Tower Hamlets Council calls on Government to keep Poplar JobCentre Plus open for local residents
Tower Hamlets Labour Group agreed a motion last week at Full Council to write to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and the Employment Minister to express concern at the damaging decision to close the Dod Street JobCentre Plus. Dod Street JobCentre Plus is a vital resource for local residents in Poplar, and […]
Tower Hamlets Council keeps up the pressure on Tesco over price rises
Tower Hamlets Council is keeping up the pressure on Tesco over its changes to store structures (converting Tesco Metro to Tesco Express stores) and the resulting impact on food prices. Tesco Express pricing excludes the supermarket price-match offers, increasing the pricing of regular shopping for residents. Last month, Mayor Biggs and Cabinet Member Cllr Bustin […]
Mayor John Biggs responds to the Prime Minister’s announcement on social care
John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: “The Government’s social care strategy has been to pass the buck to local councils to provide many social care services, cut council budgets, and then blame them when council tax bills have to increase to fund the services. Tower Hamlets Council has been forced to save £200m since […]
Bilingual signs at Whitechapel station
Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs and Deputy Mayor Cllr Asma Begum are calling for signs at Whitechapel station to be displayed in both English and Bangla. Their letter is below: | Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs and Deputy Mayor Cllr Asma Begum are calling for signs at Whitechapel station to be displayed in […]
Mayor Biggs welcomes Labour’s plans to overhaul Universal Credit
Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs has backed the Labour Party’s proposals to overhaul Universal Credit (UC), describing the plans as a “much-needed reform that would benefit many families in Tower Hamlets.” Labour has announced it would reduce the taper rate, which currently means that for every £1 earned over the work allowance payment is […]
Mayor John Biggs announces changes to Cabinet and to Liveable Streets policy
Mayor John Biggs today announced a number of changes to his Cabinet and a change of policy on the ‘Liveable Streets’ programme as the council sharpens its focus on Covid recovery and delivering excellent services for residents. The move is a small shake-up of political responsibilities together with a reflection on progress so far and […]
Mayor Biggs calls on Government to invest in grassroots and community sport
The Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs has called on the Government to invest more in sport and leisure facilities, as the Local Government Association (LGA) warns that 63% of main sports halls and 60% of swimming pools are past their expected lifespans or overdue refurbishment, resulting in some facilities remaining closed after the pandemic […]
Mayor Biggs on Covid recovery plans
John Biggs, the Mayor of Tower Hamlets, writes about his plans for Covid recovery in Tower Hamlets… As a community we’ve been hit hard by the pandemic. Life has been very tough for many and we need to get back to business and in particular recognise the hardship that people faced and continue to face. […]
Tesco urged to reconsider price rises following the phasing out of their ‘Metro’ stores
Mayor John Biggs has written to Tesco chief executive, Ken Murphy, to express his disappointment over the recent price increases that the company has made under the label of changes to store structure (conversion of Tesco Metro to Tesco Express) and the closure of various supermarket price-match offers. Tower Hamlets residents have reported price increases […]
Mayor Biggs calls on Government to scrap two-child limit as number of families affected soars
New official figures reveal that the number of families affected by the two-child limit in universal credit and tax credits jumped by 67,000 in the year to April 2021 to reach 318,000. The two-child policy restricts child allowances in universal credit and tax credits (worth £237.08 per month) to the first two children in a […]
