Just a quick post to publish a press release sent by the Tower Hamlets Labour group regarding the filming of council meetings.
They express sympathy with John Wright who was quickly surrounded by the council’s media blackout guards as he tried to film nine days ago. Anyone interested in this issue should watch the Sunday Politics show on BBC1 this weekend; the London edition has done a piece on featuring John.
In Labour’s press release, we start to see John Biggs formulate his line of attack on Lutfur for next year’s election. It seems he will tackle all those issues highlighted on this blog regarding mayoral excess, self-aggrandisement, accountability and transparency.
Here are John’s comments:
“Openness is fundamental to democracy. By attempting to hide away and refusing to answer residents’ questions any Mayor brings his office into disrepute.
“If elected my administration would tear down the wall of secrecy around the Mayor’s office and, as much as possible, make sure that transparency permeates everything we do – this includes having the decency and respect to actually answer residents’ questions at Council meetings, which the current Mayor refuses to do.”
Here’s the rest of the Labour press release in full:
Following an impassioned protest by long-term resident and campaigner John Wright at last week’s Council meeting, Labour councillors have reiterated their support for the live streaming of Council meetings and called on the Mayor to drop his opposition to openness and transparency in the Council chamber.
The councillors pointed out that they had previously proposed that all Council meetings were live streamed stating in their 2012 Budget motion that “the Town Hall is inaccessible to many residents and in order to increase transparency the council should live stream council meetings.”
Labour argued for investment in live streaming facilities for the Council Chamber and other Executive meetings in 2012 but this was specifically blocked by the Mayor who refused to accept the amendment to the budget.
Whilst the councillors recognised that the Speaker had little choice but to follow officer advice at last week’s meeting, they have called on Council officers to ensure that a recorded or live stream of the meeting is in place by the next Council meeting in September.
Leader of the Labour Group, Cllr Sirajul Islam, said: “John Wright was entirely right when he said that as councillors we should be transparent and accountable to those who elected us.
“All residents have the right to hear what their elected representatives think about issues affecting the borough, not just those who are able to make it to the Town Hall.
“Labour Group fully support the opening up of Council meetings and have previously tried to introduce a live streaming system in the Town Hall but this was blocked by the Mayor. With the issue rightly back in the spotlight we are calling on the Mayor to drop his opposition and to introduce a live streaming system in time for the next Council meeting.
“With the technology widely available I can’t see any reason why democratically elected politicians would want to hide away from the public. The Mayor is always the first to jump for a photo call, maybe with cameras in the room he will finally have the decency to answer residents and councillors’ questions himself.”
Trial by Jeory 
I really, really hope that Biggs makes it to Mayor in the next election. Another term from The Despicable Lutfur would be difficult.
As a point of interest, if both the Tories and Labour are as anti-Rahman as they claim, they will be shooting themselves in the foot if they both field a candidate. Given that Biggs seems to be the stronger of the two then it would seem to make sense for the Conservatives to agree not to stand. Does anyone know if there is any such thinking going on?
Tim.
That won’t happen, but there is a lot of thinking about who should stand for the Tories.
Given Andrew Neil’s history, it is likely that a lot of bullying and misinterpretation of what John Biggs has to say will take place with the mayor being shown with the shining light of honesty and integrity of the true statesman he is.
think it’s on the London politics edition, so doubt Andrew Neil will be involved. Suspect it will be Tim Donovan chairing any discussion.
Nuevoespanol. How did Andrew Neil get into this. I really would like to know?
He presents the main show.
Ted – can you tell us who actually decides whether to install live-streaming of the council or not? it is all very confusing. Does “the council” decide (meaning a vote in the chamber) or does the mayor decide? Can the mayor block a council decision to install livestreaming? Is that what’s happening?
