Councillor Mufeedah Bustin

During December 2025, Councillor Mufeedah Bustin was active in the Audit Committee meeting on December 3rd. She introduced herself as the representative for Island Gardens and expressed concerns about the suitability of an Executive member serving on the Audit Committee, stating,

while the terms of reference permit an Executive member to be part of the Audit Committee, it is not ideal.

She also requested the maintenance of the action log, inquired about the absence of a detailed action plan for the second recommendation on Internal Controls, and sought the integration of LGA Peer Review Challenge findings into the Annual Governance Statement. Additionally, Councillor Bustin asked for a breakdown of anti-fraud cases handled under the Whistleblowing policy, including the types and nature of these cases. On December 15th, she was listed as a Deputy for the Overview & Scrutiny Committee, though no specific statements or actions were recorded for her in that meeting.

During the November 27th, 2025 Development Committee meeting, Councillor Mufeedah Bustin, representing Island Gardens Ward, declared no conflicts of interest. She also raised a question regarding the importance of the Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) in the decision-making process, especially in light of the unknown future operator of the cinema.

During October 2025, Mufeedah Bustin sent her apologies for the Development Committee meeting held on Thursday, 16th October, 2025. There is no record of her participation in discussions or actions during this meeting.

During September 2025, Councillor Mufeedah Bustin attended the Interviews for the Director of Corporate Properties and Estates, Appointment Sub-Committee meeting. She also participated in the Development Committee meeting, where she noted that she had not yet responded to resident emails concerning an application. Additionally, she confirmed attending an event with the applicant's CEO, but stated that no application-related discussions occurred.

In August 2025, Councillor Mufeedah Bustin participated in the Appointment Sub-Committee meeting on August 18th, 2025, related to shortlisting for the Director Corporate Property and Estates position. She was present in person. However, the available record does not indicate any specific statements or actions attributed to her during the meeting.

During July 2025, Councillor Mufeedah Bustin was actively involved in several council meetings. She was welcomed to the Transformation and Assurance Board and served as a Deputy for the Overview & Scrutiny Committee. In the Council meeting on July 16th, Bustin passionately defended the Mudshute Park and Farm petition, highlighting its widespread support and warning that imposing market rent would be a death sentence for the charity. She urged the administration to reconsider the policy. At the Development Committee meeting on July 24th, she engaged with a planning application for 5 Park Drive, seeking clarity on the layout and public access. While acknowledging concerns, she ultimately leaned towards granting permission, citing the importance of supporting businesses in the current economic climate. Bustin made significant contributions to the Audit Committee on July 28th, congratulating the Chair, reiterating her view on executive member exclusion from the committee, and questioning the absence of a risk paper and detailed action plan. She advocated for improved meeting conduct, suggesting parking political discussions and sticking to one question at a time. She also raised concerns about the previous audit's scope and testing, inquiring about measures to ensure the current audit's completion. Furthermore, Bustin requested a breakdown of increased Chief Executive expenditure, emphasized incorporating LGA Peer Review findings into the Annual Governance Statement, and asked about anti-fraud cases under the Whistleblowing policy. She also praised the finance teams for their work on the draft statement of accounts. Councillor Bustin was also present at the Appointments Sub Committee meeting on July 29th.

During June 2025, Councillor Mufeedah Bustin was active in two council meetings. In the Overview & Scrutiny Committee on June 11th, she focused on the accuracy of meeting minutes, correcting her own vote on the education subcommittee and questioning details regarding Councillor Abu Choudhury's apologies. She also sought clarification on nomination processes for community safety and inquired about handling conflicts of interest, particularly with former cabinet members. Additionally, she asked about Councillor Goulam Kibriya Choudhury's attendance concerning the domicile care topic. In the Development Committee on June 26th, Councillor Bustin inquired about consultation boundaries and the resolution of an objection regarding mobility scooter storage, stating that the report and presentation had addressed all her questions.

During the Annual Meeting of the Council on May 14th, 2025, Councillor Mufeedah Bustin was present and addressed the meeting. She congratulated Shupriya on her new role and thanked the Speaker for their service and impartiality in managing council proceedings and allowing for debate and resident concerns to be heard. Councillor Bustin also humorously expressed a desire to one day hold the Speaker's position.

During April 2025, Councillor Mufeedah Bustin served as the Chair of the Audit Committee. In this capacity, she guided the committee's proceedings, including moving motions to extend meeting durations and to exclude the press and public for restricted agenda items. Councillor Bustin made several recommendations to enhance the committee's effectiveness, such as creating an action log for minutes, requesting reports on data cleanse exercises and pension valuations, and suggesting extraordinary meetings for in-depth discussions on internal audit work, performance, and risk management. She also proposed informal meetings to review workplans and expressed concerns regarding the Audit Committee's composition and the Best Value Inspection report. Councillor Bustin actively sought clarification on financial matters, questioning overspending in the HRA, the reduction of Pension Assets, and the methodology for affordable housing figures. She also commented on the Annual Governance Statement, highlighting an imbalance in the assessment of external reviews, and stressed the importance of management taking ownership of action plans for internal control recommendations. Additionally, she inquired about the implementation of new Global Internal Audit Standards and the potential for Treasury Management training for committee members.

