There have been some noisy headlines about chaos in councils where Reform won seats last month: resignations, council meetings in disarray, councillors disappearing on holiday en masse. Durham became a Reform-controlled council last year, and I finally managed to catch some Reform councillors in action. I had spent months trying to speak to, photograph or … Read more
The UK government is pressing ahead with plans for a new generation of new towns to tackle the housing crisis. The details are still emerging, but the direction of travel is clear: large-scale planned settlements, focused on sustainability, “gentle density” and transport links. The reasons are straightforward. Labour wants to build 1.5 million homes and … Read more
Durham is an odd place. Not odd in an exciting way — my kids always called it Dullham. But odd nonetheless. The city was shaped by two very different forces. The first is intellectual and religious. Durham is the shrine of Saint Cuthbert and the burial place of the Venerable Bede, home to an ancient … Read more