Olympics to boost London businesses March 7, 2012 THE OLYMPICS will lead to a business boom for London as the city is showcased to heads of states who will use their visit as a diplomatic opportunity, insisted the Department for Transport’s London director Jonathan Sharrock yesterday. Deloitte director Mark Naysmith said: “Two weeks before the Athens Olympics the smell of fresh paint lingered [...]
It’s going to be a very tough fight March 5, 2012 WHEN Boris Johnson took the Mayoralty from Ken Livingstone in 2008, many observers thought a repeat victory in 2012 was a foregone conclusion. If recent polls are anything to go by, that most certainly isn’t the case: with just two months to go, the race is too close to call. “The polls are very close [...]
Coalition hits out on Heathrow March 4, 2012 THE GOVERNMENT said yesterday it will not reconsider a third runway at Heathrow, batting away fresh claims from businesses and interest groups that more air capacity is desperately needed to support economic growth. “The government does not support the development of a third runway at Heathrow because of the unacceptable environmental consequences it would bring,” [...]
Boris: Britain must resist EU red tape March 4, 2012 BORIS Johnson has called on the government to boost transport spending, launch a crackdown on people dodging stamp duty and for Britain to pay less attention to EU rules. The London Mayor said economic growth “revolves around” improving the transport system, despite the pressure on public spending, and called on the Treasury to tackle the [...]
Stagecoach in UK rail boost March 1, 2012 STAGECOACH profits are driving forward fuelled by a strong performance at its rail operations in Britain, it said. The FTSE 250 transport company said Virgin Rail, a joint venture in which it owns a 49 per cent stake, was “progressing its bid” for the new West Coast Trains rail franchise which was put up for [...]
Stagecoach buoyed by British rail performance March 1, 2012 Transport group Stagecoach said recent trade had been good, driven by strong growth at its rail businesses, and that it was hopeful of winning more rail franchises in Britain. “Overall current trading remains good and we believe the prospects for the group remain positive,” the company said in a statement on Thursday. “The overall profitability [...]
Cameron’s anger as unions mull mass strike action during London Olympics February 29, 2012 DAVID Cameron has condemned calls from the leader of the UK’s biggest trade union for strike action during the Olympics as “completely unacceptable and unpatriotic”. Len McCluskey, head of Unite, had said workers should consider disrupting the Games as a protest against the government’s planned slowdown of public spending. McCluskey said people coming to Britain [...]
Unite boss raises Olympic strike February 29, 2012 The leader of Britain’s biggest union has said workers should consider strike action to disrupt the Olympic Games as a protest against the government’s public spending cuts. Len McCluskey, general-secretary of the Unite union, told the Guardian that the austerity measures were so unfair that they justified action during the event. “If the Olympics provide [...]
Crossrail train work has to benefit Brits February 28, 2012 BOMBARDIER’S hopes have been raised over lucrative work to build trains for London’s Crossrail project, after the government said the supplier must fulfil the contract in a way that benefits Britain. The Canadian firm, which has a factory in Derby, will compete with Hitachi, Siemens and Spanish group CAF for the contract to supply around [...]
House prices flat as Britons stuck renting February 26, 2012 HALF of Britons do not expect to buy a house until they are in their forties, a survey showed today, while the housing market stayed flat again through February. Average rents rose to £890 per month at the end of 2011, but 61 per cent of renters cannot afford to buy, according to a survey [...]