London households to be hit with Council Tax increase – to pay for new Met officers January 18, 2023 London households are set to be hit with higher Council Tax in 2023 in part to pay for more Metropolitan Police officers. Sadiq Khan announced this morning that he was proposing a £38.55 increase on the average Band D house in the capital. He has the power to put top-up ‘precepts’ on local council bills [...]
Revealed: TfL forced to hike fares by six per cent due to terms of government deal January 18, 2023 Mayor Sadiq Khan has today announced an almost 6 per cent hike in TfL fares due to the terms of last year’s central government bailout of the network. Khan said there was “no viable alternative” to “plug the gap” left by central government funding. The Mayor is able to top up local Council Tax with [...]
Ukrainian interior minister Denys Monastyrsky killed in chopper crash January 18, 2023 A helicopter crash in a Kyiv suburb on Wednesday killed 18 people, including Ukraine’s interior minister and three children, Ukrainian authorities said. Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi, his deputy Yevhen Yenin, and State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Yurii Lubkovych were among those killed, according to Ihor Klymenko, chief of Ukraine’s National Police. Mr [...]
Carillion: Five years on, MPs and industry leaders demand audit reform to ensure scandal is not repeated January 18, 2023 On the fifth anniversary of the collapse of outsourcer Carillion, MPs and audit sector leaders have united in calling on the UK government to push forwards with plans to overhaul the country’s audit sector. MPs said a shake-up of the country’s accounting industry is needed imminently to ensure that audit failures, such as the one [...]
Grant Shapps to outline new ‘scale up’ vision for Britain at Davos lunch January 18, 2023 Grant Shapps is set to outline a new plan to ‘scale up’ British businesses in Davos this week, City A.M. understands. In a video seen by City A.M. ahead of Shapps’ trip to the Swiss mountain town for the World Economic Forum, the business secretary says: “When I pack my luggage, I won’t just be [...]
The Notebook: Neil Bennett’s Davos dispatch January 17, 2023 The Notebook is a place for interesting people to say interesting things. Today it’s the turn of Neil Bennett, Global Co-CEO of communications advisory giant H/Advisers – writing on Ukraine in Davos, Manchester United’s bold marketing strategy and why the Swiss town remains the place to be I am in Davos this week to host [...]
Bringing cake into the office is as bad as passive smoking, food regulator warns January 17, 2023 Bringing a cake into the office is as bad as subjecting others to passive smoking, the country’s chief food regulator has said. In an interview with The Times, Professor Susan Jebb said that bringing treats and snacks into the office wasn’t creating a “supportive environment” for people looking to lose weight. “With smoking, after a [...]
UK data agency plays down privacy risks of connected tech, as demand for Amazon Alexa and Google Nest show consumer trust January 17, 2023 The UK’s data watchdog has played down potential privacy concerns linked to connected technology, arguing that strong demand for devices like the Amazon Alexa and Google Nest suggest British consumers are not that worried. MPs from the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (DCMS) yesterday quizzed the Information Commissioner’s Office, as well as Amazon and [...]
More abuse cases could come out of the Met after shocking Carrick crimes, Home Secretary warns January 17, 2023 More shocking cases of abuse and sexual violence could come to light in the Metropolitan Police, the Home Secretary said this afternoon. Suella Braverman told the House of Commons it was “imperative” the police force double down on their vetting processes after Met Police Officer David Carrick pleaded guilty to 49 offences across two decades, [...]
Can the civil service strike be averted? Union accuses minister of ’empty promises’ on pay negotiations urged January 17, 2023 Civil servants on the path to future leadership roles in Whitehall have voted to strike in a dispute over pay. Members of the FDA union in the civil service fast stream backed strike action, accusing ministers of “empty promises” over pay reform. On a turnout of 60per cent, some 88per cent of fast stream members [...]