The government is considering appointing ministerial envoys to ensure Tower Hamlets council addresses “serious concerns” about its governance and culture.

a government report released Tuesday He said there was a culture in which decisions were made based on the advice of a small number of people trusted by the directly elected mayor, Lutfur Rahman.

The envoys will advise, monitor and supervise the council’s improvement work, but a final decision has not yet been made on whether they will be appointed.

Tower Hamlets council said it looked forward to working with the envoys and thanked the government “for recognizing the progress we have made as an authority”.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Minister Jim McMahon said he would consider any representation from the council and other interested parties before making a decision.

Tower Hamlets council is led by Rahman, a member of the Aspire political party.

He has had a controversial career in local politics: he was elected to the council in 2002 as a Labor candidate and was the first directly elected mayor of Tower Hamlets from October 2010 to April 2015.

He was removed from the mayor’s office and suspended from public office by an electoral court that determined that “corrupt and illegal practices” had occurred under his leadership.

The court also found that grants had been inappropriately allocated to some organizations, pollsters had been paid on his behalf, and he had exerted “undue spiritual influence” on Muslim voters who supported him.

But Rahman returned after his five-year ban with a new party he created: Aspire.

In 2022, he defeated the incumbent Labor mayor John Biggs with 55% of the vote and became the third elected mayor of Tower Hamlets.

The report found the council’s scrutiny culture was “weak and confusing” and said there was a perception among many employees that many good managers had left the organization as a result of “speaking truth to power”.

It also found that a lack of trust had contributed to the turnover of officials at the highest levels of the council, where due process was often treated as an obstacle to priorities rather than a necessary check and balance.

He said the “suspicious and defensive” behavior had created a “toxic” atmosphere.

Inspectors said that while the council had made “specific and concerted” improvements over the past two years, it had lacked a strategic focus on continuous improvement.

The report said: “The culture established and exemplified by leadership is to respond reactively and counter criticism rather than honestly evaluate and improve.

“On some issues, inspectors are skeptical about the council’s ability to improve.”

Tower Hamlets Council has said it is “committed to working with the Government on our continued journey of improvement”.

“We welcome the government’s decision to appoint an envoy rather than sending commissioners, with a plan to work together with us on a support package, with the council retaining all its powers,” he said.

“We look forward to working with the ministerial envoy.”

MHCLG said a ministerial envoy would attend meetings, provide ad hoc advice and challenges and ensure the delivery of comprehensive cultural change and policy mentoring programmes.

McMahon said he was proposing to order the council to cooperate with them and allow everyone reasonable access to their facilities, documents, employees or members in support of their work.

The previous government had appointed inspectors to examine the management of the east London borough, after the Local Government Association (LGA) reported there was a lack of trust between the mayor and senior officials.

The LGA also expressed concern about the “large number of interim and agency staff”, with vacancies in key positions.