Society

Covid: London to enter tier 3 restrictions to curb surge in cases

December 14, 2020

London and several other areas in the south-east will this week enter the toughest coronavirus restrictions in order to contain a surging number of Covid infections. The capital along with parts of Essex and Hertfordshire will enter tier 3 at 00.01 on Wednesday. Hancock told MPs the data would now be reviewed weekly, with the […]

Asthma inquest told: no link between girl’s hospital admissions and higher pollution

December 8, 2020

Scientist says no evidence to support theory Ella Kissi-Debrah’s condition worsened when air pollution rose Ella Kissi-Debrah’s mother, Rosamund, holds her mobile phone showing a photo of her daughter, who died in February 2013 from a severe asthma attack. Photograph: Hollie Adams/AFP/Getty Images A leading scientist has told an inquest there is no evidence that […]

Keira Bell lawyer warns on internet coverage of transgender issues

December 6, 2020

The promotion of transgender issues on social media should be subject to safeguarding measures, according to the lawyer for a woman who brought last week’s landmark case against England’s only NHS gender identity development service (GIDS). Keira Bell, 23, who was born female, was referred to the Tavistock Centre in London, which runs GIDS, as […]

HS2 urged to rehouse London council block residents over disruption

November 28, 2020

HS2 Ltd has been urged to fund the rehousing of 175 council households in London enduring “unbearable” conditions due to construction works on their doorstep. The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, and the leader of Camden council, Georgia Gould, have said that many homes could be uninhabitable when large-scale works to build the high-speed railway begin […]

Covid tiers: large parts of England in tier 3 restrictions after lockdown

November 26, 2020

Significant sections of England including much of the north and Midlands have been placed in the top tier of new coronavirus restrictions, the government has announced, potentially putting ministers on a collision course with Conservative MPs. Only three areas – Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and Isles of Scilly – are in the lowest level […]

So you want to set up a low-traffic neighbourhood? Here’s where to start

November 20, 2020

How do I get started? For all the attention low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) are getting, they are very simple things. Strategic “point closures” allow vehicle access to all addresses in a neighbourhood, but reduce through traffic. They can be done with planters, or lockable bollards, or a combination of both. In London, impressive maps of potential […]

Charities urge return of homelessness scheme in English lockdown

November 6, 2020

The government must scrap plans to deport foreign rough sleepers and relaunch the “everyone in” strategy to protect thousands of homeless people from the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, charities and the mayor of London have said. As temperatures drop and a new England-wide lockdown threatens to force more people on to the streets […]

Covid restrictions push more under-25s than ever to sleep rough in London, charities say

October 30, 2020

The number of young people sleeping rough in London has risen to a record high, data shows, as charities say more provision is needed because lockdown restrictions mean those who usually stay off the streets by staying with friends are unable to do so. According to the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (Chain) thenumber of […]

Grenfell lessons and the need to talk to tenants | Letters

October 22, 2020

Thank you for your continuing coverage of the Grenfell inquiry, and your vital underlining of its significance in your editorial (The Guardian view on Grenfell secrets: regeneration shame, 18 October). There have been three Grenfell stories. Number one was the immediate response that residents had been betrayed by an insensitive council. Then came Andrew O’Hagan’s […]

The Guardian view on Covid failures: PM eroded trust when he needed it most | Editorial

October 12, 2020

Boris Johnson’s decision to give English local councils and metro mayors a role in suppressing the spread of coronavirus is a small step in the right direction. Mr Johnson has been outpaced by the virus for months while touting plans to defeat the disease. None have worked, which is why he is having to ask […]