Government watchdog warns taxpayers stand to lose £22.5m should Garden Bridge project collapse October 11, 2016 The National Audit Office (NAO) has announced the findings of its investigation into the use of public funds to pay for one of Boris Johnson’s projects as London Mayor: the Garden Bridge. And it’s not impressed. Meg Hillier MP, chair of the committee of public accounts, said: “It worries me that whenever the Garden Bridge [...]
Southern Rail commuters had some very British responses to the latest RMT strikes and engineering chaos October 11, 2016 Travel chaos is well and truly underway as strikes (and over-running engineering works) cause more turmoil for Southern commuters. And passengers have been doing what any good Brit would do – taking to social media to complain. Strikes might be disruptive, but they do provide ample opportunity to take part in one of the national pastimes: queuing [...]
London commuters set for delays and disruption on train services as Southern rail strike kicks off October 11, 2016 Commuters travelling in and out of London on Southern services are facing delays and disruption as RMT union members embarked on the latest round of strike action – and engineering works are creating mroe chaos on the train lines. Workers are taking industrial action against Southern's plans to get rid of conductors and operate driver-only [...]
London mayor Sadiq Khan to call on government to prioritise access to the EU’s Single Market October 11, 2016 London mayor Sadiq Khan will today urge the government to prioritise access to the EU’s Single Market as it enters crucial Brexit negotiations. Speaking at an event organised by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Khan will emphasise the need to “safeguard future economic prosperity and help maintain London’s position as a global financial centre”. [...]
FCA commits to having 50/50 gender split in its senior leadership team by 2025 October 11, 2016 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has unveiled a new set of diversity targets as part of an effort to show its commitment to inclusion. The City watchdog published targets for the Women in Finance Charter, which it signed in June 2016 and announced its Black, Asian, minority ethnic (BAME) targets for 2020 and 2025. Read [...]
Gatwick gets my vote for a new runway – but why can’t we let Heathrow expand too? October 10, 2016 As Britain begins the challenging process of navigating its way through uncertain times, one thing remains clear: the need for us to continue being a forward-looking trading nation. The latest predictions suggest that London’s airport system will be full in less than 10 years, which means additional airport capacity is more important than ever to show [...]
VIDEO: Burst water main leaves Muswell Hill Road under eight inches of water October 10, 2016 Cars and gardens in Muswell Hill were left under eight inches of water after a water main burst. A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said fire fighters had been called just after 2.30pm, and that the flood had seeped into eight basement properties. "We're pumping water away using sandbags to prevent the water from going further [...]
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan gears up for charge on London’s most polluting vehicles October 10, 2016 Sadiq Khan has started the formal consultation before an emissions surcharge – “T-charge” – for older polluting vehicles is introduced in October 2017. Cars, vans, minibuses and heavy vehicles that don’t meet the Euro 4/IV emission standard will pay £10 to enter the congestion charge zone. It will predominantly be for those registered in 2005 or [...]
Bike-sharing app Cycle.land is coming to the capital October 10, 2016 Londoners will soon have a wealth of options should they want to get on their bikes. It was recently announced the popular Boris bikes were getting a revamp and now a new bike-sharing company is hoping to win over the capital. Read more: TfL signs £79m deal with Serco to upgrade London's Boris bikes Cycle.land launched in Oxford in [...]
Southern Railway strikes to go ahead despite last-ditch legal action October 10, 2016 A three-day strike starting on Tuesday is going ahead, despite Southern Railway's late legal challenge. The company said it had ruled out further talks with the RMT union. RMT general secretary Mick Cash confirmed the receipt of a legal challenge from the train operator over the guards safety row. "It is appalling that rather than [...]