London

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 ...

    According to lip reader Tina Lannin, when the newly-wed couple stopped mid-way down the West Steps there was a moment of uncertainty over their first kiss as husband and wife. Meghan discreetly asked Harry: “Do we kiss?” To which Harry quietly replied: “Yeah”. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle kissed outside church today after emerging from their wedding as man and wife. The couple shared their touching 'balcony moment' after getting married in a beautiful ceremony at St George's Chapel, in Windsor. The newlyweds sealed their vows with a smooch as the cheering public waited outside for the happy couple. Church bells rang as the beaming bride and her new husband walked hand in hand. Gently tilting her head upwards, Meghan puckered up and smiled as Prince Harry plan...

More than 5,000 Tower Hamlets residents were supported into work or training last year thanks to the council's WorkPath programme. WorkPath was launched in April 2017 to provide a bespoke job brokerage and training service for residents looking to get into work either for the first time or after a period of unemployment. In the past 12 months, the team has engaged with men and women of all ages from across the borough. Many have come directly to the WorkPath offices at Upper Bank Street while others have come via partner organisations and outreach sites such as children's centres in other parts of Tower Hamlets. Of those, more than half were from black and minority ethnic communities while one in ten said they would consider themselves to be disabled or dealing with health problems. Al...

    Rough sleepers near Windsor Castle have had their sleeping bags and other belongings removed just days before Prince Harry and Meghan Markletie the knot. The couple are due to wed at St George's Chapel on Saturday, with about 100,000 of well wishers expected in the Berkshire town and police on high alert. A number of homeless people living near the Queen's residence had their belongings cleared, but police say the rough sleepers gave them up voluntarily under a scheme overseen by a local charity. As the royal wedding draws near, the area around Windsor Castle is on lockdown and anti-terror bollards are going up as extra police patrol the town. Thames Valley Police said the sleeping bags and other belongings, including bedding and books, are being stored by the Win...

For annual Mental Health Awareness Week from 14-20 May, this year Tower Hamlets Council is encouraging residents to look out for one another to help reduce loneliness and isolation. Every year the campaign, led by national charity the Mental Health Foundation, aims to raise awareness, promote positive mental health and wellbeing, and address mental ill-health issues. Good mental wellbeing is fundamental to our physical health, our relationships, our education, our work and to achieving our potential. Evidence shows that connecting with people and forming positive relationships are important for our wellbeing and help give us a sense of belonging, self-worth, security and a greater sense of purpose.¹ Inspire, a group of local mental health services, is hosting an interactive event as par...

Bike Life now covers 14 city locations totalling 20% of the UK population Tower Hamlets Council has become the first London Borough to participate in Bike Life, the UK's most comprehensive assessment of cycling development. The report, produced by the walking and cycling charity Sustrans, has previously covered seven cities outside London. Tower Hamlets staff will be working with Sustrans, funded by The Freshfield Foundation, to capture data on how people want to travel, infrastructure, travel habits, public attitudes and the impact of cycling. The project is designed to help UK cities normalise cycling and reports will be published in 2020 and 2022.  Bike Life was founded in 2014 in seven major UK cities but has grown significantly since. Between 2018 and 2022, more cities and regions ...

    A painting of Grenfell Tower is to be displayed in Downing Street after being presented to the Prime Minister at a meeting with survivors and families. Theresa May spoke with a group of people affected by the fire tragedy at Number 10 on Thursday evening. Among them was artist Damel Carayol, who lost his niece in the fire and presented the PM with a print of his painting Grenfell Tower: Eyesore!! Final Straw. We all hope and pray that nothing like this will ever happen again. Mr Carayol told Sky News that the painting was a painful expression of anger. A Downing Street spokesman said the painting would go through the usual process for any artwork given to Number 10 to decide where best it fits. Asked if it would be displayed somewhere in the building, he said: Y...

    Julian Assange's doctors have said that his health is at risk due to his six-year confinement in the embassy. Ecuador has banned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from taking visitors and phones, it has been claimed. The whistleblower website tweeted that Mr Assange was being refused most forms of contact with the outside world by the Ecuadorian embassy in London. He has been living at the embassy since June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face questioning over allegations of sex crimes, which he always denied. But Mr Assange is facing increasing isolation inside the embassy, with officials announcing in March that he was having his internet access curtailed. The Ecuadorian government said they were taking the measure in response to Mr Assange's recent activ...

    Theresa May appears to have come through local election night undamaged despite rows over Brexit and Windrush as UKIP collapsed across England. One significant result saw the Tories retain control of Kensington and Chelsea despite anger over the response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy. The Conservatives also gained Barnet, with Labour missing out on a key target council following its anti-Semitism row. The borough has a large Jewish community. For UKIP, the highs of 2014 have turned into near obliteration, with the party losing 84 seats by 6.30am and retaining just two. There were bright spots for Labour after 150 local authorities in England headed to the polls but overall the party did not live up to expectations. There was good news in Greater Manchester, where ...