A major £30 million employment programme has launched across London to help more than 5,000 residents into work, training, or education over the next year.

Part of the Government’s £170m ‘Get Britain Working’ initiative, London is the only region with five trailblazer pilots.

The £30m London scheme targets those not in employment, education, or training (NEET) along with disabled people and carers.

Shadi Brazell, helping deliver one of the pilots through the Central London Forward, said: “Some young people can’t do unpaid work – it’s just not possible for them.

“So this programme covers salaries to help them get real-life work experience, with no cost to the employer.”

Tailored pilots across London boroughs 6k3q5e

Each of London’s four sub-regional partnerships is leading a tailored pilot programme designed to meet its community’s specific needs.

For example, South London’s scheme will refer people directly from NHS services into job .

Central London’s pilot s care-experienced young people, providing internet access, laptops, and phones to help them live and work independently.

The programme in West London builds on existing employment initiatives, enhancing and reach.

Finally, the Local London pilot targets inequalities affecting women, carers, and disabled residents.

and resources to overcome barriers in the £30m London scheme 3s7161

A new digital platform will connect s with real-time job and training opportunities in their local area.

Parents returning to work can access a new Childcare Fund to cover costs not covered by other grants.

Forogh Rahmani, who works with Local London, one of the four sub-regional partnerships, said: “Local London has one of the highest levels of economic inactivity rates in the capital.

“Poor health is a significant contributor to this.”

Success, she added, means residents overcome work and health-related barriers and move into good, sustainable jobs.

Brazell added: “We’re trying to really listen to what people’s requirements are and meet them where they are.

“We don’t want to say: this is what’s on offer, and if it doesn’t work for you, we can’t help.”

She emphasised that building confidence is key – noting that for many young people, unpaid work simply isn’t an option.

London Councils estimates that 1.3 million residents are economically inactive, with nearly one in five young people unemployed.

City Hall, local authorities, and the DWP will track the pilot’s outcomes to help shape long-term employment policy across London and beyond.

Photo credit alice_photo, Adobe Stock.

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Pet cafes have undeniably grown in popularity across the UK over the past decade, with cat cafes in particular leading the force. 

If licensed and operated humanely, these cafes can become key spaces for visitors to decompress and relax in the company of animals.

Big City Dog Concept Store in Kensington is a multifunctional, inviting space which provides an array of different services for customers.

Described as a community hub and matcha heaven, Big City Dog, which opened in 2023, offers a traditional pet store experience, with the unique addition of a matcha-centered coffee shop, dog grooming salon and bookable sessions with the resident dogs.

Store owner Anaïs, who is originally from but has been living in the UK for five years, explained her dog Tokyo was a key motivation for setting up the store.

She added the available green spaces in London, such as Kensington Gardens, were another key motivator for her move.

Anaïs said: “I used to go to a dog cafe when I travelled to the US, and I really loved it. 

“Because I had a corporate job, I wanted a role where I felt it was more like a happy place than just a job to pay the bills.

“We actually moved to London because I used to come here for work, and Tokyo and I loved Kensington Gardens. 

“Tokyo especially loved it because, where I used to live in Paris, it was not as nice, so we thought ‘Okay, we need to live here’.”

Big City Dog offers bookable sessions for up to five people to relax and unwind with resident dogs Tokyo, Pablo, Bertie and Margot.

Anaïs noted the psychological and emotional benefits which can be created from spending time with their four-legged friends. 

Anaïs said: “Hanging out with dogs has a really nice effect on people.

“The sessions tend to attract people who love dogs but cannot have one, or who are on holiday and miss their own, we have a lot of them.

“People often bring their kids along too to see if it’s a good idea to get a family dog.

“I think it’s a relaxation thing, but also, to me, just being around dogs soothes me, so I think it can offer the same for everyone.”

According to data shared by PDSA, 51% of the UK are pet owners yet only 10% of London landlords allow pets in their rental properties.

Around 55% of Londoners also rent their homes, according to data from Trust for London.

The difficulty in finding suitable rental properties has arguably contributed to a surge in pet-oriented cafes within the capital.

General manager Oliver noted his role at Big City Dog as an ever-diversifying one.

He said: “Since we’ve opened, it’s been super dynamic in the sense that we’ve had to implement new services, we kind of learn as we go in of what’s popular, what’s bringing people in. 

“So it’s a role that’s definitely kept me on my toes in that sense. 

“I feel like we introduce something or we move something around almost every month. 

“Obviously everyone has a shared ion here with dogs, but a lot of people are now coming in for the cafe too.”

Online Google reviews from the store particularly noted the focus on the wellbeing of both resident dogs and those visiting for the grooming services. 

Dogs are not kept in cages nor tight spaces pre or post-groom at the in-house grooming salon.

Instead, they are let free in the relaxation area to ensure the experience is as positive and stress-free as possible.

Visiting customers praised the store’s evident calming atmosphere and noted it as a haven for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle of central London, too

While running the store has been a fulfilling process, Anaïs was transparent with the difficulties that come with overseeing a pet-oriented business.

She said: “For now, we are still trying to find the perfect formula to make it work smoothly. 

