All Londoners want for Christmas is some kind of public transport This week, newspapers are reporting how the great Christmas get-away is about to begin — or better still, that the fabled seasonal shut-down is about to commence. For many readers, the break can probably not come soon enough. For sure, it has been a year of ups and downs for London and the South East’s [...]
Let London take back control of its finances As many a City A.M. reader will know, London is different from the rest of the UK in a variety of ways – and not just in terms of how it votes, its cultural mix, or its size and complexity. There is also the amount of tax that London’s citizens and businesses pay. Recent figures [...]
Residents versus the local economy: The battle of Oxford Street pedestrianisation Last week, we heard of Westminster council’s surprise decision to pull the plug on a joint plan with the mayor of London to pedestrianise Oxford Street. Coincidentally, the shelving of the £60m project came a day after House of Fraser’s decision to pull its own plug on its flagship Oxford Street store alongside 30 others. [...]
Our overly centralised tax system has exacerbated the business rates debacle February 22, 2017 Business rates may not be the most captivating subject for most City A.M. readers. But the impact of a delayed revaluation on our shops, pubs and cafes might well be. Changes affecting the £25bn a year tax that ultimately goes to pay for social care, schools, Tube trains and roads are due to come into [...]
Why road pricing could help liberate London’s roads from congestion January 27, 2017 It's been a tough few months for London’s commuters and drivers. A combination of bad tempered industrial disputes, burst water mains and fog have made the journey to work particularly challenging for the 3m or so people who often have to battle through the morning peak. Good timing perhaps for a new report from the [...]
London 2050: Devolve powers to the capital to tackle its £1.3 trillion infrastructure challenge July 30, 2014 IN THE next few months, a record will be broken: London’s population will rise above 8.6m, the highest since records began. And the capital’s phenomenal growth isn’t expected to slow any time soon. According to projections by the Greater London Authority, the city’s population could increase to 11m by 2050. But for all London’s current [...]
