"We’re ready to do our bit to tackle the housing shortage" - Mayor of Hackney responds to the King's Speech

Mayor of Hackney, Caroline Woodley, responds to the King's Speech 2024.

We're pleased to see the new Government set out its plan to meet the challenges of the next decade, prioritising energy security, new homes and devolution to local communities.

In Hackney, we're leading the way on clean community energy and council house building, and we're passionate advocates for local communities shaping their own future. Having a directly elected mayor has increased local accountability, created opportunities for strategic partnership, and ensured we can put in place creative and specific solutions to the challenges we face.

The Government’s commitments on housing can ease the housing crisis in Hackney and across the country. We’re ready to do our bit to tackle the housing shortage and build the new homes our borough needs. However, alongside other councils, we have been clear about the support we need from the central government, from fair and sustainable funding to reforming the ‘right to buy’ policy.

We await the Government’s Autumn Statement with anticipation, and hope to see more details on a long-term funding settlement for local government as well as urgent support to save the broken financial model for council housing.

Caroline Woodley, Mayor of Hackney