Green Party leader Natalie Bennett is backing Hackney Green Party’s calls for Hackney Council to retract its proposals to impose fines of up to £1,000 on persistent rough sleepers and homeless people. The plans are included in the provisions of a Public Space Protection Order covering much of central and south Hackney.

Hackney Green Party is today calling on Hackney Council to rethink its proposals to fine persistent rough sleepers and other street people. These are included in the provisions of a Public Space Protection Order covering much of central and south Hackney.

• Number of Green Party councillors up to 166
• Green Party win 87 seats in English local council elections, bringing their total number of councillors to 166
• Greens now sit on 58 councils across England
• Greens gain 7 seats on Bristol Council
• Greens win seats for the first time on Bournemouth, Bath, North East Somerset, Forest of Dean, Lewes, Mendip and Warwick councils

Heather Finlay’s Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency voted the Greens into third place, with 14.6% of the vote share up from 4.6% at last election behind Conservatives 14.7%, Labour 63%.

"Hackney Council's election planning has been shambolic, to put it nicely," said Hackney Green Party in a statement today.