Since the local elections in May, Wandsworth has been run by a minority Conservative administration, after the party regained control of a council it previously held for 44 years.
Peter Graham, a Conservative councillor and cabinet member for finance, said: “Wandsworth’s financial crisis was made by Labour. The Government gave us the worst cash settlement in the country, slashing the council’s funding by 40pc. And locally, Labour managed to double the size of the hole, leaving a budget gap of £137m.
“That’s why we are running a full spending review to cut waste and find savings. It’s ongoing, but there will be a ceiling on what can be found. We will do everything we can to limit any tax increase, while protecting the core services that matter most to residents.”
Among the services at risk of being cut are a youth bus service, the dissolution of its Leader’s Office and a reduction in the number of new-build projects it supports in the borough.
Westminster, Wandsworth, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, and City of London, alongside Windsor and Maidenhead, were given special powers to introduce council tax increases above 5pc for 2026 and 2027.
Westminster council is considering raising council tax by 100pc from April, The Telegraph reported earlier this month, although it said on its website that bills could rise by as much as 200pc.
