Tag Archives: Tower Hamlets

In a borough marked by unique challenges, Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman and the local council find themselves under renewed government scrutiny, prompting questions about the motivations behind this external review. As concerns mount, the mayor’s resilient leadership and the council’s commitment to progress come to the forefront, despite growing critique and speculation. The government’s decision to initiate a review …

By Lutfur Rahman Running from Whitechapel Road to Shoreditch, Brick Lane’s rich history can be read from every corner of its mile-long stretch. It has existed since the 15th Century, and has welcomed many different cultures over the centuries. It forms the beating heart of Spitalfields, in London’s old East End. Long, winding, and narrow – a walk down it …

Following the announcement by Mayor John Biggs on a pause and a rethinking on Liveable Streets. Below is a roadmap on what a resident lead reset means. News from the Town Hall. Pause and rethink on Liveable Streets On Friday, Mayor John Biggs in a press release announced a pause and rethink on Liveable Streets, accompanied by a reshuffle of …

Once upon a time, there was an idea called local streets for local people Everybody wants clean, greener and quieter streets. Where rat runs and through traffics are reduced, and local side streets are reserved for the traffic generated by locals. So when the 2018 Tower Hamlets Labour Party manifesto, stated the above, it did not bat an eyelid and …

A gangland killing in Tower Hamlets, allegations of strong-arm tactics in Brick Lane, questionable support for the Truman application. An attempt to join the dots and a way out. Questions around the consultation process: Campaign of terror and intimidation? There are serious questions raised around the consultation process. Early on, there have been serious allegations made that paid agents on …

Why I object to the Black Asian Minorities Inequalities Report by Tower Hamlets Council, noted by the Mayor and Cabinet on the 24th March 2021. And why I will be seeking support to challenge the decision on the report, asking for a genuine debate. Orientalism Revisited: We are not all Abduls! 43 years after Edward Said’s seminal work, Orientalism. It …

Over 600 residents sign an open letter accusing Tower Hamlets Council, Mayor John Biggs and his Cabinet of a “cover up in regard to serious allegations of discrimination direct and indirect by Tower Hamlets Council and its partners”. On Thursday, 18th of March 2021, Tower Hamlets Council launched its Black Asian Minority Ethnic Inequalities Commission Report. Over that weekend, meetings …

Recently Tower Hamlets Council published its ‘Inequality Commission’ report on racial disparities. Speaking to grassroots stakeholders and those who took part, the report and process raise more questions than it answers. In Tower Hamlets, 10 years after the Equalities Act, how did we come to this? Enemy identified, war waged, victory declared: Long live #AntiRacist Tower Hamlets! Looking at the …

The climate change crisis is a fact. The problem of air pollution is a fact. Then why are working-class voices and perspectives silenced in the debate in Tower Hamlets?  The rejection by Tower Hamlets Council of a cross-party call-in, challenging the Mayor’s decision on Bow Liveable Streets might give us some answers. Cancel Culture Tower Hamlets – Call in on …

The latest statistical release from the NHS released on the 4th of March shows that Tower Hamlets in terms of vaccine roll-out is below the national average in all priority age groups and, in all wards, in some areas 20% below the national average. What do these numbers say, and why are some people comfortably numb about it? Behind the …

Is equality under law being applied by Tower Hamlets Council in regard to Shamima. If so, why are they refusing to carry out a Serious Case Review? Or is Shamima and others like her, an ‘exception’ to the rule? “[The] Sovereign is he who decides on the exception.” – Carl Schmitt  The Rule of Law in Britain is something all …

Next Thursday on the 5th of March 2021, Tower Hamlets Council will be passing a budget with proposed savings, a large portion of which, will fall on the Drug Treatment service. At a time of rising unemployment and poverty in the wake of the Covid-19 Pandemic, how essential is the service? Tower Hamlets has the highest number of drug users …

A look at low traffic neighbourhoods (Liveable Streets), are bike-induced road closures creating a new “tale of two cities” in Tower Hamlets? With details of cross-party Tribunal to look at the issue. Forty years ago, inner-city areas of England were facing their worst economic depression, rising unemployment and rising tensions. There was an economic recession throughout the country, but inner-city …

Last Thursday, 11th February 2021, the ongoing row about Islamophobia in the Tower Hamlets Labour Party took a dramatic turn of events. In what was scheduled to be a regular local Labour Party management meeting, the meeting was overtaken by direct intervention of the regional Labour Party. The Executive Committee of the local Labour Party meets every month to discuss …

Details of new Cross-Party Inquiry in Tower Hamlets Ten years ago the Single Equalities Act was passed by Parliament, simplifying the law by bringing together all anti-discrimination laws and creating a public sector duty to tackle entrenched discrimination. It was hailed at the time as the biggest idea in progressive politics for the decade, as a move by the political …

‘Smash and Grab’ in Brick Lane. Aided by Tower Hamlets Council? On Thursday 28th January, the East Yard of the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane was cordoned off. In the next couple of days, JCB’s moved in and removed the historic paving in the area. A week later Tower Hamlets Council confirmed that the works were a breach of planning …