John-Paul Ennis is the mayor of Lambeth in London (Image: Lambeth Council)
A Labour mayor was caught bragging about his taxpayer-funded limo on .
John-Paul Ennis, the mayor of Lambeth in London, said in an interview that being driven around in a “nice car” was one of his job’s best perks, calling it “a vibe”.
Mr Ennis was talking to DJ AG, an influencer, when he explained that as mayor he gets to wear a ceremonial chain, which Mr Ennis said is “pretty nice”.
The mayor, who grew up in Lambeth, went on to say that his aims for the borough were to support young people, create opportunities for them, and support the community.
Anthony Boutall, who was Lambeth’s Tory candidate last year, told the Times that Mr Ennis’ comments were a “kick in the teeth for residents”, who pay up to £800 a year for a parking permit.
He said: “Labour politicians are completely out of touch with hard-pressed families who have to face the harsh realities of the party’s pernicious policies.”
This comes as Lambeth Council introduces a series of new policies that will limit car use. It has increased the cost of parking permits and introduced a Low Traffic Neighbourhood Scheme.
Last year, the council’s residents sued it over the decision. Lambeth’s consultation found that 67.5% of locals asked were “either unhappy or very unhappy” with the plan.
The 23-page document said: “Seemingly as a result of the hostility to the proposals, the council members and officers who had attended took an early lunch break and also subsequently concluded the event early such that anyone who arrived during the unadvertised lunch break or towards the end of the advertised time slot was unable to participate.”
It is claimed Lambeth Council has “sought to avoid using the term” LTN and called it “street improvements” instead due to negative connotations associated with the term.
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The council has spent £3.4 million on the LTN scheme which residents say has led to traffic jams on a main route out of London. Meanwhile, The Times reported that the local authority has raised the cost of parking permits by 444% over the past two years.
Lambeth Council said in a statement: “Our youngest ever mayor goes to events across Lambeth every day and is inspiring young people, as seen on with DJ AG.
“He also cycles and takes public transport in his official role. Most London boroughs have a mayoral vehicle and Lambeth’s is a hybrid.
“Our wide range of healthy neighbourhood measures, from mini-parks, segregated cycle lanes, more trees, fairer use of our streets, extra bike storage and more all aim to clean our inner London borough’s heavily polluted air, cut road danger and support walking, cycling and taking public transport.”