Update (09.06.26)
Lambeth Council has published the revised Constitution to put into effect the changes to governance agreed by the Council at its reconvened Annual Meeting.
Further to our last news story, Lambeth Council remains under no overall control with the Greens as the largest party relying on Liberal Democrat support. The reconvened Annual Meeting approved a hybrid Cabinet Committee model under the existing Leader/Cabinet system, with new committees introduced to provide beefed-up scrutiny and allowing for more cross-party working and involvement of ward councillors.
The reconvened Annual Meeting of Council on Monday 1 June 2026 also appointed Councillor Martin Abrams as Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Members. Appointments to various committees were made, and are now published on the Council's website.
The proposed committee model resolution had been withdrawn by the Greens and the summoned extraordinary meeting was not held. The Greens stated the move became untenable due to central government’s move to effectively ban the model.
The Greens' proposals to introduce the significant changes to how Lambeth Council is run, essentially to establish shadow committees to scrutinise executive decisions before they are taken and enable fuller involvement of ward councillors, were agreed but amended by the Liberal Democrat and Labour groups to enable full Council to intervene if decisions by those committees are not followed, and ensure all scrutiny committees will be chaired by opposition party councillors who will be appointed by full Council.
Officers have been charged with developing the necessary changes to the Constitution and establishing all the necessary working arrangements on how the new decision-making processes will work on a day to day basis. Detail is also awaited on who will receive Special Responsibility Allowances.
The current political balance on the Council is:
Green: 27 seats
Labour/Labour and Co-operative: 26 seats
Liberal Democrats: 8 seats
Vacant: 2 seats (By-Elections in Clapham Park and St. Leonard’s Wards are now to be held on Thursday 9 July 2026).
