Also shout out @matildakdavies.bsky.social for changing my life by showing me the Datawrapper flag country codes (and CONCATENATE). It's changed my life and I've gone flag mad.
Kendall has promised to make the Access to Work scheme “fit for the future” - but it seems unlikely that that will include putting more money into it
As Stanforth said: "I love my job. I love working. But I need the support to be able to do so."
(8/8)
www.thetimes.com/uk/society/a...
I also spoke to the incredible Kate Stanforth, who called the renewal process "soul-destroying" and has had to make cuts in her business because her support was slashed
More on her story here: x.com/KateStanfort...
(7/)
While the largest increases in spend are for people with mental health conditions and learning disabilities, most expenditure goes on grants for deaf and blind people
@rnib.bsky.social says many blind/partially sighted people are "falling out of the workforce because of the delays"
(6/)
In February there were 62,000 applications outstanding
The scheme now costs £258 million, more than double the £124 million in 2015-16
The waiting times for the scheme are now actually preventing many disabled people from entering or staying in the workforce
(5/)
Everyone I spoke to for this piece said the scheme is "incredible, when it works", but at the moment, it's not working
FOIs to DWP found some people are waiting >9.5 months for a decision and many who have had support for years are suddenly getting it cut
(4/)
The scheme - often called the “best kept secret in UK policy” - has existed since 1994 to provide assistance for disabled people to get or retain employment, such as a powered wheelchair or accessible transport to work
There are now >67,000 receiving support through it
(3/)
The number of people not working because of long-term sickness shot up during Covid
Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, announced £5 billion in welfare cuts last week to 'get Britain working' - but relatively little was said about Access to Work
(2/)
There's been lots of talk recently about getting disabled/long-term sick people back into the workforce, but very little about the 60,000 disabled people waiting for support to do just that
Here's what's going on with the Access to Work scheme 🧵👇
www.thetimes.com/uk/society/a...
Something a little different from me:
Last summer, I had the joy of experiencing Argyll Cruising - a tiny cruise on a converted wooden fishing vessel
If you've ever wanted to explore Scotland’s west coast, Mull and Inner Hebrides, this is how to do it ⛵️✍️
www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/...
Exceptional and shocking analysis here from @davidwoode.bsky.social and @gwjournalism.bsky.social -
Knife crime is rising: analysing a decade of crime statistics exposes the scale of fatal stabbings and knife possession across England and Wales
What's going on with the UK economy, and what does it spell for Reeves' future?
@gwjournalism.bsky.social and I dug into the numbers to explain the crisis in five charts
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
On Miliband quote. Thinking Miliband succeeding is a bad thing suggests some strategists in Labour are stuck in 1997. Even leaving aside Labour’s new left flank challenge. Climate change is no longer the liberal lefty issue of 1997 . Voters across board think a priority
Over the past 6 months, my social media timelines have been increasingly filled with AI slop. It's now some of the most viewed content online.
But where does AI slop come from, and how can you spot it?
In today's @thetimes.com
www.thetimes.com/article/b627...
Ever seen an advert for something you've just been talking about? Or felt like your phone might be listening to you?
Here's what's really going on 👇
www.thetimes.com/article/97a6...
Facebook moderation staff in Kenya are suing Meta and a subcontractor after suffering diagnosis of severe PTSD from constant exposure to graphic content, including CSA and terrorism, during 8 to 10 hour shifts www.theguardian.com/media/2024/d...
This 'your year in review' trend has gone too far. I do not need to be reminded of the many, many hours I've waited for Bolts in 2024
Read the full story here, or in today's @thetimes.com
www.thetimes.com/uk/society/a...
These higher prices often don't benefit farmers
Governments set long-term fixed prices for cocoa which are supposed to protect farmers when prices are low but have, conversely, prevented them benefiting from the huge increases
This has led to smuggling of cocoa to neighbouring countries
(5/)
This affects smaller, artisan chocolatiers more than larger manufacturers like Cadbury and Nestlé
Smaller brands say they have been badly affected because they often use a higher % of cocoa, have shorter-term contracts with farmers and have often paid above the commodity price already
(4/)
The result? The price on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) rose from $4,000 a tonne in January to $12,000 in April and was still over $10,000 last week
(3/)
The price of cocoa beans has more than doubled in the past year
Ghana and the Côte d’Ivoire jointly account for two thirds of the world’s cocoa bean production
Both saw extreme rainfall last December, which caused the plants to rot with black pod disease, followed by a drought in February
(2/)
NEW: Why is chocolate getting so expensive?
@louise-eccles.bsky.social and I dug into the data in today's @thetimes.com
Here's what we found... 🧵👇 (1/)
www.thetimes.com/uk/society/a...
🧵 In today’s @thetimes.com our polling shows strong support for introducing some form of digital ID among the public, as the combination of ease and greater ability to crackdown on fraud, criminality and to tighten up immigration control outweighs privacy concerns.
Massive props to all the current and former PinkNews staffers who have spoken out
Everyone I worked with at PN was an absolute pro, and these allegations should be taken very seriously
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
I worked for @wearequeeraf.com early in my career, and they've done an incredible job giving LGBTQ+ people a leg up in media and a platform to share their stories
Go follow some of the brilliant alumni, who've all gone on to do great things in media, social media and content creation 👇🏳️🌈
Follow @thetimes.com data team! 👇
@venetiamenzies.bsky.social
@joeydurso.bsky.social
@gwjournalism.bsky.social
@matildakdavies.bsky.social
@yennahsmart.bsky.social
@danatherton.bsky.social
@narottam.bsky.social
@michael-keith.bsky.social
@annadowell.bsky.social
@marietamarinova.bsky.social
Great overview of the assisted dying debate, and what could happen at this afternoon's vote
Took a little break to touch some grass
Reform MP James McMurdock was jailed for repeatedly kicking his girlfriend.
He had told the media he was jailed for "pushing" his former partner in 2006.
Court records obtained by The Times say the sentence was given because of "the serious nature of the offence”.
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
