The number of on-time state school applications received by south west London councils has decreased following the autumn budget’s private school tax, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.

Data obtained from Croydon, Kingston, Richmond, Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth councils each showed a decrease in the number of secondary school applications received by the 31st October deadline.

The announcement of a 20% VAT charge on private school fees last autumn had heralded outcry, but is yet to play out in the state sector. 

One teacher at a small private school in Surrey said: “There has been no sudden rise of pupil withdrawals. But I can see a few schools struggling in the future which could have a major impact on the state sector. 

“With the rising cost of living, even before the VAT increase, families were having to make sacrifices to send their children to private school. Now, the number of families who can afford the extra 10-20% gets even smaller.” 

The Independent Schools Council (ISC), which represents more 1,400 private schools in England, declined to comment on these figures but had previously suggested that an increase in private school fees to meet the additional VAT charges, would result in a migration of students into a ‘stretched’ state sector.

Richmond Council saw a 10% drop in applications from 2024 to 2025, although figures had already been decreasing since 2021, in line with dropping birth rates in the area. 

A council spokesperson said: “The number of on-time secondary school applications received for September 2025 shows a small decrease compared to the previous year, reflecting wider demographic trends that we will continue to track closely.

“At this stage in of secondary issions, we have not seen any discernible impact on our pupil numbers arising from the VAT charge on independent private schools. As we monitor this, our focus remains on ensuring that there are sufficient high-quality school places available for all children in Richmond upon Thames.” 

The capital’s rising cost of living, coupled with its dropping birth rates could be contributing to the fall in student numbers. 

One Wandsworth primary school is set to close over the summer, citing a dramatic decline in pupils and a resulting debt of approximately £300,000. 

St Anne’s Church of England took just eight children into their reception class in September 2024. 

Merton has seen a similar steady decrease in secondary school applications year on year, dropping by 10% since 2019. 

MP for Mitcham and Morden Dame Siobhain McDonagh said: “We have had a number of primary schools in Mitcham and Morden go down to one form of entry, you know, 30 a year rather than 60 because there simply aren’t the children around.

“We’re facing a terrible crisis in our schools in SW London with falling school rolls. Birth rates are down, people are just not having children and one of the factors at the top of our discussion is just how expensive it is to live in London and clearly if you have children, you need more housing and that is very difficult to access.” 

With regards to constituents raising concerns on struggling to afford the rising fees at independent schools, McDonagh added: “Maybe some time ago I had one or two, but as your Freedom of Information application indicates there has been no real impact.

“Some of the schools have absorbed the costs because private school fees have gone through the roof in recent years, so there may be quite a lot of money in the model.”

Despite dropping slightly this year, Sutton has seen a 5% increase in the number of state school applications received from 2019 to 2025.

A state school teacher in Sutton said: “Most of us here are in agreement that the move by the government makes sense. If what they’re saying is true then state schools will definitely benefit from the budget increases.

 “But I can see both sides, some people work really hard to just about manage to pay the fees so their child can get that top education, but probably won’t be able to afford it anymore.” 

The ISC together with a small collective of Christian faith schools and a parent-led group challenged the government’s VAT policy in court last month, arguing that it was discriminatory and against the legal right to an education. 

At the hearing, it was raised that higher fees could force 35,000 children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) into the state sector, which the claimants state to be ‘in crisis’. 

Representatives of the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, HMRC and the Department of Education argued instead that the policy will raise a predicted £1.3-£1.5b annually, to be put into raising the standards for the 94% of children in state schools. 

The hearing concluded at the Royal Courts of Justice on 1 May and a date for judgement has not yet been announced. 

Featured Image by MChe Lee on Unsplash

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The MP for Carshalton and Wallington visited Sutton Central Library to mark the one-year anniversary of a mental health initiative.

Bobby Dean, who was elected in July, helped set up the Be Well Hubs scheme in his former role as Sutton Council’s mental health champion. 

The hubs, which are organised by South London Listens, are safe spaces within community organisations that give employees a place to turn when they need mental health .

The event was attended by those who have benefited from the scheme, including podcaster Tobrice Chinosa, who Dean had personally convinced to sign up after knocking on his door. 

Image credit: Kieran Smith

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White Ribbon Day, on 25 November, is a global campaign to end violence against women and girls, starting with men.

It represents a promise taken by men to never commit, excuse, or remain silent when it comes to harmful male attitudes and behaviour that contribute to the fear women feel in their day to day lives.

This year, people in Sutton ed the White Ribbon Day walk, which aims to raise awareness for the campaign and make women’s safety a priority.

