Tower Hamlets welcomes Government's proposal to evolve collaboration model to increase the pace of improvement
The council has welcomed proposals by the Government to help increase the pace of improvement within its new collaboration model with local government.
The council is pleased that the Government has recognised the council’s willingness ‘to work closely with the envoys’ and ‘early signs of progress.’
We welcome the additional support being provided to increase the pace of change which we will deliver while overseeing the running of one of the most demanding places in the UK.
Tower Hamlets is the fastest growing and most densely populated place in the country, with the third largest economic contribution nationally to UK PLC.
That represents challenges in making improvements while delivering excellent services to our residents, millions of tourists, and helping to generate much needed investment and growth for the country.
The Transformation Assurance Board was set up at the direction of the Government as part of its early thinking on a new model for intervention to oversee our Continuous Improvement Plan. We are happy to move to its new proposals as part of the evolution of the Government’s new model for working with local government.
As the Secretary of State has directed, our Improvement Plan includes Cultural Change, Political Mentoring, and addressing our auditor’s statutory recommendations.
Some of the issues raised date back as far 2017, and it is understandable that a greater focus is needed to resolve them.
We are proud to have taken action to address many historic issues including the independent approval of six years of accounts; delivering 17 of 18 improvement recommendations by the Local Government Association (LGA) and insourcing and then self-referring the management of our housing stock after uncovering historic issues.
At the same time, we have continued to deliver groundbreaking services including being awarded an outstanding Ofsted rating for our Children’s Services; having works on site for 4,590 affordable homes; and being the only local authority in the country to offer universal free school meals to all primary and secondary school children.
Expanding the Envoy team and its hours, along with the new governance structure, will provide the opportunity to achieve a more rapid improvement together.
Tower Hamlets was recently praised by the LGA review as having 'high quality services' and 'strong financial management.'
Its latest independent Annual Residents Survey found Tower Hamlets to be performing better than the local government average in almost every comparable area.
Unlike other local authorities in intervention, the council has consistently balanced its budget which is why we welcome the fact that primary decision making remains with the council.
The council has set aside £8m to deliver these improvements in partnership with Government appointed envoys.
Further information
Posted on Tuesday 20th January 2026