campaigner at We Own It. “Do they think water companies should be allowed to get away with polluting illegally for profit, or do they not?”

#### Putney MP among those contacted by campaigners

We Own It has been coordinating an open letter to Ofwat and Environment Secretary Steve Reed, asking them to reject the creditors’ proposal. The campaign contacted all 79 Thames Water MPs during the week of 27 January, with a deadline of 30 January for MPs to sign.

Three MPs have publicly signed the letter: Victoria Collins, Liberal Democrat MP for Harpenden and Berkhamsted; Zöe Franklin, Liberal Democrat MP for Guildford; and Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Labour MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill.

Fleur Anderson, MP for Putney, was among those contacted but has not publicly signed the letter. We Own It says numerous MPs have yet to add their names despite the urgency of the mid-February decision point.

The campaign comes as new polling by Survation shows 54% of Thames Water customers support placing the company into special administration, while just 19% want it to remain in private hands. The poll of 1,000 Thames Water customers found 68% believe the company should be nationalised and run in the public sector.

#### How we got here

The current crisis follows a High Court ruling on 18 February 2025 that approved a £3 billion emergency loan to Thames Water at 9.75% interest. Mr Justice Leech described the costs of finance and adviser fees as “very high” and said they might be “eye-watering”, but approved the plan to prevent the company running out of money.

Junior creditors and Liberal Democrat MP Charlie Maynard appealed the decision, arguing the interest rate was too costly for customers. The Court of Appeal heard the challenge from 11 to 13 March 2025 and dismissed it on 17 March, allowing the bailout to proceed.

That £3 billion loan bought time until around May 2026. The £16 billion deal currently being negotiated represents a more comprehensive rescue package, but the pollution provisions have proved the sticking point.

Thames Water was named the worst offender for serious pollution incidents in 2024. The company serves 16 million customers across London and the South East, including all of Wandsworth. Bills are already rising 35% by 2030, adding £152 to average annual costs, and the emergency loan could add a further £250.

#### Political battle intensifies

A Westminster Hall debate on 6 January showed the depth of political division over Thames Water’s future.

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, who secured the debate, demanded the company be placed into special administration immediately.

> “We now need to cut the rope and put the company into special administration,” Moran said.

Under her proposal, Thames Water would emerge from administration “mutually owned by 16 million customers, and run on behalf of them and the environment”.

Dame Angela Eagle, Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, defended the government’s approach. “We are working closely with Ofwat, which is in conversation with the London & Valley Water consortium, a group of Thames Water’s creditors,” she told MPs. “Ofwat will only agree to a plan that will ensure the best possible outcomes for customers and the environment.”

The minister said the government would not hesitate to use special administration if Thames Water became insolvent, but stressed it was supporting a “market-led solution” while the creditor negotiations continue.

Labour’s position has drawn criticism from within its own ranks. A cross-party group of 30 MPs, led by Labour’s Clive Lewis, wrote to Ofwat in February 2025 demanding special administration.

> “Thames Water epitomises the systemic issues plaguing the private water sector,” Lewis said. “Approving a hedge fund bailout would reinforce a broken system where mismanagement and shareholder interests are rewarded at the expense of customers and the environment.”

The government has ruled out full nationalisation, citing a £100 billion cost. Critics argue special administration could write off 40% or more of Thames Water’s debt at minimal taxpayer cost, pointing to the government’s treatment of Railtrack as a precedent.

Reform UK MP Richard Tice called the company “effectively bust” during the January debate. “It is not able to meet its financial or regulatory obligations. It is time to say that enough is enough.”

#### What happens next

The creditors’ negotiations with Ofwat are targeting an in-principle agreement by mid-February. If approved, the deal would reshape Thames Water’s financial structure while granting extended timelines for environmental compliance.

We Own It says allowing creditors to set their own environmental rules would create a precedent across the water industry. The campaign argues that if Thames Water can negotiate away legal pollution limits, other struggling water companies will demand the same treatment.

Ofwat has not yet indicated whether it will approve the proposal. The regulator came under criticism during the Westminster Hall debate, with multiple MPs questioning whether it had the power or willingness to reject a deal backed by major creditors.

The government has promised a water reform White Paper “very shortly”, which will set out plans for a new single regulator, a water ombudsman, and stopping companies marking their own homework on pollution.

For Wandsworth residents served by Thames Water, the immediate impact is rising bills to service the company’s debt while pollution incidents continue. The £16 billion package would determine whether those costs fund genuine environmental improvement or simply keep a failing business model alive until the next crisis.

#### How to make your voice heard

Putney residents who want their MP to oppose the creditors’ pollution deal can contact Fleur Anderson at .

Residents can also submit views directly to Ofwat through the We Own It campaign at [weownit.org.uk](https://weownit.org.uk/) or by contacting Ofwat’s customer service team.

The water reform White Paper, expected within weeks, will be open for public consultation once published.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/08/political-battle-erupts-over-thames-waters-16bn-pollution-deal/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/08/political-battle-erupts-over-thames-waters-16bn-pollution-deal/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Political%20battle%20erupts%20over%20Thames%20Water%E2%80%99s%20%C2%A316bn%20pollution%20deal&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/08/political-battle-erupts-over-thames-waters-16bn-pollution-deal/)

**Categories:** Environment, Politics

**Tags:** Fleur Anderson, Nationalisation, Ofwat, pollution, sewage, Special Administration, Thames Water, Wandsworth Council, Water Bills, Water Companies, We Own It

---

### [Mayor called bus concerns "scaremongering" as TfL papers revealed 62 million journey decline](https://putney.news/2026/02/07/mayor-called-bus-concerns-scaremongering-as-tfl-papers-revealed-62-million-journey-decline/)

**Published:** February 7, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Financial data published at same board meeting shows network losing passengers, running £88m below budget.

**Content:**

London’s bus network lost 62 million passengers last year and is running £88 million below budget, according to papers Transport for London published this week. At the same board meeting, the Mayor accused people raising concerns about services of “scaremongering.”

The data was buried in TfL’s Period 9 finance report, covering performance to 6 December 2025. Bus journeys fell to 1.233 billion, down from 1.295 billion the previous year, a decline of 4.3 per cent against a budget that forecast 0.1 per cent growth. The bus network now costs taxpayers more than £1 billion a year in subsidy.

TfL’s own leaders know the problem is structural. Finance chief Patrick Doig told the finance committee in December that buses were in “year-on-year decrease in demand.” Board member Rachel McLean described it as “a more structural trend.” Chief operating officer Claire Mann acknowledged TfL needs to “find a way to make the bus subsidy lower.”

Doig added that TfL was projecting only “modest year-on-year growth of around 1 per cent per annum from next year onwards,” a forecast McLean’s own comments suggest the board finds optimistic.

#### Reassurance at the top, data underneath

At the same meeting where those papers were published, the tone was very different. TfL board member Ross Garrod, who is also the Labour leader of Merton Council, told the meeting there were “bad faith actors that continue to whip up fear that these services will be withdrawn or the frequencies will change.” He said this was “causing some concern, particularly to vulnerable and elderly residents.”

Mayor Sadiq Khan went further. “I’m really sorry your residents have been scared by mischief makers,” he told Garrod. “Because of your assiduous lobbying, we’re going to make sure that there isn’t a reduction in frequency. There won’t be services withdrawn.”

Mann offered a direct promise on route 93, the Putney service that triggered the exchange. “The routes will not be withdrawn,” she said. “There will be operators for those routes and the customer should see no difference.” She added that TfL had “already done the retender” and “already got bids back in.”

Commissioner Andrew Lord described the contract break clauses that triggered concern about route 93 as “quite normal,” saying similar breaks had “happened quite a lot over the last two or three years because of the economic situation.”

Lord is right that break clauses are normal. [Go-Ahead confirmed in January](https://putney.news/2026/01/23/putneys-century-old-bus-route-93-at-risk-as-go-ahead-walks-away-from-london-contracts/) it was exercising break clauses on London contracts, including routes serving Putney, and route 93 will probably survive this round. Mann says bids are already in. But when the last round of contract changes hit the area, [route 28’s costs rose 54 per cent](https://putney.news/2026/01/27/tfl-promises-route-93-is-safe-but-costs-likely-to-rise/). The question is not whether one route survives a break clause. It is what happens to costs and services when operators keep walking away from a network in structural decline.

![The TfL Board meets in February 2026](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/tfl-board-meeting-1024x576.png)The TfL Board #### Three politicians, nine days, one playbook

The board meeting was the latest stage in an escalating pattern. On 27 January, Putney MP Fleur Anderson [told constituents](https://putney.news/2026/01/27/tfl-promises-route-93-is-safe-but-costs-likely-to-rise/) she was “glad to be assured that the 93 is safe.” Two days later, she posted on X describing factual reporting about Go-Ahead’s exit as “rumours circulating about the future of the 93 bus.”

Then Garrod raised it to “bad faith actors” at the board, and Khan raised it again to “mischief makers” engaged in “scaremongering.” Three Labour politicians, in nine days, reframed the story from “a bus company walked away because it was losing money” to “the problem is that people found out and got worried.”

#### Putney already knows what decline looks like

For residents who depend on buses, the national data confirms what a year of local reporting has documented.

[Route 424 may be removed from Putney High Street](https://putney.news/2025/11/25/council-claimed-buses-were-faster-tfl-is-removing-a-route-because-of-congestion/) because congestion makes it unworkable: a proposal that came week after the council claimed buses were getting faster. [Route 14 averages 5.7 miles per hour](https://putney.news/2026/01/23/london-named-worlds-slowest-capital-as-putneys-buses-hit-crisis-point/) through Putney, one of the slowest in a city already named the world’s slowest capital for bus speeds.

Frequencies on routes serving the area have been [cut by up to 49 per cent](https://putney.news/2025/11/17/five-ways-to-fix-putneys-traffic-nightmare/), with route 378 nearly halved and route 22 down 29 per cent. Operators have been caught [gaming curtailment statistics](https://putney.news/2025/05/14/tired-of-buses-dumping-you-at-putney-heath-heres-why/) to hit bonus targets while dumping passengers short of their destinations. The council’s own transport officer has described the relationship with TfL as an [“ongoing battle”](https://putney.news/2025/12/09/a-bus-blocked-traffic-while-officials-watched-now-they-promise-february-fixes/).

None of this was invented by “mischief makers.” It is documented, sourced, and happening on routes people use every day.

#### What passengers can do

TfL’s board papers are public documents. The Period 9 finance report and the 2025 business plan are both [available on TfL’s website](https://board.tfl.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=138&MId=950&Ver=4). Residents can read the same data that was published on the day the Mayor dismissed their concerns. TfL board meetings are webcast and [can be watched](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teQ3eUxM53g) after the event.

With local elections three months away, every candidate standing in Putney should be asked a simple question: what is your plan for a bus network that costs a billion pounds a year and is losing passengers? Reassurance is welcome. Dismissing documented concerns as mischief-making is not a transport strategy.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/07/mayor-called-bus-concerns-scaremongering-as-tfl-papers-revealed-62-million-journey-decline/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/07/mayor-called-bus-concerns-scaremongering-as-tfl-papers-revealed-62-million-journey-decline/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Mayor%20called%20bus%20concerns%20%E2%80%9Cscaremongering%E2%80%9D%20as%20TfL%20papers%20revealed%2062%20million%20journey%20decline&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/07/mayor-called-bus-concerns-scaremongering-as-tfl-papers-revealed-62-million-journey-decline/)

**Categories:** Politics, Transport

**Tags:** accountability, Bus services, Fleur Anderson, London bus decline, Putney, Route 93, Sadiq Khan, TfL, Transport for London

---

### [Wandsworth lost 30 betting shops but must still approve a new gambling centre in Putney](https://putney.news/2026/02/07/wandsworth-lost-30-betting-shops-but-must-still-approve-a-new-gambling-centre-in-putney/)

**Published:** February 7, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** MP and Putney Society formally oppose as national reform campaign gathers pace.

**Content:**

Wandsworth has lost 30 betting shops and eight adult gaming centres in under two decades, but a 20-year-old law means the council is still legally required to lean towards approving a new 24-hour gambling centre on Putney High Street.

Council figures show 27 betting shops remain in the borough, down from 57 in 2007, and just three adult gaming centres, down from 11. The gambling industry is in retreat across Wandsworth. The Gambling Act 2005 hasn’t caught up.

The numbers land as Luxury Leisure seeks a Putney gambling licence for a [24-hour adult gaming centre at 160-162 Putney High Street](https://putney.news/2026/01/21/putney-high-street-gambling-venue-returns-for-second-approval-after-624-objections-ignored/), the same site where 624 residents objected to planning permission and lost on the chair’s casting vote.

Putney MP Fleur Anderson has confirmed she is formally objecting. The Putney Society is also formally opposing. But under the Gambling Act 2005, the legal framework works against them.

Section 153 of the Act places a duty on councils to “aim to permit” gambling. Wandsworth’s own website [confirms](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/business-and-licensing/licensing/gambling-gaming-and-lotteries-licensing/about-gambling-gaming-and-lotteries-licences/) it is “required to permit the use of premises for gambling” provided the application meets three licensing objectives covering crime, fair gambling, and protecting children and vulnerable people.

Everything else is excluded. The council [states](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/business-and-licensing/licensing/gambling-gaming-and-lotteries-licensing/comment-on-a-gambling-licence-application/) that representations “cannot be on moral grounds or on the grounds of demand or need.” In practice, this means residents cannot object because they don’t want a gambling centre, because there are already enough, or because 624 of their neighbours already said no.

> [Putney High Street gambling venue returns for second approval after 624 objections ignored](https://putney.news/2026/01/21/putney-high-street-gambling-venue-returns-for-second-approval-after-624-objections-ignored/)

#### A pattern repeated across England

Putney is not alone in discovering how little community opposition counts.

In Ipswich, more than 150 residents objected to a 24-hour Admiral Slots licence. It was approved. In Whitby, more than 500 people opposed an Admiral venue. The council refused, but Admiral won on appeal. “Whitby will become the Las Vegas of the East Coast,” said Councillor Derek Bastiman of Scarborough Council.

In Enfield, eight gambling venues cluster within half a mile of each other in one of the borough’s most deprived areas. MP Feryal Clark told Parliament the current law was [“indefensible.”](https://enfielddispatch.co.uk/local-mp-tells-parliament-current-gambling-laws-are-indefensible/) Prof Heather Wardle, giving evidence to the Commons Health Committee, described “systemic power imbalances between local authorities and the gambling industry.”

The frustration has produced a growing reform campaign. In April 2025, 36 councils and two mayors wrote to the government demanding reform of the Gambling Act, calling the law “desperately out of date” and arguing that councils are “effectively powerless to intervene.” Wandsworth was not among them.

In January 2026, Brent East MP Dawn Butler coordinated a letter to the prime minister with 280 cross-party signatories backing her Ten Minute Rule Bill to end the rule. A [Commons debate on 8 January](https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026-01-08/debates/3CF8772B-1EBE-4E0C-98B2-9E9E6494EEA7/HighStreetGamblingReform) saw MP after MP describe communities powerless against the industry.

The government has responded cautiously. Starmer told Butler at PMQs that councils should be “given additional tools and powers to ensure vibrant high streets.” Minister Ian Murray confirmed plans for cumulative impact assessments “as soon as a legislative vehicle is available.” No legislation has been introduced and no timetable set.

Last July, Wandsworth [approved a Cumulative Impact Policy](https://putney.news/2025/07/01/putney-wins-battle-to-rein-in-booze-and-disorder-on-the-high-street/) for Putney High Street that makes it harder to open new late-night food and drink venues. The council can restrict a kebab shop opening after 11pm. It cannot refuse a 24-hour gambling centre.

#### Where Putney’s MP stands

Anderson described the proposal as a “24-hour Adult Gaming Centre” in her [February newsletter](https://mailchi.mp/fleuranderson.co.uk/novnewsletter2025-13911590), saying she believes it would “harm the character and vitality of our High Street, particularly at a key gateway near the station and next to the local library.”

Butler’s letter to Starmer was sent on 5 January. The Commons debate took place on 8 January. Anderson does not appear among the signatories and did not speak in the debate, despite representing the constituency where 624 residents had already objected to this very premises. Her formal objection came in her February newsletter, after the national campaign had been running for months.

Her stated grounds also illustrate the structural problem. Objecting because a venue would “harm the character and vitality” of the High Street is precisely the kind of representation the Gambling Act excludes. Character, vitality and community preference are all irrelevant under the law.

#### How to object before 12 February

Residents should still make representations. If enough relevant objections are received, the application goes to a public Licensing Committee hearing rather than being decided by officers. Full details on how to object are in our [earlier coverage of this application](https://putney.news/2026/01/21/putney-high-street-gambling-venue-returns-for-second-approval-after-624-objections-ignored/).

The deadline, according to the notice at the premises, is **12 February 2026**.

Thamesfield ward councillors can be asked what representations the council is making and whether Wandsworth will join the 39 councils calling for reform: [Cllr Ethan Brooks](mailto:cllr.e.brooks@wandsworth.gov.uk), [Cllr James Jeffreys](mailto:cllr.j.jeffreys@wandsworth.gov.uk), and [Cllr John Locker](mailto:cllr.j.locker@wandsworth.gov.uk) (all Conservative).

Residents can also write to [Fleur Anderson MP](mailto:fleur.anderson.mp@parliament.uk) asking her to back Butler’s campaign to remove “aim to permit” from the Gambling Act. Until that changes, a borough where gambling venues have more than halved will still be legally required to approve new ones.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/07/wandsworth-lost-30-betting-shops-but-must-still-approve-a-new-gambling-centre-in-putney/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/07/wandsworth-lost-30-betting-shops-but-must-still-approve-a-new-gambling-centre-in-putney/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20lost%2030%20betting%20shops%20but%20must%20still%20approve%20a%20new%20gambling%20centre%20in%20Putney&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/07/wandsworth-lost-30-betting-shops-but-must-still-approve-a-new-gambling-centre-in-putney/)

**Categories:** Politics, Save the High Street

**Tags:** 160-162 Putney High Street, Admiral, Gambling, Gambling Act, licensing, Putney High Street, Putney Society, Wandsworth Council

---

### [How much do you think it costs to open a sex shop in Putney?](https://putney.news/2026/02/07/how-much-do-you-think-it-costs-to-open-a-sex-shop-in-putney/)

**Published:** February 7, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** What about keeping a wild animal? Or hypnotising people? The council releases its annual licence fees.

**Content:**

How much does it cost to run a sex shop? More than you’d think. According to council papers published this week, a new sex establishment licence in Wandsworth costs £14,050. That’s £8,430 just to process the application, plus £5,620 for “managing and enforcing the licensing scheme.”

But the fee is somewhat besides the point because according to the council nobody has ever applied. It adopted the legislation in 1983 and has maintained, reviewed, and updated this fee every year since. Forty-three years of meticulous preparation for a day that has never come. As the council’s own report puts it, with admirable restraint: “This Authority has not issued any sex establishment licences.”

Should anyone ever test the market, renewal will cost them thousands more each year. The fee is unchanged from last year. There was, presumably, no market pressure to adjust it.

These figures come from [Paper 26-56](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Discretionary-Fees-and-Charges-202627-Paper-No.-26-56.pdf), the council’s annual review of Wandsworth licence fees, which goes before the Regulatory Licensing Committee on 16 February. The [full fee schedule](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/26-56-Appendix-1.pdf) runs to eleven pages. Most of it covers routine business: dog day care, pet shops, scrap metal dealers. But buried in the appendix are fees for activities that either barely exist in the borough or have never happened at all.

**How much does it cost to keep a lion in Wandsworth? How much is a zoo licence? Take our quiz to find out.**

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

 How keep a  

Q1: How much does it cost to keep a dangerous wild animal in Wandsworth? \*- £347
- £819
- £1,274
- £3,612

Q2: How much does it cost to get a zoo licence? \*- £1,092
- £4,837
- £11,406
- £23,215

Q3: How much to renew your sex shop licence each year? \*- £1,238
- £3,472
- £6,787
- £14,050

Q4: How much does a stage hypnotism licence cost? \*- £58
- £193
- £401
- £1,147

Q5: Under which decade's legislation do you need a licence to hypnotise someone on stage? \*- 1920s
- 1950s
- 1970s
- 2000s

Q6: How much extra annual revenue will all of this year's fee increases generate? \*- Around £6,000
- Around £60,000
- Around £250,000
- Around £1.2 million

  Submit![Loading](https://putney.news/wp-content/plugins/wpforms/assets/images/submit-spin.svg)

 #### If you have a lion in your back garden, we have bad news

The cost of keeping a dangerous wild animal in Wandsworth has gone up by £65 this year. If you were putting it off because of the price, the news is not encouraging.

The council’s report notes there have been “not been any applications under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act for many years, if at all.” That cautious “if at all” deserves a moment. Officers aren’t entirely sure anyone has ever wanted to keep a dangerous wild animal in the borough. But the fee has been calculated, split neatly between application and compliance charges, and increased for the new financial year. Just in case.

#### A zoo costs a fraction of a sex shop

One of the more startling comparisons in the document: a zoo licence in Wandsworth costs a fraction of a sex shop licence. The borough has exactly one zoo, [Battersea Park Children’s Zoo](https://www.batterseaparkzoo.co.uk/), which also needs a DEFRA-nominated inspector to visit. It has zero sex shops.

Wandsworth’s full animal licensing picture is remarkably modest: six dog day care centres, twelve home boarders, three pet shops, one dog breeder, and one zoo. That is it. Over 300,000 people, one zoo, and a licence regime that caters for lions, tigers, and venomous snakes that nobody owns.

#### You need a licence to hypnotise someone on stage

The Hypnotism Act 1952 is still very much in force. If you want to perform stage hypnotism in Wandsworth, you need a licence from the council. The fee covers not just the application but the cost of an officer attending the performance to ensure conditions are met. One imagines them in the audience, clipboard in hand, resisting the urge to volunteer when the hypnotist asks for a willing participant.

#### Why these fees exist at all

The fees exist because the law says they must. A [2015 Supreme Court ruling](https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2013-0146.html) in Hemmings v Westminster City Council confirmed that councils can set licence fees to recover the full cost of running the licensing system, including investigating anyone operating without one.

This creates a pleasing circularity. The council must be ready to process applications that never arrive. Being ready costs money. The money must be recovered from the applicants who don’t exist. Paper 26-56 acknowledges the problem: because no sex establishment applications have been received, “it is difficult to accurately calculate the cost of the procedures and formalities under the legislation.”

So the council estimates what it would cost to do something nobody has ever asked it to do, adjusts for inflation, presents it to committee, and moves on. The total additional revenue generated by all the proposed fee increases across every licence category is, well, modest. You can guess how modest in our quiz.

The Licensing Committee meets on 16 February. The papers are not expected to provoke significant debate.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/07/how-much-do-you-think-it-costs-to-open-a-sex-shop-in-putney/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/07/how-much-do-you-think-it-costs-to-open-a-sex-shop-in-putney/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=How%20much%20do%20you%20think%20it%20costs%20to%20open%20a%20sex%20shop%20in%20Putney%3F&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/07/how-much-do-you-think-it-costs-to-open-a-sex-shop-in-putney/)

**Categories:** Community, Going out

**Tags:** Battersea Park Zoo, licensing, quiz, Wandsworth Council, Wandsworth licence fees

---

### [Stranded: 60,000 lose car clubs as council admits no replacement](https://putney.news/2026/02/06/stranded-60000-lose-car-clubs-as-council-admits-no-replacement/)

**Published:** February 6, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Council slashing fees in desperation but admits it's "unlikely" operators will return.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has admitted it is “unlikely” to find a replacement for Zipcar after the company withdrew from the UK market, leaving 122 of 133 car club bays across the borough vacant and multiple housing developments relying on car clubs without viable transport alternatives.

The council is waiving all fees for new operators until April 2027 in the hope of attracting a replacement for the company but it has already drawn up plans to convert the vacant bays to e-bike stations, bike hangars, and electric vehicle charging points.

The admission undermines planning justifications for several developments, including the [controversial Lennox Estate tower](https://putney.news/2026/01/09/council-advisors-say-no-to-lennox-estate-tower-block/) where 81 homes were proposed with zero parking on the basis that car clubs would be available.

[Paper 26-34](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Car-Clubs-Paper-No.-26-34.pdf) \[pdf\], which will be presented to Tuesday’s Transport Committee, outlines the council’s position and says the £214,000 annual revenue loss (£201,000 from Zipcar, £13,000 from Enterprise fee waivers) “can be met from existing approved revenue budgets” but does not explain which budgets will absorb the cost.

> [Zipcar warned congestion charge would force cuts. Now it’s leaving the UK entirely](https://putney.news/2025/12/01/zipcar-warned-congestion-charge-would-force-cuts-now-its-leaving-the-uk-entirely/)

#### What happens to developments banking on car clubs

The [Lennox Estate application](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/10-reasons-to-refuse-the-lennox-estate-tower/) is the most visible casualty. The council proposed 81 homes with zero parking spaces, justified partly by car club availability. The planning application states the transport strategy depends on Enterprise remaining in the market.

The reality however is that Zipcar ‘s exit has already undercut the idea that a shared car can replace parking: while there were 41 Zipcars in permanent bays in Putney and more Flex cars, Enterprise has a single vehicle for sharing. The same pattern is true across Wandsworth.

Twenty-four development sites across Wandsworth have planning obligations requiring car club provision. If Enterprise also withdraws (as Zipcar and at least two other major providers have done over the past 15 years) the entire car-free development model is effectively dead.

Residents in new developments would face parking restrictions with no car club alternative. Existing residents on estates like Lennox would see parking regulation schemes enforced to prevent “overspill” from developments that no longer have the transport justification that made parking restrictions necessary.

[All 287 public comments on the Lennox Estate application](https://putney.news/2026/01/24/287-lennox-estate-objections-zero-support-what-residents-said-about-the-tower/) opposed the scheme, with parking cited as the second most common concern after loss of green space. The council’s answer was car clubs.

WardNo. of car club bays (nearly all Zipcar)No. occupied (Enterprise)No. vacant (following Zipcar’s withdrawal)East Putney918Roehampton101Southfields707Thamesfield15015West Hill404West Putney505**Grand Total****41****1****40**#### What the numbers show

Zipcar operated two services: 122 back-to-base bays where cars returned to the same spot, and Flex vehicles that could be picked up and dropped off anywhere within zones. All are gone. The 11 remaining Enterprise bays are scattered across the borough.

The council estimates 7,000 to 8,000 residents used car clubs actively each quarter. Zipcar member accounts will be deactivated later this month, eliminating 175,000 trips that residents made annually using the service.

A survey by CoMoUK, the shared transport charity, found up to 80% of displaced members might buy cars instead. The council paper notes this is “not a scientific sample” but acknowledges the risk that losing car clubs could trigger increased car ownership and parking pressure.

> [Why trying a Zipcar alternative revealed the depressing need to buy a car](https://putney.news/2026/02/06/why-trying-a-zipcar-alternative-revealed-the-depressing-need-to-buy-a-car/)

While the council has removed all fees until April 2027 to attract new operators, its paper reveals the actual expectation: vacant bays will be repurposed according to a priority order.

E-bike stations come first, then bike hangars, then electric vehicle charging points, then residential parking. The decision will be made bay-by-bay, ward-by-ward, with no borough-wide strategy apparent in the paper.

Car clubs are Action 17 of the Climate Action Plan 2025, which commits the council to “promoting and enabling car clubs.” The 92% collapse in provision (from 133 bays to 11) now creates a significant gap between policy commitment and service reality.

The council paper notes car clubs were introduced in 2007 and have operated continuously until now. Zipcar’s withdrawal follows similar exits by other providers over the past 15 years. The UK car sharing market has proved unstable, with operators struggling against rising costs and policy changes like London’s congestion charge extension to electric vehicles.

> [Zipcar sounds the alarm over new congestion charge hike](https://putney.news/2025/07/29/zipcar-sounds-the-alarm-over-new-congestion-charge-hike/)

#### What happens next

The key test comes in April 2027 when fee waivers end. If no operators have taken up the 122 vacant bays during that 14-month window, the council will need to decide whether to extend incentives or accept that car clubs may not return.

For the 24 development sites with car club obligations, the question is whether developers can fulfil requirements when no providers are operating. The council paper states developers “will be expected to” provide car clubs but does not explain enforcement mechanisms if Enterprise withdraws or no alternative operators emerge.

That means we could well end up in the ludicrous situation where the only parking made available on new development is for cars that don’t exist; similar to the care-home bike shed with [18 bicycle spaces for 8 elderly residents](https://putney.news/2025/05/26/one-care-home-six-residents-and-18-bicycle-spaces/).

The council built a planning policy on the assumption of stable car club provision. Zipcar’s withdrawal has tested that assumption. The council’s own paper now admits replacement is unlikely. Multiple housing developments justified on that assumption now face a transport model that may not exist.

> [One care home, six residents — and 18 brand new bicycle spaces](https://putney.news/2025/05/26/one-care-home-six-residents-and-18-bicycle-spaces/)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/06/stranded-60000-lose-car-clubs-as-council-admits-no-replacement/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/06/stranded-60000-lose-car-clubs-as-council-admits-no-replacement/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Stranded%3A%2060%2C000%20lose%20car%20clubs%20as%20council%20admits%20no%20replacement&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/06/stranded-60000-lose-car-clubs-as-council-admits-no-replacement/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Car clubs, Climate Action Plan, Enterprise Car Club, Lennox Estate, planning, Roehampton, Transport, Wandsworth Council, Zipcar

---

### [Why trying a Zipcar alternative revealed the depressing need to buy a car](https://putney.news/2026/02/06/why-trying-a-zipcar-alternative-revealed-the-depressing-need-to-buy-a-car/)

**Published:** February 6, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Four years car-free may be over as traditional hire proves expensive, slow and outdated.

**Content:**

You don’t realise how good something is until it’s gone. When Zipcar [announced its UK exit](https://putney.news/2025/12/01/zipcar-warned-congestion-charge-would-force-cuts-now-its-leaving-the-uk-entirely/) in December, I thought finding an alternative would be straightforward. Traditional car hire companies have been around for decades. How hard could it be?

Much harder than I thought. After nearly four years living car-free, my first experience with SIXT at Putney Exchange revealed exactly what we’ve lost and why [80% of displaced Zipcar members](https://putney.news/2026/02/06/stranded-60000-lose-car-clubs-as-council-admits-no-replacement/) will end up buying cars instead.

#### We didn’t know how good we had it

London’s public transport is genuinely excellent for most journeys. But life doesn’t fit neatly into timetables. Getting to awkward parts of south London. Visiting friends in other parts of the country. Emergency pickups. Realising on Sunday morning you’ve forgotten a commitment across town. Evening events when no taxis are available.

Zipcar handled all of it. Not just cars either – vans for tip runs and house moves. Small city cars for quick London trips. Comfortable estates for weekend breaks to Wales. The vehicle suited the job.

But the real value was emergencies. Child ill at school? Book a Flex car, pick them up in 10 minutes. Playground injury? Car round the corner. Running late and the bus isn’t for 15 minutes? Zipcar saved the day.

It enabled my family to have vehicles without owning one. Book through the app, walk to one nearby, drive off. Petrol included. No desk, no opening hours, always there when needed.

Then came the return to the old system.

> [Stranded: 60,000 lose car clubs as council admits no replacement](https://putney.news/2026/02/06/stranded-60000-lose-car-clubs-as-council-admits-no-replacement/)

#### Going back is painful

I needed a car for a 9am meeting in Oxford. The SIXT desk at Putney Exchange opens at 8am. Not enough time. So I had to hire it the day before, paying for hours I didn’t need, then park it overnight on my street hoping the traffic warden wouldn’t appear in the final hour of permit-only parking.

The next morning, despite having booked online and uploaded my licence, the desk process took 20 minutes. Show the licence again. Watch details get typed in. Approve things on a screen. Sign digitally. Hand over my card for a £300 deposit. Discuss insurance options Zipcar never required. Take physical keys.

Then navigate Putney Exchange car park to find the SIXT bays on the roof. It’s surprisingly large and the car hire bays are tucked over to the right. Then discover at the barrier that it doesn’t lift automatically. Press the help button, wait for security guard to manually raise it. Queue of frustrated drivers behind me.

The return process was slightly better. But remember to refuel first or pay five times the going rate. That’s another £15 (with Zipcar, you didn’t have to fill up all the way, or pay for your petrol – it was part of the price). Drive to Exchange, park, find desk, drop keys. Three emails with attachments – invoices, contracts – before I left; three emails the day after. No easy way to extend the time if my plans changed.

Total time: half an hour to collect, 20 minutes to return. Three to four times longer than Zipcar’s five-minute process. Total cost: nearly double once you factor in the forced overnight hire, insurance, and petrol.

#### The bike question

Before anyone suggests it: yes, I have a bike. Yes, I like cycling. No, I’m not cycling to Oxford for a 9am meeting. I’m not doing the weekly shop by bike. I’m not cycling in February rain. I’m not putting kids in a cargo bike. And I’m not turning up at friends’ houses tired and sweaty.

Bikes are brilliant for some journeys. They’re not a substitute for everything a car does.

#### Why traditional hire hasn’t caught up

The car hire industry operates exactly as it did 20 years ago. That makes sense at airports where you’re a one-time customer. It makes no sense for local residents who would be repeat customers if the process wasn’t so painful.

SIXT isn’t unusual. This is standard across the sector. They’ve never faced pressure to modernise for regular local users. Zipcar did that. Now Zipcar is gone and nothing has replaced it.

Wandsworth Council [admits](https://putney.news/2026/02/06/stranded-60000-lose-car-clubs-as-council-admits-no-replacement/) replacing Zipcar is “unlikely”, with 122 of 133 car club bays now vacant. Each car club vehicle replaced around 31 private cars in London. Zipcar had 550,000 members making 175,000 trips annually in Wandsworth alone.

A CoMoUK survey found up to 80% of displaced members will buy cars instead. After one experience with traditional hire, I understand why.

So I’ll likely buy a car, use it rarely, take up another parking space on Putney’s tight streets, and pay for insurance, tax and MOT on a vehicle that sits idle most of the time.

It’s exactly what transport policy was designed to prevent.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/06/why-trying-a-zipcar-alternative-revealed-the-depressing-need-to-buy-a-car/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/06/why-trying-a-zipcar-alternative-revealed-the-depressing-need-to-buy-a-car/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Why%20trying%20a%20Zipcar%20alternative%20revealed%20the%20depressing%20need%20to%20buy%20a%20car&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/06/why-trying-a-zipcar-alternative-revealed-the-depressing-need-to-buy-a-car/)

**Categories:** Comment, Transport

**Tags:** Car clubs, environment, Putney Exchange, SIXT, Transport, Wandsworth Council

---

### [New safety signs coming to West Hill junction where cyclist Dean Jones died](https://putney.news/2026/02/06/new-safety-signs-coming-to-west-hill-junction-where-cyclist-dean-jones-died/)

**Published:** February 6, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** TfL to install weight restriction signage by end of February, says MP.

**Content:**

Two new signs will be installed by the end of the month at the West Hill junction where cyclist Dean Jones was killed 15 months ago, [local MP Fleur Anderson announced](https://mailchi.mp/fleuranderson.co.uk/novnewsletter2025-13911590) this week.

The signs will mark the weight restriction on Lytton Grove, covering both directions. Transport for London will also conduct another safety audit of West Hill, Anderson said. This is the tangible outcome 15 months after the 27-year-old’s death, when Anderson pledged to do “everything in my power to ensure this can never happen again”.

The junction [now ranks ninth most dangerous in London for cycling](https://lcc.org.uk/news/dangerous-junctions-2025-update/), with one fatality, one serious collision and seven slight collisions in the past five years. But competing demands on London’s narrow roads mean the outcome is improved signage and a right-turn ban rather than the wholesale closure cycling campaigners wanted.

Closing Lytton Grove would remove the danger for cyclists, but the street is a vital cut-through between main roads, allowing drivers to avoid two of Putney’s most congested junctions. Shutting it would push more traffic onto already gridlocked routes.

[Dean Jones](https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/dean-jones-putney-cyclist-hgv-crash-b1193754.html), a chartered accountant who had qualified just a month before his death, was killed on November 2, 2024 when an HGV turning left into Lytton Grove struck him as he cycled to meet friends for lunch. He was riding a hired Forest e-bike in a non-segregated cycle lane marked only with a broken white line.

The London Cycling Campaign says closing Lytton Grove to through traffic “would have removed the road danger issues at the junction almost instantly”. At a meeting with Transport for London, Wandsworth officers and Anderson, officials dismissed the closure suggestion and agreed instead on improved signage for the existing 7.5 tonne weight restriction.

The council has also banned right turns out of Lytton Grove, a measure that appears to be permanent though the council has not formally confirmed this.

#### Council leader ‘failed to engage’

The London Cycling Campaign’s report documents repeated failures to address cycling safety at the junction despite mounting pressure.

“Despite pressure from the local MP Fleur Anderson and campaigners, Wandsworth council leader Cllr Simon Hogg has failed to engage over Dean’s death, while officers have defended the council’s safety reputation instead of pushing for changes to the junction,” it states.

The junction sees an average of two cyclists suffering serious injuries annually. A 7.5 tonne weight restriction on Lytton Grove with exemptions for local deliveries was already in place before Dean’s death, but campaigners say it is poorly signed and unenforced.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/lcc-most-dangerous-1024x576.png)#### Wandsworth has three of London’s top 10 dangerous junctions

The West Hill junction is one of three Wandsworth locations in the London Cycling Campaign’s top 10 most dangerous junctions. The borough also holds the unenviable top spot: Upper Tooting Road has seen 10 serious and 21 slight collisions in the past five years, though fortunately no fatalities.

The concentration of dangerous junctions in Wandsworth reflects broader tensions across London. The London Cycling Campaign pushes for protected cycle lanes and low traffic neighbourhoods to improve cycling safety. But motorists face increasing congestion, partly caused by bus and cycle lanes reducing two car lanes to one, 20mph zones and low traffic neighbourhoods. London is now the slowest city in the world to drive in.

On narrow Victorian streets, road space has become a zero-sum game. Gains for cycling safety often mean losses for traffic flow. The West Hill junction illustrates this tension: closing Lytton Grove would remove the danger for cyclists but would push more vehicles onto already congested routes, worsening gridlock for everyone else.

#### Right-turn ban appears permanent

Wandsworth Council started a trial in June 2025 to ban right turns out of Lytton Grove, aiming to reduce traffic volume. The trial was approved for six to 18 months. Eight months in, the measures appear to have become permanent, though the council has not formally announced this.

Traffic displaced by the ban appears to have moved to nearby residential streets including Putney Heath Lane and Rusholme Road, though the council has not published monitoring data showing the impact.

Both West Hill and nearby Putney Hill are identified by TfL’s Strategic Cycling Analysis as priorities for safe, comfortable cycling. Hundreds of cyclists use the corridor daily.

#### What you can do

If you witness dangerous driving or near-misses at junctions in Wandsworth, you can [report them](https://www.met.police.uk/foi-ai/metropolitan-police/disclosure-2023/november-2023/dangerous-driving-social-media-platforms/) to the Metropolitan Police or contact Wandsworth Cycling Campaign, which documents problem locations.

Contact your local councillor about cycling safety concerns. The London Cycling Campaign maintains a map of dangerous junctions across London and campaigns for protected cycle lanes and low traffic neighbourhoods to reduce rat-running.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/06/new-safety-signs-coming-to-west-hill-junction-where-cyclist-dean-jones-died/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/06/new-safety-signs-coming-to-west-hill-junction-where-cyclist-dean-jones-died/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=New%20safety%20signs%20coming%20to%20West%20Hill%20junction%20where%20cyclist%20Dean%20Jones%20died&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/06/new-safety-signs-coming-to-west-hill-junction-where-cyclist-dean-jones-died/)

**Categories:** East Putney, Transport

**Tags:** cycling, Dean Jones, Fleur Anderson, London Cycling Campaign, Lytton Grove, Putney, road safety, Transport for London, Wandsworth Council, West Hill

---

### [Martin Johnson: The councillor who built 250 homes when his party was selling them](https://putney.news/2026/02/05/martin-johnson-the-councillor-who-built-250-homes-when-his-party-was-selling-them/)

**Published:** February 5, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Conservative housing innovator created Hidden Homes Programme despite officer opposition and party ideology.

**Content:**

**OBITUARY** Martin Johnson discovered his most enduring legacy during a routine walkabout of a Wandsworth housing estate. Noticing boarded-up storage sheds and abandoned boiler rooms, he saw what others had overlooked: potential homes in forgotten spaces. That observation launched the Hidden Homes Programme, an initiative that created 250 affordable council homes at a time when his own Conservative party’s flagship borough was aggressively selling off housing stock.

Johnson, who died in December aged 78, spent 50 years on Wandsworth Council navigating a paradox. He was a lifelong Conservative serving through the height of Thatcherism, yet his signature achievement was building council housing when the prevailing ideology demanded its dismantlement. His ability to deliver progressive policy outcomes while maintaining party loyalty marked him as what long-serving Councillor Tony Belton called “the wettest of wet Tories.”

His remarks were just one of several tributes given to Johnson at the opening of a meeting of the full council last night.

The Hidden Homes Programme launched in November 2002 when Johnson held the housing portfolio. The concept was straightforward: convert disused estate spaces – old laundry rooms, defunct boiler houses, storage sheds, underground garages – into modern affordable homes. Because the council already owned these sites, no land purchase was required, reducing costs to between £60,000 and £200,000 per unit.

Council officers initially opposed the idea. “All the officers opposed. He didn’t have any support for it at all, as being a kind of wacky idea,” Belton reflected, noting that when Johnson took over the housing portfolio, morale “was rock bottom” after years of aggressive council house sales. “Within weeks of him taking over, the morale had completely changed,” Belton reported.

![Hidden Homes in Wandsworth](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/hidden-homes-wandsworth-1024x857.png)“Hidden Homes” at The Rollo Estate in BatterseaThe programme delivered 250 homes across multiple estates. The Rollo Estate in Battersea saw 38 family homes built as lateral extensions to existing blocks, costing £7.5 million with support from the Homes and Communities Agency. St James’ Grove Estate gained 15 homes from a £9 million investment that transformed what officials described as “a stark concrete structure with dark walkways.” Ten homes for first-time buyers emerged from a former underground car park at Cambalt Road in Putney. The 250th milestone came at Abbott House on Nightingale Lane, where six homes including five rooftop units with balconies overlooking Wandsworth Common marked the programme’s completion.

In November 2012, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles visited to unveil the Rollo development, calling it “a lesson to other councils” for delivering affordable housing despite tough economic circumstances. The Mayor of London’s Housing Strategy endorsed the programme, and Southwark, Harrow, and other boroughs launched their own versions. Wandsworth estimated similar approaches across London could create 10,000 homes.

The programme achieved something rare for Wandsworth: cross-party support in a council defined by partisan warfare. The Hidden Homes concept continues today as “Homes for Wandsworth,” targeting 1,000 council homes by 2029. By October 2025, weeks before Johnson’s death, [500 homes had been completed](https://putney.news/2026/02/02/884m-borrowing-spree-hits-council-tenants-with-4-8-rent-increase/) under the successor programme.

#### The moderate in the “cradle of privatisation”

To understand Johnson’s achievement requires grasping how exceptional Wandsworth Council was in British local government. Academic historians have called it “the cradle of privatisation” – the laboratory where Thatcherite local government policy was tested before national implementation. Under leaders Christopher “Chopper” Chope, Paul Beresford, and Edward Lister, Wandsworth pioneered competitive tendering, slashed 1,000 council posts, and sold off housing stock so aggressively that the Bishop of Southwark reportedly declared it “a borough to avoid at all costs if one is homeless.”

Johnson served throughout this entire transformation, holding senior positions including Deputy Leader, Cabinet Member for Housing, Technical Services Committee Chairman, and Licensing Committee Chairman, plus two terms as Mayor in 1980-81 and 1993-94. That he survived and thrived for half a century while maintaining moderate instincts suggests considerable political skill in navigating factional waters without fully joining the dominant current.

“He was wet because he was so caring in a council which was actually… fairly brutal in quite a lot of its attitudes,” Belton explained. The characterisation as “wettest of wet Tories” placed Johnson in the One Nation tradition – favouring social responsibility, preserving council housing, and maintaining services rather than privatising them. Yet as Belton emphasised, “he was absolutely a Tory. There was no way that he was going to be sympathetic to Labour positions at all.”

![Wandsworth Council Leader Ravi Govindia and Councillor Paul Ellis welcome Eric Pickles to the borough to officially unveil the new Hidden Homes in 2012. Pic: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Govt](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/govindia-pickles-hidden-homes-1024x837.png)Wandsworth Council Leader Ravi Govindia and Councillor Paul Ellis with government minister Eric Pickles unveiling the new Hidden Homes in 2012. Pic: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Govt. The originator of the whole idea – Johnson – was notably absent.#### Fighting the motorways

Johnson’s involvement in opposing London motorway plans dates to the early 1970s, when the Greater London Council’s Ringway proposals threatened to carve urban motorways through South London. In February 1972, a coalition of five South London councils – Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, and Wandsworth – formed to fight what one councillor called “monstrous motorway madness.” The joint campaign contributed to the Ringways’ defeat when Labour won the 1973 GLC elections partly on anti-motorway sentiment.

The threat revived in the late 1980s when the Department of Transport commissioned studies proposing new road schemes, including a four-mile tunnel from Chiswick to Wandsworth. These plans would have demolished approximately 2,500 homes across London. Belton recalls Martin Johnson leading “a union of four councils” in opposition, producing an alternative plan that reframed the approach from “people’s plan” – too redolent of Soviet Union planning for Margaret Thatcher’s government – to the more palatable “Wandsworth Alternative.”

Transport Secretary Cecil Parkinson cancelled all schemes on 27 March 1990, one month before local elections, in what *The Guardian* called “a big political climbdown.”

#### “Proud, strong-willed, never afraid to stand”

At a 2008 ceremony honouring both Johnson and Labour’s Tony Belton for 40 years of service, Mayor Jane Cooper offered a revealing description: “Both have been proud, strong-willed individuals, never afraid to take a stand for their views.”

That Johnson shared this tribute with Belton, who led the Labour opposition for much of his 54-year council career, illustrates an unusual capacity for cross-party respect. The 2008 ceremony noted Johnson had served as “cabinet member for major services such as technical services and housing” as well as Deputy Leader – positions of genuine influence. Yet the description of him as not “commanding the chamber” despite five decades of experience suggests someone who exercised power through committee work, relationship-building, and policy development rather than rhetorical dominance.

Former council Leader Ravi Govindia, speaking at Wednesday’s tribute, captured this unusual quality:

> “That style of being a counselor… You won’t see it again here or elsewhere. I think Martin was just one of those one-offs.”

“I think we’ve always underrated him a bit,” Belton told councillors on Wednesday. The mayor, who served alongside Johnson from 2014 to 2018, remembered him as “most helpful and welcoming to me as a new councillor.”

Councillor Aled Richards-Jones, Johnson’s successor in Northcote Ward, shared words from Johnson’s daughter at his funeral: “Despite the demands and the tolls of those tumultuous 44 years on the council, he never missed a school pickup, he never missed a parents’ evening, and he never missed a school performance.”

Johnson’s formal honours included an MBE in the 2016 New Year Honours “for Services to Local Government” and appointment as Honorary Alderman upon his retirement in 2018. Council Leader Ravi Govindia praised him for making “a profound difference to so many of our residents’ lives.”

His funeral, attended by senior council officers spanning multiple decades, confirmed the institutional respect he commanded. It was an unusual tribute for a councillor who never led the council, never dominated debates, but quietly changed the physical landscape of Wandsworth through pragmatic innovation rather than ideological confrontation.

#### Sorely missed, and badly needed

After the tributes to Johnson were delivered to the full council meeting last night, the rest of the meeting was intended to be about new housing in Wandsworth, delivered this time by the current Labour administration. It wasn’t to be.

Labour refused to put discussion of next year’s budget – which is traditional at the February meeting – on the agenda in part because the Conservatives planned to use it to highlight the fact that central government is slashing contributions to Wandsworth Council which will require significant increases in council tax in future years. There is an election in May.

The result was three hours of political games, with both sides refusing to back down, and instead trading insults and political jibes. Nothing was achieved.

Speaking at Wednesday’s tribute, and before the rest of the evening’s events, Richards-Jones revealed that even after poor health left him stuck at home, the retired councillor would follow events live online and send occasional notes. He offered a fitting close to Councillor Martin Johnson’s life: “I’m very sure that he is still watching us tonight on the broadcast.”

Fortunately, he wasn’t.

---

*Martin Johnson was first elected to Wandsworth Council in 1968 at age 21, representing St John’s ward. After a brief gap when he lost his seat to Belton in 1974, he returned to represent Northcote ward in Battersea for the remainder of his career until retirement in 2018. He is survived by the 250 homes he created, the motorways he helped defeat, and the evidence that moderate conservatism could achieve progressive housing outcomes even in Britain’s most ideologically radical council.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/05/martin-johnson-the-councillor-who-built-250-homes-when-his-party-was-selling-them/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/05/martin-johnson-the-councillor-who-built-250-homes-when-his-party-was-selling-them/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Martin%20Johnson%3A%20The%20councillor%20who%20built%20250%20homes%20when%20his%20party%20was%20selling%20them&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/05/martin-johnson-the-councillor-who-built-250-homes-when-his-party-was-selling-them/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** Battersea, Conservative Party, council housing, Hidden Homes, Local Government, Martin Johnson, Obituary, Tony Belton, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth licensing hearing collapses as 12 councillors fail to attend](https://putney.news/2026/02/05/wandsworth-licensing-hearing-collapses-as-12-councillors-fail-to-attend/)

**Published:** February 5, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Sheen Polish Delicatessen license delayed three weeks after quorum failure.

**Content:**

A Wandsworth licensing committee hearing collapsed last week when only three of 15 councillors turned up, leaving a local delicatessen’s alcohol licence application in limbo for another three weeks.

The Licensing Sub-Committee meeting on 29 January couldn’t proceed because it lacked the minimum number of members needed to make decisions. Sheen Polish Delicatessen, which had already satisfied police and trading standards concerns, now waits until 16 February for a rescheduled hearing.

With council elections just three months away in May 2026, voters may want to know which of their elected representatives aren’t showing up to do the job.

#### Only three showed up

The official attendance list shows 15 councillors were expected at the meeting. Only three were [seen attending](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1051891): Cllr Sana Jafri (L, Wandsworth Common), Cllr Maurice McLeod (L, Battersea Park), and Cllr Guy Humphries (C, Southfields).

The 12 councillors who didn’t appear on screen for the online meeting were: Katrina Ffrench (L, committee chair), Rosemary Birchall (C, Deputy Mayor), Ethan Brooks (C), Sarah Davies (L), Mark Justin (Reform UK), Jessica Lee (L), Norman Marshall (L), Jack Mayorcas (L), Denise Paul (L), Tom Pridham (C), Will Sweet (C), and Sarmila Varatharaj (L).

The council’s official Notice of Adjournment states the meeting was adjourned because there was “not a quorate available.” Council documents don’t specify the exact quorum requirement for the Wandsworth licensing committee.

A small clip of the webcast shows just four people logged into the meeting: the three councillors and Marianna Ritchie from Democratic Services. And the [attendance sheet](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/mgMeetingAttendance.aspx?ID=10385) hasn’t been updated four days after the event.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/polish-deli-1024x576.png)#### Local business delayed

Sheen Polish Delicatessen had applied for its first premises licence to sell alcohol for consumption off the premises at 379 Upper Richmond Road. The business proposed operating hours of 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.

Metropolitan Police and Wandsworth Trading Standards initially raised concerns about crime prevention and child protection. The business agreed to extensive safeguards including CCTV with facial recognition, Challenge 25 age verification, no sales of high-strength single cans above 6% ABV, and staff training requirements. Both authorities withdrew their objections after these conditions were agreed.

One resident objection remained, citing concerns about people loitering outside the premises and bottles and rubbish being left in the area. The hearing was meant to resolve this single outstanding concern.

Instead, the democratic process failed because elected councillors didn’t show up. The business, which had done everything authorities asked, now waits another three weeks.

#### Second failure in two years

This isn’t the first time the Wandsworth licensing committee has failed to achieve quorum. In March 2024, a Licensing Committee meeting faced what official records described as “a significant procedural challenge due to a lack of quorum, which impacted decision-making capabilities.” That meeting couldn’t approve fee increases or previous meeting minutes.

The licensing committee’s attendance problems are part of [wider concerns about council accountability and democratic processes](https://putney.news/wandsworth-full-council-housing-revenue-account-budget-analysis/) that have emerged in recent months.

A quorum is the minimum number of committee members who must attend for a meeting to proceed legally. Without it, no decisions can be made, no votes taken, and no business conducted. It protects against small groups making decisions without wider representation and ensures democratic legitimacy.

Quorum failures waste time for applicants, objectors, and residents who prepare for meetings that can’t proceed. The Institute of Directors recommends giving meeting attendees plenty of notice, choosing days and times that work for members, and setting recurring meeting times to prevent double bookings.

#### What residents can do

The rescheduled hearing will take place on 16 February 2026. Residents can watch the webcast to verify whether enough councillors attend this time.

If concerned about committee attendance patterns, residents can:

- Contact their ward councillor to ask why attendance was so low. [Full councillor contact details](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/the-council/councillors-and-mps/find-your-councillor/) are [available on the council website](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/the-council/councillors/find-your-councillors/).
- Submit a formal complaint through the [council’s complaints process](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/the-council/complaints-comments-and-compliments/). Stage 1 responses typically take 10-15 working days.

With council elections scheduled for May 2026, councillor attendance records form part of voters’ decisions about who to elect.

The council was contacted for comment about the quorum failure, why so few councillors attended, and whether attendance problems extend to other committees. No response had been received by publication.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/05/wandsworth-licensing-hearing-collapses-as-12-councillors-fail-to-attend/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/05/wandsworth-licensing-hearing-collapses-as-12-councillors-fail-to-attend/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20licensing%20hearing%20collapses%20as%2012%20councillors%20fail%20to%20attend&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/05/wandsworth-licensing-hearing-collapses-as-12-councillors-fail-to-attend/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** Cllr Maurice McLeod, Council accountability, democratic process, Guy Humphries, Licensing Committee, Maurice McLeod, May 2026 elections, Quorum Failure, Sana Jafri, Sheen Polish Delicatessen, Wandsworth Council

---

### [National auditors confirm prison drug crisis as drones exploit broken security - Wandsworth awaits £100m](https://putney.news/2026/02/05/national-auditors-confirm-prison-drug-crisis-as-drones-exploit-broken-security-wandsworth-awaits-100m/)

**Published:** February 5, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Government underspent £72m on security and maintenance as half of all prisoners face drug problems.

**Content:**

A damning National Audit Office report has confirmed the drug crisis and security failures at prisons across England and Wales – raising fresh questions about the [£100 million promised](https://putney.news/2025/10/16/wandsworth-prison-watchdog-exposes-persistent-failures-despite-year-of-reform/) to Wandsworth Prison for urgent improvements.

The government’s spending watchdog found systematic underspending on security, broken equipment left unrepaired for months or years, and a maintenance backlog that has doubled to £1.8 billion. Half of all prisoners now have a drug problem, with drone deliveries exploiting broken windows and outdated security systems.

The NAO report reveals that between 2019 and 2022, the Prison and Probation Service spent only 75% of its £100 million security investment budget – an underspend of £25 million. The largest shortfall was in gate security, where screening equipment guards against drug smuggling.

Prison governors told auditors they lack funds to fix broken security equipment. X-ray scanners for screening deliveries sit unrepaired for months. Window security improvements take years.

The age and poor condition of Victorian-era prisons like Wandsworth make them especially vulnerable to drones, which the Chief Inspector of Prisons has described as a threat to national security. Drone sightings increased by 750% between 2019 and 2023, and by 43% between 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Inmates “bend, break and burn” window grilles to allow drug deliveries, according to Tom Wheatley, president of the Prison Governors Association. The grilles are not being replaced immediately because prisons lack the budget and cannot afford to take cells out of use while the estate operates at capacity.

> [Three arrested after Wandsworth Prison drone smuggling attempt thwarted](https://putney.news/2026/01/17/three-arrested-after-wandsworth-prison-drone-smuggling-attempt-thwarted/)

#### Maintenance backlog doubled as £47m unspent

A separate funding stream for prison maintenance and drug strategy programmes saw even worse results. Between 2022 and 2025, the service was allocated £114 million but spent only £67 million – just 69% of the budget.

Over the same period, the maintenance backlog across the prison estate doubled from £0.9 billion to £1.8 billion.

The NAO found that around half of all prisoners – approximately 40,000 people – had an identified drug problem as of April 2025. In 2024-25, prisons reported 26,348 individual drug finds, 25% more than the previous year.

Between December 2022 and December 2024, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman investigated 833 deaths, of which 136 were drug-related.

#### Everything Wandsworth reported, now confirmed

The systematic failures the NAO identified match precisely what we have documented at Wandsworth Prison over the past year:

**Drug crisis:** The NAO found that 50% of prisoners nationally say drugs are easy to obtain. At Wandsworth in May 2024, [44% of prisoners tested positive for drugs](https://putney.news/2024/05/14/wandsworth-prison-a-pit-of-deaths-drugs-and-despair-slams-chief-inspector/) while the Chief Inspector noted a “ubiquitous smell of cannabis.”

**Broken windows:** The NAO’s findings on window security taking years to fix validate the [broken windows crisis](https://putney.news/2024/05/14/wandsworth-prison-a-pit-of-deaths-drugs-and-despair-slams-chief-inspector/) that became emblematic of Wandsworth’s decline. Windows smashed to allow drone deliveries remained unrepaired for months.

**Systematic neglect:** MPs [reported “inhumane overcrowding and filth”](https://putney.news/2025/11/17/prison-overcrowding-crushing-rehabilitation-efforts-mps-warn-after-visiting-wandsworth/) at Wandsworth in November 2025, echoing the NAO’s national findings on maintenance backlogs and deteriorating conditions.

**Security failures:** The NAO’s warnings about inadequate security equipment match the [organised crime infiltration](https://putney.news/2025/08/29/rot-at-the-top-how-organised-crime-infiltrated-wandsworth-prisons-security/) documented at Wandsworth, where a security head with criminal connections facilitated drug smuggling.

**Human cost:** Individual tragedies like the [preventable death of Rajwinder Singh](https://putney.news/2025/08/24/he-would-still-be-alive-damning-report-reveals-how-wandsworth-prison-failed-father-of-three/) – one of seven self-inflicted deaths at Wandsworth in 12 months – illustrate the NAO’s findings that drug misuse “damages health and destabilises prison environments.”

#### Questions about £100m promise

The government announced in August 2024 that it would redirect £100 million to Wandsworth Prison over five years to “deliver urgent improvements” including fixing broken windows, upgrading showers, and investing in fire safety.

That promise came during the period covered by the NAO’s data showing systematic underspending on security and maintenance. The specific questions now facing the Ministry of Justice and HM Prison and Probation Service:

**Has the £100 million been ring-fenced for Wandsworth specifically, or will it follow the pattern of underspending identified by the NAO?**

The NAO found that between 2019-22, only 75% of security budgets were spent, and between 2022-25, only 69% of maintenance and drug strategy budgets were spent. If Wandsworth’s £100 million follows this pattern, it could mean £25-31 million never reaches the prison.

**How much of the £100 million has been allocated and spent so far?**

The promise was made in August 2024. Eighteen months later, the NAO report suggests systematic failures in translating funding commitments into actual security improvements. Transparency about spending to date would clarify whether Wandsworth is benefiting or whether the money remains unspent.

**What oversight mechanisms exist to ensure the money is spent on the promised improvements?**

The Wandsworth Prison Improvement Campaign has spent months seeking clarity on how the £100 million is being allocated. The lack of financial transparency raised in the NAO report suggests this is a systemic problem, not unique to Wandsworth.

**Why does the maintenance backlog continue to grow despite allocated funding?**

The doubling of the national maintenance backlog from £0.9 billion to £1.8 billion occurred during a period when maintenance budgets existed but went unspent. This pattern raises questions about whether structural problems prevent money reaching frontline improvements.

> [Wandsworth Prison a pit of “deaths, drugs and despair” slams chief inspector](https://putney.news/2024/05/14/wandsworth-prison-a-pit-of-deaths-drugs-and-despair-slams-chief-inspector/)

#### What works: wastewater testing innovation

The NAO highlighted one promising development: prisons are trialling wastewater testing to detect drug use. Rather than relying on random tests of individual prisoners – which cost £8 million annually and are operationally resource-intensive – wastewater analysis can identify drug prevalence across entire wings.

This approach provides better intelligence about where drug use is concentrated, allowing security resources to be targeted more effectively. The NAO recommended expanding this pilot programme.

#### How to hold the government accountable

Residents concerned about transparency and accountability around prison conditions can:

**Submit a Freedom of Information request** to the Ministry of Justice asking:

- How much of the £100 million promised to Wandsworth Prison has been allocated to specific improvements?
- How much has been spent to date?
- What oversight mechanisms exist to ensure full spending?
- What is the current maintenance backlog at Wandsworth specifically?

FOI requests can be submitted via the [government’s FOI portal](https://www.gov.uk/make-a-freedom-of-information-request). The Ministry of Justice must respond within 20 working days.

**Contact the Wandsworth Prison Improvement Campaign (WPIC)**, which has been monitoring conditions and advocating for transparency since 2024. WPIC can be reached via their [website](https://www.wandsworthprisoncampaign.co.uk/).

**Submit evidence to the House of Commons Justice Committee**, which is conducting an inquiry into rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. The committee accepts written evidence from the public. Details are available on the [Parliament website](https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/102/justice-committee/).

**Contact your MP** – Putney’s Fleur Anderson can be reached via her [constituency office](https://www.fleuranderson.co.uk/contact/) or at the House of Commons.

#### The 16th story in an ongoing series

This is the 16th story we have written on Wandsworth Prison, which began in May 2024 when the Chief Inspector of Prisons issued an Urgent Notification describing the jail as a “pit of deaths, drugs and despair.”

Since then, we have documented every aspect of the crisis the NAO now confirms nationally: drug prevalence, broken security, maintenance failures, leadership problems, and systematic underspending.

The difference is that Wandsworth – one of the oldest and largest prisons in the UK, holding 1,500 prisoners despite being designed for fewer than 1,000 – received a specific £100 million promise. The NAO’s findings on systematic underspending make it essential to track whether that promise translates into actual improvements.

Gareth Davies, head of the National Audit Office, said:

> “The proliferation of illicit drugs in prisons undermines rehabilitation, damages health, and destabilises prison environments. Yet too many of the basic controls and interventions are not being done well enough – from repairing critical security equipment to aligning health and operational priorities.”

Prisons minister Lord Timpson said: “This report exposes yet further failings in the prison system we inherited, with underinvestment in security contributing to the unacceptable levels of drugs behind bars. We are taking decisive action to grip this crisis, investing £40 million to bolster security including anti-drone measures like reinforced windows and specialist netting to keep contraband out.”

The full NAO report, “The costs of tackling drug harms in prisons,” is available on the [National Audit Office website](https://www.nao.org.uk/press-releases/prison-and-health-services-struggle-to-battle-rapidly-changing-drug-threats/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/05/national-auditors-confirm-prison-drug-crisis-as-drones-exploit-broken-security-wandsworth-awaits-100m/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/05/national-auditors-confirm-prison-drug-crisis-as-drones-exploit-broken-security-wandsworth-awaits-100m/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=National%20auditors%20confirm%20prison%20drug%20crisis%20as%20drones%20exploit%20broken%20security%20%E2%80%93%20Wandsworth%20awaits%20%C2%A3100m&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/05/national-auditors-confirm-prison-drug-crisis-as-drones-exploit-broken-security-wandsworth-awaits-100m/)

**Categories:** Crime, Politics, Wandsworth Town

**Tags:** accountability, drones, HM Prison and Probation Service, HMP Wandsworth, Lord Timpson, maintenance backlog, Ministry of Justice, NAO, National Audit Office, prison drugs, prison security, Wandsworth Prison, Wandsworth Prison Improvement Campaign, WPIC, £100 million

---

### [The police raided it with a helicopter and dogs - now they want The Angel pub shut](https://putney.news/2026/02/04/the-police-raided-it-with-a-helicopter-and-dogs-now-they-want-the-angel-pub-shut/)

**Published:** February 4, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Licensing committee faces choice between police allegations of drug dealing and community petition.

**Content:**

Police raided The Angel pub in Roehampton with a helicopter and drug dogs, arrested two people, and found evidence of drug dealing. Now they want its licence revoked.

A statement tied to a post outside the pub notes “serious concerns regarding the management and operation of the premises” and cites fights, intimidation, crime, drug dealing and officers being assaulted for why it should be shut down.

Later this month, a licensing committee will decide if Roehampton ends up with a single pub for its 20,000 inhabitants. Putney, with 30,000 people, has 15.

![Drugs seized at the house of Siyad Abdulla in January. Pic: The Met.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/drugs-roehampton.jpg)Drugs seized at the house of Siyad Abdulla in January. Pic: The Met.#### The raid

Police [raided](https://www.metengage.co.uk/Alerts/A/332926/Local-police-action---The-Angel-Pub-Roehampton-High-Street) The Angel on 10 October after months of complaints about drug dealing and antisocial behaviour. It had been on the Met’s radar for some time as the centre of local criminal activity and was closed for three days in the aftermath.

A few months earlier, in July, Marc Evans was arrested at his Roehampton home and held on remand at Wandsworth Prison. He was due in court last week. A second man, Siyad Abdulla was [arrested](https://www.metengage.co.uk/Alerts/A/384090/Drug-dealer-arrested-and-charged) at his home in Fulham last month after he failed to appear in court on drug offences and ended up charged with possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

During Abdulla’s arrest the police found “a large quantity of cocaine, cannabis and MDMA along with paraphernalia consistent with drug dealing such as scales and deal bags.” His hearing is later this month. “He won’t be dealing drugs either in Putney or the wider South West London area anytime soon,” the police noted.

It’s part of a criminal web that the police are determined to shut down and The Angel, with its traditional pub feel of darts and bingo, is considered the social epicentre.

![Notice to revoke its licence, posted outside The Angel pub in Roehampton](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/angel-pub-notice-768x1024.png)#### The petition

Not all locals are happy about the effort however.

An [online petition](https://www.change.org/p/save-the-angel-pub-from-closure) to keep it open has already collected 291 signatures. Petition creator Jacky Wood calls the management “dutiful” operators who “cultivated an environment that welcomes all” for over a decade.

The Angel is “the heart and soul” of the community, the petition argues, and losing it would be “devastating” for Roehampton. For years, it has been a regular haunt of council officials whose Western Area Housing Office is nearby, although after the raid they were advised to go elsewhere.

The petition claims the Angel dates back to the 16th century, although Historic England lists no protection for the Angel. The King’s Head next door meanwhile is Grade II-listed, as is the former Montague Arms just seconds walk away – but it was closed and converted into a shop and flats 20 years ago, leaving just two pubs for the whole area.

The Angel itself is owned by Punch Partnerships (PML) Limited, one of five the company owns in Wandsworth, and part of the larger Punch Group which possesses over 1,200 pubs across the UK, operating them under various lease and tenancy models.

Sally Ann Cox has been its designated premises supervisor for over 10 years and is legally responsible for the The Angel’s day-to-day operations.

The petition to save it doesn’t mention the police raid.

![The side of The Angel pub in Roehampton](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/angel-pub-side-entrance-1024x768.png)#### What happens next

The licensing committee will hold a public hearing some time after 21 February.

Anyone can submit written representations. They must relate to preventing crime, ensuring safety, preventing nuisance, or protecting children. You can back the police or oppose them.

The committee will have a range of options: do nothing, modify conditions, remove the supervisor, suspend the licence for three months, or revoke it permanently.

We have asked Punch Partnerships (PML) what its views are of the application to revoke the pub’s licence. We have also asked the three local councillors, Cllr Henderson, Tiller and Yates, whether they will attend the hearing and if they will support locals who want it kept open, or the police who want it shut. We have yet to hear from them.

Until then, the future of the The Angel – a name that sits at odds with its reputation – hangs in the balance.

![The Angel pub in Roehampton](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/angel-pub-roehampton-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/04/the-police-raided-it-with-a-helicopter-and-dogs-now-they-want-the-angel-pub-shut/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/04/the-police-raided-it-with-a-helicopter-and-dogs-now-they-want-the-angel-pub-shut/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20police%20raided%20it%20with%20a%20helicopter%20and%20dogs%20%E2%80%93%20now%20they%20want%20The%20Angel%20pub%20shut&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/04/the-police-raided-it-with-a-helicopter-and-dogs-now-they-want-the-angel-pub-shut/)

**Categories:** Crime, Pubs, bars and nightlife, Roehampton

**Tags:** Angel Public House, Community Petition, drug dealing, Licensing Review, Metropolitan Police, Montague Arms, Punch Partnerships, Roehampton, Sally Ann Cox, The King's Head, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Lower speed limits coming to Roehampton Lane and A316 in coming weeks](https://putney.news/2026/02/04/lower-speed-limits-coming-to-roehampton-lane-and-a316-in-coming-weeks/)

**Published:** February 4, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Works starting early 2026 as safety programme expands despite congestion concerns.

**Content:**

Two major routes through southwest London will see reduced speed limits in the coming weeks as Transport for London’s safety programme reaches its third phase.

Roehampton Lane will drop from 30mph to 20mph between Upper Richmond Road and Kingston Road, while the A316 corridor will reduce from 40mph to 30mph between St Margarets Roundabout and Old Deer Park. Works are scheduled to start in “early 2026”.

TfL says the changes are part of its Vision Zero programme to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on London’s roads. The authority points to Phase 1 results showing a 25% reduction in collisions and a 24% fall in people killed or seriously injured. A separate study of borough roads between 1989 and 2013 found a 34% reduction in casualties where 20mph limits were introduced.

The works will involve new signage and road relining, carried out mostly as “mobile works” with minimal disruption to drivers. This means crews will work while traffic continues flowing, using temporary traffic management rather than full road closures. In some cases carriageway or footway closures may be needed with diversions in place.

The red route Roehampton Lane has [faced repeated disruption in recent weeks from burst water mains](https://putney.news/2026/01/09/roehampton-lane-reopens-now-work-on-carslake-road-water-main-burst-begins/). It is managed by TfL despite running through a built-up residential area.

> [London named world’s slowest capital as Putney’s buses hit crisis point](https://putney.news/2026/01/23/london-named-worlds-slowest-capital-as-putneys-buses-hit-crisis-point/)

But the speed reductions arrive against a backdrop of growing concern about congestion. [London was named the world’s slowest capital city](https://putney.news/2026/01/23/london-named-worlds-slowest-capital-as-putneys-buses-hit-crisis-point/) for the third year running in January, with a typical six-mile journey now taking 35 minutes at an average speed of just over 10mph.

Traffic expert Andy Marchant from TomTom said average speeds are “heavily shaped by static factors such as the widespread 20mph limits” alongside street design and high traffic volumes. The Route 14 bus through Putney now averages just 5.7mph, making it the slowest in the TfL network.

The changes form part of a wider rollout affecting nine locations across London in Phase 3. TfL says 267km of its road network is already subject to 20mph limits, with over half of London’s roads now at that speed. The authority implemented Phase 1 in central London’s Congestion Charging Zone in 2020.

But 20mph limits remain contested policy. Our [investigation into transport task and finish groups](https://putney.news/2025/09/18/transport-task-finish-groups-dramatic-successes-and-devastating-failures/) last year found critics calling a Warwickshire review of 20mph schemes “riddled with holes”, showing the policy is not settled science despite TfL’s collision data.

TfL’s consultation on the changes closed in late January. Works will begin in the coming weeks.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/04/lower-speed-limits-coming-to-roehampton-lane-and-a316-in-coming-weeks/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/04/lower-speed-limits-coming-to-roehampton-lane-and-a316-in-coming-weeks/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Lower%20speed%20limits%20coming%20to%20Roehampton%20Lane%20and%20A316%20in%20coming%20weeks&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/04/lower-speed-limits-coming-to-roehampton-lane-and-a316-in-coming-weeks/)

**Categories:** Roehampton, Transport

**Tags:** 20mph zones, A316, road safety, Roehampton, Roehampton Lane, speed limits, SW15, TfL, traffic, Vision Zero

---

### [Wandsworth officers called pension transfer crisis 'excellent performance'](https://putney.news/2026/02/04/wandsworth-officers-called-pension-transfer-crisis-excellent-performance/)

**Published:** February 4, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Council took 16 months to measure transfer delays after national requirement, then buried results showing only 55% success rate.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council pension officers told the board overseeing the borough’s £1.1 billion pension fund that performance was “excellent” – while data buried in the same report showed nearly half of residents trying to transfer their pensions were experiencing significant delays.

A review of the pension board’s papers also reveals that officers have taken more than a year to implement transparency requirements from regulators, and then failed to draw attention to startling failure rates affecting hundreds of residents trying to access their own money.

The failures only came to light after national regulators required all pension funds to adopt standardised performance measures in March 2024, shifting from whether people were provided with information about the value of their pension, to being able to actually access their funds.

Proving with some clarity the well-known phrase ‘what gets measured gets managed’ – and possibly extending it to ‘what doesn’t get measured gets hidden’ – council officers appear to have decided that maintaining their 98% KPI score is more important than publicly addressing the issues that have been uncovered.

#### The misrepresentation

In a report to the Local Pension Board on 9 February 2026, officers wrote that “performance indicators show an excellent standard is maintained” and that service standards were “consistent with previous years achievements.”

But data in Appendix A of the same report showed:

MetricQ2 2025 (Jul-Sep)Q3 2025 (Oct-Dec)TargetGapTransfer In Actual55.36%29.17%98%-42.64 to -68.83 pointsTransfer Out Actual62.03%57.06%98%-35.97 to -40.94 pointsFor years, Wandsworth had measured how quickly it could *tell* people what their pension was worth (achieving 95%+ success rates). It never measured how long it actually took to *move their money* – until national rules forced it to.

#### What was being measured – and what wasn’t

The distinction between what the council measured and what it ignored reveals the scale of the governance failure:

Measurement CategoryPerformanceStatus**What they measured (voluntarily)**Transfer Quotes: “How fast we give you a valuation”95%+✓Death acknowledgements100%✓Retirement letters99%+✓Divorce quotes100%✓**What they didn’t measure (until obliged)**Transfer Actuals: “How fast we actually move your money”55%✗A pension fund member’s typical experience would be receiving a valuation within days (counted as success), then requesting the actual transfer and waiting months with no clear timeline (not measured at all until July 2025).

The council has not disclosed how long members actually waited, or what the target timeframe is that 45% of Wandsworth Council pension transfers missed.

#### The implementation delay

National pension regulators (Scheme Advisory Board and CIPFA) published guidance on 28 March 2024 requiring all Local Government Pension Scheme funds to adopt standardised Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), specifically to prevent funds from gaming the system by choosing which metrics to report.

The guidance applied to the 2023/24 fiscal year and allowed funds to use “best endeavours” for that first year where implementation would require “disproportionate effort.”

**Wandsworth’s timeline:**

DateEvent**March 2024**Guidance published**April 2024 – March 2025**Entire 2024/25 fiscal year passes – no measurement**July 2025**First measurement – reveals 81%/67% failure**October 2025**Second measurement – shows collapse to 29%/57%**February 2026**Officers finally report to Board – but call it “excellent”During the 16 months between guidance publication and first measurement, Wandsworth members experiencing transfer delays had no way to know this was a systematic failure rather than their individual case.

#### The member impact

Between July and December 2025 – the only period for which data exists – 479 pension transfer cases were processed. In Q2 (July-September), the fund handled 130 Transfer In and 100 Transfer Out cases. In Q3 (October-December), this shifted to 72 Transfer In and 177 Transfer Out cases.

Of these, 45% missed the target timescale. Performance worsened dramatically in Q3, with 71% of Transfer In cases missing the target.

These are residents trying to consolidate their pensions, move to a new employer’s scheme, or take control of their retirement savings. Each delay affects financial planning and retirement timing.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/pension-scoring.png)#### What members are saying

Public reviews of the Pensions Shared Service paint a picture consistent with the performance data. The service has a 1.18 out of 5 rating on Google, with members reporting persistent problems accessing the service and experiencing delays.

“The worst disastrous service ever,” wrote one reviewer. “They promise and assure you they’ll do something on time” – a complaint echoed across multiple reviews spanning several years.

One member reported not receiving annual statements for nine years despite repeated assurances. Another described being unable to log into the online portal while the phone system directs callers to the website.

> “Finally got the phone to ring someone… and they cut me off. THEY ARE USELESS.”

The reviews document the member experience behind the statistics: anxiety from missed deadlines, forms submitted but never acknowledged, inability to reach staff by phone, and pension payments sent to wrong accounts.

While the council measures 95%+ success at providing transfer quotes, members describe a different reality: “I have been chasing them since last year and their answer is we are calculating please call after three months one month one week but nothing has happened.”

#### The November silence

The governance challenge extends beyond the presentation of the data – the board minutes suggest officers did not highlight the issue when the problem first appeared.

The Local Pension Board met in November 2025 and received performance data showing the first measurement: 81% and 67% performance vs 98% targets. The board minutes from that meeting discuss investment performance concerns but make no mention of the transfer crisis.

Three months later, with performance having collapsed to 29% and 57%, officers presented the data again – describing it as “excellent performance maintained.”

> [Wandsworth’s pension warning: risky bets, red flags, and no public access](https://putney.news/2025/06/05/wandsworths-pension-warning-risky-bets-red-flags-and-no-public-access/)

#### The pattern: measurement avoidance

For years, Wandsworth reported “excellent” administration performance by measuring only processes it controlled and did well at.

The 2018/19 CIPFA guidance “Administration in the LGPS” specifically warned about this pattern, noting that funds were focusing on “the period from when all data is received… to when the administration team complete that task” rather than measuring the full member experience.

National regulators designed the new standardised KPIs specifically to close this gap and ensure all funds measure the same things, making performance comparable and preventing selective reporting.

In Wandsworth’s case, implementation took 16 months from the publication of national guidance to the first measurement, with the results then appearing in appendices rather than being highlighted in executive summaries.

#### The staffing link

The pension fund’s own Risk Register rates “Partnership Staffing Resources” as High risk (score 8), noting “lack of trained staff to undertake the administration of the LGPS leading to loss of confidence in PSS by both customers and Partners.”

Controls listed include “continually exploring new technology as a response to increased demands on the PSS via legislative changes, increases in scheme members and specific requests from Partners.”

Despite identifying staffing as a high risk and transfer processing as a catastrophic failure, the fund’s Work Plan shows no specific remedial action scheduled to address the crisis.

#### What this reveals about local government accountability

The Wandsworth case reveals a broader problem with how councils report performance, as seen in [previous coverage of £350m pension surplus evaporating to £7.2m deficit](https://putney.news/2025/03/15/pension-chaos-wandsworth-council-faces-multi-million-pound-black-hole/), [£3.2bn pension mismanagement](https://putney.news/2025/04/23/wandsworth-council-pension-fund-mismanagement-exposed/), and [the forensic review launched by auditors](https://putney.news/2025/06/05/wandsworths-pension-warning-risky-bets-red-flags-and-no-public-access/).

**Governance by appendix:** Critical failures are disclosed in data tables while the executive summary describes overall performance positively. Board members must dig into detailed appendices and calculate percentage gaps themselves to spot problems – a pattern that raises questions about how significant underperformance should be flagged to oversight bodies.

**Selective measurement:** The pattern across local government shows a tendency to measure processes that demonstrate competence (what councils control) rather than outcomes that affect residents (what residents experience). When new outcome measures are required, implementation can be slower and results less prominently featured – a pattern also documented in [council betting on pension returns double what achieved](https://putney.news/2025/11/02/council-bets-on-pension-returns-double-what-it-actually-achieved-while-shutting-workers-out/) and [concerns about transparency in pension fund management](https://putney.news/2025/03/25/is-wandsworth-council-hiding-financial-mismanagement-behind-closed-doors/).

**Transparency theatre:** Information is technically available but presented in ways that make patterns difficult to spot – through executive summaries that emphasize positive performance, data placement in detailed appendices, and limited contextual explanation – an approach repeatedly observed in the [£40m council overspend](https://putney.news/2025/07/02/wandsworth-overspends-by-40m-and-worse-is-on-the-way/) and [concerns about Cabinet transparency](https://putney.news/2025/04/11/no-agenda-no-papers-wandsworth-council-cabinet-to-meet-behind-a-digital-curtain/).

Opposition councillors now question what other council services report “excellent” performance without measuring the outcomes that actually affect residents.

> [Behind closed doors: Wandsworth Council’s £3.2bn pension fund mismanagement exposed](https://putney.news/2025/04/23/wandsworth-council-pension-fund-mismanagement-exposed/)

---

### What You Can Do

If you’re experiencing delays with your Wandsworth Council pension transfer or concerned about your pension administration:

**Monitor your transfer:** Ask Pensions Shared Service (020 8871 6594, ) for updates every 4-6 weeks. Request specific timeline information and completion dates in writing.

**Complain if delayed:** If your transfer is taking longer than seems reasonable (the council won’t disclose the target timeframe), submit a [formal complaint](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/make-a-complaint) to the Pensions Shared Service. [Escalate to the Pensions Ombudsman](https://www.pensions-ombudsman.org.uk/making-complaint) if unsatisfied.

**Access your data:** You can request information about your specific case through [Subject Access Request](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/the-council/open-data-and-transparency/accessing-information/accessing-your-personal-information-subject-access-request/) under GDPR. Ask for all communications, processing dates, and any internal notes about delays affecting your transfer.

**Report serious concerns:** Contact [The Pensions Regulator](https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/contact-us) if you believe there are serious governance failures. The Scheme Advisory Board also [accepts concerns](https://lgpsboard.org/contact-us/) about LGPS administration standards.

Further background on pension transfers, the regulatory framework, and detailed timeline of events is available in the supporting materials for this investigation.

---

**Accountability Statement**

**We contacted:** The council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Director of Financial Services, and its press office.

**Request sent:** **2 February 2026**

---

****Cllr Angela Ireland**, **Paul Guilliotti**, Wandsworth Council**

*Cabinet Member for Finance, Director of Financial Services, Press Office*

**Status:** *No response received.*

Questions asked (click to expand)
*Is 55% performance against a 98% target considered “excellent” by Wandsworth Council? If so, what is the definition of “excellent”?*

*Why did it take 16 months from the publication of national guidance (March 2024) to begin measuring transfer processing times (July 2025)?*

*Why was the 81%/67% underperformance shown in November 2025 Appendix A not mentioned in the November board minutes?*

*What is the target timeframe for completing pension transfers? How long did members actually wait on average during July-December 2025?*

*The Risk Register identifies Partnership Staffing as High risk. What is the connection between staffing levels and transfer processing failures?*

*Paper 26-43 states service standards are “consistent with previous years achievements.” If Transfer In/Out Actual was not measured in previous years, how can you claim consistency?*

*How many complaints about transfer delays were received between July-December 2025?*

*What specific actions are being taken to improve Transfer In/Out Actual performance to meet the 98% target? When do you expect to achieve this?*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/04/wandsworth-officers-called-pension-transfer-crisis-excellent-performance/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/04/wandsworth-officers-called-pension-transfer-crisis-excellent-performance/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20officers%20called%20pension%20transfer%20crisis%20%E2%80%98excellent%20performance%E2%80%99&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/04/wandsworth-officers-called-pension-transfer-crisis-excellent-performance/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Angela Ireland, Cllr Angela Ireland, LGPS, Local Pension Board, Paul Guilliotti, pension fund, Pensions Shared Service, transparency, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Mayor's planning team finds Lennox Estate application violates London policy](https://putney.news/2026/02/03/mayors-planning-team-finds-lennox-estate-application-violates-london-policy/)

**Published:** February 3, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Biodiversity failure, tall building breach, and heritage harm trigger intervention powers.

**Content:**

The Greater London Authority has ruled that Wandsworth Council’s application to build a 14-storey tower on the Lennox Estate does not comply with the London Plan, strengthening objectors’ case and increasing the likelihood of mayoral intervention if the council attempts approval.

The Lennox Estate GLA [ruling](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GLA-Lennox-Estate-letter-Jan26.pdf) \[pdf\], issued on January 26, identifies five major policy failures including a statutory biodiversity requirement the application admits it cannot meet. The Deputy Mayor for Planning found the scheme “does not yet fully comply” with London planning policy, triggering a process that could see the Mayor of London block or call in the decision.

The [finding](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GLA-Lennox-Estate-report-Jan26.pdf) \[pdf\] confirms what [we identified in our analysis of the application](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/10-reasons-to-refuse-the-lennox-estate-tower/): the council is proposing development that violates its own planning rules. [All 287 public comments on the application were objections](https://putney.news/2026/01/24/287-lennox-estate-objections-zero-support-what-residents-said-about-the-tower/). Not one resident supported the scheme.

> [10 reasons to refuse the Lennox Estate tower](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/10-reasons-to-refuse-the-lennox-estate-tower/)

#### Five policy failures identified

The GLA Stage 1 report documents failures across biodiversity, building height, heritage protection, energy policy, and parking standards.

The most serious is biodiversity net gain. The Environment Act 2021 mandates a 10% improvement in biodiversity for all new development. This has been law since February 2024. The application admits it cannot meet this statutory requirement, showing a 0.02 watercourse units shortfall. The GLA notes this “must be addressed” before any approval.

The 14-storey tower violates tall building policy. The London Plan permits tall buildings only on sites specifically designated for them. This site is not designated. The plan sets a maximum height of four storeys (12 metres) for buildings in general areas. The tower would be 14 storeys. [The council’s own heritage advisors already recommended refusal](https://putney.news/2026/01/09/council-advisors-say-no-to-lennox-estate-tower-block/) citing this impact.

The scheme would harm the Grade II listed Priory Hospital, a heritage asset protected by law. The GLA confirms the harm exists and must be justified under heritage policy.

Energy and sustainability policies show multiple breaches. The application fails to comply with London Plan policies SI2 (minimising greenhouse gas emissions), SI3 (energy infrastructure), SI4 (managing heat risk), SI13 (sustainable drainage), and SI5 (water infrastructure). Each failure must be resolved.

Parking provision exceeds permitted levels. The application proposes 40 car parking spaces. London Plan policy sets a maximum of 20 spaces for a development of this size and type. The GLA requires this to be reduced or justified with evidence the council has not provided.

> [287 Lennox Estate objections, zero support: what residents said about the tower](https://putney.news/2026/01/24/287-lennox-estate-objections-zero-support-what-residents-said-about-the-tower/)

#### What mayoral intervention means

The GLA ruling changes the planning process fundamentally. If Wandsworth’s planning committee votes to approve the application despite these failures, the council cannot issue planning permission. It must refer the decision back to the Mayor of London.

This is Stage 2 of the GLA planning process. The Mayor then has 14 days to decide between three options: allow the council’s decision to stand, direct the council to refuse the application (Article 6), or call in the application and become the decision-maker himself (Article 7).

The combination of statutory biodiversity failure, tall building policy breach, and heritage harm makes intervention more likely than for applications with minor policy concerns. The GLA has explicitly told the council these issues “must be addressed” before approval could be considered.

The council could withdraw the application and submit a revised scheme addressing the GLA’s concerns. It could reduce the tower height, remedy the biodiversity shortfall through off-site measures, redesign to reduce heritage harm, improve energy performance, and cut parking spaces. Whether these changes would still deliver 81 affordable homes at viable cost is unclear.

Alternatively, the council could proceed to committee and argue the failures are outweighed by housing need. Given the planning committee includes councillors who serve on the cabinet that commissioned this scheme, and that the council is simultaneously applicant and decision-maker, the political pressure to approve may prove stronger than planning policy.

> [Council advisors say no to Lennox Estate tower block](https://putney.news/2026/01/09/council-advisors-say-no-to-lennox-estate-tower-block/)

#### Background: Protected open space

Application 2025/4170 proposes 81 affordable homes in two buildings up to 14 storeys on the Lennox Estate in Roehampton. The site is designated Protected Open Space in Wandsworth’s Local Plan, adopted in 2023 specifically to prevent building on it.

Between 1989 and 1994, Lennox Estate residents defeated six planning applications from a private developer who had purchased The Green for £419,000. More than 880 residents signed petitions. A Planning Inspector ruled in 1992 that the estate was “deficient in accessible open space” and housing need could not override protection where there was “demonstrable local deficiency.”

The council is now proposing to build on the same land its own inspectors said must be protected.

#### How to track this application

You can monitor the application’s progress through Wandsworth Council’s planning portal (search for application 2025/4170) and the GLA’s planning decisions page (search for GLA/2025/1037/S1).

If the council schedules a planning committee hearing, residents can register to speak. The committee must give objectors the opportunity to present their case before voting.

If you want to raise concerns with councillors, contact your ward councillors or the Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Aydin Dikerdem (cllr.a.dikerdem@wandsworth.gov.uk).

If the application proceeds to Stage 2 after committee approval, the GLA will accept further representations. Contact the Mayor’s planning team at planning.enquiries@london.gov.uk with reference GLA/2025/1037/S1.

The Lennox Estate GLA ruling makes clear that the council’s own planning application fails to meet the standards it enforces on private developers. Whether the council will withdraw, revise, or push ahead regardless will reveal how seriously it takes its own policies.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/03/mayors-planning-team-finds-lennox-estate-application-violates-london-policy/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/03/mayors-planning-team-finds-lennox-estate-application-violates-london-policy/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Mayor%E2%80%99s%20planning%20team%20finds%20Lennox%20Estate%20application%20violates%20London%20policy&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/03/mayors-planning-team-finds-lennox-estate-application-violates-london-policy/)

**Categories:** Planning, Politics

**Tags:** biodiversity, GLA, Lennox Estate, London Plan, Mayoral Intervention, planning, Roehampton, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Free tickets to London Wetland Centre this week for World Wetlands Day](https://putney.news/2026/02/03/free-tickets-to-london-wetland-centre-this-week-for-world-wetlands-day/)

**Published:** February 3, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Content:**

World Wetlands Day celebrations offer the perfect excuse to explore spectacular wetlands within easy reach of Putney – and one comes with free tickets this week.

London Wetland Centre in Barnes is offering free entry from Friday 31 January through Friday 7 February. Claim tickets online with an email address at the [WWT website](https://www.wwt.org.uk/about-us/news/get-lost-in-your-own-adventure-this-world-wetlands-day). Meanwhile, the wetlands on Wimbledon and Putney Commons are thriving, with Queensmere Pond nearly full again after recent rains. These urban oases provide both environmental education and proven mood-boosting benefits.

Research shows just 10 minutes in wetland settings improves wellbeing, according to WWT Chief Executive Sarah Fowler. “Amazing things can happen in wetlands,” Fowler said. “These inspiring spaces quiet the noise of everyday life and give us the opportunity to get up close to nature.”

#### Free tickets to London Wetland Centre

The 105-acre wildlife haven in Barnes sits just 25 minutes’ walk from Putney Bridge via the Thames towpath. Bus 485 runs directly to the centre from Putney, or catch routes 33, 378, or 419 to the Red Lion stop on Castelnau.

Free parking is available on site, including accessible bays and electric vehicle charging points. The centre is open seven days a week with last admission one hour before closing.

For World Wetlands Day, the centre is offering a penny-coin map adventure where visitors flip a coin to decide their path through the reserve. The site features six hides for wildlife watching, accessible paths, a three-storey viewing tower, café, and adventure playground for children.

Winter visitors can spot nationally important numbers of gadwall and shoveler ducks, along with regular bittern sightings. Breeding birds include little ringed plover, lapwing, water rail, and sand martin. Kingfishers, grebes, and up to seven species of bat make the wetlands home. The centre also supports water voles, slow-worms, grass snakes, and common lizards.

![Wimbledon Common wetlands](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/wimbledon-common-1024x576.png)#### Wimbledon and Putney Commons wetlands

The wetlands on [Wimbledon and Putney Commons](https://putney.news/organiser/wimbledon-and-putney-commons-conservators/) are thriving. Queensmere Pond has refilled after recent rains, according to a post from the Commons conservators celebrating World Wetlands Day.

The Commons support nine ponds and wetland areas, providing habitat for amphibians, invertebrates, and wildfowl. These wetlands benefit from a £10,500 community fundraising campaign in May last year that funded a specialist hydrology study to protect the rare ecosystem.

The Commons are also home to Beverley Brook, which flows through Wimbledon Common despite facing periodic pollution challenges. Conservation efforts continue to protect and restore these vital habitats. Barnes Common, where Beverley Brook also flows, hosts additional wetland habitat and reedbeds that support fish, water voles, and birds including Cetti’s warblers.

#### Why wetlands matter

World Wetlands Day marks the anniversary of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, signed in 1971 to protect these critical ecosystems. This year’s theme celebrates “Wetlands and traditional knowledge: Celebrating cultural heritage.”

Wetlands support biodiversity, improve water quality, provide flood management, and offer accessible green space for urban communities. For Putney residents, three distinct wetland experiences sit within a half-hour journey, each offering different wildlife, access, and atmosphere.

The London Wetland Centre free ticket offer expires Friday 7 February. Plan a visit this week to mark World Wetlands Day while exploring one of the capital’s most remarkable wildlife havens.

![Wetlands in Putney and Wimbledon Common](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/wimbledon-common-wetlands-1024x1024.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/03/free-tickets-to-london-wetland-centre-this-week-for-world-wetlands-day/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/03/free-tickets-to-london-wetland-centre-this-week-for-world-wetlands-day/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Free%20tickets%20to%20London%20Wetland%20Centre%20this%20week%20for%20World%20Wetlands%20Day&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/03/free-tickets-to-london-wetland-centre-this-week-for-world-wetlands-day/)

**Categories:** Community, Things to do

**Tags:** Barnes, Barnes Common, Beverley Brook, conservation, free tickets, London Wetland Centre, nature, Queensmere Pond, things to do, wetlands, wildlife, Wimbledon and Putney Commons, World Wetlands Day, WWT

---

### [MP claims Hammersmith Bridge funding decisions "in the coming weeks"](https://putney.news/2026/02/03/mp-claims-hammersmith-bridge-funding-decisions-in-the-coming-weeks/)

**Published:** February 3, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Putney MP's claim of 'real momentum' contradicted by taskforce inactivity and unapproved business case.

**Content:**

Putney MP Fleur Anderson has told constituents that “key funding decisions” on Hammersmith Bridge are “expected in the coming weeks”, despite the government-led taskforce responsible for the bridge not meeting for 13 months.

In an email sent yesterday following a [protest event](https://putney.news/2026/01/25/passion-without-a-pathway-politicians-demand-action-on-bridge-they-cant-agree-how-to-fix/ "Passion without a pathway: politicians demand action on bridge they can’t agree how to fix") on 24 January, Anderson said there was “real momentum now” and shared a letter from Deputy Mayor for Transport Seb Dance stating the taskforce would be “reconvened imminently”. But the taskforce has not met since 30 January 2025, and no meeting date has been announced publicly.

The bridge has been closed to motor vehicles for nearly seven years, with repair costs estimated at £250 million and no funding agreement in place.

#### What the Deputy Mayor said, and when

The letter Anderson shared with constituents was written by Seb Dance, Deputy Mayor for Transport, on 22 January 2026, two days before the protest event. Dance wrote: “I have been advised that the Taskforce will be reconvened imminently and look forward to receiving an update on the funding situation at that time.”

That was 11 days ago. The taskforce website, last updated in February 2025, shows no scheduled meetings. The Department for Transport has made no public announcement about reconvening the group. No meeting agenda or date has been published.

Anderson’s email today stated: “There is real momentum now, and your presence at the event has helped to strengthen our campaign, with key funding decisions expected in the coming weeks.”

The optimism of “real momentum” is difficult to reconcile with the taskforce’s track record. Since its formation in September 2020, the group has met 17 times across five years. It paused for 38 months between November 2021 and January 2025. It has now been silent for 13 months since reconvening.

Sarah Olney, Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park, said at the [protest event on 24 January](https://putney.news/2026/01/25/passion-without-a-pathway-politicians-demand-action-on-bridge-they-cant-agree-how-to-fix/) that she has received “five versions of essentially the same letter over six months, each promising action without delivering it”. Dance’s letter to Anderson appears to follow this pattern: reassurances about the taskforce reconvening “imminently”, with no date provided and no meeting scheduled 11 days later.

> [Passion without a pathway: politicians demand action on bridge they can’t agree how to fix](https://putney.news/2026/01/25/passion-without-a-pathway-politicians-demand-action-on-bridge-they-cant-agree-how-to-fix/)

#### The January 2025 meeting: three options, no follow-up

At the 30 January meeting last year, the taskforce reviewed six potential solutions for the bridge. Three were immediately ruled out: preserving it as an unopened monument, demolishing it entirely, or building a replacement bridge offline.

The three remaining options are a Foster-Cowi designed “double-decker” bridge with a new road deck above the current pedestrian level, reopening for active travel plus limited single-decker buses, or reopening for pedestrians and cyclists only.

[Minutes from the meeting](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Hammersmith-Bridge-Taskforce-Minutes-30Jan25.pdf) \[pdf\], obtained through Freedom of Information requests, show taskforce members acknowledged that permanently banning cars “could mean lower restoration costs and bring environmental benefits”, though they recognised this “may be a cost in terms of possible congestion in the surrounding areas and impact on bus routes”.

The taskforce agreed to explore these three options in detail. Officials were tasked with developing plans. A follow-up meeting would be scheduled “once officials develop detailed plans”.

Thirteen months later, no meeting has been announced. No timeline has been provided. No progress update has been published. Dance’s claim 11 days ago that the taskforce would reconvene “imminently” has not materialised. Anderson’s claim today of funding decisions “in the coming weeks” provides no specific date or source.

> [Minister dodges Hammersmith Bridge questions in live radio meltdown](https://putney.news/2025/06/16/minister-dodges-hammersmith-bridge-questions-in-live-radio-meltdown/)

#### All stakeholders Labour-controlled, yet no meeting date

All parties involved in the taskforce are now controlled by Labour following the party’s general election victory in July 2024. Minister Simon Lightwood chairs the taskforce for the Department for Transport. Stephen Cowan leads Hammersmith and Fulham Council. Simon Hogg leads Wandsworth Council, which joined the taskforce in January 2025. Mayor Sadiq Khan oversees Transport for London and the Greater London Authority.

This removes the political blame-shifting that characterised the taskforce under Conservative government. Yet 13 months after reconvening under unified Labour control, the taskforce has not met again despite Dance’s assurance it would reconvene “imminently” and Anderson’s claim today of “real momentum”.

#### A three-year-old business case, still unapproved

Hammersmith and Fulham Council submitted a formal business case to the Department for Transport in December 2022, proposing how the bridge could be fully repaired and how costs could be split between the council, Transport for London, and central government.

The council has never received a formal response approving or rejecting the proposal. The business case was dropped from meeting agendas in 2023 and 2024. Its status remains unclear more than three years after submission.

Under a funding framework proposed in 2021, the repair bill would be split three ways. The Department for Transport would pay a third, Transport for London a third, and Hammersmith and Fulham Council a third. However, the council has said it can only raise its share through a road user charge or toll, measures that would require government approval.

The council has already spent £48 million on the bridge over six years, covering 85% of all costs to date. The Department for Transport has provided £13 million, and Transport for London £2.9 million.

> [Hammersmith Bridge: A masterclass in evasion, delay, and political cowardice](https://putney.news/2025/06/20/hammersmith-bridge-a-masterclass-in-evasion-delay-and-political-cowardice/)

#### “Talking shop” warnings proved accurate

When the taskforce was formed in September 2020, politicians across parties warned against it becoming ineffective. Their predictions have proved accurate.

“We must avoid an empty talking shop,” Stephen Cowan, leader of Hammersmith and Fulham Council, said at the taskforce’s launch. By June 2021, he was describing the “contempt this Government, and its absurdly named Taskforce, has” for residents.

Fleur Anderson herself called it “little task and no force” in April 2021. Three years later, she estimated the bridge will not reopen until 2035, a decade away. Andy Slaughter, Labour MP for Hammersmith, said in March 2021 there was “too much rather than too little chat”. Sarah Olney, Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park, described the taskforce as “painstakingly ineffective” the same month.

Even Mayor Sadiq Khan’s spokesman said in September 2020 that “Londoners need the Government to pay…they do not need another talking shop”.

The taskforce met 10 times between September and December 2020, then seven times between January and November 2021. It then paused for 38 months. It reconvened once in January 2025. It has now been silent for 13 months. In total, the taskforce has met 17 times across five years.

> [Government offers £3m for Hammersmith Bridge bike lane but sidesteps £250m rebuild question](https://putney.news/2024/04/08/government-offers-3m-for-hammersmith-bridge-bike-lane-but-sidesteps-250m-rebuild-question/)

#### What happened to August’s “working to arrange next meeting”?

In August 2025, Anderson told constituents she was “working to arrange the next Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce meeting”. Six months later, no date has been announced. Her email today refers to Dance’s letter about the taskforce reconvening “imminently”, but provides no explanation for why this has not happened in the 11 days since Dance wrote that letter.

The taskforce website, last updated in February 2025, states its commitment to “transparency and regular communication with residents and stakeholders about the bridge’s future”. The 13-month silence contradicts this promise.

#### The wider funding picture

The Labour government announced a £1 billion Structures Fund in June 2025. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander confirmed it “could be used to help reopen Hammersmith Bridge”. However, no specific allocation has been made, and the criteria for accessing the fund remain undefined.

Dance’s letter to Anderson stated: “I have made direct representations to the Secretary of State about the imperative for London to have access to the Structures Fund to support the repair of ageing assets like Hammersmith Bridge. I and TfL will continue to make the case to government about the need to confirm a solution for the bridge as soon as possible.”

The letter provides no indication that access to the Structures Fund has been secured or that any specific funding decision is imminent. Anderson’s claim today that “key funding decisions” are “expected in the coming weeks” goes beyond what Dance’s letter states.

The taskforce has no statutory powers, no legal authority, and no budget allocation powers. Its participation is voluntary, as demonstrated by the 38-month pause when no meetings were held. Legal responsibility for the bridge remains with Hammersmith and Fulham Council under Section 41(1) of the Highways Act 1980.

> [Annual Hammersmith Bridge theatre: another meeting, another year, zero progress](https://putney.news/2026/01/01/annual-hammersmith-bridge-theatre-another-meeting-another-year-zero-progress/)

#### How residents can take action

Residents affected by the bridge closure can contact their representatives directly to demand clarity on when the taskforce will meet:

**Minister Simon Lightwood MP** (Taskforce Chair)
Department for Transport, Great Minster House, 33 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 4DR
Email: 

**Fleur Anderson MP** (Putney)
Email: 
Phone: 020 8780 4490

**Cllr Simon Hogg** (Leader, Wandsworth Council)
Email: 

**Cllr Stephen Cowan** (Leader, Hammersmith & Fulham Council)
Email: 

**Seb Dance** (Deputy Mayor for Transport)
Greater London Authority, City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, London E16 1ZE
Email: 

**Mayor Sadiq Khan** (Greater London Authority)
Email: 

Residents can also request information about taskforce activities through Freedom of Information requests to the Department for Transport. The government is legally required to respond within 20 working days.

A template FOI request: “Please provide all minutes, agendas, and correspondence relating to Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce meetings scheduled or held since 30 January 2025, including any dates proposed for reconvening the taskforce and updates on the three repair options discussed at that meeting.”

Send FOI requests to: 

For guidance on writing effective FOI requests, see the Information Commissioner’s Office guidance at: 

#### Background

The Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce was established on 9 September 2020 by then-Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. The bridge had been closed to motor vehicles since April 2019 following the discovery of cracks in its cast iron pedestals.

The taskforce initially met weekly, then shifted to meetings every six to eight weeks. Its last meeting under Conservative government was on 25 November 2021. It was paused with no meetings for 38 months.

The taskforce reconvened under Labour government on 30 January 2025, with Wandsworth Council joining for the first time. The meeting lasted 90 minutes. No further meetings have been scheduled.

The bridge remains open to pedestrians and cyclists. Work to resurface the central carriageway, allowing cyclists to ride rather than dismount, is expected to complete in spring 2025.

The bridge’s closure affects bus routes connecting Barnes, Mortlake, and East Sheen to Hammersmith, with passengers facing diversions via Putney Bridge that can add up to an hour to journeys.

Wandsworth Council’s investigation found that motor vehicle traffic on Putney Bridge increased by 16% between 2020 and 2023, rising from 32,083 to 37,239 vehicles daily. The council attributes much of this increase to Hammersmith Bridge’s closure pushing traffic onto alternative routes.

The bridge was built in 1887 and is Grade II-listed. It closed to vehicles in April 2019 after safety assessments revealed micro fractures in critical structural elements. Pedestrians and cyclists were also barred in 2020 due to cracking in the cast iron pedestals during a heatwave, with engineers warning of potential “catastrophic” failure. The bridge reopened to pedestrians, cyclists, and river traffic in July 2021 after stabilisation works.

The estimated timeline for a full repair programme, if approved and funded, is 10 years. Anderson’s estimate of 2035 for vehicle reopening appears realistic given the lack of funding agreement and the 13-month taskforce silence since its last meeting.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/03/mp-claims-hammersmith-bridge-funding-decisions-in-the-coming-weeks/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/03/mp-claims-hammersmith-bridge-funding-decisions-in-the-coming-weeks/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=MP%20claims%20Hammersmith%20Bridge%20funding%20decisions%20%E2%80%9Cin%20the%20coming%20weeks%E2%80%9D&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/03/mp-claims-hammersmith-bridge-funding-decisions-in-the-coming-weeks/)

**Categories:** Politics, Transport

**Tags:** accountability, bridge closure, Department for Transport, Fleur Anderson, Hammersmith and Fulham Council, Hammersmith Bridge, infrastructure, Labour, Transport for London, Wandsworth Council

---

### [£884m borrowing spree hits council tenants with 4.8% rent increase](https://putney.news/2026/02/02/884m-borrowing-spree-hits-council-tenants-with-4-8-rent-increase/)

**Published:** February 2, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Housing Revenue Account surplus collapses 86% after years of fire safety failures.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council will ask tenants to fund an £884 million borrowing programme through rent increases, according to budget papers published ahead of Wednesday’s Full Council special meeting.

The Wandsworth Council housing budget for 2026-31 shows the Housing Revenue Account surplus is projected to collapse 86% over three years — from £16.2 million in 2026/27 to just £2.2 million by 2028/29 — driven by fire safety overspend and delayed repairs. To plug the gap, the council plans to borrow £884 million over the next decade while raising rents by 4.8% this April.

The financial crisis stems directly from [years of fire safety failures](https://putney.news/2025/11/11/hundreds-of-wandsworth-residents-trapped-by-unfinished-fire-safety-work/) that cost the council [a damning C3 grading](https://putney.news/2025/03/01/wandsworth-council-told-to-fix-serious-failings-in-fire-safety/) last year. Council documents now admit repairs overspent by £9 million in 2024-25, with 80% of the council’s housing stock still unsurveyed for safety risks.

#### Fire safety failures driving borrowing crisis

The £9 million repairs overspend revealed in Paper 26-7 follows the September 2024 Fox House fire that [displaced 60 residents](https://putney.news/2025/11/11/hundreds-of-wandsworth-residents-trapped-by-unfinished-fire-safety-work/) and exposed systematic failures. An audit published in November found 16 of 25 tower blocks – 64% – had overdue fire safety actions, with the council receiving a Priority 1 recommendation to fix the failures.

The C3 grading from the Regulator of Social Housing in February 2025 identified [1,800 overdue fire safety actions](https://putney.news/2025/03/01/wandsworth-council-told-to-fix-serious-failings-in-fire-safety/) across Wandsworth’s housing stock. A scrutiny meeting in April revealed the council had surveyed [only 6.5% of homes](https://putney.news/2025/04/09/wandsworth-council-lagging-behind-peers-after-damning-housing-safety-report/), placing Wandsworth near the bottom among London boroughs.

Paper 26-7 confirms that position has barely improved. The Wandsworth Council housing budget documents show 80% of stock remains unsurveyed: approximately 20,000 homes where the council doesn’t know if critical safety measures are in place.

The £9 million overspend includes repairs and refurbishment of vacant properties, general repairs, and building and fire safety works identified through stock condition surveys. The revised repairs and maintenance budget of £52.4 million represents a £7.4 million increase over the original £45.0 million budget.

The council now assumes it can find £4.5 million in “efficiency savings” from repairs over the next five years; a projection that relies on fixing problems the council has spent years failing to address.

> [Wandsworth Council lagging behind peers after damning Housing Safety report](https://putney.news/2025/04/09/wandsworth-council-lagging-behind-peers-after-damning-housing-safety-report/)

#### £884m borrowing with no breakdown

The Wandsworth Council housing budget plans £884 million in external borrowing over 10 years, adding to the £129 million the council has already borrowed internally from its own reserves.

Paper 26-7 provides no breakdown of what the £884 million will fund. The borrowing programme appears in Table 2 as a single line item spanning 2026-27 through 2035-36, with annual borrowing ranging from £38 million to £159 million.

This opacity continues a pattern established in December when [Cabinet Member for Finance Cllr Angela Ireland’s “no debt” claim collapsed](https://putney.news/2025/12/07/councils-no-debt-claim-collapses-in-48-hours/) within 48 hours. Ireland told Cabinet on 1 December the council had “no debt,” then finance papers confirmed £129 million in internal borrowing two days later. When pressed at Full Council, [Ireland admitted she didn’t know](https://putney.news/2025/12/12/cabinets-head-of-finance-doesnt-know-how-much-council-has-borrowed/) the current internal borrowing figure, estimating “£160 million to my knowledge.”

The Housing Revenue Account overspent by [£25.9 million in 2024-25](https://putney.news/2025/07/02/wandsworth-overspends-by-40m-and-worse-is-on-the-way/), part of a £40 million overspend across the council that forced it to dip into reserves. Paper 26-7’s financial projections show the annual HRA surplus declining from £16.2 million in 2026/27 to just £2.2 million by 2028/29 — an 86% drop driven by fire safety failures, delayed repairs, and mounting capital financing costs.

> [Council’s ‘no debt’ claim collapses in 48 hours](https://putney.news/2025/12/07/councils-no-debt-claim-collapses-in-48-hours/)

#### Tenants paying through rent increases

Council tenants will see rents rise 4.8% from April 2026, approximately £7 per week to the average £154 weekly rent. This increase follows the government formula allowing councils to raise rents by CPI inflation plus 1% – currently 3.8% CPI plus the 1% uplift.

The Wandsworth Council housing budget projects rent income rising from £114.1 million in 2025-26 to £141.3 million by 2030-31. That £27.2 million increase over five years will service the borrowing costs while funding the repairs the council should have completed years ago.

Service charges will also rise, though Paper 26-7 provides no detail on the increases planned. The budget assumes service charge income growing from £24.7 million to £30.4 million over five years which is a £5.7 million increase paid by tenants for building maintenance, estate services, and communal repairs.

Paper 26-7 makes no mention of disrepair settlements despite the council facing multiple Housing Ombudsman investigations. In May, the ombudsman [slammed the council](https://putney.news/2025/05/22/rot-in-the-roof-wandsworth-slammed-for-four-year-housing-scandal/) for a four-year leak failure, highlighting defensive responses to legitimate resident complaints.

> [“Rot in the roof”: Wandsworth slammed for four-year housing scandal](https://putney.news/2025/05/22/rot-in-the-roof-wandsworth-slammed-for-four-year-housing-scandal/)

#### What tenants can do

Tenants concerned about rent increases or fire safety failures have several options:

**Challenge rent decisions:** Contact your ward councillor before Tuesday’s Full Council meeting. [Find your councillor’s contact details](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/the-council/councillors/find-your-councillors/) through the council website. Councillors representing wards with significant council housing include Cllr Aydin Dikerdem (Cabinet Member for Housing, Shaftesbury & Queenstown), Cllr Matthew Tiller (Deputy Cabinet Member for Housing, Roehampton), and Cllr Jenny Yates (Cabinet Member for Transport, Roehampton).

**Report fire safety concerns:** If you have concerns about fire safety in your building, contact the council’s housing team directly or report to the Housing Ombudsman for disrepair issues. The ombudsman investigates cases where councils fail to maintain safe housing conditions.

**Attend Full Council:** The meeting takes place Tuesday 4 February 2026 at Wandsworth Town Hall. Public seating is available and residents can observe the debate and vote on the Wandsworth Council housing budget.

> [Wandsworth overspends by £40m — and worse is on the way](https://putney.news/2025/07/02/wandsworth-overspends-by-40m-and-worse-is-on-the-way/)

#### Pattern of borrowing warnings ignored

Critics [warned about mounting debt](https://putney.news/2025/03/05/wandsworth-council-warned-about-ticking-timebomb-of-new-debt/) in March 2025, when the council announced plans to borrow an additional £140 million by 2029-30. That warning came as total debt was projected to reach £1.9 billion, with £80 million in interest payments due over five years.

The HRA borrowing of £884 million sits on top of that wider debt burden. Combined with the £129 million internal borrowing confirmed in December, the Housing Revenue Account alone will carry over £1 billion in debt, all of it serviced through tenant rents and ultimately repayable by future generations of council housing residents.

Paper 26-7 projects HRA balances falling from £194.3 million in 2025-26 to £149.4 million by 2030-31. That £44.9 million decline over five years provides a financial cushion, but only if the £4.5 million efficiency assumptions prove realistic and no further crises emerge.

The budget assumes no major incidents requiring emergency spending, no additional regulatory failures demanding urgent investment, and repairs costs falling despite 80% of stock remaining unsurveyed. If any of these assumptions prove wrong, the financial pressure on the HRA intensifies.

Wednesday’s vote will determine whether this Wandsworth Council housing budget becomes reality or whether councillors demand greater transparency on what £884 million in borrowing will actually fund.

> [Wandsworth Council warned about ticking timebomb of new debt](https://putney.news/2025/03/05/wandsworth-council-warned-about-ticking-timebomb-of-new-debt/)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/02/884m-borrowing-spree-hits-council-tenants-with-4-8-rent-increase/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/02/884m-borrowing-spree-hits-council-tenants-with-4-8-rent-increase/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%C2%A3884m%20borrowing%20spree%20hits%20council%20tenants%20with%204.8%25%20rent%20increase&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/02/884m-borrowing-spree-hits-council-tenants-with-4-8-rent-increase/)

**Categories:** Finance, Housing, Politics

**Tags:** Angela Ireland, Aydin Dikerdem, borrowing, council housing, debt, Fire safety, Full Council, Housing Revenue Account, rent increases, Wandsworth Council

---

### [The wooden pen that outlasted the highwaymen](https://putney.news/2026/02/02/the-wooden-pen-that-outlasted-the-highwaymen/)

**Published:** February 2, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Putney Heath's Grade II listed cattle pound and the wild history around it.

**Content:**

Most people waiting for the 14 bus at Putney Heath don’t notice the small wooden enclosure half-hidden beneath two enormous plane trees. It looks like something a local allotment society might have knocked together. In fact, it’s a Grade II listed building, one of the last physical links to a time when Putney Heath was London’s wild frontier.

The cattle pound opposite the Green Man pub has stood here since the 19th century, originally built to hold stray livestock found wandering the heath. Today it sits empty, a curiosity from an era when cattle and sheep still grazed common land within sight of London, and a parish official called a “pinder” would round them up and charge owners for their return.

The system stretched back to the Statute of Marlborough in 1267, which established that lords of the manor could impound straying animals and demand payment before releasing them. For nearly 600 years, this was how England managed the eternal problem of wandering livestock. The Putney Heath pound is one of the few to survive, listed by Historic England in 1983 as a rare example of a once-common rural structure.

#### When the heath was dangerous

Putney Heath history involves far more colourful characters than stray cattle. For much of the 18th century, the heath was notorious as highwayman territory, the last stretch of open ground before the Portsmouth Road reached the safety of London’s streets.

The [Green Man pub](https://putney.news/2026/02/01/yorkshire-pudding-green-man/), which has occupied its spot on the edge of the heath since around 1700, was where gentlemen retreated after duelling on the common ground nearby. Local legend holds that Dick Turpin once stashed his guns in an upstairs room, and that robbers would watch wealthy travellers taking refreshment before following them onto the heath.

The most notorious was Jerry Abershaw (Jeremiah Abershaw, to give him his proper name), who terrorised the Portsmouth Road in the 1790s. In 1795, he was finally caught at the Green Man itself, where Putney Hill meets Tibbet’s Ride. After his execution at Kennington Common, his body was brought back to the heath and hung in chains as a warning to others. The spot became known as “Jerry’s Hill.”

The cattle pound would have been there throughout Abershaw’s reign, a mundane agricultural fixture amid the drama of highway robbery. While travellers feared for their purses, the pinder was still collecting stray sheep.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/cattle-pound-putney-heath-1024x768.png)#### Prime ministers at dawn

The heath’s reputation for violence extended to more respectable circles. Duelling was illegal, but that didn’t stop gentlemen, including serving Prime Ministers, from settling their differences here.

In May 1798, William Pitt the Younger, then Prime Minister, faced William Tierney MP on Putney Heath after a dispute in the House of Commons. Pitt lived nearby at Bowling-Green House, named for the famous bowling green that had made the area fashionable since the 1690s. Both men fired and missed (possibly deliberately) and honour was satisfied without bloodshed. Pitt died in the same house eight years later.

The heath saw more cabinet-level gunfire in September 1809, when Foreign Secretary George Canning fought Lord Castlereagh, the Secretary of State for War. This time there was blood: Canning was wounded in the thigh. Both men had to resign from government.

#### A monument to not burning down

Near the cattle pound stands another curiosity of Putney Heath history: a stone and brick obelisk erected in the 1770s to commemorate a fireproof house.

David Hartley the Younger had patented a system of iron and copper plates that he claimed could prevent fires spreading between floors. To prove it worked, he built a demonstration house on the heath and repeatedly set fire to the lower floors while distinguished visitors watched from above. King George III and Queen Charlotte attended one demonstration, breakfasting upstairs while flames crackled below. The fact that the monarch was not accidentally incinerated was apparently considered a triumph.

The obelisk, with its ornately detailed foundation stone, still stands near the car park by the Telegraph pub on Wildcroft Road. It has been Grade II listed since 1955.

![By AndyScott - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=90222424](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Putney_Heath_Hartley_Memorial_Obelisk-683x1024.png)Hartley Memorial Obelisk. Pic: Andy Scott#### Still standing

The cattle pound, the obelisk, the Green Man: these fragments of Putney Heath history have survived while almost everything around them changed. The highwaymen are long gone, replaced by the A3. The bowling greens gave way to Victorian villas. The heath itself shrank from open common to a green island surrounded by suburbs.

But the pound remains, empty now of cattle but full of stories. The wooden fencing has been repaired and replaced over the years, yet the structure persists in its original location, opposite the pub where Jerry Abershaw was caught, near the spot where Prime Ministers shot at each other, within sight of the obelisk that once saved a king from fire.

Local historians like [Dorian Gerhold](https://putney.news/2025/08/30/local-resident-becomes-viral-sensation-for-rewriting-great-fire-history/), whose meticulous research has rewritten our understanding of London’s past, have helped preserve these connections. Gerhold’s books on Putney include detailed studies of the area in 1636 and 1665, showing how much can be recovered when someone takes the time to look.

The cattle pound asks for nothing more than a glance from the bus queue. It’s worth giving it one.

![Historic cattle pound at Putney Heath](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/cattle-pound-on-putney-heath-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/02/the-wooden-pen-that-outlasted-the-highwaymen/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/02/the-wooden-pen-that-outlasted-the-highwaymen/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20wooden%20pen%20that%20outlasted%20the%20highwaymen&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/02/the-wooden-pen-that-outlasted-the-highwaymen/)

**Categories:** History

**Tags:** Grade II Listed, Green Man, heritage, Jerry Abershaw, local history, Putney Heath, William Pitt

---

### [Putney Society garden competition returns with mission to transform 'gardenless GAPs'](https://putney.news/2026/02/01/putney-society-garden-competition-returns-with-mission-to-transform-gardenless-gaps/)

**Published:** February 1, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** The front garden awards are back, and this time they want to reclaim Putney's paved-over spaces. 

**Content:**

The Putney Society is bringing back its beloved front garden competition this February with a playful new name and an ambitious mission: transforming the concrete “gardenless GAPs” of central Putney into blooming showcases that brighten the streetscape.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/putney-society-logo.png)

The competition targets those sad spaces where bins and bicycles have colonised what could be colourful gardens. The campaign focuses on 21 streets, from Oxford Road and Burstock Road to Lacy Road and Norroy Road, where even small patches of green can make a surprising difference to how a street feels.

Think of it as guerrilla gardening for the front garden set. A few containers of herbs, some window boxes bursting with colour, or even just swapping concrete for climbing jasmine can transform not just individual homes but entire streets. The benefits ripple outward: more habitat for bees and butterflies, cleaner air for everyone who walks past, less water flooding drains during downpours, and streets that simply feel more welcoming.

The organisers need your help spreading the word: a community effort only works if neighbours know it’s happening.

#### The competition’s greatest hits

This is far from the competition’s first outing. The Putney Society garden competition has celebrated local green fingers for years, often with spectacular results. When judges walked the streets in 2022, they handed out 7 Gold, 24 Silver and 77 Bronze certificates to gardens that stopped passersby in their tracks. Norroy Road took the crown as most floriferous street, while the Jolly Gardeners pub on Lacy Road bagged a Gold Award, proving that even drinking establishments can do their bit for biodiversity.

By 2024, the competition had grown to cover 28 streets. Then in 2025 the competition took an unexpected year off and [Wandsworth Council stepped in with its borough-wide Wandsworth in Bloom competition](https://putney.news/2025/05/24/wandsworth-bursts-into-bloom-with-new-garden-contest/) as part of the Borough of Culture celebrations, which drew entries from across Wandsworth in 11 different categories.

But now the Putney Society version is back, and refocused on what it does best: celebrating and encouraging front gardens in central Putney, one street at a time.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/putney-society-gardening-competition-map-1024x642.png)The area covered by the garden competition#### Three competitions, three different flavours

Wandsworth has become something of a gardening competition hotspot:

The council’s Housing Gardening Competition is exclusively for council tenants and leaseholders, with categories for private gardens, balconies, and community gardens. Winners get up to £100 in gardening vouchers, which is handy if you’ve just transformed your balcony and fancy expanding your plant collection. Last year’s stars included James Phillips (best private garden), Marilia Benton (best balcony), and Ethelburga Community Garden.

Wandsworth in Bloom debuted in 2025 as a big borough-wide initiative welcoming everyone from businesses to schools to community groups. With 11 categories ranging from allotment plots to shopfront displays, it’s the most comprehensive competition with judges including Charles Shi from Kew Gardens, and winners get celebrated at a swanky ceremony. St Micheals Foodbank Community Garden swept up last year, winning both the community food growing category and the Most Vibrant award.

The Putney Society garden competition is the hyperlocal option, the one that’s really about your neighbours and your street, and it’s been delightfully low-key. No entry forms required in 2022 – judges simply strolled the streets noting which gardens made them smile. Details about judging timeline and awards are still to come.

What makes this one special is the transformation angle. Wandsworth in Bloom celebrates gardens that already exist. The Putney Society version wants to create new gardens where there currently aren’t any. It’s explicitly targeting those depressing paved-over spaces dominated by wheelie bins, encouraging residents to reclaim them for flowers, herbs, vegetables, or anything that’s green and growing.

The campaign launches now, but planting season doesn’t begin until late March, so there’s plenty of time to get planning. If you live in one of those 21 target streets and want to help spread the word, the organisers need volunteers to spread the word. [Contact Judith Chegwidden](https://www.putneysociety.org.uk/open-spaces) if you fancy being part of making your street a bit greener and considerably prettier.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/01/putney-society-garden-competition-returns-with-mission-to-transform-gardenless-gaps/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/01/putney-society-garden-competition-returns-with-mission-to-transform-gardenless-gaps/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20Society%20garden%20competition%20returns%20with%20mission%20to%20transform%20%E2%80%98gardenless%20GAPs%E2%80%99&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/01/putney-society-garden-competition-returns-with-mission-to-transform-gardenless-gaps/)

**Categories:** Community, Environment, Thamesfield

**Tags:** biodiversity, community, environment, front gardens, Garden Award Putney, gardening, Putney Society

---

### [How many Yorkshire puddings can you eat in three minutes? Find out at the Green Man today](https://putney.news/2026/02/01/how-many-yorkshire-puddings-can-you-eat-in-three-minutes-find-out-at-the-green-man-today/)

**Published:** February 1, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Putney Heath pub hosts inaugural contest with brewery tour prize.

**Content:**

**CANCELLED** If you’ve ever walked past the Green Man on Putney Heath and thought about popping in, today might be the day.

