FAQ

Procurement provide the strategic lead for contracting in the council. Providing advice over the entire procurement process, so that the contracts that are let are compliant with the law and council procedures. Also, it is the responsibility of the procurement team to ensure that the council gets value for money in all contracts that we let.

We can help and inform the development of tender documentation. We also lead on issuing all competitive processes via our procurement portal.

We understand that sometimes, especially for smaller enterprises, trying to do business with the council can be intimidating or seem bureaucratic.  We are aiming to provide businesses with the information they need to be able to do business with the council by setting out the steps that they need to take to access our systems. Also, we will set out the type of processes that the council uses to undertake procurements.

Whitechapel is experiencing rapid transformation with the arrival of Crossrail, the council’s new Town Hall and other investments. 

The Whitechapel Road Improvements Programme will see significant investment in the public spaces around Whitechapel, the market stalls, and associated infrastructure, to create the best possible environment for local communities.

The council would like all businesses to be part of and benefit from the changes occurring. To do this we have established the Whitechapel Town Centre Management Programme to support local businesses in the town centre. This will ensure they are a part of and benefit from the changes occurring in the area.

Tower Hamlets has some of the most iconic and internationally re-owned street markets in London. Some are award-winning. No other borough in London offers year round trading with such a choice of vibrant and contrasting markets.

With a proud history and tradition on many of the borough's markets, Tower Hamlets is keen to continue its investment and support of its 10 street markets.

These are:

• Brick Lane
• Bethnal Green Road
• Chrisp Street
• Columbia Road
• Petticoat Lane Markets
• Roman Road Market
• Roman Road Square (Globe Town)
• Sclater Street
• Watney Market
• Whitechapel Market

Businesses can expect to receive information on becoming a market trader in the borough. Having a market stall in one of our markets offers a low cost entry into testing or starting to sell products to customers and an opportunity for online businesses to have a physical base to sell their products. We also offer a variety of special events, introductory pricing, pitch promotions, incentives and new market opportunities available on an ongoing bases.

The Plan-making team at Tower Hamlets is beginning a period of public consultation (or Regulation 18 consultation) on the draft new Local Plan and is keen to get feedback from workers, business owners and all other stakeholders.

The Local Plan is the council’s most important planning document. It sets out a vision and framework to guide and manage future development in the borough over the next 15 years. The Local Plan is prepared by the council with the input from the local community through engagement and consultations. This document must also be in line with requirements set out by national and regional legislation and is supported by additional evidence and research.

Through this event, we are looking to gather feedback from businesses about the proposed policies and about their experiences with planning more broadly.