About Hackney

WORKING TOGETHER FOR A BETTER HACKNEY

Hackney has changed beyond measure over the past 20 years, and the new 2021 Census data is showing that our borough continues to change. Hackney is an incredible place, and we are confident that however our borough changes, it will still be the heart of London; diverse, vibrant, creative, exciting and adaptable. We want to ensure that as a Council we make the most of all of our collective talents and efforts and that we remain focused on our ambition for the borough and for our residents, no matter what we face together.

The Strategic Plan, ‘Working Together for a Better Hackney’, sets out the ambitions for the Council for the next four years, as well as the challenges we face, and describes how we need to respond and change, working with residents, businesses and partners. The Strategic Plan is framed by the new priorities for the elected Mayor of Hackney and reflects the 2022-2026 Manifesto commitments of the elected Labour administration. The commitments are underpinned by the Council’s corporate values and the priorities it has identified for change. We are in one of the most difficult times in post war memory; the Covid-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated the deep social inequalities both in our wider society and also in our borough. The Council was the victim of a severe criminal cyber attack which disrupted many of its services and further eroded the Councils financial position. Staff responded to both these unexpected challenges with professionalism, creativity and resilience but it came at a cost stretching all to their limits. At the same time we accelerated our efforts to work towards becoming not just a more inclusive Council, but a proudly anti-racist organisation, as well as stepping up our response to the climate emergency.

To achieve this we need a leadership and workforce that is ambitious and pioneering, ready to adapt, learn new skills and deploy new ways of working and a Council behind them that ensures that the right support is in place to enable delivery. We will ensure we are ready to make our contribution to tackling the climate emergency whilst accelerating our use of data and new technologies to shape services. Creating new partnerships to deliver quality services for residents and reduce inequality in our community and at a challenging time with rising prices hitting households and businesses alike. We have an important role to play in supporting local businesses to deliver post pandemic economic recovery and meet the challenges created by inflation. But our support will be there to do it in a way that builds community wealth and makes the borough a greener and fairer place. As a leading public institution in Hackney, we can use our assets and our buying power to benefit both residents and local businesses, and this Strategic Plan puts in place the foundations for other stakeholders and public sector partners to join us. By working together we can maximise the benefit of our collective resources and develop a truly sustainable, inclusive and circular economy.

The Local context

Hackney’s population has increased by 5.3%, from around 246,300 in 2011 to 259,200 in 2021. This is lower than we expected and lower than the overall increase for England (6.6%). This is likely to be because the Census data was collected during the Covid pandemic and we expect it to be higher now. – The 25-49 age group makes up almost half the borough at 48% of the total population with 30% being under 25. Hackney’s older population will be the group who increase the most - we expect the group who are over 65 years old to increase from 21,105 to 32,249 by 2037.

Hackney is the third most densely populated of London’s 33 local authority areas

Economy

Hackney has experienced rapid economic growth. Our business base has more than doubled since 2010, when we had 10,450 businesses, to 22,560 businesses in 2019. – The vast majority of our businesses (99.8%) count as small and medium size businesses which means they have less than 250 employees (ONS Business Register 2019). – Nationally 72% of businesses reported they had some form of concern for their business for October 2022 (ONS Business Survey).

VISION FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS

Working together with our communities and our partners to tackle the unprecedented challenges that we face, we will make transformational change, we will co-produce and co-design solutions with residents, we will campaign for a better deal for Hackney; we will deliver outstanding public services; we will drive a fairer economic recovery; and we will make a better Hackney for everyone who lives and works here.

WORKING TOGETHER FOR A FAIRER, SAFER HACKNEY

We will tackle inequality through poverty reduction, and antiracism, providing at least 1000 more Council homes as we improve standards of our existing homes, and creating pathways into decent jobs. We will improve our customer services. We will create safe, vibrant, and successful town centres and neighbourhoods and foster strong, cohesive communities and a more inclusive economy.

WORKING TOGETHER FOR A GREENER, HEALTHIER HACKNEY

We will continue to lead the way in the fight against climate change, working towards a net zero Hackney, with cleaner air, less motor traffic, and more liveable neighbourhoods. We will transform adult and children’s social care, tackle physical and mental health inequalities and continue to support, value, and give voice to our older and disabled residents.

WORKING TOGETHER FOR EVERY CHILD IN HACKNEY

We will work to ensure every child and young person in Hackney has the best start in life; shaping a more inclusive and high-performing education system, maintaining our early years and youth services, keeping children safe and investing in their mental health and well-being, providing access to outstanding play, culture, and sport, and opportunities; tackling child poverty, and supporting those families who need us most.