No question of burying bad library news, insists Lambeth council leader

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

Lambeth council’s leader has denied hiding cuts to libraries from the public, after an activist accused her of ‘burying’ a £1 million package of savings in a 10-page spreadsheet.

Claire Holland, leader of the local authority, said she was ‘proud’ of how ‘open and transparent’ the Labour authority was being about proposed reductions to the £4.6 million libraries service budget.

Cllr Holland was speaking at a cabinet meeting on Monday after Laura Swaffield, a campaigner, accused her of hiding details of the cuts to libraries in lengthy cabinet papers.

Ms Swaffield said: “Buried in the cabinet papers, all of a sudden come from nowhere—nobody knows who has put it in – is the devastating cut to the library service. It has been spotted. It’s not a good look as a council. People are furious.”

Cllr Holland retorted: “The information is there. It’s printed. It’s not buried. There are over 400 pages of financial information there that we are being really open and transparent about. I’m really proud about how transparent and open we’re being as a council.”

The council has confirmed that there are no plans to close libraries or reduce opening hours as part of the proposed savings.  The cuts to library services are among £46.3 million of savings and income generation measures in the council’s 2025/26 budget.

Lambeth’s Green opposition has called on the Labour administration to use unspent developer cash to protect the libraries service from cuts.

Green Party councillor Nicole Griffiths told the cabinet meeting that the council was sitting on around £43 million in developer contributions that hadn’t been spent or allocated for a decade.

The council’s Liberal Democrat opposition said it was ‘concerned’ that the £1 million planned savings to the libraries service weren’t included in an earlier list scrutinised by councillors in December 2024.

Liberal Democrat councillor Matthew Bryant added: “It’s such an incredibly valuable service to be cutting it at this stage is such a retro step for this administration.”

Cllr Holland said said: “This is now the worst funding crisis this council, and others across the country, have ever faced. We need to be open with residents that saving this amount isn’t possible without having an impact on the services people rely on.

“Where possible, we have focused on finding savings through being more efficient, putting forward income generating proposals, and increasing our fees and charges in a way that’s fair within the current challenging financial situation.”

The Labour-run council’s 2025/26 budget will be voted on by councillors at a meeting in March.

Pictured top: South Lambeth Library (Picture: Google Street View)