Setting the record straight
Lambeth Greens accuse us of hiking Councillor allowances. Here's the actual truth 👇
Liberal Democrats have consistently called for lower councillor allowances in Lambeth - reflecting the financial crisis that the borough faces.
There have been conflicting claims about votes at the council meeting on 1st June 2026 on councillors’ Special Responsibility Allowances (SRA). All Lambeth councillors receive a basic allowance of £16,359 but only some receive an additional SRA. Here is a summary of the key decisions.
- Whose proposals were most expensive?
Overall the Green proposals were most expensive - at £501,298 annually, and the Liberal Democrat proposals were the cheapest, at £367,500 annually.
Green proposal | Liberal Democrat proposal | Labour proposal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | £501,298 | £377,500 | £429,288 |
| Difference from Greens |
| -£123,789 | -£72,010 |
2. What were the key differences between proposals?
The Greens proposed:
- A higher allowance for the council leader - £46,435 compared to £40,000 proposed by Labour and Liberal Democrats.
- Higher allowances for the two deputy council leaders and 7 full time equivalent Cabinet Members - £32,603 compared to £25-28,000 proposed by Labour and Liberal Democrats.
- A higher allowance for their Chief Whip.
- Creation of a second Chief Whip job
- Higher allowances for committee chairs - totalling £91,217.
- Lower allowances for opposition parties.
Labour’s proposal (which was adopted) was largely the opposite of all of these.
The Liberal Democrats proposed lower allowances across the board - saving £133,798 compared to the Greens, and £72,010 compared to Labour. The key differences were:
- Lower allowances for all Cabinet roles.
- Opposing the additional Chief Whip role added by the Greens.
- No allowance for the vice Chair of the Planning Committee.
Read on 👇