Lutfur Rahman’s army of media advisers normally send me their press releases but I seem to have been left off the distribution list for this one that went out on Saturday:
Mayor to scrap council car
Transparency a top priority during election period
Mayor Lutfur Rahman has announced that he will be giving up the official car in the lead up to the 2014 local elections.
Mayor Rahman said: “Although I will continue to work hard and deliver for the people of Tower Hamlets up to 22nd May and beyond, I will naturally be attending more political meetings in the next few months.
“In order to ensure that the highest standards of probity and transparency are maintained, I will no longer be making use of the official car and I hope that the Labour Speaker of the Council will follow my example.”
Ends
Notes to editors:
Mayor Rahman is setting a precedent. Other local authorities provide transportation for Council Leaders and Mayors including:
· Lewisham, where the Mayor has a chauffeur driven car.
· Newham, where Robin Wales has use of a pool car.
· Kensington and Chelsea which maintains a £125,000 Bentley Continental.
· Redbridge which maintains £123,000 two stretch Jaguars.
· The car is leased and will be returned to the leasing company and the driver redeployed within the Council.
So the Mayor who has failed to answer a single question from councillors or residents in the council chamber during his entire time in office is now a great believer in “probity and transparency”.
The council stated here that the cost of the Mercedes it was forced to lease to meet Lutfur’s ego has been £42,300 a year. That’s £161 for every working day. During the three years he’s had it, the total bill to the taxpayer (during a time of heavy cuts from Whitehall remember) has been more than £120,000.
This £120,000 has come at the expense of frontline budgets. He’s made great play of proclaiming his Mayor’s Education Award, which allows a limited number of hard up students to apply for £400 cash bursaries. If he’d done what John Biggs said he’d do as Mayor and use public transport (or his own), Lutfur would have been able to give an extra 300 of those precious awards.
And look how Lutfur signs off with such grace:
I hope that the Labour Speaker of the Council will follow my example
The current Speaker is Cllr Lesley Pavitt, who is retired.
By pretty much universal opinion, she’s been the best chair of the council in many years, respected on all sides for the neutral way she’s tried to stamp out the immature behaviour of councillors from all parties.
I don’t know how she travels to ceremonial events at the moment, but I don’t think anyone (apart from the Thomas Cromwell convert Lutfur) would begrudge her anything less than a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, don’t you think?
In fact, here’s one that costs £120,000…
Labour have been good on this issue and were quick today with their response, which is below:
Lutfur Rahman bows to pressure and suspends use of tax payer funded Mercedes
– Last June John Biggs pledged to scrap car immediately if elected
– Rahman will only suspend car during election period
After months of pressure from Labour councillors Lutfur Rahman, the controversial independent Mayor of Tower Hamlets, has announced he would suspend his use of his £42,000 a year tax payer funded Mercedes until after the election.
Rahman’s u-turn comes after a damning report into the car from the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee and a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary which found the Mayor using the chauffeur driven car to collect dry-cleaning and travel distances as short as 0.2 miles.
Despite widespread criticism Rahman only pledged his intention to drop his car “in the lead up to the 2014 local elections” prompting Labour councillors to label it a “disingenuous election stunt”.
Labour believe the Mayor should make use of the borough’s extensive public transport system instead of wasting tens of thousands of pounds on a luxury chauffeured car. Labour’s candidate for Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs pledged back in June that he would scrap the car if elected later this year.
Responding to Rahman’s call to scrap the Speaker of the Council’s car Labour highlighted that the Speaker is politically impartial and is not standing for re-election. They also pointed out that the Speaker is required to use a car in order to protect the Council’s ceremonial chains of office which are worth thousands of pounds.
Responding to Rahman’s u-turn Leader of the Labour Group, Cllr Sirajul Islam, said: “This is nothing more than a disingenuous election stunt from Lutfur Rahman. If he had any integrity he’d permanently scrap his taxpayer funded chauffeured Mercedes and admit it is a total waste of money.
“It’s totally wrong that Lutfur Rahman thinks a taxpayer funded life of luxury is acceptable, especially in one of the country’s most deprived boroughs.”
