In many ways, London’s Wandsworth district is a paradigm of the modern city. On the one hand, this is a place where a teenager recently fainted from starvation in a food bank queue. On the other hand, it is home to the “heavenly pool”, a spectacular transparent swimming pool, suspended 10 floors above the ground in Nine Elms and reserved exclusively for the richest residents of the complex.
The region is also known for its relatively low municipal tax – which, as the Conservative-led council is proud of, is the lowest average municipal tax in the country. Wandsworth also claims to be the only local authority in London to reduce its share of municipal tax bills.
“You look at the houses down here and wonder, ‘How much does normal people cost?’ . “I always think this is the area of money. It’s all about money. They keep prices low and people vote for them. “
Perhaps that is why, after more than four decades at the helm of Wandsworth City Council, the Tories have been adamant. Although all three of his parliamentary constituencies were held by Labor – the Tories lost Battersea to Labor in 2017 and Putni two years later – and residents who voted for Labor mayor Sadiq Khan, the council remained firmly in Tory hands.
But amid anger over Partygate, and as the cost of living crisis bites, this Tory leadership council – one of a handful in London still under Conservative control – is on the cutting edge. And on May 5, it could turn red for the first time since 1978, potentially leading to a Tory disaster and making it a key Labor target.
Robert Hayward, a Tory peer and sociologist, said Wandsworth is home to many of the traditional Tory voters who are now turning against Boris Johnson – supporting women between the ages of 40 and 55.
He also said conservatives were trying to campaign in the capital for their historic commitment to cut the municipal tax – and blame Khan for the increases. He says the race remains tight and unpredictable.
“This is Partygate against the low municipal tax,” he said. “It simply came to our notice then. There were so many compartments that were separated or incredibly close last time. The Labor Party actually won more votes than the Tories [but gained them in the wrong places]. If the Conservatives just lose Wandworth and do well in other parts of the country, it will be a disappointment, but nothing more.
However, he continued: “If this is the culmination of a larger picture, it becomes emotionally very different.”
The latest poll in London shows that Labor is doing a little better than in 2018, the last time the same election was held, but not by much. The party performed well this year, following Theresa May’s disastrous general election campaign in 2017. Opinum polls for Sky News gave Labor a 20-point lead. As early as 2018, Labor secured a 15-point lead.
A senior Tory, a veteran of London politics, said Wandsworth’s changing demographics would make it harder for conservatives. There was also growing fatigue from Partygate, he said, adding that more fines for the prime minister could matter as election day approaches.
Sadiq Khan and Kemi Aquinola aboard the Wandsworth food bus, which delivers food to poor areas. Photo: Dominik Lipinski / PA
Which may be why the Tories in seven districts of London – including Wandsworth – will be listed as “local conservatives” in the ballot, rather than a “Conservative party candidate”, in an attempt to distance themselves from any toxicity to the national brand.
But conservatives may struggle to attract people they once relied on. On the newly built Old York Road in the center of the neighborhood, where cyclists pass people dining in front of delicacies, cafes and restaurants among strategically located plantations, 30-year-old Liam Garrett said he did not know that local elections were coming.
The owner of the marketing business said he was fed up with all the Partygate talk that was “on top”. He added: “It just needs to end as soon as possible. There are much more pressing issues. “
Although he believes the Wandsworth council is doing a good job, especially in terms of municipal tax spending, he does not usually vote in local elections.
Daisy Talbot, a 20-year-old student from the University of Durham who is at home for the Easter holidays, had previously voted for the Conservative, but this time said she would not feel comfortable voting for them. “There is definitely a change,” she said, adding that like her, many of her friends in the area would no longer vote for conservatives. “Now, given the blockade in particular and we are students, we feel that our age group has not paid much attention.”
During the period when Johnson attended parties in isolation, some of her friends were expelled from the university for mixing. “I would feel guilty if I complained all the time and voted for them. In contrast, she thought Keir Starmer was doing a good job: “He’s becoming a figure I’m much more aware of.”
Life is difficult for many Wansworth residents: as people with mortgages start joining food bank queues, people think much more than partying.
Charlotte White, 48, manager of the Earlsfield Food Bank, said housing was a huge problem in the area and people were struggling with increasingly complex problems as a result of the cost of living crisis.
“Not only is our number increasing, but so is the complexity of the problems. “People come with complex problems and there is simply no support,” she said. “I think people who want better solutions to these problems can have an effect on the way they vote.
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