The General Purposes Committee of Wandsworth Council met on Tuesday 13 October 2026. The meeting discussed amendments to the council's constitution regarding planning applications and the establishment of a new committee to address the closure of Hammersmith Bridge. The committee also considered proposals for conferring the title of Honorary Alderman on former councillors.

Constitution Review and Planning Application Procedures

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to discussing proposed amendments to the council's constitution, primarily driven by new national regulations, The Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026. These regulations mandate a shift towards officer-led determination of planning applications, significantly reducing the number of cases that can be brought before the Planning Applications Committee.

Councillor Jo Rigby questioned the process, stating, We're voting to have the changes legally taken on board by the council. We're not voting on whether we agree with the changes or not. Councillor Rex Osborne proposed an amendment to ensure that discussions with the Chair of the Planning Applications Committee also included the opposition spokesperson, but this was deemed legally unfeasible by the Director of Law and Governance, Abdus Choudhury. Despite reservations, the committee agreed that the council had no option but to adopt these changes to comply with the law. Councillor Malcolm Grimston suggested adding a recommendation to note with deep regret the changes to the planning regulations which remove an important way in which local representatives can shape the environment in which their residents live. This was seconded by Councillor Osborne.

The committee also discussed provisions for substitutes on council committees. Councillor Grimston advocated for the change, citing it as a quality of life issue and a council life balance issue, particularly for women with young children. Councillor Rigby expressed concern that this could chip away at how much that team works together and how much people are across the papers. Following a discussion on proposed amendments to the wording, the committee voted in favour of the changes regarding substitutes.

Hammersmith Bridge Standing Committee

The committee debated the establishment of a new Hammersmith Bridge Standing Committee. Councillor Grimston expressed concerns that it was not a typical scrutiny committee and suggested it could be a task and finish group or have its remit widened to include other river crossings. Councillor Rigby raised questions about the potential costs and resources Wandsworth would commit, stating, apart from this just being a bit of a chatting shop about how we fix bridges differently. What are we actually putting on the table in terms of cash and resources?

Councillor Peter Graham clarified that the proposed committee was not a scrutiny committee but a standing committee with no delegated decision-making powers. He argued that the issue was not purely engineering but a heritage issue rather than a transport infrastructure issue, suggesting that alternative options, such as disassembling and reassembling the bridge with modern engineering, could be explored. Councillor Grimston proposed deferring the decision to allow for more detailed consideration and to explore the possibility of a joint committee with Hammersmith and Fulham Council. However, Councillor Graham argued against deferral, stating that the government's 10-year plan was due in November and it was important to articulate the council's thoughts beforehand. Ultimately, the committee voted to establish the Hammersmith Bridge Committee, with Councillor Grimston's motion to defer the item being noted as lost.

Honorary Aldermen

The committee considered proposals to confer the title of Honorary Alderman on seven former councillors who had served for 10 or more years: Jeremy Ambache, Kim Caddy, Peter Carpenter, Jonathan Cook, Nick Cuff, John Locker, and Steffi Sutters. The report outlined the legal framework for conferring this title and the proposed arrangements for a special council meeting and an award ceremony. The Executive Director of Finance confirmed that the costs associated with these proposals could be met from existing budgets. The committee recommended that the council approve these arrangements.

Payments under the Members' Allowances Scheme

The committee noted the payments made under the Members' Allowances Scheme for the financial year 2025/26. The report, for information only, detailed the basic allowance, special responsibility allowance, dependants' carers' allowance, and travelling and subsistence allowance paid to councillors. The total payments for basic allowance amounted to £676,454, with special responsibility allowances totalling £498,508.38. Dependants' carers' allowance was £1,451.25, and travelling and subsistence allowance was £933.40. Payments to independent and co-opted members totalled £3,160.01. The report confirmed that these payments were in accordance with the Members' Allowance Scheme and were met from existing approved budgets.