MP who loves the feel of a caring community

BELGRAVIA may be famed as one of the world’s most affluent neighbourhoods but the local MP reckons people have the wrong idea about the place, writes David Williamson.

Nickie Aiken entered Parliament in December for the first time as Conservative MP for the Cities of London and Westminster.

When Ms Aiken started knocking on doors she encountered a generous and warm community. “I would describe it as thriving and cosmopolitan,” she says. “I was out campaigning and was blown away at this really close-knit community.

“You’ve got a fair share of oligarchs and very wealthy people but you’ve also got people who have lived there for decades, who’ve brought up families. It remains their home.”

Ms Aiken, who lives in nearby Pimlico, said: “Belgravia is the place to go for Halloween. It has always been the case. The residents do up their own homes. Some of them are absolutely breathtaking. There’s one in Eaton Square which puts on a complete show during Halloween. They invite people from all over to bring their children trick-or-treating.”

Before joining the Commons, when she was leader of Westminster City Council, Ms Aiken was struck by the generosity of residents who asked how they could do more to help their community.

“One of the reasons when I was council leader I introduced the voluntary community charge was because the residents, particularly in Belgravia, were asking why they couldn’t pay a bit more,” she said. “It raised £1million.”