London mayor Sadiq Khan writes to Uber and other private hire drivers setting out his commitment to the industry September 23, 2016 London mayor Sadiq Khan has written to tech firm Uber in response to its email campaign about the future of the capital's taxi and private hire industry. Transport for London (TfL) plans to introduce new rgulations for the sector including a requirement that private hire vehicles have "hire and reward" insurance in place for the duration of the licence, [...]
With Corbyn expected to be unveiled as victor tomorrow, is this just the beginning of the Labour civil war? September 23, 2016 Jon McLeod, chairman of UK corporate, financial and public affairs at Weber Shandwick, says Yes. In the words of the Carpenters, “we’ve only just begun”. This isn’t the end of Labour’s civil war. It isn’t the beginning of the end. And it’s not even the end of the beginning. Corbyn’s pledge to “wipe the slate” with [...]
Fabric’s crowdfunding campaign has just smashed the £200,000 mark September 22, 2016 Legendary nightclub Fabric isn't going down without a fight: the Farringdon venue has not only launched a crowdfunding campaign – but it's already smashed through the £200,000 mark. The nightclub's licence was withdrawn earlier this month by Islington council, which warned of a "culture of drugs" at the venue, after six drug-related deaths at the club in [...]
Southern rail workers to take 14 days of strike action from next month September 22, 2016 Southern rail workers are to take 14 days of strike action in five blocks from next month as the dispute over role of guards continues, the RMT union said today. The union said workers will take industrial action because of Southern's "continued insistence on removing critical safety trained guards from trains". RMT said its members [...]
Sadiq Khan has recruited Margaret Hodge to lead a new Garden Bridge procurement probe, but London Assembly members are questioning the plan September 22, 2016 London mayor Sadiq Khan has recruited the former chair of parliament's public spending watchdog to lead an inquiry into the Garden Bridge project. Margaret Hodge will review whether taxpayers have got value for money from the £185m footbridge, which is being being supported by £60m of public money from Westminster and Transport for London. Among [...]
Picks of the day: The three stories to read today September 21, 2016 We’re officially halfway through the working week – to celebrate, we’ve put together the top three stories of the day in bite-sized form, just to make your life that bit easier. Time for a coffee break? Check out our three at three. Google has just launched a new IM app Google has just launched a [...]
The mayor’s making a serious push for TfL to take over London’s suburban rail routes September 21, 2016 The Mayor of London is stepping up his push for Transport for London (TfL) to take over the capital's suburban rail routes and turn lines run by troubled Southern and other operators into Overground routes. Sadiq Khan will make the business case for rail devolution ahead of the Autumn Statement. Read more: Southern Rail commuters take on Department [...]
Nearly 18,000 people have signed a petition calling for Sadiq Khan to save the Curzon cinema in Mayfair September 21, 2016 A petition to save the Curzon cinema in Mayfair – which is under threat of closure – has been signed by almost 18,000 people. The historic cinema has been on Curzon street since 1934, but it may be shut down after property developers made a noise complaint. Developers 38 Curzon Ltd want the cinema to pay for soundproofing [...]
West End gets Brexit boost from overseas shoppers as sales to tip over £9bn for the first time September 21, 2016 Overseas shoppers are flocking to the West End to spend their cash since the fall in the value of the pound – and the Brexit boost is set to tip sales for the district over £9bn this year. Jace Tyrrell, chief executive of the West End lobby group New West End Company, says London's premiere shopping district [...]
Sadiq Khan has demanded a raft of New York-style tax powers following his trip to North America September 20, 2016 Returning from a five day trip to the US, London mayor Sadiq Khan has demanded the devolution of fresh tax powers to City Hall. Khan has visited Chicago, Montreal and New York over the last few days, meeting with the mayors of all three cities to discuss extremism, housing and social integration. And he has [...]