Lambeth London Borough Council, which styles itself Lambeth Council, is the local authority for the

London Borough of Lambeth Lambeth () is a London borough in South London, England, which forms part of Inner London. Its name was recorded in 1062 as ''Lambehitha'' ("landing place for lambs") and in 1255 as ''Lambeth''. The geographical centre of London is at Frazi ...

Greater London Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...

, England. It is a

London borough The London boroughs are the current 32 districts of England, local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London, England; each is governed by a London borough council. The present ...

council, one of the 32 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The council has been under Labour majority control since 2006. The council meets at Lambeth Town Hall in

Brixton Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...

and has its main offices at the nearby Civic Centre.

History

There has been an elected Lambeth local authority since 1856 when the

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colony, English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spen ...

of the

ancient parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

was incorporated under the

Metropolis Management Act 1855 The Metropolis Management Act 1855 (18 & 19 Vict. c. 120), also known as the Metropolis (Management) Act 1855 or the Metropolis Local Management Act 1855, is an Act of Parliament (United Kingdom), act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom tha ...

. The vestry served as one of the lower tier authorities within the area of the

Metropolitan Board of Works The Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW) was the upper tier of local government for London between 1856 and 1889, primarily responsible for upgrading infrastructure. It also had a parks and open spaces committee which set aside and opened up severa ...

, which was established to provide services across the

metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...

of London. In 1889 the Metropolitan Board of Works' area was made the

County of London The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...

. In 1900 the lower tier was reorganised into

metropolitan boroughs A metropolitan borough (or metropolitan district) is a type of local government district in England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts within metropol ...

, each with a borough council, which saw the parish of Lambeth become the

Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth Lambeth was a Civil parishes in England, civil parish and Metropolitan boroughs of the County of London, metropolitan borough in south London, England. It was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. The parish was included in the area of respo ...

. The larger London Borough of Lambeth and its council were created under the

London Government Act 1963 The London Government Act 1963 (c. 33) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which created Greater London and a new local government structure within it. The Act significantly reduced the number of local government districts in the ...

, with the first election held in 1964. For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's two outgoing authorities, being the councils of the two metropolitan boroughs of Lambeth and

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...

(the latter only in respect of the

Clapham Clapham () is a district in south London, south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (including Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Ea ...

and

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

areas that were to be transferred to the new Lambeth borough). The new council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1965, at which point the old boroughs and their councils were abolished. The council's full legal name is the "Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Lambeth". From 1965 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance,

flood prevention Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...

, and

refuse disposal Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment, and disposal of waste, together with monitor ...

; with the boroughs (including Lambeth) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and

refuse collection Waste collection is a part of the process of waste management. It is the transfer of solid waste from the point of use and disposal to the point of list of waste treatment technologies, treatment or landfill. Waste collection also includes th ...

. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the London Boroughs, with some services provided through joint committees. Lambeth became a

local education authority Local education authorities (LEAs) were defined in England and Wales as the local councils responsible for education within their jurisdictions. The term was introduced by the Education Act 1902, which transferred education powers from school bo ...

in 1990 when the

Inner London Education Authority The Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) was the local education authority for the City of London and the 12 Inner London boroughs from 1965 until its abolition in 1990. From 1965 to 1986 it was an ad hoc committee of the Greater London Co ...

was dissolved. In 1979, the administration of Edward ("Red Ted") Knight organised the borough's first public demonstration against the Thatcher government.Kate Hoey MP and Lambeth Labour Party – Brian Deer investigates
Briandeer.com (8 August 1993). Retrieved on 17 July 2013. In 1985, the council joined other left-wing councils in a

rate-capping rebellion The rate-capping rebellion was a campaign within English local councils in 1985 which aimed to force the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher to withdraw powers to restrict the spending of councils. The affected councils were almost all ...

, although only Liverpool and Lambeth refused to set a legal budget. All 34 Labour councillors present voted on 7 March 1985 not to set a rate.Stewart Morris, "No Surrender", ''South London Press'', 12 March 1985, p. 21. On 9 September 1985 the district auditor for Lambeth gave notice that the delay in fixing the rates was wilful misconduct and so the councillors were required to repay the £126,947 costs as a surcharge. The amount per councillor was over £2,000 and therefore they were also disqualified from office.Hugh Clayton, Peter Davenport, "Rebel councillors' £233,000 penalty", ''The Times'', 10 September 1985, p. 1.Grant, "Rate Capping and the Law", p. 71-2. The surcharged councillors from Lambeth appealed against the surcharges."Rates fight 'legal'", ''South London Press'', 21 January 1986, p. 2. The High Court delivered its judgment on 6 March 1986, finding heavily against the councils; Lord Justice Glidewell described the stance of the councillors as "mere political posturing"; Mr Justice Caulfield described the evidence of wilful misconduct as "crushing" and the councillors' stance as having "reached a pinnacle of political perversity"."Judges rap rebels for wilful misconduct", ''South London Press'', 7 March 1986, p. 3. The councillors were disqualified on 30 March.Stewart Morris, "Power bid by Tories hit by rule change", ''South London Press'', 2 April 1986, p. 2.Hugh Clayton, "Lambeth rates rebels given time to pay surcharge of £105,000", ''The Times'', 31 July 1986. In 1991, Joan Twelves' administration failed to collect the

poll tax A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. ''Poll'' is an archaic term for "head" or "top of the head". The sen ...

