United Kingdom
I write news and features on politics, business, travel, culture and other subjects. Contributing to Local Government Chronicle, Construction News, Museums Journal, the Guardian, BBC Travel, the Sunday Telegraph and others. Email: knottjp [at] gmail.com
Politics/business
More than a fifth of all English councils are now subject to special intervention or additional support from Whitehall as financial challenges deepen, LGC research can reveal.
As charging clean air zones face increasing opposition, some cities are making the case for investment-led approaches
The historic county names of Cumberland and Westmorland in 1974 were wiped from the political map. Almost 50 years later, they look set to make a reappearance – even if some services will remain county-wide
Council-owned airports have gone from cash cow to a drain on resources during the pandemic – and climate concerns have raised fundamental questions about their future
Attempting to associate legitimate policies such as 15 minute cities with baseless theories is dishonest and dangerous, writes LGC reporter Jonathan Knott
A funding gap has emerged for the £600m cultural quarter that is being built in London’s Olympic Park, after expected philanthropic donations failed to materialise, Construction News can reveal.
Travel and culture
More than fifty years ago, the Beatles travelled to Greece with the aim of buying an island
In July 1967 the Beatles were making plans to buy a Greek island, and visited the country with this aim in mind. At the time, negative international opinion regarding the military dictatorship that had recently come to power in Greece was contributing to a decline in the country’s tourism sector.
Nevis is less well-known than other Caribbean islands - and Nevisians prefer it that way. It's only a few miles across the water from lively St Kitts. But here, the most cacophonous noise you'll hear is the chirping of insects among the lush vegetation.
As I reached the small village of Burträsk in northern Sweden, I saw snow piled by the roadsides like icing and a group of reindeer sitting down for a rest. When I got out of the car to take a photograph, they stood up, crossed the road and disappeared into the woods.
In central Riga, people are laying flowers beneath the Freedom Monument. It's a green statue of a woman holding three gold stars on top of a 42-metre stone pillar at the end of a broad, busy street. One woman explains to me that it's the 65th anniversary of the day in 1949 when 42,000 Latvians were deported to Siberia by the Soviet government.
"Take off your clothes," a foreign voice said over the loudspeaker - slowly, rhythmically, emphasising each syllable. "Get into the water." It was not the kind of voice you disobey. So although I was on the Arctic circle, surrounded by ice and snow on all sides, I got in.
I couldn't see them, but there were almost 200 people joining me in this venture, now in its 12th year. Kitted out in yellow or green caps, we were swimming between the islands which, though technically one country, proudly maintain distinct identities.
Museums and galleries could do much more to support people experiencing mental health difficulties, according to a new report.
Arts organisations led by BME and disabled people were less likely than other organisations to be successful when applying for Arts Council England's (ACE) National Lottery Project Grants last year, figures obtained by ArtsProfessional reveal.