Leaving London: Is moving out of the Big Smoke good value for money? The pros and cons June 11, 2015 With London homes so expensive, more people than ever are thinking of escaping to the country. But is it all it’s cracked up to be? We’ve teamed up with the help of property agent Savills to challenge the assumption that you’ll get better value for your money buying outside the capital. For some, the [...]
City Link: Union calls on Vince Cable to nationalise company and save 2,000 jobs December 28, 2014 Vince Cable has been urged to step in to save 2,000 people from losing their jobs on new year’s eve. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) said that it had been infromed by administrators that over 2,000 workers of stricken parcel delivery firm City Link may face redundency and urged [...]
London bus strike planned to disrupt commuter travel next week January 9, 2015 Bus services throughout London could be severely disrupted if a planned 24-hour strike goes ahead next week. The strike, organised by Unite over pay disparity between the capital's 18 different operators, is scheduled to take place for 24 hours from 00:01am on Tuesday January 13. Unite claims that up to 27,000 workers will [...]
City Link workers demand urgent talks as 1,000 more jobs could be at risk December 27, 2014 Workers at City Link, the parcel delivery company which collapsed into administration on Christmas Eve, have demanded talks with administrators, as it emerged 1,000 more jobs than originally thought may be at risk. The BBC reported that leaders at the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has written an open letter to business minister Vince [...]
Making Canary Wharf feel like home: Commissioning public art for open spaces in a business district February 12, 2015 How do you create a sense of community – a sense of homeliness – in a place where no one lives? One way is through art. From the moment Canary Wharf was conceived, architects and planners envisaged a prominent role for culture within the development. In the 1990s, art historian and former director of the [...]
Is HS3 the best way to boost growth in the North? October 27, 2014 Andrew Carter, acting chief executive of the Centre for Cities, says Yes. Improving rail links between London and the north, and between our largest northern cities, is a critical step in turning the political rhetoric of building a northern powerhouse into reality. Fast and frequent transport systems enable businesses to collaborate and share knowledge and [...]
Britain’s infrastructure craze has echoes of Japan’s debt-fuelled building boom December 15, 2014 THE RECENT announcement that the projected cost of Crossrail 2 has risen to £27bn should be cause for deep concern within the Treasury. Added to HS2 and HS3, this means the total budget of just three planned or proposed rail schemes could be close to £100bn – or perhaps even higher, given the overruns so [...]
Obituary: The firebrand who led London’s transport staff March 11, 2014 WHEN BOB Crow was challenged last month about sunbathing in Brazil while his union headed towards a series of strikes on the London Underground, he replied in his typically brusque manner: “What do you want me to do, sit under a tree and read Karl Marx every day?” Crow’s fight for rail workers since winning [...]
London Underground staff plan 48hr Tube strike from October 14 October 7, 2014 Londoners are set for further Tube chaos next week with London Underground workers due to go on strike for 48 hours over staff cuts and ticket office closures. The strike, which will be held between 9:00pm next Tuesday and 8:59pm on Thursday, coincides with nationwide industrial action from council workers. The Rail, Maritime and Transport [...]
With regulated rail fares in England set to rise by 3.5 per cent in 2015, is it justifiable? August 19, 2014 Colin Stanbridge, chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce, says Yes. A reliable and expansive transport system is vital for London’s reputation as a leading global city. It’s essential that we handle the demands of major population growth in order to secure the capital's future. London’s success is dependent on the quality of its [...]