9m bedrooms have vanished as nearly half of all homeowners change property to suit post-pandemic needs February 17, 2022 Close to nine million bedrooms have been “lost” as people have adapted their homes during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a property website. Four in 10 (41%) homeowners have changed their property to better suit their needs, Zoopla found. Among those making changes, more than half (53%) have entirely repurposed at least one bedroom while [...]
New claims emerge Downing Street held party night before Queen sat alone at Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral January 14, 2022 Two parties took place in Downing Street the night before the Queen sat alone at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, according to fresh claims this morning. The events are said to have taken place on the evening of April 16 2021 while the country was in a period of public mourning and coronavirus restrictions were [...]
£3.8bn stall but still flying: UK’s biggest airport looks ahead after ‘worst year in Heathrow’s history’ February 23, 2022 Heathrow has revealed 2021 was the worst year in its history, as passenger numbers fell to 19.4 million – the lowest since 1972 – while cargo went down 12 per cent as a result of the pandemic’s impact on aviation. In the year ended 31 December, the London hub reported that, despite its efforts to [...]
Christmas parties get the chop at London firms November 14, 2021 City bosses have cancelled their traditional Christmas parties for a second year running over Covid fears. Blowout Christmas celebrations usually held by London’s accounting, insurance and law firms will be scrapped in favour of smaller dinners and events for individual teams the Telegraph first reported. Despite large gatherings being allowed under current Covid rules, top [...]
Airline bosses call on government to rule out more border closures January 24, 2022 Airline bosses have called on government to rule out the introduction of border closures even if a new Covid-19 variant emerges, as the UK begins to put the pandemic behind it. Government last week brought an end to so-called Plan B restrictions, which saw self-isolation rules and work from home guidance scrapped. With signs of [...]
As the City readies itself for the future, firms rethink their office downsize January 25, 2022 Moments after Boris Johnson announced the end of Plan B Covid-19 restrictions the order went out to civil servants to lead by example – and head back to the office. The edict will have reflected a desire to get people back into the capital and breathe new life into the economy, not least the hospitality [...]
Shoppers are flocking back to UK high streets faster than EU rivals, footfall data shows November 5, 2021 UK retail destinations have reported footfall recovering to near-pre-Covid levels faster than those in major EU economies. Total UK footfall was down 13.7 per cent in October compared to 2019, the pre-Covid comparative. There was a 3.2 percentage point improvement from September. This was ahead of Spain (-19.8 per cent), Germany (-26.1 per cent), Italy [...]
Two-fifths of London SMEs plan to shed workers as furlough ends and pandemic restrictions return December 13, 2021 Two-fifths of owner-managed businesses in London are reportedly planning to make redundancies this winter.
Sir James Dyson: Next generation will suffer if workers do not return to offices August 19, 2021 Sir James Dyson has called on the government to take the “less popular decision” and send workers back to the office. The order to work from home wherever possible was lifted on 19 July, but since then numbers returning to offices has stagnated. Dyson believes the “chances of the next generation will suffer” if a [...]
Travel stocks lead London markets lower as investors digest Plan B damage December 9, 2021 Travel stocks led London markets lower yesterday as investors took flight from the sector after the UK government launched tougher Covid-19 restrictions this week. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index dipped 0.22 per cent to close at 7,321.26 points, reversing some of this week’s gains. The mid-cap FTSE 250, which is more aligned to the [...]