Back from a week and a bit in Mull, Skye and Fort William. Like a GB summer holiday of old, with jumpers and anoraks needed most days.

Sun roof explanation... bsky.app/profile/clon...

Richard Hebditch@richard.hebditch.org · 2w ago

Design choice of a sun roof for a London bus seems slightly strange given the summers we now have

Design choice of a sun roof for a London bus seems slightly strange given the summers we now have

All doom and gloom for European car makers? Maybe a bit more complicated - including they've been riding a massive profit boom in recent years (via adamtooze.substack.com/p/chartbook-...)

Burnham on forthcoming 10 year plan: - public control - reindustrialisation - council housing & state active in housing market www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Glad to see govt spokesperson say the "2035 ban was not up for negotiation", but nor should interim targets that get us to 2035 either. The ZEV mandate creates a clear timeline & certainty - opening it up won't help industry or workers, but instead risks leaving the UK exposed to global competition.

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 2w ago

Carmakers lobbied UK to revoke ban on petrol and diesel cars after 2035

Alternative headline: Road user charging cuts Blackwall Tunnel delays in first year, says TfL www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... "User charges effectively managing demand" says the report

Silvertown Tunnel cuts delays in first year, Transport for London says

The £2.2bn tunnel, which links Silvertown and the Greenwich Peninsula in east London, was designed to ease congestion.

bbc.co.uk

Helping landscapes become resilient to wildfires 🌿 National Parks contain massive areas of peatland, a powerful wildfire defense We're calling for: 💧Rewetting & restoring all peatlands 💧Ban on disposable BBQs 💧Ban on burning as a land management Read the plan 👉 www.cnp.org.uk/.../wildfire...

Good news - though half of all bus journeys in England are in London, unaffected by the announcement. London buses' running costs are met just by TfL's own revenue from tickets etc. Central gov only funds big capital spending on things like new trains & signalling www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Burnham announces bus fares across England to be capped at £2

Measure to cost more than £500m, with money allocated to allow devolved nations to do the same

theguardian.com

Couple of months on, markets seem pretty unbothered.

Jim Pickard@pickardje.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Rachel Reeves’ allies believe the chancellor should stay at the Treasury if Sir Keir Starmer is ousted as prime minister, amid fears that a leadership contest could unleash chaos on already jittery bond markets. www.ft.com/content/dda9...

Last week was 20th anniversary of the Commons Act 2006. Open Spaces Society on the importance of the Act for restoring Commons status & new village greens. The Act also has not been fully implemented & needs building on for green spaces in new developments. More here: www.oss.org.uk/its-time-to-...

It’s time to complete unfinished business on commons and greens | OSS | July 2026

Read the latest news from the Open Spaces Society. We protect the places you love.

oss.org.uk

At the Oval for Mumbai Indians London v Sunrisers Leeds (part of Sunrisers Hyderabad) for the brave new world of the Hundred post-sell off.

Rewiring the state - Number 10 North takes over devolution from MHCLG & "Office for the Prime Minister and the Cabinet (OPMC), which will house No 10, No 10 North and teams within the Cabinet Office directly serving the Prime Minister and Cabinet" questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-stat...

Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

Information from UK Parliament on written questions & answers, written statements and daily reports.

questions-statements.parliament.uk

Orford Ness

ONS stats out today on construction. This is what has happened on building new homes from the general election in 2024 to May 2026. Source: www.ons.gov.uk/businessindu...

Londoners are more likely to oppose (42%) than support (29%) rolll out of autonomous vehicles in London. data.london.gov.uk/download/29y... Under-50s are more supportive but those opposed still outnumber those supportive. Male supporters just outnumber those men who oppose AVs.

"YIMBYism and 'build, baby, build' may have been good opposition politics or a signal of intent for an incoming administration, but they have served their purpose and are not a serious approach to long term sustainable development." www.betterplanningcoalition.com/wp-content/u...

I realise there is another match on tonight but this is what I am caring about this evening...(Yorks only 161 after 20 overs)

Somerset County Cricket Club@somersetccc.bsky.social · 3w ago

What a photo 🔥🔥🔥 #YouAreSomerset #YORvSOM

“New pitches and leisure centres have value, but children also need ordinary places where movement does not require a booking system, a membership card or an adult with a free Saturday morning” Great write up of new campaign calling on Burnham to “… restore children’s freedom to play close to home”

The World Cup Inspires Them. Their Street Signs Stop Them

Campaigners urge Andy Burnham to ban no ball games signs and restore safe doorstep play for children across England.

sustainhealth.fit

TfL research on oversized cars (ie SUVs) from TfL commissioner's board report. Don't think I've seen this before but should inform policy response in London & (hopefully) central govt. Source: board.tfl.gov.uk/documents/s2...

Why is the ZEV Mandate so important to stopping climate change? 📺️ Hear from our Transport Programme Manager @ralphpalmer.bsky.social on why the ZEV Mandate is one of our best tools for climate action, allowing businesses to invest with certainty and consumers to buy cheaply.

Greenhouse gas emissions from transport stats out today. We really should be talking a lot more about the need for action on transport emissions. www.gov.uk/government/s...

Makes it easier to do a deal with Reform after the next election though - and a pitch as being the serious grown-up ones to deliver a Reform-style policy approach.

Tim Bale@timbale.bsky.social · 3w ago

Madness. Utter madness. Badenoch is quietly turning what used to be a broad church into an even narrower sect.

Woodland Trust calls on government to allocate a fifth of £1bn tree planting budget to urban 'tree deserts' businessgreen.com/ne...

Outgoing government leaving with a commitment to go ahead with road pricing for electric vehicles (might be boon for Burnham that this is out before he becomes PM rather than taking ownership early on this issue) www.gov.uk/government/c...

Consultation on the Introduction of Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED)

A consultation setting out further detail on how eVED will work.

gov.uk

🚨 The Government's #30by30 Delivery Plan won't deliver 30by30. With just 4 years until 2030, England has less than 10% of land both protected and in good condition.

"...there is potential to create 670,000 new homes [from reusing old buildings] and yet the government’s approach reveals a deep complacency, is devoid of ambition, and shows a complete lack of imagination" @hoccommittees.parliament.uk Culture Committee committees.parliament.uk/committee/37...

Protecting built heritage: MPs call for ‘reuse first’ mindset to safeguard historic buildings and help hit new homes goal - Committees - UK Parliament

Nearly half of the government’s 1.5million home building target could be met by giving a new lease of life to historic buildings currently lying vacant or under-used, MPs say today.

committees.parliament.uk

The UK is not ready and prepared for the increased likelihood and severity of wildfires driven by our changing climate. The wildfire strategy and action plan is yet to be published and the UK is entirely dependent on commercial areal assets to fight largescale and potential mega fires from the air.

Ian Hall@ianhall.bsky.social · 3w ago

Record heat. Bone-dry landscapes. Strong winds. Then the wildfires arrive. None of this should be surprising anymore. As heatwaves become more intense, the impacts cascade through ecosystems, infrastructure, public health, and emergency services. www.bbc.com/news/article...

“Anything on a stone building that looks like a design gets picked up as these damn things now. There’s absolutely no evidence they were ever used like that.” V much like this debunking. Shows risks of comms/engagement led approach to interpreting history. www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...

No evidence for ‘witches’ marks’ claims at old English buildings, historian says

Author argues symbols such as daisy wheels are no more than the working marks of stonemasons

theguardian.com

Labour rebellion last night - on the relatively obscure issue of the Government setting rules for what matters local council planning committees can and can't decide on versus officers.