An introduction from the Mayor

After a decade of austerity we’ve had to do more for less as our funding from central government has been cut, requiring us to make savings of £190m since 2010.

With rising pressures on our services due to a fast growing population and increasing demand, we have to think carefully about every pound we spend. We are transforming the way we deliver services, for example making more of them accessible online.

These changes will make things more efficient and we ask you to bear with us as they take place.

The position from central government remains uncertain. The Government has only given us a one year financial settlement and while a so called ‘Fair Funding’ review has been delayed, the indication is the Government plans to press ahead with this. This means we are likely to have further cuts to our budget, and regardless of its outcome, the impact of Brexit will affect us.

I’ve continued to prioritise protecting key frontline services like our Idea Stores, libraries and leisure centres. We’re making good progress on having 2,000 additional council homes in delivery by 2022. We are continuing to fund additional police officers to make our streets safer and our Tackling Poverty Fund means we are helping our most vulnerable residents. 

We have made real progress in making Tower Hamlets a cleaner, safer and fairer borough. However, over the next three years we need to save a further £39 million and so there will be some more tough choices. This is your chance to tell us what your priorities are and help shape the future of our borough.

Mayor John Biggs