The Conservative leader of Wandsworth Council, Aled Richards-Jones, has resigned after just 44 days in charge, plunging the London borough into political turmoil. Richards-Jones said he could no longer give the role 'the time and focus it deserves' alongside his job as a partner in a law firm.
Election Victory Short-Lived
The Tories seized back control of Wandsworth town hall from Labour at the local elections on May 7, winning 29 seats to Labour's 28. They made a deal with independent councillor Malcolm Grimston to secure a majority. However, Richards-Jones's resignation leaves the administration in disarray.
Criticism from Labour
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, Labour MP for Tooting, said: 'Wandsworth Council needs full-time leadership, not a part-time Tory leader whose cabinet members spend more time infighting than working for the people of Wandsworth. Currently, there are thousands of families on the housing waiting list. It is shocking that his first act as council leader was to scrap hundreds of planned council homes.'
Simon Hogg, leader of Wandsworth Labour, added: 'Wandsworth's Tory council is in chaos. Their leader has resigned just 44 days after the election. His legacy is taking food vouchers away from children and scrapping council homes for 400 local people.'
Budget Pressures
The new administration has argued it must make £137 million of cuts to the borough's budget, with residents facing council tax hikes after central government grant funding was slashed. Richards-Jones confirmed he would remain as a councillor for the Northcote ward.
Resignation Statement
'It has been an honour to serve as Group Leader for more than two years, following three years as Group Whip,' Richards-Jones said. 'Since I joined the partnership of a law firm last year, I have worked hard to balance increasing professional responsibilities with the demands of my political role. It is now clear to me that I can no longer give the role of leader the time and focus it deserves alongside those responsibilities.'
Reactions from MPs
Putney MP Fleur Anderson said Wandsworth residents 'deserve council leaders who work for them full time, not as a hobby. Cllr Richards-Jones and his team were clearly unprepared for the demands of running a serious council.'
Wandsworth Conservatives said a new council leader would be elected in the 'coming days'. A spokesman added: 'Aled has served as Group Leader for the past two years, successfully leading the Conservative Group from opposition back into administration at the first time of asking at the 2026 local elections. His administration has laid solid foundations for repairing the damage inherited from the previous Labour administration.'
