Reporter @londoncentric.media | stories and tips to polly@londoncentric.media | signal: pollysmythe.92https://bsky.app/profile/pollysmythe.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/pollysmythe.bsky.social/post/3mtldeiyz722qFor this week's London Centric, we've looked into the new and totally legal tactic that's being used to try to squeeze as much rent as possible from London’s private tenants in the face of the Renters’ Rights Act – the inverse bidding war https://www.londoncentric.media/i/211878305/welcome-to-londons-inverse-bidding-wars21 Aug 2026 08:22 +0000at://did:plc:4pyiohzhyutfmyxb5pnrdfdh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtldeiyz722qhttps://bsky.app/profile/pollysmythe.bsky.social/post/3mspq7q3d5c22Together with @jim.londoncentric.media, I spent a day trying to track down the Londoner running gift shops that recently burned down in Scotland. It was a quest that took me from Wood Green to Dagenham, and left me with more questions than answers https://www.londoncentric.media/p/edinburgh-gift-shops-taxes-princes-street-london-connection10 Aug 2026 08:57 +0000at://did:plc:4pyiohzhyutfmyxb5pnrdfdh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mspq7q3d5c22https://bsky.app/profile/pollysmythe.bsky.social/post/3mrrr2zejbk2mI spent yesterday knocking on doors in Britannia Point, a very hot glass-fronted tower block in Colliers Wood, trying to understand how private tenants had access to air conditioning when those in temporary accommodation didn't – give the piece a read [contains quote post or other embedded content]29 Jul 2026 10:52 +0000at://did:plc:4pyiohzhyutfmyxb5pnrdfdh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrrr2zejbk2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/pollysmythe.bsky.social/post/3mq7uv7mw2s2zHad a great time working on this with @jim.londoncentric.media - a story that took me to multiple courts, across East London, and into parts of the internet I’d never strayed before https://open.substack.com/pub/londoncentric/p/thalha-jubair-scattered-spider-hack-transport-for-london?r=ncxv&utm_medium=ios09 Jul 2026 14:48 +0000at://did:plc:4pyiohzhyutfmyxb5pnrdfdh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq7uv7mw2s2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/pollysmythe.bsky.social/post/3mpazlj45rs2cAbsolutely delighted to have won an Orwell prize for reporting homelessness and come runner-up for exposing Britain’s social evils! London Centric is a tiny team, so seeing our stories get recognition is wonderful and wild. Thanks as always to my truly wonderful editor @jim.londoncentric.media27 Jun 2026 08:19 +0000at://did:plc:4pyiohzhyutfmyxb5pnrdfdh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpazlj45rs2chttps://bsky.app/profile/pollysmythe.bsky.social/post/3mmtrq5f2ms2pAir-to-air heat pumps, fights at the lido, and West End strikes – here's a mid-week London Centric edition for anybody still able to read in this heat https://www.londoncentric.media/p/london-heat-air-conditioning-subsidy-install-air-to-air-heat-pump27 May 2026 15:04 +0000at://did:plc:4pyiohzhyutfmyxb5pnrdfdh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmtrq5f2ms2phttps://bsky.app/profile/pollysmythe.bsky.social/post/3mm4x6f5cbk2y🚨NEW: the RMT has called off this week's planned tube strikes A union spokesperson said: "At the 11th hour the employer has shifted its position allowing us to further explore our members concerns around the imposition of new rosters" New strike dates have been announced for 2 June and 4 June18 May 2026 13:10 +0000at://did:plc:4pyiohzhyutfmyxb5pnrdfdh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mm4x6f5cbk2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/pollysmythe.bsky.social/post/3mlqfz7p5m22aAs part of the 2.5 journalists in a trenchcoat, I'm delighted that our work is up for two Orwell Prizes [contains quote post or other embedded content]13 May 2026 13:31 +0000at://did:plc:4pyiohzhyutfmyxb5pnrdfdh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlqfz7p5m22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/pollysmythe.bsky.social/post/3mlfttdikhs2tWhat do the local election results mean for London? @jim.londoncentric.media and I broke down who won, what will actually change, as well as things you might have missed https://open.substack.com/pub/londoncentric/p/london-local-election-results-greens-labour-reform?r=ncxv&utm_medium=ios09 May 2026 08:39 +0000at://did:plc:4pyiohzhyutfmyxb5pnrdfdh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlfttdikhs2thttps://bsky.app/profile/pollysmythe.bsky.social/post/3mjykhu57kc2qVery happy dipping my toe back in the union world - I drilled down into what today’s strike action was actually about [contains quote post or other embedded content]21 Apr 2026 08:21 +0000at://did:plc:4pyiohzhyutfmyxb5pnrdfdh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjykhu57kc2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/pollysmythe.bsky.social/post/3mixzprucuc2iDid the person making your coffee get paid? I looked into how working for free just to be considered for a job is becoming the new normal in the capital, as young people navigate an increasingly brutal hunt for work https://www.londoncentric.media/i/192962193/from-the-tate-to-your-local-pub-are-london-venues-turning-to-unpaid-trial-shifters-to-fill-rotas08 Apr 2026 09:56 +0000at://did:plc:4pyiohzhyutfmyxb5pnrdfdh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mixzprucuc2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/pollysmythe.bsky.social/post/3mi5jwmg2gc2zReform held its London local election launch tonight in Croydon - speeches from Farage, London mayoral candidate Laila Cunningham, and the newly unveiled Croydon mayoral candidate Ben Flook28 Mar 2026 21:05 +0000at://did:plc:4pyiohzhyutfmyxb5pnrdfdh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mi5jwmg2gc2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/pollysmythe.bsky.social/post/3mhy5awid5k2yI took a trip down to Richmond to get to the bottom of the bizarre economics of temporary accommodation in London - read the piece here [contains quote post or other embedded content]26 Mar 2026 17:35 +0000at://did:plc:4pyiohzhyutfmyxb5pnrdfdh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhy5awid5k2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/pollysmythe.bsky.social/post/3mflyyxbfmc2bOn Sunday, @londoncentric.media broke the story that Asif Aziz’s Criterion Capital was undertaking London’s “worst mass eviction in recent history” - after our investigation, hundreds of tenants who received section 21s have now had them rescinded https://www.londoncentric.media/p/asif-aziz-halts-mass-eviction-london-housing24 Feb 2026 10:56 +0000at://did:plc:4pyiohzhyutfmyxb5pnrdfdh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mflyyxbfmc2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/pollysmythe.bsky.social/post/3mfgx6xvlyk2uI’ve spent the last few days piecing together London’s “worst mass eviction in recent history” along with @jim.londoncentric.media. The landlord responsible? Asif Aziz’s Criterion Capital https://www.londoncentric.media/p/asif-aziz-mass-eviction-billionaire-landlord-criterion-capital22 Feb 2026 10:40 +0000at://did:plc:4pyiohzhyutfmyxb5pnrdfdh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfgx6xvlyk2u