Leader’s New Year message: For a more equal Islington in 2025

As we move into a New Year, it’s a time for optimism about what we can collectively achieve in 2025.  

Over the festive period, many of us will have enjoyed the opportunity to spend valuable time with loved ones.  

This time of year can be difficult for some, and there’s no escaping the fact that last year was a challenging one for many people across our borough.  

The cost-of-living crisis has stretched household budgets to the limit, and a wave of local, national, and global events have had a huge impact on our community. If you’re struggling, support is available through our income maximisation team and via the Resident Support Scheme. 

In the face of these challenges, we saw the very best of Islington in 2024. Time and time again, the incredible people of our borough came together to support those most in need – by volunteering in the local community, donating to foodbanks, and through extraordinary acts of kindness. 

As a council, we took great strides forward. Amid significant challenges, we’ve continued to build more much-needed, genuinely affordable homes for our residents, as well as buying back council homes and unveiling our Black Cultural Centre. 

In 2025, we will continue our relentless efforts to tackle inequality and make Islington a more equal place for all.   

We'll work tirelessly to ensure that people across our borough have the safe, decent, genuinely affordable homes that they deserve, including by continuing invest in our parks, green spaces, and our estates through the Thriving Neighbourhoods programme.  

We’ll support our amazing local economy to make our borough a place where wealth is equally shared, while ensuring that our young people are rooted in communities that allow them to fulfil their full potential. And, alongside our partners and the voluntary sector, we’ll ensure that those in need can access the right support, at the right time, and in the right place.   

As we embark on this journey together, let us carry forward the hope that 2025 will be a year of positive change for everyone in Islington. This New Year, I encourage each of us to embrace acts of kindness – big or small – that remind us of the spirit of our borough. By supporting our neighbours, lifting one another up, and showing compassion in the face of challenges, we can build an even stronger, more united community. 

Wishing you and your loved ones a healthy, peaceful, and prosperous New Year.  

Cllr Una O'Halloran
Leader of Islington Council