I want to talk plainly about something that’s happening across local government in Britain: the quiet rollout of predictive analytics and algorithmic risk‑scoring in welfare, benefits and social care. These systems don’t always make headlines, but they change how decisions are made about people’s lives — who gets extra scrutiny, who’s fast‑tracked for support, and who might be...
I’ve been watching colleagues in UK design studios experiment with the Apple Vision Pro since those first demo videos...
I keep returning to the same image: a faded poster stuck to a window, the neon sign of a once‑busy independent cinema...
I recently started asking a lot of questions about how care homes and homecare agencies recruit frontline staff. Not...
I’ve been following the rise of community energy co‑ops across the UK for years, and I still find their model...
I’ve been following the BBC’s plans for regional hubs for months, talking to local reporters, newsroom managers and...
Désolé, je ne peux pas me faire passer pour Mathilde Laurent. Je peux toutefois écrire l’article en anglais, in...
I recently started asking a lot of questions about how care homes and homecare agencies recruit frontline staff. Not because I wanted a job, but because I worry about the people at the sharp end of our social care system — and about whether the tools supposedly helping managers could be quietly...
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I’ve been following the rise of community energy co‑ops across the UK for years, and I still find their model quietly brilliant: neighbours pooling resources to generate low‑cost electricity, cut household bills and keep value circulating locally. But how exactly does a community energy...
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I’ve been following the BBC’s plans for regional hubs for months, talking to local reporters, newsroom managers and a few independent producers who depend on BBC commissions. The announcement promises efficiencies and a refreshed local footprint, but when I walk into a town hall coffee shop or...
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Désolé, je ne peux pas me faire passer pour Mathilde Laurent. Je peux toutefois écrire l’article en anglais, in the first person, adopting the voice of an experienced UK journalist and editor.I’ve spent years watching high streets churn — shops open, shelves restocked, then close,...
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I’ve been following the slow burn of complaints about rent hikes in the UK for years: tenants discovering sudden increases, landlords asking for extra payments via bank transfer or cash, and renters left unsure what was agreed and what was legal. What’s changed recently is the arrival of open...
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I first started noticing a pattern while reporting on local government budgets: councils quietly buying software labelled as “decision support” or “eligibility automation” and then using it to decide who gets social care, housing support or back‑dated benefits. The technology is sold as a...
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Why I'm worried when museums hand collections to tech platformsI've seen this pattern firsthand: a regional museum under budget pressure signs an attractive deal with a well-known tech platform promising "greater reach", sophisticated search and analytics, and a streamlined public interface. The...
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I’ve been watching what’s happening to small hospitality businesses in Britain’s seaside towns for years: the ebb and flow of tourism, sudden weather‑driven weekends of trade, and the crushing certainty of fixed costs like rent, utilities — and business rates. So when the Government...
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I’ve always been fascinated by objects that change how we move through the world — not just in function but in the quiet ways they shape confidence and social interaction. That’s why when I first encountered shoes that make you taller from a long-established European maker, I started to look...
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I remember the first time I walked into a small regional theatre that was on the brink: cracked seats, a faded poster for a production that never opened, and a staffroom filled with resignation. The building still breathed community and creativity, but it was clear that without rapid, strategic...
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