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Archive for June, 2015

The final push: has anything changed?

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on June 10, 2015| 41 Comments »

A day to go and even Radio 4’s Today programme has got in on the act, having just given the Tower Hamlets election its second prime time slot just before the 8pm news.

The tenor of her report was plus ca change: John Biggs facing false allegations on the doorstep that he will close down mosques; accusations by Andy Erlam of possible vote fraud; returning officer John Williams again telling the world we can be confident in the process; Rabina Khan, who has promised to be more transparent than Lutfur, refusing to be interviewed; and every single Bangladeshi voter in the vox pop asserting that Lutfur had been stitched up and that he hadn’t been corruptly elected.

I’m sure Richard Mawrey QC would have been listening with exasperated but unsurprised sighs. Might he be put to work again?

It’s not just Rabina’s campaign which has courted controversy. Peter Golds has been thoroughly enjoying himself but has been let down by a supporter who appeared on one of his leaflets. Rabina’s supporters have unearthed a Facebook posting by a Glen McCarty last year when he felt the need to vent some racist poison after apparently fearing for his wallet walking through Whitechapel. Here’s the posting and and leaflet.

glen mccarty

Perhaps he should have a word with Tory activists Ahmed Hussain and Dr Anwara Ali, who pays their taxes. Peter Golds says he’s appalled by it and has asked for an apology. If a Rabina supporter had written something equivalent there would be justifiable fury and that’s the case here as well.

Meanwhile, Rabina yet again failed to attend a hustings last night, this time on the Isle of Dogs. Here’s the seat that was reserved for her:

rabina chair

She has proved to be a crushing disappointment in this regard. She promised to be more accountable than her boss, Lutfur Rahman, to be more transparent, but she’s simply copied his tactics. This is, I suppose, not surprising when her campaign is being run and managed by Lutfur and his former advisers, including Mohamed Jubair of Channel S (remember his name, I think we’re going to hear a bit more about him soon, I reckon).

She claims she’s going to be her own woman if she’s elected. She hasn’t demonstrated anything like that thus far.

John Biggs has been successful getting out Labour’s big guns to campaign: Tessa Jowell has been a regular; Dan Jarvis came last night, Andy Burnham tonight. Less successful has been the party’s attempt getting out hordes of local activists and perhaps this is a reflection of rising rents in Tower Hamlets where there has traditionally been a flow of students to help at times like this.

One final thought for now: Rabina has just been on BBC London radio boasting about her housing record. But during her time as cabinet member for housing, service charges for Tower Hamlets Homes leaseholders in my old patch of Bow have risen by 30%. A significant reason for this has been the costs dumped on Tower Hamlets Homes by the council for various management services and contracts.

I’ve previously asked her about this, but guess what: no response.

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Guest post by John Foster, Green Party candidate for mayor

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on June 9, 2015| 19 Comments »

This is a guest post by John Foster, who is standing for the Greens in Thursday’s election.

john fosterHaving attended the coronation of Rabina Khan by outgoing mayor Lutfur Rahman, I felt a bit sad that the perpetual factionalism of politics in the East End is still alive and well in Tower Hamlets. Despite a parade of supporters queuing up to vouch for the integrity of Luftur Rahman, the appeal he and his supporters made was still to a narrow part of our community. We need to go beyond this.

I think that a Mayor of Tower Hamlets needs to represent every part of society, I am passionately against the divisions that the politicians of all flavours in this election are trying to artificially impose and exploit in the Borough. There are so many dog whistles being blown by Ukip, the Conservatives, Labour and whatever Tower Hamlets First evolves into, that the people of Tower Hamlets will be plagued with the yapping and howling of strays long into the night over the next 40 days.

Regardless of who wakes up on 12 June as the new Mayor, they must remember that the majority of people in the Borough did not vote for them, in fact – if this by-election follows the pattern of other by-elections in the UK – the majority of voters would not have even bothered to vote at all. It will be fantastic if we can change this, just as a start. Re-engaging people in Tower Hamlets with the political process will be tough, but it will reap its own rewards.

Whoever becomes Mayor will still have to govern in an unbiased way for the good of all the people of Tower Hamlets and will inherit a fractured council chamber and represent what for many in the Borough is a discredited office. If that person continues or accelerates the politics of division and the pattern of factionalism they will have failed all the people of Tower Hamlets and failed democracy.

