Tower Hamlets London Borough Council

Last updated

Tower Hamlets London Borough Council
Coat of arms of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.svg
Coat of arms
Lb tower hamlets.svg
Council logo
Type
Type
Houses Unicameral
History
Founded1 April 1965
Preceded byBethnal Green Borough Council
Poplar Borough Council
Stepney Borough Council
New session started
3 May 2018 (Municipal year 2018/19)
Leadership
Lutfur Rahman,Aspire
since 5 May 2022
Victoria Obaze
since May 2019
Chief executive
Will Tuckley
since 27 August 2015
Structure
Seats45 councillors
Tower Hamlets London Borough Council 2022.svg
Council political groups
Executive (24)
  •   Aspire (24)

Opposition (21)

Length of term
Executive mayor elected every four years
Whole council elected every four years
Elections
Council voting system
Plurality-at-large
Supplementary vote
Council last election
5 May 2022
Council next election
2026
Meeting place
Tower Hamlets Town Hall 2023 (1).jpg
Tower Hamlets Town Hall
160 Whitechapel Road, London, E1 1BJ
Website
www.towerhamlets.gov.uk
Constitution
Council constitution

Tower Hamlets London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in Greater London, England. The council is unusual in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of Tower Hamlets, currently Lutfur Rahman.

Contents

Following the May 2014 election, Tower Hamlets London Borough Council was composed of 22 Labour Party members, 19 Tower Hamlets First members and 5 Conservative Party members. [1] Following the removal of Lutfur Rahman as mayor and Alibor Choudhury as councillor, Tower Hamlets First was removed from the Electoral Commission register of political parties, with Labour's Sabina Akhtar replacing Choudhury as councillor for Stepney Green and John Biggs replacing Rahman as Mayor, following the by-elections in June 2015. [2] [3] Lutfur Rahman was again elected as Mayor in the 2022 London Borough elections, beating incumbent Labour Mayor John Biggs. [4]

The council was created by the London Government Act 1963 and replaced three local authorities: Bethnal Green Metropolitan Borough Council, Poplar Metropolitan Borough Council and Stepney Metropolitan Borough Council.

History

There have previously been a number of local authorities responsible for the Tower Hamlets area. The current local authority was first elected in 1964, a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on 1 April 1965. Tower Hamlets London Borough Council replaced Bethnal Green Metropolitan Borough Council, Poplar Metropolitan Borough Council and Stepney Metropolitan Borough Council. All three had been created in 1900, in Bethnal Green the borough council replaced the parish vestry and in Poplar the council replaced the board of works; both authorities had been incorporated by the Metropolis Management Act 1855. Stepney had a more convoluted history with the metropolitan borough council established in 1900 replacing the Limehouse District Board of Works, the Whitechapel District Board of Works and the parish vestries of Mile End Old Town and St George in the East. [5]

It was envisaged that through the London Government Act 1963 Tower Hamlets as a London local authority would share power with 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 local authorities responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. This arrangement lasted until 1986 when Tower Hamlets London Borough Council gained responsibility for some services that had been provided by the Greater London Council, such as waste disposal. Tower Hamlets became an education authority in 1990. 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. [6]

In September 2008, Tower Hamlets London Borough Council named two tower blocks in Sidney Street Peter House and Painter House, even though Peter the Painter was only involved in a minor capacity in the robbery, was not present at the siege of Sidney Street, and may not have existed at all. A local councillor and the Metropolitan Police Federation protested against this, saying that he should not be honoured. [7]

Following a local referendum on 6 May 2010, a directly elected executive mayor system of local government commenced with the election on 21 October 2010 of Lutfur Rahman as mayor. Rahman was re-elected at the 2014 mayoral election, but the result of this election was cancelled and declared null and void on 23 April 2015 when the Election Court officially reported Rahman to be guilty of corrupt or illegal practices, or both (electoral fraud) under the Representation of the People Act 1983. [8] [9] He was thus removed from his office with immediate effect and was also personally debarred from standing for elected office until 2021. [10] [11] A BBC article in 2018 stated that "Police investigating electoral fraud during the 2014 Tower Hamlets mayoral election have not found sufficient evidence to charge anyone". [12]

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. [13] 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. [14]

Policies

From 1986 to 1994 the council experimented with decentralisation of services to seven neighbourhood areas. [15]

Summary results of elections

Previous election results are as follows:

ElectionOverall control Conservative Labour Lib Dem Others
2022 [16] Aspire 11925
2018 [17] Labour2421
2014 No overall control52218
2010 Labour84111
2006 Labour726612
2002 Labour3516
1998 Labour419
1994 Labour437
1990 Liberal Democrat2030
1986 Liberal/SDP Alliance2426
1982 Labour31181
1978 Labour437
1974 Labour60
1971 Labour60
1968 Labour573
1964 Labour555

List of councillors

The councillors before and after the 2022 elections were as follows: [18]

