The commuter life of train delays, warm journeys and overcrowding are worse for your health and happiness than you already thought August 24, 2016 If you're one of the UK's 24m commuters and had the sneaking suspicion your journey-heavy lifestyle was making you less healthy… unfortunately, you were right. The average commuter in the UK travels for 56 minutes a day, with the majority of these types of journeys usually being undertaken on "non-active" modes of transport such as [...]
Costain’s share price jumps five per cent following “excellent” half-year results August 24, 2016 Shares at the construction company at the centre of the London Bridge station regeneration leapt five per cent this morning after releasing half-year results and shrugged off concerns about the Brexit vote. Speaking with City AM, Costain's finance chief Tony Bickerstaff hailed the results and said that "we see as many opportunities coming out of Brexit as concerns." "It is [...]
Now Bus workers are going on strike including during Notting Hill Carnival August 24, 2016 After a slew of strikes across train networks, bus workers have now voted to go on strike in London – including on Bank Holiday Monday when Notting Hill Carnival is held. Unite the union said 1,000 drivers, engineers and other workers are involved in a dispute affecting some 28 bus routes across London. The stoppages [...]
Learning the hard way: As the interest on student loans rises further, should parents help their children cut the cost of going to university? August 24, 2016 As school leavers jumped for joy at their A-Level results last week, parents may have had cause to grimace. Despite the government’s emphasis on apprenticeships, a university degree remains a passport to higher paid employment. Nevertheless, the costs of higher education have spiralled in recent years, and students are having to take on much larger student [...]
Khan vows to press ahead with TfL sales despite value for money warnings August 23, 2016 London mayor Sadiq Khan has vowed to press ahead with the sale of Transport for London land, despite warnings his affordable housing plans will mean the sale comes in below market value. Khan was warned earlier this week to warn that TfL is required to seek the best possible price when selling off assets like [...]
Sadiq Khan’s plans to build affordable homes on TfL land have been thrown into doubt by questions over the sales process August 22, 2016 Sadiq Khan's hopes of forcing developers to build up affordable homes on former Transport for London property have been put in doubt by requirements on getting value for money on land deals. Khan was elected on a pledge of making sure that half of new homes would be affordable, and the sale of TfL land [...]
The public sector’s vast bank of unused land is a national disgrace August 22, 2016 So Brexit means that overseas demand for London property will decline, prices will fall and the housing crisis will ease, right? Think again. Whatever the effects of Brexit on London house prices, short or long term, the basic problem persists: the capital faces a chronic shortage of homes. Demand for all but the most expensive [...]
We’ve already spent more via contactless than in all of 2015 August 22, 2016 People are swiping their card rather than splashing the physical cash these days as new figures reveal payments made with contactless technology have already overtaken the amount spent in the whole of 2015. Just over £9bn was spent using contactless in the first half of the year compared to £7.75bn in the the entire of last year, the new [...]
Sadiq Khan returns the decision over AFC Wimbledon stadium on Plough Lane back to Merton council August 22, 2016 London Mayor Sadiq Khan has reversed Boris Johnson's decision to call in the application to build a football stadium in Wimbledon. Under the plans, the former Wimbledon greyhound track would be taken down and replaced with a 20,000 seat stadium to be used by AFC Wimbledon. Galliard Homes, who submitted the planning application, would also [...]
Hate crimes on Britain’s railway climbed by 57 per cent in the weeks after the UK’s Brexit vote, according to new figures August 22, 2016 Suspected race hate crimes on Britain’s railways surged in the aftermath of Britain's EU referendum, new figures have revealed. British Transport Police recorded 119 incidents, including allegations of racist abuse and attacks at stations, according to statistics obtained by the Press Association. The figure – equivalent to eight incidents every day between June 24 and July [...]