The pub is hosting its inaugural Yorkshire Pudding Eating Competition this morning, challenging anyone brave enough to see how many double-egg yorkies they can demolish in three minutes flat. It kicks off at 11am, just enough time to have breakfast, question your life choices, and head over.

[Entry costs £10 ](https://www.designmynight.com/london/whats-on/food-drink/the-green-man-yorkshire-pudding-eating-competition)and includes unlimited puddings during the competition, two pints of Wimbledon Brewery ale (or soft drinks), plus gravy, sauces and milk to help them go down. The winner gets their name etched onto the pub’s brand new trophy and a brewery tour for two at Wimbledon Brewery, the independent brewery based in Colliers Wood. Second and third place take home Young’s and Wimbledon Brewery merchandise.

The pub is billing it as the perfect way to wave goodbye to Dry January. Whether you’re in it to win it or just in it for the carbs, it’s hard to argue with unlimited Yorkshire puddings on a Sunday morning.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/yorkshire-pudding-contest-1024x526.png)#### A pub worth knowing

The Green Man has been sitting on the edge of Putney Heath since around 1700, which means it’s seen a few things. Back in the day, it stood on an old duelling spot. The pub was where contestants retreated after their battles, presumably to steady their nerves or tend their wounds.

The heath was also notorious for highwaymen. Local legend has it that Dick Turpin once stashed his guns in the upstairs room, and robbers would watch wealthy travellers taking refreshment in the pub before following them across the heath to relieve them of their valuables.

These days the dangers are somewhat reduced: mostly limited to overconfident quiz teams on Tuesday nights and whatever competitive eating does to the human body. The pub has a proper country-house feel, a decent garden for when the weather behaves, and it’s Young’s, so the beer is reliable.

If you’ve done the Putney Heath walk a hundred times and never actually stopped in, a Yorkshire pudding eating contest is as good an excuse as any.

#### The details

The competition runs from 11am to 12pm today, Sunday 1 February. Tickets are [£10 via DesignMyNight](https://www.designmynight.com/london/whats-on/food-drink/the-green-man-yorkshire-pudding-eating-competition) — the pub says spaces may be limited, so it’s worth booking rather than just turning up.

The Green Man is at Wildcroft Road, SW15 3NG, right on the edge of the heath near the bus garage.

![The Green Man, Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/the-green-man-putney-1024x683.png)---

*Note: this event was cancelled. The pub’s manager told Putney.news that not enough people signed up online. The good news is that they’re up for running it again if people express interest.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/01/how-many-yorkshire-puddings-can-you-eat-in-three-minutes-find-out-at-the-green-man-today/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/01/how-many-yorkshire-puddings-can-you-eat-in-three-minutes-find-out-at-the-green-man-today/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=How%20many%20Yorkshire%20puddings%20can%20you%20eat%20in%20three%20minutes%3F%20Find%20out%20at%20the%20Green%20Man%20today&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/01/how-many-yorkshire-puddings-can-you-eat-in-three-minutes-find-out-at-the-green-man-today/)

**Categories:** Food &amp; Drink

**Tags:** eating contest, Green Man, National Yorkshire Pudding Day, pubs, Putney Heath, Wimbledon Brewery, Yorkshire pudding

---

### [Government's green grant watchdog admits error but refuses transparency](https://putney.news/2026/02/01/governments-green-grant-watchdog-admits-error-but-refuses-transparency/)

**Published:** February 1, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Salix Finance backtracks on "not held" claim, but withholds project details already made public.

**Content:**

Salix Finance has admitted it was wrong to claim it didn’t hold information about how £7.5 million in government funding is being allocated across five Wandsworth council buildings, but still refuses to disclose project details that the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero already made public in December.

The internal review response, received last week after a 133-day wait, marks a partial victory in *Putney.news*‘ [six-month transparency battle](https://putney.news/2025/08/14/wandsworth-council-8m-green-retrofit-shrouded-in-secrecy-and-delays/) over the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme grant. But it creates a stark contradiction: the government department funding the scheme concluded disclosure serves “transparency and accountability for taxpayers’ money,” while Salix Finance, delivering the scheme on DESNZ’s behalf, maintains identical information must remain secret.

Wandsworth Council, which applied for the grants and will be using it to improve a number of buildings including Putney Leisure Centre has been the least forthcoming, refusing to supply any information about the programme, and even running a sham internal review process when we challenged its refusal. Millions of pounds of Putney taxpayers’ money is going into the scheme.

> [Wandsworth’s £8m green retrofit shrouded in secrecy and delays](https://putney.news/2025/08/14/wandsworth-council-8m-green-retrofit-shrouded-in-secrecy-and-delays/)

#### What Salix disclosed

Julie Ellis, Salix’s Head of Governance, reversed the organisation’s October refusal and provided indicative percentage ranges for how the £7.5 million grant is allocated:

- Putney Leisure Centre: 40-60%
- Wandsworth Town Hall: 30-50%
- Oakdene Residential Unit: up to 10%
- Gwynneth Morgan Day Centre: up to 5%
- Falcon Grove: up to 5%

“We interpreted your original request narrowly,” Ellis wrote. “However, as we held some information, we erred in referring to Regulation 12(4) at all.”

The percentages broadly confirm what DESNZ disclosed in December: Putney Leisure Centre receives approximately 51% of the grant (£3.85 million), more than the other four buildings combined.

#### What Salix refused

Salix withheld all project documents, including Wandsworth’s original application, milestone schedules, expected carbon savings, and progress monitoring data. The organisation cited Regulation 12(5)(e): commercial and industrial confidentiality, claiming disclosure would harm ongoing procurement.

“Tendering processes for contractors to implement these works have yet to be completed,” Ellis wrote. “Access to this information would influence how bidding contractors would frame their bids.”

The refusal extends to “methods for calculation of carbon savings,” which Ellis claims engage “confidentiality issues and intellectual property rights” for contractors’ preferred technologies.

A £299,000 discrepancy also remains unexplained. The per-building total (£7.5m) exceeds the technology total (£7.2m) disclosed by DESNZ in December by this amount, suggesting project management fees, consultancy costs, or contingency budgets that haven’t been disclosed.

#### The DESNZ contradiction

This position directly contradicts DESNZ’s December decision. After *Putney.news* challenged their initial refusal through internal review, the government department disclosed detailed technology breakdowns and per-building allocations, with Director Rob Hewitt stating: “The primary reason for reversing the decision is that releasing the requested information allows the public to see how funding is being allocated across different technologies and workstreams, supporting transparency and accountability for taxpayers’ money.”

In her response, Ellis acknowledges this: “We note that DESNZ has provided a site breakdown and aggregated figures according to technology and workstream in the course of the internal review of a decision they made.”

She provides no explanation for why Salix’s position differs from the department that awarded the funding.

#### Tendering argument weakened

The commercial sensitivity argument faces a critical timing problem: DESNZ disclosed the technology breakdown and site allocations in December. Any contractor bidding for the Wandsworth project since then already has access to those figures through DESNZ’s Freedom of Information response or *Putney.news*‘ [published story](https://putney.news/2025/12/25/victory-for-transparency-as-government-releases-green-grant-breakdown-wandsworth-refused-to-disclose/).

The project was announced in May 2025, eight months ago. If tendering genuinely remains incomplete after this period, questions arise about project management. Ellis suggests procurement should finish between July and September 2026, by which point any commercial sensitivity argument would expire entirely.

Ellis also rejected application of Regulation 12(9), which limits commercial confidentiality claims for information relating to emissions. She argues the information concerns “operation of programmes designed to reduce emissions, rather than to emissions themselves,” citing a European Court of Justice case.

> [Victory for transparency as government releases green grant breakdown Wandsworth refused to disclose](https://putney.news/2025/12/25/victory-for-transparency-as-government-releases-green-grant-breakdown-wandsworth-refused-to-disclose/)

#### Pattern of refusal

Salix’s position mirrors Wandsworth Council’s continued refusal to disclose how its £3.3 million contribution is allocated. The council has [maintained](https://putney.news/2025/09/13/what-is-wandsworth-hiding-council-refuses-to-reveal-how-8m-green-grant-will-be-spent/) commercial sensitivity claims since August despite multiple other councils disclosing similar information without issue.

In September, *Putney.news* provided examples of councils that had disclosed PSDS information without commercial sensitivity concerns: Lambeth published a full breakdown by site and technology, Bristol and Leicester disclosed costs per building and expected carbon savings, and Cambridgeshire included detailed financials in public audit reports. Salix’s position ignores this precedent.

This creates a situation where neither the council spending £3.3 million nor the organisation administering the £7.5 million government grant will explain how £10.8 million in public money is being spent on public buildings. This is despite the government department providing the funding concluding such disclosure was in the public interest.

> [What is Wandsworth hiding? Council refuses to reveal how £8m green grant will be spent](https://putney.news/2025/09/13/what-is-wandsworth-hiding-council-refuses-to-reveal-how-8m-green-grant-will-be-spent/)

#### Technical concerns unresolved

Without project documents, technical questions raised in our [December transparency victory](https://putney.news/2025/12/25/victory-for-transparency-as-government-releases-green-grant-breakdown-wandsworth-refused-to-disclose/) remain unanswered. DESNZ’s disclosure revealed 57% of the technology budget (£4.3 million) goes to air source heat pumps, while only 16% (£1.2 million) funds insulation improvements.

Building energy experts typically recommend prioritising insulation before installing heat pumps, particularly in buildings like Putney Leisure Centre, built in 1968 to thermal standards 6-10 times worse than modern requirements. Without business cases or technical specifications, residents cannot assess whether this technology mix is appropriate.

#### Next steps

*Putney.news* is filing a formal complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office challenging Salix’s refusal on several grounds:

- The contradiction between DESNZ’s disclosure and Salix’s refusal of identical information
- The “not held” error as evidence of inadequate initial assessment
- Insufficient weighing of public interest in transparency for £10.8 million in public investment
- The weakness of commercial sensitivity claims after DESNZ’s December disclosure

The ICO process typically takes 6-12 months. Once procurement completes (Salix suggests July-September 2026), the commercial sensitivity argument will expire entirely, creating a strong basis for renewed requests and escalation.

*Putney.news* has also requested specific details on procurement status and timeline to test Salix’s claim that tendering remains genuinely ongoing after eight months.

---

*Salix Finance internal review response: 23 January 2026 | Original request: 12 September 2025*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/02/01/governments-green-grant-watchdog-admits-error-but-refuses-transparency/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/02/01/governments-green-grant-watchdog-admits-error-but-refuses-transparency/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Government%E2%80%99s%20green%20grant%20watchdog%20admits%20error%20but%20refuses%20transparency&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/02/01/governments-green-grant-watchdog-admits-error-but-refuses-transparency/)

**Categories:** Environment, Planning, Politics

**Tags:** DESNZ, FOI investigation, Green grants, Information Commissioner's Office, Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, Putney Leisure Centre, Salix Finance, transparency, Wandsworth Council

---

### [St George’s didn’t tell safety regulator about serious maternity computer problems](https://putney.news/2026/01/31/hospital-downgraded-maternity-risk-scores-to-avoid-reporting-them-to-regulator/)

**Published:** January 31, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Hospital changed how it rated maternity computer faults to stay below reporting threshold.

**Content:**

St George’s Hospital failed to tell the patient safety regulator about serious computer problems in its maternity unit during 2025 – despite its own internal papers [documenting faults that put mothers and babies at risk](https://putney.news/2025/12/04/st-georges-hospital-has-been-getting-pregnancy-risk-scores-wrong-for-ten-months/).

The hospital downgraded its assessment of how dangerous the faults were – from 12 (high risk) to 8 (moderate risk). At 12, the problems would have required reporting to the Care Quality Commission. At 8, they didn’t. Board papers reported the same faults as “high risk”.

The Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) systems at the centre of the issue are critical for identifying patients whose condition is worsening and who may need urgent medical intervention. The fault affected St George’s maternity department, where rapid detection of deterioration can be life-saving.

The hospital claims “formally alerting the CQC about operational risks is not expected practice” and briefed NHS England’s Maternity Safety Support Programme instead of the patient safety regulator.

The Care Quality Commission has the power to issue warning notices and suspend hospital services. St George’s maternity unit was rated “inadequate” by the CQC in 2023 and received a formal Warning Notice demanding urgent safety improvements – making the decision not to report further high-risk problems in the same department particularly significant.

#### No Protocol for CQC Reporting

When *Putney.news* asked through a Freedom of Information request if St George’s has a written protocol specifying when clinical IT faults must be reported to the CQC, the Trust provided an 80-page generic risk management policy containing no specific criteria for regulatory notification of IT system failures.

The response, which arrived 25 working days late, stated the Trust “holds no records to indicate this issue was reported directly to the Care Quality Commission.”

St George’s justified not reporting the MEWS fault by explaining it had reduced the risk score “based on the most likely outcome rather than the worst-case scenario” through measures including one-to-one midwife staffing, local standard operating procedures, and regular audits.

The Trust did not explain whether these mitigations fixed the underlying software fault or simply provided workarounds while the system remained faulty.

> [St George’s Hospital has been getting pregnancy risk scores wrong for ten months](https://putney.news/2025/12/04/st-georges-hospital-has-been-getting-pregnancy-risk-scores-wrong-for-ten-months/)

#### Semantic Deflection

When asked how many high-risk clinical IT faults it had classified in 2025, St George’s refused to provide a number, instead stating: “These are not classified as faults but as risks associated with system transition and new ways of working.”

The semantic distinction allowed the Trust to report zero high-risk “faults” to the CQC while simultaneously documenting “high risk” issues in board papers.

The iClip electronic patient record system also experienced CTG storage problems – affecting cardiotocography data used to monitor fetal heart rates during labour – [as we reported in December](https://putney.news/2025/12/04/st-georges-hospital-has-been-getting-pregnancy-risk-scores-wrong-for-ten-months/).

The December investigation found the maternity IT faults had persisted for ten months, with staff forced to save critical monitoring data to USB sticks and over 1,400 patient records stuck between the old and new systems.

#### Wider Context

The disclosure follows our ongoing investigation into St George’s institutional accountability.

In November, [the CQC rated the Trust’s leadership as “requires improvement”](https://putney.news/2025/11/05/inspectors-say-staff-too-scared-to-report-safety-risks-as-management-fails-again/) after finding staff too afraid to raise patient safety concerns and leaders lacking “clear oversight of safety risks.”

The Trust is currently [refusing to provide information about its response to an Emergency Nurse Practitioner](https://putney.news/2025/04/04/emergency-nurse-suspended-after-shocking-failures-at-st-georges/) whose registration was suspended by the NMC after more than 60 clinical failings, citing data protection exemptions (FOI 5683/5877).

The pattern suggests institutional reluctance to engage with external oversight bodies on patient safety matters.

The CQC is the independent regulator responsible for monitoring NHS trusts’ compliance with fundamental standards of quality and safety. Systematic under-reporting of high-risk clinical IT issues could prevent the regulator from identifying safety concerns across the health system.

> [Toxic culture and racism exposed inside trust behind Queen Mary’s cuts](https://putney.news/2025/11/01/toxic-culture-and-racism-exposed-inside-trust-behind-queen-marys-cuts/)

#### NHS Digital Transformation Stakes

St George’s response raises wider questions about governance of clinical IT safety as the NHS accelerates digital transformation. Trusts across England are implementing electronic patient record systems affecting millions of patients, but reporting standards for serious IT faults appear unclear.

*Putney.news* will challenge the Trust’s response through an internal review, questioning whether a generic risk management policy constitutes an adequate protocol for regulatory reporting of clinical IT failures.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/31/hospital-downgraded-maternity-risk-scores-to-avoid-reporting-them-to-regulator/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/31/hospital-downgraded-maternity-risk-scores-to-avoid-reporting-them-to-regulator/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=St%20George%E2%80%99s%20didn%E2%80%99t%20tell%20safety%20regulator%20about%20serious%20maternity%20computer%20problems&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/31/hospital-downgraded-maternity-risk-scores-to-avoid-reporting-them-to-regulator/)

**Categories:** Health

**Tags:** Clinical IT, CQC, FOI investigation, Maternity services, NHS accountability, patient safety, Risk management, St George's hospital

---

### [Ancient wassailing tradition returns to Barnes Common](https://putney.news/2026/01/31/ancient-wassailing-tradition-returns-to-barnes-common/)

**Published:** January 31, 2026
**Author:** Social Butterfly

**Content:**

An ancient English celebration will bring noise, song and festive cheer to Barnes Common next Saturday, when the local community gathers for the [annual Barnes wassailing ceremony](https://barnescommon.org.uk/winter-wassail/).

The tradition, which dates back centuries, sees communities gather in orchards during the darkest winter months to bless fruit trees, scare away evil spirits and toast a bountiful harvest for the year ahead. At Barnes, the event has become a fixture since the community orchard’s creation in 2018.

This year’s wassail promises a morning of weird and wonderful festivities. Proceedings kick off at 10am on 7 February at Vine Road Recreation Ground, where a procession led by the Wassail Master and Jester will make its way to the orchard with plenty of noise-making and merriment. The racket is essential to the ritual, traditionally achieved by banging pots and pans to wake the sleeping trees and drive away malevolent spirits.

The ceremony proper begins at 11am with a brief history of wassailing, community singing and the blessing of a tree. In keeping with ancient custom, cider-soaked toast will be placed in the branches as a gift to the tree spirits, whilst wassailers drink to the health of the orchard. The word wassail itself comes from the Old English “waes hál”, meaning “be in good health”, with revellers traditionally replying “drinc hael” or “drink good health”.

#### A morning of storytelling and song

After the blessing, the procession returns to Vine Road Park at 11.30am, stopping along the way for themed storytelling and poetry about food growing. The celebration continues at midday with a live performance by the Patch Ukulele Band, alongside hot soup from the Vine Road Community Cafe, a wishing tree and plenty of socialising.

Adding to the festivities, the Kingston Spring Grove Morris Dancers will perform traditional dances, continuing the folk customs that have accompanied wassailing for generations. Participants are encouraged to bring something to make a fantastic clamour, whether proper instruments or humble pots and pans.

The theme for this year’s event is wellbeing and connecting with nature, reflecting the deeper purpose behind the ancient ritual. Whilst modern celebrations focus on community joy and the marking of seasons, wassailing originally served a vital role in agricultural communities. When a failed harvest could spell disaster, gathering to bless the orchard and sing to the trees was both a practical hope for abundance and a moment of midwinter solidarity.

The tradition fell largely out of favour during the 19th century, replaced by Christmas carolling, but has enjoyed a revival in recent years. Community orchards across England now host wassails, particularly in historic cider-producing regions like Somerset, Devon and Kent. At Barnes, the ceremony celebrates not just ancient custom but the community’s own achievement in creating the orchard.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/wassailing-bells-1024x683.png)#### From disputed land to thriving orchard

The land known as the Former Goods Yard spent years disputed and degraded before community persistence and determination finally bore fruit. In 2018, Barnes Common Limited planted the first trees, transforming the site into a productive orchard and biodiversity haven. The first Winter Wassail followed in January 2019, establishing what has become an annual tradition to lighten darker days and bring the community together.

Market gardening and commercial fruit growing form an integral part of Barnes’ history, making the community orchard’s creation a restoration of heritage as much as an environmental project. Old fruit trees scattered through local gardens still tell stories of the area’s horticultural past.

Those planning to attend should dress appropriately for the weather and wear sturdy footwear, as the walk will traverse outdoor spaces. Warm spiced apple cider and tasty snacks will be available, along with hot soup to keep wassailers warm. Dogs are not permitted except guide dogs.

[Tickets are available through Eventbrite](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/barnes-common-winter-wassail-tickets-1977268056985), with both full-price and concession options to ensure cost doesn’t prevent participation. All proceeds support Barnes Common Limited’s future learning and conservation activities across Barnes Common, the Leg o’ Mutton Local Nature Reserve and Vine Road Recreation Ground.

The charity’s vision encompasses conservation, biodiversity, wellbeing and lifelong learning for all, making the wassail a perfect expression of these values. Whether you’re drawn by curiosity about ancient customs, love of community celebration, or simply fancy a warming drink and good company on a February morning, the Barnes wassailing offers a joyful way to mark the turning of seasons and the promise of spring to come.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/wassailing.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/31/ancient-wassailing-tradition-returns-to-barnes-common/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/31/ancient-wassailing-tradition-returns-to-barnes-common/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Ancient%20wassailing%20tradition%20returns%20to%20Barnes%20Common&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/31/ancient-wassailing-tradition-returns-to-barnes-common/)

**Categories:** Live events, Things to do

**Tags:** Barnes, Barnes Common, winter traditions

---

### [Prison escapee who bit police officers jailed for 26 weeks](https://putney.news/2026/01/31/prison-escapee-who-bit-police-officers-jailed-for-26-weeks/)

**Published:** January 31, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Kaddour-Cherif's mistaken release from HMP Wandsworth triggered nationwide manhunt.

**Content:**

A prisoner whose mistaken release from HMP Wandsworth triggered a nationwide manhunt has been sentenced to 26 weeks in jail for punching and biting two off-duty police officers.

Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on 30 January where Magistrate Elizabeth Robb sentenced him for the assault and ordered him to pay £154 compensation to the officers.

The magistrate said: “It was a serious assault in both cases, prolonged and quite nasty.”

The Algerian national was [accidentally released from the prison](https://putney.news/2025/11/06/manhunt-launched-after-wandsworth-prison-blunders-free-two-convicts-in-a-week/) on 29 October 2025 whilst on remand awaiting trial for multiple offences. Prison staff only reported the error to Metropolitan Police six days later, on 4 November, [allowing Kaddour-Cherif a significant head start before the manhunt began](https://news.met.police.uk/news/manhunt-underway-following-release-of-prisoner-from-hmp-wandsworth-502991).

He was [recaptured on 7 November](https://putney.news/2025/11/08/mistakenly-freed-prisoner-arrested-after-wandsworth-blunder/) after a member of the public recognised him from media coverage and called police. Officers arrested him in Finsbury Park, north London.

> [Manhunt launched after Wandsworth prison blunders free two convicts in a week](https://putney.news/2025/11/06/manhunt-launched-after-wandsworth-prison-blunders-free-two-convicts-in-a-week/)

#### Tube station attack

The court heard that Kaddour-Cherif assaulted two off-duty police officers at Blackhorse Road Underground station in east London on 20 July.

PC Bradley Glynn, who was off duty, noticed Kaddour-Cherif taking a mobile phone from a passenger who had fallen asleep on the Tube. The officer snatched the handset from Kaddour-Cherif’s pocket and returned it to the owner, then ordered him to leave the train.

Prosecutor Kevin Kendridge said PC Glynn saw Kaddour-Cherif leave the train but stand next to the doors on the platform, suggesting he was planning to get back on.

“He shouted the word ‘thief’ to attract attention, hoping the defendant would go away,” Kendridge said.

Kaddour-Cherif punched PC Glynn to the left side of his head with a closed fist. PC Jason Norton, who was on duty at the station, joined the scuffle to defend his colleague as Kaddour-Cherif threw several punches.

“Together they tried to take control of the defendant, but he managed to punch PC Glynn again and also bite him,” the prosecutor said.

Kaddour-Cherif slammed PC Norton against a wall and dug his face into the officer’s arm, at which point Norton shouted “don’t bite me”. The court was shown images of bite marks, whilst Norton said he had been left fearing he may have contracted an illness.

Kaddour-Cherif pleaded guilty to two charges of assaulting an emergency worker, but said he had not known at the time that the two men were police officers. He is now in Home Office custody and is due to be questioned again about his asylum claim.

> [Mistakenly-freed Wandsworth prisoner arrested after week on the run](https://putney.news/2025/11/08/mistakenly-freed-wandsworth-prisoner-arrested-after-week-on-the-run/)

#### Multiple pending cases

At the time of his mistaken release, Kaddour-Cherif was facing three live criminal cases and was under investigation for a fourth offence, whilst a judge had specifically ordered he should be held in custody.

He pleaded guilty on 9 January to burglary after breaking into a garage on Orford Road, Walthamstow, on 6 January 2024 to steal bikes. He also admitted possessing a knife in Burntwood Road, Earlswood, on 13 November 2023.

Kaddour-Cherif is due to stand trial next month at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on a charge of handling stolen goods.

He also faced sentencing for missing a court hearing at Kingston Crown Court on 2 September 2025 whilst on bail.

The 24-year-old has been overstaying his visa in the UK since 2020. He was convicted in November 2024 for indecent exposure in a London park, receiving an 18-month community order and placement on the sex offenders register for five years.

He was previously taken into immigration custody in June 2025 due to his criminal offending, but was soon released from the detention centre on bail.

The BBC reported that Kaddour-Cherif is now in Home Office custody and is due to be questioned again about his asylum claim, though it is understood he is not an asylum seeker but has overstayed his visa.

> [Sex offender still missing as Wandsworth governor’s damning absence exposed](https://putney.news/2025/11/06/sex-offender-still-missing-as-wandsworth-governors-damning-absence-exposed/)

#### Prison system failures

The mistaken release added to mounting pressure on Justice Secretary David Lammy over systemic failures at HMP Wandsworth and across the prison estate.

Official data from July 2025 showed 262 prisoners had been released in error in the year to March 2025, a 128% increase from 115 in the previous 12 months.

HMP Wandsworth’s Independent Monitoring Board described the Victorian-era prison as “inhumane and unfit for purpose” in October 2025, despite recent investments. A 2024 inspection by HM Inspectorate of Prisons found “catastrophic” conditions, with staff displaying an “inability to account for prisoners during the working day” despite nearly £900,000 spent on improvements following the 2023 escape of former British soldier Daniel Khalife.

The prison, located on Heathfield Road in Wandsworth, holds approximately 1,500 men. Overcrowding remains severe, with 80% of inmates sharing cells designed for one person.

Following Kaddour-Cherif’s recapture, Mr Lammy said: “We inherited a prison system in crisis and I’m appalled at the rate of releases in error this is causing. I’m determined to grip this problem, but there is a mountain to climb which cannot be done overnight.”

The Justice Secretary ordered new release checks, commissioned an independent investigation into systemic failures, and began overhauling “archaic paper-based systems still used in some prisons.”

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/31/prison-escapee-who-bit-police-officers-jailed-for-26-weeks/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/31/prison-escapee-who-bit-police-officers-jailed-for-26-weeks/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Prison%20escapee%20who%20bit%20police%20officers%20jailed%20for%2026%20weeks&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/31/prison-escapee-who-bit-police-officers-jailed-for-26-weeks/)

**Categories:** Crime

**Tags:** Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, HMP Wandsworth

---

### [From gap year romance to Putney coffee shop](https://putney.news/2026/01/30/from-gap-year-romance-to-putney-coffee-shop/)

**Published:** January 30, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Couple who met in Ethiopia open Tampopo Coffee on Lower Richmond Road.

**Content:**

A new Putney coffee shop opened this week with an unusual origin story: its owners met in Ethiopia when one was a 19-year-old gap year volunteer and the other was translating his English lessons.

Tampopo Coffee opened on Wednesday at 161 Lower Richmond Road, bringing specialty Ethiopian-Brazilian blends and plans for traditional coffee ceremonies to the area.

Mike and Lideya, who married in 2011 and have a two-year-old daughter, say the shop is not just a business venture but a stepping stone toward their real goal: funding social enterprise work with children in need.

Their path to Putney traces back to their first meeting. Mike was volunteering at an after-school programme in a deprived area of Ethiopia when his cousin’s friend asked Lideya to translate his lessons. She stuck with him.

![Lideya of Tampopo Coffee](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/lideya-tampopo-1024x768.jpg)“That experience gave us a lot,” Lideya said. “It was eye-opening to see how it felt being poor. One of the things I always said when I decided to come to the UK was that I must go back and do something with children.”

The couple chose Putney after Mike’s father, who works near Putney Bridge and cycles along Lower Richmond Road, kept reporting back on the neighbourhood’s community feel.

Lideya brings professional credentials to the operation. She holds a diploma from the Specialty Coffee Association covering roasting, barista skills, sensory analysis and cupping. The shop serves beans from Origin Coffee Lab, including a house blend of Ethiopian and Brazilian coffee and rotating single origins. (We had a cup. It was delicious.)

But it is the planned Ethiopian coffee ceremonies that set Tampopo apart.

![Traditional Ethiopian coffee set](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/traditional-ethopian-coffee-set-1024x768.jpg)In Ethiopia, the coffee ceremony is a daily ritual that can last an hour or more. Green beans are washed, roasted on a stove, ground by hand, and brewed while guests talk and relax. Traditionally, the coffee is served three times.

“We wanted the slow coffee feel and pour-overs,” Mike said. “Not a mad rush or just takeaway. We wanted to be part of the community, offer a space to come and relax.”

The couple are still working out the details but hope to offer the ceremonies for groups who book the back room, perhaps on Mondays when the shop closes at 3pm. The space could also host reading groups, mothers’ groups or other community gatherings.

“After COVID, there’s a lot of people who didn’t see anyone, sometimes for days,” Lideya said. “We thought if we open a coffee shop with one dedicated place to make coffee, people can actually come out from the house and just have a chat.”

A garden at the rear should open by the summer and a carpenter friend has built custom features including doors, a central beam and a shelf for the espresso machine.

Tampopo Coffee is open 7am to 3pm. The shop is on Instagram at [@tampopo\_coffee](https://www.instagram.com/tampopo_coffee/).

![Coffee at Tampopo on Lower Richmond Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/tampopocoffee-1024x768.jpg) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/30/from-gap-year-romance-to-putney-coffee-shop/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/30/from-gap-year-romance-to-putney-coffee-shop/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=From%20gap%20year%20romance%20to%20Putney%20coffee%20shop&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/30/from-gap-year-romance-to-putney-coffee-shop/)

**Categories:** Food &amp; Drink, Thamesfield

**Tags:** coffee shops, Ethiopian coffee, Lower Richmond Road, Tampopo Coffee

---

### [Council used routine repairs to justify £1,000 licensing scheme](https://putney.news/2026/01/30/council-used-routine-repairs-to-justify-1000-licensing-scheme/)

**Published:** January 30, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** "Dangerously undersized bedroom" and "legal notices" turned out to be informal warnings for missing fire alarms.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council used routine fire safety fixes – missing alarms, broken door locks – to justify a controversial licensing expansion, describing them with language suggesting serious enforcement before refusing to disclose details for two months.

The [Council’s 11 November press release](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-november-2025/wandsworth-council-cracks-down-on-unsafe-rental-properties/) highlighted three “unsafe rental properties” where it claimed to have issued “legal notices and/or formal warnings,” including a Putney property with a “dangerously undersized bedroom” lacking “basic fire safety features.”

Documents obtained only after *Putney.news* challenged the Council’s refusal reveal both landlords fixed standard compliance issues through informal warnings – not the serious statutory enforcement the press release suggested. The “dangerously undersized bedroom” doesn’t appear in the actual enforcement documents.

The licensing expansion costs landlords £1,040 for HMO licenses and £580 for selective licenses – [revenue-generating powers](https://putney.news/2025/12/16/council-expands-landlord-scheme-it-refuses-to-prove-works/) the Council justified using these three showcase cases. The scheme has generated an estimated £6.3 million from nearly 6,000 applications since launching in July 2025.

> [Council expands landlord scheme it refuses to prove works](https://putney.news/2025/12/16/council-expands-landlord-scheme-it-refuses-to-prove-works/)

#### The discrepancy between publicity and reality

The Council initially refused to disclose any details about the three properties cited in its press release, claiming on 1 December that doing so would prejudice a “live enforcement investigation.” Only after we filed a detailed internal review challenge did the Council partially reverse course on 29 January – disclosing two of three property addresses and the enforcement notices, while offering a new legal exemption to continue withholding details of the third property’s location.

##### **Case 1: Cortis Road, Putney**

The press release claimed: *“A Putney property intended for three tenants with a dangerously undersized bedroom and lacking basic fire safety features, including fire doors and heat alarms.”*

The actual preliminary improvement notice, dated 3 September 2025, cited a Category 2 fire hazard (lower-risk tier) including:

- No heat alarm in kitchen
- No fire blanket in kitchen
- Kitchen door missing intumescent strips
- Deadlock on front door requiring key to exit
- Items blocking hallway

The notice makes no mention of an undersized bedroom. If bedroom size violated space standards, it would have been listed as a Category 1 overcrowding hazard.

The landlord signed an undertaking, completed all works by the 19 December deadline, and the property now holds an HMO license. Total enforcement time: three and a half months from inspection to licensed compliance.

##### **Case 3: Sugden Road, Battersea**

The press release claimed: *“A six-bedroom property lacking fire doors and with a faulty basement door near utility meters.”*

The actual preliminary improvement notice, dated 8 October 2025, cited a Category 1 fire hazard (higher-risk tier) including:

- All six bedroom doors were not fire-rated
- All bedroom doors had key-operated locks (means of escape hazard)
- Basement door self-closer not functioning
- Obstructions on first-floor landing

This case was genuine: a six-bedroom HMO operating without proper fire doors is a significant safety failing. But the landlord responded to the informal notice by replacing all six doors with fire-rated versions, installing thumb-turn locks, fixing the self-closer, and clearing obstructions. The property now holds an HMO license.

Both disclosed cases involved **preliminary improvement notices** – informal warnings that give landlords the option to voluntarily comply or face statutory enforcement. These are not the “legal notices” the press release implied.

Under the Housing Act 2004, preliminary notices are negotiation tools. Landlords can refuse them, at which point councils must serve statutory Improvement Notices – formal legal instruments that become public record, incur charges, and can lead to prosecution for non-compliance.

The Council chose not to use statutory enforcement for either property. Both landlords cooperated immediately, suggesting these were not rogue operators but responsive property owners who fixed problems when identified.

The press release’s language of “crackdown,” “legal notices,” “dangerously undersized” created the impression of aggressive statutory action against seriously unsafe properties. The documents tell a different story: routine HMO inspections finding standard compliance gaps, handled through voluntary cooperation.

#### The Third Property: still hidden, still “under investigation”

The Council continues to withhold the address of the third property (the spiral staircase case) under Section 31 of the Freedom of Information Act, claiming disclosure would “erode trust” with managing agents and could enable squatting if the property becomes vacant following a Prohibition Order.

This represents a change in position. The Council’s original 1 December refusal claimed all three properties were exempt under Section 30 (investigations). After the internal review challenge exposed this as untenable – if Cases 1 and 3 weren’t investigation material despite the blanket refusal, why would any of them be? – the Council switched to Section 31 (law enforcement) for Case 2 only.

According to the internal review response, Case 2 is “awaiting fire safety risk assessments from managing agents” and the Council is “reviewing enforcement options with London Fire Brigade.” This is nearly three months after the property was highlighted in a press release claiming immediate action.

If the spiral staircase property posed imminent danger, would the Council wait months for managing agents to submit assessments? Or would it serve an Emergency Remedial Action Notice?

#### What would actually justify Borough-wide licensing?

The Council expanded HMO licensing borough-wide in July 2025, imposing additional costs and bureaucratic requirements on all landlords. The scheme requires licenses for all HMOs (properties with three or more tenants from different households) plus selective licensing for all private rental properties in four wards. Landlords pay £1,040 for HMO licenses and £580 for selective licenses – costs that are often passed through to tenants.

Such schemes are meant to address serious problems: rogue landlords ignoring statutory notices, dangerous properties with Category 1 hazards across multiple locations, repeat offenders, or evidence of tenants in immediate danger.

The Council’s press release promised to show why licensing “matters.” The disclosed documents show:

- Two responsive landlords who fixed problems immediately when asked
- Standard fire safety equipment gaps – the routine findings of any HMO inspection regime
- No prosecutions, no statutory enforcement, no emergency action
- Both properties now licensed and compliant

If these are among the worst cases found in the Council’s stated “110 inspections” that resulted in “over 40 formal notices,” the question is whether the risk profile justifies borough-wide expansion. Missing fire blankets and broken self-closers are what basic HMO licensing was designed to catch – but do they demonstrate a landlord crisis requiring expensive additional regulation?

> [Hundreds of Wandsworth residents trapped by unfinished fire safety work](https://putney.news/2025/11/11/hundreds-of-wandsworth-residents-trapped-by-unfinished-fire-safety-work/)

#### The Council’s own fire safety record

The timing of the Council’s press release is notable. **On 11 November 2025 – the same day the “crackdown” announcement went out – [we published an investigation](https://putney.news/2025/11/11/hundreds-of-wandsworth-residents-trapped-by-unfinished-fire-safety-work/) revealing that 64% of Wandsworth Council housing blocks had failed fire safety audits, with hundreds of overdue Fire Risk Assessment actions dating back years.**

In February 2025, the [Regulator of Social Housing issued Wandsworth Council a C3 rating](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/london-borough-of-wandsworth/london-borough-of-wandsworth-00bj-regulatory-judgement-26-february-2025) for “serious failings” in its own housing stock, citing nearly 1,800 overdue fire safety actions – all more than 12 months old. The Regulator’s report found:

- 80% of communal areas lacked up-to-date electrical safety tests
- 40% of homes had no current electrical safety checks
- Only 6.5% of the Council’s 17,000 homes had been properly surveyed for condition

Random sampling by internal auditors in October 2025 found the problem persisted: 16 of 25 tested blocks (64%) still had overdue fire safety actions, including 11 high-risk items all from 2025 – meaning urgent issues identified this year were already overdue.

The audit warned: “Significant delays in completing medium risk FRA actions can lead to potential fines for the Council and injury to residents.”

When the Regulator issued the damning C3 rating, Cabinet Member for Housing Aydin Dikerdem – the same councillor who fronted the 11 November “crackdown” press release – described it as “not what we hoped for.”

While the Council was highlighting missing fire blankets and broken door-closers in private rentals, its own tenants were living in buildings with fire safety deficiencies dating back years. While it was requiring landlords to install intumescent strips within three months, its own properties had overdue fire actions spanning back more than 12 months.

The Regulator put the Council under “intensive” oversight, requiring monthly progress meetings and evidence of improvement. The Council is now scrambling to complete stock surveys – starting in late 2025 – that should have been done years ago.

Cllr Dikerdem told the media about the private rental “crackdown”: “These inspections show why licensing matters. The message is clear: unsafe rentals will not be tolerated.”

The Council’s own regulator said about its housing management: “There are serious failings… and significant improvement is needed.”

#### The FOI battle to get the truth

When *Putney.news* requested the addresses and enforcement documents on 14 November – three days after the press release – the Council refused everything, claiming a “live enforcement investigation” would be prejudiced by disclosure.

The Council had proactively publicised these three specific cases, including detailed descriptions of the hazards found. By placing this information in the public domain, the Council had already determined that transparency outweighed any investigation concerns. Property addresses – with names redacted – are routinely disclosed under FOI law, with Tribunal cases consistently holding that addresses of properties subject to enforcement action should be disclosed where there is public interest in regulatory oversight.

The internal review challenge, submitted on 1 December, argued the Council’s own press release already disclosed key details, property addresses aren’t “investigation material,” Section 30 requires demonstrable prejudice, no proper public interest test had been conducted, and the blanket refusal violated the duty to consider partial disclosure.

After extending the deadline by 20 working days, the Council reversed course on Cases 1 and 3. But rather than acknowledge the change, it applied a new exemption to Case 2.

The pattern is telling. When questioned about spending, performance, or enforcement, Wandsworth Council’s default position is opacity. Information is released only when legally compelled, often after months of delay and only after challenges.

The Council makes bold claims in press releases and committee papers, then refuses to provide underlying data. Inquiries are routinely deflected or ignored, forcing unnecessary FOI requests. Exemptions are applied broadly and switched between when challenged.

All while the Council imposes licensing costs on private landlords as its own housing stock fails basic fire safety compliance.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/30/council-used-routine-repairs-to-justify-1000-licensing-scheme/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/30/council-used-routine-repairs-to-justify-1000-licensing-scheme/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Council%20used%20routine%20repairs%20to%20justify%20%C2%A31%2C000%20licensing%20scheme&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/30/council-used-routine-repairs-to-justify-1000-licensing-scheme/)

**Categories:** Housing, Politics

**Tags:** Cllr Aydin Dikerdem, Fire safety, Freedom of Information, HMO licensing, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Man rushed to hospital after collision at East Putney crossing where woman died last year](https://putney.news/2026/01/30/man-rushed-to-hospital-after-collision-at-east-putney-crossing-where-woman-died-last-year/)

**Published:** January 30, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Second serious accident in eight months raises questions about TfL safety improvements.

**Content:**

A man was rushed to hospital on Thursday after being struck by a van at the same pedestrian crossing where a woman was killed eight months ago, raising fresh questions about whether safety improvements installed by Transport for London (TfL) have addressed the real problems at this notorious junction.

The collision happened at around 7.10am at the crossing on Upper Richmond Road near the junction with Carlton Drive, close to East Putney station. The London Ambulance Service said a crew treated the man at the scene before taking him to hospital.

Witnesses report the man being struck and stumbling to the north side of the road where he was attended to by ambulance staff.

Police closed Upper Richmond Road in both directions between Carlton Drive and Keswick Road for several hours, causing traffic to back up during rush hour. Bus routes 37 and 337 were diverted until the road reopened shortly before 1pm.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed they are not investigating the incident, indicating no criminal matter is suspected.

#### A crossing with a troubled history

Thursday’s collision occurred at the same spot where a [woman in her 70s was fatally struck](https://putney.news/2025/05/19/tragedy-in-putney-pedestrian-killed-in-rush-hour-collision/) during the evening rush hour in May 2025. That death prompted difficult questions about whether [safety improvements TfL had already planned](https://putney.news/2025/05/21/would-tfl-plans-have-prevented-east-putney-accident/) could have prevented the tragedy had they been implemented sooner.

Following the fatality, TfL approved an [£80,000 upgrade to the crossing](https://putney.news/2025/09/28/tfl-will-finally-fix-fatal-east-putney-crossing/), including new countdown signals to show pedestrians how much time they have to cross. The improvements were completed in late 2025.

But residents have long complained that the fundamental problem with this crossing is the time allowed to get across. Upper Richmond Road is wide at this point, and the pedestrian phase is short. The new countdown last seven seconds but starts before any pedestrian can realistically reach the other side.

![Police shutting off Upper Richmond Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/urr-police-1024x576.jpg)The police shut off Upper Richmond Road on Thursday morning following the accident.For elderly residents or anyone with limited mobility, completing the crossing within the allowed time can be difficult. And for the many commuters who exit East Putney station and need to cross Upper Richmond Road, the temptation to cross without waiting for the signals is constant. Anyone who uses this junction regularly will observe pedestrians doing exactly that, often dodging traffic rather than walking to the crossing point.

Whether any of these factors played a role in Thursday’s collision is unknown. The circumstances of the incident have not been disclosed.

But the fact that a second serious accident has occurred at this location within eight months will inevitably raise questions about whether TfL’s safety improvements addressed the underlying issues, or simply added a countdown timer to a crossing that remains fundamentally difficult to use safely.

*The man’s condition is not known. Anyone with information about the collision can contact the Metropolitan Police.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/30/man-rushed-to-hospital-after-collision-at-east-putney-crossing-where-woman-died-last-year/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/30/man-rushed-to-hospital-after-collision-at-east-putney-crossing-where-woman-died-last-year/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Man%20rushed%20to%20hospital%20after%20collision%20at%20East%20Putney%20crossing%20where%20woman%20died%20last%20year&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/30/man-rushed-to-hospital-after-collision-at-east-putney-crossing-where-woman-died-last-year/)

**Categories:** East Putney, Transport

**Tags:** East Putney, pedestrian, road safety, TfL, traffic, Upper Richmond Road

---

### [Wandsworth Council buried resident survey results showing 11% satisfaction drop](https://putney.news/2026/01/29/wandsworth-council-buried-resident-survey-results-showing-11-satisfaction-drop/)

**Published:** January 29, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Council spent £33,000 on 2023 survey showing sharp satisfaction decline, then hid results on obscure website.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council systematically undermined a 14-year accountability programme when resident satisfaction turned negative, burying survey results that cost £33,000 and hiding evidence of trust erosion from the public, a *Putney.news* investigation has revealed.

For 14 years, the council published biennial resident surveys prominently, trumpeting good results. When the 2023 survey – the first under the new Labour administration – showed overall satisfaction plummeting 11 points (85% to 74%), value for money down 9 points (79% to 70%), and residents feeling informed dropping 11 points (66% to 55%), the council hid the 163-page report on a third-party website and failed to announce its existence.

The council’s official Performance Indicators page still lists every survey from 2005 to 2019, but excludes the 2023 results. The page currently claims “the next survey is due to be conducted in 2021.” The webpage is still in use and the council updates it regularly.

The manipulation extends beyond surveys. Complaints against the council’s Chief Executive Group surged 253% (15 to 53) last year, yet the report was “noted” without discussion. When challenged, Council Leader Simon Hogg [gave false information](https://putney.news/2025/12/02/leader-gave-false-answer-on-complaints-surge-council-data-shows/) to Full Council, claiming complaints had fallen when his own data showed they had risen.

Housing Ombudsman findings against Wandsworth increased nine-fold between 2020-21 and 2023-24 (growing at three times the national average), yet when independent councillor Malcolm Grimston tried to raise this at Full Council, he was [blocked by procedural rules](https://putney.news/2025/12/10/hogg-promised-to-make-council-more-open-then-silenced-the-councillor-challenging-him/) that Hogg himself had introduced claiming they would make the council “more open.”

When *Putney.news* asked whether the council had conducted another resident survey in 2025, it failed to answer, raising questions about whether results are being withheld ahead of May’s local elections. The council has yet to respond to a further request for comment sent two days ago.

> [Hogg promised to make council “more open” – then silenced the councillor challenging him](https://putney.news/2025/12/10/hogg-promised-to-make-council-more-open-then-silenced-the-councillor-challenging-him/)

#### A 14-year pattern broken when results turned negative

Between 2005 and 2019, Wandsworth Council conducted residents’ surveys every two years like clockwork, publishing results on its [Performance Indicators page](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/the-council/open-data-and-transparency/council-datasets/performance-indicators/). Each survey costs tens of thousands of pounds to run and involves face-to-face interviews with about 1,500 residents by independent researchers BMG Research.

For 12 years (2005-2017), survey results were formally presented to the Finance and Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee for democratic oversight, typically in November. The 2019 survey results were downgraded to a presentation in January 2020 with no formal committee paper. The 2023 results were not presented to any committee at all.

The old surveys showed consistently strong performance: 85% satisfaction with how the council runs the local area in 2019, 79% agreeing it provides value for money, 84% trusting the council.

Then the pattern broke. The Performance Indicators page promised “the next survey is due to be conducted in 2021” but that survey never happened – or if it did, the council is hiding those results too.

#### The buried survey showing decline – but still strong performance

The [2023 residents’ survey](https://haveyoursay.citizenspace.com/wandsworthced/residents23/user_uploads/wandsworth-residents-survey-2023-1.pdf) \[pdf\] was conducted in October-November 2023, 18 months after Labour took control of the council in May 2022. Using identical methodology to previous years, the results showed significant declines: overall satisfaction dropped 11 points (85% to 74%), value for money fell 9 points (79% to 70%), feeling informed dropped 11 points (66% to 55%), and Brightside magazine readership fell 16 points (46% to 30%).

   Wandsworth Residents’ Survey Comparison 2019-2023  Wandsworth Residents’ Survey Results: 2019 vs 2023   Measure 2019(Conservative) 2023(Labour) Change     Overall satisfaction 85% 74% -11   Value for money 79% 70% -9   Feel informed 66% 55% -11   Trust in council 84% 80% -4   Council acts on concerns 78% 73% -5   Brightside readership 46% 30% -16   Library satisfaction 65% 77% +12   Parks satisfaction 87% 87% 0   Local area satisfaction 93% 92% -1  **Note:** The 2019 survey was conducted under Conservative administration (1978-2022). The 2023 survey was conducted in October-November 2023, 18 months after Labour took control in May 2022. Survey methodology remained identical across both years, enabling direct comparison.

Yet Wandsworth’s 74% satisfaction still significantly outperformed the 60% national average recorded by the Local Government Association’s June 2023 polling. Trust in the council (80%) remained well above the national 56%. The results were not disastrous; they showed a council performing better than most, but declining from high baselines.

Not everything declined. Library services jumped 12 points (65% to 77%), the biggest improvement measured. Parks remained stable at 87%. Local area satisfaction stayed at 92%.

The council published none of this prominently. The 163-page report was uploaded to [citizenspace.com](https://haveyoursay.citizenspace.com/wandsworthced/residents23/user_uploads/wandsworth-residents-survey-2023-1.pdf), a third-party consultation platform, with no context, no announcement, and no date stamp. The [Performance Indicators page](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/the-council/open-data-and-transparency/council-datasets/performance-indicators/) was not updated.

A search of over 1,500 council news articles published between 2022 and 2026 found zero announcements about the 2023 survey. *Putney.news* only discovered it through a Freedom of Information request filed in December 2025. The council responded on 26 January 2026: 30 working days late.

#### Evasive about 2021 and silent on 2025

The FOI request explicitly asked whether surveys were conducted in 2021, 2023, and 2025. The council answered only the middle question, stating “surveys were carried out in 2019 and 2023.”

This evasion matters. The pandemic did not stop other councils from surveying residents. Neighbouring Merton conducted surveys in both 2020 and 2021 despite COVID restrictions, switching to telephone interviews. Cornwall published multiple pandemic-era surveys. The LGA’s national polling continued throughout 2021.

Either Wandsworth failed to survey residents as its website promised, breaking a 14-year pattern, or it conducted surveys but is actively concealing the results. Both scenarios represent accountability failures, but the latter would be worse: spending public money on surveys then hiding findings from residents.

The silence on 2025 is also concerning. Surveys typically run October-November. It is now late January 2026. Any 2025 survey would be complete. Local elections are scheduled for 8 May. If a 2025 survey was conducted showing further declines, withholding results until after voting would be a profound democratic failure.

When asked whether the Corporate Leadership Team or Cabinet had discussed the survey programme since January 2021, the council replied “information not held.” This seems implausible for a £33,000 programme with a 14-year track record.

*Putney.news* has submitted a clarification request demanding direct answers. The council has until 26 February to respond.

> [Leader gave false answer on complaints surge, Council data shows](https://putney.news/2025/12/02/leader-gave-false-answer-on-complaints-surge-council-data-shows/)

#### A pattern of concealing negative data

The buried survey is part of a systematic pattern. The council’s Annual Corporate Complaints Report shows complaints against the Chief Executive’s Group increased 253% (15 to 53), yet was “noted” without discussion at the Finance Committee on 3 December 2025. The report contained a significant error, claiming a “61% increase” while the data table showed 253%.

When Hogg told Full Council that complaints had fallen, councillors challenged him with the council’s own data showing they had risen. Even his narrower claim about “Stage 2” complaints was false.

The Place Division – planning and building control services – saw 29 complaints with a 53% escalation rate to Stage 2, compared to roughly 20% across other services. Electoral Services generated 17 complaints in an election year marked by the July 2024 count error in Putney.

Independent councillor Malcolm Grimston revealed Housing Ombudsman findings against Wandsworth increased nine-fold between 2020-21 and 2023-24, growing at three times the sectoral average. Officers claimed this was “reflected across the sector,” but the data showed Wandsworth’s deterioration far exceeded national trends. When Grimston tried to raise this at Full Council, he was blocked.

On a recent ward visit to a council estate with 167 properties, Grimston collected 22 pieces of casework requiring follow-up. “This is way above what I would have expected two or three years ago and clearly unacceptable,” he said.

Most recently, the council [admitted it had failed to implement key fire safety reforms](https://putney.news/2026/01/26/years-of-failure-exposed-as-council-admits-ignoring-grenfell-reforms/) following Grenfell Tower, reforms legally required for years. The admission came only after sustained questioning—the council had not proactively disclosed the failure.

#### Reactive disclosure replaces accountability

The pattern is consistent: share performance data when positive; conceal or misrepresent when negative. Satisfaction declines, so the survey is buried. Complaints surge 253%, so the report is “noted” and the Leader gives false information. Ombudsman findings increase nine-fold at three times the national rate, so the councillor raising it is told it is “sector-wide” then blocked from questioning. Grenfell reforms are ignored for years, so the failure is admitted only when directly challenged.

The common thread is reactive disclosure. The council releases bad news only when forced to through FOI requests, sustained questioning or media investigation.

This undermines the transparency the council claims to value. The Performance Indicators page exists to enable scrutiny. By maintaining a page listing surveys from 2005 to 2019 while excluding the 2023 survey showing declining performance, the council defeats its purpose.

The 2023 results are not disastrous: Wandsworth still outperforms most councils. But the declines matter. Residents feeling less informed (down 11 points) while readership of thre council magazine *Brightside* falls (down 16 points) suggests communication breakdown. Satisfaction falling (down 11 points) while complaints surge (up 253%) suggests service quality problems in specific areas.

A council serious about accountability would discuss these issues openly. The decision to bury the survey suggests a preference for managing information rather than learning from it.

---

**Accountability Statement**

**We contacted:** Wandsworth Council through its Freedom of Information team, and Press Office.

**Request sent:** **27 & 28 January 2026**

---

**Wandsworth Council**

*Press Office*

**Status:** *No response received.*

Questions asked (click to expand)
*Were the 2023 survey results added to the Performance Indicators page alongside previous surveys from 2005-2019? If not, why not?*

*Were the 2023 results announced via the council’s usual communications channels (press releases, Brightside, social media)? If not, why not?*

*For 12 years (2005-2017), survey results were presented to the Finance and Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Were the 2023 results presented to any committee for democratic oversight? If not, why not?*

*Was a residents’ survey conducted in 2021? If not, why was the biennial pattern broken?*

*Was a residents’ survey conducted in 2025? If so, when will results be published?*

---

**Wandsworth Council**

*Freedom of Information team*

**Status:** *No response yet.*

Questions asked (click to expand)
*A [Freedom of Information clarification request](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/residents_survey_programme_2019#followup) was submitted on 27 January 2026 asking the council to confirm whether surveys were conducted in 2021 and 2025. The council has until 26 February 2026 to respond.*

---

***About the surveys***

*The residents’ surveys were conducted by BMG Research using face-to-face interviews with approximately 1,500 residents. Samples were stratified by ward and weighted by age, gender and ethnicity to ensure they accurately reflected Wandsworth’s population. The methodology remained consistent across all surveys from 2005 to 2023, enabling direct comparison. Questions focused on satisfaction with the local area, council performance, service quality and community cohesion.*

---

*Correction: In an earlier version of this story, the second time we mentioned Cllr Malcolm Grimston, we incorrectly identified him as a Conservative councillor. He has in fact been independent for the past two terms – 2018 and 2022 – and is standing again as an independent this year, 2026.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/29/wandsworth-council-buried-resident-survey-results-showing-11-satisfaction-drop/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/29/wandsworth-council-buried-resident-survey-results-showing-11-satisfaction-drop/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20Council%20buried%20resident%20survey%20results%20showing%2011%25%20satisfaction%20drop&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/29/wandsworth-council-buried-resident-survey-results-showing-11-satisfaction-drop/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** accountability, Labour, residents survey, Simon Hogg, Wandsworth Council

---

### [How to protect wildlife on Putney and Wimbledon Common: a guide for visitors](https://putney.news/2026/01/29/how-to-protect-wildlife-on-wimbledon-common-a-guide-for-visitors/)

**Published:** January 29, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Why leaving fallen branches helps stag beetles but harms ponds.

**Content:**

Next time you see a fallen branch on the Common, leave it exactly where it lies. That simple act of restraint may be the best thing you do for wildlife all week. But here’s the twist: if that same branch ends up in Queensmere pond, it could undo months of careful restoration work.

Understanding why requires a small lesson in one of London’s most remarkable ecosystems.

The Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators recently asked visitors to stop throwing wood into Queensmere pond, where rotting branches create silt that smothers aquatic life. The request illuminates a fascinating ecological paradox and reveals how this 1,140-acre green space actually works.

#### What makes a common a common?

Wimbledon Common isn’t owned by the council. It isn’t a royal park. And contrary to popular belief, “common land” was never truly common in the sense of belonging to everyone.

Historically, commons were private land, owned by lords of manors, where certain locals held specific rights to graze animals, cut peat, or collect wood. What makes our common unusual is its 1871 Act of Parliament, born from a remarkable Victorian campaign.

When Earl Spencer proposed enclosing 700 acres for his private park in 1864, local residents fought back. After seven years of political battle, the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Act created a charity governed by eight Conservators: five elected directly by local levy-payers, three appointed by government departments.

Today, approximately 45,000 households within three-quarters of a mile pay an annual levy (around £35) that funds roughly two-thirds of the Commons’ £2 million budget. If you live in parts of Putney, Wimbledon, Roehampton, or Merton, you’re not just a visitor. You’re a stakeholder who can vote for the people who manage this land.

It’s democracy at the hyperlocal level, unchanged for 150 years.

#### The science behind the wood appeal

Queensmere pond, created in 1887 for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, has spent decades collecting what flows downhill: sediment, leaves, and organic matter that accumulated into thick, oxygen-depleting silt.

The [current restoration project](https://www.wpcc.org.uk/nature/queensmere) involves removing decades of silt, planting 120 square metres of reedbed to filter water naturally, and creating silt trap lagoons. Tree thinning now allows sunlight to reach the water, enabling aquatic plants to photosynthesise and produce oxygen.

When wood decomposes in still water, it releases nutrients (particularly nitrogen and phosphorus) that remain trapped rather than being flushed away. Bacteria consuming the wood also consume dissolved oxygen. The result is a vicious cycle: more decomposition, more nutrients, more algae growth, more dead organic matter, less oxygen.

Ecologists call this eutrophication, and it eventually transforms a vibrant pond into stagnant soup.

![Dog entry to the refreshed pond](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/queensmere-dog-entry.jpeg)Dog entry to the refreshed pond#### Why fallen wood on land is different and essential

Here’s where ecology gets wonderfully counterintuitive. That same fallen branch, left in woodland, becomes critical habitat for Wimbledon Common wildlife protection.

Approximately 2,000 British invertebrate species depend on dead and decaying wood, including the magnificent stag beetle, Britain’s largest beetle and the specific reason Wimbledon Common is designated a Special Area of Conservation.

Female stag beetles seek out soft, rotting wood to lay their eggs. Their larvae then spend three to seven years slowly developing inside decaying timber before emerging as adults. The Commons lie at the heart of south London’s stag beetle population, and every piece of deadwood left in place is a potential nursery.

In woodland, decomposing wood releases nutrients into soil, where they’re absorbed by living trees and cycled through the ecosystem. In a still pond, those same nutrients remain suspended in water with nowhere to go.

This is why the Conservators’ guidance seems paradoxical but is ecologically sound: leave branches where they fall on land, but never throw them into ponds.

#### What lives here and why it matters

This distinction matters because Wimbledon Common supports extraordinary biodiversity. The nine ponds host 20 dragonfly and damselfly species, making it one of London’s finest sites for these ancient insects. Emperor dragonflies, the largest species, patrol Queensmere, while the rare (for Southern England) Black Darter has been recorded at Bluegate Gravel Pit.

More than 148 bird species have been recorded here, including a significant breeding population of Firecrests, tiny birds with blazing orange crests that have colonised the holly understorey. Common buzzards now circle overhead in groups of six or more, and the distinctive call of the Dartford Warbler, a heathland specialist, can occasionally be heard in the gorse.

The Commons contain 50% of Greater London’s remaining heathland, a nationally rare habitat where the purple blaze of ling heather transforms the landscape each August. Six bat species use the area.

#### How you can actually help

The good news is that helping wildlife here is mostly about restraint rather than action.

Don’t move deadwood. You’re looking at potential stag beetle habitat. Keep dogs on leads near ponds from April to August, when waterfowl are nesting. If your dog has been treated with flea or tick medication, keep them out of the water entirely. These pesticides are lethal to aquatic invertebrates even in tiny concentrations.

Pick up after your dog. Dog waste adds nitrogen and phosphorus that enrich the nutrient-poor soils where rare heathland plants thrive. This enrichment favours common grasses that outcompete the heather and gorse, gradually turning special heathland into ordinary grassland. During bird nesting season on The Plain, stick to the mown paths rather than wandering through the longer grass where ground-nesting skylarks may be raising their young.

For those wanting to do more, the [Saturday Scrub Bashers volunteer group](https://www.wpcc.org.uk/other-ways-to-support-us/volunteering) meets weekly at the Windmill to clear invasive scrub from the heathland, essential work preventing woodland from swallowing this rare habitat. The [Friends of Wimbledon and Putney Commons](https://wimbledoncommunity.org/blog/friends-of-wimbledon-and-putney-commons/) offers membership from £18 annually, including guided wildlife walks.

The Queensmere restoration represents something larger: a recognition that urban nature reserves need active management rather than benign neglect. The new reedbeds will filter water for decades. The reduced tree canopy means sunlight can now reach the water.

Native plants will establish along newly created natural banks that replaced the old concrete. Dragonfly larvae will have somewhere to emerge. And the silt traps will catch sediment before it reaches the main pond, buying perhaps another century before major intervention is needed again.

The 45,000 households who fund this work through [their annual levy](https://www.wpcc.org.uk/the-commons/frequently-asked-questions) are investing in something genuinely special: a Victorian system of local democracy protecting a medieval common for future generations.

All it asks in return is that we leave the branches where they fall.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/29/how-to-protect-wildlife-on-wimbledon-common-a-guide-for-visitors/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/29/how-to-protect-wildlife-on-wimbledon-common-a-guide-for-visitors/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=How%20to%20protect%20wildlife%20on%20Putney%20and%20Wimbledon%20Common%3A%20a%20guide%20for%20visitors&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/29/how-to-protect-wildlife-on-wimbledon-common-a-guide-for-visitors/)

**Categories:** Environment, Going out

**Tags:** community, conservation, nature, Parks and open spaces, Putney Common, wildlife, Wimbledon

---

### [Putney pub rates relief: welcome but won't offset tripling bills](https://putney.news/2026/01/29/putney-pub-rates-relief-welcome-but-wont-offset-tripling-bills/)

**Published:** January 29, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Wandsworth pubs facing steep tax rises will benefit from government "sticking plaster" support.

**Content:**

The government has announced a support package for pubs that will give venues across Putney some relief from looming business rates increases, though industry figures say it falls far short of what’s needed.

From April, pubs in England will receive a 15% cut to their new business rates bills, with bills then frozen in real terms for a further two years. The average pub will save £1,650 in 2026/27, with the government claiming 75% of pubs will see their bills fall or stay flat.

The announcement comes a week after [we revealed eight Wandsworth pubs ranked among London’s 100 most at risk](https://putney.news/2026/01/20/eight-wandsworth-pubs-among-londons-most-at-risk-as-tax-bills-set-to-soar/) from the combined impact of new property valuations and the abolition of pandemic-era relief.

Among them is the Bricklayers Arms on Waterman Street, Putney’s oldest pub, which faces its rateable value rising from £15,500 to £40,500, an increase of 161%. The 200-year-old pub was saved from permanent closure during COVID by landlord Chris Walsh and a crowdfunding campaign that raised nearly £14,000 from 289 local supporters.

The new relief will reduce the immediate impact, but the trajectory remains clear: pubs that recovered strongly from the pandemic will still pay significantly more than before.

#### What’s in the package

The [government announcement](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-announces-support-package-that-backs-british-pubs) includes a 15% business rates cut from April, a two-year real-terms freeze on bills, and a review of how pubs are valued for tax purposes. Live music venues that operate as pubs will also benefit.

The government will also consult on planning reforms to let pubs add guest rooms or expand without needing local planning permission, and pubs will be allowed to stay open late for Home Nations games in the later stages of the summer’s Men’s FIFA World Cup.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said pubs and high streets needed to thrive to “restore the pride in our communities.”

> [Eight Wandsworth pubs among London’s most at risk as tax bills set to soar](https://putney.news/2026/01/20/eight-wandsworth-pubs-among-londons-most-at-risk-as-tax-bills-set-to-soar/)

#### Hotels and restaurants left out

The relief applies only to pubs and music venues. Hotels, restaurants, cafes and other hospitality businesses are excluded despite facing similar cost pressures.

UKHospitality chief executive Allen Simpson warned that rising business rates affect the entire sector. Hotels face an average 115% increase over three years, compared with 76% for pubs.

“These are not challenges unique to pubs,” Simpson said. “Our hotels, restaurants and cafes, to name a few, all face their business rates bills increasing by thousands.”

The Chancellor said pubs were “in a different situation” to other hospitality businesses when asked why the relief was so narrowly targeted.

#### Industry reaction mixed

The British Beer and Pub Association welcomed the announcement, saying it would “stave off the immediate financial threat” for many pubs.

But the Campaign for Real Ale called it a “short-term announcement” that fails to deliver the “permanently lower business rates” pubs were promised. Shadow Business Secretary Mel Stride described the measures as “a temporary sticking plaster.”

Dom Jacobs, founder of the Ardent Pub Group in London, called the relief “wholly inadequate,” adding that hospitality “continues to shoulder an excessive tax burden.”

#### What it means for Putney

The Bricklayers Arms tells the story of many pubs caught by the new valuations. Walsh took over in July 2020, operating from a table outside during lockdowns while he and his family worked to restore the Grade II listed building. The pub reopened in May 2021, just weeks after the April 2021 valuation date that captured it at its lowest ebb.

That timing matters: pubs were valued at their pandemic low point for the outgoing rates list, but at their recovered state for the incoming one. The Bricklayers Arms has since thrived, earning recognition on CAMRA’s National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors for its preserved 1928 features. Now that success is being used to calculate a tax bill that could nearly triple.

The government’s review of pub valuation methodology, which will feed into the 2029 revaluation, may eventually address this concern. The current system values pubs based on turnover potential rather than property size, which industry bodies say unfairly penalises venues that rebuilt trade after COVID.

But for Putney’s oldest pub, and the 289 locals who helped save it, that review offers no immediate help. The 15% relief softens the blow. It doesn’t change the destination.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/29/putney-pub-rates-relief-welcome-but-wont-offset-tripling-bills/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/29/putney-pub-rates-relief-welcome-but-wont-offset-tripling-bills/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20pub%20rates%20relief%3A%20welcome%20but%20won%E2%80%99t%20offset%20tripling%20bills&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/29/putney-pub-rates-relief-welcome-but-wont-offset-tripling-bills/)

**Categories:** Business, News

**Tags:** Bricklayers Arms, business rates, hospitality, pubs, Putney, Rachel Reeves, Spread Eagle, Wandsworth

---

### [Putney High Street roadworks progress on two fronts this week](https://putney.news/2026/01/28/putney-high-street-roadworks-progress-on-two-fronts-this-week/)

**Published:** January 28, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** TK Maxx road widening begins, hotel corner demolition nears top floor completion.

**Content:**

Progress is visible on Putney High Street this week, with road widening work underway opposite TK Maxx and the hotel corner demolition advancing rapidly.

The carriageway expansion work [promised since November](https://putney.news/2025/12/01/bus-lane-suspended-more-putney-bridge-junction-changes-due-early-2026/) and [confirmed last week](https://putney.news/2026/01/24/putney-high-street-traffic-council-letter-confirms-tk-maxx-works-start-today/) has begun, with orange barriers lining the pavement and excavation visible along the stretch between M&S and Boots. The work aims to give buses more room without blocking traffic behind them.

It’s a workaround solution. The council wants to indent the bus stop properly, but that requires relocating two BT phone boxes first. Planning permission has been submitted to move them one block up, but while that bureaucratic process grinds on, the council is widening the road opposite.

The complication: TfL owns one side of Putney High Street, the council owns the other. So the council is doing what it can while waiting for the phone box relocation and TfL coordination needed for the permanent solution.

Whether the pavement will be restored once the proper bus stop indentation is complete remains unclear. What is clear: this interim fix adds to the mounting costs beyond the [£1 million junction redesign](https://putney.news/2025/11/16/why-putney-is-paralysed-eight-failures-creating-londons-traffic-nightmare/) including [£169,000 in emergency measures](https://putney.news/2025/11/19/emergency-fixes-fail-to-restore-confidence-in-putney-junction/) already spent fixing problems the original scheme created.

![Putney High Street roadworks](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/phs-pavement-widening-1024x768.jpg)Meanwhile, at the junction corner, the hotel development is making rapid progress. The top floor of the buildings that once housed [Ramna, Gadget Xchange and Preto](https://putney.news/2025/11/17/putney-high-street-demolition-and-st-margarets-church-path-work-complete/) has been nearly demolished, with scaffolding and protective sheeting in place as the site prepares for its transformation into a 198-room Hub by Premier Inn hotel with ground-floor retail.

After [squatters were evicted](https://putney.news/2025/09/10/victory-at-last-squatters-driven-out-of-putney-high-street/) and a [theft ring exposed](https://putney.news/2025/09/11/theft-ring-exposed-as-putney-squatters-driven-out/) last autumn, the eight-year-delayed development is finally moving forward. Construction is expected to complete in 2028.

In related High Street news, the planning application to [install gates across Russell Yard](https://putney.news/2026/01/11/new-gate-would-close-off-passage-next-to-returning-marks-and-spencer/) next to the returning M&S has been withdrawn. The application had cited rough sleepers as justification for blocking public access to the passage.

The transport committee meets in February, where councillors should – but won’t – be pressing for answers about who approved the junction design on faulty data and poor traffic light timing that necessitated all these costly fixes in the first place.

---

**Have the roadworks affected your journey? What else needs fixing at the junction?** Let us know in the comments below.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/28/putney-high-street-roadworks-progress-on-two-fronts-this-week/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/28/putney-high-street-roadworks-progress-on-two-fronts-this-week/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20High%20Street%20roadworks%20progress%20on%20two%20fronts%20this%20week&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/28/putney-high-street-roadworks-progress-on-two-fronts-this-week/)

**Categories:** Thamesfield, Transport

**Tags:** hotel development, Marlborough Properties, Putney Bridge junction, Putney High Street, Russell Yard, TK Maxx, Wandsworth Council

---

### [When Putney High Street's too loud, businesses resort to screaming in LED](https://putney.news/2026/01/28/when-putney-high-streets-too-loud-businesses-resort-to-screaming-in-led/)

**Published:** January 28, 2026
**Author:** The Editor

**Excerpt:** 
Three new applications suggest the High Street is taking visual inspiration from Tokyo.

**Content:**

The trend started with the hideously bright vape shop that arrived a few months ago. Now it seems every business wants in on the LED arms race.

At 160-162 Putney High Street, the building that [secured controversial planning permission](https://putney.news/2026/01/XX/admiral-gambling-link) for a gambling centre despite 624 objections, Admiral has applied for “display of internally illuminated fascia and projecting signs” (application 2026/0256). The same premises is simultaneously seeking a gambling licence, suggesting the business is optimistic about its prospects.

Further down at 88-90 Putney High Street, Chipotle is trying again after their first attempt failed. Application 2026/0137 seeks two digital LCD display screens, presumably to match the Chicken Shop opposite. When their initial application (2026/0016) at the start of the year was ruled invalid, they simply filed a new one.

Even Tiny Feet, the new pram store at 60 Putney High Street, wants in. Application 2026/0003 requests two externally illuminated fascia signs plus installation of two 55-inch digital LCD screens centred on windows.

#### The council will probably approve them all

They are almost certain to get permission, because seemingly every shop on Putney High Street already has LCD signs. They are giant versions of the devices we carry around with us all day, desperately trying to entice us inside.

It is modern retail, after all. And the council has been approving these applications for years, despite its own 1988 Shopfronts guidance suggesting that “internally illuminated box fascias and projecting box signs can be particularly obtrusive” and warning they “can harm the appearance of the shop, the character of the street or residential amenity.”

That was written in an era when people thought about visual pollution. Now we have more pressing concerns.

![AJ Phone Centre on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/aj-phone-centre-1024x768.jpg)#### Symptoms of a High Street in crisis

You cannot really blame businesses for wanting to yell about themselves through LCD screens. Putney High Street is currently a building site, with [not one, not two, not three, but four active worksites](https://putney.news/2026/01/XX/progress-link) competing for space.

The [carriageway expansion work](https://putney.news/2026/01/XX/progress-link) opposite TK Maxx, the [hotel demolition accelerating](https://putney.news/2025/11/17/putney-high-street-demolition-and-st-margarets-church-path-work-complete/) at the junction corner, and various utilities projects have turned the area into an obstacle course. Construction barriers, excavation equipment, and protective sheeting dominate the streetscape.

Heavy traffic does not help. The constant stream of vehicles means people zoom past rather than stroll and browse. The [£1 million junction redesign](https://putney.news/2025/11/16/why-putney-is-paralysed-eight-failures-creating-londons-traffic-nightmare/) that made everything worse has not exactly encouraged lingering.

When you get plenty of footfall but people are not actually entering shops, desperation sets in. LCD screens become the retail equivalent of standing outside shouting “please notice me” above the din of pneumatic drills and idling buses.

It is a pitiful sight, really. Businesses reduced to screaming for attention because the High Street itself has become too chaotic for normal commerce.

#### Looking forward to quieter times

Perhaps there will come a day when businesses decide to take the screens down. When Putney High Street recovers from its construction phase and people can actually pause to look in windows without navigating around barriers or breathing dust.

When the junction works properly, when traffic flows rather than queues, when the street becomes a place for browsing rather than rushing through. When businesses realise that people are peeking in again, rather than zooming by.

That would be nice. Until then, welcome to Putney High Street: the LED capital of southwest London.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/28/when-putney-high-streets-too-loud-businesses-resort-to-screaming-in-led/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/28/when-putney-high-streets-too-loud-businesses-resort-to-screaming-in-led/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=When%20Putney%20High%20Street%E2%80%99s%20too%20loud%2C%20businesses%20resort%20to%20screaming%20in%20LED&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/28/when-putney-high-streets-too-loud-businesses-resort-to-screaming-in-led/)

**Categories:** Business, Comment, Thamesfield

---

### [Putney's riverside revival: Boathouses restore Victorian character with modern engineering](https://putney.news/2026/01/28/putneys-riverside-revival-boathouses-restore-victorian-character-with-modern-engineering/)

**Published:** January 28, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Hidden foundation work and visible construction mark embankment restoration trend.

**Content:**

Before London Rowing Club could begin its highly visible balcony renovation, the club faced a challenge hidden beneath the Victorian embankment: 10 metres of unstable ground that engineers described as resembling sludge.

The solution involved injecting more than 400kg of expanding geopolymer resin to strengthen the foundations ahead of demolition work that began in December. The ground stabilisation, completed in October by specialist firm Geobear, allowed the club to proceed with replacing its deteriorating 104-year-old balcony while keeping costs down and rowing activity disruption to a minimum.

“We had a soil survey carried out which went down to about 10 metres and it found that this is what’s called made ground, and it was a bit like sludge,” Peter Halford, a director at London Rowing Club, explained in a video interview published late last year. “We had two options. One was piling and the other was Geobear. The piling option was more expensive.”

The Putney Embankment was created in the late 19th century through land reclamation, using a mixture of soil, rubble and construction waste to raise the riverbank above high-tide levels. While typical of Victorian engineering, these made-ground soils are prone to long-term settlement, particularly where fill was poorly compacted.

The new balcony required five column supports compared to the original three, prompting structural engineers to recommend foundation strengthening before construction could begin. The expanding resin works by compacting surrounding soils as it expands, increasing their load-bearing capacity without excavation or heavy machinery. For a members’ club where costs are funded entirely by members, the savings were significant.

![Hard at work on the new balcony at London Rowing Club. Pic: LRC](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LRC_Balcony_Jaunary_2026_Steels_Scaffold.webp)Hard at work on the new balcony at London Rowing Club. Pic: LRC#### Steel framework rises

Demolition of the 1921 concrete balcony began last month, with the steel framework for its replacement now taking shape. Photos from this month on the club’s [continually updated blog](https://www.londonrc.org.uk/balconyproject) show the new structure’s five support columns and horizontal beams installed, revealing the scale of the expanded balcony.

The design reflects the style of the club’s first Victorian balcony, featuring period-appropriate detailing and a hardwood timber handrail that will match the Embankment’s riverside railings. The original stone corbels, which have supported successive balconies since the building was constructed in 1871, have been retained and restored as part of the new structure.

A second phase will add a canopy along the length of the balcony, meeting the building’s facade below its distinctive arched windows so these Victorian architectural features remain visible from the river. The project has a planned completion date of the end of February.

We [previously reported](https://putney.news/2025/07/17/conservation-panel-backs-rowing-clubs-elegant-new-balcony-plan/) that Wandsworth’s Conservation and Heritage Advisory Committee backed the scheme in July, praising its attention to heritage detail and sensitive contribution to the conservation area. The club’s Great London Row fundraising event in September raised more than £39,000 towards the project.

![Ranelagh Rowing fixing its balcony](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ranelagh-rowing-1024x768.jpg)#### Ranelagh follows suit

The London Rowing Club is not alone in refreshing its riverside frontage. Ranelagh Sailing Club, founded in 1889 and located a few doors along the embankment, received planning permission on January 6 to remove its deteriorating 1960s first floor extension and restore the building’s Victorian facade.

According to the club’s heritage statement submitted with its application, the extension contains asbestos panels that are “starting to become detached and pose a threat to the health and safety of the club”. Removing the full-width structure will expose the building’s original mid-Victorian polychromatic brickwork, currently hidden behind the later addition.

The Ranelagh application attracted nine public comments, all supportive. Westminster School Boat Club, the direct neighbour, said the design “will be an obvious benefit to the Putney riverside frontage”.

The Putney Society backed both restoration projects. Andrew Catto, the society’s buildings panel convenor, described the embankment boathouses as “a unique and living part of local history” deserving conservation as a group. He had praised the London Rowing Club scheme in similar terms when it went before the conservation committee in July.

One resident, Des Howard, welcomed what he called “the trend towards undoing the damage done by planning approvals in the 70’s”, adding that he hoped to see similar restoration work on Putney High Street and Upper Richmond Road.

The Ranelagh scheme also includes a new balcony area at first floor level, restoration of original windows and doors, new railings, and a retractable awning at second floor level.

One thing’s for sure: as we endure the most miserable part of the year, Putney residents will have plenty to look forward to on the embankment as spring pops up its head and rowers look down on the Thames.

![London Rowing Club. Pic: LRC](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LRC_Balcony_Jaunary_2026_Column_Base_circular_steel-777x1024.webp)A nice detail on the new London Rowing Club balcony. Pic: LRC [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/28/putneys-riverside-revival-boathouses-restore-victorian-character-with-modern-engineering/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/28/putneys-riverside-revival-boathouses-restore-victorian-character-with-modern-engineering/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20riverside%20revival%3A%20Boathouses%20restore%20Victorian%20character%20with%20modern%20engineering&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/28/putneys-riverside-revival-boathouses-restore-victorian-character-with-modern-engineering/)

**Categories:** Community, Planning, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Geobear, ground stabilisation, heritage restoration, London Rowing Club, Putney embankment, Ranelagh Sailing Club, Victorian architecture

---

### [Putney’s century-old bus route 93 at risk as Go-Ahead walks away from London contracts](https://putney.news/2026/01/23/putneys-century-old-bus-route-93-at-risk-as-go-ahead-walks-away-from-london-contracts/)

**Published:** January 23, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Operator cites Labour’s national insurance increases as eight routes become “no longer sustainable”.

**Content:**

**Update 27 Jan: TfL has [assured bus users that the 93 is “safe and will be maintained](https://putney.news/2026/01/27/tfl-promises-route-93-is-safe-but-costs-likely-to-rise/).”**

Go-Ahead, London’s largest bus operator, has told Transport for London it will stop running eight routes including the 93, which has served Putney since 1924, blaming the government’s national insurance increases for making the services financially unsustainable.

The withdrawal, revealed in a letter from Go-Ahead London managing director Andrew Edwards to TfL, and [seen by *The Times*](https://www.thetimes.com/article/982dc41f-2dfd-4828-9d7d-258fe67bfab6?shareToken=541fa840cded9606bdbdbce6a453ad15), marks an unprecedented mid-contract exit. Analysis of TfL’s published tendering schedules confirms none of the eight affected routes are due for renewal until at least 2028, meaning this is not a negotiating tactic ahead of contract discussions but a genuine abandonment of existing commitments.

Route 93 runs from Putney Bridge Station through Putney High Street and across Putney Heath to Wimbledon, Morden and North Cheam. It operates 24 hours a day and is one of five routes serving the length of Putney High Street, providing a key link for residents travelling to Wimbledon town centre, the Northern line at Morden, and areas of south London not served by the District line.

The route first began operating on 19 April 1924, originally running between Wembley Stadium and Wimbledon for the British Empire Exhibition. Over the following century it evolved into its current alignment, becoming a staple of Putney’s public transport network.

#### Why Go-Ahead is walking away

Edwards’ letter states the routes are “no longer sustainable under current contract terms” due to national insurance increases and inflation that have not been offset by contract price adjustments.

In April 2025, employer national insurance contributions rose from 13.8 per cent to 15 per cent, while the threshold at which employers start paying dropped from £9,100 to £5,000. The Confederation of Passenger Transport estimates these changes cost the bus industry £100 million nationally, roughly £800 per driver per year.

Documents from FirstGroup’s acquisition of RATP’s London bus operations confirm the scale of the problem, referencing £40-50 million in “onerous contract provisions” stemming from labour cost increases on contracts signed before 2022.

Go-Ahead says it will “rebid for these routes on terms that allow us to continue our high standards” and will operate the services until the tendering process concludes. The move is believed to be unprecedented and risks job losses.

#### What happens next

TfL will put the routes out to tender. However, with all operators facing the same national insurance burden, there is no guarantee bids will come in at prices TfL considers acceptable. If routes are deemed uneconomical, TfL may shorten them or withdraw them entirely.

The other affected routes are the 80, 151, 154, 155, 163, 164 and 470, all operated from Go-Ahead’s Sutton, Merton, Ellis Road and Stockwell garages.

For Putney, the timing adds to existing transport pressures. TfL is already consulting on changes to route 424 that would remove direct service through Putney High Street, citing chronic congestion. The transport authority’s own director of public transport planning, Geoff Hobbs, has singled out Putney as one of London’s most problematic areas for bus reliability, where “any traffic that comes to a halt will soon back up over the bridge.”

Putney residents who rely on the 93 for journeys to Wimbledon, Morden or points south should monitor TfL announcements for updates on the tendering process and any potential service changes.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/23/putneys-century-old-bus-route-93-at-risk-as-go-ahead-walks-away-from-london-contracts/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/23/putneys-century-old-bus-route-93-at-risk-as-go-ahead-walks-away-from-london-contracts/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20century-old%20bus%20route%2093%20at%20risk%20as%20Go-Ahead%20walks%20away%20from%20London%20contracts&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/23/putneys-century-old-bus-route-93-at-risk-as-go-ahead-walks-away-from-london-contracts/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** 93, buses, National Insurance, TfL

---

### [Putney loses direct link to Waterloo for two more weekends](https://putney.news/2026/01/27/putney-loses-direct-link-to-waterloo-for-two-more-weekends/)

**Published:** January 27, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Services affected 31 January-1 February and 8 February as Queenstown Road works continue.

**Content:**

Putney commuters face four more weekends of rail disruption starting this Saturday as South Western Railway continues engineering work following the major Christmas shutdown.

Services through Putney will be affected on 31 January-1 February and 8 February, with Queenstown Road station closed on both weekends and multiple routes starting from Clapham Junction rather than Waterloo.

The disruption follows three January weekends already affected by the ongoing maintenance programme, which saw more than 350 engineers upgrade track, signalling and power systems in the Queenstown Road area over Christmas.

#### This weekend: services start at Clapham Junction

On **Saturday 31 January and Sunday 1 February**, trains to Reading, Windsor, Weybridge and the Richmond-Wimbledon loop will start and terminate at Clapham Junction rather than Waterloo, cutting off Putney’s direct link to central London.

Sunday sees additional disruption, with Hampton Court services starting from Surbiton and Dorking services cancelled completely. Passengers to Dorking should use Southern services from Clapham Junction or Epsom.

Several routes will skip Vauxhall and Earlsfield stations on Sunday, with revised stopping patterns on services to Guildford and Shepperton.

#### Following weekend: Barnes area closed

On **Sunday 8 February**, the line through Barnes, Putney and Wandsworth Town will be closed all day, with buses replacing trains between Clapham Junction and Richmond.

Passengers will need to use replacement buses to reach Clapham Junction or Richmond to connect with other services, or use the District Line from East Putney.

#### Your alternatives 

East Putney station on the District Line is unaffected by all engineering works and provides direct services to central London via Earl’s Court and Westminster ([as long as it doesn’t rain](https://putney.news/2025/09/25/this-is-why-your-commute-is-hell-putneys-transport-meltdown-exposed/ "This is why your commute is hell: Putney’s transport meltdown exposed")).

Bus route 39 runs from Putney Bridge to Clapham Junction every 10 minutes, taking approximately 45-50 minutes. Routes 337 and 37 also connect Putney with Clapham Junction, where passengers can use Southern services to Victoria.

#### Works aim to improve reliability

George Murrell, Route Renewals Director for South Western Railway and Network Rail Wessex, said the works would make the railway more resilient.

“The improvements will make one of the busiest stretches of railway in the country more resilient and customers can expect fewer faults and delays, together with smoother and more reliable journeys,” he said.

Putney station was [heavily affected by the Christmas engineering works](https://putney.news/2025/12/07/replacement-buses-at-putney-station-today-and-next-sunday/), with services disrupted from 27 December to 4 January, followed by three more weekends of disruption in January on 10-11, 24-25 and 31 January.

Passengers can find full details of the engineering works on the [SWR planned improvements page at its website](https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/planned-improvements).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/27/putney-loses-direct-link-to-waterloo-for-two-more-weekends/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/27/putney-loses-direct-link-to-waterloo-for-two-more-weekends/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20loses%20direct%20link%20to%20Waterloo%20for%20two%20more%20weekends&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/27/putney-loses-direct-link-to-waterloo-for-two-more-weekends/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Putney train station, SWR, train disruption

---

### [Putney's bike graveyard could help traffic crisis - if council did its job](https://putney.news/2026/01/27/putneys-bike-graveyard-could-help-traffic-crisis-if-council-did-its-job/)

**Published:** January 27, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Disraeli Road racks block junction improvements as removal deadline passes with zero action.

**Content:**

A bike graveyard that could be part of Putney’s traffic solution remains untouched five days after Wandsworth Council’s deadline to clear it.

The oversized racks on Disraeli Road serve roughly five actual commuters while occupying road space that could ease congestion. The Transport Committee meets next month to discuss Putney traffic, but the council cannot execute even basic removal of 12 abandoned bike parts it tagged on 14 January with a 21 January deadline.

Four inspections since the deadline passed found the same rusted chassis, single wheels and stripped frames. One bike has pizza crust inserted into its spokes, slowly going mouldy. Two others are completely rusted out. Six additional abandoned bikes were never tagged at all.

The racks serve minimal legitimate demand but create maximum problems. Without them, Disraeli Road could accommodate safer cycling routes and improved traffic flow for the road that’s often 20 cars deep trying to turn onto Putney High Street.

![Disraeli bike racks
](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/disraeli-bike-rack-still-there-1024x768.jpg)#### The junction opportunity

Council transport officers [suggested using Disraeli with Werter Road](https://putney.news/2025/12/09/a-bus-blocked-traffic-while-officials-watched-now-they-promise-february-fixes/) to ease congestion when *Putney.news* walked Putney Bridge Junction with them in December. But reconfiguration requires removing infrastructure that barely functions.

The 64-space racks hold 14-15 functional bikes. A [side business operator](https://putney.news/2026/01/15/council-tags-abandoned-bikes-on-disraeli-road-but-bigger-challenge-remains/) stores four whilst selling them online. That leaves approximately five actual commuters.

The rest: 12 tagged abandoned items (six wheels without bikes, six chassis without wheels), six more abandoned bikes never tagged, and 30-plus completely empty spaces. Roughly 80% of the racks serve no legitimate transport purpose.

Meanwhile, Cllr John Locker [disclosed](https://putney.news/2026/01/12/calls-grow-to-replace-disraeli-bike-racks-as-investigation-reveals-safety-and-theft-problems/) the racks create safety hazards for cyclists using the contraflow route. When cars queue at the junction, cyclists cannot navigate safely because the racks block exit space. Officers promised to fix it but haven’t scheduled the work.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/disraeli-bike-rack-wheels-768x1024.jpg)#### The pattern

The tags appeared only after [*Putney.news* investigation](https://putney.news/2026/01/08/putneys-bike-graveyard-less-than-a-sixth-of-racks-used-by-functional-cycles/) found rust patterns suggesting months of neglect. Local councillors pressured the council. Tags appeared three days later with a seven-day deadline.

Then nothing. The 21 January deadline passed with zero action. The tagged items remain whilst the junction opportunity slips away.

The deadline failure matters because the traffic solution is sitting there, blocked by abandoned bike parts.

The February Transport Committee meeting could drive junction improvements. Council officers already identified this junction as part of the congestion solution. The space exists. The need exists.

But execution doesn’t. Five days past deadline, roughly five commuters navigate around rusted chassis whilst cars queue 20 deep and cyclists face safety hazards. The council tagged problems but cannot remove them.

The pizza crust keeps decomposing, the rust keeps spreading, and Putney’s traffic keeps crawling.

![Disraeli bike racks taking. up space](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/bike-racks-taking-up-space-1024x768.jpg) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/27/putneys-bike-graveyard-could-help-traffic-crisis-if-council-did-its-job/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/27/putneys-bike-graveyard-could-help-traffic-crisis-if-council-did-its-job/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20bike%20graveyard%20could%20help%20traffic%20crisis%20%E2%80%93%20if%20council%20did%20its%20job&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/27/putneys-bike-graveyard-could-help-traffic-crisis-if-council-did-its-job/)

**Categories:** Thamesfield, Transport

**Tags:** bike racks, Disraeli Road, Putney High Street, traffic

---

### [TfL promises route 93 is safe but costs likely to rise](https://putney.news/2026/01/27/tfl-promises-route-93-is-safe-but-costs-likely-to-rise/)

**Published:** January 27, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Rebidding process expected to push prices higher as operators factor in national insurance increases.

**Content:**

Transport for London (TfL) has assured customers that the vital route 93 bus will continue to run despite the operator walking away from the contract years early, following an outcry from South West London residents over the news of Go-Ahead’s unprecedented mid-contract exit.

“I can assure you that the 93 and the other bus routes mentioned are safe and their service will be maintained,” a TfL spokesperson said. “There is no threat to services on any of the bus routes from Go-Ahead’s action.”

The reassurance came after [we revealed last week](https://putney.news/2026/01/23/putneys-century-old-bus-route-93-at-risk-as-go-ahead-walks-away-from-london-contracts/) that Go-Ahead, London’s largest bus operator, is exiting contracts for eight routes including the 93, citing the government’s national insurance increases as making the services financially unsustainable. Readers expressed alarm that the century-old route, which has served Putney since 1924, could be at risk.

Putney MP Fleur Anderson raised the concerns directly with TfL. “If the number 93 was under threat I would be the first to be campaigning to keep it,” she told *Putney.news*. “So, I am glad to be assured that the 93 is safe. I use our buses all the time and know how important they are, so I keep checking on all our routes.”

#### Why costs will rise

The financial pressure stems from how London bus contracts work. TfL pays operators a fixed rate per mile based on contracts that typically last seven years. The route 93 contract, awarded to Go-Ahead around 2022, was priced at rates that reflected costs at the time.

But in April 2025, the government increased employer national insurance contributions from 13.8 per cent to 15 per cent, while also lowering the threshold at which employers start paying from £9,100 to £5,000. For bus operators with large workforces, this created an industry-wide cost increase of around £100 million that existing contracts do not cover.

Go-Ahead told TfL the routes had become financially unviable under current payment rates. When the routes go out to tender, operators will bid at prices reflecting today’s costs, almost certainly forcing TfL to pay significantly more.

#### How bus contracts work

TfL designs London’s bus network, deciding where routes go, how often buses run, and what fares passengers pay. When a route needs an operator, TfL opens competitive bidding. Bus companies (Go-Ahead, Metroline, Arriva, etc.) submit bids saying how much it will cost to run the service to TfL’s standards.

TfL pays the winning operator to run the route day-to-day. Crucially, TfL keeps all the fare money. If ridership rises or falls, TfL takes the gain or loss, not the operator. Contracts typically last seven years, with bonuses for strong performance and penalties for poor service.

The problem: when costs rise mid-contract, operators absorb the loss. The April 2025 national insurance increase created £100 million in extra costs industry-wide. Routes awarded before this change are locked into old payment rates. When they retender, TfL must pay current prices. Route 28’s 2024 retender jumped 54 per cent from £4.9 million to £7.6 million annually.

Will fares rise? Not automatically. TfL must cover higher contract costs through some mix of fare revenue, business rates, City Hall funding, or central government support. Fare increases are a political decision made by the Mayor, not a direct result of individual contract costs.

A recent precedent illustrates the scale of increase. When route 28 was retendered in 2024 after an operator exercised a break clause, costs jumped 54 per cent from £4.9 million to £7.6 million annually.

While TfL has not disclosed the route 93 contract value, the 24-hour service covering nine miles between Putney Bridge and North Cheam represents one of the more substantial contracts among the affected routes.

#### Why contracts are behind another Putney headache

This contract sensitivity helps explain TfL’s resistance to moving bus changeover points away from Lower Richmond Road and Putney Bridge Junction, despite persistent congestion complaints. Changeover points are specified in contracts, and altering them risks forcing renegotiation. With the number of routes running down Putney High Street, that could prove enormously expensive for TfL.

Earlier this month, Wandsworth Council’s Assistant Director Engineering, and the man responsible for getting Putney Bridge junction to work, Henry Cheung, [confessed](https://putney.news/2026/01/17/residents-challenge-councils-defence-of-putney-bridge-junction-at-second-walkabout/) that it has been an “ongoing battle” with TfL to get drivers to change bus away from congestion hotspots.

Route 93 provides a vital link from Putney to Wimbledon, Morden and the Northern line, serving areas of south London not covered by the District line. It runs through Putney High Street and operates around the clock.

TfL’s statement confirmed that Go-Ahead has “explicitly stated they plan to rebid for the routes in the retendering exercise that will now occur.” However, with all operators facing the same national insurance burden, there is no guarantee bids will come in at prices TfL deems acceptable.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/27/tfl-promises-route-93-is-safe-but-costs-likely-to-rise/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/27/tfl-promises-route-93-is-safe-but-costs-likely-to-rise/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=TfL%20promises%20route%2093%20is%20safe%20but%20costs%20likely%20to%20rise&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/27/tfl-promises-route-93-is-safe-but-costs-likely-to-rise/)

**Categories:** News, Transport

**Tags:** Fleur Anderson MP, Go-Ahead, Route 93, TfL

---

### [Passion without a pathway: politicians demand action on bridge they can't agree how to fix](https://putney.news/2026/01/25/passion-without-a-pathway-politicians-demand-action-on-bridge-they-cant-agree-how-to-fix/)

**Published:** January 25, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Six speakers, one banner, zero strategy at Hammersmith Bridge protest.

**Content:**

Politicians from two councils, two parties, and multiple levels of government gathered on the Barnes side of Hammersmith Bridge on Saturday to demand action on the seven-year closure, but the event revealed a movement long on photo opportunities and short on any coordinated plan to actually get the bridge reopened.

The Hammersmith Bridge protest drew a respectable crowd to hear speeches from Putney MP Fleur Anderson, Richmond Park MP Sarah Olney, London Assembly Member Leonie Cooper, Wandsworth Council Leader Simon Hogg, and Richmond Council’s transport chief Alexander Ehmann. All delivered passionate calls for government action. None offered a concrete strategy for achieving it.

Protesters were not permitted onto the bridge itself or even the road leading to it. Instead, they gathered along the side, unfurling the same banner that has appeared at [Anderson’s Hammersmith Bridge events since 2021](https://claude.ai/2026/01/01/annual-hammersmith-bridge-theatre-another-meeting-another-year-zero-progress/). Considerable effort went into ensuring politicians were photographed together, then separately by party, with Labour and Liberal Democrat representatives taking turns in front of the cameras.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/hammersmith-bridge-curve-1024x768.png)#### The speeches: passion without a pathway

Anderson told the crowd that 25,000 cars a day once crossed the bridge, that six bus routes were cut when it closed, and that traffic through Wandsworth has risen 25 percent during morning peak hours. She has raised the issue 30 times in Parliament and holds monthly “bus crisis meetings” with Transport for London.

“The time for empty talk is over,” declared Hogg in the event’s closing speech, before calling for a group photograph “to demonstrate how united we are.”

Yet the substance of what politicians are actually doing amounted to a familiar litany: letters sent, meetings requested, taskforce attendance sought. Anderson reported receiving a letter from Transport Minister Simon Lightwood promising a taskforce meeting, though no date has been set. Olney said she has received five versions of essentially the same letter over six months, each promising action without delivering it.

“I’m not gonna stop asking,” Olney told the crowd. But asking, it seems, is the extent of the strategy.

Cooper, who has served as Assembly Member throughout the bridge’s closure, offered the most honest assessment of the political paralysis. She has lobbied three successive Deputy Mayors for Transport, she said: Val Shawcross, Heidi Alexander (now Transport Secretary), and current incumbent Seb Dance, whom she meets next week. The bridge will be on the agenda. Again.

Ehmann delivered the strongest rhetoric, calling the bridge “the embodiment of civic failure” and “a symbol of disgrace.” He demanded “less waffle” and funding to restore the bridge to full strength. But Richmond Council, like Wandsworth, lacks the power or money to fix it alone.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/putney-open-hammersmith-banner-1024x768.png)#### The cycling lobby pushback

The event faced organised opposition. Several protesters from the cycling lobby heckled speakers throughout, having staged their own demonstration earlier in the day. One carried a sign reading “Hammersmith Bridge is Open,” reflecting the position that the bridge, accessible to pedestrians and cyclists since 2021, is functioning adequately.

Tim Lennon, local coordinator for the London Cycling Campaign, set out the counter-argument before the main speeches began. The bridge’s purpose “is to move people, not vehicles,” he said. Traffic across London bridges is down since 2019, he claimed, and the £220 million repair cost cannot be justified when a £4 million autonomous pod system could provide accessibility for those unable to walk or cycle.

When challenged about the impact on Putney residents, who have lost viable bus routes and face gridlock on surrounding roads, Lennon was dismissive. “There’s been congestion in Putney for 25 years. That’s not gonna change.”

The exchange highlighted a fundamental tension. Lennon’s traffic data, drawn from Department for Transport figures, [does show lower vehicle counts on Putney Bridge than before the closure](https://claude.ai/2025/11/16/why-putney-is-paralysed-eight-failures-creating-londons-traffic-nightmare/). But Wandsworth Council’s own analysis shows significant increases in peak-hour congestion and journey times. Both can be true: fewer total vehicles, but worse conditions for those who remain.

What cannot be disputed is that six bus routes were severed, communities were cut off, and Putney’s transport network has never recovered. Meanwhile, [Hammersmith and Fulham Council is pursuing an £811 million tunnel](https://claude.ai/2025/10/13/hammersmith-ticks-billion-pound-tunnel-wish-list-while-the-bridge-stays-shut/) to replace the functioning Hammersmith Flyover.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/open-protest-banner-1024x768.png)#### The funding deadlock explained

Cooper, in a separate interview, provided the clearest explanation of why nothing has happened despite years of campaigning.

When the Greater London Council was abolished, bridges were distributed among boroughs. Hammersmith and Fulham inherited this one. A “concrete bridge” (actually white Cornish granite) like Putney’s is cheap to maintain. A Grade II listed Victorian suspension bridge carrying heavy traffic is not.

The repair cost, variously estimated between £220 million and £450 million, is impossible for any single council. A funding formula was nearly agreed: one-third from central government, one-third from TfL and the Mayor, one-third from local authorities. But it collapsed.

Cooper traced part of the problem to Boris Johnson’s mayoralty. Under pressure from the Cameron government to contribute to austerity, Johnson surrendered London’s share of Vehicle Excise Duty from April 2018 onwards. “Londoners are basically funding the trams in Manchester,” Cooper said. “And until you fix that, which the current government hasn’t, you can’t ask anyone to fund this.”

The result is institutional paralysis. The Department for Transport references a “Structures Fund” but [refuses to confirm whether Hammersmith Bridge qualifies](https://claude.ai/2025/06/16/minister-dodges-hammersmith-bridge-questions-in-live-radio-meltdown/). TfL has no money. Hammersmith and Fulham has already spent £48 million on stabilisation works. Everyone points at everyone else.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fleur-anderson-hammersmith-1024x768.png)#### The real problem: no unified front

The protest revealed something more troubling than government inaction: the absence of any agreed solution among those demanding action.

Seven years of closure have allowed competing visions to calcify. Some want full restoration to vehicle traffic. Others want buses only. The cycling lobby wants it left as is, with pods for accessibility. Still others propose building a new bridge alongside. Each faction has dug in, and the result is that pressure on central government, which holds the purse strings, is diffuse and easily deflected.

As one observer noted, everyone has their pet solution and nobody wants to compromise. Until the various factions agree on what they are actually asking for, ministers can continue sending variations of the same letter promising to consider options at the next taskforce meeting.

Saturday’s protest was sincere. The politicians genuinely want the bridge reopened. The residents are genuinely suffering. But sincerity is not strategy, and after seven years, the Hammersmith Bridge campaign looks less like pressure and more like ritual.

A taskforce meeting awaits a date. Another letter will follow. The banner will be stored until next time.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/hammersmith-bridge-1024x768.png)---

***Correction, 25 Jan, 12pm:** An earlier version of this article incorrectly named Richmond Council’s transport chief as Alexander Raymond, not Ehmann.*

***Correction, 26 Jan, 10.30am:** An earlier version of this article stated that Anderson had received confirmation of a taskforce meeting scheduled for 30 January 2026. In fact, no date has been set for the next taskforce meeting.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/25/passion-without-a-pathway-politicians-demand-action-on-bridge-they-cant-agree-how-to-fix/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/25/passion-without-a-pathway-politicians-demand-action-on-bridge-they-cant-agree-how-to-fix/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Passion%20without%20a%20pathway%3A%20politicians%20demand%20action%20on%20bridge%20they%20can%E2%80%99t%20agree%20how%20to%20fix&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/25/passion-without-a-pathway-politicians-demand-action-on-bridge-they-cant-agree-how-to-fix/)

**Categories:** Politics, Transport

**Tags:** Fleur Anderson MP, Hammersmith Bridge, Sarah Olney MP, Simon Hogg, Transport, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Years of failure exposed as council admits ignoring Grenfell reforms](https://putney.news/2026/01/26/years-of-failure-exposed-as-council-admits-ignoring-grenfell-reforms/)

**Published:** January 26, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Damning report forces independent board after "decades of stagnation" put thousands at risk.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has ignored fire safety warnings put in place following the Grenfell Tower disaster, put thousands of tenants at serious risk, and nearly suffered two tragedies in the past year, according to internal documents being presented to Cabinet on Monday.

The council will vote on creating an independent board to oversee housing improvements after a Root Cause Analysis found “decades of stagnation” and a culture that had “lost sight of the customer from a health and safety and involvement perspective.”

Cabinet [papers](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/26-15-Housing-Improvement-Plan-Paper-No.-26-15.pdf) \[pdf\] published ahead of Monday’s meeting admit the council made no significant changes following the 2020 government White Paper introduced after 72 people died in the June 2017 fire, even as other social landlords across the country invested in building safety teams and updated their systems.

> “Wandsworth did not significantly change its practices following the White Paper,” the papers state.

The failures were so severe the council has restructured its entire Housing Department, merging it with Environment and Community Services to create a new “Resident Services” directorate. The independent board, to be chaired by an external housing expert, will provide quarterly oversight of improvement efforts.

The department operated in silos with “entrenched ways of working, lack of strategic focus, and centralised decision-making.” It used data systems that “conflicted, were difficult to access,” with the housing management system “not fully utilised.” It failed to address underperformance, with “insufficient use of data and insight to drive improvement.” The service was “out of touch” when reviewed against current regulatory requirements.

> Eight years after Grenfell, 326 fire safety actions remain overdue in Wandsworth Council housing, 13% of council homes lack electrical safety certificates, and 1,500 repairs are outstanding.

The council received a damning C3 regulatory rating in February 2025 for “serious failings” affecting 17,000 tenants.

*Putney.news* has been tracking the council’s fire safety failures since April 2025, when gas explosions destroyed homes at Burke Close in Roehampton. Residents had been reporting problems for months. In September 2025, Fox House in Battersea caught fire. The blaze spread across a 50-metre roof void in 10 minutes, displacing over 100 residents. The 2022 Fire Risk Assessment had never inspected the roof void where the fire spread.

The Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Aydin Dikerdem, who has spent years downplaying these failures and has consistently refused to respond to our queries, responded to this month’s report by blaming the previous Conservative administration. He makes no acknowledgment that Labour has controlled the council since May 2022 or that the explosions and fire happened on his watch.

No one has been held accountable. The Cabinet papers do not identify who was responsible during the years of inaction, or whether anyone faced disciplinary action.

#### What the council knew and when

The 2020 Social Housing White Paper was [published on 17 November 2020](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-charter-for-social-housing-residents-social-housing-white-paper) as the government’s direct response to Grenfell. It delivered on what ministers called “the commitment we made to the Grenfell community that, never again, would the voices of residents go unheard.”

The Wandsworth Council Cabinet papers state: “Most social landlords began responding to this changing environment after the Social Housing White Paper (2020) by investing in and enhancing their housing and building safety teams, investing in competence and systems and embedding resident engagement at the core of service delivery.”

Wandsworth didn’t. Labour took control of the council in May 2022, 18 months after the White Paper was published. The party had nearly three years to implement the reforms before inspectors arrived in November 2024.

The February 2025 inspection found nearly 1,800 overdue fire safety actions, all outstanding for more than 12 months. Inspectors found 80% of communal areas lacked electrical safety tests and 40% of homes lacked electrical safety certificates. The last comprehensive property survey had been completed in 2012.

> [Wandsworth Council lagging behind peers after damning Housing Safety report](https://putney.news/2025/04/09/wandsworth-council-lagging-behind-peers-after-damning-housing-safety-report/)

#### The pattern of dismissal

The Cabinet Member for Housing repeatedly dismissed the seriousness of the failures as the problems escalated.

When the C3 rating was published in February 2025, [identifying nearly 2,000 overdue fire safety actions](https://putney.news/2025/04/09/wandsworth-council-lagging-behind-peers-after-damning-housing-safety-report/), [the Cabinet Member told councillors](https://putney.news/2025/03/01/wandsworth-council-told-to-fix-serious-failings-in-fire-safety/) the verdict was “not what we hoped for” but claimed it was “all fixable.”

A C3 rating means “serious failings requiring substantial improvements” – the third-worst grade on a four-point scale where C4 triggers regulatory intervention. The council defended the rating by noting that 48.6% of local authorities received C3, making it “the most common grade.”

This defence is technically true but deeply misleading. While C3 is indeed the most common rating among councils nationally, more than half of London boroughs (56.2%) achieved C2 or better – including Westminster, Barnet, Enfield and Sutton which all achieved C1. Wandsworth’s C3 puts it in the bottom 44% of London boroughs. The council was comparing itself to underperforming authorities nationally rather than its London peers facing similar challenges.

> [Warnings ignored, lives at risk: Wandsworth’s housing shame exposed](https://putney.news/2025/06/20/warnings-ignored-lives-at-risk-wandsworths-housing-shame-exposed/)

By June, [officers and the Cabinet Member were still downplaying the seriousness](https://putney.news/2025/06/20/warnings-ignored-lives-at-risk-wandsworths-housing-shame-exposed/), describing the C3 rating as “based on whether you can evidence things, not necessarily whether the things are being done.” This suggested the problems were with documentation rather than actual safety failures – despite overdue actions including life-critical fire doors, smoke detectors and fire exits.

The same month, the [Housing Ombudsman found “severe maladministration”](https://putney.news/2025/05/22/rot-in-the-roof-wandsworth-slammed-for-four-year-housing-scandal/) in how the council handled a four-year roof leak, exposing a pattern of ignoring problems until forced to act.

At an April 2025 committee meeting, councillors were told the fire safety actions had been reduced and that “many of them relate to things like signage, meter boxes, or fire hatch upgrades”, [our reporting revealed](https://putney.news/2025/11/11/hundreds-of-wandsworth-residents-trapped-by-unfinished-fire-safety-work/).

This was false. Audit documents show the overdue actions included non-compliant fire doors that should contain flames for 30-60 minutes, blocked fire exits that could trap residents during evacuations, faulty smoke detectors, and missing smoke seals that allow toxic smoke to spread. These are not “signage” issues. They are life-or-death safety measures.

When gas explosions destroyed homes at Burke Close in Roehampton in April 2025, weeks after the C3 rating, the Cabinet Member for Housing [dismissed criticism](https://putney.news/2025/04/09/boilers-blew-homes-burned-but-wandsworth-council-says-we-did-a-great-job/) of the council’s response as “misinformation.” [Residents reported](https://putney.news/2025/04/01/it-looked-like-a-bomb-had-gone-off-roehampton-resident-speaks-out-after-gas-explosion-rocks-burke-close/) they had been smelling gas for months before the explosions.

In September 2025, Fox House burned. The [independent review](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/independent-review-reveals-fox-house-fire-chaos-but-ignores-prevention-failures/) documented emergency response failures but did not examine why the roof void where fire spread catastrophically had never been inspected.

This is the culture the Root Cause Analysis identified: dismissive of risks, resistant to change, focused on defending the council rather than protecting tenants.

> [Boilers blew, homes burned—but Wandsworth Council says ‘we did a great job’](https://putney.news/2025/04/09/boilers-blew-homes-burned-but-wandsworth-council-says-we-did-a-great-job/)

#### What the Root Cause Analysis found

The Regulator of Social Housing requires all authorities that fail to meet consumer standards to conduct a Root Cause Analysis. [Wandsworth’s analysis](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/26-15-Appendix-2-Root-Cause-Analysis.pdf) \[pdf\], produced for the Housing Improvement Plan presented to Cabinet on 26 January, identified four fundamental problems:

1. The position of housing and its relationship with the wider council, with poor escalation of issues.
2. A siloed departmental culture “characterised by entrenched ways of working, lack of strategic focus, and centralised decision-making.”
3. Data and systems that “conflicted, were difficult to access,” with the housing management system “not fully utilised.”
4. Performance issues, with “underperformance not being effectively addressed and insufficient use of data and insight to drive improvement.”

The analysis concluded the council had created a service that was fundamentally “out of touch” when reviewed against current regulatory requirements.

The council has merged housing with environment services to create a “Resident Services” directorate and appointed an interim Director of Housing Management in November 2025.

> [Hundreds of Wandsworth residents trapped by unfinished fire safety work](https://putney.news/2025/11/11/hundreds-of-wandsworth-residents-trapped-by-unfinished-fire-safety-work/)

#### Independent oversight under regulatory pressure

Cabinet will vote Monday on creating an independent Housing Improvement and Transformation Board to oversee improvements, following eleven months of sustained regulatory pressure.

The Regulator of Social Housing’s February 2025 judgment did not legally require an independent board. But the council’s [response](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/26-8-TF-Group-Final-Report-final-version.pdf) \[pdf\] over the past year suggests mounting pressure through monthly monitoring meetings.

In June 2025, four months after the C3 rating, the council created an internal “Regulatory Compliance Board.” By September it added a cross-party Task and Finish Group including residents. Both remained internal to council structures.

A November meeting attended by the council’s Chief Executive appears to have prompted the independent board proposal. The board will have an independent chair recruited from the housing sector and will meet quarterly to hold the council to account.

The Regulator stated a year ago that it would maintain “intensive engagement” with the council and would “seek evidence that gives us the assurance that sufficient change and progress is being made.” It added: “We are not proposing to use our enforcement powers at this stage but will keep this under review.”

The board’s membership will include the Cabinet Member for Housing, two councillors from the cross-party Task Force, two tenant representatives, and senior officers. Questions remain about whether the council can override the board’s recommendations and how genuine independence will be maintained when the council appoints the chair.

> [“It looked like a bomb had gone off” — Roehampton resident speaks out after gas explosion rocks Burke Close](https://putney.news/2025/04/01/it-looked-like-a-bomb-had-gone-off-roehampton-resident-speaks-out-after-gas-explosion-rocks-burke-close/)

#### Timeline of failure

**14 June 2017:** Grenfell Tower fire kills 72 people

**November 2020:** Government publishes Social Housing White Paper as direct response to Grenfell

**2020-2024:** Most social landlords invest in building safety teams and update systems; Wandsworth makes no significant changes

**May 2022:** Labour takes control of Wandsworth Council

**November 2024:** Regulatory inspection begins

**February 2025:** C3 rating published – 1,800 overdue fire safety actions, all outstanding 12+ months

**April 2025:** Burke Close gas explosions – residents had reported problems for months

**September 2025:** Fox House fire spreads across uninspected roof void, displacing 100+ residents

**January 2026:** Cabinet papers admit “decades of stagnation” and “failure to adapt”

**26 January 2026:** Cabinet votes on Housing Improvement Plan, HRA Budget, and Task Force report

**Today:** 326 fire safety actions still overdue (reduced from 1,800), 13% of homes without electrical certificates, 1,500 repairs outstanding (reduced from 2,800)

#### The cost of failure

The same Cabinet meeting will consider a Housing Revenue Account budget forecasting £884 million in borrowing over the next decade. Of this, £212 million is required just for repairs and improvements to existing stock.

The HRA Budget paper blames “years of national underfunding” and government rent cap decisions for financial pressure. It makes no connection between the council’s admitted “decades of stagnation” and the substantial borrowing now required.

The paper acknowledges that “significant inflationary increases within the sector over the past few years” have added to costs. Put simply: the council didn’t invest when it should have. Now taxpayers will pay more because prices have gone up.

#### Tenants still at risk

Despite the regulatory intervention and promises of improvement, tenant satisfaction barely moved. Overall satisfaction increased from 64% to 65% between 2024 and 2025. Satisfaction with repairs stands at 58%, meaning 42% of tenants remain dissatisfied.

More concerning: 70% of tenants said they were satisfied their homes are safe, even though 326 fire safety actions remain overdue and 13% of homes lack electrical safety certificates. This suggests tenants don’t know about the risks, or the survey question is poorly designed, or “safe” means different things to different people.

The Cabinet papers show the council had stopped using Housemark, a benchmarking service that compares performance with other landlords. It has now “re-engaged” with the service. Translation: the council stopped measuring itself against others and is only now starting again.

The council has completed stock condition surveys on 3,392 of more than 17,000 properties. It has committed to finishing by December 2026. That’s nearly a decade after Grenfell.

> [Independent review reveals Fox House fire chaos but ignores prevention failures](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/independent-review-reveals-fox-house-fire-chaos-but-ignores-prevention-failures/)

#### Blaming the past while ignoring the present

In his comments on the Housing Improvement Plan, the Cabinet Member for Housing blames the previous Conservative administration rather than accepting responsibility.

“For decades the previous administration championed the ‘Wandsworth way’, but what we have found is that many of the corporate systems and models that we have inherited were not fit for the new regulatory environment,” he writes.

Labour has controlled the council since May 2022 – nearly four years. The Social Housing White Paper that Wandsworth ignored was published in November 2020. Most other social landlords began responding then, according to the council’s own papers.

Labour had nearly three years to change course before the C3 rating was issued in February 2025. They had two months after the C3 rating before Burke Close exploded in April 2025. They had five more months before Fox House burned in September 2025. They had four more months before publishing this admission in January 2026.

The papers do not identify who was responsible for housing during the period of stagnation. They do not explain whether any disciplinary action has been taken. They do not explain why Labour took no action for nearly four years after taking control.

The council is holding monthly meetings with the Regulator to demonstrate progress. An independent Housing Improvement and Transformation Board will provide oversight. But these are responses to regulatory intervention, not voluntary improvements.

Cabinet members will vote on all three housing papers at their meeting this evening, Monday 26 January.

> [We deserve better from Wandsworth Council](https://putney.news/2025/04/07/we-deserve-better-from-wandsworth-council/)

---

*Have you been affected by housing safety issues in Wandsworth? Contact *

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/26/years-of-failure-exposed-as-council-admits-ignoring-grenfell-reforms/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/26/years-of-failure-exposed-as-council-admits-ignoring-grenfell-reforms/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Years%20of%20failure%20exposed%20as%20council%20admits%20ignoring%20Grenfell%20reforms&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/26/years-of-failure-exposed-as-council-admits-ignoring-grenfell-reforms/)

**Categories:** Housing, Politics

**Tags:** accountability, building safety, Burke Close, C3 rating, Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Aydin Dikerdem, Fire safety, Fox House, Grenfell Tower, housing crisis, housing regulation, Labour Council, Regulator of Social Housing, Root Cause Analysis, tenant safety, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Lennox Estate loses half its grassland but council claims "biodiversity gain"](https://putney.news/2026/01/26/lennox-estate-loses-half-its-grassland-but-council-claims-biodiversity-gain/)

**Published:** January 26, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Green roofs on 14-storey tower replace ground-level habitat that residents could actually use.

**Content:**

A Roehampton housing development will destroy more than half its grassland habitat, replacing it with green roofs and rain gardens that residents cannot access, according to planning documents analysed by *Putney.news*.

The Lennox Estate scheme claims a 20 per cent “biodiversity net gain” overall by counting all habitat types together. But the official DEFRA metric reveals that ground-level grassland will shrink from 0.63 hectares to 0.29 hectares, a 54 per cent reduction. The new accessible green space created amounts to just 0.036 hectares, roughly the size of a tennis court.

Wandsworth Council, which is both the developer and decision-maker on the 81-home application, argues the technical calculation shows net environmental benefit. The scheme proposes new trees, biodiverse green roofs on the new 14-storey tower, meadow planting, and rain gardens to achieve compliance.

The council’s own [heritage advisors have already recommended refusal](https://putney.news/2026/01/09/council-advisors-say-no-to-lennox-estate-tower-block/) of the tower on other grounds.

#### The numbers don’t add up

The DEFRA Biodiversity Metric 4.0 calculator, submitted as part of the planning application, shows the following changes:

Habitat typeBeforeAfter**Modified grassland****0.63 ha****0.29 ha**Biodiverse green roof0 ha0.047 haRain gardens0 ha0.047 haUrban trees0.65 ha0.54 haThe calculations show an overall gain of 20.43 per cent in habitat units and the “trading rules” are marked as “satisfied” in the spreadsheet. But this headline figure obscures what is actually happening on the ground, and in at least one key area the development fails to meet legal requirements at all.

#### Beverley Brook: the failure they can’t hide

Running along the western edge of the site is Beverley Brook, a small stream that feeds into the Thames. The council’s own ecological consultants assessed it as being in “Fairly Poor” condition, with eroded banks, silted-up channels, and concrete reinforcement degrading the habitat.

Under the Environment Act 2021, developments must achieve at least a 10 per cent improvement in biodiversity for every type of habitat, not just an overall average. For watercourses like Beverley Brook, the Lennox Estate scheme achieves precisely zero improvement. The brook will simply be left as it is.

This means the application fails to meet mandatory legal requirements. The consultants acknowledge this in their report, noting a “deficit” that “should be conditioned as part of the planning permission”. In plain English: they know they haven’t met the legal standard, they have no concrete plan to fix it, and they’re asking the council to approve it anyway on the promise that someone will sort it out later.

The irony is that improving the brook would have been one way to genuinely boost biodiversity on the site. Instead, the developers chose to do nothing to the watercourse while claiming overall environmental benefit through green roofs that residents will never set foot on.

#### Surveys that found reasons not to look

The ecological assessment raises further questions about how thoroughly wildlife impacts were investigated.

Four species of bat were recorded flying across the site during surveys, and one tree marked for retention contains features that could house a bat roost. Another tree that had two potential roost features was removed before the application was submitted, attributed to “health and safety reasons”. Yet the consultants conducted only a single bat survey of the building to be demolished, when industry guidelines typically recommend two or three surveys for demolition projects.

Stag beetles, a species protected under European law, have been recorded on the Lennox Estate itself. The consultants acknowledge that the banks of Beverley Brook “could support some deadwood” habitat for them, but note it is “overgrown and difficult to access”. No survey was conducted. The species was simply dismissed from further consideration.

Similarly, great crested newts have been recorded just over a kilometre away, within their typical range, and Beverley Brook could serve as a corridor for them. But because no ponds exist within 250 metres of the site, no newt survey was carried out.

The pattern is consistent: where access was difficult or results might complicate the application, the consultants found reasons not to look too closely.

> [How residents saved the Lennox Estate Green from six development attempts](https://putney.news/2026/01/02/how-residents-saved-the-lennox-estate-green-from-six-development-attempts/)

#### How biodiversity trading works

Biodiversity Net Gain became mandatory for major developments in February 2024, requiring at least a 10 per cent improvement in habitat value. The system uses a points-based calculation that assigns different values to different habitat types based on their ecological importance and condition.

Modified grassland, the type found on the Lennox Estate, is classified as “low distinctiveness” in the metric. This means it can be “traded” for other habitat types of equal or higher value. The development does this by creating biodiverse green roof on top of the 14-storey tower, rain gardens as sustainable drainage features, small ponds, and replacement trees, though overall tree coverage actually decreases slightly from 0.65 to 0.54 hectares.

Seven trees will be removed in total, including the one with bat roost potential that was cut down before the application was submitted.

#### What residents actually lose

The technical compliance masks a significant change in how residents will experience the estate. The current grassland, however “ecologically ordinary” the metric considers it, is accessible recreational space. Children can play on it. Residents can sit on it. Dogs can run on it.

A green roof on the 14th floor of a tower block is not a substitute for that experience, however many biodiversity points it scores.

The Ecology Partnership, the applicant’s consultants, acknowledges in their assessment that “the site was dominated by hardstanding and modified grassland which have limited ecological value”. But “limited ecological value” to a biodiversity calculator is not the same as “limited value to residents”.

The estate has [a long history of residents fighting to protect its green spaces](https://putney.news/2026/01/02/how-residents-saved-the-lennox-estate-green-from-six-development-attempts/) from development.

> [Council promised new homes would ‘meet or exceed’ green standards. Its own don’t.](https://putney.news/2025/12/31/council-promised-new-homes-would-meet-or-exceed-green-standards-its-own-dont/)

#### Design panel noted the trade-off

The council’s own Design Review Panel, in their Stage 3 assessment in October 2025, acknowledged the tension: “Panel recognise the trade-off between loss of open space, wider townscape impacts and the delivery of new homes.”

The panel noted the development achieves 20 per cent biodiversity net gain and was “impressed” with the landscape proposals. But the trade-off language confirms that something is being lost, even if the metric says otherwise.

#### The wider picture

The Lennox Estate case illustrates a recurring tension in the biodiversity net gain system. The metric was designed to ensure development leaves nature better off than it found it. But critics argue it can be gamed, replacing accessible, if unremarkable, green space with features that score well on paper but deliver less for people who actually live there.

When a development can claim 20 per cent biodiversity gain while losing half its grassland, doing nothing to improve a degraded stream, and conducting minimal surveys for protected species, it raises questions about whether the system is working as intended.

---

***Have your say:** Do you use the green spaces on Lennox Estate? What would losing them mean for you? [Contact Putney.news and tell us](mailto:news@putney.news).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/26/lennox-estate-loses-half-its-grassland-but-council-claims-biodiversity-gain/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/26/lennox-estate-loses-half-its-grassland-but-council-claims-biodiversity-gain/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Lennox%20Estate%20loses%20half%20its%20grassland%20but%20council%20claims%20%E2%80%9Cbiodiversity%20gain%E2%80%9D&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/26/lennox-estate-loses-half-its-grassland-but-council-claims-biodiversity-gain/)

**Categories:** Environment, Planning, Roehampton

**Tags:** biodiversity, Lennox Estate, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Tennis club concedes key points as judge hints at Supreme Court battle](https://putney.news/2026/01/25/judge-signals-appeal-likely-as-wimbledon-park-trial-concludes/)

**Published:** January 25, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Judge openly discusses appeals as six-day Wimbledon Park trial concludes.

**Content:**

The final day of the Wimbledon Park statutory trust trial concluded on Friday with the judge openly discussing how his ruling might be challenged in the Supreme Court – a striking signal that he may be leaning toward finding against the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC).

After six days of intensive legal argument in a well-attended courtroom at the Rolls Building, Mr Justice Thompsell thanked lawyers on both sides for helping him navigate what he called “watchmaking” – piecing together the complex springs and cogs of century-old local government legislation.

But his parting words were telling: he said he “suspects that one or other of the parties will end up going to the Supreme Court” and suggested lawyers might want to draft an order for the Court of Appeal “to speed things up.”

#### The key concessions

Two significant concessions emerged during Friday’s proceedings, which *Putney.news* attended in person, that may prove decisive.

First, AELTC admitted its proposed development “would breach” the restrictive covenants attached to the land. The tennis club argued this was a problem “for another day” – it would need to resolve the covenants through negotiation or by applying to the Lands Tribunal before commencing any development.

