The new mayor of Tower Hamlets has embraced social networking by joining the twitterati.

Lutfur Rahman who is the first directly elected mayor of Tower Hamlets described himself as “a community activist” and a “social democrat”.

He has just joined twitter as @MayorLutfur and is following fellow directly elected mayor Lewisham’s Sir Steve Bullock who was first elected to his job in 2002.

Mr Rahman faces some tough times ahead as Tower Hamlets council has to make difficult decisions at it trims its budget and sheds an estimated 500 jobs in a round of cuts in the new year. Forty per cent

Lawyer Mr Rahman who previously represented Spitalfields and Banglatown on the council won the �65,000 a year job with 23,283 votes.

His first tweet which has to be 140 characters or less reads: “Snow receding, ice melting but work continuing ... all the excitement is in Tower Hamlets!”