The mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, has awarded himself a 13 per cent pay increase, raising his annual salary from £81,579 to £92,000. This decision comes as part of a broader package of allowances for councillors, with some receiving hikes of up to 130 per cent. The total cost of the increases amounts to an additional £178,000 for councillors' special responsibility allowances.
Pay Rises Amid Deprivation
Tower Hamlets is one of London's most deprived boroughs, with the highest rate of child poverty in Britain, reaching up to 43 per cent. It also ranks among the worst for income deprivation in the UK. The pay rises have therefore sparked criticism from opposition councillors and residents alike.
Labour councillor David Edgar voiced his concerns at a full council meeting, stating: 'There has been no increase for four years, and so there clearly is a need to do something, but I think that the scale of the increase is really quite surprising. I believe that people across the borough, when they look at the scale of this increase, the number of these increases, they will not welcome them, and that will be particularly true for those people who are suffering financially.'
Details of the Allowance Increases
The basic allowance for all councillors will rise by £894, an 8 per cent increase, to £12,792. Cabinet members will see their allowances increase by £13,749, a 63 per cent rise, bringing their total to £48,292 including basic pay. Deputy mayors' pay will increase by 25 per cent, from £45,423 to £56,874.
Two new paid roles are being created: an Ambassador and a Deputy Cabinet Member, at costs of £6,000 and £8,000 respectively. Committee chairs are also receiving significant increases, with the Licensing Committee chair seeing a £8,374 hike (130 per cent) and the Strategic Development chair receiving an £8,381 increase (70 per cent).
Aspire's Justification
Aspire, the local party that has controlled the council since 2022, argues that these rises are necessary because allowances had been frozen for four years and were lower than those in neighbouring boroughs. A Tower Hamlets spokesman said: 'In 2022, councillors decided to freeze Members' allowances... Consequently, these allowances in Tower Hamlets are lower than similar local authorities. For example, the Tower Hamlets Mayor's allowance is less than the Mayoral allowances in Hackney and Newham, and below the level recommended by the Independent Remuneration Panel.'
Aspire cabinet member Kabir Ahmed added: 'Clearly there is a big difference between what the allowances here in Tower Hamlets are and what the allowances are in other boroughs.' He emphasised the level of work undertaken by members and said the independent remunerations panel had 'clearly identified' that the council was 'lagging far behind'. He suggested higher pay would 'encourage a more diverse background of candidates coming forward'.
Mayor's Controversial Past
Mayor Lutfur Rahman has a history of controversy. In 2015, he was banned from holding public office for five years after a High Court judge ruled that he had secured his 2014 election victory through bribery, intimidation, casting invalid votes, and false statements about his rival. He has always denied the allegations. Despite this, he returned as mayor in 2022 leading the newly founded Aspire Party, which now holds 33 seats on the council after recent local elections.
Anti-Semitism Scandal
Aspire has also faced criticism over a candidate, Abul Monsur, who was elected despite having posted anti-Semitic content on social media. Posts included Holocaust denial and apparent approval of Adolf Hitler. Monsur was suspended by the party after the posts came to light. He expressed remorse, saying he was 'deeply sorry' and 'ashamed'. An Aspire spokesperson stated that the party had no prior knowledge of the posts and was reviewing its vetting procedures.
