Council in “improve Canary Wharf environment” surprise

It has been revealed that Tower Hamlets Council officers have been working to improve the environment in and around the banks and financial institutions on the private Canary Wharf site.

The Canary Wharf Group (CWG) which manages the private site has provided shelters where people may smoke and it is trying to keep the rest of the area smoker-free, so that customers and business contacts don’t have to walk past smokers on their way into their buildings. The Council has been helping CWG tell and remind visitors and employees about the restrictions and has issued 49 Fixed Penalty Notices to people smoking outside designated areas: as a result, apparently, there has been a bit less litter and quite a bit more pleasantness.

There is no doubt that Canary Wharf is entitled to this service. Everyone who lives or works in Tower Hamlets is entitled to free access to the council’s Stop Smoking Services – and many local people work at or visit Canary Wharf. However, given that it is home to banks which have had massive financial handouts from public funds over recent years, and which have usually been ploughed back into larger profits rather than repaying the public purse, it seems a strange use of the Council’s resources to pile yet more help in on top.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people living in substandard private accommodation across the borough – many of them in conditions which are unhealthy. There are not enough Environmental Health Officers to enforce decent standards for everyone. Are these residents not more deserving than the office staff who prefer to walk down fag-end free streets?

A council spokesperson said: “The council has a duty to protect the public from the effects of second hand smoke in all areas of Tower Hamlets. We work to protect public health and compliance with the law. Canary Wharf is our largest business district so therefore resources have been used in that area to ensure compliance. Other areas in the borough have different issues and considerable resource is put into other smoke free schemes.

“We are looking to work with other estate management operators within the borough to ensure the law is enforced. This success at Canary Wharf shows other estate management companies that it is possible to work together to improve the environment for all.”

•For more information about local smoking cessation support services, go to: www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/stopsmoking