‘Big society’ tsar Lord Wei leaves post after less than a year
Cabinet office insists departure does not mark scaling back of project, but Labour say flagship policy is descending into farce
Politics
London Olympics’ ticketing process is peculiar, says Boris Johnson
Mayor comments come amid concerns over applicants being deducted money weeks before finding out what tickets they’ll get
Political blogger shortlisted for Orwell Prize
Hackney Conservative Graeme Archer is up for a prestigious national writing award
London Living Wage: a message from the Mayor
Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone are both trying to claim ownership of the London Living Wage campaign
Health agency issues Olympics emergency warning
Health Protection Agency says upheaval caused by its abolition could pose ‘extreme risks’ during Olympic Games
Popularity should not dictate public health policy
Andrew Lansley’s moves on tobacco are welcome – but waiting for a swing in public opinion to act is the counsel of despair
Budget night in Hackney
There was a ritual element to last night’s budget-setting in one of London’s stroppiest boroughs. The real politics of cuts have yet to start
Olympic velodrome opens on time, on budget and is ‘best in the world’
Chris Hoy tips world records as velodrome is first venue in Olympic Park to open – though concerns linger over the others
The dead hand of the whips
Debate about legislation is being stifled by party managers forcing MPs to toe the government line, with toxic effect
Eric Pickles imposes curbs on council PR spending
Communities secretary has banned councils from publishing their own newspapers more than four times a year
Blame consumer capitalism, not multiculturalism
David Cameron’s analysis is flawed; its individualism and globalisation that are undermining a strong national identity
Plans afoot for London Fields community council
Locals could have more say over issues that matter to the neighbourhood
NHS changes: David Cameron’s dodgy prescription
Cameron’s NHS ‘reforms’ will work not in the interests of staff and patients, as he claims, but very much against them
Charity’s struggle to meet demand for essentials of cookers, carpets and coats
Every week, Family Action volunteers scrutinise increasingly urgent and bleak applications for emergency welfare grants
Students: EMA is a necessity, not a bribe
Sixth-form pupils express anger at their media portrayal as ‘goons’
Operation Trident cuts threat provokes backlash
Victims of crime and MPs have voiced concern over plans to cut unit investigating violent crime within the black community