Smart politicians will be looking to cities as a springboard for greatness January 12, 2021 For much of the second half of the 20th century, powerful city politics was dying. As the great industrial centres went into decline, so too did their once-proud corporations and mayors. County boroughs like Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds were gathered together in 1972 and melded into metropolitan counties like “Merseyside” or “West Midlands”, and [...]
Sadiq Khan to boost share of London council tax by nearly 10 per cent January 8, 2021 Sadiq Khan today announced that his share of council tax will increase by nearly 10 per cent from April in order to keep funding public transport services. Under the proposals, the average bill for Band D will increase by £2.63 a month – £31.59 over the whole year. Of the increase, £15 will go towards [...]
‘Major incident’ declared as London hospitals on verge of being overwhelmed January 8, 2021 The mayor of London has declared a “major incident” as London hospitals are on the brink of being overwhelmed with coronavirus patients. “The situation in London is now critical with the spread of the virus out of control,” Sadiq Khan said in a statement. “The number of cases in London has increased rapidly with more [...]
Mayor: The toughest Christmas since the Second World War December 20, 2020 Writing exclusively for City A.M., Mayor of London Sadiq Khan says he can “barely contain his anger at the confusion and chaos” sowed by Downing Street’s Christmas promises The last-minute announcement of tougher restrictions to control the spread of Covid-19 over Christmas is a bitter blow for millions of Londoners. Our city faces the toughest [...]
Mayor blasts “irresponsible promises” from No.10 amid Tier 4 chaos December 19, 2020 Sadiq Khan tonight criticised the Government’s “irresponsible promises” for raising expectations ahead of the Christmas period. In a dramatic afternoon statement, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced London would be moving into a lockdown similar to that saw in spring, from midnight tonight. It means that the capital’s residents will no longer be able to meet [...]
Sadiq Khan calls on government to release daily vaccination data December 18, 2020 Sadiq Khan has urged the health secretary to release daily data detailing uptake of the coronavirus vaccine across the UK, in an effort to build public awareness and trust in Britain’s largest ever vaccination programme. In a letter to Matt Hancock, the mayor of London called for daily reporting on the vaccine programme echoing infection [...]
London and southeast in Tier 3: What are the rules? December 17, 2020 Most of the southeast of England is set to join London in Tier 3 from midnight on Friday, as the government scrambles to contain a sharp spike in coronavirus cases. The move will see Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Peterborough, and the whole of Hertfordshire move into the highest level of restrictions from 0.01am on Saturday. It [...]
Tory mayoral candidate under fire for using fake City Hall logo on campaign leaflets December 16, 2020 The Conservative party’s candidate for London mayor has drawn sharp criticism for using fake City Hall coats of arms on campaign letters sent out to voters. The letters from Shaun Bailey were branded with messages saying “Do not ignore”, alongside fake City Hall insignia with a cod Latin motto underneath. They also warned Londoners their [...]
Sadiq Khan calls for additional £24m to house homeless Londoners December 16, 2020 The Mayor of London has called for £24m funding to house homeless Londoners as a matter of urgency as temperatures drop and Covid cases in the capital rise.
Greenwich council backs down in government row over school closures December 15, 2020 The leader of a London borough has said he has “no choice” but to reverse a decision to close schools following legal threats from the government. Greenwich council leader Danny Thorpe said he “cannot agree that this is the correct choice for our schools”, but added: “I cannot justify the use of public funds to [...]