“We’ve been open for two years, but we have changed the place so many times and changed the service to find the balance.

“Even though I love dogs, it’s actually really difficult to have it as a business, it is a very hard industry where you cannot really make any mistakes because people are understandably very sensitive about their dogs.

“It’s actually harder than just having a coffee shop because everything has to be top drawer.”

More information on Big City Dog, such as booking forms and grooming enquiries, can be found on their website and their Instagram page.

All pictures: Ellie Gelber

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The director of group dedicated to tackling the UK’s electrical waste problem is cautious over what impact the ban on single-use vapes will have.

The ban, which comes into effect on 1 June, is aimed at halting an estimated 8.2 million vapes being thrown away or improperly recycled each week in the UK, contributing to the world’s fastest-growing waste stream.

Incorrectly disposed vapes can start fires, release toxic substances like battery acid and lead into water and soil, and waste valuable materials such as copper and lithium, yet Material Focus executive director Scott Butler is not convinced the ban is enough address these issues.

Butler said: “I’m not expecting much change.

“I think it sends a strong signal and it’s taking the most environmentally, wasteful, and damaging types of waste off the market. 

“It is a good thing, but it’s just one leg of a long journey that we’re going to have with this product.”

Concerns remain vape producers may attempt to by the ban with new designs which meet the letter of the law but are not fully reusable.

To qualify as reusable, a vape must have a rechargeable battery, a replaceable coil and be refillable.

However, there is no legal requirement for retailers to sell replacement parts.

Butler said: “We’re seeing new models that are legal under the new definition that look almost identical to the ones that they’re replacing.

“You could have a scenario where you sell legal vapes, but with no ability to buy any of the parts that make them refillable and rechargeable.”

Beyond design loopholes, some concern remains over the adequacy of current Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations and their enforcement.

Any company which produces a significant number of electrical items is required to , report their sales, and finance the cost of their product being recycled.

Although some vape retailers and producers meet their environmental obligations, many are accused of free-riding, which is bringing products to market without complying with regulations.

This effectively transforms avoided fines, plus waste disposal and recycling costs, into profit for producers and retailers.

For example, from April 2024, vape retailers must offer take-back schemes for used vapes, and non-compliance risks prosecution and unlimited fines.

However, only 11% of retailers met these requirements under WEEE regulations, according to research from Material Focus conducted in 2024.

Enforcement is carried out by multiple agencies including the Environment Agency and Trading Standards, but the unique pervasiveness of disposable vapes makes it difficult.

Butler said: “It’s as easy to buy a vape as it is to buy a bag of crisps or a can of coke.

“It’s incredibly challenging to have that many people on the ground, so it’s up to those selling vapes, trade associations, and retailer associations to really make sure that their are fully aware and on board.”

Most waste electrical legislation was designed for large household items like washing machines, microwaves, and televisions.

As a result, it has taken time for legislation to catch up and address smaller, short-life items such as disposable vapes.

All waste electrical equipment must be reported under one of 14 categories, with vapes currently under category seven.

This covers toys, leisure, and sports equipment, but fails to represent the true cost of recycling vaping products.

While other items in category seven cost between £35 and £270 per tonne to recycle, vapes can cost £13,000 and £20,000 per tonne, according to industry estimates, due to the complex mix of materials they contain.

A review of WEEE regulations, proposed by The Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra), will create a dedicated category for vapes to improve tracking and ability, and is expected to be implemented later this year.

Other incoming legislation, such as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, aims to curb the rising consumption of vapes, which has increased rapidly year on year since their introduction to the UK market.

Material Focus will assess the impact of the single-use vape ban later this year, and although the picture may look bleak, there are reasons to remain optimistic. 

Vapes should not be thrown in general bins, recycling bins or recycled with regular batteries, but should be recycled as electronic waste at vape stores, supermarkets, and designated recycling points.

To find a nearby electrical waste drop-off point, please visit the Recycle Your Electricals website.

Feature image: Image by atlascompany on Freepik

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Overpriced houses were cited as the main reason why Londoners believe houses aren’t sold, according to new Good Move data.

The survey saw 77% of Londoners blamed an unreasonably high asking price when asked to name up to three reasons why they thought houses remained unsold.

This is higher than the 62% of people across the country who blamed overpriced houses, showing people may be overvaluing properties based on market expectations or sentimental attachment.

Property Accelerator YouTube channel founder James Nicholson said: “Demand for properties has slowed.

“The stamp duty increase prompted buyers to rush their transactions through, and people are waiting for interest rate cuts.

“Unfortunately, many sellers are pricing their properties at peak market levels, but it’s essential to be realistic and price competitively to sell your home.”

While it seems sensible to try to maximise the sale of a property, there can be expensive consequences to leaving a property on the market too long.

Property expert Nima Ghasri said: “When people overvalue their home, they spend much longer trying to sell it, leaving sellers in a state of flux.

“Sellers can end up losing more money due to costs of maintaining their home and damage their chances of buying their next property too.”

The survey, run with Find Out Now, showed that 47%, 44%, and 42% of people also blamed undesirable locations, houses needing too much work, and difficulties getting mortgages as buyers, respectively.

