Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the role, work and effectiveness of the commissioners appointed to engage with and oversee the mayor, councillors and officers of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

The Commissioners were appointed by my predecessor in response to an independent inspection of Tower Hamlets which concluded the Authority was failing to comply with its best value duty in a number of significant areas. My rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State (Greg Clark) subsequently met the Lead Commissioner Sir Ken Knight and discussed the intervention and his team’s role and work. Specifically, under the Commissioners’ guidance, a new Mainstream Grants Programme has been developed through an open and transparent commissioning process. Parliamentary and mayoral elections in the borough have passed without incident, and recruitment of a new permanent top officer team, including Will Tuckley as CEO and Returning Officer, has taken place. I am satisfied that the Commissioners have made a significant contribution to building sound financial management and good governance in Tower Hamlets and will continue to do so.