Playing at home: Barratt plans Upton Park housing overhaul September 20, 2016 Upton Park, the former home of football team West Ham United, is set to be made in to 842 new homes in the London Borough of Newham. Residential property developer Barratt London has taken on the project and plans to rename the area Upton Gardens. The plans include 211 so-called affordable homes. Read more: West Ham's Karren [...]
Sadiq Khan has demanded a raft of New York-style tax powers following his trip to North America September 20, 2016 Returning from a five day trip to the US, London mayor Sadiq Khan has demanded the devolution of fresh tax powers to City Hall. Khan has visited Chicago, Montreal and New York over the last few days, meeting with the mayors of all three cities to discuss extremism, housing and social integration. And he has [...]
Severe delays on Central Line after person hit by train at Bethnal Green Tube station September 19, 2016 There are severe delays on the Central Line this afternoon, following a customer incident earlier. A person was killed after being hit by a train at Bethnal Green Tube station, which was subsequently closed. The station has since reopened. Transport for London said there were severe delays on the entire Central Line. https://twitter.com/centralline/status/777866520722538496 British Transport [...]
Brace yourself for Storm Angus: The Met Office has released this year’s list of storm names September 19, 2016 Brace yourselves, for Angus and Barbara may be about to rampage through the UK: yes, the Met Office has issued its list of storm names for the 2016/17 season. Goodbye, Nigel – hello Natalie. Also included on the list are Conor, Doris and Ewan, plus some with a more multicultural flavour, such as Kamil. Irish boy's name [...]
London’s black cab drivers are considering a legal challenge against accepting card payments September 18, 2016 Cab drivers are considering whether to launch a legal challenge over the mandatory introduction of card payments in black taxis across London, as they put on hold plans for protests on the capital's roads this week. Passengers will be able to pay for journeys by credit or debit card under rules due to come into force by the end of [...]
Thousands march in London to show support for refugees September 17, 2016 Thousands of people have attended a march in London today to urge the government to allow more migrants into the country. The march – "Refugees Welcome" – was joined by groups such as Amnesty International, Medecins Sans Frontieres, Save the Children and Oxfam. Together, we can #savechildrefugees. Such an incredible turnout in London today to [...]
Five things we learned about Mark Carney when schoolchildren grilled him on live TV September 16, 2016 Bank of England governor Mark Carney is used to being grilled by journalists, but today he faced questions from schoolchildren and they didn't pull their punches. The children were putting the Canadian on the spot as part of a Q&A session hosted on the BBC. Jay, 13, went straight for the jugular, asking Carney: "Who is easier to work [...]
Travel chaos as heavy rain brings abrupt end to heatwave and causes a train to derail near Watford Junction. Oh, and there’s a Circle Line strike September 16, 2016 A London Midland train derailed near Watford Junction today as the UK's train lines were plunged into chaos after the recent heatwave came to an abrupt end with floods, thunderstorms and hail. Virgin Trains said the service had hit a landslide, causing it to strike another train and derail – but no injuries were reported. However, it did [...]
Mayor of London slammed over RMT union’s planned Tube strikes on Hammersmith & City and Circle Lines September 15, 2016 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has been slammed today over his lack of response to a Tube strike planned by drivers on the Hammersmith & City and Circle Lines, due to start tonight. The RMT union said this morning that, following an "overwhelming vote for action" by drivers who are union members, 24 hours of strike [...]
Shooting the messenger: Rent controls have always and everywhere ended in failure September 14, 2016 Rent controls are back on the political agenda. Their reintroduction is now official Labour Party policy, and the Conservatives will probably follow with a somewhat milder version in due course. It is easy to see why: according to a recent Survation poll, two thirds of the public support rent controls, with most of the remaining [...]