Romford Recorder readers have waded in on the age old question of whether Hornchurch belongs as a London borough or not.
It comes after a TikTok video posted by Dilan Kurt went viral for shining a light on the subject that has still left locals torn.
Historically, the town has connections to the county of Essex.
Officially however, Hornchurch is part of east London.
In the 20th century the town and other parishes were absorbed into London’s suburbs and under the London Government Act 1963, Hornchurch was transferred from the oversight of Essex County Council to London.
The act created Havering as one of the 32 London boroughs.
More than 200 Recorder readers responded to the debate, each sharing their opinion on the matter.
For Tommy Allen, the answer is Essex. He wrote: “It was Essex and to the people who have lived here all their (lives) will always be Essex.”
Kim Chennells echoed similar feelings, commenting: “Essex. (Always) will be to me.”
A large number of responses appeared in favour of the opinion that the town is in Essex.
This was strongly backed by Romford MP Andrew Rosindell, who left a number of comments himself.
Mr Rosindell claimed: “Essex! You cannot define the cultural, historical and geographical identity of a county or a town on a short term local government construction.
“Romford and Hornchurch are part of the historic English County of Essex and always have been. That was not changed by the 1963 Act.”
He added that the topic is a “muddle” and “misunderstanding” of the act.
However, there were several responses claiming otherwise.
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John P Smith made his position quite clear, putting simply: “What police have you got – Essex or Met ? There is the answer”.
Kim Arrowsmith said: “We are in London. We are a London borough, we are on the Underground network. It’s Greater London.”
Ell Rebecca Elizabeth Eve commented: “It’s hasn’t been Essex for like over 60 years now some people need to let go.”
