Islington News
The latest Islington news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
Islington Council Complaints Up 52%: £1.1m Paid Out
Islington Council took 5,144 complaints in 2025/26, up 52%, and paid £1.122m in compensation. Three in four were about housing; delays top the list.
More stories
Pubs
Packington Arms Reopens After 12 Years With Czech Lager
The Packington Arms reopened on 25 September after more than 12 years shut. Bohem Brewery now runs it, pouring Czech lager until 11.30pm at weekends.
Community
Islington in Bloom 2026 Winners: Clerkenwell, Corbyn Street
Clerkenwell is Islington in Bloom's best neighbourhood for 2026 and Corbyn Street its best street, from nearly 300 entries. The group and school winners.
Licensing
Holloway Road Arcade Licence: Police, 220 Residents Object
Councillors decide on 6 October whether a 24-hour arcade at 403 Holloway Road gets a gambling licence. Police, three council teams and 220 residents object.
Schools
Islington Kids' Music Lessons: £532k Secured for 2026-27
£531,912 in grants will pay for children's music in Islington schools this year, none of it from council tax. Here is what it funds and what classes cost.
Planning
Holloway Road Slots Venue Refused: 7 Gambling Sites in 200m
Islington has refused a 24-hour adult gaming centre in the old bank at 403 Holloway Road. Officers counted seven gambling premises within 200m.
Council
Islington Bike Hangars: Up to 691 More by 2033, £3.3m Deal
Islington plans up to 691 new bike hangars by 2033 under a £3.3m contract. Spaces cost £107.25 a year, and the first 132 are due in 2026/27.
Council
Islington Lamp-Post EV Chargers: 600, None Before July 2028
At least 600 lamp-post EV chargers are coming to Islington, but none can go in before July 2028. Resident permit bays stay open to all permit holders.
Council
Islington Council This Week: Holloway Road 2am Bar Bid
A Holloway Road bar wants to sell alcohol until 2am, and scrutiny reviews a rise in secondary pupils persistently absent. Both meet on Thursday 1 October.
Food hygiene
Islington Food Hygiene Ratings: Two Rated 1 in August
Two Islington food businesses were rated 1 and four rated 2 in August. See every low score, the September fives, and how the borough compares.
Community
Highbury 24-hour baton relay raises £10,233 for Depaul
A baton kept moving for 24 hours between Highbury Fields and the Emirates has raised £10,233 for youth homelessness charity Depaul UK, across 137 donations.
Crime
Islington Man Charged in UK's First Rwanda Genocide Case
Dr Vincent Brown, 65, of Islington faces seven charges over the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the first case of its kind in the UK. Why his address matters.
Crime
Clerkenwell Stabbing: Victim Named, No Arrests Yet
Police have named the man who died after a stabbing in Lloyd Baker Street, Clerkenwell. No arrests have been made, and the Section 60 order has expired.
Council
Wray Crescent Open Space: £1.7m Rebuild from December
Islington has awarded a £1.7m contract to replace the Wray Crescent pavilion, out of use since 2017. Work starts in December and finishes in summer 2027.
Schools
Islington Exam Results 2026: Above England, Below London
Islington beat England at every GCSE grade this summer and climbed 38 places nationally on phonics, but the council's own report shows London still ahead.
Housing
Islington House Prices Hit £674,592, Lowest Since March 2025
July's Land Registry figures put the average Islington home at £674,592, down £34,636 in a year. June has been revised up by £11,920 since August.
Council
Islington Council £2.2m Over Budget: Care Placements Up 38%
Islington forecasts a £2.2m overspend, with 29 children in residential care against a budget for 18. The same papers seek a legal settlement kept secret.
Licensing
Islington Alcohol Licences: 2am Bid and 28 Objections
A Highbury shop wants to sell alcohol until 2am, one of three bids before Islington's licensing sub-committee on Tuesday. Residents have filed 28 objections.
Housing
Islington selective licensing: 7 new wards from 23 Nov
Landlords in Highbury, Barnsbury and five more wards need an £850 council licence from 23 November. Who is covered, what it costs and how renters can check.
Housing
Islington council tenants: e-bike and carpet rules proposed
Council tenants would need permission to charge an e-bike at home and fit carpet, not laminate, under rules going to Executive on 17 September. The full list.
Schools
London Scandinavian School wound up: roll fell to 15 pupils
The Highbury independent school closed after the summer term and its charity was wound up on 27 August. Its trustees blame VAT on fees for the fall in numbers.
Planning
Islington planning: £1.9m workspace payment ruled unviable
Officers say a £1,901,254 affordable workspace payment for the Margery Street office scheme is unviable, and recommend approval on 10 September.
Community
Islington Play Association wound up, liquidators appointed
The charity that ran four adventure playgrounds and the Paradise Park nursery resolved to wind up on 18 August. Here is what is still open, and what is not.
Planning
Sunnyside Gardens N19: new building backed by officers
Officers back a permanent building at Sunnyside Community Gardens, N19, replacing the shipping container used since a 2013 arson. Councillors decide on 3 September.
Council
Islington council homes: survey firm behind on C3 plan
Council papers show 29.9% of Islington's council homes surveyed by mid-July and the contractor behind schedule, before Tuesday night's scrutiny meeting on the C3 judgement.
Housing
Islington House Prices Down £59,615 in a Year to £673,384
Islington's average home lost £59,615 in a year, down 8.1% to £673,384: the sixth steepest fall of London's 33 boroughs and the lowest since February 2023.
Council
Islington Council Must Restore Blind Man's Care Account
The Ombudsman upheld a complaint that Islington wrongly closed an elderly blind man's managed care account. The council has until 25 September to put it back.
Police
Alex Sloley: £20,000 reward, Islington missing since 2008
The Met is offering £20,000 for information that finds Alex Sloley, missing from his Islington home since 8 August 2008, aged 16. Anyone exploited by north London gangs then is asked to call.
Police
Tollington Park burglary: police appeal after woman dies
Detectives want doorbell footage from Tollington Park after a 75-year-old woman died following an aggravated burglary on 11 August. The reference to quote is CAD7757/12AUG.
Cycling
Cycle Islington at 50: free exhibition until mid-autumn
Islington Museum's free exhibition marks 50 years of a group founded on 30 June 1976. Opening times, and what the borough's cycling scores actually say in 2026.