Hackney Council

Stories of resilience and marginalised voices fighting for space will come to life this LGBT History Month at Hackney Museum on 28 February, with spoken word and live performance.

The event is part of ‘Resilient and Resisting’ an artist-led project, where LGBTQI+ sex workers, squatters and activists share their stories of fighting for equality and physical spaces to exist as a community.

Attendees to the event will hear readings from the project and be able to take these stories away in the form of a zine, a type of booklet which creates a space for marginalised voices to be heard.

Historically LGBTQI+ people have fought for spaces to exist, for equal rights and places to be themselves. This event looks at how queer people have created, fought and made safe spaces for LGBTQI+ communities to exist and how as cities change these subversive spaces are often lost and unrecorded.

Artist Jet Moon, who leads the project, said: “The stories of ‘Resilient and Resisting’ are lively first-hand accounts of how people have created places of belonging and founded communities. Hackney histories from queer squatters, the early rave scene, coming out stories, glimpses into forbidden clubs, workers rights campaigns, and how it feels to fit and not fit in, all the ways that personal struggles for belonging add to the rich mix of big city life ”

‘Resilient and Resisting’ is a collaborative project between individuals and artist/activist Jet Moon, produced with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Arcola Participation.

The event at Hackney Museum is part of LGBT History Month celebrations. For more info visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/233575330854606/?ti=icl

Hackney Museum is also looking to increase its archive of artefacts associated with LGBTQI+ history in the borough. If you have a donation you would like to make to the museum archive, email hmuseum@hackney.gov.uk; or call: 020 8356 2509.

From tigers that come to tea, to wizarding wanderers, this World Book Day on 7 March, children across Hackney will be dressing up as their favorite fictional characters.

To encourage even more young people to fall in love with reading, on the day, Hackney Libraries are giving away free book vouchers, hosting a talk and book giveaway with author Davina Hamilton, and holding book inspired craft workshops for those aged 4-11 years old.

Now in its 22nd year, World Book Day is a celebration of reading that aims to ensure everyone under 18 is able to have a book of their own and learn how to access free books at their local library. The theme of this year's day is #ShareAStory where children will be encouraged to read for 10 minutes to their friends, family and parents to highlight the importance of reading together.

For more information on your local library, including opening times, visit www.hackney.gov.uk/Libraries, call 020 8356 2539 or follow @HackneyLibs on Twitter and Facebook.

World Book Day Events Thursday 7 March

Visitors to any of Hackney Libraries can pick up free copies of the world book day books or book tokens throughout the day.

Hackney Central Library

Author Davina Hamilton will be holding an event for a local school, where she will be reading from her book ‘Riley Can Be Anything’ and answering children’s questions about what it's like to be an author.

Homerton Library

3.30-5pm

Create and share a story together as a family. Learn how to come up with your own story and different ways you can share it with your friends.

Dalston CLR James Library

4-5.30pm

Join Art Hoppers in a book inspired craft workshop where you can recreate your favorite fictional scenes and read out segments of your favorite books using handmade paper dolls.

Stamford Hill Library

4-5.30pm

Join Art Hoppers in a book inspired craft workshop where you can recreate your favorite fictional scenes and read out segments of your favorite books using handmade paper dolls.

Following last week’s fire in the health suite at Britannia Leisure Centre, all testing and repair work to the Centre’s communal areas, pools, gym, studio, squash courts and sports hall is now complete. These parts of the building will open at 8am this Saturday 16 February, with only the health suite remaining closed.

The Council’s health and safety team are still carrying out an investigation in Britannia’s health suite, supported by forensic investigators, to help determine the cause of the fire and what action may need to be taken to minimise the risk of something like this happening again.

Your library service is improving, from 4 March library users in the borough, alongside 16 other local authorities in the Libraries Consortium, will have access to a new and improved digital platform.

The self service library machines will be out of order for a short period while updates are made, please go to the counter during this time where a member of staff can help you. To allow for the new system to be fully implemented all libraries will also be closed in the morning until 1pm on Thursday 7 March, after which normal opening hours will resume.

As part of the changes all alerts for Hackney Libraries, such as overdue notices and reservations, will be sent out electronically either by text or email. This mean that reminder letters, which currently cost the Council £5,000 per year, will no longer be sent out. Instead these funds will now be reinvested back into the borough’s libraries.

