More on HACKNEY.GOV.UK

Subscribe to our newsletters

Sign up now for our email newsletter so you can read the latest updates and news from Hackney services

View calendar of meetings

Hackney residents are welcome to attend most council meetings to have their say

Find your councillor

Check which councillor covers your area and view their surgery times

The Mayor of Hackney

Philip Glanville was elected Mayor of Hackney in September 2016, becoming the borough's second directly elected Mayor.

Council news

Fairer, safer and more sustainable - Hackney Central plan approved

24th May 2023
A new vision informed by the views of thousands of local people will put cultural activities, wellbeing, jobs and climate initiatives at the heart of Hackney Central’s future after being approved by the Council.The Hackney Central Town Centre Strategy sets out a shared ten-year plan for a growing town centre expected to accommodate 1,000 new homes and 3,000 new jobs in the years ahead and see more than £19 million in Levelling Up Fund investment in public spaces and community facilities.The strategy creates a vision to “ensure this change makes the area fairer, safer and more sustainable, where everyone can expect a good quality of life, where we work together for the benefit of each other”.That ambition has been shaped by extensive engagement with residents and businesses in Hackney Central to ensure the local community is the first to benefit from this change and the area's unique character is protected. This included the Hackney Central Conversation, which saw 2,000 people share their priorities for the future of the area in 2019, more than 1,000 local people helping create the strategy, and the Hackney Central Community Panel.These ambitions will be kickstarted by £19 million in Levelling Up funding (LUF) - investment confirmed earlier this year and agreed by the Council in April, which includes plans to create a greener Hackney Central in a currently traffic dominated town centre, with some of the borough’s worst air quality and three of the borough’s most dangerous junctions. This funding will be invested in projects to improve streets and public spaces, reduce traffic and enhance heritage assets, including exploring plans to reduce traffic at Amhurst Road; redesign the dangerous Pembury Circus junction; create better public spaces at Hackney Town Hall Square and Bohemia Place, and provide a modern library facility and digital hub at Hackney Central library.The LUF projects sit alongside a wide range of other initiatives the Council is bringing forward in Hackney Central coordinated by the Town Centre Strategy; from developing Council owned land to working with partners to improve public transport accessibility to the town centre. Read more below. Any changes in Hackney Central will be developed and brought forward in partnership with the community, including the residents and businesses who will be most affected by these plans. The Council will ensure those local people who helped co-create the vision for Hackney Central will continue to drive its progress. As specific projects are developed, you can stay informed on how to get involved by signing up to the newsletter below.Find out moreWhat’s happening in Hackney CentralLevelling-up Hackney CentralSign up to the newsletter and get involved in the changes

