With just one day remaining until the local elections, political parties across Lewisham have released their manifesto pledges, detailing how they would govern the council over the next four years. Alongside electing local councillors, eligible Lewisham residents will also choose the next mayor to lead the council. Lewisham is one of five London boroughs with a directly-elected mayor, alongside Croydon, Hackney, Newham, and Tower Hamlets. Across the 19 wards in Lewisham, a total of 265 candidates are vying for 54 seats.
Candidates and Party Representation
Labour and the Conservatives each field 54 candidates, contesting every seat. The Green Party has 53 nominees, while the Liberal Democrats have 52 candidates. Reform UK presents 35 candidates, the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition has five, and there are three independents and three Your Party candidates. The Christian Peoples Alliance, the Climate Party, the Motoring Party, and the Communist Party of Britain each have one candidate. Two candidates, Kim Allenby and Raymond Allenby, did not complete nomination papers, so their affiliation remains unknown.
Historical Context and Predictions
During the 2022 local election in Lewisham, Labour won every seat. However, three councillors have since defected from Labour to the Greens, and a fourth, suspended by Labour, later joined the Greens. Lewisham has historically been strongly Labour-controlled, but pollsters More in Common predict the Green Party will make "considerable progress," potentially gaining significant seats in Lewisham, Hackney, Islington, Southwark, and Newham. Professor Tony Travers of the London School of Economics noted, "It's hard to see Labour controlling anything like the number of seats they have now, but probably they will remain the biggest party but with significant Green incursions."
Manifesto Commitments
Conservative Party
Crime and Safety: Create a borough crime dashboard for residents, target phone-snatching and theft with visible patrols, improve CCTV use, and enhance victim support.
Housing: Publish repair backlogs, enforce against rogue landlords, and create an Empty Homes Taskforce.
Transport and Environment: Publish a public clean-up map, review Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) with evidence, and press TfL for better connections.
Local Economy: Create a small high-street uplift fund, support small businesses, and provide affordable workspaces.
Schools and Young People: Link youth policy to outcomes like attendance and qualifications, and collaborate with schools and employers.
Labour Party
Crime and Safety: Organise neighbourhood safety events, establish regular patrols, maintain a 24/7 CCTV control room, and fund refuge services.
Housing: Retrofit 1,500 council homes, eliminate damp and mould, campaign for rent controls, and enforce landlord standards.
Transport and Environment: Push for Bakerloo Line extension, late-night DLR, and a new Surrey Road Canal station; create more walking and cycling routes.
Local Economy: Auction long-vacant commercial properties, offer in-work training, and launch night markets.
Schools and Young People: Champion responsible smartphone policies, create the Lewisham Young People’s Trust, and invest in youth clubs and sports.
Green Spaces: Plant 4,000 trees, invest in playgrounds, and enable community rain gardens.
Leisure and Culture: Deliver a developer-funded culture venue, bring back SEEN festival, and introduce night-time impact assessments.
Social Care: Expand free childcare for under-2s, provide baby boxes, and create 250 more SEND places.
Liberal Democrats
Crime and Safety: Establish a public health approach to crime, ensure visible police presence, and keep pavements clear and well-lit.
Housing: Decouple electricity from gas prices, prioritise social homes, and retrofit homes.
Transport and Environment: Clean up fly-tipping with data, sweep streets regularly, increase waste centre hours, and reform fuel duty.
Local Economy: Bring together small businesses and channel investments into sustainable funds.
Green Party
Crime and Safety: Hold police accountable for organised crime, improve trust for Black communities, defend LGBTQ+ rights, and support Windrush victims.
Housing: Deliver 1,000 social rent homes, retrofit council homes, and establish a Rogue Landlord Taskforce.
Transport and Environment: Expand School Streets, upgrade crossings, hold e-bike companies accountable, and improve waste systems.
Local Economy: Bring vacant units back into use, support food sector and night-time economy, and establish a Popular Assets Commission.
Schools and Young People: Ease financial pressures on schools, formalise youth volunteer network, and improve training opportunities.
Green Spaces: Make Lewisham a Right to Grow borough and facilitate participatory budgeting.
Leisure and Culture: Reintroduce Lewisham People’s Day, protect libraries, and establish a slavery museum.
Social Care: Work with the Disabled People’s Commission, expand in-borough care, and support foster carers.
Reform UK
Reform UK has not published a local manifesto for Lewisham. Nationally, the party pledges to keep council tax low and place migrant detention centres in areas that vote Green, while keeping them out of Reform-voting areas. They also want mandatory Union Flag and King’s picture in schools.
