Since the Covid pandemic prompted many to reassess their living arrangements, an increasing number of Londoners have been exploring housing options beyond the capital.
Given the soaring property prices in London, it's understandable. However, while moving home might be feasible, relocating your job probably isn't.
As a result, towns and villages within commuting distance of London are becoming increasingly popular, particularly among young professionals.
While some places like Cobham in Surrey or St Albans in Hertfordshire may seem out of reach for the average wage earner, there are plenty of other locations offering a wealth of viable options - including spots even closer to London.
One such place is Cheshunt in Hertfordshire, which boasts a TfL station that can whisk you into London in just 24 minutes.
Pretty Cheshunt is one of the best places for commuters (Image: George Johnson / Getty Images)
In fact, Cheshunt is so appealing that a 2019 analysis by TotallyMoney named it the best commuter town, taking into account the following four factors:
Travel time
Commuting costs
Satisfaction
Housing costs
Although these findings were published back in 2019, Cheshunt still offers housing that's around £260,000 cheaper than London's. That's £415,000 compared to the capital's £676,000, according to Rightmove.
But it's not just the amenities that make Cheshunt a winner.
The town boasts a number of primary schools with ratings ranging from good to outstanding.
In addition, there's no shortage of family-friendly activities, including the fantastic Lee Valley White Water Centre.
The Lea Valley boasts some of the south east's most beautiful nature and walks (Image: Garry Knight / Creative Commons)
Cheshunt is situated on the River Lea, ensuring endless natural beauty for exploration. Fans of Adele might recognise it as the river mentioned in a song from her third album.
Take a stroll around the 1,000-acre country park for a breath of fresh air.
The town has been home to several notable figures. Sir Cliff Richard resided there for many years, Victoria Beckham attended school there, and Queen Elizabeth I often stayed there during her childhood.
How to get there
Cheshunt station is in Hertfordshire but still within the TfL oyster card zone (Image: Google Maps)
Liverpool Street station offers a journey of less than half an hour. If you prefer to drive, the trip will take slightly longer at an hour and a quarter.
Cheshunt is also within the Oyster zone despite not actually being in London, so it's got that going for it too.
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A man has been raced to A&E after he was knifed on Wandsworth Road in broad daylight. Cops rushed to Wandsworth Road in Battersea at about 2.50pm today (Friday, July 18) to reports of a knifing.
There they found a man in his 30s who was taken to hospital. We await a condition update.
The road is taped off as police gather clues. There have been no arrests.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “Police were called at 2.48pm on Friday, July 18, to reports of a stabbing on Wandsworth Road, Battersea.
“Officers attended and found a male, in his 30s, with stab wounds.
"He was taken to hospital by paramedics where he is receiving treatment. Wandsworth Road has been closed in both directions and a crime scene is in place.
MyLondon awaits a condition update for the victim (Image: MyLondon)
“There have been no arrests. This is believed to be an isolated incident and enquiries are ongoing.”
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 2.42pm today (July 18) to reports of a stabbing on Wandsworth Road, Battersea.
"We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, a paramedic from our tactical response unit, an incident response officer and a clinical team manager.
“We treated a man for a leg injury and took him to a major trauma centre as priority.”
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The Court of Appeal has ruled in two separate cases that building owners and developers can't recoup costs from leaseholders for fire safety remediation work, in a landmark decision that could save Londoners thousands.
The ruling could have far-reaching implications for who bears the costs of building safety-related costs in the future, with judges ruling that parts of the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) can be applied retrospectively, favouring leaseholders and residents.
Specifically, this means a paragraph that states building owners can't charge leaseholders for such work can be applied to fire safety defects that were discovered before the act came into force.
What were the two cases?
The court decisions relate to disputes concerning Hippersley Point in Abbey Wood, right on the border of Greenwich and Bexley, and to five residential blocks in the East Village Estate in Stratford's Olympic Park.
In the Hippersley case, the tower block's owner Adriatic wanted to charge leaseholders the costs incurred during a tribunal process in which it asked to do away with certain regulations so it could charge residents more than £250 each to carry out remedial fire safety works.
Both the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) and the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) ruled that Adriatic could not recoup these tribunal costs from residents, so it challenged these rulings in the Court of Appeal.
