Merry gentlefolk, it is time. Today is the day. Today is comma-mas. Today is the day where we contemplate the correct placing of the comma in 'God rest you merry, gentlemen'. And if we are lucky, we can have a row about it. >

Spot of community reporting here: a moment of calm in the pre-Christmas frenzy #eastbourne

When I first started writing about local council meetings, I didn't imagine this is the kind of thing I'd end up covering. Where we are right now is incredibly bleak.

Lookalike: Malone and Leith From the new Private Eye, out now.

This kind of important local authority stuff is rarely covered by legacy newspapers It’s not a PR handout or supplied by the BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporting Service If you can’t copy’n’paste, it never happened seems to be the approach So I wrote this using shorthand and journalism

A standing ovation greeted the first night of this production in Eastbourne last night Was it deserved? Our full review is here #eastbourne

Remember: Juries are important not so much for the powers they have, but for the powers they prevent others from having.

A group of volunteers faced a blustery weekend to clear weeds, litter and needles in the fourth most deprived area of East Sussex We joined them to talk about how to start to make a difference when faced with a huge task #realjournalism #eastbourne

Journalism: actual reporting and investigation. This is why it matters

Can’t remember budget ‘case studies’ ever being quite so funny. Especially in newspapers that recently anointed Liz Truss a fiscal genius.

Film maker and activist Derek Jarman is brought to life in an extraordinary play by Mark Farrelly at the Grove Theatre, Eastbourne Our reviewer’s verdict is here #eastbourne

This is the data we need right now

This is how the Mail has covered a 70% fall in net migration. The Government should stop kidding itself it will ever get credit for being anti-migration. They could cut numbers to zero and there would still be front pages blasting them for making the UK a socialist wasteland no one wants to come to

My article on the elms of Sussex has been published by Eastbourne Reporter - thanks to Rebecca Maer! She is ploughing a lonely furrow as a proper local journalist, getting out & about, meeting people & actually asking questions. It'll never catch on.. www.eastbournereporter.co.uk/elm-trees-ea...

Towering elm trees were almost wiped out as Dutch Elm Disease took hold 50 years ago and killed 90% of them – some 25 million trees. There may be fewer than 1,000 mature English elms left, many in East Sussex where there is a concerted effort to save them and plant disease-resistant varieties

The Government has today announced a seven-week consultation on local government reorganisation. Residents in East Sussex can decide between two options. They can also have their say in a separate survey about what will happen in Eastbourne after the borough council is abolished. #eastbourne

THREAD. A collection of photographs of excellent trees I have met on walks. You will find the captions to each photo in the alt text.

The Government has today announced a seven-week consultation on local government reorganisation. Residents in East Sussex can decide between two options. They can also have their say in a separate survey about what will happen in Eastbourne after the borough council is abolished. #eastbourne

Interesting that amongst concerns raised was the desire for better connected #walking & #cycling paths, & reducing traffic speeds, issues which we've campaigned on for many years now, and still do. #Eastbourne is far too dependent upon cars for getting around. Damages both #environment & #wellbeing.

Great report on a huge problem for #Eastbourne: a dysfunctional & chronically underinvested wastewater treatment works. The recent massive spill of millions of toxic bio-beads from the plant is the worst single pollution incident so far, seriously contaminating local waters, beaches, & wildlife.

Residents' worries about overflowing bins and poor lighting have been a theme of meetings about how to spend the first phase of the Eastbourne town fund, worth up to £20 million over ten years. We join one meeting to hear what people are saying #eastbourne

This is very sad. Rachel Cooke gone much much too young. A lovely touching tribute from @timadamswrites.bsky.social observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

Scathing verdicts from residents about how Southern Water has dealt with the long-running problem of smell from a water treatment works Then there are the plastic beads polluting beautiful Camber Sands I turned up and asked questions #journalism #eastbourne

Would that this were sent …

How will local government reforms affect the people of Eastbourne? And how will residents make their voices heard in future? In our latest feature on this issue, Eastbourne Reporter writer @paulbromley.bsky.social, a former national political journalist, explains the issues in depth #eastbourne

