London business confidence rises but gloom remains as lockdown eased May 29, 2020 London business confidence picked up slightly in May as the government lifted coronavirus restrictions, but firms grew gloomier across the country as a whole. The business barometer from Lloyds showed that London business confidence rose eight points on its gauge to minus 20. This was nonetheless close to a record low after sentiment plunged in [...]
Coronavirus deaths jump to 412 after bank holiday weekend lag May 27, 2020 Coronavirus-related deaths in the UK jumped to 412 today after falling earlier in the week following the bank holiday. The Department of Health said 37,460 people have died with coronavirus in total as of 5pm on 26 May, up 412 on the previous day. Yesterday, the Department of Health said 134 people had died with [...]
Transport for London taps former New York transit chief as new boss May 27, 2020 Transport for London (TfL) has this afternoon named Andy Byford as its new transport commissioner. The former chief executive of the New York City Transit Authority will take over from his predecessor Mike Brown in July. Brown, who has held the role for five years, will take on a new position overseeing the renovation of [...]
UK coronavirus deaths top 37,000 after increase of 134 May 26, 2020 The UK’s death toll from coronavirus has risen by 134 to 37,048 according to figures released today by the Department of Health. Yesterday, the Department of Health said 121 people in the UK died with coronavirus, the second-lowest 24-hour death toll since March. However, there is usually a lag in the figures reported at weekends [...]
O2 Arena stood down as NHS Nightingale training facility May 26, 2020 The O2 Arena has been officially stood down more than 40 days after it was transformed into a training ground for frontline NHS workers fighting the coronavirus outbreak. Owner AEG last month handed over the iconic London venue to serve as an educational training hub for staff required at the new NHS Nightingale hospital at [...]
Southbank Centre could be closed until next April due to coronavirus May 25, 2020 The Southbank Centre has warned it is at risk of closure until at least April 2021, and is calling on the government for further support. The arts venue is forecasting a best case scenario of a £5m loss at the end of the 2020/2021 financial year, as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. However, that [...]
UK lockdown: Pedestrian activity soars 25 per cent as Londoners get back to work May 19, 2020 Pedestrian activity in the capital soared 25 per cent yesterday as more Londoners got back to work following the government’s updated UK lockdown rules. Yesterday’s surge was the first big jump in weekday numbers since the government changed its message from “stay at home” to “stay alert” earlier this month. The lag in pedestrian activity [...]
Covid-19 will boost London’s status as leading tech hub, says industry chief May 18, 2020 The coronavirus crisis will bolster London’s position as a leading global tech hub as society becomes increasingly reliant on the digital economy, a top industry boss has said. Russ Shaw, founder of London Tech Advocates, told City A.M. that the Covid-19 pandemic will “catapult London forward” and help cement the UK’s status as a “tech [...]
Sadiq Khan calls for coronavirus inquiry into BAME deaths May 17, 2020 Sadiq Khan has called for a government inquiry into BAME deaths from coronavirus. Khan today called the higher rate of deaths among BAME ethnicities “shocking” and called for Boris Johnson to set up a public inquiry. Numbers published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this month revealed that black men and women were four-times [...]
Central London’s streets to be car-free under new mayoral plan May 15, 2020 Miles of London’s streets will be car-free under a new plan announced by the mayor to encourage cycling and walking and to help the transport system cope with social distancing. Sadiq Khan said the plan would transform parts of central London into one of the largest car-free areas in any capital city. “Covid-19 poses the [...]