Second, the AELTC admitted that if the statutory trust is found to apply to the land, “it would preclude use of the Golf Course Land for the Project” – in other words, the expansion cannot proceed.

Both concessions were noted in court and may limit the AELTC’s ability to argue the development could somehow proceed even if a statutory trust is found to exist.

In an email to supporters, Save Wimbledon Park highlighted the two concessions as the critical takeaways from the trial, noting the AELTC’s admission that the statutory trust “would preclude use of the Golf Course Land for the Project.”

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/royal-courts-justice-1-1024x768.png)#### Judge looks beyond this court

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the last day of the week-long hearing was how openly the judge discussed the case’s likely journey through the appeals system.

When discussing whether the AELTC was a “bona fide purchaser without notice” of the statutory trust – a potential defence that could shield them even if the trust existed – the judge noted this was “one they will keep up their sleeves.”

The implication was clear: this argument would be deployed not in his courtroom, but further up the legal chain.

The judge also referenced the landmark 2023 Supreme Court ruling in *Day v Shropshire*, which established that councils cannot extinguish public rights over recreation land by selling it without proper consultation. Several times he discussed potential ways the AELTC might try to “get out of Day” – including the bona fide purchaser defence and the concept of “overriding interests.”

His willingness to map out the appeal landscape suggests he has reached preliminary conclusions about how the core legal questions should be answered.

![Royal Courts of Justice entry](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/the-royal-courts-of-justice-entry-1024x768.png)#### The document controversy

A significant dispute arose over discovery documents from the 1993 purchase.

Save Wimbledon Park’s lawyers revealed that of 170 documents the AELTC identified as relevant to the purchase, the tennis club claimed legal privilege over all but three. In correspondence, SWP’s solicitors Russell Cooke described the disclosure process as involving “cherry-picked” documents and called it “fundamentally unfair.”

More critically, SWP’s lawyers argued that the documents disclosed appeared to be part of incomplete chains – suggesting other relevant documents exist but were not provided.

Caroline Shea KC, for Save Wimbledon Park, specifically asked the judge not to make findings of fact based on incomplete documentation. The judge was somewhat sceptical, asking why he would need to see documents if the AELTC confirmed they did not address the core issues.

Eventually an agreement was reached: SWP will have until Tuesday to decide whether to re-inspect the documents, with access by the end of next week and any resulting issues to be resolved the Wednesday after.

The underlying concern, though unstated, is whether the AELTC knew at the time of purchase that the land might be subject to a statutory trust – and whether documents confirming such knowledge exist but have not been disclosed. If such a document did exist, AELTC’s case would be over, making SWP that much sensitive to the possibility that it does.

#### Historic views and “absolute tosh”

One exchange provided a moment of levity in an otherwise dry legal proceeding.

The AELTC’s lawyers cited the club’s own Design and Access Statement, which referenced “historic views” across the Wimbledon Park estate. They argued the proposed development would actually “open up historic views as part of the scheme.”

This prompted audible reactions from the SWP supporters. One was heard to mutter “absolute tosh” at the suggestion that an 8,000-seat stadium, 38 tennis courts, and associated infrastructure would improve historic views.

The estate is Grade II\* listed, designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century. The judge had earlier noted that the public amenity of the parkland included “something pleasant to look at” across the lake – views that both sides agreed the proposed development would fundamentally alter.

> [Five questions that will decide the future of Wimbledon Park](https://putney.news/2026/01/15/wimbledon-park-legal-explanation/)

#### Was the golf club ever truly private?

A substantial portion of Friday’s arguments concerned whether the Wimbledon Park Golf Club was genuinely private – relevant to whether the land was ever “used for public recreation.”

Save Wimbledon Park presented evidence that:

- 75% of golf club members were local residents
- Non-members were “welcome at all times” according to the club’s own documentation
- An angling society had used the lake since 1948
- A Dr Dawson wrote in the 1980s that he used the golf course as a shortcut to his home without being challenged

The AELTC countered that the angling society operated under licence from the golf club, and that occasional trespass does not constitute public use. They also disputed characterisations of the club as “pay and play.”

The judge observed that the “only advantage” of golf club membership appeared to be avoiding green fees – suggesting the club was more accessible than a typical private members’ institution.

#### Parliament kept at arm’s length

Before presenting its main arguments, the AELTC’s legal team spent considerable time urging the judge to be cautious about using Parliamentary debates from the 1914 legislation.

This appeared strategic: debates from both the House of Lords and House of Commons apparently contain references to Wimbledon Park as “public open space” and discuss the intention to preserve the estate for public benefit.

Jonathan Karas KC, for the AELTC, emphasised the “dangers of relying on parliamentary material” and said statements could only be used “as an aid to construction” for findings of fact.

The intervention suggests the historical parliamentary record may not favour the tennis club’s position that the golf course was always intended to be treated separately from the public park.

### The failed legislative bypass

Friday’s proceedings took place against the backdrop of a failed attempt last year to legislate the statutory trust problem away.

In October 2025, Amendment 250 to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill would have retrospectively changed the law to validate the 1993 sale – effectively ending Save Wimbledon Park’s legal challenge before it reached court.

The amendment was proposed by four peers including Lord Gus O’Donnell, who serves as a director of three AELTC-controlled companies. It was withdrawn after cross-party opposition in the Lords.

Paul Kohler, the MP for Wimbledon, accused the AELTC of “bad faith” for pursuing the legislative change while publicly offering to meet with the community.

> [Wimbledon Park amendment abandoned after peers condemn ‘erosion’ of green space protection](https://putney.news/2025/11/04/wimbledon-park-amendment-abandoned-after-peers-condemn-erosion-of-green-space-protection/)

### What happens next

Mr Justice Thompsell said he would deliver his judgment “quite swiftly” – understood to mean within a few weeks rather than the two to three months originally anticipated.

Given his comments about the Supreme Court, the ruling may be crafted with one eye on appeal. Costs will not be contentious: the AELTC is funding both sides’ legal expenses.

This is one of three parallel legal challenges facing the tennis club’s expansion plans. The Court of Appeal has already granted permission to challenge the planning permission itself. A third challenge concerns restrictive covenants from the 1993 sale that require the land to be “kept open and free of built development.”

If the judge finds a statutory trust exists and binds the AELTC, the £200 million expansion cannot proceed in its current form. The tennis club would need to fundamentally redesign its plans or abandon them entirely.

For Save Wimbledon Park, Friday’s hearing offered cautious grounds for optimism. The judge’s frequent references to appeals and the Supreme Court suggested he may be preparing to rule against the AELTC – while simultaneously signalling that the tennis club will have every opportunity to challenge that finding.

As one supporter noted outside court: “We’ve been at this for years. We’re prepared to go all the way.”

The trial began at 10:15am and concluded just before 5pm, with a one-hour lunch break and two short adjournments. Nine supporters of Save Wimbledon Park attended, alongside roughly seven lawyers. The AELTC had four supporters present in the morning, rising to six in the afternoon, with seven lawyers and three King’s Counsel.

A written judgment is expected within weeks.

---

*The statutory trust hearing ran from 16-23 January 2026 at the Rose Building, Royal Courts of Justice. Previous coverage: [Five questions that will decide the future of Wimbledon Park](https://putney.news/2026/01/15/wimbledon-park-legal-explanation/)*, *[Legal battle in High Court continues for Wimbledon Park](https://putney.news/2026/01/22/legal-battle-in-high-court-continues-for-wimbledon-park/)*.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/25/judge-signals-appeal-likely-as-wimbledon-park-trial-concludes/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/25/judge-signals-appeal-likely-as-wimbledon-park-trial-concludes/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Tennis%20club%20concedes%20key%20points%20as%20judge%20hints%20at%20Supreme%20Court%20battle&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/25/judge-signals-appeal-likely-as-wimbledon-park-trial-concludes/)

**Categories:** Environment, Planning

**Tags:** AELTC, High Court, planning, Save Wimbledon Park, statutory trust, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Putney High Street traffic: council writes to residents as latest fixes roll out](https://putney.news/2026/01/25/putney-high-street-traffic-council-writes-to-residents-as-latest-fixes-roll-out/)

**Published:** January 25, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Six measures complete, more coming, but options narrowing after £1m junction disaster.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has written to Putney Bridge area residents with an update on measures to tackle Putney High Street traffic congestion, confirming that long-awaited roadworks near TK Maxx begin today.

The [letter](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Putney-High-Street-January-2026-update.pdf) \[pdf\], dated 22 January and signed by Assistant Director of Engineering Henry Cheung, summarises changes implemented since October and outlines upcoming works. Most of the measures have been [previously reported](https://putney.news/2025/12/01/bus-lane-suspended-more-putney-bridge-junction-changes-due-early-2026/), but the letter provides the first specific start date for the TK Maxx carriageway widening: 26 January 2026.

The council claims there is now “clear evidence that traffic queue lengths on both Lower Richmond Road and Putney Bridge Road have improved” since signal timing changes in late October and early January.

Whether the improvements are enough remains the central question. Once this current round of changes is complete, there is little left to try – short of a more fundamental junction redesign.

#### What’s been done

The letter confirms six measures completed since the [October update](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-october-2025/next-steps-to-improve-putney-traffic-management/):

**Traffic light timing (October + January 2025):** TfL gave vehicles turning from Putney Bridge Road to Putney Bridge more green light time, and did the same for vehicles turning left from Lower Richmond Road onto the bridge. These were [part of emergency measures](https://putney.news/2025/10/18/tfl-to-install-new-traffic-light-system-at-putney-bridge-junction-on-october-27/) following months of resident complaints.

**Double yellow lines (November 2025):** Installed on Putney High Street, Lower Richmond Road up to Putney Embankment, and Putney Bridge Road up to Brewhouse Lane.

**Bus lane suspension (November 2025):** The southbound bus lane outside the Odeon Cinema was suspended on a trial basis to improve flow towards Putney Bridge Road. TfL is monitoring whether it helps.

**Bus stop relocation (November 2025):** Bus stop “P” outside Kenilworth Court on Lower Richmond Road has been suspended, with a temporary stop 40 metres westward to reduce congestion backing into the high street. [Recent reports suggest](https://putney.news/2025/12/09/a-bus-blocked-traffic-while-officials-watched-now-they-promise-february-fixes/) buses have continued stopping at or near the old location.

**Cyclist left turn suspension (January 2026):** The permitted cyclists left turn from Putney Bridge Road onto Putney High Street has been suspended. [Almost nobody used it](https://putney.news/2025/12/01/bus-lane-suspended-more-putney-bridge-junction-changes-due-early-2026/), yet it consumed green light time needed for motor vehicles. TfL is now “fine-tuning the time allocations to maximise efficiency.”

#### What’s coming

**TK Maxx carriageway widening (starting today):** Work to realign the kerb opposite TK Maxx begins today and will take approximately three weeks. Night works will be carried out where possible. This addresses the [most visible daily cause of congestion](https://putney.news/2025/11/16/why-putney-is-paralysed-eight-failures-creating-londons-traffic-nightmare/): when buses stop at Bus Stop M (also called Putney Exchange), there is insufficient space for vehicles to pass. The TK Maxx bus stop was identified as a critical bottleneck months ago.

**Bus pull-in bay outside TK Maxx:** TfL is examining whether a proper bus pull-in can be created, but this requires utility company involvement, phone box removal and signal equipment relocation, meaning a longer lead time.

**Bus stop and driver changeover review (March):** Changes to the TK Maxx bus stop are due in March, including a review of driver changeover arrangements that have caused extended blockages.

**Lane reassignment outside Putney Station (February):** Lanes will be reassigned to reduce delays from stationary buses.

#### Monitoring continues

The council says additional traffic surveys have been commissioned to monitor displacement onto residential roads, and new nitrogen dioxide monitors have been installed on Disraeli Road, Chelverton Road and Lower Richmond Road.

The letter states air quality “has improved significantly in this area and is now in line with UK air quality standards” thanks to cleaner buses and vehicles.

#### What happens next

These incremental changes represent the council [methodically scaling back](https://putney.news/2025/11/14/putneys-million-pound-junction-disaster-how-approved-plans-went-wrong/) elements of its own £1 million junction redesign, which [91% of residents](https://putney.news/2025/11/19/emergency-fixes-fail-to-restore-confidence-in-putney-junction/) say made their journeys worse.

But once the current package is complete, the council’s options narrow considerably. Without more significant intervention, whether the measures add up to enough relief remains to be seen.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/25/putney-high-street-traffic-council-writes-to-residents-as-latest-fixes-roll-out/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/25/putney-high-street-traffic-council-writes-to-residents-as-latest-fixes-roll-out/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20High%20Street%20traffic%3A%20council%20writes%20to%20residents%20as%20latest%20fixes%20roll%20out&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/25/putney-high-street-traffic-council-writes-to-residents-as-latest-fixes-roll-out/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Putney High Street, TK Maxx, traffic, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Same banner, same promise, same result](https://putney.news/2026/01/24/same-banner-same-promise-same-result/)

**Published:** January 24, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Labour now controls every lever of power over Hammersmith Bridge. So who exactly are they protesting against?

**Content:**

**COMMENT** A Putney reader, Ted Wainman, sent this note to Fleur Anderson MP this week after receiving an invitation to today’s Hammersmith Bridge protest:

> “I am struggling to work out against whom we are demonstrating. Maybe the Liberal Democrats from Richmond?”

It’s a fair question. Labour controls the council that owns the bridge. Labour controls the Mayor who runs TfL. Labour controls Wandsworth Council. Labour controls the UK government. The Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, was Sadiq Khan’s deputy. Anderson could pick up the phone.

Instead, she’s organised a photo opportunity.

#### The banner that keeps touring

The “Putney Says Reopen Hammersmith Bridge” banner first appeared on Boat Race Day 2021. Anderson stood on Putney Embankment and demanded the bridge be fixed “by next year’s boat race weekend.”

That was four years ago. The banner has since appeared outside Parliament, in front of the closed bridge, and at a public meeting with Simon Hogg. Same banner, same slogan, different year. On Saturday it returns for another outing.

When Conservatives held power, Anderson knew exactly who to blame. “I am sick of this Government playing party political games,” she said in 2021. “The Government could and should have sorted this earlier,” she said in 2024.

Then Labour won. Anderson didn’t mention Hammersmith Bridge in Parliament for nearly two years. Now she blames Conservatives for not starting sooner.

   Hammersmith Bridge: Who Controls What  APRIL 2019

Bridge closes

H&F Council

Bridge Owner

Mayor of London

TfL

Wandsworth

Affected Borough

UK Government

Funding

 Who’s left
to blame?

→

 JANUARY 2026

Bridge still closed

H&F Council

Bridge Owner

Mayor of London

TfL

Wandsworth

Affected Borough

UK Government

Funding

Labour now controls every body responsible for Hammersmith Bridge.

#### What a protest cannot do

The bridge remains closed because the Department for Transport hasn’t approved the business case Hammersmith & Fulham Council submitted in December 2022. That’s a Labour department, run by a Labour minister, under a Labour government.

The Treasury announced a £1 billion “Structures Fund” for broken bridges in June 2024. When a Treasury minister was asked on LBC whether Hammersmith Bridge would get any of it, she [refused to answer](https://putney.news/2025/06/16/minister-dodges-hammersmith-bridge-questions-in-live-radio-meltdown/).

A protest on the Barnes riverbank will not unlock Treasury funding. A phone call might. A backbench rebellion might. Sustained pressure in Parliament might. But Anderson went silent in Parliament throughout 2024, and [the only MP raising the bridge](https://putney.news/2025/06/15/richmond-mp-speaks-up-for-putney-while-ours-stays-silent/) in the Spending Review debate was Liberal Democrat Sarah Olney.

#### Who benefits from Saturday?

Local elections are in May. Anderson and Hogg need campaign photos showing them “fighting” for residents. The banner provides those photos. It always has.

The bridge, by Anderson’s own estimate, won’t reopen to vehicles until 2035. Nine more years. Nine more years of banner tours, public meetings, and press releases about “urgent action.”

Ted asked the right question. There is no one left to protest against. There is only the performance, and the audience it’s intended for: voters who haven’t noticed that Labour now holds every lever and has pulled none of them.

Same banner. Same promise. Same result.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/24/same-banner-same-promise-same-result/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/24/same-banner-same-promise-same-result/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Same%20banner%2C%20same%20promise%2C%20same%20result&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/24/same-banner-same-promise-same-result/)

**Categories:** Comment, Politics, Transport

**Tags:** Cllr Simon Hogg, Fleur Anderson MP, Hammersmith Bridge, Wandsworth Council

---

### [What's all that construction work on the Alton Estate?](https://putney.news/2026/01/24/whats-all-that-construction-work-on-the-alton-estate/)

**Published:** January 24, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Underground water tanks, new playgrounds, and Co-op demolition prep mark the start of regeneration.

**Content:**

If you’ve walked past the green near Highcliffe on the Alton Estate recently, you’ll have noticed a large excavation site on the grass. Diggers have been working for days, carving out a hole roughly 20 feet across and nearly as deep on the slope leading down from the Grade II\* listed tower blocks toward Minstead Gardens.

The answer: underground water tanks.

The tanks will serve the Highcliffe tower blocks, replacing the estate’s ageing water infrastructure. Putting tanks underground rather than on rooftops avoids adding structural load to the 1950s buildings, eliminates freezing risks, and makes maintenance easier. It’s part of a water tank upgrade programme for council tower blocks that Wandsworth first [announced](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/2022-news/news-march-2022/upgrading-water-tanks-in-tower-blocks-is-latest-example-of-how-hundreds-of-millions-of-pounds-is-being-invested-in-housing-estate-improvements/) back in 2022.

![Digging for underground water tanks on the Alton Estate](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/devonshire-field-dig-deep-1024x768.png)The water tank work is one of four visible construction projects currently underway across the Alton Estate in Roehampton, as the council begins delivering on promises made before last October’s regeneration ballot.

At Downshire Field and further up the hill contractor Elite Landscapes has been carrying out significant groundworks since late last year. The old (and tired) play areas have been demolished and are being prepared for new landscaped play spaces including a climbing structure, nature trail, trim trail, and sand pit. The council says these should open “in time for the summer holidays.”

![Playground under construction on the Alton Estate in Roehampton](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/what-was-a-playground-alton-1024x768.png)The current state of the playground. Due to reopen in the summer#### The old co-op to come down

And this week, hoarding started going up around the old Co-op building on Danebury Avenue which has stood empty for years. The council submitted a [planning application](https://planning.wandsworth.gov.uk/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/Generic/StdDetails.aspx?PT=Planning%20Applications%20On-Line&TYPE=PL/PlanningPK.xml&PARAM0=1221555&XSLT=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Wandsworth/xslt/PL/PLDetails.xslt&FT=Planning%20Application%20Details&PUBLIC=Y&XMLSIDE=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Wandsworth/Menus/PL.xml&DAURI=PLANNING) earlier this month to demolish the building and replace it with a new community hub containing a library, youth centre, GP surgery, and 55 council homes. The site preparation suggests demolition could begin once planning permission is granted.

These three projects represent what’s actually likely to get built on the Alton Estate this year.

The council announced its plans for Block A (the Co-op site) last week with characteristic enthusiasm. Cabinet member Aydin Dikerdem said the council had “promised we’d hit these timelines and we have.”

![Old co-op on the Alton Estate in Roehampton
](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/co-op-alton-1024x768.png)Construction boarding going up around the dilapidated old Co-opBut residents who followed the regeneration ballot closely may recall that the full picture is more complicated. Six weeks after the October vote, council papers revealed the scheme’s [costs had risen](https://putney.news/2025/11/29/wandsworth-sold-residents-a-123m-regeneration-scheme-six-weeks-after-the-yes-vote-costs-have-gone-up-by-40m/ "Wandsworth sold residents a £123m regeneration scheme. Six weeks after the yes vote, costs have gone up by £40m.") from the £123 million presented to voters to £163 million, with a £77 million external funding gap that remains unsecured.

The grander visions of the Alton Renewal Plan, including up to 650 new homes and major estate-wide improvements, depend on funding the council doesn’t yet have. What residents can expect to see this year is more modest: infrastructure upgrades like water tanks, playground improvements, and preparatory work on the first building site.

For families on the estate, the playground openings before summer will be the most tangible change. The water tanks, once buried and covered over, will be invisible but essential. And the Co-op site will likely remain a construction site well into next year, assuming planning permission comes through.

The Alton Estate voted 82% in favour of regeneration last October. Three months on, the digging has begun.

![New playground plans](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/playground-plan-alton-768x1024.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/24/whats-all-that-construction-work-on-the-alton-estate/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/24/whats-all-that-construction-work-on-the-alton-estate/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=What%E2%80%99s%20all%20that%20construction%20work%20on%20the%20Alton%20Estate%3F&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/24/whats-all-that-construction-work-on-the-alton-estate/)

**Categories:** Planning, Roehampton

**Tags:** Alton Estate, housing, Regeneration, Roehampton, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Ground Coffee opens at St Mary's this morning](https://putney.news/2026/01/23/ground-coffee-opens-at-st-marys-this-morning/)

**Published:** January 23, 2026
**Author:** Social Butterfly

**Excerpt:** Local roasters have redeveloped the in-church coffee shop for its launch today.

**Content:**

Ground Coffee Society opens its new cafe at St Mary’s Church in Putney this morning and everyone is invited.

The cafe opens at 9am today with £1 coffees all day to mark the occasion. The clergy will bless the new venture at 11am. Regular opening hours from Monday will be 8am to 4pm, Monday to Saturday.

The opening comes six weeks after [Putney Pantry closed](https://putney.news/2025/12/09/putney-pantry-to-close-after-12-years-at-st-marys-church/) after 12 years serving the community.

#### Neighbourhood owners

Ground Coffee Society has deep roots in Putney. The company opened its first cafe on Lower Richmond Road in 2009 and built a chain of five coffee shops across London, including sites at Westfield, before selling up in 2020 when the owners planned to move overseas. That move never happened, and when the Lower Richmond Road site’s new owners went out of business, the landlord called them back.

The St Mary’s opportunity came through church connections. Dave and Tracey Dickinson already have ties to St Mary’s School and the wider parish, with one serving as churchwarden. When Putney Pantry’s Issa Cissokho decided to move on to pursue his dream of opening a Senegalese restaurant, the church approached Ground Coffee as potential partners.

“The whole idea is that this is going to be a community hub that supports the church, supports the community, supports the schools. We’re very aligned. It had to be the right partner for the church.”

The church said the cafe aims to be “a warm, inclusive place at the heart of the parish where great coffee, conversation, and community come together.”

The company has spent the years since 2020 building a substantial events business. Ground Coffee Society now provides coffee for some of the UK’s biggest sporting events, including The Open golf championship, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, and the Goodwood Festival of Speed. They also supply and roast coffee for other cafes through their Wandsworth Town roastery.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ground-coffee-st-marys-inside-1024x768.png)A peek inside the new shop#### A warm welcome

The renovation has transformed the space. “We want to make it feel warm and cosy, so that people can sit here with laptops and work, have afternoon tea. The elderly groups, mum groups, whatever other groups. We want to make people feel seen and welcome.”

The design brings wood panelling and a cosier atmosphere to what was a slightly sterile space previously. The look matches their existing Lower Richmond Road cafe, which continues to operate under their team.

For food, they have partnered with Lockdown Bakehouse, the Wandsworth bakery chain. Fresh pastries, cakes and sweet treats will arrive daily, with toasted sandwiches also available. What won’t be on offer is the brunches and cooked breakfasts that Putney Pantry used to serve up.

The coffee, naturally, comes from the Ground Coffee roastery. The same beans served at Lower Richmond Road and at events serving tens of thousands of cups will now be available at the church by Putney Bridge.

The cafe joins an existing programme of community activities at St Mary’s, including language conversation groups and other regular gatherings. Opening hours and further details are available from [Ground Coffee Society](https://groundcoffeesociety.com/).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/23/ground-coffee-opens-at-st-marys-this-morning/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/23/ground-coffee-opens-at-st-marys-this-morning/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Ground%20Coffee%20opens%20at%20St%20Mary%E2%80%99s%20this%20morning&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/23/ground-coffee-opens-at-st-marys-this-morning/)

**Categories:** Community, Food &amp; Drink, Thamesfield

**Tags:** cafes, Ground Coffee Society, Lockdown Bakehouse, Putney Pantry, St Marys Church

---

### [London named world’s slowest capital as Putney’s buses hit crisis point](https://putney.news/2026/01/23/london-named-worlds-slowest-capital-as-putneys-buses-hit-crisis-point/)

**Published:** January 23, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Content:**

London has been named the world’s slowest capital city for the third year running, with Putney at the centre of a bus network that one operator says is performing at its worst level in 40 years.

The TomTom Traffic Index, released this week, found that a typical six-mile journey in London now takes 35 minutes at an average speed of just over 10mph. Only Barranquilla in Colombia was slower among the 500 cities surveyed worldwide.

For Putney residents, the data confirms what daily commuters already know. The Route 14, which starts at Putney Heath and travels through Putney High Street to central London, is now the slowest bus in the entire TfL network, averaging just 5.7mph in 2025. That is down from 6.9mph in 2020, when empty pandemic streets allowed buses to move freely.

The 14 is not alone. Three of the five most complained-about bus routes in London serve Putney: the 14 itself, the 265 between Putney Bridge and Tolworth (previously labelled a “ghost bus” for its tendency not to show up), and the 93 running from Putney Bridge Station to North Cheam.

#### Slowest in 40 years

The London Assembly’s Transport Committee heard evidence in December that conditions are the worst in four decades. Paul Lynch, managing director of Stagecoach London, told the committee that “endless traffic” is driving passengers away.

The numbers support this. Average bus speeds across London have fallen from 10.27mph in 2020/21 to 9.17mph in 2024/25. Passenger numbers dropped for the first time since the pandemic last year, from 1.87 billion journeys to 1.84 billion.

TfL’s own analysis shows that every one per cent drop in journey times leads to a 0.6 per cent fall in passenger numbers. London TravelWatch estimates that if buses increased their average speed by just 1mph, it could save £200 million annually and generate £85 million in additional fare revenue.

#### Putney’s compounding problems

The TomTom findings arrive as Putney faces an escalating transport crisis. TfL is already consulting on changes to the 424 bus route that would [remove direct service through Putney High Street](https://putney.news/2025/11/25/council-claimed-buses-were-faster-tfl-is-removing-a-route-because-of-congestion/), explicitly citing “reliability issues due to congestion.”

That decision directly contradicts Wandsworth Council’s claim that buses are running “slightly faster” since the controversial Putney Bridge junction redesign, which [nine out of ten residents said had made things worse](https://putney.news/2025/09/12/putney-junction-redesign-a-complete-failure-say-9-out-of-10-locals/).

A Putney.news survey of 763 residents found 92 per cent of bus users reported worse journeys since the junction changes. Our [investigation into the causes](https://putney.news/2025/11/16/why-putney-is-paralysed-eight-failures-creating-londons-traffic-nightmare/) identified eight overlapping failures, from signal timing errors to bus driver changeovers blocking traffic for up to 27 minutes at a time.

#### Why London is slow but not most congested

TomTom’s data reveals a counterintuitive finding: London ranks only 150th globally for congestion, yet remains the slowest capital. The difference matters.

Congestion measures how much slower traffic moves compared to free-flowing conditions. Speed measures absolute journey times regardless of conditions.

London is slow even when traffic flows freely because of what TomTom calls “static factors”: widespread 20mph zones, Victorian street layouts, and infrastructure that was never designed for modern traffic volumes. Congestion then adds delay on top of an already constrained baseline.

Andy Marchant, TomTom’s traffic expert, said average speeds are “heavily shaped by static factors such as the widespread 20mph limits, street design that doesn’t match today’s needs, and consistently high traffic volumes, which means journeys can be slow even when roads are flowing.”

For Putney, this means the junction redesign added new constraints onto already-constrained streets. And rather than fix the problem, TfL’s response has been to withdraw bus services entirely.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/23/london-named-worlds-slowest-capital-as-putneys-buses-hit-crisis-point/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/23/london-named-worlds-slowest-capital-as-putneys-buses-hit-crisis-point/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=London%20named%20world%E2%80%99s%20slowest%20capital%20as%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20buses%20hit%20crisis%20point&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/23/london-named-worlds-slowest-capital-as-putneys-buses-hit-crisis-point/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Putney buses, TfL, traffic

---

### [Putney shoppers can help local charity win £1,500 with a free green token](https://putney.news/2026/01/22/putney-shoppers-can-help-local-charity-win-1500-with-a-free-green-token/)

**Published:** January 22, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** 118-year-old Putney Relief Committee supports elderly residents with heating bills and grants.

**Content:**

**UPDATED** A charity that has supported vulnerable Putney residents since 1907 is asking local shoppers to vote for it in Waitrose’s Community Matters scheme.

The Putney Relief Committee, based at St Mary’s Church on the High Street, is one of three charities competing for funding at Waitrose Putney this quarter. The charity with the most green token votes will receive £1,500, with £1,000 for second place and £500 for third.

The committee provides monthly grants to elderly residents and others in need, helping with immediate expenses such as heating bills. It also makes one-off payments for holidays and organises community events including an annual Christmas party.

Kate Umney, Chair of the Putney Relief Committee, said the charity supports a wide range of people in need across the community. “We help everyone from schools, families, homeless, medical emergencies, people in crisis and obviously the elderly too,” she said. “We are for everyone in our community.”

According to Charity Commission figures, the organisation had an income of £5,562 in the year to September 2025 and spent £7,077 supporting local people. The potential £1,500 top prize would represent a significant boost to its resources.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/charity-boxes-waitrose-1024x768.png)Shoppers can vote by collecting a free green token when they pay and dropping it in their chosen charity’s box. The voting station is located behind the self-checkout area. Tokens should be available at both manned tills and self-checkouts, but ask staff if you are not offered one.

The voting period is expected to end in late January, based on the scheme’s quarterly cycle. Waitrose relaunched its green token voting stations in October 2025 after suspending them during the Covid pandemic.

#### How to vote at Waitrose Putney

- You can vote every time you shop
- Shop as normal at Waitrose Putney (High Street, SW15)
- At the checkout, collect a free green token (ask if not offered one)
- Find the Community Matters voting station behind the self-checkout tills
- Drop your token in the box for the charity you want to support

The other two charities in this quarter’s vote are Rescue Remedies Dog and Cat Rescue and Royal Trinity Hospice London.

Rescue Remedies is a volunteer-run organisation based near Gatwick that saves dogs from council pound euthanasia lists. It rehomes more than 300 dogs each year, mainly to families in London and the South East, specialising in terriers and staffies. The charity has no premises costs and claims no expenses, with all donations going directly to veterinary and kennelling bills.

Royal Trinity Hospice, based in Clapham, is the oldest hospice in the UK, founded in 1891. It provides free end-of-life care to around 2,500 patients annually across central and south west London, including all of Wandsworth borough. The hospice needs to raise £13 million each year, with only a third of its funding coming from the NHS.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/charity-box-tokens-768x1024.png)The Waitrose Community Matters scheme donates £4 million annually to local causes across the country. Since launching in 2008, it has given more than £50 million to charities and community groups.

---

*Update 22 Jan, 10.30am: Added comment from Kate Umney, Chair of Putney Relief Committee, clarifying the range of people the charity supports.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/22/putney-shoppers-can-help-local-charity-win-1500-with-a-free-green-token/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/22/putney-shoppers-can-help-local-charity-win-1500-with-a-free-green-token/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20shoppers%20can%20help%20local%20charity%20win%20%C2%A31%2C500%20with%20a%20free%20green%20token&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/22/putney-shoppers-can-help-local-charity-win-1500-with-a-free-green-token/)

**Categories:** Community

**Tags:** Community Matters, Local charities, Putney Relief Committee, St Marys Church, Waitrose Putney

---

### [Public excluded as council discusses Battersea land deal in secret](https://putney.news/2026/01/22/public-excluded-as-council-discusses-battersea-land-deal-in-secret/)

**Published:** January 22, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Fourth time in six months Wandsworth has withheld major spending details.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council excluded the public and press from a scrutiny meeting on Wednesday to discuss financial details of an £81.8 million Battersea Power Station land deal, despite signing contracts three weeks earlier.

The exclusion means residents cannot know what price the council is paying for the land, what service charges tenants will face, or how the scheme will generate enough income to repay £65 million in borrowing.

The Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee discussed the deal in public for 20 minutes, then voted to hold a private session using legal exemptions. Councillors examined an “exempt appendix” containing the land price and revenue model behind closed doors.

The council approved the deal in December and exchanged contracts before Christmas, seven weeks before scrutiny members saw any papers. What was discussed in the private session is not public information.

The scheme will borrow £65 million to build 203 council homes on Plot RS6a at Battersea Power Station, using a £16.8 million Greater London Authority grant, [according to council papers](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/25-414-Battersea-Power-Station-Council-Housing-Paper-No.25-414.pdf). The council will be a long-term leaseholder, not the freehold owner, and has refused to disclose service charge amounts that residents will pay.

#### Deal signed before scrutiny saw papers

Cabinet approved the deal on 1 December 2025, using urgent powers to bypass normal scrutiny. The justification was a GLA grant board meeting scheduled for 3 December, giving the council just two days to make an £81.8 million spending decision.

The council [announced the deal in a press release](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-january-2026/wandsworth-invests-in-communities-with-major-housing-expansion/) on 9 January, describing it as part of a “major housing expansion” and celebrating the “landmark partnership.” The papers containing financial details were not published until 21 January.

Work had been ongoing since summer, according to officer Paul Moore. The council “exchanged contracts just before Christmas,” Moore told the committee.

The papers provide no explanation of when the council learned about the 3 December GLA meeting or why months of summer and autumn work could not have led to earlier scrutiny. Either the council failed to plan ahead on one of its largest ever land purchases, or the urgency was manufactured to avoid proper examination.

Scrutiny members received papers on 21 January, seven weeks after the Cabinet decision and approximately three weeks after contracts were exchanged. A planning application will be published next week.

This means scrutiny happened after the deal became legally binding. The committee has no power to change terms or reject the purchase.

#### Council will be leaseholder, not owner

Opposition councillor Ravi Govindia asked whether the council would own the land and building, and what service charges the council and residents would pay.

Moore said the developer Battersea Power Station Limited will hold the freehold. The council will be “a long-term leaseholder into the hundreds of years.”

When pressed on service charge amounts, Moore said he didn’t “have a complete recall here and now over the absolute numbers.” He added that charges had been negotiated to ensure “they were within the acceptable usual parameters for schemes such as this under the HRA,” but provided no figures.

Govindia warned that service charges are “one of the big issues when it comes to private blocks in the area.” Moore provided no answer in public session.

> [Residents abandoned as council hides £24.5m regeneration scandal](https://putney.news/2025/08/27/residents-abandoned-as-council-hides-24-5m-regeneration-scandal/)

#### Fourth time council has withheld financial details

This is the fourth time in six months that Wandsworth Council has withheld financial information on major spending.

In August 2025, the council paid Taylor Wimpey £24.5 million to exit a regeneration partnership at Winstanley Estate but [refused Freedom of Information requests](https://putney.news/2025/08/27/residents-abandoned-as-council-hides-24-5m-regeneration-scandal/) for settlement details. The case is with the Information Commissioner.

In October 2025, the council published a £423.7 million capital programme but claimed it “cannot track spending by ward” despite tracking developer contribution income by ward.

In November 2025, the council’s Growth Plan claimed to accelerate housing delivery but actually cut annual housing targets by 28 per cent, from 1,950 to 1,400 homes per year.

#### Revenue model hidden despite debt questions

The council claims the scheme will be “self-financing” through rental income. When asked how in public session, Moore referred councillors to “the exempt appendix.”

He declined to explain how 203 social rent homes would generate enough revenue to service the debt.

The £65 million borrowing will increase Housing Revenue Account debt to approximately £502 million. The council already spends £23 million annually servicing existing HRA debt of £437 million, according to budget papers published the same day.

The 203 homes would house approximately 507 people. Wandsworth has 1,618 households in temporary accommodation and a waiting list of approximately 3,700 households.

#### Questions about design control and planning

Govindia asked what role the council had in choosing architects and contractors: “Is this a kind of design and build and you buy the final product without much say in that?”

Moore said “the architect is currently appointed” and that he was “satisfied, the lawyers are satisfied that we have strong protection throughout this overall programme.” He provided no details of what controls exist.

Cabinet member for Housing Aydin Dikerdem insisted quality would be maintained: “We see the experience of what some of those section 106s are like. We are going to make sure that damn well does not happen on this site because it’s such a flagship development. This is thousand homes money.”

His confidence about preventing problems on the site came despite the council being a leaseholder rather than freehold owner, the architect already being appointed by the developer, and no public explanation of what contractual controls exist to enforce standards.

The development has outline planning permission only. The developer originally committed to 15 per cent affordable housing across Battersea Power Station. The council’s purchase of Plot RS6a reduces the overall affordable housing to 9 per cent. The council paper says this is “necessary for viability” but provides no explanation.

#### Committee praised scheme before private session

Before proposing the motion, committee chair Sarah Davies said the scheme was “really exciting” and praised the “203 new homes to households and that community benefit.”

Davies then invoked Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, saying “it’s considered that in all circumstances of case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.”

The motion was seconded and agreed unanimously. The webcast was stopped and members of the public left the room. What was discussed in the private session is not public information.

The scheme is expected to complete in 2029, Moore said.

Battersea Power Station Development Company is owned by Malaysian consortium Sime Darby Property, Employees Provident Fund, and S P Setia.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/22/public-excluded-as-council-discusses-battersea-land-deal-in-secret/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/22/public-excluded-as-council-discusses-battersea-land-deal-in-secret/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Public%20excluded%20as%20council%20discusses%20Battersea%20land%20deal%20in%20secret&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/22/public-excluded-as-council-discusses-battersea-land-deal-in-secret/)

**Categories:** Finance, Housing, Planning

**Tags:** Battersea Power Station, Council accountability, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Legal battle in High Court continues for Wimbledon Park](https://putney.news/2026/01/22/legal-battle-in-high-court-continues-for-wimbledon-park/)

**Published:** January 22, 2026
**Author:** Alexia Thompson

**Excerpt:** SWP barrister argues 1914 purchase intended estate to remain "open space forever.

**Content:**

The fourth day of the High Court battle over Wimbledon Park’s future concluded with the legal team for [Save Wimbledon Park](https://www.savewimbledonpark.org/post/putney-news-five-questions-that-will-decide-the-future-of-wimbledon-park) continuing its case that century-old legislation permanently protects the former golf course as public open space, reports Alexia Thompson from the Royal Courts of Justice.

Caroline Shea KC, leading barrister for the campaign group, spent Wednesday arguing that the century-old site is subject to a ‘statutory trust’, making the land permanently reserved for public recreational and open use.

The All England Club (AELTC) contests this, stating that when they purchased the land from Merton council in 1993 the land was not part of a public trust, enabling the £200 million deal later approved by the Greater London Authority.

The [High Court battle](https://putney.news/2026/01/15/wimbledon-park-legal-explanation/) was initiated by the AELTC in an effort to establish that the trust does not exist, a step it took when their plans to expand the Wimbledon tennis tournament onto the land, building an 8,000-seat stadium, 38 new tennis grounds and a new public park at the same time, were challenged by the SWP.

Last summer, the High court [dismissed](https://putney.news/2025/07/21/save-wimbledon-park-campaign-loses-high-court-challenge/ "Save Wimbledon Park campaign loses High Court challenge") a separate challenge brought by the SWP, stating that the [GLA](https://putney.news/2025/11/04/wimbledon-park-amendment-abandoned-after-peers-condemn-erosion-of-green-space-protection/) acted lawfully when it approved the AELTC’s planning application in 2024. That case is currently under appeal.

> [Five questions that will decide the future of Wimbledon Park](https://putney.news/2026/01/15/wimbledon-park-legal-explanation/)

#### **What did we learn today?**

Shea looked specifically at the tension between the Wimbledon Corporation Act 1914 and provisions set out in the London Government Order of 1965.

The 1914 Wimbledon Corporation Act (specifically section 5), granted the then-Wimbledon Corporation, which was the local council at the time, power to purchase the Wimbledon Park Estate from private owner Lady Layne. The Act set out legal powers to acquire the land, determine the purpose for which it would be used, and grant autonomy to manage the site.

However, the London Government Order of 1965 overrode this legislation, stating any land “held for the purposes of Section 5” of the 1914 Act would immediately be placed into a public trust, rejecting private use. The main argument between the SWP and the AELTC stems from whether the former golf course was held under Section 5 in the first place.

---

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-21-at-203052-1024x483.png)The evidence at the centre of it all : a screenshot from Section 5 of the Wimbledon Corporation Act 1914 ---

SWP’s Shea argued that even if the land is held under Section 5, a second question remains: would the AELTC qualify as “bona fide purchasers” – buyers who acted in good faith, with no knowledge of legal restrictions, and paid a fair price? If so, they could be legally protected despite the trust.

As the 1914 Act is public law, she argued the AELTC is bound by it whether they saw it or not, adding that before making a multi-million pound purchase, a buyer should be expected to have looked over both the 1914 and 1965 legislation.

#### **The intention argument and the conscious deliberative process**

The core argument is whether the council viewed the estate as a ‘material whole’ and intended to keep the site preserved in its current state for public use. Shea says it did.

She cited 1912 newspaper articles from the British Library showing the original purchase was not a commercial land grab but intended to make the estate “an open space forever.” According to the articles, 111 residents urged the council to take steps to acquire the estate as an open space for the benefit of the inhabitants of the whole borough. “It represented the general opinion of the people of Wimbledon Park,” Shea argued.

Even though they planned to lease the golf course to pay off the debt from buying the land, this was argued to be a financial tool which would help preserve the park, not a permanent separation.

SWP also had to prove the Wimbledon Corporation had deliberately changed the land’s status through a formal process. Under the 1914 Act, the council had until 1927 to appropriate at least 20 acres of the estate for public use. SWP argue that while the Council managed the site, there is no record suggesting a real move to separate the golf course from the rest of the estate, locking in the estate with the public no matter who controls the lease.

#### **1933 Act: the further clause**

There’s one more piece of legislation. Outside of having to prove the existence of the statutory trust, the SWP also had to prove the status of the land changed after 1914. The AELTC’s legal team contend the grant of a new lease under the Local Government Act 1933 moved the land away from the protections in the 1914 Act.

Shea dismissed this argument, calling it a rewriting of history and stating: “The words simply do not reveal or bear that interpretation.”

She said the profit from the golf club was still being used to pay off the debt from the 1914 purchase debt and that the self contained system of the 1914 Act remained in place right up until the 1965 trust was triggered.

**The appropriation**

SWP had to further prove to Justice Thompsell whether the land was “appropriated” using law under Section 10 of the 1914 Act.

Shea argued if any of the land was appropriated for public use, the entire estate would also be bound to that same principle. Under Section 11 the land was deemed to be held for public recreation.

---

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-21-at-222257-1024x298.png)Section 11: Will the land be appropriated?”---

Through attempting to demonstrate that the council was of “mind” when petitioning for the 1914 Act to secure the maximum amount of open space, Shea then concluded the golf course was only ever intended to be a singular public mission.

#### **The importance of Day v Shropshire**

In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled on a case at the core of this dispute. In 2018, Shropshire Council sold a portion of protected land to a developer without going through the legal process of notifying others about the purchase or asking the public for their opinion.

The ruling established that councils cannot eliminate public access simply by selling the land if they do not go through the right procedure. The public will still have access to their rights if the council do not consult the public before proceeding.

AELTC argues that the precedent doesn’t apply in this case; SWP argues that the principle is identical in the case of Wimbledon Park.

#### **What can we expect to see next, and why does all of this matter?** 

The court proceedings will conclude on 24 January, but Justice Thompsell will not give a verdict until the spring.

If SWP are able to secure the park, then the AELTC will have a very hard time getting planning permission to continue with the project. If the AELTC win, they still face two other legal challenges, and a determined team of local residents.

For locals, the push to develop the park strips away a public green space in a move they argue was kept from the eyes of the public. For the All England Club, it represents an opportunity to restructure the spine of British tennis, placing them on the map for mass events.

With the final judgement expected in a few months, Justice Thompsell will decide just whose arguments have convinced him the most.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/22/legal-battle-in-high-court-continues-for-wimbledon-park/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/22/legal-battle-in-high-court-continues-for-wimbledon-park/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Legal%20battle%20in%20High%20Court%20continues%20for%20Wimbledon%20Park&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/22/legal-battle-in-high-court-continues-for-wimbledon-park/)

**Categories:** Planning, Southfields

**Tags:** AELTC, High Court, planning, Save Wimbledon Park, statutory trust, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Royal Hospital Putney nurse struck off after dangerous medication errors and years of deception](https://putney.news/2026/01/20/royal-hospital-putney-nurse-struck-off-after-dangerous-medication-errors-and-years-of-deception/)

**Published:** January 20, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** NMC panel finds Anthony Andrews gave wrong medication, hid regulatory problems, worked while banned.

**Content:**

**UPDATED** A mental health nurse who worked at the [Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability](https://www.rhn.org.uk/) in Putney and St. George’s Hospital has been struck from the nursing register after giving a patient the wrong medication through their tracheostomy, despite their family trying to stop him.

Anthony J B D P Andrews was found to have acted “dangerously and dishonestly” while working as an agency nurse in South West London, according to a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) misconduct panel ruling released this month.

The panel’s [decision](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/NMC-andrews-96442-20251211.pdf) \[pdf\] followed hearings in December, which Andrews did not attend, and revealed a pattern of deception spanning more than two years.

#### The September 2023 incidents

On 8 September 2023, Andrews was working a shift at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability when he gave medication to a patient who was not under his care. The patient’s family reported they tried to stop Andrews, but he ignored them and continued administering the medication through the patient’s tracheostomy tube, using a route that would have taken “considerable force.”

The medication was incorrect. Andrews had mistaken the patient for someone else and failed to check their records. The patient began to cough and show signs of respiratory distress before being stabilised.

On the same day, Andrews gave medication to another patient without checking their records.

The panel found Andrews had accepted the shift knowing he did not have the skills needed for tracheostomy care. He had deliberately misled the ward manager by lying that he was trained in it, which the panel called “egregious and deplorable.”

#### Years of hiding regulatory problems

The misconduct went far beyond the September incidents.

Andrews failed to provide South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust with a copy of temporary restrictions placed on him by the NMC in 2021. He then breached that order by failing to notify the NMC within seven days of a medication error he made in May 2022.

Most seriously, after an interim suspension order was imposed on him in November 2023, Andrews worked five shifts for West London NHS Trust without telling them he had been suspended. The panel found he had deliberately not checked the outcome of the hearing.

Andrews was employed as a mental health nurse by two agencies, Care Staff Solutions and Pulse Nursing. His work placements included the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability, St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust and the NHS Talking Therapies team at West London NHS Trust.

> [Emergency nurse suspended after “shocking” failures at St George’s](https://putney.news/2025/04/04/emergency-nurse-suspended-after-shocking-failures-at-st-georges/)

#### “Serious potential risk of harm”

The panel ruled Andrews’ actions had fallen significantly short of the standards expected of a registered nurse and amounted to misconduct.

“The panel determined that patients were put at risk and there was serious potential risk of harm as a result of Mr Andrews’ misconduct,” the report said. “Mr Andrews’ misconduct had breached fundamental tenets of the nursing profession and therefore brought its reputation into disrepute.”

The panel said Andrews had shown some remorse, but there was no evidence he understood the seriousness of his actions and their impact on patients’ safety.

“The panel determined that there is a risk to the public as Mr Andrews’ conduct was dangerous and dishonest and is unremedied,” the report added. “Due to a lack of insight, remediation and strengthening of practice, the panel decided that a finding of impairment is necessary on the grounds of public protection.”

The panel decided to strike Andrews from the register. An interim suspension order of 18 months was also imposed to cover any appeal period. His current status can be verified on the [NMC register search](https://www.nmc.org.uk/registration/search-the-register/).

In April 2025, [a Band 7 Emergency Nurse Practitioner at St George’s Hospital was suspended](https://putney.news/2025/04/04/emergency-nurse-suspended-after-shocking-failures-at-st-georges/) for 12 months after the NMC found more than 60 serious patient safety failures.

---

***Clarification (21 Jan, 5pm)**: The Royal Hospital for Neuro-Disability referred this matter to the NMC on 11 September 2023, three days after the incidents occurred. Mr Andrews was employed by nursing agencies, not by the hospital.*

---

*This story was first reported by Charlotte Lilywhite for the Local Democracy Reporting Service.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/20/royal-hospital-putney-nurse-struck-off-after-dangerous-medication-errors-and-years-of-deception/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/20/royal-hospital-putney-nurse-struck-off-after-dangerous-medication-errors-and-years-of-deception/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Royal%20Hospital%20Putney%20nurse%20struck%20off%20after%20dangerous%20medication%20errors%20and%20years%20of%20deception&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/20/royal-hospital-putney-nurse-struck-off-after-dangerous-medication-errors-and-years-of-deception/)

**Categories:** Health

**Tags:** healthcare regulation, Nursing and Midwifery Council, patient safety, Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability, St George's hospital

---

### [10 reasons to refuse the Lennox Estate tower](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/10-reasons-to-refuse-the-lennox-estate-tower/)

**Published:** January 19, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Design Review Panel called 14-storey proposal "the last resort" after three reviews.

**Content:**

*Application 2025/4170 proposes 81 homes in two buildings up to 14 storeys on the Lennox Estate. After reviewing 1,000+ pages of planning documents, we’ve identified 10 policy violations and statutory failures that warrant refusal.*

---

#### 1. The tower breaks clear height policy

Wandsworth’s Local Plan permits buildings up to 6 storeys (12 metres) on this site. The proposal is for a 14-storey tower.

The site isn’t in a designated tall building zone. The council’s own [Design Review Panel reviewed this scheme three times](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/wandsworth-design-review-panel-lennox-estate-tower/) and remained “sceptical and tentative” about the tower, calling it “the last resort” and noting it would have “adverse effect on heritage assets.”

> [Lennox Estate tower approved despite site sitting outside tall building zone](https://putney.news/2026/01/21/lennox-estate-tower-approved-despite-site-sitting-outside-tall-building-zone/)

---

#### 2. Protected open space gets built on

The development site is designated Protected Open Space in Wandsworth’s Local Plan, specifically to prevent building on it. [Residents successfully defended this land from development six times between 1989 and 1994](https://putney.news/2026/01/02/how-residents-saved-the-lennox-estate-green-from-six-development-attempts/).

The Biodiversity Net Gain assessment reveals 54% of accessible grassland will be lost, in an area already “deficient in Local, Small and Pocket Parks” according to the Health Impact Assessment.

The council promises 131 new trees and green roofs. A green roof on top of a 14-storey building does not replace grassland where children can play.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/lennox-estate-building-plot-1024x455.png)---

#### 3. Emergency access depends on construction success

Emergency vehicles will access via a new internal road created by closing part of Arabella Drive, a public highway. The route depends on successful construction of the new road layout, a single turning head between two buildings, and a one-way system working as designed. There is no alternative route.

On 27 March 2025, a [major fire at Burke Close](https://putney.news/2026/01/07/fire-crews-fought-blocked-roads-to-reach-roehampton-blaze-now-council-plans-to-close-more-routes/) (800m away) required 6 fire engines and displaced 21 households. The Fire Safety Strategy for this application is dated 11 April 2025, just 15 days later, and makes no mention of the incident or lessons learned.

The site also has [MEDIUM RISK unexploded ordnance present](https://putney.news/2025/12/27/building-on-bombs-council-plans-81-homes-where-wwii-explosives-fell/). If a bomb is found during construction and work stops, emergency access arrangements would be compromised.

> [Fire crews fought blocked roads to reach Roehampton blaze – now council plans to close more routes](https://putney.news/2026/01/07/fire-crews-fought-blocked-roads-to-reach-roehampton-blaze-now-council-plans-to-close-more-routes/)

---

#### 4. The transport strategy relies on a single car club provider

This “car-free” development (zero parking for 81 homes) is justified by car club availability. Zipcar recently withdrew from Wandsworth. Enterprise is now the sole provider. The entire transport strategy depends on Enterprise remaining in the market.

The Transport Assessment admits one of five traffic monitoring locations “failed” because vehicles kept parking on the equipment. If monitoring equipment couldn’t function due to parking pressure, the assessment’s conclusions about parking demand are questionable.

> [Zipcar warned congestion charge would force cuts. Now it’s leaving the UK entirely](https://putney.news/2025/12/01/zipcar-warned-congestion-charge-would-force-cuts-now-its-leaving-the-uk-entirely/)

---

#### 5. Hundreds of existing residents lose parking freedom

Currently, Lennox Estate roads are outside controlled parking zones. To enforce “car-free” status for 81 new homes, the entire estate will get parking controls. Hundreds of existing residents will need permits to park on their own estate, before construction even starts.

Existing residents bear the restrictions and endure years of construction disruption before any housing benefit arrives. That benefit goes to new residents, not those who suffered through it.

---

> [Building on bombs: Council plans 81 homes where WWII explosives fell](https://putney.news/2025/12/27/building-on-bombs-council-plans-81-homes-where-wwii-explosives-fell/)

---

#### 6. Statutory biodiversity requirement not met

The Environment Act 2021 mandates 10% Biodiversity Net Gain. This has been law since February 2024.

The application admits: “0% change in watercourse units”, failing the mandatory 10% requirement. The deficit will be remedied through “local enhancements to Beverley Brook or via purchasing off-site biodiversity units.”

The application is statutorily incomplete.

---

> [Council promised new homes would ‘meet or exceed’ green standards. Its own don’t.](https://putney.news/2025/12/31/council-promised-new-homes-would-meet-or-exceed-green-standards-its-own-dont/)

---

#### 7. Protected species surveys are inadequate

Any new development, especially at this scale, needs to consider whether protected species, at risk of survival, are present in the area.

European stag beetles are thought to be present on site but a survey to discover to what extent was dismissed because areas were “overgrown and difficult to access.”

Bat surveys are required before building demolition: one survey was conducted for a building on the Green where guidelines – for good reason – require 2-3.

Beverley Brook runs alongside the estate and contains a huge range of wildlife, including protected newts. A watercourse survey for the development concluded that 80% of the area (4 of 5 modules) had impeded access, so no assessment was carried out. Instead the report relied on “assumptions” and “what limited observations could be made.”

We don’t know if protected species are present in significant numbers at the site because the surveyors haven’t tried to find out.

> [Protected for 35 years, now Wandsworth Council wants to build on its own green space](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/protected-for-35-years-now-wandsworth-council-wants-to-build-on-its-own-green-space/)

---

#### 8. Existing affordable housing residents lose daylight

39 neighbouring windows fail daylight standards. All 39 are at The Willoughbys, the existing affordable housing block next door.

Seven bedrooms will receive less than half the required daylight (VSC ratio 0.38 or below).

The council would darken its own tenants’ homes to build homes for new tenants, in a ward with a 5.5-year life expectancy gap compared to affluent areas.

> [How residents saved the Lennox Estate Green from six development attempts](https://putney.news/2026/01/02/how-residents-saved-the-lennox-estate-green-from-six-development-attempts/)

---

#### 9. Health assessment was done backwards

A Health Impact Assessment should inform design decisions. This one was conducted after the design was finalised, so it can describe impacts but could not prevent them.

Construction impacts (air quality, noise, vibration) were “scoped out” based on a Code of Construction Practice that does not yet exist and has not been submitted.

The existing MUGA (basketball/football court) will be demolished for 2+ years as a construction laydown area, with no secured alternative provision during the gap.

---

#### 10. Council judges its own application

Wandsworth Council is simultaneously the applicant, the landowner, the highway authority (which must approve closing Arabella Drive), the beneficiary (receiving £87,000 carbon offset payment from itself), and the decision-maker.

The [council’s own heritage advisors have already recommended refusal](https://putney.news/2026/01/09/council-advisors-say-no-to-lennox-estate-tower-block/), citing policy breaches.

> [Council advisors say no to Lennox Estate tower block](https://putney.news/2026/01/09/council-advisors-say-no-to-lennox-estate-tower-block/)

---

#### What you can do

**The deadline to object was yesterday 19 January 2026 but the council will continue to received comments.**

**Planning reference:** 2025/4170

**Object here:** [Search planning applications](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/search-planning-applications/) and enter reference 2025/4170

You can reference these violations in your objection or simply state your concerns. Planning committees must consider all material objections.

The Design Review Panel was right to be sceptical. This application breaks height policy, fails statutory biodiversity requirements, compromises emergency access, darkens existing affordable housing residents’ homes, and depends on construction success and provider stability.

**This application should be refused.**

---

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/19/10-reasons-to-refuse-the-lennox-estate-tower/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/19/10-reasons-to-refuse-the-lennox-estate-tower/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=10%20reasons%20to%20refuse%20the%20Lennox%20Estate%20tower&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/19/10-reasons-to-refuse-the-lennox-estate-tower/)

**Categories:** Community, Planning, Roehampton

**Tags:** 2025/4170, Arabella Drive, Lennox Estate, planning, Roehampton, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Putney High Street gambling venue returns for second approval after 624 objections ignored](https://putney.news/2026/01/21/putney-high-street-gambling-venue-returns-for-second-approval-after-624-objections-ignored/)

**Published:** January 21, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Ignored residents have until 12 February to object to premises licence.

**Content:**

Residents who thought they had seen off plans for an adult gaming centre on Putney High Street are being asked to object all over again, after the council approved the scheme on the Chair’s casting vote despite 624 letters of opposition.

Luxury Leisure, which operates the Admiral chain of gambling venues, is now applying for a premises licence under the Gambling Act 2005 for 160-162 Putney High Street, the former Lost Society bar opposite Putney station. The deadline for objections is 12 February 2026.

The licence application follows planning permission granted in December 2024 in one of the most divisive decisions seen at Wandsworth’s Planning Committee. Councillors voted 4-4 with two abstentions, meaning the Chair had to use a casting vote to approve the change of use.

Thamesfield ward councillor Ethan Brooks addressed the committee on behalf of residents, warning that approving the application would “betray the trust of Putney residents” and damage the long-term health of the high street.

#### 624 objections, zero support

The planning application attracted 624 objections and not a single letter of support, making it one of the most opposed applications in recent Putney history. Objectors included the Putney Society, the Deodar Merivale Florian Residents Association, and a letter signed by 80 residents of Norroy Road.

Residents raised concerns about the concentration of gambling venues in the area, with another adult gaming centre (Merkur Slots) already operating 30 metres away at 152 Putney High Street, plus two betting shops nearby. They also cited potential social harm, antisocial behaviour, and negative effects on the character of the high street.

Council officers recommended approval, arguing the site had been vacant since November 2022 and marketed for over three years without attracting any pub, bar or restaurant operator. The Metropolitan Police reported no incidents of crime at similar venues in the borough.

One councillor proposed refusing the application on grounds it would undermine the viability of Putney High Street. The motion was seconded but fell, with four votes for refusal and six against.

When the final vote came on whether to approve, the committee split 4-4 with two abstentions, forcing the Chair to break the deadlock in favour of the applicant.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_7497-768x1024.jpeg)#### A second opportunity to object

The new gambling premises licence application gives residents another opportunity to have their say, though the grounds for objection are different under the Gambling Act 2005.

During the planning debate, Councillor Brooks flagged that the site is located close to Putney Library and argued this conflicts with Wandsworth’s Gambling Policy, which states that gambling premises should not be located near sensitive community locations.

This argument may carry more weight in the licensing process, which specifically considers the protection of children and vulnerable people from gambling harm.

Residents in the Putney High Street community WhatsApp group are already coordinating a response. “That application had a huge amount of opposition but still got passed by our wonderful council,” wrote one member when the new licence notice appeared. “We thought it had gone away.”

Another resident noted: “This is an area of young families. Last thing we need is more betting, vape or money laundering outlets.”

#### How to object

Wandsworth Council is accepting representations until 12 February 2026. Objections can be submitted by email to  or by post to Regulatory Services Partnership, Merton Civic Centre, London Road, Morden, SM4 5DX.

All objections must include your full postal address. Anonymous representations will not be accepted.

Residents should note that simply arguing there are “too many gambling premises” is not valid grounds for objection.

The council states it cannot consider proliferation unless objectors can show it would lead to rises in crime, disorder, underage gambling or problem gambling.

Objections must relate to the three licensing objectives: preventing gambling from being a source of crime, ensuring gambling is conducted fairly and openly, and protecting children and vulnerable people from harm.

Councillors and MPs can submit representations on behalf of residents. Thamesfield councillor Ethan Brooks, who spoke against the planning application, and Putney MP Fleur Anderson could both make representations. Residents who want their elected representatives to act on their behalf should contact them before the deadline.

If valid objections are received, the application goes to a Licensing Committee hearing within 20 working days. The meeting is open to the public and objectors can address the committee directly. The committee can grant the licence as applied, grant it with modified conditions or reduced hours, or reject it.

More information is available on the [council’s gambling licensing page](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/business-and-licensing/licensing/gambling-gaming-and-lotteries-licensing/comment-on-a-gambling-licence-application/).

Luxury Leisure, part of the Novomatic Group, operates more than 250 Admiral venues across the UK and describes itself as the market leading provider of adult gaming centres. The company says 65% of its customers are women aged over 45. If approved, the venue would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and create 12 jobs.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/160-putney-high-st-through-years-1024x373.png)160 Putney High Street through the years: 2012 as Citizen Smith, 2019 as Lost & Co, and 2022 as Lost Society.#### The site’s troubled history

The premises at 160-162 Putney High Street was originally a pub called the Horseshoe. It went through multiple rebrandings including Rat & Parrot, Bar Room Bar, Citizen Smith, and Lost & Co before becoming Lost Society in February 2020. The bar closed in November 2022 when the company went into liquidation.

The building was subsequently occupied by squatters and was among several High Street properties [cleared during enforcement action in September 2025](https://putney.news/2025/09/10/victory-at-last-squatters-driven-out-of-putney-high-street/).

---

*Have views on this application? Let us know in the comments below.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/21/putney-high-street-gambling-venue-returns-for-second-approval-after-624-objections-ignored/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/21/putney-high-street-gambling-venue-returns-for-second-approval-after-624-objections-ignored/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20High%20Street%20gambling%20venue%20returns%20for%20second%20approval%20after%20624%20objections%20ignored&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/21/putney-high-street-gambling-venue-returns-for-second-approval-after-624-objections-ignored/)

**Categories:** Business, Save the High Street, Thamesfield

**Tags:** 160-162 Putney High Street, Admiral, Gambling, licensing, Lost Society, planning, Putney High Street, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Lennox Estate tower approved despite site sitting outside tall building zone](https://putney.news/2026/01/21/lennox-estate-tower-approved-despite-site-sitting-outside-tall-building-zone/)

**Published:** January 21, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Council's Design Review Panel expressed 'regret' lower-rise alternative wasn't pursued.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council is pressing ahead with plans for a 14-storey tower on protected open space in Roehampton, despite its own Design Review Panel describing the building as a “last resort” and expressing “regret” that a lower-rise alternative was not pursued.

The Lennox Estate tower planning application stacks multiple departures from the council’s own policies. The site sits outside the designated tall building zone, where the Local Plan permits buildings of only four storeys and 12 metres. The proposed tower is more than three times that height at 48.2 metres. The land is also designated protected open space under policies LP53 and LP54, which state that development resulting in loss of such space “will not be supported.”

The council’s Design Review Panel reviewed the scheme three times between March 2024 and October 2025. Their concerns are documented in reports that were circulated to Council Leader Simon Hogg, Planning Applications Committee Chair Tony Belton, and Head of Planning Permissions Nick Calder.

#### What the Design Review Panel said

The panel’s language grew more pointed as the process continued.

In their first review in March 2024, they noted plainly: “This site lies outside this zone, in an area where buildings up to 4 storeys and 12m high are policy compliant. As such, the proposal for a tower of approximately 18 storeys would depart from the Local Plan height parameters in this location.”

By September 2024, the panel stated: “The Panel is still sceptical and tentative towards the tower element of the scheme.”

> They added that “a tower should be the last resort” and that “a tall building will have an adverse effect on heritage assets.”

The panel asked whether the same number of homes could be delivered in “a simpler, more cohesive gentler density scheme of no more than 6 storey blocks.”

In their final review in October 2025, the panel acknowledged “the trade-off between loss of open space, wider townscape impacts and the delivery of new homes.” They expressed “regret that a lower-rise scheme hasn’t been pursued.”

The applicant’s own Design and Access Statement lists “site location outside of tall building zone” as a constraint on the development.

> [10 reasons to refuse the Lennox Estate tower](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/10-reasons-to-refuse-the-lennox-estate-tower/)

#### How the council justifies the departures

The Planning Statement argues that housing need creates “exceptional circumstances” justifying the policy breaches. “The urgent need for new affordable homes in the borough and the objective to create greener, safer and better neighbourhoods are demonstrated as exceptional circumstances,” it states.

On the tower height, the statement argues that three existing towers on the eastern side of the estate make the new building “contextual and complementary to the existing local character.” Those towers were built in 1972 under different planning rules, on different land, and were not on designated protected open space.

The 81 affordable homes are presented as the justification. But housing need exists across the borough. If 81 homes can override protected open space and tall building restrictions here, the same argument could apply to any protected site in Wandsworth.

#### The conflict at the heart of this application

Wandsworth Council is both the applicant (through its Regeneration team) and the decision-maker (through its Planning department). The councillors who received copies of the Design Review Panel’s critical reports will ultimately vote on whether to approve the scheme they were warned about.

The council’s own [heritage advisory committee recommended refusing the application](https://putney.news/2026/01/08/heritage-advisors-recommend-refusing-lennox-estate-tower/) earlier this month, citing clear violations of policy.

This is the same site that [residents successfully defended from development six times between 1989 and 1994](https://putney.news/2026/01/01/how-residents-saved-the-lennox-estate-green-from-six-development-attempts/). A Planning Inspector ruled in 1992 that the estate was deficient in accessible open space and that housing need could not override that protection.

#### Have your say

The public consultation on the Lennox Estate tower planning application officially closed on Monday 19 January 2026 but you can still provide comments.

You can comment via the [Wandsworth planning portal](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/search-planning-applications/) using reference 2025/4170.

Because the tower exceeds 30 metres, the Mayor of London must be consulted before any final decision. No date has been set for the Planning Applications Committee to consider the scheme.

The three ward councillors for Roehampton are [Cllr Graeme Henderson](mailto:cllr.g.henderson@wandsworth.gov.uk "Cllr Graeme Henderson") (Labour, Cabinet Member for Health), [Cllr Matthew Tiller](mailto:cllr.m.tiller@wandsworth.gov.uk) (Labour, Deputy Cabinet Member for Housing), and [Cllr Jenny Yates](mailto:cllr.j.yates@wandsworth.gov.uk) (Labour, Cabinet Member for Transport).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/21/lennox-estate-tower-approved-despite-site-sitting-outside-tall-building-zone/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/21/lennox-estate-tower-approved-despite-site-sitting-outside-tall-building-zone/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Lennox%20Estate%20tower%20approved%20despite%20site%20sitting%20outside%20tall%20building%20zone&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/21/lennox-estate-tower-approved-despite-site-sitting-outside-tall-building-zone/)

**Categories:** Planning, Roehampton

**Tags:** Arabella Drive, Design Review Panel, housing, Lennox Estate, planning, Roehampton, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Roehampton Lane hit by burst water main for second time in a fortnight](https://putney.news/2026/01/20/roehampton-lane-hit-by-burst-water-main-for-second-time-in-a-fortnight/)

**Published:** January 20, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Fifth failure in three weeks as Thames Water admits 'oldest network in country'.

**Content:**

Roehampton Lane is facing traffic disruption from a burst water main for the second time in two weeks, as Thames Water’s aging infrastructure continues to fail across Putney.

The latest burst, further down the hill from the previous incident, was first noticed in the early hours of Monday morning. By the afternoon, one lane had been closed with temporary traffic lights in place. On Tuesday, the lights remained, causing significant congestion in both directions.

Thames Water crews have dug a large hole in the road and turned off the water supply to the affected section. There have been no workmen on site over Tuesday so, based on the company’s recent activity in the area, and assuming the pipe has been fixed, the hole should be filled tomorrow with the road likely reopened late Wednesday or Thursday. The permit gives Thames Water until Friday 23 January to complete the work.

This is at least the fifth burst water main in the Putney area in the past three weeks.

![Roadworks at Roehampton Lane](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/roehampton-lane-hole-works-1024x768.png)#### A pattern of failures

The first Roehampton Lane burst, near Clarence Lane, was [identified on 5 January](https://putney.news/2026/01/07/gridlock-burst-water-main-and-gas-works-combine-to-grind-putney-to-a-halt/) and caused three days of gridlock when the complete road closure forced six bus routes onto Dover House Road, where gas works had already created a bottleneck. Around [350 properties lost water supply](https://putney.news/2026/01/09/roehampton-lane-reopens-now-work-on-carslake-road-water-main-burst-begins/) before repairs were completed on 8 January.

Crews then discovered a connected leak on Carslake Road, which cut supply to residents at Woodcoot House. On New Year’s Eve, another burst main on West Hill forced road closures during the evening.

Meanwhile, a leak on Olivette Street in Putney bubbled water onto the pavement for more than ten days before Thames Water finally began repairs on Friday 16 January. The work was patched over the weekend.

The pattern suggests Thames Water is prioritising major roads and routes with heavy traffic, while smaller residential streets wait.

![A driveway with a broken water main underneath it](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/roehampton-lane-driveway-broken-1024x768.png)A broken main underneath this driveway still has to be fixed before the water can be turned back on.#### ‘Oldest and most complex’ network

Thames Water has acknowledged the underlying problem. In a statement to Putney.news, the company’s media team said: “Thames Water has the oldest and most complex assets in the country: the average age of our assets is 79 years, compared to the industry average of 56 years.”

The company added: “We are also the only company in the industry where almost 40% of our assets are over 100 years old, and 3,700km of our London network will be over 150 years old by 2030. Pipe failures are strongly correlated with age and ground material type.”

Thames Water says it has “embarked upon the biggest upgrade of its network in 150 years” and is investing more than £20 billion between 2025 and 2030.

But the question for Putney residents is whether this level of disruption will now become routine every time temperatures drop. The recent cold snap, with freezing conditions over the Christmas and New Year period, appears to have exposed the fragility of the local network. Thames Water reported in December that it was experiencing “twice the usual bursts” due to the weather.

If pipes across SW15 are among those approaching 100 or 150 years old, residents may face repeated burst mains, road closures and water supply interruptions whenever winter weather puts the system under stress.

![Traffic going up Roehampton lane due to roadworks](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/roehampton-lane-traffic-roadworks-uphill-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/20/roehampton-lane-hit-by-burst-water-main-for-second-time-in-a-fortnight/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/20/roehampton-lane-hit-by-burst-water-main-for-second-time-in-a-fortnight/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Roehampton%20Lane%20hit%20by%20burst%20water%20main%20for%20second%20time%20in%20a%20fortnight&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/20/roehampton-lane-hit-by-burst-water-main-for-second-time-in-a-fortnight/)

**Categories:** Roehampton, Transport

**Tags:** burst water main, infrastructure, Roehampton Lane, Thames Water, traffic

---

### [Finding a way forward on gender](https://putney.news/2026/01/20/finding-a-way-forward-on-gender/)

**Published:** January 20, 2026
**Author:** The Editor

**Excerpt:** What national coverage of Wandsworth's pronoun memo left out.

**Content:**

Gender politics arrived in Wandsworth this week.

Not through local debate or council chamber controversy, but via national newspapers [reporting](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/wandsworth-council-pronoun-guidance-was-optional-2022-memo-not-policy/) on a three-year-old internal memo that suggested staff could, if they wished, add pronouns to their email signatures.

Several *Putney.news* readers sent us the coverage. Clearly this touched a nerve. So while this publication would normally steer well clear of culture war territory, since the battle has arrived at our doorstep, let us try to be useful.

> [Wandsworth Council pronoun guidance was optional 2022 memo, not policy](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/wandsworth-council-pronoun-guidance-was-optional-2022-memo-not-policy/)

#### What actually happened

There was a memo. It did say what the reports claimed. In 2022, Wandsworth Council produced internal guidance suggesting that sharing pronouns was “a simple step” to help transgender and non-binary colleagues feel “more seen and recognised.”

The guidance mentioned pronouns including ze/zir/zem, which, to be frank, are rarely encountered in everyday life. Even professionals working in diversity and inclusion report never coming across them outside academic papers.

The council says the guidance was always optional, never mandated, never enforced. That context appeared in paragraph 15 of the *Telegraph’s* report.

So: the story was not invented, but nor was it entirely straight.

#### Why 2022 matters

This guidance did not emerge from nowhere. In 2022, organisations across the country, public and private, were producing similar documents. It was the peak of a particular moment in workplace diversity practice, following heightened attention to inclusion after 2020.

Some of those efforts landed well. Some did not. The pronoun guidance falls somewhere in between.

There is a reasonable case that asking everyone to announce pronouns makes it easier for those who need to. There is an equally reasonable case that “optional guidance from your employer” feels like pressure even when it technically is not. Both things can be true.

What is also true is that practice has moved on. Those who work in this field will say that 2022’s approach is now seen as overcorrection. Forcing cultural change, it turns out, tends to make people dig their heels in.

#### The difficult middle ground

Here is what emerges from speaking to people who think carefully about these issues:

Sex is biological. Gender is something else: how people present themselves, how the brain works, where someone sits on a spectrum that most of us never think about because we happen to fit comfortably in the majority.

Most people are straightforwardly male or female and will never have reason to question it. A small number are not. Both facts can coexist.

The question is not whether transgender or non-binary people exist. They do, and have across cultures for centuries. The question is how workplaces, institutions and colleagues should respond, and how quickly we can reasonably expect people to adapt to unfamiliar ideas.

Mandating language does not work. Dismissing people’s lived experience as “fantasy” does not work either. Somewhere between those positions is where most of us actually live.

#### Where this leaves us

There is no tidy conclusion here. Gender is complicated, language is political, and reasonable people disagree.

But when national headlines arrive with familiar uncompromising certainty, the job of local journalism is to provide what they leave out. Context. Nuance. The paragraph 15 that explains what the first paragraph obscured.

Whether you think the 2022 guidance was well-intentioned inclusion or overreach, you deserve to know it was optional, it was three years ago, and nothing has changed.

The rest is a conversation we are all still having.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/20/finding-a-way-forward-on-gender/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/20/finding-a-way-forward-on-gender/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Finding%20a%20way%20forward%20on%20gender&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/20/finding-a-way-forward-on-gender/)

**Categories:** Comment, Community

**Tags:** comment, gender, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Eight Wandsworth pubs among London's most at risk as tax bills set to soar](https://putney.news/2026/01/20/eight-wandsworth-pubs-among-londons-most-at-risk-as-tax-bills-set-to-soar/)

**Published:** January 20, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Putney's oldest pub faces rates nearly tripling after community saved it from COVID closure.

**Content:**

A Wandsworth pub tops a new ranking of London’s most at-risk pubs, with eight venues across the borough facing steep tax increases when government support ends this April.

The Spread Eagle on Wandsworth High Street ranks first among London pubs on [IsMyPubFucked.com](https://www.ismypubfucked.com/), a campaign site that uses official government data to calculate how business rates will change when the current 75% relief is abolished.

Closer to home for Putney readers, the Bricklayers Arms on Upper Richmond Road, Putney’s oldest pub, ranks 78th. The community favourite faces its rateable value rising from £15,500 to £40,500, an increase of 161%.

The data the website uses is legitimate: Valuation Office Agency figures that show how individual pubs will be affected by the combined impact of new property valuations and the removal of hospitality relief.

#### How the system works

Pubs pay business rates based on their “rateable value”, an estimate of what the property could rent for on the open market. The Valuation Office Agency reassessed every commercial property in England for the new rating list taking effect in April 2026.

The problem for pubs is timing. The VOA’s new valuations are based on rental values as of April 2024, when many venues had recovered strongly from COVID. But the previous valuations, still in use, were based on April 2021, when pubs were either closed or severely restricted by pandemic measures.

The result is that pubs are being valued at their lowest point for the outgoing list and their recovered state for the incoming one.

On top of this, the 75% business rates relief that has supported hospitality since the pandemic will be abolished entirely from April 2026. Pubs have received some form of rates relief continuously since March 2020, initially at 100% before tapering to the current 75%.

#### The Wandsworth picture

Eight Wandsworth borough pubs appear in London’s top 100 most at risk:

1. Spread Eagle, Wandsworth High Street (ranked 1st in London)
2. Eagle, Battersea (50th)
3. Wheatsheaf, Tooting (51st)
4. Selkirk, Tooting (75th)
5. Bricklayers Arms, Putney (78th)
6. Gardeners Arms, Earlsfield (80th)
7. Horse and Groom, Wandsworth (89th)
8. JJ Moon’s, Tooting (91st)

The Spread Eagle’s position at the top of the London list requires context. Its rateable value is increasing from £16,750 to £121,000, a rise of 622%. However, this reflects a fundamental change in the business rather than simply pandemic recovery.

The pub closed as a hotel in the 1920s and operated as a pub only for decades. In 2022, it was “sensitively renovated” and reopened with 21 boutique hotel rooms alongside the pub. The April 2021 valuation captured a pub-only operation during COVID restrictions. The April 2024 valuation captures a thriving pub and hotel.

This makes the Spread Eagle a poor example of the “recovery penalty” that campaigners highlight. The Bricklayers Arms in Putney tells that story more clearly.

![The Bricklayers Arms, Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/bricklayers-arms-1024x694.png)#### Putney’s oldest pub

The Bricklayers Arms, founded in 1826 as the Waterman’s Arms serving local shipbuilders, nearly closed permanently during the pandemic. In 2020, it was described as “half construction site” and heading for closure.

Chris Walsh took over in July 2020, operating from a table outside during lockdowns while he and his family worked to restore the Grade II listed building. A [crowdfunding campaign](https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-bricklayers-arms---independent-putney-local) in 2021 raised £13,753 from 289 local supporters.

“The pub has been through a lot in its 200-year history, but nothing has been as challenging as COVID-19,” Walsh wrote on the crowdfunding page. “We feel extremely passionate about keeping independent, traditional pubs alive.”

The pub reopened properly in May 2021, weeks after the April 2021 valuation date that set its current low rateable value. It has since thrived, earning recognition on CAMRA’s National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors for its preserved 1928 features.

Now that success is being used to calculate a tax bill nearly three times higher than before.

The Bricklayers Arms is not the only Putney pub facing serious pressure. The Telegraph Arms on Telegraph Road also falls into the site’s “Fu\*cked” category with a 133% rateable value increase. A third, the Green Man on Putney Heath, is rated “Struggling” with a 57% rise. Three more Putney pubs face smaller increases: the Half Moon (+41%), Coat and Badge (+17%), and Jolly Gardener (+13%).

#### What happens next

Transitional relief will cap how quickly bills can rise year on year, preventing the full increase hitting immediately. But the trajectory is clear: pubs that recovered from the pandemic will pay significantly more, while the support that helped them survive is removed entirely.

UK Hospitality estimates the average pub will pay £4,500 more in business rates by 2027/28 and £7,000 more by 2028/29.

More than 2,250 pubs closed between 2019 and 2024, with 16,000 licensed premises lost since March 2020. Energy costs rose 70-80%, food prices peaked at 22% inflation, wages increased over 20%, and alcohol duty rose 10.1%, all while rates relief was the one consistent support.

The Bricklayers Arms survived COVID with community support. Whether it can survive the tax system rewarding that recovery remains to be seen.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/20/eight-wandsworth-pubs-among-londons-most-at-risk-as-tax-bills-set-to-soar/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/20/eight-wandsworth-pubs-among-londons-most-at-risk-as-tax-bills-set-to-soar/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Eight%20Wandsworth%20pubs%20among%20London%E2%80%99s%20most%20at%20risk%20as%20tax%20bills%20set%20to%20soar&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/20/eight-wandsworth-pubs-among-londons-most-at-risk-as-tax-bills-set-to-soar/)

**Categories:** Business, News, Pubs, bars and nightlife

**Tags:** Bricklayers Arms, business rates, Coat and Badge, Green Man, Half Moon, hospitality, Jolly Gardener, pubs, Putney, Spread Eagle, Telegraph Arms, Wandsworth

---

### [Protected for 35 years, now Wandsworth Council wants to build on its own green space](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/protected-for-35-years-now-wandsworth-council-wants-to-build-on-its-own-green-space/)

**Published:** January 19, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Council adopted Local Plan protecting The Green in July 2023 while simultaneously preparing plans to build on it.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has submitted a planning application to build 81 homes on a community green space that appears on the Council’s own Policies Map as protected open space (a designation it confirmed just 18 months before lodging the application).

The Green at Arabella Drive on the Lennox Estate in Roehampton is listed as Item 80 in the schedule of “Other Large Protected Open Spaces” under the [Wandsworth Local Plan](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/local-plan/) adopted on 19 July 2023. The site does not appear on the Council’s Proposals Map, which identifies land allocated for housing development.

Yet documents obtained by *Putney.news* reveal that within weeks of adopting the Local Plan, Council officers had already submitted pre-application proposals for “up to 90 new residential dwellings” on what the transport assessment explicitly describes as “open space in the northern part of the estate.”

#### The policy contradiction

Policy LP53 of the 2023 Local Plan states unambiguously: “Any development which results in a reduction of green or blue infrastructure assets including protected open space… will not be supported.”

The Council now finds itself in the position of being both the applicant seeking to build on protected open space and the planning authority whose own policy says such development “will not be supported.”

[Planning application 2025/4170](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/search-planning-applications/), submitted in late 2025, proposes 81 homes in buildings up to seven storeys on the 1.17-acre site that has served as the estate’s principal green space since the 1970s.

#### A revealing timeline

The sequence of events raises questions about whether the development was planned before the Local Plan was finalised:

**13 June 2023:** First community engagement event on estate regeneration

**19 July 2023:** Local Plan adopted (The Green confirmed as Item 80 protected open space on Policies Map)

**August 2023:** Pre-Application Transport Assessment submitted proposing 90 dwellings on “open space in the northern part of the estate”

**September 2023:** Transport Addendum confirms proposals, references pre-application meeting with Council highways team on 5 September

The August 2023 consultation report produced by Tibbalds Planning noted “strong support for retention of the green open space” among residents and warned that “any proposals to change or remove this will need to be very carefully considered.”

One month later, the transport documents revealed the proposal targeted that very space.

> [Building on bombs: Council plans 81 homes where WWII explosives fell](https://putney.news/2025/12/27/building-on-bombs-council-plans-81-homes-where-wwii-explosives-fell/)

#### Bypassing the examination process

The Local Plan examination (conducted by independent Planning Inspectors in November 2022) is the formal process where proposed housing sites are scrutinised and the public can raise objections. Sites allocated for housing appear on the Proposals Map.

The Green does not appear on the Proposals Map. Had the Council intended to build housing there, the proper process would have been to allocate the site in the draft Local Plan, subject it to independent examination, and allow the Inspector to weigh the evidence (including the significant 1992 precedent).

Instead, the Council kept The Green’s protected status through the examination, then began developing housing proposals for the site immediately after adoption.

#### A 35-year protection history

The Green has been formally protected since at least 1994, when it was listed in the Wandsworth Unitary Development Plan. In 2016, it appeared as Item 113 in the “Other Larger Protected Open Spaces” schedule of the Development Management Policies Document. The 2023 Local Plan renumbered it as Item 80 but maintained the protection.

The site’s protection was hard-won. Between 1989 and 1994, residents [successfully fought off](https://putney.news/2026/01/01/how-residents-saved-the-lennox-estate-green-from-six-development-attempts/) six separate development proposals from private developer Silven Properties, culminating in a landmark 1992 decision (APP/H5960/A/90/173070) in which a Planning Inspector dismissed an appeal for 55 flats.

The Inspector found that The Green was “of value to this locality for a variety of informal recreational uses” and that housing need could not automatically override open space protection where there was “a demonstrable local deficiency” and “community reliance” on the space.

The current proposal for 81 homes is significantly larger than the 55-unit scheme rejected in 1992.

> [Council advisors say no to Lennox Estate tower block](https://putney.news/2026/01/09/council-advisors-say-no-to-lennox-estate-tower-block/)

#### Council’s claims

Consultation materials for the Lennox Estate regeneration emphasise that the scheme will provide “new and improved open and green spaces” and promise “no loss of community or education facilities.” The November 2024 consultation boards state the development will include a “central green” and “pocket park.”

However, the 1992 Inspector specifically rejected the argument that retaining 40% of The Green as open space was acceptable compensation for building on the remainder.

#### Comment period closes today

The public comment period for planning application 2025/4170 officially closes today, Monday 19 January 2026. The Council [refused requests](https://putney.news/2025/12/14/happy-holidays-now-read-these-1000-pages-about-demolishing-your-community-buildings/) to extend the consultation period, despite the application running to over 1,000 pages and the comment window falling over the Christmas and New Year holiday period.

The Council’s planning committee will need to reconcile its own Policy LP53 (which states development on protected open space “will not be supported”) with its role as applicant.

The scheme has already drawn criticism from the Council’s own [heritage advisory committee](https://putney.news/2026/01/09/council-advisors-say-no-to-lennox-estate-tower-block/), which unanimously recommended refusal, citing violations of planning policy. Residents have also raised concerns about [unexploded Second World War ordnance](https://putney.news/2025/12/27/building-on-bombs-council-plans-81-homes-where-wwii-explosives-fell/) on the site and [restricted emergency access](https://putney.news/2026/01/07/fire-crews-fought-blocked-roads-to-reach-roehampton-blaze-now-council-plans-to-close-more-routes/) to the estate.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/19/protected-for-35-years-now-wandsworth-council-wants-to-build-on-its-own-green-space/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/19/protected-for-35-years-now-wandsworth-council-wants-to-build-on-its-own-green-space/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Protected%20for%2035%20years%2C%20now%20Wandsworth%20Council%20wants%20to%20build%20on%20its%20own%20green%20space&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/19/protected-for-35-years-now-wandsworth-council-wants-to-build-on-its-own-green-space/)

**Categories:** Planning, Politics, Roehampton

**Tags:** Lennox Estate, Local Plan, planning applications, Policy LP53, protected open space, Roehampton, The Green Arabella Drive, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Independent review reveals Fox House fire chaos but ignores prevention failures](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/independent-review-reveals-fox-house-fire-chaos-but-ignores-prevention-failures/)

**Published:** January 19, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Hotel bookings took over an hour per family while residents waited for callbacks that never came.

**Content:**

An independent review of Wandsworth Council’s response to the Fox House fire has documented significant first-night failures, including hotel booking chaos and misleading updates to command, but did not examine why fire spread so rapidly through a roof void that was never inspected.

The [review by Barry Quirk](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Fox-House-fire-Independent-Review.pdf) \[pdf\], a former council chief executive who led Kensington and Chelsea after the Grenfell Tower fire, was published by the council on 16 January. It describes the emergency response as a “shaky start” with residents left waiting for accommodation that in some cases never materialised. But its scope was limited to examining what happened after the 10 September blaze, not why the 2022 Fire Risk Assessment never inspected the roof void where fire later spread across 50 metres in 10 minutes.

The review comes seven months after the Regulator of Social Housing gave Wandsworth a C3 rating for 1,800 overdue fire safety actions.

Around 60 residents from the Maysoule Road block needed emergency accommodation on the night of 10 September. According to Quirk’s review, ICAB, the council’s emergency accommodation contractor, took “over an hour” just to arrange a hotel for one family.

Communication broke down between council officers on the ground and those coordinating the response. At 1am, the director coordinating the emergency response was told everyone had been allocated hotel rooms. Forty-five minutes later, he was informed that around 40 people were still in the rest centre with nowhere to go.

Some residents were told ICAB would call them “at some time” to arrange accommodation. According to the review, some waited for “a call that never came” and made their own arrangements “deep into the early hours.”

Quirk writes that “residents who fled fire… had to bend towards the bureaucracy of the Council rather than the bureaucracy bend to them.” Those who did find hotels were then told to attend the council’s homeless families unit the next morning, a request Quirk describes as “unreasonable.”

![Firefighter battling the blaze at Fox House ](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fox-house-fire-water-1024x575.png)#### The uninspected roof void

The 2022 Fire Risk Assessment for Fox House never inspected the roof void: the exact space where fire spread across more than 50 metres in about 10 minutes.

Quirk notes that “the rapid spread of the fire may indicate a weakness of adequate compartmentation in the roof void.” The 2022 assessment, which never examined this space, advised residents to “stay put” in the event of fire.

Quirk observes that residents were able to evacuate relatively easily from the four-storey block, then adds: “The implications of these two points may need to be explored further.” More than four months after the fire, the cause remains unknown.

The council published a [press release](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-january-2026/maysoule-road-fire-independent-review/) about the review late on Friday afternoon, 16 January. Cabinet members will not see the [full cabinet paper](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Fox-House-Fire-Independent-Report-Paper-No.-26-5.pdf) \[pdf\] until 26 January. The cabinet meeting was originally scheduled for 12 January but was postponed at short notice, pushing scrutiny of the review into late January.

The press release emphasises that “emergency support was provided immediately” and praises “decisive steps to keep residents safe.” The cabinet paper says the review “commends Wandsworth Council for its strong response to the Fox House fire, highlighting examples of good practice.”

The [February 2025 C3 rating](https://putney.news/2025/03/01/wandsworth-council-told-to-fix-serious-failings-in-fire-safety/) found all 1,800 overdue fire safety actions had been outstanding for more than 12 months. By April, five months before Fox House burned, an [internal audit](https://putney.news/2025/11/11/hundreds-of-wandsworth-residents-trapped-by-unfinished-fire-safety-work/) found 299 medium-risk actions still outstanding, some from 2022. Random testing found 64% of council blocks had overdue work.

Cabinet Member Aydin Dikerdem characterised the backlog as things that “aren’t at the front of the tenants’ minds”, things like “no smoking signs in the communal corridor.”

> [Boilers blew, homes burned—but Wandsworth Council says ‘we did a great job’](https://putney.news/2025/04/09/boilers-blew-homes-burned-but-wandsworth-council-says-we-did-a-great-job/)

#### Burke Close parallels

Five months before Fox House, gas explosions destroyed homes at Burke Close in Roehampton. Residents [reported](https://putney.news/2025/04/01/it-looked-like-a-bomb-had-gone-off-roehampton-resident-speaks-out-after-gas-explosion-rocks-burke-close/) that “no one came to check if we were okay,” credited scaffolders with evacuating vulnerable residents, and said they opened the community centre themselves.

Council officers [described their response](https://putney.news/2025/04/09/boilers-blew-homes-burned-but-wandsworth-council-says-we-did-a-great-job/) as “exemplary,” claiming they were “on site within minutes” and stayed “until every resident had been looked after.” When residents disputed this, Dikerdem called the criticism “misinformation.”

At Burke Close, residents had reported smelling gas for months before the explosions. At Fox House, the roof void where fire spread had never been inspected.

Quirk’s 12 recommendations cover emergency planning, communication systems, and support for residents. The council has committed to implementing them between February and September 2026.

The council says it’s working with fire protection contractors to assess similar blocks and that roof void inspections will be “directed by investigation findings.”

Cabinet members will consider the review on 26 January.

*Were you affected by the Fox House fire or have information about fire safety in Wandsworth Council housing? Contact *.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/19/independent-review-reveals-fox-house-fire-chaos-but-ignores-prevention-failures/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/19/independent-review-reveals-fox-house-fire-chaos-but-ignores-prevention-failures/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Independent%20review%20reveals%20Fox%20House%20fire%20chaos%20but%20ignores%20prevention%20failures&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/19/independent-review-reveals-fox-house-fire-chaos-but-ignores-prevention-failures/)

**Categories:** Health, Politics

**Tags:** Barry Quirk, Emergency response, Fox House fire, independent review, Maysoule Road

---

### [Wandsworth Council pronoun guidance was optional 2022 memo, not policy](https://putney.news/2026/01/19/wandsworth-council-pronoun-guidance-was-optional-2022-memo-not-policy/)

**Published:** January 19, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Council responds after internal document attracts national media coverage.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has responded to national media coverage of internal guidance on pronouns, confirming the document dates from 2022, was always optional, and was never enforced.

The guidance, which suggested staff could add pronouns to email signatures and mention them at the start of meetings, was released through a Freedom of Information request and [reported](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/15/labour-council-tells-staff-pronouns-before-meetings/) by several national [outlets](https://www.gbnews.com/news/council-pronouns-labour-london-news) this week.

“This is old internal guidance from 2022, not a policy, and it explicitly states that sharing pronouns is optional,” a council spokesperson said. “It was never mandated, never enforced, and nothing has changed.”

The memo had suggested that adding pronouns to email signatures and Microsoft 365 profiles was “a simple step cisgender people can take to enable those from the non-binary and transgender communities to feel more seen and recognised.”

It referenced pronouns including they/them and ze/zir/zem, though the latter are rarely encountered in everyday workplace settings.

#### 2022 context

The guidance emerged during a period when many organisations, both public and private, were developing similar internal documents. This followed heightened attention to diversity and inclusion practices in workplaces across the country.

Since then, approaches have evolved. Many organisations have moved away from suggesting all staff announce pronouns, with the practice now typically limited to email signatures or video call display names for those who choose to use them.

The document was not a formal council policy and did not form part of any mandatory training or HR requirement.

#### National coverage

The memo attracted coverage from *The Telegraph* and other national outlets this week, with headlines stating the council “tells staff to announce pronouns before meetings.”

The council’s confirmation that the guidance was optional, from 2022, and never enforced appeared at the end of *The Telegraph*‘s report. The Freedom of Information request that surfaced the document was made recently, though the identity of the requester is not known.

Several national advocacy groups were quoted criticising the guidance. Wandsworth Council declined to comment beyond its factual statement.

*Putney.news* was contacted by readers asking about the story after national coverage appeared.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/19/wandsworth-council-pronoun-guidance-was-optional-2022-memo-not-policy/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/19/wandsworth-council-pronoun-guidance-was-optional-2022-memo-not-policy/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20Council%20pronoun%20guidance%20was%20optional%202022%20memo%2C%20not%20policy&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/19/wandsworth-council-pronoun-guidance-was-optional-2022-memo-not-policy/)

**Categories:** Community, Politics

**Tags:** FOI, gender, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Who broke Putney's junction? The untold story behind £1m of chaos](https://putney.news/2025/11/15/who-broke-putneys-junction-the-untold-story-behind-1m-of-chaos/)

**Published:** November 15, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Exclusive investigation reveals how vetoes, funding blackmail, and bad traffic data created a disaster nobody will fix.

**Content:**

Seven years ago, Putney residents simply wanted a better high street. Cleaner air, safer crossings, a place where people might actually want to linger. What they got instead was an £835,000 junction redesign that has created gridlock, required an emergency £169,000 fix, and will be examined by councillors this Thursday amid mounting public anger.

Documents obtained and gathered by *Putney.news* reveal a pattern of compromises, rejected safety designs, and warnings ignored. This is the story of how a local improvement project became a cautionary tale about transport governance in London.

#### The Optimistic Beginning (2017-2019)

It started with hope. In February 2017, local councillors requested improvements to Putney High Street. The vision was ambitious but achievable: better air quality, enhanced public realm, safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists, and a thriving town centre that could compete with other London high streets.

Putney had a problem everyone could see. Air pollution levels were among the worst in London. The high street recorded the first nitrogen dioxide limit breaches in the capital in 2016. Over 100 buses per hour squeezed through the narrow street at peak times, accounting for 68% of nitrogen oxide emissions.

But there was also optimism. The council appointed consultants AECOM to develop solutions. By February 2018, they had approved a comprehensive deliverables plan costing £640,000 for the first phase. The plan included Copenhagen crossings, improved cycle parking, tree planting, and upgrades to key junctions including the critical intersection at Putney Bridge.

Local stakeholders were supportive. The newly formed Positively Putney Business Improvement District pledged funding. Wandsworth Living Streets and the Putney Society joined a stakeholder group to help shape the vision. Everyone wanted Putney to be better.

The promise was clear: better air, safer streets, thriving shops.

#### The COVID complication (2019-2021)

Then came the twin disasters that would shape everything that followed.

In April 2019, Hammersmith Bridge closed to motorised traffic following the discovery of critical structural faults. Traffic that had crossed there now had to use alternative routes, including Putney Bridge. The displacement was immediate and severe.

Initial traffic surveys were conducted in October 2019, six months after Hammersmith Bridge closed. This data was used for the first round of modelling. But as the design process dragged on, something far more disruptive arrived.

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought London to a standstill. Work on Putney High Street stopped for two months. Traffic patterns became completely abnormal as lockdowns emptied the streets and the government ordered people to work from home.

By 2021, with the modelling process still incomplete, TfL asked for revalidation of the traffic data to ensure it remained relevant. The council conducted new surveys on 15 and 18 July 2021 – a moment that would prove to be the worst possible time to measure “normal” traffic.

The measurements were taken just days before “Freedom Day” – July 19 – when England lifted most COVID restrictions. The work-from-home guidance ended that day, but the government explicitly told employers to ensure a “gradual return to the workplace over the summer.” London was in massive transition. Some workers were still at home, others were beginning to return, but working patterns were far from normal. The Delta variant was surging, with government advisers predicting up to 200 deaths per day.

Yet this snapshot – collected just after the Hammersmith Bridge closure, and again in the midst of the largest shift in working patterns in modern history – became the baseline for the entire junction redesign.

TfL insisted on using the July 2021 data. The standard London-wide modelling assumption at the time was that Hammersmith Bridge would reopen in 2026. The junction was being designed not for the traffic conditions that would actually exist in 2024, but for a moment frozen in pandemic transition.

![Pedestrians queue up to cross Hammersmith Bridge](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/hammersmith-bridge-pedestrian-traffic-1024x768.jpg)Pedestrians queue up to cross Hammersmith Bridge#### The rejection period (2021-2022)

By summer 2021, AECOM had developed several options for the junction redesign. What happened next reveals the power dynamics that govern London’s streets.

**November 2021: The Cyclops option**

Cyclists and safety advocates had reason to hope. AECOM proposed a “Cyclops” junction, the gold standard for cyclist safety. The design would completely separate cyclists from motor traffic using protective islands and dedicated signal phases. Pedestrians would get shorter crossing times. It was optimal for vulnerable road users.

Documents show the proposal went to TfL’s Road Space Performance Group. The verdict was swift and final: unacceptable impact on traffic capacity. The Cyclops design would cause “gridlock in Putney,” according to stakeholder meeting minutes, and “would never be accepted by TfL.”

**December 2021 to April 2022: Compromise after compromise**

The council tried to salvage something. They proposed “cycle gates” with staggered crossings. Still rejected. They proposed cycle gates with straight-through crossings, which would eliminate the “all red” phase that stopped all vehicles. In April 2022, TfL turned this down too due to “unacceptable capacity and journey time implications.”

Each rejection pushed the design further away from safety and closer to traffic flow. And hanging over everything was a deadline that concentrated minds: the Future High Streets Fund required completion by March 2024. The council had £344,732 at risk. Accept TfL’s demands or lose the money.

As one July 2022 stakeholder meeting document put it: “To revisit proposals at concept stage without technical expertise of traffic modelling would not be productive at this stage requiring further expense on abortive traffic modelling work and lead to loss of Future High Street Funding.”

The council was trapped between TfL’s veto and the funding cliff edge.

#### The forced compromise (2022-2023)

By summer 2022, the council capitulated. They accepted a design that pleased almost nobody.

**The design nobody wanted**

Cyclists got cycle gates with staggered crossings, but nothing like the Cyclops protection they’d hoped for. Pedestrians got complex multi-stage crossings that prioritised keeping traffic moving. Drivers got a junction that was still congested but now with different signal phases. The council knew it was inadequate but felt it was the best they could achieve given TfL’s constraints.

At the November 2022 stakeholder meeting, members were told the decision was final. This was “the best that can be achieved given the clear balances and constraints.” The target implementation date was set for summer 2023.

Documents from this period reveal a design process driven not by what was safest or best, but by what TfL would approve and what the funding deadline would allow. Traffic capacity trumped all other considerations.

#### The delayed delivery (2023-2024)

Summer 2023 came and went with no junction changes. The promised implementation didn’t happen. The official reason: “TfL signal contractor availability.” The closure of Wandsworth Bridge for urgent repairs added further complications.

Finally, in September 2023, the Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee approved the design unanimously. No dissent was recorded in the minutes. The opposition didn’t challenge it. Perhaps everyone was simply exhausted by the years of wrangling, or perhaps they trusted that the extensive modelling had produced a workable solution.

In December 2024, 18 months late and costing £835,000, the new junction was finally implemented. Within days, residents were describing “chaos.” Traffic backing up far beyond anything predicted. Buses stuck in gridlock. Parents unable to get children to school on time. Elderly residents in tears at public meetings.

Something had gone badly wrong.

#### The unraveling (2025)

**January to May: Growing crisis**

Through the early months of 2025, the problems intensified. Congestion was worse than before the redesign. Businesses complained about lost customers unable to reach the high street. Residents began organising, demanding answers from the council.

**June: The discovery**

In June 2025, four months into the crisis, the council discovered a critical error. The signal timings installed at the junction didn’t match the timings AECOM had modelled and TfL had approved.

The data was stark. During the morning peak, Lower Richmond Road had lost 10 seconds of green time for the left turn and 4 seconds for the right turn compared to the approved model. Putney Bridge Road had lost 21 seconds. These weren’t minor tweaks, they were substantial differences that fundamentally changed how the junction operated.

The signals had been optimised to prioritise north-south traffic through Putney High Street at the expense of the east-west approaches. Lower Richmond Road and Putney Bridge Road were getting squeezed, creating the backup congestion that residents were experiencing daily.

TfL was informed. The response was slow.

**July-August: Public anger peaks**

In July and August, the Putney Action Group conducted a survey. The results were damning: 1,373 responses, overwhelmingly critical. The council said it took the feedback “seriously” but still no fixes came.

By now, hundreds of residents were showing up to [public meetings](https://putney.news/2025/07/17/this-is-a-disaster-locals-slam-chaos-at-putney-junction/), [confronting](https://putney.news/2025/10/12/inside-the-room-when-putneys-patience-ran-out/) the council leader. One resident reported missing a hospital appointment because “the bus never got through on time.” Another described having to “allow over an hour just to get across Putney Bridge for medical treatment.” Parents said they couldn’t get children to school on time. One woman with a four-year-old daughter told a public meeting: “I cycle less because I now have a daughter. I don’t feel safe on the very congested roads.”

> [“This is a disaster”: locals slam chaos at Putney junction](https://putney.news/2025/07/17/this-is-a-disaster-locals-slam-chaos-at-putney-junction/)

**October: Emergency fixes**

Four months after discovering the signal timing errors, in October 2025, TfL finally implemented emergency fixes. The changes cost an additional £169,000. Bus Stop P was relocated. Signal timings were tweaked to give Lower Richmond Road an extra 6 seconds in the morning peak and 3 seconds in the evening. Putney Bridge Road got 2 extra seconds.

But the fundamental problems remained. The junction had been designed using abnormal traffic data, optimised for capacity over safety, and implemented with incorrect signal timings. The fixes were patches on a flawed foundation.

**November: The reckoning**

A comprehensive post-implementation review by AECOM, completed in November 2025, confirmed what residents already knew. The report’s key finding was damning: “The signal timings have not been implemented as modelled by AECOM and approved by TfL.”

When AECOM ran the actual observed signal timings through their model, it replicated the queues and congestion residents were experiencing. The model had been reasonably accurate – it was the implementation that had failed.

The council’s own report to the Transport Committee, scheduled for November 21, admitted to “unexpected congestion.” It was a masterpiece of understatement.

> [Putney junction redesign a complete failure, say 9 out of 10 locals](https://putney.news/2025/09/12/putney-junction-redesign-a-complete-failure-say-9-out-of-10-locals/)

#### The pattern revealed

This wasn’t just about one junction. The Putney saga reveals systemic failures in how London governs its transport network.

**TfL’s unaccountable veto power**

Transport for London, an unelected body, has effective veto power over junction designs on London’s Strategic Road Network. Local councils must get TfL approval. When TfL prioritises traffic capacity over cyclist safety, as documents show happened repeatedly in Putney, councils have limited recourse. The Cyclops design was rejected not because it was unsafe or unworkable, but because it didn’t meet TfL’s capacity requirements.

**Funding as blackmail**

The March 2024 deadline for Future High Streets funding created a gun-to-the-head scenario. Accept TfL’s demanded compromises or lose £344,732. This isn’t collaborative planning; it’s coercion through budget pressure. Councils are forced to choose between imperfect designs and no funding at all.

**The wrong data**

The junction design was based on two sets of traffic data, both collected under abnormal conditions. The initial October 2019 surveys were conducted six months after Hammersmith Bridge closed, capturing displaced traffic patterns. When TfL demanded revalidation due to the prolonged design process, the July 2021 data was collected at the worst possible moment – just as “Freedom Day” was lifting work-from-home guidance but before any return to normal working patterns.

Yet the council’s own analysis, presented in the November 2025 report, reveals the fundamental problem: traffic volumes on Putney Bridge in 2024 were actually **lower** than in 2018, before Hammersmith Bridge closed and before COVID. The modelling assumed conditions that no longer existed – or perhaps never would exist again. The junction was designed for a traffic scenario that proved to be a phantom.

**No accountability for implementation**

Four months passed between discovering the signal timing errors and implementing fixes. Four months of daily gridlock for thousands of residents while bureaucracy ground slowly forward. Nobody was held accountable. Nobody resigned. Nobody even apologised in clear terms.

**Monitoring? What monitoring?**

The junction was implemented in December 2024. Problems were immediate and obvious. Yet it took until June 2025 for the council to discover that the wrong signal timings had been installed. Where was the monitoring? Where were the post-implementation checks that should have caught this within days?

> [Traffic campaign exposes officials’ retreat behind excuses and inaction](https://putney.news/2025/09/26/traffic-campaign-exposes-officials-retreat-behind-excuses-and-inaction/)

#### The human cost

Behind the bureaucratic failures are real people. Elderly residents unable to cross complex junctions safely. Parents driving children to school through gridlock, arriving late. Business owners watching customers give up rather than fight through traffic. Bus passengers enduring longer journey times. Cyclists still feeling vulnerable despite the promised improvements.

This is a million pounds of public money – £835,000 for the junction, £169,000 for emergency fixes – that has made people’s daily lives measurably worse. The air quality improvements that started this whole process seven years ago? Harder to achieve when traffic is gridlocked.

#### Looking forward

Thursday’s Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting will examine this mess. Councillors will have the AECOM report, the traffic data, and seven years of documents showing how we got here. The questions they should ask are fundamental:

- Why did TfL reject safer designs in favour of traffic capacity?
- Why was data collected during abnormal conditions used as the baseline?
- How did signal timings get implemented incorrectly, and why did it take four months to discover?
- Who is accountable when junction redesigns fail this badly?
- What changes to the planning and approval process will prevent this happening again?
- What do we do now about Putney Bridge junction?

But the real question is whether the governance system that created this disaster is capable of fixing it. When TfL can veto local designs, when funding deadlines force compromises, when implementation errors go undetected for months, when nobody takes responsibility for failure, can this system produce good outcomes for residents?

Putney has become a case study in what happens when transport governance prioritises traffic flow over people, when bureaucratic processes override local knowledge, when accountability is diffused across organisations until nobody is truly responsible.

> [Council claims it’s “listening” on Putney Junction – but offers little that’s new](https://putney.news/2025/07/24/council-claims-its-listening-on-putney-junction-but-offers-little-thats-new/)

#### Seven years later

In February 2017, councillors asked for a better Putney High Street. Cleaner air. Safer streets. A place where people want to be.

Seven years, £1 million, countless meetings, rejected designs, pandemic disruptions, data collection errors, signal timing mistakes, and emergency fixes later, residents are still waiting.

The junction works for the traffic models. It just doesn’t work for the people who live here.

---

*The Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee meets Thursday, November 21, 2025, to examine the Putney Bridge junction redesign. Documents, including the full AECOM post-implementation review, are available on the Wandsworth Council website.*

---

##### **DOCUMENT TRAIL**

*This investigation is based on:*

- *Traffic data comparisons: 2018, 2021, 2024, and 2025*
- *Paper 17-81 (Feb 2017): Original Putney High Street improvement request*
- *Paper 18-65 (Feb 2018): Deliverables plan approved*
- *Paper 21-032 (Feb 2021): Project update noting COVID delays*
- *Paper 22-331 (Nov 2022): Junction design approval documenting TfL rejections*
- *Paper 23-304 (Sept 2023): Final committee approval with funding deadline pressure*
- *Paper 25-398 (Nov 2025): Admission of implementation failures*
- *WBCFOI10409: Stakeholder meeting minutes (July 2022, Nov 2022, Feb 2023) detailing rejected Cyclops and cycle gate options*
- *AECOM Post-Implementation Review (Nov 2025): Technical analysis of signal timing errors*
- *Appendix 3 (Paper 25-398): Documentation of signal timing discrepancies*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/11/15/who-broke-putneys-junction-the-untold-story-behind-1m-of-chaos/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/11/15/who-broke-putneys-junction-the-untold-story-behind-1m-of-chaos/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Who%20broke%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20junction%3F%20The%20untold%20story%20behind%20%C2%A31m%20of%20chaos&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/11/15/who-broke-putneys-junction-the-untold-story-behind-1m-of-chaos/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** congestion, Putney Bridge junction, Putney High Street, TfL, traffic, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Why Putney is paralysed: Eight failures creating London's traffic nightmare](https://putney.news/2025/11/16/why-putney-is-paralysed-eight-failures-creating-londons-traffic-nightmare/)

**Published:** November 16, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Investigation reveals the perfect storm behind 30-minute journeys to travel 500 metres.

**Content:**

When Putney residents sit in traffic for 30 minutes to travel 500 meters, something has gone seriously wrong. We can reveal the gridlock results from eight overlapping failures – and Hammersmith Bridge isn’t even the main culprit.

Like a perfect storm, each factor alone might be manageable. Together, they’ve created one of London’s worst traffic disasters. We’ve analysed the technical data, studied the traffic flows, and identified exactly why Putney is paralysed. And why quick fixes keep failing.

#### Cause 1: The signal timing catastrophe

**The technical failure everyone suspected – now proven**

Signal timings implemented at Putney’s junctions don’t match what Transport for London (TfL) approved. During morning peak hours, Lower Richmond Road lost 10 seconds of green time for its left turn and four seconds for its right turn. Putney Bridge Road lost a devastating 21 seconds. This is per cycle.

Meanwhile, Putney High Street northbound and Putney Bridge southbound gained nine and eight seconds respectively. During evening peak, the pattern repeated: Lower Richmond Road lost 12 seconds for its left turn, while Putney High Street gained time.

**The real-world impact**

Twenty-one seconds of lost green time means 10 to 15 fewer cars can pass through each signal cycle. Over an hour, that’s 150 to 225 fewer vehicles, creating cascading backups that reach Roehampton.

AECOM’s post-implementation review confirmed what residents witnessed: “Observed signal operation has changed from the proposed model.” The consultants who designed the junction discovered their approved timings were never actually implemented.

#### Cause 2: The 27-minute bus blockage

**When driver changes become traffic disasters**

On July 2, 2025, during the morning peak, a bus remained stopped at Putney Pier for 27 minutes – from 8:15 to 8:42am – for a driver changeover. Not a mechanical failure. Not a passenger emergency. A scheduled changeover that paralysed traffic for nearly half an hour.

Between 9 and 10am that same day, buses at Putney Exchange stopped for a combined 31 minutes due to multiple driver changes. The narrow carriageway means when a bus stops, general traffic cannot pass. Heavy vehicles must encroach into the opposing lane, blocking traffic in both directions.

**The operational choice**

TfL schedules driver changes at these locations despite knowing the impact. The council has requested depot-based changeovers. TfL has not implemented them. Every day, scheduled administrative tasks create 20 to 30 minutes of preventable gridlock during peak hours.

This isn’t infrastructure failure. It’s operational policy creating traffic chaos.

![Putney Bridge junction taken from the cycle lane](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/putney-bridge-junction-cycle-lane-1024x768.jpg)Putney Bridge junction with the cycle lane that forms part of the controversy.#### Cause 3: The cycle gate friction

**Good intentions, poor results**

The junction redesign included a “cycle gate” on Putney High Street: a segregated cycle lane that leads to an advanced stop line, giving cyclists a five-second head start before general traffic gets a green light. The idea is that cyclists clear the junction before cars and buses arrive, reducing potential conflicts and accidents.

But here’s the problem: that five-second head start has to come from somewhere. Every signal cycle includes time for the cycle gate phase, whether cyclists are present or not. Five seconds per cycle, multiplied across hundreds of cycles daily, reduces overall junction capacity by approximately 8 to 12 percent.

The junction also included a dedicated right-turn lane for cyclists wanting to access Felsham Road – designed based on assumptions about cyclist behaviour. Video analysis reveals it’s barely used. Cyclists instead wait at the pedestrian crossing, then use the pavement to reach Felsham Road.

The council built infrastructure based on what they thought cyclists would want, consuming signal time and junction capacity for facilities that don’t match how real cyclists actually behave. The delays are real. The benefits remain theoretical.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

#### Cause 4: The pedestrian crossing complexity

**Fewer stages doesn’t mean better flow**

The redesigned junction replaced the old multi-stage pedestrian crossings with a new system requiring pedestrians to cross in stages using larger islands in the middle. On paper this sounded simpler. In practice, it created longer wait times and worse coordination.

AECOM observed “high variability” in crossing delays depending on arrival time and which signal stage was running. Some pedestrians now wait over 90 seconds to start crossing -leading to dangerous jaywalking as frustrated people cross against red signals.

The timing of pedestrian crossing lights received heavy criticism in the consultation. Residents reported the changes made crossing “more difficult in certain locations” despite the theoretical improvement. The complexity of coordinating seven different pedestrian crossings across two junctions means pedestrians frequently encounter red lights even when no traffic is moving.

**The unintended consequence**

Longer pedestrian crossing phases reduce green time available for vehicles, but the actual pedestrian experience hasn’t improved. It’s the worst of both worlds – reduced capacity without enhanced safety or convenience.

![Hammersmith Bridge](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/hammersmith-bridge-1024x683.jpg)Hammersmith Bridge, in all its non-working glory#### Cause 5: The Hammersmith Bridge paradox

**The excuse that hides a darker truth**

Here’s what Wandsworth Council and residents have been told: Hammersmith Bridge’s closure since April 2019 forced massive traffic displacement onto Putney Bridge, overwhelming the junction.

Here’s what the data actually shows: In 2018, when Hammersmith Bridge was fully operational, Putney Bridge carried 42,498 vehicles per day. In 2024, with Hammersmith Bridge closed for five years, Putney Bridge carried 37,313 vehicles per day: nearly 5,000 fewer vehicles.

Traffic volumes on Putney Bridge have not returned to pre-pandemic levels, let alone exceeded them. The Department for Transport data is unambiguous: Putney currently handles less traffic than it did before Hammersmith Bridge closed.

**But where did those 5,000 vehicles go?**

This is where the numbers hide human reality. Some traffic diverted to other bridges. Some shifted to different times. But a significant portion represents journeys people have simply given up making.

Residents who once popped across to Hammersmith for shopping now don’t bother. Families who visited relatives across the river now see them less often. Small businesses that relied on customers from both sides of the Thames have lost trade. Ambulances go to Kingston rather than Charing Cross. The crossing that once took five minutes now takes 30 – so people just stop trying.

Transport planners call this “demand management” and celebrate the reduced vehicle numbers. But they’re measuring surrender, not success. The congestion made crossing the river so miserable that people changed their lives to avoid it.

**The modeling deception**

The council’s modelling for the junction redesign used July 2021 data – collected after Hammersmith Bridge closure. The models assumed Hammersmith Bridge would reopen by 2026. But the council has now acknowledged that traffic volumes were actually lower in 2024 than in 2018.

So yes, Hammersmith Bridge’s closure matters enormously, for bus routes that can no longer run, for communities cut off from each other, for the slow strangling of cross-river connections that once defined southwest London life.

But blaming it for Putney’s gridlock contradicts the traffic data. The excuse doesn’t match the numbers. And the “success story” of reduced traffic volumes masks the reality of thousands of journeys people can no longer make without their lives becoming demonstrably worse.

#### Cause 6: The Clean Air neighbourhood squeeze

**Displacement from Hammersmith & Fulham**

Wandsworth Bridge traffic tells the real displacement story. In 2018, Wandsworth Bridge carried approximately 48,000 vehicles daily. By 2024, that dropped to 37,000: a reduction of 11,000 vehicles.

Where did they go? Hammersmith & Fulham’s Clean Air Neighbourhoods in South Fulham (July 2020) and Southwest Fulham (December 2022) prevented vehicular through-traffic east and west of Wandsworth Bridge. Through-traffic now must use Wandsworth Bridge Road or other crossings.

Some of that displaced traffic affects Putney, though the Wandsworth Bridge data shows overall volume decreases rather than increases. The Clean Air Neighbourhoods changed traffic patterns, but they didn’t flood Putney with tens of thousands of additional vehicles.

#### Cause 7: The geometry constraints nobody mentions

**The unfixable problem**

Putney High Street near the junction is narrow. It was originally built for Victorian-era traffic. When a bus stops at Putney Exchange, there isn’t enough room for other vehicles to squeeze past. Large vehicles must swing into the oncoming traffic lane to get around, blocking both directions.

This is a physical constraint that no amount of signal optimisation can fix. The junction’s geometry limits capacity regardless of how cleverly engineers program the traffic lights.

Previous designs proposed lane reductions to create protected cycle lanes. TfL’s modeling showed this would cause “northbound queue completely filling Putney High Street and into Putney Hill during the morning peak.” The physics of the space created impossible tradeoffs.

**The honest conversation nobody wants**

Victorian streets cannot handle modern traffic volumes without serious tradeoffs. Either traffic flow suffers, or cyclist and pedestrian space suffers, or both suffer somewhat. No magic redesign eliminates geometry constraints.

#### Cause 8: The synchronization failure

**When signals fight each other**

AECOM’s analysis revealed wasted green light time between Lacy Road and Putney Bridge Road: empty gaps where signals showed green but no vehicles moved through. The traffic lights aren’t properly coordinated with each other, creating these pockets of wasted time.

When lights aren’t synchronised, you get green lights with no cars, while queues build up elsewhere. “This results in empty gaps further downstream,” AECOM noted, showing wasted capacity between junctions.

The traffic lights need to work together across the entire Putney High Street corridor from the A205 to Putney Bridge. Currently, each junction operates somewhat independently, creating the stop-start pattern that maximises congestion and pollution while minimising traffic flow.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/putney-traffic-1024x768.jpg)#### The Perfect Storm effect

**Why fixing one thing doesn’t work**

Each cause alone might reduce capacity by 10 to 15 percent – annoying but manageable. The disaster comes from how they interact:

Signal timing errors reduce available green time. Bus driver changeovers block lanes during that reduced time. Cycle gates consume seconds from already-shortened phases. Pedestrian crossing complexity extends cycle times. Geometry constraints limit physical capacity. Poor synchronisation wastes what little capacity remains.

The mathematical effect isn’t additive, it’s multiplicative. Eight causes each reducing capacity by 10 to 15 percent create near-total breakdown because each magnifies the others.

This explains why October’s signal timing adjustments – adding 6 seconds to Lower Richmond Road during morning peak – haven’t solved the gridlock. Fixing one of eight interacting problems can’t overcome the compound effect of the remaining seven.

#### What would actually help

**Solutions require facing reality**

Immediate priority: Fix the signal timings to match what TfL already approved. This is TfL’s responsibility and doesn’t require new approvals – just implementing what they already signed off on.

Move bus driver changeovers off-street. Use depot facilities or off-street locations. This single change could reduce delays by 20 to 30 percent.

**Short-term improvements**

Simplify pedestrian crossings to reduce signal phase complexity. The two-stage crossings aren’t working as intended: acknowledge the failure and redesign based on actual pedestrian behaviour rather than theoretical models.

If cyclists aren’t using the dedicated cycle lane with early-start signal that frequently – and video evidence suggests they’re not – then remove it. A safety feature that sits mostly unused doesn’t improve safety. It just wastes junction capacity that could reduce everyone’s delays.

**Medium-term solutions**

Coordinate all the traffic lights across the entire Putney High Street corridor so they work together instead of fighting each other. This would eliminate the wasted green time and improve traffic flow.

Establish clear accountability: one organisation must take responsibility for junction performance. The current split between TfL and Wandsworth Council enables blame-shifting while preventing effective problem-solving.

**Long-term realities**

Accept that Cause 7 (geometry constraints) limits what’s physically possible. Victorian streets cannot handle modern traffic volumes without tradeoffs.

Either reduce traffic volumes through genuine alternatives, or acknowledge that congestion will persist and plan accordingly. Or, dare we say it, come up with a genuine forward-looking and innovative solution and drive it forward.

#### The Hard Truth

Eight causes. Two authorities. Zero accountability.

The data reveals Putney’s gridlock isn’t fate or Hammersmith Bridge, it’s failure. Technical errors in signal implementation. Operational decisions prioritising bus drivers over public flow. Design elements that sound beneficial but deliver poor results. Physical constraints everyone ignores. Coordination failures across organisational boundaries.

Until someone takes responsibility for all eight causes – not just the convenient ones to blame on others – Putney remains paralysed.

Thursday’s Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting will show whether authorities finally grasp the full picture, or whether they continue playing blame games while residents sit in traffic watching their lives drain away 30 minutes at a time.

The choice is theirs. The consequences are ours.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/11/16/why-putney-is-paralysed-eight-failures-creating-londons-traffic-nightmare/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/11/16/why-putney-is-paralysed-eight-failures-creating-londons-traffic-nightmare/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Why%20Putney%20is%20paralysed%3A%20Eight%20failures%20creating%20London%E2%80%99s%20traffic%20nightmare&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/11/16/why-putney-is-paralysed-eight-failures-creating-londons-traffic-nightmare/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Putney Bridge junction, Putney traffic, TfL, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Five ways to fix Putney's traffic nightmare](https://putney.news/2025/11/17/five-ways-to-fix-putneys-traffic-nightmare/)

**Published:** November 17, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** From incomplete signal fixes to ignored AI systems, here's what could work and what's blocking progress.

**Content:**

After over a year of severe congestion thanks to the redesigned junction at Putney Bridge – a situation that has resulted in a wide range of meetings, letters, reviews and reports – here are five practical ways identified within current council documents, with a clear evidence base, that would improve the situation.

We cover each, plus who has the power to do it, and what is blocking progress, complete with questions that the council’s transport committee should be asking at its meeting later this week. The list is not comprehensive – it doesn’t, for example, address the lengthy bus and cycle lane on Putney Bridge Road that is a contributor to the many reasons why Putney is suffering such severe congestion – but it is clear next steps that should be obvious to the council and TfL from their own investigations.

---

### SOLUTION 1: 
Complete the signal timing restoration 

TfL made partial improvements to signal timings following council pressure in October. For each traffic cycle, Lower Richmond Road gained 6 seconds in the morning peak, 3 seconds in the evening. Putney Bridge Road gained 2 seconds in both peaks.

Council documents state: “The recent changes are being monitored closely by both TfL and the council.”

##### What still needs doing

Complete the restoration to the model (LMAP5) that the junction’s main designers (AECOM) developed and which TfL approved.

The numbers show how far there is to go despite a number of changes last month (October changes):

**Lower Richmond Road going into the junction (morning peak):**

- Lost 10 seconds compared to approved model
- October gave back 6 seconds
- Still missing: 4 seconds

**Lower Richmond Road going into the junction (evening peak):**

- Lost 12 seconds compared to approved model
- October gave back 3 seconds
- Still missing: 9 seconds

**Putney Bridge Road going into the junction (morning peak):**

- Lost 21 seconds compared to approved model
- October gave back 2 seconds
- Still missing: 19 seconds

**Putney Bridge Road going into the junction (evening peak):**

- Lost 12 seconds compared to approved model
- October gave back 2 seconds
- Still missing: 10 seconds

AECOM’s modelling suggests completing the restoration would reduce queue lengths by 30-40% during peak hours.

#### Who has the power

TfL has complete control. Only it can authorise signal changes. Only TfL engineers can access the SCOOT system that controls the lights.

The council can request changes but cannot compel them. Council documents show they have been “pressing TfL to make changes.”

#### What’s blocking completion

Council documents state “further changes are also planned” but provide no timeline or specifics. The documents don’t explain why TfL stopped partway through the restoration when AECOM’s report confirms the approved model works.

**Questions for Thursday’s meeting of the Wandsworth Council transport committee:**

- What are the “further changes” mentioned in the documents?
- When will they be implemented?
- Will they complete the restoration to LMAP5, or stop partway again?
- What prevents completing the restoration immediately?

---

### SOLUTION 2: 
Relocate bus driver changeovers

TfL moved some bus stops in part thanks to MP Fleur Anderson’s intervention. Anderson set up regular meetings with TfL to track progress on improvements, including relocating bus changeover points.

