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April 2026 Monthly Report

  • May 1
  • 6 min read


HACKNEY'S HIDDEN GEM


Hackney’s outdoor gyms

As the sun comes out, more of us want to spend time outside enjoying the fresh air. Hackney Council has been prioritising residents’ health and wellbeing by investing in our parks and leisure spaces including in London Fields, tennis courts, and the BMX track in Haggerston. Hackney’s open spaces also host free-to-use outdoor gyms, so you can continue to soak in the sun while also keeping fit. Hackney Council has partnered with Our Parks UK to offer free exercise classes on Saturday mornings, including Boxfit classes on Mabley Green. See here to reserve your spot. To see what other sport and leisure facilities are available in Hackney, see here.


PARLIAMENT


Support for housebuilding in Hackney

On the doorstep I regularly hear and see the sharp end of Hackney’s housing crisis. Overcrowding for too many families as house prices and market rents are out of reach for too many households in Hackney. But Hackney Council is working hard to meet this need and is among the top ten councils in the country for council house building. It has already built or is building more than 950 new homes since May 2022 – for council rent, shared ownership, and council leasehold. And from today (1 May), the Renters’ Rights Act has come into force – protecting private renters from no-fault evictions and unfair rent increases. Legislation going through Parliament will also deliver a fairer deal for leaseholders starting with a cap on ground rents.


I raised Hackney’s housing need with the Prime Minister in Parliament, who recognised the urgency of building affordable housing in Hackney and recognised Hackney Council’s record on housebuilding.



Supporting young people into work

Young adults in Hackney face a number of pressures – the cost of housing, student loan repayments, and the threat of AI reducing the number of entry-level jobs. I am working on a number of issues around inter-generational fairness so that this generation, so vital to the future of our country, is supported. The Treasury Select Committee, which I chair, is looking at the student loan system – see here to follow our work. In Hackney I’ve been meeting businesses to discuss the impact of AI on jobs and our creative industries and how to ensure that AI can create opportunities for young people. That’s why I am so pleased to see the Government investing in jobs and apprenticeships for young people by providing £2000 to small businesses to hire apprentices. This is on top of the Youth Guarantee which pays businesses £3000 to take on under 25s who have been unemployed for 6 months or more. I pressed the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden, to make sure that these apprenticeships translate into stable jobs, giving our young workers the security they need.


Tackling fly tipping

The Government has introduced new powers to council to tackle fly tipping which so many residents raise with me as a concern. Councils can now get points added to the licence for fly tippers and repeated offenders can see their vehicles impounded and crushed. There is also support to install more CCTV to catch perpetrators. I recently met with waste minister Mary Creagh to tell her about the challenges Hackney faces.


COMMITTEES


AI in financial services

The Government responded to the Treasury Committee’s report raising concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in financial services. We were concerned that the Bank of England, the Financial Conduct Authority, and the Treasury were exposing the public and the financial system to potentially serious harm due to their positions on using AI in financial services. This is a fast-moving area and the Government has responded that it wants to see the safe adoption of AI in financial services (and not adoption at any cost). It is therefore welcome that the FCA has now partnered with eight companies (including Barclays and Lloyds banks) to trial AI applications in live conditions. The Bank of England has also set out how it is investing heavily in analysing the current and future risks of this technology in the financial system.


HACKNEY


Support for schools with falling rolls

Across London, primary schools are facing the challenge of falling admissions, and Hackney is one of the worst hit boroughs. Between 2025/26 and 2028/29, Hackney has a total forecasted drop of – 6.1% for Reception places and – 8.3% for Year 7 places. The pressures on housing for families and a falling birth rate means there are fewer children in the area – an issue that is affecting most inner London boroughs. Brexit and Covid also had an impact on where young families live. Funding for schools is usually based on pupil numbers, so there is a risk that falling rolls will impact the quality of provision schools are able to give their students. I raised my concerns about this with the Secretary of State for Education, who assured me that the Government is working on a framework to support councils as demographics and demand for school places change, without compromising on quality of education. She rightly pointed out the urgency of building more affordable housing to support families to stay in the borough and in our schools.


Accessibility at Dalston Kingsland

On the doorstep of Ridley Road Market, Dalston Kingsland is one of the only stations on the Mildmay line without a lift. Councillor Grace Adebayo, Mayor Caroline Woodley and I have long been campaigning for the installation of a lift, to make our station and the area around it accessible for all. This month I welcomed the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, to Dalston Kingsland to see the station for herself and to press for further action.


Lime bikes

I recently met with Lime to highlight my ongoing concerns about speed of bikes and enforcement of road rules for users. Electric bikes (and Voi has recently started operating in Hackney too) have a maximum speed of 15.5 miles per hour. Speed restrictions are applied in parks and open spaces but many residents are still concerned about pavement cyclists and speed on the roads.


Hackney Council has negotiated a cut price deal (see here) for Hackney residents to use Lime bikes as part of the contract to provide bike bays in the borough. Many residents love using them to get around but it’s important that cyclists obey the rules of the road so our streets are accessible to all.


SEND reforms

Every child deserves to be supported into education and opportunity in a way that takes their unique needs into account. But I’ve been hearing for many years from parents and schools that right now, the current system of support for children with special educational needs and disabilities is not functioning as well as it could be. That’s why the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, has been engaging with teachers, parents, children, and experts to hear their concerns and inform her proposals to bring about reform for our children and schools.


The Government has already been investing in early support for neurodivergent children through the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme. It has committed £9.5 million to continue the programme, which trains teachers to recognise neurodiversity and support their students better. Several schools in Hackney benefit from PINs, including London Fields Primary and Thomas Fairchild Community School in Hoxton.


And as part of the Government's commitment to making our schools inclusive, Hackney Council has also been allocated £3 million to deliver more school places for children with SEND, making sure they are given the right support, earlier, and more effectively.


The Government has published guidance explaining how the policies might change, which can be found here. A consultation on all the proposals can be found here, please do share your views. It closes on 18 May.    


HAVE YOUR SAY


The Government and other bodies regularly consult on policy proposals. Below are a few areas that are open for consultation. Click on each option to find out more and to share your thoughts.



HOW TO CONTACT ME


Via email on meg.hillier.mp@parliament.uk or you can call me on 020 7219 5325. The main phone line is open Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm.


Visiting Parliament and Prime Minister’s Questions

Tours of the Houses of Parliament can be arranged for groups of up to 20 people. Tours last up to 75 minutes and start between 9am and 12pm Monday to Wednesday, and between 9am-1:30pm and 3.30pm-5pm on Fridays.


MPs are allocated a small number of tickets for tours of Big Ben. I operate a ballot for these four times a year. The next ballot is for tours in the autumn.


MPs are also given a very limited number of tickets for Prime Minister’s Questions. I operate a ballot system each month. The ballot is now open to attend PMQs in July.


To apply for a tour, or be entered into the ballot, please send your name, and full postal address (you must live in Hackney South and Shoreditch) to meg.hillier.mp@parliament.uk. 


If you would like to enter the PMQs ballot, please also supply a contact number.     


It is easier to arrange viewing tickets for other departmental question times or debates. To see what's on click here.  

 

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