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Let’s take a look at that Lambeth Co-operative Council Citizen’s Commission in full, shall we?

You may remember the sounding of the civic fanfares last week to signal a new era in democratic participation in the borough, with promises of:

“A Citizens’ Commission is being set up to consult local people on the proposals and is meeting for the first time today. The Commission will identify new services where the co-operative model can be piloted, and will explore how the approach can be rolled out across further service areas later this year.

The Commission will also explore how an ‘active citizens dividend’ could be paid to reward people who get involved in running local services, possibly in the form of a council-tax discount.”

And so who exactly is helping the council to become more co-operative by sitting on the Citizen’s Commission?

Clue: not any citizens…

After much prompting, it appears the big table pow wow is made up of three @LambethLabour officials. Not only that, it is three of the highest ranking and most powerful people within the local party, namely our friend @cllrstevereed, Councillor Meldrum (the Deputy Leader of @LambethLabour) and Councillor McGlone. All three also take a seat at cabinet.

And so #lambethcoop works by letting the leader of the council decide what citizens want, and then implements the policy, without any form of public consultation.

Which is more or less the argument I have been putting forward all along: local politicians are elected to make decisions. If we don’t like them, we get rid of them.

The difference with #lambethcoop is that the old model has been given a Nu Labour spin, to make it appear transparent, and to give the impression of civic accountability.

No citizens are represented on the Citizen’s Commission. The upside of course is that the Three Musketeers have yet to invite along any of their friends from big business, either.

The Citizen’s Commission has already met (probably for a quick five minute catch up after cabinet,) the minutes haven’t been made available to the citizen’s of the borough and no date has appeared publicly for the date of the next meeting.

“Fairness, accountability and responsibility?”

Same as it ever was.