Wandsworth has recently announced another freeze in its share of the Council Tax, meaning that it barely charges any more than it did four years ago. Given that inflation was quite high until recently, this equates to about a 10% real-terms drop in the cost of council services for Tooting residents.
I meet dozens of locals on the doorstep every week and there is no doubt the freeze is welcomed by high and low earners alike. As we recover from the squeeze on incomes caused by the worst post-war recession on record, it’s important to hold the cost of living down where we can.
Rightly, many residents want to know that low tax hasn’t been at the expense of good quality services, particularly for the most disadvantaged in our society, so here’s a snapshot from the past four years:
- Improved school results – Ofsted now rates 93% of Wandsworth’s schools as good or excellent
- Reduced crime – Wandsworth’s investment in a Community Safety team has helped ensure strong local policing and active Neighbourhood Watch teams; crime has fallen by 10%
- Troubled Family Unit – Wandsworth’s Social Services team is delivering the best results in London for the most deprived families, helping them turn their lives around and supporting them back into employment and good health
- Efficient rubbish collection – by re-tendering the contract, the council has saved £1m and been able to keep weekly collections
- More new homes – Wandsworth’s pro-development outlook has delivered more housing, including accommodation for those on lower incomes, than most other London councils.
In all the main areas of council responsibility service provision has actually improved, while receiving less in central government funding and keeping Council Tax down.
As a final measure of progress, a 2013 survey of all Wandsworth residents showed overall satisfaction levels with the council rose to a record-breaking 84%.
If I had to describe myself, it would be as a ‘radical pragmatist’. Radical, because in a rapidly-changing world we have to adapt constantly to deliver the results the people of Britain rightly expect. Pragmatic, because I favour practical solutions over ideology. So I find it heartening that so much of what Wandsworth Council has achieved has been done by nothing more than hard work, the adoption of new technology, and staff empowerment.
That is not to say that things can’t be improved – quite the contrary, given the deficit, there must be improvement. So, with plenty of incumbent councillors looking ahead to the next four years, and new candidates with fresh ideas ready to take over from those standing down, I’m confident that if given the chance, Conservative councillors in Tooting and Wandsworth will deliver another four years of positive results for local residents.