Tim, if you like transparency you won’t like John Biggs. He is saying all this stuff now because Labour are desperate to end this constant humiliation. However, the moment Labour win all the trash that has left the THLP and drifted towards Lutfur will float back and no doubt be re-admitted and then sculduggery that we’ve all learnt to despise will simply continue but behind closed doors and cheshire-cat smiles…
Also, I think John Biggs cannot win… for victory he needs a majority of Bengali votes and I think most Bengali voters will think “what do I gain from a Biggs victory” and think, “absolutely nothing”…but an indebted Lutfur may reward them for their support.
The white voters will split Labour/Tory/Green and have a low turnout.
I am very keen to know who the Tories are going to get to stand.
GM,
Thanks. Those are insightful comments. I know enough of the history to realise that TH Labour are the ones who got us Lutfur (via various routes), but I also see them as being the ones most likely to get us out of it.
At the moment, I’m of the opinion that anyone is better than lutfur, and my ideal would be that everyone else should join forces to get him out. Given that Labour has historically done better in TH than the Tories I’ll throw my weight behind the most likely non-Lutfur candidate.
An aside, but didn’t Joshua Peck categorically state that ex-Lutfur councillors wouldn’t be admitted to Labour? Or was that only the ones that had left Labour for Lutfur?
(I am aware there are people on here who are more politically savvy than me, and don’t claim any expertise in this matter.)
Tim.
Excellent. It is thanks to John Wright’s protest that this has happened. Well done John W. And John Biggs. Now it’s over to the rest of the council…there is nothing to be ashamed of in some of our local council meetings, even some planning ones, so why not broadcast?
John Biggs is supporting the English Heritage Listing of Spitalfields’ London Fruit and Wool Exchange and wartime ‘Mickey’s Shelter’, after our Strategic Development Committee twice refused its demolition. Those LBTH Planning Meetings should both have been filmed. It would have shown the world how we appreciate our local heritage and our local micro-economies. A cross-party decision by local councillors, representing the majority of local people, also local history societies (and some national ones, like English Heritage) then saved our LFWE and Spitalfields Market.
However, the meetings were not filmed. Boris Johnson then intervened – to overturn the refusal from our council. But even his Mayoral Hearing on the LFWE was filmed. His decision to ignore the local democratic decision and demolish local (and national) heritage was a live webcast (which is archived and still online) and here you can witness those who spoke in support of the developers and our Cllrs and Officers who spoke in defence of our heritage and their decision. No written Minutes, summarised and filtered.
So let’s get these council meetings broadcast asap. Let’s not let down local people and local campaigns that are trying to save heritage and space which is all of ours and which we can all continue to share and enjoy. Part of saving this heritage is the involvement of our local authority and they must realise that the only public part of their efforts in planning, in the way they shape our environment and conserve it, are their planning committee meetings, so let us ALL in via these webcasts. You never know, it might end up winning some votes for some people. (Cynical hat off, please see the Save the LFWE (1929) on Facebook to see John Biggs’ and Nicky Gavron’s letter to the Culture Secretary about the London Fruit and Wool Exchange and get yourself involved and supporting local heritage: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=616001148410930&set=a.386337988043915.100782.383535838324130&type=1&theater)
Should the council agree to broadcast the meetings live; and decide during this administration; one TV Channel comes to mind that will get the contract, that is the Bengali Channel, Channel S. If it falls under communication contract, the likely chance that “ChyTel” of Mile End Road will get it. It will be surprising to see anything other. Likely chances are the parties are already discussing this inclusive of senior managers of the council, expedited by the Mayor
Both Luthfur and John are the same, but labeled different at present. They all come from Labour and has the same mud on them. John does not have anything to lose as he has the GLA seat to go back to if he does not win. Luthfur will stand against Rushnara and win if he does not win the Mayoral seat of TH. But if he wins the Mayoral seat then Ed will take him back to Labour before the general election and Local Labour will eat their words. Its a vicious Labour circle & propaganda and the only people that will continue to suffer is the residents of TH. This proves that it is Labour to be blamed through and through for the farce in TH. To further prove this you only need to look at Luthfurs advisers who are either current or Ex Labour members!
