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Posts by Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter

‘Not your typical high street’ – residents express concern over new Aldi on Hackney Road

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter | Wednesday 3 December 2025 at 11:27
Aldi in London

A group of locals have said they are ‘extremely worried’ about the plans

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Council’s call for rent controls ‘would not lead to the skies collapsing’

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter | Friday 28 November 2025 at 18:38
Sam Pallis

Labour-run Hackney Council said the government needs to go further than Renters Rights Bill by empowering it to cap private rents

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‘We’re being pushed to outskirts of our borough’ – residents slam LTNs in calls for ‘key roads’ to be reopened

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter | Thursday 20 November 2025 at 16:01

More than 1,500 people have signed a petition criticising Hackney Council for following “urban theory and not real life” when establishing its 19 LTNs.

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Landlord ordered to repay tenants £11,000 of rent after failed court bid

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter | Thursday 13 November 2025 at 14:21

Joseph Campbell was taken to court by his former tenants and was found to be running an unlicensed HMO.

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Hackney Green mayoral candidate calls to ‘break up the Met’ following report into ‘systemic’ racism

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter | Thursday 13 November 2025 at 10:32
Zoë Garbett

Green councillor Zoë Garbett called for the Met’s directorates to be separated and for London residents to “rethink how we keep each other safe.”

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Town Hall pays resident £1k after stopping care payments without back-up plan

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter | Wednesday 12 November 2025 at 09:13
Hackney Town Hall

Council apologises to vulnerable woman for causing distress in ‘complex case’

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Hackney Council set to spend nearly £40m on agency staff

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter | Wednesday 12 November 2025 at 09:13

The Town Hall has cut expenditure on temporary staff since last year, but admits to ongoing recruitment challenges

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Hackney residents slam landlord’s plan for two large HMOs

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter | Tuesday 11 November 2025 at 10:49

Council rejects seven- and nine-bedroom shared homes following complaints from neighbours and politicians

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Empty primary school poised to reopen as specialist facility for SEND children

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter | Tuesday 11 November 2025 at 10:34

Baden Powell school was closed by the council last year due to falling pupil numbers

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Hackney couple could end up paying more in service charges despite High Court victory

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter | Thursday 6 November 2025 at 10:52

John and Adenike Williams were previously awarded £20,000 in damages by Hackney Council for wrongly placing their children in foster care

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Hackney Co-op slammed for damp and mould failures as Awaab’s Law comes into force

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter | Tuesday 4 November 2025 at 14:52
Richard Blakeway

Housing Ombudsman says his latest report shows the need for a new law requiring landlords to fix hazards sooner

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‘It’s not f***ing okay’ – Tempers flare at council debate over Hackney’s ‘ties’ with Israel

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter | Monday 27 October 2025 at 11:49
Protestors outside Hackney Town Hall

The council has faced pressure from Green party and Independent Socialist councillors to end its twinning relationship with Haifa, but Hackney Labour party has accused its opponents of political game-playing

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Council chief executive hauled in front of judge as resident alleges contempt of court

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter | Friday 24 October 2025 at 23:26
The Clerkenwell and Shoreditch County Court and Family Court at the Gee Street Courthouse

A Hackney leaseholder alleges the council has breached a court-ordered deadline to complete works on his property in a long-running legal disrepair case

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‘Beautiful Gothic Dalston school shut last year – we want to turn it into art and music space’

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter | Friday 24 October 2025 at 12:49
The Grade-II listed Colvestone School was built in 1862

Hackney Council listed Colvestone Primary School as an Asset of Community Value after shuttering it in 2024

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‘Speechless’: Council tells NHS staff to stop writing letters in support of SEND families

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter | Friday 24 October 2025 at 12:21
Erik's mother Niki said the council's medical teams had downplayed his special needs

Hackney parents whose children have special educational needs and disabilities say they are shocked by the request seen in leaked emails

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Ridley Road traders warn rent rise will force them out

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter | Friday 24 October 2025 at 10:53
Debbie Wilkins and Scott Lomax

Worries that proposals to raise licence fees could force them out for good

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Popular Hackney venue teases plenty more gigs as council backs 5am closing time

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter | Thursday 9 October 2025 at 11:52
EartH has played host to multiple music and comedy acts since it opened in 2018

Director of music and comedy theatre Evolutionary Arts Hackney (EartH) in Hackney says later hours will put an end to its ‘hand-to-mouth’ existence and support its long-term survival

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Broken lifts, loss of hot water and overdue repairs: Hackney Council pays out ‘astonishing’ £572,000 in compensation

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter | Thursday 9 October 2025 at 10:49
Hackney Town Hall

Hackney councillor told officers she had gone two months without hot water in her housing block

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‘The spirit of a place’ – How Dalston painters and potters fought back to save studio block from closure

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter | Friday 19 September 2025 at 10:46
Painter Ansel Krut in his studio

Hackney Council moved to sell off Ashwin Street’s creative workspaces earlier this year, but artists have now bought the site after refusing to give up

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Council says ‘no hard plans’ to close nurseries this year after legal challenge

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter | Thursday 18 September 2025 at 18:22
Children's centres protest

Town Hall shelved plans to close two children’s centres, but questions linger over lessons learned from the debacle

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