Westminster becomes first council to request higher retention of business rates for £409m investment programme February 15, 2017 Westminster council has become the first in the UK to urge the government to allow it to keep a higher proportion of its commercial property taxes. A conglomerate representing the West End has put in the application on behalf of the Westminster council and others, City A.M. can reveal. The West End Partnership (WEP), which represents [...]
City Moves for 5 September 2016 | Who’s switching jobs September 5, 2016 United Trust Bank United Trust Bank has appointed Richard Murley as its new chairman. His appointment follows the recent retirement of previous chairman, Nicholas Clegg CBE, who fulfilled the role for the last 15 years. Richard has been chairman of the University College London Hospitals Foundation Trust (UCLH) since 2010. He is a qualified solicitor and has [...]
Developers just won approval to turn this iconic London tower into luxury flats April 13, 2016 Just what London needed: more luxury apartments. Yes: at a planning meeting last night, billionaire property developers David and Simon Reubens won planning permission from Westminster City Council to turn London's iconic Millbank Tower into hundreds of luxury homes. The tower, which has previously housed the United Nations and the Office for National Statistics' predecessor, [...]
Westminster becomes first council to charge more to park diesel cars January 28, 2017 Westminster is becoming the first London borough to make drivers of diesel cars pay more to park. The council will charge 50 per cent more for diesel cars parked in Marylebone from 3 April, in an attempt to make a "greener, healthier city". Read more: These airports have the most expensive parking charges Resident permits [...]
Snooping City: Do you live in London’s most spied-on neighbourhood? January 5, 2017 Londoners have been subject to more than 10,000 days of covert surveillance by councils since 2011, new figures have revealed. Some 27 London borough councils have launched almost 500 surveillance operations over the last five years, but which local authorities did the most spying? A raft of Freedom Of Information requests can reveal surveillance operations [...]
David Davis warns MPs not to tie Theresa May’s hands ahead of historic debates on Brexit legislation March 13, 2017 Brexit secretary David Davis has told MPs not to “tie the Prime Minister's hands” by approving amendments to the Article 50 Bill as the UK embarks on an historic week in which the government could kickstart the process of leaving the EU. Prime Minister Theresa May might trigger Article 50 as soon as tomorrow as [...]
In full: The letter Sadiq Khan sent to chancellor Philip Hammond on business rates February 21, 2017 London mayor Sadiq Khan has joined forces with a host of business groups to write to chancellor Philip Hammond, warning him about how business rate changes will hit the capital. Business rates changes will come into effect on 1 April, and the new taxes are tied to rents across the UK. As rents have jumped [...]
Sadiq’s controversial Night Tsar has issued an apology to six London Tory councils November 23, 2016 Sadiq Khan’s controversial new Night Tsar has apologised for a back-catalogue of offensive tweets in a bid to build bridges with Conservative-controlled London boroughs. Amy Lame’s appointment has been mired in criticism since it was announced in early November. In particular, questions have been raised over Lame using Twitter to brand Scottish Tory leader Ruth [...]
New Scotland Yard’s Middle Eastern owners win approval to replace it with £1bn luxury scheme February 24, 2016 The owners of the New Scotland Yard, the former London home of the Metropolitan police, have won planning permission to turn the 1.7 acre site into a £1bn luxury residential scheme. The Westminster building, which has been home to the Met since 1967, was sold to Abu Dhabi Financial Group (ADFG) for £370m in December 2014 as part of a strategy [...]
Qatari Diar unveils plans to turn US embassy in Mayfair into luxury hotel April 4, 2016 The Qatari owners of the US Embassy in London’s Grosvenor Square have unveiled plans to turn the Grade II-listed landmark into a five star hotel as the US government prepares for its move to Nine Elms next year. Qatari Diar, a subsidiary of sovereign wealth fund the Qatar Investment Authority, will launch a public exhibition next Monday before submitting plans to Westminster [...]