Ukraine art on display as Hackney celebrates Ukrainian talent

23rd May 2023
A short season of events and exhibitions will showcase the work of Ukrainian artists, authors and musicians in Hackney, throughout June 2023. In response to the war in Ukraine, Hackney has welcomed many Ukrainians to the borough, through the Council’s Homes for Ukraine initiative.The  exhibition at the heart of the season is called Fragile Brutalism and explores the notion of home, by Ukrainian artists, Dasha Podoltseva and Elena Orap. The exhibition forms part of the London Festival of Architecture, a month-long celebration of architecture which aims to open up discussions around city design and promote new talent. The season will include a storytelling and craft workshop for families hosted by Ukrainian speaking library staff at Shoreditch Library.Ukraine season programme:Fragile Brutalism exhibition - Three artworks explore the notion of home, at De Beauvior Estate, on a billboard at Kingsland Road (junction with Enfield Road), and at 160 Old Street, from 12-30 June. Story-telling for children and poster-making - Children aged 5+ and their families are invited to take part in a celebration of Ukranian stories and a poster-making workshop exploring what ‘home’ means, at Shoreditch Library on 6 June, 4-5.30pm.(Un)Common trajectories: Post-war modernist housing in Ukraine and the UK - A discussion exploring the shared and divergent experiences of modernist social housing in the UK and Ukraine, including its history, present and possible future on 13 June, 6-9pm.Notions of home and loss in times of war and peace - An informal, drop-in community event with Ukrainian music and food to reflect on what is happening in Ukraine, and explore what ‘home’ means, how it feels to be confronted with the reality or threat of its loss, and what we share in terms of our ideas of home.As part of Refugee Week (19-25 June) Hackney Museum will also host a series of free school sessions for Hackney primary schools, exploring the stories of people who have been forced to leave their home and seek safety.Notes to editorsFor more information on all Ukraine season events go to: www.lovehackney.uk/ukraine-seasonMore information on the Fragile Brutalism events, part of the London Festival of Architecture, can be found here (13 June) and here (15 June). The work focuses on the importance and the fragility of home. The artists reflect on Ukrainian modernist prefabricated buildings known as "panelki", whose destruction has become a powerful symbol of the brutality endured by civilians during the Russian-Ukrainian war. The exhibition aims to encourage reflection on what we share across borders, when it comes to notions of home and the threat of its loss.More information on Refugee week can be found here. Hackney Museum will be marking the week with a series of free school sessions for Hackney primary schools, in which the personal stories of those forced to leave their home and seek safety will allow pupils to consider what they can do to make newcomers feel welcome.The Ukraine season project is supported by Hackney Council, School of Architecture and Cities (University of Westminster), Stephen Taylor Architects, MAPP, Old Street Partnership Ltd and Humdingers Catering.
A greener, healthier Hackney: climate action plan adopted
An ambitious new climate action plan that sets out how everyone in Hackney could tackle climate change and create a greener, healthier borough was adopted by the Council’s Cabinet last night.The climate action plan shows how businesses, organisations like the Council and the NHS, and local residents can work together to respond to climate change, reduce their impact on the planet and secure benefits for local people, like cleaner air, greener neighbourhoods and cheaper heating and electricity for the future.The plan sets out five themes that define the borough’s response to the climate emergency: Adaptation: Ensuring that Hackney is prepared for and resilient to the impacts of the climate emergency - like flooding or hot weather - protecting the most vulnerable residentsBuildings: Removing gas boilers, adding solar panels and decreasing energy use in the borough’s existing buildings and ensuring new buildings (where required) are fit for the future. This will help to reduce fuel poverty. Transport: Reducing emissions from transport, improving air quality and helping residents live active and healthy lifestyleConsumption: Changing what and how everyone in the borough buys, uses and sells, helping create a new green economy in HackneyEnvironmental quality: Maximising the potential for biodiversity in our green spaces, reducing pollution and helping local ecosystems thrive.Under each theme, the plan sets out goals and objectives for the borough that help guide how residents, businesses and organisations respond to the climate crisis.The plan also recognises the need to make sure the transition to a net zero society is a fair one by reducing inequalities and creating benefits such as improved air quality, better mental health, and biodiversity enhancement. Hundreds of people had their say on the draft climate action plan in autumn last year. Following consultation, the Council has reviewed all the consultation responses and made a number of changes to the climate action plan, including: Making some of its goals more specific and more collective, so they encompass what the whole borough needs to do and are less about the Council, unless it has sole responsibilityAdding some of the actions of what the Council will do in the next three years under each of the climate action plan’s themesOutlining the Council’s approach to meeting significant funding gaps in meeting some of the borough’s net zero commitmentsUnder each of its themes, the climate action plan sets a number of goals for the borough to be achieved by 2030. This will require significant changes in all of our behaviour, infrastructure, business models, and co-operation. These goals are ambitious, borough-wide and aligned with the Paris Agreement. Reaching these goals at a local level doesn’t rely on action by a single organisation, they are for everyone: residents, community groups and organisations, businesses and institutions. AdaptationLocal capacity built to adapt and respond to the impacts of climate change.Communities are protected from overheating, reducing the risk of extreme heat impacts on vulnerable groups and critical services.Flood risk is reduced and the existing drainage system is better managed to respond to extreme weather events.New planting in Hackney is resilient to a changing climate, and invasive species and new plant diseases are managed.BuildingsExisting buildings (public and private) have been retrofitted to average EPC B to minimise energy consumption and reduce levels of fuel poverty.63% of buildings (public and private) use low carbon heat sources such as district heat networks, heat pumps and electric heating.All buildings are maintained and refurbished to prolong their lifespans to at least 60 years, where