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 […]
‘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 […]
