Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman accused of ‘wasteful spending’ amid inspection
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The controversial Mayor of Tower Hamlets council has been accused of “wasteful spending” and poor governance, as the government ordered an emergency inspection.
Lutfur Rahman, who was banned in 2014 from holding public office for five years after being found guilty of electoral fraud, was re-elected in May 2022.
Inspectors have now been sent in to examine whether the council is meeting its legal requirement to provide efficient, cost-effective and continually improving services.
Simon Hoare, the minister for local government, told the House of Commons on Thursday that “significant churn” in senior management and changes to the council’s budget had sparked alarm.
Mr Rahman, whose Aspire Party runs the council, said he was “disappointed” with the inspection but “very confident” that it would “give the government the assurance it requests”.
But Marc Francis, an opposition Labour councillor, said Mr Rahman and his party “haven’t changed their ways”.
He said: “It is no surprise to us as opposition councillors to see that civil servants have seen enough of the rapidly deteriorating governance and wasteful spending at Tower Hamlets council under Mayor Lutfur Rahman and his Aspire Party councillors and ordered this best value inspection.
Max Soule, a deputy director at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, said in a letter to the council that Mr Rahman’s appointment of Alibor Choudhury as the deputy head of the mayor’s office in June 2022 was of concern because he was convicted alongside him for corrupt and illegal practices at the council in 2014.
Mr Soule also accused Mr Rahman of risking the creation of a “dual council” by appointing eight policy advisers to his office at a cost of £1.4 million.
He added that the mayor had failed to attend more than 20 meetings of the council’s overview and scrutiny committee since his re-election.
Kim Bromley-Derry, the former chief executive of Newham council, will lead the inspection and is expected to report his findings by May 31.
A spokesman for Tower Hamlets council said: “We are surprised by the decision, however it is of course the prerogative of the Government and we are confident in our work and will co-operate fully.”
