Labour pledges to scrap mayoral advisors at Tower Hamlets town hall

Tower Hamlets Labour’s opposition mayoral candidate has pledged to scrap the council’s budget for advisors after it emerged they avoid the code of conduct binding other town hall staff.

Mayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman. - Credit: Rehan Jamil

Incumbent mayor Lutfur Rahman has a team of advisors paid for from a £750,000 cash pot taken from the council’s budget.

But despite their salaries being drawn from public money, the staff are not subject to the regular code of conduct as “they are not employees of the council”.

Labour’s opposition mayoral candidate John Biggs said: “If the Mayor insists on wasting tax payer money on consultants then they at least need to be subject to the same rules as everybody else.

“Lutfur Rahman might think that advisors who don’t have to follow the rules is alright but I don’t, and I would scrap them if elected.”

But a spokesman for the Mr Rahman’s office described the criticism as “a bit dim”.

“The mayor’s advisors are subject to the same rules as for similar posts at other authorities,” he added.