Hippersley Point in Abbey Wood (Image: Google Maps)
In the East Village case, the Court of Appeal had to consider applications from social housing provider and long leaseholder Triathlon for remediation contribution orders (RCO) it wanted to make against the East Village developers that would require the developers to pay for remedying fire safety defects.
The East Village RCOs were the first to be made under the BSA, with the developers appealing the First Tier Tribunal's original decision to allow the orders.
Both cases were heard at the same time by the same three judges with judgments handed down on July 8. Separate judgments were issued because the court believed that despite the overlap, both cases raised "distinct issues".
What were the key issues?
The key issue in both cases was whether the BSA could be applied retrospectively. It came into force on June 28, 2022 in response to the issues raised by the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017.
Fire safety defects at Hippersley Point and in the East Village Estate were both discovered prior to when the BSA became law.
What did the Court of Appeal judgments say?
In both cases, the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the leaseholders over the developers, deciding that parts of the BSA do indeed have retrospective effect.
In handing down their judgment in the Hippersley case, Lord Justice Nugee said: "I consider that Parliament cannot have intended that leaseholders should still continue to face the uncertainties and difficulties of the large and unaffordable bills that the legislation was designed to address.
"The only way to give effect to the Parliamentary intention of breaking the logjam and protecting leaseholders is to my mind to interpret the provisions that 'no service charge is payable' as meaning what they appear to say, namely that from the date of such provisions coming into force no such service charge is indeed payable."
The East Village Estate in Stratford’s Olympic Park (Image: Google Maps)
The retrospective nature of the act was a key factor for its creation in the first place. The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner made written submissions in both cases attesting to this.
She said: "Retrospectivity is central to achieving the aims and objectives of the BSA. Many of the building safety issues identified in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire arise in relation to buildings constructed many years ago.
"A retrospective approach provides for effective routes to redress against those responsible for historical building safety defects that have only recently come to light, whatever level of the supply chain they operated at."
What does this mean for developers?
Lawyer Nitej Davda, a partner at law firm Cripps, said it was "quite unusual" for such legislation to have retrospective effect. However, he also thought it made sense when it came to the BSA due to its origins at Grenfell.
He said: "If you take a step back and you think about what happened with Grenfell, which is where all of this emanates from ultimately, and then you think about what is the intention behind the legislation and what is it intended to do.
"The BSA is intended to do two things fundamentally. It is intended to give leaseholders protection and it is intended to make developers pay. Those are the two fundamental tenets of the act. If it doesn't have retrospective effect then you are trying to make the act work with at least one hand tied behind your back."
Mr Davda thought that Adriatic and Triathlon might appeal the Court of Appeal decisions to the Supreme Court because "there's enough money at stake" and "enough points of principle", but he was doubtful these appeals would be successful.
That is because in May of this year in another case concerning the cost of fire safety remediation work, the Supreme Court ruled that the BSA did have some retrospective effect.
Despite these recent and significant decisions, Mr Davda said he was sure developers were aware of the retrospective nature of the BSA, and those appealing rulings against this were likely trying to limit financial and reputational damages.
He said: "Since the BSA came into force, developers have always known that they were going to have to take responsibility for these matters, and of course there would have been consultation between government and stakeholders before the act came into force.
"It's not something that will have taken them by surprise, but it doesn't mean they won't try and limit their liability. But the retrospective aspect of the act should not have come as a surprise given what it was intended to address."
He suspected that most developers would probably have nine-figure contingency funds when it came to the possibility of paying for remediation work due to the massive costs involved.
What does this mean for leaseholders?
Although these two Court of Appeal rulings represent wins for leaseholders in each case, Mr Davda wasn't quick to state that it was a victory for all.
He said: "The people that are in limbo throughout all of this are the leaseholders because they can't sell, they're stuck in a property that has plummeted in value because of the defects and safety issues that are there, and they're subject to being concerned about what happens if there is a fire and the exterior is unsafe.
"Works need to be undertaken and if you're asking leaseholders collectively or freeholders to then take action against developers, that's expensive, long-running, protracted, potentially uncertain litigation. That doesn't help anybody."
When asked whether these rulings give more impetus and power to leaseholders to take legal action against developers, Mr Davda said: "It does to a point, but only to a point because of course, from a leaseholder's point of view, the Hippersley Point case is perhaps more relevant because it concerns specifically, the ability or the lack of an ability to recharge certain costs through a service charge.
