§ Mr. Charles DoughtyMr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a Petition to this honourable House on behalf of 22,710 local government electors in the Urban District of Coulsdon and Purley.
The Petition which I am about to present gives the reasons why those electors do not wish to be included in the Greater London area. They point out, amongst other things, that it would be a negation of local government were they to be joined, as is proposed, to the County Borough of Croydon. They suggest that there would be no financial advantage in so doing, and that their area, which comprises more than 50 per cent. of Green Belt, and whose general development is open residential, might well be endangered.
They further point out:
…the County Borough of Croydon, to which it is proposed the Urban District of Coulsdon and Purley should be joined, has expressed the view that the amalgamation of 2 that borough with the Urban District of Coulsdon and Purley is neither desirable nor necessary, and the same view has been expressed by the council of that urban district and by others.They also state:Neither the reorganisation of the Greater London Government nor the proposed London Borough of Croydon would suffer if the Urban District of Coulsdon and Purley were not included, whilst on the other hand the inclusion of that district in the Greater London Area would seriously prejudice your Petitioners and the other inhabitants of that district.Wherefore your Petitioners pray that your Honourable House will ensure that any legislation for the reorganisation of Greater London Government does not include the Urban District of Coulsdon and Purley in the area of the Greater London Council and that the Urban District of Coulsdon and Purley shall retain its own identity as a separate local government area within the County of Surrey.And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray.
§ To lie upon the Table.