Rail reforms: the Fat Controller, new fares, and a ‘farewell’ to franchising May 20, 2021 After years of anticipation, and not a few false starts, the government today announced its much-lauded plan to reform the UK’s railways. Complete with pledges to “fix the broken system” and deliver a better service “for the passenger”, the white paper presents a vision of the country’s rail network that is a clear break from [...]
Boris Johnson must throw his support behind London to ensure an economic recovery May 20, 2021 Many people are overjoyed to return to central London and the streets are slowly coming back to life as colleagues, friends and families meet in outdoor cafes, restaurants and bars. Talk to any cabbie or shopkeeper and they’ll tell you that business and footfall is a long way from pre-pandemic levels. Hopes are pinned on [...]
Culture shock May 20, 2021 Covid-19 has left the UK’s world-leading arts sector fighting for survival. As museums and theatres prepare to reopen, four expert CAs tell us how their work has been upended and what their recovery roadmaps look like. This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. All dramatists know the importance of a happy ending; the gratifying [...]
5 jobs available in London this week May 19, 2021 Are you on the hunt for a new and exciting role? We’ve noticed a huge increase in the amount of jobs being posted to our job board lately (which makes a lot of sense considering that the world is slowly returning to normal). Anyway, we wanted to share some of these jobs with you, in [...]
London houses now average £500,000, as UK-wide prices rise at fastest rate in 14 years May 19, 2021 London houses now average £500,000, as UK-wide prices rise at fastest rate in 14 years
London offices get facelift in lockdown despite pandemic May 17, 2021 New construction starts in London have jumped by one-fifth in the six months to March 2021, despite the pandemic and changing working practices, research by Deloitte has found. New office starts are up to 3.1 million square feet, Deloitte found, with 32 new schemes breaking ground during the six months. More than half (56%) of [...]
BDO becomes latest auditor to tell staff to work where they like May 17, 2021 BDO has told staff to decide where they would like to work post-pandemic, in a move that adopts a more flexible model than some of its rivals. The challenger audit firm will ask staff to work wherever is most productive, depending upon the task they are doing. For most people this will likely mean a [...]
Keir Starmer was right on one thing in his reshuffle – we need a Future of Work Secretary May 15, 2021 After a poor set of local election results and a botched reshuffle, Labour hasn’t had the best of weeks. But one thing it may have gotten right is the appointment of Angela Rayner as “shadow secretary for the future of work”. While it is easy to mock the elaborate titles bestowed on the deputy leader [...]
WFH: ‘Like the internet before, we’re at an inflection in the history of work’ May 14, 2021 The arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent switch to home working has put us at a pivotal moment in history that could change how we do things forever, according to a specialist. We are about to see a dramatic shift to hybrid working in a post-pandemic world, according to research director Alexia Cambon, who, [...]
The future of the office – What will be the ‘new normal’? May 14, 2021 As we slowly contemplate a return to “normal” life following the disruption caused by the Government’s response to Covid-19, office-based employers are trying to figure out what that return looks like for their businesses. There is a real difference of opinion, both between sectors and in-sector, with some firms advocating that everyone should immediately return [...]