Other minor reasons included poor-quality photos or marketing, too much competition from similar homes, poor timing of sales, and estate agents not doing a satisfactory job.

The survey also showed a difference between expectations and reality of house sales, with 24% of respondents guessing it took between five and six months for a sale, while only 7% of respondents who’d tried to sell said it actually took that short a time.

However, Propertymark CEO Nathan Emerson believes the sellers and buyers will be in harmony in the not-too-distant future, as the economy slowly returns to a stable state of lower interest rates and 2% inflation.

He said: “As affordability and general consumer confidence fluctuate, it can be difficult to pinpoint housing prices across the country.

“Sellers are looking to capitalise on their sale to propel their next purchase, so expectations from both parties can be hard to align, meaning homes can take longer to sell.

“Once inflation eases and interest rates return to usual levels, house prices should be easier to pinpoint.” 

Inflation had been trending back to the target level before jumping up to 3.5% in the year to April, up from 2.6% in March.

Interest rates remain at 4.25%, and the Bank of England hasn’t increased them since August 2023, meaning the housing could become more predictable for sellers soon.

Further information about the survey can be found here.

Picture credit: Free to use from Unsplash

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The increase in AI generated deepfakes is creating an unease in the UK as fears of scams and danger rises, data from YouGov shows.

Most people in the UK are not confident in their ability to identify a deepfake, if they saw one across audio, images, videos and/or text, according to statistics from June 2024.

The increase in the usage of AI generated deepfakes has created a sense of worry amongst the public that they will not be able to adapt.

Content creator Joanne Nattendo said: “There’s too many dangers.

“People have come out saying their faces have been used for nudes, and you can film people saying stuff they never said. 

“With deepfake images and videos, people can easily get away with scamming.

“You can get accused of saying stuff because there’s a video of you – and it wasn’t you.

“Everybody is vulnerable – if you’ve got a social media with all your pictures, someone can use your pictures.

“It’s scary in my opinion.”

Twenty-three-year-old Nattendo is among the age group of whom 19% believe they would be confident to identify deepfakes.

She said this statistic is no surprise as the development of AI is increasing in a way that humans are struggling to keep up with.

She said: “I have seen a news page on TikTok and in the background they would have a news setup and then audio of someone talking. 

“And there was a video about a teacher who had been dismissed because he was swearing at the children, and it looked real, and a lot of people believed it. 

“It was set up as a news page and it used the AI voice and I think when you use that, people think you are legit, but it was all fake.” 

The data shows the majority of online content suspected to be deepfakes is video and for a world that is becoming more digital, this could be worrying.

Nattendo said: “Video is the worst to deceive the public.

“If someone makes a video of me saying stuff that I haven’t said, things that could be really harmful, dangerous or, making threats to others, I could get attacked for something I didn’t say. 

“That’s definitely the most dangerous because who is going to believe you. You’d say, ‘oh it’s AI’, but who’s going to believe you? No-one’s going to buy it.”

As artificial intelligence grows in popularity, creatives fear the lack of laws to protect their work from being stolen and used as a deepfake is a risk to the industry.

Writer Christina Alagaratnam uses AI to design posters for her plays, theatre shows and book covers, but states there is not much protection provided for writers and creatives.

The 32-year-old said: “It’s very easy for our work to get stolen and I just think there needs to be some kind of protection for artists and creatives that if any-one tries to copy it, it’s more than just plagiarism.

“There is a system that I think a lot of writers are doing now, especially if you are self-publishing, which is saying ‘I do not give permission for my voice to be used or my writing style to be used’ because anyone can take it and put it through ChatGPT or an AI software and copy your style of writing. 

“So it’s actually quite scary but it’s something that needs to be protected. 

“Someone can say, ‘write me a story in the voice of Christina Alagaratnam’ and it will do it.”

According to the statistics, people between the ages of 16-44 were more confident with their ability to identify AI generated deepfakes than those who were 45 and above, with the majority claiming they had seen humorous, scam ments or political deepfakes the most.

Alagaratnam said: “I think it’s used to lure people onto a certain side.

“Particularly, if one has an agenda, they will use AI to create something for example, ‘oh, look what’s going on in your neighbourhood’ and then some people might believe it.

“It is very manipulative and I think that it just persuades people to vote for something that is according to their agenda.

“It’s messing with people’s minds – I know politics can be a manipulation itself but AI just takes it to another level.”

Last year, there were concerns among the public regarding Reform candidate Mark Matlock, some assumed he was a deepfake creation, made by AI, after he had edited a photo of himself.

Matlock defended himself against these claims and The Reform Party denied the use of AI.

Alagaratnam said: “I think young people know it’s AI but at the same time they can’t help but be mesmerised by it. 

“You know it’s not real, but you just can’t stop looking at it even though you know there’s no such thing.

“The general public would need protection from scammers.

“The main thing that they would use AI for is to get money off people, especially the elderly.”

Featured image: permission to use

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Content Warning: This article contains content about self-harming behaviour

Prisons in England and Wales saw the highest number of self-harm incidents last year.

The latest Safety in Custody statistics from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) show there were 79,027 self-harm incidents in prisons in 2024.

