Tower Hamlets compared with all councils in England
Compared with the 130 councils in England.
- Residents
- 334,240 (mid-2025)
- Band D council tax
- £1,838 a year in 2026-27, including police, fire and parish charges. See where it goes
Where Tower Hamlets sits
9
measures in the bottom quarter
9
measures below the middle
3
measures in the top half
Tower Hamlets compares worst with all councils in England on:
- household waste reused, recycled or composted (128th of 128; 1st is highest)
- families in temporary accommodation for 2 years or more (116th of 123; 1st is lowest)
- council homes failing the Decent Homes Standard (77th of 83; 1st is lowest)
It compares best on:
- enforcement actions per 100 fly-tipping incidents (4th of 130; 1st is highest)
- relief cases ending with a home secured (17th of 127; 1st is highest)
- fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 residents (63rd of 130; 1st is lowest)
SEND assessments
Education, health and care plans set out support for children with special educational needs. The law says a new plan should be issued within 20 weeks.
| Measure | Tower Hamlets | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New EHC plans issued within 20 weeks 2025 | 46.0% | 59.0% | Below the middle 79th of 126 |
Ombudsman complaints
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman looks at complaints the council's own complaints process has not resolved. Upheld means the Ombudsman found the council at fault.
| Measure | Tower Hamlets | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upheld complaints per 100,000 residents 2025-26 | 9.3 | 4.8 | Bottom quarter 108th of 130 | |
| Complaints to the Ombudsman per 100,000 residents 2025-26 | 82.6 | 41.2 | Bottom quarter 116th of 130 | |
| Upheld complaints about children's services per 100,000 residents | No figure | No figure | No figure | |
| Upheld complaints about special educational needs per 100,000 residents | No figure | No figure | No figure | |
| Upheld complaints about homelessness per 100,000 residents | No figure | No figure | No figure | |
| Upheld cases the council had already put right 2025-26 | 6.5% | 15.2% | Bottom quarter 94th of 115 | |
| Ombudsman remedies delivered on time 2025-26 | 68.6% | 75.6% | Below the middle 66th of 104 |
Council housing
From the tenant survey and performance figures every council landlord reports to the Regulator of Social Housing. Only councils that still own council homes are included.
| Measure | Tower Hamlets | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tenants satisfied with the overall service 2024-25 | 60.1% | 66.5% | Below the middle 60th of 82 | |
| Tenants satisfied their home is well maintained 2024-25 | 62.8% | 66.5% | Below the middle 58th of 82 | |
| Tenants satisfied their home is safe 2024-25 | 67.7% | 72.2% | Below the middle 60th of 82 | |
| Tenants who say the council listens and acts 2024-25 | 53.4% | 56.2% | Below the middle 49th of 82 | |
| Non-emergency repairs done within target time 2024-25 | 75.6% | 83.1% | Bottom quarter 63rd of 83 | |
| Council homes failing the Decent Homes Standard 2024-25 | 20.1% | 4.1% | Bottom quarter 77th of 83 | |
| Stage 1 housing complaints answered in time 2024-25 | 70.7% | 73.6% | Below the middle 47th of 82 |
Council tax
How much of the year's council tax bills the council collected by 31 March.
| Measure | Tower Hamlets | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council tax collected in the year it was due 2025-26 | 92.1% | 94.8% | Bottom quarter 117th of 130 |
Streets and waste
Fly-tipping the council recorded, how often it took enforcement action, and how much household waste was recycled.
| Measure | Tower Hamlets | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 residents 2024-25 | 18 | 18.1 | Top half 63rd of 130 | |
| Enforcement actions per 100 fly-tipping incidents 2024-25 | 225.5 | 37.5 | Top half 4th of 130 | |
| Household waste reused, recycled or composted 2023-24 | 15.8% | 37.7% | Bottom quarter 128th of 128 |
Homelessness
Temporary accommodation and the outcomes of homelessness cases, from the council's statutory returns.
