East End families vote for cash for Urdu and Chinese lessons

TOWN Hall bosses have given families a say in how to spend their council tax in London’s East End. They invited residents to an open meeting where they asked them to vote on a shortlist of 12 projects

By Johnny McDevitt Pictures: Carmen Valino

TOWN Hall bosses have given families a say in how to spend their council tax in London's East End.

They invited residents in Bromley-by-Bow to an open meeting by Tower Hamlets council at the weekend where they asked them to vote on a �274,000 shortlist of 12 projects for their neighbourhood.

The 115 who turned up voted for money for kids as young as 11 to learn foreign languages such as Bengali, Arabic, Turkish, Chinese and Urdu.

They also wanted funds for extra neighbourhood policing and for tackling yob behaviour and truancy.

One resident, Tajamul Khan, is pictured voting on what he wants to see for his neighbourhood.

The next meeting is for families and residents in Whitechapel and Stepney, to be held at Stepney's Lifra Hall in Halley Street, on Thursday at 6pm.