| Tower Hamlets London Borough Council | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | London borough council of London Borough of Tower Hamlets |
| Leadership | |
| Executive mayor | Lutfur Rahman |
| Members | 51 councillors |
| Labour |
32 / 51
|
| Independent |
8 / 51
|
| Conservatives |
8 / 51
|
| Respect |
2 / 51
|
| Lib Dems |
1 / 51
|
| Elections | |
| Voting system | First past the post |
| Last election | 6 May 2010 |
| Meeting place | |
| Town Hall, Mulberry Place | |
| Website | |
| www.towerhamlets.gov.uk | |
Tower Hamlets London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in Greater London, England. The council is unusual in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of Tower Hamlets, currently Lutfur Rahman.[1]
Following the May 2010 election, Tower Hamlets London Borough Council was composed of 41 Labour Party members, 8 Conservative Party members, 1 Respect Party member and 1 Liberal Democrat member.[2] Eight councillors elected in 2010 as Labour Party candidates are now independent members[3] and following a by-election in December 2010 there is a further Respect Party member.[4]
The council was created by the London Government Act 1963 and replaced three local authorities: Bethnal Green Metropolitan Borough Council, Poplar Metropolitan Borough Council and Stepney Metropolitan Borough Council.
Contents |
There have previously been a number of local authorities responsible for the Tower Hamlets area. The current local authority was first elected in 1964, a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on 1 April 1965. Tower Hamlets London Borough Council replaced Bethnal Green Metropolitan Borough Council, Poplar Metropolitan Borough Council and Stepney Metropolitan Borough Council. All three had been created in 1900, in Bethnal Green the borough council replaced the parish vestry and in Poplar the council replaced the board of works; both authorities had been incorporated by the Metropolis Management Act 1855. Stepney had a more convoluted history with the metropolitan borough council established in 1900 replacing the Limehouse District Board of Works, the Whitechapel District Board of Works and the parish vestries of Mile End Old Town and St George in the East.
It was envisaged through the London Government Act 1963 that Tower Hamlets as a London local authority would share power with the Greater London Council. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention, and refuse disposal; with the local authorities responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. This arrangement lasted until 1986 when Tower Hamlets London Borough Council gained responsibility for some services that had been provided by the Greater London Council, such as waste disposal. Tower Hamlets became an education authority in 1990. Since 2000 the Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions.
Previous election results are as follows:
| Election | Overall control | Conservative | Labour | Lib Dem | Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Labour | 8 | 41 | 1 | 1 |
| 2006 | Labour | 7 | 26 | 6 | 12 |
| 2002 | Labour | - | 35 | 16 | - |
| 1998 | Labour | - | 41 | 9 | - |
| 1994 | Labour | - | 43 | 7 | - |
| 1990 | Liberal Democrat | - | 20 | 30 | - |
| 1986 | Liberal/S.D.P. Alliance | - | 24 | 26 | - |
| 1982 | Labour | - | 31 | 18 | 1 |
| 1978 | Labour | - | 43 | 7 | - |
| 1974 | Labour | - | 60 | - | - |
| 1971 | Labour | - | 60 | - | - |
| 1968 | Labour | - | 57 | - | 3 |
| 1964 | Labour | - | 55 | - | 5 |
The councillors as at 17 December 2010 are as follows:[5]
| Councillor | Political party | Ward |
|---|---|---|
| Helal Uddin Abbas | Labour | Spitalfields and Banglatown |
| A M Ohid Ahmed | Independent | East India and Lansbury |
| Kabir Ahmed | Labour | Weavers |
| Khales Uddin Ahmed | Labour | Bromley by Bow |
| Rajib Ahmed | Labour | East India and Lansbury |
| Rofique Uddin Ahmed | Labour | Mile End and Globe Town |
| Shelina Aktar | Independent | Spitalfields and Banglatown |
| Shahed Ali | Labour | Whitechapel |
| Timothy Archer | Conservative | Blackwall and Cubitt Town |
| Abdul Asad | Labour | Whitechapel |
| Craig Aston | Conservative | Limehouse |
| Lutfa Begum | Independent | Limehouse |
| Mizanur Rahman Chaudhury | Labour | Bethnal Green South |
| Alibor Choudhury | Independent | Shadwell |
| Zara Emily Davis | Conservative | Millwall |
| Stephanie Eaton | Liberal Democrat | Bethnal Green North |
| David John Edgar | Labour | Limehouse |
| Marc Francis | Labour | Bow East |
| Judith Anne Gardiner | Labour | St. Dunstan's and Stepney Green |
| Carlo Gibbs | Labour | Bethnal Green North |
| Peter Golds | Conservative | Blackwall and Cubitt Town |
| Shafiqul Haque | Labour | St. Katharine's and Wapping |
| Carli Harper-Penman | Labour | Bow East |
| Sirajul Islam | Labour | Bethnal Green South |
| Ann Jackson | Labour | Bow West |
| Denise Jones | Labour | St. Katharine's and Wapping |
| Emma Jones | Conservative | St. Katharine's and Wapping |
| Aminur Khan | Independent | Whitechapel |
| Anwar Khan | Labour | Bow West |
| Rabina Khan | Independent | Shadwell |
| Rania Khan | Independent | Bromley by Bow |
| Shiria Khatun | Labour | East India and Lansbury |
| Anna Siobhan Lynch | Labour | Weavers |
| Harun Miah | Respect | Shadwell |
| Maium Miah | Conservative | Millwall |
| Mohammed Abdul Mukit | Labour | Weavers |
| Ahmed Omer | Labour | Bow East |
| Lesley Pavitt | Labour | Bethnal Green South |
| Joshua Peck | Labour | Bow West |
| Fozol Miah | Respect | Spitalfields and Banglatown |
| Oliur Rahman | Independent | St. Dunstan's and Stepney Green |
| Zenith Rahman | Labour | Bethnal Green North |
| Rachael Saunders | Labour | Mile End East |
| David Snowdon | Conservative | Millwall |
| Gloria Rose Thienel | Conservative | Blackwall and Cubitt Town |
| Bill Turner | Labour | Mile End and Globe Town |
| Helal Uddin | Labour | Bromley by Bow |
| Kosru Uddin | Labour | Mile End East |
| Abdal Ullah | Labour | St. Dunstan's and Stepney Green |
| Motin Uz-Zaman | Labour | Mile End East |
| Amy Whitelock | Labour | Mile End and Globe Town |
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