Three-quarters of London firms welcome staff back to offices August 4, 2020 London firms are starting to bring their staff back to the workplace after more than four months of remote working due to the pandemic. A survey of 100 business leaders conducted by London First reveals a phased return of staff is underway for three quarters of London firms. The survey, which was carried out last [...]
Downing Street admits it could impose M25 quarantine ring August 3, 2020 Plans to introduce a quarantine ring around the M25 to halt travel in and out of London are “within the government’s contain strategy”, Downing Street said today. The admission came as the Prime Minister scrambles to curb a spike in infections across the country. Boris Johnson is said to have held a “war game” session [...]
Sadiq Khan slams ‘unacceptable’ London lockdown plans August 3, 2020 London mayor Sadiq Khan has hit out at Boris Johnson after the Prime Minister reportedly discussed drastic contingency plans to lockdown London in event of a second coronavirus wave without involving City Hall. One of the options discussed by Johnson as part of a “war gaming” session with chancellor Rishi Sunak was using the M25 [...]
The City View: Thames Clippers’ CEO on getting London back to work August 3, 2020 Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS Christian is joined by Sean Collins, co-founder and CEO of London’s riverboat service, Thames Clippers, as the transport provider grapples with life under lockdown. Last year the company carried nearly 5 million passengers, many of them commuters, and today they’re operating at around 25 per cent of that. Despite the [...]
Uber launches first commuter boat service on the Thames August 3, 2020 Uber’s first ever UK boat service will set sail on the River Thames today in a new partnership that will see Thames Clippers’ commuter service rebranded by the global ride-hailing giant. Twenty boats will take to the water today as part of the fresh collaboration, with departures from 23 piers across London from Putney to [...]
Arch Co to launch #loveyourlocalarches campaign encouraging local shopping July 31, 2020 One of the country’s biggest small business landlords is to launch a campaign across August encouraging Brits to support their local firms and communities. The Arch Company has over 2,000 small business tenants in London and nearly 4,000 across the UK, most of which are sited in formerly disused railway arches. Alongside Transport for London [...]
Sadiq Khan tasks advisers to create emerging tech plan for London July 30, 2020 Sadiq Khan has tasked his advisers with identifying which emerging technology trends would most benefit London and its residents, as he seeks upgrade the capital’s infrastructure and policies. The mayor of London has appointed his chief digital officer Theo Blackwell and the Smart London Board to create an Emerging Technology Charter, which will set out [...]
Barclays urges staff back to the office as HSBC eyes September return July 29, 2020 Barclays boss Jes Staley has indicated he wants employees to return to the office, as HSBC reportedly tells its staff they can work in Canary Wharf from September. Speaking to Bloomberg TV today, Staley said: “It is important to get people back together in physical concentrations.” He has previously said big city offices “may be [...]
Does Covid-19 mark the beginning of the end for cash? July 29, 2020 Many European countries were already moving away from cash transactions and the pandemic will only speed up this trend. The Covid-19 crisis has changed our daily lives in multiple ways and accelerated a number of trends that were already in place. For many of us, one obvious change is that the need to use cash [...]
Lose five pounds for the government? It’s thanks to the government I gained it in the first place July 29, 2020 I cannot be the only person who has gained five pounds during lockdown. I am still far from overweight (the NHS BMI calculator helpfully tells me that I am in the optimum range for my age and height), but the government’s sudden fixation on slimming down the nation has not exactly been great for my [...]