The three Conservative party prospective parliamentary candidates for Lambeth, James Bellis, Kim Caddy and Resham Kotecha, have written to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, urging action to prevent Labour Lambeth wasting public money on Labour Party campaigns.
Lambeth Talk is a monthly magazine, printed and distributed by Lambeth council and delivered to households in the Borough. The November issue contained a section on the budget cuts they are having to make and was explicit in its attack against other (i.e., non-Labour) political parties.
The recommended code of practice on local authority publicity applies to all decisions by local authorities relating to council publicity such as leaflet campaigns and the publication of council newspapers and news-sheets. It recommends that publicity by local authorities should:
- be lawful
- be cost effective
- be objective
- be even-handed
- be appropriate
- have regard to equality and diversity
- be issued with care during periods of heightened sensitivity
James, Kim and Resham believe that the pull out cover and subsequent 4 pages of the November edition demonstrates that Lambeth Council are misusing public funds in a manner that is not objective or appropriate, particularly in times when funding must be focused on protecting front line services delivered for the benefits of local residents and council tax payers. They believe the November issue was effectively bound inside a party political flier and shows blatant disregard to taxpayers at a time when Lambeth Council are cutting services across the Borough.