Tower Hamlets fails to adopt tenants’ charter tackling ‘bad social landlords’
Families from housing estates in London’s deprived East End say they have been left disappointed after this week’s Tower Hamlets council meeting failed adopt their Tenants’ Charter tackling bad landlords.
A delegation from the Tower Hamlets Federation of Tenants and Residents Association presented a petition at the Town Hall calling for the Charter to be formally adopted—but the meeting ran out of time.
Housing Cabinet Member Rabina Khan acknowledged that most councillors are “groaning under the weight of case loads” as families seek help with bad social landlords.
She called for her own motion to commit the authority to adopt the Charter to be debated next.
But councillors voted against changing the running order. That left her motion at the back of the agenda—there was no time left to debate it.
Deputation leader Phil Sedler, chairman of the Tenants’ Federation, said afterwards: “We were disappointed that councillors could not spare five minutes to express their support.
“The Tenants’ Charter is a groundbreaking piece of work which has already won national attention.
Most Read
- 1 Bow Lock murder defendants blame each other for fatal attack
- 2 Woman treated at scene as 40 firefighters called to Bow tower block
- 3 Three stabbed in Chrisp Street chicken shop
- 4 Police officer sacked for 'turning blind eye’ to criminal husband
- 5 Census 2021 indicates baby boom in one east London borough
- 6 Latest data shows Covid admissions rising again at east London hospitals
- 7 Former Tower Hamlets councillor publishes autobiography on life as a hijabi woman
- 8 8 charged after drugs raids in Hackney and Tower Hamlets
- 9 V&A launches festival to celebrate 150 years in Bethnal Green
- 10 Council rapped by ombudsman after not following safeguarding procedures
“It’s a shame the council didn’t feel that supporting it was a priority.”
Many councillors declared they had signed the Charter, which sets out basic standards of service that social landlords should follow. No-one spoke against it—so the Federation is now calling on the Mayor to adopt it.
