PATH sets priorities for power

SINCE REGISTERING as a political party, the People’s Alliance of Tower Hamlets (PATH) has been explaining how it would go about delivering some of its key policies in the long list of issues that need addressing in the borough.

PATH is recognising that to date women residents have borne the brunt of cuts in funding handed down by the Conservative Government and delivered by the Labour Executive Mayor.

PATH Leader Cllr Rabina Khan feels this wrong needs correcting very quickly. She has lived her adult life in this borough, bringing up three children; she has worked in the community – and represented it on the Council. “Women are the backbone of the community,” Cllr Khan said, “we should not be bearing the brunt of the cuts.”

Among the PATH priorities for redressing the balance are:
•bringing Children’s Services back to a good rating and aiming to reach outstanding;
•stopping the privatisation of council-run nurseries;
•promoting equality for women, as residents and as workers in the borough.

PATH recognises that women are a diverse group in themselves, and promoting equality for women involves challenging societal preconceptions of ethnic minorities, championing the needs of disabled women, championing measures to improve safety for women and meeting the needs of younger women, older women, mothers and carers.

Housing is another key priority for PATH. Between 2010 and 2015, when Cllr Khan was Cabinet Member for Housing, the highest number of affordable homes in the country were built in Tower Hamlets – securing over £50 million pounds of New Homes Bonus and delivering major regeneration projects like the Ocean Estate, for example.

PATH has a fully costed proposal for the Council to set up a new housing body, which would convert council-owned buildings into 500 affordable homes. Tower Hamlets currently has more than 20,000 residents on its housing waiting list, so PATH has urged the Council to pursue new ideas and approaches to minimise the housing shortage.

As well as providing new homes, the Party wants to ensure that the private rented housing sector adopts good standards for private tenants.

It’s time for concrete action to deal with the increase in knife crime in the borough. There were approximately 80 fatal stabbings in London in 2017, and in the year ending June 2017 the police recorded a 26% increase in knife/sharp instrument crime compared to the previous 12 months.

PATH has therefore urged the council to employ a dedicated Partnership Superintendent for Tower Hamlets Borough to help make the borough a safer place to live and work. As the Metropolitan Police have pointed out, knife crime needs tackling by the whole community – not just law enforcement officers. A Partnership Superintendent can encourage landlords and communities to work together to initiatives to prevent the waste of young lives which gang culture and knife crime represent.

PATH Leader Cllr Rabina Khan says that Tower Hamlets needs a People’s Mayor to take these issues seriously. More policy proposals will be revealed in the next weeks.

•Read more about it:
Our PATH to a People’s Mayor
Rabina calls for stronger anti-knife crime strategy

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