Archive | May 2026
May 14, 2026  

Councillor Tony Belton’s Battersea, May/June 2026, Newsletter (# 204)

 

  1. Thanks to all of you, who voted for me, and my colleagues Vicky Asante and Daria Hass on the 7th Unfortunately, we did not do well enough to get Daria elected. The result was:-
  • Vicky Asante (Labour) – elected              1766
  • Tony Belton (Labour) – elected               1680
  • Claire Davies (Conservative) – elected  1673
  • Joanna Hall (Conservative)                        1601
  • Daria Hass (Labour)                                    1528
  • Isabel Losada (Green)                                   986
  • Ben Koh (Green)                                            930
  • Matt Madden (Green)                                   794
  • Antony Abell (Reform)                                 508
  • Lucy Jones (Reform)                                    456
  • Jonathan Aldwinckle (Reform)                  433
  • Alexandra Ames (LibDem)                         288
  • Elizabeth Watson (LibDem)                       279
  • Teresa Norman (LibDem)                           255

Across the Borough the Tories won 29 councillors, Labour 28, with one Independent, who has already declared that he will vote Tory on major issues, and most significantly on the election of the council’s mayor. Why is the mayoral vote so important? Because on any tied vote, s/he has an additional casting vote, effectively giving the Tories 30 votes. Hence, whilst the media declared the result as No Overall Control, the reality is that the Tories won. The oicture shows the count at 4 am the next morning.

Ironically, Labour won a comfortable majority of the popular votes, 33% to 31%, but not of the seats – hence, if we had had a proportional representation system, Labour would have been the largest party, and would probably have been in coalition with the Greens. But that is crying over spilt milk territory. Unfortunately, thus ends Labour’s first four-year term of office at Wandsworth Town Hall this century.

  1. Let me record, in passing, some of our achievements. They included:-
  • Starting a meaningful council house building programme for the first time since the 1970s
  • Using our powers under Council Tax regulations to relieve the 10,000 poorest Wandsworth households of the need to pay Council Tax at all
  • Having the most generous Covid relief fund in the UK
  • Being London’s Borough of Culture in 2025
  • Encouraging and supporting the largest group of Ukrainian refugees in the country – and becoming a Borough of Sanctuary
  • Opening in Springfield Park, the largest new park in London since the 2012 Olympic Park
  • Introducing a generous ‘Access for All’ scheme enabling families on benefits to access swimming pools, leisure centres, and other facilities
  • And all whilst keeping the main element of Council Tax frozen.

It will be our job in opposition to defend that record against any and all Tory attempts to cut services.

