Councillor Alastair Binnie-Lubbock

During November 2025, Alastair Binnie-Lubbock's recorded activity was limited to a mention of apologies for lateness at a previous meeting on September 22, 2025. No other statements or actions were documented for him during the Corporate Committee meeting on November 12, 2025.

In October 2025, Alastair Binnie-Lubbock was active in two council meetings. He requested an extraordinary council meeting on October 23rd to discuss a motion regarding Cut all Council Ties with Israel's Genocide in Gaza . On October 28th, as a member of the Constitution Committee, Binnie-Lubbock raised significant concerns about proposed amendments to Council Procedure Rules. He argued that these amendments unfairly excluded Opposition Group Leaders, potentially bar[ring] Opposition Groups from making a political statement and hindering their ability to present challenges and provide robust scrutiny . He also expressed worries about barriers to public engagement due to restrictions on deputations, public input, and a non-user-friendly electronic petitions system. Binnie-Lubbock suggested that the proposals could effectively halve the available time for opposition-sponsored business and advocated for a more balanced approach, noting that more time was needed to consider the proposals .

During September 2025, Alastair Binnie-Lubbock was actively involved in several council meetings, focusing on financial scrutiny, children's well-being, and council operations. In the Scrutiny Panel on September 1st, he questioned the council's budget assumptions, including the real-terms impact of funding reductions and cost pressures in social care and temporary accommodation. He also sought details on the Fair Funding Review's modeling for Hackney and raised concerns about the pension fund's actuarial valuation. At the Children and Young People Scrutiny Commission on September 15th, Binnie-Lubbock inquired about standardized behavior policies, the use of exclusions as a last resort, and how improvements in relationship work would be measured. He also asked if the Violence Reduction Unit could monitor the adoption of an inclusion charter. On September 17th, during the Council meeting, he declared an interest in an agenda item related to Citizen's Assemblies due to his employment and asked for clarification on the number of residents who received assistance with pension credit applications. He sent apologies for absence from the Corporate Committee meeting on September 22nd.

During the July 23, 2025 Council meeting, Councillor Binnie-Lubbock seconded the nomination of Councillor Davis for Deputy Speaker. He also addressed the Council regarding minutes from the previous meeting, stating he had raised queries with the Governance Team, which were not substantial and would be handled post-meeting. Furthermore, Councillor Binnie-Lubbock raised a point of order, referencing Part 4A, Paragraph 18.5 of the Council procedure.

During June 2025, Alastair Binnie-Lubbock attended the Extra-ordinary Scrutiny Panel meeting on June 12th as a member. No specific statements or actions were recorded for him during this meeting.

During the May 14, 2025 Annual Meeting, Alastair Binnie-Lubbock, representing the Green group, proposed amendments to the council's budget. He criticized the Labour Government's policies for causing austerity and cuts to essential services, stating, > The Labour Government's policies were leading to further austerity and cuts to essential services. He argued that the budget presented a pessimistic outlook for vulnerable residents and that > The Council's financial challenges were largely due to external factors and delayed action. Binnie-Lubbock advocated for investment and fair contributions from those who could afford it, expressing disappointment that the administration had not supported the Green group's wealth tax motion. He highlighted that the Green group's amendments were designed to > address structural inequalities, improve services, and invest in Hackney's youth and cultural life. Specifically, he called for the reversal of planned cuts to affordable childcare, library hours, and youth services, emphasizing the importance of investing in youth services and minimizing reductions to the voluntary and community sector. He also suggested that > Earlier, strategic use of Council reserves for 'invest to save' initiatives could have reduced the budget deficit. Binnie-Lubbock concluded that the budget's cuts and continued austerity lacked a vision of hope and were not what residents had voted for, stating, > The budget's cuts to vital services and continued austerity, without a vision of hope, were not what the residents had voted for.

During April 2025, Alastair Binnie-Lubbock was active in several council meetings, focusing on procedural matters, policy inquiries, and specific health-related issues. In the Constitution Committee meeting on April 8th, he questioned the scope of requests for the committee's work programme and expressed concerns about changes to deputations to Full Council, arguing they disempowered Full Council and Members. On April 10th, at the Scrutiny Panel, he declared an interest related to the Climate Citizens Jury selection process and probed the Net Zero Review Update, seeking details on savings, staffing and budget reviews, waste energy utilization, and district heating networks. His participation in the Health in Hackney Scrutiny Commission on April 23rd was extensive, where he raised questions about youth service inclusivity, institutional buy-in, funding allocation, and the use of the QB test for ADHD diagnosis. He also inquired about the impact of primary school initiatives on school detentions and exclusions. Binnie-Lubbock shared personal reflections on autism, emphasizing its positive aspects and the potential for misunderstanding within diagnostic frameworks. He expressed gratitude for teacher training but voiced concern about autistic children being singled out as needing special help, and highlighted a quote from a report to illustrate the authentic experiences of autistic individuals.

During February 2025, Alastair Binnie-Lubbock participated in the Council meeting on February 26th. In this meeting, he abstained from voting on the Council Taxbase and Local Business Rates Income for 2025/26.

In January 2025, Alastair Binnie-Lubbock attended the Children and Young People Scrutiny Commission meeting on January 13th. He was also a vocal participant in the Council meeting on January 29th, where he spoke in support of a petition to end the twinning relationship with Haifa and raised a point of order regarding the motion. Representing the Green Group, Binnie-Lubbock addressed both global and local issues. Globally, he referenced significant events like the election of Donald Trump, fatal floods, extreme weather, and the ongoing genocide in Gaza, urging the Council to take action and call for justice and peace. He also stated the Green Party's opposition to arming countries involved in atrocities. Locally, he expressed concern over the police's use of live facial recognition and criticized the Council's prioritization of punitive responses rather than preventative services, citing the purchase of e-bikes for the police over youth services. He also conveyed disappointment with recent Cabinet decisions.