Tower Hamlets has been ranked the 33rd best place to live in the UK according to The Times. The ranking makes Tower Hamlets the highest-ranking place in east London.
Tower Hamlets is often described as offering ‘the best of London in one borough.’ This is because it has world class destinations like Tower of London, Young V&A and Museum of London Docklands; the third largest economic output in the country with Canary Wharf and markets such as Brick Lane and Columbia Road; and the borough represents London’s history and with one of the most culturally diverse populations in the UK.
Lutfur Rahman, Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: “News that Tower Hamlets is the best place to live in East London, and one of the best locations in the UK, comes as no surprise. More people want to live, work, visit and study in Tower Hamlets than ever before and be part of our thriving community.
“With our rich history and incredible diversity, our excellent schools, fantastic green spaces, iconic landmarks, and over 300,000 people working in our borough, we are a global destination for tourism and business providing the third largest economic output in the UK. That's why we are both the fastest growing and most densely populated place in the country.
“These findings match the positive results of our most recent Residents Survey which showed that 84 per cent of people are satisfied with our local area and 90 per cent say people from different backgrounds get on well with each other in our cohesive community. We have made history with a groundbreaking package of support for our residents.”
The Times’s list was put together by a panel of expert judges and looks at data for categories such as education, parks and opens spaces, healthcare, and crime.
A score of five was given for the borough's education, which looked at the percentage of schools rated 'outstanding' by Ofsted.
The good news follows Tower Hamlets’ Children’s Services being rated by Ofsted as ‘Outstanding’ - the highest rating attainable. The Ofsted report, published on Monday 13 January, found that children in Tower Hamlets receive timely and effective help, and that staff “are ambitious for children, encouraging them to reach their full potential. As a result, children receive excellent support.” This rating now places the service amongst the top 20 per cent across local authorities in the country.
For 'parks with a Green Flag award', which looked at the number of Green Flag parks per 10,000 people, Tower Hamlets scored 52.
Tower Hamlets has many diverse parks, gardens and open spaces for residents and visitors to enjoy. The borough holds a record number of awards for its parks including 14 Green Flag Awards. Victoria Park holds the People’s Choice recognition in the Green Flag Top 10 parks in the country. The rating corresponds with the latest annual residents' survey results which show an 81 per cent public satisfaction rate with the borough’s parks and green spaces.
Tower Hamlets also scored well in the 'community interest companies category'. A value of 14 was given based on the number of community interest companies registered per 10,000 people in the area. This was also a better score than the top three overall locations in this list.
Tower Hamlets has always had a proud social economy with the borough being home to some 1,300 voluntary and community sector organisations. The Council is proactively supporting Community Interest Companies (CICs) in the borough, including recently launching its Social Enterprise Project which will see an investment of £80,000 support 25 existing CIC’s to develop new income streams and support the creation of 25 new CIC’s in Tower Hamlets.
The final category was 'listed buildings', which looked at the number of listed buildings per 10,000 people. A score of 179 was awarded to Tower Hamlets.
Tower Hamlets Council has led the way when it comes to restoring listed buildings. In January 2023 it moved into the grade II listed former Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. The iconic London landmark was built in 1770 and its renovation into the borough’s new Town Hall has won multiple awards.
Other statutory listed buildings are classified into three grades, I, II* and II include:
- Grade I - buildings of exceptional national interest. Tower Hamlets has 13, including the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and Christ Church Spitalfields.
- Grade II* - buildings of more than special interest. There are about 40 in Tower Hamlets, including Wapping Hydraulic Pumping Station.
- Grade II - buildings of special interest. There are around 2,000 of these in Tower Hamlets.
The borough's healthcare was ranked positively, according to the data which is testament to the work by the council’s public health service alongside the NHS.
Tower Hamlets Council 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.
The Mayor 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.
Posted on Thursday 16th January 2025