Havering was the only London council to go over to Reform UK after the local elections. Cab drivers are waiting to see whether talks of rejoining Essex will impact their futures
In the wake of the local elections, which saw many shock results across the country, one East London borough’s decision is leaving the future of workers in the area up in the air. Reform UK took over the control of the London borough of Havering, with residents citing a need for change as one of their main reasons for voting for Reform.
London cabbies working in Havering have said they fear for their livelihoods if a split from the GLA were ever seriously considered. Taxi drivers in the East London borough say they’d need definitive answers from Reform on any future plans to push for Havering to split from the Greater London Authority and rejoin Essex – dubbed Hexit; a proposal for Havering to leave London, rejoin the county of Essex, and become a self-governing unitary authority.
This is an idea that has been pushed by Andrew Rosindell MP for many years, who has regularly campaigned for giving the people of Havering a chance to vote on whether to leave London. Nigel Farage had reportedly been “really enthusiastic” about the idea of splitting outer London boroughs, including Bromley, from the GLA. But as the local elections approached, the party appeared to backtrack. The party’s failure to make significant gains in Bromley could also prompt them to reconsider their support for the idea, but cabbies MyLondon spoke to in Havering said they would need a clear answer from Reform before they could consider voting for them in a general election.
Pat Smith, 51, a local cab driver, said: “For us, with the London taxi scheme, it is TfL-controlled. If we become an Essex council, will they get rid of it? If it does, then we will have nothing. If they want to vote to switch to Essex, what happens to us? We need to know what their plans are before we vote [in the general election]. We need to see the proposals before we can decide whether to vote for them, as that will have a significant impact on us.”
Havering was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963, combining the areas of the former Romford Borough Council and Hornchurch Urban District, which were both previously part of Essex. Nigel Farage, speaking outside Havering Town Hall after Reform took the council last week, said the people of Havering “feel that their association is with Essex and ever since 1965 have slightly resented being part of Greater London… people ought to have the choice to make a decision on that.”
If Havering did leave, however, the borough would potentially lose services and benefits, such as the TfL Freedom Pass for the elderly, as well as the Metropolitan Police force. Another factor to consider is the loss of space for licensed cab drivers. If Havering decided to rejoin Essex, the cab drivers currently serving the area would become unlicensed and would have to take their services to the neighbouring county.
Currently, they can work in East London, which is considered ‘suburban London’. For the taxi drivers, the decision to stay or leave Essex will prove instrumental.
Darren Grayson, 53, said: “If they took us into Essex, they probably wouldn’t allow us to work here. Many local people wanted change, which is why they voted for Reform in the local election. They want to know if they can change things here before voting for them in the national election.
“The high street needs revamping, and they said they will try to improve it. In the cab trade, we currently have no work here because nobody wants to come to Romford anymore. We’ve been forgotten.
“It’s a massive thing. He’s talking about Romford coming back into Essex, like it used to be; it depends on how it affects us. It’s our livelihood.”
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