Independent councillor for West Hill, Malcolm Grimston, has acted as the ‘kingmaker’ with the Conservatives agreeing a plan to ensure the council can function
A Conservative-led administration is preparing to take charge of Wandsworth Council, after dramatic local election results saw the end of Labour’s one term in control of the authority.
While the council moved to no overall control on May 7, it has a Conservative minority that has now made arrangements to govern – with the group one seat shy of the 30 needed to win a majority.
It is the largest single group on the authority, with 29 seats – up seven on the 22 seats it secured in 2022. Labour has 28 seats, down seven from the 35 seats it won at the last election.
The group has agreed a confidence and supply arrangement in principle with Independent councillor Malcolm Grimston, who kept his seat as the most-backed candidate with 4,081 votes.
The agreement means Councillor Grimston will support the Conservatives on key votes needed for the council to keep functioning – including the annual budget and votes of no confidence.
Councillor Grimston has represented the borough’s West Hill ward since 1994 – first as a Conservative before leaving the party in 2014, then sitting as an Independent. He will remain an Independent and will not hold any cabinet position. The arrangement will be reviewed annually.
Incoming Tory Council Leader Aled Richards-Jones said the priority of the new administration is a “well-run council that delivers for every resident”.
The Conservatives have launched spending and constitutional reviews of the authority, with the results to be considered at the first ordinary full council meeting in July. The spending review will look at all spending across the authority, including major projects and future borrowing plans, to find where immediate savings could be made.
No new staff will be recruited while the review is under way, except in exceptional circumstances. The review will also involve independent assessment of programmes and policies.
The constitutional review will explore how the council could operate in a more open, transparent and effective way. It will look at how scrutiny could be improved, councillors could more effectively raise issues on behalf of residents at meetings and processes made clearer.
Any proposed constitutional changes will be considered by a cross-party committee before being taken forward.
The Conservative-led administration has pledged to “work constructively with councillors from across the chamber, while ensuring all members are better able to represent their communities and take part fully in council business”.
Councillor Richards-Jones said: “My priority is straightforward – a well-run council that delivers for every resident. That means financial responsibility and transparent decision making. That is the foundation for the services residents rely on – like clean streets, safer neighbourhoods, and high-quality housing.
“I look forward to setting out the full programme at the council’s first ordinary meeting in July, and to working constructively with all councillors to deliver it.”
What happened in the elections?
Forecasters had predicted a tight race between Labour and the Conservatives in Wandsworth heading into election night on May 7.
Labour had 34 of the council’s 58 seats going into the elections after losing a by-election to the Tories in 2024, while the Conservatives had 21 seats after Councillor Mark Justin defected to Reform.
The results were ultimately bitterly disappointing for Labour and a far cry from 2022, when the party won control of the former Tory stronghold for the first time since 1978 – ending 44 years of Conservative control.
The Conservatives still failed to secure a majority in what was once known as Margaret Thatcher’s favourite council, at the forefront of the former Tory leader’s Right to Buy scheme and the privatisation of local services.
Councillor Justin lost his seat to the Tories in Nine Elms, which was the first ward to be declared in the election.
Councillor Richards-Jones kept his seat in Northcote with 2,583 votes. The Conservatives also kept the ward’s other seat, as new councillor James Kenton Craig was elected with 2,551 votes.
The Tories gained two seats from Labour in St Mary’s and West Putney, along with a seat each in Trinity, Wandle and Battersea Park.
Wandsworth Labour Group Leader Simon Hogg held onto his seat with 1,257 votes in Falconbrook, where Labour councillor Kate Stock also kept her seat with 1,133 votes.
Although the Greens did not manage to win any seats, the party took votes from the other main parties – particularly in Tooting Bec and Tooting Broadway, where the Green candidates followed the three Labour winners in each ward by a small number of votes.
The Tories based their manifesto on reining in Labour’s borrowing and spending plans, protecting core services and funding more police officers. The party also pledged to give more renters a chance to own their homes.
Labour promised to keep the borough’s same low council tax and build another 1,000 council homes – on top of the 1,000 council homes it was already delivering as part of the Homes for Wandsworth scheme. It pledged to double street cleaning and roll out neighbourhood wardens in every town centre.
Councillor Richards-Jones is set to be formally elected as Council Leader at its annual general meeting on May 27, where the full governance arrangements – including cabinet appointments – will be confirmed.
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