John Biggs - on community support

By Jon Massey on August 6, 2008 1:09 AM |

Tagged with:

John Biggs is the Labour London Assembly member for City and East

Our new London Mayor recently addressed Docklands businesses encouraging them to support the community.

As I have often written, the gulf between the Wharf and many local people needs to be narrowed.

There are many areas of progress such as the newly opened Financial Services Academy.

But there is much more to do.

I look forward to working with the Mayor of London Boris Johnson on this.

Supporting the cultural and social needs of communities is important too. While we look forward we must not forget how we got here.

Suddenly there is a flurry of developments. First, Tower Hamlets Council is considering moving its historical archives.

While everyone treasures them, fewer actually visit. I believe they need to be digitalised and put on the web, and that the archives be kept together in a secure and accessible building.

Second, I recently attended the opening of a memorial to civilians in the East End who suffered during the war. This is in a new riverside park in Wapping, which I played a small part in helping to create.

Finally, I recently took a delegation from the Stairway To Heaven Memorial Trust to the Mayor, to enlist his support.

It wants to build a memorial at Bethnal Green tube station to the victims of the largest single civilian tragedy of World War II. Go to www.stairwaytoheavenmemorial.org.

DLR disruption continues, so let’s hope that while we are taking it easier over the summer they will be doing the opposite.