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 banking — a technology designed to make payments and financial data portable and, crucially,...
I first started noticing a pattern while reporting on local government budgets: councils quietly buying software...
Why I'm worried when museums hand collections to tech platformsI've seen this pattern firsthand: a regional museum...
I’ve been watching what’s happening to small hospitality businesses in Britain’s seaside towns for years: the ebb...
I’ve always been fascinated by objects that change how we move through the world — not just in function but in the...
I remember the first time I walked into a small regional theatre that was on the brink: cracked seats, a faded poster...
I keep coming back to the same, uncomfortable pattern: UK fintechs eager to wear a green label on debt instruments...
I watched the announcement roll across my feed and felt that familiar, sinking mix of anger and resignation. A major factory in Scotland — one that employed thousands directly and supported supply chains across the UK — is closing. The immediate human cost is obvious: lost wages, disrupted...
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Why I started asking questions about edtech and privacyI remember the first time my child's school announced a new online learning platform. The teachers were enthusiastic — more interactivity, easier homework submission, a single login for all subjects. As a journalist who watches how tech and...
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I’ve spent years watching local and specialist publishers try — and sometimes fail — to turn a loyal newsletter audience into reliable revenue. The good news? Monetising newsletters in the UK no longer means choosing between annoying readers with interruptive ads or hiding behind a hard...
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I spend a lot of time talking to artists, community leaders and small organisations trying to navigate the patchwork of cultural funding in the UK. One question comes up again and again: how are culture grants actually distributed across regions, and what can grassroots groups do to win funding?...
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When I push my trolley through the weekly shop, the rows of yellow sale stickers and "3 for 2" offers create the impression that groceries are more affordable than the headlines suggest. Yet at home, when I check receipts and watch the household budget, something doesn't add up for many families:...
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I’m asked all the time which “green” home improvements will actually cut energy bills this winter. As someone who writes about policy, tech and household economics, I’ve spent months pulling together data, talking to installers and testing a few measures at home. The short answer is: some...
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I keep reading the headlines that celebrate a supposed silver bullet: convert underused office blocks into homes and London’s housing crisis will be solved. I wish it were that simple. As someone who watches the intersection of policy, markets and everyday life, I can see why conversions are...
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I still remember sitting in a meeting room two years ago listening to a founder paint a picture of “inevitable market share” and “category-defining technology.” The slide deck looked immaculate: hockey-stick growth, soaring gross margins, and a valuation that made bankers’ eyes light up....
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I have spent years covering policy and public services across Britain, and few issues feel as immediate and human as staffing in care homes. When immigration rules change, the impact ripples through corridors where people live and the communities that support them. I want to walk you through how...
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I’ve spent years travelling through northern England’s former industrial heartlands — from the terraced streets around Rotherham’s steelworks to the shipyards by the Tyne and the quieter manufacturing estates outside Sunderland. What strikes me most is how visible the potential is: vacant...
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