Can banning ‘bare beating’ force people to wear headphones on the tube? May 29, 2025 ‘Headphone dodgers’ who listen to music on the tube with the sound up are easy to hate but ‘bare beating’ is a problem that is harder to solve than you think, argues James Ford Public transport is often seen as an inherently good thing. Done well, transport policy can be a silver bullet that solves [...]
Sadiq Khan backs calls to decriminalise cannabis possession May 28, 2025 A report commissioned by Sadiq Khan has called for decriminalising the possession of cannabis in small quantities, in a major policy pivot for City Hall. The London Drugs Commission, which was set up by the Mayor of London two years ago, argues that while the production and supply of cannabis should continue to “be policed [...]
Grade II listed Crystal Palace sports venue set for major overhaul May 22, 2025 The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has unveiled new images of plans for the overhaul of the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. The redevelopment of the Grade II listed multi-sport venue – which hosted the first Women’s FA Cup final and Usain Bolt as well as events such as Grand Prix motorracing – is set [...]
Exclusive: E1 Series set for London debut in showcase on Thames May 22, 2025 Electric powerboat series E1, which features teams owned by stars including Will Smith, LeBron James and Rafael Nadal, will make its London debut this summer. An exhibition of E1’s high-speed RaceBird boats is set to take place on the Thames near Westminster on 2 July as the series looks to build its presence in the [...]
Sadiq Khan’s green belt U-turn is an admission of failure on housing May 15, 2025 Sadiq Khan is spinning his plan to build on London’s green belt as a “radical change of approach”, but it’s nothing of the sort. It will have a very limited impact on housing starts during this mayoral term and may only add to the political heat around house building, says James Ford Margaret Thatcher famously [...]
Green belt homes ‘needed’ to solve housing crisis, Sadiq Khan says May 15, 2025 London is suffering a chronic housing shortage. Lacklustre rates of housebuilding have helped push up the cost of a home to well beyond the reach of ordinary Londoners. The price of an average terrace house in Camden has roughly tripled compared to twenty years ago to more than £1.5m today, Land Registry data shows, while [...]
London Lions CEO Lenz Balan: ‘I’ve made mistakes. I’m doing all I can to give back’ May 13, 2025 It would have been little surprise if last summer proved the last that British basketball heard of Lenz Balan and the London Lions. CEO Balan was a vice-president at former owner 777 Partners, whose now notorious collapse led to the club falling into administration and the league going bust almost a year ago and, for [...]
Building on the green belt won’t solve London’s housing crisis May 13, 2025 The Mayor’s plan to release green belt land for development is a good start, but if we really want to fix London’s housing crisis we need to build more and higher in the centre, says Joe Hill London’s success isn’t inevitable. It’s based on people wanting to live and work here, and there being enough [...]
Time to build homes on the green belt, Sadiq Khan says in major strategy pivot May 8, 2025 Sir Sadiq Khan is to call for homes to be built on London’s green belt in a major strategic shift on housing policy. In a speech on Friday, the mayor of London is to announce that City Hall will “actively explore” releasing parts of the green belt in a bid to bring an end to [...]
Sadiq Khan is squandering the success of the Elizabeth Line May 1, 2025 Despite the popularity and success of the Elizabeth Line, other major transport projects in the capital are in limbo, writes James Ford Everybody loves the Elizabeth Line, right? There are the sleek, open-plan trains, the breathtaking, well-designed stations and, perhaps best of all, there are the smooth and swift journey times that have created new [...]