Lambeth London Borough Council
Coat of arms or logo
Coat of arms
Logo
Council logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Mayor of Lambeth
Pauline George, Labour
since May 2022
Leader of the Council
Claire Holland, Labour
since 25 May 2021
Deputy Leaders
Jacqui Dyer
Danny Adilypour, Labour
Leader of the Opposition
Donna Harris, Liberal Democrat
Chief Executive
Bayo Dosunmu
since June 2022
Structure
Seats63 councillors[1]
Lambeth Council after 2022 election.svg
Political groups
Administration (58)
  •   Labour (58)

Opposition (5)

Elections
First past the post
Last election
5 May 2022
Next election
2026
Meeting place
Lambeth Town Hall.jpg
Lambeth Town Hall, Brixton
Website
www.lambeth.gov.uk

Lambeth London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Lambeth in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, and one of the 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. The council meets at Lambeth Town Hall in Brixton. Lambeth is divided into 25 wards: thirteen are represented by 3 councillors and twelve are represented by 2.[2] The council was first elected in 1964.

History

There have previously been a number of local authorities responsible for the Lambeth area. The current local authority was first elected in 1964, a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the London Borough of Lambeth on 1 April 1965. Lambeth London Borough Council replaced Lambeth Metropolitan Borough Council and also took over some 40% of the area of the former Wandsworth Metropolitan Borough Council covering Streatham and Clapham. Both Metropolitan Boroughs were created in 1900 with Lambeth Metropolitan Borough Council replacing the Vestry of the Parish of Lambeth. The former Clapham and Streatham parishes, which became part of Lambeth in 1965, were governed by the Wandsworth District Board of Works from 1855 to 1900.[3]

It was envisaged that through the London Government Act 1963 Lambeth as a London local authority would share power with the Greater London Council. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention, and refuse disposal; with the local authorities responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. This arrangement lasted until 1986 when Lambeth London Borough Council gained responsibility for some services that had been provided by the Greater London Council, such as waste disposal. Lambeth was very active in the Ratecapping campaign in the 1980s. Lambeth became an education authority in 1990. Since 2000 the Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions.[4]

In 1985, the council under the leadership of Ted Knight joined other left-wing councils in a rate-capping rebellion, although only Liverpool and Lambeth refused to set a legal budget.[5] All 34 Labour councillors present voted on 7 March 1985 not to set a rate.[6] On 9 September 1985 the district auditor for Lambeth gave notice that the delay in fixing the rates was wilful misconduct and so the councillors were required to repay the £126,947 costs as a surcharge. The amount per councillor was over £2,000 and therefore they were also disqualified from office.[7][8] The surcharged councillors from Lambeth appealed against the surcharges.[9] The High Court delivered its judgment on 6 March 1986, finding heavily against the councils; Lord Justice Glidewell described the stance of the councillors as "mere political posturing"; Mr Justice Caulfield described the evidence of wilful misconduct as "crushing" and the councillors' stance as having "reached a pinnacle of political perversity".[10] The councillors were disqualified on 30 March.[11][12]

The Labour Party had included an aspiration in their 2010 manifesto for Lambeth to become a "Co-operative Council" with greater use of mutualist models. This attracted considerable media interest in the run up to the May 2010 election, characterised as the notion of the 'John Lewis Council' in contrast to the 'EasyCouncil' model being promoted by the Conservative Party in Barnet.[13] Following the 2010 election, the Council established a Commission to look at what this might entail.[14]

Child abuse scandal

In July 2021 the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse published a report that was highly critical of the Council and which said serious abuse had been allowed to occur in five of Lambeth's children's homes between the 1960s and '90s; over 700 children had suffered cruelty and sexual abuse,[15] although the Inquiry believed that the figure was likely to be significantly higher.[16] The Inquiry found that a "culture of cover-up" had led to the abuse continuing over decades; the Council made an "unreserved apology to the victims".[15]

Powers and functions

The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as a billing authority also collects precepts for Greater London Authority functions and business rates.[17] It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly. It is a local education authority and is also responsible for council housing, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health.[18]

Leadership

Linda Bellos was leader of the council after Ted Knight was disqualified in 1986. She was the second Black woman to become leader of a British local authority, after Merle Amory in the London Borough of Brent. Bellos resigned as leader on 21 April 1988, after disputes within the Labour Party over the setting of the council budget.[19]

The leader of the council from 2006, Steve Reed, stepped down following his election as Member of Parliament for Croydon North on 29 November 2012 and was replaced by Councillor Lib Peck.[20]

