Yesterday’s announcement of an increase in the energy price cap will hit most Hackney households with a rise of about £700 in their energy bills. The Chancellor’s response does not do enough to support struggling families and forces households to pay later for today's high energy costs. It is also a gamble that energy prices will fall in the future and there is still not enough detail on how local authorities will be supported in rolling out parts of this plan. See here to watch my question pressing him for further detail.
 
The Public Accounts Committee has been busy looking at reform of the private rented sector – a vital need in Hackney where there are more private renters than homeowners. It’s a sector ripe for reform as tenants have very little security of tenure and few options to seek redress when things go wrong. The Government is due to announce detailed plans by the end of the year. I’ll keep watching this closely.
 
And it was a delight to visit Hackney New Primary School this morning which, due to the pandemic, is the first time in a while I’ve been able to visit a school. But the slow return back to normal is only possible thanks to the COVID-19 vaccines. If you haven’t received your first, second, or booster dose it is still not too late. You can walk-in at a local pharmacy or at Hackney’s main vaccination centre at 3a Bocking Street. You can also attend a local pop-up vaccination event – see here for further details.