Tower Hamlets - facts and figures

The Borough was formed in 1965 taking in much of the East End, in an amalgamation of the former metropolitan boroughs of Bethnal Green, Poplar and Stepney.

The London Borough of Tower Hamlets has a resident population of 220,500 and covers 7.6 square miles. It has one of the highest ethnic minority populations in the capital, the largest group being Bangladeshis who account for just under 30% of the population at 65,553 persons (Office of National Statistics).

Although it includes much of the redeveloped Docklands region of London, including West India Docks and Canary Wharf and many of the tallest buildings in London (located on the Isle of Dogs in the south of the borough) Tower Hamlets is ranked third out of 354 local authorities in England in terms of average deprivation, (where 1 is most deprived). There are 130 Super Output Areas (SOAs) in Tower Hamlets, and 72 of those are in the top 10% most deprived.

As of March 1st 2010 74% of the population - 162,894 residents – are registered voters. The Council is Labour run and the official opposition is the Conservative party. Elections are held every 4 years and are due this year on 4 May. During the course of this booklet we will try to explain how the powers and responsibilities that affect the borough are distributed; how democratic structures work, how these can be accessed; and also provide you with other useful information.