Ahead of the system update the libraries service is asking residents to make sure their contact information is up to date to ensure they are receiving library alerts. Users can do this by logging into their account via the libraries website or by speaking to a member of staff.

Update your contact information and find out more by visiting:

www.hackney.gov.uk/Libraries

The Hackney Fairtrade group is calling on all chocolate lovers to think more about where their treats come from this Fairtrade Fortnight, as part of a nationwide campaign to ensure cocoa farmers are paid a fair wage.

The group is holding a screening of the documentary ‘The Chocolate Case’, hosting pop-up stalls on the Narrow Way, as well as setting up a free chocolate fountain at the Hackney Service Centre for residents to taste fairtrade chocolate. These events will help residents learn more about the cocoa industry and their power as consumers in making changes to communities worldwide by switching to fairtrade products.

To achieve a living income, cocoa farmers in West Africa need to earn £1.86 per day, while most are typically earning only 74p. This means almost all cocoa farmers in West Africa are living in poverty.

For female farmers the picture is even worse, often having fewer rights than men, and as well as planting and harvesting crops have to also look after children, cook and clean for families and transport the cocoa beans to market. According to statistics from the World Cocoa Foundation, in agriculture and in general, women perform 66 % of the world’s work, produce 50% of the food, but only manage 10% of the income and only own 1% of the property.

To change this, the Fairtrade Foundation is leading a nationwide campaign across fairtrade fortnight, which runs from 25 February to 10 March. To increase awareness among consumers on the things they buy. This year the initiative is looking at the chocolate industry and how female agricultural workers are particularly affected by unfair farming practices.

Fairtrade is about ensuring a better deal for producers in developing countries and making sure they get a good price for a good product. Buying Fairtrade products is the most significant way to help boost the economies of these communities. Consumers can make a real difference to the lives of producers and their families by simply swapping some of the items they buy every day for those bearing the Fairtrade mark.

Hackney is a Fairtrade borough and has hosted Fairtrade events for the last 12 years, with the Hackney Fairtrade Group operating since 2008 to promote this ethos to local businesses and organisations, and help influence where they get their supplies.

For more information visit www.hackney.gov.uk/Fairtrade or follow @fairtradehackne on Twitter.

Events

Hackney Fairtrade Fortnight launch

Wednesday 27 February, 11-1pm

Hackney Service Centre cafe, 1 Hillman Street, E8 1DY.

Calling all chocolate fans! Dip fairtrade fruit into a fairtrade chocolate, speak to members of Fairtrade Hackney and find out more about the campaign to ensure that cocoa farmers are paid fairly for their work and are able to live a dignified life.

The Chocolate Case screening

Friday 1 March, doors open at 7pm

St Paul’s Church, Stoke Newington Road, N16 7UY.

A short film screening of the documentary 'The Chocolate Case' - which uncovers child slavery used in the chocolate industry. Hosted by Fairtrade Hackney and Sustainable Hackney, attendees can learn more about the campaign to ensure that cocoa farmers are paid fairly for their work and are able to live a dignified life.

Hackney Fairtrade pop-up stall

Saturday 2 and Saturday 9 March, 11-4pm

St Augustine’s Sq, Narrow Way, E8 1EA.

To celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight, Hackney Fairtrade will be running two pop-up stalls where families can get involved in free, fun activities such as crafts, chocolate tasting and football skills with fairtrade footballs.

​Hackney Fairtrade are also working on a campaign to get Mare Street officially recognised as the first Fairtrade street in Britain. This would mean over 50% of businesses on the street would need to sell at least one Fairtrade product or stock Fairtrade tea and coffee for their staff. To find out more, or to get involved email fair.trade@hackney.gov.uk.

Hackney Council’s Public Health team will be carrying out a survey with 1,000 residents across the borough aged 16 plus between February and March, to get an updated picture of people’s health and wellbeing.

Researchers will be carrying out a door-to-door survey to ask residents questions about how much physical activity they carry out, their diet, smoking and drinking habits, their mental health and general wellbeing and their awareness of certain public health services.

The 2019 Resident Health and Wellbeing survey will give Hackney’s Public Health team in-depth information about people’s health to ensure local services consider people’s needs. The range of questions cover the multi-faceted nature of health as defined by the World Health Organisation.*

The last Resident Health and Wellbeing survey took place in 2015 where 1,000 residents aged 16 plus, were surveyed giving information about their lifestyle and behaviour.

