Labour Overview and Scrutiny Call-in is a “Summer Shambles”, say Lambeth Lib Dems

A group of Labour Councillors broke rank with their party’s leadership and called-in a decision to award Council-owned land to a private housing developer under a 999-year lease. The deal would mean none of the homes would be built or owned by the Council, with just 30% being allocated for affordable accommodation. Critics also say that sustainability and net-zero carbon building appeared to have been given little thought.   

The Call-In meeting was called at short notice for the middle of August – traditionally a month kept free of Council meetings – and resulted in several members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee being on annual leave, rendering them unable to vote. 

Cllr Ben Curtis, who sits on the Committee for the Liberal Democrats, said:  

“There is a myriad of questions that come from this extraordinary sitting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting, but the most serious issue is that public land will soon fatten the pockets of private developers and housing associations rather than addressing the social housing crisis that is felt acutely in Lambeth.” 

“Lambeth has a social housing emergency, and we desperately need to build and deliver more affordable and social housing. This call-in, which was bought about by Labour members, certainly questions whether Lambeth Council are serious about delivering affordable homes fit for the future.” 

Despite numerous requests from the Liberal Democrats and others to postpone the meeting until after summer, the Labour leadership refused and deployed substitutes to fill the Committee seats.  

Regular members of the Committee who were unable to attend in-person – including the Chair, Cllr Liz Atkins (Labour), Cllr Winifred (Labour), and Cllr Griffifths (Green) – were stripped of their right to vote. The Liberal Democrats argue that this had a major impact on the outcome of the meeting.  

Ultimately, the Committee voted against referring the Somerleyton Road decision back to Cabinet, which preserved the original proposal to entrust the land to a private developer. 

Projections indicate that the Somerleyton Road development could yield profits of between 15%-20% for the developer the site is sold to. Lambeth Council will only recuperate £5 million to cover the costs that have already been spent on the site.  

Commenting, Cllr Donna Harris, Leader of the Lambeth Liberal Democrat Group, said: 

“Lambeth Labour should be pulling out all the stops to ensure the Borough’s new social housing developments are fit for purpose on all accounts, whilst putting residents’ interests at the forefront.” 

“Dodging bullets and refusing to answer questions from your own Committee members, especially when they have the Housing Ombudsman and Michael Gove breathing down their neck, is really not the best plan of action.”