A London Assembly member has warned that some residents may never talk to him again after he opened consultations about where to draw the boundaries for a proposed community council in London Fields.
Andrew Boff feels the boundary could be a divisive issue. Photo: AndrewBoff.com.
A change in the law in 2008 has meant that community – or parish – councils, which were abolished in London in the 1960s, can now be established by residents if 10 per cent of people petitioned in the area agree.
Local people will be invited to draw the area they would like covered by the council on maps, at a stall on Broadway Market.
But Conservative politician Andrew Boff believes that deciding where to set up the boundaries could be a divisive issue.
He said: “We’re never going to get a map that everyone will agree with, and it might result in some people never talking to me again, because the line is drawn at the bottom of their garden.”
The map with the greatest local consensus will be taken to Hackney Council for approval once the petition has enough signatures.
To fund community councils, residents would pay an additional council tax of around £10, known as a precept. Mr Boff said that that residents had generally been supportive, and would be happy to pay extra if they saw the direct benefits to local services such as parks and leisure facilities.
However, Mike Martin, chairman of London Fields User Group, opposes the proposals.
He said: “The people signing the petition are not going to be representative of the area. The majority of people in London Fields live on council estates, but they’re not asking them what they think. I think it’s a minority of people, who are wealthier, trying to take over the area.”
But Mr Boff, who has lived near Broadway Markey for 10 years, slammed neighbourhood forums as a “waste of time”.
He said: “They have no budget and no power. Everyone is tired of them.”
