Waterloo’s Living Space to be ‘early adopter’ of Lambeth’s Co-operative Council

On Friday the council held an event at Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre to launch its report The Co-operative Council – Sharing power: a new settlement between citizens and the state.

The report summarises the findings of the citizens' commission set up to explore how the Labour-run council's proposal to adopt co-operative principles could be turned into reality.

In his foreword to the report, Lambeth Council leader Steve Reed says: "This new approach to public service delivery aims to reshape the settlement between citizens and the state by handing more power to local people so that a real partnership of equals can emerge.

"I believe the huge level of interest in our ideas both locally and nationally is driven by a genuine desire to find new and better ways to deliver public services in the 21st century."

He adds: "In advocating this fundamental change to public service delivery Lambeth has rejected the suggestion that the state should simply withdraw from delivering public services. We want to change the role of the state not roll back the state."

The Living Space in Waterloo Road has been identified as one of a handful of 'early adopter' projects across the borough.

According to the report, Living Space "will be supported to implement its proposals to develop a partnership approach to the delivery of youth provision, becoming a social enterprise or equivalent".

Last autumn Lambeth Council closed down the internet cafe at Living Space – which was marketed as a social enterprise – as part of a shake-up of the borough's youth service.

Now the centre has been relaunched with a new homework club, art club and other youth activities run by Church.co.uk.