You may not know, but in the City of London, Section 618 of the Housing Act meant councillors who rented a property from the Court of the Common Council, part of the City of London Corporation, were barred from speaking or voting on specific issues.
Nickie Aiken, Member of Parliament for the Cities of London & Westminster, is delighted that following her campaign, backed by local people, Common Councillors, Aldermen, Alderwomen, and the City of London Corporation, the Government has agreed and under the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, Section 618 has been repealed and councillors given their voice. Thank you to everyone who supported their calls.
Commenting on the success, Nickie said,
"I'm delighted that my campaign to repeal Section 618 of the Housing Act has been accepted by the Government. For those of you who don't know, Section 618 prevents Common Councillors in the City of London who own or rent a property from the Corporation, from voting on issues that affect their wards. The only Councillors in the whole country that this affects. So I spoke to Michael Gove, the Levelling Up Secretary.
"He appreciated the arguments and the Government has accepted an amendment to the Levelling Up Bill and now Section 618 is no longer on the Statute Books. And it means that Common Councillors of the City of London now have exactly the same rights as all Councillors across the UK."
