UNISON members at Central Hill Day Centre are voting for strike action to save jobs and prevent the local specialist dementia service from closing.
Lambeth Council has announced cost saving plans to close the Day Centre and have a reduced service at Aspire, a nearby organisation that currently works with adults with learning difficulties.
The current team of staff that specialise in dementia care will lose 10 posts and the remaining staff will be reallocated to a single room at Aspire.
Staff, carers and UNISON do not believe that this is a proposal that delivers for people with dementia in Lambeth. The Day Centre is the only specialist dementia service the Council provides – in a borough with an ageing population where instances of dementia are likely to increase.
Management claim that there is reduced need for the service because they imposed an 18 month review which saw people living with dementia signposted elsewhere even when they would have benefited from the day centres expert care.
The Council’s position that there is a reduced demand for dementia services is ridiculous and primarily driven by cost saving demands.
UNISON joint branch secretary Simon Hannah said “this is an essential service that has been cynically run down by the council over the last 2 years and now faces closure. Lambeth is failing in its duty of care to people with dementia and their families. Staff and the local community will fight this all the way. We are calling on the council to do what is right, stop the closure and properly resource this service.”
The ballot will run throughout April just as Labour councillors are seeking election for Council seats.
The day care centre on Central Hill Estate is run by Lambeth Council to provide dementia care for residents in the borough. There are around 2000 people living with dementia in Lambeth and that figure is set to rise as the elderly population increases over the coming years.
Now Lambeth Council are proposing to close the adult day care centre on Central Hill Estate. This would lead to the loss of 10 posts and a much reduced “bespoke” service nearby. This is a short sighted move driven by financial considerations not residents needs.
Management say that the number of people using the service has declined by 50% since 2020. They also cite “overspend” of £5.5 million on Adult services which is part of the ongoing financial crisis in local finance.
The reality is the service has been run down by Lambeth Council for a while now whilst the number of people diagnosed with dementia in the borough is increasing. Lambeth has some of the highest numbers of people with dementia in the capital yet claims it cannot sustain numbers of service users? Now the community is paying the price.
A number of referrals to the service in the last 18 months have been refused. Recent operational records raise serious concern about how the service has been reduced. Council data shows:
57 people were listed as using the service in January 2023 post Covid
Only 28 people were still attending by December 2024 to date
That is a reduction of 29 people — over 50% of the cohort in less than two years
We do not accept that this demonstrates reduced demand. Rather, the evidence indicates that people who needed the service were not being referred or were turned away, while dementia prevalence in the borough continues to rise. At the same time, attendance records show 19 referrals were rejected during the review period and referrals are still on hold one year later for no good reason. Had those referrals proceeded, the service would have supported around 47 people plus, close to previous levels once normal turnover in dementia services is considered.
Many believe that the decision to close the site was taken 18 months ago and this is a process of running down the service to make its closure ‘inevitable’. Local managers were excluded from budget deciding meetings despite normally attending. Service users were consulted on some proposed changes in a way that staff felt obscured what was really happening.
Considering this is part of a saving of £800,000 it is a huge loss for such a small amount. The Councils own pay data shows senior management (on roughly over 100k) cost over £8 million a year.[Link] The disaster over Homes For Lambeth has cost the council nearly £60 million.[link] And data from 2025 shows the Council is owed over £62 million in unpaid invoices and debts.[link]
The staff want to fight to save this local service and the trade unions are backing them!
Write to the Cabinet Members for Healthier Communities (job share) Councillor Nanda Manley-Browne and Councillor David Bridson to outline your concerns.
Wednesday 4th March 2026 – 6pm Outside Lambeth Town Hall
Lambeth Council is facing a budget crisis. A large part of it is to do with decades of underfunding and cuts from the Conservative run government. Some of it is self inflicted like the disastrous fall out from Homes For Lambeth.
As a result the Council is slashing millions from its budget. It faces a “cliff edge”, either this year or next. It means even more job cuts on an already overworked and stretched workforce.
But for the people of Lambeth it means further reductions in services
The closure of Central Hill day centre one of the few services in the borough for people with dementia
Libraries and leisure centres on skeleton staffing levels.
A consultation on possible closure nurseries at Maytree, Effra and Triangle.
£700k from the parks budget with potentially sweeping job losses
The list is growing.
This is on top of the continuing housing crisis in the borough with huge waiting lists, thousands of people in contemporary accommodation and still reeling from penalties levelled by the Housing Ombudsman for failing tenants.
