Cllr Marc Francis

Have been speaking to yet another disabled resident whose application to renew their parking Blue Badge was rejected without an assessment or even explanation - in this case despite having had one for 25 yrs. That's the 3rd case this week. Am taking them up but this needs looking at systemically too

So much worth celebrating! Huge thanks to @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social for steering this through Parliament. And well done to @generationrent.bsky.social team and all those who’ve campaigned so hard for this over many years.

Four men arrested over projecting a factual slide show onto Windsor Castle before Trump visit have case dropped by police bit.ly/4nCtpON of course they do. These were always intimidatory arrests where no offence had been committed.

Matthew Pennycook MP speaks at the dispatch box in the House of Commons

The Renters' Rights Bill has been APPROVED by the House of Commons!

This is the final step before the Bill receives Royal Assent, which we expect shortly.

No more amendments, no more debate - renters' rights are coming.

Nice to catch up with older residents at Vic Johnson House.
Gateway Housing has transformed these flats and communal spaces, but there are some issues. Am taking those up and if
Tower Hamlets Labour's Cllr Siraj Islam is elected Mayor he will ensure LBTH supports Gateway to expand its services

Wonderful to meet 101 year-old Betty while out campaigning this weekend. She cast her first vote for Clement Attlee at the 1945 General Election and has been supporting the Labour Party ever since. We should never forget how much we owe Betty's generation for delivering us the 1945 Labour Government

The glamorous TV host, the web of influence and a mysterious trip to Moscow – inside the downfall of Reform’s disgraced MEP Ahead of a critical Welsh byelection for Reform next week, part two of our investigation into Nathan Gill uncovers the web of Russian influence that encircled him – and asks why it took so long to cha...

Read the full report at thenerve.news: www.thenerve.news/p/nathan-gil...

If gambling tax rises, we’ll shut all our 1,300 shops, warns Betfred Increased levies expected to be imposed in next month’s budget could cost the company 7,000 jobs, according to Joanne Whittaker, the chief executive

Betting firm threatens to end its entire High St presence if it has to pay any more tax bit.ly/4qhaL1j yet another in the too rich and too important to pay tax series

13 residents in our advice surgery today, one of whom had been taken to court by her social landlord for costs after supposedly failing to allow a gas safety check. Her lawyer proved the contractor actually failed to show up 4 times + the judge threw it out. This is why tenants need #Access2Justice

I voted against this application last night. Historic England has serious concerns about the impact of a 9 story block of flats on the setting of Grade I listed St George's in the East Church. The correct response should have been to lower the whole residential block. Aspire's cllrs voted it through

Nice to catch up with old friends + neighbours on the Monteith estate. They've suffered a poor service from Clarion Housing in recent years, which prompted a petition to the Regulator/Minister. Its encouraging to see Clarion now starting to replace their old windows but there's still lots more to do

The application at Thursday's Development Committee is Tower Hamlets Council's own redevelopment of St George's Leisure Centre on The Highway. It includes a new pool, gym, play area + 30 social homes. A key issue is if the public benefits outweigh any harm to setting of the Grade I listed church

The application at Thursday's Development Committee is Tower Hamlets Council's own redevelopment of St George's Leisure Centre on The Highway. It includes a new pool, gym, play area + 30 social homes. A key issue is if the public benefits outweigh any harm to setting of the Grade I listed church

The need for decent affordable homes is second only to community cohesion as the most important issue in Tower Hamlets. At tomorrow's Cabinet, Mayor Lutfur Rahman will receive a performance report showing that under his leadership, just 28 new social homes were completed in April to June this year

Chart showing months in job until worker becomes eligible for unfair dismissal protection: OECD countries, 2019 The chart shows that the two-year ‘qualifying period’ in the UK before workers are eligible for unfair dismissal protection is completely out of step with other rich countries, where qualifying periods between three and six months are the norm

The UK is an international outlier when it comes to protection from unfair dismissal.

Our two-year ‘qualifying period’ for unfair dismissal protection is completely out of step with other rich countries, where qualifying periods between three and six months are the norm.

