50,000 journeys: The numbers of London’s first experience of the Night Tube August 20, 2016 It might have escaped your notice, but London's underground service ran throughout the night for the first time into Saturday morning. Trains ran on the Central and Victoria lines, while TfL and London mayor Sadiq Khan plan to expand the service to take in the Northern, Piccadilly and Jubilee lines later this year. So what did London's first [...]
Housing benefit going to private landlords has doubled to £9.3bn over a decade August 20, 2016 The amount of housing benefits being paid to private landlords has doubled over the last 10 years, with the cost to taxpayers greatest in London and the South East, and housing associations blaming a shortfall in social housing. According to figures from the National Housing Federation, almost one in three housing benefit recipients now live in a privately rented [...]
Night Tube finally arrives today: Here’s everything we know August 19, 2016 After months of umming and ahh-ing, London’s long-awaited Night Tube launches today (hurrah). Transport for London (TfL) first unveiled plans for a 24-hour Tube service in September 2014 – the bright idea of then-Mayor of London Boris Johnson. But the service has been delayed by a year, due to conflicts over pay and conditions with the RMT Union. TFL [...]
Sharing economy firms must mobilise the public to fight regulation-hungry politicians August 18, 2016 An increasing number of politicians and commentators are starting to look at the sharing economy as an exploitative one. Once apparently loved by all, it is being portrayed as unregulated and unfair – undermining hard-working people, reducing crucial tax revenue and ignoring the concerns of ordinary people whenever it is necessary. The latest furore in the [...]
All aboard: Here are four ways London will benefit from the Night Tube August 18, 2016 London will join a handful of cities and make history when it finally launches its long overdue night tube services tomorrow. The service has been delayed by a year, thanks to conflicts over pay and conditions with the RMT Union. Over half a million people use the Tube after 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays – [...]
Three fire engines attend as track fire shuts Moorgate station August 18, 2016 Moorgate station has reopened after a "small track fire" closed its national rail station. A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said it had sent three fire engines after it was called to a track fire at 10.50. The Northern, Hammersmith and City, Circle and Metropolitan Lines were running as normal. However, Great Northern trains were delyed, with [...]
This is how people are most likely to talk about London August 18, 2016 People have been gossiping about life in London – and what they have to say does not make for a relaxing read. Over a third (36 per cent) of non-Londoners would describe the city as "stressful", according to The Rias City Index, released today. However, the perception only gets worse once you venture into the capital itself, [...]
Why Brexit won’t take away London’s fintech crown August 17, 2016 The vote for Brexit may not have led to the economic meltdown we were told to fear, but it certainly gave rise to a feeling of disbelief, as the political models and expert commentators many had put their faith in were proven to be way off the mark. Bankers and fintech entrepreneurs alike looked on with [...]
Robert De Niro gets green light for boutique hotel The Wellington in Covent Garden August 17, 2016 Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro has been given the green light to open a boutique hotel in the heart of Covent Garden. De Niro has been working with Capital & Counties Properties and BD Hotels on the project for the luxury 83-room hotel, which will be called The Wellington. Westminster city council granted planning permission today, after [...]
North Korean deputy ambassador to the UK defects with his family to South Korea August 17, 2016 North Korea's deputy ambassador to the UK, Thae Yong Ho, has defected with his family, South Korean officials have confirmed. Yong Ho was a counsellor at the North Korean embassy, which is based in a suburban house in Ealing, and was deputy to the ambassador. The veteran diplomat is thought to be one of the [...]