The council approved the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Budget and Rent Setting 2025/26 and a number of amendments to the Council's Standing Orders, following the walkout of all Conservative Councillors after the refusal of a motion to bring forward a debate on the possible closure of Bradstow School. The council also noted a number of supplementary items.

Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Budget and Rent Setting 2025/26

Councillor White and Councillor Aitharaj spoke in favour of the report, before Councillor Dekodem condemned the Conservative walkout.

I am actually quite angry. Every tenant in our borough who's ever had an issue with repairs, with their rent, with issues around resident democracy... every renter in our borough - the 36% of our residents who are going to benefit from the licensing scheme that we're going to pass tonight - every homeowner that cares about the condition of their housing, about what is being built in their neighbourhood, about the possible HMOs that are popping up, that Wandsworth Tories decided to walk out and say that you don't matter... that your budgets don't matter.

Amendments to the Standing Orders of the Council

Councillor Osborne described the proposed amendments as part of a series, a program of changes that have been going on for two or three full council meetings. He said that these are driven by the General Purposes Committee and designed to modernise the council. He identified the key objectives of the programme:

• Greater public participation in the work of the council at all levels.
• A cross-cutting approach to analysis and scrutiny across different directorates.
• A propensity for more vision and strategic-level decision making at full council and in committees.

Councillor Grimston said that he commends Councillor Osborne's attitude to the proposed changes. He agreed that the council has lost touch with residents:

I think we've been obsessed with looking inwards. Traditionally the Wandsworth culture has not been one of going out and finding out what's going on in the sector... Leading members of the council maybe might start looking at acting as member peers and going out into other authorities as peers... I know it happens on a number of forums but I know, as having had several years of peer experience, that there's an enormous amount of learning for the peer as well as for the authority being peered at if I can put it in that way.

He went on to criticise the culture within the council, calling the last council meeting the equivalent of the European Champions League Final in terms of work.

Councillor Apps also criticised the council culture, saying that:

Councillors, officers and experts have agreed: it is too officer led, there is no capacity for emerging issues coming through, there is no real pre-scrutiny because it's too close to decisions, and it is too adversarial.

He argued that the council should break the automatic link between pre-scrutiny and the executive; modernise its call-in procedures; and set a key decision threshold.

Planning Applications Committee

Councillor Belton confirmed that the Stop Notices submitted by the minority party have been abandoned, meaning the decisions of the Planning Applications Committee take effect. He described the Stop Notices as cynical and opportunistic, noting that they were the first to be issued since 1996. He invited Councillor Dickerton to speak about consultation.

Councillor Dickerton said that he has regrets about the consultation on the Ashburton Estate development, explaining that a letter sent to residents coincided with a postal strike, which made residents feel anxious. He added that the council went beyond the statutory guidance on consultation, holding numerous meetings with residents. He went on to criticise the lack of engagement from the opposition.

It has always been totally politically driven, it hasn't been about really engaging with me. If councillors want to speak to me about plans, they know my email address, they know I will meet.

Councillor Belton outlined the opposition to the three planning applications relating to the Ashburton Estate. He argued that the Conservative minority party have cynically opposed intensification on council estates since Labour took control of the council in 2022, despite approving similar applications while they were in power. He said that the three applications were opposed on the grounds of consultation, physical massing and density of the estate, and car parking facilities. He cited five previous developments on estates that the Conservatives approved - Randall Close, Gideon Road, Patmore, Lytton Road, and Platts.

Wandsworth Council Budget 2025/26

Councillor Critchard spoke in favour of the report, highlighting the increase in demand for council services in recent years and outlining the efficiency savings being made. Councillor Ireland also spoke in favour of the report, describing it as an investment budget that overturns years of decline under the previous administration. She highlighted the council's commitment to financial management and its record of delivering the lowest council tax in the country. She went on to outline a number of investments being made in the borough, including:

• The Homes for Wandsworth programme, which will deliver 1,000 new council homes.
• A £2m cost of living fund to help residents struggling with the rising cost of living.
• The Access for All programme, which provides low-income residents with free access to leisure centres, swimming pools, and other activities.
• A £100m, 10-year programme to improve the borough's roads and pavements.

Proposed Amendments to Committee Memberships and Outside Bodies

The council approved the proposed changes to committee memberships and outside bodies.

Personal Explanation on Bradstow School

Councillor Stock said that she was disappointed that the opposition have left the room this evening and decided not to debate the issue. She described her visit to Bradstow School and her discussions with the leadership team, staff, pupils and parents. She went on to correct a number of alleged misunderstandings in the Conservative motion, noting that the school is a community special school, not a social care residential care home, and that the children placed there are not children looked after. She also criticised the Conservatives' record on the social care market, saying that the market is broken and she is pleased that the Labour government is taking action to fix it. She concluded by outlining Wandsworth's ambition to educate and care for children with special educational needs as close to their family and community as possible.

Our ambition here in Wandsworth, to make it clear, is for every child with special educational need to have their needs met. We want to educate children locally, keeping them educated and cared for as close to their family and community wherever possible.