Tower Hamlets London Borough Council

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Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Use British English Script error: No such module "Infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Tower Hamlets London Borough Council, also known as Tower Hamlets Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under the control of local party Aspire since 2022. It has been led by a directly elected mayor since 2010. The council is based at Tower Hamlets Town Hall on Whitechapel Road.

History

The London Borough of Tower Hamlets and its council were created under the London Government Act 1963, with the first election held in 1964.[1] For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's three outgoing authorities, being the three metropolitan borough councils of Bethnal Green, Poplar and Stepney. The new council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1965, at which point the old boroughs and their councils were abolished.[2] The council's full legal name is "The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets", but it styles itself Tower Hamlets Council.[3][4]

From 1965 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the Greater London Council. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention, and refuse disposal; with the boroughs (including Tower Hamlets) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the London Boroughs, with some services provided through joint committees.[5] Tower Hamlets became a local education authority in 1990 when the Inner London Education Authority was dissolved.[6]

From 1986 to 1994 the council experimented with decentralisation of services to seven neighbourhood areas.[7]

Since 2000 the Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions.[8]

In 2008 the council named two tower blocks in Sidney Street as 'Peter House' and 'Painter House' after Peter the Painter, a Latvian anarchist gangster reputedly involved in the Siege of Sidney Street in 1911, whose true identity is not known. Having escaped capture, he had become an anti-hero in the East End. A local councillor and the Metropolitan Police Federation protested against the naming, saying that he should not be honoured.[9]

In 2010, following a referendum, the directly elected role of Mayor of Tower Hamlets was created to serve as the council's political leader. Lutfur Rahman was elected as the first such mayor.[10] He was re-elected in 2014, but the result of that election was declared void the following year in the case of Erlam v Rahman at the Election Court, which reported Rahman and one of the councillors to be guilty of electoral fraud under the Representation of the People Act 1983.[11][12] He was thus removed from his office with immediate effect and was also barred from standing for elected office until 2021.[13][14] The police subsequently carried out an investigation into whether criminal charges should be brought against anyone involved regarding the electoral fraud, but concluded that there was insufficient evidence to do so.[15]

Labour's John Biggs won the subsequent mayoral by-election following Rahman's removal in 2015, and retained the post at the 2018 election.[16][17] Rahman's ban on standing for office expired in 2021, allowing him to contest the mayoralty again in 2022. He stood under the banner of a new local party called Aspire. Rahman defeated Biggs for the mayoralty, and Aspire also won a majority of the seats on the council.[18]

In February 2023, the chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) said he had concerns about the management of the council under Aspire and believed that government intervention may be necessary.[19]

Powers and functions

The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as a billing authority also collects precepts for Greater London Authority functions and business rates.[20] It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly. It is a local education authority and is also responsible for council housing, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health.[21]

Political control

The council has been under Aspire majority control since 2022.

The first election was held in 1964, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1965. Political control of the council since 1965 has been as follows:[22]

Party in control Years
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1965–1986
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1986–1988
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1988–1994
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1994–2017
Script error: No such module "Party name with color".[23] 2017–2018
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 2018–2022
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 2022–present

Leadership

Prior to 2010, political leadership was provided by the leader of the council, with the role of Mayor of Tower Hamlets at that time being largely ceremonial. The leaders from 1965 to 2010 were:[24]

Councillor Party From To
John Orwell Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1965 1974
Paul Beasley Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1974 1984
John Riley Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1984 1986
Eric Flounders Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1986 1987
Chris Birt Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1987 1988
Brenda Collins Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1988 1990
Eric Flounders Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1990 1991
Peter Hughes Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1991 1994
John Biggs Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1994 1995
Dennis Twomey Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1995 1997
Michael Keith Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1997 1998
Julia Mainwaring Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1998 1999
Michael Keith Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1999 2001
Helal Abbas[25] Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 2001 2005
Michael Keith[26] Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 2005 May 2006
Denise Jones[27][28] Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 24 May 2006 21 May 2008
Lutfur Rahman[29] Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 21 May 2008 26 May 2010
Helal Abbas[30] Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 26 May 2010 21 Oct 2010

In 2010 the council changed to having directly elected mayors with executive powers. To avoid the confusion of having multiple mayors, the old ceremonial role of mayor was renamed as the chair, and was renamed again in 2011 as the speaker.[31] The elected mayors since 2010 have been:

Mayor Party From To
Lutfur Rahman Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 25 Oct 2010 25 May 2014
(Lutfur Rahman)Template:Efn Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 26 May 2014 23 Apr 2015
John Biggs Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 15 Jun 2015 8 May 2022
Lutfur Rahman Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 9 May 2022

Template:Notelist

Composition

Following the 2022 election and subsequent changes of allegiance,[32][33] the composition of the council (excluding the elected mayor's seat) is:

Party Councillors
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 23
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 17
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 3
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1
Total 45

The next election is due 7 May 2026, where all seats of the council will be contested.[34]

