Women 'shut down' at meetings and 'friends given jobs' - Tower Hamlets Council's 'toxic culture' laid bare

Tower Hamlets mayor, Lutfur Rahman
-Credit: (Image: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)


The Government is sending in a team of 'ministerial envoys' to help reform a 'toxic' political culture which is causing a high turnover of senior staff at Tower Hamlets Council. A long-awaited Best Value Inspection report published on Tuesday (November 12) said there was a significant lack of trust between officers, councillors and partners and has resulted in highly competent and experienced staff leaving the council.

Local Government Minister, Jim McMahon, said in an official statement today the report contained serious concerns across areas including leadership and governance, and that these concerns should have been raised and dealt with, within the council and without the need for external reviews. The council said in an official statement that it welcomed the Government's decision to send in an envoy instead of commissioners, which would have taken away council powers, and looked forward to working in partnership with the Government.

Ministerial envoys will work with the council on the improvement work, and will act as advisers, mentors and monitors to the council, and will be available to senior leadership for support. The envoys are being sent in as part of a statutory support package which will be in place initially for three years.

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Tower Hamlets Town Hall in Whitechapel
Tower Hamlets Town Hall in Whitechapel -Credit:Tower Hamlets Council

The inspection was ordered by the then-Tory Government in February 2024 after concerns were raised over how the council was being run. Inspectors found a 'toxic' political environment, which is being caused by 'a disproportionate focus from the two main political groups [Aspire and Labour] on the past' and is creating a challenging environment for many officers and is preventing the council from moving forward positively.

The report noted outside of Full Council meetings there are some good relationships across the political divide, but said both main political groups, Aspire and Labour, had engaged in 'backward looking debate' that is stopping the council from fulfilling normal functions of debate and scrutiny.

The report noted: "Many interviewees described the political environment as 'toxic' and that they were resigned to this environment in the council continuing stating, 'that is just how Tower Hamlets politics has always been'."

Some female councillors told Government inspectors they do not feel respected and a number of them raised concerns about being shut down and not being given the opportunity to speak at meetings, while inspectors witnessed a Full Council meeting where opposition female councillors felt unsafe.

Some staff told inspectors they had experienced feelings of anxiety and in some cases, intimidation, which has made them reluctant to challenge senior managers and the administration. Inspectors raised concerns over 'an unacceptable level of patronage' with the appointment of some senior officers who appeared to have close connections to those running the council, and that the best candidate for the job was not always appointed, further fuelling trust issues within the council.

Tower Hamlets Mayor, Lutfur Rahman's, last term ended in 2015, when he was removed and banned from office for five years after a court ruled there had been 'corrupt and illegal practices' while he was Mayor. He made an astonishing political comeback when he became the Aspire Mayor of Tower Hamlets following the local elections in May 2022.

Inspectors said there was a belief by some people that the council is 'going back' to 2014 because some senior officers who served under Mr Rahman's previous term as Mayor had returned to similar roles since 2022. In response, Tower Hamlets Council said senior officers had brought in significant experience from other councils, and only two permanent senior staff recruited had previously worked for the council, which it said was not unusual for the sector.

Inspectors found that with some staff appointments 'the individuals appointed had prior connections either to the council as a corporate entity, or senior individuals at the council'. They added that staff were concerned about a 'friends and family culture' around how these jobs were filled.

Inspectors also said there has been a high use of interim posts and consultants since May 2022, and said there has been a high level of senior staff turnover which happens each time there is a change in administration, which has had an impact on current culture and the stability of the authority.

Mr McMahon said the support package was 'necessary and expedient to help address the circumstances of the authority'. Ministerial envoys will be allowed to access council documents, approach employees or members in support of their work as well as being able to work on the council's premises.

A Tower Hamlets Council spokesperson said: "We look forward to working with the ministerial envoy to build on the good Peer Review we received from the Local Government Association and an improved Investors in People inspection silver rating. We thank the Government for recognising the progress we have made as an authority. This report praises the council for; the dedication of its officers, achieving financial stability, making good progress with service delivery, putting external challenge and support in place through the Transformation Advisory Board and running sound elections."

They added: "We have delivered innovative measures including being the only council in the country to provide universal free school meals to both primary and secondary schoolchildren, free swimming for women and girls, grants for college and university students, and we are on track to deliver one of the highest amounts of new housing in London. The report's comments concerning culture include reference to rivalries between all parties and political groupings within the council. There is a responsibility on councillors from all parties to address this."

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