The Cabinet agreed all of the items on its agenda. The most significant decisions were to progress a new draft Local Plan and to begin consultation on a Public Space Protection Order for dogs and their owners. The Cabinet also agreed to extend the contract for the Barkantine Heat and Power Company for two years, and to grant permission for five schools to become academies.

Local Plan

The Cabinet agreed to progress a new draft Local Plan (Tower Hamlets Local Plan 2038 Proposed Submission Version) to Regulation 19 consultation.

The Mayor, Lutfur Rahman, made a statement in support of the plan in which he described the plan as revolutionary . He said:

This plan presents more than bricks and mortar, ladies and gentlemen. It represents a new holistic and revolutionary approach, approach to planning and place making, built on foundations, put in regeneration that works for our residents, put in our residents first.

The Mayor went on to say that the plan would go a long way to addressing some of these issues and to providing the generally affordable, comfortable and predominantly family sized homes that our residents so desperately need.

The Mayor argued that the plan constituted a radical transformation of planning policy in the borough and highlighted three specific policies from the plan:

• The proportion of affordable homes¹ required in new developments would increase from 35% to 40%.
• 85% of affordable homes would have to be for social rent².
• New developments would have to include community facilities owned and managed by the Council.

The Mayor also argued that the Council should be more ambitious in its approach to tall buildings. He said:

... to be told as the mayor that one calendar building must be the only iconic building in Tower Hamlets, must be the tallest building in Tower Hamlets, I find that quite offensive and insulting.

Councillor Kabir Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Planning, also spoke in favour of the plan, and of the need for tall buildings:

Now, I've done a bit of research, and if you look at the most expensive residential tower in the world, it's in New York. It's called the Central Park Tower, and currently floors 129 to 131 is going for half a billion dollars. [...] Now, why would people want to buy a property so high, yet residents living in tall properties won't provide good quality life for our social housing residents?

Councillor Ahmed argued that as people who live in expensive tall buildings demand a good quality of life, the Council should ensure that the tall buildings it builds also provide a good quality of life for residents. He said that the Council would work to ensure that the materials used and designs employed in new tall buildings are of a high quality.

Tackling dog related anti-social behaviour

The Cabinet agreed to begin a 12-week consultation on a new Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) (Tackling dog related anti-social behaviour - report) to tackle dog related anti-social behaviour.

Councillor Shafi Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Emergency, introduced the item by explaining that the Council had been exploring ways in which we can be more effective in tackling those dog owners who continue to behave in an antisocial, irresponsible way in public spaces.

He said that the Council was proposing to introduce a number of measures, including:

• An order that all dogs must be on leads in certain spaces in the borough.
• An order to limit the number of dogs any one person can take out at any time.
• An option to introduce a professional dog walking licence.

Councillor Islam raised concerns about the PSPO. He read a message from a dog owner that argued the proposals in the PSPO seem incredibly likely to make our lives and lives of dogs significantly harder . He also said that:

The RSPCA stands on this issue and I quote, Ensure that responsible dog owners are still able to meet the needs of their dogs and that PSPOs do not unwittingly compromise dog welfare by placing undue restrictions on dogs.

The Mayor responded to these comments:

Since I met you, it's the first time I've heard you take so much interest in dogs. You have progressed so far in life.

Councillor Ahmed said that any final plans would be developed and informed by the public consultation.

Councillor Wahid said that it was important for the Council to get the message out that:

we're not anti-dog. It's about responsible dog owners and for a few dog owners who aren't responsible for others to be basically in terms of tarnish their needs.

Barkantine Heat and Power Company

The Cabinet agreed to enter into a two-year transitional agreement with EDF Energy to extend the existing Private Finance Initiative (PFI) agreement (Barkantine Heat and Power Company Private Finance Initiative PFI Transitional Agreement) for the Barkantine Heat and Power Company.

Councillor Ahmed said that the agreement would allow the council time to:

• develop a decarbonisation plan to meet new energy legislation
• develop a long-term plan for the Barkantine Energy Network to meet the energy infrastructure needs of the area
• procure a new long-term contract from 2027

The Mayor said that the two-year transitional agreement would allow the Council time to:

forward plan the investment that is going to be required, the minimum investment in terms of improving the assets.

The Deputy Mayor raised concerns about repairs.

Schools becoming academies

The Cabinet agreed to grant permission for five schools to become academies. The schools are:

• Bishop Challoner Catholic Secondary School (Academy Conversion - Bishop Challoner RC St Annes and Guardian Angels RC and St Elizabeth RC)
• St Anne's and Guardian Angels Catholic Primary School
• St Elizabeth Catholic Primary School
• Columbia Primary School (Conversion to Academy Status Columbia and Hermitage Community Primary Schools)
• Hermitage Primary School

The Mayor said that the council had no choice but to approve the applications.

Other business

The Cabinet also agreed to:

• Approve the Council's Strategic Plan performance targets for 2024/25 (Tower Hamlets Council Strategic Plan Performance Targets for 2024-25 Annual Delivery Plan).
• Note the Reduction and Recycling Plan progress report for quarter four of 2023 (Reduction and Recycling Plan Progress Report - Quarter 4 2023).
• Agree the contracts forward plan for quarter one of 2024/25 (1. Cabinet Contracts Forward Plan Q1 FY 2024-2025 final 3).
• Grant permission for the continued provision of integrated sexual and reproductive health services (Arrangements for provision of integrated sexual and reproductive health services post 2025).
• Approve the Strategic Asset Management Plan 2024-29 (Strategic Asset Management Plan 2024-29).
• Approve the award of the main work contract for construction of Mulberry London Dock School (Mulberry London Dock Academy School 8 Virginia Street London E1W 2AD).
• Note the Tower Hamlets Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report 2023-2024 (Tower Hamlets Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report 2023-2024).
• Note the SEND Annual Report 2023-2024 (SEND Annual Report 2023-2024).