I keep returning to the same image: a faded poster stuck to a window, the neon sign of a once‑busy independent cinema switched off at dusk, and a high street that feels a little emptier for it. In towns across the Midlands, independent cinemas are closing or cutting their schedules because their running costs – and, crucially, their business rates – have become unsustainable. The question...
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’ve been following the slow burn of complaints about rent hikes in the UK for years: tenants discovering sudden...
I first started noticing a pattern while reporting on local government budgets: councils quietly buying software...
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...
Read more... →
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,...
Read more... →
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...
Read more... →
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...
Read more... →
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...
Read more... →
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...
Read more... →
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...
Read more... →
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...
Read more... →
I keep coming back to the same, uncomfortable pattern: UK fintechs eager to wear a green label on debt instruments that, on closer inspection, hide liquidity risks that ordinary investors don’t immediately see. As someone who follows markets and asks awkward questions, I think it’s worth...
Read more... →
I live in a part of Britain where resilient mobile signal and reliable broadband are still luxuries for too many people. Over the last few years I’ve watched neighbours miss remote consultations, children struggle with homework and small businesses lose customers because their village is stuck on...
Read more... →