Mayor and Cllr Coban

Cllr Mete Coban to stand down as a Hackney councillor and cabinet member after being appointed Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy.

Hackney Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, Cllr Mete Coban, has announced he will be stepping down as a councillor following his appointment as the Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy.

Cllr Coban, who has represented Stoke Newington since May 2014 intends to step down to take up his new role from Thursday 25 July.

He has led on investment in transformative projects that are key to delivery of the Council’s Strategic Plan, including:

  • a committed investment of £61 million to tackle the climate crisis;
  • launching Hackney’s pioneering Community Energy Fund, which is powering Hackney landmarks such as the Hackney Empire, Mildmay Club, and numerous primary schools across the borough;
  • delivering an additional 675 cycle hangers for residents in Hackney to access secure bike parking spaces, and the biggest area-based rollout of 3,000 EV chargers that includes every council estate.
  • launching the UK’s first Residential Solar programme which will cut electricity bills for council tenants. This project will generate 1MW of energy across our council estates through the installation of 4,000 solar panels on estate rooftops and an innovative microgrid solution;
  • leading key policies such as the Climate Action Plan, Energy Strategy, Parking Enforcement Plan, Air Quality Action Plan, and the Low Traffic Local Implementation Plan.
  • expanding the Council’s Low Traffic Neighbourhoods programme, including exemptions for blue badge holders and establishing the Stoke Newington LTN, which has cut traffic, improved air quality and increased footfall on Church Street.

This is a bittersweet moment for me; however, being appointed by Sadiq Khan as his Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy is an incredible opportunity.

It has been a really difficult decision to make, as Hackney is not just my home; it’s my story and who I am. Serving as a councillor in the place I call home has been the greatest honour and privilege of my life, and I couldn’t be more proud of my contribution to creating a greener, healthier Hackney over the past decade.

Cllr Mete Coban MBE, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport

Cllr Mete Coban has been such an energetic and exciting colleague to work with, helping to make Hackney one of the UK's leading local authorities when it comes to clean streets and tackling climate change. He has been instrumental in making it easier and safer for people to move safely about Hackney, one of the busiest boroughs in London, and has been the driving force behind our vital investment in renewable community energy.

While we will be sad to see him go, this is an absolutely amazing opportunity, and it can only be good news for our borough to have such a dedicated climate champion at the heart of City Hall.

Caroline Woodley, Mayor of Hackney