First black mayor statue plans revived by Wandsworth Council

Statue plan revived for London's first black mayor Image source, Wikimedia Commons Image caption, John R. Archer, Mayor of Battersea, 1914 Published 6 hours ago Plans to commemorate London's first black mayor have been revived, six years after a campaign for the monument was launched. Wandsworth Council has agreed to put £30,000 towards a statue of John Archer, elected mayor of Battersea in 1913. The council unanimously approved the project in 2022, but progress stalled.

Archer, whose father was from Barbados, moved to Battersea with his wife, Bertha, in the 1890s. He was elected Liberal councillor for Latchmere, where he successfully campaigned for a minimum wage of 32 shillings a week for council workers. After serving as mayor, Archer became the first president of the African Progress Union in 1918, was re-elected as a Labour councillor the following year, and chaired the Pan-African Congress in London in 1921.

He was then elected as a councillor for Nine Elms in 1931 and died a year later, aged 69, when he was deputy leader of Battersea Council. Wandsworth's decision to set aside these funds while also making sweeping cuts and proposing to raise council tax by 94% has been criticised. Labour councillor Sara Apps said that if Archer, as a champion of social justice, had been faced with "cutting swimming for children living in poverty or erecting a statue", he would have prioritised the children in the borough "every time".

She said the council should focus on protecting residents who needed it. 'Important statement' The Access for All scheme offered by Labour had provided 50%-100% discounts on sports, leisure, transport, education and other council services, including free gym memberships and swimming lessons, for eligible residents. The council, now under Conservative control, will bring in a new concessionary scheme, due to come into force on 1 January, in which no services will be free and discounts are expected to range from 20% to 40%.

It will be limited to leisure activities and available only to those in receipt of carer's allowance, students, looked-after children and care leavers. Conservative council leader Robert Morritt said the "choice between children and heritage" was a false one. He said the statue required a one-off capital cost paid for by developers, rather than ongoing revenue commitments. Fellow Tory councillor Ravi Govindia said "celebrating a black role model was an important statement for us to make".

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook , external , X , external and Instagram , external . Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk , external Related topics London Wandsworth London Borough Council Statues and sculptures Battersea Related internet links Wandsworth London Borough Council More on this story Four London councils challenge funding reforms Published 22 October Wandsworth council tax bills could almost double Published 16 September