Is this the most Thatcherite council in England?

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

In recent weeks we’ve told you about Wandsworth council and their plans to charge children to use a play area, followed up by their plans to make it harder for homeless and unemployed people to find a house in the borough. This is a council that has the explicit endorsement of Boris Johnson – he made their council leader his chief of staff – so it seems right to ask, is this the most Thatcherite council in England?

Here’s the evidence:

– According to government figures, Tory Wandsworth’s housing policies have led to one of the biggest reductions in social housing in the country. It fell from 41% in 1981 to just 20% in 2010, a fall of 18,479 homes.

– Over 17,000 council tenants in Wandsworth will be more than £400 a year worse off on average following a rent increase decision by Wandsworth council in 2011. Tory councillors led by Eddie Lister voted to hike up rents by an average of 7.4%.

– The Tory council have overseen a major programme to sell off council estates, huge cuts to voluntary groups including Citizens Advice Bureau and closures of pensioner’s lunch clubs, policies which have made life harder for thousands of residents.

– Earlier this year Wandsworth have announced they are cutting schemes to help disabled children in the borough

– Wandsworth council privatised many local services including street cleaning and refuse collection.

And all of this comes from a council which the Conservative Party are trying to emulate acorss the country. Don’t like these policies? That’s a shame, because they could be coming to a council near you.