"From the leaseholders' point of view, they are not going to be responsible for certain costs. That's great, but does it take them any closer to actually having remedial work undertaken? Not in and of itself."
Mr Davda said leaseholders need to be "brave enough, sufficiently well advised and potentially well funded" in order to take action against freeholders and developers. "It's not a quick fix unless the relevant stakeholders take responsibility," he said.
A West London council leader has said he will consider comments made by a resident urging for a review of parking permit charges and the consultation process in the borough. Cllr Stephen Cowan, Leader of Hammersmith and Fulham Council, made the assurance after hearing concerns about the scale of the recent price increases and the process involved.
The new scheme meant resident parking permits were shifted to an emissions-based charging model, with a diesel surcharge included in the plans plus an additional fee for second vehicles. Permits for EVs, electric vehicles, also cost for the first time.
Under the previous scheme, resident permits were either £119 a year or £60 for vehicles producing 75g/km of CO2 or less. For second vehicles there was a flat fee of £497, while EVs were free. Under the new model, annual charges range from £125 to £340 depending on the emissions produced. Diesel and second vehicles cost more.
Following the implementation of the new charges a petition was set up by Stefan du Maurier on Change.org and the council’s website. The petition listed two key demands; that parking permits be reduced to align with inflation, which a Bank of England calculator suggests in December would have been £167.93 based on the £119 figure introduced in 2012, and that certain conditions must be met before any further pricing structures are implemented.
These included that a consultation must receive a minimum of 250 responses and record more than 51 per cent in-favour of any future changes, and that an “independent body of residents” be formed to co-approve any questions in the consultation. Due to the petition receiving 467 signatures on the council’s website, more than the 250 needed for it to go before Cabinet, it was discussed by senior councillors at Monday night’s meeting (July 14).
Officers had prepared a report in advance responding to the petition, in which they detailed the background to the introduction of the charging scheme, work done to publicise the changes and the rationale. On the petition’s request to set the cost of permits at a single rate of £167.93, officers wrote this would be “incompatible with the policy change requirement to tackle dangerous air quality in H&F by encouraging residents and businesses to change to lower-emitting vehicles.”
“The emissions-based charge model which was proposed and subsequently implemented has been successful in other London boroughs, ensuring those with higher polluting vehicles pay more,” they continued. “This proposal will lead to changes in vehicle usage, ownership and behaviour, and to an increase in the use of greener transport alternatives, such as cycling and walking within the borough.
“A single banded system would not create the deterrent required for change and would not support the Council’s 2030 Net Zero strategy.” Officers also reiterated permit charges have been frozen since 2012, that new 12-month, six-month and rolling monthly permits to help make paying easier, and that the changes do not affect the 2,472 residents with Disabled Blue Badge permits.
Attention was further drawn to the results from a 2023 borough-wide parking census, in which 49.18 per cent of respondents to a question on whether charges should be used to reduce the number of higher polluting vehicles strongly agreed or agreed with the sentiment.
“This is a standard format question routinely used in consultations, which shows significant support for the principle that has been applied of using parking charges to reduce the number of higher polluting vehicles in the borough,” officers wrote.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council leader, Stephen Cowan (Image: Hammersmith and Fulham Council)
Resident Tom Holloway, who has supported Mr du Maurier’s petition, told Cabinet members both of his concerns about the level the new prices have been set at and what he claimed were ‘leading’ questions in the consultation. He also said he believed the council should be looking at implementing more 'positive' green measures, later giving examples such as supporting people wanting to move to electric vehicles.
“I believe your residents are thus asking for easy and honest engagement, to be helped to be greener by making it more affordable,” he said. “I understand that they want green policies that do not control their freedom of movement and disproportionately punish small local businesses and lower income families.”
Cllr Cowan asked Mr Holloway a series of questions, including what he would have done differently in terms of both the consultation and the new pricing. Mr Holloway said he would have looked at introducing a more “balanced cost”, taking into account lower income families with young children and essential work vehicles.
Leader of the Opposition, Conservative councillor Jose Afonso, also spoke, describing the petition as “immensely sensible” and asking the administration to accept its requests.
