Heathrow expansion will gift the whole UK a skills renaissance October 31, 2016 I’m very pleased to have been invited to chair the Heathrow Skills Taskforce, and to take on the challenge of developing the skills needed to make Heathrow expansion an inclusive training and employment opportunity for Britain as a whole. The Taskforce is made up of experts from schools, colleges and universities as well as employer and [...]
How the chancellor can satisfy pension funds’ hunger for infrastructure October 31, 2016 Death and taxes are said to be the only two certainties in life, but you could now add “rumours about increased government infrastructure spending” to the list. Infrastructure captures the imagination as it literally provides the building blocks of the nation. It can be a contentious topic, as seen with HS2 and the Heathrow-Gatwick debate, [...]
Damian Green tells businesses to “assume nothing” over Nissan October 31, 2016 There's been increasing clamour for the government to show its hand on just what assurances were made to keep Nissan manufacturing in Sunderland. But when asked on whether the UK would remain in the customs union, Damian Green said on BBC Radio 4 that businesses should "assume nothing at the moment, because, I think a lot [...]
Heathrow’s already started spending on its third runway October 31, 2016 The government's backing of Heathrow airport expansion has triggered £50m of supply chain investment. Suffice to say the airport was ready and raring to go ahead of the government's decision to green light its expansion last week. Heathrow said the government's backing meant that £50m will be invested before the end of next year, creating 2,700 new British [...]
This week’s Southern strikes are set to go ahead with RMT dismissing Govia deadline as “more threats and bullying” October 31, 2016 Govia Thameslink Railway (the parent company of Southern Railway) is playing hardball. It's now told the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union it will rescind its "full and comprehensive offer" if strike action, planned for later this week (4 and 5 November) goes ahead. Essentially, it's the last chance for RMT to accept GTR's previously [...]
Lord David Blunkett says Heathrow expansion must deliver on closing the skills gap October 31, 2016 Legal challenges, what legal challenges? Heathrow has announced the names of 13 members of its new skills taskforce, led by Lord David Blunkett, which meets for the first time today. And Blunkett has said that Heathrow must deliver a long-term skills legacy for the nation, warning that a coordinated skills strategy on infrastructure was necessary to learn [...]
Here are all the rail and station closures in London over Christmas October 31, 2016 Brace yourselves, commuters. There have been many headlines about incoming Christmas travel chaos, and now Network Rail has announced major station closures as an extensive programme of rail improvements goes ahead, it looks like there'll be a few more yet… Read more: Could Network Rail have to go cap in hand to the government? Rail [...]
London must shake off its complacency over housing and infrastructure if it’s to thrive post-Brexit October 31, 2016 Rarely has a ranking of the world’s greatest cities been released in the past few years without London at its top, or very near it. PwC recently named the capital the world’s best city for opportunity, praising its economic clout, its attractiveness to foreign direct investment, its highly skilled workforce, and its status as a [...]
Network Rail may have to drawdown on mammoth government funding facility October 30, 2016 After shelling out millions in compensation to Britain's train companies, Network Rail is facing the embarrassing prospect of asking for a hand out from the government. Last year, Network Rail drew down £7.5bn of borrowing from a department of transport (DfT) facility, more than doubling the amount it owes Chris Grayling's department, from £6.4bn to £14bn. [...]
House prices around the M25 have gone up 551 per cent in the last 30 years October 29, 2016 The M25 is 30 years old today. A lot of things have changed in 30 years; not least house prices. Indeed, the average price of houses around the M25 has risen 551 per cent in the 30 years since Britain's busiest motorway was opened. According to Halifax, in the 40 towns surrounding the 117-mile motorway, the average price [...]