Welcome to Hackney Green Party!


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

  • 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/ 



     

     

    Read More
  • 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.

    Read More
  • Upcoming events

    Green Action Day in Hackney Downs, 11am, Saturday 15th February

    Saturday, February 15, 2025 at 11:00 AM · 5 rsvps
    Green-friendly house! in United Kingdom

    Let's power through the final weeks of winter together!

    Let's take another step in turning Hackney Green 💚 with this sociable Green Action Day.

    💚 Meeting at 225 Evering Road, Hackney Downs at 11am on Saturday 15th February.💚

    Lunch provided at 1pm (veggie/vegan) to thank you for volunteering.

    For those who just can't stop - more door-knocking from 2pm!

    We will door-knock in pairs (for those who want to meet residents) - no experience is necessary and there's always an option to deliver leaflets in pairs.

    There will be full training provided and friendly Greens on hand to support every volunteer.

    This essential campaign activity gives us the best chance of getting more Green policies passed at Hackney council, and electing Green Councillors in local elections. The social, climate and ecological crises demands the need for Greens voices in the room. We need your help today.

    If not now, when?

    Please RSVP below. Feel free to bring along a friend or family too!

    More Info 2025-02-15 11:00:00 2025-02-15 13:00:00 Europe/London Green Action Day in Hackney Downs, 11am, Saturday 15th February Green-friendly house!, 225 Evening Rd, E5 8AB, United Kingdom Add to Calendar

    Stoke Newington Sunday Action Day!!

    Sunday, February 16, 2025 at 12:00 PM

     

    💚Stoke Newington Sunday Action Day!! 💚

    When: Sunday 16 Feburary, Afternoon: 12pm/Midday - 1.30pm

    Where: Abney Park, Stoke Newington High Street Entrance 

    We'll be engaging with residents and collecting casework for our Councillor Liam to take up.

    **You don't need to have done door-knocking before (in fact first-timers are so welcome!) you'll be buddied up and it's a great way to become more engaged in our community.


    We'll share our location with anyone running behind.

    More Info 2025-02-16 12:00:00 2025-02-16 13:30:00 Europe/London Stoke Newington Sunday Action Day!! Abney Park Stoke Newington High Street entrance , Stoke Newington High Street, London N16 0LH, United Kingdom Add to Calendar
    See all events