This is one of the most deprived and densely populated areas in the country. It was not always like this - Hackney was once a thriving borough with grand department stores and fine Georgian and Regency squares. And North Hackney was a middle-class suburb. The area suffers from crime, including drug-related violence. Unemployment is way above the national average. Ten per cent of the adult population has never worked and there is a significant number of long-term unemployed. Sixty-four per cent of property is rented - 25% of that from the local authority. Yet there are a couple of areas which are somewhat different from the rest. A substantial ultra-Orthodox Jewish community lives in the Stamford Hill district, and Stoke Newington is a rather upmarket, young professional area. The MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington is Labour's Diane Abbott, the first black woman to be elected to Parliament in 1987. Ms Abbott has a 46% majority.
