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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.

Hackney residents can now book free cycle training thanks to a partnership between Hackney Council and e-bike operator Lime.One-to-one or small group sessions will be available to train up to 750 adults, delivered by Cycle Confident and funded by Lime. The two-hour sessions aim to help individuals and families of all abilities build up their skill levels and improve confidence when cycling around the borough.Lime is the largest bike-sharing operator in London and the only dockless e-bike scheme in Hackney. The free training has been secured by the Council as part of its commitment to ensuring local people benefit as much as possible from the scheme, improve rider behaviour and to reduce inconvenience to residents caused by improper use of dockless bikes. This also includes:Securing 50% discounts for eligible keyworkers, students, pensioners and people on benefits through Lime AccessMinimising the number of Lime bikes parked inappropriately by requiring users to park in one of 170 designated parking bays or face a fine Limiting e-bike speeds and parking in parks and shared public spaces to reduce the risk of injuriesIncreasing patrols at key locations, with Lime staff removing bikes left outside of baysAs a result of these measures, 92% of the more than 500,000 e-bikes journeys ending in Hackney each month between July and September last year saw e-bikes parked correctly.The Council is continuing to work with Lime in response to those that continue to park e-bikes in the wrong place, including providing 150 more parking bays to ensure users always have a safe and convenient place to park.To book a free training session, visit: Cycle Confident.

The Council’s Cabinet will meet later this month to decide whether to make changes to six Hackney primary schools. These proposals are in response to the significant and ongoing fall in pupil numbers over recent years that has a direct knock-on effect to school budgets, with many struggling to pay for all their expenses. Because schools are funded based on the number of pupils they have, the issue of falling rolls has meant they receive less funding. The Council’s Cabinet will consider recommendations to publish statutory notices on the following proposals:The closure of St Mary’s Church of England Primary School;The closure of St Dominic’s Catholic Primary School;The closure of Oldhill Community School, and the amalgamation (merger) of its pupils with those from nearby Harrington Hill Primary School. This includes plans to increase the number of places available at Harrington Hill, to accommodate the Oldhill pupils, and to add to Harrington Hill the special educational provision that was previously offered at Oldhill;   The closure of Sir Thomas Abney Primary School, and the amalgamation (merger) of its pupils with those from nearby Holmleigh Primary School. This includes plans to increase the number of places available at Holmleigh, to accommodate the Sir Thomas Abney pupils and to add to Holmleigh the special educational provision that was previously offered at Sir Thomas Abney. This will also require the relocation of Holmleigh School to the current Sir Thomas Abney site. The full recommendations can be accessed on the page of the Cabinet meeting, here.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. These proposals can be commented on or objected to during the statutory representation period.The proposals, announced in September last year, are in response to an ongoing decline in the number of school-aged children observed all across London, which led to 23% of the reception places in Hackney being unfilled in October 2024. Like many other local authorities, Hackney Council is facing enormous financial challenges, and has to make substantial savings to be able to continue to protect the borough’s most vulnerable residents. The Council cannot afford to financially support schools that are not sustainable, and has to continue to consider difficult decisions to make sure all our schools are fit for the future, and to protect the high quality education that Hackney is known for. Parents and carers, staff, and all others interested were able to share their views on the proposals, as part of a consultation that took place in October-November 2024. The feedback gathered during the consultation, together with other influencing factors and available data, has informed the final proposals included in the Cabinet reports. The Council’s Cabinet will meet to discuss the recommendations and make a decision on 27 January. If the Cabinet agrees with the recommendations, the council will publish statutory notices to inform all those interested, which will mark the start of a 28-day representation period, during which any person may object to or make comments on the proposals.  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.More details about the proposals can be found in the Cabinet reports, published on the Hackney Council website.

Caroline Woodley, the Mayor of Hackney, has welcomed confirmation of the Local Government Finance Settlement 2025/26, whilst highlighting it means the borough still faces tough decisions next year.