Results tagged “tower hamlets council”

Campaigners trying to save a colony of monk parakeets on the Isle of Dogs are celebrating victory after Tower Hamlets Council agreed to stop all culling activity in the borough.

The Department for Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) had instigated a policy to remove the birds from Millwall Park and surrounding streets, claiming their large nests posed a threat to infrastucture.

The iconic Traffic Light Tree, which was removed by Tower Hamlets Council from the Westferry roundabout, will be returned to the Island.

Although a specific site has yet to be chosen, Councillor Gloria Thienel said she has received assurances from borough officials a home on the Isle of Dogs will be found for the art-piece.

Tower Hamlets' Mayor Lutfur Rahman is to allow corporate and commercial events in three Isle of Dogs parks sparking fears that local communities will find their access restricted.

Millwall Park, Sir John McDougal Gardens and Island Gardens are among a number of parks in the borough to be hired out, raising up to £200,000 a year for the Council.

Ideas for the future home of the Traffic Light Tree are being sought by Tower Hamlets Council.

The iconic sculpture was removed from Westferry Road as part of a redevelopment of the Heron Quay roundabout and the council said the much-loved piece of art is currently in storage until a suitable new site is found.

By Peter Golds

The most recent Tower Hamlets Council meeting was held on the same day as the Chancellor's Autumn Statement.

At a time of financial crisis, a local council meeting can appear parochial, but that is the reason for its existence.

A fraudster who tried to con Tower Hamlets Council out of over £800,000 has been sent to prison.

Olakunle Fayomi, 35, of Waterhead Close in Erith, Kent, attempted to divert, to a fraudulently obtained bank account which he controlled, borough payments meant for contractors.

Thames Water has been urged to reconsider its plans to build a £3.6billion super sewer along the River Thames.

A report published this morning recommended a moratorium on the scheme, which could add up to £65 a year to Thames Water customer bills without addressing the wider problems of dealing with sewage in London.

By Peter Golds

Once in a while even Tower Hamlets Council can leave one lost for words. Earlier this year an ominous paper was approved by the Executive Mayor regarding using the borough's parks for revenue raising.

The result was that Victoria Park was used for a series of concerts.

Plans to make merry at a memorial to dead servicemen and women have been shelved after Tower Hamlets council vetoed Christmas party proposals by Moving Venue.

The events company specialise in organising functions at unique London locations and had applied for a licence for a series of commercial parties at Mariners' memorial Trinity Garden Square in Tower Hill.

A protest rally against the culling of monk parakeets is set to take place on the Isle of Dogs with residents declaring they "mean business".

The rally in Millwall Park on September 18 comes as the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) plans to deploy marksmen to shoot the birds.

An Isle of Dogs councillor defected from the Conservative Party to join Tower Hamlets' Mayor Lutfur Rahman's team.

Maium Miah, Conservative councillor for Millwall, has left the party to become Mr Rahman's executive advisor for the Third Sector and Community Engagement.

Tower Hamlets Council has announced the resignation of chief executive Dr Kevan Collins after two years in the job.

Dr Collins is leaving the council to head up the newly created Education Endowment Foundation, a £200 million project aimed at improving the educational attainment of children on free school meals in poorly performing schools.

Tower Hamlets Council faces criticism over proposals to actively encourage companies and individuals to hire out public parks on the Isle of Dogs for private events.

Millwall Park, Sir John McDougal Gardens, Island Gardens and St John's Park have all been earmarked for hire for events such as corporate sports days and weddings to boost Council coffers.

Plans to turn Wapping venue Tobacco Dock into a luxury hotel have been submitted to Tower Hamlets Council.

Developers Al Mubarakla Ltd released details of their proposal for a 242 room, four star hotel, shop, bar and restaurant last week.

By Peter Golds

Politicians require the media to exist, while both fearing and loathing it in almost equal measures. The Wharf invites a local politician to write each week.

The editor does not decide what we write. He will continue to publish stories and editorials about which we can agree or disagree.

Let's hope it wasn't an ominous omen but the rain poured down today as Tower Hamlets officially launched its bid to be granted city status.

The Tower of London was the venue for the ceremony to mark the borough's fight to win the honour, which will be awarded next year to mark The Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

A host of public consultations are being held to let the public give their view on the future of the east end of Marsh Wall.

They are being run by Tower Hamlets Council, which is preparing a masterplan on the site after it was identified as a growth area for homes and jobs.

The Mayor of Tower Hamlets and his team have spent over £2,000 of taxpayers money on taxi fares in the first nine months in office.

Lutfur Rahman, who became the borough's first directly elected mayor last May, and two other leading council members claimed £2,191.04 in fares to take them to and from official engagements up to the end of February.

Tower Hamlets residents need to be on their toes if they are to take advantage of the job opportunities coming their way from the Olympics.

The borough missed out on staging any events during the Games, but to compensate Locog are offering residents the first chance to apply for jobs created through the award of supplier contracts.

The independent mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, has secured agreement on his first budget.

At a second meeting on Tuesday night, the mayor accepted some of the changes offered by his former Labour colleagues in order to secure an agreement.