Future of HS2 uncertain as Grant Shapps will not ‘blindly follow’ decades old-plans October 4, 2021 Speculation over the future of the eastern route of the HS2 is mounting after Grant Shapps said he is not planning to “blindly follow” plans dawn up 20 years ago. In an interview with the Financial Times today, the Transport Secretary signalled that a major rethink of the high-speed rail project between Birmingham and Leeds [...]
Ballooning infrastructure costs could be quelled if Whitehall embraced clear data October 4, 2021 Infrastructure is one of the government’s latest passions. It could be, in ministers’ eyes, a foundation for Global Britain and a way out of the economic decline that Covid-19 has brought in its wake. We have a National Infrastructure Strategy, and the prime minister, announcing it last summer, admitted it sounded “positively Rooseveltian” and pledged [...]
Buyers seek second homes in London to avoid countryside commutes October 4, 2021 Commuters facing the reality of daily journeys into the city are hunting for London homes with a renewed zest. Home buyers are eager to have their cake and eat it too, with some people having settled in the countryside now looking for second homes in the city. The number of new prospective buyers registering with [...]
Watchdog mulls investigation for EY and Deloitte over Southeastern audits October 3, 2021 The accountancy watchdog is debating whether to launch a probe into the auditors of the Southeastern train line after the company last week admitted to hiding £25m owed to the state. The Financial Reporting Council is looking into whether audit giants EY and Deloitte have a case to answer, sources told the Sunday Telegraph. Last [...]
Eurostar faces £400m losses after pandemic swerves passenger numbers off track October 3, 2021 Eurostar has reported more than £400m pandemic-induced losses and cautioned it faces “material uncertainties” in the future, after Covid travel restrictions derailed passenger numbers for the cross-channel train. After riding high with a £62.4m profit in 2019 before the pandemic hit, the French majority-owned train operator swung to a dizzying pre-tax loss of £427.8m in [...]
TfL in further cash plea to government to keep London moving October 3, 2021 Transport for London has asked the Treasury for a further half a billion worth of support for the rest of the financial year and for a further £1.2bn next year to “ensure London’s recovery” from the pandemic. Documents submitted by the capital’s transport authority to the government’s spending review include a commitment from TfL to [...]
Ministers to crack down on ‘incredibly dangerous’ motorway protests October 3, 2021 Ministers have pledged tougher action on demonstrators who block motorways. Home secretary Priti Patel is expected to outline plans for longer sentences and fresh powers for police to seize demonstrators’ equipment, at the Conservative party conference this week. It comes as the climate group Insulate Britain has blocked the M1, M4 and M25 in protests [...]
Government writes to thousands of Germans in the UK: ‘Please drive a lorry’ October 2, 2021 The government has sent out thousands of letters to German nationals based in the UK, urging them to consider a career as a lorry driver, even if they have never driven one before. The letters, signed by transport minister Baroness Vere, encourages people to “consider returning” to the HGV driving sector. It is understood Germans [...]
Offenders can deliver petrol while fuel crisis rages on, says Dominic Raab September 30, 2021 Low-level offenders who have been given community sentences could be used to address the country’s lack of HGV drivers amid continuing concerns about fuel shortages, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has suggested. Panic buying sparked by concerns a lack of lorry drivers would prevent supplies reaching fuel pumps has brought long queues and pockets of [...]
All aboard: Searches for homes near London stations soar September 30, 2021 The rush back to the office has inspired a jump in searches for homes close to London stations that give them a quick commute into the City. House hunters were keen to have speedy access to Central London, as the momentum behind the office return ramped up, according to data from RightMove, shared with CityAM. [...]