Petition details
Consultation on the naming of Milligan Street
Robert Milligan (1746-1809) was a wealthy merchant who owned two sugar plantations in Jamaica worked by slave labour. He owned 526 slaves at the time of his death. In response to Black Lives Matters, the Council removed Milligan’s statue on West India Quay on 9 June 2020 in a move that made national news.
The Council has begun a review of symbols in the borough and it is likely that the naming of a street after Milligan will be included in the review. It is important that residents make the decision on a name change themselves and whether they wish to be associated with Milligan’s legacy.
This would not be the first re-naming of the street. It was originally named Park Street when it was first laid out in around 1809 and was renamed after Milligan in the mid-20th century.
This Petition ran from 11/06/2020 to 26/08/2020 and has now finished.
41 people signed this Petition.
Council response
Dear Jeremy,
Re: Petition: Consultation on the naming of Milligan Street
I write in response to the recent petition submitted in relation to a consultation on the renaming of Milligan Street.
Earlier in the summer Tower Hamlets council asked its residents to contribute to the ongoing conversation about how issues of race and equality are represented in the borough’s public spaces. As part of this, Milligan Street was raised as a street name where consideration should be given to changing it given Robert Milligan’s association with the slave trade.
A process is currently being developed to assess, and where appropriate, take forward actions arising from the consultation – which seek to better represent race and equality in public realm throughout the borough. If taken forward as a recommendation, any proposal for a change in a street’s name would require formal consultation with local residents, both in terms of if the name should be changed and if so, what the new name would be. In addition to developing any approach to assess and take forward actions arising from the consultation, we are also investigating the implications for residents if a street name change was to emerge as a recommendation, along with what steps the council could take to minimise any disruption caused. Feedback on the outcome of the consultation will be issued shortly.
Should you wish to discuss the above further, or any other related matter, please do not hesitate to get in touch,
Yours sincerely,
Ann Sutcliffe,
Corporate Director, Place