Society
housing, health, education, youth, disability, voluntary sector, welfare, work, economy, economics, finance, law, crime
Bunches of flowers and messages have been left on Tottenham Court Road in memory of a homeless man who died last week while sleeping on the street. The Huffington Post reports that a man who was aged in his 40s and was known as “Irish Keith” died on the pavement [...]
Police appeal for information after men are charged with Camden murders
Police have charged a Fitzrovia man with two murders and serious assaults which took place on a single night of violence in Camden. Eighteen-year-old Isaiah Popoola of Grafton Way WC1 is accused of killing 17-year-old Abdikarim Hassan and 20-year-old Sadiq Aadam Mohamed. He [...]
Appeal to identify man found collapsed near University College Hospital
Police are trying to identify a man who collapsed outside University College Hospital on Euston Road and is currently in a coma. Detectives from Camden are appealing for help from the public to identify a man who collapsed outside the hospital at around 1630hrs on Tuesday, [...]
Volunteers are needed to help with Camden rough sleeper count
Volunteers are being asked to help with counting the number of people sleeping rough in Camden this summer after concerns about the large increase in street homeless in the borough. “The Safer Streets Team will be carrying out a comprehensive count of people sleeping [...]
Residents praise speedy firefighters after blaze in Langham Street flat
Residents expressed their gratitude to firefighters who raced to a street in Fitzrovia this morning to put out a fire which engulfed a home in a mansion block. Crews of the London Fire Brigade from Euston, Paddington and Soho stations had to smash through locked doors to [...]
Family law and relationship therapy served with coffee and cake
If your relationship is getting you down then help is at hand at a cosy cafe in Warren Street which is hosting a number of free workshops designed to soften the impact of familial discord with the help of some sugar-laced treats. Family law solicitors from Grayfords on [...]
It is the increasing number of UK nationals not migrants who are pushing up rough sleeper numbers
The Times newspaper this morning runs a story with the misleading headline: “Migrants drive 50% rise in rough sleepers”. In its article The Times reports on yesterday’s release of official statistics of numbers of homeless people sleeping outside during [...]
Only 17 people sleep rough in the whole of the borough says Camden Council
Camden Council has told the Department for Communities and Local Government that there were only 17 rough sleepers on a “typical night” across the entire London borough in the autumn of 2016, according to official statistics released today. The figure of 17 is [...]
Cross-party group of MPs and Peers to investigate whether the justice system is properly serving cyclists
A cross-party group of MPs and Peers is to conduct a comprehensive inquiry to investigate if the justice done on behalf of injured and killed cyclists is fit for purpose. The All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group (APPCG) will carry out a select-committee-style inquiry [...]
Kids at Fitzrovia school excel in ‘ridiculously high level’ test
Children at a Fitzrovia primary school are among the country’s best young achievers according to government statistics published this week. All Souls Church of England Primary School in Foley Street was ranked in the top 10 percent of schools in England based on [...]
Campaign launched to combat hate crime
A week-long national campaign to counter the surge in hate crime was launched today at an event in Charlotte Street attended by faith leaders and the actor Shobu Kapoor. The #StandTogether Against Hate Crime campaign, which is backed by a group of organisations concerned [...]
Rates hike will squeeze Fitzrovia’s small businesses and creative industries
Businesses in Fitzrovia will be hit with a huge increase in bills next year after the government confirmed an increase of business rates in its autumn Statement. Although land values are lower than most of London’s other West End districts, the cost of premises in [...]
Makers of docudrama hope to educate people about the realities of sleeping rough
A new film called Sleeping Rough will dramatise the lives of three people who tell their stories of how they came to be homeless and living on the streets. Henry Aughterson, a third year medical student at University College London (UCL) and who lives in Camden, took [...]
‘Get checked during HIV testing week’ says NHS
This week is National HIV Testing Week and the NHS is encouraging people to take a simple test to prevent the spread of HIV. Free, quick and confidential HIV testing is available in Camden and Westminster, or you can order free home test kits. In central London call 020 [...]
Is rough sleeping in London really in decline?
The latest statistics from the Greater London Authority (GLA) state that there are now significantly less people sleeping on the streets than there were a year ago. Yet local anecdotal evidence suggests that rough sleeping is not in decline. The latest quarterly rough [...]
Westminster Council seeks views on rough sleeping strategy
Westminster City Council is seeking views on its new draft Rough Sleeping Strategy which sets out how it will tackle the problem over the next three years. “Rough sleeping is a growing problem nationally, but is particularly acute in Westminster, which has by far [...]
Camden and Westminster want to relax requirements for affordable housing in Fitzrovia
The prospects for securing any further affordable housing in Fitzrovia appear to be narrowing as both Camden and Westminster want to change their statutory planning guidance in favour of major developers. It is in the interests of developers to reduce the amount spent on [...]
Camden Council forced into u-turn on amendment to affordable housing guidance
A barrage of objections from community groups has forced Camden Council’s planners to ditch proposals which would allow money raised from property development in south Camden to be spent elsewhere. The proposals would have meant payments in lieu for social housing [...]
New video promotes confidential advice service for victims of domestic abuse
A new video produced by Camden Council shows that domestic abuse can happen to anyone regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation or culture, and promotes its confidential advice service to support victims. Camden Safety Net currently receives 250 referrals every month. [...]
Private renting and inequality under discussion at tenants meeting
Camden Council’s private renting scrutiny work, and housing and inequality in London, are the topics for discussion at next week’s public meeting organised by the campaign group Camden Federation of Private Tenants. Councillor Danny Beales, chair of Camden [...]