“The decision to bring Best Value Inspectors back to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets is deeply
concerning. Over the past year, the Labour group have witnessed worrying parallels with the
governance issues that plagued the borough under Lutfur Rahman in 2014.
We have observed a steady decline in good governance and increasing disregard for proper scrutiny.
The mayor has attended only a single scrutiny meeting this year, and the significant turnover of
senior council officers since Mayor Rahman’s election is a major cause for alarm. The multiple
vacancies at the director level, including roles overseeing children’s services, communities, and
housing and regeneration, further highlight the instability within the council’s leadership.
The LGA peer review, conducted late last year, offered a candid and critical assessment of the
council’s operations. We hoped this would be a turning point for the administration and the mayor.
Instead, the resulting action plan was insufficient, and the administration has responded with
hostility and a misrepresentation of the facts to the public and press.
Labour councillors will cooperate fully with the government-appointed inspectors. We implore the
administration to avoid the errors of the past and embrace honesty, openness, and transparency. A
fundamental shift towards robust transparency and democratic accountability is essential for the
good governance of Tower Hamlets Council.
No one wishes to see commissioners return to our borough, but the administration’s current path
risks wasting more of our residents’ funds on defiance and misplaced pride.”