Sarah McGuinness, who works to ‘reclaim’ Sutton’s streets, emphasised that long-term change starts by addressing the root of the problem.

She said: “Violence against women and girls is not a female problem, it’s a societal problem.”

Watch the video below to find out more about the event and it’s crucial significance in today’s society.

Find out more by visiting the White Ribbon Day website.

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England’s visually impaired rugby team aim to defend their unbeaten record in Saturday’s international tournament against Japan and Ireland. 

Visually impaired rugby is a seven-a-side touch version of the sport developed by The Change Foundation which uses an audible ball, uncontested scrums and lineouts and commentary from the referee to aid play. 

England are playing in the Alex Bassan Cup on home turf in Sutton and hope to carry on successes at the 2019 Japan and 2023 tournaments. 

Scrum-half Aaron Fowler, 33, a physiotherapist and freelance sports journalist, said: “We had a chance to play rugby for our country which isn’t something a lot of us thought we’d ever do.

“Everyone’s been pleasantly surprised by the standards. 

“We play friendlies against fully-sighted teams and give them a good game – sometimes we beat them as well.” 

Fowler has retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative disorder which causes tunnel vision and night blindness, and started on the team after someone dropped out just before the 2019 tour.

The Change Foundation is an organisation which emerged in the wake of the Brixton Riots of 1981, and uses sport to help vulnerable and under-represented young people to create social change. 

Since starting visually impaired rugby in 2015, they have expanded to hundreds of players across England, Wales, Ireland, Japan, , Argentina, New Zealand and Italy. 

The sport is open to people who are sight-classified as B1, no vision, to B4, someone who can see at six metres what a fully sighted person would see at 24 metres.

The strategy has been to grow the sport by matching major international tournaments with a visually impaired counterpart. 

This year, Change has set up a second club in Stockport to help grow the sport in the north and with a Cardiff Blues visually impaired team established as well, they hope to develop a domestic league over the next year. 

England head coach Dan Lineker, 31, said: “The biggest highlight for me has been witnessing how close-knit the team has become, organising meet-ups and trips that further strengthen their bond.”  

As a lot is achieved through voluntary work, building links with visually impaired organisations and charities takes huge effort, time and significant expense which has been an ongoing challenge for Linekar and the team. 

A grant from the Wasps Legends foundation was essential in creating and sustaining the sport but with their sights set on ever greater development they are constantly looking for new avenues of investment. 

Throughout lockdown, when demonstration games in Italy and South Africa were cancelled, the team took part in challenges such as a virtual bike ride from Twickenham to Tbilisi and back to raise funds and keep morale high. 

Fowler added they are also hoping to build closer links with the RFU, local clubs and big sponsors so everyone can be involved in the expansion of the league across the country and the world. 

He added: “It’s brilliant that it keeps growing and always in the right direction.” 

The Alex Bassan Cup will be held on 23 November at Sutton and Epsom Rugby Club with an all-day bar and first kick-off at 11am. 

Featured image courtesy of Aaron Fowler on behalf of The Change Foundation

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Four-fifths of London pensioners are set to lose their winter fuel payment this year according to new analysis from the Londoners.

The research shows that 880,394 pensioners will lose the payment this winter across the capital following the Labour Party’s decision to restrict the payment, with all UK pensioners receiving the payment in 2023.

The figures concluded just 19%, or 190,496 London pensioners were set to keep the payment. 

The analysis took the number of pensioners who received the winter fuel payment last year, such as Jennifer, and subtracted the amount who also receive pension credit – the key metric for whether pensioners will continue to receive the payment. 

The decision, a cost-cutting measure implemented by Rachel Reeves, has been met with horror in communities across the capital, with pensioners and MPs appealing to the government to reverse the decision.

Jennifer Thompson*, 75, a pensioner in Wandsworth who did not wish to use her real name, is set to lose her winter fuel allowance despite living alone and suffering from respiratory diseases. 

She said: “I shouldn’t have to worry about whether to eat or heat.”

Jennifer, who is not eligible for pension credit as she receives a small private pension, expressed her fear that the costs of living in her uninsulated home during the winter were simply going to get worse. 

The pensioner, who suffers from Corneal Dystrophy and Raynaud’s disease, the latter of which is exacerbated by cold temperatures, attends Age UK’s regular coffee mornings to help save costs and socialise. 

She said: “I am not looking forward to winter this year. I will just have to prioritise, to try and do what I can.”

Jennifer has called on the government to re-think their decision. 

North London boroughs Hornchurch & Upminster and Ruislip, Northwood & Pinner are set to be the worst affected constituencies, with an estimated 17,500 pensioners losing the payment in each borough.

