Dame Judith Mayhew in bid to silence neighbours - NWEC boss urges City Hall to prevent residents having say through Localism Bill
Published: 24 June 2011
EXCLUSIVE by JOSH LOEB and CONRAD LANDIN
THE chairwoman of a business lobby has come under fire for urging City Hall to prevent residents from having greater powers through the Localism Bill.
New West End Company (NWEC) boss Dame Judith Mayhew Jonas wrote to Westminster Council leader Colin Barrow in a bid to stop the establishment of a West End neighbourhood forum – a group that would campaign for the improvement of the area and ensure residents’ voices were heard.
The forums have been championed by the government as a means of devolving power to local people.
Dame Judith’s letter – a copy of which has been obtained by the West End Extra – describes the forum as a “risk” to business interests and states: “Our desire is clearly that the status quo will prevail.
“If it transpires that legally WCC can prevent the establishment of any forum, then New West End Company would support the city council with this approach.”
Her comments have been condemned by Ron Whelan, secretary of the North Mayfair Residents’ Group, who called the letter “outrageous”.
He said: “Big businesses are national companies which have shareholders, but local issues are local issues.
“The NWEC were pushing for extra ‘traffic-free’ days in the West End, but the research they did was around the north of Oxford Street. South of Oxford Street, where we live, it was totally jammed. That is an example of where they don’t really think about the area, they just think that if you get 10 per cent extra shoppers in that’s goody goody.”
The NWEC – a so-called Business Improvement District (BID) – represents businesses in Oxford Street, Bond Street and Regent Street and levies a charge used to help promote the area as a “retail destination”.
Urban planning expert Anna Minton, a prominent critic of BIDs, said: “The New West End Company basically want to run the local area.
“This shows what the priority of the BIDs is: to promote solely the interests of business even if that means crushing real localism.”
Dame Judith has been a leading proponent of BIDs in the UK, after witnessing their success in New York, where she is a director of top banking group Merrill Lynch.
Speaking at a conference last year, she said: “It’s important for local councils to realise that BIDs are not competition.”
Cllr Barrow said: “We rightly support neighbourhood forums, which will empower local communities and provide an opportunity for the council, residents and businesses to work together.”
A spokesman for the NWEC said: “Our letter to Westminster City Council reflects our position and there is a concern that the planning system should be made more effective at all the various different levels.
“Planning is one area which is important, as is ensuring a clean, safe, welcoming and a well managed West End, which also remains key priorities for the board.
“New West End Company wishes to work closely with the city council, residents and all other interested parties in the local area.”