It was one of the lower tier authorities within the area of the Metropolitan Board of Works, which was established to provide services across the metropolis of London.

The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention, and refuse disposal; with the boroughs (including Lewisham) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection.

[13] In 2012 the Council was fined £70,000 by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) after a social worker "left files containing GP and police reports and allegations of sexual abuse and neglect in a shopping bag on a train".

The reality is that they are caused by councils treating sensitive personal data in the same routine way they would deal with more general correspondence.

Far too often in these cases, the councils do not appear to have acknowledged that the data they are handling is about real people, and often the more vulnerable members of society.

It is a local education authority and is also responsible for council housing, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health.

A large extension to the east was added in 1932, comprising a concert hall and municipal offices with a distinctive curved frontage facing Rushey Green.

The original 1875 part of the building was then demolished and replaced by a new civic suite, including the council chamber, which was completed in 1971.