A row erupted during an overview and scrutiny meeting on Monday (8 January) after a councillor probed a lead cabinet member on how much money was being spent on the mayor’s office and his caseworkers.
Tower Hamlets councillors were scrutinising the budget for 2024/25 and the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) when Labour councillor, Asma Islam asked Saied Ahmed, an Aspire cabinet member for resources and the cost of living, whether the amount spent on the mayor’s office so far was ‘justified’.
The Local Reporting Service (LDRS) understands the figures surrounding this have not yet been released, but are expected to be published towards the end of the month.
Cllr Islam said: “There is one area that we spoke about at the last budget [overview and scrutiny meeting] that is still not yet justified and has not shown us the outcome, the mayor’s [Lutfur Rahman] office.
“Cllr Ahmed sat here in this very committee last year where he said the mayor is going to be able to address the resident’s needs when it comes to casework and he is able to produce more than the last mayor [John Biggs].”
She continued: “I got a monthly report for 2018 to 2022 for the last mayor and I got reports on this mayor up until March 2023, the figures do not justify the spending on the mayor’s caseworkers.
“I want to know if Cllr Ahmed has any idea if what he was expecting to come out of those recruitments hasn’t actually turned into anything that can actually justify that payment, that increase in the mayor’s office and also the staff.”
Cllr Ahmed responded and said Mr Rahman’s caseworkers are dealing with ‘complex’ casework from his twice-weekly surgeries which has been impacted by problems at the council which have ‘built up over the years’.
He said: “…our residents are in need to see the mayor and to see children who have skin problems because of the housing crisis, because of the situation they were left in for the six years under a Labour administration who had nowhere to go.
“They didn’t have the mayor to go to, councillors weren’t accessible and people were struggling all on their own.”
Labour councillor, Marc Francis called Cllr Ahmed’s comments ‘outrageous’ and Cllr Islam then said: “These numbers are not made up by me, they are given to me by officers, so either officers are wrong or you’re wrong but something needs to give.”
Cllr Ahmed defended his comments and said: “The caseworkers are addressing the problems that our residents are facing so that’s what they are needed for.
“The mayor’s office is a functioning office that is required in order to deliver what we want within the manifesto and within the council’s strategic plan.”
Cllr Islam then said: “I don’t have an issue with having more caseworkers, I’m saying if we’re producing the same outcome as we did with half the caseworkers we had in the last administration, unless you’re saying these caseworkers are doing other things – then yes it’s justified.”
Cllr Islam went on to say that she needed more ‘answers’ about what the caseworkers and other members of staff working for the mayor do.
Cllr Ahmed said: “The casework team do a lot more than just casework. The cases that we’re facing at the moment are far more complex than what it was before.
“The residents are facing very difficult times and it’s not as straightforward as it used to be; the situations, the medical problems, the housing crisis and everything else that comes within the problems of the council that’s built up over the years is a lot more complex and needs a lot more time.”
Chair of the meeting, Musthak Ahmed said Cllr Islam’s questions had been recorded but said the committee had to move on because of the amount of time left.
The chair said: “…we can follow up with answers and clarifications on [spending at the mayor’s office] but given the time we have left and I know how many questions are still to be asked from members, we must move on to next questions.”
