Lewisham Council has confirmed that the February 6th Lee Green assembly will be the last under the current format. Cllr Edison Huynh, Cabinet Member for Culture and Communities, has written to participants in the Local Assemblies Programme, saying the Council has “taken the difficult decision to withdraw council officer support and funding from the programme from April 2025. “
The Councillor added “It has become clear that Assemblies are no longer proving to be an effective mechanism to involve and engage with local communities or to deliver on the original aims of the Commission due to the fact that:
” Whilst this may not be the case in all wards, on the whole meeting attendance rarely reflects the demographic makeup of the ward in which it is hosted and attendance has been poor – data shows a total of 611 attendees (this may include the same people attending multiple meetings) across the last three assembly meetings in 2024 across all wards.
“Not all Council consultations fit in with the timeframes of all Local Assembly meetings, resulting in some emerging or ongoing issues not being aired at Assembly meetings
“Work can be impacted by pre-election period restrictions at ward, regional and national levels
“Residents tell us they value the information shared, but their sense of having directly influenced, shaped or contributed to firm, evidenced outcomes is limited. “
Cllr Huynh added “The Council and local councillors have valued the contribution of those who’ve taken the time to attend and become involved in Local Assemblies and we want to make sure there are effective routes for all local people to get involved in local decision making and to share their views with the Council.
“There are of course lots of ways you already do this, from taking part in consultations and surveys, to attending our formal Council meetings and those of other local bodies like Safer Neighbourhood Boards. These will all continue. Local councillors will also still continue to run regular ward surgeries and be able to listen to and act on local concerns.
“In addition, there will be new forms of resident engagement which we hope will be more engaging and reach a wider audience – including in the many communities who do not currently come to assemblies. The Mayor of Lewisham has asked council officers to undertake a review of the Council’s engagement activity. This will be carried out in phases and aims to report back to Mayor and Cabinet in the summer. We will share updates about this work in due course.
“Officers will also consider the Council’s approach to community development and how existing resources can be allocated to promote local action and deliver priority programmes such as the ‘adopt a street’ initiative which are currently not resourced.
“A special thanks to all those residents who have been involved in coordinating groups and in the delivery of ward assembly leaflets. I am keen to hear your views about the future of resident engagement with the Council and the ideas you have. Please fill in the form here to let me know your views.
Caroline Mayow, one of the founders of Lee Green Lives, has written to Cllr Huynh, suggesting Lewisham should provide support for the Lee Green Consortium of local community groups, as a partial replacement for the loss of the Assemblies. You can read her full letter here.
It’s been confirmed that a representative of Sustainable Streets will attend the February 6th meeting ( 7pm at Lochaber Hall) to answer questions about the latest proposals including all-day Controlled Parking Zones in some parts of the Borough.
