Yahoo News Canvey Island plans to follow Catalonia with its own bid for independence
Canvey Island is to follow in Catalonia’s footsteps with its own bid for independence.
The main party in the civil parish in the Thames Estuary in Essex, which has a population of 38,000 wants to go it alone by breaking away from the council which currently controls it.
The Canvey Island Independence Party (CIIP), which holds 14 of the island’s 17 seats on Conservative-controlled Castle Point Borough Council, wants to break away and govern by itself.
It says Canvey Island residents have had enough of politicians making decisions about their community even though they don’t live on the island.
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The party says it is taking inspiration from Catalonia’s recent attempts to break away from Spain.
CIIP councillor Dave Blackwell told the Independent: ‘Canvey people don’t want to be told what to do by the mainland and they don’t want to be part of Castle Point.
’It is time for us to start a move for proper independence like the Catalonians want and we must begin with a petition.
‘It is simply not fair that there are more councillors sitting on the council from the mainland than from Canvey.
‘We need our own voice to determine our own future even if that means we have to break away.
‘I think it will happen as more and more power is eventually handed to town councils but if they had a referendum here like they had in Catalonia about breaking from Spain, I am convinced that 100 per cent of people would vote to leave Castle Point.
‘Islanders don’t want to be told what to do by the mainland and don’t want to be part of Castle Point. We are unhappy at the decisions made for us by people who don’t live here.’
(Main picture: PA)
