Ben is a local democracy reporter who was previously on staff at LondonWorld, with a background in local news. He formerly worked on publications in north and east London. After completing his NCTJ training with the Press Association, Ben moved to Archant, where he initially worked on the Ham&High before moving to the Romford Recorder, where he spent the majority of his time at the company. Also occasionally contributing to the publisher’s other London titles, Ben reported on everything from human-interest stories to housing issues and the council. Key stories covered during that time included an ongoing series of articles on an estate caught in the midst of the cladding scandal, the effectiveness of scrutiny in the council, and, of course, the ULEZ extension. His particular areas of interest include transport, housing, the London Assembly, and the capital’s buzzing music scene, with Ben also doing occasional freelance work for a number of music titles.Prior to working in journalism, Ben spent several years in marketing and advertising, working at agencies both in London and New Zealand, as well as a stint as a content designer at the New Zealand government. When not working, you can normally catch him either at a gig, in one of east London’s many boozers, or with his feet up watching the footy.