London business groups urge Sunak to give capital its fair share in spending review November 19, 2020 A pair of London business advocacy groups have called for the capital to receive significant amounts of funding in Rishi Sunak’s spending review next week amid fears the city could be overlooked. London First and the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry told City A.M. that it was vital the capital was not forgotten by [...]
Exclusive: Sadiq Khan’s PR budget soars by 33 per cent in four years November 19, 2020 Sadiq Khan has increased City Hall spending on public relations by 33 per cent over the course of his term in office, according to newly released figures. Numbers released by City Hall through a freedom of information request show the mayor spent £977,912 on press office costs for 2019/20, compared to £732,537 in 2015/16. Spending [...]
Road pricing can level up the nation and take our outdated transport system into the twenty-first century November 19, 2020 If the leaks from the Treasury this week are to be believed, Rishi Sunak has been presented a study on road pricing by his civil servants. He’d be a fool not to take it seriously. Shifting towards a comprehensive system of road pricing would help the chancellor level up the regions, drive down pollution, and [...]
Crossrail 2 ‘still needed in the future’ despite cash drought November 18, 2020 London’s Crossrail 2 is “ready to be restarted” in the future despite London mayor Sadiq Khan earlier this month agreeing to shelve the £33bn project in return for a bailout for Transport for London (TfL). Khan agreed to put the north-south rail project on ice as part of a last-ditch financial package from Westminster to [...]
Levelling up: Sony takes over Oxford Circus station for Playstation launch November 18, 2020 London Underground is famed for its iconic roundels, but eagle-eyed commuters will notice something different about Oxford Circus station this week. Transport for London (TfL) has teamed up with Sony to give the Tube station a redesign, transforming the traditional signs into squares, triangles and crosses — the classic symbols of the Playstation controller. The [...]
Exclusive: Tube use hit post-lockdown peak on day before new restrictions November 17, 2020 Tube use peaked on the day before the second national lockdown came into effect as Londoners rushed to offices and shops ahead of the new restrictions. New figures from Transport for London reveal that there were nearly 1.8m journeys on the London Underground on 4 November, around 400,000 more than the same day a week [...]
Transport for London to begin e-scooter trials in the spring November 17, 2020 Transport for London (TfL) will begin trialling rental e-scooters in the spring, it was announced today. The transport network will work with London Councils to select three companies for the trials, which will take place across all London boroughs that wish to take part. Trials will last for 12 months, with roughly a third of [...]
Moderna vaccine prevents 94.5 per cent of coronavirus November 16, 2020 Covid-19: Moderna vaccine close to 95 per cent effective against coronavirus, but the UK hasn't yet ordered any doses
What are free ports and what are the economic benefits? November 16, 2020 This morning the Treasury announced that the bidding process for the creation of up to 10 new “free ports” in the UK had opened. The first of these sites are expected to begin operating in 2021, in the hope of boosting international trade after Brexit. But what are “free ports” and why is the government [...]
Sadiq Khan forced to cut budget by £38m after Covid leaves black hole November 16, 2020 Sadiq Khan has revised the Greater London Authority’s budget downward by £38m after a drop in revenue due to the Covid crisis. A statement from City Hall said the drop in spending is “because of a forecast unprecedented loss of business rates and council tax income, caused by Covid-19, and the government’s refusal to adequately fund local and [...]