A belated post, but I am delighted to share that I have started as Crime Correspondent at @thetimes.com

If you have a story or want to meet over coffee please get in touch at Jessica.Sharkey@thetimes.co.uk

‘They’d win if it was tomorrow’: on the streets of Reform’s London Nigel Farage’s upstart party is leading in the polls — which may translate to winning seats even in the capital

Could Reform win in London? I visited Havering - where local Reform memberships have soared - to find out

www.thetimes.com/article/9661...

‘Racists tried to keep us off the Munros, but we belong here’ Josh Adeyemi founded Black Scottish Adventurers with his brother after realising on his first walks that ethnic minorities were underrepresented on Scotland’s mountains

It was a pleasure to speak to Josh Adeyemi, founder of Black Scottish Adventurers, for my final piece with @timesscotland.bsky.social

When he noticed a lack of diversity on Scotland’s hiking trails, he decided to change it.

Read my interview with him below 👇

www.thetimes.com/article/8f50...

How Mark Keel, a serial domestic abuser, was let out to kill Despite his history of violence, Mark Keel was released on bail to return to Maxine Clark’s home in Riddrie, Glasgow, where he murdered her

How was a serial domestic abuser let out to kill Maxine Clark, a mum of four from Glasgow?

In depth 👇

www.thetimes.com/article/e026...

Revealed: the best place in Scotland to be a girl East Renfrewshire tops the table on issues such as health, education, crime and rates of teenage pregnancies — but Dundee is not so fortunate

From education to safety on the streets — where is the best and worst place in Scotland to be a girl?

I analysed the data and spoke to residents to find out📈

www.thetimes.com/article/f25b...

Revealed: the great property factor scandal Unexpected payments of thousands of pounds are being demanded by the property managers, including for debt owed by somebody else in a shared building

Hundreds of thousands of homeowners in Scotland are collectively paying tens of millions of pounds every year to factors who are almost impossible to hold to account

I investigated Scotland’s property factors in this piece

www.thetimes.com/article/f35c...

I’ve had the best time working with the brilliant @timesscotland.bsky.social
team over the last four months

I am now working on the London section @thetimes.com - tips welcome!

A few of my favourite pieces I worked on in Scotland below 🧵

Revealed: the great property factor scandal Unexpected payments of thousands of pounds are being demanded by the property managers, including for debt owed by somebody else in a shared building

4/Residents feel locked in contracts because of this. The MP behind the Property Factors Act calls for a “reset” in the relationship between factors and homeowners after reform efforts fell short.

Full story here:

www.thetimes.com/article/f35c...

3/ This happened to Kristian — one year after he bought his first flat in Glasgow he was told he owed over £4,000 to cover the building’s debt.

He says this debt was built up before he even bought the property

Kristian is disputing this but the complaints process is arduous

2/ Property factors (or property managers) maintain shared spaces on private housing estates — grass cutting, maintaining paths, external repairs etc

But if someone in your building doesn’t pay? The factor can bill everyone else to make up the shortfall.

Revealed: the great property factor scandal Unexpected payments of thousands of pounds are being demanded by the property managers, including for debt owed by somebody else in a shared building

1/The great property factor scandal: how thousands of homeowners in Scotland are trapped paying fees to management companies they didn’t choose for poor service — and in some cases, being charged extra to cover their neighbours’ debts.
@timesscotland.bsky.social

www.thetimes.com/article/f35c...

Revealed: the best place in Scotland to be a girl East Renfrewshire tops the table on issues such as health, education, crime and rates of teenage pregnancies — but Dundee is not so fortunate

Where are the best and worst places to grow up as a girl in Scotland? I looked at the data — from education to crime — and spoke to residents to find out 📈

🔓The Times is free to read this weekend
@timesscotland.bsky.social

www.thetimes.com/article/f25b...

For the next few months I’m going to be working with the brilliant team at @timesscotland.bsky.social
based in Glasgow🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Tips are welcome! Drop me a line Jessica.sharkey@thetimes.co.uk

🗞️ More and more Times and Sunday Times journalists and staff are joining BlueSky.

We’ll be updating this starter kit as they do so, you should give them a follow

👇

Mind the gender wealth gap — it starts sooner than you think The financial disparity between the sexes begins before you even hit your twenties, reports Jessica Sharkey

The gender wealth gap starts sooner than you think. Some data analysis of why that is the case — from the confidence gap to pensions

www.thetimes.com/business-mon...