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Get rid of the City of London Corporation

There are rumblings about getting rid of the City of London Corporation. The City of London certainly makes no sense in administrative and planning terms as a separate entity.

A new borough of Central London should be created, taking in the City of London, Westminster, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Islington, Camden and parts of Kensington and Chelsea, and Southwark. The boundary would be almost the same as the congestion zone, which would be logical for a local authority.

Map of London Congestion Charge zone

This is primarily about the planning and organisation of public services by rational administrative units so that they can do their job efficiently and democratically.

From time to time, boundaries need to be reviewed to take account of changes in patterns of settlement, demographics and land use. The last time this was done in London was almost fifty years ago when the present London boroughs and the Greater London Council were set up. At that time the City of London remained unchanged. The previous arrangements had dated from the 1880s. With Greater London effectively a city region now 50 miles across, it is time for a review.

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