Steve Reed convenes Tower Hamlets envoys as concerns over council persist | Local government

Communities secretary Steve Reed has called a meeting with officials overseeing the running of Tower Hamlets council as concerns remain over the management of the east London authority.

Ambassadors were sent to Tower Hamlets after a team of government-appointed investigators published a report last November revealing a “toxic” and secretive culture dominated by local mayor Lutfur Rahman’s inner circle.

It is understood Reed plans to meet with the ambassadors to discuss their work so far and find out whether there has been enough change on the council and what else they think could be done.

Rahman, the council’s former Labor Party leader, first became mayor as an independent in 2010. he was removed from office In 2015, he was banned from running for mayor for five years after the election commission found him guilty of election fraud.

He was re-elected in 2022 under the banner of the Aspire party, which has a slim majority of competent councillors.

The planned meeting followed a letter from Reed to the council saying he was horrified to learn that two Tower Hamlets councillors, one from Aspire and the other a former Aspire member now sitting as an independent, wanted to stand as MPs in Bangladesh.

“I am appalled that any councilor elected by local people to serve their interests would even consider abandoning a commitment to campaign in another country,” he wrote in a letter seen by the Guardian.

“I am particularly disappointed that Tower Hamlets councilors are considering doing this when the council, with the support of my ambassadors, is on a significant improvement journey that requires dedicated and fully engaged leadership to grasp and deliver the change required.”

One first progress report The statement from the three ambassadors, released in July, welcomed steps the council had taken to improve its performance, but also noted a perceived lack of cooperation from the mayor’s office.

“We did not always feel that staff prioritized making time for meetings with ambassadors, and meeting some individuals took longer than necessary,” they wrote. “We would especially like to meet the mayor’s office and advisors.”

The team is expected to publish another report by the end of the year, ahead of elections to all London councils next May. But Reed’s decision to summon the envoys now is seen as indicative of the level of concern about the lack of progress.

Opposition councilors have raised a number of issues with the council’s functioning in recent weeks, most notably the decision to allow Aspire councilor Sabina Khan to stand in elections in Bangladesh.

Labor councilor Marc Francis said: “Although there is activity there is little sign of real improvement. Labor councilors continue to have serious concerns about the ‘patronage culture’ and lack of impartiality at the town hall and the impact this is having on the services our residents rely on.”

A spokesman for Tower Hamlets said: “Ambassadors have been keeping the minister updated on the council’s improvement journey and we continue to work in partnership with them to make further progress.

“The mayor has written to the minister clarifying such issues and inviting him to come to Tower Hamlets and work together on further improvements, including the pioneering policies we have introduced to support residents under cost of living pressure, as well as our ongoing efforts to bring our community together in the face of attempts to sow division.”

An Aspire spokesman said: “Sabina Khan has not been selected as a candidate for elections in Bangladesh. If she is selected as a candidate, she is of course expected to resign; if she does not withdraw, the whip will be lifted.”