LAMBETH is now the only Labour authorily not to have set a rate. As a result surcharge certificates have been issued. GRAHAM TOPLEY inter- viewed councillor GRAHAM NORWOOD, deputy leader of Lambeth council about the next steps for Lambeth and the way to win the fight. Can you fill us in on the you came to not set a rate?
We recognised that this was verv much the crunch year in terms of being able to stand un that was deliberately aimed against Labour councils against socialist policies of any kind. So Lambeth went to try and get a level of support for that at both the industrial and political level.
Industrial WOLL that meant at 7.30 we were hall and resources controlled seemed non essential in a cuts budget.
For those reasons we did a lot preparatory work. We had public the borough, and spoke to two thirds of the 400 community organisations.
What's your view of the deficit budgeting strategy people favoured?
No strategy has monopoly of wisdom. But the deficit budgeting now has both practical drawbacks. The po people feel unable to people feel unable to stand up to the law now there is no reason to think they will stand up in six montas ume wneh Lacy Ic faced with the real consebudget.
If you go for deficit budgeting you allow officers slow down recruitment, to effectively manipulate the finances. Instead of having a clear class based position of saying no, the law is wrong and is intentionally aimed at supressing the sort of people want to help, alidwing people who not politically sympathetic to bul prominent positions council bureaucracies arrange a budget which may or may not end up in being a defecit.
What choices are you faced with now that you're the only authority not to set a rate?
We haven't got any choice in terms of future strategy.
1979 Lambeth 6,000 people officially unemployed, now in 1985 despite the government the figures, there 29,000 families headed by crowding lack of facilities can't on these resources sudstef rights. if we too late.
going to get a be liable to we nave [o resish.
that to ine unions? It unions quite well be done.
So far as the council s WC requisiHave we to make aliance polices in Lambeth. The don, London Bridge, been influenced strongly by there is a stewards since ine 1CLLE1 we're mass meetings. We will effectively have to bring Lambeth to a halt if the government interferes with the right of Labour councillors to carry out Party policy, next stage nationally has noitica. direction While the Lambeth unions have attack. . ther also have to spread the arguments throughout the country. We're planning contact all CLPs unions or groups especially those that have been rate capped. They the ones whose fight we are effectively engaged in.
The fact we're on our own isn't our desire. Our fight ramifications for the Are you optimistic about the suppori you're likely to get nationally? There's the attitude of the Labour Party as well as the unions and activists in the boroughs that have been ratecapped the leadersrep ur toe leadership the unions we wouldn't be very In gras roots terms Lambeth has tremendous support from the trade unions. Five hunarca avenaca une fringe meeting at NALGO conference, the biggest ever.
In terms of the leadership of the Labour Party, frankly I think that they are embarassed to see council putting up the sort of fight they are lacking. Even under the criteria that Kinnock and others establish wilal Is goou, we are doing the right thing.
We've had five by elec tions in the last nine months and had an overwhelmLabour is on the offensive majority each. politically, electorally and industrial Lambeth. It's up to Neil Kinnock to sar why he's not backing us, not us to explain why we need to struggle on without his support. What immediately are the next steps?
We've got this conference on 22 June to which we're support us plus the unions to ex. plain what will be happento ene councl JUW Our group decision is to carrv on exactly as before we'll be paying our workforce, the mechanism we've set up with the unions since voting not to set a rate, means we've been running our services better than before in some cases.
saying recruitment is going better than betore. The work nas been taken councillors and put in the hands of shop stewards.