Exclusive: Shipping boss threatened staff with unpaid leave if they worked from home during lockdown January 11, 2021 The CEO of infrastructure facility provider Infrastrata told colleagues to defy government guidance and work from the office during the last national lockdown, or face unpaid leave. In an email sent to colleagues on 4 November and seen by City A.M., CEO John Wood told colleagues that anyone wishing not to come into the office during the lockdown [...]
Sir Keir Starmer: Don’t hit UK families with tax hikes January 10, 2021 Sir Keir Starmer has called for the government to reverse its decision last year to effectively raise council taxes, while casting Labour under his leadership as the “party of the family”. Starmer said the “importance of family hasn’t been talked about enough during this crisis” and that the country’s households deserve “far more from a [...]
Sadiq Khan to boost share of London council tax by nearly 10 per cent January 8, 2021 Sadiq Khan today announced that his share of council tax will increase by nearly 10 per cent from April in order to keep funding public transport services. Under the proposals, the average bill for Band D will increase by £2.63 a month – £31.59 over the whole year. Of the increase, £15 will go towards [...]
Pfizer vaccine ‘appears effective’ against new Covid strains January 8, 2021 The Pfizer/Biontech Covid vaccine will likely work against a batch of new, highly transmissible coronavirus strains, the companies announced this morning. In a study published today, Pfizer and scientists from the University of Texas Medical Branch said the vaccine appeared to be effective in neutralising virus mutations seen in the southeast of England and South [...]
Government confirms mandatory testing for all inbound travellers January 8, 2021 Passengers coming to England face fines if they fail to comply with new testing requirements as part of new measures introduced today. From next week all international arrivals, including UK nationals, will be required to present a negative coronavirus test taken up to 72 hours prior to departure. Passengers refusing to comply will be subject [...]
Exclusive: Bolt offers free rides to Londoners getting Covid vaccine January 7, 2021 Ride-hailing app Bolt has offered to provide Londoners with £250,000 worth of free transport to Covid-19 vaccination centres in a bid to aid the inoculation programme. City A.M. can reveal that the firm has written to the government to offer its services to the NHS. The offer comes as the UK attempts to vaccinate the [...]
Scandinavian fund EQT join race for First Group’s US businesses January 7, 2021 A Scandinavian fund has joined the bidding for transport operator First Group’s US assets, which are valued at £2.5bn. Sky News reported that EQT Infrastructure made a $3.7bn bid for the First Transit and First Student in the days leading up to Christmas. The fund, which is run by one of Scandinavia’s most powerful equity [...]
Khan pushes for airport testing, while airport boss wants taxpayers to foot bill January 7, 2021 Sadiq Khan pushes for airport testing, while Southend airport boss wants taxpayers to pay for pre-flight tests
City of London Corporation teams up with Amazon to cut delivery vehicles and improve air quality January 7, 2021 The City of London Corporation has approved its first Last Mile Logistics Hub to consolidate deliveries across central London, reduce traffic and cut harmful emissions. The Planning and Transportation Committee approved the initiative which will transform 39 car parking spaces within the underutilised London Wall Car Park into a hub for Amazon Logistics. The final leg of [...]
HS2 minister: Covid crisis has ‘strengthened’ case for high speed rail link January 6, 2021 The case for the controversial HS2 rail link has been bolstered by the coronavirus pandemic, the minister responsible for the project has told lawmakers. Speaking to the Transport Select Committee, Andrew Stephenson hit back at growing concerns that the current crisis has made the high speed line unnecessary. “You can argue that Covid has affected [...]