The pandemic backlog of council repairs has been reduced significantly, with around half of 7,000 repairs open on Hackney's books already completed.

Outstanding repairs that built up in the borough are set to be resolved by July this year, the council says.

The local authority apologised after repairs accumulated when, during lockdown periods throughout the pandemic, it was only able to undertake emergency jobs at council properties.

As part of efforts to clear the backlog the council has invested an additional £1 million into its repair service last November.

Last week, Cllr Clayeon McKenzie, portfolio holder for Housing Services, visited Hackney's Florfield Road Depot to thank new recruits, a number of which are recently qualified former council apprentices.

Cllr McKenzie said: “Throughout the pandemic our teams worked tirelessly to deliver a repairs service to our tenants. It was not an easy period for anyone and I am really grateful for their efforts.

“However, despite their hard work I am acutely aware that as an organisation this council let people down with many of our tenants and leaseholders waiting too long for a repair to be undertaken.

"For this I am truly sorry."

Cllr McKenzie added that the council has been working hard to "rectify the issues".

The councillor added:"We know that going forward we have a big job to restore the trust of our tenants in the service we deliver and we are committed to doing just that.”

Between July 2020 - when Covid restrictions were eased - and this January, 61 per cent of tenants in Hackney said they were very or fairly satisfied with the repair work undertaken.

During the same period 68pc said they were very or fairly satisfied with the way their issue was handled by the council’s Customer Contact Centre.

The council has also announced it will develop a new repairs charter outlining the support residents should expect when contacting it about a repair.

To report a repair or find out how a request is progressing, call 020 8356 3691.

A call back service is also available where a resident will receive a call without losing their place in the queue.

To report online, visit hackney.gov.uk/repairs