On 14 January 2019, Peck announced that she would stand down from the Council and as Leader to take a role as the head of the Mayor of London's Violence Reduction Unit.[21] In the ensuing election among Labour councillors, Councillor Jack Hopkins was elected Leader.[22] On 10 May 2021, Councillor Jack Hopkins announced he was stepping down as Leader[23][24] and Deputy Leader Claire Holland was elected as Leader on 24 May 2021.[25][26][27]

Notable councillors

Green Party

Liberal Democrats

Conservative Party

Labour Party

Wards

A map showing the wards of Lambeth between 2002 and 2022
A map showing the wards of Lambeth between 2002 and 2022

These are the new ward names from May 2022 following the electoral ward boundary review conducted by the independent Local Government Boundary Commission.[2]

Summary results of elections

Main article: Lambeth local elections

Summary of council election results:

Overall control Labour Lib Dem Conservative Green
2022 Labour 58 3 0 2
2018 Labour 57 – 1 5
2014 Labour 59 – 3 1
2010 Labour 44 15 4 –
2006 Labour 39 17 6 1
2002 Lib Dem/Conservative Coalition 28 28 7 –
1998 Labour 41 18 5 –
1994 No overall control 24 24 16 –
1990 Labour 40 4 20 –
1986 Labour 40 3 21 –
1982 No overall control 32 5 27 –
1978 Labour 42 – 22 –
1974 Labour 46 – 14 –
1971 Labour 51 – 9 –
1968 Conservative 3 – 57 –
1964 Labour 42 – 18 –

References

  1. ^ "Open Council Data UK – compositions councillors parties wards elections". opencouncildata.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Electoral ward boundary review | Lambeth Council". beta.lambeth.gov.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  3. ^ Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Vol. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
  4. ^ Leach, Steve (1998). Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN 978-0714648590.
  5. ^ Not the echo! Liverpool Labour News, (a newspaper published by the Labour Party in 1985), '6,0000 jobs threatened', p1. The article was written by Militant member Felicity Dowling.
  6. ^ Stewart Morris, "No Surrender", South London Press, 12 March 1985, p. 21.
  7. ^ Hugh Clayton, Peter Davenport, "Rebel councillors' £233,000 penalty", The Times, 10 September 1985, p. 1.
  8. ^ Grant, "Rate Capping and the Law", p. 71-2.
  9. ^ "Rates fight 'legal'", South London Press, 21 January 1986, p. 2.
  10. ^ "Judges rap rebels for wilful misconduct", South London Press, 7 March 1986, p. 3.
  11. ^ Stewart Morris, "Power bid by Tories hit by rule change", South London Press, 2 April 1986, p. 2.
  12. ^ Hugh Clayton, "Lambeth rates rebels given time to pay surcharge of £105,000", The Times, 31 July 1986.
  13. ^ Stratton, Allegra; correspondent, political (17 February 2010). "Labour to rebrand Lambeth as 'John Lewis' council". Archived from the original on 28 February 2014 – via The Guardian.
  14. ^ "Lambeth: The Co-operative Council". Lambeth London Borough Council. Archived from the original on 23 September 2010. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  15. ^ a b Easton, Mark (27 July 2021). "Culture of cover-up saw hundreds of children abused in Lambeth, report finds". BBC News Online. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  16. ^ Butler, Patrick (27 July 2021). "Hundreds of children abused while in care of Lambeth council, inquiry finds". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Council Tax and Business Rates Billing Authorities". Council Tax Rates. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  18. ^ "Local Plan Responses – within and outside London". Mayor of London. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  19. ^ Mason-John, Valerie (1995). Talking Black: Lesbians of African and Asian Descent Speak Out. Cassell. p. xv.
  20. ^ Lambeth Council Archived 2013-02-28 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ "Lib Peck appointed to lead London's new Violence Reduction Unit". Mayor of London. 14 January 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  22. ^ "Jack Hopkins to replace Lib Peck as Lambeth leader". London SE1. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  23. ^ "Jack Hopkins". Twitter. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  24. ^ Slingsby, Alan (10 May 2021). "Lambeth Council leader Jack Hopkins steps down". Brixton Blog. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  25. ^ "Claire Holland". Twitter. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  26. ^ "Lambeth Labour Group". Twitter. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  27. ^ "Cllr Claire Holland set to be new Leader of Lambeth Council". Lambeth Labour. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
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