London needs a homebuilding kickstart package, with social housing at its heart July 7, 2020 The government’s economic statement tomorrow is an opportunity for the chancellor to put building new homes at the heart of a plan to kickstart the recovery and help Britain bounce back after coronavirus. To achieve this, we need to see much more than Boris Johnson set out in his speech in Dudley last week. A [...]
COP26 has been delayed, but the City’s charge against climate change continues July 6, 2020 Businesses and households across the world have been hit hard by Covid-19, but as we move to the next phase of recovery from the pandemic, it is vital that we keep the fight against climate change top of the agenda. That’s why last week, to mark London Climate Action Week, we announced a major summit [...]
For the sake of our economy and our culture, we need to save London’s theatres July 3, 2020 Tomorrow, large parts of London’s economy will start to reopen. Pubs and restaurants will fling wide their doors, hotels will begin to welcome guests, and museums and art galleries will once more be open for business. But not all of London will be switching back into gear. Live performances are still banned, placing immense pressure [...]
Pride in a pandemic: Putting intersectionality top of the agenda July 3, 2020 The most vulnerable and marginalised members of society have faced the worst consequences of this global health crisis. Coronavirus has highlighted the many ways in which issues related to gender and sexual identity, race, and socioeconomic circumstances all intersect. Equality is becoming one of the defining narratives of this pandemic. People are waking up to [...]
Cracked encryption app leads to hundreds of arrests July 2, 2020 Efforts by police to crack an encrypted messaging app used by criminals has led to the arrests of “iconic” figures of the British underworld. The National Crime Agency (NCA) today said it had “successfully penetrated” Encrochat, a secure smartphone instant messaging app that was used by criminals to coordinate their activities. The move has allowed [...]
Canada Corporation criticised for awarding above-inflation pay rises during coronavirus crisis June 30, 2020 A London think tank has slammed Canada Corporation for giving staff a pay rise above inflation levels during the coronavirus crisis. The Corporation recently confirmed that all its staff would receive a 2.25 per cent yearly pay rise from 2020 to 2023 as well as an additional 5 per cent annual increase [...]
Sadiq Khan calls for government clarity on local lockdown powers June 29, 2020 Sadiq Khan has urged the government to provide more clarity on what powers local authorities have to deal with regional coronavirus outbreaks. The mayor of London wrote to health secretary Matt Hancock today to ask if councils had the power to implement local lockdowns and for additional resources in the case of localised flare ups. [...]
Exclusive: London firms revolt over business rates payments during lockdown June 29, 2020 Tens of thousands of London companies are believed to be mutinying against the taxman by refusing to pay business rates for the three months of the coronavirus lockdown. In light of the pandemic, the government has handed firms in the retail and tourism sectors a year-long holiday on the tax, which is applied to companies’ [...]
Sadiq Khan backs proposal for quicker 5G rollout in London June 29, 2020 Sadiq Khan has backed a new report that calls for a quicker rollout of 5G infrastructure in London and beyond. A new report out today by former Treasury economist Matthew Oakley, and commissioned by Vodafone, found that an upgrade from 4G to 5G infrastructure would have a £120bn benefit to the UK economy over 10 [...]