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Kemi Badenoch, a Conservative minister, has instructed lawyers to challenge funding cuts imposed on the Tory-run Wandsworth Council in London. With a 40% reduction in government funding, Wandsworth is among several councils granted powers to increase council tax beyond the usual cap, leading to potential near-100% hikes. Badenoch criticizes this as an unfair redistribution of funds from non-Labour areas to Labour-voting regions and questions the principle behind such budget reallocations.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, has instructed lawyers to challenge cuts imposed by Labour that led Tory-run Wandsworth Council to raise council tax by 94% in London. Badenoch described the increase as "outrageous" and claimed it was due to a 40% reduction in funding from Labour. She argued that this funding realignment unfairly transfers money from non-Labour voting areas to Labour-supporting ones, impacting local budgets. Wandsworth Council has been granted special powers allowing them to exceed the usual 5% council tax cap for two years due to historical low rates and current financial pressures.
Written for “Tory Council Tax Hike Challenge” on 2026-09-18,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.35, but 1 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 2 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 17404: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-18
Badenoch has ‘instructed lawyers’ to challenge cuts to Tory-run London council
asserted
Badenoch → instruct → council
Mrs Badenoch said: “I think it is outrageous that Wandsworth Council is having to put up council tax.
asserted
Council → say → tax
But they’re not doing it because they want to.
asserted
they → do → it
“It is because the government has taken away 40% of their funding.
asserted
government → take → funding
So we have actually instructed lawyers, as the Conservative Party, to see if we can challenge the Government on this decision.
asserted
we → instruct → decision
“Because what it looks like Labour is doing is taking money from areas that don’t vote Labour and giving it to places that do vote Labour.
asserted
that → look → Labour
“And I think that’s completely wrong.
asserted
that → think → ?
I think it is outrageous.
asserted
it → think → ?
So we’re talking to lawyers.
asserted
we → talk → lawyers
Wandsworth, which has historically had very low council tax, is one of a handful of councils that have been granted two-year “funding realignment powers”, which enables them to increase council tax beyond the 5% threshold.
asserted
which → have → threshold
Mrs Badenoch said: “I think if you suddenly have a nearly 100% increase in your council tax, you would be extremely worried.
asserted
you → say → tax
“Families have budgets.
asserted
Families → have → budgets
Just because on average it’s lower than somewhere else doesn’t mean that people are going to be able to afford it.
asserted
people → ’ → it
“We have to do the right thing.
asserted
We → have → thing
And what I would ask Andy Burnham is if he thinks it’s so easy to find 40% of cuts why hasn’t he done that with the welfare bill?”
asserted
he → ask → bill
She added: “Right now it’s about the principle of it: that you don’t just take money from areas because they’re not voting for you and give them elsewhere.
asserted
they → add → them
That’s the principle that we are challenging.”
asserted
we → ’ → that
Mrs Badenoch insisted the Conservatives “would never” slash council budgets by 40% because they were voting Labour.
asserted
they → insist → Labour
Wandsworth was Conservative-run from 1978 to 2022, when it flipped to Labour.
asserted
it → run → Labour
It ended up with no overall control in this year’s local elections, with the Tories scaping by as the largest party with 29 councillors to Labour’s 28.
asserted
Tories → end → 28
The Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government has been contacted for comment.
asserted
Department → contact → comment
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