London Council Led by Previously Banned Mayor Placed in Special Measures

Government officials will be sent in to oversee the running of an east London council with a history of corruption after inspectors uncovered major failings and a “toxic” culture. An inspection of Tower Hamlets found that decision-making was dominated by an inner circle around the controversial mayor, Lutfur Rahman, who founded his own party, Aspire, after being deposed by the Labour Party. Tower Hamlets covers a large swathe of east London, including historic districts like Bethnal Green, Bow, Stepney, and Whitechapel. Some 32 percent of the borough is of Bengali origin, including Rahman, who was originally elected as a Labour mayor but made a comeback in 2022 representing Aspire, which now runs the council....