Tower Hamlets tops the leaderboard for genuinely affordable home completions
New statistics released by City Hall last week (14th May) show that 1,562 affordable homes were completed in Tower Hamlets as part of GLA housing programmes in the year ending 31st March 2020, the highest level of any London borough. Throughout the same period, 758 new affordable homes were also started in the borough. The […]
31,274 in London could lose care this year if Government breaks funding promise
New analysis reveals the crippling cuts that will be forced on key frontline services including adult social care in London if the Government continues to back-track on their pledge to support councils in the wake of the Coronavirus crisis. Local authorities are by far the largest funder of adult social care in England. They now […]
Figures from Tower Hamlets shows higher impact of COVID-19 on BAME population
New figures from Tower Hamlets have highlighted the impact of COVID-19 on the BAME population. It shows that Asian residents are twice as likely to be showing signs of COVID-19. The Mayor has written to the Prime Minister highlighting the figures and asking for urgent action to be taken to address this stark difference in […]
Mayor Biggs responds to PM’s announcement
Responding to the Prime Minister’s announcement, Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs said: “There were some very minor changes to the current guidance and I think the Prime Minister could have been a lot clearer on the detail of these, however I await further information that will be released today. “In particular I am concerned […]
Mayor urges Iceland supermarket to join voucher scheme
The Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs has called on the supermarket chain Iceland to join the Government’s Free School Meal voucher scheme, which supports low-income families during the pandemic whilst schools are closed. The Mayor is backing a campaign from ‘Shadwell Responds’, a non-party political community-led response group to the Coronavirus crisis working on […]
Government must meet its pledge on council coronavirus costs
The Mayor of Tower Hamlets has set out the estimated cost of Tower Hamlets Council’s coronavirus response in an open letter to the Prime Minister and urged the PM to ensure local authorities are fully reimbursed for the vital work they are doing as part of the coronavirus response. Mayor John Biggs warns that councils […]
Mayor warns Government’s housing support doesn’t go far enough
The Mayor of Tower Hamlets has written to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to welcome the increase in Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, but also to warn that the increase doesn’t go far enough for inner London areas such as Tower Hamlets where […]
Mayor Biggs responds to Labour Leadership result
Responding to the announcement that Sir Keir Starmer MP has been elected as Leader of the Labour Party, and Angela Rayner MP as Deputy Leader, Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs said: “We are in the midst of an unprecedented situation in our country and it’s more important than ever that we have strong, united […]
Mayor Biggs responds to Budget 2020
Responding to the Chancellor’s budget announcements yesterday (11th March), Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs said: “The Chancellor’s budget does not address the deep cuts we have faced following a decade of austerity. It failed to offer proper funding to address the social care crisis, increased demand in special educational needs and disabilities, or provide […]
Deputy Mayor tells MPs that councils need to be set free to deliver homes
Councillor Rachel Blake attended a Housing, Communities and Local Government select committee meeting on Monday (9th March) in Parliament and made the case for the government to take radical action to address the housing crisis. The cross party committee of MPs is currently looking at how social housing is provided and Councillor Blake gave evidence […]
