Featured

A budget to improve employment and training opportunities for local people and to tackle anti-social behaviour moved one step closer this week, as the council's budget setting process for 2018/19 entered its final phase. At a meeting of the council's Cabinet, councillors discussed in more detail the financial plans set out earlier this month, which include: £1.35m to give unemployed parents opportunities to access jobs in childcare, creating up to 120 new roles; £180,000 for Young WorkPath, a new scheme to offer expert advice employment and training advice to young people; and £545,000 for a neighbourhood operations scheme, tackling antisocial behaviour where there is a concentration of problems. At Tuesday's meeting, they also received formal feedback from residents...

On Thursday 1st February, Toynbee Hall held an opening event for a new exhibition at the Idea Store Whitechapel, as part of Toynbee Hall’s Heritage Project. The Bengali Innovators of Toynbee Hall is an exhibition which aims to capture the stories of the key influencers in the Bengali community who were involved in shaping Toynbee Hall’s services and improving community life since the 1970s. The launch was attended by members of the community, partner organisations, funders and some of the individuals who are celebrated in the exhibition, including Anis Rahman OBE. Mr Rahman is a former volunteer and trustee who helped develop women only sessions at Toynbee Hall’s Free Legal Advice Centre, which continue to run today. In a speech at the event, Mr. Rahman said: “I’m very grateful to T...

Tower Hamlets Council is the only London local authority to be ranked this year in the Stonewall Top 100 UK Employers Index and its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) staff network has been "highly commended" by Stonewall for its "outstanding work". The council's staff network was praised for hosting a 2017 London Pride event on trans inclusion. 2018 marks the first year that Stonewall have ensured that gender identity work counts towards an organisation's overall score and ranking. No organisation is recognised in the Top 100 without demonstrating they are committed to transgender inclusion in their workplace. John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets said: "I am pleased we are on a journey with Stonewall to further support communities, like the transgender community, whose voice...

To coincide with national mental health campaign Time to Talk day, the council is launching its 'Suicide Prevention Strategy 2018-2021.' The annual day on 1 February aims to encourage everyone to talk about mental health and end the stigma around it. One in four people are affected by mental health at some point during their lifetime however suicide is often a taboo topic. Talking openly about mental health is considered an important preventative measure. In Tower Hamlets, the suicide rate (8.6 out of 100,000) is lower than that of England (9.9) and slightly lower than the London average (8.7). However, the council recognises that more can be done to prevent suicide and suicide attempts. Four in five suicide victims are men, and over half of all suicides are in men and women aged 20-3...

Tower Hamlets Council's Cabinet has approved a new Community Engagement Strategy on Tuesday 30 January 2018. The new strategy will ensure that the many diverse communities within the borough are at the very heart of the services offered by the council and can influence and shape the borough in which they live and work. It also marks a more transparent, outwardly-facing approach to the council's work, putting local people at the very heart of what is done by ensuring people are informed, engaged, involved with and empowered by the council. The new strategy builds on existing good practices and aims to resolve, with partners, the challenges the borough will face in the coming years. It follows a period of consultation with a wide range of individuals and organisations within the borough...