Next April marks the 50th anniversary of the creation of the London boroughs as we know them today.
Apart from giving a certain London blogger a theme for area visits, these London boroughs are a result of politics and defined today by politics.
Formed on 1 April 1965 at the same time as Greater London by the London Government Act 1963, 12 boroughs were designated as inner London boroughs and 20 as outer London boroughs and they shape the way we live today.
Yet their boundaries are blurring.
People travel to work further than they used to just 50 years ago. A person who is resident in one borough, might spend 10 hours a day commuting and working in another. Add in sleeping time, and the “home borough” that should define their lives could well be a place that is occupied while awake for maybe 4 hours a day.
Yet we only vote in the home borough, people define us by where we live, not where we work, our cultural associations are based on where we spend our time sleeping, not where we spend our time awake.
Regardless of that reality, the councils will be rolling out the bunting to celebrate next year, and remind us how much we owe to our elected masters in Town Halls.
And there will be fund for local community groups to get involved, courtesy of the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).
Funding is being made available from £3,000 to £100,000 for projects that create opportunities for people to get involved in exploring and enjoying the heritage of their London borough over the past 50 years.
Projects could explore any aspect of history linked to London boroughs including the histories of places, buildings, events, people and communities, people’s memories as well as cultural traditions.
Find out more
- Workshop 1: Wed 13 August, 10am – 12 noon
- Featuring a presentation on the funding programmes as well as an overview of London Councils’ activities that boroughs can tap into.
- Workshop 2: Thurs 25 September, 2pm to 4pm
- Offering an opportunity for one-to-one sessions with HLF officers to discuss specific ideas.
Register for updates here.