Cllr Claire Holland

Councillor Claire Holland has been the Leader of Lambeth Council since 2021, and a councillor for Oval ward since 2014. She leads a large majority group in Lambeth, with Labour holding 58 out of the 63 available council seats.

As Leader of the Council, Claire is responsible for setting the overall political and strategic direction for Lambeth. She is responsible for driving forward the council’s response to the climate and ecological crisis, ensuring that this response is centred on increasing equity and the economic resilience and wellbeing of Lambeth's residents as part of a just transition to a net-zero future for the borough.

She leads on engaging, mobilising and working with partners and the community to facilitate collective action. This includes working with partners to develop a climate action strategy for the borough that looks to ensure everyone in the borough, not just the council, fulfils their role in reducing emissions and works together to deliver co-benefits relating to climate action.

Prior to becoming Leader, Claire was Deputy Leader since 2019 and served as the portfolio holder for Sustainable Transport, Environment & Clean Air. Whilst in post, she initiated a nationally recognised active travel programme, delivering over 10 kilometres of new walking and cycling infrastructure in all corners of Lambeth, reshaping the borough's streets with an ambitious low traffic neighbourhoods programme and secured over £90m in investment in climate action.

Before taking up her cabinet role, she was Deputy Cabinet Member for Children & Schools, with a primary focus on schools. She has been a legal aid children’s lawyer for over 20 years, fighting for justice for young people’s right to live free from abuse and for their right to support, enabling families to stay together safely. She has lived in Lambeth since 1995, where she has raised her two sons and prior to being elected as a councillor was Chair of Governors at Ashmole Primary School.