Gipsy Hill tenant and her nephew in hospital after council house ceiling gives way again
Venesha Rose says repairs to her Lambeth Council home failed to fix the cause, and she has been raising leaks with the council since 2024.
Open letter pushes Lambeth to keep a qualified head of libraries
A council restructure would scrap the job of head of Lambeth's libraries and archives service. Hundreds of people have signed an open letter asking the council to think again.
Key facts
- Hundreds of people have signed an open letter opposing the Lambeth libraries restructure
- The restructure would scrap the job of head of Lambeth's libraries and archives service
- Only the current Service Manager for leisure is ringfenced for the new role
- Kane cancelled the previous administration's library review in September
Hundreds of people have signed an open letter asking Lambeth Council to keep the job of head of its libraries and archives service. A planned restructure would scrap the role. Library users and library professionals signed it, along with authors and community groups. They want the council to reverse the decision before the post goes.
Why the Lambeth libraries restructure worries campaigners
The restructure would remove the head of service post altogether. Only one person has been ringfenced for the new position, and that is the member of staff who currently works as Service Manager for leisure. Supporters of the letter say this means the borough’s libraries could end up being run by someone who holds no professional library qualification.
The letter carries comments from Dr Alice Corble, who teaches Library and Information Studies at University College London.
The dispute follows the Myatt’s Fields by-election. It hands the Green-led administration an awkward test. Residents once campaigned hard to protect the borough’s libraries, and campaigners now want to know whether those libraries are safe under the new leadership.
What the council can and cannot do
Kane was within her powers to scrap the library review begun by the previous administration, and she did that in September. Council staffing is another matter. The Local Government and Housing Act 1989 makes it unlawful for the new cabinet to step into decisions about staff.
Officers follow the council’s strategy, so timing is important. If a new strategy is agreed quickly enough, it could still save the post held by Barnes. A lot may also rest on whether Patel plays a constructive part in getting there.
Key questions
What is Lambeth Council planning for its libraries?
A restructure that would remove the job of head of the borough's libraries and archives service.
Who could lead Lambeth's libraries under the plan?
The only person ringfenced for the new role is the current Service Manager for leisure. Supporters of the open letter fear the service could be led by someone with no professional library qualification.
Can Lambeth's cabinet step in over the staffing change?
The Local Government and Housing Act 1989 makes it unlawful for the cabinet to intervene in council staffing. Officers follow the council's strategy, though, and a new strategy arriving in time could still save the post.
Ombudsman again criticises HMP Wandsworth over emergency codes after 2021 death
No control room record shows when a code blue was called after Aktar Uddin was found unresponsive in his cell on Christmas Day 2021.
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