Leader's Column: Our New Lib Dem Team will Hold Undemocratic Labour to Account

I am honoured to write my first ‘Southwark News’ column as the new Liberal Democrat Leader of the Opposition on Southwark Council.

‘Southwark News’ plays a hugely important part in our borough’s life – as one of the best regarded independent local newspapers in the country.

Local democracy is much improved when there is a strong, fearless and responsible local press.

Since our present borough was created in 1965 only two parties have been the largest parties in Southwark – Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

Since 2018, the only parties with candidates elected here have been Labour and Liberal Democrats.

Yet again, there are no elected Conservatives or Greens here, and, so, after this year’s elections it is again only Liberal Democrats who have been elected to hold our Labour-run council to account.

First, my thanks go to all who voted Liberal Democrat in the council elections, to all our 63 candidates who stood for us in every part of the borough, to our helpers and supporters, and to my friends and colleagues Hamish McCallum, Nick Johnson and Anood Al-Samerai who were the leaders of the opposition before me.

Special thanks to Eliza Mann, Adele Morris, David Noakes, Dan Whitehead and Humaira Ali who stood down this year and to William Houngbo and Damian O’Brien who sadly were not re-elected.

I'd like to publically also thank Richard Wingfield and Raghav Parkash who regained second place for the Liberal Democrats in Dulwich Village and Patrickson Obanya, Alice Thomas, and Michael Tipler who ran a very strong local campaign in South Bermondsey.

And then big thanks and congratulations to all my great, enthusiastic and talented colleagues who make up the 11-strong Southwark opposition team – Rachel Bentley and Emily Tester, with Hamish in North Bermondsey; Graham Neale and Maria Linforth-Hall, re-elected in St George’s ward; Jane Salmon and Adam Hood with Nick in Surrey Docks; and Irina von Wiese and David Watson with me in Borough and Bankside. We have started work straight away.

Our first priority is to represent all the people in our areas, whether they voted or not and whoever they voted for.

Our second priority is to represent as best we can all the people, and the many good voluntary sector groups and businesses across the whole of Southwark.

When we need to challenge our Labour-run Southwark Council, the Labour Mayor of London, or Boris Johnson and his regularly dreadful Conservative government, we will.

And our main campaigns will be: 1. to make this a cleaner, greener and safer borough; 2. to make sure public money is spent on our public’s priorities and that councillors take account of the public’s views, 3. addressing the cost of living crisis in our borough and helping people feeling the pinch and 4. to make sure that in the future, unlike the past few years, Southwark does not just talk about great housebuilding targets, but builds the housing we need and ends the scandal of so many empty properties in our borough.

After 12 years, and counting, of Labour government in Southwark, with a golden goodbye last year to a Labour councillor forced to resign his cabinet post and more recently one of our Labour MPs suspended, we will demand better – and we will hold Southwark’s Labour leader, cabinet members and councillors to account.

After all, they will pay themselves nearly £1 million out of public money this year.

And last month they voted again for the person who will lead the scrutiny of the council to be – yes you might have guessed it – another Labour councillor!

Of course, we will work cross party where it is in the public interest we do so and we will on a regular basis put forward and engage you, the public, with constructive new ideas like: planting more trees (not chopping them down), tackling our air pollution and litter scandal, making 50% of all housing development affordable and abolishing charges for bulky waste disposal.

In all we do, our love for this borough will drive our commitment and work throughout this new four-year term.

So if you need us or want to join us in demanding better for your community or to join or help the Southwark Liberal Democrats, the only alternative to Labour in Southwark, please contact me in the first instance – victor.chamberlain@southwark.gov.uk (Twitter: @vmmchamberlain) All best wishes to you all – and thank you.