Battling poverty
East End Life, January 23
The exposure of our borough to the cumulative
impact of government cuts and changes to the tax and benefit system
was thrown into sharp relief recently with the publication of new
figures on child poverty.
It showed that Tower Hamlets has the highest proportion of
children in poverty. We are continuing to try to do our best to
help children and families, young people and the elderly despite
the cuts. This is why, for example, we are the only borough in the
country to still provide free homecare and why we are maximising
employment and apprenticeships within our Decent Homes programme.
By working with major local employers, including City Airport and
the Royal London Hospital, we can secure jobs for local people.
We have developed the Working Start Intermediate Labour Market
programme as a continuation of the successful Future Jobs Fund
programme through which 153 young people were provided with paid
employment.
We have also introduced the Mayor’s Education Award. Your
council should be used as a tool to help families and where
possible to put more money back into your pockets.
So last week I was pleased to announce that we were exploring
plans to develop an energy co-operative to bring cheap power to
local people.
On Thursday I visited the new Royal London Hospital building –
and what an impressive resource it is for east London. While
welcoming the new facility, many people are concerned about the
merger of Newham General, the Royal London and Whipps Cross health
trusts, and they are right to be. It is vital that the concerns
about patient choice – expressed by my cabinet and echoed by the
NHS competition watchdog – are addressed in full.
This week we will be remembering the victims of genocide on
January 27, Holocaust Memorial Day (see page 5). Finally I want to
offer all those celebrating Chinese New Year on January 23 my best
wishes on behalf of the council and the borough as a whole.
Mayor Lutfur Rahman