Wandsworth's Access for All closes on 31 December and new bookings stop on 31 October. Universal Credit and disability benefits do not qualify for the new one.
Wandsworth Council’s Access for All discount scheme will close on 31 December. Its 10,895 members include more than 4,800 who qualify through Universal Credit, and most of them will not be eligible for what replaces it.
Cabinet agreed the change on Monday 12 October. No new Access for All memberships, applications or bookings will be accepted after Saturday 31 October. A smaller “Culture and Leisure Concession Scheme” starts on 1 January 2027. (Cabinet statement of decisions, 12 October 2026)
The new scheme covers leisure only, and it is paid. Free off-peak gym and swim membership ends. Members who still qualify would get a discount of 20 to 40 per cent instead.
Who keeps a discount, and who loses it
The scheme was introduced in 2023. Anyone in a household receiving one of a dozen benefits could join, along with children on free school meals, asylum seekers and refugees, and looked-after children and care leavers. (Wandsworth Council, Access for All eligibility)
The Cabinet paper sets core eligibility for the new scheme at four groups:
- residents receiving Carer’s Allowance
- students
- looked-after children
- care leavers
That leaves out people who qualify today through Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support, Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, Pension Credit and the other benefits on the current list. There is no automatic concession by age either. The paper says a means-tested concession for older residents “could be considered” at a later fees and charges review.
The council’s own question-and-answer page asks why students keep a discount when other groups lose theirs. Its answer is that “separate concessionary leisure arrangements will continue to be available to help ensure that cost is not a barrier to young people and students staying active”. (Wandsworth Council, Access for All closure)
Who is in the scheme now
The paper counts the membership at 25 August 2026. Members can qualify in more than one way, so the categories overlap.
| Group | Members |
|---|---|
| All members | 10,895 |
| Adults | 5,942 |
| Children | 4,953 |
| Universal Credit | 4,839 |
| PIP or Disability Living Allowance | 1,995 |
| Housing Benefit | 1,537 |
| Free school meals | 1,385 |
| Council Tax Support | 1,157 |
| Carer’s Allowance | 924 |
| Pension Credit | 249 |
| Looked-after children and care leavers | 67 |
The council’s equality assessment adds that 2,140 adult members, 36 per cent, identify as disabled. Across the borough the figure is 11.4 per cent.
Where it was used
Leisure centres account for most of the use. Between May 2025 and July 2026, the paper records more than 56,000 uses each at Putney and Tooting leisure centres and more than 52,000 at Latchmere.
The same table shows 4,024 uses for Battersea Park Fireworks and 1,388 for the Wandsworth pantomime. Across every offer, from baby boxes to e-bike discounts, the paper counts 231,469 uses in those 15 months.
Why the council is ending it
The scheme was paid for from a £4.85m fund set up in July 2023, which was due to run until May 2026. By the end of 2025/26, £2.007m had been spent. Of that, £1.623m went in 2025/26 alone.
The paper calls the current model “not financially sustainable”. The £2.287m left in the fund moves into the council’s Financial Resilience Reserve, for general use. The paid concessions are expected to bring in between £87,000 and £217,500 a year, depending on how many members keep using the centres.
The council’s closure page says: “The decision is not about whether the scheme has been successful. It reflects the financial realities facing the Council.” It also says the new offer brings Wandsworth “broadly into line with comparable boroughs across London”.
The change is part of the wider savings programme that Cabinet approved at the same meeting. Our earlier reports cover the council tax support changes and the Spending Review.
Free swimming lessons for children who cannot swim 25 metres
One part of the plan is new. Cabinet asked officers to develop a water safety programme with free swimming lessons for children in Years 2 to 11 who cannot swim 25 metres. That is the standard the national curriculum expects by the end of primary school.
It is not yet guaranteed. The decision makes it “subject to approval of the revenue savings arising from the new concession scheme”. The current Access for All offer already includes free crash courses for children in Years 2 to 7. (Wandsworth Council, Access for All offers)
What has not been decided
The final discount, the exact prices and the application process for the new scheme have not been published. Officers will finalise them with the Cabinet member for the environment, Councillor Brooks. The council says details “will be available soon”.
The two council sources also differ on one date. The Cabinet decision and the closure page’s own question-and-answer section both say no new bookings after 31 October. One line on the same page says new applications, renewals and bookings stop after 31 December. We have gone with the Cabinet decision, which is the formal record.
What it means for you
- If you are a member, book before 31 October. Anything booked at an Access for All rate on or before that date is honoured, even if it runs past 31 December.
- Your card works until 31 December, whatever expiry date is printed on it.
- If you get Carer’s Allowance, are a student, or are a care leaver, you should be able to move to the new scheme. Watch for a letter: the council says it will contact affected members directly.
- If you qualify only through Universal Credit, a disability benefit or Pension Credit, the core scheme does not cover you from January, so expect to pay standard leisure prices unless another concession applies.
- E-bike discounts from Lime, Forest and Voi are run by the operators. The paper suggests members move to the operators’ own concession schemes.
- For help with costs, the council points to its Cost of Living Hub and its benefits calculator. Questions go to accessforall@wandsworth.gov.uk.
The Putney Leisure Centre works are covered in our report on the pool being kept.
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