and opposed the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

. The following year, Twelves and 12 other councillors were suspended from the local Labour Party by regional officials for advocating non-payment of the poll tax and other ideas. During this period, Lambeth became known the archetype of what critics described as a " loony left" council. Since 2000 the

Greater London Authority The Greater London Authority (GLA), colloquially known by the Metonymy, metonym City Hall, is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved Regions of England, regional governance body of Greater London, England. It consists of two political ...

has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions. In July 2021 the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse published a report that was highly critical of the council and which said serious abuse had been allowed to occur in five of Lambeth's children's homes between the 1960s and 1990s; over 700 children had suffered cruelty and sexual abuse, although the Inquiry believed that the figure was likely to be significantly higher. The Inquiry found that a "culture of cover-up" had led to the abuse continuing over decades; the Council made an "unreserved apology to the victims". Lambeth Council has faced significant criticism over their failure to deliver affordable housing and to properly administer housing they own and manage. Like a number of local authorities, in 2017, it set up a wholly owned company—Homes for Lambeth—to build new housing in the borough. An independent report commissioned by the council by

Bob Kerslake Robert Walter Kerslake, Baron Kerslake, (28 February 1955 – 1 July 2023) was a British senior civil servant. He was the head of the Home Civil Service from 2011 to 2014, succeeding Sir Gus O'Donnell. Early life Kerslake was born on 28 Feb ...

, former head of the Civil Service, reported in 2022 that the delivery of new homes in the borough had been "very poor" and recommended closing the company, which Lambeth accepted. In 2023, the Housing Ombudsman opened an investigation into the council's housing provision following numerous incidents judged by the ombudsmen to be "severe maladministration" and stated they need to "radically improve".

Michael Gove Michael Andrew Gove, Baron Gove (; born Graeme Andrew Logan, 26 August 1967) is a British politician and journalist who served in various Cabinet of the United Kingdom, Cabinet positions under David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Rish ...

, then minister for the

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for housing, communities, and local government in England. It was established in May 200 ...

, stated that the Lambeth Council's behaviour towards residents was "completely unacceptable" and fell below "the most basic level of decency" owed to tenants. Following further investigations, the Housing Ombudsman accepted that Lambeth had made improvements, but "too many residents" still get "an unacceptable service" from the council. Lambeth Council was also the first local authority housing provider to become the subject of an in-person inspection from the Housing Ombudsman over repeated failures to properly handle complaints from tenants and residents. In 2024, Lambeth Council was criticised for trying to force residents into

non-disclosure agreement A non-disclosure agreement (NDA), also known as a confidentiality agreement (CA), confidential disclosure agreement (CDA), proprietary information agreement (PIA), or secrecy agreement (SA), is a legal contract or part of a contract between at le ...

s when settling complaints from leaseholders overcharged for repairs, building works and service charges. In June 2024 the CEO of Lambeth Council, Bayo Dosunmu, was charged by the police with possession of a Class A drug, failing to stop after a road accident, driving above the proscribed alcohol limit and using a motor vehicle in a public place without third party insurance. He subsequently resigned from his £190,000 a year job. Subsquently, in July 2024, the Director for Adult Social Care at the Council, Fiona Connolly became the Acting Chief Executive. In December 2024, Lambeth Council’s Appointments Committee has recommended that Ian Davis be appointed as the council’s new Chief Executive.

Governance

The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as a billing authority also collects precepts for

functions and business rates. It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly. It is a

and is also responsible for

council housing Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council housing or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011, when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in social housing. D ...

, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health.

Political control

The council has been under Labour majority control since 2006. The first election was held in 1964, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1965. Political control of the council since 1965 has been as follows: (Put "Lambeth" in search box to see specific results.)

Leadership

The role of Mayor of Lambeth is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the

leader of the council Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

. The leaders since 1965 have been: In 1986, Linda Bellos was the second Black woman to become leader of a British local authority, after Merle Amory in the London Borough of Brent.

Composition

Following the 2022 election and changes of allegiance and by-elections up to May 2025, the composition of the council was as follows: The next election is due in May 2026.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the council has comprised 63

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

s representing 25 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. The wards are: * Brixton Acre Lane (3) * Brixton North (3) * Brixton Rush Common (3) * Brixton Windrush (2) * Clapham Common and Abbeville (2) * Clapham East (2) * Clapham Park (3) * Clapham Town (3) * Gipsy Hill (2) * Herne Hill and Loughborough Junction (3) *

Kennington Kennington is a district in south London, England. It is mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth, running along the boundary with the London Borough of Southwark, a boundary which can be discerned from the early medieval period between th ...

