Lewisham’s Mayor and Cabinet have ratified a proposal to cut funding and support for the borough’s local ward assemblies, setting aside a 15 year effort to encourage community awareness of local issues and engagement with councillors.
The 19 assemblies, considered ground breaking at the time, were first set up in 2008 to promote resident involvement in local politics. The assemblies also feature in the council constitution.
But the decision to agree the cut and save the council £200k of the £35m it needs to trim from its 2025-26 budget was taken with little debate, angering residents active within their local communities.
Resident members of the Ladywell Assembly coordinating committee have voiced their deep concern at the move.
In a letter to Mayor Dacres the members of the committee say they believe “the decision will be a retrograde step and further distance the council from local people and groups active in our communities.
“We believe ending council funding and support will almost certainly lead to the breakdown of the assembly system.
“We urge you … to reconsider a proposal which will further undermine local confidence in the council’s ability and willingness to listen to and take note of community concerns.”
The Lee Green consortium, a network of 17 local community groups, has also written to Mayor Dacres expressing their deep concern at the decision.
The letter notes the council faces tough budget decisions but goes on: “Our concern is that there doesn’t seem to have been any consultation about a proposal that is in essence at the core of the council’s commitment to engagement.”
Responding to Ladywell residents’ concerns, Cllr Edison Huynh, the cabinet member for communities and culture, acknowledges that ending “council funding for assemblies will mean that any new form of assemblies/resident engagement will be dependent on local needs and adaptations.”
Cllr Huynh says councillors will meet to discuss options in January and then hold further discussions with residents in individual wards.
He says the cut was not an easy one to propose. “But when set alongside other potential savings that could have been taken in the culture and communities brief (which is already stretched across our libraries, third-sector organisations supporting vulnerable children/adults, leisure and community groups), the assemblies support cut was deemed justifiable given the fact that the data showed that assemblies across the borough are – in their current state – useful but not representative of Lewisham’s diverse demographic.”
The Ladywell assembly has, over the years, played an important role in helping to direct small amounts of ward funding to local youth groups, community gardens, playgrounds, cultural events and the Ladywell streetscape.
It has also played a vital role in ensuring the Grade II listed Victorian Playtower remains at the forefront of council thinking.
The Ladywell letter to Mayor Dacres says: “We are convinced there is an important role for community/ward assemblies to play in the future if the council remains supportive.
“We sincerely hope you … consider all options for their future. Above all, we believe the council should continue to provide basic support for the local assemblies which give an important voice to our communities.”
Council looks at scrapping assemblies to save £200,000
Lewisham Council looks set to scrap ward assemblies as it battles to cut its spending by £35m. Ditching assemblies would save the council around £200,000.
A council report on budget savings proposes “ending the funding for the assembly programme.” This would involve a reduction in staffing and the “end of community engagement” through the assemblies.
The 19 assemblies, considered ground breaking at the time, were first set up in 2008 to encourage resident involvement in local issues and improve the engagement of councillors in the communities they represent.
The report acknowledges that local assemblies “are an important consultative mechanism” and provide a way for the local community to prioritise local issues and advise the council.
But in recent years the assemblies have seen their funding all but disappear as Lewisham has struggled to balance its budget in the face of deep government cuts.
Grant funding which enabled local residents communities to fund community initiatives (school clubs, comunity gardens, arts festivals) has gone to be replaced by largely “top down” NCIL funding controlled by council officers and councillors.
Ladywell’s streetscape makeover study more that 10 years ago was funded through the assembly and helped push the council into making a bid for project funding to carry out the work.
Assembly volunteers say ditching ward assemblies would end one of the few ways many local residents can question council officers and councillors on council policies and performance.
“Its disappointing Lewisham council seems to have been steadily eroding and diminishing the assemblies ever since it completed a local democracy review in 2019 aimed at strengthening local democracy and improving the transparency of council decision making,” said one Ladywell assembly volunteer.
“Council decision making can be opaque to most residents at the best of times. Surely ending assemblies will make officers and councillors even less accountable for their decisions.”
Robert Smith, foundeer of the Ladywell Society, said “the last mayor’s democracy review turned out to be a damp squid with the council seemingly even less willing to take account of local groups.
“This issue with the assemblies would seem to be just a further step along the road of this democratic deficit.”
Local groups like the Ladywell Society “now have to step up and, working with our excellent ward councillors, pursue the best interests of Ladywell and beyond.”
Jean Branch, another volunteer on the Ladywell assembly coordinating committee, says ditching the assemblies will be a real loss.
“The assemblies have been a great way of getting input from more people in the wards- for residents to feel they have access to their councillors and to be able to discuss local issues.
“From CPZ’s to local developments, safer neighbourhood policing, the assemblies have provided opportunities for local residents to request council representatives to come and explain plans and initiatives to residents. “
But a council report says the assemblies “are not representative of Lewisham’s communities” and have seen attendance drop in recent years.