Sadiq Khan “shocked” at business rate rises that threaten small firms February 21, 2017 London mayor Sadiq Khan has said he is "shocked" by the business rate rises set to hit the capital, and has told chancellor Philip Hammond the tax changes could wipe out firms across the city. He has warned that the changes to commercial property taxes, which will come into effect on 1 April, could force the closure [...]
London is the most congested city in the UK, but which is the road with the heaviest traffic jams? February 21, 2017 Yesterday, London was revealed to be the most congested city in the UK – and the data by Inrix has also named the capital’s most congested roads. The top five most congested roads in the UK are to be found in London, unsurprisingly, and two happen to be in the city centre. So the question [...]
Heathrow tunnel leading into airport blocked due to demonstration February 21, 2017 Access to Heathrow Airport has been disrupted due to an impromptu climate change demonstration this morning, with five activists arrested for their part in the protest. The police were called at around 08:25AM to reports that a tunnel near the airport had been blocked to traffic by protesters. Three cars were obstructing the tunnel, with three protestors [...]
Drones will transform our cities – and we’re totally unprepared for the consequences February 21, 2017 Drones are everywhere – whether that’s delivering Domino’s pizzas in New Zealand or dancing behind Lady Gaga at the US Super Bowl. With the news that Amazon’s new drone delivery plan includes “package parachutes”, considering how drones will impact our cities in the future is an issue that London must address now. No longer limited [...]
Spending sprees and strikes prove Sadiq Khan is using London as a springboard for his real ambitions: the Labour leadership February 21, 2017 A hypothesis: Sadiq Khan plans to cut and run after a single four-year term as mayor of London. In the meantime he will say and do anything he can to boost his popularity, regardless of the consequences. His motivation? To present himself as a quick-fix, ready-made alternative to the current Labour leader. Khan’s supporters may [...]
London Underground users charged £365m for incomplete journeys February 20, 2017 London’s Tube travellers are leaving themselves open to over-charging by failing to “tap out” with oysters or bank cards at stations on the Underground network. TfL has charged its customers £365m over six years from cards with incomplete journeys, according to figures provided to the Evening Standard. During peak hours, the Tube network charges £7.80 [...]
There’s another anti-Trump protest planned for central London this evening February 20, 2017 Activists are planning another protest against US President Donald Trump in central London tonight. The demonstration will coincide with the House of Commons debate on whether the President should be granted a state visit to the UK. Tonight's action follows numerous other marches and protests against Trump in the capital, sparked in large part by the US leader's travel [...]
UK drivers spend an average of 32 hours in traffic – costing Londoners £1,911 each last year February 20, 2017 The UK been has ranked the 3rd most congested in Europe – drivers spend an average of 32 hours a year in traffic jams during peak times, according to a report by traffic information company Inrix. Over 1,000 cities worldwide were included in the study, and London was named the seventh worst for congestion and [...]
RMT and Aslef to ballot Night Tube drivers for strike action February 20, 2017 The RMT and Aslef unions said this morning they will ballot Night Tube drivers for industrial action over a "block on career progression". Both unions are protesting what they see as obstruction of drivers' career progression. Aslef has set a deadline of 10am on Thursday 16 March for the return of ballot papers. According to the [...]
An old Irish lady found one of the last £50k Jane Austen fivers and donated it to charity February 20, 2017 There's still a £5 engraved with a tiny portrait of Jane Austen floating around – after the last one was discovered and donated to charity. Back in December artist Graham Short declared he had engraved four of the Bank of England's new fivers with a tiny, 5mm, picture of the author, plus a quote from her [...]