Southwark Labour to add 9th Cabinet Member, One Month after Reducing Staff in Key Service Roles

The leader of Southwark Council has announced that the cabinet will expand to nine members, adding £39,218 to Southwark’s member allowance spend.

Council members have been informed ‘Climate Emergency and Sustainable Planning Portfolio’ will be split into two separate cabinet positions, expanding the cabinet from eight to nine members.

Last week, at council assembly, Labour members unanimously voted for a report recommending an increase to their allowances.

As per the report, cabinet members will receive an additional allowance of £39,218 on top of the £12,736 basic allowance for all members in 2023/24.

The 2023/24 budget for Southwark, passed last month, included cuts to staff within social service teams, including the ‘Keeping Families Together Team’ and the ‘PAUSE service’.

The Lib Dem group have repeatedly called for the cabinet to be reduced to four members in order to reflect the four main council directorates and save money.

Labour members voted against this suggestion, which would have saved £156,872, at both the last full council meetings.

In 2023/24, the Southwark cabinet (including the leader, cabinet members and deputy cabinet members) will cost taxpayers over £400,000.

Commenting, leader of the Southwark Lib Dems Cllr Victor Chamberlain said:

“Southwark Labour seem absolutely insistent on spending residents’ money on themselves. Last week they voted to give themselves a pay rise during a cost of living crisis. This week the leader of the council has decided to add nearly £40,000 to that already enormous bill. That money could fund a new officer in the repairs service, the housing team or the anti-social behaviour unit – teams who deliver a vital service that are desperately struggling with a lack of capacity.

This convoluted cabinet now has more than two members for each major department in the council, with confused, overlapping remits finding accountability amongst them is almost impossible. The people of Southwark deserve better than this blatant cronyism.”