London

Twelve young people from Tower Hamlets mingled with members of the royal family at Buckingham Palace during the annual Duke of Edinburgh gold awards ceremony,  last week. The event on 24 May was hosted by Prince Edward, trustee of the DofE awards, and he was joined by the Duke of Cambridge and his cousin, Princess Eugenie, to celebrate the achievements of 3,000 young people from across the country who received their awards during the special day. The young residents, aged between 16 and 25, all achieved their DofE gold award by working in volunteering, physical activity, skills and expeditions. Mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs, said: "This has been a real record-breaking year for the Duke of Edinburgh awards here in the borough with 12 students achieving their Gold Award at Buckingha...

Tower Hamlets Council is running its fourth borough-wide Big Clean Up next week, as part of its 'Love Your Neighbourhood' campaign. With the good weather on its way, the fourth #TheBigCleanUp running from from Monday 4 - Friday 8 June promises to be bigger than ever before, spread across parks, estates and streets while working with a wide variety of partners. A full list of locations is available online and is being publicised through social media. In 2016, the Council collected 7,000 tonnes of litter and debris, and the Big Clean Up raises awareness and encourages everyone in the community to play their part in keeping the borough clean and green, and do their bit by not dropping litter and taking part in short clean-up activities Mayor John Biggs said: "While most people respect ou...

£8000 of illegal tobacco seized in two-day operation 56% of businesses visited in Tower Hamlets were caught selling illegal tobacco  Tower Hamlets Council's Trading Standards Officers and detection dogs found £8,000 worth of illegal tobacco hidden inside cereal boxes, coat pockets and behind display panels during a recent two-day operation. Officers found illegal products in 10 of the 18 premises visited. Overall 12,360 cigarettes, 2,250g of hand-rolling tobacco and 68 pots of chewing tobacco were seized. The raids were part of Operation Stromboli, which aims to stop the sale of counterfeit, incorrectly labelled and non-duty paid tobacco and alcohol in Tower Hamlets. According to the law, cigarettes must be sold in minimum quantities of 20s with plain (olive green) packaging...

    Fresh details about how the Grenfell Tower fire took hold with such deadly effect will emerge on Monday as the inquiry into the disaster begins hearing evidence. Expert reports detailing the cause of the inferno and why it spread so quickly are to be published as the inquiry hears an opening statement from its top lawyer. Seventy-one people were killed during the tragedy in Kensington, west London, on June 14 last year. The fact-finding stage of the inquiry will begin with an all-day address by lead counsel Richard Millett QC, following seven days of emotional family tributes to the dead. A provisional schedule indicates that a submission from Harley Facades, the firm which installed the cladding on Grenfell Tower, will also be read into record. It is suspected t...

Tower Hamlets council will launch its third Community Alcohol Partnership (CAP), to tackle underage drinking and anti-social behaviour, in Poplar later this month. CAPs are partnerships between local authorities, police, schools, retailers, neighbourhood groups and health providers. These organisations work together to empower communities to tackle the issue by reducing the sale of alcohol to young people, advise them on the dangers of drinking and provide alcohol-free activities with local youth services and charities. The Poplar CAP follows a resident survey which highlighted concerns regarding alcohol related crime and lack of facilities. It is led by Tower Hamlets council who are partnering with a wide range of stakeholders including Poplar Harca Housing Association, the Spotlight ...

Free activities include outdoor cinema, live music, BMX track sessions, fishing, canoeing and hanging basket workshops Residents of all ages will be spoilt for choice about what to do and where to go this Spring Bank Holiday and throughout half term, as the council and leisure partners host a heap of entertaining events and activities from community festivals to arts and crafts and active sporting sessions from Monday 28 May to Friday June 1. The council supports residents to access a range of cultural, community and leisure activities throughout the year. Mayor John Biggs said: "Every day, thousands of people come to see major attractions in our borough, including our multiple award winning Victoria Park. Our jam-packed Spring holiday and half term programme offers you a chance to gath...

Mayor John Biggs has met with the Chinese Ambassador at a special ceremony to mark the fact that the Embassy of the People's Republic of China will be moving to Tower Hamlets. The Embassy will be situated on the site of the former Royal Mint at Tower Hill in a location overlooking the iconic Tower of London. It has been purchased by the Chinese Government and after an extensive refurbishment, the diplomatic mission of the People's Republic of China, one of the biggest in the world, will operate on the site. Mayor John Biggs said: "I am pleased that the Chinese Embassy has chosen to make their new home in the historic Royal Mint building. The fact they are moving to Tower Hamlets is a vote of confidence in the Borough, and reflects the fact we are an open and dynamic place to live and wo...

The council is uniting with Alzheimer's Society Tower Hamlets to raise awareness and help make an impact during Dementia Action Week from 21-27 May. Dementia describes a set of symptoms that may include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem solving or language. It is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease or a series of strokes. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, but not the only one. At 5.25 per cent, prevalence of dementia amongst people aged 65 and over in Tower Hamlets is significantly higher than in other parts of London and England (4.49 and 4.33 per cent respectively) Alzheimer's Society encourages organisations and individuals to play a part in creating a dementia-friendly UK by taking simple actions such as...

The fight against graffiti in Tower Hamlets came to Meath Gardens this week as Mayor John Biggs joined the council's Clean Team to see their work first hand. Keeping the borough cleaner and greener for our residents is a key council priority. In recent weeks, the council's graffiti removal teams - operated in partnership with our waste contractor Veolia - have been working in and around our award-winning parks in preparation for the summer months. The focus on parks follows other intensive work tackling unsightly tagging on shop fronts in the Roman Road area and a similar purge on graffiti and flyposting on street furniture in Brick Lane. The team's efforts were welcomed by businesses and community groups who all too often pay the price when this sort of thoughtless vandalism occurs. ...

Free activities include outdoor cinema, live music, BMX track sessions, fishing, canoeing and hanging basket workshops Residents of all ages will be spoilt for choice about what to do and where to go this Spring Bank Holiday and throughout half term, as the council and leisure partners host a heap of entertaining events and activities from community festivals to arts and crafts and active sporting sessions from Monday 28 May to Friday June 1. The council supports residents to access a range of cultural, community and leisure activities throughout the year. Mayor John Biggs said: "Every day, thousands of people come to see major attractions in our borough, including our multiple award winning Victoria Park. Our jam-packed Spring holiday and half term programme offers you a chance t...