Jonathan Fagg

How common is a white Christmas where you are? Many of us probably dream of a white Christmas but how often have you actually seen one? Simon King takes a look at new analysis.

It’s in every song and advert at the moment, but how common is a white Christmas? @emasabljak.bsky.social has crunched the Met Office’s numbers to see: www.bbc.co.uk/weather/arti...

Some fantastic work by Eve Webster and @emasabljak.bsky.social went into this

Prison staff ‘begging for help’ as mental health sick days rise Almost 150,000 working days were lost in England's prisons last year because of mental ill-health.

Our latest on the mental health crisis among prison staff - almost 150,000 working days were lost in England last year, up 44% on 2019.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Empty home crisis: Why aren't they being used to solve shortages? There are almost 720,000 empty homes in England. And many more on social housing waiting lists. Is using one to help solve the other a case of a missed opportunity?

Excellent work by @Gerghana for the England Data Unit:
Empty homes are on the rise. So why aren't they being used to solve the housing shortage?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Home Office guidance says domestic homicide reviews should be done in 6 months, but BBC research suggests just 1% are. Pauline Jones said the near 3-year wait for a review into her daughter's death was "hell on earth".
t.co/CChnpHgaTX

A bar chart showing the number of road collision deaths where exceeding the speed limit was a contributory factor, 2014 - 2023. 2014: 282 deaths 2015: 244 2016: 229 2017: 220 2018: 186 2019: 232 2020: 219 2021: 253 2022: 303 2023: 314

What makes someone drive their car over 160mph? Kent Police's Chief Inspector Craig West calls those who do selfish, and reminds them that "speed does kill."
DfT data backs that up, and our latest investigation shows the potential consequences: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Thanks to Tim Dodd, Alix Hattenstone and @miguelrocadata.bsky.social for their hard work on this one.

Great Britain's worst major stations for cancellations named The latest figures show almost one in 10 trains were cancelled at Manchester Victoria.

Ever wondered how your station compares for train cancellations? We're ending the year by giving you the answers, comparing performance from Jan - Nov in 2024.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Thanks to Emily Unia, Alison Freeman and @laurenwoodhead.bsky.social for their tremendous work on this one.

'My biggest fear is more children will be murdered like Holly' Holly Newton's mother reacts to new survey findings about coercive control in young relationships.

Micala Trussler, Holly Newton's mother, fears more teenagers could be killed if more isn't done to tackle abusive teenage relationships.
She is responding to a @youthendowmentfund.org.uk survey of 10,000 teenagers, which @jessphillipsmp.bsky.social described as "heartbreaking and deeply concerning".

Great tips here for those looking to up their chart game -

England's Morris dancers drive inclusive revival of tradition Younger, more inclusive Morris teams tell the BBC their tradition is having a

Tim's last piece for the team looks at how Morris dancing is changing. When you think of the tradition, "you might not picture a group of young, gender non-conforming, drag kings who dress like "chimney sweeps" - but that will be because you've not seen Molly No-Mates."
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Didn’t know about that, thank you!

Home schooling: Concern as figures double in five years The children's commissioner says she is

Alix's latest look at home education finds a sharp rise in families making the switch. The Children's Commissioner found the figures concerning, saying it shows schools were failing to meet the needs of children.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

'I'm an Irish Traveller and I'm too anxious to go to school' Traveller families say their children are often bullied when they attend mainstream schools.

Great piece by Sabbiyah Pervez looking at why absence rates are so high for Irish Traveller children: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Thanks to @miguelrocadata.bsky.social for leading on the stats.

Thanks to @miguelrocadata.bsky.social and Emily Unia for their hard work on this piece.

Last week, we dug into the sharp rise in young people facing homelessness when they leave the care system - up 54% since 2018-19. Zoe, one such care leaver, told us her experience left her with “this fear of owning too much in case I need to move”.

t.co/5UfML5kkl8

Our latest collaboration with the shared data unit has found the most-deprived communities in the UK were four times more likely to have lost library facilities since 2016:

t.co/TfX3B0Edxo

Public rights of way applications backlog concerns campaigners Nearly 8,000 requests to get public paths added to an official map have not been processed.

I realise I should post here more, so fortunately we have a story out today - countryside campaigners fear thousands of miles of footpaths could be lost: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Lioness effect: England women and girls' football teams double in seven years There are now twice as many female football teams in England than seven years ago, BBC analysis finds.

The number of women’s and girls’ teams registered to county FAs in England has doubled over 7 years: t.co/NwEeAb9tnJ

Owners of pandemic puppies are often struggling with their dog's behaviour and using aversive training methods, the latest Royal Veterinary College study suggests - www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-engl...

New NHS data shows the average wait for an autism diagnosis in England has risen to 300 days, well above the NICE target of 91. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-engl...

Data Journalist, visual journalism, BBC Local (Central Editorial Team) Data Journalist, visual journalism, BBC Local (Central Editorial Team)

And third, a data j with visual design skills: careers.bbc.co.uk/job/Birmingh...

Data Journalist, technical, BBC Local (Central Editorial Team) Data Journalist, technical, BBC Local (Central Editorial Team)

Second, a technical data journalist: careers.bbc.co.uk/job/Birmingh...

Data Journalist, multi-platform, BBC Local (Central Editorial Team) Data Journalist, multi-platform, BBC Local (Central Editorial Team)

Good news, we're hiring! The Central Editorial Team's data unit is looking to hire 3 people to help us tell bigger, more innovative stories. If you've got any questions, send them my way.
First, a data j with multi-platform experience: careers.bbc.co.uk/job/Birmingh...

Violence fears make children miss school, youth survey suggests The Youth Endowment Fund surveyed more than 7,500 children on their experiences of violence.

The Children's Commissioner tells us violence is the "number one issue" young people raise with her. That's backed up by a Youth Endowment Fund survey of over 7,500 kids, which suggests 20% of children have missed school in the last year due to fear of violence.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-engl...

Energy Ombudsman: Complaints leap by 84% in one year The most common disputes were about gas or electricity use, account balances and meter readings.

Dale tells us he is being threatened with bailiffs if he doesn't pay over £1,000 - "but there is no debt". All because an engineer made a mistake when fitting his smart meter. He isn't alone in having an issue over energy - the ombudsman has seen a record 36,823 in Q2 2023, up 84% from Q2 2022.

Care leavers: Number facing homelessness rises by a third Data shows a rise in young people being assessed as homeless, or threatened with homelessness, after leaving care

Sophie has been threatened with homelessness twice since leaving care. She is one of thousands who've struggled to keep a roof over their heads since leaving the care system.

The charity Become call the situation scandal, while the government say they've invested £2bn combatting homelessness.

Feel I should start by introducing myself. I’m the senior data journalist for the BBC’s Central Editorial Team, focused on local data stories across England.

Well this place seems nice (so far).