  1. Our defeat will hit some of our fellow residents very badly and we owe it to them to consider lessons to be learnt.
  • First, as always, is to have luck and timing on our side. As it happens, we could hardly have faced an election at a worse time than when Keir Starmer’s unpopularity is at its depth, whether deserved or not; or at a time when the American President decides, at Israeli bidding, to fight a disastrous, illegal war against Iran; or when the economy was more on its knees, recovering from Covid, Ukrainian and Iranian wars. Of course, we have also been lucky to the extent that the Tory party is as unpopular, as is Starmer – even whilst he’s doing the difficult job of keeping us largely out of the war in Iran.
  • Then, of course, we have failed to counter the Green charge. Which reminds me that 2 weeks before the election, I bumped into the Green’s most successful candidate here in Battersea Park, Isabel Losada. I suggested to her that their intervention in Wandsworth could mean that the Greens would take votes from Labour and, as a consequence, let the Tories win Wandsworth. She summarily dismissed that argument, but actually the 100 odd extra votes she won, compared to her colleagues, and probably from Daria Hass, Labour’s losing candidate, was sufficient in itself to give the Tories the one seat they needed to be in the majority and to win both ward and Borough – from the Green’s perspective a Tory victory – and no Green councillors – was absolutely not the result they would have wished.
  • The Green vote, across the Borough, was so large that it was probably the main reason six, or so, other Labour candidates lost to the Tories – without the Greens becoming the force that they are, Labour would have won Wandsworth with a comfortable majority, probably some 34 to 24. It is not good enough, however, for Labour to vent all its anger on the Greens. They have every right to stand for election and to win, as they have done in neighbouring Lambeth. We have to beat them in the ballot box; denying their right to stand and objecting to their very existence is not the way to victory. It is just calamitous that Labour Wandsworth, with its excellent record on green issues, has fallen to the Tories because of this intervention by the Greens.
  • On election day itself, I realised that things were not going well when a traditional Labour-type elderley man, and his wife, announced that they had already voted, and they had voted for Reform. I am pleased to say that Reform did not do well in Wandsworth. Their literature was so uniformly negative, I wonder how anyone but the most miserable misanthropes could ever wish to support them. It’s surely indicative that the parts of the country, where Reform candidates were most successful and took control of councils, are precisely those parts of the country finding it difficult to cope with the modern world. Those, generally the most depressed, areas of Britain need massive suport from the rest of us. In my view the Government are right to distribute money away from the wealthy south-east, and to mitigate the north:south inequalities across the country. Until this regional inequality is addressed, the Reform Party will continue to be a threat.
  • And as for the Liberal Democrats, the day really was almost as gloomy for them, as it was for the other two traditioal parties. They were beaten into fourth or fifth spot in nearly all Wandsworth wards – fifth in Battersea Park, well beaten by Reform. The major, shining exception was Thamesfield – essentially the Putney riverside – where they were within 100 or so votes of beating the Tories.
  1. The overall result was, of course, in many ways a triumph for Wandsworth’s Labour party. No political analyst would have forecast in 2022 that Wandsworth would be the fifth strongest Labour Borough in London by 2026. Traditionally we have been more used to being the 18th or 19th strongest – but now we have more Labour councillors than in traditional strongholds such as Lambeth and Lewisham and the same number as in Southwark. Amazingly, we are now second to surprisigly Labour’s strongest south London Borough – Merton, where Labour had a comfortable majority, with their 32 councillors.
  1. But the bitter truth is that we lost, and now we are going to have to defend our achievements of the last four years and defend civic services against the inevitable cuts, that we know the Tories will try to introduce. We know that we will get support from the many of you who voted for us last Thursday and so once again a heart-felt thanks from Vicky Asante, (on the right) Daria Hass, and me, Tony Belton.
  2. On Saturday 9th May, Penny and I went to The Arding Rooms Open Day, in the old, now converted and modernised Arding & Hobbs building – and my word what a fantastic job ‘they’ have made of it. The jewel in the crown is the roof terrace, which on this occasion, with great views over Battersea, beautiful gardens, and on Saturday wonderful weather, was magnificent – though this picture doesn’t really do it justice. The rest of the building is full with meeting rooms, a bar, a restaurant, lounges, and an exercise area. It is Battersea’s version of a private London club. It is a bold and classy venture. I wish it well but I wonder whether the local population and business community can sustain it.
  1. Monday 8th was our first induction day as newly elected or re-elected councillors, full of all the form-filling and pleasant introductions that you might expect on such a date, but at this point you must be wondering why this newsletter is appearing so early. The reason is because in a few hours’ time Penny and I are off to Rio de Janeiro and will not be back until next month. Pen was invited to give a lecture both in Rio and in Belo Horizonte(about 400 miles inland from Rio), and as someone had to do the job of accompanying her, I volunteered.

My June Programme

My June strangely enough starts with a couple of days in Paris, as Pen has a Conference there, and once again I have decided to make the sacrifice of ensuring the she doesn’t get lost. But subsequently my programme is in the lap of the gods, or rather the Tories, who are yet to announce their plans for Council activity in the coming months.

Did you know?

Last month, I asked, “just where was Battersea’s specially built Temperance Billiards Hall – built in 1922 and used for many years for bingo and snooker – and what is its current use?”

The answer is this splendid rather unremarked building on Battersea Rise. It is, of course, now The Goat, a successful pub, making an attractive addition to the local scene. Two people gave the correct answer, both claiming it was easy! 

And this month?

We know from the above that this year’s council election was one of the closest votes in Wandsworth’s history, with 29 Tory, 28 Labour, and one independent councillor elected. But there has been, in Wandsworth’s history, an even closer result. Do you know when that was? And what the result was? And what was the way out of the ensuing conundrum? Big clue – in those days there were 60 councillors as opposed to today’s 58.

PS For back-dated numbers, web-search ‘Tony Belton’ to access my blog: to sign on for future copies email tonybelton99@gmail.com.

