Lambeth Council tax kept low as Labour gets tough on crime

Council Leader Steve Reed and Home Secretary John Reid discuss Labour's budget for a safer Lambeth

Labour’s put tackling crime top of the agenda in the first budget since last May’s council elections. During four years of Liberal Democrats rule Lambeth went soft on crime, but the Council’s changed gear with Labour promising a tough new approach. The budget will see local police teams boosted with the number of police on Lambeth’s streets hitting an all-time high. A new Anti-Social Behaviour Team will issue more ASBOs against persistent offenders. There’s also record investment in youth services, new schools and better homes – and Lambeth’s first-ever ‘green’ approach to parking permit charges. Labour has also kept its promise to keep the council tax rise in line with incomes, and Lambeth’s residents will now benefit with one of the lowest council tax levels in London. Labour’s proposing a rise of just 4.99% - a fraction of the 23% increase the Conservatives and Liberals forced through in their first budget in 2002.

Highlights of Labour’s budget include:
• Boost for local police teams with 21 new officers on the beat
• New team to issue ASBOs more quickly against persistent offenders
• Biggest ever investment in youth services giving young people more positive things to do
• New sports and leisure facilities across Lambeth
• Two brand new secondary schools
• ‘Green’ parking permit charges with low-polluting vehicles charged less
• One of the lowest council tax levels in London

Labour’s Steve Reed is Leader of the Council. He said: “For the first time in years, the Council’s priorities match local people’s priorities. We’ve put a stop to the tax hikes of the Lib Dem years and we’re boosting local police teams to tackle crime. This budget tells residents that Labour’s making you safer and costing you less.”

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