Hit the right note this Valentine’s weekend February 6, 2013 THE concept of Valentine’s Day as a time for lovers to express their romantic desires has, contrary to the cries of the cynics, been around since at least the Middle Ages. The tradition of sending flowers and hand-written letters has been around ever since, albeit with the intervention of the ubiquitous greetings card. These days [...]
Boris wants to keep property tax in London February 5, 2013 BORIS Johnson will tonight call on the government to let London retain the tax charged on property sales in the capital, so he can use the money to stimulate housebuilding in the capital. The Mayor will tell the Chartered Institute of Housing that if City Hall took control of all the stamp duty receipts raised [...]
TfL considers proposed route for Crossrail 2 February 5, 2013 TRANSPORT for London (TfL) yesterday backed calls for a new £12bn underground railway link to be built through the capital by the early 2030s, following the publication of a proposed route for the Crossrail 2 project. Business group London First unveiled its preferred route for the railway, which will run from south west London to [...]
Give London back its stamp duty to reinvest in growth February 5, 2013 FIFTY years ago the average London house cost roughly the same as a month’s rent in some parts of North London today. Notwithstanding the effect of inflation, that cannot be sustainable, socially or economically. Among the range of housing challenges we face, the greatest by far is simply to build more homes. That’s why Boris [...]
A late night Tube is simple way to keep London competitive February 3, 2013 TRANSPORT for London has raised the prospect of the Underground running until 2am at weekends. Starting in 2015, this could deliver a signifciant boost to London’s £8bn a year dining, drinking and entertainment industry, and would provide a boon to the thousands of Londoners who flock to the West End for a night out. This [...]
Letters to the editor February 3, 2013 London by night [RE: Tube could run until 2am, says transport boss, Thursday] Last week’s announcement that London Underground will run extended weekend Tube services is a boon for businesses across the capital. It is also positive for businesses like Addison Lee, as we also benefit from Londoners being able to get around at busy [...]
It’s Davos, but not as you know it February 3, 2013 DESPITE being a 30-something supposed grown-up, I must confess to still suffering from the occasional nightmare. While on duty as a night editor of this newspaper, for example, my sleep can be disturbed by a recurring dream in which I’m culpable for printing over 130,000 front page headlines of “UK ECOMONY DIPS AGAIN” (yes, reread [...]
Cameron faces HS2 anger from backbenchers January 28, 2013 DAVID Cameron yesterday raised the ire of his own party following the publication of the second half of the HS2 railway route from London to northern England. Most of the Y-shaped railway – which will link London to Leeds and Manchester – will run through Conservative-held constituencies, raising the prospect of a backbench rebellion when [...]
Diesel and hybrid cars to lose congestion charge exemption January 28, 2013 DRIVERS of hybrid cars will be forced to pay the congestion charge if plans under consideration receive the green light, Transport for London (TfL) said yesterday. Owners of some diesel-fuelled cars – as well as hybrids such as the Toyota Prius range – are currently exempt from the £10 fee for driving into central London [...]
City Views | Should the government spend £33bn on high speed two? January 28, 2013 STEPHEN HARRIS ACCOUNTANT AND INSOLVENCY PRACTIONER It is a complete and utter waste of money. You cannot balance the books of the country by ploughing money into black hole infrastructure projects. Not one penny of public money should go into HS2. BRYAN HASLAM NETWORK INTERLINKS Yes. Anything with better connections across the country will be [...]