When do the clocks change in the UK in 2026? 25 October, an hour back
Overnight on Sunday 25 October 2026 the clocks in the UK go back an hour — the night is longer and the evenings get dark at once. RoSPA data shows collisions killing or injuring pedestrians rise 10 per cent in the four weeks that follow. Here is what changes itself, what you change by hand, why the NHS advises vitamin D from October, and how the time difference with calls home shifts.
Not just Wandsworth: Westminster says the government expects a 75–100% council tax rise, while Kensington and Chelsea pay £1,643
The council tax referendum cap has been lifted for five London boroughs at once — Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, the City and Wandsworth. Westminster says the government expects it to raise bills by 75% to 100% as its grant is cut by £100m over four years. From the councils' own documents: who pays what now, and when the 2027/28 rate will be known.
Wandsworth council tax to rise 94% from April 2027: a Band D bill goes from £1,020 to £1,978
England's cheapest council tax is about to stop being cheap: Wandsworth plans to add £958 to the annual Band D bill. The government has lifted the referendum cap for six councils — five of them in London: Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, the City and Wandsworth itself. From the primary sources: how much bills rise, why no referendum is needed, when the decision becomes final and what to do if the bill is unaffordable.
£210m for England's high streets: derelict buildings converted, empty shops let by rental auction
The government has allocated £210m to revive high streets: £125m to buy and convert derelict buildings, £65m to rescue pubs and clubs, £20m for rental auctions of empty premises and co-operatives. Where the money goes — and how a small business can take over an empty shop.
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English mayors to get the power to charge a tourist tax — with no cap on the rate
The government has confirmed new powers for mayors: a levy on overnight stays in hotels and short lets, set as a percentage of the bill, with no upper limit. London has floated 3%, worth around £350 million a year. Hoteliers and family resorts object and business travel wants an exemption. Who pays, and how much.
Where to buy the food you grew up with in London: Russian, Ukrainian, Polish and Baltic shops
Curd cheese, soured cream, buckwheat, salo, borodinsky bread, dumplings, caviar, Georgian wine. We checked every address against the shops' own websites and the government's Food Standards Agency register — and listed separately the ones that did not check out.
Eating like home in London: 16 addresses checked against the hygiene register
Russian, Ukrainian, Georgian, Uzbek, Lithuanian, Armenian, Azerbaijani and Moldovan cooking — with addresses, phone numbers, opening hours and a food hygiene rating carrying the date it was awarded. Two honest findings: not one venue promises on its website that Russian is spoken, and live music in Russian has all but disappeared after the main venue closed.