Which brings me to another point: A lot of the rhetoric at Rabina Khan’s coronation was about democracy – or the denial of it. But fundamentally the office of the mayor and the confrontational system that it establishes is in itself anti-democratic. I’ve never agreed with elected mayors as in my opinion they just add another level of costs and create another opportunity for graft and corruption; they also dilute the power of the Council and councillors which is also anti-democratic.

That’s why I’ll act a Mayor for all residents in Tower Hamlets; and work to bring our communities closer and try and salve the poisonous nature of politics in this Borough. I know – if elected – I won’t have a ready-made faction on the Council chamber to force through legislation, and this is good. It’s good as I’ll have to compromise with all sides to make things happen, and I’d want to work with the best and the brightest elected officials from any party to craft the best of legislation for all the people of Tower Hamlets.

It’ll also give me the opportunity to strengthen the committee system in the Council chamber with an eye to the dissolution – through referendum in five years’ time (the earliest statutory date possible under the law) – of the office of elected mayor and a return to a more direct and democratic cabinet system based on a democratically elected Council.

But in the next five years I’d come with the Green’s own ideas and initiatives. The development of the London Chest Hospital for example is something I’d aim to turn to the benefit of the wider community. We’re losing a core health facility, and are in danger of getting another unaffordable soulless apartment complex for rich, non-resident investors. I’d look to turn this into social and council housing – we’d also work with the local residents affected by the Bishopsgate Goodsyard to find sustainable alternatives.

I would support the residents of Holland Estate and other tenants in the Borough being forced out of their homes and work with a cabinet to drive down unfair leaseholders charges; control rents on social rented homes; and deal with blights on our housing including abandoned scaffolding.

Health would be a priority in any Green administration I was involved in and I would fight to protect our GP surgeries from closing; challenge the government on PFI schemes with a view to suspending any new PFIs; and invest in local social care for elderly and vulnerable residents.

I’d also have at the core of my administration the ethos of community – our greater community – and unite all of our residents in opposition to austerity and protect and expand successful community initiatives including Rich Mix.

The kind of Green Mayor I aim to be would champion small local businesses over large multinational corporations. I’d encourage local content and local suppliers and sustainability to all Council businesses where possible and ensure that all businesses in Tower Hamlets become good corporate citizens, encouraging and supporting businesses established by young people and women.

I hope that this election is fought in good spirit and honourably. The issues need to be addressed. We need to look into problems to do with ballot rigging that have haunted Tower Hamlets since at least 2005. I’d love to be involved in a democratic process that is held up across London and the UK as exemplar and hope the other candidates will stand with me on that.

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Guest post by John Biggs: Rabina Khan is in complete denial anything was wrong

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on June 6, 2015| 121 Comments »

John Biggs

John Biggs

In less than a week our borough has a chance to draw a line under the controversy and division of recent years by electing a mayor whose sole focus will be on the things that matter most to local people.

For too long our borough has been dragged through the headlines for all the wrong reasons. A farcical election count, a damning auditor report, a Government intervention, a mayor removed for election offences.

The former Mayor Lutfur Rahman not only divided the community with his patronage based politics but his mismanagement of the Council led to Government interventions of the kind we rarely see in this day and age. In both respects it is the people of the borough who suffer.

None of this was about one community or another. Everybody in our borough lost out as their council and leadership was focused on itself and not delivering the things people expect of their council. But make no mistake that the consequences of his actions have been very divisive, creating mistrust that politicians are not there for the public good, but for some dodgier purpose. I get fed up with the public cynicism that says all politicians are ‘corrupt’. Thankfully it is only a very select few who are. But when we find them we must comprehensively work out how to stop it happening again.

And so this election is a chance to put the council back on residents’ side. It requires us to move forwards but to do this we must also admit that things were wrong. It therefore boggles my mind that the Lutfur Rahman candidate, Rabina Khan, is in almost complete denial that anything was wrong, or that she had anything to do with it. Her constant refrain is ‘we must look forwards’. We must, of course, but we cannot ignore recent events. To do so is a bit like a burglar selling you back your tv and accusing you of being backward looking in asking where it came from.

My manifesto, my contract with residents, focuses on policies which will benefit every corner of the Tower Hamlets. Building the first new social housing in years, cracking down on anti-social behaviour, creating new jobs and restoring the reputation of our borough. But to move forwards we must comprehensively deal with the last of these. The Mayor model can work – just because someone crashes a car it doesn’t mean nobody else can drive again – but we must introduce a culture of transparency, of bridge building and of checks and balances if we are to move forwards credibly.

