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Dear friend,
The last few weeks have been very difficult, unsettling and scary for all of us, as we have contended with the impact of Covid-19 and the lockdown measures the government has taken to prevent it.
We’ve communicated regularly with you about the measures the council has taken to protect and support residents through this crisis. Today we’ve gone further as the first council in the country to produce a detailed public report outlining the breadth and scale of activities undertaken right across the borough since coronavirus first took hold just a few weeks ago.
The report outlines what’s been achieved, lessons learnt and how council services for residents have been maintained while new measures were put in place to support the borough’s different economic sectors and social groups. It highlights the extraordinary daily work of Lambeth’s voluntary and community sector, the work carried out to support business, culture and enterprise and showcases the inspiring work in neighbourhoods to help those most in need, delivered by and for residents.
I’m incredibly deeply proud of the way Lambeth council has responded, keeping critical services going despite huge challenges and creating new ones in a matter of days. In particular, distributing over 8,000 food and care packages to vulnerable people.
I want to thank our council staff and councillors for their commitment. But this report also references and demonstrates that the council has not achieved anything on its own, and couldn’t have done so without strong relationships and partnerships with the community, our businesses, our public sector partners and our residents. It shows that Lambeth’s resilience is ultimately a sum of all its parts and their relative strength.
We will need that strength and unity now as we face the next phase of this crisis as the government signals measures to begin easing the lockdown. The report is also there to begin the conversation about what happens next and how we continue to support businesses, families, community groups and individuals impacted by this national crisis.
I would encourage you to read and share the report with anyone who may be interested in how we've united to support each other through these difficult times.
Best wishes,
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 Cllr Jack Hopkins
Leader of Lambeth Council
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