Driving home for Christmas? Government puts road and rail works on ice December 3, 2020 The government will cancel planned roadworks and rail upgrades, and also lay on extra services, to ease people’s journeys over the Christmas period. With a large number of people expected to travel to visit relatives and friends over the holidays, ministers have put in place plans for a special travel window between 23 and 27 [...]
Central London footfall surges in Wild Wednesday shopping spree December 2, 2020 Footfall levels in central London surged today as shoppers and office workers returned to the capital after England’s second coronavirus lockdown came to an end. Central London reported a 91.1 per cent jump in visitors by 5pm, compared with the same day last week as the city entered Tier 2 coronavirus restrictions. Footfall remains down [...]
Where chefs plan to celebrate the end of lockdown 2 December 1, 2020 It has been a truly miserable month for foodies, who have had to rely on the new home delivery options from top restaurants to get their fix. As lockdown 2 nears its conclusion, we spoke to some of London’s top chefs to find out where they will be spending their first post-lockdown meal. Take some [...]
Government agrees £825m loan to finish Crossrail December 1, 2020 The government has agreed a £825m loan to finance the completion Crossrail train link, Grant Shapps today announced. Writing on Twitter, Shapps said that the loan was a “fair dal for taxpayers across the UK”. The loan takes the total cost of the project, which has been plagued by difficulties over its lifespan, to £18.6bn. [...]
Proposal to extend Bakerloo line to Beckenham and Hayes gathers steam November 30, 2020 A proposal to extend the Bakerloo Tube line even further south-east than previously planned has garnered considerable support from local residents, Transport for London said today (TfL). Last month the capital’s transport operator launched a consultation into the Bakerloo Line extension, which is currently meant to extend as far as Lewisham. However, TfL is also [...]
Covid infections fall 30 per cent nationally in lockdown November 30, 2020 Coronavirus infections fell 30 per cent nationally between 13 and 24 November, with 96 people per 10,000 infected. The recent national lockdown successfully lowered infection rates across the country. More than 105,000 volunteers were tested in England during the second half of November as part of a study by Imperial College and Ipsos Mori to [...]
The making of Chris Kamara: How ex-footballer went from lads and dads’ hero to prime time national treasure November 27, 2020 As a football player and later a manager, Chris Kamara forged a successful if, by some standards, unspectacular career in an unfashionable era. England recognition never arrived, and his biggest victories came outside a top division that had not yet become the millionaires’ playground of today. More than two decades since he left the game, [...]
Crossrail funding remains up in the air despite government commitment November 25, 2020 Questions remain over the immediate future of the Crossrail link despite the government committing to the £19bn project’s completion in today’s National Infrastructure Strategy (NIS). “The government is continuing to address capacity issues in the capital, by financing the completion of Crossrail”, the paper read. But negotiations over the funding package for the rail link [...]
MPs amp up pressure to avoid placing London in Tier 3 when lockdown lifts November 25, 2020 The Prime Minister is facing mounting pressure from his own party to avoid placing London in Tier 3 when England’s lockdown lifts, over fears tough restrictions could cripple businesses in the capital. Reports of government plans to place London in the highest level of restrictions under the new tier system, set to be announced tomorrow, [...]
Editorial: London, like Josef K, awaits its sentence November 24, 2020 On Thursday, we will find out whether the death warrant for thousands of London’s businesses, mainly in hospitality, will be signed. But, like Josef K in Kafka’s Trial, those businesses are left clueless of what their future depends upon. London will enter Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3 of the new restrictions next week. [...]