Wandsworth Council has approved an increase in licence fees for the upcoming financial year, a decision expected to generate an additional £6,000 for the local authority. The Regulatory Licensing Committee met on Monday, February 16, 2026, and agreed to implement revised fee structures that will come into effect from April 1, 2026. The increases are designed to fully recover the costs associated with managing and enforcing various licensing schemes, meaning they are not anticipated to impact the council's net budgets.
The council's strategy is to maximise charges for specific services so as to minimise any indirect subsidy from council tax payers, provided the market can absorb the increases.
This approach ensures that the costs of licensing are borne by the licence holders, rather than council tax payers. The fees are set to fully recover the costs incurred in managing and enforcing the licensing schemes,
a principle clarified by the Supreme Court judgment in R (on the application of Hemmings (t/a Simply Pleasure Ltd) and others) v Westminster City Council [2015]. The fees are split between the cost of the authorisation process and the cost of managing and enforcing the licensing scheme.
The decision follows a review of the council's charging policy. The revised fees will affect a range of public control licences, including those for animal welfare, special treatment establishments, auction houses, hypnotism, and sex establishments.
For animal welfare licences, the increases reflect enhanced inspection regimes and rising veterinary charges. These enhanced regimes are a result of the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, which link inspection frequency and detail to the risk rating of premises. Higher-risk establishments face more frequent and detailed inspections by approved independent veterinarians. However, well-run establishments can now benefit from obtaining three-year licences instead of annual ones. Specific fee increases include a rise from £1,119 to £1,180 for new Animal Boarding Establishment licences (dog & cat), and from £572 to £719 for new Dog Day Care licences.
Fees for special treatment establishments have been standardised across Wandsworth, Richmond, and Merton as part of a regulatory services partnership. The proposed fees for 2026/27 reflect the work involved in ensuring new businesses are compliant and maintaining standards in high-risk premises. While some fees have increased in certain risk bands to cover enforcement and administrative costs, fees for the majority of risk bands have remained the same due to improved compliance and risk rating. For example, the total charge for a new application for a low-risk Massage or Special Treatment Establishment increases from £407 to £432.
While fees for sex establishments were reviewed, they have remained unchanged from the previous year due to a lack of recent applications. The committee also noted that applications for Dangerous Wild Animals licences have not been received for many years, making it difficult to accurately calculate the cost of related procedures. There are no current plans to reintroduce or actively seek such applications.
The Regulatory Licensing Committee, chaired by Councillor Ffrench, approved the recommendations for the revised fee structure. Councillors Humphries, Sweet, and Boswell were present for the decision. Apologies were received from Councillors Brooks, Marshall, and McLeod. The full details of the proposed fee increases can be found in Appendix 1 of the report 26-56 - Appendix 1.