The data further revealed that constituencies held by the opposition parties were set to be worse affected than those held by Labour counterparts, including Bethnal Green and Stepney, where almost half of pensioners will keep their payments.

This was because constituencies held by Labour had higher percentages of pensioners receiving pension credit, the key metric now determining who will now receive the winter fuel payment.

The decision has been strongly criticised by opposition MPs across London whose constituencies are set to be badly hit, with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats both opposing the cut. 

Gareth Bacon, MP for Orpington said: “Labour’s choice to take away the Winter Fuel Payment from around ten million pensioners [in the UK] is shameful. 

“Many have told me they will have to make difficult choices between heating their homes or feeding themselves during the coldest months of the year.”

Bacon, whose constituency is projected to be the third-worst affected in London, also said the government was making the wrong choices. 

“They should be looking after pensioners who have worked hard all their lives, not their union donors,” he added.

His calls for Labour to reconsider their proposals were ed by Conservative colleagues Louis French and Peter Fortune, whose constituencies of Old Bexley & Sidcup and Bromley & Biggin Hill are both projected to be in the top ten worst affected.

French said: “The Government’s decision to cut winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners is heartless. Whatever Labour says this isn’t about removing from people who don’t need it.

“I’ve spoken to countless pensioners locally who will be left unable to heat their homes this winter because of Labour’s welfare cut. It’s frankly disgraceful.”

Fortune added: “Millions of pensioners rely on winter fuel payments to stay warm. Removing this with little notice or care for those who cannot afford to heat their home this winter is cruel. 

“The Government is making a political choice to prioritise train drivers’ pay demands over pensioners in need. They don’t have to do this.”

The Liberal Democrats have also opposed the changes, with their six London MPs calling on the government to change course. 

Lib Dem MP for Twickenham, Munira Wilson said: “I have spoken to many elderly residents across Twickenham who are seriously worried about whether they will be able to heat their homes or put food on the table without their winter fuel allowance. 

“It is clear that this policy is harming lots of vulnerable people across the country. I would urge Labour to change course to ensure that pensioners get the vital they need.”

A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said in September that the cut was “not something that he or the chancellor wanted to do, but was a necessary as part of our efforts to balance the books and address the £22bn black hole”.

Image credit: Photo by Dominik Lange on Unsplash

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A Sutton councillor has spoken out after being denied the chance to debate issues surrounding the Beddington incinerator, despite a previous indication that he would be allowed to.

Labour councillor for Hackbridge Dave Tchil was told by Liberal Democrat MP for Carshalton and Wallington and councillor for The Wrythe Bobby Dean a debate on the matter would be held at the Monday Full Council meeting while trying to raise it at an October 17 local committee meeting.

However, on the Monday night, Liberal Democrat council leader Barry Lewis called for the motion to be immediately put to a vote, with Dean voting in favour of that proposal followed by Tchil accepting the mayor’s invitation to deliver his motion despite his objections at not being able to have a full debate.

Cllr Tchil said: “I did that on the understanding that this would give me the place to not only speak, but also have the debate.”

Tchil added his motion, which failed to , aimed to create a system of further ability and transparency regarding the incinerator’s emissions and their potential impact on health.

According to Sutton Council’s constitution, it will now be six months before Tchil can bring his motion and hold a debate again.

Dean, who voted against Tchil’s motion relating to the incinerator, highlighted Full Council meetings run from 7-10pm and many councillors cannot stay late as they have full-time jobs.

Dean said: “We had two prior debates that night on local government finance and the future of St Helier Hospital.

“By the time we reached the incinerator item it was gone 10pm.

“Councillor Tchil had the option to defer the debate to the next meeting.

“He did not take it.

“So the compromise was to hear statements from the motion’s proposer and seconder and then move to a vote.

“I backed this compromise.”

The incinerator, officially named the Beddington Energy Recovery Facility, has breached its licence conditions several times.

October 17’s committee meeting marked exactly one year since the Beddington incinerator malfunctioned due to a power cut. 

Residents saw a dark smoke pouring out from the incinerator’s smokestack alongside a foul odour.

An investigation by the Environment Agency found that Viridior, the operators of Beddington ERF, failed to report the incident immediately.

Instead, it fell on residents, including Cllr Tchil, to report the failure to the Environment Agency. 

This failure to report incidents constituted a violation of the conditions of their environmental permit.

Additionally, according to Viridior’s own statistics, from 2019 until the present, there have been 60 occasions where acceptable levels of emissions of certain chemicals have exceeded, the most recent being in September this year.

Dean called on the Environment Agency to step up when it comes to regulating the Beddington facility.

