Angela Rayner’s department has quietly shelved plans to give residents a veto over whether the name of their road can be changed, effectively giving the green light for “activist” councils to memory-hole street names with links to slavery and the Empire.
The revelation that Ms Rayner has abandoned these plans appears in a report by the Policy Exchange think tank.
Lara Brown, the report’s author, highlights that after several councils took action in 2020 to rename streets or alter signs associated with colonialism and the British Empire, the previous Conservative government sought to clarify the circumstances under which local authorities could justify renaming streets.
The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 consolidates several historic pieces of legislation on street renaming. It stipulates:
“A local authority within subsection (1)(c) or (d) may exercise the power conferred by section 6(1) of the London Building Acts (Amendment) Act 1939 (assigning of names to streets etc) to make an order altering the name of a street, or any part of a street, in its area only if the alteration has the necessary support.”
However, the act does not currently define what constitutes ‘necessary support.’
The Conservative government subsequently announced plans to reintroduce “consent to change street names,” requiring local councils to secure agreement from two-thirds of residents before proceeding. However, this legislation was not implemented before the General Election.
On November 19, responding to an oral question from Nick Timothy MP, the Minister of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government, Matthew Pennycook MP, stated:
“At present the Government does not consider there is a need for further guidance to support Local Authorities in doing so [determining whether changes to street names have ‘necessary local support’].”
As a result, the plans to require a vote have now been dropped. Local councils will therefore not receive Government guidance on what constitutes “necessary support” when renaming a street.
Ms Brown told The Telegraph:
“The Labour Government has quietly dropped legislation which would have prevented activist councils from renaming streets over the heads of local residents.
“They claim they wish to end the culture wars, and yet they are pursuing the politics of division, prioritising a minority of campaigners over the views of the public.
“Policy Exchange’s History Matters Compendium shows that action continues to be taken widely and quickly to reframe how the past is presented.”
In 2020, Ealing Council in west London renamed part of Havelock Road to Guru Nanak Road after consulting with residents and businesses. The street had previously been named after Sir Henry Havelock, a British general who led the suppression of the 1857 revolt in north India.
Last year, Labour-run Haringey Council in north London renamed Black Boy Lane to La Rose Lane in honour of John La Rose, the poet and racial equality campaigner.
Plymouth City Council has faced a protracted dispute since 2020 over its plans to rename Sir John Hawkins Square. The Labour-dominated council argues that the square should be renamed due to Hawkins’ involvement in the 16th-century slave trade.
In 2022, Watford Borough Council proposed allowing residents to vote on changing street names, including Imperial Way and Rhodes Way.
Policy Exchange’s History Matters Compendium is available here.
