October Monthly Report 2025

HACKNEY'S HIDDEN GEM

Impact SOS 

Impact SOS is the perfect place to go for gifts which give back to good causes in Hackney and East London. 

And for one month only, it has opened a new pop-up store at BOXPARK Shoreditch (just turn left as you leave Shoreditch High Street station) to showcase products made by some of the grassroots groups it supports. It’s not just a shop but an immersive experience where you can learn about the great work of some really interesting groups including Herbal Hackney, Hackney Mosaic Project, and Threadheads. 

It’s the perfect place to buy presents and support a good cause. If you’re able to, do please pop along and see some of the excellent items and stories which show how Impact SOS is supporting grassroots changemakers and projects. It does this by linking them up with companies, councils, and individuals that want to support good local initiatives. The projects can be anything from food gardens, rooftop beehives, community saunas and everything else in between. But Impact SOS also go further by providing tools, technical know-how, to help these projects get off the ground. It then curates and shares some of its success stories, as well as future projects, in community magazines and now in the shop. All profits are reinvested to continue supporting Impact SOS’ mission. See here for further details. 

PARLIAMENT

Support for leaseholders 

If you are a leaseholder (and many people in Hackney are), it can be difficult to make your home more environmentally friendly without adding to your own charges or getting stuck in red tape. For example, trying to improve the environmental impact of your property by reducing energy use, installing electric vehicle charging points, or improving insulation can be seen as ‘betterment’. This means freeholders can charge an increased cost to a leaseholder for improving the land (even though it was the leaseholder the footed the bill for these works). I raised this with the Housing Minister, who has agreed to meet with me and local residents to discuss potential avenues to make it easier for everyone to do their bit for the environment. If you are struggling to make key changes as a leaseholder please get in touch. 

Health Secretary meeting 

Much has been done to improve productivity at Homerton Hospital over the last year: the hospital has delivered an 11.3 per cent productivity improvement in 2024/25, ranking the highest in London and fourth nationally. I met with the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, to highlight the work of the Homerton and press for funding to enable it to do even more to support patients.  

Digital ID 

The Government announced its proposal aimed at making proof of identity easier – a digital identification system. Currently many public services still require paper proof of name and address which can be cumbersome and, in an era when physical copies of utility bills are not something everyone can provide, this can create challenges. A number of services can already verify our identity with the Government Gateway ID. 

When I was a Home Office minister, I introduced non-mandatory ID cards, but this was repealed by the Conservatives in 2010. I am engaging with ministers, particularly on ensuring that anyone who is digitally excluded (or who doesn’t have a smartphone) is not disadvantaged, on the cost and planning of the programme, and that anyone can access public services without a digital ID (under previous policy there was no requirement to have an ID card or passport in order to access any public service). 

I raised my concerns about this ID being mandatory and the prospect of deepening digital exclusion with the Secretary of State – see here. She assured me that there will be time to prepare for the transition to using digital ID. 

Access to Work 

Hackney is home to the excellent Graeae Theatre, a trailblazer for making the arts accessible. I previously visited them and picked up concerns about the limit on Access to Work funding, which doesn’t always cover the full amount needed. I raised this with the Minister for Social Security and Disability, who assured me he will be considering this in his review of Access to Work in light of the consultation earlier this year. If you received support from Access to Work, do please get in touch. 

COMMITTEES

 The Budget 

The Treasury Committee began its series of sessions exploring options available to the Chancellor ahead of the Budget on 26 November. In the face of an uncertain global economy, it is vital that all possible avenues are considered to ensure that public money is stewarded as best as possible. This month we held sessions on gambling taxation and child poverty. See here to follow our work. 

HACKNEY

Too Good to Go 

Currently about 40 per cent of food is wasted, and in the UK, we throw away around 12.5 million tonnes of food each year - a huge economic and environmental cost to businesses and residents. Shoreditch-based social impact company, Too Good To Go, has made it their mission to tackle this issue and so far, have saved more than 400,000 million meals from going into the bin. 

I was pleased to welcome Too Good To Go to a reception in Parliament for the second year running. Minister for Nature, Mary Creagh spoke about the importance reducing food waste at a national level. It is always good to see Hackney leading the way on sustainability and protecting our planet. 

Greenhouse visit 

Alongside the Mayor of Hackney, I was pleased to welcome the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and the Minister for Homelessness, Alison McGovern, to the Greenhouse in Hackney to hear more about their work reducing homelessness. The Greenhouse is a centre where homeless people or those at risk of homelessness can access multiple services, including a GP surgery and housing advice, and is the first of its kind in London. The Greenhouse is pioneering in its holistic approach to supporting homeless people and it was great that they could feed in to the Minister’s work. 

Welcoming Mind to Hackney  

I had the privilege of opening the new offices for Mind in the City, Hackney and Waltham Forest’s new home in Haggerston. Mind is a community-focused charity offering a wide range of services to support people with mental health difficulties. I met with members of their team and am impressed by the positive outcomes of their work. I have highlighted their work with the Minister for Social Security and Disability as an excellent example of how community-oriented practices can work alongside existing health systems to bring about better outcomes for mental health patients, including helping people get in and stay in work.  

School visit  

It was good to visit Holy Trinity Primary School and give awards to pupils at their assembly. We talked about the role of an MP and discussed what they think needs to be done to improve Hackney. I also spoke to the Headteacher about the challenges of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) which the Government is currently considering how to improve. The SEND review will now be published in early 2026. See here for the Education Select Committee’s report on this issue, which the Government has welcomed. 

Frampton Park Baptist Church celebrations 

I was pleased to join the events celebrating the tenth anniversary of Frampton Park Baptist Chruch’s new building. Though the building is new, the community is not – Frampton Park Baptist has been serving Hackney for over 200 years, offering local residents of all faiths and none a space for rest, community and support. 

Borough Commander  

I met with Hackney’s Police Commander to discuss issues that constituents have raised with me on the doorstep, including antisocial behaviour and drug dealing. We also discussed the shocking documentary looking into the conduct of police officers at Charing Cross police station earlier this month. If you have concerns about any of these issues, please do get in touch. 

Black History in Hackney 

Hackney has long been a welcoming and diverse borough. It is important that we both celebrate our rich history and culture and acknowledge that we still have a way to go to secure justice and racial equity. Throughout October and November, Love Hackney are running a series of events - many of which are free - to commemorate Black History Season. From debates and seminars to creative workshops and performances, there really is something for everyone. See here for what’s on. 

HAVE YOUR SAY

The Government regularly consults on its policy proposals. Below are a few areas it is currently seeking opinions on. Click on each option to find out more and to share your thoughts. 

• Licensing reform – closes 6 November. 

• Warm Homes discount scheme – closes 20 November. 

• Pay in adult social care – closes 16 January. 

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 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 January. 

To apply for a tour, or be entered onto 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.