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Top 40 Achievements

40 Achievements Delivered by Lutfur Rahman & Aspire

A strong record of delivery across cost-of-living support, housing, education, safer streets, public services, environment, leisure, business and community investment across Tower Hamlets.

Tackling the cost-of-living crisis
01

Tackling the Cost-of-Living Crisis

  1. Distributed over £10 million in cost-of-living support payments to residents in need.
  2. Froze Council Tax for all residents in year 1 (2022/2023), and introduced the Council Tax Cost-Of-Living Relief Fund for residents earning under £53,350 — meaning these residents do not have to pay any council tax increase.
  3. Invested £1 million a year to reintroduce the Meals on Wheels service, serving hot dinners to vulnerable residents 7 days a week.
  4. Over 4,000 elderly residents supported with a £175 winter fuel payment in winter 2024, following the government's decision to cut this support.
Homes for the future
02

Homes for the Future

  1. 22,000 formerly Tower Hamlets Homes brought back in-house, to ensure direct control and management by the Council.
  2. On track to deliver over 6,000 affordable homes by May 2026 – the majority family-sized.
  3. An additional 3,300 homes to be delivered as part of the Mayor’s Accelerated Housing Programme on over 40 council-owned sites.
  4. Over £134 million spent on Temporary Accommodation to help residents suffering homelessness remain in or near the borough.
  5. £609 million investing in council-owned homes improvement, including removing damp and mould; fire and building safety; roof and lift repairs and replacements; and improving homes by fitting new kitchen units, windows, doors and bathrooms.
  6. By May 2026, we will have delivered an additional 1,250 car parking spaces across the borough.
Accelerate education
03

Accelerate Education

  1. Over £3.2m invested in supporting 2,400 students with university costs through the University Bursary Programme, which offers £1,500 per student.
  2. Achieved Outstanding in our Children’s Services OFSTED inspection.
  3. Over £1.3m invested in supporting over 2,800 students through higher education with the Education Maintenance Allowance — £600 per student.
  4. Over £2.5m being invested in SEND children provision, including £1m in improved transport.
  5. Invested £4.4m to become the first borough in the country to offer Free School Meals for all Primary and Secondary School Students, benefiting 38,000 pupils and saving the average family of 3 children £1,650 a year.
  6. Free School Uniforms for over 7,000 pupils in the borough each year: £50 for reception starters and £150 for secondary starters.
  7. Invested £800,000 to offer free language classes for young people aged 6–16, teaching heritage languages like Arabic, Bengali, Mandarin, and Somali through our Young Community Languages scheme.
Empower communities to fight crime
04

Empower Communities to Fight Crime

  1. £4m to upgrade and install 350 CCTV cameras across the borough and a state-of-the-art CCTV monitoring system.
  2. £3.7 million being invested in 100 new estate cameras across 26 estates, and replacing 363 defunct cameras.
  3. Over £3.3m to directly fund 24 additional police officers and £4m to triple the number of Tower Hamlets Enforcement Officers to 72 to keep the borough safe.
  4. 3,000+ weapons deposited in amnesty boxes across the borough.
  5. Invested £500k to launch a dedicated Drugs Squad with 6 THEOs and 1 team leader, while working on a drug-related treatment centre.
A clean and green future
05

A Clean and Green Future

  1. £15m invested in waste services – including 72 additional frontline staff.
  2. Over £2m invested in improving recycling in the borough.
  3. Over £6.3m invested in installing 2,150 new EV charging points across the borough, exceeding our target by 150 chargers.
Invest in public services
06

Invest in Public Services

  1. £13.7 million a year is being invested to open a youth centre in every ward. 20 are already operating, including Sister Space, a dedicated centre for young women and girls. This funding also provides 75 additional youth workers. To date, 5,632 young people have registered, and more than 5,000 sessions were delivered last year.
  2. Opened a dedicated borough-wide centre for women – the Nari Centre – in Vallance Road.
  3. Invested £5 million in free homecare for all who need it.
  4. Reopened five Residents Hubs across the borough to improve access to services.
  5. Burial ground at Eternal Gardens: continue with the low-cost facility.
Boost culture business jobs and leisure
07

Boost Culture, Business, Jobs & Leisure

  1. £300,000 free swimming and aquatic sessions for women and girls (16+) and men (55+). Over 20,000 have signed up – 83% of which are women and girls.
  2. Invested £800k in four new play-zones. Five new outdoor gyms in the borough's public spaces.
  3. Over £5 million invested in sports facilities, gyms, and outdoor playgrounds.
  4. Over 1,500 residents engaged in over 2,200 training programs through workpath.
  5. One-hour free parking introduced to help market traders. Additionally, the Permit Transfer Scheme (PTS) has been introduced, allowing one parking permit to be retained even if you move to a car-free zone.
  6. Over £40 million invested in Leisure including bringing leisure services under council management.
  7. £67m invested in redeveloping St George’s Leisure Centre and Housing which is on track to be delivered and will deliver 33 family sized council homes.
A council that works for everyone
08

A Council That Works for Everyone

  1. New Town Hall opened in Whitechapel – the beating heart of the borough.
  2. 200 – 300 people seen monthly at Mayor’s twice-weekly resident surgeries.
  3. £500,000 invested to reopen Watney Market Idea Store.
Top 40 Achievements

40 Achievements Delivered by Lutfur Rahman & Aspire

A strong record of delivery across cost-of-living support, housing, education, safer streets, public services, environment, leisure, business and community investment across Tower Hamlets.

