Government inspectors are being sent into Tower Hamlets Council after concerns about how it is being run under its independent mayor, Lutfur Rahman.
They have been asked to look at a range of issues, including how money is spent and senior job appointments.
Mr Rahman was removed as mayor of the east London borough in 2015 after being found guilty of electoral fraud but was re-elected two years ago.
The mayor expressed his disappointment but also his willingness to work with others.
The review will look at budgets and financial planning, the appointment of senior management posts, the use of policy advisers, and the “policy and practice of grant-making.”
The former chief executive of a London borough, Kim Bromley-Derry, has been appointed to lead the inspection.
The inspectors have been instructed to report back by the end of May on “whether the standards expected for effective and convenient local government are being upheld.”
Department of Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities (DLUHC) officials have become concerned by the “significant churn” of top officers at the council since Mr Rahman took over.
Three senior management positions in the areas of communities, housing and regeneration, and children’s services are now open. Four director positions are also up for filling by the council.
It is understood that the council’s monitoring officer, fulfilling a key legal role, has recently decided to leave.
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The government has also asked inspectors to look at “the use of resources for elections, the maintenance of the independence of the Returning Officer, and the arrangements to bring services such as Tower Hamlets Homes and leisure services in-house.”
Ten years ago, government-appointed commissioners were brought in to oversee Tower Hamlets following a Best Value study conducted in 2014.
Councils undergo Best Value assessments to make sure they are providing services that are affordable, effective, and efficient while also continuously improving.
In a letter to Mr Bromley-Derry, a DLUHC official said they were “concerned” with the authority’s ability to comply with its “Best Value Duty”.
It says DLUHC Secretary Michael Gove wants assurance that Tower Hamlets is “continuing to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way in which its functions are exercised, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency, and effectiveness.”
It adds that the appointment of a handful of advisers to Mr Rahman creates “the risk of a ‘dual council’, sidelining officers of the authority in decision-making, which, in turn, risks replicating the circumstances in which decisions were made up to 2014 that were corrupt and/or failed in the authority’s Best Value Duty”.
It appears that London is the epicentre of global terrorism, shielded by the state and legal assistance.
It is mind-boggling that only in Great Britain can state and local governments provide financial support to organisations such as these, but I doubt this will surprise anyone reading this article.
Our government is the enemy within, but only because we let them.
There should be a Downing Street probe as well, but I bet your bottom dollar that won’t happen, and nothing will be done about this lily-livered set of career politicians. Just how big did the writing on the wall have to get before reality finally set in?
Welcome to Great Britain in the 21st century, where if you want real change, you have to scratch some politicians or MPs anus in the hope that it might ejaculate some form of reform.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 