The agenda for this meeting is a mixture of local and national concerns, ranging from the appointment of new Councillors to positions on committees, to motions that are intended to bring national issues to the attention of the government. The meeting will also include deputations from members of the public.

Appointments to Committees and Commissions

Councillor Turbet-Delof will be added to the Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Commission.

Councillor Sharer will replace Councillor Krautwirt as a substitute member of the Planning Sub-Committee.

Councillor Steinberger will be added to the Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) ¹.

Appointments to Outside Bodies

The following Councillor nominations to Outside Bodies will be considered for agreement:

• Councillor Adejare to Finsbury Park Trust.
• Councillor Etti to Hackney Citizens Advice Bureau.
• Councillor Oguzkanli to Hackney Community Law Centre.
• Councillor Lucas to The Kench Hill Charity.

Council Taxbase and Local Business Rates Income 2025/26

A report from the Cabinet Member for Finance, Insourcing and Customer Service will include the proposed Council Tax Base for 2025/26, which is 78,754.1 Band D equivalent properties. This is based on an estimated collection rate of 94%.

The same report also estimates that non-domestic rating income for 2025/26 is £208,868,663, of which £77,052,987 will be paid to the Greater London Authority and £68,722,933 to central government. £63,092,743 will be retained by the Council.

The Council will rejoin the localised business rates pooling scheme in 2025/26.

This report also confirms the intent to levy the 100% council tax premium on second homes, from 1st April 2025. This measure was first agreed by the Cabinet in January 2024.

Gambling Act 2005 - Statement of Principles

A report pack including the Gambling Act 2005 - Statement of Principles 2025-2028 and a summary of the consultation on the statement will be provided to the attendees.

The Statement of Principles describes how the Council proposes to apply the Gambling Act 2005 in the borough over the next three years.

The report says:

In exercising most of its functions under the Act, the Licensing Authority must have regard to the licensing objectives. The licensing objectives are:

• preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder or being used to support crime
• ensuring that gambling is carried out in a fair and open way and
• protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.

The statement contains a number of policies, that are referred to in the statement as GLPs.

The report also refers to some of the key themes from the consultation. These include: concerns about the number of gambling premises in the borough; concerns about crime and antisocial behaviour associated with gambling premises; and scepticism about whether the Council will heed the consultation responses when making decisions about gambling.

Members' Allowances Scheme 2024/25

The report pack for this meeting includes the updated Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2024/25. It is proposed that allowances be increased by 2.5% to reflect the nationally agreed pay settlement for local government staff.

Gender and Ethnicity Pay Gap: Report of the Cabinet Member for Employment, Human Resources and Equalities

A report from the Cabinet Member for Employment, Human Resources and Equalities will include details of the Council's Gender and Ethnicity Pay Gaps for 2024.

The mean gender pay gap for 2024 is -4.70%, and the median is -3.02%. Both of these figures are in favour of women.

The report notes:

It is important to note that the pay gap does not indicate that women are paid more than men in any particular job. The Council operates a nationally recognised and equality-proofed pay and grading scheme and is confident that for the same job, men and women are paid equally.

The report pack includes the quartiles showing the proportion of men and women in four equal sized pay bands. The lower quartile shows that 58.05% of employees in the lowest pay band are men, compared to only 41.95% women.

The mean ethnicity pay gap for 2024 is 12.66%, and the median is 10.84%. Both of these figures are in favour of white employees. The report says:

The ethnicity pay gap shows that there is a pay gap in favour of white employees of 12.66% as measured by the mean and 10.84% as measured by the median.

The report pack includes the quartiles for the ethnicity pay gap. The lower quartile shows that 70.40% of employees in the lowest pay band are Black and Global Majority, compared to only 29.60% white employees.

The report pack also contains an update on the work the Council is undertaking to support equity in its workforce and within the community, including details of the 2024 Staff Survey.

