Josef Steen

London

Writer at Freelance

Bald scoundrel. Writing for @TheQuietus, @TheCriticMag, @HackneyCitizen and others

Articles

Camden headteachers raise alarm over borough's schools sliding into deficit

3 weeks ago | fitzrovianews.com | Josef Steen

Camden headteachers have warned the council they are being forced to meet pupils’ needs in “extreme ways” while being told to balance their shrinking budgets. On Wednesday 4 June the local authority’s schools forum met to pore over the state of the borough’s education finances, which revealed Camden schools had lost nearly £6mn from their own balances since the previous financial year.
'Intolerable': Camden heads raise alarm over schools sliding into deficits

3 weeks ago | camdencitizen.co.uk | Josef Steen

Camden headteachers have warned the council they are being forced to meet pupils’ needs in “extreme ways” while being told to balance their shrinking budgets. On Wednesday (4 June) the local authority’s schools forum met to pore over the state of the borough’s education finances, which revealed Camden schools had lost nearly £6m from their own balances since the previous financial year.
Artist collective buys ‘creative quarter’ studios from council for £1.1m

3 weeks ago | hackneycitizen.co.uk | Josef Steen

A local artist collective has bought back a studio block in the heart of Hackney’s ‘cultural quarter’, bringing relief to those fearful of a “private sector carve-up”. Last week the local authority announced that organisation V22, which has long used the site at 10-16 Ashwin Street for affordable studios, workshops and exhibitions, had purchased the building from the Town Hall “at market value”.
Council to use 'special powers' to take over O2 Centre redevelopment site

3 weeks ago | hamhigh.co.uk | Josef Steen

The Labour-run cabinet last night (Wednesday, June 5) agreed the local authority should use special legal powers to temporarily become landholder of the O2 Masterplan site in West Hampstead. But the council's opposition has warned there was little detail in the proposals, and argued they should be dealt with by elected councillors and not delegated to officials.
Olszewski affirms his support for EDI and DEI policies

3 weeks ago | fitzrovianews.com | Josef Steen

Camden Council’s leader has affirmed his support for equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) policies, claiming they will make the borough “fairer, more creative and innovative”. On Monday 2 June, Councillor Richard Olszewski took to social media to praise the equalities practice, often referred to by its American acronym “DEI”.
Young people’s use of sexual health clinics ‘significantly higher’ in Hackney

3 weeks ago | hackneycitizen.co.uk | Josef Steen

The rate of young people in Hackney visiting sexual health clinics remains stubbornly high compared to neighbouring boroughs, the latest data reveals. A public health report presented to a Town Hall committee on Monday showed the number of under-24s accessing sexual and reproductive health services in City and Hackney was “significantly higher”. The majority of interventions between May 2023 and December 2024 were related to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), the study revealed.
Cafe’s booze licence survival plan sparks concern from neighbours

3 weeks ago | hackneygazette.co.uk | Josef Steen

The owner of Bread & Butter in Enfield Road, Haggerston, recently sought a drinks licence from Hackney Council, also asking to extend its operating hours until 11pm every night except Sunday. “We are trying to survive, basically,” said owner Leyla Ozyurt. “With rising costs and ongoing financial pressure, we recently started exploring new ways to sustain our small business. “That’s why we decided to open in the evenings as a small, family-run restaurant – not as a pub or bar,” she said.
Council doubles down on DEI amid Labour row

3 weeks ago | camdencitizen.co.uk | Josef Steen

Camden Council’s leader has affirmed his support for equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) policies, claiming they will make the borough “fairer, more creative and innovative”. On Monday (2 June) Town Hall chief Richard Olszewski took to X (formerly Twitter) to praise the equalities practice, often referred to by its American acronym ‘DEI’.
Haggerston cafe’s booze licence survival plan sparks concern from neighbours

3 weeks ago | hackneycitizen.co.uk | Josef Steen

Residents have objected to a Haggerston cafe’s bid to sell alcohol and stay open later over fears it will ruin families’ “quiet evenings” and pose a risk to children. The owner of Bread & Butter on Enfield Road recently sought a booze licence from the local authority and asked permission to extend the venue’s operating hours until 11pm every night except Sunday. “We are trying to survive, basically,” said owner Leyla Ozyurt.
‘Art for the people’: How Dalston’s enduring peace mural captured a community

4 weeks ago | hackneycitizen.co.uk | Josef Steen

What do brass instruments, skeleton masks, and ticking clocks have in common? At first glance, the mural overlooking Dalston East Curve Garden is a bold, kaleidoscopic ode to life – with no rhyme or reason required. Portraying a peace parade, here saxophonists and trombonists blast their reeds with fervour, peaceniks wave their rippling banners, and women in colourful headwraps hold their hands aloft in ecstatic pride, submitting to the glory of the moment.