Lambeth logs 18 of 35 recent decisions as closed to councillor call-in

Lambeth's decisions register logs 18 of the 35 decisions it lists for the period from 1 June 2026 as not open to call-in. Call-in is the process by which councillors can ask for a decision to be reviewed before it takes effect.

Two of the 35 are listed as for consultation and the remaining 15 show a call-in period that has run. None of the 35 is recorded as having been called in.

Four entries carry dates later this month because the register lists forthcoming decisions by the date they are due. The Acquisition of Leasehold Property entry, published on 13 August, gives a decision date of 21 August and is logged as for consultation.

The council's register of officer decisions sets out the rule. It states that a councillor "can 'call-in' a key decision and must state their reasons", and that an approved key decision "cannot be implemented until the call-in period of five clear days has been completed". That page describes call-in only in relation to key decisions, and says nothing about whether non-key decisions can be called in.

Three community decisions inside the window went through as non-key, and each is logged as not subject to call-in. On 23 June the corporate director for growth and environment waived contract standing order 17.2(a) to award Streatham Common Co-operative £150,000 to manage The Rookery until 31 December 2028, an award The Smoke reported earlier this week.

The same director granted Oasis Children's Venture a 20-year lease of the Oasis Nature Garden on 30 June, waiving rent of £5,500 a year against an annual social value return.

Property is not the only thing going through on that label. On 2 June the same director approved the Public Space Enforcement Body Worn Camera Policy, which covers cameras worn by enforcement officers in public spaces, and the record states the policy "will be adopted on publication".

A fourth non-key decision falls before the window. On 5 March 2026 the head of valuation and strategic assets granted UINCAP a ten-year lease of Kennington Park Adventure Playground and One O'Clock Club, waiving £35,000 a year in rent through a community service agreement.

Two decisions about Brockwell Park, both also outside the counted window, carry the key label and the exemption together. The cabinet member for stronger communities approved the 2026 Brockwell Live event permit on 7 May 2026, logged as a key decision, as an urgent item and as not subject to call-in, with two special urgency notices among its papers. That permit ran from 9 May to 9 June and approved £10,000 from the events budget.

The council's own show took the same route a year earlier. The Lambeth Country Show 2025 decision, taken on 5 June 2025 for a show on 7 and 8 June, is logged as a key decision and as not subject to call-in.

Lambeth republished its rulebook last month. The constitution page carries a Council Constitution of 15 July 2026 in 12 parts, among them Part 3 on scrutiny functions, Part 5 on the scheme of delegation and Part 7 on access to information.

The two consultation entries are due this month, on 18 and 21 August.