LAMBETH’S HOUSING CRISIS LAID BARE: COMPLAINTS SOAR UNDER LABOUR RULE
Lambeth Liberal Democrats are demanding urgent action after a devastating report from the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman laid bare the chronic failures of Lambeth Council under Labour leadership.
316 complaints made against Lambeth in just one year — the 4th highest of any council in England, behind only Birmingham, TfL, and Essex.
Housing crisis spiraling out of control — 142 housing complaints, second only to Birmingham, despite Birmingham having 2.4 times more council homes and just a third more complaints.
Almost 1 in every 25 housing complaints in England is about Lambeth.
Complaints are skyrocketing — Lambeth housing complaints rose by 22% compared to the previous year.
Ombudsman upheld 92% of complaints it investigated — higher than almost any comparable council, and well above the 84% average for London.
Lambeth residents are more than twice as likely to have a complaint upheld compared with other parts of the country.
Only 7% of cases had a proper remedy before the Ombudsman stepped in — barely half the national average.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, the Ombudsman singled Lambeth out in a damning letter to the Council, condemning it for:
Four consecutive years of failure to improve.
Repeated delays in responding to investigations — even when simply asked for basic documents.
Late compliance, poor communication, and bad signposting.
Particularly bad failures in Housing.
“It is disappointing to have to report the same concerns we have raised about your Council for the past four years,” the Ombudsman wrote in an official letter to Lambeth’s Chief Executive on 9 July 2025.
Cllr Donna Harris, Leader of the Lambeth Liberal Democrats, said:
“This report is a national embarrassment. While Labour Councillors pat themselves on the back and ignore residents, people are being let down time and time again — especially on housing. They’ve had four years of warnings and still failed to act. That’s not incompetence — it’s contempt. It’s an appalling record and Lambeth residents deserve better. The Lib Dems will keep fighting to hold this failing administration to account and to deliver the honest, responsive local government people deserve.”
Notes to Readers:
The Annual Report of the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman for 2024-25 is available here:
The Lambeth section is here:
London Borough of Lambeth - Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
The annual datasets for comparative purposes are here:
Local government complaint reviews - Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
The Annual Review letter to Lambeth is here: