Andrew Wood Profile picture
Feb 2 12 tweets 8 min read
Things in Tower Hamlets are often worse than you think they are
We knew Children's Services had major issues after OFSTED failed them quite badly in 2017 but 4 children mentioned in this report had issues mainly post OFSTED
Report more critical of Police than Council &
1/
some signs of improvement in the report but by providing detail on cases across 6 Boroughs (4 in TH) it provides a snapshot of problems & makes recommendations
But quotes from those involved were stronger then official report
standard.co.uk/news/uk/rochda…
2/
The problem as a Councillor responsible for scutinising the Council is that we almost never get to see information like this unless somebody external writes a public report
The understandable need to protect children's anonymity = makes it easy to hide what is really going on
3/
Child CSA-22
"CS-A22 was found in 2017 with injuries suggestive of serious sexual assault after a two-day episode of going missing...The evidence demonstrates that she was the victim of sexual assaults from 2018 to 2019...There was some evidence of victim-blaming"
4/
Child CS-A77
CS-A77 was in care in Tower Hamlets from 2015. In 2017/18 and 2018/19 she went missing 40 and 47 times respectively from an unregulated placement...In late 2018, an assessment considered CS-A77’s life was potentially at risk due to a range of factors"
5/
CS-A81
"The risk assessments did not record the age or date of birth of CS‑A81... accepted that she should have been graded high risk & that the assessments were generally “on the back foot” & “reactionary” Overall, it recognised that CS‑A81’s case was “of the utmost concern”
6/
CS-A90
"CS‑A90 was a frequent missing child in Tower Hamlets and was attending parties in hotels when he was only 13 years old...frequently went missing from home or care without any effective responses...was deemed to be a victim of modern slavery"
7/
Appendix 4 from page 180 has an overall summary on Tower Hamlets
Report is here
Every Councillor & political candidate needs to read this report
iicsa.org.uk/reports-recomm…
8/
Reminder both the Councils Children's Services & Police are covered by this report
"In 2018, HMICFRS identified concerns about the extent to which children reporting sexual exploitation in Tower Hamlets were listened to by Metropolitan Police Service officers and staff"
9/
The report does talk about improvements
& there have been some changes in snr leadership in Police & Council recently
The culture of the previous Director of Children's Services though was to not talk about bad news (will talk later about serious case review for Syrian girls)
10/
But eventually, bad news does come out, why I said earlier things are nearly are often worse than you think they are inside Tower Hamlets
Things need to change which I will discuss later
11/

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More from @Andrewwood17

Feb 1
Tonight we should see the Councils 3 year capital program from 2022 to 2025 in advance of next weeks Cabinet meeting
It should include:
-St Georges Baths rebuild
-George Greens school rebuild
-latest Town Hall costs
-new bridge updates
Pics are of my alternate capital program
1/
that I am working on as an alternative to the Councils program as part of my Mayoral manifesto
-we should refurbish/rebuild St Georges bath
-expand John Orwell as sports centre + new homes
-floating lido in docks (by Canary Wharf & Shadwell basin)
-help New City College expand
2/
-pontoons to allow sailing in the Thames including for Sea Scouts who get no help from us
-facilities for other groups like the Scouts
-expand Council CCTV network to new residential areas
-the best child play & teenage spaces in Europe not just London with lights up to 6pm
3/
Read 6 tweets
Jan 26
London Fire Brigade response to Ballymore Cuba/Manilla application
Submitted within 4 days of getting report & is very critical of design especially for disabled exit
"the corridor layout does not provide sufficient protection to users who may rely upon these for safe escape"
1/
Report & LFB response is here
The application reference is PA/20/02128
development.towerhamlets.gov.uk/online-applica…
2/
One of the other things that struck me was that some parts of the building only have 30 or 60 minute fire rating
Took way longer than that to evacuate Grenfell
How long would it take for all residents to evacuate, at night, with some smoke in stairwells?
I do not know
3/
Read 7 tweets
Jan 20
Tower Hamlets number 1 again
For receiving the most New Homes Bonus money of any local authority in the country for a 12th year in a row
Last year Council forecast they would only get £3.8 million this year from government - now getting £16.3 million
gov.uk/government/pub…
1/
This was last years budget estimate for New Homes Bonus £3,812k versus governments actual prov. allocation of £16,263k for this coming year
Council assumed program would end this year & go to zero next year
Does mean they have a lot of extra £ & why Council tax only up 1%
2/
Last night some Labour Cllrs made some disparaging remarks about my spreadsheets (like this one)
The reason why I do it, is that I cannot rely on the Council to do so & I suspect many Cllrs are not aware of how much money New Homes Bonus has been generated from new homes
3/
Read 6 tweets
Jan 19
Tower Hamlets Code of Construction Practice consultation until Friday 25th February 2022
It contains at least two pieces of good news (I am still reading it)
A. Saturday noisy construction work is to be made by exception only - not automatic - so we are copying Kensington &
1/ Image
Chelsea in only allowing noisy construction work 5 days a week (unless developers apply for a specific exemption) - note this may only apply to future sites, not those already with planning permission

B. It is one of the first Council documents to formally recognise the IoD

2/ Image
Neighbourhood Plan policies that you voted for last May as having weight (even though have had legal weight since April 2020)

BUT you need to respond to the consultation to support these suggested changes or they may be watered down as developers will also be responding
3/
Read 5 tweets
Jan 17
Electric air taxis/EVTOL, the future of travel & the Isle of Dogs
It might surprise some people to know we have had a heliport operating behind the Vanguard building on Westferry road, since around the year 1980
I live next to it & 1 pic is from my balcony.
1/ ImageImage
A new operator has acquired a 15-year lease from Vanguard to run the heliport
But the new operators Skyports are mainly doing so now to get more experience of how heliports run because long term they want to be a new type of transport operator
2/ Image
"Skyports is a mobility company developing and operating landing infrastructure for the electric air taxi revolution"
skyports.net
In places like Brazil, Dubai and Singapore, they are starting a new type of transport which may develop into a whole new industry
3/
Read 8 tweets
Jan 12
Last night I started reading this 313-page report from October 2019 (partially updated summer 2021) about condition of St Georges pool in Shadwell
@going4golds & I agree this is one of the most disturbing reports we have ever read
Links & summary here
cllrandrewwood.com/news/st-george…
1/
In retrospect, the leisure center should have been closed in Nov. 2019 as soon as Council got this report for remedial work
Not safe
Does not appear to have happened, some work done to keep pool open over the winter
We put users & staff at risk by not fixing these issues then
2/
There were endemic issues in the building like fire hazards & corrosion
There are so many screenshots I have of issues that I struggle to work out which ones to use
or to convey how bad some of the issues were
You need to skim the report (see link to a PDF copy with comments)
3/
Read 9 tweets

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