Labour bungling has subsequently delayed both schemes, meaning that two out of the borough’s three indoor pools could be shut for two years prior to 2010. Conservative Councillor Clare Whelan told the London Evening Standard: “I can’t believe that by now people aren’t swimming in a new pool in Clapham and Streatham. ”

So what went wrong?

Tesco-which promised to build a pool, ice rink, and homes in return for permission to build a store, halted the Streatham proposals in February 2009 and is in discussions with Labour Lambeth over a rethink. The leisure centre containing the Streatham pool was due to close last year. Tesco says no date has been set to re-tender the construction work.

Work on the Clapham pool, part of a £75 million development by the Cathedral Group, was meant to have started last January. The existing Clapham leisure centre is due to close in September.

“Building operates well as a library however its location is not ideal and suffers from low service numbers, high maintenance and high running costs. High running costs and poor location suggest this facility should be closed and relocated to Herne Hill…  This property would be ideal for sale for a private residential flat conversion.”

Labour councilors have previously proposed selling off the library-most recently in 1998-1999-but were defeated by a community campaign lead by Friends of Carnegie Library and supported by Conservative councilors.  When Labour lost office between 2002-2006 the new administration reversed Labour’s plans and improved the resources for the library.

Since gaining power in 2006 Labour has failed to fund Lambeth libraries adequately-several buildings closed last winter because of broken boilers.  A review of the libraries carried out in 2007 failed to solve any of the issues and nothing happened as a result.

Conservative Group Leader Councillor John Whelan says:  “Labour is once again considering selling off the Carnegie for yuppie flats.  This puts the future of the library in doubt and will hopefully produce an outcry in the local community as the plan to provide another library in Herne Hill is a pipedream.  Labour only cares about Brixton and Herne Hill is left off their shopping list for improvements in services.”

Clapham is set to lose its pool for at least 17 months

Three years after fighting the last council elections on a promise to “Keep Clapham Swimming”, Labour Lambeth have announced plans to close and demolish the Clapham Leisure Centre in September.

While Lambeth Council says that another will be built on the site, even by their own figures Clapham would be without a pool for at least 17 months – and many expect it to be much longer.  Indeed, in the current economic recession, there must be a serious risk that, even if the project starts, it may never be completed.

“Labour has betrayed the people of Clapham,” says former Councillor Bernard Gentry.  “They promised to ‘Keep Clapham Swimming’ and now they are closing the pool.  What other Council would demolish one of its main leisure centres in the run up to the London Olympics when demand for swimming facilities will be increasing?”

“Their actions are reckless and risk leaving Clapham without a pool for several years,” adds Sebastian Lowe.  “There is plenty of space to build a new pool on the Mary Seacole House or the Depot site, which would mean that the existing pool would then remain open until the new one is built.  Why is Labour so keen not to preserve the continuity of service and start off by demolishing the existing pool?”

Gipsy Hill councillor Graham Pycock said:  “The library has been here for 110 years; how can Lambeth possibly lose it?”

On the Norwood version of this publicity document, West Norwood Library is praised as Norwood’s only library with Upper Norwood Joint Library receiving no mention.

Graham adds: “When I tackled the publicity department about this they implied that this was deliberate policy. I was told: -

‘However, although UNJL is funded by Lambeth and Croydon, it is not a recognised part of either borough’s statutory provision and as such it would be anomalous to infer that it was or advertise it in publicity that is specific to either borough, particularly because Lambeth has no input or responsibility for the policies or activities of the UNJL.’

“This is crackers. The library is a public service funded out of taxes and should be fully promoted.”

There is obvious resentment in Lambeth Council about Upper Norwood’s superb service and excellent performance figures.  The previous Conservative-Lib Dem administration in Lambeth between 2002 and 2006 saved the Upper Norwood Joint Library with a massive £55,000 increase in funding.  With Labour back in Lambeth, they have frozen the library’s budget again.  There was a crisis two years ago with threatened redundancies, but Croydon Council has been increasing its budget annually after years of neglect under Labour, so that there has been some improvement in security.

As the local councillors for the Upper Norwood Joint Library, Graham, Suzanne Poole and Andrew Gibson we have continued to press both councils to honour the joint agreement and restore full funding to the library.  Lambeth has refused each year since 2006 even an increase for inflation, but Conservative councillors continue to press for joint talks between the two councils to agree reliable funding while retaining the operational independence, which has served Upper Norwood Joint Library users so well.

Lambeth Labour are slashing sports funding

Almost £1million worth of spending cuts are to be made to sports provision, libraries and parks in Lambeth.

Labour are set to reduce community sports programmes and slash previously planned investment in libraries and parks to save £995,000.

Secret town hall documents, leaked to a local newspaper, revealed the council plans to make the harsh spending cuts between now and March 2008. It reveals plans to:

• Cut £250,000 to oversee plans for developing leisure centres in the borough.
• Cut £200,000 worth of sports development jobs to run community sports programmes for kids, pensioners and other groups.
• Cut maintenance budget for sports facilities by £100,000
• Scale back the sports booking service.

It means a planned expansion of the council’s community sports programme has been binned, but none of the already scheduled activities will be affected.

The plan will also see less park rangers employed to look after the borough’s parks, and cash allocated for floral displays like hanging baskets axed.

Libraries will also suffer, with cash earmarked for new IT facilities and special events axed as part of the council’s cultural services recovery plan.

Leader of the Conservative Group, Councillor John Whelan, said: “If this is a recovery plan then it’s likely to kill off the patient.

“At a time when there is national concern about rising levels of obesity among young people, the borough is cutting its commitment to providing sports facilities by £600,000.

“Further cuts are going to put libraries and parks under threat.”

“Labour commissioned a Review of Libraries in 2006, but some two years later the report is still gathering dust on a shelf,” says John.  “Since then nearly all the senior officers who were leading the service have voted with their feet and left the Council.

“Libraries in Lambeth are under threat of closure once again given the financial holocaust facing the administration.  Leaving a service to wither on the vine is usually the first step to axing it.”