As the dust settles on the General London Assembly and London mayor elections, Harrow residents are turning their attention to the next vote – whether Britain should stay in the European Union or opt to leave it.

The Harrow Times asked two Conservative councillors, Richard Almond and Kam Chana, to explain why they are for and against a Brexit respectively.

Cllr Richard Almond, who represents Pinner South ward, says the UK would be better off leaving the union.

He said: “I want my country, the UK, to be a self-governing democracy. From the beginning the European Economic Community was a political project to create a single country called Europe from the member states.

“When we joined in 1973 we signed up to that project. Many people now say that in the 1975 referendum they voted to stay in simply a free-trade zone. The EEC, now the EU, was never that.

“EU law takes precedence over UK law. Nothing in the recent renegotiation changed that yet there is no direct democratic control of its institutions.

“The only one for which we vote is the European Parliament yet ask yourself which of the political groups there you can name. Which is the largest, does it have overall control? Which party won the last European Parliament elections in the UK?

"Some might know the final one, few will get the others, yet if you don’t even know who controls a parliament how can you talk about holding it to account?

“So, no self-government, no democracy. Vote Leave.

If you like this “Europe”, vote to remain. If not, the only vote on June 23 is – leave.”

Cllr Kam Chana, who also represents Pinner South and is shadow business portfolio holder, wants Britain to stay inneeds to “keep its seat at the table”.

Harrow Times:

He said: “If you want good business relationships with people, it’s better to discuss things with them around the table than from outside the room.

“I feel the same about Britain in the EU; it’s not perfect, but if we want to do business and have proper discussions with EU countries, it makes sense to stay a part of it.

“It’s true that if we left, Britain could negotiate trade deals with other EU countries – this is what Norway does.

“But to get that deal, Norway has to comply with over 90 per cent of the EU’s regulations anyway, so wouldn’t it make sense to have influence on what those regulations are rather than just having to follow them?

“Similarly, Switzerland (which isn’t in the EU) has had to accept the same free movement and immigration rules as other EU countries just to have access to the free market.

“Reform within the EU is possible – indeed, few thought Margaret Thatcher would get the rebate she eventually won. She was only able to do this by having a seat at the table.

“Losing the ability to discuss matters which will affect us directly whether we’re in or out is not the best option for Britain, and so I’m voting to remain in the EU and keep our seat at the table.”