On day one I will scrap the mayoral car and the army of advisors. I’ll end the biased coverage in East End Life and review how the council should best communicate with residents, and how the Mayor should be accountable to the Council as a whole. Maximum transparency, and a willingness to explain all decisions, will be the foundations. In the first months we’ll implement the recommendations in the PWC report to make the council more open and accountable, we’ll appoint a new Chief Executive and get cracking on making good on my manifesto commitments. I will redesign a Mayor’s office that is lean and I will develop a proposal for transparency, and regular meetings with the wider public. We want no more headlines about scandal and corruption, just ones about knuckling down to make things better, and then positive ones about the great things that local people achieve.

Whilst there are many candidates standing in this election last year showed us that the choice is between Labour or more of the same under Lutfur Rahman’s candidate. There will be many people reading this who are not natural Labour voters and who may not agree with everything I say or propose to do. Whether those people use their second preference or not may decide the result. To those voters I pledge a culture of openness and a good administration that listens, and explains, and does ot neglect the voices of any part of our community.

I am happy to write more at a later date about the challenges on housing, skills, employment, development, education, budgeting and so on. However, the simple fact is that this is an election like no other. It’s about getting our borough back on track and moving on from the divisive past we’ve seen under Lutfur Rahman. If elected, that is exactly what I intend to do.

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Guest post by Rabina Khan: This election is not about Lutfur Rahman, it’s about the future and I’ll be transparent

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on June 5, 2015| 51 Comments »

This is a guest post, by Cllr Rabina Khan, formerly of Tower Hamlets First and now an independent candidate for Tower Hamlets Mayor.

Rabina kahn, tower hamletsThe first thing I will do if elected as Mayor of Tower Hamlets is sit down with the Department for Communities and Local Government’s Commissioners. While this council continues to be recognised nationally as a high performing authority leading in many key policy areas, last year’s report by PriceWaterhouse Coopers identified governance failures in certain areas and addressing these must be our first priority – along with restoring confidence in our institutions and processes – so that we can move beyond recent challenges to best protect local people facing a wide range of adversities in difficult times.

I want to be a mayor for women, a mayor for housing and a mayor who stands up against austerity. Women need more role models in public life. Of the seventeen directly elected mayors in Britain, only four are women. I hope that I can be part of breaking that evident glass ceiling, following the recent influx of record numbers of women to Parliament and an election which for the first time saw female party leaders – Nicola Sturgeon, Natalie Bennett and Leanne Wood – take the stage and arguably totally transform the debate.

Every study has shown that austerity, and before it the recession, have hit women harder than men. Women’s unemployment, and particularly BME women’s unemployment, is a serious concern. That’s why I’m pledging to establish a brand new Women’s Employment Hub to ensure local women are presented with job opportunities and are equipped with the skills needed for the workplace.

Under my leadership as cabinet member for housing for the last five years, Tower Hamlets has seen more than 4000 social and affordable homes built – more than any other council in Britain as recognised by central government repeatedly awarding us the highest ‘New Homes Bonus’. We’ve established the landmark Preventing Homelessness Fund, refused to pass on cuts in council tax benefit and said no to Bedroom Tax evictions. But the housing waiting list continues to grow, so I’ve drawn up detailed plans to build 5,500 affordable homes by 2018.

Tenants know I’m someone who has always been on their side – and I’ll hold social landlords to account to make sure they promote real tenant leadership and decision-making. I’m also promising a better deal for Leaseholders – capping punitive charges and making our system fairer.

Over the last four years Tower Hamlets has blazed a trail on behalf of local people, fighting austerity and latent child poverty that continues to blight the East End. We’ve restored education maintenance allowances scrapped by central government, introduced universal free school meals in primary schools and introduced university grants to ensure that poverty cannot be a barrier to achievement.

We were the first council to pay workers the London Living Wage. Now I’m campaigning for a Living Rent. My brand new Mayor’s Employment Board and enterprise strategy will deliver 20,000 sustainable jobs and training opportunities, along with 8,000 new apprenticeships. As a working mum I understand what a juggling exercise life can be, so we’ll provide more nursery places to help parents into work. I’ll also abolish charges for bulk-waste collection.

