Tower Hamlets, London Borough of

Tower Hamlets, London Borough of, administrative region, London, England. Tower Hamlets was formed by the amalgamation of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Bethnal Green, Poplar, and Stepney. Its name is a reference to the Tower of London and the hamlets that once surrounded it, which today make up the area known as the East End of London. More than one third of the borough is made up of ethnic minorities: the area has traditionally attracted London's immigrants, from Huguenots and Jews to the present-day Bangladeshi community—the largest in Europe.

The borough's human diversity is reflected in its range of economic activity—from lavish investment, such as that typified by dockland developments like Canary Wharf on the Isle of Dogs, to poorer residential areas in more northerly parts of the borough. However, the end of the 20th century has seen growth in the financial, business and services sectors, and the regeneration of more depressed parts of Tower Hamlets has spread outwards from the City of London borders, to areas such as Spitalfields, Bow, Bethnal Green, and Mile End. The majority of the UK newspaper industry has relocated to the borough, as has Billingsgate Fish Market.

In 1965 Greater London was created under the jurisdiction of the Greater London Council. This council was abolished in 1986, and each inner and outer borough and the City of London itself had its own governing council as the sole administrative authority from then until 2000. The borough councils consist of councillors elected every four years, who in turn annually elect their presiding official. Councils are responsible for the provision of most local services including education, housing, social services, local planning, roads, refuse collection, recreation, and culture.

On May 4, 2000, the people of London voted in a new London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, and 25-strong cross-party Assembly, together known as the Greater London Authority. A new mayor will be elected every 4 years, and although he or she has limited budget-raising powers, the position includes responsibility for the police, fire service, health, and public transport. However, the Home Secretary (a senior government minister) is still ultimately responsible for many areas, including London's Metropolitan Police Service (see Scotland Yard). Population 196,121 (2001).