(3) * Knight's Hill (3) * Myatt's Fields (2) *

Oval An oval () is a closed curve in a plane which resembles the outline of an egg. The term is not very specific, but in some areas of mathematics (projective geometry, technical drawing, etc.), it is given a more precise definition, which may inc ...

(3) * St Martin's (2) * Stockwell East (2) * Stockwell West and Larkhall (3) * Streatham Common and Vale (3) * Streatham Hill East (2) * Streatham Hill West and Thornton (2) * Streatham St Leonard's (3) * Streatham Wells (2) *

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( , ) is an area of South London, within the London Borough of Lambeth. Named after a medieval manor called Fox Hall, it became well known for the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. From the Victorian period until the mid-20th century, Va ...

(3) * Waterloo and South Bank (2) *

West Dulwich West Dulwich ( ) is a neighbourhood in South London on the southern boundary of Brockwell Park, which straddles the London Borough of Lambeth and the London Borough of Southwark. Croxted Road and South Croxted Road mark the boundary between Sou ...

(2)

Premises

The council meets at Lambeth Town Hall on Brixton Hill in Brixton, which was completed in 1908 for the old Lambeth Borough Council. The council's main offices are at Lambeth Civic Centre at 6 Brixton Hill, a short distance south of the Town Hall. The civic centre was purpose-built for the council and opened in 2018. The civic centre replaced the council's previous main offices at 18 Brixton Hill, which had been built in 1978 and was named 'Olive Morris House' in 1986 after Olive Morris (1952–1979), a local community leader and activist.

Notable councillors

Green Party

Jonathan Bartley Jonathan Charles Bartley (born 16 October 1971) is a British politician who was a Co-Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, a position he shared with Caroline Lucas from 2016 to 2018, ...

, councillor for St Leonard's ward between

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

and 2022, former Co-Leader of the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...

. * Scott Ainslie, councillor for St Leonard's ward since

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

and MEP for

from 2019 to 2020.

Liberal Democrats

* Anthony Bottrall, former British diplomat and councillor for Stockwell ward from

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

. * Roger Liddle, British political adviser and member of House of Lords, and councillor for Prince's ward from

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

to 1986 and

to 1995. * Mike Tuffrey, former member of the GLC and

London Assembly The London Assembly is a 25-member elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds supermajority, to amend the Mayor's annual budget and to reject t ...

, and councillor for Prince's ward from

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

Conservative Party

* John Bercow, former councillor for St Leonard's ward (

–

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

) and Speaker of the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

from 2009 to 2019. *

Charlie Elphicke Charles Brett Anthony Elphicke (born 14 March 1971) is a British former politician and a convicted sex offender. As a member of the Conservative Party and later an independent, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Dover from 2010 to 20 ...

, former councillor for Gipsy Hill from 1994 to 1998 and Member of Parliament for

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

from 2010 to 2019. *

John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British retired politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997. Following his defeat to Ton ...

, former councillor for Ferndale ward (

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

–

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

) and former

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

from 1990 to 1997.

Labour Party

* Ibrahim Dogus, councillor for Bishop's ward since

and entrepreneur and restaurateur. * Jim Dickson, councillor for

Herne Hill Herne Hill () is a district in South London, approximately four miles from Charing Cross and bordered by Brixton, Camberwell, Dulwich, and Tulse Hill. It sits to the north and east of Brockwell Park and straddles the boundary between the London ...

and former Leader of Lambeth Council. * Steve Reed, former councillor for Brixton Hill (

–2012) and Member of Parliament for Croydon North since

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

. *

Florence Eshalomi Florence Dauta Eshalomi (''née'' Nosegbe; born 18 September 1980) is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green, formerly Vauxhall, since 2019. A Member of the Labour and Co-operative pa ...

, former councillor for Brixton Hill (

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

–

), Member of the

(

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

–

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

) and Member of Parliament for

since

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

. * Marsha de Cordova, former councillor for Larkhall ward (2014–2018) and Member of Parliament for

Battersea Battersea is a large district in southwest London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and also extends along the south bank of the Thames Tideway. It includes the Battersea Park. Hist ...

since

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

. * Dan Sabbagh, former councillor for Vassall ward (2010–2014) and associate editor of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' newspaper. * Kitty Ussher, former councillor for Vassall ward (1998–2002) and former Member of Parliament for

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

(

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

–

). * Jonathan Myerson, former councillor for Clapham Town (

–

) * Tom Rutland, former councillor for Streatham Common and Vale from 2022 to 2024.

References

{{Authority control Local authorities in London London borough councils Politics of the London Borough of Lambeth Leader and cabinet executives Local education authorities in England Billing authorities in England