Readers respond to Simon Jenkins’ suggestion of turning Buckingham Palace’s gardens into a public space
I fully endorse Simon Jenkins’ request for a bequest to the nation where Buckingham Palace is concerned (Parks have been a lifeline during the pandemic. Let’s make Buckingham Palace a public space, 25 February), but why stop there? How about a redistribution of the country’s assets through radical land reform? Britain’s enormous wealth gap is underpinned by the fact that vast swathes of land are in private ownership, most of it obtained by accident of birth, patronage and historic dodgy deals between various dynasties and their hangers-on.
Only recently you reported on the millions that the Queen will get from her development rights over the seabed when offshore windfarm licences are auctioned. It is unacceptable in a democracy in the 21st century that so much of the nation’s wealth is still in the hands of a few aristocratic families and ancient institutions like the church and public schools. This puts local authorities at a huge disadvantage when looking for land to build truly affordable housing for rent and provide essential infrastructure that benefits everyone. Suggestions to use largely empty buildings like the palace to house the homeless are treated as a joke. Who’s laughing?
Karen Barratt
Winchester, Hampshire
