Michael Keith: "Our future is shared"

Tower Hamlets Mayoral Race 2010

Emdad Rahman

On the eve of the Tower Hamlets Labour party member vote to choose their historical Mayoral candidate, ex Tower Hamlets leader Michael Keith has stressed the importance of concentrating on the local people. In a special interview, Keith said; "we need to work with people locally and need to be smart and bring people in that can contribute positive ideas to improve our borough."

University of Oxford Professor Michael Keith has led Tower Hamlets Council three times. He personally negotiated with 10 Downing Street the financial settlement that gave the green light for a new Royal London Hospital at Whitechapel.

Under the Professor's leadership, the council was recognised as best in the country for Childrens Services and Education, and for Social Services.

"When I was leader for regeneration we invited Nobel prize winner Muhammad Younus, the man behind micro credit. His intuition and advice was very well received by us. This is the way forward.

"We need to be modest enough to ask for advice and support when there is a need to do so.

Keith is big on cohesion and unity; "Our future is shared. You and I share this space. You and I need a visionary Mayor who has a s of themselves in accordance to the people living here.

"In Tower Hamlets there are people who come from very different backgrounds, and different religious and cultural traditions.

"A campaigning council, a smart council, a visionary council. That's what I stand for.

"Equality, co-operation and association is highly essential. We need to have a set of values that help us unite. Competency is very important, integrity is very important and the Mayor has to be just as comfortable in Bricklane, the Isle of Dogs, as well as the boardroom when negotiating the toughest deals for Tower Hamlets people."

The ex leader has strong roots in the borough; "I come from roots in London. My Mother was born in the Royal London, and her Dad worked on the river in Wapping for 40 years. I taught at Queen Mary during the 80's and I've lived in the same place on Batty Street near the Berner Centre for 25 years.

"I've been here a long time, spending my early years with voluntary organisations and working a lot with the Bangladeshi community. Most of my politics comes from the community sector.

Keith recognises the huge value of Tower Hamlets; "if Tower Hamlets was listed in the Financial Times it would be in the top 100 companies in size alone. The role of a Mayor involves taking difficult decisions at difficult times, and I am best prepared to do so."

The Oxford Professor has carved out a successful and celebrated career outside of politics. He said "I Have shown that I can have a career outside of politics as well as within and I have had a reasonably successful academic career.

"People out there know that I'm not just a professional politician. I have demonstrated this over a career of thirty years. The ex Professor at Queen Mary and Goldsmiths added; "I've shown competency outside and inside the political world. "That is why I believe I am eligible and the strongest candidate to become Tower Hamlets Mayor."

Michael Keith was the founding chair of the Local Strategic Partnership in Tower Hamlets (2002 – 2006) and the Cabinet member with responsibility for Regeneration and Community Partnership for seven years between 1994 and 2006 when not leader of the Council.

Between 2006 and 2008 Michael Keith also served as a commissioner in the Commission on Integration and Cohesion, established by Tony Blair in the wake of the 2005 London bombings and reporting to the Secretary of State at DCLG.

Under his leadership the council was transformed from a basket case to a showcase local authority, winning numerous national awards for regeneration, community cohesion, education, social services and housing.

Keith reorganised the Council around Tower Hamlets Partnership leading to numerous national awards. He has delivered several £100s million of regeneration in housing and regeneration initiatives such as the recognition of Banglatown, support for the community development of mosques (including the original east London mosque extension), the Shahid Minar memorial and the Banglatown tourism strategy

Michael Keith was also Chair of Thames Gateway London Partnership (TGLP) 2000-2006and represented the interests of the public sector in negotiations in the future of the Gateway with senior civil servants, government ministers and the private sector. His former post is now occupied by Baron Charles Falconer (formerly Lord Chancellor). The Thames Gateway has been described as the largest single regeneration programme in contemporary Europe.