Earth Hour 2016: London landmarks Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Gherkin, Piccadilly Circus, Harrods and the Ritz will all black out lights this weekend March 18, 2016 Some of London's most iconic buildings will switch off their lights for an hour this weekend, as part of a global environmental initiative. Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the Gherkin, Piccadilly Circus, Harrods and the Ritz are all expected to take part in the capital's blackout, which starts at 8:30pm on Saturday (19 March). They will be [...]
Budget 2016: Small business confidence plummets in London as Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) bank on Budget boost March 18, 2016 Confidence among small businesses in Britain is at its lowest level since 2013, with sentiment deteriorating the most in London, according to a new survey out today. The London Small Business Index (LSBI), conducted by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), measured net confidence among London businesses at four for the first quarter, down significantly from a score [...]
London’s Air Ambulance lands on College Green in Parliament Square after bus collision injures woman cyclist March 17, 2016 London's air ambulance has been called to Parliament Square after a serious collision involving a bus occurred during rush hour this morning. Witnesses posted pictures of the emergency responders arriving at the scene, with the helicopter landing on College Green, outside the Houses of Parliament. Serious incident in #ParliamentSquare pic.twitter.com/5Ui61RwMAo — Martin Paige (@MysticMartin) March 17, 2016 [...]
The Garden Bridge just came a step closer as Bouygues TP and Cimolai ink construction deal March 15, 2016 The Garden Bridge just came a step closer despite fierce opposition, after contracts were signed to start detailed designs and construction of the bridge and several new planning applications were approved. Construction firms Bouygues TP and Cimolai will work on the £175m bridge which will host thousands of trees and shrubs over the Thames, which is slated to open in 2018. Lambeth [...]
Pigeon power: Air quality firm Plume Labs launches first flock of pollution-monitoring pigeons in London March 14, 2016 Pigeons may look like pests to some Londoners, but the prolific city birds have found a new purpose – today marks the first day of the capital's new pigeon pollution patrol. Air quality monitoring firm Plume Labs has partnered with Twitter UK and DigitasLBi to launch a flock of pigeons equipped with "little backpacks" – [...]
Mapped: The London areas best (and worst) at managing money based on the credit score of every borough March 14, 2016 Londoners are better at managing their finances than the rest of the country, but some areas are better than others. Residents of Kingston rack up the best credit score in the capital and 13 per cent higher than the city average of 386 and more than 14 per cent higher than the national average of [...]
London mayoral election 2016: New YouGov poll shows Sadiq Khan leads Zac Goldsmith by seven points March 14, 2016 Labour candidate for mayor of London Sadiq Khan has a seven-point lead over Conservative rival Zac Goldsmith, according to a new YouGov poll out this afternoon. Khan has the support of 32 per cent of voters, according to YouGov, while Goldsmith trails with 25 per cent of the vote. Both front-runners increased their share of the [...]
Police should be located in London Underground ticket offices, says think tank March 14, 2016 Police should be located in London Underground ticket offices to boost visibility and make it easier for the public to report crimes, a think tank has said. A report, titled Boosting London’s Frontline Policing, by the Capital City Foundation, the London focused unit of leading think tank Policy Exchange, has argued "underground police points" would also [...]
London office rents may be high – but there’s still plenty of fuel in the tank for growth as businesses look outside the centre March 14, 2016 Central London’s property market has been booming now for half a decade. Values and rents for the capital’s offices have risen steadily, by 88 per cent and 44 per cent respectively between April 2010 and January 2016, and those investing in the market have enjoyed total returns of 140 per cent over the same period. As ever, many [...]
EU referendum: Mayor of London Boris Johnson calls US President Barack Obama’s anticipated EU intervention “hypocrisy” March 14, 2016 Mayor of London Boris Johnson is taking no prisoners in the EU debate, labelling President Barack Obama's plan to tell the British people they should vote to stay in the EU a "piece of outrageous and exorbitant hypocrisy". Johnson's comments come before Obama plans to land in the UK next month to urge voters to stay in [...]