Lewisham Council is scheduled to discuss a dispensation for Councillor Coral Howard, who is currently unwell, at a council meeting on Wednesday, 24 September 2025. The request for dispensation was made by Councillor Eva Stamirowski, the Labour Group Whip, according to the Dispensation Report.

The report recommends granting Councillor Howard a dispensation from Section 85 of the Local Government Act 1972. This section addresses the vacation of office for members who fail to attend meetings. If approved, the dispensation would cover the period leading up to the local elections in May 2026.

Section 85 of the Local Government Act 1972 stipulates that a councillor vacates their position if they fail to attend any council meeting for six consecutive months, unless the absence is due to a reason approved by the council before the period expires. If the dispensation is not granted, Councillor Howard would cease to be a member of the council1.

While the Council's Constitution references dispensations regarding member interests, which fall under the remit of the Standards Committee, the Dispensation Report notes that there is no specific reference to dispensations under Section 85 of the Local Government Act 1972. Therefore, a decision of the full council is required.

  1. According to the Dispensation Report, Section 85 of the Local Government Act 1972 addresses the vacation of office by a member of a local authority due to failure to attend meetings. It provides that if a member fails to attend any meeting of the authority for six consecutive months from the date of their last attendance, they will cease to be a member unless the failure to attend was due to a reason approved by the authority before the expiry of that period.  ↩