FN Newsletter 22-06-2024

Midsummer 2024 round up of news, features and comment

Two weeks today we will know the results of the general election… although it is looking very much like a Labour landslide. You can find a list of candidates for Holborn and St Pancras here, and Cities of London and Westminster here.

Next week we’ll be publishing interviews with four of the Two Cities candidates — a constituency where there will be a hotly fought battle which could see the Conservatives lose the seat for the first time in its history. We’ll be publishing an extra email newsletter. We’re not covering the Camden side in much depth as the Camden New Journal has plenty of coverage.

We again have a lot of news and features in this edition of our newsletter, thanks to all the reporters and writers who have contributed.

In public consultations there are plans submitted to Camden Council for a roof extension on the corner of Fitzroy Street and Warren Street, and there are also plans submitted to Westminster Council for alterations at the rear of 30-32 Mortimer Street and Bywell Place.

Covid continues to remain a major threat, according to the WHO and infections in the UK are again increasing because of a new variant. Please follow NHS advice to avoid catching and spreading the virus. The UK Health Security Agency is also concerned about measles outbreaks, and a rise in whooping cough cases.

If you want to get in touch with us to tell us what you think of our reporting, have a question, or would like to contribute to Fitzrovia News please email us at news@fitzrovianews.com

— Linus Rees, editor

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The latest on our website

Candidates for Cities of London and Westminster, general election 2024

The parliamentary seat of the Cities of London and Westminster has elected a Tory MP since its inception in the 1950 General Election, records show.

Candidates for Holborn and St Pancras, general election 2024

On 4 of July 2024, constituents of Holborn and St Pancras will have the opportunity to vote for one of twelve candidates to become their Member of Parliament (MP).

Clarion housing association apologises after it bungled fire safety inspection letters

Clarion housing association has issued an apology after it made multiple errors in notifying tenants of a fire safety inspection and has been unable to explain how and why the mistakes occurred.

Fitzrovia West neighbourhood forum annual general meeting 2024

The Fitzrovia West Neighbourhood Forum will hold its 2024 annual general meeting on Wednesday 26 June to present the organisation’s annual review and to elect its executive committee members.

Friends’ group Crabtree Fields tidy up and social event

The Friends of Crabtree Fields are holding a “tidy up” and “get together” at the public park this month.

Design by artist Anya Gallaccio selected for Aids memorial at South Crescent

Artist Anya Gallaccio has won the competition to design a memorial to remember those who died from an Aids-defining illness and to those who have survived.

Appeal for blood donors after cyber attack causes disruption to supplies

NHS Blood and Transplant centres in London are appealing for “O Positive” and “O Negative” blood donors to come forward to book appointments after last week’s IT incident caused delays in matching blood types.

Local author publishes book on happy and healthy ageing

Local author Wendy Shillam has published a book on the science of ageing which offers a prescription for making the best of growing old.

Darren Coffield tells tales of the Queens of Bohemia at the French House

Queens of Bohemia: fabled femmes of the French House, by Darren Coffield, with a foreword by Marianne Faithfull, tells the story of the taboo-breaking women of bohemian London.

St Giles in the Fields – an illustrated historical talk with Rebecca Preston and Andrew Saint at Holborn Library

Rebecca Preston and Andrew Saint will be giving an illustrated historical talk at Holborn Library this month.

Exhibition: artist Alexi Marshall at Brooke Benington gallery

Artist Alexi Marshall is holding an exhibition Brooke Benington’s Fitzrovia gallery in Cleveland Street this summer.

History notes: The fate of the Tottenham Court Road arc lamp columns

“It is worth recording here the fate of the Tottenham Court Road arc lamp columns,” writes Peter Scott in the July 2024 edition of the Camden History Society newsletter.

Public consultations

Planning applications in Fitzrovia West, June 2024

Westminster Council has validated a number of planning applications so far during June 2024 in Fitzrovia West.

Planning applications in Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia East, June 2024

Camden Council has registered a number of planning applications in Bloomsbury ward, which includes Fitzrovia East, so far during June 2024.

Licensing application: Kairos, 84 Tottenham Court Road

Kairos Counter-Club CIC has a applied to Camden Council for a new premises licence for the ground floor and basement at 84 Tottenham Court Road.

Government consults on alcohol in licensed pavement areas

The Government has identified new options that would enable premises to more easily sell alcohol for consumption in a licensed pavement area, whilst ensuring that licensing authorities and local residents continue to have a say about what happens in their area.

Local democracy reports

Alcohol licence for BBC Club given go-ahead after hours cut back

The BBC has been given the go-ahead to run a club for employees in New Broadcasting House at Portland Place after mistakenly applying for a 24-hour alcohol licence.

Westminster Council compensates disabled elderly tenant for failures on home repairs

A disabled elderly tenant was left in a flat needing repairs “for years” by Westminster City Council. The local authority has agreed to pay more than £21,000 in compensation as a result of their “significant failures”.

Camden approves final school catering contract before bringing meals service in-house

Camden Council has announced plans for a new £24 million contract for a school meals provider — in what it hopes is the final one before adopting its “long-term ambition” to bring the service in-house by 2030.

Self-defence classes pilot in Camden schools to deter violence against women and girls

Self-defence classes are to be trialled in Camden’s schools in an attempt to deter violence against women and girls, and to increase the participation of girls in physical activity.

Hire firm Voi might ditch e-scooters for e-bikes in London

Shared micro-mobility rental firm Voi says it may be forced to withdraw its e-scooters from London’s streets as it has become “financially unsustainable” to operate them. The firm might roll out shared e-bikes instead.

Printed newspapers

Our June printed news-sheet is out and available from outside Fitzrovia Community Centre, 2 Foley Street. See the newspaper archive for back issues of Fitzrovia News. We aim to produce a two-page, printed issue at least four times a year. Local weeklies the Camden New Journal and the Westminster Extra are also available outside the Community Centre and they also have an archive where you can view the full printed Camden and Westminster printed editions.

News from elsewhere

UK at risk of new Covid summer wave as hospitalisations jump by 24 percent in a week

Covid looks to be in the early stages of a fresh summer wave, as new data reveals hospitalisations from the virus jumped by nearly a quarter in just one week.

Opinion is split in the ‘Two Cities’

Residents in a seat tipped to change hands to Labour at the general election are split on whether the party is a more attractive prospect under Sir Keir Starmer.