Some have tried to make this election about the recent court judgment. Former mayor, Lutfur Rahman has made clear his intention to appeal. But that is his battle and this is mine. This election cannot be about the past, when the future presents such stark challenges to the poor and the vulnerable. We need to start a fresh chapter in our politics, opening up local democracy and leaving no-one outside. My People’s Question Time events across the borough will enable local people directly to hold me to account, along with key officials from the council and – I hope – partner organisations such as the police and the health service.

I’ll extend filming to all council committees, answer questions in full council, cabinet and the scrutiny committee. I’ll hold a regular press briefings. There will be no mayoral car. Grants will be determined in an open and transparent manner. I’ll review the council’s relationship with Rich Mix, and launch a brand new culture strategy to engage with all the rich spectrum of culture and talent throughout the East End. And anyone who knows me will tell you I’m my own woman.

The general election has returned a reactionary Conservative government hellbent on rolling back the state no matter the human consequences. At the same time we have a Labour Party bashing immigrants and backing the lowering of the benefit cap as its leadership candidates compete to see who can lurch most to the right. Even locally John Biggs has refused to guarantee lifeline policies such as the EMA. This area needs a mayor who can be relied upon to be on local people’s side. I hope you will put your trust in me to be that mayor.

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VIDEO: Shiraj Haque’s bid to back Biggs backfires…(apologies for the tongue-twister)

Posted in Uncategorized on June 5, 2015| 17 Comments »

Here’s a three minute clip showing how at least part of Shiraj Haque’s meeting to rally support for Labour and John Biggs backfired on Wednesday.

It’s an interesting insight into how the community elders believe they have influence over people’s votes. And note the lack of discussion about policy merits: the focus is on ensuring a Bengali is elected to power. After all, the elder says, the Pakistanis have their ministers so why can’t we.

//

very interesting program

Posted by Anwar Shahjahan on Thursday, June 4, 2015

 

If there is a problem linking through to the video above, here’s the link.

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Brick Lane curry king and ex-Lutfur money man Shiraj Haque says ‘Vote Biggs’

Posted in Uncategorized on June 2, 2015| 84 Comments »

Is there a shift or split within the hitherto solid Bengali Lutfurite vote? I ask this because over the past couple of days I’ve received the following three texts:

1. TOWER HAMLETS COMMUNITY LEADERS ENCOURAGE POLITICAL CHANGE IN THE BOROUGH

The Stake holders and the community activists conference is taking place tomorrow the 3rd June 2015 at 6.30pm in the Amana Centre, 251 Commercial Road, E1 2BT (opposite Watney Market)

Senior Tower Hamlets community leaders have come together to declare their support for mainstream political engagement in the borough ahead of the upcoming by-election for Executive Mayor on 11 June 2015. United Tower Hamlets task force has been set up to undertake and lead a campaign to re-unite the currently fractured community relation which is damaging the reputation and credibility of the British Bangladeshi Community.

The chairman of ‘ YES FOR MAYOR’ and the chair of the community coalition (Shiraj Haque) who backed former Mayor of Tower Hamlets ‘Lutfur Rahman’ is now leading the United Tower Hamlets Campaign.

Shiraj Haque, who spearheaded the ‘Yes For Mayor’ campaign and backed the candidacy of former Mayor Lutfur Rahman, heads a coalition of influential locals, who have been the catalyst for change in the borough, to push for a shift of political focus amongst the community based around existing political ideologies and away from the emergence of new and independent parties.

We invite all concerned to attend and join us in the process of creating history again by saving the community from devastating political turmoil.  On behalf of united Tower Hamlets Task Force   (Shiraj Haque, Rafique Hyder, Dr Aziz, Aklakur Rahman, Sadik Ali (Shefu), Minhaj Khibriya) and others.

2. Dear Friends and Associates.

I am inviting you to join me for an URGENT discussion and debate about the future of Tower Hamlets;
It’s People (OUR People)
It’s Businesses (OUR Businesses)
It’s Economy (OUR Economy)
It’s Reputation (OUR Reputation)
Our Future – OUR Childrens future in MAINSTREAM BRITISH SOCIETY & UK POLITICS!

The nation is watching to see how we undo the shame and disgrace that has undoubtedly been brought to BRITISH BANGLADESHI’S in Tower Hamlets by a so called few who told us they would place Tower Hamlets First when in reality it was all about putting themselves first!