Council documents confirm: “The trial relocation of Bus Stop P is working well, with reduced queues back to Putney High Street during the PM peak in particular.”

But Bus Stop P is on Lower Richmond Road next to Kenilworth Court. Footage sent to *Putney.news* by a reader suggests that the change is not as effective as the council claims, or, more accurately, would be more effective if the stop was changed more substantially. The buses are still stopping in virtually the same spot, still blocking traffic.

#### What still needs doing

Stop using Putney’s congested bus routes as driver changeover points entirely. Move the changeovers to Putney Common, bus depots, or off-peak hours at Putney Exchange.

Currently, three locations are used for extended driver changeovers: Putney Pier (Stop Q), Putney Bridge (Stop FE), and Putney Exchange (Stop M). These stops are used by routes 14, 22, 39, 74, 85, 93, 220, 265, 270, 378, 424, 430 and others – affecting the majority of Putney’s bus services.

#### The scale of the problem

AECOM’s review documented one bus remaining at Putney Bridge stop for 27 minutes during the evening peak, causing “significant congestion for buses” as following buses had to wait for gaps in southbound traffic to overtake.

At Putney Exchange during the morning peak, buses dwelled for a combined 31 minutes between 9-10am due to multiple driver changes.

The problem affects all routes using these stops. AECOM’s analysis found that routes 22, 265, and 378 – which also use these changeover locations – experienced increased journey times when starting from Lower Richmond Road and Putney Bridge Road. Meanwhile, service frequency on routes 22 and 378 has been cut by 29% and 49% respectively since 2021, meaning fewer buses trying to serve the same passenger demand while still experiencing the same changeover delays.

#### Why location matters more than enforcement

Bus drivers are people doing a safety-critical job. When they change shifts, they need a moment to chat with the outgoing driver, adjust their seat, settle in before driving a 40-passenger vehicle through London traffic. These transitions take time – sometimes 90 seconds, sometimes 5 minutes, occasionally longer when complications arise.

You cannot eliminate this human element. Nor should you try – rushing drivers through changeovers could compromise safety.

When these inevitable, unpredictable delays happen on Putney Common or at a depot, they inconvenience nobody. When they happen on Lower Richmond Road or outside Putney Exchange, they trigger gridlock affecting thousands.

The solution isn’t timing drivers with stopwatches. It’s choosing locations where normal human behaviour doesn’t cascade into crisis.

#### The bureaucratic blocker

TfL has contracts with bus companies that specify changeover routes. TfL doesn’t want to reopen these contracts – so the problem gets stuck in bureaucracy.

But there’s evidence TfL can act when it chooses. A new toilet facility – solely for bus drivers with their own lock – has been installed at Putney Common. If TfL can coordinate new driver facilities at Putney Common, it can relocate changeovers there.

This needs a political push for common sense to prevail.

#### Who has the power

TfL. It has sole authority over bus routing and driver scheduling. The council can request changes but cannot compel them.

#### What’s blocking this?

Contract bureaucracy. Anderson has been pressing TfL on this topic through regular meetings. But moving bus stops a few yards isn’t the same as relocating changeover points.

**Questions for Thursday’s committee:**

- Did TfL actually relocate driver changeover points, or just move bus stops?
- If changeovers continue at congested locations, why?
- What prevents using Putney Common for changeovers when TfL has installed driver facilities there?
- Will TfL provide data on current changeover locations and dwell times?

---

## SOLUTION 3: 
Fix the Lower Richmond Road approach 

#### The physical problem

Lower Richmond Road approaching Putney Bridge used to widen from one lane to two approach lanes for the final 20 metres before the junction. This gave stacking space for 4-8 extra vehicles waiting to turn left onto the bridge.

The new layout removed this widening. Now it’s one lane all the way.

The real constraint is Putney Bridge itself – only one general traffic lane northbound. Even with two approach lanes, vehicles had to merge into single file to get onto the bridge. But the old layout at least gave more stacking space, reducing queues backing up along Lower Richmond Road.

The council tried to compensate by “remarking the lanes on Lower Richmond Road,” but the queues during peak hours show this hasn’t solved the problem, and the marked bus stop only makes matters worse.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/lrr-bus-stop-768x1024.png)The entry to Putney Bridge junction from Lower Richmond Road#### TfL’s island requirement

TfL insists there must be a splitter island separating left-turn and right-turn traffic on Lower Richmond Road. The council’s paper states: “The current splitter island between the left and right turn lane was a requirement by TfL when the design was reviewed as the movements operate independently at times.”

This island requirement forces the approach into one lane. But TfL adjusts its rules when it wants to all the time. As just one example, it agreed to let cyclists use bus lanes on Putney Bridge Road. This is one point where it needs to show more flexibility.

#### The bus stop question

Stakeholder meeting minutes from November 2022 reference the “pavement above Watermans Green where the bus shelter is located” being “quite narrow.” Council officers explained a separate consultation was underway “looking at whether widening the pavement is feasible and how much carriageway would be left.”

That was three years ago. The pavement gets wider as you move away from the junction toward Watermans Green.

#### Who has the power

This requires both council and TfL agreement. The council owns the pavement. TfL controls the road. Any changes would require:

- Council approval for pavement or junction alterations
- TfL traffic modeling and approval
- Coordination with ongoing High Street improvements

#### What’s blocking this?

The documents mention a consultation “looking at whether widening the pavement is feasible” from November 2022. That was three years ago.

**Questions for Thursday’s committee:**

- What happened to the pavement widening consultation mentioned in November 2022?
- What did it conclude?
- Why not move the bus stop to the wider Watermans Green entry?
- Can TfL show flexibility on the island requirement like it did for Putney Bridge Road cycle lanes?

---

### SOLUTION 4: 
Smarter crossing and cycle gate timing

#### The technical problem

There’s a pedestrian crossing on Putney Bridge. Every time someone presses the button to cross, the traffic lights have to go through an extra sequence. This takes time away from the green light that lets traffic turn left from Lower Richmond Road onto the bridge.

AECOM identified this problem: “When there is a higher demand for pedestrian crossing ‘I’, the time allowed for the Lower Richmond Road left turn decreases.”

The same thing happens with the cycle gate – the special traffic light phase that holds all other traffic while cyclists cross.

Here’s the issue: the current system can’t tell if anyone is actually waiting. Press the button and walk away? The crossing sequence still runs. Cyclist approaches but decides not to use the cycle gate? The signal still triggers. The lights waste time on empty crossings while cars sit in queues.

#### The solution exists

AECOM suggests improved detection could reduce the impact: “Smart pedestrian detection could help mitigate this.” Similarly for cycle gates: “Smart detection of whether there are bicycles in the cycle gate prior to calling the all-red could help to optimise the signal operation.” The technology exists. Other cities use it. The question is whether anyone has asked TfL to install it.

#### Who has the power

TfL. These are TfL-controlled signals. Only TfL can approve and install upgraded detection systems.

#### What’s blocking this?

Council documents don’t explain. The solution was identified in AECOM’s report presented to the council. Whether TfL has been asked to implement it, or declined, is not documented.

**Questions for Thursday’s committee:**

- Has the council formally requested smart detection installation from TfL?
- If requested, what was TfL’s response?
- If not requested, why not when AECOM identified this as a solution?
- What timeline would TfL provide for implementation?

---

### SOLUTION 5: 
Proper junction modelling and modern traffic management 

#### What AECOM said

AECOM’s post-implementation review states clearly: “It should be noted that this is only an indicative assessment and is not based on a fully calibrated and validated LinSig base model. A robust modelling process would be required to confirm the optimal operation of the junctions.”

Translation: The improvements they’ve suggested might work, but nobody has actually built the detailed model needed to be sure. They’ve done back-of-envelope calculations. What’s needed is full engineering analysis.

#### What other cities are doing

While TfL manually prints and installs chips to change Putney’s traffic lights, cities around the world are using AI systems that adapt in real-time:

**Pittsburgh’s SURTRAC system** (deployed since 2012) has cut travel times by 40% and emissions by 21%. The system learns from traffic patterns and adjusts within minutes when unusual queues develop.

**Los Angeles** operates 4,850 adaptive traffic signals that adjust based on real-time sensor data. The system has reduced intersection delays by 32% and cut travel times by 12%.

**San Jose, California** implemented AI signal priority for buses in 2024, reducing delays and achieving a 15% increase in bus ridership.

**A 2025 study of 100 highly congested cities** found AI-driven adaptive traffic lights cut peak-hour travel times by 11% on average.

#### The technology gap

In September 2025, TRL Software launched **SCOOT 8 AI** – an AI-powered urban traffic control system. It predicts congestion 30 minutes in advance, identifies disruptions 40% faster than traditional systems, and delivers journey-time reductions up to 15%.

The system is deployed in over 350 cities globally. It’s hardware-agnostic – works with existing infrastructure. So where is it in London?

TfL has been running the old SCOOT system for over 30 years. In June 2024, they completed migration to a cloud-based platform (RTO), but this was infrastructure modernisation, not the AI upgrade.

TfL developed their own AI system called FUSION with Siemens. It started trialing at “living laboratory” sites in 2020. The promise: revolutionize London’s traffic management using data from connected vehicles, optimizing for all road users.

It’s now 2025. FUSION is still in trials at select sites across London.

**Putney is not one of them.**

#### The perfect testbed ignored

Think about what Putney offers:

- Documented crisis with comprehensive baseline data from AECOM
- Clear problems identified: signal timing errors, bus changeovers, bottlenecks
- Active community engagement through surveys and committee scrutiny
- Real-world complexity: multiple junctions, diverse traffic modes, genuine constraints

This is exactly what a “living laboratory” should look like. Test the AI where the problems are documented, where success would be measurable, where the community is watching.

Instead, TfL keeps Putney on the 30-year-old system, physically installing chips to make timing changes, while AI trials happen elsewhere.

**Questions for Thursday’s committee:**

- Why isn’t Putney a FUSION trial site when it’s an ideal testbed?
- When will FUSION be deployed beyond trial sites?
- Has TfL considered SCOOT 8 AI, the latest system deployed in 350+ cities?
- Why does TfL continue manual chip installation when real-time AI systems exist?

#### The innovation question

What would be truly innovative is if TfL showed some creative thinking about how to solve Putney’s problems differently.

There are other options beyond trying to squeeze as much as possible out of a physically constrained space. Rather than myopically prioritising pedestrians and bikes in ways that disadvantage cars – which still make up over 80% of junction users – where’s the creative thinking about alternative routes for pedestrians and cyclists?

Where’s the boldness about testing new approaches? Where’s the willingness to use Putney as a genuine “living laboratory” instead of a dumping ground for partially-implemented fixes?

#### Who has the power

This is a joint decision. The council would commission and pay for comprehensive modeling. TfL would need to cooperate by providing data and potentially agreeing to Putney as a FUSION trial site.

#### What’s blocking this?

The documents don’t explain whether comprehensive modeling has been budgeted or whether Putney has been proposed as a FUSION trial site.

**Questions for Thursday’s committee:**

- Has the council budgeted for comprehensive junction modeling?
- Has TfL agreed to cooperate and implement the results?
- Why isn’t Putney a FUSION trial site given the documented problems?
- What prevents testing AI-driven adaptive signals here?

---

### The Accountability Matrix

SolutionWho Has PowerWhat’s Been DoneWhat’s Still MissingStatusComplete signal timing restorationTfL (sole authority)Partial improvements in October4-19 seconds still missingIncompleteRelocate driver changeoversTfL (sole authority)Bus stops moved a few yardsChangeover points unchangedCosmetic fix onlyFix Lower Richmond Road bottleneckCouncil + TfL (joint)Consultation mentioned 2022No visible progress; obvious alternatives unaddressedStalledSmart detection systemsTfL (sole authority)Not addressedNot requested?No actionModern traffic managementCouncil + TfL (joint)Not commissioned; FUSION not trialed hereAECOM says modeling needed; Putney not innovation testbedNot started---

### What Thursday’s committee can do

The Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee meets Thursday at 7:30pm. They have the power to demand answers and timelines, not vague promises.

**Specific actions the committee should take:**

**On signal timings:** Demand a written commitment from TfL on when the full LMAP5 restoration will be completed. “Further changes are planned” isn’t good enough. Get dates. Get specifics. Get accountability.

**On bus changeovers:** Require TfL to provide data on current changeover locations and dwell times. Ask whether changeovers were actually relocated or just bus stops moved. Demand a timeline for moving changeovers to Putney Common where driver facilities already exist.

**On Lower Richmond Road:** Get answers on the 2022 pavement consultation – what happened to it? Why hasn’t the bus stop been moved to the wider Watermans Green area? Challenge TfL’s island requirement – if they bent rules for Putney Bridge Road cycle lanes, why not here?

**On smart detection:** Ask whether the council has formally requested smart pedestrian and cycle detection from TfL. If yes, what was TfL’s response? If no, why not when AECOM identified this as a solution?

**On modern technology:** Demand to know why Putney isn’t a FUSION trial site. Get a timeline for when FUSION moves beyond trials. Ask whether TfL has assessed SCOOT 8 AI. Make TfL explain why manual chip installation continues when 350+ cities use real-time AI systems.

**Most importantly:** Don’t accept “we’re monitoring” or “under review” or “being considered.” Demand specific dates, named accountability, and measurable commitments.

The changes made last month proved TfL responds to pressure. Thursday’s committee needs to apply it.

---

### What you can do

**Before Thursday’s meeting:**

**Fill out our survey:** *Putney.news* is [collecting resident experiences](https://putney.news/2025/11/16/have-your-say-what-do-you-really-think-about-putney-bridge-junction/). Your responses give the committee hard data they can’t dismiss. The more residents respond, the harder it is for the council to ignore the scale of this problem.

**Contact committee members:** Email them these five solutions. Tell them what you expect them to demand on Thursday. Be specific: “I expect you to get a written commitment from TfL on when the full signal timing restoration will be completed, not vague promises about ‘further changes.'”

**Show up in person:** The meeting is public. Thursday, 7:30pm. Nothing demonstrates resident interest like people in the room. Empty public galleries let politicians off the hook. Full galleries create accountability.

**After the meeting:**

**Keep pushing:** One meeting won’t solve this. Make it clear you’re watching. Tell the council and TfL you see what’s going on. Ask for updates. Demand progress reports. Don’t let them hope this fades from attention.

**Follow Putney.news:** We’ll continue investigating this story, tracking committee responses, monitoring TfL’s actions, and holding both authorities accountable. Sign up to stay informed.

The authorities respond to pressure. Sustained, visible, informed pressure. That’s what changes things.

---

*If you have evidence of specific gridlock incidents, blocked emergency vehicles, or missed appointments due to Putney traffic, contact us at .*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/11/17/five-ways-to-fix-putneys-traffic-nightmare/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/11/17/five-ways-to-fix-putneys-traffic-nightmare/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Five%20ways%20to%20fix%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20traffic%20nightmare&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/11/17/five-ways-to-fix-putneys-traffic-nightmare/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Putney Bridge junction, Putney traffic, traffic, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Deep dive: How different communities understand the junction failure](https://putney.news/2025/11/19/deep-dive-how-different-communities-understand-the-junction-failure/)

**Published:** November 19, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Crosstab analysis reveals different transport modes are experiencing different problems, so they want different solutions.

**Content:**

When 763 residents completed our comprehensive survey about Putney Bridge junction, their overall verdict was clear: [90.5% report worse journeys](https://putney.news/2025/11/19/emergency-fixes-fail-to-restore-confidence-in-putney-junction/). But beneath that headline consensus lies a more revealing story about why finding a solution has proven elusive.

> [Emergency fixes fail to restore confidence in Putney Junction](https://putney.news/2025/11/19/emergency-fixes-fail-to-restore-confidence-in-putney-junction/)

Cross-tabulating responses by transport mode and awareness levels reveals that different groups aren’t just experiencing different severity of impact – they hold different theories about what went wrong and how to fix it. The challenge isn’t just technical; it’s that there’s limited consensus on what the actual problem is.

#### Different modes, different priorities: competing theories of failure

When asked what actions they’d most like to see, distinct patterns emerged across transport modes – revealing that different groups hold fundamentally different theories about what went wrong.

**Cyclists prioritise fixing the implementation:**

- 56.9% want to focus on fixing signal timing and monitoring results
- 45.1% want to revisit whether better designs are now possible

**Bus users and car drivers prioritise reconsidering the design:**

- Bus users: 55.6% want to revisit designs, 38.1% want signal fixes
- Car drivers: 54.2% want to revisit designs, 39.5% want signal fixes

**The gap is substantial:** A 15-17 percentage point difference in priorities between cyclists and drivers/bus users.

Pedestrians fall in between, with a slight preference for signal fixes (49.2%) over redesign (43.1%). Those who use multiple modes of transport equally – the largest single group at 36% of respondents – align more closely with drivers and bus users, prioritizing redesign (54.0%) over signal fixes (40.5%).

This pattern reveals something fundamental: **cyclists appear more likely to believe the current design could work if properly implemented, while drivers and bus users appear more likely to believe the fundamental design is flawed.**

This isn’t just about preference – it reflects lived experience. Cyclists using the junction may see a design that could be functional with better signal timing. Drivers and bus passengers sitting in extended queues may be experiencing problems they view as inherent to the layout itself.

The result: even among residents who agree the junction has failed, there’s no consensus on whether the problem is implementation or conception. That makes finding a solution that satisfies multiple constituencies a challenge.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/putney-traffic-lower-richmond-1024x576.webp)#### Why they disagree: Journey impact varies widely

The reason different transport modes want different solutions becomes clear when examining the severity of impact each group experiences.

**Percentage reporting worse journeys (much worse + somewhat worse):**

Transport Mode% Worse JourneysCar drivers97.2%Bus users93.7%Mixed mode users93.4%Pedestrians80.0%Cyclists72.5%The gap is substantial: a **24.7 percentage point difference** between cyclists and car drivers in overall dissatisfaction. Also notable is the “much worse” breakdown:

Transport Mode% “Much Worse”Car drivers90.4%Bus users88.9%Mixed mode84.3%Pedestrians60.8%Cyclists56.9%**The pattern explains the solution divide.** Cyclists experiencing a 73% dissatisfaction rate are more likely to see signal timing as the culprit – something fixable through better implementation. Drivers experiencing a 97% dissatisfaction rate, with 90% saying “much worse,” are more likely to see the problem as fundamental to the design.

Notably, bus users – the group theoretically benefiting from dedicated bus lanes – report 93.7% worse journeys. This high dissatisfaction rate among a group that “should” be benefiting suggests the problems extend beyond any single design element.

Among cyclists, while 72.5% report worse journeys, they were also the only group where more than a handful saw improvement. This doesn’t mean the design “worked” for cyclists – nearly three-quarters still report worse conditions – but it does suggest the experience is less uniformly negative than for other modes.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/putney-traffic-1024x768.jpg)#### Consultation views: A revealing split

The question of whether the council should have conducted broader public consultation before construction revealed a significant pattern across transport modes.

**Percentage saying no consultation was “unacceptable”:**

- Car drivers: 87.0%
- Bus users: 84.1%
- Mixed mode: 77.7%
- Pedestrians: 76.2%
- Cyclists: 72.5%

**The gap is meaningful:** A **14.5 percentage point difference** between car drivers and cyclists in viewing the consultation absence as unacceptable.

While nearly three-quarters of cyclists still found the lack of consultation unacceptable, they were notably less upset than other groups. Cyclists were also the most likely to view it as “reasonable” that technical projects don’t need public input (17.6% vs 5-11% for other groups).

This may reflect several factors: greater trust in technical experts to design cycling infrastructure, recognition that public consultation on cycling infrastructure often generates significant opposition, or different baseline expectations about community engagement on transport projects.

Conversely, car drivers expressed the strongest view that residents should have been consulted (87.0%), perhaps reflecting lived experience of feeling that changes were “done to them” without their input.

The pattern reinforces the broader finding: different transport modes bring different expectations and experiences to this project, making unified support for any solution challenging.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/manchester-cyclops.jpg)A CYCLOPS junction in Manchester#### The CYCLOPS blind spot: Even cyclists didn’t know

An important finding concerns awareness of TfL’s rejection of a safer CYCLOPS design for cyclists.

**Even among people who primarily cycle through Putney, 90.2% were unaware this design option existed.** Just 5.9% of cyclists knew about it, with another 3.9% having heard rumors.

This is notable. CYCLOPS (Cycle Optimised Protected Signals) junctions are specifically designed to protect cyclists at major intersections. If any group might be expected to know about this design decision, it would be the cyclists themselves – the people most directly affected by junction safety.

The awareness levels across other transport modes were similarly low: from 82.5% all the way up to 92.3%.

- 

This near-universal lack of awareness across all transport modes provides clear evidence of a fundamental communication failure. The rejection of the CYCLOPS design was not a fringe technical detail – it was a central decision about the junction’s character and cyclist safety. Yet it appears to have been made without meaningful public awareness or discussion.

#### Knowledge and blame: The Cyclops awareness effect

A revealing pattern emerges when examining how CYCLOPS awareness correlates with views on accountability and TfL’s role.

**Among those who knew about the CYCLOPS rejection:**

- 30.6% support TfL’s veto power without qualification
- 33.3% say shared responsibility for the signal failures

**Among those unaware of CYCLOPS:**

- 10.2% support TfL’s veto power without qualification
- 48.6% say shared responsibility

People who knew about the CYCLOPS rejection are **three times more likely to support TfL’s veto power**. They’re also less likely to say “everyone is responsible” and more willing to assign specific blame to individual parties.

This suggests that detailed knowledge of what happened leads to more differentiated views. Those who understand TfL rejected a safer cycling design are more likely to view TfL’s role in the strategic road network as legitimate. Those without this context are more likely to see a general failure of governance.

![Wandsworth Council](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/wandsworth-council-1024x600.png)#### What this means for Thursday’s committee meeting

These crosstab findings reveal why solving Putney’s junction problem is so challenging: it’s not simply a technical failure that needs fixing – it’s a situation where different communities are experiencing different problems and hold competing theories about what went wrong.

**Different transport modes want different solutions** because they’re experiencing different severity of impact. Cyclists facing a 73% dissatisfaction rate are more likely to see signal timing as fixable. Drivers experiencing 97% dissatisfaction, with nine in ten saying “much worse,” view the problems as fundamental to the design. Both perspectives reflect genuine lived experience.

**The communication failure was significant.** When 90% of cyclists – the group most affected by safety design decisions – don’t know TfL rejected a safer CYCLOPS junction, the decision-making process has clearly failed. This wasn’t a minor technical detail; it was a central choice about the junction’s character.

**Knowledge creates nuance, not opposition.** The finding that residents who knew about CYCLOPS are three times more supportive of TfL’s veto power is counterintuitive but important. Detailed understanding of what happened doesn’t create unified opposition – it leads to more sophisticated, differentiated views about governance and accountability. Those without this context are more likely to see simply “general failure” rather than specific institutional decisions and trade-offs.

**The 14.5 percentage point gap in consultation anger** between cyclists and drivers reflects different relationships with the transport planning process. Cyclists may have more faith that technical experts will protect their interests; drivers feel changes were imposed without their input. Both views are legitimate and help explain why building consensus is difficult.

For the Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on Thursday, these patterns suggest several implications:

1. **There may not be one “fix.”** Different communities are experiencing different problems and want different solutions. The committee may need to pursue multiple parallel approaches: immediate signal optimization for some groups, strategic design review for others.
2. **Communication infrastructure needs rethinking.** If 89% of residents – including 90% of those most affected by safety decisions – were unaware of a central design choice, standard consultation methods have clearly failed. Future projects need new approaches to community awareness.
3. **Different stakeholders need different engagement.** What reassures cyclists may not address bus users’ concerns. Solutions need to acknowledge that this junction serves multiple communities with legitimately different needs and perspectives.
4. **Transparency builds sophisticated understanding.** The more people know about specific technical decisions and trade-offs, the more nuanced their views become. Moving from 89% unaware to meaningful community engagement requires much more than newsletters – it requires embedding residents in decision-making from the start.

The fundamental challenge: even among residents who overwhelmingly agree the junction has failed (90.5%), there’s no consensus on whether the problem was implementation or design, whether it’s primarily the council’s or TfL’s responsibility, or what the path forward should be. That disagreement reflects real differences in lived experience, not mere opinion. Finding solutions will require acknowledging these differences rather than pretending they don’t exist.

---

#### Statistical note on sample reliability

With 763 responses from a population estimated at approximately 15,000 regular junction users, this survey achieves a margin of error of ±3.5% at 95% confidence level. This means we can be 95% confident that the true population values fall within 3.5 percentage points of the reported figures.

For context: if the true proportion of residents who find journeys worse is 90.5% (as found), we can be 95% confident the actual population value lies between 87% and 94%.

The sample size is more than sufficient for robust conclusions about overall resident sentiment, though care should be taken when examining smaller subgroups (such as the 51 cyclists, where margins of error are larger).

The survey was conducted November 16-18, 2025, with 763 complete responses.

*The survey results are available upon request.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/11/19/deep-dive-how-different-communities-understand-the-junction-failure/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/11/19/deep-dive-how-different-communities-understand-the-junction-failure/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Deep%20dive%3A%20How%20different%20communities%20understand%20the%20junction%20failure&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/11/19/deep-dive-how-different-communities-understand-the-junction-failure/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Putney Bridge junction, Putney High Street, survey analysis, traffic

---

### [Emergency fixes fail to restore confidence in Putney Junction](https://putney.news/2025/11/19/emergency-fixes-fail-to-restore-confidence-in-putney-junction/)

**Published:** November 19, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Comprehensive poll of 763 residents shows 90% still report worse journeys, nearly all demand further action.

**Content:**

One month after Wandsworth Council implemented emergency signal timing fixes at Putney Bridge junction, a comprehensive survey of 763 residents reveals the changes have done little to restore confidence in the £835,000 redesign.

The timing of this survey is significant. These responses come after the council’s October 2025 review acknowledged fundamental implementation failures, and after emergency remediation work that cost an additional £169,000. Residents have now lived with both the original problems and the attempted fixes – yet their frustration remains acute.

Over 750 people responded to a detailed nine-question survey in just 60 hours from Sunday morning to Tuesday midnight this week. The speed and scale of engagement – residents completing a complex technical questionnaire at this rate – underscores how deeply this issue resonates across the community.

#### Journey impact: No improvement seen

When asked how the junction redesign has affected their journeys, **90.5% of respondents report conditions are worse** – 80.5% saying “much worse” and a further 10.0% saying “somewhat worse.” Just 2.7% report any improvement.

Critically, dissatisfaction spans all transport modes. Among those who primarily cycle through Putney, 72.5% report worse journeys. For pedestrians, that figure rises to 80%. Bus users report 93.7% worse journeys, while car drivers report 97.2% worse conditions.

This broad-based dissatisfaction across user groups suggests the junction’s problems extend beyond any single mode of transport.

 81% 

 Much worse 

 10% 

 Somewhat worse 

 4% 

 No real change 

 2% 

 Somewhat better 

 1% 

 Much better 

 3% 

 I don't regularly use this junction 

#### Communication Failures Revealed

The survey exposed significant gaps in public awareness about key decisions that shaped the junction.

**89.2% of respondents were unaware that TfL had rejected a ‘CYCLOPS’ junction design** that would have provided significantly greater safety for cyclists. Just 4.7% knew about this decision, with another 6.1% having heard rumours but lacking details.

For a project that has had such profound impact on daily life across Putney, this near-total lack of awareness about a critical design decision points to substantial communication failures. Whether residents would have supported or opposed the CYCLOPS design, the fact that so few even knew it was considered raises questions about transparency in the decision-making process.

 5% 

 Yes, I knew about this 

 89% 

 No, this is news to me 

 6% 

 I'd heard rumors but didn't know details 

#### Consultation absence still resonates

The survey also confirmed deep frustration about the absence of broad public consultation before construction began.

**80.4% of respondents called this “unacceptable,”** saying residents should have been consulted. Just 9.1% found it reasonable for a technical project to proceed without public input.

This reaction is particularly notable given the multiple factors that contributed to limited consultation: TfL’s veto power over several proposed designs, time pressure to secure High Street Fund money before the deadline, and COVID disruptions during the planning process. While these factors explain how consultation gaps occurred, they clearly have not diminished residents’ view that this represents a failing by the council.

 80% 

 Unacceptable - residents should have been consulted 

 9% 

 Reasonable - technical projects don't need public input 

 2% 

 Understandable given time/funding constraints 

 8% 

 Need more information 

#### The TfL veto question

Views on Transport for London’s veto power over junction designs proved more divided, though a plurality oppose it.

**39% said local councils should have final say on their own roads.** A further 31.9% accept TfL veto power but want a formal challenge or appeal process. Just 11.6% support TfL’s current level of control without qualification.

17.5% said they don’t know enough about how this governance structure works – a figure that highlights the complexity of London’s transport decision-making and perhaps the need for greater public understanding of these power relationships.

 12% 

 Yes - TfL manages London's strategic road network and needs this control 

 39% 

 No - local councils should have final say on their own roads 

 32% 

 Yes, but there should be a formal challenge/appeal process 

 17% 

 I don't know enough about how this works 

#### Accountability: A trust gap for the council

When asked who should be held primarily accountable for signals that weren’t programmed as designed, causing 10-21 seconds of lost green time per cycle, responses revealed a notable pattern.

**47.3% said responsibility should be shared across all parties.** But among those assigning primary accountability to a specific entity, Wandsworth Council led at 23.7%, followed by Transport for London at 15.8%.

This split – with the council bearing the largest share of specific accountability even though a plurality favour shared responsibility – points to a trust gap the council will need to address. Residents want to see the council take ownership of what went wrong, even as they recognise TfL’s role in the failures.

 24% 

 Wandsworth Council (they commissioned and approved it) 

 16% 

 Transport for London (they signed off on the signals) 

 5% 

 AECOM (the engineering consultants who designed it) 

 9% 

 The signal contractor who programmed it 

 47% 

 Shared responsibility across all parties 

#### The Hammersmith Bridge Question

The survey tested the council’s explanation that Hammersmith Bridge closure contributed to Putney’s traffic problems, revealing a pattern that reflects the complex reality of traffic networks.

Responses were divided: 34.7% found this “very convincing,” while 29.6% found it “somewhat convincing.” However, 26.6% found the explanation “not convincing,” noting that available data shows minimal Hammersmith Bridge traffic came to Putney.

This split makes sense when considering how traffic systems work. The Hammersmith Bridge closure genuinely did redistribute traffic patterns across southwest London – affecting arrival timing, direction patterns, and signal coordination even without dramatically increasing vehicle counts through Putney. Traffic engineering research shows that network disruptions create “cascading effects” where problems propagate in ways disproportionate to the actual vehicle numbers.

But recognising this network effect doesn’t excuse the junction’s fundamental implementation problems. Both things can be true: Hammersmith Bridge closure disrupted the broader traffic pattern AND the junction redesign has serious flaws independent of those disruptions. The fact that 90% report worse journeys suggests the junction’s own problems are substantial regardless of external factors.

 34% 

 Very convincing - Hammersmith Bridge closure clearly made things worse 

 30% 

 Somewhat convincing - it probably had some impact 

 27% 

 Not convincing - the data shows minimal Hammersmith Bridge traffic came to Putney 

 9% 

 I haven't seen enough data to judge 

#### What residents want: Action, not closure

Perhaps most striking is what residents want to happen next. They were asked to select up to two actions they’d most like to see:

- **51.8% want the council to revisit whether better designs are now possible**
- **42.6% want focus on fixing the signal timing and monitoring results**
- **38.5% want a Task & Finish Group to investigate what went wrong and recommend improvements**
- **23.2% want a residents’ oversight group for future transport projects**
- **8.8% want TfL to publish formal criteria for approving/rejecting designs**

Critically, **just 1.7% selected “accept the current situation and move on.”**

The message is clear: residents are not prepared to simply accept the current situation. They want to see both immediate practical fixes and longer-term accountability measures. The demand for a Task & Finish Group – supported by nearly 40% – indicates significant appetite for a formal investigation into what went wrong and how to prevent similar failures.

 52% 

 Revisit whether better designs are now possible 

 39% 

 Establish a Task & Finish Group to investigate what went wrong and recommend improvements 

 42% 

 Focus resources on fixing the signal timing and monitoring results 

 9% 

 Require TfL to publish formal criteria for approving/rejecting designs 

 23% 

 Establish a residents' oversight group for future transport projects 

 2% 

 Accept the current situation and move on 

### What this means for Thursday’s committee meeting

These findings arrive just two days before the Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee meets on Thursday, November 20th. The survey data provides the committee with a comprehensive picture of resident views – not in the immediate aftermath of the failed launch, but after months of living with the changes and after attempted remediation work.

The results suggest several questions the committee may wish to pursue:

**On implementation:** Who made the decision to program signals differently than designed? Why were they not adjusted sooner when problems became apparent?

**On TfL’s role:** Why has TfL not attended public meetings to explain its rejection of the CYCLOPS design? What formal process exists for residents or the council to challenge TfL veto decisions?

**On communication:** How can the council ensure residents have genuine awareness of and input into major transport projects that affect their daily lives?

**On next steps:** Given that just 1.7% of residents want to move on, what concrete actions will the council take to address continuing dissatisfaction?

The committee has the opportunity to provide the accountability and forward planning residents are clearly demanding.

---

#### Results by mode of transport

We have also analysed the result by the mode of transport people use and [discovered some interesting similarities and differences](https://putney.news/2025/11/19/deep-dive-how-different-communities-understand-the-junction-failure/).

> [Deep dive: How different communities understand the junction failure](https://putney.news/2025/11/19/deep-dive-how-different-communities-understand-the-junction-failure/)

#### Survey methodology

The survey was conducted from 6am Sunday, November 16 through midnight Tuesday, November 18, 2025. It consisted of nine questions covering junction awareness, accountability, and desired actions.

763 people completed the full survey. 93% of respondents live in Putney, with 4% from elsewhere in Wandsworth and 3% from elsewhere in London.

 93% 

 Putney 

 4% 

 Elsewhere in Wandsworth 

 3% 

 Elsewhere in London 

 0% 

 Outside London 

Respondents use various transport modes: 36.1% use a fairly even mix of modes, 23.3% primarily drive, 17.1% primarily walk, 16.6% primarily use buses, and 6.7% primarily cycle.

 23% 

 Primarily by car 

 7% 

 Primarily by bicycle 

 17% 

 Primarily on foot 

 17% 

 Primarily by bus 

 36% 

 Fairly even mix of modes 

The survey was distributed through *Putney.news*, with promotion on the publication’s email list and social media channels. It used standard survey methodology with clear question wording and response options. Results are weighted equally per respondent regardless of transport mode or location.

---

##### **Statistical Note on Sample Reliability**

With 763 responses from a population estimated at approximately 15,000 regular junction users, this survey achieves a margin of error of ±3.5% at 95% confidence level. This means we can be 95% confident that the true population values fall within 3.5 percentage points of the reported figures.

For context: if the true proportion of residents who find journeys worse is 90.5% (as found), we can be 95% confident the actual population value lies between 87% and 94%.

The sample size is more than sufficient for robust conclusions about overall resident sentiment, though care should be taken when examining smaller subgroups (such as the 51 cyclists, where margins of error are larger).

*The survey’s full results are available upon request.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/11/19/emergency-fixes-fail-to-restore-confidence-in-putney-junction/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/11/19/emergency-fixes-fail-to-restore-confidence-in-putney-junction/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Emergency%20fixes%20fail%20to%20restore%20confidence%20in%20Putney%20Junction&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/11/19/emergency-fixes-fail-to-restore-confidence-in-putney-junction/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** accountability, Community Survey, CYCLOPS Junction, public consultation, Putney Bridge junction, Signal Timing, traffic, Transport for London, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Replacement buses at Putney station today and next Sunday](https://putney.news/2025/12/07/replacement-buses-at-putney-station-today-and-next-sunday/)

**Published:** December 7, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Bigger disruption ahead: reduced or no service for nine days over Christmas.

**Content:**

No trains will run from Putney station today (Sunday 7 December) as Network Rail engineering works close the line between Clapham Junction and Barnes.

Replacement buses are operating, but passengers should allow extra time for journeys. The same closure affected the station yesterday.

The closure affects all South Western Railway services through Putney. Buses replace trains between Clapham Junction and Kew Bridge, and between Clapham Junction and Twickenham via Richmond.

The same thing happens again on **next Sunday 14 December**, with buses replacing trains between Clapham Junction and Barnes.

![Christmas in Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/christmas-page-banner-1024x227.png)#### Christmas week: major disruption ahead

The bigger concern for Putney commuters is what’s coming over Christmas and New Year. Network Rail is undertaking major works in the Queenstown Road area from Saturday 27 December to Sunday 4 January.

Here’s what that means for Putney station:

**Saturday 27 – Sunday 28 December:** No trains between Clapham Junction and London Waterloo. Even if services ran through Putney, they couldn’t reach Waterloo.

**Monday 29 December – Friday 2 January:** Reduced and amended service to Waterloo. Check specific train times before travelling.

**Saturday 3 January:** Reduced service on the Putney section.

**Sunday 4 January:** No trains at Putney. Buses replace trains.

#### What’s the work for?

Network Rail says over 350 engineers will be replacing track switches, upgrading signals, and renewing 950 metres of third rail electrification. The work is described as essential for safe and reliable running of the railway.

#### Your alternatives

**East Putney station** on the District Line is unaffected by these works and runs to central London via Earl’s Court and Westminster.

**Bus routes** 37 or 337 run to Clapham Junction, where you can pick up Southern services to Victoria.

During the Christmas closure, SWR tickets will be accepted on Southern services between Clapham Junction and Victoria, and on Southeastern between London Bridge and Waterloo East.

Check journey times at [nationalrail.co.uk](https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/) or [South Western Railways](https://www.southwesternrailway.com/) before travelling.

---

*Correction: We have updated the story to give the correct bus route numbers to Clapham Junction.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/07/replacement-buses-at-putney-station-today-and-next-sunday/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/07/replacement-buses-at-putney-station-today-and-next-sunday/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Replacement%20buses%20at%20Putney%20station%20today%20and%20next%20Sunday&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/07/replacement-buses-at-putney-station-today-and-next-sunday/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Christmas travel, Network Rail, Putney Bridge junction, Putney station, South Western Railway, train disruption

---

### [Everything you need to know about Thursday's Transport Committee meeting on Putney Junction](https://putney.news/2025/11/19/everything-you-need-to-know-about-thursdays-transport-committee-meeting-on-putney-junction/)

**Published:** November 19, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Your complete guide to the crucial council meeting that could determine Putney's traffic future.

**Content:**

**[UPDATED](#deputation)** This Thursday evening, Wandsworth’s Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee will meet to discuss the Putney Bridge junction crisis. After a year of gridlock and with [nearly 90 per cent of residents saying the situation has made their journeys worse](https://putney.news/2025/11/19/emergency-fixes-fail-to-restore-confidence-in-putney-junction/ "Emergency fixes fail to restore confidence in Putney Junction"), this meeting represents a critical moment for accountability and action.

Here’s everything you need to know about what’s happening, who’s involved, and how you can make your voice heard.

![Putney Bridge junction ground to a halt. Pic: Nat.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/putney-traffic-chaos-junction-1-1024x910.png)What is the Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee?

Scrutiny committees are the council’s internal watchdogs. While the Executive (the council’s Cabinet) makes decisions, scrutiny committees examine those decisions, hold officials to account, and can recommend changes.

The Transport Committee specifically oversees all transport and highways matters in Wandsworth. They review major projects, examine spending, and investigate when things go wrong – like the Putney junction.

Crucially, scrutiny committees operate cross-party. Unlike Cabinet positions held only by the ruling Labour administration, scrutiny committees include both Labour and Conservative councillors, designed to provide balanced oversight.

**Important: The committee cannot make binding decisions.** They scrutinise and recommend, but the Executive (Cabinet) makes the final decision. However, their real power comes from asking tough questions, demanding answers, and creating political pressure through public scrutiny.

#### Who sits on the committee?

Ten councillors will determine how the council responds to the junction crisis:

**Leading the meeting:**

- **Chair: Councillor Jack Mayorcas** (Trinity ward, Labour): Also serves as the council’s “Active Travel Champion” advocating for cycling and walking infrastructure
- **Deputy Chair: Councillor Sean Lawless** (Tooting Broadway, Labour)
- **Opposition Speaker: Councillor Daniel Hamilton** (Balham, Conservative): Leads Conservative questioning

**The Putney voice:**

- **Councillor John Locker** (Thamesfield, Conservative): The only committee member representing a Putney ward directly affected by the junction

**Other members:**

- **Councillor Annamarie Critchard** (Tooting Bec, Labour): Previously questioned spending on Putney schemes
- **Councillor Emmeline Owens** (Northcote, Conservative): Raised concerns about congestion in June
- **Councillor Leonie Cooper** (Furzedown, Conservative): Also serves as the London Assembly Member for Wandsworth and Merton, giving her a direct line to Transport for London officials. Widely regarded as one of the few local representatives who can effectively engage with TfL at the highest levels
- **Councillor Matthew Tiller** (Roehampton, Labour)
- Plus Councillors Tony Belton and Caroline de La Soujeole

**Also attending:**

- **Councillor Jenny Yates** — Cabinet Member for Transport, who will answer questions and defend the council’s position

![Putney Bridge junction ground to a halt. Pic: Nat.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/putney-traffic-chaos-junction-1-1024x910.png)What Paper 25-398 says

[Paper 25-398](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Putney-Bridge-Junction-Paper-No.-25-398.pdf "Putney Bridge Junction Paper No. 25-398") \[pdf\] is the official report going before the committee Thursday. Understanding exactly what it says, what it admits, and what decision is being asked for is crucial.

##### What the paper reveals

The 24-page report, written by Nick O’Donnell (Director of Growth and Place), contains several important admissions:

**The implementation failure:**

- Signal timings “have not been implemented as modelled by AECOM and approved by TfL”
- The junction changes resulted in “unexpected congestion, particularly on Putney Bridge Road and Lower Richmond Road”
- Lower Richmond Road lost 10-12 seconds of green time compared to the approved model
- Putney Bridge Road lost 12-21 seconds of green time compared to what was approved

**The financial impact:**

- Original junction cost: £835,000
- Already spent on reviews this year: £100,000
- Additional costs needed: £250,000 for improvement measures
- Budget shortfall: £169,000 (to be funded from the council’s “approved General Fund Inflation budget”)
- Total spent/needed: Over £1 million

**What has improved:**

- Increase in cyclists (22%) and pedestrians (37%) using the junction from July 2021 (just before “Freedom Day” from COVID) to June 2025.
- Fewer pedestrians crossing on red lights (a safety improvement)
- Slightly faster journey times on the main north-south corridor (Putney High Street to Putney Bridge)

**What has worsened:**

- Longer journey times on Lower Richmond Road and Putney Bridge Road
- Buses starting journeys on these roads experiencing increased delays
- Unexpected congestion affecting local residents and businesses

![Putney Bridge junction ground to a halt. Pic: Nat.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/putney-traffic-chaos-junction-1-1024x910.png)What the transport committee is being asked to do

The paper asks the Transport Committee to:

1. **Recommend support to the Executive**: The committee is asked to recommend that the Executive (Cabinet) approve the spending and actions
2. **Note the findings**: Acknowledge the AECOM review and the admission of implementation failures
3. **Endorse continued work with TfL**: Support ongoing collaboration with Transport for London to optimise signal timings

The specific ask is that the Executive approve spending the additional £169,000 on:

- Signal timing adjustments to give more green time to Lower Richmond Road and Putney Bridge Road
- Changes to pedestrian crossing sequences
- Further optimisation work in collaboration with TfL
- Continued monitoring and potential additional changes

![Putney Bridge junction ground to a halt. Pic: Nat.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/putney-traffic-chaos-junction-1-1024x910.png)What the committee can actually do

Here’s the crucial part: **the committee is a watchdog, not a decision-maker.**

They cannot approve or reject the spending. Only the Executive can do that. What they CAN do is scrutinise, question, and recommend. Their power comes from asking tough questions in public and creating political pressure.

**The committee’s options Thursday night:**

#### **Option 1: Recommend approval as written**

- Support sending the proposal to the Executive unchanged
- This is what the council expects and wants
- Means minimal scrutiny before the Executive approves the £169,000

#### **Option 2: Recommend approval with conditions**

- Support the spending BUT add tough recommendations such as: 
    - Monthly progress reports back to committee
    - Independent verification of any changes before implementation
    - Mandatory resident consultation on any design changes
    - Clear accountability measures and timelines
    - Requirement for TfL officials to attend future meetings
- The Executive could accept or ignore these conditions

#### **Option 3: Decline to support and demand more information**

- Refuse to recommend approval until questions are answered
- Demand TfL officials appear to explain their role in the failures
- Call for an independent investigation before approving more spending
- Establish a Task and Finish Group to investigate properly
- The Executive could still approve the spending anyway, but would face political pressure

#### **Option 4: Recommend significant changes**

- Recommend a different approach entirely
- Demand proper consultation before any more money is spent
- Insist on external oversight of any changes
- Propose a fundamental redesign rather than incremental fixes
- Again, the Executive isn’t bound by this but faces scrutiny

![Putney Bridge junction ground to a halt. Pic: Nat.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/putney-traffic-chaos-junction-1-1024x910.png)What real power do they have?

The committee can:

- **Demand answers** from cabinet members and senior officers
- **Examine evidence** and highlight failures
- **Call witnesses** including TfL officials (though they can’t force TfL to attend)
- **Commission investigations** and establish task groups
- **Add conditions** to their recommendations
- **Require the Cabinet to formally respond** to their recommendations in writing
- **Create political pressure** through public scrutiny
- **Expose problems** that make it harder for the Executive to ignore issues

The committee cannot:

- Make or change policy
- Approve or reject spending
- Direct officers to take specific actions
- Overturn Executive decisions
- Force anyone to do anything

**Why this still matters:** The Executive can ignore the committee’s recommendations, but doing so after tough public scrutiny carries political cost. If the committee asks difficult questions and the answers are inadequate, that becomes part of the public record. If they demand accountability and the Executive refuses, residents know who to hold responsible.

![Traffic in Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/IMG_0553-1024x768.jpeg)What the paper doesn’t address

Crucially, Paper 25-398 avoids several key questions:

- **Who is accountable?** The paper doesn’t name who was responsible for implementing the wrong signal timings
- **Why the delay?** No explanation for why it took four months (June to October) to begin fixes after the problems were identified
- **TfL’s role:** Limited detail on how TfL approved a design that wasn’t properly implemented
- **Resident input:** No commitment to genuine consultation on future changes
- **Long-term solution:** The paper focuses on optimisation of the current design rather than considering whether a more fundamental redesign is needed

This is where the committee’s scrutiny role becomes critical — they can demand answers to these questions and make it politically costly to ignore them.

![Traffic in Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/IMG_0553-1024x768.jpeg)Five crucial questions the transport committee should ask

Based on our investigation and reader survey, these are the questions that demand answers:

1. **“Who was responsible for implementing the wrong signal timings, and what consequences will they face?”** The AECOM review found signals weren’t installed as designed. Someone made this error — who?
2. **“Why did it take four months (June to October) to begin fixing known problems?”** The council knew by June the signals were wrong. Emergency fixes only started in October.
3. **“Will you commit to a full independent investigation with resident oversight?”** 42% of survey respondents want a Task & Finish Group to investigate properly.
4. **“Why weren’t residents properly consulted, and will you commit to genuine consultation on any further changes?”** 82% of residents say the lack of meaningful consultation was unacceptable.
5. **“Given TfL approved the faulty design, what assurance can you give that their oversight of fixes will be competent?”** TfL signed off on the original failed implementation. Why should residents trust their judgment now?

![Traffic in Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/IMG_0553-1024x768.jpeg)How residents can participate

**Attending in person:**

- The meeting is at Wandsworth Town Hall, SW18 2PU
- Starts at 7:30pm Thursday 20 November
- Public gallery seating is available (first come, first served)
- Arrive by 7:15pm to ensure entry

**Watching online:**

- Meetings are webcast live at: [wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/home](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/home)
- Recordings available afterward for those who miss it

**Making your voice heard:**

*Before the meeting:*

- Email committee members with your concerns (contact details on council website)
- Contact your ward councillor (best bet: [John Locker](cllr.j.locker@wandsworth.gov.uk), Thamesfield) to raise issues
- Share our reader survey results with councillors as evidence

> [Emergency fixes fail to restore confidence in Putney Junction](https://putney.news/2025/11/19/emergency-fixes-fail-to-restore-confidence-in-putney-junction/)

> [Deep dive: How different communities understand the junction failure](https://putney.news/2025/11/19/deep-dive-how-different-communities-understand-the-junction-failure/)

*Requesting to speak (deputation):* Residents can request to address the committee directly, though time is now very limited. Requirements:

- You would need to send a request before 5pm today, Wednesday 19 November
- Email the Committee’s staff contact (in this case, Michael Flowers) with your name, contact details and a statement that sets out the reasons why you are looking to speak at the meeting and the particular points you would like to speak about.
- Provide the names of six but no more than ten supporters
- Be prepared to speak for up to 5 minutes
- You will then be contacted to have a meeting with the Cabinet Member for Transport (Cllr Jenny Yates) to discuss the matter further. She will ultimately decide whether to allow you to speak.

*After the meeting:*

- Follow up with councillors about their vote
- Submit Freedom of Information requests for documents mentioned
- Attend subsequent committee meetings to track progress

![Traffic in Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/IMG_0553-1024x768.jpeg)What happens next?

**Possible outcomes from Thursday:**

**Best case scenario:**

- Committee demands full independent investigation before supporting any spending
- Establishes resident oversight group
- Requires TfL attendance at future meetings
- Adds strict conditions to any recommendation including mandatory consultation
- Creates political pressure that makes it difficult for the Executive to ignore concerns

**Likely scenario:**

- Committee recommends approval of the £169,000 for immediate fixes
- Requests regular progress reports
- Some tough questions but no fundamental challenge to approach
- Recommendations go to Executive for approval
- Incremental improvements without addressing systemic failures

**Worst case scenario:**

- Quick recommendation to approve with minimal scrutiny
- No accountability for failures
- No meaningful conditions attached
- Another £169,000 spent with no guarantee of improvement
- Pattern of failed implementation continues unchallenged

**The timeline ahead:**

- Thursday night: Committee makes recommendations
- Within days: Executive decides whether to accept committee’s recommendations and approve spending
- December 2025: Interim safety audit due
- Early 2026: Any approved fixes implemented
- September 2026: Final safety audit with 12 months of accident data

![Traffic in Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/IMG_0553-1024x768.jpeg)Why this meeting matters

This is the only opportunity for democratic scrutiny before another £169,000 is spent on fixes that may not work. Even though the committee can’t block the spending, they can demand accountability and make it politically costly to repeat past failures.

The committee is being asked to recommend approval for more spending on the same approach that has already failed. They have the power to say “not without answers”: to demand proper investigation, require resident involvement, and attach conditions that create real accountability.

Your survey responses provide powerful evidence: 91% saying journeys are worse cannot be ignored. The committee needs to hear that residents want more than quick fixes; they want competent planning, genuine consultation, and real accountability.

Whether the committee uses its platform to challenge rather than rubber-stamp depends partly on them knowing residents are watching and expecting action. If they ask tough questions and get inadequate answers, that becomes part of the public record. If they demand accountability and the Executive refuses, residents know who’s responsible.

![Traffic in Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/IMG_0553-1024x768.jpeg)Get involved

**Our coverage continues:**

- Live updates during Thursday’s meeting on our Twitter/X feed
- Full analysis of outcomes Friday morning
- Ongoing investigation into the accountability questions

**Share this guide** with neighbours who need to understand what’s at stake.

**Tell us** what questions you want asked: 

This is Putney’s chance to demand better. Make sure your voice is heard.

#### **Deputation update**

A late paper published on Wednesday ([Paper 25-412](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Supplement-Transport-OSC-Deputation-Request-20112025-1930-Transport-Overview-and-Scrutiny-Comm.pdf)) confirms that four deputation requests have been accepted as valid under the council’s Standing Orders: Wandsworth Cycle Campaign, Putney.news (us), Putney Action Group and Wandsworth Living Streets. All four groups have asked to speak on the Putney Bridge Junction item.

The committee will be asked at the start of Thursday’s meeting to decide whether to *receive* these deputations. If they vote in favour, each deputation will have up to five minutes to present evidence and questions before councillors debate the junction report.

This was the *Putney.news* deputation request:

> **Reasons for Speaking:**
> 
> We can provide the Committee with three sources of fresh information that will assist their scrutiny of this matter:
> 
> **1. Community Survey Results (763 Wandsworth Residents)** We have conducted the most comprehensive community assessment since construction completed, with 763 responses received between Sunday 16 and Tuesday 18 November. This survey was completed one month after the October signal changes, allowing residents to assess the junction after the recent modifications have bedded in. The data provides detailed insights into how different transport modes are experiencing the junction, awareness levels regarding key design decisions, and community priorities for action.
> 
> **2. TfL Response to Critical Questions** On Wednesday morning, I received TfL’s response to a detailed press inquiry covering signal implementation, design decisions, and accountability questions that are central to Paper 25-398. This response addresses several critical questions that the Committee will need to consider, including TfL’s position on the matters raised in the council’s paper.
> 
> **3. Comprehensive Analysis of the Situation** [Putney.news](http://Putney.news) has followed this issue intensively, reviewing all council papers, FOI responses, stakeholder meeting minutes, and technical reports. I can provide the Committee with context on the decision-making timeline, the relationship between different failure points, and how the current situation developed from the 2021-2022 design process. This analysis draws on documents and correspondence that may not be immediately familiar to all Committee members.
> 
> The Committee’s role in scrutinising this £1 million project is vital to accountability, and I believe this information will help members ask informed questions and assess the council’s proposed actions effectively.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/11/19/everything-you-need-to-know-about-thursdays-transport-committee-meeting-on-putney-junction/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/11/19/everything-you-need-to-know-about-thursdays-transport-committee-meeting-on-putney-junction/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Everything%20you%20need%20to%20know%20about%20Thursday%E2%80%99s%20Transport%20Committee%20meeting%20on%20Putney%20Junction&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/11/19/everything-you-need-to-know-about-thursdays-transport-committee-meeting-on-putney-junction/)

**Categories:** Politics, Transport

**Tags:** 25-398, AECOM, Cllr Annamarie Critchard, Cllr Caroline de La Soujeole, Cllr Daniel Hamilton, Cllr Emmeline Owens, Cllr Jack Mayorcas, Cllr Jenny Yates, Cllr John Locker, Cllr Leonie Cooper, Cllr Matthew Tiller, Cllr Sean Lawless, Cllr Tony Belton, Putney Bridge junction, Putney High Street, TfL, traffic, Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee

---

### [Transport committee hears overwhelming junction failure evidence, discusses pedestrian counts](https://putney.news/2025/11/21/transport-committee-hears-overwhelming-junction-failure-evidence-discusses-pedestrian-counts/)

**Published:** November 21, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Over 1,700 residents report worse journeys as councillors avoid accountability questions.

**Content:**

Over 1,700 residents told Wandsworth’s transport committee [last night](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1031070) that Putney Bridge junction still doesn’t work, they want new designs looked at immediately, and they want to know why they’ve spent 18 months in gridlock – and the council responded by marvelling at pedestrian increases, sharing single-person anecdotes, and offering vague timelines with no completion date.

The Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee heard survey evidence showing 91% of residents report worse journeys through the £1 million junction redesign – including 77% of cyclists, 80% of pedestrians, and 92% of bus users. The evidence came through two surveys: 763 responses collected by *Putney.news* and over 1,000 by the Putney Action Group.

Transport for London, whose failure to implement approved signal timings caused the crisis, declined to attend.

#### How councillors responded

With survey evidence from over 1,700 residents delivered, Cllr Annamarie Critchard – who declared membership in the London Cycling Campaign – opened by asking about the 50% of Wandsworth households without cars and the significant number of cyclists using the junction.

It was an extraordinary first question. The paper concerns emergency measures costing taxpayers £169,000 to address traffic chaos caused by signal timing failures. And Critchard, who says she has never driven over Putney Bridge – she lives in Balham – wanted to talk non-car transport.

Council transport lead Henry Cheung obliged, talking about “strong presence of cycling” and vehicle use being “pretty much stagnant” – though the council’s own data shows vehicles represent 80-84% of junction users whilst cyclists are 4-6%.

Cllr Tony Belton repeatedly suggested waiting for all changes before reviewing the junction. One problem: no timeline exists for completion. Work through February is outlined, but “further optioneering work” depends on modelling and Transport for London approval. The junction runs at 70-80% capacity, Cheung said, meaning limited room for gains without significant changes.

Belton’s suggestion amounts to: wait indefinitely, then review.

Later, the Wandsworth Cycling Campaign representative spoke about how much nicer she personally finds the junction – an anecdote given equal weight to surveys showing 77% of 51 resident cyclists report worse journeys.

When discussing plans to remove a cyclists’ left turn costing 15 seconds per signal cycle but seeing “relatively modest” use – meaning almost zero – Critchard expressed concern. Cheung had spent the meeting discussing grabbing back 4 seconds here, 2 seconds there through optimisation. Yet 15 seconds per cycle allocated to a turn no one uses went largely unquestioned. Because they happened to be on a bicycle and not in a car. Theoretically at least; again, no one is actually using those 15 seconds in a gridlocked junction.

Critchard suggested that increased pedestrian numbers would be good for foot traffic and local businesses – apparently unaware of the actual state of Putney High Street.

A Putney Action Group representative pushed back hard, giving examples of businesses that have closed because traffic is so bad. It may have been the only moment councillors confronted the realities of what Putney is facing rather than their theories about what should be happening.

> [Why Putney is paralysed: Eight failures creating London’s traffic nightmare](https://putney.news/2025/11/16/why-putney-is-paralysed-eight-failures-creating-londons-traffic-nightmare/)

#### The few who pushed back

Cllr John Locker was the exception throughout – notably, the only member of the 10-member committee who actually represents Putney, despite Cllr Matthew Tiller’s weak claim to be “a lifelong resident of SW15” (he lives in Roehampton).

Locker asked why residents received no warnings about congestion when the scheme was approved in September 2023. He pressed on modelling failures. He asked about smart detection systems that would prevent another five seconds every cycle from being wasted because the system has – again – been set up for cyclists that don’t exist.

The feature reduces overall junction capacity by approximately 8 to 12 percent. Smart technology would note there were no cyclists there and so not run for the extra five seconds. So why were we not using it, or commissioning it, or even talking about it? His question went unanswered. Lockers emphasised that residents “felt like they had to grab us to get our attention” on the junction’s problems.

And he raised Transport for London’s absence: “What can this committee do to try and improve the working relationship with TfL and to get their buy-in and commitment to these improvements, to get them done as quickly as possible so that the residents of Putney see the benefits?”

The question drew applause from the public gallery but no concrete answer.

Cllr Leonie Cooper pushed for “clear timelines and notices if things are delayed” and pointed to an early December meeting as the next checkpoint.

But her and Locker were outnumbered by councillors content to discuss pedestrian counts and cycling infrastructure whilst residents presented evidence of system-wide failure.

> [Five ways to fix Putney’s traffic nightmare](https://putney.news/2025/11/17/five-ways-to-fix-putneys-traffic-nightmare/)

#### What residents asked for

The survey evidence was unambiguous: 82% don’t believe proper consultation occurred before construction, 89% didn’t know about the CYCLOPS junction design TfL rejected, and 99% want action rather than accepting the situation. Half want the council to revisit whether better designs are now possible.

Fran Odedra, speaking for the Putney Action Group representing over 1,000 members, told councillors: “For more than a year, residents have been warning that the new Putney Bridge Junction would worsen congestion. When works began in September 24, the immediate gridlock proved those warnings right. That dismissal of community concerns is why the Putney Action Group was formed.”

She described the human cost: “I quote, my street is now overwhelmed by idling traffic and morning rat running. I used to cycle my children to school, but now it’s too dangerous. Second quote, I missed a life-saving chemotherapy appointment because I was trapped in traffic for hours. Buses terminate early, the district line fails constantly, and taxis refuse to come to Putney. This is daily life.”

“Putney is not interested in blame anymore, or who approved what,” Odedra said. “Blame will not open Hammersmith Bridge. Blame will not fix the junction or clean our air. Residents want solutions, transparency and action.” She was met with a round of applause in the public gallery.

PAG asked for three commitments: an independent review, ongoing community engagement, and coordinated regional planning across affected boroughs. The committee was also asked to establish a Task & Finish Group to investigate what went wrong, define success using journey times residents can verify rather than models alone, ensure proper consultation before further changes, and establish clear escalation if current fixes don’t work.

It gave nothing. The committee took no votes and made no commitments beyond supporting the work outlined in the paper amid a vague promise to improve communications.

---

***Correction, 11am:** In an earlier version of this article we noted that the recollection of a single bike user was given equal weight to all the bicycle users who have been surveyed in the two surveys by PAG and Putney.news. We originally stated that ‘77% of 763 resident cyclists’ had report worse journeys as result of the redesign. In fact, 763 is the number of total respondents and the number of residents who identified themselves as predominantly cyclists was 51. We have updated the article to reflect this.*

*We also added the fact that PAG rep Fran received a round of applause after her speech having been prodded in the comments below to do so.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/11/21/transport-committee-hears-overwhelming-junction-failure-evidence-discusses-pedestrian-counts/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/11/21/transport-committee-hears-overwhelming-junction-failure-evidence-discusses-pedestrian-counts/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Transport%20committee%20hears%20overwhelming%20junction%20failure%20evidence%2C%20discusses%20pedestrian%20counts&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/11/21/transport-committee-hears-overwhelming-junction-failure-evidence-discusses-pedestrian-counts/)

**Categories:** Politics, Transport

**Tags:** Putney Bridge junction, resident survey, TfL, Transport Committee, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Pandemic train timetable blamed for Putney passenger problems](https://putney.news/2025/12/06/pandemic-train-timetable-blamed-for-putney-passenger-problems/)

**Published:** December 6, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Emergency schedule still running nearly six years later as station loses third of commuters.

**Content:**

A train timetable designed for the pandemic is causing increasing problems on the rail network around Putney, the latest figures reveal.

Wandsworth Town railway station has recovered to 95% of pre-Covid passenger levels but faces severe overcrowding under a timetable running at just 80% of pre-pandemic frequency. One stop away, Putney station sits at 70% recovery – well below neighbouring Barnes (86%) and Clapham Junction (85%) – as passengers shift to alternatives including the District Line.

The latest Office of Rail and Road figures show Wandsworth Town’s recovery has been driven by approximately 2,000 new homes built since 2013, overwhelming a station designed for a smaller population. The overcrowding prompted Wandsworth Council to approve a [£7.1 million upgrade](https://putney.news/2025/11/03/station-upgrades-finally-arrive-after-three-years-and-safety-warnings/) last month.

Putney’s steeper decline appears partly driven by timetable quality as well as frequency. The current off-peak schedule remains largely unchanged from the emergency service introduced during Covid lockdowns – designed for minimum service during severe disruption, not normal operations nearly six years later.

The uneven spacing of trains has created odd routing problems. For passengers living equidistant between Putney station and Putney Bridge tube, journey planning apps like Citymapper now recommend taking the District Line – even for journeys to Waterloo, where the train should have a natural advantage.

The combination of reduced frequency, poor spacing and nearby alternatives appears to have pushed more Putney passengers toward other forms of transport than at neighbouring stations.

#### The numbers don’t lie – but they don’t tell the whole story

StationRecovery %2024-25 PassengersBarnes86.2%2,251,810**Putney****70.0%****5,645,484****Wandsworth Town****94.6%****3,786,146**Clapham Junction84.6%24,447,510Office of Rail and Road data for April 2024 to March 2025 shows Putney lost 2.4 million annual passengers – falling from 8.1 million to 5.6 million. That’s a 30% decline, making it a clear outlier on the Southwest line. Neighbours Barnes (86.2%), Earlsfield (85.4%), and Clapham Junction (84.6%) cluster around 85% recovery. Meanwhile other London stations average around 80%.

Wandsworth Town’s apparent success – losing just 217,000 passengers (5.4%) – masks a more complex reality. Between 2013 and 2023, approximately 2,000 new homes arrived in major developments surrounding the station: the Ram Brewery (661 units), former Homebase site (462 units), B&Q site (632 units), and Garatt Lane college conversion (202 units).

When Wandsworth Council approved a £7.08 million station upgrade in November, including a second entrance and lifts to all platforms, the justification was telling. The station “often experiences overcrowding, and regularly receives complaints,” council papers noted. It’s ranked the 146th busiest of Britain’s 2,580 stations.

Station capacity designed for one population level is now straining under the weight of another – while operating with 20% fewer off-peak trains than before the pandemic.

> [Station upgrades finally arrive after three years and safety warnings](https://putney.news/2025/11/03/station-upgrades-finally-arrive-after-three-years-and-safety-warnings/)

#### Service cuts created the capacity mismatch

South Western Railway’s December 2022 timetable permanently reduced off-peak service from 10 trains per hour to 8 – a 20% cut that was never restored. During the pandemic, service fell to 6 trains per hour (40% cut), but the “restored” timetable kept frequencies 20% below pre-Covid levels.

The decision came as SWR set overall capacity at 93% of pre-Covid levels to match forecast passenger demand of 76%, with commuter travel at just 60% recovery. But the strategy failed to account for new housing developments adding thousands of residents to stations like Wandsworth Town, or a shift to alternatives for stations like Putney.

#### Investment follows overcrowding, not decline

Wandsworth Town’s station capacity crisis prompted action. When Wandsworth Council approved £7.08 million for station upgrades in November, the justification cited regular overcrowding and complaints. An additional £4.5 million for the second entrance sits in the council’s development pool awaiting formal approval, with developers contributing £2.5 million from the Homebase site and additional levies from the B&Q development.

Putney station’s allocation is £1.8 million under “Upper Richmond Road and Putney Stations” – a line item covering both the station area and surrounding road improvements, split across two years (£300,000 in 2025/26, £1.5 million in 2026/27).

The investment disparity reflects political pressure from overcrowded platforms. Quieter platforms generate less urgency, even as falling passenger numbers justify continued service reductions.

#### MP highlights Wandsworth Town overcrowding

Putney MP Fleur Anderson has repeatedly raised concerns about overcrowding at Wandsworth Town, describing it to the Evening Standard as “really bad” with passengers unable to board trains. “By the time it gets to Putney, it is quite overcrowded but Wandsworth Town is really bad. Lots of people just can’t get on the train,” she said.

Anderson celebrated the arrival of new Arterio trains, describing them as “platform hoovers” capable of accommodating more passengers. But more capacity trains running 20% less frequently addresses overcrowding without reversing the service decline that created Putney’s 30% passenger loss.

Transport journalist Christian Wolmar, author of over 20 books on rail history and policy, warns the approach creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. “It only encourages a dangerous race to the bottom as services and facilities are cut, which reduces demand and leads to further cuts,” he wrote in RAIL magazine earlier this year.

Transport economists call this demand elasticity. Victoria Transport Policy Institute research shows short-run elasticity for rail frequency at around 0.5 – meaning a 10% service cut typically causes a 5% demand fall. But long-run elasticities are two to three times higher as behavioural changes compound. Professionals find alternative commuting patterns, families choose homes near better-served stations, and the exodus becomes self-reinforcing.

Putney’s 70% shows what happened to existing residents across southwest London when service frequency fell 20% permanently. It’s something that transport economists have warned lead to a “doom loop” where falling demand validates cuts, leading to lower demand. Without new housing to mask the exodus as at Wandsworth Town, the decline becomes stark.

SWR’s approach treats this as operational optimisation – adjusting capacity to match demonstrated demand. But when “adjusting capacity” means permanently cutting service, and “demonstrated demand” reflects pandemic-era travel patterns, the result is a one-way ratchet toward suburban rail decline.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/06/pandemic-train-timetable-blamed-for-putney-passenger-problems/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/06/pandemic-train-timetable-blamed-for-putney-passenger-problems/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Pandemic%20train%20timetable%20blamed%20for%20Putney%20passenger%20problems&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/06/pandemic-train-timetable-blamed-for-putney-passenger-problems/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Covid timetable, Putney Bridge junction, Putney station, Rail passengers, South Western Railway, Wandsworth Town station

---

### [Officials watch helplessly as lorry blocks junction they still haven't fixed](https://putney.news/2025/12/10/officials-watch-helplessly-as-lorry-blocks-junction-they-still-havent-fixed/)

**Published:** December 10, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Tuesday's walkabout gave preview of two years of construction disruption.

**Content:**

Transport officials watched helplessly as a scaffolding lorry blocked Putney Bridge Road for five minutes during a walkabout – a preview of two years of disruption ahead.

The delivery truck, attempting to reverse into the narrow entrance leading to the hotel development site on the corner of Putney High Street, brought traffic to a complete standstill in both directions. Council transport officer as well as council leader Simon Hogg, transport cabinet member Cllr Jenny Yates, and senior TfL staff could only watch as cars, buses, cyclists and pedestrians waited for the manoeuvre to complete.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/wood-siding-putney-bridge-road-1024x768.png)The group eventually gave up waiting and crossed the main road to continue their walkabout of Putney Bridge junction – their expressions suggesting they knew exactly what this meant for the junction’s future.

The incident illustrated a problem that will recur throughout the two-year demolition and construction project. Developers had originally applied to use Putney Bridge Road itself for construction vehicle loading, but this was rejected due to concerns about adding to the already severe congestion at Putney’s worst junction. The alternative – threading large lorries through a gap barely wider than the vehicles themselves – is what officials witnessed on Monday.

The entrance leads to a rear car park that will eventually become a restored public courtyard. For now, it’s the only route for construction traffic, and the tight turning angle means lorries must swing across the entire road to line up correctly.

Putney Bridge Road already suffers from lengthy queues caused by the extended bus lane and signal timing issues that have [plagued the junction redesign](https://putney.news/2025/11/14/putneys-million-pound-junction-disaster-how-approved-plans-went-wrong/). Adding regular construction traffic to the mix will test residents’ patience further.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/scaffolding-putney-bridge-road-2-1024x768.png)#### Development progressing on schedule

The disruption comes with a silver lining: the hotel project is finally moving forward after years of delay.

Scaffolding now completely encases the derelict buildings on the corner, with protective fabric sheeting completed this week. Wooden boarding shields the pavement, and protective covers prevent debris falling into the street. Before the final sheeting went up, workers with pneumatic drills could be seen dismantling the interiors.

Multiple crews are working on the site simultaneously, suggesting the project remains on schedule. The buildings – which housed the former Ramna restaurant, Gadget Xchange, and Preto Brazilian steakhouse – had become an [eyesore and squatter magnet](https://putney.news/2025/11/22/from-squatters-to-scaffolding-putney-high-streets-visible-signs-of-recovery/) before demolition finally began last month.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/pneumatic-drill-1024x768.png)The Hub by Premier Inn hotel will rise seven to ten storeys with approximately 200 rooms and three retail units at street level. Construction proper begins in March 2026, with completion expected in 2028.

The project, first proposed in 2017 and [approved in 2021](https://putney.news/2025/07/15/plans-revived-for-10-storey-hotel-and-new-shops-on-putney-high-street-after-years-of-delay/), sat dormant for years while the corner deteriorated. Now that work has started, residents face a familiar trade-off: short-term pain for long-term gain.

Monday’s walkabout gave officials an unscheduled demonstration of exactly what that short-term pain will look like.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/lorry-scaffolding-backing-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/10/officials-watch-helplessly-as-lorry-blocks-junction-they-still-havent-fixed/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/10/officials-watch-helplessly-as-lorry-blocks-junction-they-still-havent-fixed/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Officials%20watch%20helplessly%20as%20lorry%20blocks%20junction%20they%20still%20haven%E2%80%99t%20fixed&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/10/officials-watch-helplessly-as-lorry-blocks-junction-they-still-havent-fixed/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** construction, Putney Bridge junction, Putney High Street, Putney hotel development, traffic congestion

---

### [Christmas shopping brings Putney to standstill as junction fails again](https://putney.news/2025/12/14/christmas-shopping-brings-putney-to-standstill-as-junction-fails-again/)

**Published:** December 14, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Putney's £1m redesign cannot handle residents crossing the river and running errands.

**Content:**

Putney ground to a complete halt on Saturday afternoon, with traffic gridlock lasting nearly five hours and affecting every major route through SW15.

The chaos began around 1pm, with some routes finally clearing by 5.45pm though Putney Bridge Road and Lower Richmond Road remained severely congested. Queues stretched from Lower Richmond Road through residential side streets and all the way back towards Wandsworth Park. Residents trying to cross the river to reach the rest of London combined with locals running errands created what would normally be a manageable Saturday traffic increase – but the junction turned it into wholesale gridlock.

Residents initially hunted for explanations. Some pointed to roadworks at the New Kings Road junction in Fulham. Others referenced reports of central London demonstrations causing spillover congestion. A few mentioned Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, though Wandsworth has implemented few such schemes.

The reality was simpler and more damning: an uptick in traffic from people doing Xmas shopping was enough to bring Putney’s road network to a complete standstill, exposing once again the fundamental fragility of the £1 million Putney Bridge junction redesign.

![Putney traffic
](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/traffic-13dec25-768x1024.png)#### The scale of the gridlock

Google Maps showed the entire area coloured red and orange by mid-afternoon, with congestion stretching from Putney Bridge back through residential streets that residents described as “total gridlock” and “impossible to get out of.”

Alison reported complete gridlock on Lower Richmond Road around 1.30pm. “I just abandoned the 485 bus from Barnes and after five minutes walked past the one that had left 30 minutes earlier,” she wrote in a local WhatsApp group.

Emily shared a photo of Upper Richmond Road at 12.58pm showing traffic at a standstill, with buses unable to move. “URR also gridlocked. Not sure how far it backed up but no one is moving anywhere,” she reported.

Robert Linton, a Charlwood Road resident, described Saturday’s congestion as “the worst I have seen,” adding: “The reconfiguration of the Putney Bridge approach roads has been a costly disaster, increasing pollution and wasting a phenomenal amount of time,” he wrote.

Philip Evans found the traffic so impossible he abandoned his car by the Common and walked home.

The gridlock wasn’t confined to main roads. Felsham Road, Hotham Road, Charlwood Road and other residential streets became car parks as drivers sought alternative routes. One resident reported Putney Bridge Road had backed up “all the way to Wandsworth Park.”

By 5.45pm, nearly five hours after the gridlock began, some routes were finally clearing. Upper Richmond Road and Chelverton Road traffic had mostly dissipated. But Lower Richmond Road remained heavily backed up, Putney Bridge Road was described as “terrible,” and queues persisted on Putney High Street and Werter Road.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/traffic-google-maps-13dec25-1-1024x657.png)Total gridlock across Putney#### Hunting for explanations

Residents searched for explanations: roadworks at the New Kings Road junction, faulty traffic lights at Chelverton Road, central London demonstrations causing spillover congestion. But the underlying issue remained constant: Putney Bridge junction cannot handle even modest increases in traffic volume without triggering cascading gridlock across the entire area.

Time-lapse video shows traffic backing up all the from Putney Bridge junction to Wandsworth Park#### The junction that can’t cope

The £835,000 junction redesign, completed in December 2024, has required an [additional £169,000 in emergency fixes](https://putney.news/2025/11/14/putneys-million-pound-junction-disaster-how-approved-plans-went-wrong/) after traffic signals were implemented with different timings than originally approved.

Lower Richmond Road lost 10-12 seconds of green time compared to the approved model, while Putney Bridge Road lost 12-21 seconds. These reductions in traffic capacity mean the junction operates near saturation under normal conditions, with no margin for even slight increases in volume.

The council has acknowledged the implementation failures and promised improvements by February 2026. But Saturday’s gridlock demonstrates how vulnerable Putney’s road network has become: Christmas shopping traffic that should be manageable instead triggers hours of complete standstill.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/traffic-2-13dec25-576x1024.png)A [comprehensive survey of 763 residents](https://putney.news/2025/11/19/deep-dive-how-different-communities-understand-the-junction-failure/) in November found 90.5% report worse journeys since the junction changes, with 97% of car drivers saying traffic has deteriorated.

The junction redesign was based on traffic data collected in October 2019 (six months after Hammersmith Bridge closed) and July 2021 (just before Freedom Day lifted pandemic restrictions) – both snapshots of abnormal traffic patterns rather than typical conditions. The modelling assumed Hammersmith Bridge would reopen by 2026. Even with lower traffic volumes than anticipated, the junction has created [severe congestion](https://putney.news/2025/10/07/your-voices-residents-share-traffic-nightmare-as-campaign-gains-momentum/) that residents say has made daily life increasingly difficult.

Saturday’s gridlock follows a [pattern of traffic failures](https://putney.news/2025/10/27/speed-cameras-praised-as-enlightened-while-roadworks-compound-putneys-traffic-chaos/) documented throughout 2025, with residents reporting extended queues during rush hours, on weekends, and increasingly at unpredictable times when any minor disruption triggers widespread gridlock.

A [resident petition calling for urgent action](https://putney.news/2025/06/16/putney-traffic-petition-was-most-ignored-annual-council-report-confirms/) during the roadworks was formally investigated and dismissed by Wandsworth Council, with officials stating that “existing traffic management measures were deemed sufficient.”

The council’s position remains that [reverting to the old junction layout is not an option](https://putney.news/2025/07/24/council-claims-its-listening-on-putney-junction-but-offers-little-thats-new/) because it would not meet current safety standards, though many residents argue the current design has created different but equally serious problems.

As Christmas approaches and more shoppers take to the roads, Saturday’s gridlock may be a preview of what lies ahead before the promised February fixes arrive.

Traffic on Charlwood and Felsham Roads. Video: Philip Evans [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/14/christmas-shopping-brings-putney-to-standstill-as-junction-fails-again/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/14/christmas-shopping-brings-putney-to-standstill-as-junction-fails-again/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Christmas%20shopping%20brings%20Putney%20to%20standstill%20as%20junction%20fails%20again&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/14/christmas-shopping-brings-putney-to-standstill-as-junction-fails-again/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Christmas shopping, Putney Bridge junction, Putney traffic, traffic gridlock, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Eight years after promising artwork, East Putney bridge finally getting a lick of paint](https://putney.news/2026/01/05/eight-years-after-promising-artwork-east-putney-bridge-finally-getting-a-lick-of-paint/)

**Published:** January 5, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Network Rail agrees design while Clapham Junction got £5m transformation.

**Content:**

East Putney’s grimy railway bridge is finally getting a facelift, more than eight years after councillors first backed plans to smarten up the “damp, dirty and unattractive” structure.

Network Rail has agreed a design for the bridge over Upper Richmond Road, one of the area’s busiest pedestrian and traffic routes. Work is expected to start this month, though night-time road closures still need to be agreed with Transport for London (TfL).

The news comes from local councillors who raised the bridge condition during a walkabout with the Council’s chief executive back in November.

#### A long time coming

The announcement ends a wait that stretches back to October 2016, when Wandsworth Council’s cabinet first backed plans for environmental improvements along Upper Richmond Road.

At the time, cabinet member Kim Caddy acknowledged the area around the two bridges was “tired and unattractive” and promised a masterplan. She specifically suggested the council could install artwork “similar to the solution recently employed near Balham station where a really striking and attractive piece of artwork was fixed to the wall.”

That Balham artwork, “Impressions of Balham,” comprises four cold cast bronze relief sculptures depicting local scenes, commissioned by the council and installed in 1991. It remains a local landmark over 30 years later.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/balham-bronzes-vicenzo-albano-1024x683.jpg)Thomas, Christine|Barton, Julia; Impressions of Balham“There is money available to fund some improvements here,” Cllr Caddy said in 2016.

Three years later, in June 2019, the council announced plans had “moved a step closer.” Officials again acknowledged the bridges were “damp, dirty and unattractive” and again floated the idea of Balham-style artwork. Since then, nothing visible happened until now.

The council’s original announcements from 2016 and 2019 have been removed from its website. The only surviving records are on community sites [putneysw15.com](https://www.putneysw15.com/info/coneastputneystation002.htm) and [wandsworthsw18.com](https://www.wandsworthsw18.com/#!pages/shared:common:coneastputney001).

#### What East Putney is getting versus elsewhere

The contrast with other recent bridge projects in the borough is striking.

Last month, the council unveiled a [£5m transformation of the Falcon Road underpass](https://www.cjag.org/2025/12/22/in-pictures-falcon-road-bridges-transformation/) at Clapham Junction, in the ward represented by leader of the council Simon Hogg, another Network Rail bridge that had been dark, damp and unwelcoming for years. That project included new artwork panels designed through community workshops with the London Festival of Architecture, enhanced lighting, CCTV, pigeon-proofing, and fresh paint throughout the 100-metre underpass. Local schoolchildren and marching bands celebrated the launch.

East Putney, eight years after the council promised Balham-style bronze artwork, is getting a new coat of paint. What the design looks like, whether it includes any artwork, and whether the council is contributing any funding remains unclear.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/falcon-busstop.jpg)Wandsworth Council spent £5m on the Falcon Bridge underpass#### Why a bridge painting needs two organisations to agree

The long delay illustrates a peculiarity of East Putney’s infrastructure that causes far bigger problems than peeling paint.

Network Rail owns the bridge structure and controls the signalling at the junction. But the road beneath, Upper Richmond Road, is part of TfL’s Strategic Road Network. So Network Rail cannot simply close lanes to erect scaffolding without TfL’s approval for traffic management.

This split ownership is the same arrangement that makes East Putney’s District Line service so unreliable. Network Rail controls [Signal W361](https://putney.news/2025/09/25/this-is-why-your-commute-is-hell-putneys-transport-meltdown-exposed/), a piece of Victorian-era infrastructure that has become the single biggest transport headache in southwest London. When it fails, every District Line train requires individual authorisation from a Network Rail signaller to pass. TfL operates the trains but cannot fix the signal.

The absurdity becomes clear when you look at the numbers.

The District Line serves 6.2 million passengers annually at East Putney, with over 200 trains passing through daily. Network Rail’s own line through the station carries precisely [three trains per day](https://putney.news/2025/11/09/last-ride-for-londons-most-reliable-workhorse-class-455-farewell-tour-includes-rarely-seen-ghost-line-through-putney/), running in the early hours without stopping to pick up passengers. These “ghost services” exist solely to maintain crew route knowledge for theoretical diversions that almost never happen.

So Network Rail controls signalling that affects millions of commuters, while their own infrastructure sees three empty trains per day. And it took eight years to agree to paint a bridge.

#### What happens next

Network Rail and TfL now need to finalise night-time road closure arrangements before work can begin. Given the A205 is a major through-route, closures will likely be scheduled for late evening or overnight to minimise disruption.

*Putney.news* has contacted Network Rail and TfL for confirmation of the timeline and details of the planned works.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/05/eight-years-after-promising-artwork-east-putney-bridge-finally-getting-a-lick-of-paint/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/05/eight-years-after-promising-artwork-east-putney-bridge-finally-getting-a-lick-of-paint/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Eight%20years%20after%20promising%20artwork%2C%20East%20Putney%20bridge%20finally%20getting%20a%20lick%20of%20paint&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/05/eight-years-after-promising-artwork-east-putney-bridge-finally-getting-a-lick-of-paint/)

**Categories:** East Putney, Transport

**Tags:** East Putney, Falcon Road, Network Rail, Putney Bridge junction, railway infrastructure, TfL, Upper Richmond Road, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Three weekends of Putney train works ahead after Christmas disruption](https://putney.news/2026/01/06/three-weekends-of-putney-train-works-ahead-after-christmas-disruption/)

**Published:** January 6, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Windsor and Weybridge services affected 10-11 January, with further closures later in month.

**Content:**

Putney commuters face three more weekends of rail disruption in January following the completion of 11 days of Christmas engineering works between Waterloo and Clapham Junction.

South Western Railway services through Putney will be affected on the weekends of 10-11 January, 24-25 January, and 31 January-1 February as Network Rail carries out follow-up maintenance from the major Queenstown Road upgrade.

The disruption comes immediately after the busiest stretch of railway in the country reopened on Monday (5 January), with services resuming after works that renewed 1,000 metres of track and upgraded signalling systems.

#### Weekend closures affecting Putney

On **10-11 January**, trains to Windsor and Weybridge will start from Clapham Junction rather than Waterloo, missing out Putney entirely. This affects four of the station’s regular hourly services.

The **24-25 January** weekend sees Weybridge services diverted via Twickenham to avoid the Hounslow Loop, again bypassing Putney. Two trains per hour will be affected.

A third weekend of disruption runs **31 January-1 February** with reduced and amended services to Waterloo, though specific details for Putney routes have not yet been confirmed by SWR.

#### Your alternatives

East Putney station on the District Line is unaffected by the works and provides direct services to central London via Earl’s Court and Westminster.

Bus route 39 runs from Putney Bridge to Clapham Junction every 10 minutes, taking approximately 45-50 minutes. Routes 337 and 37 also connect Putney with Clapham Junction, where passengers can connect with Southern services to Victoria.

SWR advises passengers to check journey times before travelling using the National Rail Enquiries journey planner.

#### Works aim to improve reliability

George Murrell, Route Renewals Director for South Western Railway and Network Rail Wessex, [said the Christmas works](https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/completed-full-service-resumes-between-london-waterloo-and-clapham-junction-after-upgrades-to-south-western-railway-network) will make the railway more resilient.

“The improvements will make one of the busiest stretches of railway in the country more resilient and customers can expect fewer faults and delays, together with smoother and more reliable journeys,” he said.

The 11-day Christmas closure involved more than 350 engineers working around the clock to replace switches and crossings, renew the electrified third rail, upgrade signalling and power systems, and alter platforms at Queenstown Road station.

Network Rail says concentrating the work over Christmas avoided the need for eight separate weekend closures, though the three January weekends represent additional maintenance work arising from the main programme.

Putney station was [heavily affected by the Christmas engineering works](https://putney.news/2025/12/07/replacement-buses-at-putney-station-today-and-next-sunday/), with services disrupted from 27 December to 4 January.

Passengers can find full details of the January engineering works on the [SWR planned improvements page](https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/planned-improvements/planned-engineering-works).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/06/three-weekends-of-putney-train-works-ahead-after-christmas-disruption/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/06/three-weekends-of-putney-train-works-ahead-after-christmas-disruption/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Three%20weekends%20of%20Putney%20train%20works%20ahead%20after%20Christmas%20disruption&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/06/three-weekends-of-putney-train-works-ahead-after-christmas-disruption/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** January engineering works, Network Rail, Putney Bridge junction, Putney station, Putney train works, South Western Railway, train disruption

---

### ["I'll believe it when I see it": residents unmoved by February junction fixes](https://putney.news/2025/12/13/ill-believe-it-when-i-see-it-residents-unmoved-by-february-junction-fixes/)

**Published:** December 13, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Year of gridlock and broken trust leaves 73% skeptical despite visible council action.

**Content:**

Among 121 Putney residents who responded to a one-day poll, nearly three-quarters remain skeptical about the council’s latest promise to fix Putney Bridge junction by February, despite a year of mounting pressure and emergency interventions costing an additional £169,000.

The poll this week reveals that sustained public skepticism persists even as the council implements changes. Only 27% expressed cautious hope the February deadline would be met. The rest divided into “I’ll believe it when I see it” (38%), “scrap the junction redesign entirely” (23%), and “too little, too late” (12%).

The poll follows [months of comprehensive evidence](https://putney.news/2025/11/19/emergency-fixes-fail-to-restore-confidence-in-putney-junction/) showing the £835,000 junction redesign has failed. What the latest numbers reveal is how council inaction, followed by slow institutional response, has damaged public trust to the point where even promised fixes struggle to restore confidence.

> [Emergency fixes fail to restore confidence in Putney Junction](https://putney.news/2025/11/19/emergency-fixes-fail-to-restore-confidence-in-putney-junction/)

#### The pattern of erosion and partial recovery

Four major surveys over four months tell the story of how trust collapsed then partially recovered as the council finally responded:

**September 202**5: The Putney Action Group’s survey of 1,371 residents [found 86% gave the strongest negative response possible](https://putney.news/2025/09/12/putney-junction-redesign-a-complete-failure-say-9-out-of-10-locals/) to the junction redesign.

**October 202**5: The council commissioned its own survey, [focusing primarily on pedestrians and cyclists](https://putney.news/2025/10/10/new-survey-on-putney-bridge-junction-ignores-its-biggest-problem/) in what residents saw as an attempt to generate more positive results. It didn’t work. Even with methodology skewed toward the junction’s supposed beneficiaries, AECOM’s survey of 1,041 responses found 66.9% rated the improved pedestrian crossings and cycle lanes negatively, with only 15.1% positive.

The survey’s internal contradictions revealed the problem. The 78 paper responses completed on-site by surveyors skewed positive. But 912 online responses told a different story. Respondents acknowledged some benefits – wider pavements, crossing islands, visual improvements – but said these were “outweighed by the perceived increase in traffic congestion” with negative secondary impacts including worsened air pollution and delayed public transport. Even when the council tried to measure success on its own preferred terms, residents reported failure.

**November 202**5: After the council finally acknowledged problems and implemented £169,000 in emergency signal timing fixes, *Putney.news* conducted a comprehensive survey. Of 763 residents who responded over 60 hours, [90.5% still reported worse journeys](https://putney.news/2025/11/19/emergency-fixes-fail-to-restore-confidence-in-putney-junction/). Trust had actually eroded further. The emergency fixes had done little to restore confidence.

**December 202**5: This latest poll shows some recovery. Skepticism has fallen from 90.5% to 73% as the council implements visible changes and promises more by February. But the damage persists. After months of comprehensive evidence being ignored, followed by emergency interventions that barely helped, residents want proof before believing new promises.

The trajectory reveals institutional failure compounding technical failure: ignore overwhelming evidence, watch trust collapse, finally act, slowly recover credibility.

> [Putney junction redesign a complete failure, say 9 out of 10 locals](https://putney.news/2025/09/12/putney-junction-redesign-a-complete-failure-say-9-out-of-10-locals/)

#### What the numbers mean

The 73% skepticism combines three distinct groups. The largest (38%) takes a “show me” stance: they’ll believe the February fixes when they see them. Another 23% have given up entirely, wanting the whole junction redesigned from scratch despite the council already implementing a first wave of changes. A further 12% view the February timeline as inadequate regardless of whether it’s met.

Only 27% expressed cautious optimism that the council will deliver on its February promise and that the changes will actually work.

That nearly a quarter of residents still want complete reversal despite bus lane suspensions and promised cycle lane changes shows how deep the credibility crisis runs. The October signal timing adjustments made some improvement but still left significant problems. Residents who’ve endured over a year of gridlock aren’t impressed by slow, incremental fixes to a problem the council created.

#### The February timeline

The council has promised two more changes by early 2026. In February, the cycle-only left turn from Putney Bridge Road onto Putney High Street will be suspended after council transport lead Henry Cheung admitted usage was “relatively modest.”

In January, Bus Stop M outside TK Maxx will see carriageway widening to prevent buses blocking traffic when they stop. This week saw Putney MP Fleur Anderson celebrate the fact that BT has agreed to move two public telephones that currently prevent widening.

One change has already been implemented: the southbound bus lane outside the Odeon Cinema was suspended in December on a trial basis.

But as Cheung [warned at the November 20 transport committee](https://putney.news/2025/12/01/bus-lane-suspended-more-putney-bridge-junction-changes-due-early-2026/), “code works and signal processes” are required, plus TfL validation. “There’s a time lag,” he said, explaining why phone box removal for the TK Maxx work would take until January.

After a year of gridlock that left [elderly residents in tears at packed public meetings](https://putney.news/2025/11/14/putneys-million-pound-junction-disaster-how-approved-plans-went-wrong/), talk of time lags and signal processes doesn’t inspire confidence.

> [Putney’s million-pound junction disaster: How approved plans went wrong](https://putney.news/2025/11/14/putneys-million-pound-junction-disaster-how-approved-plans-went-wrong/)

#### Why skepticism persists

The poll was conducted the day after we [reported on a council and TfL walkabout](https://putney.news/2025/12/09/a-bus-blocked-traffic-while-officials-watched-now-they-promise-february-fixes/) at the junction. Residents responding to the poll had just read about officials watching a bus block traffic at the very junction they’d spent over a year failing to fix properly. They then lived through the [council’s transport lead blaming Margaret Thatcher](https://putney.news/2025/12/11/two-days-after-walking-putneys-gridlocked-junction-yates-blames-margaret-thatcher/) for the congestion.

The one-day poll’s 121 responses shows strong engagement on the issue. All respondents live in Putney. The needle moving from 90% negative to 73% skeptical indicates progress, but not confidence.

Residents saw comprehensive evidence ignored. They watched trust collapse as emergency fixes barely helped. Now they’re being asked to believe in February deadlines and time-lagged processes.

The largest group’s response: “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/13/ill-believe-it-when-i-see-it-residents-unmoved-by-february-junction-fixes/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/13/ill-believe-it-when-i-see-it-residents-unmoved-by-february-junction-fixes/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%9CI%E2%80%99ll%20believe%20it%20when%20I%20see%20it%E2%80%9D%3A%20residents%20unmoved%20by%20February%20junction%20fixes&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/13/ill-believe-it-when-i-see-it-residents-unmoved-by-february-junction-fixes/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** public trust, Putney Bridge junction, resident survey, traffic congestion, Wandsworth Council

---

### [New survey on Putney Bridge junction ignores its biggest problem](https://putney.news/2025/10/10/new-survey-on-putney-bridge-junction-ignores-its-biggest-problem/)

**Published:** October 10, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** New questionnaire focuses only on cyclists and pedestrians as anger grows over congestion nightmare.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has launched a new survey about the controversial Putney Bridge junction redesign – but residents say the questions are designed to avoid confronting the scheme’s biggest problem: gridlocked traffic.

Several people were spotted handing out cards around the junction yesterday morning, directing pedestrians and cyclists to an online survey about the “improvement works” completed earlier this year. The cards include a QR code linking to a [Microsoft Forms questionnaire](https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=tFrtFlkrQE6AbYowvcnPJgT_bzVQpsFIsvLG05QxOudUREc3Q01XRUowUlQ2T1AzVlpNMlRGR0hJVC4u).

But the survey has sparked anger among local residents who claim it deliberately excludes drivers and focuses only on walking and cycling experiences – despite widespread complaints that the junction changes have caused severe congestion across Putney.

The survey asks respondents to select only one mode of transport they “typically” use in the area, then focuses exclusively on pedestrian and cycling safety. Questions include “how safe do you now feel when walking or cycling through the area” and “how would you rate the changes for people walking in the area?”

There are no questions about congestion, traffic flow, or the impact on drivers – even though residents say increased queues have caused rat-running through side streets, buses getting stuck before reaching bus lanes, cyclists riding on pavements to avoid stationary traffic, and increased pollution from idling vehicles.

#### Another survey?

Residents who received the survey yesterday expressed frustration on community forums. Multiple people noted they had already completed a community survey with over 1,300 responses and questioned why the council hadn’t simply reviewed those results.

Others highlighted the methodology issues: “You’re only getting the people who are walking and not all the people stuck in their cars,” one resident noted, pointing out that surveyors weren’t covering all parts of the junction.

Residents also questioned the methodology of handing cards only to people on foot near the junction, noting that this approach inherently excludes the drivers most affected by the congestion.

The timing has particularly frustrated residents ahead of a public[ “Here to Listen” event tomorrow](https://putney.news/event/west-putney-thamesfield-meeting-with-council-leader-simon-hogg/) where council leader Simon Hogg will face questions about Putney’s traffic problems.

Local councillor Nick Austin said he has submitted a formal inquiry asking about the survey’s “target audience, KPIs, objectives, length and costs.” When asked about what he felt the Council’s survey approach, he added: “In my personal opinion, think it’s rather simple – rather than admit they were wrong and revert back they prefer to try and build a case which supports what they have done.”

The Putney Action Group, which recently presented results from its own survey of over 1,300 residents, expressed disappointment. In an email to members, the group said: “It’s disappointing that the outreach appears to be focused mainly on pedestrians and cyclists.”

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/works-survey-qrcode-768x1024.jpeg)#### Missing traffic studies

The survey controversy comes as pressure mounts on the council over its handling of the junction redesign. Local councillors have confirmed that no updated traffic modeling was carried out before the changes began – meaning the scheme was based on traffic volumes measured before Hammersmith Bridge closed in 2019.

The Putney Action Group met this week with Leonie Cooper, London Assembly Member and Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee member, who confirmed the committee is planning an investigation into Putney High Street (*Putney.news* has been [arguing the case](https://putney.news/2025/09/17/what-are-task-finish-groups-and-can-one-solve-putneys-junction-problem/) for a ‘Task & Finish Group’ for nearly a month). Cooper acknowledged the impact on buses and travel times and offered to facilitate a meeting with TfL.

The junction redesign introduced a segregated cycle lane on Putney Bridge, larger pedestrian crossing islands, and redesigned traffic lanes. The council says the changes were intended to “improve safety and accessibility for users” and reduce congestion.

However, residents report the opposite effect, with severe queues now affecting not just the junction itself but side streets across Putney, causing delays for commuters, school runs, and emergency services.

[Saturday’s public meeting](https://putney.news/event/west-putney-thamesfield-meeting-with-council-leader-simon-hogg/) takes place at St Margaret’s Putney, Putney Park Lane, from 11am to 1pm. Residents are encouraged to submit questions in advance to .

The council’s survey [remains open online](https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=tFrtFlkrQE6AbYowvcnPJgT_bzVQpsFIsvLG05QxOudUREc3Q01XRUowUlQ2T1AzVlpNMlRGR0hJVC4u) at the time of writing.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/10/10/new-survey-on-putney-bridge-junction-ignores-its-biggest-problem/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/10/10/new-survey-on-putney-bridge-junction-ignores-its-biggest-problem/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=New%20survey%20on%20Putney%20Bridge%20junction%20ignores%20its%20biggest%20problem&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/10/10/new-survey-on-putney-bridge-junction-ignores-its-biggest-problem/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Putney Action Group, Putney Bridge junction, Wandsworth Council

---

### [TfL to install new traffic light system at Putney Bridge junction on October 27](https://putney.news/2025/10/18/tfl-to-install-new-traffic-light-system-at-putney-bridge-junction-on-october-27/)

**Published:** October 18, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Major changes to bus stops also planned as transport bosses respond to months of congestion complaints.

**Content:**

Transport for London will install new traffic control chips at the Putney Bridge junction on October 27, alongside plans to remove or relocate several problematic bus stops, following pressure from MP Fleur Anderson and frustrated residents.

The announcement came during a meeting Thursday evening between Anderson and senior TfL managers, where transport officials agreed to multiple measures aimed at tackling the area’s chronic traffic problems.

The new chips will be hardwired into the traffic lights and will adjust signal timing based on traffic flow data TfL has been collecting in recent months. The technology is designed to create better traffic flow patterns through one of south-west London’s most congested junctions.

“We’ve secured real action on the traffic problems that have been plaguing Putney for months,” Anderson told *Putney.news* on Friday. “TfL has not only committed to the new traffic light system but also agreed to deal with four bus stops that are major contributors to the congestion.”

#### Bottlenecks taken on

The bus stop changes target known bottlenecks across the area. TfL will modify stops at four locations: outside TK Maxx on Putney High Street, where stopped buses currently prevent traffic from reaching the main High Street junction; near the Putney Odeon cinema, identified as another chokepoint; and two stops on Lower Richmond Road closest to Putney Bridge, where buses conducting driver changeovers block the entire traffic flow.

One of the Lower Richmond Road stops will be removed entirely to improve traffic flow. While the move may frustrate some passengers who use these stops, transport officials believe the congestion relief will justify the inconvenience.

Anderson told us she is also pushing for a potentially significant change to bus operations, urging TfL to relocate driver changeover points from Lower Richmond Road to Putney Common – a solution residents have advocated for months. Currently, buses stopping for extended periods during driver shifts create substantial blockages on the already narrow Lower Richmond Road.

The contracts specify where changeover points are located, but TfL has powers to make temporary shifts to address congestion, Anderson noted. “I’m urging them to use those powers now.”

The October 27 installation date for the new traffic light system offers the first concrete timeline for addressing Putney’s traffic crisis, which has seen increasing complaints from residents and businesses about journey times and air quality.

TfL has not yet provided estimates for how much the new system might reduce journey times or when the bus stop changes will be implemented.

If the changes work, they won’t solve the fundamental traffic problems facing Putney, namely the fact that Hammersmith Bridge is still closed after six years, and a redesigned Putney Bridge junction prioritises buses and bicycles to such a degree that car congestion in unbearable, but they may provide some much-needed relief.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/10/18/tfl-to-install-new-traffic-light-system-at-putney-bridge-junction-on-october-27/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/10/18/tfl-to-install-new-traffic-light-system-at-putney-bridge-junction-on-october-27/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=TfL%20to%20install%20new%20traffic%20light%20system%20at%20Putney%20Bridge%20junction%20on%20October%2027&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/10/18/tfl-to-install-new-traffic-light-system-at-putney-bridge-junction-on-october-27/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** bus, Fleur Anderson MP, Putney Bridge junction, Putney High Street, TfL, traffic

---

### [Two days after walking Putney's gridlocked junction, Yates blames Margaret Thatcher](https://putney.news/2025/12/11/two-days-after-walking-putneys-gridlocked-junction-yates-blames-margaret-thatcher/)

**Published:** December 11, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Cabinet member's traffic response: anecdotes, deflection, and "Putney has always been congested"

**Content:**

Two days after walking Putney Bridge junction with frustrated residents, Wandsworth’s transport cabinet member responded to a motion on traffic chaos by citing a single morning’s travel through Wandsworth High Street and launching into a tangent about Margaret Thatcher’s privatisation of Thames Water.

Cllr Jenny Yates made no mention of [Monday’s walkabout](https://putney.news/2025/12/09/a-bus-blocked-traffic-while-officials-watched-now-they-promise-february-fixes/) during her response to the Conservative motion at last night’s full council meeting. Instead, she told councillors that “Putney High Street has been congested for many, many years” – a dismissal that will land badly with residents who have spent 18 months documenting a crisis that [91% say has made their journeys worse](https://putney.news/2025/11/21/transport-committee-hears-overwhelming-junction-failure-evidence-discusses-pedestrian-counts/).

The exchange illustrated the gulf between how councillors discuss traffic in the chamber and what residents experience on the roads.

#### The Conservative motion

Cllr Emmeline Owens brought a motion declaring that “gridlock is having a serious, ongoing impact on residents and businesses” and that “there is no credible or publicly articulated plan” to address it.

Owens acknowledged Monday’s walkabout – “the right thing to do” – before noting “it has taken far too long to get to this point.” She spoke as a parent stuck in queues trying to get her children to sports fixtures: “I know the frustration when a 10-minute journey takes an hour.”

Her speech called for the council to “openly challenge” the Mayor of London and Hammersmith & Fulham’s traffic management, and criticised what she called an “ideological fantasy” that “you can simply keep turning the screws on drivers to reach a car-free nirvana.”

“To be clear, this vision is a myth, and you’ll keep hurting people as long as you cling to what is an unserious and disqualifying ideological fantasy,” Owens said. “It’s not a serious way to run a city and frankly cruel.”

The language was strong – perhaps too strong to build the cross-party consensus residents have repeatedly asked for. But the underlying point about ideology overriding evidence deserved a serious response.

> [Putney residents unleash damning legal challenge over traffic nightmare](https://putney.news/2025/09/18/putney-residents-unleash-damning-legal-challenge-over-traffic-nightmare/)

#### What Yates said instead

Yates opened with data showing car ownership has fallen while population increased, and that vehicle mileage remains below pre-COVID levels. Then came the anecdote.

“In November last year, I went down Wandsworth High Street and it was gridlocked,” she said. “This morning I went through there and the traffic was flowing freely. So what was going on last November? Emergency works by Thames Water.”

This led to a tangent about Thames Water’s privatisation under “a Tory government, the Thatcher government” – an odd diversion in a debate about Putney Bridge junction, which has nothing to do with water utilities and everything to do with [signal timing failures and design flaws](https://putney.news/2025/11/14/putneys-million-pound-junction-disaster-how-approved-plans-went-wrong/) that have been documented for over a year.

On Putney specifically, Yates acknowledged the junction scheme “caused unexpected congestion on Lower Richmond Road and Putney Bridge Road” – the closest she came to admitting the scale of the problem. But she immediately pivoted to blame: “The scheme your party initiated.”

She then offered the line that will frustrate residents most: “Putney High Street has been congested for many, many years, Councillor Owens.”

This dismisses a year of [resident campaigns](https://putney.news/2025/09/18/putney-residents-unleash-damning-legal-challenge-over-traffic-nightmare/), [survey evidence](https://putney.news/2025/09/11/putney-junction-redesign-a-complete-failure-say-9-out-of-10-locals/), [legal threats](https://putney.news/2025/09/18/putney-residents-unleash-damning-legal-challenge-over-traffic-nightmare/), and [public meetings](https://putney.news/2025/10/08/putney-traffic-chaos-to-take-centre-stage-at-saturday-showdown-with-council-leader/) as nothing more than complaints about business as usual. It suggests that 18 months of documented crisis is simply how Putney has always been – a claim that residents who remember life before the junction redesign know to be false.

> [Transport committee hears overwhelming junction failure evidence, discusses pedestrian counts](https://putney.news/2025/11/21/transport-committee-hears-overwhelming-junction-failure-evidence-discusses-pedestrian-counts/)

#### A pattern of anecdotal dismissal

Yates’ reliance on personal observation to counter systematic evidence follows a pattern. At November’s Transport Committee meeting, [one cycling advocate’s personal experience](https://putney.news/2025/11/21/transport-committee-hears-overwhelming-junction-failure-evidence-discusses-pedestrian-counts/) – that she personally finds the junction “much nicer” – was given equal weight to survey evidence from 51 cyclists showing 77% found their journeys worse.

Last night, Yates’ anecdote about one morning’s drive through Wandsworth High Street was offered as counterweight to over 1,700 survey responses documenting the junction’s failures.

This is not how serious transport policy is made. Anecdotes are not data. One good morning does not erase a year of gridlock. And the plural of anecdote is not evidence – it’s just more anecdotes.

#### What she didn’t say

Notably absent from Yates’ response:

- Any mention of Monday’s walkabout with TfL, residents, and council officials
- The February package of fixes being prepared for Transport Committee
- The bus layby work scheduled for January
- The experimental traffic orders being considered for side roads
- Any concrete timeline for improvements

Three days earlier, she had walked the junction, heard residents’ frustrations, and watched as [a bus blocked traffic](https://putney.news/2025/12/09/a-bus-blocked-traffic-while-officials-watched-now-they-promise-february-fixes/) directly in front of TfL officials. Last night, none of that appeared in her response. Instead: Thatcher, anecdotes, and “always been congested.”

#### The engagement gap

The walkabout on Monday represented genuine progress – cabinet members and TfL staff spending 90 minutes on the ground, hearing directly from residents, watching the problems unfold in real time. Officials acknowledged communication “isn’t good” and committed to a comprehensive February package.

But the gap between that Monday engagement and last night’s chamber rhetoric raises questions about whether anything has changed. If the walkabout mattered, why wasn’t it worth mentioning? If 18 months of resident frustration registered, why dismiss it as “always been congested”?

Residents aren’t asking for miracles. They’re asking to be heard – and to hear back that their concerns are understood, not deflected with anecdotes and ancient political history.

The traffic won’t improve because councillors score points off each other in the chamber. It will improve when systematic evidence is taken seriously, when timelines are set and met, and when the people who make transport decisions understand what residents actually experience.

On that measure, tonight’s debate achieved nothing.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/11/two-days-after-walking-putneys-gridlocked-junction-yates-blames-margaret-thatcher/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/11/two-days-after-walking-putneys-gridlocked-junction-yates-blames-margaret-thatcher/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Two%20days%20after%20walking%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20gridlocked%20junction%2C%20Yates%20blames%20Margaret%20Thatcher&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/11/two-days-after-walking-putneys-gridlocked-junction-yates-blames-margaret-thatcher/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Cllr Jenny Yates, full council meeting, Putney Bridge junction, traffic congestion, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Bus lane suspended, more Putney Bridge junction changes due early 2026](https://putney.news/2025/12/01/bus-lane-suspended-more-putney-bridge-junction-changes-due-early-2026/)

**Published:** December 1, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Unused cycle facility and TK Maxx congestion point next on the list.

**Content:**

Changes to ease Putney Bridge junction gridlock are rolling out, with one measure already implemented and two more scheduled for early 2026.

#### Bus lane suspension – done

The southbound bus lane outside the Odeon Cinema has been suspended on a trial basis. The problem: during evening peak, traffic wanting to turn left onto Putney Bridge Road couldn’t use the bus lane, creating congestion that backed up onto both Putney Bridge and Lower Richmond Road.

TfL is now monitoring whether the suspension improves flow.

Whether it helps enough remains to be seen. When buses stop outside the Odeon, cars still struggle to pass – meaning some of the same backup occurs regardless of lane markings.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/unused-bicycle-lane-putney-high-street-768x1024.png)The cycle-only left turn from Putney Bridge Road sees minimal use. Cyclists who want to make this movement use the pedestrian crossing instead.#### Cycle lane suspension – February 2026

The cycle-only left turn from Putney Bridge Road onto Putney High Street will be suspended in February 2026. The facility was designed to let cyclists turn left and access Felsham Road, a quiet westbound route, with a separation island installed for protection.

Almost nobody uses it.

Council transport lead Henry Cheung described usage as “relatively modest” at the November 20th transport committee meeting. AECOM’s post-implementation study confirmed minimal cyclist usage. Meanwhile, the cycle-only signal phase reduces green time for motor vehicles turning right from Putney Bridge Road – time the junction desperately needs.

Survey videos show cyclists who want to make this movement simply use the pedestrian crossing and western pavement instead.

The council is exploring whether to reintroduce the facility later with a redesign that wouldn’t cost vehicle green time.

![Pavement outide TK Maxx on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/pavement-outside-tkmaxx-putney-high-street-1024x768.png)#### Bus Stop M (TK Maxx) – January 2026

The most visible daily cause of congestion – Bus Stop M outside TK Maxx, also called “Putney Exchange” – is scheduled for changes in January 2026.

The problem is severe: when buses stop, there’s insufficient carriageway width for vehicles to pass. This happens dozens of times daily. We captured it again Sunday evening. It’s particularly bad during bus driver changeovers, when buses sit stationary for extended periods.

The solution involves widening the carriageway by reducing footways opposite TK Maxx and removing two phone boxes.

However, Cheung warned at the transport committee that this takes time. “Code works and signal processes” are required, plus TfL validation. There’s a time lag in getting phone boxes removed.

The logic: resolving this friction point could allow more green time to be reallocated to Lower Richmond Road and Putney Bridge Road, because traffic would flow better on the High Street itself.

![Buses stuck on Putney High Street at Bus Stop M](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/bus-congestion-tkmaxx-putney-high-street-1024x768.png)Bus Stop M outside TK Maxx: when buses stop, traffic backs up behind them. Carriageway widening is scheduled for January 2026.#### What’s actually happening

Eighteen months after the £1 million junction redesign created gridlock, the council is methodically scaling back its own work: suspending bus lanes, removing cycle infrastructure nobody uses, and widening roads to let traffic pass stationary buses.

These are part of the £169,000 emergency measures to fix problems created by the original scheme – which 91% of residents say made their journeys worse.

The changes are incremental. The timelines stretch into 2026. Whether they’re enough remains to be seen.

**Have you noticed any improvement since the bus lane suspension? What other changes would help? Email us at  or comment below.**

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/01/bus-lane-suspended-more-putney-bridge-junction-changes-due-early-2026/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/01/bus-lane-suspended-more-putney-bridge-junction-changes-due-early-2026/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Bus%20lane%20suspended%2C%20more%20Putney%20Bridge%20junction%20changes%20due%20early%202026&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/01/bus-lane-suspended-more-putney-bridge-junction-changes-due-early-2026/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Bus Stop M, Henry Cheung, Putney Bridge junction, traffic congestion, Wandsworth transport

---

### [Have your say: What do you really think about the Putney Bridge junction?](https://putney.news/2025/11/16/have-your-say-what-do-you-really-think-about-putney-bridge-junction/)

**Published:** November 16, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Following our investigation into how the £835,000 redesign was approved, we need to hear from you. Poll closes Tuesday.

**Content:**

Over the past week, we’ve published detailed investigations revealing how Putney Bridge junction ended up the way it is. We’ve uncovered TfL’s rejection of safer designs, signal timing failures that cost drivers up to 21 seconds per cycle, and questions about whether residents ever had a real say.

Now it’s your turn.

This poll takes about 3 minutes. Your answers will help us understand what the community actually thinks about how this project was handled – and what should happen next.

**Why your response matters:**

We’ll publish the results early next week alongside our analysis. These findings will inform our ongoing coverage and our conversations with both the council and TfL. When hundreds of residents speak clearly about accountability, decision-making, and priorities, it’s harder for officials to dismiss concerns or avoid answering tough questions.

Each question includes background information to help you understand the context. If you’re not sure about something, click the expandable sections for more detail.

**The poll has now closed. The results are below**.

Q1. TfL rejected a 'CYCLOPS' junction design that would have been significantly safer for cyclists. Were you aware of this?

 5%(36 votes)

 Yes, I knew about this 

 89%(681 votes)

 No, this is news to me 

 6%(46 votes)

 I'd heard rumors but didn't know details 

Total Votes: 763

Q2. Before construction began, there's no evidence the council conducted a broad public consultation on the junction redesign. What's your reaction?

 80%(614 votes)

 Unacceptable - residents should have been consulted 

 9%(69 votes)

 Reasonable - technical projects don't need public input 

 2%(17 votes)

 Understandable given time/funding constraints 

 8%(63 votes)

 Need more information 

Total Votes: 763

Q3. Should Transport for London have veto power over junction designs on Putney High Street, even though it's a council-maintained road?

 12%(88 votes)

 Yes - TfL manages London's strategic road network and needs this control 

 39%(299 votes)

 No - local councils should have final say on their own roads 

 32%(243 votes)

 Yes, but there should be a formal challenge/appeal process 

 17%(133 votes)

 I don't know enough about how this works 

Total Votes: 763

Q4. AECOM's October 2025 review found the junction's signals weren't programmed as designed, causing 10-21 seconds of lost green time per cycle. Who should be held primarily accountable?

 24%(181 votes)

 Wandsworth Council (they commissioned and approved it) 

 16%(120 votes)

 Transport for London (they signed off on the signals) 

 5%(35 votes)

 AECOM (the engineering consultants who designed it) 

 9%(66 votes)

 The signal contractor who programmed it 

 47%(361 votes)

 Shared responsibility across all parties 

Total Votes: 763

Q5. The council has suggested increased traffic from Hammersmith Bridge's closure contributed to Putney's problems. Based on the data, how convincing do you find this explanation?

 34%(263 votes)

 Very convincing - Hammersmith Bridge closure clearly made things worse 

 30%(226 votes)

 Somewhat convincing - it probably had some impact 

 27%(204 votes)

 Not convincing - the data shows minimal Hammersmith Bridge traffic came to Putney 

 9%(70 votes)

 I haven't seen enough data to judge 

Total Votes: 763

Q6. Given everything that's emerged, what action would you most like to see? (Select up to TWO)

 52%(397 votes)

 Revisit whether better designs are now possible 

 39%(294 votes)

 Establish a Task & Finish Group to investigate what went wrong and recommend improvements 

 42%(324 votes)

 Focus resources on fixing the signal timing and monitoring results 

 9%(67 votes)

 Require TfL to publish formal criteria for approving/rejecting designs 

 23%(176 votes)

 Establish a residents' oversight group for future transport projects 

 2%(13 votes)

 Accept the current situation and move on 

Total Votes: 763

Q7. Overall, how has the junction redesign affected your journeys?

 81%(615 votes)

 Much worse 

 10%(76 votes)

 Somewhat worse 

 4%(28 votes)

 No real change 

 2%(15 votes)

 Somewhat better 

 1%(5 votes)

 Much better 

 3%(24 votes)

 I don't regularly use this junction 

Total Votes: 763

Q8. How do you typically travel through Putney?

 23%(178 votes)

 Primarily by car 

 7%(51 votes)

 Primarily by bicycle 

 17%(131 votes)

 Primarily on foot 

 17%(127 votes)

 Primarily by bus 

 36%(275 votes)

 Fairly even mix of modes 

Total Votes: 762

Q9. Where do you live?

 93%(710 votes)

 Putney 

 4%(30 votes)

 Elsewhere in Wandsworth 

 3%(23 votes)

 Elsewhere in London 

 0%(0 votes)

 Outside London 

Total Votes: 763

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/11/16/have-your-say-what-do-you-really-think-about-putney-bridge-junction/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/11/16/have-your-say-what-do-you-really-think-about-putney-bridge-junction/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Have%20your%20say%3A%20What%20do%20you%20really%20think%20about%20the%20Putney%20Bridge%20junction%3F&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/11/16/have-your-say-what-do-you-really-think-about-putney-bridge-junction/)

**Categories:** Community, Transport

**Tags:** Putney Bridge junction, Putney traffic, traffic, Transport for London, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Residents challenge council's defence of Putney Bridge junction at second walkabout](https://putney.news/2026/01/17/residents-challenge-councils-defence-of-putney-bridge-junction-at-second-walkabout/)

**Published:** January 17, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Timing changes implemented, bus stop talks described as "ongoing battle" with TfL.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council engineers met with frustrated residents on Friday morning for a second walkabout focused on the troubled Putney Bridge junction, with officials outlining recent timing changes while residents continued to challenge the council’s defence of the controversial redesign.

The walkabout, arranged at the request of Lower Richmond Road residents who have been sending the council a steady stream of complaints, brought together four local residents, representatives from the Putney Action Group, Conservative councillor Ethan Brooks (Thamesfield), and Putney MP Fleur Anderson, who attended the first 20 minutes. Three council traffic and engineering officers led the discussion: Henry Cheung, Assistant Director of Engineering and Nick O’Donnell, Director of Traffic Engineering. TfL did not attend.

The group met at 9:30am at the coffee bar on the corner of Weiss Road and Lower Richmond Road, one of the worst-affected areas for congestion since the [junction redesign was completed](https://claude.ai/2024/12/putney-bridge-works-complete/) in late 2024.

Cheung walked through the council’s recent efforts to improve the situation. Most significantly, timing changes implemented last weekend have given more green seconds to vehicles on Putney Bridge Road, which currently experiences the worst congestion leading back into the junction. Similar changes were made for Lower Richmond Road in October, and Cheung said the combined adjustments mean timing is now “nearly back to” pre-junction levels.

![Group discussion over traffic on Lower Richmond Road with council staff.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/walkabout-coffee-shop-1024x768.png)Group discussion over traffic on Lower Richmond Road with council staff.The carriageway widening outside TK Maxx, which has been repeatedly delayed, now has a target date of 26 January. BT phone boxes are being relocated to make space for the work, with planning permission already submitted.

However, the walkabout also exposed continuing tensions between how the council views the junction and how residents experience it.

Cheung described the junction as “much more compliant” based on data, a framing that drew immediate pushback from residents. They questioned what “compliance” means when they face heavy congestion daily and struggle to exit their own roads during peak times.

The council defended the redesign in familiar terms, pointing to what O’Donnell described as a “horrific pedestrian environment” before the changes. Residents disputed this too, arguing that the new pedestrian islands are confusing and that people still run across the road regardless.

The contentious left-turn lane reduction from Lower Richmond Road onto Putney Bridge remains a sticking point. The redesign reduced what was two lanes to one, with a mandatory island between left and right turns required under TfL rules. The council maintains this makes little difference because there is only one lane over Putney Bridge anyway due to the bus lane. Residents strongly disagreed, pointing to lighter congestion when two lanes existed.

![Traffic discussion at the Putney Bridge junction](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/walkabout-1-768x1024.png)Two-lane traffic discussion at the Putney Bridge junctionThe bus stop outside Kenilworth Court on Lower Richmond Road also remains problematic. Despite attempts to relocate it, buses continue stopping at or near the old location, causing backups. Cheung described efforts to resolve this with TfL as “an ongoing battle” and said discussions with bus operators about driver changeover locations have been “really difficult.”

TfL’s role in the junction’s problems came up repeatedly. The transport authority vetoed several earlier designs and imposed the current layout under deadline pressure for funding. The council expressed frustration at being caught between TfL constraints and resident complaints.

Despite the tensions, the walkabout represented genuine engagement. Cheung came prepared with diagrams showing various options the council is considering for improving traffic flow around the junction and surrounding streets, and asked for resident feedback.

The Putney Action Group has launched a [new survey](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZvH266gf2T9TSdDVf6zeMa0W9OBPX6-M51YhZOKH0GmjYDw/viewform) to measure whether the recent changes have improved residents’ experience. The group’s [previous survey of 1,371 residents](https://claude.ai/2025/09/12/putney-junction-redesign-a-complete-failure-say-9-out-of-10-locals/) found 86% described the junction as a “disaster.” Results will inform the group’s ongoing discussions with the council and TfL.

The [council’s junction page](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/business-and-licensing/town-centres/putney/putney-bridge-junction-changes-improvement-works/) provides updates on planned improvements.

**If you feel strongly about Putney’s traffic issues, you should [spend a few minutes filling the latest PAB survey](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZvH266gf2T9TSdDVf6zeMa0W9OBPX6-M51YhZOKH0GmjYDw/viewform) asking about how you feel the changes made so far have impacted you.**

![The walkabout group for Lower Richmond Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/walkabout-council-768x1024.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/17/residents-challenge-councils-defence-of-putney-bridge-junction-at-second-walkabout/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/17/residents-challenge-councils-defence-of-putney-bridge-junction-at-second-walkabout/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Residents%20challenge%20council%E2%80%99s%20defence%20of%20Putney%20Bridge%20junction%20at%20second%20walkabout&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/17/residents-challenge-councils-defence-of-putney-bridge-junction-at-second-walkabout/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Henry Cheung, Lower Richmond Road, Putney Action Group, Putney Bridge junction, TfL, traffic congestion, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Spotted a driverless car in Putney? Here's what you need to know](https://putney.news/2026/01/18/spotted-a-driverless-car-in-putney-heres-what-you-need-to-know/)

**Published:** January 18, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Google's Waymo testing robotaxis across Wandsworth ahead of 2026 London launch.

**Content:**

Putney residents may have noticed something unusual on local streets in recent weeks: white Jaguar SUVs with boxy sensor equipment on the roof, driving themselves around SW15.

Google’s self-driving car company Waymo began testing its robotaxis across Wandsworth in December, running 24 hours a day as it maps local roads ahead of a commercial passenger service launching this spring. The vehicles currently have human safety drivers onboard, but the plan is to remove them once testing is complete.

---

**If you spot a Waymo Putney vehicle,[ let us know](https://putney.news/send-your-story-mobile/ "Send your story"). We’re tracking where they’re being seen across SW15.**

---

The technology promises a future where you can hail a taxi with no driver, book it via an app, and be driven around by artificial intelligence. Waymo says its cars have completed over 10 million paid rides in America with crash rates 90% lower than human drivers.

But the American experience also carries warnings. Just before Christmas, a power cut in San Francisco paralysed dozens of Waymo vehicles at junctions across the city, blocking traffic and slowing emergency response to fires. The mayor had to phone Waymo’s chief executive directly to get the cars removed from roads.

#### What service will Waymo bring to Putney?

The robotaxis work like Uber, but with no driver. You book via the Waymo app, the car drives itself to your location, you get in, and it takes you to your destination. The vehicles are fully electric Jaguar I-Pace SUVs equipped with cameras, radar and lidar sensors that can detect objects up to 500 metres away.

Wandsworth is one of 20 London boroughs where Waymo is conducting testing, including Westminster, Camden, Greenwich and Hammersmith & Fulham. The exact launch date depends on government approval, but Waymo has said publicly it plans to offer paid rides “in spring 2026.”

The company has been running commercial services in Phoenix since 2020 and now completes around 450,000 paid rides per week across America. Waymo’s arrival puts it in competition with Wayve, a British company partnering with Uber to launch its own driverless service in London this spring.

![Waymo car sensors](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/waymo-top-1024x683.png)#### The San Francisco blackout that stopped Waymo cold

On 20 December, a fire at an electricity substation knocked out power to about a third of San Francisco. Traffic lights went dark, and Waymo’s robotaxis couldn’t cope.

The vehicles are programmed to treat broken traffic lights as four-way stops, but they also request “confirmation checks” from remote operators before proceeding. The scale of the outage created what Waymo called a “concentrated spike” that overwhelmed its support system. Robotaxis lined up behind other stalled robotaxis, compounding the blockages.

The city’s 311 hotline received 20 reports about robotaxis blocking traffic. San Francisco Supervisor Bilal Mahmood said the stalled vehicles slowed fire department response to two separate fires. Mayor Daniel Lurie called Waymo’s chief executive to demand immediate removal of vehicles from roads.

