Lambeth signs up to House proud pledge for LGBTQ+ community

15 July 2019

Written by: Lambeth Council

Housing and planning - News and announcements

LGBTQ+ residents want landlords to actively demonstrate a commitment to equality, and Lambeth has signed up to HouseProud’s pledges to offer training, information and consultation.

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Lambeth signs up to House proud pledge for LGBTQ+ community

Lambeth has, in the same week as Pride in London, signed up to the House Proud pledge, ensuring the voice of the LGBTQ+ community is heard in local government housing policies.

Active on inclusion

This pledge is of particular importance to Lambeth, home to one of the country’s largest and most vibrant LGBTQ+ communities. House Proud’s research shows that LGBTQ+ social housing residents want landlords to be more proactive on inclusion and to demonstrate commitment to LGBTQ+ equality, because:

  • A third of LGBTQ+ residents feel their neighbourhood isn’t safe for LGBTQ+ people to live in

    Houseproud logo - key & rainbow flag

    Houseproud focus on LGBTQ+ rights in social housing

  • A third feel landlords are unable to deal effectively with issues like harassment
  • A fifth of gay men say they make their sexual orientation less visible (e.g. moving pictures, books and DVDs) when their housing officer or a repairs person visits.

Word from the Cabinet

Cllr Paul Gadsby, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “We had no hesitation in signing this pledge, as our commitment to diversity is at the heart of everything we do in our borough. In housing, we’re doing all we can to address the housing crisis for all residents. We’re carrying out a major programme of refurbishment to our council homes with £450 million being spent on new bathrooms, kitchens, windows and other improvements. We’re building thousands of new council and affordable homes, and bringing in more regulation for the private rented sector. We want all communities, including LGBT+ residents, to be part of helping us tackle the housing crisis in our borough. That is why we’ll be implementing these pledges so that their voice is even more central to our work going forward.”

Council commitment

HouseProud’s pledges were developed by HouseProud and the University of Surrey with residents, staff members and sector leaders from across the country. Signing the pledge commits Lambeth Council to

  • training for housing officers on LGBT+ issues,
  • explaining the Pledge and its values on our website,
  • consult with the LGBT+ community on a regular basis. We will implement all these commitments in the year ahead.

For more information

For more details of House Proud see their information pages

For more on Lambeth’s recent work to include the LGBT+ community, see the Council’s news pages on