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Andrew Ellson Profile
Andrew Ellson

@andrewellson

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Consumer Affairs Correspondent, The Times. Talents include sleeping, eating and making excuses

London
Joined May 2009
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
1 year
I’m at Box Park Wembley for the England game (reporting) and Barry from EastEndera is currently belting out a rendition of Something inside so strong. 💪🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
I'm struggling to believe the intro I have just written to a story but it's true.. "Morrisons supermarket has turned off the beeps at its checkouts in a mark of respect to the Queen." 🤯
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
4 years
Which property do you think pays the most council tax? A 3-bed semi in Hartlepool on sale for £107k Or A 10-bed townhouse on Berkeley Sq, Westminster worth £82.5m Against all logic, the answer is the Hartlepool semi at £1,565.81 vs £1,507.70
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
1 year
Britain’s council tax system is so warped that this £28 million townhouse in Belgravia pays less than this £240k terrace in Rutland 😱
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
4 years
Everyone raise a glass to Mr Barnes
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
6 years
So while Theresa May denies there is any recognised medical benefit from cannabis, her husband’s company invests tens of millions in medical marijuana. My exclusive today:
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
Reminder that in the five years since Grenfell, the chief executives of the four biggest building companies linked to the fire have collectively received £50 million in pay, bonuses, shares and dividends
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
New survey suggests that 1.7 million households will stop paying their energy bills next month when the price cap rises — with more than half of those saying they have been inspired by @dontpayuk My story today:
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
6 years
Billy Caldwell was this evening rushed to hospital after suffering a life threatening seizure because the Home Office confiscated his cannabis oil medicine He hadn’t previously had a seizure in 250 days This is him tonight HM Government: SORT YOURSELF OUT
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
1 year
Overall council tax bills are more than 20 per cent higher in the north of England than in London even though homes in the capital are nearly three times more expensive on average My story today:
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
5 months
Bus drivers are considering strike action amid unrest about delays caused by LTNs and bus lanes being lost to cycle lanes In the worst-hit areas buses are now taking almost an hour to pass two stops. My article today:
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
1 year
In the example given, the Rutland terrace pays £1,792 council tax as a “band B” home The Belgravia townhouse pays £1,728 council tax as a “band H” home
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
1 year
He has worked the crowd into a frenzy.
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
4 years
I see high profile Twitter peeps are posting summaries and screen grabs of the Sunday Times investigation into Govt preperations for coronavirus Journalism, least of all good journalism, doesn’t come free #Buyapaper or subscribe or in future this type of reporting won’t happen
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
So Morrisons, which this morning told me by email that "checkout beeps are currently turned off within our stores" has changed its tune. It now says it "miscommunicated" and that the beeps have only been "turned down" in volume. Sadly this means my intro is no more.
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 months
Lambeth Council has finally suspended the Streatham Wells LTN, which has caused huge congestion and bus delays in south London I hope my reporting has contributed to this sensible if long over-due decision. Below is my story and🧵on who's to blame
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
4 years
Think I have just stumbled across the stupidest tweet of all time 🤯
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
6 years
Meanwhile the Home Office seizes cannabis oil from a 12 year old boy that prevents his life-threatening seizures
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
1 year
Department for Transport admits that LTNs “don’t exist to reduce miles driven” No research has been commissioned on the impact the zones have on total distance travelled or carbon emissions Yet ministers describe The schemes as “green” My article today
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
3 years
I interviewed a City analyst yesterday and I have never heard such criticism of a Tory government from business before. Here were some of his more printable words. Astonishing.
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
5 months
Parklets. The marketing vs the reality
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
1 year
Traffic counters that councils use to monitor the impact of low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) are not accurately recording vehicles during heavy congestion My story today:
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
4 years
This is the top rated comment on my story today about so few workers returning to the office Itsu, Pret, Eat, (and TFL) are screwed
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
7 years
If we had a system of proportional representation the results in seats would be: Tories: 276 Labour: 260 SNP: 20 Lib Dems: 40 Others: 54
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
4 years
Astonishing how many Tory cabinet minister are now admitting that the government’s austerity policy of the previous ten years was wrong.. 🤷‍♂️
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
I’ve spent all week examining company accounts, stock exchange filings and other documents to establish how much the chief executives of the four biggest firms linked to Grenfell have personally earned since the fire. The answer is £48.7 MILLION !
