At a special meeting of the Full Council on Wednesday [4 March], councillors endorsed a financial package that would “continue to prioritise good-quality services for residents, building on strong improvement records”.
In line with the ambitions set out in the borough plan, Lambeth 2030, the council leadership has pledged to continue to prioritise improving services, supporting residents with the cost of living, and using available resources to make the most impact for the borough’s residents and businesses.
The significant steps taken by the council to improve its financial resilience against a backdrop of sustained funding pressures for local government, is laid out in a report presented at the meeting, which said: “It will not be easy to balance the resources needed to discharge our statutory duties and target support to our vulnerable residents who rely on our services the most.”
Despite taking robust action in its finances, Lambeth has seen significant improvements in key services. The report states that Lambeth Council will continue to prioritise good quality services for residents, building on the strong improvement records that have been highlighted in inspections in recent years by Ofsted, the C2 grading by the Regulator for Social Housing and the council’s Youth Justice Service moving from ‘inadequate’ in 2015 to ‘Good’ with outstanding features in this year’s inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.
Cllr Claire Holland, Leader of Lambeth Council, said the budget “delivers on our bold ambitions and values to be a borough of justice and equity”.
She added: “It is a source of great pride that not only is Lambeth maintaining vital services in the face of significant demand and costs but we are also seeing significant improvement to the delivery of our services. We have achieved this, despite living still with the long impact of cruel austerity, decisions we’re still feeling the impact of.
“Our budget is grounded in our values, a broad vision of being a borough of justice and equity, on the side of the people of Lambeth, protecting frontline services, helping families with the cost of living and giving our young people the best start in life.”
Lambeth has made significant savings in the past year through tough decisions, including reducing senior management costs, freezing recruitment and extensively reviewing all areas of spending – as well as tackling the spend on housing thousands of vulnerable homeless families in temporary accommodation (TA), taking steps to support people into more stable accommodation and prevention, with the number of households in TA falling in the borough.
Lambeth Council’s Capital Investment Programme was also considered at the meeting. After reviewing the capital programme alongside every other area of council spend, the report outlines areas of spend priorities for capital investment in 2026/27 and a pipeline of potential future investment. This investment will bring down the waiting list for cycle hangers, delivering key community projects such as Myatt’s Field Park Depot and reinvigorating Kennington Skate Bowl, fund public realm improvements in Streatham Hill and Tulse Hill, plus investment in facilities for young people.
Cllr Judith Cavanagh, Cabinet Member for Finance, said the budget “builds on a record of delivery of significant improvements in our council services”. The budget includes £250 million investment into adult social care and health, £130 million supporting children and their families, £98 million on housing homeless families in the borough, and £55 million on tackling anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls, and Lambeth’s young people.
Cllr Cavanagh added: “It’s a budget that puts us strongly on the path to financial resilience and stability … a budget that is on the side of our residents with our Lambeth values of equity and justice running right the way through it.”
