Are Tower Hamlets leisure services trans inclusive?
I’ve recently heard from the Leisure Services team about how the council is ensuring its leisure facilities are trans inclusive. This enquiry was submitted after the Supreme Court backed the biological definition of a person’s gender. The ruling had implications for the management of single-sex spaces and the managers of these spaces may need consider biological sex when determining who… Read More >
Comment: Mayor Rahman should protect our community’s assets equally
At the full council meeting held last night at the Town Hall in Whitechapel, we heard three petitions all raising similar issues. All three were organisations occupying council-owned buildings. All three had either they had been subject to rent reviews, or were trying to formalise their lease. Mayor Rahman has made it clear in previous statements that he does not… Read More >
Comment: Lutfur Rahman is holding us back from healthy streets
The Healthy Streets Scorecard 2025, published 8 July, has shown the dangerous impact of Lutfur Rahman’s policies on transport. Tower Hamlets dropped 4 places in the ranking of London boroughs on infrastructure which supports people to take healthier modes of travel. Our borough’s fall in the rankings is mostly due to inaction, but the Mayor is threatening to rip out… Read More >
Parking permits renewal reminders not getting through?
A resident recently told me that they had not received a reminder email from the council to renew their parking permits. And they only found out when they were hit with several fines, totalling £400. This isn’t the first time I’ve looked into this issue, however I submitted a Member Enquiry with low expectations of any breakthrough. Here is the… Read More >
Why I accepted free tickets to Lido
I recently accepted free tickets to attend Outbreak Festival at Lido as a guest of AEG, the contractors for both Lido and All Points East. The reason? I wanted to see for myself just how loud the events are for punters. Despite having lived within earshot of the festivals for nearly 9 years (3 years of which in the resident… Read More >
Nathalie’s flood risk recommendations approved by Scrutiny committee
I am really pleased that my recommendations for improving the Council’s flood risk response have been approved by the Overview & Scrutiny Committee. The officers will now prepare an Action Plan and it will be up to the Mayor to decide which recommendations are implemented. Since May 2024, I have been honoured to serve as the Scrutiny Lead for Environment… Read More >
My support for a petition calling for pension fund divestment
I am please to support a campaign calling for Tower Hamlets Council to divest its pension fund from companies profiting from the Israeli State’s wars and those which profit from climate change. The campaign was led by the Tower Hamlets Coalition for Ethical Investment, which brings together Unison, the Tower Hamlets Trades Union Council, the Tower Hamlets Palestine Solidarity Campaign… Read More >
Council to introduce reasonable adjustments policy for disabled residents
I’m pleased that the Council will be implementing a policy – and training for staff – to enable disabled residents to access services in appropriate formats. I am however surprised and disappointed that we didn’t have such a policy before now, and that it took a case being decided by the Local Government Ombudsman to prompt us to do so…. Read More >
Council parking enforcement consultation: more parking and where is the enforcement?
I’m disappointed to have seen the questions asked in the Council’s Parking Enforcement Consultation. The questions were overwhelmingly aimed at car owners, rather than users of other modes; there were loaded questions about increasing the number of parking spaces; and there was nothing about the quality and effectiveness of current parking enforcement. I am worried that the Administration is planning… Read More >
Update: response received from Met regarding zombie knife surrender scheme
I have received a response from the Metropolitan Police in response to concerns I raised about a scheme to surrender so-called ‘zombie’ knives. In August, I learned of the Home Office scheme to allow the surrender of ‘zombie-style’ knives and ‘zombie-style machetes’. The scheme ran 26 August – 23 September in preparation for the new legislation prohibiting the manufacture, supply,… Read More >