Labour in Lambeth freeze council tax for the next two years.

Labour in Lambeth will commit to freeze your local council tax for the next two years running at the Cabinet meeting on 12^th November.

With living costs rising and the price hikes recently announced by the energy companies, the Labour group of Councillors want to support residents. Labour has frozen your council tax levels since 2008 – which would mean a 6 year freeze.

Labour cabinet member for Finance and Resources, Councillor Paul McGlone said;

“The economic failure of the Coalition Government means the cost of living is increasing and many local people are now struggling to make ends meet.

“We are doing what we can to help residents and the council tax freeze is part of that. It is a historic decision that means council tax will have been at the same level for 6 years running.”

London Living Wage accreditation

The Lambeth Council Cabinet meeting in October is due to formally adopt as policy the Labour administration’s commitment to tackling low pay and our ambition to become accredited as a London Living Wage Employer. The Total Facilities Management procurement contract agreed in July has delivered our first London Living Wage contract covering services that employ cleaners, security and maintenance staff. 

The council’s Pay Policy Statement lays out the aim that all council employed staff should receive the London Living Wage (currently £8.31 per hour) as a minimum. All but a few staff are paid at the LLW or above. We are reviewing our procurement policy to ensure Living Wage is paid on new contracts. This would be done at the point of re-letting or tendering for new contracts with a requirement that those contractors bidding for the work incorporate a pricing option that includes the payment of the Living Wage as a minimum, and will be agreed subject to affordability. In some cases there will be significant costs for council contractors to bring their pay in to line with the LLW. For example, in adult social care lots of workers (e.g. carers) are paid the minimum wage. The estimated annual cost of implementing the LLW across all existing contractors in Lambeth is £10 million per annum. About 60% of this is social care.

Living wage employer accreditation is managed by Citizens UK and provides employers with a licence to the living wage employer mark. Lambeth Council will be a fully accredited Living wage employer soon.

Brixton riots: Joint statement from the three party leaders on Lambeth council

8 August 2011

Joint statement from the Three Party Leaders on Lambeth Council

"Brixton is a strong and united community that over recent years has benefited from strong community relations and sensitive policing.

The vandalism and looting by a tiny minority in Brixton and Streatham last night has no place in our community and everyone we have spoken to has been united in their condemnation of this behavior.

Our job now is to get the borough back to normal as quickly as possible so people can get on with their lives. The community in Lambeth is strong and resilient and last night’s incidents will not damage that.

All three parties on the Council unequivocally condemn the mindless violence and looting we saw last night, and offer our support to the people and businesses that were affected."

Cllr Steve Reed                               Cllr Ashley Lumsden                          Cllr John Whelan

Leader of the Labour Group         Leader of the Liberal Democrat         Leader of the Conservative Group