Towns twinned with Hackney

For over 60 years the council has built friendships and twinning arrangements with towns abroad. The earliest of these links began in the 1960s, when limited travel and the legacy of war made it valuable for local governments to promote the development of personal links between their citizens.

The council does not have an active role in managing the twinning links. They are self-sustaining based on the community connections that have built up over many years. The links are non-political, non-sectarian and multi-faith.

Hackney currently has 2 active twinning links.

Twinning links

Suresnes, France (1962)

The oldest of Hackney’s twinning relationships. Suresnes is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in Hauts-de-Seine, 9.3 km (5.8 mi) from the centre of Paris and had a population of 48,932 in 2022.

The twinning agreement was signed on 31 January 1962 (when Cllr Lou Sherman was Mayor). Council records state that Suresnes was selected because there are several similarities between the boroughs, for example both suburbs of capital cities, both with historic textile connections, both with working class and ethnic minority communities.

One of Hackney’s choral groups, the St John of Jerusalem Festival Chorus, has partnered the Chorale du Conservatoire de Suresnes (the choir of the Suresnes conservatoire) for several years, and there are also connections between rugby clubs in Hackney and Suresnes.

St George’s, Grenada (2003)

St George’s is the capital of Grenada, and a popular Caribbean tourist destination. The town is surrounded by a hillside of an old volcano crater and is on a horseshoe-shaped harbour. The population in 2012 was 33,734.

St George’s is Hackney’s most recent twinning partnership. A Declaration of Partnership was signed on 14 May 2003, by Speaker Sharon Patrick, this followed many years of informal exchanges and visits dating back to 1980. The links were established in recognition of the large Caribbean community in Hackney.

The town is home to St George’s University School of Medicine, and most twinning activity is through links with the Homerton Hospital in Hackney.

Inactive twinning links

The council also has formal twinning agreements with Haifa, Israel (1968), Gottingen, Germany (1973) and Bridgetown, Barbados (1982), although these are currently inactive.

The relationship with Haifa has in effect been dormant since the onset of the Covid pandemic, and the council will not engage in any twinning activity with Haifa whilst conflict is ongoing.

All twinning activity is community led, and activities such as exchange visits are funded by the organisations or individuals concerned. They are not subsidised by the council.

The council is open to considering future twinning relationships brought forward by the Hackney community, where meaningful and sustainable connections are in place between communities in Hackney and overseas.

For more information on twinning activities, contact the Speaker’s Office.