May 1, 2026  

Councillor Tony Belton’s Battersea, May 2026, Newsletter (# 203) 

  1. This is the 203rd, and could be the last, edition of this Newsletter if those of you, who live in Battersea Park ward, don’t go out and vote for me and my Labour colleagues Vicky Asante and Daria Hass on 7th I think that we have done a pretty decent job of running the Council during the last four years and we deserve a second term, but clearly Keir Starmer’s current problems and the disaster of the Israeli/American:Iran war are not making it easy for us. Our track record includes
  • Having the lowest Council Tax in the country,
  • Having the most generous Council Tax relief fund for the less affluent of us,
  • Starting a house-building programme, with 1,000 Council units built, under construction or planned,
  • Creating in Springfield Park, the largest new park in the UK sine the 2012 Olympic Park,
  • Starting a clean-up and brightening of the Borough – see the Thessaly Road Bridge and the Falcon Road Bridge (Underpass) improvemets,
  • Introducing the Access For All scheme for those on concessions,
  • And being London’s 2025 Borough of Culture.

Our manifesto for the next four years, here being launched by Battersea Councillor Simon Hogg, promises

  • To keep Wandsworth’s Council Tax as the lowest in the country,
  • Doubling the current level of street cleaning,
  • Introducing Neighbourhood Wardens to keep the Borough safer,
  • Aim to be a net zero carbon Borough by 2030 – tough but we are aiming for it,
  • Add a further 1,000 new council homes – we believe everyone deserves a decent, safe home.

I think we have done some great work. It would be a crying shame to lose it all because of a Tory victory, especially one gifted by well-meaning but naïve Green or Liberal Democratis votes. From a personal perspective, being a councillor, for over 50 years, it is an enormous part of my life and it would be painful to lose this election.

  1. Because of the imminent Council Election, there were not many ‘Council meetings’ in April. Most councillors were committed to electioneering – canvassing and leafletting – and the inevitable increase in casework that follows from being out on the streets – that was certainly the case with me, although I must say I owe a vote of thanks to my fellow candidates Vicky Asante, left, and Daria Hass for doing lots of the legwork for me. We, all three, enjoyed the opportunity to go out and talk to you, the electorate, even if some of you seemed less than excited by the prospect!
  1. It was good to hear from one reader that the Battersea Park Gate, destroyed by a lorry a few months back, has been carefully rebuilt and that it is back in action. Thanks for that – I possibly would not have noticed so thanks for the info.
  1. The 6th April was my birthday. Penny and I decided to have lunch at the Shard, investigate Borough Market and visit Southwark Cathedral. The Market, needless to say, was buzzing. As much a tourist trap nowadays as opposed to being an old-fashioned, unexceptional street market, it never ceases to amaze – especially with its range of cheeses. The Cathedral is almost lost under the London Bridge: Waterloo:Cannon Street railway junction, but it is well worth visiting – if you can find it. Medieval in origin much of the Nave was reconstructed in the nineteenth century, but nevertheless has that awe-inspiring grandeur common to English (and Northern French) Gothic cathedrals. And then there was lunch at the Shard. I must confess that I have not previously been up there, so it was a thrill to be lunching with a view – not that we went as high as you can, but we were above St. Paul’s. It was a great way to spend a birthday, and London looked splendid in glorious sunshine.
  1. Off to Tate Britain on the 12th March to see the Constable:Turner Exhibition. It was brilliant but absolutely jam-packed – no way to admire some of Britain’s greatest works of art. But what a fascinating pair Constable and Turner make. They were in not very friendly rivalry, vying for pre-eminence. Turner all experimental; widely travelled across Europe but especially Italy; throwing all conventions aside; simply stupendous in some of his seascape paintings – see one painting entitled Fishermen upon a Lee-Shore in Squally Weather. Constable in contrast hardly moved from his native Suffolk, and his paintings have all the peace and calm that suggests. But they also show a very deep respect and admiration for English rural life and the contribution of the rural workforce. Great show assuming you could see past the crowds.
  1. On 14th April I, and fellow Councillor Critchard, went off to Wembley to see England’s Lionesses win a closely fought and critical World Cup qualifier 1-0. As it happens Lauren Hemp scored in the first couple of minutes, which seemed to have a dampenig effect on both teams, wih neither side looking much like scoring, despite the bar being hit twice. In that sense the match was a little disappointing, but what was not disappointing was the whole atmosphere and flavour of going to a women’s international match – so much more civilised and well-behaved both on and off the pitch, than their male counterparts.
  1. The Planning Applications Committee was on the 15th You may remember that last month I was pretty sceptical about whether our objection to a massive Lambeth development – one tower 230 metres high, 755 feet, about 30 metres, or 100 feet, higher than the current highest tower in Vauxhall – would make any difference. But my scepticism was totally unjustified as I understand that the weight of objections was such that the application has been withdrawn.

