Green’s motion on Gaza conflict disallowed
My motion calling for peace in Tower Hamlets and a ceasefire in Gaza was not been allowed to be presented at the Full Council this evening 15 November 2023. Having spoken to the legal and monitoring officer, this decision to disallow motions on the topic was taken because the issue is not something that Tower Hamlets Council has any direct… Read More >
Sian Berry AM pushes Sadiq Khan on Tower Hamlets LTNs
Green London Assembly Member, Sian Berry, has highlighted that London Mayor Sadiq Khan can and should step in to prevent Lutfur Rahman from removing vital Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in Tower Hamlets. At Mayor’s Question Time on Thursday 12 October 2023, Sian Berry AM highlighted that the London Mayor Sadiq Khan has powers under the Greater London Authority Act which allows… Read More >
Liveable Streets Cabinet decision
Mayor Lutfur Rahman has done the unthinkable. At Cabinet on 20 September 2023, he decided that Low Traffic schemes in Bethnal Green and Arnold Circus will be removed. This decision is the culmination of a year and a half of uncertainty, campaigning and consultation after consultation for the residents affected. However, for the campaigners in Bethnal Green, it is just… Read More >
Tower Hamlets Council LGA Peer Review
Tower Hamlets Council received surprisingly positive feedback during an initial feedback session given by Local Government Association (LGA) Peers as part of a regular Peer Review. The LGA requires local authorities to have peer reviews every 4-5 years to monitor performance, governance and conduct. Representatives from other councils around the country acting as LGA Peers conducted an in-depth review of… Read More >
Annual Council Meeting, 17 May 2023
Every year, the council holds an Annual Meeting at which it decides some procedural matters for the coming year. The highlights are the election of a new Speaker – or the confirmation of the current one, confirmation of the Cabinet for the coming year, confirmation of committee chairs. At this meeting, I chose to make a speech reflecting on the… Read More >
Tower Hamlets reaffirms status as Fair Trade borough
I am delighted that the motion I seconded on reaffirming Tower Hamlets’ status as a Fair Trade borough has passed unanimously. The highlight of the Full Council meeting of 15 March 2023 was the unanimous passing of the motion I seconded (proposed by Aspire Cllr Wahid) reaffirming our borough’s status as a fair trade borough. You can watch the full… Read More >
Aspire’s budget 2023/24 passes
The Aspire administration’s budget for 2023/24 has passed, and they did not accept any of the opposition amendments made by the Green, Labour or Conservative parties. Watch the council meeting online All council meetings are available to watch online and are open to the press and public. This meeting is available to watch here: https://towerhamlets.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/733250 The agenda, budget and opposition… Read More >
Full council meeting 16 November 2022
Full council meetings happen every 2 months. It is the forum where all the Councillors and the Mayor get together to debate and vote on motions and hear from members of the public. The agenda and other papers are here: Meeting Documents A link to the recording is here: Council Meeting There were several important issues raised in this meeting which I… Read More >
Chisenhale School Street
This is a summary of the conversations and fight to save the school street around Chisenhale Primary School in Bow. What are school streets? A school street is a set of measures around a school which encourage parents to walk and cycle to the school and discourage parents from driving their cars to the school. The main aims of school… Read More >
Glyphosate project
I have been working with local campaigners and council officers to make Tower Hamlets the first borough in the country to ban the harmful weed killer glyphosate from regular use. Background on glyphosate Glyphosate is a particularly effective weed killer which is the primary active ingredient in herbicides like RoundUp, sold the world over to farmers, businesses, consumers and land… Read More >