Renaming streets isn't necessarily a bad idea

A few days ago, Ealing Council put out a statement saying that ‘following consultation’ the local authority had decided to rename a street in Southall. Part of Havelock Road, the Labour-led council explained, would be renamed ‘Guru Nanak Road’. It appears the local authority wanted the renaming to coincide with the 551st anniversary of the birth of Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak and that the London council was planning to ‘celebrate and honour’ this religious figure.

According to the pressure group Save Our Statues (SOS), just 16 households of the 345 contacted for their views on the proposed renaming had actually engaged with the process. Of those 16 who replied, just seven supported the proposals. I can see why pressure groups like SOS have taken issue with the consultation process, and more broadly lobby to conserve our national heritage. They say ‘inaction is our greatest weakness’ — and inaction certainly seems to be a big part of this particular story — but the proposal in this instance isn’t necessarily a bad thing.