You will probably have read reports about, or seen first hand, the aftermath of the Canalival event, which took place on Regents Canal on 1 June. I was appalled by the anti-social behaviour, noise and disgraceful amounts of litter that were left behind and I know that it was very unpleasant for residents who live nearby, so I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know what the Council is doing about it. The Council actively supports well-managed events that bring the community together and provide residents with the chance to enjoy our vibrant borough but, despite the fact that canals do not fall under our jurisdiction or control, the Council and police raised concerns about the safety of the event with the organisers as soon as we found out about it. Predictably some people were quick to criticise the Council and accuse it of being a killjoy, but what happened over the weekend shows that we were right to refuse to support Canalival and to strongly advise that it should not go ahead. Despite the organisers cancelling the event the day before, many people descended on Hackney anyway. Many stayed until the early hours of the morning and their behaviour was simply unacceptable. The next morning, council staff spent over six hours collecting more than five tonnes of rubbish from the tow path, Broadway Market and the surrounding roads. Local council taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for this anti-social behaviour, so we intend to recover the cost of cleaning up from the organisers. The council has also written to the organisers to express our deep concerns over how the event was handled. The borough’s night time economy and its increasing popularity as a visitor destination are vital to Hackney 's local economy, but never at such a cost to our residents and local wildlife. This is one of the reasons we are going to consult with you on the future of the night time economy in Dalston over the summer, and it’s also why we work closely with the police to ensure licensed premises and promoters act responsibly. It’s our priority to make Hackney a safe, clean place to live – as well as an exciting, dynamic place to live, visit and work in – and it’s important that we get that balance right.