Crime and Youth Services Top List of Roehampton Concerns

Voters in the ward have their say ahead of the local election

Left: Robert Robinson, 76. Right: Lorna House, 45, on the Alton Estate. Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon

May 6, 2026

Voters in Roehampton, a neighbourhood on the brink of major change, have said they are particularly concerned about safety and a lack of youth services locally.

People in the Labour-run ward told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) they wanted to see more services in the area to steer young people away from anti-social behaviour and crime, which sat at the top of some residents’ agendas as they looked towards the local elections.

Mum-of-three Lorna House, 45, said she was particularly concerned about safety for young and elderly people in Roehampton.

Lorna said: “When i first moved to Roehampton in 2000, we had the little police station there. That’s not there anymore, so you don’t really see police in the area… so I don’t think there’s so much of a deterrent for violence or harassment on the streets anymore.”

She added, “My 19-year-old, he rides a moped, he’s quite friendly, he’s quite loud, so I feel like he would be a target maybe.”

Carolina, 32, who did not wish to provide her surname, also said one of her biggest concerns in Roehampton was children having “nothing to do” and sliding into anti-social behaviour and crime.

She said, “I feel like there’s just too much crime for kids to do. There’s a lot of police around the area, a lot of drug dealers around the area.

“There’s just not much for the kids to do and I feel like if there was a centre here, or some sort of curriculum, that would give them skills that would also be used in normal life, like politics, paying bills, cooking, cleaning, things like that. That would have an impact on the community.”

Alton Estate, Roehampton. Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon

Residents told the LDRS they were keen to see how Wandsworth Council would guide the future of Roehampton’s Alton Estate, which had hung in the balance for many years.

It was in 2012 that the council’s previous Conservative administration formally agreed to regenerate the 1950s estate. The authority submitted a planning application to demolish 288 homes for 1,108 new housing units overall in 2019 – with just 261, or 24 per cent, affordable homes – which was approved in 2022.

But the scheme was pulled before building had begun when Labour took control of the council for the first time in 44 years that May, over its lack of affordable housing.

The council went back to the drawing board to redesign the masterplan, which now involves demolishing 177 homes on the estate for up to 650 new flats – including 57 per cent affordable housing – and building better community facilities. A formal planning application needs to be submitted and voted on for these proposals to go ahead.

In the meantime, however, voters are gearing up to head to the polls on Thursday (7 May) to pick councillors to represent them for the next four years in Roehampton and the other 21 wards in Wandsworth. All 58 seats are up for grabs on the council, which has been controlled by Labour since 2022.

Moira Barranko, 70, also told the LDRS safety in Roehampton was her key concern ahead of the elections.

She said, “Even when I lived in Putney, I didn’t like coming here. You don’t feel safe. I know they’re trying to make it so much better, but the funny reputation these flats have had right from when they first went up… I can’t describe it.”

Moira said highways maintenance could also be improved in Roehampton, as she was losing her eyesight and regularly tripped up on uneven pavements in the area. “I’m always falling, there’s such bad pavement everywhere,” she said.

Local health services were another cause for concern for residents, who saw Queen Mary’s Hospital, in Roehampton, close its A&E department in 1997. While services were transferred to Kingston Hospital, this is further away and, Moira said, overstretched.

Robert Robinson, 76, shared concerns about cuts to public services over the past few decades, as he said there were more hospitals and police stations locally when he was growing up.

“Let’s just say you’ve got a little boy who falls over, you’ve got to drag him to Kingston, queue up for 14 hours or three weeks, something like that – you should be over there,” Robert said.

“The last few times I’ve used hospitals I’ve gone private because I’d rather pay.”

Robert added that while the Alton was a renowned estate when it was first built, it had declined in condition, and he believed it needed to be knocked down and rebuilt.

“The place can be dirty sometimes. They probably try to do it properly, but I don’t think they do,” he added.

Tony Arthur, 63, said he was particularly concerned about how the future of another major estate in Roehampton – the Lennox – would be approached by the new administration.

The council submitted plans earlier this year to build two apartment blocks on green space the heart of the estate – with one reaching 14 storeys in height and the other six storeys – providing 81 new council homes overall.

A decision on the application has not yet been made and is due after the election.

Labour, the Conservatives, Lib Dems and Reform UK are each standing 58 candidates in Wandsworth’s local elections, while The Green Party has put forward 53 candidates. A total of six Independents is also battling for a seat.

Charlotte Lilywhite - Local Democracy Reporter

Roehampton Candidates

• Hugh Palmer Brown – Lib Dems
• Anjusha Chaughule – Conservatives
• Jane Cooper – Conservatives
• Ben Francis – Reform UK
• Thomas Guyatt – Lib Dems
• Graeme Paul Henderson – Labour
• Helena Kanaan – Conservatives
• Ivo Nyoh Kuka – Independent
• Samuel James McKenna – Lib Dems
• Jay Bailey Northrop-Maltby – Green Party
• Reema Siddiqui – Reform UK
• Matthew George Tiller – Labour
• Tommy Tsherit – Green Party
• Terry Washington – Reform UK
• Jenny May Yates – Labour

All eligible voters should have been sent a poll card through the post with information about how to vote.

When you vote in person you will need to show photographic ID. To find out which ID you can use in the polling station, visit Voter identification

If you have any questions, visit wandsworth.gov.uk/vote, email electoral@wandsworth.gov.uk or phone (020) 8871 6023