This is an 11.4% increase from the previous year of 2023, which was already at a 20 year high.

Self-harm incidents in prison have been consistently rising since 2014 and reached a peak in 2019 during Covid before subsequently dipping during 2020 to 2022, before all-time high figures were reported in 2023 and 2024.

Karyn Butt, a prison officer at HMP Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, said: “It’s a very complex thing, self-harming.

“We have self-harmers who have swallowed batteries so that they go to hospital and change the scenery.

“We have some self-harmers that actually like to self-harm. It’s a way of them trying to control and coerce people to do what they want. They’re not getting what they want, so they will self-harm.”

Butt added she has seen cases where prisoners who have run out of vape cans will self-harm to try to get authorisation for more.

She added: “Other prisoners get resentful of the fact that some people manipulate to get what they want. But what do we do? Do we let them swallow batteries? We have a duty of care. We can’t let them swallow batteries, we have to take them to hospital. Or do we give them the vape cans?”

According to Butt, the reasons for prisoners self-harming vary widely but the majority of the time it is due to prisoners feeling low and depressed.

She said: “They’ve got things going on in their head. They don’t want their families to worry about it, but they have no thoughts of self-harm.

“Sometimes some feel before self-harm that they’re just feeling lost. That’s all it is. They don’t want to commit suicide. They just want to numb their feelings.”

Average figures of the past five years from 2020 to 2024 showing the number of self-harm incidents based on time spent in prison show a spike at one to three months.

Butt has seen firsthand how time in prison affects the rate of self-harm and says that the first couple of months can be very depressing and daunting.

This is regardless of whether the prisoner is on recall, a transfer, or brand new to the prison system as they all need to get used to a new regime.

“The level is high due mainly to that,” said Butt.

Butt added that they tend to see a lot of self-harm cases for prisoners in segregation, who are only out of their cell for a half an hour shower and half an hour of exercise daily.

This is evidenced in the recent report showing the number of self-harm incidents by location, in which segregation was the second highest location of self-harm at 9.5%.

The most common location for self-harm in prison was in “Normal” areas, which includes cells and common areas, ing for three-quarters of incidents in 2024.

The age group that experiences the most cases of self-harm is 30-39, having the highest number of incidents on average over the past five years from 2020 to 2024.

Furthermore, shocking figures first collected in 2019 revealed the numbers of individuals having self-harmed “100 or more” times, with no data yet provided for 2024.

Between 2019 and 2023 there was a 33% increase in the number of male prisoners self-harming 100 or more times and a 126% in the number of females prisoners.

So, what is being done to tackle this growing issue?

There are current practices in place to help the many prisoners who self-harm.

All prisons have a department called the Safer Prisons Team and all new prisoners have an initial interview to assess thoughts of self-harm.

An Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) is opened for any prisoner that self-harms and usually involves hourly checks and three ‘meaningful’ conversations daily, which can be with the chapel, mental health team, or an officer.

More serious cases of prisoners who are suicidal or who have attempted suicide can involve being on constant watch to ensure their safety.

A prisoner will remain on an ACCT until self-harm ceases and a post-ACCT involves monitoring and conversations before officially closing the ACCT.

Butt says they can sometimes have eight ACCTs open at one time on one wing.

She added that is it important for officers to understand the background and triggers of prisoners who are self-harming to aid the process of getting out of the self-harm cycle.

A common trigger is family, with the law allowing prisoners to attend funerals of immediate family only.

“That doesn’t include grandparents. So if somebody was brought up by their grandparents, not their parents, they wouldn’t be allowed to attend the funeral,” Butt explained.

“They may take five steps forward and then one step back, but we don’t condemn them on that.

“We’ll say, you’ve lasted three months without doing anything to yourself. And one day you’ve had a little hiccup, so now we build up on it again. We just have to break that vicious circle.”

Despite the significant number of self-harm incidents, there have been successful cases of aiding prisoners to break the cycle.

One prisoner, who Butt worked with for two years, experienced trigger dates on their son’s birthday and the death of a family member.

Butt explained: “He voluntarily went on a drug-free wing to get off of his drugs and to get off the self-harming. And for the last eight months, he’s done nothing to himself.”

Through appropriate they found ways for him to pursue his interest in fitness and buddied him up with another inmate with the same interest.

“If we know where they’re doing it, why they’re doing it, we will give that and to prevent self-harm,” said Butt.

“But it doesn’t always work.”

Regarding the recent Safety in Custody statistics, an MOJ spokesperson said: “These statistics once again lay bare the extent of the crisis facing our prisons – with levels of violence, assaults on staff and self-harm far too high.

“We will do whatever we can to protect our hardworking staff. The Lord Chancellor has announced a review into protective body armour and a trial of tasers in jails to better respond to serious incidents.        

“But it is clear fundamental change is needed, which is why we’re also reforming our jails so they create better citizens, not better criminals.”

It remains to be seen what changes will be made.

Feature Image Credit: from Unsplash by Patrick Gamelkoorn

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Despite reports of skyrocketing ADHD diagnoses and medication shortages, only 10% of adults in England actually take an NHS prescription for the condition. Why are medication rates still so low? 1p5c

Over the past decade, reports of ADHD diagnosis rates soaring, prescription medication shortages, and years-long assessment waiting lists have been constant.