We are now at the worst position we have ever been since electing ‘Lutfur Rahman’ as Mayor. Let us collectively discuss and decide how to re-UNITE this divided community – OUR Community.

Come and join me at;
6.30pm on Wednesday 3rd June 
@ The AMANAH Centre
251 Commercial Road
London E1 2BT
(Opposite Watney Market IDEA Store)

3. “The Lutfur Rahman Verdict, Wahabi-Jamaati Identity Politics in Tower Hamlets and the Triumph of three Bangladeshi Women in UK General Election: Where the British Bangladeshi Diaspora Go from Here”.

Thursday, 4 June 2015. 5:30pm sharp. Venue: Montefiore Centre, Hanbury Street London E1 5HZ.

Keynote paper by: Piya Mayenin, Lawyer and Human Rights Activist.

Speakers include distinguished academics, trade unionists, journalists and social commentators. Thank you.

The first two, in terms of the June 11 election are especially significant because they are the work of Shiraj Haque, otherwise known on this blog over the years as the Brick Lane Curry King, the Boishakhi Mela Maestro, the Housing Association millionaire and self-declared financial backer of Lutfur Rahman in 2010.

I spoke to him tonight and his message is fairly simple: Enough is Enough, and Vote John Biggs.

“The protest vote is not a continual process in politics,” he said. “You do it once and then you reconcile.”

MLR_&_Len_M_with_Community_Leaders

Shiraj Haque (right) in happier times with Lutfur Rahman and Unite boss Len McCluskey

He has promised to work his socks off over the next week to try and ensure Labour takes back the town hall, but he still believes Rabina Khan is favourite – largely because he thinks the Labour campaign has been quiet and poorly organised. He thinks they have been particularly useless at courting the Bengali press.

At tomorrow’s meeting in Watney Market he says he will outline an alternative strategy that will persuade people who voted for Lutfur to switch back to Labour.

Talking to him was fascinating. He said he backed Lutfur in 2010, that it was he who effectively helped him become mayor, that he was angry with the way he had been treated by Labour…but by 2014 he had grown “disillusioned” with him. He said Lutfur started off with the right intentions but he was was then “hijacked by invisible individuals” who had their own agenda. He wouldn’t name them. I asked if he meant the IFE and he said he was referring to individuals, not a group. He said figures within the IFE itself had expressed the same sentiment to him.

He said the formation of Tower Hamlets First had been a “total disaster”.

Anyway, I’ll let Shiraj do the talking, he’s good at that. You can form your own judgments.

“We need to get back to mainstream politics again. Individual aspirations should not be jeapordised by party officials. It was unjust of the Labour party to engineer a different result [in the 2010 election process].

“We wanted him to get back to the Labour party and that was our original intention. I regret that that did not happen. However, he did carry out some of our agenda although I wasn’t happy with his policies on social housing. I wanted 100 per cent social housing but he couldn’t do that. I also wanted more opportunities for small and medium sized entrepreneurs to flourish…so that people could move off benefits and and earn money and not become a burden on society.

“You and others always talk about me living in a housing association property but I always wanted to be in Tower Hamlets, I wanted to remain here.

“I wasn’t happy that Lutfur wanted to continue as an independent mayor. The formation of Tower Hamlets First as a party was  atonal disaster and I warned him about that. However, I remained silent during the last election campaign because I didn’t want to jeopardise his individual prospects. Apart from attending one or two meetings, I was broadly invisible in that election.

“I strongly believe we need to develop the cultural part of our society and that would keep people away from extreme ideas. Musical entertainment is a way of making people engage and that part of community cohesion has been badly neglected.

“I wanted Lutfur to work more on Brick Lane’s history. Birmingham and Manchester have marketed their curry aspects well but we failed. Brick Lane is a tourist icon but we we failed to capitalise on that.

“Instead there was a hijacking by other people. I had provided a lifeline to him as a mayoral option but within a short period of time he ran away from the core team who worked hard to get him elected. It was an invisible team who hijacked him. I won’t name them. It is individuals. Even people within the IFE were concerned about who he was working with and working for.

“But the Labour party must realise that its activities prior to the election was not very pleasant and they should learn from that for the future. We want colour and background to be irrelevant.

“I held a press conference today. I wanted to say to my community that the protest vote is not a continual process in politics. You do it once and then you try to reconcile. You extend the hand, or they do, or you do it together. The Labour party should not be running away from its own supporters. You should not let the minority win.

