‘Levelling up’ the UK shouldn’t mean raiding cash from London
Mayor John Biggs has written to the Chancellor ahead of the Government’s budget announcement tomorrow to warn that raiding money from London to fund the Government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda would have dire consequences for London, which has some of the highest levels of poverty in the UK. The Mayor highlights that the Government’s cuts to […]
SEND Crisis: Tower Hamlets issues £12m invoice to Prime Minister
Tower Hamlets parents, pupils, schools, the National Education Union and Tower Hamlets Council came together on Friday (28th February 2020) to issue a £12m invoice to the Prime Minister to cover the cost of the SEND crisis. The invoice, which has been signed by hundreds of parents and school staff across Tower Hamlets, was handed […]
Our council budget
Local government has faced a decade of cuts due to Tory austerity. In Tower Hamlets we’ve had to make savings of £190m since 2010 due to reductions in cash from central government and massive increases in demand on our services. Successive Tory Governments have been all too happy to allow local government to take more […]
Government’s review of council funding threatens £3m loss for Tower Hamlets
In the same week that Mayor Biggs will present his council budget proposals, the Mayor has called on the Prime Minister to scrap the controversial ‘Fair Funding review’. New figures reveal that the ‘Fair Funding review’ – a Government review of council-funding which could take money away from areas of high deprivation like Tower Hamlets […]
Tower Hamlets Labour protects council tax reduction scheme
In their budget plans for the coming year, Tower Hamlets’ Labour Mayor and councillors are protecting support for the borough’s poorest residents through the Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS). The scheme, which reduces or completely removes council tax bills for residents on the lowest incomes, is one of the most generous schemes in the country. […]
55% of those reassessed for PIP in Tower Hamlets see support cut or stopped altogether
55% of those reassessed for PIP in Tower Hamlets see support cut or stopped altogether The Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs has called on the government to take urgent action to overhaul the way that assessments are carried out for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for disabled people. PIP replaced Disability Living Allowance and […]
Mayor Biggs reassures EU residents ahead of Brexit day
Ahead of ‘exit day’ on 31st January – the day when the UK leaves the European Union – the Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs has sought to reassure the 41,000 citizens from the remaining 27 EU countries who live in Tower Hamlets. During this period of great uncertainty the Mayor has reiterated his message […]
Mayor writes to Prime Minister calling for funding cuts to local services to be reversed
Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs has written to the Prime Minister calling for cuts to local councils to be reversed. Since 2010 Tower Hamlets has had to save £190m due to both government funding cuts and increasing pressure on services. The council has to save a further £39m by 2023. In the letter the […]
Tower Hamlets Council calls for universal credit to be scrapped
Tower Hamlets councillors overwhelmingly backed a motion proposed by Labour councillors at a full council meeting last week (Wednesday 15th January) calling for universal credit to be scrapped and replaced. Councillors also agreed to campaign for emergency mitigation to be introduced, including scrapping the two-child limit and the benefit cap. The motion follows a report […]
Westferry Printworks
The Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs has responded to the announcement that the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has disagreed with the Planning Inspectorate’s conclusions and decided to grant planning permission for the Westferry Printworks planning application. Mayor John Biggs said: “I’m extremely disappointed that the Secretary of State has […]
