Tower Hamlets: Response to Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Best Value Inspection

Response to Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Best Value Inspection

A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets Council said:

“We look forward to working in partnership to show the progress we have made as a council under our current administration.

“We are surprised by the decision however it is of course the prerogative of the government and we are confident in our work and will cooperate fully.

“Our work has been praised in recent independent reviews by the Local Government Association Peer Review and Investors in People. Although both reviews were positive, we are already delivering action plans to fulfil their recommendations for further improvement as is the culture in our council.

“In recent months, the council has also made significant progress in resolving historic financial issues of audit, assurance and governance going back to 2016.

“Accounts for financial years 16/17, 17/18, 18/19 and 19/20 have all been signed off by independent auditors. A period of public inspection for the remaining draft accounts is now underway and the 20/21, 21/22 and 22/23 are all scheduled to go to Audit Committee in March.

“We are proud that our ‘good financial management’ and ‘strong foundations to secure the future sustainability of the organisation’ was in fact one of the areas highlighted for praise in the LGA Peer Review report published in December.

“The Peer Review also praised the council as ‘an organisation which has a comprehensive understanding of the needs of residents and communities’, while understanding that the council ‘is still adjusting to changes and challenges’ after ‘going through a period of significant change in the last eighteen months, with a new Mayor and a new Chief Executive, as well as a move to new council offices’.

“All of this at a time when Tower Hamlets has delivered innovative measures to improve more lives such as being the only local authority to provide free school meals for all primary and secondary schools. An achievement recognised with an award by a cross party parliamentary group only last month.”