Waymo has since issued fleet-wide software updates to give vehicles “specific power outage context” and expanded its emergency protocols.

#### Learning from American incidents

Other incidents have made headlines in America, though it’s worth noting that because robotaxis are so new, every mishap gets reported. When did you last read about a regular car hitting a cat? It happens every day but isn’t news.

Still, the incidents are instructive. A Waymo struck and killed a San Francisco cat in October, exposing a technological blind spot: self-driving cars lack “object permanence,” so anything falling under the vehicle cannot be seen. American safety regulators investigated 25 incidents where Waymo vehicles illegally passed stopped school buses with flashing red lights, prompting a voluntary software recall. A cyclist suffered brain and spine injuries in February when a Waymo passenger opened a door into a bike lane.

American parents are already sending children to school in Waymos. The company launched “Waymo Teen” in Phoenix in July for riders aged 14 to 17, with parental controls and 24/7 support. It’s not available in California, where state law prohibits transporting unaccompanied minors under 18, but that hasn’t stopped parents doing it anyway. A San Francisco venture capitalist reported sending his two middle schoolers in Waymo “two to four times a month” since 2023.

The argument in favour: no driver means no risk of assault or harassment. The argument against: what happens if the car crashes with a teenager inside and no adult present? There’s no indication whether this service will come to London, and UK regulations remain unclear.

![Waymo driving seat](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/waymo-driving-1024x684.png)#### The safety question: promising but incomplete data

Waymo reports impressive statistics from 127 million autonomous miles through September: 90% fewer crashes causing serious injury compared with human drivers, 92% fewer pedestrian crashes with injuries, and 83% fewer cyclist crashes with injuries. Insurance giant Swiss Re, using Waymo-provided data, found 88% fewer property damage claims and 92% fewer bodily injury claims versus human drivers.

But independent researchers caution these figures come with significant caveats. The comparison is only valid for the restricted urban conditions where Waymo operates – fair weather, well-mapped streets, no rural roads or motorways. An analysis by the RAND Corporation found that proving autonomous vehicles are safer than humans at preventing fatalities would require billions of miles of driving data; Waymo has accumulated roughly 1-2% of that threshold.

More concerning are specific documented weaknesses. A University of Central Florida study found Waymo vehicles showed 5.25 times higher crash rates than human drivers in dawn and dusk lighting conditions, and nearly twice the rate during turning manoeuvres. Virginia researchers found robotaxis are struck from behind 4.8 times more often than human-driven vehicles, likely because their cautious, rule-following behaviour creates conflicts with aggressive human drivers.

The honest assessment: autonomous vehicles appear roughly equivalent to – and in some scenarios safer than – human drivers in the limited conditions where they currently operate, but claims of dramatic overall superiority remain scientifically premature. The question for Putney is whether American urban results translate to London’s narrow Victorian streets, complex traffic patterns and unpredictable weather.

*If you see a Waymo testing in Putney, [please let us know](https://putney.news/contact-us/ "Contact us"). More information is available at [waymo.com/waymo-in-uk](https://waymo.com/waymo-in-uk).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/18/spotted-a-driverless-car-in-putney-heres-what-you-need-to-know/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/18/spotted-a-driverless-car-in-putney-heres-what-you-need-to-know/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Spotted%20a%20driverless%20car%20in%20Putney%3F%20Here%E2%80%99s%20what%20you%20need%20to%20know&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/18/spotted-a-driverless-car-in-putney-heres-what-you-need-to-know/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** autonomous vehicles, driverless cars, electric vehicles, google, robotaxis, technology, Transport, Wandsworth Council, waymo

---

### [10,000 Wandsworth postal voters have two weeks left to renew or lose their vote](https://putney.news/2026/01/18/10000-wandsworth-postal-voters-have-two-weeks-left-to-renew-or-lose-their-vote/)

**Published:** January 18, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Council says most residents have renewed but thousands still haven't responded to final notices.

**Content:**

Around 10,000 Wandsworth residents who vote by post have not yet renewed their postal vote arrangement and have until 31 January to do so or risk being unable to vote by post in May’s council elections.

Wandsworth Council said it began with 38,000 postal voters needing to renew under new rules introduced by the Elections Act 2022, which requires postal vote arrangements to be renewed every three years. After multiple rounds of letters and emails, around 10,000 have still not responded.

“Thanks to the tens of thousands of residents who have made a new application,” the council said. “For anyone who has not responded yet, there is still time. They can either apply online or complete the paper application that has been sent to them.”

Those affected have received a final notice by post in recent weeks, the council confirmed. An information leaflet was also included in canvass communications sent last autumn.

#### Signed up during the pandemic? You need to renew

The renewal requirement is expected to catch out residents who signed up during the Covid-19 pandemic and may not have opened council letters or realised the significance of the deadline. Electoral Commission research found that nearly half of all London postal voters in May 2021 were voting by post for the first time, with councils actively encouraging postal voting to reduce crowding at polling stations.

Residents who miss the 31 January deadline will still be able to vote in person at their polling station on 7 May, but will need to bring photo ID under rules introduced in 2023. They can also reapply for a postal vote up until the election deadline, though this is tighter.

To renew, residents need to [apply online at GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote), providing their National Insurance number, date of birth, and a copy of their signature. The application takes around five minutes. Those who received a paper form can complete and return that instead.

Residents unable to sign consistently due to disability can apply for a signature waiver by contacting Wandsworth’s Electoral Services team at  or by calling 020 8871 6023.

Wandsworth’s full council elections take place on 7 May 2026, with all 58 seats being contested.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/18/10000-wandsworth-postal-voters-have-two-weeks-left-to-renew-or-lose-their-vote/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/18/10000-wandsworth-postal-voters-have-two-weeks-left-to-renew-or-lose-their-vote/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=10%2C000%20Wandsworth%20postal%20voters%20have%20two%20weeks%20left%20to%20renew%20or%20lose%20their%20vote&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/18/10000-wandsworth-postal-voters-have-two-weeks-left-to-renew-or-lose-their-vote/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** Elections 2026, Electoral Services, Postal voting, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Unlicensed laser and microblading treatments discovered at Therapy Rooms](https://putney.news/2026/01/06/unlicensed-laser-and-microblading-treatments-discovered-at-therapy-rooms/)

**Published:** January 6, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Licensing hearing next week as officer raises 'serious concerns' about two Upper Richmond Road businesses.

**Content:**

***UPDATE 17 January:** The licensing hearing has been postponed to 5 March 2026. The council states this is “in the public interest that the application receives a fair hearing” after the applicant requested a new date to enable them to attend. Original story follows.*

***UPDATE 8 January:** Following contact from independent practitioners, we have added a clarification below distinguishing premises licensing obligations from individual practitioners’ qualifications. See “Note on premises licensing” section.*

---

Two beauty treatment businesses on Upper Richmond Road will face a council licensing hearing next week after an officer discovered unlicensed laser and massage treatments being provided and raised concerns about “misleading or forged documentation.”

Therapy Rooms Putney at 130-132 Upper Richmond Road and The Pilates Room at 226 Upper Richmond Road both offer treatments including laser hair removal, microblading (semi-permanent eyebrow tattooing), electrolysis and body massage. All require special licences due to risks of burns, infections and scarring if performed improperly.

Following an inspection at Therapy Rooms Putney on 20 November 2025, Wandsworth Council’s senior licensing officer objected to both businesses’ applications, stating he has “serious concerns regarding fitness and propriety.”

The director of Therapy Rooms Putney, Deborah Henley, has told the council she cannot attend the hearing on 14 January because she is abroad dealing with a family medical emergency. She is also named in the application for The Pilates Room. Neither business will have representatives at the hearing to answer councillors’ questions.

#### What the council found

The licensing officer’s inspection at Therapy Rooms Putney in November discovered that “unlicensed special treatments were recently discovered being provided.” His objection also references concerns about “misleading or forged documentation” discovered during the inspection.

In his objection to The Pilates Room’s licence renewal, the officer states that the business owner, Mario Perez, “is also the landlord for another nearby premises at Therapy Rooms Putney, 130-132 Upper Richmond Road, London, SW15 2SP where unlicensed special treatments were recently discovered being provided.”

The officer’s objection references an “ongoing investigation,” though details are redacted from the public hearing documents.

His conclusion is brief: “This objection is based on clear evidence that Mr. Mario Perez is not a fit and proper person to hold such a licence.”

During the application process, the officer contacted therapists working at Therapy Rooms Putney directly via WhatsApp. Those therapists subsequently left the premises.

#### What the businesses say

Ms Henley, director of the newly formed company operating Therapy Rooms Putney, states in her written response that higher-risk treatments have now stopped.

“Since the submission of the application and subsequent correspondence, all higher-risk treatments have ceased,” she wrote. “No laser treatments are being carried out. No massage or medium-risk treatments are being provided. Practitioners previously associated with those treatments are no longer operating from the premises.”

She describes the concerns as “historic” and states: “Therapy Rooms SW15 Limited is a newly incorporated company created specifically to ensure the premises is operated correctly, professionally, and in full compliance with licensing requirements.”

Companies House records show [Therapy Rooms SW15 Limited was incorporated on 4 May 2022](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14084584), with Ms Henley as sole director since that date.

Ms Henley’s statement says therapists who left did so following “direct regulatory contact made with individual practitioners.”

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/pilates-room-1024x575.jpg)#### The business partnership

The Pilates Room, which Mr Perez holds the licence for, argues in its written response that objections concerning Therapy Rooms Putney are “irrelevant to this renewal.”

“There is no operational link between the two businesses and no evidence of any issues or concerns at 226 Upper Richmond Road,” the response states.

Public records show a different picture. [According to business listings](https://www.openplay.co.uk/view/716/the-pilates-room-putney), The Pilates Room “was founded in 2001 by Deborah Henley and Mario Perez.” Companies House shows [The Pilates Room Ltd was incorporated in July 2007](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06323726) and has been operating from 226 Upper Richmond Road for 18 years.

#### The treatments and the risks

Both businesses offer treatments that require special licensing under the London Local Authorities Act 1991. These include laser treatments using Class 3b/4 lasers (council guidance warns the main risk is “skin burns”), microblading and micropigmentation (tattooing eyebrows and lips, with risks of infection and scarring), and electrolysis using needles and electric current.

The law requires operators to hold £2 million public liability insurance, maintain documented practitioner qualifications, obtain client consent forms and pass environmental health inspections.

The council can refuse a licence if those involved “could be reasonably regarded as not being fit and proper persons to hold such a licence” or if “the premises have been or are being improperly conducted.”

#### Note on premises licensing

Following publication, we have been contacted by independent practitioners who rent space at one of these premises.

The council’s objections relate to premises operators’ licensing obligations under the London Local Authorities Act 1991. These obligations are distinct from individual practitioners’ professional qualifications, insurance, and regulatory compliance.

Independent practitioners renting treatment rooms can hold their own qualifications and insurance separate from premises licensing requirements. Readers considering treatments should verify practitioners’ individual credentials directly.

#### What we don’t know

The specific details of what was found during the inspection, what the alleged forged or misleading documents were, what the ongoing investigation concerns, and whether there have been customer complaints or injuries are all redacted from the public hearing papers. The council justifies the redactions under Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, citing protection of personal information and business affairs.

#### The hearing

The Licensing Sub-Committee hearing will take place on Wednesday 14 January 2026 at 7pm. Residents can [watch live at democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/).

The Licensing Sub-Committee will consider the applications and can grant the licences, grant them with conditions, grant some treatments but not others, or refuse the applications entirely.

If the licences are refused, the applicants can appeal to Wandsworth Magistrates’ Court. Operating without a valid licence is a criminal offence.

Residents can ask to see a premises licence before booking treatments: it must be displayed and cover the specific treatment offered. Anyone with concerns can contact Wandsworth Licensing Team at  or 020 8891 7275.

#### Hearing postponed to March

The Licensing Sub-Committee hearing originally scheduled for 14 January 2026 has been postponed to 5 March 2026.

According to notices of adjournment issued by Wandsworth Council on 9 January, the postponement follows a request from the applicants to enable them to attend the meeting. The council states it is “in the public interest that the application receives a fair hearing.”

The hearing will now be held “out of time” under the Licensing Act 2003 (Hearings) Regulations 2005.

Both premises can continue operating under their existing arrangements pending the rescheduled hearing.

---

**UPDATE 6 January, 10pm:** An [additional document](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Supplement-Licensing-Sub-Committee-Supplementary-Agenda-14012026-1900-Licensing-Sub-Committee.pdf) \[pdf\] provided “by the Objector” has been added to the documents for this case. It comprises six pages – a cover sheet and five entirely blank pages, three left blank “intentionally” and two that state only “Document is restricted.”

**UPDATE 8 January, 2pm:** This article has been updated to add a “Note on premises licensing” section clarifying the distinction between premises operator obligations and independent practitioners.

**UPDATE 17 January:** Licensing hearing postponed to 5 March 2026 at applicants’ request.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/06/unlicensed-laser-and-microblading-treatments-discovered-at-therapy-rooms/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/06/unlicensed-laser-and-microblading-treatments-discovered-at-therapy-rooms/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Unlicensed%20laser%20and%20microblading%20treatments%20discovered%20at%20Therapy%20Rooms&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/06/unlicensed-laser-and-microblading-treatments-discovered-at-therapy-rooms/)

**Categories:** Business, East Putney, Health

**Tags:** beauty treatments, Licensing Committee, Pilates Room, Therapy Rooms, Upper Richmond Road

---

### [Berry Angry protesters and legal arguments mark first day of Wimbledon court case](https://putney.news/2026/01/17/berry-angry-protesters-and-legal-arguments-mark-first-day-of-wimbledon-court-case/)

**Published:** January 17, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** AELTC claims land was always private while Save Wimbledon Park insists it remains protected.

**Content:**

They met at Southfields tube station before 8am yesterday, dressed for the weather and holding small signs of protest. Save Our Park. Green not Greed.

The mood among Save Wimbledon Park supporters was hopeful but nervous as they prepared to set off for the Royal Courts of Justice for a second time to hear the Wimbledon court case they have been fighting for years finally begin.

Then key organiser Simon Wright arrived with an armful of protest signs on sticks, retained from previous battles with the All England Club. Some pictures and then down the Tube steps to make their way across London together, the cold January morning doing nothing to dampen their focus on the task ahead.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_7324-1024x768.jpeg)An hour later, outside the Royal Courts, the transformation was complete. Out came the costumes that had been transported in backpacks: two supporters climbed into giant wearable tennis balls – “Balls to AELTC” – while Wright emerged as a strawberry complete with “Berry Angry” placard.

It was a calculated move by residents who have don’t have the resources to compete with the tennis club in the PR game. Instead, they’ve become skilled at grabbing the moment, guaranteeing coverage while simultaneously getting their message across.

They have also learned to deflect the inevitable accusations of NIMBYism, insisting they are [defending a public park](https://putney.news/2026/01/16/wimbledon-park-court-battle-begins-today-as-national-voices-back-campaign/) against a powerful private club, not simply protecting their back gardens.

> [Five questions that will decide the future of Wimbledon Park](https://putney.news/2026/01/15/wimbledon-park-legal-explanation/)

Inside, barristers presented starkly opposing interpretations of [whether the former golf course is protected by a 150-year-old statutory trust](https://putney.news/2026/01/15/wimbledon-park-legal-explanation/).

Jonathan Karas KC, representing the All England Club, told the High Court that treating the golf course as protected public land would be “anomalous” and represent “a substantive change in the status of the land”.

“The golf course land has at all times been treated in practice as private land let to a private club,” Karas said in written submissions. “It was sold to \[the All England Club\] on that basis. It has never been laid out as a public park, nor have the public been permitted to access it for the purposes of public recreation.”

[The AELTC’s argument](https://putney.news/2026/01/14/lawyers-meet-today-ahead-of-wimbledon-park-court-battle/) centres on the claim that while Wimbledon Park itself became subject to the statutory trust in 1920s, the golf course remained privately leased throughout and was never included.

Crucially, Karas said documents from the 1993 purchase “repeatedly asserted that the London Borough of Merton was free to dispose of \[the land\] as it wished” and that the golf course “was not burdened with a statutory trust”.

Caroline Shea KC, representing Save Wimbledon Park, rejected this interpretation. The golf course land “remains an open space” and the club’s case is “flawed”, she told the court.

“The evidence does not support the sort of differential treatment between the two elements of the park that would be required to raise an inference that the golf course land was not appropriated \[as public land\] and the park was,” Shea argued.

“At its highest, all it does is show that different recreational activities were undertaken by different groups over different areas of the park.”

The hearing before Mr Justice Thompsell continues until Thursday 23 January, with a written judgment expected within two to three months.

The tennis club has [previously conceded](https://putney.news/2026/01/13/high-court-to-decide-fate-of-wimbledon-tournament-starting-friday/) that if the statutory trust is found to exist and bind them, the proposed development cannot proceed.

The case continues.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/17/berry-angry-protesters-and-legal-arguments-mark-first-day-of-wimbledon-court-case/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/17/berry-angry-protesters-and-legal-arguments-mark-first-day-of-wimbledon-court-case/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Berry%20Angry%20protesters%20and%20legal%20arguments%20mark%20first%20day%20of%20Wimbledon%20court%20case&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/17/berry-angry-protesters-and-legal-arguments-mark-first-day-of-wimbledon-court-case/)

**Categories:** Environment, Planning, Southfields

**Tags:** AELTC, Caroline Shea KC, High Court, Jonathan Karas KC, Public Health Act 1875, Save Wimbledon Park, Simon Wright, statutory trust, Wimbledon court case, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Three arrested after Wandsworth Prison drone smuggling attempt thwarted](https://putney.news/2026/01/17/three-arrested-after-wandsworth-prison-drone-smuggling-attempt-thwarted/)

**Published:** January 17, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Police intercept suspected contraband delivery in early morning operation.

**Content:**

Police arrested three men in the early hours of Tuesday morning after intercepting a suspected drone smuggling operation at HMP Wandsworth.

Officers responded to [reports of a drone flying over the prison wall](https://www.metengage.co.uk/Alerts/A/380164/RE-3-Men-arrested-on-suspicion-of-conveying-prohibited-items-into-a-prison) from the adjacent cemetery at 02:50am on January 13. When police arrived on Magdalen Road and spotted a vehicle, the occupants sped off before being stopped on Loxley Road.

All three men were detained and searched after officers detected a smell of cannabis in the vehicle. Police found a Sainsbury’s bag near the car containing a large number of wrapped items.

The three occupants were arrested on suspicion of conveying prohibited items into a prison. The seized items are being examined.

#### Active policing of persistent security threat

The incident demonstrates ongoing police efforts to prevent contraband entering the Category B prison, which houses approximately 1,500 men.

Tuesday’s arrests mark the second high-profile drone smuggling attempt at the prison in six months. In July 2025, a drone was [caught dropping a package into Wandsworth Prison](https://putney.news/2025/07/21/drone-caught-dropping-package-into-wandsworth-prison-as-security-concerns-grow/) as security concerns continued to mount.

The Metropolitan Police has urged residents to remain vigilant, asking anyone who spots a Wandsworth Prison drone or suspicious activity near HMP Wandsworth to report it immediately via 999.

The use of drones to smuggle drugs, weapons and mobile phones into prisons has become an increasingly sophisticated challenge for authorities. The early morning timing and cemetery location suggest careful planning by the suspects.

#### Latest in series of security failures

The drone interception comes as HMP Wandsworth continues to face scrutiny over security and management failures.

In November 2025, the prison’s 20th death since 2021 prompted a [damning Prisons and Probation Ombudsman report](https://putney.news/%5BURL-NEEDED%5D) highlighting healthcare failures and inadequate emergency response. The same month, a [Justice Committee report on prison overcrowding](https://putney.news/%5BURL-NEEDED%5D) specifically cited HMP Wandsworth as an example of systemic dysfunction.

The prison suffered two major security breaches in 2023 and 2025. Former soldier Daniel Khalife escaped in September 2023 by strapping himself under a food delivery van, and in November 2025 the prison [mistakenly released Algerian national Brahim Kaddour Cherif](https://putney.news/2025/11/08/mistakenly-freed-prisoner-arrested-after-wandsworth-blunder/), who was later arrested.

Tuesday’s arrests show active police monitoring of the prison perimeter, with officers apparently conducting surveillance of the cemetery area when the drone was spotted.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed the arrests but did not release the names of the three men detained. The investigation continues.

*HMP Wandsworth is located on Heathfield Road in Wandsworth. Anyone with information about suspicious activity near the prison should contact police via 999 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/17/three-arrested-after-wandsworth-prison-drone-smuggling-attempt-thwarted/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/17/three-arrested-after-wandsworth-prison-drone-smuggling-attempt-thwarted/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Three%20arrested%20after%20Wandsworth%20Prison%20drone%20smuggling%20attempt%20thwarted&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/17/three-arrested-after-wandsworth-prison-drone-smuggling-attempt-thwarted/)

**Categories:** Crime, Wandsworth Town

**Tags:** drone smuggling, HMP Wandsworth, The Met, Wandsworth Prison

---

### [Environment Agency objects to new Putney pier over flood defence concerns](https://putney.news/2026/01/17/environment-agency-objects-to-new-putney-pier-over-flood-defence-concerns/)

**Published:** January 17, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Content:**

The Environment Agency has formally objected to [plans](https://putney.news/2025/12/29/controversial-new-putney-pier-enters-final-approval-stage/) for a new Putney pier, demanding more information about how construction work could affect the area’s flood defences.

In a [letter](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/SL124388-AG-Putney-Bridge-Pier.pdf) \[pdf\] to the Marine Management Organisation dated 4 December 2025, the agency said it “objects to the development” until Thames Clippers provides detailed plans for construction work near a historic slipway on Putney Embankment.

The agency is concerned that installing a support pile adjacent to the old draw dock river wall could destabilise structures behind it that form part of the Thames Tidal Defence. “If damaged or destabilised it could impact structures behind it, which do form the flood defence, and therefore increase flood risk,” the letter states.

Thames Clippers must now submit a works design for a temporary piling platform before the objection can be lifted. The agency has also requested monitoring of the wall during construction.

The objection is one of several regulatory hurdles facing the £5.5 million project, which is currently the subject of a public consultation running until 29 January. If approved, construction would take between three and nine months.

Government scientists have also raised concerns about the application. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) [found](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20251205-MLA202500385-Putney-Pier-CD-SEAL-Advice-Final.docx) \[docx\] that sediment contamination data submitted by Thames Clippers dates from 2010, fifteen years ago. Under OSPAR guidelines, such data should be no more than three to five years old.

CEFAS has recommended that no dredging takes place until new sediment samples are analysed and the environmental assessment is updated. The MMO may attach this as a condition to any licence granted.

> [Controversial new Putney pier enters final approval stage](https://putney.news/2025/12/29/controversial-new-putney-pier-enters-final-approval-stage/)

#### Navigation authorities raise no objections

Despite the Environment Agency’s concerns, other statutory consultees have responded more favourably. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency confirmed it has “no objections to a licence being granted,” while Trinity House, Natural England and Historic England also raised no concerns.

The Port of London Authority, which must grant a separate river works licence, has not yet responded to the consultation.

The proposed Putney pier has proved controversial since Thames Clippers first applied for planning permission in 2022. Wandsworth Council approved the scheme in March 2023 despite 74 objections, including from Olympic rower Guy Pooley and British Rowing chief executive Alastair Marks, who argued the new pier could interfere with the Boat Race.

Council officers concluded that rowers would be able to pass underneath the structure and that the area’s “special recreational and sporting character” would be protected.

![The walkway to the proposed new Putney Pier](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/pier-walkway-1024x640.png)The walkway of the proposed new pier: it will be far less steep that then current pier.#### Existing pier to be refurbished

The new pier is intended to ensure continued river access at Putney while the existing pier, operated by Livett’s Launches, undergoes refurbishment. Thames Clippers states in its application that “without the new pier in place, river access to and from Putney will be lost, disrupting services for Londoners who rely on this mode of transport.”

The company says the current Putney Pier has steep gradients that fail modern accessibility requirements and becomes restricted during high tides when the river path floods. Thames Clippers describes the new structure as the first UK pier specifically designed for light freight operations alongside passenger services.

Residents can comment on the marine licence application (reference MLA/2025/00385) via the [Marine Management Organisation’s public register](https://marinelicensing.marinemanagement.org.uk/mmofox5/fox/live/MMO_PUBLIC_REGISTER) or by emailing marine.consents@marinemanagement.org.uk before 29 January.

*Putney.news reported on the [consultation opening last month](https://putney.news/2025/12/29/controversial-new-putney-pier-enters-final-approval-stage/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/17/environment-agency-objects-to-new-putney-pier-over-flood-defence-concerns/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/17/environment-agency-objects-to-new-putney-pier-over-flood-defence-concerns/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Environment%20Agency%20objects%20to%20new%20Putney%20pier%20over%20flood%20defence%20concerns&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/17/environment-agency-objects-to-new-putney-pier-over-flood-defence-concerns/)

**Categories:** Thamesfield, Transport

**Tags:** CEFAS, Environment Agency, light freight, Livett’s Launches, Marine Management Organisation, Putney embankment, Putney Pier, Thames Clippers

---

### [Wimbledon Park court battle begins today as national voices back campaign](https://putney.news/2026/01/16/wimbledon-park-court-battle-begins-today-as-national-voices-back-campaign/)

**Published:** January 16, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Save Wimbledon Park supporters gathering at Royal Courts of Justice for case that could reshape green space protection across England.

**Content:**

The High Court hearing that will determine whether the All England Lawn Tennis Club can build 39 grass courts and a 8,000-seat show court on protected parkland begins today, with campaigners calling it a watershed moment for London’s green spaces.

Save Wimbledon Park supporters are gathering at the Royal Courts of Justice from 8am as [the six-day statutory trust case gets under way](https://putney.news/2026/01/15/wimbledon-park-legal-explanation/), backed by national environmental groups who see the case as setting a crucial precedent for how councils can sell protected land.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_7329-1024x768.jpeg)The Campaign to Protect Rural England’s (CPRE) London branch, which helped establish National Parks and green belts, said the case will determine whether councils can sell parks without proper safeguards. “Should councils have unfettered powers to sell parks? We say no,” said its head of campaigns, Alice Roberts.

> “London’s parks are not for sale.”

The case follows the Supreme Court’s 2023 Day v Shropshire ruling, which established that when councils sell protected land without proper consultation, public rights survive the sale. Dr Peter Day, who brought that landmark case, said the Wimbledon Park situation is similar: “Where a local authority had sold land subject to a trust but had failed to comply with the necessary requirements including advertising the fact, the rights of the public under the statutory trust have not been extinguished.”

The Wimbledon Society has backed Save Wimbledon Park’s position. “We have worked closely with the Save Wimbledon Park campaign for many years and now welcome the opportunity to test our long-held view that the land is safeguarded by a statutory recreation trust,” said chair Kevin O’Neil.

Local resident and writer Andy Hamilton, who has opposed the development, described the AELTC’s plans bluntly:

> “They are going to decimate the park, at huge cost to the local environment and the local community.”

He continued: “The real reason is the club just wants to triple the size of the current Wimbledon tennis estate so that they can bring in more visitors and make a very rich private members club even richer.”

![The Wimbledon Park golf course before it was sold](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/wimbledon-park-golf-course-that-was-1024x683.png)The Wimbledon Park golf course before it was sold#### What the tennis club is arguing

The AELTC will counter that [the former golf course was always treated as private land](https://putney.news/2026/01/13/high-court-to-decide-fate-of-wimbledon-tournament-starting-friday/). The club points to a 1950s Ministry of Health agreement stating the golf course “had development value and was held for revenue purposes, rather than for public statutory powers.”

Legal commentators note the club appears to have shifted its position since 2023, when it initially agreed with Save Wimbledon Park’s analysis. The AELTC’s argument rests heavily on a 1961 lease, which it says was too large and too long to fall within the powers of the Wimbledon Corporation Act 1914. If that lease took the land outside the 1914 Act’s protections, the club argues, no public recreation rights were ever created.

However, that 1961 lease included Wimbledon Park Lake, which has been used by anglers since 1948 and by sailors for decades. Under the AELTC’s legal logic, the lake would also have lost its protected status and become private land in 1961, a result legal observers have raised their eyebrows over given generations of public use.

The tennis club has conceded that if the statutory trust is found to exist, its £200 million expansion plans cannot proceed.

Mr Justice Thompsell will hear evidence until 23 January, with a written judgment expected within two to three months.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/16/wimbledon-park-court-battle-begins-today-as-national-voices-back-campaign/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/16/wimbledon-park-court-battle-begins-today-as-national-voices-back-campaign/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wimbledon%20Park%20court%20battle%20begins%20today%20as%20national%20voices%20back%20campaign&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/16/wimbledon-park-court-battle-begins-today-as-national-voices-back-campaign/)

**Categories:** Environment, Planning, Southfields

**Tags:** AELTC, Andy Hamilton, CPRE London, Day v Shropshire, green space protection, High Court, Peter Day, Save Wimbledon Park, statutory trust, Wimbledon Park, Wimbledon Society

---

### [Wandsworth Council seeks eviction of Fownes Street tenant as resident forced to flee](https://putney.news/2026/01/18/wandsworth-council-seeks-eviction-of-fownes-street-tenant-as-resident-forced-to-flee/)

**Published:** January 18, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Fresh breaches of court injunction documented within days of partner's prison release.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council intends to pursue eviction proceedings against a Fownes Street tenant following continued anti-social behaviour that has forced one resident to abandon their home, *Putney.news* has learned.

The council served a Notice of Seeking Possession alongside [the injunction granted against Kevin Stratford in December](https://putney.news/2025/12/20/court-grants-injunction-against-fownes-street-tenant-after-year-of-threats-and-intimidation/), with MP Marsha de Cordova confirming the authority’s “intention to begin possession proceedings.”

The development comes as residents documented multiple breaches of the court-ordered injunction within days of Lee Preston’s release from prison on 6 January. Preston, identified by residents as Stratford’s partner and “the most disruptive and dangerous individual involved,” was arrested again on 8 January following a 6am disturbance that required emergency police response.

One resident, who *Putney.news* is calling Imran to protect his identity, has now moved out of the building, telling fellow residents he could no longer endure the situation.

His departure marks the first confirmed displacement of a resident due to the ongoing anti-social behaviour, despite over a year of documented incidents including threats to kill children, knife throwing, and climbing on the outside of the building with weapons.

#### Breaches documented within days

Since the injunction was served on 18 December, residents reported multiple violations. On 5 January, the council informed residents that Lee Preston would likely be released the following day. On 7 January, residents reported excessive noise and screaming, with one observing the behaviour showed those involved were “ignoring the judge’s orders.”

On 8 January, police responded to an emergency incident at 6am. Residents reported fighting and Preston was arrested. Further disturbances were reported later that day, with shouting heard by visitors to the building.

The injunction prohibits Stratford from using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, causing harassment, banging on doors or walls, and playing loud music.

> [Court grants injunction against Fownes Street tenant after year of threats and intimidation](https://putney.news/2025/12/20/court-grants-injunction-against-fownes-street-tenant-after-year-of-threats-and-intimidation/)

#### MP confirms eviction plans

Local MP Marsha de Cordova wrote to residents this week telling them that the council had served a Notice of Seeking Possession (NOSP) and it was their intention to begin possession proceedings.

A Notice of Seeking Possession is the formal first step in eviction proceedings. It requires the council to specify grounds for seeking possession and provide notice before court proceedings can begin.

Despite the January return hearing being scheduled when the injunction was granted, it has still not been possible to obtain a confirmed date from Wandsworth County Court despite multiple attempts by *Putney.news*, including an in-person visit. The hearing would allow Stratford to respond to the allegations for the first time and enable the court to consider additional measures, including removal of dogs from the property.

> [They learned nothing: Council repeats failures months after promising change](https://putney.news/2025/12/03/they-learned-nothing-council-repeats-failures-months-after-promising-change/)

#### Background

Deputy District Judge Davis granted the without-notice injunction on 16 December 2025 after hearing “a large body of evidence pointing to anti-social behaviour” he found “incredibly disruptive” to residents of the six-flat building at Fownes Street. The court proceeded without notifying the defendant due to concerns about potential repercussions against neighbours.

Wandsworth Council [closed an ASB Case Review in September 2025](https://putney.news/2025/12/03/they-learned-nothing-council-repeats-failures-months-after-promising-change/), marking actions as “completed” despite ongoing incidents. The pursuit of possession proceedings represents a significant escalation.

*Putney.news* has contacted Wandsworth Council for comment on the latest developments.

---

**Case Details:** The Mayor & Burgesses of the London Borough of Wandsworth vs Mr Kevin Stratford (Case reference: M02WT125). Deputy District Judge Davis presiding at Wandsworth County Court and Family Court.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/18/wandsworth-council-seeks-eviction-of-fownes-street-tenant-as-resident-forced-to-flee/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/18/wandsworth-council-seeks-eviction-of-fownes-street-tenant-as-resident-forced-to-flee/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20Council%20seeks%20eviction%20of%20Fownes%20Street%20tenant%20as%20resident%20forced%20to%20flee&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/18/wandsworth-council-seeks-eviction-of-fownes-street-tenant-as-resident-forced-to-flee/)

**Categories:** Crime, Housing

**Tags:** Anti-social behaviour, Eviction, Fownes Street, Injunction, Kevin Stratford, Lee Preston, Marsha de Cordova, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Police admit they 'usually cannot catch' car break-in criminals in Putney](https://putney.news/2026/01/16/police-admit-they-usually-cannot-catch-car-break-in-criminals-in-putney/)

**Published:** January 16, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Officers say overnight thefts leave 12-hour CCTV window that's 'impractical' to check.

**Content:**

Police in Putney have admitted they usually cannot catch the criminals responsible for car break-ins because the offences happen at night with no witnesses.

In a candid [message](https://www.metengage.co.uk/Alerts/A/378293/Local-Priorities-Theft-From-Motor-Vehicle-Message) to residents, officers from the Thamesfield Safer Neighbourhood Team said they are experiencing several vehicle break-ins each week, concentrated around Lacy Road near Putney High Street, as well as Enterprise Way and Osiers Road in the east of the ward.

The problem is that virtually all these offences take place overnight, leaving a window of up to 12 hours when the crime could have occurred. Police say checking CCTV for such a long period is impractical, so cases are normally closed immediately unless forensic evidence such as blood or clothing is found at the scene.

The common factor in most break-ins is that vehicle owners have left objects on display, usually bags that thieves assume contain valuables such as laptops or tablets.

Vehicle crime was one of the two most commonly reported offences in Thamesfield in November 2025, with 26 recorded incidents, matching shoplifting as the ward’s top crime type. Both issues have been flagged as priorities by residents.

#### How to protect your vehicle

Police are urging residents to remove all items from view, including bags, cases and even phone chargers or sat-nav mounts that suggest valuables might be inside. Parking in well-lit areas or private garages reduces risk, as does using car parks with the Park Mark safer parking accreditation.

Owners of keyless entry vehicles should keep fobs well away from doors and windows, and consider using a signal-blocking pouch such as a Faraday bag to prevent relay theft.

Residents who want to discuss crime concerns directly with local officers can attend the [Thamesfield Ward Panel meeting](https://putney.news/event/thamesfield-ward-met-police-meeting/) on 4 February at St Mary’s Church, Putney High Street, at 6:30pm.

> [Thamesfield Ward Met police meeting](https://putney.news/event/thamesfield-ward-met-police-meeting/)

Anyone with information about vehicle crime can report it at met.police.uk, call 101, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/16/police-admit-they-usually-cannot-catch-car-break-in-criminals-in-putney/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/16/police-admit-they-usually-cannot-catch-car-break-in-criminals-in-putney/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Police%20admit%20they%20%E2%80%98usually%20cannot%20catch%E2%80%99%20car%20break-in%20criminals%20in%20Putney&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/16/police-admit-they-usually-cannot-catch-car-break-in-criminals-in-putney/)

**Categories:** Crime, Thamesfield

**Tags:** car theft, Crime, crime prevention, Lacy Road, Met Police, thamesfield, vehicle crime

---

### [Southfields tenant hospitalised twice in five months as Chanteroy Replingham Road building work continues](https://putney.news/2026/01/16/southfields-tenant-hospitalised-twice-in-five-months-as-chanteroy-replingham-road-building-work-continues/)

**Published:** January 16, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Christine Walker spent six hours in A&E after returning home to find flat filled with fumes from construction below.

**Content:**

A 76-year-old Southfields woman has been hospitalised for the second time since building work began at Chanteroy’s new Replingham Road site, with the London Fire Brigade subsequently referring her to social services over concerns for her welfare.

Christine Walker spent six hours in St George’s A&E on Saturday evening after returning home to find her flat at 16A Replingham Road filled with fumes from flooring work in the commercial unit below.

When fumes were still present on Sunday morning, Ms Walker called the London Fire Brigade, who attended and referred her to social services. They told her the matter was “a job for Environmental Health”.

It was the second time construction at the site had resulted in hospitalisation. Ms Walker was admitted to A&E on 29 August 2025 with an upper respiratory infection following weeks of exposure to brick dust from demolition work.

Ms Walker said no dust extractors were provided during the demolition work and none of the usual protective measures were in place when brick walls were taken down.

The problems continued through the Christmas period, with Ms Walker cancelling Christmas Day with her family on 24 December due to paint fumes in the flat.

![The building in question on Replingham Road. Flat 16A is above the shop on the right.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/chanteroy-replingham-road-front-1024x768.png)Christine Walker has been hospitalised twice since building work began five months ago underneath her flat.The latest incident occurred on Saturday 10 January when Ms Walker returned home at 6pm to find her flat filled with what she described as overwhelming fumes from flooring adhesive being used downstairs. She called 111 for medical advice and was sent to St George’s Hospital, where she remained until 2.15am.

Wandsworth Environmental Health attended on Saturday but took no enforcement action.

“One department after another, it’s down to this one, it’s down to that one,” Ms Walker told Putney.news. “That’s what’s been going on for the last 20 weeks.”

The property at 16-18 Replingham Road is being converted from the former Barclays Bank into [a second location for French deli Chanteroy](https://putney.news/2025/12/22/replingham-road-revival-brings-new-businesses-to-southfields/), which we reported in December is part of a wave of new businesses arriving on the street.

Christophe Grison, who owns both Chanteroy and the Replingham Road property, said work began on 19 August following a 90-minute meeting with Ms Walker on 8 August to explain the plans. He said the flooring work on 10 January used only natural hard wax oil rather than toxic adhesive, and that adequate ventilation was provided with all windows and doors open.

“I can assure you Mrs Walker was not exposed to toxic fumes from a floor adhesive,” Mr Grison wrote in his response to *Putney.news*. He said council inspections including Health and Safety at Work, Environmental Services and Building Control had confirmed the work complied with the Construction Code of Practice.

![Chanteroy on Replingham Road (under construction)](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/chanteroy-replingham-road-1024x768.png)Mr Grison had previously written to Ms Walker in September offering to arrange cleaning services, temporary relocation and improved dust protection. In November, he confirmed no asbestos had been present during the work and promised completion before Christmas.

Ms Walker said she received no response after calling Mr Grison’s office on Saturday evening asking him to witness the conditions in her flat. She said the site manager has hung up the phone on her during previous attempts to communicate about the problems.

Environmental Health has visited the site multiple times since August, including shortly after Ms Walker’s first hospitalisation, but has no taken any enforcement action. The department declined to comment when approached by *Putney.news*.

Wandsworth Building Control and Planning departments have also not responded to queries.

The second half of the flooring is scheduled to be completed today, Friday, followed by six more weeks of drilling. Ms Walker said she has “nowhere to go” and is “broken” after five months of disruption.

“Every time someone has been around for the past few months, it has been ‘only another two weeks,'” she told *Putney.news*. “It’s been five months.”

Although the facade is modern, the building and flat are old with little to no barrier or insulation between the shop and the flat above which retains its original floorboards, complete with gaps. Open windows and doors provide ventilation for the work site, but extractor fans and sealed barriers are needed to prevent the dust and fumes from entering the flat above, neither of which have been used since August.

“You imagine not having a home that you can rest in,” Ms Walker told us. “You just don’t know what’s going to happen next.”

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/16/southfields-tenant-hospitalised-twice-in-five-months-as-chanteroy-replingham-road-building-work-continues/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/16/southfields-tenant-hospitalised-twice-in-five-months-as-chanteroy-replingham-road-building-work-continues/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Southfields%20tenant%20hospitalised%20twice%20in%20five%20months%20as%20Chanteroy%20Replingham%20Road%20building%20work%20continues&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/16/southfields-tenant-hospitalised-twice-in-five-months-as-chanteroy-replingham-road-building-work-continues/)

**Categories:** Business, Health, Southfields

**Tags:** accountability, Building Control, building work, Chanteroy, Christine Walker, Christophe Grison, Environmental Health, Fire Brigade, health and safety, hospitalization, Replingham Road, social services, Southfields, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Don’t worry, Tequila Mockingbird hasn’t closed](https://putney.news/2026/01/15/dont-worry-tequila-mockingbird-hasnt-closed/)

**Published:** January 15, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Putney High Street bar undergoing January upgrade with basement still serving.

**Content:**

Tequila Mockingbird is taking advantage of dark, cold, rainy January to give itself a refresh.

The Putney High Street cocktail bar has boarded up its ground floor entrance while refurbishment work takes place, but the basement bar remains fully operational. Signage directs customers downstairs, promising the upgrade will be “worth it”.

The Mexican-themed cocktail bar, which occupies a striking Victorian building near Putney Bridge, has posted notices reassuring customers that service continues as normal throughout the works.

“We are open as usual,” the signs read. “Refurbishment January upgrade in progress. Head downstairs. Our basement is open and ready to serve.”

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_7307-1024x768.jpeg)The venue features a “Late Night Tunnel Bar” in its basement level, accessible via colourfully tiled stairs. The work appears focused on the street-level entrance and upper areas, with the basement operating unaffected.

Tequila Mockingbird is part of a small chain with locations across London. The Putney branch, with its ornate black and gold Victorian frontage advertising “Daily Happy Hours” and a “Riverside Terrace”, has become a fixture on the high street.

The refurbishment comes as several Putney High Street venues have undergone changes in recent months, with some closures and new operators moving into empty units.

No completion date has been announced, though the signage indicates the work is a January project.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_7306-1024x768.jpeg) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/15/dont-worry-tequila-mockingbird-hasnt-closed/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/15/dont-worry-tequila-mockingbird-hasnt-closed/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Don%E2%80%99t%20worry%2C%20Tequila%20Mockingbird%20hasn%E2%80%99t%20closed&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/15/dont-worry-tequila-mockingbird-hasnt-closed/)

**Categories:** Business

**Tags:** Putney High Street, renovation, Tequila Mockingbird

---

### [Council tags abandoned bikes on Disraeli Road, but bigger challenge remains](https://putney.news/2026/01/15/council-tags-abandoned-bikes-on-disraeli-road-but-bigger-challenge-remains/)

**Published:** January 15, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Reporting reveals commercial storage and design flaw as question shifts to replacement or removal.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has tagged abandoned bikes on Disraeli Road for removal, ending months of visible neglect – but the bigger challenge of fixing or replacing failed infrastructure remains.

Removal tags appeared on Wednesday afternoon marking single wheels, chassis with missing wheels, and clearly abandoned bikes for removal on 21 January. Functional bikes were left untagged. The seven-day deadline – rather than the standard 14 – suggests the council knows these bikes have sat there far longer than any statutory period.

But reporting at the racks this week found the infrastructure has more fundamental problems. Half the rack capacity is unusable due to a design flaw that enables theft. A side business operator uses the racks for commercial storage. And actual legitimate commuter demand appears minimal.

Putney resident David emailed *Putney.news* last week saying the racks were “largely empty” with most bikes “unserviceable/vandalised/broken.” We inspected on 7 January, found only 10 serviceable bikes among 64 spaces, and contacted local councillors, who contacted the council. Tags appeared on Wednesday.

![Disraeli bikes tagged](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/disraeli-bike-racks-tagged-1024x768.png)#### Commercial storage reveals empty capacity

Neil runs a bike repair side business, buying bikes, repairing them, and selling them online for a profit of between £30-60. He uses the Disraeli racks – and others across Putney and Wandsworth – as free storage for his inventory.

“I can always find space on these racks,” he said. “That’s why it’s one of my favourite spots.” He has four bikes stored at Disraeli, with another one or two by the library. He used to store them at home until his landlord objected. The covered design appeals because his bikes are sheltered from the elements while he waits for buyers on eBay.

But even Neil, who actively needs multiple spaces, won’t use half the racks because they only allow locking the front wheel. “These ones where you can only attach the front wheel – thieves come along with wrenches, take the whole bike away, leave the front wheel,” he explained. A bike’s value is in the frame and the gearing.

He sticks to the racks where he can secure both wheel and frame. It explains why so many stripped wheels appear throughout the racks.

A commuter picking up his bike after arriving from Waterloo said he uses the racks once or twice a week. “Quite useful,” he said. Between Neil’s commercial storage, the occasional commuter, and whatever other legitimate users exist, perhaps 10 spaces of the 64 available see regular use. Cyclists prefer to use the traditional Sheffield stands (the inverted ‘U’ in concrete) nearby even though they don’t have a weather cover.

![Tagged abandoned bike on Disraeli road racks](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/disraeli-bike-rack-tag-1024x768.png)#### Multiple problems revealed

[Last week’s investigation](https://putney.news/2026/01/12/calls-grow-to-replace-disraeli-bike-racks-as-investigation-reveals-safety-and-theft-problems/) prompted responses revealing the problems run deeper than abandoned bikes.

Cllr John Locker disclosed the oversized racks create a safety hazard for cyclists using the new contraflow cycle route. When cars queue at the junction, cyclists can’t navigate safely from Norroy Road across Putney High Street because the racks block the space they need. Council officers acknowledged this and “verbally assured” him they would fix it, but the reconfiguration hasn’t been scheduled.

Reader Lydia Tapping revealed she lost her 20-year-old bike from these racks in 2024, recently overhauled for £260. The design makes it impossible to secure both wheel and frame properly on the upper tier, and there’s no CCTV coverage despite the prominent location near the station.

Resident James Becker called for the racks to be dismantled entirely, noting traffic on Disraeli Road is “sometimes 20 cars deep,” and wants the road widened for a second lane turning into Putney High Street.

![Disraeli bike racks - getting the way of both cyclists and motorists.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/disraeli-bike-racks-in-way-1024x768.png)The Disraeli bike racks get in the way of both cyclists and motorists.#### The bigger challenge

Tagging abandoned bikes addresses the immediate eyesore. The harder task is fixing infrastructure that simultaneously creates safety hazards for cyclists, enables theft through poor design, obstructs traffic flow, and serves minimal legitimate demand.

The racks were installed years ago when there was no space at Putney station, expecting to serve commuters. That never materialised. “Clearly it hasn’t attracted demand and has become rather tired and ugly,” Locker said. “I am sure a much smaller single-level rack will suffice.”

But this junction needs more than just smaller bike racks. Cyclists currently can’t use the contraflow route as designed – it’s not safe with cars queuing and racks blocking exit space. Drivers currently can’t turn left and are often limited turning right because of congestion.

When *Putney.news* [walked Putney Bridge Junction](https://putney.news/2025/12/09/a-bus-blocked-traffic-while-officials-watched-now-they-promise-february-fixes/) with council officers last month, traffic officers suggested using Disraeli with Werter Road to ease congestion. This could be an opportunity for comprehensive improvements addressing both cycling safety and traffic flow simultaneously.

The February transport committee meeting provides a deadline. Once abandoned bikes are removed on 21 January, the council can assess actual demand and decide whether replacement, removal, or redesign makes sense – and whether junction improvements can solve multiple problems at once.

Wandsworth Council’s press office did not respond to questions about when the location was last inspected or whether the council has plans to address the infrastructure problems.

*This story will be updated when (if) the council responds to questions about junction reconfiguration, CCTV provision, and plans for the racks.*

![Tagged bikes at Disraeli Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/disraeli-bike-rack-tagged2-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/15/council-tags-abandoned-bikes-on-disraeli-road-but-bigger-challenge-remains/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/15/council-tags-abandoned-bikes-on-disraeli-road-but-bigger-challenge-remains/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Council%20tags%20abandoned%20bikes%20on%20Disraeli%20Road%2C%20but%20bigger%20challenge%20remains&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/15/council-tags-abandoned-bikes-on-disraeli-road-but-bigger-challenge-remains/)

**Categories:** Thamesfield, Transport

**Tags:** abandoned bikes, bike racks, Cllr John Locker, cycle contraflow, Disraeli Road, junction improvements, thamesfield, traffic congestion, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Five questions that will decide the future of Wimbledon Park](https://putney.news/2026/01/15/wimbledon-park-legal-explanation/)

**Published:** January 15, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Our legal explainer breaks down what the judge must weigh as Save Wimbledon Park takes on the All England Club.

**Content:**

A six-day High Court trial begins tomorrow that will determine whether the All England Lawn Tennis Club can build 39 grass courts and an 8,000-seat stadium on the former Wimbledon Park Golf Course.

The case pits Save Wimbledon Park, a residents’ campaign group, against one of sport’s most powerful institutions. At stake is £200 million of development and a legal principle that could affect protected green spaces across England.

Both sides agree on one thing: if the court finds the land is subject to a “statutory trust” for public recreation, and that trust binds the tennis club, the expansion cannot proceed. The AELTC has already conceded this.

So what exactly is being argued? This Wimbledon Park legal explanation breaks down the five questions the judge must answer, starting with the simplest version and going deeper for readers who want the full picture.

---

### The short version

Think of it like buying a house. When you purchase property, you inherit whatever legal restrictions come with it, even if the estate agent never mentioned them. A right of way through your garden, a covenant preventing extensions, a neighbour’s right to light: these survive the sale whether you knew about them or not.

The question in this case is whether the Wimbledon Park golf course came with restrictions attached, specifically a legal obligation to keep it available for public recreation.

Save Wimbledon Park says yes. They argue the land has been protected since 1915, that protection was confirmed in the 1960s, and that when Merton Council sold it in 1993 without asking the public, the protection did not disappear. The tennis club bought the land with its legal baggage intact.

The AELTC says no. They argue this was a private golf club for over a century, the public never had meaningful access, and you cannot inherit restrictions that never existed. The 1993 sale was legitimate. They own the land free and clear.

A judgment is expected within two to three months.

---

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/wimbledon-park.avif)### Why this matters beyond tennis

If Save Wimbledon Park wins, the implications extend far beyond SW19. The case would confirm that councils cannot quietly sell protected green spaces by skipping the required public consultation. Across London and beyond, land held for public recreation would have stronger protection.

If the AELTC wins, it establishes that land leased to private operators, even on council-owned sites, can be sold without triggering public consultation requirements. The distinction between “public land that happens to be leased out” and “private land” would tilt toward the latter.

The case also tests how far a 2023 Supreme Court ruling applies. In Day v Shropshire, the court held that when councils sell protected land without following proper procedures, public rights survive the sale. Save Wimbledon Park says that precedent applies directly here. The AELTC says Day involved land the public actually used, making it fundamentally different from a private members’ golf club.

---

### The five questions

The judge must work through five legal battlegrounds. Each involves interpreting century-old statutes and documents to determine what protections, if any, attached to this land.

#### Question 1: What does “held for the purposes of section 5” mean?

This is the most technical question, but everything else flows from it.

When London’s local government was reorganised in 1965, properties transferred from the old Wimbledon Corporation to the new Merton Council. A 1965 Order specified that land “held for the purposes of section 5” of the Wimbledon Corporation Act 1914 would become subject to section 164 of the Public Health Act 1875, the provision that creates statutory trusts for public recreation.

The dispute is whether the golf course was “held for the purposes of section 5” at that moment.

**Save Wimbledon Park’s position:** Section 5 gave the Corporation power to acquire and manage the entire Wimbledon Park Estate. Everything bought under the 1914 Act was held under that Act’s umbrella. Even if the golf course was managed under section 8 (which dealt with municipal golf courses), it was still ultimately held under section 5. The plain meaning is clear: the 1914 Act was the legal basis for holding all this land.

They point to Town Planning Schemes from 1927-1937 that labelled the entire estate “Public Open Space” and noted it was “held by Corporation under and Subject to Wimbledon Corporation Act 1914.” A single committee managed the whole estate from 1933 to 1965. Byelaws from 1950 referred to the “pleasure ground” of “Wimbledon Park except that part leased to Golf Club,” suggesting the whole park was one legal unit.

**The AELTC’s position:** “Held for the purposes of” means what purposes the land was held for at the operative date, 31 March 1965, not what it was held for historically. By that date, the golf course was not held for section 5 purposes because the 1961 lease had been granted under different legislation entirely.

This is their key technical argument. The 1961 lease gave Wimbledon Golf Club 38 years over 94 acres. The AELTC says this was “too long and too large” for the powers in section 8 of the 1914 Act, which allowed leases of only 21 years and only for the golf course itself. Instead, Ministry consent was obtained under section 163 of the Local Government Act 1933.

If the lease was granted under different statutory powers, the AELTC argues, the land was no longer “held for the purposes of” the 1914 Act.

#### Question 2: Was the golf course ever appropriated for public recreation?

Section 10 of the 1914 Act required the Corporation to set aside at least 20 acres for public recreation. Was the golf course part of that, or always separate?

**Save Wimbledon Park’s position:** The entire estate (minus a small field sold in 1928) was appropriated as a whole. There is no documentary evidence the Corporation carved out the golf course from the appropriation. The burden should be on the AELTC to prove it was excluded.

**The AELTC’s position:** By 1965, the park (laid out for public use in the 1920s) was held for public recreation purposes. The golf course was not. It had been let to a private club since before the Corporation even bought the estate, and the terms of the 1961 lease took it outside the 1914 Act’s framework. The question is what status the land had at the operative date, not what happened decades earlier.

![The Wimbledon Park golf course before it was sold](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/wimbledon-park-golf-course-that-was-1024x683.png)The Wimbledon Park golf course before it was sold#### Question 3: Does Day v Shropshire apply?

In 2023, the Supreme Court decided a case that has become central to this dispute.

Shropshire Council owned land used as a recreation ground since 1926. In 2018, the council sold part to a developer without advertising the sale or considering objections, as the law required. Local residents challenged the sale, arguing the land was protected by a statutory trust.

The Supreme Court ruled the public’s rights survived. Even though the council had sold the land and the new owner had registered title, the right to use it for recreation continued. A council cannot extinguish public rights by selling land improperly.

**Save Wimbledon Park’s position:** This applies directly. Merton admitted it conducted no section 123(2A) consultation before the 1993 sale. If a statutory trust existed, public rights survive, and the AELTC took subject to them.

**The AELTC’s position:** Day is distinguishable. That case involved land the public was actually using. People walked there, children played there. There were real public rights to protect.

The Wimbledon golf course was a private members’ club from 1898, before the Corporation even bought the estate. The public never had rights to use it. You cannot “survive” rights that never existed.

The starting point, they argue, is fundamentally different.

![Artist's impression of the new 8,000-seater show court in Wimbledon Park](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/wimbledon-show-court-1024x576.png)Artist’s impression of the new 8,000-seater show court in Wimbledon Park#### Day v Shropshire explained

**The precedent both sides are fighting over**

In 2023, the Supreme Court decided a case that has become central to this dispute.

Shropshire Council owned land used as a recreation ground since 1926. In 2018, the council sold part to a developer without following the legal requirement to advertise the sale and consider public objections.

Local residents challenged the sale. They argued the land was protected by a “statutory trust,” a legal obligation to keep it available for public recreation.

The Supreme Court ruled that public rights over the land survived the sale. Even though the council had sold the land, and even though the new owner had registered their title at the Land Registry, the public’s right to use it for recreation continued.

The key principle: a council cannot extinguish public rights simply by selling land without following proper procedure. If the law requires public consultation before selling recreation land, and the council skips that step, the public’s rights remain intact.

**Why the AELTC says Day does not apply:** The tennis club argues that Day involved land the public was actually using. People walked there, children played there. There were real public rights to protect. The Wimbledon golf course was a private members’ club from 1898. The public never had rights to use it. You cannot “survive” rights that never existed.

**Why Save Wimbledon Park says Day applies directly:** The campaign argues the principle is identical. If the golf course was subject to a statutory trust, and Merton Council sold it without public consultation, then public rights survive, just as they did in Day. The dispute is about whether the trust existed, not about whether Day’s principle applies.

**The judge must decide:** Was the golf course more like the recreation ground in Day (protected land, improperly sold)? Or fundamentally different (private land, never subject to public rights)?

#### Question 4: Is the golf course “open space”?

The consultation requirement applies to “open space,” defined as land laid out as a public garden, used for public recreation, or a disused burial ground.

**Save Wimbledon Park’s two-part argument:**

First, they say the golf course was used for public recreation: 75% of members were local residents, non-members could visit as guests, a 150-member fishing club had used the lake since 1948 with pontoons on golf course land, a public sailing centre operated on the lake, and there was unfettered public access for walking until the early 2000s. Golf club minutes from 2003-2004 note “concern with public straying across course,” suggesting access was common enough to worry about.

Second, even if not directly used, they argue the golf course “forms part of” land used for public recreation. A legal precedent establishes that land “acquired as part of an integral whole” within a perimeter qualifies. The entire estate was acquired in 1915 as a single unit, managed as a single unit, and remained on a single title until 1993. It is physically integrated with the public park around the lake.

**The AELTC’s position:** The golf course was never open space by either definition. It was never laid out as a public garden. It was never used for public recreation, because private club use is not public recreation.

Visitors playing as guests of members does not equal public use. Members being local residents does not equal public access. Occasional trespass (“straying”) does not equal a public right. A fishing club on the lake does not equal public recreation on the golf course.

As for “forms part of,” the AELTC says this reading would mean any private land adjacent to public open space becomes open space. That cannot be right. It would capture private gardens backing onto parks. Physical proximity does not determine legal character. The golf course was fenced and private for over a century.

#### Question 5: What survives Land Registry registration?

When the AELTC registered ownership at the Land Registry, did that give it “clean title” free of public rights? Or do such rights survive as “overriding interests”?

**Save Wimbledon Park’s position:** Public rights under section 164 are “public rights” within the Land Registration Act 1925. Public rights are overriding interests that bind any purchaser regardless of registration. Parliament created a comprehensive mechanism for extinguishing public trusts, and that mechanism was not followed. Therefore, the rights survive.

**The AELTC’s position:** Even if a trust existed historically, registration gave them clean title. But their primary argument is simpler: there were never any public rights over this land to survive in the first place.

---

![Illustration of historic legal documents and maps laid out to suggest a dispute between public open space designation and golf course lease rights](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/golf-course-open-space-old-docs-watermarked-1024x683.png)### The strongest cards

**Save Wimbledon Park’s best evidence:**

The Town Planning Schemes from 1927-1937 are significant. These official documents designated the entire estate as “Public Open Space” held under the 1914 Act. If the Corporation itself considered the golf course part of the public estate, that is hard for the AELTC to explain away.

The Day v Shropshire precedent is directly on point if the trust existed. And both sides agree Merton conducted no public consultation before the 1993 sale.

**The AELTC’s best evidence:**

The 1961 lease terms are their strongest technical argument. If the lease genuinely exceeded what the 1914 Act permitted, and Ministry consent was obtained under different legislation, that creates a strong case that the land was no longer held under the 1914 Act by 1965.

They also have history on their side in one sense: the golf course was run by a private members’ club from 1898, before the Corporation bought the estate in 1915. For over a century, public access was limited. Whatever the legal technicalities, the practical reality was private use.

---

### What happens next

Mr Justice Thompsell will hear arguments until 23 January. A written judgment is expected within two to three months.

This is [one of three parallel legal challenges](https://putney.news/2025/11/20/court-of-appeal-reopens-wimbledon-park-fight-as-residents-challenge-planning-approval/) Save Wimbledon Park is pursuing. The Court of Appeal has already granted permission to challenge the planning permission itself, saying the grounds had “a real prospect of success.” A third challenge involves restrictive covenants from the 1993 sale.

The statutory trust case follows [controversy last year when Amendment 250](https://putney.news/2025/11/04/wimbledon-park-amendment-abandoned-after-peers-condemn-erosion-of-green-space-protection/) to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill attempted to retrospectively change the law to remove such trusts. The amendment was withdrawn after cross-party opposition, including from [both local MPs](https://putney.news/2025/11/04/wimbledon-park-amendment-abandoned-after-peers-condemn-erosion-of-green-space-protection/).

If Save Wimbledon Park wins this case, the tennis club’s expansion plans face a fundamental obstacle that no amount of planning permission can overcome. If the AELTC wins, they will still need to defeat the other legal challenges, but the most significant barrier will be removed.

The campaign group is asking supporters to attend the Rolls Building on Fetter Lane to demonstrate public backing. For them, this is about more than tennis: it is about whether century-old protections for public green space can be quietly sold away.

For the All England Club, it is about whether legal technicalities from a reorganisation 60 years ago should block a development they say will transform British tennis.

The judge must now decide which story the documents tell.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/15/wimbledon-park-legal-explanation/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/15/wimbledon-park-legal-explanation/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Five%20questions%20that%20will%20decide%20the%20future%20of%20Wimbledon%20Park&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/15/wimbledon-park-legal-explanation/)

**Categories:** News, Planning

**Tags:** AELTC, High Court, planning, Save Wimbledon Park, statutory trust, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Putney shoplifting arrest as police tackle crime surge](https://putney.news/2026/01/15/putney-shoplifting-arrest-as-police-tackle-crime-surge/)

**Published:** January 15, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Man with extensive criminal record detained by Thamesfield officers after targeting women's clothing.

**Content:**

Police in Putney have arrested a prolific shoplifter who was caught stealing more than £200 worth of women’s clothing from a store on Putney High Street.

Officers from the Thamesfield Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) detained the man on 23 December 2025 after he was seen taking items from the shop. According to the police, he is a drug addict with an extensive criminal record. He was charged and remanded in custody the following day, an update this week [revealed](https://www.metengage.co.uk/Alerts/A/378319/Local-Priorities-Shoplifting-Message).

The arrest comes as shoplifting remains one of the most pressing concerns for residents in the area. The crime has been highlighted as a priority issue by local residents, who are empowered to set three local priorities for the police at quarterly ward meetings.

Met Police data shows shoplifting was one of the two most commonly reported crimes in Thamesfield ward in November 2025, with 26 recorded offences. Vehicle crime came equal first in terms of reported crimes.

#### Xmas spree

Police say the shoplifting problem was particularly serious in the run-up to Christmas, with suspects travelling into Putney from outside the borough as well as local offenders targeting high street shops. Stolen goods are often sold cheaply online.

Thamesfield officers say they conduct daily foot patrols along Putney High Street and other parts of the ward to deter criminals and reassure the public.

PC Damian Catherall said residents who witness shoplifting or notice anything suspicious should report it as soon as possible. These reports help police build a picture of when and where offenders operate.

Residents who want to raise concerns about crime in the area can attend the next [Thamesfield Ward Panel meeting](https://putney.news/event/thamesfield-ward-met-police-meeting/) on 4 February at St Mary’s Church, Putney High Street, starting at 6:30pm. The quarterly meetings allow locals to set policing priorities and hear directly from officers.

> [Thamesfield Ward Met police meeting](https://putney.news/event/thamesfield-ward-met-police-meeting/)

Reports can be made online at met.police.uk, by calling 101, or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/15/putney-shoplifting-arrest-as-police-tackle-crime-surge/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/15/putney-shoplifting-arrest-as-police-tackle-crime-surge/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20shoplifting%20arrest%20as%20police%20tackle%20crime%20surge&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/15/putney-shoplifting-arrest-as-police-tackle-crime-surge/)

**Categories:** Crime, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Crime, Met Police, Putney High Street, retail crime, shoplifting, thamesfield

---

### [How TfL's revenue drive is pushing out Putney businesses](https://putney.news/2026/01/14/how-tfls-revenue-drive-is-pushing-out-putney-businesses/)

**Published:** January 14, 2026
**Author:** Alexia Thompson

**Excerpt:** Rent doubling plan mirrors pattern that closed JC Motors despite protests.

**Content:**

Putney’s railway arches are TfL’s next target for redevelopment under a strategy that has already forced the closure of long-established businesses across London.

Under the new [‘Our Arches Plan’](https://board.tfl.gov.uk/documents/s24836/lpc-20251001-part-1-item-08a-our-arches-plan.pdf "'Our Arches Plan'"), the brick spaces underneath the District Line from East Putney to Putney Bridge station have been identified for regeneration as part of a wider strategy to more than double rental income across TfL’s 800-arch portfolio.

TfL insists the plan will support small businesses through improved safety and accessibility. But traders across London tell a different story.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/putney-arches-back-recording-1024x768.png)#### **Putney business already under pressure**

For traders in Putney these plans are more than just numbers on a spreadsheet. Several businesses we have spoken to describe feeling stress, fear and uncertainty for what lies ahead. Many spoke to us on condition of anonymity because they are concerned about the risk of retribution from their landlord.

Several traders in arches on the Fulham side of the river have already been told to vacate by 2027, while those on the Putney side are experiencing unreasonable rent demands and intensified inspections.

One owner, who has worked in the arches for over a decade, described to us how TfL left their business without water for nearly two months. It required Thames Water to confirm it was TfL’s responsibility before the issue was fixed but by that point the damage had already been done. The same business reported increased inspections, focusing on pre-existing structural issues including a crack in a door frame which had been there for more than 25 years. It ultimately ended in terms of eviction.

A different owner had to shut down parts of their business because they couldn’t justify repairing a £200,000 piece of specialist equipment which was a key part of everyday operations.

> “There’s no point investing if you don’t know where you’re going,” they told *Putney.news*. “People already think we’ve closed which is bad for business.”

More traders describe living in limbo, uncertain whether they will still have their business by the end of the year, and said TfL’s communication has been nothing short of shocking.

One told *Putney News* they spent more than £250,000 bringing their arch up to standard, covering structural deficiencies and safety upgrades – without any financial support from TfL.

When describing their interactions with TfL representatives, Putney’s arch businesses have told us the same thing: it’s clear the company no longer values the skilled trades and is seeking to replicate a model of gentrification similar to that at Battersea Power Station.

When directly asked if this was the case, TFL declined to comment, and instead reiterated its focus is on refurbishing the arches.

To date, two businesses have been evicted after they were warned about safety breaches which “were not addressed”.

#### **Why railway arches matter**

Railway arches have been a lifeline for London’s small businesses since Victorian times. Built to carry trains overhead, these spaces beneath the tracks were once considered marginal, unwanted corners of the city. But that’s exactly why they became essential.

Research by University College London [found](https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1573223/1/Froy%20pdf.pdf) \[pdf\] that railway arches host a disproportionate amount of manufacturing: 23% of arch businesses are engaged in making or producing goods, compared to just 10% of London businesses overall. They’re home to car mechanics, metalworkers, taxi services, light industrial firms – businesses that need affordable space and can tolerate the noise and vibration of trains rumbling overhead.

Mayor Sadiq Khan himself has praised this ecosystem. Speaking about railway arch businesses, he [called them](https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/what-london-assembly-does/questions-mayor/find-an-answer/small-businesses-railway-arches-0) “seedbeds of innovation and future talent,” saying “the creativity it leads to is really exciting” and describing them as “that sort of creative hub” in London.

But as property values rise, what was once considered undesirable has become prime real estate. Traditional trades are being squeezed out by businesses that can pay more: craft breweries, trendy coffee shops, creative studios. The gentrification of railway arches isn’t just changing what’s underneath – it’s changing who can afford to work there.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/putney-arches-physical-culture-front-1024x768.png)One of the business under pressure: renowned gym Physical Culture#### **The 10 year plan to double income**

TfL is a multi-billion pound corporation and it pledged in October 2025 to increase gross rental income from its arches estate from £12m to £28m by 2032.

The plan frames regeneration as a route to ‘long-term value’ with priority sites identified based on rental potential and vacancy levels. Putney Bridge Station has now been placed high up on that list.

The plan is being executed through Places for London (PfL), TfL’s commercial property arm which was established to maximise revenue from the 800 arches. It’s the same subsidiary that has already forced out long-established businesses elsewhere in London.

In a statement to *Putney.news*, a PfL spokesperson said the Putney Bridge arches “form a key part of our wider arches plan”, adding that they are “investing to improve the condition of the arches estate, making the estate safer, more sustainable and enjoyable for all.”

Similar plans have ended in removal not renewal and now Putney’s traders are in the same firing line.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/putney-arches-wardo-autos-empty-1024x768.png)Wardo Autos in Putney was evicted by TfL followed a rent increase. Its arches sit empty years later.#### **The 40-year business that TfL forced out despite protests**

JC Motors served the community in the East End of London for over 40 years. Run by Len Maloney, it had operated from the same arch since the 1980s. In 2015, TfL told him it was planning to increase his annual rent from £22,000 to between £72,000 and £84,000 – more than tripling it overnight.

Maloney didn’t accept it quietly. He created a petition that gathered more than 2,500 signatures, which was delivered to the London Mayor, and a second 10,000 signature petition that he delivered to 10 Downing Street. The campaign gained national and local media coverage, including from the BBC and ITV. Hackney Council publicly supported him, with the mayor personally recognising Maloney’s contribution to the community through training and mentoring young people, many from Black and ethnic minority backgrounds.

Despite this pressure, TfL tripled the rent in 2017.

Maloney co-founded Guardians of the Arches, a tenants’ association representing hundreds of railway arch businesses across London. They launched a crowdfunding campaign to purchase three arches – including JC Motors – and put them into a Community Land Trust that would guarantee affordable rents forever.

TfL argues they had offered £45,000 in pandemic rent support, relocation to a smaller arch in Mile End for half the price, or for JC Motors to pay the arrears which by then has reached £112,000.

JC Motors was evicted in November 2024. The arch remains empty to this day.

![The former site of JC Motors in Haggerton.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/former-jc-motors-1024x575.png)The former site of JC Motors at 332 Stean St in Haggerton.Across the city the same issues have repeated themselves. Tripspace, a yoga and dance studio also located in the Haggerston arches, were threatened with displacement after they were ordered by TFL to pay thousands of pounds for a renewed lease.

The business started a crowdfunder seeking donations from locals to help fund a six-month deposit of £25,500. Director Giuliana Majo described the increase as far outpacing the community’s income, forcing staff to work unsociable hours and take on multiple shifts and jobs just to keep the doors open.

Local business groups, such as the [East End Trades Guild](https://eastendtradesguild.org.uk/) – an alliance of 400 small businesses – argue TfL’s approach is pushing out small businesses and creativity in the community. Guild director Krissie Nicolson warned that small firms are no longer seen as sufficient profit drivers despite being key contributors over the years to local culture and economies.

#### **Are PfL really for London?** 

The JC Motors story reveals TfL’s playbook. First massive rent increases justified as “market value.” Then accumulating arrears. Then offers of “constructive assistance” – relocation to less suitable premises, and payment plans that don’t address fundamental unaffordability. And finally, eviction.

Even when businesses fight back with petitions, media coverage, political support, and community organising, TfL has shown it will push ahead with its revenue targets. After the JC Motors eviction, a Places for London spokesperson said they had “reluctantly taken the decision not to renew” the lease – as if 40 years of community service and massive public support counted for nothing against financial projections.

For Putney businesses now identified as “priority assets,” the question isn’t whether they can negotiate with TfL; it’s whether they can organise to stop what happened in Haggerston from happening here too. Putney is already experiencing high rent demands, intensified inspections, and what multiple sources describe as TfL’s complete lack of empathy.

*Putney.news* will be investigating this story over the coming weeks. If you’re a railway arch business affected by Places for London’s “Our Arches Plan,” contact us at . We’ll be speaking to more businesses, examining TfL’s financial pressures, and exploring what, if anything, can be done to protect Putney’s traditional traders before they suffer the same fate as JC Motors.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/putney-arches-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/14/how-tfls-revenue-drive-is-pushing-out-putney-businesses/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/14/how-tfls-revenue-drive-is-pushing-out-putney-businesses/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=How%20TfL%E2%80%99s%20revenue%20drive%20is%20pushing%20out%20Putney%20businesses&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/14/how-tfls-revenue-drive-is-pushing-out-putney-businesses/)

**Categories:** Business, Thamesfield

**Tags:** JC Motors, Places for London, Putney Bridge, railways arches, TfL

---

### [Lawyers meet today ahead of Wimbledon park court battle](https://putney.news/2026/01/14/lawyers-meet-today-ahead-of-wimbledon-park-court-battle/)

**Published:** January 14, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** All England Club says land was always private, countering campaign claims it's protected for public recreation.

**Content:**

Lawyers from both sides in the Wimbledon park dispute will meet today before [Friday’s High Court hearing](https://putney.news/2026/01/13/high-court-to-decide-fate-of-wimbledon-tournament-starting-friday/) over whether the All England Lawn Tennis Club can build 39 new grass courts on former golf course land.

Mr Justice Thompsell will then spend two days reading legal documents before the public hearing begins on Friday.

Contrary to Save Wimbledon Park’s argument that the land has been protected for public recreation since 1915, the tennis club will argue that the golf course was always treated as private land with commercial value.

AELTC points to a 1950s agreement between the Ministry of Health and Wimbledon Corporation stating the golf course “had development value and was held for revenue purposes, rather than for public statutory powers.”

The club also highlights a 1961 lease that gave Wimbledon Park Golf Club exclusive use of 94 acres for 38 years. AELTC argues this lease was too large and too long to fall within the powers of the Wimbledon Corporation Act 1914, meaning no public recreation rights were ever created.

> [High Court to decide fate of Wimbledon tournament starting Friday](https://putney.news/2026/01/13/high-court-to-decide-fate-of-wimbledon-tournament-starting-friday/)

The tennis club draws a distinction with Wimbledon Park itself, on the east side of the lake, which “had been laid out for the public as a park since the 1920s.”

Save Wimbledon Park disputes these arguments. The campaign points to evidence of public use despite the golf club’s lease, including an angling club that has fished on the lake since 1948.

The six-day hearing is expected to conclude by 23 January, with a written judgment within two to three months.

The tennis club has already conceded that if the statutory trust is found to exist, its proposed £200 million expansion “cannot proceed.”

---

*We will publish a full explanation of both sides’ legal arguments tomorrow.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/14/lawyers-meet-today-ahead-of-wimbledon-park-court-battle/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/14/lawyers-meet-today-ahead-of-wimbledon-park-court-battle/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Lawyers%20meet%20today%20ahead%20of%20Wimbledon%20park%20court%20battle&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/14/lawyers-meet-today-ahead-of-wimbledon-park-court-battle/)

**Categories:** Environment, Planning, Southfields

**Tags:** AELTC, High Court, Merton, Save Wimbledon Park, statutory trust, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Entire Putney High Street block being cleared as British Heart Foundation announces summer move](https://putney.news/2026/01/14/entire-putney-high-street-block-being-cleared-as-british-heart-foundation-announces-summer-move/)

**Published:** January 14, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** No planning applications filed despite scale of apparent redevelopment work.

**Content:**

Multiple shops on Putney High Street closed this week as property company Marlborough Properties appears to be clearing an entire block for redevelopment, with the British Heart Foundation confirming it will vacate the stretch this summer.

The former Paperchase unit, most recently trading as Enzo Uomo menswear and Putney Mobile and Computer, was completely boarded up on Tuesday. Eastern Natural Care, which previously operated from 71 Putney High Street, now has boards across its ground floor windows and both upper storeys. The pet grooming shop that operated in the same block has also shuttered.

Staff at the British Heart Foundation charity shop confirmed yesterday that their lease expires in June and the store will relocate further up Putney High Street to 87 High Street, the former EE mobile phone shop. That leaves only Putney Convenience Store still trading in the affected stretch between the returning Marks and Spencer store and the corner of Putney Bridge Road.

The transformation comes with no planning applications filed with Wandsworth Council for redevelopment work on the block, despite the scale of change appearing to affect both ground-floor retail units and residential flats above.

![65-71 Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/65-71-putney-high-street-1024x768.png)Marlborough Properties bought the stretch from 55 to 71 Putney High Street (excluding number 67, which houses a pet shop) for £13.3 million in 2016. The company has been actively managing the block, recently [seeking to install security gates](https://putney.news/2026/01/11/new-gate-would-close-off-passage-next-to-returning-marks-and-spencer/) across Russell Yard, the service passage that runs behind the properties.

The timing creates a construction sandwich for Marks and Spencer’s Easter reopening. On one side, the new M&S store at 55-61 Putney High Street will face Marlborough’s apparent redevelopment work. On the other, the [corner site at the junction](https://putney.news/2025/07/15/plans-revived-for-10-storey-hotel-and-new-shops-on-putney-high-street-after-years-of-delay/) with Putney Bridge Road is already being demolished for a 198-room Hub by Premier Inn hotel with ground-floor retail units, expected to complete in 2028.

For residents, the next two years promise significant disruption across this stretch of the High Street. But the alternative has been a slow deterioration, with the Ramna restaurant corner [becoming a squatter haven](https://putney.news/2025/09/11/theft-ring-exposed-as-putney-squatters-driven-out/) before demolition began, and several units in the Marlborough block sitting empty or struggling.

Whether the disruption proves worthwhile depends on what Marlborough Properties builds and how quickly. Without planning applications to scrutinise, residents have no visibility into the company’s intentions for the site or timeline for completion. They could also do with making the frontages more appealing.

*Putney.news* has contacted Marlborough Properties for comment on their redevelopment plans but had not received a response by publication.

![Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/putney-high-street-shops-closing-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/14/entire-putney-high-street-block-being-cleared-as-british-heart-foundation-announces-summer-move/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/14/entire-putney-high-street-block-being-cleared-as-british-heart-foundation-announces-summer-move/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Entire%20Putney%20High%20Street%20block%20being%20cleared%20as%20British%20Heart%20Foundation%20announces%20summer%20move&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/14/entire-putney-high-street-block-being-cleared-as-british-heart-foundation-announces-summer-move/)

**Categories:** Business, Save the High Street, Thamesfield

**Tags:** British Heart Foundation, Eastern Natural Care, Enzo Uomo, M&amp;S, Marlborough Properties, Putney High Street, redevelopment, retail closures

---

### [High Court to decide fate of Wimbledon tournament starting Friday](https://putney.news/2026/01/13/high-court-to-decide-fate-of-wimbledon-tournament-starting-friday/)

**Published:** January 13, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** AELTC chief executive from 1993 will testify about what club knew when it bought protected land.

**Content:**

One of Britain’s most prestigious sporting institutions will face residents in the Royal Courts of Justice this week in a legal battle that could reshape green space protection across London and determine the future of 73 acres of former public parkland.

The [Wimbledon Park court case begins on Friday 16 January](https://putney.news/2026/01/09/save-wimbledon-park-court-case-set-for-january-at-high-court/) and is expected to last up to six days, with the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) defending its £200 million expansion plans against Save Wimbledon Park’s claim that the land remains protected by an AELTC statutory trust for public recreation.

The stakes could not be higher. The AELTC has already conceded that if the statutory trust is found to exist, its proposed development of 39 grass courts and an 8,000-seat stadium “cannot proceed.”

The case carries national significance for green space protection, with campaigners arguing it will determine whether councils can sell protected public land without proper consultation and whether private development can override longstanding legal safeguards.

#### The dramatic testimony

In a key element of the hearing, the AELTC will call Chris Gorringe, who was the club’s chief executive at the time of its 1993 purchase of the land from Merton Council, to give evidence about what the club knew about the statutory trust.

The tennis club will argue it was unaware of the trust’s existence when it bought the freehold and therefore should not be bound by it.

Save Wimbledon Park disputes this, pointing to documents they say were available to the AELTC at the time and arguing that the 2023 Supreme Court decision in Day v Shropshire supports their position that ignorance does not exempt purchasers from statutory trust obligations.

![Artist's impression of the new 8,000-seater show court in Wimbledon Park](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/wimbledon-show-court-1024x576.png)Artist’s impression of the new 8,000-seater show court in Wimbledon Park#### What the court must decide

The case turns on complex statutory interpretation dating back to 1915, when Wimbledon Corporation acquired the Wimbledon Park Estate under the Wimbledon Corporation Act 1914.

Save Wimbledon Park argues that the land has been protected for public recreation since 1915, when Wimbledon Corporation first bought it. When London’s local government was reorganised in the 1960s, that protection was supposed to continue.

The key issue is what happened in 1993. When Merton Council sold the land to AELTC, it was legally required to advertise the sale and give the public a chance to object. It failed to do so.

Save Wimbledon Park says that because the council skipped those steps, the public protection never went away. The land should still be reserved for public recreation today.

The AELTC argues the opposite: the golf course was run by a private members’ club for over a century, with little public access, so it was never truly public land in the first place.

A 2023 Supreme Court ruling backs up Save Wimbledon Park’s argument. In Day v Shropshire, judges decided that when councils sell protected land without following the proper consultation process, the public’s rights survive the sale.

![Save Wimbledon Park campaign outside Merton Council](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_7892-1024x768.jpeg)Save Wimbledon Park campaign outside Merton Council#### Timeline and next steps

A written judgment is expected within two to three months of the hearing’s conclusion.

This case is [one of three parallel legal challenges](https://putney.news/2025/11/20/court-of-appeal-reopens-wimbledon-park-fight-as-residents-challenge-planning-approval/) Save Wimbledon Park is pursuing, what the campaign calls “triple jeopardy” for the AELTC’s development plans.

The Court of Appeal has already granted permission for residents to challenge the planning permission itself, saying their grounds had “a real prospect of success.” A third challenge involves restrictive covenants from the 1993 sale that prohibited development on the land.

The statutory trust case follows [controversy last year](https://putney.news/2025/11/04/wimbledon-park-amendment-abandoned-after-peers-condemn-erosion-of-green-space-protection/) when an attempt was made in the House of Lords to retrospectively change the law to remove the statutory trust, which would have made this case irrelevant. The amendment was withdrawn after cross-party opposition.

Save Wimbledon Park is calling supporters to attend the opening day on Friday to demonstrate public backing for their case, hoping to attract media attention to what they characterise as a “David and Goliath struggle” over land that should remain protected for the community.

The case represents the latest chapter in a four-year battle over the former public parkland. AELTC bought the freehold from Merton Council in 1993 for £5.2 million, then purchased the golf club’s lease in 2018 for £65 million as part of its expansion plans.

The case is supported by every local and surrounding residents’ association, as well as numerous London and national environmental bodies, who see it as setting a crucial precedent for the protection of public open spaces.

![The Royal Courts of Justice](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/royal-courts-of-justice-1024x600.png)The Royal Courts of Justice---

***Correction:** An earlier version of this story stated that AELTC purchased the former public parkland in 2018 for £65 million. In fact, the All England Club bought the freehold from Merton Council in 1993 for £5.2 million. The £65 million figure refers to AELTC’s 2018 purchase of the golf club’s lease. This has been corrected.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/13/high-court-to-decide-fate-of-wimbledon-tournament-starting-friday/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/13/high-court-to-decide-fate-of-wimbledon-tournament-starting-friday/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=High%20Court%20to%20decide%20fate%20of%20Wimbledon%20tournament%20starting%20Friday&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/13/high-court-to-decide-fate-of-wimbledon-tournament-starting-friday/)

**Categories:** Environment, Planning, Southfields

**Tags:** AELTC, Chris Gorringe, Day v Shropshire, green space protection, High Court, Save Wimbledon Park, statutory trust, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Empty Hare and Tortoise site gets new life as Screwfix opens in Putney](https://putney.news/2026/01/13/empty-hare-and-tortoise-site-gets-new-life-as-screwfix-opens-in-putney/)

**Published:** January 13, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Good news for local tradespeople as DIY store fills vacant restaurant.

**Content:**

A major DIY retailer is moving into the vacant restaurant space that once housed Hare and Tortoise on Upper Richmond Road.

Screwfix Putney will occupy the site at 296-298 Upper Richmond Road, according to signage now visible in the windows. No opening date has been announced yet.

The move brings welcome relief to a section of the high street where the former Papa John’s remains boarded up, Bubble East cafe has been closed for over a year, and a former plant shop over the road sits empty.

The pan-Asian restaurant [Hare and Tortoise moved out in August](https://putney.news/2025/08/17/putney-high-street-update-squatters-dig-in-as-business-landscape-shifts/), with plans to relocate to a smaller takeaway-only space nearby. The restaurant had maintained an unwelcoming interior after pandemic restrictions pushed it towards delivery service, despite serving quality food that matched other Hare and Tortoise locations across London.

![Hare and Tortoise on Upper Richmond Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/hare-tortoise-upper-richmond-road-1024x768.png)#### Good news for DIYers and local fitters

The new Screwfix will be the closest branch for Putney residents. Currently, the nearest stores are in Fulham on Fulham Road, East Sheen on Upper Richmond Road West, and Earlsfield on Merton Road.

The opening will create competition with Toolstation, which sits about ten minutes’ walk away at 113 Upper Richmond Road. The two chains are rivals in the trade supplies market, typically locating near each other across the country.

While both stores serve DIYers and tradespeople with similar product ranges, there are some differences. Screwfix, owned by Kingfisher (which also owns B&Q), offers a wider product range and consistently receives higher ratings for customer service. Toolstation, part of the Travis Perkins group, is often slightly cheaper on individual items and will sell some products singly rather than in bulk packs.

Both chains offer click and collect services, extensive catalogues, and cater to the professional trades market alongside DIY customers. Screwfix has over 800 stores nationwide, whilst Toolstation operates more than 500 branches.

The DIY chain’s arrival will be particularly welcome for local tradespeople and residents undertaking home improvements, who will no longer need to travel to Fulham, East Sheen or Earlsfield for supplies.

![New Screwfix store coming on Upper Richmond Road in Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_7010-1024x768.jpeg)---

**Update:** Readers have flagged a practical concern about the location. Unlike restaurant customers who often visit in the evening when parking is easier or arrive on foot, Screwfix customers typically need vehicles to collect bulky trade supplies during the day.

The site sits on a red route with loading restrictions, which could prove problematic for professional tradespeople. Screwfix operates primarily on a click and collect model, which may help with quick pickups, but access and parking remain legitimate questions for a DIY store on Upper Richmond Road.

The same is true for Toolstation further up the road but a large driveway leading to flats above it, and a car park down the side provide customers with easy, if not entirely legitimate, parking.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/13/empty-hare-and-tortoise-site-gets-new-life-as-screwfix-opens-in-putney/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/13/empty-hare-and-tortoise-site-gets-new-life-as-screwfix-opens-in-putney/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Empty%20Hare%20and%20Tortoise%20site%20gets%20new%20life%20as%20Screwfix%20opens%20in%20Putney&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/13/empty-hare-and-tortoise-site-gets-new-life-as-screwfix-opens-in-putney/)

**Categories:** Business, Homes and Property

**Tags:** Hare and Tortoise, Putney retail, Screwfix, Toolstation, Upper Richmond Road

---

### [Coroner warns St George's Hospital changes haven't solved crisis that killed two men](https://putney.news/2026/01/13/coroner-warns-st-georges-hospital-changes-havent-solved-crisis-that-killed-two-men/)

**Published:** January 13, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** David Ward and Dr Debapriya Ghosh died after falls in overcrowded A&E.

**Content:**

Two frail elderly men died preventable deaths at St George’s Hospital after being left unsupervised in an overcrowded accident and emergency department, a coroner has found, warning that despite changes made by the hospital, staff still face “impossible situations” where demand exceeds resources.

David Ward, 76, and Dr Debapriya Ghosh, 83, both died from head injuries after falling while unsupervised at the hospital in February 2024. Their families had been caring for them during long waits before leaving overnight, when both men fell and sustained injuries that led to their deaths the following day.

Senior Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox concluded that Ward’s death was an “accident contributed to by neglect” and Ghosh’s death was an “accidental fall contributed to by a failure to provide appropriate nursing supervision.” In both cases, she found the deaths would have been avoided if the men had received the care they needed.

The coroner’s [Prevention of Future Deaths report](https://www.judiciary.uk/prevention-of-future-death-reports/debapriya-ghosh-and-david-ward-prevention-of-future-deaths-report/), published last month and sent to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, warns that while St George’s has implemented multiple changes since the deaths, evidence at the inquests showed “many shifts in A&E are still exceptionally busy and feel little different to how they were back in Feb 2024.”

St George’s told *Putney.news* that falls in the emergency department have dropped by 30% since February 2024 following the changes, which included increasing staffing levels and ensuring thorough falls assessments. However, the hospital did not say whether it agrees with staff evidence that conditions feel little different, and declined to answer questions about when it will respond to the Health Secretary or whether the coroner report was discussed at this week’s Board meeting.

#### ‘Cared for by their families, rather than supported by nurses’

Ward was admitted to St George’s Hospital on 7 February 2024 with frailty, confusion and likely infection. The coroner’s report states he received no nursing risk assessments and, after his daughter left at approximately 02:30 on 8 February, no significant nursing care. He was later found kneeling by his bedside having suffered a head injury which led to his death on 10 February at 13:45.

Ghosh was admitted on the morning of 9 February 2024 suffering with delirium, electrolyte imbalance, infection and a heart condition. The A&E department was exceptionally busy. He was initially cared for in the corridor and did not transfer to a cubicle until early evening. He was not risk assessed by nursing staff until almost midnight.

In the early hours of 10 February, his delirium and agitation increased such that medical advice was sought. However, his nursing risk was not reassessed and he should have been escalated for one-to-one care. At around 08:30 he had an unwitnessed fall and sustained a significant head injury that directly led to his death at 16:27 on 11 February.

The coroner stated: “In each case frail elderly men were left to wait for very many hours being cared for by their families, rather than supported by nurses and treated in proper bed spaces. When their families left during the night, they both fell as they were unsupervised, sustaining injuries that led to their deaths.”

> [ER nurse’s dangerous errors forced reforms — but secrets remain at St George’s](https://putney.news/2025/07/12/er-nurses-dangerous-errors-forced-reforms-but-secrets-remain-at-st-georges/)

#### Hospital made changes but ‘risk remains’

Following the deaths, St George’s implemented several measures including allocating more nurses to A&E, diverting frail patients to an elderly care unit, training and auditing on risk assessments, and making health care assistants available to help care for patients who need one-to-one supervision.

The hospital has also expanded its Same Day Emergency Care unit and introduced a new departure lounge to free up beds for people who need overnight admission, a spokesperson told *Putney.news*.

However, the coroner’s report notes that evidence taken during the inquest showed that “despite all these measures many shifts in A&E are still exceptionally busy” and staff report conditions causing “distress to the staff attempting to manage impossible situations where demand clearly exceeds available resource in terms of staff and facilities.”

The coroner raised four specific concerns with the Health Secretary: A&E departments have insufficient staff to manage demand during busy periods, meaning nursing risk cannot be managed without relying on families; workplace stress on A&E staff may cause them to leave the profession, worsening shortages; local hospitals have implemented actions within their power but these have been insufficient, requiring central government consideration; and it is unsafe for families to leave loved ones unsupervised in overcrowded A&E departments.

Three weeks after the coroner’s report was published, the hospital issued a statement on 4 January warning of “extreme pressures” from what it called a “triple threat” of cold weather, winter viruses and high numbers of vulnerable patients requiring specialist care. As of that Sunday, 45 beds across St George’s, Epsom and St Helier hospitals were occupied by patients with flu alone, whilst other beds and wards had been closed due to flu and norovirus.

Elaine Clancy, Group Chief Nurse, said: “It’s been a bleak start to the new year as, like other hospitals up and down the country, we’re seeing some very sick patients come to our hospitals – and the cold weather and winter illnesses are having a real impact.”

> [Toxic culture and racism exposed inside trust behind Queen Mary’s cuts](https://putney.news/2025/11/01/toxic-culture-and-racism-exposed-inside-trust-behind-queen-marys-cuts/)

#### Questions about governance and transparency

St George’s Hospital is currently rated “requires improvement” by the Care Quality Commission following a November [inspection](https://putney.news/2025/11/01/toxic-culture-and-racism-exposed-inside-trust-behind-queen-marys-cuts/) that found a “toxic culture” with staff too scared to report safety concerns. The hospital has also [refused to release information](https://putney.news/2025/07/12/er-nurses-dangerous-errors-forced-reforms-but-secrets-remain-at-st-georges/) about how long it knew of serious errors by a senior emergency nurse, and [admitted in December](https://putney.news/2025/12/04/st-georges-hospital-has-been-getting-pregnancy-risk-scores-wrong-for-ten-months/) that its computer system has been getting pregnancy risk scores wrong for ten months.

The coroner’s report was not mentioned in the 182 pages of public papers for the hospital trust’s Board meeting on 8 January. The Health Secretary’s response is due within 56 days of the report’s publication on 17 December.

When asked whether the report was discussed at Wednesday’s Board meeting and when the response will be submitted, St George’s did not answer. The trust also declined to say how many shifts in the past six months have operated above safe staffing levels in A&E.

The hospital told *Putney.news* both falls were reported to the Care Quality Commission. The trust is required to respond to the Health Secretary by 11 February 2026.

The hospital is under severe financial pressure, with debts exceeding £100 million largely due to expensive Private Finance Initiative commitments. These pressures have led to [service closures at Queen Mary’s Hospital](https://putney.news/2025/09/14/st-georges-finally-confirms-queen-marys-hospital-closures-but-still-ducks-questions-on-urgent-care/) in Roehampton, where residents have been forced to travel further for treatment previously available locally.

---

*If you have information about patient safety at St George’s Hospital, contact .*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/13/coroner-warns-st-georges-hospital-changes-havent-solved-crisis-that-killed-two-men/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/13/coroner-warns-st-georges-hospital-changes-havent-solved-crisis-that-killed-two-men/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Coroner%20warns%20St%20George%E2%80%99s%20Hospital%20changes%20haven%E2%80%99t%20solved%20crisis%20that%20killed%20two%20men&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/13/coroner-warns-st-georges-hospital-changes-havent-solved-crisis-that-killed-two-men/)

**Categories:** Health

**Tags:** A&amp;E overcrowding, Coroner report, Healthcare, NHS crisis, patient safety, St George's hospital, Tooting, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Thames Water promises repairs by Wednesday. It's Monday. No one has come.](https://putney.news/2026/01/12/thames-water-promises-repairs-by-wednesday-its-monday-no-one-has-come/)

**Published:** January 12, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Putney street joins growing list of residents left waiting as company struggles.

**Content:**

Thames Water missed its own deadline to fix a leak on one Putney street this week while residents on another went without water for 48 hours, as the troubled utility company struggles to cope with multiple incidents caused by several days of freezing weather last week.

On Olivette Street, six households have watched water bubble up and pool outside their front doors for seven straight days. Thames Water told the first resident to report the problem that repairs would be completed by 8 January. Three days past that deadline, case number 01460884 remains unresolved.

Meanwhile, residents near Roehampton Lane have faced a different ordeal. After a burst main caused traffic chaos from Tuesday, repair work shifted to another leak on Carslake Road, leaving 44 flats at Woodcoot House [without water or toilet facilities for over 30 hours](https://putney.news/2026/01/09/roehampton-lane-reopens-now-work-on-carslake-road-water-main-burst-begins/). Local schools and nurseries were also affected.

> “To see this quantity of water being lost and wasted is devastating,” said Charmian, an Olivette Street resident. “It is outrageous that Thames Water can choose, it seems, to ignore the waste of water, the risk of damage or injury and the inconvenience.”

Readers have questioned whether the situation constitutes a health hazard. “Why is traffic the main focus when the main problem is lack of water for days?” one commenter asked on our Roehampton Lane coverage. Another noted the absence of any authority figures supporting affected residents.

---

***Are you dealing with a Thames Water problem? Email  and tell us what’s happening.***

---

One Olivette Street resident who called Thames Water said the operator “sounded utterly fed up and said very little.” Despite multiple households on the street reporting the leak, Thames Water crews have yet to be seen onsite.

The simultaneous failures come during a period when households are being urged to conserve water and many have had smart meters installed: a stark contrast between residents who ration and limit their consumption while the company allows significant volumes to drain away.

*Putney.news* has contacted Thames Water for comment on both the Olivette Street leak and the wider capacity issues affecting the area. We will update this story when we receive a response.

The [burst main on Roehampton Lane](https://putney.news/2026/01/07/gridlock-burst-water-main-and-gas-works-combine-to-grind-putney-to-a-halt/) that began on Tuesday affected around 350 properties. Another significant leak is on Carslake Road in West Putney. On New Year’s Eve, another burst main on West Hill forced road closures. Combined with Olivette Street, Putney has now seen four significant Thames Water incidents in just two weeks. And there are likely more.

#### Thames Water performance

The pattern reflects wider problems at the troubled utility company. [Government figures published in November](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-resources-2024-2025-analysis-of-the-water-industrys-annual-water-resources-performance/water-resources-2024-to-2025-analysis-of-the-water-industrys-annual-water-resources-performance) found that 19% of water entering distribution nationally is lost through leakage, a level described as “unacceptably high”.

> Thames Water has been rated the worst performing water company for customer satisfaction for four consecutive years by regulator Ofwat, and in October 2025 was ordered to refund £75.2 million to customers for poor performance.

Thames Water, which serves 16 million customers across London and the Thames Valley, has blamed its ageing infrastructure for persistent problems. Almost 40% of its network dates back to before the 1920s, with many pipes made from cast iron that is more prone to failure than modern materials.

The company has been teetering on the brink of financial collapse since 2023 and received a £3 billion emergency bailout in March 2025.

Residents affected by leaks can report them to Thames Water on 0800 714 614 or through the [company’s website](https://www.thameswater.co.uk/help/report-a-problem).

**Have you been affected?** Is there a leak in your street we don’t know about? Are you still without water? Have you been waiting days for repairs? Tell us what happened and we will put your case to Thames Water. Email .

*This story will be updated when/if Thames Water responds.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/12/thames-water-promises-repairs-by-wednesday-its-monday-no-one-has-come/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/12/thames-water-promises-repairs-by-wednesday-its-monday-no-one-has-come/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Thames%20Water%20promises%20repairs%20by%20Wednesday.%20It%E2%80%99s%20Monday.%20No%20one%20has%20come.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/12/thames-water-promises-repairs-by-wednesday-its-monday-no-one-has-come/)

**Categories:** Community, Health, Homes and Property

**Tags:** Carslake Road, infrastructure failure, Olivette Street, Roehampton Lane, Thames Water, water supply

---

### [Calls grow to replace Disraeli bike racks as investigation reveals safety and theft problems](https://putney.news/2026/01/12/calls-grow-to-replace-disraeli-bike-racks-as-investigation-reveals-safety-and-theft-problems/)

**Published:** January 12, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Councillor and residents respond to our report with accounts of hazards, poor design and traffic obstruction,

**Content:**

Our investigation last week into the abandoned bike parts filling Disraeli Road’s double-decker racks has prompted councillors and residents to reveal the problems run far deeper than neglected maintenance.

Local councillor John Locker disclosed that the oversized racks create a safety hazard for cyclists using the borough’s new contraflow cycle route. Reader Lydia Tapping revealed the racks enable theft through poor design and lack of CCTV – losing a £260 bike herself. And resident James Becker called for the racks to be removed entirely to ease traffic congestion.

The responses suggest the racks, installed years ago as a compromise when there was no space at Putney station, have become a focal point of frustration affecting cyclists, drivers, and the wider community.

#### Blocking cycle route exit

Locker, who represents Thamesfield ward, warned council transport officers about a safety problem when they consulted on new cycle routes across Wandsworth. When cars queue at the junction, there’s no space for cyclists to navigate safely from Norroy Road across Putney High Street because the racks occupy the space they need.

> “When cars queue to exit there isn’t space for a cyclist to safely leave from Norroy Road and cross Putney High Street to enter Disraeli as the bike rack takes up so much space on the left hand side,” Locker explained.

The problem stems from the borough’s decision to make both Norroy and Disraeli Roads contraflow cycle routes, allowing cyclists to travel west to east on roads that are one-way east to west for motor traffic. The intention was to help cyclists avoid busier roads like Upper Richmond Road.

But the junction where cyclists exit hasn’t been reconfigured to accommodate the new route, leaving cyclists trying to navigate around queuing cars with the oversized bike racks blocking the space they need.

The council officers acknowledged Locker’s concerns and “verbally assured” him they would fix it as part of their programme of works on the new cycle routes. The reconfiguration has not been scheduled. Locker said he would chase the transport department to find out if the work has been programmed.

> [Putney’s bike graveyard: less than a sixth of racks used by functional cycles](https://putney.news/2026/01/08/putneys-bike-graveyard-less-than-a-sixth-of-racks-used-by-functional-cycles/)

#### Design enables theft

*Putney.news* reader Tapping, commenting on our investigation, noted that the stripped bikes filling the rack spaces are the result of theft.

“The bikes in those racks are not abandoned. They are remnants of stolen bicycles because the council structure is wholly useless,” Tapping wrote. “Having had three bikes stolen in London over the years I’d never had a bike stolen again for 20 years until 2024.”

She lost her 20-year-old Kona Firefox, which she’d recently had completely overhauled for £260, from these specific racks. The double-decker rack design makes it impossible to secure both wheel and frame properly – the standard security advice from the Metropolitan Police.

There is no CCTV coverage over the racks, despite the council investing in expensive double-decker infrastructure at a prominent location near the station. This means thieves can strip bikes with no surveillance deterrent.

The Met Police promote a bike tagging scheme, but Tapping said when she encountered community officers promoting it months after her theft, they were “unable to understand” when she asked if they recovered tagged bikes and contacted owners. “A passerby told me not to waste my time with tagging and just make sure to get a decent double lock,” she said.

![Disraeli bike rack ](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/disraeli-bike-rack-chassis-1024x768.png)#### Traffic obstruction

Becker, also commenting on our story, called for the racks to be removed entirely. “The racks should be dismantled and the road widened to make way for a second lane dedicated to cars turning into Putney High Street,” he wrote. “The traffic on Disraeli Road is sometimes 20 cars deep with many cars looking to move on through Norroy Road.”

His view reflects driver frustration at a junction where traffic flow has become a significant local concern, with many months of severe and ongoing congestion in the area.

#### Compromised from the start

Locker said the racks were installed years ago as part of a wider London initiative to provide cycle parking at rail stations, possibly with central grant funding. Located on Disraeli Road because there was no space directly in front of Putney station, they were expected to serve commuters cycling to the station.

That expectation never materialised. Our inspection on Tuesday found 59% of spaces completely empty, with only 16% of total capacity used by functional bicycles – some showing cobwebs on the gears suggesting they hadn’t been moved in months.

“Clearly it hasn’t attracted demand and has become rather tired and ugly,” Locker said. “I am sure a much smaller single-level rack will suffice and had spoken to officers about it.”

Council policy announced in March 2023 requires abandoned bikes to be tagged and removed within 14 days if unclaimed. The rust patterns on bikes at Disraeli Road suggest months of abandonment, indicating the policy has not been enforced at this location.

![Disraeli bike rack and abandoned bike](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/disraeli-bike-abadoned-1024x768.png)#### Multiple problems, single solution

The responses to our investigation reveal infrastructure that simultaneously creates safety hazards for cyclists, enables bike theft through poor design and lack of security, obstructs traffic flow, and serves as an eyesore of stripped bike parts.

A replacement would need to address multiple requirements: properly sized to match actual demand, designed to allow both wheel and frame to be secured, covered by CCTV to deter theft, and positioned to allow safe cycle route access whilst not obstructing traffic flow.

Alternatively, as Becker suggests, the space could be returned to road use entirely – though this would mean removing cycling infrastructure at a time when the council champions active travel.

Wandsworth Council’s press office did not respond to questions sent last week about why the 14-day abandoned bike removal policy has not been enforced at this location, when it was last inspected, or whether the council has plans to address the chronic underutilisation.

*Putney.news* has also contacted the council’s transport team asking when the junction reconfiguration will be scheduled and why no CCTV coverage is provided at the racks.

We’ll keep tracking this story develops as momentum builds among councillors and residents for action on infrastructure that appears to satisfy no one while creating problems for multiple groups.

*This story will be updated when the council responds.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/12/calls-grow-to-replace-disraeli-bike-racks-as-investigation-reveals-safety-and-theft-problems/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/12/calls-grow-to-replace-disraeli-bike-racks-as-investigation-reveals-safety-and-theft-problems/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Calls%20grow%20to%20replace%20Disraeli%20bike%20racks%20as%20investigation%20reveals%20safety%20and%20theft%20problems&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/12/calls-grow-to-replace-disraeli-bike-racks-as-investigation-reveals-safety-and-theft-problems/)

**Categories:** News

**Tags:** bike racks, bike theft, Cllr John Locker, cycle contraflow, cycling safety, Disraeli Road, Lydia Tapping, thamesfield, traffic congestion, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Wandsworth council strips committees from Reform UK defector](https://putney.news/2026/01/04/wandsworth-council-secret-meeting-strips-committees-from-reform-uk-defector/)

**Published:** January 4, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Secret meeting removes councillor from powerful committees while democratic crisis continues.

**Content:**

**UPDATED** Wandsworth Council has removed a Reform UK councillor from two powerful committees, publishing the agenda of the meeting only after it had taken place.

Cllr Mark Justin, who defected from the Conservatives to Reform UK in August, was stripped of his seats on both the Planning Applications Committee and Regulatory Licensing Committee. The council’s Constitution Committee made the changes during a meeting that appeared on no advance calendar, gave no start time, and provided no explanation, and may not have even taken place.

The meeting was listed as having occurred on “Monday, 29th December” on the [council’s online calendar](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/mgCalendarMonthView.aspx), but subscribers to committee updates only learned of it when an automated email arrived at 10pm stating the agenda had been published at 7:36pm that evening. No time was given for when the meeting actually took place.

Council leader Simon Hogg has not explained why the meeting was held without advance notice, why no published summary of changes was provided, or why the committee chose the final working days of December to make the appointments. The council has also not responded to questions about when it will correct a separate constitutional error that has silenced three councillors representing approximately 18,000 residents.

#### Committees with real power

The Planning Applications Committee decides major and controversial planning applications affecting large developments across Wandsworth. Members vote on schemes that shape neighbourhoods, with wrong decisions potentially leading to costly appeals against the council.

The Regulatory Licensing Committee controls alcohol licensing under the Licensing Act 2003, with powers to grant, refuse, modify, suspend or revoke licenses for pubs, restaurants, clubs and late-night businesses. The committee’s decisions directly affect premises’ ability to trade and the character of local high streets.

Justin’s removal from both committees came four months after his defection. He had been elected as a Conservative in May 2022 but [switched to Reform UK in August 2025](https://putney.news/2025/08/08/exclusive-wandsworth-council-in-meltdown-as-conservative-jumps-ship-to-reform-amid-brutal-power-wars/) amid a brutal power war within the Wandsworth Conservative group.

![Mark Justin. Pic: Roger Cracknell](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/reform-qt3-997x1024.png)Mark Justin. Pic: Roger CracknellOne other committee change was made at the same Wandsworth council secret meeting. Cllr Lawless was removed from the Audit Committee and replaced with Cllr Critchard. On the Regulatory Licensing Committee, Cllr Sweet replaced Justin in the Conservative group slot. On Planning Applications, Cllr Jeffreys took the seat Justin had occupied.

The December 2025 constitution bears no published change log showing what was altered from the August 2025 version. A detailed comparison of both versions confirms the only substantive changes relate to these committee membership appointments. No changes were made to constitutional powers, executive roles, officer delegations, procedures, codes of conduct, or governance frameworks.

The council reissued the entire 200-plus page constitution to reflect three committee membership changes, making it very difficult to identify what had actually been amended and why.

#### Opportunity ignored

The Constitution Committee meeting came two weeks after [we reported that three councillors have been effectively silenced](https://putney.news/2025/12/17/three-councillors-gagged-as-council-admits-mistake-but-wont-fix-it/) by a drafting error in Standing Order 39. Malcolm Grimston (Independent, West Hill), Mark Justin (Reform UK, Nine Elms) and Nick Austin (Independent, West Putney) cannot raise issues of their choosing in Full Council because the standing order requires motions to come “through their Group Whip.”

Mayor Jeremy Ambache acknowledged in December that this “was a missed opportunity for the GP committee (which Cllr Grimston and I sat on) to consider the position of ‘Independent’ members in relation to this matter; and there may be good reason to review this Standing Order in future.”

The Constitution Committee had the power to fix the error at its December 29 meeting. It did not do so.

The council promised in February 2025 to become “more open, modern and listening” when it introduced [sweeping constitutional changes](https://putney.news/2025/12/30/every-promise-broken-wandsworths-scrutiny-reforms-fail-every-test/ "Every promise broken: Wandsworth’s scrutiny reforms fail every test"), but has declined to say when it will correct the standing order that has stripped speaking rights from elected representatives.

The Constitution Committee appears to be an unusual workaround to update the council’s constitution without going through a normal council committee. It doesn’t list its members, or provide minutes, or even explain what changes it is making. It has unclear powers and an opaque role.

The posting of its agenda after the ‘meeting’ has taken place is a further indication that the entire update process to how the council is run was poorly thought through.

> [Every promise broken: Wandsworth’s scrutiny reforms fail every test](https://putney.news/2025/12/30/every-promise-broken-wandsworths-scrutiny-reforms-fail-every-test/)

---

**UPDATE – 11 January 2026**

*Following publication, Wandsworth Council responded on January 6 with clarification about how constitutional updates are processed.*

*A council spokesperson explained: “The changes to the Constitutional are shown as ‘meetings’ as this is the structure permitted by our website. However, this does not mean that there was a meeting on the dates shown on the website. The dates simply reflect the date on which the Constitution was updated to reflect the changes agreed by Council. There was therefore no meetings of the Council or its Committees on 29 December 2025.”*

*The council confirmed that committee membership changes were “agreed by Council” rather than by a separate Constitution Committee meeting.*

*Regarding Standing Order 39, the council said: “If, and when Members determine it is necessary to change this standing order, a report will be brought to Council at that time.”*

*This is helpful clarification. The council’s response explains that their website structure, while confusing, reflects administrative updates rather than actual meetings. We have asked the council for additional details to help us – and residents – better understand when these decisions were made and how the process works.*

---

**Accountability Statement**

**We contacted:** The Leader of the Council, the Mayor and the council’s Director of Law and Goverance.

**Request sent:** **3 January 202**6. 

*The Mayor’s office acknowledged our questions on 5 January 2026 and passed them to the Press Office and Monitoring Officer. The council responded on 6 January 2026 with clarification about the constitutional update process. Follow-up questions sent 11 January 2026.*

---

**Cllr Simon Hogg**

*Leader of Wandsworth Council*

**Status:** *Response received via council spokesperson (6 January 2026). Follow-up questions sent (11 January 2026).*

Questions asked (click to expand)
*Did the Constitution Committee meeting of December 29, 2025 take place? If so, at what time and who attended?*

*Why was this meeting not announced in advance on the council calendar?*

*What was the rationale for removing Cllr Mark Justin from the Planning Applications Committee and Regulatory Licensing Committee?*

*When will the Standing Order 39 error affecting independent councillors be corrected? What steps is the council taking to address this issue?*

---

**Cllr Jeremy Ambache**

*Mayor of Wandsworth*

**Status:** *Acknowledged 5 January 2026. Response received via council spokesperson (6 January 2026). Follow-up questions sent (11 January 2026).*

Questions asked (click to expand)
*You acknowledged on December 8 that Standing Order 39 “was a missed opportunity” for the General Purposes Committee. Was this matter considered at the December 29 Constitution Committee meeting?*

*Do you have a timeline for when this issue will be resolved?*

---

**Abdus Choudhury**

*Director of Law and Governance*

**Status:** *Response received via council spokesperson (6 January 2026). Follow-up questions sent (11 January 2026).*

Questions asked (click to expand)
***Constitution Committee process:***

*Can you confirm whether the Constitution Committee meeting of December 29, 2025 took place? If so, at what time?*

*Who are the members of the Constitution Committee?*

*Why doesn’t the Constitution Committee publish meeting minutes or member lists?*

*What is the Constitution Committee’s role and what powers does it have?*

*Can you explain the process by which the meeting agenda was published at 7:36pm on December 29?*

*Is it standard practice for the Constitution Committee to publish agendas after meetings occur?*

*Why was no change log published with the updated constitution?*

***Standing Order 39:***

*When will this correction be brought before the appropriate committee?*

*What is the process for correcting the Standing Order 39 error?*

1. 

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/04/wandsworth-council-secret-meeting-strips-committees-from-reform-uk-defector/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/04/wandsworth-council-secret-meeting-strips-committees-from-reform-uk-defector/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Wandsworth%20council%20strips%20committees%20from%20Reform%20UK%20defector&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/04/wandsworth-council-secret-meeting-strips-committees-from-reform-uk-defector/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** Constitution Committee, Council accountability, democratic process, Malcolm Grimston, Mark Justin, Nick Austin, Planning Applications Committee, Reform UK, Regulatory Licensing Committee, Standing Order 39, Wandsworth Council

---

### [New gate would close off passage next to returning Marks and Spencer](https://putney.news/2026/01/11/new-gate-would-close-off-passage-next-to-returning-marks-and-spencer/)

**Published:** January 11, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Freeholder cites rough sleepers as reason to block public access to Russell Yard.

**Content:**

Marks and Spencer’s return to Putney comes with a side order of security. The freeholder behind the High Street renovation wants to install gates across the passage next to the new store, blocking public access and citing concerns about rough sleepers.

Marlborough Property (Putney) Limited, which owns 55-71 Putney High Street excluding number 67, submitted the application in November. The company is also behind the M&S renovation currently nearing completion at 55-61, with the store expected to open around Easter.

The proposed gates would seal off Russell Yard entirely. Residents of flats above the shops would use key fobs to enter through a pass door, while retailers and M&S delivery drivers would have separate electronic access. A London Fire Brigade override switch would allow emergency entry.

Land Registry [documents](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2026-01-10_summary_of_title_LN199293_GOV.UK_.pdf) \[pdf\] show the passage is subject to registered rights of way. However, on the planning application form, when asked whether the proposals require any diversions or extinguishments of rights of way, the applicant answered “no”. It is unclear how existing rights holders would maintain access once the gates are installed.

![Land Registry document showing a right of way](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/land-registry-image-russell-yard-1024x641.png)The application states the yard “has been neglected” and “needs to be closed-off from the public to avoid the current ‘dumping ground’, rough sleepers and potential for anti-social behaviour”.

The architects, Putney-based Floyd Slaski, present the project in lofty terms. Their design statement invokes watermen and ferryboats, quotes the 1742 Angler’s Guide, and describes the old timber Putney Bridge as a “beguiling iconic structure” whose story they feel “compelled to honour”. The bridge, depicted in Whistler’s etchings as a low horizontal span of chunky timber piers stretching across the Thames, stood for 137 years. The gate that claims its heritage is a vertical steel security barrier with rubber bumpers to absorb impacts from delivery trolleys.

![Old Putney Bridge by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, about 1876. Etching on paper. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (P 2676), Sir Alexander Maitland Bequest 1965.
](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/old-putney-bridge-whistler-1024x673.png)Old Putney Bridge by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, about 1876. Etching on paper. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (P 2676), Sir Alexander Maitland Bequest 1965.Wandsworth Council’s formal consultation ran from 18 December to 8 January, but the physical site notice was not posted until 5 January, giving passers-by only three days to discover the application before the comment window closed. Planning rules require councils to accept representations for 21 days from when a site notice is displayed, which would extend the effective deadline to 26 January. The council has not clarified whether late comments will be considered.

![Proposed new gate for Russell Yard. Drawing by Floyd Slaski Architects, from planning application 2025/4286, November 2025.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/proposed-new-gate-russell-yard-1024x841.png)Proposed new gate for Russell Yard. Drawing by Floyd Slaski Architects, from planning application 2025/4286, November 2025.Russell Yard currently provides rear access for deliveries to M&S and the shops at 63-71 Putney High Street, as well as the only entrance for residents of flats above those properties. Most of those units are now empty or boarded up. Enzo Uomo, the Italian menswear shop at number 63, closed on 3 January. Eastern Natural Care at 71 is boarded up. Creatures of Putney, the pet shop at number 67, appears closed, though stock remains in its windows. Only Putney Convenience Store at number 69 is still trading.

Number 67 is the one property in the row not owned by Marlborough, meaning its occupants would depend on the freeholder’s goodwill for access through the proposed gates.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/russell-yard-empty-shops-1024x768.png)A mobile security camera has been deployed in the yard while construction work continues on the M&S fit-out.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/russell-yard-watchdog-1024x768.png)Token Yard, a residential development immediately behind, was among the addresses notified of the application.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/eastern-natural-care-shuttered-1024x768.png)Marlborough Property purchased the site for £13.3 million in 2016. The company is based in Syston, Leicestershire.

The application reference is [2025/4286](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/search-planning-applications/). Although the formal consultation period has closed, planning authorities typically accept representations until a decision is made. The council must decide by 10 February.

*Marks and Spencer is returning to Putney High Street after a seven-year absence. [Read our full coverage of the M&S story](https://claude.ai/2025/04/19/marks-amp-spencer-returns-to-putney-high-street/).*

![Planning notice for new gate on Russell Yard](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/planning-notice-768x1024.png)Planning notice for new gate on Russell Yard. It was only posted publicly three days before the consultation is supposed to end. [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/11/new-gate-would-close-off-passage-next-to-returning-marks-and-spencer/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/11/new-gate-would-close-off-passage-next-to-returning-marks-and-spencer/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=New%20gate%20would%20close%20off%20passage%20next%20to%20returning%20Marks%20and%20Spencer&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/11/new-gate-would-close-off-passage-next-to-returning-marks-and-spencer/)

**Categories:** Planning, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Marks &amp; Spencer, Putney High Street, Russell Yard

---

### [Watchdog 'very concerned' over Wandsworth Prison's failure to keep suicidal prisoner safe](https://putney.news/2026/01/11/watchdog-very-concerned-over-wandsworth-prisons-failure-to-keep-suicidal-prisoner-safe/)

**Published:** January 11, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Sebastião Lucas, 34, took his own life just two days after arriving at HMP Wandsworth despite clear warnings.

**Content:**

A prison watchdog has expressed shock over multiple failures at Wandsworth Prison that left a suicidal man dead just 48 hours after his arrival, with staff repeatedly ignoring warnings and missing opportunities that might have saved his life.

Sebastião Lucas died by hanging on 12 May 2021, two days into his time at the South London jail. A damning Prisons and Probation Ombudsman [report](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/F5685-21-Death-of-Mr-Sebastiao-Lucas-Wandsworth-12-05-2021-SI-31-40-34.pdf) \[pdf\] published this week found staff failed to assess Mr Lucas’s risk adequately or keep him safe, despite him arriving with documents showing he had been under constant supervision and had stated he would kill himself.

The clinical reviewer concluded Mr Lucas’s mental healthcare “was not adequate or equivalent to that he could have expected to receive in the community.” Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, which provides all healthcare services at Wandsworth, was responsible for Mr Lucas’s medical and mental health care.

An inquest in September last year ruled the Wandsworth Prison death was suicide contributed to by neglect.

#### Clear warnings ignored from arrival to death

Mr Lucas arrived at Wandsworth on 10 May 2021, after allegedly assaulting a hospital nurse while being sectioned under the Mental Health Act due to suicidal thoughts. He came with a Person Escort Record noting he had been kept under constant supervision in court custody and had said he would self-harm or kill himself.

Despite this, the reception officer did not open suicide prevention procedures (known as ACCT) when she spoke to him. The ombudsman said it was shocked the officer was not aware of repeated warnings that staff too often assess prisoners’ risk based on how they appear rather than their documented risk factors.

A nurse then assessed Mr Lucas at 4.52pm. She did not see his escort record or suicide warning form. Mr Lucas told her he was going to kill himself and had not made plans but would “use whatever it took.” The nurse opened an ACCT at 6.15pm, more than an hour after identifying the risk.

During reception, a body scan revealed Mr Lucas had a substantial quantity of suspected drugs secreted inside him. This information was not adequately communicated or considered when assessing his suicide risk or potential threats from other prisoners. Prison policy for dealing with prisoners who have secreted items did not cover situations where items had already been confiscated.

A manager did not complete Mr Lucas’s immediate ACCT action plan until nearly midnight, some six hours after the procedure opened and nine hours after he arrived with a suicide warning form.

#### System failures

The next day, an officer, a custodial manager and a mental health nurse completed Mr Lucas’s ACCT assessment and first case review together. Prison Service policy states these must be conducted separately. None of the staff knew about the confiscated drugs.

The nurse had not reviewed Mr Lucas’s medical records before the meeting, which contained crucial information about his recent psychiatric history. After the review, she accessed these records and added him to the mental health team’s caseload.

That afternoon, a mental health practitioner from South London and Maudsley liaison services emailed Wandsworth’s mental health team with detailed information about Mr Lucas. The email noted he had been assessed for admission to a psychiatric bed before his arrest, had told staff he would kill himself if not admitted to hospital, and had expressed paranoid beliefs. The team did not act on this information or conduct an urgent review of Mr Lucas’s care plan.

Staff assessed Mr Lucas as “raised risk” and kept him on hourly observations. His care plan contained just one action: getting him a television.

On 12 May, several staff spoke to Mr Lucas that morning. An officer gave him lunch at 11.42am and noted he had no issues. No one checked him after that. Around 12.15pm, a supervising officer asked three officers covering the wing over lunchtime to also cover the first night centre where Mr Lucas was located. Staff failed to complete ACCT observations between 11.42am and 2.26pm, when an officer discovered Mr Lucas hanging in his cell.

Officers cut him down and began resuscitation. Staff in the control room called 999 but incorrectly told the operator Mr Lucas was breathing. Paramedics arrived at 3.36pm and pronounced him dead at 3.42pm.

> [“He would still be alive”: Damning report reveals how Wandsworth Prison failed father of three](https://putney.news/2025/08/24/he-would-still-be-alive-damning-report-reveals-how-wandsworth-prison-failed-father-of-three/)

#### Inadequate assessments

The ombudsman found nobody in the prison made a sufficiently informed or accurate assessment of Mr Lucas’s level of risk. Staff should have considered his risk factors more carefully and observed him more frequently than hourly, especially during his first days in custody.

The ombudsman said: “Mr Lucas had been treated as a high risk to himself in hospital, police custody and court custody and was being dealt with urgently. I am dismayed that once he arrived at Wandsworth the need for the same level of urgency and for acute care was not recognised.”

The report added: “We cannot say whether better risk assessment and a greater sense of urgency would have saved his life, but it may have done.”

Mr Lucas’s death was the fourth of seven suicides at Wandsworth in just over six months. The three suicides which followed are still being investigated by the ombudsman.

The prison made six recommendations, all accepted by HMP Wandsworth and healthcare provider Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust. Key changes include ensuring reception staff consider all risk information, ACCT assessments and reviews are conducted separately, observations take place as specified, and information about confiscated drugs is properly communicated.

A Prison Service spokesperson said the prison has strengthened how it assesses and manages suicide risk, introducing closer working between teams to support new prisoners, and ensuring staff receive daily lists of those at risk.

#### Pattern of deaths at HMP Wandsworth

Mr Lucas was one of multiple people who have died at Wandsworth in recent years. This publication has reported on several cases where the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman found serious failings.

NameAgeDate of DeathCauseKey FindingStory Link**Sebastião Lucas**3412 May 2021Self-inflictedSuicide contributed to by neglect; staff failed to assess risk adequately despite clear warningsThis report**David Wise**4615 Dec 2021Non-naturalSystemic failures in care and oversight[Read story](https://putney.news/2025/04/16/dying-behind-bars-wandsworth-prison/)**Rajwinder Singh**3620 June 2023Self-inflictedFather of three who would still be alive if sent to different prison; staff falsified records, ignored emergency bell[Read story](https://putney.news/2025/08/24/he-would-still-be-alive-damning-report-reveals-how-wandsworth-prison-failed-father-of-three/)**Patryk Gladysz**2719 Jan 2024Self-inflictedMan with schizophrenia failed by catastrophic errors[Read story](https://putney.news/2025/08/01/prisons-catastrophic-failures-condemned-vulnerable-man-with-schizophrenia-to-death/)**Rana Khan**605 April 2024Natural causesLet down by inadequate emergency care; staff failed to manage cardiac emergency properly[Read story](https://putney.news/2025/10/26/two-prisoners-died-within-weeks-at-wandsworth-one-let-down-by-inadequate-emergency-care/)**Thanweer Asharaf**2623 June 2024Natural causesNo prison fault found in death of 26-year-old[Read story](https://putney.news/2025/08/12/no-prison-fault-found-in-wandsworth-prison-death-of-26-year-old/)**Peter Honnor**5527 June 2024Natural causesPoor quality CPR, no CT scan after head injuries, night patrol had no cell key[Read story](https://putney.news/2025/11/30/hmp-wandsworth-staffs-poor-quality-resuscitation-failed-dying-prisoner/)*This table includes deaths at HMP Wandsworth where Putney.news has published detailed coverage of Prisons and Probation Ombudsman reports.*

Since June 2021, there have been 20 deaths at Wandsworth: six from natural causes, ten self-inflicted, three drug-related, and one additional self-inflicted death since June 2024. Multiple investigations remain ongoing.

