Communities Secretary names commissioners to go into Tower Hamlets

The Communities Secretary has named the commissioners who will oversee certain aspects of the running of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

In making the appointments, Eric Pickles said he had rejected arguments put forward by the council’s directly elected mayor, Lutfur Rahman, that issues identified by inspectors from PricewaterhouseCoopers could be easily rectified.

The PwC report found that Tower Hamlets had failed to comply with its best value duty in a number of areas. These included grant-making, certain property transactions, the use of media officers in the Mayor’s office, and the spending of monies on what amounted to political advertising.

The commissioners, who are set to be in place until 31 March 2017 and will report to the Communities Secretary every six months, are:

• Sir Ken Knight, the former London Fire Commissioner and Chief Fire and Rescue Advisor to the government. Sir Ken will act as lead commissioner;
• Max Caller, a former council chief executive and the current chairman of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.

They will have control of grant-making within Tower Hamlets Council and approve the sale or disposal of property. They will also agree a plan for publicity.

The local authority – under the direction of the commissioners – will have three months to prepare a strategy and action plan, “setting out how it will comply with its duty to act openly and transparently, serving all of its communities fairly and securing value for money”, the Department for Communities and Local Government said.

Eric Pickles said: “Intervention was not a decision taken lightly however I could not ignore the overwhelming evidence of the council’s failure, and allow this to continue unchecked. I do not accept the Mayor’s representations that problems are easily put right.

“Residents need to know that decisions are being taken properly in an open and accountable way. The commissioners I have appointed are experienced and talented professionals who understand that transparency and accountability are vital to the functioning of local democracy.”

Sir Ken Knight said: “We are determined to restore faith in how Tower Hamlets operates. Local people deserve a council that not only makes decisions in an accountable and transparent way but also with the benefit of all residents in mind.

“Today marks the start of a long but necessary journey to ensure public confidence in the council is restored, community cohesion maintained and that Tower Hamlets is no longer a by-word for poor governance.”

In his initial response last month Mayor Rahman described the intervention package proposed by the Communities Secretary as “excessive and disproportionate”.