Kemi Badenoch Instructs Lawyers to Challenge Wandsworth Council Over 94% Council Tax Increase

Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch has announced she is instructing lawyers to challenge Wandsworth Council after the Conservative-run local authority implemented a 94% increase in its proportion of council tax bills. The South West London council attributes this unprecedented rise to substantial reductions in central government funding.

Ms Badenoch, a Conservative MP whose constituents are affected by the rise, described the council's justification as 'false and deeply misleading'. She accused Wandsworth Council of 'making political points' by blaming the Conservative government for what she characterised as the council's own poor financial management. 'It is simply not true that this rise is due to funding cuts from central government. I will be instructing lawyers to challenge this,' Badenoch stated.

The council's portion of the council tax, which accounts for approximately 10% of the total bill, has risen from £78.43 to £152.01 for a Band D property. The overall Band D council tax bill for Wandsworth residents, including the Greater London Authority precept, now stands at £1,232.89.

Wandsworth Council's leader, Simon Hogg, previously argued that without the 94% increase, the council would have faced bankruptcy. He asserted that the government's settlement for Wandsworth was among the worst nationally, describing it as a 'brutal cut'.