Shoppers are flocking back to UK high streets faster than EU rivals, footfall data shows November 5, 2021 UK retail destinations have reported footfall recovering to near-pre-Covid levels faster than those in major EU economies. Total UK footfall was down 13.7 per cent in October compared to 2019, the pre-Covid comparative. There was a 3.2 percentage point improvement from September. This was ahead of Spain (-19.8 per cent), Germany (-26.1 per cent), Italy [...]
TfL tells City commuters ‘find another way’ as Northern line branch set to close November 5, 2021 City commuters face months of travel disruption as key London Underground stations are set to be closed next year. Planned works at Bank and Monument stations mean that the Northern line (Bank branch) will be closed from January 15 to mid-May 2022. There will be no Northern line trains at Bank, London Bridge, Borough, and [...]
Night Overground services to return in December November 3, 2021 Night Overground services will be restored on weekends from 17 December, a week before Christmas. Transport for London (TfL) announced today that night services will run between Highbury & Islington and New Cross Gate, passing through areas such as Hoxton and Shoreditch, which are an integral part of London’s night life. “The return of the [...]
Greater Manchester is primed for net zero investment November 3, 2021 COP26 is an unprecedented opportunity for the United Kingdom to present to the world a credible plan to reach net zero carbon emissions. In Greater Manchester, we are a model other towns, cities and city-regions can follow – showing how a green and growing economy can also be a levelled up one. Reaching net zero [...]
Five charts which explain what is going on with inflation November 1, 2021 “Output gap”, “bottlenecks”, “core inflation”, “base effects”, “second-round effects” “labour participation rate”. These are some of the key industry terms essential to understanding what’s going on with inflation. Soaring job vacancies reflect the strong economic recovery of the world’s major economies, as Covid-19 induced restrictions have been gradually eased. Shortages of materials, energy and transport [...]
COP26: Meaningful action or a load of hot air? November 1, 2021 City of London Corporation policy chair Catherine McGuinness urged on Friday that we must “ensure that COP26 is about action, not just ‘blah blah blah’,” if we are to finance the transition to net zero and meet the challenge Greta Thunberg has thrown down to us. Her call for meaningful action follows the UN’s weather [...]
Two trains crash between Salisbury and Andover October 31, 2021 Two trains have crashed between Salisbury and Andover, Wiltshire Police have confirmed, while emergency services are attending the scene. “We are currently at the scene of a train crash involving two trains between Andover and Salisbury. “We are responding with the fire and ambulance service at the site close to London Road, Salisbury.” A number [...]
Khan urges government to make mask wearing mandatory on public transport October 29, 2021 London mayor Sadiq Khan has urged the government to make mask wearing mandatory on public transport, as daily Covid-19 cases average at around 40,000. “The situation with Covid-19 in the capital is so finely balanced that it needs all of us to act together to protect ourselves, our loved ones, the things we enjoy and [...]
£19bn Crossrail mess: Uncertainty over how loans will be repaid while £150m funding gap looms October 29, 2021 The estimated cost of completing London’s new east-west railway exceeds current available funding by £150m, according to a new report by the Commons’ Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Moreover, Crossrail is facing a “serious” funding gap and there is uncertainty over how loans will be repaid, MPs have warned. The predicted cost of finishing the project [...]
Green steam vs the big smog: London’s green jobs to double to 600,000 by 2030 – CityAM : CityAM October 29, 2021 The UK’s push for net zero will double the number of green jobs in London to 600,000 by 2030, according to new research. The findings, by WPI Economics and the Institute for Employment Studies and commissioned by Central London Forward, Local London, South London Partnership and West London Alliance, also revealed that the capital’s green [...]