Politics

This follows a 2-year intervention by central government after an independent inspection found the accountability issues at the council.

While the team of commissioners will leave, new directions will be put in place for 18 months that require the council to report progress to Mr Javid every quarter.

This will allow him to keep a close eye on the borough to ensure taxpayers’ money is put to best use and improvements continue.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said:

I’m confident that Tower Hamlets council is on the right track to provide the services their residents deserve and rightly expect. That’s why I have decided to return all powers to the council.

I want to make sure that taxpayers’ money is put to the best use, in an open and transparent way. So I will want to hear from Tower Hamlets every three months on the progress they’re making.

Communities Secretary to continue ‘close eye’

Since 2014, government-appointed commissioners have been overseeing key functions at Tower Hamlets.

This followed an independent inspection by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, which warned of a breakdown in democratic accountability and a significant misuse of public funds.

Since the commissioners were appointed, a new Mayor has been elected, a top officer team has been put in place, and an improvement plan is being implemented.

Following continued improvement by the council, particularly over the past year, Mr Javid has confirmed that commissioners will leave the council from the end of March 2017.

However, directions will remain in place so that the Mayor and the council report progress directly to him every 3 months. A Best Value Improvement Board, including councillors and independent representatives, will oversee this work.

Further information

Three commissioners have been working with Tower Hamlets council. They are:

• Sir Ken Knight (lead commissioner)
• Max Caller CBE
• Chris Allison CBE

A fourth, Alan Wood, stepped down in January 2017.

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The Campus has been established to harness new data sources and technologies to provide statistics for policy makers and businesses about the fast-moving UK economy and society. Creating this resource for the nation is part of the ONS’s ongoing programme of work to meet the challenge of providing richer and more real-time statistics to inform decision makers.

Speaking at the Campus launch, National Statistician John Pullinger said:

The Data Science Campus will innovate with new methods and data sources providing opportunities to improve existing statistics and develop new outputs by working across government, industry, academia and charities in the UK and internationally. The wide range of training and learning programmes which the Campus will offer will also be central to building data science capability across the UK. Through these actions, the Campus will help us realise our vision of better statistics for better decisions.

Minister for the Cabinet Office Ben Gummer, who opened the new facility on behalf of the UK Government, said:

I have been very pleased to see how the ONS is busy transforming itself into a twenty-first century data-driven organisation which serves as a focal point for UK data science and an important provider of skilled jobs in South Wales. Efficient and effective government needs precise economic data, and it is encouraging to see how the >ONS and its people are rising to meet that challenge.

Alun Cairns, Secretary of State for Wales, said:

The expanding ONS centre at Newport is great news for the area with a new campus at the heart of it. We now have in Wales a cutting edge facility can serve not only the public sector but private businesses and entrepreneurs. ONS has a long-term future in Newport, and I look forward to it providing high-quality jobs and >remaining a major feature of our digital economy in Wales.

Campus Managing Director Tom Smith said:

We are excited about creating a UK centre for data science here in Newport, building on this as the home of economic statistics. Like every organisation, the ONS needs to develop to meet the demands of a changing world. We are investing in present and future jobs here, building data analytics expertise to produce even better statistics that inform decisions affecting everyone, from how governments spend taxpayers’ money to the services we receive. Our Newport HQ which, shared with the IPO is Newport’s single largest employer, is getting a £10m modernisation, reflecting our ongoing commitment to making Newport the home of world class statistics.

Formally opening the new facility, Cabinet Office Minister Ben Gummer MP, said:

I have been very pleased and impressed to see how ONS is busy transforming itself into a 21st century data-driven organisation, a focal point for UK data science and an important provider of skilled jobs in south Wales. Now more than ever the UK needs fast, precise economic data and it is encouraging to see how ONS and its people are rising to meet that challenge.

Plans for the Campus were announced last spring as part of ONS’s ongoing plans to develop the statistical information it provides. The Campus will work on projects within five themes, under the collective title of People, Planet and Prosperity: • Evolving economy • Urban and rural • Society • Sustainability • UK in a global context.

The Data Science Campus will work with national and international partners from academia, government and business to deliver joint research programmes and to build UK data science capability, including providing funding opportunities for PhD candidates. As part of this the ONS set up the first UK Data Analytics apprenticeship scheme and are planning more opportunities to train people in these skills that are so important for the UK’s decision-makers. Guests at the launch had the opportunity to explore the new Data Science Campus building and to hear from data scientists across ONS, including the apprentices, about the initial projects being carried out, work on understanding the economy and financial sectors, international trade, population flows, and the environment. Guest organisations (Warwick Business School, Stats Netherland, Flowminder and the Met Office) will talk about projects they have worked on that demonstrate what can be achieved with new data sources for the public good.

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The success of the 21 month, £46m project has now secured RAF Akrotiri, on the southern tip of Britain’s Sovereign Base Area on the island of Cyprus, as a first class operating base.

The investment means that the base will continue to support the full complement of current and future RAF aircraft, and those of our coalition partners.

Night time work on the RAF Akrotiri runway.

The work however did not hinder Britain’s campaign to defeat Daesh, with the RAF playing a leading role in the Coalition, striking over 1200 Daesh targets since the campaign began in 2014. Engineers completed the work around the intense pace of air operations, with the RAF working at the highest operational tempo in a quarter of a century.

Minister for the Armed Forces Mike Penning said:

This project has taken a tired and battered runway and transformed it into a modern, safe, 21st Century facility, capable of supporting operations for the next 20 years and beyond.

This has been a unique and remarkable achievement. RAF Akrotiri is not just a refuelling spot or training base. This airfield matters. It has been at the forefront of supporting our most important military operations over the last decade and more, including the current campaign against Daesh.

The project, which saw 55,000m3 of earth excavated and 44,000m3 of high-quality concrete laid, was led by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO).

A Typhoon takes off as building contractors look on.

DIO’s Chief Executive Graham Dalton revealed at today’s opening how proud he was of the achievements of everyone involved in upgrading the runway, without affecting operations.

Defence Infrastructure Organisation Chief Executive Graham Dalton said:

I am delighted that the upgrade to the runway at RAF Akrotiri is complete. This is a crucial asset for Defence and this project has been a huge success. DIO has worked with our customers and contractors to successfully carry out this critical work while minimising the impact on operations.

In 2019, British Forces Cyprus will become the largest Permanent Joint Operating Base and permanent deployment of British troops overseas and this latest upgrade has ensured it is more than ready.

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