ABSTRACT
Lewis Silkin, the Minister of Town and Country Planning in the Attlee Government, had decided to designate Stevenage as the first new town, and in early 1946 began to make the necessary prologue. In April the Minister decided to visit Stevenage and address a public meeting both to spread the news of the impending social revolution and to allay any fears. The legal adviser was instructed to prepare the objections in detail on these grounds for submission to the Minister after the advertisement of the Draft Order. The local supporters of the new town project at Stevenage were, essentially, the Trades Council who welcomed the possibility of more and varied employment; those who were attracted to the ‘city lights’ notion of Stevenage as a citadel of entertainment; and the Labour Party supporters. The year 1949 brought a new Chairman, Monica Felton, who had been an original.
