Latest news with #HackneyCouncil
Time Out
09-06-2025
- General
- Time Out
This beloved Hackney venue is at risk of closure
The Bath House in Hackney Wick could be forced to close following a Hackney Council decision to end its lease. Sat inside the restored Victorian baths at 80 Eastway, the multi-use, not-for-profit space is a regular host of one of Time Out's top nights out in London, Giant Steps. But it's a lot more than that. The Bath House is home to a cafe, bar and multiple events spaces and studios where people go for things like community-led life drawing classes, ice bath sessions, craft workshops and live music of almost every kind. It describes itself as 'a local institution, fuelled by care and collectivism'. Now, the Bath House has launched a petition calling on local leaders to intervene in the council's plan. It says that it was made without due process. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Bath House (@ On its website, the Bath House wrote: 'This is about more than a building—it's about who gets to shape our cities. The Bath House stands as a living model of what's possible when local people are empowered to lead: a self-sustaining civic hub generating not just public benefit, but deep social wealth.' At the time of writing, the petition has gathered nearly 4,000 signatures. One signatory said 'I regularly come to London from Oxford just for the ecstatic dances at the Bath House. This community saved me and is a wonderful, healing, fantastic gem,' while another commented 'I can't imagine life without this space. It's been a home and a family for years now. It's an incredibly special places is so central to so many of our community'.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hackney shifts fire door replacement target
A London borough has shifted its target to replace thousands of front doors with fire-resistant models after changes to building safety regulations. In 2018, Hackney Council said it would install 17,000 new doors across its housing portfolio that could withstand fire for 30 minutes. But after new laws introduced in 2022 said only high-rise blocks standing at seven storeys or higher needed to have their doors replaced, the council changed its target. The programme to replace fire doors for thousands of Hackney households came in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) asked the council for an update on the project's progress after the local authority awarded a £1.2m contract for a similar programme to replace fire doors in 10 Hackney schools. A council spokesperson said that, so far, 3,398 new doors had been installed across the borough, at a cost of £15.5m. They said the new regulations only covered 5,973 doors in the 137 council blocks which had been registered with the Building Safety Regulator and were affected by updated fire safety rules. The regulatory changes had "caused supply challenges across the whole sector", the spokesperson added. Hackney Council had originally estimated it would cost roughly £1,500 to replace a single fire door, but added that had risen to £4,000 due to "changes in the construction industry and material price inflation". "The cost of the scheme has also increased due to the fee charged by the regulator for each block," the spokesperson said. The council now anticipates it will take "around three years" to change the remaining doors. Hackney temporary housing deaths cause concern Grenfell memorial construction could start in 2026 Hundreds suffer heating issues in east London In 2023, the LDRS reported that the council expected the installation of roughly 6,000 doors in its "highest-risk" blocks would take a year. At that time, the council told residents that fire safety tests put the doors through extreme temperatures "unlikely to unfold in real life". In March 2023, the Metropolitan Police revealed that the fire doors installed as front doors of the flats inside Grenfell Tower, manufactured by Manse Masterdor, had failed under test conditions in 15 minutes, when they were supposed to act as a barrier for 30 minutes. Seventy-two people died in the fire in Grenfell Tower in west London in June 2017. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Hackney Council
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hackney shifts fire door replacement target
A London borough has shifted its target to replace thousands of front doors with fire-resistant models after changes to building safety regulations. In 2018, Hackney Council said it would install 17,000 new doors across its housing portfolio that could withstand fire for 30 minutes. But after new laws introduced in 2022 said only high-rise blocks standing at seven storeys or higher needed to have their doors replaced, the council changed its target. The programme to replace fire doors for thousands of Hackney households came in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) asked the council for an update on the project's progress after the local authority awarded a £1.2m contract for a similar programme to replace fire doors in 10 Hackney schools. A council spokesperson said that, so far, 3,398 new doors had been installed across the borough, at a cost of £15.5m. They said the new regulations only covered 5,973 doors in the 137 council blocks which had been registered with the Building Safety Regulator and were affected by updated fire safety rules. The regulatory changes had "caused supply challenges across the whole sector", the spokesperson added. Hackney Council had originally estimated it would cost roughly £1,500 to replace a single fire door, but added that had risen to £4,000 due to "changes in the construction industry and material price inflation". "The cost of the scheme has also increased due to the fee charged by the regulator for each block," the spokesperson said. The council now anticipates it will take "around three years" to change the remaining doors. Hackney temporary housing deaths cause concern Grenfell memorial construction could start in 2026 Hundreds suffer heating issues in east London In 2023, the LDRS reported that the council expected the installation of roughly 6,000 doors in its "highest-risk" blocks would take a year. At that time, the council told residents that fire safety tests put the doors through extreme temperatures "unlikely to unfold in real life". In March 2023, the Metropolitan Police revealed that the fire doors installed as front doors of the flats inside Grenfell Tower, manufactured by Manse Masterdor, had failed under test conditions in 15 minutes, when they were supposed to act as a barrier for 30 minutes. Seventy-two people died in the fire in Grenfell Tower in west London in June 2017. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Hackney Council
