Poverty
‘Rat bites and chronic asthma’: schools on frontline of UK housing crisis
April 17, 2024Some children living in dire housing conditions have been woken up by chesty coughs caused by damp, others by the smell of sewage leaking down their walls. Toby* was woken by rats on his chest. “It was midnight and he came to me crying,” said his mother, who does not want to be named. He […]
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Hunger, homelessness and gang grooming: just a normal week at one London academy
April 3, 2024‘Really worrying’: social problems driving rise in home schooling in UK “It’s the biggest story, mark my words. I think it’s really worrying. There are going to be dead children.” Zoë Thompson is not a drama queen. She studied physics at King’s College London, and thought she would work for Nasa. In fact, she went […]
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The Guardian view on London: diversity thrives while Tories pander to prejudice | Editorial
February 28, 2024Just why do the Conservatives so dislike London? The former deputy chair of the Tory party Lee Anderson recently described the capital’s Labour mayor, Sadiq Khan, as controlled by “Islamists” – a sentiment others in his party rather belatedly accept as “wrong”, even if they won’t say why. Paul Scully, a former minister for London, chipped […]
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Homeless families to be moved out of London hotel during Beyoncé tour
May 23, 2023Homeless families being housed in a north London Travelodge are due to be moved out when Beyoncé concerts begin at the end of the month after the local council failed to extend their bookings. The Guardian understands that up to 30 families face removal from a Travelodge in Enfield and being placed in alternative temporary […]
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Right to buy has cost London’s communities dearly | Letter
April 18, 2023Aditya Chakrabortty makes many valid points, but does not mention right to buy, a policy introduced by Margaret Thatcher in 1980 to break up council estates (Disappearing schools, families forced out – and we call this progress, 13 April). Since 1850, philanthropic organisations and councils have built decent housing close to the centre of London […]
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Residents demand independent inquiry into council’s role before fatal fire
March 15, 2023Pressure is growing for an independent investigation into the role of the London borough of Tower Hamlets before a fatal fire in an overcrowded flat as it was claimed 10 officials and councillors knew about problems. The Tarling West estate residents’ association published excerpts from correspondence from officials at the council dating back to last […]
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London to offer free school meals to all primary pupils for a year
February 19, 2023Free school meals will be offered to all primary school pupils across London for a year under plans by Sadiq Khan to tackle what he said was a failure by ministers to step up support during the cost of living crisis. The move will come into force from September, saving families about £440 for every […]
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The council inspectors tackling Harrow’s illegal, deathtrap homes
January 13, 2023Filled nappies, rotting raw meat on a kebab skewer and a mildewed mattress litter the back alley that runs to Anand’s family home in Harrow. To Gareth Jones, a council housing enforcement officer, the stinking hillocks of rubbish are tell-tale signs of illegal, overcrowded dwellings. Jones picks his way up steps to the front doors […]
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Charities urge return of homelessness scheme in English lockdown
November 6, 2020The 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 […]
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Covid restrictions push more under-25s than ever to sleep rough in London, charities say
October 30, 2020The 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 […]
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