Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · 12d

Beckenham traders say they've been raising concerns about fire safety in a High Street building for 'a long time'. That same building caught fire this morning. Cameron Blackshaw was at the scene to speak to them www.mylondon.news/news/south-l...

Traders 'raised fire risk in High Street building several times'

A fire erupted in Beckenham High Street, in a property adjoining the Odeon cinema, on Tuesday morning

www.mylondon.news

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · 12d

It's official. London is getting a new 34-storey skyscraper. It was approved today. @benlynch07.bsky.social has the details www.mylondon.news/news/zone-1-...

34-storey London skyscraper approved and it'll look like a giant crown

The new building in the City of London is twice the height of a previous proposal for the same site

www.mylondon.news

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Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · 13d

The latest story in our Broken Homes campaign. Caitlyn has to have up to four dehumidifiers in her room at a time, to try and keep the mould and damp under control in her Croydon council house. Story by Harrison Galliven www.mylondon.news/news/south-l...

'Water drips on my pillow': Croydon family's 5-year mould nightmare

Caitlin Brady was furious when she found mould growing on the possessions of her late grandad

www.mylondon.news

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · 14d

A report says there's a “high risk of fatality” for an autistic boy living in an overcrowded flat. He becomes so overwhelmed he tries to jump from the balcony. Despite being the highest priority, there are no suitable homes available. By Katherine Gray www.mylondon.news/news/east-lo...

'My autistic son's tried jumping out our overcrowded flat 4 times'

There are five people living in the family’s two-bedroom flat in Hackney

www.mylondon.news

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · 17d

Buzzing to see @mylondonnews.bsky.social shortlisted for investigation of the year in the Media Freedom Awards for our Rough homelessness project, and PJ Lynch getting shortlisted for young journo of the year www.societyofeditors.org/events/media...

Shortlist 2025 – Society of Editors

Society of Editors. Protecting the freedom of the news media

www.societyofeditors.org

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · 17d

It's great to hear the gym at Jubilee Hall in Covent Garden has been saved, even if there's some disappointment the community bid failed. Their hard work showed how valued the space is. Story by Adrian Zorzut www.mylondon.news/news/zone-1-...

Covent Garden gym saved and is set for £250k upgrade

GLL, which operates under the Better brand, will take over Jubilee Hall in November and retain the community gym which many feared would be lost

www.mylondon.news

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · 18d

Nicholas Asbury's Thamesmead flat was flooded with sewage 6 months ago. He wants landlord Peabody to thoroughly clean it and replace damaged fittings to get rid of the smell of faeces - which seems reasonable. Story by Cameron Blackshaw www.mylondon.news/news/south-l...

Housing association flat still smells of poo 6 months on from sewage leak

The 53-year-old with heart failure said one of his carers refused to enter his Thamesmead home because of the smell

www.mylondon.news

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · 19d

City Hall reporter Kumail Jaffer spoke to a bus driver who was punched in the face after a passenger blamed him for spilling their food. Workers and @unitetheunion.bsky.social are calling for better protection for London's bus drivers www.mylondon.news/news/transpo...

'Bus drivers need protection - I was punched after passenger spilled food'

Unite the union has described that latest statistics for assaults on bus drivers "disgraceful"

www.mylondon.news

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · 23d

Londoners will know the jaw clenching irritation of stepping out to cross the road when traffic is stopped only to be almost wiped out by a Lime bike rider who's ignored the red light. Story by @benlynch07.bsky.social www.mylondon.news/news/transpo...

London cyclists could face higher fines for really annoying habit

The City of London Corporation and City of London Police are exploring a range of potential options to tackle poor cycling

www.mylondon.news

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · 23d

Four days of protest, talks, music and workshops underpinned a message from the last residents on the Lesnes Estate in Thamesmead which is set for demolition. They say they worked hard to buy their homes and don't want them flattened. Story by Cameron Blackshaw www.mylondon.news/news/south-l...

'We spent years paying off mortgage - estate rebuild will take our homes'

A four-day 'protestival' was held at the Lesnes estate featuring music, talks and workshops, but the housing association accused protestors of vandalism

www.mylondon.news

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Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · 24d

Welcome to the 'exclusive' tower block development The Fold in Croydon town centre. Flats cost upwards of £1,480 a month and for that you get mould, damp, sewage and collapsed ceilings - and a 2-year decant while they basically rebuild it. By Harrison Galliven www.mylondon.news/news/south-l...

Tower block needs rebuilding from inside out just 3 years after it went up

The 'exclusive' 251-flat Croydon tower block opened in 2022 but has been plagued with mould, leaks and repair issues from the start

www.mylondon.news

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · 26d

A Croydon councillor and Labour's mayoral candidate for the borough has apologised after email addresses and partial home addresses were accidentally posted on Facebook - the second data blunder in a week. Story by Harrison Galliven www.mylondon.news/news/south-l...

Councillor's data blunder saw email addresses posted on Facebook

Mayoral candidate and Labour Waddon councillor Rowenna Davis has apologised for both incidents

www.mylondon.news

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · 27d

Parents on Hackney's Linzell Estate have raised £800 now to replace play equipment there as the council won't. They're still a way off the £3.5k target so share this around and donate if you can. It's peanuts to the council but gold dust to the kids www.gofundme.com/f/save-the-c...

