Exclusive: Brixton Buzz FoI request reveals that Lambeth Labour Deputy Cabinet Member no longer lives in the borough

A Brixton Buzz Freedom of Information request has found that Lambeth Council’s Deputy Cabinet Member for Housing doesn’t actually live in Lambeth.

Labour’s Cllr Timothy Windle [right] has held the position since May 2022. He has an allowance of £11,786 for the Deputy role, on top of his jobbing Councillor allowance of £15,960.

The Lambeth Standing Orders state:

“Only registered voters living or working within the borough for the previous 12 months prior to an election will be eligible to stand as a councillor.

A person must be a British subject or citizen of the Republic of Ireland or the Commonwealth, or a relevant citizen of the European Union, be at least 18 years old, and continue to be an elector for the borough.”

Cllr Windle is no longer eligible to vote in the borough as he doesn’t live here.

Our FoI asked:

“Please tell me if any Lambeth Councillors live outside of the borough and are also not employed within the borough. Please do not include Cabinet posts as employment.”

Lambeth responded with:

“Our records indicate that Cllr Timothy Windle is the only Elected Member who does not live within the London Borough of Lambeth. All other Elected Members of the Council hold residence within the borough.”

Our FoI doesn’t give a date for when Cllr Windle moved out of the borough. We are not sure if he was living in Lambeth when he put up communal heating charges for residents as part of his Cabinet responsibilities.

Prior to holding his Deputy role, Cllr Windle was the Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness between December 2022 and June 2023. He has also been the Lambeth Labour Chief Whip.

Cllr Windle was first elected in 2018 for the Larkhall ward. Following the boundary changes in 2022, he switched to Clapham Town where he was elected as a Lambeth Councillor once again.

A by-election in Clapham Town will be the last thing Lambeth Labour want right now.

Having held two separate by-elections in Streatham Vale and Common ward already this year, a by-election in Here Hill seems likely after Cllr Jim Dickson found his new “passion” for Dartford and became the MP for the constituency.

The story behind the Brixton Buzz FoI is worth mentioning. Lambeth ignored our initial request with no correspondence or even acknowledgement.

We had to write to the Information Commissioner to ask for assistance. The ICO wrote to Lambeth telling the Council it had ten days to respond. Ten days later we finally received our reply.