Hackney Backs Zane’s Law on Contaminated Land 2026

Key points

• Hackney Council, along with the London Assembly and several other London boroughs, has backed calls for national legislation on contaminated land, known as “Zane’s Law”.
• The push is led by Mayor Caroline Woodley and Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment and Transport, Sarah Young, who have written to Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Rt Hon Emma Reynolds MP.​
• Zane’s Law is a proposed bill named after seven‑year‑old Zane Gbangbola, who died in 2014 after floodwater flowing from contaminated land caused hydrogen cyanide gas to enter his family home in Surrey.
• The bill’s supporters want the Government to reinstate provisions removed from the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and to recognise the UN‑approved human right to a healthy environment.
• The letter stresses that Hackney, like many parts of London, has a historical legacy of contaminated land, and that existing local work is not enough without stronger national rules and funding.​
• Hackney Council says updated national legislation must include full net cost recovery and sufficient funding for local authorities to inspect, monitor and remediate contaminated land.

Hackney (East London Times), March 23, 2026 – Hackney Council has joined the London Assembly and a group of London boroughs in urging the UK Government to bring forward national legislation on contaminated land, backing the campaign for “Zane’s Law” in a formal letter to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

What is Hackney calling for?

As reported by Hackney Council’s official news outlet, the letter to Rt Hon Emma Reynolds MP is signed by Mayor Caroline Woodley and Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment and Transport Sarah Young, who state that Zane’s Law “will ensure greater transparency over contaminated land” and reinstate provisions that successive governments have removed from the Environmental Protection Act 1990. In the letter, they also underline the need to recognise the human right to a healthy environment, as approved by the UN General Assembly in 2022.​

The borough explains that Hackney has a long‑standing industrial and commercial history that has left a legacy of potentially contaminated sites, from former gasworks and factories to earlier waste‑filled brownfield land. To address this, the council has developed its own Contaminated Land Strategy 2022, which sets out how it aims to protect residents, water resources and the environment while managing that legacy.

Why is Zane’s death at the centre of this push?

Zane’s Law is named after Zane Gbangbola, a seven‑year‑old boy who died at his home in Spelthorne, Surrey, during severe flooding in 2014. As reported by the BBC and campaigners, the family argue that floodwater passing through an old landfill site generated hydrogen cyanide gas that entered their property, leading to Zane’s death and serious health impacts on his mother, Nicole Lawler.

Investigations and reports surrounding the incident have found the site was previously used for gravel extraction and then filled with building waste, creating a complex mix of contaminants. Critics say both the local council and the Environment Agency failed to properly disclose the risks or to record the site’s full history in official registers, which has since become a key argument for campaigners demanding better land‑contamination transparency.

How does Zane’s Law propose to change the rules?

As outlined by Hackney Council and reinforced by analysis in sector publications such as Inside Housing, Zane’s Law would require local authorities to keep fuller public registers of contaminated or potentially contaminated sites, including details of past land use and contamination‑risk assessments. Provisions would oblige councils to inspect, monitor and, where necessary, remediate hazardous land, particularly where it is close to housing or vulnerable residents.

The bill also seeks to restore or strengthen powers that were removed from Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which governs how local authorities deal with contaminated land. Campaigners argue that the current framework leaves important gaps, allowing some sites to be effectively “hidden” from public view and making it harder for councils to act without conclusive evidence of immediate danger.

Why is Hackney saying national action is needed?

In the letter sent to the Secretary of State, Hackney Council notes that the borough has been working to protect residents through its Contaminated Land Strategy 2022 but stresses that

“we recognise that we can’t achieve this alone and more needs to be done at a national level to prevent tragic cases like Zane’s reoccurring”.

The council points out that climate‑driven flood risk is increasing, which raises the likelihood that contaminated soil or groundwater could interact with homes and infrastructure in ways that are difficult for any single borough to manage in isolation.

The letter, as published on Hackney Council’s website, also highlights the financial challenge for local authorities:

“existing legislation must be reviewed and updated to take account of increasing risks”

and any new framework must include

“provisions for full net cost recovery and sufficient funding for local authorities to manage contaminated land”.

This wording echoes arguments made in housing and environment‑sector commentary that councils currently lack the resources and statutory levers to identify and treat all contaminated sites proactively.

Which other bodies are backing Zane’s Law?

Hackney’s call is not standing alone. The council confirms it is acting alongside the London Assembly and other London boroughs, including Newham and Barking and Dagenham, all of which have publicly supported the campaign for Zane’s Law. As reported by Havering Council’s own communications, the borough has also backed the campaign and is preparing to update its cabinet on the need for robust national laws to ensure contaminated land near homes is properly inspected and remediated.

At the national level, several MPs and the Mayor of London have also lent their voices to the campaign, calling for the Government to bring forward legislation that reflects the principles set out in Zane’s Law. Campaign groups and charities working on environmental justice and housing‑safety issues have described the current system as “broken” and argue that Zane’s Law would be a crucial step towards preventing future deaths linked to contaminated land and floodwater.

How are Hackney leaders framing the issue?

In their joint statement accompanying the letter, Mayor Caroline Woodley and Sarah Young emphasise the council’s duty to protect residents’ health as well as the environment. As quoted in Hackney’s official release, they say the borough is

“working for a safer Hackney and protecting people’s health, water resources and the environment”,

but that this can only be done effectively if national rules keep pace with emerging risks.​

The councillors also stress that the proposed law would not just be about reacting to disasters but about prevention:

“Zane’s Law will ensure greater transparency over contaminated land”,

they write, meaning that developers, residents and local authorities would all have clearer information about which sites are contaminated and what risks they pose. This, they argue, would help avoid situations in which families are exposed to floodwater or gases from land whose hazardous history has not been properly recorded or disclosed.

What happens next in the campaign?

As of late March 2026, Zane’s Law remains a proposed bill rather than enacted law, and the final decision rests with the UK Government and Parliament. The letter from Hackney, alongside similar statements from other councils and the London Assembly, is intended to add political pressure for ministers to review the existing contaminated‑land regime and move towards legislation that reflects the campaigners’ demands.

Campaigners and sector commentators say that if Zane’s Law is adopted, it could lead to a major overhaul of how contaminated land is recorded, inspected and funded across England. They hope this would reduce the risk of future tragedies like Zane Gbangbola’s death and give local authorities clearer powers and resources to act before contamination and flooding combine to endanger lives.

What does this mean for residents in Hackney?

For residents, Hackney Council is signalling that the borough is treating contaminated land as a serious public‑health and environmental priority, even as it pushes for national‑level change. The Contaminated Land Strategy 2022 sets out how the council will identify high‑risk sites, oversee safe redevelopment, and work with national agencies such as the Environment Agency where necessary.​

At the same time, council leaders are making clear that local efforts have limits without stronger national rules and funding. By publicly backing Zane’s Law, Hackney is positioning itself as a leader in a wider movement to increase transparency, accountability and safety around contaminated land, not just in London but across England.