Dear Office for Statistics Regulation,
Both of us are Wandsworth Council Taxpayers, Wandsworth voters, and previous Leaders of Wandsworth Council.
I am writing to submit a formal complaint concerning the use and communication of statistics by Wandsworth Council in relation to its public statements about Council Tax for the 2025/26 financial year.
I make this complaint within the remit of the Office for Statistics Regulation as the independent regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority responsible for investigating concerns about the production and use of statistics by public bodies, and for ensuring compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics.
Summary of complaint
On 10 February 2026, Wandsworth Council publicly announced that it had “frozen Council Tax for residents for the fourth consecutive year.” This claim has been disseminated across multiple official and publicly funded communication channels, including:
Exhibit A — Council website announcement
Exhibit B — Video statement by the Leader of the Council on social media
Exhibit C — Printed leaflet distributed to residents using public funds
Exhibit D — Promotional video published by the Leader of the Council
Across these communications, residents are repeatedly told that Council Tax has been frozen. None disclose that the overall amount residents must pay has increased.
Material omission and contradiction
Wandsworth Council’s own website confirms the following (from its Council Tax Bands and Charges page):
“The government allows councils to add an extra charge to Council Tax to help fund adult social care. For 2025/26, we applied a 2% increase for adult social care but chose to freeze Council Tax for general services. With the GLA’s 4% increase added, the overall Council Tax for 2025/26 has gone up by 2.4%.”
Accordingly:
- A 2% adult social care precept has been applied by the Council
- A further increase from the Greater London Authority applies
- The total bill paid by residents has increased by 2.4%
This information is absent from all proactive communications listed in Exhibits A–D, including video messaging directed at residents. The claim of a “freeze” is therefore, at best, materially incomplete and liable to mislead the public about the actual financial impact.
Context of prior public scrutiny
This issue is not novel. In 2025, BBC Radio 4’s More or Less programme examined substantially similar claims and concluded they were misleading. The programme found that residents were told Council Tax was frozen while bills rose due to the adult social care precept. Expert commentary noted that such an increase affects the whole bill, and the BBC’s conclusion was clear: a 2% increase does not constitute a freeze.
Concerns relating to the Code of Practice for Statistics
Trustworthiness (Confidence)
The repeated presentation of a headline “freeze” without transparent acknowledgement of an increase undermines openness and impartial communication. The use of taxpayer-funded channels to present incomplete information — including materials resembling party political messaging — further erodes confidence in institutional integrity and governance.
Quality (Methods)
While technically accurate detail exists within a separate webpage, the selective presentation of information across official communications fails to reflect residents’ actual financial liability. This suggests that the statistical framing and contextualisation used in public messaging are not robust, complete, or appropriately representative of the underlying data.
Value (Usefulness)
Statistics communicated to the public should support informed democratic engagement. By omitting reference to the increase affecting residents’ bills, communications reduce accessibility and insight, and risk misleading residents about real-world impacts. This diminishes the utility of the information for public understanding and debate.
Requested action
I respectfully request that the Office for Statistics Regulation:
- Provide written confirmation to me, as a resident, of your assessment as to whether the description of Council Tax as “frozen”, in the context described above, represents a potentially misleading use of statistics under the Code of Practice for Statistics.
- Advise whether you consider this matter suitable for escalation within your regulatory processes, including subsequent review of Wandsworth Council’s communication practices relating to Council Tax statistics used in public messaging.
- Provide guidance on any additional routes to which this matter could appropriately be referred, should aspects fall outside the OSR’s remit.
Please confirm receipt of this complaint and advise whether any additional information or documentation is required.
Yours sincerely,
Lord Udny-Lister
Sir Paul Beresford
Related links
Letter from Penny Young to Cllr Simon Hogg – Council Tax increases