LAMBETHWATCH: TIME FOR A CHANGE / LIBRARIES SPENDING/ CLLR TIM BRIGGS REPLIES TO LABOUR CLAIM ON EU RESIDENCY

(Steve Freeman of Lambeth Democracy with Hazel and Maude)

Defend The Ten Retweeted Helen‏ @jhgm50 Replying to @JimDicksLambeth @LambethLabour and 2 others

Steve discusses with Hazel & Maude why in Herne Hill it’s time for a change @sarabredemear @LambethDemoc @HerneHillCLC @Lambethgp

Editor’s note: Every picture tells a story. As News From Crystal Palace reported last week Cllr Jim Dickson had posted a picture of himself and fellow Herne Hill ward Labour candidate Cllr Jack Holborn with Hazel and Maude. The post, repeated on Lambeth Labour party Twitter, reads:

Jim Dickson‏ @JimDicksLambeth Apr 21

Herne Hill Greens had an endorsement from a Hollywood actor. The @LambethLabour team in #hernehill have support from amazing community activists Maude & Hazel of Milkwood RA @jack_holborn @paulineukno1 know who we prefer to have on our side! #betterfairerlambeth

(The Hollywood actor? Mark Rylance, Herne Hill resident).

Aran Lewis‏ @aranmlewis 4

Long-delayed FOI reveals that Lambeth Labour: has no idea what its library service costs, has no control over its council’s spending. Far from saving money to fund other services, its incompetence has forced a massive overspend of over £15 million in libraries since 2011.

They expect people to vote for them merely because they have agreed to do something, which shows they have no actual achievements to boast about. Their efforts to cut library spending led to an overspend of £15 million. They have 94 per cent of council seats, and therefore NO EXCUSES.

And replying to @cllr_andywilson

Given the dramatic cuts to local government funding, Andy, can you explain why Lambeth Labour has overspent on its library budget by £15 million in the last 6 years (net revenue expenditure), while cutting the service provided to save money? Spend more, get less: Lambeth Labour.

News From Crystal Palace asked Lambeth’s Conservative opposition leader Cllr Tim Briggs for a response to the above, which has been posted on Lambeth Labour party twitter. Here’s his reply:

Labour have been putting out a lot of misinformation.

Lambeth Conservatives have never voted against guaranteeing the rights of residency for all EU citizens living in the UK. That is a national policy decided nationally, not in Lambeth, and EU citizens should be clear by now that they have rights of residency.

This is more laughable considering the Conservatives have budgeted to support EU citizens with an advice service like Wandsworth, and Labour councillors have refused to provide any help at all.

Their record locally is so poor they have had to base their whole campaign around a series of lies:

The worst is that schools funding in Lambeth is being cut and they will ‘fight’ against it, when funding for Lambeth schools has increased for the next two years – cross-party London Councils calculate the increase for Lambeth schools funding in 2018-20 at 0.9 per cent a year (see attached).

Labour candidates say they are ‘fighting’ for the NHS – yet despite receiving extra funding they have cut NHS preventative care in Lambeth for the last two years.

They say they have ‘kept open’ all sorts of facilities, when the only people threatening to close them are Labour councillors themselves.

It’s sad that whilst our homes and libraries and green spaces are being demolished by Labour, Labour continue their divisive, hateful fantasies about ‘evil Tories’ in order to cover up their utter failure in the last four years to represent residents and what they actually want. Residents are not stupid – they don’t buy that any more.