Dear CDR,
I disagree with your analysis. I don’t see that Labour or ED will return LR to the party. He is tainted and will never progress as a political force outside of local village politics. I am not sure that he LR would win against Rushnara in the current wider political context. Next year, is the first opportunity for people of all backgrounds to register a vote. The UK has a fine history of the by-election protest vote. The mayor and council elections next year may see people bothering to register a vote against the current government.
The next general election will see this Labour borough return two labour MP’s (and that is what matters on the UK political stage). What would LR do in parliament when he cannot even answer questions in the local chamber? He would need to use the bus or train to get round. I think that it is time to wipe away the politics of LR/IFE/Respect and start healing the community that LR and his politics are tearing apart.
That Rahman can be beaten is not in doubt. The last two by elections that took place in Tower Hamlets were interesting and show that the time for vanity politics is over. Gulam Robbani won in Spitalfields by a handful of votes and had the Tories, Lib Dems and Greens voted Labour he would have decisively lost.
In Weavers Ward John Pierce won for Labour in a ward that Rahman should have taken easily so he can be beaten. I know from talking to Tower Hamlets Tories that they are going to vote Labour even if the party stands a candidate giving second preference to their own candidate.
It really is time for the smaller party to control their egos and look to the main enemy.
That’s a load of tosh. White voters aren’t going to all vote Labour – and why on earth should they? Labour is totally to blame for this mess. Also, white voters in Spitalfields were asked to stop Lutfur by supporting Ala Uddin – a man who could barely speak English. His campaign was embarrassing. And as for Weavers, it is not a ward Lutfur should have won easily. The demographics are quite different to Bungletown and until relatively recently it was strongly Liberal. John Pierce won against a Respect candidate of the most odious and divisive kind connected to the worst excesses at the LMC.. Word got around the various residents groups about what the alternative to John was, he met them, and people voted for him. You cannot compare John Pierce and Ala Uddin. One is a proper politician whilst the other was a dismal example of village politics.
Ted, come on…
Racism alert!!
Er…how exactly?
That live streaming should happen is a no-brainer. Whatever brings politics closer to the people and makes political decision making more transparent can only be good for the community. Only those politician’s have something to hide have a problem so all the more reason to go ahead with the live streaming. I am particularly annoyed about the difficult to reach and imposing location of the Town Hall, live streaming is the second best option and long overdue.
As an aside it was strange how the identity of the council tax evading councillor was brushed aside and never discussed when it was discovered to be a Labour politician. Again I don’t particularly care about councillors getting into a little bit of debt, but selective amnesia of some people is very revealing.
Once upon a time Tower Hamlets used to meet in a beautiful, historic, purpose built civic building in Bethnal Green right in the heart of the borough. It was their building, not leased. This hall, which is still there, is constructed lovingly in the 1920s art deco style with a carved, brilliant white limestone exterior and a spectacular oak and marble panelled interior. The council chamber itself is an ornate, circular room fitted with oak and leather furnishings, raised carpetted platforms and perfectly designed viewing areas.
I’m not sure quite when, but sometime in the 1980s, this palace of the people, this gift to the people of our borough meant to be theirs forever, was sold off for a quick buck. And what do we have left to show for it? Nothing.
The venerable old borough hall is now an underused luxury hotel and should that cease trading, what will become of it then? I think it is quite hopelessly depressing what depths this borough has fallen to.
Live streaming by the council is all well and good, but pickles guidance and rightly so was aimed at residents rights to film and blog from chambers. This is of fundamental importance as i truly believe that this can always show the true state of affairs at LBTH. The bullying and intimidation witness by Johns video would have been cut or shutdown by a council livefeed, as witnessed when boris”s livefeed was cut the moment firefighters recently started chanting at the mayors question time. Every piece of the proceedings even the embarrising or disruptive parts should be filmed and uploaded online unedited online. Edits of this material material can then be taken still leaving the full unedited version online. Also if we allow the council to be the only ones allowed to film or even contract this out then ownership, copyright and proprietary contracts come into play.
