I have sent two letters on the 15th June to:
Sir Mark Sedwill, Cabinet Secretary repeating my 3rd June request for an investigation, letter here and below
Mr Clive Betts MP, Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, detailing why his Commitee at Parliament should investigate this, letter here and below, my previous lettter to him can be found in an earlier post
Finally a 12 page summary of the key issues, background and history, here and below. I posted drafts of these documents on the 14th June but I made a few minor tweeks to all of them.

Summary here
Westferry Printworks combines political scandal (fundraising dinners with a developer 5 weeks in advance of granting their scheme planning permission plus party political donations), concerns over corruption in the absence of any other information to explain why the Minister would financially benefit a developer to such an extent but also fundamental issues about how Ministers make planning decisions in secret. The involvement of the Prime Minister in the earlier smaller planning application on this site in 2016 adds further political interest although in my opinion the decision made by Sir Ed Lister then was more transparent and logical than the 2020 decision.
 
The Minister Robert Jenrick deliberately timed a decision to benefit a developer by around £40 million. In doing so he went against the wishes of his own Planning Inspector, the local Council, and the Greater London Authority. He also accepted the developer dropping the affordable housing from 35% down to 21%. Last August two separate planning experts judged the scheme could deliver more affordable housing and pay the £40 million for new infrastructure which the Isle of Dogs desperately needs. He thought differently, that the development could afford neither, why? I do not believe direct corruption took place, neither party was that dumb (I assume) but what happened feeds the narrative of corruption and therefore full disclosure is required.
 
When first challenged with a judicial review of his decision in February 2020 he claimed Tower Hamlets Council was on a fishing expedition but then weeks later changes his mind and accepts his decision ‘was unlawful by reason of apparent bias and should be quashed’.
 
A related mystery is why Tower Hamlets Council twice on this site failed to make a decision within the statutory time period, in 2018 they missed the deadline by six months. That appears to have been a conscious decision.
 
The Cabinet Office and the House of Commons Select Committee now need to investigate. The Police won’t investigate further without more information. The Minister needs to release all of the relevant documents and declare other meetings or donations. I believe that there is still something missing from this story to explain why he made the decision that he did which is why I resigned from the Conservative Party in February. Having spent years investigating alleged corruption in Tower Hamlets having to investigate a dodgy decision by a senior Minister in my own party was too much.

My interview on BBC Radio 4 The World Tonight last night about Westferry Printworks
​My bit from 2 minutes 5 seconds in
I say that I have not been impressed by Robert Jenrick MP and I do not think he should be staying as the Minister responsible for Housing, Communities, and Local government. It looks as if he is about to make some fundamental changes to the planning system, but the original decision plus his poor responses over the last few weeks suggests that although intelligent he lacks experience and the competence required to be a senior Minister (he has no planning or local government experience for example )
I also talk about endemic corruption in Tower Hamlets. When we see a problem here, one of the possible explanations is some form of corruption. So when I see a decision made nationally those suspicions get aroused again. But I have no direct evidence here either, just a decision I still do not understand and I am grasping for some form of explanation.

Three documents attached;
Tower Hamlets Judicial Review application here & below
GLA Judicial Review Application here 
I also have the developers response to the GLA judicial review but it is a purely legal argument but if you want a copy let me know.
These documents received 5th June date from my 3rd March request to access the judicial review documents, see picture
The only document available after that date is the signed Consent Order here

Email sent today 3rd June to the Cabinet Office, Met Police, House of Commons MHCLG Select Committee and copied into the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). I will post later more background but my Twitter has a lot of the information.

The email to them said
"Please find attached as a PDF a letter (also click here on link) formally requesting an investigation into the decision of Robert Jenrick MP to approve the Westferry Printworks planning application in my ward (I am the Councillor for Canary Wharf ward in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets) and the reasons for that request as I do not understand why the Minister would make a decision so advantageous to a developer and against the interests of Tower Hamlets residents and contrary to the Nolan Principles, and that this needs investigation.
 
I understand from the Daily Mail newspaper that the Met Police Special Inquiry Team have already received a request to investigate this, can this be sent to them."

