Dhaka, Dec. 8 -- Tower Hamlets Council has been flagged for persistent governance weaknesses, including delays in appointing a permanent chief finance officer, social housing management issues, and long-standing problems with contracts and internal investigations.

An external audit by EY outlined 10 issues at the council, including "significant turnover" of senior management and concerns over the management of social housing, the BBC reported.

The Bangladesh-born politician Lutfur Rahman controls the council.

EY partner Stephen Reid told councillors that many of the issues had persisted for "many years" and the "pace of improvement has not matched the scale of the challenge".

Rahman was banned from public office in 2015 after winning ...