Parking changes on the high street have split the traders
Wider pavements, spaces moved to the side roads: who gains and who does not.
The council has widened the pavements on the high street and moved parking bays into the side roads. For anyone on foot the street is transformed; for shops that rely on customers arriving by car the picture is different.
Cafés and bakeries are pleased. The people selling appliances and furniture are not — their customers load the purchase into a car.
The first figures from the bodies involved do not match. Two different numbers went out on the same day, both through official channels.
One street, two stories
There is usually a gap between what people say locally and what the paperwork shows. This time the gap is a little wider than usual.
A similar scheme was tried in another borough two years ago. The results of that trial were never published.
What the council plans next
Set the technical argument aside and one question is left: who ends up paying for it.
The second phase of the works starts in October. The traders’ association wants a loading exemption at set times of day; the council has yet to give a straight answer.
PremiumA week of delays on the line and still no explanation
Morning waits on the platform have reached twelve minutes at some stations.
A cat walks across the studio mid-bulletin and the presenters cannot keep it together
At 10.01, straight after the headlines, the cat strolls past camera one. Nobody on the desk picks the thread back up.
Weather warning issued as temperatures drop below the seasonal average
Rain in the north, a sharp fall in overnight lows across inland areas.