London Mayor Boris Johnson on Uber: “The toothpaste is out of the tube” October 15, 2015 London Mayor Boris Johnson has said disruption from tech companies such as Uber is inevitable, and the best cities can do is "create a level playing field" for established trades such as black cabs. Speaking in Tokyo, at a UK embassy event promoting startups, he said: "Once the toothpaste is out of the tube, that's [...]
Eagle-eyed view of London, taking in St Paul’s Cathedral, the Walkie Talkie and Trafalgar Square shot for Assassins Creed game October 15, 2015 Ever wondered how London looks from the sky? Then you might want to check out this footage shot by a bald eagle flying over some of the capital's most iconic buildings in Europe with a 4K camera attached to its back. Launch points used included the Sky Garden at the Walkie Talkie, otherwise known as 20 Fenchurch Street, Sushi Samba at The Heron [...]
UK property market: Why Victorian housing associations are just as relevant today October 15, 2015 The problem for many housing associations with this week's Housing Bill is that a focus on extending home ownership or even on supply alone serves only to deal with some of the problems facing those on low incomes. For those now too old for a full mortgage, constrained by the limits of zero hours contracts [...]
Night Tube start date talks: Transport for London to cut out unions and go direct to workers October 15, 2015 Transport for London (TfL) has threatened to side-step organised labour after union leaders walked out of Night Tube talks yesterday, delaying delivery of the 24-hour underground service indefinitely. In a statement last night, TfL said that union leaders from Aslef, RMT, TSSA and Unite have “jeopardised” the Night Tube by leaving the negotiating table – [...]
Global cash is getting scarcer and US credit flows are supporting China’s fragile financial edifice: Why the world must prepare for the Fed’s QE4 October 15, 2015 Liquidity risks remain elevated. The CrossBorder Capital Global Liquidity Index (GLITM) for September 2015 is stuck at low levels of 39.0 and close to its sub-par August reading. Such poor liquidity underscores a ‘Risk Off’ investment environment characterised by high volatility and by the likelihood that economic activity levels will weaken noticeably over the next six-12 [...]
Treasury backs down on controversial guilty until proven innocent rule for bankers October 15, 2015 The Treasury has U-turned on its controversial plans for a so-called “reverse burden of proof”, which would have demanded that bankers prove they were unaware of any wrongdoing at their institutions, or else face prosecution. The heavily-trailed rules, part of a proposed new Senior Managers & Certification regime, would have imposed a guilty until proven innocent burden [...]
Deloitte: easy fixes among public sector workers could save Treasury £72m October 15, 2015 Marginal improvements in productivity among public sector workers could deliver savings of £72m, according to a new report out today from Deloitte and the think tank Reform. The report finds that by freeing up just one hour of public sector workers’ time over the course of an entire year, the Treasury could gain £57.7m in [...]
Retailers face £25.6m in extra costs from National Living Wage – PwC October 15, 2015 Large retailers could see their wage bills increase, on average, by £25.6m by 2020 due to the new National Living Wage (NLW), according to a new report out today from PwC. PwC polled more than 100 businesses with an average of 11,000 employees, finding that firms expect to pay, on average, an extra £1.6m in [...]
London set to maintain reputation as global divorce capital after landmark ruling October 15, 2015 London is set to maintain its cosy reputation as the divorce capital of the world after yesterday's Supreme Court ruling, which gives divorcees the right to go back to the negotiating table if their ex has lied about or hidden their wealth. The highest court in the land has backed Alison Sharland and Varsha Gohil, [...]
TfL: Union bosses continue to hold London back when it comes to the Night Tube – that’s why we’re cutting them out of talks October 15, 2015 When we announced our intention to run the Tube all night at weekends, Londoners and visitors rightly started to contemplate how much easier it would make their lives. No missing the last train home after a night out, no wandering around an unfamiliar part of town at night trying to hail a cab, much easier [...]