So now we know why Mayor Lutfur Rahman of Tower Hamlets repeatedly refused to answer questions from councillors at the last full council meeting. It wasn’t just because forcing him to speak would infringe his human rights (as John Williams, the council’s head of democratic services, asserted), but it was because he has assembled such a crack-team of latter day Einsteins that they can do the talking for him.
Well, anyway, these are the views of one of those modest intellectual leviathans, the finger-wagging Cllr Rabina Khan and ex-SWP stalwart Cllr Rania Khan.
Here is Rabina’s formal reply to one of the unanswered questions posed to Lutfur. As with all jokes, the punch-line is at the end…
8.3 Question from Councillor Motin Uz-Zaman:
Housing Benefit changes will have a profound impact on our residents and it will lead to some having to leave the borough because the housing allowance will not cover their full rent. Can the Mayor inform the Council the number of meetings he has had with the Minister responsible for these changes to highlight the impact on residents of Tower Hamlets?
Summary of supplementary question from Councillor Motin Uz-Zaman
As no answer has been given, I shall assume there was no meeting. I do not feel it is appropriate for the Mayor to sit there smiling and not answer the questions. If he does not want to answer he can take a break and leave the Council Chamber. The Prime Minister and Mayor of London answer questions personally, why is the Mayor refusing to do so?
Response by Councillor Rabina Khan, Cabinet Member for Housing
Thank you for your question.
The Mayor and I are extremely concerned by the changes to housing benefit. Almost a year ago as Cabinet Member for Housing I presented a motion to this Council which laid a marker down on this administration’s views on the Coalition’s appalling measures.
We are already seeing the impact of these changes on families in the borough. Some families are already reluctant to move to larger homes due to the housing allowance cap and are choosing to stay in overcrowded circumstances.
These changes will impact across all the services in the council as well as our partner organisations. This is why I have asked our central research team to coordinate a high level and innovative group to collate the impact this is having across all Council and partner services.
I have also had several meetings with organisations such as Shelter, TELCO and Z2K to discuss a coordinated response. I have also ensured that the Tenant’s Federation are fully aware of the changes and have held workshops with them.
Next month we are holding a congress with key Partners, including RSLs, the Police, Schools, the Third Sector and to look at the impact of this in a holistic way and plan ways we can combat the changes and mitigate the impact to our residents. This process is to build a coalition of concerned individuals and institutions, who care deeply about the residents of this borough. We will collect a solid evidence base of the impact across the borough.
We know that millionaire ministers are responsible for pushing through these reforms. They have no idea how most people in this country live. In fact Lord Freud, the minister responsible for benefit change, isn’t even elected.
We will have far more of an impact working together. We will demonstrate that individuals and organisations from across this borough oppose these vicious cuts. And we do so, not simply on a whim, but because they are damaging our community and our residents.
It is not the case that the Mayor is unwilling to provide answers to the questions asked at Full Council.
At Full Council meetings, the Mayor’s approach has always been to deliver a verbal statement updating members on the progress his administration is making, and then allow his cabinet members to answer questions specific to their portfolios.
We are a strong cabinet, who invest long hours, remarkable intellect and hard work dealing with issues in minute detail on a day to day basis. We are well placed and will continue to answer questions specific to our portfolios.
Just for good measure, Rania repeats the boast later on:
8.8 Question from Councillor Maium Miah:
Can the Mayor inform the Council on whether the Rich Mix Centre has repaid its £850,000 short-term loan, as agreed by Michael Keith when he was Council Leader?
Summary of supplementary question from Councillor Maium Miah
Will the Mayor answer my question?
Response by Councillor Rania Khan, Cabinet Member for Culture
Thank you for your question.
The Legal Department is currently working on this matter, however no repayment has been made as of yet.
At Full Council meetings, the Mayor’s approach has always been to deliver a verbal statement updating members on the progress of his administration, and then allow cabinet members to answer questions specific to our portfolios.
We are a strong cabinet, who invest long hours, remarkable intellect and hard work dealing with issues in minute detail on a day to day basis. We are well placed and will continue to answer questions specific to our portfolios.
I must have been missing something all these years.
Here is the list of cabinet members:
Trial by Jeory 