Labour Council finds Lambeth’s missing voters

Cllr Lorna Campbell says Labour believes in votes for everyone – while Lib Dems tried to stop people from voting

Voter registration rates in Lambeth have soared 8% in a year to just under 79%. Under Tory-Lib Dem control, the Borough had one of the lowest voter registration rates in London at just 71%. There was outrage a year ago when the Tories and Liberals blocked money needed to register thousands of voters missing from the electoral register. They were terrified that the missing voters were mainly black or other minority ethnic people who would use their vote against Tory and Lib Dem candidates because of the two parties’ appalling record on equality issues while they were running the Council together.

Labour has also announced a new project with Operation Black Vote to ensure that more black and minority ethnic (BME) citizens get involved in public life as councillors, school governors, and as trustees of voluntary organisations. In these positions, black and minority ethnic people can help influence how services are delivered so that the needs of Lambeth’s minority communities are taken fully into account. While Labour increased its share of BME councillors from three to twelve in May, the opposition parties remain shamefully unrepresentative. The Lib Dems have just two BME councillors, while Lambeth’s Tories remain a whites-only zone with no black or minority ethnic councillors at all. Lambeth’s population is nearly 40% BME.

Labour Councillor Lorna Campbell is the Council’s spokesperson on equalities. She said: "It’s taken a Labour council to ensure that everyone, regardless of race, gets that most basic of democratic rights – a say in who runs the council and who governs the country.”

Share you views on this and other local issues in the Lambeth Forum and be kept informed about local issues by emailing subscribe@lambethlabour.com.

To let us know your view on this issue, get help from your local councillor, or discover how you can help Labour in Lambeth, please complete the form below.