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Cabinet - Monday 20 July 2026 6.00 pm
July 20, 2026 at 6:00 pm Cabinet View on council website Watch video of meetingSummary
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Hackney Council's Cabinet met on Monday 20 July 2026. The Cabinet approved funding for essential school and children's centre repairs and deferred a decision on the SEND Reform Plan to the September Cabinet meeting. The Cabinet also rejected proposals to sell two council-owned properties, 28-32 Ellingfort Road and 77 Brooksby's Walk, opting instead to explore community-led alternatives.
Capital Investment in Children's Services
The Cabinet approved an additional £1.1 million in capital funding for Children and Education Directorate schemes. This includes £1 million for Woodberry Down Primary School to refurbish its kitchen and dining facilities, which were severely damaged by a sewage flood in October 2025. The works aim to restore full operational capacity and provide a long-term, cost-effective solution. An additional £100,000 was allocated for urgent safety groundworks and canopy replacement at Linden Children's Centre, following a canopy collapse that created health and safety hazards and sensory impacts for children and staff. These funds will transform the centre's external area into a safe and compliant space.
Property Disposals Rejected
Proposals to dispose of two council-owned commercial assets, 28-32 Ellingfort Road and 77 Brooksby's Walk, were rejected by the Cabinet. This decision followed public engagement and a review by the Cabinet, which acknowledged the community's desire for these spaces to remain in public or community ownership. The administration's election manifesto pledged to prioritise community ownership. Instead of proceeding with the sales, the Cabinet will establish a fair, time-limited process to evaluate credible, community-led alternatives for these sites, while still addressing the Council's financial pressures.
Graffiti Removal Policy Approved
A Graffiti Removal Policy was approved, aiming to provide clearer definitions between graffiti and street art, and to ensure consistent decision-making regarding removal. The policy emphasises understanding the intent and context of artwork, prioritising the fast-track removal of offensive, discriminatory, or hate-based graffiti. It also outlines criteria for removal, including content, association with criminal activities, and potential damage to heritage assets. The policy aims to balance maintaining clean and safe public spaces with respecting artistic expression and fostering community cohesion. Authority was delegated to the Director of Environment & Climate Change (or equivalent) to approve minor future amendments to the policy.
SEND Reform Plan Deferred
Consideration of the Hackney SEND Reform Plan & Post-Inspection Action Plan was deferred to the September Cabinet meeting. This decision was made to allow members sufficient time to fully consider the contents of the report, which had not been published with the July agenda pack.
Other Decisions
The Cabinet noted the overall financial position of the Council as at May 2026, which projected a £5.4 million General Fund overspend. Authority was delegated to the Director of Corporate Strategy & Transformation to award grants under the Crisis and Resilience Fund VCS Grants programme and to reprofile CRF programme expenditure. The Cabinet also noted the S106 schemes for capital and revenue, and the Capital Final Outturn for 2025/26.
The unrestricted minutes of the previous Cabinet meeting held on Monday, 29 June 2026, were approved. The minutes of the Cabinet Procurement and Insourcing Committee meeting held on 1 June 2026 will be considered at a future Cabinet meeting.
The Cabinet approved the nomination of Andy Ehiogu as a Local Authority Governor for Benthal Primary School, effective from 28 July 2026.
The press and public were excluded from the remainder of the meeting due to the likely disclosure of exempt information.
Delegated decisions linked to this meeting
Decision summaries below are AI-generated from the council’s published record. Check the council source or the full decision page before relying on them.
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F S729 July 2026 Capital Update and Property Disposals And Acquisitions Report: Exempt Appendix 5-10
Recommendations Approved -
Restricted Minutes of the Previous Meeting of Cabinet
Recommendations Approved -
F S755 Britannia Phase 2b: Exempt Appendix 1 and 2
Recommendations Approved -
Exclusion of the Press and Public
Recommendations ApprovedHackney Council Cabinet decided on 20/07/2026 to exclude the press and public from discussing remaining agenda items. This exclusion was based on the likely disclosure of exempt information under Paragraph 3, Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.
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Hackney SEND Reform Plan & Post-Inspection Plan
Recommendations ApprovedThe Cabinet of Hackney Council on Monday 20 July 2026 resolved to defer consideration of the Hackney SEND Reform Plan & Post-Inspection Plan to the September Cabinet meeting. This decision was made to allow Members sufficient time to fully consider the report's contents.
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Nomination for Appointment of Local Authority Governor - Benthal Primary School
Recommendations ApprovedHackney Cabinet approved the nomination of Andy Ehiogu as Local Authority Governor for Benthal Primary School on 20 July 2026. The Governing Body will confirm eligibility.
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F S755 Britannia Masterplan - Phase 2b Update
Recommendations ApprovedThe Cabinet of Hackney Council decided to note that the Britannia Phase 2b project's costs are likely to exceed the approved budget. They approved revised funding requirements and delegated authority to the Executive Director, Finance and Corporate Resources, to explore risk mitigation for new home disposals. Cabinet will receive quarterly updates on the scheme.
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HCE S713 Graffiti Removal Policy
For DeterminationThe Hackney Cabinet approved the Graffiti Removal Policy on 20 July 2026. Authority was delegated to the Director of Environment & Climate Change to approve future minor amendments to the policy. The policy provides clearer definitions for graffiti and street art, and emphasizes understanding intent and context before removal.
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F S730 2026/27 Overall Financial Position Report - May 2026
For DeterminationThe Cabinet of Hackney decided to approve the completion of the Hackney SEND Reform Plan & Post-Inspection Action Plan on 06/10/2026. The plan includes an "invest-to-save" financial framework, the 'Experts at Hand' service model, a capital allocation strategy for new specialist places, and a multi-agency governance framework.
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Hackney Council's Council decided on 28/02/2024 to approve the 2024/25 budget and set the Council Tax. The Council agreed to bring forward the projected General Fund balance into 2024/25 with the aim of increasing it to £20m by 2026/27. They also approved the allocation of resources to the 2024/25 capital programme and agreed prudential indicators for capital expenditure and external debt.
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