Researchers ensure the people being surveyed reflect the age, gender, broad ethnic group and employment status of residents living across the borough in order to make the findings as representative as possible of the population.

The Britannia Leisure Centre remains closed after a fire in its health suite on Monday.

All customers were successfully evacuated from the building, but the fire, which started at around 5.15pm, caused significant damage to the health suite and put the Centre’s electrical systems out of action.

Despite water and smoke damage to some other parts of the building, the pools, gym, studio, squash courts and sports hall were largely undamaged.

Repair, engineering and testing work to get the building’s systems operational again is well underway, with the Council expected to announce a reopening date for the pools, gym, studio, squash courts and sports hall next week.

All Britannia Leisure Centre members can use any other Better-run leisure centre in Hackney while the Leisure Centre remains closed.

As part of the Council’s annual budget setting process, councillors will be asked to consider proposals to increase Hackney’s Council Tax by 4.99%, to ensure essential services can be delivered in the face of ongoing Central Government cuts.

The increase - which will be voted on at a meeting on 27 February - will add 92p a week to the average Band C Council Tax bill in Hackney, and will raise an extra £3.8m a year to help fund services across the Council. We expect even after this rise, Hackney’s Council Tax will be the ninth lowest in London.

For more information on Council Tax, the Budget and the financial pressures facing the Council visit www.hackney.gov.uk/budget

Do you know an unsung hero whose achievements are helping make Hackney a better place to live, study or work? Then we want to hear about them.

Make a nomination to the fourth ‘I Love Hackney’ Mayor’s Civic Awards, and help recognise, celebrate and reward the special people of our borough.

Perhaps you know someone who has gone above and beyond the call of duty in the community? Somebody who has overcome an extraordinary difficulty; a fabulous volunteer, carer or community leader? If you know an individual that has gone the extra mile for their neighbors then we want to hear their story.

Nominees for the civic awards can be of any age and from any background. However, if you are nominating who is under 18, please make sure you have a parent’s or guardian's permission to do so.

The winners from last year’s awards were Barbara Layne a local befriender, Ngozi Headley-Fulani founder of domestic violence shelter Sistah Space, and Salmah Kansara a charity worker.

All nominations will be considered by a panel of judges.

Please submit your nominations by filling in the online form. Or you can pick up an application form at Hackney Town Hall and libraries across the borough and post it to: Tara Hudson, Hackney Town Hall, Mare Street. E8 1EA, or send via email to tara.hudson@hackney.gov.uk.

Nominations close on Tuesday, 2 April.

The winners will be announced at the Council’s AGM on 22 May, where they will receive trophies and certificates.

The Mayor of Hackney helped construction teams start work on dozens of new genuinely affordable Council homes to replace an abandoned pub and block of ageing bedsits.

Philip Glanville joined apprentice assistant site manager Micah Senior to mark the beginning of building work on the Frampton Park Estate, where the long-closed former Frampton Arms pub and Well Street’s Lyttleton House are making way for 10 new Council homes for social rent and 25 for shared ownership.

New landscaping, play areas, waste and recycling improvements and cycle storage facilities will also be provided as part of the work, which also includes 10 homes for outright sale to help cover the cost of building new social housing.

These projects are part of plans to build nearly 2,000 new homes, three schools and a leisure centre that the Council will deliver itself between 2018 and 2022 – with more than half of the new housing for genuinely affordable social rent and shared ownership.

The pub, on the corner of Well Street and Frampton Park Road, closed in 2002 and was demolished in 2012. Lyttelton House, a small block of six bedsits that didn't meet modern standards, was demolished in 2018. Work on the new homes is set to be completed next year.

Mayor Glanville joined builders to put together one of the first vertical steel columns on the project.

The Council will shortly start consultation with residents on proposals to transform two other underused sites on the estate – the Frampton Park Community Hall and the garages next to Tradescant House – into around 60 more new homes, with around two-thirds for social rent and shared ownership.

For more information, visit the Hackney is Building pages or the Frampton Park page. 

Cllr Jon Burke, Hackney Council Cabinet Member for Energy, Sustainability and Community Services, provides an update on yesterday's fire at the Britannia Leisure Centre. 

A photography exhibit showcasing Hackney’s working class history has opened at Hackney Museum this week.

The display,’Another Time, Another Place: Hackney in the 70s and 80s’ is a selection of photographs taken by Neil Martinson. The photos show Hackney’s working lives, protests, children and young people, homelessness, Jewish life, street markets and street scenes.

