Tower Hamlets Council has welcomed the appointment of three Government Envoys who will support the east London local authority on its continuous journey of improvement.
Kim Bromley-Derry has been appointed as Ministerial Envoy with two Assistant Envoys, Shokat Lal and Pam Parkes. It is the first time the new Envoy model has been used to support local government. Tower Hamlets Council is looking forward to working together with the Envoys on our continuous journey of improvement.
The Council is on a continuous journey of improvement having addressed a range of financial, organisational and service delivery issues. However, more work is needed, and the envoys will support the Council to support its continuous improvement journey.
The Ministerial Envoys are in place to provide oversight to ensure the Authority takes the necessary steps to achieve the best possible outcome for Tower Hamlets residents and the public purse. They will report back to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The Government Envoys were appointed following the publication of a Best Value Inspection report in November. The report was commissioned by the previous government in February last year.
Executive Mayor Lutfur Rahman said:
“We welcome the Envoys to Tower Hamlets Council. While we have much to be proud of, we know there is room for improvement and the expertise of the Envoys combined with our staff and members will help us achieve greater outcomes.
“This will offer the opportunity to celebrate our achievements and work with industry experts. We are leading the way as the first local authority to adopt groundbreaking initiatives such as universal free school meals, winter fuel payments for pensioners, grants for college and university students and free-swimming lessons for many residents, demonstrating how councils can maintain a strong financial position with balanced books while investing in our community to improve peoples' lives.
"I welcome the supportive comments made by Minister Jim McMahon in his written statement submitted to Parliament today and we look forward to working with the Envoys as the Government initiates a new way to support the local government sector."
In the written statement Jim McMahon, Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, said:
“This support package acknowledges the political mandate the Mayor holds, whilst recognising the need to tackle deeply rooted and persistent issues. It is designed to strengthen and expand the improvement work that the Council has already begun and demonstrates how this Government is committed to resetting the relationship between local and central government through genuine collaboration and engagement.”
Steve Halsey, Chief Executive of Tower Hamlets Council, said:
“We look forward to working with the Envoys to address the challenges highlighted by the Minister.
“We also look forward to working in collaboration with the Council’s many partners as the Council’s improvement plan evolves. This is an exciting opportunity for the Council to not only ensure the provision of high-quality services to our residents and communities, but also engage positively with the collaborative and supportive approach promoted by the government.”
Notes:
Envoys: The Envoys will support on areas including culture change and political mentoring; scrutiny functions, recruitment processes, openness and transparency of decision making, record keeping, procurement and contract management, and a suitable officer structure and scheme of delegation.
An innovative council:
Tower Hamlets Council is one of the country’s most innovative councils and most compelling places.
It provides a groundbreaking package of support for residents, including as the only local authority in the country to provide universal free school meals for both primary and secondary school children saving a family £550 per year, per child, and becoming the first Council in the country to approve replacing the Winter Fuel Allowance to pensioners after national government cuts.
The Council has provided more than 2,350 grants to support young people in college and university and is the only local authority in the country to have restored the Education Maintenance Allowance.
Mayor Rahman has also just announced proposals to make Tower Hamlets the first Council in England to provide school uniform grants to children whose parents earn less than £50,350, which will come to Full Council next month.
The results of our community-focused work are reflected in our extremely positive response from our residents in our borough-wide annual survey. In almost every measure Tower Hamlets scored higher in terms of resident satisfaction compared to the national local government average.
UK’s fastest growing and most densely populated place:
As a place, Tower Hamlets offers the best of London in one borough. It is also crucial to the success of UK PLC. Last week Tower Hamlets was voted the 33rd best place to live in the country according to The Times.
Tower Hamlets is both the fastest growing and most densely populated place in the UK. This is because of the combination of having a rich history and incredible diversity, excellent schools, fantastic green spaces, iconic landmarks such as Canary Wharf and Tower of London, over 300,000 people working in our borough, and being a global destination for tourism and business providing the third largest economic output in the UK.
Peer Review: The report of Tower Hamlets Council’s Peer Review by the Local Government Association was published in December 2023.
Annual Residents Survey: The results of the council’s latest independent Annual Residents Survey which uses a representative and statistically viable sample of the borough's population.
Posted on Wednesday 22nd January 2025