About a month ago, I tweeted this:
I didn’t think it was worth blogging about at the time because, well, I suppose everyone’s entitled to spend their hard earned cash how they like. But I did think I’d raise it if ever it became relevant.
And then today I saw this article by the excellent Robin de Peyer, of the East London Advertiser.
Whitechapel Sports Centre has been slammed by opposition councillors for displaying material promoting Mayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman in its foyer.
Labour councillors hit out after the discovery of leaflets in a traditionally impartial environment.
The development comes just weeks after Tower Hamlets Council was censured by Ofcom for using public money to take out television advertisements amounting to a party political broadcast promoting the Mayor.
The leaflets set out how Mayor Rahman is “delivering on his promises” despite government funding cuts.
Labour group leader Cllr Joshua Peck called on the sports centre to ensure such material is removed from its premises.
He said: “It is important that community facilities are not used to promote political parties.
“After we learned the Mayor wasted taxpayers’ money making illegal political adverts there is obviously a concern that this is yet another attempt to use resources to promote his political agenda.
“It is important that staff and management at leisure centres and other community facilities recognise the need to remain impartial and do not allow political leafleting like this”, he added.
Nobody from the sports centre, in Dunward Street, was available to comment.
But Tower Hamlets Council denied it was responsible for the distribution and production of the leaflets. A spokesman declined to comment on who produced the leaflets and how they came to be in that location.
“The council only promotes publicity materials containing public information about local services and activities”, he said.
“Our contractors have been asked to remain vigilant on the content of public display stands.”
So we have a publicly funded Mercedes-driving Mayor who is voting with his feet and eschewing the delights of his local council sports centre in Whitechapel by paying what is likely to be about about £115 a month membership of the luxurious and brilliant Virgin Active gym in Canary Wharf…but then having the cheek to use the lowly local to boast he’s making us all “better off”.
Well, I suppose he’s making the Whitechapel regulars better off by giving them more space to exercise (and that’s not even counting the groupies he takes with him: last Friday night, I also bumped into Cllr Gulam Robbani in the Virgin foyer).
One person I haven’t seen there yet is the England football fanatic Cllr David Edgar. He’s probably been too busy planning his strategy to become mayor. Today, he followed Rachael Saunders and John Biggs by announcing his candidacy for the Labour pick.
He issued the following press release, which significantly makes no attack on Lutfur…and that’s because he takes a softer approach than most in the Labour to the mayor. And that’s also one reason why he has the backing of Cllr Marc Francis in this contest. Respect chair Carole Swords will be delighted: for her, David was public enemy number one during the 2006-2008 Housing Choice when he was lead member for housing; while Marc was number two on her hit list, so much so she once lobbed a glass of water over him in the council chamber.
But I digress. Here’s David’s press release:
Councillor David Edgar today confirmed he will stand for selection to be the Labour candidate for Mayor of Tower Hamlets.
Speaking from his home in Limehouse, Cllr Edgar said: “Fifteen years of representing the people of Tower Hamlets has given me a deep understanding of the challenges and aspirations of our community. I know how keen young people are to go to college or university and get good jobs. I know how important a decent, affordable home is to everyone. I have a clear picture of what is needed to make residents’ lives better.”
Announcing his decision, Cllr Edgar said: “My experience as a campaigner and my commitment to local people make me a strong choice to be Labour’s Mayoral candidate. The unfair cuts to the Council’s funding by the coalition government mean that my wide experience of overseeing budgets is vital to protect our community from the impact of the cuts.”
Cllr Edgar concluded by saying that: “I will work to bring new jobs and homes to Tower Hamlets and I will encourage small businesses. I will be a champion for Tower Hamlets at City Hall and Westminster. Tower Hamlets can make progress on education, the local economy, the environment and healthcare. Improvements are not out of reach but strong and collaborative leadership is essential to achieve them. I can provide that leadership.”
ENDS
Notes for editors:
Councillor David Edgar works as a Director at The Young Foundation – a charity based in Tower Hamlets. He is a qualified accountant. He was first elected to Tower Hamlets Council in 1994, and has been Lead Councillor for Housing, Lead Councillor for Resources and Deputy Leader of the Council. He lives in Limehouse, the ward he represents.
Trial by Jeory 
Hopefully Ted a virgin gym membership is not another perk of being mayor?
It’s a question that will be asked.
How come you haven’t published the press releases from the others, Ted?
I have, haven’t I?
What we need is a complete breakdown of how much taxpayers cash this crook is funneling to the East London mosque the IFE and its front organizations and indeed all islamic organisations.
He buys votes with our taxes.
To look at the article on the young mayor his ministry of truth department has pumped out you’d think there were no white children in boroughs schools.
David Edgar would do well to recall that the ‘unfair cuts to the Council’s funding by the coalition government’ are the direct result of his party leaving the country’s coffers empty. Labour should never be trusted with government again.
Rahman would do well to recall some basic financial principles such as the fact that money spent on big offices/flash cars/given to some exceedingly dodgy causes/used to buy votes from his mono-ethnic electorate is money that can’t be spent on the the wellbeing of the people of the borough. If the LBTH coffers hadn’t been bled dry by this profligate self-serving spending then we wouldn’t have potholed roads, vermin-infested unemptied bins, dog sh*t encrusted on our pavements and powerless THEOs wandering our streets.
Rahman has form for advertising in inappropriate places doesn’t he? Wasn’t there an incident of pro-Rahman material popping up in an Ideas store a while back?
Tim
Sorry Stewart, should add that I wasn’t aiming to contradict your point – I agree entirely but suspect that Labour may be the best hope for getting Rahman out in LBTH.
Tim
Not sure Labour want racist votes.
The only councillor who has shown any priniciples and has been an effective opposition to the ongoing car-crash charade that is LBTH is Peter Golds. The other lot are just itching to get their moment in the trough.
If you’re reading this, Pete, please stand and clean up this borough.
I will go and put one of the borough’s many Rahman Mattresses in front of the leisure sign and put a photo of Mayor Mattress on it.
This is the same David Edgar that, years ago IIRC, came to a organised meeting where I live and basically slagged off the leaseholders here for not paying enough service charges, and almost accused us of living off the back of the rent paid by tenants!
Farcical. A lot of people here have long memories.
Biggs, Saunders and now Edgar. Not a very diverse lineup so far. Not just in terms of ethnic diversity but more importantly politics. This is going to be such a boring contest… Big cuts v medium sized cuts v little cuts #yawn.
No…..
You mean big cuts vs medium sized cuts vs little cuts vs ‘the day I have to make cuts it’ll break me’
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/jan/22/tower-hamlets-mayor-lutfur-rahman
There’s a greater choice than you might think.
Oh Harvey wait for the stampede… right now they’re all trying to convince each other to let them run alone as the shoe-in Bengali candidate by promising village bigwigs all sorts of housing association and other quasi public appointments for them to milk. When that fails (afterall there’s so much to nick!!) expect the most enormous shit storm (and me laughing)…