onionbagblog

With the clock counting down on the autumn report being rolled out by @Lambeth_Labour the Citizen’s Commission on the merits of #lambethcoop, more derails have emerged, via the co-op friendly Co-operative News website.

Paul Gosling doesn’t get off to a good start when he states that:

“Lambeth Council has also become the first ever declared co-operative council.”

Cripes.

Has it really? When did this happen? Were the residents, um, y’know, consulted? Plans are indeed in place to pass the buck by @cllrstevereed and his Nu Labour cronies on to the citizens of the borough. Cuts are a nasty word and someone, preferably not a politician, has to carry out the responsibility.

This is confirmed in the article by @cllrstevereed, when he states:

“As the borough withdraws from directly providing some services, the community will decide what services it wants and how citizens will work together to commission and provide these.”

Looks like we’ve been left to hang out to dry here.

For all the talk in recent weeks regarding the mutualisation of local services, Gosling in bang on the money when he recognises:

“Privatisation is not a word mentioned in the report, but in practice what is meant is that this will happen.”

So yep, as the #lambethcoop is just another method for Nu Labour to continue to carve up public services for its big business pals. Citizen involvement is to be left at the beck and call of private capital.

How can @LambethLabour carry out a further shift towards the right, whilst somehow dressing up the disguise as an exercise to benefit local democracy? Did someone say *shhh* Citizen’s Commission?

Not quite…

“A starting point in terms of the actual transfer to different models of provision is now underway in Lambeth through a Co-operative Council Commission, which is being established. This will consist of six members — three councillors and three residents — plus critical friends with a Co-op background to advise them.”

Note the change in terminology here. The much-mocked Citizen’s Commission is now referred to in the article as a Co-operative Council Commission, a point which I made to the fine @SophiaLooney during our @audioboo catch up this week.

The change in name is significant - it recognises that citizens of the borough have no real power in deciding which private capital comes in to take over our services. It is unclear from Gosling’s statement if the “critical friends” are critical in terms of holding the Commission to account, or critical as a means of propping up the whole sham.

And as for the feedback so far, according to @cllrstevereed?

Cllr Reed told the News that initial responses to the proposals have been very positive. “It’s good,” he says. “You get one or two bloggers who are cynical, but most ordinary people who have spoken to me are interested and want to know what it means for them and for services. The citizens who are most involved are the most keen.”

Ouch.

Set up a Citizen’s Commission containing three high ranking members of the @LambethLabour cabinet, exclude any citizen involvement and then stage a closed door meeting of the Commission where the minutes are still yet to be made public, and yep, one or two cynical bloggers may just become rather weary of the lack of transparency.

Add in the continued failure of the local politicians to engage with the citizens, leaving it to council officers to explain the political policy behind #lambethcoop, and you are left with a poorly thought out political process.

Meanwhile I hope that: “Another example is a community group that wants to convert a library into an arts and crafts centre,” isn’t a convenient opportunity for @lambeth_council to justify closing public libraries in the borough.

And so as ever - cuts are coming. We knew this some twelve months ago. The role of any local authority is to manage these and fight back against the ConDem policy.

Shifting accountability and responsibility on to residents is simply a cop out. Allowing big business to come into our borough to clean up is the kick in the teeth that we have come to expect from Nu Labour in Lambeth.

Yours sincerely

A cynical blogger.