Council Leader Calls For London To "Work Together"
"Londoners must work together to secure city’s future"
Council leader Ravi Govindia has pledged to work with Mayor of London to represent the city’s interests in the forthcoming EU negotiations and to help secure the best possible deal for local residents and businesses.
He said: "Last week 75 per cent of Wandsworth residents voted to stay inside the EU and you could not fail to notice just how many of our young people were out on our streets taking an active role in the campaigns. The national result has disappointed the majority of local people, but as council leader I want to build on the energy this referendum generated and to ensure that Wandsworth continues to be an open and welcoming community to existing and future citizens - wherever they come from.
“The positive influence of overseas nations can be seen right across London and throughout this borough. Wandsworth is the new home to the US and Dutch Embassies, Malaysia and China have invested heavily in our regeneration zones, we have French schools, places of worship for many faiths and a great mix of nationalities from Europe and across the world. Our diversity is our strength and something we can all be very proud of.
“Internationalism is also the bedrock of our economy and nowhere is this more evident than in Nine Elms where investment from major overseas institutions is delivering thousands of new jobs, affordable homes and new infrastructure, including the Northern Line Extension which will bring the Tube to Battersea for the very first time.
“All of this will continue and in the light of last week’s referendum we must all redouble our efforts and energy to ensure London and Wandsworth is open to the world. I am also keen to support the London Mayor in every way to represent our city’s interests in the forthcoming negotiations. London has a right to ensure that its remarkable strengths are not diluted by the process of disengagement from the European Union.
“Wandsworth has a vibrant and varied community which has lived in harmony for decades. Its success is rooted in the dynamism and good sense of its residents. I want to leave no one in any doubt as to our determination to protect and enhance that reputation. Our efforts over decades to achieve a borough that is low tax and high enterprise, stable, well run and welcoming will be intensified in the coming months."
June 27, 2016