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Hackney Council fails to release information on cost of de-twinning from Haifa
Despite a Freedom of Information request deadline ending two weeks ago, the council still has not provided any data on what its Haifa de-twinning review has cost
Hackney Council is understood not to have provided any information regarding the cost of its review regarding de-twinning from Haifa – despite a Freedom of Information request deadline ending two weeks ago, and the council’s public ‘consultation’ into ending the agreement with the Israeli city closing this Wednesday.
The council’s failure to respond means that residents do not know how much the efforts to de-twin from the Israeli city have cost; in contrast with the twinning itself, which a previous Mayor informed the council was costing the borough nothing at all.
In the wake of the Green party winning control of Hackney in the local elections in May, the council voted in July to break the twinning agreement between the Borough and the Israeli city of Haifa, which has existed since 1968.
Subsequently, the elected mayor of Hackney, the Green Party’s Zoe Garbett, wrote to Yona Yahav, the Mayor of Haifa, informing him of the intention to break the twinning between the two cities.
Describing how “maintaining a civic connection in Israel is at odds with our anti-racist values”, Garbett told Yahav that she was “writing to formally invite the views of your administration on the proposal to terminate the twinning agreement. I’d be grateful if you could send me any views on this matter by e-mail…by 7 October 2026.”
After widespread disgust over the choice of date, given the 7 October massacre carried out by Hamas, Garbett issued a follow-up letter in which she described the date as “a deeply regretful oversight”.
Jewish News submitted a Freedom of Information request to the council for any e-mails, whatsapp messages or other communications between council employees, councillors or any others on three issues: the letter sent to Mayor Yahav, the deadline of 7 October included in the official letter from Mayor Garbett to Mayor Yahav, the decision for the consultation into the detwinning process ending on 7 October.
Despite the council legally extending the deadline by which they had to respond, the council subsequently failed to meet the new deadline, and has yet to respond, two weeks later.
Jewish News has now learned that a similar request was made to the council at a similar time, this one asking Hackney what its Haifa twinning review has cost: including spending by supplier, legal advice; any extra security for the 28 July Full Council meeting; the budget line used; officer time records; and forecast costs for the equalities assessment, the consultation and the new cross-party working group.
As with Jewish News, Hackney Council extended its deadline by citing section 36 of the Freedom of Information Act, although it reportedly did not respond to questions as to why the information requested fell under that section of the Act. Similarly, Hackney Council has yet to respond to that freedom of information request, which is now two weeks overdue.
The consultation into ending the twinning between Haifa and Hackney closes this Wednesday.
The individual who submitted the FOI request concerning the council’s expenses over the de-twinning motion told Jewish News: “”I’m not a Hackney resident, but my wife’s parents live in Haifa and I’ve visited many times. It’s one of the most tolerant and diverse cities I know, which is why Hackney chose it as a twin in 1968. Cutting that tie was a Green manifesto pledge, and this month the party voted that Zionism is racism. You can see where this has been heading.
“All I’ve asked is what it’s costing Hackney taxpayers, and the council has missed every deadline to tell me. Invoices and timesheets are not state secrets.”
Hackney Council has been contacted for comment.
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