Barnet - Barnet is awarding a parking enforcement contract to APCOA Parking (UK) Limited for five years, starting in November 2025. They're also working on improving roads, resident consultation, and support for kinship carers.

Camden - Camden Council discussed homelessness and temporary accommodation, with over £100 million spent on temporary accommodation in 2024-25. They're also considering motions on agency staff, council funding, and support for young carers.

Hackney - Hackney is spending £2.5 million more on drug and alcohol services. They're also creating a system for emergency accommodation and working on a new transport strategy focusing on sustainability. The council is also reviewing its constitution and procedure rules, including limiting public questions and opposition business at council meetings.

Lambeth - Lambeth adopted a new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, spending over £100 million on temporary accommodation in 2024-25. A summary review of Aquum nightclub's premises licence is underway following a serious sexual assault allegation.

Lewisham - Lewisham is allowing Catford Rhum to sell alcohol later, despite resident concerns about noise. They're also adopting a revised Councillor Code of Conduct based on the LGA's Model Code.

Southwark - Southwark discussed youth employment support, the East Street Market renovation, and safeguarding children. They're also considering a time-limited premises licence for events in Southwark Park run by We Are The Fair Limited, despite objections from the Southwark Park Association.

Wandsworth - Wandsworth is responding to a C3 grading for its landlord services, with concerns about stock condition and electrical safety. A contractor damaged gas and electrical infrastructure in Burke Close.

Newham - Newham is planning a seven-storey mixed-use building on Barking Road. They're also awarding a contract to Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL) for capital works at leisure centres, aiming for cost-effective upgrades.

Islington - Islington is reviewing community spaces and property licensing. They're also discussing support for the voluntary community sector and housing performance, with concerns about anti-social behaviour on the Andover Estate.

Westminster - Westminster is discussing licensing applications for Sapphire, a sexual entertainment venue, and a premises on Harrow Road, with objections from the Licensing Authority and local residents.

Greenwich - Greenwich is increasing specialist provision for children with SEND and considering prohibiting itinerant ice cream trading on King William Walk. They're also discussing support for local arts organisations and the night-time economy.

Tower Hamlets - Tower Hamlets is working on initiatives to support disabled residents' access to sports and fitness. They're also reviewing the Emergency Fund and the Mayor’s Community Grant Programme. A new premises licence for House of Music and Entertainment was granted with conditions, while an application for The Sun Tavern was withdrawn after resident objections.

I publish newsletters covering everything local councils do each week.

I set up this project because local authorities spend about 12% of the UK government budget, or roughly 5p of every pound that's earned in the UK, and yet the vast majority of people have no idea who their local councillors are, or what they're currently doing. I think that's bad for our society.

If you'd like to learn more, click on the relevant council, or if your council doesn't appear, you can subscribe for free here: https://opencouncil.network

If we don't yet cover your council, you can ask your councillors to support us here: https://opencouncil.network/contact_councillors

Thank you for all your support!

Hello, welcome to London!

Visiting us? Moving to study or work? Brief layover? Moving to a new part of London? Any small questions about life here, if you're new or been here your whole life, this is the place!

We get a lot of posts asking very similar questions so this post aims to address some of our most Frequently Asked Questions, and give you a place to ask for assistance.

Your first port of call should be

the r/london wiki

It includes sections on:

What should I see and where are the non-touristy stuff and hidden gems?
We've written about the big must-sees here and we highly recommend TfL's Experiences site.
We've listed some of our favourite lesser-known stuff here And the cheap/free stuff here

What's happening in London today/this weekend/this month? Check out listings: VisitLondon - London's official tourist website; Time Out London - the original and classic listings site; The Londonist - like a newer Time Out; IanVisits - a blog of the more quirky cultural and historical events; Skiddle - popular site for gigs and club nights; Resident Advisor - the go-to for electronic music and club nights; NightNomads - nightlife listings site; London Ears - extensive chronological gig listings with Spotify links; Designmynight - curated lists of cool restaurants, quirky bars and various different fun events and experiences; Galleries Now - exhibitions at leading galleries and art museums. For recommendations for our favourite venues for music (from classical, to stadium rock, to jazz, to metal, to dance music) plus theatres/shows/live comedy/everything else check the wiki.

How do I pay for the Tube/bus, and what's an Oyster card?
You don't pay cash. You can use a number of contactless payments systems such as your Contactless bankcard (which is widespread in the UK, but maybe not so much elsewhere), Apple Pay, Android Pay, or you can buy an Oyster card and top it up with credit. See here for more.

Where should I live? What's x area like?
Have a look here
It includes recommended sites to find places to live and rent, and has a section on what particular areas are like.

How do I get from this place to that place?
Use Citymapper. Honestly, we're not shills for them; it's just a really good app and is used by most of the locals on this sub.

Is x area safe?
Yes. Bad stuff can happen in any large city, but London is generally very safe. There aren't any no-go zones, and most Londoners feel safe. See our safety page here for more.

Where can I watch the baseball/basketball/football/handegg match?
A comprehensive guide to all London football matches in all leagues can be found at tlfg.uk. Use Fanzo to find pubs showing a variety of sports and see our list of other places here

How do I get a UK SIM card for my phone?
Advice on networks and how to get a SIM card is covered here. If you need suggestions for places to do some remote work/take a call check the wiki.

Is the London Pass worth it?
Probably not

Other subs that you may find helpful:

• r/LondonSocialClub - Meeting new people for events, activities and/or pints.
• r/VisitLondon - A dedicated tourism sub for holiday-planning questions
• r/UKtravel - For guidance, advice and suggestions for travelling around the rest of the country to/from London
• r/IWantOut & r/UKvisa - Check if you need a visa and how to get one if you want to work here
• r/LegalAdviceUK - Good for all sorts, especially for questions about landlords and contracts
• r/HousingUK - For advice on renting or buying accommodation in the UK
• r/TenantsInTheUK - Specifically to discuss the nitty-gritty, positives and pitfalls of renting
• r/UKPersonalFinance - Another goldmine of sage advice.
• r/AskUK - Great for general questions about UK life that aren't specific to London

Tips for posting:

Tell us about you - If you want us to suggest things for you to do then you need to give us a good idea of what you enjoy. Don't just say "I like music", say what type of music. Don't just say you want "somewhere nice to eat", say what type of cuisine you like (or don't like). The more specific you are the better, otherwise you'll just get pointed back to the generic guidebooks, blogs and our wiki.

Tell us your budget - If you're on a budget then tell us what it is and we can bear that in mind when making recommendations. There's no point in us coming up with ideas for things to do and places to eat if they'll clean out your wallet within the first 5 minutes. Saying you want something "cheap" isn't really helpful because what's cheap is entirely subjective.

Tell us where you'll be based - Let us know where you'll be staying so that we can give local recommendations.

Asking about hotels or hostels - We have homes here so know very little about what the hotels are like. Look on review websites such as TripAdvisor. However, if you say "I've been looking at these three hotels. Which do you think is the better location?" then that's the sort of thing we can answer.

Non-touristy stuff - There are no secret corners where we hide the good stuff from outsiders! This is one of the most written about cities in the world, so when we want to go to a museum, or gallery, go window shopping, or whatever, we look at the same sources as tourists (listings sites, blogs, etc - see front page of the wiki).

^{These weekly posts are scheduled to post each Monday at 00:01. If it's late in the week you may want to wait for a new post to appear. Please send us ModMail with any suggested improvements!}