BACK TO THE FUTURE
Stoke Newington Council in Exile
What has Hackney Council ever done for us then?
Back
in the heady days before 1964 (Local Government Reorganisation) Stoke Newington was its
own local borough, with its own powers to set rates and look after its own fortunes. By
all reports it was very distinctive and extremely well run. Reorganisation lumped together
the separate and differing boroughs of Hackney, Shoreditch and Stoke Newington, and
centralised the administration in the Kremlin-like, Hackney Town Hall.
If you lived in Stoke Newington, the local officers that you could meet in your everyday
life disappeared to E8 and the convenience and accountability of your local town hall was
lost Individuality and uniqueness, the bedrock of civic pride and citizenship was painted
Hackney green and ignored. The 'people-sized' administrative areas were replaced with a
large, indifferent bureaucracy and faceless officials. Since then the enormous problems
which beset the other parts of the new Hackney have taken political precedence andfunding
of local government by central government in an attempt to curb the activity of some
'loony' councils.
A small amount of current Hackney Council spending is raised locally by council
tax. Surely, accountability of local government can only be restored if local income
and local spending match, leaving central government to finance one off schemes in areas
of greatest need. That, combined with the ability of the electorate to pass its judgement
on council performance every couple of years would concentrate the minds of local
politicians wonderfully.
This
recognition of local diversity and accountability leads to an interesting point. It takes
only 10% of local registered electors within an area, to sign a petition calling for a
referendum at the next election date, requesting the setting up of a parish council, which
can have its own, albeit limited, budgetary powers. If you want to consider such a
possibility and enjoy much more local representation, you could have it in May 2002 when
the next borough wide local elections are due.
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With the best will in the world, it is difficult to
see how the 'Forums' can become anything other than glorified talking-shops with any views
they express being lost in outer space between themselves, the Council and the Strategic
Partnership. The crucial area of planning in Stoke Newington will be handled in Mare
Street by Councillors from outside the area who may have little knowledge of - and little
sympathy with - the concerns of people around here.