The government is intervening in the council’s governance amid concerns about its ‘toxic’ culture

Ministers will intervene in the operation of Tower Hamlets council amid concerns about the local government’s “toxic” culture and lack of transparency, the announcement was made on Tuesday.

Decisions made by the East London town hall will be controlled by a Government-appointed envoy after a series of controversies under the municipality’s independent executive mayor Lutfur Rahman.

It comes after a critical report into the council’s management, commissioned under the previous Tory government, was published.

It turned out that:

• A lack of respect and cooperation between political parties at city hall “prevents councilors from engaging in a culture of real improvement” and contributed to “officer turnover at the top levels” of the organization

• A perception among staff that “many good managers had left the organization as a result of ‘speaking truth to power’”

• While there is a push to deliver on the mayor’s priorities, due process is often seen as an “obstacle to priorities rather than a necessary check and balance.”

• The entire organization is affected by a lack of trust and the culture is described as ‘toxic’ by many employees and partners.

• Councilors from both Mr Rahman’s Aspire party and Labor have been involved in a “backward-looking debate”, which has hampered the council’s ability to fulfill functions of debate and scrutiny.

• Although the council has a strong community focus, significant amounts of councilor and staff time and energy are spent on local communities, which “seems to distract from their critical and statutory strategic relationships”

Minister of Local Government Jim McMahon said the council “failed to meet its Best Value Duty” and that he would appoint a “ministerial envoy and assistant envoy to act as an advisor, mentor and monitor to the council, and to oversee its improvement work”.

He added: “This action has not been taken lightly, and I am committed to working with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to provide all the support necessary to ensure compliance with the Best Value Duty and high standards of governance of local residents and residents. service that users expect.”

Mr Rahman and his Aspire party defeated Labor and were re-elected as leader of Tower Hamlets in 2022 – seven years after he was dramatically removed from office following a vote-rigging scandal.

He was banned from politics for five years following a damning election judge ruling, which upheld allegations of bribery, false statements and undue influence over his municipal victory in the 2014 local elections.

Following the scandal, then community secretary Eric Pickles took over the council’s management and appointed commissioners to oversee its decisions.

Mr Pickles told the House of Commons at the time that Mr Rahman had allocated public money like a “medieval monarch” and led a government that was “at best dysfunctional (and) at worst steeped in cronyism and corruption”.

The 2014 vote was repeated and won by Labour, who worked with the commissioners until they were withdrawn in 2017.

Government inspectors were sent to Tower Hamlets again earlier this year by then Secretary of State Michael Gove after the Local Government Association (LGA) raised concerns about the way it was being run.

A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets Council said: “We welcome the government’s decision to appoint an envoy rather than sending commissioners, with a plan to work with us on a support package, with the council already retains powers.

“This report commends the Council for: the dedication of its officers; achieving financial stability; making good progress with services; setting up external challenges and support through the Transformation Advisory Board and organizing good elections.

“We have taken innovative measures including being the only council in the country to offer universal free school meals to both primary and secondary school pupils; free swimming for women and girls, scholarships for college and university students; and we are on track to deliver one of the highest numbers of new homes in London.

“The results of our community-focused work are reflected in the extremely positive responses from our residents to our annual borough-wide survey.”