Chancellor passes the buck on social care funding crisis again
The Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs has criticised the Chancellor for “shirking his responsibility” to tackle the social care funding crisis, and for “passing the buck” to local councils. Rather than having a national, sustainable funding method for social care services, the Tory Government leaves councils to organise and fund the vast majority of […]
Mayor Biggs urges Chancellor to protect Universal Credit and Keep the Lifeline
The Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs has hit out at the Chancellor for ploughing on with plans to cut Universal Credit (UC) in April next year, despite the enormous hardship facing many families across the country as the economic impact of Covid-19 bites. The government raised the standard UC allowance for 12 months earlier […]
Tower Hamlets Labour calls for action on fire safety
At a Full Council meeting earlier this month, Tower Hamlets councillors adopted a Labour amendment calling on the government to increase funding for its building safety fund to fix cladding issues on private sector tall buildings. The Labour Group also called on government to publish a database of affected buildings and to streamline access to […]
Tower Hamlets Council condemns Government’s failure of children and young people
Tower Hamlets Council has voted to condemn the Government for its failure to tackle child poverty, and is demanding that the Secretary of State for Education explains why ministers have failed children and young people. The motion highlights the impact of austerity on children since 2010, this year’s exams fiasco, the failure to provide Free […]
Tower Hamlets Council backs Labour’s plans for a mayoral referendum
Tower Hamlets Council has agreed to hold a referendum on whether the borough should keep the mayoral system or move to the ‘leader and cabinet’ system. The referendum will be held on the same day as the London assembly and mayoral elections in May 2021. Last week the Labour Group voted in favour of the […]
Mayor Biggs welcomes Living Wage increase
The Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs has welcomed the news that the Living Wage has increased, meaning a pay boost for a quarter of a million people across the country. The news was announced by the Living Wage Foundation this week as part of Living Wage Week. The real Living Wage – not to […]
Tower Hamlets Labour triggers referendum on the future of the mayoralty
Tower Hamlets Labour Group has voted to trigger a referendum on whether the borough should keep the mayoral system or move to the ‘leader and cabinet’ system. The Labour Group voted in favour of the referendum proposal put forward by the Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs. Following the Group’s decision, the proposal to hold […]
Trussell Trust forecasts soaring foodbank demand as Tories fail to support people in Tower Hamlets
The Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs has hit out at the Government for undermining the council’s efforts to tackle poverty in the borough, and warned that local councils cannot indefinitely pick up the tab for filling in the cracks in Government support schemes. Mayor Biggs said that the recent Free School Meals (FSM) fiasco, […]
New child poverty data shows devastating impact of Tory austerity
New data compiled by the End Child Poverty campaign highlights the shocking impact that Conservative austerity has had on child poverty in the country, with the majority of children in some parts of the country growing up in poverty. The data covers the period between 2014-15 and 2018-19, some of the peak years of Government […]
The Tories voted to let children go hungry over the school holidays
The Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs has attacked the Government’s decision to vote against extending free school meals throughout the school holidays as “shameful”. The Labour Party had proposed that the Government continue to fund free school meals throughout the holidays, including the upcoming October half term and Christmas, as part of their campaign […]