During March 2025, Councillor Mufeedah Bustin was active in three council meetings. In the Appointments Sub Committee meetings on March 5th and March 25th, she raised concerns about the late publication of supplementary agendas, requesting more notice for future meetings. She also indicated her intention to abstain from voting at the March 5th meeting. As Chair of the Audit Committee on March 13th, she opened the extraordinary meeting, welcomed attendees, and initiated introductions. She commented positively on the action plan for Recommendation One, expected management ownership for Recommendation Two's actions, and noted that progress would be reported quarterly. The committee did not agree to the council's response to Recommendation Three pending a more detailed action plan. She also sought clarification on a statutory recommendation and whether a specific paragraph had been completed, before moving to exclude the press and public.

During February 2025, Councillor Mufeedah Bustin participated in two council meetings. In the Development Committee meeting on February 6th, she introduced herself, declared no interests, and raised questions about the management, operation, and lease terms of the community hub and public toilets. While she found the presentation good, she expressed reservations about the weight of certain public benefits, specifically questioning the significance of a cut-through at Porter's Row. Despite these reservations, she indicated a likelihood to support the officer's recommendation to grant permission, stating,

I could see no other reason to refuse.

On February 24th, Councillor Bustin served as the Chair of the Audit Committee during an Extraordinary Audit Committee meeting. No specific statements or actions were recorded for her in the report pack for this meeting.

During January 2025, Councillor Mufeedah Bustin was active in two council meetings. In the Strategic Development Committee meeting on January 15th, she questioned the purpose and management of a proposed community building and expressed concerns about relocating a playground, citing personal observations of drug use. She agreed to defer a decision pending a report on planning permission conditions and ultimately voted in favor of granting it. In the Council meeting on January 22nd, Councillor Bustin commended the remarkable performance of children, stating,

I mean, sometimes it's hard enough to stand up and speak at these council meetings, but to stand up and sing is quite remarkable. So, well done to the children and well done to the council. This is an amazing achievement for our children and for the children of Tower Hamlets and it's something that we should all be celebrating.

She also acknowledged the hard work of those involved and expressed anticipation for an improvement plan.

As Chair of the Audit Committee, Mufeedah Bustin presided over the December 4th meeting, focusing on objectivity and addressing the Best Value Inspection Report. She managed the agenda, facilitated introductions and declarations of interest, and addressed the minutes of the previous meeting, agreeing to Councillor Francis's suggestion for an action log: > Thank you, Councillor Francis. Yes, I agree. That would be really helpful if you could make that change. That would be useful.

Bustin introduced reports from Deloitte and EY, inviting presentations and questions. She inquired about the materiality of risks associated with members' data, asking: > So, this was something that was raised previously, and I would appreciate your comments around whether it's a material risk, what's the liability, what direction it goes in, you know, what's the issue for audit committee that we need to be aware of?

She summarized the situation regarding financial statements with disclaimers and requested a note about an upcoming report. Bustin also expressed appreciation for Deloitte's work, echoing Councillor Francis's sentiment: > Thank you, Councillor Francis. And absolutely, I just want to echo that as well. So, thank you very much, Jonathan and Angus, for all of your hard work and persistence over the last six years with Tower Hamlets. I think we've all valued your time and your commitment. And particularly, I understood that Angus had actually retired a few years ago. So, thank you for coming out of retirement to support with the closure of these audits. So, I wish you both well. Thank you. You're very welcome to stay for the remainder of the meeting, but I totally understand if you need to leave. Thank you.

She facilitated discussion on the EY Audit Status Report, directing questions to relevant parties, including Asan regarding land and property valuation, and inquired about support the committee could offer the finance team.

During November 2024, Councillor Mufeedah Bustin was active in several council meetings. She attended the Strategic Development Committee on November 13th as a substitute, identifying herself as the feeder busting counsellor for Island Gardens. She participated in discussions regarding the Blackwall Way Jetty, asking questions of objectors, the applicant, and officers, and declared a prior meeting with Jeff Simons concerning other sites. On November 20th, during the Council meeting, Bustin spoke in favor of the petitioners regarding the proposed Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) for dogs. She shared personal anecdotes about her mother-in-law's dog's positive impact on her well-being and questioned the effectiveness of leash laws, citing that most dog bites to children occur at home. She urged the administration to withdraw the proposal, quoting Snoop Dogg:

The best value inspection report criticises this council for pushing ahead with initiatives without a coherent strategy or without a detailed evidence base. The same report also criticises the council for not undertaking meaningful and comprehensive consultation. I would urge this administration to hear the concerns of the community. Who are the experts here? Let's be honest. They're the experts about dogs. I would urge the administration to take the proposal and in the words of my hero Snoop Dogg, drop it like its drop.

Finally, on November 28th, at the Development Committee meeting, she identified herself as the councillor for Island Gardens and made no declarations.

