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An opportunity to vote for a favourite green space in the UK is possible by the click of a button. People's Choice, who run the Green Flag Awards, want people to vote to find the UK's top 10 favourite parks. Any green space is eligible to win so long as visitors can enter free of charge. Previously in Tower Hamlets, Victoria Park has won a Green Flag Heritage Award and been voted the People's Park. Green Flag awards are given annually in recognition of exceptional high quality green public spaces. They drive up the standards of parks and green spaces and access to quality green space is something we all desire. You can vote anytime up to 30th September. To vote use the map to find to your favourite park and click the vote button. Once you've voted, don't forget to encourage others to get i...

Residents in the Weavers area offered suggestions for making their community more attractive, when they joined Mayor John Biggs and Cllr Amina Ali, Cabinet Member for Environment on a street audit in their neighbourhood. Street audits, where residents walk through their local area, identifying potential improvements, are part of the Mayor's Neighbourhood Refresh programme, a £3 million scheme to invest in local infrastructure and improve neighbourhoods. The programme is being rolled out across the borough over the next three years and residents and community groups in the Weavers area were some of the first to be consulted. During the street audit, residents pointed out where they would like to see more trees, raised kerbs a pedestrian crossing and CCTV. Suggestions included introducing a ...

A new Stop Smoking London Helpline service, funded and supported by Tower Hamlets Council and 29 other London Boroughs, has been launched by the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) London. The helpline (0300 123 1044) has been launched alongside Stoptober; the national campaign that encourages people to stop smoking for 28 days and beyond. John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets said: "We all know that smoking is bad for our health and Stoptober is a great way to finally kick the habit for good with thousands of other people. We are working in partnership with other councils to offer professional help and support in a simple and convenient way." Fabiana Boarin, decided to use local services to help her quit for good after finding out she was pregnant. She spoke to Dipul from the Qu...

People over the age of 50 will join the council and health and community organisations to mark this year's International Day of Older Persons on October 1. The day is celebrated annually to recognise the contributions older people make to society and to examine issues that affect their lives. Events including entertainment, information sessions, and health and wellbeing activities, will take place at LinkAge Plus centres during the week of October 2. Funded by the council and Tower Hamlets Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), LinkAge Plus centres offer a range of activities to help people over the age of 50 achieve a better quality of life, improve their physical and mental well-being and reduce social isolation. In 2015, there were an estimated 16,700 people aged 65 or over living in Tower...

Tower Hamlets Council has been encouraging its residents to love recycling all week as part of national Recycle Week. An information stall has been touring the borough, handing out advice and information on what can and can't be recycled. Residents have also been encouraged to use their communal purple bins, where they have them, and clear sacks for recycling. Mayor John Biggs said: "Making the borough cleaner and greener is a big priority. The council sent 12,000 tonnes of waste to be recycled last year but we need to do even more, and we want local people to help us." Lead member for Strategic Development, Councillor Rachel Blake, added: "By recycling, you are doing your part to help the environment. Everyday items can be given a new lease of life, from plastic bottles to cardboard boxes...

Tower Hamlets Council has ordered three conservation area houses, illegally demolished in June 2016, to be re-built by their owners exactly as they stood before. The owners, suspected to have caused or permitted the demolition of the buildings in Coldharbour Conservation Area, repeatedly refused to give a credible explanation for their destruction during exhaustive enquiries by the council. Enforcement notices have now been issued to the owners, giving them 18 months to rebuild the properties. John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: "Many local people were understandably distressed by the demolition of these properties. It is right that those who show contempt for our heritage assets and flout the law should face legal action. "I am pleased our legal action will help remedy the harm the ...