| Measure | Tower Hamlets | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Households in temporary accommodation per 1,000 households January to March 2026 | 22 | 2.8 | Bottom quarter 116th of 126 | |
| Families in temporary accommodation for 2 years or more January to March 2026 | 69.6% | 13.6% | Bottom quarter 116th of 123 | |
| Prevention cases ending with a home secured January to March 2026 | 47.2% | 51.7% | Below the middle 87th of 127 | |
| Relief cases ending with a home secured January to March 2026 | 51.7% | 34.9% | Top half 17th of 127 |
Website
An automated test of the council website's accessibility.
| Measure | Tower Hamlets | Median | Position | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Website accessibility score October 2026 | 91.6% | 92.5% | Below the middle 69th of 130 |
What the council spends
Net spending per resident in 2025-26, after fees, charges and specific grants, not counting schools. Spending more is not better or worse on its own. Negative highways figures come from parking income.
| Service | Tower Hamlets | Median | Rank, highest first | Across England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's social care | £327 | £322 | 62nd of 127 | |
| Adult social care | £566 | £472 | 12th of 127 | |
| Public health | £157 | £80 | 4th of 127 | |
| Housing (general fund) | £137 | £46 | 19th of 127 | |
| Environmental and regulatory | £179 | £104 | 6th of 127 | |
| Highways and transport | −£21 | £33 | 114th of 127 | |
| Culture and leisure | £44 | £42 | 59th of 127 | |
| Planning and development | £44 | £24 | 20th of 127 | |
| Central services | £26 | £57 | 120th of 127 | |
| All services excluding schools | £1,463 | £1,222 | 16th of 127 |
Where your council tax goes
Choose your band to see what your bill in Tower Hamlets pays for in 2026-27. Check your council tax band on GOV.UK.
Your bill: £1,838 a year, about £35.34 a week (Band D).
Who your bill goes to
| Goes to | A year | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Tower Hamlets council | £1,327 | 72% |
| Mayor of London (GLA), including police and fire | £511 | 28% |
What the council's share pays for
The council's part of your bill, £1,327, split in the same proportions as the council's own spending in 2025-26, not counting schools.
| Service | A year | A week | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £507 | £9.75 | 38% |
| Children's social care | £293 | £5.64 | 22% |
| Bins, streets, parks and environment | £160 | £3.08 | 12% |
| Public health | £141 | £2.71 | 11% |
| Housing and homelessness | £123 | £2.37 | 9% |
| Planning and development | £40 | £0.76 | 3% |
| Libraries, culture and leisure | £39 | £0.76 | 3% |
| Running the council | £23 | £0.45 | 2% |
Roads and transport brought in more than it cost, mostly from parking, so it is not shown.
Children's services inspection
Ofsted rated Tower Hamlets’ children's services outstanding at its last full inspection, in November 2024.
- Outstanding
- 39 of the 130 councils in England, including Tower Hamlets
- Good
- 56 of the 130 councils in England
- Requires improvement
- 24 of the 130 councils in England
- Inadequate
- 11 of the 130 councils in England
Over time
Tower Hamlets against the median of all councils in England.
EHC plans issued within 20 weeks
By calendar year.
- Tower Hamlets: 46.0%
- Median (all councils in England): 59.0%
Upheld Ombudsman complaints per 100,000 residents
Using the latest population estimate for every year.
- Tower Hamlets: 9.3
- Median (all councils in England): 4.8
Household waste recycling rate
Reused, recycled or composted.
- Tower Hamlets: 15.8%
- Median (all councils in England): 37.7%
Fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 residents
As recorded by the council.
- Tower Hamlets: 18
- Median (all councils in England): 18.1
How to read these figures
Position 1 is the best in the group. The bottom quarter is shown in red, below the middle in yellow and the top half in green. Councils with the same figure share a position.
In each chart, every mark is a council in England and the large dot is Tower Hamlets. Councils in the group you are comparing with are darker. The dashed line is the group's median.