Soho prepares to party, with al fresco dining back on the menu February 24, 2021 Hopes for a restaurant renaissance over the coming months were given a boost today when Westminster City Council announced its hugely successful – some have argued altogether too successful – al fresco dining scheme will return on 12 April. During the two “false openings” last summer and autumn, Soho became a Mecca for millions of [...]
Shaun Bailey: Mayor’s £70m Good Growth Fund created only 109 jobs since 2017 February 23, 2021 Mayor Sadiq Khan faces criticism from Shaun Bailey over Good Growth Fund which has only produced 109 jobs
UK housing transactions slump in January as lockdown implemented February 23, 2021 UK housing transactions slumped last month due to the impact of national lockdown restrictions, according to the latest figures. HM Revenue and Customs data showed the provisional seasonally adjusted estimate of UK residential transactions in January was 121,640, a drop of 2.4 per cent compared to the previous month. The month-on-month drop is a typical [...]
Are politicians tech-savvy enough to tackle social media giants? February 22, 2021 The news has been full of tech stories in what little we’ve seen of 2021: Facebook’s decision to ban news content on its site in Australia, Google’s threat to withdraw its service altogether from Australian users in light of legislation which would oblige tech platforms to pay for news, and Twitter’s intervention by suspending former [...]
New campaign urges London’s drivers: switch off engines when parked to save lives February 22, 2021 A new London-wide advertising campaign has launched today [22 February] encouraging drivers to turn off their engines when parked to cut air pollution. Led by the City of London Corporation and Camden Council, and funded by the Mayor of London, the ‘Engine Off, Every Stop’ campaign features posters and billboards on roadside sites and petrol stations [...]
Sunday Sitdown: Time Out boss Julio Bruno on the ‘renaissance’ of cities February 21, 2021 While no one could have predicted the outbreak of coronavirus, few companies have been blighted by worse timing than Time Out. In the face of shrinking revenue from its core events listings business, the media group has spent recent years shifting its focus to a new offering of food and culture markets. But when the [...]
London at risk of being ‘levelled down’ by pandemic, leading business groups warn Rishi Sunak February 19, 2021 A coalition of powerful business groups has urged the chancellor to outline stringent support measures for the capital, as they warned London risks being “levelled down” by the pandemic. In a letter to Rishi Sunak, the heads of groups representing more than 6,000 businesses including Heathrow Airport, the Ritz and Fortnum & Mason, said months [...]
London coronavirus cases plummet to 1 in 100 as lockdown makes its mark February 19, 2021 The percentage of people testing positive for coronavirus in London has plummeted as current lockdown measures continue to push down Covid transmission. Around 1 in 100 Londoners had Covid in the week to 12 February, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) — down from 1 in 63 the week [...]
Supreme Court rules Uber drivers entitled to workers rights February 19, 2021 The Supreme Court has this morning rejected Uber’s appeal against a ruling that a group of its drivers should be recognised as “workers”. Judges unanimously dismissed the appeal. After nearly five years in the courts, the decision could have profound implications for the so-called gig economy workers. Uber drivers are currently treated as self-employed, meaning [...]
London Mayor Sadiq Khan becomes latest politician to have Covid-19 jab February 19, 2021 London Mayor Sadiq Khan has become the latest politician to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Khan, 50, received his first dose of the Pfizer jab this morning at a vaccination centre in Mitcham. Khan suffers with asthma. People aged 16-64 with underlying health conditions are being included in the second phase of the vaccine rollout. [...]