Something must be done about the surge in short-term lets on Airbnb – or we will be left facing a housing disaster September 2, 2016 Just when it seemed news for renters couldn't get any worse – it has. Figures out today from the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) show that a surge in the numbers of short-term lets on Airbnb could be having dire consequences for renters in London. In the four months from February to June this year London Airbnb [...]
When it comes to old boys’ clubs, investment banks are far from the worst. But it may be time to launch a brown shoe revolution September 2, 2016 Footwear is not traditionally a City issue, but in recent months it has become something of a sticking point. First, there was high heels-gate, in which a PwC receptionist was sent home for refusing to wear a heel (PwC has since pointed out, quite reasonably, it had no quarrel with the height of the receptionist’s [...]
The Great Fire of London made the city an insurance hub – here’s what we need to do to maintain that status September 2, 2016 This week we’re marking the anniversary of one of London’s defining events: the Great Fire of London, which ravaged the city at the start of September 1666. It was started by nothing more than a fire from an overheated oven at a baker’s shop near London Bridge. The damage was immense. The Association of British [...]
Big banks can’t be allowed to hijack blockchain and digital currencies September 1, 2016 Digital currency and the technology that underpins it, blockchain, are still so young that nobody has worked out what they're really for yet. In this world of cutting-edge technology and pioneering disruption, we must make sure big banks and financial institutions don't try and force this new technology into old models. Last week, major financial intuitions comprising [...]
Ten ways the electric car revolution will transform the global economy September 1, 2016 The world has begun a rapid switch to electric vehicles. In the first half of this year, worldwide sales were up 57 per cent to 285,000, despite low oil prices, and there are now more than 1m electric cars on the world’s roads for the first time ever. Last February, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) [...]
The implications of the Great Fire live on in the City’s buildings even today September 1, 2016 Three hundred and fifty years ago today, a fire broke out at a bakery on Pudding Lane. The rest, as they say, is history. Starting on a Sunday, the Great Fire raged until the following Wednesday, having ripped through the dense wooden buildings of the time. It destroyed 80 per cent of the City, some [...]
Businesses must proactively confront how they treat ethnic minorities September 1, 2016 Theresa May has not defined herself as a great defender of the rights of minorities, but in practice she has been taking an active interest in the issue. As home secretary, she reformed stop and search policies because of concerns about their negative impact on minorities. Now she has announced a new audit of how [...]
Will annual binding votes on executive pay actually discourage short-termism in large firms? September 1, 2016 Mark Goyder, chief executive of Tomorrow’s Company, says Yes. Remuneration structures are one cause of short-termism. Others include short chief executive tenure, threats from opportunistic shareholders, noise created by sell-side research, and the marketing need for fund management companies to demonstrate performance. Listed companies can move away from the madness with three steps. First, in its [...]
The City must find a way to back more women with venture capital funding September 1, 2016 The UK is pretty dedicated when it comes to startup funding, with £1 in every £3 of government spending now being invested in small business. But women are still drawing the short straw when they seek out the capital needed to kick-start their businesses. Shockingly, female startups receive just three per cent of total funding [...]
Jeremy Corbyn’s traingate tiff with Virgin East Coast over lack of seats put transport issues on the map September 1, 2016 The bizarre story of Jeremy Corbyn’s attempt to find a seat on a Virgin East Coast service to Newcastle has dominated the news agenda over the past week. Corbyn initially released a video in which he claimed he was forced to sit in the corridor due to overcrowding, while Virgin released CCTV images which it said [...]