WardCouncillor
until May 2022
NotesCouncillor
from May 2022
Party
Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs Mayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman Aspire
Bethnal Green EastAhbab HossainRebaka SultanaLabour
Sirajul IslamStatutory Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for HousingSirajul IslamLabour
Eve McQuillanMayoral Advisor for Tackling Poverty & InequalityAhmodul KabirAspire
Bethnal Green West
(formerly St Peter's)
Kevin BradyMusthak AhmedAspire
Tarik KhanMajority Group WhipAbu Talha ChowdhuryAspire
Gabriela Salva MacallanMiraj Amin RahmanAspire
Blackwall & Cubitt Town Ehtasham HaqueAhmodur Rahman KhanAspire
Mohammed PappuAbdul MalikAspire
Candida RolandCabinet Member for Resources and the Voluntary SectorMuhammad Bellal UddinAspire
Bow East Amina AliCabinet Member for Culture, Arts and BrexitAmina AliLabour
Rachel Nancy Blake Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Air QualityRachel Nancy BlakeLabour
Marc FrancisMarc FrancisLabour
Bow West Asma BegumDeputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Community Safety and EqualitiesAsma BegumLabour
Val WhiteheadNathalie Sylvia BienfaitGreen
Bromley North Zenith RahmanMuhammad Saif Uddin KhaledAspire
Dan TomlinsonAbdul MannanAspire
Bromley South Danny HassellCabinet Member for Children, Schools and Young PeopleBodruf Islam ChoudhuryAspire
Helal UddinShahaveer HussainLabour
Canary Wharf Kyrsten PerrySaled AhmedAspire
Andrew WoodLeader of the Conservative Group; resigned in 2020. [19] Mohammad Maium Miah TalukdarAspire
Island Gardens Mufeedah BustinMufeedah BustinLabour
Peter Stacey GoldsPeter Stacey GoldsConservative
Lansbury Kahar ChowdhuryAbul Monsur Ohid AhmedAspire
Muhammad HarunJahed ChoudhuryAspire
Bex WhiteIqbal HossainAspire
Limehouse James Robert Venables KingJames Robert Venables KingLabour
Mile End David EdgerCabinet Member for EnvironmentLeelu AhmedLabour
Asam IslamMayoral Advisor for Young PeopleMohammad Saifur Rahman ChowdhuryLabour
Puru MiahSabina KhanLabour
Poplar Sufia AlamGulam Kibria ChoudhuryAspire
Shadwell Ruhul AminCabinet Member for EnvironmentAna MiahAspire
Rabina Khan Elected as People's Alliance of Tower Hamlets;
switched to the Liberal Democrats in August 2018
Mohammad Harun MiahAspire
Spitalfields & Banglatown Shad ChowdhurySulik AhmedAspire
Leema QureshiKabir HussainAspire
St Dunstan's Dipa DasMaisha Fahmida BegumLabour
Ayas MiahSpeaker of the CouncilAyas MiahLabour
St Katharine's & Wapping Denise JonesCabinet Member for Adults, Health and WellbeingAmy Louise LeeLabour
Abdal UllahAbdal UllahLabour
Stepney Green Sabina AkhtarMayoral Advisor for Community & Voluntary SectorSabina AkhtarLabour
Motin Uz-ZamanCabinet Member for Work and Economic GrowthMohammed Abdul Wahid AliAspire
Weavers Abdul MukitKabir AhmedAspire
John PierceAsma IslamLabour
Whitechapel Faroque Mahfuz AhmedFaroque Mahfuz AhmedLabour
Shah AmeenShafi Uddin AhmedAspire
Victoria ObazeMohammed Kamrul HussainAspire

See also

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References

  1. "Local Elections – Thursday, 22nd May, 2014". Tower Hamlets Council. 4 July 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  2. "Stepney Green – Thursday, 11th June, 2015". Tower Hamlets Council. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  3. "Tower Hamlets election: Labour's John Biggs named mayor - BBC News". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  4. "Lutfur Rahman wins Tower Hamlets mayor vote after five-year ban". The Guardian. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  5. Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Vol. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN   0-901050-67-9.
  6. Leach, Steve (1998). Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN   978-0714648590.
  7. Cockcroft, Lucy (25 September 2008). "Tower Blocks Named after Notorious Criminal Linked to Police Killings". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016.
  8. Tom Whitehead (23 April 2015). "Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman guilty of corrupt and illegal practices over election". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  9. Parliament of the United Kingdom (8 February 1983), The Representation of the People Act 1983, Chapter 2 (as amended on the 23rd. July 2015), Part III, Section 159, London: The National Archives, Ministry of Justice, HM Government , retrieved 23 July 2015
  10. Tower Hamlets election fraud mayor Lutfur Rahman removed from office, BBC News, British Broadcasting Corporation, 23 April 2015, retrieved 25 July 2015
  11. Mike Brooke (29 April 2015), Rahman's 'Tower Hamlets First' is removed from Electoral Commission's party register, The Docklands and East London Advertiser, retrieved 25 July 2015
  12. "No charges after Tower Hamlets electoral fraud probe". 7 September 2018 via www.bbc.co.uk.
  13. "Council Tax and Business Rates Billing Authorities". Council Tax Rates. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  14. "Local Plan Responses – within and outside London". Mayor of London. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  15. Dench, Geoff (2006). The new East End : kinship, race and conflict. London: Profile. ISBN   1861979282.
  16. "Local Elections - Thursday, 5th May, 2022". Tower Hamlets London Borough Council.
  17. "Tower Hamlets London Borough Council". BBC News.
  18. "Mayor and Councillors". Tower Hamlets Council. Retrieved 29 August 2018. and 8 May 2022.
  19. Jon King. "Tory councillor quits party over Brexit and Westferry Printworks scheme". East London Advertiser. Retrieved 29 May 2020.