Bid to become City of Tower Hamlets
The Mayor of Tower Hamlets has given the go ahead
for Tower Hamlets Council to bid for city status as part of the
Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.
The council is throwing its hat in the ring with full backing
from Canary Wharf Group, local businesses and community groups and
sees itself as a strong contender up against the likes of
Middlesbrough, Blackpool and Reading.
The Mayor believes city status will bring a
raft of benefits to the area and put Tower Hamlets firmly on the
map as a unique, vibrant and exciting place to live, work and
visit.
City status will enhance and unify the many
diverse aspects of our borough: including our arts and creative
industries, cultural centres, historic visitor attractions and
economic hubs.
The accolade will also pay homage to the
borough’s rich and fascinating East End heritage.
The history of the nation is reflected in this
borough from the Tower of London to the Docks which traded with
every corner of the earth. The borough has been home to successive
groups of immigrants and continues to play this pivotal role as new
communities make their home here and thrive together.
The borough boasts an unrivalled history of
social reform with the first ever social housing built in Tower
Hamlets on the Boundary Estate. Prominent local politicians who
campaigned for equality included George Lansbury, Clement Attlee
and William Crooks.
As a young borough, Tower Hamlets made itself
heard on important issues shaping national policies and reform.
This is an ideal opportunity for the borough
to demonstrate both our pride in our heritage, values and
community, and our aspiration to play a major role in the future of
the country.
Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman said: “I
feel being a city would be a fantastic boost to the borough and
really show what we have to offer. We are unique in that we have a
thriving business and shopping district in Canary Wharf, an
innovative arts scene, a first-rate university on our doorstep in
Queen Mary, and a vibrant community spirit, which has embraced
different groups of people throughout our history.
“The royal wedding celebrations which I
attended were testament to the genuine community spirit that exists
in the borough and there is a real appetite to build on this pride
and let everyone know what an amazing place Tower Hamlets is. I
hope residents will support our bid to become a city.”
The council will be submitting the bid
document on May 27 and residents are being encouraged to submit
images of the borough which best illustrates what is unique about
Tower Hamlets.
To enter, email your images to http://www.flickr.com/photos/towerhamlets/
by May 20. The Mayor will select the images for the bid. Residents
can send in images after this date too as we will be planning an
exhibition later this year.
City status is available for only one local
authority area in the UK in celebration of the Queen’s Diamond
Jubilee.
May 16, 2011