Badenoch says she is instructing lawyers to challenge government after Tory-run council's 94% tax hike

This video can not be played Watch: Badenoch says she will challenge government over Wandsworth tax hike Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said she has brought in lawyers to potentially challenge the government over local funding cuts, after a record council tax rise in one of her party's flagship local authorities. She told BBC Newsnight the proposed 94% hike in Wandsworth, a south-west London borough run , was "outrageous" but that "they're not doing it because they want to". Badenoch said the Conservative Party had "instructed lawyers" to see if an £84m-a-year government funding cut, which Wandsworth Council has blamed for the increase, can be blocked. The government has insisted it needs to reform the "outdated" council funding system to move money to where it is most needed. Wandsworth has long had one of the lowest council tax rates in the country, with an average Band D property currently paying just over £1,000, compared to above £2,000 in an increasing number of London boroughs. But this would nearly double with the planned £958 rise - half of which is set . There has been heavy criticism since the move was announced in a council meeting on Tuesday. A final decision is to be made early next year. Changes to the funding formula for councils announced last year will see money redistributed from some council areas to others. Wandsworth Council said it stood to lose £84m annually in funding . Commenting for the first time on the row, Badenoch accused ministers of seemingly "taking money from areas that don't vote Labour and giving it to places that do vote Labour". "I think it is outrageous that Wandsworth Council is having to put up council tax. "But they're not doing it because they want to. It is because the government has taken away 40% of their funding. "So we have actually instructed lawyers, as the Conservative Party, to see if we can challenge the government on this decision." Kemi Badenoch on BBC Newsnight interview on a range of topics on Newsnight's new primetime Friday evening edition. BST on BBC Two Pressed 's council tax is lower than many councils across the country, Badenoch said it would still worry some families. "I think if you suddenly have a nearly 100% increase in your council tax, you would be extremely worried. Families have budgets," she said. "Just because on average it's lower than somewhere else doesn't mean that people are going to be able to afford it." She refused to say what alternative rate of increase she would propose, but questioned why a 40% cut was being imposed on the council when "Andy Burnham has not found 40% of anything to cut" himself.