Scrapping al fresco dining in Northcote Rd proves Labour hates fun
Labour-run Wandsworth council has scrapped a popular pedestrianisation scheme – Conservatives are fighting back, say Aled Richards-Jones and Lizzie Hacking
The Transport for London bus driver who skirted carefully around our dining table – set up for some al fresco pasta at 5am in the morning on Northcote Road – must have wondered what we were up to. Glancing at the film crew next us, that might have offered some leads – a trailer for an upcoming Edinburgh fringe show? A TV advert for something (personal insurance against being hit by buses)?
The reason we were dining al fresco at a stupid hour, in a stupid location, was to make a serious point. We’re young(ish) Conservative activists, and we were protesting at Labour-run Wandsworth Council’s decision to scrap a popular high street pedestrianisation scheme three years ago.
The scheme was simple and brilliant. In 2020, to help give businesses a post-Covid lifeline, the then-Conservative run Wandsworth Council pedestrianised Northcote Road, a well-known high street in Battersea nearly 1km long, on the summer weekends. This allowed businesses extra trading space for shopping and dining.
The effects were astonishing. The scheme saved or created around 120 jobs, and rescued many businesses from insolvency. Residents loved it – it completely reimagined the road, creating a safe, fun and vibrant space for socialising. A survey found that 88 per cent of residents supported the scheme, as well as two thirds of businesses. It was so popular it was repeated in 2021 and 2022.
Labour takes Wandsworth
Then in 2022, Labour won Wandsworth council and with no warning scrapped the pedestrianisation scheme. More than 6,000 residents signed a petition in protest.
Younger residents, especially, were dumbfounded. Labour – supposedly a pro-environment, pro-young people, party – scrapped a popular high street pedestrianisation scheme? And the Tories were fighting to save it?
In fact this shouldn’t be surprising. Labour councillors saw Northcote Road as relatively prosperous, and its younger residents as relatively well-served in life. Adding colour and vibrancy to this part of London was never going to be a priority for Labour – and the fact that the scheme was someone else’s idea was a further turn-off.
Combine this with recent National Insurance rises and draconian licencing laws and we see how Labour are stifling the hospitality industry right across the country.
Zooming out, this seemingly local affair is an example, in miniature, of how the Conservatives can win back younger voters. We don’t need to discover new principles to win back younger demographics – we simply need to apply time-honoured, core principles of being pro-business, pro-personal choice and pro-community to meet the needs of younger voters.
Younger voters are tired of Labour destroying their lifestyles and ambitions. A Mayor of London candidate who could embrace this approach, alongside a pro-aspiration stance on housing and growth would beat Sadiq Khan. Conservative councillors across the city should be standing on
this platform in the 2026 local elections, then voters would then see a party that recognises their priorities and help us to once again turn London blue.
Aled Richards-Jones is group leader of Wandsworth Conservatives. Lizze Hacking is board chair of Next Gen Conservatives