Elections

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". Since the last boundary changes in 2014, the council has comprised the elected mayor plus 45 councillors, representing 20 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held for the mayor and councillors together every four years.[35]

Premises

File:Former Town Hall, Cambridge Heath Road.jpg
Bethnal Green Town Hall: Council's headquarters 1965–1993

The council is based at Tower Hamlets Town Hall at 160 Whitechapel Road, which was completed in 2023 behind the retained façade of the old Royal London Hospital, which had been built in 1757.[36][37]

When the council was first created in 1965, it had been based at the old Bethnal Green Town Hall, which had been built in 1910 for Bethnal Green Borough Council.[38] In 1993 the council moved to a new town hall at Mulberry Place in the Blackwall area of the borough, remaining there until 2023.[39][40]

File:Tower Hamlets Town Hall 2015-06-19 02.jpg
Mulberry Place: Served as town hall 1993–2023

List of councillors

The councillors before and after the 2022 elections were as follows:[41]

Ward Councillor
until May 2022 		Notes Councillor
from May 2022 		Party
Bethnal Green East style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Ahbab Hossain Rebaka Sultana style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Labour
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Sirajul Islam Statutory Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Housing Sirajul Islam style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Labour
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Eve McQuillan Mayoral Advisor for Tackling Poverty & Inequality Ahmodul Kabir style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
Bethnal Green West
(formerly St Peter's) 		style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Kevin Brady Musthak Ahmed style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Tarik Khan Majority Group Whip Abu Talha Chowdhury style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Gabriela Salva Macallan Miraj Amin Rahman style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
Blackwall & Cubitt Town style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Ehtasham Haque Ahmodur Rahman Khan style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Mohammed Pappu Abdul Malik style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Candida Roland Cabinet Member for Resources and the Voluntary Sector Muhammad Bellal Uddin style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
Bow East style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Amina Ali Cabinet Member for Culture, Arts and Brexit Amina Ali style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Labour
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Rachel Nancy Blake Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Air Quality Rachel Nancy Blake style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Labour
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Marc Francis Marc Francis style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Labour
Bow West style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Asma Begum Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Equalities Asma Begum style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Labour
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Val Whitehead Nathalie Sylvia Bienfait style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Green
Bromley North style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Zenith Rahman Muhammad Saif Uddin Khaled style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Dan Tomlinson Abdul Mannan style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
Bromley South style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Danny Hassell Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Young People Bodruf Islam Choudhury style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Helal Uddin Shahaveer Hussain style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Labour
Canary Wharf style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Kyrsten Perry Saled Ahmed style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Andrew Wood Leader of the Conservative Group; resigned in 2020.[42] Mohammad Maium Miah Talukdar style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
Island Gardens style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Mufeedah Bustin Mufeedah Bustin style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Labour
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Peter Stacey Golds Peter Stacey Golds style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Conservative
Lansbury style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Kahar Chowdhury Abul Monsur Ohid Ahmed style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Muhammad Harun Jahed Choudhury style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Bex White Iqbal Hossain style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
Limehouse style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | James Robert Venables King James Robert Venables King style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Labour
Mile End style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | David Edger Cabinet Member for Environment Leelu Ahmed style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Labour
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Asam Islam Mayoral Advisor for Young People Mohammad Saifur Rahman Chowdhury style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Labour
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Puru Miah Sabina Khan style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Labour
Poplar style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Sufia Alam Gulam Kibria Choudhury style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
Shadwell style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Ruhul Amin Cabinet Member for Environment Ana Miah style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Rabina Khan Elected as People's Alliance of Tower Hamlets;
switched to the Liberal Democrats in August 2018 		Mohammad Harun Miah style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
Spitalfields and Banglatown style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Shad Chowdhury Sulik Ahmed style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Leema Qureshi Kabir Hussain style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
St Dunstan's style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Dipa Das Maisha Fahmida Begum style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Labour
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Ayas Miah Speaker of the Council Ayas Miah style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Labour
St Katharine's and Wapping style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Denise Jones Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing Amy Louise Lee style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Labour
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Abdal Ullah Abdal Ullah style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Labour
Stepney Green style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Sabina Akhtar Mayoral Advisor for Community & Voluntary Sector Sabina Akhtar style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Labour
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Motin Uz-Zaman Cabinet Member for Work and Economic Growth Mohammed Abdul Wahid Ali style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
Weavers style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Abdul Mukit Kabir Ahmed style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | John Pierce Asma Islam style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Labour
Whitechapel style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Faroque Mahfuz Ahmed Faroque Mahfuz Ahmed style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Labour
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Shah Ameen Shafi Uddin Ahmed style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" | Victoria Obaze Mohammed Kamrul Hussain style="background:Template:Party color; color:white"|Aspire

See also

References

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  6. ↑ Education Reform Act 1988 (c. 40)
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". (Put "Tower Hamlets" in search box to see specific results.)
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Template:Cite legislation UK
  36. ↑ Template:NHLE
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Template:NHLE
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". and 8 May 2022.
  42. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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