Mayor John Biggs Holds First Cabinet Meeting

John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, held his first Cabinet meeting on Tuesday afternoon (28^th July).

Mental health services, re-procurement of waste management contracts and a report on the council’s budget were among some of the items on the agenda for discussion.

The Cabinet agreed savings of £340,000 for the year 2015/16 as a result of a salary sacrifice from Mayor Biggs and reversing the previous mayor’s spending on mayoral advisors and chauffeured car.

Mayor Biggs commented:

“I’ve been working closely with my cabinet colleagues on a whole range of issues and it’s testament to the talent of my team how quickly they have got to grips with their portfolios. Our first formal cabinet meeting went very well and the reports that members have been working on with officers were introduced and agreed.

A lack of transparency and the previous cabinet unwilling to do serious work are just some of the cultural issues that are being tackled head on by the new cabinet and the Labour Group as a whole. The process to bring real change to Tower Hamlets is well underway and our primary goal remains unchanged: to serve the residents of Tower Hamlets fairly, transparently and efficiently.”

Sirajul Islam, Statutory Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Housing Management & Performance, said:

“Any members of the public who attended this first cabinet meeting will notice how differently things are operating now. We have a strong cabinet, supported by a hard-working Labour Group, ready and eager to have discussions and take decisions in an open and public way. One of the first actions of Mayor Biggs has been to save £340,000 by reversing the ex-mayor’s extravagant office spending.”