Speaking about what motivated him to take pictures, Neil Martinson said: “A lot of the motivation was a sense that there’s a whole history of working class people that had never been talked about or recorded, that was important.”

Neil Martinson, whose work has appeared in the National Portrait Gallery, started taking pictures when he was a pupil at Hackney Downs School. Using a camera he bought after saving up money from his Saturday job at a shop in Stoke Newington.

The photographs will be on display at the Museum until 13 July 2019. There will be two evening talks with the artist on 7 and 21 March between 6.30-7.45pm. To book your place please search for Hackney Museum on Eventbrite.

For more information on Hackney Museum including opening hours visit: www.hackney.gov.uk/museum or follow @HackneyMuseum on instagram, twitter and facebook.

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Arriva Rail’s proposals to close ticket offices on the London Overground are ‘unacceptable’, according to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Hackney in a letter sent to Transport Secretary Chris Grayling yesterday.

The proposed closures would leave all Overground stations in Hackney without a ticket office, and could deprive passengers of important information and assistance points.

In the letter (viewable in the 'downloads' section in the right hand bar of this page), the Mayor, Philip Glanville, and Deputy Mayor, Cllr Feryal Demirci, said:

“In an inner-London borough that is already facing significant cuts to our TfL bus services, as well as few Underground stations to begin with, we consider these proposals unacceptable. The improvements and increase in passenger numbers on the Overground seen in recent years in Hackney has been built on investment, but also the confidence passengers have in these ticket offices and proper levels of staffing.

“The proposals are also full of assumptions and little detail, including the staffing of Overground stations and peak and off-peak periods. There is no information to suggest at what times the stations might have more staff nor overall staffing levels if these changes were implemented.”

While the London Overground franchise is awarded by Transport for London, the decision to agree to the closure of ticket offices rests with the Department for Transport under its responsibility for ticketing at National Rail stations.

Helping local families find housing, setting up Kosher businesses, and making sure there is community support for those with medical needs.

These are just some of the stories heard first hand from the Orthodox Jewish pioneers of Stamford Hill. Which are captured in a new display that opened at Hackney Archives this month. 

Created by young women from the Charedi Orthodox community group Teen Action, ‘Sharing Our Stories: Jewish Stamford Hill 1950s-1980s’ features stories, objects and photos of businesses and community groups that have had a big impact on Stamford Hill during that time.

Stamford Hill is now home to Europe’s largest Charedi community with an estimated 20,000 people. Many Orthodox Jewish people who arrived to the Hackney area post WWII were instrumental in setting up the community as we know it today. Many local schools, organisations and businesses were built up by these pioneers.

Young people from the group Teen Action wanted to share this unknown history and help other young people gain an appreciation for the older generation and this heritage. As well as learning more about their local community, this Heritage Lottery funded project supported by Hackney Archives and Hackney Museum, has seen the group of young Charedi women trained in heritage skills including researching archive collections, filming and editing oral history interviews, and creating an exhibition of their own design.

Ruchi, 18, a member of Teen Action, said: "I learnt to appreciate older people, and that they have a lot to offer. I also learnt a lot about heritage. I know about the special people in our community and all the pioneers who established Stamford Hill and helped it become the wonderful place it has come to be."

The display is on at Hackney Archives in Dalston CLR James Library until 29 March 2019. To find out more including opening times please visit www.hackney.gov.uk/archives or follow Hackney Archives on social media.

A bus and a Tube train have been squeezed inside Hackney Museum as part of an annual scheme that teaches children how to make better choices in a range of scenarios.

The Junior Citizenship Scheme, now in its 12th year, teaches pupils aged 10 and 11 from over 50 Hackney schools important skills, to help them become more independent as they prepare for the transition to secondary school.

Activities were brought to life with models and backdrops, and the children’s interest was sustained thanks to the energy of speakers from a range of agencies. Amongst other things the youngsters learnt about waiting safely for buses and trains, recognising sugary drinks, dealing with peer pressure, using 11-15 Oyster Zip cards and what to do and who to contact in case of an emergency.

Jayden, 11, from St Scholastica’s Primary School said: “It’s been really fun and really good in helping me learn about keeping safe when I’m getting to school. It also makes me think more about how I can help other people, especially in the street to help stop other people getting hurt.”