“Yesterday’s enemy is today’s friend. That’s the lesson of history. Let’s build again.

“At the last election, many people who voted usually vote for the Lib Dems, the Conservative party or Labour voted for Lutfur. I would ask people to vote this time for the best option and that is to elect a Labour mayor.

“John Biggs is the candidate. He’s a nice guy, I get on well with him. He has a sense of humour, a dry sense of humour and that’s sometimes difficult for people to understand, but he’s a nice man and we can work together.

“I’ve been approached by Labour councillors before but I wasn’t sure they were ready to win. They need to work hard. I see the Rabina Khan campaign is working hard, they are very visible, they are more geared up than John Biggs’ campaign.

“A large section of the community thinks she will win but I think if Labour puts up a hard campaign now, it can win. But I can’t see who is running the campaign. It’s looking very difficult. If I feel tomorrow the Labour party doesn’t have a good strategy, I shall offer a new strategy. The Bengali media is very poorly managed by Labour. I will get people who voted for Lutfur to vote for John Biggs.”

Sound sensible. Or is he hedging his bets? He still runs the Mela, of course…

And I’ll add this as a postscript…at the count at the Troxy last year, he told me he’d had enough of the mayoral system that he was instrumental in delivering. He said it had caused division and that he wanted a return to a leader and cabinet system. So on that score he is consistent.

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Guest post by Lib Dem candidate Elaine Bagshaw: We need to move on from mess and feuds of Lutfur and Labour

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on June 2, 2015| 21 Comments »

This, by Lib Dem Elaine Bagshaw, is the next in the series of guest posts by candidates for the Tower Hamlets mayoral elections on June 11. John Biggs and Rabina Khan have also promised articles although they have yet to materialise.

elaine bagshaw

I’m running for Mayor because we need to build a better Tower Hamlets that works for everyone.

Forty-nine per cent of our children live in poverty. We live in the shadows of the City yet have second highest unemployment rate in London.

Why is it that if you are born in Tower Hamlets you are expected to live five fewer years than someone born in the City of London?

I’ve been proud to call this borough my home five years now, and I want to deliver for people in this borough so that everyone gets the same opportunities I had. I was the first person in my family to go to University, and through a shared ownership scheme in the borough I’ve had the chance to own my own home. I currently live in Poplar, near Westferry station. I ran for the Parliamentary seat of Poplar & Limehouse in the General Election, and the Blackwall & Cubitt Town by-election in 2014.

The last five years have been difficult for the borough. Yes, there have been some improvements such as the results at our local schools, the introduction of the London Living Wage payment for staff, and the cleanness of certain areas, but they don’t go far enough, and they’ve divided our community. We’ve collectively lost faith in the office of the Mayor, the Council and its arms-length organisations such as Tower Hamlets Homes at exactly the time when they are needed most.

The previous administrations of both Labour and Tower Hamlets First have left us this legacy, and it is simply unacceptable. This can’t be allowed to continue. It is time for a change with local people leading the way. The borough needs new leadership and new ideas so that we can move on from the feuds of the past and together build a united community that delivers local solutions.

If elected mayor I will:

  • Make sure that there are affordable homes for working families
  • Ensure that a minimum of 50 per cent of a social housing development has to remain as social housing once it has been redeveloped
  • Protect our social housing provision by making sure that like-for-like replacements of the lost social housing are built in the borough
  • Housing developments are built alongside infrastructure such as schools; doctors surgeries and transport links so that they are additions to our community
  • Identify all empty homes in the borough and make them fit for use as social housing
  • Ensure no social housing tenant in the borough is living in a home that is unsuitable for human habitation
  • Investigate the treatment of leaseholders, putting an end to charging for unnecessary work and systemic overcharging of residents
  • Deliver new local facilities such as more GPs and better local transportation needed to support our community.
  • Save £1.5m by scrapping the council newspaper and use this money to create apprenticeships for young people in Tower Hamlets that pay the London Living Wage
  • Have zero tolerance on corruption

I’ve spent just over six years working as a regulator in the borough on Canary Wharf. As a regulator I have held banks to account, and supported those who fell victim to the scandals of payday lenders. I’ve also worked as a youth worker helping get young people back into education and into work.

I know what needs to be done and how hard it can be. But I also know that I can deliver for our community.

A vote for Elaine Bagshaw is a vote for a better Tower Hamlets.

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