Council and community could join up on housing | Letters

John Harris is absolutely right to draw attention to the tragic lack of council housing provision in the UK, and his visit to the new homes at Rainbow Way in Minehead, Somerset, is a welcome reminder that building genuinely affordable, secure homes is both possible and transformational for people’s lives (In Somerset, I found glorious proof that England can build great council houses. So what is holding us back?, 25 January). The emotional testimony from residents who now have stability and dignity in their housing reinforces how urgently we need similar projects across the country.However, my own experience working on the East Quay project in the adjacent town of Watchet reinforced another uncomfortable truth: local authorities do not always have the will or imagination to take the initiative and improve things for their residents.In Watchet, it was not the local council that led progressive change, but a remarkable community group, the Onion Collective

Resident doctors in England vote to continue industrial action for another six months

Resident doctors in England have voted to strike for another six months in their long-running jobs and pay dispute with the government.Their decision means that, unless an agreement emerges, the campaign of strikes by resident – formerly junior – doctors will enter its fourth year, as the industrial action began in March 2023.The British Medical Association (BMA) said 93% of the resident doctors who voted in their latest strike ballot endorsed holding a further series of stoppages. In all, 26,696 of the 28,598 resident doctors who took part backed continuing industrial action – a 53% turnout.The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) highlighted that this was the lowest turnout yet seen in the five strike ballots held as part of the action

Lack of mental health beds contributed to UK teenager’s death, inquest finds

A shortage of mental health beds and poor communication between agencies contributed to the death of a teenage girl on hospital grounds, an inquest has found.Ellame Ford-Dunn, 16, who had a history of self-harm, died in March 2022 after absconding from an acute children’s ward where she had been put because of a dearth of appropriate mental health beds.Her family and campaigners say Ellame’s death exposed a mental health system “crumbling at the seams”.The inquest jury at West Sussex coroner’s court was told that Ellame absconded “multiple times” during her stay at Worthing hospital’s Bluefin ward, which was not a specialist mental health unit.Jurors concluded the decision to place Ellame there was “inappropriate” and “more than minimally” contributed to her death

Here’s how we can save Britain’s high streets | Letters

High streets have been changing throughout my lifetime (I’m 82 and had a high-street business for more than 20 years) and they have somehow survived with precious little government help (Labour risks election wipeout unless it improves Britain’s high streets, study finds, 28 February). In my postwar rural Essex village, we had three butchers, two newsagents, two bakers, two ironmongers, three general stores (one a dairy) plus a potpourri of haberdashery, hair stylists, two sweet shops and an electrical shop that had every plug and wire known to man.There was consternation when the dairy went self-service, but soon everyone was shopping with a basket. Then came the grocery chains – the butchers and bakers disappeared, and the main haberdasher closed. But the village adjusted and other enterprises appeared

‘Menopause gold rush’? Boom in hi-tech products as stigma starts to recede

For any bodily function you want to measure these days there is a gadget – a wristband for step-counting, a watch to track your heart rate or a ring for measuring sleep.Now the march of wearable tech is coming to the aid of what some say is a long underserved market: menopausal women.One startup has recently launched a high-end cooling bracelet that kicks into action during a menopausal hot flush. The device is one of a growing number of lifestyle products being launched in this area, which some experts say is growing as stigma around menopause recedes. Companies are developing everything from apps offering dietary advice to devices that track symptoms, hormones and body temperature

On Polymarket, ‘privileged’ users made millions betting on war strikes and diplomatic strategy. What did they know beforehand?

In the early hours of 13 June, more than 200 Israeli fighter jets began pummeling Iran with bombs, lighting up the Tehran skyline and initiating a 12-day war that would leave hundreds dead.But for one user of the prediction market Polymarket, it was their lucky day. In the 24 hours before the strike occurred, they had bet tens of thousands of dollars on “yes” on the market “Israel military action against Iran by Friday?” when the prospect still seemed unlikely and odds were hovering at about 10%. After the strike, Polymarket declared that military action had been taken, and paid the user $128,000 for their lucky wager.But was it just luck?Polymarket is an online platform where people can bet on just about anything, from what the most-streamed song on Spotify will be to how many times Donald Trump will say “terrible” that day