‘Groundbreaking’ community alliance launches to ‘campaign for political alternative’ in Hackney

Hackney Independent Socialist Collective candidates and Zoë Garbett of the Hackney Greens. Photograph: HISC

Hackney Independent Socialist Collective (HISC) is joining forces with four other organisations to form the Hackney Community Alliance (HCA).

HISC — which last month became the newest political party to launch in the borough — will join forces with the Hackney Greens, the Kurdish and Turkish Electoral Alternative, Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century (rs21) and the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) to “campaign for a political alternative” as a unified group.

To celebrate, the HCA is hosting a launch event where it will outline its purpose and next steps. The event will also feature a Q&A session with Hackney Greens’ mayoral candidate, London Assembly member Zoë Garbett, who is also a councillor for Dalston ward.

Garbett told the Citizen: “In a polarised political climate that increasingly pits communities against one another, while Westminster claims austerity is over yet councils are still left struggling to keep basic services afloat, building unity locally and from the bottom up is vital.

“The Hackney Community Alliance brings together groups and organisations to find common ground and campaign together on the issues that matter to people in Hackney, including protecting migrants and minorities, opposing war and imperialism, confronting the housing crisis, defending public services, and challenging the austerity that continues to be driven top-down from central government onto local councils.

“I’m pleased to be speaking at the launch and grateful to be backed by the HCA as the Green candidate for Mayor of Hackney, offering a clear political alternative ahead of the May 2026 local elections.”

It comes after HISC officially registered as a political party in December 2025, making it one of the UK’s newest.

It is currently represented at Hackney Town Hall by Fliss Premru for Clissold ward, as well as Claudia Turbet-Delof and Penny Wrout for Victoria ward.

At the local elections in May, HISC will put forward three new candidates: Alana Heaney and Heather Mendick in Homerton and Sarah Byrne in London Fields.

Announcing the news on X, the party said: “Hackney Independent Socialists is now a political party. Our name and logo will be on ballots in May — giving Hackney a socialist choice.”

HISC also said it had established a ‘groundbreaking collaboration’ with the Greens in Hackney.

In a previous interview with the Citizen, Mendick said fixing Hackney’s housing crisis was the Party’s top priority for 2026.

Around 8,500 households are currently on the waiting list for social housing in the borough and property prices are more than seven times higher than they were just 20 years ago. 

“Housing is at the top of the list,” Mendick said. “Looking after the council housing we have and building more council housing [is our aim].”

The group in its current form was established after three former Hackney Labour councillors resigned in May 2024, citing that they had found it “increasingly difficult” to work with the party.

The group’s founding statement reads: “We have established this independent group of now former Hackney Labour councillors to campaign for residents by promoting policies to reduce poverty and inequality and improve the health and well-being of the borough.

“We have found it increasingly difficult to work in Hackney Labour Group, which is stifled by a lack of internal democracy, transparency and scrutiny and by an absence of progressive thinking at national leadership level.”

The Hackney Community Alliance launch event takes place from 2pm until 5pm on Saturday, 24 January at Pembury Community Centre, 1 Atkins Square, Dalston Lane, E8 1FA.

Note: This article was updated at 1.42pm on 23 January 2026 to include a comment from Zoë Garbett.