We got data expert Joey D'Urso to crunch the numbers ahead of the local elections. It's not looking good for Birmingham Labour. But what party is most likely to lead the city council after 7 May? Read on to find out: www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/data-report-...

Fantastic bit of journalism. Well worth a read. manchestermill.co.uk/is-chris-ken...

The Mill called me during their investigation to see if I’d heard of him. I hadn’t, but I laughed out loud on the phone when I heard his claim of plans for a £2.5 billion IPO this year.

This story is absolutely wild

Is Chris Kenna Manchester's first AI billionaire - or a serial fantasist? He claims his company is on course for a £2.5bn valuation, with data centres up and down the country. But in a collaborative investigation with @tbij.bsky.social, we couldn't find any. manchestermill.co.uk/is-chris-ken...

Is Chris Kenna Manchester’s first AI billionaire in the making — or a serial fantasist? What a piece! How did this guy get so much uncritical media coverage and persuade KPMG to let him launch his company in their office? AI hype has a LOT to answer for. manchestermill.co.uk/is-chris-ken...

What are these teen ‘link-ups’ happening across the country? I was on the phone to my colleague Moya on Wednesday and one just started happening around her! She’s written a very fun @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social piece about what the teens said. www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/a-hectic-hou...

What an amazing place @thejohnrylands.bsky.social is. Thanks to Dr Zsófi Buda for showing me some of their ancient Hebrew and Muslim books today. Manchester is world class for old libraries - love Chetham’s and Portico too.

A very big update from my colleagues in Sheffield, who do magnificent work.

Our investigation into Milne began in November, when we reported on letters he had sent to homeowners. Since then we have published half a dozen stories about the solicitor. The story has subsequently been followed up by national news outlets like Private Eye and has been raised in parliament.

🚨 BREAKING: Andrew Milne arrested. "On suspicion of fraud and blackmail" as @sheffieldtribune.bsky.social reports. Not much more we can say now that proceedings are active, but wow. www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/breaking-and...

BREAKING: Andrew Milne has been arrested. A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police told The Tribune: "Detectives investigating allegations linked to the purchase and sale of freeholds in Sheffield have arrested a man on suspicion of fraud and blackmail."

Ah, @ophiraophira.bsky.social at the Mill worked out which Manchester school was at the centre of last week’s book-banning story manchestermill.co.uk/revealed-the...

Trapped by a sleeping cat this morning so had a read of a deep dive about Oldham politics in the @manchestermill.bsky.social , featuring petrol bombings of cars, pig heads, collapsing buildings, and 'colourful' characters like Irish Imy (see below). You could turn it into quite a dramatic TV series!

Everything from Camden Market to the Admiral Duncan pub and central London Harry Potter stores are owned by shell companies in tax havens. For years, they hid the identities of their real owners. Today, @andrewkersley.bsky.social pulls back the curtain.

Greater Manchester Police statement: "We’ve concluded our investigation into alleged ‘family voting’ at last month’s Gorton and Denton by-election, finding no evidence of any intent to influence or refrain any person from voting."

If ever there was proof we need good local journalism. Thank heavens @danhayesjourno.bsky.social left The Star, Sheffield is better for it.

How it started: How it's going:

🚨 Exclusive: We reveal the Greater Manchester school accused of banning books is part of a major Church of England academy group. They dispute the account of their former librarian. Incredible read from @ophiraophira.bsky.social. manchestermill.co.uk/revealed-the...

Book banning School is Lowry Academy, a religious academy school manchestermill.co.uk/revealed-the...

'The alleged book-banning took place at the Lowry Academy, a state secondary in Salford [...]. The school has since changed its name and is now part of the country’s largest multi-academy trust – a vast organisation which has a Christian ethos and counts the Archbishop of Canterbury as a patron.'

It is such a relief to have a paper like @manchestermill.bsky.social as our local paper! This story really did worry me (it still does), and having the Mill on it means those of us in the community will have a better understanding of what is going on.

Revealed by @manchestermill.bsky.social: The famous school at the centre of a book-banning scandal. Brilliant sleuthing by @ophiraophira.bsky.social on a very important story. manchestermill.co.uk/revealed-the...

📌 As audiences increasingly consume short-form content, this panel asks what space remains for longform journalism today. Editors from FT Magazine and Denmark's Politiken explain why they continue to invest in narrative reporting and why longform remains essential to tell deeply human stories.

A ‘generation is being trapped’ in shared ownership properties they can’t sell, according to The Telegraph this morning. It’s a story we know all too well here at The Mill. Today, our writer and editor Jack Walton recounts his own shared ownership story... manchestermill.co.uk/help-im-trap...