Labour candidate for Mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs, said: “Three years and over 100,000 taxpayer pounds later, Lutfur Rahman has decided to temporarily stop being chauffer driven around because his lawyers have told him he cannot stretch his misuse of public funds into the election period.”
“The best way to end this kind of abuse for good is to vote for me on 22nd May.”
Trial by Jeory 
Mayor Lutfur Rahman scuttles around the borough in a Merc like a President costing ratepayers 120k and then has the nerve to write those quotes? There’s no doubt in my mind that should residents be foolish enough to re-elect him he’ll return as Emperor Rahman in a Bentley.
I’m surprised the Mayor doesn’t follow the example of Sir Robin Wales who is even more pompous and demand to wear the boroughs gold chain himself:
http://www.newhamlabour.co.uk/sir-robin-wales.aspx
Is anybody seriously suggesting that whilst out as first citizen of the borough we should force Lesley onto a bus, tube or into a black cab with regalia worth many tens of thousands of pounds? Or are we going to play politics to the extent that we chauffeur the chain around without the first citizen?
So he’s giving up a chauffeur driven Merc (just for the next couple of months) that’s on standby 24/7 to pick up his dry cleaning; but expects Her Worship, The Speaker, Cllr Lesley Pavitt a single woman pensioner to represent the borough across London as its civic ambassador on foot, wearing the diamond and gold chains of office (much envied by all other London Mayors) to give up the Toyota Prius (not envied by anyone). Really? Un*******believable.
A massive misjudgment and frankly ridiculous.
Perhaps all these Labour Cllrs concerned about tax payers money and hailing the borough’s public transport will give up thier public services permits which costs much more then usual residents permit (I believe around £500 each). This will also save us good few thousands. So Sirajul Islam how about enforcing this on your labour Cllrs?
Pls explain how those permits cost taxpayers thousands of pounds.
I think you might be getting confused.
Public service employee parking permit
http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgsl/451-500/474_parking_permits/public_service_employees.aspx
Prices:
Price Band : CO2 Emissions (g/km) : Engine Size (CC) : 12 Month
A : 100 OR LESS : — :£508
B : 101 – 120 : 1100 or less : £539
C : 121 – 150 : 1101 -1300 : £575
D : 151 – 165 : 1301 – 1600 : £636
E : 166 – 185 : 1601 – 1800 : £666
F : 186 – 225 : 1801 – 2000 : £696
G1 : 226 – 325 : 2001 – 3000 : £726:
G2 : 326 + : 3000 + :£757
Curious Cat
Ted & All Ted’s blog readers,
If you care about Tower Hamlets and it’s people you will all get active, campaign and organise the people of Tower Hamlets to get rid of this fork tongued cancer Lutfur Rahman that masquerades himself as a Mayor.
We all know his entire Mayorship is based on lies, lies and more lies. Whether it’s forging signatures to trigger the original referendum, postal vote fraud or simply down right thievery of Council tax payers funds to pay off his crony friends and so called community organisations – so they can work on his election campaigns.
This guys mendacity knows no limits – he will ‘sell’ his own wife (as he has done) for his political gain. Here’s the latest – he is off to pilgrimage to Mecca again just before the elections. Once again using faith for material gain. For good muslims the pilgrimage is a sacred spiritual journey of purification, God consciousness and inner transformation. No doubt this guy-leech needs a lot of purifying.
The reason we are in this situation of having this, at best mediocre-divisive and at worst corrupt Lutfur Rahman, for Mayor is threefold:
1. The disorganised and dis-functional Tower Hamlets Labour Party
2. The bigoted and near racist if not sometimes actually racist Conservatives
3. The silly right wing inclined press. Though sometimes well intentioned.
Both these parties and the press have messed up politics here in Tower Hamlets. Their inability to engage and include the ordinary folks black and white – religious and non religious has played into this guys ‘victimhood’ narrative.
I know John Biggs to be a reasonably honest (as honest as any politician can be) and responsible person. He would clearly make a far better Mayor than the lying Lutfur. But sadly John’s Mayoral campaign thus far has been uninspiring, lacks necessary the conviction and community action urgently required to get rid of this Lutfur. Perhaps John should speak to Media Links Mujib and millionaire Shiraz.
