Plan could end in blame game

The long-ago BBC Jerusalem correspondent, Michael Elkins, once lamented that too many war reporters had not served a journalistic apprenticeship by working on a local newspaper.

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Rise in Charedim using mental health centre

A mental health charity working with the Charedi community is reporting an upsurge in cases.

The Talking Matters psychological therapy centre in Stamford Hill receives NHS funding for 775 clients but currently supports more than 1,200 people of all ages.

It receives £105,000 from the NHS and £15,000 from the nominal fees users are asked to pay.

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Hackney rejects school plan over neighbour complaints

Hackney Council has refused a planning application by the strictly Orthodox Agudas Israel Housing Association for an £8 million special-needs school and housing development because of the potential “overbearing impact” on neighbours.

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Hackney family can keep succah

A strictly Orthodox family have won a year-long planning dispute over the erection of a succah on the balcony of their flat.

Yehuda and Rachel Benouaich built the succah when they moved in last year but were forced to hire architects and solicitors after Hackney Council threatened legal action over their failure to secure planning permission.

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Special needs school warned: Raise £3.5m or give up free site

Hackney special-needs school Side by Side faces a race against time to take up a gift of land worth £1.5 million from a strictly Orthodox housing charity.

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Stamford Hill 'child assault' arrest

Police are investigating an alleged indecent assault on a child by a Stamford Hill man.

The 24-year-old, believed to be a member of the strictly Orthodox community, was arrested on Sunday afternoon at Paget Road, Hackney. The man has been released on bail to return at a further date.

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Satmar boys' primary wins fight against closure

A strictly Orthodox Stamford Hill school has won its battle against closure after Hackney Council ruled that it was operating illegally.

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Special needs pupils gain new skills

Special-needs pupils at the strictly Orthodox Side by Side school are learning more than tikkun olam when delivering weekly food parcels to people in need.

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Satmars told to demolish shul in family home

A planning inspector has ruled that a Satmar synagogue built in a family home in Stamford Hill must be demolished.

Satmar leaders must also pay Hackney Council the costs of a public inquiry into the planning violation because the appeal was "unreasonable".

The Bethune Road property had been extended and converted without planning permission.

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