The tragic death of Martin Dinnegan, a 14 year old boy who was killed by a gang, has created considerable concern among people locally, both because of the death itself and because there have been many similar killings of young people. The local MP Jeremy Corbyn is said to be concerned in particular about police dispositions and youth facilities.

The anti-war movement is strong here and there have been several meetings in the hall on the Iraq war and on Chechnya.