Nick Bowes, insight director from the London Communications Agency, stated, 'These are likely to be the most consequential elections in London, certainly for the past 20 years - possibly since the first borough elections in 1964.'
The first floor is now home to The Ballroom, a cocktail bar and events space with room for 250 people to sip cocktails and listen to vinyl. The room gives strong '70s vibes, with raspberry-pink walls, leather and PVC booth-style seating and oak details all adding to the old school aesthetic.
The Exchange is a community hub powered by North Paddington Foodbank who are the UK's first and only cash-first foodbank. Instead of offering food parcels, the foodbank gives out cash and vouchers instead, creating real routes out of crisis. This in turn helps foodbanks evolve into hubs of culture, care and community.
London is a city that rewards curiosity. Beyond the iconic landmarks, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the London Eye, lies a quieter, more intimate version of the capital. This is the London locals know: tucked-away streets, overlooked parks, independent cafés, and historic corners that rarely make it into guidebooks. For travellers willing to stray from the obvious routes, the city offers countless hidden gems that reveal its true character.
The national rail bridge that spans Balham High Road, next to Balham station, has been given a deep clean and a new lighting scheme to improve its appearance. The bridge is the latest to benefit from Wandsworth Council's £2m schedule of improvements to rail bridges and underpasses, which is being funded by its contributions from local property developers.
If you had told us five years ago that London's population would be dunking themselves in ice baths and sweating it out in scorching boxes for fun, instead of going to the pub, we wouldn't have believed you. But in 2026, dear reader, that is very much the case, because Londoners have gone absolutely bonkers for saunas. A new map, created by Sauna\\Wave, has revealed all the best locations in south London to take part in the Finnish tradition.
A proposal to build 15,000 new homes on a brownfield site at Thamesmead has been shortlisted as one of 12 "new towns" across the country to help meet house-building targets. The plan was given a boost last year with the Chancellor backing a Docklands Light Railway (DLR) extension to the area, but the scheme is still waiting formal government approval.
The row of shops (and pub) here used to be known as Butchers' Row as it was lined with, well, butchers of course - and they would hang their meat outside their stores on rows of metal hooks. Most of the buildings have since been redeveloped, but the gap between shops on Aldgate High Street has been there since shortly after WWII. The gap wasn't due to bomb damage, but for some reason, one building was cleared, and later its neighbour as well.
Our team would like to thank the residents and stakeholders who engaged with us throughout the planning process, sharing both feedback and support. We're pleased with the outcome, which recognises the cultural and social value of the Brockwell Live series, alongside the significant economic contribution it makes to Lambeth and Greater London, particularly at a time when night-time and creative economies across the country face increasing pressure.
Yes, the rumours are true - Taylor Swift rented out a random London shopping centre for her latest music video. The pop superstar's 'Opalite'video, which was released last week, is set in the '90s and features cameos from Graham Norton, Lewis Capaldi, Domhnall Gleeson, Cillian Murphy and Greta Lee. Part of the video sees Taylor and Domhnall Gleeson wandering around a colourful, sparkling shopping mall. That shopping mall, ladies and gents, is Croydon's own Whitgift Centre.
Following his death, Jones Burrell took over the running of her son's boxing club, as a way to try to steer young people away from knife crime. But she says it is only recently that she has started to feel a sense of change. Teenage homicide, which hit record levels in 2021, is at its lowest in more than a decade and in the borough of Lambeth, police say knife crime offences have fallen by 35% in the past year.
