Lambeth mayor to be elected online in break with 100-year tradition

A town hall’s bid to carry on with its work amid lockdown will continue tonight when a new mayor will be elected at its first-ever virtual full council meeting.

In an historic break with more than a century of tradition, Lambeth’s annual council meeting will be online only, with councillors taking part via video conferencing.

The historic move has been agreed under the terms of the government’s Coronavirus Act 2020, which allows virtual council meetings during the Covid-19 crisis. The whole meeting will be live streamed to the public through the council website.

The meeting will be held on the day a hybrid Parliament began in Westminster – with some MPs in the chamber and others connected via video link – after MPs approved the plan.

Lambeth council leader, Jack Hopkins, said: “We’ve been working hard to minimise disruption to our services as a result of coronavirus, but some of our services have had to change in response to this unprecedented challenge.

“However, we also have a responsibility to keep council business going wherever we can, to reassure residents that important work is still being carried out.

“The changes introduced by the government ensure we can demonstrate that decisions are discussed and made in an open and democratic way.

“The annual council meeting is also a significant date in our calendar, where we look back on the last 12 months, and forward to the year ahead of us. We’ll also get the opportunity to thank our outgoing Mayor, Ibrahim Dogus, and vote for his nominated successor, Philip Normal.”

The Annual Council Meeting will start on Microsoft Teams at 7pm tonight.