Is HS2 a ‘rail to nowhere’? MPs quiz Harper on viability of delayed £1.2bn Euston project April 19, 2023 In a committee hearing this morning, transport secretary Mark Harper admitted that HS2’s Euston developments were “significantly” greater than the initial budget allocated. His comments followed confirmation that the £1.2bn tunnel from Old Oak Common would be paused until 2024. Harper faced an array of strong questions relating to Euston’s Old Oak Common section of [...]
London rent averages over £900 a month as desperate renters battle over fewer properties April 19, 2023 Private renters in London are faced with the highest costs since 2012 as a sparse and competitive market send the cost of homes in the capital to new highs. Landlords in the capital increased rent by 4.8 per cent in the 12 months to March 2023, up from an increase of 4.6 per cent in [...]
A glass of wine with: Small Things wine-in-a-can creator Ian Batt April 19, 2023 One day surfing at the beach, Australian winemaker Ian Batt realised wine wasn’t reflecting his lifestyle or ethos. He is now on a mission to upgrade canned wine’s image with his range of well-crafted, first-class wines launching in the UK next month. What inspired you create Small Things Wine?I created a premium wine in can [...]
Minister Paul Scully ‘considering’ running for London mayor in 2024 April 18, 2023 Minister for London Paul Scully said today he is “considering” running against Sadiq Khan to be the next London mayor in 2024. Speaking at a Centre for London event today, Scully said: “Let me tackle this head on, am I considering running for London mayor in 2024? Yes, I am considering it. I haven’t made [...]
Transport for London warns of huge crowds on Coronation weekend – and here’s what they’re doing about it April 18, 2023 Service providers such as Transport for London which operates the tube and bus network in the Capital have warned of huge central London crowds between 6 and 8 May over the bank holiday weekend. Extra train services are being laid on for the King’s coronation weekend, but the transport operation will not match the scale [...]
Asda introduces self driving delivery vans in AI first April 17, 2023 Asda is rolling out its largest autonomous delivery trial with customers in London set to receive their groceries via self driving cars. The UK’s third largest grocery store is launching the scheme in partnership with Wayve, a developer of artificial intelligence for self driving cars, and the pair will use Jaguar I-Pace electric cars for [...]
London Underground hit by delays with lines disrupted by signal problems, faulty trains and even a fire April 14, 2023 London Underground was crippled by delays this morning with almost all lines affected by some kind of disruption due to signal failures and even a fire. There are currently severe delays on the Metropolitan Line, Circle Line and Hammersmith and City Line due to a faulty train at Baker Street. Anyone trying to get into [...]
Sadiq Khan’s London ULEZ expansion faces court challenge from Tory councils April 12, 2023 A judicial review into the expansion of the ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) across Greater London has been granted after a court ruling, it has emerged. London mayor Sadiq Khan opted to push ahead with plans to roll out the zone across all of outer London, from August 29, last year in the face of [...]
Two million Brits set to travel abroad this Easter April 7, 2023 An estimated two million British holidaymakers are heading overseas during the Easter bank holiday weekend. Travel trade organisation Abta, which calculated the figure, said there is strong demand for trips to mainland Spain, the Canary and Balearic Islands, the Algarve, Madeira, Cyprus, Croatia, Italy, Greece and southern Turkey. Figures from aviation analytics company Cirium show [...]
Is HS2 holding up the UK’s construction industry? Output up but housebuilding continues to fall April 6, 2023 Civil engineering rose at its highest level since 2009 in March, according to a leading global index which measures the monthly construction output of the UK economy. At 50.7 in March, the headline seasonally adjusted S&P Global /CIPS UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) – which measures month-on-month changes in total industry activity – was [...]