Brixton Buzz

The next local elections in Lambeth aren’t until May 2026, but the Labour Party has already started lining up its candidates.

And in true Town Hall fashion, it’s proving to be less about finding the best people for the job and more about who’s in favour, who’s fallen out, and who can be relied upon to clap loudly enough when Council Leader Claire Holland finishes her speeches.

Lambeth Council’s spending on legal fees has increased dramatically in recent years, rising from around £10 million in 2019 to £30 million in 2024, Brixton Buzz can reveal.

The costs are largely to extend leases on properties Lambeth manages in Streatham.

Cabinet papers in 2020 noted that “The cost of individual lease extensions was estimated as c.£13.6m in 2018 and will now have risen to an estimated £15m due to the reduction in the remaining unexpired term.”

Lambeth Council’s leisure centre service Active Lambeth has launched a brand-new three-lane bowling alley at the Brixton Recreation Centre.

The new alley which is open for walk-in slots, as well a private bookings, adds to Brixton Rec’s family-friendly leisure centre offer alongside karaoke, food and lots more.

Cllr Donatus Anyanwu, Lambeth’s Cabinet Member for Stronger Communities, Leisure and Sports, said:

Lambeth Council is to implement a new planning mechanism to help manage smaller Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in the two Streatham wards, after concerns were raised by residents.

The ‘Article 4 Direction’ will give the council greater control over the creation of new HMO properties occupied by more than one household, in Streatham Common & Vale, and Streatham St. Leonard’s.

Lambeth Council has confirmed plans to sell off 20 housing assets, including five empty homes and 15 non-residential sites, in a move designed to plug gaps in its troubled Housing Revenue Account (HRA).

The Council expects to raise £13.7 million from the sales – but critics are warning that the strategy risks stripping local estates of vital amenities while failing to address the roots of the crisis.

The asset disposal programme is part of a sweeping five-year Housing Asset Management Framework (AMF).

Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Member of Parliament for Clapham and Brixton Hill has joined over 50 parliamentarians in signing a letter to Daniel Zeichner MP, Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, urging the government to move swiftly from consultation to decisive action on banning hunting with hounds.

Adult Events

Radical Readers Summer Discussion: I’m a Fan by Sheena Patel.

Friday 8 August, 7pm

Carnegie Library. SE24 0DG

Booking via Eventbrite

Join Lambeth Libraries’ Radical Readers reading group as they discuss Sheena Patel’s I’m a Fan. We’re delighted that author Sheena Patel will be joining us to discuss her novel.

Lest We Forget with Tessa Dunlop

Tuesday 12 August, 7pm

Carnegie Library. SE24 0DG

Booking via Eventbrite

Lambeth Council has announced how it plans to spend just under £1 million of government funding aimed at boosting local economic growth, supporting jobs, and improving public spaces.

The money comes from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) – part of the government’s levelling up programme – and will be distributed through the Greater London Authority.

The Council must spend the full £983,639 allocation by the end of March 2026, and has outlined a programme of creative, green, skills-based and community projects.

Lambeth Council has confirmed it will go ahead with new Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) in Streatham Vale, despite significant opposition during consultation and rising public anger at the cost of permits.

The new CPZs – Zone X to the east of the railway and Zone Y to the west – will be introduced between August and October 2025, operating Monday to Friday from 12pm to 2pm.

The Council says the short two-hour window is designed to deter commuter parking, reduce vehicle emissions and encourage more sustainable travel.

Teachers and support staff who are members of the National Education Union (NEU) at Harris Girls’ Academy East Dulwich will take strike action on Tuesday 8 July, Wednesday 9 July and Wednesday 16 July in opposition to a restructuring that threatens to make up to seven experienced staff members redundant, including five members of the safeguarding team.

NEU members are concerned that the Harris Federation is choosing to make cuts to critical frontline roles while maintaining the highest paid executive team in the education sector.