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
Seems like nimbyism is alive and well in Britain’s councils as my FOIs show councillors are much more likely than their residents to live in Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) — and significantly less likely to live on their congested boundary roads
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
5 years
Michael Walsh, the lawyer representing Jennifer Arcuri is my new favourite person
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 months
Yesterday The Guardian reported that a leaked draft of the Govt's LTN review showed LTNs "work and are popular" But a govt source has told me The Guardian “selectively plucked” from the study and not fairly represented “the real concerns" it contained
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
1 year
@willnorman For the sake of transparency you should probably mention that this research is by the former trustee of the London Cycling Campaign, an organisation that is one the most vociferous campaigners for LTNs?
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
3 years
My article today on Low Traffic Neighbourhoods: -- In boroughs that introduced LTNs last year, fire service delays jumped by 35% -- The increase in areas without new LTNs was only 2.8%
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
5 years
Look what’s arrived from Foxtons today. I’ve fixed it for them.
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
7 years
A close shave I think we can all agree
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
I love cycling and have done since childhood but what is it with all these super-aggressive, middle-aged men on Twitter with their Lycra profile pics?? All a bit weird😱
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
4 months
Since September, I've been battling TfL to find out how many bus lanes it's turned into cycle lanes After reducing the scope of my FOI request 4 times (after TfL claimed it was too costly to process), they've now come back to say "the information is not held"! 🤨
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
@MatGreenfield That is impressive niche knowledge> respect. Anyway, Morrisons has confirmed to me it's true.
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
3 years
On the ‘out of touch’ scale this is an eleven out of ten Do they not realise that most people in this county consider John Lewis as posh???
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
1 year
Bike sales fall to their lowest level in 20 years as pandemic boom turns to bust My story today:
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
8 months
@willnorman @RowChampion @IslingtonBC So high-car ownership Offord Road with its multi-million pound Georgian terraces has its road blocked to through traffic while Mackenzie Road, which is predominately social housing, gets sacrificed to be busy through route. London Labour, we see you!
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
@metecoban92 @hackneycouncil Translation: I'm delighted to announce Hackney Council is ignoring the will of the people We've manipulated the monitoring and data to give the results we want Together we're dividing the borough, causing more pollution and prioritising the better off
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
3 months
Another week of traffic chaos thanks to the Streatham Wells LTN -buses taking up to 2hrs to travel 3 miles -routes having to divert around or through LTN to avoid gridlock -Council won’t apologise or even admit a problem -TfL admits LTN causing delays
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
3 years
Low-traffic neighbourhoods are causing serious problems for many disabled people and their families but councils are ignoring their concerns. My article today with @KatharineQ
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
5 years
I crunched 10 years of numbers from the MHCLG to establish the full impact of austerity on Britain’s public libraries: — Overall library budgets have been slashed by £315m — The wage bill has been cut by 42 per cent — 700 libraries have closed
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
3 years
I've spent the last few days investigating goings on at Football Index, which collapsed into administration last night and had it's gambling licence suspended by the Gambling Commission today Here is my story:
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
5 years
How my mum forwards me a link..
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
4 years
Don’t let the US Election blind you to other important votes today.. #TeamBroccoli
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
6 years
Today I passed an important inbox milestone. More than 200k unread messages. I couldn’t have done it without the help of spammers and PRs. 👏
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
3 years
Wonderful intro by @georgegrylls 🤣
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
3 years
@ZainudeenT Obviously it is a UKIP of moles!
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
4 years
Takes a bow, Peter Brookes
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
3 years
I’ve written a comment piece about the vast amount of energy bitcoin uses The stats are astonishing: — Bitcoin is currently using the same amount of power as Holland — On average each transaction uses the same energy as the average US home in a month
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
3 years
Using a company structure to try to minimise your tax bill when you are earning so much and prone to political posturing is a very bad look. It comes down to two words: greed and hypocrisy 👀
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
Astonishing statistic One in every ELEVEN MPs faces an allegation of sexual misconduct !
