CLLR DONNA HARRIS CONDEMNS “APPALLING” CONDITIONS FOR HOMELESS FAMILIES PLACED IN LAMBETH BY WESTMINSTER AND CAMDEN COUNCILS

Councillor Donna Harris, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Lambeth Council, has written to Councillor Claire Holland, Leader of Lambeth Council, demanding urgent action following shocking reports of residents living in unacceptable conditions at the Waterloo Hub Hotel — accommodation in Lambeth which is used by Westminster and Camden Councils to house homeless residents.

The BBC recently reported that faulty lifts at the hotel had forced disabled residents to sleep in the lobby. Residents also described rat and bedbug infestations, broken fire doors, poor food and rude staff.

Cllr Harris said:

“It is deeply disturbing that vulnerable and disabled residents, placed in Lambeth by Westminster and Camden Councils, have been subjected to such appalling conditions. These are people who are already homeless and in need of compassion and support — not neglect and indignity.”

In her letter to Cllr Holland, Cllr Harris acknowledged that primary responsibility rests with Westminster and Camden, but said Lambeth also has a moral duty to ensure that any temporary accommodation operating within its borders meets acceptable standards of safety and decency.

She called on Lambeth Council to set out:

•What checks are made to ensure temporary accommodation providers in the borough meet the right standards;

•What lessons can be learned from this episode; and

•What new safeguards will be introduced to prevent similar cases in the future.

Cllr Harris added:

“Westminster and Camden must urgently answer for their failure to protect the people they have placed in Lambeth. But Lambeth too must ensure this never happens again on our watch. No resident — wherever they come from — should be forced to live in such degrading conditions in our borough.”

Notes to Readers:

The BBC website report referred to above is Faulty lifts ‘force residents to sleep in lobby’, 23 September 2025.