UNISON and community groups have called a protest on 4th March outside the Town Hall in Brixton as this is the date for full Council to agree the budget.
A recent survey of UNISON members at Lambeth Council who work in Housing has shown the scale of the problem of local government struggling under a decade of austerity, poor political decisions and a culture of overwork as staff struggling to deal with significant problems in the borough.
UNISON Housing Survey into workload and stress
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Survey of UNISON members in Housing December 2025 – January 2026 109 responded to this survey
The voices of division in our country are growing louder. Those who preach division are becoming more confident.
For the first time we face a far-right party topping the polls, and far right protests on our streets mobilising the biggest numbers they ever have.
Their false promises seize on the very real economic problems people face, in order to scapegoat migrants, Muslims, and refugees.
But we can change things together. The voices of unity can grow stronger. We can show that strength lies in solidarity. That the change we need comes from us working together for hope not despair, for unity not racism.
Together we can reject narratives of division and racism.
Together we can build solidarity across communities.
Together we can unite against the far right.
Our alliance of over 80+ organisations and hundreds of individuals is coming together to say enough is enough.
We are mobilising and organising across the country to bring a message of hope over fear, prior to holding a major demonstration in London on 28 March 2026.
Lambeth UNISON will be joining the protest on 28th March and there are plans for a meeting point in south London and a feeder march. If you want to help us get the word out then please contact lambethunisonunion@gmail.com
Deadline for alternative motions (not amendments) is Tuesday 27th to Gary Whiting at Gwhiting@lambeth.gov.uk and copy in Dan Jeffery at DJeffery@lambeth.gov.uk
This is notification that Lambeth UNISON Annual General Meeting is happening on 3 March 2026. The meeting will be a rolling AGM, with a day time session from 1-3pm and a late afternoon session from 5pm – 6:30pm. You only need to attend one.
The purpose of the AGM is to bring the branch committee and its officers to account:
to report on the branch’s finances;
to report on the branch’s activity during the past year;
to receive a report on the annual assessment.
It is also to make decisions for Lambeth UNISON in 2026:
agree policies and plans for the year;
to elect branch officers and branch representatives to external bodies for the coming year
Elect conference delegates for Local Government Conference and National Delegate Conference
Do you want to write a motion for the AGM?
Motions at our AGM become branch policy and help guide us in campaigns we will run over the next 12 months.
Motions should be no more than 250 words (not including the title) and in numbered paragraphs and submitted by noon on 6 January. . Email motions to our branch chair Gary Whiting (gwhiting@lambeth.gov.uk) and copy in the vice chair Dan Jeffery (DJeffery@lambeth.gov.uk)
Do you want to stand for an elected officer position?
Nominations are now open for officer posts on our branch committee Deadlines for nominations are open from Tuesday 9th December to Monday 06 January 12noon.
Lambeth UNISON is run by a branch committee, made up of officers elected at AGM, convenors elected by members in each directorate of the council, and stewards elected by members in teams/workplaces. The branch committee meets monthly and is the leadership of the branch. For an overview of the different roles and their responsibilities, please check out (https://www.unison.org.uk/about/our-organisation/activists/branch-roles/)
All officer posts are open for nominations. For information on how to nominate please read below.
Branch Secretary In charge of day to day running of the branch, overall strategy, campaigns, etc (5 days facility agreed) Assistant Branch Secretary Supports the Branch Secretaries in their duties and helps with campaigning work. Branch Chair The branch chair facilitates branch and committee meetings, and may also be a senior negotiator. Branch Vice Chair Chairs meetings when the branch chair is unavailable Branch Treasurer Responsible for finances in collaboration with the secretary Deputy Branch Treasurer Assists the branch treasurer Publicity Officer Helps produce newsletters, manage social media accounts, press releases and so on. Membership Officer Assists with recruitment and retention, managing our membership database. Health and Safety Officer## Watch that badly fixed light! Is work making you stressed? Health and safety is the name of the game. Environmental Officer Helps keep the branch up to date on green issues and develops campaigns and policy (will be a very important role in years to come!) Equality Officer Is responsible for equalities issues, assisting self-organised groups and being a union lead on equalities at work International Officer Keeps an eye on the news, is informed about international issues and feeds campaign ideas into the branch (e.g. anti-fascism in USA, solidarity with trade unionists in Colombia, anti-war campaigning in the Middle East) Welfare Officer The lead person for assisting members with any welfare issues and providing access to UNISON’s welfare fund. Learning Coordinator# Works with employers and co-ordinates the work of union learning reps in supporting members with lifelong learning and skills for life Education Officer Helps arrange training courses and education programmes for members, stewards, health and safety reps and branch officers. Returning Officer Oversees elections for the AGM and any by elections that may be held for officer posts or convenor roles. Branch Auditor Checks over our finances and ensures we have complied with UNISON regulations. Deputy Branch Auditor Helps the branch auditor carry out their duties Young Members Officer** Coordinates campaigning and organising work among younger members – are you under 30 and interested? Labour Link Officer++ A crucial role in liaising with local Labour Parties and coordinating delegates from UNISON to Labour to advocate for our unions agenda. ** must be under 30 at end of their term of office (early 2026) ++must be a Labour Party member who pays into the Affiliated Political Fund # must be a trained ULR (training provided) ## must be a trained safety rep (training provided)
All posts are open to job share
To apply please email your name, membership number, employer and which role you are interested in standing for. You will also need to find another member to second your nomination.