Yet behind the headlines is a stark reality: only 10% of people with ADHD in the UK actually take a prescription for the condition.

People said they didn’t want to ‘rely on chemicals’ to live their lives, and revealed being scared that a prescription for ADHD would make them ‘lose their spark’.

What is ADHD and how can it be medicated? 684q2s

ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterised by inattentive, hyperactive, and impulsive behaviours that can interfere with daily life and development.

NHS England prescribes central nervous system stimulants and drugs to some patients diagnosed with ADHD to combat their symptoms.

These include methylphenidate hydrochloride (commonly branded as Ritalin or Methylin), lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (commonly branded as Vyvanse and Elvanse), dexamfetamine sulfate, atomoxetine hydrochloride, and guanfacine.

The latest NHS report on drugs used for ADHD from October-December 2024, published in March this year, revealed a clear increase in prescriptions for ADHD patients over the last ten years.

The number of patients taking an ADHD prescription at the end of 2024 was 248,012 – nearly triple the 2015 figure of 84,375.

But compared to the 2.6 million estimated by the ONS to have the condition in the UK, this figure remains small, with nine out of 10 people with ADHD therefore not taking a prescription.

Women, older people, and those living in low deprivation areas in England had the lowest rates of NHS ADHD prescriptions last year, whilst young boys and those in high deprivation areas were the most prescribed demographic.

Boys aged 10-14 made up nearly 20% of the overall total taking an NHS prescription for ADHD, whilst men on the whole made up almost two thirds.

Why are people hesitant? 3s48u

People with ADHD in England explained why they were hesitant to take a prescription. They listed a fear of losing their ‘spark’, restrictive lifestyle changes accompanying some drugs, hesitancy about the potential side effects, and years-long waiting lists to get an NHS prescription.

Molly was diagnosed with ADHD aged 27 privately after waiting two years on an NHS waiting list, and has taken Lisdexamfetamine for over a month.

While the medication has helped her organise her daily life, she felt that others might be reluctant to take a prescription because of the side effects and lifestyle changes required when taking certain CNS stimulant chemicals.

She said: “I think one reason why people are scared of taking medication is because of all of the stuff you can’t do, or have.

“With lisdexamfetamine for example you can’t have any Vitamin C in the morning, you have to eat before you have it, you can’t do strenuous exercise for two hours after taking it, it can make you feel quite sick if you have it on an empty stomach, and you’re not supposed to drink with it.

“I can imagine these are things that people diagnosed as adults wouldn’t want to do.”

Molly also explained the side effects from her prescription, which included higher blood pressure, queasiness, and insomnia if taken too late in the day.

She added that the concentration the prescription enables can also be a double-edged sword.

“It can go either way, because you can be focused on the wrong thing,” she said.

“One day, I spent the whole day packing and tidying my room, but this was on a day when I was supposed to be working!”

Others felt they were not fully informed by their doctors before taking the prescription.

Kirsty Holden, 38, is an ADHD coach and was diagnosed with ADHD in April 2024 by the NHS.

She began taking a prescription of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (Elvanse) in January this year, and now combines it with dexamfetamine sulfate (Amfexa).

She said: “The biggest thing for me is the lack of or direction around the medications – if I had been told that there will be things I will likely need to change slightly, that there are difficulties this will help with but that you also need to be open to switching strategies up, then I’d have gone into it a little less blind.

“It’s like I was effectively starting from scratch and re-learning things about me that I’d already processed or dealt with and found strategies for.”

Holden added that while the prescription has helped her with focusing, emotional regulation and binge eating, it is not a ‘magic pill’ and her partner had initial concerns about her taking it.

She said: “I could tell that my husband was scared about me losing my spark. I wasn’t worried though; I needed help!

“But I do feel it does affect it a little bit – the higher the dosage I went on the more boring and just ‘not bothered’ I became, which is not like me.

“It wasn’t and isn’t a magic pill.’”

Gender breakdown 172e6w

Men made up nearly two thirds of the total identified NHS patients taking ADHD prescriptions on the NHS last year, with a total of 150,599 on a prescription compared to 97,188 women.

Whilst it is widely believed that ADHD in women and girls is under-diagnosed in England, there is not enough data or research currently to know for certain why.

The NHS states: “ADHD is thought to be recognised less often in girls than boys, perhaps because girls with ADHD more commonly have inattentive symptoms and these can be harder to recognise.”

Molly felt that women may be more hesitant to take the prescription because they often have other medications and health concerns to deal with.

She said: “I think a big thing among people not taking ADHD medication is the worry that it’s going to have other mental health side effects, especially for women as I wonder if the medication that you get is different from men.

“I know lots of my friends are trying to come off the contraceptive pill and stuff. Women have had lots of chemicals in our bodies for a long time, so they’re more reluctant.’”

Molly also felt that her gender contributed to her late diagnosis. Her ADHD symptoms exhibited differently to her brother’s, who was diagnosed with ADHD much earlier, at age 12.

