Lewisham Labour has passed its budget for 2026/27 at Full Council, delivering a balanced and responsible plan that protects frontline services while investing in cleaner streets, safer neighbourhoods and opportunities for young people.
Despite unprecedented financial pressures facing councils across the country, Lewisham Labour’s budget prioritises investment in the services residents rely on every day, while maintaining the careful financial management that has kept the council on a stable footing.
Key investments include:
- £150,000 additional funding to tackle fly-tipping and support reducing bulky waste collection charges
- £230,000 extra investment to improve safety on local high streets, including CCTV
- More than £500,000 for youth spaces, including new equipment and the reopening of five Adventure Playgrounds
- £5.1 million for road resurfacing and footway improvements
- Continued delivery of the £24 million Lewisham Town Centre transformation, including a refurbished library
- Support for new investment and partners in Catford Town Centre, including a cinema and a new campus for Goldsmiths University of London
- £66 million investment to maintain and improve existing council homes, alongside building new council homes for local residents
While Lewisham Labour set out a credible and balanced plan, the meeting also exposed serious weaknesses in the Green Party’s alternative budget proposals.
The Green amendment proposed spending over £2 million of council reserves to reverse long-term savings, relying on one-off funds to pay for ongoing spending commitments. Labour councillors warned that this approach would weaken the council’s finances and create larger problems in future years.
Labour councillors also challenged a number of claims made by Green councillors during the debate which were described as misleading and factually incorrect.
Green Claim: Lewisham Labour was withdrawing support from children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
Labour Fact: The proposal ensures NHS Continuing Care costs are funded by the NHS where appropriate, rather than Lewisham taxpayers covering costs that sit with the health service. Support for children with complex needs continues unchanged.
Green Claim: The council had “handed Lewisham Shopping Centre to a private developer.”
Labour Fact: Lewisham Council does not own Lewisham Shopping Centre, and therefore cannot hand it to any developer. Regeneration plans involve working with existing landowners to secure investment in Lewisham Town Centre.
Green Claim: Lewisham Labour is cutting youth services.
Labour Facts: Youth provision is expanding. Youth activity hours have increased from 303 hours in 2024 to 408 hours, alongside over £500,000 of investment in youth facilities, including adventure playgrounds.
Labour councillors said the debate showed residents exactly what a vote for the Greens at the local elections would mean for Lewisham: financial irresponsibility and misinformation about the council’s services and policies.
Mayor of Lewisham, Brenda Dacres OBE, said:
“Lewisham Labour has delivered a responsible budget that protects frontline services and continues to invest in our communities.
“At a time when councils across the country are under enormous financial pressure, we have taken the responsible approach: protecting the services residents rely on while continuing to invest in Lewisham’s future.
“Unfortunately, the Green Party chose to present an alternative that relied on spending reserves to fund ongoing costs while repeating claims during the debate that were simply not true.
“That debate showed clearly what a vote for the Greens in May would mean for Lewisham: financial irresponsibility and misinformation.”
Cllr Amanda de Ryk, Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources and Performance, said:
“Lewisham Labour has a strong record of responsible financial management.
“That means making careful decisions, protecting frontline services and avoiding the kind of reckless financial choices that have pushed other councils into crisis.
“The Green amendment would have reversed £2 million of long-term savings and funded it with a one-off raid on reserves. That is not a serious approach to public finances.
“We will always choose responsible financial management that protects services for the long term.”
Lewisham Labour said the debate highlighted the clear choice facing residents ahead of the local elections: a Labour administration with a credible financial plan for the borough, or a Green opposition offering short-term proposals built on financial incompetence and misinformation