By tomorrow Tuesday 21st April I have to submit to the Council a list of questions/issues for the Overview & Scrutiny Committee to look at.
Attached is my draft here as a Word document, PDF below.
The unlocking section needs more work
Strawman means I will not take offence if you rip it to shreds.
​Let me know what I have missed?

Peter Golds and I sent the attached letter (& copied below) to the Mayor, Cabinet members and Council officers today as to what we think they need to do as regards Covid-19 given that the Council is responsible for Public Health in TH (not an NHS responsibility since 2013). It maybe that they have already agreed to do all of this in their meetings since the 30th January WHO announcement but to be sure we sent it to them.
 
It is based in part on information gathered from social media and ideas from you so if we have missed anything let us know and we will amend.
 
Draft Emergency Response to Covid-19 – Version 1
From Cllr Peter Golds and Cllr Andrew Wood
18th March 2020
Dear all.
 
I assume that these measures have already been put into place or are being planned but if not we believe this is what needs to be done:
 
Communications – we need to hugely ramp up our comms on this and involve the Council in community conversations underway already

1. Pulp the new March ‘Our East End’, it is dated March 2020 but does not mention the words ‘virus’ ‘coronavirus’ nor ‘Covid-19’.  It would send mixed messages about the importance of a response if the latest Council communication said nothing on this subject;
2. A replacement ‘Our East End’ – a new edition focussed on practical advice (in multiple languages);
3. Send a letter to each household (since we do not have to send polling cards now) with links to information and what to do (including in different languages); 
4. Hand out at grocery shops & food markets information to shoppers as the quickest way to get information into the hands of people likely not to be on the internet, remind them about social distancing at the same time;
5. First send a separate letter to vulnerable residents to let them know that we know they are vulnerable and how to get help, put phone numbers on letters;
6. Run the NHS ‘how to wash your hands’ video on permanent loop on display screens in public spaces and on social media, apparently 1/3 of people are still not hand washing and many may not be washing properly;
7. Shut down all other non-essential public relations campaigns to ensure clear messages except for the stop smoking campaign e.g. anti-idling;
8. But it has never been more important for people to be healthy and resilient, communications should also focus on how to stay healthy and to stop smoking:
9. Email – your first email specifically about Covid-19 was sent on the evening of the 17th March, it is a start we need regular updates, pushing messages out on a regular basis;
10. LBTH Website – permanent link in a prominent location linked to all Covid-19 information, place the NHS ‘How to wash your hands’ video in a prominent location, publication of the pandemic plan on the Council website so that we can all see it plus LGA & government guidance, plus detailed Q&A, all information in one place;
11. Social media – as an example the Canary Wharf & Isle of Dogs Residents Facebook group is currently having 10,000 active members a day, the number of daily posts has tripled. People are talking about little else but Covid-19 and panic buying;
    1. Facebook paid ads (we can ask FB to make them free), we should be actively using social media to push messages on cleanliness and social distancing;
    2. Nextdoor – the Met Police are using Nextdoor, the Council needs to do the same as a backup to Facebook to send messages to wider community;
    3. Facebook + Nextdoor + Twitter + Instagram should ensure a good distribution of information on social media. Only one post on Instagram so far. No Facebook posts until last week;
12. Plaster Tower Hamlets with a version of the DoE poster – it should be on each bus shelter, each Ideas store, each school child should have a copy to take home, each faith location should have multiple copies; 
13. Ensure faith locations have copies of the appropriate material;
14. Channel S and other media – what is the engagement plan?;
15. East London Advertiser & Wharf Life – pay for multi-page ads with Covid-19 information in the next edition; 
16. Provide Councillors with material to share in different languages:

 
Database of vulnerable people
We need to build a database of all vulnerable people, based on:

1. Electoral data (which has birthdates?);
2. Freedom Pass data (over 60);
3. NHS data;
4. Adult social care data;
5. Social input from volunteers and Councillors;
6. Gather contact details for that group and ascertain who can provide care for each individual;
7. Send the vulnerable group additional information;
8. If vulnerable have no family or other care support allocate to a voluntary group;