To apply please fill in this form and email our returning officer Paul Fitzgerald (PDFitzgerald@lambeth.gov.uk) if you want to be nominated for any of these position.
If you want to be a delegate to and UNISON conferences or regional committees please fill in this form and return to our returning officer Paul Fitzgerald (PDFitzgerald@lambeth.gov.uk) Call Lambeth UNISON at 020 7926 2858 for more details or to answer any questions
Time Table for 2025 AGM
Tuesday 9 December
Nominations period opens up for branch officer posts.
Tuesday 6 January 12noon
Deadline for AGM Motions. Deadline for nomination of Branch Officers, Conference and other delegates
Tuesday 13 January
Circulation of motions and nominations received for AGM and reminder of dates
Tuesday 20 January 12noon
Deadline for amendments to motions for AGM and deadline for nominations for stewards
Tuesday 20 January
January Branch Committee
Friday 6 February 5pm
Copy Deadline for Annual Report
9 – 13 February
Lay up and printing of AGM report
17 February
February Branch Committee – compositing of motions and amendments for AGM
Friday 20 February
Branch Officer Ballot & Final Agenda Distribution date. AGM booklet electronic distribution
Tuesday 24 February
Deadline for Emergency Motions to AGM (motions will be accepted on issues after this date, contact branch secretaries for details)
Friday 27 February
Copying of additional papers for AGM
Tuesday 3 March
Lambeth UNISON AGM in two sessions: Day time for Council staff and then after work for Schools and private sector members
The general secretary is the most senior role in the union. They represent UNISON when talking to the media, other unions, employers and to Parliament. UNISON has to elect its general secretary every five years.
As the largest trade union in the UK, who runs UNISON matters. It matters in the country at large, and it matters in your workplace.
UNISON’s elected General Secretary runs our union, manages its 1,200 staff and ultimately determines the kind of union we are and can become. The General Secretary and their abilities and qualities is the single biggest factor in whether or not UNISON succeeds and wins for you at work and on pay.
There are two candidates in the 2025 election:
Andrea Egan
Christina McAnea
Following a branch committee meeting, discussion and a vote, your branch has decided to nominate Andrea Egan for General Secretary.
Our Branch is backing Andrea Egan for General Secretary because Andrea:
Has a clear plan for successful action on Pay, ending the stagnation of the last fifteen years.
Will take the wage of a social worker, not the £181,000 package our current General Secretary receives. Andrea’s pay will go up when yours does.
Opposes UNISON’s subservience to Starmer’s Labour. UNISON members will come first, not the Labour Party.
Will free up and resource branches so we can better support you, giving you access to legal advice when needed.
Has successfully led campaigns to defend Schools and Council terms and conditions.
Andrea Egan
How the election works
Voting will be over a 4-week period from Tuesday 28 October to Tuesday 25 November. Ballots will be mailed out by the Post Office from Tuesday 28 October so are likely to arrive any time from a few days to a couple of weeks after this date.
1.5 million UNISON members – our in-work members plus our Retired members – get a vote in this election, so it is a big exercise, and ballot mailouts are staggered. By law, we cannot allow members to vote electronically, so lookout for your ballot paper which will be posted to your home address.
Inside will be a smaller addressed envelope, with the postage already paid. Vote by placing an X in the box beside your preferred candidate’s name, put the ballot in the envelope and put it in the post box. Simple!
Members are strongly encouraged to use their vote in this important election that comes only once every five years. Make your choice and have your voice heard!
Lambeth UNISON 