Bow East by-election: get to know your local candidates

On Thursday 12 September, residents of Bow East will be able to vote for their next Tower Hamlets councillor. But which parties are standing?

Following her recent election as MP for Cities of London and Westminster, Rachel Blake has resigned as Tower Hamlets councillor for the Bow East Ward.

A by-election will be held on Thursday 12 September to replace her position, and four candidates are running: Robin Edwards for the Conservatives, Abdi Mohamed for Labour, Rupert George for the Greens, and Siobhan Linzi Proudfoot for the Liberal Democrats.

This is the first election for a seat on the council since the May 2022 local elections.

To be eligible to vote in this election, you must be 18 or over, have a postcode in the Bow East Ward, and be registered to vote. The deadline to register to vote for this by-election expired on Tuesday 27 August.

You must turn up to your polling station with a valid form of photo ID, such as a passport, driving licence, Older or Disabled Person’s bus pass, or an Oyster 60+ card.

The results will be announced on the council’s website following the count at the Town Hall.

You’ll receive a polling card before election day, telling you where to vote. If you haven’t received your polling card yet, contact the council.

Voting will be open between 7am and 10pm.

We reached out to each of the four candidates and asked them how they’d make a difference in Tower Hamlets if elected.

Abdi Mohamed, Labour Party

Abdi Mohamed was born and raised in Bow East. He attended Gainsborough Primary School in Hackney Wick, followed by Bow Boys School, now known as Bow School, where he currently serves as a governor.

He pursued a degree in Politics and International Relations at Kent University, followed by a Master’s in International Relations from Queen Mary University of London. After his studies, Mohamed began his career in the charity sector before joining the Labour Party.

He spent three and a half years working for Tower Hamlets Council on casework and then for Newham Council, developing a borough-wide strategy to tackle modern slavery. 

Mohamed is passionate about campaigning on disability issues and is currently working for a national disability charity.

About living in the ward, he said: ‘Living in Tower Hamlets, particularly in Bow East, means so much to me. This area has given my family and me so much, and I would love the opportunity to give back to this fantastic community.’

Why did you get into politics?

I grew up in a family that discussed politics daily, both national and international. My parents fled the civil war in Somalia in the late ’80s and settled in the UK. Through conversations with them and learning about the many wonderful people who supported them, I developed a passion for politics and public service. We were taught that you have to pay it forward.

What are the biggest issues facing Bow East and how will you tackle them?

Bow East is a fantastic place to live; I’ve seen the area change so much! However, we continue to face several challenges:

Poor Quality Landlords: Whether private, council, or housing associations, I hear daily about the poor quality of services provided to locals. I will push for stronger enforcement to protect renters and urge the council and housing associations to improve their conditions, services, and engagement with local residents.

Anti-Social Behaviour: From phones being stolen by people on bikes to stairwells being broken into, and intimidation in Bow East, the council needs to go much further to ensure we feel safe in our community. I will work closely with fellow councillors, local police, community groups, and residents to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Protecting Parks and Green Spaces: Victoria Park and our other green spaces are lifelines for Bow residents. I’ll fight to ensure they remain safe, accessible, and well-maintained for all of us to enjoy, while also advocating for improvements and the creation of more green areas in our community.

What distinguishes Labour from the other parties? 

It’s the Labour Party that is taking the fight to the Independent Mayor of Tower Hamlets. We are the responsible choice, always fighting on the side of the residents of Bow East and Tower Hamlets. With Labour, you have Bow East councillors like Marc Francis raising several hundred cases for Bow East residents every year. If elected, Bow East will have another councillor working hard to challenge the Independent Mayor and ensure the very best for Bow East residents.

The difference in this election is clear, I am the candidate with the experience of tackling the bureaucracy of Tower Hamlets Council, taking on rogue private landlords and housing associations.

Where’s your favourite place to grab a bite to eat around Bow?

My two favourite local spots have to be Fiesta and Mae + Harvey – two great places in Bow that I highly recommend!

Robin Edwards, Conservative Party

Robin Edwards was born and raised in Shropshire. After moving to London he studied geography and politics at King’s College London.

