Ben Schofield

When a foster care leaver and her foster mother told me this story, I thought it was worth sharing. Thanks both for working with me on it. bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englan…

@ObanRds @CorranFerry Thanks for coming back to me. Do you have any video of the fire at all?

@benschofield @CorranFerry Yes please quote Oban RDS for pictures

🚨📟🚨 Crew paged at 16.47hrs to make pumps 4 and 4x4 to a wildfire at Acharacle in the Ardnamurchan Peninsula. Along with Crews from Fort William, Stontian and Acharacle #E07P6 #E07G1 #T21P6 #T21P7 #T22P6 #T25P6 Many thanks to @CorranFerry for waiting on us. 🚒🚒🚒🚒🚒🚒 🚢

After prev govt set up Cambridge Growth Company and was reported to want 150,000 new homes in Greater Cambridge, new Housing Minister tells me the city must see "significant growth". bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Revealing interview with Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook - tells @benschofield Cambridge ‘must see significant growth’. Says, Cambridge Growth Company is still on - but not whether will keep the 150k new homes set by Michael Gove. At 0735: bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/li…

A pleasure to join @ameliareynolds0, @benschofield, @andrewpolitics & the Politics East team in Great Yarmouth today to film their last show of the season. Be sure to tune in on Sunday @ 10am on BBC1.

Exclusive: The Government has incinerated or written off £1.4 BILLION worth of Covid PPE, provided by one supplier in the summer of 2020 - it is the single most wasteful public contract of the whole pandemic. Thread 1/

This is a bittersweet victory for a three-year campaign. I couldn't say much about this at the time but it feels a hollow victory given the fatal consequences of the knives sold by this Luton based business. 1/ bbc.com/news/articles/…

Thank you @benschofield Great investigative journalism sir

I'm quoted in this article about DNA Leisure's announcement that they are stopping selling knives and other bladed articles. Thanks to @benschofield for covering this story. #knifecrime bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

@gmhales And @FestAKINBUSOYE, who raised concerns about DNA when he was @BedsPCC, said: ‘Parliament needs to take a serious look at the ease with which people can get access to these zombie knives, swords and machetes online. The police can only do so much.’

.@gmhales says DNA has ‘done the right thing’, but that repeat purchases by Rayis Nibeel ‘seemingly without DNA Leisure raising any concerns about the numbers involved’ was ‘inexcusable’. Nibeel was 16 when he bought the weapons and went on to murder Omar Khan in Luton.

Online shop that supplied blades to at least 2 teen killers says it won’t sell knives or swords. Follows our story of how 16-yr-old bought 79 blades from DNA, before using 1 to kill. DNA said it followed all UK laws & the knives were bought fraudulently. bbc.com/news/articles/…

'We won't see this road improve in our lifetime' bbc.com/news/articles/…

Some shocking failures here, including on the part of DNA Leisure in not picking up the pattern of purchases. I increasingly favour a ban on online sales. 'How a teenage murderer got 79 knives delivered to his door' #theresthatknifeagain #knifecrime bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

I thank @benschofield for covering this disturbing story for BBC. While in office as PCC, I raised concerns about a business based in Luton, Bedfordshire, selling the 'Gucci knife of gangs'. For what purpose would someone be selling knives like these? 1/ bbc.com/news/articles/…

Join the team making #BBCBreakfast and the BBC News at One. We have a fantastic opportunity based at Media City in Salford. Details here 👉 careers.bbc.co.uk/job/Salford-Jo…

📢 Final week! 📢 What stories do you think @BBC should be reporting? If you're 11-18 years old and have a great story to tell, we want to know! ➡️ bbc.co.uk/youngreporterc… ➡️ bbc.co.uk/cystadleuaethg… The #BBCYoungReporterCompetition deadline is Sunday 24 March 2024 at 11pm

🆕 Local government minister Simon Hoare has written to local authorities reminding them it is possible to obscure some councillor details.

@benschofield @Fest4BedsPCC @Cllr_H_Williams @bizmcd I was first elected as a councillor nearly thirty-three years ago; the level of abuse and intimidation is far worse now than it was then. At the time the video (published by a South Cambridgeshire Independent councillor) to which Cllr Meschini refers was being circulated [1/2]

Thanks to @Fest4BedsPCC @Cllr_H_Williams Elisa Meschini and @bizmcd for speaking to me for this piece. Some shocking - even criminal - experiences of abuse our elected reps have encountered.