Westminster City Council (No.1)

EDM number 54 in 1993-94, proposed by Jack Straw on 23/11/1993.

That this House notes that on 9th December 1992 the District Auditor for Westminster, Mr John Magill, said that he planned to issue the report of his provisional findings and all material documents relating to his enquiry into the designated sales policy of Westminster City Council by 31st March 1993; that on 11th February 1993 he said that it had been impossible to complete all interviews by the end of January 1993 as he had hoped. and that on 25th March 1993 he said that he hoped to issue his report as soon as practicable after the end of April 1993; further notes that on 23rd April 1993 the Controller of the Audit Commission wrote to the honourable Member for Blackburn to say that, subject to any unforeseen matters, the most likely date for issue was June 1993, but on 8th June Mr Magill said that this would be delayed until the autumn; that on 16th November, Mr Magill said that he was now aiming to release his report on 8th, 9th 14th or 15th December, but that last evening he told objectors that his report would be further delayed until January 1994; and is deeply concerned that over four years, a period longer than the local government electoral cycle, have elapsed since formal objections were made to this policy of the City Council, which policy the objectors claim had the purpose of gerrymandering the electoral composition of key marginal wards, by moving out lower-income Labour supporters, and moving in more affluent Conservative voters.

This motion has been signed by a total of 61 MPs.