Setting the record straight

The Tower Hamlets communications team works closely with newspapers and other media by issuing news releases, responding to media enquiries, arranging briefings and interviews and organising news conferences and other events. We also provide up-to-date information on this site, which we hope is useful for the public and the media.

In spite of our best efforts, media reports are not always completely accurate. People have a right to reliable information, just as we have a duty to provide it. That is why we introduced this section to the website.

The information we provide is subject to a Code of Conduct under the Local Government Act 2000. This means we are bound by the highest standards of propriety and accuracy in providing information.

Thursday February 23, 2012

Facts about the Mayor's advisors

Recent reports in both the Evening Standard and the East London Advertiser have suggested that an advisor to the mayor is paid £1,000 per day and that he is one of twenty one paid individuals. Neither point is correct.

A modern mayor in a £1billion local authority with challenges of extremes of wealth and inequality requires additional expert advice to ensure that the agenda upon which he was elected – and which now forms part of council policy – is enacted.

Whilst a development and regeneration specialist has been employed on a publicly tendered contract valued at £125 per hour, the reality is that Mr Winterbottom has been paid £5,000 over a 55 day period.

The scale of development and regeneration in Tower Hamlets amounts to nearly £1 billion, thus highly specialist advice and experience is required. A contract was put out to tender in the summer, to procure advice on regeneration and economic development opportunities. The contract was procured through the usual tendering process.

The postholder has helped the mayor secure record high house building and affordable homes - Tower Hamlets has the highest numbers of housing projects in the country.

There are 9 advisors and one researcher currently contracted by the Mayor -

Advisor on major projects, regeneration, enterprise and development for approximately three days per month at a cost of £125 per hour.
Advisor on adult social care and health at a cost of £40 per hour.
Advisor on media and communications strategy at a cost of £200 per day.
Advisor on small businesses, Olympics and enterprise for a maximum of 40 hours at a cost of £25 per hour.
Advisor on sports and sports participation and improving the quality of life for a maximum of 40 hours at a cost of £25 per hour.
Advisor on youth engagement and sponsorship of youth engagement for a maximum of 100 hours at a cost of £25 per hour.
Advisor on equalities matters for one day per week at a cost of £200 per day.
Advisor on communities' communication and media at a cost of £55 per hour.
Researcher on boundary review and general matters at a cost of £8.39 per hour.
Advisor on communities and public policy at a cost of £65 per hour.

Thursday February 16, 2012

Brick Lane improvements

The brick-makers kilns, which Brick Lane is named after, are no longer a feature of the area. People now visit Brick Lane for its well-known atmosphere, tasty curry, quirky shopping and diverse nightlife.

To ensure this popular area continues to meet the growing demands of the community, businesses and visitors, the council has embarked upon an improvement programme to make sure that it remains a safe, exciting and attractive place to visit.

In 2002-4 the tarmac surface in Brick Lane was replaced with block paving. The surface has not worn well, leading to extensive maintenance works to re-level and relay the brick work. Coupled with utilities work which has seen the road opened up more than 600 times in the past nine years, this has led to many road closures causing disruption for residents and businesses. The impracticality for repairs and the poor state of the road meant that maintenance works were no longer enough to maintain the roads integrity for traffic, cyclist and pedestrians.

The necessary reconstruction could have been done using the same surfacing but the cost was estimated to be significantly higher than using standard black asphalt. At today’s rates, reconstruction in block paving was estimated to cost in excess of £1.25m, compared to the £300,000 we have committed to resurfacing in asphalt.

With the annual highway repair budget standing at £1.2m; it is not cost effective for one street to require reconstruction every 10 years at a cost of 10 per cent of the total funding available over that period - £300k for a scheme with a 25 year life is far better value than £1.25m for a 10 year life.

Officers therefore recommended the carriageway be resurfaced in asphalt to enable a good quality surface to be maintained in the long term at reasonable costs and without unnecessary disruption to local businesses and activity in the area.

The York stone paving and ‘fishtail’ cobbles outside of the Truman Brewery, which reflect the historic character of the area, have been retained, along with the paving blocks in the parking bays which give the impression of a wider footway. And additional improvements have been made to waste collection service to remove the unsightly commercial waste bins from the street.

Together these improvements will make sure that Brick Lane is ready to play host to the thousands of visitors that are expected during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The proposal was included in the Local Implementation Plan 2 Delivery Plan in 2011 for "public realm improvements to support the local economy, café / club culture, restaurants, shops and street markets, and supports clear zone proposals".

All businesses in Brick Lane received a letter explaining the works, the justification for them and the timetable for implementation. A phone number was provided for people to contact officers should they wish to discuss any issues. Only 3 or 4 calls were received which focussed on the difficulties the working arrangements would present them for access to their business, and modifications were made to the proposed working arrangements to accommodate these issues.

A regular newsletter has been issued since mid-January explaining progress of the works and the changing traffic management and access arrangements as works progress.

How to contact us

Lara Cerroni
Acting Head of Media