Downing St has distanced itself from a £1,000 charge on EU recruitment January 11, 2017 A £1,000 levy on firms recruiting European nationals is not under consideration, Downing Street has insisted. A spokeswoman for Theresa May said the idea was “not on the agenda” just hours after a junior minister Robert Goodwill raised the prospects of firms paying the charge. Robert Goodwill told a House of Lords committee the Immigration [...]
Over 30m journeys have been been made using Sadiq Khan’s one-hour bus Hopper fare in under four months January 11, 2017 Over 30m journeys have now been made using the bus Hopper fare, in under four months since its introduction in September 2016. London mayor Sadiq Khan introduced the new bus Hopper fare enabling passengers to take a £1.50 bus or tram journey and then change onto another bus or tram for free within one hour of [...]
Heathrow and Luton announce record years as passenger numbers at Luton climb by 18.5 per cent January 11, 2017 2016 might not have been everyone's favourite year, but it was certainly a fruitful one for Heathrow. The UK's biggest airport was given the government's blessing for expansion and it's now just announced a record 76m passengers came through its doors for the year, up one per cent on 2015. In the year where the [...]
RMT is balloting London Underground staff for more strike action January 11, 2017 RMT has announced it will be balloting London Underground (LUL) staff for more strike action "over a breakdown in industrial relations". The union also pointed to "numerous breaches of agreed machineries and agreements by LUL management". These include "not consulting or negotiating with RMT over reduced staffing levels within fleet", and "breaching our agreement on Night [...]
It’s time Britain stopped dancing to the tech giants’ tune January 11, 2017 Few tears were shed last summer at the plight of Apple Corporation, whose sweetheart deal with the Irish government was ruled unlawful by the European Union to the tune of a £11bn fine. Predictably, Eurosceptic voices were raised on this side of the Irish Sea relishing the day when the UK will no longer be subject [...]
Value of frauds reaches a five-year high, with London named as a crime hotspot January 11, 2017 The total value of frauds reported increased by just under a third last year to reach a five-year peak, with London remaining a criminal hotspot, figures released today show. BDO's FraudTrack, which keeps tabs on UK reported fraud cases with a value over £50,000, found total reported fraud in 2016 rose to £2bn, up 31.5 per cent [...]
Sadiq Khan says he’s “worried about industrial relations” as TfL seeks talks with unions to avoid more strike chaos January 10, 2017 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he was "always worried about industrial relations" after a 24-hour Tube strike caused havoc in the capital yesterday. He was taking questions from the London Assembly about his prospective Budget for the coming year. Chair of the Transport Committee Caroline Pidgeon asked Khan how concerned he was that significant restructuring and transformational change [...]
Three-day Southern rail strike gets underway: Here’s the rest of the industrial action planned for the month January 10, 2017 On the bright side, Transport for London (TfL) has said Tube services are back to normal today after a 24-hour strike caused numerous travel headaches for the capital's commuters. On the not so bright side, the next batch of Southern rail strikes get underway today, as workers of the train drivers' union Aslef start a [...]
Post Office is cutting 300 jobs as it ditches 37 offices January 10, 2017 The Post Office may cut as many as 300 jobs as it closes or franchises 37 of its offices. The Communication Workers Union said the job losses will include 127 financial specialist roles. In a statement today the Post Office said it is seeking partners for 37 branches, in addition to 93 it previously announced. “We’re [...]
Jeremy Corbyn says he’d join Southern rail picket line as next wave of industrial action puts the brakes on services January 10, 2017 Jeremy Corbyn has announced he'd join a Southern rail picket line, saying he felt long-suffering commuters would support his position. Speaking on Radio Four's Today programme, the Labour leader said he would stand in solidarity with those taking industrial action. "Yes I would, because I think Southern rail have behaved in a terrible manner, and [...]