appropriate. Where new buildings are needed, they are ultra-energy efficient and do not use fossil fuels, and they are made from low carbon and reused materials.80 MWp of solar panels and battery storage have been installed on the roofs of all possible buildings (public and private).TransportAt least 59% of journeys that start in Hackney are on foot or by bike, compared to 53% in 2020.Most petrol and diesel vehicles have been phased out: 64% of cars and 68% of vans on the road are battery-powered.Only 5% of trips that start in Hackney are by private car or motorbike, compared to 13% in 2020. Freight traffic is 10% lower than in 2019, with more alternative delivery models on the road – such as cargo bikes.Road space currently used for parking has been reduced to support the promotion of walking, cycling and climate resilience. ConsumptionResidents, businesses and partners make low carbon procurement choices contributing to a 2/3 reduction in average total national consumption emissions, with more products being repaired and reused to extend their useful life.Residents and businesses have actively reduced annual residual waste generation and there is increased participation in recycling and composting programmes, with avoidable food waste 50% less than in 2020. Healthy, plant-based diets are widespread, with reduced rates of food poverty. Half of residents’, partners’ and businesses’ pensions and investments in Hackney are fossil-free, and local wealth is distributed to local, sustainable and cooperatively-run projects.Environmental qualityThe association between inner-London living and poor air quality has been broken, with Hackney meeting World Health Organisation Air Quality targets.Significant ecological improvements have been achieved in all the areas identified in the Hackney Local Nature Recovery Plan.Water bodies in Hackney achieve ‘Good’ ecological status. Average water demand is reduced to 135 l/person/day, including reducing water lost through leaks by 22% compared to 2020.To find out more about the Council’s climate action plan, visit: https://hackney.gov.uk/rebuilding-a-greener-hackney 
23rd May 2023
Councillor Clayeon McKenzie, Cabinet Member for Housing Services and Resident Participation, provides an update on Hackney Council’s work to tackle damp and mould
Six months ago the Mayor set out our action plan outlining our commitment to redoubling our efforts to tackling damp and mould.We are fully aware of the impact damp and mould has on people’s lives and health. This is why we made a clear promise to improve our response to the issue - not just for the benefit of those living in Hackney Council homes, but also those living in the homes of other social landlords or those renting privately across the borough.Our pledge followed the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak from prolonged exposure to mould in his family home in Rochdale, which rightly brought the issue into even sharper focus. Damp and mould is an issue impacting all housing providers across the capital and the country as a whole. However, we are not letting that stand in the way of our efforts to ensure you have a safe, warm and decent place to call home.While there is still much more to do to achieve our ambitions and meet the targets we have set ourselves, we have already made strides towards our goal.So far under our plan we have:launched a new service in January speeding up our response to reports of leaks - with the target of visiting every leak reported by at least the end of the following day. Since it started, 1,130 emergency leak visits have been carried out in an average of 1.5 days. The number of emergency leaks reported has more than doubled compared to this time last year - and we are working towards ensuring we are able to respond to 80% of all reported leaks within our target from next month, including recruiting more plumberstaken steps to inspect around 75% of reports of damp and mould within our five working days target from next month. Since last year, we have had three times the number of reports of damp and mould and we are carrying out inspections on Saturday mornings and recruiting two new specialist officers to carry out the surveys to help towards achieving the inspection target.reevaluated the priority of all our disrepair cases and reports of damp and mould to prioritise any necessary work, taking account of the severity of each case and the age and health of the people living in the home.finalised plans to survey 20% of our homes this financial year to assess their condition, including specific assessments of damp and mould, prioritising blocks more likely to suffer from the issue.developed plans to boost our in-house repairs team from 159 officers to 170  - including a Disrepair and Damp & Mould Manager - to continue to enhance our overall repairs service.responded to more than 120 reports of damp and mould in privately rented homes since 1 December, with each report acted on within five days and enforcement notices served where the landlords failed to take steps to resolve the issue.invested £400,000 in additional officers to step up the number of inspections in the private rented sector – helping to tackle rogue landlords and ensure those privately renting secure the repairs needed to make their homes safe and free from damp and mould.informed the borough’s Tenant Management Organisations - who manage a third of the Council’s houses - of the priorities in our action plan, and we are setting up a workshop with them to discuss and agree roles and responsibilities in dealing with damp and mould so that no cases fall through the gaps between us.written to all housing associations across Hackney for information on the actions they are taking to tackle mould in their homes, and the Mayor is meeting with the Chief Executives on an ongoing basis to ensure they deliver on these.Tackling damp and mould is not a one-off promise or campaign - it’s a long term commitment. The steps we have already taken provide a firm foundation for us to continue to build on our work and achieve our ambitions for tackling the issue.Condensation is a key cause of damp and mould, and there are some simple steps people can take to help reduce its build up and support our efforts to tackle the issue.Keep your home:Clear of moisture - including covering boiling pans when cooking; closing doors to prevent steam escaping into other rooms when cooking, drying clothes, having a bath or shower; and wiping down any areas where there is a build up of moisture.Ventilated - including opening a window or using an extractor fan when cooking or washing; and not blocking air vents.Warm - including using draft proofing to keep heat in your home; and open doors to other rooms to allow the heat to circulate around your home.If anyone detects a leak, I would urge them to contact the repairs centre on 0208 356 3691 as soon as possible so a visit can be scheduled. If the call is outside of normal office hours it will be dealt with in the same way by the Council’s emergency repairs team.
22nd May 2023