As others have stated the issue surrounding data protection for those resident attending does not exist. Anyone attending these meetings should expect to be caught on film. We have witnessed mobs politically motivated time and again who support lutfur verbally insulting other residents and councillors alike. You also have fake resident support for developments turning up time and again the same faces usually from the same housing housing associations. We have the most corrupt political system imo in the country in bed with swauve pr companies texting and signalling councillors from the audience. All the while selling the boroughs heritage down the river
Social media is a revolution in politics that is still currently in its birth pains, and more importantly in the hands of the people, this is why those in power are doing their utmost to restrict it access to the political spectrum
Grave Maurice. It is quite clear that you don’t know Ala Uddin or the politics of Tower Hamlets. Ala speaks excellent English and has been a well known community campaigner for more than thirty years. The Respect candidate was a stalking horse for Lutfur as you would know if you knew anything about the area.
I would like some feed back on my comments about a united front against Lutfur next May. What do the Tories, Greens and Lib Dems think?
“I would like some feed back on my comments about a united front against Lutfur next May. What do the Tories, Greens and Lib Dems think?”
I think it’s the only sensible option. If other parties think that Lutfur is the problem that he so clearly is then they should be doing all they can to oust him. As I said in my post above, the Tories would be shooting themselves in the foot if they put a candidate up as it will simply divide the vote further.
However Ted (who seems to have his finger firmly on the local political pulse) seems to think this is unlikely – which is a shame. If it turns out that Tory Vote + Labour Vote is less than Lutfur Vote then there should be some serious embarrassment.
Tim.
The Tories won’t be shooting themselves in the foot. Lutfur is a joke which continues to hurt Labour and that is good for them nationally. They don’t want Labour to reunite in Tower Hamlets because they’re getting far more done by allying themselves with Labour in opposition (in this borough) than they would (get done) if a reunited Labour Party was back in control under Biggs.
I say spoil your ballots. Don’t reward Labour for the devastation they have caused. Lutfur, Selina Akhtar, Ghulam Mortoza etc are all ex Labour politicians.
Also, I think we can presume “Imran Khan” is a Labour Party operative sent here on a mission to get people to vote Labour…which shows they’re desperate and rather proves the point: Biggs is doomed.
Voters can show a second preference in the mayoral election. So there is no need for any party to stand down. Anti-Lutfur voters simply give their first preference vote to their preferred candidate, and their second preference to Biggs.
Ala Uddin was barely understood at the Christ Church hustings, any reasonable person there will back me up. I’m well aware that Abjol Miah was/is allied to Lutfur and my comment clearly implied that. The nuances of English might have been lost on you…
The current Town Hall buildings were going to be written off as a failure due to lack of interest from businesses, so council leader Micheal Kieth at the time decided to take a lease out for 30 years to stop the company going bankrupt and to attract investment into the area, the old town hall became a disused building and a liability so sold off for cheap. I’m not sure if Micheal Kieth’s actions did result in more investment in the Isle of Dogs an area big businesses were nervous about investing. All I am saying is the lease didn’t need to be for 30 years, even 15 years would have sufficed to attract businesses and from a desperate company ready to cut losses a better deal could have been made for the tax payer. besides all the wealth in Canary Wharf doesn’t seem to benefit us residents much, rather we are faced with skyrocketing house prices. If we received some of the business rates rather than it going straight to Central Government or at least priority and training for locals for Canary Wharf jobs it would be better. such visible inequality can’t be good for TH residents, more needs to be done.
So Labour is to blame once again. Someone in Labour, when I asked about the old borough hall, said it was the Lib Dems that sold it and moved to that hole but now I’m told it was Michael Keith, former Labour leader.
Wake up people – Labour has destroyed the East End absolutely.
I think it was the Lib Dems that sold it but Labour moved out of it so it meant the building had to be sold off because too costly to maintain for 30 years.
They moved first then sold the old town hall, not the other way round.
My information is correct because I got it from one of the directors of the company who were about to write of the development now the Town Hall. He was very happy with Micheal Kieth obviously, even when he spoke about it some 25 years later.
Ask people in Labour who signed the lease for Mulberry Place. Then you will know.