Sadiq Khan has recruited Margaret Hodge to lead a new Garden Bridge procurement probe, but London Assembly members are questioning the plan September 22, 2016 London mayor Sadiq Khan has recruited the former chair of parliament's public spending watchdog to lead an inquiry into the Garden Bridge project. Margaret Hodge will review whether taxpayers have got value for money from the £185m footbridge, which is being being supported by £60m of public money from Westminster and Transport for London. Among [...]
City Leavers and Remainers must now unite to ensure the best Brexit deal for UK business September 22, 2016 There is no doubt that the referendum aroused strong feelings and caused division across the UK – and it continues to do so. However, the electorate has delivered a clear mandate to the UK government for the UK to leave the EU. For its part, the government has made it clear it intends to give [...]
Londoners will pay a £30,000 premium to live in the congestion charge zone September 21, 2016 Londoners are happy to pay extra for a home just inside the congestion charge zone, new research has revealed. According to research from the London School of Economics (LSE), homes inside the zone are £30,000 more expensive than the houses on the other side of the congestion charge boundary. Read more: House prices rebounded this month, hitting first-time buyers [...]
The mayor’s making a serious push for TfL to take over London’s suburban rail routes September 21, 2016 The Mayor of London is stepping up his push for Transport for London (TfL) to take over the capital's suburban rail routes and turn lines run by troubled Southern and other operators into Overground routes. Sadiq Khan will make the business case for rail devolution ahead of the Autumn Statement. Read more: Southern Rail commuters take on Department [...]
Nearly 18,000 people have signed a petition calling for Sadiq Khan to save the Curzon cinema in Mayfair September 21, 2016 A petition to save the Curzon cinema in Mayfair – which is under threat of closure – has been signed by almost 18,000 people. The historic cinema has been on Curzon street since 1934, but it may be shut down after property developers made a noise complaint. Developers 38 Curzon Ltd want the cinema to pay for soundproofing [...]
Prices for central London’s luxury homes are falling – but outer areas are becoming less affordable September 21, 2016 London's luxury homes are set to have their prices cut by nearly 10 per cent this year, but prices in the capital's outer boroughs will continue to become less affordable, according to new research. Property services giant Savills has predicted prices on high-end homes in central London will drop by nine per cent this year and won't return to growth [...]
The office of the future? More traditional than you might think September 21, 2016 Remote working isn’t a new concept by any means, but in 2016 it’s far easier than in the past – there’s no need to run to phone box to touch base with updates, or carry a week’s worth of work in a stuffed briefcase. For the modern business the constraints of location hardly matter. Technology allows [...]
Would harsher punishments deter the likes of Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes? September 21, 2016 Natalie Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes: don’t you just love her? One of the Black Lives Matter campaigners, our Nat caused chaos by occupying the runway at London City Airport, on the grounds that climate change is racist. She and eight others, including a former member of the Oxford University Croquet Club, were sentenced by the courts last week. [...]
Playing at home: Barratt plans Upton Park housing overhaul September 20, 2016 Upton Park, the former home of football team West Ham United, is set to be made in to 842 new homes in the London Borough of Newham. Residential property developer Barratt London has taken on the project and plans to rename the area Upton Gardens. The plans include 211 so-called affordable homes. Read more: West Ham's Karren [...]
Sadiq Khan has demanded a raft of New York-style tax powers following his trip to North America September 20, 2016 Returning from a five day trip to the US, London mayor Sadiq Khan has demanded the devolution of fresh tax powers to City Hall. Khan has visited Chicago, Montreal and New York over the last few days, meeting with the mayors of all three cities to discuss extremism, housing and social integration. And he has [...]