She said: “My doctor thought it wasn’t noticed in me for so long because I was compared to my brother who had the classic male symptoms such as always moving, not sitting still and bouncing off the walls.

“Whereas mine manifested in more talkative behaviours, just being disorganised, and jumping around the creativity that feeds into me now as an adult.’”

Age analysis 2m274m

The latest NHS data showed that younger people had far higher rates of ADHD prescription than older people, with 56,035 10-14yr olds taking a prescription for ADHD last year compared to just 7,730 50-54yr olds.

Among those prescribed a CNS stimulant for ADHD by the NHS last year were also 18 infants aged 0-4 and 31 patients aged 90 and above.

But the demographic, by age and gender combined, with the highest rates were adolescent males, with 43,253 10-14yr old boys taking a prescription for ADHD in England last year, making up 17.4% of the patient total.

Those who had been diagnosed with ADHD later in life frequently said that since they had learnt to cope with the condition without a prescription thus far, they saw little need to start taking one as an adult.

Tess Eagle Swan, 61, was diagnosed with ADHD in April 2010 through the NHS.

She said: “I have never taken meds for it and never would.

“I have coped for many years now and have special tools to manage it.

“I do not want to be dependent on chemicals to manage life. Learning to accept who I am and how I am has been empowering. I have many strengths with ADHD.’”

But other adults have said that a prescription has been life-changing.

By deprivation index 62316n

The data also uncovered a higher prescription rate for NHS patients with ADHD living in areas with the greatest deprivation levels (according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation [IMD]).

The highest deprivation areas had 51,885 patients taking an NHS prescription for ADHD, compared to 49,073 patients living in areas with the least deprivation.

The most prescribed drugs 5y3v53

The drug prescribed to the most patients was methylphenidate hydrochloride (commonly branded as Ritalin or Methylin), which was prescribed to 145,509 NHS patients last year. This was followed by lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (branded as Vyvanse or Elvanse) taken by 72,867 patients, and dexamfetamine sulfate, which was prescribed to 17,444 patients.

Featured image credit: Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

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Female business founders in London have dropped by almost 50% between 2023 and 2024, recent data from Instant Offices has shown.

This comes after London saw a near 30% decrease in female founders between 2022 and 2023.

Despite a governmental push for UK female entrepreneurs to increase by around 600,000 by 2030, female founders in London have dropped by more than 14,000 between 2023 and 2024, a staggering decline of 48%.

Numerous factors can lead to heightened difficulty for female business founders within their industries.

These include that women are less likely to receive funding for their business ventures compared to men, mounting childcare costs, impact of maternity leave, as well as research that shows the “motherhood penalty”, which makes up 80% of the gender pay gap.

The motherhood penalty is recognised as the career and wage disadvantages women experience in their industries once they become mothers. 

Tash Gorst is the founder of Gather, a zero-waste, sustainable store located in Peckham.

Gather is a multi-award winning store which prides itself on selling plastic free dry goods as well as eco-friendly alternatives to everyday items. 

In 2024, Gather ed forces with BYO, another store which focuses on eco-friendly living and sustainability. 

Alongside being a dedicated, hardworking business owner, ex-civil servant Tash became hyper-aware of the human impact on the world around her when she became a mother.

Tash said: “I became very ionate about the state of the planet and really concerned about the planet I was leaving my child.”

Aligning with the “motherhood penalty”, Tash claimed it to be near impossible for mothers without around them to start businesses.

Tash said: “It relies on you having those people around who can help, and if you don’t have them, no way you’re going to set up your own business if you’re a mum because you can’t look after your child and run your business all the time, both of those are full-time jobs.

“Because it’s a brick and mortar business, my husband had to be the primary caregiver for our child for several months because I was very busy physically making stuff or putting stuff in the shop.

“So I could not have done that without a partner.”

Funding disparities between female-owned vs male-owned businesses  2tjg

Data on early stage and latter stage funding for UK business start ups has shown a large gap between female and male owned businesses in the UK.

On average in 2023, female-owned business start ups in their first five years of operation received £763,300, compared to male-owned start ups which received £4.34 million.

This meant female-owned startups received approximately 82.4% less, or nearly six times less funding than male-owned startups on average in 2023.

Whilst funding for female businesses in 2024 did increase to £1.05 million in 2024, this was still only 17% of the male-owned funding at £6.2 million.

Additionally, according to a government research report on information derived from the British Business Bank Small Business Equity Tracker 2023, for every £1 of equity investment in the UK, just 2p goes to fully female-founded businesses, representing no improvement in the past decade. 

This investment disparity is contributing to a widening gap between female and male business startups.

Mounting childcare costs 4t1014

Whilst allowing for more flexibility in the hours she worked, Tash noted that being her own boss has led to less security financially.

Additionally, she said that business owners in London, specifically mothers, are up against ever growing childcare costs.

She said: “Childcare is expensive in London.

“It depends how your business is going, but if you start off in the early days, it’s risky. 

“And the idea of having to spend lots of money on childcare is not doable.”

As of 2023, the average hourly cost of full-time childcare in London is around £7.16.

Presuming parents or guardians work 50 hours per week, this amounts to £357.93 weekly in childcare costs for children under the age of two.

