Lambeth Council is set to review the allocation of seats to political groups on its committees after a proposal to change the seat allocation was rejected, following recent changes in the council's composition.

The decision was made at a Council meeting on 15 October 2025 after one councillor moved from the Labour Group to the Green Group, and another became an independent councillor. The changes mean the council is now composed of Labour (55 seats), Green Party (4 seats), Liberal Democrats (3 seats) and Independent (1 seat).

The changes triggered a report on the Review of Allocation of Seats, as Section 15(1) of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 requires the council to review the representation of different political groups on committees. The report proposed an allocation of seats based on the council's composition after the changes, with Labour holding 31 seats, the Green Party 4, the Liberal Democrats 3, and the Independent member 1, across the Appointments, Corporate, Overview and Scrutiny, Planning, Standards, Pensions and Investigating Committees. The proposal also included the Labour Group giving up one seat to facilitate representation of both Opposition Groups on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The report recommended that Full Council note that the Green Group is the Majority Opposition group, and also proposed:

  • To note the overall party split of seats and seat entitlements on the council.
  • To agree the recommended allocation of seats to political groups where the rules of political balance apply.
  • To reappoint committees with the sizes and allocation of seats.
  • To agree the recommended allocation of seats to political groups where the rules of political balance do not apply.
  • To note that the political balance on sub-committees will follow that of the parent committee.

However, the recommendations in the report were not agreed. According to the meeting transcript, the Mayor stated, I think we can say categorically that the recommendations in the report are not agreed. That has implications because that was a vote on the allocation of seats. And as it hasn't been approved, that allocation no longer stands. So, we will have to revert to this situation as it was in July. And those seats will remain. The Mayor also indicated that the council will likely reconsider the motion at the earliest possible date.

The meeting transcript indicates that because the recommendations in the report were not agreed, the council would revert to the allocation as it was in July. The minutes of previous meeting provide the committee seat allocation as of July 16, 2025, prior to the changes that triggered the review.

Councillor Donna Harris raised concerns about the independent member being given a seat on the investigating committee, stating, The proposal to offer the independent member a seat on the investigating committee is deeply concerning. It sends entirely the wrong message to residents, to council staff and to every woman who expects our public institutions to be safe and fair. She further explained that her concern stemmed from the fact that the independent member, Councillor Mohammed, has been charged by police and faces a pending court case...while those proceedings are ongoing, it is wholly inappropriate for him to be given a committee seat, especially one responsible for investigating the conduct of others.

Councillor Scott Ainslie described the situation as a total mess that has been created by Labour and administration that's desperate to hold on to power at all costs. He accused the Labour administration of trying to avoid a by-election, stating, When they removed Councillor Mohammed from his cabinet role and withdrew the whip, Labour should have insisted he immediately resign as a councillor...This whole notion of an independent member is an absolute sham from Labour to avoid a by-election that they're still losing.

Councillor Scarlett O'Hara accused the Green Group of misleading residents on this issue, adding, It was the Green Group, notably Councillor Scott Ainslie, who went off and raised with democratic services that the independent councillor, Councillor Mohamed, did not have a seat on a committee...The only possible reason for their reckless actions, that I can see, is to create dramatic and a misleading story for their own people.