A significant step backwards from the Council’s publicly stated ambition to become a Borough of Equity and Justice by 2030

The Council has committed to becoming a Borough of Equity and Justice by 2030. With a decision to remove the Equity and Justice function, employees and residents are asking how that promise will now be delivered.

Lambeth Council has made a bold commitment to become a Borough of Equity and Justice by 2030. It is an ambition many employees and residents have worked hard to support because fairer organisations deliver better outcomes for everyone.

Yet, over the past year, the Council has progressively reduced the strategic capacity supporting this ambition, first through changes to senior leadership and now through the removal of the dedicated Equity and Justice function. This raises an important question: how will Lambeth continue to deliver its vision while retaining the strategic capability needed to turn ambition into action?

Equity and Justice is often misunderstood as a function that serves only particular groups. In reality, it is a strategic capability that helps every Council service work better for every resident. It supports leaders to make better decisions, helps design more inclusive services, strengthens organisational culture, informs policy and commissioning, and builds trust with the communities the Council serves.

One of the simplest ways to understand its value is through the Curb-Cut Effect. Kerb cuts were originally introduced for wheelchair users, yet today they benefit parents with pushchairs, cyclists, delivery workers, older people and anyone pulling luggage. When we remove barriers for those facing the greatest challenges, everyone benefits.

You cannot remove the vehicle that has driven organisational change and expect the journey to continue unchanged. For years, Lambeth’s dedicated Equity and Justice function has provided the strategic leadership, challenge and expertise needed to embed fairness across the organisation. It has influenced policy, strengthened leadership, developed organisational capability and helped build the trust that underpins better public services. Removing that strategic capability is not simply the loss of a team; it is a significant step backwards from the Council’s publicly stated ambition to become a Borough of Equity and Justice by 2030. A Council cannot commit to becoming a Borough of Equity and Justice while dismantling the very strategic capability created to make that ambition a reality.

This conversation is not simply about the loss of individual jobs. It is about protecting the strategic capability that helps deliver better decisions, stronger communities and better public services. Ambitious commitments inspire confidence only when organisations retain the expertise, leadership and accountability needed to deliver them.

Have Your Say

A demonstration against the closure of the Equity and Justice function will take place on Wednesday outside the Town Hall at 6pm. If you believe Equity and Justice should remain central to Lambeth’s future, please attend if you can and speak to your local ward councillors.

Ask how the Council intends to deliver its Borough Plan commitment to becoming a Borough of Equity and Justice by 2030, and how it will retain the strategic capability needed to turn that commitment into lasting change.

A demonstration against the closure of the Equity and Justice function will take place on Wednesday outside the Town Hall at 6pm. If you believe Equity and Justice should remain central to Lambeth’s future, please attend if you can and speak to your local ward councillors.

Across the UK and internationally, some political leaders and parties have argued that Equity, Diversity and Inclusion functions should be reduced or removed. Many employees will therefore find it deeply concerning that a Council which has publicly committed to becoming a Borough of Equity and Justice has now removed its own dedicated Equity and Justice function. Regardless of political leadership, the expectation should remain the same: public commitments must be matched by sustained strategic capability. A Borough of Equity and Justice cannot be built by removing the very function established to help deliver it.