After removed ex Mayor Lutfur Rahman, The Borough of Tower hamlets declared a new mayoral election going to be held on 11 Jun 2015. The resident of Borough will be nominated a new elected Mayor for next rest of term.
The Tower hamlets first political team has introduced a new Mayor candidate Cllr Rabina Khan who is nominated and will be replaced to ex Mayor Lutfur Rahman. As Mr. Rahman has gather a programme at Mile end road Banquting hall in East London for update and announced to vote Cllr Khan as Mayor of Tower Hamlets on 11 June.
Rabina Khan is an independent Politician, Writer and Campaigner. She has a wealth of experience campaigning on issues of equality and diversity, both through activism and creativity. Her particular focus has been on challenging perceptions of Muslim women and advancing the cause of Muslim women in politics and public affairs.
She has produced a range of literary and broadcast projects alongside organisations including the BBC, Heritage and the Wellcome Trust. She is a young adult author and was nominated for the European Muslim Woman of Influence Award in 2009.
Her written works include Ayesha’s Rainbow, followed by a short story If Birds Could Fly published in Channel 4’s TN4 Magazine. Khan was awarded a place on the Royal Literary Fund Mentoring Scheme and asked to take part in the Spitafields Women’s Literary Festival 2004 and 2005. She was awarded a Tower Hamlets Civic Award.
She has also been involved in editing the anthologies, Silent Voices and Behind The Hijab. Between January 2006 to January 2008, Khan was writer in residence at Central Foundation Girls’ School. Khan has worked as a freelance creative consultant for BBC, ITV, Rich Mix Cultural Foundation and Wellcome Trust. She has contributed to the BBC Asian Network and delivered commission for the Arts Council.
In 2006, Khan appeared in and was a script advisor for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s documen-tary Young, British and Muslim. In 2007, she also wrote the play Shilpa and Jade for the Wellcome Trust Pulse Project.
She wrote and produced two short films – The Good Wife, sponsored by Sixteen Films, and Shrouded, commissioned by London Met Services. In May and June 2009, Khan was part of a delegation to Bangladesh, organised by the British Government’s Foreign Office as part of their Counter Terrorism strategy. Rabina Khan also delivered a speech at the Royal Society of Arts for BBC Radio 4 on Multiculturalism in 2012.
Khan early working career was as a Community Regeneration Officer in Isle of Dogs, Tower Hamlets in the East End of London. She has worked for Tower Hamlets Council in the social and education sectors and for government regeneration initiatives such as Bethnal Green City Challenge managing education and empowerment projects for women and young girls from ethnic minority communities. Khan has also been involved in community initiatives in Tower Hamlets.
Rabina Khan is currently Cabinet Member for Housing and Development for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets the first Muslim woman to hold such a portfolio, she was appointed in 2010. In her role she has overseen the creation of 4000+ new affordable homes, more than any other British local authority in that time- including new social housing, community land trusts and bespoke homes for disabled residents.
Her primary aim in politics is to tackle London’s dire housing crisis, and as such has been key to campaigning around the London Living Rent and against government anti-welfare policies such as the hated bedroom tax.
She is currently working on the Whitechapel Vision, the first major regeneration project to resist gentrification effectively and produce development led by the wants and needs of local people. In its fledging year the Whitechapel Vision won ‘silver’ at the National Planning Awards and the borough’s Housing Options won silver at The Andrew Ludlow Homelessness Awards.