I was out and about with local councillors on the Kingsmead Estate this Saturday and heard from family after family about their housing situation. Too many people in Hackney live in severely overcrowded accommodation and many more cannot afford local private rents or even think about buying their own home.

I spoke out on this in a debate this week and pressed the Government to urgently increase the supply of affordable homes. See here to watch my speech in full.  

As a result of one of the worst regulatory failures of our generation, some leaseholders are facing life-changing bills to fix dangerous cladding and fund other fire safety works. After the Government failed to fully support these leaseholders during the passage of the Fire Safety Bill last April (now it is law, it is known as the Fire Safety Act), the Government introduced the Building Safety Bill this week. This is the next best legislative vehicle through which to secure support for leaseholders facing these life-changing costs.
 
I pressed the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick MP, on why there has been such a delay in taking action to support those affected. MPs from all political parties have been raising these issues again and again over the last four years. I'll continue working with MPs from across Parliament on this issue and speak up for affected leaseholders. See here to watch my speech and read the full transcript of the debate here.

The Public Accounts Committee also continued investigating the fall out from the collapse of Greensill Capital earlier this year. This is the finance company that David Cameron was promoting across government and which did secure some taxpayer-backed loans. See my round-up for further details. 

And COVID-19 cases are continuing to spread at a very high rate in Hackney. Please think of others when in enclosed public settings and continue to be cautious. If you have not yet received your vaccine, it is still not too late and I urge you to do so. See here for a list of nearby walk-in clinics and for further information on the COVID-19 vaccines from Hackney's Director of Public Health, Dr Sandra Husbands. See here for the latest COVID-19 data in Hackney.