Lib Dems Tell Labour Lambeth to Follow Southwark with Rent Cuts

12.29.11pm GMT Thu 19th Mar 2009

Lambeth Lib Dem Leader, Cllr Ashley Lumsden, has demanded that Labour follows Southwark's lead in reducing rent increases for Council tenants.

Following a Government credit-crunch initiative designed to reduce rents nationally from 6.2% to 3.1% (announced on March 6th 2009) Lib Dem-run Southwark Council has announced that it will issue new rent demands of only 2.73% even though this means delaying the sending out of bills for its 40,000 tenants. Southwark's original increase was to have been 5.86% - again lower than the national average.

Lambeth Lib Dem Leader, Cllr Ashley Lumsden, has now demanded that Labour-run Lambeth should follow Southwark's shining example and lower rents to help people on low incomes weather the recession. In neighbouring Lambeth, council tenants are currently reeling over an eye-watering 17% rent increase, calculated as being an average of £12 per week.

Cllr Lumsden said, "Lib Dem Southwark is showing leadership in lowering rents that were already way lower than Lambeth's. I've called on Labour-run Lambeth to do the same. There is no reason why two neighbouring boroughs cannot act as one to help people over this recession."

Cllr Lumsden added, "As Labour-run Lambeth ducks and dives and dithers, people up and down the borough are telling me that they just don't know how Lambeth justifies a 17% increase in rent on top of a 65% per cent increase in heating charges."