The Green Party romped home in the 2026 Hackney Mayoral election by more than 9000 votes, citing their clear focus on the community’s housing crisis as the reason.
Mayor Zoë Garbett and Deputy Mayor Dylan Law made history by becoming the first elected Green Party leaders of the borough, considerably beating the Labour Party, who held the post since its creation in 2002.
Labour also haemorrhaged council seats to the Greens, who seized dominant control of a council they had only previously had two seats in.
The count and declaration – which took place at the Hackney Service Centre – saw the Greens rejoice over their shared victory, with Garbett and Law sharing an embrace following the positive results.
Mayor Garbett said: “I’m just so grateful for how many people have gotten behind me, the Greens, our manifesto. It shows that people have seen what we are offering in terms of hope for Hackney, but with a plan.
“We’re at a scale we’ve never been at before in Hackney.”
With two wards still to declare, the Greens now have 38 seats out of 51 in Hackney, taking 36 off Labour.
A full investigation into who owns Hackney, as a means of getting spaces and communities back in use and to those who need them, is one of the first acts pledged by Garbett and the Greens.
Dalston’s councillor election also saw victory for Mayor Garbett, as she reclaimed her previously held seat.
However, due to her mayoral success, the Dalston seat will remain vacant until a re-election is announced, according to Hackney Council Chief Executive Dawn Carter-McDonald.
Deputy Mayor Dylan Law was also successful in becoming a ward councillor for Hackney Downs, making all three ward councillors Green. This is a shift from the previous structure of two Labour and one Green representative.
Some areas such as Stamford Hill West experienced no changes to their ward councillors, while others have shifted towards more Green seats.
Conservative Party Stamford Hill West Ward Councillor Benzion Papier, one of just five Tory councillors, said: “I’m delighted to have won. One of the major (issues) is opening the roads, especially in my area.”
Hackney faces prominent social issues, such as housing crises, the introduction of new traffic schemes, and rising antisocial behaviour – all of which the Green Party aims to address.
Garbett said: “Housing is my number one issue. It was the number one issue on our doorsteps. People want help from the council and for us to stand up to the government on where things are failing.”
Featured image: Esther Bamigboye
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