Imperial Way and Rhodes Way are among street names that could be changed

Imperial Way and Rhodes Way are among street names that could be changed
Imperial Way and Rhodes Way are among street names that could be changed

Residents may be able to vote on changing street names with colonial and imperial links in a new rule set for approval by Watford Borough Council.

The new policy proposes that locals should be allowed to rename roads with links to the British Empire or the slave trade if two-thirds of residents approve the change.

Places such as Imperial Way, Rhodes Way, Clive Way and Colonial Way were brought up, as the council decided to consider the change following the July 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.

British imperialist Cecil Rhodes. As well as having a Watford street named after him, Rhodes also has a statue in an Oxford University college

British imperialist Cecil Rhodes. As well as having a Watford street named after him, Rhodes also has a statue in an Oxford University college

The issue was brought up by Labour councillor Asif Khan in the summer of 2020.

In a statement issued by Watford Labour at the time, Cllr Khan said street and building names should reflect the town's 'rich, deep cultural history rather than any negative connotations'.

He added: 'Watford has been enriched by its ethnic minority citizens that have come from across the globe or born in UK.

'The likes of Luther Blissett, Anthony Joshua, John Barnes are just some, who have made contributions to our town, but there are many more.'

Imperial Way in Watford. Residents may be able to vote on changing street names with colonial and imperial links in a new rule set for approval by Watford Borough Council

Imperial Way in Watford. Residents may be able to vote on changing street names with colonial and imperial links in a new rule set for approval by Watford Borough Council

Tola Dabiri, of Brick By Brick Communities, which researches black history in Watford, welcomed the move by the council, the BBC reports.

She said: 'I think anything that encourages the community to participate in local affairs can only be a good thing.

'Not everybody is going to be in favour of actually changing names which are perceived to be offensive, and so by allowing everyone to comment it also allows some debate around these issues.'

The policy said that the renaming of streets will 'generally be avoided' unless they are likely to 'cause offence' or are 'causing problems for the

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