Choosing a German partner might give us a head-start:
- Britain and Germany, and London and Berlin in particular, have a great deal in common: both cities are prominent on the world stage, with boroughs of comparable size and a similar mix of inner city and more suburban districts;
- Recent top-level undertakings between the German and British Governments have given a fresh push to local twinning arrangements – and the German Government appears to be putting money behind its commitment too.
- For example, its ‘Host a Teacher from Germany’ scheme assigns schools here, for an agreed period, an English-speaking qualified teacher, not just free of charge but with funding attached to help the school make the most of the additional resource.
- In addition, the British-German Association, a voluntary-sector body based here in London promoting friendship between the two nations, is keen to support existing twinnings and provide advice to get new partnerships off the ground.
European Movement in Wandsworth and Merton 