This makes London the most expensive region for childcare fees in Great Britain.

Whilst Tash discussed the difficulty for mothers starting their own businesses in London, she noted the importance of female business networks.

She said: “It can be lonely running your own business and finding your networks of other people. 

“Having other female business owners around you, even if they may be in different sectors. makes a massive difference because then you can talk and get advice from each other. 

“That makes a massive difference, people who understand what it is to run your own business.”

Effie Bersoux is the CEO and founder of GrowthGirls, a dynamic growth marketing agency that blends creativity with data-driven strategies to accelerate business expansion.

The agency focuses on areas such as customer acquisition, revenue growth, inbound marketing and social media strategy.

Effie said: “I have seen first hand the systemic challenges that women in business continue to face, from funding hurdles to the invisible tax of societal expectations around motherhood.

“The decline in women-owned businesses across London is sadly not surprising. It’s an indictment of a system that continues to fail women.”

The ever present gender pay gap and so-called “tax” on motherhood is something Effie deals with first hand.

She added: “People love to say women are ‘risk-averse’, but the truth is that years of pay inequality and systemic bias have left women with less financial security to take risks in the first place. 

“Add the massive funding gap, where female founders still get crumbs compared to male founders, and it’s no wonder fear of financial loss becomes a paralysing barrier.

“Beyond the financial barriers, there’s an emotional exhaustion too. The constant battle to justify our ambition, our expertise, and even our existence at the top.

“It eats away at confidence and, over time, can drive brilliant women out of the game. 

“We need structural change, intentional investment in female founders, and flexible, modern workplace policies that don’t punish women for choosing motherhood.”

Featured image courtesy of CoWomen via Unsplash.

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All bar one of London’s constituencies have ed an increase in the percentage of children living in absolute low-income families compared to three years ago. 

Only the Cities of London and Westminster constituency showed a decrease – a meagre 0.4% – between 2022 and 2024, with every other London area on the rise, according to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). 

The average change in this period saw an increase of almost 3.5% across London of children – defined as under-16-year-olds – living in absolute low-income families, with Ilford South, East Ham, Bethnal Green and Stepney, Croydon West surging by more than 6%. 

CEO of Child Poverty Action Group (AG) Alison Garnham said: “That isn’t what people want for the country’s kids and it’s a long way off Government’s vision of better opportunities and living standards for all.  

“London should be a great place to grow up but there are children in poverty all over the capital.”

To see the percentage in your constituency, search on the graph below:

What does this mean? What are absolute low-income families? 25s6b

The DWP states that those in absolute low income are defined as having their net equivalised income below 60% of the median income of the Financial Year End 2011.

This is then adjusted for inflation, according to the DWP website. 

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) equivalised income as a methodology that adjusts household income to for the different financial requirements of different types of household.  

Some key indicators are the size and makeup of the household, as living costs for adults are normally higher than for children, and larger households tend to require additional benefits. 

Further stipulations are also required to qualify for absolute low-income family status.  

The DWP also states: “A family must have claimed Child Benefit and at least one other household benefit (Universal Credit, tax credits, or Housing Benefit) at any point in the year to be classed as low income in these statistics.” 

The London Story 1l1z5n

This average London increase between 2022 and 2024 of nearly 3.5% more children living in absolute low-income families translates to nearly 60,000 in the capital.

The picture for London is mixed, recording some of the highest and lowest figures in the UK. 

Richmond Park, south west London, had the lowest percentage in the whole of the UK, ing 4.3% in 2024, itself the highest the constituency has seen in the previous decade.  

In the same year, the London constituency with the highest proportion of children living in absolute low-income families was Bethnal Green & Stepney, with nearly 30%.

This figure is more than five percent higher than any other area in the capital, and places it in the top ten percent of all constituencies across the UK. 

Aina Omo-Bare, Founder of Idia’s Community Kitchen, located in Tower Hamlets – the same borough as Bethnal Green and Stepney – says the situation in London is only getting worse.

She said: “I have been exposed to a lot, and I’m not going to shut my eyes to it. I know what hunger is like, because I have seen people who have gone without.

“I’m a mother, I’m human, I’ve got brothers, sister, children, nieces and nephews, and these other people are my family too.

“I would hate to see the youth of today, who are the leaders of tomorrow be destroyed by our society. So if all of us can put in our little bit, I’m sure we can make the world a better place.”

Her organisation, whose initial aim was to provide the underprivileged with hot meals, has evolved into a broader project, creating a safe place where people can come down for conversations, spend time, and get whatever help they need.

In recent years, they have focused on looking after children after they finish school in the afternoons, giving them snacks and preventing them from being exposed to young adults who are into drugs and alcohol, according to Omo-Bare.

The three constituencies which followed Bethnal Green and Stepney in the rankings were also situated in North or North East London: East Ham (24.1%), Holborn and St Pancras (23.7%), West Ham and Beckton (23.0%). 

The national context: how does London compare to elsewhere in the UK? 565v1z

London’s average increase (around 3.5%) rests just below the UK average trend in those three years (3.9%), which saw over 500,000 more children reach the threshold for living in absolute low-income families nationwide.

