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Lambeth Council Watch - news and updates about the 'co-operative' council

Tricky Skills said:
Buzzed: Lambeth Council Faces Housing Ombudsman Inspection Over Repeat Complaint Handling Issues "This marks the first time these powers have been used"
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Fiona.jpg


(Source: Lambeth Together)​

Presumably, in addition to her MBA in "Local Government Leadership", Fiona Connolly, Lambeth Council's "Corporate Director of Housing and Adult Social Care", should also be congratulated on achieving this "first".
 
Interesting thing about the Housing Ombudsman bring up three things

1) instead of looking at opinion polls or election results Housing Ombudsman are doing what is can be termed qualitative rather than quantitative analysis . Looking at significant individual cases rather than say election results. After all the Labour Group could say we keep getting elected so whilst individual mistakes are made we would not get elected if this was systemic.

This is something I've said the Council could do more of. Qualitative research into what people feel.

Opinion polls are all very well. But not a substitute for qualitative research.

2) Those over the years critical of how the Labour group consult people have been labelled as not representative , difficult When all evidence suggests this consultation is poor. ( Kerslake report is example)

3) The Housing Ombudsman has taken the un precedented step of saying they will organise a public meeting so that ordinary Council tenants can have their say. Remarkably that a body such as this is giving a so called Coop Council lessons in consultation.

4) As a Council tenant just got the invite to the latest supposed consultation. The previous way or consulting tenants was shelved. Since then ( with demise of Tenants Council ) there has been no way for tenants to have input to service. This from a Coop Council.
 
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GarveyLives said:
Fiona.jpg


(Source: Lambeth Together)​

Presumably, in addition to her MBA in "Local Government Leadership", Fiona Connolly, Lambeth Council's "Corporate Director of Housing and Adult Social Care", should also be congratulated on achieving this "first".
Click to expand...

One of the things that impressed me about the Housing Ombudsman is that in several of their rulings supporting tenants against the Council they told the Council to tell senior officers personally to apologise to tenants for not doing there well paid jobs properly.

Impressed by this. The way it works in Lambeth is that our elected Labour representatives always in my experience defend officers when the people who elect them complain about Council. No Labour Cllr would ever tell officers to personally apologise

People should not have to go to outside unelected body to get this. A Labour Council should be supporting vulnerable people. Not being told to do it by a quango.
 
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I've been invited to the "bringing together (of) cultural leaders to build connections and make a collective contribution to the vibrancy of our communities."

I'm not sure I can add that much vibrancy.
 
Lambeth gets told by ombudsman about issue and Lambeth say they will sort it out. Then ombudsman has to come back again over same issues.

Its a pattern that keeps coming up with Lambeth.

As in housing. Where the ombudsman is now going to length of organising meetings where tenants can be consulted.

Two issues come up regularly:

1. Management- which ultimately is the Cllrs not getting to grips with complaints that ombudsman have upheld. The Cllrs have not ensured the underlying problems re policy/ making sure policy is implemented/ making sure statutory obligations are done properly.

Seems to me their is a culture in Lambeth of backbench Cllrs not scrutinising officers or being afraid to. Being afraid to in case the leadership in Cabinet take offence. Cabinet member Cllrs get to have to close working relationship with senior officers. Which ends up being put first before the people they are supposed to represent. Their is a lack of credible scrutiny. This is not about lack of money. Its about democratic oversight being lacking. This affects the vulnerable most. Its a symptom of having a Cabinet system of government of Borough. And a very closely whipped backbench Labour Cllrs.

2. Lack of consultation and meaningful dialogue with residents. Which means the relationship between the Council and Lambeth residents is often adversarial. Making complaints is only way to get things done

I think the very poor way this particular Council consults residents contributes to the underlying problems.
 
Im also concerned that , not by intention, the people who are most affected are the most vulnerable of Lambeth residents.

Lambeth Labour can still win elections despite the level of complaints upheld against it.

Sad to say that in getting elected terms Lambeth Labour can ride out this and get re elected.

It does not imo say much for the priorities of a local Labour party.

I dont think its intention of Labour Cllrs to not give the most vulnerable in Lambeth a good service. But not heeding ombudsman does give me cause for concern about priorities of this faction who run Lambeth Labour group. Who has we all know are on the right of the party.
 
northeast said:
Surprised Lambeth didn't buy into this type of thing.

BBC News - Man bought private jet with borrowed council money
www.bbc.co.uk

Man bought private jet with borrowed council money

Leaked documents show businessman went on a spending spree and left a council effectively bankrupt.
www.bbc.co.uk
Click to expand...

Yes and no.

On housing it was going that way. I think Croydon meant that some senior officers knew that HfL was not going to work. Kerslake report was accepted. But senior Council officers were already sidelining HfL. - understandably. And HfL is being wound up. It remains to be seen if this will cost Council money. As in case of the local authority in your link.

Clearly for years Lambeth Labour group thought that giving housing "experts" big salaries would mean that HfL would work.

They have all walked off the mess they made and their careers carry on. That is how the system works. Not as extreme as buying jets but still. It does surprise me what these "experts" get.

In some ways Lambeth does buy into listening to "experts". As though what they say is gospel. Unlike residents. Who are to be dismissed. Unless they whole heartedly agree with Council.
 
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nagapie said:
It has two, pools.
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Sorry. I was too intimidated by all those fitness cycles with hard-wired TV screens to venture in and look.
Last time I used it it looked like this - and I'm sure it had an ornamental tablet inside the entrance saying "Opened by Alderman X Mayor of Wandsworth 1928"
1691334717850.png
Is it much improved now? (apart from having 50 exercise cycles I mean)
 
CH1 said:
Sorry. I was too intimidated by all those fitness cycles with hard-wired TV screens to venture in and look.
Last time I used it it looked like this - and I'm sure it had an ornamental tablet inside the entrance saying "Opened by Alderman X Mayor of Wandsworth 1928"
View attachment 386122
Is it much improved now? (apart from having 50 exercise cycles I mean)
Click to expand...
I don't know. I only use it as my son attends a class in the teaching pool once a month. I never venture forth elsewhere as I swim at the Rec.
 
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CH1 said:
Sorry. I was too intimidated by all those fitness cycles with hard-wired TV screens to venture in and look.
Last time I used it it looked like this - and I'm sure it had an ornamental tablet inside the entrance saying "Opened by Alderman X Mayor of Wandsworth 1928"

Is it much improved now? (apart from having 50 exercise cycles I mean)
Click to expand...
I think Clapham's light-filled main pool hall is much more successful than Streatham's semi-underground one. 1691343638532.png
 
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Tricky Skills said:
Buzzed: Internal Lambeth Labour dissent finally surfaces as five rogue Councillors go public with criticism of the Cabinet’s plans to pimp out Somerleyton Road redevelopment
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Going to have to re read this all properly. But WTF is happening in the Labour group.

At meetings over the years Ive repeatedly said that the Council should stop selling off assets and been regarded as a left wing loony.

Now long time New Labour Cllrs are questioning this. What is going on? I genuinely do not understand this.
 
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