Survey highlights Lib Dem / Tory failure in Lambeth
August 2005

Liberal Democrat / Conservative run Lambeth 'poor value for money'

An official survey of 1,000 Lambeth residents painted this year a sad picture of our borough under the Liberal Democrat / Conservative administration. Two out of every three people believed the council was poor value for money. Most were clear in the survey that Lambeth was inefficient, badly run, remote and impersonal.

Those results were hidden when only a tiny number were invited to the presentation of the figures.

Contrary to the boast that the Liberal Democrats & Conservatives run a fast-improving local authority, public distrust of Lambeth deepened this summer with results from seven focus groups. Again, the council administration failed to make public the information.

Here are some quotes taken from the secret 90-page final report.

"The general view was that Lambeth's council tax was 'one of the highest'. Virtually everybody thought that the level of council tax in Lambeth was high.

"I want someone to explain to me why my council tax is increasing exponentially but the services aren't improving."

"The council was seen to be remote, slow, inefficient and wasteful. Why try to pay your council tax using the website if the council will either lose your message or your bank details?"

"As was found repeatedly, many residents have severe reservations about the council's capacity to deliver."

"Residents complained about the amount of litter on the streets. Problems were a lack of litter bins and the need to enforce anti-litter laws."

"Residents were extremely unhappy about the conditions of many of the pavements: disgusting, uneven, hazardous, broken slabs."

"For council tenants, the repairs service dominated comments with the closure of the neighbourhood offices; the length of time it took for repair jobs to be assessed and completed; thirdly, the quality of the work was seen to have deteriorated."

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.