The Hackney Council Cabinet met on 22 September 2025, and among the decisions made, they approved a new Tenancy Management Housing Policy, adopted the Hackney Ways of Working proposals, and approved a series of capital projects, including improvements to Morningside School and Hackney Town Hall. They also discussed the council's overall financial position, with a reported overspend of £9.787m.

Here's a more detailed look at the key discussion points:

• Leading Hackney: Future Organisation
• 2025/26 Overall Financial Position
• Capital Update and Property Disposals and Acquisitions
• Tenancy Management Housing Policy
• Vacant Properties on the De Beauvoir Estate Deputation
• Appointments to School Governing Bodies

Leading Hackney: Future Organisation

The Cabinet approved the Hackney Ways of Working proposals outlined in report CED S483 Leading Hackney: Future Organisation. These proposals aim to reshape how the council operates to improve outcomes for residents and strengthen financial sustainability. The proposals are projected to deliver £12.638m in savings.

The council's vision is to work alongside communities and partners to tackle inequality and injustice, ensuring everyone can live a good life. To achieve this, seven key capabilities and ways of working will be embedded:

• Early intervention and prevention
• Neighbourhoods
• Resident Experience
• Service Delivery
• Enterprising services
• Strategic Asset management
• Strategic and Enabling Services

The proposals include a workforce programme that aims to reduce costs, improve service outcomes and support a more sustainable and high-performing workforce. The programme prioritises reducing agency spend, improving productivity by reducing sickness absence, and rationalising management layers and spans of control.

The Cabinet also approved a plan to consolidate teams across strategic and enabling services to improve consistency, efficiency and strategic alignment.

Overall Financial Position

The Cabinet reviewed the 2025/26 Overall Financial Position as of July 2025, noting a forecast overspend of £9.787m. Councillor Robert Chapman, Cabinet Member for Finance, Insourcing and Customer Service, highlighted that this overspend was due to pressures in providing essential services to vulnerable residents, particularly in homelessness, and health and care plans.

The main areas of overspend are:

• Children's and Education - £3.4m, primarily in Hackney Education, due to increased costs for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP), early years services, and home-to-school SEND transport.
• Adults, Health and Integration - £3.5m, primarily in care support commissioning, with smaller overspends in mental health and provided services.
• Climate, Homes and Economy - £2m, primarily in environmental services, a shortfall of income in Streetscene, and pressures in Benefits.
• Finance & Corporate Resources - £1m, primarily in Revenues Administration

The Cabinet approved General Fund and Housing Revenue Account (HRA) savings outlined in Appendix 1 - Savings Appendix for July OFP.

The report also noted initiatives to mitigate the overspend, including the establishment of a Budget Recovery Board, a CLT Resources Approval Panel, an HRA Finance Improvement Panel, and an Adult Social Care Finance Improvement Panel.

Capital Update and Property Disposals and Acquisitions

The Cabinet considered the Capital Update and Property Disposals and Acquisitions Report. Decisions included:

• Approving a scheme for the Children and Education Directorate, allocating £1,200k in 2026/27 for the Morningside School Windows Project to replace end-of-life windows.
• Approving a scheme for the Finance and Corporate Resources Directorate, allocating £525k (£380k in 2025/26 and £145k in 2026/27) for the Hackney Website Replatforming and Redesign project.
• Approving a scheme for the Finance and Corporate Resources Directorate, allocating £500k in 2025/26 to replace the Audio Visual (AV) equipment in the Hackney Town Hall Council Chamber and Committee Rooms 1 and 2.
• Approving a scheme for the Climate, Homes & Economy Directorate, allocating £2,090k in 2025/26 to fund year one of the three-year Local Implementation Plan (LIP) Delivery Plan 2025/26 - 2027/28.
• Approving the grant of leases for 3 Pedro Street and 175 Rushmore Rd, to The Pedro Club, for terms of up to 30 years.

Tenancy Management Housing Policy

The Cabinet approved the Tenancy Management Housing Policy, as detailed in report CHE S605 and Appendix 1 - Tenancy Management Policy - Hackney v1 draft. The policy aims to provide an efficient and effective Tenancy Management service that complies with current Tenancy and Regulatory Law. It outlines the different types of tenancies offered, how they are managed, and how they are ended.

The policy is informed by Hackney Council's Housing Services values:

• Acting fairly and with respect
• Easy to do business with
• Keeping people safe
• Keeping our promises
• Anti-racist

The policy also incorporates the Supporting Residents with Additional Needs to Thrive policy.

De Beauvoir Estate Deputation

The Cabinet received a deputation regarding vacant properties on the De Beauvoir Estate, specifically in Benyon Court, St Martin's Court, and St Aubin's. The deputation, led by Laurence Windle and Kelly O'Neill and introduced by Councillor Jasmin Martins, urged the council to take immediate action to bring these empty homes back into use to address the housing crisis.

Appointments to School Governing Bodies

The Cabinet approved the following appointments to local authority governing bodies:

• Andre Deen-Swaray to the Governing Body of Stormont House Special School, effective 30 September 2025.
• Soraya Adejare to the Governing Body of Parkwood Primary School, effective 30 September 2025.
• Eleanor Schooling to the Management Committee of New Regents College, effective 30 September 2025.