The Challenge

Hackney Council manages 40 community halls and spaces across their London borough, which are vital local venues used for a variety of activities, from lunch clubs and martial arts classes to community meetings and faith gatherings.
Until recently, the booking process was entirely manual. Residents had to make bookings and payments by phone, email, or in person, which made the process slow and inaccessible. Many spaces were left underused, and Council staff were spending excessive time on administrative tasks rather than supporting local services.

The Solution

In 2022, Hackney Council partnered with Kajima Community to transform how residents discover and book community spaces. Implementing the BookingsPlus software allowed the Council to provide a fully digital experience allowing users to:

• Search, book and pay online for venues across Hackney
• Take virtual tours to ensure the space meets their needs
• Upload important documentation

Hackney were the first council in the UK to provide a complete end-to-end digital booking journey for community venues.

The Results

The impact was immediate and significant:

• 44% increase in revenue from community spaces in the first year
• 41% rise in booking enquiries as more residents accessed spaces online
• Substantial reduction in administrative time spent managing bookings

Visit their BookingsPlus website here.