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 agreed to support setting 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 the formal conduit of information, ideas, opinions and advice between users and the 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

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. Here is the presentation to and minutes of the last APM.

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.

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 conversations with the MAC, formalised by a decision by the MAC in 2017. You can read more about the background to our set up, our achievements and aims here. Our most recent AGM was held in May 2024. 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 were the swan and duck food programme and the map, available for sale at The Skylark Café.

The MAC ES’s functions were taken over 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 collaborated very effectively on their input to the 2019 Management and Maintenance plan commissioned by the Council. Projects they have championed include the refurb of the public toilets, making them fully accessible; the two drinking fountains; and recycling facilities on the Common. 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.

Friends regular activities major on small scale nature focused ‘walks and talks’ - trees, birds, bats, bees, butterflies, biodiversity, flowers, fungi etc. Leaflets about the Common’s birds, butterflies, trees and wildflowers are on sale at the Skylark Cafe. An active heritage group are responsible for our book ‘The Wandsworth Common Story’ published in 2021 to mark the 150th anniversary of the Wandsworth Common Act which halted the sub division and development of the Common. A leaflet identifying key heritage features on the Common is also available at Skylark.

Several volunteers participate in regular swan and duck food bagging and Monday litter picking sessions. The former encourages the feeding of ‘proper’ food to wildfowl while generating a solid income stream for enhancement projects. The latter has become a regular activity and helps provide data to a litter and recycling working party to help improve litter management.

The Friends are set up as an Unincorporated Association with a Chair, Secretary and Treasurer and up to eight other committee members. The committee meets roughly every other month and holds an AGM. 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.

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