Chaos after TfL backtracks on early closure of Central Line due to staff shortages July 21, 2022 Confusion reigned for Londoners this afternoon following TFL’s announcement the Central Line would close early due to staff closures – before uturning on the decision shortly after. Thousands of commuters were concerned as to how they might get home from the City, after an announcement by Transport for London (TFL) the line would shut by [...]
All Bar One owner Mitchells & Butlers has drop in sales amid ‘major challenges’ from inflation July 21, 2022 All Bar One owner Mitchells & Butlers continue to face a “major challenge” due to the impact of the pandemic and ongoing inflation rises. The retailer experienced a drop in sales by 1.6 per cent in the year to date, claiming a mixture of the Jubilee weekend, industrial action and hot weather saw people go [...]
Flexible office firm Workspace has dip in enquiries but increase in rent roll July 21, 2022 Flexible office firm Workspace suffered a dip in enquiries and a big increase in rent as many return to permanent desk jobs. The company’s average enquiries, viewings and lettings were all down in the first quarter of 2022/3 compared to the same period last year, when some pandemic restrictions were still in place. It reported [...]
UK in talks with Israel for post-Brexit trade deal as £34bn contract up for grabs July 20, 2022 Black cabs, whiskey and lucrative contracts for Tel Aviv’s Metro are all on the table, as Britain and Israel enter talks for a post-Brexit trade deal to the tune of £78m per year. Negotiations have been held between International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan and the Israeli envoy, Tzipi Hotovely, today. Trevelyan is looking to expand [...]
Rail operators and freight firms create coalition to transform UK railways July 20, 2022 A consortium of rail and freight operating firms have clubbed together with a prospectus to transform Britain’s railways. The launch of Rail Partners was welcomed by rail minister Wendy Morton, as the industry sets out five key priorities for reform – including the sector’s decarbonisation and the role of Great British Railways moving forward. Made [...]
Planned redundancies down by a fifth as firms spooked by pandemic’s impact on labour shortages July 20, 2022 Firms are putting off planned redundancies despite rising business rates and inflation, after being spooked by the pandemic’s impact creating severe staff shortages. The number of redundancies has fallen by 21 per cent from in the last quarter according to law firm GQ|Littler. The figures show it dropped from 50,382 to 39,669 up to the [...]
Impact of infernos on the capital: 2,600 calls to Fire Brigade, 41 properties lost, 16 firefighters injured July 20, 2022 The impact of fires that raged over the last two days has been laid bare, with services stretched, emergency responders injured and multiple houses and businesses lost. The London Fire Brigade received an almost nine-fold increase in the number of calls for incidents they had to respond to yesterday, was the “busiest day we’ve had [...]
Underground back to normal after days of heatwave-induced delays July 20, 2022 London Underground returned to normal as temperatures in the capital dropped more than 10 degrees overnight. All lines were fully operational on Wednesday morning, with the Jubilee the only one to be experiencing major delays due to signal failures. Overnight, temperatures plummeted from the mid-30s to the mid-20s, as warnings about flash floods in the [...]
Heatwave: All trains suspended to and from Euston after electric cable comes down and causes fire July 19, 2022 Trains to and from Euston have been suspended after an overhead cable came down and caused a fire by the side of the track. Network Rail has urged passengers not to travel unless absolutely necessary after the London-Milton Keynes route was suspended on Tuesday. This comes after the UK recorded its first ever 40c temperature [...]
Heatwave: London fire chief calls for urgent barbecue ban as blazes rage in record heat July 19, 2022 An urgent and immediate ban on disposable barbecues has been called for by the London Fire Brigade as multiple blazes rage across the country. The emergency service said it had attended more than 1,000 grass and open land fires since the start of June, as the UK recorded its hottest ever temperature today. The Brigade’s [...]