Lambeth Labour too afraid of hard questions
Thursday, 23 January 2025
At full council last night, Lambeth Labour avoided tough questions exposing their failing administration.
There are only around five full council meetings a year where opposition councillors and backbenchers get the chance to ask questions of cabinet members responsible for specific areas of the council’s operations. These questions can be on a whole range of issues. They are submitted in writing and a written reply is given before the meeting by the relevant member. Questioners get a chance to ask a supplementary question orally in the meeting. Twenty-five minutes are put aside for this.
Cllr Scott Ainslie, Streatham St Leonard’s ward said:
“Firstly, the written response from Cllr Amos, totally failed to answer my question on continuing weak governance year on year, as independently assessed by Lambeth’s external auditors. Then, there was no time left to ask my follow-up question as two cabinet members’ ‘speeches’ (they are supposed to be answering questions!) took up ten minutes!”
“Many questions from Labour are directed from one Cabinet Member (or set up for a backbencher to ask) so that another Cabinet Member can run down the clock – in one instance last night for five whole minutes! This way the Cabinet protects itself from answering the toughest of questions, which of course are going to come from opposition councillors, not those seeking promotion within the ruling party!”
“This is a clear sign of a council that is afraid of being exposed for its lack of accountability. They are letting the people of Lambeth down.”
“Had I been given the chance to ask a follow-up question, it would have been:
“You have totally avoided my question. Let me be clear – now the accounts are out today – the Housing Revenue Account has a deficit of £23m, it was £18m in surplus last year. There are continuing governance and monitoring failures – why has £13.5m gone to TLT solicitors for example, and what are you going to do to address these ongoing failures?”
CONTACT
Green Group Lambeth
lambethgreenofficer@gmail.com