A total of 1,000 residents in Queen’s Park voted in favour of establishing a parish council, whilst 508 voted against it. With approximately 8,000 residents in the area, the referendum had a return rate of 20%, said Westminster City Council.
The formal decision in relation to the formation of the Queen’s Park Community Council will be made at a special Council cabinet meeting on 11 June and an extraordinary full Council meeting on 25 June.
“I am delighted that the residents of Queen’s Park have given a clear endorsement to the proposal for the community council," said Robert Davis, the deputy leader for Westminster City Council. "For Westminster to have the first parish council in London for 50 years would be a fitting endorsement of the Government's ambitions for localism and neighbourhood engagement.”
The power for London Boroughs to establish parish councils was re-established by the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act in 2007 following their abolition in 1963. No parish councils have been established in London since the 2007 law was enacted.
The decision to explore the creation of a parish council was in response to a petition signed by 2,181 people in Queen's Park last year. Over the past year the Council conducted the Community Governance Review to explore the idea.
Over 400 responses were received to the review’s initial consultation, with 87% directly supporting the creation of the parish council. A referendum held by Westminster Council gave all Queen's Park residents the opportunity to vote on whether they would like to have a parish council.
It is anticipated that the Queen’s Park parish council will undertake responsibility for a range of activities including coordinating community events, befriending the elderly, supporting young people and the unemployed, local management of Queen’s Park gardens, and launching a local allotment, Westminster City Council said.
The Queen’s Park Campaign Group have set out their intention to levy a precept of between £3.30 and £3.70 a month or between £39.60 and £44.40 per year (for a Band D property) to raise over £100,000 per year to pay for the set up and ongoing running costs of the parish council.