 
Adult Social Care 

1. Hygiene standards for carers visiting vulnerable people clearly has to change;
2. What training is being provided to care staff?;
3. Are they being provided with the appropriate PPE?;
4. Do we have a database of ALL vulnerable residents, see point above;
5. Stockpiles, see point below;
6. Staff numbers? What is plan if large numbers of staff go off ill? Can we train replacements?;
7. Rotation of staff should be reduced e.g. they do not visit different people each week but as far as possible keep the same clients to prevent transmission;

 
Volunteering 
I assume you are aware by now of Facebook groups like ‘Tower Hamlets Covid19 Community Support’ as well as a number of WhatsApp groups trying to co-ordinate a community response and to help the vulnerable;

1. How will LBTH engage with these groups?, will staff join these groups to help provide advice and guidance?;
2. Will it use these groups to help build a database of vulnerable people?;
3. Will it mobilise support if it needs to supplement the adult social care staff?;
4. Will it provide training, support and DBS checks to volunteers?;

 
Strikes
This is not the time for strikes and other disruption by Council staff or those providing essential services, if necessary delay ‘Tower Rewards’ for a year. It is a distraction. Push Veolia harder to sort out their issues.  
 
Food delivery for those told to self-isolate

1. 14 days is likely to exceed peoples stocks of food at home;
2. How to help people without internet access or ability to internet shop (which is anyway under pressure)?;
3. Will we set up a food distribution network?;

 
Q&A information

1. Dedicated phone line, email (is the new email to be made publicly available), weblinks to provide advice and support;
2. Provide detailed Q&A in various locations, for example as posters on bus stops;

 
Personal Hygiene

1. Clear messages in all publicly provided toilets about acceptable behaviour;
2. Wash facilities: No spitting, no face washing, no washing of other parts of the body, nothing that leaves viral material on wash basins;

 
Parking

1. With staff being sent to work from home and more driving generally to help with social distance we have cars parked in TH during weekdays that do not have permits, can we only ticket vehicles which are blocking emergency access or are parked dangerously;
2. We need to avoid elderly etc coming into Ideas stores to renew parking permits etc, can we automatically extend all permits until end of crisis;
3. Provide NHS and other emergency staff who work in TH but live elsewhere with free parking to help them avoid public transport which is anyway being reduced in frequency;

 
Retail/Panic Buying/Price gouging

1. Remind all retailers about the Competition and Markets Authority advice on pricing and information;
2. Panic buying also means customers in close proximity to each other, no social distancing is in force. Can we be visiting supermarkets / larger shops to encourage them to enforce social distancing at all times;
3. Trading standards officers to help enforce, starting with biggest retailers and then work down;
4. Work with retailers to understand their supply issues and to provide them with support to enforce any rules on limiting the sale of certain items, this may include placing THEO’s in stores to assist staff to enforce rules as the reports suggest they are not being universally applied, staff are busy and may not want to confront panicked shoppers;
   1. We have 7 main supermarkets, 4 large grocery shops plus a number of markets;
      1. Waitrose * 2 – Wapping and canary Wharf
      2. Tesco - Bow
      3. ASDA – Isle of Dogs (this is a particular problem shop)
      4. Sainsbury - Whitechapel
      5. Lidl – Burdett Road
      6. Marks & Spencer – Canary Wharf
      7. Four Tesco Metro – Canary Wharf, Roman Road, Bethnal Green, Whitechapel
      8. Plus smaller Sainsbury shops
      9. Plus important markets at Watney Street, Chrisp Street, Roman Road, Whitechapel with their own stores;
      10. It should be possible to have staff present at many of these locations:
5. Work with retailers to find some method of allowing the vulnerable to shop, for example at set times after shops have been restocked, or set aside separate areas only accessible to people in vulnerable groups?;
6. Environmental health rules – can they be used to force retailers to behave;
7. Restaurants & pubs – remind them that they can run a take away service in the meantime;

 
Financial
We clearly need to be worried about:

1. The survival of businesses; 
2. The survival of families/individuals with no cash savings and / or who have lost income;