He said: “It is clear we need to see more from the Environment Agency.

“The cuts to their budget over recent years have seriously undermined their ability to monitor and enforce standards across the county.

“I was disappointed to see the Labour government made no new commitments to funding the EA in its latest budget.

“I have written to the Environment Agency to object to Viridor’s proposed expansion of the facility.

“We have to get the balance right.

“We need to handle residential waste in a more responsible way than landfill, while ensuring facilities like this meet their environmental standards at all times.”

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “An environmental permit sets out stringent conditions that all waste sites must adhere to.

“We will not issue a permit if we consider activities taking place will cause significant pollution to the environment or harm to human health.

“The Environment Agency carried out two public consultation on Viridor’s application to vary its permit to operate the energy-recovery facility at Beddington.

“The aim was to let local people and organisations give their views on the site, and comment specifically on environmental and health issues.

“We consider all relevant comments into when making our decisions.

“In deciding whether or not to issue the permit, the Environment Agency will also take other relevant considerations and legal requirements into .”

Image taken from the livestream recording of Sutton Council’s 21 October meeting

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The Liberal Democrats’ Luke Taylor won south west London constituency Sutton and Cheam, following nine years of Conservative representation.

The transport planner and Sutton councillor won 17,576 votes, with Conservative Tom Drummond coming second with 13,775 votes.

Labour candidate Chrishni Reshekaron came third with 8,450 votes, despite the party’s overwhelming success elsewhere in the country.

Taylor said: “I’m feeling over-awed and really excited to be able to get to work trying to get a better deal for the residents of Sutton and Cheam.

“It’s a historic night for the country after so many years of brutal cuts to public services, cuts to the NHS, the police and local government.

“Now is the time to set things right and to deliver real change.”

He said he planned to continue ing residents through the living and energy crises and push for better funding for public services.

When asked how he was planning on celebrating, Taylor added: “I’m going to go to bed and potentially not knock on any doors tomorrow which will be a nice surprise.”  

From 2015 to 2024, the seat was held by Conservative Paul Scully, who made headlines earlier this year when he described parts of London and Birmingham as “no-go areas”.

Shortly after the incident, Scully announced he would not be seeking re-election, creating an opening for the Liberal Democrats, who had previously held the seat for 18 years.

Drummond ran on an anti-ULEZ campaign, while Reshekaron’s campaign focused on the reduction of violence against women and girls.

Taylor was not selected to represent the Liberal Democrats until May this year, after the previous candidate, former BBC journalist David Campanale, was controversially deselected in 2022.

Campanale is currently suing the party, claiming he was the victim of discrimination over his Christian beliefs.

Speaking to South West Londoner before the election, Taylor said: “I was aware of the deselection and it is a very sad situation.

“I know that there’s an appeal in process on the deselection but I don’t have time to think and worry about that — I believe that HQ are looking after all of that.”

Taylor’s victory is part of the Lib Dems’ wider success in Sutton borough and South West London in general, with wins in Carshalton and Wallington, Wimbledon, Richmond Park, Twickenham and Kingston and Surbiton.  

The party has secured 70 seats nationally.

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At 3:07 this morning, The Mayor of Sutton announced that leafy south west London suburb Carshalton and Wallington had been won by the Liberal Democrats in a landslide after the party lost narrowly to the Conservatives in 2019.

Newly elected MP Bobby Dean won 20,156 votes in the constituency, with Conservative incumbent Elliott Colburn only securing 12,221 votes.

Dean, a Carshalton resident who grew up in council estates in the area, has pledged to stop healthcare cuts to St Helier hospital, cost of living , and to reverse pollution in the River Wandle.

He said: “I’m feeling humbled. People from families like mine don’t often end up in politics, so I’m feeling quite a big sense of responsibility for that. But I’m excited and ready to get on with the job.

“We’ll be working on the priorities that people spoke to us about on their doorsteps, number one being the NHS, in particular our local hospital St. Helier. The future of that hospital has been up in the air for too long.

“The cost of living crisis is also still a priority, people are really struggling, and we’ll be campaigning a lot for the state of our local river, and the pollution levels in the Wandle.”

Considered part of the stockbroker belt, the area is a largely affluent demographic with issues centred around minimal social housing, healthcare funding cuts, and environmental pollution. 

Carshalton and Wallington has been a Liberal Democrat/Tory marginal since 1997, with Colburn securing a narrow 629 vote margin in 2019, one of the tightest majorities in the capital. 

While Colburn was a prominent figure in the community (and aged just 26 at the time of his victory), ultimately the Conservatives lost out, and the seat has been claimed once more by the Liberal Democrats.