The pattern of deaths and systemic failures at Wandsworth raises questions about whether the prison can provide adequate care for vulnerable prisoners with complex mental health needs.

---

*The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman investigation included interviews with 15 staff members. Both HMP Wandsworth and Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust accepted all six recommendations in their [action plan](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/F5685-21-Death-of-Mr-Sebastiao-Lucas-Wandsworth-12-05-2021-SI-31-40-34-AP.pdf) \[pdf\].*

---

**Where to get help if you’re struggling**

You don’t have to suffer in silence if you’re struggling with your mental health. Here are some groups you can contact when you need help:

**Samaritans**: Phone 116 123, 24 hours a day, or email jo@samaritans.org in confidence
**Childline**: Phone 0800 1111 (calls are free and won’t show up on your bill)
**PAPYRUS**: For people under 35, phone 0800 068 4141 (24 hours a day)
**Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM):** Phone 0800 58 58 58 (5pm to midnight, every day) for anyone struggling with life or affected by suicide
**James’ Place:** Offering free, life-saving therapy to suicidal men at centres in Liverpool, London and Newcastle. Self-refer at jamesplace.org.uk​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

For information on your local NHS urgent mental health helpline, visit [www.nhs.uk/service-search/mental-health/find-an-urgent-mental-health-helpline](https://111.nhs.uk/triage/check-your-mental-health-symptoms)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/11/watchdog-very-concerned-over-wandsworth-prisons-failure-to-keep-suicidal-prisoner-safe/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/11/watchdog-very-concerned-over-wandsworth-prisons-failure-to-keep-suicidal-prisoner-safe/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Watchdog%20%E2%80%98very%20concerned%E2%80%99%20over%20Wandsworth%20Prison%E2%80%99s%20failure%20to%20keep%20suicidal%20prisoner%20safe&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/11/watchdog-very-concerned-over-wandsworth-prisons-failure-to-keep-suicidal-prisoner-safe/)

**Categories:** Crime

**Tags:** ACCT, HMP Wandsworth, Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, prison deaths, Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Sebastião Lucas, suicide prevention, Wandsworth Prison

---

### [Glassmill Battersea tower appeal triggers heritage society legal response](https://putney.news/2026/01/11/glassmill-battersea-tower-appeal-triggers-heritage-society-legal-response/)

**Published:** January 11, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Eight-day public inquiry in March as societies weigh formal cross-examination rights.

**Content:**

Rockwell has lodged a planning appeal against Wandsworth Council’s unanimous rejection of its 29-storey Glassmill tower next to Battersea Bridge, filing the challenge with just a day to spare before the deadline expired.

The developer’s controversial scheme for 1 Battersea Bridge Road was [refused by councillors in April 2025](https://putney.news/2025/04/25/massive-victory-for-residents-as-council-kills-battersea-tower-scheme/) after planning officers ruled it would cause “significant harm” to the area’s predominantly low-rise character. The refusal followed fierce opposition from residents, [celebrity objectors including Sir Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton](https://putney.news/2025/04/23/tower-to-be-toppled-at-council-planning-meeting-glassmill-scheme-faces-rejection/), and a petition with more than 5,000 signatures.

An eight-day public inquiry will now examine the Glassmill Battersea tower appeal starting 17 March 2026, with heritage societies considering applying for Rule Six status to formally cross-examine the developer’s witnesses.

At Wednesday’s Conservation and Heritage Advisory Committee meeting, chair Michael Judd confirmed societies including the Battersea Society and Chelsea Society are weighing whether to seek the enhanced legal standing, which would allow them to question expert witnesses under oath through barristers.

Judd said CHAC itself would not participate collectively in the appeal, noting the committee is “partly a creature of the council” despite his role as independent chair. Individual societies must now decide whether to apply for Rule Six status separately or jointly by 27 January.

#### The developer’s case dismissed

The appeal comes despite what planning officers described as a “grossly unacceptable” proposal for a site in a policy zone where only six storeys or 18 metres is considered appropriate. Rockwell originally proposed a 39-storey tower before reducing it to 29 storeys.

In its statement of case to the Planning Inspectorate, Rockwell argues that bridges along the Thames are “often signposted by tall to very tall developments” and that the scheme represents “the optimisation of an underutilised building and brownfield site”.

The developer’s documents admit the tower would cause heritage harm “at the very low end of less than substantial harm” to nearby conservation areas and listed buildings. The council assessed the harm as occurring “at the lower to middle level of less than substantial harm”. The planning inspector will need to decide which assessment is correct.

The scheme would replace the six-storey Glassmill office building with 110 flats, including 54 affordable homes at social rent, workspace for small businesses, a restaurant and a community hub. Three charities have expressed interest in the proposed community space.

Rockwell has placed a £1.75 million deposit on the £45 million site purchase, payable only if planning permission is granted. The existing building is only seven per cent leased commercially.

![Glassmill Tower height diagram](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/glassmill-height-1024x575.png)#### What Rule Six status means

Rule Six parties gain the right to cross-examine witnesses at the public inquiry through legal counsel, testing the evidence presented by both the developer and the council. Without this status, societies can still make statements to the inspector but cannot question expert witnesses.

As one CHAC officer explained at Wednesday’s meeting, Rule Six status opens participants up to cross-examination themselves, requiring them to present a single representative who can be questioned by the developer’s barrister. The status allows societies to scrutinise the appellant’s proof of evidence and expert testimony.

One committee member questioned whether there was merit in societies applying for Rule Six status collectively rather than individually. Another raised concerns about “wasting the inspector’s time” by duplicating objections, though they acknowledged societies want to ensure their concerns are properly heard.

The tight timetable creates challenges. The council’s statement of case is due next week, with proofs of evidence from all parties required by mid-February. The Planning Inspectorate sets these deadlines, not the council or appellant.

#### Opposition remains united

Council Leader Simon Hogg opposed the original scheme, stating that “a structure of this magnitude on this site would inflict more harm than good on the local area and its residents”. Labour councillors Jessica Lee and Jamie Colclough told residents that “schemes like this that ignore the local character and put profit ahead of improvements to the local area and people’s wellbeing just aren’t welcome here in Battersea”.

The application drew 2,028 objections alongside 1,892 letters of support, though objectors raised concerns about support letters following identical templates and being uploaded in batches.

Opposition came from Historic England, the Chelsea Society, the Battersea Society, the Putney Society and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Local MP Marsha de Cordova also spoke out against the scheme.

Local campaigner Rob McGibbon, whose petition helped galvanise opposition, said after the council’s decision: “I hope that the company now scraps the scheme altogether and that they do not appeal.”

The Greater London Authority allowed Wandsworth’s refusal to stand in May 2025, ruling there were not “sound planning reasons for the Mayor to intervene”.

A case management conference will be held on 26 January 2026 to prepare for the March inquiry. Residents wishing to comment on the appeal can do so via the Planning Inspectorate website, quoting appeal reference 6002127. The deadline for submissions is 20 January 2026.

Full details are available on [Wandsworth Council’s planning portal](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/search-planning-applications/) under reference 2024/1322.

![Glassmill Tower CGI impression](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/glassmill-impression-1024x575.png)A computer-generated image of how Glassmill Tower could look if approved. Pic: Farrell/Rockwell [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/11/glassmill-battersea-tower-appeal-triggers-heritage-society-legal-response/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/11/glassmill-battersea-tower-appeal-triggers-heritage-society-legal-response/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Glassmill%20Battersea%20tower%20appeal%20triggers%20heritage%20society%20legal%20response&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/11/glassmill-battersea-tower-appeal-triggers-heritage-society-legal-response/)

**Categories:** Planning

**Tags:** Battersea Bridge, CHAC, Glassmill, planning appeals, Rockwell, Rule Six

---

### [The Putney house at the centre of a sovereignty dispute with Rome](https://putney.news/2026/01/10/the-putney-house-at-the-centre-of-a-sovereignty-dispute-with-rome/)

**Published:** January 10, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Behind the red door at Craigmyle House, descendants of England's oldest Catholic families are fighting the Vatican over control of £12 million in assets.

**Content:**

This evening, black-tie guests will gather at the Grosvenor House Hotel for the White Knights Ball, one of the oldest charity balls in London. The event raises funds for work that is genuinely moving: pilgrimages taking seriously ill people to Lourdes, soup runs feeding the homeless at Lincoln’s Inn Fields, and – perhaps most remarkably – the Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem, the only maternity hospital in the region with a level-three neonatal unit, delivering over 4,700 babies a year with 174 Palestinian staff, Christian and Muslim alike.

The ball is organised by the [British Association of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta](https://www.orderofmalta.org.uk/), which operates from an elegant Edwardian house at the quiet end of Deodar Road in Putney. The building has a distinctive red front door and a coat of arms featuring an eight-pointed white cross – the symbol of the Knights of Malta.

But behind the champagne and the undeniably good works lies a remarkable story: the British branch of a crusader-era military order, run by some of England’s oldest Catholic families, which has found itself at the centre of a bitter constitutional battle with the Vatican – a battle that pits papal authority against English charity law, and raises questions about who really controls the Order’s considerable assets.

#### When is a country not a country?

The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is, technically speaking, a country. It has diplomatic relations with 114 nations, observer status at the United Nations, its own passports and currency. Yet it possesses no territory beyond two buildings in Rome granted by Italy under an extraterritorial agreement similar to an embassy.

That sovereignty isn’t merely ceremonial. When Cyclone Nargis devastated Myanmar in 2008, the Order’s relief agency was one of the very few international organisations able to start immediate operations – precisely because its neutral, apolitical status gave it access where other foreign relief organisations were denied. The Order can negotiate entry into conflict zones without alignment to any national interest, obtain customs privileges for medical equipment, and offer stronger protection for humanitarian staff in dangerous regions. It can even act as a mediator between warring states.

But sovereignty also confers something else: status. Membership is by invitation only. Until the 1990s, the highest classes required proof of noble lineage. Members receive titles – Knight, Dame – with ranks ascending through Knight Grand Cross to Bailiff Grand Cross. The Grand Master holds the style “Most Eminent Highness.” Senior figures receive diplomatic passports: crimson-red documents with gold lettering, of which only 500 exist worldwide – the rarest passport on earth.

This is, in other words, an exclusive club with real power, ancient privileges, and access to the corridors of global influence. Small wonder that when the Pope moved to curtail the Order’s independence, resistance was fierce.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/craigmyle-house-768x1024.png)#### Based in Putney

The Putney headquarters coordinates the Order’s charitable work across England and Wales with just two employees and 600 volunteers – a remarkable ratio.

The work is genuinely impressive. Beyond the Bethlehem hospital, the British Association funds Lebanon operations serving 50,000 people annually through nine health centres, having assisted 175,000 Syrian refugees since 2011. Closer to home, volunteers run soup kitchens on Monday nights from St James’s Spanish Place in central London, collecting leftover food from Eat shops and distributing it at Lincoln’s Inn Fields to between 30 and 80 people depending on the weather. There are tea parties for isolated elderly people, care home support, and the annual Lourdes pilgrimage – a full medical operation taking seriously ill “guests” to the shrine with doctors, nurses, and volunteers.

The Order traces its origins to 1048, when merchants from the Italian city of Amalfi established a hospital in Jerusalem to care for Christian pilgrims. After the First Crusade captured the city in 1099, the hospitallers became a military order, defending pilgrims and caring for the sick. They’ve been doing both ever since – from Rhodes, from Malta (until Napoleon expelled them in 1798), and now from Rome.

The British Association’s leadership reads like a roll call of Catholic aristocratic families who maintained their faith through centuries of persecution.

Lady Celestria Hales, the current President, is the daughter of the 5th Earl of Gainsborough. Her father held the same position in the late 1960s and early 70s – the family has been involved with the Order for over half a century. She succeeded Richard Fitzalan-Howard, connected to the Duke of Norfolk, the premier Catholic peer in England.

These aren’t random connections. The Order’s British membership has traditionally drawn from “recusant” families – those who refused to attend Church of England services after the Reformation and paid the price through fines, imprisonment and execution. Three Knights of Malta were martyred under Henry VIII.

Fra’ Matthew Festing, the British Grand Master who led the entire Order until 2017, was himself descended from one of those martyrs – Blessed Adrian Fortescue – through his mother’s Riddell family. The Order’s governance has passed through these interconnected Catholic dynasties for generations.

#### Then the Pope intervened

The trouble began in 2016 with condoms.

Albrecht von Boeselager, the Order’s Grand Hospitaller (essentially its head of charitable operations), was suspended by Grand Master Festing after it emerged that the Order’s relief agency had distributed condoms in Myanmar as part of an HIV prevention programme. Conservative members, backed by Cardinal Raymond Burke, wanted Boeselager gone.

Pope Francis saw it differently. He ordered Boeselager reinstated, demanded Festing’s resignation, and launched what would become a sweeping reform of the entire Order.

By September 2022, Francis had promulgated an entirely new constitution. He dissolved the governing council, appointed a provisional government, abolished the requirement for noble birth among senior knights, and limited Grand Masters to ten-year terms rather than life. Most significantly, the new constitution defined the Order as “subject to the Holy See” – language critics said effectively ended its nine-century claim to sovereignty.

If the Order is merely a Vatican department rather than an independent sovereign entity, it loses the neutral status that allows it to operate in conflict zones, or anywhere that association with a particular state might prove problematic. The practical consequences for humanitarian work could be severe.

The Pope’s message to resistant members was blunt: “Conflicts and opposition harm your mission. Lust for power and other worldly attachments create distance from Christ.”

#### The British problem

In October 2022, Richard Fitzalan-Howard wrote to all British members with a stark warning: the Pope’s reforms were “illegal under UK charity law.”

His argument: the British Association is a standalone English charity, [registered with the Charity Commission](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regId=1103567&subId=0), governed by trustees with personal legal liability. The Pope can reform the Order’s religious structure, but he cannot unilaterally transfer control from UK charity trustees to Rome, and any attempt to redirect British charitable funds would attract the Commission’s attention.

The assets at stake aren’t trivial. The British Association holds investments worth £11.3 million and total reserves of £12.2 million – equivalent to 101 months of spending. These funds were built up over decades from legacies given for specific charitable purposes. English charity law exists precisely to prevent such restricted funds being redirected by external authorities – even papal ones.

Interestingly, the corporate restructuring happened right in the middle of the Vatican crisis. Between 2015 and 2017, the British Association absorbed several predecessor charities – The BASMOM Trust (dating from 1959), The BASMOM Foundation, and the original unincorporated association – consolidating everything into a single incorporated charitable company governed by English law.

The finances tell their own story. Donations have collapsed from £720,000 in 2020 to just £271,000 in 2024 – a 62% decline. Zero legacies were received in 2024, compared to £545,000 in 2021. The charity now spends more on fundraising (£371,000) than it receives in donations. It is, essentially, living off its investment portfolio.

Whether the falling donations reflect the Vatican conflict, changing demographics among Catholic philanthropists, or broader trends in charitable giving is unclear. But an organisation running annual deficits while sitting on eight years of reserves is one that appears to be managing decline rather than growth.

Pope Francis died on Easter Monday 2025, following a prolonged illness. His successor, Pope Leo XIV – an American, the first from the Americas – has continued the reform agenda, albeit with softer language.

Meeting the Order’s Grand Master in June 2025, Leo stressed that renewal “cannot be simply institutional, normative: it must first of all be interior, spiritual.” In plain English: stop complaining about the rule changes and accept them.

But even Boeselager – the man Francis saved in 2017 – has gone public with criticism. In a letter to members, he wrote that he “cannot imagine” the new constitution will help the Order’s work, and that he has “received many messages from members who are questioning their continued membership.”

The risk, according to Catholic News Agency reporting, is that national associations may “decide to disengage from the order, maintaining their autonomy to run their charitable work while avoiding being treated in the same way as religious organisations.”

#### Craigmyle House

The building itself arrived in the Order’s hands in November 2015, when they moved from 58 Grove End Road in St John’s Wood. It was initially called “The White House” before being renamed Craigmyle House the following year in honour of Thomas Shaw, 3rd Baron Craigmyle, a former President of the British Association described in his Times obituary as “one of Britain’s most philanthropic Roman Catholic laymen” – a convert with “deep piety and astonishing personal generosity.”

Deodar Road, named after the Himalayan cedar, curves gently through what was once part of the Roehampton estate. The houses here sell for several million pounds. The building serves as both headquarters and meeting space for an organisation that has maintained a presence in London since 1875.

The next time you walk past, remember: behind that red door sits the British outpost of a sovereign entity older than most European nation states, governed by descendants of families who faced execution rather than abandon their faith, currently navigating a constitutional crisis that pits medieval claims of papal authority against modern English charity law.

The Winter Ball is sold out. But the battle with Rome continues.

---

*This is the second in an occasional series exploring the unexpected organisations operating quietly in Putney. Read the first: [Brazil’s admirals have been quietly shopping for warships in Putney since 1971](https://putney.news/2026/01/03/brazils-admirals-have-been-quietly-shopping-for-warships-in-putney-since-1971/).*

---

*Correction: This story initially said that tonight was the “Winter Ball” being hosted *at the the Hurlingham* Club by the British Association of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, it is in fact The White Knights Ball.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/10/the-putney-house-at-the-centre-of-a-sovereignty-dispute-with-rome/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/10/the-putney-house-at-the-centre-of-a-sovereignty-dispute-with-rome/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Putney%20house%20at%20the%20centre%20of%20a%20sovereignty%20dispute%20with%20Rome&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/10/the-putney-house-at-the-centre-of-a-sovereignty-dispute-with-rome/)

**Categories:** Thamesfield, World

**Tags:** British Association, charity law, Craigmyle House, crusader knights, Deodar Road, Hurlingham Club, Order of Malta, Putney buildings, unexpected organisations, Vatican, Winter Ball

---

### [Weekend roadworks: Roehampton lights stay in place as Carslake leak continues](https://putney.news/2026/01/10/roehampton-lane-traffic-lights-remain-as-carslake-road-leak-enters-fifth-day/)

**Published:** January 10, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Burst main repairs ongoing across West Putney with permits running until next week.

**Content:**

Temporary traffic lights will stay in place on Roehampton Lane through the weekend following last week’s burst water main, while the Carslake Road leak continues to pour water across the residential street after four days with the road closed.

The Roehampton Lane permit runs until Monday 12 January, meaning two-way signals will remain at the burst main site near Clarence Lane throughout the weekend. Thames Water completed emergency repairs on Wednesday and buses have resumed their normal routes but the road needs to be rebuilt before the lights can be removed.

The Carslake Road situation is more severe. Water has been pouring from the pavement and across the road since the burst was identified on Monday 6 January. Thames Water started repair work on Thursday but the road remains closed with a permit running until next Thursday 16 January.

Residents report the Carslake Road leak has been affecting access to Ark Putney school, with parents struggling to navigate the narrow residential streets around the closure. The continuous flow of water has created hazards for pedestrians trying to reach the school.

The two failures are part of a cluster of burst mains across SW15 in the past fortnight. A major burst closed [West Hill in both directions](https://putney.news/2025/12/31/major-burst-water-main-closes-west-hill-on-new-years-eve/) on New Year’s Eve, while Roehampton Lane’s closure this week caused [gridlock across Putney](https://putney.news/2026/01/07/gridlock-burst-water-main-and-gas-works-combine-to-grind-putney-to-a-halt/) when six bus routes diverted through Dover House Road.

Thames Water reported in December that freezing temperatures were causing “twice the usual bursts” across its network. However, the company has offered no explanation for the concentration of failures in Putney or why the Carslake Road leak has continued for days while repairs were prioritised elsewhere.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/carlslake-closed-signs-1024x768.png)Route 424 buses remain diverted via Putney Heath, Wildcroft Road and Putney Hill while Carslake Road stays closed. The hail and ride sections between Chartfield Avenue and Carslake Road are not being served.

Drivers using Roehampton Lane should expect delays at the temporary lights, particularly during peak times. The lights are scheduled for removal on Monday but Thames Water has not confirmed whether this will happen. Alternative routes include Putney Hill heading north and the A3 via Tibbet’s Corner heading south.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/carlslake-road-closed-off-1024x768.png)The Carslake Road closure affects residential access across a wider area of West Putney. Residents can check [one.network](https://uk.one.network/) for the latest permit information on both sites.

Thames Water customers experiencing supply issues can call 0800 316 9800. Bus passengers should check [tfl.gov.uk/bus/status](https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/status/) for live updates on route 424 diversions.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/carlslake-road-closed-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/10/roehampton-lane-traffic-lights-remain-as-carslake-road-leak-enters-fifth-day/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/10/roehampton-lane-traffic-lights-remain-as-carslake-road-leak-enters-fifth-day/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Weekend%20roadworks%3A%20Roehampton%20lights%20stay%20in%20place%20as%20Carslake%20leak%20continues&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/10/roehampton-lane-traffic-lights-remain-as-carslake-road-leak-enters-fifth-day/)

**Categories:** Roehampton, Transport, West Hill

**Tags:** burst water main, Carslake Road, oehampton Lane, roadworks, Roehampton, Route 424, Thames Water, traffic, weekend, West Putney

---

### [St Mary's Church cafe to reopen under Ground Coffee Society](https://putney.news/2026/01/10/st-marys-church-cafe-to-reopen-under-ground-coffee-society/)

**Published:** January 10, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Major refit underway after Putney Pantry closure.

**Content:**

Ground Coffee Society is taking over the community cafe at St Mary’s Church following the closure of Putney Pantry in December.

The cafe space in the Brewer Building is currently undergoing a complete refit, with new plumbing, electrical systems and wood panelling being installed. Construction crews have been working around the clock, with a target opening date of two weeks’ time.

The takeover brings Dave and Tracey Dickinson back to running a cafe after focusing on their coffee roasting business in Wandsworth Town since 2020. The couple previously ran Grind Coffee Bar on Lower Richmond Road before stepping back from retail to concentrate on roasting and supplying coffee to events and wholesale clients.

The Dickinsons have connections with St Mary’s School and the church community. A notice on the cafe door says the church felt they were “the perfect people to partner with for this next chapter” given their experience running cafes and their local roots.

![St Mary's Church coffee shop - closed for renovation](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/st-marys-coffee-shop-1024x768.png)The coffee shop at the entry to St Mary’s is closed for renovation.Putney Pantry closed last month after 12 years serving the church community. Owner Issa Cissokho shut the cafe to [pursue his ambition](https://putney.news/2025/12/09/putney-pantry-to-close-after-12-years-at-st-marys-church/ "Putney Pantry to close after 12 years at St Mary’s Church") of opening a Senegalese restaurant.

The renovation at St Mary’s is extensive. The interior is being stripped back and rebuilt with dark painted walls and custom wooden furniture. Building work began on 5 January.

Ground Coffee Society operates a roastery in Wandsworth Town supplying cafes, restaurants and online customers. The company also provides coffee at sporting events including Queen’s Tennis Championships and The Open golf tournament. The St Mary’s cafe will be their first return to operating a retail cafe themselves in five years.

![The St Mary's Church coffee shop undergoing a refit](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/st-marys-coffee-shop-refit-768x1024.png)A full refit is underway as Ground Coffee prepares to open in the last week of January. [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/10/st-marys-church-cafe-to-reopen-under-ground-coffee-society/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/10/st-marys-church-cafe-to-reopen-under-ground-coffee-society/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=St%20Mary%E2%80%99s%20Church%20cafe%20to%20reopen%20under%20Ground%20Coffee%20Society&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/10/st-marys-church-cafe-to-reopen-under-ground-coffee-society/)

**Categories:** Business, Food &amp; Drink, Thamesfield

**Tags:** cafes, Ground Coffee Society, Putney Pantry, St Marys Church

---

### [Council advisors say no to Lennox Estate tower block](https://putney.news/2026/01/09/council-advisors-say-no-to-lennox-estate-tower-block/)

**Published:** January 9, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Heritage committee cites policy breach as housing department pushes 14-storey scheme,

**Content:**

Wandsworth’s heritage committee has recommended refusing plans for a 14-storey tower on the Lennox Estate, citing clear violations of the council’s own planning policies.

The Conservation and Heritage Advisory Committee voted on Wednesday evening to oppose the Arabella Drive development, which would be more than double the six-storey height limit set out in the local plan.

“The tower is inappropriate in that setting because of its impact on all sorts of conservation and view settings,” said Andrew Cato, representing the Putney Society. “As a conservation and heritage body, we should be opposing the idea of anything taller than the six stories that is in the local plan.”

The council’s housing department is seeking permission to build 81 affordable homes on protected open space at the northern end of the estate. The site was never allocated for development in the local plan, and is designated as protected open space under policies LP 20, 53 and 54.

#### Cart before horse

Planning officers revealed during the meeting that the housing department had determined the 81-unit target before checking whether planning policy would allow it.

“It’s really something that they’ve come forward through from the housing department,” an officer explained. “They ran with the scheme in terms of the number of units they wanted to put on their site.”

Peter Farrow, representing Wandsworth Society, said planning policy should have constrained what the housing department could propose.

“My view would be that if the planning policy suggested or required a limit of six stories, that should have been a governing factor which limited the amount the housing department were allowed to require,” he said. “It is not clear to me why it was suddenly decided that 81 units should be provided on this site.”

The committee heard that the council’s own Design Review Panel had suggested a six-storey scheme that would comply with policy, but the housing department rejected this because it would take up more open space.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/chac-meeting-1024x576.png)#### Obeying the law of justice

Councillor Finna Ayres acknowledged the tension between housing need and planning rules. “81 affordable units is something to die for,” she said. “I think it’s a balance between obeying the law that we’ve all agreed, and obeying the other laws of justice for people who don’t have homes.”

But the committee ultimately concluded that the tower violated clear policy limits and would be visible from conservation areas across Richmond and from as far as Chiswick Bridge.

The recommendation is advisory only. The final decision rests with Wandsworth’s Planning Applications Committee, which could approve the scheme despite the heritage body’s opposition.

#### Other problems

The application has already drawn criticism over [fire safety concerns](https://putney.news/2026/01/07/fire-crews-fought-blocked-roads-to-reach-roehampton-blaze-now-council-plans-to-close-more-routes/), with residents pointing out that the proposed closure of Arabella Drive would restrict emergency access to hundreds of homes on an estate where six fire engines were needed to tackle a blaze last March.

The same land was [successfully defended from development by residents in the 1990s](https://putney.news/2026/01/02/how-residents-saved-the-lennox-estate-green-from-six-development-attempts/), when a Planning Inspector ruled that housing need could not override open space protections.

The site also sits in a [medium-risk zone for unexploded Second World War ordnance](https://putney.news/2025/12/27/building-on-bombs-council-plans-81-homes-where-wwii-explosives-fell/), based on German records showing multiple high-explosive bombs fell on or near the proposed building locations during the Blitz.

Public consultation on application [2025/4170](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/search-planning-applications/) closes on 19 January 2026.

> [How residents saved the Lennox Estate Green from six development attempts](https://putney.news/2026/01/02/how-residents-saved-the-lennox-estate-green-from-six-development-attempts/)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/09/council-advisors-say-no-to-lennox-estate-tower-block/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/09/council-advisors-say-no-to-lennox-estate-tower-block/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Council%20advisors%20say%20no%20to%20Lennox%20Estate%20tower%20block&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/09/council-advisors-say-no-to-lennox-estate-tower-block/)

**Categories:** Housing, Planning, Roehampton

**Tags:** Arabella Drive, CHAC, housing, Lennox Estate, planning, Roehampton

---

### [Roehampton Lane reopens, now work on Carslake Road water main burst begins](https://putney.news/2026/01/09/roehampton-lane-reopens-now-work-on-carslake-road-water-main-burst-begins/)

**Published:** January 9, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Residents report 48 hours without water while Thames Water prioritised red route repairs.

**Content:**

Thames Water has completed emergency repairs to the Roehampton water main that closed a major red route for three days; now work on a second burst pipe begins.

The Roehampton Lane road closure ended yesterday morning after the burst main, identified on Monday, affected approximately 350 properties and causing widespread congestion across Putney and Roehampton.

Temporary traffic lights are still in place while the road is rebuilt and buses remain rerouted through narrow Dover House Road – but it should mean less congestion Friday morning.

Thames Water will now turn its attention to Carslake Road, where residents report the burst has been pouring water since Tuesday while emergency crews focused on the main route.

The one.network permit database show Thames Water obtained authorisation for Carslake Road repairs on 6 January, the same day as the Roehampton Lane burst. But a second permit issued yesterday schedules work to begin at 9:05am today. Temporary traffic lights are already in place on the residential street.

The pattern reveals Thames Water’s infrastructure capacity is so stretched that two simultaneous bursts overwhelmed the system, forcing it to leave one area without running water while crews fixed the other.

Meanwhile residents near Roehampton Lane should finally get their water back today. Ellie from Woodcoot House reported on Wednesday that 44 flats had been without water and toilet facilities for over 30 hours with no information from Thames Water. “No other support or temporary water has been provided by either Thames Water or the council,” she commented on [our news story](https://putney.news/2026/01/08/roehampton-lane-stays-closed-with-no-end-date-as-commuters-face-second-day-of-gridlock/). “It is sad to live in such inhumane conditions.”

A Thames Water statement said the company “delivered bottled water to customers on our Priority Services Register and remain available to help anyone needing extra support.” The company did not respond to questions about whether Woodcoot House residents were contacted or whether the Priority Services Register reached everyone affected.

#### Three bursts in eight days

The Carslake Road repair is the third burst water main in SW15 in just over a week. A major burst closed [West Hill in both directions](https://putney.news/2025/12/31/major-burst-water-main-closes-west-hill-on-new-years-eve/) on New Year’s Eve, causing significant road and pavement damage that took several days to repair.

Roehampton Lane became the second failure when the main burst near Clarence Lane and forced a complete road closure from Monday evening causing gridlock across Putney when six bus routes diverted through Dover House Road, where existing gas works had already narrowed the street to a single lane with temporary traffic lights.

[Bus drivers stepped out of their vehicles](https://putney.news/2026/01/07/gridlock-burst-water-main-and-gas-works-combine-to-grind-putney-to-a-halt/) trying to see what was causing the jam as traffic backed up from Roehampton through Putney Heath to Putney High Street. The diversions affected routes to Roehampton University, Queen Mary’s Hospital and the Alton Estate.

Thames Water [refused to say when the Roehampton road closure would end](https://putney.news/2026/01/08/roehampton-lane-stays-closed-with-no-end-date-as-commuters-face-second-day-of-gridlock/) when contacted on Tuesday. We finally received a response late Thursday.

Carslake Road has been leaking throughout this period. Thames Water’s statement confirmed “another burst pipe on Carslake Road, which has caused further supply issues for residents, will be repaired tomorrow (9 January).” The burst has been causing bus diversions on route 424 via Putney Heath.

Freezing temperatures are the obvious cause. Thames Water reported in December that the company was experiencing “twice the usual bursts” due to cold weather. But the utility has offered no explanation for why its infrastructure repeatedly failed across SW15, what caused each specific burst, or why response capacity proved insufficient to handle two simultaneous repairs.

> [Roehampton Lane stays closed with no end date as commuters face second day of gridlock](https://putney.news/2026/01/08/roehampton-lane-stays-closed-with-no-end-date-as-commuters-face-second-day-of-gridlock/)

#### Today’s disruption

Commuters face another round of congestion, although it should be less severe. Although Roehampton Lane has partially reopened, gas works on Dover House Road and the narrow geometry of Carslake Road combined with temporary lights will still create bottlenecks. Alternative routes include Putney Hill heading north and the A3 via Tibbet’s Corner heading south.

Thames Water customers experiencing supply issues can call 0800 316 9800 or check thameswater.co.uk/network-latest for updates. The company’s [Priority Services Register](https://www.thameswater.co.uk/help/priority-services) is available for customers who may need extra support during water disruptions, though registration appears required before incidents occur.

Bus passengers should check [tfl.gov.uk/bus/status](https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/status/) for live service updates.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/09/roehampton-lane-reopens-now-work-on-carslake-road-water-main-burst-begins/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/09/roehampton-lane-reopens-now-work-on-carslake-road-water-main-burst-begins/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Roehampton%20Lane%20reopens%2C%20now%20work%20on%20Carslake%20Road%20water%20main%20burst%20begins&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/09/roehampton-lane-reopens-now-work-on-carslake-road-water-main-burst-begins/)

**Categories:** Roehampton, Transport, West Putney

**Tags:** burst water main, Carslake Road, infrastructure, road closure, Roehampton, Roehampton Lane, Thames Water, Wandsworth, water supply

---

### [Save Wimbledon Park court case set for January at High Court](https://putney.news/2026/01/09/save-wimbledon-park-court-case-set-for-january-at-high-court/)

**Published:** January 9, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Campaign calls supporters to attend crucial hearing on whether former golf course protected for public recreation.

**Content:**

Save Wimbledon Park has announced that its High Court case against the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s (AELTC) expansion plans will be heard from Friday 16 January to Thursday 23 January at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

The Wimbledon court case will determine whether the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club site remains protected by a statutory trust for public recreation, a legal question that could block the tennis club’s controversial development plans.

The campaign is calling supporters to attend the opening day on 16 January to provide visible public backing during what it describes as a “David and Goliath struggle” against the well-resourced tennis club.

“We would like to make some noise on the 16th for the benefit of journalists and (we hope) TV crews, so we need our supporters to come along,” Save Wimbledon Park coordinator Simon Wright wrote in an email to supporters on Tuesday.

#### A potentially decisive case

The statutory trust case is one of three parallel legal challenges Save Wimbledon Park is pursuing against the AELTC’s plans to build 39 new grass courts on the 73-acre former golf course site – what the campaign calls [“triple jeopardy”](https://putney.news/2025/11/20/court-of-appeal-reopens-wimbledon-park-fight-as-residents-challenge-planning-approval/) for the tennis club’s development.

The tennis club has previously conceded that if the statutory trust is found to cover the land, the proposed development cannot proceed, making this case potentially decisive.

The campaign argues that Merton Council’s 1993 sale of the land to AELTC violated consultation requirements under the Public Health Act 1875, meaning the statutory trust protecting the land for public recreation still applies.

AELTC disputes this, arguing the golf course has been largely inaccessible to the public for more than a century and is not subject to such restrictions.

#### A four-year legal battle

The January hearing comes after a turbulent year of legal developments in the [long-running battle](https://putney.news/2025/05/05/from-prestige-to-protest-inside-the-years-long-battle-over-wimbledon-park/) over the former public parkland.

In July, Save Wimbledon Park [lost its initial judicial review](https://putney.news/2025/07/21/save-wimbledon-park-campaign-loses-high-court-challenge/) challenging the planning permission itself, with Mr Justice Saini upholding the Greater London Authority’s decision to approve the £200 million scheme.

However, in November the Court of Appeal [granted permission for an appeal](https://putney.news/2025/11/20/court-of-appeal-reopens-wimbledon-park-fight-as-residents-challenge-planning-approval/), with Lord Justice Holgate saying the grounds were “arguable with a real prospect of success.” That case has not yet been scheduled.

The legal battle also took a controversial turn when a member of the House of Lords attempted to retrospectively change the law to remove the statutory trust protections. [Amendment 250 was abandoned](https://putney.news/2025/11/04/wimbledon-park-amendment-abandoned-after-peers-condemn-erosion-of-green-space-protection/) after peers from across the political spectrum condemned it as an erosion of green space protection.

A third potential challenge involves restrictive covenants from the 1993 sale that Save Wimbledon Park says should prevent development on the land.

The hearing will most likely take place at the Rolls Building on Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1NL, though Save Wimbledon Park said the exact location will be confirmed closer to the date.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/09/save-wimbledon-park-court-case-set-for-january-at-high-court/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/09/save-wimbledon-park-court-case-set-for-january-at-high-court/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Save%20Wimbledon%20Park%20court%20case%20set%20for%20January%20at%20High%20Court&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/09/save-wimbledon-park-court-case-set-for-january-at-high-court/)

**Categories:** Planning

**Tags:** AELTC, High Court, planning permission, Save Wimbledon Park, statutory trust, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Putney weather warning: What to expect as Storm Goretti hits tonight](https://putney.news/2026/01/08/putney-weather-warning-what-to-expect-as-storm-goretti-hits-tonight/)

**Published:** January 8, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Heavy rain, strong winds and travel disruption for SW London as 'weather bomb' arrives.

**Content:**

Storm Goretti arrives in London this evening, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and a chance of sleet or snow overnight. While Putney will escape the worst of what forecasters are calling a “weather bomb”, commuters face significant travel disruption and Friday morning could bring icy conditions.

---

##### **At a glance:**

- **Yellow weather warning for London: 5pm Thursday to midday Friday**
- **SWR evening trains cancelled, disruption through Friday**
- **District Line via East Putney expected to run normally**
- **Heavy rain, strong winds, possible sleet overnight**
- **Friday morning could bring icy pavements**

---

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for London and the South East from 5pm today until midday Friday. The storm is severe enough that a rare red “danger to life” warning has been issued for Cornwall, where winds could reach 100mph.

South Western Railway has cancelled evening services and warns of disruption across its network through Friday. Cancelled trains from London Waterloo tonight include the 21:35 to Weymouth, the 22:35 to Poole, the 23:32 to Portsmouth Harbour, and the 23:36 to Bournemouth. More cancellations are expected.

#### What Putney will see

London is forecast to escape the heaviest snow, which will fall across Wales, the Midlands and South Yorkshire where an amber warning is in place. But the capital faces its own challenges.

Rain arrives from early afternoon, becoming heavy at times through the evening. The Met Office warns of coastal gales by evening, “perhaps severe”, with the strongest winds near the coast. Overnight, there is an increasing chance of sleet and snow, especially over higher ground, with sleet forecast across Greater London between around 4am and 6am before turning back to rain.

Temperatures will hover between 2°C and 7°C, but wind chill will make it feel as cold as minus 3°C overnight. Untreated pavements and roads could become icy, particularly during the early morning.

#### Transport disruption

South Western Railway is advising passengers to check journeys before travelling as “disruption is likely across the whole network” today and Friday. Services through Putney, Barnes and Wandsworth Town may be delayed, cancelled or altered at short notice.

The District Line via East Putney is expected to run normally, making it a more reliable option for those heading into central London.

The RAC is urging motorists to avoid driving overnight or bring their journeys forward. Spokesperson Alice Simpson said amber warnings for snow “must be heeded by drivers” and warned that breakdowns increase sharply in cold weather. Those who must drive should carry warm clothing, food, water and a phone charger.

#### Health warning until Monday

The UK Health Security Agency has issued an amber cold health alert for all of England, in effect until Monday 12 January. Officials expect increased pressure on health services and warn of a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over, people with health conditions, and children under five.

Health charities warn the cold snap poses particular risks for people with chronic conditions. Asthma + Lung UK says freezing temperatures can worsen symptoms such as breathlessness and wheezing, while Alzheimer’s Society urges people to check on neighbours living with dementia who may not be able to communicate if they are cold.

The advice is to minimise unnecessary trips outside, keep homes heated to at least 18°C, and check on elderly or vulnerable neighbours.

#### Schools

No Wandsworth schools have announced closures so far, but the timing of the weather warning means Friday morning disruption is possible. Some schools in neighbouring boroughs, including Fulham, have already closed early today. Parents should check school communications this evening and Friday morning.

#### Before you travel

Check South Western Railway services at [journeycheck.com/swr](https://www.journeycheck.com/swr/) or the [National Rail Storm Goretti page](https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service-disruptions/storm-goretti-swr-20260107/). TfL updates are at [tfl.gov.uk/status](https://tfl.gov.uk/tube-dlr-overground/status/).

The worst conditions are expected Thursday evening through Friday morning. The storm’s influence will ease on Friday afternoon, with a calmer but cold Saturday ahead before further unsettled weather arrives on Sunday.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/08/putney-weather-warning-what-to-expect-as-storm-goretti-hits-tonight/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/08/putney-weather-warning-what-to-expect-as-storm-goretti-hits-tonight/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20weather%20warning%3A%20What%20to%20expect%20as%20Storm%20Goretti%20hits%20tonight&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/08/putney-weather-warning-what-to-expect-as-storm-goretti-hits-tonight/)

**Categories:** News

**Tags:** Met Office, Putney, South Western Railway, Storm Goretti, travel disruption, weather

---

### [Putney's bike graveyard: less than a sixth of racks used by functional cycles](https://putney.news/2026/01/08/putneys-bike-graveyard-less-than-a-sixth-of-racks-used-by-functional-cycles/)

**Published:** January 8, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Council's 14-day removal policy appears unenforced as taxpayer-funded infrastructure becomes dumping ground.

**Content:**

Taxpayer-funded bike racks on Disraeli Road have become a graveyard of abandoned parts, with only 10 functional bicycles among 64 spaces despite council policy requiring removal of abandoned bikes within 14 days.

We inspected the two large racks this week and found nearly two-thirds of spaces empty, with a majority of those in use containing rusted frames, stripped chassis, and wheels locked without bikes.

It raises questions about how Wandsworth Council enforces its own cycling infrastructure policies, particularly as the borough simultaneously invests in modern e-bike parking to match how Londoners actually travel in 2026.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/disraeli-bike-rack-1024x768.png)It’s only when you look closely that you realise most of the bikes not even road-worthy.The inspection on Wednesday morning (7 January, 11:00am) documented the scale of neglect. Across two covered racks with 32 spaces each, only 26 spaces showed any occupancy at all. Of these 26 “parked” items:

- Just 10 serviceable bikes
- Seven spaces occupied by wheels locked to racks (bikes long gone)
- Six bikes missing one or both wheels
- Multiple stripped frames, including one completely rusted chassis

The rust patterns suggest months of abandonment. Single wheels remain locked whilst their bikes disappeared long ago. Meanwhile, eight Lime bikes were parked on the pavement right next to the racks, alongside one e-scooter – functional transport blocked from designated infrastructure whilst the official racks hold wreckage.

The maths is stark: 59% of spaces sit completely empty, while only 16% of total capacity is used by functional bicycles – and some of them look like they hadn’t been moved in months (cobwebs on the gears was one pointer). The remaining 25% holds abandoned parts.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/abandoned-bikes-1024x768.png)One bike without a front wheel next to a front wheel from a different bike. Both abandoned#### Policy failure

In [March 2023](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-march-2023/scheme-saves-abandoned-bikes-from-the-scrapheap/), Wandsworth Council announced a scheme to tackle abandoned bikes across the borough. Bicycles are tagged and, if unclaimed after 14 days, removed and either donated to youth groups for refurbishment or scrapped.

Cabinet member for transport Clare Fraser celebrated the initiative: “Our Future Streets campaign is all about giving everybody a chance to access clean, green, accessible transport, so I’m delighted young people have the opportunity to fix up and own their own bike.”

The Disraeli bike racks tell a different story and the policy appears simply not to have been enforced at this location – for a very long time.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/bike-rusted-out-1024x768.png)The build up of rest on the chain not only makes this bike unrideable, it is also indicates it’s been in situ for some time*Putney.news* contacted Wandsworth Council asking why the removal policy hasn’t been applied, when the location was last inspected, and whether the council plans to address the chronic underuse of the racks. We also asked whether it has considered converting traditional bike racks to designated e-bike parking bays, building on its successful e-bike programme elsewhere in the borough.

Local ward councillor Ethan Brooks responded that he would chase the council for answers. The council’s press office has yet to respond.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/wheels-rack-1024x768.png)The most common issue: tyres safely secured to the bike racks but without the rest of the bicycle#### The e-bike revolution

The abandoned traditional bike parking sits against the backdrop of London’s dramatic shift to rental e-bikes. Lime alone [recorded 16 million commute journeys](https://www.londoncentric.media/p/tfl-london-transport-trends-buses-slower-lime-bikes-driving) in London during 2024, an 85% increase year-on-year, with [company revenue hitting £111 million](https://www.londoncentric.media/p/lime-is-earning-an-enormous-sum-of). Nearly half of Londoners aged 18-34 now use rental e-bikes weekly or more.

Wandsworth Council has responded with significant investment: more than 170 dedicated e-bike parking bays across town centres since June 2024, plus an impoundment scheme for badly parked e-bikes launched in September 2025. Cabinet Member for Transport Jenny Yates [stated in December 2024](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-december-2024/clamping-down-on-e-bike-clutter/) that e-bikes generate “about 400,000 trips per month within our borough.”

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/like-bikes-disraeli-1024x768.png)In January 2025, Lime [announced a £20 million London investment plan](https://www.li.me/en-gb/blog/meeting-londons-cycling-boom-lime-announces-20m-infrastructure-and-safety-plan), including £5 million for parking infrastructure to create 2,500+ dedicated spaces.

Yet whilst the council addresses e-bike parking through new bays and enforcement, traditional bike infrastructure like the Disraeli racks sits neglected, caught between policy and reality.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/lime-bikes-rack-1024x768.png)Meanwhile the bikes people are actually using accumulate closer to the High Street#### Resident flags the problem

Putney resident and *Putney.news* reader David contacted us about the state of the racks: “Its largely empty, and of the handful of bicycles using it, most are unserviceable/ vandalised/ broken. Its an eyesore, and if these facilities are not being used as intended, perhaps the space could be put to better use.”

His observation proved accurate. The racks represent a policy enforcement failure that leaves taxpayer-funded infrastructure serving as storage for abandoned bike parts.

The location adds another dimension. Disraeli Road sits at a junction where traffic flow has become a significant local concern, with [ongoing congestion problems](https://putney.news/2025/07/18/residents-suffer-while-politicians-squabble-over-putneys-traffic-meltdown/) and resident complaints about extended delays.

Infrastructure occupying vital road space whilst sitting 59% empty and holding mostly abandoned parts raises questions about alternative uses – whether designated e-bike parking to reduce pavement clutter, or space returned to traffic flow at a congested junction.

The story develops as Wandsworth Council continues to champion active travel while leaving existing infrastructure visibly unenforced and increasingly mismatched to how Londoners actually cycle in 2026.

*This story will be updated as responses are received from the council.*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/abandoned-bike-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/08/putneys-bike-graveyard-less-than-a-sixth-of-racks-used-by-functional-cycles/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/08/putneys-bike-graveyard-less-than-a-sixth-of-racks-used-by-functional-cycles/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20bike%20graveyard%3A%20less%20than%20a%20sixth%20of%20racks%20used%20by%20functional%20cycles&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/08/putneys-bike-graveyard-less-than-a-sixth-of-racks-used-by-functional-cycles/)

**Categories:** Thamesfield, Transport

**Tags:** abandoned bikes, bike racks, Cllr Ethan Brooks, cycling infrastructure, Disraeli Road, policy failure, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Roehampton Lane stays closed with no end date as commuters face second day of gridlock](https://putney.news/2026/01/08/roehampton-lane-stays-closed-with-no-end-date-as-commuters-face-second-day-of-gridlock/)

**Published:** January 8, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Thames Water won't say when burst water main work will finish.

**Content:**

Roehampton Lane remains closed this morning with Thames Water refusing to say when the road will reopen, leaving commuters facing the same chaos that brought Putney to a standstill yesterday.

The road could reopen Friday or stay shut until 14 January. Thames Water has a permit until next Tuesday but won’t confirm whether work will finish sooner.

Putney ground to a halt on Tuesday morning when six bus routes diverted through Dover House Road, where gas works have already narrowed the street. The residential road became a bottleneck as traffic backed up from Roehampton through Putney Heath to Putney High Street. Bus drivers stepped out of their vehicles trying to see what was causing the jam.

> [Gridlock! Burst water main and gas works combine to grind Putney to a halt](https://putney.news/2026/01/07/gridlock-burst-water-main-and-gas-works-combine-to-grind-putney-to-a-halt/)

The road shut early Tuesday after a burst water main near Clarence Lane. *Putney.news* visited the site at 4pm and found no contractors working. Water had stopped gushing but the excavation sat empty behind barriers.

We contacted Thames Water three times on Tuesday with questions about the works’ duration and the fact that this water main is just one of three to have burst in Putney in the past week. The questions went unanswered and we were instead directed to a public database. The [one.network database](https://uk.one.network/) shows a permit until 14 January and shows work began on Sunday night.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/roadworks-roehampton-lane-1024x768.png)#### What commuters face Wednesday

Bus diversions stay in place via Dover House Road, where gas works continue. Routes 265, 419, 493, 969, N72 and N74 are all affected. Stops between Rosslyn Park Rugby Football Club and Roehampton Lane/Danebury Avenue not served.

The same bottleneck that caused Tuesday morning’s gridlock will recur during rush hours, with the worst congestion easing by late morning yesterday but returning during peak times. Allow an extra 20-30 minutes for your journey, and alternative routes include Putney Hill and Upper Richmond Road heading north, A3 via Tibbet’s Corner heading south.

![One Network's summary of a water main problem in Roehampton](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/roehampton-lane-thames-water-work-1024x985.png)Anyone travelling to Roehampton University, Queen Mary’s Hospital or the Alton Estate should try to travel off-peak.

The Roehampton water main is the latest Thames Water failure in SW15. A burst on [Carslake Road](https://www.thameswater.co.uk/network-latest/sw15-0909) also caused bus diversions this week.

Thames Water said in December that freezing caused “twice the usual bursts”.

Check [tfl.gov.uk/buses](https://www.trafficdelays.co.uk/london-buses/) for live updates. Thames Water: 0800 316 9800 or thameswater.co.uk/network-latest.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/roadworks-roehampton-lane-tbc-1024x768.png)The sign still says TBC on Wednesday evening. Thames Water press office just ignored the question altogether. [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/08/roehampton-lane-stays-closed-with-no-end-date-as-commuters-face-second-day-of-gridlock/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/08/roehampton-lane-stays-closed-with-no-end-date-as-commuters-face-second-day-of-gridlock/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Roehampton%20Lane%20stays%20closed%20with%20no%20end%20date%20as%20commuters%20face%20second%20day%20of%20gridlock&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/08/roehampton-lane-stays-closed-with-no-end-date-as-commuters-face-second-day-of-gridlock/)

**Categories:** Roehampton, Transport

**Tags:** burst water main, bus diversions, Dover House Road, Putney gridlock, road closure, Roehampton Lane, Thames Water, traffic, Wandsworth

---

### [Half Moon closed for major refurbishment until spring](https://putney.news/2026/01/08/half-moon-closed-for-major-refurbishment-until-spring/)

**Published:** January 8, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Legendary Putney venue getting new terrace bar with retractable roof and spiral staircase.

**Content:**

The Half Moon has closed for a major refurbishment that will keep Putney’s most celebrated music venue shut until the end of March.

The pub on Lower Richmond Road, which has hosted live music every single night since 1963, shut on 5 January for what owners Young’s are [calling](https://www.instagram.com/p/DRo_NxNAktV/) a “full makeover”.

Planning documents reveal the full scope of the work. A large first floor office is being converted into a glass-fronted “orangery” bar, enclosed by Crittall-style glazing with folding doors opening onto a roof terrace. The terrace will feature a retractable louvred roof, allowing it to open to the sky in good weather, with a planting buffer along the front adding greenery to the streetscape.

A painted steel spiral staircase in deep heritage green will provide access to the new space. At the rear, 3.5 metre acoustic timber fencing is being installed to minimise noise for neighbours, while the beer garden gets new metal railings and gates. Inside, the ground floor is getting new seating booths. The whole building is being repainted in a palette of muted greens and heritage creams.

![Half Moon renovation](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/face-on-view-half-moon-1024x602.png)The Half Moon renovation plans as seen from the front. The new terrace is on the right on the first floor.“While we’re modernising the space and adding extra room, we’ll remain true to our historic roots and continue to build on our reputation as a legendary grassroots venue,” the pub said.

The plans were approved by Wandsworth Council in August 2023 after residents in neighbouring John Keall House and the Felsham Road estate raised concerns about noise and privacy. Conditions require the spiral staircase to be used only for emergencies after 11pm, with all windows and doors closed by that time. No amplified music will be allowed on the terrace. The second floor is being fitted out as staff accommodation.

That history the venue is promising to protect runs deep. The [Half Moon](https://www.halfmoon.co.uk/) is the stage where Kate Bush gave her first ever public performance. Where U2 played their first sold-out UK show. Where the Rolling Stones, who cut their teeth here in the early sixties, came back for a private bash as recently as 2000. Elvis Costello had a residency when he was paid in sandwiches. Ed Sheeran played support before anyone knew his name.

Anyone with tickets for a gig during the closure should check their emails. The events team has managed to reschedule 90 per cent of affected shows, with ticket holders receiving details of new dates. A handful of gigs have had to be cancelled outright, with full refunds being issued.

![Half Moon renovation from the side](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/side-view-half-moon-1024x682.png)Side view: You can see the new spiral staircase leading up to the new terrace.*The [Half Moon](https://putney.news/venue/the-half-moon/) is expected to reopen in late March or early April. Updates will be posted on the venue’s website and social media.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/08/half-moon-closed-for-major-refurbishment-until-spring/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/08/half-moon-closed-for-major-refurbishment-until-spring/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Half%20Moon%20closed%20for%20major%20refurbishment%20until%20spring&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/08/half-moon-closed-for-major-refurbishment-until-spring/)

**Categories:** Live events, Music, Planning, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Half Moon, Live Music, Lower Richmond Road, Putney pubs, refurbishment, Young's

---

### [Gridlock! Burst water main and gas works combine to grind Putney to a halt](https://putney.news/2026/01/07/gridlock-burst-water-main-and-gas-works-combine-to-grind-putney-to-a-halt/)

**Published:** January 7, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Site abandoned at 4pm with no workers present, 15 hours after burst discovered. Thames Water still provides no repair timeline.

**Content:**

**UPDATED** Putney has ground to a halt this morning.

A burst water main has closed Roehampton Lane, one of the area’s main red routes. Six bus routes have been diverted up Dover House Road, a narrow residential street. But Dover House Road already has gas works blocking it with temporary traffic lights. And the junction at the bottom is just a Give Way, with traffic on Upper Richmond Road backing up so far that nothing can get out.

The result is bedlam. Traffic is gridlocked from Roehampton through Putney Heath and all the way back into Putney High Street. Bus drivers are getting out of their vehicles and standing in the road to see what’s going on. Nothing is moving.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_6789-768x1024.jpeg)The road is closed in both directions near the junction with Clarence Lane, where Thames Water contractors are working to repair a large hole that has flooded the carriageway. Water was still pooling across the road surface on Wednesday morning despite excavation work beginning overnight.

Six bus routes are on diversion until works are complete. Routes 265, 419, 493, 969, N72 and N74 are all being rerouted via Upper Richmond Road, Dover House Road and Medfield Street, according to TfL notices posted at 01:45 this morning.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_6754-1024x768.jpeg)The diversions mean buses are not serving stops between Rosslyn Park Rugby Football Club and Roehampton Lane/Danebury Avenue, affecting commuters travelling to Roehampton University, Queen Mary’s Hospital and the Alton Estate.

The Cadent Gas works on Dover House Road have temporary traffic lights at the northern end and closed side roads. With buses and cars queuing the entire length of the street unable to move, and traffic on Upper Richmond Road making it impossible to exit at the Give Way junction, the diversion route has become a trap.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_6740-768x1024.jpeg)Thames Water signage at the scene lists the expected completion date as “TBC” and gives the works reference as BB J028624. The contractor is listed as BUKO/Thames Water.

It is unclear whether Thames Water, Cadent Gas and TfL coordinated before directing buses onto Dover House Road, or whether the gas works were already in place when the diversion was established overnight.

Thames Water’s press office did not answer calls on Wednesday morning and the call went to voicemail. The company has not yet listed the Roehampton Lane incident on its network updates page.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_6779-1024x768.jpeg)The burst main is the latest in a series of Thames Water infrastructure failures affecting south west London. A major burst on West Hill closed that road in both directions over New Year’s Eve, while another burst on Carslake Road in Putney Heath is also causing bus diversions this week. Thames Water reported in December that freezing conditions had caused “twice the usual bursts” across its network.

Roehampton Lane connects Putney to Roehampton, Queen Mary’s Hospital, Roehampton University and the A3. Its complete closure is forcing traffic to disperse across the wider area.

Drivers are advised to use alternative routes. Those heading north towards Hammersmith can use Putney Hill and the A3. Southbound traffic towards Kingston should consider Putney Heath or the A3 via Tibbet’s Corner.

For bus passengers, TfL recommends checking journey planners before travelling. Real-time updates are available at tfl.gov.uk/buses.

Thames Water customers experiencing water supply issues can call 0800 316 9800 or check thameswater.co.uk/network-latest for updates.

*Thames Water has been contacted for comment.*

**UPDATE 4:00 PM:** The road remains closed this evening, nearly 15 hours after the burst was discovered. A *Putney.news* reporter visited the site and found no Thames Water contractors working despite the ongoing closure.

Water has stopped gushing but remains pooled in a large excavated crater across the carriageway. The site is secured with multiple rows of barriers but sits empty as evening approaches. Traffic continues to be diverted, with drivers forced to turn around when they reach the closure.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_6867-1024x768.jpeg)Thames Water signage at the scene lists the expected completion date as “TBC” (to be confirmed). The company has not provided an estimated repair timeline, and the incident remains unlisted on Thames Water’s network updates page. The press office has not responded to requests for comment made this morning.

---

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/07/gridlock-burst-water-main-and-gas-works-combine-to-grind-putney-to-a-halt/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/07/gridlock-burst-water-main-and-gas-works-combine-to-grind-putney-to-a-halt/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Gridlock%21%20Burst%20water%20main%20and%20gas%20works%20combine%20to%20grind%20Putney%20to%20a%20halt&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/07/gridlock-burst-water-main-and-gas-works-combine-to-grind-putney-to-a-halt/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** bus diversions, Gridlock, Thames Water

---

### [Fire crews fought blocked roads to reach Roehampton blaze - now council plans to close more routes](https://putney.news/2026/01/07/fire-crews-fought-blocked-roads-to-reach-roehampton-blaze-now-council-plans-to-close-more-routes/)

**Published:** January 7, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Residents raise emergency access concerns as Fire Safety Strategy ignores Burke Close fire that needed six engines.

**Content:**

“It looked like a bomb had gone off,” Frances Bird remembers. “There was one big massive bang, black smoke everywhere, and then fire tearing through the houses.”

Six fire engines struggled to reach Burke Close that March morning because narrow roads were blocked by parked cars. The 82-year-old resident, who has lived on the Lennox Estate for 41 years, watched firefighters fight just to get access whilst flames ripped through her neighbours’ homes.

Eight months later, Wandsworth Council has submitted plans for 81 new homes on the same estate. The development would be built on land known as The Green at Arabella Drive – protected open space that residents successfully defended from development in the 1990s. The Fire Safety Strategy makes no mention of the Burke Close fire, despite being completed just 15 days after the incident.

The proposed development would close part of Arabella Drive, provide zero parking spaces for 81 new homes, and create a one-way system that restricts emergency vehicle routes. All changes that would worsen the access problems proven by Burke Close.

Last month, a local snapped a picture of being stuck on a different part of Arabella Drive because of a bus coming the other way. “I couldn’t get through and they couldn’t either.”

![Stuck on Arabella Drive due to narrow roads.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/stuck-bus-arabella-drive-768x1024.png)A local resident reports getting stuck on Arabella Drive thanks a bus coming the other way.The planning application is open for public comment until 19 January 2026.

#### Six fire engines, 21 homes, one week without power

The Burke Close fire on 27 March 2025 was caused when a contractor installing a fence struck a high-voltage electrical cable. The cable ruptured, ignited a gas main, and caused fires at three properties across two terraces.

Council internal logs show “6 x LFB pumps” attended with approximately 40 firefighters. By early afternoon, officials recorded that gas and electricity still couldn’t be isolated and the fire brigade couldn’t confirm the fire was out.

Twenty-one properties lost power. Multiple families needed emergency accommodation. UK Power Networks deployed four teams and estimated power wouldn’t return until 4 April – over a week later.

Bird, chair of the Burke Close Residents Association, told *Putney.news* at the time that the [fire brigade had to fight just to get access](https://putney.news/2025/04/01/it-looked-like-a-bomb-had-gone-off-roehampton-resident-speaks-out-after-gas-explosion-rocks-burke-close/) through cars blocking the narrow estate roads.

Burke Close is located 800 metres from the proposed development site. Both are on the Lennox Estate in Roehampton.

#### What the council knew, and when they said it

Internal emails show the council knew the cause of the fire within days but publicly claimed it remained undetermined.

On 28 March 2025, the Area Housing Manager told a councillor the “cause of the fault according to UKPN operatives on site is damage to a cable” by a contractor.

On 7 April 2025, the Interim Executive Director of Housing wrote to a councillor: “In confidence we have had clear advice from them that the fire(s) were caused by the accidental rupture of the electrical main cable.”

But in a letter to residents dated just a few days earlier, the council stated: “The exact cause of the fire is still to be determined.”

The same letter claimed the issues were “not related to council properties” – despite the council being the freeholder of the entire estate, arranging emergency housing for displaced tenants, and coordinating the response with utilities companies.

This pattern of deflecting responsibility featured in [our coverage throughout April](https://putney.news/2025/04/09/boilers-blew-homes-burned-but-wandsworth-council-says-we-did-a-great-job/), as the council praised its own “exemplary” handling of the incident while residents challenged the narrative.

#### Fifteen days later: a fire safety plan with no mention

On 11 April 2025, fire safety consultants Ashton Fire completed the [Fire Safety Strategy](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/SD13a-fire-safety-strategy-lennox-6114256.pdf) \[pdf\] for the Lennox Estate development. The 31-page document makes no reference to the Burke Close fire, despite addressing emergency vehicle access extensively.

The strategy states that “emergency vehicles will enter the site from Upper Richmond Road, proceeding into Ludovick Walk” and that firefighting operations would rely on the same narrow estate roads where six fire engines had struggled just two weeks earlier.

It contains no assessment of real-world emergency response challenges proven by Burke Close. No evaluation of current parking patterns that block access routes. No analysis of how the proposed road closure would affect emergency response.

The [document](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/SD13a-fire-safety-strategy-lennox-6114256.pdf) \[pdf\] states that “swept path analysis will be carried out by specialists” – using future tense, indicating this critical work had not been completed when the planning application was submitted in November 2025, seven months later. There is no path analysis in the documents provided for approval of the development plan.

![A graphic show proposed fire access to new buildings on the Lennox Estate](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fire-access-lennox-estate-1024x547.png)A graphic show proposed fire access to new buildings on the Lennox Estate.#### Changes that would make access worse

The planning application proposes to permanently close part of Arabella Drive, removing an existing emergency access route. The [Planning Statement](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/SD13-fire-statement-lennox-6114257.pdf) \[pdf\] describes this as “a key element” that “unlocks space for new housing.”

All 81 new homes would have zero parking spaces, described as a “car-free development.” Planning documents acknowledge this will displace vehicles onto surrounding streets, but the Fire Safety Strategy contains no analysis of how additional street parking might affect emergency access on roads where six fire engines already struggled.

Ludovick Walk would be converted from a pedestrian route into a one-way vehicle system, becoming the primary emergency access route. The Fire Safety Strategy indicates this would be the main route for fire appliances responding to incidents.

Tony Arthur, a resident who has [formally objected](https://putney.news/2025/12/14/happy-holidays-now-read-these-1000-pages-about-demolishing-your-community-buildings/) to the application, wrote: “What have the emergency services said about the new road plan… the safety issues have not been properly thought of.”

#### Residents also raise emergency access concerns

Planning objections submitted by residents show they are extremely concerned about emergency access.

Hugo Cerda, who lives at 62 Burke Close – one of the properties affected by the March fire – submitted a formal objection citing infrastructure failures. He wrote: “This area has already experienced a significant infrastructure incident, demonstrating that existing systems are under strain.”

His objection notes that “electrical capacity, broadband reliability, parking provision, and road access are already inadequate” and argues the application should not be approved “until existing infrastructure issues are resolved.”

Tony Arthur, who has submitted multiple objections, repeatedly asked: “What have the emergency services said about the new road plan?” In a later objection, he wrote: “Will the emergency service do a risk assessment of there own as emergency services struggled in the past.”

Julie Maskell objected on road layout grounds, warning that the proposed one-way system “raises serious concerns about safety, access for emergency vehicles, and day-to-day living.” She wrote that if the road is blocked by a van, bus, or emergency vehicle, “residents would be unable to enter or leave. This creates a situation where residents could effectively be trapped within the estate.”

A letter from Ludovick Walk tenants, seen by *Putney.news*, raises additional emergency access concerns. The residents state that “emergency vehicles couldn’t even access Burke Close because of parked vehicles” during the March fire.

Crucially, they claim that building on The Green would eliminate emergency infrastructure. The letter states: “The Borough Commander criticised the lack of council presence and stated the main Green space of the estate is the collection/muster point for people in the event of such a tragedy. He had no idea of intention to build on the Green.”

The residents also claim “The Green is a designated area for the air ambulance to land for the surrounding area.”

If accurate, these claims would mean the development would eliminate the estate’s designated emergency assembly point and air ambulance landing site – infrastructure that would be needed in the event of another incident like Burke Close.

London Fire Brigade is listed as a statutory consultee on the planning application. As of 5 January 2026, no response from LFB has been received, though the consultation period remains open until 19 January.

![Aftermath of a fire on Burke Close](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/burke-close-fire-1024x768.png)Aftermath of the fire caused by gas explosions on Burke Close#### Purposefully ignoring information requests

On 14 June – over six months ago – we requested under the Freedom of Information act details about the purchase of replacement boilers for Burke Close.

Under the law, a response was due 11 July. When nothing arrived, we followed up on 12 July. And then again on 12 August. “Please accept our apologies for the delay in responding to you. Unfortunately we are currently still waiting to receive the information that you have requested from the Council’s Housing department,” came back the response. “However, please be assured that we will continue to chase them for this information and will endeavour to issue you with a response as soon as we can. Thank you for your continued patience.”

A month later, on 12 September, we asked for an internal review. It was ignored: “Please be assured that we will continue to chase them for this information and will endeavour to issue you with a response as soon as we can. Thank you for your continued patience,” came back the response.

When we asserted our legal right to an internal review, citing enforcement notices from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) against other London councils, Wandsworth responded: “Please note that the Council cannot carry out an Internal Review of your request before we have responded to your FOI request.”

This statement is categorically false – an internal review can be requested as soon as the legal limit for a response has passed and must be complied with. Our request for information about why the council paid to replace gas boilers when it claimed there was no damage to council-owned properties on Burke Close remains unanswered over three months later.

The Burke Close fire occurred just weeks after Wandsworth Council received a C3 rating – the regulator’s second-worst grade – for housing safety failures. At the time of inspection, the council had 1,800 overdue fire safety actions across its housing stock.

#### Why fire safety is a planning issue

After the Grenfell Tower fire, the London Plan was updated to require fire safety assessment at the planning stage, not deferred to later Building Regulations approval.

London Plan Policy D12 requires developments to provide “unobstructed space for fire appliances” and “suitable access and firefighting equipment.” London Fire Brigade guidance specifies that access routes must be at least 3.7 metres wide and kept clear of obstructions.

Building Regulations require fire appliance access within 45 metres of all points in a dwelling. For blocks over four storeys – like the proposed 14-storey tower – additional requirements apply.

Fire safety is what planning lawyers call a “material planning consideration.” If a planning committee determines that adequate information about emergency access hasn’t been provided, it can refuse the application or defer it pending additional assessment, including formal London Fire Brigade consultation.

The road closure requires a separate “stopping up order” which must consider emergency services impacts and alternative routes.

#### The resident who spoke out – then faced eviction

In October 2025, Frances Bird was threatened with eviction. The council [threatened to remove her](https://putney.news/2025/10/03/wandsworth-council-threatens-tenant-with-eviction-over-facebook-comment/) from the home she’d lived in for 41 years over a Facebook comment criticising the council’s Cabinet Member for Housing.

She was pressured to step down as chair of the Burke Close Residents Association despite having just been re-accredited by the council for 2025-27.

The woman who testified about fire brigade access problems during the March fire faced losing her home for speaking out about the council’s housing failures.

> [Wandsworth Council threatens 82-year-old tenant with eviction over Facebook comment](https://putney.news/2025/10/03/wandsworth-council-threatens-tenant-with-eviction-over-facebook-comment/)

#### What happens next

The planning application reference is 2025/4170. The consultation period runs until 19 January 2026. Residents can view the full application and submit comments via [Wandsworth Council’s planning portal](https://planning.wandsworth.gov.uk/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/GeneralSearch.aspx).

Because Wandsworth Council is both the applicant (through its housing department) and the decision-maker (through its planning department), this is a “Regulation 3” application requiring heightened transparency.

Residents can request that the application be determined by the planning committee rather than delegated to officers for decision, particularly given the safety concerns raised.

This is the latest development on land that residents [successfully defended from housing](https://putney.news/2026/01/01/how-residents-saved-the-lennox-estate-green-from-six-development-attempts/) between 1989 and 1994, when a Planning Inspector ruled the estate was deficient in accessible open space. The same land is now formally listed in Wandsworth’s planning documents as protected open space.

The site is also classified as [“medium risk” for unexploded World War II ordnance](https://putney.news/2025/12/27/building-on-bombs-council-plans-81-homes-where-wwii-explosives-fell/), with records showing multiple bombs fell on or near the proposed building locations during the Blitz.

*Putney.news* has requested the London Fire Brigade incident report for the Burke Close fire and asked LFB to confirm whether The Green is designated as an emergency muster point or air ambulance landing site.

---

**Were you affected by the Burke Close fire? Do you have concerns about emergency access on the Lennox Estate? Contact us at **.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/07/fire-crews-fought-blocked-roads-to-reach-roehampton-blaze-now-council-plans-to-close-more-routes/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/07/fire-crews-fought-blocked-roads-to-reach-roehampton-blaze-now-council-plans-to-close-more-routes/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Fire%20crews%20fought%20blocked%20roads%20to%20reach%20Roehampton%20blaze%20%E2%80%93%20now%20council%20plans%20to%20close%20more%20routes&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/07/fire-crews-fought-blocked-roads-to-reach-roehampton-blaze-now-council-plans-to-close-more-routes/)

**Categories:** Housing, Planning, Roehampton

**Tags:** accountability, Burke Close, emergency access, Fire safety, Fire Safety Strategy, Frances Bird, housing development, Lennox Estate, London Fire Brigade, planning applications, Roehampton, Wandsworth Council

---

### [David Attenborough's love letter to Richmond Park opens Wild London](https://putney.news/2026/01/07/david-attenboroughs-love-letter-to-richmond-park-opens-wild-london/)

**Published:** January 7, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Documentary begins and ends at park he's known for 70 years.

**Content:**

There’s something remarkable about watching the world’s most famous naturalist lie on damp grass in the twilight, utterly absorbed by hedgehogs going about their evening business. Or seeing him handle a tiny harvest mouse with the same gentle fascination he’s shown mountain gorillas and blue whales.

This is David Attenborough at 99, spending his centenary summer exploring the wildlife on his own doorstep for Wild London, which aired on BBC One on New Year’s Day. The documentary begins with Attenborough getting into a cab. “Good evening, sir, where to?” asks the driver. “Richmond please,” he replies. “Richmond it is.” It’s a simple opening that signals where his heart lies, and by the film’s end, standing among Richmond Park’s ancient trees, he makes it explicit: “It’s been both a refuge and a source of inspiration over the years. I’ve been coming here ever since I moved to London over 70 years ago. Even after all that time, and after all the places I’d visited, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”

The documentary bookends itself with Richmond Park – beginning and ending in the 2,500 acres of ancient woodland that Attenborough has known intimately for most of his life. While the film takes viewers across London – peregrine falcons hunting from Westminster’s towers, wild beavers thriving in Ealing, urban foxes navigating their territories – it’s the park bordering Roehampton that frames everything, the place he returns to.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/wild-london-bbc-1024x576.png)This isn’t Attenborough’s first time championing Richmond Park. In 2018, he narrated an award-winning film for the Friends of Richmond Park, where he serves as patron. That earlier documentary made the case for careful stewardship of a place under pressure from 5.5 million annual visitors. But Wild London feels different, more intimate. You see him actually in the park, not just talking about it.

The programme’s central argument is deceptively simple: cities need nature to be happy and healthy. Not as decoration, but as essential infrastructure for human wellbeing. Richmond Park makes the case beautifully, with its 630 red and fallow deer moving through ancient woodland where some oak trees have stood for 750 years. It’s a National Nature Reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, home to rare stag beetles and woodpeckers, rabbits and toads, all this barely 20 minutes from Putney.

What makes Wild London unusual among Attenborough’s recent work is how much he’s actually in shot, interacting with the animals rather than simply narrating from afar. There he is with young foxes at dusk, handling peregrine chicks in Westminster’s Gothic towers, watching wild beavers with what film-makers describe as genuine disbelief that such creatures now thrive in London.

#### Beavering away

“If someone had told me when I first moved here that one day I would be watching wild beavers in London, I would’ve thought they were mad,” he says at one point, watching the animals work. “But there they are, right behind me, going about their own business.” It’s that combination of wonder and matter-of-factness that makes his presenting so compelling, even at 99.

For those who use Richmond Park regularly, whether accessing through Roehampton Gate or any of the others, there’s something quietly validating about seeing it recognised this way. The Friends of Richmond Park, which Attenborough supports alongside Clare Balding and Baroness Susan Kramer, continues its conservation work including maintaining the pond named after him in 2014. The charity’s 3,600 members and 300 volunteers keep the visitor centre running, organise education programmes, and lobby for the park’s protection.

Wild London is [available to watch on BBC iPlayer](https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002hzg7/wild-london), and it’s worth seeing for anyone who’s ever walked through Richmond Park and wondered about the lives unfolding just beyond the path. The documentary ends with Attenborough standing among ancient oaks: “Standing among these marvellous trees it’s hard to believe that I’m in a capital city. Richmond Park is one of my favourite places. Just minutes from my house.” It captures something essential about urban nature: it’s not separate from city life, but woven into it, there if you know where to look and have the patience to watch.

**What’s your favourite local park or green space? Share your thoughts in the comments below.**

*The Friends of Richmond Park welcomes new members for £10 per year (single) or £15 per household, with all proceeds supporting conservation work. More information at [frp.org.uk](https://www.frp.org.uk/).*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/07/david-attenboroughs-love-letter-to-richmond-park-opens-wild-london/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/07/david-attenboroughs-love-letter-to-richmond-park-opens-wild-london/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=David%20Attenborough%E2%80%99s%20love%20letter%20to%20Richmond%20Park%20opens%20Wild%20London&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/07/david-attenboroughs-love-letter-to-richmond-park-opens-wild-london/)

**Categories:** Environment, TV

**Tags:** BBC, conservation, David Attenborough, documentaries, Friends of Richmond Park, green spaces, nature, Richmond Park, wildlife

---

### [Bus 424 consultation closes Sunday: what you need to know](https://putney.news/2026/01/07/bus-424-consultation-closes-sunday-what-you-need-to-know/)

**Published:** January 7, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Third of passengers are elderly, yet agency chose to proceed despite 'disproportionately negative impact'

**Content:**

Residents have until Sunday to respond to TfL’s proposals to split bus route 424, which would leave several Fulham streets without any bus service for the first time in 24 years.

The consultation closes on 11 January 2026. TfL’s own equality impact assessment reveals the agency expects the changes to disproportionately harm elderly, disabled and low-income passengers, but has chosen to proceed anyway.

Nearly 30% of the route’s passengers are elderly Freedom Pass holders. A further 4.8% hold Disabled Person’s Freedom Passes. TfL acknowledges these groups will face longer journeys, difficult interchanges, and reduced confidence travelling, particularly at night.

Despite this, TfL selected “Option 2” in its assessment: “Justify and continue with your work despite negative equality impacts.” The reason given was that TfL “must meet its business plan.”

#### What’s being proposed

Route 424 currently runs between Putney Heath and Fulham, crossing Putney Bridge. Under the proposals, it would be split into two separate services.

The shortened 424 would run only between Putney Heath and Upper Richmond Road, never crossing the river. A new route 454 would serve Fulham but take a different alignment through the backstreets.

Crucially, several roads would lose bus service entirely. Byam Street, Broughton Road and Pearscroft Road on the Fulham side would no longer have any bus route. Residents there would need to walk to Wandsworth Bridge Road, Bagley’s Lane or Imperial Road to catch alternative services.

TfL calculates that 196 daily trips would be “broken,” forcing passengers to walk further and change buses. The main affected journeys are to Sands End Sainsbury’s, Putney Hill and Putney Station.

The route has served these Fulham backstreets since April 2001, when it replaced the C4 “Fulham Hopper” that ran through the same roads. TfL is now proposing to abandon the streets its predecessor route was specifically designed to serve.

![Proposed changes to 424 bus route](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/424-bus-route-putney-1024x600.png)#### Why TfL says this is necessary

TfL cites congestion on Putney High Street as the primary reason. The agency says reliability problems mean buses cannot keep to schedule, and splitting the route would improve punctuality for remaining passengers.

The current 424 uses older, smaller diesel buses. TfL says the new 454 alignment would allow larger single-deck vehicles.

There is a legitimate operational case here. Ridership has fallen from 1,400 weekday trips in 2019 to 1,054 now, and the route requires significant subsidy. TfL has been in discussions with both Wandsworth and Hammersmith & Fulham councils about the proposals.

However, TfL’s acknowledgment that Putney High Street congestion is severe enough to require removing a bus route [sits awkwardly with Wandsworth Council’s claim](https://putney.news/2025/11/25/council-claimed-buses-were-faster-tfl-is-removing-a-route-because-of-congestion/), made in November, that buses on the corridor are “slightly faster” than in 2021. The council has not responded to questions about this apparent contradiction.

![The current and proposed changes for the 424 bus](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/424-bus-route-1024x845.png)#### How to make your response count

TfL’s equality impact assessment provides a template for effective responses. The agency is legally required to consider impacts on protected groups under the Equality Act 2010.

Responses that cite specific journey impacts, mention elderly or disabled passengers, or highlight the loss of service to particular streets are more likely to carry weight than general opposition.

If you or someone you know relies on the 424 for hospital appointments, shopping or visiting family, explaining that specific impact gives TfL evidence it must address.

You can respond online at [haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/bus-424-putney-fulham](https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/bus-424-putney-fulham), by email to , by phone on 020 3054 6037, or by post to FREEPOST TFL HAVE YOUR SAY.

The consultation closes at midnight on Sunday 11 January.

---

**What TfL said:** “We welcome all feedback from customers and encourage everyone to respond to the consultation.”

**What the council said:** Wandsworth Council did not respond to questions about TfL’s congestion assessment or the apparent contradiction with its own data.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/07/bus-424-consultation-closes-sunday-what-you-need-to-know/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/07/bus-424-consultation-closes-sunday-what-you-need-to-know/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Bus%20424%20consultation%20closes%20Sunday%3A%20what%20you%20need%20to%20know&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/07/bus-424-consultation-closes-sunday-what-you-need-to-know/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Bus 424, bus cuts, equality impact assessment, Fulham, Putney transport, TfL consultation

---

### [How to use Wandsworth's landlord portal: watch this five-minute video first](https://putney.news/2026/01/06/how-to-use-wandsworths-landlord-portal-watch-this-five-minute-video-first/)

**Published:** January 6, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Council collected millions from scheme but launched system so confusing it needs step-by-step instructions.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council’s new landlord licensing scheme has got off to a rocky start, with an online portal so poorly designed it needs its own five-minute tutorial video.

Landlords are now obliged to pay the council £850 for the right to rent out their properties, but first they have to navigate what one described as a “clumsily adapted” system with confusing labels, backwards navigation and technical glitches that force workarounds.

If you’re wondering where the money is going, some of it at least went on Tube advertising urging those same landlords to submit applications before the 31 December “early-bird” deadline.

The council has collected approximately £5-6 million since the scheme began in July, with fees likely passed to tenants through higher rents. But the poorly designed portal adds frustration beyond the cost, making an already expensive scheme difficult to use.

Wandsworth landlord licensing is expanding in April to include East Putney, West Putney and Northcote, and targeted Tube advertising has appeared at stations including East Putney in the run-up to the deadline.

#### A system designed to frustrate

The council’s [tutorial video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbpXPWQIaow) walks applicants through a 12-step process requiring multiple document uploads, floor plans and detailed property information. Non-UK residents “cannot complete the online form and must download the PDF version and submit the application via email instead.” Files are limited to 16 megabytes (Gmail limits attachments to 25 MB). Complete “the incorrect form” and you’re rejected, forcing you to start again.

Richard, writing on [Property118](https://www.property118.com/), detailed the specific problems. The portal asks for “Room Name Area” when it simply wants you to name the room. No dropdown menu to help. When you need to add another room, the “add row button” sits above the previous entries rather than at the end, forcing you to scroll back up the page to find it.

The biggest headache involves Energy Performance Certificates. The official EPC register shows your certificate on screen but won’t let you download it as a PDF, even though the licensing portal demands a PDF upload. The workaround: print to PDF manually, save it, then upload it. Extra steps because two council systems don’t talk to each other.

All this takes time. Time spent figuring out confusing labels, creating workarounds for technical problems, potentially resubmitting applications that got rejected. The £850 fee will likely get passed to tenants through rent, but the badly designed system just makes an expensive scheme harder to comply with than it needs to be.

> [Council prosecutes landlords for fire failures it ignores in own housing](https://putney.news/2025/11/22/council-prosecutes-landlords-for-fire-failures-it-ignores-in-own-housing/)

#### Spending on ads for a broken system

While landlords struggled with the portal, professional advertisements appeared across the Tube network in late December. Targeted placement at East Putney station promoted the “early-bird discount” expiring 31 December 2025.

This fits a pattern [we documented in June](https://putney.news/2025/06/22/wandsworth-cracks-down-but-keeps-landlord-offenders-in-the-shadows/), when the council publicised landlord enforcement while refusing to name properties or landlords. In November, [we revealed](https://putney.news/2025/11/22/council-prosecutes-landlords-for-fire-failures-it-ignores-in-own-housing/) the council is prosecuting private landlords for fire safety failures identical to those in its own housing. In December, [we reported](https://putney.news/2025/12/16/council-expands-landlord-scheme-it-refuses-to-prove-works/) the council is blocking Freedom of Information requests for data that would indicate whether the new service is actually improving things, or simply bringing in some much-needed revenue for the council.

The tutorial video and PDF workarounds show the council knew the system had problems. But they launched it anyway and put advertising money behind it.

> [Council expands landlord scheme it refuses to prove works](https://putney.news/2025/12/16/council-expands-landlord-scheme-it-refuses-to-prove-works/)

#### Built for the council, not the people using it

The system works for the council. It captures the information they need through a mandatory 12-step process.

But as with most rushed or poorly considered regulation, the regulator focuses on their needs – getting revenue and compliance documentation – while forcing users to struggle with bad design and technical glitches.

The £850 selective licensing fee works out to approximately £12-14 per month added to rent over the five-year licence period. That cost will likely get passed to tenants. But the time and frustration of navigating confusing interfaces, creating workarounds, and potentially resubmitting applications is an additional burden for landlords trying to meet the requirements.

With 5,955 applications received by December and expansion to three more wards from April, thousands more tenants will be paying higher rents. But there’s no proof the money is delivering actual safety improvements, because the council won’t provide the data to show it.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/06/how-to-use-wandsworths-landlord-portal-watch-this-five-minute-video-first/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/06/how-to-use-wandsworths-landlord-portal-watch-this-five-minute-video-first/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=How%20to%20use%20Wandsworth%E2%80%99s%20landlord%20portal%3A%20watch%20this%20five-minute%20video%20first&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/06/how-to-use-wandsworths-landlord-portal-watch-this-five-minute-video-first/)

**Categories:** Housing

**Tags:** East Putney, housing policy, Landlord licensing, Northcote, Wandsworth Council, West Putney

---

### [Dear Sir/Madam, Putney Common has a poop problem](https://putney.news/2026/01/05/putney-pooper-common-problem/)

**Published:** January 5, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Formal complaint about human waste reveals wider crisis as Age UK reports 81% find London provision 'bad'.

**Content:**

“Dear Sir/Madam, With increasing frequency, seemingly every two days now, whilst out dog walking on Putney Common I have found human excrement and associated paper littering the Common.”

So begins a letter to Wandsworth Council’s Public Health department that manages to be both deeply earnest and scatologically hilarious.

The Putney resident, who asked not to be named for fear of unwanted deliveries from what he dubbed the “Phantom Pooper of Putney Common,” went on to describe finding evidence near the bus driver’s toilet behind the Spencer Arms and along paths near the Barnes four-way traffic lights.

The frequency, he noted, suggests “not a case of someone being in desperation, but having made a habit of it.”

But here’s where the complaint gets interesting. The resident has a theory about the culprits.

“Although I have no proof, I suspect that this is being done during the hours of darkness and by moped delivery drivers from companies like Deliveroo,” he wrote, pointing to the positioning of faeces “routinely within 10m of roads” and the pattern of night-time defecation.

Before dismissing this as speculation, it’s worth noting the theory has more merit than might initially appear.

#### A national crisis for delivery workers

Delivery drivers across the UK face a well-documented crisis accessing toilet facilities. A 2022 Unite the Union survey found only 22 per cent of truckers were always given access to customer toilets, despite this being a legal requirement since 2017 under Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations.

The [Trades Union Congress reported](https://www.tuc.org.uk/research-analysis/reports/toilets-work) that “hundreds of workers report urinating and excreting in bags, bottles, buckets and bushes for lack of access to a toilet.” For delivery drivers working late-night shifts, the problem intensifies when public toilets close and businesses refuse access.

[Progressive International documented](https://progressive.international/wire/2021-03-01-bezos-is-to-blame-for-amazon-workers-public-defecation/en/) Amazon delivery workers resorting to public defecation due to brutal delivery quotas that leave no time for breaks, combined with widespread denial of toilet access at delivery locations.

The pattern our correspondent observed on Putney Common matches these documented behaviours: locations near roads where drivers park, night-time defecation when other options have closed, and the same routes used repeatedly.

#### Wandsworth’s toilet provision problem

This isn’t the first time human excrement on Wandsworth commons has prompted complaints. In 2020, Friends of Tooting Common wrote to the council about an “increasingly serious problem of human excrement being found on the Common, particularly in wooded areas.”

They requested portable toilets, noting Wandsworth Council had provided them on Wandsworth Common and Battersea Park but not Tooting Common. The request appears to have been ignored.

Wandsworth Council currently maintains nine public toilets across the borough, supplemented by a Community Toilet Scheme where participating businesses allow public use of their facilities. However, the council stopped paying businesses to participate in the scheme in 2013, and it’s unclear how many locations remain active.

![The community toilet scheme pushed by Age UK and so far ignored by Wandsworth Council](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/community-toilet-scheme-948x1024.png)#### Part of London’s wider crisis

The problem extends far beyond Wandsworth. [Age UK London’s January 2025 report](https://www.ageuk.org.uk/london/about-us/news/articles/2025/lifting-the-lid/) found that across London, three times as many public toilets have closed as opened since 2013, with 97 facilities permanently shut and only 32 new ones opened.

Their 2022 survey revealed 81 per cent of older Londoners rated public toilet provision in their borough as bad, with nine in 10 considering toilet availability before leaving home. The closure of public toilets since 2010 has been particularly acute, with a 22 per cent reduction nationally.

“Public toilets are essential for a civilised and welcoming city,” said John McGeachy, Age UK London’s Campaign Manager. The charity coordinates the London Loo Alliance, a coalition of 15 organisations demanding better provision.

For delivery workers, parents with young children, people with medical conditions, and older residents, the lack of facilities creates what campaigners call the “loo leash” where people avoid leaving home due to toilet access concerns.

#### What residents can do

For Putney Common specifically, the area is managed by Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators, a registered charity that maintains both commons. Residents who encounter anti-social behaviour, including human waste, can contact the Ranger’s Office at Manor Cottage, Windmill Road, Wimbledon, SW19 5NR, by phone on 020 8788 7655, or by email at rangersoffice@wpcc.org.uk.

The Putney correspondent’s letter concluded with a pragmatic suggestion for delivery companies: educational campaigns helping drivers understand that public defecation isn’t acceptable, and that “if they really, really are so desperate that they must do this then they could at least show the consideration of bagging it up and binning it like dog walkers do.”

It’s an absurd situation to have reached. But until councils, businesses and employers address the fundamental shortage of accessible toilets, our correspondent and other Putney residents may continue encountering the “Phantom Pooper of Putney Common.”

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/05/putney-pooper-common-problem/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/05/putney-pooper-common-problem/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Dear%20Sir%2FMadam%2C%20Putney%20Common%20has%20a%20poop%20problem&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/05/putney-pooper-common-problem/)

**Categories:** Environment, Health

**Tags:** Age UK London, Anti-social behaviour, Deliveroo, delivery drivers, public health, public toilets, Putney Common, Wandsworth Council, Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators

---

### [Heritage committee reviews tower on protected Lennox Estate green](https://putney.news/2026/01/05/heritage-committee-reviews-tower-on-protected-lennox-estate-green/)

**Published:** January 5, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Wednesday meeting examines whether council scheme respects 1990s planning precedent.

**Content:**

Wandsworth’s heritage watchdog will review the council’s controversial plan for an 81-home tower on the Lennox Estate this Wednesday – examining a proposal that would build on the same green space that residents fought six planning battles to protect in the 1990s.

The Conservation and Heritage Advisory Committee meets at 7pm on January 8 at Wandsworth Town Hall to consider planning application 2025/4170, which would demolish existing buildings and erect a tower of up to 14 storeys on land formally listed as a “Protected Open Space” since 2016.

The meeting represents the first formal scrutiny of a scheme that has become a lightning rod for resident anger over broken promises, missing answers, and a consultation process [scheduled through the Christmas period](https://putney.news/2025/12/14/happy-holidays-now-read-these-1000-pages-about-demolishing-your-community-buildings/).

![Lennox Estate Green](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/lennox-estate-plot-grass-1024x768.png)#### The land the council couldn’t protect – until residents did it themselves

“The Green” at Arabella Drive has become a test case for whether protected open space status means anything when the council itself wants to build there.

The site’s history makes the current proposal particularly controversial. Between 1989 and 1994, residents defeated six separate planning applications from Silven Properties Ltd, a private developer who had bought the land for £419,000.

More than 880 residents signed petitions. The council refused every application. The developer appealed twice – and lost. A 1992 public inquiry established a planning principle that remains on the books today: housing need cannot automatically override open space protection where there is demonstrable local deficiency and community reliance.

Planning Inspector A.R. Boyland was unequivocal in his 1992 decision dismissing Silven’s appeal: “I have come to the conclusion that it would cause unacceptable harm to the amenities of the residents of the estate in terms of loss of open space, perceived density and loss of outlook.”

He noted the estate’s objective deficiency in accessible open space – Barnes Common required crossing the busy South Circular Road, Vine Road Recreation Ground meant crossing both a main road and a railway level crossing. “It seems to me that the requirement for a small local park within ½ mile walking distance of home is not met for the Lennox Estate,” he wrote.

The developer made four more attempts between 1992 and 1993, varying between 22 and 40 units. All refused. Silven Properties eventually went into receivership, unable to secure the planning gains that had proved impossible to obtain.

The irony has not been lost on residents: in 1988, it was Wandsworth Council officers who urged the London Residuary Body to transfer The Green “without charge” rather than sell it to developers. Now the council is itself the developer.

---

![The Green at Arabella Drive on the Lennox Estate - protected land in 2016](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/green-protected-space-858x1024.png)---

#### 2016: Formal protection – until the council needed the land

Wandsworth’s 2016 Development Management Policies Document formally listed “The Green, Arabella Drive” among the borough’s “Other Larger Protected Open Spaces.”

That designation followed directly from the 1990s battles and the planning inspector’s findings about open space deficiency on the estate.

The council now says its scheme will provide “new and improved green open spaces.” But this promise requires believing that demolishing protected open space and replacing it with building footprints, service areas, and landscaping around tower blocks represents an “improvement” over the current green at residents’ doorsteps.

#### What CHAC will consider Wednesday

The committee – comprising three councillors and representatives from local heritage societies including the Putney Society – will review the proposal’s impact on the estate’s character and surroundings.

Application 2025/4170 proposes:

- 81 new affordable council homes across two buildings, 6-14 storeys
- Demolition of existing buildings and the MUGA (Multi-Use Games Area)
- Closure of part of Arabella Drive
- Ground floor community space
- “Replacement” open space and landscaping

The meeting comes amid mounting concerns about the council’s handling of the estate more broadly:

**Gas explosions and council distance**: *Putney.news* [previously reported](https://putney.news/2025/05/22/rot-in-the-roof-wandsworth-slammed-for-four-year-housing-scandal/) how the council distanced itself from responsibility for a series of gas explosions on the estate, with criticism dismissed as “politically motivated” while officers claimed their handling had been “exemplary” despite resident complaints.

**Empty Paddock School building**: The former special needs school sits vacant on Priory Lane, directly adjacent to the proposed development site. Residents have asked for months what will happen to this public asset, but [the council hasn’t provided clear answers](https://putney.news/2025/11/08/new-paddock-send-school-opens-in-roehampton-but-what-happens-to-the-old-building/) – even as it pushes plans for the tower.

**Energy efficiency failures**: We [revealed in December](https://putney.news/2025/12/31/council-promised-new-homes-would-meet-or-exceed-green-standards-its-own-dont/) that the proposed development’s energy use would be 65% above benchmarks – despite the council promising new homes would “meet or exceed” green standards. The planning application contains no explanation for why energy performance is so poor.

#### The precedent that still stands

The 1992 planning inspector’s decision remains planning precedent today. His finding was explicit: the community’s reliance on The Green as their only accessible open space, combined with the estate’s documented deficiency in such space, meant development there would cause “unacceptable harm.”

That harm calculation did not change when the developer was private. Whether it changes when the developer is the council itself is now the question facing planners, heritage advisors, and ultimately the Planning Applications Committee.

CHAC is advisory only – it cannot refuse applications. But its assessment carries weight, particularly on questions of character, setting, and whether development proposals respect established community patterns.

Wednesday’s meeting will test whether the committee sees a scheme that successfully balances housing need with protected space preservation, or whether the echoes of the 1990s battles suggest history is repeating itself – this time with the council playing the role previously occupied by Silven Properties.

#### How to engage

The CHAC meeting is open to the public:

- **When**: Wednesday, January 8, 2026, 7pm
- **Where**: Room 123, Wandsworth Town Hall
- **Application**: 2025/4170

Comments on the planning application can be submitted through the [council’s planning portal](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/search-planning-applications/) (search for reference 2025/4170) until January 19, 2026.

The full CHAC meeting agenda is available [here](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Jan-26-CHAC-Public-reports-pack-08012026-1900-Conservation-and-Heritage-Advisory-Committee.pdf).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/05/heritage-committee-reviews-tower-on-protected-lennox-estate-green/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/05/heritage-committee-reviews-tower-on-protected-lennox-estate-green/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Heritage%20committee%20reviews%20tower%20on%20protected%20Lennox%20Estate%20green&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/05/heritage-committee-reviews-tower-on-protected-lennox-estate-green/)

**Categories:** Planning, Politics, Roehampton

**Tags:** CHAC, community consultation, heritage review, Lennox Estate, planning applications, protected open space, Roehampton, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Lloyds Bank flats plan rejected over severe impact on neighbouring residents](https://putney.news/2026/01/04/lloyds-bank-flats-plan-rejected-over-severe-impact-on-neighbouring-residents/)

**Published:** January 4, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Council finds scheme would cause loss of light, overbearing walls, and poor living conditions despite heritage experts' backing.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has refused plans to convert the empty Lloyds Bank building on Putney High Street into eight flats, citing “excessive bulk,” severe harm to neighbouring residents, and poor living conditions for future occupants.

The refusal last month puts the locally listed building – empty for 18 months since Lloyds’ closure – back into planning limbo, with the developer now appealing the decision. Residents have until January 16 to submit comments to the Planning Inspectorate.

The case (2025/3306) reveals a stark disconnect between heritage experts who unanimously backed the scheme and planning officers who found it “an overdevelopment of this small constrained site.”

#### The proposal

Developer proposals would have created eight flats (2 studios, 3 one-bed, 3 two-bed) above retained ground-floor commercial space at 110-112 Putney High Street.

The scheme included mansard roof extensions visible from the street, extensive rear extensions across all floors, multiple terraces, and rooftop plant equipment alongside a communal terrace.

**[View the full planning application 2025/3306 on Wandsworth’s planning portal](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/search-planning-applications/)**

#### Why officers refused

Planning officer Laura Nieves’s [18-page report](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/110-putney-high-st-lloyds-bank-officer-refusal.pdf) \[pdf\] identified multiple serious failures.

**Unacceptable harm to neighbours**

The worst impact would fall on residents at neighbouring 108 Putney High Street. Three units would see severe loss of light – including one first-floor window that would “lose all light in winter,” dropping to just a third of its current daylight.

Two other studio windows already struggling with inadequate light would drop further below acceptable standards. One window would lose all direct sunlight – critical for a property already hemmed in by the Putney Exchange shopping centre to the west and north.

Officers wrote: “Given the positioning of the terrace and its close proximity of the Putney Exchange Shopping Centre to the west and north and the lack of outlook to the south, any loss of light within these properties is significant and unwarranted.”

The proposal would also loom over neighbours with boundary walls as high as a three-storey building running the depth of the property along No. 108, and extending well beyond No. 114’s extension to the south. This would create an “extremely obtrusive” impact on bedroom windows and terraces, officers found – resulting in “loss of outlook and an overbearing impact.”

![Rejected plan for Lloyds Bank building on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/lloyds-bank-back-extension-plan-1024x514.png)The plan was rejected in part because officers felt the rear extension came out too far, cutting off light to neighbours**Out of scale with the street**

The rear extensions would extend back far deeper than any other approved development in the terrace – roughly four metres beyond what neighbours have been allowed to build.

Recent approvals in the same terrace set back progressively at each floor to reduce bulk. This proposal barely stepped back at all on the lower floors – just under two metres at first and second floor level compared to neighbours’ five to six metre setbacks.

“The proposal sits way beyond anything else within the terrace and on this basis is unacceptable,” officers concluded. The building would appear “top heavy to the rear” and “uncomfortable – the materials, scale, and proportions are entirely different.”

**Poor living conditions inside the new flats**

Flats at the rear would face the Putney Exchange shopping centre’s blank wall less than three metres away – “offering very limited outlook” and inadequate light, especially for lower floors.

The internal lightwell designed to bring light into flats is narrow and three storeys high, “offering extremely limited light and outlook” while creating privacy and noise problems – bedroom windows would look directly into living spaces across the gap.

Critically, the developer never provided daylight and sunlight assessments for the new units themselves, “despite this being requested at pre-application stage.” Officers couldn’t verify whether future residents would have acceptable living conditions.

**Missing noise assessment**

Despite significant rooftop plant equipment located right next to the communal terrace and near windows, no noise impact assessment was provided. Officers couldn’t rule out harm to residents from the equipment.

**Waste management breakdown**

Adding eight flats would bring the total using the rear alleyway for waste collection to 21 units – creating “further obstruction” in a passage already plagued by fly-tipping and blocked access.

The logistics don’t work: the alleyway is four times further from the street than waste collection guidelines allow, Putney High Street bans loading between 7am and 7pm, there’s no dropped kerb for bins, and the passage is already cluttered with obstacles and illegal dumping. “This would be unacceptable,” officers found.

#### Heritage experts saw something different

The Conservation and Heritage Advisory Committee unanimously supported the application in November 2025, focused on the street-facing elevation.

The committee – including Putney Society representative Andrew Catto – welcomed retention of the distinctive stone bank frontage that architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner identified as one of only two buildings on Putney High Street “worth even a glance.”

They felt mansard extensions were “a positive addition as it gave each building its own mansard when viewed from the street.” Their only concern was technical: how floor plates would be supported against the double-height window.

But officers noted: “No consideration was given to the rear of the property.” While only the front forms part of the local listing, officers argued the rear still needed to “fit within its existing context.”

The committee saw preservation of a heritage frontage. Officers saw a scheme that “looks to maximize floorspace, without consideration to its context or the amenity of adjoining properties.”

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/lloyds-frontage-768x1024.png)#### What officers wanted

While welcoming the principle of converting upper floors to housing and keeping ground-floor shops, officers found the execution fundamentally flawed.

“This proposal is trying to maximise residential floorspace, without giving any consideration to its context, the quality of the units being provided or harm to adjoining properties,” the report states.

At pre-application stage, officers had suggested alternatives like a glazed roof hatch for terrace access to avoid additional height and asked for the rear massing to be reduced. “This was an issue that was raised at pre-application and has not been resolved.”

They also objected to a front terrace on the High Street elevation: “Given the commercial nature of Putney High Street, it would be inappropriate to introduce this type of use to this elevation.”

Officers told the developer that necessary amendments “are substantial and would materially change the development proposal” – requiring the rear to be significantly reduced in bulk, the High Street terrace removed, the large front dormer replaced with three smaller ones, plus additional information on light, noise, and cycle parking. A reduction in the number of flats would be needed to solve waste collection problems.

The scheme failed five Local Plan policies covering design quality, impact on neighbours, heritage protection, pollution management, and housing standards.

#### The appeal – residents can comment until January 16

The developer lodged an appeal on December 5, 2025. The Planning Inspectorate will decide through written representations – no public hearing, just written submissions.

**Critical dates:**

- Council statement due: January 16, 2026
- **Public comments due: January 16, 2026**
- Final comments due: January 30, 2026

Residents who commented on the original application will be notified, but new comments can be submitted through the Planning Inspectorate portal.

**To submit a comment on the appeal:** Visit the [Planning Inspectorate website](https://appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk/comment-planning-appeal/enter-appeal-reference) and enter **appeal reference 6002288**. [Full appeal details available here](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/110-putney-high-st-appeal-details.pdf).

#### What happens now

The building remains empty 18 months after [Lloyds’ closure](https://putney.news/2024/04/11/lloyds-bank-closes-its-doors-on-putney-high-street/) – the seventh bank to leave Putney High Street, leaving just NatWest and Metro Bank. It was listed at £127,500/year rent and we reported in April 2024 it was “likely to remain empty.”

Whether the Planning Inspector will agree with the heritage committee’s focus on the street frontage or officers’ concerns about rear bulk, neighbour impact and living conditions will determine the building’s future.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/04/lloyds-bank-flats-plan-rejected-over-severe-impact-on-neighbouring-residents/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/04/lloyds-bank-flats-plan-rejected-over-severe-impact-on-neighbouring-residents/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Lloyds%20Bank%20flats%20plan%20rejected%20over%20severe%20impact%20on%20neighbouring%20residents&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/04/lloyds-bank-flats-plan-rejected-over-severe-impact-on-neighbouring-residents/)

**Categories:** Planning, Thamesfield

**Tags:** conservation, heritage, housing development, Lloyds Bank, planning, planning appeals, Planning Inspectorate, Putney High Street, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Amber cold weather alert issued for London: How to stay safe through 6 January](https://putney.news/2026/01/04/amber-cold-weather-alert-issued-for-london-how-to-stay-safe-through-6-january/)

**Published:** January 4, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Health officials urge residents to check on vulnerable neighbours as temperatures drop.

**Content:**

The Met Office and UK Health Security Agency have issued a London amber cold weather alert in effect until Tuesday 6 January 2026, as temperatures drop significantly across the capital.

An amber alert indicates increased health risks, particularly for vulnerable populations including elderly residents, young children, people with long-term health conditions, and those on low incomes who may struggle to heat their homes adequately.

Exposure to cold temperatures increases blood pressure and makes blood more likely to clot, raising the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other serious health complications.

#### Simple steps to stay safe

Health officials recommend heating rooms you spend most time in to at least 18°C if possible, particularly for those with health conditions. Keep bedroom windows closed at night to maintain warmth, and wear multiple layers of thinner clothing rather than one thick layer.

The NHS urges residents to check on family, friends and neighbours who may be at higher risk of becoming unwell during cold weather. If you are at higher risk yourself, ask others to check on you. Simple welfare checks can make a significant difference in preventing cold-related health problems.

Make sure you have sufficient food and medicine supplies, and take simple measures to reduce draughts at home. Check the weather forecast and news regularly for updates on conditions.

Cold weather makes everyone more vulnerable to winter illnesses including flu, coughs and colds. If you are eligible for flu or COVID-19 vaccinations, the NHS encourages you to get vaccinated. Information on eligibility and booking is available through the [NHS winter health guidance](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/keep-warm-keep-well/).

#### When to seek help

If you feel unwell, get medical help quickly. You can get advice from a pharmacy for minor illnesses, speak to your GP online or by phone, or contact NHS 111 at [111.nhs.uk](https://111.nhs.uk/) or by calling 111 if you have an urgent medical problem and are not sure what to do.

In an emergency, go to A&E immediately or call 999.

The Weather-Health Alerting System provides early warnings when temperatures are likely to impact health and wellbeing. Yesterday’s yellow alert was upgraded to the London amber cold weather alert as forecasts showed more severe cold conditions developing through the new year period.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/04/amber-cold-weather-alert-issued-for-london-how-to-stay-safe-through-6-january/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/04/amber-cold-weather-alert-issued-for-london-how-to-stay-safe-through-6-january/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Amber%20cold%20weather%20alert%20issued%20for%20London%3A%20How%20to%20stay%20safe%20through%206%20January&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/04/amber-cold-weather-alert-issued-for-london-how-to-stay-safe-through-6-january/)

**Categories:** Health

**Tags:** cold weather, health, Met Office, NHS, public health, UKHSA, weather alert, Winter

---

### [Major emergency response at Putney Pier following reports of body recovered from Thames](https://putney.news/2026/01/03/major-emergency-response-at-putney-pier-following-reports-of-body-recovered-from-thames/)

**Published:** January 3, 2026
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Multiple ambulances, fire engines and police boat deployed as pier closed due to "emergency".

**Content:**

Emergency services mounted a major response at Putney Pier yesterday evening following unconfirmed reports that a body was recovered from the River Thames.

Multiple ambulances, fire engines, police vehicles and a police boat descended on the scene around 6pm on Friday, with Putney Pier closed due to what Thames Clippers described as an “emergency”.

Witnesses reported seeing three ambulances, six fire engines, three police cars, an incident response van, an air ambulance car and a police boat at the location near the Star & Garter pub and Thai Square restaurant.

An emergency tent was erected next to the embankment wall, with multiple medics in attendance. Emergency vehicle lights illuminated the riverside scene as the response continued into the evening.

The emergency response caused significant traffic disruption, with emergency vehicles flooding Lower Richmond Road and backing up traffic in the area.

![Emergency boat at Putney Pier](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/emergency-response-putney-pier-boat-1024x768.png)#### Unconfirmed reports

Social media reports suggested a body had been pulled from the Thames near Putney Bridge, though this has not been officially confirmed.

Thames Clippers, the riverboat operator, [posted on social media](https://x.com/thamesclippers/status/2007149248660537647) at 5.57pm that “Putney is closed due to an emergency”, suspending services at the pier.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed they had received a report about the incident but directed enquiries to their press office. A request for comment sent to the Met Police press desk had not been answered by publication.

The London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade and London’s Air Ambulance have also yet to provide any information or updates.

The area around Putney Pier and Putney Embankment remained cordoned off this evening as the emergency response continued.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/emergency-response-putney-pier-1024x768.png)In March 2024, [a body recovered from the Thames near Putney Pier](https://putney.news/2024/03/13/putney-pier-body/) was identified as missing student Samaria Ayanle, 19. Her death was treated as unexplained.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are concerned about someone else, support is available. You can contact the Samaritans free on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org.

*This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/03/major-emergency-response-at-putney-pier-following-reports-of-body-recovered-from-thames/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/03/major-emergency-response-at-putney-pier-following-reports-of-body-recovered-from-thames/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Major%20emergency%20response%20at%20Putney%20Pier%20following%20reports%20of%20body%20recovered%20from%20Thames&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/03/major-emergency-response-at-putney-pier-following-reports-of-body-recovered-from-thames/)

**Categories:** Crime, News

**Tags:** emergency services, Putney Pier, River Thames, Thames Clippers, The Met

---

### [Brazil's admirals have been quietly shopping for warships in Putney since 1971](https://putney.news/2026/01/03/brazils-admirals-have-been-quietly-shopping-for-warships-in-putney-since-1971/)

**Published:** January 3, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** A small office on Upper Richmond Road serves as South America's largest navy's main European procurement hub.

**Content:**

For over fifty years, Brazilian naval officers have occupied an unassuming office at 170 Upper Richmond Road, conducting business that would surprise most Putney residents walking past. The [Brazilian Naval Commission in Europe](https://www.marinha.mil.br/cnbe/) isn’t commanding ships or training sailors. It’s shopping.

From this suburban outpost, a small team procures weapons systems, submarines, missiles and spare parts across a territory spanning Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Oceania and most of Asia. The deals flowing through this quiet corner of SW15 run into hundreds of millions of pounds.

The incongruity is worth enjoying: a naval procurement office perched on the South Circular, up a hill from the Thames, in a neighbourhood famous for rowing clubs rather than warships.

#### The flagship flew from Putney to Rio

The commission’s most spectacular transaction: in 2018, Brazil purchased HMS Ocean, the Royal Navy’s former flagship helicopter carrier, for £84 million. The 21,578-tonne vessel now serves as Brazil’s naval flagship, renamed NAM Atlântico.

Last year brought an even larger acquisition. Brazil [signed a contract for HMS Bulwark](https://www.navaltoday.com/2025/09/12/uk-sells-albion-class-assault-ship-hms-bulwark-to-brazil/), one of the Royal Navy’s amphibious assault ships, at the DSEI defence exhibition in London. It’s currently being refurbished in Plymouth before transfer in 2026.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/NAM-Atlantico-1024x683.png)The NAM Atlântico: purchased in Putney#### A suburban office handling billion-pound business

The BNCE was formally established on 29 October 1971 by Brazilian Decree 69.442, consolidating three previous oversight commissions that had supervised submarine construction in England, minesweepers in Germany and frigates in Britain. But Brazilian naval representation in London predates this by decades: a “Brazilian Commission” received the dreadnought Minas Geraes from Armstrong Whitworth in Newcastle back in 1910.

Today’s commission operates as a department of the Brazilian Embassy but reports directly to the General Secretariat of the Brazilian Navy. Its mission extends beyond ship purchases. It manages procurement across five continents, gathers technical intelligence on military technology developments, supports Brazilian naval officers on courses or in transit, represents Brazil at the [International Maritime Organization](https://www.imo.org/) in London, and promotes Brazilian defence manufacturers seeking European partners.

The geographic scope is remarkable. From Putney, the commission manages procurement not just in Europe but across the Middle East, Africa, Oceania and Asia (excluding Japan, China and Korea, which fall under different arrangements). A parallel commission in Washington DC handles the Americas.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Minas-Geraes-1024x564.png)The Minas Geraes: bought in 1910#### UK defence companies and Brazil’s deep relationship

The relationship between British defence manufacturers and Brazil runs surprisingly deep. BAE Systems has supplied Brazilian forces since the 1950s. MBDA UK provides missile systems for Brazilian frigates and fighter jets. The biggest recent deal: in December 2025, Brazil selected MBDA’s Land Ceptor air defence system in a contract reportedly worth around $1 billion.

Between 2015 and 2024, the UK approved £850 million in defence export licences to Brazil, according to [Campaign Against Arms Trade analysis](https://caat.org.uk/data/countries/brazil/) of government data. The business relationship extends from aircraft carriers to engine components.

#### The peculiar geography of a landlocked naval office

Why Putney? No official explanation exists, but the irony deserves some quick attention.

The Thames at Putney marks one of the river’s historic shallow points. The name “Putney” derives from Anglo-Saxon *Puttan hythe* (“Putta’s landing place”), reflecting its ancient use as a crossing point when the river ran shallow enough to ford. The 1729 Fulham Bridge (later Putney Bridge) was the only crossing between London Bridge and Kingston for 1,700 years, a span of nearly twelve miles, precisely because the river was navigable here.

Today, Brazilian naval officers work up the hill from one of the world’s most famous rowing stretches. The Championship Course from Putney to Mortlake has hosted the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race since 1845, and rowing clubs cluster along the embankment.

Yet the BNCE sits on Upper Richmond Road, the South Circular, climbing away from all that water. The procurement officers who negotiate submarine contracts and missile systems work within walking distance of boathouses but considerably further from anything that might float a frigate.

#### From dreadnoughts to submarines

The UK-Brazil naval relationship stretches back over a century. In the early 1900s, Brazil sparked the South American Dreadnought Race by ordering massive battleships from British yards. At their 1910 commissioning, only Britain and the United States had comparable vessels.

The relationship has evolved since: frigates in the 1970s and 90s, helicopters, radar systems, and now missile technology. Brazil’s four new Tamandaré-class frigates, currently under construction, will carry British-made Sea Ceptor missiles.

Brazil’s naval strategy centres on protecting the “Blue Amazon”: 5.7 million square kilometres of South Atlantic waters rich in oil reserves, fisheries and strategic sea lanes.

#### Fifty-three years in Putney and counting

The BNCE celebrated its 53rd anniversary in 2024, having operated from Putney longer than most residents have lived in the borough.

The next time you walk past 170 Upper Richmond Road, remember: behind those doors, someone might be negotiating for an aircraft carrier.

---

*This is the first in what will likely be a highly irregular but never uninteresting rundown of things that exist in Putney that you’ve probably never realised or thought about.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/03/brazils-admirals-have-been-quietly-shopping-for-warships-in-putney-since-1971/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/03/brazils-admirals-have-been-quietly-shopping-for-warships-in-putney-since-1971/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Brazil%E2%80%99s%20admirals%20have%20been%20quietly%20shopping%20for%20warships%20in%20Putney%20since%201971&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/03/brazils-admirals-have-been-quietly-shopping-for-warships-in-putney-since-1971/)

**Categories:** World

**Tags:** Brazilian Naval Commission, defense trade, Upper Richmond Road

---

### [Thames-side property enforcement resolved before year's end](https://putney.news/2026/01/02/thames-side-property-enforcement-resolved-before-years-end/)

**Published:** January 2, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Brick wall rebuilt to conservation standards after October collapse.

**Content:**

A Putney building enforcement case against 4 Ruvigny Gardens has been resolved, with Wandsworth Council confirming that the brick wall which collapsed during renovation works has been reinstated to conservation standards.

A council enforcement officer told *Putney.news* in December that the Conservation Officer has approved the type of bricks used for the remedial works and provided guidance on reinstating the pointing.

The case began in October when [the rear wall of the £2.8 million Thames-side property collapsed](https://putney.news/2025/10/01/2-8m-thames-side-renovation-becomes-hollowed-out-nightmare-for-neighbours/) accidentally whilst the site was unattended, leaving the Victorian terrace hollowed out and requiring emergency scaffolding. Neighbours on either side were temporarily evacuated whilst Building Control officers installed additional support to deal with the immediate danger.

The property, part of an 1880s terrace within the Putney Embankment Conservation Area, had been undergoing ambitious renovation works approved by the council in March (application 2025/0109). Plans showed the Victorian interior swept away and replaced by an open-plan design flowing into a dramatic steel-and-glass extension.

![Brick collapse at Ruvigny Gardens](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/4-ruvigny-scaffolding-768x1024.jpg)Engineering reports had warned the project would be complex, requiring careful sequencing to avoid undermining the shallow Victorian foundations and shared party walls. The collapse occurred during a crucial phase when sections of the first-floor rear wall gave way whilst builders were off-site.

By late October, the Conservation Team had approved brick samples for the reconstruction. Photographs taken this week show construction continuing, with scaffolding still in place and building materials visible on site.

![Brickwork restored at Ruvigny Gardens](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/4-ruvigny-brickwork-768x1024.png)The resolution demonstrates the council’s enforcement process working when conservation-area properties experience problems during renovation. The requirement to use approved bricks and follow Conservation Officer guidance ensures the character of the protected streetscape is maintained even when structural failures occur.

For neighbours who watched the October collapse with concern, the resolution provides closure. The broader renovation project can now continue without the regulatory hold that enforcement cases impose on construction work.

![Ruvigny Gardens build continues](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/4-ruvigny-materials-1-768x1024.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/02/thames-side-property-enforcement-resolved-before-years-end/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/02/thames-side-property-enforcement-resolved-before-years-end/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Thames-side%20property%20enforcement%20resolved%20before%20year%E2%80%99s%20end&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/02/thames-side-property-enforcement-resolved-before-years-end/)

**Categories:** Planning, Thamesfield

**Tags:** 4 Ruvigny Gardens, Building enforcement, Conservation area, Putney property, thamesfield, Wandsworth Council

---

### [How residents saved the Lennox Estate Green from six development attempts](https://putney.news/2026/01/02/how-residents-saved-the-lennox-estate-green-from-six-development-attempts/)

**Published:** January 2, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** The 1990s campaign that drove a developer into receivership.

**Content:**

More than 880 residents signed petitions. Six planning applications were refused. A private developer went into receivership. And the open space at the heart of the Lennox Estate in Roehampton survived.

As Wandsworth Council seeks planning permission for a 14-storey tower and 81 new homes on the same site, documents from the estate’s archives reveal the remarkable five-year battle that residents fought between 1989 and 1994 to protect their only green space from development.

The story offers a striking precedent for today’s residents, who face proposals for council housing on the northern part of the estate. The council submitted its application in December, triggering a [consultation that runs through the Christmas period](https://putney.news/2025/12/14/happy-holidays-now-read-these-1000-pages-about-demolishing-your-community-buildings/). But the 1990s campaign shows just how fiercely this community has fought to protect The Green before.

#### The developer’s gambit

In July 1988, the London Residuary Body auctioned off The Green for £419,000. The buyer was Silven Properties Ltd, a private developer who saw potential in the 1.17-acre site fronting Upper Richmond Road.

The land had been earmarked for a school when the estate was built in the 1960s, but was never developed. In 1973, the Greater London Council agreed it should be “landscaped as temporary open space.” Over the following 15 years, residents made it their own: hosting firework displays, fun days and summer fairs, and using it daily for dog walking, children’s play and simply sitting out.

When Wandsworth Council learned the site was to be sold, officers fought to stop it. In January 1988, the council’s Borough Valuer asked the London Residuary Body to transfer The Green to the council “without charge.” The request was refused. The site was sold anyway.

Silven Properties moved quickly. In September 1989, they submitted plans for 55 sheltered housing flats across two three-storey blocks.

The response was overwhelming. The council notified 342 nearby households. Back came 30 objection letters, 107 additional letters from the Tenants Association signed by 161 residents, and a petition bearing 657 signatures.

“The green is an essential part of everyday existence and an important feature of the estate,” residents wrote. “It is the only place on the estate that is a safe communal recreation and play area for the young and old alike.”

Parents warned that children would be “forced to play in the squares thereby adding to the already intolerable noise level.” Others described the green as “a welcome visual relief from the unrelenting sea of bricks and concrete.”

The council’s planning officers agreed. But before the committee could formally refuse, Silven appealed against “non-determination.” The first appeal was subsequently withdrawn.

---

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/lennox-green-sale-695x1024.png)Lennox Estate Green was sold for £419,000 in 1989 against the council’s wishes and Silven Properties tried repeatedly to develop it---

#### A second attempt and a public inquiry

Undeterred, Silven submitted revised plans in September 1990. This time they offered a compromise: one L-shaped block of 55 flats, with 40% of the site (0.47 acres) dedicated as public open space.

The community organised again. This time, 871 neighbours were consulted. At least 150 objection letters arrived, along with a fresh petition bearing 226 signatures.

“We need the Green to remain an open space,” residents wrote. “It is the heart of this estate, the only safe recreational area.”

One submission noted that the green “influenced people’s decisions to buy their properties.” Another warned that approving the scheme would set “a precedent to build on any piece of green land.”

The council refused permission again. Silven appealed, and a public inquiry was held on 29 October 1991 at Wandsworth Town Hall.

Residents sought help from their MP, David Mellor, who then served as a senior minister in John Major’s government. His correspondence with constituents was submitted as formal evidence at the inquiry.

On 13 February 1992, Planning Inspector A.R. Boyland delivered his verdict: appeal dismissed.

The inspector found that the Lennox Estate was objectively deficient in accessible open space. Barnes Common lay across the busy South Circular Road. Vine Road Recreation Ground required crossing both a main road and a railway level crossing. There was simply nowhere else for residents to go.

“It seems to me that the requirement for a small local park within ½ mile walking distance of home is not met for the Lennox Estate,” the inspector wrote.

He rejected the argument that retaining 40% of The Green made the development acceptable: “I have come to the conclusion that it would cause unacceptable harm to the amenities of the residents of the estate in terms of loss of open space, perceived density and loss of outlook.”

Most significantly, he established a principle that would prove crucial: housing need, however pressing, cannot automatically override open space protection where there is demonstrable local deficiency and community reliance.

#### Four more attempts, then collapse

Silven did not give up. Between 1992 and 1993, they submitted four more schemes, varying between 22 and 40 units. All four were refused.

“Once again the beloved Green is under attack,” wrote one resident in January 1994. “The developers press on, doubtless in the hope that the community’s resolve will finally weaken.”

It did not weaken. But Silven’s finances did.

Before their appeals could reach a full public inquiry, the company defaulted on loans. The Royal Bank of Scotland appointed receivers, who took control of the developer’s assets, including The Green. The Court of Appeal case that followed revealed that receivers sold the site “as is,” as open land, rather than pursuing planning gains that had proved impossible to secure.

By the mid-1990s, Silven Properties’ campaign to build on The Green had definitively collapsed. The company that had paid nearly half a million pounds for the site, hired legal teams and planning consultants, and submitted six separate applications over five years, had been defeated by organised community resistance and sound planning policy.

---

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/green-protected-space-858x1024.png)Wandsworth Local Plan listing The Green as a Protected Open Space---

#### The legacy, and a new battle

The Green is now formally protected. Wandsworth’s [2016 Development Management Policies Document](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/local_plan_development_management_policies.pdf) lists “The Green, Arabella Drive” among the borough’s “Other Larger Protected Open Spaces.”

The 1992 inspector’s decision established a principle that remains relevant today: open space serving a demonstrable community function, in an area of documented deficiency, cannot simply be traded away for housing numbers.

Whether that principle will hold in 2026 is now being tested. Wandsworth Council has submitted a planning application (2025/4170) for 81 council homes and a 14-storey tower on the same Arabella Drive site. The public consultation closes on 19 January.

There is an uncomfortable irony at the heart of the current battle. In 1988, it was Wandsworth Council that fought to protect The Green, with officers urging the London Residuary Body to transfer the land “without charge” rather than sell it to developers. Now the council is itself the developer, and residents face the same question their predecessors answered 35 years ago.

The council says the scheme will provide “new and improved green open spaces.” Residents can judge for themselves whether that promise is enough, and whether they will once again fight for the green space at the heart of their estate.

Comments can be submitted through the [council’s planning portal](https://planning.wandsworth.gov.uk/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/Generic/StdDetails.aspx?PT=Planning%20Applications%20On-Line&TYPE=PL/PlanningPK.xml&PARAM0=1217114&XSLT=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Wandsworth/xslt/PL/PLDetails.xslt&FT=Planning%20Application%20Details&PUBLIC=Y&XMLSIDE=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Wandsworth/Menus/PL.xml&DAURI=PLANNING) under reference 2025/4170.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/02/how-residents-saved-the-lennox-estate-green-from-six-development-attempts/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/02/how-residents-saved-the-lennox-estate-green-from-six-development-attempts/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=How%20residents%20saved%20the%20Lennox%20Estate%20Green%20from%20six%20development%20attempts&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/02/how-residents-saved-the-lennox-estate-green-from-six-development-attempts/)

**Categories:** Planning, Politics, Roehampton

**Tags:** housing, Lennox Estate, planning consultation, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Annual Hammersmith Bridge theatre: another meeting, another year, zero progress](https://putney.news/2026/01/01/annual-hammersmith-bridge-theatre-another-meeting-another-year-zero-progress/)

**Published:** January 1, 2026
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Six years closed, one bus added to the 85, two to the 170 - this is what 'standing firmly with residents' delivers.

**Content:**

Putney MP Fleur Anderson and Wandsworth Council leader Simon Hogg are mobilising residents for a public action on 24 January, six days before the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce reconvenes for its annual closed-door meeting that looks set to produce the same result as the last one: warm words, no decisions, no funding, no timeline.

The bridge has been closed for six years. Traffic through Wandsworth has increased 25 per cent during morning peak hours. [Transport for London is removing bus route 424 from Putney High Street entirely](https://putney.news/2025/11/25/council-claimed-buses-were-faster-tfl-is-removing-a-route-because-of-congestion/) because congestion has made the service unreliable. Residents sit in gridlock daily while their council leader and MP organise photo opportunities and attend Christmas parties at Number 10.

The pattern is established. January brings a taskforce meeting where options are discussed, concerns are noted, and representatives agree to “work together” on solutions. A year passes. Nothing happens. January comes around again. Another meeting is scheduled. Residents are mobilised for another public action to demand the progress that was promised at the last public action.