Well this month, the main application was for the demolition and redevelopment of Meadbank, BUPA’s large residential home, near the junction of Parkgate and Battersea Bridge Roads. Given the amount of construction work in the Parkgate Road area, and the unfortunate coincidence of the closure of Albert Bridge for an indefinite period, the timing is unfortunate to say the least. However, Meadbank has had to close because it is not up to today’s required standard – most notably it is no longer acceptable that residential rooms for the elderly do not have en suite facilities. Slightly reluctantly – we were concerned about the scale of the building and overlooking of neighbours –  we approved the application.

On the 29th April I went to a meeting of the residents of James Searles Lodge, (sheltered housing unit, immediately adjoining the Meadbank site). They had legitimate concerns about the dust, noise, nuisance and disturbance that the development will cause. They were also worried about the traffic and parking implications of the Meadbank development along with the neighbouring Ransom’s Dock, Vivienne Westwood, and Elcho Street developments, which are all due to start in the near future. I promised to organise a meeting with relevant officers to discuss and co-ordinate development management plans for all four developments.

  1. On the 24th April Penny and I went to the Olivier Theatre to see Maxim Gorky’s play Summer Folk – its Russian name is Dachaniki. I knew that Gorky was associated with the revolutionaries before the 1917 Russian Revolution, but I had never seen any of his plays, and knew little about him. He had an amazing group of mentors and friends. Anton Chekhov discussed drama with him, indeed Chekhov suggested that Gorky should take advice from Tolstoy.The play portrays the stultifying boredom and futility of the lifestyle of the Russian middle classes, who were escaping from the torrid summer heat of Moscow and St. Petersburg to their country dachas – a bit more than our country cottages but not exactly stately homes.

Whilst Chekhov describes this with amused satisfaction, Gorky’s play is full of contempt, loathing and nihilism – not without some comedy and a lot of absurdity. It is easy to understand why a revolution was coming to Russia, indeed the play more or less predicts it. It all combined to make the play interesting but not exactly full of laughs. Its opening night in 1904 caused a sensation and within a year there was an uprising in Moscow, the Russian navy was heavily defeated by the Japanese, and Gorky, as a member of the Bolshevik Party, was imprisoned. Change was coming. It made me think of today’s billionaires, whether of the western IT type or of the eastern, kleptocratic type. Indeed with the seemingly inevitable and continuing rise of today’s billionaires, the play has a relevance and topicality that on reflection, I had not expected.

  1. Candidates for public elections are nowadays asked to make all kinds of pledges on any number of issues. It is not a tactic that in general I approve of, but one pledge we have been asked to make is in support of the Palestinian people, and I happen to think that this issue is so important for humanity that on this occasion, I have made an exception. Hence see the attached.

My May Programme

  1. The May 7th Borough General Election defines the whole month for us Labour councillors. If we win, we will be deciding which team of our councillors will lead us through the next difficult four years. If we lose, the pressure is off us directly, but the mood will be grimmer; and if we end up with a coalition – which will be for the first time in Wandsworth’s history – then I guess we will have a busy period of negotiation and, hopefully, not too much confusion.
  2. Meanwhile in May, Spurs’ fate as a Premiership side for the 2026/7 season will be resolved, I must say that it is looking pretty grim right now!

Did you know?

Last month, I asked, “Whether you knew that a Battersea-based athlete won a silver medal at the recent Parisian Para-Olympic Games. Do you know who that might be and what is his connection to Battersea?”

The answer is that Marcus Perrineau-Daley, won the silver medal in the 100-metre sprint, just two years after he broke his spinal-cord in three places following a motor-cycle accident. As for his connection to Battersea, well that is his membership of Carney’s Community. And the picture shows him, and his tri-cycle (front centre-left), celebrating his achievement with the team at Carney’s. 

And this month?

Watching some of the snooker world championships, I pondered just where was Battersea’s specially built Temperance Billiards Hall – built in 1922 and used for many years for bingo and snooker – and what is its current use?

PS For back-dated numbers, web-search ‘Tony Belton’ to access my blog: to sign on for future copies email tonybelton99@gmail.com.