Welcome to Hackney Green Party!


Hackney Greens are a friendly group of Hackney residents who work together to represent the Green agenda in Hackney. We are an entirely voluntary organisation with no full time staff. The more of us who get involved, the more we can do – everyone is welcome to help us campaign for a fairer, sustainable society.

Find out how you can help by:

  • Latest News

    Market fees & charges consultation responses sought

    Cllr Zoë Garbett in Ridley Road Market

    From Councillor Zoë Garbett:

    Street markets are a vital part of Hackney’s past, present and future. Street markets provide low-cost and culturally specific items as well as being vibrant places for socialising and community connection. Street markets are made what they are by the traders who work in them who are able to work as independent, sole traders. 

    Hackney Council are currently consulting on their market fees and charges - with drastic increases being proposed.

    Some traders need low fees and charges so that they can provide low-cost items to low-income communities. I’ve heard from traders that the proposed changes will make this really hard for them to do. 

    The council’s consultation is an opportunity for you to have your say by December 31st. The consultation has a very open question “Please let us know your comments on the proposed Hackney markets, street trading and shop front fees and charges?”

    We have complied some points below from discussions with market traders which you may like to feed into the consultation. Key points:

    • Waste collection charges are stated to have increased by over 140% - this is a huge increase and there is not enough information in the consultation to explain the reason for such a huge increase. I understand from traders that all alternatives have not been explored and that for markets such as Ridley Road, the number of traders producing a lot of waste (e.g. fruit & veg) has decreased - making it unclear why an increase in the charges for waste collection is necessary. The consultation should be halted until all options have been explored and detailed justification is provided for this increase. 
    • Plans to hand down electricity charges to traders - this is at the total price of £154,000, again there is little breakdown of how/where this energy is used - as I understand lights are only used in the winter months. We also need to see what steps have been taken to reduce energy consumption. 
    • Increased in storage chargers - the benchmarking shows that Hackney is the highest and not inline with other boroughs.
    • Some of the charges for council administration increase significantly - we need to see a breakdown of the council’s market team staffing & budget to fully understand activities to be able to judge whether these charges are fair. 
    • Introducing a late payment penalty - this is not in line with an ethical debt collection approach and therefore I do not support it. 

    Given the information above, I do not feel residents are able to make an informed decision about these charges and I also do not think there is enough information about what alternatives the council has explored to bring down costs. Therefore, the consultation should be paused until this information is provided. 

    To justify continued cuts and increases in charges, the Labour Council and Labour Government say there's no money left and tell stories of financial black holes. But there's plenty of money in our economy. This is why Greens are calling for a wealth tax to fund public services. A wealth tax of 1% annually should be levied on assets above £10 million and of 2% on assets above £1bn. Only a tiny minority of people would pay this tax. And could generate more than £50bn. I am taking a motion to Hackney Council to call on the Mayor of Hackney to push for the Labour Government to stop pursuing austerity and implement a wealth tax to fund public services. 

    You have until December 31st to have your say on the Market Fees & Charges. You can access the consultation here: https://consultation.hackney.gov.uk/parking-markets/fac25-26/ 



     

     

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  • A Dangerous Decision: Hackney Council’s Missed Opportunity on Pembury Circus

    Pembury Circus. Photograph: Hackney Council

    Last Monday’s decision by Hackney Council’s Scrutiny Panel to dismiss our call-in on the Pembury Circus redevelopment is a profound disappointment and a significant missed opportunity. Despite our compelling case, backed by expert opinion and residents who have traumatic experiences at this junction, the Panel chose to ignore serious concerns about safety, pedestrian access and inadequate cycling provisions, opting against a further independent assessment by Active Travel England, ultimately continuing with a flawed design that puts residents at continued risk.

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  • Upcoming events

    April Comedy Social

    Thursday, April 24, 2025 at 07:00 PM · 8 rsvps
    HWK Coffee & Cocktail Bar in United Kingdom

    F

     

    Free Comedy For April Social

    Why not come along and have a laugh? It makes everything feel so much better!

    More Info 2025-04-24 19:00:00 2025-04-24 22:00:00 Europe/London April Comedy Social HWK Coffee & Cocktail Bar, 29 White Post Lane London , E9 5EN, United Kingdom Add to Calendar

    Dalston Action Day - 26th April

    Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 11:00 AM · 7 rsvps
    CLR James Library, Dalston Square in London, United Kingdom

    Come & join us in Dalston as we head out into the ward to knock on doors and tell residents about the great work our Green team have lined up for Hackney in 2025!

    We will meet outside CLR James Library (on Dalston Square) at 11am.

    During our action day, we knock on doors and speak to residents to get the word out about what Zoë, Alastair and Liam stand for and listen to their concerns and feedback.

    The team will provide a full briefing and training at the start of the event, and you'll be buddied up with someone experienced if you are relatively new. No need to prepare anything in advance, just bring yourself and some comfy shoes. 

    Send Alfred a message if you'd like to find out more before the event or if you have any access requirements. You an also email [email protected]

    We can't wait to see you 🌞

    More Info 2025-04-26 11:00:00 2025-04-26 13:00:00 Europe/London Dalston Action Day - 26th April CLR James Library, Dalston Square, Dalston Square E8 3BQ, London E8 3GQ, United Kingdom Add to Calendar
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