Elaine Bagshaw launched her campaign for Mayor of Tower Hamlets on Saturday, saying that the borough is in need of a clean-up and a resilient, bold, Liberal Democrat voice in our Tower Hall. The position of mayor is vacant following the conviction of Lutfur Rahman for breaches of election law.

Elaine lives and works in the borough and is offering new ideas and a fresh vision including:

• Making sure that there are affordable homes for working families, by ensuring that all new developments in the borough include an allocation of social housing
• Delivering new local facilities such as more GPs and better local transport, so that we build homes and communities in Tower Hamlets
• Creating apprenticeships that pay the London Living Wage
• Saving £1.5m a year by scrapping East End Life, the council newspaper
• Have a zero tolerance on corruption

Elaine Bagshaw said:

Tower Hamlets is a fantastic place to live, however it’s still facing some deep seated problems that we need new ideas to address. It is absolutely, fundamentally wrong, that we live in the shadows of Canary Wharf, the Shard, and the skyscrapers of the City, yet Tower Hamlets has the second highest unemployment rate in London.

It’s inexcusable that if you’re born here you’ll die five years before someone born five minutes down the road in the City. And it’s simply appalling that 49% of our children are growing up in poverty.

As a regulator I have held banks to account, and supported those who fell on victim to the scandals of payday lenders. I’ve also worked as a youth worker helping get young people back into education and into work.

I know what needs to be done and how hard it can be. But I also know that I can deliver for our community.

More information on Elaine’s campaign can be found on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and web.