Tower Hamlets: more allegations of obfuscation and electoral malpractice

Will investigators ever get to the bottom of what’s going on in Tower Hamlets? London’s most dubious borough has several ongoing inquiries into the alleged misuse of funds, electoral malpractice and voter intimidation. The first of these appears to be encountering some issues. Following a Panorama programme on the borough’s mayor Lutfur Rahman, the Department for Communities and Local Government sent in auditors to find out whether funds were being inappropriately used.

This afternoon, Eric Pickles told the Commons that Tower Hamlets council has been withholding information from PricewaterhouseCoopers and their investigation will be extended — with a larger bill for Tower Hamlets:

‘In April, I instructed inspectors to launch an investigation into the mayoral administration in Tower Hamlets, to report by the end of June or such later date as I agree.

‘The investigators, PWC, have informed me that the council has considerably delayed the investigation by delaying the provision of key information, or simply not providing it at all.