BBC News
26-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Hackney Council shifts target on fire door replacement scheme
A London borough has shifted its target to replace thousands of front doors with fire-resistant models after changes to building safety 2018, Hackney Council said it would install 17,000 new doors across its housing portfolio that could withstand fire for 30 after new laws introduced in 2022 said only high-rise blocks standing at seven storeys or higher needed to have their doors replaced, the council changed its programme to replace fire doors for thousands of Hackney households came in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. 'Supply challenges' The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) asked the council for an update on the project's progress after the local authority awarded a £1.2m contract for a similar programme to replace fire doors in 10 Hackney schools.A council spokesperson said that, so far, 3,398 new doors had been installed across the borough, at a cost of £ said the new regulations only covered 5,973 doors in the 137 council blocks which had been registered with the Building Safety Regulator and were affected by updated fire safety regulatory changes had "caused supply challenges across the whole sector", the spokesperson Council had originally estimated it would cost roughly £1,500 to replace a single fire door, but added that had risen to £4,000 due to "changes in the construction industry and material price inflation"."The cost of the scheme has also increased due to the fee charged by the regulator for each block," the spokesperson council now anticipates it will take "around three years" to change the remaining doors. In 2023, the LDRS reported that the council expected the installation of roughly 6,000 doors in its "highest-risk" blocks would take a that time, the council told residents that fire safety tests put the doors through extreme temperatures "unlikely to unfold in real life".In March 2023, the Metropolitan Police revealed that the fire doors installed as front doors of the flats inside Grenfell Tower, manufactured by Manse Masterdor, had failed under test conditions in 15 minutes, when they were supposed to act as a barrier for 30 people died in the fire in Grenfell Tower in west London in June 2017.
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Councils cracking down on car drivers and installing hated LTNs are spending tens of thousands of pounds on taxis for their own staff
Councils cracking down on car drivers and installing unpopular Low Traffic Neighborhoods (LTNs) are spending tens of thousands of pounds on taxis for their own staff. Shocking data reveals how ten local authorities praised for their environmental action are forking out huge sums of taxpayers' cash to pay for chauffeurs and minicabs. Ealing council in west London - which declared a climate emergency in 2019 and committed itself to 'urgent action' to combat climate change - has spent at least £30,000 on cars in the past three years, according to figures obtained by The Times. But the real amount is likely to be much higher because the west London authority refused to reveal taxis that may have been put through as 'other business expenses'. The council's 'Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy' promises that the borough will be carbon neutral by 2030. It also said the 'vast majority' of motoring journeys can be done by bicycle, on foot or by public transport as short vehicle journeys 'could have a huge impact on emission levels'. But, a Freedom of Information request showed that its own spending on taxis has barely changed in three years. Meanwhile, Hackney Council in east London, which has introduced low-traffic LTNs across 70 per cent of its roads, has spent nearly £20,000 on taxis since 2020. Under its 'change one thing' initiative, it urges residents to 'leave the car at home and walk, cycle or take public transport instead'. However, just like Ealing Council, its spending on taxis has barely changed in three years. In south London, Lambeth council - which became notorious for introducing an LTN that resulted in such congestion that buses were taking two hours to travel three miles - spent more than £10,000 on a chauffeur-driven limousine for its mayor last year. The Times sought information from the ten best-rated councils according to the Healthy Streets Scorecard. The campaign is run by a coalition of organisations and charities, including CPRE, to highlight local authorities that have done the most to encourage greener modes of transport. Most refused to reveal in full — or at all — how much they spent on taxis, often saying that their systems could not find the information. Islington Council in north London said it could not differentiate how much had been spent on staff and how much on residents with special needs. Across the ten councils surveyed, the partial information returned showed a total of £156,000 on taxis and chauffeurs since 2020. Joanna Marchong, Investigations Campaign Manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance think-tank, commented: 'This 'do as I say, not as I do' attitude undermines public trust.' A spokesperson for Ealing Council said: 'Staff policy only permits car transport where there is no suitable alternative, such as for moving equipment or where there are accessibility or safety requirements.' Meanwhile, Hackney said its spending on taxis amounted to only £16 a day last year. It added: 'We are proud of our position as a leader in active and sustainable travel, and over 90 per cent of our staff walk, cycle or use public transport to get to work.' Islington said all the cars available to staff through its leasing scheme were either electric, hybrids or in the lowest carbon emission band for a petrol car.