He’s been a resident of Bow East for 23 years and it’s his third time standing as a Conservative councillor for the ward.

Edwards has previously worked for a shadow cabinet minister in the House of Commons and for a charity supporting young people and the homeless. He is now a partner at Curetons Property Finders.

Why did you get into politics?

I got into politics because of a deep-seated desire to effect change and make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. From an early age, I was aware of how political decisions shape our communities. Real change doesn’t just happen on its own; it requires people who are willing to step up and take responsibility. I wanted to be one of those people who doesn’t just talk about issues affecting our community, but actively works to address them.

What are the biggest issues facing Bow East and how will you tackle them?

There are many issues facing Bow East, but the main ones I hear from residents time and time again are crime, housing and refuse/ recycling.

I run the Tower Hamlets Crime Watch Facebook group and I understand how important a safe neighbourhood is to everyone. If elected I’ll focus on tackling the anti-social behaviour across Bow East and campaign to get the resources we need to prevent crime. Tower Hamlets and Bow East are particularly poorly covered by CCTV compared to our neighbouring boroughs, so this is something I would campaign for.

I’ve met many residents across the ward who are very concerned about the lack of communication from their social housing landlords. If elected I will be working with tenants and leaseholders to ensure that they get a decent service and a response to their problems. 

Tower Hamlets has the worst recycling rate of any borough in the entire country, that is shameful, and while it was bad under Labour it has only got worse under Aspire. It’s not because residents aren’t trying. Missed and infrequent collections are the reason why our streets and estates are overflowing with rubbish, if elected as your councillor I’ll make improving recycling services a priority. 

What distinguishes the Conservatives from the other parties? 

The Conservatives are the only non-left wing party standing. Previously in Bow East we have put our trust in Labour, but they have consistently let us down. Since losing control of the council they have seemingly been more interested in furthering their political careers away from Tower Hamlets, rather than representing local people. 

Labour and Aspire have both raised our council tax, increasing the financial burden on local residents, despite both promising not to. They have then squandered our taxpayer money on vanity projects and cronyism. Residents are sick and tired of being lied to.

This is not helped by the fact we have got a dishonest, corrupt mayor in Lutfur Rahman, chucked out of the Labour Party, found guilty by an election court of multiple counts of fraud, banned from running for office for five years and struck off by the Law Society from being a solicitor.

What’s your favourite guilty pleasure TV show?

My favourite guilty pleasure TV show is ‘The Good Wife’ and after the by-election I’m looking forward to watching the new series of ‘Slow Horses’.

Rupert George, Green Party

Rupert George was born in London and has lived in the capital all his life, and he’s been a resident of Tower Hamlets almost 20 years. 

After studying Philosophy at University College London, he worked as a campaigner for numerous charities.

He was a founding trustee of StopWatch, a charity focused on addressing stop and search practices and disproportionate policing. Additionally, he served as the campaign manager for the inaugural National Clean Air Day in 2017. 

George currently works for the Green Party and managed the production of the manifesto for the recent General Election.

He said: ‘Tower Hamlets still feels like the London I grew up in, diverse and busy. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere that didn’t have that energy.’

Why did you get into politics?

I got into politics for two reasons. Firstly, I became a parent and I remained quite terrified about the state of the climate. 

The second reason is, for a long time in my career, I worked around issues to do with policing and the criminal justice system. I recognised that there were a lot of police officers who understand the need for reform, and they weren’t being supported by the political parties. Those progressive voices in policing need more support.

In Tower Hamlets and Hackney, now we have a great commander who’s doing really good things and I think we need people in political life who are prepared to do things to support the police. 

What are the biggest issues facing Bow East and how will you tackle them?

I think Bow East is a very large ward and its also an incredibly diverse ward. There is a huge difference in the challenges of living in Fish Island, the east of the ward where it’s all new build and mostly people in private homes, to those living in high-rise and social housing in the ward.