Deputation: Addressing Housing Support for Families of Children with SEND

Niki Lampaski will lead a deputation on the topic of housing support for families of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The deputation says that families of children with SEND face systemic barriers in accessing appropriate housing in the borough. The document says that:

Despite lifelong disabilities and legal entitlements, we face systemic barriers in accessing appropriate housing, severely impacting our children’s health, development, and well-being.

The deputation is calling on the council to review their policies and provision for families of SEND children, to ensure that they fulfil the requirements of both the Children Act 1989 and the Equality Act 2010.

Deputation: St Mary's Secret Garden (SMSG) Volunteers - Key Stakeholders Going Forward

Nicholas Whitty and Kirsten Moore will lead a deputation on the topic of St Mary's Secret Garden (SMSG) ² in Haggerston.

The deputation will ask the Council to recognise the garden's volunteers as key stakeholders going forward, following the liquidation of the garden's managing charity.

The deputation will highlight the positive impact of the garden, as well as the large number of people who signed a petition to preserve the garden following the liquidation.

Green Group Motion: Support of a Wealth Tax to Fund Public Services

A motion from the Green Group proposes that the Council write to the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, urging the government to introduce a national wealth tax to:

bring the era of austerity to a close in the UK, by ensuring the financial wellbeing of the most deprived boroughs in the country including Hackney.

The motion notes the unequal distribution of wealth in the UK, and says that:

A wealth tax of 1% annually should be levied on assets above £10 million and of 2% on assets above £1bn.

Hackney Independent Socialists Group Motion: End the Hostile Environment Against Migrants

A motion from the Hackney Independent Socialists Group proposes that Hackney Council formally request that the Home Office end the hostile environment against migrants. The motion calls for the government to:

finally scrap and abolish all of the hostile environment policies that are affecting migrant residents, their children, families, carers, dependents and entire communities in Hackney and further afield.

The motion says that:

The previous Conservative Government introduced its Hostile Environment policies to deter migrants from coming to the UK, making life difficult for migrants already in the UK, especially those without a confirmed immigration status.

The motion calls for an end to the ‘Right to Rent’ and ‘Right to Work’ schemes, as well as the ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ (NRPF) condition.

The motion also calls on the government to review Home Office visa fees.

Green Group Motion: Opposing the Two Child Benefit Cap

A motion from the Green Group calls on the government to end the Two Child Benefit Cap. The motion says:

In April 2017, the Conservative government implemented a policy to restrict means-tested social security support to the first two children in a household (a ‘Two Child Benefit Cap’), for children born after 2017.

The motion goes on to say that the policy has pushed families with more than two children into poverty, particularly those from ethnic minorities.

The motion highlights Early Day Motion 1481 and a motion from the London Assembly, both opposing the Two Child Benefit Cap.

Green Group Motion: Call on the Government to Abolish Right to Buy Immediately

A motion from the Green Group proposes that the Council formally call on the government to abolish Right to Buy. The motion says:

The Mayor of Hackney must formally write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, as well as Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, calling on the new government to abolish the Right to Buy scheme immediately, in order to protect and preserve social housing stock for future generations

Green Group Motion: Support of the Plant Based Treaty

A motion from the Green Group proposes that the Council endorse the Plant Based Treaty. The motion notes the contribution of meat production to greenhouse gas emissions, and the Council's commitments on climate change. It says that:

Eleven per cent (11%) of Hackney’s total carbon emissions are from food and drink, of which the majority relates to meat production (over 63%), including farming machinery and processes to rear and transport animals.

The motion calls for the Council to transition to 100% plant-based food and drink at all of its events and meetings, and to encourage schools to implement at least two plant-based “Earth days” per week.

Labour Group Motion: Together Against Violence Towards Women and Girls (VAWG)

A motion from the Labour group calls on the Council to review its current commissioning practices for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) services. It says that:

We welcome the Government’s commitment to halve VAWG in the next decade. However, this bold ambition cannot be realised by the national government alone. We need action from Local Authorities, Police and Crime Commissioners to turn the tide on VAWG in our communities.

The motion notes the prevalence of domestic abuse, and highlights the work that Hackney Council is doing to address VAWG and domestic abuse.