Residents challenged to help make Lambeth even better

9 September 2016

Written by: Lambeth Council

Council statements and updates

Lambeth Residents are to be asked to help drive forward the improvements that will make the borough a stronger, fairer and more prosperous place over the next five years.

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Lambeth Council and partners including community organisations, businesses, health services and police, have drawn up a blueprint for improving life for everyone who lives, works or studies in the borough.

Their “Future Lambeth” plan, which aims to build on the many improvements made in Lambeth’s economic and social life in recent years, will go before the Council’s Cabinet later this month.

It will set out three strategic priorities that all partners will work towards in order to achieve priority objectives by 2021: inclusive growth; reducing inequality; and strong and sustainable neighbourhoods. The Plan sets out targets for improvements in a wide range of areas, including Education, employment, housing, health and community.

And Lambeth’s residents, businesses and community groups will be able to get involved in delivering the ambitious targets. If the Plan is approved by Cabinet on September 19, the Council will begin consulting the people of Lambeth on how to achieve its goals. A conference in October will bring together all the organisations that will play a part in making the improvements.

Cllr Lib Peck, leader of Lambeth Council, said: “Lambeth has changed massively across the board in recent years, with huge improvements including the achievements of our schools, the amount of investment coming into the borough and the jobs and homes that this has brought.

“But we want to build on those improvements. Our manifesto committed us to driving forward fairness and ambition and we are determined to work with all our communities to help them realise their full potential. This Borough Plan sets out a blueprint for achieving this.

“With the severe restrictions on our budget, we can’t achieve all these goals on our own; but we know our partners and all of Lambeth’s communities will work with us to build Lambeth’s future.”

Dr Adrian McLachlan, Chair of the NHS Lambeth Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “While health outcomes in Lambeth are improving, if we want support more people to live not just longer, but also healthier lives we all need to focus and coordinate our efforts.

“That means working closely with partners to ensure that, together, we can best support all local people to thrive and stay as well as they can be, putting equality at the heart of everything we do.

“The ‘Future Lambeth’ plan is an important joint commitment for us all.”

The current economic context has meant reducing inequality is identified as Lambeth’s most pressing challenge and the issue likely to require the most work. Therefore, alongside the Borough Plan, the Council will also be launching its Equality Commission to accelerate progress in this area.

Over the coming months, the Council will engage and consult more widely with partners, stakeholders and residents to help develop the “delivery plan”, setting out how the aspirations set out in Future Lambeth can be achieved. The Future Lambeth conference on 10th October will bring together all those organisations expected to play a role in delivering the Plan.

The Plan and a report to councillors will go before Cabinet on Monday 19 September.Read details of the documents and the meeting