Keira Cullen, Year 6 teacher from Queensbridge Primary School said: “We’ve been coming for three years now, as it's such a great scheme to get children ready for secondary school. The day also supports our PSHE and citizenship lessons, helping our children learn and develop new skills.”

This annual event is coordinated by the TfL Safety and Citizenship Team from London Transport Museum in partnership with Hackney Museum. The Hackney Junior Citizenship Scheme invites every school across the borough including SEN and independent schools and regularly benefits around 2,500 children.

As well as various teams across the Council, including Road Safety, Health and Well-Being team, Substance Misuse and Prevention, and Young Hackney, other organisations involved included Blue Cross Animal Charity, Transport for London's Safety and Citizenship team, London Fire Brigade, and police officers from the Safer Schools and Transport Teams.

Owners of empty homes will be forced to pay double their Council Tax bill under plans approved by councillors this week.

The Empty Property Council Tax Premium will see homes which have been empty for two years or more charged extra. There are currently 419 properties which would qualify for the Premium, which will raise an additional £200,000 a year.

The decision follows a change in government legislation which allows councils to increase the premium from 50% to 100% if they wish.

The extra income will help to fund vital Council services, helping to plug the gap left by government funding cuts. Since 2010, the government has cut Hackney’s grant by nearly half - £140m - and by 2022/23 it will have cut a further £30m, while demand for services is increasing all the time.

The decision was agreed as part of the Council Tax Base and Local Business Rate Income report at Wednesday’s Council meeting.

The Council will set its budget, including the rate of Council Tax for 2019/20 on 27 February.

For information about renting your property, please contact the Housing Supply Team on 020 8356 4411.

The Council operates the outdoor Ridley Road street market and we have pledged to protect and improve it. It is an essential, diverse and historic part of Dalston’s culture, and we are determined to be a champion for it.

Last month, we announced that together with the Mayor of London, we will invest more than £1million into Ridley Road to help existing traders compete with a changing high street. This work could give traders new facilities and provide more pedestrianised spaces for shoppers to browse their stalls – all while preserving its unique character.

We have no intention of closing Ridley Road Market down – or changing its character. We want it to continue to be successful, bringing people from different backgrounds together at the heart of the community.

Our dedicated Markets team works across the borough with traders associations to deliver and promote successful street markets. This has seen them grow by 14% since last year, with an extra 455 traders operating across our street markets, which now host more than 4,000 traders a month.

Ridley Road Shopping Village

This building, a neighbouring indoor market, is operated by a private company and we do not own or control it. The owners have submitted a planning application to convert and extend this building into new homes, retail and employment space, but it has not yet been considered by the Council’s Planning Committee.

Last year, the police issued a Community Protection Notice to the management company of the Shopping Village instructing them to install things like CCTV to support crime prevention and ensure fire exits were not blocked.

However, they chose to close the market early ahead of the owners’ planned refurbishment, and issued eviction notices to tenants. Mayor Philip Glanville and Cllr Guy Nicholson, Cabinet Member for Planning, Business and Investment, met with the owners of the building to set out the Council’s concerns. This intervention meant the traders and tenants of the studios above the market were given an extended deadline to acquire legal advice and sign a six-month lease, and the owners agreed not to close the Shopping Village.

We have also stepped in to support affected traders, offering them a fast-tracked stall on the outdoor market it operates or other retail premises if more appropriate.

The Council’s independent Planning team will continue to scrutinise the owners’ planning application as part of the planning process, to ensure it complies with the borough’s planning rules. The owners have confirmed that traders will be able to stay well into this year, with the potential to secure a longer term lease in the renovated building, with similar affordable provision.

A changing Dalston

We know that many people may see this as further evidence of a changing Dalston, with new businesses, people and buildings. We agree. That’s why we launched the Dalston Conversation in September to get the ambitions of local people for the future, and what they’d like the Council’s priorities to be.

Dalston has seen a transformation in the last 5-10 years, but we are determined that new buildings and private investment don’t put Dalston’s character and heritage at risk.

We can’t control all change, but we don’t believe it should come at the expense of existing communities and the things you value. We think it should also mean a better town centre, streets and public spaces, better access to jobs and employment opportunities, and better facilities for local residents and businesses.