'I think we made a mistake in deciding to freeze the parking charges'
Cllr Cowan drew attention to the costs having not risen since 2012, telling attendees: “I think we made a mistake in deciding to freeze the parking charges. We should have put them up by inflation every year and made adjustments as the environmental agenda changed, because I think it was quite a difference for people when they came in and I think it looked like we’d hiked them up a lot.”
He said when in opposition he and his colleagues had seen the former Conservative administration increase charges on parking, which meant when Labour came into power in 2014 it believed the best thing to do would be to freeze it.
On the costs, Cllr Cowan said: “We spent a lot of time looking at those different prices and we may have gotten some things wrong. It’s very hard to work out if we do this, what will that do with this category of car? Can we encourage this?”
“We always look at things again and I will certainly go away and consider some of your comments and talk to my colleagues in the Cabinet about that,” he said to Mr Holloway. “I can give you that assurance.”
Cllr Cowan added the local authority will be in touch with Mr Holloway via the relevant Cabinet member, Cllr Florian Chevoppe-Verdier, in the coming months. Several other London councils have in recent years implemented emissions-based parking schemes including Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea. The City of London Corporation meanwhile agreed similar charges for its owned car parks.
Oasis has finally launched the second leg of their eagerly awaited reunion tour. Over the weekend, Manchester's own Liam and Noel Gallagher returned to their roots and played the first of many shows at the iconic Heaton Park.
There, they performed for a crowd of around 80,000 people each night. And they're far from finished just yet.
The legendary Supersonic singers will be returning to the revered grounds over the next few days, with fans eagerly snapping up tickets online. However, prices have just taken a leap.
As the final shows loom ever closer, with London next on the list for their tour, ticket prices fluctuate daily. At their most expensive, many are being sold for around £600 each. Below, we've outlined the cheapest tickets currently available, which websites to monitor, and any tips needed to secure access in the final hours before the shows commence.
Viagogo and resale tickets
Sites such as viagogo, Stubhub, and Vivid Seats allow fans to buy resale tickets from other fans. However, it is important to note that ticket conditions often prohibit resale after initial purchase. Those tickets may not be valid for admittance to gigs.
Fans intending to buy tickets for live events through resale websites should check the ticket terms and conditions, to confirm whether resale is prohibited, before they buy. Ticket terms and conditions can be checked with the original seller, such as Ticketmaster or Live Nation. If resale is prohibited, tickets bought second-hand could be voided and admission to the event refused.
Oasis Resale Tickets
How to buy Oasis tickets now
Oasis tickets can be purchased right now through several online retailers. This includes both official websites and resale ticket sellers.
Resale websites currently have a wealth of tickets on offer. Websites such as viagogo, StubHub and Vivid Seats are selling tickets across the country - and their prices are climbing as the tour gradually concludes.
At the time of writing, the cheapest tickets are being sold for around £400 for the upcoming London gigs at Wembley Stadium. Others are reaching the lofty heights of £600 each.
As a result, fans are urged to keep a close eye on ticket prices and make a purchase when they deem it appropriate. Here's a rundown of the cheapest tickets currently available:
Alternatively, official tickets can only be obtained from two websites: Ticketmaster and Twickets. However, both sites present slight issues.
Oasis kicks off their London dates this month. (Image: GETTY)
Ticketmaster's resale stock appears and vanishes within minutes. Twickets hasn't had many official resale tickets come through - but when they do, they sell out quickly. With this in mind, fans are advised to set up alerts on Twickets to receive notifications when tickets become available. For Ticketmaster, all fans can do is regularly check the website.
Lastly, fans are also reminded that VIP and hospitality tickets are still available right now from Seat Unique. These tickets offer fans the opportunity to experience Oasis in a unique way, with perks including complimentary food and drink, box seats, premium views, and more.
Thames Water has introduced a sweeping hosepipe ban amid England’s warmest June on record. Around 1.1 million customers are set to be affected by the move which will come into effect from July 22.
Households who come under the ban are being asked not to use hosepipes, including for cleaning cars, watering plants, filling pools or cleaning windows. The hosepipe ban comes after certain areas served by Thames Water were put into the prolonged dry weather category by The Environment Agency.
London has avoided the ban but those living in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Swindon, most of Wiltshire and parts of Berkshire, will be asked to stop using their hosepipes from July 22. Thames Water has said the move will help to protect the environment and to ensure that there is enough water to go around this Summer.
