Hackney’s Labour Council have been complacent and slow to act

Hackney is a young borough.  At the last census, nearly half of our residents were under 30. It benefits people of all ages if Hackney’s children and young people can afford to make their lives here, and can access the support they need to thrive. 

We are far from that situation today: 64% of Hackney’s children live in income-deprived households. Many are growing up in damp, cramped housing and without enough food, causing enormous long-term damage to their physical and mental health.

Children and young people’s mental health is at an all-time low. The pressure on the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Hackney has never been greater. The Council has cut youth services to the bone and the closures of children’s centres and primary schools are damaging our communities. 

There have been high profile cases of inadequate safeguarding and Hackney failing young people with SEND. Schools should be safe and nurturing places but in many cases in Hackney they are creating and exacerbating problems. Data show that Hackney’s school exclusions were double the inner London average between 2016 and 2024. Young people from Black Caribbean heritage are around three times more likely to be excluded than their White British classmates, and children with SEND are three to five times more likely than others.

Academisation was early and rapid in Hackney, ushered in by a compliant Council. It has driven zero-tolerance regimes and exams-factory approaches to learning, which also contribute to a crisis in staff recruitment and retention. 

Fear of failure, coercion and humiliation have no place in our schools or communities. Yet the shameful treatment of Child Q and the December 2025 damning Local Child Safeguarding Review of Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy, conducted by City & Hackney Safeguarding Partnership, revealed they are an everyday experience for some. Global majority children, and those with disabilities and mental health concerns are impacted most.

Young people leaving education face poor job opportunities There are massive obstacles to entering employment, due to huge competition for insufficient apprenticeships and entry-level jobs. As a result, Hackney has among the highest rates in London of young people claiming Universal Credit. 

Socialist policies can restore hope to young people

Our society has abandoned younger generations. We know that the problems are structural. 

We’ll work alongside unions and community organisations to put pressure on central Government to invest in schools and to establish a better funding model for schools and children’s centres to avoid further closures. We will also campaign for an end to academisation and for all state schools to be fully accountable to local authorities and residents.

A key cause of young people’s mental health is the housing crisis.  A generation is being priced out of the communities where they grew up. They are forced to move miles away from their families, friends and social networks. In the section on housing, released next week, we outline how we will address that.

Hackney’s night life is closing down. Venues, clubs and pubs face restrictions and young people who are looking for energy, excitement and new music are seeking it out in South London. Clubs are not just places to drink and dance. They’re where all cultures come together, Black, White, Asian, queer, straight, trans and cis, to enjoy music. These venues are essential for the health of our community. As we outline in the section on A Cultural and Creative Hackney, we will do everything possible to support young people so that the Hackney music scene comes home.

Mental Health is our Human Right

The Council has been slow to act. It took an intervention by Hackney Independent Socialists, working with concerned parents, to trigger the Mossbourne review.

Hackney must be a borough that recognises Mental Health as our Human Right – the subject of the first motion one of our councillors, Claudia Turbet-Delof, brought to Council. Together, the three Hackney Independent Socialist councillors are pushing for systemic change to Hackney’s approach to school discipline, pressing for inclusion and for prioritising mental health.

What we’ll do if we run the council with the Greens after May

We want calm, friendly, respectful schools where everyone feels safe and able to learn and thrive. Hackney will join the national network of Emotionally Healthy Schools, working to embed social and emotional learning into the curriculum, replace harsh behaviour policies with restorative approaches, and use trauma-informed relationships policies and restorative practices which all pupils and staff can contribute to. We will ensure swift mental health support where needed. 

We’ll prioritise developing a kitemark-style system with schools and families which monitors schools and celebrates and supports those which prioritise wellbeing and inclusion over punishment and exclusion. We will use the Council’s education teams to ensure this does not increase the burden on already overstretched school staff. Data will be shared with Hackney families to help them choose the school that best suits their child. 

In addition, we will: 

• Ensure that Hackney implements all recommendations arising from the Child Safeguarding Review of Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy. 
• Work with schools, education unions and community organisations to ensure school exclusions are drastically reduced through close monitoring and public reporting of exclusion rates, with appropriate advice and interventions.
• Set up and support parent forums to offer support to families across the borough, including those with SEND and facing school exclusion.
• Develop existing anti-bullying practices in our schools and communities, ensuring young people are safe from bullying, racism, homophobia, transphobia and gender-based discrimination by providing free advice, support and resources.
• Ensure youth services and projects are given higher priority and recent council cuts to services are urgently reviewed.  We will platform young people’s voices on the causes of poor mental health in Hackney, and how to meet their needs.
• Increase the number of apprenticeships available in the Council.