POWER TO THE HAMLETS

by Anna Sawey

In the late 1980s, the powers of Tower Hamlets Council were decentralised into seven self-governing “neighbourhoods”, one of which was Globe Town. As part of this political experiment a series of First Stop Shops were established across the borough, a drop-in point of contact for the public to gain information and access to a range of local authority services. Most of these shops remained in full operation until January 2020, when they were closed in favour of moving services online.

The Globe Town Assembly pushes back against these closures and the consolidation of council services to one flagship building, arguing for the importance of physical space for neighbourhood-level political engagement. The scheme builds upon the existing marketplace to create a generous new model for the traditional town centre, offering up civic services provided by the council within the market square. The project aims to celebrate the full spectrum of council services from the mundane to the extraordinary.