Ramadan provides us with an opportunity to reflect on our blessings and to think of those in difficult circumstances, and to come together as a community.
I know this Ramadan will be particularly difficult for many of you due to the tragic earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
My thoughts are particularly with communities who have lost loved ones in the earthquakes. Too many lives have been lost and too many families have been left without a home.
My office will be shut over the Christmas period from 1pm on Friday 23 December and will re-open on Tuesday 3 January. During that time my emails and phones will not be monitored daily.
For urgent assistance, please see below for a list of services that should be able to offer assistance.
I hope you all have a safe festive period.
Council services
Merry Christmas, and a happy festive period, to everyone in Hackney.
Small Business Saturday will take place this year on 3 December. This is an opportunity to give our support the many excellent small businesses that serve our community.
Job Title: Parliamentary Assistant
Working For: Dame Meg Hillier MP (Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Location: London
Salary: In line with IPSA pay scales
Dame Meg Hillier MP is seeking a Parliamentary Assistant to join her Westminster office.
Families and businesses are facing eye-watering increases in their energy bills. But, unlike households, there is no price cap at all for businesses. This means that local small businesses are facing crippling energy costs now. The hospitality sector is particularly hard hit as, after the COVID-19 pandemic, some energy suppliers are refusing to supply to hospitality businesses. It means the pool of potential energy suppliers for hospitality businesses is even smaller.
There have been a number of incidents of bike theft in Hackney recently. In some cases, cyclists are being targeted while cycling high-end bikes. Hackney is one of the top areas in the country for commuter cycling with 12 per cent of Hackney adults cycling at least five times a week. It is vital that people are not put off cycling.
Hackney families are struggling amidst a cost-of-living crisis that is spiralling out of control.
Bills are shooting up to eye-watering levels and the Government is asleep at the wheel. It does not understand the reality of people’s lives and the scale of the intervention that is required. This is a Conservative Party and a Government that’s lost control.
A number of constituents have contacted me about the high cost of energy for residents of buildings with communal heating systems. Their contracts with energy companies are classed as commercial and so are not subject to the Energy Price Cap, leaving residents with soaring energy prices.
As part of my ongoing campaign to improve outcomes for black women in maternal health, I wrote to the North East London Health and Care Partnership (NEL HCP) to ask what it is doing locally to improve outcomes for black mothers. I have now received a response, which can be accessed by clicking on the link below. I am pleased to see that the NEL HCP is planning to set up a local Equality and Equity subgroup to focus on this important issue. I will follow its progress closely.