So people face multiple different challenges in Bow East. But the overall issue, like much of London, is to do with housing. There’s a place where the council can do a good thing — dealing on behalf of social housing tenants and ensuring they get a good service from Tower Hamlets Homes and other social housing providers.

And its also helping tenants who are dealing with the freeholders of their leasehold properties in places like Fish Island, having issues with maintenance and service charges and issues with the upkeep of their houses.

Bow East remains a relatively safe place to live, but housing is an issue that everyone faces and struggles with, irrespective of who they are. Different challenges with the same problem.

What distinguishes the Greens from the other parties? 

What distinguishes Green politics from other parties is primarily the way we approach politics. Green politics isn’t about point-scoring or shouting. It’s about building consensus and common ground and finding solutions that a wide group of people can buy into.

Given the diversity of Bow East as a ward, there are almost different micro-neighbourhoods within Bow East. That is exactly around that consensus-building and finding common ground. [It’s an] issue in Tower Hamlets. We’ve got very different communities living in Tower Hamlets with different issues, and we need to find common ground and the best solution collectively.

And the Greens, in our approach, are well prepared to have that sensitive conversation with all the different political parties and communities in Tower Hamlets.

What’s your favourite UK holiday destination

I really like the fact that we’ve got two choices in Tower Hamlets to get away very quickly to the countryside. You can go [from Stratford Rail Station] through the tunnel down to Kent and up to Suffolk. I particularly like the big skies you get in Suffolk and around the sea up there.

Siobhan Proudfoot, Liberal Democrats

Siobhan Proudfoot was born in South London to publican parents. She attended the Licensed Victuallers’ boarding school in Berkshire, originally founded for the children of poor publican parents, where she made lifelong friendships.

Proudfoot went on to study accountancy with law at Brighton University, where she still visits regularly to see her parents. Over the years, she has worked in public relations, corporate communications, and fashion shoot production. Currently, she works in finance at the mental health charity SANE, based in Holloway.

‘Although a frequent flyer to Brighton, my home is Tower Hamlets,’ she says. ‘The events, parks (including the Tower Hamlets Cemetery, which I adore), the culture and the people make it such a vibrant place to live — and there is never a dull day.’

 Why did you get into politics?

Many moons ago, I saw Jess Phillips on a panel discussing equal pay, Jess explained the issue of the disparity could be caused by the difference in statutory maternity and paternity pay. Her closing argument was that until there is passing of policy in government there will be no substantial change until politically there is change. It was a bit of a Eureka moment! Everything is political. 

What are the biggest issues facing Bow East and how will you tackle them?

I would say Bow East has the same issues as most of London, and the UK.  I actually would like to think that there are issues nationwide, such as the recent race riots, that are not that prominent in Bow East due to the diversity and welcoming nature of the ward.  That being said, reckless driving, and in particular speeding, is a concern to me. Ideally, I would like more speeding awareness courses made compulsory for young drivers. The speeds reached along Fairfield and Grove Road are super-sonic, not only dangerous in the immediate, we have seen all too clearly what this pollution is doing to residents.

What distinguishes the Lib Dems from the other parties? 

I have been a party member since 2018; I find myself nicely aligned with the policies and manifestos. We are the only party prioritising carers. Obviously, Ed Davey has been a carer himself for most of his life; I genuinely believe he understands the need for a fairer package for familial carers as well as professional carers. There is also a real democracy at play within the Liberal Democrats membership; the members vote and the party acts. Unfortunately that cannot be said for other parties.

Where’s your favourite place to grab a bite to eat around Bow?

Perfect pizza at the Lord Morpeth, fantastic fish at The Victoria, banging breaky at Grounded. I am also well overdue trying the lasagne nights at Vinarius on Roman Road, oh and of course Kelly’s Pie & Mash!  Oh and kebab from Sultan Sofrasi. I like all the cuisines — thankfully, Bow has them!

For more local news from your postcode read Plans to turn Bromley-by-Bow gasworks into housing gets go-ahead

Article amended on 06/09/2024 to add ‘from Stratford Rail Station’ to ‘You can go through the tunnel down to Kent and up to Suffolk.’