Protecting and improving Ridley Road Market was our first pledge, and we’re already delivering on it by investing money in new facilities. Our other pledges are:

✔ Be a champion for existing business and culture

✔ Deliver affordable spaces for local businesses

✔ Secure the future of the Eastern Curve Garden

✔ Be honest about plans for the future

✔ Use your feedback to shape change

✔ Keep and promote diverse shops, restaurants and nightlife

If you’re passionate about Dalston and retaining its unique character, take part and tell us what you think we should be focussing on.

The Mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville, explains the financial challenges facing the Council and looks ahead to the 2019/20 budget:

As councils across the country finalise their budgets for the upcoming financial year, you will once again be hearing about the tough decisions being made by councils as cuts from Central Government continue to bite.

Since 2010, the Government has cut Hackney’s grant by £140m - that’s nearly half of our external funding. In terms of our overall spending power, we’ve lost around £529 per head - the highest loss of any London borough.

While Ministers might like using the soundbite ‘austerity is over’, for local government this still couldn’t be further from the truth, and by 2022/23 they will have cut a further £30m from our budget, while demand for our services is increasing all the time. We will keep up the pressure for proper funding for our services, but that doesn’t mean we can duck the difficult decisions.

Protecting the frontline services that our residents rely on has always been our priority, whether that’s support for vulnerable children and adults, waste collections or maintaining our parks and libraries. We’ve tried to manage this huge challenge by, among other things, reducing management and back office staff, investing in services to reduce costs in the long term, bringing services back in house and renegotiating contracts. We’ve also increased the amount we raise through renting out commercial property, which now generates £7m a year for council services.

During that time we have also stuck to our values fighting against huge business rate rises and bringing in the London Living Wage for all our staff and contractors, while creating a new Hackney Apprenticeship programme for local residents.

After a decade-long freeze, we first took the difficult decision to increase Council Tax from 2016, and expect to do so again this year. This is always a difficult decision to make, because while this raises valuable funds to keep services running, we know that many of our residents are feeling the pinch too, and we want to keep your bills as low as possible. Hackney continues have one of the lowest Council Tax bills in London - this year it was the ninth cheapest out of the 32 boroughs.

Over the next few years, we will have some tough choices about how to spend our shrinking funds, and we will involve you in this process. But despite the ongoing pressures, this year’s budget is ambitious, and will see us prioritise not only the services you tell us you value, but also invest in a wide range of services, from social housing and youth clubs to our Hackney Works employment service and affordable work space for local businesses. Our 2019/20 budget will aim to make sure that Hackney continues to be a place for everyone, investing in the borough’s future and helping all of our residents access the opportunities and benefits that Hackney’s growth brings.

By investing now, we are investing in the future, to build more resilient, supportive communities, so fewer people need to rely on our services as money continues to get tighter in the years ahead.

I look forward to sharing more details about the Budget in the coming weeks, before it is debated at our Council meeting on 27 February. In the meantime, as ever, I welcome your thoughts and feedback - you can contact me via email: mayor@hackney.gov.uk

The Hackney Young Futures Commission, a major project aimed at amplifying the voice of young people in the borough, was launched this month at Stoke Newington School.

Deputy Mayor Bramble and Cllr Selman spoke to year 11 students at a school assembly on 23 January, to launch the project and speak to young people about their experiences of growing up in Hackney.

The Commission will hear evidence over the course of a year about the lived experience of young people in Hackney, to make sure young people’s voices are heard, by the Council and by its partners.

Deputy Mayor Anntoinette Bramble said: “The Commission is going to be run by young people, for young people, in order for them to be at the heart of Hackney policy making, where will not only listen but provide a framework for that to happen. Young people will be able to see how their voice is not only heard but makes a difference.

“It is only with direct knowledge of young people’s experiences that we will be best placed to tackle the inequalities that are preventing them from getting the best start in life, that’s why the work of the Young Futures Commission is so important.”

Chaired by young people, over the next two years the Commission will be looking into the experiences of those in Hackney under 25, how they view the borough, what challenges they face, and how they feel about local services.

Hackney Young Futures will be independent of the Council, but will be organised and accountable to it. The commission board is made up of young people themselves, community representatives, academic partners, those from the voluntary sector and councillors. The project will be supported by a major youth engagement exercise to get views from hundreds of local young people, which will start in spring.

The first meeting of the Hackney Young Futures Commission is set for February, with a borough wide youth engagement programme starting in schools, youth hubs and in communities from Spring. Follow @younghackney on social media for updates or go online to find out more at: www.hackney.gov.uk/young-futures.