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
4 years
Boris Johnson and at least 9 other current or former Tory cabinet ministers have admitted using cannabis but none have been drawn into the criminal justice system. The same cannot be said for thousands of ordinary people at a cost of £2.5bn since 2015. My front page story today
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
Lovely, thoughtful cartoon from @mortenmorland in today’s Times. I think this explains a lot of the grief we have seen this past week
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
1 year
I present to you the hardest sentence in the English language to pronounce Good luck!
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
1 year
National Audit Office finds: - The speed cycle lanes and LTNs were delivered in the pandemic led to some poorly designed schemes that may have discouraged cycling - Govt has too little” idea if the schemes offer value because of a lack of monitoring
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
1 year
I spent this week investigating how Croydon Council went bankrupt with £1.6 billion of debts Sorry to say it’s another shocking tale of incompetence, hubris and aggressive efforts to shut down media scrutiny by people who thought they knew best
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
4 years
Note to PRs, please, please don't send press releases in PDFs. Nothing more annoying than realising at nearly 6pm that I have to write out that quote from your boss because it won't let me cut and paste it. Arrgh!
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
4 years
So just to be clear, a Mail reader of many years standing is criticising the paper for being left wing, stating that it is owned by the wrong company and then threatening to punish it by moving to an actual left wing paper today which is only published on a Sunday!
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
6 years
In her resignation letter Tracey Crouch said the FOBT stake cut was put back “due to commitments made by others to those with registered interest” She is referring to Philip Davies MP Here is my 2016 investigation into Mr Davies links to bookies #FOBTS
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
9 months
FOI requests show that thousands of hours of police time are being wasted as officers have to appeal against fines issued for entering LTNs My story today:
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
8 months
Property developer chaired by former Tory Treasurer, Lord Fink, charged family of elderly resident £38,000 in fees despite the 84-year old living in his retirement flat for only 25 days before dying My story today:
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
4 years
New Balance are f*cked
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
1 year
He’s now doing Sweet Caroline. It’s lunchtime. And nobody here is sober.
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
6 years
Head is spinning. Telegraph news story says banning plastic straws will be easier after Brexit. Telegraph leader blames EU for “hostile, tendentious and futile” effort to ban plastic straws that is “contrary to the liberties of our ancient realm”
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
3 years
Brilliant cartoon by @mortenmorland today
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
Today I’ve written about my experience of having heart surgery in my forties My advice is look after your heart — you don’t fully appreciate it until it starts going wrong !
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
I'd be very grateful if you or @JonburkeUK or @PhilipGlanville could explain why Hackney Labour introduced a policy that so clearly benefited better-off residents at the expense of poorer ones and made life worse for people who work, shop, travel and go to school on Northwold?
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 months
They have also failed to apologise for the misery (and extra pollution) they have inflicted on residents, bus users, drivers and shoppers in Streatham over the past few months. IMHO they should be held accountable for their actions and waste of precious public money
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
4 years
I have an early winner of reader comment of the year on my story today about shops and zoos reopening from Monday #BarnardCastle
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 months
The architects of this disastrous scheme are Josh Learner, Lambeth’s “head of transport strategy” and Rezina Chowdhury, the council's cabinet member for “Sustainable Lambeth and Clean Air” Neither have any qualifications in traffic management or town planning
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
My investigation today: A property developer with close links to the Tories put admin fees of tens of thousands of pounds into leases of affordable housing for older people It's also been charging ground rents so high banks won't lend against the homes
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
LTN twittter: I'm looking for specific examples of where councils have distorted either the collating or presentation of data on LTNs in order to try to present the pandemic schemes as more successful than they are Please copy them to me or send them. Many thanks!
