London

Feast of music, dance, theatre, floats, cuisine and poetry at July 1 festival expected to attract 40,000. The headline acts at the Boishakhi Mela to be held on Weavers Fields on July 1 have now been announced. The much loved free event, the largest Bengali festival outside of South Asia, returns with a dazzling line-up on the main stage and a fantastic array of activities across the site. Internationally renowned fusion band Chirkutt will be heading to Weavers Field on July 1 alongside folk singer Ashik who will be coming over from Bangladesh to join the stellar line up. With music described as 'Epic Fusion', Chirkutt are one of the few names in the Bangladeshi music scene to explode onto the global scene in a big way with appearances on world class platforms such as SxSW. Ashik is on...

There will be rejoicing in Tower Hamlets as communities across the borough host street parties and other events to celebrate the Royal Wedding of HRH Prince Harry and Meghan Markleon Saturday May 19. Bunting will be up in Mile End Park as the council invites residents of all ages to bring along a picnic and join in a Royal Wedding celebration from 12-4pm. Attractions will include fairground rides, sporting activities, arts and crafts and a bungee run. Judith St John, Divisional Director, Leisure and Culture said: "All year round Tower Hamlets events bring our communities together in our parks and open spaces. The Royal Wedding is a great chance for residents from all backgrounds to meet others and strengthen our ties by having fun at a street party, a community event or by coming along ...

Unsafe aluminium composite (ACM) cladding has been removed from Randall House in Poplar and its replacement with safe cladding material is now complete after action from Tower Hamlets Council and its development partner Guildmore. Following the Grenfell Tower fire, in June 2017, the Government instructed building owners to identify residential tower blocks over 18 metres in height where Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding had been used. This review identified that the cladding buildup used to part of the north façade at Randall House fell short of the standard required when subjected to independent testing. Mark Baigent, Interim Divisional Director Housing and Regeneration at Tower Hamlets Council said: Residents can be assured that their home now has safe fire resi...

Council remembers murder that united community against racism. Forty years on from the racially motivated murder of Altab Ali in 1978 - an incident, which marked a significant turning point in east London's race relations - a series of events will take place in Tower Hamlets. Altab, a 25-year old textile worker had recently arrived in the UK from Bangladesh. He was returning home from work in nearby Brick Lane when he was fatally stabbed in a park in Whitechapel that now bears his name. His killing mobilised communities in Tower Hamlets to take a stand against hatred and intolerance. Tower Hamlets Council will host a ceremonial event at 6pm on Friday 4 May to mark Altab Ali Day. Will Tuckley, Chief Executive of Tower Hamlets Council, said: "Altab Ali's terrible murder reminds us that...

    Transport for London are in hot water after mistaking a man’s body for a fox. The tragedy unfolded on December 28 last year, when a Piccadilly Line train stopped automatically at 11.27am after a rear trip switch was activated. A manager went to investigate the incident in the tunnel between Holborn and Russell Square, and reported that a fox carcass was the cause of the alarm. Deciding the ‘animal’ required no urgent attention, trains continued to operate, running over the man’s remains around 300 times. Police weren’t called until 1.42am the following day. The delay meant that by the time officers arrived they had difficulty identifying the man’s body; The Sun reports that they had only fingerprints and a severed foot still in a shoe to work with. When CCTV foo...

    London Marathon Runners have been warned about wearing fancy dress costumes with temperatures set to soar today. Races started from 8.55am. With the touch of a button the Queen will launch the London Marathon, sending a tide of more than 40,000 runners through the capital. The 38th edition of the world-famous race may well be the hottest on record, with sweltering highs of 23C possible throughout Sunday. Runners have been advised to drop their goal-times and organisers have added more ice, water and run-through shower stations along the 26.2-mile course. Among this year’s runners are firefighters who tackled the Grenfell Tower blaze, a police officer stabbed in the London Bridge terror attack and members of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust. Sunday marks 25 y...

Two public exhibitions will be held in Whitechapel next week to give local people a chance to view plans for a new public space, with a working title of London Square  in Whitechapel. Located between the new Tower Hamlets Town Hall at the Grade II listed former Royal London Hospital site which will come into use in 2022 and Bart's Royal London Hospital, the square is a key part of the Whitechapel regeneration plans. The events are being jointly delivered by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in partnership with Barts Health NHS Trust. The exhibition will give local residents, workers and visitors to the area an opportunity to view the initial designs and give their feedback on the intended design of this new public space. The suggested uses for the new public square include: Oc...

Tower Hamlets will see thousands of people race through parts of the borough on 22 April for the highly anticipated annual Virgin Money London Marathon. For those coming down to catch the live action, you can view start times, suggested viewing spots and how best to get there on the marathon's spectator info page. Chief Executive Will Tuckley said: We are pleased to be a part of such an exciting, world-class event again this year and are looking forward to soaking up the energy on the day. Students from seven schools in the borough will also be taking part in the Mini London Marathon  run over the last three miles by children between the ages of 11-17, made up of 36 participants. The Marathon reaches Tower Hamlets 13 miles into the race at the iconic landmark, Tower Bridge. It contin...

More children across Tower Hamlets got a place at the primary school they most wanted this year. More than 97 per cent of children across the borough will start their education in 2018 at one of their chosen primary schools. And some 2,930 families have been offered their first preference school, which accounts for 89 per cent of all applications. This is an improvement on the previous year and amongst the best results for all boroughs in London. Only a very small proportion of families (2.4 per cent) were not successful in securing a place at their  preferred school and so have been given a place by the council. Debbie Jones, Director of Children's services in Tower Hamlets said:  "Our team has worked very hard so that we can offer families a good choice in primary schools and we are p...

    A man has been charged with fraud relating to the Grenfell Tower fire, the Metropolitan Police have said. Mohammad Ali Gamoota, aged 31 and from Westminster, was charged with two counts of fraud by false representation on Tuesday. He will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, 18 April. No details about the alleged offences have been released by the police. Some 72 people died in the west London tower block fire on 14 June last year. On Monday a report emerged that found serious deficiencies in the refurbishment of the tower before the blaze. The report, by fire investigation experts BRE Global and leaked to the Evening Standard, found the fire would have remained confined to one flat and would not have claimed a single life if the origi...