Lambeth's Rate Rise

Scan page 4

A dilemma now faces the Labour council in the London borough of Lambeth.

Since it has failed to carry through many of the Tory cuts, and been penalised by Heseltine for its "overspending" the council faces a defecit of £11½ million by the end of this financial year.

And the council's first resort to resolve this problem has been to turn to massive borrowing based on income in the next few months.

But the district auditor has now warned that this could well be illegal. Were councillors to support such a course of action-and seek to cover this year's debts by borrowing money due to be paid to the council in the next financial year-they could render themselves personally liable to a surcharge to cover the outstanding amount!

Lambeth has already spent its income for this financial year. Its only hope to cover the £11½ million needed would therefore be to impose a supplementary rate on the people of Lambeth-averaging around £4 per week.

Yet Lambeth council, and in particular its leader, Ted Knight, have stood at the forefront of the campaign in the last few months to mobilise action against local government cuts.

The labour movement conference convened • by Lambeth council called specifically for opposition to rent or rate increases, and for a policy of all-out strike action as soon as any Labour council faces reviewers or commissioners or This Socialist Press pamphlet contains articles by Terry Eagleton on Marxist theoreticians from the time of the Comintern to the present day-Lukacs, Korsch, Gramsci, Marcuse, Benjamin, Sartre and Althusser.

Price 65p including postage from WSL, BM Box 5277, London WCIN 3XX. is surcharged tor implement cuts.

It now seems clear that Knight and his fellow councillors will be among the first to face up to such a test. They must decide soon.

Will they cave in and impose • £4 a week wage cut on Lambeth workers? Or will they confront the Tory offensive?

To do so Lambeth councillors will need full backing from public sector and other unions. Already there has been a call for a strike of at least 2 weeks" by council direct labour workers from February 2.

Time for action

This stand must be actively supported by other trade unionists both in Lambeth and throughout the country. The time for action, it local government services are to be defended is now.

The Lambeth crisis underlines the importance of the recall Lambeth conference on the cuts scheduled for January 31.

Delegates are invited from all labour movement organisations: Socialist Press readers should press for the fullest possible Further details of the Lambeth campaign and the recall conference, and requests for speakers from the Steering Committee to attend local meetings should be addressed to: Local Government in Crisis Steering Group, c/o Room 103, Lambeth Town Hall, Brixton Hill, London SW2 IRW. Tel. 01-274 7722 ext 2066.

----- pull-quotes -----

Makers of • Modern Marxismi