It is nearly two months since the Govt announced it is minded to widen the scope of its intervention in Tower Hamlets Council under Lutfur Rahman's leadership + give its 'Envoy' the full powers of a Commissioner. From what we heard in the Audit Committee last night, this might be confirmed next week
Just catching up with Mayor Rahman’s announcement that he intends to allow more than 50,000 more flats to be built if he is re-elected. Most of these will be private and so do nothing to help local people, but it will undermine the character of the East End. www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/News_events/...
Great job by @cllrasmaislam.bsky.social in raising tenants' concerns about Sanctuary Housing's service at last night's Housing Scrutiny Committee. This published performance data doesn't reflect the experience of many of our constituents. Tower Hamlets Council should be doing much more to help them
Generally, other than posting on social media, I don't think the outreach about the events has been very effective. The actual event I went to was very good and the people there followed up with answers to my questions. However, it was just luck I even found out it was happening and that's not good.
Heard yesterday that residents living next to the 19 storey tower block Mayor Lutfur Rahman is proposing in Roman Road were not told about last month's consultation event. If
@thlabour.bsky.social's Cllr Siraj becomes Mayor, Tower Hamlets Council will properly consult residents about these schemes
Next week's Housing Management Cabinet sub-committee has been cancelled - again. This must be at Mayor Rahman's request. The service's performance data will also remain unpublished, possibly until after May's elections. One meeting in five months isn't going to improve the service LBTH's tenants get
Group picture of a celebration event in the city centre yesterday with older and disabled people who led the call for change.
Tomorrow we lift the 9.30am restriction on bus passes, letting older and disabled people travel whenever they want.
It was good to thank the GM Older and Disabled People’s Panels for pushing for it.
A positive change powered by the people - exactly how politics should work! 🙌🏻
Former Middle East adviser at the US Department of Defense, Jasmine El-Gamal, has it exactly right.
If i was being ungenerous, i'd say it was just a fig leaf for press release, but yes it is an application-based discount scheme. Not a bad idea in principle, but lots of other local authorities just use section 13A relief
In yesterday's Full Council, Aspire Party cllrs repeatedly claimed anyone earning less than £50,000 a year is protected from their 5% Council Tax increase. When this 'CT Relief Fund' was set up, the Mayor said 19,000 households would get it. This response shows only 143 households did so last year
Have been re-reading Tower Hamlets Council's submission to MHCLG for today's belated Full Council debate on the stricter Govt intervention. The omission of the Govt's actual critique of the lack of progress is itself an e.g. of how LBTH, under Mayor Lutfur Rahman's leadership, misleads our residents
As well as deciding on Mayor Rahman's proposed 5% increase in Council Tax, tomorrow's Full Council meeting will finally give cllrs a chance to discuss the Govt's intention to give its 'Ministerial Envoys' powers to control the use of public money, senior staff appointments + the award of contracts
The key table for Wednesday's Budget Full Council is this one showing grant from the Labour Govt isn't just £39 milion higher in '26/27, but will increase by at least £64 million more by '28/29. In this context, Tower Hamlets Labour cllrs will oppose Mayor Rahman's proposed 5% Council Tax increase
Screen shot from Paul Embery’s X account: Respect to this police officer. Confronted by radicals demanding the arrest of a Christian preacher on the grounds that Whitechapel "is a Muslim area" she was calm and professional and gave them short shrift. Let's see more of this from the police. Has a video of a woman police officer talking to a group of Muslim men
This clip is all over the other place and has made its way onto GB News and Talk TV so I’ll do a bit of an explainer here too!
The clip doing the rounds is of a fantastic police officer telling a group of Muslim men that a Christian preacher nearby is entitled to freedom of expression.
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Thanks to Gateway Housing's team for yesterday's meeting with older residents at Vic Johnson House. Good to see a new f-t scheme warden is now in post and hear plans are finally being drawn up to repair the long broken lift and stop the repeated loss of heating + hot water. Will stay on the case
Just catching up with @allymcgovern.bsky.social's announcement that the Govt will cover 90% of the deficit accrued in local authority Dedicated Schools Grant for SEND services. In Tower Hamlets, this deficit is nearly £30 million so this ends a big financial risk to LBTH's budget + local tax payers
It seems like a lot - almost a quarter of the year - and the months with the nicest weather.
No, to be fair to AEG they usually allow a route thru from Burdett Coutts Monument to Three Colts Bridge during set up / break down, which is more than LiveNation did during Lovebox. However, the space within the barriers won't be able to used as it would ordinarily for a majority of those 75 days
Just received this from AEG about its forthcoming application to use Victoria Park for commercial events over 75 days this summer. Big thanks to Brockwell Park residents whose legal challenge last year means this prolonged restriction on access to public space now requires formal planning permission
Good to meet residents living near the proposed development at Remus Road last night. This co-living scheme exceeds the 6-8 storey height limit for Fish Island established by Tower Hamlets Council in 2010 and adhered to by the LLDC for the past 15 years. A planning application is expected next month
Ahead of the publication of the Schools White Paper, it's critical that young people's voices are heard & used to improve the SEND education system.
I was delighted to bring together visually impaired & blind young people with Minister Gould at my roundtable recently
www.aop.org.uk/ot/news/2026...
Key workers keep London moving. They deserve to live in the city they serve.
That’s why I’m proud to have launched the Key Worker Living Rent scheme, which could save key workers thousands per year in rent.
This budget paper reveals the Labour Govt's decision to extend Free School Meals to all families getting Universal Credit will save Tower Hamlets Council £2 million a year.
@thlabour.bsky.social will be demanding that Mayor Lutfur Rahman directly reinvests that money in our Borough's young people
Will be speaking in support of residents objecting to Sanctuary Housing's proposed two tower blocks at Strategic Development Committee tomorrow. The amount of affordable housing is good, but residents living in Ink Court (419 Wick Lane) will lose much of their daylight & sunlight if it is approved
Tonight, Labour MPs voted to scrap the two child limit – a move that puts us on course to drive the biggest reduction of child poverty in a single Parliament.
The Tories and Reform UK voted against it.
Don’t let anyone tell you voting Labour doesn’t make a difference 🌹
The deadline for Mayor Rahman to respond to the Govt's proposal to strengthen its intervention in Tower Hamlets Council has now passed. While we wait to hear, we can assure residents @thlabour.bsky.social cllrs have fully supported it and requested controls on publicity + oversight of the election
Fourteen constituents in my advice surgery, including two in their eighties who Gateway Housing has left with only intermittent heating + hot water over past month. I am escalating this, but the Regulator for Social Housing itself should be doing more to proactively tackle these systemic failings
Thanks to LBTH's Divisional Director of Finance for publicly acknowledging that the misrepresentation of the external auditor's concerns in yesterday's committee report wasn't appropriate. If others followed his example, Tower Hamlets Council would not now be facing a much stricter Govt intervention
Back in Audit Committee tonight to scrutinise Tower Hamlets Council's progress responding to the external auditor's report identifying a dozen "significant weaknesses" in securing value for money. Despite the positive spin in the published reports, progress is almost non-existent in some areas
Huge thanks to the staff and volunteers at Bethnal Green Sharks Swimming Club for a wonderful night of competitive swimming at York Hall yesterday. Tower Hamlets Council should be doing more to support BGSSC and other sports clubs in the Borough and helping more young people to participate as well
