A busy group of people walking down Brick Lane
Community cohesion in Tower Hamlets remains high despite being the most densely populated place in the UK, according to a new independent Annual Residents Survey, with nine out of ten residents saying this local area is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together.
Like other parts of the country, Tower Hamlets has found itself in national debates around flags and protests, however in the past two years the number of residents saying they get on well with each other has gone up from 87 per cent in 2023 to 91 per cent.
Residents like living in Tower Hamlets too with 83 per cent of people saying they are satisfied with the area as a place to live. This is much higher than the local government average of 74 per cent.
They are also happier with the council’s performance too:
- 69 per cent say they trust the council a great deal or a fair amount compared to the local government average of 50 per cent
- 69 per cent say they are happy with the way the council runs things compared to the local government average of 56 per cent
- 65 per cent think the council acts on their concerns, compared to the local government average of 53 per cent
- 65 per cent think the council keeps them well informed, compared to the local government average of 47 per cent
- 54 per cent of residents feel the council provides value for money, compared to the local government average of 36 per cent
When it comes to services, user satisfaction presents a similar rosy picture, where:
- 77 per cent are satisfied with waste collection
- 85 per cent are satisfied with parks and green spaces
- 76 per cent are satisfied with sport and leisure
- 83 per cent are satisfied with Idea Stores and libraries
- 78 per cent are satisfied with recycling
- 65 per cent are satisfied with services for older people
For children’s services, satisfaction rates for Children’s Centres, Nursery Education, Primary and Secondary Education are 78 per cent, 84 per cent, 82 per cent and 80 per cent respectively.
However, there are areas for improvement which the council will use the survey to respond to. Council housing satisfaction is 50 per cent as is youth services. The council is investing heavily in both these areas.
The council has brought Tower Hamlets Homes in-house and committed a record £140 million to upgrade existing properties, including tackling damp and mould, new windows, replacing kitchens and bathrooms, testing electrical systems, installing new front doors and refurbishing street properties.
The council is investing £13.7m in youth services which has included the new Young Tower Hamlets service which provides more than 100 free regular activities currently from 14 centres, alongside targeted support and training for young people.
Residents also want the council to engage with them more and respond quicker to request for help with 41 per cent saying they feel involved in making decisions, and 48 per cent saying the council responds quickly when asking for help.
Executive Mayor Lutfur Rahman said:
"We believe our residents are the best judge of how we are doing which is why we are one of the few councils that have an independent residents survey every year.
"I love that our residents are happy living here, and like living alongside each other, in one of the most diverse boroughs in the country, which is also one of the most cohesive. Some people outside our borough have tried to sow division but the reality is we are a beacon for community cohesion with 91 per cent of people saying they get on well with each other, and 8 in 10 being satisfied with Tower Hamlets as a place to live.
"When it comes to our services, these are some of our best ever results which shows the impact of our unprecedented levels of investment in our services supporting residents and our groundbreaking measures to alleviate cost of living pressures. I’m incredibly proud to see that rates of satisfaction and trust in our council are much higher than the average for local government.
"This survey also tells us there is more work to do in some areas and we are working with our services to drive forward further improvements."
Top concerns
The Annual Residents Survey shows that crime and anti-social behaviour remain the top concern among residents, followed by the cost of living, the level of council tax, rising prices/interest rates, a lack of affordable housing and the quality of health services.
Compared to last year, residents are less concerned about both noisy neighbours or loud parties, (down 4 points to 18 per cent say it is a problem locally) and people using or dealing drugs (down 5).
The concerns match the focus of investment by the council. Last month, the council became the first in the country to launch its own specialist Drugs Squad as part of a wider £8m investment to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour.
When it comes to help with the cost of living, Tower Hamlets has one of the most generous packages of support in the country. Its most recent budget included £3m to provide up to 21,000 primary and secondary school starters with clothing and uniform grants (the first council in the country to provide a universal school uniform grant to families with household incomes up to £50,350), a new £3m meals on wheels service, and becoming only the second local council in the country to provide free homecare.
The council is on track to exceed its target of 4,000 new affordable homes and last week got the go ahead to submit its draft Local Plan to the Secretary of State for independent examination, which includes the development of a record number of new homes to help with the housing crisis, including a groundbreaking new programme for social and affordable homes, which sets a new standard for London.
This plan commits to delivering over 52,000 homes, with an affordable housing target of 40 and a borough wide strategic target of 50 per cent, prioritising family-sized homes and increasing genuinely social and affordable rented housing from 70 per cent to 85 per cent.
Additional measures to support residents
In recent years the council has made significant investment in frontline services and brought several key local services areas such as leisure centres and council housing back in-house.
Focusing on protecting residents from the ongoing impact of the cost-of-living crisis remains a top priority and innovative examples of investment includes becoming the first council in the country to provide universal free school meals to all primary and secondary pupils, and the first in the country to restore the Education Maintenance Allowance, while also providing university bursary schemes.
The most recent council budget includes an additional £1m to support young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, and many low-income households will benefit in the next two financial years from a £3.1m energy support fund.
Community Safety has benefited from a further £8m investment, and £5m a year is helping to improve waste and recycling services.
The results
View the results of the Annual Residents Survey.
Posted on Tuesday 2nd December 2025