Southwark Lib Dems call for ‘fresh leadership’ after cabinet member for housing resigns weeks before budget setting

Cllr Darren Merrill has resigned as Southwark’s Cabinet Member for Council Homes and will be replaced by Cllr Sarah King.

Cllr Rachel Bentley, the Deputy Leader of the Southwark Liberal Democrat Group and the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Bermondsey and old Southwark said:

“This is the latest admission that Southwark’s housing department is in disarray. In light of the major works scandals, maladministration findings by the Housing Ombudsman and the dire state of the Housing Revenue Account, I am not surprised to see him go.

“However, the buck does not stop with Cllr Merrill. The leader of the council, the cabinet member for finance and the disgraced Cllr Pollak, all of whom presided over the growing crisis in Southwark’s housing department, all remain in the cabinet. It’s time they followed Cllr Merrill’s example and consider their positions.

“We need real, fresh and honest leadership from Labour so Southwark Council can start to rebuild trust with communities.”

Cllr Victor Chamberlain, Leader of the Opposition on Southwark Council, added:

“For a major cabinet member to resign just before the council sets next year’s budget and shortly after admitting he was in despair about the state of housing shows an alarming lack of stability in the Labour leadership. Three cabinet members in three years have completely failed to arrest the decline in our housing services. I recently got the council to agree to a root and branch review of the housing department and it cannot come soon enough. The Southwark Liberal Democrats will continue to expose Labour’s failures on housing until residents get the service they deserve.”