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 months
I have been ploughing through the government's statutory guidance to councils on implementing LTNs so you don’t have to If you are interested, my initial thoughts are below:
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
8 months
If you or anyone on your family is thinking of buying a retirement flat from Churchill Retirement Living BEWARE My investigation found: - 75% of their homes fall in value - the average decline is £43k - the fall vs wider houses prices was £78k
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
4 years
Pleased with my latest wood work creation 💪 It’s a “READ” bookcase for my boy, Felix Hoping to harness the power of subliminal messaging!
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
If The Times’ comment section is anything to go by — and it’s not usually a hotbed of socialist revolution— then the Tories are in a world of trouble at the next election Here are the two best-rated comments on today’s splash
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
Disappointing that the government's promised reforms to leasehold were not included in the Queen's speech. Could it be anything to do with this, I wonder?
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
3 years
@HighburyKeep Picking up a group of 9/10 yr olds kids from Market Rd pitches tonight after a game of football for Hackney Borough vs Tufnell Park. The 3.8 mile journey back to Hackney took 1hr 20 mins!!
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
3 years
Fascinating stats out of Baltimore after a year of not prosecuting for possession of any drugs Violent crime: down 20% Property crime: down 36% Looks like Hamsterdam works after all!
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
Some interesting findings from new DfT data: -Car use in the inner London boroughs that introduced LTNs in 2020 is up by more on average than the boroughs that shunned the schemes -Car use was falling across each of the LTN boroughs before introduction🧵
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
I have another leasehold shocker for you: Former Tory Treasurer accused of greed after leaseholders in a development he owns were being charged 67 per cent commission on their buildings insurance
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
3 years
I’ve analysed some Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and found they are being introduced on wealthier streets at the expense of poorer roads Average property prices within the zones are 27% higher on average than on the roads that surround them
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
Very sensible Times leader on LTNs today
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
Boris Johnson threatens to “privatise the arse” off the Passport Office. Yet the worst performing parts of the service are already contracted out to the private sector 🤷 My story today with @Geri_E_L_Scott
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
Has anyone noticed their local supermarket has been out of stock of random items or there are more empty sections on shelves than there ever used to be? If so I would like to hear your examples (and if you work in retail, your explanation) Thanks! #journorequst #journorequests
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
3 years
The level of debate has become so toxic that one senior clinician working in emergency medicine told me that he did not want to go on the record to raise his concerns because he was worried about getting “mobbed by cycling activists”.
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
3 years
This is how you write an intro. 👏 @valentinelow
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
1 year
My favourite section. Moves as well as vocals!
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
5 months
For all those saying too many cars are the problem, the number of cars on Lambeth's roads has fallen 23% over the past 25 years, according to the DfT. There may still be too many cars but that's not what is causing the issues for buses
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
I've had a crack at trying to explain what has been happening lately in the gilts market and why it is important... starting with a beginner's guide to gilts:
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
4 years
By stopping the distribution of The Times and The Daily Mail today, Extinction Rebellion may have stopped millions reading: — an article by David Attenborough warning about “ecocatastrophe” — an article about how climate change is putting Amsterdam at risk Well done lads 🙄
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
3 years
I spoke to front line emergency service staff who told me that they are worried about the increase in delays but fear the problem is being ignored by their bosses because of political pressure from supporters of the schemes
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
2 years
@metecoban92 Hi Mete, I have complied from FOIs and other sources this document comparing Northwold Road with Evering Road to help you understand why it is so unfair to maintain the Hackney Downs LTN and keep Evering Road closed to through traffic at the expense of Northwold Road
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
9 months
Rosamund, whose daughter tragically died from air pollution, is highly critical of LTNs, yet on this subject she is ignored by politicians
@EllaRobertaFdn
Rosamund Adoo-KD CBE FBSA
9 months
Yesterday walking back from the launch of #ULEZ & met by idling on S Circular; horrific. ULEZ will never solve LTN mess created by @LewishamCouncil (Aug 2020). As @RishiSunak reviews his dire policy, my family will write to @damienegan asking him to remove LTN before a child dies
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@andrewellson
Andrew Ellson
3 years
Top work from Peter Brookes this morning 👍
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