The Council Assembly meeting on 17 July 2024 saw Councillors debate and agree motions on the state of social housing in Southwark, the abuse of Councillors, and traffic on Lower Road in Rotherhithe. The Council also agreed amendments to its constitution related to Human Resources and approved its pay policy for 2024-25.

Themed Debate: Renewing Our Borough

Councillors heard from residents' groups Southwark and Peckham Citizens, Southwark Pensioners’ Centre, [Appleby Blue], and Kelvin Miles and colleagues. Appleby Blue is an estate regeneration project on the Old Kent Road.

Councillor Helen Dennis, Cabinet Member for New Homes and Sustainable Development, then opened a debate on a motion entitled “Renewing our borough: a strategy for building the homes and infrastructure we need”.

Councillor Dennis' motion was a wide-ranging document that sought to reiterate the Labour administration's commitment to building new council homes and transport infrastructure while also attacking the record of the previous Conservative and Liberal Democrat administrations.

Councillor Emily Tester, speaking for the opposition, responded to the motion with an amendment that sought to strike out many of the criticisms of the previous government and replace them with praise for Southwark Liberal Democrats. For example, the amendment sought to replace the line

That under the Conservatives, the UK has experienced the lowest levels of investment of any G7 country;

with

This Council notes that Southwark Liberal Democrats are committed to investing in our borough;

Speaking in favour of her amendment, Councillor Tester said that:

It is right that we celebrate the great work of Southwark Labour Council in building new council homes. We are all united in wanting to see more council homes built in Southwark. However, it is also right that we acknowledge the failure of the Labour Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to properly invest in the Bakerloo line extension.

Councillor Dennis responded to the debate and, in particular, to Councillor Tester's criticisms of the Labour Mayor of London:

The record shows that the previous Conservative Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, wasted millions of pounds on vanity projects like the Garden Bridge while doing nothing to progress the Bakerloo Line Extension. The new Labour Mayor has consistently made the case to government for the funding we need, and we continue to call on the government to back the Bakerloo Line Extension.

Councillor Tester's amendment was then put to a vote and lost, with the main motion subsequently passing.

Deputations

The meeting heard deputations from leaseholders on the North Peckham Estate, Jenifer Milner on behalf of shop owners in SE5, and Zoe Abrams and residents of Peckham. Each group spoke to the meeting for four minutes and then asked a question of the relevant Cabinet Member.

Declaring a Housing Emergency

The meeting then debated a motion moved by Councillor Victor Chamberlain and seconded by Councillor Irina Von Wiese entitled Declaring a Housing Emergency .

The motion noted that

In Southwark, there are now 3,920 households in our borough living in temporary accommodation, many more living in overcrowded homes and over 17,000 households on our council housing waiting list.

It went on to call on the Council to

Deliver the next phase of new council homes in Southwark, going beyond the 3,000 already completed or on site

An amendment to the motion was moved by Councillor Esme Hicks and seconded by Councillor Sam Dalton but was lost after debate. The main motion then passed.

Debate Not Hate

A motion entitled Debate Not Hate , moved by Councillor Catherine Rose and seconded by Councillor Jason Ochere, was then debated and agreed by the Council.

The motion noted that

The intimidation and abuse of councillors, in person or otherwise, undermines democracy; preventing elected members from representing the communities they serve, deterring individuals from standing for election, and undermining public life in democratic processes.

It called on the Council to

sign up to the LGA’s Debate Not Hate campaign.

The Local Government Association (LGA) is a cross-party membership organisation for councils in England and Wales.

Ending the Lower Road Chaos

The final motion of the evening, entitled Ending the Lower Road chaos , was moved by Councillor Richard Livingstone and seconded by Councillor James McAsh.

The motion sought to address traffic problems on Lower Road in Rotherhithe caused by the recent installation of a cycle lane.

Councillor Livingstone told the meeting that

When the Lower Road cycle lane opened, residents, businesses, the local Labour MP and the Rotherhithe Labour councillors raised a number of issues, including regarding safety.

He called on the council to

monitor the situation and find further solutions as necessary.

An amendment to the motion was moved by Councillor Maggie Browning and seconded by Councillor Sunil Chopra. After debate, the amendment was carried, and the motion, as amended, was agreed.