Dementia care workers can win

The first strike day for adult social care workers at the Central Hill Dementia Day Centre, on Thursday 14 May, was rock solid, with not a single person crossing the picket line. Unison expects the same for the week of strike action starting 28 May.

The strike will come the day after the Lambeth Council Leader is to be elected at Full Council AGM. The Council went to No Overall Control on 7 May, with the Greens holding most seats.

At the time of writing it is unclear whether there will be a motion to move from the current Executive Leader and cabinet system to committees. There are broadly three types of council structure: 1. Executive Leader and cabinet; 2. Executive Mayor and cabinet (which cannot be brought in for this term); 3. Committee system where the constitutional leader has no power other than those of the Committees they sit on.

The most common form, and the one which currently governs Lambeth Cabinet, is a cabinet chosen by a leader who is elected by full council for a term determined by the council itself or on a four yearly basis. That will usually be the leader of the largest party on the council.

This system allows direct decision making by the Leader and favours a majority party. Where there is no majority, sometimes councils are considering a committee system, the better to negotiate compromises. Under the committee system decisions are made by a series of committees covering the council’s different functions and made up of councillors from different political parties reflecting the political balance of the council.

A motion to Lambeth Greens on 20 May called on the Green Party to save the Dementia Centre. If Greens chief Martin Abrams is elected executive Leader at the 27 May Full Council, then the pressure will be on him to act immediately on this policy.