Donate to Save the children’s climbing frame!, organized by Martina Byrne

Hey there! We're working hard to save the children's climbing frame on Linzell Estat… Martina Byrne needs your support for Save the children’s climbing frame!

www.gofundme.com

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · Sep 12

Good news. Hillingdon's Cabinet Member for Finance has committed to answering a question about contracts handed to an ex-employer. He's apparently "keen" to do it - just not keen enough that he'll do it before he absolutely has to. Story by
PJ Lynch www.mylondon.news/news/west-lo...

Councillor 'keen' to provide answers on contracts to ex employer - but not yet

Hillingdon's Cabinet Member for Finance has been accused of deliberately avoiding questions around his relationship with the company and the £1.7million of contracts handed to them

www.mylondon.news

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · Sep 11

The horrendous fire in Battersea last night has left a lot of people temporarily homeless and anxiously waiting to find out the extent of the damage.
Charlotte Lillywhite has been down to chat to some of them www.mylondon.news/news/south-l...

'We've probably lost everything' say Battersea residents after fire

Fox House residents are being housed in emergency accommodation as they wait to find out when they can return to the fire-ravaged block

www.mylondon.news

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Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · Sep 9

Mystery and anger in Brent Labour as 8 councillors are deselected by the regional branch ahead of the 2026 local elections. Supposedly so Labour have a better chance of winning - except they already hold 49 of 57 seats on Brent Council. By Grant Williams www.mylondon.news/news/north-l...

Mystery and anger as 8 Labour councillors dropped for local elections

A Labour source told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the party's regional arm intervened and made the decision over the heads of Brent Labour

www.mylondon.news

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · Sep 9

The row over flags has led to division in a South London town that locals say has not seen a major protest for years. At the weekend, weeks of heated online debate spilled out onto the streets.
Harrison Galliven was there to see how Sutton was moved to march www.mylondon.news/news/south-l...

Rival marches and vandalism - South London town divided by flag row

Two rival demonstrations came after weeks of heated debate among Sutton residents over the flag-raising issue

www.mylondon.news

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Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · Sep 8

A gym and community hall in Covent Garden, regarded as one of the last bastions of true community in Westminster, has been at risk for months. Locals have now submitted a bid 'worth millions' to buy the lease. Story by Adrian Zorzut www.mylondon.news/news/zone-1-...

'We plan to buy our community centre and gym to keep it in local hands'

Several women say the gym at Jubilee Hall is the only place they feel safe and comfortable working out at, without being judged or chatted up

www.mylondon.news

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · Sep 5

Should Bromley split from Greater London? Politicians on both sides of the argument have explained why it's a good or bad idea www.mylondon.news/news/zone-1-...

Politicians give their views on Bromley splitting from Greater London

Some say the Mayor of London has failed Bromley while others say the benefits of being part of the city far outweigh any downsides

www.mylondon.news

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · Sep 5

**New** Hillingdon Council awarded a £700k contract to Grant Thornton (where Cabinet Member was partner for 21 years) without inviting other bids. We already revealed £1m in payments were made to GT since Cllr Goddard joined Cabinet. By PJ Lynch www.mylondon.news/news/west-lo...

Council gave £700k contract to firm linked to Cabinet Member without procurement

EXCLUSIVE: Hillingdon Council documents say a wider procurement process could have been held before Grant Thornton was handed the contract

www.mylondon.news

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · Sep 2

This has caused outrage in Mitcham. Developer St William has permission to build 569 homes with 35% affordable. But it's now put in a 'just in case' application that adds 57 homes and provides no affordable housing. Harrison Galliven has the details www.mylondon.news/news/south-l...

Developer removes affordable homes from plan and adds 57 more flats

Merton Council recently approved updated plans for 569 flats with 35% affordable housing

www.mylondon.news

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · Aug 29

You're not imagining it. Cars are definitely getting bigger, and according to @cleancitiescampaign.org it's putting kids at much greater risk of death. Kumail Jaffer reports www.mylondon.news/news/transpo...

London's SUV obsession 'putting kids at risk and clogging up streets'

Higher bonnets means drivers can't always see children while the size of SUVs mean they take up a lot more space on streets

www.mylondon.news

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · Aug 29

Is it safe to live near one of London's biggest incinerators? The official line, after 916 emissions breaches in 18 months, is that it is. Many are sceptical though.
Harrison Galliven explains what happened and the implications for health www.mylondon.news/news/south-l...

The health implications of huge incinerator breaching emissions 916 times

Emissions of nitrogen oxides went unchecked at the South London site for 18 months because of a blunder by a contractor meant to be monitoring them

www.mylondon.news

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · Aug 29

It's the two-year anniversary today of the ULEZ expansion to outer London boroughs. It's been a rocky ride. Kumail Jaffer takes a dive into the stats and a look back at events to help you decide whether despite the controversy it's been a success
www.mylondon.news/news/transpo...

How ULEZ has changed London 2 years on from its expansion

Today marks the second anniversary of the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone to Outer London

www.mylondon.news

Dave Comeau @davidajcomeau.bsky.social · Aug 29

HMP Wandsworth continues to shock. Rajwinder Singh self-harmed over 5 days, tied a ligature and set his hair on fire. Staff didn't up his observations. The day of his death his worried wife rang. Ignored. He rang his call bell. Ignored. By
Charlotte Lillywhite www.mylondon.news/news/south-l...

Man 'would still be alive' if he hadn't been sent to 'shambolic' prison

HMP Wandsworth staff ignored Rajwinder Singh's call bell 30 minutes before he took his own life, didn't check on him that day when his wife raised concerns, and falsified records

www.mylondon.news