 
Suggestions might include:

• Council tax holiday – is it possible to delay payments for people in need?;
• Speeding up of payments by LBTH to its own supply base?;
• Speed up project delivery, spend money, pump prime TH economy;

 
This section needs more work, how will we use extra money granted by government?;
 
Education

1. Are schools ready to close?;
2. What help can we provide those on lower incomes with food given loss of free school meals, can we provide take away food for children on free school meals?;
3. What help will we provide parents in critical occupations with child support, can schools provide limited child care for selected parents;
4. What help will be provided to students to keep studying especially those close to exams?;

 
Stocks

1. What stockpiles exist of emergency equipment e.g. face masks, gloves, alcohol hand sanitisers, thermometers, toilet roll, soap, coffins, lime, etc?;
2. Care packages – are we creating care packages for vulnerable people i.e. masks, toilet roll, thermometers etc;
3. What storage space do we have?;

 
Faith gatherings
The Church of England has stopped public worship and the Muslim Council of Britain strongly recommended the same the day before. Have we passed that advice onto all faith groups and facilities?
 
Gyms, Libraries, Public facilities

1. Do we keep them open? We think yes for now subject to clear information in each about what to do and provision of hand sanitiser etc. Maybe ban larger meetings in them
2. How are we cleaning them?
3. Recycling bags – can we restart process of sending them out to people after 1st April rather then ask people to come into Ideas store to pick up?
4. Library fines – good step to extend return date

 
Registering deaths & funerals

1. Are we ready for a big increase in deaths and funerals should it happen?;
2. Storage capacity for bodies?;
3. How much capacity remains in our multi-faith burial plot?;
4. Where is the nearest crematoria? What is its capacity?;
5. What rules will be implemented at funerals to prevent further infections?;

 
Council Meetings

1. Livestream all meeting to encourage public to stay away, post links; 
2. Review agenda of Council meetings to ensure that only urgent items are dealt with;

3.    The Government have already made proposals for adjusting the procedure of council meetings during the current crisis;
4.    Lawyers in Local Government and the Association of Democratic  Service Officers have  come forward with proposals to lobby to permit remote meetings in the event the current situation deteriorates to the point that all meetings are cancelled;
5.    Tower Hamlets operates under an Executive Mayor and so decision making is different to most other councils;
6.    There is no reason why full council meetings should only undertake business that it is legally required to do;
7.    The May Annual Meeting can be restricted to electing the speaker ad appointing committees. There is no need for anything else to be on the agenda and the meeting can be formalised in a short time;
8.    Obviously there will not, this year, be a reception following the meeting;
9.    The Cabinet should meet but it’s deliberations can be web cast and members and officers can sit with wide spaces;
10. The regulatory committees;  planning and licensing, have public involvement. Again, members and officers can sit and deliberate with spaces between them. The problem comes with public representation. Meetings can be webcast and limits can be placed on those attending the meeting, with public attendance limited to those making representation;
11. Parliament has placed restrictions on access to the parliamentary estate, this includes mass lobbies and no longer being able to enter the estate and access not permitted to non-pass holders who may only attend on parliamentary business.

On Thursday I was asked to give a presentation about Urban Densification to the London Irish Town Planners Association, the audience was half Irish based and half London based. The Irish are looking at densifying new developments so Irelands Government Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government visited the IoD Thursday with Irish planning colleagues to learn some lessons from us.
I had to do the attached quite quickly although I re-used some slides from the IoD Neighbourhood Planning Forum presentations (but the comments are all mine)
Thought you might find interesting and I do plan to do more work on it for future presentations so comments etc welcome

I am in an odd situation, London needs to build new homes and I agree that quite a few can be built on the Isle of Dogs but I have none the less spent a lot of time to write 10 pages of reasons as to why the Inspector should refuse the new planning application for Westferry Printworks. It is basically too tall for the area.

You can see the appeal information here. 
https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/ViewCase.aspx?caseid=3225474

You cannot just say that you do not like an application you have to provide planning reasons as to why it should be rejected. Which are in the attached file.