24/05/2014 BBC London News

worth around ?80 million. There's more throughout the evening on the

BBC News Channel, and I'll be back with the late news at 10:10. Now on

BBC One, it's time for the news where you are. Bye for now. Good

evening. Counting has been suspended in the local elections in Tower

Hamlets after close results meant re`counts were necessary in some

wards. Last night saw the re`election of the independent mayor

for the borough, Lutfur Rahman, who beat the Labour candidate, John

Biggs. Separately, Mr Rahman is being investigated after allegations

of fraud and poor financial management at the council,

allegations he denies. Marc Ashdown reports. I hereby declare that

Lutfur Rahman is duly elected. With a salute to his supporters, Lutfur

Rahman swept back into power. It had been close, at times acrimonious.

Labour's John Biggs beaten into second by a few thousand votes.

Judge me on my record. Judge me on what we have done for the people of

this borough. The trouble is, people do not seem to. In Tower Hamlets,

controversy is never far away. Last night was emotional. For people to

unfairly judge me and say I am a racist, I am sectarian, it saddens

me. The counting to decide the make up of the new council ran throughout

the night. This is the final council across the whole of England yet to

be decided. Counting has continued today but with a few wards still to

declare and recounts on the cards, they have given up and gone home.

Counting will resume tomorrow. But with seats slipping away, it is

already looking like a bad result for Labour after such positive news

elsewhere in London. There is clearly something going on if one

looks at the result and we need to work to build confidence across

communities in the East End. I am proud of the record of the Labour

Party in doing that. There was some pretty foul politics in the

background but we need to lick our wounds and build confidence. It is

the executive mayor who holds the power. Last night, Lutfur Rahman was

mobbed by several thousand supporters as he left. I want to

thank you. CHEERING. His job now is to prove he is the man to unite this

often fractious community. An academy in South London has been

told its head and governors must not provide services to the school from

their private businesses. The government says that a company run

by the head teacher at Durand Academy can no longer provide

facilities to the school, nor can the PR company owned by one of the

governors. The school says it has been open about the arrangements,

which have benefited its pupils. It's the last day of the Chelsea

Flower Show but if you didn't make it, there is a slightly different

option still on offer. The Chelsea Fringe Festival is a gardening event

with a difference. Here's Jim Wheble.

The gardens at Chelsea this year, typically beautiful and serene. But

down the road by Victoria station, there is an alternative. It is a

display next to the pavement. The Travel Garden is one of over 100

Chelsea Fringe Festival displays dotted across London. This one was

designed to inspire weary travellers. It is amazing the amount

of people it is making smile. When we were setting it up, we were asked

by tonnes of people, what is it for, what is it about. The festival is in

its third year, and the idea behind it is to give anyone who thinks they

have a decent gardenening concept a chance to show it off to the public.

The more quirky the better. There are lots of different pop`up

gardens, gardens that you would not expect or have known about in your

city. There will be gardens in Belgrave Square which is normally

not open to the public. This might look like someone's back garden in

Maida Vale, but it has an unusual healing quality. Calendula, for

example, sage, which many people know has fantastic medicinal

qualities. This Plot To Potion garden is a showcase for traditional

English medicinal plants, where you can learn to use them as natural

remedies. We will be running workshops, free workshops, whereby

we are going to take people through the plants. We have about 50

varieties. How to make tinctures, ointments, medicinal teas. Whether

you're into home`grown tonics or courtyard gardens, the Chelsea

Fringe may well have what you're looking for.

Tomorrow's weather now and it should be a much better day with sunny

spells and a small chance of the odd light shower in the afternoon. Highs

of 19 degrees. That's it. We'll be back tomorrow afternoon. Whatever

you're doing, enjoy your weekend. Bye`bye.

The heavens opened for some of us today. As far as tomorrow is

concerned, more of the same. We have a mixture of whether on the way,

showers,