Badenoch says she is instructing lawyers to challenge government after Tory-run council's 94% tax hike
Badenoch said lawyers will examine whether an £84 million annual funding cut can be blocked after Wandsworth proposed a 94% council tax increase.
- Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has instructed lawyers to challenge the government over an £84m-a-year funding cut blamed for Wandsworth Council's proposed 94% council tax increase.
- Ministers defended reforms to an 'outdated' funding system, lifting the usual 5% cap on annual rises after central cuts; Badenoch claimed the government removed 40% of Wandsworth's funding.
- Wandsworth has historically maintained low rates, with Band D properties paying just over £1,000, but the planned £958 increase would nearly double bills. Labour councillor Simon Hogg called the rise 'unfair' and 'unnecessary.'
- Three local Labour MPs refused to support the council's appeal, claiming it 'was in a strong financial position' before the May elections. Other London councils including Westminster, Richmond, and Kensington and Chelsea are considering legal action under the Sustainable Communities Act.
- A final decision on the proposed tax hike is not expected until early next year. Wandsworth Council's deputy leader vowed to challenge the government by 'every possible means.
7 Articles
7 Articles
Badenoch Calls in Lawyers Over Wandsworth Tax Bombshell
Kemi Badenoch has set the lawyers on the government over the 40% funding cuts that Tory-run Wandsworth Council claims has forced it into a gigantic 94% council tax rise. Band D bills are set to soar from £1,020 to £1,978… She told Newsnight last night: “We have actually instructed lawyers, as the Conservative Party, to…
Wandsworth Council Tax Could Rise 94% in 2027; the £958 Increase Is Not Final
A typical Band D council-tax bill in Wandsworth would rise by £958, from about £1,020 to £1,978, in April 2027 under the London borough’s stated plan. That is the 94% increase now drawing a possible legal challenge. It is not yet the final 2027/28 bill. Wandsworth says its formal tax level will be set through…
The Conservatives have “instructed lawyers” to challenge government cuts to a Tory-run council in Wandsworth.
The borough will see budgets slashed by 40%, days after a 94% rise in council tax for some residents was announced. Leader Kemi Badenoch says Number 10 is “deliberately" taking money away from areas that do not vote Labour.
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