London

The next round of applications for Tower Hamlets,' multi-award winning No Place for Hate Champions training has been announced by the council. The free training is open to anyone who lives or works in the borough. It aims to give participants the skills to identify and tackle hate crime, and to deliver community activities where they can make a difference, share their learning and celebrate diversity. The new champions will add to 84 others who have already used the training to bring thousands of people together in community projects. To find out more, email hatecrime@towerhamlets.gov.uk or contact Benedicta Dikeocha on 020 7364 6105.   The closing date is 5pm Friday 20 April 2018. Comments from residents and workers who completed the last round of training:  Cheryl Jethoo, a local ...

More adult social care users are being empowered to exercise control over their health and wellbeing; increasing numbers of carers are receiving support; and more people are being helped to gain independence after a period of ill health. These are some of the highlights from this year's Local Account - the annual report of adult social care in Tower Hamlets.  The Mayor in Cabinet approved the report on Tuesday March 20. The report shows that in 2016/17: 3719 people received adult social care services in Tower Hamlets The council spent £116 million on adult social care services - approximately a third of its general expenditure. There was a 10 per cent increase in requests for new support The Local Account also highlights an increase in the numbers of adults with a learnin...

ower Hamlets council's Sustainable Development Team took top prize at the Local Government Chronicles (LGC) Awards 2018, winning the Environmental Services Category for the Tower Hamlets Carbon Fund. The fund is a planning obligations payment for offsetting carbon emissions from new build developments and it allows the council to comply with regulation change, reduce carbon emissions, generate revenue, eradicate fuel poverty, prioritise the local community and lead by example. The fund has delivered a number of projects including: Project Earth Rock: primary school curriculum-based learning through music, aimed at instilling environmental values and educating young children on the importance of looking after the environment to inspire them and to protect it in future. S...

Local people will be heading to the polls on Thursday 3 May. And for those not yet registered to vote there are only a few weeks left to apply to register and ensure you have your say. The polls are for the Mayor of Tower Hamlets and local councillors who represent borough wards on Tower Hamlets Council. In order to be able to cast your vote, you need to ensure you have applied to register by 17 April and are approved to vote at these elections. Chief Executive of the council and Returning Officer for the elections, Will Tuckley, said: "Applying to register to vote only takes a few minutes – it is quick and easy. "By registering to vote, you can ensure you will have a say on who will be Mayor and which councillors will serve the borough for the next four years. "It is an important de...

Two Tower Hamlets landlords and a company director who left their tenants at risk of fire, failed to repair serious leaks, and operated without a landlord licence, were ordered to pay more than £13,300 after pleading guilty to a total of 11 offences under the Housing Act 2004 at Thames Magistrates Court on March 8 2018. The court heard that the ex-council flat in Clifton House on the famous Grade II listed Boundary Estate, was owned by Barking-based Mr Muhammed Nazrul Haque. Mr Haque had rented the flat to the agent Oceans Property Limited of 118 Stepney Way, London E1 3BG under a "guaranteed rent" arrangement.  The sole director of Oceans Property was a Mr Kamal Hassan Shumon from Whitechapel. Oceans Property separately let each room in the property to tenants, thereby changing its use ...

    Russia claims UK authorities searched one of their planes at a London airport in what they called the latest provocation. The Metropolitan police denied the force had inspected an airbus that had landed at Heathrow having departed from Moscow. It said: We are aware of a story circulating on social media. Please be advised that Metropolitan Police are not conducting a search of an Airbus inbound from Moscow at Heathrow. Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said British authorities did not state a reason for the search of the Aeroflot plane, which she called the latest provocation. The Russian Embassy in the UK said in a statement: Today, we have witnessed another blatant provocation by the British authorities. Border Force and Customs officers hav...

    London City Airport is still closed today as disposal experts work to make safe a WWII bomb which was found in the Thames nearby. The device was found on Sunday and a cordon put up late on Sunday evening after discussions between the Royal Navy and Metropolitan Police. Transport for London said Docklands Light Railway services will not run between Pontoon Dock and Woolwich Arsenal owing to the 214-metre (700ft) exclusion zone. Robert Sinclair, CEO of London City Airport said: The airport remains closed this morning following the discovery of a World War Two ordnance in King George V Dock on Sunday. All flights in and out of London City on Monday are cancelled and an exclusion zone is in place in the immediate area. I urge any passengers due to fly today not to co...

    Andrew Bailey, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority, said City regulators needed time to sort out issues including the validity of derivatives contracts, clearing financial trades and cross-border flows of data. There is a range of operational issues arising from Brexit which, if not tackled, will create financial stability risks and issues for both the UK and the European Union, Bailey said at a dinner in London on Monday evening. The FCA chief executive said the financial risks were symmetric in impact and so were in the interests of both the UK and the EU to tackle. I think this point is increasingly understood on both sides. It is not a matter of scaremongering to get negotiating advantage. Bailey said that when the UK leaves the EU, a wide range...

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...