Households who come under the ban are being asked not to use hosepipes (Image: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In an announcement on its website, Thames Water said: “This year, the UK experienced one of its warmest and driest springs in over a century. June was also England’s warmest on record. The Environment Agency has put our area into the prolonged dry weather category.
“That’s why we need to bring in a hosepipe ban. It will help protect the environment and make sure there’s enough water to go around this summer.”
Which areas are included in the ban?
London is not included in the hosepipe ban at this stage (Image: Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)
Thames Water has introduced the ban for households in the OX, GL, SN, RG4, RG8 and RG9 postcodes. It will be in place later this month from July 22.
Bans are already in place in several parts of the country. Yorkshire Water has implemented one which will affect households in York, Leeds, Hull, Doncaster and Sheffield.
South East Water has one in place from July 18, which will affect homes and businesses in Ashford, Canterbury, Eastbourne, Maidstone, Haywards Heath and Royal Tunbridge Wells.
Why has the ban been introduced?
Thames Water is supplied by Farmoor Reservoir which is fed by pumping water from the River Thames. The amount of water which can be pumped is dependent on the amount of flow in the river.
The recent dry and warm weather means that the flow of the river is low which affects the amount of water which can be pumped into Farmoor Reservoir. A low level of groundwater contribution to the River Thames, as well as no rainfall, means that things could become challenging if the dry weather continues.
How long will the ban be in place?
Thames Water has said the length of the ban will depend on the weather. Prolonged and significant rainfall, as well as customers’ wise use of water is “vital”.
The water company has said it will be keeping a close eye on its water levels and let people know when the ban can be lifted.
Thanks to landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, London is a city teeming with tourists most of the time. But what many of those tourists may not realise is that a dazzling medieval palace once stood in the shadow of present-day London Bridge, and it was one of the most important buildings of the period.
Take a leisurely stroll through the labyrinthine streets of Southwark, and you'll stumble upon the surviving fragments of what was once the Great Hall and the striking rose window of Winchester Palace. Constructed in the early 13th century, Winchester Palace served as the official abode for the Bishops of Winchester.
Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester and brother to King Stephen, commissioned the palace as a luxurious, high-status London residence for himself and fellow bishops during their city visits. Before Bishop Henry began this grand transformation, archaeologists speculate that the site was originally a public bathhouse.
The palace was used for lavish parties (Image: Simon Burchell/Wikimedia Commons)
While it may be challenging to envision the palace's former splendour given its current dilapidated state, it was undoubtedly a marvel of its era, hosting some of the Middle Ages' most extravagant banquets. Winchester Palace was even selected as the venue for the wedding reception of James I of Scotland and Joan Beaufort in 1424.
The Great Hall is believed to have been designed by renowned craftsman Henry Yevele, with a vaulted cellar beneath it used for storing commodities like wine. The Palace witnessed the tenure of numerous bishops until 1626, when Lancelot Andrewes became the final bishop to pass away there.
Designed around two courtyards, it housed a variety of facilities including a prison, brew-house, and butchery, alongside leisure amenities such as a tennis court, bowling alley, and pleasure gardens for the bishops to unwind from their medieval administrative duties.
It's free to view the ruins (Image: Ian S)
Winchester Palace's prison gained notoriety as The Clink Prison, infamous for its harsh treatment of prisoners. The palace continued to serve its purpose until the 17th century, after which it was partitioned into tenements and warehouses.
However, as London expanded, the Palace faded into obscurity, becoming a mere echo of its former grandeur and was forgotten for centuries. A fire in August 1814 razed many of the area's tenements and workhouses, unveiling the remnants of Winchester Palace's Great Hall.
It wasn't until the 1980s, during a redevelopment phase, that the full scale of the Bishop's Palace was unearthed. London is peppered with living echoes of its past, but for an authentic glimpse into the city's history, be sure to explore the backstreets of Southwark.
The ornate window of the Great Hall remains (Image: Aaron Bradley)
Visiting Winchester Palace is free of charge, and you can wander among the ruins on Clink Street, adjacent to the Clink Prison Museum. For an even more impressive view, locate the railing overlooking the Great Hall.
The Bankside Open Spaces Trust has transformed the remnants of the Great Hall into a stunning garden, reminiscent of medieval times. The nearest Underground station is London Bridge, served by both the Jubilee and Northern lines.
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