Conservatives Storm Out of Borough Council Meeting
Opposition angered by Labour refusal to prioritise a motion on finances
The half empty chamber after Tory councillors left the meeting. Picture: H&F Labour
October 23, 2026
The Conservatives stormed out of a Hammersmith and Fulham Full Council meeting after accusing Labour of refusing to debate a motion on the authority’s finances.
The Tory opposition group had proposed a motion on the swingeing cuts to the council’s budget under the Government’s Fair Funding reforms. The group requested the item, which was listed last on the agenda, be bumped up to allow it to be discussed earlier in the evening.
Their proposal was however voted down by Labour, which has a sizeable majority on the council, leading to the Conservatives walking out. But Labour accused the Tories of an own goal after the motion was unable to be discussed later in the meeting due to the Conservative group’s absence.
Cllr Jose Afonso, the Tory Opposition Leader, said Labour in Hammersmith and Fulham are a “disgrace”, accusing them of refusing “to debate the most pressing issues of the day”.
Cllr Callum Nimmo, Deputy Labour Whip, described the Conservatives walking out as “extraordinarily odd”, adding it meant the motion could not be moved resulting in the meeting finishing early.
Hammersmith and Fulham is one of several councils expecting to see its Government grant reduced significantly under the Fair Funding reforms.
The Labour-led authority has said its funding will be slashed by more than half over the next four years, with a council tax rise of 150 per cent necessary to plug the shortfall without implementing any cuts.
It is understood a tax increase of this magnitude is not expected, with the council to pursue a combination of reductions in “back-office waste” alongside a lower tax hike to balance the books.
At Wednesday night’s (21 October) Full Council meeting 85 public questions were submitted, the vast majority of which related to the authority’s finances and potential tax rises.
The 20 minutes allocated to questions expired before any were asked, leading to Cllr Dominic Stanton, the Tory Whip, proposing the time be extended to enable at least one to be posed by submitting a motion to that effect.
“Surely with an issue of this importance to so many residents we should have at least the opportunity for one question to be heard rather than simply sending residents wayward written replies,” he said.
Cllr Nimmo rose to suggest the meeting stick to the allocated 20 minutes.
“It’s a long-established practice which has been advertised and communicated to residents in attendance tonight. We have lots of business to get through, and some of it covers the very issues that many of these questions raise.”
Cllr Nimmo added all of those who asked questions will receive a full written reply, and encouraged all residents to respond to the consultation.
Cllr Stanton’s motion was put to a vote where it was lost along party lines.
The finances were raised by Cllr Rowan Ree, Cabinet Member for Finance and Reform, under an item on the Audit Committee’s annual report for 2025/26.
Cllr Ree highlighted the positive feedback the authority has received from external auditors, before mentioning the impacts of the “so-called Fair Funding reforms”.
He noted the loss of more than half of the grant from Central Government due to the changes, resulting in a £160million budget gap by 2030/31.
“As has been said, this is a well-run council,” Cllr Ree said. “We have found ourselves in this position not through our own failings but because of external changes outside of our control. And we are not alone. Conservative-run Wandsworth and Westminster are also not badly run councils. But like us they are part of a handful of severely affected local authorities who will have to take extraordinary action to mitigate these changes.”
Cllr Ree added that since 2014 the Labour administration has cut £156m from its budget while continuing to deliver services such as free homecare.
He said the council will be making “dramatic cuts to back-office functions” to help plug the budget gap and create a “leaner” organisation.
“We do not agree with the changes to council funding allocations and have been challenging the Government on this. However, we are not going to waste officers’ time and ratepayers’ money on political stunts or challenges that we do not think will succeed.”
The issue was raised again under a motion on the council’s housing service, with Cllr Afonso saying members should be given the opportunity to debate the impacts of the reforms.
He told members: “The fact of the matter is, this council chamber deserves to ventilate and have a debate on the finances. It is the single biggest issue affecting this borough. And you can say it isn’t, you can say you’re copping out, you can say that you’ve covered it in an Audit Committee report, but you haven’t.”
Cllr Ree said the opposition had an opportunity to move their motion to the front of the agenda, “because you weren’t capable of getting it in early enough”, but that this wasn’t taken.
He said the council has a Policy and Accountability system, and that he will be discussing the budget proposals at every relevant committee ahead of a final decision next year.
Cllr Ree added the matter had already been debated at Cabinet, adding: “You haven’t raised any new points here this evening. Several of you have stood up and said it’s a disgrace we’re not talking about this. You haven’t actually raised any points about it.”
Cllr Stanton again rose, this time to propose that the Tory motion, which was the final item on the evening’s agenda, be taken next. This was also lost, leading to the Conservative group walking out of the meeting.
Cllr Afonso later posted a video on X, in which he accused the Labour administration of refusing to let the group’s motion be debated.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Labour in Hammersmith and Fulham are a disgrace. Despite over 60 public questions on council tax, they filibustered to ensure not even one resident got to ask a question on it. They then shamefully voted down our proposal to extend public questions – a slap in the face to the many residents who turned up in good faith.
“They then refused to debate our finance motion. This is the greatest issue affecting our borough in recent memory. There will be residents this time next year having to choose between heating and eating due to the massive council tax hikes coming.
“Labour are running scared – they know they’ve failed to lobby their own Government, they know they covered up these tax rises ahead of the May election, and they don’t want to face the facts.
“Over 31,000 votes across the borough were cast for Conservatives in the last election. We were not sent to the town hall to listen to puff pieces and filibuster, but to fight for residents. That’s why we walked out – we will not sit there while Labour refuse to debate the most pressing issues of the day.”
Cllr Nimmo said: “Hammersmith and Fulham’s Conservative councillors are paid a lot of public money to undertake their important role as councillors. Storming out of such an important meeting is extraordinarily odd. It meant there was no Conservative councillor there to move their motions, so the meeting had to finish early. I think most residents will be disappointed at best.”
Hammersmith and Fulham is one of several London boroughs due to be hit by the reforms, with Wandsworth, Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea among those to see their grant funding slashed.
The council’s consultation on cost saving is to run until November 15. A draft budget is penned in to go before Cabinet again on February 17, with formal approval proposed at Full Council on 1 March.
Ben Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter
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