Cost of Living
Tackling the cost-of-living crisis
01

Tackling the Cost-of-Living Crisis

  1. Distributed over £10 million in cost-of-living support payments to residents in need.
  2. Froze Council Tax for all residents in year 1 (2022/2023), and introduced the Council Tax Cost-Of-Living Relief Fund for residents earning under £53,350 — meaning these residents do not have to pay any council tax increase.
  3. Invested £1 million a year to reintroduce the Meals on Wheels service, serving hot dinners to vulnerable residents 7 days a week.
  4. Over 4,000 elderly residents supported with a £175 winter fuel payment in winter 2024, following the government's decision to cut this support.
Housing
Homes for the future
02

Homes for the Future

  1. 22,000 formerly Tower Hamlets Homes brought back in-house, to ensure direct control and management by the Council.
  2. On track to deliver over 6,000 affordable homes by May 2026 – the majority family-sized.
  3. An additional 3,300 homes to be delivered as part of the Mayor’s Accelerated Housing Programme on over 40 council-owned sites.
  4. Over £134 million spent on Temporary Accommodation to help residents suffering homelessness remain in or near the borough.
  5. £609 million investing in council-owned homes improvement, including removing damp and mould; fire and building safety; roof and lift repairs and replacements; and improving homes by fitting new kitchen units, windows, doors and bathrooms.
  6. By May 2026, we will have delivered an additional 1,250 car parking spaces across the borough.
Education
Accelerate education
03

Accelerate Education

  1. Over £3.2m invested in supporting 2,400 students with university costs through the University Bursary Programme, which offers £1,500 per student.
  2. Achieved Outstanding in our Children’s Services OFSTED inspection.
  3. Over £1.3m invested in supporting over 2,800 students through higher education with the Education Maintenance Allowance — £600 per student.
  4. Over £2.5m being invested in SEND children provision, including £1m in improved transport.
  5. Invested £4.4m to become the first borough in the country to offer Free School Meals for all Primary and Secondary School Students, benefiting 38,000 pupils and saving the average family of 3 children £1,650 a year.
  6. Free School Uniforms for over 7,000 pupils in the borough each year: £50 for reception starters and £150 for secondary starters.
  7. Invested £800,000 to offer free language classes for young people aged 6–16, teaching heritage languages like Arabic, Bengali, Mandarin, and Somali through our Young Community Languages scheme.
Community Safety
Empower communities to fight crime
04

Empower Communities to Fight Crime

  1. £4m to upgrade and install 350 CCTV cameras across the borough and a state-of-the-art CCTV monitoring system.
  2. £3.7 million being invested in 100 new estate cameras across 26 estates, and replacing 363 defunct cameras.
  3. Over £3.3m to directly fund 24 additional police officers and £4m to triple the number of Tower Hamlets Enforcement Officers to 72 to keep the borough safe.
  4. 3,000+ weapons deposited in amnesty boxes across the borough.
  5. Invested £500k to launch a dedicated Drugs Squad with 6 THEOs and 1 team leader, while working on a drug-related treatment centre.
Environment
A clean and green future
05

A Clean and Green Future

  1. £15m invested in waste services – including 72 additional frontline staff.
  2. Over £2m invested in improving recycling in the borough.
  3. Over £6.3m invested in installing 2,150 new EV charging points across the borough, exceeding our target by 150 chargers.
Public Services
Invest in public services
06

Invest in Public Services

  1. £13.7 million a year is being invested to open a youth centre in every ward. 20 are already operating, including Sister Space, a dedicated centre for young women and girls. This funding also provides 75 additional youth workers. To date, 5,632 young people have registered, and more than 5,000 sessions were delivered last year.
  2. Opened a dedicated borough-wide centre for women – the Nari Centre – in Vallance Road.
  3. Invested £5 million in free homecare for all who need it.
  4. Reopened five Residents Hubs across the borough to improve access to services.
  5. Burial ground at Eternal Gardens: continue with the low-cost facility.
Leisure & Business
Boost culture business jobs and leisure
07

Boost Culture, Business, Jobs & Leisure

  1. £300,000 free swimming and aquatic sessions for women and girls (16+) and men (55+). Over 20,000 have signed up – 83% of which are women and girls.
  2. Invested £800k in four new play-zones. Five new outdoor gyms in the borough's public spaces.
  3. Over £5 million invested in sports facilities, gyms, and outdoor playgrounds.
  4. Over 1,500 residents engaged in over 2,200 training programs through workpath.
  5. One-hour free parking introduced to help market traders. Additionally, the Permit Transfer Scheme (PTS) has been introduced, allowing one parking permit to be retained even if you move to a car-free zone.
  6. Over £40 million invested in Leisure including bringing leisure services under council management.
  7. £67m invested in redeveloping St George’s Leisure Centre and Housing which is on track to be delivered and will deliver 33 family sized council homes.
Council Delivery
A council that works for everyone
08

A Council That Works for Everyone

  1. New Town Hall opened in Whitechapel – the beating heart of the borough.
  2. 200 – 300 people seen monthly at Mayor’s twice-weekly resident surgeries.
  3. £500,000 invested to reopen Watney Market Idea Store.
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