Lutfur and his pea brained advisors – which says a lot for the Labour and Tories, are so confident that not only will Lutfur win – but win by a landslide. Moreover, they are expecting to return at least 16 Independent (so called a Tower Hamlets First Party) Councillors. Partly gifted by the current selections by the politically foresighted (not) a Labour Party.
Any I’m signing off for now. I’ll provide more thoughts again soon.
With Lutfur’s control of East End Life and his propaganda being beamed via satellite into countless local bengali homes on a nightly basis it would take something truly remarkable to unsettle him.
Unfortunately a clever move by him. Without the vehicle being paraded around the borough other parties won’t be able to make as much capital out of his limo fetish.
Any media savvy person who supports any of the other political parties should be able to come up with some very amusing and pointed posters lampooning the “suspension” of the Mayoral car – for the period of the election only.
I suspect close inspection of other “expenses” of the election will also lead to second thoughts about the wisdom of expenditure on certain aspects of electioneering…..
Yes, if they were inspired they could ridicule very effectively the reluctant car relinquishing user asserting ‘public pressure’ as the change instigator – and asking voters if they support the public’s demands HRH abandons his expensive large limo 🙂
Be honest, who in TH has the balls to do the campaign ? Its great to dream but dreams are never ever going to lift TH out of its cesspit.
Curious Cat.
Ted the permit cost is recharged to the dept that supports Cllrs bit like placing an ad in East End life which costs other departments money. So although money is not going out the organisation it still costs money. Perhaps you can do an FOI on how this. I believe even the butter won’t melt in his mouth Peter Golds has one of these. Either way let us know how you get on.
So you’re saying the budget of the democratic services dept is billed 500 quid or so for each Cllr permit issued by the parking department?
Which would mean fewer resources fir the services offered by democratic services?
It’s not a real cost. Unlike paying a firm to lease a Merc. What your saying is that Money is moved from one budget to another internally. Therefore the sum remains within the public sector organisation and presumably is factored into another departments budget. Perhaps a simple example would be to charge your partner to watch TV … The money charged still remains within the household budget.
Public service employee parking permit
http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgsl/451-500/474_parking_permits/public_service_employees.aspx
Prices:
Price Band : CO2 Emissions (g/km) : Engine Size (CC) : 12 Month
A : 100 OR LESS : — :£508
B : 101 – 120 : 1100 or less : £539
C : 121 – 150 : 1101 -1300 : £575
D : 151 – 165 : 1301 – 1600 : £636
E : 166 – 185 : 1601 – 1800 : £666
F : 186 – 225 : 1801 – 2000 : £696
G1 : 226 – 325 : 2001 – 3000 : £726:
G2 : 326 + : 3000 + :£757
Curious Cat
A neat own goal or two by Lutfur. He makes a hollow, disingenuous gesture to only suspend use of his car, then picks on the pensioner Speaker who is not up for election. Ms Pavitt has explained at full council, in front of Lutfur, that for insurance purposes she has to travel by car because of the chains of office.
I don’t think that Lutfur needs a mayoral car. I’m not that bothered about it – there are much more important things I’d spend my life worrying about. But if I were mayor I’d have got rid of it for good a while ago.
All those people on here who go blue in the face about the mayoral car but now turn around and say it’s OK for the Speaker to have one…well done. You’ve clearly shown how much it’s an issue of principle rather than just another gripe at Lutfur.
It’s nothing to do with age – the car was provided for previous, younger Speakers. Lesley put herself forward because she considered herself sprightly and capable enough to do the job – and I think she’d personally be pretty insulted by the whole ‘well, she needs it as a pensioner’ line.
And if the chains are the issue, leave them at home apart from on special occasions. I’m sure she’s interesting enough for people to want to meet her without the bling.
Tbh the whole Speaker role is something that when Blair brought in directly elected mayors he didn’t really know what to do with. The only reason they do these events etc is because Britain is used to having purely ceremonial mayors – elsewhere, it’s the mayor who runs the council and also does the ceremony.
