Local News
Singing classes uplift Peckham mums who are feeling low after having a baby
A unique singing programme in Peckham is giving mums a much-needed mood boost, helping them feel less alone and more connected in the weeks after giving birth. Breathe Melodies for Mums is a ten-week programme run by not-for-profit organisation Breathe Arts Health Research, designed specifically to ...
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New housing allocation system comes 12 years too late for one woman
Southwark Council is launching a consultation on a new housing allocation system which would give priority to victims of domestic abuse. But for one domestic violence survivor, it is 12 years too late and she still lives in fear. The resident, who has not been named for her own protection, claims sh...
Surely school buildings that have had to close should not be allowed simply to gather dust?
This week we looked at the current state of six primary schools in Southwark which have closed since 2022. The issue of falling pupil-rolls extends wider than Southwark. All over the capital, primary schools are struggling to make ends meet – a combination of falling birth rates and punishingly hi...
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New festival forges ahead at Southwark Playhouse
Southwark Playhouse is preparing to welcome a brand new festival this Spring and will premiere the work of four of Britain’s most exciting young theatre companies writes Louisa Woolf… The four plays cover diverse themes. From a feel-good comedy about a Hollywood conspiracy. a heartfelt story of ...
£10.7 million for creative industries including gaming
A £10.7 million investment package for London’s creative industries was launched this week, which includes money for London’s fast growing gaming industry, the biggest in Europe. Sir Sadiq’s deputy mayor for culture, Justine Simons, shared her thoughts on the fast-growing importance of gaming...
‘Straight from Donald Trump’s playbook, Southwark Labour are undermining local democracy’, writes Lib Dem opposition
We held our historic Extraordinary Meeting on the serious failings in Southwark’s housing, where we tabled a vote of no confidence in Southwark Labour’s leadership. In November, the independent Regulator of Social Housing found serious failings in Southwark. Half of our homes don’t have smoke ...
Free and cheap activities to do with kids these Easter holidays
The Easter holidays are nearly upon us, there is plenty going on but here is our pick of either free or cheap things to do. Easter weekend falls is 18th to 21st April this year. Yet, with the Easter Holidays typically being two weeks long as most kids are off between the 4th and 22nd […]
The Shard becomes UK’s ‘tallest timepiece’
With the clocks going forward tomorrow (Sunday 30th March), the Shard changes it’s spectacular hourly light show to mark the occasion. It will change the display every hour starting at sunset, around 18:12pm and running until 1am. Visible for up to 40 miles, the light show can be seen from numerou...
Family still searching for answers after death of teenage musician who drowned last summer
The family and friends of a talented teenage musician who died last summer are continuing their fundraising efforts to cover the legal fees of an inquest into his death, with £24,000 raised so far. Fourteen-year old Raymi Saldaña Rojas, who lived in north London with his parents, drowned last July...
Peckham author shortlisted for children’s novel about being a young man in South East London
A Peckham author has been nominated for a prestigious Carnegie award for his children’s book exploring masculinity and growing up in South East London, writes Louisa Woolf… Nathanael Lessore was born in Camberwell and grew up on the North Peckham Estate. He went to school at St Thomas the Apos...
Mayor of London accused of ‘backtracking’ on banning gambling adverts on the Tube
Sir Sadiq Khan has been accused of “backtracking” on his undelivered promise to ban gambling adverts from the Tube network. The mayor pledged in his 2021 re-election manifesto to instruct Transport for London (TfL) to ban adverts from casinos and betting websites, “given the devastating way ga...
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson says closing primary schools offer ‘opportunities to think creatively’
London’s falling birth rate and the rising number of schools closing across the capital could present positive “opportunities to think creatively” about other forms of provision for children, the Education Secretary has said. In an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), B...
Free community sports garden in Borough set to have a £5m revamp
The Marlborough Sports Garden, located just off Borough High Street, is set for a £5million redevelopment after securing major funding. This will transform the Garden into a vital community sports hub to ensure fair access to physical activity for children in Southwark. Construction is expected to ...
Two-day festival with funfair in Burgess Park to celebrate end of Ramadan
Thousands of people are set to come together in Burgess Park this weekend for a vibrant two-day festival marking the end of Ramadan. Now in its 20th year, the much-loved event is a key part of London’s Eid in the Park celebrations, bringing the community together for prayer, festivities, plenty ...
‘Unlawful’ infill scheme on Bermondsey estate squashed by High Court
This is premium content for subscribers only Get the real storyAs Southwark changes we’re still here.We’re fighting to make sure our community has a voice and stays in the know.But proper journalism costs money. For just £2 a month, or £20 a year, our members get exclusive investigations, his...
London councils on the ‘brink of bankruptcy’ disappointed funding reform was not in Rachel Reeves’ Spring statement
London councils have renewed calls for local government funding to be reformed following the Spring statement. Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ speech, delivered on Wednesday (26th March), laid out a series of welfare cuts and a hefty boost to defence spending, but little in the way of support for local ...
Kingswood House: the history of a mansion hidden in a 1950s housing estate
This is premium content for subscribers only Get the real storyAs Southwark changes we’re still here.We’re fighting to make sure our community has a voice and stays in the know.But proper journalism costs money. For just £2 a month, or £20 a year, our members get exclusive investigations, his...
Labour council votes against motion to scrap two child benefit cap
This is premium content for subscribers only Get the real storyAs Southwark changes we’re still here.We’re fighting to make sure our community has a voice and stays in the know.But proper journalism costs money. For just £2 a month, or £20 a year, our members get exclusive investigations, his...
Teenager from Peckham arrested over shooting of 16-year old in Stockwell
A 17 year old boy from Peckham has been charged with the murder of teenager Lathaniel Burrell alongside a 30-year-old from Stockwell. Lathaniel died at the scene after sustaining gunshot wounds in Paradise Road in Stockwell on March 4. The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was char...
Elephant & Castle development the size of one and a half football pitches with towers 44 storeys high gets go ahead
A popular food hall at the heart of the Elephant & Castle community will be bulldozed to make way for almost 900 homes in tower blocks up to 44 storeys high. The controversial Borough Triangle development, which covers an area the size of one and a half football pitches, was narrowly approved by...