The chief executive's office in Tower Hamlets has windows on two sides. One end of the office looks out over the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf which dominate the London skyline. The other end of the office looks out over Poplar, with its stark contrast to the wealth of the city. It is typical of the borough's extremes of wealth and deprivation.

Tower Hamlets has been beset by problems in recent years, culminating in the-then communities secretary Eric Pickles launching an intervention in 2014. Despite former mayor Lutfur Rahman winning the 2014 election, his victory was declared void in the courts.