Lindsey

Celebrating 50 Years Of The London Boroughs

London became Greater by the creation of 20 outer boroughs, and 12 inner boroughs in addition to the City of London, thanks to the London Government Act 1963.

London Councils have produced a short film looking at how the boroughs have shaped London life. The video depicts different council responsibilities from libraries to environmental health, housing improvements to nurseries, through clips dating from 1967 to 1994.

The footage may look vintage but many issues are still alarmingly relevant. In the opening 1966 film, we hear that "housing is perhaps London's most urgent problem" and Southwark's 1988 film about the budget tells a sadly familiar tale, "local government means caring about people ... but we face severe financial difficulties".