Last week I visited Blue Hut Youth Centre to listen to young people in Hackney talk about their fears, worries and aspirations.
A big concern of the young girls was youth violence and knife crime in London, they talked about how they want the Government to listen to younger generations and budget for more money to be spent on youth centres like Blue Hut.
Colleges in Hackney and their staff deserve better funding and fair pay so they can continue to support local people and the national economy.
This week I met with students from New City College, which now runs Hackney Community College, to talk about the Love Our Colleges campaign. The campaign highlights the vital importance of Further Education Colleges.
Cuts to further education funding have led to courses closing and a significant reduction of free learning hours for adult learners. Further education colleges cannot afford any more funding cuts.
Many people in Hackney rely on the London Overground service to commute to and from work. However, the London Overground service is frequently missing out stops in Hackney, in order to reduce delay times.
I have raised this issue with Transport for London and asked them to state how they will address this problem. It is unfair that Hackney residents face long delays on a regular basis.
There are many places of interest in Hackney that may not be so well known. If you would like to recommend a hidden gem in Hackney to feature please let me know.
Hackney’s floating church
I recently attended an event where the Bishop of Stepney, Adrian Newman, officially launched the St Columba community’s new barge. However, they have a more exciting addition coming soon: a permanent floating church coming in the summer of 2019.
Last Saturday I hosted a coffee morning at Pembury Community Centre in Hackney Central. I was joined by the Mayor of Hackney, Phillip Glanville, and Councillors Caroline Selman, Vincent Stops and Sophie Conway.
Hearing your feedback and discussing local issues is very important to me. Please look out for my next coffee morning or roving surgery near you.
As your MP, I am always keen to hear your views. I would like to hear how you feel about probation services in Hackney. If you’ve had experiences with them, please tell me: Are they doing enough? How has your experience been? What improvements can be made? Email me your thoughts at meghillier@parliament.uk by 11th October.
I met with TfL again to discuss their new proposals to cut further bus links in Hackney. These levels of cuts are unacceptable, and the proposal to remove the 48 bus will leave people without a viable alternative.
I encourage anyone who will be affected by these changes to sign Hackney Labour’s petition to urge TfL to change their decisions. You can find a link to the petition below.
This week I met with Hackney Quest and the London’s Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement. I listened to young people’s ideas about how to put an end to youth violence in Hackney and discussed how a long-term approach was needed over short-term initiatives.
To find out more about the work Hackney Quest does for the community click visit http://www.hackneyquest.org.uk/
I visited Wentworth Nursery School in Hackney Wick to meet with children, parents and staff and discuss the successes and challenges in providing early years education.
Cllr Chris Kennedy also met parents and we discussed special educational needs provisions in Hackney. Government has cut funding to councils by over 40% in the last eight years, stretching the funding support for children’s special needs.
I was delighted to join Path to Success, a charity which supports 12 elite para-athletes to compete at the next Olympics
I met so many inspiring athletes, including the London Titans basketball team, at the Copper Box for a charity Wheelchair Basketball game. For more information about how to support this fantastic cause, see: https://www.pathtosuccess.org.uk/