Councillor Sara Apps

Agenda

The annual meeting of Wandsworth Council saw Councillor Jeremy Ambache elected as Mayor for the second time, and Councillor Rosemary Birchall appointed as Deputy Mayor. Councillors also approved the appointment of cabinet members, committee members, and representatives to outside bodies. A proposal to create five Deputy Cabinet member positions was approved, despite opposition concerns about the cost.

Agenda and decisions

The Wandsworth Council Planning Applications Committee met on 20 May 2025, approving plans for sheltered accommodation, new flats, and a pocket park, while also addressing enforcement issues and tree preservation orders. A decision on an application at Skeena Hill was deferred from the previous meeting but was approved this time.

Agenda

The Wandsworth General Purposes Committee met to discuss proposed revisions to Article 7 of the council's constitution and make related changes to the members' allowance scheme. The revisions allow for the appointment of deputy cabinet members to assist cabinet members, and the consequential changes to the allowance scheme include removing the provision for policy champions and remunerating the new deputy cabinet members. After debate, the committee voted to recommend the changes to the full council, with Councillor Rex Osborn, Chair of the General Purposes Committee using his casting vote to pass the motion.

Agenda and decisions

The Wandsworth Planning Applications Committee met on 24 April 2025, to discuss several planning applications, tree preservation orders, and reports. The most significant item was an application for The Glass Mill, which the committee voted to refuse. Other key items included a decision on The Lodge, and discussions around traffic implications and sustainability.

Agenda and draft minutes

The meeting approved the Council’s budget, including a council tax freeze for the third year in a row. The meeting also approved a package of reforms to the Council’s constitution, including new rules about which decisions are treated as “key decisions” and a new process for scrutinising Cabinet decisions.