Meanwhile, people trying to get to work, school, and medical appointments sit in traffic that has worsened every single year since 2019.

#### What the council claims it has done

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/anderson-bridge-meeting.png)January 2025: MP Fleur Anderson and council leader Simon Hogg meet with residents to demand urgent action on Hammersmith Bridge, closed since 2019.Following last year’s meeting, Wandsworth Council published a [press release](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-january-2025/urgent-action-needed-on-hammersmith-bridge-say-wandsworth-residents/) titled “Urgent action needed on Hammersmith Bridge, say Wandsworth residents.” The headline was accurate. The content that followed was not.

“We stand firmly with our residents,” Hogg declared, before listing achievements that amount to rearranging deck chairs: part-funding a shuttle bus to Roehampton (which [closed in July having cost £200,000](https://putney.news/2025/07/19/councils-transport-gamble-backfires-wasting-200k-of-public-money/)), successfully campaigning for one additional bus on the 85 route and two on the 170.

One bus. Two buses. This is the sum total of concrete action after a year of having “a stakeholder seat” at the taskforce that the council “successfully campaigned” to obtain.

The same press release promises “increased transparency and urgency in the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce.” The taskforce meetings remain closed. Freedom of Information requests for detailed notes are refused under Section 35 exemptions. Urgency is measured in annual intervals between meetings that produce no decisions.

The council has “collated its own data” showing traffic increases of 16 per cent overall and 25 per cent during morning peaks. Excellent. What did they do with this evidence? They used it to write more press releases calling for other people to act.

#### What they could have done but didn’t

![A meeting in January 2025.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hammersmith-bridge-umbraco.png)One year later: One bus added to route 85. Two buses added to route 170. Traffic up 25%. TfL removing route 424 entirely. The bridge remains closed. Another meeting scheduled.Wandsworth Council has legal tools it chooses not to use.

Under Section 14 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, the council can impose Emergency Traffic Orders within 5 to 21 days, requiring no permission from Transport for London. It could implement trial restrictions on Putney or Wandsworth Bridge to demonstrate impact and build evidence for permanent solutions.

It could seek judicial review of a year of taskforce inaction, forcing either concrete progress or transparent explanation of why promises made in January 2025 were not delivered. Cost: £10,000 to £20,000, a rounding error in council legal budgets.

It could coordinate with Richmond and Hammersmith & Fulham councils and affected residents for joint legal action, creating genuine cross-borough pressure instead of individual council leaders making separate appeals that are safely ignored.

It could publicly threaten to petition for withholding Transport for London’s portion of council tax precepts until concrete bridge progress is demonstrated, a move requiring coordination but creating real political leverage.

Instead, the strategy is to request meetings, publish press releases about those meetings, organise public actions before those meetings, attend those meetings, achieve nothing at those meetings, wait a year, and repeat.

#### The diplomatic offensive

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/anderson-number10.jpeg)December 2025: Fleur Anderson “raises the bridge closure with the Prime Minister” at the Downing Street Christmas reception featuring mulled wine, carols, and prayers. Achievement: Ministerial letter promising another meeting.Anderson’s claim to have raised the closure with the Prime Minister refers to a 17 December Christmas reception at 10 Downing Street. Her [social media post](https://x.com/PutneyFleur/status/2001264055588389013) described “mulled wine, carols, prayers” and included a photo outside Number 10.

Six years of bridge closure, mounting traffic chaos affecting hundreds of thousands of residents across multiple boroughs, and the level of engagement secured from the highest levels of government is a chat at a Christmas party.

The ministerial letter Anderson received promising that a taskforce meeting “will be held” is notable mainly for what it does not promise: a date, a decision, funding, or any concrete deliverable beyond the meeting itself.

#### What last year’s meeting promised

Freedom of Information documents reveal what the January 2025 taskforce actually agreed to do.

Transport for London was tasked with coordinating “different traffic data presented by stakeholders around Hammersmith Bridge and the surrounding areas, into a single agreed representation.” There is currently no evidence this coordination has been completed.

Taskforce representatives were supposed to “work together to further develop options” for active travel configurations as alternatives to full restoration. There has been no announcement or indication that this development has been completed.

These were the prerequisites for informed decision-making at “the next meeting.” That next meeting, now scheduled for 30 January 2026, will apparently proceed without any sign of the foundational work that was supposed to enable meaningful decisions.

#### The wider context they ignore

The bridge closure is not Wandsworth Council’s responsibility to fix. The engineering challenges and funding requirements are substantial and genuinely complicated. Nobody disputes this.

What is within the council’s control is how aggressively it uses its political and legal leverage to force progress, how transparently it operates, and whether it deploys the tools available to local authorities facing sustained institutional failure from higher levels of government.

By these measures, the council’s performance is inadequate. It has a seat at the taskforce but no apparent strategy beyond attendance. It has evidence of traffic impacts but no concrete plan beyond citing that evidence in press releases. It has legal powers to implement emergency measures but prefers to wait for others to act.

Meanwhile, Transport for London is making operational decisions based on Wandsworth’s traffic chaos. The 424 bus is being removed from Putney High Street because congestion has made reliable service impossible. This is TfL’s solution to the problem that Hogg and Anderson cannot solve: withdraw the service.

Transport for London is also making the bridge closure permanent in its planning. A [consultation on Barnes bus services](https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/barnes-bus-services) states that “as it is unlikely that the bridge will reopen in the near future,” TfL wants to “formalise arrangements” by making temporary routes introduced in 2019 permanent fixtures of the network.

While Anderson and Hogg mobilise residents to demand the bridge reopen, the transport authority responsible for London’s buses is planning on the assumption it will not.

Residents lose direct bus connections. Hogg issues another press release expressing concern. Anderson organises another photo opportunity. The taskforce schedules another meeting. The bridge remains closed.

#### What success would require

The 24 January public action and 30 January taskforce meeting will succeed if they produce concrete, enforceable commitments with specific deadlines and identified funding sources.

Success means publishing the traffic data coordination that was promised a year ago. It means completing the options development that was meant to inform decisions. It means a cost comparison of remaining viable options with transparent funding allocation.

Most critically, it means a timeline with actual dates, not references to future meetings. It means interim measures deployed while permanent solutions are developed. It means accountability mechanisms that create consequences for further delay.

Without these deliverables, the January cycle becomes what it has been for six years: political theatre performed annually for residents who deserve solutions, not performances.

The council can stand firmly with residents, as Hogg promises, or it can stand in yet another photo opportunity achieving nothing while traffic worsens and services are withdrawn. It cannot do both.

#### The photo opportunity schedule

The public action takes place at 2pm on 24 January at the Barnes side of Hammersmith Bridge, though the Eventbrite listing instructs attendees to “arrive promptly at 12pm for a big photo” before noting the event runs 2pm to 3pm.

[Free tickets are available through Eventbrite](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/re-open-hammersmith-bridge-action-tickets-1978614955595), [using the same system that previously showed events as “sold out” while seats remained empty](https://putney.news/2025/05/29/talk-but-no-action-putney-high-street-meeting-sparks-backlash/).

The taskforce meets on 30 January, behind closed doors, where it will discuss options, note concerns, and agree to work together on solutions to be developed before the next meeting.

And then a year will pass.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/01/annual-hammersmith-bridge-theatre-another-meeting-another-year-zero-progress/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/01/annual-hammersmith-bridge-theatre-another-meeting-another-year-zero-progress/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Annual%20Hammersmith%20Bridge%20theatre%3A%20another%20meeting%2C%20another%20year%2C%20zero%20progress&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/01/annual-hammersmith-bridge-theatre-another-meeting-another-year-zero-progress/)

**Categories:** Politics, Transport

**Tags:** accountability, Bus services, Fleur Anderson, Hammersmith Bridge, infrastructure, Putney Bridge, Simon Hogg, traffic congestion, Transport for London, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Putney 2026 preview: Elections, M&S and the junction verdict](https://putney.news/2026/01/01/putney-2026-preview-elections-ms-and-the-junction-verdict/)

**Published:** January 1, 2026
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Download our bingo card and see how many you get by December.

**Content:**

Every year brings its share of promises, plans and predictions. Some come true. Many don’t. A few surprise us entirely.

This is our notebook of the threads we’ve been tracking at *Putney.news* and what to watch for in the year ahead. It’s not comprehensive but it covers the stories most likely to shape life in Putney, Roehampton and the surrounding area over the next twelve months.

We’ve organised it by each quarter/season, so you can check back as the year unfolds. And at the bottom, there’s a bingo card. Print it out. Stick it on your fridge. See how many you get by December.

![Q1 2026](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Q1-image-watermarked-1024x683.png)#### Winter: The junction verdict (January to March)

The big test comes early. After a year of complaints about Putney Bridge junction, the council has promised a series of fixes: widening the high street at TK Maxx area in January, moving bus stops and adjusting bike lane timings in February. TfL may also introduce its Pulse camera technology, which can actually detect cyclists (unlike the current system, which relies on metal sensors designed for cars).

By March, we should know if these combined efforts actually work, or if the junction remains the traffic nightmare that’s been grinding down residents, parents and businesses for over a year. If it doesn’t work, expect an almighty battle to force a fundamental redesign.

Also in Q1: the new Thames Clipper pier consultation opens on 1 January, and demolition should begin on the corner of Putney Bridge Road and the High Street, clearing the way for the new retail and hotel development.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Q2-image-watermarked-1024x683.png)#### Spring: Elections and Easter eggs (April to June)

Two big moments. First, M&S finally reopens for Easter after years of staring at an empty building. Welcome back.

Then in May, local elections. The first in four years. Labour won control for the first time in four decades back in 2022. Have they done enough to keep it? The national mood isn’t exactly thrilling for Labour supporters, and Reform has arrived in Wandsworth (though we understand they’re having internal problems). The Conservatives expect to roar back. The Lib Dems are putting in more effort. There’s even a new independent group in Wandle ward, set up by residents fed up with their councillors.

If control shifts, or if no party wins outright, it could reshape everything from controversial housing plans to the council’s attitude toward Putney Bridge junction. None of the current administration lives in Putney. That could change.

![Q3 2026](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Q3-image-watermarked-1024x683.png)#### Summer: Face/listen to the music (July to September)

If Craven Cottage’s concert licence is approved, summer 2026 could bring world-class acts to our doorstep. Six concerts per year during the football off-season. The closest proper venue is currently Hammersmith Apollo, so having major names within walking distance would be genuinely exciting, if noise and traffic can be managed.

Meanwhile, Alton Estate enters its critical phase. The council got its 82% ballot mandate in 2025, but then revealed the scheme costs £163m (not £123m) with a £77m funding gap. Will actual building work begin, or will Danbury Avenue remain a collection of boarded-up buildings with nice pictures painted on them? A hole in the ground would be even worse than what’s there now.

The high street faces its summer test too. With M&S back and the corner development underway, can Putney start to feel alive again? Or will Bills, Lost Society, the old Robert Dyas, Be at One and the rest remain empty?

![Q4 2026](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Q4-image-watermarked-1024x683.png)#### Autumn: Taking stock (October to December)

By autumn, the picture should be clearer. Did the junction changes work? Did the elections change anything? Is the Alton Estate moving or stalled? Are there fewer empty shops or more?

We’ll publish a proper reckoning in December, revisiting everything we predicted and everything that surprised us.

#### The ongoing sagas

Some stories don’t fit neatly into quarters. They could break any time, or drag on indefinitely.

**Hammersmith Bridge** remains closed after six years. Until central government commits real money, expect more meetings and more frustration. Progress will only come if residents finally snap and apply serious pressure. The council and our MP continue to fail spectacularly to have any real impact.

**Heathrow expansion** returns to the agenda. The government’s draft Airports National Policy Statement consultation opens in summer 2026, likely July. This is the first major opportunity since 2018 for residents to formally register opposition. Wandsworth Council “strongly opposes” expansion, warning Putney faces significant noise increases because a shorter new runway would force larger aircraft onto existing full-length runways. Flight path details won’t emerge until 2027 at the earliest, but this year’s consultation is when to make your voice heard.

**East Putney step-free access** appears on lists every year but never seems to actually happen. We’ll believe it when we see scaffolding.

**The District Line** remains the worst part of the tube network, waiting for Network Rail and TfL to agree a signalling handover that would transform reliability.

**HMP Wandsworth** has a new governor who seems to be getting a grip after years of scandal, deaths and escapes. We have to hope 2026 brings fewer tragedies, but the Victorian prison’s fundamental fitness for purpose remains an open question.

**Council transparency** continues to be a battleground. Complaints against the council have surged, even as the leader denies it. Will the new chief executive bring improvement, or will things get worse?

**The White Lion building** is deteriorating after squatter damage and water ingress. Will this year bring rescue or further decay?

#### The hopeful list

Not everything is doom and gloom. Waste collection improved by the end of 2025 (even if we still haven’t got proper wheelie bins). Upper and Lower Richmond Road are starting to thrive. Replingham Road in Southfields is showing positive signs. The new pier could mean more Thames Clipper services. And world-class concerts at Craven Cottage would be a genuine local asset.

#### Your predictions

What do you think will happen in Putney in 2026? We’ll be running a reader survey this week. In the meantime, download our Putney 2026 Bingo Card below. Print it, save it, mark it off as events happen. We’ll check back quarterly (April, July, October) and do a full reckoning in December.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/putney-2026-bingo-card-1.png)[Download the bingo card here.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/putney-2026-bingo-card.pdf)

Here’s to a year of progress, accountability, and maybe a few pleasant surprises.

*Got a tip or a prediction? Email news@putney.news*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2026/01/01/putney-2026-preview-elections-ms-and-the-junction-verdict/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2026/01/01/putney-2026-preview-elections-ms-and-the-junction-verdict/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%202026%20preview%3A%20Elections%2C%20M%26S%20and%20the%20junction%20verdict&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2026/01/01/putney-2026-preview-elections-ms-and-the-junction-verdict/)

**Categories:** News

**Tags:** Alton Estate, Craven Cottage concerts, Heathrow expansion, local elections, M&amp;S Putney, Putney 2026, Putney Bridge junction

---

### [Putney 2025: Year in review. When infrastructure failed and residents fought back](https://putney.news/2025/12/31/putney-2025-year-in-review-when-infrastructure-failed-and-residents-fought-back/)

**Published:** December 31, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** How one community learned that accountability requires organising.

**Content:**

Looking back at 2025, it’s hard to know where to start.

Was it the year Putney Bridge junction became the most complained-about piece of road in London? The year [M&S finally announced they’d return](https://putney.news/2025/04/19/marks-amp-spencer-returns-to-putney-high-street/) after seven years of empty storefront? The year squatters moved from building to building along the High Street while property owners scrambled to catch up?

Or maybe it was simpler than that. Maybe 2025 was just the year residents got organised.

When [1,371 people responded to a community survey](https://putney.news/2025/09/12/putney-junction-redesign-a-complete-failure-say-9-out-of-10-locals/) about the junction redesign in September, it forced Transport for London to admit they’d programmed the signals wrong. When 9,650 signatures opposed Queen Mary’s Hospital closure, it slowed the process enough to demand real consultation. When [the Putney Action Group published a 41-page legal challenge](https://putney.news/2025/09/18/putney-residents-unleash-damning-legal-challenge-over-traffic-nightmare/), TfL finally committed to fixing what they’d broken.

Not everything worked. Not everything got solved. But something shifted. Residents stopped treating problems as inevitable and started treating them as solvable, if you documented the evidence, organised the response, and kept up the pressure.

This is what that looked like across twelve months.

---

![Putney Bridge junction ground to a halt. Pic: Nat.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/putney-traffic-chaos-junction-1-1024x910.png)#### When Roads Became Battlegrounds

The junction at Putney Bridge had been redesigned at a cost of £835,000. Transport for London and Wandsworth Council called it an improvement. Residents called it something else entirely.

When the Putney Action Group conducted a systematic survey of 1,371 local residents in September, 86% called the redesign a complete failure. The numbers weren’t close: this was rejection so overwhelming it couldn’t be dismissed as the usual resistance to change.

The survey results forced TfL to admit what [residents had been experiencing for months](https://putney.news/2025/09/25/this-is-why-your-commute-is-hell-putneys-transport-meltdown-exposed/): the signals had been programmed wrong from day one, costing drivers 10-21 seconds of lost green time per cycle. Further investigation revealed TfL had rejected safer “CYCLOPS” junction designs that would have better protected cyclists, choosing instead to prioritise bus flow and cycling infrastructure in ways that created gridlock.

By September, residents weren’t just complaining, they were organising. The Putney Action Group published a 41-page professional report that cited specific Traffic Management Act violations, demanded concrete timelines for Hammersmith Bridge solutions, and explicitly threatened crowdfunded legal action if the council failed to act. The document included detailed statutory obligations, health impact documentation showing 89 reports of asthma and breathing difficulties, and accessibility arguments about how current layouts discriminated against disabled residents who rely on cars.

##### Changes

In October, after months of pressure, [TfL finally committed to action](https://putney.news/2025/10/18/tfl-to-install-new-traffic-light-system-at-putney-bridge-junction-on-october-27/). On October 27, they would install new traffic control chips to adjust signal timing based on real-time data. They would remove or relocate four problematic bus stops that created chokepoints, including stops on Lower Richmond Road where buses conducting driver changeovers blocked entire traffic lanes.

But the real test wasn’t whether TfL made tactical adjustments. It was whether the fundamental approach to transport planning would change. [The 763-person follow-up poll in November](https://putney.news/2025/11/16/have-your-say-what-do-you-really-think-about-putney-bridge-junction/) revealed 89% of residents hadn’t even known TfL had rejected safer designs. 80% called the lack of public consultation before construction “unacceptable.” When asked who should be held accountable for signal programming failures, 47% said “shared responsibility across all parties”, but 24% blamed the council directly.

What started as traffic complaints had become something larger: a documented case study in how transport policy gets imposed without meaningful resident input, and what happens when communities decide to fight back with organised evidence rather than scattered frustration.

---

![Death at East Putney pedestrian crossing in May 2025](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_2166-1024x768.jpeg)#### Tragedies That Demanded Answers

[The woman in her 70s was struck and killed](https://putney.news/2025/05/19/tragedy-in-putney-pedestrian-killed-in-rush-hour-collision/) at 5:30pm on a Monday in May, at the East Putney pedestrian crossing during rush hour. Transport for London had already [drawn up plans to widen that exact crossing](https://putney.news/2025/05/21/would-tfl-plans-have-prevented-east-putney-accident/) and extend the signal timing. The consultation had closed two months earlier. But the improvements sat in bureaucratic limbo while residents warned the lights were dangerously short, the green man disappeared too quickly, and elderly pedestrians couldn’t cross in time.

By December, seven months after the death, workers were finally installing new countdown signals at the crossing. One person was dead. A community was asking why safety improvements required a tragedy to force action.

But the pedestrian death at East Putney wasn’t the only loss that 2025 forced Putney to confront.

##### Trio tragedy

Three Mondays. Three bridges. [People in crisis](https://putney.news/2025/04/22/was-it-the-same-person-tragedy-strikes-after-third-bridge-incident-this-month-on-a-monday/).

March 31: [Putney Bridge shut down](https://putney.news/2025/03/31/putney-bridge-closed-amid-major-police-incident/) for hours during a tense police negotiation. Someone ready to jump. Officers talking them back from the edge. Eventually detained safely.

April 14: Charlwood Road railway bridge closed in both directions. Emergency services responding. Another person threatening to jump. Reports limited, but the pattern emerging.

April 21 (Easter Monday): [A person struck by a train](https://putney.news/2025/04/21/putney-train-station-closed-following-major-incident/) near Putney Station. The station closed for hours, emergency services cordoning off the area, paramedics and police attending. By morning, British Transport Police confirmed what witnesses feared: someone had been pronounced dead at the scene. “The incident is not being treated as suspicious,” they said. “A file will be prepared for the coroner.”

The pattern demanded scrutiny not just of individual cases but of what happens after crisis interventions, what support exists for people in sustained distress, and whether anyone was connecting the dots.

---

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/queen-marys-hospital-welcome-1024x768.png)#### Healthcare Pushed Further From Reach

In August, [staff at Queen Mary’s Hospital learned from colleagues](https://putney.news/2025/08/05/queens-marys-will-also-shut-down-minor-injuries-unit/) (not management) that the minor injuries unit would close.

The unit handled 44 appointments daily. For residents dealing with sprains, minor fractures, burns, and wounds that needed attention but weren’t emergency-room-level crises, Queen Mary’s provided accessible local care. Losing it meant longer journeys to A&E, adding pressure to already-strained emergency services and making urgent care less accessible for those who most needed it nearby.

The £150 million deficit explanation didn’t address the fundamental question residents kept asking: why should we lose local services because the trust can’t manage its finances?

An opposition petition gathered 9,650 signatures. Formal consultation was expected but kept getting delayed. And with transport chaos making every journey longer, losing Queen Mary’s meant pushing urgent care even further out of reach, a perfect storm of compounding failures.

But the healthcare story of 2025 wasn’t just about service closures. It was also about quality oversight failures at the very institutions residents depended on when closures forced them elsewhere.

#### When St George’s Failed Its Patients

In April, [the Nursing and Midwifery Council suspended Mark Barry](https://putney.news/2025/04/04/emergency-nurse-suspended-after-shocking-failures-at-st-georges/), a Band 7 Emergency Nurse Practitioner at St George’s Hospital (Putney’s main A&E), for 12 months after finding more than 60 serious patient safety failures. The charges were damning: failing to properly examine patients, missing critical symptoms including chest pain that could signal heart attacks, documenting examinations never conducted, and failures in basic clinical assessment across multiple patients.

What made the case more troubling was St George’s response, or lack thereof. When *Putney.news* asked about its internal investigation, what steps had been taken to strengthen oversight, whether affected patients had been offered support, and what preventative measures were now in place, the Trust responded only that the staff member no longer worked there and they “cannot comment on internal investigations.”

For residents whose only NHS emergency department was St George’s (especially after Queen Mary’s minor injuries closure), the combination of service cuts and quality oversight failures represented a complete erosion of healthcare reliability. You couldn’t access local minor care, and when you reached the main hospital, there was no guarantee the systems existed to prevent serious clinical failures from continuing unchecked.

---

![Closed Subway shop on Putney High Street](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/subway-closed-1024x608.jpg)#### High Street: Decline, Revival, Everything Between

The year began with a paradox: M&S announcing a £90 million investment to return to Putney High Street in 2026, and squatters seizing multiple vacant properties just down the road.

[The story of that closure](https://putney.news/2025/04/19/how-marks-and-spencer-symbol-putney-high-street-decline-history/) revealed how dramatically retail economics had shifted. M&S had operated on Putney High Street since 1931 (87 years in the same location). When they announced closure in early 2018, it was framed as “necessary modernisation” amid changing shopping habits. All 62 staff relocated to nearby stores. The building went dark.

The “Save The High Street” campaigns emerged from this frustration. By 2022, community groups were organising. In 2024, *Putney.news* editor was pointing out that “the most common kind of shop on Putney High Street is actually a closed one”, with 22 shops standing empty at one point.

By 2025, the pressure was working. M&S’s return announcement in January validated years of community advocacy. The £90M investment signalled confidence in Putney’s retail future, though the seven-year vacancy highlighted how long property disputes could paralyse prime locations.

[Kashmir Restaurant closed in May](https://putney.news/2025/05/06/sad-farewell-to-kashmir-restaurant-on-lacy-road/) after a landlord dispute, the award-winning spot’s heartfelt farewell showing how even successful businesses struggled against rising rents and property pressures. Putney’s nightlife took a double hit when [Simmons followed Be At One’s closure](https://putney.news/2025/08/01/putneys-party-scene-gutted-as-simmons-joins-be-at-one-and-shuts-down/), victims of rent hikes and licensing rules steadily draining evening entertainment from the area.

The empty properties became opportunities, but not in ways anyone anticipated.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/high-street-lost-society-squatter-sign-768x1024.png)#### The Four-Month Squatter Crisis

The White Lion pub, closed since 2020, became Putney’s ground zero for organised squatting in April 2025. What started as one occupied building escalated into a four-month crisis that exposed how property owners’ failure to secure vacant sites created cascading problems for entire neighbourhoods.

By early June, neighbours were reporting “[eight weeks of hell](https://putney.news/2025/06/07/putney-squatter-nightmare-its-been-eight-weeks-of-hell/ "Putney squatter nightmare: “It’s been eight weeks of hell”")“: sleepless nights, threats, property damage. Landlord Gordon D’Silva urged police to act, warning of “dangerous delay.” But the mechanics of displacement were already visible: when High Court bailiffs finally repossessed the White Lion on June 25, squatters simply carried their belongings straight into the Boilermaker. Clear one property, they seized another.

The pattern revealed a fundamental gap in enforcement: police could arrest for breaking and entering but struggled with legal complexities once squatters established occupation. Property owners had to pursue lengthy court proceedings. Meanwhile, squatters moved between empty buildings faster than any legal process could respond.

The crisis wasn’t just about individual buildings. It was about property owners who left sites vacant without adequate security, creating opportunities for organised occupation. It was about legal frameworks that gave squatters rights once inside while providing limited tools for rapid removal. And it was about how chronic High Street vacancy creates cascading problems when properties sit empty long enough to become targets.

##### Gradual victory

By September, most occupations had been cleared through court orders and increased security. But the episode left questions about who bears responsibility when empty properties become community problems. Should landlords face consequences for inadequate security? Should planning rules address long-term vacancy? What happens when legal protections for squatters collide with neighbourhood stability?

The four-month crisis revealed gaps between property rights, enforcement capabilities, and community impact, with empty High Street buildings as the contested ground where all three collided.

By September, most occupations had been cleared through court orders and increased security. But the episode left questions about who bears responsibility when empty properties become community problems. Should landlords face consequences for inadequate security? Should planning rules address long-term vacancy? What happens when legal protections for squatters collide with neighbourhood stability?

The four-month crisis revealed gaps between property rights, enforcement capabilities, and community impact, with empty High Street buildings as the contested ground where all three collided.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ostuni-inside-1024x768.png)Ostuni’s transformation from La Casa Mia represented a high-risk gamble: replacing a struggling affordable Italian with upmarket ambitions and premium pricing. Opening night in October packed the dining room with skilled execution and sophisticated reimagining, dark grey and gold replacing bright yellow cheer, homemade pasta and confident technique justifying the upmarket positioning. But whether Putney could sustain another premium restaurant remained uncertain.

Development activity signalled longer-term transformation. The 10-storey hotel plans for Putney Bridge Road corner, approved in 2021 but dormant for years, reactivated in July with discharge of planning conditions. October brought actual demolition of the Preto/former Gadget Xchange corner, promising a 198-room hotel and new retail by 2028 but warning of significant traffic disruption throughout construction.

The September High Street fire sent 10 fire engines to battle a blaze that evacuated one person and created traffic chaos, a reminder that even amid debates about retail economics and development plans, basic safety infrastructure remained critical.

By year’s end, the High Street story defied simple narratives. Yes, closures continued. Yes, rents remained crushing. But renewal was happening, sometimes through premium repositioning, sometimes through creative space-sharing, sometimes through chain operators finding models that worked. Whether any of it represented sustainable recovery or just tactical adaptations to structural decline was the question 2026 would answer.

---

![Frances Bird in her home](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/frances-bird-1024x768.png)#### When Speaking Out Became Dangerous

[Frances Bird was 82 years old](https://putney.news/2025/10/03/wandsworth-council-threatens-tenant-with-eviction-over-facebook-comment/) when Wandsworth Council threatened her with eviction over a Facebook comment.

The council tenant had criticized a housing officer’s conduct on social media. The criticism triggered formal eviction proceedings. The case exposed uncomfortable truths about power imbalances when officials control housing: how much authority they wield over those who depend on council accommodation, how little it takes to cross invisible lines separating acceptable criticism from threats to your home, and what happens when speaking out about institutional behavior carries risks most residents never have to calculate.

Bird’s case became a symbol for a broader dynamic visible throughout 2025: institutions making decisions affecting people’s lives while treating criticism as grounds for retaliation rather than feedback requiring response.

The same pattern appeared in how TfL handled junction feedback (initial defensiveness giving way only to overwhelming survey evidence), how the NHS approached service closures (staff learning from colleagues rather than management communication), and how transport officials responded to residents warning about dangerous signal timing (improvements languishing until tragedy forced action).

For those without Bird’s precarious dependence on institutional goodwill, voicing frustration carried minimal risk. For council tenants, the calculus was different. The eviction threat reminded everyone that not all residents could afford to speak up when something went wrong.

---

![House of Lords during a debate](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/house-of-lords-1024x600.jpg)#### Battle for Wimbledon Park

[Lord O’Donnell sat on the All England Lawn Tennis Club board](https://putney.news/2025/10/25/lord-tries-to-rewrite-law-to-rescue-wimbledon-from-court-battle-he-sits-on-the-aeltc-board/) while pushing legislation to help the club’s legal case over Wimbledon Park development. He had received an £86,000 payout while maintaining these positions. The conflict was so blatant it couldn’t be defended with technicalities.

When cross-party opposition in the House of Lords [condemned the “erosion of green space protection”](https://putney.news/2025/11/04/wimbledon-park-amendment-abandoned-after-peers-condemn-erosion-of-green-space-protection/) his proposed amendment represented, the measure was abandoned in November. The defeat proved organised resistance works, but only when conflicts become too obvious to explain away.

The Wimbledon Park battle revealed dynamics visible across 2025’s most significant fights: powerful interests pushing through plans that benefited them, residents organising systematic opposition, and accountability emerging only when evidence became impossible to ignore.

---

![Stormzy gets stuck on Putney High Street and meets local Jesse](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/stormzy-jesse-putney-1024x768.jpg)When Jesse popped to the Tesco, he didn’t expect to run into a stranded Stormzy.#### Moments That Reminded Us Why We’re Here

Amid infrastructure failures and institutional battles, 2025 also delivered moments of ordinary grace.

When [Stormzy’s Ferrari ran out of petrol in Putney traffic](https://putney.news/2025/10/18/the-friday-morning-stormzy-got-stuck-in-putney-traffic-just-like-everyone-else/) one Friday morning, the grime artist spent 40 minutes taking photos and chatting with locals stuck in the same gridlock. No performance, no spectacle, just shared experience of traffic that affects everyone regardless of fame or success.

[Absolute Bowie filled The Half Moon](https://putney.news/2025/08/17/review-absolute-bowie-at-the-half-moon/) with multi-generational energy: twenty-somethings pressed against the stage, older fans reminiscing at the bar, some who remembered the venue’s 1960s heyday when the Rolling Stones and Elvis Costello played the same room. The Australian tribute band delivered faithful recreations that turned nostalgia into living experience, proving Putney’s music scene still connected when venues and acts understood what audiences were hungry for.

These moments didn’t solve infrastructure crises or reverse institutional failures. But they reminded residents why community matters, why fighting for accessible healthcare and safe crossings and accountable governance isn’t abstract advocacy but protection of daily experiences that make a place worth defending.

---

![Mark Justin walks out of the Wandsworth Conservatives](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/justin-walks-1024x683.png)#### Political Turbulence

[Wandsworth Conservative councillor Mark Justin’s defection to Reform UK](https://putney.news/2025/08/08/exclusive-wandsworth-council-in-meltdown-as-conservative-jumps-ship-to-reform-amid-brutal-power-wars/) in August exposed brutal internal battles over leadership playing out while residents watched governance dissolve into factional fighting. The party civil war revealed in public what many suspected privately: behind council chambers’ performative unity, power struggles were consuming energy that should have been directed toward actual governance.

The defection mattered less for its immediate impact than for what it symbolized about institutional focus in a year when residents needed officials solving real problems rather than managing internal conflicts.

---

#### Looking Ahead

The shift that mattered most wasn’t captured in numbers: residents stopped treating institutional failures as inevitable facts requiring acceptance and started treating them as problems requiring organised response.

The question for 2026 isn’t whether more challenges will emerge. Victorian infrastructure will continue aging, NHS finances won’t suddenly improve, development pressures won’t ease, and councils won’t spontaneously become more transparent. The question is whether the organising and accountability visible in 2025 becomes normal rather than exceptional.

Will TfL learn from forcing through unwanted designs? Will Queen Mary’s closure galvanize sustained pressure on NHS decision-making? Will M&S’s return signal genuine recovery or just fill one visible gap? Will Frances Bird’s case make councils think twice about silencing criticism? Will the Putney Action Group’s legal threat translate to concrete improvements?

2025 showed what’s possible when residents refuse to accept failures as inevitable: 1,371 people responding to a survey can force transport officials to admit they programmed signals wrong. 9,650 signatures can slow NHS closures enough to demand real consultation. Community campaigns can pressure retailers to reverse abandonment decisions. Organised evidence can expose conflicts so obvious they can’t be defended.

Whether any of that becomes lasting change or just another year of frustrated resistance depends on what happens when the organising energy of 2025 meets the structural realities of 2026. Regardless, we will keep pushing – as we are sure you will – to turn Putney into the best, friendliest and safest to place to live in London.

Happy New Year!

---

*This review draws from 988 articles published on Putney.news throughout 2025, with a focus on the stories that attracted highest reader engagement. For ongoing coverage of the issues that matter to our community, visit putney.news.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/31/putney-2025-year-in-review-when-infrastructure-failed-and-residents-fought-back/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/31/putney-2025-year-in-review-when-infrastructure-failed-and-residents-fought-back/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%202025%3A%20Year%20in%20review.%20When%20infrastructure%20failed%20and%20residents%20fought%20back&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/31/putney-2025-year-in-review-when-infrastructure-failed-and-residents-fought-back/)

**Categories:** News

**Tags:** 2025 year in review, community organising, East Putney pedestrian crossing, Frances Bird, infrastructure failures, local government accountability, Lord O'Donnell, M&amp;S Putney, Mark Justin, mental health crisis, NHS closures, Putney Action Group, Putney Bridge, Putney High Street, Queen Mary's Hospital, Reform UK, squatter crisis, St George's hospital, Transport for London, Wandsworth Council, Wimbledon Park

---

### [Celebrity chef with Wandsworth roots receives MBE in New Year Honours](https://putney.news/2025/12/31/celebrity-chef-with-wandsworth-roots-receives-mbe-in-new-year-honours/)

**Published:** December 31, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Marcus Wareing lived in borough for years and child still attends Broomwood School.

**Content:**

A celebrity chef with deep Wandsworth roots and a mental health chief serving local residents are among those recognised in the New Year Honours 2026.

Marcus Wareing, the *MasterChef: The Professionals* judge known to millions of television viewers, has been awarded an MBE for services to the culinary arts and broadcasting. The chef lived in Wandsworth for many years before moving to nearby Wimbledon, and still maintains strong connections to the area through his family and favourite local restaurants.

Also honoured is Vanessa Ford, chief executive of South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, who received an MBE for services to mental health nursing. The trust provides specialist mental health care to residents across Putney, Wandsworth and surrounding areas.

#### From St Ann’s Hill to MasterChef

Wareing’s Wandsworth connection runs deeper than many viewers might realise. He lived at St Ann’s Crescent for years, and his youngest child still attends Broomwood School in the borough. Even after relocating to Wimbledon, the chef remains a regular at local establishments including Chez Bruce on Wandsworth Common and Trinity in Clapham.

The 55-year-old chef earned his first Michelin star at just 26, making him one of the youngest chefs to receive the accolade. Over a 35-year career, he has been involved in creating some of London’s most celebrated restaurants, including the two-Michelin-starred Marcus at The Berkeley, which closed in December 2023 after 20 years.

Since 2014, Wareing has served as a judge on *MasterChef: The Professionals*, where his firm but fair mentoring style has made him a familiar face to audiences. His 2022 BBC series, *Marcus Wareing’s Tales from a Kitchen Garden*, explored British farming and ingredient sourcing.

#### Supporting mental health locally

Ford’s recognition acknowledges her leadership of South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, which operates three sites across central London providing face-to-face support for people experiencing mental health difficulties.

The trust serves residents from Wandsworth, providing specialist services including crisis support, community mental health teams, and therapeutic interventions. While Ford lives in Devon, her organisation plays a crucial role in mental health provision for local people.

#### The broader honours list

The [New Year Honours list](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-year-honours-list-2026), published on 31 December, includes 1,157 recipients from across the UK. Among the most recognisable names, actor Idris Elba receives a knighthood for services to young people, while comedian and writer Meera Syal becomes a dame.

Ice skating legends Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean also receive dame and knighthoods respectively, 40 years after their famous Bolero performance won Olympic gold. Wicked star Cynthia Erivo receives an MBE, as does television presenter Richard Osman for his writing and broadcasting work.

But the list celebrates quieter contributions too. Jennifer Turner, a school crossing patrol officer, receives the British Empire Medal for services to road safety. Master woodcarver Robert Wedderburn gains recognition for preserving traditional craft skills. Mervyn Sydney Kersh, a British Army veteran who witnessed the liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, is honoured for Holocaust remembrance work at age 98 or older.

The largest category of honours went to charity and voluntary work, with 310 recipients recognised for community service. This reflects a pattern across the list of celebrating grassroots impact over headline-grabbing achievement.

Both Wareing and Ford’s honours reflect contributions that extend far beyond Wandsworth, but their local connections add a neighbourhood dimension to national recognition. For Wareing, it acknowledges a career built partly on the foundation of his years living and raising his family in the area. For Ford, it recognises work that directly benefits local residents seeking mental health support.

Recipients receive their honours at investiture ceremonies held at Buckingham Palace and other royal residences throughout the year.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/31/celebrity-chef-with-wandsworth-roots-receives-mbe-in-new-year-honours/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/31/celebrity-chef-with-wandsworth-roots-receives-mbe-in-new-year-honours/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Celebrity%20chef%20with%20Wandsworth%20roots%20receives%20MBE%20in%20New%20Year%20Honours&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/31/celebrity-chef-with-wandsworth-roots-receives-mbe-in-new-year-honours/)

**Categories:** Community

**Tags:** community, Honours, Marcus Wareing, MasterChef, mental health, New Year Honours, NHS, St Ann's Hill, Wandsworth Common

---

### [Council promised new homes would 'meet or exceed' green standards. Its own don't.](https://putney.news/2025/12/31/council-promised-new-homes-would-meet-or-exceed-green-standards-its-own-dont/)

**Published:** December 31, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Lennox Estate proposed development flouts requirement to explain why energy use is 65% above benchmarks.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council has promised that any new homes will “meet or exceed sustainability standards”. But its own planning documents for a new development in Roehampton tell a different story: the 81 new council homes proposed for the Lennox Estate are predicted to use 65 per cent more energy than benchmarks.

Not only that but the council’s documents flout the local authorities’ own requirement to explain why it feels it is unable to meet the correct threshold.

The council is both applicant and planning authority for this scheme. It sets energy standards for private developers, collects climate awards, and criticises others for backsliding on green commitments. Now it is asking itself to approve homes that miss the targets it demands everyone else meet.

For council tenants on low incomes, this means higher heating bills. That’s not a technical footnote. It’s money they don’t have.

The numbers come from the council’s own submission. The Lennox Estate spreadsheet predicts 57.7 kilowatt hours per square metre per year. The benchmark is 35. Space heating shows a similar gap: 24.3 against a target of 15.

GLA guidance requires developments that miss these benchmarks to justify the shortfall. The council’s sustainability statement addresses the non-residential part of the scheme, a small community space. But for the 81 homes that make up the bulk of the development, nothing.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/lennox-building-site-plan-1024x768.png)Building site: The proposal would eat up most of the estate’s green space.#### Do what we say, not what we do

This sits awkwardly with the council’s public stance. Wandsworth declared a climate emergency in 2019. It has pledged to become a net zero borough by 2043 and a carbon neutral council by 2030. Its website promises new build homes will have “passive-house levels of air tightness and insulation”. In September 2023, Council Leader Simon Hogg attacked the government for “rowing back” on climate targets: “We are sticking to the pledges we’ve made to cut our carbon emissions to zero as quickly as we can.”

The council has won an A-grade from the Carbon Disclosure Project and ranked joint third of 186 councils in Climate Emergency UK’s scorecards. It boasts of “working with organisations who meet high sustainability standards to develop new buildings”.

The Lennox Estate documents suggest different standards apply when the council builds for itself.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/spreadsheet-energy.png)Council’s own spreadsheet shows its fails to meet local authorities own guidance by some distanceThe same documents also contain an error that suggests a lack of care and attention to detail. The carbon offset field, which should show £95 per tonne, instead shows £87,485. This produces a calculation of £80 million instead of the correct figure of around £87,000. A note in the spreadsheet says “this is based on £95 per tonne”, directly contradicting the number entered one cell away.

If nobody spotted a figure nearly a thousand times too high, what else was missed?

#### Growing slate of problems

This is the third problem to emerge from [planning application 2025/4170](https://planning.wandsworth.gov.uk/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/Generic/StdDetails.aspx?PT=Planning%20Applications%20On-Line&TYPE=PL/PlanningPK.xml&PARAM0=1217114&XSLT=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Wandsworth/xslt/PL/PLDetails.xslt&FT=Planning%20Application%20Details&PUBLIC=Y&XMLSIDE=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Wandsworth/Menus/PL.xml&DAURI=PLANNING). The council [ran the consultation over Christmas](https://putney.news/2025/12/14/happy-holidays-now-read-these-1000-pages-about-demolishing-your-community-buildings/), giving residents 1,000 pages to review while offices were closed. A risk assessment revealed [the site was bombed twice in the Second World War](https://putney.news/2025/12/27/building-on-bombs-council-plans-81-homes-where-wwii-explosives-fell/) and may contain unexploded ordnance never surveyed for the current scheme.

That’s not all either: there is also a question about heating. The site sits in a Heat Network Priority Area, where London policy expects developments to connect to shared heating systems or at least design for future connection. The Lennox Estate won’t connect. The documents say “future connection” has been provided for, but don’t explain what that means.

The development does include heat pumps, solar panels, and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. The homes will be more efficient than the 1970s buildings they replace. The mandatory carbon reduction targets are met.

But benchmarks exist for a reason. They represent what London expects from new housing built during a climate emergency. When the gap is this wide, the justification absent, and the council marking its own homework, residents are entitled to ask: do the rules apply to everyone, or everyone except the council?

> [Building on bombs: Council plans 81 homes where WWII explosives fell](https://putney.news/2025/12/27/building-on-bombs-council-plans-81-homes-where-wwii-explosives-fell/)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/31/council-promised-new-homes-would-meet-or-exceed-green-standards-its-own-dont/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/31/council-promised-new-homes-would-meet-or-exceed-green-standards-its-own-dont/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Council%20promised%20new%20homes%20would%20%E2%80%98meet%20or%20exceed%E2%80%99%20green%20standards.%20Its%20own%20don%E2%80%99t.&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/31/council-promised-new-homes-would-meet-or-exceed-green-standards-its-own-dont/)

**Categories:** Planning, Roehampton

**Tags:** council housing, Lennox Estate, Net Zero, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Quiz results reveal Putney's cynical side (and one remarkable coincidence)](https://putney.news/2025/12/30/quiz-results-reveal-putneys-cynical-side-and-one-remarkable-coincidence/)

**Published:** December 30, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Over half thought nothing was done about fatal crossing, while most underestimated junction disaster.

**Content:**

The [Big Putney Quiz 2025](https://putney.news/2025/12/28/putney-quiz-2025/) results are in, and they reveal something fascinating about what sticks in your minds and what doesn’t. Spoiler: drama registers, details vanish, and cynicism appears to be Putney’s default setting.

Just under 100 of you took the quiz, with an average score of 8 out of 15. Congratulations to **Isabella Martin** who topped the leaderboard with 13/15, while drstrange@avengers.com – an unlikely visit by a superhero – scored a very respectable 11/15.

#### The cynicism gap

When we asked if new traffic signals had (finally) been installed after a tragic death at the crossing near East Putney station earlier this year, 53% of you chose “they still haven’t been installed.” Amazingly, you were wrong. They went in after seven months i.e. earlier this month.

We can’t blame you for the cynicism. TfL reckoned it might take until the end of the new financial year, so assuming the worst had some basis in reality. Still, over half of you missed that this actually got done. Good news, it turns out, travels poorly.

That cynicism, curiously, didn’t extend to the Putney Bridge junction, where you gave the council too much credit. When we asked how many seconds of green time were lost per cycle from the redesign on Putney Bridge Road, most of you guessed nine seconds. We wish that were true. The correct answer is 21 seconds. Only 14% of you got it right, making it the lowest scoring question.

You thought we were exaggerating about how bad the new junction is. We weren’t, it really is a mess. We shall see what the newest set of changes brings, but there’s a long way to go to get back to what was already a pretty bad junction.

Speaking of the Junction from Hell: two-thirds of you overestimated its cost, guessing £1.25 million when it “only” cost £1 million for this non-functioning splatter of concrete, bike lanes and traffic lights.

Did you know, incidentally, that they based the design on traffic patterns measured just a few days before “Liberation Day,” when the impact of Covid was declared over and people were tentatively encouraged to go back to work?

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Percentage-of-Correct-Answers-per-Question-1024x769.png)#### The remarkable coincidence

Some of you may have noticed our sly dig in the questions about Simon Hogg’s narrow leadership victory for Council Leader. We asked both how many deputy cabinet positions were unexpectedly created in May (most of you correctly answered five) and how many votes shifted to give Hogg his victory (here you split between three, one, and the correct answer: five).

Five new positions at £9,314 each. Five votes that shifted. Not that we’re implying the entire scheme, which had never been mentioned prior to the crunch vote, was untoward; merely a remarkable coincidence.

Perhaps the answers suggesting a gap between the two questions reflects how little we think of our local politicians: that they might not only agree to a dodgy deal in the first place but might not then support their Dear Leader anyway. It’s a cutthroat world, local politics.

#### What you knew and what you didn’t

Most of you aced the easier questions. You knew about Cambridge winning the Boat Race (83% correct), the E. coli contamination that stopped the traditional cox-tossing (93% correct), and the SUV that got swallowed by the Thames (86% correct). We suspect those that choose “138 Lime bikes swept away by the tide” exhibited more wishful thinking than genuine belief, given the unbridled joy that these green chunks of metal left across every public path bring to us all.

Fulham’s record transfer fee for Kevin? Most of you got it wrong, but let’s be honest, it was a question designed for failure. Only a football nerd remembers signing fee quantities. In case you’re interested, Kevin has injected a lot of energy into the side, especially with his runs and dribbling, but despite an extraordinary opening appearance, he’s still not been able to convert that magic (and money) into goals.

As for underwater rugby, we suspect more people would have got this right if our quiz graphic hadn’t featured underwater players with a round ball. That was our cheeky joke. But we love that people were paying attention.

#### Still fighting the 1980s

Finally, the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher.

When we asked which former Prime Minister Councillor Jenny Yates blamed for Putney’s gridlocked junction, 54% of you correctly identified Thatcher. The logical answer, if you can call it that, would have been Boris Johnson, seeing as he was in power most recently. But no, this is not the world our local politics live in. They’re still fighting partisan battles from the 80s. Literally.

Still, come May you’ll all have an opportunity to let your views be known.

What the quiz reveals is simple: you remember that something happened and why it matters, but not the precise when, how much, or what happened next. Drama sticks. Spreadsheet details don’t. And when councils actually do follow through, that good news gets lost amid the dozens of things done wrong, or not done at all.

Maybe we need to make our follow-up stories more dramatic.

---

*[You can still play the quiz](https://putney.news/2025/12/28/putney-quiz-2025/) incidentally – and now you know [most of the answers](https://putney.news/quiz-2025-answers/), you’ll have the pleasure of doing incredibly well!*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/30/quiz-results-reveal-putneys-cynical-side-and-one-remarkable-coincidence/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/30/quiz-results-reveal-putneys-cynical-side-and-one-remarkable-coincidence/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Quiz%20results%20reveal%20Putney%E2%80%99s%20cynical%20side%20%28and%20one%20remarkable%20coincidence%29&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/30/quiz-results-reveal-putneys-cynical-side-and-one-remarkable-coincidence/)

**Categories:** Community

**Tags:** community, East Putney, Local politics, Putney Bridge, quiz, Simon Hogg, TfL, Transport, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Controversial new Putney pier enters final approval stage](https://putney.news/2025/12/29/controversial-new-putney-pier-enters-final-approval-stage/)

**Published:** December 29, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Public consultation opens next week on Thames Clippers project approved despite rowing community campaign.

**Content:**

A new pier at Putney that sparked a coordinated campaign from Britain’s rowing community is entering the final stages of approval, with a public consultation opening on New Year’s Day.

Thames Clippers (operating as Uber Boat) has applied for a marine licence to build the new pier on Putney Embankment, the last major regulatory hurdle before construction can begin. The company says the project will improve accessibility for wheelchair users and could enable more frequent services to west London.

The consultation, which runs until 29 January 2026, focuses on marine construction impacts rather than the principle of development, which Wandsworth Council approved in March 2023.

![Image of the proposed new Putney Pier](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/pier-image-above-1024x435.png)#### What the new pier would deliver

The new structure, to be called Putney Bridge Pier, would sit alongside the existing Putney Pier and is designed to address accessibility problems with the current stop. Thames Clippers says the existing pier, owned by Livett’s Launches, is often too steep for wheelchair users due to tidal variation on the gangway.

A spokesperson for the company said a new pier would “allow us to future-proof the Putney river bus route and to explore a more frequent off-peak and weekend service in Putney. This will help more Londoners enjoy fast, convenient commutes and day trip journeys by river.”

![The walkway to the proposed new Putney Pier](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/pier-walkway-1024x640.png)The walkway of the proposed new pier: it will be far less steep that then current pier.The project forms part of Thames Clippers’ broader expansion, backed by £59 million in funding secured in 2025 for new vessels and pier infrastructure. The company already operates weekday peak services to Putney via the RB6 route and added weekend services in 2023.

#### How the design addresses rowing concerns

When planning permission was sought, the rowing community mounted a coordinated campaign against the project. The application attracted 74 objections and just five letters of support, with Olympic and Paralympic athletes warning it could interfere with the Boat Race course and domestic regattas.

![Map of rowing path with new Putney pier added](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/navigational-risk-assessment-1024x832.png)Submission from Thames Clippers argues that the new pier will not interfere with the Boat RaceOlympic rower Guy Pooley, head of rowing at Eton College, wrote that the pier’s position would “interfere enormously” with nationally significant races. Alastair Marks, chief executive of British Rowing, described it as “the latest in a seemingly endless series of applications which threatens the most important and longest-established rowing course in the country.”

But council officers concluded that rowers would be able to pass underneath the new pier structure. Their report found the applicant had shown “sufficient consideration” of the needs of other river users, and that the “special recreational and sporting character of the area would be protected and able to continue to be operational.”

![Plans showing how boats can pass under the new walkway to Putney Pier](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/rowers-under-bridge-1024x869.png)Plans showing how rowers will be able to pass under the new Putney Pier walkway at different tide levelsThe Putney Society offered conditional support, welcoming the prospect of enhanced services “through the day and at weekends (boat race days excepted)” while noting the rowing clubs are “of national, not just local importance.”

#### What the consultation covers

The marine licence consultation is handled by the Marine Management Organisation and focuses specifically on the construction works in the tidal Thames, including environmental impacts on the riverbed and any protected species.

This is separate from the planning permission already granted. While the MMO can refuse applications, add conditions, or approve them outright, projects that have already secured planning permission rarely face outright refusal at this stage. The consultation is more likely to result in conditions being attached to protect the marine environment during construction.

Thames Clippers will also need a River Works Licence from the Port of London Authority before construction can begin.

![3D model of the proposed new Putney Pier](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/pier-3d-model-1024x576.png)3D model of the proposed design#### How to have your say

The marine licence application (reference MLA/2025/00385) opens for public consultation on 1 January 2026. Comments must be received within 28 days, by 29 January.

You can respond via the [Marine Management Organisation’s public register](https://marinelicensing.marinemanagement.org.uk/), by email to , or by letter to Marine Management Organisation, Tyneside House, Skinnerburn Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 7AR.

All correspondence must quote the case reference MLA/2025/00385 and include your address.

![Photorealistic look at what the new Putney Pier would look like](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/pier-photorealistic-1024x575.png)Photorealistic look at what the new Putney Pier would look like [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/29/controversial-new-putney-pier-enters-final-approval-stage/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/29/controversial-new-putney-pier-enters-final-approval-stage/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Controversial%20new%20Putney%20pier%20enters%20final%20approval%20stage&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/29/controversial-new-putney-pier-enters-final-approval-stage/)

**Categories:** Planning, Thamesfield, Transport

**Tags:** accessibility, Boat Race, Consultation, marine licence, planning, Putney Bridge Pier, Putney Pier, river transport, Rowing, Thames Clippers, Uber Boat

---

### [Where to celebrate New Year's Eve in Putney 2025](https://putney.news/2025/12/29/where-to-celebrate-new-years-eve-in-putney-2025/)

**Published:** December 29, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** From budget pub parties to Thames cruises: your complete guide to celebrations in SW15.

**Content:**

Putney’s New Year’s Eve scene is firmly adult-focused this year – so far we’ve been unable to find any family-friendly early countdown events in the area.

Parents with young children should look to Central London venues like the Rivoli Ballroom or Ministry of Sound’s Raver Tots events for family options. For everyone else, here’s your complete guide to seeing in 2026 across Putney, Wandsworth and nearby areas.

From budget-friendly pub parties to premium Thames cruises, the area offers something for most celebration styles and wallets.

#### Budget celebrations (under £20)

The Arab Boy on Upper Richmond Road [leads the free entry options](https://putney.news/event/new-years-eve-live-music-at-the-arab-boy/), with the wonderful Stephie Grace performing from 9.30pm, bringing great energy, amazing vocals and the perfect vibe to welcome 2026!

The Ram in Wandsworth will also be [welcoming revellers](https://putney.news/event/new-years-party-at-the-ram-wandsworth/) from 10pm to 3am with DJs spinning party classics. Standing room is free, or secure a seat for £5.50.

Le Fez in Putney offers tiered pricing for late-night club vibes. Entry costs £15 before 10:30pm, rising to £20 before midnight and £25 before 1am. The [Black & Gold themed party](https://putney.news/event/black-gold-nye-party-at-le-fez-putney/) runs until 4am with disco funk, confetti explosions at midnight, and a bubbly toast.

The Railway turns back time with its [“Back In Time” party](https://putney.news/event/back-in-time-new-years-eve-the-railway/), featuring 80s, 90s and 00s hits from 9pm to 2am. Tickets are £16.50 and include a welcome drink on arrival.

#### Mid-range options (£20-£60)

Tequila Mockingbird [offers two ways in](https://putney.news/event/nye-extravaganza-at-tequila-mockingbird-putney/). General admission starts at £11 for DJs playing RnB, hip hop and garage until 3am, or opt for the bottomless option at £54 for two hours of unlimited pizza, pints, prosecco and pornstar martinis from 8pm to 10pm.

The Telegraph on Putney Heath splits its offering between a [£20 drinks-only option](https://putney.news/event/new-years-eve-drinks-at-the-telegraph-putney-heath/) and an [£89 dining package](https://putney.news/event/new-years-eve-dining-at-the-telegraph-putney-heath/) with three courses, fizz on arrival and DJ TommySolo. Both run from 7pm to 2am.

The Half Moon [brings live music to the table](https://putney.news/event/city-funk-orchestra-nye-party-at-half-moon/) with City Funk Orchestra performing soul and funk classics from 8:30pm. Tickets cost £35, with a three-course set menu available and DJs in the main bar for those who can’t snag concert tickets.

Duke’s Head combines dinner and dancing in its Rowing Club space, offering a three-course meal with DJs for £54, running from 7pm to 1am.

#### Premium celebrations (£75+)

Coppa Club delivers riverside elegance with a [£75 three-course menu, fizz on arrival and their signature heated igloos](https://putney.news/event/new-years-eve-at-coppa-club-putney/) available until 1am. Perfect for those wanting a stylish but not excessive night out.

For the biggest splurge, Uber Boat’s Thames cruise departs from Putney Pier at £195. [The package](https://putney.news/event/thames-clippers-nye-fireworks-cruise-from-putney-pier-package-7/) includes welcome drinks, champagne at midnight, snacks and prime views of London’s fireworks from the water.

#### Nearby options worth the journey

The Anglers in Teddington (about 20 minutes from Putney) offers two tiers: £20 for fireworks viewing with a welcome drink from 10pm, or £65 for dining plus fireworks. Part of the proceeds supports charity.

The Bridge in Barnes (15 minutes away) serves its regular menu on New Year’s Eve but recommends booking well ahead for guaranteed seating.

All venues are over-18s only after 7pm, with most running until the early hours. Book ahead wherever possible, as New Year’s Eve in Putney tends to fill up quickly despite the lack of family options.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/29/where-to-celebrate-new-years-eve-in-putney-2025/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/29/where-to-celebrate-new-years-eve-in-putney-2025/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Where%20to%20celebrate%20New%20Year%E2%80%99s%20Eve%20in%20Putney%202025&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/29/where-to-celebrate-new-years-eve-in-putney-2025/)

**Categories:** Live events, Pubs, bars and nightlife, Restaurants

**Tags:** 2025, 2026, Barnes, celebrations, events guide, New Year's Eve, nightlife, Putney, Teddington, Wandsworth, what's on

---

### [Putney's boathouses are shedding their 20th century mistakes](https://putney.news/2025/12/28/putneys-boathouses-are-shedding-their-20th-century-mistakes/)

**Published:** December 28, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Two riverside clubs strip away decades of additions to reveal Victorian architecture.

**Content:**

Putney Embankment’s historic boathouses are getting a Victorian makeover, as two riverside clubs strip away decades-old additions to reveal the original architecture hidden beneath.

Work has begun at London Rowing Club, where the 1921 concrete balcony has been demolished and the building’s 19th century stone corbels are now exposed for the first time in over a century. A few doors along, Ranelagh Sailing Club is seeking permission to remove a deteriorating 1960s extension and restore its own Victorian facade.

![London Rowing Club balcony project](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/london-rowing-balcony-plans-1024x768.png)One local resident, Des Howard, welcomed what he called “the trend towards undoing the damage done by planning approvals in the 70’s”, adding that he hoped to see similar restoration work on Putney High Street and Upper Richmond Road.

The Putney Society has backed both schemes. Andrew Catto, the society’s buildings panel convenor, described the embankment boathouses as “a unique and living part of local history” deserving conservation as a group.

![London Rowing Club](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/london-rowing-1024x768.png)#### London Rowing Club

Photos taken this week show the London Rowing Club site boarded up behind construction hoarding, with a skip full of concrete rubble outside the Grade II-listed building. Contractor Builtain is carrying out the first phase of a two-stage project.

According to information displayed on the hoarding, the new balcony will be supported on five columns, with the original corbels retained. The design reflects the style of the club’s first Victorian balcony, featuring a period-appropriate balustrade and hardwood timber handrail matching the Embankment riverside railings.

A second phase will add a canopy along the length of the balcony, meeting the building’s facade below its distinctive “eyelid windows” so these Victorian details remain visible from the river.

![London Rowing Club plans](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/london-rowing-balcony-new-1024x768.png)*Putney.news* [previously reported](https://putney.news/2025/07/17/conservation-panel-backs-rowing-clubs-elegant-new-balcony-plan/) that Wandsworth’s Conservation and Heritage Advisory Committee backed the scheme in July. Planning consent was subsequently granted, and the club’s Great London Row fundraiser in September raised more than £39,000 towards the project.

The club, founded in 1856, originally planned to begin demolition in January 2026, suggesting work is running ahead of schedule. More details are available on the [club’s balcony project page](https://www.londonrc.org.uk/balconyproject).

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ranelagh-removal-1024x674.png)The area in red will be removed to reveal the historic frontage and a new balcony added#### Ranelagh Sailing Club

Ranelagh’s application (2025/3675), registered in October, would remove the full-width first floor extension that currently hides the building’s historic frontage.

According to the club’s heritage statement, the extension contains asbestos panels that are “starting to become detached and pose a threat to the health and safety of the club”. Removing it will expose the original mid-Victorian polychromatic brickwork underneath.

The sailing club, founded in 1889, had previously won approval for a more ambitious curved balcony design in 2021, but scaled back its plans after a feasibility study found the original scheme too expensive.

All nine public comments on the current application support it. Westminster School Boat Club, the direct neighbour, said the design “will be an obvious benefit to the Putney riverside frontage”.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ranelagh-old.png)The original frontage [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/28/putneys-boathouses-are-shedding-their-20th-century-mistakes/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/28/putneys-boathouses-are-shedding-their-20th-century-mistakes/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%E2%80%99s%20boathouses%20are%20shedding%20their%2020th%20century%20mistakes&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/28/putneys-boathouses-are-shedding-their-20th-century-mistakes/)

**Categories:** Community, Planning, Thamesfield

**Tags:** conservation, heritage, London Rowing Club, Putney embankment, Ranelagh Sailing Club, Victorian architecture

---

### [The Big Putney Quiz 2025: How much do you know about what happened this year?](https://putney.news/2025/12/28/putney-quiz-2025/)

**Published:** December 28, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Test your knowledge of the stories that shaped SW15.

**Content:**

From the Boat Race to borough politics, junction chaos to historic achievements – test your knowledge of the stories that shaped Putney this year.

The Big Putney Quiz 2025 features 15 questions drawn from stories throughout the year. Some are easy, some will test even the most dedicated news readers, and a few might surprise you.

**What’s covered:**

- The Boat Race and the state of the Thames
- The Putney Bridge junction saga
- Transport changes affecting local routes
- Council decisions and local politics
- Sport, culture and the occasional quirky story

Each answer links back to our original reporting, so you can catch up on anything you missed.

**How it works:**

Enter your name and email, answer 15 multiple choice questions, and get your score immediately along with all the answers and story links.

Whether you’re a Putney Expert or New to the Area, there’s only one way to find out.

 [  Facebook Share 0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://putney.news/2025/12/28/putney-quiz-2025/) 

 [  X (Twitter) Tweet 0 ](https://x.com/share?&text=The%20Big%20Putney%20Quiz%202025%3A%20How%20much%20do%20you%20know%20about%20what%20happened%20this%20year%3F&via=PutneyNews&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/28/putney-quiz-2025/) 

 [  Pinterest Pin it 0 ](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/bookmarklet/?url=https://putney.news/2025/12/28/putney-quiz-2025/&media=https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-quiz-watermarked-1024x683.png) 

### **Take The Big Putney Quiz 2025 →**

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Name \*

Email

1. What was the result of this year's Boat Race? \*- Cambridge won both
- Oxford won both
- The victory was shared
- One team was disqualified

2. The traditional tossing of the winning cox into the Thames was discouraged this year. Why? \*- Health and safety rules
- The cox couldn't swim
- E. coli contamination in the water
- It was too cold

3. In August, what was swallowed up by the tidal Thames? \*- 138 Lime bikes parked on the Thames path
- A raft of championship rowing boats
- Fresco, an award-winning Bergamasco Sheepdog
- An SUV

4. Putney is home to which unusual underwater sport? \*- Pool padel tennis
- Underwater rugby
- Subaquatic polo
- Deep diving darts

5. What record transfer fee did Fulham pay for Brazilian player Kevin? \*- £28 million
- £35 million
- £42 million
- £56 million

6. How much has the Putney Bridge junction redesign cost so far, including emergency measures to try to make it work? \*- £500,000
- £750,000
- £1 million
- £1.25 million

7. The redesigned junction reduced green light time for traffic on Putney Bridge Road by how many seconds per cycle? \*- 5 seconds
- 9 seconds
- 14 seconds
- 21 seconds

8. After walking through Putney's gridlocked junction, which former Prime Minister did Cllr Jenny Yates blame for the traffic problems? \*- Margaret Thatcher
- Tony Blair
- David Cameron
- Boris Johnson

9. TfL announced the removal of which bus route, citing Putney congestion? \*- 74
- 220
- 424
- 485

10. A woman was killed at a crossing near East Putney station. How many months later were new safety signals finally installed? \*- Three months
- Five months
- Seven months
- They still haven't been installed

11. The Chief Inspector of Prisons called Wandsworth Prison "a pit of deaths, drugs and..." what? \*- Disorder
- Despair
- Debauchery
- Disco

12. Nnena Kalu made history in 2025. What did she become? \*- First Black woman to become Mayor of Wandsworth
- First local resident to get a blue plaque
- First learning-disabled artist to win the Turner Prize
- First Wandsworth local to swim the Channel

13. Wandsworth was named London Borough of Culture 2025. Which part of the borough was left out of the celebration events list? \*- Putney
- Battersea
- Tooting
- Balham

14. How many new deputy cabinet member positions were unexpectedly created in May, each with a £9,314 additional salary? \*- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7

15. Council leader Simon Hogg won an internal Labour leadership election in late April after how many votes shifted in his favour? \*- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7

 reduced redesigned later  

Result

  See my score![Loading](https://putney.news/wp-content/plugins/wpforms/assets/images/submit-spin.svg)

  [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/28/putney-quiz-2025/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/28/putney-quiz-2025/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20Big%20Putney%20Quiz%202025%3A%20How%20much%20do%20you%20know%20about%20what%20happened%20this%20year%3F&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/28/putney-quiz-2025/)

**Categories:** News

**Tags:** quiz, year in review

---

### [Why do we have Christmas trees? And how to recycle yours next week](https://putney.news/2025/12/27/why-do-we-have-christmas-trees-and-how-to-recycle-yours-next-week/)

**Published:** December 27, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** The surprising history behind the tradition + Wandsworth's recycling options.

**Content:**

Boxing Day has come and gone and across Putney, households are beginning to think about when to take down the decorations. For those with real Christmas trees, Wandsworth Council’s Christmas tree recycling collections begin on Monday 5 January and run through 30 January.

Trees should be placed out on your normal collection day, free from all decorations, stands and pots. The council won’t collect plastic trees, decorated trees, trees still in pots, or trees over six feet tall.

For early organisers and those with tall trees, there are ten drop-off points across the borough already accepting trees from now through 31 January. For trees over six feet, Smugglers Way Household Waste and Recycling Centre accepts them with advance booking.

But as you prepare to bid farewell to your tree, have you ever wondered why we bring fir trees into our homes at Christmas? Where did this tradition come from? How many trees does Britain use and recycle each year? And why does it matter how we dispose of them?

The answers connect ancient pagan rituals, Victorian royal influence, and a modern environmental story.

#### The numbers behind the tradition

Between six and eight million real Christmas trees are sold annually in the UK. That tree standing in your living room is likely 10-12 years old, planted as a seedling a decade ago by one of Britain’s 1,500 to 2,000 Christmas tree farms.

The Nordmann Fir dominates with an 80% market share, prized for its dark green colour and soft needles that stay put. Norway Spruce accounts for 10-15%, offering the traditional pyramid shape and that classic Christmas smell – which a 2004 survey found ranked eighth among favourite British scents, behind the sea but ahead of perfume.

Most UK trees are British-grown. In 2017, only £3 million worth were imported, mainly from Norway. For every tree harvested, growers plant one to three seedlings the following spring. That typical six-footer was grown in a nursery for 3-4 years, then planted for seven years until maturity before it reaches your home, and will be recycled back into the earth from which it grew.

#### Why evergreens in winter?

The tradition you’re preparing to end this January began over two thousand years ago, in forests far darker and colder than modern Britain.

Long before Christmas trees become fashionable in the UK in the 1800s, ancient Europeans brought evergreens indoors during winter’s darkest days. Romans decorated with branches during Saturnalia, their mid-winter festival. Germanic tribes went further, worshipping trees themselves and decorating them with fruits and candles as offerings to Odin.

In Norse mythology, evergreens were linked to Yggdrasil, the world tree connecting heaven and earth. Fir trees were believed to ward off evil spirits during the 12 days of Christmas, when Odin led his Wild Hunt across winter skies. By the 12th century, the German mystic Hildegard von Bingen wrote that fir trees could protect against “spirits of the air.”

For people without electric lights or central heating, watching a tree stay green through winter’s death represented something profound: life persisting when everything else had died back. The tree was a promise that spring would return.

#### From German homes to British parlours

The modern tradition of bringing decorated trees indoors began in 16th century Germany. Families trimmed fir trees with fruits, nuts, cookies and coloured glass. Martin Luther is credited with adding candles, inspired by stars twinkling through forest branches.

Not everyone approved. Some clergy condemned it as “heathen tradition” – the Puritan Oliver Cromwell was particularly vociferous. When German settlers brought the custom to America in the 1820s, it was initially rejected. Massachusetts had banned Christmas celebrations until the mid-19th century.

Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, introduced the Christmas tree to England around 1800. But it was her granddaughter-in-law Queen Victoria, married to the German-born Prince Albert, who transformed the tradition into a national phenomenon.

The breakthrough came in 1848 when the Illustrated London News published an engraving of the royal family gathered around their decorated tree at Windsor Castle. The image captivated the British public. By the end of the 1850s, middle-class families across the country were rushing to emulate the royals, decorating trees with wax candles, fruits, sweets and small gifts.

![Christmas tree used by the Queen Victoria jumpstarted to the UK tradition](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Christmas-tree-Windsor-Castle-700x1024.png)A famous 1848 image from the Illustrated London News showing the royal family gathered around their decorated tree at Windsor CastleThe first advertisements for tree ornaments appeared in 1853. Mechanisation soon enabled mass production of bright, reflective decorations. A tradition that had travelled from Germanic forests to royal drawing rooms was becoming democratised – available to anyone who could afford a tree and a few baubles.

#### The environmental choice

In 2021, just 19% of people chose real trees whilst 58% opted for artificial. Yet there is an environmental case for real trees.

A real tree’s carbon footprint is approximately 3.5kg of CO2. An artificial tree, mostly manufactured in China from PVC or recycled plastics, has a carbon footprint of around 40kg – over ten times higher. So in carbon terms, you need to use that artificial tree for 5-10 years to produce real benefit.

Real trees absorb CO2 while growing and produce oxygen, although Christmas trees are typically cut down in their “teenage years” just as they are reaching their fullest ability to absorb carbon dioxide. Left to grow the Nordmann Fir reaches full maturity in 20-30 years with a natural lifespan of 200-300 years. They can grow up to 200 feet tall (slightly bigger than your average living room).

Council recycling schemes matter because they turn your tree into compost and mulch for parks and gardens. When your tree is chipped and composted, the carbon it absorbed whilst growing returns to the soil rather than ending up in landfill where it would release methane as it decomposes.

#### Wandsworth’s recycling: The full details

**Kerbside collection:** Your tree will be collected on your normal rubbish day between Monday 5 January and Thursday 30 January 2026. A separate vehicle collects trees, so it might not arrive at the same time as your regular bin collection.

Put your tree out after 6.30pm the night before collection, or by 6.30am on collection day. Remove all decorations, stands and pots first.

**Where to leave your tree:**

- **Front garden:** Next to your rubbish bags, not on the street
- **No front garden:** Just outside your front door on the pavement (don’t block the path)
- **Flats:** Near your bin store (don’t block access to bins)

The council won’t collect plastic trees, decorated trees, trees still in pots, or trees over six feet tall (borrow a saw if it is and chop off the top).

**Drop-off points:** Ten locations across Wandsworth accept trees from Boxing Day (26 December 2025) through Friday 31 January 2026:

- Acanthus Road, Battersea (parking bays at end next to Grayshott playground, SW11 5TY)
- Battersea Park, Albert Bridge car park (Albert Bridge Road, SW11 4NU)
- Battersea Park, Chelsea Gate car park (Carriage Drive North, SW11 4NJ)
- Cobham Close (large paved area by Bolingbroke Grove next to Pembury Court, SW11 6HR)
- Cortis Road shops car park (paved area underneath shops walkway, SW15 3BD)
- Roehampton Youth Club car park (15 Holybourne Avenue)
- Tooting Common, Dr Johnson car park (SW17 8JU)
- Tooting Leisure Centre car park (Greaves Place, SW17 0NE)
- Nuffield Health car park (Burr Road, Wandsworth, SW18 4SQ)
- Smugglers Way Household Waste and Recycling Centre (SW18 1JS – booking required for trees over six feet)

Full details of collection dates and drop-off locations are available on the [Wandsworth Council website](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/rubbish-and-recycling/christmas-tree-recycling/).

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/trafalgar-sq-xmas-tree-2025-800x1024.png)The Trafalagar Square tree this year, donated by Norway every year since 1947#### A moment of reflection

As you dismantle your tree these coming days, take a moment to honour what it represents.

That scent filling your home as you remove the baubles connects you to ancient Europeans celebrating winter solstice, to Victorian families copying their queen, and to something deeper still – the human need to bring nature indoors during the darkest season, to remind ourselves that life persists even when the world seems dead.

The tree standing in your home took a decade to grow. Someone planted it as a seedling, tended it through seasons, shaped it into the form that fitted your living room. It absorbed carbon from the atmosphere, produced oxygen, provided habitat for birds and insects. It was harvested, transported, sold, decorated, admired by your family and guests.

Trafalgar Square’s tree – a gift from Oslo since 1947, commemorating the wartime alliance – reminds us that Christmas traditions continue to evolve. The word “Christmas tree” wasn’t used in English until 1835. Woolworths sold the first manufactured ornaments in 1880. Every generation makes this ancient tradition their own.

This week, as you carry your tree to the kerb or the recycling point, you’re participating in something older than Christianity itself. A tradition that’s travelled from Germanic forests through royal drawing rooms to modern British homes, and will be recycled back into the earth from which it grew, ready to nourish the next generation of trees.

The cycle continues. As it always has.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/27/why-do-we-have-christmas-trees-and-how-to-recycle-yours-next-week/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/27/why-do-we-have-christmas-trees-and-how-to-recycle-yours-next-week/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Why%20do%20we%20have%20Christmas%20trees%3F%20And%20how%20to%20recycle%20yours%20next%20week&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/27/why-do-we-have-christmas-trees-and-how-to-recycle-yours-next-week/)

**Categories:** Environment

**Tags:** Christmas traditions, Christmas tree recycling, Environmental recycling, Putney recycling, Queen Victoria, Victorian history, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Three weeks and counting: Putney park closure raises super sewer questions](https://putney.news/2025/12/27/three-weeks-and-counting-putney-park-closure-raises-super-sewer-questions/)

**Published:** December 27, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Tideway silent on extended maintenance work while celebrating "year to remember" elsewhere.

**Content:**

Putney Embankment’s riverside park has been [closed behind wire fencing for at least three weeks](https://putney.news/2025/12/03/why-wire-fencing-surrounds-putneys-riverside-park-this-week/) with no public explanation, raising questions about whether the £4.5 billion Thames Tideway super sewer is experiencing operational problems just months after becoming operational.

The closure of the 500-square-metre public space comes as Thames Water battles a fatberg epidemic in London’s Victorian sewer network, with [two 100-tonne blockages discovered in October](https://www.thameswater.co.uk/news/2025/oct/thames-water-removes-100-tonne-fatberg) and [December](https://www.thameswater.co.uk/news/2025/dec/whitechapel-fatberg-plus-christmas-fog) requiring weeks of clearance work.

Maintenance crews have been observed regularly descending 36 metres down the vertical access shaft that connects the old Putney Bridge sewer overflow to the new super sewer tunnel below. A sanitation engineer on site described the work as “routine maintenance” but could not provide any timeline for when the area would reopen.

The extended closure stands in stark contrast to Tideway’s public celebrations this month, which have included a [“year to remember” announcement](https://www.tideway.london/news/site-news/2025/december/2025-a-year-to-remember/) highlighting the system’s achievements, whilst the company’s website continues to incorrectly list Putney Embankment as “now open”.

![Putney Embankment](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/putney-embankment-closed-1024x768.png)#### The closure and what’s known

The entire park area has been cordoned off since early December, with wire fencing preventing access to what was previously a public riverside space featuring granite paving, seating areas and bronze artworks commemorating the University Boat Race.

During a site visit two weeks ago, a maintenance crew was conducting work that required winching personnel vertically down the person-sized access shaft. When asked about the timeline, the sanitation engineer said the work would take “certainly not one day” and possibly “several days”, but could not be more specific.

The engineer confirmed that conditions in the sewer system “can get pretty grim” but noted that the new infrastructure is “much less worse than the old sewers”, adding that the Hammersmith site is “far worse” by comparison.

A few days later, the closure was expanded to encompass the entire park rather than just the immediate area around the access shaft, suggesting more extensive work than initially indicated.

The closure has displaced at least one homeless resident who had been living in a tent on the park area and has now set up on the adjacent pavement.

![Putney Embankment CCTV](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/putney-embankment-closed-cctv-768x1024.png)#### Context: the super sewer and fatberg crisis

The Thames Tideway Tunnel became operational in January 2025 after nearly a decade of construction. The 25-kilometre tunnel runs beneath the Thames, designed to intercept sewage overflows from the Victorian sewer network that would otherwise spill into the river during heavy rain.

At Putney, a 36-metre-deep shaft connects the Putney Bridge Combined Sewer Overflow to the main tunnel beneath the Thames. This connection point, which previously discharged an average of 68,000 tonnes of untreated sewage into the river annually, now diverts flows into the super sewer for treatment at Beckton.

The new system connects directly to the old Victorian sewers, which Thames Water acknowledges are struggling with serious blockage problems. The company clears 75,000 blockages annually at a cost of up to £40 million per year, with fats, oils and grease causing 28 percent of all blockages.

In October, Thames Water removed a 100-tonne fatberg from Feltham, describing it as 125 metres long and taking more than a month to clear. In December, another 100-tonne fatberg was discovered in Whitechapel, which the company said would take “weeks to complete” removal.

Thames Water [launched a prevention campaign in November](https://www.thameswater.co.uk/news/2025/nov/avoid-festive-fatbergs), revealing that blockages cause internal flooding in homes and contribute to river pollution. The company removes 3.8 billion wet wipes from its network annually, at a cost of £18 million per year.

#### Questions about timing and transparency

The Putney Embankment closure raises several unanswered questions about the intersection between the old Victorian sewer network and the new super sewer infrastructure.

If blockages in the old sewers feeding into the new tunnel are as severe as Thames Water indicates, could this affect connection points like Putney? Is the extended closure related to accessing or clearing blockages in the old system through the new shaft? Or is there a problem with the brand new infrastructure itself?

The lack of transparency from Tideway is particularly striking given the company’s communication pattern throughout 2025. When opening new public spaces, Tideway has issued press releases, hosted ribbon-cutting ceremonies with VIPs including members of the Royal Family, and celebrated milestones including [opening the London Stock Exchange](https://www.tideway.london/news/press-releases/2025/october/super-sewer-company-opens-london-stock-exchange-after-issuing-uk-s-first-corporate-blue-bonds/) after issuing the UK’s first corporate blue bonds.

On December 24, Tideway published a “2025 – a year to remember” announcement highlighting achievements including the system capturing 13 million tonnes of sewage and the opening of multiple new public spaces. The announcement made no mention of the Putney Embankment closure.

The company’s [website continues to list Putney Embankment Foreshore](https://www.tideway.london/locations/putney-embankment-foreshore/) under its “Open Spaces” section with the status “Now open”, despite the site being inaccessible to the public for at least three weeks.

![Putney Embankment barriers](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/putney-embankment-closed-barriers-shut-1024x768.png)#### System acceptance and handover

The Tideway project is currently in what the company calls a “system acceptance period” running until 2027, during which the infrastructure undergoes testing before full handover to Thames Water for long-term operation.

It remains unclear whether the extended Putney closure is related to acceptance testing, operational issues identified during the acceptance period, problems with the mechanical and electrical equipment installed to make the system run smoothly, or maintenance requirements for the old Victorian sewers that connect to the new infrastructure.

The Tideway website acknowledges that closures may be necessary, stating “there may be times where we need to work outside of these hours if our work is affected by the tide times” and noting they “may also need the occasional period when we need to close part or all the area while we undertake testing work for the sewer.”

However, the site provides no information about how frequently such closures will occur, how long they typically last, or how the public will be notified.

#### What residents are paying for

Thames Water customers are funding the £4.5 billion super sewer through bill increases of up to £25 per year. The system is designed to last at least 120 years and serve a population expected to double by 2160.

Putney Embankment was the first of seven new riverside public spaces created as part of the project, opening in September 2023 with significant publicity. The park was built above the infrastructure using Cornish granite from the same quarry used to construct Putney Bridge nearly 140 years ago.

The space features three artworks by Glasgow-based artist Claire Barclay, including bronze oars forming handrails and a bronze marker for the University Boat Race start line. It was designed to reconnect Londoners with the Thames and provide new vista points along the riverside.

Residents who helped fund this infrastructure through their water bills have received no explanation for why the public space sits inaccessible during the Christmas period, with no indication of when it will reopen.

*Putney.news* contacted Tideway’s press office, Thames Water, and Wandsworth Council on December 25 and 26 requesting information about the closure. We will update this story if responses are provided.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/27/three-weeks-and-counting-putney-park-closure-raises-super-sewer-questions/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/27/three-weeks-and-counting-putney-park-closure-raises-super-sewer-questions/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Three%20weeks%20and%20counting%3A%20Putney%20park%20closure%20raises%20super%20sewer%20questions&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/27/three-weeks-and-counting-putney-park-closure-raises-super-sewer-questions/)

**Categories:** Environment, Thamesfield

**Tags:** accountability, fatbergs, infrastructure, Putney embankment, sewage, Super Sewer, Thames Tideway Tunnel, Thames Water, Tideway, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Building on bombs: Council plans 81 homes where WWII explosives fell](https://putney.news/2025/12/27/building-on-bombs-council-plans-81-homes-where-wwii-explosives-fell/)

**Published:** December 27, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Lennox estate site classified "medium risk" but six-year-old assessment hasn't been updated.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council is planning 81 homes on a site classified as “medium risk” for unexploded WWII bombs. Two German bombs are recorded as striking the location during the war, and specialists warn that others likely fell without being noticed on what was then open ground.

The [specialist report](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Unexploded-ordinance-report-uxo.pdf) \[pdf\] identifies exactly where they hit: one on the north border of the Lennox Estate development site, one on the south.

What makes a site “medium risk”? The specialists’ assessment shows Wandsworth took a hammering. The borough was hit by 1,437 high-explosive bombs, 124 V1 flying bombs, and six V2 rockets. That works out to 184 bombs per 1,000 acres.

German high-explosive bombs of this type typically weighed between 50 and 500 kilograms and were 40-50% explosive. If they failed to detonate on impact, they penetrated deep into the ground, creating entry holes as small as 20 centimetres. On open land, those small holes would be easy to miss.

The land was open and undeveloped during the 1940s. The specialists’ report notes that “during any bombing raids the anticipated levels of access and observation will have dropped significantly and it is unlikely any bombs on the site will have been noticed and recorded.”

In plain English: there could well be unexploded bombs under the dig site.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/site-location-1024x656.png)The assessment warns that unexploded bombs “pose a significant risk” to any digging or excavation work. The specialists recommend multiple safety measures for medium-risk sites: awareness briefings for workers, an emergency response plan, explosive ordnance disposal engineers on call, and surveys using specialist detection equipment before any digging begins.

These recommendations follow construction industry guidance on managing bomb risks. It’s standard practice for developments on wartime sites.

Here’s what’s not standard: the 2019 assessment was prepared for small-scale preliminary work – boreholes and test pits. The current proposal is far bigger: demolishing existing buildings and constructing a 14-storey tower and a six-storey block. That means far more digging. The assessment is now more than six years old and doesn’t appear to have been updated for this larger development.

Wandsworth Council is both the applicant proposing this development and the authority that will decide whether to approve it. The council hasn’t publicly addressed the bomb risk in its consultation materials.

The development would provide 81 affordable homes for council rent on land currently used for community facilities and open space. Planning application 2025/4170 is [under consultation until January 19, 2026](https://putney.news/2025/12/14/happy-holidays-now-read-these-1000-pages-about-demolishing-your-community-buildings/ "Happy holidays – now read these 1,000 pages about demolishing your community buildings").

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/anti-aircraft-1024x853.png)#### What this actually means

Finding unexploded bombs isn’t rare in heavily bombed areas. London’s construction industry has established procedures: specialist surveys before digging, careful excavation, and bomb disposal teams on standby. The assessment doesn’t say bombs are definitely still buried at the Lennox Estate, just that the site’s wartime history creates enough risk to warrant these precautions.

The questions for residents and the planning committee: Has anyone actually done a survey to check whether there’s unexploded ordnance still buried there? Is a six-year-old assessment adequate for a development that’s grown much larger and will involve much more excavation? And what happens if workers hit something during the dig?

Under health and safety law, developers must identify and manage foreseeable risks, including unexploded bombs. The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 require clients and contractors to ensure risks are properly assessed and controlled.

That’s the legal minimum. Whether it’s actually happening is a different question.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/high-explosive-1024x824.png)#### Public consultation

Residents can comment on planning application 2025/4170 through [Wandsworth Council’s planning portal](https://planning.wandsworth.gov.uk/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/GeneralSearch.aspx) until January 19, 2026. Comments should focus on material planning considerations like safety, construction management, and regulatory compliance.

Questions worth raising:

- What emergency response plan will be in place if ordnance is discovered during construction?
- Will the 2019 assessment be refreshed to reflect the current proposal’s larger scale?
- What specific safety measures from the specialist recommendations will be implemented?
- Will intrusive surveys with detection equipment be conducted before excavation begins?

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/bomb-strikes-1024x758.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/27/building-on-bombs-council-plans-81-homes-where-wwii-explosives-fell/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/27/building-on-bombs-council-plans-81-homes-where-wwii-explosives-fell/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Building%20on%20bombs%3A%20Council%20plans%2081%20homes%20where%20WWII%20explosives%20fell&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/27/building-on-bombs-council-plans-81-homes-where-wwii-explosives-fell/)

**Categories:** Planning, Roehampton

**Tags:** housing development, Lennox Estate, Roehampton, Wandsworth planning, WWII unexploded ordnance

---

### [Vintage buses bring festive cheer to Putney on Christmas Day](https://putney.news/2025/12/26/vintage-buses-bring-festive-cheer-to-putney-on-christmas-day/)

**Published:** December 26, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** More than 500 passengers ride classic route as volunteers report record demand.

**Content:**

More than 500 people rode the free vintage buses between Putney Bridge and Roehampton on Christmas Day, with volunteer crews reporting their busiest service yet.

The two classic London buses ran every half hour along the 430 route, offering the only public transport in the area while regular services took the day off. By early afternoon, buses were leaving Putney Bridge Station completely full, with queues forming at stops along the route.

![Volunteer conductor Pete, who spent decades on London's buses, aboard the Routemaster](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/peter-conductor-1024x768.png)Volunteer conductor Pete, who spent decades on London’s buses, aboard the Routemaster“I’ve never known it like this,” said Pete, a conductor who spent decades working on London’s buses before volunteering for the Christmas Day service. “The number of donations has been amazing.”

The service, [now in its eighth year](https://putney.news/2025/12/23/vintage-buses-offer-free-rides-on-christmas-day/), is organised by 1950s Vintage Bus Hire and The London Bus Museum. Volunteers give up their Christmas Day to keep the tradition running, driven by what organisers describe as “fun, goodwill, and a sense of public service.”

![A volunteer cranks the destination blind by hand on the 1930s STL bus](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/vintage-bus-sign-change-putney-bridge-station-1024x768.png)A volunteer cranks the destination blind by hand on the 1930s STL bus#### Two very different buses

This year’s fleet offered passengers a choice of eras. The older of the two, a beautifully restored STL double-decker dating from the 1930s, is a genuine pre-war bus. Its hand-cranked destination signs, period advertisements for Hovis and Branston Pickle, and art deco styling drew admiring comments from passengers young and old.

![Passengers aboard one of the packed vintage buses on Christmas Day](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/vintage-bus-inside-passengers-1024x768.png)Passengers aboard one of the packed vintage buses on Christmas DayThe second bus, a Routemaster, will be instantly familiar to anyone who remembers London transport before the bendy bus era. Instead of the STL’s rear platform bell push, passengers rang the stop bell by pulling a wire running along the left side of the ceiling. Pete explained that this bus had been fitted with a new, more powerful engine, which made for a lively ride back down to Putney Bridge.

The STL had been driven down from the London Bus Museum that morning, while the Routemaster is privately owned. Both are maintained to modern safety standards and operate under a Public Service Vehicle licence.

![A London Transport ticket printed for the Christmas Day service](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/vintage-bus-ticket-768x1024.png)A London Transport ticket printed for the Christmas Day service#### A community Christmas tradition

Passengers ranged from families with young children experiencing their first ride on a classic bus to older residents for whom the journey brought back memories of daily commutes decades ago. Some used the service practically, hopping on and off to visit friends and family. Others treated it as an outing in itself, riding the full route to Roehampton and back again.

![The Routemaster at Putney Station, showing the 430 route to Putney Bridge](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/vintage-bus-putney-station-stop-1024x768.png)The Routemaster at Putney Station, showing the 430 route to Putney BridgeThe festive atmosphere was helped by glorious winter sunshine, with passengers chatting to the volunteer crews and each other as the buses made their stately progress through largely empty streets.

The vintage bus service has grown steadily since launching in 2017, expanding from hourly departures to every 20 minutes last year when three buses were needed to meet demand. Passengers were happy to wait at Putney Bridge Station for the next departure. Donations from grateful passengers help cover running costs, with any surplus going to charity.

![The driver's cab of the 1930s STL bus](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/vintage-bus-steering-wheel-1024x768.png)The driver’s cab of the 1930s STL busThe [London Bus Museum](https://www.brooklandsmuseum.com/), which provided volunteers for the Christmas Day service, is a registered charity with around 30 historic buses in its collection, all maintained in working order. The museum is based at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, and is open daily. It runs heritage bus days on various London routes throughout the year, with events planned for 2026 including routes between Clapton Pond and Victoria, Sutton and Kingston, and Finsbury Park and Ash Grove.

The buses will return next Christmas Day. In the meantime, 1950s Vintage Bus Hire offers the vehicles for private hire for weddings, parties and corporate events.

![The beautifully restored STL with its Crosse & Blackwell Branston Pickle advertisement](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/vintage-bus-side-putney-bridge-station-1024x768.png)The beautifully restored STL with its Crosse & Blackwell Branston Pickle advertisement [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/26/vintage-buses-bring-festive-cheer-to-putney-on-christmas-day/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/26/vintage-buses-bring-festive-cheer-to-putney-on-christmas-day/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Vintage%20buses%20bring%20festive%20cheer%20to%20Putney%20on%20Christmas%20Day&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/26/vintage-buses-bring-festive-cheer-to-putney-on-christmas-day/)

**Categories:** Community, Transport

**Tags:** Christmas Day, community, Route 430, Transport, Vintage buses

---

### [Council refuses to answer questions about AI carer tool failures](https://putney.news/2025/12/26/council-refuses-to-answer-questions-about-ai-carer-tool-failures/)

**Published:** December 26, 2025
**Author:** Salem Abu-Zayed

**Content:**

When *Putney.news* tested Wandsworth and Richmond councils’ new AI support tool for unpaid carers, a question about preventing falls at home triggered an incoherent and inaccurate response – a type of failure known in the AI world as a “hallucination”.

The chatbot, developed with Tovie AI and shared between the two councils, provides advice, helps carers navigate local services, and offers the option to complete a statutory Carer’s Assessment for Wandsworth’s estimated 18,000 unpaid carers. Tovie launched a three-month pilot of the technology in early November, with Wandsworth Council formally [announcing](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-december-2025/ai-technology-helps-wandsworth-s-army-of-unpaid-carers/) the pilot on 4 December.

Wandsworth Council did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the pilot, digital literacy provision, or its relationship with Tovie AI. Richmond Council, which shares the service, provided detailed responses.

At September’s Health and Wellbeing Board [meeting](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1012285), the Commissioning Manager at Wandsworth and Richmond councils, Steve Shaffelburg, acknowledged the risk of AI producing unreliable responses. He told the board: “AI hallucinates quite a bit, so we’re trying to clip its wings to make sure the information that unpaid carers are getting from it is legitimate.”

His comments were made weeks before the tool went live.

The council says the tool is optional, is not intended to replace human support, and that any Carer’s Assessments completed through the chatbot are reviewed by qualified social workers. Visitors to the website are also shown a notice stating: “Experimental AI notice: You are communicating with an experimental AI model, not a real person.” The page advises users who wish to speak to a real person to call the council directly.

The pilot forms part of the councils’ broader ambition to use technology to improve adult social care provision, with the chatbot intended to reduce pressure on social workers.

#### **What testing revealed**

When we tested the system with a range of scenarios, it usually provided clear and relevant responses. In most cases, it offered practical advice, signposted local services, explained council processes such as Carer’s Assessments, and acknowledged the emotional pressures carers can face.

![Tovie AI adult carer system working as intended](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/tovie-ai-working-788x1024.png)The Tovie AI system working as intended For example, when asked about leaving a parent with dementia alone overnight, the system provided thoughtful advice about assessing risks and safety concerns, before correctly signposting to Wandsworth Carers Centre with accurate contact details and service descriptions.

However, when asked about reducing the risk of an older person falling at home, the system recommended the “Wandsworth Carers’ Centre” offering “Osteopathy and more,” followed by corrupted text mixing Chinese characters with English: “multiple kanseninent elements aweraging指你 Some more attackable.”

The response contained both inaccurate information – Wandsworth Carers’ Centre does not provide osteopathy or fall-prevention services – and incoherent text that would confuse rather than help a vulnerable carer seeking urgent advice.

![AI hallucination with Tovie system for adult carers used by Wandsworth Council.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Tovie-Mistake-hallucination-1024x411.png)Evidence of “hallucination” i.e. false information in the Tovie AI systemIn response to questions from *Putney.news*, Tovie AI said it monitors for such issues through automated checks and ongoing review of anonymised conversations, with additional safeguards applied where potential risk is identified. According to Tovie, sensitive topics such as mental health distress, self-harm, abuse or safeguarding concerns trigger predefined responses rather than free-form AI generation, designed to prioritise empathy and signposting to support rather than attempting to resolve complex situations within the AI itself.

Tovie said that when errors are identified in the live system, they are logged and reviewed, with changes made to prompts, guardrails or system logic as needed. It also said users are clearly informed that they are interacting with an AI-powered, experimental tool and that responsibility for decisions and actions remains with human professionals and the organisations delivering services.

Richmond Council said the pilot is intended to test how effectively an AI-assisted service enables unpaid carers to discuss their needs and access appropriate support. According to the council, although conversations may feel “natural”, the dialogue is highly structured and recommendations are restricted. It said the service includes human oversight from a team of experienced social workers, who review each AI-guided conversation to ensure tone, flow and recommendations are appropriate.

The council said that if a reviewer does not agree with the outcome of a conversation, changes can be made to the assessment or support recommendations. It described the system as being supervised in a similar way to a new member of staff, with senior social workers reviewing conversations and offering feedback to improve performance. Richmond Council said the service has so far received positive feedback from carers and social workers, and that many conversations will continue to be better held face-to-face, which will remain available to all carers.

#### **Digital support promises lack evidence**

At the same September meeting, Shaffelburg was asked by voluntary sector representative Abi Carter about residents who are not confident using digital tools. He said the council was working with Age UK and other organisations to provide courses for digitally excluded residents.

So far, no public evidence has been published confirming that such courses exist in Wandsworth. We have submitted a Freedom of Information request asking for details of any partnership, including when courses began, how many people have attended, and what they cover.

When *Putney.news* asked Shaffelburg about digital courses, Richmond Council responded, saying it commissions Age UK Richmond, Richmond AID and Richmond Borough Mind to provide digital inclusion support through its Connect to Tech service, launched in March 2022. While Richmond council says around 600 residents a year receive digital inclusion support, including fewer than 50 unpaid carers, it is unclear how this compares with overall demand, given that there are around 18,000 carers in the borough, 63% of which are aged over 50 according to the 2021 census.

#### **Transparency questions remain**

The pilot raises broader questions about Wandsworth council’s relationship with Tovie AI and how the technology has been procured and governed. Tovie’s CEO said the company has had “earlier collaborations” with Wandsworth Council, but the scope, cost and nature of those arrangements have not been disclosed.

We have submitted additional Freedom of Information requests seeking information on all contracts and payments made to Tovie AI, how the pilot was procured, what data-processing agreements are in place, whether carer data is used to train AI models, and what success criteria are being used to evaluate the pilot.

The councils have also recently tendered a £7.3 million shared care-technology contract with Richmond, covering AI-powered welfare calls, data platforms and future robotics capability.

Despite the Health & Wellbeing Board having discussed AI risks before the pilot launched, it received no update on the Tovie pilot at its [December meeting](https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=508&MId=9917), even though the system had already been live for more than five weeks. This comes as the councils have stated an ambition for 40% of long-term care users to receive care technology, signalling a significant expansion of digital tools in adult social care.

AI clearly has the potential to make adult social care more efficient and accessible, but questions remain about how effective these systems are in practice – and how transparently councils are procuring, monitoring and overseeing them.

**Accountability Statement**

**We contacted:** Tovie AI, Wandsworth and Richmond Councils, Cllr Graeme Henderson (Cabinet member for Health for Wandsworth Council), Age UK Wandsworth, Wandsworth Carers’ Centre.

**Request sent:** **16 December 2025**

---

**Tovie AI**

*Company supplying the software*

**Status:** *Substantive response received.*

---

**Wandsworth Council**

*Press Office*

**Status:** *No response received.*

---

**Cllr Graeme Henderson**

*Cabinet member for Health, Wandsworth Council*

**Status:** *No response received.*

---

**Richmond Council**

*Press Office*

**Status:** *Substantive response received.*

---

**Age UK Wandsworth**

*Charity partner cited in council statements about digital inclusion*

**Status:** *Forwarded queries; no direct response.*

---

**Wandsworth Carers’ Centre**

*Carer support organisation*

**Status:** *Responded: queries with senior management. No substantive response.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/26/council-refuses-to-answer-questions-about-ai-carer-tool-failures/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/26/council-refuses-to-answer-questions-about-ai-carer-tool-failures/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Council%20refuses%20to%20answer%20questions%20about%20AI%20carer%20tool%20failures&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/26/council-refuses-to-answer-questions-about-ai-carer-tool-failures/)

**Categories:** Health, Technology

**Tags:** accountability, Adult social care, AI, carers, chatbot, digital inclusion, Health and Wellbeing Board, Richmond Council, technology, Tovie AI, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Merry Christmas, Putney](https://putney.news/2025/12/25/merry-christmas-putney/)

**Published:** December 25, 2025
**Author:** The Editor

**Excerpt:** Celebrating local businesses, community spirit, and the place we call home.

**Content:**

We’re having a quiet Christmas at home this year, just family, here in Putney. Tomorrow we’ll ride one of the vintage buses, and sit down to a meal made with ingredients from Dugard and Daughters and Putney Natural – supporting the local businesses that make this neighbourhood what it is.

It’s easy to spend the year writing about what’s broken, what needs fixing, what the council isn’t doing properly. That’s the job, and it matters. But days like today remind me why we do it.

We live in a wonderful part of London. Yes, the Putney Bridge junction is a mess and the council’s housing enforcement is inconsistent, and our High Streets need serious attention, and there are a hundred things we’ll keep pushing on in the new year. But we also have brilliant local shops, green spaces along the river, a real sense of community, and neighbours who look out for each other.

Thank you for reading *Putney.news* this year. Thank you for the tips, the suggestions, the stories you’ve shared, and the accountability you’ve helped us pursue. This only works because you’re part of it.

However you’re spending today – whether it’s a big family gathering, a quiet day at home, working to keep essential services running, or something in between – I hope it’s a good one.

Merry Christmas from all of us at *Putney.news*.

**The** **Editor**

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/25/merry-christmas-putney/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/25/merry-christmas-putney/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Merry%20Christmas%2C%20Putney&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/25/merry-christmas-putney/)

**Categories:** Community

**Tags:** Merry Christmas, Putney

---

### [Victory for transparency as government releases green grant breakdown Wandsworth refused to disclose](https://putney.news/2025/12/25/victory-for-transparency-as-government-releases-green-grant-breakdown-wandsworth-refused-to-disclose/)

**Published:** December 25, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Council still withholds £3.3m contribution details despite government department publishing information.

**Content:**

A national government department has reversed its refusal to disclose how £7.5 million in public funding is being spent on five Wandsworth council buildings, but the council itself still refuses to explain its own £3.3 million contribution.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) disclosed the detailed technology breakdown on 22 December after *Putney.news* challenged its commercial sensitivity refusal through an internal review. The disclosure vindicates our [August investigation](https://putney.news/2025/08/14/wandsworth-council-8m-green-retrofit-shrouded-in-secrecy-and-delays/) which questioned why public bodies were hiding spending details for a major taxpayer-funded climate project.

But Wandsworth Council continues to withhold the same information, claiming it would harm procurement, even though the government department that awarded the grant has now published the figures in the interest of “transparency and accountability.”

#### The victory

DESNZ Director Rob Hewitt reversed the department’s initial refusal following our internal review request in November. His decision letter states: “The primary reason for reversing the decision is that releasing the requested information allows the public to see how funding is being allocated across different technologies and workstreams, supporting transparency and accountability for taxpayers’ money.”

The disclosed data reveals how the government money breaks down across different green technologies:

TechnologyAmountShareAir source heat pumps£4,288,45257%Roof insulation£1,184,12516%Cavity wall insulation£480,7996%Solar PV£473,9086%Building energy management£395,9595%Double glazing£220,2143%LED lighting£72,4171%Other measures£90,3971%**Total****£7,205,829****100%**More than half the technology budget, £4.3 million, goes to air source heat pumps, while insulation improvements receive just £1.2 million and solar panels get £474,000.

Putney Leisure Centre receives more than half the grant, £3.85 million, which is more than the other four buildings combined. Wandsworth Town Hall gets £2.8 million (37%), while three smaller facilities share just £842,000 between them: Oakdene Residential Unit (£429,000), Falcon Grove (£243,000), and Gwynneth Morgan Day Centre (£170,000). The total grant allocation is £7.5 million.

The project must complete by 31 March 2028.

#### The hypocrisy

Wandsworth Council claimed identical information was “commercially sensitive” when we requested it in September. When we challenged this through an internal review in November, the council’s FOI Team Leader simply replied: “Wandsworth Council maintains our stance on the commercial sensitivity of the requested information.”

We wrote back pointing out their response violated the Freedom of Information Act Code of Practice, which requires a “fair and thorough review” with “fresh assessment” of where the public interest lies. The council replied: “We have nothing to add.”

The council claimed disclosure would “undermine the Council’s ability to secure best value for money” and harm “commercial negotiations and procurement outcomes.” They promised the information would “be made available once the procurement process is complete,” somewhere between July and September 2026.

Yet the government department that actually awarded the funding has now concluded that transparency outweighs commercial sensitivity, a direct contradiction of Wandsworth’s position.

> [Wandsworth’s £8m green retrofit shrouded in secrecy and delays](https://putney.news/2025/08/14/wandsworth-council-8m-green-retrofit-shrouded-in-secrecy-and-delays/)

#### The technical concerns

The disclosed breakdown reveals that 57% of the technology budget (£4.3 million) is allocated to air source heat pumps, while only 16% (£1.2 million) goes to insulation improvements and 6% (£474,000) to solar panels.

Building energy experts typically recommend prioritising insulation in older buildings before installing heat pumps, as poor thermal performance can significantly reduce heat pump efficiency. Putney Leisure Centre, built in 1968, falls well below modern insulation standards. Buildings from that era have thermal performance 6-10 times worse than today’s requirements.

Real-world heat pump performance in UK public buildings often falls short of manufacturer specifications, with average efficiency (Coefficient of Performance) measured at 2.0-2.2 compared to the 3.5+ needed for heat pumps to match gas heating costs. In poorly insulated buildings, these efficiency figures deteriorate further.

Other councils receiving Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) funding have taken different approaches. Calderdale’s £5.1 million project for four buildings (including two swimming pools) combines heat pumps with substantial LED lighting upgrades. Southwark’s £9.98 million for six buildings includes water source heat pumps, enhanced insulation, and new double glazing alongside air source heat pumps.

Without the detailed project specifications Wandsworth continues to withhold, residents cannot assess whether this technology mix is appropriate for a 1960s building or whether the council has adequately addressed insulation deficits before installing expensive heating systems.

#### What’s still secret

The council still refuses to disclose how its £3.3 million contribution is allocated across the five buildings, or why Putney Leisure Centre receives 51% of the government grant, more than the other four buildings combined. Project delivery schedules and timelines remain secret, as does the actual procurement status despite the council claiming procurement is “ongoing” seven months after the project was announced. The council has also withheld any project planning documents, business cases, or cost-benefit analyses.

A £299,000 discrepancy also remains unexplained. The per-building total (£7.5m) exceeds the technology total (£7.2m) by this amount, suggesting project management fees, consultancy costs, or contingency budgets that haven’t been disclosed.

> [What is Wandsworth hiding? Council refuses to reveal how £8m green grant will be spent](https://putney.news/2025/09/13/what-is-wandsworth-hiding-council-refuses-to-reveal-how-8m-green-grant-will-be-spent/)

#### The wider pattern

This refusal fits a pattern documented by *Putney.news* across multiple accountability issues: waste collection contract performance showing a 189% spike in complaints alongside a 92% reduction in contractor penalties, missing rental property licensing enforcement data, Cabinet decision-making processes that serves as meaningless theatre, and a 253% surge in complaints against the Chief Executive’s Group.

Wandsworth’s average FOI response time is 34 days, 14 days beyond the statutory 20-day deadline.

#### Next Steps

*Putney.news* has filed a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office regarding both the council’s sham internal review process and the substantive refusal to disclose information that the government department has now published.

We also submitted parallel FOI requests to Salix Finance, which administers PSDS grants on behalf of DESNZ. Salix initially refused similar information, claiming they “do not hold” the per-building breakdown despite being the grant administrator. Their internal review is due by 12 January 2026.

Wandsworth Council was asked to comment on why it maintains commercial sensitivity claims when DESNZ has disclosed the same information for transparency reasons, whether it will now voluntarily disclose its £3.3 million contribution breakdown, why its May 2025 press release stated the grant was £4.7 million when the actual allocation was £7.5 million, and why Putney Leisure Centre receives such a disproportionate share of the funding.

The council had not responded by the time of publication.

*Putney.news* will examine the technical concerns about the heat pump-heavy technology mix in a follow-up investigation.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/25/victory-for-transparency-as-government-releases-green-grant-breakdown-wandsworth-refused-to-disclose/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/25/victory-for-transparency-as-government-releases-green-grant-breakdown-wandsworth-refused-to-disclose/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Victory%20for%20transparency%20as%20government%20releases%20green%20grant%20breakdown%20Wandsworth%20refused%20to%20disclose&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/25/victory-for-transparency-as-government-releases-green-grant-breakdown-wandsworth-refused-to-disclose/)

**Categories:** Environment, Politics, West Putney

**Tags:** DESNZ, FOI investigation, Green grants, Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, Putney Leisure Centre, Salix Finance, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Teen who stabbed man in front of Barnes commuters jailed for five years](https://putney.news/2025/12/25/teen-who-stabbed-man-in-front-of-barnes-commuters-jailed-for-five-years/)

**Published:** December 25, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Victim needed lifesaving surgery after 'sustained and frenzied' attack.

**Content:**

A teenager has been jailed for more than five years after repeatedly stabbing a man in broad daylight at Barnes station in front of horrified morning commuters.

The 17-year-old from Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on Friday 12 December after pleading guilty to grievous bodily harm. He received five years in prison with an additional three years and four months on extended licence.

The attack happened on 26 September at around 7am, just outside the entrance to platform one. The teenager, who was 16 at the time, was seen on CCTV talking to the victim before the pair walked together into a wooded area outside the station.

Shortly afterwards, the victim, a man in his 20s, ran back towards the station shouting that he had been stabbed. The teenager followed him, pushed him to the ground, and stabbed him several more times. He then collected his bike from the platform and fled the scene.

The victim suffered four stab wounds and multiple internal injuries. His condition was initially described as life-threatening and London’s Air Ambulance was dispatched to the scene. He required lifesaving surgery but has since been discharged from hospital.

#### DNA match

British Transport Police detectives identified the attacker through CCTV footage showing him returning home after the incident. A pair of headphones found at the scene contained DNA matching the teenager, leading officers to [arrest him at his home address](https://www.btp.police.uk/news/btp/news/in-the-courts/Teenager-jailed-following-brazen-broad-daylight-stabbing-at-Barnes/) on 4 October.

Detective Sergeant Marc Farmer said the teenager “acted with horrific levels of violence in a sustained and frenzied attack” launched “in broad daylight in front of horrified morning commuters”.

He added: “It is only by sheer luck that we weren’t dealing with a murder investigation, so I’m very satisfied to see him now put behind bars for an extended period of time thanks to our investigation.

“There is absolutely no place for violence on the railway network, especially not the sort of mindless violence this teenager carried out.”

The teenager was initially charged with attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon when he appeared at Highbury Magistrates’ Court. He later pleaded guilty to GBH.

Anyone who witnesses concerning behaviour on the railway can text British Transport Police discreetly on 61016.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/25/teen-who-stabbed-man-in-front-of-barnes-commuters-jailed-for-five-years/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/25/teen-who-stabbed-man-in-front-of-barnes-commuters-jailed-for-five-years/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Teen%20who%20stabbed%20man%20in%20front%20of%20Barnes%20commuters%20jailed%20for%20five%20years&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/25/teen-who-stabbed-man-in-front-of-barnes-commuters-jailed-for-five-years/)

**Categories:** Crime

**Tags:** Barnes, British Transport Police, Crime, knife crime

---

### [Ruth's Putney delivers the cosiest dining room in the neighbourhood](https://putney.news/2025/12/24/ruths-putney-delivers-the-cosiest-dining-room-in-the-neighbourhood/)

**Published:** December 24, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Seafood-focused bistro brings excellent food and genuine atmosphere to Lower Richmond Road.

**Content:**

Ruth’s Putney may be the cosiest restaurant in the neighbourhood. Visiting on the last night before Christmas closing, the back dining room was full while other restaurants along the street sat a fifth empty. That alone tells you something.

The space itself creates the mood. Deep red walls absorb the candlelight. Dried vines wind through the skylights overhead, threaded with fairy lights. White tablecloths catch the glow. The music piped through struck the right balance, a mix of Sade and dance tracks at a volume that added buzz without competing with conversation. It felt like somewhere you’d want to stay.

The menu leans heavily toward seafood, though meat options exist and vegetarian choices are limited. Fowey oysters arrived quickly, super fresh and briny. The bone marrow on toast was rich and satisfying, the kind of dish that prompts debate about the best you’ve ever had. Cured trout with sea salt showed the kitchen’s confidence with simple preparations done well.

![Brussels at Ruth's](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ruths-brussels-1024x768.png)The brill was the evening’s highlight. The menu clearly changes regularly, with wild sea bass listed days earlier now replaced. What arrived was impeccably fresh, expertly cooked, with a sauce that enhanced rather than masked the fish. This is cooking that knows when to step back.

Brussels sprouts came topped with crème fraîche and were generous in portion. Those at the bottom of the bowl were very slightly underdone, a minor quibble in an otherwise excellent meal. A Greek wine paired beautifully with the seafood and demonstrated the thoughtful drinks selection.

![Exceptional fish cooked at Ruth's](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ruths-brill-1024x768.png)Desserts split the difference between excellent and merely good. The lemon tart was outstanding, the kind of clean, sharp finish that rewards restraint throughout the meal. The chocolate mousse was perfectly decent, a French-style preparation with darker chocolate, but didn’t reach the heights of everything that preceded it.

Service deserves particular mention. Attentive and helpful throughout, the young team running Ruth’s Putney matched the energy of the room. The place draws a younger crowd and has a buzz that suggests word has already spread.

![Lemon tart at Ruth's](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ruths-lemon-cake-1024x768.png)At £146 for two with wine, starters, mains and desserts, Ruth’s Putney sits in the premium neighbourhood dining bracket. The pricing reflects the quality of ingredients and execution. For a special dinner without trekking into central London, this delivers.

[Ruth’s Putney](https://www.ruths-london.com/) reopens on 3 January after the Christmas break. The restaurant occupies the [former Blades site](https://putney.news/2025/11/29/lower-richmond-road-sees-wave-of-change-as-beloved-italian-closes-and-new-bar-prepares-to-open/) at 94 Lower Richmond Road, at the corner of Rotherwood Road. Booking is recommended.

![Front of house at Ruth's Putney](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ruths-front-of-house-1024x768.png)  Kieren McCarthy  

  4.5 rating

 4.5/5 

 Total Score 

  - Food 
    
    4.5 rating

      4.5/5   Very good  

     Fowey oysters that arrived super-fresh and briny. Bone marrow rich enough to spark debate. Fish so well-cooked it made the case for letting great ingredients speak for themselves. The lemon tart was a sharp, clean finish. Only the chocolate mousse failed to reach the heights of everything else.
- Service 
    
    4.5 rating

      4.5/5   Very good  

     Attentive without hovering, helpful without being scripted. The young team running Ruth's matched the energy of a packed room on their last night before Christmas. You don't get service this good by accident.
- Atmosphere 
    
    5.0 rating

      5/5   Amazing  

     Deep red walls glowing in candlelight. Dried vines threading through skylights strung with fairy lights. Lenny Kravitz at exactly the right volume. The back room was fully booked while restaurants down the street sat empty. This is the cosiest dining room in Putney.
- Value for money 
    
    4.0 rating

      4/5   Good  

     £146 for two with wine, starters, mains and desserts puts Ruth's firmly in special-occasion territory. But the quality of what lands on the table, the warmth of the service, and that atmosphere make the investment feel worthwhile. You're paying for something you can't get elsewhere locally.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/24/ruths-putney-delivers-the-cosiest-dining-room-in-the-neighbourhood/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/24/ruths-putney-delivers-the-cosiest-dining-room-in-the-neighbourhood/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Ruth%E2%80%99s%20Putney%20delivers%20the%20cosiest%20dining%20room%20in%20the%20neighbourhood&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/24/ruths-putney-delivers-the-cosiest-dining-room-in-the-neighbourhood/)

**Categories:** Restaurants, Review, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Lower Richmond Road, new restaurant opening, Putney dining, Putney restaurants, restaurant review, Ruth's Putney, seafood restaurant

---

### [Station improvements finally begin after nearly four years of delays](https://putney.news/2025/12/24/station-improvements-finally-begin-after-nearly-four-years-of-delays/)

**Published:** December 24, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** £20m project will bring lifts and new entrance to Wandsworth train station by summer 2027.

**Content:**

[Network Rail and South Western Railway will start work in February 2026](https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/work-to-make-wandsworth-town-fully-accessible-to-start-in-february-2026) on lifts and a second entrance at Wandsworth train station, 44 months after Wandsworth Council first announced the improvements.

The £20 million project will create step-free access to all four platforms and build a new northern entrance on Odyssey Way, with completion scheduled for summer 2027. The 18-month construction programme will see temporary platform and entrance closures, [though the station will remain open throughout](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-december-2025/works-on-wandsworth-town-station-lifts-and-second-entrance-to-start-in-2026/).

Wandsworth Council [first announced plans for the improvements in June 2022](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/2022-news/news-june-2022/plans-for-a-new-entrance-and-lifts-at-wandsworth-town-station-gathering-pace/), declaring they were “gathering pace.” Instead, costs more than doubled while passengers continued to endure overcrowding at the Victorian station’s single entrance and steep staircases.

Cabinet papers approved in November reveal the council will contribute £7.08 million toward the £20 million total cost. The Department for Transport’s Access for All scheme is funding the majority, with the council’s contribution split between £4.43 million for the second entrance and £2.65 million toward the accessibility improvements.

The council is paying nothing from its own budget. All £7.08 million comes from Section 106 developer contributions, money paid by developers as a condition of planning permission for nearby housing developments. The council has received £1.53 million to date, with £2.47 million pending from signed agreements and £843,340 from unsigned agreements.

Network Rail requested an additional £2 million from the council in September 2025 to “maximise the likelihood of Department for Transport approval to proceed to implementation,” according to cabinet papers. This increased the council’s contribution from an originally budgeted £5.9 million to £7.08 million.

#### **What’s being built**

The new northern entrance to Wandsworth train station will ease pressure on the existing single entrance, where complaints about overcrowding at ticket barriers and in tunnels have mounted as the area has seen rapid development. Three new lifts will make the station fully accessible, benefiting passengers with mobility issues, parents with buggies, and travellers with luggage.

The second entrance connects with bus stops on Swandon Way, improving interchange after southbound buses were permanently diverted from Old York Road.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/wandsworth-town-station-front.jpg)#### **Disruption ahead**

Preparatory works begin in February with hoarding and ducting installation. A temporary scaffold bridge goes up in April, followed by piling works between May and November 2026. The lift shaft will be installed in February 2027.

Network Rail warns that “some entrances and platforms may be temporarily closed” during construction, though specific details about which platforms and when have not been published. Service changes will be announced as the programme progresses.

The station handles 3.75 million passengers annually, making Wandsworth train station the 15th busiest on the South Western Railway network. The improvements come as the Wandsworth Town area continues to see significant housing development, with residents from the former Homebase and B&Q sites already adding to station demand.

[The delay exemplifies a pattern](https://putney.news/2025/11/03/station-upgrades-finally-arrive-after-three-years-and-safety-warnings/) where infrastructure improvements consistently lag behind the housing developments they’re meant to support. The council secured developer contributions in 2022 specifically to make these improvements possible, yet residents from those developments have been using an overcrowded, inaccessible station for years while the project stalled.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/24/station-improvements-finally-begin-after-nearly-four-years-of-delays/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/24/station-improvements-finally-begin-after-nearly-four-years-of-delays/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Station%20improvements%20finally%20begin%20after%20nearly%20four%20years%20of%20delays&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/24/station-improvements-finally-begin-after-nearly-four-years-of-delays/)

**Categories:** Transport, Wandsworth Town

**Tags:** Developer contributions, Network Rail, Section 106, South Western Railway, transport infrastructure, Wandsworth Council, Wandsworth Town station

---

### [Michelin dream ends as chef leaves Raaz after six months](https://putney.news/2025/12/23/michelin-dream-ends-as-chef-leaves-raaz-after-six-months/)

**Published:** December 23, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Meanwhile Masala Odyssey looks to close struggling High Street site.

**Content:**

Chef Imran Mansuri, whose ambitious plans to bring a Michelin star to Putney generated excitement when [Raaz](https://www.raazlondon.com/) opened earlier this year, has parted ways with the Lower Richmond Road restaurant after just six months.

Companies House records show Mansuri resigned as a director of the company behind Raaz on 30 November, leaving Chicago-based investor Manish Mallick as sole director. The departure marks the second time a chef brought in as director-partner has left the 113 Lower Richmond Road premises within a year.

Meanwhile, *Putney.news* understands that [Masala Odyssey](https://masalaodyssey.com/) on Putney High Street is also looking to close, with its lease now being offered to potential new tenants. The restaurant opened earlier this year at 22 Putney High Street, a site that has struggled to retain tenants despite its prominent position near Putney Bridge.

> [Raaz delivers stunning opening night with Michelin star ambitions intact](https://putney.news/2025/09/06/raaz-delivers-stunning-opening-night-with-michelin-star-ambitions-intact/)

#### A pattern at 113 Lower Richmond Road

When Putney.news [profiled Mansuri in August](https://putney.news/2025/08/20/putneys-michelin-star-dream-lands-with-ambitious-new-chef/), he spoke with quiet determination about his vision. “Are we going to be the first Michelin star in Putney? I hope so,” he said. “Why should Putney people go to Mayfair? Let’s bring Mayfair to Putney.”

Our [opening night review](https://putney.news/2025/09/06/raaz-delivers-stunning-opening-night-with-michelin-star-ambitions-intact/) praised the restaurant’s exceptional quality, describing it as a potential “fine dining destination” for South West London. That was followed up by dozens of other positive reviews including the odd Instagram influencer.

Despite the universal praise, however, when we checked in with Chef Mansuri a few months after opening, he confided that business was slower than expected.

His tenure proved short. He was appointed director on 12 May 2025 and resigned on 30 November, a period of roughly six and a half months.

He is not the first chef to leave. Companies House records show chef Parminder Singh was also appointed as a director when the company, Soiree Hospitality Group UK Limited, was incorporated in December 2024. Singh resigned on 7 March 2025 after just three months. He now runs [Cho Asia](https://choasia.com/), directly opposite Raaz on Lower Richmond Road.

The common thread is Mallick, a US-based investor who owns between 50 and 75 per cent of the company and has the right to appoint or remove directors. His correspondence address is listed is in Chicago.

Raaz remains open. One of the staff confirmed Mansuri’s departure but we wait on the restaurant for a fuller comment and will update this story if we receive one.

![Masala Odyssey](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/masala-odyssey-1024x620.png)#### 22 Putney High Street: a cursed location?

Masala Odyssey’s reported departure would continue an unfortunate pattern at 22 Putney High Street.

The site was previously home to Bone Daddies, the ramen chain that opened in February 2021 in what had been a Byron restaurant. Despite brand recognition and a loyal following, Bone Daddies closed in late 2022. Company accounts later stated the Putney branch was shut “based on an effort versus reward calculation, together with the opportunity to exit without further obligation.”

The premises hosted a pop-up shop selling vintage clothing and bric-a-brac before Masala Odyssey opened in 2024.

The physical layout presents challenges: a narrow entrance from the High Street opens into a larger space at the back, but with limited frontage it struggles to attract passing trade. The surrounding environment has not helped. [The White Lion pub opposite has been closed for over a decade](https://putney.news/2025/05/30/its-warm-its-ours-for-now-squatters-take-over-shuttered-putney-bars-as-high-street-declines/), while nearby venues including [the Boilermaker](https://putney.news/2025/07/31/squatters-evicted-in-daytime-raids-on-putney-shops/), [Simmons, and Be At One](https://putney.news/2025/08/01/putneys-party-scene-gutted-as-simmons-joins-be-at-one-and-shuts-down/) have all shut in recent months.

*Putney.news* has contacted Masala Odyssey for comment.

#### Wider pressures

The struggles of both restaurants reflect [broader challenges facing Putney’s hospitality sector](https://putney.news/2025/05/30/from-hope-to-hollow-putney-high-streets-painful-decline-continues/). Rising costs, changing consumer habits, and a High Street blighted by empty units have created a difficult trading environment even for experienced operators.

Bone Daddies, part of an established London chain, could not make 22 Putney High Street work. Mansuri, with experience at some of London’s finest Indian restaurants, has moved on from Raaz. These are not novice operators failing through inexperience.

For diners who discovered Raaz through our coverage or who enjoyed Masala Odyssey’s food, the news is disappointing. For anyone hoping to see Putney’s High Street and restaurant scene thrive, it is another reminder of the challenges facing local businesses.

*Both Raaz and Masala Odyssey have been contacted for comment. This story will be updated with any responses received.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/23/michelin-dream-ends-as-chef-leaves-raaz-after-six-months/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/23/michelin-dream-ends-as-chef-leaves-raaz-after-six-months/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Michelin%20dream%20ends%20as%20chef%20leaves%20Raaz%20after%20six%20months&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/23/michelin-dream-ends-as-chef-leaves-raaz-after-six-months/)

**Categories:** Business, Restaurants, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Lower Richmond Road, Masala Odyssey, Putney High Street, Raaz, Restaurants

---

### [Putney High Street loses Revital as health retail collapses](https://putney.news/2025/12/23/putney-high-street-loses-revital-as-health-retail-collapses/)

**Published:** December 23, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Second specialist closure in four months leaves residents travelling to King's Road.

**Content:**

Health supplement retailer Revital has closed its Putney High Street shop, leaving residents dependent on financially troubled Holland & Barrett for specialist supplements and vitamins.

The closure over the weekend adds to a deepening retail crisis on this stretch of the High Street, where half the units now stand empty or boarded up. Revital’s departure follows Eastern Natural Care’s September closure, eliminating two specialist health retailers within four months.

Signs posted in Revital’s windows direct customers to branches in King’s Road Chelsea or Richmond, both requiring significant travel from Putney. For specialist supplements, Chinese herbs, or holistic health products, residents now face either lengthy journeys or reliance on Holland & Barrett at 99-101 Putney High Street.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/revival-closed-768x1024.png)#### Holland & Barrett’s precarious position

That dependence carries its own risks. Holland & Barrett has lost £186.7 million over the past three years despite growing sales, according to company filings. The chain reported a £61.8 million pre-tax loss for the year ending September 2024, its third consecutive annual loss.

The retailer is owned by LetterOne, the investment vehicle founded by sanctioned Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman. While Fridman stepped down from the board after UK and EU sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he retains a frozen shareholding in the parent company.

The company has invested heavily in store renovations and new products, driving sales growth but deepening losses.

#### Pattern of decline

The health retail contraction reflects a broader collapse on this section of the High Street. An eight-unit stretch near Revital now contains four closed, closing or boarded-up properties, one charity shop, one newsagent, and two hairdressers.

The vacant or closing units represent every commercial retail business on that stretch. What survives are charity shops operating on minimal rent, essential services like newsagents that cannot be replaced online, and personal service businesses like hairdressers requiring physical presence.