Your reminder why local journalism matters

First of our three in-depth features about the shake-up of local government and what it means for residents What will a mayor actually do? What does devolution mean in England? Will it give us more say - or just lead to political arguments? #eastbourne

The famous tale of villagers in Tsarist Russia facing dying traditions and political upheaval swept into Eastbourne last night Laughs and poignancy are woven together, while parallels with our world today are clear to see #eastbourne

The play comes with no less than ten content warnings and a 14+ age guidance. The alerts cover strong language, blood and violence, flashing lights and gun shots. So could it live up to its billing as a “comedy thriller”? #eastbourne

A 60-year-old vulnerable man who died in an Eastbourne hotel “didn’t stand a chance” after being relocated from Brighton, an inquest heard. Daniel Ginsberg, a former rail worker, was placed in January by Brighton & Hove City Council in emergency accommodation 25 miles away from the city

Are people not admiring the tidal range daily on BBC tide tables and how they link to moon phases? What are they doing all day?

A glimmer of hope for bus passsengers stuck in the extensive car-based traffic jams in Eastbourne

A mix of Conan Doyle stories form the basis for this atmospheric play by Nick Lane Full impartial review right here #eastbourne

A public consultation on how to improve air quality in Eastbourne is to be launched after high levels of pollution were recorded. Eastbourne Borough Council says it has no plans to create a London-style Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) on Beachy Head as claimed by the opposition Conservative group.

We're open this Sunday, 1-4pm! FREE ENTRY. Explore our Martello Tower and learn about Eastbourne's history! #eastbourne #martellotower #martello #localhistory #localheritage

Work had started on a former pumping station site by modular construction company Boutique Modern, which is now reported to be filing for administration. The company works with many local authorities and housing associations to provide affordable housing. #eastbourne

Figures show a rising trend by Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) of housing people in Eastbourne In October 2023, there were 42 placements from BHCC in the town. In May this year, there were 172 In early September, there were 191 households, according to figures supplied to us #eastbourne

@bostonglobe.com I fixed your headline for you.

How do you set about spending up to £2 million a year in a coastal town when every resident has a say? We ask Eastbourne Neighbourhood Board chair Richard Garland #eastbourne

Small boats: TV coverage - day after day after day after day.... PPE scandal: TV coverage - let's stick this powerful, enraging documentary on at quarter past ten on a Sunday night.

Power is the rock on which truth founders. The mainstream media, with a few exceptions, is a single-issue lobby group, whose purpose is to assert the rights of capital. Here's what I've learnt about the industry in 40 years in journalism. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Cross-party support among Eastbourne planning councillors last night to defer a decision about a plan to build 250 homes in an area susceptible to flooding #eastbourne

Controversial plans to demolish "unsafe elements" of Eastbourne's seafront bandstand as part of a renovation project have been put on hold until Historic England visits the site #eastbourne

Art gallery owner and artist Pennie Radcliffe, 72, has called Southern Water almost daily since May, when toxic gases and foul water started seeping into the basement. “It has been a complete and utter nightmare,” she told the Eastbourne Reporter. #eastbourne

We were mentioned in the House of Lords with other brilliant indie news people by Lord Lucas. The Eastbourne peer is helping the public interest news sector push for reform of how public notice ads are placed. Legacy media corporates get nearly all the £50 million a year spent on these ads.

A heartwarming tale for a stormy Sunday night … Just imagine - a full-size railway in the back garden! ✅ #eastbourne

“The soundscape … creates a sense of isolated unease, from the sudden eruption of a passing train to the constant wind in this lonely place.” Our impartial review of this stage adaptation of Charles Dickens’ chilling short story

Vox pops are the lowest form of journalism because they allow news organisations to editorialise through selective interviews without even the spurious science of polling data. This is leading the website of the BBC which must think it’s the most important news happening today.

it's real support from actual racists

Farage promise to "stop the boats within two weeks of winning gov't" unravelling. Apparently, it means "after passing laws", "as quickly as possible", he "believes", the boats will still cross, but all will be deported "if necessary" and "sensible", "unless we have a duty of care". Bravo, Beth! 👏🏽