Wandsworth Council is the owner and custodian of the Common but contracts out day-to-day management to Enable LC (previously the Parks Department, now a charity) and other companies whose contracts are managed by Enable.

 
 

The MAC (Management Advisory Committee) is a group of volunteers that monitors and advises the Council and its agents on the management of the Common on behalf of its users. There is an Annual Public Meeting (APM) every June (third Monday) at which members are elected.

In May 2017, the MAC decided to set up The Friends of Wandsworth Common (FoWC), a decision endorsed at the 2017 APM, to encourage a more active dialogue with users and to engage the community in the protection, conservation and enhancement of the Common.

Use of the Common is governed by the GLC byelaws and policed by the Parks and Events Police.  You can read an interview with them here

 
 
 
 

Wandsworth Council has managed the Common since 1968 and, on the GLC’s demise in 1986, became its owner. The Council saw the need to communicate with Common users and invited the Wandsworth Society to establish a Management Advisory Committee (the MAC).

 
 

As a conduit of information, ideas, opinions and advice between users and Council, the MAC’s constitutional role is “to help achieve a balance between facilities for formal and informal open air recreation on the Common, the protection and development of plant and animal life, to preserve and enhance the Common’s natural character and to promote public interest and participation in the protection and appreciation of the Common.” This the MAC has been doing since 1986. Read a more detailed description of its role here

 

 

The MAC is involved in monitoring and advising on all aspects of Common management.

It’s formal role is to monitor the Management and Maintenance Plan, the current version of which was was published in Sept 2019 and can be downloaded from the button below.

The MMP is a blueprint for the Common’s managers and a key reference for the MAC. Since the launch of the Friends in 2008, a WBC/Enable/MAC/Friends oversight group has been set up to define priorities and the implementation of key projects.

Recent priorities have been better enforcement of byelaws relating to dog control, and working with the Friends to bring improved litter management, including recycling, to the Common and more effective licensing of personal trainers.

During the pandemic, considerable work was done to set up a Keeping Wandsworth Common Safe group which brings together all those involved n policing the Common.

The MAC is also at the forefront of efforts to bring the Neal’s Lodge buildings at the centre of the Common back into community use.

 

Chronology of MAC chairs

1986 Shirley Passmore

1998 Ian Cunningham

2002 Tim Davis

2003 Bryn Durnsford

2009 Charles Walton

2016 George Meakin

2019 Chris Metcalfe

2023 Mark Luboff

The MAC consists of up to 24 members. Mark Luboff took over from Chris Metcalfe as Chair in 2023. Officers from Enable, the Parks and Events Police and others as appropriate attend six meetings per year, including the Annual Public Meeting in June. The minutes of the last APM are available here.

People wishing to stand for the MAC should attend the APM and be nominated by at least one other person. Anyone with a love of the Common, a willingness to attend meetings on a Monday evening, and to engage on issues as necessary between meetings is welcome. What is expected of a MAC member is described here. You can read about the MAC’s election procedures here and find a nomination form here. You can also e-mail us to discuss joining the MAC: MAC@wandsworthcommon.org.


 

The Friends of Wandsworth Common launched at a public meeting on May 12 2018 when the first officers were elected (read the story). The group’s creation stemmed from a decision by the MAC in 2017. You can read more about the background to our set up, our achievements and aims here. Our second AGM was held on August 13 2020. See the Chair’s presentation here and the minutes here

 
 

The Friends grew out of the Enhancement Sub-committee (ES) of the MAC, created in 2013 in order to more actively engage with users of the Common. Some of its more visible achievements have been the swan and duck food programme and the map, available for sale at The Skylark Café.

The MAC ES’s functions were taken on and developed by the Friends, and engagement with the public has increased substantially. With the MAC and Friends working closely together, but with complementary roles, the Common will benefit from stronger public involvement. The two groups have collaborated very effectively on their input to the new Management and Maintenance plan commissioned by the Council. Projects underway are a refurb of the public toilets, making them fully accessible, while two drinking fountains are to be installed soon. Longer-term projects include nature and heritage interpretation boards, and the development of the Neal’s Lodge complex as a community centre focused on ecological and environmental education. A public consultation is scheduled soon.

Friends activities major on small scale nature focused ‘walks and talks’ - trees, birds, bats, bees, butterflies, biodiversity, flowers, fungi etc. Since COVID we have gone virtual with three talks on biodiversity, environmental issues, and butterflies. We have downloadable leaflets about butterflies, wildflowers and a nature discovery quiz for children.

Several volunteers participate in regular swan and duck food bagging and litter picking projects. The former encourages the feeding of ‘proper’ food to wildfowl while generating a solid income stream for enhancement projects. The latter has been stepped up as littering has increased and we now offer weekly litter picks with the help of Enable.

The Friends are set up as an Unincorporated Association with a Chair, Secretary and Treasurer and up to eight other committee members. A Committee of eight was elected at the 2020 AGM. It meets roughly every other month. The minutes of the last committee are here. Get in touch if you are interested in joining the Committee or volunteering some of your time to help our various activities.


With ever increasing pressure on local authority resources, the Friends can help preserve the common with active volunteers. We are looking for enthusiastic people who can help in the areas of membership, communication, IT, event planning and organisation, liaison with groups using the Common including cyclists, dog owners and walkers, fitness trainers, sports organisers etc., liaison with local businesses on things like litter, and project planning and execution.

 
Wandsworth Common Friends

Join the committee, or if you would just like to be more actively involved, whether for an hour, a week, or longer, let us know