UPDATE: 16 MARCH - COMMISSION SAYS COUNCIL SHOULD BUY BACK TONY'S CAFE AND DALSTON LANE!

As reported by 34 broadway market wiki....

Hackney Council’s Overview & Scrutiny Commission investigating the Council's property disposals programme met again on Wednesday night to decide what their recommendations regarding the sell offs should be.

Despite very low expectations after March 16 whitewash, the outcome of Wednesday's meeting looks like a positive result for our campaign!

The Committee have decided to recommend the IMMEDIATE REPURCHASE by Compulsory Purchase Orders of the Dalston Lane units the Council sold to developers, and that Council officers should retain the option to repurchase Tony's cafe & Spirit’s shop.


FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS
There was intense debate over whether there should be a recommendation to continue the inquiry as soon as the Council reformed in May. Andrew Boff fought hard for a commitment to do so. The 3 (Labour) against 1 (Tory) argument was not won and we now have a few days before the final verdict is announced to persuade the Committee to make a firm recommendation that the past two and a half weeks was simply the start of a much wider enquiry into just exactly what went on and who did what in the great Hackney sale.

The current enquiry, however, by no means guarantees that the Council will repurchase the properties. There's a long way to go before that. Given that there is an election coming up, we also have to make sure that the panel's recommendations are taken forward when the new Council comes in.