London can’t build a robust UK economy alone: We must unlock the regions November 30, 2014 In my first official engagement as lord mayor outside the M25, visits to Liverpool and Manchester were ideal places to kick-start my programme for the year. While my time in each northern powerhouse city was limited, it helped to set my agenda for the forthcoming year. Politicians love the term “rebalancing the economy”. It’s kept [...]
Boris Johnson suggests car-free Sundays for central London November 30, 2014 Car-free Sundays could become a fixture in central London, Boris Johnson suggested today after enjoying a cycle through a pedestrianised part of the Indonesian capital Jakarta. As part of a six-day regional tour through South-East Asia, the Mayor of London took part in a mass cycle with new Indonesian president Joko Widodo on Sunday. [...]
Focus on Victoria: Grab a prime bargain in SW1 November 27, 2014 Victoria has long been a place of work, but it’s been a while since it’s been a place to live. Dominated by a mixture of grey government office blocks and its various transport hubs, it certainly doesn’t fit the desirable London village trend. But that may be about to change. Developer Land Securities [...]
78 Carlton Hill: Eric Idle’s old St John’s Wood home where Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher partied with the Rolling Stones November 27, 2014 Eric Idle used to let movie stars stay in his home in St John’s Wood while filming. Now, anyone can stay, for the right price. Tucked away in a quiet corner of north west London, a magnificent townhouse once hosted an unusual evening of frivolity between some of the biggest icons of 1980s pop [...]
Further devolution is great news for Scotland: Now it’s London’s turn November 27, 2014 THE AGREED conclusion of the Smith Commission into further devolution for Scotland is excellent news – real power to tax and spend, including responsibility over income tax rates and bands, is now set to be wielded by the Scottish Parliament. Now it’s London’s turn. The capital is the UK’s economic powerhouse, providing a staggering £34bn [...]
Stagecoach share price jumps on East Coast mainline rail franchise win with Richard Branson’s Virgin November 27, 2014 Stagecoach and Virgin are the joint winners of a bid to run the East Coast mainline route, netting the government £3.3bn over the next eight years. The route between London and Edinburgh has been publicly run since 2009 after previous operator National Express ran into difficulties and gave up the contract. Stagecoach and Virgin, which [...]
Home Retail and TfL take Argos underground at Cannon Street Tube station November 25, 2014 Commuters will now be able to pick up everything from laptops and televisions to furniture as they hop on the Tube after Argos launched its first Underground store yesterday. The retailer’s parent company Home Retail Group has signed a partnership with Transport for London to open a store “the size of a large family kitchen” [...]
Lib Dem’s Caroline Pidgeon to take the fight to TfL over Wembley Park tube closure chaos November 25, 2014 Leader of the Lib Dem London Assembly Group, Caroline Pidgeon, plans to confront Transport for London (TfL) over closures at key Tube stations during significant events, after the women’s football international at Wembley on Sunday. “With close to 50,000 people visiting Wembley to see this international game, it seems TfL opted for a cap on [...]
Mastercard’s Fare Free Friday returns: Free travel on London transport on November 28 using TfL’s contactless payment November 25, 2014 After a succesful outing two weeks ago, MasterCard is bringing its Fare Free Friday back for another day. Londoners will be able to travel for free on the Tube, train, tram, bus and DLR this Friday (November 28) if they swipe their MasterCard on the transport network's contactless system instead of an OysterCard. [...]
Transport for London is trying to make Stockwell Cross friendlier to cyclists: Here’s what it could look like November 24, 2014 Another day, another unveiling of one of Transport for London's (TfL) bright ideas for making some of the most dangerous junctions in London safer for cyclists. This time, it's Stockwell, which will be "transformed" as part of works due to begin next year. According to TfL, the number of cyclists travelling along the Cycle Superhighway [...]