This meant that London ed for over one in ten children in absolute low-income families across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

As shown in the graph above, only two out of the 12 regions of the UK have a lower number of children in low–income absolute poverty families than a decade ago: Scotland with over 12,000 less, and 17,000 less in Northern Ireland – the latter a drop in 5%. 

However, in 2024, both of these areas ed an increase from three years previously in 2022, with Scotland increasing by over 5,000, and Northern Ireland by over 20,000.

Yorkshire and the Humber region recorded the highest percentage in 2024 with 26.6%, with the West Midlands in second with 25.5%, meaning over one quarter of children in these areas lived in absolute low-income families last year. 

This compared to London’s overall average of 15.1% in 2024. 

It is worth noting that only one of London’s constituencies – Bethnal Green and Stepney – recorded a higher percentage than the average of both Yorkshire and the Humber and the West Midlands.

What are some of the causes? What can be done?  6i1o43

Two-child benefit limits affecting low-income families 4l4v4i

Garnham believes that the biggest driver of rising child poverty is the two-child benefits limit forcing families – most of them working – to live on less than they need, meaning children go hungry and are cut off from opportunities like afterschool club and school trips. 

Announced in 2017, under the two-child benefit limit, families claiming universal benefit could not claim an additional amount for their third child and beyond. 

Those who were claiming benefits for more than two children before 6 April 2017, were still eligible to continue their original amount. 

Alison Garnham said: “The Government must scrap the two-child limit and step back from cuts to disability benefits.  

“Anything less and we’ll have more children going hungry and a government whose legacy will be more child poverty at the end of its first term than when it took office.” 

In a Parliament debate on the two-child benefit cap on 17 March, Alison McGovern, Minister for Employment the department’s commitment to bringing children out of poverty. 

She said: “All children matter. We are taking of a considerable range of different policy options, carefully working through the impact that they would have, but all the children in this country matter.

“As soon as the Secretary of State and I were appointed, we got to work to establish our child poverty taskforce, as promised in Labour’s manifesto, and those efforts are ongoing.” 

Housing reform 1n3q

Mairi MacRae, Director of Campaigns and Policy at Shelter, believes the plight of children in low-income families is intertwined with the housing crisis, and the effects are already taking their toll on London communities. 

Observing the damage it has caused in her experience with the charity, she argues the effects experienced by absolute low-income families are most visible in the poor – and often absent – standards of housing. 

She added: “Every day we hear from desperate families who are crammed into grim one-room B&Bs and hostels, often plagued by damp and mould.  

“Children are living with no space to do homework or play, having to share beds and are at risk of them and their families being moved miles away from schools and networks at a moment’s notice.” 

MacRae also blames the rise in absolute low-income families on a lack of government planning, and a lack of affordable homes for those who are struggling to cope financially. 

She said: “Only by building safe, secure, and genuinely affordable social homes will families have the foundation they need to thrive.”    

Published on 26 March, a day before the release of the DWP’s child poverty statistics, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves delivered the Spring Statement outlining areas for growth and possible changes to the budget in the previous autumn. 

The Spending Review will take place on 11 June, setting out plans for key public sector reforms. 

A government statement read: “This will not be a business-as-usual Spending Review. 

“The government has fundamentally reformed the process to make it zero-based, collaborative, and data-led, in order to ensure a laser-like focus on the biggest opportunities to rewire the state and deliver the Plan for Change. 

“At the Spending Review, the Budget in the autumn and across the Parliament, the government will continue to prioritise growing the economy to deliver change.” 

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Power outages in south west London caused disruption on the London Underground as stations closed, gates and display boards were left without power and engers were severely delayed.

The Bakerloo, Mildmay and Waterloo & City lines were suspended, and there were severe delays on the Piccadilly, Jubilee and Elizabeth lines. 

Chris Date was trying to get home to north London from Waterloo, one of the worst London Underground stations affected by the power outage.

Date said: “Underground staff [were] diverting engers to buses outside, or just waiting in hope the gates would reopen. 

“There was a power surge reported which caused a number of assets across London Underground to fail.”

A notice board at Earl’s Court station read: “Due to a power failure, the gates in Earl’s Court road ticket hall are not working to touch in.”

The power outage reportedly happened at 2.30pm this afternoon.

A Transport for London (TfL) spokesperson said the outage occurred due to a National Grid issue, leading everything to shut down for a matter of minutes.

The spokesperson added: “When the power goes out the trains will have stopped.

“We’ve cleared some stations. 

“Because there’s no electricity it might not necessarily be safe for them to open.”

South Kensington and Embankment were among the Underground stations which were forced to closed.

TfL’s chief operating officer Claire Mann said: “Due to a brief interruption of the power supply to our network, several lines lost power for a short period earlier this afternoon.

“We apologise to customers whose journeys will have been affected.

“We are working to get the whole network up and running again as quickly as possible.”

The National Grid apologised for the fault.

A spokesperson said the fault was resolved within seconds and did not interrupt supply from the network.

They added a voltage dip might have briefly affected power supplies on the low-voltage distribution network in the area.

A small contained fire was caused by a cable fault.

Feature image credit: Jack Darlington

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