London’s no longer the UK’s top smart city as Bristol overtakes October 23, 2017 Bristol has overtaken London as the UK’s leading smart city a new index reveals. The south west city leapfrogged the capital when it comes to how it approaches digital innovation and its vision for a connected city. Under the so-called smart cities label comes tech such as driverless cars, 5G connectivity and "big data" – [...]
London’s £10 T-Charge starts today: Everything to know about the world’s toughest emission standard including which cars are affected and how many October 23, 2017 A heavy charge on older, more polluting vehicles entering central London comes into effect today. The T-Charge, also known as the emissions surcharge, means vehicles in the area will need to meet minimum exhaust emission standards or drivers will have to pay a daily £10 charge on top of the congestion charge. Read more: Electric [...]
London tech startups head on Brexit trade mission to France with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan October 23, 2017 The Mayor of London is leading a delegation of top tech startups to Paris to rustle up investment interest from across the channel and bolster innovation ties between the two cities. Entrepeneurs from Smartzer, a platform which can make online video shoppable, pregnancy health app Baby2Body and Realeyes, which uses technology to read emotional reactions [...]
Heathrow expansion and better broadband: Britain’s key infrastructure priorities from now to 2050, according to the National Infrastructure Commission October 13, 2017 The head of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) said today that Heathrow expansion is “perhaps the most serious infrastructure failure of all” as he sets out the most pressing needs for Britain from now until 2050. “We’ve spent 13 years talking about a new runway – it’s now time to get on with it and [...]
BRC calls for a “demand-led and simple” solution for EU workers as UK faces workforce shortage October 9, 2017 Uncertainty over the UK’s position on immigration is creating a workforce shortage, the UK’s retail industry body has warned. New figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) suggest that uncertainty over the result of Brexit negotiations has already led some EU workers to leave the UK. The BRC’s latest report into the impact of Brexit [...]
World Tourism Day 2017: Travel industry backs London as weaker pound powers boom September 27, 2017 Big players in the travel and tourism industry brushed off Brexit fears to herald London as a top destination today, as the sector celebrated World Tourism Day. Dana Dunne, chief executive of eDreams Odigeo, told City A.M. that weaker sterling “has been very attractive”, boosting visitor numbers to the capital. According to eDreams figures, this [...]
Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson announces crackdown on gambling companies September 26, 2017 Deputy leader of the Labour party, Tom Watson, today announced plans to crack down on gambling companies. Speaking to delegates at the party’s conference in Brighton, Watson accused firms in the industry of targeting people with gambling problems. He said it was wrong that firms only contributed £10m to the treatment of those with problems, [...]
Uber challenger Via has been waiting months for a licence from Transport for London and is raring to launch September 25, 2017 A startup taking on Uber in London has spoken of “frustrating delays” in its efforts to get permission to operate in the capital after months of waiting and no sign yet of getting the green light. Via is the latest ride hailing startup to add its voice to concerns over the lack of engagement from [...]
Deliveroo set to become unicorn with $385m investment September 23, 2017 Deliveroo has secured $385m (£285.3m) in new funding from two US firms. Stateside investors Fidelity and T. Rowe Price have agreed to put money into the UK-based start-up as part of a deal which values the company at over $2bn (£1.48bn), according to Sky News. The investment means rumours of a Deliveroo IPO are likely [...]
What needs to change about housing policy by UK property professionals ahead of party conference season September 15, 2017 Katherine McCullough, development director at Merchant Land “During the political party season, I would like to see some attention given to reviewing what Osborne’s stamp duty reforms have achieved and ideally, to have them reversed in order to help stimulate the housing market at the top end. It would also be encouraging to hear discussion [...]