Leader – Community pillars
As worries mount for people across the borough, now is the time to build a strong support network
cost of living
‘Councils are haemorrhaging cycle training,’ instructors warn as they strike over pay
Campaigners have been staging protests outside Town Halls across London
Housing campaigner accuses council of ‘roping in tenants to collude in cutting services’ with online survey
Pat Turnbull criticises Town Hall questionnaire, which asks council tenants to prioritise services in order of importance
‘Duty of care’: Hackney Foodbank urges community to help fund holiday lunches for children in poverty
‘Ten pounds can fund lunch for one child for a week,’ says CEO Pat Fitzsimons
Four in 10 Londoners unable to ‘live with dignity’ amid ‘devastasting’ economic forces, report shows
Charity foundation finds ‘decent standard of living is just not possible for lots of people’
Food poverty causing ‘growing divide between haves and have-nots’ in Hackney, warns charity boss
Nicolette Nixon, who runs H.O.P.E. at Morningside, says staff are having to ‘make judgment calls’ over who receives support
International Women’s Day 2023: Hackney Foodbank pays tribute to inspirational local women and calls on government to fix ‘unfair system’
Charity appeals for improved maternity pay, benefits, and childcare costs on day of recognition for women’s achievements
Hackney Foodbank boss asks coronation revellers to ‘bear a thought for the malnourished’ and help tackle holiday hunger
Pat Fitzsimons urges anyone organising or attending a coronation event on 6 May to fund meals for children during summer half-term
‘Stupid waste of money’: Hackney Council’s £750 grants for coronation parties met with backlash from residents
‘I can think of at least 100 ways off the top of my head that would be a better use of this money,’ says former Green party election candidate
‘I don’t remember it ever being this bad’: Volunteers at Hackney Foodbank dealing with constant stream of visitors as residents struggle with financial pressures
Six-person team were kept on their feet when the Citizen visited one of the charity’s distribution sessions
Hackney food charity raises £5k through sales of its ‘delicious’ plant-based burger
Made In Hackney has teamed up with Fuller’s brewery, which has sold 10,000 of the burgers in its pubs and hotels
‘So much local support’: Teachers striking over pay force closure of 47 Hackney schools
‘Teachers have had enough of low pay and a lack of funding,’ says local union representative
Thousands of council tenants facing seven per cent rent hike as housing costs spiral
Town Hall asks residents for feedback on the planned increase by 17 February
‘Toughest time in living memory’: Hackney Foodbank launches emergency £100k appeal as it struggles to keep up with unprecedented demand
The charity is expecting to spend £125k on food this year – a figure that has risen from just £2k in 2017
Warming to the idea of heat exchanges: Residents donate winter fuel rebates to neighbours in need
Some people could get £1,000 in government help but cannot return it if they do not need the money
Council invites residents to donate coats at Hackney’s libraries – with winter swap scheme in ‘very high demand’
All seven public libraries have coats available to people in need of an extra layer