Now that the dust has settled on the election results, I hope that the point scoring and mud slinging that characterises such periods will subside.  It's clear that here in Lewisham, we face some serious times ahead.  The new con-lib dem government has already announced that they're scrapping the Future Jobs Fund, which has helped hundreds of Lewisham residents into work, in its entirety.  I have seen cuts in other programmes arrive from government departments by the hour.  


Frankly the time for political slogans and headline grabbing is over and the time for serious decisions is upon us.  We're thankful and humbled that Lewisham has put its trust in Labour by returning 39 Labour Councillors, a Labour Mayor and 3 Labour MPs but we also recognise that now is not a time for gloating.  Now is a time to get serious and put in the hard work necessary to protect our services, get value for money and repay the trust that the people of Lewisham have shown in us.

Councillor Alan Hall,
Chair of Lewisham Labour Group