Eastern Natural Care, which offered acupuncture, massage and Chinese medicine at 71 Putney High Street, closed in September after struggling for some time. The property is now fully boarded up, including first-floor windows, as a defensive measure against squatters.

> [Mixed fortunes on Putney High Street as new openings counter squatter crisis](https://putney.news/2025/09/05/mixed-fortunes-on-putney-high-street-as-new-openings-counter-squatter-crisis/)

#### Broader retail crisis

The closures occur against a backdrop of accelerating UK retail contraction. An estimated 15,000 stores are expected to close in 2025, double the 7,325 closures recorded in 2024, according to research firm Coresight Research.

Health and wellness retail faces particular pressure. Beauty chain stores and pharmacies have been among the hardest hit sectors.

Revital operates approximately 30 stores nationally. The company, founded in 1990, specialises in natural health products, vitamins, supplements and organic foods. Its Putney branch had been a fixture on the High Street for years.

The loss of specialist retailers leaves Putney’s High Street increasingly dominated by chains, charity shops, and vacant properties, reflecting a transformation in how residents access goods and services once routinely available locally.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/23/putney-high-street-loses-revital-as-health-retail-collapses/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/23/putney-high-street-loses-revital-as-health-retail-collapses/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Putney%20High%20Street%20loses%20Revital%20as%20health%20retail%20collapses&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/23/putney-high-street-loses-revital-as-health-retail-collapses/)

**Categories:** Health, Save the High Street, Thamesfield

**Tags:** Eastern Natural Care, health stores, High Street decline, Holland &amp; Barrett, Putney High Street, retail closures, Revital

---

### [Vintage buses offer free rides on Christmas Day](https://putney.news/2025/12/23/vintage-buses-offer-free-rides-on-christmas-day/)

**Published:** December 23, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Route 430 service runs every 30 minutes between Roehampton and Putney Bridge.

**Content:**

A free vintage bus service will run on Christmas Day between Roehampton and Putney Bridge, offering residents the only public transport option when regular buses, trains and tubes take the day off.

The service, staffed by volunteers from 1950s Vintage Bus Hire and The London Bus Museum, will operate every 30 minutes from 09:30 to 15:30 from Roehampton, and 10:00 to 16:00 from Putney Bridge. The buses will stop at all regular Route 430 stops along the way.

This year’s service will be slightly reduced. Organiser Richard Shirley, who has driven every year for the past eight years, snapped a tendon in his leg and is unable to join the volunteers. The fleet will run with one fewer bus and include an hour-long gap around lunchtime.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/vintage-bus-74-full.jpg)#### A Christmas tradition since 2017

Shirley launched the service in 2017 as a way to give back to the community whilst promoting his vintage bus hire business. The service has grown steadily over the years, expanding from hourly departures to every 20 minutes last year when three buses were needed to meet demand. Some journeys ran fully loaded, with nearly 500 trips made on a single Christmas Day.

The Putney and Roehampton route holds special meaning for Shirley, who grew up in Fulham where his father was a Church of England priest and his mother a primary school teacher. “I had a sense of public service,” he [told PutneySW15](http://www.putneysw15.com/info/convinatgebus001.htm) back in 2017. “I have had an affection and affinity for the Putney and Roehampton area ever since making childhood trips by bus from Fulham to Putney Heath or Richmond Park.”

Now living near Kingston Hill, Shirley is a transport professional with a degree in Transport Planning and Management and has worked in the industry since 1986. He holds a PCV licence and has driven vintage London buses as far as New Zealand, California and Sri Lanka.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/vintage-bus-74.jpg)#### The buses themselves

The service uses two classic London Transport buses from the 1950s: a red RT double-decker and a Routemaster. The RT buses were the standard London double-decker of the 1950s, with over 7,000 built between 1939 and 1979. They famously appeared in the 1963 film “Summer Holiday” starring Cliff Richard, and feature a swept-back art deco-style front and open rear platform.

Both buses have 9.6-litre six-cylinder diesel engines developing 125 horsepower, with a maximum speed of 40mph. They’re maintained to modern safety standards under a Public Service Vehicle Operator’s Licence, with thorough safety checks every 10 weeks.

The service is completely free, run purely by volunteers who give up their Christmas Day to help people visit pubs, churches, friends and family, or simply enjoy a walk by the river or in Richmond Park. “It’s Christmas Day and the journey’s on us,” the website says.

![430 vintage bus route](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Route-430-Map-Christmas-Day-1024x858.jpg)#### Christmas Day 2025 timetable

**From Roehampton to Putney Bridge**

Buses depart Roehampton Danebury Avenue at: 09:30, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, then **13:00** (one hour gap), 13:30, 14:00, 14:30, 15:00, 15:30

TimeRoehampton Danebury AveRoehampton Medfield StDover House RdPutney Leisure CentrePutney StationPutney Bridge StationMorning09:3009:3309:3509:4109:4509:5010:0010:0310:0510:1110:1510:2010:3010:3310:3510:4110:4510:5011:0011:0311:0511:1111:1511:2011:3011:3311:3511:4111:4511:5012:0012:0312:0512:1112:1512:20**Lunch gap****13:00****13:03****13:05****13:11****13:15****13:20**Afternoon13:3013:3313:3513:4113:4513:5014:0014:0314:0514:1114:1514:2014:3014:3314:3514:4114:4514:5015:0015:0315:0515:1115:1515:2015:3015:3315:3515:4115:4515:50**From Putney Bridge to Roehampton**

Buses depart Putney Bridge Station at: 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, then **13:30** (one hour gap), 14:00, 14:30, 15:00, 15:30, 16:00

TimePutney Bridge StationPutney StationPutney Leisure CentreDover House RdRoehampton Medfield StRoehampton Danebury AveMorning10:0010:0510:0910:1510:1710:2010:3010:3510:3910:4510:4710:5011:0011:0511:0911:1511:1711:2011:3011:3511:3911:4511:4711:5012:0012:0512:0912:1512:1712:2012:3012:3512:3912:4512:4712:50**Lunch gap****13:30****13:35****13:39****13:45****13:47****13:50**Afternoon14:0014:0514:0914:1514:1714:2014:3014:3514:3914:4514:4714:5015:0015:0515:0915:1515:1715:2015:3015:3515:3915:4515:4715:5016:0016:0516:0916:1516:1716:20The buses are not fully accessible and children’s buggies will need to be folded before boarding, though conductors will be on hand to help passengers.

![Vintage bus](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/vintage-bus-fulham.jpg)Full timetables and route maps are available at [1950s-vintage-bus-hire.co.uk/Christmas-430](https://1950s-vintage-bus-hire.co.uk/Christmas-430).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/23/vintage-buses-offer-free-rides-on-christmas-day/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/23/vintage-buses-offer-free-rides-on-christmas-day/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Vintage%20buses%20offer%20free%20rides%20on%20Christmas%20Day&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/23/vintage-buses-offer-free-rides-on-christmas-day/)

**Categories:** Community, Roehampton, Things to do, Transport

**Tags:** Christmas, Putney Bridge, Roehampton, Route 430, Transport, Vintage buses, Volunteers

---

### [Four businesses transform Replingham Road as Southfields high street enters new year](https://putney.news/2025/12/22/four-businesses-transform-replingham-road-as-southfields-high-street-enters-new-year/)

**Published:** December 22, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** French deli Chanteroy takes over long-empty bank while Chapter 2 brings elevated Indian dining.

**Content:**

Replingham Road is heading into the new year with a wave of new businesses taking over long-empty units, led by the expansion of beloved French deli [Chanteroy](https://www.chanteroy-online.co.uk/) into the old Barclays Bank.

The bank branch closed several years ago and has sat empty since, becoming a familiar eyesore on the Southfields shopping street. The old Barclays site was [among those considered](https://putney.news/2025/05/09/lidl-to-open-new-store-in-southfields-as-part-of-major-uk-expansion/) when Lidl announced expansion plans earlier this year, but it is Chanteroy that has secured the unit. Fit-out work is now underway behind the new glass frontage, with the deli planning to open a second location in the new year.

Chanteroy has built a devoted following since opening its French deli near Southfields station on Wimbledon Park Road, with queues regularly stretching out the door at lunchtime. The tiny shop is known for its freshly baked baguettes, pastries and French provisions, and has earned what one reviewer called “the French community’s seal of approval” for its authentic offering. The larger Replingham Road premises will give the business considerably more space than its current cramped quarters.

![Chapter 2 on Replingham Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/chapter2-replingham-1024x768.png)#### Balti bonanza

Further along the road, Chapter 2 has opened at 197-199 Replingham Road, bringing elevated South Indian cuisine to a site with its own culinary history. The restaurant is an evolution of [The Biryani Centre](https://thebiryanicentre.co.uk/), a family business that started during lockdown when founder Radhika Kamaraj began selling home-cooked food on Facebook.

What began with 10 orders quickly grew to 40 within a week, and the family eventually opened a permanent location in New Malden. Chapter 2 represents a new direction, with a five-course tasting menu, cocktails, and interiors featuring salvaged Chettinad tiles and reclaimed furniture. The site was previously home to Sarkhel’s, the well-regarded restaurant run by a former head chef of Bombay Brasserie.

Chapter 2 opened about a week ago, with renovation work continuing inside. This should be a great addition to the cluster of shops at the far end of Replingham.

![The Studio SW18 on Replingham Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/193-replingham-1024x768.png)#### Light and space

At 193 Replingham Road, [The Studio SW18](https://www.thestudiosw18.com/) is preparing to open. The unit, previously a Pilates studio, will become a light-filled space for photoshoots, content creation and small workshops. The website promises a “warm, neutral, thoughtfully styled space” for creators, small brands, photographers and workshop hosts, with uses ranging from branding shoots and product photography to baby massage classes and community sessions. The business is currently taking early access sign-ups ahead of its opening.

![TheStudioSW18 on Replingham Road](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/thestudiosw18-replingham-768x1024.png)#### Surely soon?

And then there is the never-ending saga of the Italian Deli & Café at number 3. The corner unit at the Merton Road end of Replingham Road has been through multiple false starts over the years, with various signs of activity followed by renewed stagnation. The latest chapter: the fence has been repositioned from the side to the front, the window is now fully boarded up, and a fresh “rent/sell” sign has appeared. Whether this renewed activity will finally bring someone into the space remains to be seen.

![3 Replingham Road - the Italian deli has been closed for years](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/3-replingham-italian-cafe-1024x768.png)For a high street that has seen its share of empty units, four spaces changing hands simultaneously feels like genuine momentum heading into 2025.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/22/four-businesses-transform-replingham-road-as-southfields-high-street-enters-new-year/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/22/four-businesses-transform-replingham-road-as-southfields-high-street-enters-new-year/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Four%20businesses%20transform%20Replingham%20Road%20as%20Southfields%20high%20street%20enters%20new%20year&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/22/four-businesses-transform-replingham-road-as-southfields-high-street-enters-new-year/)

**Categories:** Business, Southfields

**Tags:** Chanteroy, Chapter 2, French deli, High Street, Local business, new openings, Replingham Road, Southfields, The Biryani Centre, The Studio SW18

---

### [Is it time to tackle the Putney Puddle?](https://putney.news/2025/12/22/is-it-time-to-tackle-the-putney-puddle/)

**Published:** December 22, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Yes, we're talking about the Sainsbury's on Werter Road. 20 years is long enough.

**Content:**

As we come to the end of another year, it’s a good time to reflect on what has changed and what hasn’t over the past 12 months.

Time is a funny thing. Many things seem urgent; the annual repetition of some things serve as comforting placeholders. And then there are the issues that never go away. That act as a mild irritant, never quite enough to drive you to dedicate time to fixing it but which slowly, gradually wear away at you, gnawing at the soul until it gets to a point where it is no longer a small inconvenience but a symbol of something much greater and worse. Yes, we’re talking about the Putney Puddle.

For two decades, a puddle outside Sainsbury’s on Werter Road has been forcing Putney pedestrians to choose between soaked feet and stepping into traffic. The drain’s in the wrong place. Everyone knows it. Nobody fixes it.

Allan Manham has had enough. “The huge puddle that forms every time there is an appreciable amount of rain,” he told *Putney.news*, adding: “For at least the last 20 years.”

> “It is impossible to cross for pedestrians who have the choice of either getting soaked in the attempt or risk life and limb by skirting around it in the road.”

Allan has tried everything. He’s reported it to Sainsbury’s. He’s reported it to the council. He’s tried Fix My Street. Nothing works.

The problem, it seems, is that nobody can decide whose problem it is.

![The Putney Puddle](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/putney-puddle-768x1024.png)#### The jurisdictional mystery

Is the drain on council highway land or Sainsbury’s private property? The basic principle sounds simple: property owners handle drainage within their boundaries, councils handle public highways. But a puddle at a car park entrance sits infuriatingly in the grey zone.

A 2011 law change was supposed to end this confusion. It didn’t.

Meanwhile, Allan and his neighbours have spent 20 years getting wet feet.

#### It could be worse

Before we despair completely, it is worth knowing that drainage disputes can get considerably more absurd.

In Somerset last year, 101-year-old Sheila Nicholls and her elderly neighbours were told by their council to fix 21 potholes themselves. The council’s reasoning? The lane is a “public right of way, not a public road,” so responsibility is “complex” and requires a “shared approach to maintenance.”

Six people had fallen. Two ended up in hospital. The average age of residents is 79. One neighbour asked the obvious question: “How can you tell a 101-year-old to fill their own potholes?”

At least Allan’s not being asked to reposition the drain himself.

Then there’s the cautionary tale from Essex, where Philip and Denise New fought their neighbours for 11 years over six inches of disputed land. The cost? £60,000. They had to remortgage their home. One solicitor noted that while people can litigate over tiny strips of land, “it is usually economic madness to do so.”

A 20-year puddle over a wrongly positioned drain? That’s practically reasonable by comparison.

#### The Putney Puddle

Which brings us back to Werter Road and the fundamental question: whose job is it?

Wandsworth Council’s highways team because pedestrians are being forced into the road? Sainsbury’s property managers because it’s their car park entrance? Should someone just check the boundary line and settle this?

If you’ve dealt with similar nobody’s-problem drainage disputes, or if you know how responsibility actually works here, let us know in the comments, or email us at .

Until someone claims it, Putney pedestrians will keep choosing between wet shoes and dodging traffic.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/22/is-it-time-to-tackle-the-putney-puddle/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/22/is-it-time-to-tackle-the-putney-puddle/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Is%20it%20time%20to%20tackle%20the%20Putney%20Puddle%3F&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/22/is-it-time-to-tackle-the-putney-puddle/)

**Categories:** Community, Thamesfield

**Tags:** council responsibility, drainage disputes, Sainsbury's Putney, Werter Road

---

### [Met won't say if Wandsworth police station will close](https://putney.news/2025/12/21/met-wont-say-if-wandsworth-police-station-will-close/)

**Published:** December 21, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Force promised in October to keep Lavender Hill open but new estate strategy makes no mention of station.

**Content:**

The Met promised in October to keep the only public police desk in Wandsworth open – but two months later won’t confirm whether the Lavender Hill police station closure is still planned.

This week, London’s police force [outlined](https://www.london.gov.uk/new-estate-strategy-set-outs-plan-put-neighbourhood-policing-heart-londons-communities) a new neighbourhood policing plan that promised officers will be available within a 20-minute walk of every London community, and talked about the creation of 40 new policing hubs.

But even before the ink was dry, the plan was dead. The Met’s estate strategy is short £1.7 billion having secured only 30% of the money it needs, and the funding gap raises serious questions about what can actually be delivered.

It means the Met must prioritise basic maintenance over improvements. As a result, better victim spaces, enhanced training facilities, and a new emergency response base for southwest London have been delayed.

#### The Lavender Hill police station closure question

In October, Superintendent Gani Rajan told the Wandsworth Safer Neighbourhood Board the station was “earmarked for closure” as part of a Met plan to shut 18 of 38 front counters across London. He said the “proposal is not yet finalised.”

Eleven days later, after an outcry from both the public and political representatives, [we reported](https://putney.news/2025/10/19/met-chief-confirms-wandsworths-last-police-counter-will-remain-open/) the Met chief confirmed the station would in fact stay open. But this week, the Met’s estate strategy makes no mention of Lavender Hill.

It does list buildings confirmed for disposal: Notting Hill, Enfield, Teddington, Kings Cross Road, Holloway and Stratford – and the good news is that Lavender Hill is not among them. But it does not confirm Lavender Hill is saved either.

Instead, there is general language about front counters and, notably, that the force is “still working through the detailed design for the new Front Counter model.” In his own remarks to the December Wandsworth Safer Neighbourhood Board, Superintendent Rajan used the same terminology: carefully avoided saying one way or another whether the police station would remain open to the public.

If the Lavender Hill police station closure goes ahead, residents must travel to Kingston or Lambeth for the nearest police station. Kingston operates on reduced hours. The Met offers alternatives: external phones for 101/999, video appointments, and “diary car” visits.

The station building would remain open for police use, with response teams operating from Wimbledon, and safer neighbourhood teams based in Earlsfield. For Putney in particular, it’s a policing desert.

> [Met chief confirms Wandsworth’s last police counter will remain open](https://putney.news/2025/10/19/met-chief-confirms-wandsworths-last-police-counter-will-remain-open/)

#### Mixed crime picture across borough

Crime in Wandsworth has gone [up in some areas and down in others](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Safer-Neighbourhood-Board-Public-reports-pack-09122025-1830-Safer-Neighbourhood-Board.pdf) \[pdf\]. Between August and October 2025, burglary fell 13% year-on-year to 448 offences, and Wandsworth ranked 10th among London boroughs.

But violence against the person increased 3.3% to 1,928 incidents, sexual offences rose 23.7% to 210 cases, and theft from motor vehicles jumped 28.7% month-on-month to 514 offences despite a 12% annual decrease.

Superintendent Rajan attributed the violence increase to shoplifting and phone theft in Nine Elms, violence in King George’s Park, and motor vehicle crime. He reported shoplifting had fallen 25% in the four weeks prior to the October board meeting following targeted operations.

Ward panel chairs across Wandsworth meanwhile have raised concerns about police visibility and [resource pressures affecting local policing](https://putney.news/2025/10/10/overstretched-east-putney-police-admit-theyre-powerless-to-stop-thefts/). West Putney recorded 37 shifts lost to 21 abstractions between July and the October meeting. Southfields is running with just one PC and one PCSO, both managing medical issues.

> [You can’t walk into a police station in Wandsworth anymore](https://putney.news/2025/07/19/you-cant-walk-into-a-police-station-in-wandsworth-anymore/)

#### Independent review questions reform progress

Meanwhile, an [independent reviewer](https://fairfieldindependentreview.org.uk/) will assess whether the Met has reformed. Baroness Casey’s 2023 report found institutional racism, misogyny, and homophobia.

Dr Gillian Fairfield will examine progress against Casey’s recommendations and report in summer 2026. Her appointment, announced last week, came one day before the estate strategy publication.

Mayor Sadiq Khan is behind part of the drive and noted that “recent Panorama and Dr Daniels’ Report highlighted still long way to go” despite the Met’s claims of progress. He wants the force to “accelerate pace of reform.”

The Met [says](https://www.london.gov.uk/mayor-london-and-metropolitan-police-commissioner-announce-details-follow-progress-review-following) it has removed 1,500 officers for misconduct. Internal reports have tripled from 400 to 1,400. Vetting refusal rates have doubled since 2020-21. Surveys show 74% of Londoners trust the Met, up from 72%.

But the gap between progress claims and the need for independent verification mirrors the contradiction over Lavender Hill: official assurances undermined by continuing uncertainty in practice.

The Fairfield Review will call for evidence in January 2026. Victims, officers, staff, community groups, and the public can share experiences confidentially. Dr Fairfield promised a review “without fear or favour” that will be “ruthless in its approach.”

Baroness Casey’s original review included a warning that if insufficient progress is made, “more radical, structural options, such as dividing up the Met into national, specialist and London responsibilities, should be considered.”

#### What the funding gap means

The £1.7 billion funding gap affects many Met operations. The force has cut buildings from 620 in 2010 to 200 today. This generated £1 billion in receipts and £70 million in annual savings. The money was reinvested in officer numbers.

Half of remaining buildings are below acceptable standards. The [Estate Strategy](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-35-Estate-Strategy.pdf) \[pdf\] notes that government spending per square metre on Civil Service offices is nearly double what the Met receives for its facilities.

The 40 neighbourhood policing hubs promised within three years would use existing buildings, and the Met plans to partner with councils and the Greater London Authority. But only 30% of capital funding has been secured and so it remains unclear how many hubs will be delivered.

The strategy lists continuing disposals including Notting Hill, Enfield, Teddington, and Kings Cross Road (all closed since 2017 but only recently decommissioned), plus future sales of Holloway and Stratford once replacement facilities complete at Forest Gate and Kentish Town.

The Met describes the strategy as delivering a “realistic, achievable plan” within current funding constraints, with more ambitious improvements dependent on securing additional resources that have not yet been committed.

For Wandsworth residents, the situation is confusing. Funding is uncertain. Crime is mixed but rising. The station’s status is unclear. The Casey review will examine whether neighbourhood policing reforms are real or just promises.

And serving as a symbol of the whole uncertainty around police services, and what is going to happen sits our only police station with a front counter. The Lavender Hill police station closure question remains unresolved despite October’s assurances, with the Met making no mention of the station’s status in its December estate strategy publication. We don’t know, the Met doesn’t know, who does know?

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/21/met-wont-say-if-wandsworth-police-station-will-close/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/21/met-wont-say-if-wandsworth-police-station-will-close/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Met%20won%E2%80%99t%20say%20if%20Wandsworth%20police%20station%20will%20close&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/21/met-wont-say-if-wandsworth-police-station-will-close/)

**Categories:** Crime

**Tags:** Casey Review, estate strategy, Lavender Hill Police Station, Metropolitan Police, neighbourhood policing, police funding, police reform, police station closures, public safety, Wandsworth Council, Wandsworth Safer Neighbourhood Board

---

### [New bistro and wine bar opens on Lower Richmond Road](https://putney.news/2025/12/21/new-bistro-and-wine-bar-opens-on-lower-richmond-road/)

**Published:** December 21, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Ruth's brings seafood dishes and by-the-glass wines to Putney.

**Content:**

A new bistro and wine bar has just opened on Lower Richmond Road, bringing seafood-focused British cooking and a focused wine list to Putney. Ruth’s occupies the former Blades site at number 94.

The restaurant is led by Ed Baillieu, who grew up in Putney, and Callum Ross from New Zealand. Baillieu previously worked at The Hero, Kitty Fisher’s and Pitt Cue, while Ross comes from the Camberwell Arms. According to [Hot Dinners](https://www.hot-dinners.com/2025112714679/Gastroblog/Latest-news/ruths-putney-restaurant-bar-opening-london), Baillieu conceived Ruth’s as “a neighbourhood restaurant that people can pop into regularly.”

Ruth’s Putney seats 40 across two rooms. The front room functions as a bar for walk-ins, while the back dining room offers candlelit evening service.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ruths-door-768x1024.png)#### What to expect at Ruth’s Putney

The bistro focuses on seafood-heavy British cooking. Bar snacks include oysters, fried pickled mussels, and sardines on toast. Starters range from chicken liver parfait and smoked mackerel pate to grilled langoustines and cured trout.

Mains cost between £22 and £65, including cheese and onion pie, wild seabass, megrim sole, and bone-in sirloin. Sides include Brussels sprouts, roasted pumpkin, and leeks.

Desserts feature grilled lemon tart, banana split, Christmas trifle, and a carrot cake ice cream sandwich.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ruths-signage-1024x768.png)#### Wine and drinks

The wine list focuses on French wines from Burgundy, Champagne, Languedoc-Roussillon, Jura, and the Rhône Valley. Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Greek wines also feature. What is notable is that most wines are available by the glass, encouraging tasting rather than committing to full bottles. Glasses start at £6, with bottles ranging from £36 to £120.

Cocktails cost £8-10, including an enzoni and a margarita with chilli and cucumber. There’s also a custom Deya lager and Guinness. A discretionary 12.5% service charge applies.

Ruth’s is open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday and lunch and dinner Sunday, closed Mondays. The restaurant will close for Christmas on December 23 and reopen on January 3. The site at 94 Lower Richmond Road was [previously occupied by Blades, which closed earlier this year](https://putney.news/2025/11/29/lower-richmond-road-sees-wave-of-change-as-beloved-italian-closes-and-new-bar-prepares-to-open/).

For Lower Richmond Road, Ruth’s arrival creates an emerging wine destination cluster. Just weeks ago, [The Wine Escape opened behind Ground Coffee Society](https://putney.news/2025/12/03/putneys-new-secret-wine-bar-hides-behind-ground-coffee-society/), offering rare wines in an intimate bookings-only space. Now Ruth’s Putney brings bistro cooking and a wine program focused on by-the-glass availability to the same stretch of road. Whether they complement each other or compete, wine lovers benefit either way.

*Putney.news will review Ruth’s in the coming weeks.*

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ruths-outside-1024x768.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/21/new-bistro-and-wine-bar-opens-on-lower-richmond-road/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/21/new-bistro-and-wine-bar-opens-on-lower-richmond-road/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=New%20bistro%20and%20wine%20bar%20opens%20on%20Lower%20Richmond%20Road&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/21/new-bistro-and-wine-bar-opens-on-lower-richmond-road/)

**Categories:** Restaurants, Thamesfield

**Tags:** bistro, Lower Richmond Road, new restaurant opening, Putney restaurants, Ruth's Putney

---

### [Court grants injunction against Fownes Street tenant after year of threats and intimidation](https://putney.news/2025/12/20/court-grants-injunction-against-fownes-street-tenant-after-year-of-threats-and-intimidation/)

**Published:** December 20, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Wandsworth Council secured emergency court order after months of resident complaints.

**Content:**

A court has granted Wandsworth Council an injunction against a Fownes Street tenant following a hearing that heard evidence of threats to kill neighbours’ children, knife throwing, and climbing on the outside of the building.

The without-notice hearing on Tuesday 16 December at Wandsworth County Court resulted in an order prohibiting Kevin Stratford from engaging in anti-social behaviour (ASB). The injunction was served on Thursday 18 December.

The judge cited “a large body of evidence pointing to anti-social behaviour” and found the behaviour “incredibly disruptive” to residents of the six-flat building at 3 Fownes Street.

The court heard the case without the defendant present – known as a “without-notice” hearing – an unusual step that requires exceptional circumstances. In normal proceedings, defendants must be informed and given the opportunity to attend and present their case. The court proceeded without notice due to concerns about potential repercussions against neighbours, given the serious nature of the allegations.

While the judge approved prohibitions on specific behaviours, he declined to order the immediate removal of dogs from the property, citing case law (Moat Housing Group-South Ltd v Harris \[2005\]) establishing that intrusive orders should only be made without notice in exceptional circumstances. A further hearing has been scheduled for early January 2026, when the defendant will be present to respond to the allegations and the court will consider additional measures, including the dog removal requirement. The injunction remains in effect until 16 December 2026 unless revoked.

Within hours of the injunction being served on Thursday, residents reported yelling and screaming at the property. Further disturbances were reported on Friday. The incidents coincided with the release from prison of Lee Preston, Stratford’s partner and someone residents told *Putney.news* is “the most disruptive and dangerous individual involved.” Preston’s status in relation to the injunction remains unclear.

The January hearing will determine whether additional measures, including dog removal, will be imposed. The court will hear from the defendant for the first time. Residents have been asked to document incidents and report them to authorities.

> [They learned nothing: Council repeats failures months after promising change](https://putney.news/2025/12/03/they-learned-nothing-council-repeats-failures-months-after-promising-change/)

#### A year of documented incidents

The injunction comes after residents documented over 30 police callouts to the address since January 2025, including incidents of:

- Violent door-banging requiring police intervention in April
- A broken window during the night while a mother and child slept in July
- Physical assault on a female neighbour
- Hands being poked through letterboxes
- Climbing building exteriors with weapons

Authorities had repeatedly told residents they needed “more evidence” despite extensive video footage, police reference numbers, and witness statements [documented in previous Putney.news coverage](https://putney.news/2025/12/03/they-learned-nothing-council-repeats-failures-months-after-promising-change/).

The council closed the ASB Case Review in September 2025, marking actions as “completed” – including CCTV deployment. However, documented incidents continued. The camera wasn’t actually installed until late October and was immediately found to be obstructed by foliage.

The action comes after *Putney.news* contacted the council, Metropolitan Police, and local MP Marsha de Cordova with detailed questions about their handling of the case. MP Marsha de Cordova had previously written to residents stating that Housing Officer John Thompson had been “actioning injunctions on the culprits” and that a temporary CCTV camera had been deployed, though [residents were not notified of its installation](https://putney.news/2025/12/05/my-kids-so-scared-as-man-prowls-property-while-council-blames-police-police-blame-council/) until after they filed a formal complaint.

---

***Case Details:** The Mayor & Burgesses of the London Borough of Wandsworth vs Mr Kevin Stratford (Case reference: M02WT125). Deputy District Judge Davis presiding at Wandsworth County Court and Family Court, 16 December 2025.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/20/court-grants-injunction-against-fownes-street-tenant-after-year-of-threats-and-intimidation/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/20/court-grants-injunction-against-fownes-street-tenant-after-year-of-threats-and-intimidation/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Court%20grants%20injunction%20against%20Fownes%20Street%20tenant%20after%20year%20of%20threats%20and%20intimidation&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/20/court-grants-injunction-against-fownes-street-tenant-after-year-of-threats-and-intimidation/)

**Categories:** Crime

**Tags:** Anti-social behaviour, Fownes Street, Kevin Stratford, Lee Preston, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Good morning – it's finally here. Christmas in Putney](https://putney.news/2025/12/20/good-morning-christmas-in-putney-is-finally-here/)

**Published:** December 20, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Pantos, festive dining, winter walks, and everything happening in SW15 over the holidays.

**Content:**

The rest of the schools broke up yesterday, most of you have wrapped up work proper until the new year, and now it begins. That glorious stretch between finishing work and tucking into turkey. The kids are bouncing off the walls with excitement, last-minute shopping lists are being scribbled, and if you haven’t put up your Christmas lights yet – what are you waiting for?

If you’re staying in Putney for the holidays, you’re in luck. There’s plenty happening right on your doorstep, from spectacular pantomimes to riverside walks, cosy pub quizzes to winter funfairs. Time to stock up on decent wine, find a good book, wrap up warm, and embrace Christmas in Putney.

We’ve rounded up everything happening over the next fortnight – your complete guide to making the most of Christmas in Putney.

![Putney at Christmas](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/putney-at-christmas-1024x683.png)### Christmas in Putney: your complete guide

#### The pantos are in full swing

Let’s start with the main event. Four brilliant pantomimes are running right now, including one just up the road at Putney Arts Theatre.

**Peter Pan-to at Putney Arts Theatre** wraps up this Sunday – and tonight’s 7:45pm performance is your last chance to catch it. Putney Theatre Company’s production promises catchy songs, hilarious hijinks, and plenty of “Oh no he isn’t!” fun as Peter Pan, Wendy, and the Lost Boys battle Captain Hook and his pesky pirates.

The value is exceptional – under 12s just £5, adults £18. For a proper night out without the West End price tag, this is your ticket. Walking distance for local residents, which means no trek home with over-excited children hopped up on ice cream.

**Final tickets available for Saturday 7:45pm** – Sunday performances are sold out.

[Book tickets at Putney Arts Theatre](https://www.putneyartstheatre.org.uk/event-6269887) or call 020 8788 6943.

If you fancy something bigger, **Robin Hood** is at New Wimbledon Theatre (featuring Marcus Collins from The Voice UK) and **Cinderella** is at Richmond Theatre (starring Helen George from Call the Midwife and Basil Brush – yes, really). Both run through to 4 January, so plenty of time to catch them over the holidays.

For the little ones, Polka Theatre in Wimbledon has **The Snowflake** – a gentler alternative to traditional panto, perfect for very young children. Running until 18 January.

[See all the panto details on our Christmas page](https://putney.news/christmas/)

![Putney at Christmas Panto](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/putney-at-christmas-panto-1024x683.png)#### What’s on this week

If you’re still hunting for that perfect gift, the **[BobCat Gallery Winter Boutique](https://putney.news/event/bobcat-gallery-winter-boutique/)** in Putney Exchange Shopping Centre runs until 27 December – a festive emporium of art and gifts all month long.

Tomorrow morning, join the **[Walk and Talk Movement on Putney Heath](https://putney.news/event/walk-and-talk-movement-putney-heath/2025-12-20/)** – meeting at the Green Man at 10:30am for a friendly community Christmas in Putney walk. All ages and abilities welcome, and it’s free. Perfect way to work off the mince pies and get some fresh air before the next round of festivities.

Throughout the week there are pub quizzes aplenty. [Sunday night at the Prince of Wales](https://putney.news/event/pub-quiz-the-prince-of-wales/2025-12-21/) (£2 entry, hosted by the inimitable Alex Donald). [Tuesday at The Jolly Gardeners](https://putney.news/event/quiz-night-at-the-jolly-gardeners-2/2025-12-23/). Wednesday [comedy nights at The Railway](https://putney.news/event/comedy-inc-at-the-railway/2025-12-24/) if you fancy a laugh instead. And if you’re feeling particularly festive, there’s [live music at The Railway](https://putney.news/event/live-music-at-the-railway/2025-12-19/) every Friday from 9:30pm.

On Christmas Eve, the **[Roehampton Community Shed](https://putney.news/event/roehampton-community-shed/2025-12-24/)** is open 11am-3pm – a wonderful weekly group for over 60s to meet and work on projects together. Just £1, 5 Portswood Place, Roehampton.

#### After Christmas

Once you’ve survived the big day, **[George Irvin’s Winter Fun-Fair](https://putney.news/event/george-irvins-winter-fun-fair-at-clapham-common/) arrives at Clapham Common** from 27 December through to 4 January. Free entry with reduced ride prices – ideal for burning off cabin fever with the kids.

New Year’s Eve, **[The Arab Boy has live music](https://putney.news/event/new-years-eve-live-music-at-the-arab-boy/)** from 9:30pm to see in 2026 properly.

And if you’re already thinking ahead to January (we won’t judge), BobCat Gallery in Putney Exchange Shopping Centre has a gorgeous **[(IM)Material Exhibition](https://putney.news/event/immaterial-exhibition-at-bobcat-gallery/)** opening 6 January – a showcase of textile artworks running until 24 January.

[Browse all events on our What’s On calendar](https://putney.news/events/list/)

![Putney at Christmas pub](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/putney-at-christmas-pub-1024x683.png)#### Where to feast

Our Christmas dining guide has the lot – from riverside pubs like The Duke’s Head and The Boathouse to French elegance at Gazette Putney and Mediterranean warmth at Artisans of Sardinia. Whether you’re after a big family gathering or an intimate dinner for two, Putney’s restaurants and pubs have you covered.

Many places still have availability for Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve, but book soon if you haven’t already. Peak season means tables fill fast.

[See the complete Christmas dining guide](https://putney.news/christmas/)

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/putney-at-christmas-walk-1024x683.png)#### Wrap up and walk

The Thames Path is spectacular this time of year. Bundle up, grab a flask of something warming, and take a proper riverside walk. Putney Bridge to Barnes, Wandsworth Park to Battersea Park, or just a wander around Putney Heath – winter light on the river is something special.

And if you spot a robin, that’s basically Christmas law requiring you to take seventeen photos.

If you’ve got warm coats, new children’s pyjamas, or winter clothing you no longer need, several local charities are running Christmas appeals. Ernest & Larner on Upper Richmond Road is gathering new pyjamas for children in hospices and refuges, and Chestertons is running their annual coat drive.

Small acts multiply. One coat, one pair of pyjamas, one donation – together they make Christmas in Putney warmer for hundreds of people right here in our community.

[See all the ways to give back this Christmas](https://putney.news/christmas/)

However you’re spending the next fortnight – whether that’s multiple pantos, long lie-ins, elaborate feasts, or just finally getting through that stack of books – we hope it’s brilliant.

Merry Christmas from all of us at *Putney.news*. We’ll run some quick guides over the next few days, see what news there is out there – [feel free to send us tips ](https://putney.news/send-your-story/)– and do a wrap-up of the year in time for the end of 2025. See you on the other side.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/20/good-morning-christmas-in-putney-is-finally-here/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/20/good-morning-christmas-in-putney-is-finally-here/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Good%20morning%20%E2%80%93%20it%E2%80%99s%20finally%20here.%20Christmas%20in%20Putney&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/20/good-morning-christmas-in-putney-is-finally-here/)

**Categories:** Community, Things to do

**Tags:** Christmas, festive guide, pantomime, Putney events, SW15

---

### [Book review: In His Day wrestles with regret, class and saving your younger self](https://putney.news/2025/12/20/book-review-in-his-day-wrestles-with-regret-class-and-saving-your-younger-self/)

**Published:** December 20, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** O'Neill's debut, based in Putney, carries lived experience of working-class displacement in 1970s London.

**Content:**

*In His Day by John Francis O’Neill*

What if the only way to save yourself was to die for yourself? John Francis O’Neill’s [*In His Day*](https://www.amazon.co.uk/HIS-DAY-John-Francis-ONeill-ebook/dp/B0FR66X4M9) (Killrithmere Publishing, 2025) wrestles with this paradox through a time-travel story that carries the unmistakable weight of lived experience – both its greatest strength and, at times, its creative limitation.

Shay, a 52-year-old documentary maker, opens the novel planning his suicide in 2017. Instead, after collapsing on his childhood estate in Putney, he wakes in March 1976, encountering his eleven-year-old self as a separate person. Using falsified credentials, he infiltrates St. Michael’s Primary as a teacher. His realisation: being trapped in the past might offer its own solutions. When you know what’s coming: sporting results, property values, the trajectory of lives. Perhaps intervention becomes possible. The displacement he’s trying to prevent? The move from pleasant Kersfield Estate to the brutal World’s End high-rise in Chelsea, the moment he believes fractured everything.

#### A love letter to 1976

O’Neill’s recreation of 1976 is rendered with the specificity of someone who was there: slam-door trains, paper bus tickets, vintage cars with metal bumpers, pubs closing at 3pm, the word “racialist” instead of “racist.” When adult Shay shows a hotel receptionist his polymer £10 note featuring Jane Austen, her delight captures both the era’s technological innocence and O’Neill’s observational gifts.

![In His Day by John Francis O'Neill book cover](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/in-his-day-663x1024.png)

The novel is set in Putney and landmarks – still here and long gone – as well as streets, characters, sounds, memories and all else that makes up a place are rendered in detail.

The challenge is that this richness sometimes overwhelms the narrative. Pages pass in detailed cataloging: how milk floats had unshielded crates, how people smelled, the rhythm of television commercials, where story might be. It reads, at times, like someone determined to record every remembered detail before memory fades, with the novel shifting from scene to pure description and back again.

Yet the social observation carries authentic weight. The distinction between Kersfield Estate and World’s End isn’t about one being “posh”, both are council housing. It’s about the subtle gradations that could make or break a childhood: community versus isolation, dignity versus menace. When Young Shay pockets a sausage from a school trip meal because poverty has trained him to hoard food, the unglamorous specificity devastates.

The classroom sequences capture genuine teaching life. Adult Shay reading *The Goalkeeper’s Revenge* to ten and eleven-year-olds, watching them react to his “Data Bank” (smartphone) full of impossibilities, bullies Yarde and Baker tormenting Young Shay with “Trampus”. O’Neill knows this world intimately.

The prose operates in straightforward, declarative mode, often telling rather than showing. The structure follows memory’s episodic rhythm more than dramatic tension. Yet there’s power in this plainspoken honesty. O’Neill isn’t performing poverty; he’s reporting it, and that authenticity carries weight even when the sentences themselves don’t soar.

#### Time to travel

The contemplative pacing asks patience. Philosophical questions about fate and paradox (Will I cease to exist? What if Young Shay becomes someone else?) circle back repeatedly. The time-travel mechanics stay wisely vague, but some conveniences strain belief: infiltrating a 1976 school with falsified references, carrying a smartphone without causing pandemonium, placing massive bets without scrutiny.

The relationship with Nicola, a young colleague, presents thornier territory. O’Neill seems aware of the problematic age gap (there’s awkwardness, hesitation) but she never quite becomes more than evidence of Shay’s improved state. It’s a limitation O’Neill seems conscious of but can’t quite resolve.

The final act carries genuine emotional weight. O’Neill resolves his protagonist’s journey with quiet inevitability. The logic of what must happen becomes clear even as the means remain stark. The epilogue reveals the altered timeline with restraint: a life lived differently, trauma erased, a teaching career. When sacrifice proves successful, O’Neill achieves something genuinely moving. It’s sentimental, yes, but earned.

#### The verdict

*In His Day* carries the weight of something that demanded to be written. O’Neill’s understanding of working-class displacement runs deep, his period detail is extraordinary, and his ending delivers genuine emotional impact. The craft hasn’t quite caught up to the vision: the prose leans functional, the structure follows memory more than dramatic necessity, the pacing asks considerable patience. But there’s value in stories told with this kind of unvarnished honesty.

For Putney residents, this offers invaluable social history wrapped in fiction. For everyone else, it’s an imperfect but authentic meditation on regret, class, and the persistent fantasy that we might save our younger selves. What it lacks in polish, it compensates for in heart. And sometimes that matters most.

![In  His Back back of book cover](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/in-his-day-back-1024x394.png)  Kieren McCarthy  

 ### Book Review: In His Day by John Francis O'Neill

 Book Review: In His Day by John Francis O'Neill 3.5 5 0 1 

An imperfect but heartfelt journey through working-class memory. Recommended for: Readers who value emotional authenticity over technical polish; fans of British social realism and working-class narratives; anyone interested in 1970s social history; those patient with reflective, memory-driven storytelling.

An imperfect but heartfelt journey through working-class memory. Recommended for: Readers who value emotional authenticity over technical polish; fans of British social realism and working-class narratives; anyone interested in 1970s social history; those patient with reflective, memory-driven storytelling.

  3.5/5 

 Total Score 

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/20/book-review-in-his-day-wrestles-with-regret-class-and-saving-your-younger-self/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/20/book-review-in-his-day-wrestles-with-regret-class-and-saving-your-younger-self/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Book%20review%3A%20In%20His%20Day%20wrestles%20with%20regret%2C%20class%20and%20saving%20your%20younger%20self&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/20/book-review-in-his-day-wrestles-with-regret-class-and-saving-your-younger-self/)

**Categories:** Culture, Review

**Tags:** 1970s London, book review, In His Day, John Francis O'Neill, Putney history

---

### [World-class opera training in a converted Wandsworth chapel](https://putney.news/2025/12/19/world-class-opera-training-in-a-converted-wandsworth-chapel/)

**Published:** December 19, 2025
**Author:** Clelia Frondaroli

**Excerpt:** National Opera Studio has launched over 600 careers - and offers free recitals to residents.

**Content:**

Tucked away in Chapel Yard off Wandsworth High Street, a small studio has launched more than 600 opera careers since 1978 – including singers now performing at the Royal Opera House and several honoured with OBEs and CBEs.

Nicky Spence, Susan Bullock, and Gerald Finley: opera fans know these names well. But what is less known, perhaps, is that they all began in the same place: the National Opera Studio (NOS).

Founded by the Arts Council to give Britain’s young opera talent elite training, NOS has brought talent to Wandsworth since 2003 when it moved from Morley College, Lambeth, to a converted chapel in The Clore – known as Memorial Hall.

Its cohort has also expanded beyond British talent. Now, artists from all over the world have taken part, with this year’s young artists a diverse mix of Welsh, Spanish, and Swedish nationalities.

Earning a spot is brutal: Of the 535 applications sent in this year, 75 will be asked to perform live in front of a panel of 20 casting directors from companies like the Royal Opera House.

Then, within a matter of days, just 12 singers and four repetiteurs (a collaborative pianist that specialises in opera) will be offered a place. News which Su Choung, a repetiteur currently on the programme, said was “an amazing surprise; I think I cried.”

![Alfonso Sanchez Perez and Su Choung at the National Opera Studio. Pic: Jennier Hawthorn.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/nos-pianist-pic-Jennifer-Hawthorn-1024x683.png)Alfonso Sanchez Perez and Su Choung at the National Opera Studio. Pic: Jennier Hawthorn.#### **Training for life**

The nine-month-long course offers opportunities unheard of in the world of opera. For one, the programme is free, where performers receive a monthly £1000 stipend and a £650 bursary to help with London living costs.

Young artists also receive four coaching sessions a day, with conductors visiting bi-weekly from one of NOS’ six partner companies: the English National Opera, Glyndebourne, Opera North, Royal Ballet & Opera, Scottish Opera and Welsh National Opera. Recording techniques, social media branding, and CV-building tools all form part of the curriculum which has helped shape the careers of artists.

Tomos Owen Jones, a tenor on the programme, said, “They really try to train you for life as a performer. So you also get training on things like psychology, attitude, and vocal health to help you prepare for a career in opera.”

For him, the financial support has also been invaluable. Without it, he believes, “I wouldn’t be able to afford to do this.”

The reason behind this, Eric Melear, NOS’s artistic director, explains is that artists of this ability should not be paying for training. Rather, NOS employs them and offers training to better their skills. He said, “We’re looking for people who have a distinctive voice, both physically and artistically. People who can make the most of this bridge into their career.”

![Jack Sandison and Georgia Melville pictured at the National Opera Studio. Pic: Jennier Hawthorn.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/nos-singers-pic-Jennifer-Hawthorn-1024x683.png)Jack Sandison and Georgia Melville pictured at the National Opera Studio. Pic: Jennier Hawthorn.#### **From Wandsworth to the world**

NOS’ legacy outshines its physical size. Apart from Nicholas (Nicky) Spence, the Scottish tenor who received an OBE in 2023 for his contributions to UK and international opera, famous alums include Gerald Finley, a Canadian bass-baritone singer, and British soprano Susan Bullock, a 2014 CBE recipient.

Two people from the first ever Young Artist group, Marie McLaughlan and Alexander Ingram, are also still coaches at the studio. As Peter Di Toro, NOS’ head of marketing, notes, “It’s just great to see that we have that relationship with them and they’re still working for us.”

#### **A community impact**

NOS has made a real difference in Wandsworth too. Their Wandsworth Wednesday recitals have run once a month – at lunchtime – for over four years now, offering residents a free opportunity to connect over live music. Although the hall has space for 28 visitors, sessions are popular and the next recital on January 6 has already sold out.

The feedback from the community, Melear said, has been overwhelmingly positive. “What I hear from visitors is that they’re just appreciative that they can walk a few minutes from their door and be exposed to great voices. To be able to present things at such a high level is a wonderful thing for our community.”

The studio has not only acted as a hub venue for the annual Wandsworth Arts Fringe but local schools have also benefitted from NOS’ training.

Most recently, Di Toro said NOS trained 300 schoolchildren in Wandsworth Secondary Choir to perform at the Brighter Sounds concert, which took place at the Royal Albert Hall in March. “It was an experience that was amazing for both us and the children.”

![Peter Lidbetter at the National Opera Studio. Pic: Jennier Hawthorn.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/nos-singer-pic-Jennifer-Hawthorn-1024x683.png)Peter Lidbetter at the National Opera Studio. Pic: Jennier Hawthorn.#### **Making opera accessible**

To fund all this, the organisation relies heavily on the support of the Arts Council of England, as well as from the partner companies and private donors.

However, funding and expenses have always been a challenge in opera – where a single recording session costs hundreds of pounds – making the art inaccessible to most.

As Jones said, “It’s a really expensive job, and not the most stable career.”

Yet, the studio aims to change this through their academy, which offers free vocal coaching and career help for 19 to 25-year-old UK-based singers facing financial barriers to entering opera. Through this, Melear hopes the future will bring more diversity to the arts.

Di Toro and Melear believe demand for programmes like the Young Artists will grow as a career in opera becomes more accessible. The next generation of opera stars is being trained right now in Chapel Yard. You just need to know where to look.

![Biqing Zhang, Georgia Melville, Rachel McLean, Lily Mo Browne, Peter Lidbetter at the National Opera Studio. Pic: Jennier Hawthorn.](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/nos-singers-stage-pic-Jennifer-Hawthorn-1024x683.png)Biqing Zhang, Georgia Melville, Rachel McLean, Lily Mo Browne, Peter Lidbetter (l to r) at the National Opera Studio. Pic: Jennier Hawthorn.*Applications for the 2026/27 Young Artists programme have closed. More information on the studio – including where to book the next Wandsworth recital – can be found at: *

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/19/world-class-opera-training-in-a-converted-wandsworth-chapel/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/19/world-class-opera-training-in-a-converted-wandsworth-chapel/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=World-class%20opera%20training%20in%20a%20converted%20Wandsworth%20chapel&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/19/world-class-opera-training-in-a-converted-wandsworth-chapel/)

**Categories:** Community, Culture, Music, Wandsworth Town

**Tags:** Chapel Yard, National Opera Studio, opera training, Wandsworth Arts Fringe, Wandsworth High Street

---

### [Innovative Putney house built on garage plot selling for £575k](https://putney.news/2025/12/19/innovative-putney-house-built-on-garage-plot-selling-for-575k/)

**Published:** December 19, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Architect maximized every inch of narrow 3.2m site with "boat design" brief.

**Content:**

A one-bedroom house squeezed onto a former garage site in Putney showcases the growing trend of infill development as London property values rise and available land becomes scarce.

The three-storey property at 65A Wadham Road sits between two semi-detached houses on a plot that once served as a garage. Owner Paul Crowther’s brief to the designer was simple: “Imagine it’s a boat and I want maximum storage.”

The result is a 613 square foot home that maximises every inch of the narrow 3.2-metre-wide site, with each floor serving a distinct purpose and clever design features throughout.

![Wadham Road infill house](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/wadham-fill-in-building6-1024x682.jpg)#### The design

The master bedroom suite occupies the entire ground floor, equipped with built-in wardrobes and a rainforest-style shower. The first floor houses an open-plan kitchen and reception room with floor-to-ceiling windows, wood flooring, and a breakfast bar. A study with roof terrace sits on the second floor, positioned between the main roofs of neighbouring properties to minimise overlooking.

The contemporary design uses weathered zinc cladding and metal-framed windows, creating a stark architectural contrast with the Victorian terraced houses on either side. The roof terrace measures 3.4 square metres, with space for a table and chairs.

Russell White of Winkworth’s Putney office – which is trying to sell the property as we write [for a striking £575,000](https://www.winkworth.co.uk/properties/sales/wadham-road-london-sw15/PUT250217) – described it as “a really cool house and totally self-contained, which is hard to find at that price level in Putney. There are no service charges and it has been very well designed. It is perfect for a first-time buyer, a downsizer or someone looking for a base if they are working in London but living elsewhere.”

![Wadham Road infill house](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/wadham-fill-in-building4-1024x682.webp)#### Planning controversy

The development was approved by Wandsworth Council in 2013 despite objections from all eight neighbours who responded to the consultation, citing concerns about loss of privacy, impact on the character of the street, and parking pressure.

The approval marked a significant policy shift. In 1993, a similar proposal for the same site was refused on grounds of overdevelopment. By 2013, council planning officers argued that London’s housing crisis justified the change, with the borough needing to achieve a target of 7,500 additional homes by 2017. More than a decade on, things haven’t changed much – we are still in desperate need of more housing.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/wadham-fill-in-building7-1024x682.webp)#### Growing trend

The Wadham Road property represents an early example of a development type that has accelerated in recent years. As London property values continue to rise and available development sites become scarcer, [infill housing](https://putney.news/2025/11/18/wandsworths-ambitious-housing-plan-cuts-targets-by-nearly-a-third/) – building on underused plots between existing properties, former garages, or small hinterland sites – has become increasingly common across the capital.

Planning permission is required for such developments. Councils must balance housing supply pressures against concerns about neighbourhood character, privacy, and infrastructure capacity. Getting neighbours on side with plans to build an extra home by their property can be challenging, with factors like access, overlooking, and parking needing careful consideration.

![Plan for Wadham House infill ](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/plan-wadham-infill-house-1024x634.png)#### Market positioning

The property is on the market for £575,000 freehold, in tax band E. It’s a good spot: close to [East Putney tube station](https://tfl.gov.uk/tube/stop/940GZZLUEPY/east-putney-underground-station?lineId=district), the train station, and [Putney High Street](https://putney.news/2025/11/22/from-squatters-to-scaffolding-putney-high-streets-visible-signs-of-recovery/). Wandsworth Park and the Thames riverside walk are also nearby.

The property’s compact size and lack of outdoor space beyond the roof terrace limit its appeal to families, but the design maximises the available footprint.

The absence of a second bedroom and limited storage beyond built-in wardrobes are trade-offs for the innovative use of space. The property demonstrates how architectural creativity can turn challenging sites into functional homes, though opinions on its impact on the streetscape likely remain divided.

![Wadham Road infill house](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/wadham-fill-in-building2-1024x682.webp) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/19/innovative-putney-house-built-on-garage-plot-selling-for-575k/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/19/innovative-putney-house-built-on-garage-plot-selling-for-575k/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Innovative%20Putney%20house%20built%20on%20garage%20plot%20selling%20for%20%C2%A3575k&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/19/innovative-putney-house-built-on-garage-plot-selling-for-575k/)

**Categories:** Homes and Property, Thamesfield

**Tags:** infill housing, planning controversy, property development, Putney property, Wadham Road

---

### [The end of Wandsworth's low council tax: what residents need to know](https://putney.news/2025/12/18/the-end-of-wandsworths-low-council-tax-what-residents-need-to-know/)

**Published:** December 18, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Government rebalancing means bills could double or triple in coming years.

**Content:**

Wandsworth residents pay less council tax than anyone else in England. Not because the council is exceptionally well-run, but because of how the government funding system works. That system is about to change dramatically.

Here’s what residents need to know about why bills are so low now, and why they’re likely to rise sharply in the next few years.

#### Why is Wandsworth’s council tax so low – and what’s changing?

Wandsworth’s Band D council tax is £990 – the lowest in England. The national average is around £2,100. That’s a gap of more than £1,100.

This isn’t because Wandsworth Council is amazing at saving money. It’s because of how councils get their funding.

Councils get money from two main sources: council tax (money they collect from residents) and central government grants (money allocated by Westminster).

For decades, the government funding formula gave Wandsworth and a handful of other wealthy London boroughs far more central government money than most councils. This meant Wandsworth could charge residents less locally while still funding services.

> [Government gives Wandsworth unlimited tax powers – Council leader refuses to use them, for now](https://putney.news/2025/12/18/government-gives-wandsworth-unlimited-tax-powers-council-leader-refuses-to-use-them/)

Other councils – particularly in poorer areas – got less from government. They had to charge residents more to make up the difference.

The government is rebalancing the system to direct more money to poorer areas with greater needs.

The government assesses Wandsworth as significantly overfunded compared to its actual needs. The council should get less from government and raise more from residents.

To cushion the blow, the government is protecting 95% of Wandsworth’s current income. This means [the council will only lose 5% of what it gets now](https://putney.news/2025/11/30/council-tax-wont-triple-after-government-grants-wandsworth-gradual-transition/), rather than the much larger amount it’s technically overfunded by.

But there’s a catch: that 95% protection assumes councils use “the full tax flexibility available to them.”

In plain English: Wandsworth needs to raise council tax to keep the protection.

> [Council tax won’t triple after government grants Wandsworth gradual transition](https://putney.news/2025/11/30/council-tax-wont-triple-after-government-grants-wandsworth-gradual-transition/)

#### What does this mean for residents?

The government expects Wandsworth to close the gap between what residents pay now (£990) and what councils typically charge (around £2,100).

Closing that £1,100 gap would mean more than doubling council tax bills over the next few years.

The government has given Wandsworth special flexibility to make these increases:

- **2026-27:** Normal rules apply – council can raise tax by up to 5% without a referendum
- **2027-28 and 2028-29:** No referendum required – council can raise tax by more than 5% without asking voters

The government is giving this flexibility to just six councils: Wandsworth, Westminster, Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, City of London, and Windsor & Maidenhead. All have historically very low council tax bills.

If Wandsworth refuses to raise council tax, it might lose the 95% funding protection. That would mean bigger cuts to council funding than the protected 5%, either much deeper service cuts or forced tax rises anyway, and burning through reserves (savings) faster.

The council has high reserves now, but using them to avoid tax rises just delays the problem. Eventually, the money runs out.

#### Timeline: When will this happen?

**February 2026:** The council sets its budget for 2026-27. This is the first decision point – will they raise tax by 5%, or freeze it?

**May 2026:** Council elections. This is politically sensitive because Labour won control in 2022 partly on a promise to keep council tax low.

**April 2027 onwards:** The real increases likely start here, when the council can raise tax above 5% without a referendum. This is when Wandsworth will need to start closing the gap to the national average.

> [Wandsworth confesses: without special deal, council tax bills could triple](https://putney.news/2025/07/05/wandsworth-confesses-without-special-deal-council-tax-bills-could-triple/)

Leader Simon Hogg has repeatedly said he will keep council tax at its current low level. Last week, when asked directly if he would raise taxes, he said: “No, of course not. We will be keeping the same low council tax.”

But the financial reality may force his hand. Council finance officers [warned in July that bills might need to double, triple, or even quadruple](https://putney.news/2025/07/05/wandsworth-confesses-without-special-deal-council-tax-bills-could-triple/) under the funding changes. The question is whether he makes increases before the May 2026 election (risking defeat) or after (if Labour wins).

Either way, Wandsworth residents should prepare for significantly higher council tax bills in the next few years. The decades of paying the lowest council tax in England are coming to an end.

Council tax support schemes help people on low incomes pay their bills. These schemes will continue, though the details may change. If your income is low or you’re receiving certain benefits, you may qualify for a reduction. Contact the council to check eligibility.

The government has said it expects councils like Wandsworth to protect vulnerable residents even while raising general council tax levels.

The government says the current system is unfair. A house worth £10 million in Westminster can have lower council tax than an ordinary family home in Blackpool or Darlington. The government argues that residents in wealthy areas should pay more locally, and government funding should go to areas with greater needs and fewer resources.

By redirecting £250 million from the six wealthy councils to poorer areas, the government says it’s creating a fairer system and better value for taxpayers nationally.

#### Where can I find more information?

The [government’s full consultation document](https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/provisional-local-government-finance-settlement-2026-to-2027-consultation) on the funding settlement is available at gov.uk. The consultation closes on 14 January 2026.

Wandsworth Council will set its 2026-27 budget at a meeting in February. The date hasn’t been confirmed yet, but budget meetings are public and residents can attend.

You can check your council tax band and current bill on your council tax statement or at [gov.uk/council-tax-bands](https://www.gov.uk/council-tax-bands).

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/18/the-end-of-wandsworths-low-council-tax-what-residents-need-to-know/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/18/the-end-of-wandsworths-low-council-tax-what-residents-need-to-know/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=The%20end%20of%20Wandsworth%E2%80%99s%20low%20council%20tax%3A%20what%20residents%20need%20to%20know&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/18/the-end-of-wandsworths-low-council-tax-what-residents-need-to-know/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** Cllr Simon Hogg, council tax, Fair Funding Review, government funding, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Government gives Wandsworth unlimited tax powers - Council leader refuses to use them, for now](https://putney.news/2025/12/18/government-gives-wandsworth-unlimited-tax-powers-council-leader-refuses-to-use-them/)

**Published:** December 18, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Leader's "of course not" risks tens of millions in lost protection.

**Content:**

Government has given Wandsworth permission to raise council tax as much as it wants without asking voters – but council leader Simon Hogg has said he won’t raise it at all.

The reason appears to be political survival. Labour won control of the council in 2022 partly by promising to keep council tax low. With elections coming in May, Hogg fears that raising taxes – or even saying he will in future – could cost his party its majority.

But his refusal could cost the council tens of millions of pounds, and tax rises will become inevitable in 2027 and beyond in order to keep the council financially secure.

Wandsworth receives approximately £130-135m in government funding annually. The government expects Wandsworth to use its new powers to raise significant revenue. If the council doesn’t, it risks losing funding protection worth tens of millions of pounds per year.

At last week’s council meeting, Conservative councillor Kim Caddy quoted directly from the government’s funding policy: “Any protection available through funding floors assumes local authorities use the full tax flexibility available to them.”

In plain English: the government will only protect Wandsworth’s funding if the council raises taxes.

> [The end of Wandsworth’s low council tax: what residents need to know](https://putney.news/2025/12/18/the-end-of-wandsworths-low-council-tax-what-residents-need-to-know/)

She asked Hogg: “Can the leader therefore confirm that he will be increasing council tax by the maximum possible amount?”

Hogg’s response: “No, of course not. We will be keeping the same low council tax.”

Yesterday’s government announcement confirms Caddy was right to worry. The government is offering to protect 95% of Wandsworth’s current funding – cushioning the council from bigger cuts. But if the council doesn’t raise taxes, it could lose that protection.

#### Six councils given unlimited tax powers

The government [published its provisional Local Government Finance Settlement yesterday](https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/provisional-local-government-finance-settlement-2026-to-2027-consultation), announcing that six councils can raise council tax as much as they want for two years starting in April 2027. No referendum, no voter approval needed.

The six councils are: Wandsworth, Westminster, Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, City of London, and Windsor & Maidenhead.

These councils currently charge between £450 and £1,280 less than the average English council. Wandsworth charges £990 for a Band D property – the lowest in England. The national average is around £2,100.

The government wants these wealthy councils to catch up. By not subsidising very low bills across all six councils, the government expects to redirect £250 million to poorer areas.

In July, [we revealed](https://putney.news/2025/07/05/wandsworth-confesses-without-special-deal-council-tax-bills-could-triple/) that Wandsworth councillors had been warned the council might need to double, triple, or even quadruple council tax under the government’s Fair Funding Review. The government was already working on plans to rebalance funding away from wealthy London boroughs.

Yesterday’s announcement provides the mechanism to make those increases without triggering a local referendum that could derail them.

The timing is politically explosive. Wandsworth faces a budget decision in February 2026 – three months before council elections in May.

#### Crunch points

Wandsworth faces three crucial decision points:

**February 2026:** The council must set its budget for 2026-27. This is when Hogg must decide whether to raise council tax by 5% – or freeze it and risk losing the government’s protection from bigger cuts.

**May 2026:** Council elections. Labour won control in 2022 partly on a promise to keep council tax low. Hogg appears to believe raising taxes before the election could cost Labour its majority.

**2027-28 and 2028-29:** If Labour wins, Hogg faces the reckoning. This is when the council can raise taxes without holding a referendum, and when the government clearly expects Wandsworth to catch up toward the national average.

#### Hogg’s track record on council tax claims

Hogg has form on council tax claims. In April, he [announced a “council tax freeze for the third year in a row”](https://putney.news/2025/04/24/wandsworth-council-tax-freeze-claims/) while actually raising bills by 2%, and then continued to insist tax was frozen even while people received their increased bills.

The increase came through the Greater London Authority portion of the bill, which Wandsworth collects on behalf of the Mayor of London. Independent councillor Malcolm Grimston called the freeze claim “ridiculous.” The BBC exposed it as misleading.

When challenged about using similar language this year, Hogg defended the semantics: the council’s own portion hadn’t risen, even though residents’ total bills had.

The pattern raises questions about whether Hogg’s public stance matches the council’s private budget planning.

Hogg has also shown willingness to use public money for political purposes. In May, just weeks before the government funding announcement, he [pushed through £46,000 in new deputy cabinet member roles](https://putney.news/2025/05/15/46000-shake-up-council-leader-pushes-through-unjustified-new-roles/) that council officers said had “no clear justification.”

The timing – creating six new paid positions just after an internal leadership vote that he won by shifting six votes – drew criticism from opposition councillors who called it an attempt to shore up support within his own group.

> [“Frozen” or just misleading? How a 2% Council tax rise sparked a political firestorm in Wandsworth](https://putney.news/2025/04/24/wandsworth-council-tax-freeze-claims/)

#### What happens next

Wandsworth currently pays about £1,100 less than the typical English council. Closing that gap would mean more than doubling current bills.

Wandsworth Council has not responded to yesterday’s government announcement or said whether it will use the new flexibility. The council also hasn’t explained how it will close funding gaps if it refuses to raise taxes and the government removes its protection from bigger cuts.

[**Read our analysis on why this means the era of Wandsworth as paying the country’s lowest local tax is effectively over.** ](https://putney.news/2025/12/18/the-end-of-wandsworths-low-council-tax-what-residents-need-to-know/)

---

##### The financial calculation

*Wandsworth receives approximately £130-135m in government funding annually – the majority of its £240m revenue budget. The 95% protection means the council will lose around £6.5-7m per year.*

*But without that protection, the losses could be far larger. Council officers warned in July that Wandsworth might need to double or triple council tax to close the funding gap – suggesting unprotected losses could reach £70m or more per year.*

*The difference between using the flexibility (and keeping protection) versus refusing to raise taxes (and potentially losing protection) could be tens of millions of pounds annually.*

*Council tax currently raises about £70-75m for Wandsworth. Government funding makes up most of the rest of the budget. And then there are a wide range of other income-generating schemes – like the [highest parking rates in the country](https://putney.news/2025/05/16/the-price-of-low-tax-40m-in-parking-permits-and-fines/).*

*If significant government funding is withdrawn without protection, the council would face a choice between massive service cuts or forcing through the very tax rises Hogg is currently refusing to commit to.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/18/government-gives-wandsworth-unlimited-tax-powers-council-leader-refuses-to-use-them/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/18/government-gives-wandsworth-unlimited-tax-powers-council-leader-refuses-to-use-them/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Government%20gives%20Wandsworth%20unlimited%20tax%20powers%20%E2%80%93%20Council%20leader%20refuses%20to%20use%20them%2C%20for%20now&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/18/government-gives-wandsworth-unlimited-tax-powers-council-leader-refuses-to-use-them/)

**Categories:** Finance, Politics

**Tags:** Cllr Simon Hogg, council tax, Fair Funding Review, government funding, Wandsworth Council

---

### [New doctors' strike erupts three months after pay dispute settled](https://putney.news/2025/12/18/new-doctors-strike-erupts-three-months-after-pay-dispute-settled/)

**Published:** December 18, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** BMA rejects training places offer as hospitals battle worst winter pressure since COVID.

**Content:**

Thousands of hospital doctors across south west London walked out this morning in a new dispute over training places, prompting the health secretary to call the strike “self-indulgent, irresponsible and dangerous” as hospitals battle record flu levels.

The five-day walkout, which began at 7am today and runs through Monday, affects St George’s Hospital in Tooting and Queen Mary’s Hospital in Roehampton. It marks the 14th strike by resident doctors since March 2023, though this dispute centres on career progression rather than pay.

[We covered the previous strike in November](https://putney.news/2025/11/13/hundreds-of-local-doctors-to-strike-from-tomorrow/), which was the final action in the long-running pay dispute that has since been settled.

The timing has drawn fierce criticism from across the political spectrum. With flu cases at record levels for this time of year and the NHS facing what Health Secretary Wes Streeting called “probably the worst pressure” since COVID, hospitals are scrambling to maintain emergency services while thousands of appointments face cancellation.

“These strikes are self-indulgent, irresponsible and dangerous,” Streeting said. “Abandoning your patients in their hour of greatest need goes against everything a career in medicine is meant to be about.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “gutted” by the strike, rating his disappointment “10 out of 10” when questioned by MPs. “It’s irresponsible,” he said.

The walkout comes just three months after the previous pay dispute was settled with resident doctors receiving a 28.9% pay rise over three years from the Labour government.

> [Hundreds of local doctors to strike from tomorrow](https://putney.news/2025/11/13/hundreds-of-local-doctors-to-strike-from-tomorrow/)

#### The new dispute

This strike centres on specialty training places – the limited positions available for doctors to specialise in areas like surgery, psychiatry or emergency medicine after completing their initial two years as qualified doctors.

The government offered to quadruple specialty training places to 4,000 and bring 1,000 places forward for this year, along with emergency legislation to prioritise UK medical graduates. The package also included covering exam fees and other out-of-pocket expenses.

The British Medical Association rejected the offer after 83% of members who voted opposed it, based on a 65% turnout.

Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, said the government had “fumbled” the negotiations. “Tens of thousands of frontline doctors have come together to say ‘no’ to what is clearly too little, too late,” he said.

The BMA claims the offer contained “no new jobs” but simply “cannibalised those jobs which already existed for the sake of ‘new’ jobs on paper.” The union says there was nothing on pay restoration, with doctors’ real-terms pay still 21% lower than in 2008-09 despite recent increases.

The government says the offer is now off the table following the rejection.

#### Flu pressure adds urgency

Official data published last week showed flu cases jumped 55% in one week to an average of 2,660 patients in hospital each day – a record level for this time of year. The new strain, influenza A (H3N2), has been dubbed “superflu” by some media.

NHS Providers, which represents hospital trusts, called the strike timing “bitterly disappointing” given the flu outbreak. Chief executive Daniel Elkeles said: “These strikes come at the worst possible time, with rapidly rising flu levels putting huge strain on hospitals.”

The BMA has accused Streeting of “scaremongering” about flu risks. Dr Fletcher said: “It is horrible for anyone to be suffering with flu, we are not diminishing the impact of that, but Mr Streeting should not be scaremongering the public into thinking that the NHS will not be able to look after them and their loved ones.”

The union has written to NHS trusts asking them to prioritise urgent and emergency care during the strikes.

#### Local impact

St George’s Hospital and Queen Mary’s Hospital are among hospitals across England affected by the walkout. Both facilities have confirmed some planned care – appointments, procedures and operations – may be postponed.

Patients will be contacted directly if appointments need rescheduling. Emergency care will continue as normal, with consultants and senior doctors covering for striking resident doctors.

The NHS is asking residents to use services wisely during the strike period. Call NHS 111 online for non-urgent health needs, continue to use 999 only for life-threatening emergencies, and attend appointments as planned unless contacted otherwise.

GP surgeries remain open as usual during the strike.

#### Public opinion shifts

Public support for the strikes has declined sharply since previous industrial action. A YouGov poll published this week showed 58% of respondents either somewhat or strongly oppose the strike action, while 33% support it.

This marks a significant shift from earlier strikes in 2023, when public opinion was more evenly split or favoured the doctors’ position.

Hospital leaders have called for external mediation to resolve the dispute, saying it has reached an “impasse” with relations becoming “more and more acrimonious.”

The Conservative opposition called the strike “really irresponsible” and vowed to ban doctors’ strikes if returned to power.

Hospitals have been told to aim to deliver 95% of usual activity during the strike, though health leaders acknowledge this will be “more challenging due to the onset of winter pressures and rising flu.”

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/18/new-doctors-strike-erupts-three-months-after-pay-dispute-settled/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/18/new-doctors-strike-erupts-three-months-after-pay-dispute-settled/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=New%20doctors%E2%80%99%20strike%20erupts%20three%20months%20after%20pay%20dispute%20settled&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/18/new-doctors-strike-erupts-three-months-after-pay-dispute-settled/)

**Categories:** Health

**Tags:** BMA, junior doctors strike, medical training, NHS strike, Queen Marys Hospital, resident doctors, St Georges Hospital, Wes Streeting

---

### [St George's Hospital has been getting pregnancy risk scores wrong for ten months](https://putney.news/2025/12/04/st-georges-hospital-has-been-getting-pregnancy-risk-scores-wrong-for-ten-months/)

**Published:** December 4, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** If you're pregnant in Putney, this is likely your hospital - and its computer system still can't tell which mothers need urgent care.

**Content:**

A computer system used to identify dangerously unwell pregnant women has been getting risk scores wrong for ten months at St George’s Hospital in Tooting – and the problem still isn’t fixed.

St George’s serves pregnant women across Wandsworth, including Putney. It’s one of three major maternity hospitals for South West London and delivers around 5,000 babies a year. If you’re pregnant in Putney, or your wife, partner, daughter, or friend is expecting, there’s a good chance they’re going to St George’s.

Women who gave birth or have had check-ups there since February have been assessed using the faulty system.

The fault means the system has been using the wrong method to assess whether mothers need urgent medical attention – potentially missing warning signs of life-threatening conditions like sepsis and haemorrhage.

When midwives check a pregnant woman’s vital signs – blood pressure, heart rate, temperature – and enter them into the computer, the system should calculate a risk score using a method designed specifically for pregnant women. But the system was displaying NEWS (designed for ordinary hospital patients) rather than MEWS, requiring staff to manually calculate scores instead.

The difference matters because what counts as “normal” changes during pregnancy. Using the wrong scoring system could mean a woman showing early signs of becoming seriously ill doesn’t trigger an alert – or a healthy pregnant woman gets unnecessarily flagged as high-risk.

St George’s classified the problem as “high risk” in internal papers. It was first documented in March 2025 and remains unfixed. The software company Oracle Health is working on a solution but the hospital has been unable to give a definitive date for when it will be completed.

Adding to the concerns, the Trust has not reported the fault to the Care Quality Commission, its regulator, as it is “not expected practice”, even though the unit was under a warning notice for safety failures from the CQC when the IT problems emerged.

#### Terms explained

**MEWS (Modified Early Warning Score):** The scoring system designed for pregnant women. Takes account of how pregnancy changes what counts as “normal” vital signs.

**NEWS (National Early Warning Score):** The scoring system for everyone else in hospital. Not designed for pregnancy.

**CTG trace:** The printout from the monitor strapped to a woman’s belly during labour. Shows the baby’s heartbeat and whether the baby is coping with contractions.

#### How the scoring system works

Midwives regularly check pregnant women’s vital signs: blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, temperature, and whether they’re fully conscious.

Each measurement gets a score based on whether it’s normal or worrying. Add up all the scores and you get a total that tells you how sick the woman is. If the total is too high, she needs urgent medical attention.

The problem is that pregnancy changes what “normal” means. A pregnant woman’s heart naturally beats faster. Her blood pressure changes. So there’s a special scoring system called MEWS (Modified Early Warning Score) designed specifically for pregnancy.

But St George’s computer was using a different system called NEWS (National Early Warning Score), which is meant for everyone else in the hospital – not pregnant women.

Using the wrong system could mean:

- A woman showing early signs of sepsis or haemorrhage doesn’t trigger an alert
- Or a healthy pregnant woman gets flagged as high-risk when she’s actually fine

#### Hospital already in trouble with regulator

St George’s maternity unit is already being closely watched by the health regulator after repeated safety failures.

The Care Quality Commission rated the unit “inadequate” in March 2023. In October 2024, it issued a Warning Notice – one of its most serious enforcement actions – demanding urgent improvements.

The hospital brought in the new computer system in February 2025 while trying to fix these safety problems. Within a month, the IT faults started appearing in internal reports to the board.

St George’s says it is still using workarounds to deal with the fault more than ten months after the system went live.

The trust has added an additional field into maternity documentation to allow midwives to record the correct scores into a patient’s electronic record, and have also added in reference text.

This means staff have to manually enter the correct score in a separate field – a workaround rather than a proper fix.

The software company, Oracle Health (which acquired Epic Systems), is apparently working on a solution but the hospital says it has no date for completion.

The trust claims that despite the problems no patients have come to harm and it continues to meet regularly with Oracle Health.

St George’s has admitted it did not formally alert the Care Quality Commission about the IT problems, despite the regulator monitoring the unit because of serious safety failures, although it has alerted both the local Integrated Care Board (ICB) and NHS England.

The hospital’s own board papers have classified the IT faults as “high risk” – a rating that typically requires regulatory notification.

#### Other problems with the system

The wrong risk scores aren’t the only issue. Hospital papers documented two other problems:

**Birth monitoring records on USB sticks:** During labour, women have a monitor strapped to their belly that tracks the baby’s heartbeat and shows whether the baby is coping with contractions. The printout from this monitor – called a CTG trace – is crucial. Doctors use it to decide whether labour can continue or whether the baby needs to be delivered urgently.

The computer system couldn’t store these traces properly. So staff had to save them to USB memory sticks instead.

This creates obvious risks: USB sticks get lost. They’re not encrypted, so anyone who finds one can see the medical data. There’s also the fact that adding delay and process in the middle of labour makes things harder and more complicated at a time when quick decisions are often crucial.

There’s also no guarantee the information saved this way gets properly filed in the patient’s permanent record.

Papers show this problem existed from March onwards and was marked “unresolved” month after month.

**Missing patient records:** Over 1,400 patient records got stuck when the hospital was trying to transfer information from the old computer system to the new one. As of September, they were still stuck – neither properly accessible in the old system nor available in the new one.

This meant midwives and doctors couldn’t easily see women’s full medical histories. They might miss important information about previous pregnancies, complications, or health conditions.

By September, hospital papers listed 43 outstanding IT support tickets for problems with the maternity system.

#### Timeline

##### Ten months of problems

*Putney.news* has reviewed the hospital’s board papers and meeting minutes from March to November 2025. They show:

**March 2025** (one month after the system went live): Papers said the USB stick workaround and stuck patient records were “unresolved.” They mentioned maternity was “implementing their IT system” and “some things don’t quite work” – but gave no details about what was wrong or how serious it was.

**May 2025** (three months in): Papers showed the same problems still existed. Meeting minutes show the board didn’t discuss maternity IT problems.

**July 2025** (five months in): Meeting minutes show no discussion of the maternity IT faults.

**September 2025** (seven months in): Papers gave detailed information about the wrong risk scores, USB stick workaround, stuck patient records, and 43 outstanding IT support tickets. Everything marked “high risk.”

The medical director told board members there had been “some teething problems” with the computer system – but didn’t say what they were.

**November 2025** (nine months in): Papers flagged the IT faults as “high risk” and described the wrong risk scores as a “new risk” – even though they’d been documented since September.

Board members spent a long time discussing maternity services – covering leadership, culture and the regulator’s concerns. But the meeting minutes show they never mentioned the IT faults.

**December 2025** (ten months in): St George’s confirms to *Putney.news* that the problems are still not fixed and there is no definitive date for completion.

#### Questions that remain

- How many women had their risk assessed using the wrong method?
- When exactly were NHS England and the ICB told about the problems?
- When did Oracle Health first acknowledge these were system faults?
- What is Oracle Health doing to fix the problems, and why is there no completion date?
- Should “High Risk” IT faults affecting patient monitoring have been reported to the CQC?
- Are other hospitals using the same Oracle Health system having the same problems?
- Why did it take until September for the MEWS fault to appear in board papers if the system went live in February?

#### Board didn’t ask questions

Staff documented the IT faults in papers for the hospital board month after month. They marked them “high risk.” But meeting minutes show the board never discussed them.

In September, when the medical director mentioned “teething problems,” no board member asked what the problems actually were – even though the papers for that same meeting contained detailed information about wrong risk scores, USB stick workarounds, and 1,400 stuck patient records.

In November, the papers put the IT faults in the “key messages” section – the most prominent part designed to grab directors’ attention. The board had a long discussion about maternity services. But the minutes show they never mentioned the IT problems.

Out of five board meetings between March and November, three show no discussion of maternity IT problems in the minutes – even though every meeting’s papers documented them.

Board papers are only useful if board members actually read them and ask questions.

#### If you gave birth at St George’s this year

If you gave birth at St George’s between February and December 2025:

**What happened:** The computer system used to assess whether you needed urgent care may have been using the wrong scoring method. The hospital says it used workarounds and that no patients came to harm.

**What to do:**

- If you have concerns about your care, you can request your medical records from St George’s by calling 020 8672 1255
- To raise concerns, contact the hospital’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) on 020 8725 2453 or email .
- You can also contact the Care Quality Commission at cqc.org.uk

**Other maternity options:** Putney residents can also access maternity services at:

- Kingston Hospital (antenatal care often at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Roehampton)
- Chelsea & Westminster Hospital

---

***Update – Wed 17 Dec:** This article has been updated to clarify how the computer system fault affected risk score calculations. An earlier version stated the system “had been using” the wrong scoring method. The story now more accurately reflects that the system was displaying the NEWS interface rather than MEWS, which meant staff had to manually calculate scores. This does not change the core findings: the system has not been working properly for ten months, the issue is classified as “high risk” by the hospital, and there is still no completion date for a fix.*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/04/st-georges-hospital-has-been-getting-pregnancy-risk-scores-wrong-for-ten-months/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/04/st-georges-hospital-has-been-getting-pregnancy-risk-scores-wrong-for-ten-months/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=St%20George%E2%80%99s%20Hospital%20has%20been%20getting%20pregnancy%20risk%20scores%20wrong%20for%20ten%20months&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/04/st-georges-hospital-has-been-getting-pregnancy-risk-scores-wrong-for-ten-months/)

**Categories:** Health

**Tags:** Care Quality Commission, Computer Error, Healthcare Investigation, Maternity, NHS, patient safety, Putney, St George's hospital, Tooting, Wandsworth

---

### [Council officials go silent on £200,000 budget gap as 30 households face unexplained charges](https://putney.news/2025/12/15/council-officials-go-silent-on-200000-budget-gap-as-30-households-face-unexplained-charges/)

**Published:** December 15, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Coordinated deflection to press office, then complete silence on service charge discrepancy.

**Content:**

Thirty leaseholder households facing £6,000 service charges cannot get answers about a £204,000 budget discrepancy – and Wandsworth Council officials coordinated to avoid accountability by deflecting all questions to the press office, which then stayed silent.

[We revealed in September](https://putney.news/2025/09/22/from-260000-doors-to-secret-energy-deals-why-alton-residents-dont-trust-the-council/) that residents at Kimpton House in Roehampton face charges 400% higher than the £1,500 promised in the council’s 2021 ballot for controlled entry doors. Council budget documents show £57,000 for the project, while the Notice of Intention to leaseholders shows £261,000 – a difference no one will explain.

When one of those affected requested a deputation to Housing Overview & Scrutiny Committee in October to question the discrepancy, the council’s Democratic Services Manager rejected it. The committee was never told residents had tried to raise the issue. Three ward councillors, two senior officers, and the council press office all declined to answer questions about why.

#### The coordinated deflection

Within hours of receiving inquiries this week, five council officials and councillors responded with identical language: questions should go to the press office.

Ward councillors Graeme Henderson, Jenny Yates, and Matthew Tiller – who serves as Deputy Cabinet Member for Housing – forwarded questions about whether they’d responded to their constituent to the “press/comms team.” The official who rejected the deputation referred questions about that decision to the press office. And Wandsworth Council’s Assistant Director of Technical Services, asked that budget questions be “redirected” to the press office.

The press office, given until Friday to respond to consolidated questions, provided no response.

Cllr Sarah Davies, chair of Housing OSC, acknowledged an inquiry after the original deadline. When given an extension to Friday, she also did not respond. Cabinet Member for Housing Aydin Dikerdem has not responded at all.

The coordinated deflection pattern suggests officials are aware the situation is problematic but remain unable or unwilling to address it.

> [From £260,000 doors to secret energy deals: Why Alton residents don’t trust the Council](https://putney.news/2025/09/22/from-260000-doors-to-secret-energy-deals-why-alton-residents-dont-trust-the-council/)

#### The money problem

In 2021, the council balloted residents on installing controlled entry doors at the 48-property block. The ballot materials stated: “The average individual leaseholder service charge should not exceed £1,500.00 inclusive.”

Council HRA budget documents from 2025 show £57,000 for “Kimpton House controlled entry doors” under Major Works. But the Notice of Intention sent to leaseholders in 2025 shows total costs of £261,000 – a difference of £204,000.

Individual leaseholders now face bills of £6,000 each, four times what they were promised in 2021.

One of those impacted has repeatedly asked the council to explain the discrepancy. In emails dating back to October, he asked: “I would very much like to understand what is causing the disparity please?”

The question was never answered. Officials acknowledged his emails but provided no explanation for the £204,000 difference.

#### The Building Safety Act question

Officials argue that increased costs stem primarily from “having to meet planning and building regulations in respect of the accessibility issues and the Building Safety Act 2022.”

The Building Safety Act received Royal Assent on 28 April 2022 – six months after the 2021 ballot. Key provisions were implemented in October 2023, with the full building safety regime for higher-risk buildings coming into effect in April 2024.

This raises questions about what the council knew and when. If Building Safety Act requirements were expected to substantially increase costs, why did the ballot proceed in 2021 with the £1,500 figure? When did the council realize costs would quadruple?

Leaseholders have challenged the authorities: “This Act was after the ballot and knowing full well this would have a detrimental impact on the costs that were indicated as part of the ballot this was dishonest of the Council.” To which the council responded: “The ballot was carried out in 2021 and so it was not possible to have known at that time what the impact would be on the door entry scheme.”

But the same official did not explain why there was no communication to leaseholders between 2022 (when the Act received Royal Assent) and 2025 (when the Notice of Intention arrived) that costs would increase dramatically.

#### The blocked scrutiny

On 19 October, the leaseholders requested a deputation to the 27 November Housing OSC meeting to ask about the budget discrepancy.

On 29 October, the council rejected the request, writing: “Unfortunately, it has been considered that the requested deputation would not be appropriate for the Committee to consider. The reason for this is that it is not related to subject matter on the agenda business to be discussed, which is a requirement of the deputation scheme. The request also appears to be more of an individual complaint type of matter, which is not something that falls under the Committee’s terms of reference or is something they would consider.”

The rejection appears questionable. The council’s management structure shows Major Works and Leasehold Management are core functions of Housing OSC. A £204,000 budget discrepancy affecting 30 households would fall squarely within the committee’s oversight role.

The 27 November Housing OSC agenda makes no mention of the deputation request or its rejection. The committee was never informed that residents had attempted to raise concerns about unexplained cost increases.

We asked the council whether a fresh request for the 21 January meeting would be accepted. It has yet to respond.

#### The questions that went unanswered

*Putney.news* sent detailed questions to ward councillors, officers, the OSC chair, and the Cabinet Member for Housing with a deadline three days later. After all five initial recipients deflected to the press office, those questions were consolidated and sent to the press office with an extended deadline.

The questions included:

**On the budget discrepancy:** Can you explain the £204,000 difference between budget documents and the Notice of Intention? When did the council know Building Safety Act requirements would affect costs? Why did the ballot proceed with £1,500 if costs would increase substantially?

**On the deputation:** Why was it rejected when Major Works and Leasehold Management are within Housing OSC’s remit? Is it standard for rejected requests not to appear in agendas? Should committees be informed when residents try to raise issues? What criteria would make the January request acceptable?

**On ward councillor response:** Have Cllrs Henderson, Yates and Tiller responded to their constituents’ requests for help? What information did they provide? Will they support a January deputation?

**On the ballot:** What is the council’s position on whether the 2021 ballot remains valid given the 400% cost increase?

None of these questions received answers by the deadline. The press office did not respond.

#### How other councils handle this

Research across London boroughs reveals different approaches to deputation transparency.

Richmond-upon-Thames shares the exact same Democratic Services staff with Wandsworth but uses a different – and arguably much fairer – system: individual speaker registration rather than Wandsworth’s requirement for 6-10 people, and a noon deadline rather than 5pm.

Southwark requires committees to vote publicly on receiving each deputation, creating a record of the decision. Hackney’s constitution explicitly states: “If your deputation has not been accepted, you will be advised of the reason(s) why.” Islington requires the Monitoring Officer to enter all questions in a book “open to public inspection” including rejected questions with reasons.

Wandsworth publishes neither rejected deputation requests nor the reasons for rejection.

#### What happens next

The January 21 Housing OSC meeting is five weeks away. The council has not confirmed whether a deputation request for that meeting will be accepted.

Even if accepted, the £204,000 budget discrepancy remains unexplained. Leaseholders face £6,000 bills with no detailed cost breakdown showing where the money will go.

The coordinated deflection pattern documented this week suggests officials recognise the situation is problematic. But deflection is not accountability. Thirty households deserve answers about why they’re being charged four times what they were promised – and why no one at the council will explain the £204,000 gap.

**Accountability Statement**

**We contacted:** Ward councillors, relevant council officers, the Housing OSC chair, and the Cabinet Member for Housing

**Request sent:** **9 December 2025**

---

Cllr Graeme Henderson (Labour, Cabinet Member Health)
Cllr Jenny Yates (Labour, Cabinet Member Transport)
Cllr Matthew Tiller (Labour, Deputy Cabinet Member Housing)

*Roehampton Ward Councillors*

**Status:** *Deflected to press office, 11 December.*

Questions asked (click to expand)
*XXXX \[name removed\] contacted you about this in October. Have you been able to respond or look into it?*

*If you have responded, what were you able to tell him?*

*Would you support their deputation request for January 21 Housing OSC?*

---

****Chris Kelly****

***Democratic Services Manager*, Wandsworth Council**

**Status:** **Deflected to press office, 11 December.**

Questions asked (click to expand)
*The council’s management structure shows Major Works and Leasehold Management are core Housing OSC remit. Can you help us understand the reasoning for the rejection?*

*The November 27 agenda doesn’t mention the deputation request or the decision. Is this standard practice? We’re interested in how transparency works in these processes.*

*Should committees be informed when residents attempt to raise issues, even if requests are rejected?*

*For January 21, what would make a similar request acceptable? We’d like to understand the criteria.*

*If Housing OSC isn’t the right forum for leaseholders to question service charge increases, where should they go?*

---

****Sharron Lecky****

***Assistant Director Technical Services**, Wandsworth Council*

**Status:** ***Deflected to press office, 11 December.***

Questions asked (click to expand)
*Can you help us understand the £204,000 difference? Are these different project scopes, different accounting methods, or are we misunderstanding something?*

*When did the council become aware that Building Safety Act requirements would affect this specific project’s costs?*

*If the council knew costs would increase substantially, can you explain why the 2021 ballot proceeded with the £1,500 figure?*

*What’s the technical explanation for the cost increase that leaseholders should understand?*

*When will leaseholders receive detailed cost breakdowns?*

*What’s your view on whether the 2021 ballot remains valid?*

---

****Wandsworth Council****

***Press Office***

**Status:** ***Failed to respond.***

Questions asked (click to expand)
**Democratic Services / Deputation Process:**

*Can you explain why the October deputation request was declined when Major Works and Leasehold Management appear to be within Housing OSC’s remit?*

*Is it standard practice for rejected deputation requests not to appear in committee agendas?*

*Are committees typically informed when residents attempt to raise issues, even if requests are declined?*

*What criteria would make a similar request acceptable for the January 21 meeting?*

*If Housing OSC isn’t the appropriate forum for leaseholders to question service charge increases, where should they direct such concerns?*

**Ward Councillor Response:**

*Have Cllrs Henderson, Yates and Tiller been able to respond to Steve Fannon’s October contact about this issue?*

*If they have responded, what information were they able to provide?*

*Will they support the deputation request for January 21?*

**Technical / Budget Questions:**

*Can you explain the £204,000 difference between the budget documents (£57k) and Notice of Intention (£261k)?*

*When did the council become aware that Building Safety Act requirements would affect this project’s costs?*

*If costs were expected to increase substantially from the 2021 ballot figure, can you explain why the ballot proceeded with the £1,500 estimate?*

*What’s the technical explanation for the 400% cost increase that would help leaseholders understand?*

*When will leaseholders receive detailed cost breakdowns?*

*What is the council’s position on whether the 2021 ballot remains valid given the cost increase?*

---

******Cllr Aydin Dikerdem******

****Cabinet Member Housing****

**Status:** ***No response.***

Questions asked (click to expand)
*Can you help explain the £204,000 budget discrepancy? We want to ensure we understand the figures correctly.*

*What’s the timeline for providing leaseholders with detailed cost breakdowns?*

*On the deputation – can you share your thinking on why it wasn’t appropriate for Housing OSC?*

*Would you support accepting a deputation for January 21?*

*If residents can’t raise these questions at Housing OSC, what forum would you suggest?*

*What’s your view on whether the 2021 ballot remains valid given the cost increase?*

---

******Cllr Sarah Davies******

****Housing OSC Chair****

**Status:** ****Acknowledged inquiry after deadline, given extension, no response provided****

Questions asked (click to expand)
*Were you consulted about the deputation request? We’d like to understand how these decisions are made.*

*Did you know before now that residents had requested to address your committee about this issue?*

*As chair, do you think there’s value in committees being informed when residents attempt to raise housing issues, even if requests don’t proceed?*

*What would you look for in a well-framed deputation request on leaseholder service charges for January 21?*

*How do you see the committee’s role in helping residents get answers about unexplained cost increases?*

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/15/council-officials-go-silent-on-200000-budget-gap-as-30-households-face-unexplained-charges/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/15/council-officials-go-silent-on-200000-budget-gap-as-30-households-face-unexplained-charges/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Council%20officials%20go%20silent%20on%20%C2%A3200%2C000%20budget%20gap%20as%2030%20households%20face%20unexplained%20charges&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/15/council-officials-go-silent-on-200000-budget-gap-as-30-households-face-unexplained-charges/)

**Categories:** Housing, Roehampton

**Tags:** Kimpton House, leaseholders, Roehampton, service charges, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Bill's is not coming back to Putney after all - but another restaurant chain might](https://putney.news/2025/12/17/bills-is-not-coming-back-to-putney-but-another-restaurant-chain-might-be/)

**Published:** December 17, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Different operator in negotiations to take over long-empty High Street site.

**Content:**

Bad news first: Bill’s is not returning to Putney. We got that wrong.

The good news: another restaurant chain is in negotiations to take over the site and could open in the new year.

On Saturday, we reported that a licensing application from Bills Restaurants Limited meant the popular brunch spot was “set to return” to its old home at 146-148 Putney High Street. The story made sense – the chain has been [expanding again](https://putney.news/2025/12/13/bills-is-back-restaurant-to-return-after-two-years-empty/) after years of closures, and had recently reopened a Leicester site it had previously shut.

Turns out we were wrong – apologies – Bill’s is in fact renewing its licence in order to sell up to a different company, as yet unnamed.

Nicola Grant, chief executive of the Positively Putney business improvement district, confirmed that Bill’s has been trying to exit the site, not return to it. “This is not going to reopen as Bill’s,” she noted. “They have been looking to reassign the lease and have nearly completed a number of times over the last year.”

The licensing application, she explained, is to maintain the premises licence – making it easier to attract a new hospitality operator. A restaurant without a licence is far less attractive to potential tenants than one with permissions already in place.

“They have spoken to various restaurant chains over the last year,” Grant said. “Hopefully the current one they are in discussion with will sign and open in the new year.”

> [Bill’s is back! Restaurant to return after two years empty](https://putney.news/2025/12/13/bills-is-back-restaurant-to-return-after-two-years-empty/)

#### An honest mistake

Our mistake was assuming that because Bills Restaurants Limited submitted the licensing application, Bill’s must be planning to trade there again.

Chair of the Putney Society, Robert Arguile, spotted the flaw immediately, pointing out that this was likely a “shadow licence” – a second licence obtained to protect the property’s licensed status for a future tenant.

Bill’s still holds the lease on the property, so they would be the applicant even if the purpose was to maintain value for whoever takes over.

The Putney High Street site has sat empty since Bill’s closed in 2023 as part of a nationwide cull of underperforming restaurants. It had served Putney for around a decade.

We contacted Bill’s for comment last week and are still waiting to hear back.

![Bill's restaurant shadow licence](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/bills-shadown-licence-768x1024.png) [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/17/bills-is-not-coming-back-to-putney-but-another-restaurant-chain-might-be/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/17/bills-is-not-coming-back-to-putney-but-another-restaurant-chain-might-be/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Bill%E2%80%99s%20is%20not%20coming%20back%20to%20Putney%20after%20all%20%E2%80%93%20but%20another%20restaurant%20chain%20might&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/17/bills-is-not-coming-back-to-putney-but-another-restaurant-chain-might-be/)

**Categories:** Business, News, Save the High Street

**Tags:** Bill's, correction, Positively Putney, Putney High Street, restaurant opening, SW15

---

### [New signals at fatal crossing – seven months after woman's death](https://putney.news/2025/12/17/new-signals-at-fatal-crossing-seven-months-after-womans-death/)

**Published:** December 17, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** New signals being installed at junction where residents warned of confusion that proved fatal.

**Content:**

Workers are installing new traffic signals at the East Putney crossing where a woman was killed in May – improvements that internal TfL documents reveal were only approved after the fatal collision, despite years of warnings about the dangerous junction.

The £80,000 upgrade, approved nearly two months after her death, replaces an outdated Pelican crossing system that residents had specifically warned TfL created a “safety risk.” Under the old system, pedestrians saw flashing green lights while drivers saw flashing amber, with both groups uncertain who had right of way.

“Pedestrians think they can cross safely when drivers think they can go safely,” one resident wrote to TfL about this specific crossing during a [consultation](https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/east-putney-improvements) that closed in March, weeks before the May collision. The crossing was not upgraded. Eleven weeks later, a woman died there.

**INVESTIGATION:** This is the fifth story in our investigation into the fatal East Putney crossing. Read our previous coverage:

- [Pedestrian killed at crossing](https://putney.news/2025/05/19/tragedy-in-putney-pedestrian-killed-in-rush-hour-collision/) (May 19, 2025)
- [Would TfL’s plans have saved her?](https://putney.news/2025/05/21/would-tfl-plans-have-prevented-east-putney-accident/) (May 21, 2025)
- [She died where TfL promised action. Now they’re doing nothing](https://putney.news/2025/09/11/she-died-where-tfl-promised-action-now-theyre-doing-nothing/) (Sep 11, 2025)
- [TfL will finally fix fatal crossing](https://putney.news/2025/09/28/tfl-will-finally-fix-fatal-east-putney-crossing/) (Sep 28, 2025)

The collision occurred at 5:35pm on 19 May during rush hour, when an HGV struck the pedestrian who died at the scene. Police confirmed the traffic signals were working as designed – highlighting the fundamental design flaw that residents had flagged.

![East Putney traffic lights installation](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/east-putney-new-traffic-lights-768x1024.png)Photos taken this week show the new equipment awaiting activation, including pedestrian countdown displays that will show exactly how many seconds remain to cross safely. The new system eliminates the confusing flashing amber stage for drivers and flashing green stage for pedestrians.

TfL’s own data had classified this stretch of Upper Richmond Road as a “Priority 2” location – among the top 12% most dangerous road links in all of London. The crossing recorded 35 casualties including one serious injury over the three years before the fatal collision.

#### How the crossing worked – and what’s changing

**Old Pelican system:**

- Pedestrians saw flashing green = don’t start crossing, but you can finish
- Drivers simultaneously saw flashing amber = give way to pedestrians
- Problem: Many drivers don’t understand flashing amber means “give way”

**New system:**

- No flashing amber/green confusion
- Clear red or green signals only
- Countdown timer shows seconds remaining to cross

Internal emails and decision documents obtained by *Putney.news* through Freedom of Information requests show TfL staff debating how to respond to the death. The consultation had focused on “public realm improvements” rather than safety measures, and one manager wrote that TfL “was about to drop the scheme that had been proposed within the consultation, but then the incident happened.”

The broader £3.6 million East Putney Urban Realm scheme – which would have widened the fatal collision crossing from 2.8 metres to 4 metres, realigned other crossings, and added traffic-calming measures – remains shelved indefinitely. TfL says it will stay on hold “until the outcome of the police investigation and Coroners report is published.”

The crossing upgrade itself was not publicly announced. TfL provided no information about the improvements until we obtained internal decision documents in September.

TfL approved the upgrade on 16 July and set an internal deadline of March 2026, meaning the current works are ahead of TfL’s own schedule.

![East Putney traffic light installation](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/east-putney-lights-1024x768.png)---

---

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/17/new-signals-at-fatal-crossing-seven-months-after-womans-death/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/17/new-signals-at-fatal-crossing-seven-months-after-womans-death/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=New%20signals%20at%20fatal%20crossing%20%E2%80%93%20seven%20months%20after%20woman%E2%80%99s%20death&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/17/new-signals-at-fatal-crossing-seven-months-after-womans-death/)

**Categories:** East Putney, Transport

**Tags:** accountability, East Putney, fatal collision, FOI, Freedom of Information, investigation, pedestrian crossing, road safety, TfL, traffic signals, Transport for London, Upper Richmond Road

---

### ["My kids so scared" as man prowls property while council blames police, police blame council](https://putney.news/2025/12/05/my-kids-so-scared-as-man-prowls-property-while-council-blames-police-police-blame-council/)

**Published:** December 5, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** Video captures climbing incident as both agencies respond but neither acts.

**Content:**

A man continues to climb into a Falcon Road building where children live in fear, while Wandsworth Council and the police have spent almost a year telling residents to call each other instead of taking action.

Video from Wednesday afternoon shows the man scaling a street sign pole to reach a first-floor balcony with boarded-up windows. He does not have a key to the building. As residents watched and filmed, one father wrote in their WhatsApp group: “He’s very dangerous, man. My kids so scared.”

The incident occurred the same day *Putney.news* [published an investigation](https://putney.news/2025/12/03/they-learned-nothing-council-repeats-failures-months-after-promising-change/) documenting months of failures at the property on Fownes Street in Battersea. Council leader Simon Hogg and cabinet member Aydin Dikerdem (Housing) did not respond to requests for comment on that story. Wednesday’s climbing incident – captured on video – demonstrates the problem is continuing despite, and possibly because of, their inaction.

When residents contacted the council’s Community Safety Officer, he replied within minutes telling them to “call 999” because the individual “shouldn’t be in the area.” But when police arrived, they told residents they couldn’t stop him.

“Police came and confirmed they can do nothing about it and there is no injunction that can stop him from coming around the premises,” resident Elisa reported. “They stated quite literally that it seems that the council is not doing its job and tries to put the problem on the police.”

The video confirms what residents have been describing: individuals associated with a tenant in the building regularly climb into the property bypassing the security door. The building’s smashed front windows remain boarded up with wooden panels.

> In an email to Battersea MP Marsha de Cordova sent after the incident, resident Michele described the situation: “This sort of ‘blame game’ between the council and the police has been ongoing for months.”

Michele has asked the MP to organise a meeting with residents, police, council representatives, and Hogg “to clarify the roles of each party involved.” The MP has not yet responded.

Wednesday saw worried residents trying to work out which agency to call. After the council officer told them to contact police, Michele asked: “Can you call the police? You can show them the email from \[the council officer\] to the officers.”

A video from this week shows how the person in question now routinely climbs up the side of the house.Later: “He \[the council officer\] just replied again making it clear he shouldn’t be in the area.”

But when police arrived, they said something different. According to Elisa: “Police called me saying the person has now left. When I asked them if they were certain they said no.”

The climbing and prowling continues despite both agencies engaging with the problem. The council deployed a camera to monitor the property, though officials later admitted that “a tree branch got in the way” and it wasn’t able to capture any usable video.

The problems have persisted since January. Residents pushed Wandsworth Council to open an anti-social behaviour case – which they did but then closed even while several issues remained unresolved. A planned visit to the flat never happened. Other actions from the review were redacted and residents were never told if they were completed, including an issue with an aggressive dog.

Michele submitted a Stage 2 formal complaint to the council in October, stating: “The Council has yet to agree on a clear timeline or action plan to address the ongoing problems. I strongly believe that the ASB case should not have been closed.”

Neither the council nor police have taken action to stop the individual from returning. Both agencies respond when contacted. Neither resolves the problem. And residents’ children remain scared.

> [They learned nothing: Council repeats failures months after promising change](https://putney.news/2025/12/03/they-learned-nothing-council-repeats-failures-months-after-promising-change/)

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/05/my-kids-so-scared-as-man-prowls-property-while-council-blames-police-police-blame-council/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/05/my-kids-so-scared-as-man-prowls-property-while-council-blames-police-police-blame-council/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=%E2%80%9CMy%20kids%20so%20scared%E2%80%9D%20as%20man%20prowls%20property%20while%20council%20blames%20police%2C%20police%20blame%20council&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/05/my-kids-so-scared-as-man-prowls-property-while-council-blames-police-police-blame-council/)

**Categories:** Crime, Politics

**Tags:** anti-social behavior, Battersea, Falcon Road, Fownes Street, Metropolitan Police, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Three councillors gagged as council admits mistake but skirts fix](https://putney.news/2025/12/17/three-councillors-gagged-as-council-admits-mistake-but-skirts-fix/)

**Published:** December 17, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** 18,000 residents now have representatives who cannot speak up for them at Full Council.

**Content:**

Three Wandsworth councillors have been banned from speaking up for their residents at Full Council meetings.

The ban means Cllr Malcolm Grimston, Cllr Mark Justin and Cllr Nick Austin cannot stand up and raise problems in their wards – whether that’s crime, potholes, planning decisions or anything else their residents care about. Only Labour and Conservative councillors can do that now.

Between them, the three represent around 18,000 residents across West Hill, Nine Elms and West Putney. Those residents voted for councillors who are now gagged.

Everyone involved says this was a mistake. But nobody will commit to fixing it.

#### How we got here

Cllr Grimston brought this problem to *Putney.news* after he was blocked from challenging Leader Simon Hogg over a misleading answer about complaints against the council.

Grimston has served on Wandsworth Council for over 30 years. Throughout that time, every councillor – regardless of party – could raise local issues at Full Council through what was called the adjournment debate.

Earlier this year, the council [rewrote its rulebook](https://putney.news/2025/03/10/wandsworth-executive-accused-of-silencing-scrutiny-opposition-stripped-of-oversight-powers/). The policy documents were clear about what this change was meant to do. Paper 24-194 said the new system would “allow Members to raise local matters.” The council’s top lawyer told the committee it would “enable members to draw the Council’s attention” to issues.

But somewhere between policy and final text, new words appeared. The actual rule now says councillors can only speak “through their Group Whip.”

Only Labour and the Conservatives have whips. Everyone else is locked out.

At last Wednesday’s Full Council, Grimston [told the chamber](https://wandsworth.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1037038) he’d spoken to councillors across parties before the changes were approved. None of them intended this.

“I’ve talked to the leader, I’ve talked to both Whips, I’ve talked to Councillor Osborn, I’ve talked to yourself, Mr Mayor, who were actually on that committee,” he said. “At no point was it ever suggested by any member that the outcome of this should be to exclude members who are not part of a group.”

So where did those words come from?

“I don’t know why and I don’t know where whoever drafted Standing Order 39A got the idea that that was what the committee wanted,” Grimston said. “There’s absolutely no justification for that in what was said by any member.”

He described it as a “two-hour meeting” where councillors were reviewing multiple complex changes. “A cynic would say this was slipped past the members. I’m sure that wasn’t the intention.”

#### The paper trail 

**What the policy document said:** Paper 24-194 (Democracy Review): *“allow Members to raise local matters”*

**What the Monitoring Officer told councillors:** GP Committee, July 15, 2024: *“enable members to draw the Council’s attention”*

**What the final Standing Order says:** *“Any member, through their Group Whip…”* and *“Every group on the Council may raise only one issue”*

**The mystery:** The policy documents say “allow Members” and “enable members” – general language covering all councillors. Somewhere between policy and final text, someone added “through their Group Whip” and “every group.”

No one can explain who made this change or why.

**Director of Law & Governance definition:** *“A group on the Council can be formed by two or more elected members.”*

**Bottom line:** The policy was clear. The final text wasn’t. Nobody will say who changed it.

#### A national party doesn’t count either

Cllr Mark Justin represents Reform UK – a national political party. He’s invited to pre-council meetings as head of a political party. But he still can’t speak for his residents.

The council’s Director of Law and Governance confirmed it in writing: “A group on the Council can be formed by two or more elected members. Membership of national parties without the minimum number of Councillors on the Council does not constitute a group.”

One councillor from a national party: silenced. One councillor who’s served 30 years: silenced. One councillor who exited the Conservatives: silenced.

Justin warned what this means for future elections: “God help any single Green party, single Independent or single Liberal who gets elected in May 2026.”

#### Leaders could fix this today. They haven’t.

Here’s what makes this remarkable: nobody defends what happened. But nobody will fix it either.

Mayor Jeremy Ambache, who sat on the committee that approved the changes, admitted in an email to Grimston that it was “a missed opportunity” to consider independents. He said there “may be good reason to review this Standing Order in future.”

But when Grimston raised it at Full Council, the Mayor offered nothing concrete: “Doesn’t stop it being looked at again in the future.”

No apology. No timeline. No promise to act.

The Leader or the Mayor could resolve this tomorrow. They could acknowledge the mistake publicly. They could commit to fixing it at the next General Purposes Committee. They could apologise to the residents whose councillors have been gagged.

They have done none of these things.

> [Hogg promised to make council “more open” – then silenced the councillor challenging him](https://putney.news/2025/12/10/hogg-promised-to-make-council-more-open-then-silenced-the-councillor-challenging-him/)

#### Why the parties might not care

Minutes before Grimston raised his complaint, Cllr Peter Graham, the Conservatives’ finance spokesman, was praising the same rule changes – because they gave his party something they wanted.

“It’s nice to be able to speak on these items for decision,” Graham said. “For many years we were under the impression that that was not permitted under the standing orders, but under the various changes – I suppose if I was being polite or nice, liberalisation – we are now allowed to do so.”

The irony was brutal: Graham celebrating new rights for party members, moments before Grimston would highlight how those same changes stripped rights from independents.

Labour got what it wanted from the changes. The Conservatives got what they wanted. The people who lost out have no bloc to fight for them.

#### What this means

If you live in West Hill, Nine Elms or West Putney, your councillor cannot raise your concerns at Full Council. They can ask written questions. They can speak if someone else raises a topic. But they cannot stand up and say: “There’s a problem in my ward and I want to talk about it.”

That right – which every councillor had for decades – has been taken away.

The council that promised to be “more open” under Simon Hogg’s leadership has instead created a system where only the two big parties get a voice.

It’s been a week since Grimston made this undeniable at Full Council. Still no apology. Still no timeline. Still no commitment to fix it.

The silence is the story.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/17/three-councillors-gagged-as-council-admits-mistake-but-skirts-fix/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/17/three-councillors-gagged-as-council-admits-mistake-but-skirts-fix/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Three%20councillors%20gagged%20as%20council%20admits%20mistake%20but%20skirts%20fix&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/17/three-councillors-gagged-as-council-admits-mistake-but-skirts-fix/)

**Categories:** Politics

**Tags:** Cllr Malcolm Grimston, Cllr Mark Justin, Cllr Nick Austin, council constitution, democracy, Standing Order 39, Wandsworth Council

---

### [Year 5 artist Phoebe's Christmas card lights up Battersea chimneys](https://putney.news/2025/12/16/year-5-artist-phoebes-christmas-card-lights-up-battersea-chimneys/)

**Published:** December 16, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Brandlehow pupil's design selected from hundreds of Wandsworth entries.

**Content:**

A Year 5 pupil from Brandlehow Primary School is celebrating after her Christmas card design was chosen to illuminate Battersea Power Station’s iconic chimneys as part of Apple’s festive display.

Phoebe’s design was selected from hundreds of entries submitted by schoolchildren across Wandsworth. Her artwork now towers over the riverside development throughout the festive season, visible from the surrounding area and Thames walkways.

The young artist adapted her original Christmas card to fit Apple’s tree template. Her tree is green and full of festive cheer, featuring holly, red berries, snowflakes and a red-nosed reindeer peeking out through its branches.

![](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/battersea-tree-phoebe-737x1024.png)The Apple Christmas Trees installation transforms Battersea Power Station’s four chimneys into festive displays throughout December. Phoebe’s design is one of several winning entries illuminating the 50-metre-high structures.

[Wandsworth Council partnered with Apple and Battersea Power Station](https://putney.news/2025/11/10/transform-batterseas-chimneys-into-your-festive-masterpiece-this-christmas/) to run the schools competition, inviting children to design Christmas cards that could be adapted for the chimney displays.

Battersea Power Station is [running various Christmas activities](https://batterseapowerstation.co.uk/christmas/) including a market with artisan stalls, carol performances, and seasonal food across its restaurants and cafes.

The site has shopping across multiple levels – major retailers and independent shops – plus the restored Turbine Hall and riverside terraces. There’s a lift to the top of the chimneys (the Glass Lift Experience) with views across London, though booking ahead is recommended during December.

The venue is accessible via Battersea Power Station station on the Northern Line, or by bus, riverboat, or car with on-site parking. Opening hours are extended during the festive period.

[Brandlehow Primary School](https://putney.news/2025/10/07/race-against-the-rain-brandlehows-20000-roof-appeal/), located off Brandlehow Road in Putney, is currently fundraising for roof repairs.

The Apple Christmas Trees display runs throughout December until early January.

![Several of the over 40 designs chosen to lighten up Battersea Power Station during the holidays](https://putney.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/battersea-tree-designs-750x1024.png)Several of the over 40 designs chosen to lighten up Battersea Power Station during the holidays [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/16/year-5-artist-phoebes-christmas-card-lights-up-battersea-chimneys/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/16/year-5-artist-phoebes-christmas-card-lights-up-battersea-chimneys/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Year%205%20artist%20Phoebe%E2%80%99s%20Christmas%20card%20lights%20up%20Battersea%20chimneys&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/16/year-5-artist-phoebes-christmas-card-lights-up-battersea-chimneys/)

**Categories:** Community

**Tags:** Apple Christmas Trees, Battersea Power Station, Brandlehow Primary, Phoebe, Wandsworth schools

---

### [Council expands landlord scheme it refuses to prove works](https://putney.news/2025/12/16/council-expands-landlord-scheme-it-refuses-to-prove-works/)

**Published:** December 16, 2025
**Author:** Kieren McCarthy

**Excerpt:** FOI request blocked as Wandsworth announces three more wards despite withholding enforcement data.

**Content:**

Wandsworth Council is expanding its landlord licensing scheme to three more wards from April despite refusing to provide evidence showing whether the existing scheme works.

The expansion to East Putney, West Putney and Northcote will require thousands more landlords to pay £850 fees that will likely be passed to tenants through higher rents. For a council facing serious budget pressures, the millions already collected represents substantial income – making transparency about effectiveness even more critical.

But when *Putney.news* requested basic data about which properties have been inspected and what hazards were found since the scheme launched in July, the council refused claiming disclosure would prejudice “live enforcement investigations.”

The council announced the expansion on Monday, stating that 444 inspections have uncovered “serious safety hazards” and resulted in 85 enforcement notices. Yet it won’t say which properties, what hazards, or whether notices were complied with.

The council is marketing this expansion using language like [“early-bird discount”](https://wandsworth.gov.uk/housing/private-housing/private-rented-property-licences/property-licence-fees-discounts/) – as if paying £850 to legally rent your property is a consumer choice you can “take advantage of” rather than mandatory compliance with penalty charges for delay. While the current council administration clearly believes licensing schemes deliver genuine benefit to tenants and landlords, the economic reality is that landlords pass these costs to tenants, imposing a regulatory burden that adds costs without clear justification.

#### The evidence vacuum

The council may well have found serious safety problems. Licensing schemes can improve housing standards when properly enforced. But when you’re expanding to more wards and passing costs to tenants through higher rents, residents deserve to see the evidence.

On 14 November, *Putney.news* asked which properties were inspected, what hazards were found, and whether enforcement notices were complied with. On 1 December, the council refused claiming disclosure would prejudice “live enforcement investigations.”

Yet the council is actively publicising these inspection results in press releases. If the information is sensitive enough to withhold under Freedom of Information law, why is it safe to announce in public statements?

A month after requesting basic transparency, the council still won’t provide specific data showing the scheme is working, but expects residents to accept expansion and higher housing costs on trust. Transparency isn’t just good practice when imposing new costs on residents, it’s the basic bargain.

The council’s licensing scheme began in July covering all HMOs borough-wide plus single rental properties in four wards: South Balham, Furzedown, Tooting Bec and Tooting Broadway.

> [Council prosecutes landlords for fire failures it ignores in own housing](https://putney.news/2025/11/22/council-prosecutes-landlords-for-fire-failures-it-ignores-in-own-housing/)

The progression of council press releases shows rapid expansion without verification:

**[June 20, 2025](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-june-2025/wandsworth-takes-action-against-rogue-landlords/)**: Announced scheme launching July 1, highlighting cases of eight unrelated tenants in an unlicensed property and “combined kitchen and bathroom” conversions.

**[November 11, 2025](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-november-2025/wandsworth-council-cracks-down-on-unsafe-rental-properties/)**: Claimed “110+ inspections” resulting in “40+ formal notices,” citing examples including “dangerously undersized bedrooms” and properties lacking fire doors.

**[December 15, 2025](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-december-2025/wandsworth-council-extends-scheme-to-crack-down-on-unsafe-rentals/)**: Now states “444 inspections” and “85 notices served,” while announcing expansion to three additional wards and urging landlords to pay before the “early-bird” deadline.

The press releases offer examples of problems found: dangerous bedrooms, missing fire safety equipment, structural issues. But they don’t name specific properties, provide compliance data, or demonstrate that licensed properties have become measurably safer.

#### The costs and the language

The council’s announcement emphasises that landlords [“have until 31 December 2025 to take advantage of the early-bird discount”](https://wandsworth.gov.uk/housing/private-housing/private-rented-property-licences/property-licence-fees-discounts/) before fees increase.

For selective licensing covering single rental properties in the affected wards, landlords can pay £697 if they apply by the end of December, or £850 after. For properties requiring additional HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupation) licenses, the choice is £1,189 now or £1,450 later.

The council calls this a “discount” but landlords aren’t getting 30 per cent off, they’re avoiding a 30 per cent surcharge for not complying quickly enough with a legal requirement. It’s penalty avoidance, not a benefit.

> [Wandsworth cracks down—but keeps landlord offenders in the shadows](https://putney.news/2025/06/22/wandsworth-cracks-down-but-keeps-landlord-offenders-in-the-shadows/)

A landlord facing an £850 licensing fee (or £697 if paid by December 31) will likely pass that cost to tenants through higher rent. Divided over a five-year license period, that’s £140-170 per year, or roughly £12-14 per month added to rent, before accounting for any repair costs required to pass inspection.

Multiply this across the expanded wards and thousands of tenants face higher housing costs. Whether they receive £850 worth of safety improvements in return remains unclear, because the council won’t say.

When [we covered the scheme’s launch in June](https://putney.news/2025/06/06/wandsworths-rental-clampdown-will-bring-big-change-but-is-it-a-good-fit-for-putney/), the concern was that “higher compliance and compulsory fees could be used to justify rent increases in an already expensive market.” Six months later, those predictions appear well-founded.

Since launching in July, the scheme has generated substantial income for the council. With 5,955 license applications received to date – comprising roughly 4,000 selective licenses and 2,000 HMO licenses based on the ward coverage – the council has collected approximately £5-6 million in fees.

The fee structure includes two payments: Part A covers “processing and administration” while Part B covers “management and enforcement.” Notably, Part A is non-refundable even if the council refuses to grant a license. For selective licensing, that’s £510 the council keeps regardless of outcome.

The council offers various “discounts” for landlords who meet higher standards but achieving these standards typically costs far more than the discount saves, meaning landlords will likely pass all costs to tenants anyway.

> [Wandsworth’s rental clampdown will bring big change—but is it a good fit for Putney?](https://putney.news/2025/06/06/wandsworths-rental-clampdown-will-bring-big-change-but-is-it-a-good-fit-for-putney/)

#### The pattern

This isn’t the first time Wandsworth has announced enforcement while withholding specifics.

[The council’s June press release](https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-june-2025/wandsworth-takes-action-against-rogue-landlords/) touted enforcement actions – £5,000 settlements, £17,500 fines – without naming a single property or landlord, even in concluded cases where legal proceedings have finished.

In November, [we highlighted](https://putney.news/2025/11/11/hundreds-of-wandsworth-residents-trapped-by-unfinished-fire-safety-work/) the council prosecuting private landlords for fire safety failures identical to those documented at council-owned housing estates: a double standard in enforcement transparency.

The licensing scheme extends this pattern: announce “serious safety hazards,” claim “swift action,” collect millions in fees, refuse to provide data showing whether it’s working, then expand anyway.

The council has not published:

- Cost-benefit analysis of the licensing scheme
- Modelling of rent impact on tenants
- Geographic pattern of properties failing inspections (justifying expansion to specific wards)
- Compliance rates (what percentage of served notices led to actual improvements)
- Comparison data (whether licensed properties have fewer hazards than before)
- Revenue allocation (where the millions go)

From April, thousands more tenants in East Putney, West Putney and Northcote will begin paying higher rents to cover landlord licensing fees. The council should either provide the evidence that justifies these costs, or explain why residents should pay for a scheme it refuses to prove is working.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/16/council-expands-landlord-scheme-it-refuses-to-prove-works/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/16/council-expands-landlord-scheme-it-refuses-to-prove-works/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Council%20expands%20landlord%20scheme%20it%20refuses%20to%20prove%20works&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/16/council-expands-landlord-scheme-it-refuses-to-prove-works/)

**Categories:** East Putney, Housing, Politics, West Putney

**Tags:** East Putney, Landlord licensing, Wandsworth Council, West Putney

---

### [Car club operators demand urgent action from Mayor](https://putney.news/2025/12/16/car-club-operators-demand-urgent-action-from-mayor/)

**Published:** December 16, 2025
**Author:** Senior reporter

**Excerpt:** Zipcar-led letter outlines four-point plan ahead of Transport Committee grilling.

**Content:**

Dozens of organisations have written to the Mayor of London demanding urgent action to keep car clubs viable in the capital, ahead of an emergency City Hall meeting tomorrow where officials will face questions over Zipcar’s imminent departure.

The letter, sent Monday and signed by London Assembly Members, environmental groups including Clean Cities, academics and rival car club operators, warns that Zipcar’s withdrawal at year-end is a “significant setback” for the Mayor’s climate and transport goals. It calls the decision a “wake-up call” that London is falling behind other global cities on shared electric mobility.

“Without decisive action to ensure the viability of car clubs, London risks falling even further behind,” the signatories wrote, arguing that policy conditions in the city have become “harmful to car sharing services.”

> [Zipcar warned congestion charge would force cuts. Now it’s leaving the UK entirely](https://putney.news/2025/12/01/zipcar-warned-congestion-charge-would-force-cuts-now-its-leaving-the-uk-entirely/)

#### Four-point action plan

The letter outlines four main policy recommendations for City Hall and Transport for London:

- Drawing up an urgent plan to fill the gap left by Zipcar’s departure, ensuring residents who relied on the service maintain access to shared vehicles.
- Coordinating efforts across London boroughs to support car club operations, addressing the current patchwork of local policies that create operational challenges.
- Reducing parking costs for car club operators, who face rising expenses as the Congestion Charge increases 20% to £18 and loses its electric vehicle exemption.
- Radically increasing electric vehicle charging infrastructure to reduce the burden on car club operators who must charge their fleets.

#### Mayor promises talks

A spokesperson for the Mayor told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The Mayor welcomes this letter and recognises that car clubs can provide convenient access to vehicles – including electric vehicles – for key journeys that can’t be made by public transport.”

TfL and the Mayor’s teams are meeting with stakeholders including boroughs and car club operators “over the coming days” to discuss short-term challenges and longer-term solutions, the spokesperson said.

Tomorrow, Deputy Mayor for Transport Seb Dance and TfL’s Director of Transport Strategy Christina Calderato will appear before the London Assembly Transport Committee to answer questions about Zipcar’s withdrawal.

#### From warning to withdrawal

Putney.news [first reported in July](https://putney.news/2025/07/29/zipcar-sounds-the-alarm-over-new-congestion-charge-hike/) that Zipcar was warning the Congestion Charge changes could make car clubs “commercially unviable.” The company’s General Manager told MPs in September the removal of the 100% electric vehicle discount was the key concern.

When Zipcar [announced its UK withdrawal in early December](https://putney.news/2025/12/01/zipcar-warned-congestion-charge-would-force-cuts-now-its-leaving-the-uk-entirely/), the timing appeared to confirm those warnings. The company will cease operations on 31 December.

Car clubs allow members to access vehicles by the minute, hour or day, either from dedicated parking bays or street locations. They’re considered crucial to the Mayor’s strategy to reduce private car ownership and decongest London’s roads.

The organised pressure campaign and emergency meeting signal growing concern that policy decisions are undermining rather than supporting this shift toward shared transport.

 [  0 ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=--SHARETEXT--&u=https://putney.news/2025/12/16/car-club-operators-demand-urgent-action-from-mayor/) 

 [  0 ](https://x.com/share?text=--SHARETEXT--&url=https://putney.news/2025/12/16/car-club-operators-demand-urgent-action-from-mayor/) 

 [  0 ](mailto:?subject=Car%20club%20operators%20demand%20urgent%20action%20from%20Mayor&body=--SHARETEXT--%20https://putney.news/2025/12/16/car-club-operators-demand-urgent-action-from-mayor/)

**Categories:** Transport

**Tags:** Car clubs, congestion charge, Sadiq Khan, Transport for London, Zipcar

---

### [Police warn of fake traffic wardens stealing bank cards near East Putney station](https://putney.news/2025/12/15/police-warn-of-fake-traffic-wardens-stealing-bank-cards-near-east-putney-station/)

**Published:** December 15, 2025
**Author:** Putney.news reporter

**Excerpt:** Scammers pose as helpful officials at parking machines before disappearing with victims' cards.

**Content:**

Fraudsters posing as traffic wardens are stealing bank cards from drivers near East Putney station, with one victim losing £500, police have warned.

The scam targets people paying for parking. Criminals approach drivers at ticket machines, claim the m