Hackney pulls out of joint borough devolution bid at eleventh hour

Then there were eight: Hackney pulls out of nine borough devolution bid. Photograph: Phillip Capper (creative commons)

Hackney Council has pulled out of a joint devolution bid between nine London councils at the eleventh hour.

Nine east London councils met last month to set out a prospectus aimed at devolving more power to local authorities to “help unlock the unrivalled growth potential of the region”.

A Devolution Prospectus was due to be released as part of the official launch this week, but Hackney is no longer listed as one of the boroughs taking part.

The council explained that while it supports the “aspiration for greater devolution” its focus will be on furthering the “pan-London approach” of London Councils.

A spokesperson for Hackney Council said: “London Councils, chaired by Hackney’s Mayor Jules Pipe, has helped lay the groundwork for future devolution within the capital by offering robust and credible proposals to further the cause.

“Building on this pan-London approach – involving the Mayor of London, GLA and Treasury officials – currently remains the focus and, in addition, we remain committed to being part of future discussions around the prospectus for east London.”

The eight councils still involved in the devolution bid are: Barking & Dagenham, Enfield, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest LBCs, and Greenwich RBC.

Responding to Hackney’s withdrawal from the bid, a spokesperson for Newham Council said: “Hackney Council remain supportive of devolution in London but are not part of this element of this particular campaign.

“We thank them for their support so far and their input has been useful helping to shape some of the ideas. We hope Hackney will continue to be involved where they can and that they may re-join the partnership at a later date.”

Tower Hamlets Council has been approached for comment.