Public meeting to discuss future of Wapping

by Julia Gregory COMMUNITY leaders in Wapping are holding their first public meeting to gauge interest in setting up the first town council in London since 1965. They want

by Julia Gregory

COMMUNITY leaders in Wapping are holding their first public meeting to gauge interest in setting up the first town council in London since 1965.

They want to set up a town council looking after the needs of residents in Wapping and St Katharine's to wrest some power from Tower Hamlets council.

The move comes out of frustration with decisions coming out of the town hall at Mulberry Place and if successful would be the first town council set up in London since local government reorganisation in the 1960s.

The scheme needs the approval of ten per cent of the population in the two wards and activists are already busy collecting the necessary 2,500 signatures for a petition.

Spokesman Geoff Juden said: "We are holding the meeting to get opinions about the idea. The Wapping town council proposal being put forward is an attempt to give a local voice to local people by giving representation to the local community." If the town council gets the go-ahead it will be funded by council tax dished out by Tower Hamlets council which would still be responsible for major decisions affecting the area such as planning and running schools.

The public meeting starts at 7pm at the Raine Street Hall, in Raine Street, Wapping on Wednesday July 28 and everyone is welcome to attend.