The reason your taxi driver won’t go south of the river for three months (not across Tower Bridge anyway) June 2, 2016 If your travels around London regularly take you across the Thames, you'll have one less travel option come October, as Tower Bridge closes for three months. Tower Bridge Road will be shut to vehicles from 1 October while repair and maintenance work is carried out, the City of London Corporation announced today. "This decision to close Tower [...]
Channel 4 takes stake in multimedia firm behind Bear Grylls’ YouTube channel June 2, 2016 In a bid to ramp up its digital prowess, Channel 4 has taken a stake in multimedia content company Barcroft Media Holdings. The deal was Channel 4's first investment as part of its Commercial Growth Fund which was launched last year to help "high growth potential companies to build their business through advertising on Channel 4 marketing platforms". Barcroft Holdings' [...]
2016 set to be year of retail failures as number of shoppers on Britain’s high streets in “terminal decline” June 1, 2016 The number of consumers on Britain’s high streets is in “terminal decline” as shopping habits change fundamentally, raising the prospect of more retail failures this year. Speaking to City A.M. after the demise of suits-specialist Austin Reed was confirmed yesterday, Diane Wehrle from top retail analyst Springboard said: “We’re no longer going to see increases in footfall [...]
Austin Reed employees could have their pensions bailed out May 31, 2016 Embattled retailer Austin Reed's final pension scheme could be bailed out by the Pension Protection Fund (PPF). The news comes as all 120 Austin Reed stores are set to close by the end of June leading to 1,000 job losses after administrators AlixPartners did not receive any viable offers for the 116-year-old menswear retailer. According to ITV, 300 members will receive reduced [...]
Finally, you can get Pizza Express delivered to your door May 31, 2016 Middle class pizza lovers rejoice – you can now get those delicious dough balls and more delivered straight to your door from Pizza Express. The high street chain has inked a deal with restaurant delivery startup Deliveroo to get its menu to people sat at home on their sofa in addition to those who visit the [...]
London’s public toilets shame the capital and they’re disappearing fast: We need a private sector revolution to end this crisis May 31, 2016 A BBC investigation shows that the number of public toilets has continued to fall, with nearly 1,800 closing nationwide in the last 10 years. There is no legal obligation on councils to provide conveniences, and closing them is often an easy way to save money when cash is short. London’s provision is now abysmal, with [...]
Boris ignored repeated warnings over “unrealistic” landlord scheme May 31, 2016 London Mayor Sadiq Khan has accused his predecessor Boris Johnson of failing renters, and falling dramatically short of a target to accredit 100,000 landlords. Johnson introduced the London rental standard in 2012 as part of a plan to accredit good landlords and letting agents, with the scheme eventually coming into force in 2014. However, since [...]
London mustn’t dither its way into stagnation May 31, 2016 Funds that take a long-term view are sitting on an estimated $117bn (£80bn) which they would like to invest into infrastructure projects, including in the UK, according to Andy Rose, the new chief executive of the Global Infrastructure Investor Association (GIIA). Meanwhile, London is hungry for investment into essential services such as housing and transport. So [...]
What the quiet rise of Tooting says about the challenges facing Sadiq Khan as mayor May 31, 2016 As with all great cities, London has many faces. We all know the stereotypes: West London is for old money and new oligarchs, North London is for intellectuals and media luvvies, East London is for hipsters and entrepreneurs, and as for South London, well that’s not actually so clear. West and North have historically been [...]
Pensioners could lose £32,000 if Britain leaves the EU, says Osborne May 26, 2016 Pensioners could lose £32,000 if Britain leaving the EU shocks markets, a Treasury analysis has found. The Treasury suggests that Brexit will lead to an increase in inflation and financial market turmoil which will, in turn, lead to millions of current and future pensioners being worse off. The study, which is the latest in the string of Treasury [...]