I shouldn't be sharing this story in which one of my staffers reveals his salary and asks @manchestermill.bsky.social readers to lobby me for a pay rise.. But it's a great piece on a big issue: getting stuck in shared ownership. Read it but do not email me. manchestermill.co.uk/help-im-trap...

BREAKING: the MEN

Our Monday briefing is out now‼️ 🧵Today's top story is Birmingham Live taking the meningitis outbreak as an opportunity to fearmonger. Yesterday, the Reach PLC publication published the headline: “Birmingham student unable to walk, talk or see after catching meningitis”.

from Fraser Nelson:

Who’s peddling a ‘persistent myth’ about local news? Press giant Reach Plc asks you to ignore the evidence of your eyes and ears Interested in #local #news #media #journalism? Read this! Powerful stuff from @joshih.bsky.social of @millmedia.bsky.social manchestermill.co.uk/whos-peddlin...

They are - literally - Reaching...

There's only two days left to apply to join our team at The Dispatch! To find out more & apply, click the link below!🔗

The MEN’s editor wants to “set the record straight” and address the “persistent myth that local journalism is in decline”. Reach Plc has cut around *2,000 jobs* since I started @manchestermill.bsky.social and yet they persist with this brazen lie. Enough of it. manchestermill.co.uk/whos-peddlin...

WE ARE HIRING 🚨 We’re looking for two great writers to help us get our new newsroom off the ground.

This is good and worth a read. Here you can see why I've given up most commentary on British universities. Without a complete reboot from the beginning I can't see a sustainable way forward for most of it. Sad, tough but true. manchestermill.co.uk/why-the-hell...

Extraordinary development in this cynical case against local journalism outlet @londonermag.bsky.social The claimant didn’t turn up and sent a crap sick note. Total waste of public resources and court time and has cost the publisher £20k already

This IS good, it’s a better read on the issues facing universities than the vast majority of stuff one sees in the national press. I don’t know how this Manc outfit does it, but it’s really impressive.

This is excellent reporting which deftly demonstrates the weaknesses and loopholes in Companies House, before you even get to opaque trusts in overseas territories!

Fantastic reporting from Moya and @robbiejourno.bsky.social on the Glasgow fire.

5 days left, 50 to go.. We're so close to launching a new @millmedia.bsky.social publication in Leeds. Please share to get us over the line and spread the word among talented journalists who might want to join the team. leeds.ghost.io/welcome-to-l... @leedsnewlocalpaper.bsky.social

A tax barrister sued me personally for £8m for libel after we linked him to a tax avoidance scheme. Today the High Court struck out the claim, granted summary judgment, and ruled it was a SLAPP. The judgment is highly critical.

We've won the UK's first ever SLAPP suit - acting for @danneidle.bsky.social - and made some really important law protecting the right to call out barristers whose misconduct facilitates aggressive tax avoidance.

"Burnham has consistently called for greater government accountability... Having to be forced by journalists to release a report into how the GMCA lends hundreds of millions of pounds of public money to developers would appear at odds with that". manchestermill.co.uk/heavily-skew...

⏰ We’re into the final stretch of our campaign to launch a new newspaper for West Yorkshire - and we’re now at 433 pledges. In this week’s newsletter, @djstimms.bsky.social explains where things stand and why this final push matters.

Less than a week left ⏰ A month ago we said: if 500 people backed the idea, we’d launch a new local newspaper for West Yorkshire based in Leeds. Overnight, we’ve just surpassed 400 pledges 💫 That means we’re within touching distance - but nothing is guaranteed yet.

Update on our libel case 🚨 - the businessman suing us didn’t turn up to the high court for the first hearing. Judge was unimpressed with his medical evidence. Fighting these threats to journalism in the UK is frustrating and expensive but we will win. www.the-londoner.co.uk/that-busines...

408 pledges out of 500 needed six days to go to support local journalism leeds.ghost.io/welcome-to-l...

One week to go to see if a new independent news outlet for Leeds and West Yorkshire will actually happen - if you'd like to see it and haven't yet pledged support for @leedsnewlocalpaper.bsky.social, please consider doing so. #LocalJournalismMatters

Leeds folk, just wanted to put this on your radar. The Birmingham/West Midlands version (The Dispatch) is doing good and interesting work hereabouts. leeds.ghost.io/welcome-to-l...

Anyone in #leeds I'd recommend taking a look at the new local newspaper from the folks behind #themill in Manchester: https://leeds.ghost.io/welcome-to-leeds-new-paper/?ref=manchestermill.co.uk