Labour Loses Control of Wandsworth in Close-fought Election
Tories plan pact with Malcolm Grimston to form administration
Wandsworth Conservatives leader Aled Richards Jones could be set to head the council
May 8, 2026
Labour has lost control of Wandsworth Council after just one term, in a tense night which saw the results balance on a knife edge until the last moment. The borough has moved to no overall control, with the Conservatives winning the most seats – just short of a two-seat majority.
Overall, the Tories now have 29 seats on Wandsworth Council – up seven on the 22 seats it secured in 2022 – one away from the 30 seats it needed to clinch a majority. Labour now has 28 seats, down seven from the 35 seats it won at the last election.
Independent councillor Malcolm Grimston kept his seat as the most-backed candidate, with 4,081 votes.
Sources told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the Conservatives are planning to make an arrangement with Councillor Grimston so that he would support the party on crucial votes over the next term – including the budget – while remaining an Independent.
Conservative leader Aled Richards-Jones told the LDRS he was “really delighted” with the results, which he said would see the Tories “take back control” of the council.
Councillor Richards-Jones said: “It’s a great result for us. It’s a great result for the borough. We can now get the borough’s finances back in order, we can improve services, we can protect weekly bin collections – those things that residents rely on – and we can also put more police officers on our streets and get young people a fairer deal on housing.”
He added: “I think this election was, first and foremost, a thoroughly local verdict on the last four years of Wandsworth Labour running a failing council. But, of course, there’s also an opportunity to express dissatisfaction with the Labour Government as well – I think both of those factors play their part.
“But, fundamentally, I think we had a real offer for voters that resonated with them and their everyday concerns and we’re really, really grateful they placed their trust in us and we’ll deliver on our manifesto for the next four years.”
It was a bitterly disappointing night for Labour and a far cry from 2022, when the party took control of the former Tory stronghold for the first time since 1978 – ending 44 years of Conservative control.
But 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.
Forecasters had predicted a tight race between Labour and the Conservatives going into the election on Thursday (May 7), where both parties had pledged to keep its famously low council tax.
PollCheck predicted a Conservative minority as the most likely outcome, with the Tories getting 29 seats and Labour ending up with 24 seats. It estimated Independent councillor Grimston would keep his seat, while the Greens, Lib Dems and Reform UK would each gain a seat.
Labour had 34 of the council’s 58 seats going into this election after losing a by-election to the Tories in 2024, while the Conservatives had 21 seats after Councillor Mark Justin defected to Reform.
Councillor Justin has now lost his seat to the Tories in Nine Elms, which was the first ward to be declared in this election.
Labour leader Simon Hogg comfortably held onto his seat with 1,257 votes in Falconbrook, where Labour councillor Kate Stock also kept her seat with 1,133 votes.
Tory leader Aled Richards-Jones kept his seat in Northcote with 2,583 votes. The Conservatives also kept the ward’s other seat, with new councillor James Kenton Craig 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.
The election count taking place in Wandsworth Town Hall
Although the Greens did not manage to win any seats, the party managed to take 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 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.
Labour, the Conservatives, Lib Dems and Reform UK each stood 58 candidates in Thursday’s elections in Wandsworth, while The Green Party put forward 53 candidates. A total of six Independents also battled for a seat.
Charlotte Lillywhite - Local Democracy Reporter