Our council budget has now been agreed by councillors and the good news is I’m pleased that we are continuing to protect services for residents while continuing to have the seventh lowest council tax in London.
In November last year I proposed a motion at council that it has a duty to support and assist people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to enable them to access appropriate living conditions; with a couple of minor amendments it was unanimously passed.
Social housing is the bedrock of many successful communities, in Tower Hamlets and in many other places around the UK. It provides safe, stable, affordable homes for those who need support.
We have just published the council’s draft budget and do so at a time of massive uncertainty with the general election delaying government decisions about future funding, and continued uncertainty around Brexit.
The Tower Hamlets portion of your council tax will go up by 3.99 per cent from this April, 1.99pc is for inflation (now 1.5pc) and 2pc is for adult social care. Over five years council tax will have gone up by 18.4pc in total.
Last week, the City Hall Fire Committee, which I chair, published the London Fire Brigade’s (LFB) report on the Grenfell Tower fire, setting out the progress they have made in learning the lessons identified, acknowledged, and acted upon.
At the start of the month, I attended New City College’s Student Achievement Awards ceremony and it was fantastic to see a further education campus in Tower Hamlets making such a positive difference to the lives of young and adult learners alike.
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