LondonSays’ latest publication, Parish Power in London?, has been published today.
Written by Andrew Stevens, Simon Hughes MP, Alan Jones, Jess Steele, Geraldine Blake and Greg Taylor, the paper is an examination of the possibilities that more local government could offer the capital, and the problems which it may also cause.
From the introduction to the pamphlet:
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP, spoke recently about her faith in the role which parish councils can play in “putting power in the hands of local people, to make the key decisions that act their local communities”.
The Secretary of State went further to indicate that she would like to see the largely rural model of parish councils translated to towns and cities across the UK, “empowering communities”. What would such a move mean for London and its already complex system of government?
LondonSays asked a number of figures from across different levels of government and community engagement to give us their thoughts on these proposals. The varied and thought-provoking articles contained within this pamphlet are their response.
You can download the full pamphlet here. Please let us know your thoughts.
I have lived in London for most of my life and am totally against local parishes. The reason - local residents will be charged and taxed more and Councils (the political parties who sit on them) will pick and choose their own people to sit on Parish/community/ward councils. These Councils will merely be an extention of the interference and dominance of these party members.
As a whole London Borough Councils can hardly be called democratic and accountable. I see no reason why Parish Councils will be any better.