Southern rail forced to fork out more hefty payouts as passengers suffer disruption, automatic refunds set to begin from next year August 30, 2016 Southern Rail has been forced to overhaul the way it compensates passengers affected by poor services, following meagre payouts in the past and as claims for delayed journeys soar on the back of this summer’s industrial action. The busy commuter service has been beset by delays, cancellations and strikes in a long-running dispute over the role of guards. [...]
London areas dominate list of fastest growing economies as Croydon – the Silicon Valley of South London – takes the crown August 30, 2016 Croydon's burgeoning reputation as a tech hub has made it the UK’s fastest growing economy, new research has found. Croydon topped the list of 173 areas as the fastest growing UK region with an annual growth rate of 9.3 per cent in gross value added (GVA), according to accountancy group UHY Hacker Young. GVA is a measure of an area’s [...]
Experts welcome second investigation into London’s super sewer August 29, 2016 London is in desperate need of new sewage capacity, according to experts, who welcomed a second investigation into the Thames Tideway “super sewer” on transparency grounds. The National Audit Office (NAO) has said it will publish a second study into the £4.2bn infrastructure project in the autumn, when construction on the 25km Thames Tideway Tunnel [...]
Ikea is letting you launch a pop-up DIY restaurant on Shoreditch High Street with 20 of your friends – for free August 29, 2016 Forget furniture, Swedish DIY titan Ikea is about to offer Londoners a very different type of do-it-yourself experience. Next month Ikea is set to open a fully immersive DIY restaurant space in the heart of Shoreditch, where you and 20 of your friends can take over a pre-prepared diner space to choose your own menu, cook and [...]
There’s a new London Tube map showing your steps between stations August 29, 2016 A new map of the London Underground has been created to show travellers exactly how close stations are in the centre of the capital and get them walking across the city instead. The map shows the number of steps between the stations across zones one and two, demonstrating how locations such as Charing Cross Station and [...]
We should regionalise immigration decisions – starting with a London visa August 26, 2016 Londoners voted if not resoundingly, then certainly confidently, for remaining in the EU. And in the wake of the result, a determination has emerged to assert that London is open – a statement at once defiant and optimistic, and grounded in culture as much as in economics. Around 850,000 Londoners were born in another EU [...]
RMT announces another strike on the Govia network that will coincide with the Southern industrial action August 25, 2016 Commuters are facing a double-whammy of industrial action just as the summer holidays come to end. The RMT has announced another strike on 7 September on the Govia Thameslink network in a dispute over the future role of station staff. The 24 hour walk-out follows confirmation of a 70 per cent vote for strike action of ballot of members in [...]
Now you can book an Uber in advance as Scheduled Rides comes to London August 25, 2016 Uber is shaking up the way users can order a car, expanding upon the on-demand model which first made it a hit with a new feature for scheduling journeys ahead of time. People will now be able to book a car up to a month in advance of their journey, or just 15 minutes ahead. [...]
Don’t fall for the Uber hype – London needs a common sense approach to taxis August 25, 2016 The lavishly resourced Uber PR machine has cranked into gear once again – with a blizzard of activity attempting to obstruct Transport for London's eminently sensible new rules for regulating the taxi industry in London. Quite why Uber are huffing and puffing as much as they are is anyone’s guess: TFL – the industry's regulator – [...]
Yes, it really is as hot in your office as you think it is August 24, 2016 If you feel like you've been melting at your desk today, take heart – much of the south east has probably been feeling the same way. Temperatures sailed past the 30 degrees Celsius mark in some parts of the country today, with Gravesend clocking up the hottest temperature of the year so far. Early figures show that [...]