During October 2024, Councillor Mufeedah Bustin, representing Island Gardens, actively participated in two council meetings. In the Development Committee meeting on October 3rd, she introduced herself and declared no conflicts of interest. Her primary concerns revolved around traffic management, specifically questioning the timeline for a proposed new access into Wood Wharf, the Canary Wharf Group's potential contribution to Preston's Road improvements due to anticipated traffic increases, and the inclusion of traffic flows in the impact assessment. She also sought clarification on the status of a road slated for closure. In the Audit Committee meeting on October 10th, Councillor Bustin again declared no interests and raised a question regarding audit timelines, inquiring about delays in information provision and the officers' reasons for these delays.

During September 2024, Councillor Mufeedah Bustin attended two council meetings. On September 5th, she declared no interests at the Development Committee meeting. Later, on September 30th, at the Extraordinary Meeting of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee, she was a signatory to a call-in request regarding the Domiciliary Care Service Contract award. She expressed significant concerns about the process of being asked to sign the document, stating she was > not explained very properly why this happened and was > just told this is an emergency, I have to sign as an awareness chair. She further elaborated that she was not given the > full report and was unaware of the > 190 million pounds of contract involved. Councillor Bustin requested that in the future, scrutiny chairs be provided with the full report before being asked to sign documents.

During the Strategic Development Committee meeting on August 28, 2024, Councillor Mufeedah Bustin (Island Gardens Ward) declared interests related to Item 4.1 and Item 5.1. For Item 4.1, she stated she was not present for the substantial debate and would abstain from voting. Regarding Item 5.1, she disclosed her past involvement, including >campaigning against the 2018 scheme and objecting to appeal schemes. She also noted her participation in council-facilitated community engagement events, maintaining >an open mind and looking forward to the debate. Councillor Bustin was later substituted by Councillor Mathilda Bustin.

During July 2024, Councillor Mufeedah Bustin attended the Audit Committee meeting on July 8th, where she declared no Disclosable Pecuniary Interests. She also provided input on inspection reviews, stating that >both the positive and negative outcomes from the inspection reviews should be included.< Councillor Bustin was also listed as a Substitute Member for the Strategic Development Committee meeting on July 16th, but there is no record of her speaking or taking action during that meeting.

During June 2024, Councillor Mufeedah Bustin was active in two council meetings. In the Development Committee meeting on June 12th, she declared an interest in agenda item 7.1 (Red Cross Community Centre) due to her brother's involvement and stepped down from chairing it. She spoke in favor of the housing development and community centre, stating,

I echo my colleagues about the, you know, much needed housing stock at this current housing crisis. And same time, I think the community, for a long time, the community were asking for a community centre standalone community centre. I think that will make the community happy as well, as well as, you know, those new houses will bring some relief to the, you know, our overcrowded community.

She also raised concerns about the size of proposed properties, believing the percentage was too low given the number of overcrowded families. Additionally, she advocated for the compulsory inclusion of modern play area facilities like open gyms in new schemes, emphasizing,

And the final thing is about the play area, I'm always keen on that for the kids. And I believe very strongly on a modern world, they should have adequate facilities and obvious for the health and wellbeing as well. But nowadays there are open gyms and that should be included into these schemes, if I may say, compulsory.

On June 18th, Councillor Bustin was one of the councillors who Called-In the decision regarding the Victoria Park Licence to Occupy. She supported the call-in due to concerns about the extension of major commercial events, lack of notification to residents and the Friends Group, misrepresentation of community engagement, and the commitment of future Executive Mayors.

During May 2024, Councillor Mufeedah Bustin was active in council meetings, notably raising concerns about the Stebondale Street football pitches on two occasions. She inquired about rumors of them being converted into floodlit pitches available for hire until 9 pm and sought clarification on the consultation timeline for these floodlights. In the Audit Committee meeting, Councillor Bustin declared no interests and expressed satisfaction with the committee's revised membership, requesting adjustments to future meeting dates. She voiced concerns about the Annual Governance Statement, describing it as potentially imbalanced and a PR exercise. She also sought details on internal audit assessments, the omission of criticism in a peer challenge report, and background information for a best value inspection. Further inquiries were made regarding the repercussions for corporate directors failing to achieve savings, financial risk provisions for leisure centres, total savings from the waste service transition, and the financial sustainability of the waste service. She concluded by asking for clarification on whether the AGS indicated good or poor governance.

During April 2024, Councillor Mufeedah Bustin was active in the Strategic Development Committee meeting on April 3rd, where she declared no interests and asked a comprehensive series of questions regarding a planning application. Her inquiries covered private garden space, site permeability, fence removal conditions, noise mitigation, public access to the Ornamental Canal, play space strategy (including 12 events ), affordable rent, parking, transport flow, waste management, and energy provider regulation. She also noted her prior involvement in a related planning inquiry. Councillor Bustin sent apologies for absence from the Audit Committee meeting on April 23rd. In a prior meeting, she had questioned the rationale behind a high risk score for risk CSD0016.