Colburn said: “It’s been truly the honour of my life to be the MP for the place that I’ve been calling home since I was born.

“It is a wrench to leave, of course it’s a wrench to leave, but I’m so proud of what we’ve managed to achieve together, and I’m so proud of my time in a role that I did not think I would do at that age.”

For the Liberal Democrats, however, the win signals a positive future for the party.

Dean said: “It’s looking much better than it was before. It’s certainly going to be a bigger result than we have had in the last three or four elections.

“We put the NHS and social care right at the heart of our manifesto, and people are responding to that.”

The Lib Dems surged in south west London, also winning in neighbouring Sutton and Cheam as well as toppling the Tories in Wimbledon.

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The Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Sutton and Cheam has opened up about his late selection ahead of the general election.

Luke Taylor was selected in late May, a year and a half after the party’s controversial deselection of former prospective candidate David Campanale.

The long gap led to rumours of infighting within the Sutton Lib Dems, and limited Taylor’s campaign for the winnable seat to just six weeks ahead of July 4. 

Speaking to South West Londoner about Campanale’s deselection, Taylor said: “I was aware of it and it is a very sad situation.

“I know that there’s an appeal in process on the deselection but I don’t have time to think and worry about that — I believe that HQ are looking after all of that.”

Taylor attributed the slow reselection process partially to the party focusing on a council by-election in St Helier West ward in May, which was won by the Conservatives.

Eventually, Taylor won a vote between him and Luisa Porritt, who stood for London Mayor earlier this year.

Taylor is a transport planner and councillor who has previously stood for the Lib Dems in Mitcham and Morden and Battersea. 

He said: “Working in the private sector for 15 years has meant that I have a lot of wide real-world skills that a lot of politicians don’t have.

“They’ve not worked with real clients, real teams, they’ve come through party offices or activism, whereas I very much came to politics from a community politics perspective.”

Credit: Sutton Liberal Democrats

Taylor grew up in Lincolnshire with teachers as parents, who he credited for his ion for education — particularly improving the state school system. 

The Sutton Lib Dems had a disappointing election in 2019, losing the Carshalton and Wallington seat to the Conservatives, a Lib Dem stronghold for the previous 22 years.

The Sutton and Cheam seat, where the Lib Dems had also had past success, was held by Tory Paul Scully.

Taylor said: “In 2019, with Brexit, the Liberal Democrats misjudged it and that’s why we went back in a lot of seats, particularly in Carshalton and Wallington where we so sadly lost Tom Brake.”

Turning to Sutton and Cheam, he continued: “Paul Scully has done nine years of public service and I’ve got a lot of respect for him.

“But I think that the mess that the government has made of the economic situation has meant that he has not been able to deliver on the promises that he’s made.

“On his website he still says that the new hospital in Belmont will be delivered in 2025 and clearly that’s not happening — not a brick has been laid. 

“He has been let down by his government as the Sutton and Cheam residents have as well.”

Looking forwards to this election, Taylor said: “This time it feels very different.”

He added that his work on the Lib Dem Sutton council had already helped him build trust with voters, explaining: “Having that regular with residents mean that when it does come to election and you’re asking people to go out and vote for you, you’ve already done the validating so you’re really just checking back in.

“Ultimately now it’s about making sure that we get the residents of Sutton and Cheam the chance for that change.”

Featured Image Credit: Sutton Liberal Democrats

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Three Sutton organisations have teamed up to give clothing a second life, saving textiles from going to waste.

Sutton Council, Veolia and Community Reuse are working together to give pre-loved clothes a new home.

Residents in Sutton visiting the Kimpton Park Way Household Reuse and Recycling Centre are already able to recycle a wide range of materials or donate items, in good condition, to the on-site Community Reuse shop. 

This spring, a new trial will residents to donate pre-loved clothing directly to Community Reuse in dedicated containers placed outside the shop.

The clothing will be sorted and go on sale for residents and visitors to buy at low prices.

Jennifer Sibley, assistant director for environment and planning at Sutton Council said: “We want to help our residents during the cost-of-living crisis, as well as take action on climate change.

“Reusing is a great way to help reduce the impact on our environment and give unwanted clothes a new home.”

Reusing clothing decreases the demand for new items, which means less energy and fewer raw materials are needed to produce them. If people buy clothing second-hand, residents can help maintain natural resources and reduce carbon emissions at the same time as saving money. 

The Community Reuse shop has an ethos of selling donated items with a discount scheme available for residents on low incomes or experiencing financial hardship.

The clothing boutique is open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday and 9am to 1pm on Sunday. 

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

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