Wednesday 24 April 2024
Lambeth Labour’s Cabinet reshuffle misses the opportunity to tackle climate, housing and cost-of-living crises. Once again, its totalitarian control of committees will enable the party to evade rigorous scrutiny from opposition parties for another year.
At Lambeth’s Council Annual Meeting, Green councillors demanded that Labour improve accountability by appointing opposition members to chairing roles. Cllr Nicole Griffiths, Streatham St Leonard’s ward, said:
“the committees have been allocated a Labour group chair or vice-chair, therefore marking their own homework. We know that best value for residents is achieved when an opposition councillor is given the role of chair.”
Cllr Scott Ainslie, Streatham St Leonard’s ward, called out Cabinet members’ failures to step up to the huge challenges facing the borough. He asked:
“Is the failure of the Homes for Lambeth project evidence of our ability to deliver? Or to engage? Is the recent crisis of GP surgery closures such evidence? Are we successfully engaging residents in Streatham Vale, who petitioned by the thousands against the Woodgate development, or the thousands who petitioned against the Hondo development in Brixton?”
“The housing strategy lacks targets and a clear action plan: is there enough expertise in the Cabinet to tackle the housing crisis? We are less than six years away from Net Zero 2030 target, is Lambeth’s Climate Action Plan robust enough to deliver this?”
CONTACT
Zoe Peet – Green Group Support Officer
zpeet1@lambeth.gov.uk
020 7926 9456