Hackney Council passes Right to Grow motion

Community food growing campaigning group Hackney Right to Grow have welcomed the passing of a Right to Grow motion at the Hackney Full Council meeting on Wednesday 4th March 2026, making them the second London borough to adopt the policy. The efforts were proposed by Cllr Lynne Troughton, seconded by Cllr Gilbert Smith and supported by Cllr Sarah Young throughout. 

“I am so proud to have brought this motion which confirms our commitment to social and environmental justice.” Said Cllr Lynne Troughton, “I look forward to working further with the campaigners that sparked the flame in me to get this over the line.”

Councillors from Labour, The Independent Socialist Group and the Green Party all spoke passionately in favour of the motion and about how important it is for Hackney residents to have access to food growing space.

Glyn Harries, one of the Hackney Right to Grow group co-ordinators said “It’s great that Hackney Council have voted to adopt the Right to Grow principle and we hope to see a significant increase in food growing sites in the borough, bringing people together, getting healthy food for those that need it the most, with great biodiversity benefits and helping fight climate change” 

The preamble of the motion states ‘Everyone in Hackney should have access to enough fresh food to feed themselves and their families well and this is all the more challenging during the cost of living crisis. The right to grow will provide a renewed focus on the importance of providing affordable healthy food and sustainable methods of producing the food we eat.’ and resolves to ‘Adopt the principle of right to grow on council-owned land that is considered suitable in agreement with the Council’.

Deba Salim, from The Garden of Earthly Delights, TimetoGrow! and Hackney Right to Grow co-ordinator stated “I’m so pleased this long awaited motion has been passed finally! It’s high time to be growing food locally, and with it, building community resilience”.

Hackney communities have some of the least access to growing space in Britain with tens of thousands living in flats with no access to anywhere to grow. At the same time Hackney has some of the highest levels of food poverty. Hackney Council has supported food growing on their housing estates but there is an incredible amount of un-used and under-used land in Hackney that could be turned over to growing food. 

“Thank you to Cllr Lynne Troughton and the Hackney Right To Grow group for all your work on this.” said Cllr Sarah Young, member for Climate, Environment and Transport, “It was so good to end our full council with unanimous support for the Right to Grow across the council chamber. We have so many great gardening groups on Hackney’s estates and this motion starts the process of spreading the Right to Grow throughout the borough. Bring it on.”