Can you imagine if John Bercow went round opening hospitals instead of Cameron? Or Darren Johnson doing the same in London instead of Boris Johnson?
(sorry about the essay)
Why aren’t the ‘chains’ being looked after by the council’s facilities people and safely kept in the council’s safe / vault ? That is what other council’s do.
CC.
Because when they are in use it’s not possible!
I think you’ll find virtually every (normal) Mayor – outside Tower Hamlets – has a ceremonial regalia which is used for special occasions – a bit like the Queen wears a crown to the opening of Parliament.
Oddly the Councillors at Tower Hamlets haven’t noticed she doesn’t routinely wear a crown for all her other public engagements.
The rest of the time virtually every (normal) Mayor/Speaker of a Council that I’ve ever come across in recent years (and I’ve met quite a few) uses a much downsized symbol – generally a rather large medal on a colourful ribbon:
* to indicate the status of (a normal) Mayor/Speaker – and
* in recognition that he or she is out and about on normal business which does not require the full ceremonial regalia.
The answer is simple – curtail the use of the full regalia to the Council Chamber (ie it can remain locked up in the vaults at the Town Hall – all the time) and use the downsized restrained version for everyday business.
That way both the LBTH (not normal) Mayor and the Speaker can both be virtuous and cost-efficient and refuse use of a council owned car and we can dispense with this discussion.
Can we move on to discussing how much the Mayor, Speaker and the Councillors should get in the way of bicycle allowances – i.e. the fastest method for getting around Tower Hamlets!
Thank you – some sense at last.
The way everyone goes on about those chains necessitating the car you’d think they were screwed into Lesley’s back.
A moped would be faster. The LBTH residents parking permit is £15 a year.
CC.
Yes that is one solution but if we were to follow through on this idea what would be the point of having it ? Furthermore, I don’t see how you have squared the circle. Even if she were to use the downsized version that’s not something you can keep in your top pocket, it still requires additional protection and security for insurance purposes. It won’t be worth as much but it is still going to be worth some money.
The entire point of the role is to add gravitas to an occasion and that’s best done with the full chain. You don’t have to wear it 100% of the time. We’re all debating this without any knowledge of Lesley’s timetable. As someone who is retired perhaps she goes to a disproportionate amount of big events where the full regalia is appropriate. That’s something that we ought to be encouraging.
This isn’t about money it’s about the role. The Mayor is a working executive and unless he needs to get from point A to B very quickly there is no need for him to have a car or the use of one. Lesley is the first citizen and speaker. The whole point of her role is to add value to an occasion. I’m sure there is a link between the use of public transport and the amount of public events someone could or would want to attend.
The moment you start making that cost effective you may as well scrap the public element all together. I’m sure this wasn’t the intention but Mayor Rahman looks like a child who can’t have something and doesn’t want anybody else to have it either.
@HarveyMilk Jnr
The downsized regalia is no more valuable than lots of things people carry round with them in their bags.
As it’s on a ribbon most usually fit very neatly into a small black case when not being worn (I’ve seen them being put on and taken off) – which is not much different to an iPhone in size.
One of the main reasons that people have downsized the regalia for day to day use is because the use of bling and flash (think Mayor’s Mercedes car!) to denote status is entirely outmoded and absolutely inappropriate in today’s Society.
Just go to any other Council – the vast majority gave up on the “protect the chain” model of behaviour DECADES ago because of the cost involved!
TOWER HAMLETS IS VERY OUT OF DATE with the way things have moved on elsewhere.
EVERY action involving money and unnecessary expenditure should be questioned.
Have you seen the Prime Minister walking around in regalia of late?
The Queen uses public transport.
Boris uses a bike.
So what exactly is the justification for people being pompous in the East End of London?
Off topic slightly. It seems as if the race issue is gaining ground in London Labour parties after Lutfur and co showed the way. I drew attention to a breakaway from a Labour group in north London and now a similar thing is happening south of the river in Lambeth.
