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A 28-day representation period on proposals to close four Hackney primary schools and merge the children from two of them into two other schools will begin on 6 February.This follows the Council’s Cabinet decision on 27 January to proceed to the next step in  proposed changes affecting six Hackney primary schools, as a result of the significant decrease in the borough’s pupil numbers.The proposals can be accessed in full on the Council’s consultation website from 6 February, and include:Closing St Mary’s Church of England Primary School;Closing St Dominic’s Catholic Primary School;Closing Oldhill Community School, and merging its pupils with those from nearby Harrington Hill Primary School;Closing Sir Thomas Abney Primary School, and merging its pupils with those from nearby Holmleigh Primary School;Enlarging Harrington Hill Primary School from one to two forms of entry and adding the special educational provision that was previously offered at Oldhill;Enlarging Holmleigh Primary School from one to two forms of entry and adding the special educational provision that was previously offered at Sir Thomas Abney. Holmleigh would move to the current site of Sir Thomas Abney, which is large enough to accommodate the children from both schools.  Local authorities are required by law to publish specific proposals as part of the process of opening and closing schools or making significant changes to existing schools. The proposals, first announced in September last year, are in response to an ongoing decline in the number of school-aged children observed  across London, which has led to 23% of the reception places in Hackney being unfilled in October 2024. Any person may object to or make comments on the proposals within four weeks of the date of their publication by:visiting the websiteemailing school.sufficiency@hackney.gov.uk, or writing to: School Sufficiency & Estates Team, Hackney Council - Hackney Service Centre, 1 Hillman Street, London, E8 1DYThe last date for receiving responses is 5 March 2025, 5 pm.Final decisions will be made by the Council’s Cabinet in April 2025. If the decision is to proceed, the proposed changes would take effect on 31 August 2025.

Partners from across the Hackney community have reiterated their commitment to working together to tackle knife crime and serious violence following the Hackney Anti-Knife Crime Summit held at Hackney Town Hall.The aim of the summit was to reassure Hackney communities about the strong partnership in place to tackle knife crime, gang activity, and serious violence, with peaches from Mayor of Hackney, Caroline Woodley, and Deputy Mayor of London for Policing and Crime, Kaya Comer-Schwartz, recognising the importance of partnership working. It also served as a platform for community members and partners to share their ideas and views on future plans to tackle serious violence in the borough. Representatives from the Council, police and local organisations share their recent successes that have helped drive down knife crime with injury by nearly 15% and violence with injury by nearly 16% over the last twelve months.That includes a project to improve Gilpin Square in Lower Clapton by addressing visible signs of crime and antisocial behaviour to discourage further law-breaking, which has been praised in a report that suggests the model could be used for other neighbourhoods.The Council also led an innovative programme of increased outreach, support, enforcement and educational workshops to prevent knife crime and knife-enabled robberies last autumn.The summit was an opportunity for organisations making a big difference in keeping young people away from serious violence, such as Mentivation, the Wickers Charity and Salaam Peace, to share their successes.Find out more about the Council's approach to tackling serious violence at: hackney.gov.uk/serious-violence-support

Struggling Hackney residents will continue to get a reduction of up to 90% on their Council Tax bill after the Council agreed to maintain vital support for households on low incomes.Under plans agreed by the Council’s Cabinet this week, in advance of agreeing the Council’s 2025-26 budget next month, working-age residents will see their bills continue to be reduced by up to 90% from April 2025.That’s despite huge financial pressures facing all local authorities, which means Hackney Council will need to make significant savings to balance its budget and has left other authorities considering reductions in Council Tax support.Currently more than 17,000 households claim help paying their Council Tax in Hackney, with discounts assessed through a means-tested scheme.  The Council has also confirmed that owners of second homes – homes that are used periodically rather than as a main residence – will have their Council Tax bills doubled from April 2025. Last year, it introduced double Council Tax bills for the owners of any home that has sat empty for at least 12 months.To find out more about financial support with paying Council Tax, visit: hackney.gov.uk/council-tax-reduction-claimTo find out if you’re getting the financial help you’re entitled to, visit: hackney.gov.uk/here-to-helpThe Council will continue to pay 100% of Council Tax for eligible pensioners and for foster carers. 

A new centre for people in Hackney from east and south-east Asian countries has opened in Dalston, thanks to Council investment of more than £2 million.The organisation, formerly known as Hackney Chinese Community Services (HCCS), moved to the Old Baths site in Englefield Road from London Fields – where it had been based since the 1980s. HCCS was first set up to support settlers from Hong Kong, China and Vietnam and, after more than 35 years, has moved to the much larger site, which was previously occupied by the An Viet Foundation, a hub for Vietnamese families which disbanded in 2017.Plans to relocate the organisation began seven years ago and involved many challenges – including close work with an architect to restore, repair and improve the Old Baths building -– and higher costs during Covid-19. As well as the £2 million from the Council, around £600,000 of funding for the restoration was provided by the Greater London Authority’s ‘Good Growth Fund’, as well as the centre’s own crowdfunding projects.An official launch of the centre will take place in late April.Join Lunar New Year celebrations at the centre on Sunday 2 February between 10am and 5pm, including live performances, food and drink, market stalls and workshops.Hackney residents are also invited to attend the annual Lunar New Year Celebrations at Hackney Bridge hosted by carnival group Jun Mo Generation, taking place on Saturday 8 February, 1-4pm. Expect a vibrant celebration of Hackney’s East Asian communities and cultures, featuring dance performances, live music, Chinese Dragons, family workshops, and food on sale from Hackney Bridge food stalls.