Read more buff.ly/0OSArrI

Happy Birthday to the Digby estate in Bethnal Green, which has provided decent/affordable homes to local families for 90 years. Later renamed Godley VC House to commemorate local caretaker, Sidney Godley's bravery at the Battle of Mons in 1914 Work will start soon on 53 new council homes nearby

I know this is uncomfortable to admit, but there is a small area in England's second city where people are just not integrated with the rest of society. Many of them hold views that arguably go against British values.

Yes, we need to talk about the Tory conference in Manchester.

Last year, the Regulator forced the "rescue" (takeover) of Swan Housing by Sanctuary. Shockingly, the service has got even worse. For e.g. tenants in one of it's Bow blocks have been waiting for 4 months their lift to be repaired. Meanwhile, the Regulator turns a blind eye to the mess it has created

Huge respect to Mondana for presenting this petition at Full Council yesterday calling for action against speeding drivers on Roman Road. The Aspire Party Lead Member's response was hopeless. If we win next May Tower Hamlets Labour will implement traffic calming + ensure regular police speed gun ops

This is a lie.

There are many criticisms you might sensibly and truthfully make of the Sentencing Council and the Sentencing Guidelines. I’ve been making them for years.

But this is an outright lie. Pure fabrication. A fraud on the public.

At tonight's Full Council, Tower Hamlets Labour cllrs will propose a motion committing Tower Hamlets Council to challenge the far right extremists peddling lies to try to provoke disorder outside a hotel accommodating asylum seekers. We hope all cllrs will join us in standing up against this racism

THCVS's statement on far-right violence and racism. Black writing on a yellow background. THCVS logo in the bottom right corner.

Our October bulletin takes a stand against hate. We condemn recent racist & Islamophobic violence and stand in unwavering solidarity with all affected. We also celebrate Black History Month, a time to honour the invaluable contributions of Black communities.
Read it here ➜ https://bit.ly/4mXndAm

Lots on the agenda for tomorrow night's Full Council, including a 1,000-strong petition calling for action to slow speeding cars on Roman Road. My own 'Members Question' is on the implementation of the Traffic Management Order for estate parking, which has left junior staff facing residents' fury

Lovely to catch up with Pamela Cain this weekend. Pam's husband Ron worked for the GLC / Tower Hamlets Council as park keeper + later manager in Victoria Park for 35 years. He was a key figure in the £12 million investment in Vicky Park back in 2009/10. Today's dedicated team follow in his footsteps

Red ink line drawing says, "Israel has no red line." Drawings include buildings, a tent, a military drop, pastries, body armor, and maps of Syria, Iran, Lebanon, and Palestine. A sailboat and a globe are also depicted. @khadija.draws

Thousands of civilians killed.
Food, water, and aid weaponised.
Gaza reduced to rubble.
These are red lines, which the Israeli gvmt continues to cross.
The UK gvmt must take action now to avoid complicity in these atrocities. SHARE to amplify. #RedLineForGaza
Credit: khadijadraws

Another e.g. in the latest 'Your East End' of Tower Hamlets Council implying Mayor Rahman is building new homes that were actually commissioned by Tower Hamlets Labour's Mayor pre-2022. Stories like this back in 2010-14 were ruled to be in breach of the Code of Practice on Publicity. #NotBestValue

Thanks to the Environmental Services + Parks Services Teams for their efforts to enable the Canals & Rivers Trust
to stop using this barge for boaters on Regents Canal to leave rubbish. CRT can now access its usual refuse storage area via Victoria Park - much to the relief of neighbouring residents!

Thirteen residents in our advice surgery this weekend, including a young family who should have been helped by LBTH's Housing Options Service months ago. I will follow up, but this is the consequence yet again of the lack of effective political oversight + leadership by Aspire's Mayor Lutfur Rahman

Good to join @umakumaran.bsky.social in meeting residents at Duckett's Apartments yesterday. Southern Housing Group's mishandling of the fire safety remediation works there is now seriously impacting residents. Will keep pressing SHG on this and repairs issues, but its great to have our MP's support

Grabbing brekko at Coventry station on my way back from Question Time. Didn’t expect to see this stirring evocation of the defeat of fascism adorning the wall of Coffee #1 #AllYouFascistsBoundToLose