It seems an Asian businessman has formed his own party entirely from ethnic minorities. http://www.premgoyal.com and google Adeline Aina. It seems that we are witnessing self appointed leaders demanding political office and using the threat of voting for whichever party will give them what they want. Tower Hamlets certainly showed the way on this one.
Racial power instead of political party power.
Next comes Tribal Power.
Welcome to the disintegrating Third World, English branch.
Curious Cat
I can remember when Lib-Dem Mayor Janet Ludlow went round the Borough on her Bike. This would fit in with Boris transport plan for London. Ray.
Maybe you should offer Lutfur a ride on one of the OAP minibus shuttles you do for free, Ray. Show him the value of volunteering and life in the real world.
Re Old Ford’s comments….you see, you miss the point. It’s the character question: what kind of man demands the use of a chauffeur and Merc? And then throws a hissy fit when “probity” forces him to relinquish it. He’s proved yet again he lacks humility and grace, that his moral compass is skewed. Maybe his experiences and rage against the machine have twisted his outlook, but a good leader of people he most certainly isn’t. Even you’re embarrassed, I can tell.
Ted so money democratic services could have used to pay for services for residents is being transferred to parking’s coffers. I think just as important is the constant hyping about good public transport in Tower Hamlets by Labour Party. Why don’t they all use public transport and leave their cars at home?
It’s up to them how they travel: the point is that no way should the taxpayer fund their journeys.
Too many people think the council budget is theirs, not the public’s. That manifests itself in Mercs, scandalous taxi claims and dubious grants.
I’m thinking a call to the HM Revenue and Customs might do the trick at the end of the day.
Tax is payable on all remuneration which cannot be 100% justified as a business expense. They’re very keen on scrutinising allowances and indulgences and politicians who think the public are mugs.
It could be that we might be able to add some money to the public coffers by asking the taxman to take a look at the tax affairs of our illustrious Councillors – with particular respect to all payments made for expenses and/or for services for their personal benefit.
Lutfur doesn’t dodge tax liability simply by getting the Council to pay for his car & chauffeur/laundry service. Whether or not a Councillor makes the claim for an expense is immaterial – it’s whether expenditure is incurred by the organisation which matters.
A benefit in kind is just as taxable as a salary – and tax evasion is a very serious matter.
Let’s not forget that it was charges of tax evasion which finally ended the “career” of the gangster Al Capone – and sent him to prison.
Here you go: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/eimanual/EIM65920.htm
Your information on Redbridge is dated – they now only have one Jag – they got rid of the other when the Lib Dems joined the coalition there. The Tory-boys wanted the other, though my recollection is that there may be some advantage in a local authority using their own vehicle to ferry the mayor about when it comes to insuring the mayoral regalia.
The cost of a parking permit is trivial compared to a chauffeur driven Mercedes, so the points made by Lutfur apologist John Barnes are bogus.
Issuing large numbers of permits does however create a need for extra parking space.
Tower Hamlets have kindly provided six parking spaces opposite Clifton restaurant in Westferry Road. This has caused considerable problems for larger vehicles, particularly buses and fire engines from nearby Millwall fire station.
Incidentally, the owner of Clifton is Shiraj Hoque, a prominent Lutfur supporter.
I’m surprised that Lutfur hasn’t looked into hiring a Pope-mobile type vehicle, and had some equally natty ceremonial threads run up so we can watch him in awe as he’s chauffeured past to official engagements (or just his laundry will do). His whole Mayoral vehicle fiasco is hopefully another nail in his political coffin, and will be used to ship him off to the nearest court where he and his cronies can be tried for crimes against Tower Hamlets and its limited funds.
I think we should hire a Lutfur-ite fun- bus for him, Rabina and all those who like to use the public purse as their personal transport kitty. Perhaps something similar to what Fred Flintstone drives? Or they could attempt to harness the hot air they all spout 24×7, and help keep the streets cleaner and less polluted? Just a thought…..
Also, stop trying to drag Lesley Pavitt into this. She is a credit to local politics, and far more effectual that the ignoramus she replaced. We need more people like her, with balls and integrity, on the council, and far less of the current cabinet of reprobates, hypocrites and embezzlers!!!