Mayor praises East End spirit in his ‘State of the Borough’ speech
The Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs delivered his ‘State of the Borough’ speech at a full council meeting this week, highlighting the challenges faced in the borough during the pandemic and praising the way the community has rallied together to help one another. Mayor Biggs spoke about the huge impact of Covid and how […]
Mayor Biggs calls on Government to ‘cancel the cut’ to Universal Credit
Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs has again spoken out against the Government’s planned cut to Universal Credit (UC), as new figures reveal the huge increase in the number of Tower Hamlets households claiming UC during the pandemic. Since the start of the pandemic, the number of households on universal credit in Bethnal Green and […]
Executive Committee – Labour Group
Leader of the Labour Group Mayor John Biggs – [email protected] Deputy Leader of the Labour Group Cllr Asma Begum – [email protected] Chair Cllr Kahar Chowdhury – [email protected] Media & Communications Officer Cllr Ehtasham Haque – [email protected] Party Liaison Officer Officer Cllr Val Whitehead – [email protected] Policy and Campaigns Officer Cllr Sirajul Islam – [email protected] Chief Whip Cllr Tarik Khan – [email protected] Secretary […]
Mayor of Tower Hamlets slams Government slashing support for tenants struggling to pay their rent
The Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs has attacked the Government for cutting Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) nationally by 22%. DHP is an extra payment made to residents who are struggling to pay rent, which is paid by councils but funded by central government. DHP is often paid because a resident is struggling to pay […]
Tower Hamlets Labour Group support for Labour Women’s Network Motion to Women’s Conference 2021
Tower Hamlets Labour Group support for Labour Women’s Network Motion to Women’s Conference 2021 Proposed by: Cllr Rachel Blake Seconded by: Mayor John Biggs Tower Hamlets Labour Group notes: The Labour Party has a widespread problem with sexual harassment, from its grassroots up, evidenced by the 2017 LabourToo report which detailed 43 case studies of […]
Health Secretary urged to support vaccination drive
The Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs and Deputy Mayor Cllr Rachel Blake have written to the Health Secretary to set out the work that Tower Hamlets Council is doing to drive up vaccination rates in the borough and to call on the Government to take steps to help the efforts. The letter highlights that […]
Mayor Biggs slams Government’s ‘pitiful’ education recovery plans
The Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs has described the Government’s education recovery plan as a ‘pitiful offer which badly lets down children in Tower Hamlets.’ Earlier this month the Government announced a funding package to boost education recovery after the impact of school closures during the pandemic, however detailed research by the Education Policy […]
Mayor John Biggs slams government’s so-called ‘Levelling Up Fund’ for taking money away from the East End
A new report from London Councils, the cross-party organisation representing London’s 32 boroughs and the City of London, raises concerns about the way funding has been allocated through the Government’s ‘Levelling up Fund’ and the ‘Community Renewal Fund’. Earlier this year the Chancellor announced plans for the ‘Levelling Up Fund’ (LUF) which put Tower Hamlets […]
New statistics show rapid increase in child poverty across Britain
New national statistics shows sharp rise in child poverty across the UK over the last 5 years. This national picture is also seen in Tower Hamlets, where the number of children living in poverty has increased from 30,728 in 2014/15 to 35,807 in 2019/20. The National Education Union has launched its ‘No Child Left Behind’ […]
Mayor Biggs warns end of eviction ban could cause a tsunami of evictions
The Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs has warned that the ban on evictions, implemented by the Government in response to the economic impact of Covid-19 and which came to an end on 31st May, will have a huge impact on many residents in Tower Hamlets and add even more pressure onto the council’s homelessness […]
