Councillor Abu Talha Chowdhury has called for specialist anti-racism training for local authority members and officers, drawing parallels with recommendations made in the Mann Review concerning systemic racism.

During a Tower Hamlets Council Standards Advisory Committee meeting on Monday, July 13, 2026, Councillor Chowdhury highlighted the review's findings, which advocate for specialist anti-racism training for people that consider the complaints. He questioned the extent to which such specialist training is currently available within the local authority, noting that while general equalities and diversity training is provided, there is no specific course badged as anti-racism.

Councillor Chowdhury elaborated that specialist anti-racism training goes beyond general equalities and diversity training by focusing specifically on identifying and addressing racist behaviour and systemic issues. He stated that the Mann Review's recommendations are kind of more than the standard stuff that we already do, if I can put it like that. The Mann Review, which is looking specifically at anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim and other racist behaviour within the NHS, has also made recommendations around senior decision makers, board members, senior members of staff, all staff, and health professional regulators.

Bar chart showing the breakdown of complaints received by the Standards Advisory Committee.
Bar chart showing the breakdown of complaints received by the Standards Advisory Committee.

In response, committee officers indicated that the council is exploring the possibility of introducing such training as part of the member development programme in the coming year. Discussions are underway with organisations that offer this type of training. The meeting minutes state, we are looking at doing something in the next year as part of the general member development programme. This indicates that the training is planned for the coming year but provides no further details on a timeline beyond that.

Councillor Chowdhury's inquiry and the council's response suggest a perception that current training may not be sufficient to address systemic racism comprehensively. The council currently offers training on various aspects of equalities, ethics, and related, but the lack of a specific anti-racism course highlights a gap in provision.

Discussions during the meeting also covered the process for escalating complaints to the Ombudsman and the timescales for investigating complaints, with a commitment to provide more detailed statistics on this.

Bar chart showing the status of complaints, with a significant number of complaints from the previous year and a smaller number of recent complaints.
Bar chart showing the status of complaints, with a significant number of complaints from the previous year and a smaller number of recent complaints.

Further details on the council's approach to complaints and investigations can be found in the Public reports pack 13th Jul 2026 Standards Advisory Committee.